Whenever I’ve been asked about my religious or spiritual beliefs, I often feel that I have no choice other than to use the unsatisfactory term ‘spiritual but not religious’ (SBNR) which gives the impression that I am vaguely agnostic with beliefs that are not well-defined. Should I press on with an explanation, there is the… Read More “Spiritual But Not Religious”
On Saturday, September 14th, my dear friend Ann was released from the prison of her failing body to explore the last great mystery of this earthly life. Ann became gravely ill nearly a year ago, and since then I’ve been stumbling through the darkness of spiritual doubt and some very non-spiritual anger at the universe.… Read More Farewell to a Dear Friend
“Jehovah’s Witnesses live a life of fear. That much is true. They fear death. They fear not being good enough when Jehovah comes to exact judgement. Jehovah’s Witnesses are the most fearful group of Christians that I’m aware of.“ Doug Shields, a former Jehovah’s Witness of The Watchtower Files blog: http://thewatchtowerfiles.com/jehovahs-witnesses-and-fear/ For millions of people… Read More Jehovah’s Witnesses: Immortality Held Hostage
Last Saturday around midnight, I found myself in the thrice-nominated worst airport in the United States, standing barefoot on cold concrete, awaiting the return of my hastily-packed backpack from the clutches of an army of perpetually annoyed TSA agents. Newark Airport is stress-inducing during the best of times, but I was about to board a… Read More The Dark Night of the Soul, Part II
For the last few months, the blog has been silent. And not because I don’t have anything to say, but because I’ve been in deep contemplation. You see, I’m going through a dark night of the soul – a time that most spiritual seekers go through at least once in their lives where one’s spirituality… Read More Dark Night of the Soul: The Purpose of Suffering(?), Part I
Happy Halloween! Troublesome, mischievous and downright evil spirits have haunted the folktales, myths and traditions of civilizations throughout history. From Hungry Ghosts in China who are mollified each year with offerings of food and entertainment to the Domovoi, a mischievous Russian house spirit who punishes lazy home owners by spreading manure on the doorstep, this… Read More The Tourist’s Guide to Evil and Mischievous Spirits of Earth
Life is strange. I consider myself well-versed in karmic spirituality; observant to the many teachable moments that the universe, or my guides, will throw into my path for the purpose of my spiritual growth. Sometimes though, when you are confident the universe is leading you in one direction, you realize that you’ve been kicked clear… Read More Fighting Your Way Back to the Light
Studying the afterlife is a strange pursuit, even among those who are attracted to spiritual topics. It often feels as if I have been given a box of puzzle pieces – remnants from a dozen different puzzles – and my job is to make some kind of cohesive image of out them. I struggle in… Read More From Hades to Out Yonder: The Soul’s Journey through the Seven Planes According to Frederic W.H. Myers
Note to the reader: Materialism, the scientific perspective that only physical matter and energy compose reality, is concerned with consciousness only as it may relate to the physiology of the brain. Therefore, it has little more to contribute to the philosophy of a conscious-created universe than what we’ve already discussed in parts I and II.… Read More The Conscious-Created Universe, Part III
Note to the reader: The philosophy of the Conscious-Created Universe defines consciousness itself – our thoughts, intentions and creative ideas – as a guiding force in the formation of reality. In the Conscious-Created Universe, Part I, we explored the observations from quantum physics and cosmology which may hint to a more fundamental role for consciousness… Read More The Conscious-Created Universe, Part II
