Contemplation: February 21, 2019: Perfect and Pure

Contemplation: February 21, 2019: Perfect and Pure

Perfect and Pure

There is part of you that is perfect and pure. It is untouched by the less than perfect characteristics you've acquired by living in a less than perfect world. It is filled with divine qualities, so is a constant state of resourcefulness and well-being. It’s total absence of conflict and negativity of any sort makes this part of you a Still-Point; a deep, enriching experience of Silence. Make time to practice reaching this inner place of Silence. It will bring you untold benefit.

Quietness

Have you ever wondered why libraries have special atmospheres? They are places where many congregate but where silence is the code. Quietness in an atmosphere means there is the presence of quiet minds, and quiet minds are not only relaxed, they can concentrate easily and create more freely. Imagine you are in the library of your mind, browsing the accumulated wisdom on the shelves of your life - listen to the silence,
be aware of the stillness. Now you can really listen. Now you can
really hear. Now you can really think. Now you can create. And behold,
you are an artist. Did you not know that silence and creativity are
lovers?
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Understanding What Is An Angel (cont.)

In Christian mythology, angels are commonly shown as small children with wings - this is symbolic of the fact that angels are very innocent and pure, untouched by vices like anger, greed, lust, ego, hatred, jealousy, etc. (so are children). The purity of an angel is depicted in mythology in the form of an aura of subtle light or a halo around the head.

An angel's love for humanity is unlimited, yet it is completely detached as the Supreme. An angel experiences that whatever comes through it in the form of thoughts, words or actions has the effect of blessing other souls, as if it is able to perceive or judge immediately or instinctively what each soul needs and cater to their needs. This act of blessing others is depicted in the form of a magic wand. Angels are commonly shown with magic wands in their hands, with which they shower blessings on others.

An angel's thoughts, words and actions are all serving others. An angel is a lighthouse, might house, connected with the Supreme; it radiates the spiritual rays of light and might, the love, peace, happiness and power of the Supreme Soul, to others.

Soul Sustenance

The Location And The Form Of The Soul (Part 3)

All of the characteristics present in the soul are subtle or non-dimensional (without size) in nature - thoughts, feelings, emotions, decision-making power, personality traits (sanskars) and so on. If they are all without size, then it is reasonable to conclude that the living, conscious energy, the soul, from which they emerge is also sizeless. For this simple reason it is eternal (beyond life and death). Something which has no physical size cannot be destroyed. As a soul I am neither spread throughout the whole body nor am I an invisible duplicate of the physical body. Even though the body of subtle energy exists inside the physical body, it is the effect of the soul being in the physical form and not the soul itself. Just as the sun is in one place and yet its light radiates throughout the solar system, the soul is in one place and its energy is spread throughout the whole body. To express something that exists but has no physical dimensions we can use the word point. The soul therefore, is an extremely small point of conscient (living) light. For the sake of having an image to fix our minds on we can say its star like in appearance. In deep meditation we can experience the soul as an extremely small point of non-physical light surrounded by an oval-shaped aura.

Message for the day

Every reaction to situations is a reflection of one's own self-respect.

Expression: To the extent that there is a high degree of self-respect, to that extent there is a positive response to even the most negative situations. If there is low self-respect, even the smallest situation brings forth a strong negative reaction. This reaction only makes matters worse.

Experience: When I am able to maintain my own self-respect even in the worst situation, I am able to have a hold, control over these situations. But if I have a low self-respect I continue to blame situations and use them as excuses to feel helpless. So I am not able to do anything about these situations and just continue to have negative feelings.


In Spiritual Service,
Brahma Kumaris

https://astudypoint.blogspot.com/

Contemplation: February 20, 2019: Like an Incense Stick

Contemplation: February 20, 2019: Like an Incense Stick

Like an Incense Stick

Although your thoughts, attitudes, intentions and feelings are not visible, they do have an effect. They permeate the atmosphere and influence the mood in a room, like the aroma from an incense stick, curling through the air ...

Negative thoughts and intentions or a less than generous attitude release a heavy pungent odour.

Kind thoughts, beneficial intentions, or an understanding attitude create a fragrant aroma, uplifting the atmosphere.

What atmosphere are you creating?

