15.07.2015 Head & Heart To handle yourself, use your head. To handle others, use your heart. Do you feel resentment towards another ? Are you willing to resolve this conflict ? What attitudes are preventing you from making peace ? Do you want to teach them a lesson ? Or do you think that they started it, so they should resolve the conflict ? Why not be the one who takes the first step towards peace and consider resolving a conflict. Just remember, there is always a solution, if you really want to find one. The Art Of Stepping In And Stepping Out In Relationships For any activity, or relationship to remain peaceful and successful, we must know how far to step in and how far to step out. It is like a gardener who sows seeds at the right time, steps in to plant and water them and then steps out of the picture to allow nature to carry on with her work. However, from time to time, he steps in again to see if there is enough water, if any insects are attacking the plants, if any food is needed. His role is to find the appropriate space for the potential beauty and uniqueness of the seeds to emerge; he does not create the flowers but facilitates their expression. The gardener does not step in too much; that would be called interference. After planting the seeds, he does not demand an immediate result; he does not dig them up next day to see if they have sprouted. He plays his role, fulfills his duty, but lets go because he understands the blooming of the flowers is not dependent on him. Nor does he let go too much. If he did, then the plants would die from lack of care, or the insects and weeds would destroy them. He does not let go so much that he isolates himself from the process. Instead, by knowing when to step in and when to step out, he creates a respectful partnership or relationship with nature. Tomorrow we shall apply this example to real life relationships. Soul Sustenance The Subtle Role Play Of Thoughts And Images (Part 2) What the quality of a soul’s thoughts and images (or scenes) that it creates, depends on the soul’s sanskaras. Depending on the quality, the soul experiences the various different emotions, whether positive or negative. When the soul first incarnates on the physical world stage from the soul world, the quality of this role play of thoughts and images is high, pure and positive, hence it experiences only positive emotions. As it plays its different roles and comes down in the birth-rebirth cycle, this quality reduces, leading to the experience of emotions like sorrow, peacelessness, etc. A point worth noting is that the key to any deep emotional experience, whether positive or negative is the creation of thoughts as well as images related to that particular emotion at the same time e.g. think and visualize at the same time, the death of a close relative that took place ten years ago and you immediately have a deep experience of sorrow. Think and visualize together, a loving hug of your mother that took place in your childhood, and you immediately experience deep happiness. This type of co-ordination between these two subtle processes is true concentration. The key to any type of spiritual upliftment is the upliftment of these two processes. The meditation that is taught at the Brahma Kumaris is nothing but a spiritual thought process accompanied by a spiritual visualization process, whereby thoughts and images of the subtle, spiritual self (or soul) and the Supreme Being (or Supreme Soul) are created together to experience the original qualities of the spiritual self and the eternal qualities of the Supreme Being – purity, peace, love, happiness and power. Message for the day Wisdom lies in taking only whatever is good. Projection: I am usually so receptive to things outside that I take in everything, both the good and the bad. The bad part of it, however, doesn't let me be happy. I also notice that the more I take the negative things that people are giving me, the more they tend to give. Solution: The solution lies in taking only the positive things and ignoring the negative things. Even if I do have to take the negative things, I need to take it in a positive way. This is real wisdom through which I'll get the best out of life.