Ishu is a young social entrepreneur, also a certified yoga instructor. Hailing from Rajasthan, her fervent passion for travel has led her across Europe, the U.S., and various Indian states. Her core aspiration lies in creating ethical and sustainable employment opportunities and products that enhance well-being.&nbsp;

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Ishu Shiva

ISHU SHIVA is revolutionizing daily life for many women by giving them access to menstrual health using safe and sustainable practices and products. KARISHMA DESAI interviews Ishu about how she is removing the stigma around menstruation, is liberating women from taboos, and is promoting healthy practices. &nbsp;&nbsp; Q: Welcome to Heartfulness Magazine, Ishu. It’s a pleasure to have you with us today. Your work in the field of menstrual health has been making significant strides, and we’re excited to delve into the details of your journey and the impact of Sanitree. Thank you for joining us. IS: Thank you, Karishma. I’m delighted to share our story and hopefully inspire others to join our mission. Q: Let’s start at the beginning. Can you share with us the story behind Sanitree? What was the catalyst that led you to create an organization focused on menstrual health? IS: My journey began as a child, before I started menstruating. I was fortunate enough to receive education about menstruation from an NGO that visited my school. This enlightening experience demystified menstruation for me. However, when I moved back to Rajasthan, I was taken aback by the stark contrast in attitudes. Menstruation was a taboo topic, shrouded in stigma and misconception. This was the impetus for me to start an NGO. We were one of the first in Rajasthan to openly educate girls and boys about menstruation in public places and government schools. Our goal was to break the silence and promote healthy practices. Q: That's an inspiring start. Can you share a success story that reaffirms the importance of what you’re doing? IS: One story that stands out involves a woman from a rural community who had been using poor-quality sanitary pads. She had allergies and rashes, so menstruation was a curse for her. It was a painful and uncomfortable experience she dreaded every month. After attending one of our educational sessions, she was inspired to take control of her menstrual health. She consulted a doctor, got proper medication, and started using our cloth pads. She found them comfortable and easy to wash. This change transformed her experience. Menstruation was no longer a curse but a natural process she could manage comfortably. It is a testament to the power of education and access to quality menstrual products.<hr><h4 style="text-align:center;">We believe that promoting menstrual health should not come at the expense of our planet.</h4><hr><figure class="image"><img src="https://cdn-prod-static.heartfulness.org/period_poverty_dignity2_6922823bcc.webp" alt="period-poverty-dignity2.webp" srcset="https://cdn-prod-static.heartfulness.org/thumbnail_period_poverty_dignity2_6922823bcc.webp 217w,https://cdn-prod-static.heartfulness.org/small_period_poverty_dignity2_6922823bcc.webp 500w,https://cdn-prod-static.heartfulness.org/medium_period_poverty_dignity2_6922823bcc.webp 750w," sizes="100vw"></figure>&nbsp;Q: Sanitree is committed to sustainability. Can you highlight any innovative approaches you’ve made in integrating eco-friendly practices and products? IS: Sustainability is at the heart of everything we do at Sanitree. We believe that promoting menstrual health should not come at the expense of our planet. We’ve integrated eco-friendly practices into every aspect of our work.We source our materials locally to reduce our carbon footprint. Our products are made by women using minimal machinery, promoting local employment while reducing energy consumption. We store our products in eco-friendly packages, reducing waste and promoting recycling. Our cloth pads are biodegradable and last up to two years, significantly reducing waste compared to disposable pads. Every disposable pad contains the equivalent amount of plastic of four shopping bags. With approximately 121 million women using disposable sanitary pads in India, 12 billion pads are thrown away every year. Taking 500 to 800 years to decompose, these 12 billion pads are harming India’s environment and the future of the planet. Each woman using our pads can prevent approximately 600 disposable pads from ending up in landfill over the course of two years. We’ve been recognized for our efforts with several sustainability awards in the UK and India, of which we’re incredibly proud. Q: That’s commendable. There are many deep-rooted taboos and misconceptions around menstrual health, so how does Sanitree address them? How do you break down the barriers? IS: The challenges are deeply ingrained in societal norms and attitudes, however these barriers can be overcome with the right approach. We believe in catering to the unique cultural and social contexts of the communities in which we work. We conduct extensive research to understand these contexts and tailor our approach accordingly. We work closely with community leaders and other NGOs to reach grassroots levels, so that we can address misconceptions and taboos directly and promote an open and healthy dialogue about menstruation. Q: Ishu, your work is truly inspiring. Could you share your vision for the future of Sanitree? What are your hopes for the coming years?IS: We aim to tackle period poverty and the stigma around menstruation in a sustainable, collaborative, and ethical way. Our vision is to continue to expand our reach and impact, educating more people about menstrual health, breaking down taboos, and providing more sustainable menstrual products. We’re also exploring partnerships with other organizations to amplify our impact. Our mission is to make menstruation an experience that is empowering for people and kind to the planet. We believe that there is a wealth divide and a geographical divide when it comes to access to safe and hygienic sanitary products, a basic human right that should be afforded to all menstruating people equally. In the coming years, we hope to see a world where menstruation is not taboo but a normal, healthy part of life. A world where everyone has access to safe, comfortable, and sustainable menstrual products. A world where menstrual health is recognized as a natural aspect of overall health and well-being. &nbsp;<figure class="image"><img src="https://cdn-prod-static.heartfulness.org/period_poverty_dignity3_637487a6d7.webp" alt="period-poverty-dignity3.webp" srcset="https://cdn-prod-static.heartfulness.org/thumbnail_period_poverty_dignity3_637487a6d7.webp 239w,https://cdn-prod-static.heartfulness.org/small_period_poverty_dignity3_637487a6d7.webp 500w,https://cdn-prod-static.heartfulness.org/medium_period_poverty_dignity3_637487a6d7.webp 750w," sizes="100vw"></figure> Q: Collaboration is vital to driving social change. Can you elaborate on Sanitree’s partnerships and collaborations, and how they enhance your work? IS: Collaboration is a cornerstone of our work. By working together, we can achieve far more than we can alone. We collaborate with a wide range of NGOs, governments, and individuals. NGOs help us reach grassroots levels and understand the unique needs and challenges of the communities in which we work. Governments help us scale our impact through supportive policies and media outreach. Individuals help by understanding and normalizing menstruation in their own communities.Influencers and the media play a significant role in spreading awareness. By leveraging their platforms, we reach a wider audience and promote a more open dialogue about menstruation. Q: How can our readers engage with Sanitree to support your endeavors, and contribute to your mission? IS: There are many ways. There are three vital things for any social cause – time, money, and energy. You can spend time sharing our content on social media, raising awareness about menstrual health, and breaking down taboos. You can volunteer for our projects, contributing your skills and energy to our cause. And you can donate to support our work, helping us reach more people and make a greater impact. We welcome all of you who share our passion for menstrual health and sustainability to join us in our mission. Together, we can make menstruation a kind and empowering experience for all. Q: Thank you, Ishu, for sharing your insights and experiences with us. We wish you all the best in your future endeavors. IS: Thank you, Karishma. It’s been a pleasure speaking with you. I hope our conversation inspires more people to join our mission.&nbsp;<img src="https://cdn-prod-static.heartfulness.org/period_poverty_dignity4_242c9b9394.webp" alt="period-poverty-dignity4.webp" srcset="https://cdn-prod-static.heartfulness.org/thumbnail_period_poverty_dignity4_242c9b9394.webp 235w,https://cdn-prod-static.heartfulness.org/small_period_poverty_dignity4_242c9b9394.webp 500w," sizes="100vw"><img src="https://cdn-prod-static.heartfulness.org/period_poverty_dignity6_cf674dbec5.webp" alt="period-poverty-dignity6.webp" srcset="https://cdn-prod-static.heartfulness.org/thumbnail_period_poverty_dignity6_cf674dbec5.webp 235w,https://cdn-prod-static.heartfulness.org/small_period_poverty_dignity6_cf674dbec5.webp 500w," sizes="100vw"><img src="https://cdn-prod-static.heartfulness.org/period_poverty_dignity5_7d4481332b.webp" alt="period-poverty-dignity5.webp" srcset="https://cdn-prod-static.heartfulness.org/thumbnail_period_poverty_dignity5_7d4481332b.webp 235w,https://cdn-prod-static.heartfulness.org/small_period_poverty_dignity5_7d4481332b.webp 500w," sizes="100vw"><figure class="image image_resized" style="width:25%;"><img src="https://cdn-prod-static.heartfulness.org/period_poverty_dignity7_3d3b351773.webp" alt="period-poverty-dignity7.webp" srcset="https://cdn-prod-static.heartfulness.org/thumbnail_period_poverty_dignity7_3d3b351773.webp 200w," sizes="100vw"></figure><hr><h4 style="text-align:center;">Illustration by MEGHA CHAWRA Photographs by SANITREE</h4><hr>

From period poverty to period dignity

Ivor lives in Ireland and is Professor Emeritus of Psychiatry, University College, Dublin. He has published widely in academic journals since the 1960s and has also written two books, Music and Madness (2008), and The Writings of Ivor Browne, the Evolution of a Slow Learner (2013). He established the Irish Foundation for Human Development out of which grew the North West Centre for Learning and Development and the Inner City Trust, which became a model for the Prince of Wales’ urban village development project and other urban renewal developments around the world. His current work focuses on stress management.

