YOU are THE ONE...

... you've been waiting for... May you FIND YOURSELF this year! And that, of course, will bring you more JOY and PEACE than you've ever known..

Love & Blessings,

Kiki ;-)
www.theradiantself.com


P.S. My request to those who 'borrow' from this blog is to please give adequate credit to the source of the borrowed information - whether me, or books and people I quote from. Thank you.

My wish for you as...

...we sit on the edge of a fading year, and are filled with hope and anticipation from a new one, is ALL that you wish for yourself...because therein lie dreams and hopes, and these are the very things that'll keep you filled with expectation, keep you moving on.. completing old karma and creating some new karma -- and through it all my hope is that your choices will heal and not hurt anyone, including yourself, in any way at all.

Much love, and many blessings,

Kiki ;-)
www.theradiantself.com

P.S. My request to those who 'borrow' from this blog is to please give adequate credit to the source of the borrowed information - whether me, or books and people I quote from. Thank you.

More HAFIZ

Here are some lines from another one of Daniel Ladinsky's translations of Hafiz...in the book 'I Heard God Laughing' - one of my most favorite books:

SKINNING YOUR KNEES ON GOD

Little by little,
You will turn into stars.

Even then, my dear,
You will only be
A crawling infant,
Still skinning your knees on God.

*****************

When your soul begins
To Ever bloom and laugh
And spin in Eternal Ecstasy--

O little by little,
You will turn into God.

- HAFIZ, by Daniel Ladinsky


Adding to Hafiz... we already HAVE godhood in us -- all we need to do is to remember that, and lift the veils of fear and simply OWN who we are...

Bowing to the Divine in you,
Kiki ;-)
www.theradiantself.com

P.S. My request to those who 'borrow' from this blog is to please give adequate credit to the source of the borrowed information - whether me, or books and people I quote from. Thank you.

I have been musing...

We all love to say there's ONE God... and then why do we get all tangled up in WHOSE God is that one God???

And also, how come we get SO identified with our religions, when we don't know what our religion was in the previous birth, and what it will be in the next one???

Just wondering...

Kiki ;-)
www.theradiantself.com

P.S. My request to those who 'borrow' from this blog is to please give adequate credit to the source of the borrowed information - whether me, or books and people I quote from. Thank you.

Turn a meal into a feast, and a house into a home...

Author Melody Beattie has further described the gains of gratitude thus:

Gratitude unlocks the fullness of life. It turns what we have into enough, and more. It turns denial into acceptance, chaos to order, confusion to clarity. It can turn a meal into a feast, a house into a home, a stranger into a friend. Gratitude makes sense of our past, brings peace for today, and creates a vision for tomorrow.

- Melodie Beattie

If there is one resolution you're going to make for the New Year, let it be the writing of a Gratitude Journal - five things that you are grateful for on each day.

Kiki ;-)
www.theradiantself.com

P.S. My request to those who 'borrow' from this blog is to please give adequate credit to the source of the borrowed information - whether me, or books and people I quote from. Thank you.

Merry Christmas to all... to honor the birth of a great man

This beautiful analogy is courtesy of my Facebook friend Cliff Shaft's message to the Ramana Maharishi Facebook group. Thanks Cliff, for sending such a profound message today.

*******************************

Subject: Christmas Message

The Master gave the true significance of the Christian faith thusly:

Christ is the ego.
The Cross is the body.

When the ego is crucified, and it perishes,
what survives is the Absolute Being (God),
(“I and my Father are one”) and this glorious survival
is called Resurrection.

******************************

Kiki ;-)
www.theradiantself.com

P.S. My request to those who 'borrow' from this blog is to please give adequate credit to the source of the borrowed information - whether me, or books and people I quote from. Thank you.

Only gratitude

On my way to San Francisco yesterday, my seatmate was a very open-minded and spiritual Jewish person and so it was natural for us to engage in the most interesting of conversations :-) - issues of spirituality and personal growth... always my favorite subjects to discuss, debate, and share insights about.