Bring Benefit

Everyone naturally works for the benefit of the self and others. But
sometimes we find that others are not able to appreciate our
contribution. This is because we are not able to recognize the needs of
the other person. So there is a tendency to ignore the needs of the
other person. The one who discriminates well is able to understand the
other person's need and give accordingly. So whatever is done naturally
brings benefit for others. When we are able to bring benefit for the
right person at the right time with the right thing, we are able to win
the trust of the other person. We expect nothing in return, but have
the satisfaction of helping at the right time.

Understanding What Is An Angel

When I have the consciousness that I am a soul, a non-physical being of light, acting through the physical body, even others begin to notice. This is what the angelic stage is. By remaining in this angelic, soul-conscious stage, others will also feel a sense of lightness and upliftment in my company. Angels are thought to be mythical creatures who have a human form with wings, who are always in the company of God and help Him in guarding and protecting other souls. Actually, angels are human beings with divine qualities.

Angels are always shown with wings. One of the wings of the angel is symbolic of spiritual knowledge, which it has received from God; the other is symbolic of spiritual qualities and powers, which it has inculcated, through the power of meditation or a spiritual connection with God. The wings of an angel also symbolize the lightness and freedom of such souls. With such wings the angel flies constantly in the company of God. Its lightness and freedom is because it has no bondages or attachments in the physical world; all the chains have been broken. Because angels has the absolute and constant support of the Supreme Being they can be the support and protectors of many others, by sharing with them, spiritual knowledge, qualities and powers, which they possesses.

An angel is the 'right hand' of God in the task of world transformation (change). The language which it uses to bring about this transformation is spiritual silence; positive, powerful and pure thoughts along with sweet words full of spiritual knowledge, all of which have the effect of uplifting others.

(To be continued tomorrow...)

Soul Sustenance

The Location And The Form Of The Soul (Part 2)

Whenever I say: I feel something within me, pointing to the heart, obviously it's not something within the chest. The physical heart is just an incredibly sophisticated pump for blood. It can even be transplanted – it does not create feelings! Within the real me, the living and thinking being, the soul (situated inside the brain), there is a centre of emotions, moods and feelings. The sensations that I very obviously feel around the body are due to the total connection that exists between the soul and the body in which it resides. For example, when I am afraid of, say, a dog attacking me, the whole system is activated. From the control centre in the middle of the brain, the soul sends messages out all around the body. Adrenalin is secreted to give extra strength to the muscles (so that one can run). The heart starts to pump faster, the breathing becomes shallower and the palms begin to sweat. While it may seem that all the different organs have their own sensing and feeling systems, the whole operation is so split-second fast that the coordination of sensations and responses by the soul from its own special cockpit in the centre of the brain passes unnoticed – it so seems that the body is creating the sensations and responses, but they are actually coordinated and controlled by the soul. In this way, if I feel something in my heart for or from something or someone, it's really being processed by me, the thinking being, the soul and then reflected in my heart.

(To be continued tomorrow …)

Message for the day

To find reasons to be happy is to increase happiness.

Expression: When the mind searches for reasons to be sad and sorrowful, even situations with no great significance are seen with a vision of negativity. So there is constantly an expression of words and actions that reflect the need for sympathy and reassurance. On the other hand, when there is the search for happiness, then everything is positive giving happiness..

Experience: When I am happy, I start perceiving everything with that vision. It is like wearing coloured glasses. Whatever colour my glasses are, the whole world is coloured with it. Then, I am no longer able to perceive and recognize negativity and I am able to remain happy with everything.


In Spiritual Service,
Brahma Kumaris

https://astudypoint.blogspot.com/

Contemplation: February 19, 2019: Antidote to Stormy Emotions

Contemplation: February 19, 2019: Antidote to Stormy Emotions

Ark Hotel – a futuristic see-through bubble Ark Hotel that can be adapted to suit both land and water is being billed as a “self-contained oasis”.  It is built to stay afloat in the event of floods or rising seas.

Antidote to Stormy Emotions

Are your emotions easily affected by people and events? If so, then like the sea, when the weather is calm your waves roll gently. But when stormy winds blow, you become wild and out of control.

If you make time to dive deep into the sea, beneath your emotions, you will experience a world of stillness and great strength. Then, you'll stay unaffected - resilient to the winds of change.

