Counseling Commons^™

The Most Overlooked Spiritual Discipline - Part 1, Daniel Reynaud, Paul Bogacs

Paul Bogacs

Listening, while frequently mentioned in the Bible, is virtually never listed as a spiritual discipline. However, the Bible has much to say about practicing it, enumerating the many benefits to be had by listening and hearing. It is a distinguishing skill of both God and Jesus. As humans, listening is a skill to be practiced toward God, toward each other and toward our own self. This article explores the biblical foundation of listening and some of its benefits and implications.

The Practice Of Listening - Part 2, Paul Bogacs, Daniel Reynaud

Paul Bogacs

Listening is not just a recommended discipline in the Bible, it is a skill that can be learned and practiced. This article seeks to apply some of the skills and benefits of listening to the role of the pastor.

Asl: A Visual Language, Laura L. Wood Ph.D., Lmhc, Rdt_Bct, Miako Villanueva, Deanna Twain

Laura L. Wood

This chapter outlines the main concepts in the linguistic study of American Sign Language (ASL), a language used by deaf people in the United States and a large part of Canada. While the study of languages has been around for centuries, the vast majority of research has focused on spoken languages; approaching the signs used by deaf people as full-fledged, natural languages in their own right and therefore equally worthy of linguistic study is a relatively new concept. The first documented linguistic studies of signed language in the United States were carried out in the late 1950s and early 1960s …

The Practice Of Listening - Part 2, Paul Bogacs, Daniel Reynaud

Daniel Reynaud

Listening is not just a recommended discipline in the Bible, it is a skill that can be learned and practiced. This article seeks to apply some of the skills and benefits of listening to the role of the pastor.

The Most Overlooked Spiritual Discipline - Part 1, Daniel Reynaud, Paul Bogacs

Daniel Reynaud

Listening, while frequently mentioned in the Bible, is virtually never listed as a spiritual discipline. However, the Bible has much to say about practicing it, enumerating the many benefits to be had by listening and hearing. It is a distinguishing skill of both God and Jesus. As humans, listening is a skill to be practiced toward God, toward each other and toward our own self. This article explores the biblical foundation of listening and some of its benefits and implications.

Healing Through Movement: The Benefits Of Belly Dance For Gendered Victimization, Angela Moe

Angela M. Moe

Perceptions of “belly dance” are that it is degrading, exploitive, and incongruous to feminism. Curiously, however, the dance is incredibly popular in various parts of the world, including the United States, as a form of recreation and creative expression. This paper examines the apparent disconnect between public perception and practitioner standpoint. Findings indicate a strong holistic healing component, particularly in terms of gendered interpersonal victimization, where belly dance seems to hold potential for self-exploration and discovery. Grounded historically, culturally and empirically, these findings are discussed in terms of their application to social work practice as it relates to alternative therapies.

Beyond Tolerance: Consciously Using Universal Energy Laws, Discernment, And Harmonious Relationship Principles, Carroy U. Ferguson

Carroy U "Cuf" Ferguson, Ph.D.

Every day we, as human beings, maneuver through a myriad of circumstances in our individual and collective life spaces. Central to our experiences is the nature, kind, and quality of our relationships. When we encounter differences (racial, ethnic, cultural, religious, economic, sexual orientation, the mentally and physically challenged), a common issue that often emerges in our experiences is the extent to which we use tolerance in relating to other people and circumstances. For this reason, I want to discuss the nature of tolerance and its limitations, and how to move beyond tolerance by consciously using Universal Energy Laws, discernment, and …

Spiritually Integrative Archetypal Energies And Glimpes Into Soul Consciousness, Carroy U. Ferguson

Carroy U "Cuf" Ferguson, Ph.D.

In other writings I have described Archetypal Energies as Higher Vibrational Energies that have their own transcendent value, purpose, quality, and “voice” unique to the individual that operate deep within our psyches, at both individual and collective levels. We tend to experience them as “creative urges” to move us toward our Highest Good or Optimal Realities. I use easily recognized terms to evoke a common sense of these Archetypal Energies (e.g., Love, Acceptance, Inclusion, Harmony, Peace). Here, I want to discuss Spiritually Integrative Archetypal Energies and how they can assist us in gaining glimpses into the nature of our unique …

The Emerging New Human Being, The Culture-In-The-Self, And Ahp's New Multidimensional Intercultural Initiative, Carroy U. Ferguson

Carroy U "Cuf" Ferguson, Ph.D.

The emerging New Human Being will need to explore and come to terms with a phenomenon, operating deeply, uniquely, and diversely at a core level of all human beings on the planet. I call this phenomenon the “culture-in-the-Self,” a term coined some years ago by cofounders of Interculture Inc. What we commonly think of as culture is just the surface of this phenomenon, often appearing outwardly in the diverse “forms” of cultural scripts, beliefs, values, behaviors, and customs). I want to call attention to what goes on beneath surface culture(s), and how AHP intends to play a primary role in …

A Primary Human Challenge, Carroy U. Ferguson

Carroy U "Cuf" Ferguson, Ph.D.