At one point this person suddenly turned to me and said: "If you had advice to give to the Jewish and the Palestinians in the Middle-East, what would you say to them?"

Before this we had been discussing anger issues, and how anger breeds more anger, and extreme anger exposes the person experiencing it to still more extreme anger and its many unsavory and downright dangerous expressions - and we both agreed that there was tons of anger in the minds and hearts of the people in the Middle-East, two communities that both felt tht their very survival was threatened by the other. And this is what I told my co-passenger:

"The issues there have been complicated immensely with generations of negativity. Therefore, I would ask them simply for a time-out of forty days (the number just apperaed in my mind, as a lot of informtion does...also, a period of 40 days has much significance in most faith-based communities) -- I would tell everyone to STOP looking at each other... just turn to themselves and or forty days simply write their Gratitude Journals. If people in the Middle-East would listen to me, this is what I'd tell them."

And no, I can't predict the result of this exercise in exact terms, but I have NO DOUBT WHATSOEVER that saner voices will rise to the surface on both sides, and insist on being heard - and these will be voices of reason, of humaneness, and most importantly, voices that come from a lack of fear (remember, anger is a result of fear - always, always!) and would be a start to something new and wonderful!

In gratitude, always,

Kiki ;-)
www.theradiantself.com

P.S. My request to those who 'borrow' from this blog is to please give adequate credit to the source of the borrowed information - whether me, or books and people I quote from. Thank you.

Self-Care Tip # 3

When suddenly feeling overwhelmed emotionally, or simply having a sense of overwhelm stop whatever you're doing and focus on your breathing. Let l-o-n-g inhalations be followed by l--o--n--g--e--r exhalations. Do the exhalations with started parted lips... as you'll find that there's a surge of excess breath that needs to want to escape, taking with it all the feelings of overwhelm. Parting the lips slightly is important, as opening the mouth too much will dry it. Remember not to lose focus on the fact that the exhalations are 'removing' tension - intention is very important for this exercise.

Continue this way slowly, so as not to begin hyperventilating. After about ten such in and out breaths, we find ourselves quietening down, with a better sense of equilibrium within. Now that the mind is calmer, it is easier to take better decisions with more clarity.

Breathwork is one of the most underrated healing modalities. Once we know how it can help us is to have a whole new vista unfold.

In order to keep these posts short and user-friendly it is possible that the explanations are not complete. Please feel free any time to ask more questions -- here, or through the link provided at www.theradiantself.com.

Have a blessed day...

Kiki ;-)
www.theradiantself.com

P.S. My request to those who 'borrow' from this blog is to please give adequate credit to the source of the borrowed information - whether me, or books and people I quote from. Thank you.

Self-Care Tip #2

I had known for along time about the presence of reflex points in our ears, reflecting ALL the organs and parts of our bodies but had never truly tried working on these points for healing. Then about 6 weeks ago, I had a full day at work and I suddenly realized how tired i was feeling, as well there were nagging aches on the right side of my body. Since I'm unusually healthy (:-) - gratitude! gratitude!) I'm extra sensitive to any feeling or sensation in my body, especially of discomfort. I was far from home and my trusted Bemer (you'll have to google this one - Bemer3000, a miracle invention by the physicist Dr. Kafka of Leichtenstein -- or of course you can contact me for more info) - I didn't have the right essential oils in my bag, nor the facility to relax on a comfortable chair -- and suddenly a light dawned in my head!

I leaned my elbows on the table In the cafe I was in, sat up straight, and slowly started pressing and kneading both my ear lobes. It was a shock to discover the difference in feeling on the two lobes. There were barely any pain-spots on the left one but the right one made me want to scream...and I would have if I wasn't in a public place. I was also disturbed to find my right lobe thicker, as though swollen. I got to work and kept pressing, squeezing, and kneading both my lobes, but applying more pressure on the right one for about ten minutes. The level of relief I felt was incredible.

I repeated the above actions twice more, later in the day, and then 2-3 timnes a day for the next four or five days. The result was more than remarkable. The sweeling in the lobe went down, the pain in the right shoulder and arm area subsided, and my right side stopped feeling tired.

