Articles from MFL
Who Is Your Tribe? — An essay on the historic definition and current manifestations of “Tribe” in modern western cultures. How Tribe affects, accelerates, and/or hinders personal growth; how to discover one’s true tribe.
Four More Years — Taking a close look into the progressive plunge toward hopelessness after the Republican victory in the American elections, Alesia and Michael Matson discuss the work needed to change the outcome in 2006, and 2008.
Identifying as an Empath — Empathy is a gift born to all humans, yet there are those who hone and develop this sense as acutely as vision, or hearing. These are the Empaths.
Evolving The War on Terror — The motives and methods driving the war on terror are little different than the motives and methods of the terrorists themselves. Until the absolute value system used by countries engaged in the war on terror is replaced by an internally referenced, subjective honor system that demands the allies meet their own highest standards of moral behavior, the war against terrorism cannot be won.
The Passion of the Christ, Symbollically Speaking — In this article, written in the form of a dialogue, the Reverends Matson take a look at that event from a symbolic or mystical perspective, to demonstrate the enduring truths that make Christ’s passion upon the cross such a compelling and enduring symbol.
The 7 Last Words of Christ — a symbolic analysis of Christ’s last words on the cross.
Mastering the Contemplative Arts — As with success in any field, the rarified development of the true Master of a contemplative art results from some kind of formal training, the development of focus, the growth of self-discipline from external discipline, and everyday practice.
Politics Without Polarity — 2004 just might be looked back upon as one of those years when “the people” spoke. But for those interested in their own evolution, who wish to live authentically, this year’s political stew poses an interesting question: How do you participate without falling into judgement (the anathema of anyone seeking enlightenment) and thereby participating in the polarities and political divisions?
Are You On Fire? Mysticism in Modern Times — A brief essay on the phenomenon of modern mysticism, denoting its four major characteristics.
Paradox — Paradox: In our celebration of diversity, we must never forget our intrinsic Oneness.
The View From the Center: Labyrinths In The Contemplative Arts — The labyrinth is a metaphor for a life’s journey, a spiritual pilgrimage, a rite of passage; it compresses a lifetime into mere minutes. A walk into the labyrinth allows us to look at our lives in a space and time small enough for us to examine, ponder, and comprehend.
Recovering From Fundamentalism — “We are privileged to live in interesting times,” this article begins. The human race is struggling to evolve from a collection of nation-states to a single global consciousness. And leading the fight against this shift in consciousness are the fundamentalists. Many have been used and abused by fundamentalist organizations. Here’s a brief look at how to recover from that abuse.
Under Oppression — W. Bush’s war has posed us all some interesting energetic challenges. The harsh polarities are manifesting in our everyday lives in ways you may not expect. What do they look like, and what steps can you take to prevent it from happening to you?
Necessary Evil — What’s really behind the War in Iraq? Is it really about the issues you see in the news every day? Of course not! It’s about symbolsim. In this short article Michael explains what that symbolism is and what it means for us all.
Reclaiming Mysticism — Next in the series on Modern Mysticism, this essay attempts to reclaim the term from its New Age hijacking by explaining the differences and similarities between mysticism and occultism.
Breaking the Chains — Orthodoxy & the Modern Mystic Part III — Part III in the Orthodoxy and the Modern Mystic series. The final article. Originally published in our Summer Solstice 2001 Newsletter and in periodicals all across the Pacific Northwest of the United States, Canada, and in South Australia. >Learn how to select a teacher capable of teaching you how to break the chains of the societal orthodoxy. Learn what to look for in a spiritual mentor, and what to avoid like the plague! Learn what your mentor’s role in teaching you is, and what your obligations in the teacher/student relationship are.
Growing Corn — Orthodoxy & the Modern Mystic Part II — Part II in the Orthodoxy and the Modern Mystic series. Originally published in our Winter Solstice 2000 Newsletter and in periodicals all across the Pacific Northwest of the United States, Canada, and in South Australia. A Native American reference to practical, useful knowledge. Is mysticism practical? Have the greatest of mystics — Xenophanes, Socrates, Jesus, Shankara, Husayn ibn Mansur al-Hallaj, to name a few — contributed in any meaningful way to human history?
Orthodoxy & the Modern Mystic, Part I — Originally published in our Summer Solstice 2000 Newsletter and in periodicals all across the Pacific Northwest of the United States, Canada, and in South Australia. We live in a world that says “you must this” and “you must do that.” And yet, at the same time traditional religions are being challenged by an ever greater number of us. What does this mean? Are the THOU SHALTS our culture and its organized religions places on us really that important? And what should we do about them?
Healing our Empathic Selves — An essay on empathy and emotions which illuminates common empathic pitfalls and discusses ways to more fully realize one’s empathic gifts.
Deck the Halls, Not Your Spouse: Managing Holiday Stress — originally written in response to a request for how to handle holiday stress, the article has good advice for non-holiday stressors, too.
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