Almost all Religions and Spiritual Disciplines offer some form of cleaning ritual or "forgiveness" mechanism.

We humans like to get rid of nasty memories and guilt complexes. We would like to erase our failures in our past …

Unless we invent a time machine we can’t undo the past. So we use a "psychic trick" and "allow" ourselves to find peace and forgiveness for what we have done.

But to make the "trick" to feel real we add some pain and effort to the penance. "No pain, no gain!" they say.

So we do extra prayer, stand in ice cold water, run through flames, walk some long "spiritual paths", do self-flagellation or do some other punishment.

The "washing" usually doesn’t really help those you have wronged or fix the situation you are ashamed of – but it tricks our psyche into thinking we are "clean" now.

"Washing" away your sins in this way is just a lame excuse to really learn from your failures and confront the consequences. Religious or spiritual self-flagellation is no substitute for confronting your failures and the hard work of growing beyond your limits.

Growth and learning can be painful, but don’t confuse pain with growing beyond your pitiful excuses.

Nietzsche has killed all Gods for us (again – because some Greek Philosophers had done that before).

Some religious people have argued that now Humanity feels lost – because we are no longer part of divine plan or connected to a great power.

Rubbish!

We are now liberated from the mental constraint of following some imaginary being’s plans. And there are no longer any excuses to really take responsibility for your OWN life. Don’t make up excuses, don’t follow any rules made up by ancient people. You have develop your own moral and social compass.

But even many religious texts emphasize each individuals liberty to choose in the face of God. And based on your decisions and deeds you will be judged. You find these judgement metaphors in Egyptian sacred texts as well as in Christianity and the idea of Reincarnation based on your Karma of your former life in many eastern religions.

Don’t be sheep: don’t follow social, cultural or religious rules or pressure to play it safe. This is your life now and head straight for it.

If you want to follow certain rules then do so, because YOU decided to do so. Many moral ideas make sense, no matter if you think they are based on ethereal religion or down to earth common sense.

But many conventions or consensus is simply rubbish and made for sheep. Don’t be one …

My favorite spiritual festival, because it’s completely mad and colorful – just like any religion.

More? Great images from India, HoliFestival.org and the Wikipedia entry.

There is a big difference between engaged, being excited and being passionate about something.

Most people simply tolerate life, but only a view people know their passion and even fewer follow it.

Do you know your passion? And do you follow it?

When a door with a new room open up for you – are you willing to enter it and explore it?

Sure: we can’t be everywhere and we can’t do everything at once in our lifes, but you still have to deal with new “rooms” in your life.

And not every room is really interesting to lure you in. Some rooms might even be scary or dangerous. But do we always know a new rooms full potential? Or maybe this room is just a gateway to a really really really great room?

Exploration is important, but so is setting priorities in life. But at least you should seriously look at new “room” before moving on – maybe the door at the other side of it might be just the one you are really looking for?

Photographer: Iguana Jo

The older we get, the wiser we are supposed to be. As an old or older person your are not supposed to make a fresh start and start a new life … you can’t cut away age or memories. So regrowing a new self is almost impossible … or is it?

Isn’t it just a decision of our old ego to cling to it’s memories and old pain that is keeping us from refreshing ourselfes?

If the past is really the past – why are you clinging to it in your mind and heart? Do you fear loosing yourself when you simply cut away the old shrub to get more light and breathing space?

It might be painful to let go – but it makes no sense to just cling to memories of a reality that is long gone?

Grow now, stay green and fresh.

It is no surprise that most religions are centered around death – overcoming death and "preserving" lost ones by declaring them eternal souls or spirits.

We love to fool ourselves "beyond" death. Even in the age of modern science and medicine we try to prolong the line, no matter the cost and even pain to old and dying people.

Death is the ultimate barrier. And we should culturally, spiritually and medically face it with more dignity, wisdom and openness.

We all will die – and we shouldn’t be ignored and discarded by society nor by ourselves.

Once we all were young, innocent, clueless, small und without any real knowledge. Dreaming comes easy. Fun seems to be everywhere. Angst is also everywhere. But we get help and we get protected. People ask us what we want to be when we grow up.

Then we get educated, civilized and grow up. Fun gets more complicated. Angst gets more complicated. We get less help and are supposed to help ourselves. Nobody asks us now what we want from life. We are supposed to know it already.

