Interfaith Spirit Quest

Eat Pray Love, Women Food and God

The book Eat Pray Love by Elizabeth Gilbert is now a full length movie (in theaters now as of this writing and soon to be out on DVD) and the author has followed her international best selling book with a new book entitled Committed - A skeptic makes peace with marriage.  Eat Pray Love is all about the author's quest for spiritual healing.  She learns to eat in Italy, pray in India, and love in Bali.  The book was OK, the movie was better, but could have been better, the scenery was fantastic. 

On the heels of all the eating, praying and loving, comes this new book Women, Food and God by Geneen Roth; a book about how eating is actually inseparable from your core beliefs about being alive. How we feel about love and God is completely connected to the way we eat.  Through reading the book, you may discover how to overcome problematic eating concerns.  Demystify weight loss and your relationship with God by using the special guide inside Geneen's new book. 

Since three-word titles seem so popular all of a sudden, I think I would like to see someone write a book with the following three-word title:  Men, Women and Love.  Or maybe Love, Nature and God.

Listen and watch as the author reads an excerpt from Women, Food and God:

Click on the photo links below to purchase the above mentioned books: 

The nerve of some believers

The nerve of some people!  Isn't it irritating when people try to force their religion upon you?  I too am totally offended at the presumptuousness.... of many hard-line atheists.  'Believer' is usually a label attached to people of religious faith, but atheism is also a belief system, so the labels fits.

Recently, I had the opportunity to speak with one of these hard-line atheists about a controversial topic.  What isn't controversial nowadays?  The atheist, we'll call her Maria, was very concerned about prayer in school, believing that it is and should be AGAINST THE LAW.  She did not want her daughter exposed to prayer or religion of any sort while in school.  Maria went to her daughter's school and demanded that all the children STOP praying, like right now!  She said her daughter didn't need to be exposed to religion and that she was just the nicest, sweetest girl you'd ever want to meet (not that she was partial or anything) without any help from religious people or a so-called god.  When I suggested that perhaps her daughter's excellent character qualities could be due in part to the kind and loving believers her daughter was exposed to in school, she was shocked and offended at the mere suggestion of the idea.  Apparently Maria believes she is the only influence her daughter absorbs in life.

The path we are all on is the path to God.  Resistance only peaks curiosity - so if you really want your child to be an atheist - why object to such things as prayer in school?  In my mind, you only make her more curious.  Let your children learn from life - don't be an extremist by sheltering your kids from every outside influence.  The more you try, the more curious they become, increasing the likelihood that they may stray.  This holds true for Christians, Muslims, Jews and other religious believers as well.  If you force a child into Muslim way of life and they become exposed to other ways - they may leave their way to explore the other.  Only if they truly understand their religion from a love point of view, and it fits their love point of view, will they go back to it.  Only if they deeply understand and appreciate their own religion, will they be better prepared to love others in the special way that God loves.  A shallow understanding of religion is no religion at all, and this is how extremism is born again and again.  The religions we all choose to believe in are of our own creation, atheists don't like the god they've created, so they force their mind-god beliefs upon their children and everyone they meet. 

Think about a sweet little child, or even an exploring teenager or young adult, who is exposed to an angry atheist, angry because they hate people of religious faith.  Why would a God loving, sweet and innocent child want to be like you?  You come across as mean and nasty.  The Christian faith teaches the well known 'Love is patient' Bible verse to their children.  By the same token, they also teach exclusivity - telling others that they must believe as they do, or suffer in hell - which of course I don't agree with.  But perhaps, for the benefit of our children, we can at least agree on Love. 

Love is patient, love is kind and is not jealous;

love does not brag and is not arrogant, does not act unbecomingly;

it does not seek its own, is not provoked, does not take into account a wrong suffered,

does not rejoice in unrighteousness, but rejoices with the truth;

bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things.

Love never fails...

But now faith, hope, love, abide these three; but the greatest of these is love.

1 Corinthians 13:4-7,13

I agreed with Maria that she might very well be a great parent, since she insisted;  I said morals have nothing to do with one's religion or lack thereof.  Morals are natural (the Bible also says that God has written his laws upon our hearts, maybe that's why I believe this).  Our multi-faceted nature also can make us violate our inborn moralities.  This is why in the Bible, the Lord said to Cain after he killed his brother Abel "sin is crouching at your door; it desires to have you, but you must master it.".   Even animals have morals and will not attack a human being unless they have been attacked in the past.  The people, like Darwin, who wrote about the evolutionary island of Galapagos teach us this. 

We must overcome this inclination of superiority and begin to realize we are all in this together.  We don't have to agree with, accept or affirm what others believe; we are free, at least here in America, to believe as we choose so long as we do not harm anyone, but it might be nice to allow a little more love from and for others in our hearts.  Love rules.

THE LAW is not always acceptable or even right.  I prefer to enjoy my Creator endowed rights by choosing to live by the SPIRIT and the HEART. 

Positive results with this daily routine

Do you stress out easily, are you gloomy, distressed, jittery, highly frazzled and disorganized?  Does your life feel out of control? Are you constantly worrying or anxious? Well then, maybe this guide can help.

