Spiritual Bypassing by Karen Tate

Spiritual Bypassing

According to Wikipedia, spiritual bypassing is a "tendency to use spiritual ideas and practices to sidestep or avoid facing unresolved emotional issues, psychological wounds, and unfinished developmental tasks."

This term was introduced in the mid 1980s by John Welwood, a Buddhist teacher and psychotherapist who believed bypassing stunts people’s emotional development because it gives them an excuse not to look at painful issues. These issues can be political, social, cultural, familial, religious, etc.  In other words it’s a defense mechanism, a stall tactic, an avoidance mechanism for traumatized people to avoid what’s uncomfortable in their life.  We probably all do it to some degree to avoid the pain of our traumas and we might not be aware. 

Internal Family Systems

The Toltec Oracle - Review and Interview

Mind Body & Soul Ezine Card Deck Review of 'The Toltec Oracle' By Victor Sanchez 274 page book, 2 sets of cards and chart, Published by Bear & Co £35 

Victor Sanchez is a Mexican author, psychotherapy trainer, retreat organiser, workshop facilitator and specialist in MesoAmerican spiritual tradition. Original artwork of the cards is from 400 year old codices. The accompanying book contains information on how to conduct a reading, various suggested spreads, an explanation of Toltec spirituality and provides the meaning for each card and its Toltec symbolism and metaphysics. It also includes information about  the indigenous words used in the book. The Toltec tradition is one of the oldest sources of spiritual wisdom in the world and helps us to apply shamanic knowledge to our daily life. 

Warrior Goddess Training!

Warrior Goddess Training, Become the Woman You are Meant to Be by HeatherAsh Amara

As women, we are trained to seek our wholeness and value and to find love through others. Fifty years ago, we were told a husband and children would complete us—that was about our only option. Today, what makes us worthy might be a beloved, our career, or even following a chosen spiritual path. We rarely see ourselves as perfect just the way we are. We often base our worth on who loves or doesn’t love us, if we need to lose that extra five or fifty pounds, and if we can juggle three tasks simultaneously while keeping a smile on our face. The new women’s revolution is an evolution from being other-focused to inner-focused. When our attention is trapped by fearful shoulds, what ifs, and don’ts, we scatter our energy and struggle with knowing what is authentic for us. When we bring our attention back to discovering who we are on the inside—not who we wish we were or who we think we should be—we begin a sacred path of transformation toward our innate, authentic, embodied power.

Breathing well!

Breathing is one of life's most basic necessities. Adults take in an average of almost 25,000 breaths each day, and that's just at rest. While it's true that most of us don't stop to think about the breathing we do each day, it's important to recognize the health benefits of doing so. Take in a breath right now. It comes so naturally, doesn't it? You may not realize that you can greatly improve the way you feel inside and out, just by consciously controlling how you breathe, for even as little as an hour each day.

The Right Moment in Time - Ancient Toltec Practices

Many people know of the work of Carlos Castaneda and about his training with a Yaqui (Man of Knowledge) from Mesoamerica. He brought forth, to the Western world, a glimmer of the Toltec Shamanistic path in the 1970’s. But now, for the first time in history, the fullness of a Toltec Shamanistic path is being presented -- teachings, ceremonies, practices, postures, dances, philosophy, prophecy and an in-depth understanding of the mathematics of the cosmos and how this all relates to human consciousness and the Mesoamerican calendars.  You will find it all in this new book by Sergio Magaña Ocelocoyotl called, 2012 – 2021, The Dawn of the Sixth Sun - The Path of Quetzalcoatl.

spiritual journey

 

Philip Roderick was brought up as a Methodist and had an altered state of consciousness as a child in Wales. He later discovered this place was the site of an ancient monastery. He taught in Sunday School when he was 14 years old and wrote poetry as he wanted to be a poet. He became attracted and read books on the mystery traditions as a young adult. He had a vision of a woman dressed in blue whilst at University in Cardiff. He has a special interest in how the body can be used in prayer (body prayer) and developed an interest in meditation, Transcendental Meditation, the Vedic traditions, Sufism and Zen. 

Spirituality by Rebecca Beattie

On the Trail of the Nature Mystics! 

In the earliest days of working with my spiritual teacher, each group session started with the same question, 'How is your Spiritual Life?' Each person would answer in turn. Some would share what they had been reading or learning that week, and some would describe events at work. Some, like me, would recount what they had been creating that week. I was starting to spend most of my spare time crafting; making natural soaps and bath products, semi-precious jewelry, or rediscovering old hobbies like baking bread, candle making, or blending incense. The work I did in those early days led to me writing my first novel. 

Yoga Is Skill In Action

The basis practice of yoga is self-inquiry which, through this process, we create change within ourselves. Before I started practicing yoga, I was more selfish and immature. The grass always seemed greener on the other side of the fence. Yoga changed my world perspective and philosophy in a way that has helped me live my life with more grace and integrity. I care for myself and others more deeply, my eating habits have become conscious choices and my friendships have evolved. I no longer spend time with people who are addicted to drinking and drugs, or those that spend their time gossiping about other people. I look for people who help me feel good about myself and those who are more happy and have goals in their life.

What is Hypnosis

For weight-loss hypnosis by Zoe Featherstone, click on the arrow!