We may ask why, at both the individual and collective levels, it has seemed so difficult for us to choose to evolve our human games with Joy. There is no one answer for such a question, for each of us has the gift of free will. I will suggest, however, that built into our human games is what I call a primary human challenge. That primary human challenge is a dynamic tension, flowing from our creative urge for the freedom “to be” who we really are in our current physical form, and simultaneously to embrace our responsibility for our Being-ness.

The Gift And Challenge Of "Free Will": The Connection To Transformational Archetypal Energies, Carroy U. Ferguson

Carroy U "Cuf" Ferguson, Ph.D.

In a previous writing, I spoke of “The Voices of Transformational Archetypal Energies,” and how they serve as the primary “Psychic Energy” behind AHP’s mission and “kindred spirits on the edge.” Again, I use easily recognized terms to evoke a common sense of these Higher Vibrational Energies, each with their own transcendent value, purpose, quality and “voice” unique to the individual that operate deep within our psyches (i.e., Love; Acceptance; Inclusion; Harmony). I want to use this opportunity to briefly call attention to the use and misuse of a wonderful human gift and its connection to these Transformational Archetypal Energies. …

Levels Of Consciousness, Archetypal Energies, And Earth Lessons: An Emerging Worldview, Carroy U. Ferguson

Carroy U "Cuf" Ferguson, Ph.D.

Worldviews emerge from our individual and collective Levels of Consciousness at given points in time and space and from what we come to “believe” is possible or not. In my own experience, my research on Consciousness, and my study of various cultures, societies, and Consciousness literature, I have identified at least seven Levels of Consciousness, twenty-five Archetypal Energies, and various Earth Lessons, which we seem to commonly experience as human beings, in our own unique personal, societal, and global life spaces.

Archetypal Energies And The Four Faces Of Romantic Relationships, Carroy U. Ferguson

Carroy U "Cuf" Ferguson, Ph.D.

All relationships are valuable learning experiences. They are mirrors to assist us in our various Earth lessons. As mirrors, relationships, particularly romantic or intimate relationships, reflect to a large extent energies that are going on inside of us. At much deeper levels, these energies are what I call our authentic Archetypal Energies. Over the years, I have come to recognize at least twenty-five of these primary Archetypal Energies, each with a unique function and purpose for our human experience. I use easily recognized terms to evoke a common sense of these energies. Love, for example, is one of these deeper …

Healing The War Between The Genders: The Power Of The Soul-Centered Relationship (Book Author, Linda Marks; Book Reviewer, Carroy Ferguson), Carroy U. Ferguson

Carroy U "Cuf" Ferguson, Ph.D.

As humanity seeks to understand its next evolutionary journey and to evolve its consciousness, insightful thinkers and writers have emerged to identify where we must first heal and to provide guidance for how to heal. In her book Healing The War Between The Genders: The Power of the Soul-Centered Relationship, Linda Marks adeptly discusses what she calls a “cultural heart wound” as being at the center of the gender struggle. In this context, the struggle actually transcends heterosexual relationships, gender-role conflicts, and particular one-to-one dynamics per se. As each person has what are often called male and female energies, “the …

Culturally Appropriate Career Counseling With Gay And Lesbian Clients.

Mark Pope

Gifts For The Soul: A Guided Journey Of Discovery, Transformation, And Infinite Possibilities (Book Author, Dawn E. Clark; Book Reviewer, Carroy Ferguson)), Carroy U. Ferguson

Carroy U "Cuf" Ferguson, Ph.D.

Dawn E. Clark's Gifts for the Soul is an intriguing self-help book, full of promise and hope for a new way to engage in self-healing and what the author calls soul healing through soul retrieval work. According to the author, the ancient healing tradition of soul retrieval to heal soul loss has been documented by many cultural anthropologists. The tradition apparently has been traced to a belief in the ancient concept of soul loss, embraced by many civilizations and diverse cultures in North America, Australia, Asia, South America and the shaman tradition as far back as 10,000 years ago. Soul …

Relationships And Universal Energy Laws, Carroy U. Ferguson

Carroy U "Cuf" Ferguson, Ph.D.

Relationships are our most intense forms of "mirrors" in the world. They show us in direct and indirect ways how we are using our personal energy systems in what I call our three life spaces. They show us how we consciously and unconsciously employ what some authors have called Universal Energy Laws (see attached descriptions of these laws) to co-create the quality of our relationships. Whether or not we "attract" and/or deal with relationships in conscious or subconscious ways, what I call the "mirror effect" is reflected in our three life spaces—personal life space, societal life space, and global life …