Happiness can be described as an emotion that is characterized by joy, satisfaction, and contentment. Although happiness can have many definitions, the most common is that it involves positive emotions and life satisfaction. Happiness is usually associated with more positive emotions than negative.

Sometimes people confuse between Joy and Happiness… Joy is an inner feeling. Happiness can be expressed in the external world. Joy is a way to internally connect with purpose and meaning. Once we deeply connect with our inner core, then we feel joyful, though our external situation or circumstances could be full of strife and challenges! On the other hand, Happiness usually involves pursuit of ‘something’! This is the real reason why most people define Happiness by saying things like ‘I will be happy when I accomplish this or become that’ and so on…

Joy requires some initial work towards living a ‘Conscious and Connected Life’! It requires us to be mindful, live consciously and connect with our inner being- but once we connect with our higher self, it allows us to endure hardships and trials.

Happiness on the other hand is a choice people make by the other choices they make in their life. Every choice we make is inadvertently linked to our beliefs, ideals, and values! People make a choice to be happy by making purposeful and meaningful choices in their life! Because of this, what can make one person happy is not the same for another people. But where joy is concerned- that is not the case… when we are in-sync with our authentic self, we feel Joyful…

Happiness is often viewed as the opposite to sadness. Though this can be misleading since it is very much possible to feel both ‘happy and sad’ at the same time and many a times, about the same thing! For e.g. you get an exciting new job offer in another state and are happy about leaving the next and exploring the greater outside world… BUT at the same time, you know that you will miss the safety, support and cocoon of being at home with parents. So, in this case, you will be feeling happy and sad about the same topic of taking up a new job away from home.

Joy on the other hand does not have any opposite per se! It springs forth in our mind and heart as pleasant feelings and sensations because of our connection with our true self, making us do activities that are in-sync and in accordance with our genuine authentic self!
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Every person has the ability to establish such a deep connection and feel profound joy in their life!

​When people face challenging situations in life, many a times, they wonder- “why me?”. Doing this puts you in a powerless victim mindset. Instead, if you are to consider positive side of that situation and believe me, there is always some positive side, then it will help you to come up with creative ways in which you can resolve that particular situation.

For e.g., let’s say, you lose your job. Now, you may think- how can there be any positive side to this? True, you will feel upset and pressured with respect to your career, particularly if you lost your job without any notice or severance pay. But, at the same time, not having to report into work every single day, gives you lot of free time. You can utilize all this extra time to learn a new skill or take up that activity which you have been meaning to do for a long time! 

When we approach problems in this manner, it not only improves our overall mindset, but it gives us the required mental framework to always see the best in any situation… and a positive-mental makeup is very attractive. For all you know, as you join a new hiking group, you may meet someone who ends up offering you a new job.

We have all heard the adage- “when life gives you lemons, make lemonade”. This is not just a cute phrase.

When we truly understand the wisdom of those words and put it in action, we find that it can bring about a ‘refreshing’ resolution of not only the problematic situation at hand, but also bring about a deep and profound transformation in you. We start to view life not as problems and challenges, but as chances and opportunities… and doing this brings on further goodness! 

​Categories: 
Think On This,    Self Development and Universal Laws

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​​#toughtime #stormyweather #unexpectedevents #accomplishment #achievement #goal #ambition #positivethinking #walkingthepath #consciousliving #empowerment #thinkonthis

Many people wonder why I don’t do any “predictive” forecasts. That is because I believe that “predictions” do not really work for anyone who is on a true self-evolving or spiritual path.
 
Now let’s see, if someone had a very keen sense of observation and/or some innate ability to read another person’s mind (psychic) even then at best they could accurately narrate your past. But future- well that is completely another ball game! It has yet to happen- so how can anyone guess it??
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Even Quantum Science and other theories suggest that there are definitely energy-potentialities that surround us. These energies do shape how and what we experience, but unless one is to “observe” it- the outcome is “undecided”. I.e. if you are not there experiencing it, then what outcome you “could have” experienced cannot be determined.

