Heart of the Islands Satsang

2012-03-04: True Friends

2012-03-04T13:09:00.003-08:00

On Air Quotes:

True Friends
The love of a true friend is like a flowering vine.
Once the seed of their unconditional love is planted in your heart,
All you have to do is shower it with warmth and appreciation
—it grows wildly, blossoming in your consciousness,
And making your soul shine with Love and Grace,
No matter how far away you are from each other.
~ Pranjali Upadhyay

Self Regard
The only thing of importance to me is being able to love the world, without looking down on it, without hating it and myself - being able to regard it and myself and all beings with love, admiration, and reverence.
~ Hermann Hesse

Seeing the World
A man sees in the world what he carries in his heart.
~ Johann Von Goethe

Divine Mother
The Divine Mother is so beautiful! But remember, in Her higher manifestation even that beauty is formless. She is in everything. Her divine, compassionate love is expressed in the raindrops. Her beauty is reflected in the colors of the rainbow. She offers fresh hope to mankind with the rose-tinted clouds at dawn. Above all, be ever conscious of Her presence in your heart.
~ Paramahansa Yogananda

Change
Change is inevitable. You can't avoid it. The best thing to do is accept change, learn from it, and use it to your Best advantage! Forget about the consequences of failure. Failure is only a temporary change in direction to set you straight for your next success.”
~ Denis E. Waitley

Today at Hospice
Farewell, pretty grandma, with toenails bright red
So long, smiley papa, with dolls on your bed
Bye-bye to the boy who was just thirty three
Today was a day of transitions, you see

Three quilts were retrieved from the cupboard below
Three times rooms were lit by a candle’s soft glow
Three times we processioned with families and friends
Past large sunny windows, to where the hall ends

And though we were solemn, resuming our day
We felt really great in a personal way
And smiled when reliving that moment sublime
When in walked the grandson, who made it in time
~ Kathy King

Shining Light
There is a light that shines beyond all things on Earth,
beyond us all,
beyond the heavens,
beyond the highest,
the very highest heavens.
This is the light that shines in our heart.
~ Chandogya Upanishad

Fertilize Truth
A teacher cannot give you the truth.
The truth is already in you.
You only need to open yourself – body, mind and heart
– so that his or her teachings will penetrate your own seeds of understanding and enlightenment.
If you let the words enter you,
the soil and the seeds will do the rest of the work.
~ Thich Nhat Hanh

Corrosive Emotion
Anger is an acid that can do more harm to the vessel in which it is stored than to anything on which it is poured.
~ Mark Twain

All One
Jews, Christians and Muslims!
Africans, Arabs and Turks!
Greeks, Spaniards and Italians!
Men, women and children of the world!
I'm too in love to see any difference between you.
My child's heart loves you equally
~ Hamon

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Om Mani Padme Hum - Meaning

OM, composed of three sound A, U, and M, stands for the practitioner's impure body, speech, and mind; they also symbolize the pure exalted body, speech, and mind of an enlightened person, a Buddha
MANI ( jewel) symbolizes the altruistic intention to become enlightened
PADME (lotus) a symbol of wisdom
HUM indicates indivisibility.

"Thus the six syllables, OM MANI PADME HUM, mean

that by the practice of a path which is an indivisible union

of method and wisdom, you can transform your impure

body, speech, and mind into the pure exalted body,

speech, and mind of a Buddha. "

HH the Dalai Lama

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ANNOUNCEMENTS:

Grandmothers to Grandmothers - Scrabble Tournament
in support of the Stephen Lewis Foundation

When: March 6, 7, 8 & 10
Where: March 6 & 8 at Salt Spring Inn from 2-4 pm
Where: March 7 & 10 at SS Golf Club Bar & Grill

This is a fundraiser by local Grand(m)Others to help Grandmothers in Africa who have become mothers again due to losing their children to AIDS - so now they are once again in the role of parent to help raise these babes.

The Scrabble Tournament is a lot of fun. Hope you can make it.

For Information, please contact:
Jo Ann Gainor
jogainor@shaw.ca
250-931-6830

COMMUNITY MEAL

Community Meal by Donation

Where: Salt Spring Centre of Yoga
When: 1st Sunday of each Month
Time: 5:30 pm

Enjoy wonderful organic and vegetarian meal provided on the first Sunday of each month. This is by donation. The meal is after the Centre's Satsang. Satsang runs from 3:30 - 5:00 pm every Sunday.

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Please join me next Sunday at 10:30 am for Heart of the Islands Satsang on CFSI FM 107.9. Heart of the Islands Satsang is a radio show which celebrates the Unity of Spiritual traditions through music and reflections. Listen at the time of broadcast: www.cfsi-fm.com.

Shanti,
radha

2012-02-26: In the Sway of Sea Grass

2012-02-26T13:21:00.004-08:00

Barb's Book Cover

Poetry by Barb Levy

Subdued Rhapsody in Four Directions
Over there, to the north, an Allstate tire—
relocated to Beach Rubble Terrace—
welcomes broken twigs, mismatched pebbles,
world weary foliage, and poor old relics
into its unbiased centre.
Meanwhile, deep in the south,
pockmarked crooners
stir the heron blue heart of water
until its song of concentric circles
emerges in the east, in a driftwood
yin and yang—half charred, half hollow—
chasing each other to the wild west,
land of the giant wagon wheel
turning its resplendent spokes,
ever so quietly, ever as earthly
as my dappled dreams,
turning and turning
through these tall, slim trees.
~ B. Levy from In the Sway of Sea Grass

Song of the River Stone
One day, a sylvan tree began to grow
in the badlands of my heart, its roots nourished
by the scant moisture in the dusky air.

And when it had reached its full height and breadth,
its lissom branches of romantic wishes
rustled in a fragrant breeze.

It was there, under that verdant canopy,
your eyes held mine — their warmth a haven
for my gaze so full of sadness and longing.

And I felt your fingertips brush my skin,
gently, the way the setting sun tints
the ocean’s braided tresses with soft pastels.

And later, as we lay on our mossy coverlet,
your hands streamed over my moonlit body
as if you were fresh water and I, a river stone.
~ B. Levy from In the Sway of Sea Grass

Kauai Morning

Something soothes

your eardrums,

soft,

like your

white linen curtains,

the coo of the zebra doves

whispering away the city’s grit

with their gentle

jabbathehututututut’s,

their voices,

sweet as frangipani,

filling your heart

with pineapple joy,

awakening you

like dainty roosters,

opening your sandy eyes.

~ B. Levy

from In the Sway of Sea Grass

The Balm of India
On a silk rug of warm, guava tones,
father and son sit cross-legged —
the embodiment of perfect ease
as they gift the audience with climes
from their native Varanasi, blessing
fidgety bodies and mayhem-minds
with the music of sitar and tabla —
the balm of India — that salve for the soul —
penetrating the skin as it melds devotional ragas
with Rock ‘n Roll, takes flight with exotic birds,
rubs shoulders with Jazz and Blues, incorporates
Folk, Pop, and Western Classical, intertwining
the zany with the sublime, juxtaposing
oxen with lizards, leading you up mountains,
along rivers, fascinating you like a tiger’s mask,
effortlessly mixing Country’s twangs
with the intensity of jungle cats — lyrical
as a gazelle, wild as a boar, surprising
as the rings on a black buck’s horns —
this ointment of the complex and subtle,
the traditional and improvisational,
rejoicing in the sinuous as it releases
tension and loosens knots until
the auditorium is a meadow
of bodies swaying free,
like monsoon grass.
~ B. Levy from In the Sway of Sea Grass

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On Air Quotes:

Love and Serve
There are countless ways the world needs love, courage, and kindness.
Some of us can do big things to love and serve those in need.
Some can do small things.
None of us can do everything.
All of us can do something.
That something starts with commitment and intention
to ease the suffering right outside (or inside) our own door.
~ Betsy Toll

Thoughtfulness
When one person is thoughtful to another,
The thoughtfulness gets carried on and on.
It is like a river of kindness, once blocked by rocks,
That is suddenly opened by a single person's kind thought or act.
The river runs freely again, and continues to flow,
Moving more rocks and reaching the hearts of others.

When one person is thoughtful to another,
The thoughtfulness gets carried on and on.
The more we get together and help each other,
The more friendship there can be throughout.
The friendship can begin like a small stream in a single neighborhood.
And then expand throughout a river of districts, states, countries, and even continents.

When one person is thoughtful to another,
The thoughtfulness gets carried on and on.
~ Mattie J.T. Stepanek

Miracles
Miracles happen everyday.
Change your Perception of what a Miracle is
And you'll see them all around you. ♥
~ Jon Bon Jovi

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We had special guest Barb Levy join us today. She shared poetry from her upcoming book of Poetry entitled In The Sway of Sea Grass. Her poetry beautiful, suggestive and the book is a collection of photographs which she took that compliment the words on the page. Barb also shared music from India which moves you - and literally moved us to dancing with Ishq Hi Rab Hai (See Playlist at bottom of this site). Although we didn't get a chance to talk about it, Barb is studying the Karnatic singing style - a style from Southern India. Barb has enthusiastic energy that permeates though her music and poetry. What a joy to have her on-air today.

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ANNOUNCEMENTS:

Grandmothers to Grandmothers - Scrabble Tournament
in support of the Stephen Lewis Foundation

When: March 6, 7, 8 & 10
Where: March 6 & 8 at Salt Spring Inn from 2-4 pm
Where: March 7 & 10 at SS Golf Club Bar & Grill

This is a fundraiser by local Grand(m)Others to help Grandmothers in Africa who have become mothers again due to losing their children to AIDS - so now they are once again in the role of parent to help raise these babes.

The Scrabble Tournament is a lot of fun. Hope you can make it.

For Information, please contact:
Jo Ann Gainor
jogainor@shaw.ca
250-931-6830

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Please join me next Sunday at 10:30 am for Heart of the Islands Satsang on CFSI FM 107.9. Heart of the Islands Satsang is a radio show which celebrates the Unity of Spiritual traditions through music and reflections. Listen at the time of broadcast: www.cfsi-fm.com.

Shanti,
radha

2012-02-19: One World and Shivaratri

2012-02-19T13:20:00.000-08:00

On Air Quotes:

Shivaratri
" We recognize Shivaratri, the Great Night of Shiva, because something extraordinary happens this day. At this time, in this place, in this world system, thirteen-of-twenty-five, Shiva is the ruling power. On Shivaratri, the Great Night of Shiva, Shiva descends down through the planes, from the seventh plane all the way down and touches the earth. In the old days of kings and emperors, there was a practice called peregrination or journey, where the ruling principle of a kingdom, or an empire, who was rarely seen by the people, would make a peregrination or journey through the streets, and show himself - the idea being that he would be within arm's length of the people. And if they were just rulers, they would survive the day, survive the night. This idea of a peregrination is the principle of Shivaratri.

The ruling force is of the nature of centrifugal dispersion, which takes any quality and disperses it, like a centrifuge, to zero, to emptiness. When the Great Night starts at sunset, you can already feel the descent. You feel this incredible presence in the space over the crown of the head. Shivaratri is the idea of the witness, of the vigil - you watch the descent of Shiva. You're simply conscious and watch; and over the course of the night, Shiva reveals himself. Anyone that stays conscious and aware of Shiva through the night, from dusk until dawn, can become enlightened in a single night.

Shivaratri has been one of the turning principles of my spiritual life. Since I was a kid I haven't missed a single one. If I'm conscious and present in the ruling body, I'll always sit up and watch Shiva reveal himself. It is something beyond description. It's a matter of joy and awe. In this spirit, we simply are present and watch the revelation of the Great Night of Shiva - the revelation of the ruling force.

The dynamic of Shivartri is not poetry; it's real. Be conscious in all the three worlds. Conscious in the physical world of sensory apprehension, the subtle physical world of energy or kundalini, and in the causal world of mental formation. Listen. It is a certainty that at one point between now and dawn, Shiva will walk through this room. That is the nature of the evening. It is the intention to show himself to any and all who are interested, being unbound by time and space. The night moves in mansions, from dawn until about dusk, from dusk to nine, from nine until midnight, midnight until three, and from three until dawn.

Staying open, conscious and attentive, Shivaratri is a revelation. Stay open and relaxed, listen and watch."
~ Mark Griffin

Step Into Grace
~ As you get past need to be heard and pass up the invitation to jump into drama you can see that the move was a huge step into grace. The ego that was loud has subsided.. the heart that was small has grown. What a joy it is to let the chaos go by no longer important to fuel the fire.. You are warm by the light of simple resolve and all that agitation will not be a part of your being… Quiet contemplation equates to clear vision, a leap into time and space.... To get there is easy, to stay there….. a choice
~ Unknown

Act out of Love
When we feel wronged, we have a choice. We either react out of anger, or act out of love. The first is hurtful to all parties, but the later is healing and transformational.
~ Carolyn M Greenleaf

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One World, One Heart Beating

We had special guest Oona McOuat join us today to talk about her project she has been working on One World, One Heart Beating. This is a project Oona and Jose Sanchez worked on together where they travelled to Zimbabwe with the intention of sharing music and education with the children of Zimbabwe and tying it back to Salt Spring Island's children to create world connection between the children of these two countries. Through this effort, the idea of creating a musical work, a song was put together and the children were the artists in all respects -- the singers, the instrumentalists, the producers, and the videography editors. The dream was spawned and realized.

One World, One Heart Beating is not only a music video featuring children from around the world, but also a labour of love to bring children together and offer teaching tools through the website: www.OneWorldOneHeartBeating.com. Please visit the website to see what tools are available to help educators and children in bringing a sense of unity to the world. There are many on-line tools available, it is a fun site to explore, with interactive activities for children. There is much love that has gone into this project.

Through this effort, all donations and proceeds from the sales of the video are given back to the world community through the War Child Organization. This organization provides services to children in war-torn nations.

Many gratitudes to Oona for her beautiful effort of the heart and to the children of the One World, One Heart Beating project. From heart to heart to heart, each beating - bringing us together.

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Please join me next Sunday at 10:30 am for Heart of the Islands Satsang on CFSI FM 107.9. Heart of the Islands Satsang is a radio show which celebrates the Unity of Spiritual traditions through music and reflections. Listen at the time of broadcast: www.cfsi-fm.com.

Shanti,
radha

2012-02-12: On Love

2012-02-12T16:40:00.000-08:00

Angel Dance by Cathy Ginter

On Air Quotes:

I Love You
Every day that passes
I feel that I love you more
I feel thankful for the times we spend together,
I know and feel that you are my perfect companion and friend
And I’d choose you again, and again… and again.

Naturally we have difficult moments
But I would not give up even these
Because it is a part of the journey of love
That we’ve been on
I want to travel by your side… Forever
Because I love you
~ Jonathan

Beauty
Beauty is not in the face; beauty is a light in the heart.
~ Khalil Gibran

When I am With You
When I am with you, we stay up all night,
When you're not here, I can't get to sleep.
Praise God for these two insomnias!
And the difference between them.
~ Rumi

I Am With You Now
When it's cold and raining, you are more beautiful.
And the snow brings me even closer to your lips.
The inner secret, that which was never born,
you are that freshness, and I am with you now.
I can't explain the goings, or the comings.
~ Rumi

Angel Dance
We find ourselves in the midst of a magical and mystical Universe. Simply gazing at the expanse of the night sky and watching the beauty of a star spinning across space is awe-inspiring. And yet, we too often overlook the certainty that we are a part of this grand matrix of light. Instead, we focus on the faults that we carelessly present to one another. In so doing, we diminish not the love of God, but our own connection to that love.

And still, the angels look upon us with such compassion! How can we not feel their presence, enfolding us in the gentle caress of love's sweet breath? In the face of this unconditional love, what is fear but the forgetfulness of our Source... what is shyness but closed eyes that merely need to open... and what is jealousy but turning our backs on our own gifts. Regardless, the invitation to join in the everlasting peace and still harmony of the symphony is always right here for each of us has our dance of devotion to reflect the angels' joy.

Can we sing the lost song of the caged bird? Can we finally remember our name?
~ Angel Dance by Cathy Ginter

Freshness
There is some kiss we want with our whole lives,
the touch of spirit on the body.
Seawater begs the pearl to break its shell.

And the lily, how passionately it needs some wild darling!
At night, I open the window and ask the moon to come
and press its face against mine.
Breathe into me.

Close the language- door and open the love window.
The moon won't use the door, only the window.
~ Rumi

On Love
When love beckons to you follow him, Though his ways are hard and steep. And when his wings enfold you yield to him, Though the sword hidden among his pinions may wound you. And when he speaks to you believe in him, Though his voice may shatter your dreams as the north wind lays waste the garden. For even as love crowns you so shall he crucify you. Even as he is for your growth so is he for your pruning. Even as he ascends to your height and caresses your tenderest branches that quiver in the sun, So shall he descend to your roots and shake them in their clinging to the earth......

But if in your fear you would seek only love's peace and love's pleasure, Then it is better for you that you cover your nakedness and pass out of love's threshing-floor, Into the seasonless world where you shall laugh, but not all of your laughter, and weep, but not all of your tears. Love gives naught but itself and takes naught but from itself.

Love possesses not nor would it be possessed; For love is sufficient unto love. And think not you can direct the course of love, if it finds you worthy, directs your course. Love has no other desire but to fulfil itself.

But if you love and must needs have desires, let these be your desires: To melt and be like a running brook that sings its melody to the night. To know the pain of too much tenderness. To be wounded by your own understanding of love; And to bleed willingly and joyfully.
~ Khalil Gibran

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ANNOUNCEMENTS

Finding your true place in Life
A Men's Workshop

This experiential 4 weekend series provides
a clear map and the inspiration to establish and reinforce
connections to self, community and nature.

Together, we will:

    Learn a set of core routines that offer life-long impact
    Practice expansion of sensory awareness
    Identify and activate your most meaningful gifts
    Read signs and learn the 5 Arts of Tracking
    Explore primitive skills to establish resilience, confidence and competence
    Navigate the 8 Directions to discover our place in the wheel of life
    Reflect upon our core values and the role they play in our emergent masculine wisdom
    Practice deep listening and sacred silence to deepen inner guidance
    Share and grow in community

4 weekends:
February 25-26, 2012
March 31/April 1, 2012
April 28/29, 2012
May 25/26, 2012

Cost: $725 for 8 full days
Location: Salt Spring Island, BC

Contact:
Jean-Claude Catry 250-653-9122 jean-claude@wisdomoftheearth.ca
or
Pravin Pillay 250-538-8898 pravin@wisdomoftheearth.ca

www.WisdomOfTheEarth.ca

Feedback What a great gift to our sons and grandsons to discover more of who they are while playing and living in nature. Love the metaphor of consciousness bursting forth like a blossom... taking men to a new level of identity and awareness in our fast-changing world.Then to have these men, young and old emerging with Love and Wisdom to offer as a gift to Self, Family and Community. Blessings to Jean Claude, Pravin, and the participants who embark on this journey of exploration into their inner natural state of being, bringing this process to full maturity - which is indeed a lifetime of growth. What an adventure into Self!

~ A mother and grandmother in gratitude.

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One World, One Heart Beating - Oona McOuat
Today we aired "One World, One Heart Beating", a song by children of the world and in part inspired by Oona McOuat of Salt Spring Island.

One part "Playing for Change” one part "We are the World", and a whole bunch of children... It started last spring on Salt Spring Island, BC, and traveled to Zimbabwe. Soon children from Canada, Africa, Mexico, and Europe were pouring their hearts into singing and playing One World, One Heart Beating, a global anthem for peace.

This labour of love, the brain-and-heart-child of Canadian singer songwriter Oona McOuat, has been endorsed by Artists Against Racism and War Child, and its web site features interactive tools for teachers, kids and parents, inviting them to make a difference in the world.

Please play the attached MP3 on Valentine's Day and beyond. For more info read the attached and/or visit OneWorldOneHeartBeating.com.

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Please join me next Sunday at 10:30 am for Heart of the Islands Satsang on CFSI FM 107.9. Heart of the Islands Satsang is a radio show which celebrates the Unity of Spiritual traditions through music and reflections. Listen at the time of broadcast: www.cfsi-fm.com.

Shanti,
radha

2012-02-05: Meditation and Mantra

2012-02-05T20:09:00.000-08:00

On Air Quotes:

The Greatest Gift
If you want to awaken all of humanity,
Then awaken all of yourself
If you want to eliminate the suffering in the world,
Then eliminate all that is dark and negative in yourself.
Truly, the greatest gift you have to give
Is that of your own Self-transformation.
~ Lao Tzu

I am so close
I am so close, I may look distant.
So completely mixed with you, I may look separate.
So out in the open, I appear hidden.
So silent, because I am constantly (talking) with you.
~ Unknown

Astonishing Light
I wish I could show you, when you are in light or in darkness, the astonishing light of your own being
~ Hafiz

Meaning of Rama, Sita, and Hanuman (from Ramayana)
Rama said, "Listen carefully, O monkey, to what I have to tell you, for you have proved yourself to be a fitting recipient to hear this abstruse truth. Know me to be the Supreme Purusha, the eternal, unchanging, infinite spirit. I am that one Supreme consciousness, totally indivisable. Everything is in fact nothing but that Consciousness."

Sita then continued. "Know me to be Prakriti, cosmic matter, the supreme embodiment of all manifestation. I am the cradle of Time and Space and all things exist in me. Rama is the transcendent Absolute and I am his manifest power. I am that principle that performs all these apparent acts of creation, preservation, and destruction. Actually, all the events that have taken place until now are only the sport (lila) of the divine. They should not be confused with Rama's transcendent state, which is changeless, eternal, and imperishable."

Rama continued. "Together we constitute the universe. We validate each other's existence and delight in each other's company. I am the Paramatman, soul of the universe, and Sita is the jivatman, the embodied soul. Ravana is the ego that separates these two entities. What unites them is bhakti, or devotion. You are the embodiment of bhakti, and hence this esoteric secret has been revealed to you."

Hanuman listened intently to this discourse. Next morning, when he appeared in court, Rama asked him, "Who are you?"

Hanuman answered, "From the point of view of the body, I am your servant. From the point of view of the mind and intellect, I am a portion of you, but from the point of view of the atman, I am yourself!"
~excerpt from Hanuman - The Devotion and Power of the Monkey God by Vanamali

Closing Prayer
O Lord, take my love and let it flow in fullness of devotion to Thee.
O Lord, take my hands and let them work incessantly for Thee.
O Lord, take my soul and let it be merged in oneness with Thee.
O Lord, take my mind and thoughts and let them be in tune with Thee.
O Lord, take my everything and let me be an instrument for thy work.
♥ राम राम ♥
By: Hanuman Das

Prayer and Meditation
We must know at each moment how to lose everything that we may gain everything; we must be able to shed the past like a dead body that we may be reborn into a greater plenitude. It is so that the constant aspiration of the inner being expresses itself; turned to Thee, it wants to reflect Thee in an ever purer mirror; and Thy unchanging Beatitude is translated in it into a propelling force of progress of an incomparable intensity; and this force is transformed in the most external being into a calm and assured will which no obstacle can vanquish. O divine Master, with what an ardent love I serve Thee! With what a pure, still and infinite joy I am Thyself in all that is and beyond all existence in form. And the two consciousnesses unite in an unequaled plenitude.
~ The Mother: Prayers and Meditations (Sri Aurobindo Ashram, Pondicherry)

Japa
Japa means silently repeating God's name in solitude. When you chant His name with single-minded devotion you can see God's form and realize Him. Suppose there is a piece of timber sunk in the water of the Ganges and fastened with a chain to the bank. You proceed link by link, holding to the chain, and you dive into the water and follow the chain. Finally you are able to reach the timber. In the same way, by repeating God's name you become absorbed in Him and finally realize Him.
~ The Gospel of Sri Ramakrishna.

Significance of Areas of Concentration for Meditation
Q: In the book, Dhyan Yoga and Kundalini Yoga by Amma, it is stated that in meditation there are three areas of concentration. The heart, the head, and the spot between the eyes. Please explain the significance of each, and which is better to work with.

A: Let your mind remain wherever it focuses by itself. Those three centres are of equal importance, and they are equally holy. They are equally strong seats of God's power. Wherever your mind focuses itself spontaneously, let it remain in that centre. Do not struggle with your mind to concentrate it on any particular spot. Let it function naturally. The heart, the ajna chakra and the sahasrar are holy centres that are far holier than the outer holy centres. The divine light is blazing in all three. If your attention gets focused on the heart, it is very good, because the Lord dwells there in the shape of a thumb-sized light. The same divine Being dwells as the Guru in bhrikuti, and if your attention is focused there, that, too, is very goo, because you meditate on the Guru. In the sahasrar, the same pure attributeless formless Being dwells in the midst of countless beams of light, and that is the culminating point. If you mind can remain focused there, then there is no higher place it can go, for that represents the end of the journey. That is Kailas. All three centres are each A-1, not A-2, A-3 or A-4.
~ Satsang with Baba (Muktananda) Volume 2.

Therefore, considering carefully the cessation of all other mental activities, instantly allaying the states of anger, uncertainty within him, by the device of the tortoise contracting all its limbs within (On occasion of fear) of by expanding his state of joy, running, etc. he should contemplate on the Spanda energy which has manifested itself before him. As has been said in Vijnanabhairava:
"If one succeeds in immobilizing his mind (in making it one-pointed) when he is under the sway of desire, anger, greed, infatuation, arrogance and envy, then the Reality underlying these states alone subsists" (verse 101). "On the occasion of a great delight being obtained, or on the occasion of delight arising from seeing a friend or relative after a long time, one should meditate on the delight itself and become absorbed in it, then his mind will become identified with it." (Verse 71).

"At the commencement and end of a sneeze, in terror, in sorrow, in the condition of a deep sigh or on the occasion of flight from (the attack of) an elephant, during (keen) curiosity, at the commencement or end of hunger, the state of brahman approaches near" (Verse 118).
~ Spanda-Karikas

Silencing the mind is meditation:
The mind talks - it talks all the time, whether there is a listener or not. With people, it talks to them. In seclusion, it talks to itself. In sleep, it talks with dreams. All confusions in the mind arise only because the mind talks and never listens.

In meditation we first withdraw the mind from its attraction to different objects. Then we try to retain one object in the mind, which is God. Next we channel the mind toward that object. When the mind is absorbed in the object or meditation, its flow stops and the mind is completely silenced. That is a meditative state called samadhi.

Hitting the head with a hammer, or taking a strong drug, can also stop the mind, but it is not the same as silencing the mind. Crude methods may stop the mind from functioning normally through the senses, but in the subconscious mind activity will continue. It is simply a state of unconsciousness and not a state of silence.

Genuine silence brings feelings of bliss, peace, and higher awareness; unconsciousness results in drowsiness, sadness and unawareness.
~ Fire without Fuel. The aphorisms of Baba Hari Dass

Meditation on the Self is the easiest of all techniques, but it has become difficult due to our wrong understanding of meditation and the mind. We experience difficulties in meditation only because we lack this right understanding. It is common experience that when you eat, drink, and talk, your mind is not filled with distracting thoughts; but when you sit for meditation, crowds of thoughts race within. After a while, you get worried and try to force them away; but the more you try to push these thoughts out of your mind, the more they pour back and fill your mind again. You are not meditating when you do this; you are only trying to eliminate thoughts from your mind. When a thought appears on the inner screen during meditation, don't try to wipe it away. Instead, consider every thought and idea to be no different from your goal, which is God. Although modern science may split the mind into different categories, the mind is nothing but Chiti, Consciousness.