Patience

Patience is a virtue and a power too. Patience tells us that the
journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step and that we get
over there one step at a time. Patience teaches us not to rush. Knowing
that there is a reason and a season for everything it enables us to
smile at the challenges, realizing that there is an answer to every
problem. And, even though we cannot see it, yet there is awareness that
within every crisis is an opportunity.

Cleaning Up The Cupboards Of Your Mind (cont.)

The first thing that meditation teaches us is to cleanse (clean up) the mind of the useless thoughts that it creates in the present moment. While your mind identifies with these kinds of thoughts and sees them as absolutely normal, it will not be able to concentrate. And if it cannot concentrate, it will not be able to cleanse in depth. Meditation helps you to live through that inner process without pain.

From a space of love, experienced in meditation, you feel secure in order to open up the cupboards of your subconscious mind. Do not open them before commencing (beginning) the practice of meditation, because the accumulated pain can be overwhelming and the loneliness experienced, when you see what you find inside, can terrify you. Because you are alone, with yourself, with your past and with your present and you are alone here, with your inner cupboards and your files. In the silence of contemplative meditation you feel a divine energy accompanying you which helps you overcome this fear of loneliness. You feel embraced by the energy and the presence of unconditional love, which it showers on you - it accepts you as you are, which makes the cleaning up process easier.

Soul Sustenance

The Location And The Form Of The Soul (Part 1)

When I look in a mirror I don't see my reflection but that of my body. The soul is actually looking through the windows of the eyes from some point inside the head. When viewed from the front, this region appears to be between and slightly above the line of the eyebrows. As the brain is the control centre for all of the various processes of the body - metabolism, the nervous, endocrine, immunological, and lymphatic systems - it makes sense that the soul be located somewhere in the brain. Just as the driver in a car sits behind the wheel with the steering wheel in his hands, the soul sits in a specific point in the centre of the brain. This is important to know for meditation purposes because it is the place to which attention is first directed in the effort to concentrate the thoughts: I am the soul, a tiny point of conscious light energy centered in the spot between the eyebrows.

(To be continued tomorrow …) 

Message for the day

To listen to others fully is to be able to be free from repeating mistakes.

Expression: When there is criticism that comes one's way, it should be carefully analysed to see if there is any truth in it. If there is correction can be made accordingly. On the other hand, if others' criticism is ignored or there is a tendency to defend oneself, there cannot be any correction and mistakes are repeated.

Experience: When I listen to others with honesty, I am able to discover even the most negligible aspect in my behaviour which I can change. So I find myself constantly improving and progressing and moving on towards success. So having brought about a change, even the criticism that comes my way stops.


In Spiritual Service,
Brahma Kumaris

https://astudypoint.blogspot.com/

Contemplation: February 18, 2019: Plant the Seed of Peace

Contemplation: February 18, 2019: Plant the Seed of Peace

Plant the Seed of Peace

As our thought so is our consciousness, and as is our consciousness so is our life. Let your first thought of the day simply be peaceful. Plant this seed. Water it with attention and you will gather the calm.

  

Fly High

Just as the bird has to find the courage to let go of the branch in
order to fly, so we also must let go of our branches if we are to know
the exhilaration of soaring to the highest potential of our life. The
branches we hold to are our inner attachments - our beliefs, ideas and
memories. And then there are the outer attachments - people,
possessions, positions and privileges are a few. But as long as we hold
on to them we will live in fear (of letting go and loss) and we will
never be free. And just watch those birds, by letting go of one branch
they are able to spend the rest of their life alighting on a million
other branches, and they enjoy the view from each. Are you flying and
soaring in your life, or are you stuck on one branch, cursing others as
they fly past. Go on, try it ...let go!

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Cleaning Up The Cupboards Of Your Mind

When you are capable of relaxing, controlling your thought patterns and concentrating, you can reach deeper and more subtle states of meditation from which you connect with your inner potential for peace and purest love (the positive) and on the other hand, you clean out unnecessary memories (the negative). You reach the spiritual power that allows you to transform habits that are not very healthy and the beliefs that sustain them. Out of love and peace you can purify and clear the turbulent (rough) waters that there are at times in the subconscious.

