No Monday Morning Blues After the Long Break

I just realised I had not blogged after the 10th of Oct. Having taken a break for a holiday, blogging got relegated to the back burner and on my return had several things to do, the main being getting back to the daily routine; not that it is dull or boring, just the usual housewifely chores and evening walks and all. But the relaxation now seems to have stretched to shameful limits and something tells me it is time to blog and once again resume my search for interesting stuff to blog about.

I guess I'll get back to it, once the rounds of weddings and celebrations has ended, but that may not be before the middle of this month.

Thankfully my group of like-minds, VIBES, meets every Monday and we continue with our healing work with Family Constellations and this is one day of the week I look forward to with eagerness , and excitement for any new learning that may happen, quite unlike the 'Monday morning blues' I used to experience during my working life, that I have now happily put behind!

Healing a Past Life With Family Constellations

Yesterday the 'VIBES' healing group worked on a family constellation with some variation, deviating from the norm of working with the present to heal the past and set right the future. The person seeking the constellation has chronic knee pain and was regressed earlier to reveal that in a past life she was a very highly placed male, landowner who had beaten to death a worker for some wrong committed by him.

Despite several healing modalities, she is still plagued with painful knees. So we wondered if we could work through this with a family constellation by setting up the stage to enact a scene from a past life. This was a 'victim-perpetrator' kind of situation where she was the perpetrator. We decided to give it a try.

The experience was like any other only we were working with a life already lived. The person representing the 'perpetrator' experienced pain in her legs as if her knees would give way anytime. She also experienced deep guilt, anger and shame at her own behavior. She sought forgiveness of the victim, who had this feeling of' wanting the perpetrator to go down on knees' and ask forgiveness. The perpetrator also desired to seek forgiveness of the wife and family of the 'victim'. As she did this, the pain in her legs began to subside slowly. The facilitator asked her to release all her guilt, shame and sorrow (which she experienced as lump in her throat) and guided her to forgive her own self and release all negative emotions, especially the guilt she was carrying heavily from that birth.

For the 'Vibes' group this was the first experience of working through a past life with a family constellation. It felt no different from any other we had worked on before. It was only working with energies of a past life that were waiting to be released so that healing could occur for both the victim and perpetrator.

There is a strong belief among Native Americans that when an individual heals, seven generations before and seven generations after also get healed. Eventually all that a Family Constellation set up calls for; the release of negative energies that were entangled in a past life so that its affects on the future can be erased and the door ways to healing opened up for all concerned. The beauty of this kind of inner work lies in the profound group healing that is experienced.

All is Choice say the Michael Teachings

Some time in 2005 I attend a Past Life Regression workshop conducted by Dr K Newton of Hyderabad. Dr. Newton, is one of the most unassuming, humble souls I have come across. Both he and his wife, Dr. Lakshmi conduct several workshops on several new age subjects like Rebirthing, Inner Child etc. (See www.liferesearchacademy.com)

During the workshop he spoke to us of Soul Age and remarked that only Mature or Old souls would attend such a workshop! It felt great to hear that remark! He told us a little about Soul Age. The subject seemed awe-inspiring and fascinating. Thanks to Dr. Newton for having led me to something that changed the way I looked at life and brought a great attitudinal shift from within.

Back home that day after the workshop I could not wait to google 'soul age' and get more info on the subject. That's how I came across the Michael Teachings. (www.michaelteachings.com) I got hooked on to the website and soon became a member of their yahoo group. Since then there has been a wonderful exchange of information via the group and the teachings of Michael(s) an entity comprising 1050 souls, channeled by some of the members of the group. The channelings are a great source of information for all seekers of esoteric truths. The website is one that can keep such seekers glued onto for ever!

One of tenets of the teachings that really seemed to resonate with my personal beliefs was that of choice, one that I rarely voiced because I could not validate what I believed, till I read the Michael Teachings. Michael says, "All is choice. All choices are valid. Choices have consequences. We create our own reality through our choices." Once this truth is accepted, a fragment (soul) begins to accept responsibility for all his thoughts, words and actions. Accepting responsibility is, to my mind, the first and most integral step towards soul growth. Without it we feel we are pawns in a game that some higher force other than ourselves is playing, one that leads us to believe we are like puppets on a string, which is far from the truth. We feel it is okay to just stumble through life and not take one step towards finding out more about looking at the bigger picture of what our earthly existence actual means.

Another tenet of Michael that is my favorite is "We are spiritual beings on a human path". This makes a lot of sense, especially when you begin to understand the existence of subtle bodies that cannot be perceived by the physical senses. The physical plane is one of growth through experience and the only one that affords the highest opportunity for soul growth.

We often remark about not having a choice in situations, whereas the actual truth, if we remove the layers of illusion that blind us, will show that the choice was there; it was only we who chose not to make it because we feared the consequences. Either way making a choice or not making it will have consequences. So really there is no such thing as 'not making a choice'. 'No choice' is also a choice!

Of Childhood Bruises and Healing From a Loving Father

None of us ever go through childhood without bruises and bumps received in the rough and tumble of play. Many of them leave scars, some of which are memories of a beautifully spent childhood with loving, caring parents and siblings to ease away the pain and wipe away tears.

I can vividly recall how my father had a wonderful way to help rid me of the pain of a bruised knee or injury from a fall. He had a knack of magically making the pain vanish all in a matter of a few minutes! He would ask me to first show him the injury, ask me to close my eyes, and then proceed with his magic; not that I ever really closed my eyes, I looked at the process through half-open eyes! He would lightly touch the injured part and would hold his other hand a few inches away from the bruised knee then make a circular sweeping movement round it, pretending to collect something in his fist and then make a gesture of throwing it away. He would then ask me to open my eyes and would remark, 'there goes your pain out of the window, look its gone'. And right enough this whole process really and completely relieved the pain! It also seemed so magical and filled me with wonder and awe, a feeling I sadly regret having left behind in childhood.

Now as I read Dr Richard Bartlett's Matric Energetics I look at the whole process as 'two-pointing' and the gesture of 'discarding the pain' with a deft hand movement, as a pranic healing procedure of removing painful energy and allowing fresh energy to replace it and dissolve pain.The whole act was done so playfully as he managed to bring in an element of fun into it to make a little child feel happy, loved and pain-free. When I recall those moments, it feels just wonderful to realize that many a times we do things very matter-of-factly not realizing we are into a process that ' we have learnt before' and held in our memories for recall at the right moment. That is exactly what my Dad did. If he were around and I told him about ME and Pranic Healing he would have laughed it off, being the skeptic that he was! I would have to remind him of his wonderful magic and tell him what exactly he was doing, albeit unknowingly!

After reading Dr Bartlett's book on ME and the ME website, I realize how really important it is for us to never lose track of the 'joy of feeling wonder' and to keep our tabs on that playful aspect of ourselves that gets lost as adulthood catches on. Some time back I read and enjoyed every word of a wonderful article titled: Imagination and Play are FUNdamental in Healing
By Jennifer Buergermeister, that speaks of this, at the following link:
http://www.matrixenergetics.com/pdfs/Imagination_and_Play.pdf
Other interesting articles can be read at the following link:
http://www.matrixenergetics.com/Articles.aspx
I feel as we go through life we fragment ourselves and lose that wonderfully pristine, child-like energy with our interfering egos! Now it means having to work on ourselves to get back that wonderful sense of awe back.

I wish some Shaman would come and help me retrieve that lost 'soul energy' of play-fullness and once again feel and experience that same 'child-like wonder'. Or may be I could two-point through time travel, accessing the morphogenic field of that time and feel that childhood wonder and play-fullness return to me once again!

Trusting an Intuitive Flash

All through my working life , I was used to doing air bookings via the Internet but making rail booking were a new ball game altogether! You were dealing with the Government after all and therefore, more reason to be filled with apprehensions!

