Spirituality for Living

I’m curious about the notion of having a past or future life in ‘animal’ form on earth? That’s a phenomenon linked to reincarnation known as the transmigration of souls. That everything that actualizes in any way, from a rock to your house plant, to your house pet to you, manifested in exactly the same way [...]

You can see a political leader, or wealthy person, and not respect them when you see what is really there, even though convention in society is to respect this person. Is there virtue in being exhorted to extol an unhealthy parasitical relationship with authority? Extol/respect, venerate. People worship money and the money maker, and don’t [...]

Let’s get a bit more personal. I’m in a relationship. The Native Americans respected the creatures they hunt, but they still ate them. If in my relationship I were not willing to in a sense “eat her” and respect what she does and can give me, how healthy would our relationship be?
There would be separation. [...]

R eally
E xpressing
S o
P eople
E ngage
C ommunication
T ies ~ DonJuan Writer
Respect is an emotionally charged topic, and who hasn’t experienced some negativity in the name of “respect”? If it’s an inherent good as we conventionally know it, then why would we experience any negativity at all?
I had a conversation with my Dad once as a [...]

I am talking about a respect that stems only from awareness, and empowers choice rather than making you feel you must do only one thing.
Awareness means knowing? Yes. A knowing from being and respecting being of others. Being is not out of order, but we are taught to think, and we are taught thoughts of [...]

Spirit was originally the concept of an active agent. Spirit was anything that caused things to happen and was not some abstract, lifeless force. Quite the opposite.
In the old world, things being guided by life was just a given. Our ancestors had good instincts, even if they were mostly busy surviving. They also had plenty [...]

The topic is indulgence. At first, I want to start by distinguishing between indulgence and compulsion. Compulsory behaviour is actually very common. A lot is even considered normal thus “common sense”, but it reflects a degeneration of human awareness on all fronts to my view. An abdication of personal responsibility, and an excuse to not reflect [...]

Indulgence is part of a trinity of experience we live with. The trinity being compulsion, abstinence and indulgence. We tend to go round and round in circles on this cycle, not actually having a lot of fun.
I am a great respecter of nature personally, and human nature I include in that. The majority of the [...]

Greater good. That’s an interesting notion. What greater good, that we all have in common, is truly and fully encapsulated by the teachings of any one path? Is that even possible?
I would say the good we all have in common is the very thing that is so often derided the “lesser” good. We all get [...]

Abstinence can be freeing in a way. It leads to greater indulgence, and allows for informed choice. Abstinence lets you really feel and understand your own being, and how you are letting it reflect in the world anyway, but it needn’t be compulsory. Rather than “never do this” and “always do that”, maybe it can [...]

It was said that a dragons roar could disturb the harmony of nature itself. They now know that animals are distressed before a seismic disturbance by an actual sound called “black noise”. A dragon roaring from the underworld? I might ask, what’s the difference really?
The rulers of the Chinese dynasties were often seen as [...]

The subject is obligation. I will start with a bit about one of my own obligations. I was sought to do meetings here in Second Life, because they felt I had something to contribute, and I accepted their invitation.
This did create an obligation for me. One I respect and honour as the founders of this [...]

We praise consistency in most things unless the consistent behaviour is judged negative, but then we still prefer it to inconsistent negativity. The person who’s only erratically negative is much more scary socially for some reason.
Is it not true of children that they feel more secure with consistency? Actually, I would debate that. In the [...]

Anyone care to share an experience they have had with shame?
Giving the wrong answer in school. Teacher made a big deal of the answer rather than just move on. And obviously believed that was necessary, but was it? Would you have learned without the histrionics?
Probably participated more. So yes, but learning is a “moral” issue. [...]

We need to feel like we matter. A well respected psychologist by the last name of Maslow said this. He was the first to look for a model of healthy, high functioning mentality.
They think “mattering” is something you have when you have money. Yet we live in a system that can only really function well [...]

I recently got in a fight. A fist fight, and realized that the guy who busted my lip and messed up my jaw probably grew up in a terrible environment without love. Actually, even if he did not, whatever motivated him is still about him. Some people rebel even if raised in a loving family. [...]

I employ a lot of metaphors and intellectual tools when I try to teach a class.
Thing. The word is of Norse origin. Know what it means? Mystery. The allthing was a meeting of Norse spirituality. They didn’t really have a priesthood.
Luck is also Norse. Luck meant tendency/fate. The Norse had the habit of throwing a [...]

In our spiritual darkness class, I like to encourage people to speak freely, but it is not a venue for bashing on anyone or criticizing how they deal with things. I will try to offer only constructive advice and will try to keep it relevant/asked for. Unlike many other spiritual groups, we do not discourage discussion [...]

The topic is reverence, but perhaps it’s relevant. If you follow medical and genetic / neurological studies, it’s more or less been established that we are inherently creatures of faith. There have even been extensive studies on the relationship between faith and health/recovery finding a scientifically viable positive result, but we live as a society [...]