Brahma Kumaris

18.11.15 "Help Yourself" Unfortunately these two words tend to describe the generally selfish and materialistic culture in which most of us live. They result not in self-help but in dependency. Our education and our role models do not encourage us to help ourselves to grow, change and expand our capacities as human beings. Real self-help means recognising that no one else is responsible for our thoughts and feelings, and that we are only ever victims because we choose to be. Our destiny is always and only in our own hands - despite all apparent evidence which may indicate otherwise. Learning to help ourselves is also a prerequisite to extending a hand of assistance to others. We all need a leg up from time to time, but once there, we are always on our own. -relax7 Be Enthusiastic We often use 'complaining' as a social tool to share experiences or as a method to take action. But when we turn the complaining into positive comments, it becomes a lot easier for people to listen to us. And we might just be surprised by how much better life is! If you're tired and have to go to work, reframe your complaints: "Even though I'm tired, I'm going to accomplish a lot of today." Replace: "Oh no- I have to cook again!!!" to "I'm really looking forward to trying out this new recipe." Rediscover The Essence Of Happiness (cont.) When you feel stuck in a hard time, jump-start a pro-change attitude by letting go or shedding off your attachment to possessions and people (external attachments) and habits (internal attachments) that no longer work for you. When you get rid of your attachment to physical things and people and emotional habits that 'weigh you down', and start to feel lighter -- you'll witness how by letting go, you're making room for new things, new values to enter your life. As a result, your subconscious will be relieved by letting go of emotional burdens or bondages. To achieve the above purpose, try the short meditation below. Think as well as visualize alongside the following thoughts: I become aware of myself as a tiny sparkling star of light, an energy, situated just above the eyebrows - a soul... In soul consciousness, I experience the beauty of the many qualities like peace, love and joy; of the spiritual being that I am... Now, with the medium of visualization, I, the soul, travel beyond the world of 5 elements to the soul world, a non-physical dimension of the subtle light of golden red hue (shade)... Over there, I visualize, in front of me - a sparkling Sun of golden light - God, the Father and Mother of me, the Supreme Soul, the ocean of peace, love and joy, which is His eternal nature... He radiates the immense spiritual energy of peace, love and joy... I turn my mind and intellect to His light... I feel the warmth of His presence and the light of His love for me gently healing the wounds of the past that are buried deep inside me, the soul... wounds left by ego, fear, sorrow, jealousy, hatred, anger that have reduced my happiness all this while... I feel a deep feeling of emotional freedom inside me, I feel light and my happiness is restored... Fortunately, being happy is a cakewalk but it is not something that can be demanded from life, and if you are not happy you better stop worrying about it and see what treasures (whether your internal ones or the external ones i.e. from the Supreme and others) you can tap into. Soul Sustenance Meditation - A Process Of Cleansing, Dialogue And Joining (Part 2) Meditation can be defined as a process of cleansing, a process of dialogue and a process of joining. Today we take up: Dialogue In Greek, the word meditation is translated as dialogismos, from which comes the English word dialogue. Meditation is a dialogue with oneself, with the true self; a very necessary process for developing self-knowledge and accumulating inner strength. The basis of spiritual dialogue with oneself is introspection. Introspection is the ability to examine and change oneself, as one wants to or should do. Without a consistent re-evaluation of our attitudes and thought models, negative habits easily dominate our consciousness. A healthy dialogue with our inner selves means that we interact positively with others, without being trapped or lost in ourselves. Introspection involves being an observer: observing and not reacting to situations or people with negative emotions such as anger, hate, fear, resentment and jealousy. Being detached observers helps us conserve our inner energy and keeps us spiritually, mentally and emotionally healthy. (To be continued tomorrow….) Message for the day To be free from the burden of responsibility is to fulfill the responsibility well. Expression: When I am responsile for something or people expect me to be answerable for something, I tend to feel heavy because of these responsibilities. With the such a feeling of having a burden, I'm not able to fulfill my responsibilities to the best of my ability. Experience: Whatever responsibilities are given to me are according to my capabilities. When I remind myself of this I'll be able to be light and give my best to fulfill all my responsibilities.