A month back I tried booking train tickets via the internet. The process went through successfully. My confidence doing railway bookings grew, till last week when things just did not work! For some reason or the other things just did not go through as before. This time I thought I would used my debit card instead of my credit card. The failed transaction resulted in the amount being debited to my SB account without the ticket being booked! I tried again with my credit card, but things did not change. After a few calls to the call center I felt relieved that despite the transaction having one far, no amount was debited to my credit card. The confidence I had gained suddenly was at an all time low and I had still to book my return tickets but felt too diffident to try again. I gave up the idea and decided that the best recourse would be to go to the railway station and book the old-fashioned way! I decided I would do this in a couple of days as there were plenty of berths available for the journey I had planned.

Then yesterday while cooking the morning meal, a thought suddenly flashed, a voice all too insistent said that I keep my cooking aside and switch on the computer and do my booking. I hate giving up tasks mid way in order to get on with others, but today was just different. It felt as if a voice in my head kept saying 'do it now' and it got louder and louder. I tried to ignore it, but it got the better of me and within fifteen minutes I had switched on the system and opened irctc.co.in and lo and behold the transaction was over and done with. I was able to get a confirmed booking, all within a matter of less than 5 minutes! I was pleasantly surprised and relieved. There would be no need to step out of home to do the booking, something I just abhor, especially when the heat of the day gets the better of you.

Many a times we ignore a hunch and take it for granted as just a passing thought. It's only when we pay heed to it that we realise that even if it comes unwarranted, it comes with a reason; it comes to teach us to rely on that something we call 'intuition' that is a gift to all who will trust in it and use it. And slowly but surely as we learn to pay heed to it for its true worth, it grows and grows and becomes an instinctive, intrinsic part of ourselves, exactly what it was intended to be!

Meditating on the Guru, Matrix Energetics and Laws of Attraction

Some time back my friend Gita lent me a book by Swami Muktananda titled , Chitshakti Vilas: The Play of Consciousness. The book is an experiential description of Swami Muktananda as he traces his journey of spiritual growth.

Swami Muktananda speaks reverently about his guru Swami Nityananda of Ganeshpuri and how
he was guided by this great realised soul; a man of few words. Swami Muktananda describes him as a highly realised soul whose mere presence was enough to give any one the Kundalini experience. A mere touch or glance was enough to heal and send the receiver into ecstasies that are only possible through a spiritual experience!
Read about Swami Nityananda at http://www.bhagawannityananda.org/

Much of the book is devoted to explaining the importance of meditation, particularly meditating on one's Guru. The Guru is often a role model that we look up to, wanting to imbibe his/her qualities in ourselves so as to enhance the quality of our lives.What better way to do it than through meditation, by just focusing on his qualities and allowing the energies of these qualities to come to you as you meditate on your Guru. As one meditates one enhances the quality of one's aura making it stronger, better and fine tuning its vibrations to a higher frequency than the current one.

Richard Bartlett in his book, Matrix Energetics by Richard Bartlett speaks of two waves of light coming together and merging, losing their original identities and becoming one. As I read this, I recalled Swami Muktananda speaking of meditating on his guru, Swami Nityananda and realised that this is exactly what happens during meditation on the guru. As you continue to meditate on your Guru you are energetically connecting with his powerful aura and imbibing some of its subtle, powerful energies that give you the feeling of being uplifted and slowly bringing about a change or shift in your own personal attitude as to how you perceive the world around you and others in the game of life.

Laws of Attraction by Jerry and Esther Hicks has also brought out the same point. They have stated that if we like a quality in another, we must meditate on that quality and by sheer dint of this act we will slowly but surely begin to attract this very quality in ourselves through the Laws of Attraction coming into force!

Thus meditating on one's Guru is a meditation with immense potential for imbibing the qualities of the Guru and feeling uplifted and raising one's vibrational frequency at least a notch higher as one traverses the path of spiritual growth!

A Friend Relates Her Experience at Pondicherry

A dear old friend and ex-colleague has just returned from a trip to Pondicherry Ashram of Sri Aurobindo and the Mother. Auroville, the very word exudes a pristine energy that gives the place its unusual spiritual charm.

It was wonderful listening to her relate her experiences in Auroville and of the Ashram in particular, a place she had always wanted to visit. The experience she said was just one of a kind and a 'must have' for all. The energy in and around the Ashram was so full of positive vibrations that it was impossible for anyone to go there and not feel charged and rejuvenated.

The meditation hall, she said, is carpeted and one has to don special socks that are provided at the entrance. The meditation experience in the hall was one of peace and tranquility. She said that with the pin-drop silence in and around the place, it is sure to take you to meditative states that may otherwise seem elusive. The French architecture she said was awe-inspiring and the cleanliness spoke tons of the spiritual and godly aura of Auroville.

Both Sri Aurobindo and the Mother were realized souls with a special mission in life. Their lives were exemplary, resting in the firm belief that there is no greater religion other than 'humanity'. They lived this secular principle all through their lives in their thoughts, words and actions. Together they dreamt of a place where people could come and experience peace in silent meditation and come to learn that there is more to their physical existence than the mundane world they live in. Together they saw the dream come true in Auroville.

From her descriptions of the place and her experiences I realised how profoundly satisfying and soul-uplifting her trip had been. I made a strong wish there and then to be able to visit this place in the future and soak in the wonderful pristine energy of the place.

My friend brought back tender, loving gifts of aroma candles and incense sticks and a lovely magnetic book mark, knowing I am an avid reader, and I felt deeply grateful for this lovely gesture on her part. I am sure I will make a trip to Auroville some day soon.

First Family Constellation at Vibes: Centre For Quantum Consciousness

On Friday last the VIBES group did a Family Constellation for a client. Though as a group VIBES has done several family constellations, this was the first one for a client.

The client came with an issue concerning the unmarried status of her son. She selected people from among the group to represent her family members and then watched as the silent drama unfolded, as representatives tapped into the morphogenetic fields of the family members, taking on their energies and acting just like those they represented! She was amazed at how this was all happening. Gita and Kalpana, the facilitators, explained as much was required and urged her to wait and watch how changing energy patterns that would soon emerge. They emphasized that too much discussion was unwarranted and unnecessary as healing was inevitable.

The resolution came easily as unwanted energies from ancestors who had passed on, had created a bondage with the present generation, were released, thus allowing avenues for opening up of newer energies to come in and shape the future of the family.

The experience was wonderful to the client and the participants and to VIBES as a healing group, that is ever so eager to work with a Family Constellation!

The Message of the Fridge

Most of us assume that everyday will be just like any other and things will go on and tasks will get done as they do every day, without a glitch. But sometimes things around you just decide to cave in and there, you suddenly feel you are at a loose end!

Yesterday our fridge of fifteen odd years just decided that it would call it a day (temporarily atleast!). Early morning I discovered that there was no ice forming in the freezer and that the fridge bootles were not as cool as they normally are. Thankfully the service centre responded fast and by afternoon I ws told that the no-frost part had just died and need to be replaced. Thank God I thought at least this can be done fast and I did not have to let the fridge go out of the house for a few days for it to get repaired. The technician said it would have to be kept switched off till the block of ice that had formed behind the freezer could melt and he could work. So there I was at wits end wondering what to do with the contents. Thankfully I have my sister-in-law staying in the neighbourhood and she readily and benevolently agreed to accomodate my stuff in her's till my fridge was repaired. And so by evening I was able to settle my stuff in her fridge and felt grateful about the presence of caring relatives around me.

I remembered the days when there were no refrigerators around. My Mom used to heat the milk several times a day to keep it fresh all through the day so that we as youngsters could get it when we came home from school. She would set the curds at night so that no extra milk ever got wasted. I did just that and felt good I did not have to dispose stuff into the drain.

The whole episode lead me to clean up and discard several things from the freezer which most of us just tend to accumulate, thinking they we will be handy when required at a later date. Unfortunately when we actually need such stuff our memories may have run dry and we have gone out and fetched the same stuff only to find some of it still in the freezer stored away for future use!

