Friday, November 18, 2011

Insights from dreams



Dreams as a mere subconscious activity are passe. Youngsters today record their dreams on a daily basis to get an insight into their minds.

Be it a garish nightmare or a spaced-out daydream, dreaming has been a mystery to the human mind. While some of us forget our dreams, others remember it to the last detail. What is it about this mystical phenomenon that is so alluring? Ignorant as we are, there are some who attempt to keep in touch with their subconscious by penning down their dreams in what is called a 'dream diary' - a record of dreams.

Youngsters have, of late, started maintaining dream diaries in an attempt to get in touch with their subconscious self. However, brace yourself because the other side is quite twisted!

Apart from the fact that you can go back to your dreams and have a ha-ha moment, the use of a dream diary can have a tremendous effect on improving future dream recall. Besides the confusion it causes, maintaining dream diaries has other drawbacks too. One is, what is often called as the false awakening! For example, The habit of waking up to record sometimes leads to what is called a false awakening, where the dreamer records the previous dream while still in the dream. This thought is quite disturbing as the dreamer isn't aware of his own bodily actions at this point. Dr Michael Lennox, a psychologist, has been deeply influenced by Carl Jung's (founder of analytical psychology) theories and he talks about how dreams work. It is a proven fact that nightmares help you process very deep levels of fear. "Life can be scary and brutal, but we can't function if we were living in that place where you're scared. In fact, it is through these dreams that you survive the ordeal so you can wake up the next day and do it all over again," says Michael Lennox. The unconscious mind is a gateway to the soul.

Psychologists say that when you decide to keep a dream diary, and your are that subconscious consciously . " is I a big step think to allowing talk to the knowing to you. yourself really unconscious mind wants to speak to us. That's why dreams repeat with the same theme. In effect, they are just trying to get your attention," says he. Vidya Ravi, a masters student explains how she has been maintaining a diary for the last two years. "The experience has been an eye opener. I didn't understand the psychology behind writing it down then, but as I started reading it, I gained more insight into my mind." Vidya maintains an online blog to record her dreams every morning. An enriching experience, Vidya explains that her dreams have been a pattern of what she does in a day or maybe even days before. But contrary to that, Rahul Nair feels that writing his dreams down didn't help him much. "I developed a block in my writing. I am a journalist by profession and writing dreams down created a gate between my creativity and my dreams. It was as if, I wrote too much and I was saturated to write anymore," he laments. Rahul soon stopped his habit and instead chose to just remember them.

Now, the question is if it is really healthy to have a dream diary. And the answer is definitely 'yes'! People must dream, else their head will explode. It's a scientifically proven fact that if you lost REM (Rapid Eye Movement or that stage of sleep where people dream) sleep for a night, you'd have a psychotic break down. Dreams reflect hidden unconscious motivations, fear, blocks, limitations, joys. College students have longer REM hours while preparing for their exams. It's a proven fact that we learn things in REM sleep

But here's the real beauty of dream thoughts; there is no right or wrong way. Dreams are doing their job whether we remember them or not. People who write down their dreams begin to have more vivid dreams and also have a better memory. We gain soul clarity in dream process. Go ahead, get yourself a dream diary! See what wonders your subconscious can conjure up.

Return to innocence


Live from the heart; with an open heart, you can feel things as they are without the burden of past conditioning, writes Paula Horan

Happiness is something we all unconsciously seek and more so when times get tough. Ironically, I have discovered, after many years of trial and error, that happiness is not the ideal objective. Life is fraught with ups and downs, even in the best of times. There will always be periods of happiness and periods of pain, comfort and discomfort. Thus the equanimity which fosters contentment is perhaps a wiser aspiration which when pursued, requires us to wake up to who we are, minus the veil of ego.

It is eminently more practical, to get in touch with and anchor ones attention with the true self - the awareness within us which is unaffected by life's ups and downs - than to try and "fix" the mind and make it happy. Fixes are always only temporary. It behoves us to discover the 'beingness' that we are, which rests in a perfect state of equanimity, no matter what outer circumstances may be; whether they are good or bad.

Shed your ego
It is ultimately who we are, minus ego identification. This presence is always with us, for it is our essential nature, yet while we are identified with a busy mind, we fail to notice it. A certain shedding of mental burdens has to happen so that it can be felt and directly experienced. The most direct way to do this is to shed the burdened one with all of its various masks. For this to occur, the illusory experiencer (ego) has to be unveiled.

From this perspective, the problems and challenges of everyday life take on a whole new meaning. All at once, nothing changes and yet everything changes. We cease to take life so personally because we realise there is no "personal" self to begin with. Instead, we begin to perceive the vastness of who we are: wholly indefinable, wholly unknowable.

As we begin to feel and experience this vastness, it is clear that we can never know with the intellect the unlimited spaciousness of That. You begin to notice what quantum physics has made very clear, that there is only one vast continuum of energy. There are no real boundaries between us. Even the body's sack of skin, which seems to set us apart and separate us from other similar bodies, is ultimately a formless vibrating frequency of energy when viewed with a subatomic microscope.

Ignore past conditioning
As we begin to peek through the boundaries of the conceptual mind, our previous comfort zone, bound by our encyclopaedic memory of the past, with continued noticing, loses its hypnotic quality. The freshness of living a true present, unaided by past programming, gradually becomes more appealing.

To remove the veil of ego is not easy. All of samsara and its fantasies beckon us to remain complacent and to settle for far less. It requires fortitude and a kind of fierceness which is willing to surrender again and again to the will of the heart and cut through the slothful meandering mind, to make it through the mire of conditioned thought. Ultimately, an intense degree of vigilance, a willingness to stay open and present with what is, is necessary to regain our sanity. No less than a fierce sort of innocence is needed to cut through the bewilderment of an ego identified with what isn't really so.

Live from the heart
What is called for now, is a return to innocence, an innocence which must be intensely present with what is. Fierce energy keeps us in the present. The fierceness is not to protect our innocence, for it needs no protection, but to make it come alive, to fuel an open heart. Contrary to what we normally think, true strength lies in the vulnerability of an open heart; not in a heart which is closed. With an open heart, we can feel things as they are without the burden of past conditioning.

When we are fully present in our heart, we cannot be fooled. Unlike the ego-automatic mind which can easily be conned because it cannot feel; it can only think dualistically. The heart can easily tune in with the hearts of others and feel their motivation and their real need. When we can feel the motivation behind others' actions, which are often, fear based, we are less likely to fall prey to the same fear ourselves. Instead, we can choose to react in a loving way which often disarms fear, or if needed, we can use tough love which can also produce the desired effect. Either way, a return to innocence enables us to circumnavigate the illusory ego's clever roadblocks and live from the heart.


Riding the storm of life



We do not have to go to the foot of the Himalayas to attain inner peace. We also do not need to renounce everything before attaining quietude.

Instead, we can live day to day in inner quietude. If we look at all of life's experiences and their disturbing content with inner eyes, the disturbances we undergo will remain at the periphery. Deep down there will be an emotional quiet.

Inner peace is all about coping. If the unpleasant and painful memories remain too long with us, we will not make the transition that we are called to make from restless non-acceptance to quiet acceptance.

We are in a win-win situation when we accept the challenge of living, discriminating how far we should go along a certain track, who we should relate to in more intimate terms and those we need to distance because their values are so disparate from our own.

If we are self-sacrificing and wise, we will remain calm and tranquil despite the provocations we face. We do not avoid difficult people and circumstances, but learn to deal with them by distancing ourselves from them and building on relationships that bring happiness.

Withdrawal is an option but it would lead to disengagement and non-involvement and that does not bring required results. The inner peace we crave for comes after traversing a long passage. Learning with experience, we begin to take things in our stride. It's not all that easy, though.

There are many ways to cultivate and build on inner peace. We could set some time aside daily for prayer and meditation. Disproportionate understanding can blow up the way we perceive things. We could spend quiet time in the garden, in silent communication with plants and trees. We endure life's storms and learn to absorb its shocks and we find that we are, in fact, in the midst of all these circumstances, communing with God, a tangible presence in our lives.

Coping is not just reactive, it's proactive, too. We pick up the mantle thrown to us and practise patience, detachment, endurance, serenity and acceptance of all that comes our way. To overcome obstacles and difficulties we need to develop coping skills that encompass emotional, mental and spiritual needs.

The only difference between the wise and the foolish is that the wise learn to cope with reality and transform it and the foolish get swept away by the ups and downs of life.

Life is uncertain; it is unpredictable. It is also unfair, it seems. But in learning to cope with all the ups and down of life, we begin to live a full life.

There is the parable of the wise man in the gospels who built his house on rock. It withstood all the rains and storms. On the other hand, the man who built his house on sand watched his house get destroyed in the rain and storm. Hence, we need to cultivate rock-like resilience and welcome attributes that will help us to cope. The reward of inner strength is inner peace. Right here, in your living room, your workplace, in your family you will find inner peace. We do not have to look too far.

Once we learn to cope, the going will be easier and there will be no need for camouflage. There is no need to hide our real selves. We will be able to stand up and meet life on our own terms. And experience the fulfilment of a pilgrimage well weathered.

Receipt, reaction and response


When we contact the world, three distinct transactions take place: Receipt of stimuli from the world, reaction within your personality and response to the world.

Stimuli from the world reach you through your organs of perception. Colour and form enter through your eyes, sound through ears, smell through nose, taste through tongue and touch through skin. Having entered therein the stimuli react with your mind and intellect. The type of reaction that will set in will depend upon the type of stimulus contacted and the nature of the mind and intellect reacting with it. Consequent to the reaction your mind and intellect send out responses back into the world through your organs of action.

