Articles

Home > Spirituality  

My Search for the Truth

I am a Falun Dafa practitioner. Maybe you've heard about the persecution of Falun Dafa (or Falun Gong) practitioners in China. Over the past five years, many people have been committed to mental institutions, tortured, detained, imprisoned, and even killed, simply for refusing to give up this practice. Unfortunately, most Americans don't know about this situation, or they've been given a negative impression, and so the persecution goes on. My intention is to give my impression of Falun Dafa, and hopefully, bring an awareness of this situation to the people of this country--a country that was founded on the... Read More

Path to Healing

It is within us to explore and draw upon our inner resources to heal. Some wounds are embedded so deeply that no amount of professional expertise can cure, much less heal. A famous Yale surgeon says that as a surgeon, he cuts into the body, but he can not order the wound to heal. Ultimately, it is through our efforts that healing can occur.The path to healing is a personal choice. It is a path where you choose to piece together the fragmentsand make it" whole" again. It paves the way to self-discovery, to... Read More

Sacred Space, Sacred Time

We all need space, we all need time to ourselves.In Exodus3:15- Word of God:When the Lord saw that Moses was coming closer, he called him from the middle of the bush and said: "Moses, Moses", he answered, "Yes, here I am"God said, " Do not come any closer. Take off your sandals because you are standing on holy ground." Indeed, one little corner, a fraction of time that you allow yourself can do wonders to your being, to get in touch with your inner self and give expression to your faith. A space that allows you to reflect onyour life,... Read More

Shamanism

Shamanism is an ancient form of mysticism. Although there are many localized variations, the basic tenet is that all things are sacred and alive. Shamans are experts in this perspective and act as priests, holy persons, guides, researchers, explorers or professionals. Most have the ability to enter trance or altered states to access information related to their work. The shaman acts as a bridge. While in contact with life in other dimensions of the universe, they also use what is available in the local environment as an aid in returning a person, place or situation back into balance.... Read More

The Final Chapter

Several months ago, I read an article about a 22 year old, successful young lady who died a premature death in a plane crash. The more I read this article, the heavier my heart became because she died in the midst of her formative years. Equally tear-jerking was the fact that she died before completing a book that she was writing -- before completing her final chapter. Right now, your book is being written -- and you are the author. Every moment that passes, every day that appears and vanishes, your pages are being written.... Read More

Why Sit Here Until I Die?

The bible tells a story about four men who sat at the entrance of the city's gate dying with leprosy, an incurable disease which causes terribly visible swelling and sores on the skin, only then to eat inward to the bones. Because of this contagious and incurable disease, these lepers sat outside of the city because they were not permitted to live within the city. These men were faced with a fatal disease, were outcasts, and were starving because of a feminine in the land. Such a hopeless life and no perceived future, would make the average person throw in... Read More

Faerie Wisdom

Spirit DancerThe spirit dancer is the card of creative expression. Of exploring our inner truths and desires. Now is the time to open your heart and mind. Listen to your inner self and determine to bring forth and express all that is you. It is the time to let your creativity burst through. To jump into the dance of life and dare to be a full expression of your inner self.Now is the time for creative endeavours. A time to spontaniously express your hopes and dreams. To allow yourself to expand your awareness, to dare to dream.The spirit dancers message... Read More

Seven Soul-Nurturing Suggestions for Busy Women

Looking for some ways to feed your soul in the midst of all you do? Try one or more of these great ideas! 1.) Body Work/Movement: Tai Ji, massage, Feldenkrais, Reflexology ? there are tons of modalities which contribute to healing in soulful ways. Try one today! 2.) Connections with Others: Support networks/groups, accountability groups, on-line chats/boards, spiritual direction, soul mates and soul friends all offer you healthy interconnections if these relationships help you maintain a fluid balance while you protect and defend your interpersonal boundaries. 3.) Daily Rituals: Setting quiet time aside for your soul daily both refreshes... Read More

Ten Soul-Tending Principles for Women

Feeling restless? Is part of you calling out for change, though you don't yet know what that looks like, or what you most need? Well, maybe, just maybe, you need a little soul nurturing. Try one or more of these nurturing principles on for size: 1.) Change expands soul. When the winds of change blow storms into your life, welcome them as much as possible, for what comes will free you in some vital way and make room in your life for newness. 2.) Hope feeds soul. We can endure anything if we have hope. Without hope, we die,... Read More

Spirituality at Work Because You Cant Leave Home Without You

Several years ago after I presented a workshop entitled "Spirituality at Work: Because You Can't Leave Home Without You?" I got a phone call from someone who saw the program booklet. She was very interested in the topic and wanted to know how to "get it" at her company. She went on to ask, "How can I implement spirituality in our organization?" My response was simple. "You can't. Spirituality isn't something you implement; it's something you are." From that point on I became an ardent observer of this new "hot topic" and it's evolution in the corporate world. Let's... Read More

