WOMAN

source#### http://us.profile.myspace.cn/index.cfm?fuseaction=user.viewprofile&friendid=42201747 #####

Truth is awareness.
Truth is a state of being.
Truth is love.
Truth is one.
Truth is beyond language, words and symbols.
Truth is meditation.

Truth cannot be expressed or described but only experienced.

TRUTH IS WOMAN

Nothing exists apart from Her. She is That Which Cannot Be Told. Symbols words and language do not touch Her. I cannot and will never understand Her. She cannot be explained, She cannot be described but She can be felt. You can feel, see, taste, hear and touch God but you can’t explain or describe God, just like an experience.

Truly love language goes deep although it doesn’t even scratch the surface. Yes, my site is symbolic but so is art, a flower and a poem. Poems try and convey a message but symbols don’t go far enough. The feeling that the poet is trying to convey isn’t truly transmitted, it might be vaguely described but you cannot feel what the poet is feeling just by reading about it, you have to experience it.

ALL IS WOMAN

We truly are nothing but Kali’s helpless toys. We are puppets. She pulls us from within and when one is pulled from within one no longer is part of the drama that is the illusion because one becomes what truly is; the watcher. True the watcher is still living in the illusion but the watcher is totally untouched by the illusion like the lotus in the water. Take life as a trip, a journey and understand that what we are ultimately here to do is experience, enjoy and love. We all have to understand that our life is a moment in totality but this moment experienced fully is infinite. From the average point of view, each moment is so indescribable and so short that we cannot even think about it before it has vanished but from another perception, this moment right now is always here and now, since we know nothing else than the present moment. Yes, it is always constantly dying, always becoming the past more rapidly than the mind can conceive but truly destruction is creation. Every day lived truly is another day closer to death thus the moment is disintegrating but also at the same time always being born, always becoming new and coming just as rapidly from the unknown we call future thus the eternal present beyond the mind is the reality that is egolessness.

WOMAN IS REALITY

She has infinite aspects and hundreds of names. She is the manifest Light in each of us. She is the Kundalini. She is not separate from the world for She is existence itself. She is eternal bliss and pure consciousness. She is love.

Let’s say you deeply care about a woman, she makes you feel awesome, you don’t want to see her suffer, you want the best for her, you love her. But what is love? It cannot be described but it can be felt. God is love. When only the other is, then you truly are. The lover loses himself in the beloved. The other is God, in that absorption the I disappears and Shakti alone is.

There is no Shiva and Shakti, Shiva is Shakti. There is no separation. Shiva loses himself and is captivated by Her. She is life, infinite space, the root, love, the reason we exist. Yes, indeed very abstract but Kali cannot be intellectually grasped; the Woman inside of all must be experienced. Kali, the Yoni manifested Herself as Lingam precisely for Her pleasure thus She copulates only with Herself. She manifested everything truly for Her delight thus She is ecstasy that definitely should not be repressed. Love is the Female, Gnosis. Most people live in un-love but love is one. See meditation is love. Meditation is a state, the original state synonymous with surrender, with letting go, with egolessness. So not only can you make love to your immediate other but you can also make love to the trees, to the stars, to the moon, to the sky, to existence itself for microcosm is macrocosm. She is everything.

The Goddess is not the same external monarch that rules the universe as symbolized by the Father. Father is in existence because of the Mother. She does not rule the world like a monarch; She is existence itself and hidden in all. Starhawk says, “All things are swirls of energy, vortexes of moving forces, currents in an ever-changing sea. Underlying the appearance of separateness, of fixed objects within a linear stream of time, reality is a field of energies that congeal, temporarily, into forms. In time, all ‘fixed’ things dissolve, only to coalesce again into new forms, new vehicles.”

The Charge of the Goddess says, “Once in a month and better it be when the Moon is full, you shall assemble in some secret place and adore the spirit of Me who is Queen of all the Wise. You shall be free from slavery and as a sign that you be free you shall be naked in your rites. Sing, feast, dance, make music and love, all in My presence for Mine is the ecstasy of the spirit and Mine also is joy on Earth. For My law is love unto all beings.”

HUMAN

"A human is not that animal with a pair of legs, a pair of hands, wearing clothes, or any other decorations on him..like we see everyday.... but a human is that thing which use his mind to think and his heart to react, for the benefit of others and not his..."

LIFE THROUGH MY EYES!

