Ichha Bhan is a counselor and life coach with an interest in fostering positive change, resilience, and transformation through mental and emotional well-being training. She is on a mission to empower and inspire others on their wellness journey.

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Ichha Bhan

<h4 style="text-align:justify;">ICHHA BHAN is a counselor and life coach with an interest in positive change, <a href="https://heartfulness.org/magazine/whispers-of-winter" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">resilience</a>, and transformation. By helping people connect with their authentic selves and unlock their potential, she is on a mission to empower and inspire others on their wellness journey.</h4>Positive emotions play a crucial role in our <a href="https://heartfulness.org/magazine/happiness-food-and-resources" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">well-being</a>, offering a myriad of benefits. Biologically, they trigger the release of neurotransmitters like dopamine and oxytocin, which make us feel happier and reduce internal disintegration, resulting in fewer intrusive thoughts that cloud our judgment. This heightened state of positivity creates an ideal environment for exploring our perception of situations and extracting valuable lessons from them.Moreover, these emotions cultivate an optimistic outlook for future situations, reminding us that change is constant, and positivity can be found even in adverse circumstances. This positive feedback loop elevates our overall sense of well-being and adds greater meaning to our lives, helping us find the silver lining in challenging moments.Positive emotions equip us to make wise decisions, respond calmly to negative emotions, and improve our social integration and distress tolerance. Ultimately, they enhance our ability to effectively regulate our emotions, providing us with valuable tools to navigate life’s ups and downs.Consider this: when you’re in a positive mood, or when life is going smoothly, you feel more confident and stable in your emotions. If something negative occurs, you recover swiftly. You might process it more efficiently and find that it doesn’t have as much of an impact on you. On the contrary, when life is challenging or you are already facing difficulties, rebounding from a negative event can be far more taxing. It is harder to maintain belief in a positive outcome and your <a href="https://heartfulness.org/magazine/whispers-of-winter" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">resilience</a> may wane.<h4 style="text-align:justify;">3 practical ways to cultivate a positive inner environment and build resilience</h4><figure class="image image_resized" style="width:50%;"><img src="https://cdn-prod-static.heartfulness.org/DIY_guide_wellbeing2_10fd4ded8d.webp" alt="DIY-guide-wellbeing2.webp" srcset="https://cdn-prod-static.heartfulness.org/thumbnail_DIY_guide_wellbeing2_10fd4ded8d.webp 145w,https://cdn-prod-static.heartfulness.org/large_DIY_guide_wellbeing2_10fd4ded8d.webp 300w,https://cdn-prod-static.heartfulness.org/DIY_guide_wellbeing2_10fd4ded8d.webp 300w," sizes="100vw"></figure>Memory jarCreate your own personal time capsule.Equipment: Jar, colorful sticky notes, pen or pencil.Each day, take a moment to notice when you’re feeling contented or joyful. Grab a sticky note and jot down what brought that happiness or smile to your face. Fold the note and place it in the jar.Whenever you’re feeling down or could use a quick mood boost, simply reach for a few notes from the jar and read them. You’ll find yourself smiling again, even if temporarily. It’s an effective way to swiftly shift your mood and lift your spirits.Visual diaryRemind yourself of beautiful moments.Equipment: Camera or phone cameraKeep an eye out for those charming moments that bring a smile to your face, instill a sense of ease, or elicit laughter. Whenever you encounter such positive experiences, seize the moment by taking a photo. While these snapshots may not hold the same significance for others, revisiting them will conjure up cherished memories, filling you with joy.Photos also serve as undeniable evidence that every day is adorned with small, almost indescribably beautiful moments, each carrying a deeply personal and meaningful connection to your life.<figure class="image image_resized" style="width:50%;"><img src="https://cdn-prod-static.heartfulness.org/DIY_guide_wellbeing3_3f166082a1.webp" alt="DIY-guide-wellbeing3.webp" srcset="https://cdn-prod-static.heartfulness.org/thumbnail_DIY_guide_wellbeing3_3f166082a1.webp 145w,https://cdn-prod-static.heartfulness.org/large_DIY_guide_wellbeing3_3f166082a1.webp 300w,https://cdn-prod-static.heartfulness.org/DIY_guide_wellbeing3_3f166082a1.webp 300w," sizes="100vw"></figure><hr><h4 style="text-align:center;">Recognize that remembering past achievements and positive experiences serves as concrete evidence of your capabilities,&nbsp; even when you doubt yourself&nbsp; in the present.</h4><hr><figure class="image image_resized" style="width:50%;"><img src="https://cdn-prod-static.heartfulness.org/DIY_guide_wellbeing4_6524f6d5de.webp" alt="DIY-guide-wellbeing4.webp" srcset="https://cdn-prod-static.heartfulness.org/thumbnail_DIY_guide_wellbeing4_6524f6d5de.webp 145w,https://cdn-prod-static.heartfulness.org/large_DIY_guide_wellbeing4_6524f6d5de.webp 300w,https://cdn-prod-static.heartfulness.org/DIY_guide_wellbeing4_6524f6d5de.webp 300w," sizes="100vw"></figure>Sensory-specific informationA counselor and coach-approved technique that is especially helpful when you’re feeling low or lacking confidence.Equipment: Journal, pen or pencil.Step 1: Recall and visualizeRecall a specific moment from your past when you felt extremely positive and confident. If needed, focus on the emotion or state of mind you wish to recreate.Take some time to vividly visualize this moment, allowing yourself to fully immerse in the experience.Step 2: Journaling the experienceIn your journal, describe the scene using your senses:What do you see at this moment?What are the sounds you hear?What are you touching, and how does it feel?Are there any particular scents associated with this memory?Now, delve into finer details:Identify the specific emotion you were feeling during this memory.Describe how you know you were feeling this emotion, focusing on observable evidence.Explore the thoughts running through your mind at that time.Reflect on how these thoughts influenced your behavior.Analyze your behavior during this memory and identify what indicates that you were feeling good.Step 3: Reconnect with empowering feelingsAs you answer these questions in your journal, notice if you start to rekindle the sensations, emotions, and thoughts you experienced during the memory. This immersion is designed to bring you closer to that experience.Recognize that remembering past achievements and positive experiences serves as concrete evidence of your capabilities, even when you doubt yourself in the present. It demonstrates that you have the capacity to achieve more than you think in the present.This structured technique allows you to tap into the power of positive memories to boost your confidence and mood, offering tangible proof of your <a href="https://heartfulness.org/magazine/ancient-narratives-as-maps-to-modern-transformation" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">inner strength</a> and potential.&nbsp;

