Welcome to the Summer issue of Pure Inspiration.

Listed below are this issue's articles and features. To view a brief summary, click on the name of the article.

At the age of fifteen, Scott Chesney was struck by a rare disease which left him partially paralyzed and wheelchair bound. Rather than feeling sorry for himself, Scott decided to make the most of his difficult situation and quickly became involved in living a meaningful life that included helping others with disabilities. Having been an avid basketball player in high school, he became active in wheelchair basketball, finishing both high school and college, and going on to travel to do fundraising for the Buoniconti Fund to Cure Paralysis. During this period, he discovered his innate ability as a public speaker. Subsequently, he traveled the world to explore alternative healing modalities for treating his specific form of paralysis, which led him on a quest of self discovery in which he learned much from a host of inspiring individuals, including the Dalai Lama. Scott's disability in no way has slowed him down -- he has even done sky diving! This successful motivational speaker, life coach and family man is an inspiration, and we tip our hats to him.

Entrepeneur and author Charles F. Haanel was truly ahead of his time. Written almost one hundred years ago, this essay on visualization is as profound and compelling today as anything we have ever encountered. Haanel spells out with utter clarity how to create the life you want by using the power of visualization which is inherent in your own mind. It all begins by picturing what you want, down to the smallest detail. Through cultivating such imagery, training yourself to feel it , accept it, and expect it, you cause the Life principle within to propel it into outer form. Just as an architect, when planning a building, designs it exactly as he wants it to be, so are we the architects of our own world. We are connected to the Universal Mind, which has all power to create, and through the process of visualizing we can use that mighty power within us to manifest whatever constructive thing we desire.

In this exclusive interview, Marianne Williamson expresses her uplifting perspective on "midlife." While this phase of life confronts us with various challenges and difficulties, it also gives us the opportunity to come into our own, to give back to life the benefit of our experiences and accrued wisdom. As she states, "If you allow yourself to deepen with midlife, your experience of everything deepens, including your experience of God." She also says "the miracle is when you realize the time of physical decline can be a time of spiritual incline." The Spirit within us is an eternal source of rejuvenation; by staying attuned to it, we become "better" as we age, like fine wine.

Lisa Erawoc describes how she changed her life by changing her attitude. Devastated by the untimely death of her boyfriend, Lisa found herself careening into an experience of depression and intense pain. However, "One day, I just woke up and decided 'today I am going to create a new life story.' I went into my bedroom closet, got on my knees, and talked to God. The strength and determination I felt after that was so liberating. I affirmed, 'Today, I am going to expect good things to come my way.' My entire day was filled with nothing but good all day long." Lisa demonstrates the incredible power of grace to overcome difficulties, to pick us up when we're down, as well as the importance of choosing a positive attitude by which to live our lives.

Paramahansa Yogananda reminds us that "the enemy" is within -- our own self destructive habits. He explains that the root cause of these habits is tendencies we have developed in past lives, which are often quite stubborn and difficult to remove. Even more important than our own will power, he says, is the company we keep. The reason for this is simple: if we have within us the seed tendency to drink, for example, associating with those who do not drink will be good for us, as we too will be less likely to do so. Conversely, if we associate with others who indulge in alcohol, it is quite probable that they will influence us to do the same, thus perpetuating the very habit that we need to overcome.

Elisabeth Kubler-Ross spent much of her life studying near-death experiences. As a result, she came to see that death was nothing to be feared, but rather, an integral part of life. She says that no one dies alone; we are helped by those who loved us while on earth, or by guardian angels, which, she assures us, are very real. She reports that one phase of the near-death experience is communion with the Light: "This light is whiter than white. It is extremely bright, and the more you approach this light the more you are embraced by the greatest indescribable, unconditional love you could ever imagine. There are no words for it." She goes on to say "after seeing the light nobody wants to go back. In this light, you will experience for the first time what man could have been. ...you will come to know that all your life on earth was nothing but a school that you had to go through in order to pass certain tests and learn special lessons. As soon as you have finished this school and mastered your lessons, you are allowed to go home, to graduate!"

Delia Sellers worked with and knew Jack Addington well. Jack was truly a very inspiring man who deeply grasped the laws of Life and had a gift for communicating them to others. He also "walked the walk." Delia noted that the Jack Addington in the church pulpit was the "same person" with whom she worked on a daily basis. He lived his ideals. Compassionate, kind, and a good listener, he made others feel valued. He also possessed a great sense of humor. She also writes of Jack that "when he prayed with you, he left you with a firm belief that your burdens had been lifted and all challenges were already solved. The power of his words and profound faith convinced you that you could now look forward to divine intervention and a solution to your problem. Yet he did not try to change people." Jack believed deeply in the miracle-working presence of God, and implemented his faith, moment-to-moment, in his own life. His legacy is to remind us all not to underrate ourselves, because God is the truth of our being and, if we will hold fast to this recognition, we can overcome and transcend any negative condition.

