Spiritual Growth Articles

The Placebo Effect A line from a famous song reassures us that, "A spoon full of sugar helps the medicine go down...in the most delightful way." But could the sugar itself be the medicine? Placebo studies show us that "a spoon full of sugar," and a little faith, could be as real a cure as any ...

Have you ever tried achieving a goal, only to meet with such strong inner resistance you eventually gave up trying? You might not be aware that changing a few simple phrases might just prove to be the difference! Here’s a fact. There are an abundance of courses, workshops, webinars, and online help available to give you clear step-by-step directions on how to set and achieve your goal.

I wrote a column called “Heroes Among Us” for the Orange County Register, Sun Post News for years. The stories focused on people who did heroic things, so that we may all learn from them. Every year I wrap up with the best hero lessons. From well over 100 hero lessons each year, the following ...

What is love? Everyone thinks that it exists in our world - after all, we all want to feel it. This most profound human emotion has been pondered, philosophized, analyzed and dissected by humanity's greatest minds for millennia, but it still mystifies us. nnWhen we think of love, it seems that it should be the most altruistic human emotion, that love is something we give unconditionally without any thought of ourselves. Yet life also teaches us that love is often selfish, and

Most people know when seeking christian marriage advice that once you become joined with another person, it’s bound to become difficult. It’s like two people in a gunny sack race… One has their left leg in the bag, the other person has their right leg in it and they’re supposed to run together and not fall down?

The human heart is amazing in its ability to experience love, wisdom, compassion, and caring. The human heart is amazing in its ability to experience sadness, disappointment, and sorrow. Living life with a full and open heart means opening to it all and accepting the passion, mystery and flow of life. Living with a full and open heart also means accepting each powerful impact when the flow of life hits hard.

It is almost winter again. December is the last month of the year when most of the Season of Lights Festivals are celebrated. These festivals celebrate the fact that the light only begins to return to its full strength again when the seasons are darkest, the night is the longest, and the winter is the coldest. We do rituals and remembrances to remember that this doesn't only happen in nature, but in our personal lives.

New Thinking for a New Year This article is to acknowledge the challenging times that many people are having all over the world. Challenges with world events, economic conditions and the other personal challenges of every day life. My goal is to give you a little inspiration to lift your head up high, and keep the faith that the future is indeed bright, if you allow yourself to have it.

I often speak to many of potentials. When you are asking that question or thinking on what might be possible what you are pondering is potentials. Wondering if you should apply for that job or if you should move often what we are really wondering and want to know is will it work out in our favor. The answer lies in what it is you want. If it is something you want then know that there is a potential out there already that you can realize where you are already that, where you already have that new job and position, or where you are already living in that other place.

For 5,000 years, human societies have been oriented around the belief systems of scarcity and unworthiness. Opposing that is a new rise in consciousness and a demand for positive change, which is as yet undirected. Our use of scarce and polluting fossil fuels, and our hierarchical political and ...

Another decision made... a time of standing in that decision come what may ...& now completion. I looked at my life today as I was busy gardening & thought how lucky I am. Well how lucky "we" are as human beings supported by the Universe. Every choice I have made whether it be for my highest ...

Men and women have different underlying negative beliefs about themselves. Generally speaking, men are primarily conce ed about their productivity. Their self-talk centers around whether or not they're able to produce enough. Can they do a good enough job in the world? Can they be good ...

HAPPINESS is MORE than a FEELING! Imagine you live alone. It’s a relatively crime free neighborhood and your sense of security is justified. You’ve always felt safe in your home there’s never been a reason not too…until tonight. It’s 2:00 a.m. on a Friday night, you’re sound asleep unaware of the harrowing danger you’re about to face.

Surrendering in the moment is a powerful jewel for self discovery. It is about letting go of control and letting God be in charge of all our affairs. It takes awareness, strength and courage to get to the place of surrendering our lives and our problems to our higher power. Self love is also an important part of surrendering. Instead of feeling less than or defeated the opposite is true. We begin to feel better about ourselves and more successful when we allow ourselves to go with the flow of life.

Obesity has become a major issue in the United States, and is especially alarming among school age children. While we may not all be classified as obese, losing weight or at least maintaining our desired weight has become a national obsession. If you have found that diet and exercise alone have not been enough to achieve your goals, you may be interested in discovering a few new techniques that will allow you to uncover and overcome self-sabotaging blocks, and give you handy

The following is an outline of how to establish, maintain and quantify the benefits of innovation/motivation consistent with corporate America in the 21st Century. Step one is to make innovation/motivation a management priority. And making innovation/motivation a priority is not the same as ...

It isn’t always easy to be different; yet, if you want to be innovative, you’ve got to break with trends, traditions, and even your own habits. There’s no way around this; innovators are bringers of new things – not old things. New means change; change means different. ...

