Over 4,000 years ago God asked Abraham to build the Kabah (house of worship) at Mecca and to call upon all people to make the pilgrimage to the House of God. Thus, it came to be obligatory for every Muslim to go for Haj at least once, provided good health and financial position permitted it.

Over two million believers from all over the world gather every year in Mecca to perform this pious duty. The rites of Haj take about one week to complete, but the devout spend as many days as possible so that they may become spiritually enriched by the sacred atmosphere. All the acts and sites of Haj convey a spiritual message.

(See also: Kabah , Indian Festivals, Spiritual Guidance, God and Religion, Peace on Earth, Peace of Mind, Love and Happiness, Life and Beyond, Body Mind and Soul)

Read more here: » Kabah: Pilgrimage to Kabah - Spirit of Sacrifice  

Get a feel for what happened at the last festival at The Spiritual Retreats.

Read more here: » A snapshot of the first Oneness Festival, August 2-8 2003

With the Christmas-New Year festive season round the corner, we are about to spin into another frenetic round of gift-giving. The act of exchanging gifts, however, has undergone a huge metamorphosis, from a personal heartfelt offering to a commercial ritual, true to today's market mantra, which goads one to 'shop till you drop'.

'To give' may not always be the same as 'to gift', although we often take one to be a synonym of the other. In giving is included the emotion of caring for, and nurturing. Whether it is tending a love relationship like a garden or bringing up children, some of the most precious moments of our lives are ones in which we give of ourselves. When we share of our deepest selves and take care of another using our love and energy.

(See also: Christmas , Indian Festivals, Spiritual Guidance, God and Religion, Peace on Earth, Peace of Mind, Love and Happiness, Life and Beyond, Body Mind and Soul)

Read more here: » Christmas: Look A Gift-horse In the Mouth - about Christmas  

When the painting is based on Vedic Principles you can get in touch with the source of all creation. Now anyone can go to the Oneness Festival in India and try out how Vedic Art turns life into a masterpiece of Art. Agneta Milde found Vedic Art ten years ago and writes about it here.

Read more here: » Spiritual Art: Vedic Art

Ramzan, the ninth month of the Islamic lunar calendar, offers an extensive programme of reform and spiritual elevation to all Muslims to help remould their entire being.

Since human beings tend to frequently lose touch with their inner world, Islam has provided for a substantial provision for an annual "workshop" in the form of siyam or Roza. This trains and equips us to reach out to the inner self, by firmly dealing with any moral laxity and indiscipline.

(See also: Ramzan , Indian Festivals, Spiritual Guidance, God and Religion, Peace on Earth, Peace of Mind, Love and Happiness, Life and Beyond, Body Mind and Soul)

Read more here: » Ramzan: Fasting, Praying and Charity  

Jesus came into the world to unveil the essence and scope of humanity. French philosopher Pascal said, it is through Jesus of Nazareth that we learn who we truly are, and what birth and death really mean.

The genius of humanity is revealed fully in Jesus; that's why he stands at the centre of human history. However, with most people focusing more on the events surrounding his birth, the essence of Christmas itself tends to get lost.

(See also: Christmas , Indian Festivals, Spiritual Guidance, God and Religion, Peace on Earth, Peace of Mind, Love and Happiness, Life and Beyond, Body Mind and Soul)

Read more here: » Christmas: Celebrate The Spirit Of Life With Jesus - about Christmas  

Kiara Windrider just visited the spiritual reteat where the Oneness Festival campus is located in the Golden City area and give a first hand experience from what goes on there.

Read more here: » Kiara Windrider about The Spiritual Retreats of Enlightenment

Spiritual Parenting is a topic relevant to all parents and all who are in contact with children in any way. The following article is a summary of the speach about Shristhi - the Art of Parenting that was delievered by Radhika Dasaji of the Golden Age Foundation at the Oneness Festival, 16-22 of February 2004.

Read more here: » Spiritual Parenting, summary of lecture at the Oneness Festival

Holi is an abundant celebration of joy, goodness and the season of spring. The day of Holi on Phalgun Purnima (full moon day) is observed as the birthday of Manu, the start of Sambat (first day in the Hindu calendar). Spiritually, it signifies light prevailing over darkness, fear and ignorance.

