UNITY IN DIVERSITY

Many of us talk about ‘Unity in diversity’ but how many of us understand the magnanimity of it.  

Can you notice something unique in the picture here? Look closely.

Yes it’s a temple that’s decorated with flowers, lamps and lights. The highlight is the most magnificent co-existence of two religions in one temple. Isn’t it?

This is the temple adorning the home of a dear friend of mine who happens to be a Muslim.  How passionately and intricately she’s done it up for Diwali!    

Well I am a Hindu by birth. However in my heart my religion is Humanity. I totally resonate with what Mahatma Gandhi said, “The essence of all religions is one. Only their approaches are different.”

A special acknowledgment here to my grandfather who was instrumental in my learning to expand my levels of acceptance and broaden my horizon.

I’ve often visited mosques, churches, & gurudwaras, besides visiting temples, and all with equal fervour. Yet my friend’s temple touched something deep within me. It is indeed a large generous heart that magnanimously accommodates and showcases two religions in her temple. This is the soul that understands ‘Unity in diversity’ and its immense power. Many of us may talk about it but how many of us live it in action?

If we look at this scientifically, it is a known fact that our bodies are made of atoms & molecules. Quantum physicists have discovered that atoms are made up of vortices of energy that are constantly spinning and vibrating, each one radiating its own unique energy signature. This means we human beings are made of vortices of energy and vibration, which cannot possibly have fixed boundaries. That means our energy field doesn’t end with the seeming boundary of our body. It extends beyond that. Now can you see how our energy fields are overlapping with the energy fields of others, thereby connecting us all to each other energetically at cellular level? 

Can the atoms, molecules & energy vortices of a Hindu be different from those of a Muslim, Christian, Jew, Buddhist, Sikh or an Atheist?

So what is the role of the religion we are born into? Probably it provides us more inherited information about that religion and the practices around it. But that is only our conditioning and  maybe also our comfort zone. That is not who we intrinsically are. Shouldn't we be seeing a person as the human he /she is, instead of judging them by their religion? Isn’t it time we learn to look beyond all these man-made boundaries of religion, color, caste, nationality, status, gender…..

The ultimate truth is that we are all inherently interconnected not just to each other but to every being and everything in existence. It is time to experience that interconnectedness and oneness.

Food for thought guys…..

OUR PERCEPTIONS OF DEATH

Law of Conservation of Energy states that energy can neither be created nor destroyed; it can only be transformed from one form to another.

This means that when someone dies, it’s their physical body that dies, their spirit / energy cannot be destroyed. This is science and cannot be overlooked or challenged. The energy of the person continues to live on, in fact in a more expansive way now because it need not have the boundaries of the body any more. And it can still communicate with us, guide us and even protect us if we want.

When a loved one dies we feel so sad, devastated and alone. We mourn the loss because with our limited understanding we can only associate the person with their physical body. It’s often beyond our comprehension that the energy of that person continues to live on, and can now take on the role of our very own angel guide whom we know. In the absence of this awareness most of us may not be even seeking their guidance.

What we mostly fear is change, not realising that change is the only constant in life. Our body is changing every moment, and so do our thoughts, feelings and emotions, just like weather changes, trees n plants change, seasons change, patterns in the sky change...

Isn’t it time we change our perceptions of death, understanding that it’s simply a change from form to formless... and maybe thereafter to another form???

.

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#death #life #perceptions #lovedones #angel #angelguides #lifecoach #lifecoaching #journey #ritachadha #fifthelement #awareness #transformation 

LIFE IS A JIGSAW PUZZLE

Enjoy solving the jigsaw puzzle of your life

First look at the BIGGER PICTURE

Understand every tile is shaped differently and has a unique place. You only need to look for what's missing

If a tile doesn't fit, don't force it

The most beautiful tile with the best shape can be useless if placed wrongly

You are the main star in your BIGGER PICTURE

YOU are the only one responsible & accountable for completing it

You can see only your own bigger picture. So don't waste time how others are playing the game

Don't get distracted by others' judgments

Any time you feel overwhelmed, just look at the bigger picture

Life indeed is a beautiful game. Have fun playing it

#jigsawpuzzle #biggerpicture #celebrate #lifeisbeautiful #ritachadha #lifeccoachinng #iam #journey

OUR PAST IS OUR VALUABLE RESOURCE

Why does our past seem to haunt us then?

It would be a good idea to check if you are tapping into the UNPLEASANT EXPERIENCES or the VALUABLE LIFE LESSONS from that resource.

Agreed some past is not pleasant and can create immense turmoil inside us. All of us are curious to know how we can be liberated from it?

