Ministry of Limitless Ideas
and Free Environments
L.I.F.E. Mission and Purpose
The Ministry of Limitless Ideas and Free Environments (a.k.a. The Ministry of L.I.F.E.) was founded in early 2008 with the purpose of helping humanity to love self, love others and love the planet in order to free civilization from the restrictions bred by limited consciousness.
In order to meet the challenge of this purpose, The Ministry has adopted a mission to educate humanity about the fundamental commonality of systems of belief associated with universal and human spirituality while assisting individuals and groups with the development, understanding, and traversing of their own paths associated with their personal journeys to Spiritual Enlightenment.
Read the full version here.
Important News
View the most recent releases to the press about Ministry activities and Dr. Hewlett here:
View older Blog entries from Dr. Hewlett and others here:
L.I.F.E. Lessons: Thoughts on Meditation
Posted October 26, 2011
Posted June 26, 2011
Posted June 15, 2011
Medicine In Motion: The Shaman's Awakening
Posted May 24, 2011
We are the ones WE have been waiting for
Posted April 28, 2011
Live by Grace rather than Faith
Posted April 24, 2011
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L.I.F.E. Lessons: The importance of Mantras
In the book Understanding Mantras edited by Harvey P. Alper, Wade T. Wheelock writes that "The mantra as a concept and as a recognized element of liturgical performances, has been one of the most important components of the Hindu religious tradition through the entire course of its long history."
Other eastern Religions like Buddhism, Islamic religions, and even traditional western religions like Christianity and Judaism have used mantras for thousands of years.
In order to understand this, we must first define mantra. Mantras are repetitive statements or prayers that are used by individuals or groups in religious and non-religious practice to lift themselves to higher states of consciousness that are often set to rhythms and are therefore also known as chants. The Hindus believe that the transformation that comes from the use of mantra chanting is a factor of the sounds uttered and the connection to the powers of the deity or personification of a deity that occurs as a result of uttering these sounds.
With this definition, it is not hard to see how the repetition of the following, which is a part of the daily practice of Catholics all over the world, fits into the mantra category:
Hail Mary Full of Grace,
The Lord is with thee.
Blessed art thou among women,
and blessed is the fruit
of thy womb, Jesus.
Holy Mary,
Mother of God,
pray for us sinners now,
and at the hour of death.
Amen.
Regardless of what religious practice mantras are a part or the fact that they have been practiced throughout the ages by countless groups of people, they are often cast as "strange" or "weird" by the mainstream in the U.S. and other western nations based on stereotypes and fears. Islamic religions chant vocalized prayers just as Jews do but our society seems to look unkindly on these types of mantras from the Islamic groups while favoring the prayers of the other. This is clearly related to the racializing of Islamic and Muslim groups as radical and the pideonholing of their prayers as negative or destructive in nature.
Many have commented to me that they feel it is this fear that led to my arrest while I was offering a meditative mantra last February in honor of the victims of the January 8, 2011 Safeway shooting.
The point here is that the fear around mantra and audible repetitive prayers is unfounded and vacuous not only because of its history as a part of meditation and yoga but also because of recent western research that shows numerous benefits associated with this practice.
A recent study by physicians Luciano Bernardi, Peter Sleight, Gabriele Bandinelli, Simone Cencetti, Lamberto Fattorini, Johanna Wdowczyc-Szulc, and Alfonso Lagi, found that "Both prayer and mantra caused striking, powerful, and synchronous increases in existing cardiovascular rhythms when recited six times a minute. Rhythm formulas that involve breathing at six breaths per minute induce favorable psychological and possibly physiological effects." In other words, they found that mantras aid in the production of positive psychological and possibly in the production of positive physical effects.
Another study by David B. Wolf and Neil Abell suggests that "mantra has potential in addressing problems related to stress and depression and that it be considered as one possible component of a spiritual approach to social work practice."
So what should we conclude? One, we should not believe the rhetoric of fear associated with mantra and audible prayers. This practice has been around for thousands of years and has proven its worth time and time again. Two, the practice aids in both your psychologically and physically well-being and anything that does that can't be bad. When you couple it with meditation it is even more powerful. So I say go for it!
Enjoy this beautiful child reciting an Islamic prayer:
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People Profile
Brian N. Hewlett is the founder and Executive Minister of the The Ministry of Limitless Ideas and Free Environments. He holds a Ph.D. from the University of Arizona in which he concentrated his work on the social psychology of spirituality. Dr. Life, as he is affectionately called, also holds a M.A. from the University of North Carolina in Counseling Psychology and a B.A. from Temple University in Philadelphia. He is an ordained minister of the Universal Life Church of Modesto, California. He is also a Practioner of Tibetan Reiki. As a part of his spiritual path, he has been developing meditation techniques, personally coaching others along their path and facilitating workshops for over 5 years.
Testimonials
Wendy Trakes
"I was a student of Brian's when I attended PCC for some undergraduate credits I needed to finish my degree. We became friends through the semester and have been for several years since. Brian is a peaceful and very spiritual person..."
Posted April 28, 2011
at 12:03:03
www.KGUN9.com
Kate Barnes
"I have known Brian for many years and have grown to not only respect his friendship, but his spiritual guidance as well. He has taught me about the wholeness of love, about the truth in commitment and about the sacredness of ever lasting partnerships. Of course my husband, Ivan, and I turned to him to marry us when we chose to do so on January 30th 2010. I wanted Brian's comfortable spirituality to lead us on our journey of commitment to each other and we couldn't have been happier with our choice. He is a wonderful friend, a true loving spirit and a great man. Thank you to him and all he has done for me in my life, the life of my husband and in the lives of all others he has connected with in this world."
Posted April 16, 2011
at 13:42:03
www.TheMinistryofLIFE.org
Dylan Anderson-Berens
"I went to the U of A and met Brian while doing my undergad there. He's a peaceful man and he's a spiritual man. He has always been there with thoughtful, considerate, helpful advice for me in times of need. From what I know he's always reveared spirituality, the scientific method, personal relationships, god, human life. He's one of the greatest human beings I've encountered in my life. He is a free thinker and creative ... . He has a fabulous grasp of various cultures from what I know and is a very warm, peaceful and well-intentioned soul."
Posted March 23, 2011
at 12:03:03
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Appointments and Speaking
For parties interested in securing the Executive or any other Minister of L.I.F.E. for speaking engagements, weddings, or other services or ceremonies, please contact us via the information provided under the Contact Us link above.
