The calls for magical intervention kept coming, interspersed with medical updates that were presented as progress, despite all evidence to the contrary. There’d been a tragic accident, and a young person was on life support, unresponsive. Emotional emails flew back and forth, many filled with hope and confidence in the power of magic and affirmation.
I participated at first. But when we were asked to use a spell formula affirming the miracle of a complete recovery, I stepped away. I worried that we were asking too much, that this person's nearest and dearest were going to be either devastated or exhausted by their hope against hope. Energy was being expended at a rate that would inevitably demand a crash. Perhaps even a soul was being held to earth when it was time for it to fly free.
Five of us, variously exhausted or uplifted, sat distributed on couches in the interview room. Our meditation teacher was checking in with us in the midst of a week-long silent retreat. One by one we responded. As usual, there were the usual happy yogis who had reached new heights of concentration, complete with interesting spiritual effects. The rest of us were detailing our rather more mundane struggles with the practice: distractions, obsessive thoughts, doubts. I had just finished adding my troubles to the pile when the teacher sent me a level look and said: “This is how it is right now.”
This is how it is right now. The whole of the Dharma in seven words.
Facing death, inmates create art to reflect their spiritual outlook. A Jew talks about what the formation of his identity. And an explanation of some of the principles behind so-called Chinese "alchemy" (which is, in fact, quite different from Western alchemy). It's Faithful Friday, our segment on faiths and religious communities from around the world. All this and more for the Pagan News Beagle!
What would Jesus think of modern Christians? A look at the role "surrender" plays in Hinduism. And talking about Buddhism with the writer behind Dear White People. It's Faithful Friday, our segment on news about faiths and religious communities around the world! All this and more for the Pagan News Beagle!
A look at ancient traditions surviving into modern China. Lessons from the Bodhisattva path of Mahayana Buddhism. And Jainism's philosophy on death and dying. It's Faithful Friday, our segment on news about faiths and religious communities from around the world. All this and more for the Pagan News Beagle!
Is there wisdom in anger? A Hindu magazine honors its "Hindu of the Year." And the plight of Muslim immigrants in the United States is considered. It's Faithful Friday, our news segment about faiths and religious communities around the world. All this and more for the Pagan News Beagle!
Buddhists consider the spiritual needs of prison inmates. A look at some of the holy sites of Hinduism. And how President Trump is attempting to appeal the religious right in America. It's Faithful Friday, our news segment on faiths and religious communities from around the world. All this and more for the Pagan News Beagle!
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