Famed psychologist Carl G. Jung (d. 1961) wrote about one’s shadow self. In a nutshell, the shadow is composed of all the elements in one’s personality that lay dormant in one’s unconscious mind. In practical terms, these are complexes, hidden drives, unresolved issues, and emotional forces that shape our conscious mind, or persona. In one sense, the entire spiritual journey Read More »
Mahayana (“The Great Vehicle”) Buddhism is one of the principal branches of Buddhism. Two major traditions derive from the Mahayana branch: the Tantrayana of Tibet, and the Chan tradition, more widely known as Zen. Unlike orthodox Theravada (“The Way of the Elders”) Buddhism, which is Buddhism’s other main branch, Mahayana Buddhism emphasizes the path of the bodhisattva. Practitioners vow not Read More »
Realizing that the physical universe is illusory in nature, we try to remain detached from the ephemeral world that parades across our daily vision. To take the bait is to become ensnared, which is precisely what drags us down into accepting the mundane world as real. However, we both witness and participate in the commotion that revolves around us. We Read More »
Islam is one of the world’s great monotheistic religions. It was founded during the seventh century by Muhammad ibn Abdullah (570-632), revered by his followers as a prophet and messenger of God. Its followers are called Muslims, “those who submit,” that is, to the will of God or Allah. The root meaning of the word “Islam” in Arabic (اسلام) is Read More »
When walking the spiritual path, it can prove beneficial to step aside from the dualistic rut in which we continually find ourselves and have a frank heart-to-heart spiritual talk with oneself every now and then. Forget the social pleasantries: our spiritual welfare is at stake, and we should never kowtow to decorum simply to placate a version of reality that Read More »
While reading through the approx. 135,000-word book The Five Ages of Humanity (formerly titled The Five Ages of Man), I acquired a cursory knowledge of Greek mystical thought; specifically the Neoplatonism of Plotinus (d. A.D. 270), which is quite profound. In the past, I’ve investigated mysticism in the Jewish and Christian traditions, the Indian Vedic schools, and to some degree Read More »
As we are fully involved with our imminent reissue of author-philosopher-historian Gerald Heard’s magnum opus, The Five Ages of Humanity (formerly titled The Five Ages of Man), I thought I’d dip into my spiritual-writing archives and, inspired by Heard, post a brief excerpt from an essay I originally delivered at the inaugural meeting of an informal study group on comparative Read More »
According to the Gospel accounts, Jesus of Nazareth died on Good Friday, then arose on Easter Sunday. The narratives relate that Jesus was resurrected from the dead. In the New Testament, we find twelve instances of Jesus’ appearances from Easter Sunday until forty days later when we read of his final earthly appearance in Bethany, where the Gospels say he Read More »