Then what about all those wonderful psychics and other folks who seem to do a perfect job of “predicting events”? Well to explain this- let us consider an example: let’s say you grab some takeout food from a nearby diner. Now let’s say, this place serves fresh foods cooked with healthy ingredients (I know it's hard to imagine that with a typical diner… but still try :-)).

So, you eat this meal- now, is it difficult to predict that you will feel good, your body will receive good nutrition etc.? Not really- since you performed the actions, which increased the probability of that outcome from myriad other possibilities. BUT now let’s suppose this diner does not serve good food and/or you are a celiac and ended up eating something with gluten in it- now again, is it difficult to predict the outcome? Not at all- since your actions (however consciously conducted or not) somewhere determined what the outcome will be in that scenario.
 
Ofcourse life is even more complicated than our simple takeout dinner example. In our simple example, we are not considering other folks and your ongoing interaction with them or the uniqueness of your own body and health. But even with this example it is fairly evident that our actions do in a strong way determine what can happen in any given situation. This is not only a Quantum Scientific fact but also the basis of Karma Theory.
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Now- repeated and past karmic patterns (still called karma in the west, though the correct term is samskaras) do have their influence and because of this some outcomes are “always more probable” than some others. Why just psychics, but even good trend-evaluators do such “predictive forecasts” each week- from a person’s future, to what can be expected within an industry, the financial markets and sometimes even within a particular geographical location like a city, town or a country!
 
But think for a second- as a conscious evolving person, would you rather fatalistically accept an outcome or would you rather understand the energies that are underlying any given scenario- be it your own life or the collective consciousness. When you understand the energies that are effective in any particular day or at any particular time, it gives you a good premise to work with.
 
Seeds sown in the dead of winter are doomed to not flower, while seeds sown during spring and cared for with proper light and nutrition are bound to thrive- similarly our actions when they are in accordance with the general premise as well as incorporates self-evaluation and self-evolution through learning our own individual lessons, we rise ourselves above any typically fated outcomes. This way we allow ourselves to live not only as our highest selves but also as truly conscious living beings.
 
Creating our highest self each day by constantly evolving ourselves into our own higher version.

When we get stuck on some issue, most of us are conditioned to “think” even harder! Now- to some extent that may make sense. But the criteria to deciding which approach we should take, should depend on the problem at hand.

​Some problems are purely empirical. Then in that case, it may make sense to “think” more- after all, our mind is the best tool we have that can think thru, analyze and come up with amazing solutions. BUT, if we are looking for creative ways to address a scenario, then “thinking” will not help; since by the vey construct of the mind, it is limited by the information that it contains and how it processes that information.

Look at it this way- let’s say, you and I are both equally intelligent and have similar thinking capabilities. But you are very knowledgeable since you are a voracious reader and an avid traveller- knowing about various life experiences, which I don’t even know can exist! The phrase “we don’t know what we don’t know” is very true when it comes to evaluating mind’s capabilities and limitations.

Let’s say in this example that I have average knowledge with an average exposure to life experiences and we both are presented the same non-empirical problem- since your mind has many more previously input knowledge/information- it will be able to evaluate and analyze the situation more comprehensively than me and also come up with a ‘supposedly innovative” solution. With my limited (average) knowledge/information I would be no match for it. The reason I am writing “supposedly innovative” since your mind is still limited by its own bounds- it may have a much larger boundary than for me or most other folks- but still it is limited and anything you come up with from the mind is bound within those experiences, those parameters. 
 
That is why to be truly innovative, we need to go beyond the mind and access that something- from which, from where, everything is created! It is the energy that nature goes to, and it is the same energy nature utilizes to ensure each of its creation however small is created in perfection. That is why it becomes important to learn to quell the mind and go beyond the mind in a calm presence, so that we can get insights which can help us to obtain true, deep and comprehensive understanding into a situation. This in turn will allow you to really “think outside the box” and be innovative in your solution ideas.

