Beyond the Dead End

When we see a dead end to the path we are on, we panic. The panic blocks our vision.

Movement never stops. There always is a way around. There is no closed path. We restrict our own vision. The current moment is never closed. If only we would recognise and come out of our shock and panic, we would be able to bring our focus to what the current moment shows us. Accepting the current reality is the only way to discover the opportunity it camouflages.

Projecting our visions too far ahead also makes us lose vision of this moment. Any future we see is only based on the limited knowledge and perceptions we have of this moment. It is only the current moment that we live, not the future.

This moment will always show us ways of moving ahead.

- Shivi Dua

My Contribution to the Society

As I grow, I contribute to everyone around me.

The best contribution that we can ever make to the universe is our own growth. As we grow, so does the Creator who evolves through us, and hence everyone around us who is also a part of the same Creator.

There are innumerable things and people around us that have contributed to our growth. It sometimes might take a bit of conscious pondering to realise it. When we see ourselves progressing in a certain direction, what are the steps we take to go further in that direction? What are the choices we make so that we can make the most out of the opportunities presented before us? What is the contribution we make to that opportunity/person who is offering us growth, so that their contribution in our growth naturally improves?

 

One option is to judge the opportunity to be not good enough or the one through whom we are receiving support, to be not doing enough. Blaming what others are not doing that they should for our growth, is covering up for our lack of belief in our capability.This could be a comfortable choice and we could rest assured, it will only bring our way stagnation if not our deterioration.

Another option could be to see what within us restricts us from getting out of the opportunity what it seems to promise? Working at that will certainly bring about our growth as we clear our own inner blocks. Besides, what our growth brings about as an outcome will pave the way for many around us, who, in turn, go on to make similar contributions through their own growth.

 

- Shivi Dua

Dark or Divine

We know that everything that happens to us happens for a reason. Every person we meet, every situation we encounter, every word we speak or is spoken to us has something to teach us. Nothing is a coincidence. But inspite of having this knowledge, it is not the first thing that comes to our mind whenever we are in any kind of situation that confuses us. So, taking this point forward, I would like to apply it to our perception of the ‘dark’ in us. 

Whether it is in healings or during daily life, we often come across the ‘dark’ in us. And when we even just read or hear the phrase ‘the dark in us’, its catches our attention and sometimes even causes us discomfort. I feel this is because we misunderstood the dark in us. What exactly is the dark in us? It is any negativity that we carry or any aspect of ourselves that we don’t like or are uncomfortable with. It ranges from the smallest moment of anger, fear, hurt, etc. to the greatest (so called) wrong-doing. Hence broadly speaking, it is that part of us which we judged to be wrong, that part we got misaligned from. But the dark was never meant to harm us. It only came into being in the first place because it had something to teach us. It was never any external force or power that was out of our control and had set out to harm us. Of course, nothing but we can harm ourselves. And that is what we do by fearing the dark. It exists only to contribute to our evolution, to teach us things we have to learn so that we can come to the awareness of experiencing being Creator. The more we judge ourselves for carrying darkness, the more we prolong our journey to experience being the Creator. Instead, we can accept the dark as a part of our beings that is present only to help us be more and more aware of the moment, thus helping us get to our final destination. We can choose to see the divinity in the dark; and the divinity it is helping us realise, uncover and be. We can choose to see it as escorting us to Creator rather than keeping us from Him.

We cannot escape the dark in us, we can only accept it. The more we try to run away from aspects of ourselves that we don’t like, the more we actually enlarge them.  Besides, there is no reason to run away at all. Listen to what the dark in you is telling you, for it is nothing but the divinity in you speaking. Afterall, the two are not separate. It is our judgement that makes it seem the other way round.

 

“Toota Hua Saaz Hoon Main,

Khud Se Hi Naraaz Hoon Main,

Seene Mein Jo Kahin Pe Dabi Hai,

Aisi Koi Awaaz Hoon Main.

                               Sun Le Mujhe...”                                  

                             -Irshad Kamil

 

- Cynthia Roli Gupta

Looking at Ourselves through Relationships

Relationships always bring challenges in their own way - be it with spouse, children, parents, siblings, friends or in-laws. At a certain point of time any relationship might show us the mirror, making us crazy enough to wish if only we had chosen another spouse, another sibling, another couple as parents or in-laws. How we wish to replace everything and everyone around us, chasing an ideal situation in our mind in which we crave for. Why did he/she become a part of my life? Everything was perfect when he/she was not there...I wish I had never chosen him/her...if only he/she had followed my advice...he/she is to be blamed for crumbling up my life...it goes on! It feels so good! It empowers the ego. It justifies our point that we were never wrong and it is this one person who made our life upside down. Wow!! Blaming gives so much of relief!

