Posted on September 17, 2020 by ikram0408@gmail.com

The Magic In You!

How to unveil it and embrace it in your everyday life?

Our souls yearn for magic. Kids love all stories about magic, and even as you get older magic and fantasy still have their place in your heart because they all have the ancient archetypes that we have experienced in our life’s journey, but it gets easier and easier to forget the “spells” that bring it out. And that’s when attracting magic into your life becomes a fundamental need.

As adults, we constantly find ourselves stuck solving problems, fighting (or protesting) against all the injustices we feel like we are victims of. These are the kinds of circumstances you try to survive, but while you’re doing that you forget to look up. The good news is that it’s possible to attract or re-attract the magic. Shaping a magical vision of the small things is a mental state, and everyone has the power to create their own “magic button” to bring them into that state whenever they want.

How to unlock Magic in your LIFE?

“Magic happens when you have encountered the Divine. It is the life-altering experience of connecting to the divinity that dwells within yourself and in the world.” — Phyllis Curott

The best way to find magic in everything you do is to be observant, to believe that there is an unseen world, bring in your heart, and tune in to your energy, emotions, and senses in every experience.

Below are a few tips to unleash magic in your life:

1. Do Something Different: break the habit of being on autopilot all the time, A new study by Daniel Gilbert (who wrote a great book called Stumbling on Happiness) and Matthew Killingsworth, confirms that most of us are ‘mentally checked out’ a good portion of the time.

It turns out that just under half the time, 46.9% to be exact, people are doing what’s called “ Mind Wandering” we do not focus them on the outside world or the task at hand, they are looking into their own thoughts. Unfortunately, the study of 2,250 people proposes,

Researchers found that people were at their happiest when making love, exercising, or engaging in conversation. They were least happy when resting, working, or using a home computer.

People reported that their mind wandered no less than 30% of the time, during everything except love making. And here’s the kicker: people report being unhappy during mind wandering. Something that we do nearly half the time makes us unhappy! No wonder there are so many spiritual and religious traditions trying to implore people to ‘live in the present’.

2. Spend more time with Kids: Kids are so in tune with their magical imagination, from talking to their imaginary friends to believing that they have superpowers, so spending time with kids will expand your mind and attract magic back to your life, it will bring your playfulness and quick side by involving your inner child in everything you do.

3. Gardening: working in your garden, or touching plants and flowers with your hands, feeling them, will help you in connecting with their spirits. The more present you are the easier you can establish communication with these living beings, brining more grounding and awareness to your daily life.

The freshness of the Now and why we perceive the continuity of time

Rumi teaches us that despite the appearance of continuity, the whole of existence is recreated every moment. Since everything is fresh every moment, if we dis-identify from our time-bound mind we could get out of our own way, live in the now, and be the agent for whatever the present moment manifests.

Source of the new!

There surely exists a deeper world.
What’s the telling sign, you ask?
The renewal of the moments, the passing of the old.

A new day, an extra night; new gardens, new life,
every breath brings about fresh insights;
newness is richness, joyfulness.

Where does the new come from?
Where does the old end up?
See past the walls of perception…
experience the boundlessness,
the universe has no beginning, no end!

There’s magic in a lot of the surrounding things, in the small things alongside you every day. It could be a sunset, the starry sky, a child’s smile, the birds chirping, the breeze against your face, the rain that refreshes and nourishes life… In a Nutshell, Seeing the magic in everything around you means recognizing and being thankful for all the wonders in your life. So for you to find and attract magic, start by being present, and thankful for the wonderful gift you already have, the gift that keeps on giving with each beat of your heart: LIFE.

Be the light,

Posted on September 4, 2020 by ikram0408@gmail.com

All or Nothing

The Illusion of being PERFECT

I have always thought of Perfectionism as a positive trait that leads to increase our chances to succeed, and feeds our non-ending strive to be the best, but a few years back when I started dipping into spirituality, I started realizing how it can lead to self-defeating thoughts, self-sabotage, stress, anxiety, and many more serious mental illnesses if we stay in denial and not address this serious mental disorder.

“All or nothing” is the highlight of a perfectionist behavior, the inferior ego whispers in your ear that either you are the best, or you will be the worst, this negative thinking has always blocked me from having a full experience, I always wanted to plan carefully, control all risks, even predict the outcome. In whatever I did, there was always a fear of failure hindering in my subconscious.

