Thought for the day Saturday 28th of February 2009

"With the food we take in each day, we are building our physical body, a body that must become the temple for the spirit. If the matter we absorb and use for this construction is not pure, it does not allow the spirit to enter us.
Those who eat meat, for example, must understand that all the animal cells they absorb are the building blocks for their body, and when they wish to carry out noble, generous deeds, these cells refuse to participate. The instinctive impulses that belong to the animal kingdom (fear, greed, cruelty, and so on) enter humans with the meat they eat, and when people want to develop their higher Self they encounter difficulties, because the animal cells do not conform to their ideal: these cells have a will of their own that conflicts with theirs and opposes the building of their inner, spiritual temple."

Omraam Mikhaël Aïvanhov

WORD FOR THE DAY
Friday, Feb. 27

The next message you need

is always right where you are.

Ram Dass

Thought for the day Friday 27th of February 2009

"It is said that before he created the world, God began by establishing its boundaries. And everything that exists merely confirms the need we have of them. A cell is surrounded by a membrane, the brain is enclosed in the skull, and so on. And what is the function of the skin? It serves as a boundary. You will find that everything you look at around you is a reflection of the circle mentioned in Proverbs that God drew as the boundary for his creation. If a perfume is not sealed in a bottle, it evaporates. If you want to build a house, you have first to determine its boundaries: without walls, where would the house be?
The same applies to the spiritual plane. There, also, boundaries are necessary. Before inviting luminous spirits to a spiritual work, mages surround themselves with a circle; they set the boundaries of the territory within which they are going to act. As for disciples, they must learn to draw a circle of light around themselves every day, if only in thought. In the absence of this circle, their spiritual energies dissipate, and they are no longer protected."

Omraam Mikhaël Aïvanhov

Thought for the day Thursday 26th of February 2009

"The intellect is not intelligence; you must learn to distinguish between the two. The intellect is an instrument given to humans to deal with the physical plane, to resolve the problems of ordinary life, to study nature and draw a few conclusions from such studies. Whereas, intelligence, in the initiatic sense of the term, is a far higher faculty: situated above the astral and mental planes, it is capable of controlling feelings, thoughts and all expressions of the psychic life.
It is this intelligence that initiates consider to be true intelligence; it is linked to the world of superconsciousness, which is the divine world. All those beings who have learned to work, to control their thoughts and feelings, and to link themselves to the higher regions in order to have exchanges, have been capable of sublime achievements. It is they who have allowed humanity to make real progress."

Omraam Mikhaël Aïvanhov

WORD FOR THE DAY
Thursday, Feb. 26

Whenever feeling downcast,

each person should vitally

remember, "For my sake,

the entire world was created."

Baal Shem Tov

Thought for the day Wednesday 25th of February 2009

"Humans have all kinds of faults, it’s true; they are often narrow-minded, nasty, jealous, ungrateful and so on. This observation is entirely correct, but why dwell on their faults as if that were all there was?
You must keep your eyes open, of course, so people do not take advantage of you; that’s very important, but understand it is only half your task. If, in your relationships with others, you constantly adopt a suspicious, critical attitude towards them, not only will they no longer show you their good qualities, which they also have – don’t ever forget that – they will also try to get their revenge. On the other hand, if you show them you have seen their qualities and you are relying on them, there is a chance you may bring them to manifest these qualities, and some, at least, will do their utmost not to let you down."

Omraam Mikhaël Aïvanhov

WORD FOR THE DAY
Tuesday, Feb. 24

Those who contemplate the

beauty of the earth find reserves

of strength that will endure as

long as life lasts.

Rachel Carson

Thought for the day Tuesday 24th of February 2009

"The workings of the human psyche can be compared to how a radio works. You turn your radio on, and you can choose whether you listen to music, drama or news, but sometimes, before you find the right station, you’re subjected to quite a cacophony. Well, it’s the same with your inner world: there too you have the choice of which programme you wish to hear, but occasionally, either through carelessness or ill-will, you press the wrong button, and then what a din, what a row! Correct your mistake immediately. Through thought and imagination you can pick up wavelengths that will allow you to hear the voices of heaven: the voices of peace and harmony.
What does it mean to pray? It means finding the wavelength in ourselves that will put us in touch with the heavenly entities, with the Lord, and these entities will let us participate in the orderly, harmonious movement of their existence. To pray is to release a divine vibration within ourselves."

Omraam Mikhaël Aïvanhov

Thought for the day Monday 23rd of February 2009

"During the summer period, when the sun gives out the most light and warmth, we put on very few clothes. In winter, on the other hand, when the sun is scarce, it is darker and colder, and so we must wear more.
These natural phenomena have parallels in the psychic life. The further we distance ourselves from the divine sun, from the source of warmth and light, in other words, of love and wisdom, the colder we become, and then we are forced to sport all sorts of garments to make up for our misery or disguise it. On the other hand, when we begin to draw nearer to the divine Source through having lived a pure and luminous life, we discard all useless layers. Summer and winter: we must interpret the meaning of these seasons of our psychic life, so we can learn how to live them."