Please understand that we humans have an excellent inbuilt filing system. That’s why the moment something happens, almost instantly we’re able to tap into our memory bank and pull out the related specific incident/s with the minutest details. But the best systems / technologies in the world can be useless if one does not know how to use them effectively. 

The irony here is that nobody ever taught us the ART OF FILING. I am going to explain that today to the best of my ability, and as I understand it. 

So when a letter is received by mail, would the envelope be filed without opening it, or the papers inside will be filed? Obviously the papers inside, right?

Interestingly in life we tend to do the opposite. Our life experiences and the associated people are actually the envelopes, and the learnings from each situation / person are the valuable contents. Most of us are not even aware of this. So typically, we rarely open the envelopes to check the valuable contents hidden inside. We simply keep filing the envelopes along with our judgments loaded with hurts, upsets, betrayals, anxieties and stress. Not only that, we even get so attached to the envelopes and our perceptions & assumptions about the contents which have not even been accessed by us. 

Now let us check if you have ever received an empty envelope from anyone in life. I don’t think so.

; 

Likewise in life no situation or person is put there without a message / learning waiting to be unveiled and imbibed by us. This is especially true for the seemingly unpleasant, often heart-breaking and testing ones. Once the learning is taken, only that needs to get stored while letting go of the people / situation associated with it. There is no need for any dramatic decisions like, "I will never talk to this person again"; or "I am going to prove it to them that they are wrong and I am right"; "How dare she talk to me so rudely?"; etc. 

In fact those people and situations actually need to be acknowledged for playing the role so that we could get our life lessons. 

This however could often feel easier said than done. I've myself experienced resistance in acknowledging some people / situations for their role in my life. But every time I've gathered the courage to do it, it has only liberated me. So however hard it may feel for me, I just do it.

High time we check our filing skills, learn the expertise, and get to offload a lot of baggage of those yet unopened envelopes!

HAPPY GURU PURNIMA 2018

Happy Guru Purnima to all

Guru Purnima is celebrated in India on this full moon day as a tribute to the teachers / mentors Gurus in our life.
This also includes anyone, anything and any situation in life that contributed to us being who we are.

My first gratitude this morning was to my parents who obviously became my first Gurus in this life. My gratitude to mom and dad for bringing me into this world, and showering so much love on me and providing me the best of all that they could. Having said that I realise that there were things that were provided with their best intent, yet were not received well by me as they were different from what I wanted. They did not match up with ‘My way’

I particularly remember dad was so keen that I become a doctor, and mom wanted me to be a teacher. And guess what? I wanted to be an engineer. But back in those days, girls going into engineering field wasn’t the norm. So I was very nicely and may be conveniently dissuaded from it. And I didn’t take a stand for myself, because I apparently complied.

All of us have a rebel inside us. Some of us rebel overtly and some do it covertly. So in spite of being brilliant in my studies, I was not able to clear the entrance exam for medicine. I indeed played a safe game by showing that I tried. But did I really try? I wonder.. And consciously I had no clue of my game at that time, and even till much later.

It is a universal fact that whatever our parents tell us we either listen to them conveniently or we do exactly the opposite. So we are either in a compliance mode or a resistance mode. But the beauty is that whatever we don’t seem to like somewhere stays in our memory bank and sooner or later we may land up complying. All this is happening at such subtle levels that we don’t even realise it.

So though I chose a completely different field by doing post-grad in Organic Chemistry, I never used that in my professional career. My first job, apparently coincidentally, was in Textile machinery exports. But can you see it was related to engineering, and a field women didn’t want to enter in those days. How can I even deny that the covert rebel was in action?

Thereafter I worked in International Logistics, and then moved on to being a Stock broker, none of which had anything to do with Chemistry.

Yet the truth is that all these choices were made in survival mode. Since my commitment levels are high, I excelled in each of these jobs, but my objective was mainly financial gain. I am not saying there is anything wrong with focusing on financial gain, but the point is none of those jobs were my passion. And I was searching.

My search got completed when several years later I found my passion and the purpose of my life. I feel so fulfilled and joyous being a Life Coach, Leadership mentor and Feng Shui Consultant.

Now shall we look at the deeper dynamics at play?

. Today I am being a catalyst in the physical and emotional healing of people. Isn’t this what DOCTORS do?

· I am a Life Coach & Mentor enabling people feeling overwhelmed by the multiple challenges of life and guide them to be empowered for accelerated growth and fulfilment in all areas of life. Isn’t that being a TEACHER?

· My technique involves melding Scientific laws with the laws of the Universe with the objective of bringing about an energetic shift by creating new neuropathways. Isn’t this inner ENGINEERING of human beings?

