CARD OF THE NIGHT
INDECISION
I use my intuition in all aspects of life
Your soul is Spirit manifest in this physical dimension. Even though you may feel limited by the constraints of your body, your connection to the infinite wisdom of the Universe is always available to you in the form of intuition. You are never alone when making any decision. Spirit only wants the best for you, and by listening to your inner voice, you will always be guided to the proper outcome. All you have to do is ask. The expectation of others is only an illusion. You were not born to listen to fear; you were taught to listen to it.
Visualize any decision in your life as a fork in the road. How does your body react when you imagine your travels down each path? At first glance, one may look easier to traverse, but the destination will cause anxiety and a heavy heart; another path may be more difficult to walk, but the destination will feel light and calm. When you silence your mind and listen to your intuition, the signposts will always be obvious.
MORNING READ
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The first stage is where we come to the conclusion that by running here and there, by looking to externals, we are not going to gain the knowledge we seek. Knowledge is a thing to be obtained from within by tuning in. “Tuning in” means to go in, to understand ourselves, to “know thyself” first. If we do not know ourselves, we will make mistakes in knowing others things. We should know with what glasses we are viewing the outside. Are they clean or colored? If they are colored, naturally we will see a colored world outside. We can’t blame the world for this color. A scale should be correct itself before trying to give the correct weight of objects placed on it. If the scale is wrong, the weight will certainly be wrong. We must see if the mind is in a neutral position so it can judge things properly.
The second understanding is that all experiences of pleasure and pain come not from the outside but are the interpretation of our own mind. The mind makes these experiences and creates these feelings. If this understanding comes, all miseries and pains are over; we will see we are not pained by any externals and that nothing can make us unhappy. When we know that our mind is the cause of these pains, we will try to correct it rather than blaming the outside world or other people. We will feel no need to seek after things, nor to avoid them.
The third position comes one you understand the mind fully and, with that neutral mind, attain cosmic understanding. You need not study anything for that. No books can give it. Many saints were illiterate. They never even knew what a school was. But we read their ideas even now. None of the Upanishadic seers went to colleges or universities. They merely sat under trees and watched nature. But their words are crest jewels now. Where did their learning come from? It came from within. There is a wealth of knowledge inside. The scriptures say, “Know the One by knowing which you will know everything.” This understanding without learning is the third level of consciousness.
The fourth step comes one we understand nature and its workings. We feel there is no longer anything to be done. If we understand the cosmic plan, we rise above all doership. There is no particular duty for us, no do’s or don’ts. At that time, we are prompted to do things only because our minds are linked to the cosmic mind; there is no personal action. As we are prompted, we just do. We do not know why we are doing things and will not bother about whether they are good or bad. The scriptures as, “Ko vindhi ko nisedah?” “What is a must and what is not?” There are no musts, nothing one must do, nothing one should or should not do. Whatever we do is part of the cosmic plan. That means, even though such a person appears to be doing something, really he or she is not doing anything and becomes akarta, the non-doer. A Tamil saint put that idea into a poem. “Oh Lord, I gave You my entire personality, body, mind and life—and You have accepted it. If there is anything happening through my body or mind, am I responsible? Good might happen. Bad might happen. But You are responsible. You make me do this. People may say, ‘He is a bad man. He is doing bad things.’ But You know that it is not I who do it; it is You working through me.”
These words will come only when we realize we are completely in the hands of a higher will. It is very easy to stand in front of the alter and say, “I am Thine. All is Thine. Thy will be done.” But de we really feel that way? Have we really completely given up? In such a state there are not duties for us. All our duties are God’s duties. We are not responsible. But this state cannot be merely an intellectual understanding. If that is the case, we can even slap someone on the face and say, “It is all God’s will. I gave God everything. Even my hand has been given to God who is using it to slap you.”
The fifth plane is actually an after-effect of that understanding. Once we come to know there is nothing to be done, the citta is completely free of impressions. It is liberated. Because it had the tinge of ego, it acted as it wanted. Once that is separated, it just becomes a humble, simple mind, completely free of impressions; and, although old impressions remain, they lose their capacity to disturb the mind.
In the sixth level, the citta loses itself. That is called mano-nasa or citta-nasa and means the mind is completely chucked off. When the mind gets totally dissolved, the seventh and last plane remains. This is when the Purusa alone remains, resting in its own svarupa.
We should all know what these things are, because one day we will certainly all reach that state. As they happen, we will see the signs. Sometimes people are frightened by the unexpected. If they suddenly lose physical consciousness in meditation, they feel, “Something is happening to me. Am I going to die?” They disturb their meditation. Instead, if we know the signs we will welcome these things.
Saint Thirumular said, “A person was running and running in search of the Light. He spent his whole life doing that. Ultimately he collapsed and died because he couldn’t reach it.” Millions and millions of people collapse this way because they don’t know that the Light is within.
Another saying of his is, “Even if you practice Yoga for eight thousand years, you are not going to reach the Light.” By this he means external Yoga: reading books, learning all the scriptures by heart, going on pilgrimages to all the temples, asrams and churches in the world. That is all bahya, or external practice. Some people waste thousands of years in such effort. If we only look within, we will see the Light as if we were seeing our own image in a mirror.
All the different religions say this: We are not going to get it from outside. Turn in. Look within. Know thyself. The teachings can help you slightly, but too much learning may just muddle your mind. We should learn a little and work with that. Turning inside means turning the senses within; trying to hear something within, see something within, smell something within. All the scents are within us. All the beautiful music is within us. All art is inside. Why should we search, running after museums and gardens when every museum and garden is inside us?
The Yoga Sutras of Patanjali by Sri Swami Satchidananda
CARD OF THE DAY
INTEGRITY
You demonstrate the truth and honesty of your soul, and manifest love with your every action
There is a great chasm between believing in something and demonstrating it to the world. “Walk your talk” is the mantra of this card that bridges this gap. You can read every spiritual book available, but if you don’t practice what you’ve accepted in your heart, then it is all for naught. Holding love and compassion as the cornerstones of your belief system is very different from manifesting them in the real world. Integrity is a state of wholeness and completeness of being. When all the pieces of your psyche are unified as one, you don’t have to try to be compassionate; you just are. A person with integrity follows through on their commitments. If you tend to second-guess yourself or are filled with conflicting opinions, you might still be struggling to find your authentic self. And that’s okay—life is about learning to be a better you; and if you aren’t learning to be a better you; and if you aren’t learning something new every day, that’s a wasted opportunity. To know whether you are coming from an integrated space, notice your behavior during a time of chaos. If there is a gentle quiet of the mind, and a clear path is seen, then love is present. When you come from this center, you are in the moment, not swayed by the past or future. You shine a beacon of self-assurance that draws all good things to you.
Universe of Dahee 