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Monday 5 December 2011
Angels - An Angel by Your Side
Angels - An Angel by Your Side
by Aparna Jacob
In our lonely journey through life we are watched over and assisted in innumerable ways by spirit guides and celestial beings. So take comfort. We are never alone .
When she was a baby, a group of angels came to visit Chitra Uttamsingh. "My mother left me playing on the bed while she went to check on something in the kitchen. Suddenly there were four little girls in the room. I remember wondering, 'where did they come from?' "
"We've come to play with you," they smiled. The child immediately felt warm, sheltered and at pea ce. They were dressed in frocks and seemed like ordinary children, except, says Chitra, "not quite flesh and bone. And they vanished when my mother returned."
"I was three," Chitra explains, "I didn't question it. Mother was convinced I was making it all up or that I'd been dreaming. But looking back now, I'm certain it wasn't a dream. It really did happen."
Angels Everywhere
Do you believe this? It doesn't matter who believes it or doesn't. Those touched by an angel would testify that their lives have never been the same since. Chitra today works for the Central Bank of India and cheerfully admits: "I've had a problem-free life. My father always said to me - if you have any questions ask the voice inside you for directions. And all my life there has been this voice steering me in the right direction."
Sometimes an angel's mission is to offer simple reassurance. At others, it is to gently open our eyes to the infinite possibilities that lie before us, the ones our careless eyes gloss over. They come when we lose all sight of how life is brimming with hope and promise. They bring us new perspective on situations.
Why do we need angels? My friend Dipika Aranha, addicted to the television series Touched By an Angel, was a great admirer of Della Reese who played the angel Tess in the show. She tells me there's an entire cult around the "Tess theory" which believes angels are sent by God to herald the truth, especially the big truths, to specific people in critical situations. Angels are not there to be meddling fix-its, but to be our helpers in responding to the truth. We can just blow them off, but people usually find themselves responding instantly with some amount of trust, comfort, or awe.
To know an angel, Joan Wester Anderson in her book Where Angels Walk says, calls for a willingness to suspend judgment, to open ourselves to possibilities we've only dreamed of. It is, like all things faith-related, to be understood not from the mind, but from the heart.
Most people confess to meeting angels in human form. Angels have typically appeared in whatever form the visited person was most willing to accept, says Wester. A winged young version for children, perhaps, or a benign grandfatherly type for a woman in distress. They seldom appear in dazzling spectacular form so as not to scare people. Or sometimes they do to get one to pay heed. Survivors of near death experiences, however, cite "bright beings of light" that they met along the way. Often angels look the way we assume them to look: with wings, in flowing white robes. But most often they manifest as ordinary folk dressed like you and me.
"There's a diversity of angel forms to be celebrated, and there is an element of surprise to be realized," writes G. Don Gilmore in Angels, Angels Everywhere, "but unless people revive their childlike wonder and imagination, they may never experience such things."
Lead me Home
When my mother was 22, she was required to journey alone from Bombay to Rajasthan to attend the wedding of her favorite sister Eku. She was carrying with her the wedding sarees and the mangalsutra and it was imperative that she made it on time to Dungarpur, an obscure little town near Udaipur.
Eku had instructed her to take a train for Delhi. "Don't talk to strangers, and please dress simply to attract minimum attention," she'd written. At 4:30 a.m., my mother boarded the Delhi train at Ahmedabad.
When the TC made his rounds my mother handed him her ticket. "I'm sorry but you are on the wrong train," he said to her horror. "Please get off at Himmatnagar and board the train to Udaipur."
Two hours later, her confidence and composure shaken, my mother found herself in Himmatnagar. To her dismay she was told that the train to Udaipur had left and she'd have to wait until the next day to board another. The stationmaster suggested she could take a bus to Udaipur and even sent a coolie along to accompany her.
The bus stand was utter pandemonium. Name boards in Gujarati, people everywhere speaking a language she couldn't understand and so many buses. "Are you sure this is the right bus?" she asked the coolie again from the crowded bus but he barely heard her as he hurried back.
An hour later she found herself in another dusty town, boarding yet another ramshackle bus. My mother realized she was hopelessly lost. "God please help me," she whispered and tried hard not to cry. "Daughter, where are you going?" My mother swung towards the comforting voice to see an old man in a white dhoti kurta and a worn turban approaching her. "I felt such immense relief just then," my mother recalls "that I wanted to sob for joy."
"Dungarpur," she whispered, feeling strangely serene. "That's where I'm going as well. Come with me," he said.
