Brahma Kumaris

04.02.17 Namaste: This gesture is called Anjali Mudra or Pranamasana. In Hinduism it means "I bow to the divine in you" Manners When we encounter good manners, we feel that some deeper part of us has been honoured. Truly, none of us deserves anything less. The Umbilical Cord Of Meditation (Part 2) Meditation is the creation of positive thoughts in the mind in such a way that the mind starts getting oriented in a positive direction above the routine thinking of day-to-day life. It is not making the mind blank or completely free of thoughts. In fact, it is making the full of positivity, in the form of positive thoughts and visual images of the spiritual self or the soul and the Supreme Soul, who is the Higher parent of the soul. We all know our physical self, who we are, what our name is, what work do we do, where do we stay, what is our nationality and how we look, but this is are our physical identity and is different from our spiritual identity. The spiritual identity is simple – I am a non-physical being of energy, which is not made up of the five elements and I have seven original virtues – peace, joy, love, bliss, purity, power and knowledge, which is my original nature. I have come into this world from the soul world, also called paramdham or shantidham, to play my part through the physical body, which is like the vehicle which I control. Also, my Father, the Supreme Father and the Father of all souls is an ocean of all these seven virtues. This is my spiritual introduction and so is this the introduction of all the human beings of the world. Now, to link or connect with God, the Ocean of all virtues, I have to remember my spiritual form and emerge my qualities through the power of thought and visualization. This is the first step of meditation. After that, I travel with the eye of my mind to the soul world and visualize my Supreme Parent as a luminous (bright) being of pure light over there and stay connected with Him for a few minutes and absorb His energy inside myself, which is the spiritual umbilical cord. This is meditation, a spiritual union between the soul and the Supreme Soul. Also, the soul empowers itself in this way with a powerful connection and after that performs its actions in the world, full of all these qualities. Those actions will then become pure actions and will inspire others also. This is the magic of meditation. (To be continued tomorrow …) Let's go from "doesn’t be a lemon" to "be a lemon"! Have you noticed how a 'lemon' has such a negative connotation? A lemon looks beautiful, smells wonderful and is incredibly versatile. It can be used as an antiseptic, a disinfectant, a cleanser, a de-scaler. They can be the star of the show, or a supporter; appearing in salads, drinks, desserts. Be just as versatile as a lemon and make everything delightful! Message for the day The key to all treasures is "happiness". Thought to Ponder: There are a lot of gifts that are hidden in my life, in each day. When I have happiness, and am able to happily move along through the day and am able to get an access to these treasures. This will also make me more aware of the inner treasures that I have within me, like my values, powers, skill and abilities. Point to Practice: Today I will make a list of all those things that I am thankful for in my life. This list will only be of what I have and appreciate. Making such a list will make me happy and keep me prepared to recognize and appreciate all other gifts that are coming my way.