We have drifted so far from our inner knowledge of our own bodies, and our inner physician. How sad this is, is an understatement. Get going then, knead those earlobes 5 minutes a day, and stay healthy and happy :-)!

Kiki ;-)
www.theradiantself.com

P.S. My request to those who 'borrow' from this blog is to please give adequate credit to the source of the borrowed information - whether me, or books and people I quote from. Thank you.

Tips on self-care and self-healing

Did you ever hear about EFT - that's Emotional Freedom Technique. Developed by an engineer, Gary Craig, it is a very popular healing modality amongst many people who believe in Alternative/Complementary medicine. I swear by it, and have found it most helpful to find relief quickly and efficaciously without needing any outside gadgets or gizmos. www.emofree.com is the best place for detailerd information.

Kiki ;-)
www.theradiantself.com

P.S. My request to those who 'borrow' from this blog is to please give adequate credit to the source of the borrowed information - whether me, or books and people I quote from. Thank you.

From www.tut.com

Here's the message of the day I got from tut.com! Don't know about them? Do yourself a favor and check them out.

***************

Oh, yes indeed, Kiki, another holiday season is upon you, and so it is here, so I bet you're wondering what I'd like as a present. Right?!

Well, since there's already peace on earth (for those who look), since there's already goodwill toward all (mine and yours for starters), and because Kiki Bakshi's already in the world (took long enough), how about, if I may ask, we talk a little more often? You lean on me a bit more? You expect a few more miracles? And we never stop to look back?

Is that asking too much?

I'm there anyway,
The Universe

P.S. I know, I know, Kiki, why didn't I ask sooner....

***************

Did you like this? You can sign up at the above website for free daily 'Notes from the Universe'.

Kiki ;-)
www.theradiantself.com

P.S. My request to those who 'borrow' from this blog is to please give adequate credit to the source of the borrowed information - whether me, or books and people I quote from. Thank you.

In this holiday season...

... what's your gift to yourself? Yes, you read right! - 'to yourself' - what's your gift to yourself? Everywhere around me I see a flurry - people filling stores, carrying large and small packets, some happy their shopping's done and others are really stressed because they're having trouble coming up with creative ideas for gifts. In the midst of this hoopla, did you remember to have 'your best friend' on your list, to get a gift for? Indeed, YOU are the one who is your 'best friend' and would you agree that a best friend deserves the very best? Depending on your budget you may buy whatever you like for this special 'person', but why not be a little creative and have fun with this. A very creative idea someone close to me has recently shared which I think deserves a larger dissemination goes thus:

Write out a few activities you love doing, or would enjoy doing, or haven't found the time to do on slips of paper and put these slips into a bag. On a given day draw a slip and do whatever comes up. Still better would be to write 12 things and put them in a bag pulling one activity a month and in this way give yourself a special gift all year round. Some of these could be about doing something for someone else as well, because in giving we receive way more. Just try it! However you allow this to unfold, my wish for you is that you have a blast :-)!!!

Kiki ;-)
www.theradiantself.com

P.S. My request to those who 'borrow' from this blog is to please give adequate credit to the source of the borrowed information - whether me, or books and people I quote from. Thank you.

Our TRUE reality

Life is just NOT gloom and doom... and here's another beautiful verse from Rumi to encourage us to live up to our REAL potential.

"You were born with potential.
You were born with goodness and trust.
You were born with ideals and dreams.
You were born with greatness.
You were born with wings.
You are not meant for crawling, so don't!
You have wings, learn to use them and fly!"

~ Rumi

Kiki ;-)
www.theradiantself.com

P.S. My request to those who 'borrow' from this blog is to please give adequate credit to the source of the borrowed information - whether me, or books and people I quote from. Thank you.

I Take The Vow

On November 7, 2008, at 9:45 am, the 500 people attending the Alliance for a New Humanity Human Forum in Barcelona took a vow for non violence in their thoughts, speech and actions. This action was initiated by Deepak Chopra and since that day over 5500 have taken the vow, including yours truly. There's a website and even a group on Facebook called I Take The Vow for anyone who's interested.