When you meditate, you review whether there is something that has influenced you and you clean it out, so that only the highest, the most positive, the most beautiful, remains inside you and comes out of you. Meditation and reflection help you to clean out the register that, from the subconscious, brings about inadequate thoughts and uncontrolled emotions. Cleansing (cleaning up) in depth requires a clear purpose, being prepared to let go of the past; cleansing the wounds and pain accumulated in the store of your inner being; facing the present with dignity, with wisdom and visualizing, with confidence and trust, a future full of positivity.

(To be continued tomorrow ...)

Soul Sustenance

Do Love And Suffering Go Hand-In-Hand (Part 3)?

When there is too much pain we cannot lean back into our true power and experience our energy of love. Only the power of pure love, unconditional love or love of God, can help us to get rid of the suppressed pain inside the subconscious. When you live through a situation that causes pain in you, you have to love yourself, stabilize yourself and enter into silence. Observe that pain without being afraid of it. Observe it to let go of it and understand what it is that it brings about in you.

The answer, generally, is connected with others: * He/she doesn't love me anymore and that's why I feel pain, * Things are not like they were before, * The company of this loved one doesn't give me the benefits it was giving me before.

If a person loved you and now has stopped loving you, does that make you feel pain? Or is it your own expectation and your desire for that person to keep on valuing you or loving you like before that trap you in pain? Is it that you don't accept change? The truth is, we bring on suffering ourselves. If you don't want to make yourself suffer, starting from now you do not have to bear any more suffering. Nobody can wound you or can cause you pain, except if you allow it. So how do you allow it? By being a vacuum that sucks in everything of the other, the good and the bad, and you suffer. It is expectations from our loved one that make us vulnerable to the experience of suffering. 

Message for the day

To have the spirit of sharing is to be constantly happy.

Expression: There are lots of resources in each one's life that can be shared with others. The more there is the consciousness of giving there is the ability to give and share these inner resources with others. New treasures are discovered and used for the benefit of all and also for the self.

Experience: There is constant satisfaction in my life when there is the spirit of giving. There are no expectations from others, but only an awareness of what I have. Life becomes more and more satisfactory and I feel richer for having given unconditionally. There are also constant good wishes that I receive from others.


In Spiritual Service,
Brahma Kumaris

https://astudypoint.blogspot.com/

Contemplation: February 17, 2019: Create Vision

Contemplation: February 17, 2019: Create Vision

Create Vision

Never believe anyone who says we cannot change. Vision is one of the secrets of personal transformation. We are all artists, our mind is the arena of creation and vision is what we are constantly creating. What is your vision of yourself today - patient, relaxed, positive or tense, tight and negative? What do you prefer? So be creative - what does patience look like, feel like, what are you doing that is different when you are patient and you are expressing your power to ...wait? Always start with vision not action. See it and you will be it. Be it and you will do it. This is how we create our own life.

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Recharge!

Each day we all need to recharge our spiritual battery, otherwise the
light of our consciousness becomes dim, thoughts become fuzzy, and
decisions are impregnated with doubt. Power is available inside and
outside. Inside us we have a spiritual centre, at the core of our
consciousness, pure radiant spiritual light. This is what we are.
However it is now blocked by our attachments, the record of all our
life experiences and many learned beliefs and perceptions. Outside us
we have the sun of spirit, the source, invisible to our physical eyes
but only one second away when we are able to quieten and focus our
mind. Meditation connects us to both sources of power - that's why
meditation is the way to access the real vitamins and the minerals that
spirit craves. The vitamin of pure love and the minerals of truth and
wisdom. Take time to empower yourself today. Sit quietly and connect
your mind to each source and allow yourself to recharge and renew.
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The Significance Of The Power Of Thought In Meditation

Meditation is not a process of emptying the mind of thought. In meditation I use the natural power of the soul - the power to create thoughts, as a take-off point (or as a spring-board) to finally experience the consciousness of the true self. In meditation, I climb a ladder of well-prepared, positive and spiritual thoughts and eventually climb beyond the ladder into the pure experience of what I really am. Pondering over these pure and real thoughts can occupy the soul for long periods of time.

