Spirituality & Health Magazine: January/February 2005

January/February 2005

Spirituality & Health Magaine

Cover Stories

	Tapping the Power of the Future Kenneth I. Pargament
	Conscious or not, our resolutions do shape our lives. Learn more, here.

	Self-Test: Are You In Your Own Way? Kenneth I. Pargament
	Use these exercises to clarify your goals, get out of your own way, and see whether your strivings put you on a path toward happiness and fulfillment.

	Resolutions That Work William R. Miller
	Talk yourself into being the person you want to be.

	Five Things We Cannot Change David Richo
	There's a lot we can change. For what we can't, there's the power of "Yes."

	When Everything Changed For Me Stephen Kiesling
	Most of us wouldn't imagine being at the top of the financial, professional, and personal worlds and yet feeling like our life had gone astray. But this author did and the reason applies to you more than you may realize.

	Anatomy of a Quantum Change William R. Miller
	Psychologist William R. Miller's 15-year study helps explain the sudden transformations of St. Paul, Joan of Arc, Malcolm X, and you and me.

Features

	Living Without Fear Christopher Reeve
	The late actor and activist's call to courage in the face of change.

	Tattoo Kathleen Mcclung
	An unforeseen lesson in making the ugly beautiful.

	Talking with Larry Dossey On the Next Revolution in Health Care Jill Neimark
	Staff writer Jill Neimark sits down with Larry Dossey, one of the pioneers of complementary medicine.

	Peace Talks Tammy Ruggles
	Peace. Such a small, simple word. Wars are fought and blood is shed in its name. The quest for it sends soldiers to the battlefield and brings civilians to their knees. From the smallest to the greatest, every soul that has ever lived has desired it for its own generation, and the next. Read some words from the voices of the last few generations, to hear the common plea of all mankind.

Columns

Care of the Soul
	Will We Take the Moral Values Challenge?
	We live in a time of spiritual decadence that offends Americans on both sides of our political spectrum. Americans as a people, and the political parties we support, need to grow up spiritually as we face this new century. Learn more.

Letter From The Editor
	Why This Year's Resolutions Will Be Different Robert Owens Scott
	A letter for Spirituality & Health's editor to the readers.

Open Mind, Open Heart
	In the Thick of Things Marilyn Schlitz
	As prayer research becomes a battleground, our columnist finds herself on the front lines.

What Goes On There, Really?
	Tibetan Tea Alchemy Marilyn Tam
	Having received an inventation to a fundraiser for the Vairotsana Center in Santa Barbara called the Tibetan Tea Alchemy, this author found she couldn't resist learning more about it. Learn more.

The Enlightened Diet
	The Sweet Secret of Valentine's Day -- Chocolate Deborah Kesten
	Chocolate has long been a gift from the heart to those we love. Today, medical research is finding that this favorite confection is also good for the heart. Learn more.

Body Practices
	The Heart Meditation Jennifer Derryberry
	When the weather gets cold, stoke your inner fire with Shiva Rea's Heart Meditation.

Guest Column
	Our Poll Shows the Differences between Red & Blue States Andrew J. Weaver, Kevin J. Flannelly, and Kathleen Galek
	S&H looks into the question of what seperates the religious values of Blue and Red states with a survey of over 1,500 randomly chosen adults. Learn more.

Updates & Observations

Soul/Body


	When a Prayer Researcher Goes to Jail for Fraud
	Last summer one of the researchers involved in the most successful intercessory prayer study of all time pleaded guilty to conspiracy in an unrelated business fraud and was sent to jail. Does this invalidate his research? Is this even legitimate science? Learn more about this ongoing debate.


	Audiotapes Can Help When the News Is Bad
	There may be nothing more difficult to hear than bad news about their child's health. Now a tool that has been used successfully with adult patients appears to be helpful for parents as well. Learn more.


	Shamanic Journeys to Upper Worlds Boost the Immune System Louise Danielle Palmer
	In the United States, there are shamanic journals, shamanic centers, shamanic circles, urban shamans, native shamans, neo-shamans and, now, there is shamanic science. Learn more.


