Monthly Archives: March 2020

A prayer is that comes from your own heart. So, I’ve captured what I prayed for today.
Forgive us oh Lord, for we have lost our way in your world
But you are the forgiving god I love so much and trust
When my form gets small, your mercy turns capacious
Your compassion can absorb my fears and distress
Only you could deliver me out of this peril from abyss
Your world- my home, is in pain and needs your care
I submit myself to your grace and pray for your mercy
Your children are suffering the afflictions of own follies
We did lose our way in to the gluttonous wilderness
We barred the sun in covetous frenzy of self-conceit
We drained the oceans to suck out the last treasure
We wounded the earth that fed our hunger generously
Only you could lift the shroud of the evil fog so dense
May you infuse life back into the dead humanity, Lord
Hope we could be reborn as the children you intended
Guide us to make the right choices in the new Universe
where we would build bridges with no bars to shut out life
May we be the children of light and live in faith together
I seek your forgiveness on knees and with folded hands
Save us, save us, save your children to enter the new world
We make this planet a healthier home, a harmonious haven
Only if you forgive us all, we can start afresh by your will
Amen

Yesterday, I saw black clouds, sun and snow, all in one day in West London! This was a celestial message for me. In the current global crisis, some of us will get the overcast but clouds are fickle, snow drops might hit your window but they would smash into a slush, some might be lucky to bathe in warm sun; and then there will be some of us who would get a mixed bag of all these natural phenomenon. So, the current calamity too is just a waiting game and in other words a very temporary phase of human life. Since yesterday my interest in clouds has turned into love. I am fascinated by the way clouds change their shapes and positions. May be this is the nature of coronavirus too, but it will pass just like the clouds. Anyway, so what’s the moral of this post then? Make anything from your surroundings your psychological mentor or coach for the day, as I have reiterated before as well. Change your inspirational guru every day to keep it interesting and effective. In my case it was clouds today and I know tomorrow I might be meeting a different guide. Look around, there’s so much to learn from amongst god’s creation. Every new day shortens the life of COVID-19 by one day. We shall all get ready for the funeral of the dragon called, coronavirus as it will be the greatest celebrations of Saint George’s day , Baisakhi or Dusehra or whatever day you would like to call it un-religiously. The incentive is in celebrations and instead of naming it by a yet another separatist term, let’s look forward to the enormous human celebration of unity and victory achieved by standing together, for once. Here’s to our victory against COVID-19 and mark it by joining me in lighting the 12^th candle towards our mission. May Almighty bless us with life and peace  to live happily ever after. Amen

I watched a post on you tube of a mum in self isolation and was talking about her boredom as a big challenge and looked sad but in the background her daughter was playing with toys and laughing- happy in her own world. I was awe inspired by the innocence of the toddler and it taught me a big lesson. If I want to be truly calm against the present adverse events, then I need to develop a child like innocence that I was once gifted with. The word innocence is by no means synonym with ignorance, but an ability to ignore selectively. The word is like a tree with many branches and leaves. Confidence, courage, happiness, contentment, and you can add many more positive adjectives of your choice from the dictionary to define innocence. In all these senses of the word, I thought I need to metamorphose myself into becoming a positive thinker and feeler. I turned the telly off as despite knowing what is going around in the outer current world, I didn’t want to spend my time counting the negativities. I meditated to absorb the thought that had enlightened my heart and tested myself with a question:  What is my biggest concern with coronavirus? My answer was obvious but with broader horizon- A general concern along with social responsibility is understandable but not to be self-absorbed with pensive micro-analysis of every situation. Almighty is telling me that if I and my loved ones have been protected so far, his/her blessings shall continue if I keep a relentless faith in the Universe. I believe this and am going to live in my inner present which will construct my future. So far so good and thenceforth. Amen. This thought brought a smile on my face, and then I was distracted when my husband asked me, ‘What are you smiling at?’ ‘ I am smiling at a great lesson that innocent child on the telly taught me,’ I replied. This is what I would say to anyone; take inspiration from whichever source around you and there is no social distancing from an insight. Hope you all find your innocent idol. May the Lord protect us all.

