tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-86556211261834834432024-03-12T23:50:56.747+00:00Fires of Inspiration'Love is our true essence. Love has no limitations of caste, religion, race or nationality. We are all beads strung together on the same thread of love.' ~ AmmaTiziana Stupiahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16465162367829362785noreply@blogger.comBlogger29125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8655621126183483443.post-15705230380812164132013-03-28T10:10:00.002+00:002013-03-28T10:10:44.636+00:00A Free MindThis morning, I read a chapter by the great Swami Satyananda Saraswati, in which he talks about what having a free mind means. <i>'The mind remains free whether you live amidst pleasure or pain, wealth or poverty, young people or old. The mind must not identify itself with the external circumstances and think, 'I am poor', 'I am rich', 'I am in pain' or 'I am very unfortunate'. As sannyasins, we live a life of poverty by choice. Why? Because our minds must be free. Wealth, name, fame, passion, all these things hold down this great energy of man. We are trying to simplify our lives on the physical, mental and emotional planes so the mind will remain free. If we can keep the mind free, awakening will take place automatically, even without any sadhana.'</i><br />
<br />
This is a subject close to my heart, especially now, having just returned from India. India is always transformational on many levels. In the last few months, I have been contemplating the real meaning of freedom. Freedom, like most other things, is a journey. When I was younger, I thought that freedom meant financial independence and the freedom to do what I wanted. Doing only work I am passionate about. So I went forth and did just that - I founded a record label in my early twenties and became successful beyond my wildest dreams. I bought a beautiful house, a nice car, expensive clothes, flew business class, and I had a certain 'name and fame'. I admit, it was a great time, being barely twenty-five. But slowly, or perhaps not so slowly, dissatisfaction crept in. A certain emptiness. Was this really freedom, to be able to buy what I wanted, to have 'made it'? The uncomfortable feeling increased, and by the time I was twenty-seven, I was clear: this wasn't it. I couldn't live like this anymore. This wasn't freedom: I felt imprisoned, in a golden cage of my own making. To the disbelief of many people, I closed down my company at the height of its success, took a year out and then enrolled at university to study psychology.<br />
<br />
Fast forward seven years from there. I'd sold my house, downsized greatly, and was living a much more satisfying life. I wasn't earning much, but felt fulfilled doing projects I loved. I worked part-time as a spiritual advisor in prisons, performed pagan rituals in the community, and worked on creative projects. Admittedly, this was facilitated by the money I made with the record label and which I had invested wisely. And yet, still, I did not feel free. I still had rent and bills to pay, shopping to do, a car to maintain,appointments to keep and so on. So though my life was more pleasant because I was actually doing what I loved, I felt shackled. So I decided to take it a step further. I sold my car, gave up my apartment, gave away most of my possessions and decided to travel the world by train. Perhaps this would give me the sense of freedom I craved.<br />
<br />
At first, it really did. Sitting on the different trains crossing continents, I felt free as a bird. No appointments, no schedules, no bills. Just me, my backpack and the ever-changing landscapes of Siberia, China, Tibet, Nepal, Pakistan and India. Being so high up in the Himalayas added to the freedom I felt in my heart. This was five years ago. I have not settled down again since, living in different countries and still moving around a lot, though at a much slower pace.<br />
<br />
Lately, however, freedom has taken on a very different meaning for me. Yes, it's great to have (relative) financial independence, to be able to travel, to do work that I like and not be answerable to a boss. It's what many people aspire to, and I was blessed enough to experience all this early on in life. For this I will always be grateful. But what has come into the forefront for me now is something very different. Freedom of the mind, freedom of our conditioning, our likes and dislikes that really imprison us, whether we are aware of it or not. This has been inspired by my love and practice of yoga and meditation (a result of my travels to the East). I started to realize that actually, I am not free at all. As long as my mind does its own thing, as long as I am influenced by my early childhood conditioning, by anger, by things my society or parents or friends deem as 'acceptable', as long as I react in ways that are not fully autonomous, I am still a prisoner. Making autonomous choices is key: choices that comes from my inner being, my soul, choices that are not my mother's or my father's or my grandmother's, or heck, my neighbour's choices. As long as I am driven by anything, be that insecurity or hunger for recognition or ambition or an old chip on my shoulder, I am not free.<br />
<br />
Seeing this so clearly has been a revelation. It has put everything else in the background. It doesn't mean that I can't travel or do what I enjoy. But it has made those things optional. What we have to liberate and purify is our mind that is so full of unconscious patterns and conditionings. Then we can truly be free. We can be in any situation, good or bad, we can be rich or poor, cold or hot - whatever. But we will be at peace. Right now, most of us hanker after pleasure and run from pain. This is what all our actions lead towards. This may be fleetingly satisfying, but it doesn't bring us true freedom and peace. True freedom is a state of non-duality, of being at peace with all there is at any moment.<br />
<br />
How to achieve this? Meditation and yoga are a good way to start. At the very least, meditation gives us an experience of being in the moment and of watching ourselves. It slowly removes our veil of ignorance and helps us to see things as they truly are. We begin to wake up from the dream. We begin to see that there is more to life than what we perceive with the five senses and that there is a deeper purpose to it all. And: meditation shows us that we have a choice. We have a choice to not react and we can learn to control our minds and emotions through purifying the mind. And this, in my view, is true freedom.<br />
<br />
If you are interested in yoga and meditation, I can recommend Satyananda Yoga at <a href="http://www.yogavision.net/">http://www.yogavision.net/</a> and Vipassana Meditation at <a href="http://www.dhamma.org/">http://www.dhamma.org/</a>Tiziana Stupiahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16465162367829362785noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8655621126183483443.post-4595632388933713032012-10-01T14:51:00.000+01:002012-10-01T14:51:12.994+01:00Eating up the world? The consequences of human food choices<br />
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<i>‘Some people think that eating a plant-based, whole foods
diet is extreme. Half a million people a year will have their chests
opened up and a vein taken from their leg and sewn onto their coronary
artery. Some people would call that extreme.” - Dr Caldwell Esselstyn</i></div>
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<i><br /></i></div>
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'Let food be thy medicine and medicine be thy food' - Hippocrates</div>
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Our planet is in times of great transformation. Things are
changing fast in all possible ways. We are facing serious environmental
challenges such as food and water shortages, global warming, deforestation, and
species extinction that make it pretty clear that we are using the Earth’s
resources at an unsustainable rate. </div>
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`</div>
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But underneath it all something is bubbling. Perhaps
inspired by the same challenges, human consciousness is growing rapidly, and we
seem to become always more attuned to a natural, more authentic way of living.
We are transiting into an age in which the call to become who we truly are, to
live our full potential and align ourselves with a higher vibration is becoming
too loud to ignore for many of us. </div>
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Some may call this a crisis, a catastrophe even. Others may
view the changes with a sense of excitement and relief, knowing that we all
have a part to play in making this world into what we want it to be. It is now
more important than ever that we carefully consider the consequences our
actions have on the world we are about to co-create. </div>
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In this sense, I have chosen to focus on one of the most significant
issues that affect the ill health of our planet today: the food we eat and the
wide-reaching effects our choices have on us and the world at large. In
particular, I would like to highlight the impact meat production has on many of
the problems we are facing, such as poverty, environmental damage and degenerative
diseases. </div>
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<b>Enough for everyone?<o:p></o:p></b></div>
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Let’s begin with one of the world’s biggest problems: poverty.
Recent statistics show that 790 million people in the world are chronically
undernourished and about 27.000 children under five die of starvation every
day. I was amazed to find that in contrast to these disturbing statistics, we
actually grow enough edible grain to provide 50% more than is required to feed <i>every
person</i> in the world. So where does it all go?</div>
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Most of this edible grain is used to feed animals for meat,
dairy and egg production. The world’s cattle alone consume enough food to feed
8.7 billion people, more than the entire human population. Likewise, the amount
of water required to produce one kilogram of beef is about forty times as high
as that for the production of rice, leading to serious water shortages in
several countries such as Australia. </div>
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Add to this the facts that over 50% of global human-caused
greenhouse gases can be attributed to livestock and their by-products and that
a massive 92% of all land degradation is caused by animal industries. For
example, cattle-ranching is the biggest driver of deforestation in the Amazon
rainforest.</div>
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So what is the answer? Experts say that adopting a
plant-based diet would make the difference, not only for the future of the
planet, but also for our health. Looking around us, it is easy to tell why.</div>
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<b>A simple cure for deadly diseases?<o:p></o:p></b></div>
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Despite having the most advanced medical technology in the
world, we are sicker than ever. Two out of every three of us are overweight.
