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Jai Jai Ma Durga!

today the Narvaratri puja shifts to the abundance components of the divine Mothers benevelonce,
so a good time to supplicate the Devi for all that is needed fro peace, ease, health and wealth.
AUM SHRI LAKSMAYE NAMAH AUM

Real generosity is an unfailing sign of spirituality.

Commentary by Hazrat Inayat Khan:

The absence of generosity means that the doors of the heart are closed; nothing from within can come out, and nothing from without can enter in.
Tawazu' in Sufic terms means something more than hospitality. It is laying before one's friend willingly what one has, in other words sharing with one's friend all the good one has in life, and with it, enjoying life better. When this tendency to tawazu' is developed, things that give one joy and pleasure become more enjoyable by sharing with another. This tendency comes from the aristocracy of the heart. It is generosity and even more than generosity. For the limit of generosity is to see another pleased in his pleasure, but to share one's own pleasure with another is greater than generosity. It is a quality which is foreign to a selfish person, and the one who shows this quality is on the path of saintliness.
The spirit of generosity in nature builds a path to God, for generosity is outgoing, is spontaneity; its nature is to make its way toward a wide horizon. Generosity, therefore, may be called charity of heart. It is not necessary that the spirit of generosity be shown always by the spending of money; in every little thing one can show it. Generosity is an attitude a person shows in every little action that he does for people that he comes in contact with in his everyday life. One can show generosity by a smile, by a kind glance, by a warm handshake; by patting the younger soul on the shoulder as a mark of encouragement, of showing appreciation, of expressing affection. Generosity one can show in accommodating one's fellow man, in welcoming him, in bidding farewell to one's friend. In thought, work, and deed, in every manner and form one can show that generous spirit which is the sign of the godly.

Eclipses: Obstacle or Opportunity? Eclipses are an
incredible opportunity. If we have the ability and discipline to
practice japa (repetition of the name of God) or meditation during
an eclipse, the effect is very powerful.

The next eclipse is - Friday, September 22.

The solar eclipse begins at
9:48 am universal time, which is
5:48 am eastern time. Its zenith is 7:40
am eastern time. It ends at 0:31 am
eastern time.
This eclipse will be visible to those in South America and Africa,
who should be most cautious.

Don't pray for fewer problems; pray for more skills.

Don't ask for smaller challenges; ask for greater wisdom.

Don't look for an easy way out; look for the best possible outcome.

Steve Goodier

In the 1920s, Ernest Hemingway learned something about "bad luck" and
getting kicked by life.


He was struggling to make his mark as an author when disaster struck.
He lost a suitcase containing all his manuscripts, many stories he'd
polished to jewel-like perfection which he'd been planning to publish
in a book.

According to Denis Waitley in his book Empires of the Mind (William
Morrow and Company, Inc., 1995), the devastated Hemingway couldn't
conceive of redoing his work. All those months of arduous writing
were simply wasted.


He lamented his predicament to friend and poet Ezra Pound who called
it a stroke of good fortune! Pound assured Hemingway that when he
rewrote the stories, he would forget the weak parts; only the best
material would reappear. He encouraged the aspiring author to start
over with a sense of optimism and confidence.

Hemingway did rewrite the stories and eventually became a major
figure in American literature.

Don't pray for fewer problems; pray for more skills. Don't ask for
smaller challenges; ask for greater wisdom. Don't look for an easy
way out; look for the best possible outcome. When life gives you a
kick, let it kick you forward.

Commentary by Hazrat Inayat Khan:

Spiritual attainment is not a thing to be brought before people to prove that it is real, or as a show. What is real is proof in itself, what is beyond all price or value does not need to be made much of before people. What is real is real, and the precious is precious in itself: it needs no explanation, nor pleading.
The greatest lesson of mysticism is to know all, gain all, attain all things and be silent. The more the disciple gains, the more humble he becomes, and when any person makes this gain a means of proving himself in any way superior to others, it is a proof that he does not really possess it. He may have a spark within himself, but the torch is not yet lighted. There is a saying among the Hindus that the tree that bears much fruit bows low.
As Amir says, 'He who has lost his limited self, he it is who has attained the High Presence.' Do we not forget ourselves when we behold the vision of beauty? If we are blind to beauty we cannot see it, and then we cannot forget ourselves in the beauty and sublimity of the vision. But when we perceive the beauty of nature, we bow our head in love and admiration. As a poet said of nature, 'I cannot study you, for you are too great, you are too beautiful. The only thing left for me to do is to bow my head in prostration at your feet.'
A true worshipper of God sees His presence in all forms, and thus in respecting others he respects God. It may even develop to such an extent that the true worshipper of God, the Omnipresent, walks gently on the earth, bowing in his heart even to every tree and plant, and it is then that the worshipper forms a communion with the Divine Beloved at all times.

Two of the most precious holidays in the Hindu
calendar are Dassara and Diwali. Both are dedicated to the
worship of the Divine Mother.
September 23 (Saturday) to October 2nd ( Monday) 2006
Dassara includes nine days of worship of the Divine Mother in the
form of Durga.
Both Lakshmi and Sri are found in the Vedas in the sense of
"FORTUNE". Kubera is the controller of material wealth (precious
stones, minerals, oil, etc.) and is the owner of nine treasures.
Diwali is a very joyful day of celebration of Mahalakshmi.
Dipavali means a garland or festoons of lights. Illumination is a
sign of victory or triumph over a foe or an obstacle, leading to
happy existence.

I am the beginning, the middle, and the end of the creation, O Arjuna. Among the knowledge I am knowledge of the supreme Self. I am logic of the logician.
I am the letter "A" among the alphabets, among the compound words I am the dual compound, I am the endless time, I am the sustainer of all, and have faces on all sides (or I am omniscient).
I am the all-devouring death, and also the origin of future beings. Among the feminine nouns I am fame, prosperity, speech, memory, intellect, resolve, and forgiveness.
I am the fraud of the gambler; I am the splendor of the splendid; I am victory (of the victorious); I am resolution (of the resolute); I am the goodness of the good.
I am the power of rulers, the statesmanship of the seekers of victory, I am silence among the secrets, and the Self-knowledge of the knowledgeable.
I am the origin or seed of all beings, O Arjuna. There is nothing, animate or inanimate, that can exist without Me.
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From: "The Bhagavad Gita"
As translated by Ramanand Prasad