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2022-11-06T00:31:20+00:00

LOGO Patheos Explore the world's faith through different perspectives on religion and spirituality! Patheos has the views of the prevalent religions and spiritualities of the world.

Is Your Spiritual Teacher Parroting?

Last updated on: November 6, 2022 at 12:31 am By Gudjon Bergmann

We all know what parroting means in communications. It’s repeating precisely what someone else said without understanding or thinking about the meaning. In this article, I will explore what parroting looks like in spiritual circles and offer a simple test so you can determine whether or not your spiritual teacher is doing it. Self-Reliance In his 1841 essay titled Self-Reliance, Ralph Waldo Emerson spoke strongly against parroting. “Man is timid and apologetic. He is no longer upright. He dares not... Read more

2022-11-06T00:32:30+00:00

LOGO Patheos Explore the world's faith through different perspectives on religion and spirituality! Patheos has the views of the prevalent religions and spiritualities of the world.

The Paths of Oneness and Goodness Are Not the Same: They Exist Side by Side

Last updated on: November 6, 2022 at 12:32 am By Gudjon Bergmann

Devotees on the two primary spiritual paths of experience, the paths of Oneness and Goodness, have been at odds for centuries. Proponents of the Oneness path have insisted that the goal of spirituality is to reconnect with everlasting eternity. They yearn to taste the quintessence of their being, to transcend time and space, to be unified with the One. In the other camp, advocates of the Goodness path have traditionally seen stark choices in the world. They believe that we... Read more

2022-11-06T00:33:33+00:00

LOGO Patheos Explore the world's faith through different perspectives on religion and spirituality! Patheos has the views of the prevalent religions and spiritualities of the world.

The Experiential Path of Oneness

Last updated on: November 6, 2022 at 12:33 am By Gudjon Bergmann

The experiential path of Oneness is contemplative in nature and consists of introspection, meditation, observation, and copious amounts of silence. Due to the extroverted nature of most human beings, the Oneness path has historically not been widespread. Even though most religious traditions provide oneness practices—often referred to as mystical or spiritual practices—they usually aren’t offered until the practitioner in question has had enough of the world. Reserved for the Willing The path of Oneness is a reclusive approach that has... Read more

2022-11-06T00:33:57+00:00

LOGO Patheos Explore the world's faith through different perspectives on religion and spirituality! Patheos has the views of the prevalent religions and spiritualities of the world.

The Experiential Path of Goodness

Last updated on: November 6, 2022 at 12:33 am By Gudjon Bergmann

The most famous among moral maxims is “love thy neighbor as thyself” or the Golden Rule. It exists in some form in all religions and is central to the experiential path of goodness. Devotees who follow that path are encouraged to be loving, compassionate, selfless, forgiving and, above all, good. “Do all the good you can. By all the means you can. In all the ways you can. In all the places you can. At all the times you can.... Read more

2022-11-06T00:34:45+00:00

LOGO Patheos Explore the world's faith through different perspectives on religion and spirituality! Patheos has the views of the prevalent religions and spiritualities of the world.

Can Spanking Tell Us Whether God is Internal or External?

Last updated on: November 6, 2022 at 12:34 am By Gudjon Bergmann

Aldous Huxley was best known for his dystopian novel Brave New World. Readers may remember it from their high school English. His lesser-known utopian novel Island describes Huxley’s ideal society. While I don’t agree with every aspirational idea, I have marked dozens of sections in my copy and contemplated many of the insights—everything from Huxley’s critique of the Nazi educational system to communication methods and meditation techniques. Childrearing and Theology One passage has stayed with me longer than most. It... Read more

Beliefs and Values

Religion

Religion and Politics

2022-11-06T00:37:51+00:00

LOGO Patheos Explore the world's faith through different perspectives on religion and spirituality! Patheos has the views of the prevalent religions and spiritualities of the world.

My Journey from Wannabe Guru to Interspiritual Coach

Last updated on: November 6, 2022 at 12:37 am By Gudjon Bergmann

I was introduced to Eastern mysticism in my late teens and became captivated by the guru-disciple relationship. It seemed like such a beautiful way to receive wisdom. I dreamt of everything from intimate lessons to energy transmission. Yukteswar and Socrates Two books were instrumental in creating my idea of what a guru-disciple relationship should look like. First, I read Autobiography of a Yogi several times, both in my native Icelandic and in English. The relationship between Paramahansa Yogananda and Sri... Read more

Interspirituality

coaching

guru

2022-11-06T00:38:16+00:00

LOGO Patheos Explore the world's faith through different perspectives on religion and spirituality! Patheos has the views of the prevalent religions and spiritualities of the world.

All Beliefs are Nuanced. Why Do We Act Like They Are Not?

Last updated on: November 6, 2022 at 12:38 am By Gudjon Bergmann

The social sciences have shown time and time again that people’s beliefs are generally more nuanced than they appear to be. Believers in a particular cause or ideology may have core values in common with their group, but when they get a chance to illustrate their personal preferences in detail, most of them employ a sliding scale with variations. A Welcome Relief For most of us, knowing that serves as a welcome relief. People are not homogenous; their beliefs are... Read more

2022-11-06T00:39:05+00:00

LOGO Patheos Explore the world's faith through different perspectives on religion and spirituality! Patheos has the views of the prevalent religions and spiritualities of the world.

Interspiritual Explorers Are Lonely

Last updated on: November 6, 2022 at 12:39 am By Gudjon Bergmann

“I’ve never spoken to anyone about this,” a recent client told me. “My wife is not interested when I try to tell her about my interspiritual explorations, and my friends are pretty cemented in their belief structures. It feels good, freeing, to finally be able to talk about my interests in a judgment-free environment.” Common Expression His sentiments describe the feelings of most interspiritual explorers I’ve met since I got interested in the early 90s. It underlines an important truth:... Read more

Interspirituality

Spiritual Practice

Spirituality

2022-11-06T00:39:32+00:00

LOGO Patheos Explore the world's faith through different perspectives on religion and spirituality! Patheos has the views of the prevalent religions and spiritualities of the world.

Let’s Face It, Beliefs and Values are More Important to People Than Facts and Information

Last updated on: November 6, 2022 at 12:39 am By Gudjon Bergmann

Until we understand how much beliefs and values influence the human mind, we cannot solve the world’s most pressing problems. Read more

Beliefs and Values

Cultural Division

Culture Wars

2022-11-06T00:39:58+00:00

LOGO Patheos Explore the world's faith through different perspectives on religion and spirituality! Patheos has the views of the prevalent religions and spiritualities of the world.

What If We Viewed Christianity Like Buddhism?

Last updated on: November 6, 2022 at 12:39 am By Gudjon Bergmann

“Buddhism is not a religion. It’s more like a philosophy,” is a refrain I often hear these days. Such words are mostly uttered by Westerners who practice Buddhist meditation and read Dalai Lama or Thich Nhat Hanh but do not belong to a temple community. Buddhism is a Religion During my interfaith minister studies in 2016, I explored a variety of Buddhist traditions from Tibet and Malaysia to Japan and beyond. I found much more variety than I expected, from... Read more

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