Sometimes it takes a death to get us thinking about life. I had a very close relative pass away a few days ago, his name was John. He had seemed in okay health but after fainting a couple of times, he was taken to a local hospital. Over the ensuing days, a number of tests were conducted and he was diagnosed with a fatal illness. Less than 3 weeks later he was dead. While the death seemed sudden, I can’t… Read more
February 25, 2021
3 Questions to Ask Before Death Comes Calling
February 25, 2021 By Tom Rapsas
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February 17, 2021
The Power of Semi-Positive Thinking
February 17, 2021 By Tom Rapsas
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Say “I can,” instead of “I can’t.” Think positive and positive things will happen! Tell yourself: “Every day, in every way, I am getting better and better.” When you expect the best, you release a magnetic force which brings you the best. Do these positive-thinking quotes strike you as a bunch of hooey? Me, too. They’re the sort of messages you can find on motivational posters (#1 and #2) or in the book The Power of Positive Thinking (#3 and… Read more
February 10, 2021
5 Keen Insights from a Professional Beachcomber
February 10, 2021 By Tom Rapsas
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Do you know the difference between a beach bum and a beachcomber? Purpose. According to my trusty laptop dictionary, a beach bum is defined as a person who loafs on or around a beach. On the other hand, a beachcomber is a person who walks along the beach looking for valuable or interesting items. Richard Bode falls into the beachcomber category, though instead of walking the beach with a metal detector looking for buried treasures, what he seeks are the… Read more
February 4, 2021
Where Will the Spiritual Path Take You?
February 4, 2021 By Tom Rapsas
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Jack Kornfield tells the story of the late Buddhist monk Chögyam Trungpa Rinpoche who was one day giving a talk at a lecture hall in Berkelely, California. The participants had paid $15 each to hear him speak and once the hall had filled, Trungpa asked them: “How many of you are just beginning your spiritual practice?” A number of people raised their hands. He looked around the room and said, “Fine, my suggestion is that you go home. At the… Read more
January 27, 2021
Insights from the Toltec Prophecies: 2021-2026
January 27, 2021 By Tom Rapsas
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Do you remember back in 2012 when the Mayan calendar said that the world was going to end? Some believed that the calendar prophesied that a cataclysmic, doomsday event would occur on December 21st of that year. To the surprise of some, it did not come to pass and many experts later weighed in that the calendar had been misread and was merely indicating the start of a new time cycle. Reading ancient calendars is tricky business but one person… Read more
January 21, 2021
7 Life Lessons from The Boy and The Mole
January 21, 2021 By Tom Rapsas
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Have you heard of the book The Boy, The Mole, the Fox and the Horse? It has topped the bestseller list in the Publisher’s Weekly Comics category for a year now, selling over a million copies. But to label this book a “comic” is a misnomer. Written and illustrated by Charlie Mackesy, The Boy, The Mole, the Fox and the Horse is a fable that eavesdrops on a conversation between the four characters in the title. The pages are sparsely… Read more
January 13, 2021
Are You Listening to the Still, Small Voice Within?
January 13, 2021 By Tom Rapsas
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If you read enough books about the soul, you’ll come across a reoccurring theme. It’s the idea that we all have a small, still voice within us that is there to guide us as we make our way through life. The voice represents the deepest, truest part of us, our soul, and it knows what we want and need from life—if only we would listen to it. The Voice There is a voice inside of you That whispers all day… Read more
January 6, 2021
For a Better 2021, Ask Yourself These 2 Questions
January 6, 2021 By Tom Rapsas
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January is often the time we make resolutions. For many of us, this includes eating healthier and exercising more—and hopefully shedding the extra pounds we’ve put on during our prolonged COVID lockdown :-). But this year, along with improving your physical health, why not strive to improve your spiritual health as well? Spiritual health is achieved when you feel at peace with life. That doesn’t mean you won’t face difficult situations or even experience hard times, but you have a… Read more
December 30, 2020
9 Tips to Soothe the Soul This Winter
December 30, 2020 By Tom Rapsas
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With a grim political season in the rearview and a seemingly grimmer winter on the horizon, it’s time to reinvigorate the soul…to find light in the darkness and prepare yourself to face down whatever comes next. The inspiring words above come from a recent article in The NY Times titled “Find Some Peace this Holiday” by Erik Vance. But for the purposes of this column, I’m going to change the slant to “Finding Some Peace After the Holidays.” In much… Read more
December 22, 2020
The Birth of Jesus: According to the Gospel of Mattuke
December 22, 2020 By Tom Rapsas
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Have you ever been at a Christmas sermon and the minister/reverend/priest goes off topic? I know it peeves my wife Laney, and you may feel the same way. Because during Christmas church services, we want to hear about one thing—the story of the birth of Jesus in a manger in Bethlehem. If you go looking for the baby Jesus story in the Bible, you’ll see that only two gospels cover the actual birth, Luke and Matthew. (When Mark and John… Read more
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