Today’s world has increased the number
of ways in which people can divide themselves,
separate groups of country, region, religion,
race, ethnicity, gender, likes or dislikes,
sports teams or types of games–all false for the soul!
Today’s world has increased the number
of ways in which people can divide themselves,
separate groups of country, region, religion,
race, ethnicity, gender, likes or dislikes,
sports teams or types of games–all false for the soul!
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I often think about
the nature of writing,
especially poems which
are a new medium for me.
I have spoken about it before
though I am compelled to reexamine
it from time to time, as it’s
one of my creative outlets.
With you, sharing my experience
and feelings with people in
various environments, though
having this desire is curious.
The hope is that my desire
to express will correspond
with your need to understand,
to think of life more deeply.
Here I am sitting
in the store day after
day, thinking and feeling
about my conditioned self,
the soul and God, Krishna.
Being visited by so
many different bodies
and minds that carry
a unique soul
with the same God within.
The Kindred Spirits store
has an esthetically pleasing
atmosphere radiating Peace:
Shanti, grounding peoples’ energy
and opening their hearts to share.
The atmosphere manifested first
with intention, then pastel colors, scents
posters, gemstones, crystals, prayer flags
Divine images and statues–all combined
together to attract souls to come to relax.
An old expression is that “the
eyes are the index of the soul”,
“the face the index of the mind”,
which I think about as I meet and
interact with people, sharing energy.
These meetings can be an incredibly
revealing experience, as everyone is
a diverse story, combining countless
births, now displaying a particular
chapter or flavor of this life’s book.
Fascinating combo of dualities, opposites of
young or old, attractive or not,
rich or poor, confident or afraid,
happy or depressed, energetic or tired
faithful or doubtful, religious or spiritual.
Today’s world has increased the number
of ways in which people can divide themselves–
separate groups of country, region, religion,
race, ethnicity, gender, likes or dislikes,
sports teams or types of games–all false for the soul!
Mind tends to compare and evaluate
categorizing or labeling, putting into
neat boxes–it’s natural, yet so limiting
so we have to go beyond stereotypes
compassionately looking for the soul.
Bhagavad-gita teaches us to see
the modes (gunas) working in all
circumstances, in the huge variety of
bodies, seeing the soul within without
negative judgment–we are not better.
People are who they have
become by thinking & acting
with piety or sin–conditioned
souls having a human, animal, plant
experience–we have to see spiritually.
All can be teachers for me:
who am I attracted to
or put off by—and why?
who will give me a lesson about
myself, or who can I help, being a light?
Who causes me to forget my true self
by their beauty or shakti?–
who reminds me of the ugly form
of Nature, of how the beautiful soul
assumes gross forms, yet’s still attached!
(it is up to me to remember Krishna!)
Everyone’s affected to varying degrees
by false ego which wants to be
seen as attractive, intelligent, funny,
a good conversationalist–my self included,
so we sometimes compete to speak our truth.
Practice makes perfect, so we have to
begin our day with sadhana, chanting
Holy Names, hearing about KC and
Krishna’s lila, and appreciating the
power of saintly association.
The more we come to
spiritual vision, the more we
can be “in the world, not of it”,
interacting with others, fulfilling
our duty, while remaining unaffected.
While I work in the world to earn,
and learn my weaknesses and use
my strengths, I pray to see everyone
as a beautiful, though forgetful soul,
who may be helped by my degree of purity.
If our heart is a holy place,
the residence of the God–
Radha Krishna–then whoever
we interact with will be blessed,
our well wishing will uplift.
So, I see the importance of creating a
place of peace and beauty, where we can
connect deeply, spiritually, offering
support and encouragement to turn to God,
without having material attraction or repulsion.
That can be a Temple or Tirtha (holy place)
or any sacred space we create,
like our home–or even a room or closet,
a business like this, a retreat center–
though ultimately it must come from our heart.
Places only become holy or remain
so by the pure hearts of advanced
devotees; thus we are advised not to
just take a bath in a holy place but to
associate with saints–a walking holy place.