I realised how methaphorical this entire incident really was. It lead to me to think how we carry a baggage of our sour memories and negative emotions and 'store them away for future use' when we would have been better off and lighter without them. Sour memories as I see them are incidents when we have been hurt or angered by another and we tend to store them away 'waiting for the right moment to hit back'. But what earthly good does it do to us? The negative energy from them remains locked in our meridians and over time accumulates to make us ill. Meditation is one way to realease them and let them go. It helps the channels in our body to dispose of the unwanted, negative energies that have blocked the free-flowing 'prana' that is so vital for good, holistic health.

My friend who is a Feng Shui expert often reminds our 'Vibes' group to get rid of unwanted 'clutter'. Clutter can be at the material, physical level or at the energetic emotional or mental level. Wherever it be, regular spring cleaning helps both the home, hearth and the heart!

At the end of the day I was grateful that this indispensible household gadget caved in because it had a message: one of being vigilant and learning to stay healthy by discarding unwanted emotional baggage that was not required.

Matrix Energetics & Richard Bartlett

Matrix Energetics is one of the most fascinating books on healing that I have read recently. Dr. Richard Bartlett has managed to convey in easy to comprehend terms what quantum consciousness is and that it can be relatively simple to use energy if one operates from the level of complete faith and then 'let's go'. Both are not so easy because most of us work from 'concensus reality' instead of learning to create our own with complete faith and then just letting go!

'Two pointing' is a wonderful technique and when I think about how Christ healed the sick, it seems just like 'two pointing'. See the picture at this link:

http://karenswhimsy.com/public-domain-images/life-of-jesus/life-of-jesus-6.shtm.

What many of us may not have consciously understood is that many times we do 'two point' but remain unawares that we are actually doing it. Have you ever wished for something just saying 'I wish....' and then within a short time received 'that something' and wondered how it all came about? It all came because at that instant you operated from complete faith, energized a thought and just let it go!

Neale Donald Walsch in his book Conversations With God Part I says that Jesus could heal because he operated from complete faith and believed in himself completely and totally, leaving absolutely no room for doubt. Unfortunately many of us take many lifetimes to reach and operate from a high level of complete, unquestioning faith even in small matters. When I read some of the instances described by Dr. Bartlett, I was absolutely sure that he must be one of those fortunate few who operates from this level of complete faith and then simply and easily is able to let go and let the quantum wave do its job!

He seems like one belonging to another universe come to teach us earthlings of the immense gifts we have at our disposal of which we are so unawares.

Kudos to him for this wonderful book with radical ideas, very well-written , exploring new ground and allowing as he calls it 'transformation' to occur.

God Bless you Dr. Bartlett!

'Vibes' Center for Quantum Consciousness Is Born

After much thought and discussion we finally decided to move ahead with starting a healing center.

'Vibes' Center for Quantum Consciousness plans to reach out to people and aims at being a 'one stop destination' for healing solutions, with the main focus being a therapy called Family Constellations. Other healing modalities will include, Siddha Healing, Emotion Code, Reiki and many more.

The Center will also be an avenue for healing as well as for teaching healing modalities and helping people understand that human consciousness must go beyond the physical body if healing is to be holistic.

We all met on 27th August and started with a meditation to invoke the blessings of God and the higher energies of Ascended Masters, Angels and other highly evolved spiritual beings.

We now look forward to taking up this mission in full earnest and work as channels to do healing work for our fellow human beings with God's blessings and the good wishes of all our well-wishers and friends.

Energy Work with Matrix Energetics and Emotion Code

Just realised, I had not blogged for almost a month. It's not there was nothing to write about. There always is, if one put's one's mind to it, that is!

Have a nice group of like-minded souls and we meet up regularly to share our experiences with healing modalities and do healing work and meditate together. We call ourselves Vibes Angels. Gita is the leader of the group or rather the glue that holds the group together, the Angel Raphael of the Group who knows so many healing techniques and has so much to share. Ila, Kalpana and Jayshreeben are healers with a lot of healing experience to their credit. The rest of us are all learners and growing under their caring tutelage!

The last few weeks we had frequent meets and did a lot of experimentation with healing work. We tried out something called Matrix Energetics (ME) and Emotion Code (EC) on each other. As a group its just two years we have been together, but individually most every member in the group is familiar with healing work and knows what healing sublte bodies and emotions realy is. But it is such a vast field and so much to learn each day and add to one's knowledge bank.

ME is working with quantum energy, tapping into that field and making a connecting link that sets healing into motion. It has been developed byDr. Richard Bartlett who is a Chiropractor using quantum waves in healing. He has discovered several frequencies and each of them can be tapped into for healing. Watching him do the healing work on Youtube gives one the idea about ME.

Emotion Code works of releasing trapped or 'locked' emotions from the body. Most of us keep our emotions locked at points in the body and never wake up till that part begins to get painful and hurt. The techniques used are muscle testingor kineseology and then using a gentle magnet to release locked emotions by passing it over the Governing Meridian that starts from the upper lip, goes over the head and down the spine till the tail bone.

All said and done, both ME and EC work well. In fact most healing modalities work at some level or the other to make us feel more holistic as humans, something we tend to forget when we fail to connect with our spirits. Energy work makes us realise we are indeed spiritual beings on a human path!

Cats Can Heal

Till our daughter brought home her cat Jenny, we never knew what it felt like to have a cat around the house. Having been used to a pet dog, a cat around the house is quite different. In fact the only time a cat makes its presence felt is at meal times. The rest of the time it will be out of your way and wish you too would leave it alone.

When you think of a cat you think of character traits like fierce independence, curiosity, cleverness, alloofness, unpredictability. They have acute hearing and are highly intelligent. But they also have a unique and special ability to heal. I was amazed when I read this at http://www.sayahda.com/cyc1.html

The energy field of a cat rotates counterclockwise, opposite to that of a human. As a result they have the wonderful ability to balance and align our energy fields by neutralising any energy that can affect us negatively. When you feel low and the day's events have run down your energy negatively, your pet cat can help you. Just let her hop on to your lap and spend some time there. When a cat sits in your lap it realigns your energy field and help you to restore any inner poise or balance that may have been lost at the end of a tiresome day.

Little wonder that ancient Egyptians used cats to guard their temple gates because they believed cats could ward of evil.

They say if a cat comes into your life, it means mystery and magic in your life. After Jenny's first visit to our house, a marmalade cat came daily to perch on our window sill. Probably she had smelt Jenny's presence. She was cautious and wary of us but slowly got a bit friendly and would leave only after we fed it some milk and bread. In fact this became a routine for aleast 3 months. She even decided to walk in one day with her other mates, who used to romp on our bed just next to the bedroom window. They would disappear as fast as they came as soon as they heard a foot fall.

I do not remember any mystery or magic but this marmalade cat soon turned friendly enough to allow us to pet her occasionally. It became a regular routine for her to come early every morning and demand her share of food. Till one fine day when she failed to make an appearance. I waited for days on end, keeping milk and bread for her at the window sill. But it remained untouched. I guess she fell prey to street dogs or got killed by a passing car. Missed her a lot for sometime.

Whenever I come across a marmalade street cat, I often wonder if she is the same one who came to our window, drawn to our house by Jenny's presence.

This Cat Loves a Beanbag

When my daughter and son-in-law come to spend a short holiday with us, they bring their cat Jenny along. In fact wherever they go, the cat goes with them!
The first time they brought her, she was just 2 months old, small and rather wary of new places and people. It was winter and rather cold. After initial exploration of the house, she decided that going under the quilts was the best way to stay warm. She would snuggle herself under one and even get beneath ours when we were sleeping, crouching close to keep the cold away. She soon became familiar with my husband and would climb on to his chest and fall asleep! When they left, we missed her loving, warm presence.