We're born, we grow, we experience, we learn, and we die. Have you ever thought about it? Why go through all these when we know we gonna die? What's the use of spending time at schools, at work, in routine cycle when we can live without it?

WHY?

It all started on a warm summer evening in ancient Greece, ( lol ) no no no...just joking... i won't write fairy tales, though it might seem like one.

so, we're born in a family, why there? why in that specific family? It's all related to our purpose on earth and our past actions, yes.. am referring to one soul which comes again and again, in different form and condition. I do believe in rebirth, but not for only 7 times, i would say it may be only once, twice, or indefinitely till you don't accomplish your job on earth.

That job, you have to prepare yourself for it.

Get used to the environment, to the energy, to the people and of course to the food! :-)
That's what makes our childhood!

Then we choose our office, the best one depending on our taste. Where to sit, how to sit, etc..
That's our teenage life!
It's only a transition from childhood and Adulthood.

Then comes the most important part, adulthood.
It's here that all starts getting serious. It's now that we experience, learn, react to different situations. And we even got exams, where we get into a storm. Alone. We may find people around to help, but the final decision depends on us. And the result of that test is how we react to the situation, our actions, how we manage to get through it.

It's like getting a driving permit, and you shall loop recursively till you don't go through it. Thatis when you fail, you'll get back to a certain point, start again. You can't get on the other side of the bank until you cross the river!

When you pass the test, you move one step up on that big stair which they named as LIFE! But i prefer LIFE ON EARTH.

LIFE ON EARTH because that's one floor! and to get to the roof we got to go through different level of the building!

Once on the first floor, we get to visit it and get the chance to either stay there or take the risk to move on the next one, That all depends on us.

And the final stage on earth is as senior citizen. That's where we rest for certain time and enjoy life on earth before setting on another journey.

But let's get back to the stair.

As everyone know, the earth revolves around the sun, and the moon orbits around earth. Like this simple motion, tahtis Circular motion, and like that everything go round and round. We end up at our starting point, but with different knowledge.



Climbing up the stair, one get hurt and fall, but we got the choice, either go by the side and throw our self in the void, and start all over again, or get up and get to know that falling is the test of strength. One physically fall when we're weak, but at that time getting up and continuing the journey shows that we're mentally strong to continue and spiritually prepared for the next step.

Getting up after the storm, you get to the next step, that's what i refer as enlightenment!

Enlightenment.... hummm ... i would say that time where you turn back and see all you went through, realise what it was and get the best out of it. Acquiring knowledge. That would help you further.
That's what i call enlightenment.
And that thing, is what no one can give us or help us in acquiring!

In itself, being born on earth is one stage, that prepares us and the final result decides if we're ready for the next stage. But earth, like every level, is one through which everyone have to go through. Quitting does not mean that we jump to the other bank by closing our eyes, but means that we start all over again.

There are certain things that we experience during the journey and if we understand it's meaning, then we smile! else better not to understand it and accept as it is and move on as we shall get the answers and better understand it later on.

**(Another part is omitted here and shall be posted later on, when the time comes)**
**(That shall be your patience test.Or if you know what it is, just comment here) **

Trying to understand is disturbing.
Try to overlook it and you'll find yourself back on the track that you wanted to escape.
If you understand it but don't accept it, then you're standing still.
And finally if you understand it and accept it, all you have to do is to let the water flow and it will find it's way to the sea!
And that shall be your PATIENCE test.
:-)
Indeed, everything got a meaning. There's no such thing as coincidence.We only have to get on the track and walk!

So SMILE AND WAVE FOLKS!

(2 B contd)

The Spiritual Cord

The Spiritual Cord

It seems that the term “spiritual cord” has never been in much use, probably because its importance has not been grasped, the spiritual cord being intangible, finer than atmosphere. But its influence in all phases of human life is so great it cannot be lightly regarded. It can be the cause of fortune and misfortune on a personal level, while on a larger scale it can influence history.

Therefore, human beings must understand its significance.

Before going into detailed explanation, I wish to point out that this concept of the spiritual cord is scientific as well as ontological, and it will be a subject of much study in the future. The principle of relativity, cosmic rays, and all matters concerning individuals and society are affected by the spiritual cord. Let us start with the relationship between human beings and the spiritual cord.

human beings and the spiritual cord

Suppose there is a person. Readers may apply this to themselves. The number of spiritual cords connected to you is innumerable—there are hundreds, thousands of them. They all vary in length, size, and nature—positive or negative, all exerting constant influence on you to a certain degree, causing changes. Therefore, it is not too much to say that your very existence is being maintained by spiritual cords. Among all, the cords between husbands and wives are the thickest, then between parents and children. After these in diminishing thickness are the cords between siblings, other relatives, friends, and acquaintances. Old Japanese expressions such as “cords of love” and “to bind the cords of relationship” no doubt refers to this.

