Final musings on Celebrating Divine Presence: Journeys into God

I have to thank Dolores for suggesting this book, it's been an incredible read. I was amazed as I read this book, that I marked most passages in the Hindu, Buddism, and Veda sections. It reminded me of several other books Dolores and I read together several years ago: Siddartha by Hermann Hesse and Celestine Prophecy by James Redfield.

I've learned so much about different religions and affirmed my belief that: (stated better in the book than I can say it!

"The most important thing in beginning a spiritual path... is to just begin. It is not necessary to have your path mapped out in advance. You could, I suppose, try to Google for directions is you really need to. Maybe have them all mapped out, too. The important thing, however, is to just take that first step with a clear intention that you want to know God or truth whatever you want to call it and that you want to live a good life in the best way possible. You may not consciously know where to start, but there is a part of you that knows just what to do. That part of you is just waiting for you to really begin." This resonates with me in the fact that we have to slow ourselves down sometimes to begin that journey, whatever it may be and also that periodically we have to check in to see where we are! It reminds me of swimming in the first triathlon this summer... every ten stroke or so, I'd have to pause to breast stroke and look up to see if I was heading in the right direction!

I latched on to this idea as all my life I've made myself too busy:

"Don't just do something, sit there!" It's the most important thing we can do ....sitting in silence....patiently.... giving ourselves a chance to listen to the deepest part of ourselves.... getting to know the deepest part of ourselves.

Infinite joy is our birthright. Infinite existence,

Infinite consciousness, Infinite Joy is our true nature.

We can run throughout the Universe searching for happiness,

searching for love, but That Joy, That Love resides in our own

hearts and the hearts of all beings in this world.

Be still and treasure that Joy within yourself.

Be still and honor the Sacred shining in the sky and the sun

and the moon and the stars and the planets the earht and the

rivers and oceans and mountains and trees.

Shining in all the great spiritual traditions of the world, in our

teachers, ancestors, parents, children and animal companions.

Shining brightly within our own hearts.

Be still and follow the sound of the flute, the sound of the holy

mantra into the inner recesses of your heart and claim that

Joy which has always been yours. With every breath you take,

every thought you think, every word you speak and with your

every action embrace that Joy and share it with the world. Let

that Joy wash over you removing all vestiges of fear and anger

and resentment and alienation.

It is time to choose. It is time to choose a world full of goodness

and truth and love and light, a world where all beings,

all nations and our Earth itself are treated with

respect and kindness and love.

More musings on the book: Celebrating Divine Presence: Journeys into God

The Hindu believe:

We can experience the infinite because our real nature is infinite as well. The real nature of all that we see in the world is infinite. Our real nature is beyond words, beyond all mental conceptions.

At the same time we experience ourselves as finite indeed: "I am so tall (short) , I am so fat (skinny) , I am really good at this, I am really bad at that , I really love this... I really hate that... On and on we find infinite ways to put limits on our infinite self.

To the Hindu sages much of what we call spiritual life is just discovering who we really are. As we advance along the path our idea of our self can change dramatically and even when we take our first conscious steps on the path we can get a strong indication that we are by nature something far greater than we ever imagined. The more conscious we are of making decision that will expand our sense of self, the more we take responsibility for our own growth, the more direct and straightforward our path will be.

Vivekananda tells us that every thought we think, every word we speak, our every action is creating an impression on our mind-stuff and that our character is the sum total of all those impressions. Who we are as a human being is just the sum total of all those little impressions we have been putting into our mind , moment to moment all through our lives. The mind understanding the power of thought, chooses to think good thoughts, noble thoughts, thought for the welfare of those around us and the whole world, chooses to listen or play uplifting music, read (or write) uplifting books, watch (or make) uplifting movies, associate with uplifting people; chooses to smile and remain joyful and kind in the face of adversity. We have the power to choose each and every moment to fill our hearts with love, kindness, truth and goodness. What an incredible gift that is to the world. What an incredible gift that is to yourself!

I am continuing this amazing journey through this book on each religion equating to "beads" on a string.....

