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The mythologist Michael Meade describes sacred occurrences as those in which the “seal that separates the worlds” is broken, and Spirit enters through that break. And William Blake told us, “There’s a moment of eternity waiting for you every day.”

The making of art, in any form, gives us those “moments of eternity” and “breaks” between the worlds. The creative process creates a pause, a way to drop down to a deeper level and receive guidance that we wouldn’t have gotten in any other way. When do

How is the individual to embrace an empathetic approach towards an individualized occurrence of addiction? Just as there are a variety of ways in how one might define empathy, there too is both a complex and chaotic understanding of addiction. Addiction is an emotionally charged experience for the world as a whole, which includes the individual as well. Our understanding of addiction, our emotional biases, our understanding of its existence, etc., provides a variety of interpretations that inevi

Don’t follow leaders; watch the parking meters. – Bob Dylan

We won’t get fooled again! – The Who

Trickster figures appear in the myths of most indigenous cultures: Coyote, Raven, Iktomi, Elegba, Papa Legba, Hermes, Mercury, Eshu, Loki, Wakdjunga, the Signifying Monkey, Brer Rabbit, Huehuecóyotl, Puck, Maui, Kokopelli, Hanuman, Leprechaun, Nasruddin, Tanuki, Baubo, Sheela-na-gig.

The trickster breaks the rules of the gods or nature, often maliciously but usually with ultimately positive effects. He

Morality is simply the attitude we adopt towards people we personally dislike. – Oscar Wilde

Wednesday, August 28^{th  _} This week’s act: Chemical warfare, more familiar to contemporary Americans as “weapons of mass destruction.” Why do these phrases move us so, or to be more precise, why are they intended to move us so?

Barak Obama is lying, again, precisely as previous presidents did regarding Iraq, Afghanistan, Libya, Pakistan, Viet Nam, Nicaragua, Panama, Grenada and countless other situations.

“You already feel the fist of the iron one on your back. This is the beginning of the way. If blood, fire, and the cry of distress fill this world, then you will recognize yourself in your acts: Drink your fill of the bloody atrocities of the war, feast upon the killing and destruction, then your eyes will open, you will see that you yourselves are the bearers of such fruit. You are on the way if you will all this. Willing creates blindness, and blindness leads to the way. Should we will error?

Wondering if any members are as intrigued by the symbolism of the Matrix films? Struck me as very much in the mode of a hero myth, especially the archetypal features of the characters Neo, Trinity, Morpheus and The Oracle, as well as the challenges and transformations that take place throughout the narrative. Here's a post I did recently - glad to hear of further or different ideas and if there are any other Matrix fans (or Dune for that matter, another source of intrigue!). Thank you for all th

ABOUT WORMHOLES—AND BREADCRUMBS

By Barbara Smith Stoff

I am writing this today, July 25, 2013, upon the anniversary of what was termed in the hospital  “ a massive stroke.”  Now, I write my story which I have assembled from fleeting vignettes of memory from my hospital stay.  Like gathering breadcrumbs in the great forest, one might say, as a necessary healing exercise for me.  Each of these vignettes is, for me, truly iconic, perhaps like the small ivory cameo one might wear as a lapel pin.  Thes

Trauma shatters mind. You turn against yourself. The world feels hostile, frightening. "The Core of 'Mind and Cosmos' ", a recent New York Times article by Thomas Nagel (2013.08.18) makes the case for mind, what depth psychologists call soul, as intimate to nature. William James wrote of God as intimate soul.  Intimate soul, intimate God, intimate Nature symbolize the reality of that which is immense and yet nearest and dearest. Nagel states that mind transcends empirical science, cannot be boun

A recent list of the “Top 10 Famous Con Men” (http://listverse.com/2007/08/28/top-10-famous-con-men/), includes  the inventor of the “Ponzi Scheme.” But interestingly, this list includes neither politicians, nor corporate CEOs, nor preachers.

Studies indicate that many corporate CEOs have many of the personality characteristics of psychopaths. Alan Deutschman (“Is Your Boss a Psychopath?” Fast Company, July, 2005), summarizes the research. Such men

…have a profound lack of empathy…use other people

Hot off the press, Trauma and the Soul, by my friend and colleague, Donald Kalsched, Ph.D., delves into trauma, the soul, and the demon Dis. I think I'm going to contemplate this area for a while on this blog. In particular, today, I am drawn to the body as container of repressed pain and trauma. Kalsched explores the myth of the god Dis, the penultimate demon of negation, the one who divides body from soul during trauma.

People who have been scathed by emotional, spiritual, physical, sexual trau

Have you seen this 3 minute clip of Prince William and Catherine presenting their newborn baby to the world?

To my mind, two extremely privileged people have had a child. All being well, little Prince George will one day be king. That's it; I'm quite neutral about it. So I must admit to feeling shocked by the reaction of the public outside the hospital. All the whooping and cheering seemed to border on the hysterical to me (it's certainly a new spin on the fact that the word 'hysteria' comes from

25 years ago I critically injured my spinal cord in a head-on collision on a rural highway in the Upper Peninsula of Michigan. I could tell that I’d broken something in my back, and I had no feeling or movement below the waist. I was subsequently airlifted to one of the best spinal trauma units in the country, where the doctors gave me less than 5% chance of walking again.

A neuroscientist and I got caught in a conversation while in a NY elevator. He talked about his work with the brain and wanted to know what I did in treating survivors of religious abuse. We got into the story of The Unholy and how religious trauma effects not only the brain but the deepest recesses of soul. It didn't strike him as odd that I'd emphasize this; but, it did hit him hard, though, that he'd never considered soul as integral to trauma and its impact.

Well, thus goes it in the world of

The Addiction Complex - Depression Spirituality and Addiction: The Search for Meaning

I came across a statement by Sorajjakool, et. al. (2008) which inspired me to look at the interplay between depression, spirituality, and addiction:

 

“Depression creates a sense of spiritual disconnection…it removes hope from its path and recreates emptiness…It reaches beyond the mind” (p. 521-522).

Here depression is described as the result of a severed connection to spirituality. Corbett (2011) stated, "our s

Robert Stinnett’s book Day of Deceit: The Truth About FDR and Pearl Harbor(http://www.amazon.com/Day-Of-Deceit-Truth-Harbor/dp/0743201299/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1375304298&sr=8-1&keywords=Day+of+Deceit%3A+The+Truth+About+FDR+and+Pear+Harbor) is a stunning deconstruction of one of our most enduring myths, and it opens up another perspective on the subject of gatekeeping.

Pearl Harbor is one of those points where history – or the selective, partial presentation of history – or the fabrication of hi

http://madnessatthegates.wordpress.com/2013/07/29/barrys-blog-65-public-relations-for-the-myth-of-innocence/

Public Relations for the Myth of Innocence

On a recent trip to the Mono Lake region of the eastern Sierra, we had dinner at the Double Eagle Restaurant in Lee Vining, where we observed a curious sight on a wall near the entrance. It was an American flag, folded tightly into a triangle and mounted and framed, along with the following text, which is superimposed over a series of romantic im

Today sees a rare aspect that some astrologers are calling 'horoscope history': a Grand Sextile Merkaba six-pointed star pattern or Star of David.

According to astrograph.com, "the Moon trines Venus to complete a grand sextile with Saturn, Neptune, Jupiter and Pluto. This inscribed six-pointed star within the circle of the Zodiac is a pattern also known as a Star of David. It is understandably rare and magical, and it actually consists of two interlocking grand trines, in Earth and in Water. With