Enlightenment .. it's personal

All grasping is fruitless, all hoping is in vain 

For hope is of a future which may or may not exist.

Expectation only bears sorrow, running only takes you in a circle.

For all paths lead to the one source.

And if you touch that source even for a timeless second

It's as if every bird had composed a song of joy especially for that moment.

As if every loving exchange you had ever encountered came flooding back 

to fill your heart and your dream-time.

The subtle sweetness of this meeting is silent. boundless

Beyond the clumsy search of words

And it will change you

Cell by cell, fibre by fibre, for all time.

Apology:  I do not remember where I heard these thoughts, and an extensive online search has not helped me identify the source.  I trust the being with such beauty within is fulfilled by their publication.

How to maintain spiritual consciousness amidst the material energy

Finding that fine place of balance where I am applying the principles of my spiritual practice in the world of business has definintely become  my life's work.   Constantly I fall down in my efforts.  Constantly I need to find ways to live a life of love and truth.  Today this wonderful advice from Swami Satcidananda (spiritual master of my dear friend, Jan Stewart) popped into my inbox and I thought you might enjoy it.

"The lotus is considered to he a very holy and divine flower. Not just because of its beauty, hut also because of its qualities. A lotus flower grows in very shallow water, usually in a muddy area. Though it comes out of the mud and mire, it rises as a beautiful flower that lives in the water without being affected by it. The lotus flower is always given as an example for one who wants to live spiritually in the world. It is said, "Live like a lotus in the water." The lotus leaf is right in the water, hut it's never moistened by the water When you pick it up, it's completely dry. It never gets wet. If you throw a little water over it, the water will roll off and scatter around like pearls.

Aperson should live like the lotus, being in the world but not affected by it. You should always express your natural beauty, though you may grow in a dirty place. Nothing from outside should affect you.

The lotus is a symbol of love and devotion also. If you ever see the Goddesses Lakshmi or Saraswati you would see that they're standing on a lotus. Wherever Lord Buddha placed his foot, a lotus appeared to hold it. The feet of a holy person are called the "lotus feet."

The lotus flower turns its head towards the sun always. That means it always turns towards the light; it receives the light constantly. So you can say it's an ever-enlightened flower."

Love and light.

From "The Golden Present"

Daily Inspirational Readings by Swami Satcidananda