A DIY guide to well-being

Inga Marie Ramcke is a science educator based in Hamburg, Germany, and a member of the children’s writer network Elbautoren. Her nonfiction books are published internationally. Through the science communication project Plötzlich Wissen!, she engages diverse audiences with puppetry, exploring science and sustainable development with clarity, interaction, and humor.

Inga Marie Ramcke

<h4>INGA MARIE RAMCKE shares her joyful approach to educating children through storytelling, puppetry, and hands-on exploration of the natural world. In this conversation with VANESSA PATEL, she reflects on how her work nurtures curiosity, imagination, and connection—an early foundation for conscious living.</h4>Inga, how did you find your way into this work of educating children about the natural world?Inga: That’s a funny story, because I have a very weird background. I tried working on many things, and nothing seemed to fit. I’m more of this artsy, free-spirited person, and not a business-minded person, even though I had to work in that area for a while. And at that time, I was unemployed, and a university asked me to take over a program they were running for children. They were looking for someone who could run classes educating children in a park, outdoors. So, I took this up, and after that, I designed one of my own. I thought about my own childhood and playing with my toys—they were really living beings to me, which helped me make my programs more appealing to children. The task that I was given was to explain to children the difference between frogs and toads in the park. And I thought maybe there was a stuffed toy I could use, so the children could touch something and engage their senses. I mean, nature already is something you can smell, you can taste. But when you want to tell the story and just give them pictures, it’s nice, but not enough—it’s not emotionally engaging. I found hand puppets for my program, and the children loved them—they have such vivid imaginations and are so curious and receptive. I’ve really found my place with that work, because I had so much fun working with them. So, I did that for years.So the characters become the teachers, in a way.Inga: Yes, you know, rather than just giving them instructions, it’s like the character is saying, “Be quiet because my animal friends could be scared off if you are too loud.”You’re also the author of a number of children’s nonfiction books. Tell us about those.Inga: Sure. I wrote a book just on spiders, all different types. One of my books, called Reiseführer für Tiere (a travel guide for animals), is about 25 different animal species and their migratory patterns, written in the style of a travel guide—it offers tips on accommodation, food, and, of course, travel warnings. The first animal in that book is an Indian dragonfly called Shakti, following her migration path over the sea towards Madagascar. Animals don’t have borders, right? And that’s what’s so amazing. The message of spirituality is that we are all one. The natural world includes not only humans but every sentient being. I put so much love into this book.&nbsp;<figure class="image image_resized" style="width:75%;"><img src="https://cdn-prod-static.heartfulness.org/story_play_wonder1b_3955836875.webp" alt="story-play-wonder1b.webp"></figure>&nbsp;&nbsp;<figure class="image image_resized" style="width:75%;"><img src="https://cdn-prod-static.heartfulness.org/story_play_wonder2_cd728102d0.webp" alt="story-play-wonder2.webp"></figure>&nbsp;My work is very collaborative, and I was talking to scientists all over the world. From Chinese scientists, I received pictures of baby panda bears, which are not usually available. The person doing research on salmon in Canada gave me his research pictures. A German researcher gave me pictures of penguins looking at humans—because it’s from the animals' perspective, and the animals need to be represented! In my book, there is a Magellan Penguin, who’s looking at the scientists, like, “Oh my gosh, this guy again! They really need to get off my island!”One of my books, Die Astronautin von nebenan (the astronaut next door), is about a half-Indian, half-German main character called Maya, and she’s supposed to go on a vacation with her dad, but she falls sick and instead discovers that her neighbor is an astronaut, and so the adventure begins.I wrote the book while I was preparing to become a meditation trainer. And while I knew nothing about the subject, I love doing research. There is even a puppet included with the book—he’s a “mermaid pig” called Tönning. He’s the grumpy one who says things like, “I will not go into space if there is no masala chai or a bed to sleep on.” But what was really interesting was the book's spiritual aspect. I was reading what Babuji wrote in his book, Towards Infinity, about how the world came into being. My research led me to all the astrophysics stuff and to how astrophysicists came to a similar conclusion, but several decades later. It’s very new to the scientific world that everything came out of nowhere, and the very first chapter of my book starts with this idea that there was nothingness, and now there is everything, and it’s getting bigger and bigger, wider and