Archduke Joseph diamond Like the Diamond Diamonds are a symbol of endurance; they're born under intense heat and extreme pressure. Just like the diamond, we too become resilient and radiant thanks to life's pressures. "The only thing to fear is fear itself." As we move toward different wars and calamities, do not fear...instead have Faith that all things are working as they should. Do not judge with mortal eyes the tragedies of war, for we do not know the higher order of things evolving. Instead, pray for Wisdom and Swift resolution of a war...a war we have no control over. The only thing we can control however, is our thoughts and what we focus on in each Precious Moment of our lives. So as the media bombards us with fear and horror; let us focus on Peace, focus on Love, focus on God's Light and might. The Soul Journey A common question asked by many is - "Do we go back to the soul world, the incorporeal world (non-physical world), the home of all souls, when we die?" When we understand and experience ourselves as souls, as un-destroyable, eternal beings, we realize that death is only a physical phenomenon. At the death of the body, the soul enters another physical costume and a new chapter in its journey of life begins. Depending on the soul's karma performed through the body, its new birth is likely to be somewhere in the company of those souls with whom it has been close in previous births. It is quite a paradox that when a soul leaves a body, the relations which it has left, mourn over the loss of their loved one, and the new relations which it gets attached to celebrate with happiness, over an addition of a new-born entrant in their family. The soul only leaves the home (the soul world) once in a unique, personal journey. This journey of the soul is not linear i.e. a straight line, with a beginning and an end. But, on the other hand, it is cyclic i.e. a circle, with neither a beginning, nor an end - although both leaving the soul world and going back to the soul world happen once each in every cycle. This soul journey can be compared to actors who leave home to go to the theatre to play their parts. They change costumes between scenes - they don't return home at the end of each scene, they return home when the play is finished, only to return the next day to repeat their part in the play. Each birth of the soul that it takes can be compared to a new scene of the play, which consists of many different scenes. Soul Sustenance Universal Concepts About The Supreme Being or God - Part 2 Just as a candle flame emerges from a point source and assumes an oval form, mystics and saints throughout the passage of time have had visions of God as a point of self-luminous light with an oval aura. Most religions have images, idols or memorials, having one name or the other to represent God as light or as an oval shape. Throughout India there are statues of an oval-shaped image. They are called Shivalingas, and are thought to represent the Creator Himself. The names of the temples of Shiva confirm this: Somnath, the Lord of Nectar; Vishwanath, The Lord of the Universe; Mukteshwara, the Lord of Liberation, etc.. In the Old Testament of the Bible, it is mentioned that Moses had a vision of light as a burning bush in the desert. Jesus also referred to God as light. In some Christian ceremonies, during the ceremonies, an ostensorio is held up. The ostensorio is a golden ball with many rays radiating from it. Perhaps this is a symbolic representation of God. Guru Nanak, the founder of Sikhism called Him Ek Omkar, Nirakar, the one non-physical (bodiless) being or soul. According to Islamic legend, when Adam left paradise he came to a low hill upon which he saw a shining white oval stone. Around this stone he circled seven times praising God. He then built the Kaaba. By the time of Abraham it needed to be rebuilt as a temple to honour the one God. The town of Mecca grew around this spot. This oval stone, later called Sang-e-aswad and now ‘blackened’ by the kisses of millions of sinners, so they say, is the only object of worship in the whole of Islam. (To be continued tomorrow …) Message for the day Where there is faith, there is greatness. Expression: To have faith means to recognize the positivity in the self, in others and in situations. It also means a deep connection with God. The one who has faith is able to bring out the greatness in everything and everyone. So such a person reveals his greatness wherever he is. Experience: When I have unbroken faith, I have the understanding that everything that happens is for some good cause. So, I am satisfied with everything that happens in my life. So I am creative in my responses to the environment, which in turn, makes me truly great.