Source: Psychics Universe

If you have ever visited a church or cathedral, chances are you marveled at a few treasured stained glass windows.

When hit by the light in a certain way, they suddenly come alive, like precious sparkling jewels capturing your imagination and taking your breath away.

But did you know there is a great degree of spiritual symbolism hidden behind those multicolored shards?

Stained Glass and the Early Church

Although colored glass has been in production since ancient Egypt, we most commonly associate it with the Medieval Christian church. Many churches and cathedrals throughout Europe portrayed scenes from the Bible in stained glass.

In fact, the term “Poor Man’s Bible,” has come to mean stained glass depictions and other artwork contained within these early churches.

They were largely created to illustrate Biblical teachings to a mostly illiterate population. Only the rich and the clergy knew how to read and write during this period.

Color Symbolism Hidden Within

Aside from religious teachings contained with colored segments of glass, there is also hidden color symbolism. The next time you view an exquisite cathedral window, keep in mind these color meanings.

Red denotes courage and self-sacrifice. Many martyrs are depicted in red or surrounded by this color.

Blue is often used to represent heaven or eternity. It is also the color of meditation, contemplation and loyalty. The Virgin Mary is usually clothed in blue.

Green is the color of new beginnings and youth. It also symbolizes hope and victory, overcoming ignorance and indifference.

Gold is a symbol of God, divinity and the treasures of heaven. It means spiritual achievement and all that is good. Halos are gold for this reason.

White is used to portray innocence, joy, purity, faith and piousness.

Violet or purple is the union of wisdom and love. It is the color of royalty, but also justice. Glassmakers would also use dark purple in place of black to mean negativity, death and mourning.

When combined with white it symbolizes humility and purity.

Other Symbolism

Another hidden symbol (actually hiding in plain sight) is the light itself. When it hits the glass it reminds us of our inner light. Our spirits and auras are much like that magnificent window. Inspirational and glowing!

Finally, the fragile nature of glass reminds us of life. It too, is very fragile and precious. We must do the utmost to care for it.

Source: Wake Up World

You’ll never forget this video.

I came across this amazing video the other day which I felt to share. I find it tremendously inspirational. It’s not a ‘spiritual’ video as such, but then again, if we’re truly following and committing to our passion, is that not spiritual in itself?

I’m travelling the world currently on the Divinicus Tour, meeting people, all of whom have seemingly mountainous obstacles on their path.

This is a video about a guy demonstrating tremendous skill, commitment and bravery in crossing a seemingly insurmountable mountain range – a knife edge ridge – on the awesomely beautiful Isle of Sky in Scotland.

What can this video teach us about life itself?…

Mastering your craft – we each have gifts

When you watch it, consider the countless hours this guy must have applied to master his craft, even though he’s pretty young.

Contemplate the level of commitment and focus required, the courage and bravery, when even the slightest slip, would surely result in serious injury or death. Yet consider how calm he is in the face of that.

And when you watch it, perhaps then, you might realise we all have such a gift, such a talent, although it may not always be as obvious as his.

The talents and gifts we have are gifts of beingness, and we each have the capacity to master what’s within us.

But it’s only ever going to happen, it will only ever materialise, by applying ourselves wholeheartedly, with utmost commitment to our path – that which is unique to each of us.

And when we do, we’ll reach a place, where we find ourselves totally overawed by what we’re capable of and the majesty within us.

What are you capable of? What can you unveil?

So watch the video now, but as you do, don’t just see it as an incredible feat by someone else; don’t let it simply drift off into the annals of ‘just another great video’. This sharing is simply too good for that; it’s just too inspirational to be consigned so easily to the ‘new media heap’.

I suggest instead, you let it inspire you to contemplate how you might unfold the beauty inside of you, and how much attention, courage and commitment you might need to find – that you are capable of uncovering.

In a world that is just too full of soft comfort, sometimes it needs the example of someone prepared to go out on a limb, to ride the blade edge of life, to demonstrate to others, just what they too may be capable of, in their own way, in their own sense of beingness…

Danny Macaskill – The Ridge

Source: Conscious Life News

A common question that I am asked after screenings of The Sacred Science film is, “Do I have to take a trip to the Amazon to get this type of healing?”.

My response to this, believe it or not, is that many of the techniques seen in the film can be applied in just about any town or city on the planet.

With a little creativity, you don’t necessarily need to seek out a pricey jungle healing center or track down a traveling shaman in order to heal using these methods.

Below is one of the fundamental strategies that the shamans used in our film. Don’t be deceived by how simple it is!

Full Immersion In Nature

One of the most overlooked tools used in traditional jungle medicine is full immersion in nature. I’m talking about isolation in the middle of the woods, surrounded by nothing but trees, grass, rocks, and the occasional furry passerby.

What happens when we rid ourselves of all modern day distractions? Our televisions, our computers, the radio, even newspapers and books – things that certainly have value but also take focus away from ourselves.

