​Merry Christmas!
On this auspicious Xmas day, for anybody in the path of spirituality and God, it is very profitable to study the teachings of Jesus, Bible and the Holy Spirit.  

The relationship between the English word Holy Spirit and Breath is not obvious.... The  Hebrew word for spirit is "Ruach"...and it means "air in motion." It is the same word for "breath." It also means "life." By resemblance to breath and air in motion, it means "spirit." 
The Holy Spirit: Breath of God : http://www1.cbn.com/700club/holy-spirit-breath-god

Understanding of the Holy Spirit (also called  Holy Ghost) has been pretty intriguing to me... It is one of the Christian Trinity...the other two being, Father (God), Son (son of God or Jesus), which are a lot easier to comprehend (intellectually, of course :)) 
In  Bible, the information about the Holy Spirit is sketchy... mostly, it is about the other two, Father and Son.  In modern times, people like Benny Hinn has spoken extensively on Holy Spirit. 
Even most Christian churches  do not pay much attention to the Holy Spirit... 
However, most of the miracles performed by evangelists are attributed to the Holy Spirit.  By the way, who is not interested in miracles, in the realm of spirituality? :) . Hence my own interest.

Holy spirit and the miracle called breathing!!

It is interesting to note that the Holy spirit is being referenced before creation, before the birth of Jesus, for miracles during his life, before crucifixion and after resurrection..

• According to Genesis 1:2, the Holy Spirit existed before the birth of  Jesus....it says "the Spirit of God was hovering over the waters."
• Before the birth of Jesus. Holy Spirit tells Mary that "son of god is going to be born"
• During his life, Jesus attributed all his miracles to the Holy Spirit.
• Shortly before his arrest by the Jews, giving last minute instructions and comfort to his disciples. He says he is going to send a "comforter or a helper"...meaning "the Holy Spirit who will dwell in you and will be with you".  John 14:15-18 : “If you love me, keep my commandments. “And I will pray the Father, and He will give you another comforter, to be with you forever, the Spirit of truth....for he dwells with you and will be in you"
• an lastly, after resurrection, Jesus anoints (initiation) disciples using breath " When He had said this, He breathed on them and said, “Receive the Holy Spirit."  

It is very interesting to note this connection between the Holy Spirit and breath... 

Most of us who are familiar with the oriental traditions, know about Prana and how breath is the external indicator.  Many initiations are done using breath as the medium, even today.
You can see numerous examples when using breath, life is infused.. 

• Looking at creation, you will see in Genesis 2:7: "Then the Lord God formed a man from the dust of the ground and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life, and the man became a living being!!! "
• In temple consecrations, one can see how an idol (piece of stone) is made live by what is called a prana-pratishta...like infusing prana into the idol, making it LIVE
• In the story of Ganesha's birth, the mother Parvathi breathes life in to piece of idol 

Meditation:
The study of the Holy spirit makes us recognize that it is a great meditation technique to be aware of one's breathing...on a continuous basis... because the the Holy Spirit and the breath are not different at the micro-level of the human body... (at the macro level, it does have a different meaning). It is easy to understand, has a direct relation on one's own life..
Breathing is continuous and is unrelated to thoughts...Breathing happens even when we are busy thinking.
It doesn't require any belief.. Nobody needs to preach to us how divine is breathing. The end of life is characterized  by one "breathing his last breath" and the life force leaves and the body becomes corpse.

Thought it is worth sharing this information  regarding actual demonstration of third-eye powers! On Sat, Dec 2nd at Newark, CA. ..if anyone wants to attend.

Once in a while, some spiritual entertainment won't hurt :)   Haven't seen anything like this in the past...Some video links are provided below, if you would like to know more.

We talked about pinecone shaped lineal gland in the past.. Egyptians called it as "first-eye" and eastern mystics called it as "third-eye". 

• Sat, December 2, 10 AM - 8:30 PM
• Oasis Palace, 35145 Newark Blvd, Newark, CA 94560 

This comes from none other than the controversial  Nithyananda team...coming here (without Nithyananda). The ad goes something like this:
The New Species of Extraordinary Beings With Awakened Third Eyes

Come experience the Nithyananda Yogis demonstrate incredible powers !


