Issue #46 - Developing a spirit of gratitude

Habits are series of attitudes, behaviour or movements that are repeated over and over
until they escape our awareness or control and become as such: habits. We can choose
to develop a habit consciously by applying some discipline and awareness until it
becomes second nature.

• On the physical plane, it could be, for example, by cleanliness or by controlled movement (by opposition to uncontrolled movement such as nail biting or other tic)
• On the mental plane, it could be a positive outlook (by opposition to always criticizing or finding something wrong with everything).
• On the emotional plane, it could be by nurturing a feeling of contentment, finding the silver lining to every situation (by opposition to feeling upset with the least little thing).

When one is regularly discontent, one’s body becomes more acidic which affects one’s
health. It is said that in a balanced PH level, no illness can develop. Although nutrition
has a large influence, so does our attitude.

I particularly like the following text by Omraam Mikhaël Aïvanhov which I found on the
Prosveta USA website under “Thoughts”. This text was a Daily Meditation from Feb. 2,
2007:

“During the course of the day, you see nothing wrong in expressing discontent or
irritation for any number of reasons, some more valid than others. Don’t you realize that
with all these negative states your life ebbs away and you enter a current of death? Yes,
the first stage of death is discontent, for if you do not take precautions discontent
becomes sorrow, and sorrow turns to suffering. This suffering, which at first touches only
the psychic plane, eventually reaches the physical plane. One day it becomes illness, and
illness gradually leads to death. There are obviously many stages between discontent
and death, but in time one leads inevitably to the other. Contentment, on the other hand,
puts you in the current of life. Those who are content are full of gratitude towards heaven
and live in peace. This peace gives them strength, strength brings them fulfilment, and
they begin to taste eternal life.”

Developing new habits is entirely possible by keeping watch over ourselves i.e. our
thinking, feelings or movements and replacing unwanted habits with new ones. Whatever
level we begin with, it will eventually transfer to the other levels. For example, when we
wake up we can begin our day with a spirit of gratitude by first saying “thank you”. ie:

“Thank you for being alive today; thank you for this marvelous day that is about to begin;
thank you for all I have in my life; thank you Lord for showing me how to serve you
better.”

Here is an exercise which might help measure you level of contentment and happiness:
Imagine you a have a device within called a “moodometer” with a reading from 0 to 100: 0 indicates a real bad mood and 100 a divine feeling, bliss! Now there is a pointer that
indicates your state at any given moment. The idea is to practice keeping your
“moodometer” as high as possible and when it fall below the 50 marks (or whatever mark
you set yourself to), try to identify the reason and get moving up again without counting
on others, just working on your own self. This is a wonderful way to observe yourself, to
catch yourself before ruining the rest of the day and to measure yourself regularly. After
all, the “Kingdom of God” is not a location but a state of being. So, if we wish to live in
paradise, we can begin by developing an attitude of contentment, a feeling of gratitude
several times a day!

I would like to conclude with the following excerpt also taken from Prosveta USA’s
website references:
“… When you say the words ‘thank you’, it is like a source of light, peace and joy
springing from your soul. And this source floods all your cells. Gradually you feel
something inside coming to life, getting stronger. ‘Thank you’ – they are the simplest
words, but they relax all tensions. Repeat them several times, feeling their meaning deep
inside. From the moment you instil within you a feeling of gratitude and look after it to
enable it to grow, it becomes more than just passive. The feeling possesses specific
vibrations, and through the law of affinity it attracts corresponding thoughts and
sensations. This simple expression of gratitude will bring you every blessing. ‘Thank you,
Lord’, ‘thank you, God’… Eventually these words should spring naturally from you
without your having to use your will. When you thank the Creator, you are moving out of
the tight circle of your personal, limited self and into the peace of cosmic
consciousness… When you return, you will sense in yourself new, very precious
elements." Omraam Mikhaël Aïvanhov

This Feb. issue was written by Carmen
Coordinator of The Aquarian Team

Issue #45 - Love, matters most!

