Align and Shine

Tags

alignment, compassion, spiritual practice

Align and Shine – by Dr. Christy Johnson

During #SpiritChat on the topic of Loyalty earlier this year, I tweeted “Still not a fan of the word #loyalty, I vote for alignment – aligning to self, others, and the highest good of all“ as my answer to one of the questions. After that tweet, Kumud challenged me to host a chat about alignment, which led me here.

I believe a driving force behind each of our earthly incarnations is to embrace our authentic selves. The idea is to accept our messy, imperfect humanness despite the contrast with our soul-level perfection. Via self-alignment, we can shine more brilliantly and vibrantly as whatever may block our light gets removed. Self-alignment also illuminates the evolutionary path for those who can see and hear us, those who are aligned to us.

As part of my own explorations, I took three different extensive Mindful Self-Compassion courses starting in late 2017. I tried and tried Mindful Self-Compassion practices, believing if I just stuck with them, something would shift but finally after a year and a half I realized it isn’t something I align to deeply. Aha! So Mindful Self-Compassion joins other powerful but not aligned to me approaches like acupuncture, Ayurveda, and Transcendental Meditation.

Giving myself permission to release Mindful Self-Compassion from my daily practices relieves me from unconsciously pushing to make it “work” and frees time and energy for what does align. Now I feel lighter and freer and have found ways to apply my healing modalities to the issues at hand. Through this evolution, I’ve become more self-aligned, which is precisely the point of Mindful Self-Compassion!

As your evolution deepens and strengthens, you also align to the highest good of all. Self-aligning more fully frees energy that gets reabsorbed in the world and also models the power of alignment.

How do we find what aligns? What are the clues? How do we know what either doesn’t align or has passed its expiration date? Ever notice how effortless life becomes when you’re aligned to what you want to be doing? Alignment leads to flow and flow, in turn, supports alignment. What resonates also energizes us. When we align, we shine.

Please come to share and shine on Sunday, March 24th at 9 A.M. EDT on Twitter with hashtag #SpiritChat.

Host Bio: Dr. Christy Johnson quit her decades-long engineering career in 2010 to open her own integrative energy healing practice. She helps clients overcome life challenges and also align with themselves, others, and their highest good via soul level information, energy healing, and empowering self-help tools. You can connect with her via her website www.intuitiveheal.com , on Twitter @IntuitiveHeal and on her YouTube channel.

Editor’s Note: Thank you, Christy, for taking up the ‘alignment’ challenge and stepping up to host the weekly chat on Sunday. I am sure that it is going to be a wonderful opportunity for many to ‘Align and Shine’! Namaste. – Kumud

On Spiritual Radiance

Tags

celebration, healing, radiance, spring, winter

There was no mistake about the invitation. The morning sun had finally made its way through the haze as is crested over the ridge, seemingly at the same moment that I reached the bottom of Cedar Point hill. The only question was whether I was going to turn left or right onto Valley Parkway, park in one of the alcoves, and accept the invitation to walk.

And walk into spring I surely did. Unlike the day before, when spring seemed imminent but wasn’t quite there yet because the river was firmly frozen and the wind that blew through the clearings was swift enough to crinkle your bones, today was different.

There was a certain radiance in the invitation today. A radiance that spoke through the ever so slightly higher pitch of the songs of the birds. A radiance that invited the fishermen to walk out to the middle of the river on the sheet of ice still thick with opacity. The radiance made the water flow briskly in channels between the ice floes, and also started to create pockets of water inside the thick sheets.

And so I walked, letting the radiance of it all warm me from head to heart, bathe me with the light breeze that flowed from under the bridge as I walked out on the rocks towards the middle of the river until my passage was blocked by sheets of ice laden like layers of lasagna. Right there, in that stillness amid all the music, I spontaneously started singing – a prayer that invokes health and wellness for the universe and all her beings.

An invocation for guidance in our paths, to prepare us well for our walk, to give us strength to endure winter and also give us lightness to welcome the radiance of spring. A prayer of gratitude to all those who are walking with us, have walked with us, and whose radiance continues to reach us from the wide yonder beyond. Right there, on the rock in the middle of the river, came the awareness of the beautiful, gentle energy of the divine feminine, and its influence in my life.

