A better life – Do I need one?

A better life?

By Stephen Russell-Lacy It doesn’t matter who we are, there is always something going wrong from time to time.   The central heating boiler packs up, family discord breaks out, or an illness starts up.  Most of us are sometimes tempted to throw up our hands in dismay.  Why can’t I have a better life? After … Continue reading A better life – Do I need one?

Inner growth – What changes in us?

inner growth

Many writers recommend practical ways we can improve our inner growth. They might mention for example some martial arts, yoga, meditation, fasting, ceremony and ritual, or prayer. They often refer to a process of inner awakening of awareness that goes beyond ordinary existence and insight into universal truths. It means going beyond the mind and … Continue reading Inner growth – What changes in us?

Plant growth – A lesson in spirituality?

plant

My wife and I have recently taken on an organic allotment plot to try our hand at vegetable and fruit growing. From what I have so far learned, I have been wondering whether plant growth might have something to teach us about the human side of life. What might be the deeper lessons in nature … Continue reading Plant growth – A lesson in spirituality?

Journeying home – But how?

Journeying home

An ideal home is an attractive thought. There are exhibitions and magazines which promote smart and aesthetically pleasing furnishing and house design. What is your ideal sense of home?  Journeying to my ideal home would be aiming to live in the same community as other people with whom I feel at ‘home’. It also is … Continue reading Journeying home – But how?

Bible stories – mythical nonsense?

Bible

You may have tried reading Bible stories only to find them out of date and irrelevant to today. Even if you have struggled to understand any meaning, you may have given up on them as mythical nonsense. However, according to spiritual philosopher Emanuel Swedenborg, what makes the Bible worth reading is a deeper meaning in … Continue reading Bible stories – mythical nonsense?

How bad a person am I?

How bad am I

You may feel undeserving of any happy destiny because you are fundamentally not okay with yourself. Well, for all I know you might well be consumed by a huge ego, be selfish, vain, bitchy, resentful, etc.  But I would like to ask how do we really know when we are basically bad? That would be … Continue reading How bad a person am I?

Personal tragedy – How could I face it?

Personal tragedy

Personal tragedy visited Jack. Although in his sixties and retired, he still felt young. His whole life revolved around doing handyman jobs in his own home and in the homes of his three daughters. He greatly enjoyed the company of his family and their appreciation. But recently he was experiencing some troubling ailments. First he noticed he was getting … Continue reading Personal tragedy – How could I face it?

Suspicion – How to overcome it?

suspicion

Do you give the man in your life a warm embrace in order to sniff for any strange perfume? Or scroll through your partner’s phonebook, when she’s not around, checking for any new male contacts? Signs of sexual jealousy in others may sound funny but if you are the one experiencing suspicion it can be … Continue reading Suspicion – How to overcome it?

Volunteering – Could Cameron’s ‘big society’ work?

volunteering

David Cameron’s ‘big society’ has caused a lot of comment. Unpaid jobs don’t pay the rent/mortgage or bring food on the table. In this day and age people are obliged to work long hours and have busy lives. An ethical perspective maintains that people should do things for others as well as for self.

But being useful is also a way of self-improvement. With less time to dwell on self we can find unsuspected energy from people around us. This method of spiritual growth involves focusing of what is needed and getting on and doing it.

Is sex a spiritual thing?

Many of us are inclined to rebel when someone tells us what to do. We do not always take kindly to being told what is right and wrong behaviour. However, ethical living is part of spiritual healing according to the world’s spiritual traditions. That following a set of rules of conduct is conducive to spiritual growth. How does this apply to sexual relationships?

People may not be concerned about the rights and wrongs of sexual behaviour. They ask:

“Isn’t sex a basic drive that needs to be satisfied, just like hunger and thirst?”
“Isn’t sexual expression one of our inherent freedoms?”
“Isn’t sexuality a way of expressing our unique individuality?”

To answer “yes” to these questions may be correct for some but it is to miss a spiritual principle, for it ignores the idea of a growing union of mature love between two people. There are many reasons for coldness developing between a couple but one of the most damaging tends to be the sense of hurt and distrust in one partner caused by the other becoming sexually drawn to another person.