Spiritual bypassing is a very persistent shadow of spirituality, manifesting in many forms, often without being acknowledged.  ~ R. Augustus

What comes to mind when you think of ‘spirituality’?  You might picture beautiful temples, ethereal instruments, golden Buddha’s, gardens and forests of paradise, the faces of enlightened masters, angels, mountain ranges, sunsets, or any number of other dazzling images.

We tend to associate spirituality with transcendental, heightened states of being that are invariably associated with the feelings of happiness, joy, deep inner peace and contentment.

While all of this is true and wonderful, many of us become intoxicated, distracted and ensnared by these highly attractive images of spirituality, avoiding the darker, painful and more exhausting sides of such a path.

At its core, spiritual bypassing is like any other form of avoidance that rewards us with a false feeling of security and happiness, while undermining our deeper path of self-growth and transformation.

By Eckhart Tolle

In ordinary unconsciousness, habitual resistance to or denial of what is creates the unease and discontent that most people accept as normal living. When this resistance becomes intensified through some challenge or threat to the ego, it brings up intense negativity such as anger, acute fear, aggression, depression, and so on. Deep unconsciousness often means that the pain-body has been triggered and that you have become identified with it. Physical violence would be impossible without deep unconsciousness. It can also occur easily whenever and wherever a crowd of people or even an entire nation generates a negative collective energy field.

The best indicator of your level of consciousness is how you deal with life’s challenges when they come. Through those challenges, an already unconscious person tends to become more deeply unconscious, and a conscious person more intensely conscious. You can use a challenge to awaken you, or you can allow it to pull you into even deeper sleep. The dream of ordinary unconsciousness then turns into a nightmare.

People who have upbeat outlooks on life have significantly better cardiovascular health, suggests a new study that examined associations between optimism and heart health in more than 5,100 adults.

"Individuals with the highest levels of optimism have twice the odds of being in ideal cardiovascular health compared to their more pessimistic counterparts," said lead author Rosalba Hernandez, a professor of social work at the University of Illinois. "This association remains significant, even after adjusting for socio-demographic characteristics and poor mental health."

Participants' cardiovascular health was assessed using seven metrics: blood pressure, body mass index, fasting plasma glucose and serum cholesterol levels, dietary intake, physical activity and tobacco use - the same metrics used by the American Heart Association to define heart health and being targeted by the AHA in its Life's Simple 7 public awareness campaign.

Many people don’t know this but listening to music is not just something that brings joy, it can also improve your health in a variety of ways and scientists have proven that through many researches. Read on to find how music can make your life more awesome.

Helps you sleep better

Music contributes for a healthy sleep. Researchers have found that classical music can help us deal with Insomnia, especially college students. This is definitely a healthier and much cheaper fix for your sleeping disorder than taking pills.

Fights stress

It is no surprise that listening to music helps relieve stress off your shoulders. Studies have found that music stimulates biochemical stress reducers which helps us feel more relaxed.

Helps you get in touch with yourself

As it puts us in a better mood, music helps us get in touch with our emotions, a 2013 study suggests. The participants marked “self-awareness” as one of the most important advantages of music.

Foodies everywhere – rejoice! Finally, your favorite chefs are adding some heat to GMO labeling efforts. A host of celebrity chefs have taken to Capital Hill to urge members of Congress to support legislation that would require the labeling of genetically modified foods. While it isn’t an effort to ban them – it’s a great start.

Tom Colicchio who co-founded the Gramercy Tavern in New York City, José Andrés, part of ThinkFoodGroup, and Sam Talbot of Integrated Kitchen, among other celebrity chefs have delivered a petition to support Americans in their right to know exactly what is in their food.

Sen. Jon Tester, D-Mont., an organic farmer who joined the chefs in their meetings with lawmakers, said:

“Americans need to know, on a very basic level, what they’re eating. It’s critically important; it shouldn’t be guesswork. It’s truly a question of basic transparency.”

Colicchio, founder of Craft and Colicchio & Sons restaurants and a judge on Bravo’s popular show, “Top Chef,” says the chefs’ involvement in the GMO issue cuts to the core of the culinary industry.