Weekly Spiritual Messages are Free, and Freeing

Spiritual Messenger and Modern Shaman http://www.lainecunningham.com [Laine Cunningham] has launched a free electronic bulletin. Every week she tackles modern issues with a blend of native traditions, psychology and wisdom that comes from having traveled the world. Although brief, the messages pack a big spiritual punch.

Hillsborough, NC September 22, 2009

Spiritual Messenger and Modern Shaman http://www.lainecunningham.com [Laine Cunningham] has launched a free bulletin. Every week, messages with special meaning are pulled from the natural world and the world humans have created. The bulletins guide readers toward a better awareness of their place in the world and insight into solving issues large and small.

Cunningham’s approach is unique. She mixes perspectives from Native American, Australian Aboriginal and Hawaiian cultures with psychology for a truly deep understanding of human behavior. When appropriate, she dips into studies of everything from behavioral science to brain chemistry. The eclectic blend results in surprisingly accessible techniques that are perfectly suited to the modern seeker.

For the past ten years, Cunningham has produced lasting solutions using the best of humanity’s knowledge. Her quest for universal truth led her to explore the world’s greatest religions. Threads of Christianity, Hinduism and Buddhism are woven into her seminars as often as are thoughts from native spiritual systems. Individuals from a wide range of backgrounds find that their individual beliefs are honored and enhanced by new perspectives.

Since religion and spirituality are influenced by society, Cunningham has studied the histories of several nations. By tracing the interaction of culture and belief through time, her understanding grew deeper. The result is a profound ability to speak meaningfully about issues people have faced for millennia.

For example, people often wonder why the divorce rate is so high these days. Some say it reflects a deterioration in moral values. Cunningham strongly disagrees. By looking at how different cultures have viewed marriage throughout history, she uncovered societal changes that impacted marriage.

The European notion of marriage, for example, was entirely about creating strong political networks. Women had little, if any, choice about their husbands. Connections and social status ruled; love wasn’t even in the picture. Under those conditions, extramarital affairs for men and women were common.

The perspective of many native cultures, however, was much different. In most tribes where women were equal to men, wives could choose their husbands and opt for divorce. If the man was abusive, the choice was clear. Yet women initiated divorce for other important reasons. If the man ignored his wife, played the field, or even turned out to be lazy—which often impaired the family’s ability to survive, just as it does today—she ended the relationship.

“A higher divorce rate is actually a sign that women are empowered,” Cunningham says. As early as the 1950s, women were expected to silently suffer domestic violence, emotional abuse, an absent or addicted husband, and other relationship ailments. The moment they gained the power to choose, they gained the power to leave a bad marriage.

“It’s infinitely better to move on than to cling to something that’s destructive to your soul,” Cunningham says. Men also benefit from women’s ability to choose because they have gained more freedom in who they marry. And, of course, both genders are able to live single lives without the disapproval or rumors that might have cropped up decades ago.

“Wedded bliss is not an easy thing to find,” Cunningham says. “Women must be able to shape their lives in a way that is healthy and supportive. Sometimes divorce is part of that process.”

Other issues she tackles include spiritual love, relationships at work and at home, loss and grief, chronic illness, achieving dreams, and creating true abundance. “We are all divine. Let us celebrate that divinity in the everyday,” she says.

To sign up for the bulletin or to learn more about attending a http://lainecunningham.com/seminars [seminar], visit the http://lainecunningham.com/workshops-and-seminars.html [Workshops page] of her website.

Cunningham has appeared in MSNBC’s The Well-Mannered Traveler, the Sydney Morning Herald, USA Today, Awareness magazine, and dozens of radio shows and TV programs. In her interviews, she has revealed the real secret behind the law of attraction, the spiritual lessons of chronic illness, and how to achieve life goals. She has also discussed the native take on the swine flu, the miracle she experienced while spending six months alone in the Australian outback, and women’s issues.

Cunningham has performed keynotes and workshops on White Earth Reservation and for cities, churches, arts and cultural organizations, colleges and schools across the United States. She is available on short notice and can be reached at 336-267-6572. For more information on http://lainecunningham.com/presentations.html [public speaking] opportunities or http://lainecunningham.com/ceremonies.html [ceremonies,] visit her website at www.lainecunningham.com.

Subscribers might also be interested in her first novel. Message Stick weaves Aboriginal shamanic traditions into a modern story of suspense. The novel has won two national awards, in no small part for its focus on how today’s Aborigines still honor their traditional lifeways.

This winter, Cunningham will release her first nonfiction book in a series. Seven Sisters will pair Australian Aboriginal stories with essays that address modern problems. To preorder this book at a special discount, visit the http://lainecunningham.com/message-stick.html [book page] on her website.