In this issue:
01. Welcome
02. Please Visit Our Sponsors
03. News, Updates & Reminders
04. Our Monthly Poll
05. Our Featured Books of the Month - August 2000
06. The Power of Thought - Training of the Imaginative Mind
07 7 Steps from Positive Thinking to Positive Living
08. Ancient Wisdom - Living Together in Balance
09. Let's Be Inspired - Our Weekly Inspiration
10. Join the Race for the Big Cats & The Rain Forest
11. From our Spiritual Marketplace
*** Welcome ***
To the old and new visitors and
friends of
The Aumara Light & Healing Circle alike,
may you have a month filled with love, light and joy.
*** Thank you for visiting our
sponsors ***
ENTER
TO WIN THE DELIVER-E MAUI FREE SPIRIT SWEEPSTAKES
and you could be on your way to relaxing on the island of
Maui.
One selected winner and a guest will receive a trip for two to
Maui, Hawaii. The package includes Round trip air transportation
provided by United Airlines. 8 days/7 nights accommodations
provided by the Sheraton Maui Resort, one ocean view room/double
occupancy. Winner will also receive an intermediate size car
rental for the duration of their stay.
HELP
SAVE A NEEDY CHILD'S LIFE...
that without your help may not survive. Your support can provide
vaccinations, basic medical care, education and clothing. To
receive a free information package, or to make a donation or to
sponsor a child, please click the link below. Your help really does
make a difference in the lives of children who have so little.
*** News, Updates & Reminders
***
You are receiving this newsletter a little earlier than
usual, since the founder of our Circle, Anita-Naama Asman,
will be absent from the Circle between July 29 and August 8.
Therefore, all requests for the global healing list,
healing initiations, and listings to the global healing list
will only be handled upon her return on August 8. We take
this opportunity to remind you that you can also place
Global Healing Requests at our Forum
All NEW subscribers to our newsletter and all OLD subscribers
referring NEW subscribers are entitled to enter our monthly
drawing for a FREE healing initiation (Read more about our
healing initiations
You can refer a friend by
* sending them this newsletter and requesting them to subscribe
(and be sure to let them know that as a new subscriber they
can enter the monthly drawing)
* referring them to our newsletter sign-up
page
That page is also the place to enter the drawing, after having
referred your friends.
If you refer more than one person, you are absolutely entitled
to enter the drawing for every person you refer.
Are you holding a spiritual seminar? A workshop? A
Gathering or meditation ? You can now ANNOUNCE
YOUR SPIRITUAL
EVENT TO THE WORLD at The Aumara Light & Healing Circle.
*** Our Monthly Poll ***
Following are the results of last
month's poll:
What is the most important aspect of spirituality in daily life?
1) Awareness
20%
2) Faith
12%
3) Giving
4%
4) Love
30%
5) Religion
1%
6) All of the above 29%
7) Something else 0%
**This month's poll:
Do you believe that a person's future can be predicted by
divination or psychic means?
To vote and see results please go to
http://www.alxpoll.com/cgi-bin/poll.cgi?user=333042
You may also want to join the
discussion on this poll at our
Forum at http://www.delphi.com/aumara/messages/?tid=77
*** Featured Books of the Month -
August 2000 ***
Below you can read a short description of each of this month's
featured books.
For the full review please visit our Bookstore
|
Note: After August
2000, please go here
to find previously featured books. |
"The
Tao Of Abundance Eight Ancient Principles for Abundant Living"
-
By Laurence g. Boldt
In this timely, accessible book, Laurence G. Boldt applies ancient
wisdom to modern life, presenting eight guiding principles from
Taoist philosophy geared to help you make the practical changes
that will enable you to enjoy new levels of abundance in all
areas of your life. With exercises designed to help you find
a balance between societal demands and your own deepest desires,
this helpful, inspiring book gives you the tools you need to
chart your own path to total abundance.
"The
Encyclopedia of Spirituality: Information And Inspiration
To Transform Your Life"
By Timothy Freke
With so many different forms of spirituality expressed by people
today, this vast encyclopedia can help you make your own intuitive
decisions about what is right and feels relevant to you.
Find out what Shamans are, what Yogis do, who the Sufis were,
what Buddha taught, what Cabala is, what the ancient Pagans believed,
and why Christian mystics were persecuted. Explore spiritual practices
such as meditation, Koa's, rituals, pilgrimages, and magic, so that
you can decide which ones you would like to know more about later.