Take for example your present experience of reading this. Your eyes are taking in the stimuli in the form of letters and words. These stimuli reach your mind and intellect. A reaction sets in. It generates a particular type of feeling and judgement depending upon the quality and texture of your mind and intellect. To some, what is generated may be favourable and they will respond positively, continuing the study. To others the reaction may be unfavourable; they will respond negatively and discontinue the study.

The three transactions - receipt, reaction and response -- are constantly taking place in your life. The human system and mechanism resemble the working of a factory. In a manufacturing process also there are three main operations. Raw material is fed into the factory at one end. The material is processed by machines. The manufactured products are drawn out and despatched at the other end. For best results all three operations have to be perfected. Raw material taken in must be of good quality. Machines tuned up and operated properly. End products tested to meet requirements standards. So also the three transactions of life have to be regulated properly to ensure blissful existence in this world.

You are aware that your sense organs constantly perceive sense objects of the world. All sorts of stimuli reach your personality. Check their quality. Avoid inflow of impure and unhealthy stimuli; they create mental agitations. They are germs which cause psychological diseases. Examine the type of sights that your eyes see, the food that your tongue tastes... Control and regulate your perceptions to ensure inflow of pure and healthy stimuli.

Having controlled your perceptions you must next examine the reactions taking place in you. You may regulate and receive healthy stimuli and yet they may produce unhealthy reactions like jealousy, greed and lust. These reactions are inevitable as they depend upon the nature of your existing mind and intellect. There are two ways of controlling the reactions. The initial and temporary way is to become aware of them and check their effects from spreading further. A permanent control is achieved by rehabilitating your mind and intellect. Vedanta helps you to exercise both controls.

The third transaction is the response transmitted by your mind and intellect through the organs of action. Examine the quality of actions perpetrated by your body. If the actions are selfish and self-centred, they tell upon your life. They agitate your mind; they make you unhappy. To avoid this, your actions have to be unselfish. Apply Vedantic knowledge in your day-to-day living. You will experience peace and happiness.

Wherever and whatever you are, perfect these three transactions. No two individuals fit the same descriptions. We are a heterogeneous mixture of personalities. Every individual's nature is best suited for his own evolution.

Saturday, November 12, 2011

Conserve some of that energy

Spiritual ecstasy is far more pleasurable than what you feel in the physical body, says yoga and kundalini expert, Gopi Krishna With scientific investigation many facts will come to light about how sexual behaviour has to be regulated. As a general formula, you have to see how much time must elapse afterwards before you are able to indulge again without a feeling of regret, strain, or guilt. That will give you the time span quite correctly. It is the sex energy that creates the spirit, the creativity in us.

Perhaps you know that when animals are castrated, like a horse or a bull, they become very docile and weak. Their spirit is lost. Excess of sexual indulgence is also a self-castration. The vim, zeal and zest for life is lost. The individual functions as a normal being. He attends to his office and does everything. But he is not able to do what he could do if he were to use this energy sparingly. He loses the chance. It is a disservice to humankind to suggest that people should indulge in sexual activity unrestrainedly.

A rat was put in a cage and an electrode was attached to the pleasure centre in his brain. When the current was on, the pleasure centre was excited. And when it was off, it was disconnected. The rats were taught how to move the lever that gave the pleasure sensation. They went round and round, always touching the lever that gave them the pleasure sensation. They went on doing it until they were exhausted and fell down unconscious. Once they were revived and put into the cage again, they did the same thing; they went round and round.

Should we do the same? Should we bargain our future, our life hereafter, for this sensation, which often leaves us disgusted and weak afterwards? Wait for a longer period and you will find that you have greater pleasure. You will have more love for your partner. The Upanishads were the first to declare that consciousness is the real basis of the universe. Among those who gave the first teachings to mankind, not one was a celibate. We are not called upon to repress this urge. But we are certainly bound to moderate it if we want to live happy, creative lives; if we want to maintain the spirit in us in a bloom; if we want to make the best use of our brain and our energy; and if we want to give the right heritage to our progeny.

Experience the rapture Imagine a couple that loves each other intensely, almost to death, who are separated by some circumstances, then come together again after some years. Imagine the intensity of the pleasure and the love when they embrace. Multiply it a hundred times and you can have a little foretaste of the rapture which fills the brain when you are one with Cosmic Consciousness. This has been considered to be the greatest happiness possible to man. It is for this reason that it is known as satchitananda.

Ananda means extreme bliss. Sat means truth, and chit means consciousness. This union of the human soul - it is not union, because soul is already the infinite - is only the breaking through of the veil of maya, which obstructs its vision. And when this liberation occurs, it becomes satchitananda. The Upanishads compare it like this: If the pleasure of love were one unit and the pleasure of reaching Heaven were a hundred such units, then thousands of such units would make up the ecstasy of Brahmajnana - the knowledge of Brahmn.

This is also known by the terms ecstasy, rapture and ravishment. It is so intense that the mystics faint. It is not possible for the human mind to bear such happiness, when once he is face-to-face with the creatrix of the universe; when one knows one's own majesty; when one knows that he and the beloved object, the universe, are one. It is attended by such intense rapture that all the rapture of this earth is but a faint reflection. In fact, when you experience this rapture of love you are experiencing but a glimpse of your own self, still veiled.

Unity for effective governance

With growing global interdependence, different social organisations are proving anachronistic. Attempts to advance human prosperity and well-being can no longer ignore this reality. To progress, we need to harmonise and coordinate our activities on local, national and global levels. To be effective, approaches to governance at all levels will need to be informed by the principle of the oneness of humanity. That humanity constitutes a single people, with shared interests and aspirations, appears deceptively simple, yet it constitutes a fundamental challenge to inherited assumptions and practices in the field of governance.

Much like the human body, the increasingly interdependent body of humanity is composed of diverse elements whose well-being can only be achieved through integration and coordination. No cell or organ lives apart from the human body, and the well-being of each cell derives from the well-being of the whole. At the same time, it is the unity and interdependence of the body's diverse cells and organs that permits the full realisation of the distinctive capacities inherent in each. The organic unity that is implied by this analogy has profound implications for the structures and processes of governance within communities at all levels.

These implications can be appreciated by considering the function of power in human affairs. Governance has frequently been characterised by self-interested and competitive expressions of power. Such expressions may have served only specific groups. But these are discordant under conditions of heightened social and ecological interdependence, in which the welfare of every individual and group is dependent on the welfare of the entire social body. These conditions call for the development of new modes of governance at all levels, embodying the unifying and mutualistic exercise of power.

The oneness of humanity, and the mutualistic exercise of power that is associated with this principle, have profound implications for governance. Take gender equality. Even though the well-being of women and men is inseparably linked, women worldwide continue to be excluded from significant decision-making processes within the home, local communities and in national and international arenas. Exclusion leads to marginalisation of half the population in many decision-making processes. For communities to advance and prosper, gender equity is necessary.

Inclusion of women in governance is thus an essential expression of the principle of oneness. This principle applies to the full range of human diversity. Therefore, unity does not imply uniformity within a social body. On the contrary, it is the diversity of the component parts of an organic body that permits the full realisation of its collective capacity. Within human societies, diversity is a source of collective capacity, creativity, productivity, resilience, innovation and adaptation. Only when diverse segments of human society contribute equally to the governance of human affairs, within a unified and coordinated framework, will real prosperity and well-being be achieved.

What are the practical implications of these principles and insights for the structure and selection of leadership and authority in systems of governance - and for process of collective decision-making and implementation, and for reflective learning from implementation? And what are the practical implications for the training and education of citizens and public servants, which will be needed to support such structures and processes? Contributed by the Baha'i department of external affairs on the occasion of the birth anniversary of the Bab, the Prophet-herald of the Baha'i faith

You Are Not Your Ego

While ego can make you aggressive, self-esteem helps you grow. MALLIKA BHATIA points out the differences and tells you how to tame your ego and boost your self-esteem.

If you hold good self-esteem, you like yourself. Others automatically perceive you as likable. You approve of yourself and are in balance overall. Saying ‘No’ is not a problem when you don’t agree with an idea. You are sure of yourself and others around you.

False Sense Of Arrogance
Ego, on the other hand, is defined as “an exaggerated sense of self-importance”. Buddhism defines the ego as “an illusive mental phenomenon with which we identify and cling due to ignorance”. It is the selfish feeling that “everything is about me and for me”. It can become all-consuming, leading to a false sense of grandeur and making one function out of a compulsion to fulfill one’s unrealistic desires.

These unrealistic desires are mainly about self and the image one portrays, about being the centre of attention always; about a need for everyone to agree with us. They can also be to get credit for everything, the desire never to be wrong and other self-defeating cravings.When these cravings and desires increase, they lead to greed, jealousy, hatred and a deep sense of insecurity and eventually a blow to where it all started from — the ego.

Most people are unaware of their ego. They are even unaware of the distinction between their self-esteem and ego. According to author Wayne Dyer, “Ego is simply an idea of who you are that you carry around with you”. It may be an image that one has created in one’s mind. This image may or may not be true but one does everything to preserve that image, getting defensive in the process.

When a person is operating out of ego in any conversation, they will want to be the centre of attention, not truly listen to the other person, often believe they know everything and compassion and respect for others’ viewpoint will be missing.

Healthy Sense Of Self-esteem

It is necessary to understand where we use the ego in our everyday behaviour and where we actually function from a healthy sense of self-esteem. As Pastor Nathaniel Boranner Jr puts it, “Ego often has a voracious appetite; the more you feed it, the hungrier it gets.”
Hence, it is necessary to understand where we use ego in our everyday behavior and where we are actually functioning from a healthy sense of self-esteem.

