In the last few years, there have been so many wildfires all over the world!! We, in Canada experienced some really terrible ones in 2003, where almost 12% of our beautiful parklands in the Kootenay mountains were scorched down to ashes!! 

Why I am writing about this is- recently I came upon one of my hiking journal entries from back in October of 2015. We had gone into the Kootenays to check out the new growth that had started to take place. As the photo shows- the beautiful little saplings had started to take on their form- with the promise of one day becoming grand and magnificent again- like how they used to be. 
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It was such an inspiring experience to not only feel the pristine energy of these new pine trees but also see them start to thrive again where the ground still was covered in the ashes of their predecessors!!

Life is like that in many ways- we speak of transformation and being like the phoenix. But we need to remember that for new to grow, what is old, what was previously there must get burnt down… and that can be a very painful (dreadful) experience indeed.   (You may want to check out-   Welcoming 2021 with a renewed sense of purpose and exuberance .  Even though it speaks about welcoming 2021, its message holds true for all time.)

Change by its very inherent nature tends to be unsettling to our “security-seeking” life-approach. But when we remember that the very word Samsara, which is the Sanskrit word for our living world, means Change- we realize that change is not only required, but it is inevitable. Change is what allows us to grow and thrive… to constantly evolve and adapt- as if we are in some kind of a game. It is no wonder that in the Vedic tradition, our daily living, our world is compared with a “Game of Life”.

In this past year- it seems like people everywhere are getting angrier day by day- and many are wondering about this world that we are living in!! Even though at the surface level, we may feel a bit sad or even a little apathetic at times- being couped up in the house or being concerned about the world or personal economic situation- It is very important to remember the good that was and will continue to be.

Destruction and re-creation are part of the natural cycle- this is the cycle of time- called Kaal Chakra by the ancient Vedic seers. Literally, it means the Wheel of Time and it indicates the 'Circle of Life'. It reminds us that though we experience time in a linear manner, in reality- the expression of time in our lives and our deeper experience of it in our life has a cyclical pattern to it.

And though experiencing change can be a painful experience, when we keep our focus on the good that has been and will again be- it makes it easier for us to bear a ‘painful present’ life-situation.

After a beautiful Friday, Saturday started with mucky weather in Calgary. Rain, snow and maybe some sleet! So, it was a perfect day to get out into the Kootenays! It was warmer and thankfully no rain or snow... We conducted three short hikes. First to Marble Canyon, second to Paint Pots and third was Fireweed Trail along the continental divide between Alberta and BC. All these places are not just gorgeous, but their history and geography really blows one's mind!

Almost 12% of the Kootenays was burned in a terrible fire in 2003- caused naturally from several lightning strikes. It was great to see nature at work- where new growth was growing from the ashes of the old!

Feels like I left a piece of my heart back in our parks. Cannot wait to go back...

​Categories: 
Comfortable Living,      Conscious Living,    Life Adventures,     Our Path Our Journey   and   Spiritual Lessons

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We are all looking for loving and fulfilling relationships, but how many people truly take stock of all the people in their life. It could be our phone contact list or our social media network. We all tend to have many contacts on our phone that have been there for years on end- where we have neither touched base with them nor have, they contacted us!!

Now I do understand that social media network has different dynamics- though frankly speaking we should a give our social-network a good re-look as well, particularly if you use social media only to keep in touch with friends and family- i.e., you do not use it for professional reasons.

Everything in our “sphere of reference” takes up some energy from us. This is the reason that all Feng Shui, Vaastu and other spatial energy experts- ask us to declutter and remove old and un-used things from our life!! 

But what about the people in our life?? Do we really take the time and make the effort to give a “clear look” to all the people in our life… to ensure that those who surround us are the very type of people that we really want to be hanging around us. If we do not do that, then there will be un-checked toxic and/or stagnant people who will continue to be within our sphere of reference- sapping energy and vitality from us!!

Here is something I like to periodically do in my life- particularly at the start of the year, on my birthday and other personally relevant days.
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• I will go thru my phone list and check out all my personal contacts.
• If it is someone that I have not spoken to or interacted with for some time, then I will send them a quick note (email/text) or give them a quick “hello-call”.
• If we are able to get in touch and rejuvenate our connection, then great. I keep that personal contact on my phone.
• But, if I find that the person did not bother to reply or that there was no meaningful re-connection, then mentally I wish them well, thank them for the time that we did know/interact with each other and then delete their contact information. I remove them not just from my phone-list but also from my mental space and sphere of reference. 

Doing this allows me to keep a clean and clear ‘relationship doorway’ in my life.

