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MY BODY IS A WONDERLAND

If a man is to live, he must be all alive, body, soul, mind, heart, spirit. —Thomas Merton, Thoughts in Solitude

MOMENTS THAT CHANGE THE WORLD

THIS PAST SUNDAY I CRASHED MY BIKE so hard I flew over the handlebars, landed on my head and back, and broke my helmet. Thankfully, my 16-year-old son Patrick was there to make sure I did not try to move my neck or body or let anyone else move me. It felt good that his words were so solid, helpful, and calm with so many people wanting to do something before the ambulance guys took over—and then a CT scan showed nothing broken.

DEBUNKING PROSPERITY MYTHS

Adopting a holistic view of prosperity brings true wealth, which has little to do with your bank balance.

A Hilltop of Happiness

I recently went to the Art of Living Retreat Center in Boone, North Carolina, a spectacular hilltop retreat in the Blue Ridge Mountains that opened 10 years ago. But I've been curious about the Art of Living and its leader, Gurudev Sri Sri Ravi Shankar, for decades. I first encountered followers of Gurudev at the International Spa Association convention in Las Vegas, where I met the creators of Shankara, an Ayurvedic skincare company that is now the heart of the Shankara Spa at the retreat center in Boone. Amidst the bustling Vegas convention, these followers of Gurudev created an island of calm.

HOW TO HOLD OUR ANGER WITH WISDOM

IN UNITY, WE HONOR JESUS AS THE WAY SHOWER. In The Revealing Word: A Dictionary of Metaphysical Terms, Unity cofounder Charles Fillmore expressed that Jesus “came to awaken us to the possibilities of his own nature.” He noted that Jesus “had an insight into those things that are ever mysteries to those immersed in the sense consciousness,” including “judgments based on outer appearances” that “produce discordant thoughts, jealousies, and a host of limiting beliefs.” Fillmore further stated that Jesus was the “representative of a thoroughly organized plan to help humanity into a higher realization of God and its relationship to Him.”So what about that time in the temple when Jesus lost his cool? Was that part of the “thoroughly organized plan” or “a higher realization of God”?

Point of View Is Everything

You're not stuck in your story.

GOLD FROM THE Bhagavad Gita

What ancient traditions can teach us about our modern-day health challenges

THE POWER OF NAMING AN ANIMAL

“YOU NAMED HIM BOOGER?” I asked the shelter volunteer. My husband and I stood by a cage, already in love with the tuxedo cat it held. Although introduced to us as “Bub,” his official paperwork read: “Booger, 4 years old, special needs.” The text “Booger” was struck through, “Bub” written in its place. “We can always rename him again. He’s coming home with us,” my husband asserted, settling the matter.“Are you sure you want to take him? You know he’s special needs,” the volunteer queried.“So am I!” I declared. “What do we need to know?” We learned the cat had respiratory issues.

SPLINTERED PIECES

Seeing her father in the psych ward seemed all wrong—until her inner guidance helped her see it as exquisitely right.

ANCIENT HEALTH SECRETS

How ancient wisdom teachings align with cutting-edge health science

ENLIGHTENED PERSPECTIVES: Deva Premal & MITEN: HOW Mantra Heals

DEVA PREMAL and MITEN are partners in love and music. German-born Deva (née Jolantha Fries), a bodywork practitioner, and British native Miten (né Andy Desmond), a former rocker who opened for bands like Fleetwood Mac, met at an ashram devoted to the teachings of Indian spiritual leader Osho in 1990. Together they create community through meditative musical gatherings, chanting retreats, and Zoom rooms. The symbiotic duo's albums, including 2018's Grammy-nominated Deva, reverberate with her sonorous voice and his harmonic compositions. Eckhart Tolle, Cher, and the Dalai Lama are fans. The couple's version of the Sanskrit Gayatri Mantra is the gold standard. In advance of a world tour that will take them to the U.S. for the first time since 2019, they recently shared with contributing editor KAREN BRAILSFORD how mantras heal—and why their relationship still sings after all these years.

A BRAIN SURGEON'S STAIRWAY TO HEAVEN

Allan Hamilton's unconventional route to becoming an expert on gray matter.

THIS SPRING, BALANCE ACTION WITH REST

There is a pervasive form of contemporary violence to which the idealist ... most easily succumbs: activism and overwork.—Thomas Merton

ITSY-BITSY SPIDER WISDOM

“THE ITSY-BITSY SPIDER WENT UP THEWATERSPOUT,” I hear faintly through a brick wall, acacophony of children's voices from the preschool next doorto my husband's art studio. The words catch my attentionbecause they are lodged deep in my memory alongsiderecollections of Charlotte's Web by E.B. White, both of whichhave influenced my perspectives on arachnids.

BREAKING INTO THE BRAIN

A journey into the vault holding our greatest mystery

WHY I'M LETTING GO OF MY RESENTMENTS

The practice of releasing bitterness and animosity just might help you live longer.

