InnerSelf

by Wendy Stokes. We are told by spiritual teachers that we must seek enlightenment and that we must become ‘conscious’ and ‘awake’. However the proof of personal transformation is that our service and other actions demonstrate that we believe and understand eternal truths and the nature of...

by Steven Greenebaum. I was for a number of years the choir director of a First United Methodist choir while all the while remaining, in my own offbeat way, a practicing Jew. Some may see my actions as hypocritical, but I do not. I learned a lot by becoming involved in the music and ritual of another religion.

by Peter Russell. Traditional scientists seek to understand a phenomenon through careful observation. They reduce distracting data, or “noise,” to a minimum and control factors that may disturb their observations. Mystics do the same in the realm of mind. They seek to minimize the noise of mental distractions by...

by Marie T. Russell. For some people spiritual guidance comes while sitting quietly in meditation. For others, spiritual guidance comes while taking a quiet walk, or taking a long shower, or washing the dishes quietly, or doing anything quietly. There is no "right" way to attune to your spiritual guidance. The right way for you is...

by Johanna Leseho, Ph.D. "When I have a problem and I dance, at the end the problem is gone!" Ultimately, I am convinced that it is the connection to one’s sense of the spiritual that infuses dance with the power to heal and transform.

by Sophie Rose. In this age of technology and materialism, when many wonder what tomorrow will bring, the resurgence of spirituality is a normal phenomenon. For centuries, people have turned to religions or other belief systems for support and understanding. So one can wonder why, after centuries of religious or spiritual...

by Imre Vallyon. Very often people cannot understand why they should live the Spiritual Life. It is a natural question: “What do I get out of it?” It is important to understand that if you follow through with the Path you’re going to get a lot out of it...

by Stephanie Dowrick. The primary spiritual challenge is not just to love but to allow love to be the foundation of our lives: the ground of our being, the place of forgiveness and gratitude, delight and awe, and ceaseless source of hope. Here’s what we know...

by Stephanie Dowrick. I wonder whether “not harming” or not hurting other people — near and far — feels more reasonably within reach than loving them? As you think about it now, does it seem more realistic to affirm that you could refrain from harming, rather than “loving” others?

by InnerSelf Staff.

Spirituality is very personal and each person will have their own definition of what it means to them. For some people, spirituality equates religion, for others, spirituality is an internal experience and perspective on life.

by Bernard Haisch.

Can a Smart Person Believe in God? is the provocative title of a book by Michael Guillen, theoretical physicist and former science correspondent for ABC News (he has a Ph. D. in three disciplines, physics, mathematics and astronomy, from Cornell). His answer is yes, and...

by Imre Vallyon.

To live a spiritual life, you don’t have to give up your job or become a monk or a nun. The spiritual life is where you are, whether or not you have a job, are married or have children. You don’t have to suddenly throw everything away and rush off to join a Tibetan monastery. In fact...

by Mother Clare Watts.

Nothing will ever be more transformative and life-changing than having your own powerful and direct experience of God. Such an experience changes all your speculation about what is real and what is of value into first-hand knowing. No one else’s...

A Dictionary of Spiritual terms, or glossary of terms of wholistic (holistic) and alternative medicine as well as spirituality and counseling.

Twelve beliefs and practices for you to cultivate as you develop your abilities to manifest miracles in your life. Becoming a spiritual being as outlined here is an all-out necessity if real magic is your objective in this lifetime...

Who are we really? What is really the meaning of Life? How can we attain lasting happiness in the face of our seemingly endless troubles? These questions are basic to our lives, and it is from these questions that the practice of Zen has its birth. Zen can be the compassionate scalpel that removes the layers of accrued opinions, beliefs, and...

It is said that when the student is ready, the teacher may physically appear and guide them in their transformation until the time when the teacher is seen everywhere. As a result of working with a Sufi teacher, enhanced perceptions and awareness bring about deep understanding, inner contentment, healing and...

Who or what grows our fingernails and beats our heart even as we sleep? Who or what is behind the movement of the winds, which we feel but never see? What is this force that keeps the planets in place and hurls our world through the galaxy at a breathtaking speed? Spirit is what I have chosen to call the formless, invisible energy which is the source and sustenance of life on this planet. This force, no matter the name we give it, can...

by Dr. Ilchi Lee.

Someone asked me in a recent lecture, his face hard set with doubt, 'Are you really enlightened?' He pressed on, again with an expression of someone reluctantly mining for the truth: 'What was it that you were enlightened to?' Laughing, I answered him, 'I was enlightened to the fact that there is nothing to be enlightened about.'

Sometimes God comes along and gives us a real jolt.  And once in a while those "jolts" come in the form of experiences that could only be explained as . . . well, as inexplicable. When this occurs we are left to ponder, what has happened here? What's going on? In 'Friendship with God' there is an extraordinary statement. 'I have given you nothing but miracles.' ...

There comes a stage in spiritual development when you will experience the conflict between the fears of the ego and the power of spirit. An ego-based identity seeks only that which strengthens it. All else is seen as a threat. Therefore, in the beginning, as you take the next step in evolution, you will feel a conflict, a division within yourself as a new way of being struggles to emerge.

