The Spirit of a Poet

Tags

poetry, poets, spirit, spiritchat, spirituality

Come, Come, whoever you are: 
Wanderer, worshiper, lover of leaving. 
Ours is not a caravan of despair!

  -Jalaluddin Rumi

Writing poetry – cheap therapy!
All it costs is time,
And heart and some paper,
And it doesn’t have to rhyme!

     -Helena,  @VegyPower on Twitter, also @mysticpoetry

 April is National Poetry Month in the USA and this week’s #SpiritChat is devoted to Poetry!

 I’m delighted and grateful that Kumud asked me to co-host this week’s #SpiritChat.  Above are two poems with very different histories.  The first is from Rumi, a 13th-century Persian poet.  He’s the best-selling poet the USA.  The second is by me, an unknown!

 With these poems we invite you to join a poetic caravan of spirit for #SpiritChat, this Sunday, April 13, at 9:00 a.m. Eastern Time.

 Share your original or favorite lines of poetry during the Twitter chat.  It doesn’t have to be “spiritual” poetry! (Some may say that all poetry is spiritual, and we’ll explore that.)

 You can post as much of the poem as will fit into a tweet, or entice us by posting a line and then the link to the entire poem.

 My poetry adventure began when I was in 3^rd grade.  My teacher told me that she was asked to choose ONE STUDENT to participate in a haiku workshop.  She added, “I thought you’d appreciate it.”  I felt happy and surprised that she chose ME!  I didn’t know she knew me so well.  I enjoyed it very much, and, was hooked on haiku!

 Fast forward forty years:  I decided to “give back” by offering an after-school enrichment class called “Fun with Poetry” at an elementary school.  I wanted to ignite the spark of love for poetry, just as that haiku workshop did for me.  The emphasis was on FUN, with the hope that students would want to continue to read and write poetry.  I still have the notes of appreciation written by the parents of my poetry kids!

 In high school, I took an elective course in poetry. The truth is that I registered only because my then-boyfriend was a poet.  That relationship didn’t last but my relationship with poetry did!

 As a child, poetry for me was an art form.  As a young adult its role matured into an expression of the spiritual journey. 

I was introduced to the Sufi mystic poets Rumi, Hafiz, and Kabir in 1973 at age twenty-one, while reading the books of my spiritual teacher, Sant Kirpal Singh (1894-1974).  http://www.sos.org/page/rich-heritage.html  

He often quoted the Sufi mystics to illustrate a subtle idea.  Like them, he wrote poetry:

Like a lotus flower with its head above the muddy pool, we should live in the world and yet be out of it.

     -Sant Kirpal Singh

 These poems speak of the inner journey that each soul on the spiritual path eventually experiences.

My beloved teacher left this earth in 1974.  His son, Sant Darshan Singh (1921-1989) http://www.sos.org/page/rich-heritage.html  carried on the work of initiating seekers into a form of meditation called Surat Shabd Yoga (translation: “the yoga of putting one’s attention on the Inner Light and Music”). http://www.sos.org/page/meditation-connecting-with-our-soul.html

When the flowers of the church, mosque & temple gather together,
Spring will blossom forth in Your garden, O Lord.

     -Sant Darshan Singh

 Sant Darshan Singh had majored in Persian literature, and, like his father, was a poet.  He wrote traditional Sufi poetry in Urdu, and translated his verses into English.  He received the Urdu Academy Award for Poetry four times. His pen name was, simply, DARSHAN.  One of his verses is:

Poetry is the music of the heart,
And music is the poetry of the soul.

 I was blessed to have attended many of his programs in the 1980s during his visits to the United States.  These talks were intoxicating, lyrical events that included periods of silent meditation as well as poetry.  He cited his verses to illustrate the topic of the evening.

(Sant Darshan Singh is the author of a book titled, LOVE AT EVERY STEP: MY CONCEPT OF POETRY.)

From one of his poems:

Begin to live your life according to your aspirations
And step toward your chosen goal.
Life is not worth Its name
Unless we meet the challenge of the times.
Play on the instrument of the heart,
Even if it be broken.

My heart was, indeed, broken when Sant Darshan left this world in 1989.  His work is being carried on today by Sant Rajinder Singh, a spiritual Master who often speaks poetically:

There is a silken thread of love which connects each and every one of us.

