The Full Moon in February brings Spring in its wake for the northern hemisphere, and the Holi celebration. As we emerge from Covid-19, there is need to shake the dust off ourselves, spruce up, and celebrate. After a brief look at the Navamsa, we look to the situation in Ukraine.
Hilma af Klint (October 26, 1862 – October 21, 1944) was a Swedish artist and mystic whose paintings are considered among the first abstract works known in Western art history. She belonged to a group called “The Five”, comprising a circle of women inspired by Theosophy, who shared a belief in the importance of trying to contact the so-called “High Masters” — often by way of séances. Her paintings, which sometimes resemble diagrams, were a visual representation of complex spiritual ideas.
Atmasiddhi Shastra (Six Spiritual Truths of the Soul) is the work of Srimad Rajchandra of India. It is a simple question-and answer work that engages a conversation between a doubter and a teacher (a guru) about the nature of the soul. Rajchandra was guru to Mahatma Gandhi. The book has forewords given by the XIV Dalai Lama and the Prime Minister of India, Narendra Modi.
Nyepi, Balinese New Year, is observed on 14 March. This day is also known as Nyepi or Day of Silence, is an important and significant day that symbolises the beginning of a new year. With restrictions on electricity, working, travelling and entertainment the streets become an empty but serene setting.
Rudolf Steiner was an Austrian scientist, philosopher and artist who lived from 1861-1925. His interests were not only in education, but also in a wide range of fields such as medicine, agriculture, nutrition, social renewal, the environment. One of his beliefs was that humanity needs to work organically in co-operation with nature, not against it. He sounded warning bells about many issues, such as sustainability and depletion of human and natural resources, which are of wide concern today.
The Blue Marble is an image of Earth taken on December 7, 1972, from a distance of about 29,000 kilometers (18,000 miles) from the planet’s surface. It was taken by the crew of the Apollo 17 spacecraft on its way to the Moon, and is one of the most reproduced images in history.
It mainly shows the Earth from the Mediterranean Sea to Antarctica. This was the first time the Apollo trajectory made it possible to photograph the south polar ice cap, despite the Southern Hemisphere being heavily covered in clouds. In addition to the Arabian Peninsula and Madagascar, almost the entire coastline of Africa is clearly visible. The Asian mainland is on the horizon.
The term Hermetism is often misused today. It comes from the name of Hermes Trismegistros, keeper and revealer of the supreme knowledge. He is presented as an extraordinary amalgam of the Hermes of Greek mythology, the Lord of Science and the Word, and the God Thoth; he was also scribe, magician, and an exemplary figure upon whom Egyptian priests and initiates modelled themselves.
Cosmic Sai Baba has always said that everyone is a God being. So if you think of that – it might be a little hard sometimes because of incumbrances that are still in the body that exist from other teachings or beliefs from other times – or even in this lifetime. They could let all that go. Everyone on this Earth at this time can move forward. And they have all agreed to come, to help one another.
Imagination is the nation of images. Imagination can create books, plays, films. Imagination can be fun! Imagination can be something we use to create our career. And, magination can be a form of prayer. The World of Light is imaged; it is the nation of images.
World Wildlife Day, celebrated each year on 3 March, commemorates the day of signature of the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES) in 1973. The theme for 2022 is “Recovering key species for ecosystem restoration”.
Sathya Sai Baba says that concentration brings success to any activity engaged upon – that is – when we give our undivided focus, attention and concentration. In this day and age of screens – phones, tablets, laptops, computers, television much has changed for humanity. Messaging applications, Chat apps, Facebook, Facetime, video and streaming services capture attention. What is happening to humanity in this modern connected world with its relentless fracking of our attention?
Vasant Panchami day is dedicated to Saraswati, the Goddess of knowledge, music, arts, science and technology. Goddess Saraswati is worshipped on Vasant Panchami day. Vasant Panchami is also known as Shri Panchami and Saraswati Panchami.
Swami Vivekananda (1863-1902 C.E.) was a Hindu monk and saint of India. According to the English calendar he was born on 12th January 1863 into an aristocratic Bengali family of Calcutta. However his birthday is celebrated according to the Hindu calendar and this day is known as Swami Vivekananda Jayanti. Vivekananda was born on Krishna Paksha Saptami after seven days of Paush Purnima. As Jayanti day is decided based on the Hindu (lunar) calendar, it is not fixed on the Gregorian calendar.
International Day of Education 2022 will be celebrated under the theme “Changing Course, Transforming Education.” The celebration, led by the UN Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO), aims to showcase the most important transformations that have to be nurtured to realize everyone’s fundamental right to education and build a more sustainable, inclusive and peaceful futures. Here we look at the purpose of education and the Sathya Sai Education in Human Values.
Jakob Böhme was a German philosopher, Christian mystic, and Lutheran Protestant theologian. He was considered an original thinker by many of his contemporaries within the Lutheran tradition, and his first book, commonly known as Aurora, caused a great scandal. After exile from his home, he met with nobility and commenced writing again, and had further mystical experiences.