Thank You For The Light

photo taken during 2007 in the foyer of the Leela Palace Hotel, Bangalore.

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Marvin Barrett writes ‘Death is the experience of the light. Prayer is the rehearsal for death.’ I like that. It turns things around to a way of thinking that is not usual. I like unusual  ideas. They have me thinking more deeply about the meaning of life, light and prayer.

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Short excerpt from Marvin Barrett’s article ‘Beyond The Curtain’.

“I have had several experiences of the light in my relatively long lifetime. At first, at age five, followed by an accident I had while playing in the snow. I don’t quite remember what happened, but I fractured my skull and was, for a while, given up for dead. When I regained consciousness, there was, directly above me, a circle of heads and beyond them, the light. The doctors stayed by my side, busy, concerned, drawing me in their various ways, back to life. The light faded but not the memory of it.

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The next occasion was in early twenties when, as a young naval officer, I experienced a religious conversion and was instantly blinded by a light that was inexplicable, consuming, thus confirming the convictions that were falling into place. Again, it flashed out, but it’s sustaining memory was indelible.

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My last experience with the light, and I expect my penultimate experience of the light, was, as with my first, part of my losing consciousness. That time, as before in my child-hood experience, associated clearly with the proximity of death and for that reason, strangely life-enhancing, illuminating a view of the ever-present future which has lasted me for, so far,  two decades..

…Meanwhile, I refresh the memory and preserve the reality of the light by prayer. ”

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ANTHEM OF LIGHT 

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O Light Invisible, we praise Thee!

Too bright for mortal vision.

O Greater Light, we praise Thee for the less;

The eastern light our spires touch at morning,

The light that slants upon our western doors at evening,

The twilight over stagnant pools at batflight,

Moon light and star light, owl and moth light,

Glow-worm glowlight on a grassblade.

O Light Invisible, we worship Thee!

~ T S Eliot, ‘Choruses From The Rock’

Magic Mirror – Sri Yogananda During His Last Days

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When I look at photos of Sri Yogananda during his last days on Earth, I do not see a weak older man. Indeed not!  I see only a serenely beautiful  being who has  lost all attachments to earthly life.. His expression in this photo is one of  utmost peace and bliss. His  half open eyes appear to be gazing at something  supremely wonderful and  beyond us. Perhaps he is gazing upon the realm that is calling him home to the highest light.  Here  is one of his gems on genius. 

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What good will it be for someone to gain the whole world, yet forfeit their soul? Or what can anyone give in exchange for their soul? Matt. 16 -Chapter 26.

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“The twin aspects of genius, the passive and the active, are possessed by the fully realized artist; they also form the necessary equipment of the Adept. Yet in very few people are these twin aspects manifested. Nearly everyone has a capacity for the passive aspect, which involves some sort of appreciation of aesthetic values. There are few people totally unresponsive to the beauties of nature, and none at all that is not responsive to its ferocious manifestations. Fewer are able to respond profoundly to the beauty of natural phenomena, and fewer still to so-called works of art. It takes a degree of genius to respond to such manifestations the whole time. Artists in this category are among the saints, some of whom thrilled with rapture at the constant awareness of the total unity, harmony, and beauty of things.

Such were Boehme, Ramakrishna, etc. Some yogis are immersed in an unsullied and vibrant bliss derived from the incessant contemplation of this ‘world-bewitching maya’4-the breath-taking wonder of the great and glamorous illusion which surrounds us.

On the other side of the fence, on the side of active or creative genius, there are yet fewer. Active or creative genius means nothing less than the ability to translate the wonder or the terror of the great lfla (the great play of life) in terms of visual, tactile, audible, olfactory, or some other sensual presentation of phenomena.

But there is a third aspect of genius which is yet more rare. It is the ability to open the door of the theatre and admit the influences from outside, from the swarming gulfs beyond the grasp of the mind, and accessible only to the magical entity whose fantastic feelers can snare the most fugitive impulses as they flash through the holes in space, the kinks in time, to be reflected in the magic mirror of the artist’s mind.”

― Kenneth Grant, Outside The Circles Of Time

Unshakeable Love – Love And Friendship

I just happened upon this beautiful ‘writing’  from the late Bob Marley.  How true are his words and, yes with love, everything is brighter and more joyful. We are filled up with that one person who makes our heart flutter. We want to give them our all -in-all. Yet, so few of us will take the chance to love. Oftentimes, we do  the opposite and shy away from love. Perhaps to avoid the pain if our love goes wrong. But love is always a chance……Although Divine love is never a chance. It is the goal.

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Friendship is the expression

of unshakeable love ~ Baba

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“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

photograph from  window box looking on to my garden.

