Spiritual Love Ideas

Religious Mind Control Or Generational Sin

2009-10-02T13:34:00.001-07:00

If you were raised with certain beliefs and belong to a certain religion, there is a very good chance that your parents followed your religion and share the same beliefs. If you are a Muslim, there's a very good chance that your parents were Muslims. If you live in the United States, there is a really, really good chance that you're a Christian, especially if you live in Texas or Utah.

Is this religious mind control and generational sin or is this truly the way life is meant to live. Your parents and ancestors formed strong beliefs and pass them on to their children. What's wrong with that? Is it a generational sin to pass on what you truly believe? With that question asked, is a generational sin our mind control to teach our children how to fit into society, is it our obligation as stewards.

We often send our children to school, give them a good religious upbringing and then assimilate them into the workplace, almost like robots on an assembly line. We seem to never even question where these beliefs originated, we have no idea where they are going to take us and above all, we have no idea that they are truly beneficial to society, let alone ourselves.

Teaching our children what we have been taught, isn't always going to be right. If you look back in history, at all the beliefs, rituals and facts that have been disproven and are no longer followed by modern man, you can get a pretty good idea what I'm talking about. These people often taught their children, what they were taught. In centuries to come, these truths died out and were replaced by new ones.

Religious mind control can be cured by opening your mind and reading articles like this. You might be talking to someone who you have been taught to fear or even hate your whole life, only to find out that they think like you. They care about their families, feel sorry for others who are less fortunate and usually eat and sleep just like you do. If your mind is open enough, you could realize that you have been lied to and now it's time to start thinking seriously about what you were taught and what you're going to believe in the future.

Religious mind control can be cured through reading books, watching television, visiting other countries and educating yourself about other cultures and religions. The change you make today could affect future generations in your family.

You are free to copy this article to your site as long as you include the following resource information with an active link to my site:

Greg Vanden Berge is a published author, internet marketing expert, motivational inspiration to millions of people all over the world and is sharing some of his wisdom with experts in the fields of writing,marketing, and personal development. Check out one of his recommended books, You Can Have It All

Greg is currently working on a religious help library filled with great subjects on a wide array of topics, like religion, self help and spiritual changes in the world. His views on religious freedom are slowly changing the way people think about institutional religion.

Could Christian Pride Get You in Trouble?

2009-10-02T04:55:00.001-07:00

There's a good chance that most of us know at least one person who seems to be very prideful. These people are often hard to deal with and can easily get their feelings hurt. When someone who has a lot of pride, gets trapped in a corner, they often come out swinging in full attack mode.

When a Christian has a lot of pride, and is faced with a problem about their religion, the opposition had better be prepared, especially if this person is large and intimidating. I'm not referring to every Christian here, I'm not even referring to every Christian with a lot of pride either, I'm referring to Christians who mix their prideful beliefs with factual evidence.

These people can often become stubborn and the more that you push or pull, the deeper they dig their heels in, until they can't even be moved in either direction. It's almost like they're feet are buried in a large concrete slab of cement.

Yes pride can get you into trouble, they key is, knowing how to get yourself out of trouble. When someone approaches you with a question about your beliefs that you don't have the answer to, simply respond with," I will have to do some research and get back with you."

Don't let your pride get in the way and create an enemy out of someone that could provide you with some useful information about other beliefs or even your own religion. Think about it, your pride can often dig holes that you might not be able to get out of.

Eliminate Bible Propaganda

You are free to copy this article to your site as long as you include the following resource information with an active link to my site:

Greg Vanden Berge is a published author and a inspiration to millions of people. He has been involved in religious research for almost 30 years, and his influence in the Christian community is growing. The Holy Bible, is the core to Christian beliefs and most Christians don't even question it. Was the Bible actually written by men?

His newest book," Did God Actually Say That?" Was written specifically for Christians who are interested in gaining additional knowledge about the Bible. This book provides Christians with advanced biblical knowledge, answer some tough questions and should be read by every faithful follower of Christ.

Click here if you're Interested in Christianity.

Could You Be a Married Adulterer? - For Christians Only

2009-10-01T20:17:00.001-07:00

Adultery has been going on for centuries and obviously was a problem 2500 years ago or it wouldn't have been mentioned in the Bible so many times. Could you actually be married to someone and be considered an adulterer? It's time for you to learn all the rules in the New Testament about adultery.

Here's a Bible verse that could get a lot of Christians in trouble. Mark 10:11-12 (New King James Version)" 11 So He said to them, "Whoever divorces his wife and marries commits adultery against her. 12 And if a woman divorces her husband and marries another, she commits adultery."

It looks a little more complicated than most of us could have ever thought. Whoever divorces his wife and marries another, has committed adultery. That means that there are millions of Christians all over the world who have committed adultery.

I've got some more bad news for Christians who might have looked at a woman lustfully. Matthew 5:28 (New International Version Bible) "But I tell you that anyone who looks at a woman lustfully has already committed adultery with her in his heart." This isn't looking good, for men or women is it?

If you've never been married, but while you were at church, notice an attractive woman or man and had lustful thoughts, about them, you're an adulterer. I know, it sounds a little harsh, but I'm not making anything up here, it's right out of the Bible.

I know things aren't looking good but I would like to leave you with a comforting thought. If you were divorced from your spouse because of an adulterous relationship, things might be starting to look a little different with this next Bible verse.

Matthew 19:9 (New International Version Bible) I tell you that anyone who divorces his wife, except for marital unfaithfulness, and marries another woman commits adultery."

These are typical contradictions and they are located throughout the Bible. Mark 10:11-12 states that all divorced people who have remarried, commit adultery. Matthew 19:9 states something completely different, if your divorced and your ex spouse has been unfaithful during your marriage and you remarry, everything is okay.

Are you even more confused than when I started? There's a good chance that you are. I'm even confused and I wrote the article. The real question is, can we remarry or can't we.

This would be a good topic during Bible study. You can start by asking, how many people are adulterers?

Read This Today

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Click here if you're interested in the Bible truth.

Is Overpopulation a Religious Problem?

2009-10-01T11:37:00.001-07:00

Overpopulation really isn't that hard to understand. People love each other, want to reproduce and have offspring. Their parents took care of them, and they will take care of their children. People love to have families and these families love to have more families. It doesn't get any simpler than that.

Now is overpopulation a religious problem? If you listen to religious text and understand a few simple sentences, you will see that there are plenty of religions all over the world that encourage the multiplication of mankind.

In the Bible, God tells man to be fruitful and multiply. If you read this a little differently, you might take it that God wants men to eat as much fruit as he wants to and plant more trees so that he can have more fruit and be fruitful.

That's not exactly how most Christians read this Bible verse. Christians need to have more children, and their children need to have more children. This is how they interpret the words, to be fruitful and multiply.

I do believe that religions all over the world play an important part in our worlds population problem today. It's not the people who are educated, that are constantly reproducing, in today's world.

Most religions support population expansion, but what are they going to do, once the world becomes so overpopulated, that we can't even take care of ourselves. This should give you another point of view to look at, especially if you one part of the problem and not the solution.

What About The End of The World

You are free to copy this article to your site as long as you include the following resource information with an active link to my site:Greg Vanden Berge is a published author, internet marketing expert, motivational inspiration to millions of people all over the world and is sharing some of his wisdom with experts in the fields of writing,marketing, and personal development.
His newest book," Did God Actually Say That?" Was written specifically for Christians who are interested in gaining additional knowledge about the Bible. This book provides Christians with superior biblical knowledge , answer some tough questions and should be read by every faithful follower of Christ.

Thanks For Reading Our Articles

Laws of Attraction - Powerful Attracting Qualities of Successful People - Positive Thinking

2009-08-18T20:36:00.001-07:00

The BENEFITS OF POSITIVE THINKING - every successful person experiences this abundant power. While others are looking at what's wrong and letting challenging situations discourage them, the positive thinking, successful person is looking for options and choices; she does not even see the situation as a problem like others, but rather sees it as an opportunity.

If you're going to experience the BENEFITS OF POSITIVE THINKING and the success that a positive thinker naturally attracts, you'll need to discover the actual condition of your present thinking.

A great exercise to do then, is to simply observe your thoughts; don't evaluate them or try to improve them, just observe them. Of course, take note of your inner conversations (and any images that your mind creates) since it's obvious that your words are a direct reflection of your thinking.

If your thoughts follow this particular "direction," take careful note:

"I don't like ..."
"I have problems with ..."
"There's not enough ..."
"Why don't they tell us .."
"Can you believe what he just said?"

If that's the typical flow of your "inner conversation" and therefore thinking, you need an extra large dose of positive thinking right away! According to the Law of Attraction, "like attracts like." The above kind of thinking, attitude and disposition will only attract more of the same; negative, discouraging, passive and impotent.

Here's an effective way to transform negative thinking into a positive and attracting type of thinking. Practice these and your will soon experience the BENEFITS OF POSITIVE THINKING:

Start compiling lists of positive thinking statements.
Find ones that are the polar/positive opposite of your "negative" thinking.
Read some every day.
Read them with emotion, believing them to be yours!
Transform them into personal affirmations, having gratitude that they are yours NOW.

Here's an example. This is a quote from Catherine Pulsifer and it's her definition of a positive attitude, "Looking for the good in all circumstances." To make it an affirmation, simply say something like, "I'm happy and grateful now that I look for the good in all circumstances."

Be sure to remind yourself of ways that you have successfully accomplished this. If there is a recent example of how you didn't do it, simply imagine yourself having done it well. Do not judge or get down on yourself. Be your best fan and support!

There's a great wealth of positive thinking statements and positive thinking quotes online. Do a "Google search" or whatever search engine you use. Copy them to your word processor and print them out. Treat these positive thinking statements like gold, because they are! It's an investment in yourself.

You will catch a vision of the BENEFITS OF POSITIVE THINKING as you see ones that are the opposite of any negative thinking and attitudes that you've been practicing. Just read them again and again. Then, start to read them with "believing emotion." Claim them as yours.

Here are some of the BENEFITS OF POSITIVE THINKING that you will experience:

"Problems" and "challenges" will feel less intimidating
You will discover the solutions to the same "problems" much sooner than ever before.
You will start to see opportunities in the "problems."
You will have a feeling of personal power; a literal reservoir of abundance

This is a gradual process. It won't all happen after a few quick affirmations. However, if you will commit yourself to this process, you will have a profound experience of the BENEFITS OF POSITIVE THINKING. The attitudes and thinking, as well as the success that you only read about before will become yours. You will feel these BENEFITS OF POSITIVE THINKING and people will see them in you.

This article is fifth in a series, Laws Of Attraction -- Seven Powerful Attracting Qualities Of Successful People.

Philip L Bourdon is passionately committed to practicing and living the Law of Attraction. He has outrageous delight in researching, experiencing and writing about what he loves. He is retired from ministry and has a website dealing with the Law of Attraction that is much more personal and practical than most information-only sites. His website focuses on the practical side of applying the Law of Attraction with a strong emphasis on personal responsibility where we desire to become a people of attraction before seeking all sorts of material things; those will follow if we are faithful in becoming a powerful "attractor. " The site is: http://www.responsible-law-of-attraction-living.com

Checking The Building For Square

Light Workers video

2009-08-18T14:15:00.001-07:00

This video tells of the estoic wisdom between the three types of light workers and how they are going to bring the earth into a new earth full of love and light.

Life of Jesus

You are free to copy this article to your site as long as you include the following resource information with an active link to my site:

Greg is currently working on a spiritual help library filled with great subjects on a wide array of topics, like religion, self help and spiritual changes in the world. His views on religious freedom are slowly changing the way people think about institutional religion.

Quit Waiting For Help
Articles

Affirmations - Do Affirmations Really Work?

2009-08-18T13:33:00.001-07:00

Yes, affirmations really work. Just look to the lives of Louise Hay or Catherine Ponder for proof. Both these women have used the power of affirmations to change their lives. In some cases, the change was quick and dramatic, while in other cases the change took years to manifest.

"And how exactly does it work?"

Your subconscious mind is always at work, attracting into your life whatever is needed to fulfill the programming it has been fed by the experiences in your past. In other words, if your subconscious has been fed data that tells it there isn't enough money to go around, your subconscious mind will arrange exactly that in your life. But by listening to or saying statements that capture the essence of new things you desire to experience in life, your subconscious mind goes to work on making that new data your reality.

"So, why doesn't it work sometimes?"

Simply put, if your subconscious mind does not accept your affirmations, then it will not act upon them. Instead, it will ignore them and continue acting upon the data fed to it in the past.

"So, what do you do then?"

If you find that no change is occurring in your life, then you know your subconscious programming has not changed. And if your subconscious programming has not changed, the Law of Attraction dictates that you will continue to manifest what you did in the past. The goal at that point, as in the beginning, is still to change your subconscious programming. An approach proposed by Noah St. John is to try affirmations in the form of questions, such as, "Why is it so easy for me to always have enough supply?"

Try that one out for a while.

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Copyright (c) Grant Pasay 2009. All rights reserved. You may forward this article in its entirety (including author bio/links) to anyone you wish.

Grant Pasay is just one of the MoneyAffirmationsMP3.com Team, whose lives have been radically changed by the continued use of positive affirmations for money and in every area of life.

Want to enjoy more money? First change your money thoughts. Go to http://moneyaffirmationsmp3.com/ today.

Jeff Feldhahn

Third eye Mediation - Spiritual Video

2009-08-17T14:08:00.001-07:00

Ahhhhh is the sound of God and can be used for meditation. Listen to this wonderful sound and try to find God in it.

Question Your Religion

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Lighting Your Path From Within

2009-08-17T11:24:00.001-07:00

You might have heard the expression, 2009 is your year to shine. Please, let that be true every year! Yet there is truth in that statement. The Universal energies are revved up at the moment to help bring your evolution to new heights. This is a highly charged time to help you create the life of your dreams, and more importantly, fulfill your higher purpose. As you radiate your inner light, you act as a beacon of hope and inspiration for others, and truly make the world a more beautiful place.
2009 is a Universal year of 11. (We derive this by adding the numbers 2+0+0+9=11). 11 an extremely powerful number; in numerology, it is considered a master number. As the name implies, master numbers require skill and dexterity as they present great challenges and subsequently, immense rewards.

It is evident what many of the challenges are at the moment; we are all aware of the crumbling global economy and the energy crisis that threatens our standard of living. And yet, these crises initiate an immense opportunity for us to change our collective future in ways that galvanize our innate healing and creative powers.

Every crisis, whether personal or universal, is a message from our soul to seek a new restorative path. Our current global economic collapse reveals a necessity for us to build healthier more efficient businesses based on the principles of integrity and service. Our pending energy deficit is a directive for us all, at long last, to end the cycle of depleting and polluting our earth's resources in favor of harnessing the unlimited power of nature in a clean and regenerative way. There can never truly be a shortage of energy; it is all around us. As long as the sun is shining, the winds are blowing, and the waters are flowing, we have an unlimited supply of vital life-giving energy. You too have an unlimited supply of infinite creative Source energy that you can tap into at any time to invigorate your life.

We are fortunate now to experience the powerful vibration of 11. The highly charged 11 is considered the number of intuition and illumination. In fact, the word LIGHT reduces to the number 11. The 11 vibration emphasizes the need for you to rely on your inner light, to align yourself with Spirit to find your true calling, and illuminate your path from within. Should you choose to place your faith in the external material world for your security, you might experience confusion or fear. However, if you choose to listen to that voice inside of yourself that believes in the goodness within and around you, and trust your unique calling, you will always find your way.

You might hear people refer to 11 as being a number of the number of wishes. Perhaps you have an awareness that seeing 11:11 signifies something magical. Your thoughts are indeed more potent during this mystical alignment. The shape of the 1 is like an antenna, creating a conduit between you and the Divine. In the Tree of Life, the number 1 is at the top of the tree, at our crown where we receive our inspiration, as well at the bottom of the tree, where the divine becomes manifest into being. 1 is the Alpha and the Omega. The sacred geometry of the number 1 allows you to receive inspiration from Spirit and materialize those visions into reality very quickly. It is electric!

The double 1s in the number 11 create something even more profound. Look closely at the shape of number 11; the double columns of the creative 1 energy represent the pillars of the soul - a portal into a higher realm. Should you have the courage to walk through those pillars into the unknown, amazing opportunities await you!

So how do you do this? How do you face the unknown without fear? One thing to remember is that you came into the world with an intention. Not one person on this planet can offer your unique brand of humor, wisdom, creativity, kindness, healing or love. If you chose to incarnate at this time it is because you had something you wanted to learn and contribute. Any gift inside of you was given to you by the same infinitely powerful Creative forces that will help you bring these gifts into being. If you were given a dream, you were also given the tools, power, strength, and support to fulfill your heart's desire. All of the forces in the Universe will help you manifest your purpose.

The genius of your creation resides inside you like a seed that is planted deep within the earth. A seed innately knows the correctness of its purpose while it unabashedly reaches towards the sun. It needs only careful tending to reveal its true magnificence. Your spirit is like a flower that needs proper nourishment to grow and thrive. Just like a flower, when you express yourself in all of your beauty, all who experience you will bask in the joy of your being.

You might want to reflect on what seeds you are cultivating in your life right now. Are you nourishing seeds of joy, hope, serenity, love, and compassion? Are you honoring your spirit by living passionately and expressing your truth? Or are you focusing on what is not working in your life now and what you are afraid of?

