sâmbătă, 3 ianuarie 2009

Elias Hicks

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Green_Meadow_Waldorf_School#Curriculum
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Graduates of the school have been noted for their independence, sensitivity and creativity.[4]
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http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Inazo_Nitobe#Legacy
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Nitobe, however, is perhaps most famous in the west for his work Bushido: The Soul of Japan (1900), which was one of the first major works on samurai ethics and Japanese culture written originally in English for Western readers (The book was subsequently translated into Japanese and many other languages). Although sometimes criticized as portraying the samurai in terms so Western as to take away some of their actual meaning, this book nonetheless was a pioneering work of its kind.
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http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Category:Japanese_Quakers
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Quaker#Hicksite-Orthodox_split
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Elias_Hicks#Hicks.27s_reported_views
... Religious Society of Friends ...
... These views were consistent with a Freethought tradition already prevailing in America, particularly among Deists of Quaker heritage such as Thomas Paine. The most original aspect of Hicks's theology was his rejection of Satan as the source of human "passions" or "propensities." Hicks stressed that basic urges, including all sexual passions, were neither implanted by an external Devil nor the product of personal choice, but were aspects of human nature created by God. "He gave us passions—if we may call them passions—in order that we might seek after those things which we need, and which we had a right to experience and know," he claimed in his 1824 sermon, "Let Brotherly Love Continue." Hicks taught that evil and suffering occurred not because human nature harbored these "propensities," but rather resulted from "an excess in the indulgence of propensities."

In 1858, Walt Whitman, one of Hicks's most famous exponents, astutely assessed Hicks as "a wonderful compound of the mystic with the logical reasoner," and explained that Hicks was "destined to make a radical revolution in a numerous and devout Society, and his influence to be largely felt outside of that Society..." The Quaker theology of "God within" (another name for the Inner Light) appeared subsequently in the theory of the Free Love movement, where it was deemed compatible with the religious sociology of Charles Fourier.


http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Free_love
The term free love has been used since at least the nineteenth century[1] to describe a social movement that rejects marriage, which is seen as a form of social bondage, especially for women. Much of the free-love tradition is an offshoot of anarchism, and reflects a civil libertarian philosophy that seeks freedom from State regulation and Church interference in personal relationships. According to this concept, the free unions of adults are legitimate relations which should be respected by all third parties whether they are emotional or sexual relations. In addition, some free-love writing has argued that both men and women have the right to sexual pleasure. In the Victorian era, this was a radical notion.

While the phrase free love is often associated with promiscuity in the popular imagination, especially in reference to the counterculture of the 1960s and 1970s, historically the free-love movement has not advocated multiple sexual partners or short-term sexual relationships. Rather, it has argued that love relations that are freely entered into should not be regulated by law. Thus, free-love practice may include long-term monogamous relationships or even celibacy, but would not include institutional forms of polygamy, such as a king and his wives and concubines.

Laws of particular concern to free love movements have included those that prevent an unmarried couple from living together, and those that regulate adultery and divorce, as well as age of consent, birth control, homosexuality, abortion, and prostitution; although not all free lovers agree on these issues. The abrogation of individual rights in marriage is also a concern—for example, some jurisdictions do not recognise spousal rape or treat it less seriously than non-spousal rape. Free-love movements since the 19th century have also defended the right to publicly discuss sexuality and have battled obscenity laws.

In the twentieth century, some free-love proponents extended the critique of marriage to argue that marriage as a social institution encourages emotional possessiveness and psychological enslavement.

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Clearness committee

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Clearness_committee

Within the Religious Society of Friends, the clearness committee represents a process for discernment. Clearness Committees are often used when a member of the meeting seeks to reach clarity on how to respond to a concern or dilemma. Because Friends believe that every person has within him or her that of God, sometimes called the inner light, the process is one of aiding the person seeking clearness in finding the answer within rather than seeking outside advice or guidance. A clearness committee can be requested by anyone for any reason and will usually be appointed by one of the standing committees of the meeting.

