TABLE OF CONTENTS
Dr. Jude Currivan: The Story of Gaia, Interview
26
3 Surefire Ways to Beat Anemia
52
Tips to Make Your Fasting Easier
60
The Energy Within – Releasing Drama
66
Follow Your Soul Path
72 The Bipolar Manifestations of the Mind
120
The Joy of Giving
132
The Crisis of Homelessness and a Call for Love
140
Know: A Spiritual Wake-up Call
146
82
How to Find Creative Solutions by Emptying Your Mind Platonic Relationships According To Experts: Definition and Examples
94
The Spiritual Law of Engaging in Relationships, No One Talks About
102
Meta Spirituality's Alternative to Life Lessons
112
OMTIMES.COM February| 2023
Opening New Paths OMTimes February 5, 2023, Edition spotlights another remarkable Polymath, Dr. Jude Currivan. Dr. Jude Currivan is a cosmologist, planetary healer, futurist, author, previously one of the most senior businesswomen in the UK, and co-founder of WholeWorld-View. In an exclusive interview with Sandra Sedgbeer, Dr. Jude Currivan discussed the last book, "THE STORY OF GAIA, The Big Breath and the Evolutionary Journey of our Conscious Planet, a groundbreaking work on bringing to light the broader Evolutionary Journey of our Universe, our role as Humans and our progressed future.
OMTIMES.COM|FEBRUARY 2023
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February 2023
Of Gaia With me today, to shed a powerful light on that no longer, the radical reality is Cosmologist planetary healer, futurist author, and co-founder of wholeworldview.org, Dr. Jude Currivan who's traveled the world for more than two decades in service to planetary healing. The author of seven non-fiction books currently available in 16 languages in 26 countries. Dr. Jude Currivan joins me to discuss her latest book, The Story of Gaia: the Big Breath and the Evolutionary Journey of Our Conscious Planet.
The French philosopher and mystic Pierre Teilhard de Chardin once said that “someday we should harness the energies of love. And then, for a second time in the history of the world, humanity will have discovered fire. That someday is here.
Sandie Sedgbeer: Now, you studied archeology, ancient cosmologies, and quantum physics at the University of Redding and at Oxford. I want to know what inspired your interest in those subjects.
And now, as we wake up to the radical reality of a unitive narrative, we would also discover, as a species and perhaps for the first time, who we really and truly are and whom we can evolve to become.”
Interview by Sandie Sedgbeer OMTimess| February 2023
the Big Breath and the Evolutionary Journey of Our Conscious Planet. Dr Jude Currivan is a cosmologist, planetary healer, futurist, author, previously one of the most senior business women in the UK and co-founder of WholeWorld-View.
J
ude Currivan: It's a very long and very scenic route. When I was very young, from the age of about four or so, I started to have
especially those of India and Egypt. So, it began a lifelong journey of curiosity in terms of the ancient insights, because what I was experiencing accorded far more closely with what I was reading about the what we might call insights of the ancients. So that multidimensional experiences. fascinated me because I could I'm sure many, many children find a resonance there. I could do. And fortunately for me, I didn't tell anybody about them. find some validation in what I was experiencing. But also, at So, nobody said this was nonsense. And I was having so the same time, I was so curious as to what leading-edge science much fun, I just carried on. was telling us because it So, from that very earliest seemed that, with the 20thstage, I was fascinated by the century revolutions of quantum natural reality because what I physics and relativity, we were was experiencing was beyond being given the same insights what seemed to be our physical these ancient sages had. Universe. At the same time, I was also fascinated by the And yet that was not what I was snippets I came across of being taught. So, I thought, ancient wisdom teachings, right. Two flows here.
One, the ancient wisdom, and two, what is leading edge science about? And might it find its way forward to more closely reflect what the ancients perceived and what I was experiencing directly. So I did a master's degree in physics at Oxford University, specializing in quantum physics and cosmology when I was 18.
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And I found that all those threads have now converged; they've all become a tapestry with the latest science confirming that ancient wisdom and those direct experiences that have happened for people since time immemorial. Sandie Sedgbeer: Isn't it interesting how we find how it all converges later in life? Jude Currivan: I think it was Søren Aabye Kierkegaard that said, we live life forward, so we understand it backward. Sandie Sedgbeer: So when you were studying, were you the only female amongst the group of men? Jude Currivan: Well, back in the early 1970s, when I was doing my master's degree at Oxford, I think six women and 200 men were in the faculty. Sandie Sedgbeer: So how did the men relate to you? Jude Currivan: Actually, it was fine. They were fine because I'm a bit of a boy myself, I was a tomboy when I was a kid.
So I sort of settled in as pals with them. And I was very fortunate because one of the professors there, Dennis Sharma, who had been Steven Hawkins's mentor at Cambridge, came over to Oxford and became a mentor for me. And he just loved people who were curious and open minded.
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And he gave me some brilliant advice, supported my curiosity, and realized that I needed to go beyond what I was taught there at Oxford. Sandie Sedgbeer: Your new book is just full of science and research. And also some quotes from ancient texts. How did the ancients know this? I mean, it's taken us this long to get to a point where we're probably using a lot of technology they didn't have. So how did they know this? Jude Currivan: We now understand that our Universe exists and evolves as non-locally unified entities from its very beginning through its entire lifetime. So although there is a speed limit within space-time, which enables a sort of flow of time from the very beginning, a causation from the very beginning within space-time, our Universe knows itself in its entirety all through that process. So we, as microcosms of our Universe's intelligence, also have that ability to tap into deeper, multidimensional levels of awareness. That's what spiritual seekers have done throughout the story of being human. That's what the ancient sages did. That's what shamans do. That's what, seers do. So we have that ability that isn't a requisite of technology. It's a natural attribute of our innate awareness as part of a universe that itself is innately aware. And I think what we've done over the last few hundred years - and I'm not putting any judgment on this - we've separated ourselves from that natural ability. And now we're beginning to remember that. But in the meantime, of course, that journey away from that wholeness or perceived wholeness, but it is whole, came along a line of technology. So as you say, our technologies are remarkable. We couldn't be having this conversation without them. And yet almost because and as a result of that technology and that perceived separation, we've learned, again, technologically what our ancestors intuitively knew because it is our innate way of being. Sandie Sedgbeer: So the technology itself, which has divided us, is also bringing us back to unification. Jude Currivan: Exactly. It's extraordinary. And you know, when we talk about holograms, high definition, and information, this is the language of leading-edge science. But, still, it's also aligning and converging now with those ancient spiritual teachings. So it's using a different language but the same perception of the unified nature reality.
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Sandie Sedgbeer: It's refreshing to hear something positive about technology. We hear how it's destroying everything, so, it's nice to know. It confirms what we need to remember. Jude Currivan: I think so, and technology, certainly the technologies we're talking about, are neutral. It's how we use them. It's our level of consciousness, isn't it? Our level of awareness as to how we put them into use. So, if we still have a paradigm as a collective awareness of separation, and not yet fully waking up to the realization we're inseparable, then how we use our technologies, and the technological potential will be coming from that paradigm. Sandie Sedgbeer: Absolutely. So, in the book, you give us all the science that the Universe did not begin with the Big Bang theory, as many think, but with a fine-tuned, ongoing, and very meaningful breath. So, how does technology tell us this? Jude Currivan: We have telescopes that can actually look far out into space. And, of course, because the speed of light is a finite cosmic speed limit, as we look out, we look backward. So if we look out, say, 600 light years, and a light year is a distance that light travels in a year, we're looking back 600 years. So we are able to go back for billions upon billions of years and realize that our Universe did - Indeed, the best evidence we have says that our Universe began a finite amount of time ago. The best estimate we have is 13.8 billion years since it began the tiniest tiny state. And the Big Bang was always facetious because it was always known that It began in a small state, but not as a bang, not as implied chaos or randomness. We now know from those same measurements and many others that our Universe began in an incredibly ordered state and also incredibly fine-tuned. When we look at the constants of the laws of physics.
You know, the estimate is that if they were different by something like one in a thousand trillion, trillion, then we wouldn't be here. Our Universe would've stalled before it started. So incredibly fine-tuned, incredibly small, and, therefore, much more likely to be a deep breath than a Big Bang. Sandie Sedgbeer: So that leads to the question: Who's breath? Jude Currivan: Indeed! And the question is, what? By what name do we choose to call the Cosmic mind, you know, the infinite and eternal cosmic mind. Do we choose cosmic mind, which was a term that Einstein used? Do we choose God? Do we choose Allah? Do we choose Great Spirit or Great Mystery? The ancient Vedic traditions talked about the breath of Brahman, breathing our Universe into being. But we're part of that. It's not this idea that somehow a creator breathed our Universe into being and then went away to something else. Everything, in reality, is that creation—everything in that reality. Sir James Hopwood Jeans, whom you may know, was known as an Edwardian philosopher who, over a hundred years or so ago, spoke about Universe being more a great thought than a great thing (1). And indeed, this is what we're realizing. This is the ancient Indian teaching, which says mind and consciousness aren't what we have. They are what we and the whole world are. And our Universe is a great finite thought in the infinite and eternal mind of the cosmos. Sandie Sedgbeer: You make it very clear in the book that it's not just the fact that it was a big breath. It was a very meaningful breath. So, tell us a little about the evolutionary purpose and the meaning of all of this.
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Jude Currivan: Well, what we're finding, and again, these are across all scales of existence and across many different fields of research - not just cosmology and physics but biology and the study of human systems. So, across many fields, from the smallest of the whole Universe, we see the same mathematical patterns of relationships. So yeah, those patterns are dynamic, and they're evolving, but those patterns are innately relational. They scale up and scale down. And their core fractals. There are other patterns. But fractals are a great example, and they are universal. And we find them from the way electrons cluster around atoms. The electrons cluster in these patterns when they change their properties from insulators to metal. We find them in plants. We find them in river systems, coastlines, clouds, and ecosystems. We find them at the level of the orbits of our planets in our solar system. We find them in our galaxy. We find them in the relic radiations, those left over from a very early era of our Universe in the patterns that fill the whole space. And we find them in collective human behaviors. So, we see these patterns everywhere, indicative of a unified universe. There is no separation. Secondly, a profoundly relational Universe. And because they're not random patterns, they're not random. They are exquisitely resonant, harmonic, and relational. So, that's where the meaning comes in. And we went down even deeper and found that our Universe embeds that meaning using just two letters. We talk about our language, 26 letters with no meaning, then words and sentences, poetry, and songs.