It is the holiday time of year and I was invited to a couple of events in which a gift
was appropriate. I’m always at a loss as to what to bring to these functions. Shopping
is not my preferred activity and it seems a waste not to use my artistic talents to
make something unique for these gifts.

So as usual, with little time left, I delved into a mass of inspirational thoughts that I
have written for years for a syndicated newspaper panel. There I chose a theme
(knowing that one particular hostess was especially fond of hearts) – LOVE. Not a
unique theme, but it is one in which I have a large inventory of thoughts.

As I picked through them, my own heart warmed. I had been so busy with the many
projects in my life – including challenges, striving and successes – that I had almost
forgotten about LOVE. How is it possible?

It is an illusive element, substance, material, feeling when you become too mind
oriented. But, thank goodness I caught myself and have been pulled back into the
comfort of that which I know encompasses me, and all others.

Here are a few of those lovely verses that I handpenned onto pages with handpainted hearts and placed into sweet, white frames.

Love is all there is worth having or giving or being.
Life sings only love songs.
Love gives one a sense of direction, a sense of proportion
and a sense of what is just. Love is very sensible.

Best wishes are sent to you daily by the love
that surrounds you completely.
To know, but not to judge; to love, but not to keep;
to be, but not to be asleep is a way far better than most.

Of all that matters, love matters most.

The gifts were well received. Then I randomly opened one of the Master Omraam
Mikhaël Aïvanhov’s books – THE SECOND BIRTH. I landed on a page that said it all:

“We must live in a state of love, because only love permits us to elevate ourselves.
It is according to what you love that I will read your destiny, because everything
you love you will attract sooner or later. You say that you have loved many things
until now, but that they did not come to you… They will come! Our present
possessions are what we have loved in the past, in our past incarnations. If our
loves goes to the spiritual world, so much the better, because we will attract it.
Tomorrow we will be where our love is today. If our love is of an inferior nature, it
will lead us to Hell. Our destiny depends on the quality of our love.”

A few months ago, I was invited to participate in a group book project and tell the
story of my spiritual awakening. I was grateful for the opportunity to share my
experience and hope that it ignites others to broaden their spiritual horizons. That
book is titled: AWAKENING: OUR SOUL JOURNEYS. It’s full of LOVE!

Sally Huss,
California
PS A suggested movie on a higher form of love during the Holidays: "How Sarah
got her wings" on Netflix

Issue #44 - Symbolism of warmth, light and life!

The language of the Initiates is primarily represented by symbols because they are eternal and do not vary with time. An example would be the pentagram, the 5 pointed star. To the pentagram is attributed the qualities of Wisdom, Love, Truth, Justice and Kindness. It is the living Being, the realized Self, one whose consciousness bears the Christ consciousness. The star that shone above the stable when Jesus was born, was a pentagram star, the one the three Wise Men followed because it was announcing the birth of a Being carrying the Christ principle.

Now let us look at another symbol, the sun which, in initiatic language, represents Spirit. The sun brings warmth, light and life which translates into us as love through our heart, wisdom through our mind and vitality or truth through our will. All great traditions mention these in their sacred books. It is our inner trinity: the mind as the masculine principle, the heart as the feminine principle which work together in harmony to bring about life or the child or a realization.

It is said that everything that exists in the universe is the result of the interaction between the masculine and feminine principles. It is manifested in nature through electricity and magnetism which brings about vitality and life, and it is also true within everyone through the activity of the mind and heart to bring about an action or a realization into matter.

Thus, the Second Birth is also symbolic, meaning that when we awaken to the knowledge of these two principles within and use them consciously, keeping a balance between the mind and the heart, we feel propelled to bring about an action, a creation or even great realizations. We stand stable, in our own trinity and become living pentagrams.

At this time of the year, it is so inviting to work on ourselves and prepare this Second Birth, this higher consciousness and invite the Christ consciousness to come and dwell in us.