SOME OF THE TRADITIONAL YOGIC POWERS YOU WILL SEE:

• Power of seeing through the Third Eye
• Power of reading past, present, and future through Akashic records
• Power of altering blood pressure
• Power of materializing sacred objects
• Power of remote vision
• Power of body scanning
• Power of increasing height
  
  
  https://inner-awakening.lpages.co/2018-pms-wt-san-jose-2-copy/?fbclid=IwAR2dae0Xp-c0UaurkMwwYTCwfSLXuPhTs_V7rEgO4QxQKhWtkGIJNao9G1U
  

Just heard of this wonderful piece of Sufi literature..and hence sharing. Amazing conclusions of the book (see highlighted)..

"To Know Your Self is to Know God"  (man 'arafa nafsahu faqad 'arafa Rabbahu) -Hadith

We are the birds in the story. All of us have our own ideas and ideals, our own fears and anxieties, as we hold on to our own version of the truth. Like the birds of this story, we may take flight together, but the journey itself will be different for each of us. Attar tells us that truth is not static, and that we each tread a path according to our own capacity. It evolves as we evolve. Those who are trapped within their own dogma, clinging to hardened beliefs or faith, are deprived of the journey toward the unfathomable Divine, which Attar calls the Great Ocean 
 
The seven valleys (see listed below) reminded me of the 7 Chakras of the yoga practice which needs to be opened for enlightenment.
In Bible, the book of Revelation speaks of seven seals being opened prior to the return of Jesus Christ to earth

The Conference of the Birds (Persian: Manṭiq-uṭ-Ṭayr, 1177), is a celebrated literary masterpiece of Persian literature by poet Farid ud-Din Attar, commonly known as Attar of Nishapur. The title, which is in Arabic, is taken directly from the Quran, 27:16, where Sulayman (Solomon) and Dāwūd (David) are said to have been taught the language, or speech, of the birds (Manṭiq Al-ṭayr).

Synopsis
In the poem, the birds of the world gather to decide who is to be their sovereign, as they have none. The Hoopoe, the wisest of them all, suggests that they should find the legendary Simorgh. The Hoopoe leads the birds, each of whom represents a human fault which prevents human kind from attaining enlightenment.
The Hoopoe tells the birds that they have to cross seven valleys in order to reach the abode of Simorgh. These valleys are as follows
1. Valley of the Quest, where the Wayfarer begins by casting aside all dogma, belief, and unbelief.
2. Valley of Love, where reason is abandoned for the sake of love.
3. Valley of Knowledge, where worldly knowledge becomes utterly useless.
4. Valley of Detachment, where all desires and attachments to the world are given up. Here, what is assumed to be “reality” vanishes.
5. Valley of Unity, where the Wayfarer realizes that everything is connected and that the Beloved is beyond everything, including harmony, multiplicity, and eternity.
6. Valley of Wonderment, where, entranced by the beauty of the Beloved, the Wayfarer becomes perplexed and, steeped in awe, finds that he or she has never known or understood anything.
7. Valley of Poverty and Annihilation, where the self disappears into the universe and the Wayfarer becomes timeless, existing in both the past and the future.

"When the birds hear the description of these valleys, they bow their heads in distress; some even die of fright right then and there. But despite their trepidations, they begin the great journey. On the way, many perish of thirst, heat or illness, while others fall prey to wild beasts, panic, and violence. Finally, only thirty birds make it to the abode of Simorgh. In the end, the birds learn that they themselves are the Simorgh; the name “Simorgh” in Persian means thirty (si) birds (morgh). They eventually come to understand that the majesty of that Beloved is like the sun that can be seen reflected in a mirror. Yet, whoever looks into that mirror will also behold his or her own image

​Found this interesting information giving confirmation to ancient practice of fasting.
Fasting and health benefits – Scientific confirmation
Yoshinori Ohsumi, the 2016 Nobel prize winner for Medicine for research into autophagy titled his Nobel Lecture “Autophagy (self-eating)— An Intracellular Recycling System”

Throughout the recorded history of mankind, fasting has been a stalwart of traditional health and healing practices. This is true for virtually all regions of the earth and virtually all religions of the world. The roots of this ancient healing tradition may lie in the the sub-cellular cleansing process of autophagy, which is only just now being unravelled by science. Autophagy is one of the most evolutionarily conserved pathways known to exist, and can be seen in almost all multi-cellular organisms and many single celled organisms. Autophagy refers to the body’s response to a lack of food (fasting) which stimulates a degradation pathway of sub cellular components.”
“Of course, if your body has more protein than necessary, then it may certainly excrete the excess amino acids or convert it to energy. While most people think growth is always good, the truth is that, in adults, growth is almost always bad. Cancer is too much growth. Alzheimer’s disease is the accumulation of too much junk protein (neurofibrillary tangles) in the brain. Heart attacks and strokes are caused by atheromatous plaques. These are excess accumulation of many things, but prominently, smooth muscle cells, connective tissues and degenerative materials. Yes. Too much growth of smooth muscle is instrumental in causing atherosclerosis that causes heart attacks. Polycystic diseases like kidneys and ovaries are too much growth. Obesity is too much growth.”

