The Function of Education

"I WONDER IF WE HAVE EVER ASKED ourselves what education means. Why do we go to school, why do we learn various subjects, why do we pass examinations and compete with each other for better grades? What does this so-called education mean, and what is it all about? This is really a very important question, not only for the students, but also for the parents, for the teachers , and for everyone who loves this earth. Why do we go through the struggle to be educated? Is it merely in order to pass some examinations and get a job? Or is it the function of education to prepare us while we are young to understand the whole process of life? Having a job and earning one's livelihood is necessary- but is that all? Are we being educated only for that? Surely , life is not merely a job, an occupation, life is something extraordinarily wise and profound, it is a great mystery, a vast realm in which we function as human beings. If we merely prepare ourselves to earn a livelihood, we shall miss the whole point of life; and to understand life is much more important than merely to prepare for examinations and become very proficient in mathematics, physics, or what you will.

So, whether we are teachers or students, is it not important to ask ourselves why we are educating or being educated? And what does life mean? Is not life an extraordinary thing? The birds, the flowers, the flourishing trees, the heavens, the stars, the rivers and the fish therein- all this is life. Life is the poor and the rich; life is meditation; life is what we call religion, and it is also the subtle, hidden things of the mind- the envies, the ambitions, the passions, the fears, fulfillments and anxieties. All this and much more is life. But we generally prepare ourselves to understand only one s mall corner of it. We pass certain examinations, find a job, get married, have children, and then become more and more like machines. We remain fearful, anxious, frightened of life. So, is it the function of education to help us understand the whole process of life, or is it merely to prepare us for a vocation, for the best job we can get?

~ Jiddu Krishnamurthi on Education ~

Photography Credit: http://www.pamwoodphoto.com/site/home.html

Truth Speaking

If you don’t have anything to say, don’t say anything…. Every breath is Sacred; every breath we are given is for a purpose. If every breath is for a reason, then every word it carries is for a reason. Idle chitchat is like a waste of sacred breath. Using it to spread gossip or manipulate is like pouring vinegar in a trusting baby’s mouth When we resort to small talk, we are not speaking the Truth of the Now. We are merely filling this silence with fluff and drivel. We are trashing the Moment.

~ Tamarack Song ~

http://theunboundedspirit.com/the-power-of-truthspeaking/

Assumptions

“It is very interesting how the human mind works. We have the need to justify everything, to explain and understand everything, in order to feel safe. We have millions of questions that need answers because there are so many things that the reasoning mind cannot explain. It is not important if the answer is correct; just the answer itself makes us feel safe. This is why we make assumptions…We make all sorts of assumptions because we don’t have the courage to ask questions…We have agreed that it is not safe to ask questions; we have agreed that if people love us, they should know what we want or how we feel. When we believe something, we assume we are right about it to the point that we will destroy relationships in order to defend our position.”

~ Miguel Ruiz, The Four Agreements: A Practical Guide to Personal Freedom ~

The Four Agreements

The Four Agreements

 ~ Be impeccable with your word.

~ Don’t take anything personally.

 ~ Don’t make assumptions.

 ~ Always do your best. 

“If someone is not treating you with love and respect, it is a gift if they walk away from you. If that person doesn't walk away, you will surely endure many years of suffering with him or her. Walking away may hurt for a while, but your heart will eventually heal. Then you can choose what you really want. You will find that you don't need to trust others as much as you need to trust yourself to make the right choices.”

~ Miguel Ruiz ~

All IS

“In the spiritual life, you place no labels on the world. You do not judge as to good, evil, sick or well, rich or poor. While appearances may show forth harmony or discord, by not judging, you merely know IS, and let that which truly IS define Itself.” 

~ Joel Goldsmith ~

 Separated ego will say, "Well, you have to do X, Y, & Z first in order to be happy." Actually, no. All you have to do is smile, and that sends a message throughout the body, and all of the cells respond and know that you're happy because you're smiling. "Well, gee, Jeshua, I can probably do that." Of course, you can. You can smile and tell each other a joke, a good belly laugh joke.