A good way to meditate is to watch these infinite forms which are thrown up by the mind, regarding them only as the play of Chiti, the play of inner Consciousness. Don't impose conditions on yourself when you sit to meditate. Whatever thought appears in your mind, let it appear. I assure you, nothing but Consciousness can flash through the mind. According to Shaivite philosophy, no action or thought is without Shiva. Who, if not Shiva, could invest the mind with Consciousness? Sit calmly, repeat the mantra, and watch whatever happens in your mind, whatever flies in the inner skies. See the universe which is thrown up by your mind as Shiva. See all your mental stirrings as movements of pure Consciousness, and you will get into meditation easily. If you try to empty your mind, you will never be able to meditate. Let any number of thoughts appear in the inner firmament. Remain aware that whatever thoughts arise in the mind, no matter what forms they take, they are arising from Consciousness. They are nothing but waves of Consciousness.
~ Understanding Siddha Yoga. Volume 1

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Gaurang McIntyre joined us again on-air for another Satsang. We had a lengthy sharing of meditation, what it is, what are the "gotchas", the ultimate goal, and how meditation can enhance your day-to-day life. The discussion today was lively, in-depth, and sprinkled with humour. Meditation is a practice for bringing one spiritually closer to the divine. Gaurang talks in depth about four aspects of meditation as well as the three key energy points in the physical body, being the heart space, the point between the eyebrows, and the chakra at the top of the head - each with its own representation.

We talked at length and with some light hearted laughter about things which detract from the actual meditation itself, such as the mind wandering, but also how one does not reprimand oneself for what is human in the practice of meditation (wandering mind) - rather honouring the wandering mind and bringing the focus back to the practice at hand at that point in time. Using the witness to help bring the wandering mind back to the breath or whatever is used as the focus of the meditation. We also touched on how meditation practice may help in our day-to-day lives as well, as we begin living our lives from the heart-space of the meditation practice, rather than the drama of the 'monkey mind'.

We talked at length about malas, or prayer beads, and using prayer beads to repeat mantra (or japa - a repeated mantra or name of god). The history of prayer beads and how not only using prayer beads as a meditation tool, but also how stringing beads is a meditation - and who better than Gaurang who lives the experience of creating prayer malas by stringing beads together as his daily meditation, and also as his seva to his guru - a giving back to community through something sacred and receiving the gift of a living while performing service. We also talked about the sacred space of his work studio and the energy or shakti that abounds in his work-space. A gift indeed.

Again, many thanks to Gaurang for his wonderful wisdom and sharing on Heart of the Islands Satsang. Wishing him a wonderful 2 week silent retreat.

You may contact Gaurang at: http://www.destinationom.com/

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Please join me next Sunday at 10:30 am for Heart of the Islands Satsang on CFSI FM 107.9. Heart of the Islands Satsang is a radio show which celebrates the Unity of Spiritual traditions through music and reflections. Listen at the time of broadcast: www.cfsi-fm.com.

Shanti,
radha

2012-01-29: Shanti (Peace)

2012-01-29T12:34:00.000-08:00

On Air Quotes:

Truth
For all of us who are alive, life is the real issue.
We feel strong enough to dictate our future.
Sometimes we feel that we can make things happen.
Then there are times when we feel totally helpless.
But through all the dramas and bumps, there is life.
There is the very powerful, very existence of every single human being.
How we get there will always be a personal choice
and I have the ultimate respect for those who pursue Truth, no matter the path.
This is my way and I encourage those curious to investigate.
That which you are looking for is inside of you.
~ Maharaji

Shadow Self
So much is hidden below our adaptations, defences and disguises, as though we have to be ashamed of our very humanness. The irony of hiding the dark side of our humanness is that our secret is not really a secret at all. How can it be when we’re all safeguarding the very same story? That’s why Rumi calls it an Open Secret. It’s almost a joke—a laughable admission that each one of us has a shadow self—a bumbling, bad-tempered twin. Big surprise! Just like you, I can be a jerk sometimes. I do unkind, cowardly things, harbor unmerciful thoughts, and mope around when I should be doing something constructive. Just like you, I wonder if life has meaning; I worry and fret over things I can’t control; and I often feel overcome with a longing for something that I cannot even name. For all of my strengths and gifts, I am also a vulnerable and insecure person, in need of connection and reassurance. This is the secret I try to keep from you, and you from me, and in doing so, we do each other a grave disservice. This week, I encourage all of us- myself included- to share some of our secret with each other, to give ourselves and each other the gift of our authenticity. Lets celebrate all of us.
~ Elizabeth Lesser

Good Samaritan
The first question which the priest and the Levite asked was:
"If I stop to help this man, what will happen to me?"
But the good Samaritan reversed the question:
"If I do not stop to help this man, what will happen to him?"
~ Martin Luther King, Jr.

Try Again
Courage doesn't always roar. Sometimes courage is the little voice at the end of the day that says, Ill try again tomorrow.
~ Anonymous

Prayer Warrior
Become a Great Prayer Warrior
Pray for what you cannot see.
Pray clearly
for what you can only faintly grasp.
Pray silently
from the core of your being.
Pray for healing.
Pray for humanity.
Pray lovingly
Pray deeply ~
pray so deeply that
the prayer and the praying
become ONE.
~ Charles Elkind

Heart Space
When you begin to touch your heart or let your heart be touched,
you begin to discover that it's bottomless,
that it doesn't have any resolution,
that this heart is huge, vast, and limitless.
You begin to discover how much warmth and gentleness is there,
as well as how much space.
~ Pema Chodron

Emotional Heart vs. Intuitive Heart
It’s tricky to talk about heart because there are these different levels of heart. There’s the emotional heart that you are familiar with. It’s the dramatic, romantic qualities of heart. There are feelings of love and hate and jealousy and sweetness and tenderness, all of these emotional states.

Then there is this deeper heart, this intuitive heart. It is the place where the deeper mind, the kind of Gestalt mind, and the subtler emotions all come together. You are connected to the universe. That’s where love exists, where presence and love is.
~ Ram Dass

Live in Peace
If the white man wants to live in peace with the Indian, he can live in peace. Treat all men alike. Give them all the same law. Give them all an even chance to live and grow. All men were made by the same Great Spirit Chief. They are all brothers. The earth is the mother of all people, and all people should have equal rights upon it. Let me be a free man, free to travel, free to stop, free to work, free to trade—where I choose my own teachers, free to follow the religion of my fathers, free to think and talk and act for myself, and I will obey every law, or submit to the penalty.
~ Chief Joseph

Peace and Love
I am poor and naked, but I am the chief of the nation. We do not want riches but we do want to train our children right. Riches would do us no good. We could not take them with us to the other world. We do not want riches. We want peace and love.
~ Chief Red Cloud

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Please join me next Sunday at 10:30 am for Heart of the Islands Satsang on CFSI FM 107.9. Heart of the Islands Satsang is a radio show which celebrates the Unity of Spiritual traditions through music and reflections. Listen at the time of broadcast: www.cfsi-fm.com.

Shanti,
radha

2012-01-15: God is Love

2012-01-15T11:49:00.000-08:00

Jesus and Krishna - All is One

On Air Quotes:

Heart’s Desire
Delight thyself in the Lord, and He shall give thee the desires of thine heart.
~ Psalms 37:4

The Essence of Jesus
Jesus has transformed countless people through his unconditional love, mercy, compassion, and sacrifice. Thinking of Him makes my heart burst. I try to remember Him as often as I can--he gives me strength.

I believe that the omnipotent, omnipresent, and omniscient force of Jesus (God) acts in different ways to help us find love and do good. I feel that inside each and every one of us is the ability to connect directly with God (we already are connected, we just need to cleanse our hearts so we can see and feel it). When we tap into that flow of Love and Light, we are transformed. The possibilities for transformation are inside each and every one of us, all along, and they are really endless if you have God's Grace. Personally, I've encountered some very special people who have helped me tap into that Source. For the first time in my life, I actually felt It versus being told what I should feel.

I am trying to develop a relationship with Jesus daily. Bringing myself closer to God is the priority in my life. I have Love for and 100% faith in Jesus. I try to follow his teachings—love, compassion, and kindness, in everything I do—and when I see myself straying from this path, I see that there is work to be done, and I try harder. I think that these are fundamental pillars of all religions. We’re not all that different!

A few other personalities also come to mind (similar to Jesus). People from different origins have also transformed millions through their unconditional love, self-sacrifice, and mercy on the wretched and undeserving (Buddha for example, came 563 years before Jesus. He is a person who still brings deep inner peace and love into the lives of millions through his teachings). These special personalities loved the people who never thought they deserved love—giving them a source of Love that they could then spread to all the beings around them. These people have opened hearts, restored faith, and defied death. Normal physical rules do not apply to them because they are clearly made of other stuff (God). I cannot deny their actions and ignore the lives they’ve changed and hearts they’ve opened because people tell me that they aren't legitimate. It just doesn’t feel right. Perhaps we all should focus on what Jesus taught, instead of finding differences and judging and try to love all our brothers and sisters unconditionally.
~ Pranjali Upadhyay

God is Love
Just like your body is made up of proteins, amino acids and carbohydrates,
your mind and soul are made up of Love.
You are made up of Love.
Everyone is full of Love and Love is God.
So you are made up of God!
Every little atom of your body is made up of Love and that is what is God.
Do not think God is sitting somewhere in heaven.
God is here, and now!
~ Sri Sri Ravi Shankar

Love
Love bears all things,
Believes all things,
Hopes all things,
Endures all things.
Love never fails.
~ 1 Corinthians 13:7-8

Touch
If you touch one thing with deep awareness, you touch everything.
― Thich Nhat Hanh

Angels
May angels rest beside your door,
May you hear their voices sing.
May you feel their loving care for you,
May you hear their peace bells ring.
May angels always care for you,
And not let you trip and fall,
May they bear you up on angel's wings,
May they keep you standing tall.

Prayer for Peace
We are one global family
All colors, All races
One world united.
We pray for peace and the healing of our planet Earth
Peace for all nations.
Peace for our communities
And peace within ourselves.
As we join all those praying across the world,
Let us connect heart to heart.
Through our diversity we recognize Unity.
Through our compassion we recognize Peace.
Our love is the power to transform our world
May they whisper wisdom in your ear,
May they touch you when you need,
May they remove from you each trace of fear,
May they keep you from feeling greed.
May they fill you with their presence,
May they show you love untold,
May they always stand beside you
And make you ever bold.
May they teach you what you need to know
About life here and here-after.
May they fill you always with their love
And give you the gift of laughter
~ Unknown

Kindness
Before you know what kindness really is
you must lose things
feel the future dissolve in a moment
like salt in a weakened broth.
What you held in your hand,
what you counted and carefully saved,
all this must go so you know
how desolate the landscape can be
between the regions of kindness.
How you ride and ride
thinking the bus will never stop,
the passengers eating maize and chicken
will stare out the window forever.

Before you learn the
tender gravity of kindness
you must travel where the
Indian in a white poncho
lies dead by the side of the road.
You must see how this could be you,
how he too was someone who journeyed through the night
with plans and the simple breath that kept him alive.
Before you know kindness as the deepest thing inside,
you must know sorrow
as the other deepest thing.
You must wake up with sorrow.
You must speak to it till your voice
catches the thread of all sorrows
and you see the size of the cloth.

Then it is only kindness
that makes sense anymore,
only kindness that ties your shoes
and sends you out into the day
to mail letters and purchase bread,
only kindness that raises its head
from the crowd of the world to say it
is I you have been looking for,
and then goes with you everywhere
like a shadow or a friend.
~ Naomi Shihab Nye

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

REFLECTIONS
Today we focused on the essence of Jesus and Christianity. Pranjali's beautiful sharing of her experience and understanding is a beautiful sharing. As I shared on-air, I was raised in the Christian tradition, but had many issues with the God that was presented as well as who Jesus was and what he stood for. It was through my searching in other spiritual traditions that I was re-acquainted with Jesus and Christianity, and once again embraced the beauty and true meaning of Christ and Christianity.

Pranjali so beautifully ties in other great spiritual teachers and how they are all one, all teaching the same core morals and values. When the world finds the unity of these teachings of the great masters and saints of the world, there will be less fear. It seems to me fear is the big motivator behind so much of the division, fear and "ownership" - but God cannot be owned. The essence of God is in each one of us, in every living thing, and even in every inanimate object. When we connect to that essence of God, the fear falls away. Peace is found.

Sri Sri Ravi Shankar sums it up when he says Love is God. When we connect with that Divine Love in our heart (the Atman), we are in union with God.

Peace (Shanti)

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

ANNOUNCEMENTS:
You are invited to Dances of Universal Peace
Friday January 20, 7 pm

We will be having it at the sacred sanctuary space of Oosha and Neils this month,
471 Sky Valley Rd. Turn up Lord Mikes across from the horse farm on Cushion Lake Rd and turn right onto Sky Valley drive to the end and park in the round about and walk down the driveway as there is limited parking at the house. It is a short walk but you will need a flashlight. Claire and Vikosh will be back to play for us along with Purusha.

The Dances were birthed from the Western Sufi movement in the 1960's. Sufism is not a religion, it is practicing the spiritual union of peace and love with community through the chanting of sacred phrases from all spiritual traditions in a circle dance form.
We look forward to sharing this radiance with you
Tea will be served afterwards

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Please join me next Sunday at 10:30 am for Heart of the Islands Satsang on CFSI FM 107.9. Heart of the Islands Satsang is a radio show which celebrates the Unity of Spiritual traditions through music and reflections. Listen at the time of broadcast: www.cfsi-fm.com.

Shanti,
radha

2012-01-08: Gurus and Saints

2012-01-08T18:27:00.000-08:00

Amma - Living Guru and Saint

On Air Quotes:

Saints and Gurus

Saints are One in their works as Divine channels. They link us up with the Source from which all bliss flows: Love. They bake the unbaked pots and make them fit to receive the divine bliss. They illuminate the path by removing all darkness that holds us back. Their work does not end with the energizing or enlightening of some select few here and there. They serve as the unflickering flame helping to light other candles.

~ From The Near and The Dear by Dada Mukerjee

Apache Blessing

May the sun bring you new energy by day

May the moon softly restore you by night

May the rain wash away your worries

May the breeze blow new strength into your being

May you walk gently through the world

And know its beauty

All the days of your life

Questioning Suffering

For most of my life, I had been consumed with my own challenges, trials, burdens, and pains. I had never thought to consider how other people might feel burdened as well, and how I might have added to the burdens they felt, and how I too had mistreated and neglected them as well as myself.

As I began to question my actions, the world began to change for me. I still saw my sufferings, but I was able to see the sufferings of others as well. And when seen in that light, my sufferings took on new meaning. They gave me a window into the pain that others might be feeling, some of it at my own hand

Since I no longer needed to feel justified, I no longer needed to sustain my own sufferings, and I could lay down my victimhood. I began to having feelings for and desires towards people I had hated. I began to see possibilities - potential solutions to my problems. I began to feel hope where before I felt only ANGER and DESPAIR.

~ From: Anatomy of Peace

Bondage and Liberation

1. It is bondage when the mind desires or grieves at anything, rejects or accepts anything, feels happy or angry at anything.

2. Liberation is attained when the mind does not desire or grieve or reject or accept or feel happy or angry.

3. It is bondage when the mind is attached to any sense experience. It is liberation when the mind is detached from all sense experiences.

4. When there is no "I", there is liberation; when there is "I", there is bondage. Considering thus, easily refrain from accepting or rejecting anything.

~ Astavakra Samhita

Darshan

I never realized it as strongly as on this occasion that the absence of the spoken word, the silent communion with things and people, which was forced upon me due to the lack of a common language, can bring about a deeper awareness and a directness of experience which generally is drowned by the incessant chatter under which human beings hide their fear of meeting each other in the nakedness of their natural being. (I say "generally" because in the East a form of silent communion is still known under the concept of darshan, which denotes the meeting and contemplating a person in silence, merely partaking of the person's presence, without the necessity of making conversation. Thus, religious leaders or other spiritually advanced people are expected to "give darshan" to their devotees or disciples. To "have darshan" of a saint is the equivalent of receiving his (her) blessings.)

~ From: The Way of the White Clouds by Lama Anagarika Govinda

Meditation (Namaz)

Story of the yogi shouting like a Buffalo in response to the priest internal prayer (when he was outwardly appearing to pray he was internally thinking about buffaloes and the yogi knew this). In response to this the story goes on to say:

One should not pursue meditation in the way that the priest performed his namaz (Muslim prayers). Instead, one should become completely absorbed in prayer, meditation and contemplation and lose oneself in them. Narada said; "After attaining love, a person has no desire for anything else." A being who has found the inner love neither suffers nor becomes excited over trivial matters. He neither hates nor becomes attached to anything. Why should he become trapped in delusive dramas when he holds the source of the world, the centre of bliss, in his hand? Why should he take interest in the wrong path? Why should he be attracted by a market where buffaloes and sheep are sold? Why should he criticize any religion, sect or person? A mahatma who does such things is false, a mere imitation. People should be extremely careful and use their intelligence and power of reasoning when they approach a spiritual being.

~ From: The Perfect Relationship: The Guru anad the Disciple by Swami Muktananda.

From Ego to Divine

“So long as the sense of "me" and "mine" remains, there is bound to be sorrow and want in the life of the individual." Anandamayi Ma described four stages in her spiritual evolution:

1. The mind was "dried" of desire and passion so it could catch the fire of spiritual knowledge.

2. The body became still and the mind drawn inward.

3. Her personal identity was then absorbed, she said, by an individual deity (God). As some distinction between form and formlessness still remained, however, she was able to function in the world.

4. Finally, there was a melting away of all duality, and the mind was free from the movement of thought with consistent, full consciousness, even in dreams.

~ From: What is Mysticism? by Jon Mundy PhD.

Guru’s Grace

Q: How long will it take for one to get the grace of the Guru?

A: Why do you desire to know?

Q: To give me hope.

A: Even such a desire is an obstacle. The Self is ever there, there is nothing without it. Be the Self and the desires and doubts will disappear.

Grace is the beginning, middle and end. Grace is the Self. Because of the false identification of the Self with the body the Guru is considered to be a body. But from the Guru's outlook the Guru is only the Self. The Self is one only and the Guru tells you that the Self alone is. Is not then the Self your Guru? Where else will grace come from? It is from the Self alone. Manifestation of the Self is a manifestation of grace and vice versa. All these doubts arise because of the wrong outlook and consequent expectation of things external to oneself. Nothing is external to the Self.

~ From: Be as you are: The teachings of Sri Ramana Maharshi

Detachment

When Zen Master Tung-shan felt it was time for him to go, he had his head shaved, took a bath, put on his robe, rang the bell to bid farewell to the community, and sat up till he breathed no more. To all appearances he had died. Thereupon the whole community burst out crying grievously as little children do at the death of their mother. Suddenly the master opened his eyes and said to the weeping monks, "We monks are supposed to be detached from all things transitory. In this consists true spiritual life. To live is to work, to die is to rest. What is the use of groaning and moaning?" He then ordered a "stupidity-purifying" meal for the whole community. After the meal he said to them, "Please make no fuss over me! Be calm as befits a family of monks! Generally speaking, when anyone is at the point of going, he has no use for noise and commotion." Thereupon he returned to the Abbot's room, where he sat in meditation until he passed away.

~ From: Graceful Exits by Sushila Blackman

Bhajan translation of De Darshan Ma Devi

O Divine Mother, bless me with Your vision.

All relationships and bonds in this world are false. The only truth is Your Love, O Mother. All positions and wealth, too, will leave surely. Only the association with You is true (permanent).

Save me from the ocean of transmigration. Make this life blessed, O Mother. Always keep me seated on Your divine lap. Awaken the springs of Divine Love in me.

~ Mata Amritananda Mayi Ma (Amma)

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Today we had Gaurang McIntyre join us for another wonderful satsang. Gaurang is a wonderful story teller and has a world of experiences beyond his years. The quotes he brings in to share are thought provoking and naturally develop wonderful spiritual conversation.

Today's discussion focused on saints, gurus (teachers), and getting our small self out of the way for the True Self - the Divine aspect of us within.

Gaurang will be back with us on the 5th of February for another Satsang. Much gratitude to Gaurang for coming in today on Heart of the Islands Satsang. Thank you.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

ANNOUNCEMENTS - EVENTS BY GAURANG

CFSI Guided Meditation
Thursday, January 26th @ 5:45 pm
CFSI FM 107.9
Listen in live via Internet at http://cfsi-fm.com/
Gaurang will be offering guided meditation instruction live on the radio with Gary Brooks & John Dolman.

Guru – Disciple Relationship Discussion
Sunday, January 29th @ 11:00 am
Salt Spring Unitarian Church
http://saltspringunitarians.com/
Gaurang will be discussing the Guru-Disciple relationship; while drawing from Eastern texts and his own experiences about what it means to have a guru.

Meditation Technique using Malas
Sunday, February 26th 11:30am – 1:00 pm
Banyen Books in Vancouver
http://www.banyen.com/events.htm
Gaurang will be discussing meditation technique, how to use malas as well as describing the different beads used and their qualities.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Please join me next Sunday at 10:30 am for Heart of the Islands Satsang on CFSI FM 107.9. Heart of the Islands Satsang is a radio show which celebrates the Unity of Spiritual traditions through music and reflections. Listen at the time of broadcast: www.cfsi-fm.com.
Shanti,
radha

2012-01-01: New Years Resolutions

2012-01-01T11:26:00.000-08:00

Start Anew - True to Yourself

On Air Quotes:

Cleansing of Self

I cleanse myself of all selfishness, resentment, critical feelings for my fellow beings, self-condemnation,

and misinterpretation of my life experiences

I bathe myself in generosity, appreciation, praise and gratitude for my fellow beings, self-acceptance,

and enlightened understanding of my life experiences.

~ Unknown

Peace

As human beings we all want to be happy and free from misery... We have learned that the key to happiness is inner peace. The greatest obstacles to inner peace are disturbing emotions such as anger, attachment, fear, and suspicion, while love and compassion and a sense of universal responsibility are the source of peace and happiness.

~ Dalai Lama

Forgiveness

Peace is not possible without forgiveness. Martin Luther King once said, “Forgiveness is not an occasional act; it is a permanent attitude.” The only way children can learn the habit of forgiveness is by seeing us, their parents, forgive others and forgive ourselves.

The freedom to be at peace in our own mind and Heart - that’s what forgiveness allows. We relinquish this freedom when we hold onto anger and resentment. Enormous amounts of energy are wasted when we hold back our love, hold onto hate, and harbor acrimonious feelings. The only remedy is letting go, and being willing to forgive.

~ Unknown

Four New Years Vows

1. Be Impeccable With Your Word

Speak with integrity. Say only what you mean. Avoid using the word to speak against yourself or to gossip about others. Use the power of your word in the direction of truth and love.

2. Don't Take Anything Personally

Nothing others do is because of you. What others say and do is a projection of their own reality, their own dream. When you are immune to the opinions and actions of others, you won't be the victim of needless suffering.

3. Don't Make Assumptions

Find the courage to ask questions and to express what you really want. Communicate with others as clearly as you can to avoid misunderstandings, sadness and drama. With just this one agreement, you can completely transform your life.

4. Always Do Your Best

Your best is going to change from moment to moment; it will be different when you are healthy as opposed to sick. Under any circumstance, simply do your best, and you will avoid self-judgment, self-abuse and regret.

~Miguel Ruiz

Happy New Year

May Lord almighty make your new year a happy one!

Not by shielding you from all sorrows and pain,

But by strengthening you to bear it, as it comes;

Not by making your path easy,

But by making you sturdy to travel any path;

Not by taking hardships from you,

But by taking fear from your heart;

Not by granting you unbroken sunshine,

But by keeping your face bright, even in the shadows;

***************************************

H appiness depends upon your outlook on life.

A ttitude is just as important as ability.

P assion find yours this year!

P ositive thoughts make everything easier.

Y ou are unique, with special gifts, use them.

N ew beginnings with a new year.

E nthusiasm a true secret of success.

W ishes may they turn into goals.

Y ears go by to quickly, enjoy them.

E nergy may you have lots of it.

A ppreciation of life, don't take it for granted.

R elax take the time to relax in this coming year.

New Year Reflection

"Another fresh new year is here. Another year to live!

To banish worry, doubt, & fear, To love & laugh & give!"

May the love of God always shine in our life, as we become a light for others.

Have a pleasant new year to all.

Happy Each Moment of Life

Prayer for Peace

Free my spiritual path from all difficulties. Lead me to thy shores of eternal bliss and wisdom. Guide me evermore with thy loving presence.

~ Sanskrit Prayer

Maharaj-ji Lived His Teachings

Neem Karoli baba was very unique. He never gave any discourses or wrote any articles or books.

His mode of teaching was through simple stories and practical examples.

With small nuggets he transformed total personalities, that is his power/miracle.

"I am everybody's guru."

"I don't want anything. I exist only to serve others."

"I have no powers. I don't know anything."

"I am the father of the world. The whole world is my child."

"Ask God or Hanuman. I'm just an ordinary being. I can do nothing."

"Love all men as God, even if they hurt you or shame you. Be like Gandhi and Christ."

"The great sadhus don't have a human body. They are omnipresent. If a saint changes form, he doesn't necessarily have to take on a human body.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Please join me next Sunday at 10:30 am for Heart of the Islands Satsang on CFSI FM 107.9. Heart of the Islands Satsang is a radio show which celebrates the Unity of Spiritual traditions through music and reflections. Listen at the time of broadcast: www.cfsi-fm.com.
Shanti,
radha

2011-12-25: Holiday Celebration

2011-12-25T13:10:00.000-08:00

Holiday Blessings - May Your Inner Light Shine

On Air Quotes:

Christmas Blessings

Merry Christmas to all! May God's love and tender blessings surround you today and everyday!

The True Peace

The first peace, which is the most important,

is that which comes within the souls of people

when they realize their relationship,

their oneness, with the universe and all its powers,

and when they realize that at the center

of the universe dwells Wakan-Taka (the Great Spirit),

and that this center is really everywhere, it is within each of us.

This is the real peace, and the others are but reflections of this.

The second peace is that which is made between two individuals,

and the third is that which is made between two nations.

But above all you should understand that there can never

be peace between nations until there is known that true peace,

which, as I have often said, is within the souls of men.

~ Black Elk

Buddhist Christmas

In the Christian tradition, we learn that Jesus is the Son of God. It means that through Jesus you can touch the ultimate dimension, the ultimate reality, the ground of being, the almighty, (God). We also learn that Jesus is the Son of Man. As the Son of Man, he belongs to the historical dimension where there is being and non-being, birth and death, sameness and otherness, good and evil - notions that make us suffer. These can be the foundation of our fear, anxiety, and suffering.

But Jesus is not only the Son of Man, he is also the Son of God. If we get in touch with Jesus deeply enough, then we can see this ultimate dimension. We have to see Jesus as both. In the Buddhist tradition, it is very clear that everyone belongs to the ultimate dimension. This is our nature and we can learn to transcend our notions.

~ Thich Nhat Hanh

Light in Darkness

The sign of Christmas is a star, a light in darkness.