And so I walked some more, absorbing, healing, sending thank you notes to all the women – mothers, sisters, aunts, teachers, grandmothers, my wife and daughter, and all the ladies of #spiritchat. All of you have raised me up, and it is from you that I continually learn the singular fact that radiance requires no medium. It is an energy like love, like kindness, like the light streaming through the trees and making patterns on the melting snow, which gives your heart the distinct knowing that, yes, you too, are the spring to somebody’s winter.

There is great joy in acceptance – to accept the invitation to walk, to be That radiant spring.

Kumud @AjmaniK

P. S. Join us Sunday, March 10 at 9amET/ 630pm India (note that US shifts to daylight savings this Sunday!). We will celebrate and honor the radiance of spring, and share team and cookies for International Women’s Day. Namaste – Kumud

Witnessing radiance – standing on a rock ledge in the middle of the Rocky River, as the river melts around me…

The river flows North to Lake Erie, and small, frozen waterfalls serenade her passage

The play of light and shadows, spring radiates into winter

The halfway point… I walked out into winter… I paused… I returned with spring…

Spiritual Hospitality by @llake

Tags

awareness, hospitality, spiritual practice, spirituality

 It’s 9:00 am. The toddlers are fed and playing quietly. The entire house is spotless. I look around and feel very accomplished. Time for a shower! Dinner guests are coming tonight. I want the evening to be extra special. My plan is perfect, and I’m on schedule. 

I skoosh down to talk to my kids to let them know I’m going in the shower and I’ll be out in 5 mins. (moms and dads have this down to a science) I ask them to please play quietly, and we’ll have snack time when I get out. 

I head into the shower feeling excited and confident that tonight will be epic! I get out of the shower. Dry off. Dress. And then the surprise hits. 

I look into the dining room, and indeed all three wee ones are playing quietly and happily. My son had gotten out his matchbox cars, bull dozers, and backhoes, and all three (under the age of 5) were playing in the dirt from around my large elephant tree. They had spread the dirt from one side of the hardwood floored room to the other. Inside I was extremely upset. I quietly (this is how my kids always knew I was really mad) told the elder two to go to their rooms. I didn’t want to see them. We would talk “later.” The littlest one I picked up and put in her highchair. I told her I didn’t want to hear one word. Not one. 

I wanted to cry. How in the world would I get this room clean again? I still had dinner to make. And how would I ever have time to get those kids cleaned up? 

Most of us have been in a relatable situation. We extend aninvitation. It feels right. Then when the day gets closer, we wonder “what was I thinking?” My house is dirty! What will I make for dinner? We begin to feel unaccomplished and “not enough.” Where is the joy?

Isn’t there supposed to be joy in offering hospitality? Isn’t hospitality supposed to be about serving others? Sharing what we have that others may also feel joy? 

In the moment of seeing dirt spread across the room, I was not feeling joyful. But wait. 

“Offer hospitality to one another without grumbling.” 1 Peter 4:9 (NIV)

I remembered the looks on my babies’ faces as they looked up at me gleefully and showed me what they had done. After all, I had asked them to play quietly. The road configuration they had created was a masterpiece! 

My heart softened.

Hospitality is mentioned numerous times in the Bible. Every religion or spiritual guidance mentions hospitality and ways of ceremoniously expressing our joy by sharing with others. Why? What do we miss about being hospitable when we become obsessed with the “Pinterest” version of sharing what we have instead of the spirituality behind being hospitable? 

The truth is we don’t have to be in a specific location or have specific food – although, both add to the moment and it’s a nice gesture. The menu does not have to be spectacular. Our homes do not have to be the “Better Homes and Gardens” version of shiny and spectacular.

The spirituality of hospitality – the true meaning of hospitality – is when we put our guest first and be present with them. We focus on them. We love on them. We cause them to feel joyful in knowing they are appreciated and are special. They relax. Their pressures melt away. Love in action.  

– Lillian

Lillian is a Maine-based writer and compassion consultantwhose topics explore everything related to food, human trafficking, and caregiving. She is patiently honing three writing projects – a “love of home” cookbook, a collection of interviews with caregivers of all ages, and inspirational cards for children. In the summer of 2018, she swam a total of 2 miles to rescue a 70 yr old kayaker and push him and his kayak back to shore.