​

​Some time back, we had a discussion on “guru-hopping” ..i.e. having multiple masters in one’s spiritual journey.. Happened to remember this dialog between on King (Yajnavalkya) and a saint ( Dattathreya) in the book of Bhagavatha, to which the saint responds that he had 24 masters in his life , and he learnt different things from each of them.. He goes on to narrate who were those masters and what he learnt from each of them…The masters were  earth, air/breeze, sky, fire, the sun, pigeon, python, sea, moth, elephant, ant, fish, Pingala the courtesan, arrow-maker, infant/playful boy, the moon, honeybee, deer, bird of prey, maiden, serpent, spider, caterpillar and water are my twenty four preceptors.


<quoted>
1. Earth: People plough, dig and tread the earth. They light fires on it. Still, the earth does not swerve from its course even by a hair’s breadth. On the other hand, it feeds and houses all creatures. Seeing this, I learned that the wise one should never swerve from his vow of patience, love and righteousness under any circumstances and one should dedicate his life for the welfare of living beings. The earth along with its mountains and rivers is my first guru.
2. Air: I observed that air is pure and odorless in itself. And it blows on both sweet and foul-smelling things without any discrimination or preference. Though it momentarily seems to take on the smell of its surroundings, in a short while, it reveals its pristine quality. From this I learned that a spiritual aspirant should live in the world, unaffected by the dualities of life like joy and sorrow and by the objects of the senses. He should keep his heart’s feeling and his speech unpolluted by vain objects. As I have learned all this by observing it, air is my second guru.
3. Sky: The soul is also like the sky, which is omnipresent. I have noticed that sometimes the sky (or space) gets thickly overcast, or filled with dust or smoke. At sunrise and during night, it apparently takes on different colors. But in fact, it ever retains its colorless self, and it is never touched or stained by any thing. From this I learned that a true sage should remain ever pure like the sky or space, untouched or unaffected by anything in the phenomenal universe in time, including his own physical processes. His inner being is totally free from emotional reaction to things and events even like the space. Thus I accepted the sky or space as my third guru.
4. Fire: My fourth teacher is the element of fire. Sometimes, it manifests itself as blazing flames; sometimes as smoldering embers, covered by ash. But it is always present in all objects as latent heat. Though fire has no specific form of its own, when it is associated with fuel that burns, it assumes such apparent forms. So too, the true Self, though formless in itself, appears in the forms of deities, human beings, animals and trees when it is associated with the respective physical structures. The source of all forms in the universe, as also their end, remains ever mysterious. All the things are manifest only in between their origin and their end. Their source and end is the true Self, which is eternal, unchanging, unmanifest and omnipresent. The nature of the element of fire is such. The manifest fire transforms the various things it consumes into the same ash. So too, the wisdom of self-realization rejects the manifest forms and properties of things as illusion and realizes their one original essence as itself. Thus the element of fire is my fourth guru.
5. Sun: My fifth guru is sun. Though the sun we see in our daily life is one, it appears as many when reflected by water in different vessels. Similarly, the one real Self manifests itself as many selves of living creatures when reflected by their physical structures.
6. Pigeon: I have gained wisdom from a pigeon too. Once a pair of pigeons lived together on a tree. They bred their young and were bringing them up with deep affection and love. One day, a hunter caught the young fledglings in a snare. The ladybird, which returned from the forest with food for its young ones, saw their plight and, unable to leave them, she leapt in the snare to share their fate. Shortly after, the male pigeon turned up and, unable to bear the separation from its sweetheart, it too jumped in the snare and met its end. Reflecting on this, I realized how, even after being born as an intelligent human being, man is caught in the coils of possessiveness and brings about his own spiritual destruction. The self, which is originally free, when associated with the body sense, gets identified with it, and thus gets caught in the endless cycle of birth, death and misery. Thus the pigeon was my sixth guru.
7. Python: The python is a sluggard, unwilling to move out briskly for its prey. It lies in its lurch and devours whatever creature it comes across, be it sufficient to appease its hunger. From this I learnt that the man in search of wisdom should refrain from running after pleasures, and accept whatever he gets spontaneously with contentment. Like the python, he should shake off sleep and wakefulness and abide in a state of incessant meditation on the Self. Thus the python was my seventh teacher of wisdom.
