Faith Healing
Does deep religious faith help the healing process? A number of recent studies seem to point in that direction. This seems especially true with the increasing popularity of fundamentalist Christianity, New Age beliefs, and alternative medicine. So is there really a link between spirituality and the healing process? But a couple of studies coming out of Columbia University suggest otherwise.
Dr. Richard Sloan and colleagues at Columbia University in New York City contend that the link spirituality, and health is " weak and inconsistent". After all, common sense tells us that people of faith tend to lead healthier lives, i.e. non-use of tobacco and alcohol products. Sloan goes on to say," Avoidance of these risks may influence their overall health to a much greater extent than simple religious belief. Their review appears in the February 20 issue The Lancet. Although the Columbia University team also produced a study that found regular churchgoers did indeed have a lower risk of illness and death than non-churchgoers, they reported a flaw in their own study, i.e the fact that ill health may prevent many individuals from attending church in the first place. Based on that, the Columbia University team concludes "doctors should remain cautious when `recommending' faith as a possible aid to physical recovery".. While a link between faith and healing remains unproved, "respectful attention must be paid to the impact of religion on the patient's decisions about health care," they conclude. [2/19/99, Reuters Health, The Lancet; 353:664-667]
Spiritual Retreat
Spiritual Retreat Centers
What is a spiritual retreat? Basically, a spiritual retreat is a moment that is spent apart from our ordinary life, to leave the noise and distractions of the city and focus on our soul...a time of rest and reflection.
Commonly, when someone refers to a spiritual retreat, a physical place to settle down comes in our mind and people from all over the world go there for one purpose: to attain full spiritual awakening, to relax and return to an awareness of the spiritual life.
Spiritual retreats goal is, primarily, to place an opportunity for spiritual people and new spiritual seekers where they can interact with a guru or spiritual teacher in a space containing strong energies. Nevertheless, each spiritual retreat is aim at a specific objective which can depend on the deity, spiritual technique, place, and faith. But the unifying thought on this matter is that anyone regardless of one's faith or spiritual background can get together with similar and different ones to learn and explore teachings and spiritual awakening from sources abroad.
In a small scale, a spiritual retreat just expects that the spiritual seeker will be committed to making positive change. Most of the experiences lived by most people helped them to open up to new feelings about their relationship with God and reconnect with God through their connections with the people on the spiritual retreat. One is open to different spiritual approaches in prayer and life; one is more conscious of what a spiritual person is.
Some spiritual retreats or getaways touting in the internet are:
Tassajara Zen Mountain Center, (415) 865-1895, [http://www.sfzc.org/smcindex.htm] America's oldest Zen Buddhist monastery. This spiritual retreat is located in the Santa Lucia Mountains, where guests feast on Tassajara's famous vegetarian cuisine and soak in the hot springs.
Shenoa Springs Retreat Center, (707) 895-3156, http://www.shenoasprings.com. This beautiful 160-acre spiritual retreat sits at the headwaters of the Navarro River in the Anderson Valley off Highway 128 near Boonville. Daily workshops include yoga, tai chi, and meditation, this last one is conducted by a resident Zen priest.
Huntsville Trappist Monastery, (801) 745-3784, [http://www.xmission.com/~hta]. The Trappist-Cistercian monastery in north of Salt Lake City is a famous spiritual retreat for the honey the monks make to support themselves.
The Expanding Light at Ananda, (800) 346-3530, http://www.expandinglight.org. This spiritual retreat or community offers yoga and meditation classes and unstructured retreats.
Sedona Sacred Journeys, (928) 274.2427, http://www.sedonasacredjourneys.com Sedona, a valued land in Arizona, is the vortex of new age thoughts, custom spiritual retreats, Sedona weddings, and alternative healing. Some of the spiritual retreats in Sedona include deep tissue massage therapy, reiki and energy work, hypnotherapy, aromatherapy, psychic readings, spiritual counseling, spiritual tours and retreats.
Assisi East West Retreat Center, +39 349 499 1293, http://www.sacredtravel.org Buddhist monks, Christians, Hari Krishna devotees, Jews whirling dervishes and Native Americans have come and practiced their special devotion here.