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Our Universe creates the entirety of its appearance, including us using two digital letters, digitized letters, ones, and zeros.
levels of complexity and diversity and individuated self-awareness. So that's what I mean by meaning and purpose. Embodied.
And from that, at the tiniest scale, which is way smaller than an atom, it creates everything from atoms and molecules to planets, plants, and people over billions of years. So, there's innate meaning embodied. And when we go back to that first moment, it was as simplest as it could be, but no simpler. And because those patterns are not just static, they're related. They're not just relational and static. They're dynamic, and they're evolutionary. So, our Universe has undertaken this incredible journey, this evolutionary journey from simplicity to ever greater
Sandie Sedgbeer: You start some of your chapters in Gaia's voice, as she's telling her own story. Were you connecting with Gaia and channeling those pieces, or did you just use that as a device? Jude Currivan: No, it was not a device. I feel, first of all, the book wrote me, and that Gaia wrote the books through me. So, I was in service to her sentience and all her children. And so, it was a very profound experience for me because although I started writing the book with an enormous love OMTIMES MAGAZINE
and respect for Gaia, what I discovered in writing was just so extraordinary, so incredible that I completed the book almost lost of words. For an author to say, ‘I was almost lost for words because of my love and respect.’ She's adamant, you know, this whole Universe and Gaia are just extraordinarily adamant in that embodiment of their evolutionary impulse, which flows through us too. So, I felt incredibly privileged to be in a position to be able to be some form of a channel of this understanding. Sandie Sedgbeer: It is the most incredible story. And we can only look at some key points here. But one of the things I wanted to talk about, which is something all of us really need to comprehend is that
there's ever-increasing evidence that mind and consciousness aren't something we have, but rather that we and the entire world fundamentally are. That's the bottom line, isn't it? And from that, everything else has to change. Jude Currivan: Yes, exactly. Because the old paradigm we are taught at school that our societies are structured around is a worldview of solely Materialism and Separation. And our worldviews guide our behaviors. They're our mindset. They're how we perceive ourselves, the world around us, and each other. And we now have the evidence. It's not just an idea; we have absolute evidence. And that's why the book is full of that evidence. Because without it, I don't think the gauge would be shifted because this is a radical misunderstanding of who we really are. And although spiritual traditions and religion have taught us this, our secular world has peripheralized this and basically said, no, no. Now that secular worldview is being turned completely on its head by evidence, as I say it. Sandie Sedgbeer: So why are so many scientists saying no to this? Why are they arguing against it when the evidence is there?
Graham Hancock has just done a new series on Netflix, and I read the most vicious piece about it, saying how stupid it was and how crazy everyone is for making this such a popular program. Why can't people accept this knowledge?
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Jude Currivan: To be honest, as both a cosmologist and an archeologist, that has not been my experience of archeology. What archeologists seek to do, as any good scientist would seek, is to follow the evidence. And where there is good evidence in the main, I feel archeologists have been willing to accept that. So, for example, Göbekli Tepe, which I visited, is one of the most ancient, monumental, extraordinary sites. It's archeologists that have excavated that. And the archeologists have said it's eleven-and-a-half thousand years old. Work that's been done in Malta, in terms of the alignment of virtually all the Maltese temples to the star Sirius… I think the difficulty is where there's a mix of lack of evidence in the main, and then a lot of speculations come into it. And in my experience, and certainly, my own journey, my mentor Dennis Sharma at Oxford gave me the best guidance I've ever been given. He said: "Jude, it may not make you popular, but follow the evidence wherever it leads." And that's what I've sought to do. And I think with these ancient discoveries, we still have so much we don't know. But if we can get the evidence, a lot of it is likely to be under the sea; then, I feel there will be more acceptance of that part of our past.
But just coming to the more generic point now, in terms of what I'm sharing, this emergent cosmology of a conscious and evolutionary universe, the Nobel Prize in physics this year was given to three researchers, all of whom have been fundamental in enabling this understanding to come forward. And there's a new book out on black holes by Professor Brian Cox and Professor Jeffrey Robert Forshaw concluding that our Universe's appearance arises from deeper and non-physical levels of causation. They don't know how, but they conclude this because this is where the evidence is.
I'm saying this is evidence, not just cosmologically and from black holes. This is the evidence of all scales of existence in our Universe. Its appearance of energy matters. Space-time does indeed emerge from deeper levels of causation. And that causation is essentially cosmic consciousness that expresses itself as meaningful information, digitized in-formation from which builds up all of the appearances of our Universe. So, we're on that road, and as the evidence moves forward, sure, there will be people who cling to our paradigm. But just as when quantum physics and relativity physics came through, they also came under a huge amount of criticism. But the evidence was able to overcome those because it was so powerful. And the evidence, now, this is the direction of travel. Whether anyone likes it or not, this is what has repeatedly shown the Universe to be. It's the fundamental reality. Sandie Sedgbeer: So what implications does this have on religion? Jude Currivan: I feel it honors that because all religions and spiritual traditions really speak to the appearance of our world emerging from what's sometimes called spiritual realms or multidimensional realms or the ground of all beings. We talk about God and Allah and a great mystery. This shows that we are inseparable from God, from Allah, from great mystery, because some religions support a sort of a God out there or a deity. And here, this says, we are intrinsic microcosms of the wholeness of being. So, therefore, there is no deity God outside of us. And we are not the whole Godhead, but we are microcosmic co-creators. And it's the innate meaning and evolutionary purpose and ineffable being.
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Sandie Sedgbeer: And that means that we have a responsibility. Jude Currivan: We do. And we have an invitation. Sandie Sedgbeer: In the story of Gaia, you do an enthralling job of telling us how all of this came into being. You also raised the ultimate question, which is ‘why?’. So what is the answer? What is the ‘why?’ Jude Currivan: I can only respond from my own perspective of how I felt after feeling through that incredible journey of our evolutionary Universe. And I asked the question, ‘why?’ up front. Because right up front, you realize the incredible way our Universe came into being - incredibly hot, black, minute, and yet filled with potential. And then to take that whole journey of that potential unfolding from simplicity to complexity. And so I came to the perspective that our Universe is a great thought of an infinite cosmos, come into being to explore itself and to experience itself and to do so both in its wholeness, but also in its minute, microcosmic diversity and complexity. When we look at how atoms move to elements and then into Stardust clouds and then into planets, and then into biological organisms. And how, for each of the ongoing evolutionary journeys of the emergence of complexity, at each point where there was a leap forward, everything was in a relationship, is in relationship with everything else, OMTIMES MAGAZINE
everything collaborates with everything else. Those leaps forward required cooperation, greater levels of collective cooperation, and synergistic action. And, I think that's, that's the journey.
So, as microcosmic co-creators, we are both our planetary home Gaia and the entire Universe. It's both a responsibility and an invitation; It seems to me that because we are in an unsustainable situation, our worldview of Separation, no blame, no shame, has brought us to this point. We've individuated ourselves to a great extent, and now we have the evidence and the ability to remember we are inseparable and to cooperate. And this, it seems, is our moment of choice to evolve consciously. These are moments of choice that Gaia has come to before. You know, when the initial cells didn't have nuclei, they couldn't sort of breathe in oxygen. But for hundreds of millions of years, those two things came about through cooperation. And then those single cells that are still with us could cooperate further to become multicellular and a 37 trillion community that is us. So, each of us is a 37 trillion cellular community that isn't just human cells. It's also fungi, viruses, and bacteria. And I think every time that cooperative emergence happens, in every moment, the Universe is learning more about itself and its potentiality and, therefore, its exploration of consciousness.
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Sandie Sedgbeer: So, we talk about the Universe, but there are multiple universes. And you say that our Universe is not infinite. It's finite. Could you tell me a bit more about that? Does that mean our Universe is going to disappear? Jude Currivan: Well, yes. Think of it as a great thought. When each of us has a thought, that thought begins, it takes us where it takes us, and then it comes to an end. So, as a great thought, but a great finite thought in the infinite and eternal cosmos, yes. And the reason I can say this with a fair amount of perspective for a number of reasons. First of all, we know that our Universe came into its life cycle a finite amount of time ago. And it came into being at a finite scale, a minute scale, but nonetheless finite.
And there is a law of physics that says in a contained system that, the temperature is what's called inversely proportional to informational content. So, from that beginning, the lowest information content, and highest temperature, moving now to the lowest temperature at the end of its life cycle, thought cycle, and highest information content. So, we have a universe, a great thought, that at some point, maybe tens of billions of years ahead, but not infinitely ahead, the temperature of our Universe drops to pretty much zero.
There is nothing within space-time that is infinite. Everything that manifests within space-time is infinite and yet finite expressions of an infinite cosmos, a cosmic planner. We also know through the whole processes that I write about in the story of Gaia how our Universe began in its hottest form, called the plant scale temperature, hugely hot, and its lowest informational content. OMTIMES MAGAZINE
Zero degrees Kelvin; at that time. What will happen? I don't know, but I suspect that rather like a bubble growing, growing, growing, and it comes to its endpoint, it just disperses into the air. Then, perhaps, all the accumulated informational experience of our Universe is then again released back into the mind of the cosmos to settle until other universes come forward. And there are possibly likely to be many universes. We don't know that we're speculating that, but it would make sense. Sandie Sedgbeer: I imagine some people hearing this would say, well then, what is the point of us trying to protect the planet if our Universe is going to disappear? Jude Currivan: What's the point of having children and caring, for one day they're going to die? You know, we lose every aspect of meaning if we ask that question in a way, because it then completely takes all the meaning out of the experience, of love. So I'm sharing the story of Gaia and the cosmic hologram before that, which is of a unified universe that is a loving universe. Sandie Sedgbeer: Do you believe the Universe has a soul? Jude Currivan: It's a really interesting point because I write it as a universe soul (UniverSoul) because our tradition is that beyond our incarnated consciousness as humans, or, as I'd like to invite us to term ourselves, as Gaians, other aspects of our consciousness are discarnate.