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Ivor Browne

<h4>IVOR BROWNE is a psychiatrist living in Dublin, Ireland. He shares with us his experience of the spiritual journey, from childhood to old age.</h4><hr>I think my first awareness of spirituality came from my mother. She was a simple, gentle woman who was herself genuinely spiritual without even being consciously aware of it. She was Church of Ireland because of her upbringing, but had no prejudice.My mother and father were married in the Church of Ireland, not because my mother wanted it, but because of his insistence. He decided his sons would be raised as Catholics, and the girls as Protestants. So on Sundays my brother and I would head off to mass with my father, while my sister and mother went to the local Church of Ireland. This seemed clear enough until one day, after attending mass for several years, I was glancing dreamily around the church and, lo and behold, I became aware that there were woman and children there! Until that day I had assumed that all men were Catholics and all woman were Protestants.<hr>Every seeker has his or her own pace. It is a life-long journey, starting with a single meditation. It is a spiritual adventure.<hr>My first experience of Holy Communion was a spiritual awakening for me. I recall the strong feeling, as the Host melted in my mouth, that Jesus was inside me. The experience was tainted with all the guilt and nonsense about not touching the Host with your teeth, fear of it sticking to the roof of your mouth and not touching food and water for 24 hours beforehand. Still, that experience of communion lasted for years; the clear, raw feeling of the morning air when attending mass early, and the experience of Jesus was, in some sense, a genuine spiritual awakening.As a child, particularly when I rested in bed in the daytime, trying to be sick to avoid going to school, if I heard church bells or the sound of children playing in the distance, I would be overcome by a strange, wistful sadness that seemed to come from another world. To this day, when I hear church bells far away, I still get this feeling, although it is now not so intense. This feeling does not accord with any experience from this life, and my impression from this and other experiences is that I must have been in some sort of religious order in a former life.From my father’s individuality and eccentric way of doing things, I learned to think for myself and be my own person, no matter what criticism I encountered. When I reached adolescence I went through the usual disenchantment with organized religion. Then, when in medical school I contracted TB and was put to bed for a year, I had time to think and read. I once again went into a religious phase, which lasted for several years, but gradually the irreconcilable contradictions in orthodox Catholicism left me disillusioned, and I felt quite lost. I still felt the need for spiritual direction, but did not know where to turn.In 1973 I finally reached a critical turning point. I can remember the day quite clearly in the church. I was still attending mass, for the sake of the children, my marriage was breaking up and I was sitting there feeling quite hopeless and lost. In desperation I began to pray from the heart, asking Jesus to show me the way to go, what direction to take. I did not know it then, but I have learnt since, that in those rare moments when we really pray for what we need, not simply for what we want, our prayers are answered, and I have no doubt my prayer that day was answered, although it took some time for it to happen.<img src="https://cdn-prod-static.heartfulness.org/a_journey_of_discovery_img2_d82ab8e710.jpg?updated_at=2023-03-31T06:49:38.736Z" alt="a-journey-of-discovery">In 1978 I heard about Sahaj Marg, which means ‘the natural path’. The chance of my hearing about this spiritual practice at that time must have been one in a million. The Guru, Ram Chandra, who was affectionately called Babuji, was a humble old man living in Shahjahanpur, a remote rather primitive town in northern India. This was a place seldom visited by Europeans, and in a country where there are hundreds and thousands of gurus and spiritual teachers, many of them charletans. Although Sahaj Marg had already spread quietly to a number of countries outside India, it was unknown in Ireland, but an Indian I knew introduced me to the practice.As I say, this appeared to be an extremely unlikely coincidence, but I believe these things do not happen by chance. My conviction is: if you are genuinely searching for a spiritual path, it will find you. My desperate prayer in 1973 was answered, and I was shown the direction I needed to follow.I think it is important to stress that Sahaj Marg is not another religious practice imported from the East, lock, stock and barrel, like so many before it. With the general disillusionment with mainstream religion and also the failure of science to deliver the promise it held out at the turn of the twentieth century to solve the problems of mankind, there has been an extraordinary upsurge of spiritual longing among people in the West.As a result, ever since Vivekananda made his extraordinary journey to Chicago in 1893 to speak to the World’s Parliament of Religions, there have been wave after wave of Eastern spiritual practices, like the various forms of Yoga, Buddhism and Taoism, flowing into the West from India, China, Japan and elsewhere. These eastern practices have been adopted by many westerners, along with robes, mantras and other rituals.Carl Jung, whose thinking was deeply influenced by his studies of eastern mysticism, was acutely aware of the danger of unthinkingly taking on the trappings of ancient eastern culture, of what he describes as the attempt “To put on, like a new suit of clothes, readymade symbols grown on foreign soil.” He continued, “If we now try to cover our nakedness with the gorgeous trappings of the East, as the theosophists do, we would be playing our own history false.”Although originating in India, Sahaj Marg is no more Indian than it is French, Irish or American. Indeed, in many ways it is closest to Christ’s original teaching, with its emphasis on working through the heart. It is probably the first truly international modern spiritual movement that brings a simple heart-based practice to people all over the world, with no dogma or belief. The only requirement to begin is to be human and to want to do it.<hr>I have found this practice to be of great benefit to me personally, even though the going is rough at times.&nbsp;<hr>&nbsp;The extraordinary thing about this practice is its simplicity. Babuji was a gentle, humble man, living in a primitive, remote town in northern India, but has this not been the very characteristic of great incarnations like Lao Tsu, Kabir and the Christ, who was an obscure carpenter from a tiny village in Palestine and yet shook the very foundations of the Roman Empire? Babuji personally carried his spiritual message to both the West and the East. This movement has spread quietly, without any publicity, to virtually every country in the world. Nowadays, with the Heartfulness approach, it is spreading like a wildfire.Babuji perfected an ancient spiritual practice, which he remodelled and simplified for modern-day life, based on the transformative effect of yogic transmission and the cleaning of past impressions. But he also took this spiritual science further than had been done before, so that the possibilities for human evolution are currently remarkable.I have found this practice to be of great benefit to me personally, even though the going is rough at times. I began practicing almost forty years ago, and still feel as if I am only just beginning, but then is it possible to gauge the ground covered in a journey toward infinity?It is impossible to give anyone else my understanding of the journey. To know its benefits you must experience it. In the experience is the hope of spiritual development. The pace at which one journeys is irrelevant. Every seeker has his or her own pace. It is a life-long journey, starting with a single meditation. It is a spiritual adventure. What more is there to say?<hr>Article by&nbsp;IVOR BROWNE<hr>

A Journey of Discovery

Fred is an author, lecturer, and founder and chair of International Cities of Peace.&nbsp;He mentors peace leadership in over 400 member cities. His books include The Elements of Peace: How Nonviolence Works, The Economics of Peace: Freedom, the Golden Rule, and Broadening Prosperity, and The Physics of Spirit: Four Energetic Propositions to Enliven the Human Condition.

