We are having the privilege of witnessing history today through the power of peaceful social transformation as group consciousness rises in need of social change conducive to facilitate the exploration of inner potential, a renewed sense of individual and group balance, an expansion of individual responsibility and commitment, and the opportunity for more fulfilling lives in pursuit of ideals.

     Mahatma Gandhi’s Prayer for Peace comes to mind in the context of recent social events, “I offer you peace.  I offer you love.  I offer you friendship.  I see your beauty.   I hear your need.  I feel your feelings.  My wisdom flows from the Highest Source.  I salute that Source in you.  Let us work together for unity and love.”

     Sometimes during my morning reflections I like to spend time in joyful silence, simply connecting with the source of universal energy, experiencing the bounty that is our gift to receive.  Bountiful opportunities for alignment, a renewed sense of commitment, opening up for deeper understanding, new vistas in social responsibility, a refreshed vision of mission ahead…  in such moments, connectedness manifests as the sun rises…

In the stillness of Meditation LOVE, PEACE and HOPE arise.
Be still and know that love, peace and hope are here!
Be still and know hope, peace and love…
Be still and know…
Be still…
Be….
Peace.   Peace.   Peace.

     Swami Muktananda (1908-1982) was the founder of Siddha Yoga, a spiritual path of discipline, of mastering the mind and senses through teachings and practices.  He wrote a number of books on the subjects of Kundalini Shakti, Vedanta, and Kashmir Shaivism, including an autobiography entitled The Play of Consciousness.  Baba Muktananda comes frequently in my monthly conversations with a dear friend in Delaware, USA, given her deep appreciation of his spiritual contribution.  Recently, my friend showed me Baba’s photograph, proudly placed in a special corner of her living room.  This photo displayed a sentence reflecting one of the Swami’s core beliefs about the power of love:

“Worship love….  Let your acts be full of love….
Love is the mighty nuclear energy that transforms a human being.”

     Today I am reflecting on the meaning of manifesting our most cherished ideals throughout life as we strive toward intentional living.

     For many of us, this is a lifetime process filled with great moments of accomplishment, times of challenge to clarify our mission and still other dreams to be fulfilled in time.  What a fascinating process this can potentially be!  I would invite you to ponder on your own, personal commitments in this area.

     What do you see happening in the future?  Ideals have the power to create energy to direct our efforts to attain ever-higher goals.

     I would like to share with you some of my own commitments as we speak:  I align my life with my deepest understanding and act out of my highest realization.  Living up to my ideals, I find opportunities to manifest them in the realm of everyday.  I acknowledge that by having an experience of oneness with one being I can know it with the world.  This day I saturate myself in the ideals of a group I admire in a joyous outreach to a broader vision.

     Ah!  I am now inspired to continue working in this direction.

     Let me know your ideas in this regard as you wish!

     A dear friend from Lancaster, Pennsylvania in the USA, my hometown, shared an interesting depiction of the meaning of Peace and here it is for you!

“There once was a King who offered a prize to the artist who would create the best painting of peace.  Many artists tried.  The King looked at all the works, but there were only two he really liked and he had to choose between them.  One was of a calm lake.  The lake was a perfect mirror, for peaceful towering mountains were all around it.  Overhead was a blue sky with fluffy white clouds.  All who saw this painting thought that it was a perfect picture of peace.  The other had mountains too, but they were rugged and bare.  Above was an angry sky from which rain fell and in which lightening played.  Down the side of the mountain tumbled a foaming waterfall.  This did not seem peaceful at all.  But when the King looked closer, he saw behind the waterfall a tiny bush growing in a crack in the rock.  In the bush a mother bird had built her nest.  There, in the midst of the rush of angry water, sat the mother bird on her nest … perfect peace.

Which painting do you think won the prize?  The King chose the second.  Do you know why?

“Because,” explained the King, “peace does not mean to be in a place where there is no noise, trouble, or hard work.  Peace means to be in the midst of all these things and still be calm in your heart.  That is the real meaning of peace.”

- Author Unknown

     Every once in a while I like to publish another of the poems written by a friend who made his transition a few years ago.  On this occasion, I am joyful to share with you another of his artistic expressions, now highlighting inner communion, in peace and unity.

In Touch

Silence, a communion with God
And those who share it.
In contemplation, peace flows,
Essence of the divine.
In fellowship, the practice
of brotherhood,
In the unity that is the All.

Jonas Mather
Pennsylvania U.S.A.

     Have you read the book, “The Tao of Inner Peace” by Diane Dreher?  This book has had a special place in my personal library for many years and today I would invite you to consider some of Dianne’s reflections on the pursuit of the inner way and meaningful conversations.

     Returning to center requires discipline, she says.  To simplify conversations this week, consider:

• Am I communicating honestly?  Do I mean what I say?
• Do I listen to others aware of their body language as well as their words?
• Can I be present with someone without talking constantly?
• Do I respect the importance of silence in my life and in interactions with others?

     And from my experience, I would like to add:

• Do I look directly into the eyes of those I talk with?
• Am I receptive to the points of view of others even when they differ from mine?
• Do I make an effort to enter into their own perspective?
• Can I enter the experience with the whole of myself, with full concentration?

     I would enjoy knowing your reflections on this topic!

     Through my review of Sabian materials today, I find of personal relevance the following sentence: “The sensible man utilizes the interweaving of the potentialities of his inner ideals and his outer situation, each for the other.”

Marc Edmund Jones

Founder of the Sabian Assembly

www.sabian.org

     During one of my recent trips, my husband and I spontaneously decided to attend a talk by Karen Armstrong at the Hall of Philosophy, erected in 1900, located on the grounds of the Chautauqua Institution in the southwest corner of New York State, USA.

     Karen Armstrong is an original thinker on the role of religion in the modern world.  She is a former Roman Catholic nun who left a British convent to pursue a degree in modern literature at Oxford.  She has written more than 20 books about the common threads in Islam, Judaism and Christianity and shares her perspective about their effect on world events.  Karen founded the Charter for Compassion, a cooperative effort to restore compassionate thinking and compassionate action to the center of religious, moral and political life.

     The Charter for Compassion includes: “The principle of compassion lies at the heart of all religious, ethical and spiritual traditions, calling us always to treat all others as we wish to be treated ourselves.  Compassion impels us to work tirelessly to alleviate the suffering of our fellow creatures, to dethrone ourselves from the centre of our world and put another there, and to honor the inviolable sanctity of every single human being, treating everybody, without exception, with absolute justice, equity and respect.”

     Karen Armstrong’s talk at the Chautauqua Institution was: “Empowering the Future: An exploration of the World’s Religions – The Mystery of Compassion” and I was deeply touched by the intensity of her belief system:

• “Make a place for the other in your mind and your heart.”
• “You must accept death as part of life.”
• “Build a world society that embraces all religions, living in peace and harmony.”
• “Feel compassion for yourself – love your neighbor as yourself.  Then understand everyone feels the same compassion for themselves.  As you do so, you become concerned for everyone, embracing everyone.”
• “Reach out to each other to learn to live with each other!”

     Karen closed her presentation by saying, “Shalom!” – which for the Jews means Peace, Wholeness and Completion.