"When it becomes noon, we suffer from the pangs of hunger. Just as we feel, so do others. One who understands this inner feeling is virtuous. According to the code of conduct laid down by the shastras, giving food in charity has the first place. When considered, there is nothing greater than that." - Sai Satcharitra Chapt 38-14 to 15

The size of a man's sphere corresponds with the extent of his sympathy, or we may say, with the size of his heart. His sympathy holds his sphere together. As his heart grows, his sphere grows; as his sympathy is withdrawn or lessened, so his sphere breaks up and scatters. If he harms those who live and move within his sphere, those dependent upon him or upon his affection, he of necessity harms himself. His house or his palace or his cottage, his satisfaction or his disgust in his environment is the creation of his own thought. ... Each individual composes the music of his own life. If he injures another, he brings disharmony. When his sphere is disturbed, he is disturbed himself, and there is a discord in the melody of his life. If he can quicken the feeling of another to joy or to gratitude, by that much he adds to his own life; he becomes himself by that much more alive. Whether conscious of it or not, his thought is affected for the better by the joy or gratitude of another, and his power and vitality increase thereby, and the music of his life grows more in harmony.

from http://wahiduddin.net/mv2/I/I_I_2.htm

In life we discriminate between two things: the real and the false. We think more of the real and less of the false. We discriminate between imitation gold and real gold; we pay more for the real gold because it is more lasting. The two samples of gold may be equally bright; hence it is evident that the value we attach to things is in proportion to their lasting power. Similarly, if we could see what things in life are lasting or passing, we should discriminate between real loss and false loss, real gain and false gain. The gain or loss which is momentary is not real. So, too, joy or sorrow is a momentary state; the joy over a gain today may tomorrow prove to be a sorrow. If we knew the realities, we should never grieve over the loss of things which experience shows to be only of a transient character. ... For every gain, however, there is a need for sacrifice. To gain anything we have to sacrifice something; to pursue two gains is to lose both. Therefore it is necessary to decide once and for all what is false, and then to follow the real and leave the false. If there is such a thing as saintly renunciation, it is renouncing small gains for better gains; not for no gains, but seeing with open eyes what is better and what is inferior. Even if the choice has to lie between two momentary gains, one of these would always be found to be more real and lasting; that is the one that should be followed for the time. When we take the torch of wisdom to show us our path through life, we will end by realizing what is really profitable in life and what is not.

No difficulty can ever shake those who aspire for the well-being of others. A small example: Once, Buddha encountered the demon of jealousy, which said "Buddha, I am going to swallow you." Buddha flashed a smile at the demon and said, "O the demon of jealousy, I love you too." On listening to the loving words of Buddha, the demon immediately turned into a dove that symbolizes love and peace and flew away.

Main Teachings:
The purpose of life is God realization.
What stands between you and God are the impurities of Maya, Karma and Ego. Maya is the attraction to the world of senses. Karma is the result of the past life in the present. Ego is your “I” and “mine” concepts.
Methods to accomplish God realization:
Selfless Service
Meditation

Drink deeply of the Life that presents itself to you. Let no missed opportunity ever haunt you. Let no regrets ever steal your sleep at night. Trust in the magnificence of the mysterious path upon which you find yourself, and move forward courageously into the Great Unknown.

Every word you speak has immense power, because it is a thought in action.
There is invincible power in every word that you speak! You are a human being filled with unlimited possibilities, and the words you speak can either build a jail around you where you see only limitations, or they can set you free to live your life without any limitations. Listen to the words that you speak and you will find every every limitation you have ever experienced revealed to you. Change your words and your life will change.

-- Rhonda Byrne from "The Secret"

FILL YOUR IMAGINATION UP WITH SOME SMART OPTIMISM
Positive Psychology Is the new Frontier, by Martin Seligman
http://bit.ly/4ELwdY

"Ultimately what we're touching is the invisible, all-pervasive Intelligence
that surrounds us and penetrates us. It is grooming us to be able to
tolerate its splendor. It can't just reveal itself openly because we would
be forfeited; we'd never know what hit us."

