Remembering, by Fiorella Puga.

I remember I was your voice

the voice that made me dance

in the very Beginning

You and I were humble Love

waiting patiently for the moment to arrive

We were laughing and crying at the infinite

when I flew away

How softly you whispered the words

that made me body

and to your very Om

I answered Amen

You started blowing on my forehead

the forces of this Universe

and drew the most beautiful path

only with a kiss

a kiss of Light

I have been traveling since then

performing for You are Art

Your patience was my strength

and your beauty my tears and smiles

I can see pieces of heaven in my fingers

for you have always held my hand

Still I remember I was your voice

the I love that made me dance.

Holy Basil (Subhamoy Das)

The tulsi or holy basil is an important symbol in the Hindu religious tradition and is worshipped in the morning and evening by Hindus at large. The holy basil is also a herbal remedy for a lot of common ailments. Here're top fifteen medicinal uses of tulsi.

1. Healing Power: The tulsi plant has many medicinal properties. The leaves are a nerve tonic and also sharpen memory. They promote the removal of the catarrhal matter and phlegm from the bronchial tube. The leaves strengthen the stomach and induce copious perspiration. The seed of the plant are mucilaginous.

2. Fever & Common Cold: The leaves of basil are specific for many fevers. During the rainy season, when malaria and dengue fever are widely prevalent, tender leaves, boiled with tea, act as preventive against theses diseases. In case of acute fevers, a decoction of the leaves boiled with powdered cardamom in half a liter of water and mixed with sugar and milk brings down the temperature. The juice of tulsi leaves can be used to bring down fever. Extract of tulsi leaves in fresh water should be given every 2 to 3 hours. In between one can keep giving sips of cold water. In children, it is every effective in bringing down the temperature.

3. Coughs: Tulsi is an important constituent of many Ayurvedic cough syrups and expectorants. It helps to mobilize mucus in bronchitis and asthma. Chewing tulsi leaves relieves cold and flu.

4. Sore Throat: Water boiled with basil leaves can be taken as drink in case of sore throat. This water can also be used as a gargle.

5. Respiratory Disorder: The herb is useful in the treatment of respiratory system disorder. A decoction of the leaves, with honey and ginger is an effective remedy for bronchitis, asthma, influenza, cough and cold. A decoction of the leaves, cloves and common salt also gives immediate relief in case of influenza. They should be boiled in half a liter of water till only half the water is left and add then taken.

6. Kidney Stone: Basil has strengthening effect on the kidney. In case of renal stone the juice of basil leaves and honey, if taken regularly for 6 months it will expel them via the urinary tract.

7. Heart Disorder: Basil has a beneficial effect in cardiac disease and the weakness resulting from them. It reduces the level of blood cholesterol.

8. Children's Ailments: Common pediatric problems like cough cold, fever, diarrhea and vomiting respond favorably to the juice of basil leaves. If pustules of chicken pox delay their appearance, basil leaves taken with saffron will hasten them.

9. Stress: Basil leaves are regarded as an 'adaptogen' or anti-stress agent. Recent studies have shown that the leaves afford significant protection against stress. Even healthy persons can chew 12 leaves of basil, twice a day, to prevent stress. It purifies blood and helps prevent several common elements.

10. Mouth Infections: The leaves are quit effective for the ulcer and infections in the mouth. A few leaves chewed will cure these conditions.

11. Insect Bites: The herb is a prophylactic or preventive and curative for insect stings or bites. A teaspoonful of the juice of the leaves is taken and is repeated after a few hours. Fresh juice must also be applied to the affected parts. A paste of fresh roots is also effective in case of bites of insects and leeches.

12. Skin Disorders: Applied locally, basil juice is beneficial in the treatment of ringworm and other skin diseases. It has also been tried successfully by some naturopaths in the treatment of leucoderma.

