Thank you Michael Jackson – You rocked my world!

Michael Jackson might be a lot of things to a lot of people but to me he will always be the greatest performer and the most original music and dance artist that ever lived! He defined music for our generation, he entertained us and gave us one great song after another… nothing less than a legend in his own time! I loved ALL his songs which is not something I can say for any other singer or band.

It’s sad that someone who did and gave so much to others lived such an unhappy life… At least he had to have known that he was loved & appreciated by millions. I’ve always loved Michael Jackson and I always will… my life would not have been the same without his music, the memories of my brother and I enjoying and discussing his music and dancing, dot my entire childhood and adolescence. He was a part of our lives and he will be honoured for his contribution to this world forever. The Greatest Superstar! The King of Pop! A Legend among Legends! May your legacy live forever as your soul finds peace!

A Powerful One Minute Meditation

One Minute Meditation: OM NA MA SI VA YA

Baba Sri Siva Speaks:

“The most important mantra in the newsleters is OM NA MA SI VA YA. Even if you don’t use any other techniques from the newsletter, do use this mantra. It will do a world of good beyond belief.

Om is God. God is Om. Om is the primordial sound from which everything emanated. Om is consciousness. Om is Life.

The domain of Om is incomprehensible to the human mind. Om is the realm of all possibilities. Om is Light. Om is Arul, the Divine Intelligence. When you have enough Grace, Om will manifest as Divine Light just in front of you and will envelope you. This Light of Om will dissolve your ignorance.

Different Enlightened Beings belonging to different religions have encountered the Om Light prior to their Enlightenment. The Om Light is Allah, Siva, Yaweh, the Tao, Nirvana, etc.

Practice Om in the following way. Om is formed of three sounds: Ah, Oo, Mm. Count the time with the fingers of the right hand. Each finger will bow down and contact the right thumb. Counting five fingers is five seconds, ten seconds is two rounds of counting.

At the level of human existence, Ah creates the waking state of human consciousness, Oo, the dream state, and Mm, the sleep state.

Meditate on Ah for 10 seconds at the root chakra. Keep repeating this sound mentally. This will attract all worldly things to you. Meditate on Oo at the heart center for 10 seconds. This will give you Divine Intelligence and influence your dreaming. Meditate on Mm at the throat chakra for 5 seconds. Mm will create awareness of maya (illusion). It will create earthly consciousness and provide rest to the system. We only sleep 1/3 our lives, so that is why Mm is for a shorter duration, so you do not become too sleepy. Go the 3rd eye and chant Om for 10 seconds.

Remember the following over and over and over again:

One day, when you do this meditation or when you are praying, Om will flood the entire place. From that time onwards you will know that Om can get into you and totally change your human consciousness.

OM NAMA SIVAYA

Nama Sivaya has two units. Na Ma is to be chanted at the root chakra and the navel chakra respectively. Nama represents lower worldly realities like earth and water and the karmic and egocentric life. Sivaya is the second unit. It represents higher life. Si Va Ya has to be chanted at the heart, throat and 2 eyes respectively. Sivaya gives the awareness of the Divine existence which is the right of every human soul.

Na – root center, earth energy – 5 seconds Ma – navel center, water energy – 5 seconds Si (pronounced like the English word “She”) – heart center, fire energy – 5 seconds Va – throat and nostrils, wind/air energy – 5 seconds Ya – 2 eyes, 2 brains, third eye, space energy – 5 seconds

The chanting of Om Nama Sivaya does the following. OM when practiced in the above manner cleans up consciousness. NA MA awakens the lower realities necessary for earthly existence. SI VA YA helps you to be grounded in awareness of the divine. One should chant Om Nama Sivaya with this full understanding. Total time for one round is one minute.

Doing Om Nama Sivaya 108 times a day will help you attain the highest material and spiritual good. It will help you to be in the right place at the right time doing the right thing. It harmonizes you with all the elemental energies.

