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Welcome... Our InnerSelf welcomes your inner self.
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One thing everyone can agree on, regardless of their religion, race, gender, etc., is that life comes with its set of challenges. I don't think that anyone goes through life without challenges, also known as lessons, problems, or learning opportunities. That seems to be included in the nature of this earthly experience.
We have various options as to how we deal with these challenges, whether individually or collectively. We can react with fear, anger, even hatred, or we can seek the higher path... the one of love, compassion, and understanding. And, at InnerSelf, we endeavor to assist our readers in choosing the higher path, since the other choice is fraught with pain and delusion.
This week we share insights into the navigation of life's challenges. We begin with an article written by Lawrence Doochin, "Understanding the Challenges of Our Life’s Journey" excerpted from the Afterword of A Book on Fear.
We then move on to Jason Redman, a veteran of the Iraq war, who writes "Don't Count Me Out: Choosing to Wake Up and Overcome". In this excerpt from his book, Overcome, he writes about his challenges after returning from Iraq severely wounded. His journey is an inspiration and can help us put our own challenges in perspective, and provide us with tools to overcome our own adversities.
Challenges exist on many levels... spiritual, emotional, physical, and even planetary. Vatsala Sperling introduces us, or reminds us, of "The High Price of Eating Out -- For Our Health and Environment". There are many ways to deal with our challenges, as presented by the authors above, and also by Erica Longdon who writes about "The Medicine of The Future: Music and Sound" and shows how sound can heal each level of our etheric body.
Sarah Varcas writes of "Loving Ourselves Back to Life with The New Moon in Pisces". While the new moon was on Saturday March 13th, the new moon is a door opening into the next stage of our life. And under the effects of this new moon, and I quote from Sarah's article, "Wounds are being healed, emotions re-balanced. In Pisces, the moon is compassionate and kind."
I'm sure we can all benefit from healing which is compassionate, kind, and balanced, in the midst of all our challenges and experiences. It is time to open our heart to our own pain, as well as to the pain of others. We are not alone in our challenges. Others also are experiencing theirs... many may be going through challenges that are deeper and more intense than the ones we may be encountering.
The path into our future is one beset by challenges and by choices. How do we react? How do we act? What do we feel? How do we express ourselves and our feelings with compassion for others and empathy for the human race? These are questions that require constant attention and evaluation as they paint the color of our present life and future world.
I close this introduction with a further quote from Sarah Varcas and her inspiring article, keeping in mind that the moon is an Archetype that resides inside of us. The Moon represents our own nurturing and mothering nature, our compassionate side, our loving self.
"This gentle moon repairs broken hearts and fractured souls. She mends rifts, heals wounds and reintegrates all that’s divided. She knows separation as a mirage that dissolves in the light of truth and asks us to be gently bold and courageously compassionate in the coming days. To love where we thought we could not, and connect where we seek to avoid. For unconditional love is always her first option – towards others and ourselves."
This is Marie T. Russell wishing you enjoyable, insightful reading, and of course a wonder-full, joy-full, health-full, and loving week.
Please scroll down for the featured articles in this new issue of InnerSelf, and also the recap of all the articles that were added to the website during the week.
Marie T. Russell
editor/publisher,
InnerSelf.com
"New Attitudes...New Possibilities"
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NEW ARTICLES THIS WEEK
***** articles and videos added daily *****
The featured articles are available in audio as well as video format.
Go to each article for the links.
Understanding the Challenges of Our Life’s Journey
Written by Lawrence Doochin. Read Time: 9 mins (Article has audio & video version.)
Most of us had an idea where we thought this journey of life was taking us, and this has likely been at least partially uprooted by the coronavirus crisis, probably significantly. The word “thought” is italicized because...
Don't Count Me Out: Choosing to Wake Up and Overcome
Written by Jason Redman. Read Time: 11 mins
I began to doubt myself. Was a full recovery too much to hope for? Shouldn’t I be content to just be breathing? Wasn’t getting my hopes up for what seemed impossible—getting back to the man I had been— just setting myself up for a bigger fall later?
The High Price of Eating Out -- For Our Health and Environment
Written by Vatsala Sperling. Read Time: 9 mins
A city-based lifestyle promotes a phenomenon called “eating out.” People eat out for various reasons. They get tired after work and have no interest, time, or energy to cook their own food, so they spend their extra cash on restaurant foods.
The Medicine of The Future: Music and Sound
Written by Erica Longdon. Read Time: 13 mins
Broadly speaking, all sound and vibration affects us. Just like food, what we take in can bring us health or detract from our well-being. We consume sounds from the vibrational soup in which we exist every day from our moment of birth and even before birth in the womb.
Loving Ourselves Back to Life with The New Moon in Pisces
Written by Sarah Varcas. Read Time: 6 mins (Article has audio & video version.)
This new moon in Pisces is gentle as a feather and soft as a summer breeze. Like a flower, she opens the heart to suffering, applying nectar to heal division and unite us with those people we would otherwise avoid.