- Terence McKenna

"There is a great insight which our culture is deliberately designed to
suppress, distort, and ignore: that Nature is a minded entity; that Nature
is not simply the random flight of atoms through electro-magnetic fields;
that Nature is not the empty, despiritualized lumpen matter that we
inherit from modern physics. But it is instead a kind of intelligence, a kind
of mind."

- Terence McKenna

Man's selfishness shows itself in wanting to get the better of his fellow man. If we developed humanity we should do differently. We should be satisfied with a slice of bread if there were another in need, but as it is, it happens that even when we are fed ourselves, we do not wish anyone else to share the food. The human heart can only be really satisfied by knowing that the other person is happy. True pleasure lies in the sharing of joy with another. From the day that we realize this we begin to act as human beings.

A gain or a loss which is momentary is not real; if we knew realities we should never grieve over the loss of anything that experience shows to be only transitory.

Bowl of Saki, by Hazrat Inayat Khan

Man likes complexity. He does not want to take only one step; it is more interesting to look forward to millions of steps. The man who is seeking the truth gets into a maze, and that maze interests him. He wants to go through it a thousand times more. It is just like children. Their whole interest is in running about; they do not want to see the door and go in until they are very tired. So it is with grown-up people. They all say that they are seeking truth, but they like the maze. That is why the mystics made the greatest truths a mystery, to be given only to the few who were ready for them, letting the others play because it was the time for them to play. What holds man back? It is his love of complexity. Life makes for man a puzzle, and like a child he enjoys the puzzle. Truth is too simple for him; he attaches importance to what he cannot understand. If he is told that there is a sacred mountain a thousand miles away he will walk to it. In the ancient days the people were told that if they walked in a circle round the temple a hundred times they would gain much, and they went and felt they had made a pilgrimage. Such is human nature. Man longs for truth, he searches for truth, and yet he wants to escape from truth. Man wants mystery. He wants something that can be put into words. So long as the seeker has that desire he will remain in a puzzle, but for the one who wishes to come out, the door is open. The heart of man is the abode of God. Christ said, 'Seek ye first the kingdom of heaven, and all these things shall be added unto you'.... Man has accustomed himself to think of things that are far from truth. Even in religion as well as in everyday life he is continually denying truth, and so he wanders far away because he becomes accustomed to everything but truth.

More information...to help you decide on what to eat
please look at the suffering that happens with meat consumption
there is such a variety of things to eat that do not require this kind of brutal treatment

Don't be upset with me...I do not take part in this...I am just the messenger
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VIjanhKqVC4

He who has spent has used; he who has collected has lost; but he who has given has saved his treasure forever.

The tendency to doubt, to be depressed, the tendency towards fear, suspicion and confusion, the tendency to puzzle -- where does it all come from? It all comes from the thought of getting something in return: 'will another give me back what I have given him? Shall I get the just portion back, or less?' if that is the thought behind one's acts there will be fear, doubt, suspicion, puzzle and confusion. For what is doubt? Doubt is a cloud that stands before the sun, keeping it from shining its light. So is doubt: gathering around the soul it keeps its light from shining out, and man becomes confused and perplexed. Once selflessness is developed, it breaks through the cloud saying, 'What do I care whether anyone appreciates it; I only know to give my service, and that is all my satisfaction. I do not look forward to get it back. I have given and it is finished; this is where my duty ends.' That person is blessed, because he has conquered, he has won. Then it is lack of knowledge of the divine justice when man doubts whether he will get his just portion, or whether the other will get the best of him. If he looked up and saw the perfect Judge, God Himself, whose justice is so great that in the end the portions are made equal and even -- there is only a question about the beginning, not about the end -- if only he saw the justice of God, he would become brave, he would trust and not trouble about a return. God is responsible for returning a thousandfold what man has ever given.