For the love of Padma Lakshmi…

I love this woman… http://www.padmalakshmi.com/

How to let it go…

I wrote about how ‘hurt people, hurt people‘ but it recently hit me that it’s ‘Hurt that turns into Hate‘! It’s something we allow to happen, something totally within our power to not let happen. I thought about it and what I realized was that we let Hurt turn into Hate because the feeling of ‘Hurt’ is very painful to endure and to replace it with ‘Hate’ is a lot easier for us to handle and more comfortable – deceitfully so. The fact is, Hurt and Hate are 2 totally different emotions and we shouldn’t replace the former with the latter just to avoid the pain. What we’re doing is exchanging a short period of intense discomfort for a deep seated, long term, cancerous emotion that will cause adverse effects that we never bargained for. Hurt is a feeling that is in the ‘now’, Hate is a feeling you hide, bury and carry with you. The truth is, if you feel the hurt, however bad it is, acknowledge the fact that someone hurt you and you are indeed hurt, let it hurt and let it out of your system – it’ll heal itself. This conscious process will free you of the pain and the whole event that caused you to hurt. It’s a small price to pay to be rid of it and clear your whole system of it for good.

Most of us don’t do that, most of us didn’t know this is what we needed to do… I’ve unknowingly held on to a lot of hurt in the form of hate. I didn’t even know I hated anyone but later realized that I did hold a lot of grudges against various people who’ve hurt me. And it’s not just people, sometimes circumstances or certain events hurt us and we harden our hearts immediately so as to avoid the pain at that time but years later it’s still with us inside… if we could only see what it has silently been responsible for, we would expel it immediately and not let it sabotage another day of our lives.

I’ve begun to re-live the events that hurt me, in my mind, fully feel the intensity of my feelings of hurt and then understand, forgive, accept and let go. When you do this you really make peace with whatever or whoever caused you pain and you are free of the negative feelings you’ve been harbouring. Now when you think of that person or that event – you no longer feel the anger, pain or discomfort… you simply feel free. I’ve noticed after doing this I feel so free from it all  that I can even feel love for the person who hurt me cos I’ve forgiven them and it has no bearing on me. I actually made a list of people who’ve hurt me, painful events I hold on to, things I’ve done for which I feel guilt or shame and at present am working on clearing out all the negative feelings that poison my mind.

It’s also important to forgive yourself for the things you hate yourself for having done. Sometimes we hold on to stuff like that too – guilt, shame, self hate – that could be the most damaging stuff of all. Facing these feelings and clearing them out of your mind is a great favour you can do yourself.

Feel the emotion, painful as it is, cry if you have to and get it out of your system – don’t let Hurt turn into Hate – you’re only prolonging the suffering and cluttering up your mind. Believe me, you’ll feel so light and free – your life will improve in leaps and bounds.

To hurt is to be true to yourself and your feelings, to hate is to deny yourself and your true feelings. Hurt doesn’t have anything to do with hate really… think about it.. they’re totally different emotions. One is vulnerable and the other seemingly more powerful. One is short lived and the other can exist and pollute your mind throughout your life. One can only be replaced by the other - if you let it!

Decor Designs

My brother recently got married and while the wedding was handled by the bride’s family, we made arrangements for the homecoming function which was to follow. I love working with flowers so I took it upon myself to take care of the decorations for the function (amongst a hundred other things!). Working closely with the fantastic florist Veena Perera, of Supreme Flora, who was totally on the same wavelength as me, we managed to put together something quite nice. Working with Veena was a breeze – she and I had similar taste and she loved my ideas, so I’d draw everything out in detail and she’d bring it to life. My mother contributed her ideas to create the couple’s sitting area which turned out really beautiful.

Keeping in mind that the bride was wearing red, we decided to use the colour as our general theme and soon decided to use red apples in a predominant fashion. A good friend of ours lent us the cabinet used behind the bench in the couple’s sitting area and while I was over at her house, I spotted some gorgeous, large, olive green pots that I instantly knew we could use somehow. She had 6 of these pots that she had brought down from Burma. We topped them with flowers and placed them at the entrance of the hall leading to the lamp and two on either side of the sitting area. The table centers featured tall glass vases filled with apples and an arrangement, consisting of a number of different flowers, folded leaves and berries, on top. The flowers used included red & orange roses, dark red waxy anthuriums, light green hydrangea, gerberas and daisies in hues of red and orange. The arrangement of the oil lamp was Veena’s design – in her own words, we were indeed lucky, that the large red lilies she had used in abundance were in bloom and available in such large quantities during that time.

