Self Esteem

If you set your sense of self worth (value) on your position, pay and material possessions, you will not have real self-esteem. All of these things come and go, sometimes at the most unexpected moments. This is why almost every single human being from corporate leaders to househusbands, from Kings to college students are not able to have constantly high self esteem. We are all taught by our society, that worth (value) is measured by rank, quantity of possessions and the amount of monetary (financial) income. Dangerous! It creates a life of sorrow and unhappiness mixed with temporary happiness. You cannot allow your self-esteem to be defined by your work, your capabilities at work, your salary level etc. True internal self-esteem comes for realizing the self as a soul and experiencing its virtues (qualities) and specialties.


Exercise:

What external factors is your self-esteem based on? If real wealth is not money or possessions what is real wealth? What could you start doing tomorrow that may help you transfer your sense of self esteem from something you do or have outside your self, to something that you are inside?

Soul Consciousness

A human being is soul and body, spirit and matter, working together co-operatively. The body is like the hardware of a computer and the spiritual energy, the soul, is a tiny chip of light, where all things are recorded. When we go into introspective silence, it is in this chip of light, which is actually a point of light energy that we can remember and rediscover.
The tiny chip of invisible light starts to work effectively when it plugs into its original consciousness and reactivates those original qualities, which enable the soul to work and express itself naturally. The connection is achieved through the power of concentrated thought, this is called ‘consciousness of the soul’. The process of experiencing ‘soul consciousness’ is carried out in meditation: gathering all the thoughts of the mind, creating one concentrated thought and very gently running inwards in order to make the connection with the original self, the soul.
To take those first steps in gathering the thoughts, we use the positive consciousness of ?I am’, or what is called ‘Om Shanti’ consciousness. ‘Om’ means ‘I am’, with the deeper meaning that ‘I am a peaceful soul’. With this awareness, there comes the experience of one’s original spiritual identity.

Reflection

Reflection (thinking deeply) is a necessary step in digesting knowledge.


Reflection is an exercise of the mind and intellect that goes into the depths of understanding an idea, or realization, or point of knowledge with the aim of practicing it in daily life.

Values in my life are a sign that knowledge has been digested; without this, knowledge simply remains a beautiful aspect, appreciated, interesting information in my intellect but without the ability to give me strength because it is still external; it has not been internalised.

All quality action (quality action is that action which is truly appropriate to person, circumstance and the need of the moment), all newness of perception (understanding), all new insights, or vision, require a space for silent reflection as a preliminary step.

Normally, we are lost in the business of action, its routine and ritual that make our life so mechanical and hence dull and boring, or demanding and hectic.

A mind and intellect that do not give time and attention to reflective silence (meditation) become lazy, though externally there is lots of activity for hours and hours. No new heights are reached because there is no depth of awareness in what we are doing, no reflection on purpose. As a result, we get trapped by routine.

To be dictated to by external situations, which make us run around without stopping internally, brings aboutunnecessary stress on the mind, which keeps us tied to the strings of the external, like a puppet pulled, pressed and pushed by circumstances.


To break free from this force, to relieve the mind of the weight of stress and waste and routine, I need to stepinside and reflect (think) on who I am and where I am going and reassess my value system. Otherwise, life becomes like a wheel that keeps spinning faster and faster until we become dizzy – we want to get off but it is going so fast we do not know how.

Reflection and taking time to understand spiritual knowledge bring us to the essence of everything.

Overcoming Phobias Through Meditation

A phobia is an intense , continuous and illogical fear of an object, situation, activity, person or animal that’s generally considered harmless. Accompanying the fear is an excessive, unreasonable desire to avoid what you fear. When facing the object of his/her phobia, the person may experience negative feelings like excessive sweating, poor control of nerves, difficulty breathing, rapid heart rate, anxiety , etc. In some cases, the avoidance or distress in the feared situation interferes significantly with the person’s daily routine, social activities, relationships etc.

To overcome any phobia, read over silently and visualize the following positive thoughts:




I am a soul, an eternal, immortal and indestructible (which cannot be destroyed) point of life energy……..