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So, you know, that sense of an ongoing soul that continues beyond the demise of our physical being. And so, in a sense, by naming our Universe as our "UniverSoul," it encompasses and embodies everything in its journey. And at the end of that journey, our demise, our consciousness continues. That bubble of our Universe, in some way or other, continues within the infinite, eternal plan of the cosmic mind. Sandie Sedgbeer: You started writing the story of Gaia in early 2020, just as we were going into lockdown, as you say, at the same moment as the oldest and smallest of Gaia's organic offspring of virus inserted itself into the collective body of humanity. Do you think that that was, um, purposeful, that the virus occurred for a reason? Jude Currivan: I actually do and for a number of reasons. First of all, this understanding, this evidence-based perspective of a living and evolutionary multidimensional Universe, which is innately meaningful and inherently purposeful, at its heart is a fundamental underpinning and framing. And so, in that sense, and all through my life in many other ways, I've seen a purpose that perhaps has been hidden. It's been beneath the surface. I'm a scuba diver. And when you look at the surface of an ocean, you see the waves, which can look incredibly turbulent. But when you dive beneath, this massive, vast environment cannot be seen from the surface. So there's so much that is under our awareness. And I do feel, I write in the book, that viruses have been changing agents throughout Gaia's story. So, for example, there's so-called horizontal gene transfer, which is when there's been a catastrophic environmental collapse, primarily because a
particular arc of that evolutionary wave has come to its endpoint. Alongside that breakdown, there is a breakthrough to higher levels of complexity. And that breakthrough and horizontal gene transfer are incredibly rapid and wide-ranging. And viruses play a key part in that, as we're now discovering they may well do in the processes of metamorphosis. So the idea of the virus being a change agent, a potential change agent for us, has great merit. And what else stopped us in our tracks? I sense that it brought forward our potential for conscious evolution for quite some time. Sandie Sedgbeer: I've studied astrology for years, and when you see how everything has come together at the right time, just as astrology is also telling us this, you have to believe there are no accidents. Jude Currivan: I don't feel there are, and you know, I'm an astrologer and astronomer. And, of course, in the ancient traditions, they were complementary. In this perspective, they're also complementary because the entirety of our Universe is innately intelligent and conscious. . And also holographic. We haven't quite hit that mind-blowing perspective yet. But, being holographic as cosmologists are becoming more and more to perceive means that the whole of our Universe is expressed in each part. And as we scale up the sort of complexity, it's called holons (2) into what's called holarchy (3), we still scale up just as atoms and molecules and organs and ecosystems,
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bodies and ecosystems. So our solar system, in this understanding of innate consciousness, is a matrix of consciousness. So astrology has a natural validation through this emergent cosmology of a living and evolving universe. Sandie Sedgbeer: So how do we move from the illusion of Separation into the whole worldview of unity? Jude Currivan: I think it begins with each and every one of us. I believe it begins from an inner to an outer. I'm very clear that information doesn't change hearts and minds' emotions. Do I suspect that you know the unsustainable of where we're at? Although it's a huge challenge, there's an enormous amount of grief, sadness, and anger around it. Suppose we can at least understand what we are sharing today, that we are meaningful, purposeful microcosms of our Universe and our planetary home’s evolutionary impulse. In that case, I hope that gives us an underpinning and a framing to respond to that perhaps in a different way. I know that we need to clean up our collective trauma from the illusion of Separation, that's for sure. But suppose we actually perceive that what this evidence is offering us is authentic hope. In that case, it's offering us an invitation to remember that we're inseparable. And if that invite even empowers us to take one step into this journey of remembering and wholeness, then so be it. And I think that the reality is that this is a universe of love. This is a universe that I believe is inviting us to grow up, wake up, clean up, link up, and lift up together. Sandie Sedgbeer: Last month, the United Nations held its 27th conference on climate change, and this month the COP 15 Conference takes place in Montreal, which is more geared towards looking at ecosystems and the protection of animals. Do these conferences ever invite people like you along to speak?
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Jude Currivan: Well, I actually did speak at Cop 26 last year. I did so, basically being asked for my views on how to transform a death economy, which is one based on Separation and materiality, into a life economy. And I've spoken at G20 meetings in the past. But I think what's really helpful, and it's not by any means an easy situation, is that the United Nations, for the first time in its 77-year history, has just formally adopted what's called a thematic cluster, which is a formal body that's able to touch, point, and influence and get involved in all of the discussions based on unity. So it's based on unity, in diversity. And that came from 200 change-makers and thought leaders who realized that without such a perspective of a unitive narrative, there was no chance that the sustainable development goals, agenda 2030, or anything coming from the COPS would really be able to “transformationally” change our world. So it's happening, Sandie. And the more we can do to share this understanding and invitation because it is evidence-based - this is the point: it really adds validation and authenticity to this hope - I feel that we can move enormously fast because, somehow, this is what the Universe is brilliant at. It's not just slow steps of interaction. There can be a collective wake-up, a collective "Aha" moment for our entire species. Sandie Sedgbeer: Now, what about the theory of the multiverse and parallel universes? If it's true that with every choice we make, we are creating another parallel universe every time we make a decision -. And it's just a theory, then clearly, in some universe, we will make the right decision.
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Jude Currivan: Yeah. It's not a theory. It's an incredibly speculative premise. It doesn't even go far enough as a hypothesis. And it came forward because the researchers who came forward with it did not want to accept that consciousness is fundamental. They came from a materialist separation perspective. And when the evidence shows the incredible level of fine-tuning of our Universe, it asks one of two questions. If everything's random, there have to be possibly infinite universes, parallel universes where every quantum choice speeds off into a different universe. Or do we have to bring consciousness, mind, and consciousness into a fundamental reappraisal of nature's reality? I'm sharing the evidence for that view of parallel universes. I could go into a long discussion about this. There's no evidence for it. It's wholly speculative. It really doesn't make any sense from what's
called Occam's razor, which is as simple as it can be but no simpler. It is incredibly disempowering. It was something that came up and had a brief moment in the eighties and nineties. I don't know anybody with any credibility that's speaking of it now. Because it just doesn't hang together. Sandie Sedgbeer: Let's talk about the third book in this trilogy you're writing "The Transformation Trilogy – which is called "Many Voices, One Heart." What will that book contain? Jude Currivan: The story of us and the potential for us. Because the story of Gaia, of course, is the story of Gaia. It's the story of our entire Universe. But humans arrive right at the end of the story of Gaia and in a way that I hope my readers can acknowledge themselves as being Gaian and really, by the time they've completed the book, have a deeper perspective of their relationship with themselves and us together as members of our planetary consciousness.
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The first book is the understanding of all of the soul cosmology and the evidence for our Universe's existence and evolution as a unified identity. The second book, the story of Gaia, is about the evolutionary impulse that's so profound running throughout the whole story. And then the third book is, is us; what part do we play? What opportunities do we have? What is this potential for us to evolve? So it will be going into multidimensional consciousness, but it will be very much an invitation to us. Sandie Sedgbeer: So if we've come along, as you say, very late in the day. Are we the epitome of expression? Could there be something more, an even better expression than us? Jude Currivan: For sure. When we look out beyond our solar system, and again, going back to amazing technologies, we now know that beyond our solar system, there are probably more planets than stars in our galaxy. And nothing to say that wouldn't be the case for every galaxy throughout the whole Universe. We also now can actually see from the planets we've already studied that there's an estimate of around 11 million earth-sized planets, Gaia size planets, orbiting their suns in what's called the habitable zone of liquid water. So when we look at that absolute abundance of potential, the chances are that there are many other self-aware species that are at least as evolved as we are, if not more so.
But the question is what happens when a species gets to the point where we can consciously evolve or destroy ourselves and, in destroying ourselves, destroy a lot of our planetary home's ability to nurture other biological life forms? That's our choice. So it seems to me that we either will choose that - we will choose love, or we will choose to come together to link up and lift up; we will choose to repair and heal our relationships within ourselves, within each other, with Gaia and all her children - or we won't. And if we don't, if we stay in that illusion of Separation, the fear-based perspectives that it naturally supports, then Gaia has a good history of deciding when "enough is enough." And who would blame her? But I do believe that both Gaia and our Universe and our collective yearning are calling us to wake up, to remember we're inseparable. Sandie Sedgbeer: That's the hard one for many people to get their heads around. I think we've done a very good number on ourselves re materialistic thinking. And it's very hard for people to change that view. Jude Currivan: It is, but it's not impossible. It's our urgent moment of choice to do that. And there's so much help. We're not alone in this. It seems to me we have so much help. If we can be with her if we can actually be out - I don't tend to use the word nature because it still has this sense of Separation - but to be with Gaia and to really love her because she loves us. Without a doubt, the love she has for us is extraordinary.
OMTIMES MAGAZINE
And, I just hope that enough of us, and all of us, wake up so that we may grow up, and link up, lift up together in love. In love. Sandie Sedgbeer: Absolutely. Dr. Jude Currivan. I wish we could talk more, but we are out of time. Thank you so much for joining us.
The Story of Gaia, the Big Breath, and the Evolutionary Journey of Our Conscious Planet by Dr. Jude Currivan, which is published by Inner Traditions, is a must-read for anyone wanting to see the big picture of how humanity arrived at where we are today and our cocreative potential for conscious evolution. For more information about Jude Currivan's work, book unified reality, and her Ubiquity University course on decoding life, visit JudeCurrivan.com and whole worldview.org.
(1) The stream of knowledge is heading toward a nonmechanical reality; the Universe begins to look more like a great thought than a great machine. Mind no longer appears to be an accidental intruder into the realm of matter... we ought rather to hail it as the creator and governor of the realm of matter. —James Jeans in The Mysterious Universe (2) A holon (Greek: holos, 'whole' and -, -on, 'part') is something that is simultaneously a whole in and of itself, as well as a part of a larger whole (3) A holarchy is a connection between holons, where a holon is both a whole and a part itself.