In addition to committees requested by individuals, clearness committees are appointed by most meetings when a person applies for membership and when a couple seeks marriage under the care of the meeting. In these cases, the committee serves the dual purpose of helping the person or couple find clearness that this is the proper step and ensuring that the meeting is ready to take the member or couple under their care.

[edit] External links

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http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Quaker#Quaker_organizations

Throughout their history, Quakers have founded organizations for many causes they felt are in keeping with their faith. Within the last century there have been some 100 organizations founded by either individual Friends, groups of Friends or Friends working with others. Amongst others: Amnesty International, Greenpeace, OXFAM, Peace Action, WILPF. (SEE List of Quaker Businesses)

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Mysticism II

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Quaker#Experiencing_God

[edit] Beliefs and practices of Friends

On Pendle Hill in 1652, George Fox felt "moved of the Lord" to climb the hill, and see "in what places he had a great people to be gathered". Today Quakers have a wide variety of views and beliefs, and they still place a strong emphasis on direct experience of God, for everyone.

[edit] Experiencing God

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The intention to "see the light" or see "that of God in everyone" is an effort in Quakers to cast aside more superficial differences and focus on the good that they believe to be in all people.

Since Friends believe that each contains God, much of the Quaker perspective is based on trying to hear God and to allow God's Spirit free action in the heart.

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http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Quaker#Mysticism

Quakerism is often termed a mystical religion because of its emphasis on the personal experience of God. But at first glance it differs from other mystical religions in at least two important ways. For one, Quaker mysticism is primarily group-oriented rather than focused on the individual. The Friends' traditional meeting for worship (see Unprogrammed worship below) may be considered an expression of that group mysticism, where all the members of the meeting listen together for the Spirit of God, speaking when that Spirit moves them. On the other hand it is also possible to consider the Quakers as a special kind of religious order (like the Franciscans, who also practise group mysticism), living the mystic and monastic tradition in their own way. For example this idea is represented by the Anglican minister and Quaker, Paul Oestreicher, who gave the Cary Lecture at Germany Yearly Meeting in 1991.

Additionally, Quaker mysticism as it has been expressed after the late 19th century includes a strong emphasis on its outwardly-directed witness. Rather than seeking withdrawal from the world, the Quaker mystic translates his or her mysticism into action. They believe this action leads to greater spiritual understanding — both by individuals and by the Meeting as a whole. It is also possible to consider the Quakers as a kind of humanistic religion in the sense of Erich Fromm.[citation needed] In this view mysticism includes social and political activities. For instance the German quaker Heinz Röhr, who held the Cary Lecture in 1992, saw himself as a Friend between Marx and mysticism.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Quaker#Education

[edit] Education

Friends have founded many schools and colleges; however Friends have often cautioned against the admission of education credentials as either a form of honouring humans instead of God or as a substitute for a relationship with God[citation needed].

[edit] Oaths and fair-dealing

For more details on this topic, see Testimony of Integrity.

Early Friends believed that an important part of Jesus' message was how we treat our fellow human beings. They felt that honest dealing with others meant more than avoiding direct lies. Friends continue to believe that it is important not to mislead others, even if the words used are all technically truthful. Early Friends refused to swear oaths, even in courtrooms, believing that one must speak truth at all times, and the act of swearing to it implied different standards of truth with and without oaths; this doctrine is attributed to Jesus in the Sermon on the Mount (specifically Matthew 5:34-37).

Some Friends have accepted the use of "affirmations" rather than oaths, believing that "taking oaths implies a double standard of truth".[17]

Vivation

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vivation#Description

[edit] The Five Elements

Vivation consists of five elements, or foundational skills necessary to achieve physical integration of suppressed negative emotions. These elements are: Circular Breathing, Complete Relaxation, Awareness in Detail, Integration Into Ecstasy, and Do Whatever You Do, Willingness is Enough. Each of these skills has its own requisite knowledge base, however all of them are brought to together in a Vivation session to facilitate efficient integration of negative emotions in the most pleasurable and enjoyable way possible.