8. Sea: Contemplating the marvelous nature of the ocean, I have gained much wisdom. Any number of overflowing rivers may join it, yet the sea maintains its level. Nor does its level fall even by a hair’s breadth in summer, when all the rivers dry up. So too, the joys of life do not elate the sage of wisdom, nor do its sorrows depress him. Just as the sea never crosses its threshold on the beach, the wise one never transgresses the highest standards of morality under the pull of passions. Like the sea, he is unconquerable and cannot be troubled by anything. Like the unfathomable ocean, his true nature and the depths of his wisdom cannot be easily comprehended by anyone. The ocean, which has taught me thus, is my eighth guru.
9. Moth: I often observed that the moth) is tempted by fire to jump in it and get burnt down. So too, the unthinking man is enticed by the illusory pleasures of the senses and thus gets caught in the ceaseless cycles of birth and death. On the other hand, the wise one, when he catches even a glimpse of the fire of wisdom, leaves everything aside, leaps in it and burns down the illusion of being a limited self. Thus the moth was my ninth guru.
10. Elephant: The elephant was my tenth guru. The human beings raise a stuffed cow-elephant in the forest. The wild tusker mistakes it for a mate, approaches it and then skillfully bound in fetters by the cunning human beings. The seekers after liberation should learn to be free from lust. The elephant was thus one of my teachers.
11. Ant: The ant stores up lots of food materials which it neither eats nor gives away in charity to any other creature. In consequence, other more powerful creatures are tempted to plunder the ants. So too, the man who lays by treasures of merely material things becomes a victim of robbery and murder. But the ant has something positive to teach us, too. It is a tireless worker and is never discouraged by any number of obstacles and setbacks in its efforts to gather its treasure. So too, a seeker after wisdom should be tireless in his efforts for Self-Realization. This noble truth has the little ant taught me and became my eleventh guru.
12. Fish: The fish greedily swallows bait and is at once caught by the angle-hook. From this, I realized how man meets his destruction by his craving for delicious food. When the palate is conquered, all else is conquered. Besides, there is a positive feature in the fish. It never leaves its home, i.e. water. So too, man should never loose sight of his true Self, but should ever have his being in it. Thus the fish became my twelfth guru.
13. Pingala, the prostitute: The thirteenth guru that has awakened my spirit is a prostitute named Pingala. One day, she eagerly awaited a particular client in the hope that he would pay her amply. She waited and waited till late in the night. When he did not turn up, she was at last disillusioned and reflected thus: "Alas! How stupid I am! Neglecting the divine spirit within, who is of the nature of bliss eternal, I foolishly awaited a debauchee (sensualist) who inspires my lust and greed. Henceforth, I shall expend myself on the Self, unite with Him and win eternal joy. Through such repentance, she attained blessedness. I learned that the temptation to secure things from other’s hands are the seeds of misery; that renunciation of these is the sole means of realizing infinite joy.
14. Arrow-maker: Once I observed an arrow-maker who was totally absorbed in molding a sharp arrow. He grew so oblivious of all else that he did not even notice a royal pageant that passed by. This sight awakened me to the truth that such single-minded, all-absorbing contemplation of the Self spontaneously eliminates all temptation for the trivial interests of the world. It is the sole secret of success in spiritual discipline. Thus the arrow-maker is my fourteenth guru.
15. Playful Boy: Little boys and girls know neither honor nor dishonor. They do not nurse a grudge or a prejudice against anyone. They do not know what is their own, or what belongs to others. Their happiness springs from their own selves, their innate creativity and they do not need any external objects or conditions to be happy. I realized that the sage of perfect enlightenment is also such. A playful boy thus happened to be my fifteenth guru.
16. Moon: Of all things in nature, the moon is unique. It appears to wax and wane during the bright and dark fortnights. In fact, the lunar globe ever remains the same. In this, it is like the self of the man. While a man appears to pass through the stages of infancy, boyhood, youth, maturity and old age, his real self remains unchanged. All changes pertain only to body and not to the self. Again, the moon only reflects the light of the sun, but has no such of its own. So too, the soul or mind of man is only a reflection of the light of awareness of the real Self. Having taught this truth, the moon became my sixteenth guru.
