Thought for today 30-6-2014

Our inner orchestra is made up of different musical instruments. These instruments are our memories, desires, tendencies, mind, beliefs, emotions, feelings, fears, intuition, judgements, creativity, our imagination... 
Who is the director of this orchestra? You. Who are you? You – the consciousness, you - the soul, you – the being. When you direct your inner orchestra well, you can remain unaffected by external influences. If you, the director of the orchestra, close your eyes for a few moments and cover up your ears, what happens to the orchestra? The music is not very harmonious or sweet; it is noisy and you suffer. To make the orchestra play according to the inner voice of your being, according to your purest intentions and values, you simply have to be awake, alert and attentive, and listen with your heart, not with your physical heart but with the heart of your being.

Soul Sustenance

Practical Ways of Changing Old Habits or Beliefs (Part 4) 

Visualization 

Visualization consists of creating positive images by means of the ability to imagine, and in this way reinforce positive thoughts and strengthen your will to achieve positively what you affirm for yourself in your mind. With visualization you manage to intensify experiences of positive affirmations and self-motivation, and it also helps you to specify and clarify your goals. The basic principle of using images in our mind is to act as if the desire we have in our mind has already been achieved. If we place images of success, health, wellbeing or inner peace in our mind, these will materialize in positive situations and experience, and this image of success will become real in our lives. 

(To be continued tomorrow …..) 

Message for the day

The method to make use of all treasures is to be a master. 

Projection: When difficult situations come my way, I usually become a slave to them. My feelings and emotions are controlled by the situation. Then I am not able to have the discrimination to see right from wrong. 

Solution: I need to remind myself that I am the master of the situation. The situation is definitely not in my hands, but the way I respond to it definitely is. When I keep this in mind, I'll be able to make the best use of whatever is available. 


In Spiritual Service,
Brahma Kumaris

Thought for today 29-6-2014

"What do you want to be when you grow up?" 
Well, now that you've grown up, what do you want to be?

Adaptable, energetic, calm, effective, generous, happy.... there are endless qualities and abilities that we can still develop.

Each day is a new day to decide what you want to be. 
And then just be it.

Soul Sustenance

Practical Ways of Changing Old Habits or Beliefs (Part 3) 

Conscious Disassociation 
A useful method for transforming habits is that of conscious disassociation. This involves avoiding the situations that give rise to the habit occurring automatically. For example, if you often smoke after a coffee, you have to make sure there is no coffee. By breaking your habit, you will be less likely to have a craving to smoke. Instead of your habitual coffee, you can create a new pattern and have a cup of herbal tea and sit down to think or read, instead of smoking. 

Rajyoga Meditation 
Rajyoga meditation is an efficient method for transforming habits. By connecting with the Supreme Soul (who is the purest conscient energy) in the incorporeal (non-physical) world of divine light, which is called paramdhamor shantidham, the soul purifies itself and one experiences a natural disinclination from negative habits that we have been trapped in for a long time. 

(To be continued tomorrow …..) 

Message for the day

Regard for others brings trust. 

Projection: When something negative happens, my trust in people breaks. I then find it difficult to keep my mind free from the influence of my past experience. Even if the others try to correct the situation, I am not able to change my attitude towards them. 

Solution: When I see others, I have to see them with a vision of regard. I need to pay attention only to look at their specialities and keep myself free from the influence of the past experiences. When I do this, I will be able to trust others even while being cautious. 


In Spiritual Service,
Brahma Kumaris

Message for the day

Regard for others brings trust. 

Projection: When something negative happens, my trust in people breaks. I then find it difficult to keep my mind free from the influence of my past experience. Even if the others try to correct the situation, I am not able to change my attitude towards them. 

Solution: When I see others, I have to see them with a vision of regard. I need to pay attention only to look at their specialities and keep myself free from the influence of the past experiences. When I do this, I will be able to trust others even while being cautious. 


In Spiritual Service,
Brahma Kumaris

Thought for today 28-6-2014

Often when we react, it's as if we grab 'a tiny scrap of life' and fill it with our own meaning. 

