Amaterasu The Goddess of the Sun
February 13, 2008
Amaterasu is a shining example of how adversity can help us to ‘blossom and bloom’ more at times. She helps us look for the lesson to be learned when the adverse times come into our lives.
In Japanese mythology, Amaterasu (pron: Ah-mah-te-lah-soo) is the radiant and compassionate Japanese sun goddess who ruled the sun, cultural unity, weaving and agriculture. So she was responsible for illiminating the world. She is a bringer of light. She wove the world. She was responsible not only for the continuing of the Japanese people but all the royal family were her decendants.
The storm god Susanowa, because he ruined her garden,Amaterasu enclosed herself in a cave and, depressed and grieving, refused to come out.Without her the fields died and the people grew hungry because without the sun there was only endless night. Amaterasu was the bringer of light to her people and without her they too grew depressed and grieving. The Goddess of mirth, Uzume rolled a copper mirror to the front of the cave, then danced wildly on an overturned tub. Her frenzied dance whipped the hundreds of gathered deities into ecstatic laughter and delight. Hearing the commotion and overcome with curiosity, Amaterasu emerged. Seeing her radiance reflected in the copper mirror, she was amazed at her brilliance. Her grief dissipated, she returned to the world and life was renewed.
Restoration of the Jewish People and The Rebuilding of the Jewish Temple
February 12, 2008
This is the event that has already occurred. In 70 AD, after Jesus’ death on the cross, the Jewish people were dispersed throughout the entire world. The Romans destroyed their one and only Temple and they were then scattered throughout the whole world as prophesied in the Old Testament as a result of their failure to get their act together with God the Father. God the Father pronounced this judgment on the Jewish people as you get near the end of the Old Testament.
Find Shortcuts To Happiness
February 11, 2008
If someone said you could feel inner peace and joy by just deciding to do it, would you believe them? Well, we’re telling you just that! Anyone can choose inner comfort, ease or a feeling of well-being by learning simple tools that will teach you how to make these decisions. Here’s a taste of one of the 6 Shortcuts To Happiness we teach at The Option Institute and how you can begin to use it now:
Being Grateful
Take a few moments to sit with your eyes closed and find a quiet place inside yourself. As you do this, begin to breathe in an easy manner. Now think of one person that you feel particularly grateful to have in your life. As you think of this person, bring to mind all the reasons why you appreciate this person, and as you do, notice how you feel. Then gently open your eyes and pick one object that is in your line of vision. Pick anything. Think of all the reasons you feel grateful to have this object. See if you can make your gratitude really big. Now look outside and decide to be grateful for something you see. Can you make your gratitude for this item huge? Notice how you feel as you do this.
End Time Events - The Miscellaneous Signs
February 10, 2008
Per the miscellaneous signs listed in my previous article, Jesus literally tells the apostles face to face what the signs are that will let us know when He is about ready to come back to our earth for His second coming. The verse is from the gospel of Matthew and it reads as follows:
“Tell us, when will these things be? And what will be the sign of Your coming and of the end of the age? And Jesus answered and said to them: “Take heed that no one deceives you. For many will come in My Name, saying ‘I am the Christ,’ and will deceive many. And you will hear of wars and rumors of wars. See that you are not troubled; for all these things must come to pass, but the end is not yet.
For nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom And there will famines, pestilences and earthquakes in various places. All these are the beginning of sorrows. Then they will deliver you up to tribulation and kill you, and you will be hated by all nations for My name’s sake. And then many will be offended, will betray one another, and will hate one another. Then many false prophets will rise up and deceive many. And because lawlessness will abound, the love of many will grow cold. But he who endures to the end shall be saved.
