Shamans tend to be men {Women have more of these abilities in their natural state and require less altered consciousness.}, though women also can become shamans; some women shamans are extraordinarily powerful. In some cultures, shamans are involuntarily chosen by the spirits; they realize their calling in a transformational experience, often a serious illness that brings them close to death {For example Damion Brinkley of today.} and is self-cured. In other cultures, persons with natural shamanic gifts are selected at a young age, trained and initiated.

Don't be afraid of what is possible and please don't hurt those who try and learn - they are usually more interested in helping you than hurting you.

Imagine for a moment. It’s Tuesday night about 7pm. You are excited and full of energy even though your day has been stressful and long. You have invited a group of like-hearted, spiritually-focused friends together in your living room to share and explore living as Soul.

Often, in being dishonest about our own faults and failures, we have been far too insensitive and callous toward others who have fallen short.

While we were still sinners, Christ died for us. --ROMANS 5:8 Expectations create conditional love. “I love you, but I’ll love you more if.” Now I know what you’re thinking. Shouldn’t we expect the best out of one another? Shouldn’t we encourage each other to strive for excellence and never settle for anything else? Absolutely. But it was Christ who taught us how to use expectations. Does He demand a lot? You better believe it. Does He expect much? Only our best. Does He have expectations? Just that we leave everything, deny all, and follow Him. The difference? Jesus’ expectations were accompanied by forgiveness and acceptance.

So, none of us arrived with an Owner’s Manual, neatly referenced to enable us to look up our ails, appreciate where we are, and, understand what is next. We expected its indelible validation to enable us to navigate some of the more fearful and exhilarating moments in our lives.

Life is never about yourself, neither is it about anyone else. Everyday you come face to face with another part of you in another body. The separation is just an illusion and in truth you are just interacting with yourself. You are alone in a world filled with images of yourself trying to figure out just who you are.

Giving has its own reward. What you give you get back many times over. It is an opportunity to express your truth, who you are. Give not from guilt, obligation or fear because it is not your truth. Giving is a physical manifestation of who you believe yourself to be it is show and tell.

Many of our great religions hold that numbers contain hidden meanings that in turn hold the mysteries of the universe and God within them. Ancient Hebrew mystics referred to this as Gematria. Numbers are also given corresponding associations to various deities, colours, plants, gemstones, and superstitions. Here are a brief list of associated correspondences and lore for the numbers 1 through 13.

You really want to be spiritual, but things keep getting in the way. Distractions, noisy and unsettling, come between you and where you want to focus your attention. True spirituality involves developing the ability, not to get rid of the annoyances, but to look past them, or even to see through them to view what is really significant and permanent.

Those living on the highest levels of life have learned to accept life on its own terms. There are some realities about life that we must accept. This is the key to living joyfully in communion with the heavenly while abiding here on earth.

What it really means to express yourself and your spiritual gifts.

There was a time in my life when I seriously wondered whether there was intelligent life on other planets. As a child, I believed that we human beings here on the planet Earth were God's only children. I learned early on how special we were: we were made in God's image, to look after His planet. There was no other force in the universe (which I envisioned as a big, black void with our planet in the center) that could compare to us...

Is your platform running the best Operating System it could be? Consider GOD 1.0 (There Is Only One!), a univerally compatible, infinitely powerful and completely stable OS that never needs upgrading or patching! Get your copy of GOD 1.0 today!

For the past several years I have struggled with getting (and staying) fit. Ok I admit it, the struggle has been longer than just a few years. As a kid, instead of playing nicely with the girls, I fought with the neighborhood boys. I attempted to join their fun and received new scars weekly in bloody games of soccer. I was always the last one picked to play on the kickball team and, as the catcher of my 5th grade softball team, I pummeled the pitcher in the head with a fast ball. Uncoordinated in team sports, I succeeded only at baton twirling which was fun but I barely broke a sweat. After failures in group sports I thought I'd try running so, a few years ago I attempted to train for a half marathon. I ended up limping home in tears and thought I’d never exercise again. (I couldn't even MOVE after that, much less exercise!)

Are you constantly seeking ways to cope with stress overloads? To cope with stress, you need a healthy mind and body. A healthy mind and body will enable you to . . .

Are you too stressed to be blessed? According to the “Attitudes in the American Workplace IV” Gallup Poll, 80 percent of U.S. workers feel stress on the job, and about half say they need help coping with it. This means that you probably have . . .

Are you too stressed to be blessed? The first thing you need to do is identify your stressors then take action to control the stress in your life. Once you identify what causes your stress, then you can work on ways to relieve them. The solution to this-

Many people find stress healing by using basic meditation techniques. Meditation is where your body and also your mind are both consciously very relaxed and well focused. And people who practice mediation on a regular basis report heightened focus, awareness and concentration, plus a much more positive outlook in their lives.

This article explores strategies and solutions to address the professional burnout experienced by many today.

Stress and strain robbing you of rebound? Here's how to bounce back and start to flow again.

Are you easily swayed by others' feelings and opinions? Do you find that when you are around someone who is upset or negative, that suddenly you are too? Learn how you can prevent this from occurring, and feel calm and centered even when those around you are depressed, angry, or overwhelmed.

Anxiety - the distress evoked by life's pressures - is perhaps the emotion with the greatest weight of scientific evidence connecting it to the onset of sickness and course of recovery. When anxiety helps us to prepare to deal with danger, it serves us well, but in modern life, anxiety is more often out of proportion and out of place. Repeated times of anxiety signal high levels of stress.