Carmen
inspired by Christmas and Easter in the Initiatic Tradition & The Splendour of Tipharet both by Omraam Mikhaël Aïvanhov, available through Prosveta Canada or USA or Amazon.

Issue #43 - This Fall, take time to grow inwardly!

Fall is upon us, sunny warm days are replaced by cloudy cold days and it is time to stay inside more often than not, to take a book, sit and read. While doing so, why not order our new book: Awakening: our soul journeys. We, the authors relate our own story, where we come from, the culture in which we grew up and how we awakened to a higher reality, that of the soul and the spirit. And although we are now connected through the same Teaching, our experiences are all very diversified and inspiring.

Since all human beings are equally composed of a mind, a heart, a will, a soul and a spirit, why not feed the more sublte elements of your being by nourishing the soul and the spirit. Give yourself a gift this season: food for thought, peace and quiet with a good book.

By the way, all the authors of The Aquarian Team have agreed to donate the profit of the sales to charitable organizations. This year again, we are donating to an organization called Operation Smile which help children with cleft palate to improve their chances of a brighter future.

And for those of you who wish another good read, we suggest: The Life of a Master in the West by Louise-Marie Frenette who wrote the Foreword to our book, available through Amazon.

Issue #42 - Excerpt from our new book entitled Awakening: our soul journeys

After 2 years of preparation, our new book is finally coming out. It relates to each our journey, our spiritual awakening. If we did not speak about ourselves in the 1st book, in this 2nd one we dare reveal ourselves and share with you the steps that led us to major shifts in our lives. Here is an excerpt of the 1st chapter: Claude's journey. We hope you will be curious to read each our chapter and feel moved by our experiences.

“Ladies and gentlemen, we are beginning our descent towards the airport of Lyon Satolas. Please return to your seats, fasten your seat belts, and extinguish your cigarettes…”
In 1976, I was working for Air France as a cabin crewmember. When making this announcement, little did I know that I was about to meet someone in this city who would change many things in my life...

Some friends from Cambodia were hosting a party and had invited a few members of my family. Cambodia is the country where I grew up until the age of eight and a half. I wanted to join them, but the party was in Annecy, 145 km from Lyon.

Since I was supposed to spend the night in Lyon with the rest of the crew, I needed the authorization from the captain to go to Annecy. He didn’t refuse, but warned me that being late would not be tolerated by our employer.

After calling to let my friends know I would be there, I rented a car and left for Annecy. My intent was to refrain from picking up hitchhikers. Having been one myself on many occasions, I often rendered this service, but this time I was in a hurry and decided not to. As I was about to exit Lyon, the traffic light turned green, and someone standing nearby caught my attention.

A young, smiling, blond man, all dressed in white, was hitchhiking. Reflex kicked in and I stopped, forgetting my resolution. I motioned the young fellow to join me and told him I was in a hurry, on my way to Annecy. He replied with a smile that Annecy was his destination as well.

I got back on the road, and soon we were engaged in a friendly conversation.
Looking at my white shirt, navy blue tie and the badge on my chest, he asked where I was working. “Up there with God,” I replied, pointing a finger towards the sky. He didn’t say anything, just laughed. Interestingly, he didn’t pursue the matter and seemed to enjoy the image.

Why had I answered that way? I don’t really know. He then began to talk about the upcoming Age of Aquarius and the changes that would occur… about brotherhood on earth, and about the love that transforms everything. It was beautiful and fascinating to listen to him.
Somehow, I had always felt a respect for "Heaven," so I listened intently to what my passenger was saying.

I wasn’t involved in any religion or yoga practice, but I had always appreciated the spirituality of the American Indians and was quite open to the subject in general.
Our discussion was lively and engaging, our sharing sincere and interesting.
Dusk is that time of day when darkness begins to embrace the landscape, heralding the night. It was growing dark in the car, except for the dim, colorful glow of the dashboard lights.

My passenger took a tiny picture out of his pocket and showed it to me. I saw an extraordinary gaze, and immediately felt a warm expansion in my solar plexus. I looked ahead at the road again, but my eyes soon returned to the photo. I saw that this look belonged to a beautiful man with white hair and a white beard. Deeply moved, I asked who this person was. “Mikhaël” is all I remember him saying.