This is not difficult to develop. Here are a few tips to boost your self-esteem:
  • Be open to admitting your faults. No harm in apologising.
  • Learn from your mistakes and use feedback for self-improvement.
  • Always have a purpose and direction in life and value yourself.
  • Try to understand others’ viewpoints and respect differences.
  • Act respectfully with everyone, even those who work under you.
  • Believe that you are good, but there is still scope for improvement,

Need To Be Appreciated


For the ego, the belief is “No one is better than me” and hence, no one can teach me anything new. In an everyday example, when one is operating out of ego, one is often impolite, even rude to people one considers “lower or less important” than oneself. But someone with a healthy self-esteem will always treat everyone with respect.To quote the Bhagavad Gita, “The ego is a false identity crafted to preserve the sense of being the most significant and the most important all the time.” In short, it is a narcissistic search for being loved, validated and appreciated.”

So remember, your greatest enemy is your own inner perception, your own ego. The ego disguises its feelings as your feelings, its thoughts as your own, and people think it is you. An ego is pseudo and comes from insecurity. Look for the true authentic and secure you

Lakshmi Born As Vedavati

Goddess Lakshmi is known to dwell in places which are known to uphold good moral values. GAURI KELKAR illustrates this with a story.

Goddess Lakshmi is known to dwell in places that uphold good virtues and morals. And wherever she resides, there is always peace, welfare and prosperity.

This was also the case with King Rathadhwaja. In his kingdom, Goddess Lakshmi was worshipped with lots of love and affection. His father and grandfather had been blessed by the goddess. Therefore, there was abundant wealth and well-being in the kingdom. But, after some years, the king became very arrogant and proud.

“All these riches have been acquired by me. It is my intelligence that has made me what I am. Now there is no way Goddess Lakshmi would leave me,”he thought to himself and stopped offering prayers to the deity.
The Goddess was angry and disappointed with the king. So she left his palace for good. Slowly, Rathadhwaja began to lose everything. He lost his wealth, the land he ruled over became poor, and his people grew dissatisfied.

His enemies noticed this and attacked his kingdom. They defeated Rathadhwaja and occupied his territory. His two sons, Kushadhwaja and Dharmadhwaja, however, were not like him. They knew the value of being humble. “We must do something to please Goddess Lakshmi again. We must correct our father’s mistake,” Dharmadhwaja told his brother.

The King’s Daughter

So they undertook a severe penance and invoked the Goddess. She was very pleased by their meditation and appeared before them. Kushadhwaja, on seeing her, folded his hands and pleaded, “O Goddess! Please forgive our father. We have lost everything because he stopped praying to you. Give us a chance to change! Please grant us the good fortune of being born as my daughter!”

Goddess Lakshmi was very happy by the piety of Kushadhwaja. So she agreed to appear on earth as his daughter. She also assured the two brothers, “You will soon win back your kingdom.”

As she had predicted, the kingdom was restored to its rightful rulers and there was celebration all over. Soon, Kushadhwaja’s wife gave birth to a beautiful daughter. From the moment she was born, she recited Vedic hymns! Kushadhwaja looked upon his daughter’s face with love and said, “There can be no better name for her than Vedavati.” He knew this was none other than Goddess Lakshmi herself. She had fulfilled her promise to him!

Will Marry Only Vishnu

Vedavati grew up to be a beautiful girl. She was devoted to Lord Vishnu. When she came of age, demons and gods from all over came to see this beautiful girl and expressed a wish to marry her. But Vedavati was unmoved. “Father, I cannot marry anyone but Lord Vishnu. I will not be happy with anyone else, however brave, strong and handsome he may be. I will go to the forest of Pushkara and meditate to Lord Vishnu to accept me as his wife.”
Her father was saddened but he did not stop her. After all, he was aware of her true identity. And who else would she want as her life partner apart from the great Lord Vishnu?

In the dense forest, Vedavati began her penance, but Lord Vishnu did not appear. Instead, a celestial voice pronounced, “No Vedavati, it is not possible in this life. But in the next one, we are destined to be together.”

Encounter With Demon

But Vedavati did not pay any attention. She continued with her prayers. One day, a powerful demon was travelling past in his airborne vehicle, the Pushpak. He saw this beautiful maiden absorbed in meditation. At once, he brought his vehicle to a halt and addressed her, “My fair lady, what is a young girl like you doing here meditating? Come with me and be my queen. I will give you all the riches of the world!” Vedavati did not listen to him, so the demon got angry and tried to pull her by the hair.

Vedavati became angry and sheared off her hair with her hands! She said, “O you evil demon! You have disturbed me and made me impure by your touch! I curse you that in my later birth, I will be the cause of your death!” She announced this and jumped into a bonfire.

The demon was none other than the evil and terrible ruler of Lanka, Ravana! Goddess Lakshmi, indeed, eventually became the cause of his death. When she was born as Sita, Ravana kidnapped her and Lord Rama followed him to Lanka and killed him.

Make A Fresh Start

Feng Shui can create the right environment to free your mind of clutter so that it can be creative and productive, says S B S SURENDRAN.

To accomplish anything, you need a driving force. Motivation is that force. A wish is not strong enough to make you take action. A wish is a weak desire. Only a strong desire can push you forward, to act and accomplish your goals.
To get motivated, you need to identify what you want; possess a strong desire and be willing to do whatever it takes to make things happen. Feng Shui creates the right environment, which motivates you to achieve your goals.

Often, a lot of time is wasted as people dwell over the past, or their bad luck, instead of taking stock of the situation and trying to forge ahead with new vigour. Living in the past can only make the present worse and as a consequence, the future as well. Adapting certain basic techniques of Feng Shui, you can try to break the shackles and start afresh.

Unclutter Your Mind
Before implementing Feng Shui to motivate yourself, you need to clear your inner clutter.
  • Think, meditate and ask yourself if the goal is worth your effort and time and how much you really desire it.
  • Make your goal very clear and think often about its benefits.
  • Visualise and contemplate how you will feel once the goal is achieved.
  • Start by doing something small, keeping your aim in mind.
  • Start your day with a conscious manifesting routine. Make sure that you spend at least 10 minutes in the morning focusing on what you truly want to manifest.

Spring Clean Your Home

The clutter around our living space has a strong impact on our thoughts and focus. According to Feng Shui principles, too much clutter leaves little space for developing new ideas and nurturing relationships. Spring cleaning is a good time to deal with clutter, but it should ideally be done all the year round. Holding on to things because of sentimental value is a significant reason for people not moving forward.

When we remove things from our homes that are no longer necessary or meaningful in our lives, we gain better vision, focus and clarity in our thoughts. In reality, we are letting go of the past and opening the door for new opportunities to come in. We are removing obstacles in the flow of life.
Motivation is the powerful engine that moves you towards success and accomplishments in every area.

A Feng Shui Guide

To ensure Feng Shui assists you in your dream pursuits, follow certain basic guidelines. In Feng Shui philosophy, chi is influenced by everything concrete in our lives. Our possessions and where they are located can all affect chi energy. Even the layout of our homes and offices affects chi energy. By adding and taking away objects, changing the positioning of furniture, plants, wall art, and more, we can increase our luck.
  • Paintings of plants can also encourage healing energies.
  • Place a water bamboo with nine stalks to increase luck.
  • Dragons symbolise power. Placing its figurine enhances luck.
  • Quartz crystals generate their own positive energy and attract luck. They can diffuse negative energy in a room.
  • Add water features to your rooms. They cleanse the atmosphere and have a healing effect.

Anything in the east sector of the home will influence the health of its occupants. To improve your family’s wellbeing, place freshly cut flowers or large round-leafed plants on the eastern side of your house.

Divine Love

Sadia Dehlvi writes of the insight of Sufi masters like Junayd of Baghdad

Once on seeing a thief executed in Baghdad, Junayd went and kissed his feet. When onlookers asked for an explanation, the Sufi scholar replied, “Compassion unlimited be upon him for he proved to be a man true to his trade. He did his work so perfectly that he died for it.”

Abul Qasim al Junayd of the ninth century is one of the most famous of early Muslim mystics. They called him ‘Peacock of the Poor’, ‘Lord of the Group’ and ‘Master of Masters’. A central figure of many Sufi orders, Junayd is considered the greatest exponent of the sober school of Sufism.

His family came from Iran and settled in Baghdad. A glass merchant like his father, Junayd gave up the family business to devote his life to Islamic studies. Sari Saqti, Junayd’s maternal uncle was a leading Sufi of the time. As a child, Junayd accompanied him on pilgrimages and participated in Sufi assemblies. Junayd narrated that he heard his Master say, “The slave may reach a point that if his face were struck with a sword, he would not notice it”.

A Gift From God

Saqti predicted that Junayd’s special gift from God would be the power of his speech. Asked if the rank of a disciple could ever be higher than that of the Master, Saqti replied, “There is manifest proof of this. Junayd’s rank is higher than mine.” But out of deference to his teacher, Junayd was reluctant to hold discourses on religion as long as his mentor was alive. Then one night, Junayd dreamt of Prophet Muhammad telling him, “O Junayd, speak to the people, for God has made thy words the means of saving a multitude of mankind.”

That day, Saqti sent for his disciple asking him to obey the Prophetic command. Junayd wondered how the Master learnt of the dream and Saqti answered, “I dreamt of God who told me that He sent the Apostle to bid you to preach.”

Junayd studied Islamic law and became the qazi or chief judge of Baghdad, at a time when the clergy were extremely hostile to the Sufis.