The man that inspired the hydrogen movement

The man that inspired the hydrogen movement
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=__gHPblNumM

Australia's first Hydrogen race car-
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U7_QYTAi1-E

Honda's Hydrogen car design-
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Qdsp2lYBxLk

Jack Nicholson showcases renewable Hydrogen over 30 years ago
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EaRJQz02bY0

In this time of Nobel Peace prizes we are reflecting on whether man can achieve the maturity that is necessary to build the foundations for lasting peace. It is therefore appropriate and inspiring to read of an American woman who embodied the quest peace for peace and pursued it as a true sannyasi. She lived a life of wandering and teaching for the purpose of focusing attention on cultivating personal peace as the basis for a more lasting societal and world peace.
You can check out several interesting books, a few videos of the Peace Pilgrim's talks (notably an hour long one to a college class) and a website with an ongoing mission to continue her vision.

(www.peacepilgrim.org)

The exact New Moon occurs on Friday, Jan 15, at 2:12 AM, EST
in the energetics of" “The Arousing Force”."

"Makar Sankranti is the day when the glorious Sun-God begins its ascendancy and entry into the Northern Hemisphere. Sun - the manifest God, who symbolizes, the one, non-dual, self-effulgent, glorious divinity blessing one & all tirelessly. Sun is the one who transcends time and also the one who rotates the proverbial Wheel of Time. Sun not only represents God but also stands for an embodiment of knowledge & wisdom. Just as the sun embarks on his northward journey, Sankranthi is the day on which the intellect should be turned towards the Atma for Self-realisation, and it is time when the inward journey towards a pure heart should be made.
Sankranthi, signifying light, also gives the message of intellectual illumination. It is the capacity to discriminate between the right and the wrong, the just and the unjust, truth and falsehood, virtue and vice. It is this discriminative wisdom - Viveka - which leads the individual on the path of human evolution and human happiness. Mere dry reasoning power devoid of this insight will be like the charging of a wild horse without the stirrup and the rider.
The Uttarayana punyakala or the Makara Sankranthi is a holy occasion to pray to the Lord : Asatho maa sath Gamaya (lead me from unreal to real); Tamaso maa jyothi Gamaya (lead me from darkness into the Light); Murthyor maa Amritham Gamaya(Lead me from death to Immortality). When the sun moves northward that is God-ward, the Intelligence too must pursue Godward. That is the significance of Uttarayana.
The Sankranthi festival should be regarded as the day on which man turns his vision towards God. Man's life may be compared to a stalk of sugarcane. Like the cane, which is hard and has many knots, life is full of difficulties. But these difficulties have to be over come to enjoy the bliss of the Divine, just as the sugarcane has to be crushed and its juice converted to Jaggery to enjoy the permanent sweetness of Jaggery. Enduring bliss can be got only by over-coming the trials and tribulations.
Thus Sankranthi is intended to bring about various changes in man's attitude, so that he may sanctify his life. It is a festival for the entire mankind. Its message has a meaning for every one in the world. It has a message for people of all castes, creeds and countries." ~ Bhagawan Sri Sri Sri Viswayogi Viswamjee

Every blow in life pierces the heart and awakens our feelings to sympathize with others; and every swing of comfort lulls us to sleep, and we become unaware of all.

Bowl of Saki, by Hazrat Inayat Khan

Nikola Tesla - Forgotten Wizard - HAARP
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jBrneA-wQGA&feature=related

In India, a certain class of religious ascetics renounce everything. They are called sannyasins. A sannyasin, in the strictest sense of the term, is always a free soul. Like a river, he is always on the move. Sometimes he spends the night at a burning ghat, sometimes he sleeps in the palace of the king, sometimes he rests at a railway station but he is always happy. Such a sannyasin was Swami Vivekananda whom we now find living at a railway station in Rajasthan. People kept coming to him all day long. They had many questions, mostly religious, and Swamiji was tireless in answering them. Three days and three nights passed in this manner. Swamiji was so engrossed in talking about spiritual matters that he did not even stop to eat. The people who flocked to him also did not think of asking him if he had any food to eat!

