Knowing What We Want
“Man never knows what he wants; he aspires to penetrate mysteries and as soon as he has, he wants to reestablish them. Ignorance irritates him and knowledge cloys.”
–Henri-Frédéric Amiel (Swiss Philosopher, Writer and Poet, 1821-1881 )
“Amiel’s Journal: The Journal Intime of Henri-Frédéric Amiel” (Henri Frédéric Amiel)
Health and Purpose
“Give a man health and a course to steer, and he’ll never stop to trouble about whether he’s happy or not.”
–George Bernard Shaw (Irish Dramatist, Socialist and, in 1925, Winner of the Nobel Prize for Literature, 1856-1950)
Living Your Legacy
“Men cannot for long live hopefully unless they are embarked upon some great unifying enterprise — one for which they may pledge their lives, their fortunes and their honor.”
–Clarence Addison Dykstra (American Educator, Civic Administrator and, from 1945-1950, Chancellor of UCLA, 1883-1950)
Your Plan and Your Purpose
“A Course In Miracles” (Foundation For Inner Peace)
“What could you not accept, if you but knew that everything that happens, all events, past, present, and to come, are gently planned by One Whose only purpose is your good?”
–A Course in Miracles (Book of Spiritual Principles Scribed by Dr. Helen Schucman between 1965 and 1975, and First Published in 1976)
Are You Meant For the Path?
I constantly meet people who tell me that they want to follow a spiritual path, but then begin to flounder when I ask them “Why?” or “What are you going to commit to doing on your Path?”
This a a fine expression about the Path by the close spiritual collaborator of Sri Aurobindo.
“What do you want the Yoga for? To get power? To attain to peace and calm? To serve humanity? None of these motives is sufficient to show that you are meant for the Path.
The question you are to answer is this: Do you want the Yoga for the sake of the Divine? Is the Divine the supreme fact of your life, so much so that it is simply impossible for you to do without it? Do you feel that your very raison d’etre is the Divine and without it there is no meaning in your existence? If so, then only can it be said that you have a call for the Path.
This is the first thing necessary – aspiration for the Divine.
The next thing you have to do is to tend it, to keep it always alert and awake and living. And for that what is required is concentration – concentration upon the Divine with a view to an integral and absolute consecration to its Will and Purpose. Concentrate in the heart. Enter into it; go within and deep and far, as far as you can. Gather all the strings of your consciousness that are spread abroad, roll them up and take a plunge and sink down.
A fire is burning there, in the deep quietude of the heart. It is the divinity in you – your true being. Hear its voice, follow its dictates.”
–The Mother of Pondicherry (a.k.a. Mirra Alfassa, French-born Indian Spiritual Teacher, 1878-1973)
What’s NOT the Answer?
“I think everybody should get rich and famous and do everything they ever dreamed of so they can see that it’s not the answer.”
–Jim Carrey (Canadian Actor and Comedian, 1962-)
Knowledge Is Our Destiny
“We are a scientific civilization. That means a civilization in which knowledge and its integrity are crucial. Science is only a Latin word for knowledge. Knowledge is our destiny.”
–Jacob Bronowski (Polish-born British Scientist, Author and Poet, 1908-1974)
“The Dragons of Eden: Speculations on the Evolution of Human Intelligence” (Carl Sagan)
Unfolding As It Should
“Whether or not it is clear to you, no doubt the universe is unfolding as it should.”
–Max Ehrmann (American Lawyer, Author and Essayist, 1872-1945)
“The Desiderata of Happiness: A Collection of Philosophical Poems” (Max Ehrmann)
Knowing Your Personal Mission
“Knowing our personal mission further enhances the flow of mysterious coincidences as we are guided toward our destinies. First we have a question, then dreams, daydreams, and intuitions lead us toward the answers, which usually are synchronistically provided by the wisdom of another human being.”
–James Redfield (American Author, 1950-)
Have You Found the Essence of Your Life?
“There are people who so arrange their lives that they feed themselves only on side dishes.”
–José Ortega y Gasset (Spanish Philosopher, 1883-1956)
