Thought for the day the Friday 28 of December 2007

"Meditation is an activity which places us at the frontier between two worlds, one above us and the other below. From this intermediary region in which we find ourselves, we set elements, forces and entities in motion by means of our thoughts.
Those who meditate, therefore, are not passive but active: with their thoughts they can either build or destroy, organize things or disrupt them, and if they are not enlightened or intelligent they obviously disrupt more than they organize. Whether they know it or not, they are physically, chemically, moving forces and elements either for good or ill, either to build or destroy. So pay attention to the state you are in when you decide to meditate: always strive to give a luminous purpose to your work with thought."

Omraam Mikhaël Aïvanhov

WORD FOR THE DAY
Friday, Dec. 28

You cannot be too gentle, too kind.

Shun even to appear harsh in your

treatment of each other. Joy, radiant joy,

streams from the face of one who gives

and kindles joy in the heart of one who

 receives.

St. Seraphim of Sarov

Thought for the day Monday 24 of December 2007

"It is the philosophy of Jesus, transmitted by Christianity, which has allowed the sentiment of brotherhood to develop in the western world. But the situation is far from ideal. Not only has the Church too often sided with the powerful, but in all the dogma, all the ecclesiastical hierarchy and ceremonial pomp, do you think Jesus would be able to recognize himself?
Imagine that he came to earth one Christmas Eve… He would visit magnificently ornate churches where he would see the entire clergy decked out in precious ornaments, celebrating the birth of a tiny, half-naked child before a crowd of people waiting for mass to end so they could go and eat, drink and enjoy themselves. He would then go out into the streets where he would come upon numbers of men and women who were cold and hungry. So I simply ask the question: would Jesus recognize himself in this Christianity? Is this what he came for?"

Omraam Mikhaël Aïvanhov

WORD FOR THE DAY
Monday, Dec. 24

Gratitude is not only the greatest

of virtues, but the parent of all others.

Marcus Tullius Cicero

Thought for the day the Friday 21 of December 2007

"Winter begins as the sun enters the constellation of Capricorn. Symbolically, Capricorn is linked to the summits, to rocky peaks, but also to deep caverns, to grottos that open into the bowels of the earth. It is in the belly that a woman carries and forms her child, and it is also in the belly, in the hara centre, that the Christ-child is formed within us.
During the rest of the year, nature is intensely active, but with the approach of winter much of this work stops. The days grow shorter, the nights longer; it is a time to meditate and gather one's thoughts. As all of nature retreats, it allows us to penetrate the depths of our being and find the conditions for the birth of the divine Child."

Omraam Mikhaël Aïvanhov

WORD FOR THE DAY
Friday, Dec. 21

Every loss in life I consider as the

throwing off of an old garment in

order to put on a new one; and the

new garment has always been

better than the old one.

Hazrat Inayat Khan
Gayan

Thought for the day the Thursday 20 of December 2007

"The veil of Isis, as it is traditionally known, represents the mysteries of living nature which initiates alone can penetrate. And because human beings are part of nature, they too are enveloped in a veil, which is why it is so difficult for them to know themselves and to know others. If they are to have true knowledge, they are required to rise to the sublime regions of the spirit. When they cease to see themselves and others through the distorting glass of their opaque bodies, they will at last be able to know themselves as they exist in the sublime regions.
Buried in these layers of matter lives a spirit, a spark, an indescribable, all-knowing, all-powerful being. Those who through asceticism, prayer and sacrifice obey the demands of the spirit see Isis appear before them, unveiled."

Omraam Mikhaël Aïvanhov

WORD FOR THE DAY
Thursday, Dec. 20

God is not attained by a

process of addition to

anything in the soul, but

by a process of subtraction.

Meister Eckhart

Thought for the day the Wednesday 19 of December 2007

"What we call silence in the spiritual life is not a mute, voiceless world. This is why the sages of the East speak of ‘the voice of silence’, and this is the voice they strive to hear. For those who know how to listen, true silence has a voice: it is the expression of life, the plenitude of divine life.
The voice of silence is the voice of God, and we can hear it in ourselves only when we succeed in calming all our inner agitations: our rebellions, fears and lusts… This voice of God is one with the voice of our higher nature, which can only speak when all our passions have been silenced."

Omraam Mikhaël Aïvanhov

WORD FOR THE DAY
Wednesday, Dec. 19

Rings and jewels are not gifts,

but apologies for gifts.

The only true gift is a portion of

thyself.

Ralph Waldo Emerson

Thought for the day the Tuesday 18 of December 2007

"Do you want people to be pleased to see you and to spend time with you? Instead of inflicting your sorrows, worries and ill-humour on others, think how you can bring them joy. People who contaminate the atmosphere with their complaints and recriminations are shunned by others, and, what is worse, they poison their own lives.
Sadness is a black smoke that invades the soul and eventually casts its shadow over the entire face. In the end, it even disturbs the proper functioning of the organism and clouds the intelligence. You will say that good humour and cheerfulness are often a question of temperament, which is difficult to change. This is true, but, by means of thought, by means of love and will-power, you can succeed in doing so. In order to bring happiness to others, you must first of all fill your own heart with love. Call on love with all your strength, and not only will you be happy, but the happiness you give will return to you magnified. "

Omraam Mikhaël Aïvanhov

WORD FOR THE DAY
Tuesday, Dec. 18

No one is as capable of

gratitude as one who has

emerged from the kingdom

of night.

Elie Wiesel

Omraam Mikhaël Aïvanhov

WORD FOR THE DAY
Monday, Dec. 10

The gardener uses both roses in the

flowerbed and thorns in making fences.

Hazrat Inayat Khan
Gayan

Thought for the day the Tuesday 4 of December 2007

"Jesus said: ‘Unless a grain of wheat falls into the earth and dies, it remains just a single grain; but if it dies, it bears much fruit.’
In the spiritual life, to die means to renounce our limited, human self so that the Lord may come to reign in us. Our wish is to disappear, but only on one condition: that the Lord will take our place. If we are really insistent and call on him with the full force of our love, he is obliged to give in, because we are using powers that are the same in nature as his: the powers of love. He cannot say: ‘I’ll think about it. I’ll examine his past to see how he’s lived and whether he deserves to have his wish granted.’ There is no longer any past; there is no longer anything. In the face of such a desire, everything else is erased. There is only the decision and the wish we have made today: to live the life of God and bear fruit. "

Omraam Mikhaël Aïvanhov

WORD FOR THE DAY
Tuesday, Dec. 4

Happiness makes up in height for

what it lacks in length.

Robert Frost

Thought for the day the 2nd of December 2007

"However important your other affairs or activities may be, never forget that what is essential for your future is your work with thought. Thanks to this, every day you will move closer and closer to the ideal you aspire to. Every day, through your prayers and meditations, you will add another element to the edifice: a brick, a slab of concrete, a little cement, a plank, a nail…
What happiness to feel you are doing something, that you are advancing! Besides, you cannot be sure to feel as happy when you see your building completed. Yes, you may feel as if something is missing when it is finished! Men and women find happiness when they achieve something, but much more so in the work, in activity, in hope, in the thought that there is always something more to discover and accomplish."

Omraam Mikhaël Aïvanhov

WORD FOR THE DAY
Sunday, Dec. 2

The universe is full of magical things patiently waiting for

our wits to grow sharper.

Eden Phillpotts

WORD FOR THE DAY
Sunday, Dec. 2

The universe is full of magical things patiently waiting for

our wits to grow sharper.

Eden Phillpotts