~ Jeshua ~

The Sun

Sunrise by Noobs

« Each morning we go to contemplate the sun, but we can only truly know what it is with a great deal of effort and patience. Even though it is there, shining, bright and dazzling, it does not reveal itself to us so easily, and our everyday preoccupations do not prepare us for seeing the subtle life our soul and spirit long for. But we have to persevere; we have to work for a long time on our spiritual senses before we understand that the Divine manifests through the sun and then commune with it.

You think you know the sun… No, you will begin to know it when you feel a vibration in your solar plexus of such intensity that your whole being is nourished and quenched by it. Then like the sun you will be ready to pour out your warmth, light and life to the whole world. This is how the Holy Trinity – the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit – will become alive in you. »

~ Omraam Mikhael Aivanhov ~

Be A Light Unto Yourself

One has to be a light to oneself; this light is the law. There is no other law. All the other laws are made by thought and so are fragmentary and contradictory. To be a light to oneself is not to follow the light of another, however reasonable, logical, historical, and however convincing. You cannot be a light to yourself if you are in the dark shadows of authority, of dogma, of conclusion.

~ Jiddu Krishnamurti ~

The Reality of God's Will

« There are some believers who wonder naively what God’s will is for them and what he expects of them. They imagine God’s will is concerned with the particular place they ought to live, the profession they ought to be in… Does he want them to start a family or remain single and consecrate themselves to him?... Is he asking them to support this cause or fight that one?...

The reality is that God’s will is not specific to each person’s particular questions. God only wants humans to study and understand his laws, which are the laws of life, and then to do their best to put them into practice. Of course, the will of God applies personally to each one of us, but we do not know what God expects of us until we have studied divine will in principle. It is only when we start acting in accordance with divine will as the principle of wisdom and love that we truly know what God is expecting of us. »

~ Omraam Mikhael Aivanhov ~

 Photo credit: Harshavardhan Bhat, India.                             

                             

The Greatest Gift You Can Give

In your heart you are free. This energy of freedom can be expressed in your daily life as well as kept as a sacred trust within you. Take a breath and you will feel the Divine Presence working through you encouraging you to let your light shine.

When you are feeling free to be yourself, that is the time your light shines the brightest. That is when you are most relaxed and happy, which is the way your Spirit intended you to live.

When you let your light shine in the world, darkness is illuminated. The parts of society that offer the greatest challenge are the ones needing the most light. This light energy carries the frequencies of Divine Love as well as Divine Intelligence. Allowing God's love to pour through you as Divine Light is one of the most graceful ways to create the changes you want in your world. This energy of love-filled light can bring wholeness and healing to any situation.

When you come to this place of light within you, it reminds you of the joyous state of a happy child. You are being encouraged to express this joyous energy in your family and worldly life. It is the spontaneous freedom to speak the truth from your heart with kindness and compassion. It is the enthusiasm to do what you most want to do, knowing that you are divinely inspired in every moment. These are the gifts you are being asked to give to the world.

Experience the freedom of Divine Light at work within you.  Feel free to ask for so much love to come through you that you can let it overflow to others. Ask for abundant joy within you so that you can share it. Ask to speak your highest truth with the compassion of the Angels. Ask to really know in your heart that which is right for you to do and say. Ask to be a vehicle of light moving in the world. All this gives you perfect freedom of expression while trusting at all times that there are divine resources within you that you can call upon.

You are a gift to the world when you express all of the beauty inside you. Share your most sacred self when you feel the guidance to do so. Allow God's light to shine through you and remember:

Feeling free to be yourself is the greatest gift you can give.