Experience positive results with this daily routine, an Interfaith Spirit Quest - natural guide for your day.  Keyword is 'experience', the idea being to put these ideas into practice and not just think about them.  You will know if it works when you see the results of your efforts after putting this guide into practice.

Keep this in mind: Incorporating spirituality and nature into your day will boost your mood and increase your productivity, naturally. 

• Wake up one hour earlier than is typical for you, for a great start to a great new day.  Relax these rules a little on your 'days off'. Be thankful for this brand new day, share your waking thoughts with God.  God is with you today and everyday.
• Drink a large glass of water.
• Exercise before the shower, before breakfast, get the muscles working earlier in the day to sustain all through the day. This is the time for stimulation, choose your favorite physical activity and make it your morning workout.  Like to exercise in your living room or at the gym?  Fine.  Prefer nature?  Fantastic!  Enjoy audio books on your mp3 player or visualize your day as you work out.
• Shower - personal hygiene - important to your sense of wellness, helps you feel alive, refreshed and presentable.
• Eat breakfast.  Eat healthy meals throughout the day.
• Begin your workday by reviewing your list (the list you created the day before).  Tackle the most important, most difficult jobs first.  Your brain energy is at its best earlier in the day.  Working in this way allows you to enjoy the latter part of your workday more, because the easier tasks are saved for the time of day when your brain and body are seeking a little rest. 
• Eat lunch.  Eat healthy meals throughout the day.
• Tackle your easier activities during this time period - typically the afternoon for those working daytime hours.  Check your emails, handle business calls at this time.  Adjust accordingly to your own schedules.
• Incorporate a short walk, or perhaps a simple exercise, between lunch and dinner, or shortly before dinner, for the purpose of refreshing the senses through nature.  Feel the breeze, the sun, enjoy the natural environment or surroundings, appreciate the blessings of nature, even if the only natural thing you experience is outdoor air.  This is a time of personal meditation, reflection and contemplation. 
• It is helpful to write a to-do list at the end of your day for the next day.  Documenting your future tasks allows you to fully enjoy your time away from work instead of spending your free time thinking about what you need to do tomorrow.  You will sleep better as well.
• Be present with your family, talk about your day with your family, a friend, or friends online on the various social networking sites.  Connect with people in some way at this time of day. 
• Tend to details at home, mail, phone calls, change your clothes to be more comfortable, take another shower if necessary.
• Eat dinner.  Eat healthy meals throughout the day.
• Spend the rest of your evening, or free time, , doing things you enjoy.  This is your time to refresh, renew and rejuvenate. 
• Turn off all electronics at least an hour before bedtime. Computers, TVs, cell phones, etc. over-stimulate the brain, making it too much for your system to deal with right before bedtime.  Read a book, listen to relaxing music, be present with your family, make love to your significant other, enjoy the peace and calm that these moments provide.  Yes it's difficult, but real positive results will come to you if you can make this change to your daily routine.
• Drink a glass of water before bedtime to help your system perform its healing magic during your sleep time.  
• Be thankful for this day and share your end of day thoughts with God.  Sleep well.  Tomorrow is another day. 

Of course everyone's schedule is different and crazy, you should make the necessary adjustments in this guide to suit your personal schedule.  Of course these are only suggestions, and you free to change things up, we welcome your ideas to help us improve this guide, feel free to leave your comments below. 

Think about your daily life, your present routine.  How much of your day is spent doing the exact opposite of these healthy life suggestions?  Now you know how to right the ship, make those changes beginning tomorrow morning.  Deal? 

You can do it!

Interfaith Spirit Quest 50+ Natural Senses

Over a morning cup of coffee/tea at the Atlas Coffee Mill near the river in downtown Appleton, we discovered some of the 50+ natural senses documented by Dr. Michael J. Cohen, Ed.D., Eco-Psychologist, and we learned the importance of nature to our well-being and our spirituality.

ISQ members headed outside for the natural systems part of the program and then returned inside to share their experiences using a special list of 50+ natural senses, sensitivities and sensations. Each person had a unique experience and it was interesting to hear how they were affected by their brief outdoor adventure into the nature area surrounding the Atlas Coffee Mill - which proved to be an excellent location for this spirit and nature activity. 

We all know about our main 5 or 6 senses:  Taste, touch, smell, sound, sight, and intuition/psychic.  But there are many more and Dr. Michael Cohen, Ed.D, Naturalist and Eco-Psychologist has discovered and documented over 50 of these natural senses. 

In our 50+ Natural Senses - Spirit & Nature - Rejuvenate & Refresh program, we learn how to return to nature to restore our true natures, healing all sorts of psychological and even physical issues along the way.  It is a well known fact that it takes only a few minutes in a natural setting to calm our spirits and rejuvenate our energies. 

Through this program, we can create spiritual connections, moments of peace, rest and calm, a sense of adventure and excitement; we can discover problem areas and begin to solve these problems.  We can allow nature to nurture, strengthen and rejuvenate us through the reconnection with nature process, allowing it to become more of who we are everyday and in every way. 