The spiritual cord is constantly changing its size, growing thicker or thinner. When a husband and wife are living together in harmony, the spiritual cord is thick and luminous, while at times of conflict, the cord becomes thinner, losing luminosity to a certain extent. The same can be said about those connecting parents and children, brothers and sisters, and all others. New cords are formed when new friends or acquaintances are made. An especially strong spiritual cord is formed when two individuals fall in love, which becomes extensively thick when their love reaches its zenith.

The spiritual cord between lovers

Through the spiritual cord, alternating currents of sentiment flow intensely between the two lovers. This creates a subtle and pleasant sensation, and at the same time, a sense of sorrow and loneliness goes back and forth until the spiritual cord is of the utmost strength. At this point, the lovers are absolutely inseparable. Any efforts of a third party to talk some sense into them would not only be futile but intensify the zeal even more, as everyone is aware. The mutual love of two individuals is analogous to the positive and negative charge producing a current when in contact, with the spiritual cord acting as a wire.

spiritual cords between parents and children

Although the spiritual cords between non-relatives can be cut or broken, those between blood relations cannot. Special attention should be paid to the spiritual cords between parents and children. As they constantly think of one another, their states are reflected on one another. Children receive the parents’ characteristic transmitted by the spiritual cords. For this reason, when people wish their children to be good, their own hearts must first be good. This is why admonitions of parents whose conducts are depraved are quite ineffective. But there are other cases as well. Sometimes a seemingly respectable couple’s child turns out to be very delinquent, to the puzzlement of many. Often it is because the parents are acting virtuously for utilitarian reasons; they may appear good on the surface but their souls are clouded and this is reflected on their child. In other instances, we find two children of widely different characters in the same family, one good and the other bad. Possible reasons may lie in the children’s previous lives or in is the sins of the parents. Let me illustrate.

spiritual cords AND PAST LIVES

Before going into further detail, the principles of reincarnation must be explained. Simply stated, after death every human being enters the spiritual world, that is, he or she is born into the spiritual world. This is how Buddhists refer to death—to be born in the Buddha’s land—which is rightly justified from a viewpoint of the spiritual realm. Here a person’s various transgressions in the physical realm prompt a process of purification. Spirits reincarnate when they have been purified to a certain degree reincarnate. Suppose a man had been wicked in a previous life, and upon death incurred by execution or under other circumstances, he deeply repents. Convinced that one must not commit evil, he resolves to be good in his next life. When he reincarnates, he comes back as a man of virtue.

It is possible that an individual who is virtuous by nature in this lifetime may have been extremely wicked in the previous life. There are many people who do not believe in life after death while living in this realm. After death, these people cannot find peace in the spiritual realm and often reincarnate before being fully purified, due to their attachment to physical life. Because of this, they retain sins and impurities for which they must go through purification in this world. Purification manifests as suffering. This explains why some individuals are born good but lead quite unfortunate lives. Other people are born disabled. Those who are born blind, deaf, or deformed died an unnatural death and reincarnated before the injury was fully purified. Let me write about another situation which is a remarkable illustration of reincarnation. Some new-born babies bear features of elderly people. They are reincarnations of those who died at advanced ages. As some people know, their features change and become baby-like after a few months.

In one family, the dishonest mind of the parents may reflect in one child, making him bad, while their conscience may reflect in the other, making him good. In another instance, where the parents have accumulated much wealth by dishonest means, the spirits of the ancestors make one of the children a prodigal son who squander the money like water until all the fortune is gone. This is because the ancestors know that the prosperity of the family is almost hopeless unless the ill-gotten wealth is dissipated. In this case, therefore, the son chosen to be a prodigal is actually performing a noble role of saving his family. People who are unaware of this may accuse him of destroying the family fortune, but in fact he is the one who deserves our sympathy.

spiritual cords with those in the spiritual realm

Spiritual cords connect people not only with others living around them, but also with those who have passed on to the spiritual realm, with divine beings, and with evil spirits. The divine spirits naturally encourage us toward good deeds, while evil spirits tempt us toward wicked ones. Thus, all human beings are continually manipulated by either good or evil forces. Spirits who have been purified to a certain degree in the spiritual realm qualify to be chosen as guardian spirits and protect human beings in the physical realm through spiritual cords. They can give a warning signal to people in their charge in order to save them from impending danger. For instance, suppose a person plans on taking a certain train. He misses the train for some reason—he is late or some obstacle prevents his taking the particular train—and he takes the next one. Later, he learns that the train he had missed met with a serious accident causing heavy casualties. Such an escape is due to the activity of the guardian spirit. It can foresee the fate of the individual in its charge and tries to warn him or her of the danger in various ways.