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J. Frederick Arment

<h4 style="text-align:justify;">J. FREDERICK ARMENT has a conversation with CHRISTINE JONES about his organization, International Cities of Peace, as well as the other ways he promotes peace in the world. The foundation of it all is the importance of relationship, community, and love. This is the first in a series of conversations.</h4>&nbsp;Q: Fred, you are the founding director of the organization, International Cities of Peace, which was established fifteen years ago. You are stewarding its growth with the goal of 1,000 cities by 2030. Currently there are 414. You’re one of the co-founders of the Dayton International Peace Museum, and you see yourself as a facilitator of peace. You have dedicated your life to peace efforts.FA: The idea of facilitator is very important to me. I used to be called a director, and I dropped that because everything is collaboration, just as the trainers at Heartfulness Centers are facilitators, and there is a relationship based on the facilitating of peace. Rather than telling people how to find peace, directing them, or coordinating them, I consider myself a lead facilitator. I run a team called ICP Central, which we’re keeping very small, because the cities of peace themselves are what should be given accolades. They are the people. They are the leaders. They are the teams that work in their community, not because of money (although money is always useful) but because of love of community and love of place. We facilitate that love, and that is what creates cities of peace.Q: What inspired your inclination toward peace initiatives? Was there an event that happened when you were young that moved you in this direction?FA: Maybe playing basketball at 11 years old, and wondering what the heck was going on, and how an 11-year-old could contribute to the world. I became a writer, not because I knew a lot but because I had so many questions. Questioning is what drove me to the idea that we need peace in this world.We opened the Dayton International Peace Museum in 2005. I shook everyone’s hand as they arrived, and whoever came through that door had their unique way of creating peace. We documented all the ways people work for peace, and I realized that everyone is working for peace. That was a big epiphany. It’s like the idea that even someone in prison for murder loves his mother. The heart is why everyone works for peace. We documented statecraft, mediation, etc., and came up with 30 different ways to work for peace.Then I wrote a book called The Elements of Peace, describing those 30 ways. It depends on who you are, your background, your values, but it doesn’t depend on someone telling you to work for peace. It’s what you do, whether you’re a nurse, a teacher, a plumber, somebody who works with their hands, their mind, or their spirit; everyone works for peace. That epiphany set me in a new direction in the early 2000s.Q: I admire your tremendous capacity for acceptance of all the different ways communities and individuals build peace. Some come with a political view; others work in villages in Africa; in Heartfulness, we believe inner peace leads to world peace. Do you have a personal practice that keeps you grounded and centered within all these different ways people define peace for the world?FA: Yes. When you look around the world you see that honesty is undervalued. My father was honest, and his honesty made me take a look at myself and helped me be in communion with everybody else. If you’re honest, you realize we’re all one, and the person who is holding a gun is the same as you. Working for peace is what our essence is about. There are 8 billion people on the planet, 8 billion ways to work for peace, and we need to respect that.Q: That helps me understand the statement that peace is not a hope, it’s a right.FA: Yes, we have a right to harmony in our lives; we start with the heart, and we work out from there. There are physical reasons, spiritual reasons, emotional reasons, and intellectual reasons, but it starts with the heart, and that’s why Heartfulness Centers are very important for humanity. The heart is the essence.Q: When I read your book, The Physics of Spirit, I realized the spiritual influence in what you do. It felt like a very advanced version of Heartfulness and I was so moved by it.FA: Thank you. The Physics of Spirit is part of the questioning I had. The old idea of science and physics is that there’s a dichotomy, a tension in our little universe, between matter and spirit. Yet, every law of physics tells us it’s not true—that dichotomy doesn’t exist.So, what is it about the material world and the spiritual world that is intertwined? I’m not a physicist, but physics helped me to understand that matter and spirit, matter and light are interchangeable. As human beings, we have a heart-soul that brings in light and turns it into material things and relationships. So, I consider the soul is a vessel for the spirit, and the soul is an evolved entity within us that brings in light from other people, from the sun, from what we do every day. It brings love in and it moves love out. It’s a vessel that provides the mechanism within us to feel love and to give love.<hr><h4 style="text-align:center;">We have a right to harmony in our lives;&nbsp; we start with the heart, and we work out from there.&nbsp; There are physical reasons, spiritual reasons,&nbsp; emotional reasons, and intellectual reasons,&nbsp; and that’s why Heartfulness Centers are very important&nbsp; for humanity. The heart is the essence.</h4><hr><figure class="image image_resized" style="width:50%;"><img src="https://cdn-prod-static.heartfulness.org/international_cities_peace2_b1e985ffa1.webp" alt="international-cities-peace2.webp" srcset="https://cdn-prod-static.heartfulness.org/thumbnail_international_cities_peace2_b1e985ffa1.webp 145w,https://cdn-prod-static.heartfulness.org/large_international_cities_peace2_b1e985ffa1.webp 494w,https://cdn-prod-static.heartfulness.org/international_cities_peace2_b1e985ffa1.webp 494w," sizes="100vw"></figure>&nbsp;Q: We do an intention for peace every night at 9 p.m. We share it with people who join virtually. That intention is: “Our hearts and the hearts of all are filled with lightness and love. May everyone be radiant with joy. And may the entire earth be engulfed with peace.”When I read your book, it was fascinating to me that you relate light and love with the soul, because that is really the foundation.In Heartfulness meditation, the first thing we teach people to do is to bring their attention to their heart and feel the presence of divine light, which is the source attracting them from within. In your book you wrote, “Spirit is also not matter. In theological terms, spirit is defined as incorporeal, immaterial, or ethereal. Spirit is often described in the context of light. For instance, in the Gospel of John in the Bible, God is light. In Hinduism, Diwali is the festival of light. In Islam, Ayah-an-Nur means God is the light of the heavens and earth."This is the part that really moved me: “Spirit is consonant with at least two characteristics of light. It has no mass that can be measured, and in theological thought, it is pervasive throughout the universe as a massless and omnipresent field of potential. Spirit is a form of energy, though mysterious and little understood. As with all mysteries, once revealed, either in life or death, spiritual energy will necessarily be incorporated within the expanding laws of physics.” After reading your book, my question is: Do you think the solution to world peace is scientific or spiritual?FA: Since I believe that matter and light are in essence the same, I have to say that all roads lead to peace. We may go to church, the synagogue, or a sports arena; we may be a nurse in a hospital; whatever, it is our personal way. What’s inside us reciprocates with whatever we’re doing and creates the relationship with the universe that allows us to work for peace every single day.The reason most people don’t know I have a spiritual nature is because I’m busy doing my life’s work, which is creating the organization so that people can be empowered to arrive at a peaceful condition within themselves and their communities.&nbsp;<figure class="image"><img src="https://cdn-prod-static.heartfulness.org/international_cities_peace3_5eea7d5d22.webp" alt="international-cities-peace3.webp" srcset="https://cdn-prod-static.heartfulness.org/thumbnail_international_cities_peace3_5eea7d5d22.webp 145w,https://cdn-prod-static.heartfulness.org/large_international_cities_peace3_5eea7d5d22.webp 1000w,https://cdn-prod-static.heartfulness.org/international_cities_peace3_5eea7d5d22.webp 1097w," sizes="100vw"></figure>&nbsp;Q: I didn’t know that side of you until I read, The Physics of Spirit, which is only 11 pages, yet you pack so much in there.I’m part of the “Intention for Peace” team. During the pandemic, we created a virtual platform to be connected. It remained after the pandemic Monday through Friday. Then we partnered with the Dayton International Museum of Peace in a 64-day intention they sponsored. It was an initiative titled, “A Season of Non-violence.” Our combined efforts spanned from January 30 through April 4, 2024, coinciding with the memorial anniversaries of the assassinations of Mahatma Gandhi and the Reverend Martin Luther King Jr. So many more people joined us in the intention for peace during that time, and after that we have continued it every night. The physics of the spirit seems to have a plan that’s much bigger than you, me, cities of peace, Heartfulness, or the Dayton Museum of Peace. That was a turning point for me. I felt a shift inside, and I could now truly relax.FA: That’s absolutely true. And I think that goes back to your previous question: how do I keep calm within the storm. I work in war-torn areas, and I see things that are unspeakable. It goes back to the intention of the museum, the intention of my books, the intention of the heart. You know, with International Cities of Peace, we start out with a letter of intent. It’s from intention that everything comes forth. That’s why we’re going to stay small centrally and expand to 1,000 cities or more in the coming years. We’re just allowing people to do what they are already intending to do. We’ll help out here and there, but essentially it’s these teams, these communities.Our mission is world peace. I’m not doing this to fill my day. I’m doing this for world peace. So every day I acknowledge my intention. I believe in this, and think we’ll be able to get there if we can create the infrastructure that allows our intentions to start in community, build to the region, build to the nation, then build to the world.We have to have an infrastructure, the material aspect, and that’s why cities of peace are for people, whether it’s Cleveland, Beavercreek, or our 413th city, Chiwere, Malawi. It’s amazing what they've come up with as the vision, mission, and goals for their community; we just put it out there for them to create the city of peace ideal. Every single day I open my email and there are stories that inspire, and stories that challenge us.The idea is to create a tipping point for global peace; we just need an infrastructure to go there. The international cities of peace ideal is thousands of years old—we didn’t create it. All we do is allow people to remember in their DNA this ideal that has been with us since the first village was created. The idea was to create a city of peace right then, and we’ve forgotten that. It hasn’t been flourishing because we get lost in the chaos. If we settle down and remain calm, and realize that everything’s going to be all right because we’re in a universe of love, then we can work very carefully and methodically for peace.To be continued…&nbsp;<figure class="image image_resized" style="width:50%;"><img src="https://cdn-prod-static.heartfulness.org/international_cities_peace4_fed50393d6.webp" alt="international-cities-peace4.webp" srcset="https://cdn-prod-static.heartfulness.org/thumbnail_international_cities_peace4_fed50393d6.webp 145w,https://cdn-prod-static.heartfulness.org/large_international_cities_peace4_fed50393d6.webp 500w,https://cdn-prod-static.heartfulness.org/international_cities_peace4_fed50393d6.webp 500w," sizes="100vw"></figure><hr>For more information visit www.internationalcitiesofpeace.org and www.fredarment.com.

