God is One

"On an altar of prejudice we crucify our own; yet the blood of all children is the colour of God." 

~ Don Williams Jr

A beautiful morning to everyone. I apologise for starting with a rather grave quote today, however, let's try and understand the gravity of these words and turn that understanding into positive learning. Today, 30th September, 2010, India prepares for a court verdict that will change the course of history forever. The Ayodhya debate will get its verdict and as the Supreme Court prepares to pass judgment at 3:30 pm IST, India waits with bated breath.

This story rewinds to 1992, when the Babri Mosque in Ayodha, Uttar Pradesh was demolished by a group of 150,000 fundamentalists. Their grouse - a temple built to commemorate Lord Rama's birthplace was pulled-down and the mosque was constructed in its place. Historically, this mosque was built in 1527 by Babur, the first Moghul emperor. Now, there are four versions regarding this site. We have the Hindu version, a Jain version, a Muslim version and a British version! I am not going to get into details of each version but I want to try and understand why, why do we intentionally hurt God in the way we do.

As I was thinking about God this morning, it hurt to see what we've reduced God to. We address him differently, we worship differently, we call out to him differently and he's absolutely okay with that. All holy scriptures are based on love - love, truth, goodness, caring, sharing, giving, helping, kindness etc. Why, why then do so many kill in the name of God? In his name!

God is the very embodiment of love and peace. He allowed us our religions, and all religions, all of them have one common message - love. God believes in equality and all religions are equal, who then are we to decide for one another on what's right and what's wrong religiously?

Our race is ever-so involved with deciding for one another on behalf of God, that most trouble-makers lose the purpose of their cause. If anyone claims God as their purpose violence and religious wars, I'd like to tell them to begin with the truth. Let's be honest with ourselves, look within and begin by understanding God, get to know him, get to know him through yourself. As you begin your journey, you will realise that God is praying that you don't associate any sort of violence for him and with him. Understand that, believe that and it begins with you, once you understand that, you can then pass-on God's message to another. 

God never perpetrated violence; in fact he is the exact opposite of it. God (no matter we call him - God, Jesus, Rama, Allah, Yahweh or anything else) is peace-loving who wants us to live our lives for one another. We're all connected by the very purpose of our cause - our cause towards the very center of our beings, our souls, our truth and finding God through that truth. Everything in life should begin and end with God and that God teaches us love, peace, understanding, humility, caring, sharing and so much more. God wants us to discard our swords and join our hands in prayer and peace and call out to him.

He is calling us all now, all of us as members of his kingdom, all his children - yes, he has made us differently, but he has made us well. Who are we to question the difference when God planned for us anyway?

As we begin this morning, let's all close our eyes, join our hearts and hands spiritually and pray; pray that no matter what, peace prevails in this world (which is one of God's gifts to us), that each of us get more understanding of one another's beliefs, that our hearts reach out to one each other, that we begin each day by promising God to live it in his eyes, by changing at least one person's life for the better daily, and by truly, truly understanding God. God, we love you and we thank you for this life, but we need you here and now. We know that with all of us eternally and we hope that pray that all the people who've drawn swords, discard them and join hands in prayer instead.

Prayer - one of our most precious gifts, understanding - one of our most needed traits and love - one of our most beautiful blessings. This is God's message, this is God's wish for us, this is our purpose to our lives. Our paths to ourselves may differ, but we have one common goal - love. A love so true, so precious, so pure, so complete, so eternal, that experiencing it brings tears to our very mortal eyes. These tears are tears of humility and gratefulness because God loves us all so much, so very much.

Have a fabulously blessed and peaceful day everyone. :)

Faith, Faith in our God

The eternal looked upon me for a moment with his eyes of power, and annihilated me in his being, and became manifest to me in his essence. I saw I existed through him. 