OMTIMES MAGAZINE
INTERNATIONAL YOGA FESTIVAL
at Parmarth Niketan, Rishikesh, (Himalayas), India
MARCH 8-14, 2023 Sadhvi Abha Saraswatiji
Dr. Tony Nader
Dr. Vandana Gurmukh Gurushabd Seane Corn Shiva Kaur Khalsa Singh Khalsa
Anand Mehrotra
Sivamani
Pujya Swami Chidanand Saraswatiji
Sadhvi Bhagawati Saraswatiji
Welcome All
Welcome Home Kia Miller
Tommy Rosen
Laura Plumb
Dr. Smita Naram
HS Arun
Stewart Gilchrist
Mohan Bhandari
Janet Attwood
...and more presenters from around the world
REGISTER TODAY!
WWW.INTERNATIONALYOGAFESTIVAL.ORG The world-famous International Yoga Festival is a truly historic celebration of yoga -Total Wellness and Oneness. Join us this year from March 8-14, 2023, for another incredible celebration with the world’s leading yogis on the banks of the sacred River Ganga, in the lap of the Himalayas.
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Health & Wellness
Innovative new approaches to Healing as well as holistic methods for dealing with health issues and personal growth
3 Surefire Ways to Beat Anemia
L
by Ginger McBride
earn three ways to beat
striving for a well-balanced life.
anemia so that we can feel more energized, less tired,
We can be quick to ignore what ails
and sore, and continue
us. We may think that we simply
OM TIMES | February 2023
didn’t get enough rest, or perhaps
Other causes may look like excessive
it’s just part of the aging process,
blood loss, low red blood cell
or we take pride in the ability to
production, or even high red blood
tough it out. Something as simple
cell destruction. People who often
as fatigue could have a multitude of
donate blood, or even have trouble
causes. One of those causes may be
absorbing iron need to be aware of
anemia. It’s important that we pay
this as it can affect them as well.
attention to our bodies and identify the root causes. If we can’t keep
We must supply it with more
our cars running without proper
iron to give our bodies a fighting
maintenance, how can we expect our
chance. We can do this through diet
bodies to do so?
changes, supplements, and lifestyle changes.
Anemia sneaks up on us and it can come in many forms with many root
DIET CHANGES
causes. According to the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute,
If we are able to take a more natural
it affects more than three million
route of treatment it is always
Americans with numbers like these,
advisable. We can find iron-rich
we have to be on the lookout. The
foods in red meats especially, as well
most basic type can leave us feeling
as pork, poultry, and even seafood
weak, dizzy, lightheaded, with cold
too. In fact, seaweed and kelp
hands and feet, and maybe with
are excellent sources of iron. We
chest pains and irregular heartbeat.
can also find help through beans and dried f ruit. These simple diet
Hemoglobin plays an important
changes can help us improve our
part in fighting this, and it's protein-
iron intake in hopes that we may
packed with iron. Its job is to carry
begin to feel better soon.
oxygen f rom the lungs to the rest of the body. If we are low in iron then
SUPPLEMENTS
the hemoglobin doesn’t have what it needs to do its job properly, and we,
If for whatever reason, we don’t
unfortunately, welcome the list of
start feeling better through
symptoms to our misfortune.
dietary changes alone we can add
OM TIMES | February 2023
OM TIMES | February 2023
supplements into the mix. We must
medications may affect our iron,
be aware not to overdo it and pay
and even how we exercise while we
attention to the daily requirements
combat our anemia.
that are advised to us. We can find supplements as easily as over the
If we drink alcohol heavily this can
counter as well as prescriptions from
affect the round shape of our red
a trusted doctor. We can also try to
blood cells as it also affects iron
boost our absorption of iron through
metabolism, possibly leading to
vitamin C supplements.
deficiencies. If we are having a celebration of some kind or just
LIFESTYLE CHANGES
need a night out f rom our busy lives just keep in mind some
Certain lifestyle edits may be
moderation as we continue to
necessary particularly including
support our bodies with what they
alcohol, watching how certain
need to thrive.
OM TIMES | February 2023
Certain medications can also have
may tire out faster than normal. We
side effects regarding anemia
can try easing into our workouts
by sending defense signals in
rather than throwing ourselves
attacking the red blood cells to be
into intense regimes. Exercises like
broken down prematurely. Please
yoga or walking are both excellent
be aware of the medications that
choices. We need to pay attention
we are taking and know all possible
to what our bodies are telling us. If
side effects.
we need a break in order to keep on going it is a hundred percent
And lastly, because we may be
okay that we do so and taking note
facing anemia and have a lack of
of when we are most energized will
oxygen traveling to our muscles we
just help us further.
OM TIMES | February 2023
CONCLUSION
Learn three ways to beat anemia so
We have to stay aware of how we are
tired, and sore, and continue striving
feeling in our bodies, find the root
for a well-balanced life.
that we can feel more energized, less
causes and begin to take action if necessary. If we are in fact anemic
About the Author:
and aren’t feeling a hundred percent
Ginger is a wellness writer with a
then we can supply our hemoglobin
passion for health, wellness, and
with more iron through dietary
creating a peaceful life. She enjoys
changes, supplements, and lifestyle
helping others with their healthy
changes that will better our bodies
life through motivation and
and ultimately our lives.
education! OM TIMES | February 2023
Tips to Make Your Fasting Easier
D
by Rachelle Wilber
id you know that Chai Tea
ways. Here are just a few ways that
has many health benefits?
Chai Tea can benefit healing.
Chai Tea has many more health benefits than coffee
Fasting is often a difficult thing to do,
because many wonderful herbs in Chai
especially if you need to get used to
Tea will benefit the body in powerful
it. Whether preparing for a religious
OM TIMES | February 2023
holiday, aiming to lose weight, or
tea, or lemonade; avoid drinks
just wanting a break from food for
high in caffeine because they will
a day, fasting can get messy and
make you feel jittery and nauseous
stressful without proper planning
during your fast. If you are sensitive
and preparation. But fret not; we've
to caffeine, try decaffeinated tea or
got your back with these helpful
a cup of plain water for a temporary
tips that will make fasting easier
caffeine-free break f rom coffee and
every time!
energy drinks.
1. KEEP FASTING PERIODS SHORT
3. USE A SUPPLEMENT If you don't have time to make
When you're just starting to fast,
breakfast before you start your day,
it may be tempting to go for a full
using a natural fasting supplement
day, but don't do this. Instead, try
powder can give you a little boost
and break your fast after about 6
before you head out the door.
hours. Of course, you can always
They are great for those who find
prolong your fasting time a little
themselves eating late or working
if you need to, but remember that
into the night and help with weight
fasting for more than 18 hours
loss and detoxification.
might cause your body to start breaking down muscle tissue; this is not a good thing because it will
4. GO FOR WALKS OR MEDITATE
reduce the overall calorie-burning You will likely feel a little groggy
effect of your short fasts.
2. DRINK LOTS OF WATER
and foggy-headed during your fast, so go for a walk or take some time to meditate. Doing gentle
During your fast, you need to
exercises like yoga poses, walking,
drink lots of water. It will help
or stretching will help blood and
to keep you hydrated, and it will
oxygen circulate better throughout
also keep your digestive system
your body, promoting clarity
running smoothly. Stick with clear
and focus. This can help you get
beverages like water, unflavored
through your fast much more
OM TIMES | February 2023
OM TIMES | February 2023
easily. Another great way to pass the time is by listening to audiobooks or podcasts; with any luck, you'll
6. SUPPLEMENT YOUR DIET WITH NATURAL SOURCES OF ENERGY
finish your fast feeling refreshed and If you are used to eating a high-
energized!
5. EAT ENOUGH PROTEIN
carbohydrate diet or if you have diabetes, fasting might be harder for you at first. However, supplementing your
It would be best if you never went
diet with natural energy sources such as
hungry during any fast, but your
chia seeds, coconut oil, and maca can
body needs some protein to get
help you easily get through your fast.
you through a longer period. Eating enough fiber and carbohydrates;
Fasting is a great way to get in touch
eating the right foods can help
with your body, think clearly, and feel
you feel less irritable, help you
rejuvenated. Try and practice these tips
sleep better, and speed up your
the next time you need a cleanse or
metabolism.
detox. OM TIMES | February 2023
Simply Spiritual To perceive reality from a different perspective is to open oneself to the wonders and unlimited wealth of creation. Simply Spiritual offers the opportunity to visit new places, new methods, and different ways to perceive the vast human knowledge of our Universe.
The Energy Within – Releasing Drama (Conflict) and Control
W
by Judi Lynch
e may have been
there are many colorful ideas and
taught to see
solutions to our existence we may
everything in black
not have considered. This is why it is
and white when
so important to form our own view
OM TIMES | February 2023
of everything this life has to offer
A person operating f rom a parent
us, not be persuaded by what has
ego-state can exhibit aggressive
always been done.
behaviors, being an interrogator or intimidator. Another who comes
Throughout our lives, we are tested
f rom the child ego-state can show
in our interactions with others.
a passive 'poor me' or aloof-type
What we carry with us as we go
personality who continually plays the
through life makes a difference
victim. When we can acknowledge
in how we respond and react to
these behaviors in ourselves, our
drama and conflict. We can release
parents, or those around us, we
negative reactions when we
can consciously work to heal and
understand our early life and how
overcome blatant negative energies.
our parents' interactions affected
We must learn to trust ourselves
our mindset. We can learn new
and our opinions in moving forward
techniques to help us rise above
through life with unconditional
fear, neglect, criticism, sibling
love for ourselves and others.
rivalry, and the need to control
Taking away the judgments and
others by vying for energy.
criticisms helps us with acceptance and accountability of Spirit. When
We can fill our inner void by letting
we know we are all still learning,
go of the need for approval and
growing, processing, and evolving, it
attention. When seeking success
is an incredible "lift" to the energy we
in any way, we can learn how our
take in, and we are able to share this
belief in ourselves comes from
with others without depletion.
our universal connections to the endless source of healing energy.