Editors Note: I am excited and honored to invite you to join Lillian Lake (@llake) as she hosts our weekly #SpiritChat on Twitter, Sunday March 3rd at 9amET / 730pm India. Please do join, and enjoy her wonderful heart-filled hospitality. Come. Sit. Stay. Namaste – Kumud

The Heart’s Revival and Revitalization

Tags

family, friendship, healing, heart, revitalization, revival

The Amazing Race

Five airports, four flights, three airlines and two days later, the heart that began its journey on a pre-dawn, cold, rainy morning in NorthEast Ohio reached its destination in a sunny, warm, humid, sleepy hamlet of Kumarakom, south of the city of Kochi, in the southernmost state, Kerala, of India.

It felt like we had been in an episode of “The Amazing Race” over the past forty eight hours of traveling. Except that this was a one-team episode, and so we were the first to arrive at the destination…

The Hole in the Heart

It had been over two years, actually closer to three, that I had been back to India. The passing of my Mom in February 2016, the last of my two sets of parents (birth and sustenance), had created a small hole in my heart that had grown slowly bigger as the weeks turned to months, quarters and then years. After the two year mark, I had begun to wonder, when the road back home would open up to my heart again. The longer I stayed away, the weaker the pull to go back became.

My wife must have felt my fading away. In mid July, the visionary that she is of great intuition, made the decision. It was time to return. In a whirlwind of messages between close family and friends on WhatsApp, a location was found, advance deposits were made, plane tickets were bought, and seven families committed to two separate reunions. The stage was set for the heart.

A Resurgence Story

After having read all the reports of the massive flooding which had happened in August, I had expected Kochi city and her surroundings to show signs of damage everywhere. I was to learn from the local cab drivers that the shiny, gleaming airport terminal we had arrived in had been three feet underwater, and had to be shut down for four weeks. Everywhere we went, whether by auto-rickshaw, car or boat – not a single person complained about what had befallen them. You could see and feel that they were happy that we were visiting and investing in their recovery.

As we took multiple boat trips through the backwaters and on the massive lake, more stories of overcoming and resurgence filtered through. I asked questions of everyone on the lake house that we were staying in – the cleaning lady Asha, the cooking lady Jinu, the manager Aarokya, the boat guides. I asked questions of a mix of Hindus, Muslims and Christians, for Kerala is a state where they all blend together.

All of them would speak of their beautiful families, how much they were grateful for what (little) they had, and of how the floods – and their subsequent recovery from them – had brought them closer as communities.

Family Foundation – Revival Begins

As the long languid days of sitting by the pool unfolded, entranced by the lake as boats of all shapes and sizes slowly slid by like a knife through slightly warmed butter, I felt a warm glow beginning to heal my heart’s hole. The heart started to feel a revival, an increase in functional and emotional capacity. The first reunion, with my brother and sister’s family, laid the foundation for the revival. The feelings of disconnection that had grown with time and distance after my Mother’s passing, were rearranged and reframed like the floating hyacinths that constantly reconfigure themselves on the lake surface.

The heart felt closure, it felt rooted and anchored again. It was a bit like the houseboats that anchor themselves overnight on the lake, and whose solitary lights could be seen like a string of pearls in the distance every night – an entourage of twinkling stars brought down from the heavens onto the waters.

Reunion with Friends – Heart Revival

And as if the revival with the family reunion wasn’t enough, what followed during the reunion with four friends from undergraduate engineering school (and their families) was an even greater closure of the heart’s hole. The five of us have a friendship, a kinship that goes back over thirty years. It has sustained the test of time and space, grown through our weddings, our children’s births, our travels across the world with our businesses and careers.

When you gather the energy of five families, in a five-bedroom lake house, where there is not much else to do but to sit around and swim in the energy of each other, a healing synergy surges through every heart. The five of us are like the five elements, and every time they come together, the limits to our creativity seem to be transcended.

For those of you who have read this far, I am grateful to you for coming along on this journey with me. I share with you with the intent that somewhere in this retelling of my personal revival, you find inspiration to be led to a heart’s revival of your own. I also hope, that when your heart’s hole does close, that you will share a bit of your revival journey with us.