Eight-fold Path

Junayd held that mystic knowledge was for the select few and should not be accessible to everyone. He based the Sufi path on eight different attributes including submission, sincerity, liberality, patience, separation, and poverty as in the lives of the prophets. He believed that a Sufi must have the heart of Abraham which found salvation in this world by fulfilling God’s commandments, the sorrow of David, the poverty of Jesus, the longing for communication with God like Moses, and the sincerity of Prophet Muhammad.

Doctrine Of Fana And Baqa

Junayd developed the Sufi doctrine of Fana and Baqa that later determined the whole philosophy of orthodox Sufism. Fana is the assimilation of the individual will in the will of God and is experienced by the grace of God. Baqa is the persistence of the real Self in God. The departure of the lower self implies the appearance of the ‘true Self’. Junayd further explained, “The qualities of the Beloved should eventually replace that of the Lover.”

Junayd’s theory of Tawhid or Divine Unity, was rooted in the pre-eternal covenant sworn by man with God as mentioned in the Quran. The mystic believed that God separates men from Himself granting them individuality and making them absent when in union with Him.

Junayd taught that the Sufi has no fear, because fear is the expectation of a future calamity or loss of an object of desire. A Sufi is rooted in the present moment: he has no future and no fear, no hope, since hope is the expectation of gaining something or being relieved of misfortune, which belongs to the future; nor does he grieve, because grief arises from the rigour of time, and how should he feel grief when he is in the radiance of satisfaction and the garden of concord? 

Easy ways to motivate yourself

Often we are fighting the battle of looking for practical solutions for the universal motivation-problem. Here are a few tricks which will help you combat the feeling. . . Sign a pact with yourself Always make a deal with yourself. This not only helps you in planning things but also motivates you to work harder and reach for your goal. Promise yourself rewards and the process shall get easy. Be enthusiastic Learn to be enthusiastic. This gets you into the motivated frame of mind and the task gets simpler.

Question yourself Ask yourself empowering questions every morning. It is very important to feel good and happy about yourself. The morning questions get you in the mood for striving harder to achieve your goals and incorporate positive feelings into you. Create small goalposts Set smaller targets to achieve first, before reaching out for the bigger ones. Do the toughest tasks first This will help you ease out the smallest worries and boost your self-confidence. Do not compare yourself with others Comparing yourself with others can kill your motivation.

Remember everyone has different priorities in life and they can never match up. Focus on your list and how you can improve them. Go easy Instead of jumping into something, head slowly. This will not only help you understand your targets but also help youachieve them better. Break it down Break your task into small projects. Focus on the smallest task first. Priortise what needs to be done first and what later. Remember to have fun Or create fun in a task. Then you'll stay motivated to do and finish it.

12. Get out of your comfort zone Face your challenges to get a real boost of motivation. If you are holding yourself back have a look at 5 Life-Changing Keys to Overcoming Your Fear and the methods in this article. They can help you get started and take that first scary step outside your comfort zone. Don't fear failure Instead redefine it as feedback and as a natural part of a successful life. As Michael Jordan said: "I've missed more than 9000 shots in my career. I've lost almost 300 games.

26 times, I've been trusted to take the game winning shot and missed. I've failed over and over and over again in my life. And that is why I succeed. " Also, try to find the valuable lesson(s) in each of your failures. Ask yourself: What can I learn from this? 14. Do some research on what you are about to do. Then your expectations will be more grounded in reality and you can also get good hints on what difficulties that you might run into along the way. Managing your expectations can lower the often almost explosive initial enthusiasm.

But it can also lessen the lack of motivation that usually follows when most of that enthusiasm has dissipated. When you know what has happened to others in similar situations - what path they have walked - you can adapt and try their solutions (and personal variations of those) and your own. This makes the worries and challenges easier to handle. Both emotionally - since you know at least some of the things that will happen and that others have lived through it before - and practically. Figure out why you're doing something If you don't know or don't have good enough reason to do something then it will be hard to get it done.

Do things that you have really strong reasons to do. If you want to do something then figure out a good reason to do it. If you can't find one consider dropping it and doing something that you have a good reason to do instead. Write down your goals and reasons for working towards them Tape them on your wall, computer or bathroom mirror. Then you'll be reminded throughout the day and it becomes easier to stay on track and focused. Take The Positivity Challenge! Learn to think more positively most of the time.

Learn to let to go of negative threads of thought before they have a chance to take hold of you. You might not be able to be positive all the time no matter what happens. But I think most of us can improve on our positive thinking and the results it can lead us to. Perhaps more than you realize right now. Cut down on TV Do you watch it too much? Watch less of what they are doing in TV-land and do more of what you want to do in life. Reprogramme your information intake Programme out negative and cynical thoughts from the media and society.

Reduce your information intake. Then programme in positive news and entertainment, more of your own thoughts and useful information such as personal growth tapes and books. Be selective and keep it positive. Make use of your creativity Take out a piece of paper. Write at the top of the page what area in your life you would like to have more ideas about. Perhaps you want ideas to earn more money or become a healthier person. Then brainstorm until you have written down 20 ideas on that topic.

Then try for 10 more. Not all ideas will be good. But some will. And as you make use of your creativity you not only discover useful ideas. You also discover just how creative you can be if you try and how motivating and great that feels. Find out what makes you happy Then do that. As much as you want or can. Listen while you're on the move Build your own small library of motivational/personal development tapes. Listen to them while you are driving, riding the bus or your bike, while you are out running or walking.

Take a peek at my recommended personal development products if you are looking for a good place to start. Think outside your box Don't imagine the future from the box of what you have now. Just because your mind is in box of previous experiences doesn't mean that's the limits of the world. Your possibilities are much larger. Create the future from the now and from nothing rather than your past to experience bigger changes with fewer limitations than you would if you created it from what you can see from your box.

What we make of our lives

How to find happiness? Our lives are series of experiences. A single day in one's life is a small replica of one's whole life. To change your life, you have to change every moment. Observe your body, mind, feelings, values, and how you respond to the various situations. First define your work. The field of your work is today. Are you reacting or responding to situations? If you are reacting, then the situation is controlling you, but if you are responding to it, then, your commitment is guiding you.

When someone scolds you and you react, then the situation is controlling you but if you pause and observe your behaviour or question whether you should remain quiet or ignore him or answer him back. . . . then you are bringing your 'presence,' your conscious 'presence' to the situation. True responsibility is the ability to respond. I see my reactions are robotic. What do I do? The very fact that you are conscious shows that you are not a machine but a conscious being. Draw your energy from this consciousness.

At present, you are not anchored in the 'presence' of your consciousness. Your 'I' is in the 'mechanicalness. ' Your 'I' should be anchored in your consciousness. Bring this 'presence' in your daily activities of life. Bring the 'presence' of consciousness in your daily activities. The spiritual work-exercise is to bring consciousness in small activities of life. Be conscious of your reactions and be aware if your feelings have purity or the garbage of negativity. Be conscious of your voice.

Is your body relaxed or tense? Are your thoughts compulsive? Can you be inwardly empty, free from the unnecessary thoughts? Find out whether your self-talk guides or distracts you. Why is my mind always talking? Our minds are constantly dominating our lives. We are entrapped by our minds and they become our enemies. Mind has a self-talk mechanism. Having compulsive thoughts is a psychological disorder. As we have not raised the level of our consciousness, our mind keeps on chattering. Do this exercise; just as a tiger waits and watches out for its prey, wait and watch out for thoughts that arise.

At this moment shut your eyes, and observe the first, second and the third thought in that order. Do it right now. You will observe that no thoughts arise. When you are alert, thoughts do not arise. In the space of alertness, your 'presence' is more conscious. When our 'presence' has less consciousness, there are more thoughts. Hence when the mind is constantly talking, it indicates that your level of consciousness has not increased. More thoughts are a symptom of being less conscious. Consciously use your self-talk when required and when not required learn to be inwardly empty.

How do I eliminate negative thoughts in my mind? Every thought creates a subtle substance. Negative thought creates a hurt body; positive thought creates a bliss body. The bliss body will uplift you while the hurt body will make you a victim of circumstances. Whenever a negative thought arises, see yourself as a witness and the thought as witnessed by you. You are the subject and the thought is an object. You are an observer and the thought is the observed. Slowly distance yourself from the thought

The five kinds of conscience

Viveka or conscience is a special kind of vichar or deliberation that is the endeavour to select a particular idea from several ideas. When you finally make your decision it is called siddhanta or conclusion. Conscience is defined as a special type of deliberation, broader in connotation than that of viveka. Viveka is where there is a conscious endeavour to decide in favour of shreya or benevolence when confronted with the two opposing ideas of shreya and preya or malevolence. Viveka is of five types, and their collective name is viveka panchak.

The first type is nityantya viveka, discrimination between permanent and impermanent and an intelligent person discerns these two aspects. The attempt to accept the permanent aspect after due deliberation is called nityainitya viveka. It is not dependent on the relative factors of time, space and person, whereas the impermanent is the collectivity of relative factors. The best way to recognise the impermanent is that if one of the three relative factors is changed it will undergo an immediate transformation.

Nityanitya viveka enables us to realise the necessity of observing dharma and to understand the fundamental differences between dharma and religion or doctrine. The goal of dharma is the attainment of Brahmn; its base and its movement are Brahmn-centered. Brahmn sadhana, therefore, is sadhana for the attainment of the permanent entity. Through nityanitya viveka try to understand what is permanent and what is impermanent. This is an inseparable part of the practice of dharma. The second type of viveka panchak is dvait-advait viveka, the capacity to analyse whether the eternal entity is one or more than one and come to a conclusion accordingly.