It was pitch dark when the bus pulled into Dungarpur. Pinpoints of lights flickered in the distance. The old man helped her get off the bus and they began walking towards the big building that was the general hospital where Eku worked. "I'll be fine now," my mother said to the old man and tried to offer him 10 rupees. He shook his head. His lined face was firm when he said: "I must see you home." After obtaining Eku's address, they walked about 20 minutes and reached the cluster of homes that was the nurses' quarters. Eku met them at the gate and the two sisters fell into each other's arms crying in relief. My mother turned to introduce her benefactor to Eku. He was gone. She ran to the gate and scanned the empty stretch of road outside. The old man had vanished.
Loud and Clear
Melissa Ferguson's incredible story appeared in the Miami News Reader in 1997. One day in April that year, her four-year-old son Bradley was being his usual mischievous self and getting in her way as she worked in the kitchen. Melissa handed him a cinnamon roll and told him to sit on the back steps to eat it while she did the dishes.
The Fergusons had an above ground pool out back with a safety gate built around it, usually kept locked. So, Melissa wasn't especially worried for Bradley's safety. She finished the dishes and savored the few precious moments of quiet that had come her way. She opened a can of Coke and crashed on the couch. As she rested, a voice calmly said, "Bradley is in the pool".
Melissa jumped up and began to head for the window. But, how silly, she said to herself and began to return to the couch when the voice shouted: "BRADLEY IS IN THE POOL!"
Melissa walked out of the door, strangely composed. The sight of their cat wet and clinging to the side of the pool greeted her. She saw her son floating face down in the pool. "It felt like I floated over as I walked, strangely not feeling anything yet. I grabbed Bradley by the overalls and pulled him out, somehow knowing he had been in there since he first went out. I found no pulse, and yet I was still calm…"
Melissa distinctly remembers feeling her actions were not her own: "Something guided me through the house and out the front door and there sat a power line truck. I screamed for them to help me and the men rushed to the house, then took turns doing CPR until the ambulance arrived. Bradley came around by then."
The doctors are still amazed when they recall Bradley's instant recovery. They said his blood vessels showed he had been under around fifteen minutes - which very rarely allows a successful resuscitation. Also, Melissa later was told that the power line workers had just taken CPR classes only the month before. Was this mere coincidence?
Scruffy Messenger
Often these blessed beings are sympathetic lookers-on and simply watch - seeing, knowing and appreciating our thoughts and feelings and acts.
Adhiti Gaur, CEO of Zurich Publishing, remembers one rainy afternoon when she met a being she was convinced was an angel. Every Tuesday, Adhiti goes to St Andrew's church in Bandra to pray and light a novena candle. One such Tuesday she found herself alone in the church. The rain had discouraged even the regulars that day. In the small grotto as Adhiti approached the Mother Mary statue, she felt the familiar calm stealing up on her.
Adhiti held her candle between her fingers and struck a match. It fizzled out quickly. She struck another, but it went out just as quickly. "How odd," she mused and tried again. The candle was fine, the matchsticks weren't damp. But now, she was half way through her book of matchsticks, yet her candle remained unlit.
"You don't need to light it, you know. Just leave it there."
Adhiti started at the unexpected sound. Turning around, she saw a scruffy old man who looked like he could use a wash. He was grinning from ear to ear.
"Who are you?" said Adhiti still thinking about his sudden appearance. "Well, I'm in charge of cleaning the wax here. Just leave the candle, no need to light it."
"Oh, but I must. I always do," said Adhiti, and turned to her candle again. She drew another matchstick and struck. The flame flared up bravely and Adhiti finally lit her candle. She turned around and saw the old man standing there looking amused.
Adhiti offered her prayers. As she was leaving the old man spoke. "Can I have some money?" "Sure," Adhiti smiled and as was her habit reached into her pocket. As she handed him a fiver, it occurred to her that she'd pulled on a newly washed pair of jeans in the morning and had taken just enough money to get to church and back.
"Now I won't have enough to get home," she thought as she got into a rickshaw.
At her gate when she dipped into her pocket to pay the driver, she pulled out three five-rupee notes. Exactly the amount she'd taken that morning.
"I wasn't really surprised," Adhiti says now, "I've never once doubted that the old man had been an angel checking on me." Her investigations at the church about the old wax cleaner drew a blank. There was no one appointed to clean the wax, she was told.