International cities of peace

<h4 style="text-align:justify;">J. FREDERICK ARMENT continues his conversation with CHRISTINE JONES about promoting peace in the world. He especially focuses on the foundation of it all—the importance of relationship, community, and love.</h4>&nbsp;<figure class="image image_resized" style="width:75%;"><img src="https://cdn-prod-static.heartfulness.org/waveguides_community2_3ed6ec674b.jpg" alt="waveguides-community2.jpg" srcset="https://cdn-prod-static.heartfulness.org/thumbnail_waveguides_community2_3ed6ec674b.jpg 123w,https://cdn-prod-static.heartfulness.org/small_waveguides_community2_3ed6ec674b.jpg 396w,https://cdn-prod-static.heartfulness.org/medium_waveguides_community2_3ed6ec674b.jpg 594w," sizes="100vw"></figure>&nbsp;Q: Last fall, you were having a conversation with Daaji, and you said, “After 15 years and 400 cities of peace, I’m not really seeing much peace anywhere. There’s a sense of discouragement sometimes in my work.” Daaji responded with, “Well, we do this intention for peace, which originally came from Ram Chandra (Babuji), who called it the universal prayer. He had an epiphany that everyone should come together at night at 9 p.m. local time.”&nbsp;We created a modern day version, a universal intention for peace, so that everybody can join. Daaji said to invite all these cities of peace to join us in this intention for peace—a common time where we join together for only 15 minutes.And he mentioned the word egregore, a thought form that acts to hold a group of people together. As thoughts are added to the egregore, it grows, but it also allows those connected to the current of the egregore to access the knowledge of that group. In your book, The Physics of Spirit, you’re well versed in this idea of egregore, although you use a different word—waveguide. This may be why Daaji invited the cities of peace to join in the intention for peace. When a group has the same thought at the same time, a waveguide will radiate the harmony we all hope for.Can you expound on this in layman’s terms?FA: Yes, a waveguide is a structure that guides wave. They are around everybody right now. It’s like a wire that plugs in and the current runs through the wire. It directs the waves. And when you guide a wave, you can increase the consonance by bringing in other waves. The consonant wave becomes much more powerful. For example, the churches of the Middle Ages had tall steeples and the podium was up high so that everything was raised to the sky. We create waveguides even within churches. Also, we create waveguides in whatever activity we are doing. The waveguide of a spouse allows you to love and receive love. That means your spouse is a waveguide for your love in order to expand it, replicate it, increase the intensity, and make an impact on the world and yourself at the same time.So the Heartfulness Centers are waveguides in the community. You come to a Heartfulness Center to learn meditation, but also for the relationships. So I see the Heartfulness Centers as waveguides and the heart of the community. Community needs a heart, needs this waveguide. I’m very excited about Heartfulness Centers around the world becoming cities of peace, because you’re already working for peace in your community.&nbsp;<figure class="image image_resized" style="width:75%;"><img src="https://cdn-prod-static.heartfulness.org/waveguides_community1_6cb3a4e689.jpg" alt="waveguides-community1.jpg" srcset="https://cdn-prod-static.heartfulness.org/thumbnail_waveguides_community1_6cb3a4e689.jpg 245w,https://cdn-prod-static.heartfulness.org/small_waveguides_community1_6cb3a4e689.jpg 500w,https://cdn-prod-static.heartfulness.org/medium_waveguides_community1_6cb3a4e689.jpg 750w,https://cdn-prod-static.heartfulness.org/large_waveguides_community1_6cb3a4e689.jpg 1000w," sizes="100vw"></figure>&nbsp;The cities of peace ideal is something that will enable all of the Heartfulness Centers to tell their story of how they affect the community in a positive way. Whether there’s a potluck, you’re planting trees, or you’re giving a prize to a child who does beautiful artwork, you’re impacting the community. So if Heartfulness Centers have this idea of egregore, then all of a sudden we have this means of working for peace.People do need a way to work in their communities, and all the different aspects of community, like government, the library, etc., can work together through the ideal of a city of peace. Heartfulness Centers can become the heart of that effort.<hr><h4 style="text-align:center;">People do need a way to work in their communities, and all the different aspects of community, like government, the library, etc., can work together through the ideal of a city of peace.&nbsp;</h4><hr>Q: You just explained that spiritual waveguides give purpose through reciprocal love. Spiritual interactions like meditation, rituals, and worship are energy interactions that help us experience a feeling of unity beyond oneself. A waveguide guides the propagation of waves, such as electromagnetic waves or sound, with minimal loss of energy. It routes energy along a path, I love it!FA: You know, wave guides can also be destructive. So we need to create our waveguides with the understanding that they route our energy. If you choose waveguides that are destructive, there is destruction at the end of the path. If you construct your wave guides as positive influences on community, then the result will be positive.Q: Daaji recently said, “Your readiness to do things perfectly takes you forward.” So, there has to be completion and conclusion in anything we start in perfection. The tendency to perfect our work will come only when we are proud of ourselves. This is the positive use of ego. Ego can be used in either direction, and the same with these waveguides.FA: Yes, we have to look at what we do and who we are as energy. If we do something halfway, the energy dissipates, whereas if we go to completion the energy is transferred. What Daaji says is very revealing, because it gives us the urge to do good.And I've been working on the concept of least and urgent; the urge is to life and the least is to death. It leads to entropy, the dissolution of energy. It’s the old couch potato routine. If you sit on the couch and don’t work in your community, then your energy will dissipate. If you get up and become engaged, then life is created, beauty is created. That’s how people do wonderful paintings and become great writers, ride horses and work with their dogs and walk in nature. All these beautiful things are because we have the urge to complete this idea that the spirit comes out of us and it comes back into us. That’s the reciprocal truth of all things being energy.&nbsp;<figure class="image image_resized" style="width:75%;"><img src="https://cdn-prod-static.heartfulness.org/waveguides_community4_ca9ccb9c43.jpg" alt="waveguides-community4.jpg" srcset="https://cdn-prod-static.heartfulness.org/thumbnail_waveguides_community4_ca9ccb9c43.jpg 245w,https://cdn-prod-static.heartfulness.org/small_waveguides_community4_ca9ccb9c43.jpg 500w,https://cdn-prod-static.heartfulness.org/medium_waveguides_community4_ca9ccb9c43.jpg 750w," sizes="100vw"></figure>&nbsp;Q: Something changed in me when Daaji said that about how I participate in the intention for peace. I realized I was working more from hope than completion, and it was interfering in the intention for peace.You wrote in your book about the Latin root of the word inspiration—a sudden and spontaneous breathing in of the divine spark that gives us creative purpose. Fulfilling our purpose is simply resonating with the energy of universal love. So Daaji’s idea about willingness to do things perfectly, and your idea that purpose is resonating with the energy of universal love, a new understanding changed the way I was approaching the universal intention for peace. I moved to feeling that peace was already established in the world.So my question is, do you feel your personal vision for peace has already manifested?FA: Each of us manifests, so I believe it is our manifestation and I work for peace. I founded a couple of things, I’ve written some books, but I don't take any personal pride in those things as the idea is that we are working in concert. My wave is in concert with your wave, Christine, so we are together, and that’s why I can smile. With all the bad news in the world, if we get bogged down by the idea that there’s only hope, we’ve already started giving up. We’ve been given so many gifts as human beings, and we just need to calm down and work as we can and in our own way. I think that’s how humanity will raise our consciousness. And when we raise our consciousness, all will be well.To be continued.