"Revive
Your Spirit in Just Minutes a Day With Simple Self-Led Practices"
By Rachel Harris
In this simple and inspirational book you'll discover how twenty
minutes of daily guided solitude will enable you to integrate the
spiritual benefits of retreat into the overly consuming demands of
everyday life. The more than 190 retreats in the book are based on
twelve universal themes that each of us journey through at some
point in our lives -- Faith, Forgiveness, Gratitude, Healing,
Intuition, Joy, Love, Patience, Peace, Relaxation, Self-Acceptance,
and Self-Care. Drawing from many different cultures, traditions,
and psychological disciplines, 20-Minute Retreats walks you every
step of the way through the self-renewing, spiritually uplifting
rewards of retreat.
**To read the full reviews please visit our Bookstore
at**
|
Note: After August
2000, please go here
to find previously featured books. |
*** The Power of Thought ***
1. Training of
imaginative mind
Ask people what images come to their mind when they hear the
word "happiness". The answers you will receive will differ
substantially. Words remains empty, until 'imaginations' fill
them with life.
When we were kids we all had very vivid imaginations, we
experienced the most fantastic stories, some of them being
quite 'irrational', and when we told our parents about it,
they reacted by saying that 'these things don't exist'
The imagination, the image we had experienced was taken
away from us by intellectual grown-ups, whose logical
mind dismissed our images and stories as nonsense.
Little by little, this has made us 'sober'. The little
child filled with imagination turned into a rational
grown-up.
Following is a simple exercise which helps us to
develop our ability to see images:
** Place a flower you especially enjoy looking at
on the table. Look at it carefully. Then close your
eyes.
** Now you will see the flower with your inner eye.
Maybe only for a second, maybe two, this is not
important. The moment the flower disappears from
your inner eye, open your eyes for a short moment,
then immediately close them again, letting in the
image of the flower again and then imagining the
image again.
** Repeat this step again and again, for about five
minutes
** Next take another motif, like an apple, a vase, or
anything else. Look at your motif, this time only
shortly, close you eyes, imagine and visualize
your motif, see it with your inner eyes.
Practice this daily for about a week (or as long as it
takes until you feel fully confident with it), and you will
notice a difference in your imaginative abilities as
well as in your perception of things. Then continue to do
this exercise once a week.
Visualizing mean creating images, and it is extremely
important because our subconscious receives more
information from one image than from a thousand words.
If you have a certain goal in mind, it is important
to create clear images of this goal. These images must
be different from any images of your present situation,
otherwise your subconscious will see them as being part
of your present life and not as something new that
you wish to achieve.
Following is an exercise you can do to train your mind
to focus on a specific goal you want to attain without
having the images of your present situation interfere.
You will need to be confident in the previous exercise
to do this one:
** While washing the dishes or cleaning the house,
imagine that you are lying on the beach.
** While standing with your eyes open, lifting your right
leg and your left arm, imagine that, with closed eyes
you are lifting your left leg and your right arm
** While dancing a walse, imagine you are dancing a tango.
You can use your imagination to create more examples to
this exercise, which you should also do daily in the
beginning, until you feel confident with it.
We will continue our training of the imaginative mind
in our next newsletter.
*** Seven Steps from Positive
Thinking to Positive Living ***
1-)-Positive Thinking-)-
Understanding that everything is perfect, because it serves and
helps me to walk through life with care and perseverance, full
of trust and humor, calmly doing what has to be done, gratefully
realizing the truth revealing itself behind appearance, and
living securely in the fullness of being.
2-)-Positive Feeling-)-
Accepting others openly and harmoniously the way they are,
confidently relying on my feelings and feeling worthy to live
in abundance, contemplating life without judging and lovingly
letting happen the things that need to happen.
3-)-Positive Wanting-)-
Wanting to learn and wanting to understand, excusing and
forgiving, wanting the right thing, listening to what
life wants, relinquishing my own wants for higher wants.
4-)-Positive Talking-)-
Learning to express myself clearly, learning to be silent and
to listen without giving unrequested advice, being honest in
word and action and giving gifts of words, bestowing courage
and comfort to others and myself, using words only to help,
to thank and to bless.
5-)-Positive Acting-)-
Acting with circumspection and forbearance, being helpful,
kind and constructive, remaining considerate and persevering,
independent from the expectations of others, learning to
give and to take and knowing to do the right thing at the
right moment through inner guidance.
6-)-Positive Retreating-)-
Retreating regularly into silence, making time for prayer
and meditation, surrendering to truth and reality in
harmony, and feeling safe and sound in it.
7-)-Positive Living-)-
Honoring the spiritual laws, walking through life carefree
and calmly, knowing that all is equal, nurturing harmonious
relationships and seeing the beauty of all things, loving
to live, but being ready to leave this life at any time,
gratefully and consciously fullfilling ourselves every
moment.