Sixties: The Decade of Rebellion
February 9, 2008
It is safe to say that in the sixties everything changed: society, fashion, music, art, media, everything was impacted. It was a time when everyone truly believed they could make a difference, when it seemed as if the world had limitless possibilities and a few people trying really hard, willing to sacrifice everything, could change the direction of everything. And it proved the power of believing in yourself. Ordinary people did change things, extraordinary things like the attitude of society at large, like the way people viewed war and music and art. Student protests, often led by folk musicians, helped lead to the demise of the Vietnamese War, helped make social consciousness and equality for all a living fact, helped people really achieve the freedom that America and the West have always striven for. It was a remarkable time, and no wonder that many people look back to it as a time of dreams and passion. Social Activism, Celebrities, and Music Rock music became its own genre in the mid-1950s. Less than ten years later, the Beatles burst onto the music scene, the vanguard of a revolution in music. Parents hated them, sometimes even worse than they hated Elvis. But the kids loved them, and would buy anything with a picture of John, Paul, Ringo, or George. Their innovations paved the way for later artists, both British and American: the Rolling Stones, Jimi Hendrix, Bob Dylan, The Doors, The Mamas and the Papas ? dozens of legendary bands have the Beatles to thank. By the middle of the decade, the Beatles were writing songs about social issues, like war and loneliness. And other bands followed suit. There was a lot to write about; in the United States, Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. was leading American Blacks to unheard-of levels of social equality, and soon the British would put special military troops in Northern Ireland to quell the unrest there, leading to nearly-open guerilla warfare with the IRA. Women all over the world were following a movement to equal rights. And anti-war activists like Jane Fonda were making a name for themselves, both famous and infamous. Food: Trends Good And Bad Though founded much longer ago, McDonalds and other fast food restaurants grew into a major power in the food industry during the 60s, probably driven by the high energy of the time coupled with an increasing dependence on automobiles as a means of transportation. At the same time the stuff that’s bad for you became popular, other people began to realize that you really are what you eat. Because of new age conservationist movements, those people began to eat healthier: whole grains, organic foods they grew themselves, and semi-vegetarianism, vegetarianism, and vegan lifestyles. War: What Is It Good For? You can’t talk about the sixties, the decade of peace, without talking about war. Particularly, you have to look at the Vietnamese war. The US entered the country in Southeast Asia in the early 1960s at the request of the French ? who subsequently abandoned the war. And America’s presence in Vietnam grew, gradually forcing a draft of the very young men who were just discovering the dizzying freedom the sixties ushered in. The result? An impressive increase in the numbers of young people going to college, and an equally impressive increase in the number of young men moving to Canada. Ref: http://www.sixties.gb.com But why was this war so different from Korea, only about ten years earlier? The simple answer: television. Reporters with cameras covered the bloodiest parts of the war, capturing the pain on both sides in film. And those films made their way to broadcast television, which for the first time could be found in half or more American homes. It was difficult to watch the images of war without being moved, and it was a real shock to teenagers and young adults who had never known the touch of violence before. But there was another kind of war going on, a social war. Blacks in America were discovering their power, partly spurred by the thought of the draft and partly by the energy of the decade carrying them forward. Women throughout the world were discovering not only their political power, but the social freedom brought about by a little pill ? the birth control pill. For better or worse, relations between the sexes would never be the same. Sixties Fun, Games, and Fashion Toys were undergoing change, too. Physical games, like Frisbees and Twister, became very popular indeed. Boys began collecting Matchbox cars, the latest rage; and the self-image of little girls everywhere was changed as Barbie dolls, Sindy dolls, and other anatomically correct dolls that weren’t baby dolls entered their pink frilly rooms. Older boys were finding they had much more to look at than ever before. Girls’ skirts moved from the near-ankle-length full skirts of the fifties to the short ? shorter ? shortest skirts of the sixties. Short skirts and midriff-revealing hipster jeans also made it important that as little cellulite as possible showed ? girls could no longer wear industrial-strength girdles. The most effective way of getting rid of cellulite? Be as thin as possible. The other problem with changing clothes was that if you used garters (or suspenders, if you’re in Britain) they showed under the short tight skirts. The answer? Pantyhose, an invention of the devil. Inventions and Innovations Computers also moved from being a scientific curiosity to a genuine industrial innovation; punch cards and tape were the programming tools of the time ? until the integrated circuit, the precursor to today’s microchips. This innovation led to the development of the hand-held pocket calculator by Texas Instruments, though calculators did not come into general use until the early seventies. But the world didn’t understand how much science and technology was really going to change their lives ? until Neil Armstrong spoke to the world from the surface of the Moon in 1969. It was a fitting end to a remarkable decade.
End Time Events and the 2nd Coming of Jesus
February 9, 2008
In part 1 of this series of end time articles, I am going to go ahead and outline all of the main events that will be occurring that will be leading up to the 2nd coming of Jesus to our earth. This will be a basic overview of the main end time events. I will then go into additional parts giving you a bit more detail into some of these specific events. The Bible once again, very specifically and very explicitly, lays out exactly what is going to happen before Jesus returns back to us for His second coming.