When we cheer the spirit of the true athlete, what we applaud is a demonstration of all of the significance's the word spirit entails for us: courage, tenacity, commitment, alignment with principle, demonstration of excellence, honor, respect, and humility. To inspire implies filling with spirit...

One of the most startling developments of the late twentieth century has been the emergence within every major religious tradition of a militant piety popularly known as "fundamentalism." Its manifestations are sometimes shocking. Fundamentalists have gunned down worshippers in a mosque, have killed doctors and nurses who work in abortion clinics, have shot their presidents, and have even toppled a powerful government. It is only a small minority...

We who value tolerance sometimes behave as if we think tolerance is the ultimate value of the liberal spirit, a cure for all the ills of society. But what if your next-door neighbors come from a part of the world where their homeland custom demands that the man...

Most of our spiritual traditions tell us that, as humans, we are miniature reflections of God and that we have been created in God's image. If this is so, then it would follow that a more direct way to look upon the face of God would be to sit and gaze at an actual person, a real flesh-and-blood human. If you can truly see another and be seen by the other, you begin to see that he or she is an embodiment of the Divine, and you begin to feel...

If I'm having difficulty opening my mind to a new perspective, I often find it helpful to look at how much value I'm placing on my old ways of seeing. Sometimes we invest very heavily in our old perspectives, without even knowing it. On one level, we want our minds to be healed...

We all know from experience that we cannot be a better person, a more loving individual, let alone a fully realized being, simply by intention alone. Spiritual seeking is a commendable activity in and of itself; it brings many rewards such as greater clarity, peace of mind, and serenity, and keeps us from mindless and destructive pursuits. But spiritual seeking that is undisciplined and aimless will not bring any improvements to our condition, nor will it be truly rewarding.

by Del Kyger. Since childhood, Mildred "Billie" Steves has felt the loving presence of God. So when Billie began to receive communications from God following her morning meditations, she was quite at ease and did not see these events as out of the ordinary...

And on the eighth day, man created God. Who else but man would donate only a mere three letters of the alphabet to the power behind the universe? Three letters do not bear much weight in light of a God who is attributed with creating a world, saving its people, and providing a life everlasting. Many would profess to say that God in fact is not the name they would use at all to depict their own conception of a higher being. Nature, the Great Spirit, Allah, Buddha, Goddess, Jesus Christ, no Christ, the earth, so many names...

Like many people on their spiritual path, it was some time before my spirit guide revealed his name to me. I must admit I thought it rather curious when he told me his name was Joe. I asked if he were an angelic being, or perhaps a saint, but he said I could just address him as Joe. Being a no-nonsense, down-to-earth kind of a person myself, I reasoned that was the type of guide I would attract. As you may have noticed, many metaphysical people tend to ask one another...

It is of interest that the current spiritual reawakening is mainly happening outside the carefully patrolled borders of our organized religions. It appears to be cutting across socioeconomic levels of achievement and status, and is transcending cultural, political, and ethnic boundaries as well. Although it's possible to do this in the church or the temple, the zendo or the mosque, the challenge is to accomplish it out in the world at large

Divine Love is the needed energy for our planet to heal itself. There are so many well intentioned people and factions who think that they have the only right answers. They are often willing to fight and be mercilessly cruel to prove that they are the most Holy. Sometimes it's necessary to stand up to...

by Matthew Fox.

Compassion is the way we treat all there is in life -- ourselves, our bodies, our imaginations and dreams, our neighbors, our enemies, our air, our water, our earth, our animals, our death, our space, and our time. Compassion is treating all creation as holy and as divine... which is...

Although I am primarily a Christian, a Catholic contemplative, my heart and life are now totally open to wherever and whenever mystical graces take me. My inner journey has prepared me to appreciate the importance and possibility of a universal approach to mysticism because...

Once upon a time there was a Lodgekeeper who managed a mountain resort. Many people visited the area to hike and enjoy the natural splendor of the mountain. One day, a guest checked in and after getting settled, he told the Lodgekeeper he was going out hiking. The Lodgekeeper advised him to...

Those are the letters on several trucks I see being driven on Long Island highways. No, they don't stand for GOD...rather an acronym for Guaranteed Overnight Delivery. Even God can't match that speed. I know, because many people pray to God daily and hope for instant delivery from problems. Usually, they are very disappointed and lay full blame on their Creator...

Many people don't think about their spiritual lives until they're faced with a crisis such as a life-threatening illness. Then they decide to embark on spiritual practices such as meditation or prayer. Are you ready to turn "later" and "someday" into "now" when it comes to attending to your spiritual life?

If we can begin to understand how the Spirit operates continuously in our lives, then our daily existence will become less stressful and more relaxed, filled less with drudgery and more with enchantment, and we in turn can become more creative and begin to enjoy a new sense of purpose, fulfillment, and enthusiasm.

How can you find some of that inner peace you hear the saints of old attained? Train your heart to function and perform and you will find that you can more easily handle day to day stress -- which leads to the ability to not lose your peace of mind. This is a great secret. Your heart is a transforming device. It will turn negative energy into positive loving energy...

by Rev. Dr. Marcus Braybrooke. Over one hundred years ago, Charles Bonney, who presided at the World's Parliament of Religions in Chicago, ended his closing address like this: "Henceforth the religions of the world will make war, not on each other, but on the giant evils that afflict mankind." Sadly...