And…

When we strip away the world and the mind, we find ourselves as a drop of love.

     -Sant Rajinder Singh

(You can learn more about Sant Rajinder Singh Ji Maharaj at the website of Science of Spirituality, www.sos.org.  and on twitter at @Global_SOS. It’s a non-profit, multi-faith, global organization dedicated to love, unity, peace, and service.)

I love words.  Here’s a recent haiku:

Having the right word,
Having the right screwdriver:
Humanity’s tools.

Thanks again to Kumud Ajmani, the host of #SpiritChat, for inviting me to co-host. 

Come, come, whoever you are, to #SpiritChat on Twitter this Sunday, April 13, 2014 at 9:00 a.m. Eastern Time. 

Ours is not a caravan of despair! 

(Apologies to Rumi.  I have a feeling he’s a good sport.)

 Namaste

Helena @VegyPower and @mysticpoetry

(Thank you, Helena, for this beautiful post about poetry and how it has influenced you and your spirituality. I invite all readers to add their poetry or their favorite poets in the comments. Thank you! – Kumud @AjmaniK)

Postscript:

The full transcript (with stats and more) is available at http://bit.ly/sc-tr-0413 (96 contributors, 1.3M reach, 1320 tweets, 7.1M deliveries)

A “curated” (and much more readable) summary via the storify web service is available at http://sfy.co/ggdY

Questions:

Q1. The Spirit of a Poet. What does this invoke in your heart? In your mind? #SpiritChat

Q2. Do you have a fave type of poetry (haiku, sonnet, couplet, ghazal, etc.)? What do you love about it? v/@VegyPower #SpiritChat

Q3. What purpose does poetry serve in your life? Is it even important? Why so? v/@VegyPower #SpiritChat

Q4. What is the connection between poetry, meditation, and silence? #SpiritChat

Q5. What is it about poetry that influences our spirit differently, than, say, prose? Or does it? #SpiritChat

Q6. “To have great poets, we need great audiences too” – Agree or Disagree? Why? #SpiritChat

Q7. Please share lines of an original poem or a favorite poem by another poet. Links welcome 🙂 v/@VegyPower #SpiritChat

Q8. For those wanting to write poetry… Where does a poem truly begin? Where does it end? #SpiritChat

A Unifying Spirit

Tags

peace, spirit, spiritchat, unity

If the measure of greatness of a life well lived is measured by the tributes that pour out from around the world on their passing, then, President Nelson Mandela was indeed a great man. At the age of 95, surrounded by family, in the country of his birth, the country which he helped end racial discrimination (apartheid) in, the country which he was imprisoned in for almost thirty years – and of which he then became President(!) – President Mandela passed peacefully onto a higher plane.

But his life was anything but full of peace. Most of us know (or can learn more) about that with a stroll over to Wikipedia. The struggle, the challenges, the set-backs, the physical and mental battles – they are all well documented in many many books and websites. However, that all became “history” in the early 1990s when Madiba (as he is affectionately known by many) was eventually freed, and his lifelong struggle for his ideal (an ideal that he was willing to die for) – that ALL the people in South Africa – blacks and whites alike, should be treated equally – came to a victorious conclusion.

However, I believe that what made “Madiba” stand apart, and be respected universally as a “giant among men” was his willingness to forgive to Unify. He forgave those who imprisoned him for the larger part of his “productive” life (from age 44 to age 72) and turned them into his partners! He understood that in order to build a nation that would have long-lasting peace – a unity of hearts, minds and spirits was essential. His love for love, peace, unity and harmony made him recognize that, above all, we all have more within our spirit that unites us, than divides us.

Man’s goodness is a flame that can be hidden but never extinguished – Nelson Mandela

It is perhaps that – his Unifying Spirit – that inspires so many to celebrate a life well lived, lived fully, lived with purpose, lived to bring Peace and Unity across the world. Isn’t that what all of us are trying to do ourselves? So, thank you, ‘Madiba’ – for being the mirror, being the light to many. Your light will always shine in millions of hearts, and encourage us to be live our lives so we can be Unifying Spirits too.

