Unsealed: Proof of Catholic Diocese Protecting Pedophiles

Crossposted from Reflections Journal.

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Nearly 10,000 pages in internal documents belonging to the Catholic Diocese of San Diego -- unsealed under court order -- reveal a longstanding practice of covering for sexually abusive priests and shuffling them off to other dioceses.

The records are from the personnel files of 48 priests who were either credibly accused or convicted of sexual abuse or were named in a civil lawsuit. They include a decades-old case in which a priest under police investigation was allowed to leave the U.S. after the diocese intervened.

. . .

The files show what the diocese knew about abusive priests, starting decades before any allegations became public, and that some church leaders moved priests around or overseas despite credible complaints against them.

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"Why Shamanism Now?" with Christina Pratt

The Feast in Loneliness

The fall is a time of rich harvest in the northern hemisphere. It is also a time that people begin to feel lonely and depressed. As the days grow shorter and the skies cloudier the people grow sadder. "This is one of those mysterious things," explains host and shaman, Christina Pratt, "where the current person's experience is opposite of the traditional person in a shamanic culture. I find these places where we have swung 180 degrees interesting and seething with potential." Traditionally this is a time of community celebrating the harvest, working together to set up stores of the long winter ahead, and personally completing projects to prepare for the dark time, before going within to rest and rejuvenate. When loneliness rises to the surface of our awareness it is a voice calling out for the feast, the harvest of the life at this time and the community to celebrate with. Loneliness is also the voice calling you inward to your internal community, to attend to the inner projects abandoned half-done and the promises broken. When loneliness rises, listen; do not turn away. Loneliness can be the guide to that pure place of rejuvenation and restoration called Alone.

Tuesday, October 26, 2010 at 11:00 AM Pacific

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Horoscope for October 25-31

Cross-posted from Aloha Astro

Aries (March 21st - April 20th)
Mental pursuits and communication in the realm of business and partnership dominate your week, Aries. Inner transformations and your quest for spiritual awareness and mental mastery keep you exploring new concepts. Sharing these concepts or putting these principles to work in your life may have a profound impact on the people with whom you associate personally and professionally. As you increase your own self mastery, you will be faced with greater opportunities to demonstrate your skills. You can bring personal relationships to a deeper level of intimacy and shared pleasure. You can be more authentic in your work and discover that the secret to your success is not conformity but an inner belief in the value of your unique personal contribution of ideas and knowledge. Toward the end of the week, you may ready your home for Halloween. Whether you are hosting a party or simply handing out candy at the door, you may enjoy wearing a costume that represents your alter ego.

Taurus (April 21st - May 20th)
Money and values figure prominently this week, Taurus. Being a fixed earth sign, these issues are never far from your mind. You like your stuff and you feel most secure when you are able to get the stuff you desire. If you have a partner who shares household expenses with you, the budget may be picked over this week. You and your partner knuckle down to set a course for prosperity. You both have a strong desire now to be free of debt and to make plans for the long term. The planets support you in this and a joint plan can enhance your relationship and bring you closer together. If you are single, your money concerns may turn your attention to monitoring behaviors or beliefs which undermine your prosperity consciousness. If you do not have the emotional support of a partner to encourage you, you may find support in a group of friends or an organization that focuses on Law of Attraction principles. Changing your financial situation may also require the courage to ask for what you want. Raising the fee for your services or asking your employer for a raise may be the most direct route to more cash. The prospects for love and romance are good for everyone this week, but especially the Venus-ruled sign of Taurus. You may find yourself spouting poetry and spontaneously singing love songs.

Astrological Trends for October 25-31

Cross-posted from Aloha Astro

It truly feels like a fresh start on Monday, October 25th. Now that the energy of a full moon is subsiding and your emotions have stabilized as the moon transited through the earth sign of Taurus this past weekend, you are ready to take on a new week. The sun is now in the perceptive water sign of Scorpio. You may suddenly notice how quickly darkness arrives in the evening and how bare the trees are beginning to look. The Scorpio sun activates an energy of paring down to the core. It is a good time to examine what is necessary or essential in your life on the mundane and the spiritual level. Pay particular attention to things or people that feel draining and find ways to change your relationship with them or let them go. The moon is in the lively and curious air sign of Gemini today where it exchanges beneficial energy with the Scorpio sun and Pluto in Capricorn. Pluto and the sun are also in harmony. Pluto is the ruling planet of Scorpio, so this wonderful aspect pattern amps up the best qualities of Scorpio and allows you to use them wisely and creatively when you communicate with other people and put your deepest feelings into words. If writing or speaking play a key role in your chosen work, make the most of this highly creative configuration. As the day progresses, the moon also touches off Venus and Mercury, both tightly conjunct in Scorpio. There couldn’t be a better time for you to talk about love, seek a partner, or share your thoughts and dreams with someone you love. If you have shopping, errands, or phone calls to attend to, this is an excellent day to do it. You know what you want, you can easily make your desires known, and you will get what you ask for now.