By the time we entered Annecy, the party had faded from my mind. At an underpass I stopped to let my passenger out, but that was not the end of it; we sat on the hood of the car and continued our conversation.

It wasn’t until a few hours later that I suddenly remembered the purpose of my trip. It was one a.m.! He gave me a few brochures, and reluctantly we parted. I hurried off to the reunion of the old friends from Indochina."

Issue #41 - Enjoying the starts at night

Who is not dazzled by the beauty of the twinkling stars on a nice summer night? They fascinate us to the point of never wanting to stop observing and admiring them! And it is so easy to get swept by their splendor and to forget everything else!

Indeed, if the luminous sun brings us light, warmth and life during the day, the stars at night reveal all the depth, the immensity and the unfathomable mystery of our universe!

Through what magic, what unknown power have they emerged from this infinite space … what formidable geometry organized them in such a perfect order?

Who are those grand luminous Beings who dedicate their energies to creating these worlds? So many thoughts surfacing within while contemplating them! So many reflections taking us gently out of space and time beyond the daily obligations that limit us! These far away stars are blazing suns from which sublime entities work and send their messages of love and wisdom that we shall one day learn to read and understand! Our soul and spirit are so thirsty for such blessed moments where eternity and infinity penetrate us, enchant us and fulfill us with harmony and peace!

In the silence of the night, imagine that you are leaving the earth and all its conflicts and tragedies behind you and becoming a citizen of the heavens. Meditate on the beauty of the stars and the magnificence of the beings that inhabit them. Little by little, as you rise mentally higher and higher, you will begin to feel lighter and freer […]

While meditating on the Wisdom that created all these worlds and the beings of which they are a reflection, you will sense that your soul is putting out very subtle antennae which enable it to communicate with them. O.M.A The Path of Silence, p. 153

As we reach the end of Summer or the beginning of Spring for others, let us benefit from these clear and quiet nights and pull ourselves away from our daily affairs to project ourselves into the starry sky and become one with the cosmos and its inhabitants. We can thus discover anew our divine essence, refill ourselves with hope and become visionaries of a wonderful future for our humanity!

Have a wonderful month of September!
France Gilbert, author of the chapter The Role of Women and Motherhood in our 1st book!

Issue #40 - The Moon and Clairvoyance

In the July issue we spoke about the importance of purity and the link with the moon. We mentioned the lower aspect of the moon, that is the aspect turned towards Malkout (representing the physical plane) as referred to by the Cabbalah and the higher aspect of the moon turned toward Tipheret (or the sun). By the way, the Sephirotic Tree of Life of the Cabbalah represents both the different regions of the universe and the different psychic regions in a human being.

A clairvoyant is someone who in a state of passivity and receptivity can see or feel in the invisible world. If that clairvoyant has no notion of purity having a goal of gaining popularity and making money out of their readings, it is most likely that their receptivity is limited to the lower regions, remaining in the astral region like the aspect of the moon turned towards the physical plane. A true clairvoyant is someone who has worked on their own nature who, through purity and disinterestedness, have learned when to be receptive and when to be emissive: that is to be emissive to the lower regions so as to not be influenced by the negative elements of the invisible world and to be receptive to the higher elements of the soul, like the moon turned towards the sun. Using only empathy can hold a clairvoyant down to the levels of others' pain and distress which makes one vulnerable and turns out to be no good for either on the short or long run.

The best type of clairvoyance is that of a psychological perspicacity where one uses the reason by paying attention, listening and noticing the elements observed in a person to divine their true nature. By forgetting about oneself, one's own interest and truly listen, understand, respect and even love another makes one truly perceptive and intuitive. That is the safest and best way to become clairvoyant and, of course, to be of service!

