A Time Comes: 11 Steps To Rising UP.

A Time Comes: 11 Steps To Rising UP.

A time comes in your life when you finally get it, ...when, in the midst of all your fears and mental minutia, you stop in your tracks and somewhere the voice inside your Soul says -- Enough. I will no longer allow my mind and ego to hold me hostage. It is the Divine heart and the dignity of Who I Am that will now lead my life. The time is now.

A time comes in your life when you stop fighting or struggling to hold on to that which was never meant for you to hold onto in the first place. And, like a child after a blind tantrum, your fears and tears subside, you shudder once or twice, and you resolve to look at the world through a new lens of perception. The time is now.

A time comes when you realize it's time to stop hoping and waiting for something to change, or for happiness, safety, and security to come galloping over the next horizon. You realize that your happiness and safety, and security depends upon you and no other. The time is now.

A time comes when you awaken to the fact that you are not perfect and it's ok not be perfect and that not everyone will always love, appreciate or approve of who or what you are. Everyone is entitled to their opinion though you are no longer held hostage by what others opinions of you are. Your prime concern is to be the BEST YOU YOU CAN BE! To be the most integral, loving, compassionate, benevolent, honest, glorious, Divine Powerful Human you can possibly be. You learn the importance of championing yourself and in the process a sense of newfound freedom and confidence is born. The time is now.

A time comes when you stop complaining and blaming other people for the things they did to you (or didn't do to or for you) and you learn that you are not your experiences. Experiences are simply life's opportunities for you to rise up to a greater aspect of yourself. The time is now.

A time comes when you learn that people don't always say what they mean or mean what they say and that not everyone will always be there for you and that it's not about you. It's about them. So you learn to be compassionate and you learn to stand solid in your being and take care of your precious self... and in the process a sense of safety and security is born of self-reliance. The time is now.

A time comes when you stop judging and pointing fingers and you begin to accept people as they are, including yourself. You begin to overlook shortcomings and human frailties... and in the process a sense of peace and contentment is born of forgiveness for those around you. The time is now.

A time comes when you learn to open up to new possibilities for yourself. You begin reassessing and redefining who your are via the brain of your heart, not mind, and what you really stand for. You learn the difference between wanting and needing and you begin to delete the outdated belief systems that have held you hostage. And in the process you begin to learn to trust yourself and God and the flow of the Universe and Divine Right Timing. The time is now.

A time comes when you learn to distinguish between guilt and responsibility and the importance of setting boundaries and saying NO. You learn to stop setting up circumstances that go against yourself and you learn to live with integrity and deep love for yourself. And in the process you learn to live a higher version of Who You Are. The time is now.

A time comes when you learn that it is vital to establish a proper connection to your heart brain and soul and begin disconnecting from the personality mind and ego regardless of how vulnerable that makes you feel... and in the process you realize that vulnerability is strength. The time is now.

And finally a time comes when you establish a proper rapport with God and the Higher Realms of Consciousness, and with your brothers and sisters on Planet Earth so you can live and co-create, a powerful life without believing that you are down here on Planet Earth doing it alone or that the "proper circumstances" just haven't shown up. The proper circumstances are always a choice away when the lens of perception is clear.

In closing Beloveds, if each and every ONE of us doesn't rise up and take dominion over our lives in a consistent, congruent, collaborative, sacred and clear manner and loose the fear, no matter what actions are called for, "someone" or "something" else will take dominion and I promise you, it's not worth it.

Copyright Maureen Moss
http://www.worldpuja.org
http://www.maureenmoss.com
Please feel comfortable to pass this on with proper credit and websites given.

An angel

Every blade of grass has its Angel that bends over it and whispers, "Grow, grow."

--Talmud

I know that my angels and guardians surround me with loving guidance and protection. Their healing energy embraces me and I am at peace knowing how very loved I am by the precious helpers from above and beyond. I ground the cosmic beauty of angelic wisdom into the roots of my earthly life.

Every being has a definite vocation

Every being has a definite vocation . Every being's vocation is the light that illuminates their life. Anyone who disregards their vocation is as a lamp unlit.

( Rephrasing the words of Hazrat Inayat Khan.)

That's Life

You must understand the whole of life, not just one little part of it.
That is why you must read, that is why you must look at the skies, that is why you must sing and dance, and write poems, and suffer, and understand, for all that is life.

-- J. Krishnamurti

We are the mirror

We are the mirror, as well as the face in it.
We are tasting the taste of eternity this minute.
We are pain and what cures pain.
We are the sweet cold water and the jar that pours.
Soul of the world, no life, nor world remain, no beautiful women and men longing.
Only this ancient love circling the holy black stone of nothing.
Where the lover is the loved, the horizon and everything within it.


--Rumi

Torkom Saraydarian

This is an amzing teacher. It's hard to believe that it has taken me so long to find him, but then, 'when the student is ready, the teacher appears.






About Torkom Saraydarian Print E-mail

Torkom Saraydarian was an extraordinary human being. He was known worldwide as a renowned scholar of comparative religions. He was a great teacher, writer, lecturer, and composer of sacred music.

Torkom Saraydarian (1917-1997) was born in Asia Minor. Since childhood he was trained in the Teachings of the Ageless Wisdom under the guidance of his loving father.

As he grew up, he visited monasteries, ancient temples, and mystery schools in order to find the answers to his questions about the mystery of man and the Universe. He was musically trained and was able to play the violin, piano, oud, cello, and guitar. He composed hundreds of musical pieces that embody his training in the Ageless Wisdom.

His works represent a synthesis of the best and most beautiful in the sacred culture of the world by creating a truly universal approach to spirituality. These works enrich the foundational thinking on which we can construct our future of true global living.

The legacy he left us is an amazing 170 books, half of which half have been published, as well as hundreds of musical pieces, lectures on video and audio tape and meditation courses.

The remarkable achievement in his writings was to synthesize and make comprehensible the huge body of knowledge known as the Ageless Wisdom. TSG is planning to archive all of Torkom's creative works. Check the Archiving Fund for more information and how you can help preserve the huge body of audio, video, and music tapes.


more here :

http://www.tsg-uk.org

Dreams

Want the change ... pour yourself out like a fountain

Sonnets to Orpheus, Part Two, XII

Want the change. Be inspired by the flame
where everything shines as it disappears.
The artist, when sketching, loves nothing so much
as the curve of the body as it turns away.

What locks itself in sameness has congealed.
Is it safer to be gray and numb?
What turns hard becomes rigid
and is easily shattered.

Pour yourself out like a fountain.
Flow into the knowledge that what you are seeking
finishes often at the start, and, with ending, begins.

Every happiness is the child of a separation
it did not think it could survive. And Daphne, becoming
a laurel,
dares you to become the wind.

~ Rainer Maria Rilke ~

(In Praise of Mortality, translated and edited by Anita Barrows and Joanna Macy)

Pleasure

As John Lennon Warned...