Cases of diabetes are exploding, especially amongst the young. Heart disease,
cancer and stroke are leading causes of death, and millions suffer from a host
of other degenerative diseases.</div>
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According to major research studies, most, if not all, of
the degenerative diseases that afflict us could be prevented, reversed and even
eliminated by altering our present menu of animal-based and processed foods. Researchers
such as Dr T Colin Caldwell, author of the widely acclaimed ‘China Study’ (<a href="http://www.thechinastudy.com/">http://www.thechinastudy.com/</a>) found
that people who ate the most animal-based foods suffered the most chronic illnesses
such as heart disease, diabetes and cancer, and that people who ate the most
plant-based foods tended to avoid them. Large studies in England and Germany
show that vegetarians are about forty percent less likely to develop cancer
compared to meat eaters.</div>
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Our current response to degenerative diseases is to treat
them with chemical drugs, which often produce damaging side effects. The real
solution, however, could be as simple as changing our diet and lifestyle, which
may not lead to our developing the diseases in the first place. Many of us have
been taught that human beings need animal proteins for optimum health, whereas
scientific research shows exactly the opposite: that plant proteins such as
legumes are healthier and more nourishing.</div>
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Food also affects our consciousness in a powerful way. <i>Prana</i>-rich,
living foods such as plants nourish our consciousness and spirituality, whereas
dead, processed foods dull our senses. Some people believe that the violence
that has been inflicted on an animal before it is eaten transfers onto the consumer,
and makes us more interested in inflicting violence on others. Many spiritual
seekers and traditions therefore adopt a vegetarian diet to elevate their
consciousness and follow the principle of non-violence.</div>
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Last but not least, let’s consider the animals that are
turned into food. I don’t think any of us need much evidence that what goes on
in slaughterhouses isn’t pretty. Yes, it <i>is</i> easy to walk into a
supermarket or butcher and buy a shiny piece of meat without giving a thought
as to where it has come from. But have you considered what the animal has
endured before it reaches your plate? Here are some statistics that might make
you think.</div>
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Every year, 58 billion animals are raised and killed for human
consumption. Often, these farmed animals, such as chickens, cows and pigs, have
been treated horrendously. Laying hens, for example, are often packed tightly indoors
where they become red and raw from constant mating. Half of the born chicks are
male and won’t lay eggs so they are gassed or ground up alive at day one. Because
laying hens are not ‘profitable’ after eighteen months of age, they are killed
and their depleted bodies are used for pet food, stock cubes or fertilizer. </div>
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Dairy cows have miserable lives, too. By nature, they only
produce milk when they have a calf, yet are artificially impregnated to produce
milk for humans while their own babies are killed. Cows are forced into a
relentless cycle of pregnancy, birthing and milk production during which they
suffer chronic mastitis, liver damage and painful digestive disorders. The
journey to the slaughterhouse is long and traumatic without food and water. In
the killing line, cows are fully aware of what lies ahead. They are terrified,
kicking and screaming. Cows too sick or injured to stand are often dragged with
chains to the killing floor, or left to slowly die. </div>
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Okay, you might think, so I’ll buy organic. Surely that’s fine.
Not quite, I was interested to find. According to animal rights charity PETA,
people who buy organic or free-range animal products because they think that
the animals are treated well are sadly mistaken.</div>
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Many organic and free-range farms
cram thousands of animals together in sheds or mud-filled lots to increase
profits, just as factory farms do, and the animals often suffer through the
same mutilations—such as debeaking, dehorning, and castration without
painkillers—that occur on factory farms. Many ‘organically raised’<span class="apple-converted-space"> </span><span style="border: none windowtext 1.0pt; mso-border-alt: none windowtext 0cm; padding: 0cm;">cows</span><span class="apple-converted-space"> </span>are sent to factory-farm feedlots to
be fattened prior to slaughter, where they are caked with faeces and mud. These
cows can still be labelled organic as long as they're given organic feed.<o:p></o:p></div>
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<b>Stepping into our power<o:p></o:p></b></div>
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<b><br /></b></div>
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Pretty bleak, isn’t it? It seems
like the planet is eaten up alive by unsustainable food practices that we have
little influence on. The good news is that we can change it, one step at the
time. We may not own the companies that make these policies, but as consumers,
we have choices. We can decide whether we want to contribute to these
conditions or whether we want to live in a way that is more conscious of and
respectful to the life around us. <o:p></o:p></div>
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<br /></div>
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As Newton already wisely stated, every action has a
reaction. Every single one of our actions has an effect on something else. Investing
our money in acts that have detrimental consequences on the wellbeing of others
cannot be wholesome and contribute to making the world a more compassionate,
loving or peaceful place. When we recognize that we all have an important part
to play in the future of this planet, we’re stepping into our power. And we are
all infinitely more powerful than we think. </div>
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I realize that change isn’t easy.
If we are used to a certain type of diet, then we may not want to alter it
radically. So maybe we can start by reducing some of our animal protein intake
and replacing it with wholesome plant foods. Every small step can make a big
difference. Maybe, like me, you will find inspiration in the words of
Holocaust victim Anne Frank, <i>‘How wonderful it is that nobody need wait a
single moment before starting to improve the world.’</i> </div>
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<b>To find out more:<o:p></o:p></b></div>
<ul style="margin-top: 0cm;" type="disc">
<li class="MsoNormal">Watch <b>‘Earthlings’</b>
– a powerful and informative documentary about society’s treatment of
animals, narrated by Joaquin Phoenix. Free to download at <a href="http://www.earthlings.com/">www.earthlings.com</a></li>
<li class="MsoNormal">Watch<b> ‘Forks</b> <b>over</b>
<b>Knives’</b>, a brilliant, well-researched documentary about the health
impacts of our food choices: <a href="http://www.forksoverknives.com/">http://www.forksoverknives.com/</a></li>
<li class="MsoNormal">Read <b>‘Conscious Eating’</b>
by Gabriel Cousens, MD, a wonderfully enlightening book on how food
influences the way we think, feel and relate to the world around us: <a href="http://www.treeoflife.nu/">http://www.treeoflife.nu/</a></li>
<li class="MsoNormal">Read <b>‘From Crisis to
Peace’</b> by S.M. Ching Hai, founder of the ‘Loving Hut’ vegan restaurants.