As adults, we can learn not to
We learn that instead of taking
blame our childhood or others.
energy f rom others, we can share
Those who manipulated and
energy and replenish it anytime
tried to control us, thus affecting
through our spiritual beliefs and
our current state of mind and
practices. Others who try to take
energy levels. The behaviors based
our energy will be recognized and
on fear can be replaced with
deflected when we can identify the
determination, curiosity, information
control drama taking place.
uplift, and positive expression. OM TIMES | February 2023
We will always encounter others
great accomplishment. We take
who are argumentative, critical,
control of whatever happens without
unappreciative, and downright toxic
blame, resentment, and negativity.
to be near. We can engage with
When doing this, we help to release
them, going around in circles forever,
fear and anxiety over situations that
or we can find solutions to coexist
cause us to lose our connections to
and protect our personal energy
the energy source we have available.
fields.
We no longer need the drama boost f rom others and rely on our abilities
As we release our need to control, we
to connect with Spirit and endless
set the stage to be able to accept the
healing energy.
outcomes of our actions with grace and understanding. If we want to
Opening our minds to other
be successful, we know that there
possibilities is so helpful in
will be times of disappointment and
processing life options. We may
loss, as well as moments of joy and
have been taught to see everything
OM TIMES | February 2023
in black and white when there are
weight of negativity. We can thrive in
many colorful ideas and solutions
the experience of life, and all that is
to our existence we may not have
possible.
considered. This is why it is so important to form our own view
Judi Lynch is a psychic medium,
of everything this life has to offer
intuitive counselor, healing
us, not be persuaded by what has
channel, and author. She is
always been done. We learn to create
president of the Crystal Healing
new paths for ourselves to walk on,
Foundation, Inc., a 501(c) spiritual
to leave the past behind without
charity, and a writer for OMTimes
having to live through it again. To
Magazine. She has authored two
understand that others are on their
books, Friends with Lights and
own Journey. It is not our place to
Conscious Ascension, and has
enlighten or control their decisions
read to clients worldwide. To learn
and actions. When we can do this,
more or contact me for a session,
we are f ree from limitations and the
see judilynch.com
OM TIMES | February 2023
Follow Your Soul Path By John Holland
OM TIMES | February 2023
D
o you belong to a
or feeling these things, it's a good
spiritual or like-minded
indicator that you're like me - one of
tribe? A group where
the "different ones." If you think about
the relationships are all
it, are we really different, or are we just
about sharing, giving, and receiving
more "awake" or "aware" than others?
energetically from each other? Do you know what it means to follow your soul
I've met thousands of people at
path...the path of your soul?
workshops and events who are from all walks of life and from all over the
People who travel a spiritual path
world, and many have one thing in
or who are just being awakened
common: They are all on a spiritual
spiritually often find it difficult to
quest to find their soul and their
follow their souls' paths alone. Some
purpose. I so enjoy watching people
people feel like they are different in
come together, become friends
their family or different from some of
(sometimes for life), and feel they can
the people in their lives now. What do
express themselves with one another
I truly mean by different? Let me try to
in a positive way. They no longer feel
explain.
alone or feel like a different one. They have found members of their tribe.
HOW GROUPS HELP TO RECOGNIZE YOUR SOUL PATH If you're the type of person who
FINDING SOUL AND SPIRITUAL LIKENESS WITH YOUR TRIBE
constantly questions if there's more to life than what appears to be directly
When I say "tribe," I mean like-minded
in front of you, you're a little different
souls who are drawn to each other.
from the norm. It may be that you've
People who have similar interests, who
had your own spiritual experiences,
accept you, who will push you to be all
and you're now drawn to Metaphysics
that you can be, who encourage you to
New Age, or you just have a keen
reach for your goals and dreams. Those
interest in the psychic phenomenon.
who challenge you, who understand
Equally, it may be that you know your
your point of view, and who help you
soul is reaching out for you to follow
to possibly expand your mind and
its guidance. If you're experiencing
consciousness. They are the people
OM TIMES | February 2023
who are members of your tribe. All of
being in an oil painting class for some
us have the fundamental human need
wouldn't be considered spiritual, but
to belong.
for me, it is. I'm with like-minded people, and we all have one thing in
I recently joined an 8-week oil painting
common … art!
class. I kept saying to myself: "I HAVE to take an art class!" The time was
The teacher is amazing, and the talent
never right, or maybe I was making
of my fellow students is inspiring.
excuses because I was busy doing life.
When I'm in the class studying,
But this year, my soul kept pushing me
painting, and letting my creative
and pushing me until I finally signed
juices show themselves on the
up for a class in oil painting – and
canvas, I am no longer John Holland,
my schedule allowed me to attend
medium teacher. I'm a student in art
the whole eight weeks. Now maybe
like everyone else there, and I so look
OM TIMES | February 2023
forward to the class each and every
who understands, then please think
week. It gives me a chance to get out
again. Your people are out there. I
of my head and into my creative mind.
always say, "Like attracts like!" You just
The class is spiritual to me because
have to believe it, keep following your
it is meditative, and I'm learning life
spiritual practices, and your souls will
lessons. Like, if you make a mistake
come together. When this happens,
with the painting – no worries - start
you will feel that you have known
again. Also, let go and have fun! There
these people your whole life!
are many more lessons I'm learning from the class - and I'm not alone. I'm
JOHN'S LESSON
with my art tribe! You can't meet your tribe if you're If you feel you are not part of a tribe,
constantly sitting at home. Is there a
or if you believe no one is out there
certain activity you like - perhaps an
OM TIMES | February 2023
OM TIMES | February 2023
art class, meditation group, yoga, or
your help? I find that animal people
even a book club?
have a bonding experience that can only be shared with other animal
Many people enjoy each other's
people.
company, especially when they're all in sync with a commonly shared activity.
These are just a few suggestions
It may be that when you identify the
to discover your soul path. But
activity you most want to participate
remember, the more spiritual you
in, you'll discover you've become part
become, the greater the possibility
of a tribe simply by joining something
that some friends may fall away. It's
that nurtures your soul, as well as your
as if your vibrations are no longer in
mind and body!
sync. Please know that it doesn't mean they are bad people – it's just that you
Are You Actively Walking Your Soul
may find they cannot relate to your
Path?
journey. Please take heart because, for every person who leaves, a new tribe
Try asking your neighbor if there's a
member will soon appear and step
certain event coming up that fits the
into the void.
activity that you like or enjoy. You have to know and believe that Is there an online community where
our thoughts attract, and the same
you can share your thoughts?
goes for like-minded people somehow finding each other! Sometimes your
Maybe there are certain friends you
tribe becomes your soul family. Reach
know now who have similar interests,
out and explore your soul path. Don't
but you've never acted on them. You
let life live you – you live life! Trust and
could even be the leader and form
have fun!
something new! About the Author Is there a class or workshop that keeps
John Holland is an artist,
grabbing your attention?
author, public speaker, and psychic medium. To learn
If you're a lover of animals, is there a
more about John Holland, visit
local animal shelter that could use
www.johnholland.com.
OM TIMES | February 2023
OMTimes Magazine Relax… Let your worries drift away into the moment… OMTimes is a free publication and can be delivered right to your inbox… Subscribe at: Free OMTimes Subscription Visit our website at: www.omtimes.com
OM Living For those living a more Conscious Lifestyle
How to Find Creative Solutions by Emptying Your Mind
I
By Ronald Alexander
’ve always been fascinated by
mind where the download of core
how creative artists describe
creativity can happen. I know painters
their process. Inevitably, they talk
who sit in front of a blank canvas
about being in a state of open
staring at it and guitarists who will sit
OM TIMES | February 2023
looking at the ocean, guitar at their
Band said, “The creative process
side, waiting for an idea to appear.
catches you off guard. You write about what you know, where you
Actor and writer Cody Fern
have been, who you knew and
say that setting the state to be
know… Creativity comes from the
receptive to new creative ideas
womb of emptiness.”
looks like “silence and clearing, getting really quiet, saving the
What are you surrendering to
reserves of energy.” He doesn’t
when you experience a downflow
let himself think too much about
of core creativity? Many people
how he might approach his work,
believe that ideas can come
which would distract him from
from what Carl Jung called the
what his non-rational brain is
collective unconscious. Here, the
communicating to him.
archetypes of stories, themes, and characters are said to reside,
In a 2015 Hemispheres magazine
seeping into our conscious and
interview, James Taylor said, “Given
unconscious and influencing our
enough empty time, the songs
perceptions about ourselves and
show up. I’ve often said that it’s
our lives. Of course, you can tap
an unconscious and mysterious
into your personal unconscious.
process, my type of songwriting.
Still, some would say that you can
You are just waiting to hear it, and
also access what’s in the collective
you have to be in a place where
unconscious.
you can receive the song more than generating it. There’s just
Mindfulness meditation —
something about songwriting.
whether sitting silently and
It’s like a musical puzzle or a
clearing the mind, walking
math problem. When you solve
in nature, or shifting into
it, it’s like you’re being surprised
“absorption” whereby you sit still
by your subconscious. That’s an
and observe — can take you out
unparalleled delight.”
of overthinking and into the mind state of receptivity. The stillness
In the documentary Once We Were
and focus in meditation alter your
Brothers, Robbie Robertson of the
brainwaves and, therefore, your
OM TIMES | February 2023
mental state. Distraction-free time
Practice this “No-Self” Meditation
can lead you to an open mind as you
to let go of your ego and become
remain present.
curious, receptive, and free to access your core creativity:
Both core creativity and intuitive wisdom and knowledge can be
Begin by quieting your thoughts.
accessed in an open-mind state —
Allow yourself to become receptive
not because you have an open mind
to something beyond the distracting
or are trying to be open-minded,
chatter of your generating mind.
but because you’re in a state of pure
Notice what you’re experiencing
receptivity that evolves naturally after
without generating thoughts. If
giving yourself over to emptiness.
thoughts do arise, let them float
OM TIMES | February 2023
away like clouds. After your string of
should unfold to disappear. Let
distracting thoughts has slowed or
thoughts arise, exist, and fade away
even stopped, remain present in a
without intervening to hold onto
feeling of receptivity and absorption
them. You’ll find yourself not in
for at least a minute or two.
