Conquer Your Fear

Nothing Short of a Miracle
In this true Reader's Story, Dot Dugan tells of how her 72 year old brother-in-law expired in the hospital and then appeared to her in the hospital's lobby: "He allowed me to see his face. I saw his smile....his face....a gleaming, beautiful, radiant smile right in front of me. His head was encased in what seemed to be 'white energy.' I have never experienced anything like that, and his eyes glinted and sparkled with love, peace, and contentment. He smiled a full smile, and even showed white teeth. He had rarely worn his teeth because they hurt. His skin glistened, and he projected to me that all was wonderful and he was on his way. The overwhelming peace I received from this was nothing short of a miracle." Dot also relates that since this amazing experience, she has been truly at peace with the idea of dying, to the point that she has become a hospice volunteer.

Tolerance
This short piece by Napoleon Hill inspires us to free ourselves from the ignorance of prejudice, which merely retards our spiritual progress. He points out that we are all spiritual beings, "unmarked by race, creed or color," and that by living harmoniously with our fellow human beings, we overcome the "petty strife and chaos and misunderstandings which too often disturb this earthly existence."

The Greatest Secret of All
Author and publisher Marc Allen has written a marvelous essay in which he recounts how, at age thirty, he overcame an unhappy, unhealthy existence and went on to achieve both personal fulfillment and prosperity. Writing in a very clear, easy to understand style, he conveys the specific techniques he used to manifest his dreams: he "sat down and took a sheet of paper and wrote Ideal Scene at the top. I imagined everything had gone as well as I could possibly imagine.....What would it look like? What would I do and have, and who would I be?" From this step, he went on to fill in the details of his heart's desires, and distilled from this his true goals. Next, he created affirmations that fully supported the fulfillment of those goals. After reworking and refining his goals and plans, he took action and guess what? It worked! There's much more to this very special story, which will definitely inspire many individuals to design the life they truly want and then go ahead and live it!

The Forgotten Angels
Sharon Callahan has the gift of being able to communicate with animals. She tells the touching story of how, one day, a little kitten walked into her life and became one of her best friends. Lily, as the cat was called, turned out to come just in time, because Sharon became very ill for about a year, and Lily turned out to be a wonderfully devoted friend, full of love and kindness. Sharon says that "perhaps we look too far afield" in our quest for spiritual growth; "maybe we should try looking down for a change...toward the earth! Who is that little furred and bewhiskered friend at our feet? The one who ....offers unconditional love and who consoles us when all the therapies have failed, our boyfriend has left, and our checkbook is empty."

In The Ocean of Rumi
In this fascinating feature article, Rasoul Sorkhabi discusses the enduring poetry of Rumi, the Persian poet of the thirteenth century. Rasoul gives much insight into Rumi's vision —a vision of God's Love — and his commentary is delightfully interlaced with excerpts from Rumi's poems. We find that Rumi "does not address God as a remote, aloof heavenly father who strictly punishes or rewards his children; rather, Rumi calls God a Beloved in life and a Friend on Earth. God is to be loved and befriended." In addition to the excerpts and commentary, we are treated with paintings by Setsuko Yoshida, Rasoul's wife, which accompany some of the poems, and the paintings are both beautiful and effective as companions to Rumi's poetic jewels.

Midlife Awakening
Marianne Williamson discusses the deeper meaning of "midlife," and her words are full of hope and optimism for those of us at this stage of our earthly journey. She inspires us to remove the old lenses through which we have viewed this phase of life, and replace them with a new, inspired vision of serving God in new and wonderful ways. She writes that "New life emerges not from strategy but from character....our real keys to victory are internal. Our state of doing must be matched by the state of our being." And another remarkable passage from this article is "Growth can be hard, and laboring a new self very difficult. Growing older just happens; growing wise is something else again....The challenge of age is not to skip life's disappointments but to transcend them. We transcend them by learning the lessons they taught us, however painful, and coming out on the other side prepared to create, with God's grace, a new life."

The Divine Art of Making Friends
Paramahansa Yogananda's essay on friendship looks at the subject with the eyes of Spirit, and sees through appearances to the very essence of the subject. He emphasizes the fact that when you feel "divinely attracted to someone, you should develop friendship with that person because he has been your friend in some life before. There are many friends whom we have known in past lives, but those friendships have not yet been perfected. It is better to start building on a foundation that has already been laid than to dig for a foundation on the sands of temporary acquaintances." He goes on to say "The greatest art of making friends is to behave divinely yourself -- to be spiritual, to be pure, to be unselfish."