See it not outside yourself, but shining in the Heaven within,

and accept it as the sign the time of Christ has come.

~ A Course in Miracles

Christmas Reflection

On this day when many hundreds of millions celebrate the birth of Christ, may we all be conscious of the message Jesus brought to us all.

He came to remind all people everywhere of the great teachings that all the great masters of all ages have always taught; peace, goodwill to all, love, compassion, forgiveness and mercy.

May we all enshrine these qualities in our hearts and souls and let them flow freely, from us, towards all beings everywhere.

As we celebrate the bountiful feast and all the gifts and the joy of family togetherness, let us be mindful of those who are living in poverty and those who go to bed hungry many nights.

Let us be truly aware of the suffering in this world and ask ourselves, what we are doing to alleviate that suffering.

Are we truly living the spirit of Christ or is it all just stuff we read about goodwill towards others and nothing else. This is a great time to examine our lives and see where we can improve in order to live up to the noble ideals taught by Jesus and the other great masters. Let the spirit of Christ be born anew this day in each of our hearts.

To all my Christian friends and family, have a very Happy Christmas and may the blessings and love of God be yours always. :-)

~ Hanuman Das

Christmas Gratitude

This Christmas Day, which celebrates the birth of Jesus, reflect on your own rebirth. What spiritual qualities are being born in you? Today, become an Ecstatic Appreciator and learn to express Gratitude. (Understanding the Enneagram, 148)

Holiday Season Peace

Today, may you find a place of peace in your heart and share your gift of love with all around you. Your smile and kind words may just be the thing to warm someone else's heart. I am grateful for all of you here who ever warm my heart with your words of love and hope. You all are a precious part of my life and I treasure this time and place 'here'. Peace to all.

~ Roma

What is Christmas

What is Christmas? It is tenderness for the past,

courage for the present, hope for the future.

It is a fervent wish that every cup may overflow

with blessings rich and eternal, and that every

path may lead to peace.

~ Agnes M. Pharo

The True Peace

The first peace, which is the most important,

is that which comes within the souls of people

when they realize their relationship,

their oneness, with the universe and all its powers,

and when they realize that at the center

of the universe dwells Wakan-Taka (the Great Spirit),

and that this center is really everywhere, it is within each of us.

This is the real peace, and the others are but reflections of this.

The second peace is that which is made between two individuals,

and the third is that which is made between two nations.

But above all you should understand that there can never

be peace between nations until there is known that true peace,

which, as I have often said, is within the souls of men.

~ Black Elk

Hannukah

May love and light fill your home and heart at Hanukkah.

~Author Unknown

The Word

Still ours the dance, the feast, the glorious Psalm,

The mystic lights of emblem, and the Word.

~Emma Lazarus, "The Feast of Lights"

Christmas Candle

A Christmas candle is a lovely thing;

It makes no noise at all,

But softly gives itself away.

~Eva Logue

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

The holiday celebrations of Hannukah, Christmas, and Winter's Soltice are all celebrations of Light. The three kings who follow the light of the star to Bethlehem, the miracle of the lamp in the Jewish Temple, and of course the swing of the earth from darker nights to longer, brighter days. But it is not just the external light, it is also the inner light. For within each of us is the Light of the Eternal, or God, or the Divine, or Buddha, so many words to describe what is really the indescribable. That internal Light is the key to Peace - and through our own Peace, we reflect like a mirror out to others that calmness, that Love that pervades the Peace. You cannot have peace if you are at war, either internally or externally. So one must find Peace within to promote peace outside of ourselves.

The season is also a time of gratitude - not just gratitude for the presents you receive at this holiday season, but also gratitude at being able to receive. Not just the physical presents, but gratitude for the blessings to even be in a position to receive such presents. But it is not just about presents, it is really gratitude for all we are given in life - gratitude for our body which carries us through this physical life - gratitude for every breath we take - gratitude for those who love us. Gratitude runs deep in the heart.

So at this time of giving, sharing gratitude and peace are gifts we can share with others. As is a simple smile, a simple courtesy, a simple thank you from the heart.

So as we celebrate this holiday season, may we all share in Peace, Gratitude, and most of all Love.

Peace to all with gratitude,
radha

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Please join me next Sunday at 10:30 am for Heart of the Islands Satsang on CFSI FM 107.9. Heart of the Islands Satsang is a radio show which celebrates the Unity of Spiritual traditions through music and reflections. Listen at the time of broadcast: www.cfsi-fm.com.

Shanti,
radha

2011-12-18: Love and Hope

2011-12-18T12:22:00.000-08:00

On Air Quotes:

Love and Hope
Love is better than anger.
Hope is better than fear.
Optimism is better than despair.
So let us be loving, hopeful and optimistic.
And we'll change the world."
-Jack Layton

Give me Love
Give me Love, Give me Love,
Give me Peace on Earth
Give me Hope,Help me Cope,
With this Heavy Load
Trying to Touch and Reach you
with Heart and Soul
~ George Harrison

Perfect Silence
Night is here.
The wind and the rain announce the news
That Spring is coming.
Still I sleep along, my dream not yet relized.

Flower petals falling
Seem to understand my dreams and aspirations.
They touch the ground of spring
In Perfect Silence.
~ Thich Nhat Hanh

Hope
May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing,
so that by the power of the Holy Spirit you may abound in hope.
~ Bible (Romans 15:13)

Lights of Hannukah
Light the first of eight tonight—
the farthest candle to the right.
Light the first and second, too,
when tomorrow's day is through.

Then light three, and then light four—
every dusk one candle more
Till all eight burn bright and high,
honoring a day gone by

When the Temple was restored,
rescued from the Syrian lord,
And an eight-day feast proclaimed—
The Festival of Lights—well named

To celebrate the joyous day
when we regained the right to pray
to our one God in our own way.
~ Aileen Lucia Fisher

Offering
Here is a flower. I have not made the flower
I have no power to create a flower.
I really have nothing I can call my own.
But I take this little part of Your creation
And I give it back to you,
Charged with my Love, Emotion, and Devotion
Please accept this Offering
~ Swami Sivananda Radha

A Little Happiness
Everybody wants happiness
Nobody wants pain
But you can’t have a rainbow
Without a little pain.
~ Unknown

Transformation
Just when the caterpillar thought the world was over,
She became a butterfly.
~ Anonymous

Thank you
Dear God,
I want to take a moment not to ask for anything
But simply to say Thank You for everything I have in life

Peace Petition
Today I petition the Divine Spirits

~ Om Shanti Shanti Shanti Om ~

May Peace prevail throughout Mother Earth
A Peace treaty to those who are experiencing inner & outer turmoil, this may be easier said than done.
Unexpected factors are at work and huge transformation is underway. Certain people and circumstances will shake things up in a way that puts a major damper on any peace plan that you may have in mind.

Let go of any and all expectations. The truth is that the universe has something in store for you that is far better than anything that you could possibly dream up by yourself. Relax and let it happen.
~ Yolanda Chavez

A Shadow
We are shaped by our thoughts;
We become what we think.
When the mind is Pure,
Joy follows like a shadow that never leaves.
~ Siddhartha

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Today's show is a celebration of Love and Hope... And Peace - for all people on earth. We did a lot of looking at things which are challenges in life and tools we can use to make change in our lives. The quotes are very fitting for where I am in life at this moment - even bring tears to my eyes. I hope during this time of holiday celebration, you remember there is much gratitude in all of the gifts we have in life. So many times, we takes these gifts for granted, as we don't even see them as gifts. It is when one stops and reflects and views something from the heart, that the gifts are seen. These are not physical gifts, but those gifts of the heart that bring us happiness and peace in our life. This radio show is such a gift for me in my own life to put together for you, whoever you may be. There is growth, cleansing, and love in this work.

Thank you.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Please join me next Sunday at 10:30 am for Heart of the Islands Satsang on CFSI FM 107.9. Heart of the Islands Satsang is a radio show which celebrates the Unity of Spiritual traditions through music and reflections. Listen at the time of broadcast: www.cfsi-fm.com.

Shanti,
radha

2011-12-11: Finding Happiness

2011-12-11T09:14:00.000-08:00

Pure Joy

On Air Quotes:

Take Time
Take time every day to
Sit quietly and listen
~ Unknown

Finding Happiness
The greatest of all happiness is to be at peace with one's immediate relations, those with whom one must live every day in the year.

When people try to handle the extremely complicated machinery of human feelings without any training whatsoever, the consequent results are often disastrous. Very few persons realize that most of our happiness lies in the art of understanding the law of human behavior. That is why so many people are often "in hot water" with their friends, and, worse yet, at constant war with their own best beloved ones at home.

The basic law of right human behavior is self-reform...Whenever any trouble occurs with our friends or dear ones, we should inwardly lay the blame on ourselves for getting into an unpleasant situation and then try to get out of it as fast and as graciously as we can. It is fruitless to increase the trouble by loudly, unkindly, discourteously blaming others, even though we find that they are to blame. We can teach quick-tempered dear ones to mend their faults a hundred times better by setting a good example than we can by harsh words.

When there is a fight, at least two parties are involved. So there can be no fight with you if you refuse to participate. If someone speaks to you in hurtful language, remain quiet; or say, "I am sorry if I have done something to offend you," and then remain silent. A person conquers wrath by calmness, stops quarrels by keeping silence, dispels disharmony by being sweet of speech, and shames discourtesy by being thoughtful of others.

There is no more liberating action than sincerely to give people kindness in return for unkindness.
~ Paramhansa Yogananda

Dear Friends
Dear friends just to let you know, I know you have your own point of view of Buddhism and life, totally respect that, but in the same time, my point of view about Buddhism is how to make your mind comfortable and to live with that, with understanding and the responsibility of your own life. That’s the point. Buddhism is not a law or order or controlling or power or election or gossip or hate. Image can be changed in Buddhism, but the result doesn't need to be changed because we all want to be happy in our own life with no brain washing. With love and respect to all of you,
Deeply
~ Kalu Rimpoche

Little Things
Those who cannot feel the littleness of great things in themselves Are apt to overlook the greatness of little things in others.
~ Kakuzo Okakura

The Game
Never play with the feelings of others
Because you may Win the Game
But the risk is that you will surely
Lose the person for a Life Time
~ Shakespeare

Living
Respond to every call that excites your Spirit.
~ Rumi

Inner Light
When you see your own shadow,
It's your Inner Light that reminds you to SHINE
~ Sherab Wong

Fortunate
Think as you wake up today: I am fortunate to be alive. I have a precious human life, and I am not going to waste it. I am going to use all my energies to develop myself and to expand my heart out to others. I am going to have kind thoughts towards others and benefit others as much as I can.
~ Dalai Lama

Patient Heart
Sometimes it is better to be kind than to be right.
We do not need an intelligent mind that speaks,
But a patient heart that listens.
~ Unknown

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Please join me next Sunday at 10:30 am for Heart of the Islands Satsang on CFSI FM 107.9. Heart of the Islands Satsang is a radio show which celebrates the Unity of Spiritual traditions through music and reflections. Listen at the time of broadcast: www.cfsi-fm.com.

Shanti,
radha

2011-12-04: Dance of Life

2011-12-04T09:08:00.000-08:00

On Air Quotes:
Dance of Life
It’s interesting to learn, in this lifetime, how to inhabit roles lightly, how to inhabit them with love and with joy and with passion, how to delight in the game, in the dance, in the lila, in the play.

And begin to see your life experiences as Grace, as a set of opportunities through which you can become free. They were handed to you.

It’s bizarre to get to the realization that there are no errors in the game, that the ones that have been handed to you were tailor-made for you.
~ Ram Dass

Speak Gently
Speak gently. It is better by far to rule by love than fear. Speak gently. Let no harsh word mar the good you may do here.

Speak gently to the Young, for they will have enough to bear; pass through this life as best they may, 'tis full of anxious care.

Speak gently to the Aged One. Grieve not the care-worn heart, whose sand of life are nearly run, let such in peace depart.

Speak gently, kindly to the poor,let no harsh tone be heard. They have enough they must endure without an unkind word.

Speak gently...'tis a little thing. Dropped in the heart's deep well; The good, the joy that it may bring eternity shall tell.
~Unknown

Divine Centre
Deep within us all there is an amazing inner sanctuary of the soul, a holy place, a Divine Centre, a speaking voice, to which we may continuously return. Eternity is at our hearts, pressing upon our time-torn lives, warming us with intimations of an astounding destiny, calling us home unto itself.
~ Thomas R. Kelly

A Soft Flicker of Hope
Every child has known God, not the God of names, not the God of don'ts, but the God who knows only four words and keeps repeating them, saying: "Come dance with Me, come dance."
~ Hafiz

Whole-Hearted Acceptance
Many teachers on the spiritual circuit speak quite a bit about the stories we create and how they are not real. While it is useful to acknowledge that our fear is a story, we still need to do the work of healing our wounded child in a sincere and authentic manner. It is like meeting a young child, standing alone and lost along the side of the highway. Would you stop and tell her that she is not lost and then, continue on your way? The compassionate response is to gently smile, take the child by the hand and offer to help her find her way home.

Similarly, all of us are seeking the way home. This home is a place of great fun and spontaneity in which every instant is alive with excitement and wonder. While the return to our innate joy might be our intent, many of us search far and wide for the key that opens the gateway to our own healing. Another, and perhaps simpler, approach is to go within and begin to watch whatever happens to be arising in the present moment. Those trigger points in our relationships are particularly valuable, and in effect, they have the potential to become our most precious gifts. Personally, I like taking the position in which everything is welcome. For example, if I am feeling sad, then I embrace the sadness.

This practice of whole-hearted acceptance does not mean that we have the right to act out our unhappiness with violence. Neither are we justified in blaming another person for what we are feeling. In actuality, until we are willing to take full responsibility for our own emotions, we remain stuck with our wounds and our victim mentality. Gratefully, I am seeing that surrender is one of the most effective tools in the healing process. Of course, it is not necessary to either like or to avoid any self-indulgent behavior. The important thing is to realize that there is a soft flicker of hope behind the eyes of every wounded child. With encouragement and patience, this soft flicker of hope can glow ever brighter until it blossoms into a beacon for the Light of Love.
~ Cathy Ginter

ShantiDeva’s Prayer
May all beings everywhere, Plagued by sufferings of body and mind, Obtain an ocean of happiness and joy By virtue of my merits.

May no living creature suffer, Commit evil or ever fall ill. May no one be afraid or belittled, With a mind weighed down by depression.

May the blind see forms, And the deaf hear sounds. May those whose bodies are worn with toil Be restored on finding repose.

May the naked find clothing, The hungry find food. May the thirsty find water And delicious drinks. May the poor find wealth, Those weak with sorrow find joy. May the forlorn find hope, Constant happiness and prosperity.

May there be timely rains And bountiful harvests. May all medicines be effective And wholesome prayers bear fruit.

May all who are sick and ill Quickly be freed from ailments. Whatever diseases in the world, May they never occur again.

May the frightened cease to be afraid And those bound be freed. May the powerless find power And may people think of benefiting each other.
~ Precept Prayer Shantideva revised by H.H. the 14th Dalai Lama

Does Jesus get Angry
A boy came one time and asked, "Maharajji, did Jesus really get angry?" As soon as Maharajji heard the word "Jesus," tears came to his eyes. He was sitting up when the question was asked, and he leant over on his elbow and tapped his heart three times with tears coming down from his eyes. There was a total silence for a moment. Maharajji had brought the reality of Christ into everyone's consciousness for a moment, and he said, "Christ never got angry. When he was crucified he felt only love. Christ was never attached to anything; he even gave away his own body."
~ From: Miracle of Love; Stories about Neem Karoli Baba

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Please join me next Sunday at 10:30 am for Heart of the Islands Satsang on CFSI FM 107.9. Heart of the Islands Satsang is a radio show which celebrates the Unity of Spiritual traditions through music and reflections. Listen at the time of broadcast: www.cfsi-fm.com.

Shanti,
radha

2011-11-13: Heart and Mind

2011-11-13T13:44:00.000-08:00

Amma

On Air Quotes:

Everything in Life
The whole world may disappoint us or forsake us, but if we have established a sweet and tender inner relationship with God, we shall never feel alone or forsaken. There is always that Someone by our side — a true Friend, a true Love, a true Mother or Father. In whatever aspect you conceive of the Divine, God is that to you. During the day, whenever anyone does something to help you, see God’s hand in the bestowal of that gift. When anyone says anything kind about you, hear the voice of God behind those words. When something good or beautiful graces your life, feel that it comes from God. Relate everything in your life back to God.
~ Sri Daya Mata

Unlock the Door
Seek and find the freedom of the spirit,
for where there is true freedom,
there is peace,
and where there is peace,
there is love,
and it is love that unlocks all doors.
~ Eileen Caddy

Life Challenges
Even for those of us who welcome change and new challenges, it can still be hard to take that one last step into the unknown of the new life some changes will bring. It may be easier to settle into the comfort of the known, but remember that at one time in our lives all of it was unknown. It was not until we experienced it that it became familiar and comfortable. Tomorrow, that which we are afraid of today just may become our celebrated.
~ K. Wierman

Who Walks Beside You
If you knew who walked beside you at all times,
on the path that you have chosen,
you could never experience fear or doubt again.
~ Wayne W. Dyer

One with Each Other
What greater thing is there for two human souls than to feel
that they are joined together to strengthen each other
in all labour, to minister to each other in all sorrow,
to share with each other in all gladness, to be one with
each other in the silent unspoken memories.
~ George Elliot

You Name
I wrote your name in the sky,
but the wind blew it a way.
I wrote your name in the sand,
but the waves washed it away.
I wrote Your Name in My Heart
and Forever it will stay.
~ Rumi

Work On Oneself
And I realize that the work on myself is part of what my gift is to my fellow human beings.
~ Ram Dass

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Gaurang On-Air Readings

I Am That
Questioner: What benefit is there in knowing that I am not the body?
Maharaj: Even to say that you are not the body is not quite true. In a way you are all the bodies, hearts and minds and much more. Go deep into the sense of 'I am' and you will find. How do you find a thing that you have mislaid or forgotten? You keep it in your mind until you recall it. The sense of being, of 'I am' is the first to emerge. Ask yourself whence it comes, or just watch it quietly. When the mind stays in the 'I am', without moving, you enter a state which cannot be verbalized but which can be experienced. All you need to do is to try and try again. After all the sense 'I am' is always with you, only you have attached all kinds of things to it - body, feelings, thoughts, ideas, possessions and so on. All these self-identifications are misleading. Because of them you take yourself to be what you are not.
Q: Then what am I?
M: It is enough to know what you are not. You need not know what you are. For, as long as knowledge means description in terms of what is already known, perceptual, or conceptual, there can be no such thing as self-knowledge, for what you are cannot be described, except total negation. All you can say is: 'I am not this, I am not that'. You cannot meaningfully sat 'this is what I am'. It just makes no sense. What you can point out as 'this' or 'that' cannot be yourself. Surely, you cannot be 'something' else. You are nothing perceivable, or imaginable. Yet, without you there can be neither perception nor imagination. You observe the heart feeling, the mind thinking, the body acting; the very act of perceiving shows that you are not what you perceive. Can there be perception, experience, with you? An experience must 'belong'. Somebody must come and declare it as his own. Without an experiencer the experience is not real. An experience which you cannot have, of what value is it to you?
~ Sri Nisargadatta Mahara (from: I Am That - Talks with Sri Nisargadatta Mahara)

Noetic Science
"What I'm saying is this...two heads are better than one...and yet two heads are not twice as better, they are many, many times better. Multiple minds working in unison magnify a thought's effect...exponentially. This is the inherent power of prayer groups, healing circles, singing in unison, and worshipping en masse. The idea of universal consciousness is no ethereal New Age concept. It's a hard-core scientific reality...and harnessing it has the potential to transform our world. This is the underlying discovery of Noetic Science. What's more, it's happening right now. You can feel it all around you. Technology is linking us in ways we never imagined possible: Twitter, Google, Wikipedia, and others - all blend to create a web of interconnected minds."
~ Dan Brown (From: The Lost Symbol)
www.noetic.org
www.scienceandnonduality.com
www.dalailamacenter.org

Time - It Keeps Everything From Happening all at Once
One of the great contexts in which we all live is time. It is time that gives us the sense of past and future and that constantly impels us out of the timeless present. It is time that keeps us reflecting on our history and projecting our future based on that history.
If we are to discover the actuality of our life, we must understand the nature of time. We often think of it as a given, an assumption of fact that is reinforced by the obvious cyclical movements of nature, the historical cross-referencing of our memories of others and the highly accurate predictive properties that we associate with time.
Does time exist outside of the web of conceptualization? Let us explore the question as if we didn't know the answer already. Let us look from the timeless state of the moment rather than the time-bound state of thought. Perhaps then we can understand the actuality of time.
In the timeless view of the moment, time looks like thought; the thought of now, the thought of then, the thought of will be. These thoughts arise and pass away in the eternal present. In this present, we cannot find that past or the future, other that the thought-of-past and the thought-of-future.

EXPERIMENT: Check your clock and note the time. Now, sit with your eyes closed so you can closely attend to your conceptual world. See if you can find past or future. See if you can find thoughts-of-past or thoughts-of-future. Can you find any thoughts that lasts longer that the present moment? When you become too restless to continue attentively, stop and note the time on the clock.

Time has passed, no doubt. Did you observe its passing while attending to your ideation? Or do we extrapolate time from the movement of the clock?
The close attention to our thoughts, feelings, and sensations - our window on the world - seems to take us out of time. Yet the movement of the clock hands, the rising and setting of the sun, the aging of our bodies tell us that some progressive movement or series of changes is occurring.
Thought has noticed this, too. Its function is to predict the movements of the world around us and to protect ourselves and all that we consider to be ours. This is a decisive advantage in the survival game, and we not only survived but we dominated and destroyed anything that stood in our way - through thought.
Thought, being the memory and predictive function of our human system, did not invent time. Nor did it merely observe time, as in the natural cycles of the world. Thought, the memory of history and the prediction of the future, is time.
Without thought organizing the changing world into the sequence we think of as time, everything would happen all at once. Without time there would only be the present moment for anything and everything to occur.
~ Steven Harrison (From: Getting to where you are: The life of meditation)

The Movement of the Mind
Indian psychologists, the great sages who expounded yoga, understood that the mind takes on four forms, each with a different function. When the mind is filled with thoughts, it is called manas. When it contemplates, it is called citta. When it makes decisions, it is called buddhi, intellect. When it takes on the feeling of "I"-ness, it is called ahamkara, ego. Together, these four functions are called the antahkarana, or inner psychic instrument.
The Upanisad-s state that the seat of the mind is the heart. Contemporary doctors do not accept this fact, believing that the mind is located in the brain. Yet when a person undergoes a crisis, it is the heart that trembles. When we become filled with fear, we experience this sensation in the heart. There are three nadis, or subtle channels, that lead from the heart to the sahasrara, the spiritual centre in the crown of the head, and that is why it seems that the mind is in the head. Nonetheless, the central abode of the mind is the heart, and if we meditate deeply we will come to know that.
~ Swami Muktananda (From: Mystery of the Mind)

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Today we had Gaurang McIntyre, a devotee of Amma, join us again for a wonderful satsang on Heart of the Islands. Gaurang brought in a wonderful selection of music and readings. We had wonderful spiritual discussion of Mind and Heart and finding that place of peace where the Divine resides within each of us. Living life through that place in our daily lives, keeping the essence of the Divine alive, as we live in our human form. Easier said than done, no doubt. Please listen to the podcast when it becomes available to listen to the wonderful discussion about Heart and Mind.

We also delved into Time, and how time is an illusion. As Eckhart Tolle so beautifully quotes:

"The more you are focused on time—past and future—the more you miss the Now, the most precious thing there is."

Much gratitude to Gaurang for bringing in a wonderful dimension to the shows. We will surely have Gaurang back for more Satsang.

Please contact Gaurang at Destination Om, his business where he sells custom rosaries and malas.

To learn more about Amma please click this link: About Amma

Amma's home ashram link is here: Home Ashram of Amma

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Please join me next Sunday at 10:30 am for Heart of the Islands Satsang on CFSI FM 107.9. Heart of the Islands Satsang is a radio show which celebrates the Unity of Spiritual traditions through music and reflections. Listen at the time of broadcast: www.cfsi-fm.com.

Shanti,
radha

2011-11-06: Remembrance

2011-11-06T09:10:00.000-08:00

On Air Quotes:

Love
Love, the hidden spring of life, and souls desire.
Celestial gold, secreted, laid by fire.
In every heart, in every thing that lives.
In every thought that human impulse gives.
The coin of heaven, the treasure of earth.
The rarest gift and joy (of largest worth.)
~ Edwin Leibfreed

Pure Heart
The pure heart is a spotless mirror in which
images of infinite beauty are reflected.
~Rumi

An Open Book
Let your love be like an open book that all souls can read
~ Unknown

Love Message
If you want a love message to be heard, it has got to be sent out. To keep a lamp burning, we have to keep putting oil in it.
~ Mother Teresa

Love and Miracles
Where there is great love,
There are always miracles.
~ Willa Cather

Kindness Now
I expect to pass through this world but once; any good thing therefore that I can do, or any kindness that I can show to any fellow creature, let me do it now; let me not defer or neglect it, for I shall not pass this way again.
~ Ettiene De Grellet

Intuition
You have to leave the city of your comfort and go into the wilderness of your intuition. What you’ll discover will be wonderful. What you’ll discover is yourself.
~ Alan Alda

7th Direction
North, South, East, West, Above, and Below.
One direction was still left to be placed;
The most powerful of all,
The one containing the greatest wisdom and strength,
The one which led directly to Him.

God looked to place this Seventh, Secret Direction where it could not easily be found.
It was finally hidden in the heart of man,
For He knew it would be the last place that humans usually look.
~ adopted from American Native Indian Tradition

Seek Me
Seek me and you shall find Me,
when you search for Me with all your Heart.
~ Jeremiah 29:13

Time Present
Yesterday, today, and tomorrow,
Time is formless, but it makes an appearance
When some motion occurs in nature.
The wheels of time are mysterious.
Past, present and future are all relative.
Present becomes past.
Future becomes present.
Present alone is real.
Live always in the present.
Today becomes yesterday.
Yesterday is today's memory.
It is a remembrance only.
Tomorrow is today's dream.
It is a longing only.
Live in the solid Present alone.
Wipe off yesterday and tomorrow.
In God, there is neither past nor future.
God is ever Eternal.
~ Unknown

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For all those near and dear who have left the physical world, we pay tribute. They are not gone - they are near. Their spirit resides in your heart. There is comfort in know that. And our love for the departed also resides in our heart. The union is there. So today's show focused not only on remembrance, but also love. Love, the Heart, Peace.

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ANNOUNCEMENTS:

Global Meditation on Remembrance Day
WHEN: 11 November 2011
TIME: 11:00 am to 11:00 pm
WHERE: Still Point Yoga Studio (behind Harbour House Hotel)

On the 11th day of the 11th month of the 11th year of this millennium the planet will be observing a UNIVERSAL DAY OF MEDITATION.

In the spirit of unification Still Point Yoga Studio (located behind Harbour House Hotel) will be the location for ONGOING SILENT MEDITATION from 11am - 11pm on Nov 11, 2011.

