___________is in the eye of the beholder.

Once upon a time a man whose ax was missing suspected his neighbor's son. The boy walked like a thief, looked like a thief and spoke like a thief. But the man found his ax while digging in the valley, and the next time he saw his neighbor's son, the boy walked, looked and spoke like any other child.

-- Lao-Tzu

Consistency.

There is an art which you can learn which will make all of your decisions easier. It is the art of being constant. Consistency wins. Consistency is one of the most important qualities of a devotee. It is only through consistency in your daily life that you gain the awareness which enables you to cognize the experiences of life, taking from them their real lessons. It is only through consistency that you can avoid many of the boulders that lie in your way on the classical yoga path to enlightenment. 

Practice the art of being constant and you will unfold your destiny, discover what you were born to do and learn how to accomplish it in this life. For in that security you will awaken and fulfill your destiny and realize the Self. Thus, having your feet planted firmly on the ground, your consciousness can dwell freely in the spirit born of Self Realization. 

Study your approach to life today as you practice this exercise. Take some of the experiences from your subconscious state of mind. Add them up and see how well your life balances out. Visualize a scale before you. Put the total of the experiences understood and the lessons derived from them on one side. Put on the other side of the scale the total number of experiences that you do not fully understand and from which you can still reap lessons. See how they balance. If they balance evenly, you are well on your way to becoming steadfast and constant. If they overbalance on the reactionary side, you are on the right track because you now have the power to balance your scale--your subconscious. If they overbalance on the understanding side, you should consider dedicating your life to the service of others. 

Sit quietly with your eyes closed. Look deep within and trace back to the peak experiences that have happened through your life from your earliest days. Quickly fan through the pages of your life and pinpoint each climax, and know that that climax was the sum total of many experiences, forming one great experience out of which one great lesson of life was born. 

Take the experiences that you are not quite sure of--all the ones that you cannot form into a solid stone of understanding. Take those experiences and resolve to trace down each intuitively. Don't analyze. Just look at the sum total of the experiences, and after awhile you will get your clarification in a flash of intuition. This will be of great benefit to you. The great lessons that those experiences offer will become apparent as you progress in your practice of concentration. Do this and you will do much for yourself. 
.

The Pursuit of Happyness.

Nowadays, it’s not enough to be happy—if you can be even happier. The American Dream and the pursuit of happiness have morphed from a quest for general contentment to the idea that you must be happy at all times and in every way.


Happiness as a byproduct of living your life is a great thing but happiness as a goal is a recipe for disaster.


Could it be that by protecting our kids from unhappiness as children, we’re depriving them of happiness as adults?Parental overinvestment is contributing to a burgeoning generational narcissism that’s hurting our kids. Paul Bohn, a psychiatrist at UCLA who came to speak at my clinic, says the answer may be yes. Based on what he sees in his practice, Bohn believes many parents will do anything to avoid having their kids experience even mild discomfort, anxiety, or disappointment—“anything less than pleasant,” as he puts it—with the result that when, as adults, they experience the normal frustrations of life, they think something must be terribly wrong.


Indicators of self-esteem have risen consistently since the 1980s among middle-school, high-school, and college students. But, she says, what starts off as healthy self-esteem can quickly morph into an inflated view of oneself—a self-absorption and sense of entitlement that looks a lot like narcissism. In fact, rates of narcissism among college students have increased right along with self-esteem.



Meanwhile, rates of anxiety and depression have also risen in tandem with self-esteem. Why is this? “Narcissists are happy when they’re younger, because they’re the center of the universe,” Twenge explains. “Their parents act like their servants, shuttling them to any activity they choose and catering to their every desire. Parents are constantly telling their children how special and talented they are. This gives them an inflated view of their specialness compared to other human beings. Instead of feeling good about themselves, they feel better than everyone else.”


In early adulthood, this becomes a big problem. “People who feel like they’re unusually special end up alienating those around them,” Twenge says. “They don’t know how to work on teams as well or deal with limits. They get into the workplace and expect to be stimulated all the time, because their worlds were so structured with activities. They don’t like being told by a boss that their work might need improvement, and they feel insecure if they don’t get a constant stream of praise. They grew up in a culture where everyone gets a trophy just for participating, which is ludicrous and makes no sense when you apply it to actual sports games or work performance. Who would watch an NBA game with no winners or losers? Should everyone get paid the same amount, or get promoted, when some people have superior performance? They grew up in a bubble, so they get out into the real world and they start to feel lost and helpless. Kids who always have problems solved for them believe that they don’t know how to solve problems. And they’re right—they don’t.”