Jenny was picked up from the roadside as a palm-sized, undernourished tiny kitten with half-burnt whiskers that was probably unknowingly abandoned by the mother and siblings. She has now grown into a grey tabby, very cute, with a distinct personality of her own, full of life and curiosity like any other cat, so domesticated that a trip outdoors can set her heart beats and pulse rate racing!

She spends her day alone when her owners are out working. The high kitchen shelf is her favorite prank spot. She loves to get in and rummage around. The shelf is therefore, put to little use. Cupboards are fun to get into and curl up in. Leave a cupboard door open and if you don't find her anywhere, she's sure to be in it! It's fun watching her sitting on the window sill, her tail swishing angrily ready to prey on the birds outside. This is one of her favorite pastimes. But come dusk, she becomes keenly alert about a footfall on the staircase, almost like a dog awaiting its master's return. And when my daughter comes home, she licks her face like a dog would, purring all the while, hardly being able to contain her joy.

She has a thing about beanbags. She just loves them. Loves to feel cosy when she settles herself in the black one that came to us as a gift from our daughter. But this time when she came over, she made it her domain and left her energy signature behind by peeing on it! My daughter says, she does the same at their home, setting her claim on the beanbag as her exclusive property!

It's almost three months now since their return and no matter how many times I have cleaned the beanbag with Savlon and disinfectant, a faint whiff of her terrritorial imprint still tickles my olfactory nerves when I settle down with a book, in its cosy comfort! I guess cats and beanbags were just made for each other!

Do I see The Rain Gods Smiling?

Yesterday while taking a walk in the college campus grounds next door, we noticed a pair of lapwings closely guarding their eggs. Lapwings are called Titeri in India or Titodi in Gujarati. We tried to go closer and have a look. They responded with their shrill cries, guarding the eggs more than ever. The eggs are barely noticeable and laid directly on the earth, not in a nest like other birds. Their colour seemed almost camoflagued against the earthy backdrop. It is believed in Gujarat that when a female lapwing lays eggs it is a sure sign of the coming showers of rain; almost like an invitation to the rainclouds inviting their benevolence!Looks like the rain gods have finally relented! It is nice to see them smile this year particularly after the sultriness of the past six weeks. There was a good down pour last night at about 1.00 PM,with the place cooling down considerably. Things look greener and more cheerful. Am keeping my fingers crossed that the spell of showers continues and the monsoon even if late repairs the damage of the overly extended summer.The positive energy of hope comes alive once again! Yesterday while taking a walk in the college campus grounds next door, we noticed a pair of lapwings closely guarding their eggs. Lapwings are called Titeri in India or Titodi in Gujarati. We tried to go closer and have a look. They responded with their shrill cries, guarding the eggs more than ever. The eggs are barely noticeable and laid directly on the earth, not in a nest like other birds. Their colour seemed almost camoflagued against the earthy backdrop. It is believed in Gujarat that when a female lapwing lays eggs it is a sure sign of the coming showers of rain; almost like an invitation to the rainclouds inviting their benevolence!Looks like the rain gods have finally relented! It is nice to see them smile this year particularly after the sultriness of the past six weeks. There was a good down pour last night at about 1.00 PM,with the place cooling down considerably. Things look greener and more cheerful. Am keeping my fingers crossed that the spell of showers continues and the monsoon even if late repairs the damage of the overly extended summer.The positive energy of hope comes alive once again!

Was It A Pre-Monsoon Shower Last Night?

Last night brought on a shower of rain, good enough to give some relief, but not enough to feel the impact of the monsoon. Was more like a pre-monsoon shower. Flashes of lightning lit up the skies at about 1.00 AM but without the crackle of accompanying thunder. This morning the trees and leaves look a bit green with the dust just washed away. The koels (cuckoos) and peacocks have expressed their joy with louder, somewhat more energetic calls! It's humid once again and looks like there will be good spells of rain today. The skies are overcast though not quite as dark as one would want them to be. Hoping the evening will bring relief and bring down the mercury cooling down the place for some pleasant weather that is the need of the moment!

Where Have All The Rain Clouds Gone?

Wonder where the rain clouds have disappeared. No rains this side of the country. Farmers are waiting with baited breath in the hope that the rains will breathe life to a failing crop in an already bleak scenario. The weatherman blames it all on El Nino. Rains are the lifeblood of our Indian farmers and hope for housewives that vegetable prices will come down. But with the monsoon playing truant all this seems a remote possiblity.

The days are more sultry than ever and the much wanted respite from the heat seems reduced to just wishful thinking! The singing koel (cuckoos) and dancing peacocks have suddenly made themselves scarce or are they hiding far from sight to beat the heat of a prolonged summer?

The two of us generally take a nice long walk with the first shower of rain and love to drench ourselves down to the bone, if you will! It's good fun to do so and forget your age for a change this one day of the year as we enjoy the first showers of monsoon like kids and then come home to enjoy a good cup of hot coffee or mug full of hot soup.

But this year its a different story. It's already the 8th of July and no rain so to speak. The cuckoo's cry has a distant quality, or do I hear a cuckoo call its mate while still urging the rains to come on with a parched throat?

I'd rather be positive and not give up hope that the much awaited rain showers will soon make their appearance and cool down the place. We still have three weeks of July and the whole of August to hang on to hope like never before and look forward to the thrill of getting wet like children once again!

Past Life Regression, Power Animals and Family Constellations.

About four years back I attended a workshop on Past Life Regression (PLR). The experience was amazing. Till then I had read about the subject and practically read all books of Dr. Brian Wiess, a world authority on PLR. A few experiences during the workshop convinced me about the past lives I had lived where issues remained unresolved. It is amazing how a situation will repeat itself in a future life, till the underlying energy that caused it to occur is balanced, aligned and integrated.

Past Life Regression therapy is helpful to solve human issues that have roots in a past incarnation. It could be anything from a particularly bothersome relationship with an office colleague or even a fear of water that prevents you from learning how to swim. With a past life regression you can delve into the past and find out why a you feel victimised by your boss or why some self-limiting belief is hindering progress in your current life. It is amazing how we create situations in our current lives because of what occured in a past life, just to learn a particular lesson and integrate it into ourselves. There could be role reversals though!

The workshop was followed up six months later by an advanced workshop where we learnt about Shamanic Healing and Power Animals. Invoking their energies can help you face any issue or situation that is specific to you.

At the end of the workshop Dr K Newton who conducted the workshop, facilitated an experiment in Family Constellations work. We were dumbstruck at the energy dynamics that emerged when even those who knew absolutely nothing about the issue, began to replicate and enact the exact behaviour of family members represented in the constellation! The one seeking healing through a constellation remains an observer throughout the process.

Family Constellations is a kind of psycho therapy inspired and evolved by Bert Hellinger a German psychotherapist. It aims at healing not just the individual but the family as well. Universal laws require that all of us acknowlegde each incarnated soul and respect it without judgement about its chosen path for sorting out its own karma in ways best known to the individual soul essence. Unfortunately as humans we sometimes forget this and subject our lesser fortunate brothers to untold pain, misery and vicitimization through our judgemental behavior with them. As a result many situations in our lives evade solution because the 'orders of love' have been disrupted in the past due to the 'so called misdemeanor' of an ancestor that was concealed from younger generations to avoid social stigma.

My group of like-minded friends is always too eager to work with a Family Constellation. In fact this has become a regular experimental feature of our meets! The best thing about the group is that no one probes or judges a situation for which resolution is sought.

With all this comes the deep understanding that it is possible for each of us to connect at subtle energy levels in order to help heal ourselves, others and the planet as a whole! The collective consciousness is a vast field of energy many aspects of which still await exploration! It brings to my mind Issac Newton's famous quote:

“I was like a boy playing on the sea-shore, and diverting myself now and then finding a smoother pebble or a prettier shell than ordinary, whilst the great ocean of truth lay all undiscovered before me.”