While we are on the subject of the moon, did you know that you can work with the waxing and waning moon? If the moon influences the tides of ocean and the moods of people, why not our psychic and physical life! The waxing moon is the best time to ask for virtues and qualities you wish to develop, to make important decisions or begin new projects, on the other hand the waning moon is best to get rid of negative habits, illnesses and to sell assets. First, link with Heaven and then ask that the energy of the moon work with you for the purpose you chose and always end with "if this is the will of God, let it be so."

This text was inspired by the pocket book entitle Looking into the Invisible: Intuition, Clairvoyance, Dreams by Omraam Mikhaël Aïvanhov.

Carmen Froment on behalf of The Aquarian Team

Issue #39 - The Importance of Purity

One may link purity with chastity and in a way it is but in a rather minor aspect. Purity is more about clarity, simplicity. In reality, purity is always uncomplicated. It is not a mixture of things that might go against its nature, impede its functioning or disturb its harmony. Take nutrition for example, before eating something we need to discard the elements that could impede digestion. When impurities enter the bloodstream it is the beginning of trouble for the organism.

It is also true for the mental, emotional and spiritual levels which means that if a selection is necessary to sort out what is digestible or not, it also goes for our thoughts, feelings and action. Purity is a selection with all the senses:

•  purity in what we taste, drink and ingest
• purity in what see, what we watch
•  purity in what we hear, what we listen to
•  purity in what we smell, what we wear for perfume (the less chemicals the better)
•  purity in what we touch, the way we touch

Purity brings health to the physical body, happiness and joy to the heart, power to act to the will, and to the mind, it brings light and understanding. On the spiritual level, purity protects us from all the undesirable currents and entities.

As such purity is the base, the foundation, of all other virtues, even beauty. One is beautiful when the screens and think layers that prevent the light from showing through have been removed. True beauty is not just about the symmetry of the features but about the amount of light that shines through the face.

In the Cabbalah, Yesod is the ninth Sephira on the Tree of Life (in Hebrew Yesod means foundation, base) where the Moon is represented and it is the Moon that rules over purity. Although the Moon has a lower aspect (turned towards Malkout, the Earth) and a higher aspect (turned towards Tipheret, the Sun). 

Watch our August issue in which we will talk about the influence of the Moon and clairvoyance!

Love and Light to all
Carmen Froment on behalf of The Aquarian Team
PS. This text was inspired from the reading of The Mysteries of Yesod by Omraam Mikhaël Aïvanhov, Complete Works, Vol. 7

Issue #38 - Pilgrimage to Mount Kailash in Tibet!

We all met in Kathmandu to fly to Lhasa with Yogi Raj Swamiji Amar Jyotiji as a group of 72 people, mostly his devotees and 16 westerners, disciples of Omraam Mikhaël Aïvanhov. Lhasa stands at nearly 12,000 feet (3656 metres) and most of us felt the abrupt change of altitude from Kathmandu with a shortest of breath as soon as we exited the airplane.

The city of Lhasa was surprisingly big, modern and far more Chinese than Tibetan although Tibetans are quite noticeable as women have maintained wearing their long skirts and men spinning their prayer wheels. We visited the Potala, the highest achievement of Tibetan architecture, with over 1080 stairs from bottom to top, housing 1000 rooms, 10,000 shrines and some 200,000 statues. It is comprised of 2 main sections: the red one serving for religious studies and prayers, and the white one as home to the Daila Lamas and the administrative purposes. We visited a small section opened to the public: the 13th Daila Lama living quarters and study rooms, (the 14th being the present one in exile), the Maitraya room which shows the Buddha of the future: the only Buddha represented in a western sitting position with legs down instead of crossed legged, the Dharma cave and the Healing room. We admired many of the colorful murals, paintings and sacred objects of Tibetan Buddhism.