Where is the time to find out about our goals and what we want from life – before it gets too serious and before it is too late?!

Time is not only money, but also spirituality. One needs time to stop, observer, feel, reflect and think – make plans, meditate and practice your new insights.

Without time there is no reflection of your world – without reflection there is no spirituality.

So do you have time for it? Or do you avoid making time for it?

But in our crazy fast moving world time is becoming a precious resource – filling every minute with work, entertainment, netlife and excitement.

Once again – making time to grow between all these activities is a luxury. Are you willing to "buy" that time and cultivate yourself as a human being?

What does it mean to be "lonely"?

Does it mean people treat you like an outcast – and you are pushed a side and a lone person.

Does it mean you run away from people – because you dislike them or you’re unable to connect to them.

Does it mean you are always at the wrong place with nobody to connect?

Does it mean nobody understands you or nobody can follow your ideas, mindset or attitude?

What does it mean to be lonely and is it real?

It is amazing how little physical contact of modern lifestyle has – and how it is supposed to happen only between "special people". Parents can cuddle their kids and visa versa. The same is true for lovers and couples. And you can give any old granny a hug.

For the rest of us a handshake and maybe a clap on the shoulder is the maximum of exchange – apart from a fist fight.

Even giving a friend a hug seems awkward too many people these days. We are becoming more and more mental being – with no personal physical culture apart from having sex.

Instead we pay wellness professional to touch us nicely, give us massages and caress our bodies. So it’s ok to let strangers touch us for money, while we are uncomfortable to touch our friends and see each other naked in a sauna?

Our biggest organ is the skin – and we should use it. Touching can be non-sexual, friendly and uplifting. We should use touch more often as a nonverbal form of communication and "feel" into the other person instead on just relying on mental forms of expression.

You can learn a lot about a person by touching him/her – and how he or she touches you. So open that channel and let’s touch …

Many spiritual disciplines teach you first how to focus yourself. Total concentration, total awareness, totally in the moment. Unless your are a 100% present – how can you work on 100% transcending yourself?

Unless you arrive in the here and now – you can’t enjoy and live in the here and now.

He was not a savior. He was not chosen by some God. He was not supernatural.

He was a human like you – and his most important message to you is that you also have the Buddha nature. Enlightenment is within you and does not require religion or Buddha to show you the way.

Are you sure you are perfectly organized to reach enlightenment or heaven in this lifetime? Only a few blessed souls are granted instant enlightenment – for the rest of us it’s hard work and a long and painful path.

So make some time and space in your life for spiritual matters. Take some time to exercise and practice your spiritual path you are following. And take some additional time to think, reflect and meditate – on a regular schedule.

BBC Documentary / 58 Minutes

Carlos Castaneda is certainly one of the most controversial and influential spiritual teachers of the last century. His books about the teachings of the Yaqui Indians was an international bestseller and still a must read for many esoteric’s out there. This documentary gives you an excellent insight in his tragic life and all the controversy surrounding his teachings.

Once again it shows that so called Gurus can turn grains of truth into madness – instead of spirituality and enlightenment you get distortion and lies.

I guess the temptation to abuse the power that some spiritual insights give you are too much for many Gurus.

Money, fame, admiration, sexual offers and power over large groups of people are a challenge most gurus fail to overcome. Instead of resisting temptation they fail to withstand the temptations of leadership and power.

Most terrible of all: he damaged the cultures he studied, he put wrong ideas in millions of heads (and therefore caused a lot of confusion and pain) and he did it all for mostly materialistic reasons.

Like L. Ron Hubbard he used his superior mind and excellent insights into the human psyche for his personal advantage.

Once again that phrase “If You Meet the Buddha on the Road, Kill Him!” is a very good guide to your own spirituality. Don’t follow any illusions! Don’t follow other Buddha’s – be your own teacher and take responsibility!

Follow your own road …

Why is sexual unity so often considered the ultimate ‘oneness’? Can’t we be one without arousal, hormones and desire? Or are we talking unity in sexual energy with all Chakras open and flowing? But still, that can be achieved without intercourse. Or do our egos need sex to be so distracted that they finally can see the unity that is always there?

