Since ancient times the solstices and equinoxes have been celebrated by people around the world. Why? In our urbanized lifestyles wherein we often cannot see the stars, the moon and even the sun, and where nature is replaced by steel and concrete, we might ask ourselves this question: why all the buzz around the Solstices (and Equinoxes)? Why the buzz around a new moon … Read More
I just finished reading a book recommended to me by a friend: The Surrender Experiment: My Journey into Life’s Perfection by Michael Singer. Michael Singer describes himself as a disciple of Paramhansa Yogananda and hints that he visited Ananda Village twice long ago, but he keeps both of these facts at a distance in his book. Living on his own with no … Read More
Jean-Paul Sartre, the nihilist-existentialist author wrote “In this world that bleeds, all joy is obscene.” That’s a grim condemnation of the quest for happiness which is all but universal in human consciousness. Sartre and others like him did, however, experience the absurd obscenity of the madness of two world wars in the first half of the twentieth century and it’s not difficult to understand … Read More
How often have we heard Jesus’ words and how little do we live them. But what does it mean to love your enemies and do good to those who spite you? I saw a social media posting that declared that these words of Jesus were out of date. That post was from a Christian, BTW! Jesus was unfairly put to … Read More
In a recent interfaith discussion, the question of “Who is a saint” came up. On one side there were traditionalists who were inclined to say that a saint was one who had done miracles that could be proven and who otherwise lived a heroically spiritual life. On the other side, were those who said “We are all saints, potentially or in our … Read More
Can you recall the rural train crossings with the big X sign on which the words STOP, LOOK, LISTEN are written? You’re supposed to stop your vehicle before cross the tracks (which don’t have electric gates); roll down the window; look both ways, and listen for the sound of a train BEFORE crossing the tracks. STOP, LOOK, LISTEN is solidly … Read More
It is not uncommon to have Catholics recite the countless miracles (and resurrection) of Jesus Christ and his holy saints down through the ages and the apparitions of the Blessed Virgin as proof of the validity, presumably exclusive, of their faith. Protestants might insist that one can only be saved by the blood of Jesus Christ for it is necessary to take Jesus Christ … Read More