"Let nothing perturb you, nothing frighten
you. All things pass, God does not change.
Patience achieves everything."

- Mother Teresa

by Hazrat Inayat Khan

Self-control is the most necessary thing to be learned; a person may have great spirituality, illumination and piety, but in the absence of self-control this is nothing. Self-control also is the way of happiness and peace. ... No thought or feeling should arise without our will. When we have gained mastery over the self, we have mastery over all things. ... Self-control is an attribute which distinguishes man from the animal; both have their appetites and passions, but it is man alone who can control them.

The control of the self means the control of everything. What does it mean when we see a person fail time after time, or another person succeed time after time? It is just a matter of holding the reins of our affairs in our hands. When there is no rein there is failure. Failure means that there has been lack of self-control, whether it is a failure in affairs or in health. Illness always comes when a person has lost the control of the self. It is because this is the main theme of metaphysics that Hatha Yoga has been considered of the greatest value. All the miracles and all the wonders that have ever been known in this world have been done by those who have been able to control themselves by abstinence, and therefore to control life. However much was said upon this subject, it would still not express it. To begin with a person is puzzled by it, and he wonders whether he should believe it or not. That is why in the East the adepts never speak of their experiences in the spiritual life. They only tell their disciples to lead it and practice for years. 'That will make it clear to you', they say.

OM

The Indian Saint Ammachi will be on her
North American Tour starting this coming week! Here is the list of her
programs. GO to http://www.amma.org to register for a retreat.

If you have never seen her, do yourself a favor and go. This
amazing being will show you what divine love looks like, then
remind you that IT IS YOU!


May 31
Seattle (Public Program)

June 1, 2, 3
Northwest Retreat

June 3 (PM)
Seattle (Devi Bhava)

June 5 - June 12
San Ramon (Public Programs; no programs on June 11)

June 13, 14, 15
Bay Area Retreat

June 10 (PM) and June 15 (PM)
San Ramon (Devi Bhava)

June 17, 18
Los Angeles (Public Programs)

June 19, 20, 21
Southern CA Retreat

June 21 (PM)
Los Angeles (Devi Bhava)

June 23, 24
Alburquerque (Public Programs)

June 25, 26, 27
Southwest Retreat

June 27 (PM)
Alburquerque (Devi Bhava)

June 29 (PM only), June 30
Dallas (Public Programs), June 30 PM Devi Bhava

July 2, 3
Iowa (Public Programs), July 3 PM Devi Bhava

July 5, 6
Chicago (Public Programs), July 6 PM Devi Bhava

July 8, 9
Washington DC (Public Programs), July 9 PM Devi Bhava

July 11, 12, 13
New York (Public Programs), July 13 PM Devi Bhava

July 15
Boston (Public Programs)

July 16, 17, 18
Northeast Retreat

July 18 (PM)
Boston (Devi Bhava)

July 20
Toronto (Public Programs)

July 21, 22, 23
Canadian Retreat

July 23 (PM)
Toronto (Devi Bhava)



JAI MA MA MA!

Every man's desire is according to his evolution; that which he is ready for, is the desirable thing for him.
Commentary by Hazrat Inayat Khan:

There are really two journeys. There is the journey from the goal to the life in the world, and there is the journey from the life in the world to the goal. And both journeys are natural. As it is natural to go forth from the eternal goal, so it is natural to go from the changing life to the life which is unchangeable.

Which is the most desirable thing in life, to seek for the goal or to dwell in this changing life? The answer is that every person's desire is according to his evolution. That for which he is ready is desirable for him. Milk is a desirable food for the infant, other foods for the grown-up person. Every stage in life has its own appropriate and desirable things. The desire to attain to a goal must be there before reaching it; when he does not feel the desire, it is not necessary for a man to seek it.

ONCE YOU HAVE FLOWN,
YOU WILL WALK THE EARTH
WITH YOUR EYES TURNED SKYWARD;
FOR THERE YOU HAVE BEEN
THERE YOU LONG TO RETURN.

~Leonardo da Vinci

Unity in realization is far greater than unity in variety.

Commentary by Hazrat Inayat Khan:

What keeps the soul in perplexity is the threefold aspect of manifestation, and as long as the soul remains puzzled by this, it cannot arrive at the knowledge of the One. These three aspects are the seer, sight, and the seen; the knower, knowledge, and the known. In point of fact these are three aspects of life. One aspect is the person who sees; the second aspect is the sight, or the eyes, by the help of which he sees; and the third aspect is that which he sees. That is why one cannot readily accept the idea that what one sees is the same as oneself, nor can one believe for a moment that the medium by which one sees is oneself, for these three aspects seem to be separate and to be looking at one another's faces, as the first person, second person, and third person of Brahma.

When this riddle is solved by the realization that the three are one, then the purpose of the God-ideal is fulfilled. For then the three veils which cover the One are lifted, then they no longer remain three, and then they are found to be One, the Only Being. As Abdul Karim al Jili, the fifteenth-century mystic, says, 'If you believe in one God, you are right; if you believe in two Gods, that is true; but if you believe in three Gods, that is right also, for the nature of unity is realized by variety.'

Man's thought has a great power. And when he comes to the realization that everything comes from one source and that everything is developing towards one goal, he begins to see that the source and the goal are God. Then the world of variety is no longer variety to him but unity; it is one.

The power is in unity, but is lost in variety. Thus, for instance, if we hold a thing in our hand, we can hold it with strength, because all five fingers have united to hold the object. But if we try to lift it by one finger, this one finger may drop it, even though the finger belongs to the same hand. In all aspects of life unity is power. All religions show that power is in unity. This is the secret of philosophy.

There are two aspects of unity: firstly, the unity of variety; secondly, unity realizing itself. One is earthly, the other is heavenly. One cannot serve two masters. Unity is the only source of happiness. Unity in realization is far greater than unity in variety.

'When two hearts unite, they can break even mountains.' As two fuse in love, the more does intuition grow, the more does one understand whether the other is happy, or pleased, or displeased, whatever distance may separate them. This is nothing but just the unity of the one person with the other. It is clairvoyance. The mother knows the condition of her son at the battlefront. She can see him in her dreams. Hearts, which are united in love, perceive the state of mind of the loved ones. They do not have to study mysticism or concentration, for they have natural concentration. The mother does not pretend to meditate; love teaches her more meditation than a person who pretends to study it can attain.

visit www.amma.org

for inspiration of motherhood!

blessed be

"By means of love, one can approach God and stay in his presence, for God is love and when one lives in love,
he is living in God"

- Sathya Sai Baba

the victory of summer over winter, here in the western hemisphere,
a time to dance around the maypole and celebrate with flowers.

blessed be,