Artist: Andrew Gonzalez

Of all the spring festivals Holi seems the happiest to me.

From Wikipedia:

Holior is an annual Hindu spring festival, predominantly celebrated in North India and Nepal. It takes place over two days around late March or early April. As per the Hindu calendar, it falls on the last day on the month of Phalgun, which is a Purnima (or Pooranmashi, Full Moon), and on the first day of Chaitra. It is a celebration also of the Hindu New Year, as Chaitra is the first month of the Hindu Year.

It is also called the Festival of Colour. On the first day, a bonfire is lit at night to signify burning Holika. On the second day, known as Dhulandi, people go around until afternoon throwing coloured powder and water at each other, although the powder stings the eyes.

A special drink called ‘thandai’ or bhang is also consumed sometimes, which actually contains small amounts of marijuana(Cannabis sativa). People invite each other to their houses for feasts and celebrations later in the evening. Rangapanchami occurs a few days later on a Panchami (fifth day of the full moon), marking the end of festivities involving colours.

In Hindu mythology, Hiranyakashipu was the king of demons, and he had been granted a boon by Brahma, which made it almost impossible for him to be killed. The boon was due to his long penance, after which he had demanded that he not be killed “during day or night; inside the home or outside; not on earth or on sky; neither by a man nor an animal; neither by astra nor by shastra”. Consequently, he grew arrogant, and attacked the Heavens and the Earth. He demanded that people stop worshipping gods and start praying to him. But his own son, Prahlad, was a devotee of Lord Vishnu. In spite of several threats from Hiranyakashipu, Prahlad continued offering prayers to Lord Vishnu.

He was poisoned but the poison turned to nectar in his mouth. He was ordered to be trampled by elephants yet remained unharmed. He was put in a room with hungry, poisonous snakes and survived. All of Hiranyakashipu’s attempts to kill his son failed. Finally, he ordered young Prahlad to sit on a pyre on the lap of his sister, Holika, who could not die by fire by virtue of a shawl which would prevent fire affecting the person wearing it. Prahlad readily accepted his father’s orders, and prayed to Vishnu to keep him safe. When the fire started, everyone watched in amazement as the shawl flew from Holika, who then was burnt to death, while Prahlad survived unharmed, after the shawl moved to cover him. The burning of Holika is celebrated as Holi. It is also said that later Lord Vishnu came in the form of a Narasimha (who is half-man and half-lion) and killed Hiranyakashipu at dusk (which was neither day nor night), on the steps of the porch of his house (which was neither inside the house nor outside) by restraining him on his lap (which is neither in the sky nor on the earth) and mauling him with his claws (which are neither astra nor shastra).

In Vrindavan and Mathura, where Lord Krishna grew up, the festival is celebrated for 16 days (until Rangpanchmi in commemoration of the divine love of Radha for Krishna). Lord Krishna is believed to have popularized the festival by playing pranks on the gopis here. Krishna is believed to be complained about his dark colour and Radha’s fair colour to his mother and so decided to apply colour to her face. The celebrations officially usher in spring, the celebrated season of love.

There is another story about the origin of holi. The Kamadeva is God of love. Kama’s body was destroyed when he shot his weapon at Shiva in order to disrupt his penance and help Parvati to marry Shiva. Shiva then opened his third eye, the gaze of which was so powerful that Kama’s body was reduced to ashes. For the sake of Kama’s wife Rati (passion), Shiva restored him, but only as a mental image, representing the true emotional and mental state of love rather than physical lust. The Holi bonfire is believed to be celebrated in commeration of this event.

The Holi Festival looks like a tradition I want to import to grey Germany – although this chap doesn’t look too happy.

Get an even bigger color rush with a big Holi image pool on Flickr.

Forget all these exercises about inner peace, harmony and patience. These are lies – even the gets get annoyed by trivial stuff …

*Thanks to Edosan for that lesson*

God killed your baby girl so he can give her back to you on judgement day in mint condition. 

There actually is no way to rationalize ANY gods reason for killing the innocent and the young. That is a “flaw” in all religions – and they can’t explain it or makes any sense out of a “senseless” death.

Nature is not rational, it follows no great plan, no philosophy and no desire – apart from random selection, brutal honesty and death in all shapes, sizes and forms.