The meaning we project is usually based on our past experiences, and it may not still apply. 

We then miss the opportunity to understand the other and experience something new.

Before reacting, consider the bigger picture. 

Understand that there are many layers and dimensions that make up each moment. And then respond meaningfully.

Soul Sustenance

Practical Ways of Changing Old Habits or Beliefs (Part 2) 

Positive Affirmations 
Affirmations are promises that we make to ourselves. They are helpful for breaking negative habits or weak thoughts that have been created as a result of mistaken attitudes. Affirmations help to strengthen the mind, although to be effective there must be acceptance and understanding behind them. It is interesting to begin experimenting with them and, later on, we can begin to create variations of new affirmations, according to our individual needs. 

Here are some examples: 
* Today I will experience peace through positivity. I will see what is good in others and will not think about what is negative or harmful. I will see others in the way I would like them to see me. 
* From now on I will not judge others. 
* Today I will speak peacefully and share peace with everyone around me. I must speak as softly as I can. 
* Today I will make the past the past and look towards the future with a new vision. 
* Today I will not react angrily. I will stay calm and in peace and will not sacrifice this for anyone or any situation. I must not allow anything or anyone rob me of my peace. 

For the affirmation to be effective, we must repeat it to ourselves often, so that it becomes recorded in our subconscious. It is also important to proclaim the affirmations with feeling, believing in them and not in a monotonous and impersonal voice. As a minimum, you should repeat each affirmation at least five times a day. If we listen to something repeatedly, we begin to believe in it. In reality, this is the origin of the majority of our beliefs, when as children we heard our parents tell us things over and over again. Advertising uses this technique constantly. They create a phrase, a slogan, and repeat it over and over again in the media until, finally, people believe it. To be able to control your life, first you must know and dominate your beliefs. One way of doing this is through affirmations. 

(To be continued tomorrow …..) 

Message for the day

Determination is the best companion.

Projection: When things go wrong, the first reaction is of fear. Because of this, I can't put in any effort to better the situation. I start looking for a companion, a support who can provide me help. But I rarely get help from outside.

Solution: When I have to look for something to rely on, the only support I get is from my own determined thought. I need to make it my companion, not letting go of it till I succeed. This will help me overcome my fear and move towards success.


In Spiritual Service,
Brahma Kumaris

Thought for today 27-6-2014

Do you want people to respect you? If you want respect, respect yourself first. How do you expect others to respect you, if you don't respect yourself?

Acknowledge your value, your talents & all the goodness that is within. At the same time, practice humility & be respectful to others. Respect yourself & others will most likely respect you.

Soul Sustenance

Practical Ways of Changing Old Habits or Beliefs (Part 1) 

Motivation for Change 
An important factor to start positive change in our lives is for there to be a passion, a powerful force that leads us, a final goal that keeps us motivated. It is important to set yourself goals, to be convinced and to have the confidence and faith that one can reach them, since in this way we will make a daily effort to achieve those goals. There needs to be a clearly defined sense of purpose to your existence, clarifying the values that must guide your life in order to achieve these goals and establish the steps you must take for inculcating these values. If, at a subconscious level, you allow a mistaken purpose to be created, or there is a lack of true purpose in your life, then you will not be motivated to know and change yourself. Many people think that the purpose of their life is to survive and they use the language of survival in this way: "Life is hard out there. You must get whatever you can". They are not aware that they have chosen this purpose, but subconsciously it is what they believe they are here for, and this makes them think that they must accumulate, take, create barriers to protect themselves and compete with others. 

(To be continued tomorrow …..) 

Message for the day

The one who is selfless is the one who is the best judge.

Projection: When I have to take a decision, either for others or myself, there is some kind of selfishness or greed involved in it. When I think only of my selfish desires, my judgement would not be accurate.

Solution: I need to be detached and see what benefit there is for each one with the choice that I am going to make. The more I think of the benefit of all, the more my judgement is accurate.


In Spiritual Service,
Brahma Kumaris

Thought for today 26-6-2014

Most of us are quick to form opinions about others. 
Of course you have a right to think whatever you want. 
But you might want to add compassion to your opinions; whether it's your friends, family, colleagues or even strangers.