wider.I think the astronaut and migratory path books are the most spiritual books that I have written. With the migration one, I was feeling so connected to the animals, and I was really praying that these animals in the book would make me travel and see the world and spread this idea of unity to others—how the animals are traveling in a world without borders, and that we all have the same needs. It’s just the humans who make it weird.Another way of learning you promote is through experiments that you’ve designed with collaborators.Inga: For this, we are a team of three people. The others are a marine microbiologist, Julia Schnetzer, and a chemist-physicist and laser physicist, André Lampe. I met them while doing research and working with puppets to inform people about sustainable development topics in a fun, subtle way, without the schoolbooks. I was going through a very low time in my life when they approached me; they knew my work and wanted that element in their new project. They were both very supportive and understanding, did all the legwork to get funding, and just asked me for my ideas. They also supplied the experiments. But I’m the one traveling, so I’m very much part of the project and carry the experiments wherever I go.&nbsp;<figure class="image image_resized" style="width:75%;"><img src="https://cdn-prod-static.heartfulness.org/story_play_wonder3_721d107e3f.webp" alt="story-play-wonder3.webp"></figure>&nbsp;<figure class="image image_resized" style="width:75%;"><img src="https://cdn-prod-static.heartfulness.org/story_play_wonder4_20d7303314.webp" alt="story-play-wonder4.webp"></figure>&nbsp;Between the books, the puppets, and the experiments, you’ve built quite a toolkit for engaging children. And on top of all that, you’ve designed puzzles and games, almost like a treasure hunt, to help discover the world around us.Inga: Yes, you have to make it playful, fun, and light. And it’s a very subtle way of <a href="https://heartfulness.org/magazine/enhancing-learning-effectiveness" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">learning</a>. Through humorous stories and a hands-on approach, you experience something, and then you won’t lose it. You don’t have to learn it by heart; you learn it through stories and this personal engagement.Speaking of personal engagement, people connection is a huge part of your work. You also do city tours.Inga: Yes, I love my city, Hamburg. I’m very emotionally connected to my city, and I love doing city tours. I even wrote a book about it, and there’s a puppet rat called Carly telling the story. I started off doing private tours, but then I started working with children. I gave lectures at Hamburg schools—in the fourth grade, students study the history of their city, which they tend to find theoretical and boring. So I thought this could be done in a more fun way—by letting them experience the city and get to know it in an easy, charming, and funny way. And of course, I always have a puppet with me. The teachers then approached me to do city tours with the children, which was so much fun!I’ve read that you work in multiple languages other than German. Is that correct?Inga: My books have been translated into Russian and Danish, but that doesn’t mean that I work in these languages. I don’t speak Russian or Danish, but I do work in German, English, and French. I’ve been to the Kerala Literature Festival and talked about my book about astronauts. I was even able to meet Sunita Williams, gift her the book, and ask if she would maybe hand it over to a US publisher. One of my main goals is to get published in some Indian languages.Yes, I really hope you do! It’s such a wonderful way to rouse children's curiosity and shape how they relate to the world around them.Inga: That’s what I love to do. And there’s some <a href="https://heartfulness.org/magazine/Heartful%20Living" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">spirituality</a> in the books, too. Die Astronautin von nebenan will be translated into Chinese, so that’s my next language, but I would love to be published in Hindi or English.Inga, it’s been a huge pleasure talking to you about your work! You know, there’s an idea of adding Arts to STEM—science, technology, engineering, and math—to make it STEAM. That’s really what you do! Inga: Yes, you could say that. That’s funny; thank you!Inga: Yes, you could say that. That’s funny; thank you!<img class="image_resized" style="width:21.8%;" src="https://cdn-prod-static.heartfulness.org/story_play_wonder5_8e6d2ae288.webp" alt="story-play-wonder5.webp"><img class="image_resized" style="width:50.51%;" src="https://cdn-prod-static.heartfulness.org/story_play_wonder6_1c871c873b.webp" alt="story-play-wonder6.webp"><figure class="image image_resized" style="width:44.5%;"><img src="https://cdn-prod-static.heartfulness.org/story_play_wonder7_63fedc5d43.webp" alt="story-play-wonder7.webp"></figure><img class="image_resized" style="width:42.56%;" src="https://cdn-prod-static.heartfulness.org/story_play_wonder8_657004d5fc.webp" alt="story-play-wonder8.webp"><img class="image_resized" style="width:37.45%;" src="https://cdn-prod-static.heartfulness.org/story_play_wonder9_76ee37451c.webp" alt="story-play-wonder9.webp"> &nbsp;