Waveguides and community

<h4 style="text-align:justify;">In this final conversation of the series, J. FREDERICK ARMENT continues to talk with CHRISTINE JONES about promoting peace in the world. They discuss the awakening of consciousness that is happening around the world, and the need for humanity to reach a tipping point where we can make the leap into a higher way of being.</h4>&nbsp;Q: Daaji recently talked about the Sanskrit word for meditation, Dhyana, and he said “Dhi” means ultimate wisdom, and “Yana” is a vehicle. I had this revelation that humanity may now be capable of having the ultimate wisdom while we receive the gift of being in this vehicle.FA: Yes, Yāna refers to a vehicle or the means by which we reach our destination, which is ultimate wisdom. Meditation and also International Cities of Peace can be important aspects of Yāna. It may be a little optimistic, but I do think humanity has purpose in the universe, and it is to expand and extend and become perfect in our consciousness.Q: The idea of consciousness seems to be happening in all different groups. In March we had a Global Spirituality Conference in India, where one hundred thousand people from diverse spiritual faiths and traditions came in person and also joined virtually. I believe there is a tipping point happening. This idea of consciousness is about everyone coming together and contributing to a resonance on the planet.FA:&nbsp;We create these waveguides—ways we can contribute and receive at the same time. International Cities of Peace is a waveguide, and communities can use International Cities of Peace as the ideal of a city of peace. No city in the world is an actual 100% city of peace, but they can use the ideal of a city of peace to work for a better community: have safety for their families, prosperity for the community, and a quality of life for everyone who is in that community.That’s our definition of peace, the consensus values of safety, prosperity, and quality of life. We’ve never had any pushback on that definition of safety, prosperity, and quality of life. Whether it’s in Sudan, Colombia, China, or Canada, everybody is working toward that, because everyone has a family and everyone has a community.So International Cities of Peace creates an infrastructure, community by community, to localize, democratize, and sensitize the world to what is best for families and people. That can contribute positively to the Tipping Point. To express our love of community, our love of place, is the intention of International Cities of Peace, and it’s working quite well.&nbsp;<figure class="image image_resized" style="width:75%;"><img src="https://cdn-prod-static.heartfulness.org/the_tipping_point2_fc36cc9159_56efaeac03.jpg" alt="the_tipping_point2_fc36cc9159.jpg" srcset="https://cdn-prod-static.heartfulness.org/thumbnail_the_tipping_point2_fc36cc9159_56efaeac03.jpg 191w,https://cdn-prod-static.heartfulness.org/small_the_tipping_point2_fc36cc9159_56efaeac03.jpg 500w,https://cdn-prod-static.heartfulness.org/medium_the_tipping_point2_fc36cc9159_56efaeac03.jpg 750w," sizes="100vw"></figure>&nbsp;Q: I was in a retreat last week and I was so moved by the people who were participating in a meeting. I felt blessed that I can associate with so many people doing so many good things. You commented in one of your podcasts that 95% of the world’s people are good. They’re working people trying to take care of their families. And there are different communities doing tremendous work—reciprocating love and peace, something we all want.FA:&nbsp;You find divisions everywhere in the United States. It’s become 50-50, tossing the dice on who’s going one way and who’s going the other. But, when it comes down to it, love can heal those divisions.Whether you’re on one side of the political spectrum or the other, both sides are working for peace, both sides want safety, and both sides want prosperity and quality of life. It depends on the waveguides that everyone is choosing, so look at the energy; a community has heart, and that heart beats with the resonance of each person in that community. That’s why Heartfulness centers are so important: You start with the heart and you expand from there. And the community needs a heart. I’m so excited about more and more Heartfulness centers becoming Cities of Peace.Q: Daaji said we don’t come here to change the world or save it; we come here to create a center so that the Universal Laws can work around that. So, your book about The Physics of Spirit, is actively staying centered in your heart. The principles of nature that you write about automatically start formulating around a peaceful soul.FA:&nbsp;It could be anything people love; how they express love and receive love is their domain. It has to do with that vessel called the soul, and that human organ called the heart. We can center ourselves and be able to work to receive and give love.Q: How can we guide people to create a City of Peace? I’m feeling drawn to help them.FA:&nbsp;That’s great. People need facilitators. For each city, there is a facilitator within the community who is a liaison. There are literally thousands of facilitators all over the world. I think the Heartfulness centers don’t need to worry about this. We don’t charge anything, but there’s the possibility of donations. We want the smallest village in Kenya to be able to do exactly what the largest city in the United States can do.I have one story for you about Nakivale, the refugee camp in Uganda. There are refugees from different nations inside the camp, which has been around since 1959. It is literally a city, so we opened it up to become a City of Peace. Now there are 13 Cities of Peace among the 80 different villages within the camp. And there’s a movement now to coordinate all the Cities of Peace in the Nakivale refugee camp. They're supported by Aalborg, Denmark, which is the 400th City of Peace, and so we’re looking forward to the city-to-city collaboration. It’s not just communities but regions that start to expand the base of Cities of Peace that can work together.<hr><h4 style="text-align:center;">International Cities of Peace creates an infrastructure,&nbsp; community by community, to localize, democratize,&nbsp; and sensitize the world to what is best for families and people.&nbsp; That’s the intention of International Cities of Peace,&nbsp; and it’s working quite well.</h4><hr>It becomes a twinning between two cities, then four cities, then a region, and that’s happening all over the world. So the Heartfulness Centers are very important as a path that can expand this network to other cities around the world. Your universal meditation at 9 o’clock at night can expand to other cities through this city-to-city coordination. So there are a lot of reasons for Heartfulness centers to become cities of peace, and it’s not just within the community, it’s also beyond the community.Q: It was very clear early on that the Cities of Peace is not an agenda-driven organization. I love that. It makes it so much purer in the essence of what the goal is.FA:&nbsp;That’s why I separate my spirituality from it. That’s why I separate my books from it. I don’t post anything about myself on the Cities of Peace website because I don’t want to become a luminary or force my thoughts about the universe on anyone else. We’re just providing a tool, a waveguide, for people to work for their purposes.Q: I was surprised at how much I didn’t know about you. It feels like &nbsp;your approach isn’t personal. I’ve noticed a similar shift in my own work; it must be a natural evolution of the soul.FA:&nbsp;That’s the whole intention of the International Cities of Peace—to provide the means for other intentions. It will be great when you’re facilitating the effort.Q: Do you believe a global awakening of consciousness can happen and bring peace to humanity?FA:&nbsp;Clearly, we face some serious existential threats right now, and we’ve relied on evolution to make progress. The physics of evolution is one of the concepts I’m working on, but we need a leap, and the awareness that we need a leap will lead to the leap because we are highly creative entities.Whether we do it from the heart or the brain, or using artificial intelligence because it’s part of our creativity, we are ready for a leap. I believe that if it is apparent that we do have existential threats, then people will put their shoulders to the boulder, their nose to the grindstone, and we will achieve awakening and also a manifestation of existence, rather than existence with a limitation. I do believe there is already an awakening, but we need more, and we need to drive it to the point where there is a leap in our evolution.Q: That’s what I think happened with me, after Daaji’s comment then reading your book; it was a leap of consciousness in me. This must be happening to so many people.FA:&nbsp;I am the eternal optimist and so are you. That’s probably why we get to be part of the team.Q: Thank you very much for sharing your story.&nbsp;<figure class="image image_resized" style="width:75%;"><img src="https://cdn-prod-static.heartfulness.org/the_tipping_point3_259a3e48ca_0da35e88f9.jpg" alt="the_tipping_point3_259a3e48ca.jpg" srcset="https://cdn-prod-static.heartfulness.org/thumbnail_the_tipping_point3_259a3e48ca_0da35e88f9.jpg 245w,https://cdn-prod-static.heartfulness.org/small_the_tipping_point3_259a3e48ca_0da35e88f9.jpg 500w,https://cdn-prod-static.heartfulness.org/medium_the_tipping_point3_259a3e48ca_0da35e88f9.jpg 750w," sizes="100vw"></figure> &nbsp;

The tipping point

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J. Krishnamurti

Still mind

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J.R.R. Tolkien

Value food and cheer

Jacqueline is the author of two books on spirituality, Wonder and Words and Oceans and Clouds. She has been practicing Heartfulness meditation for over thirty years and is also a Chinese medicine practitioner in France and Switzerland.