your ego mind, fixated on what you think you know, but instead feeling
Allow yourself to experience “no
curious and open to receiving and
self.” Here, your identity drops away
discovering.
as you experience being present. Let yourself disappear, allowing all
Enter the pristine emptiness.
fixed and limited notions of who
Recognize that you have entered
you are or how your creative project
The Void. Remain here even if it’s
OM TIMES | February 2023
OM TIMES | February 2023
When you’re ready, end the meditation. You may want to write down any impressions, ideas, or insights that came to you. Use the No-Self Meditation to partake in a “clear the desk” experience that allows you to enhance your intuitive abilities and access core creativity. Ronald A. Alexander, Ph.D., is a psychotherapist, mindfulness trainer, and creativity, business, and leadership coach. He has private psychotherapy and executive coaching practice in Santa Monica, California. In addition, somewhat uncomfortable because
he’s the executive director of the
you’ll soon notice that this void
OpenMind® Training Program,
is actually a fertile one, revealing
which offers personal and
itself to be filled with ideas, images,
professional training programs
pictures, colors, textures, stillness,
in mindfulness-based mind-
and possibility. Allow yourself to
body therapies, transformational
absorb and take in whatever you
leadership, and meditation. He’s
need, and let it download into you
the author of the highly acclaimed
while knowing you can work with
book Wise Mind, Open Mind:
this energy of possibility to make
Finding Purpose and Meaning in
it manifest into form. As you do,
Times of Crisis, Loss, and Change
you’re downloading core creativity.
(2008) and the new book Core
Be fully present in this experience,
Creativity: The Mindful Way to
observing it, noting what you’re
Unlock Your Creative Self (Rowman
feeling, understanding, hearing, and
& Littlefield, June 21, 2022). Learn
seeing in your mind’s eye.
more at www.CoreCreativity.com. OM TIMES | February 2023
Relationships The interconnectiveness among all human beings and, consequently, the relationships among us are the focus of this section. The dynamics of the web of connections we make is one of the most prominent aspects of human existence: how we interlace with each other’s existence in a meaningful way.
Platonic Relationships According To Experts: Definition and Examples
W
by Linda Bunnell
hat makes you
question might include details
attracted to a
about their character and qualities.
person? The
After knowing about someone's
answer to this
personality, bond-making is a bit
OM TIMES | February 2023
easier and desired if you are fond
intimating relationship, then you
of it. Some people prefer making
have a platonic relationship. It is love
emotional bonds rather than having
without a physical relationship. The
sexual affairs. There is a term coined
meaning of a platonic relationship
by the Greek philosopher Plato,
implies having a super deeper
"platonic relationship," for this
connection with your friend in
ultra-spiritual relationship. Platonic
which you enjoy their company,
connection emphasizes a level of
love spending time, like wandering
closeness and affection. You may not
around, and every moment is
be attracted to physical appearance,
joyous for you. Platonic f riendship
but you tend to get attracted by their
is distinctive; believe me; it could be
soul and inner beauty. Plato believed
the best thing ever. It's so fortunate
platonic f riendship could bring
to have a partner who loves the way
people closure ideally. Nowadays, the
you are and your character.
meaning of a platonic relationship is perceived as becoming close friends.
There might be a lot of reasons why a romantic or nonplatonic
A platonic relationship is
relationship does not work out. A
contradictory to a romantic
study has found that psychological
relationship. You could have a
health has a significant impact on
platonic f riendship with the same
relationships. Having a platonic
gender, not necessarily the opposite
relationship is the solution to hectic
gender. The impact of such a
and full of insecurity romantic
relationship is supposed to be
relationships. It is a relationship in
more meaningful and emotionally
which your companion genuinely
satisfactory, eliminating romantic
cares for you, respects, and likes you.
elements. You develop the best understanding WHAT IS A PLATONIC
with your companion, as you
RELATIONSHIP?
have plenty of time to discern or recognize each other. You have
When you prioritize a friendly
the opportunity to grab unique
relationship with your companion,
experiences or memories with your
suppressing or neglecting a sexually
f riend, as said by Sabrina Romanoff,
OM TIMES | February 2023
PsyD, a clinical psychologist. It would
relationship meaning is "more than
be absolute freedom if you were
f riends" but not being romantic.
not tied by any obligation of a
It could be a very supportive
nonplatonic or romantic relationship.
relationship if you want to make it.
I would strongly suggest things
Sometimes, this could be annoying
are comparatively more sorted,
to hear "we're just friends" or "we're
undemanding, and unsophisticated
not more than f riends" you or your
in platonic friendship.
f riend might not be expecting this. Therefore, finding out whether you're
SIGNS OF PLATONIC LOVE:
in a platonic relationship is necessary.
HOW TO TELL THE DIFFERENCE
Gladly, we have numerous signs
BETWEEN FRIENDSHIP AND
that separate platonic relationships
ROMANTIC INTEREST
f rom other types of relationships. You should know about those signs
A platonic relationship is no less
that imply whether you have a
important or loving when compared
platonic relationship or a romantic
to a romantic relationship. Platonic
relationship:
OM TIMES | February 2023
Frankly talkative
satisfying. You will love spending
Openness to speak with someone
quiet time with a platonic friend.
you like the most is enjoyable. It could be the benefit of having a platonic
Acceptance and understanding
relationship that you will feel an
Platonic relationships are easy, as
abundance of topics.
the connection is deepened with acceptance and understanding.
Sense of humor
Both persons feel secure and
When you have a platonic partner, you
recognize their potent roles in
want to share everything in your mind
each other's life.
with them. Your companion would be able to get even your weirdest talks or
You can check out some more
jokes, which others couldn't.
signs here.
Silence is comforting
Types of Love Platonic
If you have nothing to speak about,
I must say a platonic relationship
silence can be more pleasant and
could be the best one you could
OM TIMES | February 2023
ever have in your life if you realize it
Bromance
and know how to sustain it. You can
This word means a non-sexual
also go for a platonic date, which
relationship between two males who
may be convertible into a romantic
are affectionate for each other.
relationship. Don't get confused with a "f riends with benefits
Womance
relationship"; a platonic romance is
It is an emotional and spiritual
entirely different from it.
relationship between two females.
Nowadays, various terms are
Colleagues
introduced to describe the
You can also develop a non-romantic
different types of platonic
relationship with co-workers at your
relationships. These are:
workplace OM TIMES | February 2023
PLATONIC RELATIONSHIP
romance. A platonic relationship can
EXAMPLES
be very joyous if you are mindful, trustworthy, and maintain healthy
According to an extensive 2010
boundaries. But you need to be
review, a platonic relationship could
highly active as it may ruin your
help you to develop strong social
relationship with your spouse. When
connections and the likelihood of
you start spending more time with
living longer. It is all about loyalty,
a platonic f riend, your partner
respect, and honesty. You can have
might suspect you. Couples tend
a platonic relationship with a best
to part ways when they don't feel
friend, colleague, cousin, workout
salvageable.
partner, or any person you care about and value for. You will be curious
If you are attracted to your platonic
to know that about two-thirds of
partner, it becomes difficult to
couples begin having a platonic
maintain the same connection
friendship and maintaining it for a
with them. It's impossible to have a
longer period, according to research.
platonic relationship with someone
A platonic relationship defines
you have a sexual desire with. If you
having a partner with whom you feel
are married, don't even compare
caref ree and supported; it gives such
your platonic friend with them. It will
chilling vibes.
ultimately raise conflicts. This is the major risk associated with a platonic
How to Prevent Platonic
relationship that can ruin your life.
Relationships from Ruining Your Life A platonic relationship is different
A platonic relationship defines a
from a romantic relationship; you
close, intense bond like a close
remain stress-free about how you
f riendship. This relationship is more
look, how much your partner is
open, honest, pure, and trustworthy
committed to you, and what you
than any other form of relationship.
expect f rom each other. It could last
You could platonically fall in love
longer if you are obeying the ground
with someone you like the most.
rules. It is safer to have a platonically
If you wish, developing a platonic
intimate relationship with someone;
relationship could lead you to feel the
you could continue it without
essence of love.
OM TIMES | February 2023
The Spiritual Law of Engaging in Relationship, No One Talks About
T
by Rene' Schooler
here is nothing more
All relationships are spiritual and are
spiritual for our time here
about soul union, a coming together
as a human than being
with our soul group to expand, grow
involved in relationships.
and heal our soul wounds. However,
OM TIMES | February 2023
an intimate relationship is at the
unexplained feeling. That what is
top of the iceberg regarding what
happening is this soulmate of ours,
it offers us on our spiritual path of
and we are not fully aligned for
evolution.
our best life path, and another is awaiting us.
Now some might say, then why am I single? While others may wonder
So often, I hear people speaking
what they are to learn from all the
and even teaching that you have
break-ups and heartache of not
only one soulmate, and then you
finding "the one." And here is the
hear the tails of twin flames and
thing that we have to understand…
the passion between the two. This is only partially true, beautiful,
There is no such thing as "the one."
exciting, and scary. However, in
We have the right person for that
the land of soulmate romance,
season of our lives, healing, and
bonding, and life partnership,
evolution. We can choose to be
we must understand that we
with someone or not - that is our
are in soul groups here on this
free will and theirs, but you must
Earth, learning f rom each other
know that when we choose to not
and expanding. We are here to
be with someone that felt so much
help each other heal. Our perfect
like home and our twin flame or
soulmate for any time frame is the
soulmate - that it does not mean
person who comes into our lives
that we are lost, too broken to ever
that we feel this bond with or draw
have that depth of love or missed
toward without reason and seems
the spiritual boat on love and
to meet our needs at that moment.
romance. And it certainly does not
Once united with this person, we
mean that this other person was not
are blessed to grow with their help
our soulmate.
through constant challenges and triggering often. We wonder how
Not at all, in truth! The reality here
someone we felt so attracted to, in
is that, for whatever reason, the two
love with, and seen by can also be
souls chose not to walk together
the one who gets under our skin
on this Journey when there is so
with such ease or seems to now not
much soul chemistry, love, and this
understand us at all.
