The Ordinary Mystic

The Mazatec Indians use it in their spiritual rituals for healing and to gain answers. Modern-day shamans also use the plant called salvia divinorum in their quests for spiritual answers. No wonder it’s known as a teacher plant.

It is indeed incredibly unique in terms of its place in human culture, and it has risen from an enigmatic past to a place of controversy in modern culture. So does it have anything to offer the modern seeker? I believe that it does.

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The last week or so has been somewhat of a wild ride with this blog. I’m technically oriented, but by no means a wiz at blogging software and databases. Unfortunately I probably know just enough to be dangerous, which led to the events of the past week. In the process, though, I’ve learned some valuable lessons.

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[Due to database issues, I've had to rewrite this post.]

Priscilla Palmer is maintaining a list of outstanding personal development blogs. She started with five and the list has grown from there with bloggers adding their own favorite personal development blogs. One Mystical Monkey recently honored me by adding my blog.

You can find the complete, up-to-date list at Priscilla Palmer’s Personal Development List.

Do affirmations really work? By themselves, not always. But I’m going to share a simple exercise that may work for you. Several years ago I added it to my morning meditation routine and I believe that my health has benefited as a result.

The exercise incorporates immunics, a process that is based on the same principles that are behind pendulum divining and applied kinesiology (muscle testing). Pendulum divining is a method of amplifying bodily responses from your subconscious (or, if you prefer, God or the Universe). Applied kinesiology likewise is based on your body’s reaction, but involves a weakening or strengthening of muscles in response to positive or negative thoughts, words, or objects that are presented to it. Immunics uses these principles in the process of removing the causes of illnesses.

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I’ve been tagged by Bill over at My Everyday Life to participate in ‘the 7 P’s’ meme.

Bucky, from WVb (West Virginia Blogger) started this meme in an attempt to get to know his fellow bloggers a little better. It’s a creative way to describe yourself.

So here are my 7 P’s:

1. Passion - spirituality, family, friends
2. Purpose - to be, to create, to love
3. Pursuit - self-realization and a better understanding of life
4. Position - husband, father, friend
5. Pummeling - attachments
6. Progress - meandering but in a positive direction
7. Personality - open minded, even-tempered, giving, approachable

Now I’m supposed to tag 5 other blogs that I read on a regular basis, but instead I’m going to leave it up to you to decide if you would like to be tagged.

I believe I have a decent digital camera. It’s a Canon PowerShot A540 that I just got this past Christmas and I actually like it a lot. It’s easy to use and takes great pictures.

Except that sometimes small blemishes appear in the picture.

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It’s being called “a dangerous new drug that is sweeping the country.”

One by one, news sources are jumping on the bandwagon and joining in the media campaign against an herb that has been used for centuries by Mexican shamans - known by science as salvia divinorum. And it is a classic example of alarmist misinformation.

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There are a few of these memes circulating, some involving seven random facts and some involving eight. Again, I waited so long after being tagged the first time (by Savvyology) that a couple other bloggers (NancyE at WaterFall’s Paranormal Life and One Mystical Monkey)
tagged me in the meanwhile.

So now to business.

The Rules

Reveal seven (or eight) random facts about yourself in a blog post.
Include these rules in the post.
Tag seven (or eight) other bloggers, listing their names in the post.

The Reveal

1. Ran the quarter mile and mile relay in high school track.
2. Was voted “Shyest” my senior year in high school.
3. Kept a pet caiman (south american alligator) in the bath tub at college.
4. My wife and I were taking a nap with our week-old son (our first) when we were rudely awakened by the Loma Prieta earthquake. That was frightening on several levels.
5. Hated - hated - oral reports in grade school, but eventually learned to give talks in front of groups of a hundred after a few years of ministry training with the Jehovah’s Witnesses.
6. Am in the process of working on an oil painting of Sri Ananda Moyima.
7. My two favorite TV series in recent years are Heroes and The 4400.
8. Married for 20 years (this November).

Solicitations for additional details are welcome.

(It seems this meme has saturated the pool of bloggers that I’d consider for tagging, so I’ll forego that step. )