Your passions will inevitably lead you to your purpose, and joy will guide you towards your calling. You know you are on the correct course when you are passionately engaging in your journey, flowing with the natural rhythm of your life. During these moments all of your cells will wake up and say "Yes! This is it! Keep going! It is like being on a highway and seeing signs towards your desired destination. Spiritual energy is light. It actually feels light. When you feel joy within you, you radiate a positive loving energy and those around you cannot help but feel better in your presence. And truly, your ultimate calling is to be joyful and share that joy with others.

Consequently, when you feel heaviness, confusion, or fear, that's your body's way of telling you that you are not in alignment with Spirit. Material concerns, while very real, can often distract you from your soul's truth. Feelings of worry, regret, comparison, can all seem very rational and logical, yet can take you out of your awareness of the now. The energy of the future is being created by the energy that you are cultivating in the moment. So while you are engaging in worry about your future, or regrets of the past, you are merely perpetuating a continuous cycle of worry. Rather, a series of simple and beautiful present moments will create a future of joy and serenity.

Now is a potent time to ask yourself - what do I really want to do with my life? If I wasn't afraid of the consequences, or what people thought of me, or who I would be disappointing, what would I really do? Instead of asking your head for the answers, ask the wisdom of your heart. Take a moment to put your fears aside, relax with a deep breath, sink into the infinite lightness of your being, and ask your heart, what do I really want right now?

The answer could be something very simple. Perhaps you would like to have more time to yourself, garden, dance, or do yoga, or something more pronounced like starting your own business or moving to another part of the world. Anything that nourishes your spirit and feeds your soul will lead you towards your destiny. When you nurture your gifts, bringing them life, energy, and power, you are tending the growth of the great miracle of creation that is YOU.

I remind you in these tumultuous times, as the winds of change blow in your direction, that you need not be afraid of the dark. You have all that you need for your spiritual journey within you; your passions to energize you, your imagination to inspire you, and your intuition to guide you towards your destiny. You will inevitably meet other courageous dreamers along the way, who dare not dim their brilliance. Together, you will illuminate the path for many brave souls to shine brightly like stars in the sky, and the whole world will celebrate in a glorious festival of lights.

Kari Samuels is an Intuitive Counselor with an international clientele. She helps guide others towards the realm of inspiration, self-awareness, and divine living. She utilizes a variety of modalities for a holistic vision of our spiritual journey including numerology, tarot, astrology, and transpersonal psychology. It is her joy to help others manifest their greatest potential. Visit her website at http://www.karisamuels.com

Ernest Holmes

What Does God Really Look Like

2009-08-17T03:54:00.001-07:00

You Can Have It All
A Life Of Spiritual Education

Spiritual Education

2009-08-16T08:14:00.001-07:00

I have read more information on spirituality, world religions, self-help, motivation and inspirational thinking than you could ever imagine. I probably have about 300 books and about a hundred audios that I could listen to on these subjects. But let's not forget that I have over 200 DVDs and VHS tapes also. Oh I forgot to mention that in October of 2007 my house burned down and along with it was what I would like to refer to it as my lifetime collection on these topics. If I had to value this collection, it would be almost $20,000 in materials.

Now the one thing that the fire provided me with, was a chance to start over and in less than a year of literary accumulation, I'm off to a good start. I have been studying over my lifetime with extreme persistence on how to better my life, which religion to follow and how to make more money.

If someone was to ask me, what I've learned and what books would I recommend, I've got quite a list. I built a website last year to support some of my favorite authors and to help others gather great materials for changing their life. Some of these books have given me what I would like to call a spiritual hernia. So much information and so little time to go through it.

I often ask myself, was this the best use of my time? Could I have done it another way? I really don't know, and I really don't know what will work exactly for you or your friends. I will give you some advice, meditation, contemplation, and meditation, seemed to be the key to a higher spiritual education. Whatever religion you belong to, whether it's Christianity, Hinduism or Islamic thinking, you can spend a little time with your self thinking about your religious choices, on a daily basis.

Simply sit quietly in a comfortable environment for 15 minutes each day. Try to relax, without falling asleep and clear your mind of any thoughts you have during this period. Try to do this every day and soon you will start to see things a little bit clearer. It seems like meditation strips off the layers of crap that are clouding our minds.

Start with 15 minutes and when you feel comfortable, try to extend the time. Some spiritual and inspirational experts, block out at least one hour each day to spend meditating, thinking about the day's events or just trying to get some creative insight for the next day.

I would also like to recommend, one of the best books that I have read on spirituality, laws of attraction and even meditation. The book is by Arnold Patent called "You Can Have It All." This book was also recommended by Oprah Winfrey and other motivational and spiritual authors.

Meditation can provide you with relaxation and creative insight for solving your problems or can be used, just to clear your mind for a while.

You are free to copy this article to your site as long as you include the following resource information with an active link to my site:

Greg is currently working on a motivation help library filled with great subjects on a wide array of topics, like religion, self help and spiritual changes in the world. His views on religious freedom are slowly changing the way people think about institutional religion.

Edward Bok

How Many Disciples Were There, Really

2009-08-15T08:54:00.001-07:00

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Jesus Wasnt A Christian

Enhancing Your Self-Image

2009-08-15T05:13:00.001-07:00

Success is an inside job. Even if your body and mind are ready, willing, and able to learn and do whatever is necessary to get the job done, a negative self-image may stop you.

Although we create many outward images of ourselves-so we can interact with or impress others and sell our ideas or services-we only have one self-image. The way we view ourselves determines the level of success we attain in anything. To achieve more success, some parts of our sense of self will have to change.
Your inward impression of yourself controls much of what you create in your life. When someone says, "Good morning, how are you?" you probably answer, "Fine," regardless of any troubles you may be having. The image you project is often very different from your true sense of self.

Because your level of success and happiness is controlled by your interior self-image, you must try to ensure that your exterior image and your interior image are in sync. If you can't match your self-worth with your exterior image, your ability to achieve at the highest levels will be restricted.

Try this exercise. Put the palms of your hands together with the fingers aligned as if in prayer. These hands pressing gently together represent you. Now twist your wrists, keeping your hands together, until the back of your right hand is facing away from your face. The right hand with its back facing out is the side of you that you want and allow the world to see. In fact, you present it to the world all the time. You put your best foot forward. It is the side of you that is happy, fine, capable, reliable, strong, honest, trustworthy, caring, sensitive, and thoughtful. This is your positive side.

Your left hand is the one only you can see. It's the side of you that isn't so good. This is the side of you that's not strong, that is lonely or hurting, that has faults, is afraid, unhappy, easily angered, and not confident. This is your not-so-positive side.

Which side is the real you-the positive side or the not-so- positive side? The truth is, you are both. One side does not negate the other. Just because you have faults, failures, or insecurities doesn't negate the fact that you have strengths, wonderful attributes, and abilities to get things done. Yet most people tend to let their not-so- positive side reduce the strengths on the positive side. They focus on the not-so-good side of themselves, saying, "I know I'm a good person, but . . . ."

If the image you have of yourself consists of only undistinguished and unexceptional qualities-or all the things you are not-then your self-image is discrediting your positive attributes. You can be-and in fact are-both at the same time. For example, if you get a pimple on your nose, isn't that all you see when you look in the mirror? Even though the rest of your face is just fine, you worry about the one blemish. But your pimple does not negate the wonderfulness of all your other features.

You can choose to put the not-so-positive side into proper perspective by no longer making it your focus. Once you have the right perspective, you are free to see all the good things about yourself. You can see that you have a profusion of strengths and abilities.

When people operate from the not-sa-positive side, they give themselves negative labels, saying, "I don't really have what it takes," or 'Tm not cut out for this." Often these labels are not true, but if they are your truth, a negative self-image results and affects your confidence, performance, and happiness.

To better understand how both sides are valuable to you, try another exercise. Put your hands in front of your chest, as if praying. Press them together as hard as you can, having someone hold your wrists at the same time. Now have them quickly pull your hands apart, moving one hand toward yourself and the other toward your partner. No matter how strong you are, or how hard you try, you will not be able to keep your hands together. Just as you are weak in trying to hold your hands together, you will be weakened if you consider your inner and outer selves as two separate beings.

Try this exercise again, this time interlocking your fingers. In this position, your hands cannot be pulled apart-you are strong now. As you can see, our weaknesses can actually make us stronger. Weaknesses tend to make us more humble and teachable. If you can believe that a weakness is truly a gift from God, then you must also believe that God will show you your weakness and make it your strength.

As a child, my weakness was my cowardice. That weakness prompted me to excel at karate. My lack of self-esteem as a young boy living on the Navajo reservation was one reason I decided to become a professional speaker and help others-so I could feel better about myself. My weaknesses have made me stronger.

If you are prone to take charge of a job and do it well, you are most likely driven by a weakness. This weakness could be a feeling of inferiority that makes you go out of your way to do well. Your feelings of inadequacy may cause you to be a top performer. In order to control the outcome, you have to take charge. Perhaps you have a need to be noticed, praised, or acknowledged that causes you to excel.

I know many people who appear to be very strong-they look and act like confident, make-it-happen, take-charge people. They get the job done, reach out to others, and are there to help whenever they can. Many are known for their caring hearts. But if they stop helping others, they feel empty and much of their joy goes away. On the surface, they seem fine, but inside they just aren't happy. For these people, helping others is like getting an emotional fix. They must help others to feel okay inside.

When I ask, "Who takes care of you?" I frequently hear, "No one." Such people feel lonely and are either unaware of their need to be taken care of or try to ignore it and meet their needs by helping others. Often the reason they reach out to others is because they know how bad it feels not to be taken care of. Because of our weaknesses-or needs-we feel powerful or compassionate, but we can still be left searching for our own happiness. When we are just givers, our own emotional resources quickly become drained.

By Jack M. Zufelt
"Mentor To Millions"
Jack M. Zufelt is a bestselling author and has achieved worldwide recognition for teaching people the true cause of all achievement. His life's mission is to impart the truth about-and dispel the myths surrounding-success and achievement.

Want to achieve better results?

How about live a fuller life with more happiness, joy, and satisfaction? Discover Jack's DNA of Success and live the life you've always wanted...

Click Here - http://www.DNAofSuccess.com

Buddhism For Teenagers

How to Forgive Someone

2009-08-14T02:02:00.001-07:00

Weve all heard the saying, You have to forgive, but you dont have to forget. I wont refute that, but you have to agree that a lot of people use that excuse to never really forgive at all. Are you one of those people?

Lets rephrase it a little. You have to forgiveand you have to forget the anger, the pain, the anxiety, and everything else that comes with someone sinning against you. But you dont have to make yourself a target (even though Jesus did). Sound a little more difficult? This is really the Christian way of life, and its going to be difficult. No one promised you would enjoy it.

So well start with the forgiveness. This is where you have the most control, because its an act of will. You have to decide to forgive, and then do it. Heres a short list of what this involves:

No more daydreaming about your perpetrators pain and suffering.

Stop thinking about the what if outcomes, and accept what happened.

Start praying for the person. Not for their punishment, not for them to see the lightpray for their good and their soul. Say a simple Hail Mary, without meditating on the one youre praying for. Meditate on the words, and dedicate it to your perpetrator. Let God decide how to reward or punish them.

If you can do something nice for the person, do it without grumbling and without reminding them of what they did wrong.

Stop gossiping about them.

Every time you find yourself thinking about it, change the subject. Think about the starving kids in China, your financial problems, Baby Jesusanything.

Now that (believe it or not) is the easy part. Now it comes time to deal with the anger and pain. Sometimes its easy. But in cases of serious violation, or when someone hurts a loved one, the very idea sounds idiotic. And no, youll never completely let go, but you can completely try. And you can start by using some of the techniques listed above.

Youll probably have to take it further. Youll have to swallow those emotions. Bury them deep. Yes, Im going against what every therapist out there is preaching, but talking and sulking is no way to get over anything. Youve had your period of pity; its time to move on. When you feel the flame of anger building inside you, force it to the back of your mind, and let it die. Dont waste another second of your life stewing. Itll take practice, but every day is another chance.

Finally, theres that last part. This is where most of us have trouble. This is also where we have to weigh our duties, and choose whats most important. Here are a few questions to help you sort it out:

Does it involve someone under your protection? Im talking mainly to parents. Our children obviously come first, and were never obligated to put them in danger.

Does it involve a sexual violation? I dont have to go into this. If someone isnt treating your body like a Temple of Christ, then stay away from them.

Does it involve injury? The big question here is How much? A school boy shouldnt offer himself out to the wedgie bully, but a pop in the arm is usually more a matter of humiliation than personal injury. If your body is being harmed by someone, you have a right to stop thembut again, Christ didnt. Also, consider how likely the person is to harm you again. If it was a one-time event, you should let go. On a side note: Repeated domestic violence has several victims, especially children. And track records show that very few offenders only strike once. If youre trying to figure out whether or not to leave such a situation, stoop thinking and get out.

Does it involve personal property? Whos property? If youre raising a family, you cant risk everything and ignore their needs. But ask yourself if the amount stolen or damaged property is worth the hassle of never trusting someone again.

Does it involve your good name? Hunker down and forget about it. The truth will set you free. Lies hurt the liar more than anyone else. If its the truth, then just be more careful of what you saybut dont withhold something begrudgingly.

Written by the copywriters at http://copyforsale.com, where you can find free content for your Christian newsletters and websites.

Brian Tracy

Christians Who Believe Everthing That They Hear And Read

2009-08-13T13:31:00.001-07:00

Time Off With Backyard Vacations
Feeling Good In Church

Why do Muslims and Islam Honor Jesus and Mary

2009-08-12T22:46:00.001-07:00

Many do not know that Muslims honor Jesus and Mary as part of their religious beliefs. The following highlights some of the facts regarding Muslims beliefs about Jesus and Mary.

* Muslims believe in Jesus as a prophet. They believe that God (Allah) sent many prophets to mankind and Jesus was one of them

* As the Muslim religions foundation is to believe in one God and not to associate anyone with God and His powers and attributes, Jesus was only a human being that was raised by God and will return him to this earth in this life. Jesus will then die as a regular human being.

* Muslims believe that Bible was revealed on Prophet Jesus. However, with time, as that book was changed, God (Allah) revealed His last book, the Quran on the last prophet, Prophet Muhammad.

* Quran was revealed over a period of 23 years

* Muslims believe in Mary as the Virgin mother of Prophet Jesus

* There is an entire chapter in the Quran that explains in detail the birth of Jesus, his family, etc. The chapter is called Chapter of Mary

* Muslims believe that Jesus although was put on the cross was never crucified. Instead, he was raised to the heavens by God (Allah) and another person instead was crucified in his place. These teachings and the fully story are narrated in the Quran.

* Muslims also believe that Jesus will come back to earth, unit the Christians and the Muslims and will kill the anti-Christ.

* The Quran teaches Muslims that Jesus though was a normal human being but had special powers from God (Allah) including raising the dead and curing diseases.

Waseem works for HilalPlaza.com, an Islamic and Middle Eastern Portal Website.

Caring For Loving People

Why do Muslims and Islam Honor Jesus and Mary

2009-08-11T12:06:00.001-07:00

Many do not know that Muslims honor Jesus and Mary as part of their religious beliefs. The following highlights some of the facts regarding Muslims beliefs about Jesus and Mary.

* Muslims believe in Jesus as a prophet. They believe that God (Allah) sent many prophets to mankind and Jesus was one of them

* Muslims believe that Bible was revealed on Prophet Jesus. However, with time, as that book was changed, God (Allah) revealed His last book, the Quran on the last prophet, Prophet Muhammad.

* Quran was revealed over a period of 23 years

* Muslims believe in Mary as the Virgin mother of Prophet Jesus

* There is an entire chapter in the Quran that explains in detail the birth of Jesus, his family, etc. The chapter is called Chapter of Mary

* Muslims also believe that Jesus will come back to earth, unit the Christians and the Muslims and will kill the anti-Christ.

* The Quran teaches Muslims that Jesus though was a normal human being but had special powers from God (Allah) including raising the dead and curing diseases.

Waseem works for HilalPlaza.com, an Islamic and Middle Eastern Portal Website.

Super Christians and Conversion

2009-08-11T08:49:00.001-07:00

Thinking Like God
How To Win Friends

Enhancing Your Self-Image

2009-08-10T08:47:00.001-07:00

Success is an inside job. Even if your body and mind are ready, willing, and able to learn and do whatever is necessary to get the job done, a negative self-image may stop you.

Want to achieve better results?

How about live a fuller life with more happiness, joy, and satisfaction? Discover Jack's DNA of Success and live the life you've always wanted...

Click Here - http://www.DNAofSuccess.com

Did Jesus Actually Ever Get Mad - Video

2009-08-09T10:09:00.001-07:00

My Parents Motivation Using Fear
One Step Away From Success

Hope in All Religions

2009-08-09T06:17:00.001-07:00

I was reading a book on advertising when the author mentioned, "All Advertising Is about Hope."

This got me thinking about other people's dreams and aspirations, most of this is wrapped around them hoping to accomplish something or do something. I never gave it much thought but hope is one of the most important things in our lives. Some people go around hoping that they will keep their job, when the economy is in bad shape. Others go around hoping for forgiveness for their sins or other bad deeds they have done in the past.

