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My
Dear Ones,
I greet you with the spirit of joy and hope as we enter a
New Year. The New Year always gives me a boost, psychological
though it may be. Just the thought that it is about to start
gives me a fresh burst of energy to rededicate myself to unfinished
and new tasks. Despite what obstacles may exist, the New Year
with its possibilities always seems to hold a promise of better
things to come. The half empty glass transforms to being half
filled!
Time
binds our earthly self to a journey of past, present and future.
Events as they unfold move out of our present moment into
the past. We are left with experience and memories that make
us wiser if we learn from them. The present, which is always
before us, gives us great power to change events before us,
inner and outer, if we use it wisely. The future which is
ever ahead holds our possibilities. What a challenge Time
offers us! It challenges us to learn from the past, to use
the power of the present wisely and to believe in a future
of possibilities.
When
I look at life I cannot but think that we are in a great learning
game created by a Master Teacher. We enter this game with
tools and resources, challenged to uncover our full potential
and to live in harmony with our world. If we see life as a
battlefield where we struggle to survive then we move into
victim consciousness. There is no joy in this. We have seen
Nature in Her terrible destructive mode in the tsunami, hurricane
and earthquake disasters of 2005. How do we rationalize this?
Why would Nature want to destroy us, Her own creation? The
only sense I can make of this is the challenge She creates
for us to use our inner power to understand Her secrets and
to live in closer connection with Her.
As
we begin a New Year we should strive to know ourselves more.
We have been blessed with powerful tools that can help us
to uplift ourselves and influence our environment positively.
These are the tools of mind, emotion and intention. They carry
tremendous power not only to uplift but also to destroy. We
need not only learn to manage them but to use them positively.
It
is sad that in a civilized society with an organized education
system we have not yet seen the need to teach our youths in
a structured way how to manage thoughts, emotions and intentions,
to build positive and empowering relationships and to learn
to live in harmony with the natural environment. We all need
to learn this as basic education for living. Can we be more
responsible this year and learn to use the powerful tools
we have been blessed with? Do we want to be in our own seat
of power or do we want to be hijacked by uncontrolled negative
thoughts, emotions and intentions that we never learned to
manage? The choice is ours. Let us make the wise choice this
year.
We
even need to learn more about our own physical bodies, how
they work and how to take care of them. A civilized world
should be a health-conscious world. As we became more advanced
as a society we have moved away from eating more wholesome
and natural foods to more processed and denatured ones. It
is amazing how the more wealthy we are the more unhealthy
we eat! The more technologically advanced we become the more
sedentary we become. We sit before televisions and computers
for hours on end and exercise our bodies less. So much for
technology! We need to learn to take care of our bodies more
as it is a precious gift of life. If we do not use it well
and take care of it properly we will lose it prematurely.
Let us not invite disease and premature death by neglect of
the basic laws of healthy living. What is our health and wellness
plan for the New Year? Do we have one?
Today
the world is challenged by evil forces. There are those who
are intent on destroying property and life with no respect
for the laws of the land or the gift of human life. The only
hope for us is to be strong in our power of goodness and love
and avoid open confrontation with these evil elements that
live by their own laws. We need to pray for their transformation
and for positive change in our world. Prayer carries great
power – the power of noble intention rooted in the spirit.
It has the power to influence change in magical and mysterious
ways. When we pray together our prayer is even more powerful.
Let us also remember to pray for those who have been chosen
to look after our security and are involved in peace-keeping
across the world. May they be divinely guided and protected.
We
have the power to create positive change in the world but
we need to be more aware of this power. We can create a world
of peace, love and harmony if we work together to make it
happen. Let us make 2006 a better year for all of us by taking
a step to uplift ourselves and the world around us. May God
bless us all.
Yours in loving service,
Vasudeva
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