" Pleasure is the mechanism that connects all aspects of ourselves, our
senses and our body, our mind and our brain. Right now, consider what is
on your mind most of the time. Ralph Waldo Emerson pointed out that
'Life consists of what a man is thinking of all day.' Is your mind
crowded with obligations, pressures, needs, wants, aspirations, planning
for the future, trying to do more, and have more?

When you jog, do you think about the wonderful scenery or your latest
work challenge? When you eat, do you discuss family problems or the
taste and texture of the food? When you take a vacation to 'get away
from it all', what is the 'all' you are getting away from? Does the
'all' stay on your mind? Why do you want to get away from it? Are
vacations an escape from your own way of living- brief pleasure
probations from a life sentence of obligations?

As John Lennon warned:
IS YOUR LIFE WHAT IS HAPPENING WHILE YOU ARE MAKING OTHER PLANS?
If so, your mind has been 'Westernized' and your indigenous 'pleasure
mind' is being neglected."

--Paul Pearsall, The Pleasure Prescription

Commitment is a powerful force

Commitment is that place inside ourselves that says "I will get there or I will die trying" - and as such it is one of the most powerful forces in the universe. We can tap into this force at any moment, simply by deciding to do so.

How to avoid helpnessness

To void helplessness, be fully present with whatever you are doing . Experiment by being fully present with a mundane task. Do the dishes with awareness, energy, enthusiasm, and as if they're the most important thing in the world.

Acceptance

Life begins to change in magical ways when we open to the experience of life AS IT IS.

With acceptance, we stop fighting what is happening. And this creates space, an opening for new relationships to unfold.

Explore unconditionally saying yes to the facts of life. Accept your past and where you are now.Unconditional acceptance is unconditional love and this is healing.

"Sometimes what seems like surrender isn't
surrender at all. It's about what's going on in our
hearts. About seeing clearly the way life is and
accepting it and being true to it, whatever the
pain, because the pain of not being true to it is
far, far greater."

-- Nicholas Evans

from www.dailyguru.com

The highest good is like water.

The highest good is like water.
Water gives life to the ten thousand things and does not strive.
It flows in places men reject and so is like the Tao.

In dwelling, be close to the land.
In meditation, go deep in the heart.
In dealing with others, be gentle and kind.
In speech, be true.
In ruling, be just.
In business, be competent.
In action, watch the timing.

~ Tao Te Ching ~

(Translation by Gia-Fu Feng and Jane English)

Web archive of Panhala postings: www.panhala.net/Archive/Index.html

Empowering questions for creating your life

By December 31 of any given year, your life is going to be either better or worse. It's your choice. As you try to get your life in order, answer these questions to help you figure out what's important now:

If you were to fully live your life, what is the first change you would start to make?
What areas of your life could be upgraded?
What could you work on now to make the biggest impact on your life?
What are you tolerating or putting up with ?
What do you want MORE of in your life ?
What do you want LESS of in your life ?
What 3 things are you doing regularly that serve and support you ?
What would you try NOW if you couldn't fail ?
What do you love ?
What do you hate ?






What do you realize that you have neglected ?
What could you focus on from now on ?
What do you choose to make important now?

Journalling exercises

see: www.oprah.com


Do you find yourself staring at a blank page? Your journal can be a vehicle to open up your thoughts, feelings and dreams. All you need to do is start writing.

Journal Exercises.

What is your very first memory? Can you recall the details?
What do you love about yourself? What do you hate? Be honest.
Who do you admire or dislike? Do you see yourself in those people?

Journalling tips

Where do you start?


Start with whatever comes.
Let the words flow.
Allow what is within to surface.

When the fear of writing is upon you, write anyway.

Move beyond the superficial.
In order for the writing to be cathartic and healing, you need to be honest—completely honest. You need to move past a superficial retelling of events. Ask yourself more difficult questions such as,

"Why am I feeling this now?"
"What am I feeling right now ? "

Create a special, sacred writing place; quiet zone.

When writing about an event or a feeling also examine the flip side or the positive outcome of the situation.

Re-read what you have written.

Writing is a great way to learn about who you are and where you have been.

Applaud yourself for telling the truth and congratulate yourself for moving on.

Journalling

Release and let go of what is bothering you by writing it down.
Journalling,keeping a diary,blogging is great for just that; for getting things off your chest.


Our minds are our own worst enemies. The same thoughts, often fearful thoughts and worries can go round and round in the same old ways and keep us stuck. Writing about something allows us to explore and see things from a different perspective.

"In truth, to attain to interior peace, one must
be willing to pass through the contrary to peace.
Such is the teaching of the Sages."

-- Swami Brahmanada




"Even though you may want to move forward in your
life, you may have one foot on the brakes. In
order to be free, we must learn how to let go.
Release the hurt. Release the fear. Refuse to
entertain your old pain. The energy it takes to hang
onto the past is holding you back from a new life."

-- Mary Manin Morrissey

You've no idea how hard I've looked for a gift to bring You.

You've no idea how hard I've looked for a gift to bring You.

Nothing seemed right.

What's the point of bringing gold to the gold mine, or water to the Ocean.

Everything I came up with was like taking spices to the Orient.

It's no good giving my heart and my soul because you already have these.

So- I've brought you a mirror.

Look at yourself and remember me.

A Blessing Meditation : Attraction of Money for Spiritual Purposes

A Blessing Meditation for the Attraction of Money for Spiritual Purposes



I. Alignment



This requires quieting the personality so that there is no obstruction to Soul union, for it is the Soul, the Self, that blesses.

Its three stages are:

Relax the bodyStill the emotions so they become as ‘quiet as a mountain lake’.Quiet the ‘monkey mind’ – if it leaps away bring it back to stillness to face the Soul.















II. Visualisation
See a beautiful meadow full of green grasses and flowers of all colours. It is a warm sunny day and the air is full of the perfume of the moist soil and vegetation. Feel the ground beneath your feet, the warm breeze on your skin and hear the sound of birdsong surrounding you. The sun is shining and bathing all in light.


Your attention is drawn to a bee working busily near to you. It flies from flower to flower, collecting nectar and pollen. You notice more and more bees. Their busy sound drones like a comforting perpetual ‘Om’.
You notice them working independently but together, as they each return to an active hive. Their gatherings of nectar are turned into honey. This golden liquid is for the sharing and sustaining of themselves and their community and others that feed on it. There is enough for all and the cycle of gathering and sharing is perpetual, joyful and harmonious.






III. Meditation
Having raised your centre of consciousness endeavour to think through and consider one of the following seed-thoughts:
‘Money is a symbol of divine substance and energy.’‘I appreciate money, blessing it and circulating it as a divine gift.’‘I will use money only for good, right, appropriate purposes.’






