All Spirituality Articles

Having a spiritual experience may be all in your head -- or at least part of it. A group of University of Missouri researchers recently completed a study that claims a particular area of the brain is linked to spirituality. According to sciencedaily.com and several other news sources, Brick Johnstone, an MU neurophysiologist, made the finding after studying individuals who had suffered Read more...

Are you living your life exactly as you always planned? A millionaire by your 45th birthday? Deliriously happy with a life partner by your 50th? After all, isn't the future in your hands? Well, actually, not to burst your bubble, but it's not. According to Zen philosophy, control is an illusion. No matter how logical our thinking and no matter how entitled we may feel, some of our Read more...

My friend J. can meditate at will. He sits, closes his eyes and off he goes. Anywhere. Anytime. I'm jealous. All I can do is read about meditation. Pore over the teaching stories and the chronicles of inner travel, inhale the biographies of the great monks. But when I sit? My mind makes to-do lists. So I was pleased to discover -- 35 years after it was published, with more than 300,000 copies Read more...

by Dr. Jacki Hart The use of prayer and other spiritual practices to improve health dates back thousands of years, to Hippocrates and also to Maimonides. The incorporation of spirituality into ancient medicine seems not to be simply because of the lack of diagnostic and therapeutic tools available during those times (vastly different from our modern day technology), but also Read more...

By Jesse Kornbluth Founder, HeadButler.com You're looking for something you can't quite name, the answer to a question you can't quite articulate. Something else shows up. It's on a different subject altogether. And yet, for no apparent reason, it tells you what you needed to know. "Improv Wisdom" is like that. I have no interest in improvisational Read more...

Up in the morning and last thing in the evening, your bedroom sets the tone for the start and end of your days. And if you combine a sensual feel with a spiritual ambiance, you can create a fresh essence in your relationship. It's easy. Here's where to start: Design a space that is sensual, cozy and restful. Throughout most high cultures of the past, the art of decoration and placement Read more...

See also: sensual, sex, spirituality, tanric sex, tantra

Spirituality is a hot topic in today's fast paced world and adding it to your marriage may result in a more perfect union. Professor of Theology Gisbert Greshake from the University of Freiburg, Germany, gives his take on Elements in a spirituality of marriage. These elements are based on the Christian philosophy of marriage but work for couples of any religion. Greshake says Read more...

An Interview with Judith Wright, author of There Must Be More Than This: Finding More Life, Love and Meaning by Overcoming Your Soft Addictions It seems the concept of your book touches on something we all can relate to -- the sense that there is something more to life. You even capitalize the "M" in More. But can you explain what exactly it is? The answer varies from person to person and Read more...

Many cultures throughout history have made nature an important and integral part of their lives. But it's so easy in our fast-paced world to lose touch with the restorative, therapeutic and inspirational energy of the great outdoors. Make spending time in nature a priority in you and your family’s life. Here are some simple ways to do that: Begin by taking a few deep invigorating breaths of Read more...

Although most of us have helped a friend through one kind of loss or another, it's normal to wonder how to provide effective assistance without seeming intrusive. According to Jeffrey E. Auerbach, Ph.D., a licensed psychologist in Ventura, Calif., "being a supportive friend in times of need involves a combination of listening, insight and helpful actions." At first news of a loss, Dr. Auerbach Read more...

How do people heal themselves of chronic conditions and even life-threatening illnesses? Is it a physical or a spiritual process? As it happens, there's now medical research that supports and explains the role that spirit may play in healing. "Spirit is the part of a person that when illuminated, liberates the person to be who they are and to do what they must do," says Michael Read more...

Living a spiritually engaged life may lower your chance of death and reduce stress. Being spiritual has been shown to: reduce stresspromote healthy lifestyle choices increase feelings of belonging All of these health and quality of life benefits are associated with lowered mortality rates, says Dr. Chandrakant Shah, a researcher at the University of Toronto. Based on the review of data from Read more...

Can religion and spirituality promote good health as we age? The answer to that question could improve the lives of millions of aging baby boomers and their older parents. A group of retirement communities and the University of Pennsylvania Health System are seeking answers. They are launching a three-year study on how to use religious and spiritual resources to enhance the health of Read more...

Half a dozen books on the value of prayer and meditation have made the best seller list. Oprah talks about it frequently on her TV show. It's commonly thought to be good for the soul. But is prayer also good for your health? In a report published in July's Journal of Gerontology: Medical Sciences, researchers from Duke University Medical Center studied the survival rates of older adults. The Read more...

A 2000 study has pinpointed the key psychological difference between religious and non-religious people: Independence. It's a person's desire for independence, says Steven Reiss, co-author of the study and a professor of psychology and psychiatry at Ohio State University. Reiss asked 558 people -- college students and professionals -- to rate themselves as very, somewhat or not Read more...

In the 1960s, baby boomers left the church in droves, many seeking purer spiritual truths. Now, it looks like they're heading back to the pews. When it comes to choosing churches, what did "Jesus Christ Superstar" say to us that "Rock of Ages" didn't? We were looking for a message that spoke our language, not our parents', says Dr. Melvin Banks, chairman and CEO of Urban Read more...

Faith not only nurtures your spirit but it also can lift your spirits enough to pierce the darkness of depression, research suggests. In many recent studies, researchers found that religion significantly reduces depression, the mental illness that afflicts almost 19 million Americans. One study, by researchers at Rush-Presbyterian-St. Luke's Medical Center in Chicago and Loyola College in Read more...