A Concept From Physics Called Negentropy Could Help Your Life Run Smoother
by Alison Carr-Chellman
Life is full of small decisions: Should I pick up that sock on the floor? Should I do the dishes before bed? What about…
People Who Excel At Both Face And Voice Recognition Are Super-recognisers
by Ryan Jenkins et al
How good do you think you are at recognising faces? What about voices? Some people are great at it
Boosting Your Gut Health Sounds Great. But This Wellness Trend Is Vague And Often Misunderstood
by Amy Loughman and Heidi Staudacher
If you walk down the supermarket aisle, you may be tempted with foods marketed as being good for your gut. Then there…
How Living Life On A Screen Affects Your Eyes
by Langis Michaud
Using our eyes more, as we have during the pandemic, often brings out an underlying defect that was already present.
How Your Brain Backs Off Bad Solutions To A Problem
by Kim Eckart
If you’ve ever got stuck trying to solve a puzzle only to back up and start over, that’s your brain recognizing that…
What Coronavirus Tests Are Best and What Are “False Positives” and “False Negatives”?
by Adam Kleczkowsk
Testing for coronavirus is increasingly recognised as essential for getting life back to normal. Free rapid testing is…
Why Playing Outside Should Be A Post-Pandemic Priority
by John J Reilly and Mark S Tremblay
This generation of children will face a range of challenges, including the impacts of climate change, increasing…
3 Things I Have Learned About Climate Change During Covid
by Piers Forster
The planet had already warmed by around 1.2? since pre-industrial times when the World Health Organization officially…
How Search Engines Are Spreading Misinformation and Controlling Information
by Chirag Shah
Search engines are one of society’s primary gateways to information and people, but they are also conduits for…
How To Deal With A Year Of Accumulated Burnout From Working At Home
by Nilufar Ahmed
Over the past year, our lives have seen extensive changes which have led to many of us feeling a sense of exhaustion…
How A Silent Movie Informs The Current Debate Over The Right To Be Forgotten
by Bill Kovarik
In 1915, Gabrielle Darley killed a New Orleans man who had tricked her into a life of prostitution. She was tried…
After A Year Of Pain, Here's How The Covid-19 Pandemic Could Play Out In 2021 And Beyond
by Michael Toole
As we enter year two of the pandemic, let’s remind ourselves of some sobering statistics. So far, there have been more…
I Went Down The Rabbit Hole To Debunk Misinformation – Here's What I Learned
by Eli Gottlieb
Big Ben was stolen from Palestine. So claimed a retweeted clip I received recently. The claim pulled me up short. It…
Staying Active Throughout Adulthood Is Linked To Lower Healthcare Costs In Later Life
by Diarmuid Coughlan
Our latest research has shown another benefit of being physically active throughout life. We found that in the US…
How A Feminist Foreign Policy Would Change The World
by Rollie Lal and Shirley Graham
The Biden administration has a woman, Vice President Kamala Harris, in its second-highest position, and 61% of White…
Why We Should Stop Telling Girls To Smile
by Natalie Coulter
Girls are constantly told to smile, from T-shirts sold in stores that say “everyone loves a happy girl” to the…
Survivor's Guilt Is A Growing Issue As Reality Of Loss Settles In
by David Chesire and Mark S. McIntosh
People are eager to return to normal after a year of coronavirus, but is the U.S. there yet? Hardly. The ongoing…
How Plants Manage The Shift From Winter To Spring
by Richard B. Primack
If you’ve ever seen lilac bushes crushed by snowdrifts, then budding on a warm day just a few weeks later, you may…
Paw Hygiene Is No Reason To Ban Assistance Dogs From Hospitals
by Paul Overgaauw and Joris Wijnker
According to article 19 and 20 of a UN agreement, service dogs are welcome in hospitals, shops and other public places.…
Online Abuse on Facebook and Twitter Can't Be Solved By Regulation Alone
by Laura Higson-Bliss
Complaints about online harassment in the UK continue to rise. A recent response to a freedom of information request…
Wise Women: 6 Ancient Female Philosophers You Should Know About
by Dawn LaValle Norman
When we conjure up ancient philosophers the image that springs to mind might be a bald Socrates discoursing with…
Astrological Journal for the Week
Written by Pam Younghans
This weekly column (updated every Sunday afternoon) is based on planetary influences, and offers perspectives and insights to assist you in making the best use of current energies... Read this week's journal here
It is also highly beneficial to reread the past week's astrological journal as it gives a hindsight view of the events that took place and may provide many "ah-ha" insights.
OLDIES & GOODIES:
Basics of Meditation: Why and How To Meditate
by Sayadaw U. Pandita
Beauty and Eternal Youth - or - Beauty and Wisdom
by Chao-Hsiu Chen
Can Love Make You Whole? Discovering the Sacred Connection
by Julie Tallard Johnson
Self-Discovery Through Obesity and Treating Yourself As A Friend
by Deanna Waggoner
Calling Great Spirit: Visions, Dreams, and Miracles
by Lakota Wisdomkeeper Mathew King
Death of the World Ego and the Power of Control
by Stuart Wilde
Making Friends With Your Pain and Discovering What Your Pain Is Saying
by Dana Ullman, MPH
The Key to Happiness: The Intensity of the Moon's Influence
by Daniel Pharr
The Joy of the Journey: The Ending Doesn't Matter
by Alan Cohen
Freeing the True Self with a Harley and Zen
by Darrell G. Yardley, Ph.D.
Resisting the Desire to Change? Replacing Restriction with Connection
by Carolyn E Cobelo
The Present Is Complete; It Has No Limitations
by Tara Singh
Global Transformation: Remembering Our Oneness
by Jerry Levinson
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