What is it you're hoping for? There's got to be something. Are you hoping to become a multimillionaire or even the world's first trillionaire. Are your dreams big or small? Are you the kind of person who is happy living a simple life with very little possessions like a Buddhist monk or are you one who is seeking the lifestyle of the King.

Hope supplies us with the will to continue through hopeless obstacles during our lifetime.

Most people seeking hope are looking for a way out of something or a way toward a better life. These people often fall easy prey to large religious organizations, as they take them under their wing and slowly start to brainwash them. They seek the weak minded, helpless, poor and trusting people and build their organizations using them. I once believed in Christianity, but it no longer offers me true hope, the more I study Christianity and other organized religions, I noticed certain similarities based on inspiration.

I hope I live the good life, so I can go to heaven, the promised land, our ultimate enlightenment.

I hope I am living the true will according to God, Buddha, Krishna or other supreme beings.

I hope that the Bible is wrong about the 144,000 people from the 12 tribes.

I hope I'm living a life that is pleasing to the Lord.

If you're part of an organized religion, ask your religious leaders, any questions that you have about your religion. If they can't answer these questions, try to find them on your own. Books, videos, and the Internet are great sources for information. If you're living your life for the sole purpose of going to heaven one day, you could be disappointed, when that day arrives.

Ask a couple of questions and I hope you will get honest answers to them.

Greg is currently creating articles on religion filled with great subjects on a wide array of topics, like religion, self help and spiritual changes in the world. His views on religious freedom are slowly changing the way people think about institutional religion.

A Culmination Of Pagan Practices

2009-08-08T03:50:00.001-07:00

Christmas Is The Most Celebrated Holiday In Christianity. Some Consider It The Most Holy Day Of The Year.

The exaltation of Christmas is in itself a travesty. Most historians, and Christian scholars know that Jesus was not born on December 25th. They realize that his birth date was probably in the fall. This is backed up by circumstances surrounding Jesus birth.

People knowingly follow a false date set aside to exalt Jesus. Not only is the date a fraud, but also so are the practices. Many manmade traditions have been mixed in with the worship of God. This is like mixing dung with balsam.

The majority of the activities associated with Christmas have no relationship to Jesus. Sure there is an adopted religious (paganish) Nativity scene about Christ. But there are many more adopted pagan customs that are totally unrelated.

Christmas originated in Rome in the 4th century. The tradition came after the Council of Nicaea met in 325 C.E. For kingdom unification, the Council adopted the idea that Jesus was God. Christmas was a Christian substitute for the pagan celebration of winter solstice.

The winter solstice usually occurred around December 25th on the ancient Julian calendar. This celebration was a part of another Roman celebration called Saturnalia. Saturnalia began each year on December 17th. At that time the Romans honored Saturn, the ancient god of agriculture. Also celebrated was the lengthening of daylight following the winter solstice. Romans did this by glorifying Mithra, the ancient Persian god of light. These and other winter festivities lasted until January 1.

The Roman Catholic Church chose December 25 as the day for the Feast of the Nativity. This was in order to give Christian meaning to existing pagan rituals. The Church replaced festivities honoring the birth of the Mithra by commemorating the birth of Jesus. They called Jesus the light of the world. The Church hoped to draw pagans into its religion by overlapping their revelry.

Traditionally, the sacred Christmas season starts with Advent. Advent continues to Christmas Day. During Advent, Christians make preparations for commemorating Jesus birth on December 25th. They also look forward to the Second Coming of Christ.

About 600A.D., Pope Gregory I decreed that Advent start the fourth Sunday before Christmas. He decreed that the season end on Epiphany, January 6th.

Over the next 1200 years, Christmas observances followed the expansion of Christianity. It expanded throughout Europe, into Egypt, and eventually into America. Along the way, Christian beliefs combined with other pagan feasts and winter rituals. This created many distorted long-standing Christian traditions of Christmas celebrations.

Some examples are:

1)The ancient Europeans believed that the mistletoe plant held magic powers to bestow life and fertility, to bring about peace, and to protect against disease. They associated the plant with the Norse goddess of love, Freya, and developed the custom of kissing underneath mistletoe branches.

2)The Roman Catholic Church first introduced the midnight Mass in the 5th century. The dramatization of the biblical story of Jesus birth was a practice begun by Saint Francis of Assisi in the 13th century.

3)Many cultures continue the pre-Christian custom of burning Yule logs during the midwinter season; the Yule log symbolizes the victory of light over the darkness of winter. According to ancient tradition, the ashes provide protection against bad luck during the year.

4)The German custom of decorating an evergreen tree at Christmastime has become one of the most popular images of Christmas around the world. At one time, Germany supplied the world with almost all of the decorative glass ornaments for Christmas trees. On the evening of December 5th, children wait for a visit from Saint Nicholas, who brings them gifts. Most children also receive gifts on Christmas Eve. In some parts of Germany, Santa Claus distributes gifts, but in other regions Knecht Ruprecht, a mythical figure dressed in animal skins, delivers childrens treats. On Christmas Eve, families traditionally gather around Christmas trees decorated with lights, ornaments, and Lebkuchen, which are spiced cookies cut into decorative shapes. Worshippers holding candles illuminate Church services on Christmas Eve. The Advent wreath, which consists of four candles anchored in a circle of evergreen branches, originated with German Lutherans; many churches and families have adopted the tradition. At the beginning of each of the four weeks preceding Christmas, Christians light an Advent candle as they say a prayer.

5)In Italian folklore Santa Claus is not a prominent figure. Instead, Italian children wait for La Befana, a good witch who rides her broom to their homes on Epiphany to distribute gifts. According to folk belief, La Befanawhose name refers to the word Epifania (Epiphany)was too busy to accompany the Three Wise Men on their journey to visit the infant Jesus in Bethlehem. Now, to atone for her failing, she visits all good children, leaving treats. She also visits bad children and leaves them lumps of coal or bags of ash.

6)In England religious customs of Christmas celebrations center on recounting the story of Christs birth. Most people who celebrate Christmas also participate in such secular customs as watching Christmas plays, feasting, singing, and helping the poor. Before Christmas Day, children write wish lists to Father Christmas, who is the British version of Santa Claus. They then throw these letters into the fire. Children believe that if a draft draws the letter up through the chimney, their wishes will be fulfilled. Children open their gifts on Christmas afternoon. Many people in England also make charitable contributions to churches and to the needy on the day after Christmas, known as Boxing Day. They also give small gifts known as Christmas boxes to those who have performed personal services throughout the year.

7)America has become a melting pot for many world Christmas traditions, with many new customs, many of which started in the 19th century. Before then Christmas had been an ordinary workday in many communities, particularly in New England, where early Puritan objections to Christmas celebrations remained highly influential. Families almost never exchanged Christmas gifts among themselves.

These early Christmas traditions in America quickly changed. Among some groups, Christmas became an especially boisterous event, characterized by huge feasts, drunkenness, and raucous public revelry. In an English tradition that survived in some parts of North America, Christmas revelers would dress in costume and progress from door to door to receive gifts of food and drink. Most holiday gifts were limited to small amounts of money and modest presents passed from the wealthy to the poor and from masters to their servants. The rapidly expanding industrial economy of the 19th century flooded the market with new goods for sale, and also helped establish a new middle class. Christmas gained increased prominence largely because many people believed it could draw families together and honor children. Giving gifts to children and loved ones eventually replaced the raucous public celebrations of the past, and Christmas became primarily a domestic holiday.

With the new custom of Christmas gift giving, the marketplace exerted an unprecedented influence on holiday celebrations. Commercial innovations such as department stores and mass advertising further expanded the custom of exchanging Christmas gifts. Seasonal retail sales helped fuel the economy, causing merchants and advertisers to become some of the seasons most dedicated promoters. Many holiday celebrants regretted these changes and began voicing the now common grieve that Christmas has become too commercial. With the influx of immigrants, who introduced a wide variety of religious and cultural practices to North American life, celebrating Christmas became a way for people from different parts of the world to create a sense of community in the cities. The holiday forged a sense of nondenominational Christian spirit in the communities, as it promoted a sense of collective good will.

Christmas, the most Holy Day of Christianity, has many built-in errors and influences. Although it has become a Day to reflect on goodwill toward mankind, the core of Christianitys foundation (Jesus birth) has pagan roots. Just imagine how many more pagan customs are embedded into other Christian holidays and beliefs. All of the Christian traditions need to be investigated thoroughly, if one is to take them literally.

With Christmas, like other holidays, Christians give reverence to images and symbols. With Christmas there is the symbol of the Christ child. In Rome this image is called Santo Bambino Jesu.

There are also other pagan images, adopted for various reasons. Some of these images include: mistletoe, prayer cloths and beads, people, spirits, Crucifixes, etc. To include the worship of any image or object is an abomination. God wants our total dedication to Him only, in spirit only.

Biblical Scriptures read:

Thou shalt not make thee any graven image, or any likeness of any thing that is in heaven above, or that is in the earth beneath, or that is in the waters beneath the earth: Deut. 5:8.

And thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thine heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy might. Deut. 6:5.

Jesus said:

Have ye ever seen dung mixed with balsam?

Now I tell you that there be in the world greater madmen, because with the service of God they mingle the service of the world. So much so that many of blameless life have been deceived of Satan, and while praying have mingled with their prayer worldly business, whereupon they have become at that time abominable in the sight of God. Tell me, when ye wash yourselves for prayer, do ye take care that no unclean thing touch you? Yea, assuredly. But what do ye when ye are making prayer? Ye wash your soul from sins through the mercy of God. Would ye be willing then, while ye are making prayer, to speak of worldly things? Take care not to do so, for every worldly word becometh dung of the devil upon the soul of him that speaketh. GB: 84.

More is revealed on this subject of: False holidays and customs, as well as on the subjects of: Gods Knowledge and Worship, and the Judgments of God, in the Guide Book: ONE GOD ONE WORD: The TRUTH About The KNOWLEDGE and WORSHIP of GOD.

Visit website: http://OneGodOneWord.com/ for additional information.

Don't Tithe If You Can't Afford to - Poor Christians Beware of Motivated Church Leaders

2009-08-07T12:08:00.001-07:00

Genie Of Your Mind
Peaceful Effects Of Nature

The Genius Project - God's Mistake Or Yours?

2009-08-07T00:47:00.001-07:00

If you've been reading my last few articles then you know about the Genius Project which was conducted by my good friend Mr. Jay Niblick. You'll also recall that your ability to achieve 5th Level of performance (Genius Level) you must rely on your natural talents and be authentic to yourself. This post addresses the thought processes on how geniuses view themselves and their abilities.

Here's another way to look at it. To assume that you - at your very core - need to fix yourself requires the presupposition that you must be broken, and that implies that God screwed up. I mean feel free to substitute whatever spiritual belief you have, but it likely doesn't change the concept. Think about it. If you believe that at your very core that the way you were made is insufficient to achieve success, then you have to admit that you view yourself as flawed, or at best incomplete. Now I'm not talking here about developing new acquired talents, rather a belief that "I need fixing". Acquiring new knowledge and experience is great. That's a prerequisite for anyone's success and something all 5th level performers (Geniuses) constantly do by the way. But when you attempt to fix who you are instead of fixing how you are, then you must first think who you are is insufficient. And if you think that then you can't avoid the question, "Who screwed up?"

If you need to fix anything, it is the way you apply you - not you!

In reality it's not what you are at your very core that needs work, but how you apply yourself that needs fixing. God created you for a purpose and you have a completely unique and incredibly powerful set of natural talents for that purpose, so it's not what raw materials you have to work with that you should be concerned with - because the geniuses we studied aren't. What you should be focused on is how you apply those raw materials.

Geniuses understand this. They don't view their set of talents as flawed; rather any flaws they see come in how they apply those talents. Because of this radically different perspective on themselves, when they focus on correcting flaws, those flaws are in their application of themselves, not themselves. In other words, they achieve tremendous leaps in performance by adjusting their environment (what they do or how they do it) not themselves. They don't change their talents; they change how those talents are applied.

Give yourself up to your inner genius and allow that which is you - as you were created - to do what it does best. Remember, regardless of whatever higher power you believe in, if you believe that such a higher power is infinitely more powerful and knowing then you, you have to ask yourself, "did that power know what it was doing when it created me?"

If you answer yes, then you can't blame your God for making you incorrectly? If you still agree with me then any mistakes in your life are not, cannot be, in you, but in the application of you. In other words, God made you, but you decide what to do with yourself. If a problem exists it's not with the thing God created, but how you apply it.

I say all of this because there is a huge difference between thinking you are broken and realizing that you are just not well aligned. The former is a race car with a blown engine that must be completely rebuilt (broken). The latter is a perfectly good Ferrari trying to race in an off-road rally (not well aligned).

Success in not about developing talent - it's about aligning it.

Mr. Timothy A. McGinty is the published co-author of the highly regarded Wake Up... Live the Life You Love series. This series is a collaborative effort with such inspirational leaders as Tony Robbins, Dr. Wayne Dyer, Brian Tracey, Steven E, and Lee Beard.

Mr. McGinty is also the author of "Your Blissful Life", a book which takes the reader by the hand and walks them through a process for defining their "Blissful Life" and the action plan for achieving it.

Imagine Yourself... is an organization focused on enabling clients "breakthrough" in achieving their success. Mr. McGinty has helped many organizations and individuals discover their passion, define the life balance they seek, develop strategies for achieving that balance, and held them accountable for reaching their goals. His clients have been so successful that Mr. McGinty is known as "The Breakthrough Guy"

Imagine Yourself...
13477 Prospect Rd. Suite 204
Strongsville, Ohio 44149
Telephone: 440-236-6519
Web: http://www.timothymcginty.com
E-mail: tim@timothymcginty.com

Finding the Truth About the Secret

2009-08-05T20:53:00.001-07:00

Jesus said what you sow you shall reap. In a sense, this is what "The Secret" and the so-called law of attraction are all about. But while Jesus was speaking to the way we treat others, The Secret is about what we manifest for ourselves through our thoughts and beliefs. In other words its about how we treat ourselves.

We see the law of attraction in play all around us every day. Think about that relative or friend for whom everything always goes wrong. No matter what business they start or relationship they get in, nothing ever works out. You might be inclined to say they've had an endless string of bad luck.

Most of us are kind of in between, having some "good luck" and some "bad luck". Maybe you can't seem to get rid of your credit card debt, while your neighbor, who only makes a modest income, got rid of hers in almost painless fashion. These are examples of how the law of attraction can work in a bad way-attracting negative things with negative energy. We also know it can work in a positive way and attract good things with positive energy. Besides knowing people with an endless string of bad luck, you've probably known people who seem to have everything work out for them. The truth of the law is self-evident, the hard part is really making it work for you.

Its easy enough to accept that you control what you attract into your life. What needs to happen next is getting in harmony with the positive energy that is already out there in the universe. If you want greater prosperity in your life then visualize it. It really is that simple but we also have to avoid getting in harmony with negative energy-which will act as a roadblock to manifesting our dreams. For many of us our conditioning and habitual way of thinking is caught up in the negative. That's why its so easy to worry about paying bills off instead of visualizing wealth.

So it isn't that the law of attraction doesn't work, its working all the time. But it works on our conditioning and habitual ways of thinking that are rooted in the unconscious mind-and its hard to undo a lifetime of bad programming in a day. If your subconscious mind is not in tune with positive energy, then "the secret" isn't going to work the way you want it to. But there are ways to learn how to reprogram your unconscious mind and underlying beliefs. Then the law of attraction will work in abundance.

For more information, please visit Making The Secret Work for You.

Who Really Wrote The Bible

2009-08-05T13:12:00.001-07:00

Start Liking Yourself First
Low Energy People

Forgive Everyone in Every Way

2009-08-04T17:12:00.001-07:00

Forgive everyone, everyday, and in every way. Each person is doing the best he or she can. No one, absolutely no one is perfect. Since no one is perfect, this means that we all need to share more patience and more understanding surrounding all aspects of our interactions with one another. Think of the last time you needed to forgive someone. And, think of the last time you needed to be forgiven. When we need to be forgiven, there is a feeling of lack or something as missing. When we need to forgive, we often feel anger. Anger is a secondary emotion for loss. When we lose something, the need to restore what was lost. This sends us on a search within ourselves for attention in a peace filled direction. If you noticed, to forgive or to be forgiven leads you to the same place. Both paths of awareness lead us on a search. What are you searching for? You are searching to find wholeness. What is wholeness? This is often one's perception of reality created by what one believes to be true. This creation of what one believes to be true is the path of one's soul seeking manifestation in the world of form from the formless.

There is no set way to wholeness. Simply being aware that you have a self-defined understanding of wholeness that is within you is what we simply need to give attention to within us. This continued attention on what we seek the most within us will grow in our awareness until the need to place our attention on forgiveness fades away.

If a person was to believe that forgiveness is something obtained through the human psyche alone, we all would find the journey into such a place within us as something to avoid. In the deepest parts of who we are, we want to connect to what is sacred within us. Therefore, to re-create a past interaction with someone who we feel we harmed or who we feel harmed us is a useless attempt to embrace what cannot be. This is not to say that certain relationships close to us do not need verbal efforts to make up for a past action leading to harm. In fact, a person can find this useful, and even, helpful. The point I want to make is the place one's attention may be at the time such a verbal interaction will become vital in the success of such expressions taking place.