At the present time, many people are feeling stressed, strained, and overwhelmed!!

​There are many reasons for it- right from the shock and isolation of these past several months, to seeing challenging-situations overturning each day, the concept of ‘life as we have known it’…

People are feeling fearful for themselves and their loved ones. If one is caught in the middle of such a scenario, then it surely is a time of attentive action for them. But for the rest of us, who get bombarded by such news, this is a time for some reflection, introspection, and preparedness.

We need to remember that ultimately all life-experiences happen from within and in accordance with that- even rejuvenation and healing happens from within. 

So, if you are struggling with some aspect in your life, then take a few minutes out each day to reflect on how you can tap into your own inner resources, within the depths of your heart and inner core to find solutions and address your situation and create your overall wellbeing. 

Each one of us, is a vibrant part of life and because of it, we have been given the ability to maintain our vitality and vibrance- we just need to pay proper attention and take appropriate steps to tap into that inner resource. Something to think about as we traverse thru these challenging times…

​Categories: 
A Message For You,   Emotional Wellbeing, Self Development, Think On This and Wellness

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#healing #health #vitality #wellbeing #innerwellbeing​  #specialmessage #naturalhealth  #wellness #naturalremedies #healthandwellbeing #walkingthepath #consciousliving #workingwithenergy #empowerment #energymodulation 

​Once Ji Won and Juma were discussing about how we as individuals give a lot of importance to people’s opinions. Even as a child, Ji Won was always concerned about what everyone thought of him. It was always important for him to atleast maintain face, in any situation. Since he was appreciated for his good looks from a very young age, he had grown up to depend on his appearance to pull himself out from any challenging situation. 

He asked Juma, “why are people so enamored by appearance?”

Juma replied, “our five senses provide us the ability to experience our world. But the sensory input from all these five channels is not equal. Eyes, our vision provides maximum input and because of it, we find that anything that appeals our eyes, attracts, and draws us to it. Though unfortunately, it is always short-lived.”

“What do you mean?” Ji Won asked.

Juma replied, “you see, the sensory input from all these five channels go to the ‘control & process mechanism’ which is our mind. Initially, the mind feels drawn to what the eyes see as appealing. But mind is very fickle, unless there is something deeper to keep it anchored, it tends to lose interest very fast. That is why we find that even though people date a person they find ‘attractive’, the marriages that last are not the ones that were based on looks but on some other deeper quality about that person, it could be their intelligence, their caring heart and so on…”

Ji Won thought about how he had always dated Korea’s most beautiful women, but after couple of evenings of fun, he had found them silly and boring. He said, “what you are saying makes total sense. I have seen it in my own life. Then why do we give so much importance to looks? Why don’t we pay more attention to other qualities in a person.”
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“Because the allure of appearance is very strong. One either needs to have a strong intellect that can see beyond the appearance and know what is truly important or one needs to have gone thru pain and suffering after falling prey to good looks, to obtain the wisdom to see beyond someone’s appearance.” Juma said with a smile.

The book,   it is a   SEOUL   CONNECTION   brings you help with your spiritual journey by providing wisdom, guidance, hope and support in a fun story format. It shows how we can address our shadow side to lead a joyful, happy, and magical existence! It will help you to walk your life-path   with clarity and courage-   your own spiritual path to ascension…
​
​Check it out: https://amzn.to/3svYHLg

​Categories: 
Ascension,   Book Excerpts,    Relationships, and   Self Development

Keywords and Tags:
#ascension #MaitreyiParadigm #SeoulConnection #kdrama #seoul #Korea #hallyu #motivation #magicallife #hope #emotionalsupport #magic #inspiredliving #PracticalLessons #consciousness   #consciousliving   #walkingthepath   #JumaVera   #bookexcerpt

​This is an excerpt from Juma's latest book:   it is a   SEOUL   CONNECTION

The book,   it is a   SEOUL   CONNECTION   brings you help with your spiritual journey by providing wisdom, guidance, hope and support in a fun story format. It shows how we can address our shadow side to lead a joyful, happy, and magical existence! It will help you to walk your life-path   with clarity and courage-   your own spiritual path to ascension…
​
​Check it out: https://amzn.to/3svYHLg

Ji Won casually asked Juma, “are you able to look into the future?”