17. Honeybee: Honeybee wanders from flower to flower and, without hurting them in the least, draws honey. So too, a spiritual seeker should study all the Holy Scriptures but retain in his heart, only that which is essential for his spiritual practice. Such is the teaching I imbibed from my seventeenth guru, the honeybee.
18. Deer: It is said that deers are very fond of music and that poachers employ it to lure them before hunting them. From this, I learned that passions and sensual desires will soon bog down a spiritual aspirant who has a weakness for merely secular music, till he ultimately loses whatever spiritual progress he has achieved earlier. The deer that taught me this truth is my eighteenth guru.
19. Bird of prey: A bird of prey is my nineteenth guru. One day, I saw one such carrying away a dead rat. Many other birds like crows and eagles attacked it, now kicking on its head and again pecking on its sides in their endeavor to knock off the prey. The poor bird was thus very much pestered. At last, it wisely let its prey fall and all the other birds rushed after it. Thus freeing itself from so much botheration, it sighed in relief. From this, I learned that a man who runs after worldly pleasures will soon come into clash with his fellow-beings who too run for the same, and has to face much strife and antagonism. If he learns to conquer his craving for worldly things, he can spare himself much unhappiness. I realized that this is the only way to the peace in the world.
20. Maiden: Once, I observed a family visit a maiden’s house, seeking her hand in marriage for their son. At that time, her mother was away from home. So the maiden herself had to entertain the guests with refreshments. She at once started pounding food-grains with a pestle. The bangles on her hand started knocking against each other, pounding sound. She was afraid that the guests might hear the sound and be unhappy for having caused her so much of trouble.. So she kept two on each hand and removed all the rest. Even then, they were knocking against each other and were making noise. So she kept only one bangle on each hand this time and she could finish her task in quiet. Reflecting on this, I realized that when a number of spiritual seekers live together, a lot of unwanted gossip ensues and no spiritual practice can be pursued with a single-minded effort. Only in solitude, a spiritual aspirant can carry his task. Knowing this truth, I henceforth resorted to solitude. Thus, a maiden happened to be my twentieth guru.
21. Serpent: The serpent sheds in skin, leaving off its old skin. So too at the end of his life Yogi leaves his body deliberately and in full awareness of his own true self and is not frightened by the phenomenon of death. On the other hand, he casts off his old body as happily as he does his worn out clothes and dons new ones. Thus has my twenty first guru taught me.
22. Spider: The spider is my twenty second guru. It weaves its web from the thread in the form of a fluid. After sometime, it gathers up the web into itself. The supreme projects the whole creation out of itself and after sometime, withdraws it into itself at the time of dissolution. The individual soul too, bears the senses and the mind within itself and, at its birth as a human being or any other living creature, it projects them out as the sense organs, organs of action and the whole body. In accordance with its latent tendencies, the creature thus born, gathers up all the means and objects needed for its living. At the end of its life’s duration, the soul again withdraws the senses, mind and acquired tendencies at the hour of death. Thus have I learned from the spider.
23. Caterpillar: The caterpillar is also one of my teachers of wisdom. The wasp carries its caterpillar to a safe corner and closes it up in its nest and goes on buzzing about it. The young caterpillar is so frightened by the incessant buzzing, that it cannot think of anything else than the buzzing wasp. Through such unintermittent contemplation of its mother, the caterpillar too, soon grows up into a wasp! In a like fashion, a true disciple is so charmed and over-awed by the spiritual eminence of his own guru that he cannot think of any one other than him. Through such contemplation, he soon blossoms into a great spiritual master himself. The caterpillar is thus my twenty third Guru.
24. Water: Water is my twenty fourth Guru. It quenches the thirst of every creature, sustains innumerable trees and all creatures. While it thus serves all living beings, it is never proud of itself. On the other hand, it humbly seeks the lowliest of places. The sage too should likewise bestow health, peace and joy to every creature that resorts to him. Yet he should ever live as the humblest of God’s creation.

