Your Spiritual Revolution November 2017

YO U R SPI RI T U A L REVO L U T I O N Novem ber 2017

Raisin g An En ligh t en ed Ch ild ? t t u k ?l Am m a Wh o Am I?

A Call t o t h e Keeper s of Ear t h?s Wisdom an d Peace

M essage f r om t h e Edit or ial Coor din at or

Edit or Amitt Parikh amitt.parikh@gmail.com

Edit or ial Coor din at or Prabhath P

Gr aph ic Design Gunaji M. Parab

I had served as Editor of Your Spiritual Revolution Magazine from 2008 to 2010. I am glad about getting the opportunity to coordinate an issue for this magazine, after several years.

This general issue, without a particular theme, offers a multidimensional and multimedia mix of contributions, touching interconnected topics.

The future of humanity and the planet will be shaped by how our children grow up and evolve to manifest the infinite potential of their Being. The cover story by intuitive mystic and international online show host Rev. Rhonda Sheryl Lipstein discusses creative and soulful ways to raise an enlightened child.

Rev. Roni has also shared a video of her talk on the silent expression of our Beingness through the ?Art of Fashion.?

An intriguing excerpt from the coffee table book ?ttuk?l Amma by eminent author Lekshmy Rajeev, published by HarperCollins India,

By Yuliya Evstratenko gives us a glimpse of the ?ttuk?l Pongala, a unique festival of a shutterstock.com mysterious Goddess, which entered the Guinness Book of World Records twice, as the largest annual gathering of women in the world. Veteran journalist and novelist Oswald Pereira asserts the need to go beyond narrow religious identities towards a Pu blish ed By broadminded understanding of God. Renowned psychologist and life You r Spir it u al Revolu t ion coach Dr. Joyce Kovelman issues a heartfelt call to the keepers of 604, Sai Shrishti CHS, Plot 7, Earth?s wisdom and peace, for a harmonious future. My article Sector 8, Charkop, Kandivali (W), emphasises the importance of spirituality in everyday life. Healer Mumbai 400067, India.

Steph Harper outlines the process of awakening through the shadows. Goddess spirituality expert Dr. Glenys Livingstone presents a piece of wisdom from her book on re-inventing Earth-based For an y qu er ies abou t Goddess religion. Spiritual life coach Dr. Anya Light shows why Adver t isem en t s an d you r meditation is a practice of dying. Spiritual guide Dr. Margo Kirtikar pr odu ct / ser vice Pr om ot ion s: has provided the second chapter of her book about esoteric wisdom. amitt@YourSpiritualRevolution.org Ardent vegan and animal lover Preetha Rajan narrates her thought-provoking argument with a meat-eater, in a humorous Skype: amitt.parikh manner. For fiction fans, we have an excerpt from the novelist Swarupa Chavan?s paranormal thriller, which won the Best Science Fiction of the Year award, and a short story by Indira Madan Tripti.

Poems by writer, artist and meditation instructor Alex N. Moyer, and Jyoti Nair, round off the literary section.

Cover Ph ot o

For art lovers, we feature the mystic paintings of artists Arvind Kaushik and Vyjayanti Ghosh Das. The musical highlight is a video of Raga Desh in Teen Tal on Sitar, played by Vyjayanti.

Love and Light, Prabhath P Editorial Coordinator pprabhath@gmail.com

CONTENTS 01. Raisin g an Enligh t en ed Ch ild

01

By Rev. Rhonda Sheryl Lipstein

02. ? t t u k ?l Pon gala from

?ttuk?l Amma: The Goddess of Millions

09

By Lekshmy Rajeev

03. A Call t o t h e Keeper s of Ear t h?s Wisdom an d Peace

12

By Joyce A. Kovelman Ph.D.

04. Wh o Am I?

15

By Oswald Pereira

05. Ever yt h in g is Spir it u al

18

By Prabhath P

06. M edit at ion is a Pr act ice of Dyin g

21

By Anya Light

07. Aw ak en in g t h r ou gh t h e Sh adow s

23

By Steph Harper

08. Th e Vegan Dilem m a How an ar gu m en t w it h a m eat -eat er got m e t h in k in g abou t plan t s?

By Preetha Rajan

27

CONTENTS 09. Com in g Hom e t o Ou r Sen ses: Placin g Ou r selves w it h St or y from

33

PaGaian Cosmology: Re-inventing Earth-based Goddess Religion

By Glenys Livingstone Ph.D.

10. Ch apt er 2: Th e Secr et of all Secr et s

37

Th e Sacr ed Ch am ber in t h e Hear t from The Illumined Heart and Mind

By Margo Kirtikar Ph.D

11. Novel Excer pt : Th e Pr edict ion

43

By Swarupa Chavan

12. Sh or t

St or y:

An ot h er Ch an ce

50

By Indira Madan Tripti

13. Poem s Su n r ise

By Alex N. Moyer

53 Sk in

By Jyoti Nair

14. ART Arvind Kaushik, Vyjayanti Ghosh Das

15. Spir it u al Videos

55 58

M u sic: Sit ar By Vyjayanti Ghosh Das On lin e sh ow : Ar t of Fash ion By Rev. Rhonda Sheryl Lipstein

RAI SI NG AN ENL I GHTENED CHI L D

By Rev. Rh on da Sh er yl Lipst ein

Par t I: YOU ARE A M IRACLE

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From the day Zion was born, everyone was telling me what a Great Mom I was, and I, in response always and to this day, responded, ?It is HE who is Great, he was born that way!!?

I have maintained this belief, and it has been the foundation by which our 'fantabulous' relationship was created and shall continue to grow.

A belief is a State of MIND? an AWEsome, PowerFull tool of manifestation, and sadly, one of the most unrecognized means of living life as intended to BE, fulfilling our

dreams and BEing Happy.

A State of Mind can change your entire life!

People have been conditioned to look outside of themselves for acknowledgement, affirmation, and LOVE, and this has been the foundation of our greatest destruction.

Teaching our children to look within SELF to KNOW that there is nowhere else they need search to find that which is their magnificence, is to ?raise an enlightened child.?

Our value, worthiness, our magnificence as a human BEing does not within our bank account reside, nor our rung on the professional corporate ladder, nor which class we ?fit into?within the social stratum.

All of which provide us labels outside of SELF, as levels of preconditioned associative recognition.

Our value, worthiness and magnificence reside in our BEingness, period.

We are, Each and Every ONE of us, a Miracle, a Creation of Life, LIFE!!! We all started out as no more than two microscopic cells. Microscopic!! You can?t even see the 'you' or 'I' in ?me?when first we come to be, we are that miniscule!!!

And look at what we become, the AWEsomeness of our beingness, our very existence!! It?s simply mind-blowing!!!

Imagine, as a young child, BEing told how magnificent YOU ARE, simply because YOU ARE? How would that make YOU feel? About YOU? About your potential? About your abilities, your purpose in life, the MEANING of your very existence?

Zion has ?all-ways?KNOWn what a blessing he is, to me AND to our Universal Family.

He has been raised with the KNOWledge that alike all members of our Universal Family, he is a 'Bliss'ing Divine!!

True, true, I must admit, once he went out into the ?big bad world?where Fear prevails ? how could it not with so many billions conditioned for centuries ? he was brought to a State of Mind in which he questioned the validity of all that I had taught him.

The foundation however, was already there, and his questioning, a mere opportunity, I shouldn?t say ?mere? for it is ?allways? a fantastic GIFT, to elucidate TRUTH. My son, Zion is the most amazing individual I know, and yet he is no more amazing, special, ?onederfull?and a 'bliss'ed gift than any other individual member of our Universal Family. He is MY Greatest Universal Gift, as each child is, to their parents!! This is of our CHOOSing.

The CHOICE to see through a state of mind of LOVE?s Light and thus, impart this Wisdom unto our children.

Our children who again, by our Conscious Choosing may be the Greatest teachers of enlightening Truth.

Imbuing our children with such a state of mind prepares them to be the best they can be, the ?me?they love ?themSelf ?to be, an d t h u s an en ligh t en ed ch ild is ?bor n an d r aised.?

Par t II: LEADING THE WAY In honouring the Universal 'Bliss'ing my son Gifted me, in CHOOSing Me to be his mommy, I not only ensured his awareness of this fact, I also humbly set aside my ego

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I don?t even put my little kitties into cages? just a personal thing.

Still, Zion didn?t suddenly stop sleeping in my bed because I woke up one morning and said, okay, he?s 6 months, that?s enough! HE CHOSE!!

He kept kicking me in the night, attempting to make more room for himself in the bed, letting me know, ?Mommy, I need my own space!!? And so, his own space, he was given.

I breast-fed Zion until he was 10 months.

I can still remember the last time he went to my breast for his sustenance. We were lying in the bathtub, right before HIS ?dream time.?He always had a last feeding before dream time. His head was lying right by my breast, the perfect opportunity for which he normally took full advantage, only this time, he didn?t. Even with my offering, he did not wish to suckle. It was of his Choosing. and allowed my son, his innate intrinsic BEingness, to lead me in my parenting of him. I allowed Zion to ?show me the way,?to guide me in the ?how?s, ?when?s, ?where?s and ?why?s for my guidance of him.

This, I started from the time he was born.

Disregarding the ?standards,? I looked to Zion to tell me when he needed to eat, sleep, play, BE. Zion slept in bed with me until he was 6 months. True, I chose this ?sleepin g arrangement?for us; it is my personal belief that a baby?s most comfortable place to be is next to his mommy (and Daddy), her heartbeat, and her body, and of course, I?ve never liked the whole bars/cage like feel of a crib.

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Zion is now 21, and we have had many such experiences, as you know, life is ALL about stages, and within each, we learn, grow, transcend and thus change.

There have been many times throughout our fabulous relationship, as I know there shall continue to be, when I have hoped for, wanted Zion to learn something new, do something different; however, I never ?forced? anything on him. Whether it was, tying his shoelaces, ?potty training,?or even walking to school on his own, all of these great developments, what we may see as ?achievements' in life, were accomplished when Zion was ready to accomplish them.

Some he did way before other children of his age, and some way after, however, never did I question Zion?s personal

development.

YES!! We are ALL the same, all BEings of the Human Species, Earthlings, Earth Angels Divine, however, the ?fantabyoulousness?of having so many of us, is the ?onedrous? diversity by which our sameness may be expressed.

In allowing for Zion to express his unique BEingness, his mirror of how one of us may be, Zion has been given the gift of following his True nature Authentically, and thus evolving according to his inner Self, regardless of that which has been dictated by another as the ?Right way.?

Hence, an Enlightened BEing.

There have been, of course, as there shall continue to be, that which one may term challenges, or as I like to call them, opportunities, we have come across along the way; however, again, these were opportunities for growth, learning and transcendence for Both of us.

Par t III: ENLIGHTENED TEACHING

Our children, if we allow them to so be, are our greatest teachers of unconditional love on the pathway to SELF enlightenment, and this could not hold truer than when it is we, who are providing the lessons.

How do you teach your child what is right from wrong, acceptable from not acceptable, and maintain LOVE? Well, maintaining my motto of allowing ?Zion to lead me,?he too was very much an active part of the lessons prepared, and taught by me for and to him.

Life is all about stages, and we are continuously going through stages throughout our lives; only with children, these stages are far more obvious as they are usually accompanied by physical changes and increases in abilities of vast proportion. What your children needed to know when crawling on the floors was far different from what they needed to learn once walking around on their own two feet, let alone beginning to use their mother tongue as a means of communicating.

With each of these stages come different lessons and different opportunities for growth, and for each opportunity, a new lesson for both the parent and child to learn.

Ron i's An gel ?Discipline,? ewwwwww I don?t like that word, didn?t like it as a kid, and don?t like it as the mom; so let us change the word ?discipline? to ?Enlightened Learning and Teaching,?shall we?

I alw ays look ed at lesson s Zion w as t o lear n as oppor t u n it ies f or M E t o best lear n h ow t o com m u n icat e appr opr iat ely, so t h at h e w ill u n der st an d w h y t h e lesson w as so im por t an t f or h im t o lear n in t h e f ir st place.

This, of course, initiated a lot of talking. Oh! My poor boy! He knew all about the theories of our Universe before he was able

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to string enough words together to form a complete sentence!!

consequences either; so we went straight to toys, games and freedom of expression.

Still, talking is KEY!!!

I didn?t go to toys, games and freedom of expression, Zion did!! Ya see, with the whole ?follow the leader ? motto of mine, when lessons were being taught repetitively, and not learned ?appropriately,?

Zion and I would have another one of our ?talks,?only this time, the talk was more of a question:

?All-ways? explaining to him the ?WHY?? for any lesson, the reason behind that which I was telling him, so that he may make his own decision as to its relevance, and thus comprehend its significance.

And people wonder ?why? our children go through the AWESOME stage of ?why?s. This is how we, as children, come to understand the world around us and how we fit into it ? however ?tiresome? the constant interruptions of ?why, Why? WHY?? we, as parents, are inevitably going to hear.

Of course, talking, in and of itself, did not always yield the results desired, or ensure the lessons were appropriately and fully learned.

Sometimes, though I must confess, with all my talking, sometimes really rarely, we had to resort to the good old ?behaviours have consequences?rule of thumb.