You can never fully comprehend people's choices or motivations. So just assume that they are doing the best 
they can in completely different circumstances to yours. 

Today, catch yourself as you start to form opinions, and be more compassionate.

Soul Sustenance

The Invisible Impressions That Shape Me 

While the mind and intellect are two faculties of the soul which play their role on the surface of our consciousness; at a deeper level, hidden beneath these two faculties, there lies a third faculty commonly called the sanskaras. The sanskaras is not only a store house of personality traits, as we commonly know it to be, but a store house of millions and millions of impressions or imprints. Such a large number of impressions are created by millions of experiences that I go through my sense organs not only in this life but in all my lifetimes. Everything that I hear, see, touch, taste, etc. I process or analyze or summarize in my own unique way; basically I give the experiences a unique form depending on my personality, before this form gets stored in the form of impressions inside me. I even process my subtle experiences, which are in the form of thoughts and feelings. 

This process of experiencing and processing takes place during each and every second of my life including the time I sleep, when my mind may not be experiencing a lot but it is busy processing the physical and subtle experiences of the day that has gone by and storing the processed information in the form of impressions. From this, one can get an idea of the magnitude of the database of impressions stored within me, the being. These imprints which are unique to me, make up my sanskaras, and shape up my unique personality in a cyclic process. My personality shapes what type of impressions are created out of my experiences and the impressions in turn shape my personality, my thoughts, words and actions e.g. if I constantly keep the company of people who gossip, a large number of respective impressions based on the experience of gossiping keep getting stored inside me, which in turn influence my personality, the personality characteristic gets stronger and over a period of time I do not find anything wrong with it and indulge in it more and more. As a result more such impressions get stored. Thus it is a cyclic process. 

Message for the day

Success comes about only when there is an effort to bring about transformation. 

Projection: When I am working towards being successful I usually want to work with just those personality treats that I have always been working with before. But this does not always bring me success. Then the reaction is to blame the people around you or blame the people around you or the situations. 

Solution: Learning from each situation and working to bring about steady transformation brings constant success for me whatever the situations I will surely feel successful. 


In Spiritual Service,
Brahma Kumaris

Thought for today 25-6-2014

When you don't get the desired results, do you get that sinking feeling? 

It's as if all that effort and hard work was a waste of time!

Don't be disheartened. Making effort and putting in hard work is similar to planting seeds. 

Some seeds germinate right away and some take a little bit longer. Just wait and see.

If you still don't get any results, try again. Maybe you've got the results, just not what you desired! Or maybe you need to do something differently.

Soul Sustenance

Spiritual Education 

Spiritual education leads us back to the understanding and the experience of our holistic existence as human beings, to the knowledge that we are spiritual, as well as physical, mental and emotional beings. 

A true spiritual education could be described as: 
• learning from others
• growing through others
• integrating with others
• contributing to others 

When we are genuinely learning, only then can we experience spiritual growth. When we grow, we integratewith others and it is in that integration that there is a natural and mutual contribution to nature and other souls. These four processes of education are constantly at work, but only happen in a way that is enjoyable and meaningful when the spiritual resources of the self like peace, joy and love are activated and creatively used. 

These resources, along with the mind and intellect, enrich the way we see the world, the way we interact with it and the way we individually create our place in it. These resources are the original qualities of the self, which we have not properly used for a long time. By become spiritually aware, we start to harness and use these positive energies.

Message for the day

A deep understanding and an attitude of pure feelings results in positive thinking. 

Projection: When we talk about positive thinking, it is usually just 'think positive' and 'be positive'. But just saying this, either to others or to myself, doesn't help to change my thoughts permanently, in fact usually, not even temporarily. 

Solution: Real positive thinking is much deeper than just to think positive. For this I need to understand and see things as they are, without colouring them with my own attitudes. Then I can deal with things in the most appropriate way, having understood everything accurately. 