One day in the future it will be said that a great master passed this way and awakened many to their inner potential. Sri M of Madanapalle is a true Modern Mystic. Born Mumtaz Ali Khan and raised in a Muslim family in Trivandrum, he became a Yogi in the Himalayas at nineteen, spent three and a half years traveling with his master Babaji Maheshwarnath, returned to the world, got married, raised a family, founded the Satsang Foundation, built two successful schools, became a crusader for inter-religious harmony, authored a best-selling autobiography, is a respected teacher of Vedanta and Kriya Yoga and today is Guru to thousands across the World  ​

​Thought this amazing mystic "M", whose experiences sent shockwaves down my spine,  is worth sharing.. I hastened to order his autobiography.

" Apprenticed to a Himalayan Master" . This amazingly simple person's narration of first hand experiences of his mystical and eerie sojourns, studded with nuggets of wisdom, will surely impress you!  

I loved listening listening to this song with english meaning,starting with "mere knowledge alone can't save you from death" ​

I am interested in non-western healing methods. Some time back, we talked about an American Doctor called Dr. Mitchell Gibson who can look at a person's aura for treating…He is even known as a "Spirit Doctor"..Don’t think science yet believes in a person’s aura yet (though I have seen pictures of Kirlian photography which they say, can take the picture of one’s aura)
https://spiritualityhealth.com/articles/2018/06/14/can-you-capture-your-aura-with-a-kirlian-photograph 
Dr. Gibson is no ordinary person! He was actually named multiple times among the  the best doctors in America. 
There are lots of videos about this wonderful Doctor… Here is one on  “What is the force that causes miracles? “ 
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HhxxrpI5p_E&list=PL025840CD43AC92DC

Dr. Naram: Another Doctor whom I heard recently is  this globe trotting doctor, Dr. Naram, who has even Dalai Lama and Mother Teresa among his list of patients   https://www.drnaram.com/
​
 Check out this video:  Dr. Pankaj Naram : Indian Healer Demonstrates Ancient Techniques 
I  liked his herbal store (not a recommendation. Haven’t even tried one :) 
https://www.drnaram.com/herbal-store/

​"An interesting fact is that in the foundation of the temple you can find stones that are as heavy as eight hundred tons. The pillars of the temple are as tall as fifty feet. The legends say that elephants were used to move these stones and make a base for the construction as there were no heavy earth moving equipment in those days. The strange part about this theory is that you do not find elephants in this part of the world then from where did elephants come. These points make us wonder who actually built this temple and why.

One point that clearly stands out in at Baalbek is that in the ceiling of the temple you can find lotus flowers engraved. Nowhere else in this part of the world you will get to see lotus flowers, so the question arises why is this unique feature found here."

The Rig Veda, which is the earliest written document of human spirituality.  The opening hymn 1.1 praises the method of using Fire as medium to propitiate divine beings, who in turn bless us with wealth.   
“Agnimeele purohitam Yajnyasya Devam-Rtvijam,  Hotaaram Ratna-Dhaatamam ”  
When Gramophone was invented by Thomas Alva Edison, he wanted to record the voice of an eminent scholar on his first piece.His obvious choice was Max Muller, a great Sanskrit scholar of the 19th century.  This disc was played to eminent scholars of Europe who had gathered in England for the Inaugural ceremony. Max Muller surprised the scholarly audience chanting  the first Mantra of Rigveda in the inaugural recording for HMV.

You will find a similar strain of thought in Gita 3:12, wherein Arjuna asks how the worldly desires can be ful-filled and gets a similar response.

​Ancestor Ritual (Tarpanam):  Honoring the ancestors

​Sometime back, we talked about the moon and how it influences the mind. Even the word "honey-moon" comes from the fact that moon is related to one's emotions or ecstacy!   The word "Lunacy" came from the observation of the Greeks the impact of moon on brain" :) It is said the on full moon days, the lunatics become more disturbed.. not that moon is causing it, but whatever we are, it gets amplified or heightened.  Hence the attempt to bring-in consciously what we want to amplify in our life.

Looking around, we do find many living masters (from India) celebrating this. Here is a short list.

Moon is consciousness, whether it is Indian tradition or Greek tradition and in many other traditions. Phases of the moon brings different levels of consciousness...As we mentioned earlier, major Indian religious festivals are celebrated based on moon phases, like Chaturdhi (4th moon), Shashti (6th moon),Navami (9th moon), Ekadasi (11th moon) etc.

Accordingly full-moon (purnima) is always considered good for Enlightenment. We will talk about  new moon (Amavasya) at a later time.

Buddism and full-moon- The Moon and Religious Observances -The outstanding events in the life of the Buddha took place on full moon days.
https://www.budsas.org/ebud/whatbudbeliev/217.htm

Great Article
The boys’ coach lived in a Buddhist monastery for a decade and taught them to meditate in the cave.