Juma said, “well, we all have certain intuitive abilities. The more one is in-sync with the natural energy, that much more we can determine events, particularly if they are supposed to occur in the near future. Why do you ask?”

Ji Won answered, “we have these oracle cards and sticks in Korea. I have always questioned how good they really are at predicting future events. So, I wondered if you knew anything about it.”
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Juma smiled and got up. She motioned Ji Won to follow. She went into her study and opened one of the side cabinets. Ji Won looked inside and thought, ‘there must be atleast forty or maybe fifty boxes of various Oracle divination decks.’ She looked at Ji Won with a twinkle in her eyes and said, “pick one of them, whichever appeals to you and I will show you something cool…” Saying this she went back to the living room, leaving Ji Won alone with the oracle divination decks.

Ji Won looked thru them. They had all kinds of titles and artwork. Some were claiming to be from ancient civilizations, some had fantasy art and some others had picturesque nature images. Finally, he selected one that had a picture of horse on its box cover and brought it with him to the living room. Ji Won liked horses. He was fascinated by them.

Juma was waiting for him at the table and Ji Won joined her. He offered her the box. Juma shook her head saying, “no no... I don’t need it. You are going to do something fun.” Ji Won looked skeptically at her and settled down at the table and started inspecting that oracle deck.

Finally, when Ji Won looked up, Juma said, “now, is there something in the near future that you would like to know about?” Ji Won quickly answered, “ofcourse! How my new drama series will do! As you know Park Areum committed suicide. Considering it is a light Romantic Comedy, we are all worried as to how people will receive our series… In fact, I try not to think about it. Every time I do, I can feel my blood pressure rising!” Ji Won’s countenance changed. His worries and concern were obvious from his facial expression and rapid speech.

Juma said, “okay. So, ask the deck-oracle to show you the most potential public-response outcome for your upcoming drama series. After this, start shuffling the cards. When you feel an inner voice saying ‘stop’, then stop shuffling, cut the deck, keep the top part of the deck on the side and then pick the first card from the stack still in your hand. Got it?”

“Yes.” Ji Won said and started shuffling the cards. He then cut the deck and picked up the top card from the cards remaining in his hand. It said, ‘Small influences. Can gain momentum.’ It did not look too good. Ji Won felt even more upset. He looked up and saw Juma smiling. He gave her a perplexed look.

She said, “what you were experiencing, the card you received and how you are now feeling are all very typical… but before I say anything about it. Let us do one more thing.” Saying this, she motioned for Ji Won to keep the deck aside. Then she asked him, “obviously you want your series to be very successful. But what does success look like with these series?”

Ji Won answered, “the weekly ratings report… all the media speaking about it being such a great entertainment… many interview requests… brands approaching for product promotion… I mean, there are just so many things that follow…” Before Ji Won could complete, Juma said, “good. Now, close your eyes and breathe deep.” Ji Won did as she suggested. “Now, visualize your series being a super duper hit. How everyone is appreciating the series, how they are appreciating your work, how you are being approached by brands and so on…”

​Juma waited while Ji Won took a few minutes to visualize the success of his upcoming series. His entire countenance visibly relaxed. Juma said, ‘whenever you feel calm and centered about this visualization, then open up your eyes.” After a couple of minutes or so, Ji Won opened his eyes. He looked relaxed and he was smiling. He asked Juma, “now what?”

Juma pointed to the oracle deck and said, "please put all the cards together, shuffle them, ask the same question about how your drama series will do, then cut the deck and pick up the top card from the cards remaining in your hand. Everything just like last time. Okay?”