Why would an angel in human form appear in distress? Surely celestial beings have no earthly worries. May be they become vulnerable for our sake, to offer us a chance to reach out, to trust, and to grow in the giving. And perhaps to reassure us that we are being watched over, taken care of, infinitely protected.
Angel in the House
When a newly-wedded Archana Mehta Tanna, a jewelery designer, and her husband, who works for Standard Chartered Bank, moved into their flat in Juhu, Archana immediately sensed they had company. "There was a distinct presence. Just things like a constant feeling of someone shuffling along after you. One night as I waited for my husband, I turned off all the lights save one and sat on the bed. The other side of the bed creaked and pressed down as if someone had sat on it. Imagine my fright!"
But soon Archana grew accustomed to the presence, especially as it didn't seem to intend any harm. In fact at times she was even glad for it. One afternoon, less than a year ago, this happened:
Archana had resolved to try her hand at cooking. Carefully, she'd gathered the ingredients for pav bhaji and begun cooking, consulting her recipe all the while. Her cell phone rang in the bedroom. Archana hurried to answer it. It took her a while to find it and in the process she missed the call.
Suddenly, the acrid smell of burnt Teflon reached her nose. Archana almost dropped the phone when she remembered that she'd forgotten to turn off the gas. "Oh my god! The pav bhaji!" she shrieked and rushed to the kitchen.
The gas was turned off. A half burnt ladle rested on the side.
Archana has preserved her half scorched ladle in gratitude to the angel in her house.
In February this year, an ailing uncle passed away. The body was being kept in the morgue till Archana and her husband could join the rest of the family gathered for the funeral.
The couple were to take the 6:10 am flight to Ahmedabad. The previous night after completing hasty preparations to leave early the next day, they set the alarm for four a.m. and fell into an exhausted slumber.
The next morning they slept through the alarm.
At 4:30, the incessant ringing of the doorbell woke them up. "What the..?" Archana leapt out of bed and went to open the door. There was no one. And who could be visiting anyway at this unearthly hour? 4:30 a.m.! Realizing they were late, the couple rushed for the airport and made it in the nick of time just as the departure gates were being closed. Archana remembered to mutter a thanks as soon as she caught her breath.
Angel Cabbie
Three a.m. one night, Roxan Marker woke up choking. Her throat felt frozen. It was her allergy acting up again. Gasping for breath she got out of bed and woke up her daughter Esther.
At that late hour, mother and daughter flagged down a cab. "Bombay hospital, chalo," instructed Esther. The roads were lonely and they made it to the hospital quickly enough.
After examining Roxan the doctor turned to Esther and asked her to buy a cortisone injection quickly. Once administered it would definitely ease her mother's strained breathing he told her. Roxan, through the haze of her discomfort, held Esther's hand.
"Too late, you can't go alone," she gasped. "I'll be okay, Mama," Esther tried to assure her. "Really, I'll be back soon." Roxan lay back and closed her eyes. Her worry now escalated, hardly on behalf of herself but for her young daughter. Where would the girl go looking for the drug at this late hour? Please, please protect my child, the mother appealed. In a few minutes Esther was back. The medicine administered, Roxan was finally able to breathe easy and thanked God for Esther's safety. "Some night this has been," she said putting her arm around her daughter. "Let's go home."
At the gate, Roxan protested when Esther insisted on generously tipping the old cab driver. "Mama," Esther later told her, "He accompanied me to the medical store and waited with me while I got the medicines and even brought me back to the hospital. He was such a kind man."
Roxan was quiet. "That was an angel," she said to her daughter.
Open your Heart
"I was never the kind to ask for help," Archana Tanna confesses. "In fact I refused to share my feelings." After the ladle incident when psychic Rohini Gupta identified the spirit as Archana's grandfather, Archana felt tears of gratitude welling up in her eyes. "Knowing that I'm being watched over, provided for, I feel so secure…enough to share myself, make me open to giving and accepting help."
"Open your mind and heart and see how much you receive," Rohini believes. The more you fear, are guilty or angry, the more you block things for yourself. Most of us believe we are undeserving of grace and this only stops us from inviting angels into our lives. When we keep our hearts open and surrender in the belief that we shall be helped, we invite grace. The universe will arrange for us to be taken care of by sending these divine emissaries our way in the form of wisdom, a really strong premonition or a sign.
"Angels are speaking to us all the time," assures Rohini. "Every intuition, every hunch, that's your angel guide whispering to you. After all, they are really inside you, they are part of your highest self. All you need to do is connect."