Blue Mountain Center of Meditation Retreats, (800) 475 2369, learn to meditate within your own tradition and lifestyle. This spiritual retreat has branches in USA, The Netherlands, Japan, and United Kingdom.
Present Moment Conscious Living Retreat, 612 916 5229, tropical yoga, meditation, Qi gong and bodywork located on the Pacific Riviera.
Tai Chi & Qi Gong in Paradise, 1-800-266-5803, this Costa Rican spiritual retreat relaxes alumni with Qi Gong, Tai Chi & Yoga in a tropical beach setting.
Heaven Sent Direct, 01793 825565, this spiritual retreat is located in England teaching mediumship and spiritual growth through meditation workshops to conquer your soul and spirituality.
Lake Isle Retreats, 0044 28 67742776, totally a spiritual retreat centre and temple situated on a beautiful, wooded lake-isle in a nature reserve in the beautiful Ireland.
A Tuscan Sabbatical, 617 227-6244, Tuscany spiritual retreat sets the stage for reflecting on the soul, passion, personal and professional development, creativity, meditation, silence prayer joy, and balance.
Body Being & Heart Travel Retreat, 514 527-7425, a spiritual retreat in sacred India embodied with temples, ashrams, beaches, and simple ashram living; sacred music and dance of India plus early morning movement & meditation sessions.
Commonly, when someone refers to a spiritual retreat, a physical place to settle down comes in our mind and people from all over the world go there for one purpose: to attain full spiritual awakening, to relax and return to an awareness of the spiritual life.
Spiritual retreats goal is, primarily, to place an opportunity for spiritual people and new spiritual seekers where they can interact with a guru or spiritual teacher in a space containing strong energies. Nevertheless, each spiritual retreat is aim at a specific objective which can depend on the deity, spiritual technique, place, and faith. But the unifying thought on this matter is that anyone regardless of one's faith or spiritual background can get together with similar and different ones to learn and explore teachings and spiritual awakening from sources abroad.
In a small scale, a spiritual retreat just expects that the spiritual seeker will be committed to making positive change. Most of the experiences lived by most people helped them to open up to new feelings about their relationship with God and reconnect with God through their connections with the people on the spiritual retreat. One is open to different spiritual approaches in prayer and life; one is more conscious of what a spiritual person is.
Some spiritual retreats or getaways touting in the internet are:
Tassajara Zen Mountain Center, (415) 865-1895, [http://www.sfzc.org/smcindex.htm] America's oldest Zen Buddhist monastery. This spiritual retreat is located in the Santa Lucia Mountains, where guests feast on Tassajara's famous vegetarian cuisine and soak in the hot springs.
Shenoa Springs Retreat Center, (707) 895-3156, http://www.shenoasprings.com. This beautiful 160-acre spiritual retreat sits at the headwaters of the Navarro River in the Anderson Valley off Highway 128 near Boonville. Daily workshops include yoga, tai chi, and meditation, this last one is conducted by a resident Zen priest.
Huntsville Trappist Monastery, (801) 745-3784, [http://www.xmission.com/~hta]. The Trappist-Cistercian monastery in north of Salt Lake City is a famous spiritual retreat for the honey the monks make to support themselves.
The Expanding Light at Ananda, (800) 346-3530, http://www.expandinglight.org. This spiritual retreat or community offers yoga and meditation classes and unstructured retreats.
Sedona Sacred Journeys, (928) 274.2427, http://www.sedonasacredjourneys.com Sedona, a valued land in Arizona, is the vortex of new age thoughts, custom spiritual retreats, Sedona weddings, and alternative healing. Some of the spiritual retreats in Sedona include deep tissue massage therapy, reiki and energy work, hypnotherapy, aromatherapy, psychic readings, spiritual counseling, spiritual tours and retreats.
Assisi East West Retreat Center, +39 349 499 1293, http://www.sacredtravel.org Buddhist monks, Christians, Hari Krishna devotees, Jews whirling dervishes and Native Americans have come and practiced their special devotion here.