Omraam Mikhaël Aïvanhov

WORD FOR THE DAY
Monday, Feb. 23

Courage and perseverance

have a magical talisman,

before which difficulties

disappear and obstacles

vanish into air.

John Quincy Adams

Thought for the day Saturday 21st of February 2009

"I have no complaints about the studies and observations scientists make concerning nature. But where they are often mistaken is in the conclusions they draw from these observations. From one particular point they all too often draw conclusions about all manifestations of life. But even if their conclusions are actually right in some cases, they are not necessarily so in all.
How many, for example, still claim there is no life on other planets or in other regions of space, just because there is no water or there are not certain other elements that make life possible on earth! As if we knew all the possibilities nature has for creating life! Nature is more intelligent than all the scientists, chemists, biologists or astrophysicists. And, most importantly, it has more imagination than they have: it has created life in places and conditions where they cannot imagine it is possible. And anyway, who can say what life really is? They know about matter, about the elements that constitute it, but life will remain a mystery for a long time yet."

Omraam Mikhaël Aïvanhov

WORD FOR THE DAY
Saturday, Feb. 21

True affluence is not needing

 anything.

Gary Snyder
Quoted on Garrison Keillor's "Writer's Almanac"

Thought for the day Friday 20th of February 2009

"Learn to give, for when you give you receive. This is a law of physics: the universe does not accept a vacuum. Moreover, there is a well-known saying: ‘Nature abhors a vacuum’, and as soon as there is a vacuum anywhere, something immediately comes to fill it. If you empty a bottle of its water, air immediately enters it, and if you manage to take the air out, more subtle matter comes to occupy the space. There is always a subtler element that comes to replace what has been taken out.
This physical law also applies on the psychic and spiritual planes.
So, if you empty your inner reservoirs by giving your love and good wishes to all creatures, a subtler element immediately arrives from the divine world to replenish you."

Omraam Mikhaël Aïvanhov

WORD FOR THE DAY
Friday, Feb. 20

Not knowing when the

dawn will come, I open

every door.

Emily Dickinson

Thought for the day Thursday 19th of February 2009

"Certain artistic creations, though considered masterpieces, detain humans in the twilight regions of the astral plane. They do not, therefore, help them to see clearly where they are, they do not make them better people and they even prevent them from evolving. Of course, no one can deny these astral regions are very seductive, but those who linger there become their prisoners. In The Odyssey, Homer recounts how Ulysses, while sailing off the island of the Sirens, stopped up his companions’ ears with wax, so they wouldn’t let themselves be seduced by the women with melodious voices, who would have diverted them from their route so as to devour them. The Sirens are one of many symbols for entities of the astral plane that are certainly very seductive, but humans must try by every means to escape them.
Like Ulysses, a true teacher who knows the realities of the psychic world attempts to warn his or her disciples against the traps of the astral world and leads them further and higher, so they can discover the only realities worth discovering: the splendours of the divine world."

Omraam Mikhaël Aïvanhov

WORD FOR THE DAY
Wednesday, Feb. 18

Great compassion is the root

of all forms of worship.

His Holiness the Dalai Lama

Thought for the day Wednesday 18th of February 2009

"Unlike achievements on the physical plane, which are clearly visible and tangible, what you achieve in the spiritual domain is not visible, even to you. What can happen then is that, with nothing to show for your work, you become assailed by doubts and want to abandon spiritual practice in order to devote time solely to an activity with obvious visible results. Do as you wish, but one day, even in the midst of great success, you will feel there’s something missing inside. This is normal, for you have still not touched what is essential, you still have nothing planted in the realm of light, wisdom, love and eternity.
Only your inner achievements can fulfil you, because they alone have roots within you. And when you leave the earth, your heart, soul and spirit will have precious stones to take with them: the qualities and virtues you have worked to develop. And your name will be written in the book of eternal life."

Omraam Mikhaël Aïvanhov

WORD FOR THE DAY
Tuesday, Feb. 17

In the end we will conserve

only what we love. We will

love only what we understand.

We will understand only what

we are taught.

Baba Dioum, Senegalese

conservationist (b. 1937)

Thought for the day Monday 16th of February 2009

"Prayer is not simply the act of addressing some entity or another in order to ask for health, success or a fine marriage. When we pray, we reconnect with the supreme Being, the Creator of heaven and earth. If you learn how to relate to this Being, which is eternity and infinity, you attract elements from the higher worlds, and then it will not just be a few physical, material conditions of your life that change but your deepest Self.
True prayer is contact with the sublime regions. Succeed in capturing just one element from these regions, and suddenly everything is different: you feel this element vibrating within you, purifying you, enlightening you, bringing back harmony to your whole being. And this beneficial state acts upon all those around you: they are influenced, because from you they receive something of this precious element."

Omraam Mikhaël Aïvanhov

WORD FOR THE DAY
Monday, Feb. 16

Just as parents care for their

children, you should bear in

mind the whole universe.

Zen Master Dogen