Holi is associated with mal utsav (smearing of colours) and the Holika bonfire in which dry sticks and cow dung are put to fire and corn seeds burnt to the point of losing their power to germinate. The fire represents the burning away of what is old and worn out. The festivities of Holi have a central message - let bygones be bygones, bury old hatchets and start anew in the spirit of spring.

(See also: Holi , Indian Festivals, Spiritual Guidance, God and Religion, Peace on Earth, Peace of Mind, Love and Happiness, Life and Beyond, Body Mind and Soul)

Read more here: » Holi: Colourful Triumph of Good over Evil - about Holi  

Today's Valentines, for all their 'happiness', betray fear in their eyes. They know little of brotherly love, still less of love for God. What passes in the name of religiosity today is mere bigotry. They, poor souls, might scarcely know who they are, where they are and what they are doing. Life is a pacy film without substance, and love, a mere kit-kat break.

(See also: Valentines Day , Indian Festivals, Spiritual Guidance, God and Religion, Peace on Earth, Peace of Mind, Love and Happiness, Life and Beyond, Body Mind and Soul)

Read more here: » Valentines Day: Love's Fable Lost in Springtime Sale

Recently, at a theological meeting in Rome, scholars had a heated debate on the subject of the ethnicity and nationality of Jesus. One by one they offered their evidence:

Read more here: » Spiritual Jokes: Spiritual Jokes - Jesus was...

Onam, the festival of flowers, an annual celebration of the spirit of Mahabali's reign of justice, will continue to inspire us to strive for that Golden Mean - when the entire world will be completely free of conflict and any kind of inequality. It would be peaceful. But we also have to hone our ability to deal with the inner kingdom so that there is no discrepancy in the way we perceive the external and internal world. Otherwise, like Mahabali, we might get carried away by our sense of self-importance.

(See also: Onam , Indian Festivals, Spiritual Guidance, God and Religion, Peace on Earth, Peace of Mind, Love and Happiness, Life and Beyond, Body Mind and Soul)

Read more here: » Onam: Are We Ready for Another Mahabali?  

From the ancient times, music is something that has put people, in touch with their inner most feelings. Different kind of music works upon different emotions of an individual, and releases the various incomplete emotions leading towards a total healing of body and mind.

Read more here: » Spiritual Healing: Bhakthi Sankeertan - Healing through music

Shivaratri is a festival of fasting, worship and prayer. Fasting is undertaken to get rid of one's ego. Once the ego is destroyed, the Shiva hidden within gets revealed.

Sri Ramana Maharshi often said that Shiva signifies the Great Dissolution. Where things dissolve, there they must originate. Hence Shiva is the source of the entire creation, including Brahma and Vishnu.

(See also: Shivaratri , Indian Festivals, Spiritual Guidance, God and Religion, Peace on Earth, Peace of Mind, Love and Happiness, Life and Beyond, Body Mind and Soul)

Read more here: » Shivaratri: Lord of Destruction Also Protects Life - about Shivaratri  

Many important events are believed to have happened on Rosh Hashanah. The six days of creation were completed; Abraham and Jacob were born; Sarah, Rachel and Hannah - after years of wanting and praying for children - conceived Isaac, Joseph and Samuel, and Joseph was freed from prison.

Rosh Hashanah is also called Yom Ha-Din, the Day of Judgment. It is the day people are judged by God, and their fate for the coming year is also decided. The idea of the Day of Judgment produced a special liturgy and special customs.

(See also: Rosh Hashanah , Indian Festivals, Spiritual Guidance, God and Religion, Peace on Earth, Peace of Mind, Love and Happiness, Life and Beyond, Body Mind and Soul)

Read more here: » Rosh Hashanah: Jewish Beginning - Rosh Hashanah  

The Markandaya Purana and the Vamana Purana chronicle how Mahishasura, the wicked buffalo-king, a demon possessing monstrous power and deadly weapons of destruction, waged a war against the gods and defeated them.