Blue Mountain Center of Meditation Retreats, (800) 475 2369, learn to meditate within your own tradition and lifestyle. This spiritual retreat has branches in USA, The Netherlands, Japan, and United Kingdom.
Present Moment Conscious Living Retreat, 612 916 5229, tropical yoga, meditation, Qi gong and bodywork located on the Pacific Riviera.
Tai Chi & Qi Gong in Paradise, 1-800-266-5803, this Costa Rican spiritual retreat relaxes alumni with Qi Gong, Tai Chi & Yoga in a tropical beach setting.
Heaven Sent Direct, 01793 825565, this spiritual retreat is located in England teaching mediumship and spiritual growth through meditation workshops to conquer your soul and spirituality.
Lake Isle Retreats, 0044 28 67742776, totally a spiritual retreat centre and temple situated on a beautiful, wooded lake-isle in a nature reserve in the beautiful Ireland.
A Tuscan Sabbatical, 617 227-6244, Tuscany spiritual retreat sets the stage for reflecting on the soul, passion, personal and professional development, creativity, meditation, silence prayer joy, and balance.
Body Being & Heart Travel Retreat, 514 527-7425, a spiritual retreat in sacred India embodied with temples, ashrams, beaches, and simple ashram living; sacred music and dance of India plus early morning movement & meditation sessions.
Alma De la Cruz, a staff mystic employed by http://www.psychicrealm.com, has a profound personal history where she has unabashedly delved deep into the heart of occult mysteries for an extensive period of her life. Her name literally means “Soul of the Cross” in Spanish. Currently she is working publishing a manuscript that delves into the mysteries of Hispanic new age beliefs incorporating old insights with new spiritual methodologies. Check out her bi weekly metaphysical column: http://www.newagenotebook.com where she takes a new twist, incorporating Latin shamanistic philosophies with leading edge occult beliefs.
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Alma_De_La_Cruz
Piano Chords and New Age Music
New Age Music Online
There are basically two ways you can compose a piece of music. The first and most traditional way is to write out the melody and then harmonize it. Some call this working from the top (as opposed to the chords on the bottom.) The second approach is where you create some kind of rhythmic harmonic pattern and improvise (or compose) the melody on top. Now, which one is best for New Age music?
The answer is neither approach. Each has its own merits and own special benefits. For example, if you start with a pattern in your left hand and improvise a melody with your right, you are doing what most new age composers/improvisers do. This is what George Winston does most of the time. He has chords he sets to a certain rhythm and does his thing with that amazing right hand of his.
This is the style that I have been playing, but I've recently lost interest in it. Not because it isn't good but because I don't feel like playing that way anymore. Currently I'm leaning towards a softer sound that comes from leading with the melody first. What I do is get the first 2-bars down and then improvise the rest till I fill up 8 measures. This way I can vary the chords and patterns without it sounding very repetitive (minimalism). It's actually another style. You can call it melodic while the other one (Harmony approach) is more textural. IT ALL DEPENDS ON YOUR MOOD!
Don't let one style freeze you into something where you can't maneuver artistically! Remember that your feeling must come first. Everything else is secondary. Let your feeling lead you and your creation will be truly inspired, however, if you try to mold what you have to say into a specific style, the result may be less than satisfactory.
The answer is neither approach. Each has its own merits and own special benefits. For example, if you start with a pattern in your left hand and improvise a melody with your right, you are doing what most new age composers/improvisers do. This is what George Winston does most of the time. He has chords he sets to a certain rhythm and does his thing with that amazing right hand of his.
This is the style that I have been playing, but I've recently lost interest in it. Not because it isn't good but because I don't feel like playing that way anymore. Currently I'm leaning towards a softer sound that comes from leading with the melody first. What I do is get the first 2-bars down and then improvise the rest till I fill up 8 measures. This way I can vary the chords and patterns without it sounding very repetitive (minimalism). It's actually another style. You can call it melodic while the other one (Harmony approach) is more textural. IT ALL DEPENDS ON YOUR MOOD!
Don't let one style freeze you into something where you can't maneuver artistically! Remember that your feeling must come first. Everything else is secondary. Let your feeling lead you and your creation will be truly inspired, however, if you try to mold what you have to say into a specific style, the result may be less than satisfactory.