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Jacqueline Camisa

<h5 style="text-align:justify;">JACQUELINE CAMISA explores the nature of the heart, and invites us all to experience its wonders.</h5>&nbsp;<hr>&nbsp;The heart is a fascinating organ to explore, not only for cardiologists. Because of its central position, its role is paramount for physical health, but who amongst us knows that it also has the upper hand over intelligence, thought, judgment, discernment and caring about others? Even more, it manages in a masterful way a third, even subtler level – our evolution.In these days of globalization, with the problems that have arisen, is the current instability that we see among human beings being addressed? If it is possible for a good gardener to care for and save plants that are threatened, is it not possible to do the same by going directly to the heart of human nature, and so treat and care for man’s heart? This is certainly an ambitious initiative, yet pragmatic and urgent.We all feel our heartbeat, this relay point between the animate and the inanimate. The heart beats, gets excited, and sometimes misses beats. A doctor checks blood pressure and pulse rate, monitors the heart through an ECG,&nbsp; performs ultrasound echography, and sometimes does deeper functional exploration to secure our physical health, and physical exercise and diet contribute to fitness and well-being. Despite all our care and efforts the day comes, however, when the heart stops. This is the end of our earthly existence. But is it the end of life? This life has been infused by the heart, because it is through the heart that life is transmitted.<hr><h5 style="text-align:center;">This life has been infused by the heart, because it is through the heart that life is transmitted.</h5><hr>This was revealed in Chinese documents several thousand years ago, in which the heart is presented as the conductor of our body symphony. From the third week of pregnancy, a ‘little heart’, known as the heart tube by embryologists, is already active, generating our organs and organizing their physiology, and transforming us continually. Ultimately it is helping us evolve. Elaboration and organization, transformation and, finally, evolution are the three stages attributed to the heart.By giving ‘the little heart’ the name ‘the door of destiny’, Chinese philosophy attests the possibility of evolution beyond the physical body. So let’s look at the heart in its various stages and rhythms.<h5 style="text-align:justify;">The physical level</h5>Physical evolution in human beings has been very slow and rather limited. On one hand it has taken thousands of years for human beings to reach the stage they are today. On the other hand our parents and their descendants’ genetic data continue to impose their limitations. Even in the most favorable conditions we can only hope to be a little taller and a little more developed physically than our ancestors, as this will always be within the limits of a genetic program. To change the color of our skin or to stem old age is impossible for us, despite all the creams, cosmetics and vitamins displayed on the attractive shelves of health food shops.The physical body is a temporary but necessary vehicle to carry us further through this adventure of life towards another more subtle level. And what is that? Perhaps it is the mind level. We are tempted to believe so.<h5 style="text-align:justify;">The mind level</h5><img src="https://cdn-prod-static.heartfulness.org/globalization_through_the_heart_img1_ba96eb5b6b.jpg?updated_at=2023-03-30T13:00:34.248Z" alt="spiritual-relationship">Since the Greeks, the mind continues to be the favorite playground of the Western world. We just have to look at our bookshelves. This academic affluence is proof of an interest to educate and instruct over the long term. However, has it really brought about real human transformation?Fascinating as they are, have all the mental speculations helped us to develop simple wisdom embodied in our daily behavior? Or, even more modestly, do we now find a simple state of balance in human character in general? The present human context raises serious doubts.Besides this already distressing observation, we know that we only use around 10% of our mental capacity. This&nbsp; compels us to humbly acknowledge that our most ambitious and remarkable initiatives are accomplished within such a narrow frame that our mental vision exists within a very thin beam. We focus upon this thin beam to the extent that we are blind to everything outside its sphere.If we add to this the intense and accelerated media frenzy bombarding us day after day, the question of us having a mind capable of raising us is under question. How can we evolve when the mind is becoming heavier and heavier? Sensations, passions, urges and desires generate prejudice, habits and thought patterns. As the mind becomes heavier, it is less qualified to help us reach a higher level of consciousness.The brain does, however, have a constant regeneration capacity. So is it right to keep it functioning at an optimal level. Reading, attending lectures, doing crosswords, mental calculations, games, art therapy, yoga, tai qi, chi gong, music and other activities boost our physical and psychic energies, but is all this sufficient to lead us to a more subtle level? A change of paradigm is required to rise vertically. As Einstein said, “No problem can be solved from the same level of consciousness that created it.”So we must pass on to another stage, subtler than the mind level, for our evolution. This is the level of the soul, or the&nbsp;cause of our existence.<h5>The causal level, the soul</h5><img src="https://cdn-prod-static.heartfulness.org/globalization_through_the_heart_img2_36902042c3.jpg?updated_at=2023-03-30T13:01:15.307Z" alt="spiritual-relationship">To consider the soul as being only within the domain of religion is another obstacle on the path of a well understood evolution. This understanding appeared during the Age of Enlightenment in the 18th century.When the scientific, rationalist mind tried to free itself from religious dominance, there was significant collateral damage: that of assigning the soul only to the field of religion. For a certain time this prevented any serious observation and scientific experimentation on the causal level of our existence.But the human soul belongs to no domain, no institution and no religion. It belongs to each one of us because we all have a heart. Wherever we were born, and whatever our previous cultural, religious (or nonreligious) and community background, the soul level is our common identity card. It is our only passport to exit from this life to the next stage. Today, research on the world of the spirit is evident everywhere, in all cultures, and more and more there is a call for inner experimentation, even scientific experimentation.<hr><h5 style="text-align:center;">The human soul belongs to no domain, no institution and no religion. It belongs to each one of us because we all have a heart. Wherever we were born, and whatever our previous cultural, religious (or non-religious) and community background, the soul level is our common identity card. It is our only passport to exit from this life to the next stage.</h5><hr>All ancient traditions were aware of the spiritual level of existence. The ancient Indian tradition claimed that a regulated and clear mind allows access to spiritual spheres. For example, in Raja Yoga, as a first step we go deep inside ourselves through meditation to experience the vast inner world, and then make use of these discoveries to embody them in daily life in a pragmatic way. A mind conscious of the unity of everything through experience, and no longer influenced by dogmas and theories, becomes calm and keen to care about others, while assuming its personal responsibilities.Ancient Chinese wisdom recommended meditation, so that men could become “true men,” “real men”. Chinese medicine is the practical application of these discoveries in the health field through inner experimentation. Wise men, real men, of all cultures have always condensed their experiences into a few words, such as sutras or aphorisms. Here again there has been collateral damage throughout human history, as disciples and commentators who have not had the same personal experiences have distorted their meaning through interpretation and created dogma from their contents. This shows just how much the still narrow beam has remained powerless to infuse a rise in consciousness. This is also the reason why everywhere in the world the subtle essence of spirituality has remained hidden under various and numerous religious expressions.Between the spirit, which surpasses our earthly destiny, and the means we have to determine our destiny, the heart is our laboratory where wonders occur. To put it simply, we can change everything through the heart. The heart is joy, laughter, gratitude and love.<hr><h5 style="text-align:center;">Let us dare to experience this heart globalization. We all have the opportunity to experience this realm, a space with no right of property, with equal access by all, to be shared fraternally. In fact this is its universal value.</h5><hr>Let us dare to experience this heart globalization. We all have the opportunity to experience this realm, a space with no right of property, with equal access by all, to be shared fraternally. In fact this is its universal value.<hr><h5 style="text-align:center;">Article by JACQUELINE CAMISA</h5><hr>

Globalization Through the Heart

Allen (1864-1912) was a British mystic and philosopher, known for his inspirational books and poetry and as a pioneer of the self-help movement. Born in Leicester, England, to a working-class family, he left school at fifteen to support the family, after his father died. In 1903 he retired to devote himself to writing and moved with his wife and daughter to a small cottage in Devon, where he spent the rest of his life. As A Man Thinketh has influenced many contemporary writers and has inspired millions to recognize that our visions can become reality, simply through the power of thought.