On the third night of his stay there, when the visitors had all left, a poor man came forward and said to him lovingly, `Swamiji, I have noticed that for three days you have been talking and talking. You have not taken even a drop of water! This has pained me very much.'

Swamiji felt that God had appeared before him in the form of this poor man. He looked at him and said, `Will you please give me something to eat?' The man was a cobbler by profession, so he said with some hesitation, `Swamiji, my heart yearns to give you some bread, but how can I? I have touched it. If you permit, I will bring you some coarse flour and dal and you can prepare them as you please!'
Swamiji said, `No, my child; give me the bread you have baked. I shall be happy to eat it.' The poor man was frightened at first. He feared the king might punish him if he came to know that he, a low caste person, had prepared food for a sannyasin, the very highest caste. But the eagerness to serve a monk overpowered his fear. He hurriedly went back home and soon returned with bread freshly baked for Swamiji. The kindness and unselfish love of this penurious man brought tears to Swamiji's eyes. How many persons like this live in the huts of our country unnoticed, he thought. They are materially poor and of so-called humble origin, yet they are so noble and large-hearted.

In the meantime, some gentlemen found that Swamiji was eating food offered by a shoemaker and were annoyed. They came to Swamiji and told him that it was improper for him to accept food from a man of low birth. Swamiji patiently heard them and then said, `You people made me talk without respite for the past three days, but you did not even care to inquire if I had taken any food and rest. You claim you are gentlemen and boast of your high caste; what is more shameful, you condemn this man for being of a low caste. Can you overlook the humanity he has just shown and despise him without feeling ashamed?'

To get the company and love of holy persons, it is better to serve them than to ask for things.

"Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. It is not rude, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres. Love never fails. And now these three remain: faith, hope and love. But the greatest of these is love." - Excerpts from Christian New Testament, 1 Corinthians 13:4-13

On coming to earth, man, who is the instrument of God, loses connection with that divine power whose instrument he is, thus keeping not only himself but even God from helping His will to be done. When man, who is born to be the instrument of God, does not perform his mission properly he naturally feels dissatisfied. It does not mean that he does not accomplish what he desires, but it is the reason why he is unhappy. ... Spiritual knowledge does not lie in learning something, but in discovering something; in breaking the fetters of the false consciousness and in allowing the soul to unfold itself with light and power. What does the word 'spiritual' really mean? Spiritual means spirit-conscious. When a person is conscious of his body, he cannot be spiritual. It is like a king who does not know his kingship. ... If man does not realize the kingdom of God within himself nor realize his spirit to be a king, he does not accomplish the purpose of life.

To attain peace, what one has to do is to seek that rhythm which is in the depth of our being. It is just like the sea: the surface of the sea is ever moving; the depth of the sea is still. And so it is with our life. If our life is thrown into the sea of activity, it is on the surface. We still live in the profound depths, in that peace. But the thing is to become conscious of that peace which can be found within ourselves. It is this which can bring us the answer to all our problems. If not, when we want to solve one problem, there is another difficult problem coming. There is no end to our problems. There is no end to the difficulties of the outer life. And if we get excited over them, we shall never be able to solve them. Some think, 'We might wait. Perhaps the conditions will become better. We shall see then what to do.' But when will the conditions become better? They will become still worse! Whether the conditions become better or worse, the first thing is to seek the kingdom of God within ourselves, in which there is our peace. As soon as we have found that, we have found our support, we have found our self. And in spite of all the activity and movement on the surface, we shall be able to keep that peace undisturbed if only we hold it fast by becoming conscious of it.

