The awakened heart says, "I must give, I must not demand." Thus it enters a gate that leads to a constant happiness.

An unhappy person, being himself unhappy, cannot make others happy. It is a wealthy person who can help the one who is hard up, not a poor person, however much desire of helping he may have. So it is with happiness, which is a great wealth; and a happy person can take away the unhappiness of another, for he has enough for himself and for others.

Earthly pleasures are the shadows of happiness; because of their transitory character. True happiness is in love, which is the stream that springs from one's soul. He who will allow this stream to run continually in all conditions of life, in all situations, however difficult, will have a happiness which truly belongs to him, the source of which is not without, but within. If there is a constant outpouring of love one becomes a divine fountain, for from the depth of the fountain rises the stream and, on its return, it pours upon the fountain, bathing it continually.

THE CONSCIOUS HEART,
by
Gay and Kathlyn Hendricks, Ph.D's

very do-able advise as to how to co create an essence relationship, with self, other and the universe,

JAI RAM,

"Always remember that seclusion is the price of greatness... Walk in
silence; go quietly; develop spirituality. We should not allow noise and
sensory activities to ruin the antennae of our attention, because we are
listening for the footsteps of God to come into our temples

(Paramhansa Yoganada)

"Always remember that seclusion is the price of greatness... Walk in
silence; go quietly; develop spirituality. We should not allow noise and
sensory activities to ruin the antennae of our attention, because we are
listening for the footsteps of God to come into our temples

(Paramhansa Yoganada)

The quality of forgiveness that burns up all things except beauty is the quality of love.

Nature is such that no two things are created alike; and the human being cannot expect his or her mate, whom nature made, to be as docile and flexible as that creature whom his imagination alone conceives. To make a friend, forgiveness is required which burns up all things, leaving only beauty.

Love is the fire that burns all infirmities. ... By criticizing, by judging, by looking at wickedness with contempt, one does not help the wicked or the stupid person. The one who helps is he who is ready to overlook, who is ready to forgive, to tolerate, to take disadvantages he may have to meet with patiently.

To resist evil, however, usually means to participate in and be guilty of the same evil. There is a story told of Muhammad, that a man who had always maligned him and behaved as a bitter and treacherous enemy, came to see him. His disciples, hoping for revenge, were disappointed and indignant to find that Muhammad treated his despicable enemy with courtesy, even deference, granting his request. 'Did you not see the gray in his beard?' asked Muhammad after the man had gone. 'The man is old, and his age at least called for my courtesy.' It is forgiveness and that forbearance which is a recognition of the freedom and dignity of the human being, that consume all ugliness and burn up all unworthiness, leaving only beauty there.

Love lies in service; only that which is done not for fame or name, not for the appreciation or thanks of those for whom it is done, is love's service.

Love lies in service. Only that which is done, not for fame or name, nor for the appreciation or thanks of those for whom it is done, is love's service.

The lover shows kindness and beneficence to the beloved. He does whatever he can for the beloved in the way of help, service, sacrifice, kindness, or rescue, and hides it from the world and even from the beloved. If the beloved does anything for him he exaggerates it, idealizes it, makes it into a mountain from a molehill. He takes poison from the hands of the beloved as sugar, and love's pain in the wound of his heart is his only joy. By magnifying and idealizing whatever the beloved does for him and by diminishing and forgetting whatever he himself does for the beloved, he first develops his own gratitude, which creates all goodness in his life.

The Sufi moral is this: Love another and do not depend upon his love; and: Do good to another and do not depend upon receiving good from him; serve another and do not look for service from him. All you do for another out of your love and kindness, you should think that you do, not to that person, but to God. And if the person returns love for love, goodness for goodness, service for service, so much the better. If he does not return it, then pity him for what he loses; for his gain is much less than his loss.

