Hello and welcome to Conscious Friends, a community of The Conscious Living Foundation!
As you know, our site was created to support those interested in spiritual and personal growth. Along the way, many of us have realized that relationships are an important part of creating and maintaining a harmonious and uplifting life. To that end, The Conscious Living Foundation is pleased to offer these pages on our site in the hope that we all can find new like-minded friends and perhaps develop deeper relationships. There are several ways to visit these pages. As a...
"Simplify, Simplify…" More than a
century after Henry David Thoreau uttered these words, his plea for simplicity
has more significance now than ever before.
We work hard and play hard, filling
nearly every moment with activity. Most families believe they need two incomes
to pay for a standard of living that has doubled in the last 50 years. But do
we?
Based on my three-year study of over 200 people who have simplified their
lives, I found that we can work less, want less, and spend less, and be happier
and more fulfilled in the process.
Here are ten...more
Spiritual Diversity
April 29, 2008
To our pre-Christian
spiritual ancestors, spirituality was both contemporary and relevant. In
cultures where polytheism (the belief in many gods) was the rule, rather than
the exception, individuals were given the ability to find their own beliefs and
to choose their own spiritual paths based upon their personal needs and the
calling of their own hearts. Households had specific deities that represented
the prosperity and protection that the family hoped for their home.
Agricultural festivals had gods that watched over the planting, the growing
crops, and the harvest. This diverse pantheon of deities created a culture
where a person would draw closest to the god...more
How to Argue...and Actually Improve Your Health
April 19, 2008
Is being nice bad for your
health?
A recent study in the July report of Psychosomatic Medicine found that married
women who bottled up their feelings after an argument were four times as likely
to experience declining health as women who expressed their feelings openly.
This reluctance to express emotions and
communicate openly is referred to as "self-silencing," and it has a
devastating effect on our physical and emotional health. In fact,
self-silencing has been linked to depression, eating disorders, and heart
disease.
Despite these negative side effects, many couples
still refrain...more
Spirituality Can Soothe Body and Soul
April 13, 2008
To stay healthy, you probably know that you need to eat
right, get plenty of exercise and rest, and avoid bad habits such as smoking.
But, it might surprise you to learn that what
you believe in can have a big impact on your health and longevity.
"There have been a lot of studies, and
more are coming out all of the time, that show how patients with strong
spirituality can improve their health from a variety of chronic conditions,
like hypertension, heart disease, recovery from surgery and more," said
Dr. Michael Torosian, a surgical oncologist at Fox Chase Cancer Center in
Philadelphia, and...
more
Get Physical and Get Happy
April 10, 2008
Scrubbing the tub and other
forms of housework may clean your house and boost your mood.
In fact, as little as 20
minutes of any kind of physical activity a week helped mental health, although
the more vigorous the activity, the greater the benefit, said the authors of a
study published online Thursday in the British
Journal of Sports Medicine.
"There's such a
pervasive feeling in this country that, if there's a problem, there's always a
pill to fix it," said Dr. Suzanne Steinbaum, director of Women...more