Story, Play, and Wonder

Ira is a studio potter and ceramic artist who lives in Delhi and grew up with educationalist parents in Tagore’s Visva Bharati, Santiniketan in West Bengal, where she studied art. Her husband was the world-renowned sculptor Sankho Chaudhuri. From 1951, at the newly founded Faculty of Fine Arts in Baroda, she spent her time learning pottery and experimenting with oxides as fired coloring agents, and thus began a prolific career marked by numerous exhibitions and a transformative impact on Indian pottery. Even today, at 93, her zest for life is unmatched.

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Ira Chaudhuri

<hr><h4>IRA CHAUDHURI is a studio potter and ceramic artist who now lives in Delhi. She grew up in Tagore’s Visva Bharati, Santiniketan in West Bengal, where she studied art. She moved to Vadodara, then known as Baroda, in 1951 with her husband, the world-renowned sculptor Sankho Chaudhuri. At the newly founded Faculty of Fine Arts, she spent her time learning pottery in a tiny annex of the Sculpture Department. Thus began a prolific career marked by numerous exhibitions and a transformative impact on Indian pottery, as well as a stint heading the pottery courses at the very same Sculpture Department where she began. Even today, at 93, her zest for life is unmatched. Here she speaks with ANANYA PATEL.</h4><hr>Q: To know Ira Chaudhuri is to know a true force of nature. Her vivacity is barely contained within her eclectically-dressed, interestingly-accessorized self, driven by an inventive mind and an intuition that searches out the beauty in everything around, underlined by her quintessential good humor and sharp wit. I had the good fortune of spending time alongside Iraba (“Granny Ira,” as I have always known her) at the Ceramic Center in Vadodara during the holidays, where even a few minutes in her company meant learning something new. Always aware and compelled by her presence on the other side of the room, I asked her the customary, “How did you get into ceramics?” Considering the course her career has taken, as is often the case with Iraba, her answer was quite unexpected.IC: I cannot claim that I was always fascinated by pottery. I was not. I trained to be a painter only to realize that I was not going to be one. When I married Sankho Chaudhuri and went to live in Baroda in 1951, I had no clue about pottery nor was I particularly interested.<hr><img src="https://cdn-prod-static.heartfulness.org/a_life_in_the_day_ira_chaudhuri3_1d816c8821.jpg?updated_at=2023-04-06T03:50:47.622Z" alt="a-life-in-the-day-ira-chaudhuri3"><hr><img src="https://cdn-prod-static.heartfulness.org/a_life_in_the_day_ira_chaudhuri5_ce0e91494e.jpg?updated_at=2023-04-06T03:50:49.413Z" alt="a-life-in-the-day-ira-chaudhuri"><hr><img src="https://cdn-prod-static.heartfulness.org/a_life_in_the_day_ira_chaudhuri4_77bb87dbab.jpg?updated_at=2023-04-06T03:50:49.417Z" alt="a-life-in-the-day-ira-chaudhuri"><hr>Q: Despite this, she persisted in learning how to center a lump of clay on her own, which the teacher Punabhai deemed “not quite the thing for ladies,” and her curiosity led her to explore the possibilities of these new circumstances even beyond the walls of their little facility.IC: When I got a small quantity of oxides from the very sympathetic chemistry professor, and mixed them with clay and water and invited people to paint, many joined the fun. Punabhai kept warning us that dyes disappear in firing. We assured him that these would not, but he kept smirking behind his considerable moustache. He anyway thought we were all crazy, and to our great joy the decoration in chalky hues stayed!<hr><img src="https://cdn-prod-static.heartfulness.org/a_life_in_the_day_ira_chaudhuri6_6a2ea82279.jpg?updated_at=2023-04-06T03:50:49.576Z" alt="a-life-in-the-day-ira-chaudhuri"><hr>Q: Iraba describes becoming somewhat addicted to pottery, always returning to it in between raising her children and running her home.IC: I missed not doing it and I still do.<hr><img src="https://cdn-prod-static.heartfulness.org/a_life_in_the_day_ira_chaudhuri8_d2c7d35f3e.jpg?updated_at=2023-04-06T03:50:49.649Z" alt="a-life-in-the-day-ira-chaudhuri"><hr><img src="https://cdn-prod-static.heartfulness.org/a_life_in_the_day_ira_chaudhuri9_a39bc4ea24.jpg?updated_at=2023-04-06T03:50:49.418Z" alt="a-life-in-the-day-ira-chaudhuri"><hr>Q: Her experimental approach and her self-administered lessons in ceramic chemistry have led to all kinds of serendipitous results at the Ceramic Center. When she works, jars of carefully concocted glazes rise around her, among tools of every size and kind. She picks them up instinctively, and takes them to a vessel spinning gently on an electric wheel, using a steady hand to paint bold strokes or carve grooves into leather hard clay.Iraba is known to get lost in this process all day, and often needs a stern reminder to take an afternoon rest. Even during these siestas, she has visions of her pots swirling over her head, and upon waking she often changes the shape of a pot she was already working on, or starts carving a relief on a platter.