Spirituality and the human
In recent days, several videos have been circulating on the internet, where different species of animals can be seen acting in strange ways. Groups of horses, ants, and even orcas are being seen going around in perfect circles for several days without apparent reason.
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Those who purchase clothing often pay little attention to colour and variation – simply due the offerings of sales and retailers. What is well known in the West is that townships filled with retired people will be filled with people wearing aquamarine blue; and those places populated by the aged can reliably witness those wearing purple, violet or high violet hues like this. Here, Magenta is celebrated as the incoming colour for year 2023.
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Around 2,500 people — mostly women — were executed in Scotland between 1563 and 1736 under the country’s Witchcraft Act.
Now, hundreds of years later, the Parliament of Scotland is doing something about it — starting with a public apology. The apology affirms the proper attitude to gender and the role of women in society.
Many light-workers, healers, Romany (gypsies) and others unjustly accused of being in league with the devil were arrested on scant evidence, more often, simply finger-pointing. A righting of the wrongs is the correct thing to do, and allows for healing on the astral (or akasha) levels – as there is an etheric signature to these events which must be erased.
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Interest is of two kinds, personal interest and impersonal interest. Swami Tapasyananda (1904 – 1991), was one of the Vice-Presidents of the Ramakrishna Order. Here, Swami Tapasyananda writes about the importance of impersonal interest in spirituality.
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Many speak of the coming of the higher dimensions, the 5th Dimension. For some, it is the great restoration to a time before the Fall of Atlantis. Others call it the Age of Aquarius, others say it is the Golden Age, and some others tell it is the Return of the Light. Whatever the name, the recognition is in the heart: a return to an era of peace and harmony, wherein people will live with harmony and love; and there will be discussion and debate instead of discord and war.
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Fully autonomous weapons, also known as “killer robots,” would be able to select and engage targets without meaningful human control. Precursors to these weapons, such as armed drones, are being developed and deployed by nations including China, Israel, South Korea, Russia, the United Kingdom and the United States. There are serious doubts that fully autonomous weapons would be capable of meeting international humanitarian law standards, including the rules of distinction, proportionality, and military necessity, while they would threaten the fundamental right to life and principle of human dignity.
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Many of us have come to Divinity and Love of the Divine through a long and torturous journey, through womb after womb. We may have been healers, philosophers, teachers, adherents of nature religions or folk religion, and perhaps, at times, accused of being in league with the devil, or practitioners of the left hand path, the dark arts. Some of us were tortured and burnt at the stake, simply for helping our fellow man and woman. We live in enlightened days filled with much tolerance. For some, it is important to acknowledge what happened in the past, and to release the past. In this manner, we offer this pithy history.
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At the passing of the Monarch, rainbows were seen at Windsor Castle and Buckingham Palace. It is said that the passing of this Monarch will bring about great change in how the world is viewed. It will also bring about change in how we view our own selves. For we are the ones we have been waiting for. Divinity is within the human, not in the skies nor in any far off place called Heaven, Nirvana or Chandra loka. Rainbows signify hope.
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The name Bhagavatha can be applied to every account of the experiences of those who have contacted God and the Godly (Bhagawan and Bhakta). God assumes many forms and enacts many activities. The name Bhagavatha is given to the descriptions of the experiences of those who have realised Him in those forms and of those who have been blessed by His Grace and chosen as His Instruments.
The great work known by that name is honoured by all masters of the Vedas. It is a panacea, which cures physical, mental and spiritual illnesses. The Bhagavatha is saturated with sweetness of nectar; it shines with the splendour of God.
The principle of Avatar or the Descent of God on earth, the Incarnation of the Formless with Form, for the uplift of beings – this is the basic fact that makes the Bhagavatha authentic. By Bhagavatha we also mean those with attachment to God, those who seek the companionship of God. For such, the book, Bhagavatha, is most precious; it is the breath of their life. Herein find choice selections from Bhagavatha Vahini.