For we shall all be grateful to draw inspiration from the resurgence of your submerged heart, your resilience, your heart’s revival.

Namaste,

Kumud @AjmaniK

P.S. Join us for our weekly twitter conversation with the #spiritchat community on twitter – Sunday, January 13th at 9amET / 730pm India. I will step up to host, and I look forward to hearing stories about your heart’s revival. I will bring the tea and the questions… your presence is much looked forward to 🙂 – Kumud

Permalink: https://spiritchat140.wordpress.com/2019/01/12/the-hearts-revival/

The Heart’s Intelligence

Tags

heart, intelligence, spirituality

Heart’s Intelligence (by Denna J. Shelton)

“If the 20 th Century has been the Century of the Brain …
then the 21 st century should be the Century of the Heart.”
~Gary. E.R. Schwartz, Ph.D., Author of The Living Energy Universe

One of the most astounding, exciting pieces of information I’ve ever received came while attending a lecture given by spiritualist/scientist Gregg Braden.  Every hair on my body stood on its end and I connected with it as deep truth. It validated from a scientific perspective what I already knew to be true. Gregg shared the findings from the Institute of Heart Math stating that “the heart, not the brain, is the most powerful neural-network within the human body.” I learned its electricity is 40-60% stronger than the brain’s and contains around 40,000 “brain-like cells” that literally communicate with the brain in every nanosecond of the day.

Coherence between our hearts and our brains is the ultimate state of being in experiencing overall emotional, physical, and mental health. “Unfortunately ego choices are overriding our heart’s intelligence,” states the Institute of Heart Math. Most of us already know this to be true and have no need for the science of it. Yet, do we really know how powerful our hearts are? Do we really know how powerful we are when heart-centered? Do we really know our impact on the planet by what lies within our individual heart?

The ultimate question may be… What old stories and beliefs are you holding in your heart that are governing your life and affecting the whole?

Science has proven what ancient wisdom has known all along. The heart is powerful and holds an intelligence all of its own – often referred to as the “master organ” and was revered and celebrated by the ancients. “It’s only in more recent history that the pendulum swung the other way in science and medicine in thinking of the heart as an isolated pump,” states Gregg Braden in his latest book, Resilience from the Heart.

Is now the time for the pendulum to swing back to the center balancing our hearts with our brains? Is now the time for us to access the wisdom our hearts hold? Surely now is the time to have a state of being which radiates love, joy, peace and harmony in a powerful way for our personal well-being and that of the worlds.

You’re cordially invited to join us for a global conversation to discuss the topic “Heart’s Intelligence.” This is a #SpiritChat community event taking place on the Twitter platform this Sunday, November 11 at 9am ET.

We look forward to having you join us!

Denna J. Shelton, CH, RMP

Heart’s Intelligence
A Global #SpiritChat Community Event on Twitter with Denna Shelton (@twentygems)
Sunday, November 11 @ 9a ET

Denna J. Shelton, CH, RMP has 30 years’ experience in whole wellness: mind, body, & spirit as a fitness instructor, consulting hypnotist, and Reiki Master Practitioner. Her strengths include her experience, knowledge, calming and soothing charisma, and passion for what she does. All of these characteristics, along with her pleasant voice, laid back and comfortable presence and ease of speaking contributes to her success in service to others.

Her unique approach to hypnosis and Reiki is in combing the two modalities. She thinks each stand effectively on their own, but the two together have proven to be a powerful combination for mind, body, and spirit. Denna believes the touchstone and balancer of all energies is love. Her role as the hypnotist/healer is to open your heart to love where transmutation and regeneration take place.

Denna’s belief: “Now is the time, more than ever, for us to embrace the Truth of who we truly are. It is time to align the quality of our thinking with the needs of our bodies and the desires of our hearts. To claim the power that is our birthright that leads to a life of joy, peace, love, and abundance in all ways.”

www.dennashelton.com

On Choosing and Celebrating Light

Tags

celebration, choices, light

Some days, light chooses us. On other days, our choices lead to light.

