St.Clare of Assisi is not a shadow of Francis

From Clair’s“Letters to Agnes of Boehmia”

"Place your mind before the mirror of eternity!
Place your soul in the brilliance of glory!
Place your heart in the figure of the divine substance!
And transform your entire being into the image
of the Godhead Itself through contemplation.
So that you too may feel what His friends feel
as they taste the hidden sweetness
that God Himself has reserved from the beginning
for those who love Him" (3LAg 12-14 ).

Sometimes we are forced to think of Mother Clare as if completely overshadowed by the person and vision of St.francis of Assisi. But this is not to be counted that way. Reading through the sources, there is a strong sense of independence of Clair’s vocation. Francis never wanted her to be a shadow of his. She was such an elegant woman, whom God blessed with pristine discretion to be own her own on the path to Jesus. We cannot for the great regard and inspiration that was between Francis and Clair. But we should not make them dependent in any way. They both had their own ways, though those were almost identical. But we should never oversee the distinctness of graces. Together they complemented and completed the Franciscan ideal.

Remember Clair in no way a shadow of Francis, she had her own light, inspired and guided by Francis.

All the king's horses and all the king's men

“Humpty Dumpty sat on a wall.
Humpty Dumpty had a great fall.
All the king's horses and all the king's men
Couldn't put Humpty together again”.

In our brotherhood, we had the discretion to keep many words below the breath level. Even when forced to utter those, we all knew in all the frankness of the truth and charity that they really discredited our integrity, tranquility and credibility. But yet we had those terms in our gleeful secret talks wherein we talked much and reduced ourselves to mean persons. ‘Small people talk about people...’, as Tobias S. Gibson observes and we know it out of experience. But we always knew how and where to limit ourselves. But recently the things turn the other way, I am afraid.

The talk is about the’ kings’ and ‘kingmakers’, put in black and white with a request for a display on the boards. I do appreciate all the people of character who dared not to place ‘those’ on exhibit, solely because they could recognize that such scraps do not belong to our notice boards, which is indeed a part of tradition ( I know how much value and respect a piece of paper commends, when mounted on our common board, from not so long past experiences….), but to the Paper Shredder machine, so that not even a naughty servant boy should peep into it when he takes it to the burning place.

For heaven’s sake, please don’t transfer personal problems into the entire community. Do not transfer your problems to us, dividing the serenity of the people with whom you share your life in commitment to those three graces. Everybody has their own angels to struggle with, just as Jacob of the Old Testament had. It is such a demanding struggle, that one to come through as a victor. Please do not rob us of our angels and replace devils to wrestle with. Please be charitable enough not to overburden us.

We may be able to term some as ‘kings’ due to their service responsibilities or childish fancies. We all wanted to be the ‘prime players’ all the time during our childhood games. Some people ever refuse to grow up from those infantile obstinacies, due to their wronged notions of self worth. But they are all excellent people, except that they can see others only in pro or con categories. We should all be sensible enough to save those people of their blinded visions, by not joining party to them, in all the charity and space that suits the gospel we believe and preach.

Please remember and be sure that there are no “kingmakers” or “people induced by geographical location of birth”, clamoring for ‘local’ justice. All such ‘local’ dreams shatter the universality of our vocation ideal. But as to be expected in any society, there are a few ‘person-turned-puppets’ dancing to the tunes they themselves so unfamiliar with. They are all wonderful people, except they are so insecure and dependent. We should be charitable enough to extent our understanding and try to bring them back to the knowledge of self-worth. They just need to feel secure.

Someone is there, forcing his insecurities upon us…
Someone is there, making us serve his selfish designs…
Someone is there, telling a lie, in guise of truth…
Someone is there, hiding amidst us, dividing us with all false promises…

Be brave and believe, there is nothing that cannot be solved, if you really want it.
If you want a solution you can have it in all the grandeur and dignity of peacefulness.
If not, you will stay forever as a problem…
Remember nobody really appreciates a problem, though they may tolerate it for some time…

To touch the face of God

Scriptural journey through the Psalms need a fair bit of adventurous mind and attitude. If you ever dared to scale the mountains (however small it may be...), risked the forest foliage paths, and followed the streams, you are in most probability to understand better the language of the Psalms. When it sings of mountains, green pastures and streams, you will feel it in the best way possible then.