As per my daily commitment, I started the day by thanking the Universe for protecting me and my family against the pandemic; but it felt like a ritual as if I was on an auto mode to utter the mere words, ‘thank you universe……’ as soon as I had woken up. This didn’t feel quite right, despite enacting the popular prescription of LOA. So, what was missing? My ‘thank you Universe’ tasted like hot water without the tea bag. Yes, it was the feelings that were missing from the mix. Sometimes we repeat the same action or words to an extent that we become numb to its effects. This was a wakeup call for my faith. I meditated and this time felt my gratitude towards the almighty for keeping me and my loved ones safe. Since we appreciate the whole creation of the Omnipotent, I remembered to pray for the safety of all life on this beautiful planet. I recall an extract from a Sikh prayer, ‘Tere bhaney sarbat da bhala’, meaning, ‘Hey Lord, may your blessings be for the welfare of all humanity.’ I felt happy now, I mean really content with my sincerity of gratitude. These are unprecedented circumstances surrounding the whole mankind currently, but belief is what will get us through- believe in yourself first, believe in your maker and then believe the blessings of the merciful almighty. The best way to strengthen your belief is by way of a profound and honest gratitude. This is the time to express our appreciation for all the gifts we have been enjoying in life so far. We have been in the fast lane for so long, so now that we had to force park our life in the refuge area temporarily, let us use this time to relax, recover from the never ending round about hysteria and thank god for the safe journey so far and thenceforth. I am lighting the 10^th candle of faith against COVID-19, and as usual, please join me. We shall sail through this temporary storm together. Thank you, Universe, we seek your protection; kindly save us from all the perils that threaten the very life you’ve created. Amen.

I went to Tesco today for essentials, as haven’t panic shopped at any time- just wanted to add that proudly. You know what? I was so…pleasantly surprised to see a perfect collaboration between the shoppers and the Tesco management in applying compliance to social distancing. Everyone was methodical and patient while enduring almost half a mile queue. I felt a warmth rising inside my heart to see that we were responding to the cry for the human life. This picture of men and women stood out against the background of wars, territorialism, nationalism through consumerism, and inventing any excuse for standing separate discriminately against one another. I would like to think that the current purgatory must result in a grand reward for all mankind- and what can be greater than standing united to uphold ‘the’ life. Even though I am not a big fan of the term, purgatory in its meaning of ‘punishing’ the sinners, but do believe that the present suffering will inspire us to appreciate what we currently have and extract happiness from the precious simplicities of life, like fresh air, birds chirping in the clear skies, daffodils blooming in the right weather, to name a few. On the metaphysical level I so wish our planet transforms, on balance, in to more of a spiritual ( without religious reference) than materialistic society, where science is used to spread peace and create a harmonised global family of human beings as our creator had intended. We are on the right track so far-  keeping distance from our family and friends is painful, but I feel that this social distancing has created the necessity to invent an invisible bridge of bond between us with love, empathy  and   respect, instead of mortar and bricks. Let’s use technology for the peaceful purpose of keeping in touch and keeping well, from a safe distance. Even the darkest cloud can’t hide sun forever. Stay focused as there is a greater world beyond this temporary storm. Amen.

