Walking Gently Upon the Earth

As the end of one year starts to come to a close and the new one, filled with all its wonder and possibilities, makes its presence felt, the above saying comes to mind.  This old year seems to have been one with its share of turbulence (on all levels) but in the greater scheme of things, has it been more turbulent than previous years?  All I know is that life seems to  be a roller coaster with its ups and downs, twists and turns with the odd curve ball thrown in just to make sure we are still alive and whether or not we have been paying attention. Sometimes, and whilst it may be difficult to realise in this world of instant gratification and the Ego, experiences we are exposed to are not always about our own selves - at times, we may only be a catalyst or even a bystander who has gotten in the way.  When such experiences occur how certain are we that the experience is directly aimed at us?

A Time for Honouring Lakshmi

As the festive season draws ever closer, one Goddess comes readily to mind and that is the Hindu Goddess of prosperity and good fortune, of beauty and purification - the beautiful gentle Lakshmi. 

In the Hindu myth known as the "Churning of the Milky Ocean", the Gods were at war against various demons (the Asuras) who wanted to gain immortality. One day a wise sage offered Indra, the Hindu Warrior God, a garland of sacred flowers, however, in his arrogance, Indra threw the flowers on the floor. This display of arrogance upset Lakshmi, who left the realm of the Gods and enter the Milky Ocean. Without her, the Gods were no longer blessed with success or fortune, and as such, the world became darker, the people on earth more greedy, resulting in the refusal to make offerings to the Gods.  And as the Gods' power waned, the Asuras took control.

Your Cup of Milk Matters

In the 16th century, the Mogul Emperor of India, Akbar, ordered the construction in his royal gardens of a vast marble pond for his recently acquired rare white Himalayan swans.  Akbar wished to inaugurate their entry into his new pond by filling it with a sea of milk.  A proclamation was read throughout the capital inviting each citizen to come to the royal gardens during the hours of darkness and pour one cup of milk into the new pond before departing.

 

The next morning Akbar awoke to a pond filled with water.

 

Meditation in the Modern Age

These days it seems that no matter how many "time saving" devices we own, we tend to end up with less and less "free time" as there tends to always be something (or someone) else that requires our attention.  Even with the invention of social media, we are encouraged more and more to "download an app" for something as opposed to truly applying our own energy.  While all these advances in modern technology are wonderful and far-reaching, there is a downside.  This downside is potential of losing the ability to be "unwired" and to simply be ... without the need of external stimulation.