Dying patients remind me that there are countless times in all our lives where the issue of forgiveness was perceived and we become aware of it. There is no way a dying person can retrieve all their past life experiences in physical form, but we can recall these moments in time and visualize how we would have handled them differently. This is our soul seeking to make right a wrong our personality may not allow us to do, or it may no longer be feasible to take place in our current circumstances. People are such a vast array of experiences. There are endless paths of attention within us calling for our attention. Perhaps, the instant we remember who we are and who others are in the deepest parts of our being, we begin to remember the love that brings all our lives together, and into, being. This remembrance of who we are as children of our Creator reminds us of the unconditional spirit reflected within our own selves. The transcendence of flesh and blood inspires us to give our Creator our lives, the lives of others, and our very reason for living into the hands that created us.

For More on this Author: http://www.soulandspirit.org

Words Create Powerful Beliefs

2009-08-03T13:01:00.001-07:00

Could you imagine someone telling you that if you don't do something, you're going to suffer a horrible punishment and possibly death, because you chose to ignore their message. Can simple words create powerful beliefs, isn't this what some religious doctorines create? Even the media does it, think about it the next time you turn your television on or read the newspaper.

You seem to believe something because someone told you that's how it is and when you go to question them, they simply repeat the simple statement, that's how is. It's hard to imagine a few words, articulated almost perfectly can create an overwhelming emotion in someone.

The Germans used propaganda to create fear with a few of these words. It's not just a few of these words, there's more power behind these words if their repeated often. These words can build up someone's hopes and dreams or tear them apart.

Is there a quote that you're fond of? You probably memorized it and it has some sort of significance or creates a certain feeling when mentioned. Quotes are organized words that create powerful beliefs in some people.

If I mention the words," I have a dream" you probably think of Martin Luther King. These four words meant a lot to people that were struggling for their freedom, not only in America but around the world. These words are a example of powerful words that have created a wonderful feeling.

When these powerful words create fear you know it. If you watch the news, night after night and they keep telling you how bad the economy is, it doesn't take long before you believe it. You tighten up your budget and stop spending money, because you are now fearful and don't want to lose what you have. When everyone starts holding onto their money, the economy actually does become worse over time.

Can simple words create powerful beliefs? Yes obviously they can and they do, so be careful when listening to words that create fear and try not to spread this fear around to others. Fear can be turned into relief if the right words are used, I would suggest using happy words to create a happy world. Have a nice day.

Greg is currently working on a self improvement articles filled with great subjects on a wide array of topics, like religion, self help and spiritual changes in the world. His views on religious freedom are slowly changing the way people think about institutional religion

Rapture Or Second Coming? Final Distinctions Refuted

2009-07-31T05:33:00.001-07:00

So is there a difference between the rapture of the church and the return of Christ to the Earth? Modern theologians have suggested that it is not proper to pray with John, "Come Lord Jesus," if we know He is not coming for seven years (at least). Thus there must be an un-announced and a clearly predictable coming, both. This seems to make

This implies that every time we pray, we are changing God's plans. Rather, when we pray, it must be in accord with God's will. That is, Jesus, I know you are coming, and you are welcome here! Your will be done, Come as you plan to come, Lord Jesus! I want it and I am looking forward to it.

Anyone who has prayed that prayer over the last 2000 years, including John the Revelator, understood that it might not be answered physically and immediately. But the prayer went up anyway, and continues to rise to Heaven. To suggest that a prayer is invalid because God has a fixed moment for its answer is to suggest that our desires should supercede His.

When we pray for healing, He hears us. Or for financial blessing. Or for deliverance. Or for the salvation of family members. He hears. But the answer may be down the road. Our knowing that we must wait upon God does not stop us from crying out to Him, yea, day and night ( Luke 18:1-5).

The Spirit and the Bride call out for these many years, Come, Lord Jesus. But He doesn't come. But He will. When it is time. For now, the world is in a mess, the world needs the Saviour, O come, O come, Emmanuel! Keep praying it saints!

One final suggestion that the rapture and return are two different events separated by seven years is that the judgment seat of Christ and the

marriage of the Lamb must take place in Heaven and with the Church present, and before His coming to earth. Yet he can offer no proof of the location and timing of these events, for, of course, such proof does not exist.

Romans 14:10 and II Corinthians 5:10 simply state that there will be a time when saints stand before the judgment seat of Christ.

Revelation 19:7-8 describe not the wedding, but the announcement of same. The marriage has come. The wife is ready. Blessed are those invited. But wait! Some serious work to do first, following this announcement. Now the church descends with Jesus (Revelation 19:7-21) to the earth, taking its first step toward the announced supper. There, as described by prophets and apostles, the Kingdom is set up after Christ's victory over His enemies. Then Jesus keeps His promise to drink the fruit of the vine with His followers (Matthew 26:29). It seems to me that this is a more logical arrangement of details.

But for a "proof text" that this will happen, neither the pre- or post- people can find one. It simply is not there.

In fact, no proofs can be offered anywhere in God's Word that there is such a thing as a "pre-tribulation" rapture, that there is a rapture at all without the revelation of Christ and the setting up of His kingdom on earth, that there is any distinction between our catching away and his coming again. Thank God, much of this teaching is losing its grip, and there are many places in the world where men's books are not available, only God's. These people believe what the church believed for two millennia, namely, "Immediately after the tribulation... they will see the sign of the Son of man..."

http://chosunhouse.com is a website I put together a few months back to get the word out to believers that they need to pray for North Korea. Just about every day I'm writing a blog featuring some news, a book, or a story of North Korea. There's a live news feed on the site, lists of resources, picture essays, and ways to respond to the overwhelming need in North Korea. Let's love Chosun together!

And who am I? A man found of God over 50 years ago, called to the ministry, serving the Lord as needed in my world. Married, member of a local church in the Chicago area, with full time work in public education. Who are you? Would love to fellowship with believers who respond on my site.

The Abomination of Desolation

2009-07-30T10:56:00.001-07:00

The abomination of Desolation.
There is a misconception of the prophecy's of Christ, Daniel, Isaiah, and Ezekiel concerning the time of the abomination of desolation. There have been many desolations and times of desolation in Israel. Many of these caused much hardships and even death to the House of Israel.

The Babylonian Captivity, Jer 25:11 And this whole land shall be a desolation, and an astonishment; and these nations shall serve the king of Babylon seventy years.
Jer 44:22 So that the LORD could no longer bear, because of the evil of your doings, and because of the abominations which ye have committed; therefore is your land a desolation, and an astonishment, and a curse, without an inhabitant, as at this day. Ezr 9:7 Since the days of our fathers have we been in a great trespass unto this day; and for our iniquities have we, our kings, and our priests, been delivered into the hand of the kings of the lands, to the sword, to captivity, and to a spoil, and to confusion of face, as it is this day.

The House of Israel has rejected Christ as the Messiah and are still under the law to a point. The Daily sacrifices have been put aside because of the natural law of man, but they justify this by the verse, Obedience is better than Sacrifice. This will end in the days of the anti-Christ, which will allow the renewing of the Red Heifer Sacrifices within the 3rd temple. Which I must say that many scholars do not believe in.
Dan 12:11 And from the time that the daily sacrifice shall be taken away, and the abomination that maketh desolate set up, there shall be a thousand two hundred and ninety days.
What we are going to look deeper at is the end days.
Jewish 76.4%, Muslim 16%, Arab Christians 1.7%, other Christian 0.4%, Druze 1.6%, unspecified 3.9% (2004)(C.I.A. World Fact Book)

The abomination of desolation.
The Daily sacrifices and The abomination of desolation, as spoken of by Daniel, is a subject of much controversy among many bible Scholars. There are those that teach that these two events have already taken place in the Days of Caesar,as many are teaching.

This prophecy has nothing to do with, Rome nor Caesar. Prophecy must be looked at very carefully and be regarded by not single events, but as a string or combination of events. Those things spoken of the abomination of desolation and the third temple are future events backed up by Scripture. Israel is not allowed by natural or should I say mans law, to accomplish animal sacrifices.

This interpretation from T.S.K. Is one that I disagree with, take a look;
the abomination: Heb. to set up the abomination, etc. Probably Mohammedanism, which sprang up in power the same year as the papal, ad 606; and 1,290 years from that time will be ad 1896, and 1,335 years ad 1941.

The abomination of desolation will be a statue of the anti-Christ that will be placed inside the third temple. Many scripture back this up. This attempt to work time and dates to justify interpretation is not the way to interpret scripture, many try to look at past events and match Bible prophecy to it, this is a grave mistake and leads to faulty or false interpretations.
Mar 13:14 But when ye shall see the abomination of desolation, spoken of by Daniel the prophet, standing where it ought not, (let him that readeth understand,) then let them that be in Judaea flee to the mountains:
Isa 28:22 Now therefore be ye not mockers, lest your bands be made strong: for I have heard from the Lord GOD of hosts a consumption, even determined upon the whole earth.

The best reference to this is in Revelations 19:20; And the beast was taken, and with him the false prophet that wrought miracles before him, with which he deceived them that had received the mark of the beast, and them that worshipped his image. These both were cast alive into a lake of fire burning with brimstone. This is the abomination of desolation as the end of the anti-Christ; read and understand, them that worshipped his image.
Mohammedanism(Islam) is not older than Christianity nor the Jewish religion, but it will play and important part in the desolation of Israel as spoken of by Christ.
Therefore, Rameses, nor the Caesars of Rome, have not fulfilled prophecy of the end days.

Many use this part of Mark 13:14, to justify calling Caesar the anti-Christ for He had an image of Himself constructed and forced many to worship his image as God, but there were Kings before and after that have done the same thing. Dan 3:14 Nebuchadnezzar spake and said unto them, Is it true, O Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, do not ye serve my gods, nor worship the golden image which I have set up? But when ye shall see the abomination of desolation, spoken of by Daniel the prophet, standing where it ought not;, The point of the matter with all these false god images is that they never fulfilled the prophecy's of the end days such as these;

Rev 13:13-14; And he doeth great wonders, so that he maketh fire come down from heaven on the earth in the sight of men,
And deceiveth them that dwell on the earth by the means of those miracles which he had power to do in the sight of the beast; saying to them that dwell on the earth, that they should make an image to the beast, which had the wound by a sword, and did live.
Rev 13:15 And he had power to give life unto the image of the beast, that the image of the beast should both speak, and cause that as many as would not worship the image of the beast should be killed.

Dan 7:25-26; And he shall speak great words against the most High, and shall wear out the saints of the most High, and think to change times and laws: and they shall be given into his hand until a time and times and the dividing of time.
But the judgment shall sit, and they shall take away his dominion, to consume and to destroy it unto the end.

2Th 2:9-10; Even him, whose coming is after the working of Satan with all power and signs and lying wonders,
And with all deceivableness of unrighteousness in them that perish; because they received not the love of the truth, that they might be saved.

What Caesar never fulfilled is this verse of prophecy; Dan 9:27; And he(The Anti-Christ.) shall confirm the covenant with many for one week: and in the midst of the week he shall cause the sacrifice and the oblation to cease, and for the overspreading of abominations he shall make it desolate, even until the consummation, and that determined shall be poured upon the desolate.
Also this verse was not fulfilled by any King yet; Mat 24:15 When ye therefore shall see the abomination of desolation, spoken of by Daniel the prophet, stand in the holy place, (whoso readeth, let him understand:) Key words here; the abomination of desolation (Image)stand in the holy place.
Luke 21:32; Verily I say unto you, This generation shall not pass away, till all be fulfilled. This study is just the tip of the Prophecy of the abomination of desolation.
ars.

Temple of Spirit & Truth Ministries A.R.Smith Ministries http://www.ourchurch.com/member/a/arsmithsermons/

Is It a Bad Economy or Bad Feng Shui?

2009-07-29T00:23:00.001-07:00

Recently, I spoke with a woman who said she and her husband were having a tough time financially. She thought maybe it was just the economy, but she wondered if a Feng Shui consultation might give the energies in their home a financial "boost." She mentioned the idea to her husband. His reply? "Honey, let's do this after our finances have improved!"

The problem is that there is every indication that their finances will not improve - even if the economy starts to soar. In fact, the situation the woman described seemed directly tied to negative energies in the home rather than to external economic factors. Without changing the Feng Shui in that environment, I can absolutely predict that they will have ongoing cash flow problems.

How can I say that? Because there are several tell-tale signs that negative energies are at work. Let's take a look:

1. You start to experience client cancellations or work falling through. Yes, the economy may cause people to hold onto their money, but be sensitive to a situation that seems to worsen no matter what you do. For example, watch for patterns such as clients who make appointments or are ready to sign contracts, but then they call and cancel. A Classical Feng Shui expert can run mathematical computations to see if conflicting energies are indeed at work. If that's the case, Feng Shui can also be used to re-balance those energies.

Feng Shui is so powerful at keeping cash flow positive that I have many clients - CEOs, life coaches, real estate developers, attorneys and investment bankers -- who consider my monthly Feng Shui consultations part of strategic business operations to help them avoid cancellations. In fact, as a practitioner of authentic Feng Shui I can not only see current negative energies, I can mathematically predict exactly when and where new business problems can arise and help my clients be proactive in keeping these problems from ever developing.

I just mention this as a caution to you in choosing a Feng Shui practitioner, because you do not want to base your business decisions (and financial future) on a Feng Shui hobbyist - only a classically trained expert in authentic Feng Shui can apply the complex ancient formulas to determine where the problem is and how to defuse it.

2. You've recently moved into a new home. Now, you find that relationships have become strained or you're hit with a flood of difficulties - you're experiencing financial setbacks, health issues, car accidents, legal hassles. If this "change in luck" happens shortly after moving in, the downturn in the economy probably isn't even at work here. Instead, it's a sign that the Feng Shui is out of balance. This can happen because every home has its own horoscope that shapes its energy patterns. If this conflicts with your own horoscope, you'll quickly experience difficulties.

A Feng Shui consultation can alert you to simple adjustments that will bring your home into better harmony with your own energy so it supports you instead of being "at war" with you. At the same time Feng Shui can eliminate negative energies, it can help stimulate positive energies, creating a dramatic change in the way you experience your home -- and life!

3. You're stuck in life. Things are just not moving. It might seem like you're working hard and doing everything right but that nothing is happening for you. If this has come on over the course of a year, that's a signal that the annual shift that occurs in energy patterns is creating a negative pattern in your environment. If you want to see changes in your life, you have to make changes in your environment. Again, a professional Feng Shui consultation can not only identify these "stuck" energies, but can show you exactly how to manipulate these unseen forces so it's easy to jump start your life.

4. You have a specific problem that just doesn't get solved. Whatever issue you face in your life will be reflected in your home. There are areas in the home that can promote -- or prevent -- problems ranging from breast cancer to legal hassles. If you can't seem to find a soul mate or you're worried about a son's academic performance or a daughter's risk-taking behavior, a Feng Shui expert can usually identify the trouble spot in the home that is triggering the energies that in turn trigger problems. I especially love to use my Feng Shui skills to solve problems for my clients. It's so rewarding to what I call a little energetic intervention and see what are often immediate and dramatic "breakthroughs" - from suddenly being able to conceive a child, to bringing health issues or negative behaviors to an end.

5. You're remodeling your home. Before you remodel, you really should invest in a Feng Shui inspection. Here's why: every home holds both good and bad energy. The minute you begin remodeling, you begin changing the energetic balance. If you unwittingly expand an area of negative energy, you could soon find yourself experiencing an onset of overwhelming misfortune, conflict, anxiety, loss - even disease. Often, for example, couples invest in a master bedroom addition only to find that once they start sleeping in the new room, their relationship or health begins to break down. A Feng Shui and Vaastu assessment early in the remodeling process helps you avoid sinking considerable money into a renovation that will put your house at war with you. Instead, you'll know specific choices to avoid as well as choices - like the direction of a door or the position of a kitchen or bedroom - that can support you with a life- and luck-enhancing environment. Again, let me stress that this is not merely about serene lines and clear energy flow: it is about complex mathematical formulas that pinpoint energetic confluences and conflicts that can exist now -- and months down the road.

Done correctly, Feng Shui is almost unbelievably powerful and can lead to results nothing short of miraculous. In fact, in today's crazy economic climate, who can afford to have a home or office environment that's working against them? But remember, only traditional, authentic Classical Feng Shui can deliver such results. Perhaps that's why I'm hearing from so many clients who are investing in Feng Shui consultations to get help preventing economic woes from costing them not only their financial well-being, but the well-being of their relationships and health as well. It can truly make all the difference.

Feng Shui and Vaastu Expert Rupal Mehta Turner publishes "The Prosperity Report," a biweekly ezine that reveals Feng Shui and Vaastu secrets for a thriving business and personal life. If you're ready to improve your finances, health and relationships by using the forces in your environment, get your FREE tips now at http://www.ClassicalFengshui.com

Was Jesus A Good Example

Risotto and the Veneto Region Italian Food

2009-07-28T05:22:00.001-07:00

The Italian food of the Veneto region poses a perplexing question: With so many dishes to choose from, how can anyone have only one favorite? Given the great regional variations within the region, not to mention between Veneto and the rest of the country, there are a lot of unique dishes waiting for you to discover them. However, if risotto is something you crave, Veneto is definitely for you.