When the 12 Thai boys who were trapped in a cave and were rescued one by one were first discovered by British divers last Monday, they were reportedly meditating.
“Look at how calm they were sitting there waiting. No one was crying or anything. It was astonishing,” the mother of one of the boys told the AP, referring to a widely shared video of the moment the boys were found.
Turns out that their coach, Ekapol Chanthawong, who led them on a hike into the cave when it flooded on June 23, trained in meditation as a Buddhist monk for a decade before becoming a soccer coach.
According to multiple news sources, he taught the boys, ages 11 to 16, to meditate in the cave to keep them calm and preserve their energy through their two-week ordeal. And British diver Ben Reymenants, who was involved with the rescue operation, told Vox on Thursday that each of the boys did an hour of meditation with the coach before they were brought out of the cave between Sunday and Tuesday.
“He could meditate up to an hour,” Ekapol’s aunt, Tham Chanthawong, told the AP. “It has definitely helped him and probably helps the boys to stay calm.”
Ekapol, 25, went to live in a monastery at age 12 after he was orphaned. According the Straits Times, he trained to be a monk for 10 years at a monastery in Mae Sai, Thailand, but left to care for a sick grandmother. He then was hired to be the assistant coach of the team, known as the Wild Boars.
Coach Ake, as he is known, still maintains close contacts at the monastery. The abbot there told the Wall Street Journal he’s “a responsible young man who meditates regularly.”
That meditation would be a useful practice in an extremely stressful situation like being trapped in a cave is really no surprise. Buddhist meditation has been around for 2,600 years, since the Buddha began teaching it as tool for achieving clarity and peace of mind, and ultimately, liberation from suffering.


Recently, scientific researchers have shown in clinical settings that mindfulness meditation (a specific meditation practice and one that’s taught in Thai Buddhism and elsewhere around the world) can reduce anxiety and depression, as well as pain.
Though there are few randomized control trials on meditation and mental health, a 2014 meta analysis by Johns Hopkins researchers for the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality found that meditation, and in particular mindfulness, can have a role in treating depression, anxiety, and pain in adults — as much as medications but with no side effects. Meditation can also, to a lesser degree, reduce the toll of psychological distress, the review found. The research on kids is still fairly preliminary, though more and more schools are implementing mindfulness meditation programs.

​Someone suggested Vaastu to me. Happened to readup on some Vastu literature and found the following info interesting..Let me know what you think about it or have personal experience with it. 
The last time I heard about Vaastu, was when I was living in Iowa during 2005-2007. Had the opportunity to visit Fairfield, Iowa where Mahesh Yogi's  TM city is located (Transcendental Meditation) and saw large number of east-facing houses, only on one side of the street!!

My quick notes on Vaastu principles:
Our home as one of our mindset influencers.
Look at the locations where you spend most of your time and notice the vibrations in those locations
How is our mindset affected by where we are or where we live?
The inside of our home is a microcosm. Use Vaastu Principles for greatest energy flow. Some tips:
a) North - Lakshmi and Kubera, Abundance, wealth
b) South - Release Energy, Death
c) East - Spiritual, Good for Altar or Pooja or prayer Room
d) West - Occult, Saturn, Tough Lessons
e) Doors into the house should be situated in the North or East

​According to ancient religious scriptures,  the divinity is inherent in each of us, but we don't recognize it.. It is easy to identify ourselves with our little egos, but not with our own divine nature. Science is helping us understand God better, in fact. The latest discoveries of quantum physics, Higgs Boson (a.k.a God particle)  and quantum physics is closer to metaphysics than ever before.
 - what we see as solid reality is not solid and the Observer effect.
- The theory of uncertainty  by Eisenberg and non-local reality.
 
God is said to be infinitely compassionate! Just that we don't experience it. The energy is living within us whether we think (with mind) about God or not!  A great master suggested as a spiritual practice that if we deeply believe divinity is within us for some time, miracles will start happening. It is a not logic-based, linear or science based concept. Our human nature requires us to use logic and reasoning. We can't get rid of it.  So, ultimately belief in God becomes more like a deep trust that one has to cultivate to experience miracles in life on a daily basis which will help us overcome limitations of human life.

Just happened to remember and share this interesting piece of information: (especially if you like reading poetry). Years back, prior to coming to US,  I read this poem by Vivekananda on 4th of July...Surprisingly, he passed away on July 4th, 1902.
http://www.ramakrishnavivekananda.info/vivekananda/volume_5/writings_prose_and_poems/to_the_fourth_of_july.htm

Behold, the dark clouds melt away, 
That gathered thick at night, and hung 
So like a gloomy pall above the earth! 
Before thy magic touch, the world 
Awakes. The birds in chorus sing. 