Meditation Hourly Schedule:
First 10 minutes of every hour - group OM
Next 15 minutes - spiritual music performer
Last 35 minutes - silent meditation

Please join me next Sunday at 10:30 am for Heart of the Islands Satsang on CFSI FM 107.9. Heart of the Islands Satsang is a radio show which celebrates the Unity of Spiritual traditions through music and reflections. Listen at the time of broadcast: www.cfsi-fm.com.

Shanti,
radha

2011-10-30: Aging with Grace

2011-10-30T12:11:00.000-07:00

On Air Quotes:

Letter from Mother and Father
My child,

When I get old, I hope you understand 'n have patience with me
In case I break the plate, or spill soup on the table because I’m losing my eyesight, I hope you don’t yell at me.
Older people are sensitive, always having self pity when you yell.
When my hearing gets worse 'n I can’t
hear what you’re saying, I hope you
don’t call me ‘Deaf!’
Please repeat what you said or write it down.

I’m sorry, my child.
I’m getting older.
When my knees get weaker,
I hope you have the patience to help me get up.
Like how I used to help you while you
were little, learning how to walk.
Please bear with me, when I keep
repeating myself like a broken record,
I hope you just keep listening to me.

Please don’t make fun of me, or get sick of listening to me.
Do you remember when you were little 'n you wanted a ballon?
You repeated yourself over 'n over until you get what you wanted.
Please also pardon my smell. I smell like an old person.
Please don’t force me to shower.

My body is weak.
Old people get sick easily when they’re cold.
I hope I don’t gross you out.
Do you remember when you were little?
I used to chase you around because you
didn’t want to shower.

I hope you can be patient with me when
I’m always cranky. It’s all part of getting
old. You’ll understand when you’re older.
'n if you have spare time, I hope we can
talk even for a few minutes.
I’m always all by myself all the time, 'n
have no one to talk to.

I know you’re busy with work.
Even if you’re not interested in my
stories, please have time for me.
Do you remember when you were little?
I used to listen to your stories about your teddy bear.

When the time comes, 'n I get ill 'n bedridden,
I hope you have the patience to take care of me.
I’m sorry if I accidentally wet the bed or make a mess.
I hope you have the patience to take
care of me during the last few moments of my life.
I’m not going to last much longer, anyway.

When the time of my death comes, I
hope you hold my hand 'n give me
strength to face death. 'n don’t worry..
When I finally meet our creator, I will
whisper in his ear to bless you.
Because you loved your Mom 'n Dad.

Pure Hearts
Grown men can learn from very little children for the hearts of the little children are pure. Therefore, the Great Spirit may show to them many things which older people miss.
~ Black Elk

Song Trail
Walk on a rainbow trail; walk on a trail of song, and all about you will be beauty. There is a way out of every dark mist, over a rainbow trail.
~ Navajo Song

The Land
We must protect the forests for our children, grandchildren and children yet to be born. We must protect the forests for those who can't speak for themselves such as the birds, animals, fish and trees.
~ Qwatsinas

Web of Life
Man did not weave the web of life,
he is merely a strand in it.
What he does to the web,
he does to himself!"
~ Chief Seattle

Another Version:
Humankind has not woven the web of life.
We are but one thread within it.
Whatever we do to the web, we do to ourselves.
All things are bound together.
All things connect.
~ Chief Seattle, 1854

Know Peace
Let us know peace.
For as long as the moon shall rise,
for as long as the rivers shall flow,
For as long as the sun shall shine,
for as long as the grass shall grow,
Let us know peace.
~ Cheyenne prayer

In Time
Never do anything before the time.
Allow things to grow,
allow things to have their time,
so that everything happens naturally.
~ Osho

Mystics and Lovers
There are mystics and lovers
angels and prophets
beggars and kings
who are pursuing you to tell you
the beloved is looking for you!

Someone has felt your longing
and the attraction to sweet love
is the secret passage to your heart!

The fragrance of an opening heart
is carried to the kingdom
by the soft summer breeze.

Align with love that lights
the way becoming a lantern
burning brightly in the dark.

Keep a vigil through the night
and let it be a beacon to guide
the beloved to the entrance
of the garden blossoming with the beauty
of your soul.

Prepare for the royal visitor
searching for you who has heard
your silent prayer and glimpsed
the moonlight shining from your hair

...and will soon be there.
~ Naomi

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We honoured First Nations in the first part of today's program. The beauty of the First Nation's honouring the Earth, Sky, and Water which sustains Life. It is apparent in the readings where we find connections in the "web of life" that Chief Seattle so beautifully describes.

The next part of the program dealt with Aging, not only of our parents, but of ourselves. The aging physically as well as of our minds. The Letter from Mother and Father is a beautiful reminder of how the circle of life from birth, being cared for as a child, growing up through childhood, becoming a parent ourselves and building a family, the glow of grandchildren, and the eventual aging and decay of our bodies. The cycle where as we age, we return in some ways to the stage of infant, needing to be cared for, tended to, and nurtured.

The last part of the program, if you listened to the words is about letting the light shine and healing. Hope for the sometimes impossible.

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Please join me next Sunday at 10:30 am for Heart of the Islands Satsang on CFSI FM 107.9. Heart of the Islands Satsang is a radio show which celebrates the Unity of Spiritual traditions through music and reflections. Listen at the time of broadcast: www.cfsi-fm.com.
Shanti,
radha

2011-10-23: Diwali with Prem

2011-10-23T20:10:00.000-07:00

On Air-Quotes

Dipa (The Lamp)
(A song for Divali)

Light the lamp now.
Make bright
the falling night
wrapped in the leaves of autumn.

Gone the day.
Kindle the flame
to burn
in the dark.
Let it show the way.

Lit is the lamp
of the moon.
Brilliant the stars.
Make them shine.
Let them unite.
Let there be light.
~ Ann Bonner (UK)

Whisperings... On Nature, Love, and Life
Light my light,
the world-filled light,
the eye kissing light,
heart-sweetening light!

Ah, the light dances... at the centre of my life;
the light strikes... the chords of my love;
the sky opens,
the wind runs wild,
laughter passes over the earth.

The butterflies spread their sails on the sea of light.
Lilies and jasmines surge up on the crest of waves of light.
The light is shattered into gold on every cloud,
and it scatters gems in profusion.
~ Rabindranath Tagore (Bengali Poet - India)

A Celebration of Diwali with Prem Pillay

Today was a celebration of Diwali and Prem Pillay was our special guest on today's show, sharing the light and love on the show. Diwali is a celebration of light on the New Moon (near the end of October/beginning of November). As Prem shared, it is a celebration of light over darkness, good over evil, new beginnings, and thanksgiving and gratitude for all that we are blessed with.

The Ramayana, an epic tale of Rama and Sita, and their banishment to the forest from their kingdom, the helping of the people of the forest and overcoming the evil rakshasas who tormented the people of the forest. The king of the Rakshasas, King Ravana, kidnapping Sita, and the Venares (race of monkeys) coming to help find Sita, and most endearing Hanuman who comes to the rescue and saves Sita from the evil King Ravana. The story is all about love, devotion, and good over evil.

At the end of the tale, when Sita is saved and Ravana and the Rakshasas are defeated, the original kingdom is restored to Sita and Rama. The people were so happy to have their return and the return of peace that they lit torches and lamps to light the way back to the kingdom as a welcome home to Rama and Sita.

Beyond the story of the Ramayana is the symbolism throughout. Goodness and love figure in significant ways throughout the story. Rama's love of Sita, Lakshmana's love of his brother Rama, Sita's Love of Rama, Hanuman's love of Rama and Sita, and so it goes. Rama's role is to save humankind from the evil forces of the world (the rakshasas and evil King Ravana).

Rama signifies good over evil and love courage, commitment, forgiveness, acceptance, bravery; Sita represents deep devotion and courage, love, loyalty and in the Indian culture Sita symbolizes a perfect wife; Lakshmana represents dedicated, loyalty, committed, love and intellect; and Hanuman represents love and devotion to the Divine (Rama) through selfless service, as he lives to serve Rama.

Ra signifies Radiance
Ma signifies Within (me)

With the celebration of light, Prem and I highlighted the Divine light that is within each of us, which is also the spark of the Divine. Just as breath (Hanuman, Son of the Wind) is the spark of life. Without breath, there is no life. We highlighted several songs and recitations which highlight these points.

I invite you to listen to the podcast (RH side of the screen), where the show goes into great detail of all these topics.

Much gratitude to Prem for joining me on air today - a true pleasure to share the airwaves with her.

Wishing you all a Happy Diwali with much Love and Light.

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Please join me next Sunday at 10:30 am for Heart of the Islands Satsang on CFSI FM 107.9. Heart of the Islands Satsang is a radio show which celebrates the Unity of Spiritual traditions through music and reflections. Listen at the time of broadcast: www.cfsi-fm.com.

Shanti,
radha

2011-10-16: Be Here Now

2011-10-16T11:22:00.000-07:00

On Air Quotes:

Being
...healing comes not from being loving but from being itself. It is not a case of being clear but of clear being. This healing is not about anything else but being itself. Nothing separate, no edges, nothing to limit healing. Entering, in moments, the realm of pure being, the gateless gate swings open-- beyond life and death, our original face shines back at us.
~ Stephen Levine, Healing Into Life and Death

Walk Patiently
Walk patiently through this troubled world,
and you will find great treasure.
Even though your house may be small,
look within it!
~ Rumi

Expand the Heart
Every day, think as you wake up, today I am fortunate to be alive, I have a precious human life, I am not going to waste it. I am going to use all my energies to develop myself, to expand my heart out to others; to achieve enlightenment for the benefit of all beings. I am going to have kind thoughts towards others, I am not going to get angry or think badly about others. I am going to benefit others as much as I can.
~ Dalai Lama

The Teacher
The Teacher teaches through silence as the Student studies the silence, only to learn that what the Teacher teaches, is good, in all ways.
You are a good Teacher in many different ways. I am blessed to be one of your Students and brother.
~ Joseph Sullivan

Become Dust
Purify yourself and become dust,
So that from dust,
Flowers can grow.
~ Rumi

Patience
Have patience with all things, but chiefly have patience with yourself. Do not lose courage in considering your own imperfections, but instantly set about remedying them. Every day begin the task anew.
~ St. Francis de Sales

Silence
When I am Silent, I fall into the place where everything is music.
~Rumi

Friend of Silence
We need to find God, and he cannot
be found in noise and restlessness.
God is the friend of silence.
See how nature - trees, flowers, grass-
grows in silence; see the stars,
the moon and the sun, how they move in silence...
We need silence to be able to touch souls.
- Mother Teresa

The Breath of God
Maharaj-ji said, "Hanuman is the breath of Ram," the breath of God. God is not far away from us but as close a our breath. In his book, the Unvarnished Gospels, a translation of the four Gospels from the original Greek text, Andy Gaus writes that the meaning of the word that was later translated was spirit, as in "holy spirit," is actually "breath." The divide between God and man, between holy (as in spirit) and evil (as in body) that characterizes the Western religious teachings is totally absent here. Breath is in the body. Breath is a part of life. It is natural to us. It is concrete. Breath flows in and out of the body and gives us life. We know what it is. Like our breath, God lives within us.

Hanuman is considered to be Ram's greatest devotee because he lives completely with the awareness that Ram, or God, lives in his own heart as who He truly is. Hanuman remains separate out of love, only in order to serve. There is no other program running, n o personal desire to be fulfilled. Instead of entering and disappearing into Ram, like a drop in the ocean, he keeps a slight separateness in order to serve. He looks back from that one-ness toward those who are suffering in the world. He sees the hidden Ram inside of us and serves our hidden divinity by calling to us to come to where he lives, always in the presence of God.
~ Krishna Das (From "Chants of a Lifetime" page 188.)

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Please join me next Sunday at 10:30 am for Heart of the Islands Satsang on CFSI FM 107.9. Heart of the Islands Satsang is a radio show which celebrates the Unity of Spiritual traditions through music and reflections. Listen at the time of broadcast: www.cfsi-fm.com.

Shanti,
radha

2011-10-09: The Teacher

2011-10-09T12:57:00.000-07:00

On Air Quotes:

Footprints
Some people come into our lives and quickly go. Some stay for a while, leave footprints in our hearts, and we are never, ever the same.
~ Unknown

The Source
Why is it that we always give our power to intermediaries? Why do we not go directly to the Source? We look to the government to give us a job or keep us safe. We expect the media to tell us what is truth. We expect financial advisers to tell us how to get abundance. And we expect priests or ministers or rabbis to tell us how to commune with God and how to get to heaven. You have abundance, safety, and communion, because He is in you. All answers lie within you, because the Source is within you. You have the ability to solve any problem and to answer everything you could ever want to know. You just have to ask, listen, and open yourself to be shown.
~ Unknown

Teachers
Picture or imagine that this earth is filled Buddhas, that every single being you encounter is enlightened, except one - yourself! Imagine that they are all here to teach you. Whoever you encounter is acting as they do solely for your benefit, to provide just the teachings and difficulties you need in order to awaken

Sense what lessons they offer to you. Inwardly thank them for this. Throughout a day or a week continue to develop the image of enlightened teachers all around you. Notice how it all changes your whole perspective on life.
~ Jack Kornfield (from A Path With Heart)

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Today we had special guest Vikash - local Salt Spring Island percussionist, kirtan wala, and artist join us. Vikash shared his musical background and his experience as drummer and kirtan-wala here on the island.

We then had satsang, and talked about the connections with the Divine through our experience. Discussions of Shiva as the destroyer ignorance and illusion which keep us from connecting with God or the Divine and how Shiva makes way for the path to God. Moving out of our head and into our hearts. Living our daily lives through the practice of mindfulness and the witness. We discussed using various spiritual practices to connect us with the Divine, whether meditation, prayer, or chanting. The practice's purpose is to help us get out of the "movie of me" and not get caught up in the methods of the practice, rather let the practice work us.

After our wonderful discussion of connection of the Divine through the Heart and moving out of the Intellect, and into the experience, Vikash read an excerpt from Eckhart Tolle's "Power of Now". The beauty of the reading was it tied perfectly with the satsang we had just held. We had not discussed the reading beforehand, so the reading was a perfect compliment to our conversation. The beauty of the Divine in action!

If you get a chance to listen to the podcast, please do - the satsang with Vikash is a beautiful sharing.

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Please join me next Sunday at 10:30 am for Heart of the Islands Satsang on CFSI FM 107.9. Heart of the Islands Satsang is a radio show which celebrates the Unity of Spiritual traditions through music and reflections. Listen at the time of broadcast: www.cfsi-fm.com.
Shanti,
radha

2011-10-02: Divine Love

2011-10-02T10:23:00.000-07:00

On Air Quotes:

What Bonds Us
What bonds us is seeing the divine in and as everything and everyone. If we're really spiritually awake, we see something extraordinary in and as each person, whether they know it or not. That's the beauty of it. That's the connection. That's the unity.
~ Adyashanti

Love You Make
And, in the end
The love you take
is equal to the love you make.
~ Paul McCartney

Love as Contentment
Love is the only contentment in life; everything else deceives. Everything else is a mirage; it allures you but it never satisfies you. On the contrary it leaves a feeling of great frustration – money, power, prestige, everything except love. Love gives you the first taste of contentment. One feels perfectly satisfied as one is, and in that state of contentment God comes in.
~ Osho

Divine Vision
To see a world in a grain of sand,
And a heaven in a wild flower,
Hold infinity in the palm of your hand
And eternity in an hour.
~William Blake ♥

Love Spoken
My Mother is Love
My Father is Love
My Prophet is Love
My God is Love
I am a child of Love
I have come only to speak of Love.
~ Rumi

Face of God
At this moment, next to you on left and right, behind you and in front of you, sits the divine mother. Sit Shiva, Krishna, Christ, the Buddha, Allah, Yahweh. Everybody you know, you see, you remember, and everyone you will meet is another face of God. Every person is another doorway through. It’s another way that God has come to you to awaken your attachment and your clingings, to bring them to the forefront and allow you to see through them.
~Ram Dass

Bowing Down
The position of “sajda” (bowing down) in prayer corresponds to the state of “fana” – egolessness. The thing that stands between us and God is only the illusion of our own ideas of ourselves. Let go of your ego, surrender to God, the Real. To find God we merely need to move out of the way. He was there all along!
~ Tazkiya-E-Qalb

Chants of a Lifetime
The love that I felt coming from Maharaj-ji when I was with him in India was so extraordinary and unusual because it kept flowing. It didn't come to me if I was good, and it didn't stop flowing to me if I was bad... and he knew everything. There was no way that I deserved this love. Of course, that's the nature of Grace; no deserves it. That's why they call it Grace. It comes to us when we least expect it - when we are more at the end of our rope and can't see how we can go on anymore, we turn a corner and there it is. We trip and fall, and we're in it. Grace surrounds us all the time... It is the true state of the Universe. As Suzuki Roshi said, "Come walk with me in the rain. But don't hurry. It's raining everywhere."

What keeps us away from the gentle rain of Grace? It's our endless obsession, all day long, with I, me, mine. We wake up in the morning and start writing "the movie of Me": What am I going to do? Where am I going? How am I going to get there? Is this enough? Is it too much? What's going to happen? What am I going to wear? How do I look? Does he like me? Why Not? All day long. The move of Me. We write it, direct it, produce it, and star in it. We write review that we read, and get depressed! Then we go to sleep and do it all over again the next day. I've seen it so many times. And still, every time I turn on the TV, there it is: me, myself and my stuff.

Gradually and inevitably spiritual practices like chanting remove this subjective version of life by slowly dissolving the attachments that keep us feeling separate from the people around us, and separate and cut off from the beauty that lives in our own Hearts. Everything we do in life is connected to everyone and everything else.
...
Everything that human beings do has some motive, some desire attached to it, even if it is the desire to help others and remove some of their suffering. These are positive desires, which can purify our hearts even more, but it's easy to get caught in the identifying oneself as the doer of these "good deeds," and then ego grows stronger. As Maharaj-ji said, "Only when God comes to reside in our hearts can we really serve people." There's a goodness, a beauty, and a love that lives in our own hearts.
~ Krishna Das (from book "Chants of a Lifetime")

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Featured more music from Playing For Change today: A wonderful instrumental called "Groove in G" and a version of "Gimme Shelter". Both of these songs are beyond excellent. The links here to the songs will take you to the respective videos - and the video experience is part of what makes the songs.

Playing For Change is also non-profit organization which helps not only the street artists who comprise the music heard and seen, but the organization also sponsors a multitude of music schools around the world for children who are in need. Their work is a wonderful bridge to the cultures of the world, and is to be celebrated. In their own words from their website http://www.playingforchange.com/journey/introduction

Playing for Change is a multimedia movement created to inspire, connect, and bring peace to the world through music. The idea for this project arose from a common belief that music has the power to break down boundaries and overcome distances between people. No matter whether people come from different geographic, political, economic, spiritual or ideological backgrounds, music has the universal power to transcend and unite us as one human race. And with this truth firmly fixed in our minds, we set out to share it with the world.

Please consider supporting their effort and buying their CD/DVD packages.

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Please join me next Sunday at 10:30 am for Heart of the Islands Satsang on CFSI FM 107.9. Heart of the Islands Satsang is a radio show which celebrates the Unity of Spiritual traditions through music and reflections. Listen at the time of broadcast: www.cfsi-fm.com.

Shanti,
radha

2011-09-25: Be Gentle

2011-09-25T16:31:00.000-07:00

On Air Quotes:

Be Gentle
Be gentle with yourself and your loved ones. Take a bath or a swim in the ocean or lake and allow yourself to be nurtured and soothed by the waters. We will get by. We are all in this together. Let’s rise with dignity and impeccability in our thoughts, words and actions. It’s all happening for a reason so trust in the unfoldment and ground yourself within your own body and truth as you navigate and dance your way through the murkiness!
~ MM

Spreading Light
There are two ways of spreading light: to be the candle or the mirror that reflects it.
~ Edith Wharton

Listen
First you need only look:
Notice and honor the radiance of
Everything about you...
Play in this universe. Tend
All these shining things around you:
The smallest plant, the creatures and
objects in your care.
Be gentle and nuture. Listen...
As we esperience and accept
All that we really are...
We grow in care.
~ Anne Hillman

Spread Love
Spread love everywhere you go: first of all in your own house. Give love to your children, to your wife or husband, to a next door neighbor... Let no one ever come to you without leaving better and happier. Be the living expression of God's kindness; kindness in your face, kindness in your eyes, kindness in your smile, kindness in your warm greeting. Love begins at home, and it is not how much we do... but how much love we put in that action.
~ Mother Teresa

Heart and Intuition
Your time is limited, so don’t waste it living someone else’s life. Don’t be trapped by dogma – which is living with the results of other people’s thinking. Don’t let the noise of other’s opinions drown out your own inner voice. And most important, have the courage to follow your heart and intuition. They somehow already know what you truly want to become. Everything else is secondary.
~ Steve Jobs

A Cool Rain
A cool rain is washing away the dust of a warm dry season. The trees are reaching up for the first drink in months and then bowing slightly under the weight of their autumn blessing. A layer of fog is rising like a long ahhh of quenched longings. It’s time to turn toward a new season and voice our own thanks.
~ Gail Neumann

Music as Prayer
There is nothing in the world so much like prayer as music.
- William P. Merrill

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Reflections:

It was wonderful to share a variety of spiritual music, starting out at a slower pace and building up to pieces with some spunk. It was refreshing to simply share a wonderful set of music for the listeners and sprinkle readings in between. Thank you for listening!

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Please join me next Sunday at 10:30 am for Heart of the Islands Satsang on CFSI FM 107.9. Heart of the Islands Satsang is a radio show which celebrates the Unity of Spiritual traditions through music and reflections. Listen at the time of broadcast: www.cfsi-fm.com.

Shanti,
radha

2011-09-18: Answers from the Heart

2011-09-18T13:25:00.000-07:00

On Air Quotes:

I Have Arrived
I have arrived.
I am Home
in the here,
in the now.
I am solid.
I am free.
In the ultimate
I dwell.
~ Thich Nhat Hanh

Our Family
The whole universe is our home and all residing in it belong to our family. Every woman is a mother or sister, and every man a father or brother. This is all God's family. You can do service of the highest order only if your thoughts are centered on God. Instead of trying to see God in a particular appearance, it is better to see him in everything.
~ Neem Karoli Baba

Secret Places
Music and rhythm find their way into the secret places of the soul.
~ Plato

Getting Past Pain
Q: How can those of us who had a painful childhood get past our pain and learn to trust people again?
A: Many of us have a wounded child within. When we've been deeply wounded as children, it's hard for us to trust and love, and to allow love to penetrate us. Because we are so busy, we don't have time to help with the healing. Many of us are afraid to go back to ourselves and be with that child. The block of pain and sorrow in us is so huge and overwhelming that we run way from it.

But in this practice, we are advised to home and take care of our wounded child, even though this is difficult. We need instructions on how to do this so that we are not overwhelmed by the pain inside. We practice cultivating the energy of mindfulness to become strong enough. With this energy, we can go Home and embrace our wounded child within. The practices of mindful walking, mindful sitting, and mindful breathing are crucial. Also, our friends' energy of mindfulness can help us. Maybe the first time we need one or two friends - especially those who have been successful in the practice - sitting next to us, to lend us their support, mindfulness, and energy.

When a friend sits close to us and holds our hand, we combine her energy with our own and we can go Home to ourselves to embrace our wounded child within.

You have to talk to your wounded child several times a day. Embracing your child tenderly, you reassure him that you will never let him down again or leave him unattended. If you have a loving Sangha, your practice will be easier. Your wounded child may represent several generations. Maybe your parents and their grandparents also had a wounded child within that they did not know how to handle, so they transmitted their wounded child to you. Our practice is to end this vicious cycle.

People suffer because they have not been touched by compassion and understanding. If we generate the energy of mindfulness, understanding, and compassion for our wounded child, we will suffer much less. Then we can allow people to love us. Before, we were suspicious of everything and everyone. Compassion helps us relate to others and restore communication.
~ Thich Nhat Hanh (From his book Answers from the Heart)

Compassion
Q: As a judge, how do I reconcile justice and compassion?
A: True justice should have compassion in it. When someone does something harmful, the destruction is done not only to the victim, but also to the perpetrator. We all know that every time we say something unskillful, something that can damage our relationship with theother person and make her suffer, we know that we have also done harm to ourselves, and created suffering for ourselves. That comes from our lack of skillfulness, our lack of mindfulness, and our lack of compassion, and we suffer as the other person suffers. Maybe not right now, but a little bit later we will suffer. The real cause of our harmful action is our ignorance, our lack of skillfulness.

If we know how to look at a so-called criminal, we will have compassion. Society has created him like that; he has been born into a situation in which social conditions, his parents, and other influences created his behaviour; he's very much the victim of his situation. He was born into that life, and he has been a victim ever since. Maybe nobody has helped him - educator, legislatures, politicians, businessmen, humanitarians, and that is why he is what he is.

We are products of our socity and our environment to a very large extent. If we see that, if we see the nature of inter-being (our human inter-connection with all that is) in the criminal act, we will be able to be compassionate, and the punishment that we propose win that case will be lighter. Looking deeply helps us to understand and to have compassion. With compassion, you can offer the kind of justice that contains more patience, understanding, and tolerance. Not only can we reconcile justice and compassion, but we can also demonstrate that true justice must have compassion and understanding in it.
~ Thich Nhat Hanh (from the book: Answers from the Heart)

See with the Heart
A modern story of Mullah Nasrudin, the Sufi teacher and holy fool, tells of him entering a bank and trying to cash a check. The teller asks him to please identify himself. Nasrudin reaches in his pocket and pulls out a small mirror. Looking into it, he says, "Yep, that's me all right."

Meditation and spiritual practice are like this - like looking in the mirror. Initially, we tend to see ourselves and the world in familiar ways, according to the images and models we have held for so long. "This is me." "I am clever" or "plodding." "I am lovable" or "unworthy." "I am wise and generous,", or "I am fearful and timid." Then we may try to fix or redo our image, but so mechanical an approach doesn't work either. I have known people who have embraced austere meditation as the true path the next year.

What images do we hold of ourselves, of our spiritual life, of others? Are all these images and ideas who we really are? Is this our true nature? Liberation comes not as a process of self-improvement, of perfecting the body or personality. Instead, in living a spiritual life, we are challenged to discover another way of seeing, rather than seeing with our usual images, ideals, and hopes. We learn to see with the heart, which loves, rather than with the mind, which compares and defines. This is a radical way of being that takes us beyond perfection. It is as if our spiritual practice, with its ups and downs, can be held in the heart of the Buddha. From this perspective, all can be included as our practice.
~ Jack Kornfield (from his book "A Path with Heart")

Many Spiritual Paths
Q: I go to a school, and some of my friends say this religion is the only true religion. How can I show them that being a follower of this religion is not the only way to spiritual fulfillment?
A: There are many spiritual traditions in the world. One tradition doesn't have to exclude the others. Each tradition belongs to the spiritual heritage of humankind. We have to cherish all of them.

It's like a bowl of fruit. If you love oranges, yhou have the freedom to eat oranges; but nobody forbids you to enjoy apples, peaches, and plums as well. It would be very sad if you ate only oranges. Many of us enjoy the teachings and the practice of Buddhism but we also enjoy the teachings and the practice of Islam, Christianity, Judaism, and so on. We can learn from other traditions.