Kumud

P.S. It is no coincidence (or is it?) that my daughter’s Christmas concert on Saturday concluded with a rendition of the song… “One Song for Peace” – yet another reminder of all that unites us.

P.P.S. This framing post was written for our live twitter conversation on Sunday mornings – Sunday, December 8th at 9am ET. Join us on twitter or at at http://chat.spiritchat.org as we discuss and celebrate all that unites and unifies us. Namaste!

Postscript: Full transcript (including statistics) for #SpiritChat held Dec 8th 2013 via #hashtracking – Thanks to all who shared 🙂 bit.ly/sc-tr-1208. In addition, A Hand-Curated Transcript – with love, for better reading, is available via #storigy at bit.ly/sc-st-1208 – Namaste 🙂

Q1. Those who have the effect of a “Unifying Spirit” on our world – what makes them so? #SpiritChat

Q2. What is the essence of Unity? Thoughts? Words? Actions? Or… #SpiritChat

Q3. What KIND of Unity adds the most value to our daily life, our spiritual growth? #SpiritChat

Q4. Is dissent an indication of the lack of a Unifying Spirit? Why or why not? #SpiritChat

Q5. “World Unity is merely the dream of romantics.” Agree/Disagree? Why? #SpiritChat

Q6. Is it possible to have Unity of faith? Is it even necessary for spiritual growth? #SpiritChat

Q7. What is the connection between Unity, purpose and living a full life? #SpiritChat

Q8. Three action steps will you take – to be a Unifying spirit in your family, community… #SpiritChat

On Traditions and Spirituality

Tags

practices, spirit, spiritchat, traditions, values

What is a tradition? The classic dictionary definition is

Tradition is the transmission of customs or beliefs from generation to generation, or the fact of being passed on in this way… To transmit, to hand over, to give for safekeeping.

Traditions have symbolic meaning or special significance, with some of them being more special to us than others. Traditions can help add color, light, sound, taste and flavor to our occasionally mundane lives. As we go and grow through life and spend time with different cultures, and their ways of doing certain things, we may also have an opportunity to absorb their traditions and enhance our own.

However, there are hurdles that face our traditions. For instance, when crossing national boundaries, the desire of immigrants to preserve traditions can become a challenge. This is particularly true when the cultures of the immigrant and the host country are vastly different. One choice is to compromise – to bend but not break, to allow the tradition to flex, and be infused with the fragrance of the new culture. Some of us may be resistant to assimilate the traditions of the societies we live in – for fear of losing our past traditions. We may choose to be hard, non-compromising and rigid in our attitude. This may keep the tradition(s) pure for a little while, but invites the inevitable conflict(s) within families and communities.

Religion and its practices are well-known for their affinity for tradition(s). Holidays, celebrations and festivals are opportunities to renew old traditions, and, on occasion, establish some new ones. The memories and records of these traditions in our lives become intertwined with, and may even surpass the religious significance of these celebrations! The traditions can hence become the means with which to preserve those specific values which the particular religious community wants to nourish and grow.

A traditional Rangoli decoration for ‘Diwali’ – India’s ‘Festival of Lights’

Photo by S. Majumdar / CC BY 2.0

In a spiritual context, we my inherit certain practices, and we may develop some of our own as we weave our way through life. How can we decide which of these practices will eventually become traditions which we may want to preserve? How do we preserve our own traditions, while remaining open to the traditions of others? Do you feel that this need to preserve traditions is a ‘red-herring’, a distraction on our spiritual journey? Or do you feel that this is part of our purpose, our mission, our legacy?

I invite you to reflect on this topic, and then join us in our weekly #SpiritChat on Sunday, November 3rd 10th at 9amET on twitter. Share your thoughts, and some of your traditions with us. These Sunday morning conversations on spirituality have almost become a tradition for many – I hope you will get to meet some of these good folks! Namaste.

Kumud

P.S. I invite you to test out the special chat site developed by @tchatio for #SpiritChat at http://chat.spiritchat.org – we hope to ‘filter’ the displayed chat stream of any ‘non-traditional’ visitors during the live chat 😉

A Conversation on Abundance – with @Simon_GB

Tags

abundance, spirit, spiritchat

It seems like our #spiritchat conversations gravitate towards the topic of abundance around the time(s) of spring and autumn. Earlier this year, we talked about abundance at the onset of spring in the northern hemisphere. Now, here we are, in October, and autumn is in full swing, and my host for this Sunday, Simon Harvey, suggested that we talk about abundance. And I heartily agreed with him. For I left autumn in the North, to come and celebrate spring, and abundance, in the South (of Brazil) for a few days.