Has our ballooned ego ever allowed us to see the purpose of that relationship? Have we ever looked at a relationship as a story whose moral we still haven't understood? Why do we exist together? Why do relationships exist? If it’s our journey, why did we need so many people around us? Why can't we be alone and enjoy all the abundance the way we want? Each relation, each person around us only shows us what we refused to accept in our own selves. We are involved in each other's growth. We are assisting each other each moment, helping our whole evolve bit by bit. The conscious awareness is now drifting towards oneness. We find it more difficult to ignore the ones who bring challenges in our journey. Our inner voice drags our mind to the same person or incident so that the moral is found and the lesson imbibed.
How can we forgive them? How can we forget what they said or did? If we get entangled in the incidents and words, we can never get wary of blaming and criticizing them. What the relationship is showing us is what we refuse to accept within.

Why is my spouse not loving and caring? My friend's husband takes her out for dinners and holidays, she lives like a celebrity...My husband should learn from him...

Points to ponder:
Do we love ourselves? Do we appreciate ourselves enough? How many times do we regret our choices and judge ourselves of being less than the other?


My children never listen to me. My teen has started back-answering me. My toddler just doesn't follow my instructions. My child behaves weird in front of others. My adolescent is showing mood swings...

Points to ponder:
Are we imposing ourselves on our children? Are we trying to fulfil what we lack through them? Are we trying to live our dreams through them? Are we trying to make their life easy because we learnt the hard way or vice versa? Are we controlling them much to suffocate their energies? Are we depriving them of their freedom? Do we really know why we do what we do as a parent? BEWARE-what we convey becomes their inner voice. They follow and imitate us.

My parents love my sibling more. I am the elder one, I should be respected. I am responsible for my sibling in absence of my parents so I must control him or stop him from going wrong....And, if I am the younger one, I'm always treated like a child. My elder bro/sister is treated as the more responsible one. I am never loved and my parents are biased...

Points to ponder:
How many times in a day do we judge ourselves? Do we feel the need to prove ourselves better in order to attract attention? Are we comparing ourselves with others? Do we believe we are less than others?


My in-laws are weird. I was never conditioned to live in such an environment. My life has been different. I deserve more joy more abundance more growth and much love and acceptance. They never valued me. They never understood me!

Points to ponder:
Do we understand our true being? Are we adaptable to changes? How many of us can easily come out of our comfort zone and be ready to accept whatever comes our way in order to allow the magic to flow into our being? Have we defined a limit for ourselves? Are we open to receiving? How often do we define our ideal situation?

My daughter-in-law is so insecure. She is trying to mould everything her way. She is instigating my son against me. She is trying to defame me. She never values my love. She is trying to control my house.

Points to ponder:
How do we define our identity? Is managing my house my identity? Is she taking away 'my' son from me? Have I received love only through my children? Has my son been the pillar of my strength? Do I fear losing love/abundance/my identity to her? Have I accepted myself unconditionally? Am I trying to stop love from coming to me? Does love make me weak?

My sister-in-law doesn't leave space for me. I am not accepted in this family because of her interference and presence. She took away my love. She doesn't let me receive love of my parents-in-law. She is an obstruction. She is hopeless, and has nothing to do other than gossiping and spreading ill about me.

Points to ponder:
Do we see the deep seated guilt of holding on to love, trying to possess it whenever we received it, obstructing the flow of love? Do we feel guilty of landing up in a space which was never ours since childhood and suddenly becoming the priority for our spouse, side-lining all other relationships he/she had? Are we insecure of the fact that the family we believed to be ours has abruptly disowned us, tied us to a stranger and suddenly our emotional, spiritual and mental being is lost? Have we ridiculed our being? Has the fear of disconnecting from our roots crept into our core?

Every relationship is trying to pull our attention within. Our reality is our thought projection. Each soul who is attracted by us is helping us fly higher. Every soul is an angel bringing back the part of us we lost when we deviated from our essence. Each soul is making us complete. Each one is filled with love & brimming us with love too. Love inevitably comes to us through everything around us. Love is our core. We can never deny it. It is only when we distort the flow of love that we experience negativities in different forms through different sources. Each one of us is love. Everything around us is love. Love nurtures. Love helps growth. Love is abundant. Love is abundance....and so am I! 