Ji Won shuffled the cards, cut the deck, and picked up the top card from the stash in his hand. It said, ‘Supreme success is assured to the one who does the needful work.” He was shocked. He looked at Juma and said how is that possible?

Juma smiled and said, “this is the power of the human energy field. We have the capability to change our life experiences by what we project into the world. It is called as the ‘Law of Attraction’, but unfortunately, many a times people think of this Universal law to simply mean- wish or think about an outcome. It is not just about wishing or thinking, it is about truly modifying our energy field to indicate what it is that we desire and then let the Universal law do its work… to attract your desired objective to you.”

Ji Won thought about it for a few minutes and said, “if that is the case, then are all these Oracle decks useless? Why do you have so many of them?”

Juma replied, “Oracle decks are not useless at all. In fact, they can come in quite handy when we utilize them in a sensible manner. You probably did not realize how your ‘worry energy field’ was attracting that not-so-pleasant outcome, did you?

“So, if you were back home and were wondering about how something will pan out, then giving a quick shuffle and looking into a potential outcome would have been a nice idea. But it is important to remember that it is a potential outcome. It is always a potential outcome. Because no one can predict the future. Future will show itself at its perfect time, as the now of that moment- it is not for us to worry or wonder about.
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“Our job is to do the best that we can in any given situation, at any given time. With that in mind, when we find that a potential outcome is not as per our liking, then we can modify our approach, action and so on to ensure a favorable outcome. See what I mean? Till we utilize the information we receive from these oracle decks and other divination ‘predictions’ to better our effort, then they can be great life-tools. In fact, they originally were always intended to be just that. Unfortunately, over the years, human greed and dogmatic behavior have turned them into questionable practices!

This is an excerpt from Juma's latest book:   it is a   SEOUL   CONNECTION

The book,   it is a   SEOUL   CONNECTION   brings you help with your spiritual journey by providing wisdom, guidance, hope and support in a fun story format. It shows how we can address our shadow side to lead a joyful, happy, and magical existence! It will help you to walk your life-path   with clarity and courage-   your own spiritual path to ascension…
​
​Check it out: https://amzn.to/3svYHLg

One of the evenings, as they sat enjoying fresh bread and wine on the porch, Ji Won asked Juma about love. He asked her, “what do you think is the meaning of love?”

Juma replied, “it is the most touted and misunderstood word in the dictionary!”

Ji Won smiled and agreed. He was in the entertainment business, where ‘love’ was frequently used and abused. They even had a heart sign in Korea, which all the celebrities freely used to show appreciation to their fans. He had indulged in that behavior too, not because he wanted to, but because it was part of a marketing strategy that was given to him. Though in recent times, he had pushed back on it. Ji Won took a sip of his wine and asked, “why do you think that is?”

Juma said, “because people do not know themselves.”

That seemed a strange answer to Ji Won. He thought she would say something about how people do not understand the true meaning of love or people do not understand the different types of love that we feel, but instead of speaking about love or another person, she was indicating that people misused the word- love, because they did not understand themselves!

​“Please explain,” he said.

Juma said, “all our experiences happen within us. The nature of our reality makes it seem like they happen outside, but in fact they happen within ourselves. Think about it for a second, you are drinking that wine. Even though that action is external to you, but the experience of enjoying the taste of the wine, its aroma and so on, where are you experiencing it?”

“I feel it inside of me.” Ji Won replied.

“Exactly! Now let us take this line of thought a bit further. Now, take the time to truly evaluate and sense what exactly you are feeling within as you drink this wine and then express what you feel. Given your analytical bent and amazing English vocabulary, I am sure you will do a great job.” Juma said with a smile.

Ji Won took a sip from his wine glass. He closed his eyes and really sensed the wine in his mouth. He noticed how it felt as he swallowed it. He sat still with his eyes closed and a calm peaceful expression on his face.