I guess the situation is so clear to you now, on the contrary of what people might perceive of a perfectionist, he or she always feels worthless if they can’t see their accomplishments manifested in their physical reality the same way they wanted it at first instance, so much energy is spent trying to keep life in order, making lists, overworking yet getting a little pay comparing to the time and effort invested.

The strive for excellence can be directed towards academic achievements or social status, and it has been developed as a result of conditioned love by one or both parents in childhood, having to obey extreme and unbalanced standards to be validated.

The disorder starts when parents have used harsh criticism or shaming whenever their standards are not met, hence the child subconscious had to find a coping mechanism to avoid all the negative emotions he or she was experiencing such as shame, rejection, judgment being excluded, not feeling loved and accepted.

It is also interesting to mention that when we are not balanced, we create more imbalance. In the constant search to be Mr. or Mrs. Perfect, we are working with unattainable standards that keeps intimidating everyone around us, friends, colleagues, romantic partners, and without realizing it, we send energetic messages with our behaviors putting so much pressure on people in our social circle, causing their retreat and need to leave our lives because they can never match our expectations. Hence we get trapped in an ongoing cycle of rejection and isolation.

The first step toward changing any habit is to see where you are under its thumb. There are many expressions of perfectionist behavior, and some are less obvious than others. Are you a neat freak? Do you compare yourself unfavorably to other people, or are you always noticing other people’s faults? Do you do everything over four or five times, or are you the perfectionist who is so afraid of failure that you won’t even start? Once you’ve observed where perfectionism manifests in your life, explore the way your body feels when your inner perfectionist has the floor. Where in your body does perfectionism live?

Now that you have defined it, acknowledge the emotions and thoughts that you experience once your perfectionist character takes the floor, Ideally, the best way to change this pattern is by cultivating self-love, the bottom of this matter is the continuous strive for love, hence the cure is love but this time, not anyone’s love but your own love:

Practice Compassion towards yourself, be tender and understanding,

2. Watch your negative thoughts, your inner criticism, writing is an amazing tool you can use in this department, it will help you track your thoughts & emotions, hence identifying the pattern and navigate through it.

3. Relax more, give yourself permission to just relax, not engage or commit in any activity or work at least once a week.

4. Stay in the Now, in the present moment, without worrying about the future or thinking of the past. Breathing exercises ‘Pranayam’ and meditation are great tools to always bring your awareness to the Now.

4. Let Go! Of control, trust yourself, and have Faith.

By letting go, you Let the light in!

Let me know how does perfectionism manifest in your life, what are you doing to deal with it? I would love to hear from you.

Be the Light!

Posted on September 4, 2020 by ikram0408@gmail.com

Pachamama Ceremony

Photo by Jairo David Arboleda on Pexels.com

Who is Pachamama?

Pachamama stands for Mother Earth in the Quechua language. She is the goddess of fertility and provides sustenance and longevity of life according to Peruvian mythology.

Pachamama is also the origin of the four Apus. These four Apus are Water, Earth, Sun, and Moon. They represent the masculine aspect of nature while Pachamama represents the feminine aspect.

What happens in the Pachamama Ceremony?

The Ceremony is a sacred spiritual ritual which has been practiced since ancient times by Andean families and communities, it is usually led by Shamans, and it serves as an act of gratitude to mother earth, for her blessings, healing, and abundance it helps in the restoration of nature’ balance, sustain the equilibrium of “Give and Take”, and through it, the indigenous people get her permission to continue harvesting its resources.

They organize the offerings to mother earth or the goddess within an altar, and it can include cocoa leaves, flowers, water, seeds, candies, or anything representing the four elements or the four Apus.

Participants seek earth blessings and put their intentions and wishes for the coming year. The shaman writes all intentions on the cocoa leaves and burns in the fire while reciting his own prayers, having total faith in its manifestation in the physical reality.

What did I learn from the Pachamama ceremony?

I have been seeking the real meaning of “Balance”, and more intrigued by how I can implement it in my life, this imaginary scale which can guide me through life shows me when to ‘push and continue’ and when to back off and receive, when to plant a seed and when to harvest it… etc

It is very apparent how the indigenous people, or the keepers of the Earth, have always lived in Sync with nature, balance and harmony was the only way of being they knew of.

