Did Donald Trump Break the #1 Rule of Karma?

October 7, 2020 By Tom Rapsas

To put it mildly, Donald Trump has engaged in some questionable pandemic-related behavior. As The Washington Post succinctly put it, “President Trump contracted the novel coronavirus after months in which he and people around him avoided taking basic steps to prevent the virus’s spread, like wearing masks and avoiding large indoor crowds.” What I’m wondering, and maybe you are too, is this: Is President Trump’s Covid-19 infection the result of karma? Will his continuing disregard for the disease, and the… Read more

Is God “Closer Than Your Own Breath”?

October 1, 2020 By Tom Rapsas

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“God is indwelling; and because God is indwelling, I do not have to seek God so much as I have to remember my connection with God.” Remembering our connection to God—that’s the hard part, isn’t it? The words above come from journalist Karen Brailsford and her new book Sacred Landscapes of the Soul. Comprised of a series of short essays that she calls “landscapes,” her stories have a common thread: the idea that God is everywhere and with us always,… Read more

If You’re Not Drowning, You’re a Lifeguard (2020)

September 24, 2020 By Tom Rapsas

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I first wrote a story with this title a few years ago, but now it’s time for a new take on it—because if ever there was a need for more lifeguards it is now. There’s a churning rip-current of bad news and negativity out there and it’s taking people down with it. So, it’s time to be on guard for those around us who are slipping beneath the surface. Or, if needed, to rescue ourselves. Some simple but urgent guidance… Read more

A Woman Takes Ayahuasca and Discovers a Universal Truth

September 17, 2020 By Tom Rapsas

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Years ago, there was a spirituality and life blogger I followed who went by the penname of Anna Nimm. She was supersmart and had a unique point-of-view, but one day her posts suddenly stopped appearing in my inbox. A few years went by until she suddenly remerged, with several new blog posts. Where had Anna been? In the jungles of Peru taking ayahuasca. There are many paths you can take on your spiritual journey. You might devote yourself to a… Read more

The Inspiring Story of the Man With 3 Months to Live

September 10, 2020 By Tom Rapsas

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At the age of 53, Eugene O’Kelly was on top of the world. He was a top executive at a major accounting firm, a job that he loved. He lived in a penthouse apartment in New York City and had a lakefront vacation home. He was happily married and had two children he cherished. Then, after experiencing headaches and vision problems for a few days, he went to the doctor. He thought it would be a small issue, probably just… Read more

The Prayer Banned 6 Centuries Ago—and its Amazing Return

September 3, 2020 By Tom Rapsas

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What do you do when it feels like your prayers are going into a deep, dark void and you aren’t connecting with the Divine? Well, in the 14th century an English Christian mystic had an answer, an alternative to traditional prayer that he believed offered a direct connection to God. The mystic, who has never been identified, put his thoughts down in a book titled The Cloud of Unknowing. It included guidance like this: This is what you are to… Read more

5 Fresh Spiritual Practices for Crazy Times

August 27, 2020 By Tom Rapsas

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How do you stay sane when the world around you is going nuts? In his new book Spiritual Practices for Crazy Times, the noted author and Interfaith Minister Philip Goldberg has some answers. He discusses our current plight—and the seemingly daily adverse events that can take the wind out of our sails and momentarily knock us off our spiritual path. Goldberg tells us that: In crazy times like ours, we need prayer, meditation, mindfulness, and other spiritual practices more than ever…. Read more

2 Huge Revelations—from the Godfather of American Spirituality

August 19, 2020 By Tom Rapsas

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Who is the greatest figure in the history of American spirituality? If you ask me this highly subjective question, I’d argue it’s the philosopher Ralph Waldo Emerson. Here’s his story. A graduate of the Harvard Divinity School in 1821, Emerson serves for three-plus years as a minister at a Unitarian church. But at the age of 29 he decides to call it quits, not because of a crisis of faith, but due to a loss of confidence in the church. Emerson has… Read more

7 Spiritual Insights from George Harrison’s Favorite Guru

August 13, 2020 By Tom Rapsas

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Are you old enough to remember when the Beatles had a brief fling with Indian spirituality? In 1968, the group went to India to visit Maharishi Mahesh Yogi, the leader of the Transcendental Meditation movement. While the trip ended abruptly, due to some questionable behavior by the Yogi, it was part of the spiritual development of George Harrison. Something about India stuck. Disillusioned by money and fame, Harrison had begun seeking deeper meaning in his life, a quest that eventually led… Read more

An 8-Step Guide to Living Your Life with Gumption

August 6, 2020 By Tom Rapsas

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These days, it can be easy to lose your joie de vivre (English translation: joy of living) or at least feel like it’s missing in action. And who can blame you? It seems like there’s been a seemingly endless stretch of bad news that has lasted months, with our inability to get a handle on the Covid virus disrupting virtually every facet of life. So with all that’s going on, how can you stay actively engaged with life? Should you… Read more

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