LEE HARRIS: CHANNELING AS A TRANSFORMATIONAL TOOL

British-born energy intuitive, channeler, and musician LEE HARRIS arrived on the planet with a collective of 88 energies called the Z's in tow. But by the time he was 6 years old, Zachary, Zapharia, Ziadora & Co. had grown silent. Not so today. Since 2000, Harris has regularly communed with the “voice of galactic consciousness”—in books such as the Conversations with the Z's series and Energy Speaks, on his podcast Impact the World, and during a monthly Energy Update on YouTube that taps into what’s happening for the world. Spiritual seekers are listening—and healing and awakening. Harris reaches 2 million people each month through a combination of all his platforms plus his online community, The Portal. The multifaceted teacher spoke to contributing editor KAREN BRAILSFORD about his journey and shared tips on how to connect to one’s guides. At the end of their conversation, some very special guests dropped in with a powerful message for Spirituality & Health readers.

THE HEALING POWER OF AWE

How one woman found comfort and connection in moments of awe

WHEN A PARTNER ASKS YOU TO CONVERT

ROADSIDE ASSISTANCE FOR THE SPIRITUAL TRAVELER

BRIGHT LIGHTS SRIKUMAR RAO BRINGS ANCIENT SPIRITUAL TEACHINGS TO BUSINESSES

When Srikumar Rao, the son of a highly spiritual mother, was growing up in India and Burma (now Myanmar), it wasn't unusual for people like the late Maharishi Mahesh Yogi, the creator of Transcendental Meditation, to visit his home. “This was before he was discovered by the Beatles and [actor] Mia Farrow, so he was not a global celebrity,” says Rao, now 73. “He was just a guy who had wandered off the mountains. But his spiritual presence was very strong.”

ALCHEMIZING GRIEF

When her world imploded, she found few resources to help. Now she creates those resources for others.

WEDDING BELLE Blues

Marrying couples can involve handling all sorts of hiccups.

THE ETHICAL CRISIS IN SPIRITUAL LEADERSHIP

More power has often led to more impropriety. Now there's an organization trying to turn that troubling trend around.

Let's Not Limit Nature- According to the Merriam-Webster dictionary, nature is first defined as "the external world in its entirety," with etymological roots from multiple cultures and originating meanings

The ancient Greeks had no word for art. Many indigenous people have no word for religion. Art and religion were inherent to human life until outsiders needed to critique and study these concepts-so they named them. The legacy of the word nature is similar. We speak about nature as if we are separate from itas if, like a starkly delineated shadow on a sidewalk, you can stand with one foot in nature and one foot outside of it.

Recognizing and Tuning Into Medical Intuition- How one woman learned to trust her instincts and heal her body

How one woman learned to trust her instincts and heal her body. According to Wendie Colter, founder of The Practical Path (a trademarked intuitive development program for health professionals) and author of Essentials of Medical Intuition: A Visionary Path to Wellness, intuition permeates every aspect of our lives. Some call it a gut instinct. Others call it a hunch. Still others receive messages from their higher self. But whatever the name, that sense of knowing, feeling, or sensing can guide us toward healing.

The Neuroscience of Getting What You Want - Manifesting is a process whereby you utilize the power within yourself to have an intention occur that ultimately is not pure self-interest,"

Manifesting is a process whereby you utilize the power within yourself to have an intention occur that ultimately is not pure self-interest," .What it takes to hit all your goals is a fierce dedication to your quest over time and that means sinking your goals so deep into your subconscious that your conscious mind automatically tracks paths to take you to those goals like a bloodhound on the scent of synchronicities.

TIME TO TAKE THE RISK

We shall awaken from our dullness and rise vigorously toward justice. If we fall in love with creation deeper and deeper, we will respond to its endangerment with passion.-Hildegard of Bingen, 12th-century Benedictine mystic, medical practitioner, writer, and composer

The Essence of FRIENDSHIP

A DEEP DIVE INTO WHAT MAKES THE BEST FRIENDSHIPS

QUEEN DIAMBI KABATUSUILA SHEDS A NEW LIGHT ON AFRICA

In 2016, before she became queen of the Bakwa Luntu people of the Dimbelenge territory of the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Queen Diambi Kabatusuila was a 48-year-old therapist going through a difficult divorce, living in Boca Raton, Florida, and having a recurring dream about an old woman in an African village.

Over the MOON About Helping Animals (and Their People)

Since I was a child, I've had a ritual: Every night, I go outside and search the sky for the moon and stars. I marvel at the magnificence of a dark, crisp, clear, midnight blue sky and its symphony of constellations, occasional meteors, and the glorious moon herself-each illuminating the vastness. This simple practice always gives me the deepest peace and centeredness. It aligns my internal compass every night before bed.