If you spend time in nature, you realize that all living beings are in total flow with each other and with their eco-system, there is an unseen sacred dance of life between feminine and masculine, that’s why spending an hour in nature can leave you calmer and more balanced, because without you knowing, you become part of this dance.

Here is my perspective on this, the universe comprises two energies, masculine and feminine, Yin and Yang, ie: Sun and Moon, day and night, left and right, light and shadow… etc. Both energies exist within every one of us, regardless of our sex and gender.

Both energies are necessary for the balance and longevity of life here on earth, but can easily fall out of balance.

The Masculine energy or “Yang”- the state of “doing”- is usually represented by the solar plexus chakra in the yogic tradition, it is the head, the intellect, discipline, structure, protection, and when out of balance is greed, abusive power, aggressive energy, etc.

The Feminine energy or “Yin” -the state of “ Being”- is represented by the sacral chakra, it is the heart, emotions, intuition, creativity, sensuality, presence, and joy. When out of balance, it will cause loss of creativity, emotional instability, fear, sexual dysfunction… etc.

Our society is in masculine overdrive “Patriarchy”; aggressive or otherwise harmful expressions of masculine energy within ourselves and our world have become normalized. It leaves us feeling overworked, stressed, and undernourished. The masculine and feminine, the heart and head are no longer meeting each other, honoring each other, or appreciating one another’s gifts.

When the masculine is allowed its genuine expression, it holds space for the more organic parts of life while keeping us on track with our vision and goals, while the feminine brings us into embodiment, into our feeling, sensing, and ever-changing bodies. It draws us to experience the world with presence, joy, and from the heart.

Few tips to get you started with balancing the masculine and feminine within:

Ask yourself throughout the day, “Am I in a state of doing (trying to get somewhere) or being (accepting myself as I am)?”
Dance, add more intuitive, circular movements to your flow. Close your eyes and let your body lead the way.
Use your hands to feel your body. This nourishes our desire for touch and intimacy.
Breathe into the pelvic floor and womb space.
Get outside and connect to Mother Earth.
Practice gratitude, it connects you to your heart and the nurturing spirit in nature.

Finally, please share your balancing experiences on the comments and if you found this article beneficial, please spread the love and share it with your friends!

Posted on September 4, 2020 by ikram0408@gmail.com

PS I love You

Your Journey to unconditional love

Humanity is constantly in pursuit of Love, All of us have an intense desire to be loved and nurtured. The need to be loved could be considered one of our most basic and fundamental needs.

What is the definition of “LOVE”?

In the dictionary, love is the feeling of liking another and/or being romantically and sexually attracted to him.

So we spend our life looking for love through the perfect romantic partnership, the genuine friendship or the most harmonious community, and experiencing different emotions: love, lust, regret, guilt, shame, disappointment, rejection, abandonment… etc. until we end up either leaving the relationship because it doesn’t match the platonic story we had in mind, or we choose miserably to stay and endure it, convincing ourselves that life is not supposed to be easy and that nobody is perfect, and all the other excuses we always find to justify to our inner voice that we don’t have another choice.

In fact, there is nobody to blame here, this is part of our growth and of our path of self-discovery, in many relationships, we attract the person (s) which mirrors our wounds, who would embody all the wrong behaviors (in our perception) to show us what we need to be aware of in ourselves, in another word, you attract what you vibrate, so if you have a history of unhealed rejection, you will attract people who cannot commit, or who would ghost you from time to time, this will cause you more fear of rejection, and will push you to realize your own challenges. It’s like a radio receiver, you only receive the channel if you have the right frequency .

What happens when we get into a Relationship?

So we usually walk into a relationship with our own baggage, our beliefs, experiences, stories, and most important we walk with EXPECTATIONS… etc and so does the other person too, then we move to get to the “getting to know each other” or the “Honey Moon” phase, where both partners are making big efforts to impress each other. Then, reality hits, and we face all the hidden aspects of our partner’s personality which we could not see before (blind love), and that’s because we were hypnotised by the attention, care, and love we were receiving and we voluntarily chose to dismiss it.