13. Teeth Disorder: The herb is useful in teeth disorders. Its leaves, dried in the sun and powdered, can be used for brushing teeth. It can also be mixed with mustered oil to make a paste and used as toothpaste. This is very good for maintaining dental health, counteracting bad breath and for massaging the gums. It is also useful in pyorrhea and other teeth disorders.

14. Headaches: Basil makes a good medicine for headache. A decoction of the leaves can be given for this disorder. Pounded leaves mixed with sandalwood paste can also be applied on the forehead for getting relief from heat, headache, and for providing coolness in general.

15. Eye Disorders: Basil juice is an effective remedy for sore eyes and night-blindness, which is generally caused by deficiency of vitamin A. Two drops of black basil juice are put into the eyes daily at bedtime.

DISCLAIMER: These are only general guidelines as a first aid. It is always better to see a doctor depending upon the intensity of the case. The views expressed above are entirely those of the author.

Suggested Reading

• All About Tulsi - the Holy Basil
• All About Ayurveda
• http://hinduism.about.com/b/

Hindu Goddess Kali (Isha Lerner)

You darkness, that I come from, I love you more than all the fires that fence in the world – for the fire makes a circle of light for everyone, and then no one outside learns of you. But the darkness pulls in everything: shapes, and fires, animals, and myself, how easily it gathers them! --powers and people. And it is possible a great energy is moving near me. I have faith in nights. –Rainer Maria Rilke.

Life is a quarry, out of which we are to mold and chisel and complete a character. –Goethe.

To go in the dark with a light is to know light. To know the dark, go dark. Go without sight, and find that the dark, too, blooms and sings, and is traveled by dark feet and dark wings. –Wendell Berry.

The ego meets the daunting task of unraveling and unmasking itself in surrender to the Divine. The price of pursuing true freedom can be very high, at least from the vantage point of the ego; to the extent one is unable to let go of the trappings of the false self, a deep, spiritual form of suffering may result. We must enter the path of awakening through love.

The Hindu Goddess Kali stands guard, sword in hand, seeking to clear the demons of the unconscious that may obstruct your progress toward liberation. Perhaps the most ruthlessly compassionate of the Dark Goddesses, Kali will do whatever it takes to wake you up from the dream of your life. Do not fear. Love heals all.

In accepting our weaknesses, we find our greater strengths. When we discover the root of our suffering, we can weed out the debris of our past and bring our fears to the light. Vibrational remedies, such as flower essences and homeopathy can be very helpful in releasing subliminal forces of negativity held within the soul.

Star Child (by Isha Lerner)

A Star Child is a luminous being who possesses a fierce individuality, strong will and equally strong character. Called to earth at this time to be in service to humanity at a critical stage of human evolution, their truest mission is to undo habitual patterns of human consciousness at the collective level, while dedicating their lives to building “a new world” in the wake of the old. Currently, there are many Star Children on earth who have not yet remembered their true identities and reasons for being here. As more and more remember, however, they, too, will be recognized and greeted by kindred spirits. Are you remembering? Perhaps you are in the process of birthing a little being of light. It is, indeed, a privilege to be granted such an opportunity. Always remember "you can wish upon a star."

TPRF Food for People Fundraise Program on Facebook.

A heartfelt thanks to all of you who are helping TPRF move toward 1st place in the Facebook Giving Challenge contests.

Each $10 contribution from you, your family, and friends is making a big impact. For those who can, please keep it up; 1 contribution every 24 hours will bring us closer to our goal of winning $50,000 for TPRF.

Others can help just as much by passing along information to co-workers, friends, and anyone who might be interested in participating in the Foundation’s Food for People program that helps break the cycle of poverty.

You do not need to be a member of Facebook to participate.

The direct link to TPRF Cause on Facebook is:

http://apps.facebook.com/causes/381473

Little by little we can make a big impact.

Kindest Regards,

Linda Pascotto

Children see. Children do.

Child Friendly advertising

Learn to connect within to share that peace with your children.

Happy Animals' Day!

