Author name: Jim Rigsbee

Have you ever been alone in nature and experienced a fantastic feeling of euphoria – a larger than you feeling? Perhaps you just had a spiritual encounter with the essence of life. Let’s explore this phenomenon together with a walk in the woods.

The group generally agreed with the sentiment that a higher purpose is one that serves the greater good. We had varying opinions whether our higher purpose is our day job.

Purpose is a reason for being. A higher purpose is a reason for being that has a positive impact beyond oneself helping the greater world.

At our last Exploration Gathering, we tackled the question: what do we think about prayers and blessings? We kicked off the discussion with a modern view of prayer.

In this post I will look at how prayers and blessings have been traditionally thought of and offer a traditional and modern perspective on these spiritual tools.

At our last Exploration Gathering we discussed the question: Is there something greater than ourselves? The conversation produced a synergy of thoughts and experiences from the group. In this post we’ll explore some of the themes that surfaced and look at what else we did in this fantastic gathering.

The case for…the case against..what if I believe there is?

At our first Exploration Gathering of Fairbanks Spiritual Explorers we had a vibrant discussion around the question, “What is Spirituality?”

In the national anthem, a poem penned by Francis Scott Key, the Star-Spangled Banner, the last phrase of each stanza is “O’er the land of the free and the home of the brave.” What does it mean for America to be the land of the free and the home of the brave?

I really, really like Brené Brown’s definition of spirituality best: Spirituality is recognizing and celebrating that we are all inextricably connected to each other by a power greater than all of us, and that our connection to that power and to one another is grounded in love and compassion. Practicing spirituality brings a sense of