This is where we face our maturity test, so we have two choices, either we fall into the victimhood mentality, and we start blaming the self and other, or we take ownership and responsibility of the situation, and ask simple questions: What is this teaching me? What is there for me? How can I transform this?

This simple exercise will shift your focus from “this has been done to me”, to “this has been done for me”, so I can cultivate awareness and become conscious of my wounds.

The Spiritual Love

In Yogic tradition, we consider relationships -such as marriage — as the highest Yoga, why is that?: for many reasons, one of them is: In yoga practices, you are required to hold postures for a few minutes, even if it’s painful and breathe through it until a feeling of ease is experienced, and this is the scenario we are faced with in times of distress, we do not walk out or stay in denial, but we take responsibility and we look at the issue no matter how painful it is, and we stay in the present, the Now, because we know that by embracing and acknowledging the pain we will grow, this leads us to a deep knowing that the other person is ME, there is no separation, we are ONE, and we are here to poke, provoke and uplift each other using different life scenarios.

The spiritual love -in my humble opinion- is what we should all be aiming for, it is a conscious love with a higher purpose aiming to bring individuals into their field of total awareness, and uplift them to a higher state of consciousness. When you love someone, you show an act of selflessness , you are vulnerable and open to receive them fully in your heart with total acceptance and non-judgment, hence both of you have a high potential to awaken to your highest potential through this relationship.

To conclude, our search of love is a result of a deep feeling of separation from the divine, but throughout our journey, we learn to see the divine in every being, by letting go of judgments, anger & resentment, by forgiving and accepting everyone including the self with love, mercy, and compassion. this is the higher form of love, the “Unconditional Love” that brings us to Union with ourselves, and with the Divine in Everyone.

Lots of love 💖

Posted on September 4, 2020 by ikram0408@gmail.com

The Art of Vulnerability

Are you brave enough to be vulnerable?

This might sound weird to you, Vulnerability and Courage may seem like two extremes, but in reality, it takes so much courage from a person to show his vulnerability in relationships, to open up his heart and be prepared to get hurt by the other person.

What is Vulnerability?

Vulnerability is being open to be criticised, judged, and even hurt by other individuals, it’s having the courage to take risks despite the uncertainty, is taking a leap of faith even if you do not understand what the outcome will be, it’s showing up no matter what, having integrity and commitment.

Dr. Brené Brown, a researcher who has done lots of research on vulnerability, and is the author of the #1 New York Times bestselling book, Daring Greatly: How the Courage to Be Vulnerable Transforms the Way We Live, Love, Parent, and Lead, has used a phrase in her 2010 TEDx Houston talk, The Power of Vulnerability, which is one of the top ten most viewed TED talks in the world.

The phrase Daring Greatly was quoted from Theodore Roosevelt’s speech “Citizenship in a Republic.” The speech sometimes referred to as “The Man in the Arena,”:

“It is not the critic who counts; not the man who points out how the strong man stumbles, or where the doer of deeds could have done them better. The credit belongs to the man who is actually in the arena, whose face is marred by dust and sweat and blood; who strives valiantly; who errs, who comes short again and again, because there is no effort without error and shortcoming; but who does not strive to do the deeds; who knows great enthusiasms, the great devotions; who spends himself in a worthy cause; who at the best knows the triumph of high achievement, and who at the worst, if he fails, at least fails while daring greatly, so that his place shall never be with those cold and timid souls who neither know victory nor defeat”- Theodore Roosevelt

I love this quote, there is no vulnerability without daring, most of us have developed a fear of the unknown at some stage, a fear of failure, of being criticized, because of social conditioning. Some take risks, they prefer to experience with total faith, surrender, and acceptance of the outcome, others choose not to, thus they prioritize staying in their comfort zone, they cannot let go of control, of the outcome, because it has to be the way they want it to be and since they have no guarantee, they miss the whole experience, the experience of life! The MISS LIVING!

In our modern society, vulnerability is mistaken for weakness. Mostly, people believe that we all should wear armor, that we should protect ourselves from heartbreaks, disappointments, criticism… etc.

we live in a world where people first instinct is to doubt you when they first encounter you, and it becomes your responsibility to prove them wrong to win their trust, so we completely miss the fun part, the authentic human experience, acting and being who we truly are, facing life with wide open arms, choosing to show up, to be seen, to have no masks on, to be fully exposed, and having a deep understanding that with this choice comes a 50/50 probability of either failure or success.

