Welcome to Issue 10 of Pure Inspiration.

Listed below are this issue's articles and features.
To view a brief summary, click on the name of the article.

Tama Kieves is a very inspired person with a clear message -- follow the path of your own true calling. In this interview, she expresses as well as anyone we've encountered why it is so important to live your life in alignment with your heart's desires; if we do anything less, we will not have the energy and courage to face the trials that may arise, because the very act of compromising ourselves depletes our strength, which comes from God within us. Tama learned this lesson the hard way -- after graduating from Harvard Law School with honors and securing a "great " job in a highly esteemed legal firm, she found herself contemplating suicide. She realized that the cause of her distress was that she was living the life her parents wanted her to live, rather than walking the path of her true calling. You will come away from this interview with a heightened understanding of why it is so important to live authentically.

In this insightful essay, Noah benShea explores the nature of Inspiration. He reminds us that inspiration is none other than the breath of God flowing through us, that we are hollow reeds through which God plays the song of life: "Like our time here on this planet, the bodies we live in, the homes we live in, and the land we live on, inspiration is borrowed. Only God owns; the rest of us rent." Without inspiration, we are like food without salt -- something is missing. He also points out that one of inspiration's key qualities is that it is meant to be freely given without thought of what we will receive in return; in this vein, he says "Do not kiss your children so they will kiss you back, but so they will kiss their children, and their children's children. Inspiration, like love, should be played forward -- without the reciprocal trade agreements of most social transactions."

With his usual timeless wisdom, Paramahansa Yogananda advises us to see our outer lives as cosmic motion pictures. Our suffering is increased when we identify closely with what is going on in our lives, instead of watching it all with the understanding that we are fulfilling our roles in God's great drama. It's not that we don't care about our lives; on the contrary, we are freer to love others and enjoy "the ride" more when we view it all with the detachment that comes from loving our Source first and foremost. He writes "The Great Director of the Motion Picture Company of Life is made of joy. We, as his children, are made in His image.....Having come out of His being, we are endowed with the same quality of superconsciousness, by which we can watch the pictures of life, of birth, death and world events with the same divinely enjoying spirit."

Rita Lloyd shares her story of inner renewal through art. Finding herself quite ill physically and full of stress, she examined her life and found that she didn't really love herself; therefore her personal life was unhappy and unhealthy in many ways. Gradually, as she began loving herself more, things began to move in a better direction, including her increasing practice of art. As she stated it, "I realized something extremely important....the Creative Process was teaching me how to love myself! It provided a setting and a reason to slow down,.... listen to my feelings, be patient with myself, ....and allow myself a voice to speak." Rita's art helped her to be honest yet compassionate with herself, thus helping her to grow into greater inner peace and harmony. Her vibrant paintings, coupled with her personal story, will help transport you to a place of serene self acceptance.

Dr. Caliandro takes an in-depth look at prayer, its power, glory, and magnificence in the lives of human beings. He points out that the essence of our lives is spiritual in nature, and that Spirit, or God, responds most definitely to faith -- we must believe in order to see its manifestation in our lives. When something disturbing or unexpected happens, our first impulse is often to become panicky and upset; however, if we will learn to turn to Spirit and become as calm and still as we can, we open the way for that great Presence to solve our problems for us -- to show us the answers and make our path clear. He says "When we invite God to participate in the concerns and challenges we are dealing with, we are open to the flow of Spirit." Dr. Caliandro also points to the importance of trusting God; without that sincere trust, we can pray without reaping the desired results: "When we pray and trust God, we make it possible for God to work on us." Prayer really does matter -- it makes God our focus and, surely there is none greater!

Renie relates a very touching story from her childhood. At age eleven, she fled with her parents from Soviet-occupied Hungary and wound up in a Displaced Persons Camp with hundreds of other refugees. Their fondest hope was to move to the United States, where they could build a new life. While waiting for their chance to emigrate, Renie became close friends with another young girl; however when Renie and her parents were finally told they could go to America, the friend, due to her father's tuberculosis, was not able to do the same. Renie then reaches out to her friend with great love in a very touching way, one that is sure to bring a tear to your eye and fill your heart with joy.

Life coach Joyce Persily shares some helpful tips for overcoming fear in our everyday lives. We all know that fear is undesirable, but how to get the upper hand on it? As she says, "You cannot overcome a fear if you don't know what you're dealing with." Joyce goes on to give good advice on the matter, such as contemplating how you would feel once you've conquered your fear. Just as fear binds, so does the overcoming of it liberate us to achieve greater and greater good in our lives. It may require some courage and honesty with ourselves, but the results are well worth it! Go ahead, take back your power, be persistent, and overcome your fears now!

In this interview, Wayne Dyer discusses a wide array of topics, from Lao-Tzu to his role in an upcoming movie, to his perspective on Life itself. He discusses Lao-Tzu's "four virtues," which are reverence for all of life, natural sincerity, gentleness, and supportiveness.The first three are somewhat self-explanatory, but by "supportiveness" Lao-Tzu was describing a state of giving, in which the Universe responds to your attitude of service by asking "How may I serve you?" In this vein, he says "You can't accumulate anything, because anything you get you have to give away...We know we came in here with nothing, and we know we're going to leave with nothing. There's nothing to own. There's nothing to get. The only thing you can do with your life is give it away. The best, the happiest moments in your life are always when you're giving something away."