 

- Kirti Narang

Handling Emotions

In our everyday lives it is very important to be able to handle our emotions in a way that we can have balanced relationships with people around us, whether it is at home or at work. This can happen if we are always observant of our emotions. Instead of getting involved in our emotions, if we are aware of them and are able to observe them objectively, we can immediately centre ourselves and deal with the situation objectively.

This happens when we have been trained to stay in alignment with the Supreme energy, ie. the Creator’s energy. All of us are one with the Creator but to be able to remember it even in disturbing times helps us cope with the disturbances so that they pass without disturbing us. To be able to remember this even when dealing with people with whom we have differences is a technique which we have to understand, imbibe and practice. This is what we learn in Serenity Surrender workshops. Here we understand in the true sense that nobody really ever means to hurt us just the way we don’t ever want to hurt anybody. It is only because of our own karma that we understand others the way we do.

Blaming others and getting angry with others takes us nowhere. If we continue on this path, we only increase the negativity in us. Sometimes even if want to forgive others, we are not able to. Why does this happen? This happens because the root of that particular negative emotion is deep in us. To be able to forgive others, we first need to forgive ourselves. This process, sometimes, becomes painfully slow on the conscious level. But with the help of SS, it can be quickened.

It is interesting to know that in order to understand others, first, we should understand ourselves because what we see in others is actually what we are carrying in us. In our everyday interactions with others, many times we tend to judge others or even ourselves. This comes from the lack of self-acceptance and acceptance of others. Interestingly, acceptance of others comes to us naturally if we accept ourselves completely and unconditionally. Do we really accept ourselves?

Life would be so simple and effortless if could handle our anger, hurt, regret, guilt and many such emotions! Sometimes we get so muddled in all such emotions that we go on attracting more and more of them and there seems no end to the situations they bring in our lives. But thanks to Serenity Surrender that we now know how effortless and blissful life can be. We now know how to actually live every moment of our lives!

SS helps us know ourselves better which in turn helps us know people better. It empowers us to make our lives better and also make this world a better place!

- Vatsala

Miracles......a way of life!

      Three years ago, when I was in a lot of mess, my friend introduced me to Shivi and Serenity Surrender (SS). I was expecting to meet a counsellor, so when she started her healing session, being unprepared for it, I started doubting its efficacy. I just couldn't comprehend what was happening. But what I experienced in the following months was unbelievable. I had so much mental clarity, because of which, I was doing all the things that I always wanted to do. I was showered with so many opportunities from so many places. It was simply magical. Of course I did not know it then, that my altered beliefs were attracting the good things into my life.

        As time passed, I was back to my old self again and was wondering how I could experience that bliss again. There was also this one issue, that was really bothering me and I could find no way out of it. I prayed to God to help me. Within 15 minutes my friend called, and informed me that we were going to have a basic workshop in Pune in April 2011. I couldn't believe it. SS was the answer to my prayer!

        SS has made possible, all the things that I always dreamt of doing. It has also made possible, things which I never thought I would do. At the same time SS has helped me to know what I should hold onto and what I should let go.

        Prior to SS I was aware of the Vedanta philosophy, but was unable to put all of it into practice. SS has helped me do that. With SS there is so much more acceptance of myself than before.

        Recently I faced a major health issue. I kept healing myself as I have learnt in SS, and throughout this trying period I was able to maintain my calm. I hope to soon recover from it completely.

       SS has become a part of my life or rather a way of life for me. I now look at life as an adventure and a mystery to be unraveled!

- Sheetal Patil, Pune

Power of Surrender

The word ‘Surrender’ or ‘Surrendering’ brings in our minds the thought of being weak or weakness. We believe only the weak surrender!

Serenity Surrender (SS) has changed the whole understanding of the word ‘Surrender’ for me. I have experienced how we can experience a complete change in the situation by merely surrendering it to the Creator whole heartedly. The most powerful way of living is acceptance and complete surrender to the creator.

Living and leading life with full awareness of every little detail of each moment is the power of SS.

As conditioned we all are in our lives, brooding over our past and fearing, lingering over the future. SS empowers us to that extent that we actually start living above all these. The change in the way I used to think and work has been remarkable. Negativities present in situations and people don’t cause me worry anymore as I have understood how it was all my creation. Now I have the power to handle it with very simple tools that SS provides me. It’s amazing to experience how the energies work irrespective of who, where, what, we are.

-Shalini Gupta

Living Empowered

With Serenity Surrender (SS) by my side I feel empowered. Empowered to lead the same life with more awareness and acceptance of myself and my situations. Earlier I used to feel at the mercy of my destiny. Now the meaning of destiny has changed for me. I now understand and realise whatever happened in my life and whatever is still happening is all that I wished to experience.