· As a Feng Shui Consultant I am focused on the interplay of the elements. Every thought, emotion, feeling we have vibrates with and radiates its own energy patterns because of the chemicals that get secreted therein. And the Biofield of energy that a human being is vibrating with consciously, subconsciously and unconsciously, automatically attracts the living and working spaces with similar energies. Isn’t all this CHEMISTRY?

Everything started adding up now. Whatever was being suggested by my dad, mom as well as my own self was actually guiding me to my passion and purpose, though I was oblivious of it and so were my parents probably. Irrespective of whether I understood the dynamics of all that was happening, I was all along being navigated towards my passion and purpose. Anything / anyone that would not have supported me in this were being removed from my life.

I have immense gratitude to my parents and all my life experiences for having guided me so dynamically. My acknowledgement to each and every person who have played a part in my journey so far.

Happy Guru Purnima indeed….

ASIFA WE FAILED TO PROTECT YOU

The entire social media is abuzz with the horrific news of Asifa rape and murder case. It has really stirred up people’s emotions and sensitivities. Their anguish and pain is showing up in how they are signing petitions, demanding justice and urging that the most stringent action be taken against all the perpetrators.

Honestly speaking, I feel very deeply horrendously saddened by this gross and heinous act, yet I could not bring myself to sign any petition this time. You know why?

I'm just not able to look into my eyes because I feel that as a society, as humanity we failed our innocent daughter Asifa. I feel responsible for what happened.

Let us hope justice prevails and these rapist are sentenced to the most severe punishment. Of course we'll feel vindicated, but what next? Will this really be an effective deterrent? Do you really think this is a solution, or will it just be the satiation of our own frustrations? 

What weaves the fabric of our society is the collective quality of our being, of who we are in every moment in our day to day life, in the situations we experience and our responses to those situations. 

The truth is that these so-called rapists and perpetrators have not come from another planet. They've in fact been quietly festering and thriving around us, amongst us, but we seem to wake up only after the occurrence of some extreme situation. It’s my humble request that please be willing to just consider the fact that we may be contributing to these situations, albeit unconsciously? 

I'm aware many of you may choose to disagree with me, but allow me to just put forward my perspective. 

Here is a list of some actions of ours that we may have been oblivious of, yet they could be potentially contributing to these atrocities and crimes thriving in our society: 

·       Disparity in bringing up our sons and daughters.

·       Not educating our sons to respect women.

·       Not teaching our daughters to respect themselves and their body. 

·       Making any statement 'Boys are....' / 'Girls are...'

·       Tolerating someone saying 'Boys will be boys'?

·       Girls /women being made to feel less or small.

·       Girls /women tolerating what doesn't feel appropriate. 

·       Choosing to keep quiet or ignoring when a woman is not being treated respectfully.

·       Women not even expecting / demanding to be treated gracefully.

·       Tolerating and even laughing at expletives mostly aimed at women- MC, BC.

·       Men avoiding their responsibility towards every female's dignity. 

·       Men treating girlfriends differently than how they treat their moms, sisters or wives.

·       Females being led to believe males are stronger / superior.

·       Men thinking they are a superior dominant breed.

·       Women not respecting / supporting women.

The list is endless indeed....

My point is can we consider making ourselves more aware of our mind-sets and actions?

Instead of just depending on the law and justice, what is it you, me and each one of us can do to make a big difference?

While judiciary is working at taking appropriate actions, can we be diligently participating in life with awareness, and responsibly working towards creating a society that we desire and deserve?

HUMAN BEING - A MYSTERY

I seem to be a mystery, an enigma

For many of you out there

You want to define me, judge me

Sometimes instigate n ridicule me

And often quietly adore me

But little do you realise

I can’t but be boxed, or fixed

By anyone’s preconceived notions…

Even I refuse to define myself

Coz I continue being in the flow

Choosing to be work in progress

Exploring my vastness n expanse

Mining the real me and every time

Being in awe of the wonder

The phenomenon that I AM

Not because I AM better than you

I AM who I AM simply because

I’ve learnt to embrace and honor

Every part of me, the light n the dark
The wounded and the healed

Filling my cup with love every moment

I allow it to keep overflowing

So I can simply share it with YOU

And feel grateful and empowered

By the uniqueness of who I AM

#human #being #humanbeing #mystery #enigma #Iam #unique #choose #embrace #honor #grateful #empowered #life #lifecoach #lifecoaching #businesscoach #mentor #fengshui #wisdom 

SIGNIFICANCE OF CHRISTMAS

Christmas which is celebrated as the day of the birth of Christ is seen by many of us as an annual festival that encompasses family & social Get-togethers, Christmas tree, Decorations, Feasting and Exchanging gifts.  

