Category: Spirituality
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Water Dog Lake Park in Belmont, California
By Rachel Puryear Okay, initially, I checked out this park in part because of its name – I imagined dogs of all kinds swimming around in the lake, and just enjoying themselves. The day I went actually didn’t have very many people or dogs there, but it’s a peaceful and pretty local park nonetheless. Also,…
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The Mysterious Third Person Phenomenon
By Rachel Puryear Have you ever been in a very dangerous, even life threatening situation? Chances are, you either have, or someone else you love has. Maybe an accident or natural disaster, violence or a serious threat of such, being lost or stranded in a place where survival is unlikely, and so forth. Sometimes, people…
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The San Francisco Bay Trail
By Rachel Puryear The San Francisco Bay Area is known for its natural beauty, diversity, innovation, opportunity, progressive ideals, and so much more. The San Francisco Bay Trail is a large network of trails all over the Bay Area, which allows enjoyment of all there is here to offer, and with beautiful views. The Bay…
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Q&A: Signs You’re Being Catfished
By Rachel Puryear Have you ever met someone who seemed incredibly wonderful – but had a nagging feeling that they were perhaps too good to be true? And then maybe found out that they in fact weren’t who you initially thought they were? Unfortunately, that’s something just about all of us will experience in this…
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Have You Ever Experienced a Disappearing Place?
By Rachel Puryear For most of us, the idea of stumbling upon a mysterious place, only to find it’s not there anymore later; sounds like the realm of fiction – or even an overactive imagination. However, a number of people claim to have experienced exactly that, and have shared their stories to willing listeners on…
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Great Basin National Park
By Rachel Puryear Far out in the remote Nevada desert, a short distance off America’s Loneliest Highway, is an awesome natural wonder – the Great Basin. Great Basin National Park offers stunning views of the Great Basin, as well as some amazing caves! Plus, it’s an International Dark Sky Park, meaning that the nighttime offers…
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Bedwell Bayfront Park’s Great Spirit Path in Menlo Park, California
By Rachel Puryear You’ve probably heard of Stonehenge in the English countryside – but have you also heard of the Bay Area’s “Stonehenge by the Bay”? Bedwell Bayfront Park features the Great Spirit Path, also known as Stonehenge by the Bay, where you can get a great hike with amazing views, while also seeing stone…
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Wonderful Tropical Forest Images
By Rachel Puryear In the world’s tropical regions, year-round heat and abundant rainfall makes for many lush, gorgeous tropical rainforests teeming with diverse, amazing life forms. These pictures will help showcase that natural beauty – but you’ll have to visit there yourself in order to also experience the awesome sounds, smells, and humidity of these…
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Taylor Mountain Regional Park in Santa Rosa, California
By Rachel Puryear California’s Sonoma County offers a famously diverse array of beautiful landscapes. Within one set of county lines, you can visit beaches, forests, mountains, rivers, lakes, and more. The area also offers plenty of wonderful parks to explore. One lovely such mountainous park is at Taylor Mountain. If you’re ever in the area,…
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Awesome Snowy Forest Images
By Rachel Puryear In the chilly depths of Winter, there is a quiet beauty – snow blankets much of the world, and wraps many forests in an icy splendor. Thank you, dear readers, for reading, following, and sharing. Here’s to awesome Winter wonderlands. If you enjoyed this post, please “like” and subscribe, if you have…
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The Beaches of Pacifica, California
By Rachel Puryear About fifteen minutes south of San Francisco is the small coastal town of Pacifica, California. The name comes from the Spanish word for “peaceful”, and the town does live up to that name. It’s a quiet, peaceful, unpretentious town with a relaxed vibe. Even though it’s right near several busy and crowded…
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Asking for Help is Great – But is There Also an Obligation to Offer It?