The flowers raise their star-like crowns -- 
Dew-set, and wave thee welcome fair. 
The lakes are opening wide in love 
Their hundred thousand lotus-eyes 
To welcome thee, with all their depth. 
All hail to thee, thou Lord of Light! 

A welcome new to thee, today, 
O Sun! Today thou sheddest Liberty! 
Bethink thee how the world did wait, 
And search for thee, through time and clime. 

Some gave up home and love of friends,
And went in quest of thee, self-banished, 
Through dreary oceans, through primeval forests, 
Each step a struggle for their life or death; 

Then came the day when work bore fruit, 
And worship, love, and sacrifice, 
Fulfilled, accepted, and complete. 
Then thou, propitious, rose to shed 
The light of Freedom on mankind. 

Move on, O Lord, in thy resistless path! 
Till thy high noon o'erspreads the world. 
Till every land reflects thy light, 
Till men and women, with uplifted head, 
Behold their shackles broken, and 
Know, in springing joy, their life renewed! 

Recently heard about this wonderful place not very far from Bay area. Had the good fortune to spend last week-end at Sivananda Yoga Farm at Auburn, CA. They have periodic Yoga teacher’s training if you are interested, bunch of farm animals (kids would love), a pond, cabins of different types and sizes, and food included in prices.  They give you vegetarian food twice a day (8am and 6pm)..that is it!!   The wifi is off at 10:30pm and about 50 + acreage of surrounding forests, one Durga temple (15 min walk ) and one Siva temple on a hill-top (108 steps), some distance away. Tons of informative literature, especially if you are interested in Yoga Asanas and Pranayama, and Hatha Yoga (advanced pranayama).
The last one mile or so to this place, is on a gravel road, phone signal is spotty, wifi is free.  If you have older parents’ visiting, they would definitely love this place.

Check out https://sivanandayogafarm.org/  if you are interested.
 
“ If you do not find peace within, you will not find it anywhere else “  -  Sivananda

Just wanted to share this. When I first heard about this,  I was wondering, why did I not know this earlier.  (bad) Karma is unchangeable or it is difficult, to say the least. When things are good, nobody wants to change  so here is the knowledge on how to change it when things go south! 
 
You might have heard of the great saint called Dattathreya in India, who represented the wisdom tradition – a very high intellectual tradition. In the book called “Thripura Rahasya” there is a great conversation between Dattathreya  and another towering personality called, Parasurama,  who keeps asking questions to the saint.  One question is “how to change your Karma or diffuse karma” ….and the response was “Karma is time, you cannot change time….BUT …you can change your space and change your time!!!”

So there is a relationship between space and time and by changing space, you can change your Karma     Looks like tribal knowledge, if you are not successful in New York, go to San Francisco and vice versa!  Most of us might have done this in our lives unknowingly…but it is interesting to see how karma works out in people’s lives, when they move houses or cities.

Krishna says in Gita, "In the beginning,  the world was created with an agreement between gods and human beings.  The humans to propitiate the gods through fire rituals, and gods giving abundant wealth"  ...reminds us in modern language  "you scratch my back , and I will scratch your back!! " :) :) Is acquiring wealth, the  purpose of life? probably not...but if that is what people want, there is a method prescribed (and not ignored)...UNLIKE the ascetic model.

Rig Veda, the oldest book in the world, begins with an invocation to Fire  “Agnimeele purohitam, yajnasya devam ritvijam, hotaaram RATNA dhaatamam”  ( meaning :Fire, the high priest of sacrifice, the divine, the ministrant, who is
the offerer of greatest wealth). In rituals , fire is the medium used to offer many things to gods and goddesses, in return for wealth (ratna)

God is the owner of everything. Ascetic teachers who were recluse and basically responsible for many teachings, often took a stand against money/wealth... If you are wealthy,  you will be deluded and ignore God.. that was the concern.

In Gita, 3:12, there is a verse which is often ignored by commentators:

"istan bhogan hi vo deva, dasyante yajna-bhavitah"   meaning "the devas can give you the enjoyments of life, by fire rituals" or  "gods can give you whatever you want so that you may enjoy those things"..

In Gita, 3:11, similar train of thought,  the word "parasparam" is used to denote the mutual  relationship between the human and the gods for each other's benefit.
" devaan bhaavayataanena te deva bhaavayantu vah, parasparam bhaavayantah shreyah paramavaapsyatha
 
Meaning: "You will make the deities prosper through this fire ritual, and the deities will make you prosper. By mutually making each other prosperous, you will attain the highest good"

Bible says " ASK, and it shall be given!'