~ Rumi

A fabulously beautiful morning everyone. I feel like there's a beautiful ocean gushing through me this morning. Each wave is sweeping through my being, cleansing me, emptying my soul of any negative thoughts (doubt, worry, distrust, assumption, over-analysis etc.) and leaving me with quiet peace that comes only from God. God, our creator, teacher, saviour, best-friend. As I think about the quote above by Rumi, I realise how easily we let God down.

Think about it - most of us believe in ourselves, believe in our friends, family, pets... why then is it so difficult for us to believe in God, trust in him and believe that everything coming our way has a lesson for our soul. As I close my eyes and feel the seed of doubt wash away, I let my soul rest in God' presence. Yesterday, the seed of doubt threatened to find its place in my heart based on an assumption - this negative emotion disturbed my peace and while I recognised the cause of my spiritual discomfort, my soul had a wrestling match within. I was determined to let good win and when it became too much for me to handle, I left it all to God. I spoke to him and told him that I loved him and that I left everything to him. I believe in his plan for me and I was following his lead. I went to bed and woke up at peace this morning.

As I greeted God, life and my guardian angel a very good morning, beautiful peace encompassed my being and my faith in the good Lord has been re-enforced. This is the magic of God, the beautiful mystery of his very presence, the sanctity of his love for us, his beautiful gifts in the form of our guardian angels, family, friends and people we meet who influence our lives in one way or another. God wants us and hopes that we believe without seeing and this is what we must do. As the calm ocean in me continues to cleanse my soul, I feel nothing but grateful for experiencing God's love.

So many look externally for love, peace and happiness, but all you need to do is look internally. You'll experience God right there, in you. And if you simply must look outside, then look over your shoulder and you'll see your beautiful guardian angel flitting its wings, look at your family and friends who will always be there, look at a stranger across the street and smile... and when he/she returns your smile, you realise how beautiful that smile is, a smile - a quiet sign of acknowledgement and very often a quite sign of God.

I am thrilled that God washed away the evil seeds of doubt. You see sometimes, what starts as a small doubt grows into something that we can't even imagine. What's worse is that if a doubt is based on an assumption (most often than not it is), then the reason for doubt itself is a fallacy. Doubt feeds on doubt and before we even know it, it grows into something we fail to control. This ugly growth then consumes our being, our very soul and we live life trying to protect and/or change situations based on a doubt that was born from assumption in the first place! This sort of life is a lie and any lie is harmful for our soul and spirit. 

So instead of letting this grow and take hold of our lives, why don't we get rid of it at the root? It's simple talk to God, believe in him, request him to work through you and he will. Remember, God made us all in his likeness - whether, it's Bhagwan Shri Krishna, Shri Ramji, Saraswati, Jesus... they were all human whose purity and goodness transcended this world. The teachings, the written word is based more on life than religion. And if you find reading holy scripture too tedious, just call on God in anyway you can and any way you want. He is listening to you - all he really wants you to do is call on him in faith - believe in him and leave the rest up to him.

I like life to beautiful bouquet of red roses - it has lovely soft petals, the straight hard stalks and thorns. The lovely soft petals represent the happy, good time, the straight stalks represent paths that we choose and the thorns represent some of life's hardest but most important lessons; we may get pricked, bleed but it's through those droplets of blood that we learn our lessons. We're all here to fulfill our own karmas and help others fulfill theirs too. God wants us to follow his word, spread it and sow the seeds to faith - first in ourselves and then in everyone else. Faith, we often make it seem like the hardest thing, but it really is the easiest thing to do. Faith in our creator who put us here in the first place - because of whom we experience love, peace, joy, pain and a lot of other emotions; because of whom we experience a new day (no matter how that day may unfold), because of whom we are able to enjoy the chirping of a bird, the flitting of a butterfly, the roar of a lion, the feel of raindrops and so very much more. Our creator, our God, has given us so much, so come let's all believe him in faith. Let's all sow our seeds of faith today... let's begin with ourselves and them helps everyone else who may have a problem sowing the seeds. We know God through ourselves because this is where God is, God is with all of us, at all times. 

