Topic: Magick & Spirituality

In 2006, Peruvian shaman and visionary artist Pablo Amaringo wrote the foreword to Ross Heaven's book, "Plant Spirit Shamanism". After a lifetime spent working with plants and with plant spirit shamanism, what do plants mean to Pablo? This article is from the foreword.

The great visionary artist, Pablo Amaringo, was born in 1943 in Puerto Libertad, in the Peruvian Amazon. He was 10 years old when he first took ayahuasca - a visionary brew used in shamanism - to help him overcome a severe heart disease. The magical cure of this ailment via the plants themselves led Pablo toward the life of a shaman, which he pursued successfully for many years, healing himself and others from the age of ten.

Never before has a story of this magnitude been told. Filled with subterfuge involving the U.S. Government Intelligence, this brand new book tells the true story of how one man unwittingly got involved as a psychic spy in the 1960s.

Finally, after several decades of secrecy, an unusual and compelling true story of deception and subterfuge is finally told. This book is an in-depth look at one man's harrowing experience with the United States Government as a "psychic spy." Now, 40 years later, Philip Chabot finally tells his story with his new book, Operation Blue Light: My Secret Life Among Psychic Spies.

There is a philosophical thread that runs through any discussion in the world of karate. The thread is respect - respect for oneself, respect for others, respect for the art and respect for those who have gone before, the great Masters.

Master Meitatsu Yagi is a much-honoured name in the karate world. He is the eldest son and successor to Grand Master Meitoku Yagi. He has been training and teaching for nearly sixty years. He is the chairman of the International Meibukan Gojyu-Ryu Karate-Do Association, which has its headquarters in Okinawa, Japan, the birthplace of karate. He has seen much over the years - the global growth of Karate-Do, the increasing acceptance of karate as a self defense activity that builds not only the body, but also the heart, the soul and the mind.

In a follow-up to research showing that psilocybin, a substance contained in “sacred mushrooms,” produces substantial spiritual effects, a Johns Hopkins team reports that those beneficial effects appear to last more than a year.

Writing in the Journal of Psychopharmacology, Johns Hopkins researchers note that most of the 36 volunteer subjects given psilocybin, under controlled conditions in a Hopkins study published in 2006, continued to say 14 months later that the experience increased their sense of well-being or life satisfaction.

Our egos hold us bound. The ego uses fear to control us. Our false ego identity keeps us separate from each other. Spiritual leaders from Deepak Chopra to Eckhardt Tolle have admonished us to overcome our egos so that we may find our True Self and re-connect to everything around us. David K. Banner's "Frameshifting" finally provides practical tools to break the ego's hold.

David K. Banner wants to open us up to the possibilities of life. Too often, we are trapped in a single, fixed set of beliefs and attitudes that operate out of fear. Fear is generated as a weapon by the ego because it fears its own demise. The ego wants to keep us separate from everything else. But when we change our outlook on life, we can overcome the ego and know wholeness with the world around us. Spiritual teachers such as Deepak Chopra, Eckhardt Tolle, and Ken Wilber all emphasize the need to overcome ego. Banner's new book, Frameshifting: A Path to Wholeness, lays out a variety of tools to dissolve the dominance of the ego.

A few weeks ago, when we read "How to Hear the Voice of God" for a review, we were impressed. So much so, that we arranged an interview with Susan Shumsky, the book's author.

Several weeks back, when I reviewed Susan Shumsky's latest book, How to Hear the Voice of God, I was impressed. Although Ms. Shumsky has written and published at least four other books, and is quite well-known on the upscale side of the New Age circuit, as a lecturer and teacher, I had never before been exposed to her work.

Article Continues After Illustration

Susan Shumsky at work teaching.

Celtic art, with it's mysterious symbolism and ancient history is capturing the interest of everyday Americans. This article reveals some of the meanings attributed to the most noteworthy Celtic symbols and gives some insight into the spirituality of these ancient people.

There is an undeniable aura that surrounds Celtic designs and Druid traditions. Although I have strong family ties to both Ireland and Scotland, you don’t need a Celtic heritage to be enticed by the culture. It’s been said that as long as you respect Mother Earth and feel an affinity with the Celtic people you too have a Celtic soul.

Is religious intolerance an American value? American Freemason and author Dr. Patrick Swift says "No!" "One Mountain, Many Paths: An American Freemason Speaks Out For Peace" contains uplifting quotes from the sacred texts of all the great religious traditions including Christianity, Judaism, and Islam.

A psychologist and caregiver to 9/11 victims, Dr. Patrick Swift speaks out against religious intolerance in One Mountain, Many Paths. "I feel compelled to speak out as a Freemason against religious intolerance because it threatens to tear America and our world apart," says Swift. "Faith in God and religious tolerance are basic American values within our government and our Constitution. Founding Fathers like George Washington, Ben Franklin, and John Hancock understood the importance of this as Freemasons."

Article Continues After Illustration

Dr. Patrick Swift.

Denise Coates, Law of Attraction coach and author of the just released book, "Feel It Real! A Guided Approach To Bringing The Law of Attraction Into Your Life," says the one thing missing from most Law of Attraction teachings is a practical approach.

Denise Coates, Law of Attraction coach and author of the just released book, "Feel it Real! A Guided Approach To Bringing The Law of Attraction Into Your Life, says the one thing missing from most Law of Attraction teachings is a practical approach. Coates says, "Most of these books read like theoretical textbooks, explaining why the Law of Attraction works or by giving examples of it working in the teachers' lives, but rarely do they give the reader/viewer specific tools and processes to use to get the Law of Attraction working on a consistent and controllable basis."

Are you part of the meditation movement that is quietly changing the world? Meditation is simple, but you must practice meditation if you want to have a meditation practice.

For over 30 years, I have been meditating. For almost as many years, in workshops, consultations, friendly conversations, and writing, I have been encouraging, teaching, or leading people to meditate and create quiet times. During this time, the world has changed considerably, and so have I. My most important learning is: everyone is different. Certainly there are commonalities in meditating, but each individual is unique. I consider that meditation is one of the most empowering practices that anyone can engage in.

Article Continues After Illustration

Statue of Shiva meditating in Bangalore, India. Credit: Deepak Gupta