Other than pasta, risotto is one of the most famous of Italian foods. And if some of the greatest Italian food dishes in existence are what you're looking for, Veneto is a place you must visit, at least via the dinner table.

Risotto is a specific way of cooking rice, and is growing in popularity to take it's rightful place alongside pasta in the pantheon of Italian food, like many specialties of the Veneto region. To make a true risotto, the rice must first be cooked in olive oil or butter.

The rice must be coated evenly in the butter oil, and toasted just until translucent. Broth is then added just a little at a time, the idea is to slowly saturate the rice with the broth, which helps it achieve it's distinctive risotto texture. Unless the rice is toasted, it's not risotto. Even if it's served at the finest of Italian food restaurants, it just isn't the same unless toasted.

Risotto is an incredibly versatile dish; almost anything may be added to it. Because of the diversity of high quality local ingredients in the Veneto region, this makes for a fascinating variety of risottos to be tried. The local specialty (for example, seafood and fish in coastal areas) tends to put in an appearance in the risotto.

The possibilities go far beyond seafood though, all sorts of fresh local specialties show up in the Veneto region. Pumpkin, asparagus, even radicchio turn up in these local gems. Frog legs may even be found, a more commonplace part of Italian food than many would suppose.

Italian food differs from the stereotype held by many; this is doubly true in the Veneto region, which features some wonderful dishes not found elsewhere in the country. Pasta and beans, for instance is a very popular dish in Veneto and is turning up at more and more Italian restaurants all the time.

Anchovy, as well as stockfish are present in some dishes of the Veneto region. But the popularity of sausages dwarfs that of the humble anchovy, with the local dry-cured, pressed salami (sopressata) and garlic salami being special favorites.

In Veneto, the Italian food prominently features the local produce; radicchio and asparagus are things the Veneto region is well known for, as are peas with rice. This is a dish found only in Veneto, and is something of a departure from what Italian food is generally assumed to be.

The Veneto region offers many different choices for the discriminating diner. From sopressata to vegetable dishes to it's unparalleled risotto, the Italian food of Veneto is an embarrassment of riches. If you require risotto to make it an Italian meal, the foods of Veneto are just the thing for you. With so many unique dishes, Veneto has enough different, wonderful Italian food for everybody.

To find some delicious risotto with seafood recipes such as shrimp risotto recipe or lobster risotto recipe come to my site: http://www.weloveseafood.com

Meditating On Religious Scriptur

The Essential Oil of German Chamomile - The Blue Chamomile

2009-07-27T10:44:00.001-07:00

German Chamomile (Matricaria recutita)is in the daisy family (Asteraceae or Compositae). Referred to as blue chamomile, it has a deep blue, almost black color to the oil. Hildegard referred to this oil and used it in a gentle ointment for intestinal pain. She instructed that chamomile be mixed with water and lard or oil. As it cooked, flour would be added to make a porridge that would then heal the intestines. The German chamomile is primarily oxides whereas the Roman chamomile is made up of esters.

Traditionally this herb has been used for thousands of years. The Egyptians, Moors and Saxons all counted it as a sacred herb. It was used for nausea, anorexia, and vomiting in pregnancy, for flatulence, nervous bowel, tension headaches and sleeplessness.

Today we would find chamomile to be excellent for skin care and it is used in many cosmetics, soaps, and perfumes, massage blends, skin creams and bath oils. As a digestive aid it is good for anything that arises from a nervous origin including colic, indigestion, nausea and nervous stomach. Since chamomile is so mild, it is suitable for treating children's digestive upsets. Chamomile has a very calming and sedative effect on the nervous system making it good for headache, insomnia, nervous tension, migraine and stress related complaints. The fragrance of blue chamomile assists in seeking spiritual understanding. When confusion seems to be prevalent in one's spiritual life, the fragrance of German chamomile can help bring us understanding. We already know the answers we seek; we just need to be still enough to hear God's wisdom. For emotional healing it is used to encourage communication, relaxation, understanding, organization, empathy, patience, and calm and to soothe.

The main effect of the German Chamomile is anti-inflammatory, anti-allergy, stabilizes emotions, and it helps most skin conditions. It mixes well with bergamot, Roman chamomile, clary sage, lavender, cypress, frankincense, geranium, marjoram, lemon, grapefruit, niaouli, pine, ravensara, rosemary, tea tree.

This essential oil can be diffused, added to food or water as a dietary supplement, or applied topically on location. I do not find it to have a very pleasant aroma-the Roman variety is not only milder but sweeter in fragrance. The German variety is non-toxic, non-irritating and non-sensitizing.

To learn more about German Chamomile and other essential oils you might want to consider becoming a certified aromatherapist. Educational courses in healing energy and aromatherapy can help you understand how essential oils heal the body/mind/spirit.

Check this out for more information on learning to heal through the art of aromatherapy as a clinical aromatherapist. http://www.ISHAaromatherapy.com For educational courses on healing energy and the laying-on of hands, you can go to http://www.HTSpiritualMinistry.com You can also read more about aromatherapy and German Chamomile essential oil in Linda Smith's books: Called into Healing, Reclaiming our Judeo-Christian Legacy of Healing Touch, and Healing Oils Healing Hands, Discovering the Power of Prayer, Hands On Healing and Anointing. You can find these books and much more on my web site at http://www.ISHAhealing.com/HealingStore/tabid/348/Default.aspx

Using Words In The Bible Effecti

The Ovum Factor

2009-07-26T21:15:00.001-07:00

The Ovum Factor by Marvin L. Zimmerman is one of the best intrigue novels I have read in some time. There were several aspects that stood out for me with this book. Marvin is able to bring several environmental, moral and ethical issues to the reader. He is also able to show us a little of an insider's view into the corporate world. His passion for the planet is so well interwoven into the story's plot that readers will find themselves tense and wanting to read more. Another interesting aspect of the book is that Marvin also shows us the importance of Indigenous knowledge and the dangers of eradicating life-systems.

The lead character is David Rose who becomes involved with a Nobel Prize winning professor, Charles MacMillan. Charles is driven by a traumatic event from his youth and this passion has helped discover one possible thread of hope for man and the destruction of Earth. Early on in this tale readers are introduced to controversial subjects from genetic manipulation to social ethics. David, however, has no idea of the role that religious leaders going back in time have played in keeping this knowledge from reaching the public. In his ignorance Cardinal Cardoso sends a reformed assassin, Dario Santini, to stop Professor MacMillan's project. A romance develops between David and Professor MacMillan's assistant, Emily Chang - a woman with a troubled past and who has a hidden agenda of her own. David soon finds himself trekking through the Amazon forest in search of a plant that may no longer exist due to vast abuse to the land. His guide, Galileo is also far from what he seems at first and David becomes more than a little reliant on this man.

The Ovum Factor is a sad, gripping, emotionally charged book that is both realistic and intelligently written. Action, legends, adventure, romance and travel are all here. I truly enjoyed the author's style and the simple way he blends fact and fiction. Readers are shown comparisons between modern society and the indigenous peoples and the effect our society has on theirs.

I also enjoyed the concept of fate and the interconnected web of life. We see characters finding purpose in life, and pursuing it. The plight of the planet and the loss of life described in this book may help some readers feel inspired to become proactive in life. I believe that the main message of The Ovum Factor is that there is a potential hero in each one of us.

Marvin Zimmerman has been the publisher and editor of INMR Quarterly Review, focusing on electrical energy, for more than 15 years. His work as a consultant for business and marketing strategy and as an instructor of international business at two of Canada's largest universities must have played a role in the accurate corporate world we see in The Ovum Factor. Mr. Zimmerman is a life-long environmentalist and, interestingly, wrote most of the book on location.

Rating 5 out of 5 stars.

~ Lillian Brummet: co-author of the books Trash Talk and Purple Snowflake Marketing, author of Towards Understanding; host of the Conscious Discussions radio show (http://www.brummet.ca)

Myrtle Fillmore

How Many Disciples Were There, Really

2009-07-26T16:32:00.000-07:00

Clemens Forell
Josef Martin Bauer

How to Forgive Someone

2009-07-26T02:15:00.001-07:00

So well start with the forgiveness. This is where you have the most control, because its an act of will. You have to decide to forgive, and then do it. Heres a short list of what this involves:

No more daydreaming about your perpetrators pain and suffering.

Stop thinking about the what if outcomes, and accept what happened.

If you can do something nice for the person, do it without grumbling and without reminding them of what they did wrong.

Stop gossiping about them.

Every time you find yourself thinking about it, change the subject. Think about the starving kids in China, your financial problems, Baby Jesusanything.

Does it involve someone under your protection? Im talking mainly to parents. Our children obviously come first, and were never obligated to put them in danger.

Does it involve a sexual violation? I dont have to go into this. If someone isnt treating your body like a Temple of Christ, then stay away from them.

Written by the copywriters at http://copyforsale.com, where you can find free content for your Christian newsletters and websites.

What Is Intuition

New Thinking About Noah's Ark and Family

2009-07-25T22:04:00.001-07:00

Jack Felton
John Fischer

Guides and Spirit Helpers

2009-07-25T07:32:00.001-07:00

As group consciousness grows and the electromagnetic field of energy gains strength, people are becoming aware of their spirit guides and helpers

In the New Energy and oneness of consciousness, it is getting easier to sense the presence of spirit helpers coming around us.

These can be sensed in many ways. I have noticed them as a slight disturbance in the field of energy, in the aura of the body: a slight tingling on the surface, or the sensation of cobwebs around the skin.

On one occasion I could see the outline of the presence and noticed a breaking up of the normal space/time as the entity passed by. This was like a crack in one reality as another reality came through.

Spirit guides and helpers are usually invisible but some sensitive people can see them with clairvoyance or connect with one of the other "clairs", like clairsentience.

In our quiet moments or times of danger, we can communicate with these Spirit helpers. Sometimes one of them puts themselves forward to act as our Doorkeeper: a single channel through which communication passes to our Higher Self and the Spirit and Angelic Realms.

Spirit helpers will work with us if asked; so it is important to clearly feel what we would like to show up in our life.

We can communicate with them with our imagination, day dreaming or night dreaming. It is easiest to connect through images, symbols or pictures, using our powers of visualisation on a feeling level.

When working with the Spirit world it is good to think of the perfect outcome or creation, as the imagination is unbounded and has a field of all possibilities as its basis. There is no need to be concerned with where the resources are going to come from as the Spirit world has infinite energy at its disposal.

Evolutionary desires are loved by the Spirit world as the nature of life is to grow and expand. New ideas which have never been put forward before are appreciated by the Spirit world as they open up new channels for energy to flow in.

Things which help to bring wealth and joy into other people's lives by giving from your heart using your creative aspects in an artistic or cultural field gain a lot of support and help.

Using Spirit communication through telepathy and subtle imagination of specific connections to loved ones and family, bring the awareness of this power to the surface of one's consciousness.

Relax and know there is nothing to fear except fear itself, as on this level of awareness you see your subtle connection to everything: it all becomes you.

As you become skilled in using the more subtle levels of the conscious mind and feelings to interact with Spirit, you are also helping to bring these gifts to more of the population: as your awareness grows, so does the general awareness in group consciousness.

You will be helping the planet to evolve and grow in the New Energy and increasing the power and awareness of the Spirit kingdom and all the various levels of spirit guides and helpers in the Angelic kingdom.

There are also healing helpers psychic surgeons (surgeons in Spirit) to help improve the health of your own body and those around you.

So why not spend a few minutes each day using your spirit guides and helpers to connect with the subtle feelings, to communicate with your Higher Self, inviting them to co-create with you different aspects of your life.

* New book * "A Journey into the Self -- the multi-dimensional nature of being human": HealerGeorge Web Site and New Book

Description: What is this book going to do for YOU? For those who are seeking a complete energetic makeover, as you read it you will feel a stirring and awakening in the depths of your heart. For those who have questions about Shifts in Consciousness, Energy Balancing and Healing within the body, you will find clear answers.

Read HealerGeorges Blog: Curezone Blog or ask at question at: Ask HealerGeorge

Experiment With Your Waitress

Do You Really Know Why Your A Christian

2009-07-25T03:00:00.001-07:00

Wayne Dyer
Rolf Gates

Religion and Yoga

2009-07-24T12:58:00.001-07:00

Etymologically the word religion denotes duality, as it is a combination of Latin re and ligare, meaning to bind or connect again. Cicero, Lactantius and Augustine slightly differ from each other in their meaning of religion, which is quite natural. Through millennia, after many definitions and interpretations, the word religion has become a loaded word, and organised religion has further distorted its meaning. But shorn of the dross gathered around it, it means reunion with something from which we have separated earlier (fall of man). Similarly, yoga means to yoke or join together in Sanskrit, denoting--again--duality. Therefore, translation of religion should be yoga-not dharma, as is the case-and vice versa.

Like religion, Yoga, too, has also become a loaded word, by and large meaning a regimen of exercises, breath control and meditation (dhyana) to tone up the body and control the mind.

From the above, it follows: Bind or connect again to what (in case of religion)? And yoke or join to what (in case of yoga)? You reconnect with something where the connection has been snapped. Likewise, you yoke or join two things that once constituted one undivided whole.

Both the words were coined by the aspirants in the distant past to describe what they thought to be the source, since lost somewhere along the line. But, was there really a source? If yes, then, how the source was lost? There has to be a self or I together with something dividing it from the source; however 'I' is nothing but first person, singular pronoun.

The famous American philosopher Daniel Dennett maintains in his book, Consciousness Explained, that the self is an illusion-no more than a series of shifting "multiple drafts" or narratives, with no central focus or continuity.

On the other hand, the illustrious British mathematician Roger Penrose says: The world is an illusion created by the conspiracy of our senses.

When these two statements are juxtaposed with each other, we find that "the self is an illusion" according to Dennett, and "the world is an illusion" as per Penrose. Hence, the self is an illusion and so is the world. Is it then all Maya? The word Maya means illusion in English. In Sanskrit, however, Maya means measurement. What can be measured is Maya. English words like measurement, myth, meter, matter, and music, share a common ancestry with it. All measurements start from the point called 'I' or 'self'. When this I or self is knocked off, then Maya collapses along with religion and yoga. Then what is left is the Source.

Currently, I am working on a book for children.

Finding A Mentor

Do You Actually Get to Go to Heaven - Christian Thinking

2009-07-24T08:27:00.001-07:00

Shad Helmstetter
Richard Koch

A Calling to a Career in Ministry

2009-07-23T18:07:00.001-07:00

Do you want to be part of a community of believers committed to learning about god? Pursuing a degree program based on faith is an exciting prospect for some students. When you earn a degree in Christian studies, you are teaching yourself to share the message of Jesus with the world. Your Christian studies degree can lead you - not in to temptation, but in to a variety of ministerial and service positions around the world.

What They Do:

Ministers work to spread the word of god. They act as counselors and spiritual guides for members of their church and the community at large. They not only lead their church, but they coordinate educational and leadership programs as well. Ministers are mainly responsible for overseeing and managing the daily activities of the church.

Training:

Earning a degree in Christian studies or theology can get you started on a road to several interesting careers. Your basic coursework will cover basic curriculum in areas such as sociology, history, and civics. You will also be required to take courses that are focused on history and history of world religions. You will take classes that further your learning of god and his word like courses in scripture, theology, ancient languages, church history, and ethics.

Job Opportunities:

Earning a degree in Christian Studies can prepare you for other careers than simply ministry. There are opportunities in fields such as life ministries, religious systems management, and education. You can also find careers in nonprofit, publishing, and education. Museums also hire people with a background in art and religion to work in specific areas of expertise. Salaries tend to vary in this field. Your salary may be in the $40,000 range, but the work you do is priceless.

Mary Hart is an in-house writer for Online-Degrees-Today.com and has been writing about online business degree programs since 2004. To find out more information about earning your online Christian studies degree, click here.

Four Agreements

Did Jesus Actually Ever Get Mad - Video

2009-07-23T13:25:00.001-07:00

My Parents Motivation Using Fear
Spiritual Impact Of Disney

Lighting Your Path From Within

2009-07-22T23:06:00.001-07:00

You Shouldn't Believe Everything In The Bible - Spare The Rod

2009-07-22T18:50:00.001-07:00

Thinking Outside The Box
Believe And Achieve

Spiritual Awareness With The Good and the Bad

2009-07-22T09:39:00.001-07:00

Spirituality is a subject that is so vast that it can lead to endless discussions. Although most people do admit there is a Spiritual side to every human been not everybody wants to embrace that part. What do you mean by that I hear you ask? And if so then why is it like that?

First let me try to answer another question. How do we know we are spiritually aware? The answer is if you are alive and if you have emotions you also have a spiritual awareness to things. Don't tell you never say: 'I knew that." There is a connection we have to the unknown that we can't describe, but it is as if we have insight to certain things before it happens. I do think everybody has a spiritual awareness even though they do not call it that. So if we all have are and if it is so valuable to have, why don't we all try to embrace it?

A possible answer is because it is a subject that attracts so much hocus pocus. This is something the reasonable man can't embrace. Just recently I saw a television program about a spiritual healer. Now though I can never say he or she isn't, I noticed things that bothered me. This woman surrounded her with things such as the Egyptian Ank, Tibetan bells, candles, crystals etc. She also made certain statements that I frowned upon. She mentioned that she used crystals because its vibration is very close to the vibration of the human body? I wonder what Asimov would have said about that? Can anybody show proof of such statements/

To come back to the discussion, I find that traditional Western people only come to a spiritual awareness level later in life. Some only after they got addicted to all the other things. Once they gave up drugs, alcohol and the rest that failed to supply them with answers, they suddenly discover spirituality. But boy do they discover it then. Within months they buy anything and everything that is available and they throw that together in a concoction that can cure anything physical and emotional. They suddenly have all the answers and throw around jargon that is very impressive. For some this actually works but for the rest, the Lotus flower and crystals disappear.