It was one of those Friday mornings when I would have rather rolled over than rolled out. After a cold, wet autumn day when it seemed to have rained, monsoon like, all day and night long, the birds in the backyard woods were silent as summer sheep grazing on a meadow. From the corner of a half-opened eye, I could tell, even amid the pre-dawn darkness, that the cloud cover was still heavy outside.

And yet, reluctantly, I did roll out, for the morning hour called to meditation and the routine of school and work. But I was determined to get that haircut before I got to work today. And so, I made a seemingly innocuous choice of stopping at the neighborhood “Barber Shop” instead of the national chain I usually stop at to get sheared every other month or so.

At first, I thought I had made the wrong choice. The lady hair-dresser was already busy, and the other employee, who looked seemed engrossed with a tablet-like device. My choice was validated though, as soon as he put away his ‘device’ and greeted me with a smile as broad as the the sunshine still hiding beyond the clouds outside. Over the next twenty minutes, my propensity towards asking questions led to me finding out that his daughter just got an internship at NASA, that he had just moved into the neighborhood with his family, that he was studying to be a nurse, and that he would have loved to be an aerospace engineer!

My seemingly innocuous choice to try something different had led to the brightening of the morning. It was like the day had been turned inside out, and I was now fully awake to the possibilities of the rest of this still rainy day. Except that it did not feel cold, dank and dreary any more. I had walked into the company of one of those people who radiate so much light just by being who they are – open-hearted fountains living life to make other people’s life brighter. They are like the cool side of the pillow that is within your reach – you just have to choose to flip it over.

So, what does all this have to spirituality? Thank you for wondering, for asking. I propose that it isn’t always our BIG choices that lead us to light. Sometimes, if not often, it is our choice to make different small, everyday choices that create light for us. Serendipity that brings unexpected joy and restores our faith in the goodness of human beings and the human spirit, is often a product of small, simple choices.

Even if that choice is to walk into the local barber shop that you have been driving by for months and let an ex-football-player who still holds the dream of building a kit airplane some day after he has put his four kids through college.

Who knows? You may get the best haircut you have had for a while. And, your heart will be so full of light that you can’t help but share it with all who ask – what’s with YOU today?!

I don’t know. Maybe I’m just excited to celebrate all those who make (new) choices to create light. Or maybe I’m just excited to celebrate the annual Indian ‘festival of lights’ (Diwali) this week. I have a feeling that it’s going to be a great celebration of light, of the victory of truth and goodness.

Join me. Choose light. Celebrate.

Kumud @AjmaniK

Choosing and Celebrating Light…

Join us in our weekly chat on twitter, Sunday Nov 4th at 9amEDT / 730pm India in #SpiritChat ~ we will celebrate our choices of light. Note that the chat may be an hour later than usual in your time-zone as we switch back to “standard time” (choosing morning light!) in my region. Namaste – Kumud

Finding Zen in a Noisy Social World

Tags

healing, silence, spirituality, stillness, zen

In an age of speed, I began to think, nothing could be more invigorating than going slow. In an age of distraction, nothing can feel more luxurious than paying attention. And in an age of constant movement, nothing is more urgent than sitting still.” ― Pico Iyer, The Art of Stillness

We are living in an era where the online and offline worlds are deeply intertwined. “Going online” happens faster than the blink of an eye, and five minutes to check an email or a Facebook message stretches far beyond the time that most don’t even feel they have to begin with.

Welcome to the digital era. A powerful resource for exchanging information and ideas, for creating impact, for creating change. Over the last decade, social influence has snowballed into a fast-paced, never-ending stream of data that most consume by default. Consequently, many are experiencing frustration, anxiety, stress, identity crisis and, sadly, even death as a result of the “noise” that constantly permeates our global and individual psyche, day in and day out.

You can only make sense of the online world by going offline and by getting the wisdom and emotional clarity to know how to make the best use of the Internet. — Pico Iyer

Investing time offline, on a consistent basis, is a practice that provides the inner peace, clarity, and wisdom we need to not only survive in this noisy world, but to thrive. Those who choose to integrate mindful practices into their daily lives are the ones who will be the true change agents, creating a more conscious, connected and creative world.

How conscious are we being with the use of the Internet and our devices? Is the media governing our time and our thoughts? How can we take a more conscious approach to the online space? In doing so, could we create more impact, gain greater fulfillment, make more meaningful connections?