What ?consequences? speak to a child whose only other affected being is their caregiver? They aren?t out in the big world where making the wrong decision can cost them a good grade, their job or even a friend. We?re sooo not there yet. For children, consequences are relevant to what is important in their world, and in their world, toys, playtime and the freedom to express themselves as they so desire, are that which is relevant to them.

I?m not into the basic needs paradigm, ?Don?t listen and no dinner tonight for you? consequences, nor any fear-based, ?If you don?t listen, you?ll lose my love?

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?Zion, you know when you do xyz, Mommy is not very happy, and you know that I have tried many ways of explaining why this makes Mommy unhappy, to you, but it doesn?t seem to be working. I know it can be difficult to remember, so what do you think will help you to remember the lesson??As you will notice, I did say ?It doesn?t make Mommy Happy.?

That?s a pretty big one all by itself, as far as consequences go. When you are raising an enlightened child, thus giving them respect as an individual and DOing all you Do with unconditional Love, the idea and FEELing of Mommy not BEing happy is an AWEsome motivator to learn to change inappropriate behaviour.

This is not the same as threatening love lost, for Zion was also told in the very same breath that Mommy was not happy about something, that Mommy will ?ALL-ways?love you, no matter what.

This is very important. Perhaps a moment to ponder? ..Hmmmmmmmmmmmmm!

So, back to our example above? When ?Mommy isn?t happy with xyz and all her attempts of explaining and guiding to shift

behaviour has not been successful, Zion and me would discuss the things that Zion loves to do, and perhaps if he was not able to engage in those activities for a period of time, question whether that would be a motivating factor in assisting him to remember the lesson. Of course, our discussion was a little less sophisticated than that, however, the idea was the same.

This is how our ?behaviours have consequences, both good and bad?stage all began, and once you begin it, it is extremely easy to use thereafter.

valuable lesson for any of us, at any time in our lives.

I must admit, there were and still are, some lessons that just seem to take forever to learn, the endless opportunities for growth completely ignored, and I speak not only about those of my son! Having said that, eventually, or at least, once in a while, a little ?eureka? light bulb goes off, and the lesson taught is demonstrated in spades!!!

Invariably, Zion would suggest that ?he won?t be able to play with this, that or the other toy/game/TV/video,? which remained a ?last resort?for ?teaching him any lessons,? which was also something we discussed and established. We decided that after he had been given three opportunities, in a row, to learn a lesson that just didn?t ?catch on,?he would choose what game or toy that would be off limits, and we would also discuss the length of time, usually one day to one week, depending on the nature of the lesson to be learned.

This interactive teaching provided Zion enormous gifts. First, he was aware of the lesson to be learned, the specific behaviours he was engaging within that were less than acceptable. Second, what much more positively affected him was that he felt empowered in being an active participant in the resulting consequence, if he did not seize upon the opportunities to learn the lessons provided, through my ?talk guidance.? This ultimately provided him a much greater feeling of ?responsibility? ? a conscious awareness of his ability to make a choice in how he shall respond to life. A

Par t IV: M om m y isn?t Per f ect Ron i an d son Zion Oh! I can still hear my mom telling us to this day ?I have eyes in the back of my head!! I know, see and hear EVERYTHING!!! ?Ewwwwww SCARY!!!!

As I grew into ?adulthood?(trust me, there is

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a reason for those quotation marks, hee hee!), I came to a very solemn realization; Mommy and Daddy DON?T know everything, and what?s more, their word is not THE word, it?s just one version of the word, according to the ?word?they had been taught, and that which they had learned through their own life experiences. That was a pretty big blow.

Aside from the awesome depressed levels of happiness incurred upon the realization that Mom and Dad are not infallible GODDESS and GOD, was the fact that I had made most of my choices growing up with mom?s and dad?s voices in my head, telling me what was right and what was wrong, regardless of what my own voice was telling me.

True, this is a good thing, in most situations, if ya have good parents, like I had! However? there is a huge difference between weighing your options and downright throwing them out the window, because they don?t jive with what someone else has told you, even if that someone else is your mom or dad.

Th is m in dless con t em plat ion is only further carried out in our socialization process from our educational systems to our professional industries. ?Don?t rock the boat,? ?That?s way too out of the box,? ?You must conform to the boundaries set by our code,? and ?This is the way we do it here!? are only a few of the enormous conditioned lessons taught to elicit the conditioned responses, desired by those who deem themselves to be people of authoritative influence, wisdom and knowledge. ?Those?who do so, are just people, like me and like you! Change does not occur by

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following the leader, inventions do not happen because we are accepting things as is, evolution does not take place by thinking the same thoughts that brought us to our current situation. We must question, contemplate, and think for ourselves, seek beyond that which is comfortable, or provided easily by another.

Mindless existence does not an enlightened BEing make.

Having gone through my first revelation of mom and dad?s humanness before giving birth to Zion, it was a conscious choice upon learning of my pending motherhood, that my child would know that Mommy is just another human BEing, DOing the very best she can to provide the very best she is able, to ensure his happiness and wellbeing, in, of, through love?s light of course.

This turned out to BE an AWEsome lesson gifted to my son. To KNOW that Mom could be wrong, WOW!!! That meant I could ask her ?Why?? and know I have a right to do so. Zion never heard, ?Because I told you so!? as a response to any question; it simply was not acceptable to me, and as a result, to him.

He is a human being, an individual, and he deserves to know what I am thinking, and why I am thinking that which I am. He deserves to know why he is being asked to do something, and why it is in his best interests to listen, and dare I say, on those rare occasions, not listen.

Yup, Mommy can be wrong and Zion has the ability to point out just why that may be so. He also has fantastic skills of negotiation due to our enlightened

learning, and thus, is able to discuss rationally with me, how and why he feels as he does, and thus present his case in a very reasonable and logical manner.

More importantly than all this, Zion is able to TRUST me, Trust that I am DOing my very best to ensure his ?whole-istic happiness,? and trust in our relationship. He is able to trust that because I am human, and thus not always right, that it is okay to come to me with any issue, and not feel an awesome fear in doing so. This enables Both of us to open lines of communication And? to find a common ground with Much greater ease, upon which we can ?work it out.?

Is my kid perfect? NO!!! He is perfect in his imperfection, just like his mommy, and together, we are the perfect, imperfect pair, and that?s just how we like it.

Here?s to the Greatest Universal 'Bliss'ed Gift, Children, and our realization that in truth, We are All Children, regardless of chronological age. Each and every one of us deserves to be treated with the unconditional love and respect we so easily

lavish upon our children.

Her e?s t o per ceivin g, r eceivin g an d r espon din g as Ch ildr en , w it h t h e gif t of on e, w ise w it h year s of exper ien ce in ?ever y n ow ,?w it h ever yon e, ?ALL-w ays.?

Love, Gratitude, and ?Bliss?ings! Š Rh on da Sh er yl Lipst ein Rev. Rhonda Sheryl Lipstein, popularly known as Rev. Roni, is an Ordained Metaphysical Minister, Intuitive Mystic and Empathic Holistic Healer, living in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. Her focus is on Love Consciousness. She is the Founding Partner and High Priestess of Sanctuaire Soul?s Sanctuary, and also the Founder of the Wisdom and Wellness Calmunity Home, and BEing LOVE T.V., where she co-hosts the online show, Soul?s Talking Brain, and hosts Radiating Love with Roni Lipstein. Her first book, The Gardens of Life; Your Journey to Radiate Soul Light is now available in print. Roni imbues her professional expertise with a degree in Psychology and certifications in Professional Personal Fitness Training, Nutritional Consultation and Communications.

calmunity@rhondasheryllipstein.comi events@rhondasheryllipstein.com www.RhondaSherylLipstein.com

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? t t u k ?l Pon gala Excerpted with permission, from Chapter 10: ?ttuk?l Pongala, of the book Attukal Amma: The Goddess of Millions By Lek sh m y Rajeev, published by Har per Collin s, In dia.

The ?ttuk?l Pongala has made it twice to the Guinness Book of World Records as the largest annual gathering of women ? in 1997 with a participation of 1.5 million women devotees, and in 2009 with a gathering of 2.5 million. In 2015, the number of participating women rose to four million and it is expected to increase in the coming years.

09 . YSR . NOVEM BER 2017

A festive mood engulfs the city during the festival. All the roads that lead to the temple are full of women, carrying their bags, firewood, rice, jaggery and the clay pot for cooking the pongala. During the festival days, it is

mostly local devotees who throng the temple precincts; but on the Pongala day, women in their millions descend on the city from adjoining and even far-off districts.

Those who come from far off places to offer the pongala keep their sparse belongings with themselves, where they prepare the hearth and cook the pongala.

Those who come from other districts and from different parts of the country, stay mostly with relatives and friends, and in lodgings available in the city. The women offering the pongala spill over onto pavements, bus stations and the railway platforms too. This is convenient because they can easily return to their homes after the pongala offering. As many as 4,000 police personnel are deployed to ensure the safety of these women. One would wonder how these lakhs of women who arrive in the city at least two days before manage to bathe or fulfil basic needs. But I have also noticed that the government or the temple authorities provide them with basic facilities.

The ?ttuk?l Pongala festival is, in many ways, a celebration of secular and human values. Several important mosques in the 10 sq. km festival area also provide facilities for thousands of women devotees to make the ritualistic offering of pongala. A. Saifudeen Haji, president of the Vallakkadavu Jam?t and state secretary of the Samastha Kerala Sunni Yuvajana Sangham, said that the Palayam Juma Masjid and mosques at Thampanoor, Chala and Karippottikada, the Central Juma Masjid Manacaud, the Kallettumukku Juma Masjid, the Kamaleshwaram Markaz Masjid and the Juma Masjid at Konchiravila had

made similar arrangements for the people who offer the pongala. The importance of the Pongala was specially acknowledged by the Government of Kerala in 1989 when it declared the Pongala a public holiday for the southern districts of Kerala. In the span of two years, the state enhanced its support for the Pongala festival by assigning medical staff, fire services, transport facilities and barricading the area exclusively for the use of women. The district collector is in charge of coordinating the functioning of various departments.

Thousands of women occupy the entire city, move gracefully down the street, chatting and laughing, providing a visual treat for l ocal people and television viewers across the globe. Overnight, Thiruvananthapuram metamorphoses into another world. The city transforms into a temple, and discriminations of caste, religion and colour lose relevance during these days. I personally know many Christian and Muslim women who offer the pongala.

Till 1967?68, men were allowed to accompany women, but that came to a stop with the strict order of a police officer, Parameshwaran Pillai, the then inspector at Fort police station who used to drive away men from this area presumably to ensure women?s security. The tradition of giving special passes/badges for volunteers and the queue system for crowd control also were his contribution. The only men who are allowed near the temple on the Pongala day are priests, temple authorities, policemen, firemen, and men with special passes, such as reporters and volunteers who help with crowd control. These passes

10 . YSR . NOVEM BER 2017

are difficult to get from the temple authorities and are highly prized.

In confined spaces like the courtyards of houses, only about 2 ft separate the individual hearths; so the latecomers have to thread their way carefully among women with their pots and other belongings, in order to squeeze into any available, vacant space. The possibility of women accidentally setting fire to their own or their neighbours? clothes is high but such incidents are very rare. Š Lek sh m y Rajeev Lekshmy Rajeev, who holds an MA in English Language and Literature, is a poet, columnist and translator, based in Thiruvananthapuram, the capital of the South Indian state, Kerala. Her debut

non-fiction book Attukal Amma: The Goddess of Millions was published by HarperCollins, India, in 2016. Her volume of poetry titled Dusk Diary was published by the Kendra Sahitya Akademi (India?s National Academy of Letters) in 2011. She was the Poetry Editor for the website of the British Council for South Asian Women Writers (2005-06). Her articles have been published in The Times of India, The Hindu, The Indian Express, Sahara Time, The Sunday Guardian, Deccan Herald, Travel X, Kerala Kaumudi and Mathrubhumi.

Her poems have been published in reputed literary magazines and journals such as Indian Literature, Poetry Chain, The Little Magazine, Deccan Herald Sunday Magazine, and many websites.

achhan@gmail.com www.facebook.com/attukal.ponkala www.amazon.com/Attukal-Amma-Millions-Lekshmy-Rajeev/dp/9351777065 www.amazon.in/Attukal-Amma-Millions-Rajeev-Lekshmy/dp/9351777065

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A Call t o t h e Keeper s of Ear t h?s Wisdom an d Peace

By Joyce A. Kovelm an Ph .D. Our Species, representing all of Earth's diverse people, is coming together to fill a noble and ancient vision. People of every age and in every stage of life are bonding with one another to empower each of us, who in turn, will help everyone of us to heal our families, tribes, villages, communities, societies and nations. We are inviting all people of Earth to restore balance, harmony, compassion, and renewed understanding to our troubled species and planet. We seek Harmony and Peace with Earth as well as Harmony and Peace on Earth. Nothing less will do.

To succeed in bringing this extraordinary Mission to fruition, each of us will first be asked to begin the work of healing one's own self. This work encourages each individual to discover the grace, serenity,

and courage that dwells deep within each individual, regardless of age.