How many of us are aware of the fact that Christmas also symbolizes a very deeply significant truth of spiritual life?

Jesus Christ was born at a time when ignorance, superstition, greed, hatred and hypocrisy prevailed. Purity was forgotten and morality was neglected. There was no space for any thoughts of God, Divinity, or higher spiritual life.

In such a scenario, living a life of lust, anger, greed, deluded attachment, pride and jealousy tends to become the norm. We can all identify with that in the world we are living in today. How does one bring about a transformation, and pave the way for a life of authenticity, integrity, love, togetherness, oneness and sheer joy?  

The fact that Jesus was born unknown to the world and in the obscurity of darkness in a stable signifies that we need to go inwards to the parts of us often unknown to even ourselves, and confront our own perceived darkness, our shadow selves, while imbibing the quality of true humility which is one of the most indispensable fundamentals for our awakening.

Christ-spirit, which is the spirit of love and purity, needs to be evoked within our hearts and allowed to express itself replacing the darkness with light. If each one of us does that, it will set a chain reaction of light beginning to shine brightly where darkness has been so far. That is the real Christmas. 

What are we waiting for then? 

Someone from outside will not and cannot come and do it for us. Only we can. Together you and I can...

Let us all make it a truly MERRY CHRISTMAS

#merrychristmas #transformationofself #wearetheworld #fifthelementlifecoaching #ritachadha 

SIGNIFICANCE OF CHRISTMAS

Christmas which is celebrated as the day of the birth of Christ is seen by many of us as an annual festival that encompasses family & social Get-togethers, Christmas tree, Decorations, Feasting and Exchanging gifts.  

How many of us are aware of the fact that Christmas also symbolizes a very deeply significant truth of spiritual life?

Jesus Christ was born at a time when ignorance, superstition, greed, hatred and hypocrisy prevailed. Purity was forgotten and morality was neglected. There was no space for any thoughts of God, Divinity, or higher spiritual life.

In such a scenario, living a life of lust, anger, greed, deluded attachment, pride and jealousy tends to become the norm. We can all identify with that in the world we are living in today. How does one bring about a transformation, and pave the way for a life of authenticity, integrity, love, togetherness, oneness and sheer joy?  

The fact that Jesus was born unknown to the world and in the obscurity of darkness in a stable signifies that we need to go inwards to the parts of us often unknown to even ourselves, and confront our own perceived darkness, our shadow selves, while imbibing the quality of true humility which is one of the most indispensable fundamentals for our awakening.

Christ-spirit, which is the spirit of love and purity, needs to be evoked within our hearts and allowed to express itself replacing the darkness with light. If each one of us does that, it will set a chain reaction of light beginning to shine brightly where darkness has been so far. That is the real Christmas. 

What are we waiting for then? 

Someone from outside will not and cannot come and do it for us. Only we can. Together you and I can...

Let us all make it a truly MERRY CHRISTMAS

#merrychristmas #transformationofself #wearetheworld #fifthelementlifecoaching #ritachadha 

MINDFULNESS OF HOLDING THE SPACE

Wishing my mom on her 80^th birthday when I hugged her, she softly whispered in my ear, “You have taken such good care of me all these years. I got much more than I could have asked for, and I feel truly contented. I thank you and bless you with the best of everything. And today I declare that this year I am ready to go to daddy (my dad had passed away many years ago).”

That moment took me through a roller-coaster of emotions. How I wanted to tell her that she shouldn’t talk like that especially on her birthday! But as I looked at her face, all I could see there was sheer joy, peace, fulfillment, and excitement of a teenager to go and be with her love. She did not say that she was tired of her ailing health, in spite of the fact that she had been having major health issues for several years and was often in immense pain. But she was not talking of running away from life. Instead she had created a destination for herself that felt exciting to her. What a level of acceptance and awareness! 

I told myself, "Simply take over the role of holding the space for her?" 

Being accustomed to holding the space for my Life Coaching clients, I am aware what an incredibly profound experience it is. I had to now operate from a space of being Neutral, Empathetic, and Non-judgmental. With mindful awareness I had to just trust and respect mom's choices for her own life, and offer her selfless providing. 

A few weeks later mom had a sudden fall at home, and had to be hospitalized. The ensuing months saw her go through considerable pain and it was undeniably a testing phase in our lives.

Holding the space for mom took my experience of holding space to an all new level. My attachment to her and our relationship dynamics were often throwing at me some challenging moments. Hence simultaneously holding space for my own self became imperative and my self-care had to be consistently focused on. I must admit here that I experienced umpteen weak moments, but it also brought in significant transformation in me. 