Edward Weiss is a pianist/composer and webmaster of Quiescence Music's online piano lessons. He has been helping students learn how to play piano in the New Age style for over 14 years and works with students in private, in groups, and now over the internet. Visit www.quiescencemusic.com now and get a FREE piano lesson!
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Edward_Weiss
Find your true calling
workplace spirituality
Exactly what does finding your true calling mean? Is it spiritual? Does it refer to the meaning of life? The happiness you find within yourself. I choose to believe it can be one or the other, and or all. In saying that, I will explain why I am of that opinion. Spiritual your true calling means that people who feel an extreme connection with a higher power will view their true calling as the will to follow a path to be closer to his or higher power. Whether it is Jesus Christ, Buddha, Mohammad, or what he or she believes in and wants to worship, follow, teach, and please. True calling for many will be what he or she believes is best for their family. A life they are able to develop to create an upstanding lifestyle. Well adjusted children, productive and contributing family members with morals who care about their community, others, and the world to make all a better place to live. Finding love and companionship that lasts a lifetime, is what so many strive to achieve in life. Finding happiness with the partner you have chosen to walk through life, and being successful for most is a goal of marriage and what those who marry strive to have to complete a happy and fulfilling life, be it children or a career.
The meaning of true calling for many is in the workplace or a person's career choice. For those who find happiness in the workplace or career is very lucky for these people are the ones who often have found their true calling. Happiness in this area of life makes such a difference in the level of happiness a person finds in life. Being happy everyday by doing the work you love is a fulfilling life to live. When asking what is your true calling these are a few that come to mind and how I believe that question should be addressed. Some important point's people should ask themselves when answering, "What is your true calling."
Personally, I choose to believe this means being true to my faith, raising responsible, well-adjusted, involved children, finding fulfillment in my career has made my life happy, and a success. I am sure many are able to add or subtract to my generalization. However, this is how I view the meaning of true calling. I have been lucky in life to achieve most of my goals. I continue to work on the areas of my life I feel needs more attention. I believe when you stop working on being happy, that is when your happiness begins to suffer. Life is learning and growing experience. None of us should ever quit working to have the best life you are able to live. In my view, this is the meaning of your true calling.
Exactly what does finding your true calling mean? Is it spiritual? Does it refer to the meaning of life? The happiness you find within yourself. I choose to believe it can be one or the other, and or all. In saying that, I will explain why I am of that opinion. Spiritual your true calling means that people who feel an extreme connection with a higher power will view their true calling as the will to follow a path to be closer to his or higher power. Whether it is Jesus Christ, Buddha, Mohammad, or what he or she believes in and wants to worship, follow, teach, and please. True calling for many will be what he or she believes is best for their family. A life they are able to develop to create an upstanding lifestyle. Well adjusted children, productive and contributing family members with morals who care about their community, others, and the world to make all a better place to live. Finding love and companionship that lasts a lifetime, is what so many strive to achieve in life. Finding happiness with the partner you have chosen to walk through life, and being successful for most is a goal of marriage and what those who marry strive to have to complete a happy and fulfilling life, be it children or a career.
The meaning of true calling for many is in the workplace or a person's career choice. For those who find happiness in the workplace or career is very lucky for these people are the ones who often have found their true calling. Happiness in this area of life makes such a difference in the level of happiness a person finds in life. Being happy everyday by doing the work you love is a fulfilling life to live. When asking what is your true calling these are a few that come to mind and how I believe that question should be addressed. Some important point's people should ask themselves when answering, "What is your true calling."
Personally, I choose to believe this means being true to my faith, raising responsible, well-adjusted, involved children, finding fulfillment in my career has made my life happy, and a success. I am sure many are able to add or subtract to my generalization. However, this is how I view the meaning of true calling. I have been lucky in life to achieve most of my goals. I continue to work on the areas of my life I feel needs more attention. I believe when you stop working on being happy, that is when your happiness begins to suffer. Life is learning and growing experience. None of us should ever quit working to have the best life you are able to live. In my view, this is the meaning of your true calling.