Shanta Gabriel, 2014

www.TheGabrielMessages.com

Feeling Joy

« Occasionally, without knowing why, you suddenly feel joyful or sad. There are several possible explanations, but I will give you one you will certainly never have considered. You have no doubt passed a man or woman in the street whose face attracted your attention, and you spontaneously sent them a thought, a ray of love… This person did not even realize you had been watching them, but they received the good you sent them through your eyes and felt the effects. When you suddenly feel joy, it may be that an entity in the invisible world has looked at you as it passed by and sent you its love, and your heart has been touched. Wherever we go, we find ourselves surrounded by visible and invisible beings, and sometimes we receive good things, sometimes bad, which explains many of our different states.

The sun, which watches us every day, also sends us its life-giving rays. And because it is an image of God, our spiritual sun, we must become aware that through the sun God is watching us. To love God is to stand before him each day and receive his gaze. »

~ Omraam Mikhael Aivanhov ~

Unfold Your Own Myth

But don't be satisfied with stories, 

how things have gone with others. 

Unfold your own myth, 

without complicated explanations, 

so everyone will understand the passage,

We have opened you.

~ Rumi ~

Love Yourself Before All The Rest

"How could I have said something so stupid??"

"That was so dumb of me!! I should have known better!"

"I will never get it right! Why am I even bothering to try??"

"I wish I wasn't so clumsy! Why can't I be more elegant and graceful, like Janet?"

Does any of that sound familiar to you? That was my inner voice, several years ago. That was the voice in my head, constantly nagging, putting myself down, wishing I was different, better, smarter, stronger, more spiritual. Wishing I was anyone but who I am.

The most meaningful lesson I learned from being at death's door is that unless I love myself, nothing else in my life can function at its best. The amount of depth, meaning, and joy I experience in my life is in direct proportion to how much love I have for myself. The amount of love, kindness, patience I have for others is also directly proportional to how much love, patience and kindness I have for myself, because we cannot give others what we ourselves do not have. And, unsurprisingly, the amount of love, respect, support, and compassion I receive from others is also in direct proportion to how much of the same I have for myself.

Many of us are taught from a young age to "love our neighbors as we love ourselves." But what if we don't love ourselves? What if we are our own worst enemy, and our own harshest critic? If we treat others as we treat ourselves, then are we judging everyone else with the same harsh brush that we are using to paint ourselves? Is this why there are more people on our planet obsessed with trying to condemn anyone who is different, instead of learning to embrace everyone who shares our earth, and rejoice in our differences?

~ Anita Moorjani ~

Author of the best selling book "Dying To be Me"

 http://www.huffingtonpost.com/anita-moorjani/love-yourself-first_b_3787071.html

In solitude I Hear The Still Small Voice

This is a time of year for celebration for many faith traditions. Rev. John Scott offers this prayer during this season of renewal.

The Spirit of God within me is the jewel of my soul. It is the priceless treasure of the Kingdom of Heaven at the center of my being. In this “pearl of great price” I invest my all.

In solitude I commune with the Infinite and hear the “Still Small Voice,” the unerring intuition that guides my life’s journey. It fills my consciousness with every idea I need to lead compassionately and minister effectively. All those who come to me for guidance learn to turn within and access the inner wisdom which unerringly guides them to their good.

Nothing in the world of form can block my clear communication with the Presence and Power within. Outer appearances, like fake gems, pale into insignificance compared to the brilliance of the diamond – full-cut, flawless, white – which is my oneness with The One.

As our Centers for Spiritual Living world-wide celebrate the rebirth of spring, sing the Easter song of gladness or share the Passover of Praise, every minister, practitioner and congregant experiences the many-faceted beauty of silent communion with the Living Spirit Almighty, lovingly sharing Its wealth with all whom we encounter in the treasure house of life.

In gratitude, this word is released to the Law which silently fulfills it. And so it is.

~ Rev. John Scott, Kingston, Jamaica ~

Excerpted from Science of Mind April Newsletter

http://www.scienceofmind.com/e-mail/2014/newsletter_april_01.html

Sunlight

« When spring arrives, we start to find nourishment in the rays of the rising sun, for light is the best of foods. And the pure air, the awakening earth, the surrounding trees, also nourish us, if we know how to cook them… Yes, cook them! With our thoughts and our love we can make delicious dishes from all these elements.