John M.Scott, S.J writes elaborately about this in “Touching the Face of God”. He writes beautifully about the Yosemite “ is a ballet of mountains standing on tiptoe. It is a symphony in stone with sentinel peaks rising like exclamation points in surprise over their own agility. It is a rhapsody of delight in granite monoliths that soar into the zenith as though they never heard of the law of gravity.”( ‘To God on skis’).

It all need the courage to leave the plains and to ascend in pursuit of visions and experiences higher… yes it is time to say good bye to the valleys… do dare to move up….closer to the heavens as near as possible….

My Jotting board: Alfred Adler in a breath…

The master of Individual psychology: I(the individual and the society)

Break away from Freudian notion of Sexual motivation and instincts as determining human nature

Stress on the Dynamics of the whole Family (sibling position. Sibling rivalry, Family constellation)

“STYLE OF LIFE”
Basic helplessness of all the children
Feelings of inadequacy
So the act of compensation or/and of over-compensation

Boy-feminine nature as sister gets more attention,
Shouting nature as father/mother who shouts more wins often the situation,
Delicate child: more care when sick.


The development of “MISTAKEN STYLE OF LIFE”: so they never learn from mistakes

Fear of failure, and the more fear of his/her test of adequacy


link for more info: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alfred_Adler

Are you going to Scarborough Fair?

If you have little time pls listen to this track from "A New Journey" (2007) by celtic woman


Are you going to Scarborough fair?
Parsley, sage, rosemary and thyme
Remember me to one who lives there
He once was a true love of mine

History of this song: http://www.geocities.com/paris/villa/3895/
watch 'celtic woman' perform it: www.youtube.com/watch?v=_45W-Lq7ftw

celtic women

When I am down and, oh my soul, so weary;
When troubles come and my heart burdened be;
Then, I am still and wait here in the silence,
Until you come and sit awhile with me.

You raise me up, so I can stand on mountains;
You raise me up, to walk on stormy seas;
I am strong, when I am on your shoulders;
You raise me up: To more than I can be.

www.celticwoman.com

vatch video on youtube: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=70IHIrvAO_w

thanks to joyson.

from "Chief Seattle's Letter To All THE PEOPLE"

"Every part of the earth is sacred to my people. Every shining pine needle, every sandy shore, every mist in the dark woods, every meadow, every humming insect. All are holy in the memory and experience of my people.

We know the sap which courses through the trees as we know the blood that courses through our veins. We are part of the earth and it is part of us. The perfumed flowers are our sisters. The bear, the deer, the great eagle, these are our brothers. The rocky crests, the dew in the meadow, the body heat of the pony, and man all belong to the same family.

The shining water that moves in the streams and rivers is not just water, but the blood of our ancestors. If we sell you our land, you must remember that it is sacred. Each glossy reflection in the clear waters of the lakes tells of events and memories in the life of my people. The water's murmur is the voice of my father's father"

i am back

"Because the best of the world lies in the smallest and the most inconspicuous…
Because reality is more enchanting than the fantasy…
Because magic lies in what you already have."

(this is from the literature on CGH Earth hotles.)

Harry Potter and the deathly hallows

The two men appeared out of nowhere,
a few yards apart in the narrow, moonlit lane.
For a second they stood quite still, wands directed at each other's chests;
then, recognizing each other, they stowed their wands beneath their cloaks and started walking briskly in the same direction.

"News?" asked the taller of the two.
"The best," replied Severus Snape.

The lane was bordered on the left by wild, low-growing brambles, on the right by a high, neatly manicured hedge. The men's long cloaks flapped around their ankles as they marched...........

The Dark Lord Ascending
welcome to Harry Potter......

washing my hands...

Good things, when short, are twice as good. -Tom Stoppard

Actually what I try is to be ‘twice good’ as Stoppard says,
and not that I mince myself, here.
So when someone out there force himself/herself to word their blog, in all protest to my ‘apparent elegance forgery’ (yes… I know ‘you’ will read it for sure),
I am helpless,… not that I am answerless, but I am just keeping silence to save your magnamania….