Sitting on my throne in the centre of the forehead, I the ruler, perform actions through my body……..



I have incarnated (entered) in this physical body from ‘shantidham’, my incorporeal (non-physical) home, original home of light……..



I am an actor on the huge world drama stage……..



All the other souls are actors too, each acting a unique role through its own individual body-costume……..



This spiritual knowledge makes me detached and fearless……..



Unimportant scenes of the drama that would have previously brought about fear in me no longer affect me……..



Through Rajyoga meditation, the soul can experience all relationships with the Supreme Soul in its day-to-day life. I continue -



I experience receiving powerful vibrations of spiritual might from the Supreme Being……..



I fill my mind with thoughts of courage……..



When the Almighty is my Father, my Mother, my Companion, my Guide, no one can be my enemy……..



Nothing can harm me in any way……..



Fear is wasted energy, it has no power in my life……..



Now I am becoming a bold person and I am capable of facing all fearful situations with increased self-confidence ……..





At the end of the meditation practice, for a few minutes, the patient should create a picture of the fearful situation in his mind, while at the same time learning to relax. This will help him to decrease the anxiety (worry) when he faces the real life situation and he will be able to completely overcome (face) the specific fears.

The Alphabet of Change

Awareness-

First, become aware of what you need to change in yourself. What is preventing you from attaining contentment? What habits are blocking the way to realizing your full potential?

Belief-

Many people think that a change in their personalities is extremely difficult. But in fact it is a reality that lies within your power. It might be useful to ask yourself questions such as “What has held me back from change in the past?” and “What are the stages by which I can bring change about?”

Commitment-

Motivation is the key to commitment. We need to want to change, rather than feel it is a duty to ourselves. Try writing down a list of commitments in the form of statements beginning with “I will”. They should come directly out of, and be connected with, your overall vision.

Discipline-

We cannot change unless we are able to maintain a steady course over time. Think of each sign as a major landmark passed. Even if we find ourselves slipping into old habits, that achievement of even a little bit of change cannot be taken away.

The Senses in Balance

Our five senses are windows, which open out to the world through which energy flows in two directions. The senses receive impressions and information from the world, and at the same time transmit our personalities to others. Our eyes receive a constant stream of visual messages, but we may also use the eyes to show how we feel. Through our ears we hear the sounds of life; while by "lending an ear" to others we give comfort to them. Touch allows us to experience texture; but can also transmit love and assurance. Our senses are not merely instruments, but deep-rooted aspects of the self or the soul.

Positive Consciousness

The habitual way in which you use the house you live in and its contents are all affected if you use them in a positive consciousness (mental state). The result is purification while interacting with the physical object, so that when the object is in use, it fulfills its function accurately, and it has also undergone a permanent change. This can happen when you are cleaning the house, cleaning any object in the house or preparing objects for a particular purpose. If such actions are done in a positive consciousness then the physical object will have such a vibration of peace and purity that no harm can be done with it and whatever action it is used to perform will be successful. Any other soul who comes into interaction with those objects will also feel the affect of their pure vibrations.

If we perform each action with the physical body in a positive consciousness, then the physical body gets purified and we can become free of illnesses.

In our relationships it is the same principle. First there needs to be that detachment in relations. Secondly, when there is a positive consciousness, I will find that my interactions have a purifying affect on all that I relate to and I can bring benefit to everyone I meet.

In this way a positive mental state enables all actions to be successful, whether at work or at home.

Meditation

Meditation is the process in which a meditator emerges the consciousness of being an incorporeal (non-physical) soul, or a point of spiritual energy, located between the two eyebrows with an identity separate from the physical body and connects with the Supreme Soul, who is also incorporeal (non-physical) or a point of spiritual energy but an ocean of the seven qualities – peace, bliss, love, joy, purity, knowledge, and power. By performing this practice in the early morning hours, the time which is called “Brahmamurta” or “Amrit Vela” (Sweet Nectar Time), over a period the meditator absorbs these qualities in himself, which he uses to perform his daily actions successfully.