Measures of self-esteem are poor predictors of how content a person will be, especially if the self-esteem comes from constant accommodation and praise rather than earned accomplishment. Research shows that much better predictors of life fulfillment and success are perseverance, resiliency, and reality-testing—qualities that people need so they can navigate the day-to-day.



Parents are increasingly getting in the way of their children’s development.  It’s good for them to realize that they aren’t the center of the world, that sometimes other people’s feelings matter more than theirs at a particular moment—but it only helps if they’re getting the same limit-setting at home. If not, they become impulsive, because they’re not thinking about anybody else. This same teacher—who asked not to be identified, for fear of losing her job—says she sees many parents who think they’re setting limits, when actually, they’re just being wishy-washy.




In fact, by trying so hard to provide the perfectly happy childhood, we’re just making it harder for our kids to actually grow up. Maybe we parents are the ones who have some growing up to do—and some letting go.


Highlights that interested me since I teach kids like this and I'm afraid of what will become of future generations.....from: http://www.theatlantic.com/magazine/archive/2011/07/how-to-land-your-kid-in-therapy/8555/4/

Quotes I adore.

You can spend minutes, hours, days, weeks, or even months over-analyzing a situation; trying to put the pieces together, justifying what could've, would've happened... or you can just leave the pieces on the floor and move the fuck on. - Tupac


Imperfection is beauty, madness is genius and it's better to be absolutely ridiculous than absolutely boring. - Marilyn Monroe


When we tire of well-worn ways, we seek for new. This restless craving in the souls of men spurs them to climb, and to seek the mountain view - Ella Wheeler Wilcox


When he has the power to see things detached from self-interest and from the insistent claims of the lust of the senses, then alone can he have the true vision of the beauty that is everywhere. Then only can he see that what is unpleasant to us is not necessarily unbeautiful, but has its beauty in truth.


Be patient toward all that is unsolved in your heart and try to love the questions themselves like locked rooms and like books that are written in a very foreign tongue. Live the questions now. Perhaps you will find them gradually, without noticing it, and live along some distant day into the answer - Rainer Maria Rilke


Until you make peace with who you are, you'll never be content with what you have.


I will not live in fear of falling or catching fire. I choose to inhabit my days, to allow my living to open me, to make me less afraid, more accessible, to loosen my heart until it becomes a wing, a torch, a promise.


Self-destruction is the effect of cowardice in the highest extreme - Daniel Defoe

To all the high enders out there....

Have you ever noticed that Rolls Royce and Bentley don’t have commercials? REASON: They know that the value of their product is what brings customers to them. LESSON: When you know your value, you don’t have to beg people to be your mate, to spend time with you or love you. Be confident in who GOD made you to be. Everyone can’t afford the luxury of your friendship or love!

In full looney-ness.

I heart me because....

- I have a secret obsession with reality t.v. shows involving Housewives, Bad Girls, Bachelors and Restaurants
- I take care of all my own bills
- I am smart! I have a Masters Degree; I like to use big words.
- I am QUIRKY; unconventional; unique.
- I enjoy learning about religions and spirituality. In fact, I think everyone would be MUCH happier if they worked on developing their souls.
- I think there is a God or at least some form of All-pervasive, Universal energy
- I love anything glittery.
- I think most people are way too materialistic and rely on too many external things for happiness
- I feel the most important thing to nourish is the mind and soul
- I think dieting is stupid and just leads to an unhealthy relationship with the body / food.
- I think the Figure / Body Building world is ridiculous and chock full of lies - the guys (and some women) are on juice and the women starve / use diuretics / dehydrate themselves to look like that.
- I don't just like to stare at you when I talk - I use my hands and look around because that's what spurns my thoughts.
- I LOVE art.
- I LOVE lifting weights and being muscular.
- I don't follow fashion trends.
- I ask a lot of questions.
- I have a huge heart but I'm not a door mat; i.e. if you are doing something that goes against my values or that I generally don't like I am not afraid to tell you to f*ck off.
- I always stick up for myself and if I don't like something, I leave.
- I know when to hold 'em and know when to fold 'em.
- I still have issues with food some days but I am working on it.
- I embrace my PMS. It doesn't give me a right to be a bitch, though. Ok, maybe a little bit.
- I get bored when I'm not working or working towards something.
- I'm not "afraid" to be alone or single.
- I truly believe someone out there will get me and love me for all my ME-ness someday!