  • The First Element of Vivation is circular breathing. which consists of three components. The first is that inhales and exhales are connected together, with no pauses in between. The second is the exhale is completely relaxed. By relaxed, this means the exhale comes out all on its own and not forced or controlled in any way. This differs from many other forms of pranayama which have a forced exhale component. Also, because the exhale is completely relaxed, there is no hyperventilation in Vivation. If hyperventilation does occur, it is because the exhale is being forced or inhibited in some way. Hyperventilation ceases the moment the exhale is relaxed again. In Vivation, breathing rhythms occur along a continuum of three quadrants: Slow and Full, Fast and Full, and Fast and Shallow. Slow and shallow breathing takes you out of your body, and so is not used in Vivation. For those who are familiar with Kriya Yoga, Sudarshan Kriya (SKY) also uses three different rates of breathing: slow (8–14 cpm), medium (30 cpm), and rapid (150–180 cpm), however in Vivation these breathing rhythms are adjusted in real-time to resonate with the feelings in the body in the most enjoyable way possible. In this way, it is the experience of the feelings in the body that instructs and leads each session.
  • The Second Element of Vivation is relaxing the mind and body as much as possible. One doesn't do Vivation, so much as relaxes into the experience for what it already there. In Vivation, feelings integrate when one relaxes into accepting those feeling for what they already are. In Vivation, integration is a relaxation of effort.
  • The Third Element of Vivation is awareness in detail of the strongest feeling in the body. Feelings are not analyzed or sought after, only experienced for what they are in that moment. Since each moment is unique, this is the only element that practitioners must remain conscious of, as all other elements become automatic and natural supports of Third Element awareness.
  • The Fourth Element of Vivation is integration into ecstasy. The basic idea is being open and receptive to whatever positive feelings are already present. According to Vivation practitioners, feelings are only experienced negatively because of mental judgments made about them. By relaxing the mind and body in the presence of the feeling, the positive aspects of the feeling become more obvious and easier to accept. According to the fourth element, one doesn't intentionally integrate a feeling, one enjoys the feeling as much as possible until it integrates.
  • The Fifth Element is doing whatever you do, willingness is enough. In Vivation, willingness refers to the willingness to feel a feeling as honestly and positively as possible. There is no prerequisite for having a positive experience, only a willingness to be open to the possibility of experiencing the feeling in a positive way. In Vivation, integration is a function of willingness, and therefore is the most important of the five elements.

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Categories: Meditation Mind-body interventions

Eurythmy

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Curriculum_of_the_Waldorf_schools#Eurythmy

[edit] Eurythmy

Eurythmy is a movement art, usually performed to poetry or music, created by Steiner and "meant to help children develop harmoniously with mind, body and soul".[5] Eurythmy is a required subject in Waldorf Schools in all years.[5]

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eurythmy#Eurythmy_as_a_performing_art

There are notable eurythmy ensembles in Dornach, Switzerland; Stuttgart, Germany; The Hague, Netherlands; London, England; Järna, Sweden and Chestnut Ridge, New York (near New York City), USA. All of these groups both perform locally and tour internationally. Many smaller performing groups also exist (see list).

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Green_Meadow_Waldorf_School

Green Meadow Waldorf School (GMWS) is an independent Waldorf school located in Chestnut Ridge, Rockland County, New York. It offers parent and child classes, and nursery/kindergarten through 12th grades. The school is accredited by both the New York State Association of Independent Schools and the Association of Waldorf Schools of North America.[1] Founded in 1950, it is one of the oldest and largest of the approximately 170 independent North American Waldorf schools (there are about 1,000 such schools world-wide).