The role of holding the space is simply Phenomenal.

In that empowering space of oneness, mom and I had some of the most beautiful conversations. She seemed to be completing everything to the last dot. While she was sharing with me all her thoughts and dilemmas, I was also witnessing a remarkably high level of evolvement in her during this time. She developed an incredible amount of acceptance and understanding, and seemed to have become an epitome of justice and fairness. This indeed was an all new side to her.

I am so in gratitude to her for being instrumental in providing me this Profound Life Experience. 

Precisely 9 months later, she suddenly developed an excruciating pain in her leg and had to undergo an immediate surgery late in the night. Surgery was successful, however a few hours later she started having multiple organs failure. Doctors informed us that her body was giving way.

However much we may think we have prepared ourselves for the eventuality, yet are we ever really prepared?

Well it was time to bid our final goodbye to mom and let her go peacefully. I sat next to her bed in the ICU, again silently holding the space for her. Sometimes those last few steps of moving out of this body may not be easy for the person. At that time what they need is a good amount of energy and support, and one of the best ways to provide that is by simply holding the space for them. 

My eyes glued to the monitor machine showing her readings, I was noticing how her blood pressure was dropping gradually. When it went below 50, I panicked momentarily. I literally watched her pressure go to 40, 30, 20, 10, 0…….. and then the stillness….

What I had just witnessed was the most amazing aspect of Death. 
It had shown up as a Graceful Completion, Renewal, and Merging with the Whole.

This was indeed a striking glimpse of life and death as the two sides of the same coin where one does not have a presence without the other.

I came out of the ICU in awe of the absolute presence that I had just experienced.

In that space, there is only I AM.

There is complete oneness, and there is no other. Everyone is a part of us, a part of I AM. Everything is beyond the created and perceived narratives of our limited minds. Once we experience that, we realize that the thoughts we keep thinking about are but a mirage. In fact they are a mere projection of our own minds attempting to superimpose our Core Essence, and often doing a good job of it simply because we allow ourselves to be hijacked.

This was a great learning of the distinction between actually experiencing something and knowing it as a concept.

Death indeed is a moment of transition, as is birth. Holding space for a person in these moments and any other delicate moments or challenging moments of life can be highly transformational for the person as well as for oneself.

This has been one of the most defining moments in my life.

Sitting there in the ICU, I actually felt as if I was holding mom's hand throughout in this transitional journey of hers, till she bid adieu to this incarnation of hers for this life time. I am falling short of words to express what exactly that experience felt like.

There is no limit to what can become possible for all involved when one is holding space for the other. This seemingly ORDINARY ACTION has the potential to create EXTRAORDINARY OUTCOMES, that can include:

Healing  

Transformation

Evolvement

Expansion

Merging with the source

Miracles

Self-awareness

Enlightenment

Oneness   

Holding space for the other is something we all may be doing at some point in our life, probably without even realizing it. Though it may seem there is no specific technique required here, yet we need to be aware that it is a proper science. It takes a good amount of practice with responsible and committed handling. 

In an effective holding of space, one's Energy Field expands to include the other person as a part of us, extending Completely Unconditional and Unsolicited support to the person. 

Playing the role of a Catalyst, one is apparently not doing anything and yet doing everything. 

In the unsaid, one is giving consent to Unconditionally Co-create along with the other, while being a silent witness to what is.

Listed below are some guidelines broadly summed up for people who would like to consciously practice holding the space:

Being in a state of complete surrender.

Being in the other person’s world.

Being non-judgmental and empathetic.

Letting go of our controls.

Being present to what is, beyond our thinking mind.

Being in mindful awareness.

Being willing to accept the other in the space beyond right or wrong, good or bad.

Creating a space in which the person feels safe, like in a mother’s womb.

Connecting at a deeper level with the person as well as with oneself.

Trusting and respecting the other person’s choices for their own life.

Being judicious in giving suggestions.

Offering selfless providing.

Taking good self-care.

While we cannot let our emotions overpower us at any time, we also need to have a deep listening to the other beyond the spoken words. “People start to heal the moment they feel listened to… Cheryl Richardson”

It is indeed a privilege and blessing when one gets the opportunity of holding the space for someone. What an enlightening experience it is....

#holdingthespace #holdingspacefortheother #empoweringspace #spaceofoneness #death #life #lifeanddeath #transition #transformation #doingeverythingwithoutdoinganything #ordinaryactionforextraordinaryoutcomes #mindfulness #mindfulawareness #justbeing #being #lifecoaching #lifecoach #fengshui #ritachadha #self #selfcare