Positive Thinking

The sun is a suitable image for positive thinking. The visualization described below uses a sunlit landscape as a comparison for the four levels of thoughts we create (positive, necessary, waste and negative). It can be used to increase your percentage of positive thoughts everyday.

1. Visualize a beautiful valley with a lake, forested foothills and high mountains rising up into the clouds. This is the landscape of your mind.

2. Your position in this landscape and the form in which you are displayed depends on the quality of your thoughts. Are you a fish swimming in the muddy depths of the lake (negative thoughts)? Are you a frog jumping back and forth from the shore to the lake (wasteful thoughts)? A human, wandering into the forest to gather food and build a shelter (necessary thoughts)? Or the sun, which sustains (nourishes) all life on earth (positive thoughts)?

Meditation And Health

Given below is a simple meditation commentary which can be used to heal the physical body. Think slowly and visualize side by side each positive thought given below before moving on:

I sit quietly and turn inwards……..
I visualize a pinpoint of light, a sparkling star, the source of pure energy that I am……..
located in the center of my forehead……..
In this awareness, white rays of the divine light of purity from me extend into my entire physical body in the form of a laser beam……..
These vibrations of purity soothe, heal and energize my physical system……..
The impurities, toxins and illnesses in the body are being washed away and thrown out from the extremities (corners) of the body……..
The body starts experiencing its original inner beauty……..
It returns to a state of harmony (peace), to a state of good health……

Visualization

The most powerful energy in the universe is the energy of the mind. Everything we create, from the simplest of objects, to the most complex philosophies, are formed in the human mind. The images and thoughts, which you create at each moment, directly influence your emotional and physical well-being. Imagine yourself eating a lemon and you will begin to salivate (produce saliva in the mouth), picture yourself fall from a cliff edge and you will generate the feeling of falling along with tremendous anxiety (worry), possibly terror.

The key to relaxation lies in what you do with your mind. Like an inner television screen or an artist’s blank canvas, your mind is ready to display any idea or image, which you choose. While meditation tends to have one point of mental focus (an idea, a point of knowledge or mantra), creative visualization is the purposeful use of the mind to create positive images as a result of which we experience relaxation. This is the underlying principle behind the Rajyoga Meditation taught by the Brahma Kumaris.

Values And Purpose

Our actions sometimes are not according to our life’s purpose when we lack the proper connecting value or we are unable to express it correctly. These values help us in bringing our purpose into action. They bring purpose into life. Values are the fuel. In any situation where these values are awakened they will decide my course of action and are the basis of all important choices and decisions. Reinforcement of these values means that you can operate successfully in any situation. If your identified purpose is what you are meant to be doing, then your values are the back-up to do it.

How will we know which values are important to connect to our purpose? We don’t need to make an attempt to create our values. They are already there. We just have to detect them by looking inwards and then use them to fulfill our purpose.

Understanding The Intellect

The soul has three faculties (energies): the mind through which we create thoughts, the intellect with which we understand, judge and decide, and the sanskaras, which are impressions in the form of memories, personality characteristics and habits. All three work together: the mind is influenced by both external and internal factors, which can be either positive or negative. The intellect has to understand, judge and decide what something means and then act. If the intellect is unclear or confused, then understanding and decisions are faulty and, consequently, actions and behaviour result in a lot of negativity, both for the self and others.
Throughout history, teachers have come to give spiritual knowledge, through which they attempt to awaken people’s consciousness in order to make relationships, attitudes, thoughts and actions more positive and loving. For this to happen, there has to be a ‘click’ in the intellect, that is, a realization and willingness to change old habits and negative personality characteristics and to become better ethically and spiritually.
Change is the result of the third eye (intellect) opening.