Simon Harvey has been a supporter of #SpiritChat since the very early days (for almost two years now), and he might have well been a part of the very first #SpiritChat conversation. So, it is with great pleasure, that I introduce you to Simon, as the host of this Sunday’s live twitter conversation on #abundance. Simon was kind enough to share a few thoughts on abundance with me, which I share with you below.

If you look closely there’s abundance everywhere. Within abundance lives raw energy. When abundance is seen it can be overpowering. Abundance can be like a London bus, seemingly rare until there it is, and now a whole lot of them. But is abundance with us all the time, does abundance live within us and is our spirit the equilibrium to abundance? What does abundance feel like, what as we see abundance arrive in harvests, leaves and a season that has become abundant in giving, can abundance teach? – Simon Harvey

If we all were to develop a feeling, an attitude of abundance, how would it impact those around us? Do give it some thought. And then, I hope you will join @Simon_GB in what promises to be a wonderful discussion on #abundance on twitter, Sunday, October 12th at 9am ET (2pm UK BST). I know that all of you who participate will come away with a new perspective on this subject.

Be well. See you soon…

Kumud

Simon Harvey is the founder of @N2PeopleSkills, loves to talk about “People Skills Development” and “Self Awareness”, and is an “Activist of Compassionate Life”.

Our Spiritual Alignment

Tags

alignment, priorities, spirit, spiritchat

“So, what’s new Doc?” – I asked her casually on twitter. “Doing my best to stay aligned…” – came the reply from a long time #SpiritChat veteran (and past host), @EmeliaSam.

This brief conversation got me thinking about #alignment and it’s importance in our lives. How many of us think about the state of our physical, emotional, financial, and spiritual alignment? And how often? We know when our cars are out of alignment, for we start drifting off the road, and have to constantly correct to “stay in our lanes”. Sometimes, we even grip the steering wheel more tightly, thinking that it may help us stay “aligned”. Perhaps, what we really need to do is to check that air-pressure in the tires, rotate those wheels, and get an all-wheel alignment. Then, when we get back on the road, we won’t have to constantly course correct, and we can loosen the grip on the steering wheel of life a little…

Yes. I could not help but use an automotive analogy in reference to alignment. I could have used any number of analogies – say, that of a rocket being launched or an airplane taking off or…. I think you get the idea. But alignment means more than simply being “in a straight line”. For when our alignment is “off”, we feel an uneasiness in our bodies, in our minds, in our hearts, and in our spirits. This dis-ease, when neglected for a long time, eventually leads to disease, and may even manifest as chronic pain, or addiction, in some of us.

As they say, “a stitch in time saves nine” – so, perhaps we need to pay attention to this sense of mis-alignment when we first become aware of it. Physical mis-alignment is easy to detect, because it manifests quickly as pain. Emotional mis-alignment can reflect in our frequent “mood swings” and we may tend to fluctuate between highs and lows in response to minimal external input. Financial mis-alignment may show up in our struggle to make ends meet, or, for some, in our struggle to decide how to cope with our state of great financial prosperity.

So, what does “alignment” mean in the context of our practice of spirituality? How does spiritual mis-alignment manifest? What are some signs that we may not be in alignment with our beliefs? Once we detect spiritual mis-alignment, how do we correct it? In the September 1st #SpiritChat, we had discussed the topic of devotion – can an evaluation of “what are we devoted to” help us re-establish our alignment? For that matter, why is spiritual alignment important anyway? Can it lead to rigidity of beliefs, and rigidity of actions?

So, let us look into this subject of alignment a bit deeper. I invite you to join me and the #SpiritChat community as we examine some of these questions in our weekly chat on twitter – Sunday, September 8th at 9am ET. Namaste!

Kumud

P.S. If you cannot join us in the live hour of the chat, I invite you to share your thoughts, your questions, your answers in the comments below. Thank you!

