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Cultivating Empathy as Part of Our Spiritual Practice

ByHarv Bishop

BY MARYJANE OSA In “New Thought Dilemma,” Harv Bishop describes a premise underlying many of our teachings: the belief that “you create your own reality.” The logical inference is that each person is responsible for the circumstances of their lives—the good and the bad. Using this as a foundational belief leads to a further consequence:…

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The Spiritual Power of the Imagination

ByHarv Bishop

BY HARV BISHOP Affirmations can be powerful, but there is much more to the creative power of the mind and imagination. Our thoughts create our reality in multiple ways, writes Gary Lachman in his fascinating recent book  Lost Knowledge of the Imagination. These alternative ways of knowing include paying loving attention to the beauty that…

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When Positive Thinking is Used to Shame Illness

ByHarv Bishop

BY KAI ELLIOT If you would’ve told me, ten years ago, that I would have my own website and I’d be writing about Illness Positivity(tm) for the spiritual field – I would have thought you were nuts! When I took my first yoga class, eighteen years ago, I would’ve told you you were nuts –…

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The New Thought Dilemma: When Law Eclipses Love

ByHarv Bishop

BY HARV BISHOP Once upon a time I was an in-the-closet New Thoughter writing for a Catholic weekly newspaper. Catholicism had been the religion of my youth and this paper was strong on covering social justice issues. At the time I was not only a closeted New Thought adherent, but also caught up in Shirley…

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The Reformation of New Thought

ByHarv Bishop

500 years ago this week, Martin Luther launched the Protestant reformation with his 95 theses that challenged Catholic church authorities. Without that move away from centralized religious dogma, New Thought and alternative spirituality would not exist. New Thought spiritual pioneers experimented with what worked in their lives without blind acceptance of tradition. What in New…