What if death itself is not the end we have thought and assumed? What if who we are—our very consciousness and selfhood—is not annihilated with death? Those are two of the thought-provoking questions posed by Sam Parnia, MD, in the book Lucid Dying: The New Science Revolutionizing How We Understand Life and Death. Parnia, a professor of medicine at NYU Langone Medical Center, is not just spitballing here. His observations are based on the largest research study ever conducted... Read more
“He who is afraid of a thing gives it power over him.” ~Ancient proverb Are you a little freaked out by the news these days? Me too. It’s hard not to be fearful during these scary political and economic times. A quick glimpse of the headlines at any major news site, or a peek at the stock market on any given day, is enough to get your head spinning and your heart sinking. But there’s something you can do about it,... Read more
Let us not spend this holy week brooding on the crucifixion of God’s Son, but happily in the celebration of his release. For Easter is the sign of peace, not pain. ~Helen Schucman, A Course in Miracles While the stories of the resurrection vary from gospel to gospel, one thing’s for certain: The days leading up to the crucifixion of Jesus were a dark time. But as we get closer to Easter, things begin to change. We move beyond the... Read more
If you’ve been spiritually active over the past few decades, you’ve probably heard the word “mindfulness” once or twice—or a few hundred times. But what exactly is mindfulness? As it turns out, it depends on who you ask. Heather Hurlock, the former editor-in-chief of Mindful magazine writing on the website Super Age, points out there are a several definitions out there. Mindfulness is: “The awareness that arises from paying attention, on purpose, in the present moment, non-judgmentally.” ~Zen practitioner and best-selling... Read more
The other day, out of the blue, my Amazon Alexa asked me a question: “Would you like to hear a daily one-minute meditation?” While my wife and I use Alexa and her sisters to play music throughout the house, the question seemed to come out of nowhere. (Maybe based on my spiritual book buying?) Regardless, I said yes. Now, at 8:10 each morning, Alexa interrupts the silence, or any music that might be playing, with a meditation on our kitchen... Read more
What if the universe is weirder and more complex than we could ever imagine? What if each of us is living not just one life—but many—and the reality you’re now experiencing is just one of many you are participating in? That’s the general concept behind the novel The Midnight Library by Matt Haig. Early in the book, our protagonist Nora decides to end her life. But death is not the end of her story. Nora crosses over to find she... Read more
How to Feed the Soul There’s one word and topic that appears more in Wake Up Call than any other. Of the 617 columns I’ve written since 2012, it’s mentioned in 266 or about 43% of them. Sometimes it’s referenced in passing, but often it’s the main theme of a column. From the title above, you may already have guessed: it’s the soul. Why have I spent so much time and effort on this topic? It’s that important for our... Read more
Welcome to the first-ever Wake Up Call guest column! The following blog post was written by one of my favorite spirituality podcast hosts, Trey Downes. He’s the force behind Your Superior Self, but to simply call it a spirituality podcast comes up short. Like me, Trey is looking under every rock to uncover the roots of consciousness and our spiritual nature. His podcasts include interviews with modern-day mystics, energy healers, alien contactees, and more. Take it away, Trey. What is... Read more
When society is made up of men who know no interior solitude, it can no longer be held together by love: and consequently, it is held together by a violent and abusive authority. ~Thomas Merton, Thoughts in Solitude Are the problems we face today caused by our inability to sit alone in a room with our own thoughts? If we fail to enter a space of interior solitude on a regular basis, does it change us as human beings? Does... Read more
If you have trouble meditating, you might relate to this story. In the book Reincarnation Blues, author Michael Poore tells the story of a man named Milo who is reincarnated many, many times. With each new reincarnation, Milo has a chance to get things right by putting others ahead of himself—but he keeps coming up short. As a result, Milo has burned through almost a thousand lives. During one lifetime, Milo is a friend and companion of the Buddha. (Yes,... Read more
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