Happy Father's Day

It has been a month since I posted on this blog; I kept thinking  I should write something, except that I was not moved to share anything.Today, being father's day, I am feeling a bit nostalgic, as I remember my Dad who passed away in 2005. 

I  grew up in a quiet rural village in Central Trinidad;often  I wonder about the challenges my parents would have faced in raising five girls and three boys. I am very grateful that they both worked very hard and took their responsibilities seriously. One of my earliest memories is of our father teaching us the Gayatri mantra, a powerful prayer which offers me solace and support to this day. I certainly have learned to appreciate the value of praying every day to find the strength to meet everyday challenges.

Another memory  comes to mind: how my Dad liked Old Spice cologne, it's what we would usually buy as a Father's Day present, sometimes also a book, as he read a lot.He never really asked for anything much; he was content with what he had, enjoying a simple life. 

So prayer and being contented with a simple life are two things  I remember about my Dad today.  I think modern day parents should give more attention to this saying from the Bible:
Train up a child in the way he should go; and when he is old he will not depart from it. [Proverbs 22:6]

Have a great day  everyone!

peace,
Reena

Reflecting on Grace and Gratitude

 It's almost two weeks since the 40 Days meditation retreat ended; and I have been wondering how to keep the spiritual discipline going. Sri Vasudeva continues to encourage us to live with purpose every day. Make Freedom Consciousness your Lifestyle.

Tonight, May 17, there will be a full moon  in Scorpio. According to Theravada Buddhist tradition, this is considered the most powerful full moon of the year, as it was on such a night Full moon in Scorpio that the Buddha attained total enlightenment. Seekers throughout the world would join in meditation and rituals to expand their human awareness and become more receptive to their multi-dimensional nature.

So, I am going to spend some time looking at the full moon and reflecting on grace and gratitude, wishing all a peaceful night.

peace,

Reena

Happy Mother's Day

This is a song my mother taught me to sing when I was a little girl. It brings back such happy memories of my childhood. I kept thinking of her all day today on this mother's day.  I also remembered my sister who left us a year and a half ago.

I struggled today to keep my emotions under control as I felt overwhelmed by the uncertainty of life. This morning my daughter fell and I was partly responsible for her mishap. I felt so guilty about the whole incident  and then my son commented how easily I am hijacked by my emotions.......and yes, I recognized  that my emotions had taken over so much that I found it difficult to stop the tears from flowing.

Thankfully, we went for a drive to a garden/retreat centre and was able to shake off the sadness that was hovering over me. I am feeling more centred now and am hoping that my awareness of my emotions continues to grow each day.

This is a mother's day I won't forget in a long time.

Hope you all had a memorable day however you celebrated the day.


peace,
Reena

The Power of Grace

How quickly the 40 Days meditation retreat has come to an end! 40 Days , and what a joy it has been to be a part of this. Every day I looked forward to the inspiring messages and the conversations that helped me to understand a little deeper about myself and  my own journey. 

As there is so much more  that I need to learn, understand and explore within myself, I look forward  to using this very precious gift to meet with any challenges that may lie ahead in my ongoing journey.  I feel  more confident  that I can work with the tools given to live a more creative, meaningful and purposeful life.

Right  now, I am just so grateful  for the presence  and power of Grace in my life, which I pray will continue to be with me, my family, my friends, my community  and my world. 

peace,

Reena

Relationships and true well-being

"We live in communities. We are surrounded not only by human communities but those of other life forms as well.  I like to think of Social Well-being as being inclusive of all the communities that we live in and interact with. This is extremely important." Day 40

A community affords us relationships which  can be a great stressor  or they can be opportunities to grow in consciousness. Being in a social context can be stressful or can be liberating, depending on how we relate in that context.  We have the power to create relationships, and what is very important is to observe how we interact with our world in a multi-dimensional way. 

Observe your life and all relationships and see how  they contribute to your well-being. You may not even realize how subtle the stresses are, even when you think that they don't exist, and how they influence your well-being at a deeper level. The goal is  to create harmony in all relationships and to see the meaning and purpose of them; to use them as tools for spiritual growth, for promoting more harmony within and around. It is for promoting more enlightened living because the goal of life itself is the evolution of the soul.  It is the evolution of consciousness. 