Download this book on environmental and spiritual solutions for free at <a href="http://www.crisis2peace.org/">http://www.crisis2peace.org/</a></li>
<li class="MsoNormal">Read <b>‘Eating Animals’</b>
by Jonathan Safran, a father’s journey about making the right dietary
choices for his son: <a href="http://www.eatinganimals.com/">http://www.eatinganimals.com/</a></li>
</ul>
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Tiziana Stupiahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16465162367829362785noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8655621126183483443.post-47131125716412536662011-03-15T18:10:00.000+00:002011-03-15T18:10:59.343+00:00Chickpea to cook<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: white; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br />
</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="background-color: #660000; color: white; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">A chickpea leaps almost over the rim of the pot<br />
where it's being boiled.<br />
<br />
"Why are you doing this to me?"<br />
<br />
The cook knocks him down with the ladle.<br />
<br />
"Don't you try to jump out.<br />
You think I'm torturing you.<br />
I'm giving you flavor,<br />
so you can mix with spices and rice<br />
and be the lovely vitality of a human being.<br />
<br />
"Remember when you drank rain in the garden.<br />
That was for this."<br />
<br />
Grace first. Sexual pleasure,<br />
then a boiling new life begins,<br />
and the Friend has something good to eat.<br />
<br />
Eventually the chickpea<br />
will say to the cook,<br />
"Boil me some more.<br />
Hit me with the skimming spoon.<br />
I can't do this by myself.<br />
<br />
"I'm like an elephant that dreams of gardens<br />
back in Hindustan and doesn't pay attention<br />
to his driver. You're my cook, my driver,<br />
my way into existence. I love your cooking."<br />
<br />
The cook says,<br />
"I was once like you,<br />
fresh from the ground. Then I boiled in time,<br />
and boiled in the body, two fierce boilings.<br />
<br />
"My animal soul grew powerful.<br />
I controlled it with practices,<br />
and boiled some more, and boiled<br />
once beyond that,<br />
and became your teacher."</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Helvetica, Arial, Verdana, 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif; font-size: 13px;"><span style="background-color: #660000; font-family: Verdana, Arial, Helvetica; font-size: 11px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: white;"><br />
</span></span></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Helvetica, Arial, Verdana, 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif; font-size: 13px;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, Arial, Helvetica; font-size: 11px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="background-color: #660000; color: white;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Helvetica, Arial, Verdana, 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif; font-size: 13px;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, Arial, Helvetica; font-size: 11px;">~Jalaluddin Rumi</span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Helvetica, Arial, Verdana, 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif; font-size: 13px;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, Arial, Helvetica; font-size: 11px;">(translated by Coleman Barks) </span></span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #634320; font-family: Helvetica, Arial, Verdana, 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif; font-size: 13px;"><br />
</span></span></span>Tiziana Stupiahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16465162367829362785noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8655621126183483443.post-90853611708293009692011-02-23T06:11:00.000+00:002011-02-23T06:11:31.155+00:00<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: white; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br />
</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: white; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">I<br />
Have<br />
Learned<br />
<span class="text_exposed_show" style="display: inline;">So much from God<br />
That I can no longer<br />
Call<br />
Myself<br />
<br />
A Christian, a Hindu, a Muslim,<br />
A Buddhist, a Jew.<br />
<br />
The Truth has shared so much of Itself<br />
With me<br />
<br />
That I can no longer call myself<br />
A man, a woman, an angel,<br />
Or even pure<br />
Soul.<br />
<br />
Love has<br />
Befriended Hafiz so completely<br />
It has turned to ash<br />
And freed<br />
Me<br />
<br />
Of every concept and image<br />
My mind has ever known.</span></span><br />
<span class="text_exposed_show" style="display: inline;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: white; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br />
</span></span><br />
<span class="text_exposed_show" style="display: inline;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: white; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">~ Hafiz ~</span><br />
</span>Tiziana Stupiahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16465162367829362785noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8655621126183483443.post-29108259232465171932010-03-09T18:37:00.000+00:002010-03-09T18:37:45.225+00:00Blessed Anicca'One day the Hebrew King Solomon decided to humble his most trusted minister. He said to him 'Benaiah, there is a certain ring that I want you to bring to me within six months.'<br />
'If it exists anywhere on earth, your majesty', replied Benaiah confidently, 'I will find it and bring it to you. But what makes the ring so special?'<br />
'It has magic powers', answered the king with a straight face. 'If a happy man looks at it, he becomes sad, and if a sad man looks at it, he becomes happy.' Solomon knew that no such ring existed in the world. Wishing to give his minister a little taste of humility, he was sending him on an impossible mission.<br />
<br />
Spring and then summer passed by, and though he had searched the length and breadth of the kingdom, still Benaiah had no idea where he could find the ring. The night before the six months were up and he knew he would have to return to the king in defeat, he decided to take a walk in one of the poorest sections of Jerusalem. He passed by an old merchant who had begun to set out the day's wares on a shabby carpet. With nothing left to lose, Benaiah asked, 'Have you by any chance heard of a magic ring that makes the happy wearer forget his joy and the broken-hearted wearer forget his sorrow?'<br />
The old merchant did not speak, but took a plain gold ring from his carpet and engraved something on it. When Benaiah read the words on the ring, his face broke out in a wide grin.<br />
<br />
That night, Benaiah went to see the king as he was in court with all his ministers. 'Well, my friend', Solomon smirked, 'Have you brought me what I sent you for?' All the ministers chortled heartily, eager to see their peer admit his embarrassing defeat. To everyone's surprise, Benaiah held up the small gold ring and declared, 'Here it is, your majesty!' As soon as Solomon read the inscription, the smile vanished from his face. Into the ring, the jeweler had engraved the phrase,<i> 'This too shall pass.'</i><br />
<i><br />
</i><br />
<i>(From 'The Blessed Life' by Swami Ramakrishnananda Puri)</i>Tiziana Stupiahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16465162367829362785noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8655621126183483443.post-50392835715577538012010-01-27T15:05:00.006+00:002010-01-27T15:17:27.125+00:00Hymn to the Lord of the Dance Who Is Half Woman<div style="text-align: center;"><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><strong>ARDHANARISHWARA STOTRA</strong></span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Her body is fair like the campa flower;</span><br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">His body is like camphor.</span><br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">She has elaborately braided hair decked with pearls;</span><br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">And he has matted hair.</span><br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><em>I bow to Shivah and I bow to Shiva.</em></span><br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"></span><br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
<div><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Her body is sprinkled with musk-vermillion powder;</span><br />
</div><div><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">His body is smeared with funeral pyre ash.</span><br />
</div></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">She has the power of sexual desire;</span><br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">And He is adverse to it.</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><em>I bow to Shivah and I bow to Shiva.</em></span><br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"></span><br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
<div> <span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">From Her you hear the movement of tinkling anklets and bracelets,</span><br />
</div></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">His lotus feet have glistening anklets of snakes.</span><br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">She is adorned with golden armlets,</span><br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">And He has armlets of snakes.</span><br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"></span><br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
<div> <span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><em>I bow to Shivah and I bow to Shiva.</em></span><br />
</div></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"></span><br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
<div> <span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Her eyes are like large blue lotuses,</span><br />
</div></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">His eyes are like the red lotus.</span><br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Her eyes are even,</span><br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">His eyes are uneven.</span><br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"></span><br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
<div> <span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><em>I bow to Shivah and I bow to Shiva.</em></span><br />
</div></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"></span><br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
<div> <span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">She is wearing a garland of mandar flowers in Her hair,</span><br />
</div></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">He is wearing a garland of skulls around His neck.</span><br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">She is wearing silks of divine quality;</span><br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">And He is clad only by the sky.</span><br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
<div> <span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><em>I bow to Shivah and I bow to Shiva.</em></span><br />
</div></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"></span><br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
<div> <span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Her hair is dark like the monsoon clouds;</span><br />
</div></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">His matted locks flash with the luster of lightning.</span><br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">She is Lord of All;</span><br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">He is Lord of All.</span><br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"></span><br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
<div> <span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><em>I bow to Shivah and I bow to Shiva.</em></span><br />
</div></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"></span><br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
<div> <span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Hers is the dance that creates differentiation;</span><br />
</div></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">His is the dance that destroys everything.</span><br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">I bow to the Mother of the Universe.</span><br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">I bow to the Father of the Universe.</span><br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"></span><br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
<div> <span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><em>I bow to Shivah and I bow to Shiva.</em></span><br />
</div></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"></span><br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