God is waiting for his beautiful garden to bloom even more than it already is... let's sow our seeds of faith in God and water them with belief and love.

Have a fabulously blessed day everyone. :)             

Walking with God

"Weave in faith and God will find the thread." ~ Author Unknown

Good morning everyone, as the sun plays hide-n-seek (again) this morning, I am confirming travel plans for this week. Last week was quite hectic conducting back-to-back interviews and it seems like this one is going into overdrive. As my plans for a quiet week seem to dissolve, I believe that God is taking me where he wants me to be. Indeed, he has a beautiful plan in-store and as I prepare for a marathon week of interviewing a fresh set of people for the latest book, I know there's learning and a spiritual adventure in the wings.

Most of us, at some point or another, wished that we were elsewhere - in a different place, different country, different time and probably as different people. But no matter how much we'd like to change our present situation and no matter what the situation is, we must believe that we are in the exact place God wants us to be. If the place and/or circumstances are tough, then God has a lesson in those situations, and if things are going fabulously well, then we're there to help another person in need. I believe that God puts us in certain places, at certain times as a part of his plan in the larger scheme of things. We're all connected by a common bond - love, and we must assist one another when needed. God puts us in certain places, helps us come across certain people and face certain situations because there is a lesson there for us and others.

It's normal to aspire to do better, move to a better place, change one's situation for the better; but remember, that before God's blesses us with the fruits of something better, he hopes that we understand and learn from our current situation. Sometimes, bigger is not always better, sometimes we lose our souls in our quest for change. I've learned that if God wills change, he will grant it to us. We put in the effort and the change will come. However, if God wishes otherwise, no matter what we do, we will find ourselves in the same situation. One may physically be able to change one's surroundings, but spiritually and mentally one is where one was to begin with.

This is where or faith comes in. We must have faith in our good Lord and trust him enough to know that we all are where we're meant to be. We are in a certain place to learn and to share what we've learned. I'd like to use myself as an example here: Exactly six months ago I was in two-minds about my next career move. I had quit the magazine I was writing for and I was in a 'what-next' situation. I knew I wanted to do something concrete in terms of my writing, and just lifestyle writing saturated me. I remember sitting on my bed, looking skywards and asking God to guide me, please just guide me and I will follow. About 15 minutes later, my current company called and asked me to meet with them the following day. Towards the end of the meeting, they offered me a position with all their coffee table books. Books, books - this is just what I wanted. Spiritually it felt right. I smiled because again, God answered me. I spoke to him and he answered me.

Here I was fretting about my next move and all I had to do was turn to God and ask him to guide me. I used a career as an example, however, if we sit down and introspect, we'll find how God guides us through everything: our relationships, careers, travel plans... everything. Indeed, some situations bring pain that is hard to comprehend but remember, God does not want us to comprehend our pain, he just wants us to accept it. There is great learning in pain and tears sanctify our spirits. Some situations make us tremendously happy and God wants us to enjoy that and share it with people less fortunate. Pain is about acceptance and having faith and trust in the Lord, happiness is about sharing and caring for other. And of course all the other emotions have little gems of lessons in themselves. The point is, no matter what the situation, our good Lord has take us there and he has brought us there as a part of his plan. In this journey of life, there will springs, summers, autumns, winters, monsoons and sometimes a mix of seasons - just like changing seasons, situations in life change too. Change and acceptance should be second nature; trust and faith in our good Lord the first.

About a year and a half ago, a very dear friend told me, "You know what, you could be planning something and then something totally different happens." I agree with him, but I also believe that whatever happens, happens according to God's will.

Remember, if God brings you to it, he will take you through it. Just have faith in him and trust him. When in doubt, talk to him, and he will answer you in his time. God answers us when he knows that we're spiritually ready for the answer, when we're spiritually ready for the change.