The real invitation is to come into a space where we can see that everything around us is a divine expression, and our soul is connected to everything around us.The more we become aware of this, the more we will want to treat our world with compassion; the more we will see relationships as an opportunity to grow in this awareness. This is true social consciousness where we see all as divine; where we see meaning and purpose in relationships and how relationships can take us to another level of being. The truth is, the more we grow, the more we inspire growth around us. The more of us who grow in a certain consciousness, the more impactful that group is in terms of contributing positively to our world. 

We are all one. We all exist in the same Source and we have all come to support each other on the journey to freedom, happiness and true well-being.

peace,
Reena

A liberating view of illness

" Can we see the challenge of illness as a blessing in disguise?  I invite you today to take a liberating look at disease; that we may not become a victim, rather we may cooperate with the Higher Self and with Nature in an evolution of consciousness." Day 39

This is an invitation to take another look at disease; not as an impediment blocking our way, but as an agent of transformation.  That the soul, in coming in this lifetime, decided that it wanted to have that experience and so invited the experience; the experience itself is part of its life purpose. It is the whole idea of seeing adversity as a blessing on the soul’s journey of consciousness evolution.  It  invites us to see from another point of view and to take responsibility in the co-creative process of shifting the consciousness.

There is Divine Order in the Universe; everything happens for a reason.  The Law of Karma tells us this as well; that every event has a cause.  We just do not end up with illness unless there is a reason behind it.  Does sickness reveal something within us that is holding back our evolution of consciousness?

A soul interested in transformation should engage in: the transformative element in a disease; the transformative process in looking at disease and, in the experience of a disease.We need to open up the consciousness space to see it differently. When we are challenged by an illness that is repeating itself, we need to look deeper.

In the process of soul evolution, if we believe that there is more within us than just a physical body, there must be a place within us where we can see disease in a better way.  Only the wise will be able to make the shift to see the blessing in disguise.  The challenge to understand your soul more, to go deeper within your being and to use this as a transformative element in your spiritual growth is before you.

Remember, the purpose of life is to evolve in consciousness, not just to experience perfect health; it is to evolve in consciousness.  Can we see disease as part of that process? 

peace,
Reena

The Healing Power of Spirit

"The physical plane is a plane of duality so we experience pleasure and pain. It is a plane caught in time so we experience aging. It is a plane with many forces at work and so we experience adverse forces – forces that work against our well-being, as well as those that support our well-being. It means that on this journey of life on the earthly plane, we need to be careful because we are certainly going to meet adversity.....It is therefore extremely important to stay in the awareness of what is happening in the physical body, in the human experience as a spiritual being." Day 38

When we are challenged with disease, we need to really understand what is happening. We need to observe ourselves at all levels: "What is happening to me physically? What is happening to me emotionally? What is happening to me mentally?  And what is happening to my spiritual powers?"  We need to observe the whole scenario in the challenge of disease.  

The way to healing is to open up to the spiritual space. If we have access to the spiritual space that is where the most powerful forces are, because the spiritual space is a space of connection to a Higher Power. There is belief in a Higher Power. In the essence of our being there is no disease. Having this awareness, you don't only see yourself as a physical being, but you begin to see yourself more as a being of light, as a spiritual being with powers of the soul.

The most powerful force in healing is in the mind.  When the mind stays strong it is able to hold the intellect in a place where it can create a vision of healing, and it can begin to believe in that. We therefore need a strong, clear and spiritual mind - a mind open to all possibilities.   There must be a strong  desire to heal and a desire to search for more.

We want to stay healthy because we want to achieve the soul's purpose for being in this plane – to fulfill our life's purpose.Therefore, it is very important to make that spiritual connection to keep the mind sharp – the intellect, the thinking faculty, the power to visualize. Keep it intact and inspired by a Higher Consciousness. Learn to use mind power and take responsibility for the healing process.

peace,

Reena