Contemplation: Introversion

Contemplation: Introversion

Introversion

The ability to enjoy one's own company is one of the greatest gifts life has to offer. Learning to turn my thoughts away from all my responsibilities at the day's end and take my mind into a state of peace and benevolence enables me to carry greater and greater loads without feeling the burden. When my inner landscape is full of beautiful thoughts, everything I do is a pleasure. Gently, I calm down chaotic situations and offer solace to troubled minds.

Trust comes when there is mutual respect.

It is normally experienced that it is difficult to trust people around me. I do want to but the negative experiences do not let me do so. I add up to this negative experience with each incident that happens, which further breaks my trust for people. The only way to trust and gain people's trust is by
having respect for them. Respect makes me look at the specialities in
everyone and I am able to relate to these specialities. The more I
look at the positive aspect in others, the more I am able to encourage
others to use these specialities and relate to my own specialities
too. This is the only way that trust comes.

Meditation To Experience Being An Impartial Observer

Experience the following thoughts one after the other:

I sit in a relaxed position, letting all tensions dissolve...
I relax my shoulders and neck and breathe deeply several times...
Now I focus all my attention inside and observe what is happening in mind...
I observe, and look carefully...
I see myself in different situations; I can identify the things that affect me most, the dependencies on things and people, the various circumstances in which I see myself involved...
I observe how these external factors influence me and change my state of mind. I lack trust in some people, but with others I can express myself freely. There are many influences in my life...
There are the influences of these external factors...
I separate myself from them and observe my inner qualities; I begin to feel that peace, strength and love are part of my original self...
They are so strong that they cannot be influenced by the changing external factors...
I create positive thoughts about myself...
I am a being independent of external influences, and in my inner self there are many qualities

Soul Sustenance 

Stress Management

Often when faced with stress at work or at home, we can feel quite drained (mentally tired). Indeed, we may have noticed how certain individuals or particular situations are draining. We feel as if all our energy has been drawn out of us and it leaves us tired and exhausted. Although this sort of energy cannot be measured in the scientific sense, we can use the power of imagery to stop us feeling drained.

E.g. we can visualize that we are surrounded by a sphere of golden light, so any negative feelings or energies cannot affect us. In a detached way, we can view what is happening and can act suitably, but we are not touched by the stress. This method of using your power of visualization to create protective shields around us can be used in stressful situations e.g. before or during an important exam or an important meeting, interview or any other specific situation.

Message for the day 

The one who serves with the balance of the head and the heart is the one who is successful.

Projection: We usually give directions to people when they go wrong. We also use a lot of logic when we give such directions, but it doesn't always have the desired effect. We then begin to consider the other person to be wrong.

Solution: What we need to do is to have a balance of both the head and the heart while giving our suggestions to others. That means we need to have a lot of love while giving our suggestions to them. Then whatever we say will have its effect on them.

Contemplation: Think Eternity

Contemplation: Think Eternity
Think Eternity Life experiences are like sentences – we are always looking for the full stop, the conclusion. It’s OK to end a train of thought, but not thought itself. Thoughts are like the magic carpet, on which the soul rides across eternity - in reality, there are no endings, no conclusions. Rest for the spirit (which is what we are) is when we allow only the current of the purest thoughts to flow through our mind - thoughts which carry good wishes and blessings for ourselves and others. This is not so much going with the flow, as being in the flow, and refreshed by the flow. For when we have powerful, positive thoughts for and about others, who experiences them first?

Silence is a quiet and peaceful mind
with only a few necessary positive thoughts.
And when we are silent, there's a certain magic that happens:
the penny drops; realizations come easily; decisions can be made
smoothly....

In fact, silence speaks volumes if we just take a moment to listen!

Soul Sustenance

The Energy of Thought and Feeling

Like so many other energies like sound energy, light energy, electrical energy, etc. which are primarily invisible forms of energy and come under the realm of matter or the 5 elements, the energy of thought and feeling is also a form of invisible energy. The only difference is that it is an energy which transcends the limits of matter or the 5 elements and is metaphysical or non-physical and extremely subtle in nature. It is a living or conscient energy which originates from the conscient soul, as compared to the other energies which are non-living or non-conscient in nature. But at the same time, it is important not to forget that it is closely connected with the physical body and can only express itself through a physical body. The other energies cannot express themselves since they are non-living. Also, we perceive this energy only when we are inside the physical body.

It is an energy which has kept going and going for as long as we have lived, life after life, in many wrong directions a lot of times. It is this energy which we need to learn to channelize, control, manage, discipline etc. because by doing that we experience our original virtues of peace, love, joy and power, which is our only and only desire, for which we use various different methods, but many times is not fulfilled, because we forget this basic and most important method. This is something which we have not been able to do since a long time, and something which a lot of people have desired to achieve since thousands of years. The technique of meditation is one technique which helps us in doing that. The channelization of this energy will also improve the state of our physical body as it has a positive effect on the various body systems, the quality of all roles that we play and the success we achieve while playing them and very importantly our relationships– not only with others but with our self and the Supreme Being or God also.

