-logy - A

"Tell me mighty river! Are you changing or are you constant?" asked the butterfly. The river chortled as it sped along, over rocky pebbles and around mossy little hills. "Why, can't you see?" it replied. "Do I look still to you?"

(See also: Life and Death, Life and Beyond, Death and Dying, Body Mind and Soul)

Read more here: » Life and Death: The River, a Cow and a Butterfly

This is a summary of the speach about Womens Movement in a Spiritual context delievered by Tapasya Dasaji of the Golden Age Foundation at the Oneness Festival, 16-22 of February 2004.

Read more here: » Womens Movement in a Spiritual context

Detachment is not indifference or lack of love. In fact, it is real love because it is not related to appearance. Witness has no attachment and hence no detachment is needed. Ego has attachment therefore detachment has to be developed.This article is Ean excerption from Mind the Gap. The writer, Sukshmananda Swami, is a disciple of Sri Narayana Guru.

Read more here: » Buddhism: Buddha Consciousness - Become a Witness

The hill-stream gurgled along impatiently. The old Kondh tribal sat by the stream, both feet dipped into its cold waters. The blue smoke from the homemade pipe he was smoking merged with the blue haze slowly descending from the Niyamgiri hill. Soon he was playing a wistful tune on a slender flute. The music drew me to him and we started talking.

He told me how he lost his wife a year ago. "The tiger dragged her away while she was in the forest. I was so unhappy I wanted to die and leave Dharani Ma (Earth Mother). Then deep inside I knew I can't, unless forced, leave this enchanting world even for a day.

(See also: Love and Happiness, Life and Beyond, Body Mind and Soul)

Read more here: » Love and Happiness: A Kondh's Love for Life and Dharani

Who is a good human being? Charles Dickens said people were good and bad. But he couldn"t figure out what made them that way. Unfortunately, Dickens missed - by about 50 years - the revolution in psychology brought about by Sigmund Freud.

Freud believed an individual'spersonality was shaped in his infancy, with later influences having only a negligible impact. However, Freud erred in focusing on natural instincts to the exclusion of social structures.

(See also: Peace on Earth, Peace of Mind, Love and Happiness, Life and Beyond, Body Mind and Soul)

Read more here: » Peace of Mind: Goodness, a Lighter State of Being

Some people are compulsive exhibitionists. You can find them almost anywhere; they would do anything to get noticed. At a wedding, they want to be the bride and at a funeral, the corpse.

Julius Caesar, who was an incorrigible egotist, was kidnapped when he was a child. He was held for a ransom of 11,000 gold pieces. Horrified, he exhorted his captors to raise the ransom amount to 2,50,000 gold pieces so as to preserve his prestige!

(See also: Humility , God and Religion, Peace on Earth, Peace of Mind, Love and Happiness, Life and Beyond, Body Mind and Soul)

Read more here: » Humility: Learning To Take A Back Seat  

The individual's moral fibre had to be strengthened through basic convictions. With this farsightedness, the tenth and last Guru, Gobind Singh, set about honing the faith's dynamics through innovation and personal example. His rigorous self-discipline and inner fortitude were exemplified by his equanimity and poise in the face of tragedies few encounter in their lifetime.

He was nine when he received the head of his father Guru Tegh Bahadur, beheaded in Delhi on the orders of the Mughal Emperor, Aurangzeb. His father had chosen martyrdom to demonstrate to Aurangzeb - and the people of India - that a man convinced of his moral purpose and inalienable right to practise his own religion, is unafraid to die.

(See also: Guru Gobind Singh , Spiritual Guidance, God and Religion, Peace on Earth, Peace of Mind, Love and Happiness, Life and Beyond, Body Mind and Soul)

Read more here: » Guru Gobind Singh: A Glowing Tribute To The Tenth Guru  

A broken heart requires as much care as a broken bone or as any other physical ailment. However, with time and proper care, one can be confident that it will heal.

Do not worry about having ups and downs; these are signs that you are healing. You are more fragile now, there is no shame in that, so take it easy. Crying is a natural release. Remember you are not alone. You cannot be a human being without suffering loss.