Those who say that theirs is the only tradition are like people who eat only one kind of fruit. They have no capacity to enjoy other traditions, other fruits. They're missing out on so much. We feel sorry for them. We try to help them to see that they can enjoy more if they have the attitude of openness. Slowly, patiently, with loving kindness, you can help people open up.
~ Thich Nhat Hanh (from his book "Answers from the Heart")

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Reflections:

There seems to be many people in my life who are struggling and in emotional pain. Today's program was a tribute to those near and dear. I was born an empathetic person, and so when I see others in pain, whether emotional or physical, I too hurt. Is that compassion? I suppose. Today's show was from Buddhist perspective, featuring Thich Nhat Hanh and Jack Kornfield. The excerpts shared on air were from books by both of these authors and Buddhist teachers.

The joy of Buddhist teachings is the simplicity in the teachings. The compassion. The understanding. The fostering of the "good seeds" in each of us that make us caring, loving, compassionate people. We have have some kind of hurt in our lives, and the wisdom in the simple words of advice touch us all.

The other beautiful thing about Buddhism is its honouring all spiritual traditions as valid paths to God. When I was at the Thich Nhat Hanh retreat at UBC in August, his opening Dharma talk was about the Kingdom of God. I was moved to tears hearing a Buddhist talk about the Kingdom of God. I bow down to Thich Nhat Hanh's Lotus Feet.

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ANNOUNCEMENTS:

Brenda McMorrow in Concert - Victoria
When: Tuesday, 20 September 2011 at 7:30 pm
Location: Full Circle Studio Arts in Victoria (limited seating)
On Store Street next to Value Village.
Tickets: $25 at Full Circle Studio Arts

www.fullcirclestudio.ca
250.920.4037

An evening with Brenda McMorrow and friends Karen Graves, Niel Golden, Meshe & Moon Circus. We invite you to join us in the magical, soul-expanding realm of Kirtan: the “Call and response” singing of songs, rich modern melodies, world beats, acoustic guitar – chanting and singing ancient Sanskrit mantras.

Brenda McMorrow in Concert - Vancouver
When: Tuesday, 21 September 2011 at 7:30 pm
Where: Three Jewels Vancouver at 9 East Broadway
Tickets: $15 suggested donation
www.threejewelsvancouver.com
604.685.9215

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Please join me next Sunday at 10:30 am for Heart of the Islands Satsang on CFSI FM 107.9. Heart of the Islands Satsang is a radio show which celebrates the Unity of Spiritual traditions through music and reflections. Listen at the time of broadcast: www.cfsi-fm.com.

Shanti,
radha

2011-09-11: Healing, Hope and Peace

2011-09-11T09:29:00.000-07:00

Remembering 9-11 Ten Years Later

On Air Quotes:

Remembering 9/11 – Ten Years Later
For all those people who perished on September 11, 2001 and those still suffering today,
We pay tribute to you.

A Muslim Prayer
God of all Beings, look with favor upon us as we remember the tragic terrorist attacks of 9/11 in its 10th anniversary. Be our source of strength, healing and comfort as our wounds still bleed.

God of Wisdom and Compassion, You create eventual blessings out of every kind of evil. Make us instruments and agents of such creation as we strive to turn the post-9/11 challenges into opportunities and blessings for others and ourselves.

God of Mercy and Grace, we bring up the immediate victims and their loved ones of these heinous acts into your attention. Be their Light in these moments of darkness and difficulty.

God of Hope and Glory, do not let our hopes be overcome by our fears. Do not let our souls be crippled by despair. Be our source of hope and guidance in these times of sorrow and mourning.

Oh God, if we forget You. Do not forget us.

In your most Holy and Beautiful Names we pray.
Amen.
~ Imam Abdullah Antepli

Sending Love and Light
May the Angels watch over you all,
And guide you with loving care,
May they keep watch on your soul,
May they show you better ways,
May they guard you while you're sleeping,
May they give you love and light, and
Know you are not forgotten.
~ Unknown

Ishq Allah, Ma'bud Allah
God is Love, God is All-Beloved

Prayer for Peace
I offer you Peace.
I offer you Love.
I offer you friendship.
I see your Beauty.
I hear your need.
I feel your feelings.
My wisdom flows from the Highest Source.
I salute that Source in you.
Let us work together for Unity and Love ♥
~ Mahatma Gandhi

A Sikh Prayer
The One Universal Creator of all, our Divine Mother and Father
In Your blessings we find true and lasting comfort and peace
Grant healing and solace to our wounded hearts
Grant us strength to bear the loss of loved ones and to live in Your Will
Grant us resilience in the face of hate, and the courage to face it with dignity
May we all unite and share one another's pain and tears
May the hatred in the world melt away in Your boundless and everlasting Love
And living in Your Will, may all find peace, harmony and serenity.
~ Dr. Satpal Singh

Tragedy as Teacher
Tragedy can teach us many lessons. From pain, we can learn compassion. From division, we can learn solidarity. And when our world is shattered, as it was on September 11, 2001, we can learn to seek understanding.

On that violent day which shook us silent, America fractured. The lines between "us" and "them" grew thicker, darker, and harsher, muddying our shared humanity. We have since inhabited the shadows they cast, shouting at one another from across divides.

On this, the tenth anniversary of that heartbreaking day, we mourn and remember those we lost and all who were affected. But we are also given an opportunity: to overcome the lie of "them" and "us" and learn to live together.

The terrorists of 9/11 were guided by a narrative of intercultural incompatibility. But as people of diverse religious and secular identities, we can prove them wrong in our Unity. By building bridges of understanding, we can emerge from the shadows and learn -- from one another -- how to be our best selves.
~ Chris Stedman

Cleansing the Mirror
It is said that the Heart is like a mirror that reflects our deepest being. If the mirror is covered with dust, the reflection is not clear. The mirror of the Heart is covered with the dust of our "stuff": selfish desires, anger, greed, shame, fear & attachment. As we let go of these, our Inner Beauty begins to radiate and shine.
~ Krishna Das

Storms of Life
Like a tree I stand, reaching for the light, gaining strength from the darkness at my roots. My body is twisted by the storms of life, yet in my uniqueness I am beautiful.
~ Unknown

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Today marks the 10th anniversary of 9-11, the tragic day in history that affected people the world over. The disbelief, the sorrow, the tears as I watched the second plane fly into the tower. I cried that morning, unable to go to work, in grief for the senseless loss of life.

Through tragedy and pain are healing and hope. A coming together of people. It seems to me after the initial shock of the experience, the response was a childish retaliation. But as the years have passed, the ineffectiveness of that response has shown it does not resolve any of the anger nor bring us together.

Now, ten years later, there seems to be a strong movement world-wide of unity, healing, forgiveness, acceptance and growing from the pain of the past. Looking beyond the craziness of a few who damaged the world through its actions, and seeing as we heal, We Are All One. We all breathe the same air. We are all in this together to transcend the pain and anger and to find compassion and love to connect and heal us. We look beyond the differences and find that we are Children of God.

When we are connected with the Love in our Hearts, we can heal. It is impossible to hate from that place, and if we live our lives connected to the Divine through our hearts, we find peace, acceptance, and most of all Love.

Today many prayers and a specific selection of music were offered from many spiritual traditions, including Islam, Christian, Sikh, Buddhist, and Hindu amoung others. All of these traditions speak of Love, Peace, Healing and Hope. May we embrace that unifying message of all these spiritual traditions. Om.

Prayers for 9-11 - Multi-Faith
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Special Guest Gaurang McIntyre

We had special guest Gaurang McIntyre join us on air today to share his inner journeys as well as his journeys in India. He spoke of his teachers Muktananda as well as Amma. Wonderful discussions on the self and practices on union with the Divine. Also the analogy of the mirror and dust on the mirror clouding the shining spirit within.

Gaurang also brought in several tracks including the Longevity of Kalu Rinpoche, a bhajan by Amma, and the healing mantra "Om Trayabakam". The joy of having Gaurang share the airwaves is the wonderful spiritual dialogue that emerges based on his readings and music. Thank you Gaurang for your beautiful heart-felt sharing.

Readings:

Reflections on my self
Now I shall close my eyes, I shall stop my ears, I shall disregard my senses, I shall even efface from my mind all the images of corporeal things; or at least, since that can hardly be done, I shall consider them vain and false. By thus dealing only with myself and considering what is included in me, I shall try to make myself, little by little, better known and more familiar to myself.
~ Descartes - Meditations (Third Meditation of God: That He Exists)

Stillness Within
Still the mind; become its master.
Hear nothing, speak nothing,
see nothing, think nothing.
Seek only the inner Witness.
~ Reflections of the Self by Swami Muktananda.

Remembering God
23. How can the mind be purified without devotion characterised by a softening of the heart, the hair standing on end and tears of joy flowing out of the eyes?
24. A devotee of Mine whose speech is broken by sobs, whose heart melts and who, without any idea of shame, sometimes weeps profusely, or laughs, or sings aloud, or dances, purifies the whole universe.
25. As gold smelted by fire gives up its dross and gets back its real state, so the mind by means of a systematic devotion to Me winnows off its desire for work and attains to Me.
26. The more this mind is cleansed by listening to and reciting sacred tales about Me, the more it sees the subtle Reality, like eyes through an application of collyrium.
27. The mind of a man who thinks of sense-objects is attached to them, but the mind of one who remembers Me is merged in Me alone.
~ Uddhava Gita: The last message of Shri Krishna - Ch IX.
(Krishna speaking as God)

Please listen to today's podcast of this heart-felt show.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Please join me next Sunday at 10:30 am for Heart of the Islands Satsang on CFSI FM 107.9. Heart of the Islands Satsang is a radio show which celebrates the Unity of Spiritual traditions through music and reflections. Listen at the time of broadcast: www.cfsi-fm.com.

Shanti,
radha

2011-09-04: Sacred Silence

2011-09-04T13:20:00.000-07:00

Brenda McMorrow

On Air Quotes:

Observe the Wonders
Observe the wonders as they occur around you.
Don't claim them.
Feel the artistry moving through and be silent.
~ Rumi

Sarvesham
May Auspiciousness (good fortune, positiveness) be unto all
May Peace be unto all
May Fullness be unto all
May Prosperity be unto all
May all beings, everywhere by Happy and be at Peace
~ Vedic Mantra

Kirtan Chanting
Singing together– chanting the Divine names – encourages our hearts to open and the beauty of our true beings to shine!
~ Brenda McMorrow

Love and Fear
"There are two basic motivating forces: fear and love. When we are afraid, we pull back from life. When we are in love, we open to all that life has to offer with passion, excitement, and acceptance. We need to learn to love ourselves first, in all our glory and our imperfections. If we cannot love ourselves, we cannot fully open to our ability to love others or our potential to create. Evolution and all hopes for a better world rest in the fearlessness and open-hearted vision of people who embrace life."
~ John Lennon

Little Things
Be grateful for the little things in your life,
There are plenty of them every day.
~ Marcia Gooden
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Reflections:

Today we had the pleasure of interviewing Brenda McMorrow, kirtan chant artist from Guelph, Ontario who is coming to BC for two gatherings - Victoria and Vancouver. Please see the announcement at the bottom of the website for details. Brenda shared from her heart how her original musical styles of folk and bluegrass morphed after attending a kirtan gathering herself. The chant Om Namah Shivah connected deeply with Brenda and she intuitively knew that kirtan chanting was to be her musical calling. Brenda then went on a journey of self discovery, leading her to India, teachings from Ramana Maharshi, Buddhist teachings amoung others. Much gratitude to Brenda for taking the time to call in and share with our listeners.

One of the topics which we touched on the interview today was kirtan chanting as a form of Bhakti Yoga - the yoga of Love and Devotion. Kirtan chanting is a call and response chanting where the kirtan leader (Brenda in this case) sings a musical phrase in Sanskrit and the participants echo the phrase back. The song will start slow and contemplative, and build in tempo and volume, then diminish to a slow ending. At the end is a sacred silence that is profound - and often in the silence is where one feels the connection with the Divine. Kirtan chanting is a wonderful meditation to deepen one's spiritual practice.

We also highlighted several new artists, including Will Blunderfield and Jack Harrison, both artists under the NuTone Music to Inspire label. Please Listen to the Podcast to get a taste of these new and upcoming artists who sing from the heart.

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HOTI - 2011-09-04 - Sacred Silence by HeartOfTheIslands

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

ANNOUNCEMENTS:

Brenda McMorrow in Concert - Victoria
When: Tuesday, 20 September 2011 at 7:30 pm
Location: Full Circle Studio Arts in Victoria (limited seating)
On Store Street next to Value Village.
Tickets: $25 at Full Circle Studio Arts

www.fullcirclestudio.ca
250.920.4037

An evening with Brenda McMorrow and friends Karen Graves, Niel Golden, Meshe & Moon Circus. We invite you to join us in the magical, soul-expanding realm of Kirtan: the “Call and response” singing of songs, rich modern melodies, world beats, acoustic guitar – chanting and singing ancient Sanskrit mantras.

Brenda McMorrow in Concert - Vancouver
When: Tuesday, 21 September 2011 at 7:30 pm
Where: Three Jewels Vancouver at 9 East Broadway
Tickets: $15 suggested donation
www.threejewelsvancouver.com
604.685.9215

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Please join me next Sunday at 10:30 am for Heart of the Islands Satsang on CFSI FM 107.9. Heart of the Islands Satsang is a radio show which celebrates the Unity of Spiritual traditions through music and reflections. Listen at the time of broadcast: www.cfsi-fm.com.

Shanti,
radha

2011-08-28: Heart Sourcing

2011-08-28T14:30:00.000-07:00

On Air Quotes:

Discover Peace
Looking behind I am filled with gratitude. Looking forward I am filled with vision. Looking upwards I am filled with strength. Looking within I discover Peace.
~ Quero Apache Prayer

True Nature
The song of the Heart is carried by wind and water. Listen to the trees and the night owl, the lily unfolding... everything speaks of our true nature, as Love.
~ Cathy Ginter

Wonders
Observe the wonders as they occur around you.
Don't claim them.
Feel the artistry moving through and be silent.
~ Rumi

A River
When you do things from your soul,
you feel a river moving in you, a joy.
~ Rumi

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Show Reflections:

I had the pleasure of spending the weekend with my adopted "Canadian" family this weekend. It brings me such pleasure and joy to be included in this family, and to feel so welcomed by them. They have taken me under their wing and I am happy to honour and thank them for all they have given me. Today several songs were played in dedication to my "Canadian" family.

We played the Youngblood's "Get Together" as a tribute to the late Jack Layton, former NDP Leader. A rendition of "Get Together" was sung at Jack's service yesterday by Julia Michele which was beautiful and the words represent the life Jack lead - one of unity, hope, love, and making the world a better place.

The theme of today's show is taken after Ram Giri's "Heart Sourcing" teachings and guided meditations. In the interview with Ram Giri on-air today, he said it so well, when he talked about the Heart being where peace and love is found. We so often look outside of ourselves for that "true love", and we may even find "love" out there, but it doesn't last - it is fleeting. However, when you look inside, you will find the love that is Eternal. As Ram Giri so beautifully said, it all starts with loving ourselves.

Ram Giri also shared his experience in meeting his guru Maharaj-ji (Neem Karoli Baba) in India. How his guru changed his life and give him the gift of life after about with cancer. Please listen to the podcast to hear the beauty and depth of Ram Giri's sharing.

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RAM GIRI SPECIAL OFFER:

Ram Giri offered 10% discount on any of his Coaching programs to the listeners of the Heart of the Islands Satsang.
Here is the link to our coaching page: http://skillsforawakening.com/coach/
It will be available until this coming Wednesday, August 31st, 2011 at 12 midnight EST. We are able to answer any questions via email at: info@skillsforawakening.com or phone 305-567-1406 until 8pm EST the same day.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

ANNOUNCEMENTS:

Brenda Morrow in concert
When: Tuesday, 20 September 2011 at 7:30 pm
Location: Full Circle Studio Arts in Victoria (limited seating)
On Store Street next to Value Village.
Tickets: $25 at Full Circle Studio Arts

www.fullcirclestudio.ca
250.920.4037

An evening with Brenda McMorrow and friends Karen Graves, Niel Golden, Meshe & Moon Circus. We invite you to join us in the magical, soul-expanding realm of Kirtan: the “Call and response” singing of songs, rich modern melodies, world beats, acoustic guitar – chanting and singing ancient Sanskrit mantras.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Please join me next Sunday at 10:30 am for Heart of the Islands Satsang on CFSI FM 107.9. Heart of the Islands Satsang is a radio show which celebrates the Unity of Spiritual traditions through music and reflections. Listen at the time of broadcast: www.cfsi-fm.com.

Shanti,
radha

2011-08-21: Love of Mother and Father

2011-08-21T15:03:00.000-07:00

On Air Quotes:

Grace
What is the use of sitting inside a room with all the doors and windows closed, and complain that it's dark while the sun is shining brightly outside? If we just open the doors of our hearts, we can receive the grace that God is constantly showering down on us.
~ Amma

Divine Love
1. Now, therefore, we shall expound the religion of Divine Love.
2. That, verily, is of the nature of supreme Love of God.
3. And in its own intrinsic nature, Divine Love is nothing less that the immortal bliss of freedom (Mukti) itself, which comes unsolicited by the grace of God and by self-sacrifice.
4. Gaining that, man realizes his perfection and divinity and becomes thoroughly contented.
5. Attaining that, man has no more desire for anything; he is free from grief and hatred; he does not rejoice over anything; he does not exert himself in furtherance of self-interest.
6. Realizing that, man becomes intoxicated and fascinated, as it were, because he is completely immersed in the enjoyment of the Bliss of the Atman, the truest and highest self.

Thus we can see that the Supreme Divine Love noted by Narada is not the same as what is generally understood by the term Bhakti or devotion for God. It is, in fact, the culmination of all Yogas, or methods of realization, ending in complete egoless love of God for the sake of love alone and a realization of God in all creatures, indistinct from one's own Self and expressing itself in the form of unselfish service to God and his creatures in the spirit of Worship.
~ Narada Bhakti Sutras translated by Swami Tyagisananda.

Service
The Universe is a tree instinct with life; the Lord is its foundation; so service to all creatures is worship of God.
~ Bhagavata VII. 14.36.

The Word
Having reached the journey's end, the seeker too merges with the Word and enters the company of the Free Ones. He may continue to live like other men in this world of human beings, but his spirit knows no limitations and is as infinite as God Himself. The wheel of transmigration can no longer affect him, and his consciousness knows no restrictions. Like his Master before him, he has become a Conscious Co-worker of the Divine Plan. He does nothing for himself but work's in God's name. If there be indeed any Neh-Karmi (one free from the bonds of action), it is he, for there is no more potent means to freedom than the Power of the Word. He alone is action-free who communes with the Word.
- Gurbani

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

We had my Dad and Mom as guests in the first hour of the show today. It is always a pleasure to have family join me on-air. We shared Gregorian chants and music from Prema Akasha and Amitabhan, who's concert we had attended together at the Salt Spring Centre of Yoga this past Wednesday. I send love and hugs from the depths of my heart to my father and mother.

In the second hour, we had Gaurang as a guest to share some of his spiritual experiences and words of the heart. He shared beautiful readings from the Narada Bhakti Sutras as well as from the Bhagavad Gita and Gurbani, which is from the Sikh spiritual tradition. It was a pleasure the share the air waves with Gaurang. Gaurang is a Salt Spring Islander who sells malas at the Saturday Market and has touched many spiritual traditions on his path. You may contact Guarang through his website at Destination Om

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ANNOUNCEMENTS

Brenda Morrow in Concert
When: Tuesday, 20 September 2011 at 7:30 pm
Location: Full Circle Studio Arts in Victoria (limited seating)
Tickets: $25 at Full Circle Studio Arts

www.fullcirclestudio.ca
250.920.4037

An evening with Brenda McMorrow and friends Karen Graves, Niel Golden, Meshe & Moon Circus.

We invite you to join us in the magical, soul-expanding realm of Kirtan: the “Call and response” singing of songs, rich modern melodies, world beats, acoustic guitar – chanting and singing ancient Sanskrit mantras.

Ram Giri Interview 28 August
Join me next Sunday at 11:30 for an interview with Ram Giri author and founder of "Skills for Awakening" where he will share his latest work with Krishna Das. Ram Giri leads guided meditations on his CD with Krishna Das entitled "Living With An Open Heart".

Kalu Rinpoche on Saltspring
Kalu Rinpoche's visit to Saltspring Island, BC CANADA (Sept 17 -19, 2011)
Information and Registration details at:
www.kkc-kdol.org
www.paldenshangpa.net

Tibetan Feast - Victoria
Tibetan Feast which will raise funds used to bring and settle 1000 Tibetan Refugees to Canada.
Saturday Sept 10, 2011 - 6 to 830p @ Church of Saint John the Divine - 1611 Quadra Street, Victoria BC CANADA.
For details visit www.tcsovi.org or call Kirsty for tickets ($25) 250.508.7739.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Please join me next Sunday at 10:30 am for Heart of the Islands Satsang on CFSI FM 107.9. Heart of the Islands Satsang is a radio show which celebrates the Unity of Spiritual traditions through music and reflections. Listen at the time of broadcast: www.cfsi-fm.com.

Shanti,
radha

2011-08-14: Awakening the Heart with Thich Nhat Hanh

2011-08-14T15:53:00.000-07:00

Sister Chan Khong & Radha

Today's show is a celebration of the "Awakening the Heart" retreat, a 5 day meditation and study with Thich Nhat Hanh.

Thich Nhat Hanh

Thich Nhat Hanh, or Thay (pronounced "tie") as many lovingly call him, is a Zen Buddhist Master, originally from Vietnam who now lives in France and is the founder of the Buddhist community "Plum Village" in France. He is also an author, a poet, an activist, and a gifted teacher offering simple, practical solutions to life's sometimes complex personal problems. Thay's teachings are well thought out, and when sitting in his presence and listening to his Dharma talks, one feels as if one is sitting in the presence of a true Buddha.

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On Air Quotes:

A Mindfulness Retreat Moment
I am in Heaven, the Kingdom of God, the Pure Land of Buddha, or what ever name you like to use for the Promised Land. It turns out it is not hard to get here. You just walk. Zen Master Thich Nhat Hanh has shown me the way to get here through walking meditation. I have arrived, I am home, in the here and the now, and it's Heaven on Earth.

It's as if a puff of wind has blown away the fog surrounding my life, and suddenly I find myself in the middle of Heaven, with my feet still firmly grounded on earth. I am not alone here. Eight hundred and fifty brothers and sisters walk together with me, breathe together with me, and meditate together with me, at the "Awakening the Heart, Mindfulness Retreat."

We walk together in mindfulness with open hearts through the streets in Vancouver. It is an awesome sight that affects everyone. Thich Nhat Hanh holds the hands of a group of small children, and shows us the way. The crowd flows like a river through the streets, silent and beautiful. I overhear some bystanders talking. A man says "What are they doing?" The woman with him says "I think they are respecting something." She is right, we are respecting something. Actually, I think we are respecting everything. We have awakened our hearts to the inter-being nature of everything in this world.

Our beloved teacher silently leads us into the trees and stops for a sitting meditation. We stop on a grassy meadow that is just large enough for everyone. I am lucky to be close to the front of the crowd where I can see. Just the sight of his face fills me with peace. He invites a small bell to ring and we all sit down cross legged on the grass. However, now I cannot see at all, as a large man in front of me has chosen to rise up on his knees and he is blocking everyone's view as he takes many pictures with his camera. I too rise up and strive to see past him and then think of the many others behind me. I may be the large man blocking their vision. So I slump down low, my disappointment tempered by the wonder of the occasion. I feel a hand upon my shoulder. A beautiful older lady breaks her noble silence to whisper in my ear. "Lean in" she says. I look closely at her. The lady next her has deep brown eyes, and she reaches over and lays her hand on top of mine in encouragement, she too mouths the words "Lean in." We three lean in together, with faces touching and clearly see the Zen Master having tea with the children. It is so moving a tear runs down my cheek, and lands, nourishing the shining grass of a place I like to call Heaven.

Much Gratitude,
~ Rob Kjarsgaard

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Thich Nhat Hanh Quotes

Looking For Each Other
I have been looking for you, World Honored One,
since I was a little child.
With my first breath, I heard your call,
and began to look for you, Blessed One.
I've walked so many perilous paths,
confronted so many dangers,
endured despair, fear, hopes, and memories.
I've trekked to the farthest regions, immense and wild,
sailed the vast oceans,
traversed the highest summits, lost amoung the clouds.
I've lain dead, utterly alone,
on the sands of ancient deserts.
I've held in my heart so many tears of stone.

Blessed One, I've dreamed of drinking dewdrops
that sparkle with the light of far-off galaxies.
I've left footprints on celestial mountains
and screamed from the depths of Avici Hell, exhausted, crazed with despair
because I was so hungry, so thirsty.
For millions of lifetimes,
I've longed to see You,
but didn't know where to look.
Yet, I've always felt your presence with the mysterious certainty.

I know that for thousands of lifetimes,
you and I have been one,
and the distance between us is only a flash of thought.
Just yesterday while walking alone,
I saw the old path strewn with Autumn leaves,
and the brilliant moon, hanging over the gate,
suddenly appeared like the image of an old friend.
And all the stars confirmed that you were there!
All night, the rain of compassion continued to fall,
while lightning flashed through my window
and a great storm arose,
as if earth and Sky were in battle.
Finally in me the rain stopped, the clouds parted.
The moon returned,
shining peacefully, calming Earth and Sky.
Looking into the mirror of the moon, suddenly
I saw myself,
and I saw you smiling, Blessed One.
~ Thich Nhat Hanh (from "call me by my true names")

Bad Habits
Q. How can we become aware of and change bad habits?
A. Negative habit energy always tries to emerge, but if you are mindful, you recognize it. Mindfulness helps us to recognize the habits transmitted by our ancestors and parents or learned during our childhood. Often, just recognizing them will make them lose their hold on you.

Suppose you have the habit of getting into a hurried state while doing such things as shopping or cooking. With mindfulness you recognize that you are rushing around and knocking things over, trying to finish quickly. Then you realize that the energy of being in a hurry has manifested itself. So you breathe in and out mindfully, and you say, "My dear habit energy, here you are again." And as soon as you recognize it, it will lose its strength. If it comes back again, you do it again, and it will continue to lose its strength. You don't have to fight it, just recognize and smile at it. Every time you recognize it, it becomes a little bit weaker until eventually, it can't control you anymore.
~ Thich Nhat Hanh (from "Answers from the Heart")

Judgment
Q. How can I get over being so judgmental?
A. When we look at a human being, we look deeply enough to see that an individual is made of many elements: society, education, parents, ancestors, culture, and so on. If we don't see all these elements, we don't fully see the person. If he has the tendency to behave in a negative manner, it doesn't mean that he likes to behave that way, but that he may be a victim of transmission. The negative seeds in him may have been transmitted to him by his society, his parents, his ancestors, or his culture.

When you realize this, it will be easier to have compassion for him. Then you will be motivated less by the desire to judge than by the desire to do something in order to change the environment, the culture so that the next generation will not be a victim. Instead of annoyance, you can have the desire to act with compassion.