<hr><img src="https://cdn-prod-static.heartfulness.org/a_life_in_the_day_ira_chaudhuri2_b02685e419.jpg?updated_at=2023-04-06T03:50:49.642Z" alt="a-life-in-the-day-ira-chaudhuri"><hr>The time of firing is also never a straightforward affair. She has always found ways to use the kiln as an oven, sticking some vegetables in or a chicken to roast, so that when the kiln finally opens she throws a feast in celebration. Iraba’s cooking prowess isn’t contained to her kiln and her kitchen – wandering outside on a walk, she stops and points to the plants, listing all their uses, conjuring a whole recipe on the spot. She brings a great deal of life and energy to every space she works in, and the Ceramic Center has always been transformed each time she visits, especially when reunited with her close friend and “daughter” Jyotsna Bhatt, another phenomenal ceramicist and educator, who was a pillar of the Center for decades. Sadly, Jyotsnaben passed away a few months ago, and it has been an incredible loss for Iraba, and for all who knew her. She left an indelible mark on the art community. The Center hasn’t been the same without her.IC: Utility is a very good raison d’être and its parameters are good for discipline in work. It also reaches out to the non-art-buying public. I feel happier if people want to use a pot rather put it in a showcase.<hr><img src="https://cdn-prod-static.heartfulness.org/a_life_in_the_day_ira_chaudhuri7_6b9d19b86c.jpg?updated_at=2023-04-06T03:50:49.412Z" alt="a-life-in-the-day-ira-chaudhuri"><hr>Q: Through her practice and teaching, Iraba has advocated for studio pottery to be recognized as an art form, just as respected as sculpture or painting. She has a lot to say about the value a good, handmade pot can bring to your life, which is enhanced when the pot is touched and used. Her functional forms become blank canvases to adorn with intricate graphic work, using signature styles and techniques that she is known for, drawing inspiration from folk and tribal communities. Her most unique, however, is the invention of her own script “Iramese.”IC: At some point, I wanted to use writing as a decorative motif and I found that most people wanted to see what I had written more than the pot! So, I decided to make the writing look like a script, sometimes even like a particular script, but it is not actually any script. And when anyone asks what script it is, I say Iramese with a very straight face.<hr><img src="https://cdn-prod-static.heartfulness.org/a_life_in_the_day_ira_chaudhuri10_22dd130924.jpg?updated_at=2023-04-06T03:50:49.029Z" alt="a-life-in-the-day-ira-chaudhuri"><hr><img src="https://cdn-prod-static.heartfulness.org/a_life_in_the_day_ira_chaudhuri12_16ef8ca582.jpg?updated_at=2023-04-06T03:50:49.764Z" alt="a-life-in-the-day-ira-chaudhuri"><hr><img src="https://cdn-prod-static.heartfulness.org/a_life_in_the_day_ira_chaudhuri11_393670bcad.jpg?updated_at=2023-04-06T03:50:49.302Z" alt="a-life-in-the-day-ira-chaudhuri"><hr>Q: Just like her pots, Iraba herself is a vessel of creativity and curiosity, and her sense of humor is exuded in each piece she so lovingly crafts. A life in the day of Iraba consists of inventing her own language, cooking meals in her kiln, and drawing on newspaper while waiting for the kiln to open, to then make gift bags for her friends. She is one of the only people I know who could stumble upon a something for which she has such little interest and proceed to drive it forward with passion until she pushes the boundaries of its possibilities. In response to her achievements, she most humbly replies:IC: Whenever I am asked to make a short personal statement, my stock answer is “I pot, because it bothers me not to. Since I take my work seriously, I do not take myself seriously, and no one else does.”<hr><img src="https://cdn-prod-static.heartfulness.org/a_life_in_the_day_ira_chaudhuri13_6e6a027794.jpg?updated_at=2023-04-06T03:50:49.424Z" alt="a-life-in-the-day-ira-chaudhuri"><hr>Q: Considering her world renown, and the respect her students, peers and community hold for her, that very last bit is far from true, and we relish the gamut of beautiful objects, knowledge and enthusiasm that sprout from her passionate potting. Today, she still stands by the words she said years ago:IC: All stories have an ending. I am still alive and kicking the wheel, which is the happiest ending I can think of.<hr><hr><h4 style="text-align:center;">Interviewed by ANANYA PATEL</h4><hr>

