Brahma Kumaris

30.11.15 Artemisia, the first lady navigator, the commander of Acheamenid navy (Persian) Determination Determination is an unbroken line, a backbone. Without determination life becomes scattered. Determination makes you sit up straight and love everything. The Practice of Meditation The root of all needs and expectations is an unfulfilled spiritual desire. Satisfy your spiritual desires through the practice of meditation and you'll be able to interact successfully with anyone. No longer needy, you will enter into relationships simply to share and enjoy. There'll be no strings attached in the way you give of yourself; your love will be unconditional. The Physical And The Non-Physical In life many happenings cannot be explained only in material or physical terms. At certain points of crisis (negative) or inspiration (positive), there are deep emotional and spiritual experiences which separate us from the world around. We look inwards at such times; we look into religious or philosophical books, into rituals or symbols, in order to understand these experiences. We are subject to a continuous commentary on life around us from our own thoughts, feelings and deductions. These faculties of thinking and forming ideas, desiring and deciding (and all the different aspects which constitute our individual personality) are non-physical, yet nevertheless real - we cannot deny their existence. Indeed, anything perceivable to us comes from two sources; that which is detected by the physical senses and that which arises from impressions recorded on these subtle (non-physical) faculties (mentioned above). The things that we can see, taste, hear, smell and feel, as well as the body itself are formed of matter. But the subtle faculties of mind, intellect and personality make up what we call "consciousness". Soul Sustenance Spiritual Vision A simple definition of spiritual vision is that I see the best in others. A parameter of proving to myself that I have a spiritual vision and I am seeing the best in others is that I naturally thank and praise rather than criticize those with whom I interact at home or at the workplace on a daily basis – even though I may see obvious negative characteristics in them and experience negative behavior from them. Keep a daily chart of the three points, for three people close to you, below for one week. Every night, fill this chart up for the day that’s just gone by. 1. Name of person and relationship 2. How did I thank or praise him/her? 3. What was this person's response? Remember that although you may be constantly positive with others, constantly seeing their original spiritual qualities, it may take time for your positive energy to transform them and for them to start transmitting positive energy back to you and start behaving positively with you. At the end of the week, check what benefits did you and others experience from this exercise. Message for the day Become a true well-wisher who transforms others' attitude with your good wishes. Checking: In your interactions throughout the day, check if your feelings towards someone are negative. Also check if you are expecting someone to change his or her attitude or behaviour. Practice: Tell yourself each day, "Just as a powerful bulb when switched on transforms darkness into light in a second, there's so much power in my good wishes that they can transform others' negative attitude into positive in one second."