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Green_Meadow_Waldorf_School#Curriculum

The school practices an interdisciplinary approach[2][3] based on the Waldorf curriculum, including a strong emphasis on art, music and intercultural understanding; students begin studying two foreign languages (Spanish and German) beginning in first grade.[1] It also provides a strong community service program. Graduates of the school have been noted for their independence, sensitivity and creativity.[4]

(http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Inazo_Nitobe#Quotations

  • "What is important is to try to develop insights and wisdom rather than mere knowledge, respect someone's character rather than his learning, and nurture men of character rather than mere talents."
  • "If there is anything to do, there is certainly a best way to do it, and the best way is both the most economical and the most graceful."

  • http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Quaker

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    The Society of Friends is counted among the historic peace churches. Society members are known as Quakers or "Friends".

    Since its beginnings in the United Kingdom

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    Unlike many other groups that emerged within Christianity, the Religious Society of Friends has tended away from creeds, and away from hierarchical structure.[3]

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    or do not accept any religious label.[4] Calls for Quakerism to include non-Christians go back at least as far as 1870,[5] but this phenomenon has become increasingly evident during the latter half of the 20th century and the opening years of the 21st century, and is still controversial among Friends. An especially notable example of this is that of Friends who actively identify as members of a faith other than Christian, such as Islam[6] or Buddhism.[7]

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    http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Category:Mind-body_interventions

    ... Alexander Technique

    ... Bach flower remedies

  • Bharat Thakur
  • Biofeedback
  • ... Eurythmy

    F

    ... Meditation

    ... Metamorphic Technique

    ... Mindfulness

    ... Movement Shiatsu

    ... Psychoneuroimmunology

  • Neuroimmunology
  • ... Nia (fitness)

    ... Power therapies

  • Protective autoimmunity
  • Psychogenic disease
  • Psychomagic
  • Psychosomatic medicine
  • S

    ... Vivation

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    Theosophical Society

    http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Theosophy#The_three_objects

    [edit] The three objects

    The three declared objects of the original Theosophical Society as established by Blavatsky, Judge and Olcott were as follows:

    • First — To form a nucleus of the Universal Brotherhood of Humanity, without distinction of race, creed, sex, caste, or color.
    • Second — To encourage the study of Comparative Religion, Philosophy, and Science.
    • Third — To investigate the unexplained laws of Nature and the powers latent in man."[1]

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    touch

    http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Haptic_communication#Friendship.2Fwarmth

    [edit] Friendship/ warmth

    It is more acceptable for women to touch than men in social or friendship settings, possibly because of the innate nature of the person touching have dominance over who they are touching. Whitcher and Fisher (1979) conducted a study to see whether therapeutic touch to reduce anxiety differed between the sexes. A nurse was told to touch patients for one minute while the patients looked at a pamphlet during a routine preoperative procedure. Females reacted positively to the touch, whereas males did not. It was surmised that males equated the touch to being treated as inferior or dependent.

    see Caesar Milan

    Touching among family members has been found to affect the behavior of those involved. Various factors are at work within a family setting. As a child grows older, the amount of touching by the parent decreases.

    Boys distance themselves from their parents at an earlier age than girls. There is more touching with the same sex parent than with cross-sex parents.

    A study of nonverbal communication on how men 'converse' in bars shows that women like men to touch, but it is their touching of other men that intrigues them. The men who are touching others are perceived as having a higher status and social power than those that aren't touching others.

    The study found that women were more receptive to men who demanded the most social space, and that when a woman comes into a bar, men will move their drinks far apart to signal to her that they have space in their 'domain' for them.

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    http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Therapeutic_touch
    Therapeutic touch (TT), also called Non-Contact Therapeutic Touch (NCTT) or Distance Healing,[1] is an energy therapy claimed to promote healing and reduce pain and anxiety. TT practitioners say that by placing their hands on or near the patient they can detect and manipulate the patient's putative energy field.[2] Although there are 251 articles on TT on PubMed[3] quality of controlled research is variable. One study published in the Journal of the American Medical Association found that TT practitioners could not detect the presence or absence of a hand placed a few inches above theirs when their vision was obstructed.[4][5][6] The existence of a "biofield" or "bioenergetic field," a necessary component of TT theory, directly contradicts many principles of modern physics, chemistry, and biology.[7][8]
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