<div> <span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Her earrings sparkle with radiant, precious stones;</span><br />
</div></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">His earrings are hissing snakes.</span><br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">He embraces Her;</span><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">And She embraces Him.</span><br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"></span><br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
<div> <span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><em>I bow to Shivah and I bow to Shiva.</em></span><br />
</div></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"></span><br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
<div> <span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><em><span style="font-size: x-small;">(Attributed to Sri Adi Shankara)</span></em></span><br />
</font><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;"><em>(Shakti is referred to in this hymn as Shivah, or Shivaa -- a feminine form of the name Shiva.)</em></span><br />
</div></div><div style="text-align: center;"><div></div></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
<div><br />
</div></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_beGHD9T9nfs/S2BVy8K62VI/AAAAAAAAADI/rIjUUW0dYAc/s1600-h/Ardhanari20Parvati20Shiva2001.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="cssfloat: left; margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" mt="true" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_beGHD9T9nfs/S2BVy8K62VI/AAAAAAAAADI/rIjUUW0dYAc/s200/Ardhanari20Parvati20Shiva2001.jpg" width="150" /></a><br />
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</div></div>Tiziana Stupiahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16465162367829362785noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8655621126183483443.post-85656675471832157152010-01-19T15:03:00.001+00:002010-01-19T15:04:01.189+00:00The Zen Manifesto<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">'Zen knows only a vast life</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana;">which contains all kinds of contradictions</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana;">in a deep harmony.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana;">The night is in harmony with the day,</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana;">and life is in harmony with death,</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana;">and the earth is in harmony with the sky.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana;">The presence is in harmony with the absence.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana;">This immense harmony,</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana;">this synchronicity,</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana;">is the essential Manifesto of Zen.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana;">This is the only way of life which respects</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana;">and loves,</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana;">and denies nothing, condemns nothing.'</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana;"><em>-- Osho</em></span>Tiziana Stupiahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16465162367829362785noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8655621126183483443.post-80743730568941188572010-01-17T18:31:00.005+00:002010-01-17T18:36:36.400+00:00<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">'When your love is not just a desire for the other,</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">when your love is not only a need,</span><br />
<div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">when your love is a sharing,</span><br />
</div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">when your love is not that of a beggar but an emperor,</span><br />
</div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">when your love is not asking for something in return but is ready only to give</span><br />
</div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">– to give for the sheer joy of giving –</span><br />
</div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">then add meditation to it and the pure fragrance is released.</span><br />
</div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">That is compassion, compassion is the highest phenomenon.’</span><br />
</div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br />
</span><br />
</div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><em>-- Osho</em></span><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br />
</span><br />
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</div>Tiziana Stupiahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16465162367829362785noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8655621126183483443.post-14986863227169043602010-01-15T11:36:00.001+00:002010-01-15T11:37:36.373+00:00The Intellectual versus the Lover<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">The intellectual is always showing off;</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">the lover is always getting lost.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana;">The intellectual runs away, afraid of drowning;</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana;">the whole business of love is to drown in the sea.</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana;">Intellectuals plan their repose;</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana;">lovers are ashamed to rest.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana;">The lover is always alone,</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana;">even surrounded with people;</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana;">like water and oil, he remains apart.</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana;">The man who goes to the trouble</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana;">of giving advice to a lover</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana;">gets nothing. He's mocked by passion.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana;">Love is like musk. It attracts attention.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana;">Love is a tree, and lovers are its shade.</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana;"><em>-- Rumi</em></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana; font-size: x-small;"><em>(from 'Love's Ripening: Rumi on the Heart's Journey', translated by Kabir Helminski & Ahmad Rezwani)</em></span>Tiziana Stupiahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16465162367829362785noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8655621126183483443.post-24185133265873381202010-01-14T11:49:00.002+00:002010-01-14T11:52:28.984+00:00This being human<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"></span><br />
<div align="center" class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_beGHD9T9nfs/S08D9u_LIuI/AAAAAAAAAC4/E35eiq67-b8/s1600-h/Chetana.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" ps="true" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_beGHD9T9nfs/S08D9u_LIuI/AAAAAAAAAC4/E35eiq67-b8/s200/Chetana.JPG" /></a><br />
</div><br />
<div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">This being human is a guest house</span><br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"></span><br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Every morning a new arrival.</span><br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">A joy, a depression, a meanness,</span><br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">some momentary awareness comes</span><br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">as an unexpected visitor.</span><br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Welcome and entertain them all!</span><br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"></span><br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Even if they are a crowd of sorrows,</span><br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">who violently sweep your house</span><br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">empty of its furniture,</span><br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">still treat each guest honourably.</span><br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"></span><br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">He may be clearing you out for some new delight.</span><br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"></span><br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">The dark thought, the shame, the malice,</span><br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">meet them at the door laughing,</span><br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">and invite them in.</span><br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Be grateful for whoever comes,</span><br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">because each has been sent</span><br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">as a guide from beyond.</span><br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Verdana;"><em>-- Rumi</em></span><br />
</div><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"></span><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
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</div></span>Tiziana Stupiahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16465162367829362785noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8655621126183483443.post-6914729290939826142010-01-13T10:35:00.001+00:002010-01-13T10:36:35.885+00:00<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">'Your task is not to seek for love, but merely to seek and find all the barriers within yourself that you have built against it' -- Rumi</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"></span><br />
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</span>Tiziana Stupiahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16465162367829362785noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8655621126183483443.post-34002357442480826452010-01-04T11:14:00.000+00:002010-01-04T11:14:09.170+00:00<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_beGHD9T9nfs/S0HNOgHCOHI/AAAAAAAAACw/N1RVdJnyM1Y/s1600-h/IMG_0993.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" ps="true" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_beGHD9T9nfs/S0HNOgHCOHI/AAAAAAAAACw/N1RVdJnyM1Y/s320/IMG_0993.JPG" /></a><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Ask yourself what happens to a kite when its string is cut. Up it goes! It climbs into the open skies above it because that's its nature; it was made to rise. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">So are we: we are made to be free.</span><br />
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<em><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">(Guy Finley)</span></em>Tiziana Stupiahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16465162367829362785noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8655621126183483443.post-32474465153671108002009-12-23T14:58:00.000+00:002009-12-23T14:58:00.453+00:00Priestess of Love<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_beGHD9T9nfs/SzIvvOWezRI/AAAAAAAAACo/Wsp-oYOH1rU/s1600-h/MotherTeresa.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" ps="true" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_beGHD9T9nfs/SzIvvOWezRI/AAAAAAAAACo/Wsp-oYOH1rU/s320/MotherTeresa.jpg" /></a><br />
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'<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><em>It is not how much we do, but how much love we put in the doing. It is not how much we give, but how much love we put in the giving.' -- Mother Teresa</em></span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana;">I've come across this beautiful quote this morning on a Solstice greeting, and was promptly inspired to look up some more of Mother Teresa's quotes. They really speak to my heart in their simplicity. I, for one, am a firm believer in that we all have a gift to share, and by doing what we truly love to do, and by doing it with consciousness and love, we enrich the world.</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana;">You can find some more of her quotes here: </span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana;">http://www.squidoo.com/mother_teresa_quotes</span><em></em><br />
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</span>Tiziana Stupiahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16465162367829362785noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8655621126183483443.post-91800530442300671372009-12-10T21:50:00.001+00:002009-12-10T22:00:52.003+00:00Look forward to your transition<div style="text-align: left;"><strong>Unconditional Love</strong><br />
</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: left;">Look forward to your transition.<br />
