Nothing sends a stronger message of peace and love than a stunning display of 2,000 double-sided paintings, strategically assembled into a 175-foot-tall monolith. That is the grand plan of Ehsan, artist and owner of Vision of Unity and Peace gallery in Laguna Niguel, California.

Language, math and science are considered the essential courses taught at elementary schools, yet there is no mandatory curriculum for something as fundamental as how to be a good human being.

My life hasn’t been a walk in the park. I’ve been through many difficulties and spent years feeling lost and confused. Being a believer in reincarnation, I wondered often if I was being punished for something I’d done in a previous life.

Who are we?… It’s tempting to go identity-shopping and look for the answers outside of ourselves, but this way, we only end up building more layers on top of who we really are.

If you’re at a crossroads and are contemplating starting your own business, maybe my list of traits will help you determine, or at the very least, give you a starting point to research the right areas or develop certain traits you need to become an entrepreneur.

If everything in life seems to work against you, or you are experiencing a difficult loss in your life and nothing is going right at the moment, taking a big breath and a big step back to regain your stability might be just what you need.

Throughout history, different religions, philosophers, and governments refined and rewrote a list of fundamental virtues to fit their constitutions and purpose at the time. Yet, in 1726, young Benjamin Franklin, at the age of 20, created a list of virtues for himself, to help him develop into the person he wanted to become.

Cutting off bad ties signifies that we are no longer willing to stay in relationships or situations that make us unhappy, no matter what challenges we may face in the future. It is a testament to the determination of wanting more for ourselves.

They each originated from a different culture, a different time, and a different mindset altogether. Yet, if you pause and think about the philosophy behind each, they all echo a similar sentiment, although are slightly different in approach.

Meditation isn’t meant to shield us from our thoughts nor be used as a weapon against our mind. It is a passive tool with fluid and compassionate energy. In meditation, we cultivate the space of allowing.

Perfection also instills fear in us—fear of failure and fear of our personal imperfections. This fear leads us down a dark path where we tend to avoid challenging situations or competitions because failure seems unbearable.

Oh, that sigh!
All air drawn in your breath!

In order to allow love to enter, our heart will have to be open to it. The wider it is open to receive, the greater the love will enter. The chance of heartbreak and disappointment will always be there… Our mind cannot separate us from love, it can only create fear.

Is seeing an energy practitioner really so different from seeing a doctor, psychologist, or chiropractor? We ask 3 energy healers who are not only experienced within their modalities but also well trained in Western healing mindsets.

The world we live in seldom encourages authenticity, at least not genuinely, I often feel. We may hear words of empowerment to be authentic, but when we do we are often reprimanded for being too real.

While everyone’s rock bottom may look differently, the feeling of being at rock bottom is probably very similar. It’s that feeling of utter incompetence and unworthiness, that you are as low and insignificant as a pile of rubble and you have no idea how to come back up.

I stretch out my hands, my arms,
the full length of my body
and plunge into the pools of gratitude.

As we expand our consciousness, it’s not unusual to ask why we do certain things and whether or not it supports the inner freedom we seek. Or, is it just another set of conditions we were subjected to live by?

As someone who grew up in Hong Kong during the 80’s and 90’s and has been living in Australia for nearly three decades, I often ponder questions regarding my identity: Who am I? Chinese, British overseas citizen, or Australian?

We live in a society that often typecasts us in a certain role based on our outward appearance and demeanor. Expectations start to form about who we are based on those impressions that reinforce and motivate us to be that person.