A Personal Experience of Kundalini
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Prayer – Seeing Things from God's Perspective I Like Flying (In a Plane
Prayer – Seeing Things from God’s Perspective I like flying (in a plane, of course). It gives me a new perspective. From thousands of feet up I can see snow-capped mountains, arid deserts dissected by dry watercourses, cultivated fields in neat rows, meandering rivers, busy highways, rugged coastlines, clouds, beautiful sunrises and sunsets, and occasionally other aircraft. I have flown on and off most of my adult life and, with a few exceptions, have enjoyed it. But from time to time I think about where I am. From the relative comfort (never easy because I have long legs) of a spacious wide-body jet, watching a recent movie or interpreting airline food, it is easy to think that we and our fellow-passengers are alone, safe and in a “big space”. It is easy to forget that, from 40,000 feet, the reason the landscape below seems so small is that we are a long way above the surface of the earth. From the vantage point of someone on the ground looking up at the jet passing overhead, we are a long way up, and the aircraft looks very, very small in a huge expanse of nothing. We are vulnerable, to the elements, the reliability of the plane and the potential for mechanical or pilot error. We make an assumption that we will reach our destination, and forget that such a conclusion is only our perspective, which may turn out not to be correct after all. Witness the recent disappearance and protracted search for Malaysia Airlines flight 370. When there is turbulence, our perspective can change quickly; we recall airline accidents attributed to clear air turbulence, severe tropical storms, lightning (I have been in a plane struck by lightning, when the electrical systems appeared to fail, for a few long seconds) or engine problems. -
The Gnostic Myth of Sophia in Dark City (1998) Fryderyk Kwiatkowski Jagiellonian University in Kraków, [email protected]
View metadata, citation and similar papers at core.ac.uk brought to you by CORE provided by The University of Nebraska, Omaha Journal of Religion & Film Volume 21 Article 34 Issue 1 April 2017 4-1-2017 How To Attain Liberation From a False World? The Gnostic Myth of Sophia in Dark City (1998) Fryderyk Kwiatkowski Jagiellonian University in Kraków, [email protected] Recommended Citation Kwiatkowski, Fryderyk (2017) "How To Attain Liberation From a False World? The Gnostic Myth of Sophia in Dark City (1998)," Journal of Religion & Film: Vol. 21 : Iss. 1 , Article 34. Available at: https://digitalcommons.unomaha.edu/jrf/vol21/iss1/34 This Article is brought to you for free and open access by DigitalCommons@UNO. It has been accepted for inclusion in Journal of Religion & Film by an authorized editor of DigitalCommons@UNO. For more information, please contact [email protected]. How To Attain Liberation From a False World? The Gnostic Myth of Sophia in Dark City (1998) Abstract In the second half of the 20th century, a fascinating revival of ancient Gnostic ideas in American popular culture could be observed. One of the major streams through which Gnostic ideas are transmitted is Hollywood cinema. Many works that emerged at the end of 1990s can be viewed through the ideas of ancient Gnostic systems: The Truman Show (1998), The Thirteenth Floor (1999), The Others (2001), Vanilla Sky (2001) or The Matrix trilogy (1999-2003). In this article, the author analyses Dark City (1998) and demonstrates that the story depicted in the film is heavily indebted to the Gnostic myth of Sophia. -
Materialism Versus Spirituality: Neo-Vedanta Approach of Synthesis
IDEA – Studia nad strukturą i rozwojem pojęć filozoficznych XXIV Białystok 2012 ADITYA KUMAR GUPTA (New Delhi, Indie) MATERIALISM VERSUS SPIRITUALITY: NEO-VEDANTA APPROACH OF SYNTHESIS Human beings are often described as having two opposing (and complemen- tary) elements: Flesh and Soul. We all strive, to a certain extent and according to everybody’s ability, to reach a level where we are satisfied with both elements. This satisfaction is actually an ideal, and seldom do we find people who have reached that level. This estrangement between the two spheres of life, the relationship between materialism and spirituality, is as central a divide as one can imagine. From the remains of our earliest writings, these concepts have been illuminated for us by religious figures, philosophers, novelists, and literary critics, amongst many others. Some have given predominance to matter, while others to spiritu- ality. There have been, however, some philosophers in human history who have tried to strike a balance between the two. One of them is certainly Vivekananda, who stressed the need for perfect synthesis of materialism and spirituality in life. The synthesis of materialism and spirituality has become inevitable to the mo- dern man. The last quarter of the 20th century and the first quarter of the 21st cen- tury have witnessed many transitional changes. Immense progress in science and technology, and in economy has brought about more comfortable living conditions for man. Globalization and liberalization of economies have played a crucial role in this regard. In the era of globalization, we are witnessing an attack of mate- rialism. However, globalization has many good effects. -