The pictures really don’t seem to do justice to the beauty of the flowers Veena and her team arranged that day but it’s the best I can do to share it with you. I enjoyed designing the decor so much I’ve decided to take on such projects in the future as part of the design services I offer through Créatrice. As a designer, it’s so much more fun when you’re not limited to one area of design all the time. I hope to share better pictures with you as I receive them from the photographer.

Only Time…

I wonder if you know the words to this song… I knew bits and pieces but today I looked up the lyrics while I listened to it and it was suddenly so relevant to me… and so very beautiful, I had to share it with you. Enya’s music is so pure and potent… I hope you enjoy it and relax.

Who can say
where the road goes
where the day flows
only time
And who can say
if your love grows
as your heart chose
only time
Who can say
why your heart sighs
as your love flies
only time
And who can say
why your heart cries
when your love lies
only time

Who can say
when the roads meet
that love might be
in your heart
And who can say
when the day sleeps
if the night keeps
all your heart

Night keeps all your heart

Who can say
if your love grows
as your heart chose
only time
And who can say
where the road goes
where the day flows
only time

Who knows – only time
Who knows – only time

A Must Watch…

You Can Change The World…

A lot of people don’t bother to change themselves because they can’t see what difference that would make in the greater scheme of things… It’s the whole “what can I do? I’m only one person, I can’t change the world” mentality… Actually, if you think about it, all you can really change is yourself. You can’t change anything else or anyone else unless and until you change first. Also if everyone just stopped judging each other and blaming other people and simply worked on improving themselves – if EVERYONE did that – THE WHOLE WORLD WOULD AUTOMATICALLY CHANGE! The situation of this planet is getting tougher everyday… I truly believe it’s happening so that us human beings are forced to change our ways, grow in a new way, advance and evolve as a species and stop living like disconnected, deluded zombies who almost seem to be under some kind of spell, salves to our egoic selves! We better snap out of it quick! People must realise this is the age of self realisation… it is time to stop looking outside for answers and start looking into ones true, inner self where all the power and answers lie.

Once you learn the truths within, you begin to realise how everyone’s thoughts and actions have an impact on the whole outer reality, how each person is a co-creator of reality as we know and see it, how much power each and every person holds within themselves, how this world made purely of energy actually works and how it responds to our thoughts and our energy…so on and lots more. I believe the greatest thing we finally realise is that this notion that each of us is soooo separate from each other, nature, the world and the Universe and God, is just an illusion that we suffer under because we can’t see the bigger picture thanks to our limited 5 senses with which we determine our reality. The ultimate realisation might just be our Oneness with all things and God. What if the Universe was just one big organism so to speak?  Just like a body with countless cells, tissues, organs, systems, functions, processes etc… What if God is the spirit and life giving force of the Universe in its entirety as well as in its many individual forms (being everything and in everything at the same time)? We would be comparable to a single cell, each with our own special characteristics and function, connected to and working together with every other cell for the greater good of the whole, all the while fulfilling our own purpose. When we try to differentiate and disassociate ourselves from everyone and everything else we’re not doing ourselves any favours in the micro or the macro sense of it all. Its an unnatural state to be in and we’re missing out on a much more harmonious and easier way of life. We’re all One thing… we’re all connected, we’re powerful individually but a thousand times more powerful collectively. The only way to change our dire macro circumstances is to change ourselves and then when we realise our true selves, potential and power we can change anything together.