"I changed my mind." These are four of the most powerful words in the English language. They can prevent you from being manipulated into an undesirable outcome and launch you on the road to personal and spiritual growth. Depriving yourself of the freedom to change your mind will lock you into a ..."I changed my mind."

The weather outside seems to be offering an uncanny reflection of what I am witnessing going on within so many people, myself included. I am reminded of the quote by the Greek poet Hermessianex, “As within, so without.” One minute we are basking in the beauty of a late summer day, cloudless sky, warm sun and gentle breezes. Then suddenly and without warning we are thrust rudely into the cool nights of Fall scrambling to bundle up against the sudden chill, wondering what happened to the last lazy, hazy days of summer.

Usually people use the word "Happiness" when they are really searching for "Joy." They don't realize the two words are opposites, and for the most part, mutually exclusive. I remember being the pastor between two hurting people and hearing, “He doesn’t make me happy any more,” or “I’m very unhappy with the way she has changed over the past year.”

Emotions are for feeling, feeling in and out: Tears of sadness; cries of joy; words of anger;nnfear as toys. Round and round we go. Sometimes laughing out. Sometimes tears inward - make for sick bones. Emotions are for feeling. Just what is it all about? They say our feelings create for ...

I want to write about something so important today. What do we do when life looses it’s magic? How do we move forward into the beauty within and before us every single day? How do we stop our obligations, other people’s judgements and difficult circumstances from taking away the beauty in our life?

When people are challenged with illness the best and worst comes out in them.

Even though we may say we want change, many of us are actually afraid of it at a deep level. Though we may outwardly express a hope for something new, inwardly we may be in resistance. Holding on to old patterns in our hearts, minds and actions, we find ourselves too often in the same situations over and over again, without the transformation we had anticipated.

Probably the most debilitating emotion that humans must confront is that of fear. Fear confuses. Fear paralyzes. Fear prevents you from thinking clearly, accessing your spiritual gifts and being who you truly are.

I spent much of last Monday gazing at the snow as it gingerly floated to the ground. Growing up in the Bay Area, I never had much experience with snow—at least not until I moved to Paris a few years ago. France had experienced one of its coldest winters and while it wasn't too common for snow to show up in this part of the country, it seemed to blanket the countryside for months. Not being particularly prepared for snow weather, I ended up slipping and sliding all over the place in my tennies.

Words: 471 Keywords: Recession, Survive, Prevent, Debt Control We can’t prevent a recession from happening, but there are a number of things to do so that we survive it with a minimum of pain. 1. Have the proper attitude – you have to have faith that you can do something positive ...

Let us pray. With these words we close our eyes, bow our heads, fold our hands together and . . then what? We wait for the minister to continue speaking. We reach out to still a squiggly child. We start a grocery list in our heads for the quick stop at the convenience store on the way home. ...

At Winter Solstice, the Cosmic Christ reaches the innermost center of the Earth. He makes four major contacts with the planet each year, during the Equinoxes and Solstices. The "Birth" of the Sun inaugurates a new growth cycle. Earth and her people are ready for new beginnings. Every year there ...

Human beings are capable of incredible transformation. We break through. We break down. We re-invent and we rise from the ashes. Some people even manage to make quantum leaps and extreme emotional makeovers. But for most of us, we are just who we are and that’s that. People don't change very much. Not really. Your every day “you-ness” has been there since you got here, (just ask your dad, or your kindergarten teacher, or any astrologer.) Extroverted. Jovial. Tender-hearted. Curious. Cautious. Exacting. Bold.

I’ve been a self-development junkie from the time I read “How to Think like Leonardo da Vinci” by Michael J Gelb over eight years ago. The book taught me the importance of keeping a journal which I have been doing consistently for at least 8 years now. From that springboard I dove into the self-growth ocean exploring all the flora and fauna with enthusiasm and delight. I took a tough online course called Tools to Life and graduated much to my surprise about five months later...surprised because my history at completing projects was notoriously bad.

When I was six years old my teenage babysitter walked with me and my brother to get a drink from a fast food place. I may not be a fan of anything fast-food these days, but back then a milk shake was a treat that I delighted in. Considering it was a hot summer day, the frozen chocolate tantalized my childhood taste buds. After I savored every last sip, I was at a loss with what to do with my now empty paper cup, lid and straw. There wasn't a garbage can in sight.

Are you tired of worrying about the bills? Are you tired of searching for your passion in life? Are you tired of health issues, relationship issues, job issues, political issues and just plain old tired? It is no exaggeration to say that the demands of the world can be very consuming and captivating. This is the spell of the cosmic measurer – Maya. But ask yourself what exactly is it you are seeking? Most of our daily efforts in life are centered on trying to cater to the demands of the flesh or the body.

The Secret, or The Law of Attraction, isn't "magic." It isn't really even a "thing." The Law of Attraction is simply a way of talking about or describing how things seem to come together, or manifest into form from the world of the un-formed. The Law of Attraction is a law, not a tool; it ...