</div><div style="text-align: left;">It's the first time you will experience unconditional love.<br />
</div><div style="text-align: left;">There will be all peace and love, and all the nightmares and the turmoil you went through in your life will be nothing.<br />
</div><div style="text-align: left;">When you make your transition you are asked two things basically: How much love you have been able to give and receive, and how much service you have rendered.<br />
</div><div style="text-align: left;">And you will know every consequence, or every deed, every thought and every word you have ever uttered.<br />
</div><div style="text-align: left;">And symbolically speaking going through hell when you see how many chances you have missed.<br />
</div><div style="text-align: left;">But you also see how an act of kindness has touched hundreds of lives that you were totally unaware of.<br />
</div><div style="text-align: left;">So concentrate on love while you are here, teach your children early unconditional love. So remember concentrate on love and look forward to transition for it is the most beautiful experience you could ever imagine.<br />
</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: left;"><em>-- Elisabeth Kuebler-Ross</em><br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
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</div>Tiziana Stupiahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16465162367829362785noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8655621126183483443.post-36355087919451176842009-09-12T17:49:00.017+01:002009-09-12T18:16:44.980+01:00Ethical Banking: Love in Action<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_beGHD9T9nfs/SqvWWHpeFBI/AAAAAAAAACc/3frqosuD8fM/s1600-h/GoldProof.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" mq="true" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_beGHD9T9nfs/SqvWWHpeFBI/AAAAAAAAACc/3frqosuD8fM/s200/GoldProof.jpg" /></a></div><br />
<i>‘Some would term our efforts futile, but if all were to follow our example, what a change would be wrought for our beloved Planet!’</i> <br />
– Margaret Atwood, from ‘Year of the Flood’ <br />
<br />
<i>This article is of a less esoteric nature, and yet it concerns a subject close to my heart - how we can all create a better, fairer world together.</i> <br />
<br />
<b>Ethical Banking: What are you funding with your money? </b><br />
<br />
When we think of banks, we primarily look for a secure place to deposit our money that pays us a good rate of interest. For this reason, many of us bank with traditional High Street banks. But have you thought about how the bank might invest your money when you are not using it? A bank’s core business is to lend the money you deposit with them to somebody else. We generally don’t know who the banks lend to and what the money will be used for. Hence, your money may be – and often is - used to fund wars, animal testing, nuclear power, tobacco or companies that operate in countries where human rights are disregarded. <br />
<br />
<b>What are the alternatives?</b> <br />
<br />
Unlike most High Street banks, ethical banks are concerned with the social and environmental impacts of their investments and loans. They are regulated by the same authorities as traditional banks, but share a common set of principles, primarily transparency about who they fund. Interest rates may not be as high as those of traditional banks as ethical companies tend to operate on narrower margins, but a better, fairer and healthier world might be the pay-off. <br />
<br />
Switching your bank account, even though it may seem arduous, is actually very easy. Banks are now able to automatically transfer your standing orders and direct debits to your new account, meaning that your main task is to notify people who pay into your account, such as your employer. <br />
<br />
<b>Ethical banks and investments</b> <br />
<br />
There are now a growing number of ethical banks and investments to choose from. <br />
<br />
The main, longest-established ethical bank is <b>The Co-Operative Bank </b>(<a href="http://www.co-operativebank.co.uk/">http://www.co-operativebank.co.uk/</a> <a href="http://www.co-operativebank.co.uk/"></a>) and its Internet equivalent <b>Smile </b>(<a href="http://www.smile.co.uk/">http://www.smile.co.uk/</a> <a href="http://www.smile.co.uk/"></a>), although, strictly speaking, there are doubts about as to whether their policy is completely ethical. However, the Co-Op has moved into the right direction and offered good alternatives to mainstream banking for many years. <br />
<br />
The <b>Triodos Bank </b>(<a href="http://www.triodos.co.uk/">http://www.triodos.co.uk/</a> <a href="http://www.triodos.co.uk/"></a>), based in Bristol, is Europe’s leading ethical bank as it directly invests in ethical and environmentally friendly enterprises and offers targeted account, such as the Earth and Organic Savers. <br />
<br />
The <b>Ecology Building Society </b>(<a href="http://www.ecology.co.uk/">http://www.ecology.co.uk/</a> <a href="http://www.ecology.co.uk/"></a>) lends money for the purpose of ecologically sound properties only. <br />
<br />
For savings and investments, building societies such as Abbey National are an ethically neutral way to save, as the societies are owned by their members. <br />
<br />
If you want to directly contribute to the growth of ethical businesses, you could think of taking out an ethical investment. You could consult a financial advisor that specializes in ethical investments, or visit the following links to find out more: <br />
<br />
<b>Ethical Consumer </b><a href="http://www.ethicalconsumer.org/FreeBuyersGuides/money.aspx">www.ethicalconsumer.org/FreeBuyersGuides/money.aspx</a> <a href="http://www.ethicalconsumer.org/FreeBuyersGuides/money.aspx"></a><br />
<br />
<b>Vegan Society</b> <a href="http://www.vegansociety.com/people/lifestyle/finance/investment.php">www.vegansociety.com/people/lifestyle/finance/investment.php</a>Tiziana Stupiahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16465162367829362785noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8655621126183483443.post-88784127204378720832009-09-09T17:47:00.000+01:002009-09-09T17:47:23.973+01:00<i>I am going to light a fire in Paradise and to pour water on to Hell,
so that both veils may vanish altogether.</i>
-- Rabia, an 8th Century Iraqi woman poet and Sufi saintTiziana Stupiahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16465162367829362785noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8655621126183483443.post-69367893970968015132009-09-04T12:20:00.024+01:002009-09-04T13:51:58.021+01:00What do you REALLY want?A friend from Pakistan posted this article on Facebook this morning. I found it so inspirational that I want to share it here. It's Full Moon this afternoon and it feels like a time to really ask ourselves.... yes, what do we really want? I for one am going to spend some time contemplating that.....
<br /><br />
This article reminds me of a saying I have posted on my desk:
<br /><br />
<i>"Don't ask yourself what the world needs. Ask yourself what makes you come alive and then go do that. Because what the world needs is people who have come alive."</i>
Dr. Howard Thurman
<br /><br />
<b>What Do You Want? and Tell the Truth</b>
<br /><br />
Robert Rabbin
<br /><br />
In my line of work, it's common to have people tell me they are stuck, lost, confused, conflicted, or afraid. There's something NQR (not quite right) about their lives. Maybe their relationship is faltering; maybe their work sucks; maybe they are trying to find their role and purpose in life. Perhaps enlightenment seems farther away than when they started hunting it. Most feel oppressed with insufficient meaning, erratic motivation, and some degree of dissatisfaction or sadness.
<br /><br />
They want to seize the day and capture the moment, but the day slips through their fingers and the moment from their grasp.
<br /><br />
In these conversations, I always ask one question: What do you want? With this proviso: And tell the truth.
<br /><br />
I want to make a difference. I want more fulfilling work. I want to align with my higher self. I want to make more money. And off we go on the merry-go-round of what people say they want.
<br /><br />
I look in their eyes when they say these things. I look for a light, for a spark, for some sign of authenticity.
<br /><br />
I never see it. That's what NQR.
<br /><br />
They think they know what they want, or they think they know that they don't know, because they've worked it out in their heads. They've got thoughts and ideas and beliefs about what they want. They use language to sort it all out and to communicate it. They have stories about why they want it: reasons and explanations and justifications. It's all in their heads.
<br /><br />
But no light. No spark. No fire. Not in their eyes. Not in their bellies.
<br /><br />
I ask what they've done, what actions they've taken towards what they say they want. Well, I can't because … And then they tell a story. Often the story is that something bad will happen if they pursue the truth. So they stay in their heads and keep spinning.
<br /><br />
I'm looking for action. Life is lived in actions, not reasons, explanations, and justifications.
<br /><br />
But not any action. Authentic action, propelled by authentic desire. That's what I want to know from people: what do you authentically want?
<br /><br />
Not what you think you want. Not what you're supposed to want. Not what someone told you to want. Not the good thing, the right thing, the moral thing, the ethical thing, the spiritual thing. Just the thing, the thing you want.
<br /><br />
What do you want?
<br /><br />
Everyone knows. It's hardwired into us. But it's way down deep, the flecks of gold in our bedrock. We don't go there. We go, instead, into the stories of the flecks of gold. It's not the same.
<br /><br />
As I work with people, I discover the same taboo each time, the forbidding door to the deep I want. Until we get through that door, we will be forever lost, confused, and conflicted. Even if we have a best-selling book, or appear on Oprah. Even if we've read 20,000 books or disappeared into ether or talk to dead people.
<br /><br />
The great taboo is that we are afraid of what we want. The fear of what we want is what makes us tell lies about what we want.
<br /><br />
What do you want? And tell the truth.
<br /><br />
When people open the forbidden taboo-door to what they want, and tell the truth, I hear different things, said with a different tone and with escalating energy, and glimmers of light: I want to leave my family and start a new life. I want to be sexually dominated. I want stop meditating and trying so hard to be spiritual. I want to quit my job and go back to school. I want to be an artist. I want to stop hiding. I want to tell my boss she's a fucking bitch.
<br /><br />
The energy imprisoned behind the previously locked door of what we want starts moving. That's the beauty. That's where the life is. That's the beginning of authenticity. That's where it all is, in the energy of life.
<br /><br />
Why are we afraid of what we want? Because that simple truth, that simple gold-flecked bit of bedrock way down deep, below our thoughts and ideas and beliefs; below our stories and reasons and explanations — that simple answer to that simple question shatters everything else we know and think we know.
<br /><br />
It takes us from our minds into life. It takes us from imitation to authenticity. It takes us from cowardice to courage. It takes us from hope to fulfillment.
<br /><br />
Whatever insight we might need, whatever wisdom we want, comes to us from acting authentically, from telling the truth of what we want and then freeing those wild horses to romp in the wilderness of deep desire. This is how we live a true life. This is how we come to know, through authenticity and truth-telling, as much of how the universe works as we need to know.
<br /><br />
Don Juan Matus, the either actual or fictional mentor of Carlos Castaneda, put it this way,
"The flaw with words is that they always make us feel enlightened, but when we turn around to face the world they always fail us and we end up facing the world as we always have, without enlightenment. For this reason, a warrior seeks to act rather than to talk, and to this effect he gets a new description of the world — a new description where talking is not that important, and where new acts have new reflections, and a new world is born."
<br /><br />
We've got to find a way to trust our deep desires and to tell the truth about that. It's freeing and revelatory. It's heaven and perfection. It's authentic and juicy. Dripping juicy.
<br /><br />
Of course, you might think you know less than you did. You might give away all your spiritual books and knickknacks. People might not recognize you. You might start being kinky in bed — and out of it. You might make people feel uncomfortable. You might not do what's right, moral, or ethical. You might threaten authority. You might scare the crap out of yourself.
