Soul’s Code

8: The Mormon Proposition, a movie on spiritual politics

Utah not only hosts the annual Sundance Film Festival; in the 2010 edition of the film fest, the state’s (unofficial) church has a starring role in the line-up of movies.

The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints is taken down in a documentary about the 2008 initiative that successfully banned gay marriage in California.

Another irony: the film, 8: The Mormon Proposition, is directed by a former Mormon. It details the counter-revolutionary intervention Mormons poured into passing Proposition 8.

Like the Earth itself, we are all vulnerable to the energy within us

GUEST COLUMN BY HEATHER GREAVES — The Earth in all her pain (toxicity) and glory has faults.

Likewise, we human beings with all our broken dreams and victories, have faults.

As below our feet. . .so it is above.

The year 2010 has begun with Earth releasing energy causing its area known as Haiti to quake and tremor. The energy was released by the rupture of a geological fault without a warning, and definitely without so much as a by-your-leave.

How to savor lasting impressions of beauty in the present moment

Will soul evolving strength and beauty emerge from the rubble of Haiti?

GUEST COLUMN BY CHELSEA LANGAN — It’s been a tough couple of days for Haitians, their families, and sympathetic souls around the world. The devastation that has unfolded in such an already grief stricken island seems catastrophic.

But on a positive note, I believe they’ve acquired a rare opportunity to rebuild their nation from the ground up with a new, uncanny, unprecedented strength and perception that has the potential to spread miracles to the rest of the world.

One might consider the damage from the earthquake a free demo, a courtesy, rather, from God himself.

Although many of the Haitian structures deemed sacred have been leveled, or re-leveled in some cases, I don’t question God’s testaments to the ephemeral.

“I can feel the years of fears, abandonments and hungers. And then, I let it all go in acceptance.”

GUEST COLUMN: JULIA TUCHMAN — I have never been very good at surrendering. I have been the fighter — the hold-on-to-the-side-of-the-cliff, fight-for-your-life, never-give-up and “go down with the ship” kind of soul. It was exhausting work, and with no apparent end in sight.

Surrender is one of the most essential lessons I needed to learn, and I have been given a legion of opportunities to learn, grow, and finally accept the wisdom of surrender. But I am stubborn. The lessons for surrender kept coming into my life, but I continued fighting, resisting surrender at any cost.

Life-coach Jemitra Hairston ushers the ancient sacred ritual of sharing tea into the 21st century.

GUEST COLUMN: JEMITRA HAIRSTON — This is not an easy subject for me because I grew up in the South, home of Lipton “sun tea.” On Sundays, my mama would place a big container full of water on the well next to the clothes line in the back yard.

Dangling from tabs captured between the lid and lip of the jar were several bags of Lipton’s tea. After several hours of sitting in the North Carolina sun, the tea would be brewed to “perfection.”

Old headlines, new knowledge

People around the world are reviewing the events of last year, particularly reported by the media.  How about reviewing  events reported over 100 years ago?  The British Library has made available, through subscription, millions of digitally scanned pages of British newspapers.  Nostalgic seekers can peruse articles on women’s football, political rallies, the abolition of slavery, and that newfangled utility called electricity.  Contemporary gurus (everybody) can now find lessons learned from many years past.

The spiritual secrets of fine dining: No. 2, Have a glass of wine with your meal

GUEST COLUMN: VAISHALI — Our digestive system is the cornerstone of all the body’s health and strength – emotional, mental, as well as physical. These are simple Ayurvedic tips to optimize your digestive system.

1. Do not eat if you do not feel hungry. Feeling hungry is your body’s way . . .

Our recent passage through fear and anxiety was a repercussion of spiritual bankruptcy. A psychic’s recipe for cleansing your mind

GUEST COLUMN: PHYLLIS KING — January 2010 has never been a better time to say yes to our true essence. The roto rooter shock waves that careened through our lives in 2009 is coming to an end.

The fear and anxiety that crippled so many people’s lives has seen its pinnacle.

For those who have been paying attention, we know that this has been the repercussion of a spiritual bankruptcy.

Let us now get our houses in order by saying yes to the healthiest, most creative and loving parts of ourselves.

The self-improvement industry is dominated by a dozen multi-millionaire celebrities, and a big guru has not emerged since 2004. Shari Arison is already a billionaire in her own right, and may have the inner right-minded stuff to break out