The Sign
For three weeks, I'd walked around trying to see angels. I'd carried my copy of Joan Wester Anderson's Where Angels Walk everywhere, poring over it every chance I got, utterly fascinated that angels were all around, hovering over us perpetually. "Where are you?" I'd call out, expecting to feel feathers against my cheek, to hear the rustling of white angel wings.
"Your angels," Rohini Gupta said to me, "are lurking close. But you don't seem to be connected."
My heart sank. "But you know, they are watching over you," she continued. "Know that you are protected."
I stepped into the rain feeling warm inside. The grey sea was in tumult. Traffic milled around me. I walked through it, my book under my arm, again wishing desperately for a sign. "I know why you won't show yourself," I continued my conversation with my angel. "It's because I don't believe, isn't it?"
I felt guilty. How could I in my imperfection dare ask, I thought, ashamed of my own unworthiness. Perhaps, angels only showed themselves to the good. I opened my book. The words came at me in a gust -
I'm not especially holy. I'm only a poor sinner...why should an angel do anything to help me?
Angels work for anyone who has faith. We ought not to second-guess these blessed helpers. After all if their job is to minister to humankind to bring us closer and closer to God, why would anyone be exempt?
It was like thunderbolt. It was my sign.
Angels - We are not alone
Angels - We are not alone
by Michelle Pavri
Angels are everywhere, helping us to make our task on the mortal coil easier, discovered the author in the course of attending a workshop on angel therapy by Michelle Pavri
Having believed in the power of these spiritual beings for a few years now, it wasn’t surprising that I was offered a chance to connect further and more deeply with them through the Angel Certified Practitioner workshop held in Mumbai recently.
The workshop hall, in which some 100 people had gathered, emanated a warm loving energy. Undoubtedly, the subjects of the workshop were there in large numbers, guiding us to know more about them. These light-filled, winged beings appear to each of us in different forms. If you have ever come across sparks of coloured light twinkle in front of your eyes, or feathers and rainbows floating in the sky, you have just been blessed by an angel, helping you recognise the fact that none of us are alone, ever!The facilitators, Charles Virtue and Tina Daly, were from the US. I had initiated myself into angel therapy through reading Charles's mother, Doreen's, insightful books and oracle cards. Doreen Virtue was naturally clairvoyant as a child, connecting with angels from a very young age. Later on, she progressed as a spiritual doctor of psychology and is one of the world’s leading angel experts today. She holds workshops on healing spiritual and psychological issues through angel therapy, angel communication and spiritual healing. She has appeared on Oprah, and CNN. Her work has also been featured in national and regional publications in the USA. The facilitators had been invited to Mumbai by angel therapist, Arcchana Lakhotia, who has been on a spiritual journey with angels since her childhood.
What are angels?
So what are these angels? And how do they work amidst the chaotic lives we humans go through every day?
The word angel is derived from the ancient Greek word, angelos meaning messengers. Angels are beings of pure consciousness, creating a link between God and us human beings. They are easily approachable, fun and loving.
As Charles explained, “When we humans chose this life we chose to be happy. We have complete free will. When we call out and connect with our angels, they guide us to live our soul life, by helping us to make the choices that balance our karmic cycle and evolve as spiritual beings. Angels make the path easier with their love, joy, humour and protection.”
Being human, after all, means encountering disappointments and adversities but when we fear less and surrender to the love of angels by calling out to them, our path becomes easier. Each angel strives to help you in every area of your life, whether it is health, career, love or your purpose in life.
So why not just connect to God, asked a participant.
The simple and profound answer given was that our thoughts, worries, fears, conflicts, and the gross state of the world makes God’s messages unclear, since the energy of God vibrates at a very high level. Angels therefore act as intermediaries, working purely for the love of God, to help us with our worries and still access the messages of God.
During the workshop we were acquainted with the current realities of living in a planet that is awakening. More and more of us are tuned in to healing, prayers, spirituality, love for each other and for deities like Buddha, Krishna, Ram, Jesus, and Zarathustra. It’s a time for clearing, working on centring our self, thoughts and deeds. We are in the process of overcoming our EGO, which actually means Edging God Out and the angels are here to help us do so.
Know your angels
Tina introduced us to powerful beings we could connect to in our daily lives for guidance and help. Archangels rank highest in the hierarchy of angels.
Archangel Michael is the angel of protection who shields our physical, mental and emotional body with his pure white or enigmatic purple light. His name means “who is like the lord”. He is the patron saint of police officers and soldiers and lends courage to those who invoke him.