IV.Radiation
‘Breathe Out’ your ideas as formulated forms of thought into the great stream of mental substance which is ever playing upon the human consciousness.
Close with a careful consideration of your own responsibility to the Plan.Be practical and realistic and know that if you do not give, you may not ask, for you have no right to evoke that which you do not share.

(The Science and Service of Blessing, by Roberto Assagioli ??? )

Delmore:The Fear,The River,The Mind,

THE MIND IS AN ANCIENT AND FAMOUS CAPITAL..By Delmore Schwartz

The mind is a city like London,
Smoky and populous: it is a capital
Like Rome, ruined and eternal,
Marked by the monuments which no one
Now remembers.
For the mind, like Rome, contains
Catacombs, aqueducts, amphitheatres, palaces,
Churches and equestrian statues, fallen, broken or soiled.
The mind possesses and is possessed by all the ruins
Of every haunted, hunted generation’s celebration.

"Call us what you will: we are made such by love."
We are such studs as dreams are made on, and
Our little lives are ruled by the gods, by
Pan, Piping of all, seeking to grasp or grasping
All of the grapes; and by the bow-and-arrow god,
Cupid, piercing the heart through, suddenly and forever.

Dusk we are, to dusk returning, after the burbing,
After the gold fall, the fallen ash, the bronze,
Scattered and rotten, after the white null statues which
Are winter, sleep, and nothingness: when
Will the houselights of the universe
Light up and blaze?
For it is not the sea
Which murmurs in a shell,
And it is not only heart, at harp o’clock,
It is the dread terror of the uncontrollable
Horses of the apocalypse, running in wild dread
Toward Arcturus—and returning as suddenly ...

Omnipresent intention.

Try imagining a force that's everywhere.
There's no place that you can go where it isn't.
It can't be divided and is present in everything you see or touch.
Now extend your awareness of this infinite field of energy beyond the world of form and boundaries.
This infinite force is everywhere, so it's in both the physical and the nonphysical.
Your physical body is one part of your totality emanating from this energy.
At the instant of conception, intention sets in motion how your physical form will appear and how your growing and aging process will unfold.
It also sets in motion your non-physical aspects, including your emotions, thoughts, and disposition. In this instance, intention is infinite potential activating your physical and nonphysical appearance on Earth.
You've formed out of the omnipresent to become present in time and space.
Because it's omnipresent, this energy field of intent is accessible to you after your physical arrival here on Earth!
The onlyway you deactivate this dormant force is by believing that you're separate from it.

Wayne Dyer

Everything that irritates us about others ( Jung )

Everything that irritates us about others

can lead us to an understanding of ourselves.

Carl Jung

Hear o humankind

A Prayer To Humankind
A poem of the heart
by Manitongquat

HEAR, O HUMANKIND, the prayer of my heart.

For are we not one, have we not one desire, to heal our Mother Earth and bind her wounds?

And still to be free as the spotted Eagle climbing the laughing breath of our Father Sky,

to hear again from dark forests and flashing rivers the varied ever-changing Song of Creation?

O Humankind, are we not all brothers and sisters, are we not the grandchildren of the Great Mystery?

Do we not all want to love and be loved, to work and to play, to sing and dance together?

But we live with fear. Fear that is hate, fear that is ambition, competition, aggression, fear that is loneliness, anger, bitterness, cruelty, fear that is mistrust. envy. greed. vanity. . . and yetfear is only twisted love, love turned back upon itself, devouring itself, hating itself, love that was denied, love that was rejected .

. . and love. ..Love is life - creation, seed and leafand blossom and fruit and seed, love is growth and search and reach and touch and dance, love is nurture and succor and feed and pleasure, love is pleasuring ourself, pleasuring each other, love is life believing in itself.

And life. . . Life is the Sacred Mystery singing to itself, dancing to its drum, telling tales, improvising, playing and we are all that Spirit, our stories all but one cosmic story that we are loved indeed, that perfect love we seek we are already.

That the love in me seeks the love in you, and if our eyes could ever meet without fear, we would recognize each other and rejoice, for love is life believing in itself.

O Humankind, we must stop fearing life, fearing each other, we must absolutely stop hating ourself, resenting Creation .... Life,O Humankind, life is the only treasure. We are the custodians of it, it is our sacred trust.

Life is wondrous, awesome and holy, a burning glory, and its price is simply this: courage . . . we must be brave enough to love.

Hear my heart's prayer, O Humankind, trust in love, don't be afraid. I love you as I love life, I love myself, please love me too, love yourself, for perfect love, as a wise one said, casts out all fear.

If we are to live, there is no other choice, for love is life believing in itself.

Above all, let us set the children free, break the traps of fear that history has fashioned for them, free to grow, to seek and question, to dance and sing, to be dreamers of tomorrow's rainbows, and if we but give them our trust they will guide us to a New Creation, for love is life believing in itself.

Who is responsible ?

Psychosynthesis : Psychology with a soul

"Let us feel and obey the urge aroused by the great need of healing the serious ills which at present are affecting humanity; let us realize the contribution we can make to the creation of a new civilization characterized by a harmonious integration and cooperation, pervaded by the spirit of synthesis."
-- Roberto Assagioli

I first stumbled upon Psychosynthesis in 1996 . I was going through some kind of " crisis of meaning ". Interesting how "when the student is ready the teacher appears ". I was depressed, burnt out, physically and emotionally exhausted yet a little spark inside me urged me to explore this method, both as a way out through the darkness and as a platform on which to start re- buiding my life.
Psychosynthesis is transpersonal psychology, the human journey toward personal wholeness.

Conceived by the Italian psychiatrist Roberto Assagioli (1888-1974), who studied under Freud and Jung and took what he learnt further. Psychosynthesis is often called " psychology with a soul " and is concerned with the realisation of individual potential. Psychosynthesis takes a holistic approach to the human being including body , feelings , mind and soul.

This is how Roberto Assagioli describes psychosynthesis:

" Psychosynthesis is a method of psychological development and self realization for those who refuse to remain the slave of their own inner phantasms or of external influences, who refuse to submit passively to the play of psychological forces which is going on within them, and who are determined to become the master of their own lives'.
-- Roberto Assagioli

Psychosynthesis links :
PsykosyntesAkademin, Stockholm. ( This is where I trained )
http://www.psykosyntesakademin.se/
The Psychosynthesis & Education Trust , London
http://www.psychosynthesis.edu/
(The Trust for Furtherance of Psychosynthesis and Education is a registered educational charity, and the longest established psychosynthesis centre in Britain. )
The Association for the Advancement of Psychosynthesis
http://www.aap-psychosynthesis.org/
( a professional organization dedicated to the dissemination of the ideas and spirit of psychosynthesis throughout the world. )

Grateful Living

A Network for Grateful Living (ANG*L)is a non-profit organization dedicated to gratefulness,a universal principle that serves as the core inspirationfor personal healing, cross-cultural understanding,interfaith dialogue, intergenerational respect,and ecological sustainability.
read more here: http://www.gratefulness.org

Thoughts Blog Action Day

Today I am thinking about what to write tomorrow.

