Friday, June 24, 2016

Meditation & Eclectic Spirituality, Volume 16

I wrote Sunburned: A Blog Series About Spirituality while doing research for War & Grace, the final installment in my epic fantasy trilogy Daughter of Light. Since the foundation of the story is the evolution of consciousness, I've been posting weekly links to meditation (& ecletic) spirituality things around the web ... because I really do believe it is all about evolving our consciousness—and meditation is one of the best ways to do that!

Enjoy!

DC's Catholic Archbishop: People ask me why religion matters today. I tell them we'd be a mess without it. Hmm. Not so fast. Religion has been both a positive and negative force in the evolution of humanity. Religious wars anyone?!? And that's just the tip of the iceberg. As much as I see myself as a "spiritual" person (and, yes, I do hate all the "baggage" people load that term up with, ahem) mathematics in the service of science has been the chief propellant of the largest leaps in human thought. Galileo was persecuted by the Church in the 1600s and Voltaire in the 1700s. Galileo was a mathematician, among other things. Remember he was the guy who said the world was round. Voltaire was a writer, who he had a love affair with Emile du Chatelet, who was, you guessed it, a mathematician, obsessed with Newton's Laws of Gravity, their mathematical underpinnings, and the truths those understandings expressed about the universe we live in. Their partnership resulted in Voltaire's scathing critiques of the French Monarchy and religion which ushered in the Age of Enlightenment and had him imprisoned or living as a fugitive for much of his life. Now, we're faced with the mathematics of quantum physics. I have no doubt that the future of human spirituality (for lack of a better term) is to expand beyond the limitations imposed by religion. Nones, SBNRs, etc. are the fragile buds breaking through to a new age of enlightenment.

Morgan Freeman & The Story of God: Okay, this link is dated! But I'm going to see if I can find this and watch it.

How to Feel Like you Went on Vacation by Meditating 15 Minutes: I like this article because it asserts the freedom that is meditation, i.e. there is no certain way it must be done!

KidSpirit Online Magazine: KidSpirit Online is a free teen magazine and website for kids that empowers 11-to-17-year olds everywhere to tackle life’s big questions.

Forget the Foosball Table. This Startup Office was Built for Meditation: Making it real, grounding it. Cool.

Friday, June 10, 2016

Meditation & Eclectic Spirituality, Volume 15

I wrote Sunburned: A Blog Series About Spirituality while doing research for War & Grace, the final installment in my epic fantasy trilogy Daughter of Light. Since the foundation of the story is the evolution of consciousness, I've been posting weekly links to meditation (& ecletic) spirituality things around the web ... because I really do believe it is all about evolving our consciousness—and meditation is one of the best ways to do that! The articles this week are great!

Enjoy!

3 things you might not know about Nones: This is a GREAT article about Nones!

1. Many resisted religious labeling and, with it, the idea that, once set, religious beliefs, identities, and affiliations remain fixed over the course of a lifetime. Indeed, attention to the evolution of spiritual and religious identity, practice, and belief throughout life was a defining feature of Nones.

2. “I feel comfortable in a church for the most part, or in a Buddhist temple, or whatever, even if I don’t exactly believe what they believe. All religions have something good in them,” he acknowledged, “even the most small-minded of them. I like that. I like to be open to all of it.”

Such viewpoints mark Nones as very different from the Baby Boomer “generation of seekers” profiled by Wade Clark Roof (1993) in that they are not on an ongoing quest in hopes of finding one, lasting spiritual home. Rather, they enjoy the array of spiritual experiences available to them, and which they can create, in a more open and diverse spiritual environment.

3. ... New stories of spiritual and religious experience that both draw upon and move beyond traditional religious language are beginning to emerge. (See Talking the Talk)

Oh, yes.

The best place to meditate? At work: This is absolutely a great idea!

5 Ways That One Minute of Meditation Could Change Your Life: Great insights!

Goodbye Depression: I'm always seeking to share articles that bring something fresh to the discussion of meditation. This one does. The idea that depression is caused by repression rings true from my personal experience. And the solution: Dynamic Mediation certainly likes like something intriguing to experiment with!
A Blog Series About Spirituality

Friday, June 3, 2016

Meditation & Eclectic Spirituality, Volume 14

I wrote Sunburned: A Blog Series About Spirituality while doing research for War & Grace, the final installment in my epic fantasy trilogy Daughter of Light. Since the foundation of the story is the evolution of consciousness ...

Foundation: Consciousness is the purpose of the Whole.
In this regard, two fundamental principles exist:
1. A dynamic equilibrium sustains the metaphysical energies between the mortal and enchanted worlds;
2. The Whole forever seeks the conservation of psychic energy, e.g., consciousness.
Within this framework, the purpose of mortal life is to bring the soul’s essence to fulfillment. —Half Faerie, by Heidi Garrett

... considering how our human view of religion and spirituality has evolved over the centuries has helped me finesse the arc of this third and final book in the trilogy.

In the meantime,  I've been posting weekly links to meditation (& ecletic) spirituality things around the web ... because I really do believe it is all about evolving our consciousness—and meditation is one of the best ways to do that! I try to keep things fresh and avoid repetitive articles.

Enjoy!

Why Should You Meditate?: So you can embark upon your own epic journey & fearless transformation.

Meditation Beats Inflammation: This is a benefit I haven't specifically heard of before, but it totally makes sense to me.

"Inflammation is a common contributor and possible cause underlying all diseases, whether you are talking about heart, liver, kidney problems, obesity, or psychiatric disease,” says Dr. Daniel Lee, clinical professor of medicine at the University of California, San Diego (UCSD) Medical Center and School of Medicine. In general, when your mental energy takes too much from your physical energy, it puts your body in a state of deficit, and inflammation in the body occurs.

My exhausting meditation retreat—10 days of Vipassana, silence and spiders: He-he.

Why I'm teaching my 6-year-old to meditate: Really lovely piece. Strength. Power. Comfort.

A History of Spirituality in Santa Fe: This sounds like a totally fascinating read.

Meditating United Passenger accused of turning violent: Umm. When meditation doesn't work.

Pediatrician turns to meditation for kids: And ... when it does.

A Blog Series About Spirituality