After taking the vow, given my interest and belief in personal inner work, I found myself musing over the different ways we enact violence against ourselves. Much more can be added here, but at the very basic level, we do it in action, by physically abusing our bodies through poor nutritional habits, and by having adopted 'hamsters on a treadmill' lifestyles with no balance at all; in thought, by not loving ourselves enough, and instead berating, hating and criticizing ourselves - someone said: "If our friends treated us the way we treat ourselves, we wouldn't talk to them"; in speech by being less than impeccable with our words, by using inauthentic, unconscious language heaping insults on ourselves in the form of attracting to ourselves that which we are voicing and these is speech and words that should have no place in our lives.

I know, that if I will eschew violence against myself, I will in no form or way perpetuate it against anyone else either.

At peace, with myself - one day at a time :-),

Kiki ;-)
www.theradiantself.com

P.S. My request to those who 'borrow' from this blog is to please give adequate credit to the source of the borrowed information - whether me, or books and people I quote from. Thank you.

Conscious thought

While beginning work on clearing old thought patterns and beliefs, is a good time to start some new habits and beliefs to counter the old negative ones. Create affirmations to repeat to yourself. Two of my favorite come from Gary Douglas of 'Access' (please google for more information). He recommends to repeat the affirmation "All of life comes to me with ease, and joy and glory." And the second one he asks people to say, in good, and not so good moments, "How can it get better than this?" Try it - 'it' always gets better :-)...

Kiki ;-)
www.theradiantself.com

P.S. My request to those who 'borrow' from this blog is to please give adequate credit to the source of the borrowed information - whether me, or books and people I quote from. Thank you.

You Can Heal Your Life

This is the title of Louise Hay's most important book, of which the 'little blue book' is a part, although that's been published separately as well. As the title suggests, we are fully capable of healing ourselves, simply because our bodies are provided with the mechanism to do so. But first we need to understand why sickness happens? And the answer to this question is our mental patterns, and negative beliefs which give rise to negative thoughts and speech...though may not necessarily be in that order.

The workings of the Universe are very simple, we get what we think of. That's how it was planned to be, but we complicate matters too much. We expect the Universe to understand when we 'didn't mean it'... when we were simply kidding, and not really serious when we used 'unconscious language' and angry emotions, or sarcasm. The Universe, fortunately, or unfortunately, doesn't have a sense of humor. It is very literal, and if we don't pay attention to our language ther's a good chance that we will materialize stuff we don't want.

We often inherit our beliefs - about health, money, love, and other issues that influence our lives. It is worth taking the time and trouble then, to examine them and change the ones that don't work for us any more.

Kiki ;-)
www.theradiantself.com

P.S. My request to those who 'borrow' from this blog is to please give adequate credit to the source of the borrowed information - whether me, or books and people I quote from. Thank you.

Louise Hay - and her 'little blue book'

One little bood I'll encourage everyone to buy is Louise Hay's 'Heal Your Body', affectionately known as 'The Little Blue Book' because of the color of its cover.

As Louise herself says in the foreword: 'This little book doesn't "heal" anyone. It does awaken within you the ability to contribute to your own healing process. For us to become whole and ehalthy, we must balance the body, mind and spirit.'

The premise of this book is that mental causes bring on physical illness, and the book goes on to show the metaphysical ways to overcome them. It might come as a surprise that illnesses included are as serious as cancers (resentment being the issue), and heart problems (cutting oneself off from love). At first glance a sufferer may be very sceptical -- and that is understandable...taking responsibility for what doesn't work in our lives is the hardest thing to do. In fact Louise herself cured her own cancer through changing her thought pattern.

If tired of the blame game, and of being a victim, or finally wanting to wake up and say 'no' to being powerless, then this is your book - to start you on a new way of thinking and being.

Kiki ;-)
www.theradiantself.com

P.S. My request to those who 'borrow' from this blog is to please give adequate credit to the source of the borrowed information - whether me, or books and people I quote from. Thank you.

