Katinka Hesselink's blog

Who is Katinka Hesselink?

I'm a webdesigner, a Dutch citizen (that's in Europe), a theosophist, into religion and spirituality in general. That is: Christianity, Buddhism, Wicca and Paganism, Taoism, Sufism and Islam, Yoga and Hinduism and whatever else comes to mind. 

I love fantasy fiction,like Harry Potter for instance. 

Honestly - this is not my main blog. My main blog is All Considering. On here I just collect some of my favorite links - usually from my own stuff on the various places I'm active online.

This post is the easiest way I can find to show off the categories I've created on this blog:

The Bhagavad Gita, Juan Mascaro translation: quotes

http://www.greatspiritualbooks.com/2010/bhagavad-gita/

The Bhagavad Gita has been translated into Western languages numerous times. The translation I present to you here is by Juan Mascaro, who was as much a poet as a Sanskrit scholar. It's a very poetic translation that serves as a good introduction to the text. At the end of this page I have included reviews to other translations for those who want to go deeper into the text.

Anti Christian Quotes

Anti Christian Quotes

I've made a lot of pages with religious and spiritual quotes: Christianity, Taoism etc. On each you can submit your favorite quotes yourself. However, some people insist on submitting quotes that have no business there: anti-religious quotes. So I made a page to host them. For now this is not a lot - anti religious sentiments aren't exactly my thing. But then, I wasn't raised religious, so I don't have parents and teachers to fight with on this one (and if I did, it would be the other way around). Still, feel free to submit your favorite anti-religious quotes. [This symbol for Atheism was designed by Diana Reed and released into the open domain. Found here. ]

Anti Religious Quotes and Sayings

Anti Religious Quotes and Sayings

I've made a lot of pages where people can share their favorite spiritual and religious quotes. One day someone came along who wanted to share some anti-religious quotes. I'm a tolerant person and I feel anti-religious sentiments are quite justified up to a point. So here's your chance: convince the world that religion is nonsense by sharing your best anti-religious quotations. [This symbol for Atheism was designed by Diana Reed and released into the open domain. Found here. ]

The Miracles Of Exodus

The Miracles Of Exodus

I've had this book in my library for a few years. I suspect the dramatic title and a wariness with trying to find a historical backdrop to ancient myths kept me from reading it. Till one day, looking for something light, I did pick it up. The style is a bit overly dramatic. The enthusiasm of the author jumps off nearly every page. Not what you'd expect of an Englishman. In fact, as I was reading I was preparing semi-jokes on the author being obviously American. My mistake. Style doesn't always predict content. In this book the content is really good. Like a detective the author painstakingly takes us along his journey to finding the historical background to Exodus. We meet Moses, the Jewish slaves, and so on. The result is convincing. More details in the biblical story match up than you'd have thought. And the result is, well, amazing. Seriously. Colin J. Humphreys explains the burning bush, water coming from a rock, the red sea dividing and the plagues of Egypt. For some of those he merely repeats what has been written about this stuff before. But what's definitely new (in print) is that he identifies Mount Sinai as Hala-'l Badr, which was an active volcano at the time. But if that was all, I'd probably not tell you to read this book. What makes it really convincing is that Humphreys has been able to chart the whole trip TO mount Sinai. He explains the number of days necessary for each stage. He finds out how many Israelis there were in the first place (not millions, merely 20.000). And all this backed up by biblical scholarship, natural history, experts on volcanoes etc. Oh and I did finish this book in two days reading, only skipping a few pages here and there (travel itinerary for Moses). So in the end the style was not a hindrance to fast reading. The structure of the book is classic: each chapter is headed with a quote from the Bible. This works really well, because the aim of the book is to find in these quotes as many details as possible to help us figure...

A Course in Miracles - famous quotes and sayings

A Course in Miracles - famous quotes and sayings

http://www.myspiritualquotes.com/christianity/acim/

One of the deepest hyped spiritual books of the late 20th century is 'a Course in Miracles' (also known as ACIM). It uses Christian symbols and imagery, but the message is universal and strongly reminiscent of Eastern spirituality (mainly Vedanta). Below you'll find quotes from this famous text organized by topics like God, Love, Reality etc.

