Recently in Spiritual Stories Category

Eighteen years ago, I wrote an article for a magazine that got me called in for a taped interview with a Fox TV morning news anchor. Being an effective communicator and a skillful public speaker was a dream of mine at the time. And still is.

After some 30 minutes of prep with the station's hair-and-makeup lady (which only made my anxiety mount), I clopped up to the dias and faced the camera in a carefully-pressed business suit and taupe high-heeled shoes. I was horribly nervous.

As the camera was queued to roll, and as the anchorman commenced his chirpy questioning, I found that, despite the prepared notes in my lap, I could not speak coherently. Words were coming out of my mouth that in no way connected to the chattering, critical thoughts in my head! Then I kept talking, hacking away at the spoken sentences, striving to perfect my thoughts. I couldn't stop. After 15 minutes of this, the anchorman said something like, "O-kay, I think we've got it..."

I looked at the cameraman, who seemed much less ebullient and flirtatious now than when we'd started.

Clearly, I'd flubbed the interview. But then the anchorman leaned forward and gave me advice aimed at teaching me how to emote better on television. And what he said rained down on me as if he were Yoda, and I was young Jedi Luke Skywalker. His words had the strange ability to change a disaster into something better. He said: "You should never feel like you have to fill up all the space." He paused before continuing.

"When you complete a thought, just stop and I'll start talking. That's my job. The responsibility to fill the space is not all yours."

A-ha. This story came back to me so vividly yesterday as I was sitting on the subway, pondering what I would write you in my final post, now that I'm taking my blogging break.

Filling this space has been a total joy. Every writer's ego's dream is to spout off, have a column with a photo on top for all to see. My happiness with the project deepened as I realized that I was really uplifting you, or inspiring you, or that I made you laugh a time or two. Your letters earlier this week were read and re-read by me with such pleasure! Thank you!

But I don't have to fill the space forever. It's an appropriate time for you to talk more in other contexts about what you know and believe. For if you don't, the louder-mouthed, we've-got-the-total-picture people will blab right over us, and fill our space with their pompous inanity. I wish I could say that blogging about spirituality has made me more sure that God exists or helped me decide which dogma is absolutely correct, but in truth, I'm comfortable admitting that there's a hell of a lot of wonderful overlap--we are truly all one--no message is best.

Read on to connect with which websites and blogs I think you'll like in my absence.

You may have been wondering how Tammy Faye Messner, who died at age 65 several days ago, became a gay icon in the goddess tradition of Lady Di, Marilyn Monroe and Judy Garland. Slate.com's "Explainer" explains it all here.

For a long-winded but fascinating description of gay mythologies and mother earth worship, click here and learn more about the work of gay psychologist Paul Chirumbolo.

Mentioned in a Newsweek article on new techniques in heart resuscitation, is the near-death experience research of Dr. Jeffrey Long. Here is Long's website where you can read one or more of the 1,000 near-death stories he's collected, share your own if you've had one, and fill out Long's near-death research questionnaire. To see hand-drawn pictures and paintings of other people's NDEs, go to this Newsweek page , and click on the "Crossing Over" gallery.

Ammachi, the beatific Indian hugging saint, has received wonderful clips from the press this most recent U.S. tour. Here's Erik Davis's Salon.com article about his encounter with her. And he even got to speak with her! Here's what she said:

"Today people are willing to die for religion, but no one lives in the central truth of religion. Religion is just the outer shell. The fruit is spirituality. People look at the outer shell and don't realize the spiritual essence. Spirituality is not different from a worldly life. Spirituality shows how to lead a happy life in the world, to minimize problems and maximize happiness. It is like an instruction manual. What is wrong if you get more happiness from spirituality than worldly pleasures?"

The article includes an excellent analysis of Amma's marketing strategies and charitable work. There's some questioning of whether or not she's over-guru-izing herself (sort of lording herself over us hapless underlings), but in the end Davis, author of "The Visionary State; A Journey Through California's Spiritual Landscape" can't help but embrace her in more ways than one.

If you've been wondering whether hugging Amma is worth the six-plus hour wait, Beliefnet's own Valerie Reiss describes her meeting with Amma with such warmth and precision, you'll likely be in line next year. Read her take here.

I failed to watch Larry King interview the new-sprung Paris Hilton last night, but here's what the New York Times said. Sounds like Paris's resolve to reform will wear off with time. But I'm still rooting for her.

After she said she read the Bible in her cell every day, [King] asked her to name her favorite passage. Ms. Hilton hesitated, looked down at her notes as if hoping to find an answer, then conceded that she didn’t have a favorite...

Mr. King did look surprised when the star of the reality show, “The Simple Life,” denied, with a straight face, ever abusing alcohol or taking drugs or living a hedonistic lifestyle. “I just like to go out and have fun with my friends, “ she said. “ I’m an Aquarius. We’re social people.”

Ms. Hilton wasn’t particularly penitent about her traffic infractions, claiming she was not aware that her license was suspended either time she was stopped by police. She did, however, vow never again to drink and drive. She also said she has tired of her party-girl image, and promised to raise money and awareness for worthy causes.

At this point, what Paris Hilton really needs is a thoughtful, spiritually-activated PR agent (like Arielle Ford, Debbie Ford's sister), and an ongoing, therapeutic relationship with someone sincerely religious but a tad show-biz-y, someone like Deepak Chopra. Deepak, can you call her?

Elizabeth Lesser, co-founder of the Omega Institute calls Dr. Charles T. Tart "one of the fathers of the New Age." I heard him speak to the Association for Spirituality and Psychotherapy a few years ago and was so taken with...