More About Alternative Therapies

Here is something more to my earlier blog on Alternative Therapies. After learning quite a few I realised that each of them has a special attribute that aims at healing a particular aspect of human life. The subject is vast and extremely interesting. A regular spiritual practice often adds more insights into them as concepts about energy get clearer.

Herbal medicine acknowledges the use of herbs to set right body processes to achieve optimum health. They can help weight loss by speeding up metabolic processes and other bodily processes that are vital for good health.

Yoga, meditation and breathing techniques improve health and make you feel more peaceful.

Bach Flower Remedies were discoverd by Dr. Edward Bach. Each of the 38 remedies are aimed at a eliminating a particular characteristic or negative emotional state that can play havoc with the psyche and eventually cause deterioration of physical health. They can help you overcome negative emotions like impatience, poor-me feelings, dominance that can be opressive to others, inconfidence, hatred, jealousy, envy, self-centredness, overconfidence, procrastination, feelings of gloom and despair, feelings of being overwhelmed, fears both known and unknown and many more. Most humans a deeply self-aware of their shortcomings but a unaware how to address these feelings and weed them out. Bach Flower Remedies are a good modality in this direction.

Spirit-in-Nature Essences are made from flowers and fruits and were inspired by Paramhans Yogananda. The essences have been discovered after much research and are aimed at uplifting our spiritual energy by enhancing our positive qualities like kindness, mental vitality, cheerfulness, unselfishness, calmness, clarity of thought, etc. They are extremely powerful remedies and even a week's treatment combined with a positive affirmation can work wonders.

Siddha healing comes from Siddha yogis or Siddhas. A Siddha or a Siddha Guru is a perfected master or someone who has transcended his ego and can initiate a disciple through 'Shaktipat'. They were humans who through intense spiritual practice or 'sadhana' had achieved identity with the Supreme Spirit. Nityananda Baba, better known as Bhagwan Nityanand of Ganeshpuri and his disciple Swami Muktananda were all Siddhas. Saibaba of Shirdi, Jnaneshwar, Eknath and many other Indian saints are all Siddhas. These elevated souls are always present around us and actually come when invoked to help us to heal ourselves and others.

There are many more healing modalities that can be written about. Each is unique and can be creatively used to offer interesting solutions and insights into human life and its multi-level existence. All of them offer immense opportunity to delve into unknown areas of human existence that can be curiously interesting. But all said and done, learning about them affirms the belief that we are all spiritual beings on a human path come to this planet for an earthly experience!

I could go on and on about the subject, but may be more blogs on the subject are a better idea!

Temples of North Gujarat and Rajasthan

Am not one of the 'temple-visiting' kind। In fact I would rather avoid a visit to a famous temple just to steer clear from the crowds of frenzied devotee! Would prefer paying my respects to the Lord at any small temple amidst natural suroundings to take in the pristine energy such a place offers. But when you take a holiday via road, it is just right that you visit such places that are on your route or even make a slight detour to visit one that is a 'must see'.

Our first halt was at Shamlaji which has a lovely Vishnu temple situated at the base of hills and definitely a 'must-see' as compared to the ones that are overly frequented by devotees। We reached there by about 8।30 AM. This is a nice time to go when there are no crowds and one can get a good view of the temple architecture. The outer walls of the temple are replete with exquisitely carved figures that make one wonder about the skilled artisans that lived ages ago and probably spent an entire life sculpting them.

The next halt was a Nathadwara which is houses the famous Shreenathji temple, one of the most frequently visited ones this side of the country. At the entrance one comes across several 'temple guides' who are ready to take you in via the so-called 'vip transit'। It was fairly crowded but not as much as it normally is, so I was told. Probably we had got the timing right and could safely avoid the crowds, having reached there around 12.30 in the afternoon. We were able to get a good 'darshan' of Lord Shreenathji.

Some temple guides are barely 10 years of age and eager to learn the trade of making a fast buck with carefully learnt communication skills relating the history of the place। I was particularly taken up by this young lad who probably guessed I could be ready game to listen to his tales। I engaged him in conversation and learnt that he was earning his way to pay his school fees. I was touched by his appearance, his innocent, piteous-looking face was too much to turn away from. He wished that I should listen to him relate tales of the Lord of the temple and I readily obliged lending him my ears. In his own style and language, little of which I could comprehend, I heard him through and gave him a tenner, which he gratefully accepted. Older guys like him wanting to snatch away his earnings tried to tell me he was a sham, but my heart refused the believe them. I was touched by the experience.

Two days later on our return journey we visited Ranakpur which is famous for its Jain temple। Friends had told me much about this place and even though we had to make a detour, it was well-worth the visit. This beautiful temple is a structure of of white, glittering marble well-known for its 1444 supporting pillars of intricate, exquisite carvings, no two of which are alike! Again like the Shamlaji temple, one is awe-struck by the skill of the artisans that worked on them.

I like visiting Jain temples; they are quiet, peaceful and spotlessly clean, a quality which I greatly value and thankfully devoid of the jostling and pushing of frenzied devotees to put you off!

Our last visit was to Ambaji, a temple dedicated to Goddess Ambamata who symbolises 'Shakti' and is generally frequented by devotess every full-moon.

At the end of the holiday it now felt nice that I could visit all these temples, something that I was never too keen about despite having lived in Gujarat since birth!

Jungle Safari at Kumbhalgarh

After seeing the Kumbhalgarh Fort we were keen to see some wild life and decided to take the jungle safari trip organised by the locals of Kumbhalgarh.

We set off at about 5.15 PM in a open Jeep with hopes of watching deer, cheetahs and leopards and some feathered friends. Driving over jungle terrain in an open Jeep after being used to well constructed roads in Ahmedabad is quite a rough experience. The drive was full of ups and downs, many of them frightfully steep. The narrow road made of haphhazardly placed rough stones is one that only tough and sturdily built four wheelers can traverse. Not accustomed to anything like this, I could feel my muscles getting tense with apprehension as with one hand I clung to the bar above my head. We hardly knew the driver and the only thoughts that crowded our minds were those of safely! The bumpiness of the ride sent my bones rattling within, but soon I got used to the idea and slowly relaxed as I took in the beautiful greenery all round. The vegetation is not dense but not sparse either. There is enough greenery to give you a feel of the forest and keep the air around cooler and more pleasant than the normally hot Rajasthani summers.

We spotted many monkeys and peacocks all along but they failed to fascinate us as they are a regular sight in Ahmedabad. Our NRI friends though were happy to click pictures of a peacock doing a courtship dance to a group of peahens that had fallen prey to his charms! Where the rough jungle road ends is a lake, almost dry from the harsh summer this year. We learnt that wildlife generally come there at twilight to take a sip from the lake waters. But some how they had decided not to show themselves to us that day. We started on the return journey containing our disappointment, when in the distance one of us spotted a Nilgai as it continued to eat leaves from a tree. It raised hopes of seeing more animals around. In a short distance from there we came across a falcon that was almost camouflaged against the jungle backdrop. This is a rare bird and probably one that one comes across only in jungles.

By this time we started out journey back to the hotel I was totally out of the fear of riding on rough terrain as the driver of the Jeep had with his careful driving managed to inspire some confidence. At the end of the day we were grateful that we could get at least a few glimpses of wildlife and the trip was not all that in vain. After all no experience, however trivial it may seem is ever wasted!

The Kumbhalgarh Fort Experience

Had a nice holiday last week visiting temples and forts in Rajasthan. Kumbhalgarh is a small hill station situated in the Aravali Mountains of Rajasthan. Kumbalgarh Fort situated at a height of 1100 meters is a mammoth structure winding along the slopes of the Aravali Mountains. The structure has a high bulwark of about 36 meters. The majestic fort is replete with several observation towers, crenelations and citadels that no enemy could hope to break into. It was built in the 15th century by Maharana Kumbha and is the birth place of the famous Rajput hero Rana Pratap who fought the Battle of Haldighati against the forces of Emperor Akbar. The ramparts and walls of the fort strech a good 12 kilometers and are an example of masonry only second to the Great Wall of China! It is a heritage site maintained by the Archeological Survey of India, one that must be viewed late evening when up and brings a wonderful glow to night skies of Kumbhalgarh. You can climb up right to the top of the fort and view the valleys beneath that are home to about 360 temples in and around the area. Sadly many of them seem abandoned and in a dilapidated state.