Dvaita means dualistic and advaita means non-dualistic. For success in spiritual practice both nityanitya and dvaitadvaita viveka are indispensable. The third type of conscience is atmanatma viveka, self and non-self conscience. Its role is to analyse whether the permanent, non-dualistic Entity is Consciousness or non-consciousness. Everything in this universe is a metamorphosed form of Consciousness. It is only with the help of atmanatma viveka that we can move towards universalism and realise that Brahmn is the Eternal Singular Entity, Pure Consciousness.

The fourth type of conscience is panchakosha viveka, five layers of existence or mind. With this we can discern separate layers, and find that Consciousness is above all five layers of existence. Spiritual sadhana means ideation on one's own consciousness beyond these koshas and not ideation on any of the koshas themselves. Mahavakya viveka, the fifth stage of Conscience, follows from the other four. The first four help a sadhaka realise that the Eternal Entity, Brahmn, is One without a second, Consciousness personified, and the knower of the five koshas.

Mahavakya viveka teaches us that He is not attainable through mere knowledge. To liberate consciousness from the five koshas, action and devotion are required. By cultivating the first four types of conscience a person of knowledge may become established in mahavakya viveka. The realisation comes that knowledge already acquired is not true knowledge because it leads to vanity. Together with selfless service and questioning, complete surrender is also essential. Hence it is said that the five types of conscience attain their consummation through jnana yoga, karma yoga and bhakti yoga.

Get rich quick

For prosperity, the first tool you need is energy, says James Allen. Energy is the working power in all achievement. Inert coal it converts into fire, and water it transmutes into steam; it vivifies and intensifies the commonest talent until it approaches to genius, and when it touches the mind of the dullard, it turns into a living fire that which before was sleeping in inertia. . . . Conserve energy But energy, to be productive, must not only be directed towards good ends, it must be carefully controlled and conserved.

"The conservation of energy" is a modern term expressive of that principle in nature by which no energy is wasted or lost, and the man whose energies are to be fruitful in results must work intelligently upon this principle. . . . It is the concentrated powder which drives the bullet to its mark. Calmness, as distinguished from the dead placidity of languor, is the acme of concentrated energy. There is a focused mentality behind it. In agitation and excitement the mentality is dispersed. It is irresponsible, and is without force or weight.

Energy, then, is the first pillar in the temple of prosperity, and without it, as the first and most essential equipment, there can be no prosperity. No energy means no capacity. . . . But energy is a composite power. It does not stand alone. Involved in it are qualities which go to the making of vigorous character and the production of prosperity. Mainly, these qualities are contained in the four following characteristics: Promptitude Vigilance Industry Earnestness Promptness is valuable Promptitude is a valuable possession.

It begets reliability. People who are alert, prompt, and punctual are relied upon. They are a means of wholesome discipline to those who would not otherwise discipline themselves. Thus while aiding their own usefulness and success, they contribute to the usefulness and success of others. The perfunctory worker, who is ever procrastinating, and is always behind time, becomes a nuisance, if not to himself, to others, and his services come to be regarded as of little economic value. Deliberation and dispatch, handmaids of promptitude, are valuable aids in the achievement of prosperity.

Vigilance pays Vigilance is the guard of all the faculties and powers of the mind. It is the detective that prevents the entrance of any violent and destructive element. It is the close companion and protector of all success, liberty, and wisdom. . . . The lack of vigilance is shown in thoughtlessness and in a general looseness in the common details of life. . . . No one who aims at any kind of usefulness and prosperity can afford to be asleep with regard to his actions and the effect of those actions on others and reactively on himself.

. . . we receive at the hands of the world according to the measure of our giving. For bad, bad; for good, good. . . . Get industrious Industry brings cheerfulness and plenty. Vigorously industrious people are the happiest members of the community. They are not always the richest, if by riches is meant a superfluity of money; but they are always the most lighthearted and joyful, and the most satisfied with what they do and have, and are, therefore, the richer, if by richer we mean more abundantly blessed.

Active people have no time for moping and brooding, or for dwelling selfishly upon their ailments and troubles. Things most used are kept the brightest, and people most employed best retain their brightness and buoyancy of spirit. Things unused tarnish quickest; and the time killer is attacked with ennui and morbid fancies. . . . Be earnest "Earnestness," said a great teacher, "is the path of immortality. They who are in earnest do not die; they who are not in earnest are as if dead already".

Earnestness is the dedication of the entire mind to its task. We live only in what we do. Earnest people are dissatisfied with anything short of the highest excellence in whatever they do, and they always reach that excellence. What ever you are - whether shopkeeper or teacher, you can safely give the very best to the world without any doubt or misgiving. If the indelible impress of your earnestness be on your goods or on your words, your business will flourish, or your precepts will live. Thus is the making and masonry of the first pillar explained.

Need for both light and darkness

Darkness cannot stand the glare of light. But to perceive the full brightness of light one needs total darkness as both darkness and light are complementary and opposite to each other. What is darkness to light, so negativity is to enlightenment. Negativity can never sneak into an enlightened mind for such a mind achieves total control over the senses. Thus, negativity in any form, is helpful for alerting, probing as also enlightening the mind of a spiritual seeker. Debarshi Narada, the wandering sage, was a Brahmachari, as also a Brahmajnani and a great devotee of Vishnu.

Once, as he had withstood and spurned the lure of the god of love, Kamdeva, a sense of ego prevailed over him. Being Antaryami (omniscient), Vishnu could read his mind; He created an illusory kingdom where a beautiful princess was placed in Narada's way. As it happened, Narada was so tempted by the beauty of the princess that he attended the svayamvar ceremony as a suitor. Meanwhile, as Vishnu had transformed Narada's face to that of a monkey's without his knowledge, Narada was summarily rejected by the princess.

Thus, as he was helped to regain his true Self by Divine Grace, the kingdom vanished from his sight. Advaitist Shankaracharya became a jnanayogi at an early age. One day, he was going towards the Ganga for a bath. Suddenly, he noticed a Chandala (outcaste) coming from the opposite end. To avoid contact he asked the Chandala to step aside but the latter did not heed his request. Shankara was perturbed and warned him again. Seeing Shankara's anger, Shiva as Chandala replied "O Brahmin! Who are you asking to step aside, the body or the atman? How would they move, as both are inert? Is there a difference then between a Brahmin and a Chandala?" Shankara accepted the truth with humility.

In the Mahabharata, once king Viswamitra was amazed by the divine power of Brahmarshi Vashista and entreated the great sage to endow him with Brahmarshihood. Vashista did not oblige even at the risk of earning his ire. A dejected Viswamitra relinquished his kingdom and went to the forest to meditate for several years. Indra, the king of devas, afraid of his austerity, sent his court dancer, Menaka, to disrupt his sadhana and this paved the way for the birth of Shakuntala. Narada and Shankara, both being Brahmajnanis, should not have any misgivings on negativity.

That they both failed in the face of reality indicates that they achieved the exalted state thus far theoretically only, through meditation. Hence they were required to face reality - which proved to be the acid test for their absolute perfection. As for Viswamitra, when he was lured by the apsara (nymph) he definitely did not attain the state of 'Chittashuddhi'. However, after the incident, he left the place in quest of his unfinished journey to divinity and finally succeeded. Ramakrishna Paramahansa says that as boiled paddy ceases to germinate, a realised soul can never be lured

Know the power of response

Have you ever reacted to a person or situation -- and just a moment later, or maybe several hours later wondered why on earth you said that? Or did that? Imagine having this magic power that could freeze time long enough to choose the most appropriate response in any given situation. Wouldn't it be great if you had that power? Well, actually you do. And someone who reminds us about that power is Viktor E Frankl, author of 'Man's Search for Meaning'. An Austrian psychiatrist, Frankl was detained with other Jewish people in a concentration camp during World War II.

In that awful place he remained aware, and saw that in spite of the daily humiliation, even torture that he was subjected to, he had this particular 'freedom' his Nazi captors could not ever take away. Using the unique human capacities of self-awareness, imagination, conscience and independent free will, he exercised this freedom that was even bigger that the freedom of his captors. It lay in knowing that he could choose his own response to anything that came his way. He called this freedom "the last of the human freedoms".

Frankl's approach eventually made him an inspiration to many around him, even some of the guards. He says: "Between stimulus and response there is a space. In that space is our power to choose our response. In our response lies our growth and our freedom. " Come to think of it, space always does exist between stimulus and response; we hardly need to 'make' this space. Our freedom of choice lies in becoming increasingly aware of this space, using it wisely, making it into what I see as our 'zone of considered and considerate decision'.

Without enough awareness of the gap between stimulus and response there is no real freedom of choice. You are just the product of your learned and unquestioned behaviours, your conditioned responses. Allowing yourself to respond automatically will evoke the same old feelings of anger, fear, sadness or jealousy that can only further discord, misunderstanding and perhaps regret. Using the space to formulate a considered and considerate response, you remove the guilt you have when you have hurt someone's feelings or the negative charge or self-recrimination when you have said or done the wrong thing.

This space invites you to reflect, however briefly, before acting. At a practical level it could simply involve not blurting out that defensive response when you feel accused, not delivering that sarcastic retort when feeling misunderstood or challenged, or could even be not replying immediately to that annoying or demanding email message. It also invites you to be aware of just why you say a 'yes' or why you say a 'no'. Developing a mindset of cherishing the space between stimulus and response can make our lives more meaningful.

Use the space between stimulus and response to ask yourself: "What do I really, deeply want?" If, within this space, you take a moment to breathe deeply and calmly, decide not to always want to 'win the argument' or 'be right', or feel so personally wounded that all you want to do is to hurt right back, then your answer will almost always be that you deeply want a favourable and uplifting outcome for all. And in time, it should become more natural to respond in a way that promotes harmony and better relationships.