*** Ancient Wisdom - Living
Together in Balance ***
In his mystical poems, the renowned Indian mystic philosopher
KABIR (1440-1518) also pondered on how a student of spirit has
to act in practical daily matters.
-- Do not criticize --
One should not indulge in criticizing others. We should not
deal with other people's mistakes, because by dwelling on them
they are likely to enter our own state of mind. Wherever one
person has to say something negative against the other, a negative
atmosphere is bound to develop between these two (even if the
criticism is not being voiced)
In India the following story is being told:
Two teachers, looked upon as sages, once came to a rich man
who accommodated them with the best of hospitality. One of
them thought: "If I can convince the rich man how wise I am,
he will probably donate me more than a fair share." Therefore,
as soon as his companion had left the room he turned to his
host saying: "I studied the Vedas and the Holy Scriptures.
Compared to me my companion is a mule."
The rich man listened without saying a word. After a short
while the first teacher left the room, and the second teacher
immediately seized the opportunity to let the rich man know
that his companion was "nothing more than an ox, carrying
along with him books he does not understand."
Again, the rich man listened silently. Soon lunch time came,
and he served his guests food in bowls covered with
napkins. When the two preachers uncovered the bowls, they
noticed to their surprise that one bowl was filled with
grass and the other with straw.
The rich man explained: "I have to assume that this is the
kind of food you like most. One of you called the other a
mule, and mules like to eat fresh grass. The other called
his companion an ox, and as an ox prefers straw, I served
straw."
Needless to say, these two preachers had learned their
lesson, thanks to a great teacher (who was the actual
sage in this case).
-- Start With Yourself--
The questions is how can we overcome our inclination to
criticize one another, which is so common. The masters
advise us: If you want to criticize someone, criticize
yourself. This has the advantage that you can free yourself
from your own mistakes.
When it comes to criticizing ourselves we are normally very
generous, because we have difficulties seeing our own
shadows and misjudgments, as shows the following story:
A man came to a master and requested to be initiated. The
master said to him: "Come back in a month. But beware of lies
until then." The man replied: "That is no problem for me at
all, because I never lie." - "Very well. But should you,
against
all odds, catch yourself lying at one occasion or another, put
aside a pebble each time, and bring the pebbles with you next
time you come here." The man agreed, even though he was convinced
that he would not have to bring even one pebble.
When he came home his wife asked him where he had been, and he
thought to himself: "If I tell her that I went to see the
master she will probably be angry", and so he made up an
excuse. Immediately he became aware that he had actually told a
lie, and so he picked up a pebble and put it aside.
One month later he returned to the master, and again
requested to be initiated. When the master asked him for his
pebbles, he replied: "I accumulated such a mountain of pebbles
that I cannot carry them around with me, they are too heavy.
I had never paid attention to the mistakes I made. Only when
I was asked to pay attention to them did I realize how many
there are during each day."
--Do Not Overestimate Others --
Kabir also advises us not to "praise somebody to the skies".
This advice is not as easy to understand as the advice not
to criticize. Why, we may ask, should be not praise someone's
good traits? Is their good example not giving the ability to
unfold these traits within ourselves?
This may be correct, but we have to consider one single
important aspect: When we have nothing but praise for someone,
we get attached to them, and we will follow them, even if they
choose a wrong or harmful way, in which case we too, as being
attached to them will have to bear the consequences.
Kabir therefore advises that if we feel the urge to glorify
someone, it should be God, because if we get attached to God,
we will find enlightenment and do not have to return to this
world.
Our lesson of living together in balance means neither to look
down on others nor to set them on a pedestal, but to meet them
in the spirit of equality and impartiality.
***Let's Be Inspired - Our Weekly
Inspiration***
"The Mind -
This is the beginning and the end of it all.
The quality of one's life depends on nothing but the mind.
If one's words or deed some from an impure mind,
then suffering will follow.
If one's words or deeds come from a pure mind,
then happiness walks with him as his own shadow.
How can such thoughts as
"He abused me, he cheated me, he robbed me,"
release one from the snares of anger?
Hatred is never banished by hatred.
Hatred is only banished by love.
This is a law that will never change.
We are guests in this world,
here for only a short while
Those who know this truth do not waste their time
with quibbling or gossip.
Living only for pleasure,
stuffing oneself with this and that,
being lazy and undisciplined -
This makes one powerless.
Maya's illusion blows him about
like a twig blown about in a storm.
One who chooses the beneficial over the pleasurable,
Who has his senses under control,
Who has faith and puts forth effort -
He is a mountain
That stands unshaken by the winds of this world...
As rain seeps through a poorly thatched roof,
Passion seeps through a poorly trained mind.
As rain is held back by a well-thatched roof,
Passion is held back by a well-trained mind.