<br /><br />
But I tell you this: You will never again feel as if something is NQR in your life. You will have found you and your place in life. You will have found the inner treasure. You will have found your evolving path in life. You will have found your map, your meaning, your everything. You will hear from deep within you a heard of galloping horses, each on fire, each an animal-rocket of force and fury. You will find yourself in a life you never imagined, doing things you couldn't have ever dreamed of. And it will be good.
<br /><br />
And if those aren't precious gifts to give yourself, and others, then I don't know what is.
<br /><br />
©Robert Rabbin 2009; http://www.robertrabbin.com/Tiziana Stupiahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16465162367829362785noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8655621126183483443.post-67585187986192338242009-08-24T12:31:00.019+01:002009-08-28T17:26:32.745+01:00Blood, sacred blood<a href="http://www.ucmp.berkeley.edu/protista/reds/porphyra.gif"><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 456px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 311px; CURSOR: hand" border="0" alt="" src="http://www.ucmp.berkeley.edu/protista/reds/porphyra.gif" /></a><br /><div><em>'Blessed be the blood on my skirt, blessed be the blood on my thighs, blessed be the blood'</em>, sings Carolyn Hillyer on 'Old Silverhead'. For many years, I have been fascinated with the power and significance of women's cycles, of our monthly menstrual blood. We bleed in synchronicity with the moon's waxing and waning, we bleed continously for about five days and we do not die. </div><br /><div><span style="color:#990000;">.</span></div><br /><div>What fascinates me just as much is Western society's relationship with women's blood. At best, menstrual blood is ignored and hidden away, at worst it is called 'the curse' and viewed as 'disgusting'. Women suffer of PMS, of menstrual pain, and many of us wish that we were not afflicted with this 'condition'. We take pain killers, 'get on with it' and pretend it's not happening. What is behind this strange attitude towards one of our body's most natural functions?</div><br /><div><span style="color:#990000;">.</span></div><br /><div>Interestingly, in some cultures, menstruating women are highly respected as it is believed that women are at the height of their spiritual powers at this time. The veils between the mundane and the spiritual world are said to be thin for bleeding women, which facilitates psychic and intuitive abilities. In the old days, and still in some indigenous tribes now, women retreated into seclusion with other women when they bled. During this time, the men, and/or older post-menopausal women respect their space and take care of household tasks such as cooking and cleaning.</div><br /><div><span style="color:#990000;">.</span></div><br /><div>Two years ago, I visited the Kalash tribe in Northern Pakistan. The Kalash are a pagan tribe who dwell in the Hindu Kush mountains close to the Afghan border. Every month, all menstruating women retreat into the <em>bashaleni</em>, the tribe's menstruation and birth house, for five days. The women use this time to rest, sleep and lie around the fire. Older women cook for them and bring them food. This practice gives the women some time out from an otherwise harsh life in the mountains.</div><br /><div><span style="color:#990000;">.</span></div><br /><div>The onset of menstruation used to be celebrated, and still is in some traditional cultures. <em>'Among certain Australian aborigines, the young girl used to be buried up to her waist in warm sand to assist the first flow, and she was fed and cared for by her mother in a sacred place. Later she returned to the tribal camp to celebrate the feast marking her entry into womanhood. In some parts of India,</em> kumaripuja <em>was, and is, celebrated at the time of first menstruation. On the first day, having attained womanhood, the girl is worshipped by family and friends as the incarnation of the maidenly aspect of Shakti - Kumari, symbol of purity and promise. Kumari later grows into Parvati who becomes the consort of Shiva. The kumari is showered with gifts and flowers, and is presented with her first sari.'</em> (from 'Nawa Yogini Tantra' by Swami Muktananda)</div><br /><div><span style="color:#990000;">.</span></div><br /><div>In the Indian tantric tradition, in which the body is viewed as something noble and pure blood is sacred. <em>'Tantrikas specially honour the menstruating woman',</em> writes Daniel Odier in 'Desire: The Tantric Path to Awakening', <em>'because they believe her to be at the height of her femininity; she is seated to the right of the master in Tantric gatherings, and menstrual blood is a sign of unfolding power at its peak. Ascetics willingly use menstrual blood to draw on their foreheads.'</em></div><br /><div><span style="color:#990000;">.</span></div><br /><div>I love this reverence of the blood, of life, and the marking of what is essentially an important rite of passage. I sorely miss it in our mainstream culture, and this is one of the reasons I started to train as a priestess - to help bring back an understanding and honouring of the natural life cycles: birth, menarche, sex, menopause, death. For me, every new stage, every transition in life is a wonderful time, too precious to let slip by unnoticed.</div><br /><div><span style="color:#990000;">.</span></div><br /><div>I certainly noticed that, when I started to honour my moontime and allowed myself rest and space, my menstrual pain and PMS decreased significantly. I realized that the pain was trying to tell me something. It was telling me to slow down, to take note. I now like to spend the first two days of my moon time in near-seclusion, sinking into 'dreamtime'. I like to connect with the body of Mother Earth, the fertile earth from which we all came. I love to lie on the land and feel her pulsating beneath me. I offer her some of my blood every month as a symbolic act of giving back to her, our Mother, affirming that I honour my fertility, my being a woman. By bleeding into the ground, I symbolically nourish her as she nourishes me, nourishes all of us. It strengthens my connection with her, with the land and the elements. I use my moon time to rest, to vision, to dream, to write, to read. To spend time with myself and feel into what is going on in my body. Admittedly, taking this time out can be hard for many working women - indicating how removed we are as a society from the natural cycles of our bodies. I was amazed to learn that in South Korea, every woman has the right to take between one to three days off <em>every month</em> to rest during her menstrual cycle. When my dear Korean friend Hee told me this, I was stunned; she was equally stunned that we <em>don't</em> have such a law in place. But even if we can't all take several days off every month, maybe we can simply slow down, tune into our bodies, take some time out, and postpone tasks that are not absolutely necessary. Maybe we can connect with other women once a month, at the Full Moon or the New Moon, to share, to dream, to be. Such practices also re-align us with the moon cycles, so that we bleed in rhythm with the moon again.</div><br /><div><span style="color:#990000;">.</span></div><br /><div>Honouring my blood is also an act of all-encompassing acceptance of myself, of the human being, and dissolving the illusionary separation between 'good' and 'bad', 'pure' and 'impure', 'light' and 'dark'. In tantrism, we accept everything. Everything comes from Source, everything is sacred. </div><br /><div><span style="color:#990000;">.</span></div><br /><div><em>Jai Mata Kali!</em></div><br /><div><span style="color:#990000;">.</span></div><br /><div><strong>Some inspirational further resources:</strong></div><br /><div><strong><span style="color:#990000;">.</span></strong></div><br /><div><strong>*</strong> read <strong>'The Red Tent'</strong>, written by Anita Diamant</div><br /><div><strong>* </strong>watch <strong>'Bloodtime, Moontime, Dreamtime'</strong>, a poetic documentary by Roberta Cantow (<a href="http://www.originaldigital.net/bmd/">www.originaldigital.net/bmd/</a>)</div><br /><div><strong>* </strong><strong>Moon Times </strong>eco-friendly Menstrual Products<strong> </strong>(<a href="http://www.moontimes.co.uk/">http://www.moontimes.co.uk/</a>)</div><br /><div>* visit the <strong>Soul Fire Heart Centre</strong> in <strong>Wellhouse Lane, Glastonbury</strong> - the centre has a beautiful Blood Garden where you can lie on sheepskin rugs on the land just beneath the Tor and offer your blood to a special flower bed (telephone Draupadi 07952.739961)</div><div> </div><div>* join <strong>Deborah Tual's 'Sacred Blood' online course</strong> at <a href="http://groups.yahoo.com/group/red-moon/">http://groups.yahoo.com/group/red-moon/</a></div><br /><div><span style="color:#990000;">.</span></div><br /><div><strong>Practical tips to attune yourselves with your cycle and ease menstrual cramps:</strong></div><br /><div><strong><span style="color:#990000;">.</span></strong></div><br /><div>* Practice some simple yoga postures, like <em>vajrasana </em>(thunderbolt pose), <em>shashankasana</em> (hare pose), <em>marjari-asana</em> (cat/cow pose) and <em>shavasana</em> (corpse pose)</div><br /><div>* Practice deep abdominal breathing</div><br /><div>* Cut out sugar and processed foods</div><br /><div>* Up your magnesium and zinc levels (a naturopath or nutritionist can advise on correct intake levels)</div><br /><div>* Try to feel into the pain, meet it with curiosity, surrender to it. When we do that, rather than push it away, it often dissolves.