We sat in the gardens at the base of the fort, as going up to the Fort is not allowed after 5.30PM. The hot summer breezes turned more pleasant and cool and it was nice to spend time sitting on the Shiv temple steps, watching the life around. As it started getting dark swarms of tiny bats flew out of the fort dotting the evening skies. We were amazed at the teeming numbers that seemed to never end. Though the seasonal rush of visitors was absent there were quite a few like us who had come to see the Fort illumination. The lights come on slowly as parts of the fort light up gradually in colors of orange and green, offering a panoramic spectacle that can be seen for miles around in the vicinity.

The next morning we took a nice long walk along the road to the Fort with some canine company who with their wagging tails, keen to act as our escorts, never let us out of their sight! Around 10 AM we climbed up the Fort. The climb can be tedious and tiring but is a delightfully rare experience for city-dwellers like us. It was like taking a tread mill test! We climbed right up to the top stopping at times to take in more air as our lungs were exercised like never before! It took a little over an hour to climb to the top. There is not much to see in the Fort and sadly we had no guide with us; he reached the top much after we did! Even the bats we saw the previous evening that had made the Fort their home, were hidden from view. The climb down was faster. The view of the valley gives a good idea of the vegetation in the area; verdant green patches in the vast desert area of Rajasthan.

Kumbhalgarh is a quaint, small place, peaceful and cool. Early mornings and late evenings are very pleasant. Winters in Kumbhalgarh are pleasant and tourist time for this quiet, charming hill station, hidden in the Aravali Mountains. Thankfully mobile networks other than BSNL will not work here, making a brief holiday more relaxing, peaceful and rejuvenating, away from the bustle of a busy metropolitan life.

Alternative Therapies Have a Charm of Their Own

Alternative healing that goes beyond the physical body has always fascinated me. I feel very blessed to be part of a group of like-minded souls. We meet regularly to discuss, share experiences and experiment with several of them. Most of them are concerned with improving the flow of 'chi' or prana in the body through its meridians and chakras. Our subtle existence is more powerful and meaningful than our physical senses can percieve.

The last decade or so has shown an increased spurt in the use of healing modalites that are classified as alternative therapies. Most of them work on the subtle energy layers that surround the physical body and can make medicinal treatment more holistic. Each modality has a charm and healing value of its own.

Christ and others like him could heal the sick and ailing by redirecting the flow of 'Chi' energy in their diseased physical bodies. Through a powerful rush of 'chi' emanating from their palms, they were actually removing energy blocks from meridians that had caused the disease. With powerfully pure energy meridians backed by a belief system so strong, his healing was instantaneous.

While Reiki can be given hands-down, or distant, Pranic Healing does not require being touched and can also be given at a distance. Both these modalities are good for healing physical body ailments that are chronic or acute in nature. Reiki works on the physical body and its next etheric subtle layer.

Pranic healing works on the aura, or the 'etheric twin' of the physical body. It works on the premise that a disease will first show in the aura before it manifests in the physical body. It is quite effective and may even help eliminate a disease before it actually manifests! Acute pains may find instant relief.

More about Alternative Therapies in a future blog.

Inculcating the Reading Habit In Children

When I was a kid my parents knew the best gift I loved was a book. But those of my generation were lucky not to be distracted with things like video games and TV and easily took to reading like a fish takes to water! It's a tougher task these days for parents to inculcate the reading habit in their child, especially in a world where mindless distractions are limitless.

Reading aloud to kids beginning even at so young an age as two plus is a good idea and one that works! Children love to hear stories and what could be a better than a parent's or a grandparent's lap to snuggle into and hear stories. Hearing a story being read aloud is one way that a child picks up vocubulary and enjoys the closeness with the parent that the exercise offers. It may take just about 10-15 minutes of your time before the child gets into bed and is a nice way to spend quality time with a kid. Each parent can take their turn at it. Most children a quick learners. They never mind a story being repeated to them and soon you will be surprised how they can effectively relate it in their own words using words and phrases from the book! Restrict yourself to not more than a tale or at the most two each night. Dramatising the words in the story through facial expressions or with the right intonations of speech will make things more interesting and fun-filled. It will help understand concepts too. Soon they may want to do the dramatising themselves.

It is a fine idea to pick up small books that cost about Rs.50/- (roughly a dollar) , with animal stories or bed time stories or Aesop's Fables, as these make good bedtime reading for young children. You are sure to find not less than 40-50 short tales in a book and this is enough fodder to last quite a while!

As they grow they will learn to read themselves and before long it can become a hobby. Buy a good stock of such story books and hide them away in place inaccessible to your youngster. Dole them out one at a time when the situation calls for one, like a task done well or good performance in school or having taken care of the kid brother or sister or running an errand for you. Such incentives work well in a parent-child relationship.

As they mature into adults and shoulder responsibilities as parents themselves, cherished childhood memories will help them pass on the habit to their own children!

One Minute Meditation

I regularly watch the program 'Awakening with Brahma Kumaris' and find it very exhilarating to hear Sister Shivani talk about Self- Management, Harmony in Relationships, Challenges in the Modern world and many other interesting subjects.

She has a way to words and analogies. Her articulation speaks of wisdom gathered over incarnations that reflects 'Old Soul' traits. She explains in simple, lucid language that at the root of many or our problems is the exchange of subtle energy that we unconsciously project during our interactions with others. Her talks suggest how we as human beings never explore this wonderful communication channel so as to understand ourselves and others better. She gently and effortlessly leads us to understand the concept that positive thoughts can actually change our lives. All that it requires a few minutes of meditation and silence each morning to get in touch with the Universal Consciousness and tap into that infinitely abundant source of energy so that we remain charged thoroughout the day with positive energy. She emphasizes that meditation recharges our subtle energy levels and can help us to go about or daily activities, without letting interactions with people drain us of our energy.

When caught in an agrument understanding the other as a pure being just like ourselves and sending loving thoughts can actually convey more than words can! Experience tells me this really works. It is just necessary to realise that every other soul like ourselves, is pure in its essence. Friction during interactions comes about because of the roles we play in life. Roles may decide our personality and are just a way to experience earth on this planet.

One of her suggestions that I like and have found beneficial is to tap into this wonderful source for a minute every hour and recharge our batteries so that at the end of the day we are not depleted by negative energy from our own thoughts or those of others around us that we have little control over. The least we can do is take charge of ourselves and our own thoughts. Her emphasis remains that man is the creator of his own destiny and that meditation is the only and the best tool available for a human to work his way through life, working out his karma, choosing to evolve spiritually through his own choice merely by bringing about a shift in attitude.

All our thoughts have their roots in past experience, our belief systems and the information we gather. They give rise to feelilngs. Feelings create attitude. Our attitudes lead us to actions and actions form habits that eventually shape our personality. Personality shapes destiny. Take the reverse route and from destiny you are led to your thoughts, via your peronality, habits, actions and attitude. A mere shift in attitude can result in a change in thoughts and reverse a whole belief system. We are therefore, need not believe that we are puppets in the hands of destiny, but powerful creators of our own. Once we realise this and take to meditation it brings a sense of empowerment and peace. Regular meditation makes this possible.


One minute meditation brings back that empowering feeling that we can remain in control our selves instead of allowing situations to control us. It can be a wonderful empowering tool that is so simple to apply.

