Spiritual Carrot

This article by Ralph White contains a nice list of spiritual centers worldwide. It is also about the emerging political awareness of these centers.

Ran across this link about Sally Kempton, describing her meditative experiences. What caught my attention was her description being in "the witness" space. At the end, catch her exploration of resistance with one pupil. It was very interesting to see resistance to meditation reframed as being resistant about helping one's self.

From the Mythos Institute, here are the 10 Commandments for reading myth as proffered by the late great Joseph Campbell.

Number one resonates with me:

"Read myths with the eyes of wonder: the myths transparent to their universal meaning, their meaning transparent to its mysterious source."

New Books by Linda Pendleton

We were thrilled to hear from Linda, co-author of To Dance With Angels, recently. Although we have been regularly visiting her wonderful To Dance With Angels site, we must've overlooked the updates about her other books. It turns out that she's been quite productive. Her followup book, Three Principles of Angelic Wisdom, is now in print with iUniverse. She's recently published a collection of famous quotes. And, there's a new book coming out in September written with Dr. Fred Bader. More info is on the New Books section of her site. Check it out!

I'm including Oprah's online site on the sidebar. I admire Oprah. Her well-done webpage is chockfull of stuff. At least in her public life, Oprah exemplifies Dr. P's Three Principles: loving allowance, self-responsibility, increasing communication. I love the way she communicates with her audience. Not only does she speak well, she knows her audience and is receptive to their needs. Go, girl!

Sunspot.net presents a brief article about a new field called neurotheology, the study of the interface between religion and science. These scientists are trying to physically map the mystical in the brain. Neat. So, after they map the meditating nuns, how about mapping someone who's channeling?

Warning: Once you link to Sunspot, for some reason you can't use the back arrow key to get back to this site. What kind of thing is that? Hmmm...I think this'll be the last time I link to Sunspot.

Rupert Sheldrake's name keeps popping up here and there. I have to read one of his books one day. But in the meantime, here is a very small taste of what he's about. Hurry; I don't know how long this link will be online.

Comments section are up on a trial basis. We'll see how it works out.

This fascinating Scientific American article explores the Delphic oracular tradition using the modern tools of toxicology, geology and archeology. I was surprised to read that ethylene, the gas used for ripening fruits, can induce trance states and, not surprisingly, was one of the gases actually measured at the temple site. While this article does not prove anything substantial, it does offer evidence of physical anomalies at the site. The mystery and magic of the Delphic oracles, however, are not diminished in this article. It's nice to see that the authors handle the topic with respect and curiousity.

The more I read about Rudolf Steiner, the more I wonder if he crossed paths with Dr. Peebles.

It's nice to see a recent interview with Linda Pendleton, one of the co-authors of To Dance With Angels on Bellaonline.com.

Quote of the Month

"Dance in the body you have. " Agnes de Mille

Quote of the Month

"You must be the change you wish to see in the world". Mahatma Ghandi

(Does anyone know where he wrote this?)

Chasing Down Dr. P

I don't know about you, but I am curious about Dr. P's relationship with the Theosophists, especially with Madame Blavatsky. Here is something. Is this our Dr. P?
Note: This link no longer works. If anyone knows more, please email me!

Listening to Our Collective American Echo

Andrew Rice, in this post 9/11 editorial, brings up that taboo subject, listening to our collective American echo. Echo, according to Dr. Peebles through Thomas Jacobson, includes increasing our understanding of others, from their point of view. For example, when we walk in their shoes, how are we seen? Can we understand without condemnation how we impact others from their point of view, not ours?

Understandably, this is undoubtedly a most difficult task given the strong emotions associated with this event. Mr. Rice lost his brother in 9/11. He has even more reason to not be understanding, yet he urges us to examine ideology from their perspective, taking a moment to put aside their description by others as "freedom haters". Many others would accuse anyone who does this as unpatriotic. Understanding others and looking at our echo is a path requiring a lot of courage and maturity. Examining the "dark as well as the light", as Dr. Peebles often urged, leads to greater rewards of understanding in the long run, from the larger perspective.

What can we lose by taking a moment to consider our echo?
What would be the consequences of not understanding our collective echo?

Quote of the month

"An old soul is nothing but a very slow learner", Dr. Peebles through Thomas Jacobson, in To Dance With Angels by Don and Linda Pendleton

Need a quick break? Try these links

For a few moments of calm, here is the famous "Interview With God" (click on the VIEW PRESENTATION button). When your echo (your immediate environment around you) indicates very loudly that you really need to take a break, try this link to another beautiful photo essay. Thanks, Kristin, for the links.