Here are some emotional bandages for a broken heart:

(See also: Metaphysics, Metaphysical Principles, Definition of Metaphysics, Metaphysical Techniques, Miracles, Creating Miracles Faith and Belief, Spiritual Guidance, Peace of Mind, Life and Beyond, Body Mind and Soul)

Read more here: » Metaphysical Inspirations: Ten Ways To Heal a Broken Heart

In literature, art and cinema, death has been almost always depicted as a terrible thing, the final end, although in reality it is merely a release from the burden of the physical body.

Every religious tradition recognises that to reach the final truth, one must pass through death. This is the meaning behind Aanea's descent to the underworld in Virgil, of Dante's descent into hell in the Divine Comedy and the Christian baptism: “You were baptised into the death of Christ”.

(See also: Life and Death, Life and Beyond, Death and Dying, Body Mind and Soul)

Read more here: » Life and Death: Finality of Death Is a Myth

The fourteenth century Native American Iroquois Constitution opens with a prayer of gratitude. It offers thanks "to the earth where men dwell; to streams of water, springs and lakes; to the maize and fruits and medicinal herbs; to the sun and moon, wind and thunder... and to the great creator, the source of life".

Gratitude is one of the first principles of spiritual well-being. Blessings abound in the life of each of us, and a keener appreciation of the same unlocks the secrets of the universe. In opening our hearts wide to render thanks we automatically create the space in our consciousness for greater grace to flow in. A thankful heart is an open heart and is thus, open to receiving. Meister Eckhart, the German mystic observed, "If the only prayer you say in your life is thank you, that would suffice."

(See also: Love and Happiness, Life and Beyond, Body Mind and Soul)

Read more here: » Love and Happiness: Gratitude - A Simple Yet Powerful Tool

Maharishi Mahesh Yogi, who founded the Transcendental Meditation technique, recently said that a great shift is about to take place in the world; a new paradigm is unfolding for faster progress. Maharishi said this great leap of progress for mankind will be a shift from "knowing to Being".

For generations, life has been lived on the level of "knowing" (I know this, I know that). But "Being" is the basis of knowing. The field of Being is infinitely more powerful than the surface level of "knowing". Physics tells us that more subtle levels of nature contain more intelligence, more power (the atomic level is more powerful than the molecular level).

(See also: Peace on Earth, Peace of Mind, Love and Happiness, Life and Beyond, Body Mind and Soul)

Read more here: » Peace of Mind: Knowing to Being - A Paradigm Shift

Gujarat is the land of Krishna and his clansmen, the Vrishnis . Krishna'skingdom was Dwaraka. The recent events in Gujarat echo the story of the end of Dwaraka and the Vrishni clan.

They were not destroyed by any invader; they killed one another in a fratricidal strife. According to the Bhagavatha Purana they were intoxicated by a drink called Maireyaka .

(See also: Peace on Earth, Peace of Mind, Love and Happiness, Life and Beyond, Body Mind and Soul)

Read more here: » Peace on Earth: Self-destruction of Vrishnis - A Replay?

Some people have the idea that if they are really interested in spiritual awakening they should no longer focus on relationships, and yet something keeps bringing them back into relationship. How can relationships be a vehicle for spiritual awakening?

Read more here: » Spirituality and relationships: Relationship as a spiritual pathway

There is a growing movement involving about hundred million people in the USA and Europe, weaving a new cultural fabric, reframing how we see the world today. They are called the Cultural Creatives, a term coined by Paul Ray (Ph.D. in sociology).

These activists - schoolteachers, artists, spiritual guides and scientists - are questioning the unspoken assumptions of the old culture, opening up new insights and forging creativity in people's lives from grass root levels. There is growing evidence that these efforts are changing the society in many ways.

Read more here: » Cultural Creatives: Creating a new Culture

With the Christmas-New Year festive season round the corner, we are about to spin into another frenetic round of gift-giving. The act of exchanging gifts, however, has undergone a huge metamorphosis, from a personal heartfelt offering to a commercial ritual, true to today's market mantra, which goads one to 'shop till you drop'.

'To give' may not always be the same as 'to gift', although we often take one to be a synonym of the other. In giving is included the emotion of caring for, and nurturing. Whether it is tending a love relationship like a garden or bringing up children, some of the most precious moments of our lives are ones in which we give of ourselves. When we share of our deepest selves and take care of another using our love and energy.

