Fear by John Cali

(This article was originally published October 21, 2008.)

This past week we’ve had a broad and intense discussion of fear at one of our new discussion forums. A timely subject, given the state of our world today.

I’m sure most of us know one of the greatest fears people have is fear of death. We talked at length about this particular fear in the movie Tuning In. Another closely related fear is that of growing old.

A couple days ago, I came across an interesting article on aging and dying.… Read more

Buddhist Catholicism by John Cali

Does that title sound like a contradiction in terms? How can you be Buddhist and Catholic?

The Washington Post has been following the story of a Roman Catholic priest denying communion to a lesbian at her mother’s funeral. And then he walked out on the funeral mass. You can imagine the furor that set off.

Not only was the lady lesbian, but she was also straddling the religious fence between Catholicism and Buddhism. She felt at home in both camps.

Several publications had some fiery comments on the story, and raised interesting questions.… Read more

The Depression Epidemic: Followup by John Cali

We received some great feedback on our last blog post, The Depression Epidemic. The comments from one of our readers reminded me I had perhaps been a bit insensitive, albeit unintentionally, toward people who’ve found antidepressants helpful.

Here, slightly edited, are some excerpts from the comments, plus my responses:

Reader’s comments:

“I notice Dr. (Andrew) Weil is quoted as saying that drug-based medical solutions don’t work for half the people who take them. I am a member of the other half, and in my experience, when these drugs are appropriately prescribed, they do indeed treat the cause, rather than the effects, of severe depression.… Read more

Messages from the Animals by John Cali

One recent evening after supper I happened to look out into my backyard. Standing there were five small deer, grazing on the sparse foliage of that late winter day.

Deer are such beautiful, gentle creatures. I love watching them. We’re blessed to have so many of them where I live.

As the deer grazed contentedly I stood there admiring their grace and beauty. I sent them loving energy, and they immediately looked me directly in the eye. We held that gaze for several long moments.… Read more

The Depression Epidemic by John Cali

According to Andrew Weil, MD, “…some substantial percentage of the depression epidemic is manufactured by the medical-pharmaceutical industry.” He goes on to say the industry has convinced many people that ordinary sadness is an abnormal condition, a “disease” that should be treated with drugs.

But even if that “substantial percentage” is removed, Dr, Weil continues, it still leaves us with a huge number of folks with unexplained depression. The number has increased the past 50 years. Depression is particularly widespread in industrialized countries, especially the United States.… Read more

Addictions Revisited by John Cali

We received some interesting comments about last week’s newsletter article, Addictions. Here are a couple of excerpts from two different people:

“What does Spirit have to say about AA (Alcoholics Anonymous) and similar organizations? I mean, if by joining AA (someone) gains a clearer understanding of the precious Being that he/she is, isn’t that a good thing?”

“I remember my mother telling me, ‘Therapy is supposed to be a way back to life, not a way of life.’”

Then I received an email from my dear friend, Mikala St.… Read more

Heart to Heart by John Cali

Merle

Last week I finished reading a wonderfully uplifting book called Heart to Heart, from which I took the title of this week’s newsletter article. 

John Cali

The book, by world-renowned British animal communicator, Pea Horsley, was a gift to me from my dear friend Barbara Clark.

The book, as you might imagine, is about Pea’s work with animals. She’s not only a gifted animal communicator, but also a great writer. In her warmhearted way, she’ll have you alternately laughing and crying as she tells of helping people the world over find lost pets.… Read more

Self-Esteem by John Cali

A Gallup poll I recently read about said 2 out of 3 Americans suffer from low self-esteem. That’s almost a whopping 70 percent of the population!

John Cali

I’d guess the numbers are about the same for most other countries, though I don’t know for sure.

Other interesting facts about self-esteem:

Self-esteem expert and best-selling author Jack Canfield says the average child hears 432 negative statements every day, but only 32 positive statements.

The California Task Force for Personal and Social Responsibility has this to say:

About 80 percent of humans suffer psychological damage from words.… Read more

You and Your Soul by John Cali

John Cali

We received an intriguing question from one of our readers recently. Here it is:

Having given this quite a bit of thought, I am still unable to grasp what part our soul plays in our earthly experience.

Can you shed some light on this?

Spirit

First of all, friends, it’s important for us, at the outset here, to get clear on the relationship between you and your soul.

Your soul decided, before you incarnated into this lifetime, the where, the how, the who, etc.… Read more

Now Is All You Have by John Cali

About 25 years ago, when I first got serious about my spiritual path, I read all the Seth books. If you’re not familiar with Seth, he’s a spirit guide channeled by the late Jane Roberts in Upstate New York. Over the years, Jane and her husband, Rob Butts, produced many wonderful books of Seth’s far-reaching wisdom.

While some of Seth’s teachings went beyond my intellectual grasp, most of them resonated deeply with me.

I came away from reading and re-reading Seth’s books many times over the years with three major concepts.… Read more

Suicide: A Solution? by John Cali

John Cali

A reader recently wrote us this letter:

“Have you published anything about suicide? A friend of mine is depressed, and he’s considering it. I think it’s foolish unless there is absolutely no hope, and that’s an extremely rare case at best.

“Are there occasions when suicide is the only solution?”

Here’s Spirit.

Spirit

We are delighted to offer you, for your consideration, our view of this often weighty subject.

Our reader asked if there are occasions when suicide is the only solution.… Read more

For Sale By Owner: Are You Getting What You Want Out of Life? by John Cali

John Cali

I realize that’s a screwy-sounding title. Let me explain.

The other day I was out walking home from jogging in my semi-rural neighborhood. I passed a house with a “For Sale By Owner” sign planted in the front yard next to the road. The only problem was the owners had parked their truck directly in front of the sign.

No one driving by would have been able to see the sign. The only reason I saw it was because I was walking.Read more