Archangel Raphael heals our physical, mental and emotional ailments with his green emerald light. His name means “he who heals”, the angel of healing. Raphael is considered a patron saint of travellers and assists healers and those being healed.
Archangel Uriel illuminates our minds with new ideas, thoughts and feelings. His name means “God is light”, and he is the angel of wisdom.
Archangel Gabriel is the angel who helps writers, teachers, journalists and assists in child conception. His name means “messenger of God”. Archangel Gabriel is mentioned in Christianity as well as Islam.
There are close to 15 archangels we can connect to. They are omnipresent, helping several simultaneously. All we need do is ask.
Every person has one or more guardian angels right from the time he is born till the time of cross over into the afterlife. He watches over us and guides us through the ways of life.
The nature fairies that surround us outdoors and indoors, connecting us to Mother Earth, make up the elemental kingdom.
Angel oracle cards decipher messages from angels Healing processes
We were further guided to some peaceful high-energy meditations to centre and ground ourselves. The meditations supported us to trust in the symbols, signs, colours and feelings of tuning into our higher energy of past lives as well as angelic realms to answer daily doubts and confusions. This included working with angel oracle cards, which enable us to decipher the messages from angels more easily.
One of the processes we were introduced to was Cording, which enables us to clear ourselves of “cords” that connect us and our energetic fields to unwanted energies that don’t serve our higher purpose. Cords, which are energetic extentions appearing from different parts of our auric body, are unseen to the human eye. They link us to our past and present relationships with people and things, and can often inhibit our freedom and happiness. Calling out to Archangel Michael and Archangel Raphael to cut away our cords and heal us from these is a wonderful addition to our daily practice of healing our bodies.
All good things eventually come to an end and we ended our workshop with an intensive question-answer session, followed by a photo session. The participants had bonded closely as a family and we were confident that the angels would keep us in touch with each other. Charles and Tina had a loving, friendly way of guiding and helping us overcome our mental, emotional and spiritual blocks through a combination of humour, affection and serious guidance.
Angels have no religion and help anyone who calls out to them. They are always around us, eager to help and guide us in every walk of life. They appreciate and have great respect for us and the trials and tribulations we face in life and only want to make it easier. So the next time you see one of the signs or even happen to read about them, allow these synchronicities of life to be your guide to open up to the realm of angels.
ANGELS
ANGELS
What are angels? Divine entities from a different realm? Or figments of our overworked imagination? Whatever be the case, angels have been part and parcel of almost all the cultures around the world. Then, isn`t it time we looked deeper into the angel phenomena and wondered if there is a message somewhere?
The next time you are helped by a stranger, look closely. It might just be an angel in disguise and you might be on your way to an angel encounter
Let's see. Have you met an angel lately?
It could have been a milkman, a dog, a bus conductor, a funny-looking stranger, a gust of wind or—for the really lucky ones—a winged creature in white robes. Trouble is, there are no telltale signs.
Angels are not something we generally think about. Which is why the Applecity site comes as a surprise. Here, people from various walks of life share their angel encounters. Take Witan Werreour. The eldest of seven children, Witan was befriended by a middle-aged man who seemed to exude evil. Two angels helped her escape him. "They were identical. Short, blond hair with the most unforgettable, brilliant blue eyes," Witan remembers. Convincing, but not angelic. Anybody can have brilliant blue eyes and sneak into a person's room. Why should it be an angel and not a burglar?
"Angels are often accompanied by a flowery fragrance," writes Eileen Elias Freeman in her book Angelic Healing—Working With Your Angels to Heal Your Life. "Sometimes an angel will announce its presence with a slight breeze which is the flutter of angel wings. You may even hear the faint sound of chiming bells or trumpets." In fact, an engulfing sense of peace is supposed to be characteristic of angel encounters.
The stories can be as wild as they come.
One of the contributors met his angel at a McDonald's outlet. "I noticed a man in the corner. He appeared homeless with his scraggly clothes and wiry beard," he recalls. He was convinced that this was an angel when he felt an irresistible urge to speak with him. The conversation left him with a renewed faith in God.
So what are angels? Figments of imagination in a world desperate for faith? Or something rooted much deeper in the essential plan of the universe?
The word 'angel' comes from Greek angelos or Latin angelus, which means messenger. Christianity and Islam believe that angels are messengers of God and are described in great detail in both the faiths' holy books.