In Spiritual Service,
Brahma Kumaris

Thought for today 24-6-2014

Air, Fire, Water, Earth & Ether; we can be like the 5 elements. 
Be light like air, free from worry & fear. 
Like fire, positively transform your habits.
Like water, keep flowing & never stagnate.
Like the earth, be stable in the face of challenges.
Be expansive, like the ether. Give space to yourself & others.

Soul Sustenance

The Thought-Destiny Cycle 

The process by which we create our own destiny is quite easy to see in theory; however it requires some checking to see how it matches the reality of our practical lives. Here is the process in brief: 

• As our intentions, so will be our thoughts. 
• As our thoughts, so will be our feelings. 
• As our feelings, so will be our attitudes. 
• As our attitudes, so will be our actions. 
• As our actions, so will be our habits. 
• As our habits, so will be our personality. 

As our personality in all our relationships on our journey through life, so will be our destiny. So watch your thoughts! Be aware of your intentions! 

Our intentions are based on our beliefs about who we are, where we are and why we are here. If we believe we are the physical form, our belief will we be that we need to survive as long as possible. This leads to the intention to get what we think we need before others, which leads to competition, which leads to feelings of fear. Our destiny gets shaped accordingly. When you know you are the non-physical and immortal (which is neither created nor can be destroyed) energy, a soul, then survival is no longer an issue and your intention is one to include, connect and co-operate with and enlighten others. The service of others at a spiritual level becomes the highest intention in action. It is fully free from fear and can be seen as an act of love. This is why competition and authentic spirituality can never be found together. 

Message for the day

A single positive thought helps in changing the entire situation. 

Projection: When I am faced with a negative situation the first thought I usually get is a negative one. The thoughts that I follow are naturally negative too because the mind looks for reasons to sustain that negative frame of mind. 

Solution: I need to make the effort of intentionally taking a positive thought, thus I find all other connected positive thoughts coming up naturally this is because the situation doesn't look so difficult or challenging with my positive frame of mind. 


In Spiritual Service,
Brahma Kumaris

Thought for today 23-6-2014

Two words that can improve any relationship: "Thank you!"

If saying thank you is already habitual for you, say it with a renewed feeling today.

If you haven't already done so, then invite "Thank you" into your vocabulary.

It seems like the simplest thing to say, but gratitude and appreciation really does make a difference.

So, thank you!

Soul Sustenance

The Original Ingredients Of The Soul  Our original resources are very simply - peace, love, purity, knowledge and happiness. In Raja Yoga meditation these are called the five original qualities of the soul. When we return our consciousness to these five qualities and remember them, then the following feelings arise in us, which finally get reflected in our actions: • Love: I care and I share. • Peace: I harmonize and reconcile (adjust). • Purity: I respect and I honour. • Knowledge: I am and I exist. • Happiness: I express and I enjoy. To understand and remember these qualities, we need to recognize the heavy deep shadows or personality traits (sanskars) which have blotted them out, or polluted them. Sometimes we don't recognize the pollutants because they have ingrained themselves so deeply into the personality that we say ‘I am this’. True, complete spiritual knowledge, makes us aware of these pollutants and the practice of meditation empowers us to dilute them and get them out of our consciousness.

Message for the day

Wisdom lies in taking only whatever is good. 

Projection: I am usually so receptive to things outside that I take in everything, both the good and the bad. The bad part of it, however, doesn't let me be happy. I also notice that the more I take the negative things that people are giving me, the more they tend to give. 

Solution: The solution lies in taking only the positive things and ignoring the negative things. Even if I do have to take the negative things, I need to take it in a positive way. This is real wisdom through which I'll get the best out of life. 


In Spiritual Service,
Brahma Kumaris

Thought for today 22-6-2014

Often we're tired because we're running marathons in our minds. 

Thinking about things to do, what's been done, what should have been done; what others did, are doing, should do... Tiredness makes the mind even more restless.

Why not take a thought break! Slow down your thoughts and let your mind go from restless to restful. 

Release tiredness and the mind will think better.