Do not look for thanks or appreciation for all the good you do to others, nor use it as a means to stimulate your vanity. Do all that you consider good for the sake of goodness, not even for a return of that from God.

~~~ "Sangatha I, Saluk", by Hazrat Inayat Khan (unpublished)

Mercury Retrograde in Ardra

June 15 - July 9, 2007



Mercury will be retrograde from Jun 15 - July 9. This is
generally a period to avoid making new beginnings, especially
those that are heavily influenced by communications and
information. Mercury's retrograde phase is a good time for
reviewing old projects, reconnecting with old memories, editing
what has already been written,being with old friends, and generally
perfecting, polishing, and revamping things. It is best to improve on
what and who you already know, and refine communication
and methods pursued earlier. Not to start anything new, business or
personal.


For the entire period of its retrograde motion Mercury will be in
the Ardra Nakshatra. Ardra is a nakshatra ruled by Rudra, who is
a form of Siva. The shakti of this nakshatra is the power to
make an effort, so this is a good time to make efforts in the
areas listed above. Genuine effort that is, not lukewarm pursuits.


On the negative side, Ardra is symbolized by a tear drop, so this
period may tend to produce emotional communications. The period
for a few days on either side of the Saturn-Venus Conjunction on
July 1st, may be especially sensitive for ~all~ human relationships in
general. On one level, this period may be a good time for taking
serious responsibility for repairing or reflecting on intimate
relationships. On the other hand, for some people, this period
may produce a tendency towards emotional anguish. In any case,
this is not the best time to have a social gathering or a romantic
getaway during that week.


On June 15th, when Mercury turns retrograde, it will be in a
conjunction with the Moon. The Moon, in turn, will be involved
in Shakata Yoga, which gives a tendency for changes. This may
indicate that things which start during this particular Mercury
-retrograde period- may have a strong tendency to go through
dramatic changes. So stick with what and who you know if you
value ease and peace. Wait with all new beginnings and deepen
your existing relationships and re think all projects/goals/ambitions.


On the political scene, this period may produce unrest and
communications problems. Rudra (the deity of Ardra Nakshatra) is
called the "howler" and indicates righteous indignation, anger
and destruction. Mercury is the planet of communication, so its
transit in Ardra suggests disharmony.


Rudra is a great healer as well, so on a deeper level, this
transit may be a good time for renewed efforts for self healing
or the healing of others. It is also a good time for general
acts of compassion and kindness.


Once the gods got together and had a vote to see who among them
was the easiest to please. The vote was unanimous. Siva was the
one they chose since he rules over the three gunas and therefore
has the ability to control the relative world. When Visnu found
out about this vote, he laughed and said, "It's true, Siva is
the easiest and the most sympathetic among the gods. Even though
Siva is the embodiment of austerity and detachment, he is easily
moved to displays of sympathy and gives his devotees great
material rewards. When my (Visnu's) devotees pray to me, however,
I first relieve them of their worldly possessions and attachments
so that they can gain liberation more easily."


Since the entire transit of Mercury retrograde takes place in
Ardra Nakshatra, recitation of the mantra for Ardra Nakshatra may
be helpful. Om Shri Ardra Nakshatra Devataye Namah"

----------------------------------------------------------

Man's whole conduct in life depends upon what he holds in his thought.

The heart, which is called a mirror in Sufi terms, has two different actions which it performs. Whatever is reflected in the heart does not only remain a reflection but becomes a creative power, productive of a phenomenon of a similar nature. For instance a heart which is holding in itself and reflecting the rose, will find roses everywhere. Roses will be attracted to that heart; roses will be produced from it and for it. As this reflection becomes stronger, so it becomes creative of the phenomenon of roses. The heart that holds and reflects a wound will find wounds everywhere, will attract wounds, will create wounds; for that is the nature of the phenomenon of reflection. ... There is another aspect of this reflection, and that is what one thinks, one becomes. One becomes identified with it. Therefore, the object which is in one's thought becomes one's own property, one's own quality.

Nobody appears inferior to us when our heart is kindled with kindness and our eyes are open to the vision of God.

We are so situated in life that whatever position we may occupy we are never independent, we are never self-sufficient. Therefore, every individual depends upon others for help, and others depend upon him for help; only the position of the person who is one among many who receive help becomes lower in the eyes of those who count themselves among the few who can help.

This makes every person a master as well as a servant. Yet everyone, in the intoxication of his mastership, forgets his place as a servant, and looks upon the one who helps him as his servant. The wise, whose feelings are awakened, think on this question deeply, and do their best to avoid every possibility of giving even an idea to a servant of his servantship, far less insulting him in any way or hurting his feelings. We are all equal, and if we have helpers to serve us in life we ought to feel humble and most thankful for the privilege, instead of making the position of the servant humble. ... One cannot commit a greater sin than hurting the feelings of the one who serves us and depends upon our help. Once the Prophet heard his grandson call a servant by his name. On hearing this he at once said to his grandson, 'No, child, that is not the right way of addressing elders. You ought to call him 'uncle.' It does not matter if he serves us, we are all servants of one another, a
nd we are equal in the sight of God.'

There is a verse of Mahmud-i Ghaznavi: 'The Emperor Mahmud, who had thousands of slaves to wait on his call, became the slave of his slaves when love gushed forth from his heart.' Nobody appears inferior to us when our heart is kindled with kindness and our eyes are open to the vision of God.

We blame others for our sorrows and misfortunes, not perceiving that we ourselves are the creators of our world.

Commentary by Hazrat Inayat Khan:

Externally we are a single being, but internally we are a world. As vast as is the world around us, so vast is the world within. Asif says, 'The limitation of the sky and land cannot be compared with man's heart. If man's heart be wide, there is nothing wider than this.' All can be accommodated in it; heaven earth, sun, moon, all are reflected in it. It becomes itself the whole. This world becomes as one chooses to make it. If man only knew that! But since he does not know that, the world is not heaven, but has become its opposite. We blame others for our sorrows and misfortunes, not perceiving that we ourselves are the creators of our world; that our world has an influence upon our life within as well as upon our life without.

One learns to understand that there is a world in one's self, that in one's mind there is a source of happiness and unhappiness, the source of health and illness, the source of light and darkness, and that it can be awakened, either mechanically or at will, if only one knew how to do it. Then one does not blame his ill fortune nor complain of his fellow man. He becomes more tolerant, more joyful, and more loving toward his neighbor, because he knows the cause of every thought and action, and he sees it all as the effect of a certain cause.