From Mysticism, by Evelyn Underhill: 1. True mysticism is active and practical, not passive and theoretical. It is an organic life-process, a somthing which the whole self does; not something as to which its intellect holds an opinion. 2. Its aims are wholly transcendental and spiritual. It is in no way concerned with adding to, exploring, re-arranging, or improving anything …
Remorse and Compassion
Rohini discusses the difference between real remorse and self-loathing. For more videos and lessons, sign up for a free or paid subscription.
Clarity of goals and definitions….
When we start a conversation we tend to look for common ground. This might be language, activities or anything that we feel will bridge us to the other person. In our desire to connect, we may miss what is actually going on. If what we share is a common language, then we need to check our definitions. Assuming shared definitions …
Warriors for peace and warriors for war….
It hit me that Tolstoy had it right: War and Peace. We are organized into two teams: warriors for war and warriors for peace. We are playing a big game. There are times when more players are on the warriors for war side and times when the warriors for peace are winning. As long as we remain separate from God …
Systems…
Everyone uses a system, whether consciously or not. Our family culture is a system of sorts, with jargon, rules, behaviors, judgements, and mannerisms both overt and covert. This being the case, when we meet someone new we unwittingly compare our system to theirs. We may not even be aware of it, but we are in fact assessing others based on …
Transformation…
So much language these days is about change, transformation, on all levels and in all sectors of our lives. The law of change is always working, but in what direction are we going? That depends on what we are doing now. So nothing is static, though we may think it is because it moves so slowly. The transformation I desire …
My expertise is not….
My expertise is not because of my body’s plumbing and orientation. It has come from many years of discipline, discernment, nonattachment and Grace. Someone earns the right to be called an expert by devoting many hours, days and years to their subject. Expertise does not come lightly. To think that anyone can take a workshop and then be an expert …
Gurupurnima….
Today is Gurupurnima, the Guru’s Full Moon. Everyday I bow down in deep appreciation for my Guru, Swami Muktananda, and all that he gave and continues to give me. The Guru is said to not be a person, body or a personality, but manifests in a being that has purified himself/herself and has then become one with his Guru and …
Who am I?….
Who am I? At any given moment, I appear to be the furthest thing out that consciousness has enlivened. So “who I am” changes from moment to moment. My job is to return to Me and stay there, and not identify with what I enliven. This seems so easy, “just be myself”; however, it requires intense work and Grace. We …
Grandiose self assessment is….
Grandiose self assessment is as detrimental to living fully as low self assessment. They are both faulty and cause decision making that brings the person to misery. There is no harmony when we operate from our self-esteem. Self-esteem is just a set of ideas that we have identified with; we have allowed our actions and decisions to be informed by …