It is so empowering and interesting to realise the power that we all are born with however are completely unaware of. SS has made me realise each moment how I create my own realities. Changing my realities and accepting the same are all in my hands.

All I can add here is I never depended so much on myself and my hidden powers before I made SS my way of life. Thank you so much SS for making me realise my own strengths.

 

-Moushami Roy Chowdhury

Experiencing the Pure Divine Love that We Are

Life is beautiful and so is each one of us. If all of us could absorb and imbibe this fact, this world and our lives would be full of love. Even if we believe that we are beautiful, the moment we face a problem we forget it. It seems natural for us to get so involved in our misery that we immediately disconnect with our inner divine beauty and the pure love that we are. But the power of spiritual healing comes in when even in critical situations we are able to keep our cool and go through them just as naturally as we would go through any normal situation.                 

What is spiritual healing?

Spiritual Healing is when we are able to connect to ourselves at soul level so that we understand and know our deepest emotions, needs and desires. Once we understand ourselves at the deepest level, we can reach the root of the negative emotions in us that are attracting negative situations in our lives. Just reaching and knowing such roots is not enough. We have to accept them in order to be able to heal them and move on to happier and better lives, that we all so deserve.

All of us are made of pure divine love. But somewhere during our journeys we have forgotten this because of the various painful situations that we have been through. Do we want to continue living that pain through more and more such experiences or are we ready to move on to happiness? Those who are ready to move on and make their worlds happier will certainly attract understanding the immense power that they are carrying within to attract the happiness that they so deserve.

Life is really a beautiful journey. The love that we are carrying within us is immensely powerful. We just need to realize it, know it and accept it. It has the power to make our lives absolutely happy and serene. Once we know it and understand its healing power, we will simply dissolve all our worries, pains and sorrows in it. All this healing power is our own and lies within us.

- Vatsala

Our Weakest Moments

Have you ever realised that we spend most of our lives either brooding over the past or fearing the future? We never even seem to be present to what the present moment is offering us. Regrets from the past and insecurities about the future occupy our thoughts too much to leave any room for recognising, acknowledging and accepting our present.

However, whenever we have looked back at our lives, even the toughest of times we have had, we are able to see how those times transformed us for the better. Everything that happened in our lives had a purpose. One thing led to the other, and has made us what we are today.

It does naturally imply then, that whatever is happening in this moment is in divine order, too. It certainly has a good purpose in our lives and will lead us to our growth. The purpose may or may not be evident now. However, more often than not, we feel miserable due to whatever we are experiencing. Is it a habit? It is probably due to the expectations we always carry about what should be happening with us. Comparison between our expectations and our reality always tends to demean the reality. That doesn’t change the reality though. Only when we have accepted the reality are we able to do anything to change it!

The weakest of our moments carry a seed of our transformation. They have the potential to uncover our strengths and bring out the best from within us!

- Shivi Dua

Why Heal?

Healing is a natural process the soul goes through inevitably, in its eternal journey. It is going through its experiences and learning its lessons from there. So what really is the objective of healing?

A healer intensifies and expedites the natural process of soul healing. With awareness of learning the lessons hidden behind human experiences, we can actually make our journey more meaningful, effortless and enjoyable. That is not to say that healing is about stopping doing what we are meant to do as human beings, but about realising that all is being taken care of, only if we learn to observe and accept what we are experiencing in the current moment. Thus learning healing is about learning to live in awareness of our experiences.

Serenity Surrender is a beautiful way of imbibing deeper understanding of our being and of our experiences. Since we tend to live our lives too focussed on the outside world, and how we are perceived in the outside world, we start living in ignorance of the needs of our soul. The soul then creates situations in our relationships, in our financial matters or even in the physical body that need our immediate attention. We come to a point where it is difficult to move on by ignoring that situation. At such times, we come to realise the limitations of what the outside world has to offer in terms of alleviating our intense misery. Usually, that is the time when one would opt for healing, to turn inwards, and begin the journey of self-realization.

By attending one of Serenity Surrender Basic trainings, one can learn healing and become capable of addressing their own issues which have been appearing to be out of their control. By getting an insight on the higher perspective of the life situation, one can actually bring about changes to one’s energies, which have been creating those situations for that person. It is very empowering to know that the root of all your problems is within you. When you have learnt to identify these roots within yourself, you realise how easy it becomes to understand your life situations and patterns and even change them. It is to be experienced to be believed!

Self-confidence and more love and acceptance for self are some of the natural outcomes!

- Shivi Dua