OM TIMES | February 2023
Our best soulmates challenge us
Then we coaches/educators teach
because they mirror the aspects of
people how to develop themselves
ourselves that we are unconscious
to be a better them. Instead of trying
about and struggle to see,
to fix things that are not broken to
appreciate, understand or accept
appear a certain way, we encourage
within ourselves.
people to grow themselves and learn more about who they are as an
Often in the dating, mating, and
individual. This is vitally important
relating world, we speak about
if we want to manifest into our lives
becoming the match to the "the one."
the soulmate relationship that can
OM TIMES | February 2023
withstand time - which requires both
and for any time f rame, is part of
souls to have done deeper work on
our soul group, here to assist our
loving, appreciating, and knowing
soul evolution and healing, and we
themselves.
are theirs. Through these dynamic, empowering relationships, we are
THIS IS THE SPIRITUAL LAW OF BECOMING THE ONE
given multiple opportunities to refine ourselves and heal our wounding. As we become more conscious
Every person we are intimate with,
of our coupling experiences,
in relationship within any fashion
we begin to enter relationships
OM TIMES | February 2023
with this awareness. It creates
with our core, where we need to
enthusiasm around personal
learn our boundaries and values
growth and what can come from
more. Then, when we are awake
the experience instead of a fear of
to relationships' true purpose in
losing a relationship and creating
our lives, we can start to make
a toxic container of stagnation,
the links to why we have drawn in
manipulation, and insecurity.
this other person and understand why we react to them in the ways
When we view our intimate
that we do, giving us the ability
relationships from this space of
to move f rom the victim state of
becoming the one, we can ask
consciousness and reaction to
ourselves to pay close attention
the proactive co-creator state of
to where we are out of integrity
conscious responding.
OM TIMES | February 2023
AND HERE IS WHERE THE MAGIC OF SOULMATE UNION HAPPENS
characteristics of that other soul that you are triggered by or feel uncertain about, let down about. Meditate on these things as to where they
Take a moment today to quickly
perhaps may reside within yourself in
write down your last three to five
some fashion or format. Realize that
relationships (intimate or other)
these challenging areas are most
that have not turned out the way
likely unconscious to you right now.
you had thought or wanted or
However, simply ask yourself, "Where
where you feel challenged and
is the mirror of this inside of me?"
triggered in some fashion and
You will start to lift a veil to your inner
cannot figure out why. Now look
world and heal at levels you never
at these relationships and list the
imagined possible.
OM TIMES | February 2023
Metaphysics
How often have we heard the notion that life is a school and we are here to learn lessons prescribed to us by some higher forces? How often have we succumbed to the illusion that life is like going through an endless series of tests with rewards if we succeed and punishment if we fail? As spiritual seekers, we have been conditioned to believe that lessons are crucial to our personal development. It isn't easy to imagine otherwise. But Meta Spirituality, a new spiritual tradition gaining a lot of traction in the United States, is advocating different perspectives on mainstream spirituality's beliefs and the belief in "life lessons" in particular.
By Nina Verkoeyen
"Life is not a school, nor do we have to pass tests or receive rewards or punishments from the higher forces. We are not students of life, but The Creators of it." explains Nina Verkoeyen, the founder of Meta Spirituality, who brought to selfrealization thousands of people worldwide.
OMTimes.com
"No one prescribes lessons to us. No one judges if we fail or succeed. We prescribe all "lessons" to ourselves - their duration and intensity. And we can change, shift in time, or eliminate the lessons that are no longer needed when we decide they are not. There are no obligatory lessons we need to go through because nothing is obligatory for our true self of the Creator in the world of our creation". In Meta Spirituality, real personal growth starts with understanding our true identity of The Creator, rather than relying on external sources, signs, and "lessons" for guidance. This shift in identity is crucial for the realization that comes next. The Conditions for Learning As long as we continue to see tough life lessons as the only means to grow and believe that we must go through difficulties to gain wisdom or improve ourselves - we unconsciously attract and create more conditions for learning in our life scenario, thus perpetuating struggle and external problems.
This realization alone - if we grasp it - will change our life. We will stop creating an external crisis to feel progress on our spiritual path.
OMTimes.com| February 2023
We will start taking ownership of our decisions and actions. We become aware of the fact that everything begins with us! We will recognize our potential and power instead of trying to please some unseen force. Meta Spirituality teaches us that we need only look within ourselves for answers – without relying on conventional wisdom or external "lessons" to gain wisdom and find fulfillment. The New Way In the new light of this understanding, life lessons can now be seen not as an integral part of personal growth and improvement but for what they are a symptom of our false perception of being
separate from The Creator and a false belief in gain and reward, fear and punishment. Meta Spirituality encourages us to move away from focusing on learning and improving through lessons, instead advocating for the realization of our true identity as The Creator. By understanding our true identity and embracing it, we can break out of this cycle and start living a more fulfilling life. Growing from adversity is now seen as an old way of learning and progressing. While the next step of our spiritual evolution is to let go of this old belief and realize that we can grow not from tough life lessons, but from knowing and expressing who we are", - says Nina Verkoeyen. "
Creating Our Reality To make real progress in our journey, instead of asking, "what can we learn from this experience?"
OMTimes.com| February 2023
we can ask ourselves, "what do we want from this experience?" Rejecting limiting beliefs about what we should be doing will help us embrace our potential as the Creator of our reality – because only then can we start designing the world around us as we wish it to be. Seeing ourselves for who we truly are, seeing the lessons for what they are, will make us one day say to the harsh life lessons: enough is enough! And that will be precisely the moment when the hard lessons we are going through will no longer be needed and will start to disappear from our visible reality. Understanding that life is not a school but something created by each individual's free will can open up new possibilities in manifesting our dreams! Nina Verkoeyen is the founder of Meta Spirituality, a groundbreaking spiritual tradition and movement that has attracted many followers worldwide and is transforming the spiritual field in America. Following Nina's teachings can expand your consciousness and increase your awareness. Visit her website to access a complimentary "Introduction to Meta Spirituality" masterclass.
https://www.meta-spirituality.org
https://www.instagram.com/nina.verkoeyen
OMTimes.com| February 2023
Personal Growth & Development
We grow as individuals as we face challenges and overcome life’s obstacles. This section is dedicated to helping you chart your course
Attachment and Repulsion: The Bipolar Manifestations of The Mind by Shuddhaanandaa Brahmachari
OM TIMES | February 2023
W
e continue our
a condition or film in our minds. This
journey through
thick coating never allows the mind
the Five Afflictions
to see its natural brilliance without
of Mind, which
contamination or coloration.
cause our greatest suffering as defined by the great Rishi Patanjali.
Our ego is the foundation of
Here we discuss Affliction Three or
attachment. When we feed our
Attachment, and Affliction Four,
attachments, we multiply them
Rejection and Repulsion.
without knowing it. That which we desire causes things to happen.
TRANSFORMING WORLDLY ATTACHMENTS
The universe, however, has its own
Attachment, according to Patanjali,
from which the blows of our life will
is the third affliction of the mind.
come.
sublime teaching methods. Whatever we are attached to, that is the place
Attachment to certain people, situations, outcomes, and objects is
We are all enrolled in the university of
external. However, we also have inner
life. Whether we realize it or not, we
attachments to certain thoughts,
are constantly being groomed and
concepts, philosophies, and
taught every moment. The instant we
ideologies.
get caught up in worldly attachments, that clinging immediately results
Invariably the depth of worldly
in a miserable state of mind. It is
attraction and attachment takes
a negative force akin to gravity,
deep root in the subconscious layers
instantly attracting blows from
of the mind. Each of us develops
outside. Then we have our lesson.
our own preferences and priorities, which, when violated, can lead to an
Material attachment, however, is
immediate sharp emotional reaction.
a stepping-stone to higher levels of consciousness; it prepares the
Attachment conditions our mind,
ground for a higher life, the life of
gripping it tightly, making it difficult
the divine attachment. Suppose we
to get away f rom its clutch. We cling
have not realized the futility, fragility,
to concepts and ideas that become
and pain involved in materialistic
OM TIMES | February 2023
attachments. In that case, we do
opposite of attachment: rejection
not graduate to the higher realms
and repulsion. If we are attached to
of unconditional divine love.
something, we are inevitably going
Nevertheless, it alone paves the way
to receive a blow concerning it. We
for true f reedom from all forms of
object to and are repulsed by all that
bondage and agony.
is counter to that to which we have
REJECTION AND REPULSION
become identified and attached. Attraction and repulsion are bipolar manifestations of the mind. We all
According to Patanjali, the fourth
swing between the two extremes
affliction of the mind is the
of these manifestations of the mind OM TIMES | February 2023
like a pendulum. We can go through
can rob the mind of its stable
the book of our own lives to see this
state of equanimity. If we allow
truth. The source of our greatest
the intensifying energies of the
happiness is the source of our
mind in attachment and the lower,
deepest insecurity and unhappiness.
debasing energies of the mind to play freely, havoc rules.
When the mind is allowed to play of its own accord between these
We must practice living in a
fields, we are not really conscious.
universal consciousness rather than
Without proper training to manage
an ego consciousness. We need
the mind, anything that happens
to practice living in a state of love
OM TIMES | February 2023
OM TIMES | February 2023
and compassion rather than mere
things only get worse. At that
attachment to the physical or
point, the best thing is to distance
superficial, never nurturing hatred
ourselves a little, to witness the
towards others.
whole situation with a deep sense of trust in the universal design. We
PRACTICING DETACHMENT: OFFERING ALL OUTCOMES TO THE DIVINE
let go, without muddling, and let time, the healer, settle it. After all, we are only seeking
How do we gain release from the
happiness and peace. Yet,
stubborn grip of attachment? We
we create miseries with our
begin with a keen awareness of the
expectations. Fortunately, we all
anxiety and misery it causes, not
are in the meditation class of the
only to ourselves but to those we
universe. Mother Nature teaches
love, robbing us of peace of mind.
us. Eventually, we learn. When we
Then we begin to understand
expect nothing and offer ourselves
the importance of letting go. The
and all outcomes to God, we are
instant we realize we are in an
flooded with peace and joy.
attachment to a certain outcome, we let go of our demand that life
About the Author:
fit our limited expectations.