In the most basic stage of Rajyoga meditation, first comes the realization: I am a soul, the energy of consciousness made up of a mind, an intellect and a collection of sanskars. My eyes, ears, nose, mouth are just the organs, which when used correctly, help me, the soul, enjoy life. I now possess the knowledge that will free me from my cage. I have the key, spiritual knowledge is the key - I am a soul, a being of light, 'a bird' which has the power to fly freely. Knowing this, I am not bound by physical laws. I can detach and fly at the speed of a thought, to the soul world, where I can easily experience my original state. I must realize that it is impossible to have peace of mind if I cannot detach from the body. I must look upon all my family members, friends, colleagues, also as souls which have come from the soul world. We are all fellow souls.

Soul Sustenance

Do Love And Suffering Go Hand-In-Hand (Part 2)?

We have the inner belief that love, worry, fear and suffering go together. It is difficult to transform (change) fear until we eliminate that belief. You are love and you need to share that love. Life is a sharing of love, it is loving the body, loving oneself, loving others, loving God, loving nature, loving work. That energy of love in the end purifies us and helps us to go forward. But while the belief exists that love has to be linked to fear and suffering, we will be blocked and will put a brake to the flow of pure love. In the name of love, we worry, we suffer and we are afraid. Instead of helping from a place of freedom in love, we help out of worry and fear, and in doing so we stifle, control, depend, and the other person feels their inner freedom restricted. We do not let them be.

If we review our personal life and see the moments when we have experienced most pain in our lives, we realize that it is with the people we have most loved, and that have most loved us that we have suffered most. We experience pain in a relationship of love, where there is possession, control, submission and dependence. Other times the pain is caused by a loss that generates an inner emptiness. That person filled me, they gave me wholeness, they were the reason for my existence and now they have either left me or they have gone. In the second case, we wouldn't say that they "have died", but rather that they have gone to another level of existence i.e. the soul has taken a new physical costume.

(To be continued tomorrow …)

Message for the day

The one who follows the right method gets easy success.

Expression: When there is a clear aim of what has to be done and how one has to go about doing it, then there is accuracy in all words and actions. Whatever effort is put in is according to the system and is naturally accurate. So when there is accuracy in all that is done, the fruit of that is also right.

Experience: When I have been following the right method for whatever I have to do, I am able to remain happy for the effort that I have put in. I am also able to be patient and wait for the fruit of my effort to come at its own time. I am never in a hurry, so I always experience success whatever the outcome of the task may be.


In Spiritual Service,
Brahma Kumaris

https://astudypoint.blogspot.com/

Contemplation: February 16, 2019: Going Deep

Contemplation: February 16, 2019: Going Deep

Walters Group Towers, a wonderful engineering

Going Deep

Just as the highest tower needs a deep foundation, so too our higher thinking is based on going deep within.

Happiness

Happiness is the art of living, the purpose of our existence. Happiness
is the true index of quality of life. Without happiness, life is dry
and meaningless. With happiness, life immediately becomes fulfilling
and wonderful. Happiness is an infectious feeling that immediately
lifts the sagging spirits of people. Happy people keep themselves happy
because they know the little ways to appreciate themselves and to see
the humour and magic in each moment.

Fulfilling The Criteria Of Positivity (cont.)

In yesterday's message we defined positivity and negativity from a spiritual perspective. Further elaborating, negativity hides my truth, and causes me to take incorrect steps during the day, without realizing, hurting myself and others yet not knowing how or why. At the level of non-physical spiritual vibrations, we are all connected with each other, as a result of which if I help others to come close to the experience of truth, a state in which the other is an embodiment of the virtues of peace, love, joy, purity and power (as defined yesterday), I will also help myself: whereas if I bring others down into a state of falsehood, the opposite, that will also bring me down. Whenever I give another soul an experience of any of these virtues, the virtue first flows through me and then touches the other. As a result there is an increase in the virtue inside me first and then the other is benefited.

In the entire day, my words and actions may be numbered, but my thoughts are in thousands. My mind works, even when I sleep, even though I am not active physically at that time. The quality of my thoughts at that time is largely influenced by the quality of my thoughts, words and actions during the day. So I need to be aware throughout the day as to how much is each thought, word and action of mine fulfilling the criteria of positivity i.e. bringing me and others closer to a state of truth. The more my thoughts, words and actions do so; the result is an increase in an experience of inner and outer lightness in the self and a similar experience from me to those who come into my contact or whom I interact with.