Spiritual cords differ in number

Spiritual cords differ in number according to the status of the individuals. For instance, the head of a family has cords with all members of his family, all relatives, servants, friends, and acquaintances. The president of a business organization has cords with all his employees. Public figures such as a mayor, governor, prime minister, president of a nation, and a king have innumerable cords connecting them with the people who are under their control or whom they represent. The number of spiritual cords increase in congruence with the ascension of rank. For this reason, any leader must possess a noble character. If a leader’s soul is impure, it reflects upon the many and the thoughts of the many become demoralized. The head of any government should be a person of true wisdom and spiritual awareness, one of great character who does his or her job with sincerity. If the people’s thought becomes corrupt, morality deteriorates, and the number of criminals increases, the administrator is responsible. Particularly, those in education should realize how their character reflects on their students through spiritual cords and always do their best to polish their souls, so that they may be worthy of being educators.

Especially people engaged in spiritual work, such as founders of religious groups or orders, presidents of religious organizations, priests and ministers all have an exceedingly strong spiritual influence on their numerous members or devotees because they are held in such reverence as if they were living gods. These individuals should be more conscientious than anyone else. Should they take advantage of their high positions and do something unworthy, their actions not only reflect on all their followers but can even result in the total disintegration of the organization itself. I am sure some of you have seen examples of such situations.

spiritual cords connect human beings with divine beings

There are not only spiritual cords between human beings but those which connect human beings with divine beings. The difference is that those of divine spirits are light itself, while even those of people with “high souls” are only half-luminous. The cords of most human beings tend to be grayish-white, lacking luster, and the more evil people are, the darker their cords become. Human beings generally wish to have good people as their friends. This is because they can be influenced in right ways by associating with good people and in wrong ways by associating with bad people. This is indeed due to the reflections through spiritual cords.

Even among the higher beings, there are divine spirits and evil spirits. Because the spiritual cords which come from divine spirits is light, our spiritual beings become more and more purified through worshipping them constantly, whereas evil spirits send out negative energies, which demoralize human thoughts and brings adversities to the worshippers’ lives. Therefore, for those who are considering to enter the spiritual path, it is essential to distinguish true divine beings from evil ones. Even the divine sprits differ in the intensity of their light according to their rank. Divine spirits of higher rank can bestow more miracles to their followers because their spiritual cords are of greater luminosity. Such is an overview of the significance of spiritual cords in direct relation with human beings. There are also actions of spiritual cords with other objects such as the houses we live in and the utensils and tools we use daily. Especially cherished articles are connected with the owner with very strong cords. This is true of our clothes and personal ornaments as well. I once read in an American psychic magazine of a woman with special ability. She could tell a person’s features, age, and even the person’s recent actions from an object in his or her possession. As she gazed at it, she could perceive all those things appear on it like a photograph. These were impressed on the object through the spiritual cords. From this account, we can understand how profound and subtle the actions are of spiritual cords.

spiritual cords connect the earth and heavenly bodies

Recently, scientists have begun investigating what they call cosmic rays. According to my observation, these “cosmic rays” are the spiritual cords connecting the earth and the stars. The fact that the earth is kept in equilibrium in space is due to the spiritual cords of the satellites which are drawing it. Therefore, the earth must have an unfathomable number of spiritual cords—millions, even billions of them—and all these cords penetrate the crust and reach its core. Incidentally, let me refer to the relationship of the earth and the heavenly bodies.

