background info for discussion tomorrow, march 4th

​Look forward to seeing you all for the meetup tomorrow. Thanks to Monica for hosting the event. Appreciate if you could return the books borrowed for further circulation.  Thank you.
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RSVP link:  https://goo.gl/7ejkXS   (we have only limited spots at our new location..Kindly RSVP , if you plan to come.Thank you.)

• Date: Sunday, March 4th at 3pm
• Location: Inner Sanctuary Wellness, 2641 Crow Canyon Road, Suite #4, San Ramon
• Topics: (see agenda here)
  • Astrology Talk by Aparna - 30 min
  • Discussion : Form an Formless Worship of God 
  • Shreem Brzee -The Wealth Mantra 
  • Meditation
  • Networking

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Since several people joined us since our last meeting, let me summarize the highlights of discussion we had on the above topics, in preparation for the meetup tomorrow..

Astrology:   30 min  (Aparna will talk to us on Astrology) 

Can planets influence our lives? It is hard to believe so using a rational mind. There is lot of wisdom in astrology that we don't want to miss. 
It is a study of time and may explain why we undergo certain experiences in certain periods of life. 
J.P. Morgan says " “Millionaires don’t need astrology, billionaires do”. Many successful people had their own astrologers. In India,  Vedic astrology is considered as a science, by  
supreme court judgement . But not so in the west. The most dreaded planet in astrology is Saturn, whose impact often results in some amount of humbling experiences, all for good though!
(On a lighter note, per western astrology, the Saturn just entered Capricorn in December :)  Typically, Saturn stays for 2.5 years in one sign.  If you are a Capricorn, you may watch your life and observe the difference!)
In vedic astrology, every planet has a "being" associated with it!  They are considered conscious beings !! (like any one of us :)) For example, in India, it is not uncommon to see a temple dedicated to Saturn (Shaneeswaran) and offering worship for Saturn remediation. (not a recommendation ; just a mention)

Shreem Brzee -The Wealth Mantra    - 5 min    (Our March Special)
Let us not miss this knowledge. This is the  wealth mantra  making its rounds in internet, with lots of testimonials. .Shreem is the power sound for the Goddess of wealth, and Brzee is the sound revealed to its author.  Spiritual people are generally poor, unfortunately. This mantra is supposed to be the spiritual solution.  Check out this link and other related videos 

Spirituality and money are generally considered opposites, but the realities of modern-day life are different.  In the land of "Almighty Dollar", preaching impractical ethics and asceticism does not fly.. The God is rich and owns the world! 

urdhva-moolam adhaḥ-shakham (Gita: 15:1) - this human body " this tree that has its roots upward and its branches down" ...we need to nourish the brain ...and mantras provide a way.

From a scientific perspective, certain mantras/sacred sounds can activate parts of brain and change the way we think; and  transformation is often achieved by changing our thoughts. Mantras were never analyzed how they work; they were mostly taken as a pill...Shreem Brzee, the way its author describes it, is considered as the mantra to put the money back in the hands of spiritual people.  

We examined some books and individuals like Oprah, Richard Branson etc to analyze billionaire minds and  validate that people change destinies by  changing their thoughts.
See more details in our blog     The sanskrit quote, "Yad bhavam, thad bhavathi"  -- You become, what you believe    may be appropriate here.

Topic of our Discussion : Form and Formless Worship of God  : 45 min 
This is a big one!  How can God be confined to a form is the normal argument in most cases.  Worship of  gods and goddesses are prevalent in India  (and in ancient Egypt ) - besides the Advaita - or the non-dual aspect, where the individual consciousness ir merged with Universal consciousness (God)

Mythologically, in India, there are 330 million mythological  Devas/ Devatas (the bright beings)...which are often  mis-translated as "gods" in English for lack of an equivalent word.  The devotees typically believe that these beings have god-like powers and can grant them whatever they want in life!  and it is easier to get results by worshipping a god with a form! So why worship a formless god!  

check out this article:  The Indian temple Steve Jobs advised Mark Zuckerberg to visit

To strike a contrast, in Buddhism (being agnostic), there is no God and there is no Soul !! Buddha does however mention "shoonya" which is often mis-translated as "nothingness" which is "attained in "nirvana"!    This shoonya is often compared to state of enlightenment (or self-realization) in other oriental religions.

For fun, check this video from Osho Rajneesh below: "For Thirty-two Years I Have Been Absolutely Nothing"  ..(if you can take it!)

Ultimately, spirituality is experiential...doesn't really matter what specific concepts of God we have in our "mind"...If we look at our own lives, we see that "the concepts of God" of have been changing over the years!

Please do send in your thoughts and comments or any books /passages/videos that  inspired you.. We are all learning....Let's nourish each other with great , noble and inspiring thoughts!

Shreem Brzee!