Indeed, all of us are asked to grow into Vessels of Peace! As these values and virtues begin to stir inside us, memories are awakened of long ago, along with the necessary blueprints, solutions and actions that help us create such a world. It will rise of its own accord, slowly becoming available to all willing to grow and make this so. It is the work of healing and empowerment with all of Humanity, and our coming together to create a world that affirms, sustains and supports all life. This is Humanity's most noble purpose. Each of us

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is called to walk this extraordinary path. For many, this work has already begun; the eternal wisdom has been given voice, and is now heard throughout our world as well as our Universe. Humanity is beginning to release the old forms and ways of anger, greed, violence and war. We are now in the midst of moving into this more knowing, spiritual world as our own. It is, and, in fact, has always been Humanity's destiny to awaken and fulfill the visions, dreams and imaginings awaiting deep within our hearts and souls.

We are living during an extraordinary moment in time. Soul's wistful Cry urges Humanity to stop our disgraceful destruction of Earth's environment, our lands, our trees and forests, our oceans, our air and sky. Our planet, Earth, is urging Humankind to stop the killings, the wars, the abuses, the violence and the endless desecration of our planetary home, and, instead, to choose Love and Compassion for one and all. Let us accept the challenge and become One in Heart, Spirit and Soul.

This is both an auspicious and special call (request) for all of Humankind to accept the gifts of kindness, awareness, gentleness, compassion and wisdom that is awaiting all who choose to participate in this revealing and extraordinary event in Humanity's evolution, into the next stage of our becoming and our learning. We have been invited to welcome, to challenge, to evolve, and to grow in Peace and Love.

It is time for all of Humanity to evolve into a profoundly different stage of Growth and Being. It is also a time that Human beings choose to enter our Halls of Wisdom, Temples and Sanctuaries where we will

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discover and explore the inner, deeper places of Wisdom and Knowing that lies with each of us. It is as well, a time to learn the profound Wisdom and Gnosis we share with others in our Universe, including those who teach us the most sacred abilities necessary to heal our world, our planet, our minds, bodies and souls, as well as ?ourselves,? our families, our communities and our planet. Wisdom reveals that ?Earth will Heal? when Humanity again acknowledges this wisdom, and once more embraces and practices the ways of Harmony, Peace and Earthly Love.

Species of every race and colour, whether from the four directions as well as from the Above and the Below, the Far and the Near, from all corners of our planetary home, and people of all every ethnicity, nationality, religions, age, beliefs, and many life-supporting planets are called to participate in our great healing and acceptance of a more noble, life-sustaining, and life-affirming way of living. In this way, we will have chosen the way of Creation, of Wisdom and of Loving Kindness.

We work together as One Family and one People, no longer only ?We, I, Me and You.?

We are now travelling with Everyone. We invite each of you to participate together with all peoples, races, nations, ethnicities, ages, religions, spiritual pathways and options, along with the beings dwelling on other planets still unknown to us. As Humankind evolves and grows, it is my dream that when we are more open and ready, Humanity will at long last be invited to join with other planetary beings and life forms, living and dwelling in our Cosmos. It will be a time of Reunion and being part of

a larger, more evolved Family of many of the denizens who exist throughout our Universe. It will happen when Humankind has become the wise, compassionate, loving, and peaceful people we are called to be, now and forever more.

A new reality is unfolding, and each of us must choose to heal ourselves, our species, our planetary home. We must also decide whether we want to join a kinder, more loving and wise family of brothers and sisters, and to interact with many others, as time beckons us to do so. Those who wish to join our greater family, as long proposed for all of Humanity, are now invited to grow, learn, evolve and become the species we are meant to become. This is Humankind's Destiny. Let us begin!

as well as a Ph.D. in Psychology. She is a psychologist, scientist, international speaker, a frequent guest on T.V. and radio, and serves as an official ECOSOC Representative to the United Nations for the Institute of Global Education. Joyce has completed an NIMH post-doctoral fellowship in Psychiatry and Biobehavioral Sciences Her books, Once Upon ASOUL: The Story Continues... Science, Psychology and the Realms of the Spirit and Namaste: Initiation and Transformation, draw upon her extensive training in neuroscience, psychology and several spiritual traditions. Her debut novel Crimes Against Humanity: A1H1W2was published in 2013. asoul1@aol.com joycekovelman@yahoo.com

www.essentialsforasoul.com

Š Joyce A. Kovelm an Dr. Joyce Kovelman holds a Ph.D. in Anatomy

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Wh o Am I?

By Osw ald Per eir a Who am I? I often ask myself.

Being.

Am I a Christian, Hindu, Muslim, Buddhist, Sikh ... ??? The list is endless. For, there are many religions in this world and I could belong to any one of them ? all of them; or none of them.

Giving a name, form or gender to God is negating the very principle of what God really is.

Considering that my soul is several million, perhaps billions of years old; having travelled through various places, regions, and countries at different times and countless millennia, God only knows how many religions touched my soul in my many lifetimes.

Attributing a religion to God would make it seem like God is partial towards one particular region or race of people. This would make God seem like a restricted Being, limited to a region or community, present in only one place, when God is omnipresent. For God is not only everywhere and universal but beyond this universe, time and space ? beyond even the High Heavens.

And through all of my different lifetimes, my soul was a servitor to one Supersoul. I believe that Supersoul is neither Krishna, nor Christ nor Allah; but a nameless, formless, genderless Supreme Divine

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I have tried hard to find the connection between Krishna and Hinduism, and Christ and Christianity in the Bhagavad Gita and the Bible respectively. But I have failed in my endeavour. Krishna is not a Hindu, neither is Christ a Christian, one realises on careful reading of these two holy books.

If God, indeed, were to be Christian, and if I go to heaven, I can?t imagine myself joining the angels in singing praises to God for eternity. We are told that we should shed our ego to attain freedom. So wouldn?t God be highly egoistical if he expects my soul to praise Her/Him/It for all eternity?

We have tagged these two Gods with these two religions for our own convenience and to give us a sense of belonging. It may be good to have an identity. But it?s not good if that identity leads to divisions and dissensions.

I?d rather return to earth and slog it out, rather than live an eternity singing praises.

A true Buddhist doesn?t consider Buddha a God. But many Buddhists think he is so.

Buddha himself never claimed to be God. Every religion claims that their God is the only true God. And each of these religions quote their scriptures to show that heaven or nirvana or moksha can be attained through their God. There?s a flaw in such thinking. It?s illogical.

It?s like saying you can reach Delhi only from Mumbai and vice versa, and the only mode of transport is by the railways. Aren?t there many roads and modes of transport between the two cities?

Then, why should there be only one way to reach God?s home, our so-called place of eternal bliss and peace?

We, as humans, spend our lifetime dreaming of heaven, nirvana, or jannat. We try and do good and propitiate our God, hoping that we are not condemned when we die.

There?s no offence or blasphemy intended when I say that, personally, I don?t feel excited with this state of life after death.

The concept of transcendental bliss at the Lotus Feet of the Lord, also doesn?t appeal to me.

Yes, I believe I am the servitor of the Supersoul, but then there must be more meaning to an eternal life than being in bliss at the Lotus Feet. So, rebirth seems a better option, I believe.

I also believe that any religion or belief that hangs a Damocles sword of hell and divine retribution over your head is not religion, but a creed of fear, meant to keep you hooked and bonded for life like slaves. It is on this edifice of fear that places of worship have been built, so that gullible believers return and cough up their hard-earned money to escape the wrath of God. God, indeed, is not a vengeful Being; but kind, compassionate, loving and forgiving.

Have no fear of God, because he hasn?t conceived hell for you. That?s all in your mind.

Also, you should do good to the best of your ability. Do your Karma. But don?t believe that God is sitting up there with an account book, tabulating your plus and minuses of your Karmic account.

Karma, is not a weapon, but a benign concept. We should make Karma our friend, rather than think that Karma is a foe

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that will send us back to earth on multiple, painful rebirths, were we to make a human error.

The best Karma is Love. The most sacred religion is love to all. Š Osw ald Per eir a Oswald Pereira, a veteran journalist, is the author of six novels, namely The Newsroom Mafia, Revenge of the Naked Princess, Chaddi Buddies, The Krishna-Christ Connexion, Golmaal

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In Goa and Army Girl Steals Civilian?s Heart. With more than three decades of experience in journalism, he has worked in senior editorial positions for The Times of India, Financial Express and Outlook. He writes for The Speaking Tree column in The Times of India and his spiritual articles have appeared in four Speaking Tree anthologies. pereira.oswald@gmail.com

72 Nam es Car ds Click t o Bu y!

www.oswaldpereira.com

Ever yt h in g is Spir it u al

By Pr abh at h P

I still remember the startled reaction of a journalist friend several years ago, when I told him that I considered myself spiritual.

He remarked in surprise, ?What? Are you nuts? Spirituality is something that some people pursue after they retire! You are still in the prime of your life. Don?t waste your whole life by renouncing the worldly life now!? I smiled and replied, ?I am spiritual, but I didn?t say that I?d go to the Himalayas to become a monk!? I can never forget the puzzled expression on the face of my friend that day.

This incident is a typical example of the attitude of many people towards spirituality. Especially in India, with a streak of traditional transcendental illusionism that dismisses the material Universe itself as an insubstantial illusion, spirituality is

often equated with monkhood and separation from the mundane world, for a secluded life.

However spiritual illusionism was only one of the many strands of spirituality that existed in India. Before the advent of illusionism or ?mayavada,? there was an ancient integral Tantric understanding of spirituality that acknowledged the material creation itself as a real manifestation of the Divine and revered Earth as an alive Goddess. With the emergence of patriarchal and ascetic religious concepts, this Tantric tradition was suppressed, and an irreconcilable duality between the spiritual and Earthly realms was imposed.

The

focus

shifted

to

escaping

from

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everyday life to find the Spirit because of the erroneous belief that the world made of matter, is not spiritual. This division created a separation that confined spirituality to the ashrams of gurus and religious places of worship. People seek gurus or shrines hoping to quench their spiritual longings, but carry on with their daily life, without any awareness or direct experience of the Spirit.

In the West too, with the European Enlightenment movement, a separation between the material and spiritual spheres was introduced. Scientific rationalism and spirituality existed like parallel lines that refused to meet even at infinity.

Pr act ical ever yday spir it u alit y plan et ar y con sciou sn ess

f or

Our planet is currently facing an ecological meltdown in the form of worsening climate change. The rationalist industrial civilisation looks upon the Earth as a lifeless soulless place to be exploited for material profits.

Meanwhile many people who subscribe to the mainstream spiritual and religious discourse consider Earth as a place to escape from, and ignore the impact of our lifestyle on the health of the planet and humanity itself. The ancient understanding of the Earth as a Divine manifestation that is alive, has been forgotten. Human beings lost the connection with the Spirit of the Earth because both the materialists and spiritualists denied the Divinity of the Earth.

The ecological crisis we face cannot be resolved through technological or economic solutions alone. Leaving the Earth behind to escape into some ethereal spiritual Heaven too is not an integral path to the evolution of consciousness since it

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will only cement the artificial Spirit/matter duality, and fail to recognise the Earth Spirit.

This planetary crisis can be addressed effectively only if we realise that everything is spiritual and sacred. To attain that understanding, we need to experience every moment of our daily life as part of our spiritual evolution. When we learn to live with mindful awareness of our daily activities, even eating, bathing and brushing the teeth become a blissful expression of our spiritual consciousness.

Then our whole life becomes a meditation.

When we live each day with this conscious awareness, we find that we can naturally refrain from actions that harm ourselves and the living Earth. We can then see that it is the all-pervading Divine Spirit that manifests in myriad forms as the air we breathe, the birds that fly overhead, the gurgling streams, the dazzling waterfalls, the lush green trees, the azure sky, the warm sunshine and the pouring rain. Such an integral experience of spirituality can also facilitate the integration of even science and spirituality eventually.

Integral Gaia Yoga, which I am developing, aims to help people evolve a practical everyday spirituality to live in tune with Earth and promote Unity in Diversity, Peace, Love, Compassion and Joy. Gaia is the name of the Greek Earth Goddess and denotes the scientific and spiritual understanding of the Earth as a living organism.

Integral Gaia Yoga is a way of life that endeavours to manifest a collective planetary consciousness for uniting humanity with Gaia, the Cosmic

consciousness and Transcendental Being.

The pathless path to a planetary consciousness passes through the daily life of every human being. The survival and future evolution of our planet and humanity, depend on our ability to lead our day- to -day life with continuous spiritual awareness, in communion with Gaia consciousness, to cultivate a holistic and green lifestyle. Š Pr abh at h P Prabhath P is a writer, editor, translator, integral intuitive consultant, artist and holistic healer from India. He holds an MA in English Language and Literature. He is the creator of Integral Gaia Yoga, and the Founder and Managing Trustee of Gaia Spirit Foundation.