Supervision As Soul Care: a Spirituality of Integrity
Supervision as Soul Care: A Spirituality of Integrity Felicity Kelcourse Summary A spirituality of integrity for caregivers and their supervisors requires attention to the well-being of body, mind, and also soul. The spiritual, religious, and theological contexts in which these relationships exist create a unique context for formation and supervision in which distinctions and conjunctions between psychic life and the life the spirit can be effectively and usefully identified. Supervisors caring for caregivers attend to the minds and bodies of those they supervise. It is the supervisor’s task to monitor and support both the work of supervisees and their general well-being. Pastors, chaplains, and counselors giving care to others are encouraged to do their best work by caring for themselves as well. Supervisors in turn will need to practice what they preach—finding balance in their own lives that allows them to support others effectively. A spirituality of integrity for caregivers and their supervi- sors requires attention to the well-being of body, mind, and also soul. The Benefits of Soul Awareness We speak of mind and body as though they can be separated, although actual separation is implausible. A body not animated by a functioning mind is inco- herent or inert. Minds cannot exist without bodies as Damasio, a neurologist, points out in Descartes’ Error.1 But the fiction of separation serves us metaphori- cally when we speak of a “mindless act” or someone living “in their head.” Felicity Kelcourse, PhD, LMHC, Director of the Doctor of Ministry Program, Associate Professor of Pastoral Care and Counseling, Christian Theological Seminary, 1000 W. -
Remote Viewing by Tim Rifat Introduction
Remote Viewing by Tim Rifat Introduction At the height of the Cold War, a new twist to weapons development occurred. The Soviet Union systematised its investigations in to how to harness the paranormal and use it for military purposes. What in other times was seen as magic or witchcraft -laying a curse, predicting the future, having second sight - had already gained scientific respectability in the USSR with the recognition of clairvoyance and the acceptance of psychic phenomena; research into telepathy had started in the Soviet Union in the twenties and thirties. However it was stopped by Stalin, who thought it smacked of idealism and superstition. Now the Russians plunged into a large-scale research programme. Billions of roubles were poured into the investigation and development of psychic energy (psi) and electronic mind-control technology. To convince hard-nosed military men that psychic phenomena can win wars may, on the face of it, appear to be a forlorn task. In fact, it happened the other way, around as some of the leading minds in the Russian military convinced their leaders to spend fortunes on this effort. Science fiction writers have not come close to the reality of the actual research undertaken since then. The aim was no less than to produce psychic agents, capable of visualizing top-secret sites and installations located thousands of miles away, reading the minds of their country’s enemies, intervening and altering thought processes, and even killing through psychic attack. The first step was the development of remote viewing. People displaying psychic sensitivity were sought out all over the USSR and trained under the strictest secrecy as spies with a difference. -
Reiki Energy Medicine: Enhancing the Healing Process by Alice Moore, RN, BS, Reiki Master Hartford Hospital Dept.Of Integrative Medicine, Hartford, CT
Reiki Energy Medicine: Enhancing the Healing Process by Alice Moore, RN, BS, Reiki Master Hartford Hospital Dept.of Integrative Medicine, Hartford, CT With increasing frequency and confidence, we speak of Energy Medicine (also known as “energy work”) as if it was a new form of therapy for our patients’ ailments. Not so. Thousands of years ago ancient cultures understood intuitively what scientific research and practitioners world-wide are confirming today about the flow (or lack of flow) of energy in the body and, how the use of energy therapies can enhance the healing process. As well known medical surveys report approximately 50% of the American public using some form of complementary or alternative therapy, “energy work” is among the ten most frequently used. Research has shown that these therapies (often called “mind-body-spirit techniques”) can help decrease anxiety, diminish pain, strengthen the immune system, and accelerate healing, whether by simply inducing the “relaxation response” (and reversing the “stress response” and subsequent impacts on the body, illness, and disease) or, by more complex mechanisms. When patients choose these options, there is often a greater sense of participation in healing and restoration of health and, patient satisfaction is often increased in the process. It was with this understanding that Women’s Health Services at Hartford Hospital (in collaboration with Alice Moore, RN, BS, Reiki Master and Volunteer Services) began to integrate Reiki healing touch (one of the most well known forms of “energy work” ) on the inpatient gynecological surgical unit in 1997. Patients have been very pleased to be offered an option that is so relaxing and helps decrease their anxiety as well as their discomfort. -