The Golden Treasury

On a recent visit to 'Crossword' I chanced to come across a popular book of poems, which is now reprinted and accessible to many more than before. Yes, it's "The Golden Treasury' that I am referring to. There is something special about "The Golden Treasury", a collection of poems selected by Francis Turner Palgrave. I used to pride myself for having a copy, which was unique and not one you would come across today; a dark blue leather-bound small book that my dear mother had won as a prize for English and History when she was in the eighth standard. The date on the first page with a 'prize-awarded to' label goes back to 6th December 1933.

I loved this book that was one of a wonderful collection of many books that belonged to my parents; treasured books that they owned as children, and carefully preserved for later generations to read; books that we as children immensely enjoyed reading in our school days. There was this nice wooden cupboard with a glass front that was like a treasure trove during the summer holidays. The summer heat did not bother me and I spent many hours in the attic, where it was housed, reading my mother's collection of books; books she had earned as prizes throughout her school career. There were a couple of red-colored, hardbound books of fairy tales and tales for young children that transported me to a world of make-believe. There was also a wonderful big huge, brown leather-bound copy of the World Pictorial Atlas and some bound versions of National Geographic that was even in those days, a treasured magazine with beautiful color plates of nature, geography, astronomy and wildlife. There were many more interesting books, which unfortunately I can't recall now.

But over the years they soon got dog-eared; the paper of their pages turned yellow and crumbly and we had little choice but to give them away. All except one, "The Golden Treasury". I loved to read the poems in it. Whenever we learnt a new poem in school, I would love to glean through its pages looking for the same poem. It brought me immense joy to see the same one in print, especially since " The Golden Treasury" was a prize my mother had won! It is intact, even today considering the years gone by, it's original glory untouched by time. It still remains with me as a part of my book collection wrapped in fond memories of my childhood and above all the loving energy of that dear soul who was my mother.

The Soldier and the Deck of Cards

When I was a teenager, a major share of the world of Pop music was taken up singers like Cliff Richard, The Beatles, Jim Reeves,The Everly Brothers, et al. Later came Nancy Sinatra, Englebert Humperdinck, Simon and Garfunkel and several others whose many songs still stir up nostalgia of days gone by. Those were the times when my friends and I listened to our favorite pop music programme every evening on Radio Ceylon, when songs were played by request. The next day at school these became our topic for discussion.
When in school I learnt Indian classical music and my parents found it pretty strange that I had taken to Pop Music, despite my Indian classical music training! I always monopolized the radio each evening at 7.00P.M. Being the youngest, was quite pampered and allowed to listen without any admonishings, despite school homework being relegated to a side activity! Not many in my family joined me then, except when a certain song was played. That was when my father who never had so much of a ear for Pop music, also joined in and we all sat round the radio silently listening to this soul-touching lyric. The song I am referring to was a lesser known song and one of my favorites: The Soldier and the Deck of Cards sung by and American Country singer calledTex Ritter.
It was a touching song about a soldier in World War II who is in a church without a Bible to pray with. He opens a deck of cards. The Chaplain conducting the service is puzzled about his strange behavior and takes him to the Major. The Major asks the soldier for an explanation. He sternly tells the young soldier if it is not convincing enough he would have the bear the consequences of punishment. The soldier explains he has no prayer book or Bible and proceeds to explain why the deck of cards reminds him of the Bible.
This is a very thoughtfully written lyric that corelates the Bible with each card in the deck. Read the song at the following link and enjoy the lyric. You are sure to be touched by the words. Here is the link: http://www.creativeyouthideas.com/blog/music/deck_of_cards.html
The lyric is a reminder how the seeker in each one of us is able to find his divine connection in any situation however hopeless it may seem, with just an open heart to steer us through, so that divine love can flow in and take charge!

Of Koels Peacocks and Home

Of Koels and Peacocks and Home

Have lived in Ahmedabad since my birth! Love this place, its friendly helpful people, its cuisine, its history and even its hot summers! Above all else, love my home, of twenty years now, a first floor apartment with huge windows. Friends and visitors to our home often remark about the peace and quiet surrounding the vicinity that has a slightly cooler atmosphere even in the summers.

Our bedrooms overlook part of a huge campus of an art college, which is something of self-contained miniature, eco-system replete with fauna and trees. In a bid to attract more bird-life, more trees are getting regularly planted by a dedicated group of environment-conscious enthusiasts. One can also witness some wildlife that includes, monkeys, an occasional mongoose, squirrels, koels (cuckoos), peacocks, wood pigeons, mynahs, pigeons, cacophonous, dull gray jungle babblers, with yellow-colored beaks, that move in groups of seven, bulbuls, rose-ringed parakeets, drongos, sunbirds, honey suckers, eagles, owlets and surprisingly even occasionally spot a blue-feathered kingfisher, a hoopoe, a sand grouse, a flycatcher, a woodpecker or a golden oriole. Common sparrows have become 'less common' probably shooed away with the number of mobile phones in use! Early mornings also bring in the whistling sounds of a bird, (have no idea of its name) that lets out a long whistle, almost like a signature tune, quite pleasant to the ears. At nightfall during the winter months it is not unusual to hear the cry of bats that have made their home in the several ashoka trees in the area.

Most of all I love the pleasant summers mornings that bring in the cool summer breeze and the sounds of hundreds of twittering birds, interspersed with the loud cries of peacocks and koels, a reminder that the monsoon is not far away. Most peacocks are early risers and the predawn hours fill the atmosphere with their cries. It is interesting to hear the hollow-sounding, plaintive call of the koel, which suddenly rises to an energetic crescendo, the interval between calls shortening, as other koels register their presence and join the chorus. The blooming flowers of the rain tree sometimes lend a mild scent to the summer mornings. With the monsoons getting closer they can be heard in the evenings too. Early summer mornings and nights, hearing the whit-to-whit cry of a stray waterfowl, (probably a lapwing) is an added reminder that the rains are close at hand.

Sometimes we have even spotted a peacock on a neighboring terrace with its feathers all fanned out in a monsoon dance trying to woo peahens! And there is this particular peacock that has made a regular perch on the branch of the tree just a few feet away from our window giving us the joy of seeing the brilliant colors of his feathers at close quarters!

I love my home and its surroundings, which are a contrast to the thankfully distant sounds of metropolitan life that sometimes disturb the morning peace, that fill me with the hope of the next dawn, when I can expect to wake up to the sounds of nature that make my meditation each morning a joyous, peace-filled want-to-get-back-to kind of activity. I love it even more come each monsoon, when Mother Nature makes her presence felt in more ways than one! Feel grateful to live here amidst nature that makes its abundant presence felt conspicuously each summer and monsoon offering a spectacular sound and sight show, as everything around soon turns green and vibrantly comes alive. Be it ever so humble there's no place like HOME!

Learning: A Life Long Process

My previous job did not see me past an electronic typewriter and what more could you expect in a Government organization where most were using manual ones! Thankfully out of the two electronic typewriters in the entire organization, I had access to one! That was the closest to electronic automation that I could get, way back in 1989. No one around knew how to use this then so-called ‘sophisticated’ machine! In between work tasks each day I tried my hand at learning some new feature from the manual. Whenever I could not comprehend a particular feature, I learnt it by trial and error!

In the nineties, when my daughter was in her fourth year of college, computers had just hit the scene. To simplify working on her thesis, she wanted one at home and even though it cost a pretty chip we soon had a home PC. I was keen to learn how to use it, but unfortunately she was always working at it and so I never got a chance to go beyond starting up the machine! She always chided me for this saying, “Amma, at least learn to send an email. What will you do if I study abroad? How will you stay in touch with me?” Her words bothered me, but were not motivation enough to learn how to use a computer. I had quit my job and was a stay-at-home Mom then and quite happy thinking,” where was the need to learn and what use will I put it to”?