Yoga teacher Durga Ahlund teaches how to loosen and relax the lower body and spine by using special exercises that also enhance our core strength. The muscles focused upon are those which "work together to stabilize the hip joints which connect the legs to the torso, so we can move the lower back, hips, and pelvis. They are vital in helping us stand, sit, and walk with ease." Durga says "In yoga, we place awareness on the in-flow and out-flow of the breath, on relaxing tension and tightness in the muscles and joints, or on specific energy centers in the body. In this way, awareness is gently drawn away from stressful thoughts."

Wayne Dyer recounts a remarkable story from his own life experience. In October, 2000, he led a tour group to, among other places, Assisi Italy, the birthplace of Saint Francis. Visiting a castle in San Damiano, just outside of Assisi (home of the convent Saint Francis had set up for Saint Clare), he and other members of the tour group were walking up a narrow stairway when suddenly, the man in front of Dr. Dyer, who wore leg braces due to muscular dystrophy, realized he could not proceed any further up the narrowing corridor. What were they to do? There were many people behind them, coming up, and the man with the leg braces was stuck. Incredibly, Wayne Dyer, who was suffering from bad knees, took this two hundred pound man up the stairs on his back. Just when he was about to buckle under the weight, he had a vision of Saint Francis and made the climb quickly and without incident. Thereafter, Dr. Dyer's knees were healed, as well!

Most of us know about Helen Keller and her remarkable accomplishments in the face of blindness and deafness. In this feature, author William Hansen gives us much insight about her life, especially about what inspired and motivated her to greatness. Never had the world seen anything like her: "Helen's progress was so unexpected, indeed so thoroughly unprecedented, that the reports Annie (Sullivan) submitted on her progress became instant sensations back in Boston." Incredibly, in 1904 at the age of twenty-four, Helen graduated from Radcliffe College magna cum laude, becoming the first deaf-blind person to every graduate from any college! The following quote from Helen sums up the grandeur of her spirit: "I have never believed that my limitations were in any sense punishments or accidents. I thank God for my handicaps, for through them I have found myself, my work, and my God."

Marshall Govindan writes about the importance of not sitting in judgment upon the faults and shortcomings of others. Doing so accomplishes nothing good, and only intensifies the discordant element being observed, especially in the person doing the judging. The antidote for this is to cultivate an attitude of non-harming, or "ahimsa," and to be ready and willing to forgive others as well as ourselves. He writes "wisdom is to see what is good in others and turn away from the rest." Excellent advice!

Cristina Acosta discusses her experience as a painter, pointing out that "art" is more than just a particular activity: "Time and maturity have revealed to me that all humans are artists, whatever our medium may be. Our canvas is time and our palettes of colors are the choices we make." She emphasizes that for her, art is more a process than an end to be attained: "I keep painting, each stroke of my brush a record of the present moment. When the painting is done, my involvement with that set of moments in time is over. The images are now for the viewers. They will discover their own meanings."

At age 95, Art Linkletter is still going strong. In this interview, we find that the secret of his tirelessness is his amazing positive attitude. He simply refuses to acknowledge getting older as something to fear. Practical and down to earth, Linkletter emphasizes the importance of finding out what you love to do and "then spending your life doing it with the people you like to be with." He also discovered that being flexible, going with the flow, is absolutely necessary: "I've always said, 'Oh, something new is happening. This is my chance to learn.' " He also cites a sense of humor as being essential to reduce stress.

Forgiveness experts Susyn Reeve and Sheri Rosenthal explore the importance of self forgiveness. By learning to view ourselves compassionately and lovingly, we can let go of the many judgments that bind us to the past in a negative way. Centered in Spirit, we can more clearly see the erroneous thoughts that have caused us pain and then release them. Once we forgive ourselves, there is more peace, inner joy, and self acceptance. How can we love others until we learn to love ourselves?

Carolyn Bender tells a touching story about how her relationship with her daughter was healed. As a rebellious teenager, her daughter, Angel, refused to attend high school regularly and apply herself, even though she was very bright. As a single mom, Carolyn did her best to care for Angel, yet things at school went from bad to worse. At the end of her rope, she got on her knees and told God she had done her best, but could do no more. God would now have to intervene to help Angel get on track. You probably can guess the gist of what happens next, but we'll let you find out the details by reading the article!

This feature is all about intuition -- how it can help us live fuller, happier, more productive lives. Filled with real stories that illustrate the power of "inner knowing," this article offers practical tips and techniques for expanding this valuable inner faculty. Author Doris Helge says that "most intuitive insights are sudden, immediate, and unexpected." The key is to learn how to tune in to our own innate wisdom, and the good news is that we can train ourselves to do it. No two people tune in identically, so a large part of the process is becoming sensitive to our own "unique intuitive style." Dr. Helge also writes "Discover how your personal receiver works and fine-tune it. Intuition acts like a physical muscle that becomes stronger with use."