Soul Sustenance

Do Love And Suffering Go Hand-In-Hand (Part 1)?

There are two things that touch or move us in life: pain and pleasure. Both create addiction. We feel pain in the body, and sometimes it is even emotional. But suffering arises in the mind. The suffering in the mind arises from thinking negatively towards the self, towards others, looking at them with a vision or attitude that causes grief, sorrow and suffering. Both extremes, pain and pleasure, can create addiction. On creating addiction it can start to form part of someone's identity. Later if one tries to stop the addiction of pain or suffering, it can almost feel like a threat towards the self, and towards one's own identity as one perceives it, because suffering is identified with. It is too hard to see oneself as no longer suffering.

An e.g. in this regard is that of a mother, with three children, who was undergoing a meditation course at one of the Brahma Kumaris centers. Her daughter had learned to meditate and became very happy and joyful. Seeing her happiness the mother came to learn to meditate. With a few sessions she felt much more at peace and had very good experiences, but all of a sudden she decided to stop the meditation practice and leave the course because she was starting experiencing a positive detachment, which she perceived as negative. Now, she was no longer feeling afraid of what might happen to her children. The meditation was awakening in her a love free from fears, but it brought on in her an inner clash of beliefs between the old and new beliefs. Her old belief was that to love someone is to suffer about them or create pain related to them.

(To be continued tomorrow …)

Message for the day

To switch on the power of awareness is to be free from being mood off.

Expression: To be mood off means to find excuses and reasons to feel negative - to have negative thoughts for the self or for the others. But if there is a strong powerful awareness in the mind, a positive thought about the self, there will not be a chance for a negative thought to enter the mind. So there will never be any reason to be mood off.

Experience: When I am able to maintain a single powerful thought, I am able to remain happy and content. I am not dependent on the external situations for the internal state of mind. Nor do I make external situations as an excuse to further weaken my own thoughts. So there is constantly a feeling of positivity under all circumstances.


In Spiritual Service,
Brahma Kumaris

https://astudypoint.blogspot.com/

Happy Valentine's Day ! Tips for Nurturing Loving Relationships

Happy  Valentine's  Day ! 

Just as a kite flies high, held only by a string, our intellect can rise to the heights of wisdom,
pulled only by the thread of Spiritual Love.

I  AM Love -     Realize love is what you ARE and that  ‘love never dies’ ! 

    - BK Mike George  - 

We seek it here, we seek it there, we look for love everywhere!  We expect it to come to us, usually through another person. All our conditioning says it is something that happens to us. The mythology of our fables, legends and modern day entertainment industries say it is something we 'fall into'. And yet...and yet real love cannot be acquired, possessed or accumulated. It cannot be known when we think it comes from outside ourselves. The ultimate paradox is we are it.   We ARE love. Each one of us is a source of love that has forgotten that 'love is what I AM'.  Say it now "I AM love".  Doesn't feel right does it? That's because it’s been so long since we knew and experienced ourselves in this true way.  And yet we all know that the deepest trust and the purest love is known and experienced only when we give it, not take it.  

As we give love in whatever way is appropriate, we are the ones to experience it first, on the way out. Falling in love is impossible. It is only infatuation, obsession with an external object which appears to fill a gap in ourselves. As soon as the object or person is remembered when they are not present and when they do not need to be remembered, it is simply attachment which, if sustained, will become a dependency. And attachment and dependency are not love.  But you already know that...don't you?  


What Is True Love?  -  A Spiritual Perspective - 

Emotional love can flower into true love when the fire of emotions cools down and is substituted by a wiser and more mature relationship. True love needs a fresh and renewing atmosphere, without fears. When you feel spiritually full, you feel flowing over with pleasure, happiness, well being, and that state helps you to accept the one whom you love as they are, because from your fullness you give and share and you don't need or expect anything from the other. While you need something that you want the other to satisfy, you will have expectations and the fear that those needs might not be satisfied, and you will get frustrated more easily. When you feel like a being of peace, a being of love, a tranquil being, a being that is spiritually full and satisfied, your relationship with others is a relationship of sharing on a level on which fear is not generated. You are not asking for or taking anything from the other. An elevated sharing of love, of happiness, of knowledge, of wisdom takes place, in which you do not generate a dependency on the other. 