A life in the day

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

J. Donald Walters

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

J. Krishnamurti

Still mind

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J.C. LITTLE

<h4 style="text-align:justify;">J.C. LITTLE is a Canadian artist and former animator known for her expressive watercolors and <a href="https://heartfulness.org/magazine/the-new-storytelling" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">storytelling</a>. Here, she is interviewed by PURNIMA RAMAKRISHNAN. She shares how art serves as meditation and reflects on two of her standout works—Momentum, a celestial painting on inner transformation, and Deadline, a poignant take on time and womanhood.</h4>Q: Do you see art as a form of meditation? When I look at certain art, I feel a kind of meditative stillness in it.JCL: I think so. There’s a popular way of describing it, where you get in the zone as you’re executing art.For me, it starts before that. I’m one of these people who suffer from an overactive imagination. I’m always being assaulted with ideas and concepts, and in my mind, I’m turning them over and seeing how to tell that story. Is it funny? Is it wordplay? Is it emotional? At the back of my mind, I’m percolating on these things that I want to turn into images.When you finally get to the point where you’re executing something, there’s an element of discovery in it. We may not have completely worked out the solution to what we are looking for, the actual creative expression, but most of that work is already done in my head. That can become extremely meditative. It can also be problematic because we can get lost in it.I have a little escape hatch, which is my dog. It keeps me from working on and on into the small hours of the night. The answer to your question is yes, definitely, there is a meditative aspect. Several aspects.Q:&nbsp;How was your journey from being a cartoon artist to a person who does beautiful paintings? Has your creative process changed? How has this evolution changed you as a person?JCL:&nbsp;I have always mixed the two, ever since I was a small child. My parents knew I could draw, so they were always getting me art supplies for every birthday and Christmas. Whenever it was time for presents, I got art supplies. I was given art lessons, lots of art lessons. As a kid, I just wanted to do funny drawings.When I was a child, we lived in Montreal in Canada. When I was 11, we moved to Hong Kong. A couple of things happened. The first was that my parents immediately put me in Chinese brush painting classes. That’s where I was very impressed by the dispersion of pigment in water. That was my first real structured introduction to watercolors. The second thing that happened was that my little brother went to the hospital for surgery on his legs. Seeing him in recovery was a great motivation for me to draw funny pictures for him, to make him laugh and cheer him up.I grew up and went to university to study graphic design and illustration. Later, I met an animator and became an animator. For decades, I worked in animation, and that’s a different kind of creativity.All the while, I was still drawing and sketching, but not focusing on fine arts. My animation career turned into The Animated Woman, which was my blogging site where I finally did my own TV series. I worked for three or four years, 90 hours a week. I just needed a break from that and wanted to get my little creative ideas out. The fastest way to express all the ideas from my overactive imagination was to do stick figures digitally. I did conceptual things, little jokes about family life. That became my blog.I did quite a few short animated films using these stick figures, but I also did a lot of what I call sequential art, illustrated books for children, my own books that I self-published. A lot of that art was on my blog. My blog, The Animated Woman, was drawings like that.I was forced to simplify a concept or a feeling or a story into the most poetic form. They weren’t always funny, sometimes they were quite tender, playful, or sad, evoking tears. When I went back into watercolors, it was a natural progression for me to take these single-image stories and turn them into full paintings. &nbsp;<figure class="image image_resized" style="width:50%;"><img src="https://cdn-prod-static.heartfulness.org/art_honest_medium2_ae21b42bec.webp" alt="art-honest-medium2.webp"></figure>&nbsp;All my concept drawings start as these very simple stick figures. Let me show you my sketchbook. I did a lot of color studies. You can see how I started with a very rough face and then refined it, how I was going to handle the gold leaf, what pigments I was going to use, how I was going to do the dress. I work all of that out in my sketchbook. My painting, <a href="https://www.jclittleportraits.com/fine-art-shop/momentum" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Momentum</a>, was special because it’s really big for a watercolor.Q:&nbsp;Momentum is one of the most fabulous paintings I’ve really seen.JCL:&nbsp;That’s good to hear. That painting was special because I had the idea and was thinking of using my friend Tracy. She agreed to pose for me. It started out as just the woman on the sofa. There are many paintings of a woman on a sofa, many, many paintings. It’s a popular subject. But I wanted to show her imagining the planet, imagining the world, maybe even reimagining the world. Contemplating the world, and showing a kind of transformative, contemplative state with the butterfly.To make her more of a creator or give a kind of celestial vibe, I decided she should have all the space she wants. I literally put her in outer space. This painting was different from everything I had done before in its size, but it was a continuation of the painting Deadline with the clock. That was going more in a direction of magical realism, where you depict things rendered in a realistic way, but there’s no way they could be real. There’s no way a woman sits in outer space on a sofa imagining.I don’t want to be limited by reality because I come from the world of animation, where we can do anything. The scope of it, the size of it, meant I couldn’t use my usual brushes for the background. I had to use a completely different technique to approach the background, because I didn’t want to see brush marks. In fact, I painted the painting three times, not the full painting, but mainly the background. The first two times, it wasn’t what I wanted. I discovered a way to move the paint around without using brushes. I used a special technique. I put a lot of water on the paper, then put the pigment on top and moved it around. It worked out in a way that gave this beautiful galactic feeling. The background is pretty much done in one layer of paint.&nbsp;<hr><h4 style="text-align:center;">I think a lot of people really related to this painting&nbsp; because it talks about several themes: women, our bodies, and how we are running out of time.</h4><hr>With watercolor, it’s really difficult to make larger <a href="https://heartfulness.org/magazine/thoughts-about-painting-india" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">paintings</a>. When they’re small, you can use a certain sized brush. The hairs on a brush are a certain thickness, and if you get a bigger brush, it doesn’t behave the same way. This is all technical stuff about watercolor, getting things to behave, inducing behavior in watercolor, which really just wants to do its own thing. You want to let it do its own thing.It lends itself to magical realism very easily. I just love that about this medium. It’s a very honest medium. It’s impossible to lie with it. You can’t cover things up. There is not a drop of white paint on that painting. It is all the whites of the paper shining through, the stars, everything. That makes it really luminous. That’s what I love about that painting.Q:&nbsp;I also liked your painting Deadline, this lady sitting between the minute hand and hour hand. Somehow I felt that was me, and then I thought, perhaps everyone thinks that is them.JCL:&nbsp;I think a lot of people really related to this painting because it talks about several themes: women, our bodies, and how we are running out of time. Society places a lot of pressure on us to stay young or be reproductive. We have our reproductive deadline, your body clock is going to run out. There’s also work, and how we impose these deadlines upon ourselves, to finish things on time or to achieve things. I think it has universal appeal in how people relate to it.To purchase J.C. Little’s paintings directly from her website, please visit <a href="https://www.jclittleportraits.com/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">https://www.jclittleportraits.com/</a><hr><h4 style="text-align:center;">Artwork by J.C. LITTLE&nbsp;</h4><hr>

Art is an honest medium

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J.R.R. Tolkien

Value food and cheer

Jack Canfield is a bestselling author, professional speaker, trainer, and entrepreneur. He is the founder and CEO of the Canfield Training Group and coauthor of more than two hundred books, including the Chicken Soup for the Soul® series.