We hope to expand this program to other groups.  This program can be conducted in a 2-3 hour workshop format, a 5 day workshop, a weekend retreat, or a 5 week program.  if you would like ISQ to present this program to your group , please contact the Organizer either by leaving a comment, or by giving us a call at (920) 968-7738.  

Surprising information on crimes against Muslims, Jews and Christians

This week, on Tuesday, 8/26/10, in New York City, in a shameful display of stupidity, a drunk, 21 year old man stabbed a Muslim cab driver - apparently just for being a Muslim.  This is probably the definition of a hate crime.  Some are already jumping to conclusions about the incident, saying it was related to the Cordoba House Mosque building project near Ground Zero.  Perhaps, but probably not in the way you might think.   Turns out the drunk worked with an organization that apparently favors the project, and the Muslim cab driver opposes the project.  So perhaps the attack was about eliminating the opposition, in this case a reformist or moderate Muslim who was against the building project.  In today's Wall Street Journal, Ms. Irshad Manji is also a Reformist Muslim who is opposed to the Cordoba House expansion project. You can read her thoughts here.  She has a list of questions we should be asking.  I hope we get some answers. 

9 years ago, in the aftermath of September 11, as one could imagine, there was indeed a spike in crimes against Muslims. 

National Review:  According to the FBI, hate crimes against Muslims increased by a staggering 1,600 percent in 2001. That sounds serious! But wait, the increase is a math mirage. There were 28 anti-Islamic incidents in 2000. That number climbed to 481 the year a bunch of Muslim terrorists murdered 3,000 Americans in the name of Islam on Sept. 11.

....The following year, the number of anti-Islamic hate-crime incidents (overwhelmingly, nonviolent vandalism and nasty words) dropped to 155. In 2003, there were 149 such incidents. And the number has hovered around the mid-100s or lower ever since.

What about hate crimes against Jews? 

National Review:  In 2001, there were twice as many anti-Jewish incidents as there were anti-Muslim, according to the FBI. In 2002 and pretty much every year since, anti-Jewish incidents have outstripped anti-Muslim incidents by at least 6 to 1.

Six to one!!  According to FBI statistics on hate crimes for 2008, 65% of the so-called hate crimes were pronounced 'Anti-Jewish' while 7.7% were labeled 'Anti-Muslim'. 

So do we have an Anti-Muslim climate or an Anti-Jewish climate?  No one really wants to discuss these facts.

What about hate crimes against Christians? 

Again, according to FBI statistics on hate crimes for 2008, when you add up the raw numbers and percentages, there were slightly more hate crimes committed against Christians, both Protestant and Catholic, than there were against Muslims. 

On certain news programs and on numerous Internet sites, open hatred toward right wing (evangelical) Christians  is all the rage.  It seems perfectly acceptable to openly criticize those who have a different view as long as they are right wing (evangelical) Christians.

So, in order, here you have it - for 2008:

1. Anti-Jewish hate crimes 65%
2. Anti-Christian hate crimes 8.4%
3. Anti-Muslim hate crimes 7.7%
   

The bottom line?

Things are not always as they seem folks.  If we are all to get along, we must stop calling each other names, we must begin to accept each others differences without being forced to advocate these differences.  

How about we build an international, multi-faith worship center next to Ground Zero that would allow people of all faiths, spiritual but not religious, or no faith; to come and reflect, worship, meditate and contemplate on their terms as we learn to respect and love our neighbors without fear of religious intimidation? 

Sand art drawing, an Interfaith Spirit Quest nature event

Sand Art Drawing - Interfaith Spirit Quest (click on image to see a larger image)

This sand art drawing was created by fellow Interfaith Spirit Quest members at a scheduled nature event on August 7, 2010.   We drove up to Point Beach State Forest - a state park in the Two Rivers, Wisconsin area, and created this new art on one of the beautiful sandy beaches of Lake Michigan.  Sometimes life is just a day at the beach, ya know? 

This idea was inspired by another sand drawing artist, Jim Denevan. 

How we did it: 

• Searched for and selected the perfect spot on the beach - quiet - away from the main swimming areas
• Raked the area clean and smooth
• Decided on the design - in this case it was a geometric pattern with a message
• Drew the outline with the end of a pole
• Dug a little deeper with various lawn implements
• For the areas with dry sand, we drew the pattern with a watering can (since we don't really have a very large incoming tide, there is not too much wet sand on the Lake Michigan beaches).  We went over it several times with more water and it stayed wet the whole time we were there.
• Went up to a high point, admired our creation, and took this photo
• Jumped in the lake.  I wasn't going to, but I couldn't resist.  It was cool and refreshing... and green :) 
• People up and down the beach walked by, curious as could be.  I told one man who appeared to be there with his kids, to take his kids up to the high point and look down - there would be a message waiting for him there.  (note the photo - it says L-O-V-E) 
• Had a late and satisfying lunch and headed home.  
• Fun in the sun, playing in the sand, what a great day with great friends! 
• What a way to connect or reconnect with nature!  
• A spiritual activity with many benefits!

Click here to watch a video of the Interfaith Spirit Quest sand art drawing