No explanation needed

'My father says that almost the whole world is asleep. Everybody you see, everybody you talk to. He says that only a few people are awake, and they live in a state of constant, total amazement.' - Meg Ryan's character to Tom Hanks', in 'Joe versus the Volcano'.'

************

Each of us, then, may want to ponder this and evaluate if we live in a state of constant, total amazement -- and if not, why not? We have this one life, as we know it, and to CHOOSE to remain asleep is what is so bewildering...

Kiki ;-)
www.theradiantself.com

P.S. My request to those who 'borrow' from this blog is to please give adequate credit to the source of the borrowed information - whether me, or books and people I quote from. Thank you.

Emotions are the REAL deal

There are many, many posts in this blog that speak of the need to heal our emotions if we want to heal from distressing events in our lives, especially the severely traumatic ones. People believe that it's the events they need to heal from, and that doing so will remove the distress-causing emotions. What is not apparent to them is that the results of any healing work or therapy done only around the event will have short term gains, with a very real possibility of a recurrence of similar pain and distress causing events in our lives... and this of course will kick in the vicious cycle of so called 'bad' events, followed by distressed emotions -- and soon there develops an unhealthy pattern of attracting events that further perpetuate these unpleasant emotions.

Therefore, it is extremely important to stop and understand what is going on here. What came first, the chicken or the egg? My long and varied experience with innumerable clients, and the process of my own healing is that a break in pattern is only possible if it's the emotions that are processed and healed. If this is not done then these wounded emotions will remain latent in us and will continue to cause havoc, as always, by attracting events that keep them alive. With this, I hope it becomes clear that unlike the chicken or the egg situation, here at least we know that emotions came first and the events are only symptoms of their existence-- and healing the emotions clears, and further stops the recurring sad and traumatic events in our lives. Thus, it is our feelings and emotions that are the REAL deal, and it is they that hold the key to breaking the unhealthy pattern of the recurring unsavory dramas in our lives.

For any clarification, please use the comments section.

Kiki ;-)
www.theradiantself.com

P.S. My request to those who 'borrow' from this blog is to please give adequate credit to the source of the borrowed information - whether me, or books and people I quote from. Thank you.

So what did you be grateful for?

What did you say in your list yesterday? What were you grateful for? For your family? For your friends? For the love that comes your way from them? For other special people in your life? For children? For grandchildren? For a good life? For your health? For living in a safe city - a safe country? For needs met easily? For wants met easily? For peace within? For a Higher connection, spiritually speaking? For fulfilling work? For overcoming challenges - physical, emotional, mental, financial, spiritual? For the books you own? For 'toys' that make you happy - the new car, gadget, widget? The boss came in later than you? You escaped the usual traffic on way to work? You turned on the radio and your favorite song came on? You got a surprise gift, flowers, chocolates? You bought yourself flowers, chocolates?

The key here is the 'feeling' of satisfaction and contentment that comes from the things you are grateful for... By being grateful you attract more of this 'good feeling' -- it becomes less about what it is that makes you happy, and becomes more about an enhancement of the emotion which feels good within. The more, thus, we are grateful, the better our days, and obviously the better our lives...

Kiki ;-)
www.theradiantself.com

P.S. My request to those who 'borrow' from this blog is to please give adequate credit to the source of the borrowed information - whether me, or books and people I quote from. Thank you.

5 minutes to HAPPINESS...

You're wondering, right? Is this some kind of a joke? Happiness in 5 minutes? Well, it IS possible - this is a tried and true exercise, from my own experience and many, many of the hundreds of people I've shared this with. I've spoken about this several times on this blog and felt inspired to write again today because of a wonderful lunch I had with a friend last week. I spoke to her about making a gratitude list every night, sometimes I refer to it as keeping a Gratitude Journal. The idea really caught the her imagination and she emailed me the next day about how it shifted her energy, and how happy she was to start enumerating all her many blessings. If you've missed the earlier information on how to do this exercise, here it is again, from an entry from November 2007. For more detail please see the first three posts of November 2007.

