For years, normality has been stretched nearly to its breaking point, a rope pulled tighter and tighter, waiting for a nip of the black swan’s beak to snap it in two. Now that the rope has snapped, do we tie its ends back together, or shall we undo its dangling braids still further, to see what we might weave from them?

I recently gave the keynote address at a local graduation ceremony. I arrived early to hang out with the 72 students and asked a few of them, "What would you like to hear from me?" I ended up quoting a bright young woman I'll call Lucinda, who paused in deep thought for about thirty seconds before answering.

A testimonial from someone who went from self-hate and self-destruction and ended up behind bars to discovering the goodness within and set out on a path of recovery.

We know that a transformation of global dimensions has already started, and we know that its unfolding is not predictable. We can be certain that it will be challeng­ing. Will we achieve the understanding, the wisdom, to survive this challenge?

It’s time to sink down into our roots and reconnect with the natural, the primal, and the instinctual. It’s time to untether and reclaim all the aspects of ourselves that have been shamed, hidden, and tamped down so we can ground our full being and powerful medicine into the world.

Never has there been a time that our light is more needed than now. Our voices, actions and intentions will inspire and heal so many. No longer can we sit by and just visualize... we must combine our spiritual practices with uplifting words and positive action.

To begin, please choose a person whom you don't feel a great deal of appreciation toward. It could be someone you love who is currently bothering you, someone you strongly dislike, or someone whom you feel just slightly negative toward.

Scientists known for their hard work—like Thomas Edison—are more motivating as role models than scientists viewed as naturally brilliant, like Albert Einstein, new research suggests.

Our belief is hugely powerful, especially when it is informed by an expert in authority. This is the placebo effect, which can be seen, for example, when a group of patients participate in a study, unknowingly acting as the control group.

The power of positive and negative, (light and dark, masculine and feminine, respectively) fluctuate in influence over the ages. From Jesus and Mary to Buddha and Quan Yin, every tradition has archetypical representations of male and female, or god and goddess.

What's important is that you challenge yourself in something, it doesn't matter what. Then by making consistent effort, the direction you should take will open up before you naturally. It's important, therefore, to have the courage to ask yourself what you should be doing now, this very moment.

Simplicity is not the same thing as destitution, or self-imposed deprivation. It has to do with finding a graceful balance in life where we have enough material possessions to provide for our basic needs, plus some comforts and luxuries that may not be required for basic survival.

A great life doesn't happen by accident. A great life is the result of allocating your time, energy, thoughts, and hard work towards what you want your life to be. Stop setting yourself up for stress and failure, and start setting up your life to support success and ease.

The two most important men in my life died at early ages due, in part, to their addictions. We are all products of our environment, but I believe the cycle can stop with us. Just as addiction affects the whole family, so does recovery...

In writing a play or screenplay, whether for a TV show or movie, writers use the elements of drama in order to construct their story. Your life is like a three-part series, with season 1 being your past, season 2 being your present, and season 3 being your future.

The once-seamless connection between our spiritual nature and our physical form is torn. Instead of making choices from the wisdom of our bountiful Big Soul allied with our ego-personality, we begin to identify more and more with the Little Soul thoughts of who we “should” be rather than the Big Soul–Little Soul union of who we truly are.

From an early age we were taught to focus on differences, label everything, rank people and objects in order of desirability, and reject everyone and everything that does not get us what we want. What we really want runs far deeper than the judgments we hold.

We live in an age in which we could theoretically live our lives without the need to leave the house or see another person for days, weeks, months on end. The Japanese have a name – hikikomori – for teenagers or young adults who live as modern-day hermits, refusing to leave their houses for months or even years.

If you want to live a certain kind of life, you are going to have to be proactive so you can consciously create life as you would like it. You must first mentally visualize and then physically create what you want. You can do this by having a clear vision and developing strong intentions...

While this article is written for women, its conclusions can be applied to males as well... We are expected to do it all -- all the time. We have taken our ability to multi-task, and to accomplish a tremendous amount, to new levels. We are exhausted!

God manifests divinity by way of people. We are the windows through which heaven shines into the world. The Beatles, talented as they were, did not give themselves their talent. It was seeded within them by a Force far beyond their human personalities. Their role was to bring it to a waiting world.

I came across self-improvement mogul Tony Robbins not long after that conversation with my therapist, so I signed up for his “Unleash the Power Within” seminar in February 2013. It started me on the path to figuring out who I was, who I wanted to become, and what my purpose was.

Change is occurring peacefully and is bringing peace. It does not always come in a calm manner however, either on a personal or planetary level, but it is coming and quickly.