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James Allen

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 src="https://cdn-prod-static.heartfulness.org/collectorsedition_img_97d38e9149.jpg?updated_at=2023-03-29T11:43:31.955Z" class="has-img-center" />
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&nbsp;
Until thought is linked with purpose, there is no
 intelligent accomplishment. With the majority, the barque of thought is allowed to ‘drift’ upon the ocean of life.
 Aimlessness is a vice, and such drifting must not continue for him who would steer clear of catastrophe and
 destruction.
They who have no central purpose in their life fall an easy prey to petty worries,
 fears, troubles and self-pitying. All of these are indications of weakness, which lead, just as surely as
 deliberately planned sins (though by a different route), to failure, unhappiness and loss, for weakness cannot
 persist in a power-evolving universe.
A man should conceive of a legitimate purpose in his heart and set out to accomplish it.
 He should make this purpose the centralising point of his thoughts. It may take the form of a spiritual ideal or it
 may be a worldly object, according to his nature at the time being. But whichever it is, he should steadily focus
 his thought-forces upon the object which he has set before him. He should make this purpose his supreme duty, and
 should devote himself to its attainment, not allowing his thoughts to wander away into ephemeral fancies, longings
 and imaginings. This is the royal road to self-control and true concentration of thought.
Even if he fails again and again to accomplish his purpose (as he necessarily must until
 weakness is overcome), the strength of character gained will be the measure of his true success, and this will form
 a new starting point for future power and triumph.
Those who are not prepared for the apprehension of a great purpose should fix the
 thoughts upon the faultless performance of their duty, no matter how insignificant their task may appear. Only in
 this way can the thoughts be gathered and focused, and resolution and energy be developed, which being done there is
 nothing which may not be accomplished.

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<h4 class="fs-5 lh-lg text-center">From As a Man Thinketh by JAMES ALLEN</h4>
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Thought and purpose

<h4>JAMES ALLEN is known for his simple and clear explanations of the human condition. In this excerpt from As a Man Thinketh, Allen explores the nature of thought and purpose.</h4>&nbsp;Until thought is linked with purpose, there is no intelligent accomplishment. With the majority, the barque of thought is allowed to ‘drift’ upon the ocean of life. Aimlessness is a vice, and such drifting must not continue for him who would steer clear of catastrophe and destruction.They who have no central purpose in their life fall an easy prey to petty worries, fears, troubles and selfpitying. All of these are indications of weakness, which lead, just as surely as deliberately planned sins (though by a different route), to failure, unhappiness and loss, for weakness cannot persist in a power-evolving universe.A man should conceive of a legitimate purpose in his heart and set out to accomplish it. He should make this purpose the centralising point of his thoughts. It may take the form of a spiritual ideal or it may be a worldly object, according to his nature at the time being. But whichever it is, he should steadily focus his thought-forces upon the object which he has set before him. He should make this purpose his supreme duty, and should devote himself to its attainment, not allowing his thoughts to wander away into ephemeral fancies, longings and imaginings. This is the royal road to self-control and true concentration of thought.<hr><h4 style="text-align:center;">The will to do springs from the knowledge that we can do. Doubt and fear are the great enemies of knowledge, and he who encourages them, who does not slay them, thwarts himself at every step.</h4><hr>Even if he fails again and again to accomplish his purpose (as he necessarily must until weakness is overcome), the strength of character gained will be the measure of his true success, and this will form a new starting point for future power and triumph.Having conceived of his purpose, a man should mentally mark out a straight pathway to its achievement, looking neither to the right nor the left. Doubts and fears should be rigorously excluded. They are disintegrating elements, which break up the straight line of effort, rendering it crooked, ineffectual and useless. Thoughts of doubt and fear never accomplished anything and never can. They always lead to failure. Purpose, energy, power to do, and all strong thoughts cease when doubt and fear creep in.The will to do springs from the knowledge that we can do. Doubt and fear are the great enemies of knowledge, and he who encourages them, who does not slay them, thwarts himself at every step.<hr><h4 style="text-align:center;">He who has conquered doubt and fear has conquered failure. His every thought is allied with power, and all difficulties are bravely met and wisely overcome.</h4><hr>He who has conquered doubt and fear has conquered failure. His every thought is allied with power, and all difficulties are bravely met and wisely overcome. His purposes are seasonably planted, and they bloom and bring forth fruit which does not fall prematurely to the ground.<h4 style="text-align:center;"> Chapter 4, As a Man Thinketh,&nbsp;1902</h4><hr>

Thought and Purpose

<img class="lazyload has-img-center"
 src="https://cdn-prod-static.heartfulness.org/collectorsedition_img_92a76863f3.jpg?updated_at=2023-04-02T05:31:52.018Z"
 alt="Collectorsedition-img" />

Of all the beautiful truths pertaining to the soul which have been restored and brought
 to light in this age, none is more gladdening or fruitful of divine promise and confidence than this – that man is
 the master of thought, the moulder of character, and the maker and shaper of condition, environment and destiny.

As a being of Power, Intelligence and Love, and the lord of his own thoughts, man holds
 the key to every situation, and contains within himself that transforming and regenerative agency by which he may
 make himself what he wills.

Man is always the master, even in his weakest and most abandoned state, but in his
 weakness and degradation he is the foolish master who misgoverns his ‘household’. When he begins to reflect upon his
 condition, and to search diligently for the Law upon which his being is established, he then becomes the wise
 master, directing his energies with intelligence, and fashioning his thoughts to fruitful issues. Such is the
 conscious master, and man can only thus become by discovering within himself the laws of thought; which discovery is
 totally a matter of application, self analysis and experience.

<h4>Read the complete article in Issue 14 </h4>
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<h4 style="text-align: center;">From As a Man Thinketh by JAMES ALLEN</h4>
<hr />

The conscious master

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James Baldwin

Facing our wounds

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James Clear

Mastery

Jamie is a natural medium, clairvoyant and clairaudient. She uses her abilities as a mediumship teacher to help people evolve and awaken to their own psychic abilities. In 2011, she created <a href="http://www.withloveandlight.com/">The Center for Love and Light</a>.&nbsp;The Center continues to evolve and host teachers, healers, and lecturers from all over the globe. Her latest venture is <a href="http://www.thelightersidenetwork.com/">The Lighter Side Network</a>.&nbsp;