THE 5-MINUTE TIP

Ok, here goes - get hold of a notebook, of any sort, but a nicely bound notebook with a nice cover will add specialness to the exercise. The one I'm presently using (I've gone through a few in the past few years) has a thick burgundy cover with a lattice-work of small golden leaves printed all over it. Very beautiful! I call it my Gratitude Journal! So could you. Ok, here's the deal:

EVERY night at bedtime, better if you're already in bed, ready to sleep, write down in your notebook 5 events that happened that day, that you're grateful for. Remember, the key is, which events brought you relief, or comfort, or joy, a song to your lips, made you whistle a tune, took your breath away? Any, and all of these merit a place in your Gratitude Journal. I just begin by writing: Thank you God ... OR Thank you my Higher Self ... and itemize 5 things that happened that very day. You may write more, but not less. I've had days when my list runs to 10 or more items - oh, happy day!

Well, there you go! And, this is what is happening:

Being in a state of gratitude you are experiencing 'positive emotions' - which the ever-present Universal Law of Attraction will bring you more of ... by bringing into your life more of the same.

This is one of my all-time favorite topics :-)! I dream sometimes of men, women and children in Afghanistan, Iraq, Pakistan writing Gratitude Journals - as well children living in poverty everywhere in the world. Some might say this is idealistic, but hey - better to be an idealist than a harbinger of negativity and fear! There's too many of those around already. I truly believe the world needs more happy dreams - and here's to that.

Kiki ;-)
www.theradiantself.com

P.S. My request to those who 'borrow' from this blog is to please give adequate credit to the source of the borrowed information - whether me, or books and people I quote from. Thank you.

Our life is RIGHT NOW

To 'focus on the present moment' is emphasised again and again by scriptures, philosophers, new age thinkers, self-help authors, spiritual leaders and all those who are in a position to influence people's lives for the better. The plain and simple reason being that we have no control on our past and the future, and the present is all we've got. I like to think that they do this because they're on to the secret that our state of mind always attracts its own (or similar) to itself, and therefore taking care of our present, automatically helps us take care of our future.

I want to share this powerful message from the Abraham-Hicks website - confirming once again the simplicity of the Law of Attraction in the last line: '(your life) is not ever going to get better than right now--until it gets better right now!"

*****************


Your life is right now! It's not later! It's not in that time of retirement. It's not when the lover gets here. It's not when you've moved into the new house. It's not when you get the better job. Your life is right now. It will always be right now. You might as well decide to start enjoying your life right now, because it's not ever going to get better than right now--until it gets better right now!


Excerpted from a workshop in Silver Spring, MD on Saturday, May 11th, 2002

Our Love,
Jerry and Esther

*****************

Kiki ;-)
www.theradiantself.com

P.S. My request to those who 'borrow' from this blog is to please give adequate credit to the source of the borrowed information - whether me, or books and people I quote from. Thank you.

I'm musing over...

... this idea: "What good is a mind if you can't change it?!!!"

(There's no blog on Saturday.)

Kiki ;-)
P.S. My request to those who 'borrow' from this blog is to please give adequate credit to the source of the borrowed information - whether me, or books and people I quote from. Thank you.

External vs Internal Reality

As has been repeated again and again in the posts of this blog, our external reality is but a reflection of whatever is going on inside us. And this author believes this truth wholly and unconditionally - considering then, the unsavory events of our lives to be mere indicators of what we need to take care of within - fixing, healing, cleansing etc. This however, is a hard pill to swallow for most people, who simply cannot understand that what sucks in their lives is not someone else's fault. All I have to say to that is the longer one stays in denial, the longer it will take for us to heal. Better, then, to take responsibility, cut to the chase and start working on ourselves... to reap awesome harvests of the effort made, and the work put in.

Blessed be...

Kiki ;-)
P.S. My request to those who 'borrow' from this blog is to please give adequate credit to the source of the borrowed information - whether me, or books and people I quote from. Thank you.