This not only ensures that I don’t clog up my ‘personal space’ with uninterested/dis-engaged/toxic folks, but it also gives me a chance to set forth a heart-felt intension out into the universe that- “I am grateful for all the people that it has sent me and that by clearing up my surroundings, I have created the ‘space’ to have new, more meaningful relationships and connections in my life. That I am willing and ready to welcome new, wonderful people in my life.”

Hope you take some time out this new year- to clear up your people-space and make way for new, loving and caring relationships in your life. 

Categories: 
Comfortable Living,      Conscious Living,    Karmic Clearing,     Our Path Our Journey   and   Spiritual Lessons

Keywords and Tags:
#newbeginnings #newrelationship #karmicclearing #saynototoxicpeople #removetoxicpeople #relationships #newfriendship #removenegativerelationship #HappyNewYear2021 #newyear2021 #newyearnewme #newyearsresolution #newyeargoals

We all know that in order to succeed at anything- it is not just about knowing the right skills or being in a suitable situation, but it is the timing of an event. As they say- it is very important to be at the right place, at the right time!! 

But then again, most of us are not very familiar and do not have easy access to esoteric sciences like astrology and so on. So, how can we still benefit from this?
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I have written about this in length with all the Vedic information details in couple of articles in the Vedic Wisdom blog but given the importance of this information- I wanted it to reach a wider audience, so I am posting the key Abhijeet Hora timing information here, on this general blog. I will spare you all the Vedic Astrology details- as the casual non-familiar reader.   :-)

​If you would like more information on Abhijeet Nakshatra, then check out What is the Abhijeet Nakshatra? Understanding the power of the Abhijeet Nakshatra- to become the Final and Supremely Victorious One!!

This is what you need to do: check online for a Panchang- it is a Vedic calendar. It may seem very daunting, but don’t worry- I will tell you what exactly it is that you need to look for… then it gets easy.

For ease of use, I tend to use Drik Panchang, but frankly you can use any application that provides correct hora (time-segment) calculations.

• Next- make sure that it reflects the location that we are physically present. Most of these applications have some Indian city as their default location. Be sure to change it to your location.
• Then next look for the Daily Panchang section. By default, many of these applications show monthly Panchang.
• Finally- look for the section that says Muhurta (loosely translated to ‘timing’). Here, look out for Abhijeet Muhurta. Viola- as simple as that. The time span it provides is the Abhijeet hora segment of the day. Now, if you are someone who needs to do some work during the night, particularly in our globally connected economy, then look out for Nishita Kaal. This is the Abhijeet hora segment for the nighttime.
• You will find that the Abhijeet hora usually lasts for around 48 minutes or so- but depending on if it is summer or winter (i.e., longer, or shorter days) it will expand or contract this hora time.

Now try to initiate important activity during this time. For e.g., you want to register a new domain name for your online shop, or you are going over to meet a potential client for the first time then- you can do it during these times.
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This way, irrespective of many other cosmic-energetic challenges that could be present on that day, you will be able to carry out your activity at the “best possible time”. 

Now keep in mind that Abhijeet muhurta is not good for all activities and also on Wednesday, it forms a ‘not-so-nice’ sticky aspect.

​So, if what you are planning is a very important life activity like marriage or moving homes etc. then it is advisable to obtain a more professional opinion from someone who is familiar with finding favorable muhurta- but for simple, practical help with timing events and for most part (minus Wednesday), you should be able to utilize the power of the Abhijeet nakshatra (lunar constellation) to attain victory and success in your endeavors.

Categories: 
Ancient Wisdom,     Comfortable Living,   How To...   ,     Life Management,   and  Our Path Our Journey

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​There is a very old folklore. Once upon a time, there was this guy who had been living in an ashram (spiritual school) from a very young age. As he became a young adult, his teacher asked him to go to another nearby town, to spread spiritual knowledge. The teacher told him that he will check in on him in a year to note his progress.

The young man packed his few meagre belongings and started on his journey to the nearby village. It took him a few days of walking thru thick forest, but finally he reached his destination. 

​He gathered some dried grass and sticks and built a small hut for himself. He started with his prayers, but soon he realized that there were many mice in that village and they ran havoc in his little hut. Then at the behest of the villagers, he got a small cat. 

Having the cat in the hut was a big relief. No mice and our fella could sit for hours doing his meditation without any disturbance. But then, he needed to feed his cat. For couple of days, he could borrow some milk from the villagers, but that could not be a long-term solution. So, he decided to get a cow- so that the milk from the cow would feed him and the cat. 
Once the cow came, life seemed to be going really great! He had not eaten a full meal in a long time. Drinking fresh milk in plentiful seemed absolutely heaven sent. But then maintaining a cow was not a simple task! He had to wash her and collect all the dung!