To the contrary, in Tibet, India, Taiwan and other places known for their temples and people who study religious texts, you don't find this. Here you find a more serious and focused concentration on the subject. In Tibet the monk uses his bells, in Egypt he used the Ank and in Japan he used a Zen garden. Each to its own.

In Zen Buddhism it is believed that if you want to grow you need to take away something everyday, not add more. They also believe in Simplicity. Less is better. I have a feeling this way will lead to a deeper understanding of the subject that will last longer. I could be wrong.

If subjects such as these interest you, then you must have a look at my site http://ozymandeus.com or find out what the word Ozymandeus means

Finding Something You Don

The Sacred Feminine in Western Religion

2009-07-22T00:01:00.001-07:00

'God', or 'Divinity', however you use these terms, is endless, infinite, and timeless, and as such is inherently indefinable and unknowable.

But the Sacred Feminine aspect of the creation is the vehicle, the 'Vessel', through which the infinite Divine can be expressed in our finite world. And only the Sacred Feminine can lead the soul back to the Divine.

A defining characteristic of the Masculine is the need to think things through in a linear, step-by-step manner, to experience a reality that is limited and finite and therefore straightforward, controllable, and 'knowable'. A defining characteristic of the Feminine, on the other hand, is the ability to experience reality in a holistic, open-ended, all-at-once manner, to take in and accept limitlessness and infinity. Needless to say, we each have a share in both of these characteristic abilities, but the Sacred Feminine in the world (women) and within the individual (the heart) must introduce the Sacred Masculine to the unknowable reality of the Divine. In the sacred stories, for instance, it is the Celestial Aphrodite who must unbind perfected souls and release them into bliss. And this is why Miriam had to die first, before Aaron and Moses: the Shechinah must lead the way.

Another defining characteristic of the Masculine is that it expresses the Active force within the creation, and as such it is always involved in doing, fixing, making, and acting. The Feminine, on the other hand, is the Passive/Receptive force of creation. This quality of passivity has been given a very bad name in our frantically productive society, where it has been saddled with negative and destructive connotations of weakness and submission. But if the truth be told, passivity is the higher quality. Action is the emblem of the realm of Matter and Time: the Masculine 'does'. Passivity is the emblem of the realm of Spirit and Eternity: the Feminine 'is'. It is this ability to be passive, to 'be' without having to 'do', that allows the Sacred Feminine Vessel to receive pure, endless, unknowable Being, without having to limit it or define it through any agenda of her own, and then to bring it to birth as infinite abundance and love in the physical world.

In the Old Testament, the Sacred Feminine is represented by various characters, including Sarah, Rebecca, Rachel, Leah, and Miriam, who nurture and protect the patriarchs and Moses. In the New Testament, She is represented by the Marys, who nurture and protect Jesus (who represents the Sacred Masculine). But the Feminine power in the scriptures is not some sweet gentle 'goddess', representing all the 'nice' qualities that are missing in men. She is the Shechinah, the 'Presence' of God in the Creation, the force that hovers over the Ark of the Covenant, the 'Mother of All Living' who pours forth all the forms and qualities in the infinite universe. She is Life, from the primordial Chaos, to Eve, to 'Rahab, the harlot of Jericho'. She is the Beauty of Rachel and the Wisdom of Leah. She is Miriam's prophetic power. She embodies the secret of the Red Cow, for she is the mystery of blood, sex, birth, and death. She is the Sea, the boundless power of the Unconscious. She is the Mother and the Whore and the Wife and the Destroyer.

In the Christian story, She first appears to Jesus in the guise of an abundance of women led by a triad of Power, Grace, and Joy, reuniting with the Sacred Masculine so that together they will be capable of completing the journey back to Divinity.

"Soon afterwards he went on through cities and villages, proclaiming and bringing the good news of the kingdom of God. The twelve were with him, as well as some women who had been cured of evil spirits and infirmities: Mary, called Magdalene [which means 'High Tower'], from whom seven demons had gone out, and Joanna [which means 'Grace'], the wife of Herod's steward Chuza, and Susanna [which means 'Joy'], and many others, who provided for them out of their resources." (Luke.8.1-3)

To say that Mary Magdalene had been 'cured of seven demons' does not mean, as has often been said, that she was a particularly egregious sinner. She was no more a sinner than you or I. But Mary Magdalene had been fully initiated. In scriptural symbolism, 'Seven' signifies complete achievement, and this means that every single level of Mary Magdalene had been purified and perfected. She is the archetype of the soul that drinks in the total experience of life on earth, who has the good sense and humility to ask for God's help (like the Samaritan woman), who pours forth love and attains complete forgiveness (like the woman with the alabaster jar), who completes all of the Great Work and has been healed at every level of her soul, and who will now remain the powerful ally and protectress of the Spirit right to the very end - Mary, unlike the other apostles, will still be present at the Cross. And apart from Jesus himself, there is no indication that anyone else in the New Testament achieves her level of initiation, with the single exception of her male-counterpart, Lazarus.

Was Mary Magdalene the secret wife of Jesus? Was she the 'vessel' of his semen and his children, the mother of a lost line of kings, and thus the authentic 'Holy Grail'? All of this is beside the point. Not because it is unimportant to return the Sacred Feminine to her rightful place in western civilization. On the contrary. It is urgent. But chasing after gossip, scandal, and conspiracy theories, is not the way to do it.

Socrates taught his pupils that only those things which help to perfect one's soul can be called 'moral' or 'good'. If we found a Marriage Certificate with both of their signatures buried in a desert cave, how would this discovery contribute anything to the perfection of one's soul? The search for this kind of 'proof' is fascinating and fun, but it is of no spiritual significance. It is merely a diversion. We should put aside the scientific demand for 'proof' and the academic fascination with textual criticism, and ask ourselves more important, human, and relevant questions: What are these stories trying to tell me? How can these words help me with my life? How can my struggle to unveil their inner meaning help my soul evolve? What are they telling me to do, and how can I do it?

The reason we must restore the Sacred Feminine to her full divine stature in our lives and culture is because without her all spiritual evolution is impossible! Without her all the ancient myths and holy scriptures are useless! We cannot follow Demeter and Persephone back up to Olympus, we cannot obey the Law of Moses, we cannot walk in Christ's footsteps, if we continue to misconstrue everything that is said about the perfect equality, the required harmony, and the absolute inter-dependence of 'Male' and 'Female' at every level of Creation. All of this is in the stories. Nothing is hidden. But the meaning of the words has to be penetrated and understood. As we have seen, only the Sacred Feminine, within the soul of a human being or the soul of a civilization, can receive the pure, endless, unknowable Being of God, without trying to limit or define it, and then bring it to birth as infinite abundance and love in this world. And only the Sacred Feminine, through pure noetic intuition, can reconnect us to that infinite, timeless, Divine Being, and lead us home.

The consequences of her degradation, a crime for which men and women are equally responsible, are constantly and painfully visible in the disintegration of compassion, decency, kindness, and human meaning, that we witness all around us.

Dr. Andrew Cort, D.C., J.D., is a Teacher, Attorney, and Doctor of Chiropractic. His books, including "Return to Meaning: The American Psyche in Search of its Soul", "From Joshua to Jesus", and "The Song of Songs: A Lover's Poetic Dialogue", can be browsed and ordered at http://www.amazon.com/gp/pdp/profile/A2XMNRI4GIYFES. Dr. Cort lives in the Berkshire Mountains in western Massachusetts.

Backup Plans Feel Good

What Does the Word Soul Mean

2009-07-21T17:35:00.001-07:00

What is soul, is it someone dancing around to some great music or is it something inside of us, find out what two people think about the word soul.

Question Your Religion

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Lou Holtz
Pleasure Based Motivation

How to Forgive Someone

2009-07-21T14:12:00.001-07:00

So well start with the forgiveness. This is where you have the most control, because its an act of will. You have to decide to forgive, and then do it. Heres a short list of what this involves:

No more daydreaming about your perpetrators pain and suffering.

Stop thinking about the what if outcomes, and accept what happened.

If you can do something nice for the person, do it without grumbling and without reminding them of what they did wrong.

Stop gossiping about them.

Every time you find yourself thinking about it, change the subject. Think about the starving kids in China, your financial problems, Baby Jesusanything.

Does it involve someone under your protection? Im talking mainly to parents. Our children obviously come first, and were never obligated to put them in danger.

Does it involve a sexual violation? I dont have to go into this. If someone isnt treating your body like a Temple of Christ, then stay away from them.

Written by the copywriters at http://copyforsale.com, where you can find free content for your Christian newsletters and websites.

Structuring Your 24 Hour Day

Enhancing Your Self-Image

2009-07-21T04:42:00.001-07:00

Success is an inside job. Even if your body and mind are ready, willing, and able to learn and do whatever is necessary to get the job done, a negative self-image may stop you.

Want to achieve better results?

How about live a fuller life with more happiness, joy, and satisfaction? Discover Jack's DNA of Success and live the life you've always wanted...

Click Here - http://www.DNAofSuccess.com

Finding Something You Don

Meditation and Painful Problems

2009-07-21T02:30:00.001-07:00

Always Question Your Religion
Stop Feeling Guilty Part 1

Understanding the Chinese Calendars

2009-07-20T19:14:00.001-07:00

Chinese calendars have been around since 2600 BC. This makes the Chinese New Year the longest record of time in history. In fact, it is even the largest chronological record. It began when Emperor Huang Ti first introduced the cycle of the zodiac, which is still in place today. The Chinese calendar is actually quite similar to the Western calendar. Known specifically as the Chinese Lunar Calendar, it is a yearly record of time. As the name suggests, it is based on the cycles of the moon.

One of the main differences between the Chinese and Western calendars is the naming of the years. Under the Lunar calendar, the twelve years are named after an animal. There is a legend which states that, before leaving the earth, Buddha had all of the animals come to them. However, only twelve came to say good bye to him. He rewarded them by naming a year after each one. They were named according to the order in which they arrived.

Thus is the reasoning behind the Chinese zodiac, which is tied in with the calendar. Many Chinese beliefs maintain that the animal names connected to the calendar are hugely influential for the people who were born in those years. It can affect everything from personality to preferences.

Over a quarter of the world's population is Chinese. That is how many people celebrate the Chinese New Year and ascribe to the associated calendar. Mind, they do not solely rely on the Lunar calendar. The Gregorian system a majority of the rest of the world uses is used by the Chinese for civil purposes. At its most basic point, the Chinese calendar determines the timing of the culture's various festivals.

The calendar is also based around certain astronomical factors. Specifically, it is based around the precise longitude of the sun, as well as the phases of the moon. As such, despite the fact that it is the oldest time piece in the world, the Chinese calendar has been impacted by modern science.

On one hand, the Lunar calendar bases its dates on the dates of the cycles of the moon. The cycles for the new moons are used specifically. Whenever the new moon occurs, it indicates a new month. The longitude of the sun is also used. It determines the Principal Terms of the Chinese calendar. Those in turn determine the actual numbers of each month.

In closing, as mentioned, each year corresponds to an animal. 2009 is the year of the Ox. The year of the Ox occurs every twelve years. The same can be said for the Dog, Rat, Snake, et cetera.

Henry Fong
Feng Shui Consultant.
Feng Shui Absolutely

Getting Up Earlier

Another Point of View on 2012

2009-07-20T11:27:00.001-07:00

Dovid Krafchow author of Kabbalistic Tarot explains the meaning behind the Mayan calendar according to Jewish knowledge and scientific investigation.

If you're really seeking the kingdom of heaven, the glory of God and the true vision that Jesus had, check out some great Christian articles . These articles are designed to teach and educate Christians.

Amazing Sai Baba
Power Of Positive Thinking

The Greek Deity Known as Hestia

2009-07-20T09:42:00.001-07:00

When one thinks to Greek Deities, Hestia, probably does not come to mind. Less dramatic than others, she still played an important role in Greek culture.

The Greek Deity Known as Hestia

In ancient Greece, fourteen Olympians made up the pantheon of gods that were worshiped by the Greeks. While some of these deities are extremely well-known today, such as Zeus, Aphrodite and Athena, others are less familiar. These gods, while not in the forefront of Greek mythology, still played a major part in the lives of the ancient Greeks. One of these is Hestia, the first and last born daughter of the Titan Chronos.

In pre-Olympic mythology, the story is told of how the Titans Chronos and Rhea had twelve children, destined to be the first twelve gods of Mount Olympus. Chronos was upset by the birth of his offspring, so he swallowed all of them except for the youngest, Zeus. Hestia was the first born of Chronos, therefore she was the first swallowed. After Zeus led a war against the Titans and won, Chronos was forced to disgorge his offspring, and Hestia, being swallowed first, came out last. In this way, she was both the first and last born daughter of Chronos.

Hestia is seen as the deity of the hearth, and of order and family. She was depicted as being virginal, and her name actually means home and hearth. The town hall (prytaneum) of every town had a public hearth, at which sacrifices and dedications were made to Hestia. It also was her official sanctuary. When a new village or colony was established, a flame from one of the existing hearths of Hestia was carried to that new place, and she was later seen as the governing power over the connection between colonies and mother cities.

While not the most active or strongest of the Greek pantheon, Hestia was worshiped in every house. Her altar was seen as being located in every home and public hearth, and she was also regarded as a model of virginity and chastity.

Richard Monk is with Facts Monk - a site with country facts about Greece.

Helpful Habit Planning Tips

A Calling to a Career in Ministry

2009-07-20T00:02:00.001-07:00

What They Do:

Training:

Job Opportunities:

Creating A Habit

Another Insight on Mary Magdalene - Movie Video

2009-07-19T20:25:00.001-07:00

This video has more information on Mary Magdalene, great video on advanced spiritual thinking.

Buddhism For Teenagers
Loving People With Kindness

Is Jesus the Only Way to Heaven? - The Good People Get to Go to Heaven Also

2009-07-19T14:21:00.001-07:00

I found a website that was recommended to me and it had the comment, is Jesus the only way to heaven at, Gotquestions, seems like your typical Christian website that replies with biblical quotes and simple to follow information. If I was lost, they will help me find a way. There's even a button at the bottom that states, I have accepted Christ today. I guess if I was to push that button, I get to go to heaven and be with Jesus. Hard to imagine, avoiding a life of burning in hell could be as simple as pushing a button and uttering a few simple words.

I found this question and began reading their comment. The first comment is from somebody answering as a nonbeliever in Christianity. It states something like, if I'm basically a good person and live a moral life, I get to go to heaven, right, only the bad people like murderers go to hell.

Now the answer that the website gives, seems to create fear if you do not belong to Christianity and provide you with hope if you join the group.

It mentioned Satan as the ruler of the world, and he can plant these thoughts into your head if you're not a Christian. He also controls your mind and let's you believe, that it would only make sense to any rational person, they get to go to heaven if they're good.

Now this is what makes sense to me but according to this information, I am doomed to rot in hell for eternity, even if I am a pretty good person. All I have to do is accept Christ as God and I get to go to heaven. That seems pretty easy and I wonder why more people don't do it. Just push the button.

I wonder if Satan is controlling, non-Christians minds and that's why there's brutality and war throughout the world. If everyone was a Christian, would our world be better.

Here's a quote from Wikipedia The Crusades were a series of religion-driven military campaigns waged by much of Christian Europe against external and internal opponents. Crusades were fought mainly against Muslims, though campaigns were also directed against pagan Slavs, Jews, Russian and Greek Orthodox Christians, Mongols, Cathars, Hussites, Waldensians, Old Prussians, and political enemies of the popes.

These Christian Crusades killed thousands of people. To give you an idea how many people were killed, all I had to do was type the word crusades into a search engine and it took me to the Christian Crusades.

I guess that rules that out, it seems like the Christians a long time ago were pretty aggressive towards their enemies, I wonder if most Christians would refer to these people as enemies today or are they just being controlled by Satan. Do these Christians from the Crusades get to go to heaven? If people like this get to go to heaven, may be hell is a better place anyway.

Here's something to think about, go to heaven

Habits To Prevent Losing Things

Light Workers Movie on Estoic Wisdom

2009-07-19T05:17:00.001-07:00

This video tells of the estoic wisdom between the three types of light workers and how they are going to bring the earth into a new earth full of love and light.

Life of Jesus

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Always Question Your Religion
Eye Of The Needle Christian Stor

How to Avoid Conflict With Friends and Family, Or Anyone

2009-07-19T04:52:00.001-07:00

Genesis 13:8. Abraham in Bible provides a great example of how to avoid conflict when dealing with friends and family. In Genesis 13 Abram and Lot had left Egypt and they had settled between Bethel and Hai. After a while, strife developed between Abram's herdsmen and Lot's herdsmen because there was not enough land to support both herds of cattle. When Abram became aware of the strife, he immediately addressed this issue with Lot to avoid anymore conflict (Genesis 13:8, "And Abram said unto Lot, Let there be no strife, I pray thee, between me and thee, and between my herdmen and thy herdmen; for we be brethren.").