The Prayer of Surrender
THE PRAYER OF SURRENDER I was scheduled to fly from Philadelphia to Pittsburg this week to do a television show. On a good day it takes me about 80 minutes to drive to the Philadelphia airport from my house. Snow flurries were forecast for Tuesday but they weren’t supposed to last. But they did and got heavier and heavier as the morning wore on. I began to worry. I have a disease my children have dubbed, “Worst Case Scenario Disease.” Perhaps you have it too. My mind began imagining the worst things that might happen while I was driving to the airport in the snow. For example, I might miss my plane or it would be cancelled and I wouldn’t be able to get to the television show. Or, I might get in a terrible accident and never make my plane. Or, the plane would crash because the wings got icy. Crazy, I know, but I’m just being real. But the good news is, I have learned how to get myself out of such emotional quicksand and I want to teach you how too. It’s called the prayer of surrender. We all have many desires – good and legitimate desires, nothing God would disapprove of. But what starts to happen to us when our desires get delayed, frustrated or denied? My desire in that moment was to get to the airport, make my plane and fulfill my responsibilities to be on that television show. Perhaps your desire is to have a stress free Christmas, a nice family dinner, a spouse that loves you, children who obey you, and a paycheck that supports your financial obligations. -
9 Spiritual Development: Meaning and Purpose9
Huitt, W., & Robbins, J. (2018). Spiritual development: Meaning and purpose. In W. Huitt (Ed.), Becoming a Brilliant Star: Twelve core ideas supporting holistic education (pp. 159-178). La Vergne, TN: IngramSpark. Retrieved from http://www.edpsycinteractive.org/papers/2018-09-huitt-robbins- brilliant-star-spiritual.pdf SPIRITUAL DEVELOPMENT 9 Spiritual Development: Meaning and Purpose9 William G. Huitt and Jennifer L. Robbins Spirituality is a difficult concept to define. While it has been explored throughout human history as one of the three fundamental aspects of human beings (ie, body, mind, spirit) (Huitt, 2010b), there is widespread disagreement as to its origin, functioning, or even importance (Huitt, 2000). However, in a broad perspective, spirituality deals fundamentally with how human beings approach the unknowns of life, how we define and relate to the sacred. Spirituality is considered by many psychologists to be an inherent property of the human being (Helminiak, 1996; Newberg, D’Aquili, & Rause, 2001). From this viewpoint, human spirituality is an attempt to understand and connect to the unknowns of the universe or search for meaningfulness in one’s life (Adler, 1980; Frankl, 1998). Likewise, Weaver and Cotrell (1992) proposed that spirituality “refers to matters of ultimate concern that call for releasing the passions of the soul to search for goals with personal meaning” (p. 1). Other definitions include a relationship with the sacred (Beck & Walters, 1977), “an individual's experience of and relationship with a fundamental, nonmaterial aspect of the universe” (Tolan, 2002). Others view soul or spirit as a description of the “vital principle or animating force believed to be within living beings” (Zinn, 1997, p. -
The Physio-Kundalini Syndrome and Mental Illness
THE PHYSIO-KUNDALINI SYNDROME AND MENTAL ILLNESS Bruce Greyson Farmington,Connecticut In Eastern spiritual traditions, the biological mechanism of both individual enlightenment and evolution of the species toward higher consciousness is called kundalini, a potential force that once awakened can .produce a variety of mental, emotional, physical, and spiritual effects. The ancient yogic texts described a life energy present in all living beings called prana. Kundalini was described as a normally dormant mechanism or organizing principle that could be activated or awakened under certain conditions, to a strengthen or purify an individual's prana, transforming its effects normally upon the individual. dormant mechanism Kundalini has been held responsible for life itself (Krishna, 1972), or the sexual drive, creativity, genius, longevity, and vigor (Krishna, organizing 1975), and our evolution toward an ultimate, magnificent state of principle consciousness (Krishna, 1974b). The dormant kundalini is said to be situated at the base of the spine (Muktananda, 1974;Kason et al., 1993), and when aroused can travel upwards along the spinal cord to the brain, where it can stimulate a dormant chamber of the brain (the brahma randhra),leading to biological transformation and inunensely expanded perception (Krishna, 1972, 1975). THE PHYSIO-KUNDALINI SYNDROME Itzhak Bentov (1977), a biomedical engineer who studied the physiological effects of altered states of consciousness, concluded This article is based inpart on a presentationat the FirstAnnualSymposiumof the KundaliniResearchNetwork, Watsonville,CA, June 18, 1992.The author grate fully acknowledgesthe help of Kenneth Ring, Ph.D. and Barbara Harris, R.T.T.• Ms.T., in developingthe Physio-KundaliniSyndromeIndex questionnaireused in this study. -
Research Article Behavior of Elastic Therapeutic Tapes Under Dynamic and Static Conditions
