Thought for the day Wednesday 30 of April 2008

"In contrast to a tree, whose activity is periodic, the water of a river never stops flowing, even though it’s not always the same water. The fact that there are exceptions, trees that never lose their leaves or rivers that dry up or overflow and change their course, is another matter; I’m taking the tree and river as general symbols of our inner states. Symbolically, the tree represents certain processes, and the river represents others.
Let’s take the example of love. At some time in their life, all human beings get close to other human beings. That’s what’s called love, and thanks to this love they produce flowers and fruit. And then what happens? More often than not, they grow apart, they reject each other and become like bare, barren trees, which must wait for another springtime – another love – before they can become green once more and flower and bear fruit. But that is how ordinary people experience love. In evolved beings, such as initiates, the love that’s expressed is like a river that never runs dry, and at this river all the creatures that live on its banks quench their thirst."

Omraam Mikhaël Aïvanhov

WORD FOR THE DAY
Wednesday, Apr. 30

Happiness is not what

makes us grateful.

It is gratefulness that

makes us happy.

David Steindl-Rast
A Listening Heart

Thought for the day Tuesday 29th of April 2008

"Spiritualists must not despise matter but must descend into it to give it life and organize it. And by ‘matter’ we should also mean the physical body. If we neglect it, under the pretext of devoting ourselves to the nobler functions of the mind and spirit, these functions will also eventually decline.
We mustn’t leave our physical body in the same state as an abandoned house that ends up being used for shelter by insects and nocturnal birds. On the contrary, its owner must take the time to clean it, maintain it and give it life. When we descend into matter with this intention, it is never a fall. But we must know precisely how to distinguish between a descent and a fall. To descend into matter is one thing, to fall into it another. We must descend into matter with the aim of animating and enlightening it, so that we make our body the dwelling place of the living God."

Omraam Mikhaël Aïvanhov

WORD FOR THE DAY
Tuesday, Apr. 29

It is never too late to

become what you might

have been.

George Eliot

Thought for the day Monday 28th of April 2008

"Wars are breaking out one after another in various places on the planet. And everyone laments the fact and asks why these wars exist. But it is simply because humans do not know how to take advantage of the good conditions peace offers them. It requires a great science to find the best ways for humans to occupy themselves during peacetime. But the truth is, humans are continually at war even during peacetime: they do nothing but confront each other in all realms of life. Politics, business, finance, religion and also family life are all areas of conflict, real battlefields. It’s hardly surprising then if armed conflict is breaking out just about everywhere, bringing so much suffering in its wake! And then everyone begs the Lord to stop these wars and restore peace. But tell me, what has all this got to do with the Lord? It’s human beings who should be asked to find the means within themselves to establish peace."

Omraam Mikhaël Aïvanhov

WORD FOR THE DAY
Monday, Apr. 28

A desire to kneel down

sometimes pulses through

my body, or rather it is as

if my body has been meant

and made for the act of

kneeling. Sometimes, in

moments of deep gratitude,

kneeling down becomes an

overwhelming urge, head

deeply bowed, hands

before my face.

Etty Hillesum
An Interrupted Life

Thought for the day 27th of April 2008

"Once you begin to study a spiritual teaching seriously, to pray and to meditate, you see reality in a totally different light, for you gain a sense of perspective. Not only are you less obsessed with the weaknesses and limitations of others but you also begin to discover qualities in them you had never noticed before.
Paradise doesn’t exist on earth; you will find imperfect humans and reasons to complain wherever you go, even in the best of places. Of course, if that is all you want to see, there will always be something to annoy you and make you suffer. Yes, but what makes human beings human is their capacity not to be dependent on conditions. Their inner life is a space they can constantly develop."

Omraam Mikhaël Aïvanhov

WORD FOR THE DAY
Sunday, Apr. 27

Take care of yourself —

you never know when

the world will need you.

Rabbi Hillel

Thought for the day Saturday 26th of April 2008

"Since we have come to the earth, we must submit to its laws and try to discover the best ways to express ourselves. No one can escape the earth’s laws.
‘What about very evolved beings, the initiates and great masters?’ you will ask. They can’t escape either. They arrive permeated with the fragrance of heaven, but the earth is a totally different world. Above, on the subtle planes, matter is obedient and malleable, subject to the slightest thoughts, the slightest desires. But the matter we live in here offers the greatest resistance. By making us come to earth, where we will always have difficulties to overcome, cosmic Intelligence has given our spirit the opportunity to flourish here in matter. For obstacles and ordeals are also forms of matter."

Omraam Mikhaël Aïvanhov

WORD FOR THE DAY
Saturday, Apr. 26

Behind every shadow

of life is the great light

of God.