Although I don’t believe that there is any loss here because when we take a chance we grow and we learn about the life, each time we engage in a new relationship, we get to unfold another aspect of ourself and of the other person; we expand our horizons and discover alternative possibilities and ways of living and being; we heal our wounded parts, and throughout this journey, we experience Joy, one of our birthrights, we explore what freedom means, and how it feels to be free and carefree, not having to calculate any of our doings or sayings, we become innovative and creative; we create from a space of freedom and love.

Being heartbroken or fooled, Judged or hurt does not diminish the impact of the experience of being vulnerable, because we already lived it, it is part of us now, it’s true it did not go the way we had wished, but it will shape who we are and through it, we gained so much wisdom, if we get hurt, we learn with time that it’s via a broken heart that we get to develop and awaken to the true meaning of love, that the more shattered our hearts are, the more light goes in, that trough grief and sadness, we cultivate mercy and compassion; we become more sensitive and empathic to our surroundings, so there is only winning.

“Sorrow prepares you for joy. It violently sweeps everything out of your house, so that new joy can find space to enter. It shakes the yellow leaves from the bough of your heart so that fresh leaves can grow in their place. It pulls up the rotten roots so that new roots hidden beneath have room to grow. Whatever sorrow shakes from your heart, far better things will take their place.” — Rumi

Let your soul guide you!

The Soul will always choose love because that is its essence! It is pure Love and Light. The Ego, however, will try to protect you by inducing fear in your thoughts, trying to stop you from being vulnerable,

We should live life from the source of our internal power that comes from the soul, listening to our intuition or the soul’s voice which always whispers wise words coming from a place of love and strength.

When the ego’s voice arises, we should acknowledge it. Thank the ego for looking out for us and release it from its duties. Bow to your broken heart in gratitude, for if it hadn’t shattered, you would have never been initiated on this path to your soul awakening.

Embrace the beauty of your soul. Feel it. Let it guide you. and always TRUST…that you are Divinely guided.

Lots of Love💕

Posted on September 4, 2020 by ikram0408@gmail.com

The World as we know it

Photo by Jess Bailey Designs on Pexels.com

We all agree on the fast paced changes happening in the world, initiated by the outburst of Covid-19 pandemic, the changes are affecting organisations, systems , trends as well as human behaviors. one thing we know for sure, The World we grew up in is not going to be the same again , and fortunately we are walking into a new Age , a NEW ERA…

If a disease can teach wisdom beyond our understanding of how precarious and precious life is , the virus has offered us too many lessons:

1. We are all connected

Our lives are so intertwined that the idea of viewing ourselves as islands- whether as individuals , communities, nations or a uniquely privileged species- should be understood as false consciousness. In truth, we were always bound together, part of miraculous web of life on this planet and beyond it.. and it took a virus to show us that only together we are at our strongest, most alive and most human.

2. To Count our Blessings

Experiencing quarantine and all the limitations and measures implemented by different countries, feeling restricted for few months , unable to practice the simplest acts that we used to in the past like : a walk in the park, having coffee with a friend , or even visiting or hugging a loved one, was too much to digest by our egoistic self, but at the same time a great wake up call to our entitlement behavior, it did made us review and evaluate the little things that we used to take for granted, iit invited us to look at life through the eye of a grateful heart.

3. The Importance of Mental Health

In the absence of all the distractions, work , travels , activities , sports, outing …etc , we were faced with all the emotions we have been suppressing and not willing to look at, social isolation is something that can be a marker of mental health issues, but we need to dig deeper and determine whether it is a by-product of distancing, or an avoidance of other people through platforms that are available. During this time, allowing yourself to experience natural emotions without judging them is the most powerful gift you can give yourself, in addition to finding comfort in spending time in your company not needing to use any substance or addiction to distract yourself.

4. To Bid Farewell to Rigidity and Embrace Flexibility

The Pandemic forced organization to think outside the box, to implement easy ways of managing their work, there was an accelerated focus on developing the technology infrastructure that can support the “working from home” strategy. This vast remote-work experiment is also a great opportunity to prepare for the future — when automation has expanded the role of knowledge workers and the preferences of younger generations demand that organizations provide remote-work options.