What needs to be said ?

Blog Action Day is about making a difference.

Each of us can contribute to the healing of The Environment.

My contribution will be around the psycho - spiritual environment-

the healing of the World Soul.

Awareness and acceptance of " What is "

Allowing what needs to be born in order for healing to take place.

What facilitates the healing of this planet and our environment ?

The exploriation and questioning of our beliefs and thoughts.

What is working and what isn't ?

Are these my beliefs or someone else's ?

Letting go of what we no longer need; that which does not serve.

Burt Harding : Being

Burt Harding, founder of the Awareness Foundation in Vancouver, offers a radical invitation to recognize the truth of our being as already whole and fulfilled.

He holds satsangs (meetings) in which we are reminded of the love we really are beyond the personal stories we carry. In this way, we come to recognize what we have always known but did not live from ‹ the beauty and wonder of our own true essence.

Burt also conducts sessions and workshops in Supersentience, a system devised to help heal deep wounds and promote a shift in the perception of who we really are.

He has conducted studies in higher consciousness for thirty years and had his own television series on the mind/body connection.

Burt started teaching after an experience with Bhagavan Sri Ramana Maharshi, who appeared to him in 1974 while he was living in Toronto, Ontario. As a result of this experience, he acquired the sure knowledge that the only reality lies in the present moment, the Now, and that everything else is just an illusion. His spiritual search ended in that realization.

Burt Harding - The Awareness Foundation.
www.burtharding.com
http://members.shaw.ca/burtharding/

Isha Lerner

Isha Lerner.

Isha is the co-author of the best selling deck of Inner Child Cards. Four decks including her passion the Power of Flower cards, Isha spoke about “Power Mapping”, a way to see your life path, and about the flower essences that her company makes. Isha Lerner’s work has been proudly featured of the Lightworker.com site as the inspirational interactive area“Pick a Card”.


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qGNW5VLfwkw

Wonder-full !

“...we can't survive without enchantment... the loss of it is killing us.”
-- Thomas Moore


“There is one thing that all true spirituality has in common, whether that spirituality is derived from faith, from science, from nature or from the arts – a sense of wonder.”
-- Andrew Schneider

"There are only two ways to live your life:
One is as though nothing is a miracle,
The other is as though everything is a miracle.
I believe in the latter."
-- Albert Einstein

“We live in a world of theophanies.
Holiness comes wrapped in the ordinary.
There are burning bushes all around you.
Every tree is full of angels.
Hidden beauty is waiting in every crumb.
Life wants to lead you from crumbs to angels, but this can happen only if you are willing to unwrap the ordinary by staying with it long enough to harvest its treasure.”
-- Macrina Wiederkehr

Goethe quote

Treat people as if they were what they ought to be, and you'll help them to become what they are capable of becoming.

Goethe

NIJINSKY film - Google Video

NIJINSKY film - Google Video

Analyze This: Burne Jones' Pan and Psyche - WetCanvas!

Analyze This: Burne Jones' Pan and Psyche - WetCanvas!

YOFA Alignment for Healing

YOFA Alignment for Healing - jhe Sessions

Sexual Energy Infusion -increasing Life Force

http://virtuallightproject.com/VLBroadcasts/2007_04_28.php




Description Segment 6:
Beacons of Light ~ Re-minders from Home for April 2007.
Beginning with Barbara’s “Connecting the Heart” mediation.
The group's message this month is about SEXUAL ENERGY. The group says that comming soon is an increase in sexual energy for each one of us humans.
~ Sexual Energy Infusion ~increasing Life Force

Listening

"So when you are listening to somebody, completely, attentively,

then you are listening not only to the words,

but also to the feeling of what is being conveyed,

to the whole of it,

not part of it."

-- Jiddu Krishnamurti

Why War Ends With You: Seven Practices for Peace From Deepak Chopra -- Beliefnet.com

Why War Ends With You: Seven Practices for Peace From Deepak Chopra -- Beliefnet.com

Try imagining a force that's everywhere.

Try imagining a force that's everywhere. There's no place that you can go where it isn't. It can't be divided and is present in everything you see or touch. Now extend your awareness of this infinite field of energy beyond the world of form and boundaries. This infinite force is everywhere, so it's in both the physical and the nonphysical. Your physical body is one part of your totality emanating from this energy. At the instant of conception, intention sets in motion how your physical form will appear and how your growing and aging process will unfold. It also sets in motion your non-physical aspects, including your emotions, thoughts, and disposition. In this instance, intention is infinite potential activating your physical and nonphysical appearance on Earth. You've formed out of the omnipresent to become present in time and space. Because it's omnipresent, this energy field of intent is accessible to you after your physical arrival here on Earth! The onlyway you deactivate this dormant force is by believing that you're separate from it.

Wayne Dyer

Patanjali :When you are inspired by some great purpose

“When you are inspired by some great purpose,
some extraordinary project,
all your thoughts break their bonds:
Your mind transcends limitations,
your consciousness expands in every direction,
and you find yourself in a new, great, and wonderful world.
Dormant forces, faculties and talents become alive,
and you discover yourself
to be a greater person by far
than you ever dreamed yourself to be.”
- - Patanjali

Let go of your need to be right.

Ego is the source of a lot of conflict and dissension because it pushes you in the direction of making other people wrong.

When you're hostile, you've disconnected from the power of intention. The creative Spirit is kind, loving, and receptive; and free of anger, resentment, or bitterness. Letting go of your need to be right in your discussions and relationships is like saying to ego,

I'm not a slave to you. I want to embrace kindness, and I reject your need to be right. In fact, I'm going to offer this person a chance to feel better by saying that she's right, and thank her for pointing me in the direction of truth.

When you let go of the need to be right, you're able to strengthen your connection to the power of intention. But keep in mind that ego is a determined combatant. I've seen people willing to die rather than let go of being right. I've seen people end other-wise beautiful relationships by sticking to their need to be right. I urge you to let go of this ego-driven need to be right by stopping yourself in the middle of an argument and asking yourself,

Do I want to be right or be happy? When you choose the happy, loving spiritual mode, your connection to intention is strengthened. These moments ultimately expand your new connection to the power of intention. The universal Source will begin to collaborate with you in creating the life you were intended to live.

-- Wayne Dyer

Law of Consciousness

Knowledge of the Law of Consciousness and the the method of operating this law will enable you to accomplish all you desire in life.

The world, and all within it, is man's conditioned consciousness objectified.

Consciousness is the cause as well as the substance of the entire world. So it is to consciousness that we must turn if we would discover the secret of creation.Knowledge of the law of consciousness and the method of operating this law will enable you to accomplish all you desire in life. Armed with a working knowledge of this law, you can build and maintain an ideal world.