Nature just is and death just happens – and we should accept it without building weird ideas around OUR inability to cope with unavoidable end that is coming to all of us.

Most people are afraid about the future. They fear the unpredictable – that is why all those imposters who claim to give you glints of the future have always been in high demand by scared human minds.

But we define the future ourselves by going there. We can’t influence everything what is coming toward us – but we can take part in the “design” and “movement” of our destiny. It’s not all blurry and totally unpredictable.

If you take an active part in your own life and invest some thoughts & actions for your own future – the coming “now” will be much more to your liking and enjoyable – instead of simply stumbling into another moment of randomness …

In my next life I want to be reincarnated as a never growing Polar Bear Baby. Everybody would love me! Everybody would cuddle me! Everybody would love to feed me only the best stuff.

No sex though …

The final destination of all spiritual journeys is the great big nothing.

Nothing – everything dissolves, there are no needs, no wants, no pleasures, no objects, no people, no you. There is no need for eternal bliss, because you, the need for it and the very concept are dissolved as well.

But is this really spiritual – or rather natural. Death dissolves you as well – totally and eternally.

So as a spiritual person do you really need to comfortable with death and the big nothing? It will happen to you if you want it or not. If you prepare for it or not. If you are at peace with yourself or not.

Maybe preparing for the big nothing is a waste of your lifetime. Life while you life. Death will take care of itself and you. Big nothingness indeed.

How much ‘down to earth’ do you need to be to be ‘grounded’? How close to Mother Earth can you get without feeling ‘down’ or ‘falling flat on your face’? How dirty is getting ‘your hands dirty’? Or does ‘laying low for a while’ really help to ‘get both feed on the ground’?

Do you fight for justice & progress? Do you stand up for your enlightenment or do flee before the forces of laziness and ignorance? Do you look your own fears into the eye and try to overcame them? Do you sing to your heart and fill the world with happiness – or do you spread silence and discomfort? Do you build bridges for friends, family and strangers to join you – or do you dig deep holes for yourself and others?

Are you a Hero in your own life? Or just a sidekick to your own misery? Stand tall and show some courage – you only got this one chance for heroism for yourself.

There is no Superman, Wonder Woman or Santa Claus coming to your rescue …

Emotions are often symbolized by water and we have many expressions that represent this analogy as well “drowning in sorrow”.

Especially when our psyche is flooded with too many emotions we should pull the plug – and drain the swamp. Don’t let the flood wash you away or put too much pressure on yourself.

Once the water sinks you can really see what’s buried beneath all the water, mud and murky currents. With less pressure your psyche can work better and find a solution. A little bit of pressure / stress can be stimulating – but an emotional storm or flood isn’t helpful at all.

But do you know where to pull the plug? Do you know how to let go off overwhelming emotions?

So maybe fight water with water – take a relaxing bath or go swimming. Or fight back with tears – crying is one of the best ways to release emotional stress. A few hours in a sauna or steam bath also works wonders.

But most of all use your mind and make an effort to let go – use mental images to see the flow of life and your emotions. Let them flow down your inner drain and regain control of that island called ‘You’ …

We are too obsessed with “bigger / more is better”. But proportions should always be judged in context. Too much flexibility can be sometimes be as impratical, as too much rigidness. A wise person always uses the right amount of power, smartness or whatever is needed to get the job done. Too much of anything is a waste, to little doesn’t solve the task.

Learn to use the right amount of whatever you might need. And don’t get to impressed by people to show an overkill of power or dedication … overindulgence of any kind is stupid and serves usually only our ego and not the task at hand.

Forget intelligent design – the Beauty of our Universe is the only real proof for a higher being. God created this amazing universe with all it’s glory – and once he was finished he wanted to share it’s beauty with others. That is why he created intelligent life that understood and appreciated the beauty of creation.

We are often prisoners of our own minds. Limited vision and limited imagination keep us from achieving often simple things. The simple thought “I can’t do that!” can stop you before you even tried.

Our minds can ‘think’ about reality and possibilities. To a certain extend we can envision the future and personal limits – but not everything our ‘common sense’ tells us is ‘real’ and the true limit of our abilities.

So free yourself and experiment with your limits. You can surprise yourself, you can grow and learn new stuff. Only false limits can really stop you more than anything!