The Power Of One

Facing up to ‘aloneness’ can open us up to a positive, creative force within, writes Aparajita Bhooshan.

How frequently we hear ourselves or others saying, “I feel so lonely; I don’t know what to do with myself; this loneliness kills me”! Yet, if only we were to pause and look intensely at nature revealing her greatest lessons, we would realise that the most beautiful and worthwhile things emerge only in silence and solitude.

Inner Transformation
The lone seed in the ground has neither sunlight nor breeze to caress it, and yet transforms itself into a little plant that one day reaches for the sky. The caterpillar, held breathless in the suffocating bosom of a dark cocoon, emerges as a colourful butterfly, flying free and proud through the flowers. A pearl in an oyster, wine in the casket, even a song or painting is first created in a solitary moment and transformed into an eternal inspiration.

We have to make a conscious choice about how we deal with our moments of ‘aloneness’. Fear, anger and frustration will make us wither away to the dust of anonymity, while turning the dungeon into a creative ‘womb’ will breathe new life. Give things time, have faith in the perfection of the plan that is to unfold.

These are the moments when we can reach out into the magnificence of our higher Self and realise our deepest thoughts, visions and talents.

Perhaps, in the crowd, we are too focused on the speedometer and forget to watch the milestones. Being alone, we can once again “just be”. By being yourself, you put something wonderful in the world that was not there before.

Release Negative Energy
We can begin to dust away clouds of negative behaviour patterns covering our subconscious, which have prevented us from being joyful and free and release the anger, hurt and resentment which have strangled us. We can replace these with the virtues of tolerance, patience and calm.

Now is the time we can really listen to the voice within which will tell us if we are latent writers, painters, readers, yearning for particular knowledge and how we can contribute in our humble way to society. A realisation of our own potential will leave us amazed.

The Inspiration Is Within
We underestimate the potential impact of new discoveries that can be made in our moments of ‘aloneness’ as we have always thought of it as a negative state of being. We must be ready to change our perspective and meaning towards this word ‘loneliness’ which has always frightened us.

Aloneness is the presence of oneself. It’s very positive. It’s an overflowing presence. You are so full of presence that you can fill the whole universe with your presence and there is no need for anybody. Inspiration dawns with full magnetism when we are quiet and alone!

Let us not crouch despairingly, in the illusory darkness of ‘loneliness’. We are never alone. We are never abandoned! We are eternal, divine beings with a light in our souls that will forever inspire and ignite us with the needed motivation.

All we need to do is find this lamp and allow it to burn brighter and we will discover that we are magicians or alchemists, capable of waving a wand and creating our own miracles, not only for ourselves but for the world around us

Why myths are so essential

Our gods are not independent entities. They do not have a life of their own. They exist and act in the web of our consciousness, our thinking and our myths. Our gods, or divine beings we bow, are created by our consciousness. Our consciousness, in turn, is shaped by attributes and characteristics of our gods. We are intertwined with our gods to a very large degree -- even if we do not call these gods by their traditional religious names. People who worship science and consider physical facts as god-lets are intertwined with their scientific "gods.

" So are the people who worship Mammon as their main deity and who are obsessed and mesmerised by their fat bank accounts. We cannot live by bread alone. We need some celestial nourishment to be fully human, and thus spiritual. Hence, we invent myths and "devour" them and are continually nourished by them. Myths are an essential sub-stratum of all religions and all spiritual creeds. While we are considering this vast panorama, let us not forget the main focus of our discourse, which is the liberated God.

And the question is: how do we distinguish gods or divine forces, which are liberating from these, which are not liberating or even constraining? This is not an easy matter. There is a strange circularity in the whole process. We are not liberated because our gods are not liberated. Our gods are not liberated because we are not liberated. How do we break this flawed circle of un-enlightenment? We can do this by simply observing that gods and human beings are on the same journey of liberation.

We share the same project of ultimate liberation until the end - until the cosmos realises its ultimate spiritual potential. In this journey of Self-realisation, the most important two vehicles are freedom and creativity. They work in tandem, in both human beings and gods. The increased creativity helps to increase freedom. And the increased freedom helps to increase creativity. This works among gods, too. A truly free god must be immensely creative. At the same time, this god must be generous to human beings - by helping them to become more creative and free.

The cosmic process of liberation is going on regardless of the vicissitudes of organised religions. Freedom is an attribute of divinity. If beings are constrained in their freedom, they cannot be divine. If gods are restricted in their freedom, they are not sufficiently divine. If traditional religions are restricted in their freedom, and are restricting freedom of others, they are not divine and are not helping cosmic evolution. The liberated God is the One, which, by extending His freedom and creativity, enlarges the scope and depth of the intelligent universe.

At the same time, this God deepens and broadens the human mind so that the mind helps the liberated God to become more liberated and creative. The liberated God needs our help as much as we need His help. Without our consciousness, the liberated God cannot make it. Our liberated consciousness is part of the liberated god. The Tao of liberated God is this stupendous liturgy and epiphany of light, which helps liberated God, as well as the liberated human, in their quest for ultimate Self-realisation.

Friendship is true wealth

Sowmya Priya reminisces about her two priceless friends - Vaibhav and Sobhnik Last Diwali, my dad asked me to visit his friend along with him and I refused, believing gifting to be a meaningless ritual for people to show off their wealth. I considered myself unlucky in terms of friends, being reserved since childhood. So, when our HR lecturer announced that we were supposed to sit according to groups that he had decided, I wasn't pleased. My previous experiences with groups were not happy ones.

When the members came near the podium, I smiled at them, but only Vaibhav returned my smile. As we were a few members short, he added the names of his friends, Sobhnik, a girl who had seemed nice whenever I had spoken to her. During the sessions, I spent a lot of time with Sobhnik. She was an understanding and caring person. The turning point of our friendship was the day I lost my wallet. It seemed a bad omen as it was just before campus recruitment. That day, Sobhnik told me about a ritual of faith she practised and told me to write about the lost article on paper and wrap it in cloth, preferably a dupatta, and say a prayer.

Vaibhav got the message floated about my lost wallet through the B-School office. That day I felt, though I lost my wallet, I got two priceless friends. Sobhnik had already been interviewed at a research firm, but could not make it there. We both got through the initial rounds. My interview was scheduled after hers and she generously shared her experience, which eventually helped me bag the job. On the day of our pre-final class, Vaibhav showed us two bracelets and asked us to pick one. They were friendship bands he had bought in his ninth grade but didn't find anyone worthy enough to give them to.

It was really overwhelming. Good times rush past too quickly, and soon came the farewell. Strangely, I was happy because I was sure that time and distance would not let us forget each other. They will always mean as much as they mean to me now. We danced that day as if there would be no tomorrow. Vaibhav's enthusiasm was infectious. All three of us have settled professionally and this Diwali I have finally understood why people give gifts and sweets to their friends and family. They are the real wealth of our life and by honouring that wealth we pay our tribute to the goddess of wealth.

Better safe when sorry

Find yourself tongue-tied every time you offer commiserations? Etiquette expert Rukhsana Eisa offers tips on dealing with potential social tragedies You don't want to add to your loved ones tragedy while offering commiserations. While feeling the pain (s)he is going through, you don't want to be saying or doing the wrong things unintentionally. It is therefore necessary for all of us to know the rules of correct conduct in order to instinctively do and say what is right. Dealing with death: While dealing with death, a heartfelt simple, 'I am so sorry' is sufficient, followed by 'Is there anything I can do to help?' Be available to the bereaved family members when required (offer help in a specific way, like call me if you need help with arrangements).

If the deceased was an acquaintance or a co-worker do not try to contact the overwhelmed family immediately. Instead, offer your condolence at the funeral. If you are unable to be physically present, sending a hand-written condolence note or flowers is an accepted practice. Sign the flowers with, 'With our deepest sympathies'. Allow the family space and time to mourn before approaching them. While talking to the family never refer to the deceased as anything other than using the person's name.

Constant intrusion upon grief, however wellmeant, is unkind and inconsiderate. You might live in the online world but sending condolences via email is still unacceptable. Dressing at funerals should be conservative and understated. Gay or bright colors should not be worn and avoid wearing extravagant jewellery and heavy makeup. Different communities have different traditions, dress accordingly by wearing either black or white. At the funeral service, please ensure your mobile phone is switched off, do not take calls, send text messages or carry on conversations with anyone.

Maintain a respectable silence. Dealing with sickness: A colleague recently met with a friend of hers, who was undergoing gruelling sessions of chemotherapy. She looked uncomfortable from the get-go and was unsure of what she should say. Avoiding eye contact, she managed to mumble a few words awkwardly. Instead of offering support, the conversation was one with long pauses filled with awkward silences. She constantly thought of the right words that should have been said, but couldn't find them.

If you find yourself in such a situation, inquire about their circumstance by saying 'How are you? I heard you've been ill' or 'How are you feeling now?' This diffuses the initial awkwardness and opens up a conversation. The person going through a tragedy would much rather prefer that you say something rather than ignoring the obvious. But please say it with genuine feeling. Some people may not wish to share what they are going through and you must respect their privacy. If you don't know the details of their illness, you probably don't need to know anyway.

At any cost, avoid saying 'I know exactly how you feel!' or 'I have no answers for you'. The fact is that you will never truly know what a person is going through. The disease shouldn't change your friendship. Talk to the person like you always did, why should anything change? Let the person know that you care and will be there for them. Listen to what your friend says with few emotional filters and show compassion rather than pity. At the same time sounding like a therapist does not help anyone.