Update: Here are the questions asked during the chat. Feel free to answer in the comments… The full transcript and statistics are available at http://bit.ly/sc-tr-0908 . Enjoy!

Q1. “Alignment”. What it does it mean to you in your current life-context? #SpiritChat

Q2. What are some “reference points” against which you gauge your sense of alignment? #SpiritChat

Q3. How does mis-alignment manifest in our lives? How do we correct it? #SpiritChat

Q4. Is a Guide/Master necessary to restore our spiritual alignment? Or can we self-align? #SpiritChat

Q5. What role do our beliefs, our values play in our feeling “well-aligned”? #SpiritChat

Q6. Do you believe that a global spiritual re-alignment is happening? Why or why not? #SpiritChat

Q7. How does our well-aligned being impact our friends, families, communities? #SpiritChat

Final Q8. What action steps will we take, to practice better spiritual alignment? #SpiritChat

A Spirit of Devotion

Tags

devotion, enthusiasm, loyalty, spirit, spiritchat

The month of August has been full of rich discussion and conversation in the #SpiritChat community. We have talked about trust, about the role of a student, about inner contentment and about reinvention (second acts). On the surface, all of these topics seem unrelated to each other. However, the common thread that runs through all of them is the engagement of the people who share in the live conversations every week. Some of these people have, over time, taught me a lot about loyalty to a cause, a community, and to each other. One may dare to even call it devotion as in the context of faithfulness, constancy, commitment, or dedication. According to the dictionary,

Devotion is love, loyalty, or enthusiasm for a person, activity, or cause

In the spiritual context, devotion may refer to thoughts and/or actions of piety, religiousness or sanctity. In my native language (hindi), devotion is perhaps best described as shraddha or bhakti – a state of the heart where one is in surrender to a higher state of consciousness. I am sure that there are many interpretations of devotion, particularly in the spiritual context. Some of these interpretations may even be considered negative – for extreme devotion can open the door to, say, fanaticism.

So, what is the purpose of devotion? We have all heard that “loyalty has its rewards” and so on. In the spiritual context, what rewards does devotion bring to us? And how do we decide what cause, community or person to be devoted to? Or are the object(s) of our devotion decided for us, as we live our daily lives, walk our spiritual walk? How do we know when our devotion is becoming extreme? How do we balance the ideas of being “free spirited” and being “in devotion”?

As I have been doing (mostly) every week for a while, I invite you to join me and the #SpiritChat community as we examine some of these questions in our weekly chat on twitter – Sunday, September 1st at 9am ET. I appreciate your enthusiasm, your loyalty and your love. Namaste!

Kumud

Update: Here are the questions asked during the chat. Feel free to answer in the comments… The full transcript and statistics are available at http://bit.ly/sc-tr-0901 . Enjoy!

Q1. What does “A Spirit of Devotion” mean to you? #SpiritChat

Q2. Where does a spirit of Devotion originate? How does it develop? #SpiritChat

Q3. What would our journeys look like if we lacked a spirit of #devotion? #SpiritChat

Q4. Can too much devotion distract us, hinder spiritual growth? Why or why not? #SpiritChat

Q5. How does the devotion of others towards us affect our spiritual journey? #SpiritChat

Q6. “Perpetual devotion to One come at the cost of perpetual neglect of others”. Agree or disagree? #SpiritChat

Q7. What are some blessings of being devoted to a person, project or purpose? #SpiritChat

Q8. Who or what invokes a spirit of devotion in you? Why? #SpiritChat

Final Q9. What action steps will we take, to be empowered by devotion? #SpiritChat

Inner Contentment and the Spirit

Tags

contentment, discontent, spirit, spiritchat

What is the reason for our discontent? If we examine this question, in the silence and stillness of our heart, and do our best to be honest with ourselves – the answer will perhaps reveal to us what is it that truly fills us with contentment. While the dictionary defines contentment as a “state of happiness and satisfaction”, I believe there is more to it than that. Or is there?

As we live our daily lives, most of us wear various hats and play various roles in our home, work and community. We deal with our own inner struggles as we walk on our path towards creating inner peace and contentment. We can call this our “internal” input. Our hearts and minds process the inputs that come our way in the form of news events – positive and negative – that may be local, national or international in nature. We can call this our “external” input. I would posit that our reaction to the sum of the internal and external inputs determines the state of our mind, in every moment. When we are in a dominant positive state of mind – fed by a net sum of positive inputs, and positive actions on our part, we add to our “savings bank” of contentment. When the reverse is true, we withdraw from it.