He was the Vice President of Open Circle LLC,

USA, and Chief Editor of The Inner Spiral E-magazine. Prabhath was the Guest Editor of a special issue titled Intuition for a World in Crisis, published by the international peer-reviewed journal ReVision. He was also the Editor of Your Spiritual Revolution magazine (2008 ? 2010). His writings have been published in the Times of India, Sahara Time, Indian Literature (the journal of Kendra Sahitya Akademi, India?s National Academy of Letters), Express Starteller, Life Positive and The Inner Spiral. pprabhath@gmail.com www.envisionearth.net www.gaiaspiritfoundation.org

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M EDITATION IS A PRACTICE OF DYING

By An ya Ligh t

Meditation is a practice of dying.

When we close our eyes to meditate, we drop our lives. We drop our names, our wants, our goals, our to-do lists. We drop relationships, work, play; we drop it all. We drop.

When we sit down on a cushion to meditate, we chart a bold new path? into the unknown.

Meditation is not simply a way to relax or de-stress (although these reasons may have initially driven us to the practice); rather, meditation is a way to meet and experience Divinity.

Whether we were raised in a religious family or not, the path to Divinity, to Source, to God, to All That Is (whatever term you want to call it, is fine; the label

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does not matter), is a path that comes when we have grown weary of the material world?s false promises.

Maybe, we have tasted fame, fortune, success, or even deep love in a marriage. And yet? and yet? there is this thing inside, this craving that is never fully satisfied.

What is this thing? This thing is the longing for God. When we sit down to meditate, we say goodbye to our lives as they have been, and we invite the unknown. We invite Divinity to enter us.

When we sit down to meditate, we drop it all, for a few minutes, and we enter into a state where the mind is allowed to dissolve.

People fear death, because it is the conclusion of the mind?s accumulation of facts and figures of one particular lifetime.

People tend to believe that what the mind has stored, all the facts and figures and stories and moods and memories, is what makes up a ?life.?Thus, when the mind ends at the time of death, people are often terrified. What happens when we lose the mind and the body that has defined our very existence? Is there life after life? Do we just cease to be? Indeed, the death process is terrifying to most people.

Ultimately, people fear meditation and are reluctant to try it because they fear death.

Death is an unravelling of the mind.

Meditation is also an unravelling of the mind.

Even though, meditation is not yet mainstream on our planet, more and more people are waking up to the need for

meditation in their daily lives. They are starting small: with five minutes every day, and then gradually devoting more and more time to the practice. They are beginning to taste grand moments of peace, and even happiness or bliss.

Meditation is the practice of dying. We die to all that we have known, and all that we thought was real. We put down our identities, and we allow ourselves to be swept into the unknown.

Through this brave act of dying, day after day, we move into the light. We move towards the purest kind of freedom. It is the freedom of pure Consciousness? the knowing, the experience, the absolute certainty that all is One. That there is, in fact, no death at all. Š An ya Ligh t Anya Light is a freelance writer, spiritual life coach, and the author of Opening Love: Intentional Relationships & the Evolution of Consciousness. www.AnyaLight.com

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Aw aken in g t h r ou gh t h e Sh adow s

By St eph Har per

The Visible and Invisible Worlds, are both very real, but experienced and expressed in different ways.

We only understand our worlds through the perception of contrast. We are found in between these two worlds, in response to the ever-changing universal energy, the Yin and Yang, that come together to form the dance of life. We only know Enlightenment exists because we have suffered.

In t h e Begin n in g According to every culture or science, in the beginning, there was ?Nothing.? The Tao calls this Nothingness the Wu Chi. Kemetic culture calls it the Primordial Waters (Chaos

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? an order humans can?t recognize), scientists term it primordial ?quantum fluctuation.? In the beginning, there was nothing, and then there was something. A movement, an energetic vibration (the Divine manifested tangible matter, a Big-Bang or a Deity spoke elements into existence) occurred as an expression of this energy.

Yin an d Yan g Th eor y This movement, expressed in opposite complimentary aspects of existence, the Yin and Yang, depend upon each other ?s interaction to maintain a dynamic balance.

Each develops, balances and lends meaning to the other. The ancient Chinese used this interrelationship to explain the phenomena in the natural world and the body, forming the foundation of Traditional

Chinese Medicine.

When there is movement, Yin and Yang separate, when there is no movement, they combine and become One, united, yoked. When movement subsides, we go back to the Nothingness and thus the cycle repeats.

Ch ar act er ist ics of Yin an d Yan g Yin and Yang are two sides to the same coin. In the simplest of terms, Yin is the Invisible world; the empty space that gives function to a cup. This energy is a stranger to us, and yet the most intimate aspect of our Self, of existence. It?s the smallest part of any particle and yet there is more ?void of matter ? in the entire universe than physical matter. Yin is the shady side of the mountain slope, the moon, the sub-conscious. It is lunar, nutritive, feminine and intuitive. The negative charge of electricity. It is the Shadow work of the Invisible world.

Yang is the Visible world; the tangible physical state of energy, the cup itself. The largest part of any particle, we touch it and try to practice non-attachment to its material state. Yang is the sunny side of the mountain, the sun, the analytical brain. It?s solar, destructive, masculine and analytical.

The positive charge of electricity.

The spirit, belonging to the Invisible world, expresses its limitlessness and is boundlessness. The physical body, belonging to the Visible world, recognizes its physical limitations and boundaries. The Invisible World is timeless, with no beginnings and no endings. It?s the ?Nothingness? from which all existence came.

Th eor y in Spir it u al Pr act ice In Qi Gong, awakening occurs in a meditative state of Wu Chi, when we simultaneously pull spirit energy down and send physical energy up, meeting at the Solar Plexus furnace (invisible center point of the Yin and Yang). In this center, the Spiritual Being advances on the path to Enlightenment with the opening of The Third Eye. In Hatha (Hatha - force, Ha - sun, Thamoon) Yoga (yuj - to yoke) we marry the two energy channels of the ida (Yin/lunar) and pingala (Yang/solar), unify the body, mind and spirit, and experience Samadhi.

Lif t in g t h e Veils ?If the doors of perception were cleansed, everything would appear to man as it is, Infinite. For man has closed himself up, till he sees all things thro?narrow chinks of his.?

- William Blake As our process of awakening unfolds, in discovering the once unknown, the Invisible becomes more a part of our Visible world.

The present bridges the vanished past and unforeseen future. Connecting these two extremes is an invisible web at the center called the eternal present; the spider who spins its web named ?consciousness.? The more we discover the Invisible world, the web expands, as our eternal consciousness expands.

How do we clear the fog? There can be no awakening to higher levels of consciousness without delving in exploration into your shadows. Without it, one stays asleep.

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?There is no coming to consciousness without pain. People will do anything, no matter how absurd, in order to avoid facing their own Soul. One does not become enlightened by imagining figures of light, but by making the darkness conscious ? ?

-Carl Gustav Jung (b. 1875-d. 1961)

inspiration arises. It is in this Space, we make connections of what once appeared to be separate and distinct; the unknown unveils the synchronicity of it all, the inner dependent relationships that are linked to propel our becoming, propelling our ?becoming?to higher consciousness.

Sh adow s of t h e Self

Tr an sf or m at ion Cycle

We all have fluctuations of the mind (vrittis) that we observe without attachment through our spiritual practice. Outside of these day-to-day ramblings of the mind, there are moments as your path unfolds into new insights, greater peace and stillness. Inevitably, in our dance of Yin and Yang, as we clear the tightness in the body, experience quietness in meditation, this Invisible world arises to show itself, leading you into your shadows. If ignored, grief, illness or injury will stir them to the surface, shaking the deep sub-conscious at the core of our soul for discovery. Only when we welcome the process to unfold without resistance (fear, shame, judgment, and attachment) can our boundaries fade further back.

After you emerge from the shadows, the ?light?comes on, finding yourself at a higher state of your becoming. The flower that blooms in this season is not the same flower of last season. It's from the same root, encompasses the same essence, but it is not the same flower. It is forever changing into new blooms through the constant unfoldment of its essence.

Th e Pr ocess of Becom in g

We look to Nature to understand existence.

Energy is not either created or destroyed; these two qualities are a simultaneous dance of transformation. Earth turns into wood, wood into fire, then gas into water.

Water nourishes the Earth and the cycle repeats. No beginning, no ending; changing form, and so it goes on indefinitely. As we transform, the yogi?s ability of non-clinging resides in this cyclic rule of Nature.

Walking into the shadows, with full exploration, unravels the sub-conscious, lifting the veils to uncover the deepest aspects of our Self. The ability to sit in this shadow, without ?positive-self talking? it away, brings movement to discover the roots of ourselves, shedding light on our patterns/samskaras that no longer serve us, allowing them freedom to transform.

When we come into this fluidity of Nature?s cycle, we experience effortlessness (Wu wei) in getting out of our own way. Letting go, we release the ?struggle?to cling to the illusions of suffering (that something?should not? be happening); as suffering lifts; we learn the next lesson and flow in sync with the Higher Self.

The Wu wei (effortless way of non-action not getting in our own way), allows space to flow into the Invisible where limitless

Every time we think we have reached the ?last?mountain top, the cycle repeats to invoke expansion. This need not bring

25. YSR. NOVEM BER 2017

devastation. This construction process brought forth by shadow work is the opening to the wellspring of the unconscious to gush forth into consciousness for continuous spiritual awakening. You cannot construct a cabin without deconstructing the tree.

Allow in g Bot h t o Aw ak en We cannot invoke the regeneration of Osiris/Wsjr without the destructive attributes of Set/Seth (Kemetic Deities). We cannot experience liberation without the cosmic dance of Shiva, the Destroyer and Shakti, the Divine Mother to nourish (Hindu deities). The cycle of Yin - Yang/ Creation- Dissolution is simultaneous and unending.

You cannot walk in light without ever having walked in the darkness; Nature does not work that way. It?s both because Nature is both. Taboo to most spiritual advice, we should give ourselves permission for exploration when the shadows arise. If one clings to the veil to only see through rose-colored glass, they remain foggy (asleep) and forfeit the ability to expand their consciousness (awaken), holding

space for both, light and darkness, simultaneously, without clinging. Opening to this space, without attachment to either side of the coin, is true awakening.

I offer gratitude unto the Darkness in which I found my Light? Namaste! Š St eph Har per Steph Harper MH, NC, HHP, 200-RYT, Qi Gong Practitioner, Tai Chi Chuan Sifu and Behavioral Health Outreach Specialist, is a seeker of knowledge in spirituality, philosophy, Jungian psychology, TCM and traditional healing. On her path, she shares her passion with others about how it all intertwines, teaching Yin Yoga, Yoga Nidra, Meditation and Tai Chi classes, and Educational workshops. She receives much joy providing private lessons to serious seekers of Qi Gong/Chi Kung. She works inbehavioural behavioral health, advocates for youth in foster care and shares Recovery Trauma Centered Yoga with women in Residential Drug Addiction Centers. stephharperbutterfly@gmail.com

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Th e Vegan Dilem m a How an ar gu m en t w it h a m eat -eat er got m e t h in k in g abou t plan t s?

By Pr eet h a Rajan Let's call him Joe. Really nice guy.

Intelligent, thoughtful, articulate. But when it came to arguing against vegans and veganism, like most defensive people who eat animals and are trying to deflect, he seemed to have left his brain behind on his plate, next to the chicken bones. But I didn't tell him I thought so, because I'm a hopeful optimist who believes that real conversations can lead to real change.

us, starting from a very young age. The writer, a young man in his early twenties, ended his post saying, ?Now I know what to teach my children.?

It all began when I shared the post of a vegan, describing his childhood conversations with his father, when the child asked why we had to kill, in order to eat, and was given the usual answers like humans being on top of the food chain. It was a discussion of the cultural programming that happens to all of

My guess is that this may have struck a nerve, as Joe has a young son, Aaron,* and is someone who cares deeply about children, not just his own.

27. YSR. NOVEM BER 2017

So Joe launched a scathing attack, calling vegans and vegetarians hypocrites for killing plants, who unlike animals, are unable to show pain. Now, I found myself

feeling defensive and irritated, as the guy actually had a point, even though he cared neither about animals nor plants, and the crux of his argument made little sense: ?Plants feel pain, therefore it's okay if we hurt animals too.? It was so unfair!

I showed my irritation sarcastic response:

with

a short,

?Sure. To show him where his food comes from, would you take Aaron to visit an organic vegetable garden, or a slaughterhouse? It's all the same, right??

Looking back, I should have just left him with that hard-hitting question. But, with the missionary zeal of all vegans who never lose an opportunity to educate and raise awareness about veganism and its historic significance, I began my spiel, never stopping to think if the person was receptive or not: ?In case, you're not aware, veganism is not about diet and eating animals alone.

It is a social justice movement based on the understanding that animals are not our slaves or property to be used. They are here with us, not for us. They have every right to live their lives freely, and we don't need to exploit them and make them suffer for our survival.

Just like other movements before, like women's suffrage or gay rights that went against established practice and mainstream thinking , people feel threatened and resist because they don't want to change. But in a few decades, especially with great advances in technology and fake meat, this is going to become mainstream, whether you like it or

not.

And then, your grandchildren will look back in horror, the same way we look at slavery today, which was perfectly legal and acceptable, and built a world economy 300 years ago. And they're going to ask you which side you were on. The oppressed, or the oppressors? Compassion, or cruelty?

Just make sure you have a good answer ready.?

