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Body & Soul – Harnessing the Renaissance Magic of Marsilio Ficino
BODY & SOUL – Harnessing the Renaissance Magic of Marsilio Ficino by Debra Moolenaar © 2006 Open your life to soul. Take control of your thoughts and emotions. Align them with the heavens, and you could you literally realign the energies surrounding you here on earth. By changing your frame of mind, you’ll make different…
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The Many Faces of God
“God” is a dicey word. Not only is it downright dangerous to use the word “God” at the wrong time or in the wrong place, but even when you do get it right there’s no guarantee the person with whom you’re speaking entertains the same ideas about what you mean by “God” as do you.…
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Whom does the Grail Serve? An Interpretation of the Prologue of the Gospel of John
“In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was in the beginning with God; all things were made through him, and without him was not anything made that was made. In him was life, and the life was the light of men. The light shines…
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In the Age of Aquarius What Happens to God?
Today, many believe that the Christian God of our forefathers – a god distinct from and superior to man – is dead. Astrology concurs with this conclusion. For a preview of what might come next, read on. For the last 2000 years, we’ve been living in the Age of Pisces – the symbol of which…
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Self, Spirituality, and Zen – Journey of the Ox-Tamer
The concept of ‘self’ is as woolly as that of ‘spirituality’. Yet today’s Western spirituality seeker must come to grips with both because now he’s so psychologically oriented, the ‘self’ is the centre of his ‘spirituality’.[i] While both mystics and psychologically oriented spirituality seekers often speak in terms of ‘transcending the self’, I suggest they…
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Playing God – Religious Experience in the 21st Century
At the turn of the last century, the famous philosopher and scientist William James asserted “….the mother sea and fountain-head of all religions lies in the mystical experience of the individual”. James believed that the key to understanding such experience, was to be found in the manner in which our eyes and minds, together, created…
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The Secret Book of John
Anger and The Secret Book of John Short fiction by Debra Moolenaar © 2010 “Tomorrow I shall have to tell them.” Glancing down at my hands, I wince and stuff my wedding ring in my jean’s pocket. After shuffling across the room, I practice silent arpeggios before the well-stoked fire. A week before Christmas…
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Selling Spirituality – where on the package does it say no pain – no gain?
Without qualification we accept that a personal sense of self (an ‘I’ that does things and a ‘me’ to whom things are done) is essential for a healthy, happy every-day kind of life. Yet throughout history mystics from all religions have sought the opposite experience of ‘no-self’ to grasp the ultimate truth – a reality…
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Rousseau’s Social Contract & Why the Rich Get Richer While the Poor Get Poorer
My husband and I recently visited a charming 280-acre National Trust property nestled in the green hills of south Oxfordshire. First built in the late Middle Ages, Greys Court comprises a substantial complex of sandstone buildings and walled courtyard gardens. Enjoying coffee and cake in a long, low building said to have garrisoned Cromwell’s soldiers…
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The (Philosophical) Demise of Democracy
Of late, there’s been much debate about the collapse of authority in the UK. It would appear a consensus of sorts has finally been reached this is not a good thing. However the hope is the new government will sort it all out for us. I wonder. In The Republic, Plato reminds us that just…