“The first time someone shows you who they are, believe them." - Maya Angelou

If you are between the ages of 28-30 or 58-60...READ this. :)

It has often been said that under strong Saturn transits one can choose between exhaustion and depression---some choice! It implies that because Saturn is often about doing real work in the mundane world that exhaustion is the better choice--- hinting that "it's better to wear out than to rust out"as Mark Twain once said.  So folks who understand “just a little” astrology sometimes view the coming of a Saturn Return with raised eyebrows and deep sighs. But then a little knowledge is a dangerous thing.

Saturn brings to mind the two ancient Greek maxims, inscribed at the Temple at Delphi: “Know Thyself" and “Nothing in Excess.” One might think that by understanding and trying to live by these wise sayings one could avoid the great troubles in life. Perhaps they help; but still we seem to suffer. Our understanding of these words change as we age, but life often plays some nasty tricks on us in the meantime. Perhaps this is why we have Saturn transits—it’s a chance to get it right this time.


Saturn is the archetypal symbol for a way of being, or a process that slows us down and makes us take a cold hard look at reality. It can feel like the voice of the inner critic and in ancient times it was seen as “the old malefic” when its passage in the chart was viewed with some suspicion. It has roots in the idea of melancholy, timely delay, and redefining our lives from the very foundation. Despite any fatigue or depression, we are pressured to act at these Saturnian times, and ideally the action we must take will follow the insight and maturity that has been developing over time. For astrologers, it is a topic we are endlessly exploring with our clients.


However Saturn also represents the arrival of the harvest and our reward for hard work and effort. It brings a good harvest if we’re willing to wait. Its passage in a chart---especially at the time of the Saturn Returns-- marks a time when we have an opportunity for deep change and life-changing rewards. Not so bad!


There are two Saturn Returns that happen to everybody—the first is between the ages of twenty-eight and thirty, and the second, between the ages of fifty-eight and sixty. It’s necessary to consult the ephemeris or your astrologer to find the exact date for you, but the feeling of the Saturn Return saturates this whole time period. Astrologically speaking, the first Return is when we truly come into our adulthood, and the second is when we come into the wisdom of the Elder.

It’s true that our culture sees the age of twenty-one as the time of becoming an adult—but not for astrologers. For us it’s twenty-eight. And you may get your Social Security at sixty-five, but it’s at the second Saturn Return at around fifty-eight that your true personal and social security comes up for review. Saturn Returns can be times of rough passages-- or harvest--and they’re usually a bit of both.


The good news is that although Saturn’s transits in our lives may mark times of plain hard work and great self-questioning, it’s also a time when opportunities present themselves and the rewards can be great. Procrastination doesn't look like a good option any more. Perhaps our old lover is finally gone—and there’s someone on the horizon that looks really good—but will we make the same mistakes and bring our grief and anger with us into this fresh chance? Or  perhaps we’ve landed the new job, and now the work is profound--- and really hard. Or we’ve become pregnant, and we’re not feeling too great. The astrologer will say—hang in there, and do what needs to be done. Do your Saturn.


That’s the feeling of a Saturn transit, and especially the first Saturn Return, but look what’s coming! If you follow through with your vision, you’ve taken the first steps towards a true new beginning. The first Saturn Return, in the late twenties, is often marked by these kinds of personal milestones. The navigational tools are twofold: you must take a chance now, and you must give it all you can.  If you are willing, you will be rewarded.


Saturn often asks us “Whose movie am I in?” and then challenges us to be the director and author. Wouldn’t it be so much easier if we could just read our lines in the screenplay and have the ghost of “Christmas Future” come to us to show us the way? Instead, we are called to become our own “author-ity”---to truly become the author of our life.