Bon Voyage (bôN' vwä-yäzh')….ahhahaha

When The Night Feels My Song

"When the night feels my song
I'll be home, I'll be home
When the night feels my song
I'll be home, I'll be home"

Yes, this time it is a Jay Malinowski of Bedouin Soundclash Band captivating me...
Take time to listen ....realy interesting blend of music...
Dear purist-musicians here, are you listening??????

Band homepage

what kind of a Brain you have? :-)

"Sacred Moment" a prayer by Paulo Coelho

Lord, protect our doubts, because Doubt is a way of praying. It is Doubt that makes us grow because it forces us to look fearlessly at the many answers that exist to one question. And in order for this to be possible…

Lord, protect our decisions, because making Decisions is a way of praying. Give us the courage, after our doubts, to be able to choose between one road and another. May our YES always be a YES and our NO always be a NO. Once we have chosen our road, may we never look back nor allow our soul to be eaten away by remorse. And in order for this to be possible…

Lord, protect our actions, because Action is a way of praying. May our daily bread be the result of the very best that we carry within us. May we, through work and Action, share a little of the love we receive. And in order for this to be possible…

Lord, protect our dreams, because to Dream is a way of praying. Make sure that, regardless of our age or our circumstances, we are capable of keeping alight in our heart the sacred flame of hope and perseverance. And in order for this to be possible…

Lord, give us enthusiasm, because Enthusiasm is a way of praying. It is what binds us to the Heavens and to Earth, to grown-ups and to children, it is what tells us that our desires are important and deserve our best efforts. It is Enthusiasm that reaffirms to us that everything is possible, as long as we are totally committed to what we are doing. And in order for this to be possible…

Lord, protect us, because Life is the only way we have of making manifest Your miracle. May the earth continue to transform seeds into wheat, may we continue to transmute wheat into bread. And this is only possible if we have Love; therefore, do not leave us in solitude. Always give us Your company, and the company of men and women who have doubts, who act and dream and feel enthusiasm, and who live each day as if it were totally dedicated to Your glory.

Amen

What the Romans Didn’t Know: Flip Flippen

personal constraints

Law 1. We all have personal constraints.
              And there are more than ten! Some are “hireable,” like employing a highly-efficient assistant to keep your disorganization from becoming fatal. But others are “owned constraints” such as low self-control and not being able to maintain effective relationships. You can’t hire someone to care about your employees on your behalf. One of my clients actually suggested this as a solution!

Law 2. You can’t rise above constraints that you don’t or won’t address.

We are blind to some of our biggest constraints. But we also tend to cling to some obvious constraints that stare back at us in the mirror—a common one being stubbornness. If you think, “I’m not stubborn!”, you probably are.

Law 3. Our personal constraints play themselves out in every area of our lives.

They are with us 24/7 (sort of like mosquitoes in a Texas summer). At work, at home, and anywhere in between. And they affect those around us.

Law 4. Personal constraints are role-specific.

Behaviors leak into every compartment of our lives but become constraints only when they get in the way of attaining specific goals. High aggression can be beneficial in competitive sports but disastrous in social interactions (or in a library!).

Law 5. Those with the least personal constraints…WIN!

It’s not necessarily the most talented or the hardest working that win but rather those who remove their most impacting constraints. Go, underdogs!

To be our best, we can—and must—learn how to minimize our behavioral constraints while maximizing our strengths because real success demands more than talent and ability.

The wonderful universe: Roy Abraham Varghese

Today an excerpt from an international best seller by a keralite.
This indeed is a wonderful book…buy/borrow/grab/steal a copy of it….

“Great scientific minds, from Isaac Newton to Albert Einstein to Stephen Hawking, have in fact recognized that the universe is indeed an invention, the invention of infinite Intelligence. As these scientists see it, science becomes especially exciting if we recognize its true mission as the study of an invention generated by an infinite Mind. Einstein said that it is the cosmic religious experience that is the strongest driving force behind scientific research.