Understanding The Quality Of Love

It is often said that you cannot truly love others until you are able to love yourself. But what does this mean? Does loving ourselves mean constantly saying to myself “I love myself”? Does loving the self mean giving our self lots of presents? Does loving our self mean we become self obsessed? Fortunately, the answer is no to all of the above. Loving our self is comprised of knowing, understanding and nourishing the self. We need to know someone before we can express an appropriate love for him or her. And so it is with our self. We need to know our self as we truly are, a spiritual being. When we realise we have been asleep and under the wrong belief that we are only physical, almost immediately we see that it is this wrong belief that has filled our thoughts and feelings with many forms of suffering which we have given to ourselves. This understanding of our self allows us to change our consciousness and to give our love for the self its first form, which is self-acceptance. We can accept where we are now without regret. Self-forgiveness is also a form of love for the self, which is forgetting, and letting go of all the things we thought and did in the past, which are causing any suffering to our self in the present. Self-acceptance and self-forgiveness are acts of love towards ourselves. Love for the self also takes the form of care for the self and nourishing the self by spending time in meditation and spiritual study. Not all day, but for some time within each day. Only when we have learned to love our self in these ways, will we be able make love visible for others in our day-to-day relationships.

Understanding The Quality Of Love

It is often said that you cannot truly love others until you are able to love yourself. But what does this mean? Does loving ourselves mean constantly saying to myself “I love myself”? Does loving the self mean giving our self lots of presents? Does loving our self mean we become self obsessed? Fortunately, the answer is no to all of the above. Loving our self is comprised of knowing, understanding and nourishing the self. We need to know someone before we can express an appropriate love for him or her. And so it is with our self. We need to know our self as we truly are, a spiritual being. When we realise we have been asleep and under the wrong belief that we are only physical, almost immediately we see that it is this wrong belief that has filled our thoughts and feelings with many forms of suffering which we have given to ourselves. This understanding of our self allows us to change our consciousness and to give our love for the self its first form, which is self-acceptance. We can accept where we are now without regret. Self-forgiveness is also a form of love for the self, which is forgetting, and letting go of all the things we thought and did in the past, which are causing any suffering to our self in the present. Self-acceptance and self-forgiveness are acts of love towards ourselves. Love for the self also takes the form of care for the self and nourishing the self by spending time in meditation and spiritual study. Not all day, but for some time within each day. Only when we have learned to love our self in these ways, will we be able make love visible for others in our day-to-day relationships.

Self Realization

Most of us are taught to believe we are our physical forms, and so we identify with our body or the labels we give to our bodies such as nationality, race, gender, profession etc. This wrong sense of self is what creates emotions of fear, anger and sadness in life. From a spiritual point of view these ‘unnatural’ emotions are always the result of ego (identifying oneself wrongly), which then blocks access to our true original nature, which is peaceful, loving and joyful.

If we identify ourselves correctly (as souls), we are spiritually empowered (strengthened) and then we are not affected by the obstacles (barriers) that come our way – we are able to use our spiritual power to accept and move on. We are able to remain stable in the middle of negative situations. In effect we are using our inner strength, which is only released and used when we know who and what we are, and then using that strength in the right way, in the right place at the right time.

Positive Reflections For The Day

On the path of Raja Yoga meditation there is a saying, “See, but don’t see! Hear, but don’t hear!” which means to remain aware of all realities, including the negative, but not to focus on them. We get caught up in the negative because we react and the reactions are expressed in the form of judgements, accusations, criticism, or labelling. As soon as we judge or criticise, we put everything into convenient boxes and, just as convenience foods are not always so healthy, such conveniences at the mental and attitudinal level are a great danger, because we mentally seal (close) the fate (destiny) of the person or situation: they are like this and so must be treated accordingly. Unfortunately, this is often done in an unconscious way, which is why Raja Yoga meditation is used to bring such attitudes and behaviours to the surface, conscious awareness.
When our vision and attitude remain judgemental or critical, they do so because there is no input of positivity from the self to encourage or allow a positive change.
There cannot be a positive output when there is a negative input.
We often work in this way, wanting others to be better in some way, but, instead of helping them, or having faith in them and seeing their good qualities, we hinder (obstruct) them by concentrating on their past, their weaknesses and their mistakes. Our focus is completely negative, but still we expect them to change for the better!