So, our goal seems straightforward. It would be to keep adding to our contentment savings, and only withdraw from them, if and when necessary. Eventually, the balance of our inner contentment level, the state of our heart and spirit, would be so high, that minor withdrawals – those negative moments, or hours, or maybe even days – would not affect the balance by that much. It would be like a millionaire making a withdrawal to pay for a cup of coffee – an insignificant change in the overall balance. We would have reached a state of awareness where our inner contentment becomes our sanctuary – a place where we can retreat to at will – to reconnect with our truth, our heart, our joy.

As with every goal, it takes work, and it comes with obstacles that we need to overcome. So, what is the work necessary to get to inner contentment? What are some of the obstacles? How can we overcome some of these obstacles? Is it selfish to seek inner contentment in the context that it may take us away from the path of action? What would it mean to you if you were in the “millionaire” state of inner contentment?

I invite you to join me and the #SpiritChat community as we examine some of these questions in our weekly chat on twitter – Sunday, August 18th at 9am ET. I hope that we all move forward towards greater inner contentment with your engagement. Namaste!

Kumud

Update: Here are the questions asked during the chat. Enjoy, and feel free to answer in the comments… The full transcript and statistics are available at http://bit.ly/sc-tr-0818. A searchable pdf transcript of the Q and A is also available. Please leave feedback on whether you found these useful, or if you have ideas for improvement. Thank you!

Q1. Contentment. A big word with many meanings. What does it mean to you? #SpiritChat
http://twitter.com/AjmaniK/status/369082661643382784

Q2. What are signs of inner discontent? What is your typical response to them? #SpiritChat
http://twitter.com/AjmaniK/status/369084246083657729

Q3. Can inner discontent be ‘managed’? If so, how? If not, why? #SpiritChat
http://twitter.com/AjmaniK/status/369085972664684548

Q4. Healthy discontent is a prelude to progress. -Gandhi. How does this apply to spiritual progress? #SpiritChat
http://twitter.com/AjmaniK/status/369087253236051968

Q5. How do our material wants and desires affect our level of contentment? #SpiritChat
http://twitter.com/AjmaniK/status/369089234235179009

Q6. What are some healthy ways for us to practice contentment for growth? #SpiritChat
http://twitter.com/AjmaniK/status/369091183189827585

Q7: How do our families, communities get affected by our level of contentment? #SpiritChat
http://twitter.com/AjmaniK/status/369092890917474304

Q8. Action step. We can create balance of contentment and progress by… #SpiritChat
http://twitter.com/AjmaniK/status/369094327315619840

The Spirit of a Student

Tags

learning, spirit, spiritchat, student, teacher

The month of August in the USA heralds the beginning of the “back to school” season – summer break is over and students and teachers begin the new year of school. As summer camps and summer vacations wind down and the focus shifts to preparing for new children to enter new grades, entire communities shift gear. Teachers may have to start preparing and revising lesson plans. School administrators may start focusing on myriad issues like budgets, staffing, curriculum and more. Parents may have to shift focus to gathering resources like school supplies, clothing, and waking up earlier than usual 🙂 And the students? What about the students, around whom this entire process of shifting focus revolves?

The student has perhaps the biggest shift to make – from the relatively carefree days of summer – to the relatively structured days of school. For some, the transition, the shift in focus, is easy. But I would guess, that for many, this shift is difficult, and takes some time. When I look back to my school days, this transition was slightly different. Our school year would begin in April, we would have a six week summer break, and then go back to school in early July. And, we had a stack of homework and projects to complete during our summer break. Oh, the injustice of it all – a summer break ruined with having to do school-work! 🙂

But, I digress. I was talking about the transition that ‘children’ have to make – mentally, physically and emotionally – to go back to school. We know of the responsibilities and roles of teachers, administrators, support staff and parents in transitioning ‘back to school’. What about the responsibilities of the ‘children’ to prepare themselves for ‘back to school’? In a way, we adults are perhaps like ‘children’, often find ourselves in having to make similar transitions – of going back to ‘school’. If we view our life as a playground of continuous learning – we adopt the attitude, and spirit of a student, don’t we? When we ingrain this student spirit into our minds and hearts, we have the potential to make our ‘back to school’ transitions easier. We simply view these life transitions as new opportunities to learn more about ourselves.

