Spirituality

By Joyce and Barry Vissell Barry: If we only knew how many times we are rescued by divine intervention, we would completely trust this higher power. There would then be nothing to worry about – ever! Joyce and I had yet another powerful reminder of this truth – and divine …

By Stephanie Van De Ven How many times have we tried searching outside of ourselves for happiness, love, and acceptance? We choose to spend countless hours at the mall, or countless hours trying to find the perfect new outfit, piece of jewelry, or whatever our guilty pleasure is– and it’s …

By Blair McKissock, MSEd, RYT As I write this column, I can’t help but think of the words transition, grief, change, loss, and sorrow. My heart breaks. When my fingers touch the keyboard, they don’t want to move, and after every period, they hesitate again. When I first started my …

By Mary Montgomery It was an email from the Chicago chapter of the Institute of Noetic Sciences (chicagoions.org) that alerted me to the Sacred Sound Meditation workshop at the Theosophical Society in Wheaton (theosophical.org) on June 11, 2016. Two things kindled in me a desire to go: the presenters, Eben Alexander, …

By Alan Cohen The powerful movie Dangerous Beauty recounts the story of Veronica Frankl, a 16th century Venetian courtesan (prostitute for noblemen) who wins the hearts of her clients.  Veronica is beautiful, witty, and full of passion for life and her profession. Her clients feel her terrific life force, and …

By Joyce and Barry Vissell Last month, my husband Barry and I both turned 70. For half of our lives, we have been writing these columns once a month; 35 years of writing for magazines, and our own list. We used to mail out the columns to those on our mailing …

By Blair McKissock, MSEd, RYT Within the industry of equine-assisted learning (EAL) and therapy there is a great debate among professionals; what is the difference between learning and therapy? Having been a professional in experiential education for over 20 years, this was never an issue, because each experience was therapeutic regardless …

By Mary Montgomery Recently I tuned in to a TED Talk Hour on NPR that was dedicated to play (npr.org/programs/ted-radio-hour/390249044). What an eye opener! Research is not only showing that play can make us more empathetic and loving, it is also demonstrating the serious effects that play deprivation has on …

By Alan Cohen While visiting Egypt, a member of our tour group named Gloria found an unusual stone at the base of a sacred pyramid. The pink, round stone glowed with a mystical light, and as she held it in her hand she could feel a special energy about it. …

By Jim Kaminecki “See When you’re holding onto all that you can’t Be Know that all there is to gain lies Within arm’s reach For the flaw lies in your head not in your heart See How the darkest night will soon Bring light again” * For some, it was 2014; …