Spiritual life is a kind of nutrition. It is the art of turning everything we receive from outside into wisdom, kindness, power and peace. We contribute to this change by first and foremost giving all our attention to the rising sun. Then, each time we come back to our daily activities, we feel replete, stronger and richer. Yes, richer, because the sunlight we have received is gold, etheric gold, and this gold is worth more than all the gold bars piled up in banks, for it brings us life. »

~ Omraam Mikhael Aivanhov ~

You Are Irreplaceable

You are altogether irreplaceable in the Mind of God. No one else can fill your part of It, and while you leave your part of It empty, your eternal place merely waits for your return. God, through His Voice, reminds you of It, and God Himself keeps your extensions safe within It. Yet you do not know them until you return to them. You cannot replace the Kingdom, and you cannot replace yourself. God, Who knows your value, would not have it so, and so it is not so. Your value is in God's Mind and therefore not in yours alone. To accept yourself as God created you cannot be arrogance because it is the denial of arrogance. To accept your littleness is arrogant because it means that you believe your evaluation of yourself is truer than God's.

~ A Course In Miracles ~

Soul Mates

« Many men and women, even after repeated failures and disappointments, continue to stubbornly believe that it’s not that their understanding of love is at fault, only that they have still not met the person they are meant to meet,… the ideal being,… their soul mate. As if happiness depended on a miraculous meeting or coincidence! That really is not how things happen. You should know that a soul mate is not a man or woman you meet out of the blue and fall head over heels in love with. The meeting with your soul mate is first and foremost a psychic process, in which the higher part of your being attracts its complementary half. You need to have worked on yourself for a long time to be worthy of attracting your divine half, but when you have finally established the connection, you feel its presence, for it lives within you.

Do you really want to meet your soul mate? Do not go looking for it, but concentrate on the light; it will come by itself, drawn by the glowing light it sees shining in you. You do not know where your soul mate is, but it knows where you are. Simply wait for it inside: it will come. »

~ Omraam Mikhael Aivanhov ~

Know Thyself

“Every life has meaning, and rather than giving our opinion on the lives of others, every one of us must try to bring more and more meaning to our own life in order to prepare our future. 

“Know thyself” was the maxim inscribed on the pediment of the temple at Delphi.  What is this ‘self’ that we have to know? Is it a question of knowing our own vices and virtues, our strengths and weaknesses? No: to know oneself is to know the different bodies (the physical, etheric, mental, causal, buddhic and atmic bodies) of which we are formed and what each of these bodies needs. If the initiates of old insisted so much on the necessity of self-knowledge it was because this knowledge opens up tremendous possibilities for growth, progress and success. As long as man is ignorant of the needs of his higher self, he will continue to surfeit his physical body while his soul and spirit suffocate and die of hunger and thirst.’

~ Omraam Mikhael Aivanhov ~

Affirmations for Physical Healing

I love myself and I forgive myself.

I forgive myself for allowing my (anger, fear, resentment, 

or what have you) To harm my body.

I deserve to be healed.

I am worthy of being healed.

My body knows how to heal itself.

I cooperate with my body’s nutritional needs.

I feed my body delicious healthy foods.

I love every inch of my body.

I see cool, clear water flowing through my body

And washing away all impurities.

My healthy cells grow stronger every day.

I trust Life to support my healing in every way.

Every hand that touches my body is a healing hand.

My doctors are amazed by how quickly my body is healing.

Every day in every way I am growing

Healthier and healthier.

~ Excerpted from 

“YOU CAN CREATE AN EXCEPTIONAL LIFE"

By Louis Hay ~

Spiritual Link

« Two people may never have touched each other even with their fingertips, and yet they feel a powerful, indestructible link between them. Nothing and no one can separate them. Despite walls, mountains and oceans, they are together, because their love goes beyond the limitations of the physical plane.