However, some among us, particularly the experts in a particular field or occupation, may find that it is difficult for us to go ‘back to school’. This can also happen in our spiritual life – where we have accepted certain truths, certain beliefs, certain rituals, and so on, as inviolate or non-negotiable. Yes, we need some truths and beliefs, and maybe even some rituals, to serve as foundations for the value systems in our life. So, how do we retain the spirit of a student? Of being open to continuous learning? As students, do we have a responsibility to prepare to be taught? If so, how can we do this? How does a spirit of trust affect the student-teacher relationship?

I hope some of these questions energize the student in you. I invite you to join the #SpiritChat community on Sunday, August 11th on twitter to talk about the Spirit of a Student. Come ready to share, and to take notes, and learn from the #SpiritChat community.

Thank you for reading – Namaste, and Be well.

Kumud

Update: Here are the questions asked during the chat. Enjoy, and feel free to answer in the comments… The full transcript and statistics are available at http://bit.ly/sc-tr-0811

Q1. The Spirit of a Student. What does it mean to you in your present life context? #SpiritChat
http://twitter.com/AjmaniK/status/366546228101660672

Q2. What makes an ‘ideal’ student? Does this ‘ideal’ create pressure for you as a student? #SpiritChat
http://twitter.com/AjmaniK/status/366547871773896704

Q3. As students, what are our responsibilities towards our ‘teachers’? Do we have any? #SpiritChat
http://twitter.com/AjmaniK/status/366549727333990400

Q4. In what areas of your lives could you be a better student? What stops you from being so? #SpiritChat
http://twitter.com/AjmaniK/status/366551856438194178

Q5. How do the lessons that we learn as students, serve us in our roles as teachers? #SpiritChat
http://twitter.com/AjmaniK/status/366553362897973249

Q6. Can spirituality be taught, even to the best of students? If so, how? If not, why? #SpiritChat
http://twitter.com/AjmaniK/status/366555484221734912

Q7. “The authority of those who teach is often an obstacle to those who want to learn.” Thoughts? #SpiritChat
http://twitter.com/AjmaniK/status/366556842953932801

Q8. “When the student is ready, the teacher appears”. Do we need to get ‘ready’? Why or why not? #SpiritChat http://twitter.com/AjmaniK/status/366558104814501889

Keeping a Youthful Spirit – by @ThinDifference for #SpiritChat

Tags

spirit, spiritchat, youth

We continue our “Summer Series” for our weekly Sunday morning conversations with my good friend, Jon Mertz. Jon believes that Millennials are the next, great generation of leaders, and that we need to share our experiences and encourage a new generation to lead mindfully and spiritedly!

Remember the days? Playing hopscotch down the sidewalk, taking turns without a care in the world. Running around the playground, laughing with friends. Lying in the tall grass, looking at the clouds go by and imagining the possibilities.

In our youth, there is an invincibility in our spirit along with a fire of seemingly endless inspiration.

Everything is new, and anything is possible.

It is a spirit of playfulness coupled with creativity, activity, and ingenuity. While some may call it “child’s play,” others may call it a youthful spirit.

And then something happens. It is time clicking by.

Time creates age, and age creates toil, wear, and responsibility. We get engulfed by the clock of work and the merry-go-around of each day twists our spirit. Disappointment trumps possibility. Drudgery displaces playfulness. Carefulness replaces carefreeness.

Our soul becomes worn, and this is the danger of age. So, how do we keep a youthful spirit through it all?
It may be worthwhile to first highlight what a youthful spirit is not:

• It is not immaturity.
• It is not unaccountability.
• It is not disregard for others.
• It is not laziness.

A youthful spirit is about:

• Embracing playfulness and laughter as a way to lighten up our communities and family relationships.
• Stoking our imagination for creativity and innovation.
• Keeping a fire in our soul to shine our purpose and keep it energized.
• Growing old with vim and vigor in our soul and spirit.
• Aging with a grin, making others wonder what we are up to still….