Phew! Pretty convincing, right? That's what I thought too. But I had forgotten who I was talking to. Don't ever think you can move forward in a conversation like this: you will always be dragged back to square one, no matter how much solid information or persuasive eloquence you have at your disposal. So square one it was: ?I understand all this... But tell me something, when you eat vegetables, do you think you hurt them? Are you not killing a living thing? Or is it that vegetable lives don't matter?

Therein lies the hypocrisy.?

Then I shot myself in the foot by forgetting all about root vegetables! Or maybe, I was hoping he wouldn't notice ? what was I thinking?? I must have left MY brain in the rasam!

So all the iron-clad logical arguments and important questions I raised after this, to put him on the spot, were just water down the drain, all because I forgot about carrots! ?First of all, picking a vegetable or fruit doesn't kill the plant. Your vegetable activism is interesting though.

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And how are you using this argument to deflect and somehow justify the mass slaughter and great suffering we inflict on animals?

The difference is that we don't need to kill animals to survive, the cruelty is completely unnecessary.

I usually keep my arguments issue-based, and never attack the person. I don't need to. But since you brought up hypocrisy, if an animal is standing in front of you, I assume you will never be cruel to her. You would not beat her to death or slit her throat. But you see no contradiction or problem in delegating this action to someone else, on your behalf. What is the word you would use here, if not hypocrisy??

How could I allow him to escape answering this! How could I forget carrots and potatoes?

So Joe slipped neatly out of my painstakingly arranged noose, and turned the tables on me. And frankly, I deserved it.

If I had a drumstick (vegetable, not musical instrument) I would have beaten myself up.

Joe scents victory, and moves in for the kill, accusing me of breathing and killing millions of bacteria! Now I just feel like a bad person, and hardly notice how ridiculous that sounds. ?So when you say you don't kill a plant when you pick a vegetable, I take it that you don't eat carrots, beetroot, potatoes, celery and coriander.

Also, eating fruits and plucked vegetables is eating the plants younglings. It would be like a non-vegetarian eating chicks as soon

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as they are hatched.

Also, I take it that you don't use paper or breathe, since you would be inhaling a million germs in the process.

I am not apologetic about eating meat.

This is not about plant activism. It is about telling you that when you say you don't kill when you eat vegetables, you are downright wrong!?

That's when the light bulb went on in my head. We could keep doing this till our pallbearers arrived to take us to our funerals. Nothing would change. I would keep arguing passionately on behalf of animals, using solid facts, scientific studies, appeals to humanity and powerful rhetorical questions, a la Socrates. And Joe would keep calling me a potato murderer.

I had to go meta. Fortunately, I also had some nice things to say about Joe, so I decided to start by thanking him for taking the trouble to call me a hypocrite. I hoped it would break this cycle and help us make some progress. I also wanted to talk about how veganism fits into my vision of a more beautiful world for everyone ? humans, animals, the planet? And how painful it is to watch and wait for that world to be born. ?Joe I deeply appreciate you taking the time and effort for this, regardless of your motivations. I value a bitter disagreement or impassioned debate far more than a studied silence. I learn valuable lessons from those who disagree with me, which I would never gain from those who are aligned with my worldview. It hones and brings nuance to my own perspective.

In this spirit, please ask yourself: why is it so important for you to win this argument?

If you attack my stand and somehow prove me wrong, would that make you feel better about your own choice?

Every sincere, heartfelt word was just pouring out of me ? it's so hard to find the space and the people for conversations like this, with everyone absorbed in their own little lives.

My motivations are quite different. I have already taken an ethical stance that represents justice, compassion and empathy, a less violent world and a less cruel humanity. I don't need to go around winning arguments, to convince myself that I am right. Every word that I say to you, and others like you, is intended respectfully to bring awareness, insight and critical thinking, to question the daily horror and cruelty we inflict, and participate in, and close our eyes to, because it's invisible and so easy.

Finally, I thought, we could move on from beetroot younglings to the big picture.

My heart breaks every day ? I may have unshouldered my own personal contribution to unnecessary suffering, but I still feel the entire collective weight of humanity's default setting of cruelty and oppression towards those who are powerless and defenseless ? I have sleepless nights over the Rohingya, the indigenous, the Dalits, refugees, women, children, animals, the Amazon, Kiribati... I believe these are all deeply connected ? and that when we open our hearts and minds to bring justice to the weakest, to those ?furthest?from us in our own flawed eyes, then we would NEVER do the same to our fellow humans. What a transformed world we would have! Imagine that for a moment.

I can feel this world coming, but sometimes it feels so far away! All I can do is keep talking to people; so thank you for the conversation, Joe.?

If you were Joe, what would you have said to me at this point?

Got your answer? Now, can you guess what Joe said to me in response? (The clue is in everything I said before) He said: ?I rest my case!?

He might as well have taken a sharpened slaughterhouse knife and stabbed me with it. I just couldn't believe it. Where would I go from here? On the other hand, what did I have to lose? I'd finally reached the end of my patience: ?Really? I pour my heart out, and that's what you got from this?

And here I was, thinking we could finally elevate this into a real dialogue about urgent and vital issues that matter to us and future generations. Silly me.

I forgot you can't really talk to defensive people. They will refuse to answer any of your questions, resolutely ignore all the facts and views you raise (no matter how true or important), and keep rigidly harping like a broken record on one point, and one point only. Why? They're hoping that by putting the onus on you, they can escape examining their own choices.

Don't worry, you're not alone. Every single animal-eater who argues with me (with one or two rare open-minded, non-defensive

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exceptions) is just like you. Even your arguments are identical! I keep hoping someone will surprise me and raise the bar with something original, for a change, that will make me think deeper. No such luck!

You're right, we can't live on this Earth without doing harm ? through our materialistic lifestyle, our concrete buildings, the fossil fuel vehicles we drive, the habitats and ecosystems we destroy, the polluting and damaging corporations we support to maintain our lifestyle and economic system? It goes on. And the food we eat, of course. We enslave and kill BILLIONS of sentient nonhuman persons, though we don't need to. Without conscience or qualms. And that single choice is taking precious food away from hungry people, leading to disease and obesity, and contributing to climate change.

Through a single choice I make, if I can reduce the damage I do and the suffering from 100% to say, 25%, that's good enough for me. And I will continue to make other choices for the same reason ? I will recycle, wear hand-me-downs, build an eco-friendly home, stop buying stuff I don't need, use public transport as much as possible. And continue to educate myself and become more aware so that I can keep making more choices that help instead of harm.

Why on earth wouldn't I??

There! I was quite happy with that answer, but I was still bothered by Joe's question about plants. Plants might be just sitting in one place looking like they're not doing much, but there's a reason why people talk to their plants. When I have a cold, I go to my Tulsi plant and ask for help. And the plant ?shows?me which leaves to pluck. My

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little niece says the same thing (we always tell her to ask the plant first, before picking anything). I learned about this alternate reality from Stephen Harrod Buhner 's book The Secret Teachings of Plants, which I would recommend to anyone who wants their mind blown.

Then I came across this online: ?If anyone should be at least open to the possibility that plants have some level of awareness,[1] it is vegans since we continually chide others for not acknowledging animal awareness.1? Since veganism is rooted in awareness and evolution of consciousness, it is only natural that we expand this awareness to include all beings, both animals and plants.

And minimize the harm we do, through our choices.

Would it be possible to finally have a non-defensive conversation? Ever hopeful, I sent a final, private message to Joe: Joe, thanks again for all the arguments ? you have no idea how much I appreciate it!

The standard vegan/vegetarian response to your question, is that plants have no central nervous system, and therefore cannot feel pain. But I find this reasoning is based on a mechanistic, Cartesian view of the Universe, which I don't subscribe to.

My learning is that plants are conscious, sentient beings, part of a larger conscious Universe, and that humans used to live in intuitive connection with them, a capacity modern humanity has lost. We depend on plants for oxygen and food, and plants depend on us (meaning the animal world, we are animals too) for carbon dioxide, pollination and seed dispersal. When we

die, our bodies become food for plants, and that is how we give back to them. In the meantime, we should take only what is necessary, and with deep reverence. It is said that medicinal plants increase their medicinal properties when they sense we are sick (yes, they can sense that too).

So there is a much deeper symbiotic connection here that we are not even conscious of, that is how ignorant we are!

And we call ourselves intelligent.

I feel so sad that we are having this deep conversation when you care neither about animals nor plants, and just wanted to shut me up!

I went looking for more answers (I'm always doing that), and found something that has answers for both of us. This person is so patient and gracious, l feel like becoming a Zen monk! http://bit.ly/2hmXiHC I left Joe (we finally had a real conversation after this), and I now leave you, with the wise words of Dr. Will Tuttle:

bodily organs, my mind, and my spiritual awareness." [2] Š Pr eet h a Rajan * all names changed to protect privacy Ref er en ces: 1 Retrieved

from http://www.vegetus.org/essay/plants.htm 2 Retrieved

from

http://bit.ly/2hmXiHC Preetha Rajan freelances as an academic writer and research assistant when she's not arguing with random meat-eating friends. She has worked as a counsellor for cancer patients and their families, and dreams of holding cancer coping and healing workshops someday. Her other areas of interest include alternative education, eco-friendly architecture, living in tune with Nature, and pretty much anything that makes the world a better place. She lives in Thiruvananthapuram, Kerala, India. pr eet h a_r ajan @r edif f m ail.com

?It?s now clear to me that compassion and justice for animals brings greater compassion and justice for all others: for plants, for other people, for ecosystems, for future generations, and even for my own

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Com in g Hom e t o Ou r Sen ses: Placin g Ou r selves w it h St or y

By Glen ys Livin gst on e Ph .D. This essay is an edited excerpt from Chapter 8 of the author ?s book PaGaian Cosmology: Re-inventing Earth-based Goddess Religion.

In the Old Western Way, The receipt of story by eyes or ears was regarded as a vital pathway of blessing, if the reader or listener were in a state of proper attention and respect. Those who merely siphoned the words off the page like a vacuum cleaner, those who sat inattentively, mentally wool-gathering did not receive the blessing. Our own saturation with printed materials sometimes renders us insensible to the sacred blessing of story and its many gifts ? But when we memorize a story, its blessing works at a deeper level within us. It is then

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that we enter fully into its workings; it is then that we become the story. When we become garments of story, we are able to clothe others with blessing. [1] The process of participating in ?sacred space? ? conscious ceremony ? is different from simply being lectured to or told something, or from having a discussion. In conscious sacred space, the whole being is engaged; we are able to speak and hear the depths of our felt knowings. In conscious sacred space, we are close to the blueprint of our lives, as close as each is able to be;

and that ability within each is varied and complex and unknowable. The variation of ability to approach the ?blueprint,? from time to time within the same person, and then from person to person, affects what a participant will gain and possibly integrate.

But the reaching for it, co-creates the very receptor that is required ? as surely as the chlorophyll molecule was co-created by Earth and Sun, as Earth reached for nourishment; as surely as the ear was co-created by subject and sound, as the subject reached for an unknown signal ? the reaching for Her, co-creates the desired presence.

Personally this practice has taken me from fragmentation and alienation to wholeness and belonging, as I reached for She Who Is, She Who Will Be, and She Who is the Transformation of the Ages. It has brought me through so much, sustained my personal evolution.

It has been ?geotherapy? ? a term Brian Swimme uses to speak of how the vision of the whole story of Earth, of the Universe may enable the human to proceed from the present alienated pathological mode of being to wholeness ? as we learn our story.[2] I have personally responded to the re-storying of the Female Metaphor, associating Her with Cosmogenesis ? the Unfolding of the Cosmos, and embodying Her in seasonal ceremony. My search has been an intensely personal one, but it has been earthed and patterned in an ecological psychology that has been able to bless and ?clothe? others as well. This blessing has been a completely reciprocal process, wherein they blessed me as they resonated with the story within me, and I resonated with their response ? I unfolded, they unfolded, we were delighted

? as something new came into being. We found and expressed a resonance with Gaia?s Seasons and Her Creative Unfolding, we noticed Her more ? around us and in us.

It is deeply personal yet related, each one?s unique poetry and life story finding a Place in other and all-that-is, and vice versa.

Often when we humans can describe gravity, the weather, our bodyminds and more, we think we know what they are ? we can sum these things up. But it is simply a different kind of knowledge of Her; it is not Her sentience, which must be felt. This cosmology is about sensing an organic space and time, Being in Place ? knowing that the dimensions of Self-place, Earth-place, and Universe-place are not separate; that this is all one?s ?country.?

Another word for this ?country? may be the Welsh word ?cynefin? (pronounced KUN-EV?IN). It has often been literally translated into English as ?habitat? or ?place,? but the sense of it is more: the word articulates a reciprocal relationship with one?s particular place, and may be understood to consciously include the multivalent dimensions of this nested reality of Place. ?Cynefin,? like ?country,? includes the stories of one?s multiple belongings - personal, cultural, geographic, cosmic ? they are all religious in the sense of connecting, and more than we can know.[ 3] This ?cynefin,? this ?country? ? a PaGaian sense of habitat - includes knowing that one IS a Place, a place of the Sacred Interchange of Life ? with all the complex web of stories, to which one belongs, and with which one acts. It is an intimate reality, but remains mysterious and unknowable in its infinite dimensions of belonging and action. The breath comes

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in ? a gift of all that has gone before. You are the Place where it is received, changed and given forth again; your organism is the Dynamic Place of this exchange. You are then the gift as your breath is released: and so, for all other bodily exchanges with our place of being.