Finally, after a few moments he opened his eyes and said, “I had read that there are many fine nerves in our mouth that can provide phenomenal sensations, the closest I had ever felt that was during a passionate kiss, but what I just experienced was even more amazing. It was like the experience of wine just exploded into a million amazing sensations. I know I speak English very well, but I don’t think I can describe what I just felt. In fact, I don’t think I can explain this feeling even in Korean.” Ji Won replied, still stunned by the sensations he had just experienced.

Juma said, “people rush thru life. If we are to take the time and experience life with complete attention and depth, then we will see that each simple act becomes astounding and phenomenal. What you experience is an amazing sensation, beyond words and description. You cannot define it. You cannot express it. And at the same time, you cannot deny its existence or its profound impact on your psyche, your very being-ness. What you are feeling is ‘love’. It cannot be described, but if we need to describe it, then that would be the closest way to put it.”

Ji Won always thought of love as with respect to someone or something. He could not believe that taking a sip of wine had anything to do with love. But at the same time, he could not explain the sensation he had felt- not just in his mouth but in his entire body. It still tingled and blood rushed through his veins even at the thought of what he had just experienced. He was confused. He asked Juma, “So you mean to say that love is not something we feel for someone or something but that it is a sensation that we feel within ourselves? Is that right?”

“Yes.” Juma replied.

“Does it have anything to do with wine, what I mean is, does it have anything to do with wine being an alcoholic drink- or can we feel it with anything?” Ji Won asked.

“Love is what you experience as a state of being, of awareness. When you are in that state, then you could be eating a piece of bread, just walking down the beach, or idly looking at the sky, you will still feel that amazing ‘indescribable’ sensation. It is who you are, your state of existence.” Juma explained.

“Sorry. I still don’t get it. I always thought that love involved someone or something else. The object of my attention, a person or a thing that I sought, I craved. Isn’t that correct?” Ji Won asked.
​
“Unfortunately, that is how most people think of it, because when they are seeking someone or craving something, it is the only time they give maximum attention and because of it are able to experience a little portion of what can be experienced as love” Juma said.

The book,   it is a   SEOUL   CONNECTION   brings you help with your spiritual journey by providing wisdom, guidance, hope and support in a fun story format. It shows how we can address our shadow side to lead a joyful, happy, and magical existence! It will help you to walk your life-path   with clarity and courage-   your own spiritual path to ascension…
​
​Check it out: https://amzn.to/3svYHLg

Categories: 
Ascension,   Book Excerpts,   and   Self Development

Keywords and Tags:
#ascension #MaitreyiParadigm #SeoulConnection #kdrama #seoul #Korea #hallyu #motivation #magicallife #hope #emotionalsupport #magic #inspiredliving #PracticalLessons #consciousness   #consciousliving   #walkingthepath   #JumaVera   #bookexcerpt

Our associations, people we hang out with and spend maximum time with, can immensely impact our thinking and our quality of life.

It is for this reason that if you are spiritually inclined or wanting to make a positive change in your life, then take a few moments to reevaluate the type of people you spend maximum time on a daily, weekly, and longer-term basis!

Make sure that you spend maximum time with those whose lifegoals, lifestyle and general approach to life is in alignment with how you intend to live and grow in your own life-path. Otherwise, you may find that your ‘not-in-sync’ associations will continue to have apparent as well as subtle influences on your psyche and drain your vital energy!

​Overtime, you will inevitably find that your spiritual aspirations have diminished and that you are no longer making positive strides in your spiritual walk to ascension.
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To ensure you not only conserve your spiritual energy, but also feel inspired during low-ebb times, make sure you spend maximum time with those who bring joy and goodness into your life and whose life-approach inspires you to be the best that you can be…

​Categories: 
Journey To Oneness,    How To...,   Life Management,   Think On This    and   Self Development

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​​#guru #spiritualsupportgroup #spiritualgroup #satsang #spiritualteacher #spiritualism #light #sourceoflight #ourshadowside #spiritualpeople #walkingthepath #consciousliving #empowerment