Instant relief

The tension we create within through resisting the flow and movement of life creates a situation within us not unlike a pressure-cooker without a safety valve, ready to explode any minute. An example of resistance is the huge need to control each event of our life, and also the result of each and every event -- yes, we are talking about control freaks here... This need makes us pretentious, taking ourselves too seriously, with no scope for joy, for playfulness, for operating from the heart space or being sensitive to the needs of others, as well as our own inner, spiritual ones. This 'pretend' facade that everything in our life is perfect, and that we are perfect, and in control, is a huge energy drainer, rather like a black hole that sucks in whatever limited energy we have leaving us depleted and exhausted, with nothing left to give to anyone, including ourselves. More often than not we create this black hole condition, through our concern and fear of others' judgement of us. It never fails, now, to amaze me just how much of ourselves we invest in maintaining a status quo of this falsehood. And I say NOW, because I've been there and done that too! The sad part of being raised in societies that perpetuate such narcissism, believing this exterior perfection to be our only reality is that we shut ourselves out from the Light of consciousness.

Better than wanting to be seen as perfect, then, is to just accept that we are all flawed, some more and some less, and these flaws are the cracks in our facades... they are a huge gift because how else will the Light get in :-)... and bring instant relief from the tension-filled state of appearing perfect...

Kiki ;-)
P.S. My request to those who 'borrow' from this blog is to please give adequate credit to the source of the borrowed information - whether me, or books and people I quote from. Thank you.

How to make meaningful choices

Change is the only constant in our lives - time and tide, we know, stop for no one... sometimes this fact is welcome but more often than not change brings disturbance, upheavel, and at the very minimum a need for re-adjustment. This process of re-adjusting is often very painful because all sorts of fears surface and destabilize us. To have our life back in control we have to make decisions which necessarily involves making choices. For most of us making choices is one of the most frustrating exercises as we weigh the pros and cons of different options and expend a lot of energy in vaccillating from one idea to another. Outside of a clear understanding of our personal needs and limitations, the conflict is most often based on how we will be perceived by others, or whether the decision we are making will stand the test of time, or even, if we ourselves will change our mind yet again after investing time, money, effort, and emotion into realizing our wish.

In order to make decisions quickly, which is a big job for especially a Libra like me :-), I have finally invented a system by which decision making and choosing are a lark... easy as 1-2-3... For worldly and material decisions, where doubt is already present and I'm already second-guessing myself, I ruminate over, and create a short list of the available choices. To these I give the the following acid-test. I ask myself if on my death-bed I will be content, or regretful, that I did or didn't do such and such. I let my positive or negative emotional reaction guide me to make a choice.

And for bigger choices, that would effect my life, have a bearing on my soul, effect me at a deep inner level I ask myself this question: "Will doing this take me towards, or away from, my divine purpose and path?" The answer is always very clear!

Kiki ;-)
P.S. My request to those who 'borrow' from this blog is to please give adequate credit to the source of the borrowed information - whether me, or books and people I quote from. Thank you.

'Just because it's empty'... on Stillness and Peace

I recently came across this Zen saying on the Facebook page of a friend, and it stopped me in my tracks...

'JUST BECAUSE IT'S EMPTY DOESN'T MEAN IT MUST BE FILLED'!

It instantly needed me to become still, and I wanted to stop and think about all its possible interpretations... But then I read it again and there felt no need to process it any further but just to stay with the idea. Rolling it around in my mind, on my tongue, and finally in my heart I experienced a profound stillness everywhere within, and a sense of quietude and deep peace. If we try to connect with this emptiness, we will see that it is just fine as it is. Not sitting in wait of something to come along to fill it. It's beauty lies in just that, it's being empty.

Applying it to how we humans are, this thought brings a very refreshing contrast with how we continually fill the empty space within with unending mental chatter and spend our days filling every vacant moment with either an action or a thought, never quietening down enough to get a glimpse of our inner world, or to have an experience of a deep rest in the silence of the emptiness within. Try it though - you'll never be the same...

Kiki ;-)
P.S. My request to those who 'borrow' from this blog is to please give adequate credit to the source of the borrowed information - whether me, or books and people I quote from. Thank you.