By Rachel Puryear We all know that it’s very helpful to ask for help. It lets others know what we need when they might otherwise have no idea, and it gives us a chance to practice being assertive. Certainly, people should ask for help more often – and many don’t, quite to their own detriment.…
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Central Park in San Mateo, California
By Rachel Puryear Urban parks make for very special places within a city, whereby residents can get out and enjoy nature, right in (or near) their own neighborhoods. San Mateo, a small city about halfway between San Francisco and San Jose, boasts its own big urban park – San Mateo’s Central Park. There’s lots to…
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Amazing Outer Space Images
By Rachel Puryear Hi folks, your World Class Hugs host has some big personal life events going on. Accordingly, I am unable to put forth the usual kind of content for a short while. However, here some pictures of the gorgeous universe for you to enjoy, and hopefully get a good dose of inspiration and…
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Glorious Sunrises and Sunsets
By Rachel Puryear Hi folks, your World Class Hugs host has some big personal life events going on. Accordingly, I am unable to put forth the usual kind of content for a short while. However, here are some pictures of beautiful sunrises and sunsets for you to enjoy, and hopefully get a good dose of…
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Cat Pictures to Enjoy
By Rachel Puryear Hi folks, your World Class Hugs host has some big personal life events going on. Accordingly, I am unable to put forth the usual kind of content for a short while. However, here are some cat pictures for you to enjoy, and hopefully get a good dose of happiness and good vibes…
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Urban Nature Hikes in San Francisco, California
By Rachel Puryear San Francisco, California, the City by the Bay, is a major city known for many things – arts and sciences, diversity, great food, culture and progressive attitudes; and it also features lots of stunning natural beauty. Even within this major urban city, there are plenty of places to enjoy the great outdoors,…
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Simple Yet Powerful Things to Say to a Dying Loved One
By Rachel Puryear Nothing fully prepares you for losing a loved one. It’s something we will all go through sometimes in life, and it’s one of the hardest and most painful things we can experience. It’s often hard to know what to say to someone who we love, when they are nearing death. And of…
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Eaton Park in San Carlos, California
By Rachel Puryear If you enjoy hilltop vistas and beautiful panoramic views, then check out this lesser-known park in San Carlos, California. It’s truly a hidden local gem! This park is also less crowded than many other nearby parks. Hiking around sunrise or sunset is rewarded with seeing gorgeous lighting over the lush surrounding hills.…
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Yes, It’s Okay to Cut Ties Over Politics
By Rachel Puryear As the new administration in the USA unfolds in a predictably horrifying fashion, an old debate has once again been re-ignited in the court of public opinion: is it acceptable to cut ties and end relationships with other people – even family members and longtime friends – over differences in political beliefs,…
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Butano State Park in Pescadero, California
By Rachel Puryear On the coast of the San Francisco Bay Area region, is the charming small town of Pescadero, along the ocean. One of the great gems found on the outskirts of this town is Butano State Park – acres of trails through gorgeous, quiet, humid forests kept moist, and often draped in layers…
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Emotional Black Holes
By Rachel Puryear We’ve all heard about black holes in outer space, and probably marveled at how dangerous they could be – with their gravity being so strong that nothing can escape them. However, luckily, you will probably never actually encounter a black hole in outer space. What you’re much more likely to encounter right…
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Huddart Park in Woodside, California
By Rachel Puryear If you thought enchanted forests were something found only in fairy tales, you probably haven’t been to Huddart Park (and the several other gorgeous parks found in Woodside). Shaded by plenty of towering trees, often shrouded in fog from the nearby ocean, covered in a reddish-brown floor from the many redwood trees,…
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Signs of Emotional Maturity (or a Lack Thereof)
By Rachel Puryear When it comes to all kinds of interpersonal relationships – be they romantic, friendships, familial, business, or otherwise – the difference between closeness with an emotionally mature person, versus an emotionally immature person; is profound, and like night and day. Accordingly, it’s important to be able to spot signs of emotional maturity…
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Gamble Garden in Palo Alto, California
By Rachel Puryear Do you love to stroll around a large garden, with a bounty of fresh, beautiful flowers and trees? If so, then Gamble Garden – nestled in the affluent city of Palo Alto, and in the heart of the Bay Area’s Silicon Valley – is a perfect place to visit and enjoy, and…
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Every Bully Needs Enablers
Rachel Puryear Nobody in their right mind likes a bully. Yet, bullies get their way far too often in everyday life, and feel entitled to do so – typically enjoying an undeserved, and elevated social status. So how do they get away with that, and only rarely face consequences for their bad behavior? Especially when…
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The Akashic Records
By Rachel Puryear Have you ever wondered what it would be like to live as someone else? It’s a strange and profound moment in life when we realize that the only being we’ll witness the entire lived experience of, from birth until death, is ourselves. And that no one else – no matter how much…
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Filoli Gardens in Redwood City, California
By Rachel Puryear Tucked into a corner of the San Francisco Bay Area’s Peninsula region is the gorgeous, and historic, Filoli estate – with huge gardens, forest trails, and a mansion belonging to the families who used to own Filoli privately. Stroll through serene, shady forests with towering redwood trees. Enjoy browsing colorful flower beds…
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Complicated Versus Uncomplicated Relationships
By Rachel Puryear On this blog, we’ve previously discussed chemistry versus compatibility in relationships, the difference between inner circle versus outer circle friends and relations, and also considering how well two people’s goals may or may not line up – in the context of large age gaps in relationships. This post will build upon those…
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San Bruno Mountain
By Rachel Puryear There’s nothing like an awesome panoramic view from the mountaintops. San Bruno Mountain, a short drive south of San Francisco, offers sweeping views of much of the Bay Area on a clear day. It’s a large and popular California state park, but usually doesn’t feel crowded or overrun with people. Instead, despite…
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Are You Afraid of Your Own Shadow?