Bodhi (Shuddhaanandaa Brahmachari, India) is a globally
Each attachment and expectation
acclaimed spiritual teacher with
is a seed that we sow to reap
40 years of meditation experience,
future unhappiness. There is such
author, and visionary social
beauty in this divine design! At
advocate; he founded Lokenath
certain times, sometimes in short
Divine Life Mission serving
intervals, we will be given shock
thousands of poverty-stricken
treatments to help us understand
individuals. Received Lifetime
that it is not good to expect.
Achievement Award, House of Lords, UK, 2015. Author: Living with
If life does not meet our
My Himalayan Master. YouTube
expectations, we may try too hard
Channel: Bodhi Shuddhaanandaa.
to fix it; if we force the situation,
www.courseinmindfulness.com
OM TIMES | February 2023
When you look at the view of Earth from space, you are immediately in awe of what you do see: the incredible beauty of Creation. It is not until you look closer that you realize what you do not see. You do not see lines partitioning countries. You do not see separation between races. You do not see division between religions. You do not see the walls people build to isolate themselves from each other. There is only One Planet. There is only One Humanity. This section is dedicated to introducing thoughts and ideas to foster a greater understanding of Humanity’s interdependence.
World Vision
The Joy of Giving
T
by Darshan Goswami
e more you give of yourself,
inner joy comes f rom helping others
the more you find of
to better their lives.
yourself. Giving is a joy. Truly giving from
We all know how great it feels to
the heart fills your life with joy and
receive gifts. However, the joy of
nourishes your soul. Moreover, giving
getting is short-lived. Our lives are
provides an intrinsic reward far more
richer when we share, and that great
valuable than the gift.
OM TIMES | February 2023
As Mahatma Gandhi said, "To
karma accrued from the lives we
find yourself, lose yourself in the
lived. Hence, we must reevaluate the
service of others." Giving takes you
drastic measures we take and the
out of yourself and allows you to
stress we go through to acquire more
expand beyond earthly limitations.
and more fleeting wealth.
[1]
True joy lies in giving without the expectation of receiving something
When asked why they give, the
in return.
readiest answers include: God wants me to; I feel better about myself;
Academic research and thousands
others need, and I have; I want to
of years of human history
share; it's only right.
confirm that achieving meaning, fulfillment, and happiness in life
The question I would ask is, how
comes f rom making others happy
did you feel? I imagine you felt very
and not being self-centered.
pleased with yourself and happy inside. My experience has been that
Mother Teresa is a famous example.
when you're focused on giving to
She found fulfillment in giving
others, you're less likely to become
herself to others. She helped
consumed by your concerns and
change the expression on dying
challenges.
people's faces from distress and fear to calmness and serenity. She
Giving allows us to look beyond our
made their undeniable pain a little
world and see the bigger picture. A
easier to bear.
great perspective can be achieved by stepping out of our own world
Why Give?
and venturing into the world of other people. Your worries and challenges
We can take nothing with us when
may not seem as significant
we leave this Earth. We expend
compared to other people's
so much time, mental energy,
situations.
and physical energy to acquire material possessions. Yet, we come
The act of giving kindles self-esteem
into this world with nothing, and
and brings happiness. Scientists have
we leave with nothing, but the
discovered that happiness is related
OM TIMES | February 2023
to how much gratitude you show.
The Power of Giving
The giving itself becomes its own Giving is a joy. We think we will be
reward.
happy if we get this or get that. But After several years of soul searching,
that happiness is transient. The
I discovered that my unhappiness
pleasure you get from a dress you wore
was due to my want for things to
once or some appliance you just "had
fill the void of loneliness. My search
to have" is minimal. Yet, take those
for inner happiness led me toward
clothes or appliances to a homeless
gratitude. During this process of
shelter; donate them to someone in
self-realization, I also discovered The
need – you will then know real joy, the
Purpose of Living. Yes, I believe that
joy of having given to someone else.
giving thanks makes you happier.
This is a joy that will last. It will stay with
But don't take my word for it—try it
you and never fade. In fact, it will inspire
out yourself.
you to give even more. OM TIMES | February 2023
Giving is one of the best investments
neuroscience, is that it feels good. A
to achieve genuine happiness. True
Chinese proverb says: "If you always
giving comes from the heart, with no
give, you will always have."
expectation of reciprocation. You'll find that the more you give, the more
A famous American author and
you'll receive.
management expert, Ken Blanchard, declared, "The more I give away, the
The power of giving is manifested in
more comes back."
the kindness and generosity that you bestow on someone else.
If you find yourself feeling unhappy, try making someone else happy and
When you give to another unselfishly,
see what happens. If you're feeling
the vibrational energy emitting f rom
empty and unfulfilled, try doing
your subconscious is at its strongest.
some meaningful and worthwhile
The power of giving, according to
work and see how you feel.
OM TIMES | February 2023
The catch is that we must do this work
in 1965, Mr. Roy has committed to
with passion and enthusiasm. Many
serving the poor and helping rural
organizations, institutions, and people
communities become self-sufficient.
are engaged in exemplary works of
The Barefoot College education
giving.
program encourages learning-bydoing, such as training grandmothers
Narayanan Krishnan is a management
from Africa and the Himalayan
graduate from Madurai, India, who
region to be solar engineers so they
gave up his career as a chef with a
can bring electricity to their remote
five-star hotel when he saw a man so
villages.
hungry that he was feeding on his own excrement. From there on, Krishnan
The joy and love we extend to others
started his noble initiative to feed
brings true happiness or union with
thousands of destitute and homeless
God.
people in his state—free of cost. When we give, we reap the joy of Another example of giving is Sanjit
seeing a bright smile, laughter, tears
"Bunker" Roy, founder of Barefoot
of joy, and gratitude for life. We
College. Since graduating from college
know that if people give just a little
OM TIMES | February 2023
more—of their time, skills, knowledge,
Darshan Goswami has more
wisdom, compassion, wealth, and
than 40 years of experience in
love—the world would be a more
the energy field. He worked as a
peaceful and healthier place. The
Project Manager for Renewable
rewards of giving are priceless.
Energy, Micro-grid, and Smart Grid projects at the United States
If we want to have happiness, we need
Department of Energy (DOE)
to give happiness. If we want love, we
in Pittsburgh. Mr. Goswami
need to give love. It is only in giving
is a registered Professional
that we receive.
Engineer (PE) with a passion and commitment to promote,
No matter what our circumstances in
develop and deploy Renewable
life are, we can give. I encourage all to
Energy and the Hydrogen
look for opportunities where we can
Economy. In dedication to his
give and help others. The gift of joy will
life serving humanity and poor
come to us when we give of ourselves
people, the author supports the
to others. That's what life is all about.
India Foundation for Children
Let's practice and commit our lives to
Education and Care, Inc.
give joy. Try it! It works!
(www.ifcare.org). OM TIMES | February 2023
The Crisis of Homelessness and a Call for Love
W
by Barbara Ann Briggs
e are in the midst
and shelter. This pitiable situation
of a massive crisis
has been caused by wars, terrorism,
of homelessness.
governmental failures, famines, and a
Countless refugees
lack of social cohesion.
are roaming the earth, homeless, needy, and in need of food, clothing,
What is the solution?
OM TIMES | February 2023
The solution is contained in this one
heart. When there is real love, one
ancient aphorism from the Manu
doesn’t even feel one is giving. The
Smritis:
heart just overflows with love. This is the quality so needed in today’s conflict-ridden world. We must awaken
“The world is my family.”
to the reality that if anyone is suffering, If only people could emerge from
I am also suffering because suffering
the imprisoning mindset of “me and
anywhere affects all of us. No one exists
mine,” the problem of homelessness
in isolation. Each person is a part of the
could be eradicated. There are enough
whole. The ache in a finger affects the
millionaires in the world who could
entire body. War in Ukraine affects the
contribute to building shelters for
world as a whole. A refugee in agony
the homeless. Unfortunately, New
in a filthy room sends shivers through
York, a city of billionaires, is facing a
the whole fabric of humanity. We are
humanitarian crisis because so many
responsible in an indirect way.
migrants are sleeping in the streets! I remember studying at New York
The only way to end this deplorable
University in Greenwich Village in
situation is to open our hearts to love.
Manhattan. One morning on my way to
Love is the most powerful force in the
class, I saw a man lying stretched out
universe. It can conquer hate, violence,
on the ground in Washington Square
distrust, fear, and every emotion
Park. He looked like he was dead!
detrimental to life. It can shatter all
People were just passing by without
illusions. So open wide the prism
even glancing at him. I felt like I was
windows of your soul and breathe
going to faint. I couldn’t bear the pain
the fresh morning winds that stir a
I felt when I saw this man on the street.
renewal of life into all living beings. Be
I had to hold onto the gate to steady
awake to everything around you. Let
myself.
the light of your inner being guide you to actions that can heal the earth.
Yet many years later, even today, many more are in the same situation in so
Plant seeds of compassion in the
many countries in the world. People
garden. Plant roses of joy and tulips of
are seeing without eyes. Hearing but
caring and saplings of peace. The earth
without ears. Feeling but without the
is our common home. It is given to us
OM TIMES | February 2023
OM TIMES | February 2023
to share, care for and nurture. It is our
“If I can stop one heart from
common inheritance.
breaking,
These verses from The Great Provider
I shall not live in vain.
encapsulate this idea: If I can ease one life, the aching, “The sun shines for others, Or cool one pain, The trees bear fruit for others, Or help one fainting robin The rivers flow for the good of others,
Unto his nest again,
The cows yield milk for others.
I shall not live in vain.”
Human birth is, likewise, meant
May our work to solve the crisis of homelessness is completed soon.
For doing good to others. May all beings live in harmony and We have a most important
peace.
And compelling work to do...”
May no one suffer?
This poem by Emily Dickenson also
May all enjoy health, happiness, and
echoes these sentiments:
fulfillment together. OM TIMES | February 2023
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