Attachments and dependencies, fears and insecurity, block our experience of love, of peace, serenity, freedom, happiness. When you have a feeling of love that takes you to a state of joy, to wholeness, but then you attach yourself to the object of your love, be it a person, or a property, automatically the feeling changes into fear: you fear to lose the object of your love and, instead of feeling wholeness and enjoyment, you feel fear. Over time that attachment turns into a dependency and you start to become inwardly empty: that is, your energy level goes down. Love in its purest form is a like a spring that pours forth for the benefit of others. Learn the art of loving, being free and allowing to be. Pure, true, love is an unconditional love that flows freely. Do not cling (hold on to). Love does not cling. 

“When you like a flower, you just pluck it.  But when you love a flower, you water it daily…”  -  Buddha


Nurturing Loving Relationships   -  Tips from BK Shivani  -

They are different from us, not wrong ...

1. People’s habits and sankars can be different from ours. We can see only through the filter of our sanskar, and we feel our perspective is right.
2. The other person’s perspective is different from us, let us not label it is wrong. What is right for us may not feel right to them. They are different from us, not wrong.
3. When we create a thought that someone is wrong, we are disrespecting them. When we understand that they are different, we respect them and their perspective.
4. When we accept the difference, then they also accept our sanskar. We respect each other and are open to understanding the       other perspective and may be even ready to change ours.

Do not make choices just to please people and get their appreciation ...

1. When we become dependent on people’s approval for taking our decisions in life then we may take decisions which are not comfortable for us.
2. Different souls because of different past and present sanskars will always have different opinions in the same situation. It is not possible to get everyone’s approval on any choice we make.
3. If needed take advice and opinions from family and friends before taking a decision. But do not make choices to please people and get their appreciation.
4. The original qualities of the soul radiate when it is calm and stable. When we keep getting affected by other’s opinion, we will remain disturbed and this blocks our energy of love.

Two souls cannot have the same sanskars ....

1. If we copy the unpleasant behaviour of others, we block our beautiful qualities. Let us radiate our qualities in interaction with them.
2. Each soul has been on a long journey, creating different sanskars in each birth. Two souls cannot have the same sanskars. Let us not expect people to have the same qualities as us.
3. When we do something for someone, let us not feel that we are doing it for THEM. If we have negative thoughts of unwillingness, neither we nor they will be happy. We are doing it because this relationship and their happiness is important to us.
4. Sometimes people may not behave the way we want, let us consciously shift our mind to all their past pleasant behaviours. This enables us to see them in a positive perspective and then respond to the present situation in the right manner.

Last but not least .....

One of the most significant areas of importance in any human's life is that of relationships. Someone with very good, close, harmonious and loveful relationships with loved ones, friends, colleagues, etc. is normally considered very fortunate or lucky. But of all relationships, the first and most basic one is the one I have with myself. So, how good, close or deep is my relationship with myself? How well do I know myself? Am I my own friend? If I think over the last week or fortnight, how many of my reactions were unexpected or uncontrolled or basically not the right ones? How many reactions left me confused, sad, unenthusiastic, peaceless, depressed, negative in any other way or in short uncomfortable? If there have been several such situations, it is an indication that there are still things deep within me that I do not know.
Normally a friend is someone whose company I enjoy, for whom there is love and from whom there is some benefit. As in any worldly relationship, without knowing a particular person to the core I can never have a deep relationship with that person. As the phrase 'spiritual knowledge' implies, it is the knowledge of the spirit or the self. Only by knowing myself completely and having a good relationship with the self, can I channelize my inner potential that I have within myself - just as water from a river, when properly channelized, provides water for various purposes.

In any worldly relationship, if enough time and attention is not given to it and it is not nourished, it gets affected negatively.  In the same way, though it's obvious that I have to spend a large chunk of each day involved in situations arising from my duties, routine activities, responsibilities and worldly relationships; my relationship with myself should also be given enough time and attention, so that it does not suffer. If I am not careful about that, my worldly life may use up my energy completely and discharge my inner battery. I need to find times in the day when I give time to my relationship with the self and recharge myself. The peace and happiness I long for internally will be obtained by having a good, positive relationship with the self.