From Spiritual Cry Baby to Bold Seeker of Truth

Ever notice how people dread discussing the truth about life? Their fear usually comes out as, "I never talk about that" or "Some things we're not supposed to know." They quickly cut off any probing of who they are and why they're here. How strange that people who are brave in everyday affairs tend to cringe and cower when asked to think about the reasons and powers behind their existence! Yet, what could be more urgent than to face your own reality? Humanity's spiritual jitters often stem from... Read More

Soulstretch: Raising the Bar on Nobility and Nicety

In the make-believe world, too, fiction and films are filled with flawed characters fighting their way to selfish goals. Pick up any book on how to write novels and short stories and you see the word "conflict" in bold.For mass conflict, consider that people love war. Even the blasted bodies of innocent babies in a battle zone do not prompt the laying down of arms or the hammering of pistols into plowshares.It doesn't have to be that way. The change starts with secret questions. You have to be silently skeptical of all you've been taught. You must privately challenge every... Read More

Animal Spirits: Power Animals and Guides

We shamans are a strange breed.....often we tend to isolate ourselves from those around us. However, this does not mean we don't have relationships..........in fact we often have too many to handle at any one time. You see, we are connecting to many levels of reality and inter-relating with all of them at the very same time. So while we are in a group of people....we are also talking to the spirit world and often the animal guides all at once. It's a difficult balancing act..to say the least. Often we must decide which is the most important communication at... Read More

Beyond Normal - The Liquid Level Of Consciousness

I am not enlightened, and yet, I am no longer "normal." Since you are reading this, I suspect you probably feel the same. Somewhere between the normal, Solid level of consciousness and the transparent, Ethereal level of enlightenment, lies a very fluid, Liquid level of awareness.Just ahead lies a beautiful glen, a large clearing in the forests of the Soul. This glen is with you wherever you are, it lies just behind your mind, just behind your thoughts, just behind your emotions. This is sacred ground, the source of your... Read More

Leaving Storyville

One of the most difficult barriers to overcome on the path to spiritual growth is extracting yourself from the tenacious grip of the Ego Story. Unsuspectingly, many people are mesmerized and possessed by this mental illusion. Possessed like some demon possesses a poor, hapless soul. They are ignorant of their ignorance. They do not realize they are separate. They believe that they are the Story.The robin, on an early spring morning, spies a worm burrowing into the soil. Two creatures - the bird and the worm. One sees the other.... Read More

Losing Control

One of the most frightening things about melting from a normal, Solid, ego-based lifestyle, to a more Liquid, dynamic, spiritual one is that some concepts that you always assumed to be sound and good and true, start to lose their solidity. The very glue that holds together this solid, stable world begins to lose its cohesion. For example, take the simple concept of "self-control." You have control of yourself. You are in charge of your Destiny, the Captain of your Fate, the Master of your Mind...Abandon all hope, ye who... Read More

Lonely Photos

After first seeing my photography, people often try to understand the man behind the lens. "I'll bet he is..." Lonely. Sad. Depressed. Tortured. Lives alone. About the work itself, it is often quite positive, but about my personal life? Wayne Wirs is invariably... misunderstood.It is true, that as of this writing, I live alone, but as for the rest - I seem to suffer those burdens far less than most. As a serious spiritual seeker, I naturally had to travel through those dark lands of Sadness, Depression, Loneliness and deep Inner Conflict.... Read More

The Truth of Reactions

In my life, I have tried to be Good and Pure and True. In these qualities, I have failed miserably. Why is it so hard to be good? Why is it so difficult to act in harmony with our mental ideals?From the sea of Emptiness, everything arises.Many people on the spiritual path eventually come face to face with their "Dark Side" - that part of themselves that is very, un-enlightened, selfish and spoiled. Reactions are a great mirror. We shout at the driver who cut us... Read More

Do You Have Hot Buttons?

You may ask, "What are hot buttons anyway?"Hot buttons are those that, when people push, you turn red and out comes the anger, resentment, insecurity, and other negative emotions you wish weren't a part of your life.Remember the last time your boss made a comment about the project you completed? For some reason, his assessment just sent you through the roof. What about when your partner told you that you are gaining weight? Did you get upset and begin feeling insecure about your relationship? What if your manager or teacher doesn't spend much time talking with you? Do you feel... Read More

Enthusiam And The Spirit

In this article, I would like deal with one specific aspect of attitude, that is, "enthusiasm." To have an enthusiastic attitude about we do is essential.I have taken the time to look up the meaning and origin of the word enthusiasm:ETYMOLOGY: Late Latin enthsiasmus, from Greek enthousiasmos, from enthousiazein, to be inspired by a god, from entheos, possessed: en-, in; see + theos, god; thus, a strong warmth of feeling, keen interest or fervor; Great excitement for or interest in a subject or cause. 2. A source or cause of great excitement or interest. 3. Archaic a. Ecstasy arising from... Read More