So, he decided to marry- so that his bride could help him with these mundane material duties. But then no girl was willing to marry a person who did not have a job!

So, he decided to start working at a near by farm. Now, his days were spent doing the farm work and his evenings were spent with his new bride.

Soon- he was so caught up in his household chores that he hardly found any time to pray- leave alone do meditation or a long sadhana. Soon, he was so caught up in all his chores and duties that he forgot why he had come to that village in the first place- which was to spread spiritual wisdom!

The year passed by in a jiffy. One day his teacher came to the village looking for him. His teacher was shocked to find him completely ensnared by the ropes of materialism.

Though his teacher was unhappy to see his disciple side-tracked, he wished him well and went back to his own ashram.  Our fella continued with his married life. At first everything seemed to be picture perfect. A nice paying job, a loving wife and a clean hut to live in- what more could he ask! But soon, he had kids and his hut was not big enough for all of them. He needed to get a bigger house which also meant he needed lots of money. So, he decided to borrow money and buy a good house. 

After a few years, his village had a bad spat of drought and hardly any farming activities were possible. He lost his job and soon his lenders started troubling and threatening him to pay back his loan. He did not have the money and finally one day, he felt so low and dejected that he decided to hang himself!! 

A nice young man who had started out on his journey of life with bright dreams in his eyes of starting a great spiritual-preaching practice was there hanging from the tree- ensnared by the ropes of material life!
This story has many versions and is part of ancient folklore in many areas of the world. Though details may change- the crux doesn’t- once the young man gets involved in a material pursuit, in this case- building of the hut; pretty soon, he gets pulled into more and more material obligations finally leading to pain, suffering and dejection! 

So, what are we to do?? Obviously, all of us cannot live the life of a monk and stay in a spiritual facility. In fact, most of us- are real people with real lives- with family, children, business, job and so on. What are we to do?

The key is to be consciously aware of our desires, wants and wishes. Are you living within your means? Are your material goods helping to enrich your life and truly contribute towards allowing you to do and be who you really would like to be, or are your ambitions making you constantly strive for ‘more and more’- more wealth, more fame, more money and so on to the point, where your material objects and objectives ‘own’ you.

Reflect on this- what are you doing in your own life? How can you ensure that your ropes of materialism will help you to build a true and deeply satisfying life and not become your death noose?

Categories: 
Ancient Wisdom,     How To...   ,   Our Path Our Journey ,  Think On This   and   Spiritual Lessons

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​Passion, emotions, likes-dislikes and so on are considered very normal. We all think that this is part of our ‘life’. What this does is, it tends to constantly sway us- one way and then another!! It seems like our well-being is in the hands of those around us- who seem to control us by invisible strings! But we fail realize that we are the ones who have given them that power.

A person could truly have behaved in a very rude or nasty manner. We could choose to address the problem at hand and then let that incident slide from our mind or seethe and fume over how that person behaved. And when we do the later, we are somewhere giving over the control of our mental peace and wellness into that person’s hands. See how we are orchestrating this?

We tend to think of fortune as a wheel. We also tend to think of time as a wheel. The reason being, we are all very familiar with the cyclical nature of time and aware of its ups and downs. But, what we do not realize is that though various part of the wheel goes up or down as the wheel moves, the center of the wheel is always stationary. It moves from one place to the other- BUT does not experience the “up-s and down-s” and does not feel the turbulence that the rest of the wheel experiences.

Though negative turbulence seems to create imbalance, strongly positive situations can also many a times make us feel imbalanced.

When we get caught in the various situations and events- the various happenings in our life; we tend to go up and down with the wheel of life… with the wheel of time and ironically, though it seems to go along a linear path, we truly get stuck! As if we are simply spinning, but the actual wheel is stuck in the mud! 

As people who intend to live a conscious life, it is important for us to relinquish or strong attachments and passion and instead center our self and live our life from that center. 

The word meditation comes from ‘medi’ which means center. When we live life from our center, we are constantly in meditation- even while being fully active and conducting various tasks.

The best way to do this is, each time you feel your mind drawn to strong emotions over something that has happened in the past, you recognize the emotion, you evaluate what it is about the situation that still makes you feel involved and vulnerable.

Maybe you regret something you did or said or feel upset over what you perceive as someone’s betrayal and so on. If there is a concrete, conscious action you can currently take to address that situation and positive modify it in some way then surely evaluate your possibilities and if not simply choose to consciously let go of your “reaction” (i.e. the pain, anger, frustration etc.) and let that situation flow away in peace, as time is flowing away (each moment)…

Categories: 
Journey To Oneness,    Karmic Clearing,   Our Path Our Journey,   Spiritual Lessons       and   Self Development

Keywords and Tags:
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