This Place of Being is not static, it reaches in and reaches out ? a place of reciprocal interchange. Perceptual psychologist, Laura Sewall advocates awakening our sensory systems, which are ?exquisitely evolved channels for translating between ?in-here? and ?out-there?? and she describes this skillful ecological perception as a ?devotional practice,?[ 4] of coming to recognize Earth?s call.[ 5] Sewall lists five ?perceptual practices?: (1) learning to attend, or to be mindful, within the visual domain; (2) learning to perceive relationships, context and interfaces; (3) developing perceptual flexibility across spatial and temporal scales; (4) learning to reperceive depth; and (5) the intentional use of imagination.[6] The practice of celebrating Her seasonal transitions through the full cycle of the year, however they manifest in your place may meet all of these practices, (re-)developing ecological perception. It is a ?devotional practice? - of becoming receptive to Gaia/Great Goddess?s speech, heard deep within and deep without. Her speech is like a ghetto-blaster really when we pay attention, find an art form to receive Her, a place to hold a Conversation or a Dance. We come to feel the infinite belonging and to act in accord. And there is no need to go to Eleusis to find this place, or rely on external authorities ? this

35. YSR. NOVEM BER 2017

practice is Home-ly: that is, it is ?a ?domestic? religion ? one that may be known in the familiarity of one?s dwelling ? bodymind, home, region, "country," Earth, Solar system, Universe.?[7]

Š Glen ys Livin gst on e 2015 Glenys Livingstone Ph.D. is the author of PaGaian Cosmology, which fuses a practice of seasonal ceremony with contemporary Western science, feminism and a poetic relationship with place. She lives in the Blue Mountains where she has facilitated Seasonal ceremony, taught classes, and mentored apprentices. Glenys is a contributor to Goddesses in World Culture edited by Patricia Monaghan (2011), and to Foremothers of the Women?s Spirituality Movement edited by Miriam Robbins Dexter and Vicki Noble (2015).

She has produced PaGaian Cosmology Meditations CDs, and teaches a year-long on-line course Celebrating Cosmogenesis in the Wheel of the Year. www.pagaian.org Ref er en ces: Livingstone, Glenys. PaGaian Cosmology: Re-inventing Earth-based Goddess Religion.

Lincoln NE: iUniverse, 2005.

Matthews, Caitlin. The Celtic Spirit. London: Hodder and Stoughton, 2000.

Sewall, Laura. ?The Skill of Ecological Perception? in Ecopsychology: Restoring the Earth, Healing the Mind. Roszak, T, Gomes, M E, & Kanner, A D. (eds).San Francisco: Sierra Books, 1995, pp. 201 ? 215.

Swimme, Brian. Canticle to the Cosmos. (Video series). CA: Tides Foundation, 1990.

1. Caitlin Matthews,The Celtic Spirit, p. 334.

2. Brian Swimme,Canticle to the Cosmos, video

3. It?s meaning is described at https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cynefin My understanding of the word as being similar to ?country,? a commonly used term by Indigenous Australians, comes from Taffy Seaborne?s stories of his childhood experience in Wales and his later experience in central Australia.

4. Laura Sewall, ?The Skill of Ecological Perception? in Ecopsychology: Restoringthe Earth, Healing the Mind.p.203.

5. Laura Sewall, ?The Skill of

Perception? in Ecopsychology: Restoring the Earth, Healing the Mind. p.224-215.

6. Laura Sewall, ?The Skill of Ecological Perception? in Ecopsychology: Restoring the Earth, Healing the Mind. p.204.

7. Glenys Livingstone, PaGaian Cosmology, p.66.

Ecological

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Th e Secr et of all Secr et s Th e Sacr ed Ch am ber in t h e Hear t Excerpted with permission from the Chapter 2 of the book The Illumined Heart and Mind

By M ar go Kir t ik ar Harness your Inner Spiritual Powers to Navigate your Life!

The secret of all secrets is secret no more!

Throughout the ages, humans have searched and yearned for the source of the fountain of youth and to gain extraordinary superhuman powers. Adventurers traveled far and wide to the remotest of places in search of this secret that was well-hidden and revealed from teacher to student, but only to the very few who earned it and were worthy of it. While people traveled and risked their lives in search of this secret, none realized that they each carried it well-hidden within their own heart.

In the Upanishads, a collection of ancient Vedic texts from India, they refer to a Sacred Chamber as the Tiny Space in the Heart, a subtle, non-physical organ, its size smaller than a sunflower seed. For aeons this knowledge has been hidden from the masses

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for fear of misuse of the powers it reveals by ignorant beings. As we hover on the threshold of yet another new cycle of the ages, this secret is now being given out freely for all who are ready and willing to rediscover the Sacred Space within the Heart, the secret portal to divine secrets hereto known only to the very privileged few.

Your heart is both a miracle and a mystery full of wondrous treasures. The time has now arrived, for this well-guarded hidden secret, to be given out to whomever is ready to discover it, on the one condition that we are worthy and willing to make the effort to discover the code that opens the portal to this mysterious chamber in the heart. I do believe that the story of Ali Baba and the forty thieves, who hide their treasures in a cave of a mountain, the entrance of which is well hidden and opens only when the secret command is given, is but a metaphor for the subtle heart with its many hidden divine treasures and its portal, that will open only to someone who has gained access to the secret code.

As some of you probably know, Ali Baba and

the Forty Thieves, is one story from the Thousand and One Nights tales, and as far as I am concerned, there is a lot of spiritual wisdom and lessons to be found in each of those stories. In Ali Baba?s story, the code was so simple that no one would have thought of it. It was two simple words ?Open Sesame?and the mountain would open to reveal its secret cave full of dazzling fantastic precious magnificent treasures! Would you be surprised if the code for us to open the portal to the treasures hidden within the depths of our heart is also just as simple? Too many make the big mistake to think that access to the spirit world must be complex. In fact, much about understanding the spirit world is very simple, so simple that people tend to disbelieve it.

Your heart is indeed one of the choicest gifts from God and somewhere within your physical heart, there is a central invisible chamber surrounded by a force-field of such magnificent light protecting this hidden secret.

It is a chamber separated from matter and no amount of probing by man would ever find it.

It occupies simultaneously the third and fourth dimensions, also other higher dimensions so far unknown to man. This central chamber is called ?the altar of the heart? and it is the connecting point of the silver cord of light that descends from the God Presence to support the beating of your physical heart, giving you life and connecting you with the Cosmos. This is your direct point of contact with the Divine, where a spark of fire from the Creator ?s own fire, invisible to the naked eye, is to be found in this secret subtle cavity within your heart.

In this tiny space, the treasure of all treasures resides, the Self, your own Self, at one with the Creator, Brahma. The paranormal powers and treasures it reveals for the one who can open the portal and enter into this tiny space, to

merge in total harmony with the Creator, are beyond anything that you can imagine.

The Gita and the Upanishads continually emphasize God and Self are sealed in the Heart. Although God, Brahma, the Divine Intelligence, the Creator of life, has hidden this secret of secrets in each human heart, it is not to be found by dissecting the heart, not even if you go through it with a fine toothcomb. This sacred tiny space can never be found in the physical heart the ancient scriptures tell us.

And yet it is and has always been in the heart, it is neither hidden nor concealed for those who are open and willing to discover it. A promise is made that discovering and entering this sacred portal will open a new world of joy for us that is beyond our wildest dreams.

Jesus referred to the sacred heart chamber when he said: ?The heart center is the true source for human power.? And in Matthew verse 18:3: ?Verily I say unto you, except ye be converted and become as little children, ye shall not enter into the kingdom of heaven.?

This message is so misunderstood, taken literally. In fact, you need not wait to die before you can enter the kingdom of heaven for the kingdom of heaven is to be found in your heart. You can enter the kingdom of heaven, your sacred heart space, while you are alive, but first, you need to be as pure and as innocent as a child. That is what Jesus meant. The more pure and childlike you are the more chance you have of entering this sacred space, the kingdom of heaven. You might think of the two words childlike and pure as the two key words to gain access to the portal. Childlike does not mean being childish. Little children are innocent and pure with not a mean thought or bone in their body. Children are by nature trusting and have no negative thoughts. Negative energies act as blocks and will make it impossible to enter this sacred space in the heart. The sacred heart

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knows only unity, oneness and unconditional love. The sacred chamber of the heart is your connecting link to God, the Universe and all its treasures.

The feeling of being there is like floating in a peaceful heavenly space. Your heart is a magnetic center and is the generator of all your life energy. When you empower your heart, you raise your energy level physically, emotionally, mentally and spiritually. It is within the heart that you find harmony with God. Here in this sacred non-physical space, you are able to connect with the Creator to renew and transform your life. The heart being magnetic, functions best through innocent awareness. Actions that divide and repel block your entrance, therefore, you must learn to perceive with the innocence of a child.

As you empower yourself, the portal will open to you.

The heart is the throne of God and the throne of the Divine Self. Jesus said: ?To him that overcometh will I grant to sit with me in my throne, even as I also overcame, and am set down with my Father in his throne.?Revelation 3:21. Jesus is speaking of our heart and not his. Our heart and the heart of God are One. Jesus also said: ?Behold, the kingdom of heaven is within you.?Luke 17:21. Jesus did not want us to believe blindly he wanted us to experience this truth. The heart is the throne where God and the Divine Self reside.

You cannot underestimate the value of this knowledge to your life, your own sacred center for your own power, in the depths of your being, a place where you alone can go. Here is why the practice of meditation is important.

Find a quiet spot where you are not disturbed and enter within your being. In silence and in deep contemplation behold the oneness with all that is. Here you find the vital link between body and soul, between yourself and God.

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Here is the center of your being, the defender of your immortal soul.

But you will be denied entry if you are heavy laden with ego, illusions, pretenses and false identities. That which is not the real you, will not be recognized and the portal will not open for you. The Kingdom of Heaven can only be entered as a child! Be like a child again, trusting, pure, loving, delighted full of enthusiasm and curiosity, to be BE ONE with life!

Once you gain access to the inner sanctuary, inside the sacred silence, there is priceless wisdom, you experience bliss and quietness and you may receive a healing or a nurturing.

Every visit you make to the inner sanctuary strengthens your relationship to your heart and the Creator and you don?t need to say anything, for the Creator knows your every need and desire. The Heart is always guiding our lives regardless of whether or not we are aware of this. It is always working as our higher intelligence. In this secret chamber also, the long sought after, fountain of youth is to be found and the ability for instant manifestation.

The Love-Ananda Gita explains it more in detail. ?Be the Witness only, not separate, not related, not needing, not gaining, not stressful, not angry, not reacting, not thinking, not sorrowful, not lost, not knowing, not perceiving, not experiencing, not right, not bewildered, not complaining, not satisfied, not deluded, not moved, not attentive, not ?I?, not released, not embodied, not even understanding, but only merely Being the One who is the Witness.?

This secret in the heart has also been referred to as the Interior Castle and the Velvet Chamber of the Sacred Heart where all wisdom and all potential for creation exist.

Reach the Heart by diving within yourself,

either through control of your breath or through thought concentrated on the quest of Self. This cannot be acquired from books or from a teacher only through practice and personal experience can it be known. A Guru can only explain and guide you to the portal, but it is you who has to enter to find the invisible chamber and its secrets.

Originally human beings were programmed to be immortal. In Biblical times humans lived to be a thousand years old or more. Noah for example lived to be about 950 years, so did others of his generation. Perhaps this is because in those times, they lived nearer to God. One could evolve in one lifetime to become a Master. Those who evolved, became what is known to us today, as Ascended Masters, such as el Morya, Babaji, Lord Kuthumi, St. Germaine and so many others who are immortal and live on higher dimensions always on the path of evolving to still higher dimensions.

The more corrupt we are, the more distanced we are from the Source, from God the Divine, intolerant, living in disharmony and falsehood.

Ironically today the life span in civilized nations is shorter than that of people living in less civilized nations. Obviously that?s because we who are supposed to be civilized have abused both nature and our own bodies in so many ways that makes it difficult for us to connect with the Source of life.

Discovering this treasure of all treasures within you, invisible as it is with a portal that you need to have the key to open, before you can enter into this tiny vast space, is indeed finding the fountain of youth and the Genie that manifests all your desires, giving you super human powers to influence people and events in life, but, and there is a big BUT! Like everything else in life, there is a catch, your motivation and your intentions have to be pure, always good for all concerned, never to

do harm to others nor for selfish personal gains. All judgment and criticism must be transformed to acceptance and forgiveness.

You need to be as innocent as a child again, your body purified and have a lucid unselfish mind, because if you use these God-given powers the wrong way, not in line or in harmony with the laws of the universe, to harm others while you pursue your own gains, it will all boomerang on you in the worst ways you can ever imagine. This power has been discovered by some and used in the wrong way and they had to pay a high price for their folly. This is in accordance with universal laws.