Considering here some data from recent Gartner research:

By 2030, the demand for remote work will increase by 30% due to Generation Z fully entering the workforce.
64% of today’s professionals say they could work anywhere and remote work policies are common (in place at 71% of organizations).

“Remote-work success depends heavily on whether employers trust their employees to do their work even if you can’t see them”.

Adding to this, the massive move to online is forcing the education system to figure out how to drive engagement at scale in their courses, the coronavirus is forcing educators to revolutionize the way they teach, moving from a lecture-listen model to an interactive, learn-by-doing model. While traditional, on-campus learning will inevitably return to prominence once the coronavirus abates, universities can use this crisis as an opportunity to learn more about new digital tools and how to best leverage them.

This switch to online is something that students are also demanding. In a student survey 58% of respondents expressed some interest in studying their degree online due to coronavirus restrictions, while only 43% stated that they had no interest in studying online. Additionally, 51% of prospective international students surveyed said that they expect universities to move more of their lectures online.

With students needing strong online educational offerings and universities quickly embracing new tools and platforms, online learning during the coronavirus outbreak will rapidly develop.

5. A Return to your Soul

The Soul is the most intimate part of you, and it isn’t found by running away. In a time of crisis, the impluse is to go into emergency mode, fear, concern and panic . Giving in to those impulses will engender an epidemic of soul sickness. instead, try an act of kindness today, show appreciation to someone, offer help to those in need, or bring comfort to someone feeling lonely and anxious — the simple human gestures we tend to overlook. you can improve the state of your soul in the following ways:

Having a sense of meaning and purpose.
Loving and being loved.
Self-esteem, a sense of your own worth.
Tapping into inner peace and joy.
Being of service to others.
Generosity of spirit.

At the end, As we collectively grapple with this threat to our well-being, let us each embrace the crisis as an opportunity to embark on a journey of spiritual growth of re-committing ourselves to treating everyone with equality and dignity , of celebrating the greatness, creativity and tenacy of the human spirit; of humbly accepting our vulnerability , reversing fear and anxiety by practicing gratitude, showing kindness, and vibrating love.

Posted on September 4, 2020 by ikram0408@gmail.com

A Heart within the HEART

Have you ever experienced that Euphoric moment, in your prayers, or in your daily meditation practice, or even while waiting in your car at the traffic light or eating a freshly ripped fruit?…

The Love Affair

Aninstant where my mind has finally gone silent and my ego became so exposed and insignificant, that even his most tempting stories did not waver me from my stillness, I felt as if my soul has conspired with the whole universe to offer me a taste of a golden “Elixir”, an exceptionally delicate flavor with high notes of sweetness and tenderness, my physical heart was twirling, my sensory system was sharply alert. I had butterflies in my stomach! Suddenly I realized that I have “Risen in Love”, but this time it’s a different love.

A love that makes you love every ” ONE”, it expands your Heart to reach dimensions you’ve never known or seen before! A Love unnecessary joyful, but on the contrary can be very painful, it breaks your heart when you are separated from your beloved, but the more it breaks the more it opens to love, his presence is now rising and speaking to you through the Earth, through the sky, through the mist in your eyes… An addictive love affair, once you taste it, there is no going back, you become a seeker, seeking those few moments with you beloved, and longing for the day you will be in union with him… and this Union takes place in the heart within your heart.

A realm where creation meets the creator where we become present to the perfection of life, an “alive” Reality, something very different from the distorted own self-created misty reality, here “I” don’t exist, I am just a witness of this miraculous beauty, of this Garden of Creation, meticulously crafted, of this sacred dance between the creation and creator, I hear a joyful noise, kids laughter, and playfulness,… Oh, Divine….I arrived!

Who Am I?

“Neither this body am I, nor soul, nor these fleeting images passing by, nor concepts and thoughts, mental images, nor yet sentiments and the psyche’s labyrinth. Who then am I? A consciousness without origin, not born in time, nor begotten here below. I am that which was, is and ever shall be, a jewel in the divine’s crown self, a star in the firmament of the luminous one.”- Rumi

Then the Journey begins…

lots of love ❤️