We all have to jump into dark holes and make a transit into a new and foreign world in our lifes. New places, people and social platforms might feel alien or even mad to us – but part of the human experience is to learn new ‘games’, socialize and comply to group consensus.

But no matter were you travel to and whatever games you have to comply to – you should keep your inner world and not let other people’s madness infect you.

They say: The Mind is a Monkey – when it comes to meditation. Sure! It loves to play, shout, make noise and jump around. But you can tame your inner monkey – as you can see.

Distrust any religious establishment that doesn’t enjoy the ultimate power of the universe and life: to have sex and procreate.

Unless you fuck yourself how can you explain and share the creative God’s blessings of sexuality? Life = Sex = Universe … and therefore must be godly …

If you can believe in enlightened pink elephants – you can believe in anything. Spirituality starts in your mind – if you mind can cope with incredible thoughts it can’t cope with incredible truths either.

Open your mind, expand your mind, cultivate your ability to think and imagine new possibilities … maybe then you get enlightened or trampled by an elephant on the way …

Yes, we are creatures ruled by time, rhythms and habits.

It start with our basic heart rate – the true rhythm of our lives.

The day & night pattern of our planet dictates our lifestyles, the need for sleep our awake times.

Our social life and whole society is built around rhythms, patterns, repeats and habits: work time, play time, quality time. We all have times and places for everything.

But there is the long time pattern of life itself: birth, life and death. We all sing and dance to that rhythm, either on a small human scale or cosmic one. Even suns and planets get born, have a life and burn out in the end. Even black holes end in another big bang.

Welcome to this Universe ruled by time, rhythms and patterns.

The true question is: do you design your own patterns of life or do you follow those patterns carved out for your by society, nature and other people’s expectations?

Time to rule your patterns, design your own patterns and enjoy time as long as it still ticks for you!

When you join this circus called a business career make sure you are ahead of everyone racing the circle.

Someone has to be the winner … maybe?

A photofest to celebrate all our women’s yoni (Wikipedia as usual):

The word yoni is the Sanskrit word for the ‘female reproductive organ’. Translated directly into English, it could mean vulva or vagina. It also has a wider meaning in religious and spiritual contexts, where its meaning is ‘creativity’. The yoni is also considered to be symbolic of Shakti or other goddesses of a similar nature.

Yoni is perhaps the most misused and misunderstood word from the ancient Indo-Aryanic language, Sanskrit. The word yoni was originally used more often in a spiritual sense rather than as a term to describe female genitalia.

How about some Yoni worshipping?

Can product mascots be spiritual? Can companies really sell themselves on a religious / spiritual agenda and company philosophy? Or should all commercial services and products be ‘clean’ and neutral?

Companies can certainly act in a nice and responsible as well as ‘moral’ way with their customers and the environment. But when it comes to my enlightenment – it’s only my business and nobody else’s …

We all have to go through a lot of shit to arrive at our dream destination. Just make sure that your final goal is worth the travel. Go for gold, don’t accept any mediocrity or other distractions from your hearts true desires … 

No matter who much cuteness, pink and kitsch you stuff into your life – it will end. The question is: How much real substance do you want? How much effort are you willing to invest into you own life? And how much pain are you willing to endure to reach your full potential?

Sounds to harsh? Well then choose the way of modern consumerism and try to get the easy & fluffy ticket until death.

The easy way out will always be there.

If you are poor and stuck in some backwater place your choices are limited. To have a choice is a luxury – not many people enjoy that privilege.

But to develop different perspectives on life you need to have the luxury of self observation and time to reflect. And some brains and some education help too.

Many of our fellow humans are still simply trying to survive and lead a decent life – without a break to think about themselves, learn more about culture and spirituality – or having the resources to start a ‘new’ or ‘different’ life.

If you can afford all these things and you can think – than use these gifts. Otherwise you are wasting yourself and the chance to improve society. Self improvement is not a one way street – as part of a bigger community all bonuses and deficits are added or subtracted from the ‘big picture’.

No matter how old, traditional and pompous your ceremony is, enlightenment and any higher spirits won’t drop down on you automatically.

Usually it has quite the opposite effect: having received some spiritual recognition via ceremony is often like a blank cheque for ignorance. Why bother – I already got my holy approval.