We are being asked now to re-write our personal life scripts with our own spiritual muscle. Not always so easy, especially when our life drama is full of people and situations that no longer reflect who we really are and what we are becoming. The human unconscious has ways of conjuring up people, events, and situations that challenge us to the bone.  It’s almost as if the unconscious hires other people to play out parts of our life stories—this one is the boss, this one the victim, this one the unfaithful lover. At Saturnian junctures in your life you’ve probably “had it” with some of these people/roles and it’s time to write them out of your life script.  We are now challenged to take back our projections and to look at the drama of our life as our responsibility.  It’s too late to blame anyone anymore.

The Second Saturn Return, in the late fifties, is a time that calls for concrete actions in the real world, but it can be more subtle and sometimes more insidious. If we don’t do what needs to be done now, we may not be given a second chance.  If we put off our yearly physical exam and don’t stop the spread of some nasty growth, it may be too late later.  If we take a stiff upper lip and deny the fact that “the job is killing me, but I must wait till retirement age,” it may indeed kill you. 


As the body ages, depression and fatigue inevitably arise, yet as the body becomes less an object of vanity it’s a chance for the Spirit to rise.  This is the time when we may feel an uprising of irritability as a few old habits have the chance to rear their nasty heads again. This is the time to cut them off—to be done once and for all with them.  You may ask yourself: why am I dealing with these same issues again?  The answer is---because you’ve almost resolved them! And the last straw can be the hardest.  The hallmark of the second Saturn Return is that if you deal maturely with the old pockets of unfinished business you gain the gift that will last till the end—the gift of wisdom. You become an Elder.

And how do you do that? Priorities need to be clearer, and metaphorical closets and basements cleaned.  There is a need to look at what we feel disillusioned about and let the illusions go, lest these old ghosts feed on us and make us bitter. It’s a time to slow down and allow more sweetness and companionship into our lives, and to let the wild dogs of ambitious willfulness fight elsewhere. And if we’re going to be ambitious, we could do it in a way in which we can bring the fruits of our life experiences to bear on the project—such as returning to something we already do well but doing it even better, and with an attitude of reverence. Isn’t this the beginning of wisdom?  And as we acquire that, we will be called to ‘mentor’—to pass along the gifts of our learning.

So what are the tools needed to successfully navigate Saturnian waters?  Here are a few ideas:

            1—Be Discerning. You are at a time now when you understand things you didn’t understand even last year. Use your new wisdom to make wise choices based on clarity of intention. Dream into your future and discern the path through the woods. Here is where the quotes: “Know thyself” and “Nothing in Excess” become relevant. At these ages there is a necessity to pull back from the excesses of your younger years and to know what you can and cannot do.

            2—Take Heart. Find ways to reach out to others and be humble enough to ask for advice. If your marriage is in trouble, ask yourself the question: Is the relationship the true source of dissatisfaction, or is it the repository of your own misery? How much are you projecting your insecurities onto your partner, and not taking responsibility or even listening ‘with heart’?

                        3—Go Deeper. Superficial all or nothing solutions are a quick fix and Saturn doesn’t like quick fixes. Stretch beyond your comfort zones to new places of thought and action. As was said so many years ago: “Dig deep; the water—goodness—is down there. And as long as you keep digging it will keep bubbling up.” - Marcus Antoninis

             4--Take Action. Saturn rewards those that act and depresses those who procrastinate. In ancient texts, Saturn was sometimes seen as a devil who made a hand signal that said: “All that you see, is all there is.” That’s the devil’s lie.  Prove him wrong.

So Saturn can be seen as the spirit of Father Time, passing through our lives at these transits and “Returns” in the way Scrooge experienced his encounter with the Spirits of the past, present, and future.  The purpose of these visits wasn’t to give Scrooge a bad case of nerves, but to give him a second chance at life.  He saw himself differently; he grieved, he tried denying and avoiding, but ultimately he acted, and propelled himself—just in time—for his new life. 

North node in Cancer

In our astrology natal charts, everyone has a certain sign in the North and South Nodes. They both represent karmic paths - the South Node being the things we bring to fruition in this life and the South Node reflects the things we need to work on based on our past lives.


So here is my Soul Purpose; the elements I must learn to use: In this life it’s important for you to heal from duty and necessity—you may need to cry a few tears to unblock your emotions and express your true feelings. You may also want to make it a priority to give and receive love, and to watch what happens when you tend to the process of life rather than the goal. Dare to risk new beginnings that lead to metaphorical death, re-birth and resurrection, taking calculated risks. Use your sense of humor to repair, entertain, and mend bridges between family and friends.