It is these and more.

We will explore how to keep a youthful spirit and what that means. To prime our thoughts, these random quotes may help spark your mind and spirit:

• Embracing youth: “It takes a long time to become young.” – Pablo Picasso
• Engaging relationships: “And even when I’m old and gray. I’m gonna feel the way I do today. ‘Cause you make me feel so young.” – Frank Sinatra
• Using your talents: “There is a fountain of youth: It is your mind, your talents, the creativity you bring in your life and the lives of people you love.” – Sophia Loren
• Igniting the spark: “Youth is, after all, just a moment, but it is the moment, the spark, that you always carry in your heart.” – Raisa M. Gorbachev
• Keeping the spirit: “You’re never too old to become younger.” – Mae West

How do you keep a youthful spirit? Join #SpiritChat and share! Sunday, July 14th at 9amET.

Jon

I hope you enjoyed this post written for our weekly #SpiritChat discussion by Jon Mertz. I invite you to join Jon and me for what promises to be a very youthful conversation! Thank you – Kumud.

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Reflection and the Spirit

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reflection, spirit, spiritchat

The month of June has been one of wonderful discussions in the #SpiritChat community chats every Sunday morning. We began in the first week by discussing the role, and desire for perfection in our lives, and how it impacts our spiritual growth. The second Sunday of June featured our first special guest in our Summer Series, Jill Chakra Khan. Jill helped turn the focus of the community from perfection to intention, as we examined the nature of our intentions, and their importance in our daily lives. The third Sunday’s conversation was about fathers, fatherhood, and the complexity of our relationships with father-figures in our lives. This was a difficult conversation for many in the #SpiritChat community, and a lot of open, healing sharing was done by some very courageous folks. It was a great eye-opener for me in that not everyone out there has necessarily had positive influences from their fathers. Regardless, they continue to examine, heal and move forward.

The fourth Sunday of June featured our second special guest of our Summer Series, Leia Cator. Leia turned our attention to two conjoined topics – awakenings and celebrations – or, celebration awakenings. Leia and her love for nature, and her dedication to photographing sunrises, brought a wonderful feeling of awakening, and celebration, to the #SpiritChat community. This brings us to the final Sunday of June (yes, there are five!), where we pause and reflect. One aspect of reflection comes from the fact that we are officially at the half-way mark of the year. In addition, the fact that we are officially into summer (at least in the northern hemisphere :)) may also give some us of pause for reflection – on perfection, intention, and celebration! Summer can be a busy time for many, as family time, travel, conferences, retreats and many more events may fill our calendars.

So, perhaps, it is a good time to pause. And reflect. To take stock of where we are, and where we are going. To examine our intentions for the next quarter, or maybe even the second half of the year. To look back at some of our (spiritual) and life goals, and how we took (or did not take) action on them. And, if we did not set any goals (I very rarely do so myself ;)), perhaps at least reflect on the nature of our intentions and do a quick self-exam and adjustment on them. We pause, reflect, plan, and move forward with action on our journey, as we carve our own path on our spiritual journey.

As has become custom, I invite you, dear reader, to come join me as I open the doors, yet again, to our Sunday morning conversations (whose threads sometimes meander during the week :)). Sunday, June 30th at 9amET. Let us engage in some reflection, as we well know how to do in #SpiritChat.

Until then, Be well. And may we continue our work to polish the mirror within. May we also continue to, as the song says, Believe in Love. Namaste!

Kumud

Update: Here are the questions asked during the chat. Enjoy, and feel free to answer in the comments… The full transcript and statistics are available at http://bit.ly/sc-tr-0630

Q1. Reflection – what does it mean to you in the context of everyday living? #SpiritChat

Q2. What are some real-life obstacles to meaningful reflection? #SpiritChat

Q3. We tend to reflect more in times of sorrow than in joy. Agree or Disagree? Why? #SpiritChat

Q4. What are some short and long-term benefits of reflection? #SpiritChat

Q5. How can reflection be used to connect the past with the present? #SpiritChat

Q6. Please share some favorite techniques that help you with reflection. #SpiritChat

Q7. As you reflect on the past, what inspires you to move forward? #SpiritChat

Final Q8. Reflect forward. Send a message to the future… #SpiritChat