Endings and Beginnings
Dr. Arthur Caliandro writes beautifully about the truth that when a part of our life ends, if we are open to God, there will always be something new and good to engage us. For example, he tells the story of a woman who lost her husband in a tragic car accident. Her husband died in October. "The holiday season was coming. But she didn't wait around for somebody to say 'Mary, we feel so sorry for you; come celebrate with us,' although she was in profound grief, as she was for the rest of her life. Instead, she volunteered to serve Thanksgiving dinner to the homeless. And as Christmas came, she was busily involved in helping to get presents wrapped and distributed to the poor people of her community. An ending? A new beginning."

Tapping Into the Power of Yoga Asana
Durga Ahlund focuses on yoga asanas which help to align and relax the spine and loosen the joints in the upper body. These asanas help to release various energy blockages, increase vital energy, and relax both body and mind. For example, Durga covers, as part of the article, a series of poses which can relieve tension and blocked energy in the wrists and shoulders, which often suffer due to daily repetitive movements and/or poor posture.

An Interview with Bishop Jordan
Bishop Jordan is a highly inspired African-American who has a lot of great things to say. He encourages every individual to realize their oneness with God, as well as the importance of accepting responsibility for how we are directing our lives. Interviewer Ray Hemachandra writes "He recognizes and acknowledges truths he encounters in different religions, thus expanding Christian spiritual teachings beyond traditional Christianity." Bishop Jordan believes that God wants us to prosper — that it is good to do so — and that it is all a matter of claiming what we want as children of the Almighty.


Why Choosing Words Wisely Matters
Kristen Marie Schuerlein became so aware of the power of speaking positive words that she founded her own company which makes blankets silk-screened with positive affirmations around themes such as love, joy, and abundance. In her own words, "The idea was a fun, playful way to really take the power of the 'I am' and literally surround ourselves with it: I am loved. I am a magnet for good. I am cheerful and happy." She points out the importance of declaring what we want, because by so doing we will attract those very things. She states that "we can use words to move us forward by attracting the qualities, people, and circumstances that we desire."

How Do We Know Whether We Are Progressing Spiritually?
Marshall Govindan explores this subject in depth, by first pointing out that "spiritual progress must involve an increasing identification with the spiritual body, and a progressive letting go of the false identification with the physical, emotional, mental, and intellectual bodies or dimensions of existence." He explores the various stages of Self realization, as well as the progressive conceptions of God that tend to be experienced by individuals, regardless of their chosen form of spiritual practice. One ultimately arrives at a state of oneness: "From the perspective of monism, there is only one. That one is infinite, unchanging, eternal, beyond description, the source of everything. Such a transcendent state is accessed when, in the deepest states of meditation, the mind becomes silent, yet consciousness expands."

You Are Greater Than You Think You Are
Delia Sellers challenges us to live our best lives now, to know that we are one with the Infinite Mind of God, which knows no limitations except for those that we create. She says that the creative Spirit within us is perfectly capable of generating wonderful, successful ideas, if we will believe in its presence within ourselves and take action on its inspiration. Through faith and visualization, she urges us to "put yourself in the scene of whatever it is you wish to accomplish. Impress the subconscious, which only knows how to say yes."

Cultivating an Attitude of Gratitude
Scott Chesney writes about gratitude's power to transform our daily lives for the better. He points out that we can all train ourselves to focus on what there is to be grateful for in every situation, even if our first impulse is to bemoan what is occurring. He also emphasizes being present in the now: "When we are not fully present in the now, gratitude eludes us. By practicing present-moment awareness, we can reflect on the past with gratitude and even look toward the future with gratitude in our hearts; the difference is that we are not allowing ourselves to dwell upon and be disturbed by one or the other." Scott really "walks the walk:" he became wheelchair-bound as a teenager, almost overnight, due to a rare disease, and refused to let that dampen his spirit. To this day, he helps people fulfill their potential as a motivational speaker and Life coach!

The Spirituality of Ram Dass
Edie Moser interviewed this well-known spiritual teacher, who influenced thousands with his best selling book "Be Here Now." In 1996, he suffered a stroke; overcoming that obstacle has not been easy, but as a truly spiritual person, he has made the best of it. He continues inspiring others and maintaining his connection with both his guru and God. Edie refers to him as "a true interfaith aspirant" who "incorporates various forms of Buddhist practices, karma yoga, Sufism, and Judaism." In the feature, Ram Dass says "That I helped any soul to get to the One, to me is the highest thing I can do."

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