If your only contact with hypnosis has been seeing a hypnotist perform on stage, then you might think hypnosis is simply a form of entertainment. While hypnosis can be used for entertainment (and some people have made a lot of money doing just that!) it´s only part of the story. Hypnosis is so much more than that.

Believe it or not, hypnosis is entirely natural. Any ideas you might have held about it being a mysterious art should be disposed of completely. The image of a caped demon forcing you to look into his eyes and subequently turning you into a zombie, incapable of doing anything other than what your 'master' commands, is a lot of nonsense. It might make for good television or stretch the special effects department working on a Hollywood blockbuster, but in truth these represntations are little more than exaggerations of certain aspects of hypnosis.

Breathing!

Breathing is one of life's most basic necessities. Adults take in an average of almost 25,000 breaths each day, and that's just at rest. While it's true that most of us don't stop to think about the breathing we do each day, it's important to recognize the health benefits of doing so. Take in a breath right now. It comes so naturally, doesn't it? You may not realize that you can greatly improve the way you feel inside and out, just by consciously controlling how you breathe, for even as little as an hour each day.

When you breathe in the air around you, your lungs transfer the oxygen into your blood. This oxygen is necessary for life's building block, our cells, to live and create within us. When you breathe out, carbon dioxide and other metabolic wastes are removed from the blood and back out into the air. For those with impaired respiratory function, such as cardiac patients or asthma sufferers, the result of improper breathing is a catastrophic build-up of toxins and extremely low levels of oxygen in the blood. The good news is that even those of us with impaired respiration can benefit from intentionally controlling our breathing.

Naikan Therapy

Naikan Therapy was developed by a Buddhist monk in the 1940s. It involves self examination, looking inside and is an aid to mental health. It asks three questions:

What have I received from this person?

What have I given to this person? 

What trouble have I caused this person? 

The Goddess Dewi Ratih

From the Moon Goddess Diary by Nicci Garaicoa: Dewi Ratih the Hindu Moon Goddess.

Dewi Ratih is worshipped throughout Indonesia and Bali for her breathtaking beauty and grace. Legend has it that the giant Kali Rau fell desperately and completely in love with her as she was the most beautiful of all goddesses; however, Dewi Ratih did not love him back and refused to marry him. He was enraged and tried to steal immortality from the Gods so he could pursue and win her heart. But his plan was discovered and the King of the Gods, Dewa Wisnu, followed him to cut off his head with his magical disc but he was too late, and the immortal drink had been taken and Kali Rau’s head became immortal. 

Brief History of Humankind

 

With a PhD in History, the eminent Dr Yuval Noah Harari speaks about the history of human beings, from the author of best-selling book 'Sapiens'. A fascinating lecture from RSA Animate. 

Joy, Peace and Happiness - 10 simple steps!

Your Simple Path to find Joy, Peace and Happiness!

We live in a mad, crazy world, and it is easy to become overwhelmed with the pace of life and expectations placed upon us by others! Bestselling English author Ian Tucker takes a look at how we can slow down and begin to take care of ourselves. He offers ten simple steps towards a happier and more peaceful life:

1.  “Live just for today.”

Your past is now your story, nothing more, it has gone forever -  regret is a total waste of your time, see that what came to test you is an opportunity to grow, be kind to yourself and focus on cherished memories.

What of the future and it’s total uncertainty? Well, 99.9% of anything that you and I have ever worried about has never happened, think about that for a moment, all that worry sometimes to the point of illness and for nothing, worrying is like praying for things you don’t want.

Once you realise that the current moment is all that you can be certain of you will unlock the shackles that keep you tied to the past or worried about the future and liberate you to live each day.

Person Centred Therapy

 

What is PCA? 

Carl Rogers (1902-1987) was the founder of Person Centred Approach otherwise known as Client Centred Therapy and this developed into Student Centred Learning and additional practices. He developed this method of counselling and therapy to counteract a patriarchal, dominant and overbearing and sometimes abusive power dynamic that therapists and teachers had in the past. He came from a Christian background in the USA and researched the data in order to find out which type of therapy helped the client to recover most from neurosis and even more serious mental illness. 

Neuro Linguistic Programming

What is NLP? 
NLP was developed in the early 1970s by John Grinder, a linguistics expert at the University of California, and Richard Bandler, a Gestalt therapist and computer programmer. Together they made a study of three leading therapeutic practitioners, Fritz Perls, Virginia Satir and Milton Erickson. They discovered that patterns could assist learning and development and that these could be applied to psychology in the areas of education, business and counselling.

Psychosynthesis

Psychosynthesis is described as the 'psychology with a soul'. It was developed by Roberto Assagioli (1888-1974), an Italian psychiatrist who travelled widely in his early life and spoke many languages. He was the creator of Psychosynthesis, a form of humanistic and transpersonal psychotherapy. It is principally based on the understanding that our personality is comprised of many sub personalities which act like musicians playing in an orchestra without a maestro. By gaining understanding of these sub personalities, we can bring them into harmony, so they create a wonderful piece of music that enables us to have a flourishing life. Love, wisdom and creativity are goals of this therapy. Psychosynthesis uses creative visualisation (also called guided imagery) to access our unconscious mind and inform our understanding of the way we think and feel. Assagioli was imprisoned by the Faschsts and spent his time in meditation. This influenced his work later in life.