When you look deeply at yourself, and you notice one of your strengths, whether it is talent or a skillfulness or happiness, you know you have inherited it from your ancestors, your parents, your culture, and so on. You are their continuation, they have passed these things on to you. Likewise you see the negative things in yourself, such things as fear, anger, and discrimination that may have been transmitted to you by your parents and ancestors. In either case, there is no judgment on your part. Your parents and ancestors were not able to transform themselves, that is why they have passed these things on to you. But you have an opportunity to transform so that you will not transmit these negative things to your children. This way of looking at yourself and others will give you understanding , compassion, and a desire to act in order to transform.
~ Thich Nhat Hanh (from "Answers from the Heart")

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Please join me next Sunday at 10:30 am for Heart of the Islands Satsang on CFSI FM 107.9. Heart of the Islands Satsang is a radio show which celebrates the Unity of Spiritual traditions through music and reflections. Listen at the time of broadcast: www.cfsi-fm.com.
Shanti,
radha

3 Aug 2011 - Returning 14 Aug 2011 and Announcements

2011-08-03T12:11:00.000-07:00

I will be back live on-air on Sunday 14 August at 10:30 after a week-long retreat with Thich Nhat Hanh, Zen Buddhist Master, in Vancouver BC. I look forward to sharing some of the teachings with you upon my return. The 14th August show will be a reflection of the teachings of Thich Nhat Hanh and the "Awakening the Heart" retreat in Vancouver, BC August 2011.

ANNOUNCEMENTS:

Amitabhan and Prema Akasha in Concert
When: August 17, 2011, 7:30pm
Where: The Salt Spring centre of Yoga
Tickets @ the door only: $15
More info: www.dharmatunes.com/events

Amitabhan and Prema Akasha lead audiences on a deep journey of the heart with their unique blend of original songs, chants, raps, and rhymes inspired by the timeless wisdom and love at the core of all spiritual traditions.

Living in Consciousness with Leonard Jacobson

Leonard Jacobson
September 9 & 10
Salt Spring Centre of Yoga

Leonard Jacobson is a gifted healer and mystic, who can penetrate beyond the veils of illusion into the very heart of whatever is holding you in the past, in a way that leads to completion, healing and release. Leonard reveals a powerful and effective way of working with the ego that leads to liberation and true awakening.

Leonard will address these vital questions during the workshop:

* How do you free yourself from the mind and ego and open fully into now?
* How can you heal and release the past so you can be more fully present?
* What are the hidden obstacles to awakening?
* Who are you when you are fully present?
* What does it mean to live an awakened life?

Leonard Jacobson is the founder of the Conscious Living Foundation in Santa Cruz, California. He is the author of five books, Words from Silence, Embracing the Present, Bridging Heaven and Earth, Journey into Now and his latest, a children’s picture book, In Search of the Light.
He has taught in the United States, Europe, Australia, Taiwan, China and Japan. Leonard is an awakened spiritual teacher deeply committed to helping others break through to the joyous experience of living in the now and teaching effective ways to integrate higher consciousness
into everyday living.

COST: Friday Evening & Saturday $125 (includes lunch on Saturday)
Friday Evening only $25 (preregistration for Friday evening is not necessary)

ACCOMMODATION: This is a non residential workshop, but you can stay at the center if you like. Contact the Salt Spring Centre of Yoga directly to make arrangements for overnight accommodation.

TO REGISTER FOR THIS EVENT: Visit www.leonardjacobson.com or call 1-831-688-1694.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Love and Light,
radha

2011-07-10: A Path With Heart

2011-07-10T00:30:00.000-07:00

On Air Quotes:

A Path With Heart
A path with Heart brings us to experience the phenomenal world in all of its infinite richness; to see, hear, smell, taste, touch, and think, and to find freedom and greatness of Heart in the centre of it all. Because each of us as a human flower will open in our own unique way in our own particular cycles, we need not direct the specific energies of our body and heart. Our path is neither to desire them nor fear them. The true path is one of Letting Go.

When we cultivate spaciousness, faith, and a broad perspective, we can move through all states and discover in them a timeless wisdom and a deep loving heart.
~ Jack Kornfield from “A Path With Heart”

Key to the World
In oneself lies the whole world and if you know how to look and learn, the door is there and the key is in your hand. Nobody on earth can give you either the key or the door to open, except yourself.
~ Jiddu Krishnamurti

One Ocean
All the mind-streams eventually flow into the One ocean Beingness. There are many pathways for the mind, there are no paths for the Heart, for the Heart is infinite and fills everything.
~ Mooji

Children of God
Thank you Lord for my Sisters and Brothers!
For you are All children of God.
~ Galatians 3:26

Lover Awakens
There is an excess in spiritual searching that is profound ignorance.
Let that ignorance be our teacher.
The Beloved breathes into one who has no breath.

A deep silence revives the listening
and the speaking of those two who meet on the riverbank.

Like the ground turning green in a spring wind,
like birdsong beginning inside the egg.

Like this universe coming into existence,
the lover awakens,
and whirls in a dancing joy,
Then kneels down in Praise.
~ Rumi

Love Grows
Understand that God dwells as pure consciousness in all beings, including you. As this experience becomes stronger and stronger, the love in you also grows. This love is the best cure for all emotional blocks.
~ Amma

Be grateful to Almighty
Be always grateful to Almighty who has given you a chance to come on earth in the form of human being. Be always grateful to Him for every moment He allows you to live. He is very generous . He is the source of all , one can imagine to acquire for truthful life. Make space for Him in your heart. Larger the space, larger the kindness of God. He lives in every heart being omnipresent and shines where there are no clouds of selfishness, cruelty and egoism.

Heart filled with light of Love and Cooperation can expand to any extent to give space for Almighty’s virtues. One has to make self eligible for God’s kindness by providing Him ample space in one’s heart. Heart wide open is easily filled with all virtues being showered by God unhindered.
~ Satyendra Pal Singh

Spread Love Everywhere
Spread love everywhere you go: first of all in your own house. Give love to your children, to your wife or husband, to a next door neighbor... Let no one ever come to you without leaving better and happier. Be the living expression of God's kindness; kindness in your face, kindness in your eyes, kindness in your smile, kindness in your warm greeting.
~Mother Teresa

Pure of Heart
Blessed are the pure in heart, for they will see God.
~ Jesus (Matthew 5:8)

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Jack Kornfield's book "A Path With Heart" is a practical guide for one who is on a spiritual search. He brings in Buddhist, Jewish, and Hindu spiritual aspects in his writing and by presenting from these different perspectives he gives the reader ample opportunity to find their Path With Heart.

Had an experience this week with a friend who was experiencing emotional pain at feeling like he was living too much in the material world. Some kind words of the heart were offered. The gratitude this friend expressed touched the soul. He was living in the material world, but his heart was still connected with the Divine. He possibly temporarily turned his back on his heart, but it caused pain. He felt the pain, and with his hurt, he was able to open up and receive a little love from a friend. Offering a kind word can go miles.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

ANNOUNCEMENTS

A Vedanta Weekend with Ramji
Explore the 5,000 year-old Indian path of Self Inquiry
July 15 - 17, 2011
Neptune Farm, Salt Spring Island

James Swartz (Ramji) is one of the very few authentic teachers of Vedanta in the world today. He is offering a unique opportunity to explore the ancient and liberating vision of Non-duality with humour and delight. The retreat will be hosted on a beautiful and peaceful established organic farm on Salt Spring Island, BC.

REGISTRATION INFORMATION:
$60 /person covers costs for hosting the workshop only.
$30 /person, for optional tent or vehicle camping.
$60 /person, for optional package of 5 organic meals.

A non-refundable 50% deposit is required upon booking.
Teachings are by Donation, in addition to costs listed.
To inquire & register, please contact Daz at ThisWakingSelf@me.com

Radiant Heart Yoga
Wednesday Mornings 8:30-9:45 am starting July 20
Cats Pajamas, St Mary Dance Studio, 104 Langs Rd. $10 or by Donation

Laurie Steffler will be leading transformative heart-centered breath initiated asana sequences and movement exercises that generate rejuvenation and inner peace in body and mind. Each session begins with the ananda mandala, chakra focused pranayam. All levels of experience will be able to participate and be accommodated to. Laurie is an experienced dance therapy teacher and has recovered from a spinal injury with her daily practice of yoga, release work and Pilates. Call 250-537-5250 for more info and parking directions.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Please join me next Sunday at 10:30 am for Heart of the Islands Satsang on CFSI FM 107.9. Heart of the Islands Satsang is a radio show which celebrates the Unity of Spiritual traditions through music and reflections. Listen at the time of broadcast: www.cfsi-fm.com.

Shanti,
radha

2011-07-03: Eyes of the Heart

2011-07-03T12:56:00.000-07:00

On Air Quotes:

Grist for the Mill
If you’re involved with relationship with parents or children, instead of saying I can’t do spiritual practices because I have children, you say my children are my spiritual practice.

If you’re traveling a lot, your traveling becomes your yoga. You start to use your life as your curriculum for coming to God.

You use the things that are on your plate, that are presented to you. So that relationships, economics, (ed. all these other “dramas”) —all of these become grist for the mill of awakening. They all are part of your curriculum.
~ Ram Dass

Happiness
When I was 5 years old, my mother always told me that happiness was the key to life. When I went to school, they asked me what I wanted to be when I grew up. I wrote down "happy". They told me I didn’t understand the assignment. I told them they didn’t understand life.
~ John Lennon

Never Here
Before his passing, Swami Rama related the essence of his tradition to one of his close disciples, "Serve the sages. Light the lamp of their love in human hearts. Be selfless. Be fearless. When the time comes, walk out of here as though you were never here to begin with."
~ Swami Rama

Eyes of the Soul
The shine in your eyes reflects the joy in your soul
~ Deepak Chopra

Soil of Love
May the tree of our life
Be firmly rooted in the soil of love
Let good deeds be the leaves on that tree
May words of kindness form its flowers
And may peace be its fruits
~Amma

Wisdom
We don't receive wisdom; we must discover it for ourselves after a journey that no one can take for us or spare us.
~ Proust

Story about the Buddha
Once when the Buddha was giving a lecture to his disciples, a person approached Him and started to use abusive language against the Buddha. The disciples were irked and so restless, more so seeing the Buddha not reacting to the abuse. When the disciples asked the Buddha the reason for his silence, the Buddha told, 'I did not accept or take those words as mine, though they were given to me and hence they do not belong to me. I have no ownership or responsibility whatsoever towards anything which does not belong to me and hence cannot react'.
Such will be the attitude of the noble souls.
~ Buddha

Smile of a Flower
A bud raises self and smile into flower. A flower knows he has to dry up but smiles , remains fragrant till last. So is life . Remain in but raise self from situations to focus on goal . Critics will not spare you .Admirers will only appreciate you. If you are eager to smile like a flower raise eyes to endless Sky. Help and love if you can . Raising ability to help & love all is raising eternal .
~ Satyendra Pal Singh

Auspiciousness of 108
108 - Hindu numerologists also consider each number within the number 108 in and for itself. “One” stands for oneness with God and the Higher Truth. “Zero” represents emptiness, non-attachment and therefore completeness of spiritual practice. “Eight” is symbolic of infinity or a never-ending wheel of life. All together these three concepts contain the wholeness of existence.
~ Maie Jyoti

Divine Love
It is the Lord alone who is to be loved and adored at all times with a mind free from external care. To those devotees who love Him and sing His glory, He reveals Himself. This is the highest path, to love the one absolute, eternal, Truth. Truly, this divine love is the Highest.
~Narada Bhakti Sutras

Life Giving Garden
Love, the life-giving garden of this world.
~ Rumi

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Our eyes radiate our soul. When we smile at someone with our eyes, and they light up and smile back, there is connection. It is more than the physical smile, but an inner smile. Deepak Chopra's says "The shine in your eyes reflect the joy in your soul". When we take time to smile with our soul, we help kindle the light from soul to soul to soul. And a smile costs nothing!

Wishing you a wonderful Canada Day weekend and to the listeners South of the Border, a Happy Independence Day.

Note: There is no podcast for today's show. Apologies. Error on this person's file copying - file was accidentally deleted.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

ANNOUNCEMENTS

A Vedanta Weekend with Ramji
Explore the 5,000 year-old Indian path of Self Inquiry
July 15 - 17, 2011
Neptune Farm, Salt Spring Island

James Swartz (Ramji) is one of the very few authentic teachers of Vedanta in the world today. He is offering a unique opportunity to explore the ancient and liberating vision of Non-duality with humour and delight. The retreat will be hosted on a beautiful and peaceful established organic farm on Salt Spring Island, BC.

REGISTRATION INFORMATION:
$60 /person covers costs for hosting the workshop only.
$30 /person, for optional tent or vehicle camping.
$60 /person, for optional package of 5 organic meals.

A non-refundable 50% deposit is required upon booking.
Teachings are by Donation, in addition to costs listed.
To inquire & register, please contact Daz at ThisWakingSelf@me.com

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Please join me next Sunday at 10:30 am for Heart of the Islands Satsang on CFSI FM 107.9. Heart of the Islands Satsang is a radio show which celebrates the Unity of Spiritual traditions through music and reflections. Listen at the time of broadcast: www.cfsi-fm.com.

Shanti,
radha

2011-06-26: Life is a Tapestry

2011-06-26T12:42:00.000-07:00

On Air Quotes:

My Place is Placeless
Not Christian or Jew or Muslim, not Hindu
Buddhist, Sufi, or Zen.
Not any religion or cultural system.
I am not from the East or the West,
not out of the ocean or up from the ground,
not natural or ethereal, not composed of elements at all.

I do not exist, am not an entity in this world or the next,
did not descend from Adam or Eve or any origin story.
My place is placeless, a trace of the traceless.
Neither body nor soul.

...The Beloved.
~ Rumi

You are the Presence
You are the Presence
That makes me disappear
Like the color in a white cloud

You are the Strength
That makes me realize
The softness of my delicate skin

You are the Faith
That makes me know
The depth of the blue ocean

You are the Silence
That makes me hear
The Heart beating in the blooming bud
♥
By: Helene Perrin Averous

Kind and Loving Nature
I am convinced that human nature is basically affectionate and good. If our behavior follows our kind and loving nature, immense benefits will result, not only for ourselves, but also for the society to which we belong. I generally refer to this sort of love and affection as a universal religion. Everyone needs it, believers as much as non-believers. This attitude constitutes the very basis of morality.
~ Dalai Lama

Different Names, All the Same
There are different names for the one Divinity. Like you wear a different dress every day. Today you are wearing black, tomorrow you will wear something else.
Even when you change your dress tomorrow, you will remain the same, right?
Same way whatever names and forms, it is the same Divine.
~ Sri Sri Ravi Shankar

Thank You
Thank You, to the Ones that say hello in the Check Out Lines.
Thank You, to the Ones who greet us with Compassionate Eyes.
Thank You, to the Ones that find the Beauty in Us that never dies.
Thank You, to the Strangers that come to Us with friendly smiles.
By: Lessons Learned In Life

Final Thoughts
"The quieter you become, the more you can hear."
~ Ram Dass

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Today we had local artist Elvira Clare join us on-air. Elvira sang songs of the heart live and shared some of her spiritual background. Elvira opened like a blossom in sharing from the heart, not only her beautiful music, but also her spiritual path. Her background starting in the Christian background, then was exposed to Hinduism through various teachers where she found connection with Spirit. The beauty of the Hindu teachings for Elvira was the instruction by one of her teachers to look back to her roots in Christianity for spiritual connection. Elvira and I share in this aspect and we shared sweet laughter on these synchronicities.

Today we also reviewed the through the various readings how the ultimate Reality (God, Allah, Yahweh, Nameless and Formless, etc.) is the basis for all religions. Religions provide the path to the Divine. As the Sufi proverb says: There are as many paths to God as there are people on earth. Just as no two people experience the same, say concert for example, in the exact same way, as each person brings their own life influences into their own experience of the "concert". Thus two people are attending the same concert, their experience will not be identical.

Feedback on today's interview and live performance:

"What a wonderful Sunday Morning of food for the soul. Life is indeed a tapestry of love. My inner weaver is celebrating this moment in time. Thank you Radha and Elvira. ... listening to her lyrics inspired so much in my spirit and in my heart.....I want to continue her theme on LIFE IS A TAPESTRY.......to paint, write and dance. Again another soul going east to come back to the west enhanced by the experience. Here I am in the west being brought back to my essence of being Indian. Would love to meet her."
~ Prem Pillay

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

ANNOUNCEMENTS

A Vedanta Weekend with Ramji
Explore the 5,000 year-old Indian path of Self Inquiry
July 15 - 17, 2011
Neptune Farm, Salt Spring Island

James Swartz (Ramji) is one of the very few authentic teachers of Vedanta in the world today. He is offering a unique opportunity to explore the ancient and liberating vision of Non-duality with humour and delight. The retreat will be hosted on a beautiful and peaceful established organic farm on Salt Spring Island, BC.

REGISTRATION INFORMATION:

Fees:
$60 /person covers costs for hosting the workshop only.
$30 /person, for optional tent or vehicle camping.
$60 /person, for optional package of 5 organic meals.

A non-refundable 50% deposit is required upon booking.
Teachings are by Donation, in addition to costs listed.

To inquire & register, please contact Daz at ThisWakingSelf@me.com

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Please join me next Sunday at 10:30 am for Heart of the Islands Satsang on CFSI FM 107.9. Heart of the Islands Satsang is a radio show which celebrates the Unity of Spiritual traditions through music and reflections. Listen at the time of broadcast: www.cfsi-fm.com.

Shanti,
radha

2011-06-19: Tribute to Fathers

2011-06-19T17:48:00.000-07:00

Three Generations

On Air Quotes:

Take My Hand
Take my hand
We will walk
We will only walk
We will enjoy our walk
without thinking of arriving anywhere
Walk peacefully
Walk happily
Our walk is a peace walk
Our walk is a happiness walk

Then we learn
that there is no peace walk
that peace is the walk
that there is no happiness walk
that happiness is the walk
We walk for ourselves
We walk for everyone
always hand in hand

Walk and touch peace every moment
Walk and touch happiness every moment
Each step brings a fresh breeze
Each step makes a flower bloom under our feet
Kiss the Earth with your feet
Print on Earth your love and happiness

Earth will be safe
when we feel in us enough safety.
~ Felix C Lopez

My Father Was Happy
Out in that field
My father was happy
As the man showed us his home

Children played upon the grass
And sounds of the village sang us a song
My father was happy
As the man showed us his home

Led into the room of sound
We laid down upon the Name and smiled
My father was happy
As the man showed us his home

Time has brought separation
Rampriya longs to return
~ Rampriya Das (Trevor Hall)

Small Act
Too often we underestimate the power of a touch, a smile, a kind word, a listening ear, an honest compliment, or the smallest act of caring, all of which have the potential to turn a life around.
~ Leo Buscaglia

Kindness
Let no one ever come to you without leaving better and happier. Be the living expression of God's kindness: kindness in your face, kindness in your eyes, kindness in your smile.
~ Mother Teresa

Let It Be
Some travel fast
Some travel slow
Everyone looking for a home
From where we come
That's where we'll go
I believe what I've been told
Across the Earth
Across the sea
Upon the wind and in the trees
The simple things
They hold the key
Return to love and Let It Be
~ Rampriya Das (Trevor Hall)

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Reflections

Celebrating our fathers on this Father's Day. I have much gratitude for my father - for being a friend, for being a life-guide, for sharing on his spiritual journey and the beautiful discussions we have around spirituality and accepting my path being different from his, and for always still loving me in spite of those times in my life where I have made mistakes.

Today we get to honour and show gratitude for our fathers. Fathers are a joy - often quick to laugh, often wanting to share in their special sport, and supporting and loving in their own way. Eric and Leon Bibb in the first piece played from today's program sing it so beautifully - a father and son team - singing "A Friend Like You". If the podcast is still up on the site, take a moment to listen.

We also highlighted a piece by Shajarian which was shared with me by Sadiq Alam. Sadiq is a wonderful Sufi who hosts the web site Mystic Saint. Sadiq invites writers from all spiritual backgrounds to contribute to the regular spiritual postings. The site is a great resource for those on a spiritual path.

The other website which I find enchanting and only discovered this week is Rampriya Das' website Where Rivers Meet. Rampriya Das is also known as Trevor Hall, and Trevor is known for his title tracks from the Shrek movies. It is wonderful to watch the journey of this young man who gained fame in Hollywood, and then went on a spiritual search in India. If you go the website or to his FaceBook page Trevor Hall you will get to share in his journey. The photos of his India experience on Facebook tell the story.

Wishing all Fathers out there a Happy Fathers Day!

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

ANNOUNCEMENTS

Indian Classical Concert with Steve Oda and Niel Golden
WHAT: Indian Classical Concert with Steve Oda (on sarode) & Niel Golden (on tabla)
WHEN: Thursday, June 23, 2011@ 7:30pm
WHERE: Salt Spring Centre of Yoga
**TICKETS $15 @ DOOR ONLY**
STEVE ODA is an exceptional virtuoso on the sarode -- a North Indian Classical instrument. Steve has been a disciple of the great Indian maestro Ustad Ali Akbar Khan.

Dances of Universal Peace (Solstice Celebration)
Friday June 24 , 7:30 pm
Ganges Yoga Studio , Kings Lane
Donation to cover rental
• Chanting the sacred phrases from many spiritual traditions from around the world to simple circle dances.
• Around live musicians

The Geezers are Back
Friday 24 June – 8:00 pm – Art Spring - The Geezers Bert and Les (Arvid Chalmers and Sid Filkow) are back. Possible guests include the Swami (a favourite), Maggie, commentary on politics, BC Ferries, and “current island affairs”

Elvira Clare Live
Sunday - 26 June - 11:00 am
Heart of the Islands Satsang
Elvira will join us on-air for a live performance and interview next Sunday at 11:00 am.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Please join me next Sunday at 10:30 am for Heart of the Islands Satsang on CFSI FM 107.9. Heart of the Islands Satsang is a radio show which celebrates the Unity of Spiritual traditions through music and reflections. Listen at the time of broadcast: www.cfsi-fm.com.

Shanti,
radha

12 Jun 2011: Spring Blossoms

2011-06-12T10:34:00.000-07:00

On Air Quotes:

Blossoms
Today - Let us be grateful to people who make us happy; they are the charming gardeners who make our souls blossom.
~ Marcel Proust

Our Conversation
Dad: I just cannot get you by used to your rahda email--for some reason it always comes back. Do you have another email I can use. I guess I dont always get the all the dots in. Ive tried twice, one by even just typing in rahda. Thanks
Radha: Suggests adding my e-mail to his “contact” list.
Dad: guess this email will go all the dots are there love dad
Radha: Houston, you have success. This reached me. Am I in your contact list yet?
Dad: Roger

The Flower
I come from miles..
To see the smiles...

I come from tranquility...
To see the beauty....

I come from skies....
To see your eyes...

I come to leave my power..
So I can smell the flower..
~ Ranjan Ravi

A Little
Eat a little, drink a little
Talk a little, sleep a little
Serve a little, rest a little
Study a little, worship a little
Do Asana (Holding meditation poses) a little, Pranayama (breathing of life force) a little
Reflect a little, meditate a little
Do Japa (repeating Names of God) a little, do Kirtan a little
Write Mantra a little, have Satsang a little
Serve, Love, Give, Purify, Meditate, Realize
Be good, Do good; Be kind, Be compassionate
Enquire 'Who am I ?', Know the Self and be Free!
~ Swami Sivananda

Acts of Service
Devotion to God means intense love for God.
There is supreme longing for God.
It is practiced by contemplation of the Divine,
wisdom, and goodness;
by keeping the Divine Presence within,
by constant remembrance,
by reading about God's glories,
by chanting God's praise,
by listening to stories of God,
and by performing all acts as service to God.
In this way the human soul is pulled closer to the Divine.
~ Baba Hari Dass

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Reflections:

The interchange with my father via e-mail brings me such joy. Tears of joy, actually. As Dad ages and struggles with "high tech" and his daughter's name change, he and I can still laugh and love. The exchange is so endearing, as my father slowly loses his memory (and I *am* my father's daughter in that regard), the conversations sometimes simplify, but touch the heart none-the-less. I have such great love for my father. Thank you Dad for everything.

Simplicity in all aspects of our lives gives us a chance to breathe and experience. Simplicity in words and thoughts, simplicity in the amount of "stuff" we have, simplicity in our practices - not trying to do too much. Not taking ourselves too seriously. I so love Swami Sivinanda's advice of "A Little..." of everything - he captures the essence of Simplicity.

As we near the summer solstice, my garden is in its glory. Irises, Poppies, Rhododendrons, Clematis, etc. all in bloom. All showing off their beauty. So much joy at these divine creations.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

ANNOUNCEMENTS:

Mirabai Ceiba Concert
Tonight (12 June 2011) 7:30 pm
Alix Goolden Hall
907 Pandora Avenue

See you there!

Indian Classical Concert with Steve Oda & Niel Golden

WHAT: Indian Classical Concert with Steve Oda (on sarode) & Niel Golden (on tabla)
WHEN: Thursday, June 23, 2011@ 7:30pm
WHERE: Salt Spring Centre of Yoga
**TICKETS $15 @ DOOR ONLY**

This evening promises to be a journey to the heart of music. Ancient rhythms, exotic melodies, mysterious shifting textures of sounds opening into the present moment.

STEVE ODA [www.myspace.com/steveoda] is an exceptional virtuoso on the sarode -- a North Indian Classical instrument. Steve has been a disciple of the great Indian maestro Ustad Ali Akbar Khan since 1973. He has dedicated himself to fully learning the classical music of India and to carry on the teachings of his illustrious guru.

NIEL GOLDEN: Victoria’s outstanding resident tabla player

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Please join me next Sunday at 10:30 am for Heart of the Islands Satsang on CFSI FM 107.9. Heart of the Islands Satsang is a radio show which celebrates the Unity of Spiritual traditions through music and reflections. Listen at the time of broadcast: www.cfsi-fm.com.

Shanti,
radha

2011-06-05: Celebrating the Sun

2011-06-05T13:42:00.000-07:00

On Air Quotes:

Happiness
Happy people do not demand a lot from the world because their happiness proceeds from a place deeper than the world can touch.
~ Alan Cohen

Joy like Spring (Lyrics of Mirabai Ceiba)
I arrive in every second,
In order to laugh and cry…
The rhythm of my heart
Is the birth and death of all that are alive.

My joy is like spring,
So warm it makes flowers bloom in my hands.

My pain is like a river of tears
So full it fills up all the four oceans
I arrive in Every Second
~ Angelika Baumbach & Markus Sieber

Love Sweet Love
What the world needs needs now, is love sweet love
It's the only the thing that there's just too little of
What the world needs needs now, is love sweet love
No, not just for some, but for everyone...
~ Burt Bacharach

To Love
To Love is to reach God.
~ Rumi

Gratitude
Thankfulness brings you to the place where the Beloved lives.
~ Rumi

Teachers
No one can enlighten us; no on can mature for us; no one can let go for us; no one can ever do it for us. They can point, inspire, touch, even give us a sense of the true way, but most of all, our teachers can create the sacred space where our awakening can happen.