Susyn and Sheri explore one of the most challenging aspects of human life -- how to truly forgive. Surely there is no one thing that so cripples individuals (and nations) as much as hatred, with its corollary need for revenge in various forms. So what is the secret? It is to realize that we are not condoning poor behavior by forgiving; rather, we are acknowledging the divinity residing in every individual and letting go of our need to judge others. This does not make us "doormats," but it does free us from the debilitating effects of hate and anger which, if not checked, have the power to dominate our lives and stunt our spiritual progress. A very good suggestion made in this article is to ask ourselves what conditions we place upon forgiveness; in other words what actions do we judge as unforgivable? By exploring this, we can begin to dismantle the self-created ropes which bind us.

For most pet owners, having to put a very sick pet "to sleep" is a daunting and profoundly sad experience. Traditionally, this has been a cold, sterile affair, which only exacerbates the pain inherent in what must be done. Dr. Smith has dedicated himself to making this process somewhat easier for the pet owner and more compassionate for the pet. He comes to the home of the pet owner, allowing the bond between human and animal to express itself throughout the process; great respect is shown, and there remains a feeling that the utmost effort has been made to respect the depth and sacredness of that connection. Dr. Smith "sees this as a fast-growing field due to better knowledge of pain-easing medications, plus increasing awareness among vets and pet owners of the possibility for making terminally ill pets more comfortable at home."

This is a good sketch of the life of a great man who proved to the world the power of justice, peaceful resistance, and courage in the face of evil. We learn of Gandhi's spiritual influences and how they led him to an extremely integrated and tolerant view of humanity's paths to God: "Religions are different roads converging to the same point...if a man reaches the heart of his own religion, he has reached the heart of the others too." Gandhi sought nonviolence because, as Dr. Sorkhabi writes, "he truly believed that bloodshed simply perpetuates hatred, revenge, and violence in a vicious cycle throughout history." Gandhi summed up his life thus: "My life is my message." Einstein once said about him, "Generations to come, it may be, will scarce believe that such a one as this ever in flesh and blood walked upon this earth."

Durga teaches, in detail, a number of standing asanas which produce strength and balance. These postures are especially "enjoyable and energizing, as they help us to deepen our breathing, develop core strength, and correct posture. They make us aware of gravity and its effect on our alignment." By thus focusing our attention upon spinal alignment, we come to realize the benefits of sitting and standing straighter, which in turn contributes greatly to keeping our bodies youthful. Other benefits include stress reduction, and increased physical and mental balance. She also points out the importance of breathing deeply while doing these poses, which helps to draw impurities from the bodily tissues. A fascinating read!

Ben Vereen is well known as an actor, singer, and dancer (Roots, Pippin, Grey's Anatomy, etc.), yet most of us are unaware of his remarkable spiritual journey. In 1987, he suffered a huge blow when his daughter died in a car accident. In 1992, he had a horrendous automobile accident of his own, in which he suffered a brain aneurysm and stroke; no sooner did he stumble onto the road when he was struck by another car and found clinging to life by the thinnest of threads. No one expected him to survive, let alone sing and dance again; yet through his faith in God, countless prayers of family and friends, as well as his personal spiritual practice, he regained his health and strength in ways that can be deemed nothing short of miraculous! As a result of his ordeal and subsequent transformation, he has become an amazing beacon of faith, light, and love, and he is still acting, singing and dancing. This article will convince anyone who feels beset by life's trials that nothing is impossible with God.

Delia underscores the fact that people need connection to their Source and alignment with their heart's desires. Without that sense of connection, she says, life is "like stew without salt." She recounts stories of individuals who, in the name of what others wanted them to do, did not follow their true calling; naturally, what followed was great discord and unhappiness. However, even if our lives seem "mundane" to us at times, Delia points out the great value inherent in everyone, if only individuals will accept it. She writes, "If, in your lifetime, you help even one other person to discover himself or herself and find a better way to live, your life has meaning."

This is a Reader's Story that is very short and sweet. Frustrated by marital discord that seemed to be increasing, Noelle waited on the curb for her husband to pick her up and was getting angrier by the moment. Out of the blue, a stranger appears and gives her a gift and a reaffirmation of God's love for her. A must-read; don't want to give it away!

This fascinating story gets right to the heart of how Viktor Frankl synthesized his psychiatric technique, which he dubbed "Logotherapy." He saw that every individual needs to see a meaning to their life; however, it is not a "one size fits all" kind of meaning -- rather, each person must find their own unique purpose based on the specifics of their life. To illustrate this, William writes "Frankl recalls a situation in which a reporter asked a grand master of chess, 'What is the best move in chess?' As may be expected, the grand master had no answer to this question, not because he didn't know what the best move was, but because such a thing does not exist. 'A chess player must attempt,' the master responded...'to make the best move at any given time.' " Interred in a series of Nazi prison camps, Frankl's philosophy was confirmed in the worst of conditions -- in fact, once a prisoner lost their sense of purpose, they inevitably died very quickly. Thankfully, Frankl survived his ordeal to become one of the world's great psychiatrists and, perhaps even more, one of the world's greatest inspirational figures.

Sri Ramakrishna (1836 -1886) exemplified the truth that sincere devotion to God brings God realization more than the particular pathway chosen by the devotee. In fact, he achieved supreme ecstasy in God through a number of paths, due to his ardent love for his creator. Marshall Govindan details a number of the paths travelled by Ramakrishna, ranging from several branches of Hinduism, to Christianity, Islam, and even living as a married householder, although he remained celibate throughout his life. Ramakrishna's foremost disciple, Swami Vivekananda, was instrumental in bringing Hinduism to the West and is considered an important spiritual personality in his own right.