Everyone's a star and deserves the right to twinkle.

The goal of life - In today's world most people have to be stimulated by competition to produce anything worthwhile, even if that means hurting other people. They have to be stimulated by conflict to produce anything worthy of producing in the world, and that hurts other people. They have to be stimulated by their home's breaking up, and that hurts other people. And they have to be stimulated by all kinds of other lower emotions to be able to get enough energy to move the forces of the world to do something, whether it be good or bad. Those who draw on the forces of the soul to move the forces of the world and make a difference. 



We are not on this planet to become educated, to get things, to make money, to dress up the physical body, to acquire property, to feed ourselves. We are on this planet for the realization of the Self, for that one thing, to go within ourselves. That is why we have come to this planet, and we will keep coming back through the process of reincarnation, time and time and time again, until that awareness grows up into a great big ball, where it is strong enough to move through the rarefied areas of the mind and finally, we are just there. Once we have the idea and have caught the vibration and have released awareness from that which it is aware of, we are on our way in our inner search for the ultimate goal, inwardly.








Trying to help others on the spiritual journey - But do not try to fix, or even entertain the desire to fix, that which you cannot fix, which is the karma, the action and reaction, of individuals who are going through the lower phases of life and must experience what they are experiencing and which you read about and hear about daily in newspapers, on TV and on the Internet.

Be mindful.

Mind is the Master power that moulds and makes,

And Man is Mind, and evermore he takes

The tool of Thought, and, shaping what he wills,

Brings forth a thousand joys, a thousand ills.

He thinks in secret, and it comes to pass -

Environment is but his looking-glass.

- James Allen

Only by much searching and mining, are gold and diamonds obtained, and man can find every truth connected with his being, if he will dig deep into the mine of his soul; and that he is the maker of his character, the moulder of his life, and the builder of his destiny, he may unerringly prove, if he will watch, control, and alter his thoughts, tracing their effects upon himself, upon others, and upon his life and circumstances, linking cause and effect by patient practice and investigation, and utilizing his every experience, even to the most trivial, everyday occurrence, as a means of obtaining that knowledge of himself which is Understanding, Wisdom, Power.



A man only begins to be a man when he ceases to whine and revile, and commences to search for the hidden justice which regulates his life. And as he adapts his mind to that regulating factor, he ceases to accuse others as the cause of his condition, and builds himself up in strong and noble thoughts; ceases to kick against
circumstances, but begins to use them as aids to his more rapid progress, and as a means of discovering the hidden powers and possibilities within himself.



Humanity surges with uncontrolled passion, is tumultuous with ungoverned grief, is blown about by anxiety and doubt. Only the wise man, only he whose thoughts are controlled and purified, makes the
winds and the storms of the soul obey him.

Tempest-tossed souls, wherever ye may be, under whatsoever conditions ye may live, know this in the ocean of life the isles of Blessedness are smiling, and the sunny shore of your ideal awaits your coming. Keep your hand firmly upon the helm of thought. In the bark of your soul reclines the commanding Master; He does but sleep:b wake Him. Self-control is strength; Right Thought is mastery; Calmness is power. Say unto your heart, "Peace, be still!"

Up in flames.

The parallel between life and (Hatha) Bikram yoga is astonishing. I guess I shouldn't be surprised since yoga can be described as the process one takes to accomplish a goal. Striving towards control of the mind - through the realms of the body - in hopes of reacting to the world from a more peaceful place. This is my goal. I had a particularly intense session the other day. I don't know if the temperature was higher than normal or it was overly crowded in the studio...but it was physically intense and seemingly extra hot. It's amazing to me how this experience directly reflects the difficulties we encounter in life. The floor postures during the second-half of the class always take the most stamina and willpower. Laying in Savasyna (the resting position in between each posture), I literally felt like my entire body was in flames; it wasn't painful but it was uncomfortable. My mind (the Ego part of it) kept screaming for me to get up and leave...to find an end to the discomfort. I think this bodily burning sensation, caused by the intensity of the poses, represent life's troubles, anxieties, issues and our emotional reactions to such difficulties. Our first instinct (driven by the Ego) is usually to hide or eliminate those negative feelings whether through avoidance, repression or addiction. Within the realm of doing yoga, you have the stillness and quiet to overcome those ego-driven feelings through breathing and positive energy. When I feel taxed, as in I want to run out of the studio, I allow my Higher Mind to take over. For me, the Higher Mind, or Inner Self, or whatever you want to call it, is the most authentic part of who I am. It's the inner spirit and soul, the deepest realm of being. Maybe you can call it Intuition but it's the part of you that speaks the truth. I embrace the heat, the exhaustion, the burning sensation and use the energy of breathing to maintain control and continue the practice. I repeat positive affirmations to myself and try to embrace my body in a blanket of stillness and awareness. This is the way we can all deal with those pesky situations that will happen in our lives. I think you have to embrace the troubles that happen to you, feel the emotions that may evolve but rely on the strength of your Inner Spirit to control your rapid-fire egotistical actions. This way, you can face the issues head on and overcome them with an attitude of calmness and confidence.

