Category: Spirituality

By Dr. Stewart Bitkoff
Circumstances have overtaken man. His old languages are not sufficient to describe what is happening, and what is about to happen. To think in terms of a millennium or such tame concepts as ‘the eleventh hour’ is ridiculous. Better that he should realize that he is in an era which might be [...]

By Marlene Buffa
A new calendar year urges us to set new intentions for the coming twelve months.  Often playful, sometimes serious, these resolutions allow us to focus on what we hope to accomplish and also allow us an opportunity to ponder the possibilities we map out for ourselves.  Faced with a pencil and blank sheet [...]

Simhananda, a Western spiritual master who has been offering teachings in Québec for over thirty years, has agreed to share some of his wisdom with us. Just like Padmasambhava (1) and Tsong Khapa (2), he lives in a country that is gripped by cold temperatures for a good part of the year. A warmth radiates [...]

By Marlene Buffa
Never officially canonized as a saint, Nicholas of Myra (a Greek speaking province of Rome in what is now Turkey), gained affection by secretly giving gifts to the townspeople.  In the 3rd century, his moniker, Nicholas the Wonderworker, reflected his many good deeds and contributions to his community.
Kris Kringle (the reformulated name for [...]

By Marlene Buffa
My mother-in-law sat on the beach in Aruba and reached for her cold beverage nestled in the sand by her chair.  She miscalculated her grasp and instead, her hand dove into the sand and she pulled out a glorious 14K solid gold rope necklace.  Teams of salvage hunters spend millions of dollars, countless [...]

By Dr. Stewart Bitkoff
At the beginning I was mistaken in four ways. I sought to remember God, to know Him, and to seek Him. When I had come to the end, I saw that He had remembered me before I remembered Him, that His knowledge of me had preceded my knowledge of Him, His love [...]

By Marlene Buffa
In the romanticism of this nation’s early years, the one-room schoolhouse represents ingenuity at its finest.  Depicted in the movies as the epicenter of the small, rural communities, this learning environment united the spirits of cooperation, patience, initiative and flexibility.  When we step back and look at life in general as a one-room [...]

by Jonathan Lockwood Huie
We all want to be happy, but something always gets in the way. There is never enough time… or money. Somebody is always failing to do what they are “supposed” to do… or not do. Our boss, our spouse, our kids, our parents, our friends, government, big business, whoever… “They” aren’t doing [...]

By Marlene Buffa
Ok.  I admit it.  I hate cleaning windows.  Like most of us, the task often gets delayed until the last possible moment.  After craning my neck to look around the spots on the glass to see outside, I finally relent and get the window cleaner and the newspaper.  My most recent attempt at [...]

By Dr. Stewart Bitkoff
There are as many ways to God as there are created souls.
-Muhammad
In our culture, who assumes the role of holy or wise one? In more traditional cultures the holy, wise one is a central figure.  Often, they advise the king/queen, sit at the right hand of the chief, understand human behavior [...]

By Dr. Stewart Bitkoff
The Sufi is absent from self and present with God.
-Hujwiri
For the spiritual traveler, one of the most intriguing spiritual practices, through the use of focused prayer, turns free will choice into submission to the higher. In some paths, submission to the higher is the goal and accompanying this level of service is [...]

by Toni Gardner
So, I have this theory.  You know what a mirror ball is, right?  I’m talking about the giant, shiny disco balls you see in dance halls, night clubs and old Travolta flicks.  You know the ones - the spheres covered with all those little square mirrors that bounce back all that funky red, [...]