But there was something else Providence had in store, for me. Around this time I took up my second job. It was initially tough getting back to a working routine after a 5-year break! The world had changed much within that span; the office scene having been flooded with computers, of which I knew hardly a thing! Nothing could be tougher than having to learn all over again, especially at an age when people would cast you into the middle-aged slot! I was faced with the prospect of having to pick up a new skill or sink. It seemed quite daunting at first that I had to make a beginning with a gadget that had many features, each of which appeared more mind boggling than the other! Work was aplenty and most of it had to be done with computers. Sending out mails, using a printer, all required use of computers. Thankfully my only plus point was a good typing speed and hence MS word was easy learning. But Excel never seemed my cup of tea. I am not one for working with numbers and statistics. I would be happier with them out of my way! It was then I recalled how my father took up a postal course in Electronics and learnt to be an Amateur Radio enthusiast when he was in his mid sixties! He always said, “Age should never be a deterrent to learning, for it’s never too old to learn a new skill”. His learning enthusiasm was never lost upon me. I decided that I must give things my best shot It was a new organization where unlike myself and a couple of others, most of the staff were young and fresh, and just out of college. I soon realized that I had to get there fast and there was no way I could do it alone, unless I took the help of colleagues. Each time I got stuck sending out a mail or getting a print, I would ask my young colleagues to teach me how and with their ever-eager-to-teach attitude, they were only too willing to oblige. Their young energetic minds and positive attitude charged me and spurred me into action helping me to learn at an age when it was all too easy to give up. They were my teachers, my gurus. I felt blessed and grateful with their presence around me. I soon learnt the ropes and learnt Excel too, bringing in a sense of comfort whilst working with numbers.

Today I am pretty computer and Internet savvy. Being an information freak, not a day goes by when I do not surf the net. There is so much to learn and what a wonderful source the Internet really is. Thanks to my young colleagues whose significant contribution to my growth and learning must never go unacknowledged.

The day you stop to learn, you also stop growing as an individual. Learning is a constant life long process. It is fodder for the essence of your spirit. However simple and small an act of learning may be, it eventually contributes to soul evolution. No experience is wasted just because it failed to fetch any gains in material terms. We create our reality by choosing those experiences that lead us towards soul growth. For the soul no experience, however insignificant, is ever lost! Keep in mind that you are,

As young as your faith,
As old as your doubt,
As young as your self-confidence,
As old as your fear,
As young as your hope,
As old as your despair.

The Smile of an Angel

Many incidents in our lives have the quality to remain deeply etched in our memories and leave an indelible signature of their energy, sometimes positive and sometimes otherwise! It could have been a complete stranger, who came to your rescue on that day when it was pouring cats and dogs, and you were stranded, when a stranger appeared from nowhere taking you to a safe shelter. And then when you wished to express your gratitude, he had vanished as instantly as he had appeared! It could have been a kindly, smiling, little urchin on the street who helped you carry packages to your car and refused to accept any benevolence from you, despite his impoverished state.

In 2003 my husband and I spent some time in London with our daughter who was doing her post-graduation there. We did a lot of sight seeing in London and visited a few places like Windsor, Brookwood and Isle of Wight. But most memorable was that day when we were changing trains at Holborn. In the distance I could hear soft strains of music that had an out-of-this-world quality. Only the tune was earthly and familiar: Scarborough Fair, a very popular Simon and Garfunkel number. I looked around, but there were no speakers or sound system relaying music in sight. Then where did this music come from? I wondered. As we walked along we came to a flight of stairs and there at the landing was this dear looking old person with the most heavenly smile, playing Scarborough Fair on a harp! This was the first time I set eyes on this instrument. One never comes across a harp in India. I waited and heard him play the entire melody, leaving a few coins in his hat. Commuters passing by may have been familiar with the sight of the old man but too busy to lend their ears to his music. But I was touched, touched by the soul-stirring music of his harp and the beatific smile on this cheerful but wizened old face. I could hear myself singing along, as tears of joy filled my eyes. Was he an angel from another realm come to spread joy to earthlings with music from his harp that he rendered with a rapturous smile? I still wonder!

Even today when I recall that incident my heart lights up with an instant surge of comforting energy, as I remember that dear old face and the joy he passed on to me with his smile and the music from his harp. I decided that I must listen to more harp music.

Back home in India I chanced to come across 2 CDs of Mystic Harp composed by J Donald Walters, a k a Swami Kriyanand one of the direct disciples of Shri Paramhansaa Yogananda. There is a great healing quality about this music. It uplifts my energy instantly. I particularly like his rendition of Emerald Isle, and its soul-stirring lyric, that speaks of the blessings of nature and holds a promise of hope, and reunion with the Maker. I play it when I feel low and instantly experience a change in my moods. There is something heavenly, healing and soothing about harp music or even in a stranger’s smile that can give you a fleeting experience of bliss, however ephemeral it may be! My fascination for the harp remains unchanged.

Look for angels. You are sure to find them. Many come to you in human garbs. Be sure to thank them silently in your heart. It makes them feel happy to know they count too!

Gratitude and the Laws of Attraction

When I was reading Neale Donald Walsch's book Conversations With God, I was impressed with what he said about being grateful. He says when we express our gratitude for something, we imply that we already have what we are expressing gratitude for and the very act of feeling grateful is powerful enough to attract more of the same to ourselves. It set me thinking about the poem I learnt as a child that went something like this:

Thank you God for the food we eat,
Thank you God for the world so sweet,
Thank you God for the birds that sing,
Thank you God for everything.

There is more to the poem than this, but this is just about how much I can recall! I can still recall my school days when we said this prayer. Later when I was just out of college I taught tiny tots for a brief spell. Chanting this short prayer with them was a daily routine. But what I enjoyed most about the exercise was watching them as they closed their eyes and joined their hands in prayer, with innocence and faith written all over their cherubic faces! It brought me immense joy and I always felt uplifted with the energy of their pure hearts. Many times during my life I have consciously or unconsciously repeated this poem to myself and thanked God, filling my heart with joy and peace, each time I did so, not realizing its immense power over my life. Now when I look back, I realize what I had unknowingly done: I had set the Laws of Attraction in motion through the act of thanking and augmented its power further with the feeling of very powerful positive emotions like joy and peace! Having now consciously understood how the laws of attraction actually work, it is easy to realize how they shaped my life, reaffirming the fact that we create our own reality.

The first principle of Reiki states: Just for today, I will live from the attitude of gratitude.
Living from gratitude suggests living from abundance, and that was what nature intended for us: abundance in all spheres of our lives. Just focusing on feeling good and thankful is magnetically powerful enough to attract greater abundance in life. Abundance not just in material terms but in other terms as well. Focusing on lack has the opposite effect. It takes you away from abundance to insufficiency and creates disharmony with universal laws. When you feel grateful, you act from a level deep within your core that speaks volumes of your self-esteem and worthiness to receive all that you have come to this physical plane to experience. You are firmly rooted in the belief that there is enough for everyone and that the Universe is well balanced and has innumerable gifts to offer to each one of us.

Even as I write this, I feel an overwhelming sense of gratitude for all that I have received in my life, from my parents, siblings, my partner and family, friends, relatives, my teachers, job, creature comforts, good health and what-have-you. The list is very long indeed! I also feel deeply grateful for the people who have come into my life and guided me in several ways consciously or subtly through their powerful positive vibrations, but surely playing a role in uplifting me towards something higher, towards something better and in some way helping me to fulfill my soul agenda in this life.

Another song I learnt in school went like this.

When upon life’s billows you are tempest tossed,
When you are discouraged thinking all is lost,
Count your many blessings every doubt will fly,
And you will keep singing as the days go by.

Counting your blessings is another way to bring in that feeling of gratitude and setting the laws of attraction in motion. It is impossible to feel anything but joy in your heart whilst counting your blessings. Positive feelings are positive energy that attract situations replete with abundance!

Feeling gratitude is a small act, but immensely powerful and spiritually empowering. Gratitude is a very powerful positive energy that can bring into your life other like-minded souls and this again can be very uplifting.

Let gratitude be the first thought you think each the morning and the last one before you retire each night. Soon you will begin to feel its immense power in your life.