All of us some secrets in life, some big, some small, some seemingly insignificant. This post is about one of mine and it’s something to do with my habits! Maybe this got you guessing into many different directions or maybe you were one of the few who read my recent Facebook Post. This post is about how to tame those curly, messy sparks into a smooth, shiny gloss without using hair dryers or harsh hair sprays.
Being an on the go dedicated Mom who works full time, is a part time entrepreneur, writer, vlogger, and values each moment of life, requires products that are on-the-go which do not ask me to step into the salon, dig into my pockets or pry onto recipes online.
But before we talk about my Secrets, let’s rewind a little bit into my history. My history of being a woman of substance ;) Joking! I mean, that although I am a strong contender when it comes to dressing with style (mood defines the willingness for sure), I slack with my hair big time. A big reason for that is my environment friendly, health conscious brain. Healthy, natural, staying organic, as chemical free as possible was something I was born with.
Things like face packs, face foundations, hair dryers, hair irons, hair sprays are never to be found on my dressing counter, neither in the backlash, forgotten colonies. I haven’t owned them in 37 years and sparingly allowed the hair stylists to use them at my wedding and sheer handful others.
I am the typical no-make up freak girl and hence what you find in my cosmetic closet are true treasures of value, often pretty old too.
One among them are my favorite hair products. My hair has naturally been very wavy from birth. O the curls I used to have when I was little were born princessesy! (This word was just born) But lately, I have occasionally wanted to go straight every so often, without having to use a hair dryer or hair iron. The picture above is showing my hair much more tamed! The real ones are the African lion manes after their final encounter with the shower and towel dried, before my comb gets to kiss the curls goodbye. L-O-L. No kidding!
So here was the post that went onto Facebook 3 days ago, to which some asked- “Please share the secret”.
My hair is naturally very wavy and I have never owned or used a hair dryer and hair sprays (except when hair stylists use it). Then how do I get my hair to be so straight? It’s a Secret ingredient!
So what is it that changes my hair from that to this in a matter of minutes?
It is something I do and something I apply. Here is the SECRET to this smooth rainfall:
I wash my hair with this amazing shampoo which not only fluffs and softens my hair but also goes super gentle on my scalp psoriasis + it costs a quarter than the crazy fragrance filled brand names that often do not deliver their promise
2. I straighten my hair when yet slightly damp. I do not allow my hair to dry off as they are almost curly and then are hard to tame. Using a good quality, soft bristled hair brush is important too. I use a flat head one and honestly take the time to flatten them well.
3. I apply a spot of this little magic after my hair is dry and then straighten them again.
I found it for a great price at a salon and decided to use it. It requires no more than one dot literally! and honestly, I haven’t finished this bottle in 2 years now. I use it maybe once in 2 months when I truly want my hair to look spectacular.
Here’s the final finish effect which I love. I am still very lazy with my hair and haven’t learnt to play with the styles like other women do. Being a mix of a macho Mars and a soft Moon, I get to keep both the Yin and the Yan side of me and cherish living life on the go as a Mom!
Please share and like the post to your will. Besides being a passionate writer, I am passionate about turning Women Lives from Trials to Triumphs. Know all about me HERE
Are you a Full Time, On the go, concerned, dedicated, stressed Mom? READ THIS!
Spiritual Leaders in the human world have been raving about the ‘Golden Age’ which started in 2012. All that talk about the earth to be destroyed was actually about the new phase we were to jump on, also called as the ‘Ascension’.
There are some very trans-formative, powerful shifts happening on earth given this much needed spiritual uproar. Twin Flames and all the mysterious excitement around it is one of them. There are truly not many Twin Flames ascending as human selves in close proximity. Those that are, are lucky, are very ‘old souls’ and carry the wisdom that will play a key part in keeping earth ‘alive’ in the coming generations.
While it is easy to confuse a Soul Mate or Karmic Bond with a Twin Flame relationship, a Twin Flame alone can truly mark that difference. In one word it is a SACRED relationship, two souls embodied into ONE. Then that ONE SOUL is given two bodies, one given by the Universe where Souls are bonded for the deepest trans formative exercises of highest self-actualization, almost as close to Godliness as it can get.
Twin Flames (TF) have very strong whirlpool like attraction and affection towards one another. They may be perfect strangers when they meet but the connection is the peak of a deja vu unexplained. That attraction is so hard to resist that like same poles of a magnet, they crave to be together and yet repel each other very quickly.