In Genesis 13:9 Abram tells Lot "Is not the whole land before thee? separate thyself, I pray thee, from me: if thou wilt take the left hand, then I will go to the right; or if thou depart to the right hand, then I will go to the left." The manner that Abram presented his plan and the plan itself stopped strife immediately and avoided strife in the future. The steps Abram used to avoid conflict with Lot can be used by anyone to avoid conflict with friends, family, or anyone.

Conflict Avoidance Steps.

1. Identify A Reasonable Solution to Resolve the Dispute. In the dispute between Abram and Lot, Abram identified that the close proximity of the herds was creating strife. They needed to spread out the herds.

2. Have One of the Disputing Parties Identify Fair Options That Would Be Satisfactory to Both Parties. Here Abram identified two choices (one goes to the left, the other one goes to the right) that he thought would be fair options for both Lot and himself.

3. Let the Other Party Choose Which Option. In the case of the dispute between Abram and Lot, Abram let Lot choose between the two options (one goes to the left, the other one goes to the right).

This is a wonderful way to avoid conflict: have one party divide the object of contention into two satisfactory options, and then let the other party choose which option.

GENESIS 13 BIBLE SCRIPTURE Genesis 13:8, "And Abram said unto Lot, Let there be no strife, I pray thee, between me and thee, and between my herdmen and thy herdmen; for we be brethren."

Randall McClure Sr. is author and publisher of http://www.access-jesus.com

Access-Jesus.com helps people learn about, love, and promote Jesus.

You Have To Start Somewhere

My Walk With Farrakhan - The Reality of the Million Man March

2009-07-18T19:21:00.001-07:00

"Call to the way of thy Lord

with wisdom and goodly exhortation,

and argue with them in the best manner."

Continuing on in the series, My walk with Farrakhan, we will examine the Million Man March on October 16th, 1995 called by God through The Honorable Minister Louis Farrakhan.

It is amazing to think that 12 years have passed since that beautiful day on the Washington mall with nearly 2 million black men congregating in love. From that day until this day many have not understood the purpose for the march nor its goal by the author. Who was the ultimate author of the Million Man March and for what cause?

Minister Farrakhan while speaking to the gathered men reminded them,

"You came not at the call of Louis Farrakhan, but you have gathered here at the call of God. For it is only the call of Almighty God, no matter through whom that call came, that could generate this kind of outpouring. God called us here to this place. At this time. For a very specific reason."

Minister Farrakhan said that he called for the "march" in response to the pitiful global image of black men as portrayed in film, music and the some media. He further stated that he wanted to show an example to the world that black men can and must unite together in love and harmony to affect positive change in our communities.

The call of the Million Man March is rooted in biblical tradition of Jesus calling Lazarus from the grave. However, today a modern day man of God is calling a people, not from a physical grave of death, but from a spiritual-mental grave of death and ignorance.

Let us review John 11: 43-44 for clarity

"And when he thus had spoken, he cried with a loud voice, Lazarus, come forth. And he that was dead came forth, bound hand and foot with grave clothes: and his face was bound about with a napkin. Jesus saith unto them, loose him, and let him go."

The Holy Qur'an bears witness in similar words

"We have revealed to thee that

thou mayest bring forth men, by their

Lord's permission, from darkness

into light, to the way of the Mighty, the Praised One,"

When you look at the black community then as well as now it becomes clear that we are in need of a healing and resurrection of our minds.

My condition at the time of the Million Man March

At the time of the call of the Million Man March my life was similar to the life you see many young black men participating in. I walked with my pants hanging of my behind(sagging). I didn't attend school much and didn't take authority serious. I spent my nights getting drunk and/or high with drugs. I thought I was living the good life in my downgraded life of sin. I didn't know at the time, but Almighty God was preparing me for bigger and better things.

I was told by my mother, who was fed up with my behavior, she was requiring me to stay home and watch the Million Man March. She told me that since I can't do anything with you maybe Farrakhan can put some sense in your head.

I sat at home watching the many men and speakers on that blessed day on October16th, 1995 and was being transformed on the inside by Almighty God's spirit. However, when I heard Minister Farrakhan speak I received a message, not so much in words, but I felt him speaking directly from his spirit to my spirit. I took the pledge of the Million Man March and decided to begin the journey towards elevation.

The pledge of The Million Man March asked(by Minister Farrakhan) encouraged us to do the following things,

"Take this pledge with me. Say with me please, I, say your name, pledge that from this day forward I will strive to love my brother as I love myself.

I, say your name, from this day forward will strive to improve myself spiritually, morally, mentally, socially, politically, and economically for the benefit of myself, my family, and my people.

I, say your name, pledge that I will strive to build business, build houses, build hospitals, build factories, and then to enter international trade for the good of myself, my family, and my people.

I, say your name, pledge that from this day forward I will never raise my hand with a knife or a gun to beat, cut, or shoot any member of my family or any human being, except in self-defense.

I, say your name, pledge from this day forward I will never abuse my wife by striking here, disrespecting her for she is the mother of my children and the producer of my future.

I, say your name, pledge that from this day forward I will never engage in the abuse of children, little boys, or little girls for sexual gratification. But I will let them grow in peace to be strong men and women for the future of our people.

I, say your name, will never again use the B word to describe my female, but particularly my own Black sister.

I, say your name, pledge from this day forward that I will not poison my body with drugs or that which is destructive to my health and my well being.

I, say your name, pledge from this day forward, I will support Black newspapers, Black radio, Black television. I will support Black artists, who clean up their acts to show respect for themselves and respect for their people, and respect for the ears of the human family.

I, say your name, will do all of this so help me God."

I know where I came from and where I was inspired to go as a direct result of the call of the Million Man March. I will never let anyone disrespect that day by saying it didn't achieve anything. I was a man that was lost, but was inspired to be a better person by the truth and presence of Minister Farrakhan at the Million Man March.

I like to use the example of a patient going to a doctor as an example of the Million Man March. You can't blame a doctor if you are sick and you go to a doctor to heal you and the doctor prescribes you a prescription, however you never go home and take the prescription, so you die. Such a doctor cannot be charged with malpractice. It is the responsibility of both the doctor to prescribe and the patient to take the medicine to affect healing.

In conclusion what medicine did "doctor" Farrakhan give to black men at the Million Man March?

In the following words he gave the ultimate medicine and purpose for our presence at the "march",

"Well, some of us are here because it's history making. Some of us are here because it's a march through which we can express anger and rage with America for what she has and is doing to us. So, we're here for many reasons but the basic reason while this was called was for atonement and reconciliation. So, it is necessary for me in as short of time as possible to give as full an explanation of atonement as possible."

He gave us the following summation of 8 steps of atonement

1) Point out the wrong

2)Acknowledge the wrong

3)Confess fault

4)Repentance

5)Atonement

6)Forgiveness

7)Reconciliation and restoration

8)Perfect union with God

Long live the spirit of the Million Man March!

Mustafaa Muhammad is an "African American" who is a follower of the Islamic faith. Through independent religious studies developed an ecumenical view of the world's religions and the people of God. And while he is devoted to Islam as his faith he is at home in the Church(or other religious institutions) as he is in the Mosque.

He has been featured on the Radio, Newspapers, public speaking events and at Mosques/Churches telling his story and offering his understanding of Almighty God's plan for salvation.

Mustafaa is involved in community activity. He believes that our faith must inspire us to greater service to humanity or we may be making a mockery of the purpose of faith. Contact him @ http://brothermustafaa.com

Stopped Losing Your Car Keys

Oprah Winfrey Show and the Movie the Secret

2009-07-18T14:09:00.001-07:00

the Movie the Secret Was a Big Success, Watch Some Clips from the Oprah Winfrey Show on This Video

Advice To Jealous Partners
What The Bleep Do You Know

Why Should We Give Thanks in Times Like These?

2009-07-18T09:54:00.001-07:00

According to History.com, the first Thanksgiving took place in Massachusetts during the Pilgrim Settlers second winter in America in December 1621. The first winter had killed 44 of the original 102 colonists. And because an unexpected trading vessel arrived, and swapped beaver pelts with them for corn, they were able to survive. Since next summers crops brought hope, the Plymouth colonists and Wampanoag Indians shared an autumn harvest feast on December 13, 1621, which is acknowledged today as one of the first Thanksgiving celebrations in the colonies. Although this feast is considered to be the very first Thanksgiving celebration, it was actually in keeping with a long tradition of celebrating the harvest and giving thanks for a successful bounty of crops. The Pilgrims gave thanks to God for helping them find acres of land that had no hostile Indians and for newfound religious freedom. They also celebrated with the friendly Indians who brought wild turkeys and venison with them. As well as prayers, sermons and songs of praise. They spent three days feasting and praying. Since that time, Thanksgiving is a celebration of thanks of gratitude to God for His grace and mercy upon us. And President Lincoln officially set aside the last Thursday of November in 1863, "as a day of thanksgiving and praise to our beneficent Father." In 1941, Congress ruled that after 1941, the fourth Thursday of November be observed as Thanksgiving Day and be a legal holiday.

But why should we give thanks in times like these today? It is true that in today's society, some of us may think we don't have much to be thankful for. From loss of jobs, homes, cars and possessions, what's left? From the fall of Wall Street, the never ending war and the bad economy, why should we still be thankful to God? 1 Thessalonians says, "Rejoice always, pray without ceasing, in everything give thanks; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you." This means, no matter what we may go through, good or bad, God will always make a way for us. Even at our darkest time or hour, God will always turn a negative into a positive, if we only believe and trust in Him. Even in the book of Exodus, the Israelites sang a song of thanksgiving as they were delivered from Pharoah's army after they crossed the Red Sea. And the book of Psalms is full of songs of thanksgiving for God's grace to the Israelite people as well as for His individual graces to each of us.

In this life there will always be things to complain about. But God gave us a choice. Do we choose to be positive or negative? Is the glass half empty or full? No matter how grim our situations may be, there will always be something to be thankful for. Did we live to see another day? Do we have our health and strength? Are our families ok? Do we have clothes, food and shelter? If we only believe and trust in God, He will give us our needs and not necessarily our wants. For Romans 8:28-30 says, "For those who know Christ, God also works everything together for good, even events we would not necessarily consider good." May God grant that He may find us grateful everyday for all gifts- spiritual and material.

Wanda is a wife, mother, public speaker and contributing author of EzineArticles.com. She has been writing about God and spirituality for over 20 years and has researched the bible and its history. Wanda also specializes in Christian poetry and children books and believes and teaches that regardless of a person's background or their mistakes of the past, God has a place for them.

She is the publisher and bestselling author of "Kids Ask The Darndest Things About God And The Beginning- Answers From The First Five Books Of The Bible" available at http://www.amazon.com

Visit Ball Publications Christian Books at http://www.ball-publications.com and sign up for "The Knowledge" monthly Newsletter. Gain Knowledge and Power with articles, discussions, tips and special offers that will be provided from time to time. Take advantage of up and coming events, radio broadcasts and recommended products of interest for you and your family!

Developing Wealth Building Habit

Change Our Thoughts to Change Our Lives

2009-07-18T00:31:00.001-07:00

We learned in science that objects and our bodies are comprised of atoms which are in constant motion. Matter vibrates. If the motion increases, the state of the object changes. Ice is heated to water. Water is heated to steam. Light, heat, and electricity vibrate. Colors form a spectrum from red to violet. As the pulsation increases, the colors shift from red to orange to yellow to green to blue to violet. All energies move and shift. We energy; we are vibrations.

What is true of our physical bodies is also true of our mental states. Just as physical objects modify their state, such as water to steam and lights from red to orange, our thoughts adjust. Thoughts are vibrations. We can stimulate our ideas and move them to a higher state, or we can lower them and become caught in negative emotions. We change. How we do that is our choice.

A practical spirituality teaches us that we can't cling to old ideas or patterns that are no longer useful or positive. We can think better thoughts. We can think higher thoughts. Our emotions are influenced by people around us. While we may not sense, observe or describe the differences as vibrations, we are aware that some people are more uplifting. Others bring us down.

We choose those who surround us. We choose which thoughts and emotions dominate our lives. Each mental or emotional state has its own rate of vibration. We can transform that rate at will and maintain a mental calm, unaffected by the opinions around us. Negative beliefs do not have to alter our positive state. We manage our thoughts. We do not have to get caught in the up and down drama of family, friends and associates.

Our challenge is to rise above the normal, material thoughts and be more positive, more evolved, and more spiritual.

Cheryl A. Chatfield, Ph.D. is a writer, teacher and inspirational speaker. This article is an excerpt from her recent Do It Yourself Guide To Spirituality: Seven Simple Steps . Visit http://NottInstitute.org to download and read this 40-page booklet, or to receive a free monthly Practical Spirituality Newsletter. The Nottingham Institute is a nonprofit organization that promotes material for an everyday, practical spirituality for people who don't find answers in traditional religions.

Structuring Your 24 Hour Day

Video on Bible Facts

2009-07-17T23:03:00.001-07:00

Can you believe this guy, if you look up these verses in the Bible, you will see that there and there, but how did he come up with these ideas about the Sabbath, teenagers and the fact that the Bible is repulsive.

Problems With Catholicism
Neil Donald Walsch

Buddhism Religion Being Adopted in Many Facets

2009-07-17T15:00:00.001-07:00

The Buddhism religion is growing in popularity. Many people are turning to Buddhism as a way of bringing peace and happiness into their lives. They enjoy the ritualized chants, meditations and lifestyle practices that the Buddhist religion offers.

The real secret to Buddhism, for those who are not aware of the faith, is that anyone can practice it. You can certainly enjoy and employ certain aspects that could enhance your life. Many people utilize Buddhism in some way every day but just do not realize it. It may be Buddhist art, meditation, a visit to a Zen garden or even yoga.

Yes, most Buddhists have a Buddha statue to look to for guidance and as a way to keep in touch with the Buddhism religion. Many people find the Indian and Tibetan artwork very relaxing and have incorporated it into their decor for their homes. With very pleasing color tones and a sense of tranquility, the Buddhist art is transforming many bedrooms and work places into Zen meditation retreats.

Speaking of meditation, the art of meditation practice is one that everyone should learn. It is a way to clear the mind and rid the body of stress. If you have had a bad time at work or you are under considerable family stress, meditation may be just what you need to find relaxation and a way to work through those problems. You do not have to assume some of the more traditional poses for meditation. Simply sit in a chair with your back straight, shoulders squared and your feet planted firmly.

You will then take in deep breaths through the nose and exhale slowly through the mouth. While performing this breathing exercise you should begin working on clearing your mind. This mini "meditation retreat" can help you relieve the stress and tension in your body. If you devote just ten or fifteen minutes a day to this when things get stressful, then you will be able to tackle those touchy situations in no time at all. It will give you the time you need to think clearly.

One aspect of the Buddhism religion that is practiced in gyms across the world is yoga. This form of exercise allows you to assume different positions and relieve the stress and anxiety that may be plaguing you. If you need help getting started or simply want more information, then there are many books on Buddhism for sale in your local bookstore or you can check them out at your local library.

Learn more about the buddhism religion at Mike Selvon portal, and while you are there download your FREE gift on the teachings of Buddhism.

Habits To Prevent Losing Things

Aum Mantra Mediation - Spiritual Video

2009-07-17T08:01:00.001-07:00

Ahhhhh is the sound of God and can be used for meditation. Listen to this wonderful sound and try to find God in it.

Question Your Religion

Low Energy People
Book Of Life

Why do Muslims and Islam Honor Jesus and Mary

2009-07-17T05:23:00.001-07:00

Many do not know that Muslims honor Jesus and Mary as part of their religious beliefs. The following highlights some of the facts regarding Muslims beliefs about Jesus and Mary.

* Muslims believe in Jesus as a prophet. They believe that God (Allah) sent many prophets to mankind and Jesus was one of them

* Muslims believe that Bible was revealed on Prophet Jesus. However, with time, as that book was changed, God (Allah) revealed His last book, the Quran on the last prophet, Prophet Muhammad.

* Quran was revealed over a period of 23 years

* Muslims believe in Mary as the Virgin mother of Prophet Jesus

* There is an entire chapter in the Quran that explains in detail the birth of Jesus, his family, etc. The chapter is called Chapter of Mary

* Muslims also believe that Jesus will come back to earth, unit the Christians and the Muslims and will kill the anti-Christ.

* The Quran teaches Muslims that Jesus though was a normal human being but had special powers from God (Allah) including raising the dead and curing diseases.

Waseem works for HilalPlaza.com, an Islamic and Middle Eastern Portal Website.

Helpful Habit Planning Tips

Amish Country - A Great Place to Visit

2009-07-16T19:35:00.001-07:00

The first Amish settlements were in Berks County Pennsylvania. The land there was highly suited to farming. During the French and Indian wars their homes were disturbed by raiders and many Amish found safe haven in Lancaster County, PA.

Disputes among the people on the interpretation of the Ordnung caused many families to leave the PA communities and settle in places like Iowa and Missouri. The Ordnung is the oral code on how an Amish person was to live and conduct themselves. Further Amish settlements would crop up around the heartland from European immigrants. Today Holmes County Ohio, Lancaster County Pa and Lagrange Indiana host the largest populations of Amish.

