Alhat Ed Din was a very famous sheikh who lived in Crimea. He had several disciples. One night, when he was sitting by a pond, a sufi named Shams Tabreez passed by. Seeing Alhat Ed Din, he wondered what he was doing sitting next to the pond at night. So he went near him and asked, “Mister, what are you doing? Who are you?” The man replied, “I am Sheikh Alhat Ed Din and I am meditating on the shadow of the moon in this water.”
Shams Tabreez asked, “Do you have a boil on your neck that you are finding it difficult to look up at the moon? The real moon is visible in the sky and you are looking for the shadow in the pond!” Alhat Ed Din raised his head – and what did he see? – the radiant face of Shams Tabreez in the moonlight. Automatically his head bowed in reverence.

Mesmerizing persona, piercing eyes, a crystal clear mind, the wisdom of the ages and a beautiful demeanour – such is the personality of Anandmurti Gurumaa. Defying definition, pragmatic, realistic, of liberal views, she is open-minded like the sky and intense like space. Gurumaa had a wonderful childhood – when other children were learning nursery rhymes, she was listening to the philosophy of Vedanta. While other children dreamt of dolls and cars, she was learning the art of awakening from dreams. A bubbly spirited teenager, she was not seen with girls of her age but with yogis and gurus. Meditating and lovingly serving spiritual masters

India is a country which is fortunate to have witnessed her daughters rise to be great mystics. A person strives to learn the intricacies of religion, practices it diligently and then after many years may reach the zenith of spirituality. But there are some individuals who are born with all the prerequisites, a great mind and a high level of consciousness.

When asked by Sheikh Hasan-al-Basri how she discovered the secret, she responded: “You know of the how, but I know of the how-less.”

Almost everyone on planet loves “sweet foods” or “dessert”. The sweet taste in these foods comes from sugar. Sugar, or table sugar as we know it, is the white crystalline substance produced by industrial processes (mostly from sugar cane or sugar beets) by refining it down to pure sucrose, after taking away all the vitamins, minerals, proteins, enzymes and other beneficial nutrients. Its true name is sucrose and its chemical formula is C12H22O11. It has 12 carbon atoms, 22 hydrogen atoms, 11 oxygen atoms, and absolutely nothing else to offer. Simply put, sugar is a concentrated unnatural substance, which the human body is not able to handle, at least not in quantities that is ingested in today’s lifestyle.

Some leave their home, some the hermitage but the restless mind knows no rest so watch your breath, day and night and stay where you are.

Pregnancy- One Becomes Two

Pregnancy is a natural state in a woman’s life. It does however bring a great physiological change throughout the body – this should be understood and respected. Yoga is an ideal form of exercise during pregnancy as it helps one to relax, to keep fit and to enjoy the pregnancy. In particular, it can help strengthen the pelvic area, normalize the thyroid function, keep the blood pressure in check and help one stay calm and relaxed – all of which is good for the baby too. Yoga helps improve breathing, fluid and hormone balance and prevents varicose veins. You will find that the physical yogic postures or asanas; the breathing techniques or pranayamas; the meditation techniques or dhyana; are all ideal mind-body preparation tools for childbirth. Yogic postures exercise the spinal column lessening lower back pain and strengthening the floor of the pelvis. The cavity in the pelvic region is expanded, creating space for the growing uterus. This ensures that there is proper blood circulation and adequate room for the baby to move comfortably.

The Sultan was told by his teacher that lying was a great crime and should be banned. So the Sultan ordered his executioner to the city gate and told him to ask each person entering the city why he was visiting and execute any who lied. Next morning, the Mullah stood in line to go to the market in the city. The executioner asked him on the penalty of death, “Why are you entering the city?”The Mullah replied, “I am going to be executed!”

one of the most fascinating modern day catholic mystic and stigmatic – was born on April 8th 1898 in Northern Bavaria, Germany

The day I was born,
I was considered a storm,
which came into my family’s life,
and the one to blame
was my father’s wife,
yes she was my mother,
who acted as my cover,
b’coz i was not a boy,
so, they treated me as a toy,
“we don’t want her”
they said to the nurse,
as for them I was a curse,

If a woman is mentally strong she can withstand a whole load of pressure. But if she does not have stability of mind and sharp intelligence, then there is a possibility of a break down. No wonder more women than men suffer migraines. The circulatory system is also affected and she gets fluctuating blood pressure.
A husband who understands this and helps with the domestic chores, gives a patient hearing to her woes is a rare species. Our society has groomed men to be authoritative, dictatorial and demanding. This deprives women of a healthy and supportive companionship. Sometimes her girlfriends fill up this space. Hence women need to talk for hours to their friends over endless cups of coffee or tea and escalating telephone bills.

Why does life happen? According to the sages universal intelligence gives rise to life for the simple reason that it may evolve into complex expressions capable of pondering and appreciating the mysteries of the universe. From this perspective life is a cosmic masquerade in which the goal is to uncover what is concealed. At the beginning of life the disguise is quite apparent to the conscious mother who recognizes the deep spiritual connection uniting her baby’s soul with her own. Her most important role from the moment of conception is to nurture her child so that it can rediscover its essential spiritual nature.