One who knows the scriptures
But does not live by them
Does not share in the bounty of a holy life.
He is like the cowherd
Who counts someone else's cattle.
One who knows a few lines from the scriptures
And lives by them -
Harboring only good thoughts,
Banishing hatred and delusion,
Wanting nothing from this world or the nest -
He reaps the full bounty of a holy life."
From the Dhammapada
For this week's inspiration please visit Let's Be Inspired at
http://www.aumara.com/inspirations/inspiration.html
<a href="http://www.aumara.com/inspirations/inspiration.html">
Please click here for hyperlink</a>
For more inspirations please visit our Inspiration Gallery at
http://www.aumara.com/inspirations/inspirationgallery.html
<a href="http://www.aumara.com/inspirations/inspirationgallery.html">
Please click here for hyperlink</a>
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**** Spiritual Articles *****
--------------------------------------------------------------------
We invite you to submit your article or essay to our Circle
to be published at our articles page.
You to not need to be a writer to participate and you
do not need to own a website.
We are looking for spiritual and inspirational stories,
articles & essays.
Please review at http:www.aumara.com/articlesubmit.html
*** Join the Race for the Big
Cats & the Rain Forest
*~*~*The Race for the Big Cats*~*~*
Follow the link below to click on one of the endangered Big Cats -
Tiger, Jaguar, or Snow Leopard - to make a free donation to support
Wildlife Conservation Society's Big Cat habitat protection programs.
It's free because Care2.com sponsors cover the costs-only one click
per day. And every day you login, you are entered to win a free trip
for two through the Amazon Jungle donated by Adventureseek.com!
Experts estimate that there are only 5,000-7,000 tigers left in the
wild today. Approximately 50 percent of the jaguar's original
habitat is now gone. Only 5,000-7,000 snow leopards remain in the
wild due to demand for their fur.
So please join us in Care2.com's Race for the Big Cats! It's an
easy way to help protect vital Big Cat habitat and help make the
planet an even better place to live.
Follow
the link to save the endangered Big Cats
*~*~*The Race for the Rain Forest*~*~*
What is the Race for the Rain Forest?
Care2.com's Race for the Rain Forest is a quick, easy way to
help save the rain forest with a simple point and click.
Each click generates a donation, paid by advertising sponsors,
to The Nature Conservancy's Adopt An Acre Program.
Where the Money Goes:
Care2.com donates 100% of Race revenues to The Nature Conservancy's
Adopt An Acre Program. The Nature Conservancy is currently working
with its long-time Bolivian partner, PROMETA, to purchase nearly
4,000 acres of land to create an ecological corridor between the
Tariquia National Flora and Fauna Reserve in Bolivia and
neighboring Baritu National Park in Argentina.
This is the second race for the Rain Forest, and its finish
line is August 1, 2000.
Save
the rain forest with a simple point and click:
***** From Our Spiritual Marketplace
*****
Our Spiritual Marketplace - Shopping
for the Soul.
Shop at our Marketplace and enter our drawing for a
US$25.00 gift certificate - details at the of this
section.
GREEN
WIZARD SHOPPE - TAROT & RUNE READINGS
Here you can consult the ancient oracles of Runes & Tarot
to councel you, order a reading, learn a bit about the
Wizard and about Runes & Tarot.
SINGING
BIRTHDAY CARDS
Birthday cards with a difference!
Singing birthday cards with a personalized version
of Happy Birthday professionally recorded for you.
SOUL
MATE CONNECTIONS
If you are currently in a relationship,
would you be interested in having a deeper,
more loving connection?
If you are single, would you like some help in
learning how to create a wonderful new relationship?
Now you can discover how to avoid common mistakes
and create the love you desire.
WANDERING
STAR DESIGN
Wear Your Universe! Based on your Natal Horoscope,
our necklaces and bracelets are wearable, readable
astrology charts, accurate to the degree. They combine
the science of Astronomy with the art of Astrology to
be practical as well as elegant. Made from your birthrate,
birthplace, and birth time, each is completely unique.
ORBITING NIGHT SKY
- NEW AGE MUSIC
Music dedicated to the purity of consciousness, the healing
of our spirit and the reunification of our spirit with the soul.
Dedicated to all those whose eyes reach to heaven with their
feet planted firmly on the earth and their hand extended in
compassion and love to all life everywhere.
For many more inspiring products & Services, and to enter
our drawing, please visit our Spiritual
Marketplace
10% of this month's revenues from our Spiritual Marketplace
go to The
Shrimati Puspha Wati Loomba Memorial Trust aimed at
educating the children of poor widows in India
***Thank you for showing
your support by shopping with us!***