You must remember that while empathising is great, giving advice is a strict no no. Come prepared with something upbeat and interesting to talk about, so if they don't want to divulge details, you aren't left with nothing more to say. Bring them something that they might enjoy - food items, a good book. Most importantly make the person who is ill the centre of your universe when you are with him/her. Do not judge them by the way they look or make them feel like the subject of an experiment. When you're sick, days can be long.

The guilt-edged existence

Causing someone harm - especially unintentionally - comes with its share of emotional baggage. Can one really heal the hurt? Purba Dutt finds out Eight years after the incident, 35-yearold Shankar Seth (name changed) still regrets that he didn't do enough to prevent his on-andoff girlfriend from committing suicide. "I know she was excessively neurotic and in her obsessive phases, she would drive me up the wall, demanding to know every minute where I was, with whom, and doing what. Despite the fact that we were in a relationship, she was seeing other men too.

Our decision to part was mutual. How was I to know she'd end up taking her life so soon after we split?" asks Shankar, who's been through several counselling and trauma alleviation sessions to rid himself of the guilt and remorse post this unfortunate event. He laments, "She was clearly in need of psychiatric help. I ought to have seen this coming given her extremely fragile emotional state. " Can it ever be easy for a person who has unintentionally and inadvertently caused someone physical or emotional hurt or even death to let go of the attendant and often long-term guilt that follows? Near-fatal punch: Actor Puneet Issar of Mahabharat fame, who, despite his proven histrionic skills, is more often remembered as the guy who delivered the near-fatal punch to Amitabh Bachchan on the sets of Coolie, says he was helped and healed by none other than Bachchan himself.

Recalls Puneet, "This was way back in 1982 in Bangalore. We had rehearsed for this act and it was time for the final take. I was to land a punch and Mr Bachchan was to absorb that punch and bounce back. What happened is after I delivered the blow, he banged against the board. He was grievously injured and had to be operated upon. While the whole nation was praying for him, I was petrified, feeling paranoid and was completely wracked by guilt. After sometime, he was shifted to the Breach Candy Hospital in Mumbai, and sent me a message asking me to meet him along with my wife.

When we reached the hospital, he was very weak. He had lost a lot of blood. Even in that weak state, he held my hand and told me, 'Puneet, please don't get affected by this. You don't need to feel guilty at all. . . this was an accident'. " Continues Puneet, "I was so mightily relieved to hear this from him that immediately a huge burden lifted off my shoulders. To put me further ease, Mr Bachchan recalled another incident when during an action sequence take, he was supposed to chuck a glass at actor Vinod Khanna.

Somehow Vinod couldn't duck at the right time, and ended up receiving a deep gash on his chin. That was his way of telling me accidents do happen and that I shouldn't feel guilty about it. " "I realised," Puneet says, "that when people achieve greatness, there is a reason why they're the chosen ones. "Even in that critical condition Mr Bachchan walked me and my wife to the reception area. That's the day I let go of the guilt that was eating into me. My wife had donated blood for him because their blood groups match, but the closure for me came with his reassurance and magnanimity, s h a r e s P u n e e t , who's now working on the trauma and travails of Sikhs post 9-11 in his forthcoming film I am Singh.

Visionary! Known for his grace and style, Nawab Pataudi lost his vision in his right eye in an accident when he was barely 21. The person who was at the wheels when this accident occurred on that fateful day in July 1961 was Oxford University wicketkeeper Robin Waters. In a recent interview, Waters said, "Pataudi returned to India after his accident and I went back to Ireland. There was no communication between us. Once, when Pataudi came with the Indian team to Ireland, he invited me for a team dinner.

We chatted for long. He urged me to forget about the mishap. He would say it was his destiny to lose the eye. " Pataudi's words aided the healing process for Waters. Healing process: Says counsellor and traumatologist Seema Hingorrany, "The process of healing takes long. The brain perceives a sudden shock. It is traumatic to know that you're responsible for causing harm to someone. We need to help this person re-process these memories. The memories of this trauma are stored in a maladadaptive or dysfunctional manner.

The thought processes get distorted. " Talking of the affected individual developing a negative belief system, Seema talks of a young boy who was responsible for causing the death of someone in an accident that was clearly not his fault. "He wasn't drunk or overspeeding, but there was an accident, and a loss of life in the car behind his. When this guy's mother comes to visit him in the hospital, she carelessly blamed her son for being responsible for this death. This had a serious repercussion on this boy, who completely internalised this guilt.

He developed a weak belief system. He started to take the blame for everything. If the geyser in his home was left on, he'd think that the house would be on fire and it would all be his fault. I had to work hard on him to enable him to let go of his guilt. " Don't relive the past: Cricketer Mohammad Azharuddin, who recently lost his younger son in a horrendous bike accident, regretted having gifted his son this fancy bike. Post his death, Azharuddin has dealt with his feelings of grief and guilt by associating himself with NGOs that promote road safety and discourage rash driving.

Director Kaizad Gustad doesn't want to relive the days or talk about the incident wherein during the shoot of Bombay Central a young assistant director tragically lost her life on the sets in a freak accident. "I don't want to relive the past," says Kaizad, who recently became a father for the second time. Seema says that for anyone wracked by guilt, it is important they see a therapist or traumatologist. We help people build up their resources through meditation, spiritual practices and therapist-guided imagery exercises.

Politico-spiritual rendezvous

Rudyard Kipling once said, ''East is East and West is West, and never the twain shall meet. '' This maxim has been proved untrue as far as the West and the East equation is concerned, but of spirituality and politics, this undoubtedly holds true. Spirituality and politics are both full-fledged disciplines, both need total involvement. So, each can become involved in the other's discipline only at the cost of the erosion of his own. The spiritual person will lose his dedication in the realm of politics, while the politician will lose his political interest if he involves himself in spiritual matters.

However, both disciplines are needed to build a better society. If spirituality is inner science, politics is external discipline. We need both. How to combine them? The answer lies in a single word: complementarity. Each must complement the other, while maintaining its own identity. Spirituality is inner beauty without having external shakti, while politics is external shakti having little inner beauty. They need each other. So why not adopt the sharing formula? The spiritual person must serve as counsellor to the politician, and the politician must serve as booster to the spiritual person.

This sharing will benefit both. The spiritual person is Self-centred according to his nature; the politician can help him by taking him out of his individual cell, so that he may acquire more experience of human life. The same is true of the politician. Politicians are by nature over-ambitious and this sometimes leads to disaster. It is at this juncture that a spiritual person can give them practical advice which will enable them to curb the over-ambitious side of their nature, making them more realistic.

In our ancient tradition, dharma gurus were advisers to the kings and kings were their supporters. In our present society, in terms of number, we have enough spiritual persons and we have politicians in abundance as well. But, we are not able to benefit from the two because of a lack of sharing process between them. We need to develop a dual system of education - formal and informal. Formal education can produce educated politicians, and that is good for our society, but we also need all members of society to be spiritualised.

This goal cannot be achieved through formal education. We shall have to evolve an informal type of education whose teachers are spiritual gurus, and also ruhani murshid. These gurus and murshids can teach our present-day generation through interaction, discourses and dissemination of literature. In my experience, informal and formal education, both, are independent disciplines: any attempt at amalgamation cannot yield positive result. Each discipline can try to be helpful to the other, without interfering with the other's systems.

In a partial sense, i can say we need spiritualised politicians and politicised spiritual persons. Both are important: each can support the other, but only on the condition that they strictly refrain from interference. Spiritual persons have much to share with others, and the same can be said of politicians. But presently, few of them carry out this task. The reason is that people generally adopt a complaining attitude towards others and if they try to share with others, they don't know the difference between sharing and interference

Reaching the point of no return

It seemed an impossible task, trying to jump across the barbed fence that was a little more than half of his own height. Retracing his steps, he took a run up to the fence once again, but only to abort his attempt as he approached the fence. These attempts were leading to nowhere and were now beginning to make him increasingly frustrated and despondent. Eventually, he took out his wallet and threw it over the fence. He deliberately forced himself to a point of no return, as he severed options that might lead to his not jumping over the fence.

Often, our anxiety and sense of insecurity forces us to keep alternatives. We usually have a plan B, C and D to every plan A, as a kind of insurance against possible failure of plan A. But this very insurance may sometimes blunt the efforts to make plan A successful. We read about the 'rags to riches' stories of people who overcame tremendous odds to rise from the brink of total destruction. The desire to succeed gets amplified in inverse proportion to available options. The 'no-other-option' mindset now becomes a matter of survival.

''Action and reaction are equal and opposite,'' states a fundamental law of motion. When the forces against are perceived as potential threat to one's survival, the reaction generated is also one that matches these forces. Do we really strive to do our best in every endeavour of ours? Is it necessary for circumstances to push us to a point of no return to get the best out of us? In the Gita, Krishna spoke of doing one's best with no regard to the outcome. Pushed to the limits, one is scarcely obsessed with the outcome as what remains is merely the instinct to survive.

Then the success of all endeavours is relegated to becoming just a by-product of one's efforts. The strength of one's efforts lies in one's conviction in self-capacity. Self-confidence ought to, ideally, surpass one's faith in any other, be it a deity or person. Embarking on anything new involves exiting one's comfort zone for this zone becomes bondage. It raises imaginary fears of failure that stymie the will to rise and go forward. Most success stories have an element of acting on strong impulse (sometimes labelled foolhardiness).

Yet, these very stories are also coupled with a strong self-belief and a never-say-die attitude. Problems are part perception, largely self-doubt and a bit of reality. That is why a problem to one person manifests itself as opportunity to another. Necessity is the mother of invention. This obsession spots the obvious where conformism and comfort blind conventional vision. Leaving oneself no escape route requires immense courage and conviction. Having a plan B is what wisdom would suggest, but wisdom is the luxury afforded to the comfort zone.