Paramahansa Yogananda

Thought for the day Friday 25 of April 2008

"Nothing in the world has greater significance than the encounter between the masculine and feminine principles. Neither men nor women can doubt that the two principles they represent are powerful agents or that they themselves influence one another in their desire to create. But what they don’t know is what attitude to have, how to look on each other in a way that allows them to live in harmony, beauty and plenitude, instead of constantly provoking disorder, disillusionment and tragedy.
The entire universe is in motion thanks to the forces released by the masculine and feminine principles when they are in each other’s presence. When properly orientated, these forces are capable of projecting luminous beams so powerful they are able to produce phenomena of cosmic importance."

Omraam Mikhaël Aïvanhov

WORD FOR THE DAY
Friday, Apr. 25

Trifles make perfection,

and perfection is no trifle.

Michelangelo

Thought for the day Thursday 24th of April 2008

"We all know about the endless struggles smokers or alcoholics go through when they wish to give up their harmful habit. Why this conflict? Because our habits are bonds we create with our own cells, which are living beings. It is very difficult to break these bonds; our cells refuse to co-operate. It is exactly like wanting to divorce a man or woman who refuses to separate. Deciding to change is a heroic undertaking.
Tobacco, alcohol and drugs are examples everyone easily understands. But it’s the same for all bad habits and inclinations. Faults and vices are entities endowed with their own will, just as illnesses are, and that is why they put up resistance."

Omraam Mikhaël Aïvanhov

WORD FOR THE DAY
Thursday, Apr. 24

Once social change begins,

it cannot be reversed.

You cannot un-educate the

person who has learned to

read. You cannot humiliate

the person who feels pride.

You cannot oppress the

people who are not afraid

anymore.

Cesar Chavez
Address to the

Commonwealth

Club in San Francisco,

Nov. 9, 1984

Thought for the day Wednesday 23rd of April 2008

"The efforts you make on the spiritual plane are never wasted. Once you have succeeded in overcoming certain weaknesses and acquiring certain qualities, it is as though you have placed new stereotypes, new imprints, within yourself, and you will return in your next incarnation with these stereotypes, since they are permanent. The new physical body you enter will also be modelled and fashioned according to the degree of perfection you have reached, for the efforts you will have made to purify your subtle bodies will even produce changes in your physical body. It will become more resistant, more capable of receiving impulses from the spiritual world and of giving concrete expression to them through all your activities. The only work that bears fruit for all eternity is that of making the body a temple of the Lord."

Omraam Mikhaël Aïvanhov

WORD FOR THE DAY
Wednesday, Apr. 23

It is a wholesome and

necessary thing for us

to turn again to the

earth and in the

contemplation of her

beauties to know of

wonder and humility.

Rachel Carson

Thought for the day Tuesday 22nd of April 2008

"Humans are so busy satisfying their physical and material needs that they no longer even sense the presence of another world within them; their soul and spirit have become foreign lands to them. Even if they’ve heard them mentioned, it means nothing to them, for the words have no meaning for them, and they wander like poor, misfortunate creatures through barren, sterile regions.
Those who wish to free themselves from this wretched situation must do everything they can to change the nature of their needs and seek the meaning of life in the subtle regions of the soul and spirit. Only when you have reached these regions will you finally live the true life. In one of his songs, the Master Peter Deunov speaks of a wondrous country where ‘rivers flow, flowers blossom, fruits ripen, birds sing in celestial harmony and all people live as brothers and sisters’. You will say this wondrous country is inaccessible. No, it is found within the human soul."

Omraam Mikhaël Aïvanhov

WORD FOR THE DAY
Tuesday, Apr. 22

If I knew for certain that I

should die next week, I

would still be able to sit at

my desk all week and study

with perfect equanimity,

for I know now that life

and death make a

meaningful whole.

Etty Hillesum
An Interrupted Life

Thought for the day Monday 21st of April 2008

"Faith and patience: if you nurture both within you in order to continue the work you have begun, you will succeed in materializing all your spiritual aspirations. Someone says, ‘But for years I’ve wished for so many things that haven’t come true!’ That’s because you don’t know how to work, or because your wishes cannot be granted yet for certain reasons.
If your wishes concern collectivity, humanity as a whole, they are obviously a lot more difficult to realize than if they concern you alone. You wish for peace in the world, but so many other people want war, and so, of course, their wish prevents yours from being realized. That is why many more people and much more time and energy are necessary when you want to work for peace in the world and for the good of all humanity, for it is an enormous, long-term enterprise. But it’s not unachievable. And it would be achieved if a large number of spiritual brotherhoods were created in the world, dedicated to this work."

Omraam Mikhaël Aïvanhov

WORD FOR THE DAY
Monday, Apr. 21

Gratefulness is the

gallantry of a heart

ready to rise to the

opportunity a given

moment offers.

David Steindl-Rast
Gratefulness, the Heart

of Prayer