The Bruderhof's foundation is faith in Jesus. His teachings are central to Bruderhof life - particularly the command "Love your neighbor as yourself," the Sermon on the Mount, and his teachings concerning nonviolence, faithfulness in marriage, and compassion for the poor. Bruderhof members share the beliefs of the early Christians as recorded in the Apostles' Creed and the Didache. The Bruderhof follows the practices of the first church in Jerusalem, whose members were (according to the Book of Acts) of "one heart and mind, and shared ...

See also:

Bruderhof Communities, Bruderhof Communities - Beliefs and spiritual roots, Bruderhof Communities - History, Bruderhof Communities - Bruderhof today, Bruderhof Communities - Involvement in the wider community, Bruderhof Communities - Bruderhof enterprises

Read more here: » Bruderhof Communities: Encyclopedia II - Bruderhof Communities - Beliefs and spiritual roots

Root-principle Generally, the spiritual or energic side of what is in its vehicular aspect called root-element, primordial matter or substance, mulaprakriti, or chaos.

(See also: Root-principle, Mysticism, Mysticism Dictionary)

Sixth Root-race The root-race which will succeed the present fifth root-race, sometimes called the Aryan race in theosophical literature because the Aryan Hindus were a part of the original first subrace of the fifth root-race. Care should be taken not to confuse the sixth root-race with the sixth subrace of the fifth root-race which was stated by Blavatsky to be in process of forming in America as seeds -- the earliest pioneers, although already beginning to appear, will not be numerous for several thousand years. The preparation for the sixth root-race will take place during the sixth and seventh subraces of the fifth root-race in the Americas. When the time arrives, this future sixth root-race will be predominant on the earth, new lands will have appeared, and many of the present lands will be submerged. The surface of the globe will, in time of course, be entirely changed, and there will then be more land than water (as also was the case during the fourth root-race).

During the sixth root-race, humanity will not be gigantic in size (as were the fourth and third root-races), for spirituality will be on the ascendancy and materiality decreasing, so that at the end of the sixth root-race the development of spirituality will be parallel to what it was at the beginning of the second root-race plus, however, the added evolutionary experience gained during the preceding root-races. The characteristics of sex will gradually disappear, and humanity will be slowly once again becoming androgynous. Offspring will be born in a manner generally similar to that which prevailed during the second and early third root-race periods: toward the close of the sixth, mankind will begin to manifest the first appearances of reproduction by kriyasakti (propagation by means of will and imagination). Toward the close of the sixth root-race, humanity will be showing a steadily increasing tendency to evolve out of fleshly into more ethereal physical vehicles. These various changes are presentments of what will in the due course be established in relative perfection during the sixth round -- coming events cast their shadows before. Indeed the sixth root-race will be as compared with our own fifth far in advance, spiritually, intellectually, psychically, and even physically; and the attainment by mankind of adeptship or mahatmaship will be notably more easy than is the case at present.

With the advent of each root-race a new cosmic element comes into proportionate manifestation, and a new physical sense apparatus appears: thus humanity in the sixth root-race will develop what is meant by a sixth sense. The fifth cosmic element (often named aether or akasa-tattva) will reach a development proportionate to the evolution of mankind during the fifth root-race in this fourth round; and after the same manner, a sixth cosmic element will make its appearance during the course of human evolution during the sixth root-race. Furthermore, just as a manushya-buddha comes to lead mankind in each root-race, so will one appear during the sixth root-race of the future.

(See also: Sixth Root-race, Mysticism, Mysticism Dictionary)

The New Age movement is hardly novel! Its philosophy is rooted in ancient traditions, often based on mystical experiences, each within a different context.

Part I of II, written by Michael Rogge

Read more here: » New Age Spirituality: The roots of the New Age Movement Ð Part I

A critical in-depth analysis of the differences and similarities between the New Age movement and the Vedic traditions by Henry Makow PhD

Read more here: » New Age Spirituality: New Age vs. Vedic tradition

"Who do you say I am?" (Luke 9:20, NIV) The question was first asked of Peter by Christ nineteen centuries ago, and has continued since then to the present day to be the litmus test of spiritual authenticity. Perhaps never in the history of the Christian church has this question been more relevant than it is today. One reason for this is that New Agers have taken the New Testament sculpture (if you will) of Christ, crafted an esoteric/mystical chisel, and hammered away at this sculpture until a completely new image has been formed.

Read more here: » New Age Movement: The Christ of the New Age Movement Ð Part II

When solving problems, dig at the roots instead of just hacking at the leaves.