Love is the fabric of freedom.rnForgiveness paves the way to freedom.rnYou will know when you are freernwhen there is nothing left to forgivernbecause you see through the eyes of love. The Voice of the Oneness of GodrnMarch 3, 2012 This was the first message I received from God about Divine love as self-love. Those words stopped me in my tracks as they reverberated through the room during my workout. All I could think of was how amazing that message was, as I quickly stopped

Worry is a form of fear that typically stems from feelings of not being in control, lack of trust, or not feeling safe. The antidote to worry is trust. But how do you get to a trusting place when you're mind is filled with worry thoughts? Like reaching any goal, you begin one step at a time. The first step is willingness. You have to be willing to release the worry thoughts and let them go. Ask yourself, on a scale of 1-10, how willing are you to let this worry go? If you're not 100% willing to let it go, look unde eath to see what benefit you're getting for keeping this worry.

The secret to having a good day lies in how we start and finish our days - and in being joyful, mindful, playful, kind-full and time-full at the times in between. Here’s how we can have the perfect day each and every day, starting and ending with a little light meditation. Tip 1: Starting your dayr

True freedom means complete responsibility. This is the natural outcome of the truth that life is a mirror for your consciousness. All forms of victim thinking have some reluctance to taking full responsibility for your life along with the need to blame some person thing or circumstance. In that situation you become bound by what you are reacting to and by the thinking behind the reaction.

As I am contemplating the idea of “Heaven” and “Hell”, as taught by my Islamic religion growing up, I couldn’t help but rethink my religious beliefs and ask myself questions. Is there really a “Heaven” and “Hell” waiting for us when we die? Is God going to punish me for my sins and let me burn in Hell fire for eternity? Would God as the supreme King do such a thing to his “slave”? Would a loving God do that to his “proclaimed child” as a Father? The

Have Faith in the New Day We’ve all had questions to which we’ve all asked for answers! In fact, in many ways one might actually see life itself as a journey of questions and answers; though, of course we know that it is so much more than that! Sometimes an answer we need seems well beyond the scope of our own reasoning ability and state of awareness. Yet even with the highest level of awareness, it may feel as if we are nearing a solution though it still remains elusive

One of the pivotal quotes that shaped my life growing up was from one of my favorite musical icons, David Bowie: “The worst trick God can play is to make you an artist, but a mediocre one.” Internalizing my version of his message, my motto became through high school and university that I would rather be an A or an F student than a C student.

Sound gives birth to all that is. It is the power behind existence itself, and the universe is merely its outer effect. At first glance this may seem a strange notion. Yet, within Christian theology we are told that creation came forth in response to the “Word.” In the East we are given to understand that Brahman sang the universe into existence. Both these mythological views hearken to the same notion. That is, that God gave birth to existence through the power of sacred

Do you know that there are NO LIMITS on your life? None. There’s no chain tying you to a fence, there’s no deadlines or timelines. It’s the truth, my friend – the world is your oyster. The only limits you encounter are the ones that you place there… I can hear the excuses now. I know because I ...

An Alte ative View of an Epidemic by Ram Giri Over 120 million people suffer from serious depression worldwide. Most of them live in the richest countries in the world, where, one would think, people have less reason to be depressed. What’s going on?

Continuing our exploration of living large, it is time to become empowered and take our new perspectives out into the world. In this fourth and final segment on Tips for Living Large, we will explore techniques that assist you in rapidly moving forward toward your new goals, allowing you to gain comfort and familiarity with aligning yourself with your preferred way of living in the world. Awareness Engineering combines contemporary healing techniques, quantum reality concepts

So much has been written about emotions of love, love is a word used in many contexts and very often has been downgraded to simply a verb, that really means “I like”. So how can we define unconditional love when so often love has so little meaning.

As more and more alte ative and spiritual healings are being studied and documented they are finding that all forms of upliftment heals the body, mind and spirit. Angelic art falls within this category by uplifting the spirit. I do not claim Angel paintings create physical healings. Angel ...

Jupiter Transit 2017 Guru or Jupiter is a benefic planet in our solar system of planets. It takes 12 years for Guru to complete its complete journey once round the full set of zodiac signs. In each house it stays for about one year. The movement of Guru from one house to another house is called guru peyarchi or Jupiter transit. This occurs on the 2nd of September 2017 from the house of Kanni or Virgo to Tula or Libra. Know More About Jupiter Transit Click Here rnAries Jupiter

I had been trying for many years to anchor myself in the present by utilizing many methods originating from various spiritual traditions, but ultimately, to no avail. After a temporary success, there would always emerge a setback and I would find myself at the beginning of the road again. Or it seemed so. Anyway, it was obvious that my strategy was not well-grounded.

Every day, countless people around the globe seek out guidance and information from professional psychics, mediums and the intuitive arts. And why not? It's a great way to gain additional support and confidence in your life journey. Today's internet and phone technology afford us an ...