New Worlds of Body, Mind & Spirit Since 1901
Your altar is more than just a place to put things. Through the ages, the use of altars has been both communal and private. Although home altars seem more prevalent in certain faiths, in recent years their use has become more widespread regardless of one's spiritual path. While altars and their purpose have evolved over the millennia, they continue to fulfill a fundamental need that transcends spiritual orientation. There is a certain power to an altar. It is not just a thing that holds a collection of objects; intention and energy transform an altar into a space that is separate from our everyday world. When we use an altar, we step outside the boundaries of our day-to-day lives. When ...
By the time you read this I will have traveled to and returned from Hawaii—not for a vacation, but to give a workshop on the subject of the Sri Yantra, an important diagram for practitioners of some paths of Tantra. Its main image is that of nine triangles of differing sizes that lay over each other, with four pointing up and five pointing down surrounded by symbolic lotus petals, circles, and an outer "square." The Sri Yantra Now, the question some readers may be asking is: "What is a nice Kabalist like Kraig doing with this Tantra sex stuff?" The answer is actually twofold. First, Tantra is not just "sex stuff," even though that's the opinion of most Westerners. Tantra is a ...
Although you may not be consciously aware of it, you're reading faces every day. You assess a person's character by looking at their face, and most of the time your first impressions will be correct. Some of this is learned, but most of it is instinctive. This is why old sayings, such as, "He has bedroom eyes," or, "Don't trust someone who has eyes too close together," have a basis in fact. As you've progressed through life you've also learned how to read people's facial expressions. You can instantly tell if someone is honest, friendly, timid, or broadminded, for instance. There are six universal expressions that are used by people all around the world, and you can probably recognize ...
Today, many students are familiar with the so-called Holy Inquisitions (also known among Neopagans as the "Burning Times") conducted by medieval religious authorities. It brings to mind images of Pagan midwives and healers (or "witches") suffering trial, torture, and death for their spiritual beliefs and practices. However, few students are aware that the Inquisitions were not originally established to persecute witches and Pagans. In the earliest Inquisitorial period, their principal focus was upon heresy within the Church itself. So their first victims were monks, priests, and other Christian clergy. Absolutely no one inside the Church was safe—and even Cardinals and Popes faced ...