Message for the day

The one who is truly fortunate is constantly enthusiastic.

Projection: When we find things going wrong with us, we immediately find ourselves losing all enthusiasm. We then do nothing to change our situation but just begin to curse our fate. With such an attitude we can do nothing to change our fortune.

Solution: When things go wrong, we have to recognise the fact that it is the present that is in our hands. We don't need to think of what happened in the past and curse our fate. Instead we need to fill ourselves with enthusiasm to make the best use of the present to make our future the best.

Contemplation: A Game

Contemplation: A Game

Photo Matt Hutton:  Surfing with Dolphins, Kalbarri, Australia

A Game

By seeing life as a game, your lightness of spirit will make problems seem easier.

To forgive the self is to have the ability to forgive others too.

I sometimes find it very difficult to forgive the mistakes committed
by others. I do try to understand but am not able to understand the
other person's behaviour and so find it difficult to forgive them.
When I have love for myself and am able to learn from all that
happens, I am able to forgive myself. When I know to do this, I can
understand the other person too from his perspective and can easily
forgive him.

Soul Sustenance

Serving Though The Subtle Body Of Light

Apart from our physical form (body), each one of us also has a form of light -a subtle light body. It is referred to as the aura, and can be 'seen' by some sensitive souls. All of us might not be able to ‘see’ it, but we can become‘aware’ of the aura of others’ through the vibrations they emit. The purity of our subtle, light form is dependent on the purity of our thoughts or mental vibrations. Given below are some thoughts for a meditation to help experience your subtle form and serve through it. Think and visualize each thought alongside:

I become detached from my physical surroundings... I consciously create only the purest thoughts... Now I visualize my true form… I am a subtle being of pure spiritual light, a sparkling star situated at the center of the forehead... Gradually, I become aware of my subtle body of pure, white light surrounding rny physical form... In my body of light, I, the soul, the sparkling energy, consciously stand up and step away from my physical form, which remains seated... I, the soul, inside my subtle body, observe my physical body in a detached way… Now I slowly fly outside the room I am in… I visualize myself, in the subtle form, suspended in the sky… White rays of spiritual light radiate from me, the soul, and my body of light into the world... like that of an angel… In this pure awareness of myself in my form of light, I realize that the greatest gifts I can share with those around me are the light of love, peace and truth.

Sitting anywhere, this meditation exercise can be done to visualize oneself in a hospital, on the site of a natural calamity, accident, next to a friend or relative in pain etc., basically anywhere where vibrations of positivity, peace and happiness are required – the location of visualizing yourself can be hundreds of miles from where you may physically be. As you practice the art of being aware of your subtle body, you will begin to sense how you can have a positive effect on others simply radiating good wishes, pure thoughts and pure feelings.

Message for the day

To take a vow means to guarantee transformation

Projection: When we decide to bring about a change in some aspect we sometimes work hard in the beginning with commitment and sincerity and slowly find our enthusiasm lessening. So we give up before we could really bring about any change.

Solution: Just as the one who takes a vow never breaks it, we too need to take the vow to transform. Whatever obstacles come our way, our special attention has to be not to break the vow. Then we will not stop when obstacles come our way.

Contemplation: Resist Not

Contemplation:  Resist Not

Resist Not

Have you ever noticed that resistance leads to persistence. And behind all resistance is self-created fear. The only way to relax and stay relaxed is acceptance. You don't have to agree, or follow, or condone, but acceptance means you begin any interaction with a serenity which invites others to engage with you. And out of engagement comes the satisfaction of creative expression and an enriching relationship. That's relaxation in action! 

The way to bring transformation in others is to have mercy for them.

Inspite of wanting to bring about a positive change in people and
working towards it, I rarely find that kind of change that I expect.
People continue to display their old patterns of behaviour and finally
I end up only feeling disappointed or frustrated. Real change can come
in people only when I am able to have a vision of mercy for them. With
mercy I am able to perceive and bring out the best in people without
actually being caught up with expectations. Once I am able to see the
positive qualities I am able to encourage them to use these qualities.

Soul Sustenance

Checking Myself On The Stage Of Action

Once we become aware of the possible types of thoughts that the mind creates at different times in the span of a particular day, then we are in a position to keep a check on our thoughts and understand where our energy is being wasted. Once we realize that there are patterns of waste and negative thinking at some times during the day, which are usually triggered by certain situations or people, we can apply a brake on the pattern of habitual negative thinking, thereby transforming this energy wastage into something more positive.