Woman found a lion injured in the forest, ready to die. She took the lion with her, nursed him and made arrangements with a zoo to take care of him when healthy. This is his reaction when seeing her again after some time.

May both their actions help us uplift our consciousness regarding animal importance in our lives.

Dolphin (Susan Seddon Boulet)

The dolphin is associated with feminine energies and the primordial waters of life; the word derives from the Greek delphinos or womb. Demeter, the Greek goddess of fertility, was represented by the dolphin in her role as mistress of the sea.

In the painting, the life-giving and feminine energy themes are emphasized by both the swimming dolphins that frame the woman's face and the infant emergign from a womblike nautilius shell.

Dignity

Dear friends,

We just received this message and would like to share it with you today. It reminded us of some of the reasons we decided to make a personal commitment with society through our daily work: Inner Healers.

Messages like these help us go inwards and evaluate what is it we really want for ourselves and those we love, while they remind us of the importance of each of our choices.

May you listen to your higher self thru this girl's words. May you stop acting from fear while preventing yourself from happiness. May you choose Love instead, it always leads to happiness.

Love and Light,

Luciana Stiglich

www.InnerHealers.com

Let it be Healed

The less the head, the more the wound will heal. Let it be healed. Just for twenty-four hours, try it - total acceptance, whatsoever happens. Someone insults you, accept it; don't react, and see what happens. Suddenly you will feel an energy flowing in you that you have not felt before.

Transformation (Osho)

A master in Zen is not simply a teacher. In all the religions there are only teachers. They teach you about subjects which you don't know, and they ask you to believe because there is no way to bring those experiences into objective reality. Neither has the teacher known them - he has believed them; he transfers his belief to somebody else.

Zen is not a believer's world. It is not for the faithful ones; it is for those daring souls who can drop all belief, unbelief, doubt, reason, mind, and simply enter into their pure existence without boundaries. But it brings a tremendous transformation.

Hence, let me say that while others are involved in philosophies, Zen is involved in metamorphosis, in a transformation. It is authentic alchemy: it changes you from base metal into gold. But its language has to be understood, not with your reasoning and intellectual mind but with your loving heart. Or even just listening, not bothering whether it is true or not. And a moment comes suddenly that you see it, which has been eluding you your whole life. Suddenly, what Gautam Buddha called "eighty-four thousand doors" open.

Osho Zen: The Solitary Bird, Cuckoo of the Forest Chapter 6

Commentary:

The central figure in this card sits atop the vast flower of the void, and holds the symbols of transformation - the sword that cuts through illusion, the snake that rejuvenates itself by shedding its skin, the broken chain of limitations, and the yin/yang symbol of transcending duality. One of its hands rests on its lap, open and receptive. The other reaches down to touch the mouth of a sleeping face, symbolizing the silence that comes when we are at rest.

This is a time for a deep let-go. Allow any pain, sorrow, or difficulty just to be there, accepting its "facticity." It is very much like the experience of Gautam Buddha when, after years of seeking, he finally gave up, knowing there was nothing more that he could do. That very night, he became enlightened.

Transformation comes, like death, in its own time. And, like death, it takes you from one dimension into another.

The World needs your Passion

We hear a lot of wake-up calls about our planet and its future. Climate change, peak oil. We know there is an urgency about the situation and that we are being called upon to act now.

And yet when we look at HOW we're being called upon to act, we can see that the messages so often relate to us as consumers. Individuals who have a duty to make a difference in the privacy of our own individual lives. Turn our lights off, stop flying, don't use plastic bags. These activities are, of course, useful. And yet, all the while that 'consumer' is our primary identity, we are trying to solve our world's crisis with the same level of thinking that created the problems in the first place.

Maybe there is somewhere else to look, and another way to look, and maybe it has something to do with what our true 'duty' is.

We have long associated doing our duty with sacrifice. We have contorted ourselves into jobs which don't suit us and which don't suit humanity or our planet. Meanwhile, our passions have become hobbies - something we do in our spare time, just for us. Following our hearts, responding to our passion's call, have been sneered at as luxuries that only some of us can afford.