The earth and the heavenly bodies are just like counter-mirrors. There are two types of stars: bright and dark. Dark stars are invisible to the human eye because they have no light. Every year, however, some of them turn into bright ones; thus bright stars increase in number. The reason they turn into bright stars is because of the universal solidification of matter. When the solidifying process reaches its maximum, matter begins to emit light. It is by the same token that the hardest mineral on earth is the diamond, which is the brightest of all gems. At the time the earth was created, stars were as few as those in the sky at dawn. The number of stars has gradually increased in proportion to the population on the earth. For this reason, stars will continue to increase in infinite numbers—as will the population on earth. When astronomers think they have discovered a new star, they have actually found a star that has just turned into a bright one from its dark stage and therefore has become visible. Meteors are caused by the disintegration of a star, and meteorites are segments created in that process. There are celestial bodies of all kinds and sizes from major ones like Jupiter, Mars, Saturn, Venus, and Mercury, and innumerable smaller ones, all influencing human beings on earth. The five planets mentioned above correspond to the world’s five leading figures of each age. There are expressions in Japanese in which human beings are called stars metaphorically, such as, “A great star has fallen,” meaning a leading figure of the world has died, or “Encounter of great stars ,” meaning leading figures of the world meet, which are quite interesting.

In the West, there was a time when astrology greatly flourished. As history shows, it was practiced by priests, who used it for fortune-telling and diagnosing diseases, thereby dominating the society. The art of Chinese divination was also based on a principle of nine heavenly bodies. Thus, it is not without significance that the ancients were interested in the stars.

By the way, the theory of life on Mars is wrong. According to my observations, life exists only on this earth. Moreover, the earth is the center of the great universe and all things were created to serve humanity. Therefore, we must realize how precious human existence is.

##http://johreifoundation.org/shownews.asp?newsid=97##

Kundalini & Shaktipat

Kundalini & Shaktipat

Shaktipat initiates the process (the rising of the kundalini) by which a human being recognizes the intrinsic unbounded love that already dwells within their own heart—it is that love that ultimately reveals the secrets of our existence.

Kundalini is the divine energy within each person. It is the energy that gives us life--the same energy that gives life to the universe. It is represented as a "coiled serpent" in the chakra at the base of the spine in each human-the serpentine divinity who sleeps within each individual until awakened. The three coils of the serpent represent prana-kundalini--the energy that gives the physical body life, chitta-kundalini--the energy of our mind/emotions, and para-kundalini--the energy of our spiritual self. As the energy that lies dormant in each person is released it moves up the spine, activating the physic mechanism (chakras or energy/awareness centers). Deeper awareness and consciousness is experienced in the unfolding of and flow between those chakras. It is the rising of the kundalini, piercing and releasing the awareness within each chakra, that cuts through our tensions, blocks, ignorance, and ego. Ultimately, the kundalini moves up through all of the major chakras and rests in the chakra at the top of head, called the sahasrara chakra. This is the Sacred Space where we become completely aware of our total unity with the Divine. Shaktipat means the descent of grace, or transmission of energy, and it is a vitally important presence in the awakening of the kundalini. Shaktipat can be received from the teacher in four primary ways -- through the look, touch, thought, and word. In the tantric tradition shaktipat is understood to be the highest form of spiritual initiation, providing the initiate with immediate access to the divine energy dwelling within them. It is the fire that ignites and sustains the release and rising of the kundalini. Shaktipat initiates the process by which a human being recognizes the intrinsic unbounded love that already dwells within their own heart ˜ it is that love that ultimately reveals the secrets of our existence and our experience of the unity in all of life. Kundalini is the energy of life, or the Divine, as it is experienced in the individual. Shaktipat is that same energy, transmitted from the teacher, that awakens that awareness within the student. Kundalini is the power of life, shaktipat is the switch that turns it on. When the kundalini is awakened through shaktipat from the teacher a process of cooperation, surrender, and union with the divine reality begins. Source: http://www.sacredspaceyogasanctuary.com/kunda.html

Life After Death

Life After Death: Why is it Such a Hot Topic?
Life after death -- Why all the interest? Combine events like September 11th with the demographic phenomenon of the Baby Boom generation reaching its 60’s, and suddenly the reality of death from catastrophe and death from mere old age are upon us in a personal way.

So, it appears that more and more people are asking the same question that Job asked nearly 4,000 years ago in the Bible: "If a man dies, will he live again?" What could be a more fundamental question of life (and death)? Reincarnation theories are popular in Eastern religions as well as the many New Age variants. It seems people are comfortable with the idea of another chance to return to earth and figure things out or make things right. Some nihilist thinkers believe that death is the absolute end; but contrary to what many might think, most people believe that death is not the end. In some shape or form we go on.