Consciousness is the one and only reality, not figuratively but actually. This reality may for the sake of clarity be likened unto a stream which is divided into two parts, the conscious and the subconscious. In order to intelligently operate the law of consciousness it is necessary to understand the relationship between the conscious and the subconscious. The conscious is personal and selective; the subconscious is impersonal and nonselective.

The conscious is the realm of effect; the subconscious is the realm of cause. These two aspects are the male and female divisions of consciousness. The conscious is male; the subconscious is female. The conscious generates ideas and impresses these ideas on the subconscious; the subconscious receives ideas and gives form and expression to them.

By this law - first conceiving an idea and then impressing the idea conceived on the subconscious - all things evolve out of consciousness; and without this sequence there is not anything made that is made. The conscious impresses the subconscious while the subconscious expresses all that is impressed upon it.

The subconscious does not originate ideas but accepts as true those which the conscious mind feels to be true and in a way known only to itself objectifies the accepted ideas. Therefore, through his power to imagine and feel and his freedom to choose the idea he will entertain, man has control over creation. Control of the subconscious is accomplished through control of your ideas and feelings.

The mechanism of creation is hidden in the very depth of the subconscious, the female aspect or womb of creation. The subconscious transcends reason and is independent of induction. It contemplates a feeling as a fact existing within itself and on this assumption proceeds to give expression to it. The creative process begins with an idea and its cycle runs its course as a feeling and ends in a volition to act.Ideas are impressed on the subconscious through the medium of feeling.

No idea can be impressed on the subconscious until it is felt, but once felt - be it good, bad or indifferent - it must be expressed. Feeling is the one and only medium through which ideas are conveyed to the subconscious. Therefore, the man who does not control his feeling may easily impress the subconscious with undesirable states. By control of feeling is not meant restraint or suppression of your feeling, but rather the disciplining of self to imagine and entertain only such feeling as contributes to your happiness. Control of your feelings is all important to a full and happy life. Never entertain an undesirable feeling nor think sympathetically about wrong in any shape or form.

Do not dwell on the imperfection of yourself or others. To do so is to impress the subconscious with these limitations. What you do not want done unto you, do not feel that it is done unto you or another. This is the whole law of the full and happy life. Everything else is commentary.Every feeling makes a subconscious impression and unless it is counteracted by a more powerful feeling of an opposite nature must be expressed. The dominant of two feelings is the one expressed. I am healthy is a stronger feeling than I will be healthy. To feel I will be is to confess I am not; I am is stronger than I am not. What you feel you are always dominates what you feel you would like to be; therefore, to be realized the wish must be felt as a state that is rather than a state that is not.

FEELING IS THE SECRET

Copyright 1944 by NEVILLETo get the Feeling is the Secret please go to www.Amazon.com and get The Neville Reader book from DevorssNeville Lectures to Change Your World Subscriptionwww.NevilleLectureH all.com Imagination is the Solution to Any Problem! - Find Out How By Reading a Neville Lecture Now!http://www.nevillel ecturehall. com/lectures. html Over 75 Lectures to Download and Read Nowhttp://www.nevillel ecturehall. com/wallpaper. html

Labels limit

"When I let go of what I am, I become what I might be."

-- Lao Tzu

How do I label myself?

How do I llabel others?

I am aware that any label is limiting.

Labels pinch like tight shoes.

There’s no room to move.

‘I am.’

"As long as I am this or that, I am not all things."

-- Meister Eckhart "

Your only limitations are those you set up in your mind, or permit others to set up for you."

-- Og Mandino

On God

Self is God - Your Consciousness is the Light of Life

I don't like using the word " GOD " because of its associations- Church, personification and because of all ways the word has been misused. For me " GOD " is " All That Is " ; " Pure Being " "Consciousness" " The Universe "

We Are All God within the one being,the ONENESS or the LOGOS , The WORD. It is the Consciousness behind The Word that projects The WORD.

For me it is enough to know that the Self Is God, I don't need " God " to be a person to have a relationship with "him " or "her". I accept that as consciousness "God " is a higher vibration and does not need a physical or personal form. Having said that, if having a form facilitates having a relationship ,then why not ? For the purpose of having a conversation , why not imagine " God " as a man , woman or child for that matter . " God " can take on any form . Easy peasy .

I don't like GOD being referred to as " HE " or the " Father " but that is a reaction to the Patriarcal world we live in.

What kind of flower are you ?

I am a Snapdragon What Flower Are You?

The Beatles- Here comes the sun

bob marley - one love

One Love ... one heart ... let's get together and feel all right ....

AMAZING video .. bless you Bob Marley ..love and peace in all dimensions xxx

Thich Quang Duc. The most powerful statement ever

1963. Thich Quang Duc, the Buddhist priest in Southern Vietnam , burns himself to death protesting the government’s torture policy against priests. Thich Quang Dug never made a sound or moved while he was burning.

http://buddhismtoday.com/english/vietnam/figure/003-htQuangduc.htm

44 years ago .. I am still in shock .

Bless his soul.

"The Indian Parrot" by Coleman Barks

"The Indian Parrot" by Coleman Barks
(Published in One-Handed Basket Weaving. Maypop Books, 1991.)

There was a merchant setting out for India.
He asked each male and female servantwhat they wanted to be brought as a gift.
Each told him a different exotic object:A piece of silk, a brass figurine,a pearl necklace.
Then he asked his beautiful caged parrot,the one with such a lovely voice, and she said,

"When you see the Indian parrots, describe my cage.
Say that I need guidance here in my separation from them.
Ask how our friendship can continue with me so confined and them flying about freely in the meadow mist.
Tell them that I remember well our mornings moving together from tree to tree.
Tell them to drink one cup of ecstatic wine in honour of me here in the dregs of my life.
Tell them that the sound of their quarreling high in the trees would be sweeter to hear than any music."

This parrot is the spirit-bird in all of us, that part that wants to return to freedom, and is the freedom. What she wants from India is herself!

So this parrot gave her message to the merchant, and when he reached India, he saw a field full of parrots. He stopped and called out what she had told him.

One of the nearest parrots shivered and stiffened and fell down dead.

The merchant said,
"This one is surely kin to my parrot. I shouldn't have spoken."

He finished his trading and returned home with the presents for his workers.

When he got to the parrot, she demanded her gift.
"What happened when you told my storyto the Indian parrots?"

"I'm afraid to say."

"Master, you must!"

"When I spoke your complaint to the fieldof chattering parrots, it broke one of their hearts.
She must have been a close companion,or a relative, for when she heard about you she grew quiet and trembled, and died."

As the caged parrot heard this, she herself quivered and sank to the cage floor.

This merchant was a good man. He grieved deeply for his parrot, murmuring distracted phrases, self-contradictory -cold, then loving - clear, then murky with symbolism.

A drowning man reaches for anything!
The Friend loves this flailing about better than any lying still.
The One who lives inside existence stays constantly in motion, and and whatever you do, that king watches through the window.