I am so inspired, motivated and amazed at how the different religions are pursuing the same thing. Pieces that stand out to me:

In the chapter on Judiasm Yaakov Weintraub talks about the Shabbat, the seventh day of rest, as:

It is the time to renew our connection to Spirit and community. It is a time when we can put aside our daily lives and reach for the holiness that pervades all Creation. We can join God in ceasing, open ourselves to the sweetness of that universal peace reverberating from the beginning of time, and add our own voice in harmony to that chord of holiness.

When Shabbat comes, we are commanded to stop-to cease from our daily labors, to withdraw from the ceaseless bombardment of media and lightening fast communication. We are commanded to reflect, to dwell on the presence of the Spirit in our lives, and to make it holy. What a precious gift to us.

This sounds so much to me like the practice of Pratyahara; the withdrawing of senses practices in yoga to make the mind body connection. I'm also hearing the connection with the universe and taking time to feel our place in the great scheme of things.... where on earth, in the solar system, in the galaxy, in the universe do we fit?

The section on the the Vedanta is fascinating! Written by Thomas A. Knoles, it discusses abelief system that professes that all we need, all knowledge is within each of us; we just have to be quiet enough to hear it!

"Knowledge is embedded in the fabric of consciousness itself, where all the laws of nature reside."

"The state of least excited consciouness is awak to the richest knowledge base."

Further: Not just any consciousnes but the least excited state of any individual consiousness. In the Vedic world view, individual consciousness is conceived of as a wave on an ocean of pure consciousness. Pure, absolute consciousness. Every individual and all forms are seen as waves on this field.

Talk about the butterfly effect! What about modern Physics and quantum theory, string theory, etc? Did the ancients have this nailed already or is this modern interpretation just a continuation of this thought process? Is this why we fill our lives with so much, keep ourselves so busy so we don't have to deal with (or never give ourselves the opportunity) the BIG stuff?

He finishes the chapters with a reminder that resonates with me:

It is not possible for us to have a peaceful world that is filled with people who are unpeaceful.It is not possible for us to seek a peaceful world in any diligent fashion, if we ourselves, at the end of any given day, are not givers of peace to the atmosphere. Each of us has to begin the phenomenon of world peace in our self....

The burden is on you as an individual to examine each day what you can personally do to be a net giver of peace and harmony into the atmosphere. Every one of us,every day, is radiating something into the atmosphere. Are we a net radiator of stress, unhappiness and violent thoughts, or are we a net radiator of peace, happiness and harmony?

Jai Guru Dev- "Victory to the greatness in you!"

I am currently reading a book called Celebrating Divine Presence: Journeys into God by T. Knoles et. al

I have come across many phases/passages that ring true for where I am in my current journey and want to share them here....

I've chosen Crescent Moon Yoga as the name of my business so this resonates with me...

"The crescent moon in its waxing and waning play with light, presents an inspiring picture of the heart's ability to offer unconditionally as to receive in humility and appreciation. "

The book compares different religions and refers to them as 'beads' ... one discussion on Sufism states the characteristics of a true Sufi are: "First, freedom from anxiety for one's daily sustenance; second, sincerity of action and a pure heart."

A discussion on Judaism talks eloquently about being filled with love and referring to Genesis and Jewish tradition of reading ancient scriptures over and over and being connected to the generations: "I open myself to that ancient wisdom and lit it nourish the seeds of my own light as they sprout and grow within me."

And finally for today:

An ancient Hebrew blessing:

May Adonai bless you and protect you.

May Adonai shine his face upon you and be gracious to you.

May Adonai lift her face to you and grant you peace.

As I have studied to become certified in yoga, I have discovered serendipitously an amazing journey... as I read about the Vedas and the slokas in the Gita... I feel as if I am reading passages in another Bible. It seems weird, but connected at the same time! I have come to the realization that all religions seems to be seeking the same... peace and acceptance! Spirituality is an interesting journey and I'm thoroughly enjoying it!

There is a book I'm dying to read... Jesus and the Lotus by Russill Paul.

New Blog around yoga~!

Ok, I've decided to start this blog on yoga. I'd like to post photos and inspiration here. I hope to engage in dialog around the journey we all make through life and how yoga can help to inspire us to be the best we can be! It's been an exciting journey the past two years working through my yoga certification. I am coming up on a milestone the third week in August. I will receive my 200 hour certification through Yogafit!