When Jesus was talking with Martha about the death of Lazarus, her brother, He declared "I am the Resurrection and the life. He who believes in me will live, even though he dies; and whoever lives and believes in me will never die." Right here, Jesus started presenting the astonishing claim that there is life after death. Jesus then went the next step and brought Lazarus back to life after four days in a tomb. At that point, Jesus put everyone on notice that He would later overcome the grave Himself!

“For God so loved the world that He gave His one and only Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish, but have eternal life” (John 3:16).

For skeptics, the whole idea of heaven is just the product of fertile imaginations. For many others, the Biblical idea of heaven is too fanciful or fantastic. However, Christians can live their lives with bold hope, thanks to the evidence of history that establishes with convincing clarity how Jesus not only preceded us in death, but also came back from the dead and blazed the trail to heaven.

Life After Death: Proof?
Is there mathematical proof for life after death? No. But if you believe the life-changing evidence for God, Jesus and the Bible, then heaven is as much a concrete reality for you as the Lord in whom you’ve invested your absolute trust. It’s not fantasy – it’s the absolute life-changing hope that strengthens us and gives us peace.

"I write these things to you who believe in the name of the Son of God, so that you may know that you have eternal life." (1 John 5:12)

source: http://www.allaboutspirituality.org/life-after-death.htm

We Need Our Feelings

We Need Our Feelings by Kali Munro, M.Ed., Psychotherapist, 2003

Do you struggle with knowing and accepting how you feel? If you do, you are not alone. It may be the most common problem there is, and yet the single most important thing to learn. Our feelings are important because they help us to know ourselves, to be real, and to connect deeply with other people. Almost every psychological problem relies on some distortion or denial of feelings.

For example, people who struggle with intimacy in relationships are often afraid of feeling vulnerable with another person -- it scares or overwhelms them. People who have substance abuse problems may be using drugs or alcohol to numb their feelings and painful experiences. People who self-injure are often trying to numb or push away intense feelings. Most problems involve denying, avoiding, and hiding feelings and the solution always involves accepting feelings.

The Problem with Denying, Avoiding, and Hiding Feelings

The problem with denying, avoiding, and hiding one's feelings is evident everywhere, from the boy who won't let himself cry for fear of being called a "sissy", so he punches someone instead, to the girl who's afraid to express her anger clearly and directly for fear she'll be seen as being "like a boy" so she instead gossips cruelly about her peers, or turns her anger on herself. We can see it in the man who's afraid of saying how he feels for fear of sounding "gay, so instead buries himself in his work and neglects his partner, and in the woman who can't say "no" because she fears conflict, so she ends up resenting her friends. We even see it in our heads of states who don't acknowledge their vulnerability and fears, and instead act aggressively and violently. We live in a world that is intolerant of authentic feelings, and this hurts us all.

People who do show their feelings are often put down and told they are "too sensitive," "over- reacting," "emotional," and not "objective," while people who hide their emotions are viewed as "strong," "confident," "logical," and "objective." While these differences can be expressed along gender lines, women are increasingly expected to hide or deny their emotions, and many men experience a lack of acceptance when they do express their vulnerability.

When people are put down for expressing their feelings, they may find that their feelings heighten or escalate because they feel invalidated and unheard; there's a natural tendency to feel more emotional when you haven't been heard. They may also learn to suppress and deny their feelings by distancing and numbing themselves. When people are rewarded for masking their emotions, they often end up feeling unseen, alienated, angry, and depressed without knowing why; their lives may look good but they feel empty or unfulfilled because they are cut off from their emotions.

What Do You Feel?

You can get to know your feelings simply by sitting quietly with your eyes closed or looking downward, and tuning inward. Shifting your attention inward helps you to sense what is going on inside of you. We can get so caught up in what we're doing, what we're talking about, or what other people are doing, that we forget to notice ourselves.

If, when you tune inward, you don't notice anything, try doing a body scan. Lie down comfortably and take the time to notice how you feel in different areas of your body. Start with your head, and work your way down to your toes, or focus on the areas that most draw your attention. Notice how you feel physically in each area of your body. Do you notice any tension, cramping, numbness, or anything else?

Notice what, if anything, comes to your mind when you focus on each area of your body. For example, does a memory come to mind, a thought, an image, an emotion? Just notice what comes to you without judging or thinking about it, and then move on to the next area of your body. Try not to analyze what comes up, because that will take you out of your body and your emotions.

Some people find that by noticing the natural rhythm of their breath, they feel more tuned into their body and emotions, and some people find that doing this triggers panic and fear. If it's comfortable for you, notice how your body rises and falls with your breath. Observing your breath can not only help you to tune inward, but can also help you to unwind.