When the merchant threw the "dead" parrot out of the cage, it spread its wings and glided to a nearby tree!

The merchant suddenly understood the mystery.

"Sweet singer, what was in the message that taught you this trick?"

"She told me that it was the charm of my voice that kept me caged.Give it up, and be released!"

The parrot told the merchant one or two more spiritual truths. Then a tender goodbye.

"God protect you," said the merchant "as you go on your new way. I hope to follow you!"

What if ... ?

What if... ?

"The universe is full of magical things patiently waiting for our wits to grow sharper."
-- Eden Phillpotts

What if you were to pretend that you were healthy, wealthy and wise? What if you were to decide to be happy, no matter what else was happening? Take the power of ‘what if...’ seriously, and you will grasp the power to create a world of your own design. Everything, EVERYTHING begins in the imagination. Put it to work constructively for you.

"The greatest discovery of my generation is that a human being can alter his life by altering his attitudes."
-- William James

"Sometimes I've believed as many as six impossible things before breakfast."
-- Lewis Carroll

Life in abundance comes through love

There is no force more potent than love.
Take away love and your world is a tomb.
Your life echoes emptiness without love.
With it, your life will vibrate with warmth and meaning.
Even during hardship, love will shine through.
As you look back upon the events in your life you will find that the moments that stand out,the moments when you have really lived, are the moments when you have done things in a spirit of love.

If you have it, you don't need to have anything else, and if you don't have it, it doesn't matter what else you have.

Therefore, search for love.

Once you have learned to love, you will have learned to live.
Love is the most important ingredient to your success.

Happy Valentine's Day!
Daily Guru
www.dailyguru.com

YOur LIfe Purpose ( Wayne Dywer )

Ignore what anyone else tells you about your purpose.Regardless of what anyone might say to you, the truth about your feeling purposeful is that only you can know it, and if you don't feel it in that innerplace where a burning desire resides, it isn't your purpose. Your relatives andfriends may attempt to convince you that what they feel is your destiny. Theymay see talents that they think will help you make a great living, or they maywant you to follow in their footsteps because they think you'll be happy doingwhat they've done for a lifetime. Your skill at mathematics or decorating orfixing electronic equipment might indicate a high aptitude for a givenpursuit--but in the end, if you don't feel it, nothing can make it resonate withyou.

Your purpose is between you and your Source, and the closer you get to what thatfield of intention looks and acts like, the more you'll know that you're beingpurposefully guided. You might have zero measurable aptitudes and skills in agiven area, yet feel inwardly drawn to doing it. Forget the aptitude-testresults, forget the absence of skills or know-how, and most important, ignorethe opinions of others and listen to your heart.Wayne Dyer

Teachings of Sri Ramana Maharishi

Happiness

All beings desire happiness always, happiness without a tinge of sorrow. At the same time everybody loves himself best. The cause for this love is only happiness. So, that happiness must lie in one. Further, that happiness is daily experienced by everyone in sleep, when there is no mind. To attain that natural happiness one must know oneself. For that, Self-Enquiry 'Who am I?' is the chief means.

Consciousness

Existence or Consciousness is the only reality. Consciousness plus waking we call waking. Consciousness plus sleep we call sleep. Consciousness plus dream, we call dream. Consciousness is the screen on which all the pictures come and go. The screen is real, the pictures are mere shadows on it.

Mind

Mind is a wonderful force inherent in the Self. That which arises in this body as 'I' is the mind. When the subtle mind emerges through the brain and the senses, the gross names and forms are cognized. When it remains in the Heart, names and forms disappear. If the mind remains in the Heart, the 'I' or the ego which is the source of all thoughts will go, and the Self, the Real, Eternal 'I' alone will shine. Where there is not the slightest trace of the ego, there is the Self.

Who Am I ?

Enquiry For all thoughts the source is the 'I' thought. The mind will merge only by Self-enquiry 'Who am I?' The thought 'Who am l?' will destroy all other thoughts and finally kill itself also. If other thoughts arise, without trying to complete them, one must enquire to whom did this thought arise. What does it matter how many thoughts arise? As each thought arises one must be watchful and ask to whom is this thought occurring. The answer will be 'to me'. If you enquire 'Who am I?' the mind will return to its source (or where it issued from). The thought which arose will also submerge. As you practise like this more and more, the power of the mind to remain as its source is increased.

Surrender
There are two ways of achieving surrender. One is looking into the source of the 'I' and merging into that source. The other is feeling 'I am helpless myself, God alone is all powerful, and except by throwing myself completely on Him, there is no other means of safety for me', and thus gradually developing the conviction that God alone exists and the ego does not count. Both methods lead to the same goal. Complete surrender is another name for jnana or liberation.

The Three States :
Walking, Dream and Deep SleepThere is no difference between the dream and the waking states except that the dream is short and the waking long. Both are the result of the mind. Our real state, called turiya, is beyond the waking, dream and sleep states.

Grace and GuruI have not said that a Guru is not necessary. But a Guru need not always be in human form. First a person thinks that he is an inferior and that there is a superior, all-knowing, all powerful God who controls his own and the world's destiny and worships him or does Bhakti. When he reaches a certain stage and becomes fit for enlightenment, the same God whom he was worshipping comes as Guru and leads him on. That Guru comes only to tell him that ‘God is within yourself. Dive within and realize.’ God, Guru and the Self are the same.

Self - Realization

The state we call realization is simply being oneself, not knowing anything or becoming anything. If one has realized, he is that which alone is, and which alone has always been. He cannot describe that state. He can only be That. Of course, we loosely talk of Self-realization for want of a better term. That which is, is peace. All that we need do is to keep quiet. Peace is our real nature. We spoil it. What is required is that we cease to spoil it.

HeartIn the center of the cavity of the Heart, the sole Brahman shines by itself as the Atman (Self) in the feeling of 'I-I'. Reach the Heart by diving within yourself, either with control of breath, or with thought concentrated on the quest of Self. You will thus get fixed in the Self.

RenunciationAsked “How does a grihastha (householder) fare in the scheme of Moksha (liberation)?” Bhagavan said, “Why do you think you are a grihastha? If you go out as a sannyasi (ascetic), a similar thought that you are a sannyasi will haunt you. Whether you continue in the household or renounce it and go to the forest, your mind goes with you. The ego is the source of all thought. It creates the body and the world and makes you think you are a grihastha . If you renounce the world it will only substitute the thought sannyasi for grihastha and the environment of the forest for that of the household. But the mental obstacles will still be there. They even increase in the new surroundings. There is no help in change of environment. The obstacle is the mind. It must be got over whether at home or in the forest. If you can do it in the forest, why not at home? Therefore, why change your environment? Your efforts can be made even now - in whatever environment you are now. The environment will never change according to your desire.”

