Inspirations

AnnetteW · Post by **AnnetteW** » Tue Jul 01, 2008 4:43 am

I recently had started a thread of daily devotionals, but it didn't get much response. However I thought it would be nice to send each other inspirationals.

I hope we have several to join.

Guest · Post by **Guest** » Tue Jul 01, 2008 4:43 am

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Hope, Always

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Never lose hope of God, however terrible and confusing the circumstances you find yourself in. Hope is the head of the road to confidence. If you do not walk along that road, at least guard with all your powers its entryway. Do not go on saying, "I have done twisted things"; choose the truthful way and no twistedness will remain...
Truth is like Moses' rod, and all twisted thoughts and actions are like the tricks of Pharaoh's magicians; when Truth arrives it swallows up all those games. If you have done evil, it is to yourself that you have done it; nothing in that evil could ever touch of darken the Eternal Face of God. Just commit yourself unwaveringly to truth and, slowly, all your twistedness will be burned away...
Hope is the source and spring of all the alchemies of transformation, the greatest treasure of the heart and mind, the philosopher's stone that transmutes agony and tragedy into new life. Never abandon hope, or you abandon your closest and most helpful guide, the Friend who will be at the door of paradise smiling as he lets you in...

From: Light upon Light, Inspirations from Rumi
Andrew Harvey, 1996
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Guest · Post by **Guest** » Tue Jul 01, 2008 5:12 am

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Like a Lotus in the Water

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T he lotus is considered to he a very holy and divine flower. Not just because of its beauty, hut also because of its qualities. A lotus flower grows in very shallow water, usually in a muddy area. Though it comes out of the mud and mire, it rises as a beautiful flower that lives in the water without being affected by it. The lotus flower is always given as an example for one who wants to live spiritually in the world. It is said, "Live like a lotus in the water." The lotus leaf is right in the water, hut it's never moistened by the water When you pick it up, it's completely dry. It never gets wet. If you throw a little water over it, the water will roll off and scatter around like pearls...
A person should live like the lotus, being in the world but not affected by it. You should always express your natural beauty, though you may grow in a dirty place. Nothing from outside should affect you...
T he lotus is a symbol of love and devotion also. If you ever see the Goddesses Lakshmi or Saraswati you would see that they're standing on a lotus. Wherever Lord Buddha placed his foot, a lotus appeared to hold it. The feet of a holy person are called the "lotus feet"...
T he lotus flower turns its head towards the sun always. That means it always turns towards the light; it receives the light constantly. So you can say it's an ever-enlightened flower...

OM Shanthi, Shanthi, Shanthi

~ Sri Swami Satchidananda ~
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Guest · Post by **Guest** » Fri Aug 22, 2008 3:29 am

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No Room For Compromise

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In spiritual life there is no room for compromise. Awakening is not negotiable; we cannot bargain to hold on to things that please us while relinquishing things that do not matter to us. A lukewarm yearning for awakening is not enough to sustain us through the difficulties involved in letting go. It is important to understand that anything that can be lost was never truly ours, anything that we deeply cling to only imprisons us. 

~ Christina Feldman and Jack Kornfield,
"Stories of the Spirit, Stories of the Heart"
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a girl and her dog · Post by **a girl and her dog** » Fri Aug 22, 2008 8:49 am

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The Power of a Positive Face

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A smile is a curve that can set a lot of things straight. 
- V. Borge

Have you ever contemplated how much a smile can change a person's day? Both the person who smiles and the one who sees it are positively impacted by such a small act. This seemingly tiny reflex can perk up a bad attitude, make you seem more warm and inviting, and often pass some happiness on to others. So the next time your alarm goes off at 5 a.m. or your dog barks in the middle of the night, smile instead of grumbling. You'd be surprised how a positive face can in turn become a positive and motivational attitude!

~ Healthy Reflections ~
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