It does happen, that when we are informed about the benefits of meditation for the first time, perhaps in a course or a presentation either in the office, in a center of a spiritual organization or elsewhere; we realize the need for the same but we also feel that, in order to get the house of our minds in order, we need to leave our busy city lifestyles behind and head for the hills. There, we think, we will find the time and the physical and spiritual environment to practice meditation and get our mental state in order, but this is absolutely untrue. While going on an occasional spiritual retreat is certainly useful and recommended for the development of the spiritual self, the real workshop is life itself. Even if I am able to maintain a positive and powerful state of mind in a retreat, it is in our daily actions and relationships with others where the challenge lies, it is on the stage of action or ‘karma kshetra’ that we have to check whether we can remain soul-conscious i.e. in the awareness of our spiritual identity. It is here where we have to see whether we can apply the brakes on patterns of negative thinking, establish and maintain patterns of positive thinking and test whether we have reached the stage where, no person or situation, however negative, can disturb our state of mind.

Message for the day

Perfection comes to the one who is open to learning.

Projection: When we realize having made a mistake, we usually have negative thoughts about ourselves. This is because we expect the best out of ourselves, i.e., we expect ourselves to be perfect in everything we do. But this expectation prevents us from taking naturally the learning from the situation.

Solution: We need to realize that perfection does not come by thinking about it but by being busy in whatever we are doing. With every action of ours comes learning and this automatically brings perfection

Contemplation: Humility

Contemplation: Humility

Humility

Humility puts a hand out to nothing extra, but simply takes what's there. Whether that be food or clothing or understanding. Sometimes there is a lot available and sometimes only a little. It doesn't matter. Even when you understand nothing, there is no worry, for in humility there is the trust that if a person feels themselves to be a child of God, everything will come anyway at the right time

Time Management

We all know the value of delegating (sharing one’s work load with
others). It is a way of empowering others, of giving others the
opportunity to learn, grow and take responsibility. But why don't we
do it more? Why do some people hardly ever delegate at all? For some
it is the thought they do not trust others, or a particular person, to
do a particular task. But underlying that is often the feeling that "I
am the only one who knows how to do this". Underneath that thought is
another thought, "If I don't do this I may well lose my position as
the one who does this task, and therefore lose some of my power". And
the deepest reason why we don't delegate is that we identify with the
task. It is as if we are the task, and to lose the task, or for
someone else to do the task, is to experience losing a part of
ourselves and therefore experience sorrow and sadness.

Soul Sustenance

Resisting False Attractions In Actions

All that glitters (shines) is not gold. Life presents you with many illusionary scenes, scenes in which what may be visible may not be the truth. These scenes cause desires to be born inside you to achieve something unnecessary for your prosperity or other types of fulfillments. These can be illusions that make you believe that you will gain something from a situation or person, without the same being true. Thus, you waste time going down a path that not only leads you to disappointment; but you also waste the resource of your thoughts and energy and as a result you tire yourself out emotionally and mentally.

If the intellect is polluted, you make incorrect judgments and are easily deceived by situations or people. Thus, you will make incorrect choices, dishonest or illogical decisions. You will justify dishonesty and improper actions and you will be incapable of differentiating between the real and the imaginary.A person with a pure, clear, clean and powerful intellect will act with honesty and sincerity. When your intellect is polluted, you may act against your own conscience or against your better judgment; you also may be insensitive. A person with a doubtful intellect will always justify a dishonest act. Meditation is the process of purifying and cleaning the intellect, because in meditation we connect with the purest intellect, the intellect of the Supreme Soul or God. Meditation is also a process of inner awakening and strengthening of your conscience. Being awake means to realize, and being strong means to act according to what you have realized.

Message for the day

To recognize the uniqueness of one's own role is to be free from negativity.

Projection: When we find things going wrong with us, we sometimes wish for a change in our role. We begin to compare ourselves with others or wish for something better in our life, which makes us lose all our enthusiasm. We, then, make no effort to better our role.

Solution: We need to recognize the importance of our own role. Like an actor who doesn't make effort to change his role but brings perfection to his own role, we, too, need to concentrate on our own role. The recognition of the importance of our own role and the desire to bring excellence to it makes us free from negativity.

Contemplation: Get Deep

Contemplation:  Get Deep

Get Deep

Deep inside our consciousness is an oasis of peace. This is the molten core of the soul, but it is not hot, it is cool. Not passive, but a source of inner power to fuel our mind and intellect, so that we can create powerful thoughts and make accurate decisions. If you can learn to go to this centre, peace will be your companion, positivity your partner, and you will be able to chill out in one second, anywhere, anytime. Returning to the centre of your self is the journey of one second. It is the regular destination of clever souls. And it is the source of your power and peace

To bring equality in whatever I understand, desire and do is to be
truly successful.

