finding freedom the Sufi way ....

I came across this interesting article on a topic that has been whirling around in my head for few days ...... I claim no credit for the text, yet I relate so much to it.


Our thoughts have their own power and gravitation. A single positive thought could uplift you, while another negative thought could pull you down. The thoughts have the power to imprison our consciousness - and they often do.

Real freedom is not only from negative thoughts, but the thought process itself. That happens when we are able to witness them, when we become a witnessing consciousness. Sufis have a very powerful method of whirling meditation which can give us a taste of this ultimate freedom. They say that just as the Earth whirls on its axis continually and everything moves along with it, god is the centre of this Universe. Whirling is a method of meditation to connect with this divine centre, one of the most ancient of techniques and probably one of the most powerful.. So much so, that even one experience can change your life for ever...

A must try .... some day.

company

Listening in
On the lilting music,
A tiny bob,
A swift hop
on the ledge.
Sharp black eyes
peering in.

A crested bulbul,
On my balcony.

As I watched,
It moved
From end to end.
Almost as if
in dance.

A tilt of appreciation,
A hop again.
Just as the strains
neared an end.
As if to thank.
and then
Away...

I shared
My afternoon today
With Enya
and a little black bulbul...

.........thank you................

It has been so long

Since our last goodbye.

Thinking of you

Still brings to mind

The lines from a song,

"You touched my life

I touched the sky"

Time

Cannot fade away

What you meant to us.

We feared

We loved you more.

The stern look

That could change

To a soft smile

In the blink of an eye.

We waited patiently

for that endearing sight.

It haunts us still,

How unbelieving we were

How hurt,

when you left.

We begged

for you to stay.

Just a little while longer.

But it was not to be.

Today,

As grown men and women

We know

How you shaped us,

To be better

Than the best.

And the stern look

gives way

In our minds.

Seems endearing somehow.

We were young.

We believed,

You would meet us

someday again.

The years have dulled the pain.

of waiting .

Yet not a day

Goes by

Without a mention

of how -

You touched our lives.

We smile,

We share

Memories of you.

After all this time

We are left with

these mere words...

"Dear Sir,

Thank you............."

.

.......dedicated to the man who shaped our lives............

aural connection

Mirrors
would never know,
As well as you,
Where I am!

The senses
Telling,
Giving me away.....................

Yes this is about bonds that are unanswerable... those of the "aura connections". It is not uncommon to feel a bond with a person one is very close to, so much that it allows for them to sense each other, exactly visualize the other, their actions...etc. That is the beauty of being connected to another person so deep, that in spiritual parlance, it is talked of as "Auras connecting". But for most people, it is merely something that seems out of context with the non-physical world around us.

Most of us healers, have often used connecting aurally when working with a person, just so that it allows for us to connect at a deeper soul level and heal accordingly. But that is a conscious effort at doing so. How does one explain a bond such as this, where one can sense the other's actions, visualize and almost talk to each other without speech...thousands of miles apart? And between two people who have never met .... nothing other than Destiny and a beautiful soul connection.

What is the Aura that we speak of?
An aura is a field of subtle, luminous radiation surrounding a person or object. These are always around the person radiating outwards ... when two like auras meet, it calls for instant chemistry. But what is intriguing is the aura connections from great distances. It would be sad to classify this beautiful sensory perception as paranormal, especially with people who have it naturally, are not using it against another and yet can reach out to people they may wish to. No, it is not telepathy, since this has nothing to do with the connection of only the mind. It is something that only be explained as something that can be 'sensed with the senses'.

A connection, such as this goes to great lengths to establish long-lasting relationships , since the bond can never be broken.

It cherishes
reassures.....
...yet again.

autumn beginnings...............

The sound of drums

Heralded in the morning,

To a new beginning.

Did the plume

Sway to the beats, just so,

Or did I merely dream it all?

Conches blowing,

To reassure the Earth

That autumn

Follows....

The whiff

Of incense brings in the Deity

To my door.

She is splendour

She is power,

She may the beauty be.

My mind's eye

Sees her anew.

I know, she has blessed me.

Shown me the reflection of my soul.

As morning rolled

onto the night,

I find myself drawn to the drum beats again....

To ring in the joy,

I have found in thee.

Life, begins

anew.

To my own mind,

I know not

What my future will bring.

And yet,

There is hope

In the warmth of new beginnings.

friendship ..... always precious.....

Shared secrets...
giggles,
dreams,
sleepovers...

Friendship,
back then.......

Nothing changes,
much...

Still the hand
that reaches out
when you need assurance...
Still the smile
that warms your heart.....

A friend,
who knows you better
than you!

Who,
but a dear friend
can bring
joy...
in an otherwise
mundane world.

A precious bond,
making the day
beautiful...
A joy
to be around....

Never judging,
Never leaving your side...

Friendship....
now ...and always.......!!

saxophone

The uncertainty

Of waiting

Is forever like the sad strains

Of the saxophone....

Wailing

yet lyrical.

What do we seek

When the music

Reaches the inner soul

Of this song,

That is the endless wait.

Is it happiness?

Or

The comfort of our own

Peace...

A peace, we never knew

We sought.

The saxophone plays

its soulful tune...

into this waiting

heart of mine...