Keep an open mind, ask questions, don’t limit yourself to any one thing or one way. Ask for answers and they will come to you, seek for the truth and you will find it right in front of you. What is the point of just talking about all the death, destruction and dire circumstances we now face in the world today? Either you sit and talk about it and feel helpless thinking its the ‘end of the world’ as predicted or you become a part of the SOLUTION, the process of change for the better. Live a more inspired, purposeful and powerful life. We have to now start taking the problems of our planet and our created reality seriously. Each one of us is the source of change – help the world just by being a better you!

Much love…… xoxo

Hurt people, hurt people…

What I regret most in my life so far is the hurt I’ve caused other people. I don’t think I’ve hurt anyone intentionally but I am guilty of being very careless at times. Sometimes being so self absorbed and careless makes you just as guilty as if you had meant to hurt someone intentionally. Its not like I haven’t been hurt myself… one would think someone who carries memories of such pain would know better than to hurt others in turn but it’s quite the contrary. As I once read somewhere… “Hurt people, hurt people!”. It maybe something that happens subconsciously… I don’t know.

In my endless search to find as much love and whatever else I thought I needed from others to heal my own wounds, I seem to have only created more pain along the way. Sometimes I’ve wished I was strong enough to have put my needs aside so I could have loved, taken care of and helped heal someone who needed it more than I. It’s not easy to do that when you have issues of your own that mess with your mind and your judgment. I now know that nobody can help anyone before helping themselves, also, I’ve learned that looking to someone else to give you what you think you need, is sadly pointless and utterly futile. Everything you need is within you… anything else is just a temporary fix that wears off and leaves you wanting more. Only you can love yourself, forgive yourself, take care of yourself, be good to yourself…that’s when the healing starts, then and only then can you do the same for others. Nobody is whole until they fix themselves and there isn’t anyone who doesn’t need some kind of fixing. I’ve come to realise that everyone owes it to themselves and to the rest of the world to come face to face with their issues, insecurities, past hurts etc. You cause such unnecessary pain and suffering to yourself and others when you just carry on living with anger that you hold on to, sadness that eats away at you, pain that damages you, insecurities that degrade you and hurt that tortures you…

There’s nothing pathetic about admitting your own faults and shortcomings or your issues and insecurities… Its only the beginning of a better life. There’s no shame in admitting to yourself that you have issues that need to be taken care of before moving forward in life. In fact most people’s issues stem from their childhood… how can you hold yourself accountable for what may have affected you as a child? No, there’s no shame in it at all, it’s something we all have in common. Everybody knows, even if they don’t care to admit it, that no matter how old we get, inside we are merely the child that we once were. It’s almost like who we really are IS that child… just with countless layers that we’ve developed for defense over the years and many masks to cover up any outward signs of weakness, innocence and vulnerability. When you start looking beneath a person’s hurtful behaviour, you see the child who’s been hurt, who feels threatened, who reacts the way he is programmed to… can you not relate to him? How can you possibly hold a grudge?

The only way to cure any pain, I believe, is through love. You can heal yourself and heal others with love. Love is to accept, love is to try and understand, love is to be patient and kind, love is to forgive… yourself and others.

If I sound like I’m preaching please note that I am merely preaching to myself. This is where I write to sort out and analyze my own thoughts… It’s my therapy if you will.

“For my unkindness, for my insensitivity, for my lack of understanding and acceptance, for my failure to love selflessly and recognize your pain, for my hurtful words and anything else you might hold against me – I’m Truly Sorry… this is my heartfelt apology, one hurt person to another.”

After the fire…

It isn’t Love that is complicated, it isn’t Love that is hard. Love is simple and selfless, pure and unconditional… carried forward through lifetimes, true to its nature at all times. It is We who can’t get ourselves out of the way long enough to truly love and enjoy all its glory. It is a sad, sad story.

If you and I were blind to ourselves, unafraid of our fears and not slave to our selfish needs… wouldn’t Love have been victorious and wouldn’t that victory have been sweet? Our burdens would have been lighter and our days a lot brighter…

Even after the fire that burned through us both, even as we stand here amidst the charred remains, isn’t it amazing how our pure and simple love for each other still stands? Untouched, unharmed, forever true to itself. Denied so far by our own actions yet eternal in our hearts.