Population, land shortage and Ordnung issues have resulted in Amish settlements spreading into 25 states and Canada. The most recognized Amish are the Old Order Amish who have compromised the least with the world at large.

Many people refer to the Amish as Pennsylvania Dutch but they are actually of Swiss-German descent. Dutch came about by the misspelling of Deutsch, which is a word for the German language. This language is still spoken in many Old Order Amish communities. Amish communities in Pennsylvania are largest in Lancaster County with the oldest settlement in the United States being in the southeast. This is a beautiful county filled with covered bridges and old German architecture. The gorgeous Susquehanna River meanders through the landscape and under the many covered bridges. As far as the eye can see there are lush farmlands and quiet back roads beckoning the visitor with promises of peace and tranquility.

Visit the area's many museums and historical sites like the oldest Mennonite meetinghouse in the country, as well as the farm and hardware store in Witness, a Harrison Ford movie. Enjoy the breathtaking scenery and the local lore by traveling by bus, car, horse-drawn buggy or even a hot air balloon. The food is amazing and there are antiques, furniture, quilts and dozens of other Amish made articles to choose from.

Elkhart and Lagrange County are home to the Indiana Amish communities. You can learn a great deal about the Amish and Mennonite religion and culture by visiting the Menno-Hof, an information center.

Better yet, take a trip to Amish Acres Historic Farm and Heritage Resort. When you finally get to town, there are farmers markets and village shops for your shopping pleasure. Flea markets, auctions, theaters and restaurants are all a great part of any trip to Amish country. Here you can also take horse and buggy trips that will take you to Amish style inns and farmstead shops. No matter how you experience this extraordinary life, do not miss a backcountry tour that will absolutely enthrall you.

In central Ohio, you will find several thriving Amish communities around Holmes County. Get off the main interstate and enjoy a trip to the historic towns of Millersburg, Berlin and Walnut Creek. There are shops where you can find all kinds of Amish fare. Things like handmade quilts, cheese, furniture, antiques and the best food on the planet. Get back to the old way of life by touring scenic farms and quaint homes of the Amish people. Three great places to visit are The Amish and Mennonite Heritage Center, Schrock's Amish Farm and Village or Yoder's Amish Home. The last is an Amish farmstead restored by a couple with close Amish ties. The farm was set up as an educational avenue for outsiders. All this can be seen by buggy, balloon or on a horse.

Leon Tuberman is the owner/operator of Barn Furniture Mart a solid wood furniture store that specializes in handmade Amish furniture for your bedroom, dining room and home office. Barn Furniture's handcrafted furniture is offered in oak, cherry, maple and mahogany in several style including Mission, Shaker, Traditional and Contemporary styles.

Developing Wealth Building Habit

Aum Mantra Mediation - Spiritual Video

2009-07-16T16:46:00.001-07:00

Ahhhhh is the sound of God and can be used for meditation. Listen to this wonderful sound and try to find God in it.

Question Your Religion

Planting The Seeds Of Suggestion
Why Dont We Listen To Our Parent

You Don't Become a Wicca, You Either Are Or Are Not

2009-07-16T10:00:00.001-07:00

There is a major growth in today's society for older religions, this includes people who want to become a Wicca. First of all, people need to understand that you do not become a Wicca, no more than you become a doctor and an engineer. Sure, there are signs of progress, and as a doctor or an engineer you get a piece of paper, however, that doesn't make you a doctor or an engineer.

As I said you do not become a Wicca. I am sure this raises some degree of curiosity and confusion. If I don't become a Wicca, then why do people call themselves such? See, it's not about becoming as much as it's about being. You don't become a Wicca, you are one.

I learned this a long time ago when I was studying the martial art of Ninjutsu, and it carried over as I began practicing witchcraft. As I gained belt after belt, I wondered at what point I would be a ninja. I couldn't wait to tell people I was a ninja. Once I earned my black belt, I wondered if I was now a ninja. I asked my teacher and his only response was, "you will know."

Eventually I came to understand that I can't become a ninja. It is something I am or am not. It wasn't about becoming, it was about being a ninja. The same is true when talking about how to become a Wicca. I now live, day to day, the way of the ninja. I use the philosophy and strategies I learned as I trained to live my life on a daily basis. The same is true for my spiritual practices.

You see, you didn't become anything, I either was or wasn't. I either lived as one, walked as one, talked as one, made decisions as one based on what I had learned, or I didn't. Learn, study, and apply what you learn as you grow, and you will be a Wicca. Then there will be no need to become a Wicca.

Are you ready to become the most powerful witch you can? Do you want to learn what it means to be a witch, and how to create your own spells at the drop of a dime? Do you want more free spells and the best resource for ancient witchcraft and Wiccan knowledge? Then Click Here Now to learn how! Don't forget to sign up for your completely free spells!

Creating A Habit

Are We Angels and Are There Higher Levels

2009-07-16T01:40:00.001-07:00

Are We All Angels, Watch This Video and Find out.

Greg is currently working on a spiritual and sell help articles filled with great subjects on a wide array of topics, like religion, self help and spiritual changes in the world. His views on religious freedom are slowly changing the way people think about institutional religion.

Spiritual Benefits
Old Souls Of The World

Philosophy in a Nutshell - Freedom Versus Determinism

2009-07-16T00:27:00.000-07:00

Two of the most important and most noble purposes of philosophy are to promote intellectual independence and to awaken the thirst for wisdom. Put simply, philosophy aims to get individuals to think, hopefully to ponder deeply about more fundamental issues than those which occupy most of our everyday lives. A brief examination of the issue of freedom versus determinism helps to define the scope of philosophy and related controversies.

Theories concerned with the issue of freedom versus determinism seek to discover the cause of human behavior. Are human actions predictable in a scientific manner? In other words, are there laws of nature, though complex and largely unknown, which would tell us exactly what a person will do in a given situation and which completely rule out any other possibility? This view, known as determinism, has been bolstered since the sixteenth century by the scientific principle of universal causation: every event has a cause and predictions of results can be made with total accuracy.

Hard determinism further holds that moral responsibility is incompatible with universal causation. Soft determinism argues that some behavior is free of compulsion so that people can be held morally responsible. Libertarians maintain that human beings do possess freedom of action. Otherwise, libertarians claim, human deliberation is an illusion. This, they assert, would be absurd. Furthermore, libertarians believe that exact laws of human behavior will always be elusive. Human behavior will therefore remain unpredictable and uncontrollable. In addition to this, a society perfected through application of science to produce specific human behaviors would be morally unacceptable.

This process of questioning the very foundations of life takes a certain amount of courage and psychological fortitude. Independence of thought is critical for a free society, and philosophy aims to spur us on to deep thought about the things that matter in life.

Kathleen Karlsen, MA is a professional artist, a freelance writer and marketing consultant residing in Bozeman, Montana. Karlsen offers classes and workshops on symbolism, sacred art, healing art and the psychology of design. To learn more about color symbolism, visit http://www.livingartsoriginals.com/infocolorsymbolism.htm

For information about the meaning of flowers, please visit http://www.livingartsoriginals.com/infoflowermeaning.htm

Helpful Habit Planning Tips

Reflections on Goddess Religion

2009-07-15T14:49:00.001-07:00

The renewed interest and critical discussion of the ancient goddess religion open a path to the Perennial Philosophy, a substratum of human culture and consisting of a cluster of ideas, insights, view points, and attitudes about life found in most, if not all, societies. Basic concepts of the goddess religion can also offer insights into Hermes' art, which is still relevant and beneficial today.

Pelasgians are a people and their language who populated the southern Balkan Peninsula, Aegean Islands, and coast of Asia Minor before Greek invasions of the second millennium B.C. They were the last of the Neolithic goddess cultures. The name is even mentioned in some alchemical texts. Fulcanelli, the Master Alchemist of the twentieth century, specifically states that the hermetic cabala, Hermes' language, maintains the essence of the Pelasgians' mother language. Hermes' language birthed from the Neolithic cultures, if not earlier.

The goddess has many images linked to her: cave, moon, stone, serpent, bird, fish, and tree; spiral, meander, and labyrinth; wild animals such as lion, bull, bison, stag, goat, and horse; rituals of fertility; and journey of the soul to another dimension. Each historical goddess has many of these characteristics and often several different ones.

Isis, the greatest goddess of Egypt, was worshipped for over 3000 years. Her attributes are the tree of life, cow, serpent, pig, bird, underworld, Sirius, words of power, and great mother goddess of the universe.

According to the twentieth century scholar Marija Gimbutas, the serpent crown refers back to the Neolithic snake goddess, who wore such a crown. These snake crowns symbolize wisdom and wealth. Struggling with a huge white snake will gain the seeker a crown. Wearing the crown, the initiate knows all, is able to find hidden treasures, and can communicate with animals. Hermes knows that the serpent goddess is the living water, the philosophical mercury, and the white queen. Gimbutas' book, The Living Goddesses, is filled with many insights and presents an excellent comprehension of Neolithic culture and the goddess tradition.

The ancient rock art in Australia that depicts hermaphroditic figures is similar to some goddess images in European Neolithic art. Humans have lived in Australia for more than 40,000 years, arriving there during the Paleolithic. The hermaphrodite (the word is a blending of Hermes and Aphrodite) is an important alchemical concept.

The discussion about the stone symbol in Anne Baring and Jules Cashford's The Myth of the Goddess is profound. A stone lasts a long time and can symbolize eternity or timelessness. During the Neolithic, or earlier, it represented the foundation or essence of life, such as the soul or spirit that endured after the death of the body. The stone is, of course, a dominant symbol in alchemy: its goal is to obtain the philosopher's stone.

Two major themes of religious ceremony, starting in the Neolithic if not earlier, are the sacred marriage and birth of the child. A union with a divine spirit is inherent in all mystical ceremonies and practices. Initiation into the great spiritual mysteries has been a human activity for thousands of years, perhaps since the beginning of time. The female signifies the continuous pattern of birth-death-rebirth, which is the principle of regeneration. The male signifies the life of the individual, the short span of temporal life beginning with birth and ending with death. The neophyte enters the hidden subterranean recesses and dies a first death and only then does rebirth occur. Now the worldly and spiritual realms remain open to each other. The goddess was the portal into the hidden dimension through which the dead passed on their way to rebirth.

The dying god, a religious theme originating in antiquity, symbolizes physical life that is constantly changing, and the goddess illumines the principle of life that endures by eternally renewing itself. The goddess represents continuity while the god, sharing in the impermanent essence of the seed, dies annually.

More insight is revealed in The Myth of the Goddess. In goddess culture the manifest is the physical emanation of the unmanifest. So time is cyclical, a movement of manifesting to non-manifesting to manifesting and so forth. This is the lunar cycle. Because patriarchal culture sees time in a linear fashion of conflict with and conquest of opposition or the other, war and warriors are the central theme of history. Conquest in battle is the primary means of overcoming separation, but it never completely solves the problem because some opposition continues and remains hidden until it grows strong enough to challenge the victor. Thus, life is viewed as a perpetual struggle, battling foes and winning victories or being defeated, an onerous happening.

The goddess trinity comprises a young woman, a mother giving birth, and an old woman. The trinity is an ancient concept, probably in use before the Neolithic.

The trinity or three goddesses are the three visible phases of the moon. The hidden fourth-the dark or new moon-is the goddess of the night or of the unmanifest. The child born to the mother is signified by the sun born from the moon. At new moon the night sky is dark. Afterwards, the sun is gradually resurrected until full moon when its full light illumines the night sky. Then daily the sun dies away until its light is gone.

The goddess as mother of life sends her children forth into the world and as mother of death gathers her children unto her as they return from the world. The natural cycles signify this process of life and death.

The visible part, the son or daughter, comes from and returns to the invisible: the whole is the mother goddess. This idea is found in the Bronze Age. Based on the observation of natural phenomena, the idea no doubt is primeval in origin.

The ancient Middle Eastern cultures of Sumer, Babylon, and Egypt demonstrate the change from goddess religion to god religion. Inanna, a Sumerian goddess who later becomes Babylonian Ishtar, is the Great Mother Goddess, who holds the caduceus and double-headed ax as symbols of her power. The lunar cycle represents her power of life and death. The queen of heaven and earth, she has these attributes: the tree of life (palm tree), dove, owl, lion, dragon, serpent, scorpion, planet Venus, and Sirius. In Sumerian times Sirius was known as the Bow Star and rose in conjunction with the sun at sunrise during the month of July. Dumuzi or Tammuz is the son-lover, consort of Inanna-Ishtar. The caduceus and double-headed ax become his symbols; he is also imaged as a fish-god and a shepherd and sometimes wears a skirt with a net pattern. The son-lover possesses some of his mother's features.

The great cosmic cycle of life and death can be described in this way: the soul comes from or is born from the goddess, and its life cycle resembles the lunar cycle; at death the soul returns to the goddess. This cycle is very conducive and supportive of reincarnation.

So much evidence leads to the conclusion that the Paleolithic moral order as encompassed in the goddess religion did not die but lives now albeit underground renewing itself. It will assert itself when the times beckon. An important cosmic principle is that the seed must die for it to live.

Having been a Humanities and English college teacher for thirty-six years, I now manage Ye Olde Consciousness Shoppe which presents ideas about transforming consciousness and reaching a higher level of reality. The website has information about my three books: Hermes Beckons, a tale of alchemy and magic; Foundation for a New Consciousness; and Reality Inspector, a novel of chess and computer-hacking.

Finding Something You Don

Light Workers Movie on Estoic Wisdom

2009-07-15T10:40:00.001-07:00

This video tells of the estoic wisdom between the three types of light workers and how they are going to bring the earth into a new earth full of love and light.

Life of Jesus

You are free to copy this article to your site as long as you include the following resource information with an active link to my site:

Judging Your Childrens Partners
Adult Pier Pressure

The Heretic's Daughter - Religion, Fear and the Salem Witch Trials

2009-07-15T05:16:00.001-07:00

The Heretic's Daughter is author Kathleen Kent's first novel, and it is a stunning debut. It takes place in and around Salem, Massachusetts during the 1690's, before and during the infamous Salem witch trials. The narrator's mother, Martha Carrier, is based on the real woman of the same name, who was one of the first woman to be tried and hung in the trials. Ms. Kent is herself a tenth generation descendant of Martha Carrier.

Ms. Kent has done her research, and she does a beautiful job of depicting the harsh realities of life during this time. While the initial Puritan settlers had come to this land to escape persecution, and hoped to found a new religious community, they were besieged by plagues, crop failures, and attacks by indigenous tribes. The child mortality rate was so high, we are told in the first pages, "that some families did not name their child until the child was past twelve months and more likely to live. And in many households if a baby died, that same baby's name would be passed on to the next born. And to the very next if that babe died as well."

This is from the novel's narrator, Sarah Carrier, Martha Carrier's daughter. If Sarah sometimes seems distant and unfeeling as she describes horrific events, it is no wonder, based on the climate in which she was raised. In fact, Sarah's voice and attitude was at first a put-off to me, making her difficult to relate to or feel for. But as the novel progresses, her voice becomes one of the book's greatest strengths, because it provides such a vast contrast to our emotion-laden, Oprah-fueled times. Sarah helps us to see what a stark and difficult existence does to people, and as she does mature - through watching her mother's trial and surviving her own incarceration - her growth and new-found wisdom is that much more evident.

As the novel begins, Sarah and her family are on their way to live with her grandmother, and, unbeknown to them, are bringing smallpox with them to their new community. This fact, along with Martha Carrier's headstrong and outspoken nature, will ultimately lead to the family becoming a target when the terrible accusations begin. Those accusations, as presented in The Heretic's Daughter, gain traction in the community because of the lethal combination of fear and damnation-based religion. The community, facing so many challenges to its existence, cannot fathom why they are being targeted by God for such wrath. Surely there must be some offense, some sin, that they are being punished for? In their desperation, they seek out the 'sinners' amongst them, literally demonizing their own neighbors for the smallest of offenses. They seek to scapegoat and purge - as so many have done in the name of religion throughout history.

From there, the paralysis of fear takes over, with each new charge silencing more people within the community, all seeking to protect their own lives and families. Children as young as four are taken into custody - since the 'devil' is behind it all, and can take over anyone's mind, no one is considered innocent. Quite the contrary, during the trials the defendants are most definitely considered guilty until proven innocent. And their innocence is in the hands of several hysterical, adolescent girls no less (I'll let you read the book to learn more about this.)

One of the most touching aspects of the book is how Martha gets Sarah to save herself, helping Sarah to realize that behind her mother's stern exterior lies the greatest of maternal loves. While Sarah at first despises her mother's difficult personality, wishing she would just capitulate to others, she comes to realize her mother's seeming obstinance is actually born of tremendous faith and wisdom. This is exactly the opposite of what her community elders teach - that strict obedience is the foundation for faith. As Sarah observes, that obedience, along with fear, is what allows the madness to continue for so long.

And so The Heretic's Daughter works on at least three levels. First, as a gripping historical novel that masterfully depicts a certain setting and time period. Second, as a personal story of a mother and adolescent daughter struggling to understand each other. And third, as a cautionary tale about how religion can be twisted when a society is ruled by fear.

Lisa Erickson is a mom, meditation teacher, and writer. Visit her blog http://www.MommyMystic.wordpress.com for spiritual book reviews and information on meditation and spirituality

Creating A Habit

Guides and Spirit Helpers

2009-07-14T19:40:00.001-07:00