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JACK CANFIELD

<h4 style="text-align:justify;">PURNIMA RAMAKRISHNAN interviews JACK CANFIELD, the co-creator of Chicken Soup for the Soul. In part two of his interview, he shares insights on overcoming fear, following inner guidance, and the evolution of his definition of success over time. His wisdom offers practical advice and inspiration for pursuing one's passion and leading a fulfilling life.</h4>Q: What stops us from achieving our dreams?JC: Limiting beliefs—but also fear. Fear of loss, whether loss of reputation, loss of money, loss of credibility, loss of their job, loss of their relationship with their spouse, boyfriend, or girlfriend. Or, it can also be a fear of being physically hurt.You’ve probably seen this: F-E-A-R means Fantasized Experiences Appearing Real. When the pandemic occurred, many people were afraid. We’re going to lose our jobs. We won’t be able to have clients. We can’t go out. I can’t go to school. I’m going to fall behind. And that was all just made up in their mind by looking ahead a year or two and thinking it’s all going to be worse.I always ask people to do one of two things. Either come back to the present moment—“right now, everything’s fine”—or if you’re going to go into the future, imagine something positive happening. “I’m going to get my job.” “My book’s going to become a bestseller.”The last thing I teach about fear is to feel the fear and do it anyway. Most people can dive off a diving board if they have ever learned to swim. Now, you didn’t get out on the end of the board, look at your mother or your father or your coach, and say, “I have a fear of jumping into liquids from high places. I’m going to go talk to a therapist to get rid of this fear, and when I come back, I’ll jump in the water.” No one ever did that. What did we do? We felt the fear, and we jumped anyway. And mostly we survived, right? And then, pretty soon, we’re jumping in and doing cannonballs and splashing everybody and having a good time because we felt the fear and we did it anyway.If you’re going to go skydiving, if you’re going to go scuba diving, if you’re going to give your first speech or ask that person for a date, you’re probably going to feel a little fear. It’s natural. But if you go and do it, you survive. That’s what builds self-confidence. Self-confidence is the result of taking a risk and surviving.&nbsp;<figure class="image image_resized" style="width:50%;"><img src="https://cdn-prod-static.heartfulness.org/chicken_soup_part2_2_a72d66c659.webp" alt="chicken-soup-part2-2.webp"></figure>&nbsp;<hr><h4 style="text-align:center;">One of the techniques I teach all my students now&nbsp; is what we call “micro actions.”&nbsp; Do something small to get started.</h4><hr>So, the first time you talk, you’re a little nervous, but then nothing bad happens. The next time you speak, maybe people will even applaud. And then the 20th time, they’re giving a standing ovation—only because you survived.Every time you came back, came back, came back. And even if you failed think about this—even if you failed, you survived it!To everybody reading this: you’ve survived everything that ever happened to you, or you wouldn’t be here. We are natural survivors. And if we can remember that we’ve had a lot of successes, we’ve had a lot of things where we’ve done well, and we’ve just got to keep on going out there.Now, if you’re going to feel the fear and do it anyway, start small. In other words, don’t make your first audience a thousand people. Talk to ten people in a room. Practice your talk in the mirror. One of the techniques I teach all my students now is what we call “micro actions.” Do something small to get started.I’ll share a quick story with you. There was a guy named Jim Bunch. He’s a teacher in America and runs the program called The Ultimate Game of Life. I was on the phone with him. He asked me, “What’s your goal, Jack?” I said, “Oh, I want to get fit. I want to lose weight.” He said, “Great, put the phone down and give me ten pushups.”I said, “Jim, no, I’m talking about joining a gym and getting a coach.” He said, “Jack, put the phone down and give me ten pushups.”I said, “Jim, you’re not listening.”He said, “Jack, you’re not listening, and we’re not moving on. Give me ten pushups. So, I put the phone down, and I did ten pushups.”He said, “Now, I’m teaching you an important lesson. As soon as you have a desire to do something new, start small. Make the phone call; make the appointment. It doesn’t have to be huge, but start now because we all can do something small. You don’t have to start with a twenty-mile run; start with walking around the block once.And that was critical to me to get that. So, that’s what I would say too: you can feel the fear and do it anyway, but don’t start with something that’s so overwhelmingly scary that you freeze.Q: Thank you so much, Jack. I like what Jim told you about actually putting the phone down and doing ten pushups. My next question is, how has this spiritual path shaped your life? I have noticed that all your books have spiritual undertones. And you have spoken so much about visualization, affirmations, and releasing the brakes. And there’s something deeply soulful in what you say, what you’ve written, and what you teach. I wonder how your inner journey has shaped the way you lead and serve people.JC:&nbsp;My spiritual path started when I was about twenty-eight years old. I was living in Massachusetts. My ex-wife and I had a camper van. We drove down through Mexico to Guatemala, camping on the side of Lake Atitlán. We went through the clouds to get up there, and it was next to a volcano. I was reading Autobiography of a Yogi by Paramahansa Yogananda.That was the first spiritual book I ever read.I felt, “Oh my God, there’s so much more to life than I understood.” I was a psychologist, but I wasn’t spiritually awake at that time. I decided, “Well, I’m going to learn to meditate. I have to learn to do yoga.” So I bought a book on yoga and started doing it on my own. It was a little paperback. And then I took some meditation classes.<hr><h4 style="text-align:center;">You can feel the fear and do it anyway,&nbsp; but don’t start with something&nbsp; that’s so overwhelmingly scary that you freeze.</h4><hr>I met a guy named Guru Shabad Singh. He was teaching meditation, and I would get into ecstatic states. I began to realize I wanted to teach that as well. So, I discovered this form of psychology called psychosynthesis. It was developed by an Italian psychologist named Roberto Assagioli. He was a contemporary of Carl Jung. He had this theory that we all have a Higher Self, our soul. He had this diagram, like an upside-down funnel. At the top is your Higher Self, and it comes down into this thing called your center of awareness, the eye.So, when I meditate, I’m in that center, and I can choose to be aware of my Higher Self. But around that center of the eye, there’s a choice. I can choose to place my consciousness on my body. I can choose to place it on my emotions. I can choose to place it on the thoughts I’m thinking.These are all psychological functions, but it was all in service of the Higher Self. The way he described it was that you have an orchestra director directing all these other instruments, which are your body and your emotions. From this place of “eye,” tune into your Higher Self, get the direction for your next step or what you need to be focusing on, and then use the function of your intellect and your body and your emotions to go and do the thing in the world that you’ve gotten this guidance about. That takes us out of the ego. So, it’s all about goal-setting and vision and taking action and using affirmations and visualization—but in the service of the Higher Self, in the service of the soul, if you will.