The next day we went by train from Lhasa to Shigatse saving us a 10 hour drive which took us through numerous tunnels and amazing valleys where people and yaks work the land in a timeless fashion. The next morning, we went as a convoy of buses from Shigatse to Saga, taking us the full day traveling through hills of pale green, deep ochre and magical purple tones going West on the Tibetan plateau alongside the Nepalese boarder, having to stop at many check points for proper permits and authorizations, and capturing some of the snow peaked Himalayas in the horizon. From Saga at 15,223 ft (4640 metres) we proceeded to sacred Lake Manasarovar where we saw at last the mighty Kailash: abode of Shiva and gateway to Shambala (en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Axis_mundi). It was a very emotional moment. Swamiji prostrated and upon rising lifted his arms with tears saying "My home"! Such a blessing it was to have done this pilgrimage in his holy presence.

We stayed at Lake Manasarovar for the full moon of May and did the Kora around the lake, a Puja by the lake the next day followed by a deep meditation and singing with Swamiji. The next day we went to Darchen, at the base of Mount Kailash, to begin the walk to Dira Puk, a 12 km walk along the West side of Kailash, discovering the great guardians cliffs and mystical figures carved unto them. We came across several pilgrims, Tibetans and Hindus, walking in silence or praying before reaching Dira Puk at nearly 17,000 ft (5080 metres) where we slept. This sacred mountain is home to 4 religions (Bön, Buddhism, Hinduism and Jainism) and the source of 4 rivers feeding Asia: the Brahmaputra, the Karnali (Ganges), the Indus and the Sutlej river.

Despite the difficulty in breathing, the inconvenience of morning headaches (due to the altitude), we were immensely blessed with the presence and sight of Kailash (some pilgrims went 3 times to the area without seeing it a single time). Facing the North side of Kailash while in Dira Puk, some of us made a prayer for the uplifting of humanity, exchanging stones from our home country with those of Kailash, and establishing a feeling of brotherhood with all sentient beings of the planet. The overnight stay brought a change in weather waking up to winter conditions of snow, sleet and strong wind for our return to the starting point of the walk. Even though many of us would have liked to do the circumambulation of the mountain, time restrictions did not allow us that pleasure yet we made the most of the different aspects of this very sacred site.

Certainly, there will be more revealed to the consciousness as time distils this incredible soul experience.

Carmen Froment on behalf of The Aquarian Team

Issue #37 - Celebration of the Wesak

Normally, the Wesak Festival is at the full moon of May, at the time when the sun is in Taurus, but this year the sun was in Taurus on the full moon of April 22. For the Buddhists, this festival is always held at the full moon of May which this year will be May 21st, the Buddha is said to empower forces of Enlightenment seeking contact with humanity. It marks the high-water mark of spiritual blessing in the world. There is an unusual inflow of life and of spiritual stimulation which serves to vitalize the aspiration of all humankind. The intuition of all who seek to serve the good, the beautiful and the true (regardless of their faith or spiritual background) is stimulated by this spiritual blessing.

At Wesak we can visualize the aspiration of all people of goodwill being fused into a concentrated invocation to the Buddha, the Christ, and all Enlightened Beings on the inner side of life. This is a time for dedication, a time to hold ourselves steadily in the light, and above all, a time to focus on the needs of our fellow human beings and the necessity of providing a group channel whereby the spiritual forces can be poured through the body of humanity.

A Ceremony in the Himalayas
The Initiatic Tradition says that all Initiates and spiritual Masters who look after humankind gather either physically or in their astral body for a ceremony in the Himalayas. We too can participate in this special ceremony and join them through our good will and our intention. It is recommended to prepare ourselves couple of days before with an attitude of sacredness and holding in our thoughts the idea of uplifting humanity to a higher level of consciousness, to visualize the pure white light all over the earth.

The annual celebration is one that lasts about 5 days during which people everywhere receive blessings as the Initiates convey their message of wisdom, love and truth.

May you join this celebration in Spirit!
Happy Wesak!

Carmen Froment on behalf of The Aquarian Team
PS. This year I will be in the Himalayas at Lake Manasarovar at the foot of Mount Kailash in Western Tibet precisely at the time of the Wesak with a group of Westerners invited by Swamiji Amar Jyotiji and some of his devotees.
Happy blossoming,