Today, I feel like telling a tale. Plague had hit a village and the only safe place seemed to be the hill. But there was a problem- As per the popular legend the hill was home to a monster, who would devour anyone attempting to climb the mountain. It was for this reason that no one had ever dared to attempt climbing. Since there was no where else left to escape, the villagers gathered enough courage to run up the hill, but then there were those who were too scared to even think of such a perilous attempt. Also, since there wouldn’t be any food up on the rock, some decided to stay in the village just hoping for the best. Once up the hill, the villagers found that there was no monster, but sweet berries and apple trees amongst the mesmerising chirping of the birds under the luscious sun. They felt that they made it, in more than one sense. A few weeks had passed, and the villagers thought of the ones left behind. They tried to peep from the top, and saw a young boy looking up at the hill very sadly. He shouted with all his might to tell the villagers that the plague had gone but so did everyone else, leaving him alone behind. Everyone had tears in their eyes, so they plucked enough fruit and started their journey down. Once they reached the village, they offered the food to the hungry boy and started re-building the village. We may think that isolation is a monstrous hill, and no one says it’s easy but really that is the only ground that bears the fruit of life. Let’s offer this fruit to others by inspiring them with own example. Lets pledge to climb up together, so no one is left behind alone and those who are nervous of quarantine, just remember that they can still hear the birds, bask in the sun, consume what is necessary and thank technology that can still connect us to the world outside, from inside. Well, if religions could flourish on parables, then hope this tale could embed a belief in ourselves. Thank you, Lord, for the gift of life.

My cat, my loving little Dutch, was purring and her tail was straight up and apparently it connotates an extremely happy pet. Dutch was my inspiration today – she is an indoor cat and yet has managed to keep so happy and excited. I thought I’ll spend the day by following my pet’s lifestyle to feel as happy and satisfied. Dutch munched on her simple breakfast, so I cooked scrambled eggs with toast for the family; Dutch was now ready to play, so I played with her as I love to muck about with this beautiful woolly cuddle. When she had enough, she went to the snooze town, giving me some quiet time to meditate. My tabby loves to get breeze over her perfect whiskers through the window gaps; and I absorbed the glowing rays of the sun in the back garden. While Dutch entertained herself with her toys, I was determined to retain my health with yoga. I read a book; I wrote my blog but mainly just chilled. It can be done- thank you Dutch for coaching me how to spend a pretty relaxed day with minimum social activities, which maximises my chance to shelter against the invisible enemy, by shutting it out.

It’s not an option but an ardent choice: ‘I will stay positive’. So I came up with a game for the family. I placed two empty jars in the sitting room with a small pile of coins and pebbles; every one was asked to put a pebble for every negative feeling or thought in jar A and all the happy thoughts to go in the jar B. I wanted to see how much negativity has been created in my household by the dastardly virus against the usual strength of poise. I must say, in the first 3-4 hours of the day there were more pebbles than coins. We all had a collective chat as a family which improved the coin situation a bit. Then my daughter skyped one her friends, as did my son call his cousin for a chit-chat. Result? My children came out of the room smiling and dropped a couple of coins in the jar B- brilliant! So asked the reason for this burst of happiness. What I understood was the fact that they had simply taken their mind on to something else that interested them. So, there it is again- as Law of Attraction will define the secret to staying positive, or at least as I have comprehended: Ignoring negativity is the best repellent against moroseness and consequently it helps to restore the equilibrium of mind and soul. Hence, I would emphasise categorically not to listen to the continuous whaling of the news channels. Taking precautions is sensible but getting obsessed with over thinking about the problem is detrimental to all the three elements- body, mind and soul. At least try- don’t leave any stone unturned to find every bit of happiness even amongst the crisis and it’s this antidot that will see us through, believe me. If anyone desire to hoard, then hoard on positiveness, and go easy on the supermarket shopping. Control the virus but spread happiness.                  