<hr><h4 style="text-align:center;">What am I here to do? What’s the guidance that I am getting?&nbsp; That is the success principle, Inquire Within.&nbsp; That generally is how everything unfolded for me.</h4><hr>That’s how it began to evolve for me. I could still teach all the stuff I’d learned from my original mentor, W. Clement Stone, who was a contemporary and friend of Napoleon Hill, who wrote Think and Grow Rich, which was a great book in terms of success. That spirituality gave me the context for everything else. Visualization can be used to create fear, or it can be used to create motivation for achieving your goal.So, tap in: What’s my goal? What am I being asked to do? What thoughts do I need to think to do that? That’s my affirmations, my inner self-talk. How do I use my body? What actions do I take? How do I respond to feedback? Because not all actions work. And it all went into the book, Success Principles. All of this must be in service of my purpose: What am I here to do? What’s the guidance that I am getting? That is the success principle, Inquire Within. That generally is how everything unfolded for me.Q: Coming back to another of my favorites, the Chicken Soup for the Soul series. Tell me how it all came to be?JC:&nbsp;First of all, the stories are so resonant with people because they are about universal themes that everybody deals with—relationships, love, death, grief, overcoming obstacles, pursuing dreams, all the things that make up the essence of what we think about, and focus on what we want to achieve in our lives. We all want to be loved and loving. There are sections on love, self-esteem, honoring, and loving ourselves. It relates to things that everybody can connect with. My consciousness was pretty elevated at that time, and all the stories were filtered through me and Mark, my co-author, who was also a meditator and someone who spent time in India studying. For us to like a story and approve it, it has to have a level of vibration, in terms of love and joy, and the truth of life.Let me share two things with you that most people do not know. First of all, how did the title come to me? So, we did not have a title. We had the book. We were supposed to go to New York and meet some publishers and sell them the book. Mark and I decided that we would meditate for a week and ask for a title. Mark was much more hyperactive than I am, and he would go to bed and meditate, “best-selling title, best-selling title, best-selling title…” I am a bit more mellow, and every morning I would wake up and just submit, “God, give me a title,” and I would sit in silence and wait.Nothing happened on the first day. Nothing happened on the second day. I woke up early on the third day. A big green chalkboard, like in school, appeared. And a hand came out and wrote “Chicken Soup” on it. And I thought, “Wow,” as I thought it was God’s hands. Then I thought, “What does chicken soup have to do with this book?” Again, I sat in meditation. This voice said, “When you were sick as a child, your grandmother gave you chicken soup.” Then I said, “This is not a book about sick people.” And then the voice said, “People’s spirits are sick. They are living in resignation, hopelessness, and fear. And these stories that you have will help them overcome that.” And I thought, “Chicken Soup for the Spirit.” That did not sound right. Then I said to myself, “Chicken Soup for the Soul?” And I got goosebumps. I told my wife. She got goosebumps. I called Mark. He got goosebumps. I told our agent. He got goosebumps.Then, we went to New York and met with twenty-one publishers. Seven a day for three days. Nobody got goosebumps. We got twenty-one rejections. Nobody liked it. “Stupid title.” “People don’t read stories.” “It’s nicey-nice.” “It’s too positive.” So, 144 rejections later, our agent gave us the book back and said, “I can’t sell it. I tried. Nobody wants it.”I was living in Los Angeles at that time. Someone said that in Orange County, at the Disneyland Convention Center, there will be a convention of publishers. So, Mark and I went down with our backpacks, and had about twenty stories from the book, and we went around and talked to all these publishers, and they kept saying, “No!” “No!” “No!” “No!”Eventually, the 145th person we talked to said, “I will read it.” Nobody else even wanted to read it. He takes it home and calls me back a week later, and he said, “I love it, but I don’t know how many copies we could sell. I am a little bit reluctant. If you can convince me that we can sell 20,000 copies, I will publish it.” So, every time Mark and I went out to give a talk, we had this sheet of paper that said, “I promise to buy X number of copies of Chicken Soup for the Soul.” We received promises to buy 20,000. Some people said they would buy five or ten. One guy said he would buy a 1,000. So, we went to the publisher and said, “Here we have 20,000 promises.” That is how the title came to be. That is how the stories were published.&nbsp;<figure class="image image_resized" style="width:50%;"><img src="https://cdn-prod-static.heartfulness.org/chicken_soup_part2_3_7180739c20.webp" alt="chicken-soup-part2-3.webp"></figure>&nbsp;Q: Thank you for telling me that story. I also wanted to ask you about the book Success Principles.JC:&nbsp;Let me tell you the question I get asked a lot about that book. People ask me which is the most important success principle, and I tell them that if you could only keep one organ in your body, which one would you keep? Because without the heart, without the lungs, without the liver, or the kidneys, nothing would work. So if you look at that book, there is a lot about taking responsibility, having a goal, making sure it is measurable, using affirmations, using visualizations, taking action, taking feedback, persevering, having a team, having an accountability group—there is a lot of stuff in there. It really is a system of success. It is like a recipe.So, the final thing for everybody reading this is this: You have everything you need to do anything you want. You would not be allowed to have a desire if you did not have the capacity to fulfill it. You will not come up with a goal if you do not have the ability to reach it. Now, you may have to learn some new things or get a credential that you don’t have. You may need to attend school and obtain a degree or license. You may have to team up with other people. It might take you a long time to get there. But you will literally be unable to have that dream without the ability to make it happen. And I could tell you story after story of people doing things. You give me a problem or challenge, and I can tell you a story about someone who faced the exact same problem and still achieved it. It is not about your circumstances. It is not about your physicality. It is about your intention, your belief, your heart, and your perseverance.So, trust yourself, follow your heart, and know that you have the capacity to make your dreams come true.&nbsp;<figure class="image image_resized" style="width:50%;"><img src="https://cdn-prod-static.heartfulness.org/chicken_soup_part2_4_052e6b8a6f.webp" alt="chicken-soup-part2-4.webp"></figure>&nbsp;<hr><h4 style="text-align:center;">Trust yourself, follow your heart, and know that you have the capacity to make your dreams come true.</h4><hr><h4 style="text-align:center;">AI generated images</h4><hr>

Chicken Soup for the Successful Soul - Part Two

Chicken Soup for the Successful Soul

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>

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