Being undaunted by troubles.

Laugh when troubles come your way. 

Nothing conquers calamity better than that.

A tide of troubles will recede the moment 

an intelligent man's mind collects itself to face them.

Trouble itself they send away troubled 

who do not trouble themselves at the sight of it.

Troubles will feel troubled facing a man who faces them 

like the determined bullock that wades through every difficulty.

Though massed upon him like a mountain, 

a man's afflictions will be crushed by his undaunted will.

Those who do not clutch their wealth, boasting, "I have so much," 

will not, in poorer times, bemoan, "I have so little."

Knowing this body to be the prey of misery, 

high souls, expecting troubles, do not find them troublesome.

Declaring difficulties to be perfectly natural, 

those who do not pursue life's pleasures will not suffer its sorrows.

He who does not long for joy in joy 

will not suffer sorrow in sorrow.

The man who does not distinguish pain from pleasure 

becomes so distinguished that even enemies hope to pay homage. 

Meditation.

"Though the dance of creation will ever change around me in the hall of eternity, I shall be the same."

After one has finished a powerful meditation--and to meditate for even ten to fifteen minutes takes as much energy as one would use in running one mile--it fills and thrills one with an abundance of energy to be used creatively in the external world during the activities of daily life. After the meditation is over, work to refine every attribute of the external nature. Learn to give and to give freely without looking for a thank-you or a reward. Learn to work for work's sake, joyfully, for all work is good. Find the "thank-yous" from deep within yourself. Learn to be happy by seeking happiness, not from others, but from the depths of the mind that is happiness itself. 

And when in daily life, observe the play of the forces between people and people, and people and their things. When it is flowing nicely between people, it is called harmony. But when the odic force congests itself between people and tugs and pulls and causes unhappiness, it is called contention. And then when the odic force congests within oneself, we become aware of unhappy, fretful, disturbed states of the mind. The odic force then is called turbulence. It's the same force. The meditator learns to work with the odic forces of the world. He avoids shying away from them. The out-there and the within are his playground. 

The finest times to meditate are before dawn, at noon, sunset and midnight. All four of these times could be used, or choose one. The meditation should be from fifteen minutes to one-half hour to begin with. What to meditate on? The transmutation of the odic forces back to their source, the actinic force. Through perfect posture, asana, we transmute the physical forces and the emotional forces. Through the control of the breath, pranayama, we transmute the intellectual forces and move awareness out of the area of the mind that is always thinking--the great dream. 

Then we become vibrant and confident in ourselves, feeling the power of our spine through which the actinic forces flow out through the nerve system. We learn to lean on our own spine more than on any other person, teacher, book, organization or system. Answers begin to become real and vibrant, hooked onto the end of each question. And these and many more are the dynamic rewards of the sincere aspirant who searches within through meditation. 








When you first begin your daily sadhana, it is likely to begin in an awkward way, and you may come to know yourself in a way that you don't want to know yourself. Don't be discouraged when the mind runs wild as you sit quietly and are unable to control it. Don't be discouraged if you find that you are unable to even choose a time to sit quietly for one half hour on a regular daily basis. If you persist, soon all this will be overcome and a firmness of mind will be felt, for it is through the regular practice of sadhana that the mind becomes firm and the intellect pure. It is through the regular practice of concentration that awareness detaches itself from the external mind and hovers within, internalizing the knowledge of the physical body, the breath and the emotions. Concentration of the forces of the body, mind and emotions brings us automatically into meditation, dhyana, and into deeper internalized awareness. 