Taking time to tune into yourself every day goes a long way toward helping you to know how you feel. You can do this almost anywhere, including sitting on the bus, waiting for the light to turn green, sitting in a traffic jam, sitting on the toilet, and so on.

Accepting Your Feelings

Sometimes when people first learn to identify how they feel, they don't know how to accept or stay with those feelings. They seek out other people to hear and respond to their feelings, rather than do that themselves. Some people get confused by this, because they think that they should be able to express their feelings whenever they want to. There is no doubt that, at some point, we all need to express our feelings and to be heard and accepted. Yet it is also true that not everyone can hear our feelings, or wants to. Even when people want to listen they may want to decide when and how much they can listen to at any one time. This can be hard to deal with, especially if you've recently learned that it's good to talk about your feelings. You may feel silenced or controlled by not being able to talk about your feelings -- and the other person can also feel controlled by being expected, or having to listen to them.

Accepting and staying with your feelings means listening to yourself, hearing how you feel, and being empathic with yourself as you would with a friend. It means acknowledging your feelings, whatever they may be, and asking yourself whether there is anything you need. Do you need to write about it, listen to music, sit quietly doing something soothing, take a break from what you're doing, go for a walk, lie down, have a nap, or something else?

Sometimes it helps to simply close your eyes, notice how you feel and just sit with that feeling, doing nothing with it; just feel it and notice it without judgement.

Stepping Back and Witnessing Your Feelings

Sometimes you need to step back from your feelings. Maybe they're too difficult to feel right now, or too overwhelming. You may need to do something that requires your full attention, or you may just need a break from feeling so much. It's possible to step back from your feelings - to be aware of them and acknowledge them, but to not be in them quite so much. This technique can be hard to do, but with practice it gets easier.

You start the same way: close your eyes or look downward. Tune into your feelings, only this time, focus on noticing them and stepping back from them. This can be accomplished in different ways. You can name the feelings, for example, "sadness" and then remind yourself to step back. You can think "I am stepping back". Notice the feeling without going into it deeply or fully. You may want to imagine an image, real or abstract, to represent your feelings, and then observe that image. You are witnessing your emotions by acknowledging that they are there without going into them. You may or may not need to feel that feeling later. Sometimes simply noticing and acknowledging your feelings helps them to shift.

Talking About Your Feelings

Talking about how you feel can help you in many ways. It can help you deepen your connection with yourself, while deepening your connection with the person you are speaking with (unless you are talking *at* the person, or are not present as you speak).

Talking can help you to process, express, and let go of your feelings (as can writing, drawing, sculpting, reflecting, and listening inside). It can deepen your understanding of yourself by helping you to stay with your feelings, and to go deeper. And it can help you to feel heard and accepted, and help the other person feel trusted and let in.

Talking about your feelings means you are being vulnerable with another person, and that both creates and deepens intimacy. Taking the risk to say things that are hard can be liberating for both of you.

Not Everyone Feels the Same Way

People are often surprised to discover that not everyone reacts to the same events with similar emotions. Something that might scare one person will anger another. How you feel is rooted in many things, such as, how you perceive the event, what it means to you, whether you've experienced something similar or not, what your history is, what your emotional temperament is, and so on.

Some people always feel intensely; others rarely do. Some people experience the world through their thoughts and reflections, while others experience events through their emotions -- they feel their way through situations while the former think their way through situations. (The Myers Briggs topology offers some helpful information about how people respond to the world differently in terms of feeling, thinking, judging, sensing, perceiving, intuiting, etc.) People who lean more toward feelings are often confused and irritated by those who lean more toward thinking, and vice versa. Conflicts can arise out of these differences. It's important to remember that people are different; they feel what they feel, and they think what they think, and there is no one way or right way to feel or think. Just as we need to accept our own feelings, we need to accept others' as well, including -- and especially -- when they don't match up with our own.

We Need Our Feelings

Feelings are an essential part of our humanity - we need to listen to our feelings. When we don't sensitively tune in to our and to other people's feelings, all kinds of psychological and social problems develop. Taking an allow-it-to-be-there, appreciative, open, or welcoming attitude toward feelings has a lightening effect on everyone. Allow your feelings to be there without trying to get rid of them or to keep them, and you will find that many problems will lessen.