Quiz: Dalai Lama facts and trivia

Quiz: Dalai Lama facts and trivia

Tenzin Gyatso, born Lhama Dhondup, and named Kundun after having been named the future 14th Dalai Lama (which he now is) is the leader of the Tibetan people in exile. He and his people have suffered greatly under Chinese rule. The troubles there are, unfortunately, not nearly over. The Dalai Lama is known for his peaceful resistance of the Chinese occupation of Tibet and for his simple message of peace and kindness to all people. But what do you know about his life, his family, his daily habits? How was he educated? In other words... are you up to speed on the trivia of his life? Do you have an intimate knowledge of his struggles and challenges? Take this test to find out.

Religion, Science and Spirituality Debates

Religion, Science and Spirituality Debates

I love religion. I love spirituality and I especially love discussing it. From any angle. Below you will find links to the debates I've hosted here on squidoo relating to science, philosophy, religion and spirituality - and any mix of those I could come up with.

What's the best religion in the world?

What do you think: is Buddhism, Hinduism, Islam, Christianity, Bahai or Sikhism the best world religion?

What's the best religion in the world?

Do you agree? Share your thoughts on this lens about what the best world religion is. I'm sticking to the world religions, for the sake of brevity, but have included an up and coming contender: the Bahai. Aside from them, these are the world religions (by alphabetical order): Buddhism, Christianity, Judaism, Islam, Hinduism. So what do you think?What's the best religion in the world?I'll be helping you make your case by sharing the basics on each of the world religions. The main criteria I'll follow are: peaceful actions by their followers and the quality of the teachings. But I'll let you weigh in on the matter every step of the way.Under construction.

yoga gift ideas

The Great Yoga Wall, for your home yoga studio

If you want to do inversion therapy at home, or start your own yoga studio in your garage, the Great Yoga Wall is an affordable and safe option.

Best yoga posters

The love of yoga shines through on these beautiful yoga posters, from art to photographs portraying yoga poses to real yogis showing off the most complicated asana's.

Best Guided Meditation Book: audio and text

I love guided meditations. Presently I love Thubten Chodron's Guided Meditations on the Stages of the Path, from Tibetan Buddhism.

Yoga in the West is usually Hatha Yoga. If you want to know more about the Indian tradition, you'll need to read up on the Patanjali Yoga Sutras. 

More yoga gift ideas.

Quiz: Harry Potter Magic Facts and Trivia

Quiz: Harry Potter Magic Facts and Trivia

http://collegestudents.club/quiz-harry-potter/

Test your knowledge of Harry Potter magic, your spell mettle, your charms trivia, and your multiple choice skills. I've made you a 10 question quiz about the magic world J.K. Rowling created. See if I made it too easy or too hard... Harry Potter is a famous series of 7 fantasy novels written by British writer J. K. Rowling. The books chronicle the adventures of the adolescent wizard Harry Potter and his best friends Hermione Granger and Ron Weasley , all of whom are students at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. The central story concerns Harry's struggle against the evil wizard Lord Voldemort, who killed Harry's parents in his quest to conquer the wizarding world and subjugate non-magical people (Muggles). Several successful derivative films, video games and other themed merchandise have been based upon the series. The first book, Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone (aka Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone) introduces Harry Potter, magic and his enemy Voldemort. The second book, Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets, features Voldemort coming back from the dead through a diary. The third, Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban, introduces Sirius, Harry's godfather. The fourth book, Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire, has Harry competing against older wizard students and then facing Voldemort as he's just returned to the flesh. In 'Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix' the wizarding world turns into camps of those who believe Voldemort is back, and those who don't. In the 6th book, Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince, Snape reveals himself a killer. In the final and 7th book, Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, everything comes to a head as Harry Faces Voldemort a final time.Buy this standup of Harry at AllPosters.com