Did James Arthur Ray Smoke Sedona's Business?

Crossposted from Reflections Journal.

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Sedona Arizona, boasting four energy vortexes, has been the go-to place for spiritual seekers for decades. But its tourist business has fallen off dramatically over the past year and many are blaming the PR nightmare that was James Arthur Ray's sweat lodge debacle.

“It was a very unfortunate and sad situation that could have happened anywhere,” said Janelle Sparkman, president of the Sedona Metaphysical Spiritual Association, who attributes the woes that New Age practitioners are experiencing to a lack of disposable income for spiritual needs and not what happened that awful afternoon. “It was not indicative of Sedona or Sedona’s practitioners at all.”

But sweat lodges are now far less common, with the authorities shutting some down to avoid further trouble. And the spiritual association is pushing the importance of ethics among spiritualists.

Still, the tragedy of what occurred, along with the barrage of lawsuits, has caused some outsiders to look elsewhere for fulfillment.

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"Why Shamanism Now?" with Christina Pratt

Shamanic Awakenings

Leo Rutherford, co-founder of the Eagle's Wing College of Shamanic Medicine in England, joins host and shaman, Christina Pratt, for our series of Society of Shamanic Practitioners sponsored interview shows. Joan Halifax opened Leo's path to shamanism in 1980 while he was studying Holistic Psychology in San Francisco, CA. Since then he has studied with a wide variety of teachers, written several books on shamanism, and co-founded Eagles' Wing College in 1985. Leo explains that the ultimate purpose of shamanic skills is to help us to see the hidden causal interactions in the non-manifest world that create the manifest world in which we live. Thus we can learn to use these ancient skills to align with our true beliefs and deepest dreams. Join us this week as we welcome one of the elders of shamanism in the UK and explore how contemporary shamans are meeting the challenge of their world where the relations of things-the living and the dead, the humans and nature, and Western Way and the spirit world-are profoundly out of balance. It is the ancient role of the shaman in all cultures to tend the balance of things. How are these shaman meeting this extraordinary need today?

This week's guest:
Leo Rutherford

Leo Rutherford is a co-founder of the Eagle's Wing College of Shamanic Medicine in England and an elder of shamanism in the UK. The work of Eagle's Wing is to help people connect their inner and outer worlds, to heal old wounds within, to bring dreams from the world of spirit into manifestation and thus enjoy a creative and fruitful life. Joan Halifax opened Leo's path to shamanism in 1980 while he was studying Holistic Psychology in San Francisco, CA. Since then he has studied with a wide variety of teachers, written several books on shamanism, and co-founded Eagles' Wing College in 1985. For Leo shamanism is a path of heart and it is his great joy to pass on to others through his books and course work, some of the experience and knowledge that has helped him to transform his life.

Tuesday, October 19, 2010 at 11:00 AM Pacific

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Horoscope for October 18-24

Cross-posted from Aloha Astro

Aries (March 21st - April 20th)
“And the day came when the risk to remain tight in a bud was more painful than the risk it took to blossom.” – Anais Nin. Does this quote call to your heart, Aries? I suspect it might, with the full moon energy of this week in your sign. You are becoming more aware of your unique talents or ways of thinking and may be wondering if greater exposure is worth the risk. Unusual ideas can translate into unusual work or connecting with new people, either face to face or on the Internet. You will find yourself unable to suppress your viewpoints and willing to assert yourself despite any negative feedback. Relationships may move to deeper levels as you open up more and discuss subjects with deeper meaning. As the week unfolds and the moon sets off a new cycle of personal growth for you, you realize it is no longer possible to live on a purely superficial level when you are aware of the connection between your thoughts and the life you manifest around you.

Taurus (April 21st - May 20th)
A shifting of your internal values and subconscious motivations is possible this week, Taurus. Work, health, career, groups, and friends are prominent. How you view your work and the career path you have chosen may occupy your thoughts. Recently, the planetary energy has offered you opportunities to join with a group or spend time in activities with friends. The result of more connections to people-centered activity is that the world and what you can do to be of service in it has had more of a pull than your personal life. The full moon energy will make you aware of the correlation between glad giving of your time and energy that makes you feel vital, happy, and strong versus begrudgingly putting in time and energy just to get by creating stress, depression, loss of physical stamina, or illness. Right livelihood and right attitude are your lessons this week. The planets are sending support to you that helps keep romantic relationships moving along smoothly, too.