The spiritual practice should be reasonable, should not take up too much time, and should be done at the same time every day. Often seekers who become associated with Hindu sadhana go to extremes and proceed with great vigor in an effort to attain results immediately. Sitting two or three hours a day, they wear themselves out and then stop. Here's a formula for beginners: Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, Friday, twenty minutes to a half an hour of sadhana at the same time every day; Saturday and Sunday, no sadhana. 

The keys are moderation and consistency. Consistency is the key to the conquest of karma. If you go to extremes or are sporadic in your sadhana, you can easily slide backwards. What happens when you slide backwards? You become fearful, you become angry, you become jealous, you become confused. What happens when you move forward? You become brave, you become calm, you become self-confident and your mind is clear. 

It is often feared that meditation and religious devotion cause a withdrawal from the world. The practice of sadhana I have described does not detach you from or make you indifferent to the world. Rather, it brings up a strength within you, a shakti, enabling you to move the forces of the world in a positive way. What is meant by "moving the forces of the world"? That means fulfilling realistic goals that you set for yourself. That means performing your job as an employer or as an employee in the most excellent way possible. That means stretching your mind and emotions and endurance to the limit and therefore getting stronger and stronger day by day. You are involved in the world, and the world is in a technological age. 

The sadhana that you perform will make your mind steady and your will strong so that you can move the forces of the physical world with love and understanding, rather than through anger, hatred, antagonism, cunning, jealousy and greed. Daily sadhana performed in the right way will help you overcome these instinctive barriers to peace of mind and the fullness of being. 

Through daily sadhana we shall come to know the body, we shall come to know the emotions, we shall come to know the nerve system, we shall come to know the breath and we shall come to know the mind in its totality. Each one of you will soon be able to mentally pick up all of the dross of your subconscious, throw it within, into the great cavity of inner knowing at the feet of the Gods, there to be absorbed, dissolved and disappear. All this and more can be unfolded from within each one of you through your daily practice of sadhana.  

My new thematic concept.

I'm just tired of writing about relationships. My intention before wasn't so much to focus on that of "romantic" relationships but any type of connecting relationship - to one's self, friends, world, family. It makes sense why male/female relationships permeated my writing  - my adventures as a single woman fueled a somewhat obsessive yearning for knowledge and over-analysis. I'm over it now. In fact, I can sum up the most important things to know about dating and romanticalness:


1. Anyone who wants you to be a part of their life will make an EFFORT for you to be.


2. Seeing that you don't have any major personality issues or psychiatric disorders, if he's not doing the simple things to show he's genuinely interested in you (and this counts for relationships TOO) - like asking you out, calling you at a decent hour or wanting to know the real YOU - he's not interested. Move on. Plain and simple. No need to analyze or excuse his lack of behavior.


3.  No one will fill the void of missing self-love and acceptance except for you.


I've always thought life had a bigger meaning than all the little worries that we weave into our everyday lives. When I hurt my knee, I indeed had an epiphany - there's something bigger and more soul-satisfying out there. I wanted to use some of my passion towards a more enlightening and peaceful realm of study; a search for the  innate questions and ideas that most people overlook on the quest towards materialism and glory. So I've decided to ramp up my long-held curiosity about the many facets of spirituality with the intent to question, reflect and share not only my ideas but those I come across by others through happenstance. It's amazing what you can find when you just throw your questions into the world. :) Developing the mind and soul is an aspect of health overlooked by the majority of people, or at least, not deeply practiced. I truly feel that by "working out" these inner facets, all other facets of my physical self will not only improve but find balance and happiness.


There is deep wisdom within our very flesh, if we can only come to our senses and feel it.  ~Elizabeth A. Behnke

What is Yoga? from HinduStudents on Vimeo.

An Industrious Mind is a man's real wealth.

Possessing belongs only to the industrious. Do those 

who lack such energy really possess their possessions?

Those who own a mental energy possess a thing of worth. 

Material wealth is an unenduring possession that goes away.

Those who possess persevering industry 

will never say in despair, "We have lost our wealth."

Good fortune of its own accord ferrets out and 

finds the man of unflagging energy.

The length of the lotus stalk depends on the water's depth. 

Even so, a man's greatness is proportionate to his mind's energy.

Let all thoughts be thoughts of noble progress, 

for then even failing cannot be called a failure.