Angels have also been part of the Assyrian and Mesopotamian cultures, as well as Buddhism, Zoroastrianism and Taoism. Ancient Greeks called them horae, Vikings called them valkyries, in Persia they were farishtey and in Yoruba, an African religion, angels were called orisha. Even shamanism speaks of angels as ascending birdlike spirits. Hinduism has its own set of angels called devdoots.
Angels also have a certain hierarchy.
In Judaism and Christianity, the highest are the seven archangels—Gabriel, Raphael, Michael, Uriel, Jophiel, Zadkiel and Samael (Satan before his fall)—each of them being assigned one of the seven spheres of heaven, followed by cherubims and seraphims. The Jewish Kabbalah assigns each archangel to the emanations on the Tree of Life. Islam has four archangels: Azrael, Israfil, Gabriel and Michael. Rudolf Steiner, occultist and philosopher, conceived of a complex society where angels exist on the first level of consciousness above humankind. Alice Bailey, metaphysician, goes a step further. According to her, there is a universe parallel to our own. There, elemental beings—sylphs of air, gnomes of earth, salamanders of fire and undines of water—evolve through a unique process.
"The ultimate goal of each elemental is to learn the aspects of the other three elementals. When all four elements are mastered, they become what we call angels," writes Alice. Stories of such elementals abound in Greek, Celtic, Oriental and Native American lore.
Angels, however, are not just part and parcel of an undocumented past. Going by the verdict of New Agers, they are arriving in droves right now.
"The time is right," says Denise Linn who has been studying angel encounters. "Within our planetary collective consciousness, we have put out the call and the angels have answered."
There is even an Angel Talk kit available. Created by Kay Sturgis and brought out by Penguin Putnam, the package includes an Ouija-type message board, a playing indicator and a companion book that explains how to communicate with angels. You could also 'tone in' to angels by meditating for 10 minutes and chanting Om.
Angels are, actually, becoming the in-thing. Stevan J. Thayer, an electrical engineer, suddenly started receiving messages from an angel named Ariel. He teamed up with psychologist Linda Sue Nathanson for a proper chronicling of the messages. The result, after two years of extensive channeling, was Interview with an Angel, a unique book based on the authors' one-to-one conversations with Ariel.
Indeed, it is true that most of us have felt a certain comforting presence in moments of distress. But angels? Perhaps. Or probably just the godhead within that wakes up in moments of crises.
"It doesn't matter what name you give to it," says Father Thomas based in New Delhi, India. "God manifests Himself the way you want Him to. What counts here is faith." And that, ultimately, is the crux of the matter. Whether angels are beings from a different realm or a creation of our own subconscious, they are here to stay.
"Angels are associated with higher nature, joy, beauty, fulfillment, laughter and peace," writes Denise Linn. "Angels are here to heal us, to redeem lost faith, broken trust and innocence." And if all this can be attained by calling out to some radiant beings with rainbow wings, there might, just might, be some truth in it. For, as the Bible says: "Don't be afraid to entertain strangers because many have entertained angels unawares."
Spiritual Healing - Spirit Over Matter
SPIRITUAL HEALING
Psychic surgery and spiritual healing are actually ancient systems of healing that rely on eliminating all negativity from the energy field around you.
As we evolve, the spirit will control the mind and body to determine our thoughts, words and actions.
Perhaps one of the parameters by which we could gauge our evolution is to see how much hold the mind and body have on us.
At the apex of evolution, the mind takes its cues from the spirit and the body from the mind. All three are in perfect alignment, eliminating all conflicts.
On the basis of values or principles (the zone of spirit), we decide what our action should be and relay it to the mind, which in turn relays it to the body. Take, for instance, the all-too common situation of being offered tempting food while on a diet. Since our commitment is to lose weight or get fit and rise above all desires, the spirit relays a command to the mind to pass it up, which in turn passes a command to the body to ignore the temptation to reach out for it. If the alignment is perfect, there should be no time lost in any of the three components of the self getting the message and the response is instant - a joyous, regret-free no.
Most of us though, even if we do say no, will say it with a mind cluttered with regrets and resistance and a body that is still focussed on getting on the outside of that particular dish.
Similarly, whether it is a forbidden attraction, a pain in the body, or an illness, we should be able to master and bring it under our control by using the power of the spirit upon the mind.
I have observed that there are many people, of the type we think of as 'strong', who rarely appear to be affected by physical afflictions; even if they do come down with fever or an illness, it seldom affects their spirits or composure. I once had an assistant editor who composed a cover story while in the midst of a 104 degree fever.