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Jamie Butler

<hr><h4>JAMIE BUTLER, healer and medium, founded The Lighter Side Network in 2017. Here she speaks with EMMA IVATURI about consciousness, belief, feeling stuck, growing pains, intuition and synchronicity.</h4>&nbsp;<img src="https://cdn-prod-static.heartfulness.org/vibrations2_f9a0a247f3.jpg">&nbsp;Q: Can you elaborate on how the brain works as a receptor and filter for the countless vibrations around us every moment?JB: Our brain is not just an organ that runs neurons and sends messages throughout our body. It is also a great transmitter and receiver, much like a radio. In fact, many of our thoughts are not originally ours, but come because of our ability to receive the energy vibrations from all around us. Working this way, our brain can easily be overwhelmed and bombarded with information. Our ability to focus on what we want to attract is how we filter out all the unwanted vibrations on a daily basis. But it is also the way we are able to attract all the things we don’t desire, because we spend time worrying, living in fear and feeling victimized. What you are focused on is what your energy field resonates with. Like attracts like.Let’s say you are pretending to ‘play small’, whether you are pretending to be a mouse or you are pulling in your great charisma to allow someone else to shine. When you do this, you are saying you are willing to receive all the energy around you – from people, from the room, from conversations, from the history of the room, from plants and animals that match this version of ‘playing small’, even though it is not your true nature. The energy you are receiving is going to be the energy you are putting out. We can see now the vicious cycle this can create.We can take this in another direction too. Let’s say you are pretending to be confident, to earn a position at work or to impress a love interest. You adopt a confident posture and spoken language and your energy patterns follow suit. Now, your energy field is vibrating with confidence. All the worry energy in the room is unlikely to vibrate with you any more hence you won’t receive it nor process it.I like this example better. Even reading it allows my energy to fluff up and feel better, however, I have free will and can immediately change this feeling by thinking of all the difficult situations in life and at work. As soon as I begin to focus on all the things going ‘wrong’, I vibrate with things going wrong. I air-quote the word ‘wrong’ because I don’t necessarily believe there is a right or a wrong, but this is the way we use our language to express the situations we don’t want.To help filter and attract the vibrations needed to grow, we must be conscious of our energy. This means being aware of our intent, emotions, thoughts and imagination. What are they expressing? What are they attracting? This simple act gives us insight into the subtle light world around, which is constantly offering information to better our lives.<hr><h4 style="text-align:center;">Through my decades of working with subtle light energy, techniques are nothing unless we believe in them. It is time to detangle ourselves from being triggered to stay within the same patterns that hold us hostage.</h4><hr>Q: Our conscious experience is but a small bandwidth of what we pick up on. How can we expand our awareness to integrate information we perceive less clearly that would otherwise create a cognitive dissonance?JB: Expanding our bandwidth of consciousness begins with understanding who we believe we are. In this current lifetime, our body is our instrument and our belief systems are the dial to broaden or narrow how we use this instrument. If we want to receive more clarity it is time to get into the gray areas, to step away from right or wrong, black and white, and the learned belief systems that are not working for us.Through my decades of working with subtle light energy, techniques are nothing unless we believe in them. It is time to detangle ourselves from being triggered to stay within the same patterns that hold us hostage.Next time you feel stuck try this:Center your energy into a neutral space. You can do this through a few minutes of steady breathing.Imagine you are without any attachment. Seriously, use that incredible imagination of yours! Imagination and intuition are roommates and share the same space. When you engage your imagination you are creating more room for intuition to use. Once you can imagine that there is any possible outcome, you are allowing new truths to enter into your consciousness.Mantras can help you create a single focus and allow different energies to come into your energy field to create the changes you are seeking.The mantra I use is: deep breath, re-access, change your perspective.Another mantra is: if you want to remain constant, always change.From this space begin to assess the images and messages coming to you. Please keep disciplining the monkey mind to stay in the ‘gray’ and un-triggered by the images and messages. Grab a pencil and paper and start to document what is coming through.Once you are done writing, walk away. If you can go into nature, allow the outdoors to calm and soothe your energy while continuing to hold the flow of ideas expanding your understanding, connection and energy. When you are activating your body with movement, you are helping these energies to merge with your new discoveries and belief systems.When you feel full or done, go back to writing and jot down your discoveries. Be sure to write keywords that will reconnect you with the ‘ahha’ moments. Re-read your notes frequently. This will help you incorporate your discoveries instead of them being fleeting moments.<hr><h4 style="text-align:center;">When life presents you with chaos,&nbsp; congested energy, a feeling of being stuck,&nbsp; hitting walls or whatever you feel awful about,&nbsp; reach in and pull out acceptance, kindness and surrender and see where the nudge takes you.&nbsp; I bet you will find there is ease to this enlightenment.&nbsp; I trust you will begin to notice how the world around you is supporting you</h4><hr>Q: Sometimes we misread the growing pains as we outgrow our current circumstances and are pushed into the next level of evolution. Perhaps the next step may not be clear and a leap of faith is needed to let go and surrender to where we’re going. How do you bridge the gap between these life phases?JB: Bridging the gap between life phases requires the art of acceptance, kindness and surrender. Each shift in our evolution is asking for us to change our beliefs. This can be a tremendous burden to the ego and the heart. I have noticed in the last 27 years of being a medium, there are certain ideals to which we hold strong culturally: these include gaining knowledge, loyalty and politeness. These ideals often lead us into shame and dissonance. When we are trained to value these ideals we create suffering and pain when it is time to grow.Let’s look at acceptance, kindness and surrender, and how these three actions can shift our cultural ideals and ease our way while we are becoming enlightened.When we are taught acceptance from a young age, we transcend loyalty to provide self-care, we transcend the need to gain knowledge with the comfort of the unknown, and we transcend politeness to find authenticity over.When we show kindness to ourselves, we find that loyalty is actually an expression of love not discipline, the act of gaining knowledge is an expression of curiosity, and the use of politeness is the desire to create peace.When we surrender, our truth is found. Surrendering allows us to accept not only possible outcomes but also the very real impossible outcomes. It allows us to walk away from loyalty when it was created out of guilt, regret or fear, and break commitments that no longer serve us. Surrendering allows us to stop comparing and contrasting our every move, to understand who we are and look at the very deep inner light for guidance. It also allows us to see that true politeness can be based in honesty and not the lens of praise.&nbsp;<img src="https://cdn-prod-static.heartfulness.org/vibrations3_a518152a4c.jpg">&nbsp;When life presents you with chaos, congested energy, a feeling of being stuck, hitting walls or whatever you feel awful about, reach in and pull out acceptance, kindness and surrender and see where the nudge takes you. I bet you will find there is ease to this enlightenment. I trust you will begin to notice how the world around you is supporting you.Q: Can you speak about the energies we take on from other people and act out with them in relation to our own character work?JB: When we are in communication with someone else it is natural for us to connect to them empathically. This helps us understand them. Our own energy will mimic what the other person’s energy is vibrating and therefore we will hold their pattern in our energy field. Sometimes people will continue to hold that pattern even after the communication is over. They can even take on other person’s energy.I have seen through the years of working as a medium and healer that we are emotional beings. Our first and foremost ability is to feel emotionally: the rest of life follows suit. Once we can identify that we are emotional beings, we begin to observe the amount of energy it takes to maintain our emotions. Everything we do, think and feel is all empowered by energy. Our chakra system, the energetic highways and byways, contains all the possible energetic vibrations and the way we use our emotions dictates the responses of the chakras. Knowing this we can see how natural it is for us to be empathic, having the ability to connect to how others feel.Empathy is a powerful tool but sometimes misused. When we are feeling what another is going through, we often come to believe it is ourselves feeling this way. Our brain is not trained to ask, “Is this feeling mine?” so we begin to believe whatever we are feeling must belong to us. However, I feel there is no guideline on the kind of work we need to do to evolve. There is no one judging your performance except you. This life is a very personal experience and only you can decide what needs to be done to reach the goals you have aligned for yourself. The only true common denominator I can speak to is our ability to feel emotions and have our needs met.<hr><h4 style="text-align:center;">Synchronicities pop up in our life when we are agreeing to align ourselves with our truth, that is, when we are ‘in the flow’. For me, synchronicities are not road signs directing us to change directions, but gentle reminders to stay the course.</h4><hr>Q: How can we cultivate a more natural alignment to our intuition?JB: Start building your trust with your intuition through these little activities:THE REAL YES AND NOTake the time to acknowledge how your five senses react to the words ‘yes’ and ‘no’. What color, feeling, location, sensation, taste, sound and more do these words evoke in you? You can use simple yes or no questions to engage your intuition on the myriad of decisions you make on a daily basis.DOCUMENTATION PLEASEWrite down in a list all the intuitive experiences you have throughout the day, even if they are very small and do not seem to be worth much. At the end of the day, go back and put a checkmark next to the ones that played out to be accurate with good insight. You might find it is a full day or week later before you get your validation. Having this on paper allows your brain to see it documented.&nbsp;<img class="image_resized" style="width:602px !important;" src="https://cdn-prod-static.heartfulness.org/vibrations4_4931e8f75f.jpg">&nbsp;WORD ASSOCIATIONPay attention to your words. Most of the time we’re trying to express our intuition, yet our language does not provide accurate words to convey it. Words like ‘lucky’, ‘coincidence’, ‘bright idea’, ‘ah- ha’ are all indicators of intuition. Be confident to share information without knowing the source of its origin. For that is a very intuitive thing!TRUST FALLBuilding trust in your intuition allows it to be stronger. When you find yourself doubting, step back. Claim your intuitive place as a no-doubt zone! When you are doubting, you are not connecting and you are not trusting your experience. Step back, take a breath, and begin to ask very simple yes and no questions about what you are experiencing.BE EFFORTLESSIntuition does not need you. As soon as you insert your voice, you could be wanting to control, compare, contrast and measure your intuition as if it were a logical experience. When you let go and become effortless with answers or intuition, your accuracy level increases.Q: How do synchronicities point us in the right direction in our lives? What are some you’ve experienced?JB: Synchronicities pop up in our life when we are agreeing to align ourselves with our truth, that is, when we are ‘in the flow’. For me, synchronicities are not road signs directing us to change directions, but gentle reminders to stay the course. Synchronicities have helped me create my businesses, especially The Lighter Side Network. I did not have a vision to create an online network, but the universe kept putting people in my path who brought out the creative in me. Once I acknowledged this, I began to see my path clearly. The Lighter Side Network is now over one year old and growing.<hr><a href="http://www.jamiebutlermedium.com" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">www.jamiebutlermedium.com</a> <a href="http://www.thelightersidenetwork.com" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">www.thelightersidenetwork.com</a> <a href="http://www.withloveandlight.com" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">www.withloveandlight.com</a><hr><h4 style="text-align:center;">Interviewed by EMMA IVATURI</h4><hr>

Vibrations

Jane Austen (1775-1817) was an English author, who 6 major novels are still some of the most popular in the English language, and have been made into films and TV series. She particularly used realism, irony, and social commentary to highlight the standing of women at the time.

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