The problem is that all the verses pertaining to the second coming of Jesus to our earth are all scattered throughout the Bible. You thus have to search them out and then match them up to be able to see exactly what is coming down the road - just like putting together a jigsaw puzzle. God always seems to want to make you hunt and search for all of the knowledge that is in the Bible. Seek and then you will find. The subject of revelations and end time events is no exception.
Who Controls YOUR Happiness?
February 8, 2008
Where does happiness fit on a scale of 1 to 10 in your life?
Is that a silly question? Who’s in control of your happiness??
Well, if you want to maintain continued happiness in light of difficult moments then start by identifying your thinking. Often this means that some of the way you think about certain things may need to change.
Change is difficult for many people, especially when it involves changing a behavior that you have practiced over and over again (such as drinking, smoking, overeating, etc.) And with the change often comes strong emotion.
But human beings have a wonderful ability to change how they feel by changing how they think. So how do you know what feelings to change, and aren’t we SUPPOSED to feel certain emotions in light of the situations we experience?
The answer is yes, and no. Yes, it is inevitable that we will experience emotions in relation to life events. And no: how we feel is determined by how we think about these events.
Feelings are like the weather, an ongoing part of life, which will change when the right conditions present themselves. They are neither good nor bad, they just are.
Why Christian and Atheist Libertarians Get Along
February 7, 2008
I’m the most religious guy in the Libertarian Party. At least that’s what my friend, Charlie, decided. I don’t know if his bit of insight was meant to be a compliment or a mere observation. Either way, I suppose there are others more deserving.
For his part, Charlie is a declared atheist. And, therein lays a dilemma for some libertarians. How can I - a certified, card-carrying Bible thumper - stand shoulder to shoulder with a guy who’s never thumped a Bible in his life?
In spite of ourselves
One may assume there is a détente in which the discussion of religion is avoided like a trip to the dentist. One would be wrong. I find few things more intellectually stimulating than a lively spat with a well-informed atheist - particularly when feeble attempts are made to defend the untenable; eg, evolution.
Or, one may assume there is a level of irreconcilable toleration. Not so. Some of the best Christians I know are atheists. By that, I mean, atheists usually surpass Christians in areas such as morality, decency and human kindness. I don’t tolerate these people. I like them. I enjoy their company. I’d rather hang out with a crowd of honest atheists than a church full of back-stabbing Baptists any day of the week, including Sunday.
Native American Art Thunderbird
February 6, 2008
The thunderbird has been one of the most dominant icons in Native American art and legends. In fact, the concept of the thunderbird has been so popular that it has been used in the non-Native world to name a classic automobile, liquor, a 1960’s children’s adventure television show (and subsequent recent movie), a US Air Force squadron and is referenced in pop music (remember the word ‘t-bird’ in 1950’s rock and roll?). The thunderbird is one of the few cross-cultural characters in Native American mythology since it is found in legends of Pacific Northwest, Plains, and Northeastern tribes.
The Native Indians of the Pacific Northwest Coast always lived along the shores and never ventured inland to the mountains. Legend has it that the thunderbird, a mighty God in the form of a giant, supernatural bird lives in the mountains. The Quileute tribe of Washington state considered a cave on Mount Olympus as the home of the thunderbird while the Coast Salish believed it is located on the Black Tusk peak in British Columbia. It is thought that the thunderbird never wants anyone to come near its home. If Native hunters get too close, the thunderbird will smell them and make a thunder sound by flapping its wings. It would also roll ice out of its cave and down the mountain with chunks breaking up into many smaller pieces.
Not Just Hearing the Word
February 5, 2008
Welcome to the website: All about Jesus, I hope you enjoy the Revealing Facts about the Bible. I encourage you to look at your Bible and see the truth (fact) about the true living word of God and then make your decisions. My Goal is to bring as many as I can to the Glory of the salvation of Jesus in hopes that your soul may be save.
Let’s start by saying all Praise and Glory go to the Lord Jesus and his Father God
Not Just Hearing The Word
In many chapters in the Bible it speaks of not just hearing the word, but also following it. In Matthew 7:21 it says: Not everyone who says to me, Lord, Lord, will enter the kingdom of heaven, but only he who does the will of my Father who is in heaven. We must live by the Will of the Father and as Jesus did. In James 1:22 it clearly states the fact about just hearing the word. It says; Do not merely listen to the word, and so deceive yourselves. Do what it says. Anyone who listens to the word but does not do what it says is like a man who looks at his face in a mirror and after looking at himself, goes away and immediately forgets what he look like. Now who wants to forget what he looks like? That’s something to think about.