Fate and Free Will

Free will and destiny are ever existent. Destiny is the result of past action; it concerns the body. Let the body act as may suit it. Why are you concerned about it? Why do you pay attention to it? Free will and destiny last as long as the body lasts. But jnana transcends both. The Self is beyond knowledge and ignorance. Whatever happens, happens as the result of one's past actions, of divine will and of other factors. There are only two ways to conquer destiny or be independent of it. One is to enquire for whom is this destiny and discover that only the ego is bound by destiny and not the Self and that the ego is non-existent. The other way is to kill the ego by completely surrendering to the Lord, by realizing one's helplessness and saying all the time, 'Not I, but Thou, oh Lord' and giving up all sense of 'I' and ‘mine’, and leaving it to the Lord to do what he likes with you. Complete effacement of the ego is necessary to conquer destiny, whether you achieve this effacement through Self-enquiry or bhakti marga (path).

The Jnani
The jnani has attained Liberation even while alive, here and now. It is immaterial to him as to how, where and when he leaves the body. Some jnanis may appear to suffer, others may be in samadhi; still others may disappear from sight before death. But that makes no difference to their jnana. Such suffering is apparent, seems real to the onlooker, but is not felt by the jnani, for he has already transcended the mistaken identity of the Self with the body. The jnani does not think he is the body. He does not even see the body. He sees only the Self in the body. If the body is not there, but only the Self, the question of its disappearing in any form does not arise.

About Burt Harding

Burt Harding, founder of the Awareness Foundation in Vancouver, offers a radical invitation to recognize the truth of our being as already whole and fulfilled.
He holds satsangs (meetings) in which we are reminded of the love we really are beyond the personal stories we carry. In this way, we come to recognize what we have always known but did not live from ‹ the beauty and wonder of our own true essence.
Burt also conducts sessions and workshops in Supersentience, a system devised to help heal deep wounds and promote a shift in the perception of who we really are.
He has conducted studies in higher consciousness for thirty years and had his own television series on the mind/body connection.

http://members.shaw.ca/burtharding/Biography.html

Burt started teaching after an experience with Bhagavan Sri Ramana Maharshi, who appeared to him in 1974 while he was living in Toronto, Ontario. As a result of this experience, he acquired the sure knowledge that the only reality lies in the present moment, the Now, and that everything else is just an illusion. His spiritual search ended in that realization.

( On 4th January 2007 ramana-maharshi.org was divided into two new distinct websites:
The first website is dedicated to Arunachala, Bhagavan Sri Ramana Maharshi and to helping devotees in whatever way it is possible to do so. It also has a forum for use by devotees. The address is:
http://www.arunachala-ramana.org/
Sri Ramanasramam now has its own website hosted in India. The address is:
http://www.sriramanamaharshi.org/ - Their new email address is - ashram@sriramanamaharshi.org
ramana-maharshi.org will continue to function in a very limited way throughout 2007. Please do not forget to bookmark the new sites. )

Reviewing feelings versus emotions ( Burt )

Dear Burt,

Thank you for the Satsang today. Would you please clarify feelings versus emotions (energy in motion like frustration, anger, sadness, depression, fear?) again?
With love, M.

Dear sweet M.,
I noticed your energy last night and your listening was quite good. When someone listens well there is an aura of beautiful energy around the person.

You asked me to clarify feelings versus emotions. First of all please remember that words like ‘feelings’ and ‘emotions’ are often intertwined and mixed up by most people. However, when you start going deep into spiritual understanding, you will start to feel subtler feelings — feelings that most people are not aware of. So, in order to explain them one must use special explanations like saying ‘there is a vast difference between true feelings and emotions.’

A true feeling is joy, it is a feeling as if you have disappeared and have merged with everything around you. For example, observe a baby when they are happy, there is a brightness in their eyes with so much joy. Their smile is captivating and their innocence is heart-warming yet as they reach out to you, they are oblivious of themselves. In other words, they are not self-conscious. Now, this feeling is known as Pure Feeling. It is not an emotion because the body is not caught in any sensation other than total ‘melting’ with whatever is at the moment.

Now, an emotion is the opposite of that feeling. An emotion is a motion of sensation in the body. Again, suppose you are with a group of people that make you feel uncomfortable. You can feel the sensation of emotion in your face, in your red hot ears, in your contraction, self-consciousness or a feeling of smallness. Along with this emotional feeling in the body you also feel a ‘story’ going along with it such as, “I could kill them,” or maybe not as drastic such as, “They are obnoxious,” or “Gee, I don’t like them...” and so on. Just as pure feeling is joyous and all -encompassing with the environment with no story or physical discomfort, so is emotion filled with a story (mental activity regarding that emotion) plus self-conscious contraction.

Every emotion such as anger, depression, frustration and even sadness is a carry-over from a thought. For example, if you have been often ignored by others as a child or not shown love by your parents and so on, then there is the inevitable thinking that you are separate and different from others. This can’t be helped. Any thought regarding feeling ignored or unloved brings the need for having love, having meaning, having importance or becoming something. The human being can’t help seeking that which they feel they are missing. The reason for this automatic seeking is because that is how the heart reaches for itself through us. However, when these needs for love are not understood they start making us feel lonely, separate from others and create a feeling of smallness, which again makes us want to be special even more. This vicious circle creates many emotional feelings of quiet sadness, depression, anger, frustration, irritability, judging others, and general unhappiness. Every human being goes through this and it can’t be helped.

What happens with most people is that they can’t feel happy and so bury these emotional feelings by ‘trying’ to have fun, have wild sex, look for parties, maybe drink alcohol, become workaholics, take drugs, do crazy things and a million other escapes in order NOT to feel this nagging emptiness. However, this nagging emptiness cannot be avoided because it is not something bad, it is a warning (karma) that we are not being honest with ourselves, we are lying and deceiving our truth of being. Did you know that very very few people actually know that true feelings are joy (inner peace, contentment or inner fulfillment)?

So, growth is dealing with emotional suffering through awareness until only pure feeling remains. Pure feeling is the voice of God within. It ‘talks’ to us through silence and shows us (through its light) how everything IS!! This is the Inner Silence that all masters talk about.

To understand what I have written to you, is to begin to ‘FEEL’ inside you what is beyond words. The extent that you ‘FEEL’ (not emotional) what is being said here is called heart-understanding. It is spiritual understanding.
With love,
Burt
http://members.shaw.ca/burtharding/feelings.html

Emotions ( Wayne Dyer )

Your emotions are the inner experiences that tell you how much of the divine energy you're summoning for the manifestation of your desires.

Feelings can be measuring tools that gauge how you're doing in the manifestation process.

An exceptionally positive emotional response indicates that you're summoning the divine energy of intention and allowing that energy to flow to you in anonresistant manner.

Feelings of passion, pure bliss, reverence, unmitigatedoptimism, unquestioned trust, and even illumination indicate that your desire to manifest success and abundance, for example, have an extremely strong pulling power from the universal Source to you.