Such people rarely complain about their illness, usually nurse themselves competently through it, and seldom allow it to hobble their lives, or their enjoyment of it.
Others, and that includes me, are strongly affected by physical manifestations. All pains and illnesses lay us low and affect our spirits and emotions. We get cranky, irritable and fearful. Frequently, we take longer to recover than the other type does.
In the same manner, many of us are overwhelmed by emotions too. Any passing mood or feeling can overpower and lay us low. Sadness wafts in and soon takes charge, as do anger, envy, jealousy, sloth and depression. We find it difficult to get on top of these feelings and instead put ourselves under their control, allowing them to dictate our thoughts, words and actions. We become the emotion - angry, envious or sad - without choice in the matter.
As the spirit and the intellect become more and more dominant in our lives, the hold of the mind and the body progressively reduce. We expand to the point of being effortlessly able to contain them. The body's imperious commandments no longer have us running at its beck or call.
When it signals that it is sleepy, we no longer drop the project we are slaving over and call it a day. Athletes have long learnt to keep going no matter how exhausted the body; indeed, it is by transcending these limitations of the body that they experience the wondrous state of 'flow' that is the true joy of sports.
Emotions too can no longer take over our lives. Yes, they will continue to invade us periodically, but we can absorb them and allow them to be, without the power of taking us over.
The more the spirit expands, the more we crest through mental and bodily limitations. The spirit contains it all and through the intellect, determines the most appropriate and loving action. Consequently we shift from low-energy to high-energy people.
Strangely enough, the more the spirit affects the body and mind, the more they take on its character. They literally become permeated by the spirit's lightness, buoyancy and essential nature. We become less heavy and dense, more refined and pure.
Eating Meditation Practice | Spiritual Healing While Eating
Eating Meditation Practice | Spiritual Healing While Eating
Eating meditation practice involves being completely in present and aware while one is having their food. It also involves eating a nutritious food. Though the latter comes naturally once one follows this meditation practice. Nutritious food are those which has gone through minimum amount of processing and is close to its natural state.
Meditation Practice While Eating
We are generally very unaware of what we eat, how we eat and when we eat. Majority of diseases and problems are caused by our lack of awareness in this part. This is because the proper digestion of food is very essential for all the nutrients to get properly absorbed by the blood and utilised by our body with minimum effort. Tension, stress, adds to the digestion problems and leads to further complications.
The Process of Eating Meditation Practice
You have to stay focused and observe everything that enters your mouth (We are talking about food here). For example while you are having your meal, execute every single step mindfully. when you hold the food, feel its shape, texture, color, temperature etc. At the time of chewing feel different tastes from time to time, if its too hot, if its is cold, if it is salty, if its bland, etc. Do not judge and give comment as in " Oh God, this food is salty etc, just accept everything as it is. Then chew the food properly, mindfully, till the time that morsel of food is almost in liquid state. The great Mahatma Gandhi had once said, Eat your water, and drink your food ". Follow this principle. Do not take your food in a hurry because if we swallow the food without chewing it properly then it may cause several digestive problems and which may distract our mind. Mind and body both are interrelated. Never eat when you are thirsty and never drink when you are hungry. Respect your body and it will give you wonderful results.
At the end of the eating meditation thank the creator or the maker to get the wonderful food at your plate at the time when you hungry. Examples of the positive affirmations or thanks that you can give are-
Thank the farmer who has worked so hard so that you get the best of vegetables, fruits etc.
Thank the chef, your husband, wife, mom, etc who prepared the food for you so that you would not remain hungry.
Thank the transport people who got those vegetables to the city from the villages. etc
You can thank all the people who has helped the food to get to your table.
This meditation can be started with a single item of food such as a fruit, soup, salad etc. Once you are used to it you can extend this meditation to whatever you eat ( which would be the ultimate goal of this meditation practice or exercise). It is advisable not to read newspaper or book, or watch TV, or excessive talking, while you are eating.
One thing to note here is that you don't have to follow a strict bodybuilding diet plan in your routine. But see to it that you include nutritious food in your daily diet which can be easily digested such as fruit, vegetables, grains, and protein. Determine the amount of food intake based upon your metabolism. However, it may change in certain stage if you are in any mental stress such as insecurity, anxiety, and force of habit.
My personal experience :- If you follow this meditation practice regularly you would automatically get an aversion to junk food like fried food, refined foods like pizza, burger, soft drinks etc . Once you are completely aware, your body would just not accept any junk food. It is a matter of fact. And once this happens you can know that you are in the right path and you are progressing on your spiritual effectively. This has happened with me. After following this mediation practice I have stopped drinking colas, etc. In fact even when I desire to drink sometimes, I cannot drink beyond few sips. It tastes horrible.