So here's another perspective... Our duty is to leave the job we don't enjoy, the lifestyle that doesn't fulfil us, and follow our passion. When we look at how interdependent we humans truly are, we can suddenly see that staying in that unfulfilling job is a selfish act. We can see how not following our passion, not doing what we feel called to do, is selfish. Our duty, in actual fact, is to sacrifice the drudgery, the complaining, the settling and the plodding, and devote ourselves to discovering and acting upon our deepest desire to contribute.

Yes, there have been compelling wake-up calls. Yet as far as I know, no-one has come knocking on your door as you watch TV, thankful for having survived another monotonous day, and looked at you in amazement, shouting: "Excuse me!? What are you doing?? We need you!" They haven't engaged the most magnificent version of you, they haven't called you to step up and be all that you can be and offer that to the world.

Consider these words that knock. That wake-up call you have secretly yearned for - that one which says - you are needed. You are so, so needed. Yes, you are being asked to reduce your carbon footprint. This is vitally important. But you are also being asked to increase your contribution footprint. The kind of footprint your heart is calling for you to leave.

The big lie has been that you don't really matter. We have created a society which has made it so easy to forget that we are needed. Cheap oil has created the foundation for an industrialised nation which has positioned us as consumers instead of contributors. Cheap oil as our primary resource has distracted us from the realisation that we are all precious resources. We have deemed it acceptable to waste our potential, just as we have decided it was okay to squander the planet's natural resources. The truth is: you are one of our planet's natural resources. You are a vital source of energy. You are also a finite resource. One day, you too will run out. We only have a brief moment in history in which to fully experience your unique gifts. Let us use you efficiently while you're still here.

As our society transitions from high-carbon to low-carbon, as humans transition from seeing ourselves as separate to recognising that we are interdependent, I invite you to find your place within that transition. Hear this as a call of gentle urgency. Not a panic that will blind you and trip you up. Not gentle that lets you disappear quietly back to 'business as usual'. Gently urgent in an "I'm holding you, let's do this, there is no time to lose" way.

"Let's do this" means asking yourself these questions: What are you truly passionate about? When do you feel most alive? What is your unique contribution to our society - that thing that only you can do in exactly the way you do it?

Among us, there are people who can turn old plastics into jewellery, teach children to cook, inspire a government representative, design sustainable homes, chair community meetings, give healing massages, forage for wild food, create powerful film documentaries, write songs and make clothes. When we hold back our contribution, our community suffers. We deprive our community, just as we deprive ourselves of the pleasure of offering our gift.

Let's not make up that one gift is more needed than another, someone's talent more 'eco' than someone else's. If we do that, we fall into the same trap of creating hierarchies between species and between people that, again, has caused our problems in the first place. It is not just the obvious environmentally useful skills, such as permaculture, that are needed in the transition years. We need people who can tell jokes, organise offices, care for children, counsel relationships. People who know how to clean buildings, paint, spread the word, design websites, campaign for justice. There is such truth in that beautiful quote by Howard Thurman: "Do not ask what the world needs. Ask what makes you come alive. The world needs more people who have come alive."

Start right now. Do not wait to find your life's purpose or 'get it right'. Start right now to see yourself as a contributor, not a consumer. If you love writing, put fingers to keyboard or pen to paper. If you love gardening, ask your neighbour if they'd like to learn some new skills. If you work with kids, read them a story about how interconnected all of nature is.

Whether your passion is x or y, j or g, just do it. Do it, do it, and commit to doing it forever. Know that your passion is not just about you, it's about all of us. There really is no more time to waste.

(c) Corrina Gordon, 2008
The World Needs Your Passion, being in an inspirational writing competition (run by www.ooffoo.com , a branch of Natural Collection). Here's the link to all entries, many of which you may find uplifting (I haven't actually read most of them yet). To vote, simply tick and submit the form.