You must learn to pay close attentionto the presence of these feelings.

These emotions aren't just facets of yourlife that are empty of energy--they're agents that are in charge of how you clean and purify the connecting link to intention. These emotions tell youp recisely how much of the life force you're summoning,and how much pulling power you have going for you at that moment.

-- Wayne Dyer

What blocks connection?

What blocks connection?

"People are lonely because they build walls instead of bridges."
-- Joseph F. Newton

We experience soul when we really connect with life -- when we stop and consciously experience what is happening.

We lose soul with: - resistance - to anyone or anything- superficiality - we avoid depth of experience- control - we try to control the relationship- selfishness - we remain self-centered.

Each of these attitudes fosters separation rather than connection. Once again, soul lives in relating. Take time to become aware of, and perhaps journal on how you relate to other people and things in your life.

"We have to decide for ourselves what’s nourishing to our souls,

and do those things over others."

-- Thomas Moore

Relationships

"It's surprising how many persons go through life without ever recognizing that their feelings toward other people are largely determined by their feelings toward themselves, and if you're not comfortable within yourself, you can't be comfortable with others." -- Sydney J. Harris

Relationships are such a challenge because life pulls us in opposite directions at the same time. Our personality feels the need to be unique and special and so our focus lies on how we are different from others. Differences hold the potential to create conflict. At the same time, our souls live through connection with others. We are challenged to rise above our personal preferences to discover how we and the other are the same. Our overall need lies in balancing these two tendencies.

"The purpose of relationships is not happiness, but transformation." -- Andrew Schneider

Becoming in touch with your personal sources of power

Becoming in touch with your personal sources of power can be a way for you to feel effective and empowering.

Reflect upon the strengths you possess, which could help you use your influence in a positive and supportive way.

Ask yourself :

" What assets do I have that others admire in me ? "

Some clues that can lead you to uncover strengths and resources:

Think about the things in which you are weak, and what you have done to overcome those challenges, for these triumphs are your strengths.


Uncovering the gifts that you have, can give you greater confidence and increase the feelings of self-worth that are required to positively impact others.

Once we understand our strengths, we are able to affect positive and lasting changes in our lives and in the lives of those around us.

Consciously examining our talents, brings our strengths to the fore and helps us to gain confidence in what we are able to achieve.

By knowing your strengths today, you will inspire, encourage, and influence others through your strong sense of self.

Accepting change

"We cannot live the afternoon of life according to the programme of life's morning; for what in the morning was true will in evening become a lie."

-- C.G. JungLife continually evolves.

We’re always moving into new experiences, new possibilities. This constant change unsettles the personality, which finds security in stability. But with life always in flux, that security is an illusion. We experience pain by trying to hold on to things that are not solid.Life becomes joyful when we can open to the constant flow and ride freely with it. This requires us to let go of the need to control. We need to learn to trust."Can it then be that what we call the ‘self’ is fluid and elastic? It evolves, strikes a different balance with every new breath."
-- Wayne Muller

http://www.thedailyguru.com/higherawareness.htm

Life on the Train

Life on the Train

(Text of a slide show)


Life is like a train ride,

We get on.
We ride.

We get off.

We get back on and ride some more.
There are accidents and there are delays.

At certain stops there are surprises.
Some of these will translate into great moments of joy,
some will result in profound sorrow.

When we are born and we board the train,
we meet people whom we think will be with us
for the entire journey.

These people are our parents!

Sadly, this is far from the truth.

Our parents are with us for as long as we absolutely need them.

They too have journeys they must complete.

We live on with the memories of their love,
affection, friendship, guidance and their ever presence.

There are others who board the train and who eventually
become very important to us, in turn.
These people are our brothers, sisters, friends and
acquaintances, whom we will learn to love and cherish.

Some people consider their journey like a jaunty tour.
They will just go merrily along. Others, will encounter
many upsets, tears, losses on their journey.
Others still, will linger on to offer a helping hand
to anyone in need.

Some people on the train will leave an everlasting impression when they get off....

Some will get on and get off so quickly, they will
scarcely leave a sign that they ever travelled along
with you or ever crossed your path....

We will sometimes be upset that some passengers
whom we love, will choose to sit in another compartment,
and leave us to travel on our own,

Then again, there's nothing that says we can't seek them
out anyway.

Nevertheless, once sought out and found, we may not
even be able to sit next to them because that seat
will already be taken.

That's okay....everyone's journey will be filled with
hopes, dreams, challenges, setbacks and goodbyes.

We must strive to make the best of it....no matter what...

We must constantly strive to understand our travel
companions and look for the best in everyone.

Remember that on any moment during our journey,
any one of our travel companions can have a weak
moment and be in need of our help.

We too may vacillate or hesitate,even trip....
hopefully we can count on someone being there
to be supportive and understanding....

The bigger mystery of our journey is that we don't know when our last stop will come.

Neither do we know when our travel companions will make their last stop.

Not even those sitting in the seat next to us.

Personally, I know I'll be sad to make my final stop--
I'm sure of it!

My separation from all those friends and
acquaintances I made during the train ride will
be painful. Leaving all those I'm close to will be a sad thing.
But then again, I'm certain that one day I'll get to the
train station only to meet up with everyone else.
They'll be carrying their luggage - most of which they didn't have when they first got on this train.

I'll be glad to see them again. I'll also be glad to have
contributed to their baggage....and to have enriched
their lives, just as much as they will have
contributed to my baggage and enriched my life.

We're all on this train ride together.
Above all, we should all try to strive to make the ride
as pleasant and memorable as we can,
right up until we each make the final stop
and leave the train for the last time.

All aboard!

Safe journey!!
B O N V O Y A G E !

on meditation

I've been neglecting regular daily meditation lately , but I intend to change that. From now on morning meditation first thing and last thing at night rather than here and there during the day.

Last night's meditation felt good 23 :30- to midnight. Woke up at 4 am with the moon on my face and the sound of my painting falling off my story- board on my bedroom door.

This morning's meditation wasn't easy- got lost in thoughts several times but felt stillness towards the end . I know it's not supposed to be any way - just observations- keeping notes.

Funny how what you focus on grows- this came to me today in an email:

Why meditate?

"Meditation brings wisdom; lack of meditation leaves ignorance. Know well what leads you forward and what holds you back, and choose the path that leads to wisdom."-- Buddha


Meditation is considered an essential practice for those who seek self-knowledge and self-mastery. Why? Basically, meditation brings awareness of how our minds work. Over time, we become watchers, able to detach from the thoughts and emotions that play out in our minds.With this detachment, we gain the freedom to choose whether or not to act on our thoughts and emotions. We learn to distinguish between objective reality and our mental and emotional dramas."

Only in quiet waters things mirror themselves undistorted. Only in a quiet mind is adequate perception of the world."-- Hans Margolius