Security eliminates the thrill of going all out and blunts the cutting edge of effort. The paradox of a no-alternative mindset is that it opens up alternatives within us. We become aware of facets within that we never knew existed. This helps develop a lateral thinking ability and raises the bar of our own abilities. Hence adversity often stimulates growth. And there is the contribution by the limitless universe as we tread on this path of no return. Serendipity and help from unexpected quarters are nature's way of rewarding courage and conviction to the traveller who chooses to take the plunge.

Why Kaliyuga is unique

Erich Von Daniken, co-founder of the Archaeology, Astronautics and SETI Research Association writes in an article that a non-rusting iron pillar in India is evidence of extraterrestrial influence. The iron pillar of Delhi has baffled many with its non-corrosive properties. The pillar which weighs more than six tons is said to have been made at the time of Chandragupta Vikramaditya during the fourth century whereas some claim it dates back to a much earlier time. Many studies are still going on to find out why this pillar is unique.

There could be many other examples. The wonder is not the object itself but the brain that created it. Neuropshychologist Glen Johnson says that the human brain is a complex structure having about 100 billion cells, but weighs barely three pounds. The number of connections and the trillions of messages per day transmitted through telecom wires would not equal the complexity or activity of a single human brain. The human brain is perhaps more complex than a computer. Who created this brain? The brain is unique and so is the iron pillar.

We cannot sometimes comprehend unique observations, though they happen in front of our eyes. Yet the human being unique. This is because, of all the creatures, we have the power of discrimination; we have the potential to distinguish one from the other. And strangely or unknowingly we tend to ignore this unique ability. Today with all the technological achievements, lines are blurring. We have begun to forget the difference between right and wrong, good and bad, ignorance and knowledge. And simultaneously we have ignored the very reason of this precious human birth.

Scriptures quote that human birth is rarest of rare because only in human birth we can realise what is optimally good for us. How can we achieve that? This birth is so special that even demi-gods residing in heaven want to take this chance. Scriptures say we pass through eight million species before acquiring the human form. That means have hundreds of thousands of years roaming across many species and had suffered in those births. Now we have got this human birth and should make most of it. Not only is it unique that we are human, but the present time period is also unique.

The present age of Kaliyuga is about 4,32,000 years. Total four yugas of Satya, Treta, Dvapar and Kali constitutes 43,20,000 years. These years multiplied by 1,000 will make one day of Brahma. One day of Brahma is equal to 14 manav or human avatars. Each constitutes 71 chaturyugi or 43,20,000 years. Krishna appears in Dvapar yuga during the day of Brahma which comes in the 28th Chaturyugi of 7th Manvantar. And Chaitanya Mahaprabhu descends in the adjoining Kaliyuga of that Dvapar. Chaitanya Mahaprabhu descends He arranges such that everyone should be able to taste the nectar of spiritual bliss.

Beyond I, Me And Self

Efforts to improve the self may well lead us to realise the Self, writes V TANKHA. Hence the move to better ourselves leads to the asking of philosophical questions Is it not good if we try to improve ourselves? We take lessons in language, cooking or dance; walk to improve our health or a sense of the past. There are courses for anger and management, accounts, jewellery design, comic book illustration. Study, we know, will make us better: certainly at something.

Learning requires time, effort as well as natural talent (and money). While what we learn may not make us better persons (imagine someone paying for that!), we may become more interesting as persons, not focused only on the pragmatics of making and keeping money, or advancing a career.

Are there any limits to self-improvement? To answer this question, we must clear up who we are, falling inevitably into the coils of philosophy. ‘Who are you?’ is sometimes a question of how you want to be seen. You want, in this world of images, as much to look good as to be good. Are there limits to how good you can look?

Care Of The Self

A person who dyes his hair is not regarded as excessively concerned with his looks, because many others do as well. Some people spend small fortunes in hair styling. Is that not self-improvement? Is the body, and by extension, its hair, not as much a part of the self as the mind, or the kidneys?

You would scarcely blame someone who did not drink because he believed he could damage his kidneys. But if that’s okay, how many steps is it to having a double or triple chin removed, and a few wrinkles ironed out? What’s wrong after all about preparing a face to meet the faces that you meet?

Bodily self-improvements attract little moral interest or concern. Clothes make the man, says your tailor. It is true that what we wear will more often than not define us, at some level. Appearances after all are important. But an exclusive concern with them is seen as detrimental to moral development because it shifts our focus from what are thought to be core issues, concerned with who we are and how we relate to others not through our appearance but through our words and deeds.

Wisdom, we are told, lies in overlooking appearances, reaching behind them to a reality more difficult to discern.

Face Value

The visible is, however, often a clue to the invisible: appearances, if read aright, often direct us to truth. If we think we can see through the actions and motives of others, they can see through ours. What look should we cultivate in order to really look good? Simply gathering a repertoire of skills is not enough. Like filling a resume with trivial pastimes, paper qualifications add no weight to the personality.

We need to develop depth as well as breadth. If we want to expand our horizons, we need to expand our vision. Travel to difficult and exotic places will feed conversational skills. But what is it that will make our silences meaningful? What will breathe life into the death that is the lot of every instant of passing time? Not the cut of your coat or the cost of what is strapped around your neck: these are additions, not an expansion of horizons.

Can we make sense of the Self as the aim of our quest: the knowledge that the ancients prized as the acme of wisdom, what did it consist in? Surely, it was more than simply learning, important as that was, what one is not?

Self And Not Self

Let us not be dismayed by the apparent difficulty of self-improvement when still unsure of what that Self is which we want to improve. Let us also not think nothing of negations. In fact, the philosopher Spinoza summarily characterised all determination as negation. Meaning by this that every assertion or characterisation, while it addresses its particular subject, simultaneously excludes all that is not proper to that subject. To say that something is a white elephant is to deny that it is a pink giraffe.

You might well wonder how far such wisdom will actually take you. But reflecting on the search for one’s own self, apply the converse of Spinoza principle: every negation is a determination. To exclude from the ambit of the Self what one does not think proper to it, is to take a step, however small, towards Self-knowledge. To stop short of this or that, with the thought: that’s not me, is to draw afresh the boundaries of the Self, oneself. Self-knowledge is as much this coming to know oneself as the final knowledge of it one hopes to achieve.

Perhaps, the coming-to-know is the knowledge we seek, without which there can be no self-improvement at all. For we must, at least, know this: what we are not, what we do not want.

Enjoy The Present

Demands on our time can take over our lives. Pause to connect within and live in the present, says Sri Raj Bhowmik.

Life has become mechanical and in the rush to do our best at work and in personal relationships, we are losing sight of what we really are. We have also forgotten how to focus on the present moment.

We are often haunted by questions, such as “How can I achieve what I want? What is my life’s purpose?” Life is in constant flux and as the moments tick by, the demands on us in our careers and in the family are constantly changing. We find ourselves constantly preparing for the next, new challenge. The demand can get exhausting and we practically operate on auto-pilot.

Don’t Look For Approval

This statement echoes a regular mother’s complaint — “I have to cook for my children, pick and drop them, cater to my husband’s needs and before I know it, it’s time for bed. I don’t have time for myself!” A visit to a beauty parlour or an exotic spa over the weekend offers only a temporary escape. As we rush from one task to the next; we are unconsciously seeking approval from those around us.

What makes us dwell in the past or project into the future are our fears, of losing something or someone, being rejected, not being good enough or being betrayed by people we trust. This creates anxiety and builds a super vigilant state where we unquestioningly submit to or tightly control the environment. These fears stem from the past, but we keep it alive by focusing on the event and reminding ourselves of how bad or good it was.

Get Some Me-Time

We are always with ourselves, but do we ever speak to the ‘me’ the way we do with everyone else? Bymaking time for ourselves for a few minutes during the day, independent of external circumstances, we can slowly relax and get used to our own presence and eventually extend this comfort to others around us. We must learn to enjoy doing things for ourselves. Here’s how to go about it.

Choose a quiet place that you love, perhaps a balcony, and look at objects that make you smile. Then, taking a deep breath, stroke your hands with your palm and reassure yourself, “I am safe in my world. I belong to this environment that I lovingly create. I allow myself to flow in this moment. I am grateful to this moment and life.” Absorb this feeling with gentleness. The point is to feel and believe what you say.

Take a deep breath and be still for a moment. Look at all the things that life has given you. You have received this because you are worth it and have earned it. Acknowledge them today!

Carrying this new energy moment to moment, we learn to respond to a situation, rather than react impulsively. On a regular schedule, this recharge is possible every 45 minutes with five even cycles of deep breathing in an undisturbed space.

Slowly, over a period of time, we begin to appreciate ourselves in our environment. “I” becomes the most important person and the feeling overpowers whatever we do.

Trust Life

This is how to recharge yourself. When we do things that we love, our involvement creates feel-good hormones in sync with the natural body. That is why gardening, playing with children, reading, writing, singing and dancing bring about calmness and refresh the body, mind and environment.

Our life’s purpose slowly evolves. Till the time we are on the highway of life, it is important to notice everything that our eyes can see and feel gently, rather than focus on the endless road. We came because we were needed. Life is the driving force taking us ahead. We just need to trust it.

When we take in something calmly, we respond differently. And as we continue on the journey of life, we can add our own joy to the situation.
Creating a fresh new energy around us regularly that is tapped by breathing and affirming at regular intervals, can change the way we respond to life.

Discovering our purpose is adding value with our feelings that, over a period of time, reveal our uniqueness. When we let go the fears, we are ourselves in the present moment. This needs “you” and “your appreciation” to help you move ahead to the next moment from this beautiful present.