Soul Sustenance

The Subtle Role Play Of Thoughts And Images (Part 2) 

What the quality of a soul’s thoughts and images (or scenes) that it creates, depends on the soul’s sanskaras. Depending on the quality, the soul experiences the various different emotions, whether positive or negative. When the soul first incarnates on the physical world stage from the soul world, the quality of this role play of thoughts and images is high, pure and positive, hence it experiences only positive emotions. As it plays its different roles and comes down in the birth-rebirth cycle, this quality reduces, leading to the experience of emotions like sorrow, peacelessness, etc. 

A point worth noting is that the key to any deep emotional experience, whether positive or negative is the creation of thoughts as well as images related to that particular emotion at the same time e.g. think and visualize at the same time, the death of a close relative that took place ten years ago and you immediately have a deep experience of sorrow. Think and visualize together, a loving hug of your mother that took place in your childhood, and you immediately experience deep happiness. This type of co-ordination between these two subtle processes is true concentration. The key to any type of spiritual upliftment is the upliftment of these two processes. The meditation that is taught at the Brahma Kumaris is nothing but a spiritual thought process accompanied by a spiritual visualization process, whereby thoughts and images of the subtle, spiritual self (or soul) and the Supreme Being (or Supreme Soul) are created together to experience the original qualities of the spiritual self and the eternal qualities of the Supreme Being – purity, peace, love, happiness and power. 

Message for the day

Wisdom lies in taking only whatever is good. 

Projection: I am usually so receptive to things outside that I take in everything, both the good and the bad. The bad part of it, however, doesn't let me be happy. I also notice that the more I take the negative things that people are giving me, the more they tend to give. 

Solution: The solution lies in taking only the positive things and ignoring the negative things. Even if I do have to take the negative things, I need to take it in a positive way. This is real wisdom through which I'll get the best out of life. 


In Spiritual Service,
Brahma Kumaris

Thought for today 21-6-2014

The power of Truth is such that you need never be concerned about proving it. 

You need only be concerned with being it and living it. 

Truth is always revealed, at the right moment, at the right place. It is for this reason that the simplest, most powerful expression of truth is humility. 

Real humility results in so much power of truth and inner silence that you don't need to say anything at all in words. 

The power of humility allows you to see the benefit in everything, even in the insults of others.

Soul Sustenance

The Subtle Role Play Of Thoughts And Images (Part 1) 

The human soul is a subtle (non-physical) stage on which a subtle role play of thoughts and images constantly takes place throughout the day and even while sleeping. We have explained in our older messages how thoughts are of 4 main different types - positive which are based on virtues, necessary related to day-to-day activities, waste which are mainly unnecessary and related to the past and future and negativewhich are related to vices and other weaknesses. In the same way, we also constantly create images or scenes, which are of the same 4 types, which is why we commonly use the term ‘the eye of the mind’. The mind not only thinks or speaks subtly but visualizes or sees subtly too, almost all the time. 

These two processes function, sometimes independent of each other as well as sometimes dependent on each other i.e. influencing each other e.g. think of peace and that leads to visualizations related to the same. Visualize an unpleasant scene of anger and hatred, and your thoughts are led in that direction. Sometimes these two processes function at the same time and sometimes one at a time. Sometimes neither functions at all, which happens much more frequently while sleeping as compared to when we are awake. This subtle, physically invisible role play is the foundation of the physical role play of words and actions that is visible to the self and everyone else around you. 

(To be continued tomorrow …) 

Message for the day

Awareness of my own resources enables me to experience quick progress. 

Projection: I usually look for excuses for my lack of progress. I either compare with others or curse my own lack of resources and stop putting in effort. So although I can do a lot I don't experience as much progress as I should. 

Solution: To make as much progress as I want to is in my hands. For this I need to recognise the resources I have and put them to the best use. When I am busy with that I am able to move forward quickly. 


In Spiritual Service,
Brahma Kumaris

Thought for today 20-6-2014

Integrity means to integrate all the facets of your personality into one consistent, reliable, transparent self.

You're the same inside and out; nothing to hide, no masks to wear. You're honest with yourself, say what you mean and respond to situations authentically, without compromising your values.