You will no doubt have noticed that when you feel the subtle presence of a loved one, you do not necessarily need their physical presence to feel you are with them. If you strongly feel that you need their physical presence, it means you are moving out of your inner world, and then you are likely to meet with great suffering. For who is to say circumstances will not some day deprive you of the person you love? But if you feel their presence inside, outer circumstances will have less hold over you. This is a criterion: if you feel as much joy thinking of the person as when you see them, you are free, and this joy will never leave you. »

~ Omraam Mikhael Aivanhov ~

Reflection

« It is difficult to express an opinion categorically on either good or evil. Why? Because nothing on earth is either completely good or completely bad. There are drawbacks to even the best things. How can we not be delighted at the arrival of spring? Everything flourishes in the light and warmth; it’s wonderful. Ah, but… harmful insects flourish too: wasps, flies, caterpillars, greenfly, mosquitoes… And is technical progress good or bad? How many discoveries that began by bringing huge improvements to people’s lives ended disastrously, because those who made them were not capable of being careful and clear-sighted and did not think of the consequences! I don’t need to give you lots of examples; you can see them every day.

So, whatever the events or conditions, there are always precautions that need to be taken. For the ignorant, even the best things can turn bad, because they are not ready to face them. Whereas, those who reflect and have learned how to work manage to put even the greatest difficulties to good use. »

~ Omraam Mikhael Aivanhov ~

Actually, We Have No Love

You know, actually we have no love - that is a terrible thing to realize.  Actually we have no love; we have sentiment; we have emotionality, sensuality, sexuality; we have remembrances of something which we have thought as love.  But actually, brutally, we have no love.  Because to have love means no violence, no fear, no competition, no ambition. If you had love you will never say "This is my family."  You may have a family and give them the best you can; but it will not be "your family" which is opposed to the world.  If you love, if there is love, there is peace.  If you loved, you would educate your child not to be a nationalist, not to have only a technical job and look after his own petty little affairs; you would have no nationality.  There would be no divisions of religion, if you loved. But as these things actually exist - not theoretically, but brutally - in this ugly world, it shows that you have no love. Even the love of a mother for her child is not love.  If the mother really loved her child, do you think the world would be like this?  She would see that he had the right food, the right education, that he was sensitive, that he appreciated beauty, that he was not ambitious, greedy, envious.  So the mother, however much she may think she loves her child, does not love the child.  So we have not that love.

~ Jiddu Krishnamurthi ~

The Magical Forest

The Magical Forest

Creation and Us

« The whole of civilization is nothing other than work on matter. But there are different kinds of matter, and the work humans do on external materials they can also do on their own psychic matter. All their instincts, desires, feelings and thoughts represent a substance which they have to work on intensely in order to purify and develop it. From one point of view you could say this is a creative work similar to artistic creation, since it obeys the same laws.

The true work of creation is spiritual work, because it concerns the whole of our being. We project ourselves as high as possible to find an order, a structure, and to capture the purest particles, which will become part of the substance of our different bodies: our spiritual bodies, our psychic bodies and our physical body too. We must make this effort every moment of every day. Each day we add a more vibrant colour, a subtler form, a more harmonious sound. »

~ Omraam Mikhael Aivanhov ~

Sacred Pause

The Four Elements

Daily life is a series of encounters to which we do not pay enough attention. What are breathing, eating, drinking, washing, receiving the sun’s light and warmth if not encounters with the four elements – earth, water, air and fire? Our whole existence is not only made up of these encounters but depends on them.

Each day we make contact with the four elements: with the earth when we eat, with water when we drink and wash ourselves, with the air when we breathe, with fire when we light one, but also when we receive the sun’s light and warmth. The four elements are not just the natural forces we see on display on the rare occasions that phenomena such as earthquakes, storms, tornadoes and volcanic eruptions occur. They are a part of the most day-to-day events of our life, so every day we can consciously interact with them. »

( Omraam Mikhael Aivanhov )