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Ganesha Chaturthi is celebrated as the birth anniversary of Lord Ganesha. Although there are contradictory views on the birth anniversary of Lord Ganesha, most people celebrate it on Shukla Chaturthi during Bhadrapada lunar month and the day is popularly known as Ganesha Chaturthi.
On Vinayaka Chaturthi day, students place books in front of the Ganesa idol and offer worship. They pray to the deity to illumine their minds. Hence Ganesa is known as “Buddhi Pradayaka“, one who grants intelligence.
All the sacred festivals celebrated by devotees are full of significance spiritually and socially. Every festival is regarded as a holy event surcharged with divinity. On such a holy day, each house is cleaned up, everybody takes a sacred bath to purify the body, special pujas are performed, coconut is offered to the deity and prayers are offered during the day.
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The word mantra is derived from two Sanskrit words – ‘man’ meaning mind, and ‘tra’ meaning tool. Mantra meditation is used to protect practitioners from a constant onslaught of unhealthy and repetitive thoughts. A purified intellect reflecting the Atmic light confers true wisdom. When the intellect is full of God, naturally one will follow the correct path and experience Peace and Bliss. If the mind follows the senses, one is ruined. Hence, meditation is of use.
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Catholics celebrate the Assumption of the Virgin Mary into Heaven on this day (15 August) while the Orthodox celebrate what is called Her “Dormition,” since the Orthodox Church does not teach that Her body ascended into the heavens. This day is also known as Our Lady’s Herb Day.
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Sri Aurobindo (15 August 1872 – 5 December 1950), also known as Yogi Arvind, was an Indian philosopher, yoga guru, maharishi, poet, and Indian nationalist. His birth anniversary is annually held on August 15. In 2022, it is the 150th birth anniversary of Sri Aurobindo Ghosh (Yogi Aravind). There is an ongoing controversy among scholars and a section of devotees as to whether Buddha is an avatar of Lord Vishnu. Sri Aurobindo shares his thoughts on Buddha as an avatar of Vishnu.
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Whether it is a lucky bracelet or a hamsa keychain amulet, superstitions believed to bring good fortune or ward off the bad are almost universal. They are the inspirations for a provocative new art exhibition: Magical Thinking: Superstitions and Other Persistent Notions, accessible virtually and at the Dr. Bernard Heller Museum at Hebrew Union College in New York through January 15, 2023.
Black cats, wishbones, and mirrors are among the symbols chosen for exploration by over 50 contemporary artists. Jewish (and North African/Middle Eastern) amulets such as the hamsa, an outstretched hand to ward of the “evil eye,” are among the most popular motifs. The striking works include oils, watercolors, acrylics, paper cuts, and photographs.
Several artists explored the use of red ribbons or string to ward off the evil eye in Jewish settings, such as tying a red ribbon on a newborn’s crib, string bracelets given out at the Western Wall in Jerusalem today, and bracelets worn by celebrities who are taken with Jewish Kabbalah teachings.
Characters from Jewish folklore, like the golem and the dybbuk, are also featured. In legend, the golem is a mythical figure molded from clay and brought to life to aid its creator, while the dybbuk is a phantom creation, often a revenge figure that interferes with the real world.
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His Holiness the Dalai Lama, spiritual leader of Tibet and one of the most beloved and recognized leaders of our time, turned 87 on Wednesday.
His Holiness is the fourteenth person to be recognized as a Dalai Lama, believed to be a manifestation of Avalokiteshvara, the bodhisattva of compassion. The self-proclaimed “simple monk” has dedicated his life to that spirit of compassion, and in turn has made a worldwide impact with his service as a statesman, spiritual teacher, and theologian. In this article we look at his life as inspiration for our own. These days, we need the Dalai Lama’s wisdom more than ever.
This teaching by the Dalai Lama explains how the Buddhist teachings of mindfulness and compassion lead inevitably to feelings of self-confidence and kindness.
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