An eighty-year-old Swiss woman, a spiritual master with whom I had the privilege to study, spoke about the need for a true teacher to create a free and protected environment in which the heart and the spirit could open and blossom as they have longed to since the beginning of time. A teacher's capacity to create such a sacred space, to transmit a sense of trust and act as a compassionate container strong enough to allow old parts of us to die and new ones to be born is an extraordinary gift.
~ Jack Kornfield (from "A Path with Heart")

Unite then Act
Devote yourself to reaching union with Brahman (the Divine).
To unite with Brahman and ~then~ to act:
That is the secret of non-attachment (harmony and peace).
~ Bhagavad Gita

All are One
All religions are the same.
They all lead to God.
God is Everybody,
The same blood flows through us all, the arms the legs the Heart.
All are the same.
See no differences.
See all the Same.
~ Neem Karoli Baba

Love’s Joy
We are not in pursuit of formalities or fake religious laws,
For through the stairway of existence
We have come to God’s door

We are people who need to love
Because Love is the Soul’s Life.
Love is simply Creation’s greatest joy.

Through the stairway of existence,
Oh, through the stairway of existence, (Hafiz),

Have you now come,
Have we all now come,
To the Beloved’s Door.
~Hafiz (great Sufi master)

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As Jack Kornfield so beautifully points out in his book "A Path With Heart", teachers create a safe space for us to explore those profound questions in life. It is not a requirement to have only one teacher, you may encounter many teachers in your lifetime. Jack Kornfield offers wonderful advice in his book on finding a teacher and from my own experience, following my intuition and heart where there is a resonance of "Truth" in my heart has always led me to find beautiful teachers. My teachers have included a life-long friend Eric Stewart who has always provided a haven of safety in my sometimes anguished search; Ram Dass who showed me the path of Bhakti Yoga, and who introduced me to Maharaj-ji (Neem Karoli Baba); the Art of Living which so beautifully celebrates peace and unity in the world.

In the Bhagavad Gita, it is written that if we live connected with the Divine (God) in our heart, then act, you will find peace. (See quote above.) This for me is such a profound teaching. If you live your life connected with your heart, it is impossible to live in "darkness".

Enjoy that sunshine, and don't forget to breathe!

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ANNOUNCEMENTS

A Vedanta Weekend with Ramji
Explore the 5,000 year-old Indian path of Self Inquiry
July 15 - 17, 2011
Neptune Farm, Salt Spring Island

James Swartz (Ramji) is one of the very few authentic teachers of Vedanta in the world today. He is offering a unique opportunity to explore the ancient and liberating vision of Non-duality with humour and delight. The retreat will be hosted on a beautiful and peaceful established organic farm on Salt Spring Island, BC.

REGISTRATION INFORMATION:

Fees:
$60 /person covers costs for hosting the workshop only.
$30 /person, for optional tent or vehicle camping.
$60 /person, for optional package of 5 organic meals.

A non-refundable 50% deposit is required upon booking.
Teachings are by Donation, in addition to costs listed.

To inquire & register, please contact Daz at ThisWakingSelf@me.com

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Please join me next Sunday at 10:30 am for Heart of the Islands Satsang on CFSI FM 107.9. Heart of the Islands Satsang is a radio show which celebrates the Unity of Spiritual traditions through music and reflections. Listen at the time of broadcast: www.cfsi-fm.com.

Shanti,
radha

2011-05-29: Divine Truth

2011-05-29T14:51:00.000-07:00

FREE TICKETS GIVEN AWAY ON HEART OF THE ISLANDS SATSANG:

Congratulations to Vinnie Chadwick and her friend Joan of Victoria who are the lucky ticket winners to the Mirabai Ceiba concert on 12 June at 7:30 pm at Alix Goolden Hall. They will get to enjoy an evening of beautiful music of the heart interlaced with kundali yoga for a spiritual soak.

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On Air Quotes:

A Friend
A friend is one to whom you can pour out the contents of your heart, chaff and grain alike. Knowing that the gentlest of hands will take and sift it, keep what is worth keeping and with a breath of kindness, blow the rest away.”
~Kahlil Gibran

Divine Truth
I take refuge in the Divine Truth
The Divine Truth is my true Sustainer.
Divine Truth gives peace and self-confidence.
Divine Truth liberates the mind of negativity
And protects you in Negative Environments
~ Angelika Baumbach & Markus Sieber (Mirabai Ceiba)

Long Time Sun
May the long time sun shine upon you,
All love surround you,
And the pur light within You,
Guide your way on.
~ Traditional Irish Blessing Chant

Truth
When you feel a peaceful joy,
that's when you are near truth.
Rumi

The Kingdom of Heaven is Within
To live consciously you must have the courage to go inside yourself to find out who you really are, to understand that behind all of the masks of individual differences you are a being of beauty, of love, of awareness.

When Christ said, “the kingdom of heaven is within” he wasn’t just putting you on.
When Buddha said, “each person is the Buddha” he was saying the same thing.
Until you can allow your own beauty, your own dignity, your own being, you cannot free another.

So if I were giving people one instruction, I would say work on yourself. Have compassion for yourself. Allow yourself to be beautiful and all the rest will follow."
~ Ram Dass

Anger
Anger cannot be overcome by anger. If someone is angry with you, and you show anger in return, the result is a disaster. On the other hand, if you control your anger and show its opposite – love, compassion, tolerance and patience – not only will you remain peaceful, but the other person's anger will also diminish.
~ Dalai Lama

ANNOUNCEMENTS

A Vedanta Weekend with Ramji
Explore the 5,000 year-old Indian path of Self Inquiry
July 15 - 17, 2011
Neptune Farm, Salt Spring Island

James Swartz (Ramji) is one of the very few authentic teachers of Vedanta in the world today. He is offering a unique opportunity to explore the ancient and liberating vision of Non-duality with humour and delight. The retreat will be hosted on a beautiful and peaceful established organic farm on Salt Spring Island, BC.

REGISTRATION INFORMATION:

Fees:
$60 /person covers costs for hosting the workshop only.
$30 /person, for optional tent or vehicle camping.
$60 /person, for optional package of 5 organic meals.

A non-refundable 50% deposit is required upon booking.
Teachings are by Donation, in addition to costs listed.

To inquire & register, please contact Daz at ThisWakingSelf@me.com

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Please join me next Sunday at 10:30 am for Heart of the Islands Satsang on CFSI FM 107.9. Heart of the Islands Satsang is a radio show which celebrates the Unity of Spiritual traditions through music and reflections. Listen at the time of broadcast: www.cfsi-fm.com.
Shanti,
radha

22 May 2011: Life Lessons

2011-05-22T16:51:00.000-07:00

On Air Quotes:

Life Lessons
Hate no one, no matter how much they’ve wronged you,
Live humbly, no matter how wealthy you become,
Think positively, no matter how hard life is,
Give much, even if you’ve been given little,
Keep in touch with the ones who have forgotten you,
and forgive those who have wronged you,
And do not stop praying for the best for those you love.
-Ali ibn Abi Taleb

Abundance
Love, compassion and concern for others are real sources of happiness. If you have these in abundance, you will not be disturbed even by the most uncomfortable circumstances. If you nurse hatred, however, you will not be happy even in the lap of luxury. Thus, if we really want happiness, we must widen the sphere of love. This is both religious thinking and basic common sense.
~ Dalai Lama

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MIRABAI CEIBA - LIVE INTERVIEW

We had Markus Sieber and Angelika Baumbach join us for a live on-air interview in anticipation of their upcoming concert in Victoria on 12 June 2011. They shared about how they met in Edinburgh Scotland, how their music developed together as a duo, and how "Spirit" was brought into their music.

Markus said the upcoming concert will include not only the sharing of music and chanting, but will also incorporate kundali yoga as part of the concert.

Angelika shared how she grew up with chants being sung throughout her childhood and where music was simply a part of her family life. Angelika was raised in the Sikh spiritual tradition, and with music a part of her upbringing, continuing in the family tradition was natural.

Please see the Mirabai Ceiba information page about their upcoming concert in Victoria, BC on 12 June or visit the Mirabai Ceiba website to learn more about this duo who sing songs of the heart.

MIRABAI CEIBA CONCERT IN VICTORIA BC:

June 12, 2011 (Sunday) 7:30 pm
Alix Goolden Hall
907 Pandora Avenue
Victoria, BC

TICKET INFORMATION

Tickets: $25.00
Full Circle Studio Arts
1800 Store Street
Victoria, BC
tel 920.4037
fax 920.4147
http://www.fullcirclestudio.ca/home.html

On-Line Tickets:
www.spiritvoyage.com

FREE TICKET GIVE AWAY ON HEART OF THE ISLANDS SATSANG:

Listen to Heart of the Islands on 29 May 2011 for your chance to win two free tickets to the Mirabai Ceiba concert. Listen between 10:30 am and 12:30 pm.

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PLAYING FOR CHANGE

We played several tracks from the "Playing for Change" effort. This is a wonderful video compilation of street musicians from around the world who come together through technology to create beautiful music. Please view the Video of "Stand by Me" for a sample of not only a musical but visual treat of these world-wide talented musicians.

A CD was compiled under title of "Songs Around the World" by the team effort of "Playing For Change". The whole CD is excellent and the money earned through the sales of the CDs goes to help pay the musicians as well as helping people in need throughout all the countries in the world.

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HEART OF THE ISLANDS SATSANG NOW 2 HOURS

Heart of the Islands Satsang now broadcasts from 10:30 am to 12:30 pm each Sunday. We are now a 2 hour program, bringing you music of the Heart each week.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

ANNOUNCEMENTS:

A Vedanta Weekend with Ramji
Explore the 5,000 year-old Indian path of Self Inquiry
July 15 - 17, 2011
Neptune Farm, Salt Spring Island

James Swartz (Ramji) is one of the very few authentic teachers of Vedanta in the world today. He is offering a unique opportunity to explore the ancient and liberating vision of Non-duality with humour and delight. The retreat will be hosted on a beautiful and peaceful established organic farm on Salt Spring Island, BC.

REGISTRATION INFORMATION:

Fees:

$60 /person covers costs for hosting the workshop only.
$30 /person, for optional tent or vehicle camping.
$60 /person, for optional package of 5 organic meals.

A non-refundable 50% deposit is required upon booking.
Teachings are by Donation, in addition to costs listed.

To inquire & register, please contact Daz at ThisWakingSelf@me.com

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Please join me next Sunday at 10:30 am for Heart of the Islands Satsang on CFSI FM 107.9. Heart of the Islands Satsang is a radio show which celebrates the Unity of Spiritual traditions through music and reflections. Listen at the time of broadcast: www.cfsi-fm.com.

Shanti,
radha

15 May 2011: Wisdom of Love

2011-05-15T14:20:00.000-07:00

On Air Quotes:

Beauty and Wonder
May your life be full of beauty and all the wonder of God's goodness. May you see the face of God and live always in his love.
~ Woman in Iran

Kindness to Others
Foolish, selfish people are always thinking of themselves and the result is always negative. Wise persons think of others, helping them as much as they can, and the result is happiness. Love and compassion are beneficial both for you and others. Through your kindness to others, your mind and heart will open to peace.
~ Dalai Lama

Surrender
In real prayer there is nothing to ask, nothing to demand, no suggestion. Real prayer is sincere surrender.
~ Amma

Service
When everything is done in service to God, then the "I" dissolves. Living life in service of the Divine adds a dimension of humility, compassion, and love.
~ Radha

Faith and Hope
At this stage in life, my peace and well-being is constantly fueled by faith and hope. Faith in the gradual unfolding of God's plan.
~ Pranjali Upadhyay

One Flame
The one never became many. When many candles are kindled from another, it is the same flame that burns in all candles; even so, the one Brahman (God) appears to be many.
~Yoga Vaashistha

So Happy to be Alive
My heart is filled with peace
I am so happy to be alive
So happy for another day to love
My heart is filled with peace
When I see children playing
When I see lovers walking holding hands
So happy when I see the golden sunset
On a warm summer day
Birds floating in the wind

Open your heart feeling my love
I open my heart feeling your love
Open your heart feeling my love

Inside I am free
My heart is filled with peace
I am so happy to be alive
~ Lotus on Facebook

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ANNOUNCEMENTS

MIRABAI CEIBA FOCUS AND CONCERT

Today's program highlighted Mirabai Ceiba's Music. A gentle yet expansive spirit pervades all the music of Mirabai Ceiba. The delicate sounds of harp, piano, and guitar blend with lovingly intertwined voices amid lush celestial sound-scapes. Their concerts are group celebrations for peace—joyous and loving occasions that embody the duo’s profound belief in music as a universal language uniting all the world’s peoples, cultures and traditions.

The name Mirabai "is the exploration, the devotion, the inspiration in all the different aspects of divinity."

And the Ceiba is a sacred tree of Latin America which is never cut and grows very tall. "We wish our music could be like the Ceiba tree,” say Markus and Angelika, “with roots deep in Mother Earth and branches extending far and wide into Father Sky."

MIRABAI CEIBA SACRED CHANT CONCERT IN VICTORIA BC:

June 12, 2011 (Sunday) 7:30 pm
Alix Goolden Hall
907 Pandora Avenue
Victoria, BC

TICKET INFORMATION

Tickets: $25.00
Full Circle Studio Arts
1800 Store Street
Victoria, BC
tel 920.4037
fax 920.4147
art@fullcirclestudio.ca

On-Line Tickets:
www.spiritvoyage.com

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WESAK CELEBRATION (Celebration of Buddha)

Join us Monday at a gathering on the evening before the full moon in May to celebrate the birth, enlightenment and passing of the Buddha, traditionally known as Wesak. In some countries Wesak is even a national holiday. It will be a joyous evening of chanting, readings, prayers and meditation led by representatives of the different Buddhist groups on the Island, and hosted by the Salt Spring Centre of Yoga.

Place and time:
7:30pm — 9:30pm,
Monday, May 16th, 2011
Salt Spring Centre of Yoga
355 Blackburn Road
Salt Spring Island

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Please join me next Sunday at 10:30 am for Heart of the Islands Satsang on CFSI FM 107.9. Heart of the Islands Satsang is a radio show which celebrates the Unity of Spiritual traditions through music and reflections. Listen at the time of broadcast: www.cfsi-fm.com.

Shanti,
radha

08 May 2011: Celebrating Mothers

2011-05-08T14:19:00.000-07:00

Mom (Donna Fournier)

On Air Quotes:

Dear Mother
Through my eyes I see your face
Through my ears I hear your voice
Through my heart I feel your warmth
Through my soul I touch your light
Thank you for life, Dear Mother
~ Prem Pillay

Honouring Mothers
I picked a white tulip
Solitary amidst the pink
A single thought of gratitude passed through my heart
To honour all mothers
Their limitless chores
Their undying Love
Their devoted ways
Their tender touch to take the pain away

It is for those forgotten Mothers
That I place this single white tulip
In a little clay vase
May they be blessed, always
For their tender, loving hearts
~ Prem Pillay

Sweet Mother Earth
Gardening with your bare feet feels like a foot massage from mother earth...
~ Unknown

Light of the Divine
There is a light that shines beyond all things on Earth, beyond us all
Beyond the Heaven, beyond the Highest, the very highest heavens.
This is the light that Shines in our Heart.
~Chandogya Upanishad

Mary my Mother
Mary my Mother,
Bless me with your love
Please ask your son
To forgive my sins
And fill my heart with love

Mary my mother
I look at the sky so blue
I say the rosary
And ask forgiveness
For the sins I do

Mary my mother
I see your beautiful face
Whenever day begins
You are always with me
Wherever I may go

Mary my mother
I love you heart and soul
Tell Jesus your son
I love him also
One day In eternity
I hope to walk the streets of gold
~Linda Ann Henry

How Much Love
"I am not sure exactly what heaven will be like, but I know that when we die and it comes time for God to judge us, he will not ask, 'How many good things have you done in your life?' rather he will ask, 'How much love did you put into what you did?"
~ Mother Teresa

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REFLECTIONS:

Mothers are who bring us into this world. They are the caretakers and nurturers, raising children, caring for loved ones, nourishing little spirits, sharing their failures and successes. Mothers are all around us - your birth mother, your grandmother, your aunt, your friend, a sainted mother (such as Mother Teresa, Mother Mary, Mother Guadlupe, etc), even fathers and men who fall into the mothering roles. Then there are Divine Mothers in the various spiritual traditions. Divine mothers being those Goddesses who represent aspects of God - such as Love, Creation, Protection, and Nurturing amoung others. And of course, the Mother who takes care of all of us is Mother Earth.

Honouring and giving thanks to All Mothers. Wishing all listeners out there, all Mothers of the World, a very Heart-Felt and Happy Mother's Day.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
ANNOUNCEMENTS:

MIRABAI CEIBA IN CONCERT 12 JUN 2011 (Victoria BC)
We highlighted Mirabai Ceiba's music on-air today. Mirabai Ceiba is coming in concert on 12 June in Victoria, BC. Tickets are $25 and you may pick them up at Full Circle Studio Arts in Victoria.

Please see the special web-page on this site for full details of Mirabai's concert.
Visit Mirabai Ceiba's Website.

FREE TICKETS FOR MIRABAI CEIBA
You may win free tickets to the Mirabai Ceiba concert by listening to "Heart of the Islands Satsang" on 29 May between 10:30 am and 12:30 pm. I will be giving away a pair of free tickets to a lucky listener. Please tune into Heart of the Islands Satsang between now and the 12th June to hear more of the beautiful music which Mirabai Ceiba creates. You won't be disappointed in these musical artists.

SALT SPRING ART SCHOOL - SUMMARY MEETING
Salt Spring Arts Council will be holding their "Community Conversation" summary meeting after having received feedback from the community on the creation of a local Arts School. SS Arts Council has been working on this proposal since 2009 and is now ready to share with the community their findings and the next steps.

Thursday, 12 May 2011
6:30 pm
Mahon Hall
www.ssac-artsschool.ca

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Please join me next Sunday at 10:30 am for Heart of the Islands Satsang on CFSI FM 107.9. Heart of the Islands Satsang is a radio show which celebrates the Unity of Spiritual traditions through music and reflections. Listen at the time of broadcast: www.cfsi-fm.com.

Shanti,
radha

01 May 2011: Gratitude

2011-05-01T13:02:00.000-07:00

On Air Quotes:

Be Great and Be Full
"Be Great and Be Full. Just remember these 3 things: Never say a negative word.... Never participate in a negative word. Never hear a negative word against your worst enemy. I doesn't matter how wrong a person is. Wrong is wrong. Wrong cannot be right and it shall never be. But never ever participate in it. Move on. Every breath of life is a new breath of life. It's moving, it's going...Just live in that one breath and feel happy and say, 'Thank you.' Just remember one English word which I want to give to you: Grateful. Be great and be full." Yogi Bhajan (Science of Keeping Up, vol. 4, #2, p. 15)

Beautiful People
The most beautiful people we have known are those who have known defeat, known suffering, known struggle, known loss, and have found their way out of the depths. These persons have an appreciation, a sensitivity and an understanding of life that fills them with compassion, gentleness, and a deep loving concern. Beautiful people do not just happen.
~ Elisabeth Kubler-Ross

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Vikash and Claire Live
We had Vikash and Claire join us live on-air today. They brought their Tamboura and Harmonium instruments with them. Vikash and Claire shared their spiritual background - Vikash being influenced in the 70s by the Hare Krishnas and Claire's more recent introduction to Kirtan Chanting through her meeting of Vikash. Vikash then spent time in California studying under Baba Hari Dass who is also the founder of the Salt Spring Centre of Yoga on Blackburn Road here on Salt Spring Island.

Vikash and Claire performed two songs: Om Namah Shivaya Gurave which is an invocation type of chant - very meditative in nature. The other song they performed was Shiva Shambo, which is a little more up-beat and more in the true kirtan style of "call and response".

Claire and Vikash lead kirtan every Sunday at the Salt Spring Centre of Yoga's Sunday Satsang. Satsang runs from 3:30 to 5:00 pm every Sunday. We laughingly referred to Satsang as "Sunday Church"! Satsang is the coming together of people to reflect on the Divine through kirtan chanting, sharing of readings and scriptures (from all faiths), and meditation. Claire and Vikash also lead the Wednesday night Kirtan chanting evenings at the Salt Spring Centre on Wednesday nights starting at 7:30 pm - this is more casual and the participants also get to lead the chants if they like.

"Presence of One" is Vikash and Claire's CD which they released last year. The CD is comprised of meditative music with beautiful and exotic instruments. The music is devotional and wonderful for meditation, background music for massages, and just a nice way to bring these two beautiful people into your living room. You may pick the CDs up from Vikash or Claire at the Saturday Market - Vikash sells beautiful hand-made rose-petal mala beads and Claire sells wonderful organic home-made Kale chips. If you are a listener from off-island, you may contact me and I can help coordinate helping you order a CD.

Todd Boston and Urban Nature
We played "Coming Home" from Todd Boston's "Urban Nature" CD. Todd is releasing a new CD called "Alive" which we will be getting in the studio soon. Todd has made hints that he may consider a concert up here. We will be airing more of his music and with luck we may be blessed with his presence on-island.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Please join me next Sunday at 10:30 am for Heart of the Islands Satsang on CFSI FM 107.9. Heart of the Islands Satsang is a radio show which celebrates the Unity of Spiritual traditions through music and reflections. Listen at the time of broadcast: www.cfsi-fm.com.

Shanti,
radha

24 April 2011: Easter and Living Truth

2011-04-24T12:46:00.000-07:00

On Air Quotes:

Easter (Christian)
Jesus was resurrected from the dead on Easter Sunday, on the third day after his crucifixion. This day is celebrated in different ways among the many Western and Eastern Christian traditions, including Vigils, readings, reenactments, and the eating of special foods. The egg is a significant symbol of Easter, as it represents the resurrection: it is dormant, but contains a new life.

Tomb, thou shalt not hold Him longer.
Death is strong, but Life is stronger.
Stronger than the dark, the light
~Phillips Brooks

Passover or Pesach (Jewish)
Pesach, or Passover, commemorates God "passing over" the houses of the Jews—sparing them—during the tenth plague of Egypt. In some traditions, Passover lasts for seven days, with major feasts on the first and last days. The first night of Passover is celebrated with a seder, a special dinner where the story of the Exodus from Egypt is retold. The last day, celebrated with prayer services and special meals, commemorates the day the Children of Israel reached the Red Sea and found safety. Different traditions call for varying levels of diet restriction at this time, but generally all Jews abstain from eating chametz (leavening and fermenting agents) as it is commanded in the Torah.

Blooms All Around
When we see the Beloved in each person, it's like walking through a garden, watching flowers bloom all around us.
— Ram Dass

Universality
Improved technology, population growth and globalization have made today’s world increasingly interdependent. Therefore, putting your own country’s interests first, at the expense of others, can have serious consequences. What we need to do is to think of humanity as a whole and develop a sense of concern on a global level. I refer to this as having a sense of “universal responsibility”.
~ Dalai Lama

Liberation
If you want to attain liberation, let your mind spring up immediately with surging love and, without wasting a moment of your life, meditate constantly upon the golden lotus-like feet of the Lord who has taken you into his fold.
~ Guru Vachaka Kovai

Pure of Heart
Blessed are the Pure of Heart, for they shall see God.
~ Jesus

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Today is Easter - a celebration of the resurrection of Jesus after being crucified. The crucifixion of Jesus was Jesus' ultimate sacrifice of the embodiment of God's word. Jesus preached and lived throughout his life the ideas of Love, Compassion, Forgiveness, Gratitude, Adoration of the Father, Truth - the basic spiritual beliefs taught in all the major religions of the world. Jesus gave the Ultimate Sacrifice - his life - upholding those beliefs and not giving in to "temptation".

His resurrection was a Miracle of God and demonstrates without question Jesus' Divine Nature. It was this Miracle which so captured the people of the world, that ~2000 years later, we are still celebrating this event and Jesus and his story.

Today we also celebrated through music Passover, which is the Jewish celebration of the freeing of the Jews from Egypt and how the Jewish Children reached the Red Sea and made their way home.

Lastly we celebrated the Unity of All Spiritual Traditions and the One-ness of All. This ultimately represents the theme of Heart of the Islands Satsang.

We also highlighted a couple of new (tho' not recent releases) music we have received which are both "must have" CDs. Urban Nature's "Coming Home" and Keb Mo's "Just Like You". You will be hearing more from both of these artists in the upcoming shows.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

ANNOUNCEMENTS:

OM for Universal Peace
3:00 pm PDT (6:00 PM EDT)

It's a simple idea: gather people together and sing a continuous OM as a meditation for peace. On Easter Sunday April 24, 2011 at 6:00 PM EDT, people, all over the world, who want to give expression to their wish for peace will gather in groups to join in the sound of many voices singing as one in an extended OM.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Please join me next Sunday at 10:30 am for Heart of the Islands Satsang on CFSI FM 107.9. Heart of the Islands Satsang is a radio show which celebrates the Unity of Spiritual traditions through music and reflections. Listen at the time of broadcast: www.cfsi-fm.com.

Shanti,
radha

17 April 2011: Happiness

2011-04-17T11:55:00.000-07:00

On Air Quotes:

Happiness
Be happy when alone.
Let happiness be your quality.
And when you move from alone-ness into involvement,
into communication, relationship,
carry that quality of happiness which was in loneliness —
carry the happiness.
~ Ma Haridasi

Opportunity
Every moment is a opportunity to awaken and live from the heart
~ ShantiMayi.

Meditation
"Meditation: Sit with the awareness 'I exist'. The inner awareness which is not about the body, is outside of time. In this moment I exist, as in every moment, no beginning no end. I exist -------- I exist ------ I exist.

With perfect love, no beginning no end, the love of the eternal now"
~ eric stewart

I Want to Know
It doesn't interest me what you do for a living.
I want to know what you ache for, and if you dare to dream of meeting your heart's longing.

It doesn't interest me how old you are.
I want to know if you will risk looking like a fool for love, for your dream, for the adventure of being alive.

It doesn't interest me what planets are squaring your moon.
I want to know if you have touched the center of your own sorrow, if you have been opened by life's betrayals or have become shriveled and closed from fear of further pain!

I want to know if you can sit with pain, mine or your own, without moving to hide it or fade it, or fix it.

I want to know if you can be with joy, mine or your own, if you can dance with wildness and let the ecstasy fill you to the tips of your fingers and toes without cautioning us to be careful, to be realistic, to remember the limitations of being human.

It doesn't interest me if the story you are telling me is true.
I want to know if you can disappoint another to be true to yourself; if you can bear the accusation of betrayal and not betray your own soul; if you can be faithless and therefore trustworthy.

I want to know if you can see beauty even when it's not pretty, every day, and if you can source your own life from its presence.

I want to know if you can live with failure, yours and mine, and still stand on the edge of the lake and shout to the silver of the full moon, 'yes'!

It doesn't interest me to know where you live or how much money you have.
I want to know if you can get up, after the night of grief and despair, weary and bruised to the bone, and do what needs to be done to feed the children.

It doesn't interest me who you know or how you came to be here.
I want to know if you will stand in the center of the fire with me and not shrink back.

It doesn't interest me where or what or with whom you have studied.
I want to know what sustains you, from the inside, when all else falls away.

I want to know if you can be alone with yourself and if you truly like the company you keep in the empty moments.
~Oriah Mountain Dreamer.