- Anthony J. D'Angelo

(See also: Spiritual Quotes, Love Quotes, Friendship Quotes, Life Quotes)

The life of a plant is hidden in the roots beneath the ground. If the roots are not taken care of, the flowers and the leaves will die no matter how much you care for them. By taking care of the roots, the flowers will get nourished automatically. For, the flowers come out of the roots, and not the other way round.

The head or the heart are perceived to be the most important parts of the human body. But the truth is that our roots are more important. Just as the plants have roots in the earth from which they draw their life-energy, in the human body, there are roots which draw life-energy from the soul. The day those roots become feeble, the body begins to die.

Read more here: » Spiritual Growth: Reach For Your Soul - Nurture Your Roots

An inner revolution is being called for in business today - a return to our spiritual roots, to our inner source of spirituality - and leading our businesses through a fundamental change from that place.

See also: Spirituality At Work, Work As A Spiritual Practice, Spiritual Based Leadership)

The Root Or Base Chakra

The root chakra, or the centre at the end of the spine by the loins, is the centre which radiates a white, divine light, when seen from the highest spiritual level. This centre is the centre for the material life, it is the centre that roots the subtle divine consciousness in the material life. Consequently it is the basis for human existence in this physical world, and if it is blocked, you will have a human being that feels rootless in both his spiritual and his physical existence.

Read more here: » Chakras: The Root Or Base Chakra

As you begin to consider the ways to foster a spiritual revolution at work through your leadership, it's natural that you will want to be as inclusive and as respectful as you can with those whom you lead. So, what is the wisest way for a leader to do this?

Before you invite people to return to their spiritual roots and do their work from that foundation, always start by doing your own inner homework first . If you haven't already defined the spiritual view of life from which you lead, take some quiet time to do that now*. As a refresher, here are the two main steps to take:

See also: Spirituality At Work, Work As A Spiritual Practice, Spiritual Based Leadership)

In February of 2000, we began writing an in-depth programme for working people which explores five human values that are found across all spiritual traditions: Truth, righteousness, love, peace and non-violence. The title is Human Values in the Workplace: Making Spirituality the Inner Context for Your Work.  [1]  

We were inspired to write this programme because our collective business experience showed us that these five human values were the fundamental roots of a healthy, vibrant, viable organisation - and of healthy, vibrant, viable individuals.

See also: Spirituality At Work, Work As A Spiritual Practice, Spiritual Based Leadership)

Our conscience is our true guide to what is wise, good and beneficial to ourselves and the larger whole. It provides the strength of character to sincerely and energetically promote various forms of wealth in our work: our well-being as an employee, our ability to capably serve our customers, our success in creating prosperity, and our desire to improve the health of our society.

As Confucious said: Virtue is the root; wealth is the result. The Great Learning.

See also: Spirituality At Work, Work As A Spiritual Practice, Spiritual Based Leadership)

Channelling or medium ship is quickly taking root more in the western world than in the eastern; though it has been silently practiced in the Orient too for hundreds of years. Channelling is a process of opening our consciousness to a higher reality! The aim of Channelling is to attract a high-level teacher guide whose highest purpose is your spiritual growth and well-being. Learn more about channelling with examples from different cultures.

Read more here: » Channelling: Understanding Channelling

Shinto: The Way of Kami in Japanese Thought

Japanese culture has been influenced by two spiritual traditions, Shinto or Shintoism and Buddhism. Shinto is Japan's ancient indigenous religion which evolved over hundreds of years.

When Buddhism took roots in the sixth century Shinto existed more as a way of life, realised by the people in their natural surroundings, rather than as an organised religion. Shinto shaped both the spiritual as well as material aspects of Japanese lifestyle. Japanese culture, psyche and ethos are so closely intertwined with Shinto that it can be called the national religion.

Read more here: » Shinto: The Way of Kami in Japanese Thought - Shintoism

Civilisation is defined by and founded upon the ideals and shared beliefs that weld society together. What uniquely defines the human experience is the transcendent component of life.

It unlocks the creative capacities within our consciousness and safeguards human dignity. Pragmatic approaches to problem solving must play a central role in development initiatives. But equally, tapping the spiritual roots of human motivation provides the essential impulse that ensures genuine social advancement. When spiritual principles are fully integrated into community development activities, the ideas, insights and practical measures that emerge are more likely to promote self-reliance and preserve human honour.