Hindawi Advances in Materials Science and Engineering Volume 2021, Article ID 6671712, 9 pages https://doi.org/10.1155/2021/6671712 Research Article Behavior of Elastic Therapeutic Tapes under Dynamic and Static Conditions Hermela Ejegu ,1 Bipin Kumar ,2 and Priyanka Gupta 2 1Department of Textile Engineering, Dire Dawa Institute of Technology, Dire Dawa, Ethiopia 2Department of Textile Technology, Indian Institute of Technology Delhi, Hauz Khas 110016, New Delhi, India Correspondence should be addressed to Hermela Ejegu; [email protected] Received 13 November 2020; Revised 13 July 2021; Accepted 29 July 2021; Published 10 August 2021 Academic Editor: Ivan Giorgio Copyright © 2021 Hermela Ejegu et al. (is is an open access article distributed under the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited. (e aim of this paper is to determine the relaxation behavior of the therapeutic tape under different thermomechanical conditions over different time spans and to analyze the physical and mechanical properties of selected kinesiology tapes. (e relaxation test was conducted under a static condition with two extended levels (25% and 50%) for one hour and a dynamic condition for 300 cycles with different loading-unloading values, strain rates, and temperatures. For both static and dynamic conditions, at a lower strain rate and higher load and temperature, the therapeutic tapes showed higher loss of internal stress and faster losses of efficiency. Under all selected conditions, the tape’s stress has decreased rapidly. 1. Introduction (e previous study on the Kinesio taping method is devoted to examining its therapeutic effects, or its effect on Elastic therapeutic tape (ET), also known as Kinesio tape, clinical treatment like athletic performance, lymphatic was developed by Japanese Chiropractor Dr. -
Soma and Haoma: Ayahuasca Analogues from the Late Bronze Age
ORIGINAL ARTICLE Journal of Psychedelic Studies 3(2), pp. 104–116 (2019) DOI: 10.1556/2054.2019.013 First published online July 25, 2019 Soma and Haoma: Ayahuasca analogues from the Late Bronze Age MATTHEW CLARK* School of Oriental and African Studies (SOAS), Department of Languages, Cultures and Linguistics, University of London, London, UK (Received: October 19, 2018; accepted: March 14, 2019) In this article, the origins of the cult of the ritual drink known as soma/haoma are explored. Various shortcomings of the main botanical candidates that have so far been proposed for this so-called “nectar of immortality” are assessed. Attention is brought to a variety of plants identified as soma/haoma in ancient Asian literature. Some of these plants are included in complex formulas and are sources of dimethyl tryptamine, monoamine oxidase inhibitors, and other psychedelic substances. It is suggested that through trial and error the same kinds of formulas that are used to make ayahuasca in South America were developed in antiquity in Central Asia and that the knowledge of the psychoactive properties of certain plants spreads through migrants from Central Asia to Persia and India. This article summarizes the main arguments for the botanical identity of soma/haoma, which is presented in my book, The Tawny One: Soma, Haoma and Ayahuasca (Muswell Hill Press, London/New York). However, in this article, all the topics dealt with in that publication, such as the possible ingredients of the potion used in Greek mystery rites, an extensive discussion of cannabis, or criteria that we might use to demarcate non-ordinary states of consciousness, have not been elaborated. -
An Introduction to Kundalini Yoga Meditation Techniques That Are Specific for the Treatment of Psychiatric Disorders
THE JOURNAL OF ALTERNATIVE AND COMPLEMENTARY MEDICINE Volume 10, Number 1, 2004, pp. 91–101 ©Mary Ann Liebert, Inc. PRACTICE An Introduction to Kundalini Yoga Meditation Techniques That Are Specific for the Treatment of Psychiatric Disorders DAVID S. SHANNAHOFF-KHALSA ABSTRACT The ancient system of Kundalini yoga includes a vast array of meditation techniques and many were dis- covered to be specific for treating the psychiatric disorders as we know them today. One such technique was found to be specific for treating obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD), the fourth most common psychiatric disorder, and the tenth most disabling disorder worldwide. Two published clinical trials are described here for treating OCD using a specific Kundalini yoga protocol. This OCD protocol also includes techniques that are useful for a wide range of anxiety disorders, as well as a technique specific for learning to manage fear, one for tranquilizing an angry mind, one for meeting mental challenges, and one for turning negative thoughts into positive thoughts. Part of that protocol is included here and published in detail elsewhere. In addition, a num- ber of other disorder-specific meditation techniques are included here to help bring these tools to the attention of the medical and scientific community. These techniques are specific for phobias, addictive and substance abuse disorders, major depressive disorders, dyslexia, grief, insomnia and other sleep disorders. INTRODUCTION been taught that were known by yogis to be specific for dis- tinct psychiatric disorders. These disorders as we know them his paper refers to the system of Kundalini yoga as today have no doubt been common to humanity since the Ttaught by Yogi Bhajan, a living master of Kundalini origin of the species.