NEW AGE NEWS
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SAI BABA OPENS HOSPITAL A new hospital erected near Bangalore, India caters to the body, mind, and soul. Sai Baba, a controversial humanist, opened his second hospital in India in January of 2001. The 43 million-dollar facility is state of the art, has 30 physicians, 10 operating theaters, and is set up to conduct 30 to 40 operations a day. The hospital not only provides free health care for the poor, but it also strives to embody a holistic philosophy of medicine. This mind-body-spirit ideology is built off of five main concepts. Medical treatment should be available to everyone, regardless of country, religion, race, etc.; medical relief should not be bought and sold as a product; medical human caregivers should demonstrate the five human values of truth, right conduct, peace, love and non-violence; and healthcare should incorporate spiritual strengthening into physical rehabilitation. MYTHICAL ATLANTIS RELOCATED? The ancient island society of Atlantis is a story that has been told and retold many times, by everyone from Plato to Walt Disney. Nobody's really positive about the details of the island, rumored to be a kind of paradise, from which all religion and knowledge sprung. Everything from its location, to the cause of its demise (some claim it was a volcanic eruption, others a massive flood) is cause for debate. Recently, French geologist and prehistorian Jacques Collina-Girard added one more theory to the mix. Collina-Girard claims that shoals now covered by water in the middle of the strait of Gibraltar, could be the site of the legendary island. The location is where Plato described in "Dialogues" and oceanographers estimate that during the last ice age, the sea level would have been drastically lower from where it is now. The glacial melt could have caused the seas to rise enough to cover the island, destroying it, and giving rise to the myths of Atlantis being destroyed by a great flood. (The Hartford Courant) FAIRY CIRCLES CITED The Earth Environment Service writes a weekly column that is carried in a number of newspapers. It notes major events happening in the world such as sandstorms, volcanoes, cyclones, and earthquakes. As a sign of the times it included an item on Fairy Circles. As first published in New Scientist the report said that ". . . efforts by South African botanists to explain 'fairy circles' in Namibia - bizarre outlines in the grass like Britain's crop circles - have drawn a complete blank. Theories on what causes the discs of denuded sandy soil in the country's grassy coastal fringe . . . were all ruled out." (Poughkeepsie Journal) POLICE LEARN ZEN The city of Madison, WI recruited noted Buddhist monk Thich Nhat Hanh to train police officers, firefighters, healthcare workers and educators in how to foster a peaceful, nonviolent life. The monk advocates 'engaged Buddhism' that seeks to combine spiritual practice and active engagement with the world. A training official said "its hard to do this work and not close down emotionally over time." (Spirit At Work e-mail) MESSAGES TO THE DEPARTED Want to send a message to someone on the other side? Paul Kinsella has started an online service which will do just that. For a $5-a-word fee, Kinsella gives your message to a terminally ill volunteer "messenger," who memorizes it with the idea that he will recite it to your loved one after he dies. Kinsella does not keep any of the money, but gives it all to the messenger's family or a designated charity. He says that since he cannot guarantee delivery nor prove that a telegram has been delivered, people aren't paying for delivery, but for delivery attempts. The website also includes a list of reasons why messages may not be delivered, including the possibility that there might not be an afterlife. (The Hartford Courant) MOST EXPECT TO GO HEAVEN A recent poll shows that most Americans not only believe there is life after death and that heaven and hell exist, but nearly two-thirds believe they will be one of those going to heaven. The poll found that 76% of Americans believe in heaven and 71% in hell - about the same numbers as a decade ago. Only 5% believed there was no afterlife and less than 1% believed that they were hell-bound. (The Hartford Courant) PSYCHIC CONVICTED OF LARCENY Last Fall we reported on the arrest in Vernon of psychic DOROTHY ADAMS on a charge of second-degree larceny by false pretenses. She was accused of defrauding a client out of more than $20,000 in cash and gifts over a six month period. In March, she accepted a plea bargain, was convicted on a reduced charge of sixth-degree larceny, a misdemeanor, and paid a fine of $100 plus partial restitution to the victim. It was the classic story of rituals and cleansing that required more and more money. Adams is not part of the holistic community, but plans to continue in business. See our 2004 Spiritual Counselor Directory of readers and astrologers to find information on evaluating readers. |