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The Soulful Practice Of Kirtan Chanting
An ancient spiritual practice less known in the West has transformed my spiritual routine in recent years. It is known as kirtan a beautiful form of devotional chanting that originated in ancient India.
The term “kirtan” comes from Sanskrit and means “narrating, reciting, telling, describing” of an idea or story, particularly in a religious context. This enchanting practice weaves together music, meditation, chanting, and a deep sense of spiritual expression.
Kirtan is a central practice in the Bhakti Yoga tradition, which emphasizes love and devotion to a personal deity. It involves the repetitive chanting of mantras and divine names, traditionally in Sanskrit, accompanied by musical instruments such as the harmonium, tabla, and cymbals.
Traditionally, kirtans focus on chanting the names of deities like Krishna, Rama, or Sita. The kirtan leader sings a line and the congregation responds, creating a rhythmic and melodic interplay that is both meditative and invigorating.
While Kirtan remains rooted in its spiritual origins, it has gained global popularity beyond India and the Bhakti tradition. As the practice of yoga has boomed worldwide, kirtan too has seen an immense rise in popularity. It’s a testament to the universal appeal and transformative power of this captivating practice.
Kirtan events and gatherings are known for being welcoming and inclusive, focusing on the shared experience of chanting rather than strict religious adherence. Unlike the typical musical experience in spiritual settings, kirtan invites everyone to participate in a soulful, call-and-response chanting that creates a profound connection to the divine and brings people closer together.
Tarot Forecast July 2024: The Tower
This month’s card is the Tower, which predicts the energies of disruption, revelation, transformation and the breaking down of old structures.
The Tower card is a powerful symbol of sudden upheaval and change. It’s traditionally depicted as a tall tower struck by lightning, representing chaos and upheaval. It represents life throwing us a curveball.
As lightning strikes and flames dismantle the old structure, it forces us to confront our foundations and belief systems. While painful, this destruction can lead to necessary revelations and a chance to rebuild on a stronger foundation. By letting go of what no longer serves you, you open yourself up to new possibilities.
The Tower showing up in a reading, though scary and troubling at first glance, always precedes a period of significant growth. Destruction creates opportunity. Most situations we face are opportunities, even the bad ones. It’s all about the opportunity and how you see it.
Embracing chaos will be the key to clarity and growth this month. This is a time to rebuild and redesign your life in a way that is more in line with your true self.
Approach the month with an open heart and a willingness to let go of what no longer serves you. Whether it’s health, finances, career, relationships or personal growth, the Tower’s influence will lead you to a more liberated and empowered version of yourself. Trust the transformative power of the Tower. Embrace the changes and you will emerge from this month stronger, wiser and more in alignment with your true self.
Finding Your Strength And Peace In Difficult Times
I’ve noticed many of my clients feeling as though the world is crumbling around them lately, unsure of how to navigate the chaos that surrounds them.
If this is true for you, then it is essential to remind yourself that the actions and choices of others do not define your path – it’s theirs to walk, not yours. Your focus should remain on your journey and how you can positively impact the world around you. Spirit has been very clear in its guidance in this regard.
Everyone has something in their soul that they need to release, move past and grow from or it will just karmically repeat itself in every lifetime. Let go of trying to fix other people or solve their problems and just move forward with your own life. Do not give your power away to anyone, for Source is with you and always wants you to keep your power.
If you find yourself constantly watching the news, engaging with negative content on social media, or dealing with recent grief from the loss of loved ones to suicide, terminal illness, or strained relationships, it’s time to take a step back and ground yourself.
Grief, stress, and anxiety can take a toll on your mental, emotional, and spiritual well-being. During these times, reconnecting with your spirituality and grounding yourself can provide comfort, strength, and a sense of peace. It is important that you do not let go of your inner power or allow the outside world to suck the life out of you.
Tarot Forecast June 2024: The Lovers
This month the universe presents us with the The Lovers. This Major Arcana card predicts the energies of passion, choice, connection and relationships as the tone for the month ahead. The primary energies this month are harmony, balance and unity. The Lovers card represents a time of deep connection and self-discovery with yourself and others.
The Lovers card is rich in symbolism, encompassing themes of connection, choice, and duality. It can represent romantic relationships, partnerships, or a harmonious balance between different aspects of the self.