(See also: Science and Religion, Faith and Belief, Spiritual Guidance, God and Religion, Peace on Earth, Peace of Mind, Love and Happiness, Life and Beyond, Body Mind and Soul)

The Bruderhof Communities (German: place of brothers) are Christian faith-based communities with branches in New York and Pennsylvania in the USA, the United Kingdom, Germany, and Australia. They have previously been called The Society of Brothers and The Hutterian Brethren. Bruderhof Communities - Beliefs and spiritual roots. The Bruderhof's foundation is faith in Jesus. His teachings are central to Bruderhof life - particularly the command "Love your neighbor as yourself," the Sermon ...

Including:

• Bruderhof Communities - Beliefs and spiritual roots
• Bruderhof Communities - History
• Bruderhof Communities - Bruderhof today
• Bruderhof Communities - Involvement in the wider community
• Bruderhof Communities - Bruderhof enterprises

Read more here: » Bruderhof Communities: Encyclopedia - Bruderhof Communities

Bwiti is a West- and Central-African animistic religion practiced by the wood-dwelling Babongo and Mitsogo people of Gabon (where it is one of the three official religions) and the Fang people of Gabon and Cameroon. Bwiti uses the hallucinogenic rootbark of the Tabernanthe iboga plant, specially cultivated for the religion, to induce a spiritual enlightenment and to solve problems of a spiritual nature, but it also makes the user sick enough to vomit. The active ingredient of the root, ibogaine, has been studied scientifically. ...

Including:

• Bwiti - Sources

Read more here: » Bwiti: Encyclopedia - Bwiti

Fourth Root-race Often spoken of as the Atlantean, the name given in theosophic writings to the land-system which it occupied; it followed the third or so-called Lemurian race, not suddenly but with overlapping. During the fourth root-race humanity reached its greatest phases of materiality, especially since it occurred during the fourth round. The fourth root-race was roughly contemporaneous with what towards the end of the last century was called Tertiary times and came to an end in what was then known as the middle Miocene. Its total duration was millions of years.

The stature of the generality of the fourth root-race peoples was what would be gigantic to us today, which is one source of the universal tradition as to giants on the earth in far antiquity. Its earlier language was the monosyllabic type of the latter half of the third root-race, yet the characteristic speech during a large portion of its span was of the agglutinative type, inflected speech coming with the fifth root-race. The mode of reproduction was sexual, as it was in the latter half of the third root-race. After the fourth root-race had reached its zenith, certain unevolved tribes committed miscegenation with the most evolved of the then-existing simians, which were the descendants of a previous miscegenation of representatives of the third root-race with true monkey stocks. This second miscegenation produced a hybrid stock from which the anthropoid apes are descended.

There was an enmity lasting for ages between the benevolent and the selfish portions of the fourth root-race, which continued with the Aryan adepts of the nascent fifth root-race and finally ended in the triumph of the positive; but nevertheless the karma of Atlantean black magic even yet blights our own fifth root-race, for the people of today were imbodied as the humans of Atlantean times. Descendants of fourth root-race humanity even now are among the inhabitants of the earth, together with rapidly dying out remnants of the third root-race, and also various mixtures of all these.

During the fourth root-race on this globe D of the fourth round, evolution reached the middle of its course for this planetary manvantara, and the door to entry into the state of spiritual and intellectual evolution called the human kingdom was closed. All entities beneath the humans (and probably higher anthropoids who were in existence before that epoch) must await until the next succeeding round before even the highest representatives of the beast kingdom can pass on to the human stage. All subhuman kingdoms will show a tendency as time goes on to die out, because the monads of these kingdoms will go into latency for the remainder of the planetary manvantara; their chance for evolution into the human state will come again during the succeeding planetary manvantara.

See also ATLANTEANS

(See also: Fourth Root-race, Mysticism, Mysticism Dictionary)

Second Root-race Like the first root-race of the present round on globe D of the earth-chain, the second was astral, though somewhat more concreted, physicalized, or materialized. The bodies were unlike what is now regarded as human, bearing but vaguely the human outline of a gelatinous, filamentoid, jelly-like nature, as yet without evolved bones, organs, hair, or true skin. Reproduction was by budding, as occurs in some lower organisms today.

About the middle of the race, these buds became numerous and the process became modified to one analogous to the casting off of spores or seeds, or to the exuding of drops of vital sweat. These beings were mindless and unmoral, innocent, guided unconsciously by their spiritual instincts, nevertheless largely under the sway of lower rather than spiritual impulses, somewhat like the animals of today. For as yet no intellectual fire from the manasaputras (sons of mind) had been communicated to them, so that as yet there was no working bridge of mentality between spirit and matter in them.

(See also: Second Root-race, Mysticism, Mysticism Dictionary)