Have we met?

Peace...

You and I?

The crescendo peaks...

A glimpse ,

The light that shines within the tune....

Is mine.

A single moment of sheer joy.

Yes, peace,

We have met.

You and I.

a soul in pain........

Talking to a friend last night, made me realise how fragile the soul is .... and yet how resilient. The pain that is deep within, may sometimes crush the very essence of the person's being , their self-belief ....question their own good. But why should it be so? Why does the old adage of - "it gets better with time", seems like just another fuddy-duddy line some loser coined. For those of us who have lived through the pain, it may have panned out to be true, but for someone in the vortex of it just then....it feels like a bottomless pit. One claws at the ends to climb out.....but the gravel keeps slipping off.


This made me think back on why it has to begin with a process, where the forgiveness for the pain has to come from within. One has to come to terms with the root of this pain and find the strength from within to first forgive oneself. They say that there are several things one has to understand about forgiveness -

• No one can force us to forgive....it is voluntary. Only we can decide in our minds and hearts, when we can begin the process of healing by forgiving. We must remember here, that , forgiveness is perhaps the most magnanimous gesture we can make, not only to those who have wronged us, but to ourselves as well. There are times, when the pain stems from being unable to forgive oneself ... for being helpless in a situation, for maybe not having done enough for some one.... or maybe for having cared too much and thence having lost it all..... Whatever the source of the pain, the best way to deal with it, is to first understand and then deal with it, slowly.
• Forgiveness is a state of mind, a state of forgetting .... of letting go of the pain.... of choosing to move beyond.
• One cannot but wonder, if we are talking of forgiving the person who has hurt us. No. That is never the purpose of forgiving at all. When someone does us wrong, we are not expected to make believe that the wrong never happened. But that it was beyond our means to hold on to the pain of the wrong and hurt the soul. Let go of the pain of insult, being cheated, a death of a loved one where you may think you could have done more... Trust your own self in believing that you have been the best that you could...done the best that you could.... the rest was never in your control.
• Sometimes, when we constantly live with the pain of being wronged, we sometimes make decisions that are coloured by the emotional scars of that wrong. This is as good as being burdened with the guilt of having commited the wrong oneself. Often, it is heavier. Let go .... maybe have faith in someone you can trust and confide, maybe seek emotional help to deal with this pain.... but ultimately, let go.....
• When we can finally forgive - the wrong doer or even ourselves, it will lighten the burden of anger. The feeling is exhilarating.... try it.
• And yet, forgiveness does not mean love thy enemies.... Oh dear Lord! No!!! No one is required to love an enemy or wrongdoer. But do not hold onto the pain within...expunge it..and you will find that the people in question do not matter any more.
  
• Please remember, forgiveness is never easy. Because we say it is a state of mind more than anything else, it requires understanding. The process of this journey of understanding is not to force ourselves to believe that the wrong never happened.... but to not let it cloud our lives.
• It is easy to assume that forgiveness is an act of weakness. But by doing so, we are putting the people who have wronged us, in a state of power over us, while taking away from us the very essence of our own. But please remember, forgiveness is an act of strength. Each of us have our core strength..... tap as deep as you have to, but find that in yourself.

Once we understand what forgiving can do for us, we must try to analyze how to go about doing so. There maybe various ways - which are but means to an end, but unless dealt with one at a time, it goes against the basic grain of understanding the pain and dealing with it.

• Let go of the negative thoughts that get in the way of your happiness
• Uncover from within, your feelings of bitterness, hurt, betrayal, being victimized
• Let go of the anger and move on. This may also mean, anger towards oneself.
• Absorb the pain of the past without the need for apologies and revenge
• Gain inner peace through compassion, understanding and acceptance.

All this may seem like a book of knowledge being read out at a lecture, but it comes from deep within the soul of anyone who has gone through pain and learnt to deal with it , over time. This is my humble and yet sincere effort at reaching out to my friend in his time of pain. He has been through so much, and yet has the dignity within to stand up to it. He may have kept the pain deep within, covered it with a smile ..... but has he dealt with it? It is my fervent hope that some of what I have written touches a chord in him.... makes him forgive himself first and then heal in the process of forgiving the wrongs around him.

This is for you..... my friend.

Has it really been so long since I have written ......?

The past few months have gone by in a flash, it seems. The past has come back to stay in my life...enriching it !

How is it that just when the soul is at the lowest depths, it finds a way to renew its faith and thus go on to celebrate life? Is this Karma.... or is just a way of the powers that be reaching out to take us to the next step...? Of shedding the old ...embracing the new.... detachment.....? A beautiful journey , to have the courage to walk onto a new , without any regrets for what you have left behind. Sometimes, this joy comes in the form of angels, your friends.... and then again at other times, when you reach deep within yourself and seek the strength that lies within.

This takes me to something a dear friend said to me, when I needed the reassurance...

"You are connected to your biological family via old karma. When you get off the karmic cycle, the bonds of the old relationships are released. It will appear as though you are drifting away from your family and friends. This too shall pass.

After a period of time, you may develop a new relationship with them if it is appropriate. However, the relationship will be based in the new energy without the karmic attachments. "


It is time to move on.........