"God understands our prayers even when we can't find the words to say them" ~ Author Unknown

Have a fabulously blessed day everyone. :) 

The Soul Story

Good afternoon, everyone. As the beautiful breeze caresses my cheek and plays with my hair, the two lines above sing a song in my heart and soul. C.S. Lewis famously wrote - "You don't have a soul. You are a soul. You have a body."

Our souls; something we don't see, but feel, believe in and live. Our souls are one of God's most precious gifts and most enduring tests of faith. Like God, our soul is something we believe in without seeing. This physical life is just a path towards spiritual fulfillment. So, what are the scriptures trying to tell us in those two simple lines? Death is not the end, just a temporary stop in an ever-continuing journey. Our life on Earth is just a part of a longer journey that our souls must undertake.

When a loved one passes away, our physical being mourns the persons absence, however, our spiritual being celebrates the soul's passing from this life to the next. Most of us wonder what the next life involves; our soul's next step is determined by the path we take while on Earth. Who and what we come back as in a different life, depends on how soulfully we've lived our last lives. Have we been true to our God and ourselves and do we go to a higher realm or do we come back to Earth to pay for all that we've done and imbibe lessons that we've failed to understand? As we face our God and saviour on judgment day, we will have to answer some questions: Did we over-indulge in only worldly pleasures, ignoring our soul completely? Did we intentionally ignore our soul's purpose? Did we try and live as true to ourselves as we could? Did we abuse and misuse love? What have we done for the betterment of mankind, animalkind and nature? Did we allow our ego and pride to rule our lives? Did we depend on lies to get ourselves forward? How many times did we call on God, truly call on God in prayer without expectations, wants and demands? Did we live as God intended us to live?

What do you think our answers will be? Our physical life on Earth determines the path our soul takes. There's no reason to worry, because God is gracious enough to forgive us and allows us redemption. It's never too late to transform oneself and live fuller, complete spiritual lives. God doesn't focus on sins of the past, but on our transformation in the present in preparation for our soul's betterment... our true selves. Our true lives. Indeed, when the angel of death comes knocking on our doors, God awaits us, not to judge but to help us realise and understand that life is about our soul. Our transitional bodies in this temporary physical life are mere instruments that help us fulfill our soul's true purpose. While each of us have our individual soul purposes, the foundation of our physical lives are based on common values that find their breath in love, truth, goodness, peace, sharing, caring and all of God's will.

I've left all of you, including myself with a lot of questions today. These questions are mere little wake-up calls, nothing to be afraid of really, just little post-its for our physical beings. :) All of us have allotted times on Earth and as the clock ticks, we must spend our remaining time in accordance with God's will and our soul's purpose.

Dear God, thank you for a new day

Thank you for another chance to love and serve you

Thank you for reintroducing me to my soul

As always, I pray that when I open my mouth, I may say kind words to all

When I think, please give me the grace to think of good thoughts

When I'm weak, please help me find my strength in you

When I'm happy, help me to praise you and spread the happiness

When I'm sad, help me embrace and accept my sadness for what it truly is

My dear God, please give me the grace to live my life soulfully, just like you meant me to live it


Have a fabulously blessed day everyone. :)

Free-falling with Faith

I stood on the edge of that cliff for too long and then the universe made a decision for me... it was time to plunge. No looking back, no questions, no reasons, no fear, no distrust... just plunge. PLUNGE, I did it and while I was free-falling, I saw some of the most beautiful sights, had experiences that only fearlessness can bring, rediscovered my soul, reacquainted myself with my broken heart and learnt to love every bit of it and then I realised I wasn't free-falling anymore, I was actually flying. I WAS AND AM FLYING!