(See also: Christmas , Indian Festivals, Spiritual Guidance, God and Religion, Peace on Earth, Peace of Mind, Love and Happiness, Life and Beyond, Body Mind and Soul)

Read more here: » Christmas: Look A Gift-horse In the Mouth - about Christmas  

In the name of God we ask you, the blood-thirsty actors in the tragedy of India, to have done with it. You have had your day. And have played your hellish part to perfection.

The land is littered with too many corpses already. Columns of smoke from fires of hate choke the air. The sun hides its face from this shame. Stars have fled from our sky.

(See also: Peace on Earth, Peace of Mind, Love and Happiness, Life and Beyond, Body Mind and Soul)

Read more here: » Peace on Earth: Let's Build A Temple To Tolerance

Babaji's disciples think of him as the incarnation of Lord Shiva, and so believe that he is present everywhere. Babaji once told his disciples of the Creator: ''He is deathless. He can do whatever He wills. The whole universe is an expanded bubble ready to burst before Him.''

If Patanjali, who wrote the Yoga Sutra nearly 2,005 years ago, was instrumental in defining the principles of yoga in its different forms, Paramhansa Yogananda played a major role in popularising those principles worldwide.

(See also: Yogananda and Babaji , Spiritual Guidance, God and Religion, Peace on Earth, Peace of Mind, Love and Happiness, Life and Beyond, Body Mind and Soul)

Read more here: » Yogananda and Babaji: A Tale of Two Yogis - Yogananda and Babaji  

"All the world's a stage, and all the men and women merely players: They have their exits and their entrances...” wrote William Shakespeare, one of the greatest dramatists of all time. Shakespeare saw the world as a large theatre. If all the world is indeed a stage, and life is a play, and all of us are mere actors, then this view leads to some interesting corollaries.

Who is the author and the director of this play?

(See also: Life and Death, Life and Beyond, Death and Dying, Body Mind and Soul)

Read more here: » Life and Death: The World Is A Stage

In 61 aphorisms, the Nirvanopanishad describes the attributes of one who has achieved Jivanmukti or liberation, while remaining in the physical body. At the very beginning, this Upanishad makes it clear that when one says: “Brahman encompasses the universe”, one is still assuming that there is duality, of the Brahman and the universe. The Jivanmukta, or the realised one, does not see the Brahman as being separate from the universe. For him, the universe does not exist. Therefore, he himself does not exist. The only existence is of the Brahman.

(See also: Jivanmukti , God and Religion, Peace on Earth, Peace of Mind, Love and Happiness, Life and Beyond, Body Mind and Soul)

Read more here: » Jivanmukti: A Jivanmukta Lives In Non-duality  

A miracle can be defined as an event contrary to, but not a violation of, a law of nature. If 'violation' is not being used in a technical sense, then a miracle can still be described as a violation of a law of nature - where 'violation' would mean something like "contrary to what could have happened had nature been the only force operative." This article discusses the nature of miracles and how they can be defined.

Read more here: » Miracles: What Is a Miracle?

There are some people who do little, but make others do a lot. Brahman, the pure Consciousness, too, is actionless - but in Its presence, everything else works.

Observe an infant. It does little other than kick about, cry and laugh but it spurs everybody into willing action. The mere presence of an infant brings joy. What makes a baby so lovable, a source of joy for all?

(See also: Love and Happiness, Life and Beyond, Body Mind and Soul)

Read more here: » Love and Happiness: Desire Management For a Full Life

Change all thoughts to empowering ones. Ask not "Why me?" Ask, "What can I do to reach my goals?" Change any mindset of "I can't" to a mindset of "I can." Just as when you climbed the high diving board as a child, gave a first speech in college, got married, or decided to be a parent, you will find the strength to face any future challenges.

Change any overly independent thoughts such as "I'll handle this alone" to "I have many sources of help, if I simply ask." Shift any catastrophising thoughts such as "This is the worst thing that could happen to me" to "I'm sure I'll survive this one."

(See also: Practising Affirmations , Affirmations, Practising Affirmations, Life Transforming Affirmations, Essence of Affirmations, Faith and Belief, Peace of Mind, Love and Happiness, Body Mind and Soul)

Read more here: » Practising Affirmations: One step at a time...