Mahishasura dislodged Indra and occupied the throne. Indra fled to save himself. This shook the celestial world and so enraged Brahma, Vishnu and Shiva that they began to emit fire from their eyes. From the fusion of these beams of fire, carrying the radiant divine energy, a female figure, Goddess Durga, was born.

(See also: Durga , Indian Festivals, Spiritual Guidance, God and Religion, Peace on Earth, Peace of Mind, Love and Happiness, Life and Beyond, Body Mind and Soul)

Read more here: » Durga: Invincible Durga Is Always On Call  

A personal reflection on God by Tom Alter. ”It is rather difficult to explain how I feel about God. If at all I see God in anything, it is in nature and love between human beings. I was brought up in a very religious atmosphere. My father was a priest. In fact, folks from my father and mother's side were priests. As a child, I used to pray in school, but it was never done with conviction. As I grew up, I realised that I didn't believe in the concept of one god.”

Read more here: » Spiritual Inspiration: God and I by Tom Alter

This day, over 5,000 years ago, Krishna appeared on Earth as the son of Vasudeva and Devaki. Because of his human form and behaviour, not many knew He was God incarnate.

But while rendering advice to Arjuna at Kurukshetra, Krishna unabashedly reveals - in the Bhagavad Gita - that he is infinite, his vibhutis or divine manifestations and opulences being unlimited. No one, not even the gods, can know him completely. Krishna then proceeds to impart what he calls the most sovereign knowledge and profound mystery, contemplating on which alone one can attain moksha or liberation.

(See also: Gopala , Indian Festivals, Spiritual Guidance, God and Religion, Peace on Earth, Peace of Mind, Love and Happiness, Life and Beyond, Body Mind and Soul)

Read more here: » Gopala: Gopala - Many Things To Many People  

SEXUAL COME-ONS AT PAGAN FESTIVALS - An Open Letter to the Web of Oz

Like many another Neo-Pagan, I began life under the heavy indoctrination of Christian precepts. Like many others, I found this upbringing to be not only painful, but psychologically damaging, as well. It has taken years of disciplined work to shrug off the feelings of guilt and self-recrimination foisted upon me during those years. Especially, I remember the pain of being taught to feel shame and remorse over each and every thought I had of a sexual nature. And any overt sexual act (other than narrowly defined exceptions) was anathema -- a cause for eternal damnation. 

Read more here: » Paganism: SEXUAL COME-ONS AT PAGAN FESTIVALS - An Open Letter to the Web of Oz

On Dhanteras , Hindus worship Lord Dhanwantari, the deity of health and healing. Dhan is wealth or Lakshmi - so the goddess of wealth and prosperity is also prayed to.

Every household buys something new. But we tend to forget the real meaning of wealth which is sound health. Lord Dhanwantari also symbolises the spirit of knowledge and nature, including all about herbs and medicinal plants.

(See also: Dhanteras , Indian Festivals, Spiritual Guidance, God and Religion, Peace on Earth, Peace of Mind, Love and Happiness, Life and Beyond, Body Mind and Soul)

Read more here: » Dhanteras: Dhanteras for Health, Wealth and Prosperity  

Science and Spirituality: An Islamic View of Creation & Life

According to Islamic tradition, life is God's creation - regardless of whether life was specially created or resulted from evolution. Evolution itself is a process of creation as admitted by Darwin in The Origin of Species.

Creation falls into four categories - inanimate matter, plants, animals and human beings. According to Islam, all four are separate creations. Among living things, a number of species co-exist, all having been created separately. There is doubtless some similarity in physical attributes; yet, each has a permanent, separate existence. There is no concept of a missing link in Islam.

Read more here: » Science and Spirituality: An Islamic View of Creation Life

More and more lightworkers are taking their place in the cosmic scheme of things and assisting in the spiritual awakening of our world. What is stargates and how do they assist us in the Spiritual Transformation of our world?

About Spiritual Transformation 2012.

Read more here: » Year 2012: Stargates preparing for Spiritual Awakening year 2012