
Vrikshasana- Tree Posture
Harmonious Balance
We all know the old adage - what you give out
you get back, or what goes around comes around.
But we forget this cast iron law which is found
everywhere in the universe. The energy of life
is constantly moving at physical, mental and
spiritual levels. And if we stand back and just
observe, we see it moving in the process of
exchange. In the context of our relationships,
we give and receive energy, and when we are
truly giving and receiving positive energy there
is harmony and balance. But when we do what we
are taught to do, which is to take and to keep,
then we destroy the harmony and the balance of
our life. When we say possession is nine tenths
of the law we give life to the illusion of
ownership which blocks out the truth. It is
possession itself which is our attempt to break
the law and it is that illusion which lies at
the heart of all human pain, discomfort and
disharmony. While many 'things' will come to us,
we possess nothing. We intuitively acknowledge
this when we say to each other, "You can't take
it with you when you go." Can you?
Royalty
In spiritual terms, royalty refers to an inner
state of dignity and an
attitude of service to humanity. Before taking
charge of others, let us
learn to rule our own heart and mind with love
and compassion. Let us
focus not on other people's weakness, not demand
anything of anyone,
and always be available to support and
encourage. A leader of this kind
does not chase after power and position, or
expect anyone to obey; yet
others naturally want to follow.
Cooking And Eating With A Spiritual Touch
(cont.)
When the subtle, spiritual aspect of cooking is
taken into consideration, the role of the cook
extends from simply creating tasty, nourishing
meals with fresh ingredients, to including a
spiritual connection with those who will be
eating that food. The aim will be to touch and
fill the heart as well as the stomach. The love
of the cook, and his or her motivation to offer
sustenance, will nourish as much as the physical
components of each dish. Food cooked by a person
who is angry, depressed or full of arrogance or
hatred will have a different effect from food
cooked with feelings of love, peace and the pure
desire to serve. In other words, we are what we
eat but also the thoughts, feelings and
attitudes that go into what we are eating. Even
in today's hectic lifestyle, when there
sometimes seems to be hardly enough time to
cook, let alone do so peacefully and caringly,
it is therefore definitely beneficial to develop
a positive attitude towards cooking. Before
undertaking any food preparation, remind
yourself that the task at hand can and should be
an enjoyable and creative activity or
experience, rather than an unpleasant,
time-consuming activity. A good practice, then,
is to meditate before cooking and then to let
preparing the meal itself be a creative,
meditative experience which yields a balanced,
health-promoting diet for the body as a temple
for the soul deity. Food always tastes better
when it has been flavored or with love and
happiness.
(To be continued tomorrow ...)
Soul Sustenance
The Mental Periscope
This is the ability of the intellect to come
out, observe, understand and initiate
appropriate action and, when necessary, go back
inside and be calm and still. This act of taking
the thoughts inside is called introspection and
in this introspective state the self can
re-energize, examine, reflect and refine, or
just be completely still - whatever it may wish
to do in that state of silence. When the
intellect uses its capacity as a periscope, it
is able to find a balance between the inside and
outside worlds.
Effective meditation means to gather the
positive resources of the inner self and then
use them in the outer world.
It is important to remain neither too much
inside, nor too much outside, but constantly to
create a balance between the inner and outer
realities. Meditation resembles the cyclic path
of energy: going from the inside out and then
from the outside in, gathering information, or
experiences that we need to reflect on, or
understand better. On other occasions, it may be
a question of recharging our minds with
positivity and peace: we go inside and, with the
practice of silence, the battery becomes
re-energized.
Message for the day
True love for others enables them to be free
from their weaknesses.
Expression:
The sign of good wishes is
that the negativity is not described to anyone
else. When there is true love for the other
person and there is a desire to see them
improve, their negativity is not repeated again
and again to oneself or to others. There is also
genuine love and concern revealed in the words
and so it helps the other person recognize his
own specialties and he is encouraged to use them
for his own benefit.
Experience:
My desire for perfection
enables me to become a source of support and
encouragement for the other person, when I am
able to see their strengths and relate to these
strengths and specialities. Under no
circumstance do I give others an experience of
negativity or discouragement. I also get the
love and good wishes from others as a return for
what I have given.