Welcome! Seeking spiritual fulfillment? True happiness and
mental wellness? Well, that’s what we’re all about. Spirituality & Community
is a magazine and online community for those seeking answers to life’s
deepest questions. We are dedicated to promoting spirituality,
true happiness, mental wellness, and appreciation for a diversity of spiritual
beliefs. Resources available on the site include issues of our
magazine (see The Magazine at left), spiritual writings
(see Departments and Features below), the full text of the founder's
book (see The Founder at left), and a directory of links
(see Links at left).
A
New Age of Light
The word spirituality means different things to different people. To us,
spirituality refers to the development of the spirit or heart, and to
us, this means focusing on the Light within. We hold most closely these
truths:
-We believe that within everyone lies a pure love which is known
as the Light or simply Love, as well as the Lord, God, and many other
names.
-We believe that one must open one's heart to the Light within to attain
spiritual fulfillment and that only this brings true happiness and mental
wellness.
We view spirituality as an inner search for happiness and fulfillment. We
are concerned with the Light that lies within the heart. The Light is
the essence of humanity. Ultimately, we find our way by casting our gaze
inward.
We believe that mankind is entering a New Age, an Age of Light.
We see a growing spiritual crisis in the world today. Our culture has
brought us unprecedented material well being, but we seem further away
than ever from true spiritual wholeness. We also perceive an increase
in mental health issues in our society and believe this to be linked to
spiritual detachment. Many wander endlessly in search of the material
gratification that will bring them happiness. Many have lost faith in
traditional religions, while others sincerely believe in traditional religions
but remain unhappy. Unfortunately, too many are so close-minded they refuse
to ask what is missing from their lives. Yet, many hunger for spiritual
wholeness and are searching for answers. We believe that we are entering
a new age of enlightenment in which genuine spiritual progress will be
made. We also believe that spiritual development depends upon a
genuine appreciation for a diversity of spiritual beliefs. We
look with the highest regard to traditional beliefs and religions for
guidance, and we also look forward. We believe that the past is
not the end but the beginning.
Spirituality
& Community
Spirituality & Community produces a magazine and encompasses an
online community. Both aspects serve as the basis for bringing
together those who share our aspirations and beliefs, to meet each other
and exchange ideas. Membership is free and may be withdrawn at any time.
Level of participation is strictly voluntary. We provide many opportunities
for exploring spirituality and communicating with others.
We sincerely hope that you will find truth within, and we wish you
only the best on your own personal journey!
Departments
Jarvis
the Duck New!
The Series and The Comic Strip
The fantastic adventures of a spiritual duck
Spiritual
Soup
Thoughts on finding true happiness and fulfillment (from the founder)
Well
Versed
Spiritual poetry: Classics and from our readers
Impressions
Moving works of art and photography
Living
Stories of spiritual growth and inspiration
Features
|
Mahatma
Gandhi |
The
Spirituality of Taoism |
From
the Current Issue- March '08
|
Zoroastrianism |
|
The pdf format is a standard document format which may be viewed in Acrobat®
Reader®. If you do not have Acrobat® Reader®, you can download it free
at www.adobe.com/acrobat.
The Rebirth of Spirituality
A Note from the Founder
I am writing this on Christmas Day. Samantha and Blaine, my little girl and little boy, are almost 8 and 6 years old. They eagerly tore into their presents shortly after dawn this morning, shredding paper and obliterating boxes en route to the hidden treasures. My job, groggy though I was, was to free the toys from the tangle of wires that bound them to their boxes and load them with batteries. Every toy nowadays, no matter how small or insignificant, requires a battery. Santa brought them an easy-bake oven, roller blades, a scooter, video games, dolls, cars, …
The season is rich with symbolism of rebirth, spiritual rebirth, of good beginning to overcome evil. The winter solstice was a few days ago. Though shrouded in winter, the winter solstice is the point at which the days begin to get longer again. It is a symbol of rebirth, and as the sun is a symbol of spiritual light and life, the winter solstice is a symbol of spiritual rebirth. Christmas is, of course, a celebration of spiritual rebirth, a celebration of the birth of Christ. Christmas is a special season for children, and, indeed, every child is a symbol of spiritual rebirth- Every child is a symbol of hope; every child is a symbol that the rebirth of everything that is good and right with the world is possible.
The essence of spirituality is the idea that the Light within is the key to life. Life is nothing without joy, and true happiness is not possible without the Light within. The Light is love; the Light will not shine in a heart devoid of love. A heart without love is a heart without light and joy. When one opens one’s heart to love without boundaries, one allows the Light to shine without obstruction. Spite begets darkness; love begets light. Many believe that the Light within is God or a universal energy known by other names. Even agnostics or atheists, however, can “believe” in spirituality. Although our minds are tied to our physical bodies while we live on earth, our conscious world is essentially non-physical, subjective rather than objective- joy, a conscious experience, a feeling, is the key to life, and love, another feeling, is the key to joy. Thus, love is the giver of life, “Lord” or “God”, on earth, if not in heaven.
Gnosticism was an early Christian spirituality. Gnostics placed a strong emphasis on the idea that God, and the living Jesus, lied within the heart of humankind. They believed that we could know God by knowing ourselves. Gnosis means knowledge, and they used the word to refer to knowledge of God. Gnosticism flourished beside other forms of Christianity for centuries, but as early Catholicism became the official religion of the Roman Empire, Gnosticism was suppressed, and its spiritual focus was sharply de-emphasized.
Spirituality has been discovered many times and within the framework of many different religions. Today, spirituality is being reborn as New Age spirituality. People all over the world are rediscovering the idea of the Light within. I truly believe that we are now entering an age in which humankind will again progress spiritually. By rediscovering ourselves, and the wealth that lies within, we may rediscover true peace and happiness, the hallmarks of this holiday season. The following lines are taken from The Gospel of Thomas, part of the Nag Hammadi library, a Gnostic treasure discovered in the Egyptian desert in 1945:
| (3) Jesus said, "If those who lead you say to you, 'See, the kingdom is in the sky,' then the birds of the sky will precede you. If they say to you, 'It is in the sea,' then the fish will precede you. Rather, the kingdom is inside of you, and it is outside of you. When you come to know yourselves, then you will become known, and you will realize that it is you who are the sons of the living father. But if you will not know yourselves, you dwell in poverty and it is you who are that poverty." (24) His disciples said to him, "Show us the place where you are, since it is necessary for us to seek it." He said to them, "Whoever has ears, let him hear. There is light within a man of light, and he lights up the whole world. If he does not shine, he is darkness." (50) Jesus said, "If they say to you, 'Where did you come from?', say to them, 'We came from the light, the place where the light came into being on its own accord and established itself and became manifest through their image.' If they say to you, 'Is it you?', say, 'We are its children, we are the elect of the living father.' If they ask you, 'What is the sign of your father in you?', say to them, 'It is movement and repose.'" |
-Kurt Venables (For more from me on spirituality, see Spiritual Soup above)
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