Dating for spiritual people

Thu, 03 Mar 2011 23:38:39 +0100

No matter what your spiritual orientation or age, you’ve probably gone through the experience of dating. Young, or more mature, the nervousness and vulnerability remain the same. However, for those with a strong commitment to spirituality, there is an extra dimension to this search for “the one”. Finding a mate that has a commitment to spirituality at the same level is not just convenience, it is part of your commitment to your spirituality.

There are some common practices and ideas among religious practioners that have a committed relationship to their faith. Many say that their relationship with God comes first, then all other relationships follow. Most have significant portions of time allocated to daily practices which bring them closer to God and deepen their religious experience.

It’s fair to say that if you date someone whose faith is at a different level, this is likely to be an obstacle. This is true even if you share the same type of spirituality and church. Some potential mates may not agree on what constitutes “putting God first”, or that it is an excuse to demand your way. Time is another issue that is highly subjective – what is “a lot” to one person may be “not enough” to someone else. If your religious practices include a ban on premarital sex, alcohol or certain foods, it is reasonable to expect that if you date someone who does not have those practices, you will be having conflict on those issues on an almost daily basis.

Therefore, as a spiritual person who is dating, it is well worth your time to outline some parameters by including religious commitments in your dating resume.

One way to do this is to go to events or sites that include this, like online dating services spiritualsingles.com or lawofattractionsingles.com . However, those sites may have members that are geographically undesirable. There’s also SingleChristians.org, which lists several Southern California groups and events. SinglePassion.org has listings of local dances, including a once-a-month dance at D&D dance studio in Riverside. For local events ages 30 and under, try Harvest’s The Well on Friday nights. For those over 30, try Harvest Singles on Friday nights at or San Bernardino’s The Rock church’s singles.

Whatever you choose, you can’t go wrong by having fun and being open to the possibilities.

Crystals and beads

Fri, 04 Mar 2011 00:39:07 +0100

Crystals and jewelry and books, oh my

Whether it’s building a fence or attaining spirituality, doing a job right often means starting off with the right tools. There are plenty of places to shop, peruse or surf well within driving distance.

Traditional Christian specialty shops are fairly easy to find in Riverside. There are chain bookstores, like Berean (Christian) and the smaller Ensign books (Latter Day Saints/Mormon). For Christian Spanish books, there’s the Cantares Christian book shop. Of course, many large churches have internal shops, like Harvest (Christian) or Temple Beth El (Jewish).

Need rosary beads or crucifix with dirt from a Roman catacomb? You can go to the Madonna Catholic Religious Supply Company at madonnashopsonline.com . According to their website, they are the largest Catholic supply company in the Inland Empire since the 1980’s. Looking for a shawl hijab? There’s Al-Farah in Anaheim or Hidaaya Books and Clothing in Diamond Bar.

New Age supplies are available at Enlightenment Books and Gifts enlightenmentbooksandgifts.com or at Dragon Marsh dragonmarsh.com . Both stores have a variety of crystals, jewelry, essential oils, smudging supplies and books. Dragon Marsh has classes such as candle magick, religious history, herbalism, aromatherapy and bodice making. Enlightenment has workshops, yoga, and hosts psychic readers on Thursdays and Fridays. Best of all, both stores are right in the city of Riverside.

Farther away, the Learning Light in Anaheim learninglight.net carries similar supplies and hosts a psychic faire the second Saturday of every month. There’s a Gem Faire scheduled for Santa Monica and Costa Mesa in February, which means the opportunity to touch and hold crystals before you purchase. Check out the full schedule their website at GemFaire.com or sign up for a flyer with free admission passes. Online, there’s Best Crystals, which claims to be the most extensive website of crystals and minerals in the world. Their crystal prices range from $3 to the thousands, and includes a Bargain Basement page for close outs, overstock or slightly damaged items. Runes, meditation CD’s and personalized astrological readings are available from local psychic Anne Reith annereith.com .

Interested in mental and emotional tools? Anne Reith offers healing sessions using a combination of healing modalities including Emotional Freedom Techniques and Karuna Reiki. Jeri Ferrell of jeriferrell.com teaches techniques of Auric Field Protection, Connecting with your Guides and Angels and Vibrational Energy Cleansing. Both Anne and Jeri teach classes at the Learning Light in Anaheim on a regular basis.

Tools in hand, it will be easy to start your own personal journey to spiritual living - even without a yellow brick road.

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Dating for spiritual people

Crystals and beads