</div>Tiziana Stupiahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16465162367829362785noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8655621126183483443.post-83819252890055207042009-08-21T09:54:00.007+01:002009-08-21T11:03:26.268+01:00The path with heartI believe that all of our problems are based on our disconnection from our hearts. Several years ago, I worked with Milena, a Bulgarian woman who was researching for a PhD on violence. She was very active in an organisation that was working with Eastern European women that had been trafficked and forced to work as prostitutes in this country. Milena once said to me that she decided to pursue her PhD studies because she simply could not understand violence. When I asked her as to why she thought violence such as the trafficking and exploitation of human beings existed, she thought for a while, and then said, 'You know, there are so many theories about violence. But ultimately, I think it comes from a lack of empathy with others.'<br /><span style="color:#660000;">.</span><br /><div><div><div>I often remembered her words since, and I believe them to be true. If we believed, and <em>felt</em> that everything, every being on this planet was sacred, how could we treat them with anything but love, respect and reverence?</div><span style="color:#660000;">.<br /></span><div>If we saw the Earth as a living, interconnected organism consisting of sentient human beings, animals, plants, would we engage in the actions that we so often do? There is so much talk now about the environmental state of the world, and the urgency to take action. Climate change, energy, waste, the short supply of water, food, consumption, land management, ecosystems, endangered species. </div><span style="color:#660000;">.</span><br /><div>If we truly lived from our hearts in a state of awareness, would we be able to close our eyes to these issues? Would we buy goods in shops and supermarkets that supported unfair working conditions? Would we continue to buy and use plastic if we loved the Earth's body as our own? Would we continue to fly around the world and use cars if we were fully connected to the consequences of climate change? Would we deposit our money in high street banks that directly sponsored warfare? Would we buy and eat animals that had been reared in horrendous conditions? </div>.<br /><div>It is this disconnection from Nature, our true selves, our hearts, that we need to heal. In some way, I feel that the current environmental crises in the world are a positive shift in that they make us re-evaluate the way we live, and hopefully help us to find our way back to living in tune with nature again. A way of life in which we again respect everything inside and outside of us, in which we realise that we are all interconnected, and that every action has a reaction. A way of life in which we only use what we need, and in which the qualities of the heart, of empathy, of intuition are fully integrated again. A way of life in which we realised that everything and everyone is an aspect of ourselves. </div><span style="color:#660000;">.</span><br /><div>And although the situation seems bleak, I feel this shift is happening already in the world. Many of us are coming together to create a new world, through movements like <strong>Transition Town </strong>(http://<a href="http://www.transitiontowns.org/">www.transitiontowns.org/</a>), <strong>The Work that Reconnects</strong>(<a href="http://www.joannamacy.net/">http://www.joannamacy.net/</a>), <strong>Terre des Femmes</strong> (<a href="http://frauenrechte.de/">http://frauenrechte.de/</a>), and the work of many inspirational women and men like <strong>Amma</strong> (http://<a href="http://www.amma.org.uk/">www.amma.org.uk/</a>), <strong>Daniel</strong> <strong>Odier </strong>(<a href="http://www.danielodier.com/">http://www.danielodier.com/</a>), and <strong>Cate MacKenzie</strong> (<a href="http://www.catemackenzie.com/">http://www.catemackenzie.com/</a>) whose mission it is to open our hearts and help bring love back into our world.</div><span style="color:#660000;">.</span><br /><div>Take some time to connect with your heart today. Visualize the world you would like to live in. What small change can you make today that brings you closer to our vision?</div><br /><br /><br /><div></div></div></div>Tiziana Stupiahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16465162367829362785noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8655621126183483443.post-81589779939656961962009-08-20T14:11:00.005+01:002009-08-20T14:17:44.857+01:00New Moon in Leo - time to listen to your heart<a href="http://apod.nasa.gov/apod/image/0204/lumiere_laveder_c1.jpg"><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 602px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 415px; CURSOR: hand" border="0" alt="" src="http://apod.nasa.gov/apod/image/0204/lumiere_laveder_c1.jpg" /></a><br /><div><a href="http://apod.nasa.gov/apod/image/0204/lumiere_laveder_c1.jpg"></a>It's New Moon in Leo today - helping us to open the heart ever more.....<br /><span style="color:#660000;">.</span><br /><div></div><div>Visit the below link for more information on the energy of this beautiful, strong New Moon:</div><span style="color:#660000;">.</span><br /><div><a href="http://www.mooncircles.com/newmoon_simone.html">http://www.mooncircles.com/newmoon_simone.html</a></div></div>Tiziana Stupiahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16465162367829362785noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8655621126183483443.post-18087869905327784102009-08-19T10:15:00.001+01:002009-08-19T10:17:11.568+01:00<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_beGHD9T9nfs/SovDEOBbEWI/AAAAAAAAAB0/8SfzraUKOwc/s1600-h/loving.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5371601457820406114" style="FLOAT: left; MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; WIDTH: 213px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 320px" alt="" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_beGHD9T9nfs/SovDEOBbEWI/AAAAAAAAAB0/8SfzraUKOwc/s320/loving.jpg" border="0" /></a><br /><p align="left"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_beGHD9T9nfs/SovCxuy0cQI/AAAAAAAAABs/G2lP_HVousE/s1600-h/loving.jpg"></a></p><br /><div><br /></div><br /><div></div>Tiziana Stupiahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16465162367829362785noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8655621126183483443.post-55574006178430191712009-08-19T10:03:00.006+01:002009-08-19T10:14:46.060+01:00Love is liberty<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_beGHD9T9nfs/SovB4fEz84I/AAAAAAAAABk/5yJOfA36Q5M/s1600-h/loving.jpg"></a>No one can possess a sunset, just as no one can possess an afternoon of rain beating against the window, or the serenity of a sleeping child, or the magical moment when the waves break on the rocks. No one can possess the beautiful things of this Earth, but we can know them and love them. It is through such moments that Gods reveals him/herself to mankind.<br /><div></div><span style="color:#660000;">.</span><br /><div>People give flowers as presents because flowers contain the true meaning of love. Anyone who tries to possess a flower will have to watch its beauty fading. But if you simply look at a flower in a field, you will keep it forever, because the flower is part of the evening and the sunset and the smell of damp earth and the clouds on the horizon.</div><span style="color:#660000;">.</span><br /><div></div><div>I will always remember now that love is liberty.<br /><span style="color:#660000;">.</span></div><div><span style="color:#660000;"></span></div><span style="color:#660000;">.<br /></span><div>-- from 'Brida', Paulo Coelho</div>Tiziana Stupiahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16465162367829362785noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8655621126183483443.post-10583833645497092642009-08-18T10:53:00.003+01:002009-08-18T10:57:06.327+01:00The Real Beloved<img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5371240442846367746" style="FLOAT: left; MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; WIDTH: 240px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 320px" alt="" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_beGHD9T9nfs/Sop6uYcR0AI/AAAAAAAAABc/5jEDcnmvsZc/s320/04160497.JPG" border="0" />The real beloved is that one who is unique, who is your beginning and your end. When you find that one, you'll no longer expect anything else: that is both the manifest and the mystery.<br /><div><em>- Rumi.