By Rachel Puryear If you value personal growth, you may have heard of shadow work. Shadow work, basically, means addressing the parts of our psyches that most people tend to keep hidden – darker sides to our personalities, trauma, negative emotions, and so forth. All of us, no matter how kind and ethical we may…
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Chemistry Versus Compatibility in Relationships
By Rachel Puryear The first few months of a new relationship is an exciting and intense time. You’re likely giddy, thinking about your new sweetheart frequently, and dreaming of the future. That dreamy phase is known as new relationship energy, or the honeymoon phase – and for most couples, it last about three to six…
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Moab, Utah Road Trip
By Rachel Puryear The southwestern United States region, including Utah; is known for its natural desert scenery that’s as breathtaking and dramatic, as it is otherworldly. Here are the highlights of a recent road trip to Moab, a vibrant town in southeastern Utah, and its surrounding areas: Arches National Park You’ve probably seen iconic images…
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Empathic, Highly Sensitive People and Dissociation
By Rachel Puryear One defining feature of highly sensitive and empathic people, in the minds of the public, is that they are highly emotive and feel deeply. There is good reason for that perception – there’s a lot of truth in it. However, does that mean that a person who doesn’t seem highly emotive –…
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Seeing Deceased Loved Ones in Dreams
By Rachel Puryear One of the hardest things about life is that we will all lose people we love. It’s a very sad, yet inevitable, part of the mortal experience. Coping with this fact – as well as wondering what might happen afterwards – is a cornerstone of spirituality and religion, and many beliefs and…
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Energy Cleansing a Space
By Rachel Puryear If you’re moving into a new space – be that a home, place of business, or otherwise – you might want to do an energy cleanse of the space, in order to clear energy left over from previous occupants of the space, and have a clean space to now make your own.…
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Nature’s Cathedrals
By Rachel Puryear The world is full of beautiful and grand churches, temples, and other houses of worship. However, personally, there’s no places that inspire me spiritually quite like nature’s cathedrals. That is, the kind of natural outdoor spaces that stun, captivate, and humble one with their otherworldly, moving beauty. Such as snow-capped mountain landscapes.…
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Spiritual Healing
By Rachel Puryear One important aspect of spirituality – particularly for many informal practitioners, as opposed to those in organized religion – is spiritual healing. Spiritual healing refers to healing one’s soul, as opposed to the physical body or the mind. Contrary to some misconceptions, it’s not a substitute for physical medicine, and should not…
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Conducting a Séance to Reflect on Departed Loved Ones
By Rachel Puryear If you’ve watched a lot of scary movies, read lots of ghost stories, or studied much about the Victorian era; you’ve likely come across some depiction of a séance before. The popular portrayals typically show a dramatic scene with several people in a darkened room, holding hands, with plenty of flickering candles.…
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Exploring Belief in Soul Ages
By Rachel Puryear One spiritual belief that seems to have gained popularity in recent years – particularly amongst Westerners in New Age and Spiritualist circles – is the belief in soul ages. The concept of soul ages builds on belief in reincarnation. Both reincarnation and soul ages (in terms of soul learning and development) are…
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Near Death Experiences: A Peek Into a Mysterious Phenomenon
By Rachel Puryear For most of us who have lived for a while, we’ve either narrowly escaped death at some point in our lives, or we know someone else who has. Surviving a close call is pretty unnerving, and often naturally comes with a lot of recovery ahead. Many people shift their perspectives on life…
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Is there a Difference Between Spirituality and Superstition?
By Rachel Puryear Sometimes, critics of spirituality denounce spiritual practices as simply being a variation of the same old superstitions that gave rise to more established religions, including fundamentalism and overly powerful religious institutions. However, I would argue that there’s actually a pretty profound difference between the kind of superstition you find in religious fundamentalism…
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Can People Participate in Multiple Spiritual Traditions?
By Rachel Puryear For people who have a spiritual practice or faith, it’s usually assumed that they belong to one – and only one – of the many religions and traditions in the world. But does anyone actually belong to more than one spiritual tradition, religion, or faith? Can you even do that? Actually, you…
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