January is the time to make big resolutions, and for many of us this includes becoming healthier and more physically fit. But this year, why not strive to improve your spiritual health as well? I recently wrote about how important it can be to start each day with a morning ritual and how it can have a positive effect on your mental and spiritual well-being. For instance, my morning practice includes a morning run, spiritual reading and a moment of… Read more
January 3, 2016
How to improve your spiritual well-being—morning, noon and night.
January 3, 2016 By Tom Rapsas
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December 16, 2015
Let’s put Santa back into Christmas.
December 16, 2015 By Tom Rapsas
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It’s that time of year again—the time when many Christians begin whining that the true meaning of Christmas is being lost. “Let’s put Christ back into Christmas!” shouts the sign at the Knights of Columbus hall down the street from me. But I’d like to propose that what we really need this Christmas is a little more Santa. The idea was planted in my head by the author Thomas Moore in his recent book A Religion of One’s Own. Moore… Read more
December 7, 2015
Were Jesus and Mary Magdalene a couple?
December 7, 2015 By Tom Rapsas
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I’ve been reading a book titled Jesus Behaving Badly, and it reminds us that the Jesus of the New Testament exhibited more than a few human traits. Author Mark L. Strauss calls them “the puzzling paradoxes” and they include Jesus losing his temper (Matthew 23:33), Jesus railing against families (Mark 10:29-30) and Jesus being vengeful (the parable of the fig tree). Which got me thinking—if Jesus occasionally showed flashes of anger or spite, didn’t he also experience the whole spectrum… Read more
November 22, 2015
How to put more happy in your Thanksgiving—with gratitude.
November 22, 2015 By Tom Rapsas
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What makes Thanksgiving so special to us? When you think about it, it’s a very simple idea: family and friends gathering together over a big meal. But beneath that simplicity lies a powerful notion: the concept of giving thanks. In The Worldwide Laws of Life, John Templeton talks about the power of gratitude and how it can act like a magnet. In his words “the more we are grateful for what we have, the more will be given to us.”… Read more
November 12, 2015
On being in the moment—with a little help from The Three Stooges.
November 12, 2015 By Tom Rapsas
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Larry: “I can’t see! I can’t see!” Moe: “What’s the matter?” Larry: “I got my eyes closed!” ~The Three Stooges Funny how inspiration can come to you from the strangest places. When I watched a few minutes of the Three Stooges and heard the dialog above, it got me thinking: How often do we go about our own daily lives with blinders on, oblivious to the small but important things that are happening all around us? Unlike Larry, our eyes… Read more
October 31, 2015
Spooky Spirituality: Snakes, Aliens and other Freaky Encounters.
October 31, 2015 By Tom Rapsas
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In Supernatural, Meeting with the Ancient Teachers of Mankind, Graham Hancock writes about the powerful plant hallucinogen ayahuasca and its use by Indian shamans in South America as part of a sacred ritual. It’s a practice that continues through today and recently has attracted many westerners seeking everything from cures to depression to spiritual enlightenment. A funny thing happens when most people take ayahuasca: they share a common vision that hasn’t changed for centuries. They enter a world where powerful… Read more
October 27, 2015
“How do I go with the flow of life when I’m broke?”
October 27, 2015 By Tom Rapsas
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A response from Michael A. Singer, the author of The Surrender Experiment. I recently wrote about the new book The Surrender Experiment. In a nutshell, it’s about Michael A. Singer’s philosophy that the key to a happy and successful life is to “surrender” to what life brings you, instead of trying to call the shots on your own. Singer believes that life has a plan for us that is better than anything our own minds can conjure up, and that by… Read more
October 17, 2015
Five Steps to a Better Day: Starting a Morning Ritual.
October 17, 2015 By Tom Rapsas
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I was recently listening to a podcast by the author Tim Ferriss (The Four Hour Work Week) and was reminded of just how important it can be to establish a morning routine. With regular practice, it can help you get each day off to a fresh, clear-minded start, better prepared for the challenges and opportunities that may come your way. On his podcast, Ferriss regularly talks about “life hacks,” ways to better manage time and squeeze more joy and value… Read more
October 5, 2015
Underground Spirituality: Preachers, Rogues and True Believers of the NYC Subways.
October 5, 2015 By Tom Rapsas
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When I come into New York City to go to work each day I usually walk a mile from Port Authority to my office on the east side of Manhattan. But, when it’s precipitating or I need to shave a few minutes off my commute, I head underground to the NYC subway system, specifically the 7 train. To get to the 7, I pay my fare and walk a few hundred yards down a wide tunnel where I pass throngs… Read more
September 20, 2015
The Surrender Experiment: Can letting go improve your life?
September 20, 2015 By Tom Rapsas
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What would happen if you totally and completely let go? What if you stopped making decisions and began saying yes to whatever came your way? Would life unfold the way it was supposed to instead of the way you forced it to happen? These are the type of questions that led Michael A. Singer to try something he called The Surrender Experiment. It’s the title of his new book that details the amazing twists and turns that his life took… Read more
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