If you’ve seen The Sacred Science, you have a good idea of what I’m talking about. The patients we brought into the Amazon packed a ton of extra stuff including iPods, laptops, writing instruments, painting tools, you name it..

And to their dismay, each of these items was taken “for safe keeping” by the support staff upon their arrival.

You see, in this type of ancient medicine the key is to rid yourself of any outlet that you can distract yourself with, regardless of how beneficial you might think it is.

This notion may seem odd to many of us who keep journals or take painstaking notes when learning something new. After all, how will we remember what transpired and what needs to be worked on moving forward?

A medicine man might answer that the act of hastily recording your thoughts indulges your rational brain which is part of what got you sick in the first place.

The indigenous healing practices differ from modern medicine in that much importance is placed on investigating the underlying thought patterns and emotional disruptions that lurk beneath the surface symptoms of our illnesses.

The sacred plant ceremonies can catapult you into this unpredictable realm alarmingly fast which can be very beneficial, but also a bit horrifying. Another way to get here, which requires awareness and peripheral inner vision, is through solitude in nature.

“Our bodies are mirrors of mother nature.
Mother nature is the mirror of our inner nature.
In that way each of us are our own best doctors.”

– Roman Hanis, Medicine Man

If this strategy resonates with you, here is an exercise that you can try no matter where you live on this beautiful planet. This can be used to supercharge whichever healing methods you are currently implementing.

A word to the wise, don’t be fooled by how simple this practice is.

The 90 Minutes of Solitude Exercise:

A.) Schedule 90 minutes this week to gift yourself. You will be embarking on a short voyage.

B.) Before leaving your house, remove all items from your pocket / backpack that could be a distraction – including cell phone, computer, magazines, newspapers, iPod, notebook, etc.

C.) Find a local forest or park and travel to it.

D.) Upon arrival, walk until you find a space away from any manmade stimuli, including other people. And sit down. There is no need to close your eyes, just be still.

E.) If possible, remove your shoes and socks, letting your feet touch the earth.

F.) Begin to watch the ticker tape of thought and notice how it fluctuates over the course of 90 minutes.

Some things you may want to pay attention to:

– How long does it take for your mind to become extremely quiet? If at all..

– What triggers your mind to become hyper active?

– What thoughts, positive and negative, begin to come up?

– What can you sense about your immediate environment?

– If you are working through a particular health challenge, what thoughts are coming up around this?

This type of practice is obviously not an overnight cure. But if you take 90 minutes of undistracted solitude once or twice per week, information about who you are and where you need help will begin to present itself. This hard earned information is what many healers use to help plot out a medicine map.

This inner map can be a crucial aid to ones recovery.

By: Amanda Christian / Source: Mind Body Green

Between all the tasks, people and activities competing for our attention every day, it’s so easy to get lost in the routine and lose touch of our most powerful, loving selves.

Before we know it, we’re acting out of habit or are glued to the computer. The following are some ways I get real, and come back to myself:

1. Spend time alone.

Spend time alone with no social media or cell phone. Gasp! Most of us are connected all the time, and it’s very easy to get out of touch with how we feel.

It’s so important to spend time with yourself every day in order to recharge your self-love battery and come back to the awareness of the loveliness all around you in this moment.

2. Feel your feelings.

There is nothing “spiritual,” positive or holy about hiding your feelings and pretending you are happy when you’re not.

This doesn’t mean that you need to act on all your feelings; instead, be honest with yourself about what you’re feeling so that it can move through you and be released. You become more real by becoming more honest.

3. Journal.

Becoming more honest with yourself might bring up some feelings about your past that need to be released. Write them down.

My journal is a mess of misspelled words, run-on sentences, unfinished poems, weird doodles and the occasional “ah-ha” moment circled with stars and exclamation points. There are no rules. Just let the feelings and ideas out!

4. Spend time in nature.

Mother nature is my best friend. No joke. Whenever I’m feeling a little funky, usually from too much computer time, I throw on my sneakers and head out to the woods for a little forest therapy.

Deeply breathe in the fresh air, hug a tree, smile and remember all the love you have in your life right now.

5. Release the need for external validation.

Most of us are motivated to do and say things based on the way we think others are going to respond. This isn’t good or bad, but it’s meaningless.

You can’t control or predict how other people feel or react. Go with your gut. Set the intention for peace. When you act from a place of authenticity, likability will follow. I promise.

6. Claim your power.

Don’t be afraid of outshining others. As Marianne Williamson said, “As we let our own light shine, we unconsciously give other people permission to do the same.” Don’t be afraid to go after your passions and let yourself shine.

Now that you’ve just spent time reading how to be more true to yourself, how can you apply these ideas? It’s in the application of the ideas that you will experience the change. Today I challenge you to do at least one of the things above.

Want an idea? How about ditching the cell phone and venturing out for a walk by yourself? Bring your journal to write out your feelings, sit under a tree and bliss out. That’s the makings of one delightful authentic connection with my most powerful loving self if you ask me! Soak it in.