By being open to your feelings, you'll discover that they will guide and teach you, warn and protect you, and delight and entertain you. So give yourself a break by taking a little bit of time every day to tune into how you are feeling -- you'll soon discover the benefits.

© Kali Munro, 2003.
All rights reserved.
www.KaliMunro.com

What is the reason for birth and death?

Query: What is the reason for birth and death?

Vijay Kumar:
Birth and Death: Want to understand the reason for birth and death... you also need to understand the definition of God, what is atman soul, the relationship between atman soul and the physical bodily self and the doctrine of karma!

Definition of God:

Almighty God is the sum total of all atmans souls in whole cosmos in their purified state at a given point of time. This simply reduces to volume... half the size of a thumb as per Bhagavad Gita. Meaning the size of Cosmos at the time of dissolution of cosmos reduces to half the size of a thumb... Yes!

Does it mean at the time of dissolution of cosmos all atmans souls in whatever stage of manifestation automatically jump to the last... the 8.4 millionth manifestation. Yes it is so! Jainism and Mahavira (the 24th Tirthankara of Jainism) do not accept this. But Lord Krishna in Bhagavad Gita has explicitly clarified so.

It is absolute truth of the cosmos that at the time of dissolution all atmans souls reach their cosmic end... the stage of salvation! Unless that happens... each and every atman soul reaches its last manifest end, all atmans souls come back to original pristine pure form... the end of cosmos cannot occur!

Only then the massive energy in half the size of a thumb unable to contain itself for long explodes with a big bang and starts a new cosmos... a new beginning altogether!

What is Atman Soul?
God Almighty having exploded himself... all souls atmans in the cosmos start their cosmic travel of 8.4 million manifestations. Only then these souls atmans can purify themselves and come back to original pristine pure form.

Similar as metal in an ore cannot separate on its own without the use of mining machinery... the impurities contained in every soul atman also requires a body to work out its karma. The need of a body for the soul atman is the real crux of life. And starts cosmic journey of an atman when it manifests the body of an amoeba (single cell formation)... the first manifest stage in the life of an atman soul.

As time passed it further evolves into multi-cell formation, then insect life, plant life, animal life and finally atman the soul within manifests the form of a human being. Now about the relationship between our atman the soul within and the physical self of us... the body!

Relationship between Atman Soul and the physical self... our body!
In the cosmic system of things it is our soul atman that is governing and not the body. It is our soul atman that has taken the body and never otherwise. This cosmic travel of 8.4 million manifestations is covered in 96.4 million earthly years... a long journey indeed for an atman soul!

Doctrine of Karma:
The travel of an atman soul from one manifestation to another is linked by doctrine of karma. It is process of karma through which next phase of manifestation is decided. As is the residual balance of karma... so shall the next manifestation be! In the cosmic system of things physical self... the body has not been permitted to know anything of the previous or the next manifestation.

Only after death of body... atman the soul within manifests a new body. The body causes bereavement to the family but in the domains of atmans souls nothing has died. It is only atman the soul within that is switching over to a new manifestation... a new journey altogether. On earthly plane when body dies... the family weeps but for soul atman it is getting a new blazer when promoted to a higher class... the next phase of life!

In the world of atmans souls... nothing ever dies! It is as simple as changing of guards at the Buckingham Palace. The life and death of a being is totally dependent upon theory of karma. As we sow so shall we reap... nothing more or less! We cannot expect mangoes to grow on a guava tree.

It is only through the process of birth and death of body... our atman the soul within reaches cosmic end of journey... stage of enlightenment and finally gains moksha salvation. A stage... when our atman soul comes back to its original pristine pure form. No further manifestations... cycle of birth and death ceases forever.

Reaching stage of enlightenment announces ceasing of birth and death forever. A stage... when our atman the soul within finally liberates forever from cycle of birth and death. The birth and death of body is that ephemeral part of cosmic life over which none has control.

On the spiritual path every human being is expected to walk the nishkama karma way of life. It is only living life king Janaka way... performing nishkama karma all the way... one reaches stage of enlightenment and finally gains salvation moksha. Why? Because the fruits of karma are always meant for the soul atman within and never the body!

May God bless all!

SOURCE: http://www.vijaykumar.org/birth_and_death.html

Reiki Principles

Every morning and every night, sit in the Gassho position [hands held palm-to-palm] and speak these words out loud in your heart.

"The secret method of inviting good fortune.

The marvelous medicine for all sickness

Just for today:

Do not be angry

Do not worry

Be grateful

Work with integrity

Be kind to others.