Astrological Trends for October 18-24

Cross-posted from Aloha Astro

Feeling your dreams are impossible or your hurdles are too big to jump over is possible on Monday, October 18th, due to a square aspect between Mars, the planet of action, in Scorpio and Neptune, the planet of faith and inspiration, in Aquarius. I have noted that Mars in Scorpio often chooses the path of most resistance as a test of personal strength. Neptune in the mental air sign of Aquarius reaches for some lofty ideals. Your reaction or expression of this challenging energy pattern this week may swing from dramatic despair to blustery belligerence. An examination of your natal chart to determine which houses Mars and Neptune are transiting can give you a better idea of how this affects you personally. It will affect everyone strongly throughout the week. Globally, it may trigger unusual events that require us to suspend fear or disbelief. With Neptune favorably aspected by the sun conjunct Mercury in Libra and Mars, Mercury and the sun all supporting Jupiter/Uranus in Pisces, you will be able to weigh the pros and cons and compute the odds of any situation. The planets are giving you the support to overcome opposition and doubt. The moon in Pisces exchanges beneficial energy with Saturn in Libra today. This aspect can help you to keep your emotions from flying in all directions and to take anything you hear with a grain of salt until you can verify information for yourself.

Your emotions intensify on Tuesday, October 19th. The moon in the super sensitive water sign of Pisces joins Jupiter, the planet of growth, and Uranus, the planet of change. Elementally, this trio makes me think of a Moray eel – fire, electricity, and water. Have you ever seen how fast they can move? The interplay of energy between moon/Jupiter/Uranus and the Mercury/sun pair in Libra may be just the energy you need to move from a point of waiting and watching to swift and sudden decision. Action will follow the decision quickly since Mars supports the trio, as well. Although the moon is still a few days away from being completely full, its conjunction to two heavy planets, which are both being activated by other planets, is potent enough to make this a day of pivotal thinking and action. I suspect you may surprise yourself or find yourself being surprised by outspoken people doing unpredictable things. If you feel that you have jumped off the plane without a parachute, consider that the immediate shock of having made a jump is the source of the unease – not the question of a parachute.

Choosing a Halloween Costume with Astrology

Cross-posted from Aloha Astro

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Orange pumpkins in the fields and bags of candy stacked near the entrance of every store can mean only one thing – trick-or-treat time! Halloween 2010 falls on a weekend, which may increase the number of parties and costume contests penciled on your social calendar this year. The planets Venus and Mars will be transiting the mysterious sign of Scorpio for most of October, making this a season of fascination with the paranormal, occult, and macabre. People will delight in the drama of Halloween and the thrill of projecting a hidden persona by donning a costume.

On Halloween 2010, the planets are serving a party platter and punch bowl full of good-natured fun. The Halloween moon will be in the creative and regal fire sign of Leo. This warm and gregarious moon encourages creativity, originality, exhibition, and games. Mars, the planet of action, will be in the early degrees of the expansive, jovial fire sign of Sagittarius – an extremely social sign that delights in adventure and humor. Unless you are so grown up that your inner child has abandoned you completely (in which case, I recommend you dress as Ebenezer Scrooge), you had better get your costume ready!

Here is a trick to help you look like a treat this Halloween – you can use astrology to help you choose a costume! I’ve made a list of basic sun sign personality attributes and costume suggestions, which represent the energy of each of the twelve zodiac signs. You can choose a costume to express the nature of your sun sign, rising sign, or moon sign and let your star power shine brightly for you this Halloween.

Esoterica

Crossposted from Reflections Journal.

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What would James Arthur Ray say? Now the genies are putting people in cement mixers!

The girl became the talk of her village when she allegedly vanished on several occasions, only to be found in odd places like inside a cement mixer and a cemetery.

The parents of Siti Balqis Mohd Nor, 22, were relieved with the success of the two bomoh and hoped their life would return to normal as the djinns were said to be behind the woman's mysterious disappearances.

Hundreds of residents flocked to the home of Siti Balqis when they heard that the "culprits" had been captured and imprisoned in special containers.

Curious onlookers jostled to take photos and video footage of the containers and the djinns said to be inside.

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"Why Shamanism Now?" with Christina Pratt

Shamanism and Cancer

Shamanic practices can have an affect on cancer and the healing process. This week host and shaman, Christina Pratt, explores a variety of ways shamanic healing has been part of successful recoveries from a cancer diagnosis. In any discussion of cancer it is important to remember that there are many different forms of cancer and that shamanism is part of-not instead of-other paths of treatment. At the most basic level people diagnosed with cancer visit a shaman to determine the true diagnosis and answer the question, "Why specifically do I have this cancer at this time and what do I do about it?" Others may approach a shaman, particularly "sucking doctors," to draw the malignant energy out of the body and allow the body to heal. Others, who know how to journey them selves have work with their own helping spirits in a wide array of creative and successful journeys to healing. Tying all of these approaches together is the idea that one is not at war with cancer or the body. But that illness is an opportunity to look deeply at what we need to do to come into balance with our whole self and harmony with our life and the world around us.

Tuesday, October 12, 2010 at 11:00 AM Pacific

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Why Shamanism Now? on Co-Creator Network
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