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Posts tagged ‘Oxford’

FREE TALK – Honouring The Self 10.9.09 in Oxford……….

www.bkwsu.org

I’ll probably be at this one. It’s funny because I was thinking about honour today and what it really means. I’ll write a summary of the talk soon after. If you do go, please make a donation of whatever amount you can so that this great organisation can continue their work and help more people in need. Thanks.

 

Honouring The Self

Thursday 10 September 7:30  to  9:00pm
At The Global Retreat Centre

Honouring the self is about awareness and understanding of your path through life. I maintain inner peace, dignity and honour when I find the balance between responsibility to my roles and the responsibility I have to myself; between the powers to accommodate and to face. 

Arti, a meditation teacher for over 22 years, is the co-ordinator of the Brahma Kumaris Inner Space Information Centre in Covent Garden. She lectures and runs seminars on personal growth around the UK.

NO BOOKING NECESSARY

www.globalretreatcentre.org  


 


ALL EVENTS ORGANISED BY THE RETREAT CENTRE ARE OFFERED FREE OF CHARGE
Global Retreat Centre
Nuneham Park, Nuneham Courtenay, Oxford, OX44 9PG
T: 01865 343551, F: 01865 343576

W: http://www.globalretreatcentre.org
E: info@globalretreatcentre.org

Planting the Seeds of Greatness by Matthew Stephenson

I went to a talk by the Brahma Kumaris on this subject last week in Oxford. It definitely had an impact on me. It was very thought provoking. I have summarised my written notes and the talk below.

Whilst reading this, take moments to ponder and relate what Matthew is saying to your life. This makes a lot of sense to me personally right now so I am going to put this into practice from today.

My summaries are always what I have taken out of the talk. It would be a more significant lesson to you if you went to experience these Free Talks (but do make a donation) as and when you can.

So without further a do…….

It was right at the beginning that Matthew used the most amazing metaphor to explain his point. When I sat and thought about it, it had made so much sense. He used gardening as a metaphor to life.

www.visitbath.co.uk

We all have beautiful things inside ourselves. Gifts that are lying dormant – waiting to come out. We all come from goodness and greatness. Our journeys through our lives have either tarnished this goodness or extended it – depending on what you have done in your life.

Nature is a mirror for us. Think of a tangible garden and a garden in your mind.

We have each season that we must prepare for. Spring is beautiful. Luscious with colours and longer days. Then this lusciousness will dry in the winter and not be seen until the following Spring.

We need to prepare, protect and adjust in each season for what we are about to produce.  For this, we have to be conscious of timing. When is the environment fertile? What will my plants need to sprout and flourish?

Dinton Pastures

The Divine planted seeds in us. But we are taking the fruits from the environment around us and it is having a negative impact. We are at a stage where we have dysfunctionality of the human spirit. The reality is that we are all part and parcel of what is going on.

You have to look at your awareness/attitude – if I am miserable, what seeds am I sewing daily whilst I am talking to people?

How can I nurture the seeds and produce fruits of love, joy, happiness, peace, stability and respect?

It is a massive challenge to change. It pulls us out of our comfort zones. We are becoming stuck because we get attached to stuff around us. There is no newness. Routine has taken over because we are not nurturing our seeds.

Our seeds = a productive lifestyle. This right here is the bit we need to change.

Remember – we are working from the inside out not the outside in.

We need to be at a stage where we can tailor our gifts to deal with certain situations as you need different skills/tools to deal with different situations.

Chose a thought which will help and be productive to me. Which seeds should I be planting?

Thought is a seed. The world is an expression of that seed.

We are caught up in lots of negativity and waste.

Remember, we are where we are meant to be in order to grow.

Dinton Pastures

When we practice using that power that lies dormant, seeds do emerge but only at certain times. We need to develop this to be more great. Emerge your total greatness. Not in a relationship or externally driven desire as these lead to emptiness.

The inner state affects the way I behave in a certain situation.

Think about what role you play. How do I define myself? Am I a Manager or a Mother etc? Am I pursuing life through a sense of identity through money, power, a meaningful relationship? In this I loose myself in other things. I can’t be clear about me and where I’m going. These are short term fruits that give birth to greater desires with no satisfaction.

 

A very few of us are satisfied with simplicity – Gandhi was one person who was internally full. He had a richness inside.

How many of us are truly happy without our gadgets?

So to nurture dormant seeds, you need direction. The conditions must be right. Are my seeds getting the nutrients and nourishment they need? Notice how the seeds are underground. You can’t see them until they start to sprout. This takes time. You can’t speed up this process. It’s dependent on things like nutrients, timing, the elements etc.

You need to learn the stuff that helps you to grow. There are good and bad components.

Things are a catalyst leading us to rethink.

We have sewn unproductive seeds which is why we are living in these consequences. Accept responsibility to resolve this. Create a vision. What do you want to achieve?

Think of when you want to build a garden from scratch. You have to clear the area, remove any rubbish, take out the weeds and build your way towards richness. Some weeds will be strong – like a dandelion. If you pull that, chances are that you have pulled the top off but the stronger roots are still embedded in your garden. You have to go in deep to see the obstructions with a vision of greatness. Give it light. This light and power lessens the further we move away from The Source.

Make decisions that are conducive to my growth – how can I develop under what environment?

Take up the responsibility. Use motivation and courage to move with my vision. Digging – feeling the satisfaction. Establish a firm foundation for your seeds. Have a good root system.

Use your vision of greatness…..I can be…I want to be….

Dinton Pastures

Look at the positives in your life and replay them. I’ve achieved success here, I can do it here again.

Practising silence. Connecting with The Divine. Reach a state of transcendence that allows me to feel myself and grow.

Watch, observe and be patient. Different seeds take different times. You will become vulnerable for a while. The birds and insects snack on our seeds and we have to protect them.

We need to create a strong root system, a deeper one. Whatever the weather, storms can come but I will stand tall as I have a strong foundation. My strength is in my foundation.

Watch – make sure your seeds are the right seeds that you want. Watch your thoughts. Be true to yourself. There should be no negativity.

As the seeds grow, fruit emerges. Do not take the fruit until it is ripe. We live in an instant gratification world where we want everything now. Chill out, relax and let go. Recognise when your fruits are ripe. When they are, go ahead, pick them and share them out.

And don’t forget that seeds lie in these fruits. Allow them to go back into the ground so that others one day can also enjoy them. Don’t be selfish with your fruits.

Along the way, if you acknowledge your shortcomings you can’t be affected by criticism. No matter what anyone says, you have already sussed this out.

Accept that it is due to a lack of awareness that I have lost myself which is why I am here.

Our most valuable lessons are in nature. We all die as the flowers and trees do. Nature is a façade. All they are twigs and branches – these are energies. What is real is happening in the real garden of our minds. You don’t need a Guru. You need self empowerment of the individual. This is an ongoing process.

Apply yourself if you really want to appreciate your greatness. You have to put the work and energy in.

Take time to understand what it is that you want. Greatness can be expressed in many different ways.

Cornwall

If I want the fruit of it, I need to work at it – and anticipate beyond limited consciousness. The reality is that nothing here belongs to me. Developing my inner world allows me to function so that every situation I am in, I am operating productively. Take your own garden and create beauty for all to enjoy. Finally, also see the greatness in others.

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