This card usually symbolizes deep emotional bonds, love, and harmony in romantic relationships. It can signify the beginning of a new relationship, the deepening of an existing one, or the reconciliation of differences. It also represents the magnetic attraction and chemistry between lovers.
The Lovers card sometimes indicates instead an important choice or decision to be made. It emphasizes the importance of making choices that are consistent with one’s true self and values.
It can also represent moral dilemmas or ethical choices, encouraging us to follow our moral compass and make decisions based on integrity and truth. It can be a call to evaluate and realign with personal beliefs and values.
It also suggests duality and the balance between two forces, whether masculine and feminine, conscious and unconscious, or different aspects of one’s personality. It emphasizes the need for harmony and balance in relationships and within oneself. It’s about finding a balance between desires and responsibilities, emotions and intellect.
Is Your ‘Friend’ A Toxic Energy Thief?
Do you have a friend who constantly makes you feel unbalanced and drained, while adding no value to your life? We’ve all had that so-called ‘friend’ who doesn’t seem to care much about our well-being. Sometimes they don’t even seem to like us at all!
They are that fair-weather friend who drains your energy and constantly exhibits toxic behaviors that destroy your inner peace, steal your joy, and disrupt your spiritual balance. Interacting with them increases your stress or anxiety, and even triggers a sense of disconnection from your true self.
If you have such a “friend,” consider this a serious wake-up call. After all, with a friend like that, who needs enemies? And if you have more than one such friend, consider this an urgent intervention!
The truth is that having an energy vampire masquerading as a friend in your life poses significant spiritual dangers and negative effects on your overall health and well-being.
Constant interaction with someone who is unkind and unsupportive hinders your personal and spiritual growth. Instead of uplifting and encouraging you, they serve only to hold you back and may even discourage you from pursuing your dreams. These people are not your friends.
It reminds me of the karate classes I used to take. We were taught to have ‘situational awareness.’ In karate, this refers to being fully aware of your surroundings, including potential threats, opportunities, and obstacles during training, sparring, or self-defense scenarios. It involves being mentally present and observing the environment, the opponent, and any relevant factors that could affect the outcome of a situation.
Being Laid Off Can Spark Spiritual Growth
Being laid off from a job can be a profoundly challenging and disorienting experience. The experience tends to stir up a myriad of feelings, worries, and questions about one’s purpose, value, security, and direction in life.
But while job loss can be very unsettling and stressful, it also offers unexpected opportunities for personal and spiritual growth.
At its core, the spiritual journey invites us to explore the depths of our being and to seek meaning beyond the material realm. A layoff can serve as a catalyst for this exploration, prompting us to reevaluate our priorities, values, and relationship to work.
In many spiritual traditions, adversity is seen as an opportunity for growth and transformation, a chance to deepen our connection to the divine and uncover hidden aspects of ourselves.
Being fired is an invitation to surrender to the flow of life. In our modern society, we often cling to our plans and expectations, believing that we are in control of our destiny. However, a layoff can shatter this illusion of control and force us to confront the uncertainty and impermanence inherent in existence.
In the face of this new uncertainty, we have the opportunity to surrender our ego and trust in a higher power or cosmic intelligence to guide us on our path. This surrender is not an act of resignation, but rather an act of faith, a willingness to let go and allow life to unfold as it will.
Practices For Developing Your Psychic Awareness
Are you curious about increasing your intuitive awareness or developing your innate psychic abilities? Great! But how do you get started? It can seem like a daunting task, but it’s actually easier than you might think. But it does take some dedication.
Like any other talent, psychic ability can be practiced and improved with dedication and commitment. While some of us may have a stronger natural inclination toward psychic perception, everyone has the ability to improve their intuitive abilities through conscious effort, dedication, and practice.
Just as musicians hone their craft through consistent practice and athletes hone their skills through training, developing psychic talents requires a similarly disciplined approach. Regular practice will not only sharpen your existing skills, but can also unlock hidden potential you never knew you possessed.
By engaging in psychic development exercises, complemented by appropriate spiritual practices, anyone can sharpen their intuition and psychic awareness and become more attuned to subtle energies and impressions. However, it’s important to approach this journey with an open mind and a willingness to explore the depths of your consciousness.
Cultivating psychic abilities also requires patience and self-discovery. As you embark on this path, you may discover unique strengths and intuitive abilities that are waiting to be developed. With perseverance and a positive attitude, you can embark on a transformative journey to expand your psychic awareness and harness your innate potential.