My personal experience :- If you follow this meditation practice regularly you would automatically get an aversion to junk food like fried food, refined foods like pizza, burger, soft drinks etc . Once you are completely aware, your body would just not accept any junk food. It is a matter of fact. And once this happens you can know that you are in the right path and you are progressing on your spiritual effectively. This has happened with me. After following this mediation practice I have stopped drinking colas, etc. In fact even when I desire to drink sometimes, I cannot drink beyond few sips. It tastes horrible.
Foods one can avoid :- Meat, Fish, Eggs, Chilly, fried, refined flour, tinned food, synthetic flavours, foods in which preservatives are used, foods which are stale, alcoholic beverages, wines, excess of salt, soft-drinks ( coca cola, Pepsi etc).
Foods one should eat :- Fresh fruits, vegetables, boiled vegetables, soups, fresh bread (made of whole wheat and other grains), nuts (not in excess), corn, milk, fruit juices, anything which is close to its natural state and which undergoes minimum of processing.
Body Relaxation Meditation
Body Relaxation Meditation
Should we do meditation to relax our mind and body or should we relax our body to do good meditation? This is a question which one has to find an answer themselves? We are extremely conscious of the presence of our body without thinking about our body or analysing it. Lack of awareness of our body can give us many unwanted stress and tension which can in turn affect our mental peace and calmness. It is very important to be aware of the body consciously and after practicing it regularly making it an unconscious way of our life.
Body relaxation meditation is a meditation technique where one consciously gets aware of each part of the body from toe to head and simultaneously relax it by saying positive statement. This meditation can be done in any position, sitting, standing, lying down etc. The best result is of course achieved when one is lying down on the floor.
Process of Body Relaxation Meditation
Lie down on the floor (alternatively one can do this in any position). Keep the hands at a distance of to 6 to 8 inches from the body, palms open, facing the sky. Take 2 to 3 deep breaths. Free yourself from all the work pressure, past, future worries, everything. Remember that the world will not end nor it would stop working if you do not give it any attention. Give this few minutes (half and hour) just to yourself. Switch off your mobile phone and try not get disturbed while you are doing this meditation.
In lying down position, try to feel the sensation of your body first. Start from the finger tips of both the hands. Feel the vibrations in them. Slowly move upwards towards the palm of your hands and this way go up to the shoulders, concentrate on the hands, wrist, forearms, arms, biceps, triceps. While scanning each part, mentally say that the particular part you are feeling, scanning, sensing etc is relaxed. E.g. Mentally say, "There is no tension or pain in my arms. My arms are completely relaxed ". Feel the stress, tension or pain going out of the body. Remember not to mover your hands or any body parts as far as possible. There might be a feeling to itch somewhere sometime. Try not to. If it is unbearable go ahead and satisfy yourself :).
After your hands are relaxed, turn your attention towards the toes of your legs. Slowly move upwards towards the feet, calf, thighs, sex organ, hips, stomach, internal organs, kidneys, lungs, heart, throat etc. Same way feel the vibrations in each part and mentally say that each of the body part is completely relaxed.
Now go towards the face. Cover the face, cheeks, teeth, upper jaw, lower jaw, inside mouth, nose, eyes, head, etc . Try to cover each and every part of the body. All the time stay with the body and feels its awareness, vibrations, sensation etc. When you feel that your thought process is wandering outside, take deep breaths and be aware of the breath. Then again start.
This way cover the entire body from the head to toe.
Ending the Body Relaxation Meditation
Once you finish the whole exercise slowly get up without giving any jerks or sudden movements, sit calmly in a particular place and be aware of the breath. Get up when you feel like. Rub both the hands , generate some warmth and place the cupped palms over the eyes. Say a small prayer ( whatever you feel like) and finish this process.
Continuous practice of this body meditation will make this easier for you. During the meditation you will feel a warm current your body. And you can experience decrease in mental pain and stress as a result.
The time of this meditation is also very important. Initially you might take 30 minutes to do the complete body scan. But after consistent practice you can relax the entire body in 10 min or even less. Sometimes just a mental glance at the complete body will remove all the stress, tension etc from the body. Once you master this art apply this body awareness while walking, sitting, watching TV, travelling etc. In short wherever, whenever possible. See how much difference this makes to your lifestyle.
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