When our awareness is more detached, rather than focusing on what is wrong, we look at how we can put something right by contributing a positive feeling, or attitude. This anonymous (not known to anyone) contribution is a generous act, which offers a solution, instead of the usual complaints by critical and judgemental people.

Concentration

With some meditation techniques, people are given ideas or mantras, which they often simply repeat. They do not penetrate the mind and do not bring any sense of meaning. People bounce these ideas around like a ball in their mind and, from the mind, the ball of thought is bounced to the mouth. Sound patterns are repeated, but nothing has really been understood. The result of this is that there is very little power generated from within to bring about change in behaviour, or personality. Thus, everything continues in the same way. In these cases, people are not focused on spirituality. As a result, after a while, such people find meditation boring, they fall asleep, or think that by repeating words, either verbally or mentally, they are doing meditation. However, the right type of concentration is not brought about simply by repeating sounds or ideas.

Natural concentration is when the mind can hold a thought for a long time, when thoughts are under our own control.

Without concentration the mind goes here, there and everywhere, jumping like a monkey from branch to branch, idea to idea. When there is a natural concentration, we can control our mind and there is peace. This one-pointed concentration on a thought, holding it for as long as we like, gradually collects strength in the mind and in the self.

A strong mind is a mind that is peaceful, stable, satisfied and can remain in
the deeper meaning of a thought. There is no waste caused by over-thinking,
or the high speed of thought. These are the two greatest diseases of the mind
these days, which is why there is so much stress and mental breakdown.

Understanding What Is Aura

The mind is the thinking energy of the soul (negative or positive). It is the mental energy, which makes the aura (subtle body) of a person. The soul, situated in the brain, radiates its mental energy to all the brain centers e.g.: hypothalamus (thinking centre), limbic system (centre of emotions and attitudes), frontal cortex (memory centre), respiratory centre, speech centre, visual centre etc., in maximum concentration as these centres are located near the soul. In fact the soul radiates the mental energy to each cell of the physical body. Many scientists world over are now of the opinion that mind is not only located in the brain but each cell of the body has a mind that means the mind/mental energy has the same shape as the physical body, which is nothing but the aura.

Now the aura of a person can be photographed by Kirlian photography. If a person most of the time thinks negative, the aura around him has various shades of white light e.g.: violet, indigo, blue, green, yellow, orange, red or can be black if there is no flow of mental energy. If a person thinks positive most of the time then aura around him is made up of silvery white light. Such a person is liked by all and radiates all the innate qualities of the soul e.g.: purity, peace, love, bliss, power around him. Other people coming in contact with him can feel the soothing effect of these qualities. Good meditators normally have clear white auras.

Kirlian photography has been proving useful in diagnosis of disease in a particular part of body and organ system before the disease becomes clinically visible in the form of signs and symptoms.

Self Empowerment

We do realize inside ourselves that if we expect anything of anyone, one day we will be let down, so we create the emotion of disappointment, turn that into anger, and turn that back into fear (that it may happen again). And it’s all going on in our own minds. The only cure for this cycle of negative thinking is not to expect anything of anyone. But then you say, “how is this possible, you have to have expectations that someone will call you up when you expect him/her to do so, someone will do the job that you have given him/her correctly, that your child will come home safe and sound…don’t you?” Well do you? Expectations are not compulsory. And once we see that they lead to pain maybe we can learn to live without them. But if you cannot be expectation free instantly, a cure for that is as follows – have expectations, but don’t get attached to your expectations. Another way of saying this is don’t let your happiness be dependent on having your expectations met. No one said this was easy, but it is possible. There will always be someone who does not do the given task, or arrive at the right time, or even simply call you as you expected.

Exercise: Who are the two people in your life today from whom you have high expectations? Do you think it is healthy to have these expectations? What will you feel if your expectations are not met? What could you do to make sure that you do not go into disappointment but stay positive when someone does not fulfill their commitments, which are/were your expectations?