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.

A healthy spirituality can be one of the most effective tools at our disposal for managing stress. However, for reasons as individual as they themselves are, many people feel leery of anything to do with the spiritual. This article draws the all-important distinction between spirituality and religion, and explores how spirituality can reduce stress levels.

I said something last week I haven't said in years. Where it came from, I really don't know. It's funny, you're tooling along minding your own business for weeks, maybe months at a time, and then something you haven't thought about for years pops into your noodle.

The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us. --JOHN 1:14 For thirty-three years Jesus felt everything you and I have ever felt. To think of Jesus in such a light is—well, it seems almost irreverent, doesn’t it? It’s not something we like to do; it’s uncomfortable. It is much easier to keep the humanity out of the incarnation. There is something about keeping Him divine that keeps Him distant, packed, predictable. But don’t do it. For heaven’s sake, don’t. Let Him be as human as He intended to be. Let Him into the mire and muck of our world. For only if we let Him in can He pull us out. Listen to Him.

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.

The following article is an exploration of the Spring holiday season and its spiritual implications. In it will be a unique perspective with a special emphasis on the importance of owning our dualities for the purpose of transcending them. The duality of Spring is that while it is a time for thorough “house cleaning” it also requests of us our lightness of being and simple trust.

Be filled with the Spirit.… always giving thanks to God the Father for everything, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ. -EPHESIANS 5:18, 20 Some years ago, a couple traveled from their home in Chicago to Arrowhead Springs to talk to me about an idea they had. “We heard your lecture on how to be filled with the Holy Spirit. Our lives have been dramatically changed as a result,” they said enthusiastically. “We have come to encourage you to go on national television to tell Christians everywhere how they can know the Holy Spirit and experience His revolutionary impact in and through their lives.” I am humbly grateful to God for the privilege of teaching these great truths concerning the Holy Spirit to tens of millions of people through-out the world, often with the same dramatic results this couple enjoyed. To be effective lighthouses for Jesus Christ, we must be empowered by the Holy Spirit. Without that filling, we will fail miserably in our spiritual lives and accomplish little to reach other people for Christ.

Many of you come to this site because you are a Seeker. You are looking for something -- answers to a problem, a relationship, a better career, more money, and/or the return of a lover. Some of you are trying to strengthen your connection to your higher self or to God.

Why are we really here? Do we have a destination to fulfill or is our existence just by chance? The answer is yes, we have a definite purpose on this earth. Do you know what yours is?

Trainers and sports doctors impress upon us the importance of stretching and warming up before strenuous exercise. Every runner knows to vital role warming up has. But you can only warm up so long; then you must run the race.

The question is: What do you know?

Ever wondered how the spiritual world works? Take a look at this article and see if these insights don't offer some inspiration and food for thought.

Imagine that from the time of your birth your parents had your eyes covered. You grew up believing that this cover was a part of you and you couldn't remove it. You grew up in a world of darkness with images that you created, but not from experience. Imagine someone removing that blindfold. Imagine...

Most of us know that the universe - God's universe - operates on an independent structure called Universal Law. The laws of the universe - God's laws - are an invisible influence that gently force the natural order under which the universe operates to be maintained. We can't fully understand 'karma' without understanding how it works, and why it works that way, and how the way it works affects our lives on a daily basis - without first understanding the laws that support it...

Man has suddenly re-awakened to the fact that he is part of a vast cosmos, and that we are not just a speck of dust on a chunk of matter, revolving around the sun. With this new dawn and with cosmic realization our questioning mind will find answers to some of mans most demanding questions.

Motivates the reader to seek Truth despite old fears and false thinking that may be in the way. Urges persistence and tough mindedness to be successful in discovering the secrets of the universe. Suggests a practical program of reading widely in the world's spiritual literature.

One of the most frightening things about melting from a normal, Solid, ego-based lifestyle, to a more Liquid, dynamic, spiritual one is that some concepts that you always assumed to be sound and good and true, start to lose their solidity.

Stress relief real results let's take a moment to consider what stress actually is. This is an important first step in the process of stress relief. We must understand the nature of the beast before we can seek to tackle it effectively. In essentially simplistic terms stress is the opposite of relaxation and as such there isn't much to understand. The real complications arise when we attempt to identify the factors that cause stress and seek methods and techniques to reduce it.

Sometimes the little things can make all the difference in your stress management. Here's 18 stress relief tips you can do today to help you melt away the stress and break free from the tightness, tension, and anxiety you feel.

Every time I hear of a company having massive layoffs, I feel for the people who are losing their jobs, but I immediately start thinking about the people who will be left behind. They now have to figure out how to get their work done plus work their former co-workers used to do. Ironically, while downsizing and layoffs are on the rise, workers are demanding more work-life balance than ever before.

This is the final period, I mean article on facing off against your fears. In the previous two articles, we delved into the first five steps of our seven-step game plan in dealing with our opponents: fear, anxiety and worry. Our goal now is to develop and practice the coping skills that will enable us to handle all fearful situations.

The perception that in order to be accepted in society, we need to 'be somebody,' often involves the desire to create results from a combination of personal desires and external pressures from friends, family and society. Whenever we make choices for success that are influenced by external pressures and not from internal wisdom, personal conflict stress related symptoms can occur. This article sets forth a thirty-second stress reliever.

A crisis is a window of opportunity for spiritual growth. You don't need to be a social worker or counsellor to assist someone in need! Apply the 6 steps of crisis intervention and you are well on your way to support someone in a crisis!