How often we find ourselves balancing on a precarious edge (we could be holding on to careers, a relationship, the hope of a relationship, material things etc) trying our best to hold-on, just hold-on because we believe that maybe, just maybe things will change and/or get better. How often do we allow our careers and all things material to define us. How often do we stubbornly stay rooted, instead of just taking that plunge with faith... faith that everything will be okay; belief that this is only part of a larger plan and we must follow humbly, no questions asked. Let go, just let go, set it free, set ourself free.

No matter what the plunge involves - it could be sailing around the world, learning to bake just to feel heaven in soft dough, the feel of gentle breeze on you skin or moving to a new country altogether. Make a decision and if it is what the Almighty has willed for us, then God and the universe will find a way to make it happen. If not, they will open new doors and urge us to change our direction.

Let's leave the planning to higher sources, we're too meek to believe that we control our destiny... and yet that assumption is a favourite with so many of us. I've come to learn that the Almighty will either throw you a safety net or teach you to fly.

It's time to break those imaginary mental shackles, time to rid ourself of the grasping onto this, that and the other. Gift ourself the beautiful present of free-falling with faith and experience life at it deepest, most spiritual best, because this plunge comes from faith.

Our physical life and situations are like a fistful of sand in a tightened wrist; the tighter we grasp, the quicker we lose it. On the other hand, if we only just set it free, let it go... a few grains will fall down and find their place in the larger scheme of things but we will still be left with a small amount of sand in our palm... and that's the amount that's meant for us. Let loose, let go... set our beautiful spirit free.

When we don't make decisions ourselves, the Almighty and the universe makes them for us. Let's be graceful enough to accept these decisions as the great master's plan and find our peace and solace in now. 'Now' what a beautiful moment - 'now' close your eyes, connect with your soul, set him/her free and plunge... you may either discover a beautiful new pair of wings or fall into the most secure safety net.

Have a fabulously blessed day everyone. :)

Walking Across a Burnt Bridge

There's something about making our way across a burnt bridge. Most of us look for bridges that aren't burnt and there lies our folly. I believe that we need to cease looking for a bridge that hasn't burnt and make our way across one that already has. Confused? Read on...

Most of us waste too much of time looking for steady bridges and in effect lose out on experiences and discoveries that only a burnt bridge will allow. You see, a burnt bridge offers us an undiscovered path that we can call our own, experiences that will be more enriching than anything we've ever imagined and so much more.

Some may argue that some experiences and situations in life drain and empty us. I agree and I also say that we must allow it/them to drain us. When we're going through it, the immediate aftereffects are devastating, but one day in the future we realise that what emptied us then, fills us now with resilience and faith and strength we never even knew we had. It's okay to crash and it's okay to be empty... because only when we crash, a new person is born and only when we're empty we'll have the space to fill ourself with new enriching experiences.

Indeed, spiritual life is most enhancing and enriching when we feel our pain, know and understand it for what it is and love it for the cleansing. Every tear spent, every stab of hurt felt, every test of our spirit, only cleanses our soul in a way that God wills. Submitting totally to the will of God and the will of the universe is essential.

It's alright to breakdown, cry as loud as we need and talk to God and the universe. In fact communication with the Almighty is essential more in our pain, because this is when we have the most questions, this is when our understanding abandons us and this is when our very faith is tested. Yes we have a lot of questions for God and we may even question his fairness and sometimes his very presence in our lives. But remember, the moment we feel that God has abandoned us, he is actually carrying us through. To feel and know pain in its truest, rawest most sorrowful self is to truly know God. This is how God feels when we choose a different path from the one he has chose for us.

Pain and sorrow have their own lessons, tears has its destiny, hurt has its own purpose. Let's acknowledge, accept and embrace them for what they truly are. Accepting pain and loving it for what it does for us spiritually will lead us closer to our soul's true purpose.

Love pain as much as we love laughter
Embrace it, like we would a lover
Sanctify it, like we would love an integral part of our soul
Understand it for what it means to our spirit
Accept it unquestioningly


Laughter is soul-enriching, pain is soul-cleansing.


Have a blessed day everyone. :)