With integrity life is easier, you feel good about yourself, there's trust in your relationships, and accountability in your work.

How do you integrate integrity into your life?

Soul Sustenance

The Location Of The Soul Inside The Body 

The soul has the following basic functions to perform: 

• to give life to the body and to maintain life inside it,
• to express and experience its role through the body, and
• to receive the rewards or fruits of past actions performed in previous births, through the body. 

These functions are controlled and monitored by the soul via the nervous and hormonal systems from a particular point in the area of the brain which contains the thalamus, hypothalamus, pituitary and pineal glands. This region is known as the seat of the soul, or the third eye. The connection between the physical (body) and the non-physical (soul) is by the medium of thought energy. Many religions and philosophies place great importance on the third eye, or eye of the mind. When viewed from the front, this region appears to be between and slightly above the line of the eyebrows. It's for this reason that Hindus use a tilak, a dot in red or sandalwood paste in the middle of the forehead. Christians also make the sign of the cross in this region. Even when one makes a mistake or expresses tiredness it's to this region that we put the hands in the gestures of self-dismay or exhaustion. After all the soul subconsciously knows that it makes the mistakes and not the body. When people are concentrating deeply in thought it is this area of the forehead where creases or lines are formed on the skin.

Message for the day

True nourishment is the nourishment of happiness. 

Projection: We pay a lot of attention to maintain the physical health. We give it food everyday, nourishment that keeps us healthy. This helps in replenishing the physical energy, but we don't pay that much attention to nourish the mind. 

Solution: The real nourishment is to keep giving happiness to the self. When the mind is happy, then automatically I find myself being energetic constantly. For this I need to make sure I give myself something that I am happy about everyday. 


In Spiritual Service,
Brahma Kumaris

Thought for today 19-6-2014

Do you walk around with your head in the clouds? Not that there's anything wrong with that. 

Having our head in the clouds allows us to dream big. But if you stay up in the clouds then you don't achieve anything.

To turn your dreams into reality, try to keep your head in the clouds and your feet on the ground. 

Then you'll stay grounded in reality and make things happen. Be a dreamer and a doer!

Soul Sustenance

Bringing Your Dreams Alive 

Each one of us has dreams that we nourish right through our lives. Some are short-term dreams and some long term ones. Dreams keep changing as we progress through different phases of our life. Some are achieved, some are not. Some of us possess the ability to realize our dreams more than the rest. The most important and influential factor in this process is how much we believe in our dream and believe that it will be realized. Some of the factors that hamper this belief are: 

* The influence of the past - the memories of our past failures, which sow seeds of doubt in our mind; as well as successes, which keep us in an illusionary consciousness and distance us from the present moment and our present actions. Also, sometimes we associate present temporary failures or ups and downs which may come in our way, with failures of the past. 
* Lack of inner strength or power, when faced with obstacles in your path. Tendency to get dejected very easily and creating weak thoughts like we do not deserve it or we are not capable of it or are we not lucky enough or it is not in our destiny or maybe it is our negative past actions which are influencing our dream realization process adversely, etc. 
* The opinions or comments of people surrounding you who sometimes, are not in tune with your consciousness and are not able to empathize with your purpose. Their comments easily de-focus you from your purpose. 
* Lack of ability to mould or adjust during the dream realization journey. Any journey is always full of twists, turns and sudden changes. A rigid state of mind, which is not able to change its tactics as required, may make the path seem more difficult than it actually is. 
* It is very good to dream but excessive attachment to the dream also may make the journey towards the dream stressful and bring down your self-belief at times. 

Message for the day

To finish a weakness is to finish the last trace of it. 

Projection: When I work to overcome any of my weaknesses, I feel that I have got rid of it. In spite of that, I find that I have got rid of my weakness only for sometime. In some situations, these weaknesses begin to emerge again and again. 

Solution: When I work on a weakness I need to understand why that particular weakness is working within me. When I recognise the root cause of the weakness working within me, I can overcome it very easily. I then find that the weakness will not emerge again. 


In Spiritual Service,
Brahma Kumaris