This was the very reason why this has been secret knowledge for so many thousands of years and given only to those who have proven themselves to be worthy of this knowledge. But we are presently living in extra ordinary times, as you might have noticed, and this most secret esoteric knowledge and wisdom is being gifted to you and to all of humankind. Have faith and use it wisely and you will benefit beyond all that you can imagine. As you do this you will gain in energy and passion for life and you can focus on better and healthier ways of living in preparation for more dramatic changes and you?ll find that life will reward you along the way to encourage you on your path to bringing heaven on earth.

This subtle sacred chamber in the heart, was known not only to the Hindus but also to the Buddhists, the Jains, the Sufis and other natives across the globe and they have all written about it. But only the few were evolved enough to understand it. It was understood by those who followed these teachings, that practicing concentration and focusing on this sacred secret space in the heart, would give the yogin a knowledge about the ultimate nature of his or her own mind and also what is in the minds of others. By connecting the

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subtle secret space in the heart with the Divine Mind the student would gain paranormal powers, namely, telepathic insights into the passions and desires of the human mind, reading other peoples? minds.

Not only that but also the power to manifest whatever the yogin desires just by thinking about it, in other words, the power of instant manifestation.

Many people have witnessed Sai Baba who was known to manifest objects out of thin air instantly, right in front of people watching him. People have witnessed him manifesting precious jewels or fruits in the palm of his hand that he presented to some of his followers and more often many witnesses have witnessed him manifesting ashes that he sprinkled on his followers as a blessing.

But there is also a warning in the Upanishads for those who try to manifest to satisfy the desires of the ego rather than the true Self within, here is what it says: ?However, there is the danger that one falls into a trap of manifesting false desires, not the true real desires of the soul. To manifest the true desires of the soul, the seeker needs to meditate on going inside the heart to the secret seat of his immortal soul that dwells

within, this subtle space in the heart to know the real desires of the soul.?

In the next chapter, you?ll discover more of the secret of all secrets, as I continue with the importance of the Heart Chakra, the role it plays to cross the Rainbow Bridge with one goal, to achieve Christ Consciousness.

Repeat the meditation seed thought to yourself every morning as you wake up and at night before you go to sleep, and as often as you can remember throughout the day, every day, for one month, before you go on to the next one.

Seed Thought for Meditation: ?BALANCE THE THREEFOLD FLAME IN ME!? ?I AM THAT I AM?

Š M ar go Kir t ik ar Dr. Margo Kirtikar has a Ph.D. in the Science of Metaphysics. As a Spiritual Guide/Life Coach/Mentor, she has over 25 years of experience in helping individuals to attain self-transformation, and a life of joy, success and abundance in connection with the Source of Power!?

http://www.theilluminedheartandmind.com/

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http://www.margokirtikar.com/

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Th e Pr edict ion Excerpted with permission from the novel The Prediction

By Sw ar u pa Ch avan ,

published by Om ji Pu blish er s Veronica opened her eyes tiredly as the sun reflected its rays on her face through the window. The effort proved to be too arduous and she closed them again. The previous day had been long and tiring which had ended with an even more tiring night. She did not feel refreshed and energetic for attending classes. Turning on her side, she called out to Tia with her eyes still closed.

?Tia?? she called again when she heard no response from her.

?Tia, wake up and go for your classes. And tell the teachers I am unwell. I will sleep it off today.?

After a few moments though she opened her eyes again, as she felt the room eerily quiet. Reluctantly, she abandoned her cozy

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She opened an eye and found her bed empty. Assuming she was already getting ready for classes, she closed her eyes again and went back to sleep.

bed and flinging aside her blanket, she went to check in the washroom. It was empty. There was no other place to check.

She wondered where Tia could go at such an early hour. She decided to check in Renuka?s room and was in the process of wearing her robe jacket when she noticed a bed sheet hanging down from the ceiling above Tia?s bed.

The sight which arrested her attention made her wobbly. A horrifying scream escaped her lips as she dropped the robe from her hands and slumped in her bed with fright. Tia was floating in the air, just like that. She had risen from her bed with her bed sheet and was hovering in air in a trance with her eyes closed. Her hair, flowing down, gave her a frightful look as though she was possessed. Veronica lost her ability to speak or move. She was shocked. After an eternity, she steeled her mind. With great courage, she got up and moved towards Tia?s bed.

She wanted to make sure that Tia was fine. ?Tia?? she called out tentatively, her voice quaking with fear. ?Hello? Are you okay? Please come down!?

Veronica was shivering by now. She was contemplating about calling her friends for help.

Not getting any response from Tia, she finally decided to call for some help. As she approached her room door, she found Tia glide down on her bed slowly. By the time she was back on her bed, she rested there peacefully and innocently, making Veronica wonder if she had imagined Tia suspended in mid-air sometime back.

Veronica

wiped

her

brow

which

was

perspiring profusely and approached Tia. Her face had turned white but otherwise she had a serene look on her face. Slowly, she opened her eyes and looked straight into Veronica?s eyes blankly. As though Veronica was transparent or she could not recognize her.

Veronica tentatively touched her hand which was ice-cold. Tia flinched and tried to withdraw her hand. But Veronica bravely held on. Some recognition flashed through Tia?s eyes and Veronica actually observed a gradual transition in Tia?s personality as she slowly returned back to normal. Her face resumed its color gradually and her breathing regularized which she realized had been a bit fitful. After a few moments, Tia sat upright on her bed. ?What happened to me Ver? Am I late for classes??

Veronica could not believe it. Had Tia forgotten what she had gone through? Or was she pretending, since she did not want to talk about it? What exactly had happened with Tia? She needed to know. ?Tia! What happened?? she asked straight away. ?I guess I overslept. I was awake for a long time last night and fell asleep in the wee hours of the morning.?Tia said, rubbing her eyes wearily. ?Tia? you were floating in the air sometime back! Right above your bed! I am talking about that!? Veronica could not contain her alarm. ?What?? Tia was equally taken aback upon hearing this. ?What are you talking about Ver?!? she

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exclaimed. ?That?s my point precisely! I wish to know what is all this about. It is shocking to know that a person is having supernatural powers and that she can predict the future, but it is completely horrifying to see a girl float in mid-air and then finding out that she remembers nothing about it! I am yet coming to terms to accept that you can predict the future, and before that I see you levitating! How appalling can that be! How do you expect me to take this Tia??Veronica vociferously condemned Tia. ?Ver, if what you say is true I swear I am not aware of it. I have experienced it for the first time. I cannot control it Ver, nor am I responsible for it. It?s happening on its own!?Tia cried out in alarm trying her best to explain.

Veronica did not respond to this. She continued staring at Tia in disbelief.

Tia felt terribly tired and looked drained.

She rested on her bed again with a deep sigh. ?Are you okay Tia? I think we should call the doctor. You look exhausted!? Veronica exclaimed worriedly. ?Oh no! Ver! You can?t possibly call the doctor! This would mean informing the school authorities about my special powers. I don?t know how they will react to it. I don?t want to be expelled from the academy and get subjected to Mr. Tandon?s fury again,?Tia pleaded. ?But Tia, you need medical attention! We cannot ignore this. If something goes wrong, people will hold me responsible,?

Veronica was flabbergasted with Tia?s suggestion.

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?We make a deal. If I get another vision again, I promise I shall go to the academy doctor myself. Just this time, let it be Ver. I am not causing any harm to you or anybody else,?Tia reasoned panicking. ?Alright, but next time, no excuses. If you don?t go, I shall call the doctor myself,?

Veronica gave in reluctantly with a warning.

This brightened up Tia. ?Thanks a ton Ver! You are a sweetheart,? saying this Tia hugged Veronica ardently.

Not knowing that this was probably the last time she would be hugging her dear friend.

She felt guilty to be untruthful to Veronica since this was not the first time she had experienced levitation. She had, in fact, levitated on the very first night at St. Paul?s and thereafter on two three other occasions. It had been a completely appalling revelation to her and she had not felt comfortable to share this with Veronica at that time. She was trying to understand these occurrences herself and was not sure how Veronica would react and accept this quaint occurrence. Now on reminiscing, she realized that every time she had felt derelict she had levitated, as if it was a way of letting out her grief. She had felt a strange freedom as though her soul was soaring high in the skies and nothing in this world mattered. The pain of losing her mother, the hurt of facing dejection from her father and brother seemed insignificant as her soul was relieved of the worldly bonds. All the sorrow left her body as she felt a strong love engulf her. She wanted to stay in that stage and not return to a world where she was hated and unwanted. A bright light which glowed with warmth would lead her towards the Neem tree. She felt strongly

drawn to the tree as it beckoned her to another world which promised love and happiness. She wanted to cross the threshold and go to the other side. But on every occasion, she was pulled back by some unforeseen force as her time to cross that threshold was yet to come.

But what she found strange was that she had recollected all the previous levitation experiences after waking up. But this time, it had happened without her knowledge and she could not remember anything about it. This was scary and she was beginning to get nervous about this new power which she had developed. She was certain had it not been for Veronica who had called out to her while she was in her state of trance, she might have crossed over to the other side today; so strong had been her level of levitation today. Tia prayed that her ability to levitate was not another warning to a forthcoming danger.

She missed Sophie a lot and wished she could just hug her making her feel secure.

For the time being she could do nothing about it. She mustered the courage to face yet another challenging day and went about to get ready for her classes.

After the prayer session that morning, as the girls made their way to the classes, they met Neeraj and his gang. Neeraj had an apologetic smile on his face. ?I am sorry about last night,?he said. ?I don?t know what came over me. Can you guys forgive me??

The girls looked at each other, their expressions a mixture of confusion, amazement and happiness.

Veronica was quiet thrilled, Renuka and

Parul were astounded while Tia was perplexed with the sudden change in Neeraj?s behavior. At other times, she might have been extremely happy and would have hugged her brother immediately. But since that morning she felt some change within her. Either the levitation had drained her energy or it had changed her from within. She found herself not able to trust Neeraj. She felt his smile and his words were fake and empty with some ulterior motive behind them. But she could not point out what it could be. Before she could decide her response Veronica took the decision on their behalf and extended her hand as a gesture of friendship to Neeraj.

Seeing this, Neeraj broadened his smile and heartily shook her hand, hugging her warmly. Ashish followed suit and he took turns in greeting the girls. Tia stood there dazed, not knowing what to say or do.

Neeraj approached her and extracted a chocolate out of his bag. Tia remembered the innumerable times in their childhood when Neeraj had offered her chocolates either for peace after some fight or to bribe her to keep her mouth shut and not inform their father of some notorious thing he had done.

This made Tia smile and she decided to forgive her brother and disregard the warning her mind gave her. Accepting his chocolate with a smile, they hugged each other which made the group erupt in a big applause. ?Let?s celebrate our union by having our lunch together,? Neeraj suggested which was instantly accepted by the group.

That day Veronica found it difficult to concentrate in her classes. She was

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grinning stupidly to herself and kept checking her watch not able to wait anymore for the lunch time.

sure Sophie would have understood her perfectly and would have guided her to address her current state of dilemma.

?I can?t believe it Tia! Neeraj actually hugged me! Finally we are friends and my dream has turned into a reality.?

?Tia, you haven?t eaten a single morsel.

What are you dreaming about?? Ashish asked her worriedly.

Tia smiled at her friend, feeling genuinely happy for her. Her happiness was contagious and for a moment Tia forgot

?Oh nothing,?Tia quickly took a bite of her food and forced herself to the present.

all about her own worries.

Didn?t I tell you he won?t be able to stay away from my alluring beauty and sunny smile? My magic worked my friend? it finally worked. I am so happy!?Saying this, Veronica held Tia by the shoulders and twirled around happily, shouting joyfully and making a big hullabaloo in the corridor. ?Cool down Ver! You are overreacting,? Tia said laughing.

They reached the canteen and by that time Tia got back the nervousness in her stomach. She could not understand why she was getting this uneasy feeling. Nor could she point out to anything that was amiss. Everything was perfect and the way she wanted. Then why was she not happy?

Why was she suspecting Neeraj for his intentions? Why was she not being a part of the present and unnecessarily worrying about a future which probably did not exist?

She thought she would have to meet the doctor after all. The levitation had left a deeper impact on her mind than she wanted to accept. She had yet to think about the levitation, its reason and influence on her. All this was new and extremely frightful. She missed Sophie and wished she were there with her. She was

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The group was having an animated conversation over the lunch table.

Everybody was speaking excitedly at the same time. Veronica kept sending shy glances at Neeraj who was unaware of the effect he was causing on her. ?Hey guys, I have an idea. We normally go for a game of football in the evening after all the classes are over. Why don?t we meet and play some common game today evening??Neeraj suggested. ?That?s a grand idea!?Veronica immediately agreed to the suggestion. ?Well I?m sorry guys, but I have to complete my Physics assignment today evening.

I will not be able to join you,? Tia replied feebly.

Oh C?mon Tia, don?t be a spoilsport! You can very well complete your assignment later,?

Veronica grumbled. ?I can?t Ver! I have taken permission from the teacher for conducting my incomplete experiment today evening. Only after that I can complete my journal and submit it tomorrow morning.? ?That?s not fair Tia!?Veronica was truly upset now. ?It?s okay Veronica, we can meet tomorrow,?

Ashish suggested, trying to cover up for Tia.