Although my understanding of right and wrong is really good, I am not
usually able to be or feel successful. This is because I notice a
mismatch between what I know and what I want. So I am not able to
bring that knowledge into action. A conscious effort needs to be put
in from my side to compare and see which is better for me - what I
know is right or what I feel I want. When I compare in this way, I
will be able to change my desires in keeping with the right thing.
When these two match, I will be able to bring it into action too. So I
will be able to be successful.

Soul Sustenance

Going Beyond Others’ Perception Of Us

Watch how many things you do during the day are dependent on how you imagine the other sees you: your husband, your friend, your child, your cousin, your aunt, your boss, the secretary or whoever. You imagine how they are going to look at you and, as a result, you mould yourself accordingly. If you depend on the look of the other, inwardly you will always feel fear. You want to please the other so that they continue to see you as you want.

Because of the dependence that we have on the other to appreciate us, value us and not to reject us, we want to please them. If, in spite of doing everything possible, they do not appreciate us or are not happy, how do we feel? Cheated. After having done everything out of wanting to please them! Inside, you want to please them because you want them to keep on loving you, or you don't want them to sack you from your job, or you are afraid of being different or not being accepted. That kind of dependency takes us away from our true authenticity. If you look at yourself well, in the end, others will look at you well and the one who does not look at you well will perhaps teach you something, but your value and self-esteem do not depend on the look of the other. In this state, you are open because you trust yourself and you have personal security.

The other entity can also be the Supreme Soul (God). We are afraid that God might judge us for being sinners or not. If I think God looks at me with that vision of whether I am a sinner, whether I am this or something else, I distance myself from Him. A judge like that does not help me to live with wholeness. In general, in society, there has been a distancing from the relationship and experience with God, because we have learned that He is a strict being and a judge. Actually, God is love; God looks at me well and sees my potential and my beauty (which reflects His), God embraces me and, in this embrace, He frees me: He does not allow me to depend on Him?  

Message for the day 

Where there is courage there is success.

Projection: When we are involved in a task, we sometimes experience setbacks. Such setbacks often make us lose our confidence and we no longer have faith that we will succeed in the task. We then lose all courage to go ahead with the task and lose every chance of achieving what we have to.

Solution: We need to remind ourselves that we achieve success to the extent that we have courage. We need to make effort to maintain our courage even during the most difficult circumstances. Only when we do this will we continue to put in effort, which will bring us success at the right time.

Contemplation: Respect

Contemplation:  Respect

Respect

When I learn to respect myself, other people will respect me. How can I develop respect for myself? By keeping my mind positive and encouraging myself to grow and change for the better. Demanding respect because of my position or background is simply arrogance. On the other hand, listening with humility and valuing other people's advice naturally earns me respect. I get back exactly what I give out.

Like a solid rock, your endurance allows you to stay true to yourself no matter what changes occur around you.

Though, over time a rock can be shaped by water. 

In the same way, you too are able to mould yourself to life because you are strong, not stubborn.

Other recipients:

Creating A Meditation Space Of Your Own

The first step in your journey towards experiencing your true state of inner peace is finding a place or space in your home where you will practice your meditation regularly, even if it's just an armchair. Always use this chair, this space when you can. In this space, place two or three objects, which represent peace to you. Soft music, soft red light and lighting an incense stick ('agarbatti') can make the atmosphere soothing and relaxing. The walls could be decorated with white curtains to create a peaceful and purifying effect. After using this space for your practice of meditation for a few days, you will experience that the atmosphere of this space has elevated itself to a higher positive level and this will help your practice further.

Soul Sustenance 

Transforming “Reaction” To “Response”

In its original form, anger was not anger, not a negative reaction; rather it was the energy of a positive response to people and situations, but the response gradually changed to reaction. When we return to our spiritual identity, we begin to rediscover that capacity to be still, stable or centred, and we are they able to respond positively even to negative situations, or people. With spiritual consciousness, the energy of this negative reaction is transformed into being able to accept, understand and deal wisely and peacefully with whoever, or whatever, is encountered.

In order to extinguish (overcome) anger, one has to use peace and silence, to understand that peace is the original state of one's being; to remember that 'I am a peaceful being' means to emerge the consciousness of non-violence.

Silence, that is learning to put a brake on the mind and tongue, helps us to think before speaking and, as a result, saves us from many confrontations with others.


Message for the day 


True royalty lies in humility.

Expression: The one who is humble never reacts but responds in the right way to situations or challenges. Thus there is royalty visible in all words, actions and behaviour. So there is newness visible in the way of responding to situations.

Experience: When I am humble I am able to be beyond the influence of praise and defamation. This is because I am stable in the state of my self-respect. Also because of this I am able to bring about newness and I am able to be creative in responding to situations too.