The sea of life is in constant motion, no one can stop its ever-moving waves. The Master walks over the waves, the wise man swims in the water, but the ignorant man is drowned in his effort to cross.

Bowl of Saki, by Hazrat Inayat Khan

GENEROSITY IS COOL, HIP, AND AWESOME
Survival of the Kindest
Researchers challenge the idea that human beings are wired to be selfish.
"As Darwin long ago surmised, sympathy is our strongest instinct."
http://bit.ly/7DCfZo

NO, THE SCIENTISTS DON'T HAVE EVERYTHING FIGURED OUT YET
The Mysterious Hexagram on Saturn
http://bit.ly/5frecl
http://bit.ly/5tW93l

PEOPLE UNKNOWN TO YOU ARE WORKING BEHIND THE SCENES TO
CREATE A BETTER WORLD
12 Deadly Diseases Cured in the 20th Century
http://bit.ly/4P63iY

"Do you remember the song you sang on the last day of your childhood?
What ignorance do you deserve to be forgiven for? How might you
express gratitude for your most interesting problem? What could you do
to you love your body better?"

*PRONOIA Is the Antidote for Paranoia*

"In the instant of simply opening you experience that whatever you were struggling with is no longer there. True openness reveals that the struggle -- the problem, the bogeyman, the wound -- is actually nonexistent. The story is not transformed by openness; it is revealed to be actually nonexistent. The only thing that holds the story in place is the resistance to opening. What remains, when what was feared or fought with disappears, is the openness of existence itself -- the truth in the center of your own heart."

~ by Gangaji.

http://www.kumbamela.org/

Man's greatest privilege is to become a suitable instrument of God, and until he knows this he has not realized his true purpose in life. The whole tragedy in the life of man is his ignorance of this fact. From the moment a man realizes this he lives the real life, the life of harmony between God and man. When Jesus Christ said, 'Seek ye first the kingdom of God,' this teaching was an answer to the cry of humanity: some crying, 'I have no wealth,' others crying, 'I have no rest,' others crying, 'My situation in life is difficult,' My friends are troubling me,' or, 'I want a position, wealth.' The answer to them all is, 'Seek ye first the kingdom of God, and all these things shall be added unto you.'

"In this new year I am a new person. And I shall change my consciousness again & again until I have driven away all the darkness of ignorance & manifested the shining light of Spirit in whose image I AM made." ~ Yogananda

Eclipses always mean crisis. Now, crisis is not necessarily a bad thing; however, wherever an eclipse falls in your chart is an area of life that is going to undergo some change, or at least require more of your time and attention than usual for the next five months or so.

During a Lunar Eclipse, the Earth gets between the Sun and the Moon, casting its shadow on the Moon. Solar eclipses occur during New Moons, and Lunar Eclipses occur during Full Moons. The eclipse of the Moon, when the light of the Moon mysteriously darkens at the luminous height of a Full Moon, has traditionally been viewed as a bad omen. It can awaken distinctly irrational responses. Since the Moon governs domestic matters, the public and the emotional personality, rather than leadership, it tends to have a more personal effect than the solar eclipse, which plays a more outward, even political, role.

As a rule, women and family are generally more affected by the lunar cycle, whereas men and politics are signified by the solar. This is not to say that women are not political animals, nor that men are distinct from the family, but that the private, nurturing side is more affected than the public, social and media driven arena, which even in the 21st Century is still primarily dominated by males, or at least by what might be described as masculine energies.

YOU HAVE NO IDEA HOW LUCKY YOU ARE
About once a month, a miracle will happen to you
http://bit.ly/7IbwE0

YOU HAVE NO IDEA HOW AMAZING YOU ARE
Do you have any idea how many millions of years of amazing events it
took to create you?
http://wimp.com/bigbang/
http://bit.ly/8eDv0T

YOU HAVE NO IDEA HOW POWERFUL YOU ARE
How the brain got liberated
http://bit.ly/6f9lzn