</em></div>Tiziana Stupiahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16465162367829362785noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8655621126183483443.post-8944013463836435752009-08-12T18:42:00.003+01:002009-08-12T18:52:11.692+01:00The flames of bhakti leap higherAs Parvati grew into a young woman, she left her home for the forests and began to perform <em>tapasya</em> (austerities) to please Shiva and inflame his ascetic’s heart. Her austerities are described as surpassing those of all other ascetics in penance. Parvati underwent severe mortifications, chanting <em>‘Om Namah Shivaya’</em> throughout. In summer, she built a fire around herself and sat at its centre. In the monsoon, she sat motionless through lashing torrents of rain and hail. In winter, she dug a ditch and filled it with freezing water, which often turned to ice. She stopped eating and stood on one leg for three thousand years. Her <em>tapasya</em> was such that it heated up the world and scorched everyone, scathing the entire Universe. Finally, the dismayed Gods travelled to Mount Kailash and implored Shiva to marry Parvati before the world melted through her intense <em>tapasya</em>. Shiva, who recognized his beloved Sati a long time ago, tested her devotion one last time by sending an attendant to criticize Shiva. Unimpressed by the attendant's scornful words, Parvati retained her single-minded desire for Shiva, which in turn compelled Shiva to reveal himself and marry her. Two thousand years of ecstatic lovemaking followed their union and preceding austerities.<br /><br /><em>(with apologies to Ramesh Menon)</em>Tiziana Stupiahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16465162367829362785noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8655621126183483443.post-42411320349861430172009-08-10T17:36:00.016+01:002009-08-10T18:44:18.104+01:00The divine ecstasy of bhakti yoga<a href="http://api.ning.com/files/u9xr6mo-JZbBa1kdYvBA5G1K*fcWcssBZ5cgMQclNSw_/bathing_caitanya.jpg"><img style="FLOAT: left; MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; WIDTH: 230px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 312px" alt="" src="http://api.ning.com/files/u9xr6mo-JZbBa1kdYvBA5G1K*fcWcssBZ5cgMQclNSw_/bathing_caitanya.jpg" border="0" /></a>I seem to be undergoing somewhat of a <em>bhakti</em> transformation recently. For those of you that don't know,<em> bhakti yoga </em>is the yoga of devotion. Swami Vivekananda describes bhakti yoga as "the path of systematized devotion for the attainment of union with the Absolute". It has been said that in this age of the Kali Yuga, all that one needs to do to achieve <em>moksha</em> (liberation from the cycle of death and rebirth) is to sing the holy names of God/dess. <em>Bhakti</em> is an ecstatic path of worship, and in its most advanced stages, the devotee goes literally insane burning with love for his chosen deity. One example of such a <em>bhakta</em> was Lord Caitanya Mahaprabhu, who lived in Bengal about 500 years ago.<br /><div></div><span style="color:#660000;">.</span><br /><div>I first learned about Caitanya Mahaprabhu from Elahn at Shekinashram (<a href="http://www.shekinashram.org/">http://www.shekinashram.org/</a>), a beautiful bhakti and karma yoga ashram in Glastonbury, where I lived for two months last winter and return to frequently. When recently asked by my friend Mandy what we do at this ashram, I flippantly replied, 'Oh, we just sit around and sing <em>kirtans</em> (devotional songs) and cry.' Her eyes lit up and she said, 'Wow, I want to go!' Admittedly, it's not quite like that all of the time, but I do like to exaggerate somewhat, and besides, I have lived through a most extra-ordinary three days there in January during which I was crying near-continuously and was having the most intense visions of and satsangs with Lord Shiva. Such is the power of <em>bhakti</em>! It's perfect for emotional people in particular, and for those who need to melt their hearts.</div><span style="color:#660000;">.</span><br /><div></div><div>Anyway, back to Caitanya Mahaprabhu. Elahn, a great devotee of Lord Krishna and Radharani himself, was, at the time, very fond of showing a film depicting Caitanya's life to the karma yogis that passed through the ashram. I was one of them. 'You <em>must</em> watch this film', he said, eyes sparking with eager enthusiasm. 'Ok', I said, surrendering to my destiny. 'Nimai of Nadia' and its sequel 'Nilachala Mahaprabhu' is a black & white Bengali film shot in 1959 in India and depicts the extra-ordinary story of Caitanya Mahaprabhu, the person, who, if one was cynically inclined, could accuse of bringing the Hare Krishna movement into existence.</div><span style="color:#660000;">.</span><br /><div></div><div>Caitanya Mahaprabhu was thought to be the reincarnation of Krishna and Radha in one body, in inseparable union. Spending his younger years as a respected and erudite scholar, he changed his direction when he travelled to Gaya to perform a ceremony for his deceased father and met his guru, the ascetic Ishvara Puri. From him, he received initiation, and upon his return to Bengal, things changed significantly in his life when he began to live not as a scholar, but as a devotee. For several years thereafter, Caitanya Mahaprabhu travelled all over India, chanting the divine names of Krishna constantly and ecstatically. He was also something of a social reformer, because he mixed with and defended India's so-called 'Untouchables' and told them that there was no difference between them and the high-caste Brahmins, because they all chanted the 'Holy Name' and that made them equal in the eyes of God. He rejoiced in singing and dancing, swaying with his arms high up in the air, chanting 'Haribol'. </div><span style="color:#660000;">.</span><br /><div></div><div>The first half of the film is a little boring, with unnecessary slights at the 'tantrics' which are sensationally portrayed as permanently intoxicated brutes ready to sacrifice virgins. However, there is a classic, must-see moment in which one of the tantrics hits Caitanya Mahaprabhu over the head with a pot. Injured, CMP sinks to his knees, with blood dripping down his face, then gets up again and begins to sing dramatically: 'You hit me with the pot, in return I will give you love', whilst the astounded tantrics look on with grim faces. CMP continues to implore them to 'chant the holy name', which, of course, they eventually do. (You can see the whole film for free at: <a href="http://connect.krishna.com/node/413">http://connect.krishna.com/node/413</a>)</div><span style="color:#660000;">.</span><br /><div></div><div>Now the real treat is 'Nilacala Mahaprabhu', the sequel to 'Nimai of Nadia'. This is where it gets interesting. The film is divine: evocative, eerie, fascinating. Much of its appeal rests with the haunting quality of the main actor, a detached, ethereal, luminous, otherworldly figure. It's the last twenty minutes that make the film, in which Caitanya Mahaprabhu goes into a divine ectatic form of samadhi. He returns from his home town after seeing his mother for one last time, in which he movingly thanks her for the gift of his body, saying 'The human body is the best temple. Mother, you are the Goddess of this temple'. After that, he goes into the extreme bhakti state and just wanders around in a daze, recognizing noone, crying 'Oh Krishna', 'Oh Krishna', while Krishna appears to him in fleeting visions. At this point, I challenge you to remain detached. It is heartbreaking. I tend to start crying at the point he goes to see his mother and don't generally stop until... oh, maybe the next day. It is profound. In the end, Caitanya Mahaprabhu disappears, probably consumed by the fires of eternal <em>bhakti</em>, united with his beloved Krishna. </div><span style="color:#660000;">.</span><br /><div></div><div>You can see a scene here: <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vLVAyGIozwM">http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vLVAyGIozwM</a>, however, it's not the best one of the film.</div><span style="color:#660000;">.</span><br /><div></div><div>Of course, you may wonder what the point of such extreme emotional states is. For the outside observer, it just seems plain mad. But, in a nutshell, bhakti yoga is about union with God/dess, in which the soul returns to its original state of bliss. Of course, we are already in bliss and this separation is only perceived because we often can't recognize it, so the practice of bhakti brings us into harmony and closer to feeling it again. And, ultimately, the purpose of all <em>sadhana</em> (spiritual practice) is to develop real love. Nothing more, nothing less.</div><span style="color:#660000;">.<br /></span><div></div><div>Vimalananda, in Svodoba's classic 'Aghora' book, describes true devotion as such:</div><span style="color:#660000;">.</span><br /><div></div><div><em>Once, an Aghori told his disciple, 'Take this pot and fill it with water, but don't go near any lake or river.' The disciple thought to himself as hard as he could, and then he wandered around awhile before returning with an empty pot. The guru looked up at him and said, 'There is only one way to fill this pot - with your tears. When you love your deity so much that you cannot bear to be without Him, that you cannot exist unless you have a glimpse of Him, that you are ready to kill yourself unless He shows Himself to you, and when you cry continuously until the pot is full, then only are you fit to do Aghora sadhanas; not until then.'</em></div><span style="color:#660000;">.</span><br /><div><em></em></div><div><em>Another day the guru told the same disciple, 'Build me a fire without wood.' The disciple made an effort, but to no avail. When he confessed his failure to the guru, the latter shook his head and said, 'Until your heart catches fire with the intense longing for your deity; until you burn yourself to ashes and continue to burn even then; until you become flame yourself, you can never succeed at Aghora.'</em></div><br /><div></div><br /><div></div><br /><div></div><br /><div></div><br /><div></div><br /><div></div><br /><div></div>Tiziana Stupiahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16465162367829362785noreply@blogger.com0