I was recently reminded and enlightened to the idea that life too has exams. Because we live in an intelligent universe created by an intelligent God, there are no accidents or coincidences. Everything that happens has been divinely orchestrated by God for our good.

Shamans tend to be men {Women have more of these abilities in their natural state and require less altered consciousness.}, though women also can become shamans; some women shamans are extraordinarily powerful. In some cultures, shamans are involuntarily chosen by the spirits; they realize their calling in a transformational experience, often a serious illness that brings them close to death {For example Damion Brinkley of today.} and is self-cured. In other cultures, persons with natural shamanic gifts are selected at a young age, trained and initiated.

A humorous look at the author's experience at the Crosswalk.com forum.

In the information age with hi-tech devices, computers and GPS tracking devices is it reasonable to believe that human beings can still experience a vision or an apparition?

Even as I started dating a Chinese girl, I knew I was embarking on a remarkable adventure. I just had no idea where and how far the adventure would take me. The more events unfolded, the more I realized that my view of the world and how I lived in it were being profoundly and permanently altered... If the problem with marrying a gentile was that my religion prohibited intermarriage, why should that bother me? Perhaps not everything in Judaism made sense, and as an intelligent and thinking individual I could take from my heritage what I felt was meaningful and disregard the rest...

Why is it that selling drugs, sex, a big screen TVs, or any physical item is easier than selling someone on a new way of thinking? What is it that grounds us in our idealogy even if what we believe in doesn't demonstrate that it works for us? What is so compelling in our thoughts that we won't budge from our political or religions beliefs?

Do we really think we can just ask God for some great position in life with out any preparation? Not hardly. Psalm 107 tells us that God sometimes brings storms into our lives to accomplish a purpose in us. And that purpose, I believe, is to prepare us for greater things.

For the Lord searches every heart and understands every motive behind the thoughts; For who among men knows the thoughts of man except the man’s spirit within him? In the same way no one knows the thoughts of God except the Spirit of God.

If we are honest with ourselves, we would have to admit that the reason we have difficulty forgiving others is because we sincerely believe we are justified in our withholding forgiveness.

Make no mistake about it, change is challenging whether it is conscious or unexpected. Viewing adversity as change, not loss or failure, is part of empowered and positive thinking.

Has America known its finest hour? Are we losing our religion and sanity as well? What is wrong with our society anyway? These are baffling questions that are frequently being asked by more and more ...

Traditional psychotherapy/psychoanalysis fails to address the all-important relationship to one's true spiritual nature. Traditional spiritual practice often bypasses -and thus fails to transform - the psychological conditional patterns and unconscious beliefs that arise from our personal histories and adaptations.

No one likes the word selfish or selfishness, yet to be completely enlightened selfishness is what takes you there. When one is completely selfish they move to selflessness which works in ones best interest and it is a conscious selfish thought which is a part of unconditional love not a result of it.

Last NAN I explained how to petition the female Saints with special requests. This time around I'll provide some instruction on how to ask to be put in the cosmic care of the Male Saints . These are very ancient pagan rituals, which have been popularized by the Christian Church.

Many of you already own several lucky charms or talismans. You just may not be aware of the object's symbolism or meaning. Below I have compiled a list of some of the more popular and common good luck symbols that can be purchased in the form of jewellery, paintings or statues.

I am a big believer in the strength of a personal prayer. However, some of you have asked for a formal guide about how to call to the Archangels. (See the archives – Your Guide To the Archangels for more information!) This guide below is for those of you who prefer to follow a structured format.

On order to survive and thrive, the human race must develop a new thought paradigm.

You really want to be spiritual, but things keep getting in the way. Distractions, noisy and unsettling, come between you and where you want to focus your attention. True spirituality involves developing the ability, not to get rid of the annoyances, but to look past them, or even to see through them to view what is really significant and permanent.

One of the first steps toward understanding the Tarot lies in appreciating the meaning of its two Arcana – the Major and the Minor. But even before that, the novice does well by committing to memory the meaning of “Arcana” – defined as “mysterious knowledge, language, or information accessible only by the initiate.”

Angels are making their presence felt everywhere. Once I started opening myself up to the draw of the angelic realms little reminders began catching my eye every day. What is an Angel? Read more about popular angel definitions, Lila* Stars personal angelic beliefs and angel perceptions by the human brain.

This article is intended to create awareness of the existence of Spiritual Laws and the fact that we can employ them to influence our fortunes in life.

This article uses the metaphor of a box of paints to describe how we colour our lives...

Why do some people develop panic attacks while other walk away without a scratch? The answer to that question is also an answer to your question: How can i cure my panic attacks and anxiety problems.