You’re cordially invited to join us for a global conversation to discuss the topic “Finding Zen in a Noisy Social World.” This is a #SpiritChat community event taking place on the Twitter platform this Sunday October 28 at 9am ET. For a distraction free experience, join us in the chat room @ tweetchat.com/room/spiritchat.

We look forward to having you join us!

Christine L Bowen (CLB)

———

Finding Zen in a Noisy Social World

A Global #SpiritChat Community Event

Sunday, October 28 @ 9a ET

tweetchat.com/room/spiritchat

Christine L Bowen (CLB) is a creative, outgoing, and authentic person whose core values are Absolute Faith & The Golden Rule. She lives presently, loves wholeheartedly, laughs regularly, and she’s extremely passionate about living life at its highest potential and inspiring others to do the same.

With over 30 years of combined experience in the areas of visual communication, professional networking, and mass media, Christine passionately serves as a Creative Consultant to heart-centered entrepreneurs who desire to achieve a higher level of excellence with their brand identity & social presence.

Her unique approach inspires them to infuse consciousness, connection, and creativity into their TOTAL presence, empowering them to intuitively attract and align with the ideal people and opportunities; creating more sustainable, thriving, and fulfilling businesses… and lives!

www.christinelbowen.com

———

I am delighted that Christine will be hosting our weekly #SpiritChat for us on Sunday, October 28th. This is part of our new initiative to bring new voices to host the weekly chat. Thank you, Christine! – Kumud @AjmaniK

Raising the Divine Feminine

Tags

abundance, celebration, empowerment, feminine, spirituality

An Indian legend goes that when the Earth was overrun and overcome with the oppression of the Audra’s – those with evil tendencies – even the all powerful (male) trinity of creation, preservation and regeneration felt powerless. The three then decided to contribute their best strengths, and appeal to the universal force above them, to evolve a superlative, energetic being that would help restore order and righteousness to the world.

The result was the creation of Shakti – the energy of the divine feminine, which restores order, harmony and dynamic balance to the world. The arrival of this new energy, a new trinity, is celebrated over a nine day festival that is currently underway in India. I view the festival as an opportunity to reflect on all the trinity of feminine influences in my life.

Who are the ones whose creative power of navigating the next big obstacle still flows within me? Who were the ones who taught me about the power of the creative arts of singing, writing, dancing, cooking, and much more? Who are the ones that showed me, with their propensity towards giving and sharing, that prosperity grows and flows best through the channel of an open heart? I raise all of them, celebrate them.

It is perhaps time for all of us to consider contributing our best strengths, and raising the divine feminine within us. Endowed and graced with that new Shakti, what obstacle(s) couldn’t we overcome? What new wave of equitable prosperity could we send forth with our best new energies? How much new creativity could we evoke to find solutions to our current challenges?

Raising the divine feminine within, is thus, cause for celebration. I invite you to celebrate the Shakti within you – for the peace, joy and goodness that it can bring to all,

Kumud @AjmaniK

Join us, Sunday October 14 at 9amET on Twitter. We shall celebrate the best of the divine (feminine) energy of the community that is #SpiritChat. Namaste – Kumud

The energy of #autumn is a wonderful time to reflect on the divine feminine… avail a walk…

On Spiritual Essentials

Tags

essence, essentials, focus, spiritual practice

What is essential to life?

This question came to the forefront over the past few days. I was able to put together a string of walks in the local metro-parks this week, on many of my favorite trails. As I walked, this question came more and more into my heart’s front. What is essential for us to thrive? How do we separate the essential wheat from the seemingly inessential chaff?

One thing became clear. The sun is essential. There is no growth in nature without sunlight. The easiest way to kill growth is to shut off their supply of sun. No sun, no synthesis. Such is the truth of terrestrial plants. As humans, we often tend to shrivel, if not perish without the warmth that the energy of the Sun provides to us. This is not to say that solitude is inessential, for even in solitude, we are often seeking the light and warmth of our inner Sun.

What else? Water is essential. A clear flowing stream supplies a pure energy to everything that it touches, and inspires growth. Growth can and does happen in muddy, stagnant waters too, but it often requires much more energy than clean, clear waters. Water is known as the great cleanser, and many of us have a natural affinity to it. It is perhaps one reason why so many human civilizations tend to be located near rivers. Abundance flows in their vicinity.