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I am not crazy about the ‘on the hour, every hour’ news watching, but today I couldn’t avoid the blaring cautions resounding via the global box, which we call television. We might have now triggered a lockdown due to our inability to be flexible and adapt to any change. Hence, it’s clear: we not only need to change our pre-conceived thoughts for our spiritual advent, but also for cleansing our socio-physical aura. This is the nature of being human that we learn from our mistakes- and that is alright so long we are learning, but most of the times we are extremely resistant to a lesson even if it slaps us in the face. Our history is a testimony to this effect. This thought gave me a mission for the day, which I would like to share with my readers. I closed my eyes and grounded myself in a quiet sanctuary in the house and contemplated deeply on a question, ‘Could we defeat COVID-19 by changing our stubborn predisposition?’ I really felt the word that resounded in my mind- ‘yes’, ‘yes’ and ‘yes’. But how? By valuing our own life and respecting the right of others to live. How exactly are we going to execute this action? I can think of the following 6 steps to get closer to a healthier life beyond coronavirus: 1) If we can’t keep healthy apple with a decaying one in order to prevent cross contamination, then that’s exactly what we need to do towards each other, especially when we don’t know who is a carrier. Leonardo da Vinci designed a new city during the plague, and we need to redesign a healthier society. 2) Give a breathing space to all our loved ones. We don’t need to socialise like sardines in a tin. Moreover, technology has helped us to keep in touch with one another remotely. If we were spending absolute hours calling, texting, skyping, emailing our loved ones in healthier times, then why can’t we do so as the need of the hour now? 3) Stay healthy by thinking about good times, for example- what a beautiful world would it be past the virus! Plagues have come and plagues have gone in the past, so present time can’t be an exception. Consider as if self-isolation is an admission into a health spa, which comes with strict regime and utter resistance from every fibre in the body at first; but then both body and mind accept the change and its advantages. Some examples of indoor exercises : yoga, dance, meditation, prepare a menu for healthy eating, painting, cross-words, sudoku and so much else. 4) This is an opportunity for the earth to heal, give our mother planet that space. It’s an opportunity to directly contribute towards reducing the effects of global warming- less consumerism except for necessities of course, less air and land pollution, and so on. Consider that we are building a new world for us and our progeny. 5) Life is not a conveyer belt, so slow-down and chill. No more wishing it was a Sunday, at least temporarily ( I say this while saluting the heroes of the society- Doctors, Police, Fire fighters, food outlet workers, public transport drivers, etc.) this is the time to watch your favourite programmes on the tele, read that abandoned book on the shelf, or just glide with your fancy. Imagine, imagine, imagine and get to that hobby you have forsaken for so long. 6) Widen the horizon of your thinking- this land is not a private estate for only human beings, it is a union territory to be shared by all God’s creatures. We have kept many members of the animal community out of their habitats, now if we stay inside our own homes for a while, they could recuperate some of their loss. This is a burden on every man and woman, and here’s an opportunity to pay back some of the Nature’s loan.

Meditation is like quarantine within your own self; and in my views it’s the best form of curfew I could ever experience. So, while isolated in my own deep thoughts today, I realised that for Law of Attraction to work against Coronavirus, I need to do something transcending. Government and medical experts can tell us about the physical actions towards cleanliness, which we all must conform to. However, we need inner cleansing too for our mental health during these challenging times. So, I activated my positive thoughts and let the consequent feelings flow free as antibodies within my whole inner self: my mind, my sub-conscious or however anyone prefers to call this ‘self’ inside. I started with gratitude for seeing another day with my family in complete health. Then, I went through the album of life with only happy pictures of my family, friends, pets and myself – some airbrushing to magnify the beauty in these snaps is absolutely allowed; just as getting rid of some over exposed ugly pictures which are totally uncomplimentary to this beautiful life. After I had re-arranged only the gorgeous pictures and disposed of the clutter of washed out images, there was room made for new photogenic snaps. I felt a new enthusiasm for my life and sense of self-preservation. Keeping myself and family healthy is not an option, it’s the only way to shoot the whole beauty of being to get a perfect album of my life. However, I would like to absolutely add here that if someone is not feeling so well around you, then your positive thoughts will have a halo effect on them. Positiveness can be very contagious and happiness begets happiness. If you are own your own, don’t think you are alone as no one is entirely alone ever: we have our thoughts and feelings with us. This is where looking at the best pictures become relevant; and it will tingle the happy pulse that has temporarily dropped. Let us all get to this task of re-arranging our snaps- a well rewarding activity to fill quarantine. So, spend some time with your own self in isolation and collect the precious gems of happiness that time had buried in the mines of your sub-conscious. Remember meditation is a flexible action: you can meditate while washing dishes, playing with your dog or taking a stroll in the back garden or even in fact sitting in an aasna- entirely your choice; however, it should be uninterrupted and not amongst other distractions. Happy quarantine.