	Can't Remember to Take Your Meds? Visualize This!
	A new study for diabetics reveals that older adults who spend three minutes visualizing exactly where they will be, what they will be doing, and how they will test their blood sugar are 50 percent more likely to actually do these tests on a regular basis than those who use other memory techniques. Learn more.


	Thinking Highly of Yourself May Not Be the Path to Happiness
	To test the common belief that people with high self-esteem are happier than those who think less of themselves, researchers from the University of California, Riverside, asked 621 retired employees of a large utility company, all between the ages of 51 and 95, to fill out questionnaires about what made them happy and what gave them self-worth. The answer may not be what you thought.


	Research: Wounds of the Isolated Take Longer to Heal
	We naturally turn to good friends when we feel emotionally wounded. Now a study conducted by University of Ohio professor of psychology and neuroscience Courtney DeVries suggests that bosom buddies may hasten the healing of physical wounds as well.

Intimacies


	A Father-Son Chat: Because No Kid Ever Bragged, Rev. Timothy E. Schenck
	When we compete, what we learn about ourselves, the relationships that develop, the way we treat one another is what matters, and, most importantly, we can learn more about the way in which God loves us.


	The Nest of Thread Ted Kooser
	A poem.


	French Kissing: Results of the Separation of Church and Sex?
	American and French citizens view sex in vastly different terms and that may be tied directly to our respective separations of church and state.


	Ovulation May Be the Best Perfume Betsy Robinson
	According to new a study at the University of Jyv�skyl� in Finland, men not only can smell ovulation, they like it! Surprised? Learn more.

Actions


	Stress-busters: These Drums Play You Janice Rosenberg
	In Moab, Utah, a small group of women have dedicated several evenings each week for the past 10 years to learninga nd performing the modern art of Taiko drumming. Learn more this ancient and complex musical tradition.


	Old Books, New Purpose Monika Rice
	Need a help or a reason to get rid of old books on your shelf? A new organization is helping give purpose to your old books in a way you may never have known was available.


	Emotional Labor: Why Women May Have to Work Harder To Get to the Top at Law Firms
	Women who find themselves in historically male dominated professions still have to work much harder to equal their male counterparts but the reason might not be the one you expect. Learn why.


	Litany of the Audubon Calendar Anne Higgins
	A poem.


	Off-Broadway Healing: Your Ridiculous Life? Betsy Robinson
	The public telling of private lives seems to intrigue audiences and heal its participants. And now you, too, can have a therapy show. Intrigued? Learn more.


	Mirror, Mirror, Off the Wall Jason Love (www.jasonlove.com)
	Body Dysmorophic Disorder (BDD) results in people looking into mirrors and seeing monsters in the reflection rather than themselves. Learn more about this destructive disorder and how you can combat it.

Beliefs


	This Kindly Old Nun Can Kick Our Butts Melissa Hart
	An injury forced Sister Madonna Buder to reconsider whether God was telling her to give up competitive racing. Turns out she had a few races left to run.


	Rating Churches, Welfare, and Faith-Based Organizations Evelyn S. Poitevent
	Some argue that federal funding for faith based organizations (FBO) violates the separation of church and state. What role is appropriate for such organizations to play in our society, from supporting political candidates to tending to the poor? Learn more.


	Would Julian of Norwich Have Applied?
	Mystics have not historically fallen within any organized instituational guidlines but that is now changing with a grant designed specifically for them. Learn more.


	What Americans Think about Muslims
	A recent poll on behalf of the Council on American-Islamic Relations suggests that Americans have some real work to do to make Muslims feel safe in this country. Learn more.

Expanding Universe


	Saint Stranger Martha Meek
	A poem.


	Beyond Medical Marijuana: A Psychedelic Comeback in Medical Research Louise Danielle Palmer
	The use of natural hallucinogens to alter the perception of reality and enhance our understanding of ourselves has been recorded for thousands of years in dozens of cultures across time and geography. After the self-destruction that they caused in the 1960s, a new group of scientists are trying to again persuade the government to allow the drugs to again be mined for their medicinal, spiritual, and therapeutic value.