Waiting for What
Waiting is a state of mind, the usual state of mind. Presence is when you're no longer waiting for the next moment, believing that the next moment will be more fulfilling than this one.
~ Eckhart Tolle

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

We honoured the "Rasta" spiritual tradition, as well as the First Nations (Native American) spiritual traditions with sets of music dedicated to these spiritual traditions and readings. We also honoured Jewish, Sufi, and Hindu spiritual traditions.

Sending you love and light, wherever you may be.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Please join me next Sunday at 10:30 am for Heart of the Islands Satsang on CFSI FM 107.9. Heart of the Islands Satsang is a radio show which celebrates the Unity of Spiritual traditions through music and reflections. Listen at the time of broadcast: www.cfsi-fm.com.

Shanti,
radha

10 Apr 2011: Living Life

2011-04-10T12:54:00.000-07:00

On Air Quotes:

Seva and Humility
Nowadays everybody wants to become a leader. No one wants to become a servant. In reality, the world is badly in need of servants, not leaders. A real servant is a real leader. A real leader is one who really serves the people without ego and egocentric desires. Real greatness lies in humility and simplicity.
~ Amma

Doing Work
Q: Even after putting 100 percent effort, the work doesn’t get done. What does one do then?
Sri Sri Ravi Shankar: For success or work to get done there are five things.
• First the intention of the person who is “doing”
• Then availability of the instruments or things needed to do the work,
• Third is the willingness or mindset to do the work.
• Then doing the work at the right time, there is a time to do the work.
If you don’t do it at the right time then there is no use. For Example: If you sow seeds in February then there is no use, you then cannot say that I sowed the seeds but nothing has come. You have to wait till April after the rain and then you sow the seeds and yield the results. So time is a very important factor. When we came to this Ashram this whole land was barren, there was not one leaf or one tree on this land. Today see how many trees and plants are there and these trees did not come in one day, so many people have put lots of effort and after some time the trees grew.
So this is how time is an important factor and
• (fifth) then Grace.
Without Grace of the Divine there will be no success, that is why you do Seva (Selfless Service), Sadhana (Spiritual Practice), Satsang (Meeting with others in community on the Spiritual path) and in time you will get the fruits of all your efforts. Okay! None of your efforts will go waste that you should be assured about, if not now you will see the results later.
~ Sri Sri Ravi Shankar

Body is God’s Temple
I couldn't believe that I had cancer. What did I do to get this or deserve this? I was still quite angry with God up until today when I had a surprise visit with God in the garden. I have been blaming God for the problems with my body. I just couldn't believe that God would do this to me, again.

Now, after the conversation with God, I realize that I have been making deals with God since I was a child pertaining to my body. At 4 when I had pneumonia and had to live in that O2 tent for how ever long, I promised that I would not be naked, get wet and freezing in the Wyoming winter ever again. After that we moved to California where it didn't matter if I had clothes on or not. It turns out I rarely had them on anyway. At 7, the second time to break my nose via baseball bat, I PROMISED that I would listen to God's advice and wear the catchers mask when being the catcher.

....you get the picture. Time and time again, I continued to blow off God and the advice of one who knows what is coming. Like I know more then God?

So, in the garden I have this huge break down crying and sobbing uncontrollably, little kid tantrum, yelling at God, throwing plants, dirt, soil, pots. Just can't control myself. It had to have gone on 5 minutes. I was fully exhausted.

So, I lay down on the flat rail of the garden bed, which was kind of comfortable. The sky was beautiful. Soft clouds passing by, soft mist caressing my face like a mother softly touches her baby, sweet chirps of the birds sitting in the papaya tree. Somewhere between that and the overly ripe papaya landing with a splat on my chest, the words of God came. 'Why are you angry with me? I have given you every single professional person of the highest caliber that I created to help you with the problems your body is now facing. I have supplied you with the most competent people in the world to change the issues you are blaming me for. You have done things to your own body, My Temple. I have worked very hard to help you see what needs to be done to change what has plagued you over your entire life. You have chosen to follow your own will. Get it? YOUR WILL, not the will of God but 'THY OWN WILL'. I have given you all the answers from the time you were born. You have chosen to do as you please. Every one of these so called problems are there from your own devices'.

The words came like a thundering of great lightening and wind. I almost fell off of the garden wall, but couldn't. 'Alright Marsha. I love you. You are My child and your body is the temple where You, which is Me, lives. Hear this now and know that this is truth.

I had Jesus tell you and all others 'Know you not that you are Gods?' Yes Marsha, have Faith. You are God, you are my perfect image. Do not be angry with my will, it is alright for you to be angry with yours. You must follow mine. But know that from this moment forward, I have the instruction booklet for your life. I will always share what you need to do. YOU have to be the one to listen.
~ Marsha Bishop

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Part of living a spiritual life includes living your daily life, day in and day out with all the ups and downs that come with it. That is part of the human experience. When we surrender our life (or Temple as Marsha so beautifully put it) to the Divine, then challenges in our daily life do not seem so large. Service (Seva) then becomes easier too, as our actions are in honour of the Divine. The Grace of God is in all we do. There is a humility in this type of service, and thus doors open and the "doing" becomes much easier. Service is not looking for an "atta-boy" because you did something honourable or good. Service is helping our fellow human beings with compassion and love. Taking the "I, me and my" out of it.

Maharaj-ji (Neem Karoli Baba) put it so beautifully:

"Love Everyone, Serve Everyone, Remember God, and Speak Truth"

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Please join me next Sunday at 10:30 am for Heart of the Islands Satsang on CFSI FM 107.9. Heart of the Islands Satsang is a radio show which celebrates the Unity of Spiritual traditions through music and reflections. Listen at the time of broadcast: www.cfsi-fm.com.

Shanti,
radha

03 Apr 2011: Awakening Within

2011-04-03T12:36:00.000-07:00

On Air Quotes:

Anandamayi Ma (means Bliss-Permeated Mother)
Anandamayi Ma originally of Bengal had an Ashram in Vrindivan, in Northern India. She was an enlightened spiritual teacher in the 1900s.

A conversation with Yogananda (another enlightened spiritual teacher):

Yogananda: Please tell me something about your life.
Anandamayi Ma: Father, there is little to tell. (She spread her hands in a deprecatory gesture.) My consciousness has never associated itself with this temporary body. Before I came on this earth, Father, I was the same. As a little girl, I was the same. I grew into womanhood; still, I was the same. When the family in which I had been born made arrangements to have this body married, I was the same. And Father, in front of you now, I am the same. Ever afterward, though the dance of creation changes around me in the hall of eternity, I shall be the same.

Encounter of Anandamayi Ma by Dada Makurjee:

Mother (Anandamayi Ma) was staying on the first floor of the premises attached to Govindaji’s temple. When the writer entered the room with two ladies with him, it was about 11:00 pm. There was one electric light on. On entering the room, they found Mother seated smiling, beaming with joy. Her whole Body shone like a ball of dazzling light, making the electric bulb look almost pale and red. Such wonderful radiance from a human figure was beyond all our conception. Her body shone with such an intensely soothing light that the whole room appeared to be filled with some Divine, Ethereal presence.

The Awakening Within (from Eckhart Tolle's February Newsletter)
The awakening process has two aspects, or two dimensions, to it. One is the finding the Source within, as yourself. Then, [there is] bringing that into your life more and more – so that your daily life becomes interspersed with that Stillness. As your life becomes interspersed with that Stillness, the ego then begins to fade. You embody a different energy field – as if something from another dimension were coming through you into this world.

The world is full of people who are doing, but it’s mostly un-awakened doing. This comes out of unhappy states, and creates more unhappy states. Our first task is to bring that dimension, the other dimension (see 1st pp), into this world. With your normal everyday life, see if Presence can flow into the smallest things – listening to another person, walking from here to there, and so on. Presence implies acceptance of whatever is, in the Now, in alignment with the form of the Now, as a spiritual practice. The more you are aligned with the form of the Now, the more this energy comes through.

It’s vital for us to be grounded in the Presence of everyday life. The foundation is continuous acceptance of the is-ness of Now (what is happening *now* - not yesterday or in 5 minutes, but now – experiencing the feelings of the body, the smells, the sights, etc.) Through that, Presence arises more and more. You work with the present moment, as your teacher so-to-speak. Bring a “yes” to it.

With that, the Presence comes. You have to first come to an acceptance of the is-ness of things – not the world situation – just your limited reality. After a little while you will notice that there is another aspect to Presence. It’s not just still - there’s also a dynamic aspect to Presence. That’s where “awakened doing” comes in.

First it changes the way in which you deal with others. One day, something else wants to be done that needs doing. You might perceive it as something that you need to do. Suddenly you know what it is that you need to do. It comes from within, or it comes from without – some situation in your life. Then, “awakened doing” begins to happen. This doing is not the egoic doing, where whatever you do is a means to an end. There is deep enjoyment in this doing. There is not an excessive desire to achieve, but you achieve actually more - because there’s so much enjoyment in the doing that the end result looks after itself. A very different kind of doing arises, that is not motivated by desire. The normal way is thinking “I need to achieve this”.

As Presence moves through you, it’s not based on desire anymore, it’s based on enjoyment. It’s not based on wanting or needing anything, because you’re coming from fullness. The action is not designed to fulfill you. It’s not designed to add something to you. The action is coming out of the fullness in which you already dwell – so there’s no neediness in it.

Obstacles arise, as they will, especially if you do things that go against the conditioning of the world – you may find obstacles. You also may find enormous power helping you.

Obstacles may come in the form of uncooperative people, or situations, but enormous power will also flow into what you do and help you in many ways. Just the right thing, just at the right moment, just the right person. When obstacles do arise, they are not regarded as enemies. The ego regards any obstacle to its course of action as an enemy.

An obstacle is accepted for what it is, and you work with it – not against it. Or you work around it, or you take its energy and turn it around. It becomes incorporated into what you have to do. You don’t see any more enemies in the form of unhelpful situations, uncooperative people. Everything is embraced for what it is, accepted for what it is, and transformed. It’s not so much that you are doing it, you become a vehicle for the doing. It happens through you. The power comes when it wants to come.

For several years after the shift that happened to me, there was not much happening externally – and after that, gradually, people came to ask questions. There was some doing, some speaking happening. Answers were suddenly coming, and that lasted for several years. I knew somewhere that there was a power here, but it’s not reaching many people for some reason. It wasn’t happening yet. It was fine, people would come once or twice a week and ask questions. A workshop here, a workshop there, and then big spaces.

I was once in a country church in England, in a small village in Somerset, and the church was completely empty – and suddenly the words came out of me that said “Use me”, and “I’d like acceleration please”. I don’t know who I was talking to. The words, where they came from, I don’t know. The Consciousness was listening, it seems. At first nothing happened and I went back home. A few weeks later, I woke up knowing that I had to leave England and move to the west coast of North America. I did not know why. That was the beginning, and eventually the writing started there. That was the acceleration happening. I did not know [at the time] that it was part of the acceleration that I had asked for. And then things accelerated more and more. Be careful with what you ask for.

I don’t have the sense that I am “doing” any of this. I just go with it. Am I speaking as a person? No, its Consciousness speaking, using this mind, to express what is most helpful for this moment. So be in the service of that. You are in the service of that. Get rid of the idea that you have to “do” anything as a separate entity. Be open to what it is that wants to be done in this world, then conscious doing happens through you. Every so-called “individual” has a different function in this world. The more you get out of the way, you do it by bringing Presence into everyday life, then the answer of what it is that wants to be done comes through you.

It’s a wonderful adventure to be aligned with that. There is a lot that wants to come through at this time. It doesn’t choose between people, it doesn’t say “You are special, I’m going to choose you”. Whenever a person becomes transparent to it, it comes through. It doesn’t ask “Who are you, what are your credentials?” It doesn’t ask, “What is your personal history? Are you worthy?” It’s timeless Presence. It’s not interested in your past history, whether you were the most virtuous person. Wherever the opening is, the light comes through.
~ Eckhart Tolle (Author)

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

We honoured Divine Mother with readings about Ananadamayi Ma, a spiritual teacher with great depth from the 1900s. She was the essence of Divine Mother, living her life in communion with God. Read more about Anandamayi Ma.

Eckhart Tolle's February Newsletter was a wonderful discussion of the Awakening within, using himself as an example of how this may happen to a person. Eckhart moved out of the way and made room for "Consciousness" to work through him. Visit Eckhart Tolle's website to learn more about his teachings. Learn more about Eckhart.

Thank you to Heart of the Islands Listeners: Mustafa Mohamedali, Maie Jyoti, Patience Bell, Anastasia, and Trish.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Please join me next Sunday at 10:30 am for Heart of the Islands Satsang on CFSI FM 107.9. Heart of the Islands Satsang is a radio show which celebrates the Unity of Spiritual traditions through music and reflections. Listen at the time of broadcast: www.cfsi-fm.com. Shanti, radha

SNATAM KAUR CONCERT REVIEW - 18 MARCH 2011 VICTORIA BC

2011-03-18T23:00:00.000-07:00

Snatam Kaur Interview (at about 30 minutes)
HOTI - 2011-03-06 - Snatam Kaur Focus and Interview by HeartOfTheIslandsSatsang

18 MARCH 2011 CONCERT REVIEW (19 March 2011)

Wonderful concert last night with Snatam, Guru Ganesha, and Ramesh. Snatam opened the concert with a warm welcome to everyone from all spiritual traditions to celebrate in this concert a universal message of peace. The intro was a song where she danced the Divine with her indescribably beautiful voice, a gorgeous tune to set the feel of the concert.

Snatam and band played a number of pieces from her Grace CD - including kundali yoga exercises through out the concert to help centre people and bring them into union with the Divine. She and her band got the crowd up on their feet with a funked-up version of By Thy Grace (a favourite).

The concert was ended with several meditative pieces, leading to a meditation of peace and healing for those suffering in Japan and throughout the world. The piece she closed with in the spirit of healing was Long Time Sun. Snatam and the band received a standing ovation. The unity of Spirit experienced at concert washed over the audience ~ Snatam's voice a gift from the Divine.

Much gratitude to Snatam, Guru Ganesh, Ramesh, Sopurkh, Val at Full Circle Studio Arts in Victoria, and all others who made this lovely evening happen.

FREE TICKET WINNERS ANNOUNCED 6 March 2011:

Sabine of Victoria won the first ticket, only asking for one.
Eyal from Salt Spring Island was the lucky winner of the second ticket.

So sweet to share these tickets with Heart of the Islands Satsang listeners. Thank you to all callers for trying and hope to see you at the concert. See information below about the concert.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Snatam Kaur presents an incredible concert of kirtan and yoga. She sings from the heart with a pure voice of an angel - her voice and Guru Ganesha's stories breathe life and humour into the Heart. A concert *not* to be missed

CONCERT INFO

Snatam Kaur Concert
March 18th, 7:30 pm
Alix Goolden Hall
907 Pandora Avenue
Victoria BC

Tickets: $35 from Full Circle Studio Arts in Victoria
Full Circle Studio Arts (In the same building as Value Village, on the corner)
1800 Store Street
Victoria, BC V8T 4R4
Tel 250.920.4037
http://www.fullcirclestudio.ca/home.html
art@fullcirclestudio.ca

Snatam Kaur presented by Spirit Voyage
Tickets available on-line through Spirit Voyage's Website

Other Ticket Outlets on Vancouver Island:
SOOKE ROAD (VICTORIA)
Lotus and Sage
2614 Sooke Road
(inside Borton's Spas & Pools)
Phone: (250) 590-1224
lotusandsage@shaw.ca
www.lotusandsage.com

SIDNEY
Dragon Horse
2408 Beacon Avenue, Sidney
Phone: (250) 656-3088
sales@dragonhorse.ca
www.dragonhorse.ca

DUNCAN
Wishes
125 Station Street, Duncan
Phone: (250) 748-9411
wishes-spirit@shaw.ca

13 March 2011: Who is God

2011-03-13T12:39:00.000-07:00

~ Ram Dass

On Air Quotes:

Who is God
God is not a Christian.
Understand this, at least
for Christ's sake.

God is not a Jew.
All are His children,
Not only a few.

God is not a Muslim.
Just in case
You're boasting with your faith.

God is not a Hindu.
Beyond the colored idols
Transcend His attributes.

God never created a religion,
but the human race.

Come!
Truth may we all embrace.
~ Sadiq Alam

Sadiq's notes on the poem: There is a clip of Archbishop Desmond Tutu (nobel peace prize winner 1984) where he said this line, 'God is not a Christian'. Being an Anglican Archbishop and uttering this beautiful saying 'God is not a Christian' inspired me, and hence this poem was born.

I dedicate this poem to Respected Desmond Mpilo Tutu; this beautiful South African visionary, activist who stood up against the unjust apartheid system, for the right of people and who can speak the truth from his own realization. His life and work are an inspiration of peace through Desmond Tutu Peace foundation.

Chanting as Meditation
"You start doing chanting as technique. You start to sing ‘Shri Ram, Jai Ram, Jai Jai Ram.’ You start thinking it means, Honorable Ram, Hail Ram, Hail Hail Ram.

Then after an hour you stop thinking about all of that and you are just singing it. You are realizing the aesthetic of the music and how beautiful it is.

Then after a while it starts to go deeper until your heart is just singing, it’s singing from inside you. Then there’s a point where true bhakti starts- where dualism ends and you become like the chant.

You are in a space where it’s not emotional anymore.

It’s moved into the deeper, intuitive quality of love. Touching that love leaves you with trust in the method and trust in where the method takes you—trust in the Beloved and trust in how you get there."
~ Ram Dass

Seeking the "Kingdom"
"Seek you the Kingdom first, everything else will be given to you." 'Kingdom' here is the sacred knowledge of God, the wholesome actions that issue from the knowledge of unity of God and unity of creation. The call of action of "Seeking the Kingdom" implies awakening to the true reality which is here and in the hereafter. The one who truly seeks the Kingdom, is eventually led to the King and even though everyone has an unique path to reach that Neverland, every age has its own way of traveling, has appropriate vehicles that make the journey possible.
~ Sadiq Alam

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Prayers go out to the people of Japan and the Pacific Rim who were affected by the devastating earthquake and ensuing tsunami this past week. Love and light are being sent to all.

Sadiq Alam is a wonderfully gifted individual who paints with words. He celebrates the universality of all spiritual traditions. I encourage you to visit his Mystic Saint website which is a wonderful resource for those on a spiritual path.

Remember, God is Love, no matter what your faith. If we live our lives from the Heart, then the dramas fall away and life simplifies. Even in sorrow and loss, comfort may be found through the connection of the Heart.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Please join me next Sunday at 10:30 am for Heart of the Islands Satsang on CFSI FM 107.9. Heart of the Islands Satsang is a radio show which celebrates the Unity of Spiritual traditions through music and reflections. Listen at the time of broadcast: www.cfsi-fm.com.

Shanti,
radha

6 March 2011: Snatam Kaur Focus

2011-03-06T12:53:00.000-08:00

On Air Quotes:

Radiance
When you understand who and what you are, your radiance projects into the universal radiance and everything around you becomes creative and full of opportunity.
~ Yogi Bhajan (Teacher of Snatam Kaur)

Going Within
When you don't go within, you go without.
~ Yogi Bhajan (Teacher of Snatam Kaur)

Prayer
O Lord grant me your Love;
Grant that I may love those who love You;
Grant that I may do deeds that win your Love;
Make your Love dearer to me than my own self, kin and wealth.
~ Prayer of Blessed Muhammad

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

SNATAM KAUR INTERVIEW

We were blessed to have Snatam Kaur join us on air for an interview this morning. She shared her growing up within a loving environment of the Sikh faith - surrounded by spiritual bhajans and kirtan in her youth. She also talked about the Sikh faith and the persecutions which had happened in years past in India and how the people came together to stand up for their rights to be able to practice their faith, as well for people of other faiths to practice their faiths. She also talked of her background as a yoga teacher and how she brings the yoga into the kirtans.

If you've not been to a Snatam Kaur concert and you are attending this as a first one you will be in for a treat. You will not only be experiencing her beautiful voice which evokes the Divine, but you will be treated to an evening of yoga as well.

Snatam Kaur Interview (about 1/2 hour into recording)

HOTI - 2011-03-06 - Snatam Kaur Focus and Interview by HeartOfTheIslandsSatsang

FREE TICKET WINNERS ANNOUNCED:

Sabine of Victoria won the first ticket, only asking for one.
Eyal from Salt Spring Island was the lucky winner of the second ticket.

So sweet to share these tickets with Heart of the Islands Satsang listeners. Thank you to all callers for trying and hope to see you at the concert. See information below about the concert.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

SNAMAM KAUR CONCERT INFORMATION

Snatam Kaur presents an incredible concert of kirtan and yoga. She sings from the heart with a pure voice of an angel - her voice and Guru Ganesha's stories breathe life and humour into the Heart. A concert *not* to be missed

Snatam Kaur Concert
March 18th, 7:30 pm
Alix Goolden Hall
907 Pandora Avenue
Victoria BC

Tickets: $35 from Full Circle Studio Arts in Victoria
Full Circle Studio Arts (In the same building as Value Village, on the corner)
1800 Store Street
Victoria, BC V8T 4R4
Tel 250.920.4037
http://www.fullcirclestudio.ca/home.html
art@fullcirclestudio.ca

Snatam Kaur presented by Spirit Voyage
Tickets available on-line through Spirit Voyage's Website

Other Ticket Outlets on Vancouver Island:
SOOKE ROAD (VICTORIA)
Lotus and Sage
2614 Sooke Road
(inside Borton's Spas & Pools)
Phone: (250) 590-1224
lotusandsage@shaw.ca
www.lotusandsage.com

SIDNEY
Dragon Horse
2408 Beacon Avenue, Sidney
Phone: (250) 656-3088
sales@dragonhorse.ca
www.dragonhorse.ca

DUNCAN
Wishes
125 Station Street, Duncan
Phone: (250) 748-9411
wishes-spirit@shaw.ca

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Please join me next Sunday at 10:30 am for Heart of the Islands Satsang on CFSI FM 107.9. Heart of the Islands Satsang is a radio show which celebrates the Unity of Spiritual traditions through music and reflections. Listen at the time of broadcast: www.cfsi-fm.com.

Shanti,
radha

Inspirations and Creative Thoughts: Journey of a Western Seeker along an Eastern Path

2011-02-28T10:47:00.000-08:00

Inspirations and Creative Thoughts: Journey of a Western Seeker along an Eastern Path

27 Feb 2011: On the Path

2011-02-27T12:39:00.000-08:00

On Air Quotes:

Journey of a Western Seeker Along an Eastern Path
by Radha Fournier
Journey of a Western Seeker along an Eastern Path is an article I wrote for a wonderful spiritual website called "Inspirations and Creative Thought". I hope you get the opportunity to read the article. The introduction to the article by the site owner Sadiq Alam is below:

Seekers of Different Faiths
The beauty of knowing spiritual seekers from many different traditions, faith and places is like knowing flowers of many colors in a garden that has no beginning and no end. If humanity is a garden, its blossomed flowers are those people who in their unique way open towards the sun of Divine truth. Diversity in creational landscape is a well established reality. In every aspect we see that this world is created with profound and majestic variety, be it color of people, their language, plant or animal kingdom.

It’s always a privilege to know sincere seekers who in their own unfolding have found their path through which they discover their inner truth, peace, harmony and relation with the Soul of the Universe. There is no doubt that faith is a grace and a gift. Thus when we come to know how this grace is given to someone, we also participate in that gift, in that grace transmission. In Islamic sacred tradition it is said that "Those who have received faith, are like mirrors to each other". In sharing of seekers journeys and their unique way of receiving the grace, our prayer is that may we also partake and receive the infinite reflections of the One Grace as it reflects upon the mirror of the heart of seekers and lovers of God.
~ Sadiq Alam

Listener Paints a Picture
Thanks so much for the quick response and playing 'My Sweet Lord'. I stopped doing my Qi Gong and danced to the George Harrison groove. Then this amazing scene on the sandbars through the picture window where I am house-sitting on Thetis Island started playing: a heron flew just above the water then a black lab jumped in the water after it, kayakers followed. The sun made it so glorious and I thought we see the Lord in many incredible ways.
~ Tanya Lester (Listener from Thetis Island)

Gurbani (Sikh)
Gurbani is the term used by Sikhs to refer to any compositions of the Gurus.
Gurbani is composed of two words: 'Gur' meaning 'the Guru's' and 'bani' meaning 'word'.
Beautiful description of Gurbani, which reflects perfectly the theme of "Heart of the Islands Satsang" radio program:

To make a dedicated life of selfless service (Sevaa) to all beings.
To make Wisdom, humility and contentment the temple within;
To make practice of selfless love and compassion for all the devotion and the noblest conduct;
To make meditation (Simran) the rosary enshrined in the heart;
To realize Oneness with the Universal Spirit, within

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

I've had the privilege of writing an article for Sadiq Alam's well established and widely read website Inspirations and Creative Thought, which Sadiq and I worked on together. It was a privilege to work on this with Sadiq and I hope you get the opportunity to read the article.

The listeners truly make this program happen. The listening audience seems to be ever growing. Many thanks to those who tuned in today and contacted me while on-air: Hannah, Cathy Ginter, Trish, Patience, and Prem. You all make the studio a little more like home for me when airing this program when I hear from you. Thank you for your feedback and for helping promote Heart of the Islands Satsang!

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

ANNOUNCEMENTS:

Bruce Creswick Celebration of Life (Memorial):
Celebration of Life for Bruce Creswick will be held on Saturday, 5 March at 1:00 pm at SIMS (Saltspring Island Middle School). Everyone is welcome.

SNATAM KAUR CONCERT 18 MARCH - FREE TICKET GIVE-AWAY ON 6 MARCH

"Heart of the Islands Satsang" will be giving away 2 free tickets to the Snatam Kaur concert in Victoria BC scheduled for 18 March 2011.

Listen to "Heart of the Islands Satsang" on 6 March to win two free tickets which will be given away on-air!

Snatam Kaur Concert
March 18th, 7:30 pm
Alix Goolden Hall
907 Pandora Avenue
Victoria BC

Tickets: $35 from Full Circle Studio Arts in Victoria
Full Circle Studio Arts (In the same building as Value Village, on the corner)
1800 Store Street
Victoria, BC V8T 4R4
Tel 250.920.4037
http://www.fullcirclestudio.ca/home.html
art@fullcirclestudio.ca

Snatam Kaur presented by Spirit Voyage
Tickets available on-line through Spirit Voyage's Website

Other Ticket Outlets on Vancouver Island:
SOOKE ROAD (VICTORIA)
Lotus and Sage
2614 Sooke Road
(inside Borton's Spas & Pools)
Phone: (250) 590-1224
lotusandsage@shaw.ca
www.lotusandsage.com

SIDNEY
Dragon Horse
2408 Beacon Avenue, Sidney
Phone: (250) 656-3088
sales@dragonhorse.ca
www.dragonhorse.ca

DUNCAN
Wishes
125 Station Street, Duncan
Phone: (250) 748-9411
wishes-spirit@shaw.ca

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Please join me next Sunday at 10:30 am for Heart of the Islands Satsang on CFSI FM 107.9. Heart of the Islands Satsang is a radio show which celebrates the Unity of Spiritual traditions through music and reflections. Listen at the time of broadcast: www.cfsi-fm.com. Shanti, radha