“All Is Within Me” – More Sathya Sai Memories

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Namasteji♥ ॐ♥Pranamji♥ ॐ♥Namaskarji

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Swami once told the following Wonderful Story : ” Lord Krishna always wanted to be left alone for an hour after the war was over for the day, Nobody knew what Sri Krishna was doing at that time. Once Dharmaja by mistake went into Sri krishna’s tent during that time and to his Horror saw huge amount of blood pouring from Sri Krishna’s palm, Yudhistira was stunned, he was shocked beyond Belief, he asked in  a shocked tone  to what had happened. Sri Krishna smiled and said “Oh;Dharmaja, every arrow which is Fired at my chariot at my Horses and at Arjuna are absorbed by me”

story source: Anantha Vijaya

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Swami Speaks About Animals – More Sathya Sai Memories

˜”*ƸӜƷ˜°•.¸εvεℓiηą¸.•°˜ƸӜƷ*”˜

 

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I remember way back in 1994 when Baba called us all into the small hall in Brindavan, Whitefield,  for a talk. Among the topics discussed that afternoon was the importance of animals. He told us not to eat meat because by eating meat we do the same harm as the butcher who wields the knife to kill. He also talked that afternoon about marriage. “Don’t become a centipede” he said.  “Remember you have two legs, when you marry you gain another two legs, now you have  four legs. Every time you have a child, another two legs are added to you. Then before you know it, you have become a centipede.” –  Now this sweet story. ~ Enjoy:

 

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“Once in Trayee Brindavan after Morning Darshan had got over and Swami had called a group of devotees for an interview. As Swami was walking towards the interview room, He noticed that a large group of ants had formed a long line and were in the process of picking up the remains of a dead moth. What Swami did after that was absolutely stunning ! He lifted His robe and jumped over the long line of ants! Then beckoning the devotees to come, He stood near the line of ants and was requesting all the devotees to jump over too! Once the devotees had gone in, He beckoned the students and said, “Papam let these ants finish their work, don’t disturb them!”.

For the creator of the universe, the entire universe is His own. He taught us that day that one should expand to encompass each and every sentient and insentient thing into one’s orbit. Others’ pain becomes my own. Others’ joy becomes my own. Therefore how can I hurt anyone? …..Expansion is My life!”

Sai Ram

Story from A. Anantha Vijaya

The squirrell appears to be praying but he is probably eating. This photo was taken last week in a U.K. garden centre…

The Sweeper – Oneness – Insprirational Quotations

Namaste♥ ॐ♥Pranam♥ ॐ♥Namaska

♥♥♥beautiful reflections♥♥♥

“From heart to heart the secret of divine love is silently told.
Words, so easily bring confusion and misunderstanding, belong to
duality and are easily caught in the complexities of the mind. The
light within the heart communicates directly from essence to essence.
Silently, hiddenly, His lovers work in the world, sweeping away the dust of forgetfulness, the darkness of disbelief. Sufis are traditionally known as ‘sweepers,’because they clean the hearts of people. In the words of Shabistari, “If there were no sweepers in the world, the world would be buried in
dust”.

Llewellyn Vaughan-Lee

about Llewellyn Vaughan-Lee:Llewellyn Vaughan-Lee was born in London in the year 1953. He began following the Naqshbandiyya-Mujaddidiyya Sufi path at the age of 19, after meeting Irina Tweedie, author of Daughter of Fire: A Diary of a Spiritual Training with a Sufi Master. He became Irina Tweedie’s successor and a teacher in the Naqshbandiyya Sufi Order. In 1991 he moved to Ca. and founded The Golden Sufi Center to help make available the teachings of this Sufi Lineage.

Flowers Can Speak – More Sathya Sai Memories

beautiful photo of Swami when he was young

NAMASTE☼

(¯`v´¯)
`*.¸.*´

“When words escape, flowers speak.” – Bruce W. Currie.

Sai Story from 1980′s

“On one occasion, when I’d not yet grasped the entire meaning of Swami’s divinity, I imagined that he had committed a serious blunder in the guidance he was providing for me. I felt I’d had enough of the ashram life and  perhaps the time had come for me to leave India.

I returned to my roundhouse room at the back of the ashram in quite a confused state of mind. To my surprise, when I arrived at my room, I found a garland of flowers, about twenty-five inches long, hanging on the door handle. The sweet and pretty flowers  looked like  jasmine, and had  been freshly picked. The snowy white flowers dew-fresh, were of a very rare variety that is not usually found in the village of Puttparthi. I thought, “Who could be so crazy as to hang  such a beautiful garland on my door?” Naturally I took the garland inside and hung it over one of Swami’s  pictures, from where it spread its heavenly fragrance throughout my room. When, in time, the garland withered, I threw it out without thinking any more about it. A short time later, however there was another jasmine garland hanging on my door, although this time a different variety of the pretty flower, and not quite as fresh and beautiful as the first. My Indian name is Gita, and it was as if the garland was saying, ‘Silly Gita, don’t you know who sent you these flowers?” At last I understood and immediately wrote a letter to Swami to thank him. At darshan he took my letter with a smile.”
– Birgitte Rodriguez
– Glimpses of the Divine.

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Jasmine, a common flower found all over India. In fact, Sri Aurobindo described it as a psychic or soul flower.

The Divine Play – Sri Yogananda

“The entire universe is God’s cosmic motion picture, and individuals are merely actors in the divine play who change roles through reincarnation; mankind’s deep suffering is rooted in identifying too closely with one’s current role, rather than with the movie’s director, or God.” – Sri Yogananda

♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥ beautiful reflections ♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥

Photograph taken this Christmas 2013 – of an old Yew Tree growing in the churchyard of Ulcombe Village, Kent, UK. The tree is to be over 2,000 years old…