Clean air is essential. Flora and fauna thrive better in the absence of pollution. The beauty of a flower that shines in the sun by the river, would surely be lot less joyful if it were covered with soot. Humans are the same way. The less ‘pollution’ that enters our mind, the less ‘cleaning’ we may have to do on a daily basis. Our heart’s filters are constantly being clogged by the soot of fear, anger, hate, and mistrust. We could all benefit from ‘clearing the air’.

I think you get the idea. The essential ‘things’ are those that keep the mind and the heart clear, so that we can absorb, grow and thrive in the supply of life-enriching air (thoughts), water (emotions) and sunshine (light). There are many other essentials, and we often only become aware of them when we feel their absence. Can you think of a few ‘essentials’ that have gone ‘missing’ in your life lately? When life’s ‘inessentials’ start to consume much more energy than the ‘essentials’, what is the result?

One result of forgetting what is essential is ‘conflict’. This message was delivered to me during a conversation with a respected elder this week. We were talking about the origin of ‘conflict’, and she said ~ “Conflict happens when we do everything but That which is essential”. It’s often easy to get mired in the inessential, for that is often the way of the ‘world’. It takes self-discipline, discernment and focus to stay true to, and act on the essentials of the ‘inner world’. The flower blooms, the flame burns, as long as it stays connected to the essentials.

May we stay connected to That essential, and thrive,

Kumud @AjmaniK

P.S. Join our twitter community for our weekly conversation, Sunday September 23rd at 9amET / 630pm India. We will discuss the role of “essentials’ in our life, and how we can stay focused on them in our (spiritual) life. Namaste.

Life’s Essentials… Essence of Life

Our Attitudes to Freedom

Tags

attitude, balance, freedom, harmony, spirituality

There is an Indian dessert called the gulab jamun. It is like a donut hole of a very soft consistency, that is deep fried, and then immersed in a vat of sugar solution. It is ideally eaten warm, so that the sweetness of the solution thoroughly pervades the senses. In the ideal gulab jamun, there is very little to distinguish the solidity of the “donut” from the liquidity of the solution that it is immersed in.

Our lives are a little bit like the gulab jamun. We are immersed in the sweetness of our attachments and desires. And yet, we claim “freedom”, even celebrate it on an annual basis, while we continue to get more and more entangled in the web of our own creation. Our social and work commitments, our hobbies, our networks seem to keep expanding. The result is that we keep finding ourselves starved for time and energy for (inner) growth that can lead us to real freedom.

So, perhaps this Independence Day (July 4th in the USA), we can choose to re-examine our attitudes towards real freedom. We are all born with certain attitudes, qualities (gunas) and energies. These are the attitudes (or aptitudes) of activity or aggression (rajas), of lethargy and heaviness (tamas), and of purity or lightness (sattva). Our overall attitude in life at any given time, can be said to be a dynamic mixture of the proportion of these three energies within us.

It is when the attitudes of individuals (and societies) trend towards agression, overactivity, and heaviness, that we tend to move away from freedom. Our inner core of softness starts to melt away, and our attitude trends towards accepting less and less freedom. We rationalize to ourselves that this state must be the “new normal”. But it does not need to be so!

A true celebration of independence means that we make a decision to change our attitude towards freedom. We decide to balance our commitments, and discard those which further enslave us. We commit to those actions that tend to increase inner purity, lightness, softness and kindness, or sattva. It is in becoming receptacles for grace, by lowering the heart’s barriers to love, that freedom can come home to us.

Yes, warm gulab jamnun, like apple pie, is one of my favorite desserts. And I have discovered that it is particulary good when eaten over ice-cream, with moderation. This new attitude is unfolding the path of freedom dessert-sattva for me. How is your path unfolding?

Namaste,

Kumud

P.S. Join us for our weekly chat, Sunday July 1st at 9amET / 630pm India in #SpiritChat ~ I will bring some gulab jamun and ice-cream to share, and we shall share some stories about real freedom… Namaste.

Attitudes to Freedom – Pausing and Celebrating on the Path