To grasp the inventedness of the world, we need to both reflect on the big picture and look at the universe as if we were seeing it for the first time. Now you’ve described this as a poetic vision pre-dating science. Let me remind you that many of the greatest modern scientists were driven more by the beauty they
discovered in the structure of the world than by any other consideration.
Richard Feynman, for instance, said that truth can be recognized by its beauty and simplicity. The poets have much to offer as well. William Blake talked of seeing a world in a grain of sand. Gerard Manley Hopkins sought the dearest freshness “deep down things.” These may have been pre-scientific intuitions, but they seem to me perfectly compatible with all that we’ve learnt about fields, particles and space-time.”

(The Wonder of the World By Roy Abraham Varghese)
http://www.tyrpublishing.com/
http://www.thewonderoftheworld.com

I Can Read Your Mind

This time the question comes from a cocky young man.
“So can you can read my mind?”

He must be very very clever, otherwise how can he say such a stupid thing?
He just says it to annoy me.

Only very recently did I come to realize that I was the stupid one.
Of course, I can read people’s minds. And it’s not just psychologists who can do this.

We all read each other’s minds all the time. How else are we able to exchange ideas and create culture? But how do our brains enable us to enter those private worlds hidden in the minds of others?

I can see the edges of the universe with a telescope and I can see the activity in your brain with a scanner, but I can’t “see” into your mind. The mental world, we all believe, is quite distinct from physical reality. And yet in everyday life we are at least as much concerned with other minds as we are with physical reality. Most of our interactions with other people are interactions between minds, not between bodies.

You are learning about my mind by reading this post.
I am hoping to change the ideas in your mind by writing this blog.

The art of Mirroring and matching

The most popular way to create rapport is to use mirroring and
matching. This technique copies a naturally occurring process. When
you observe two people who are in love you will see that their
movements almost copy each other’s. They often ‘finish each other’s
sentences’.

When it is taught, one is encouraged to mirror the
movements and behaviour of the person with whom they are
communicating. If they are seated opposite a person and the person
moves their left hand, then the student subtly moves their right
hand. If the head is tilted to the right, the student tilts their head to
the left. In this way a person is almost seeing a reflection of
themselves in the student.

This process is developed in ever greater detail. So the student will
notice the rate and depth of breathing of the subject. They will notice
the movement of the diaphragm and match it. As the breathing is
matched it makes it easier to match the rates of speaking.
The matching process is extended to the speech patterns being used
by the subject. So the words and sentence structure is also matched.
If the subject expresses themselves in a certain way then the student
states their ideas using the language of the subject.

When all the mirroring and matching techniques are combined they
are very powerful. The subject is being ‘hit’ at many non-verbal
levels by congruent communications. This is the 93 per cent of
communication identified by Mehrabian. When the subject senses
that the person that they are speaking to is like them then they are
more likely to trust them. They are more likely to suspend their
critical faculties and act ‘on trust’.

Our behaviour: The seen and the unseen

I hope it is clear…..

Old maps

‘When you discover you are riding a dead horse the best
strategy is to dismount.’
                                                       -Dakota tribal saying-

For a moment try a brief thought experiment.

Imagine that you have gone to a town for the first time. You try and find your way around the town with an A–Z that is 30 years out of date. How would you do?

The chances are that at times you would have few problems.
However, at other times you may find it impossible to get around. You read the map and follow it, yet you cannot reach your destination. You may be frustrated and angry. This type of response is not good for your health. At other times you may just quit. You cannot find the place so you stop trying. When you consider this scenario it seems improbable.

Who would try and get around a town with an old map?
Who could be so foolish? Yet we have a psychological map for ‘getting around our social world’. This map includes directions on understanding ourselves, others and what to do in a variety of situations. These psychological maps are developed as we grow up. When they are accurate we can read the world well and achieve the results that we desire. However, in many situations our psychological maps resemble the 30-year-old A–Z. The results can often be deeply frustrating and result in disappointments, frustrations and a sense of failure.

“The Four Seasons”

Buy, Grab, or Steal this album….

Vivaldi “The Four Seasons”
Concerto in E major, Concerto in G minor, Concerto No. 4 in F minor,

Really inspiring…and wonderful. Now i have it on my Fav.list.....