Elephants stand firm even when wounded by a barrage of arrows. 

Strong-willed men are not discouraged when they meet disaster.

Without a zealous spirit, one will never enjoy 

the proud exhilaration of the world's generosity.

The towering elephant, with his tapering tusks, 

still shrinks in fear when a fierce tiger attacks.

An industrious mind is a man's real wealth. 

Lacking it, he is immobile--more tree-like than human.

Real love dual style.

"You may not be her first, her last, or her only. She loved before she may love again. But if she loves you now, what else matters? She's not perfect - you aren't either, and the two of you may never be perfect together but if she can make you laugh, cause you to think twice, and admit to being human and making mistakes, hold onto her and give her the most you can. She may not be thinking about you every second of the day, but she will give you a part of her that she knows you can break - her heart. So don't hurt her, don't change her, don't analyze and don't expect more than she can give. Smile when she makes you happy, let her know when she makes you mad, and miss her when she's not there."

"He’s not perfect. You aren’t either, and the two of you will never be perfect. But if he can make you laugh at least once, causes you to think twice, and if he admits to being human and making mistakes, hold onto him and give him the most you can. He isn’t going to quote poetry, he’s not thinking about you every moment, but he will give you a part of him that he knows you could break. Don’t hurt him, don’t change him, and don’t expect for more than he can give. Don’t analyze. Smile when he makes you happy, yell when he makes you mad, and miss him when he’s not there. Love hard when there is love to be had. Because perfect guys don’t exist, but there’s always one guy that is perfect for you." 



- Bob Marley

One love, one life.

"Only once in your life, I truly believe, you find someone who can completely turn your world around. You tell them things that you’ve never shared with another soul and they absorb everything you say and actually want to hear more. You share hopes for the future, dreams that will never come true, goals that were never achieved and the many disappointments life has thrown at you. When something wonderful happens, you can’t wait to tell them about it, knowing they will share in your excitement. They are not embarrassed to cry with you when you are hurting or laugh with you when you make a fool of yourself. Never do they hurt your feelings or make you feel like you are not good enough, but rather they build you up and show you the things about yourself that make you special and even beautiful. There is never any pressure, jealousy or competition but only a quiet calmness when they are around. You can be yourself and not worry about what they will think of you because they love you for who you are. The things that seem insignificant to most people such as a note, song or walk become invaluable treasures kept safe in your heart to cherish forever. Memories of your childhood come back and are so clear and vivid it’s like being young again. Colours seem brighter and more brilliant. Laughter seems part of daily life where before it was infrequent or didn’t exist at all. A phone call or two during the day helps to get you through a long day’s work and always brings a smile to your face. In their presence, there’s no need for continuous conversation, but you find you’re quite content in just having them nearby. Things that never interested you before become fascinating because you know they are important to this person who is so special to you. You think of this person on every occasion and in everything you do. Simple things bring them to mind like a pale blue sky, gentle wind or even a storm cloud on the horizon. You open your heart knowing that there’s a chance it may be broken one day and in opening your heart, you experience a love and joy that you never dreamed possible. You find that being vulnerable is the only way to allow your heart to feel true pleasure that’s so real it scares you. You find strength in knowing you have a true friend and possibly a soul mate who will remain loyal to the end. Life seems completely different, exciting and worthwhile. Your only hope and security is in knowing that they are a part of your life." 


— Bob Marley

The energies of the earth right now.

What does it all mean!!! It means that all that sludge, mud at the bottom of your soul is being dug up for you to look at clearly. Relationships are falling apart left and right if the vibrational frequencies are not in vibe. Old things, people, are coming back into our conscious mind for us to look at and do something about. The energies of the eclipses are stirring everything up. DO NOT IGNORE!!

Your stuff is coming right into your face so you can do something about it. So get on it and clear them up. Cut unhealthy cords, let go of limited beliefs and paradigms, activate your higher self. The planet is giving you incredible opportunities to see the roles you have been playing of lack and limitation so you can do something about it.

This is a unprecedented time from a spiritual standpoint. You have the opportunity to drop the ultimate illusion. The illusion that we are separate. That you are not supported by the universe. That you are your story.

Who would you be without your story? Please meditate on that for the next few days... Use the energies of
change, shifting, growth to step into being all that you truly are.