?Yes that?s true. Today I too have a lot of homework to complete,?Renuka added.

That settled the matter. It was decided that the group would meet tomorrow evening after classes for a game of Lagori. ?It?s so exciting yaar!? Veronica started dreaming about the game as though it was a date with Neeraj. ?Life is beautiful. I think I love your brother, Tia,? she admitted to Tia but it sounded more like a self-proclamation. She was lost in her own thoughts and had a faraway look on her face. ?Come back, you dreamer! Just one smile from Neeraj and you are already floored.

Take it one day at a time, sweety,?Tia said not wanting Veronica to be hurt by Neeraj?s behavior. She feared Neeraj might not harbor similar feelings for her and she might have to face a heartbreak. ?Let?s complete our homework girl!? Tia added playfully, wanting to bring Veronica back to reality. ?Hey! That reminds me. I will join you at the physics laboratory. I have to finish that boring Pendulum experiment too,? added Veronica.

By now, the rest of the gang had dispersed leaving just the two of them together. ?Hmm well Ver? ?Tia fumbled. ?What is it??Veronica asked stopping in her tracks.

Actually I don?t have any pending exercise in the laboratory. I just gave some excuse to avoid meeting the boys in the evening.?Tia blurted out knowing very well that Veronica would not take this revelation kindly.

?What! Are you nuts Tia?! Here was a golden opportunity to bond with your brother. He offered you an olive branch and all you could do was make a false excuse! I thought you wanted to get close with your brother, make peace with him and spend some good time with him before he completed his studies and passed out of the Academy.?

Veronica spoke heatedly, clearly cross with Tia. ?Hold on Ver. Please do not misunderstand me. I agree I want to make friends with Neeraj and get back the old days. It?s just that today I am not feeling that good and thought I would not be a good company. I did not want Neeraj to misunderstand my lack of interest in the game and interpret that I do not want to be friendly to him,? that much was true, Tia thought. ?Hmm alright, hope you are telling me the truth Tia. Come to think of it, you do look a bit weird since morning. Your eyes look haunted as though there is some deep secret in it. If you weren?t my close buddy I swear I would have freaked out and handed you over to the Dean. Even when I recollect the sight in the morning when you were floating in the air gives me the creeps,?

Veronica shuddered as she spoke.

The mention of the levitation brought back fresh memories to Tia of the incident again and she was transferred to her own world. ?Never mind, you carry on. I will complete my pendulum exercise and join you later,? unaware of the turmoil in Tia?s mind, Veronica said. ?Okay. Come soon. I?ll join you for dinner.? Saying this, they parted their ways. Š Sw ar u pa Ch avan

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Swarupa Chavanis a writer and poet by passion. Her fiction is woman-oriented. Her first two novels are To Err is Human and A Journey to Remember. Her third novel The Prediction has won the Best Science Fiction of the Year Award. It is based on the theme of sixth sense. Swarupa has contributed short stories and poems in several anthologies and

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her poem Rain Dance was nominated for the Best Poem of the Year award. swarupa.mynovel@gmail.com www.facebook.com/SwarupaChavanOfficial/ Listing on Amazon

An ot h er Ch an ce

By In dir a M adan Tr ipt i

(This is the English translation of the short story titled ?Phir Kabhi? published in the in-house journal of the Lucknow centre of Doordarshan, India?s national television channel.)

Hi Suhail!

London is shivering these days with continuous rains, snowfall and chilly winds.

It?s 11.45 P.M. and the temperature shown on TV is minus 9 degrees Celsius, as I write this mail to you.

Hope you are fine in India and enjoying the closeness of your family. Cold winds are blowing outside, sweeping the streets and chilling everybody. But, more than these cold winds, it?s the storm of thoughts in my mind that is bothering me, more than anything. I know, you would be shocked by what I am going to write down, but I can?t

resist letting you know the truth, or else, I won?t get rid of this insurmountable pressure in my head, killing me every moment.

It?s been a long time; more than 5 years of our relationship, and I?ve always wanted to tell you so many things, but I couldn?t dare to show you the black shadows of my past, even when you used to call me ?Daring Lady.?

When you were ready to go back to India after completing your tenure, we were walking along Oxford Street. I can never forget those words you said, holding my

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hands, ?Neel, you very efficiently handle everything that comes your way but you couldn?t take the initiative for our relationship. Whatever you feel within your heart, you don?t express.?

One day, while sitting in a cafĂŠ, enjoying sips of hot coffee, you mischievously said, ?Madam, you?d have to pay me an allowance lifelong, for reading your mind.?

And, I just smiled. But Suhail, today I confess, you always claimed to understand my mind and soul but you have failed. You could never guess the state of my mind, which was killing me. Suhail! You were my only friend. I always adored and liked your company so much that I wanted to spend every moment with you. I haven?t shared so many things but I knew my limitations that prevented me from getting intimate with you. I never let my heart overpower my mind.

The memories of that weekend are still very fresh in my mind when we went to Royal Park and spent some precious time together. There you opened the book of your life and shared certain secrets about your family, your responsibilities for them and your dreams you wanted to fulfill. But, I couldn?t open up like that. Perhaps, it was because I could find a true friend like you only after a long time in my life, now after knowing the truth about you, I couldn?t utter a single word about myself. I was frozen to know that you lost your father in a bomb blast and that tragedy almost crushed your family. I never wanted to lose you after knowing your truth.

Suhail! Actually, I wanted to be with you always without having any thought about marrying you. Sometimes, you were

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worried about my attitude. I always reminded you about your responsibilities, ?Your responsibilities are mine too. It?s not easy to get your three sisters married. I want to share your responsibilities too and for that I have to be financially well off. So, it won?t be wise to leave my job of Lecturer in Cambridge University. Please try to understand Suhail.? You had closed the topic with these words, ?You always speak like an elderly woman,? and I had a sigh of relief.

But yesterday, after fulfilling all your responsibilities, when you proposed to me on phone, I was numb. I couldn?t find any excuse. You were so excited and were talking about future plans after marriage, but I felt a chill and pain in my spine. I couldn?t speak. You said, ?Hello! Are you listening?? I replied, though it was very difficult, ?Yes I am listening, Suhail.?

And, now as I am writing this mail to you, not only my fingers, but my whole body is shivering and trembling. Why is it so difficult to reveal the truth to a person who I loved so intensely? I wanted him to be with me at every step of my life and indeed, I couldn?t imagine my life without him.

Suhail! You had narrated to me that unfortunate event when about 365 people had lost their lives in a bomb explosion and your father was one of those innocent souls. Wouldn?t you want to hear about the person who was responsible for those deaths? It was my father who executed the task and later got convicted and hanged to death. I am the unfortunate daughter of a terrorist. Is there anybody on Earth who would dare to marry a terrorist?s daughter?

My guilt is killing me. I never want you to

feel ashamed and guilty in the eyes of your mother for accepting the daughter of your father ?s killer. I never want to become Meera in life but it is a fact that you are enthroned in my soul like Lord Krishna was to Meera. If possible, please pardon me. I can?t be your better half in this life even though I want to.

You always complained: ?The problem with intellectual girls is that they don?t demand anything.? Today I demand from you, for your everlasting happiness, peace of mind and successful life. Promise me that you will always feel that I am with you like your shadow. I pray to Allah to grant me another chance to be with you forever, after the Day of Judgment.

Š In dir a M adan Indira Madan works as Library and Information Officer for India?s national television channel Doordarshan, in Lucknow.

She writes for magazines using the name Indira Madan Tripti. She has presented programs on topics such as female foeticide, old age homes and telemedicine, and also interviewed the renowned environmentalist Sunderlal Bahuguna for Doordarshan, Lucknow. She has contributed to some programmes telecast by Doordarshan, Delhi too. imdd_lucknow@yahoo.co.in

Yours only, Neel

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Su n r i se

By Al ex N . M oy er

Th e su n r isin g over th e sea is Love; for m e.

Th e h ear t th at sin gs in tr agedy, dr yin g tear s over th e fr ozen fir e.

W h isper in g su n sets pick in g u p th e r em ain s of days with ou t en d an d n igh ts with ou t star s; fl ower s bl oom in g over tor r id r iver s u n seen an d u n h ear d of.

Col or s possessin g m e in fr en zy ch aotic an d tr u e, wash in g away eter n al l y.

Sm il es joy bitter n ess an d pain ever ywh er e, in th e dar k n ess of th e u n iver se's bl in din g l igh t I feel th e waves on m y feet? th e car ess of sou l s in l ove.

Š Alex N. M oyer Alex N. Moyer is President of The Open Circle, LLC, USA, and a graphic designer, writer, artist and meditation instructor, who is interested in all aspects of spiritual and metaphysical perspectives. He was the owner of The Inner Spiral E-magazine, and is currently working on co-creating a global conscious community with a foundation of deep connection, as well as new concepts in education with Prabhath P and others. His writings and artwork have been published by the international peer-reviewed journal ReVision, The Inner Spiral E-magazine and Your Spiritual Revolution magazine. He lives in Toledo, Ohio, USA. imajinarybeing@hotmail.com

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Sk i n

By Jy ot i N ai r W ash in g th e sk in for year s; swam p of em otion s don n in g m yr iad l ayer s I tr ied to peel again ...

Bu t am u sed, I fin d m y sk in dissol vin g in to m e Th e tr iu m ph ? you can n ot peel ... you n eed n ot peel ? begin s to wal k in to gar bs of ign or an ce; to str eam s th at em an ate l igh t.

Str eam s in tan dem to you r sm il in g sou l .

Š Jyot i Nair Jyoti Nair, is a training professional who has designed and delivered numerous training sessions which hone the communication and the behavioural skills of the target audience. She works for a top-notch Indian MNC as a training delivery manager. She is an ardent animal lover, and a barefooted stroll on wet grass is a stimulus that helps her to unwind. She believes in living for her soul's calling, and considers the life trivia we shrug off often, as the storehouse of the most precious moments of our life. jyotinair2017@gmail.com

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ART

Eye of Kr ish n a

By Ar vin d Kau sh ik

Dom e of Et er n it y

ART

Ar t ist Ar vin d Kau sh ik speak s abou t h is ar t w or k s: During my study in sculpture at M.S.U. Baroda, I explored my concept of form through various media like clay and plaster, wax and metal, water and oil colors on canvas. I was most influenced by the surrealist movement; and Salvador Dali, Hieronymus Bosch, Rene Magritte were my guides into the unknown. I explored books on modern physics and Chinese mysticism, philosophy and spiritualism, poetry and fiction. I learnt yoga and meditation; went on treks and pilgrimages in my quest for the sacred vision. Soon, the urge to experience the supernatural became the driving force behind my work and I learnt various software to liberate my imagination.

Through Surrealism, I attempt to create a perfect world: to revisit the freedom of lucid dreaming which combines different cultures and mythologies, time zones and dimensions. My interest in the altered

states of consciousness, transcendental experiences and self-realization are my main source of inspiration as an artist. My abstracts echo the processes of universe in its unraveling and harmonizing of inner forces and subjective realities.

Many of my works reflect my love for Nature in all its pristine glory in union with forms divine. Spirits of nature speak directly to man through birds and animals, waterfalls and flowers, spring breeze and lush vegetation.

I believe that everything in the universe derives its being and nature through mutual dependence: there is no such thing as a thing in itself. Thus I like to compliment the microscopic with the macroscopic; the molecular with the mythical; the abstract with the organic; and the classical with the futuristic. Each of my compositions is a joyous celebration of a soul liberated in perfect harmony with all the elements of the divine, the supernatural and the primordial. Š Ar vin d Kau sh ik

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ART

By Vyjayan t i Gh osh Das © Vyjayan t i Gh osh Das

Ben evolen ce

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Th e In vin cible

Spir it u al M u sic Video

Excer pt s f r om Raga Desh (Vilam bit ) in Teen Taal, played

by Vyjayan t i Gh osh Das. Raga Desh is an In dian classical r aga. It is a m on soon r aga an d is played in t h e even in g. Š Vyjayan t i Gh osh Das

Vyjayanti Ghosh Das was born in Kolkota, the city of joy, in India.

She started painting and drawing intuitively from her early childhood. Gradually, art turned into a fervour for her and she started experimenting with other media too. She is a trained musician as well. At the moment, besides paintings, she specializes in designer potteries, photography and digital art. She expresses her innermost emotions through her artwork. www.fineartamerica.com/profiles/vyjayanti-ghosh.html

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Spir it u al Video

Art of Fashion

By Rev.Rhonda Sheryl Lipstein

Recor ded Live on BEin g LOVE T.V. Th e silen t expr ession of ou r BEin gn ess, t h e Visu al expr ession of ou r in t er n al M in d Con ver sat ion s, t h e expr ession of SELF t h r ou gh t h e silen t , en t er t ain in g, visu ally dem on st r at ive, det ach ed, n on -evasive Gif t t h at IS t h e ?Ar t of Fash ion .?

Th e sh ar in g, com m u n in g, com m u n icat in g of ou r in n er TRUTHs w it h ou t a w or d spok en ... a t h ou gh t , ou r t h ou gh t , ou r t h ou gh t abou t SELF IS sh ar ed.

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© Rh on da Sh er yl Lipst ein

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