Twin Flames often look alike when put together and have exactly same or very identical habits, virtues, personality, upbringing, experiences in life, family structures, religious backgrounds and careers. They live what is called as PARALLEL LIVES. This means that what one Twin does, immediately and directly impacts another twin even without any interaction or physical proximity. They may be in two different continents or planets, the energetic power is so intense and inter-coiled that their experiences become magnetic. The ways in which they or their lives are stark antonyms, highlights areas of growth.
In this body, my TF journey started a handful of years ago, in this soul, it started a handful of lifetimes ago. However, this post I do not desire to define more of what a TF is but rather just to ‘express’ who I am, why I am so honored to be where I am in life. The thread of life, as a gift that my TF gave me in the deepest darkest hours of chaos, without ever even physically being present, in communion or his consciousness, is the most invaluable gift my soul has and will ever cherish. Read on…
…I personally believe that Krishna-Radha are the perfect TWIN FLAME examples. Krishna is the highest revered Hindu God and Radha was his eternal love. Krishna’s wife was not known in history but Radha continues to be worshiped and their UNCONDITIONAL bond has set the stone for inspiration for generations. Despite his marriage, his true communion was with Radha, an attraction they both could not resist and was also cherished by humanity at a time when virtues of only one physical bond was an all or nothing phenomenon.
It is the highest soul level relationship one can be in and I feel honored to experience all of it’s major highs and deep lows. This roller coaster relationship is nothing and never short on spiritual Drama as the Universe weaves out it’s yarns seamlessly with no particular direction except one – constant and MANDATORY FORWARD motion IN INTENSE SELF ACTUALIZATION.
A TF relationship forces one to constantly face fears, Insecurities, emotional patterns and spiritual accountability without being physically too proximate to one’s TWIN or too far apart to be able to escape it.
How I have evolved with this Sacred Union is beyond description but people witness that charm and strength. And while I have not conversed with my Twin in exactly 2 years now, we have never been apart in Unison for a single moment. We hear each other’s thoughts, feel each other’s happiness and pain and dance together I’m higher dimensions of existence.
And as the soul seeks more evolution, today I evolved further up digging out deeper fears and learning to be more vulnerable than ever before, even walking rt front of my Twin’s Space without ever knowing if an interaction would be possible or unlikely.
When I met my twin for the first time, I had no clue but life began to stir up all the questions and chaos which I had suppressed within me for ages. Who am I, why am I living a subdued life, defining it with a victim’s eye and allowing it to be a passive experience. I had given in to the ‘have to live’ and ‘have to somehow get through’ with the intense pain. Grief was my word of the day for several years but the more I encountered my Twin, the more it mirrored to me the self-identity I was missing, an invisible scar that sketched out as a 100 broken mirrors poking their sharp edges into a marriage that was loveless, broken, abusive and a life I had become a slave to.
And so I moved, energetically, worked emotionally and grew into something I would have never believed I could. An strong, independent woman leading the light for others now.
Manifestation after all is super easy and that’s why so hard as it requires breaking all boundaries with Vulnerability and learning to stay in the Unpredictability of Life. ~Coach Rima Desai
While Twins go back several life times in history and I have seen so many of those clearly, they THRIVE only by mastering the HERE and NOW – Zero strings attached. No past, no future and in that we continue to be reborn limitless times and each nano second is a new birth of oneself and a MIRROR to one’s TWIN. ~ Rima Desai
And so goes for all Twins reincarnating on Earth with this time of Ascension and Transformation. Remember Krishna-Radha!
“How can you invest in yourself today for a promising tomorrow?”
– Life-Coach Rima Desai
Have you known anyone highly depressed, anxious and suicidal? Have you seen them completely transformed from that WITHOUT the use of any medications? I was once that – a totally depressed teenager with suicidal behaviors. But something drastically changed my life and it started with something small, a choice. Here is a VIDEO on SUCCESS, MIRACLES, LIFE!
Often times we get bogged down by people, experiences or situations that seem crippling or harsh. While has it’s way to whip us, we ALWAYS have a choice! To consider ourselves helpless at any point of life, is to ‘give-up’ on life and ourselves. On July 4th, I would like you to celebrate your HERO within.
Dr. Viktor Frankl – victim and survivor of the Nazi camp who was subjected to severe abuse in the camp, lost his family as well, has set the most extraordinaire example of Freedom and Psychology. Viktor Emil Frankl is the founder of logotherapy, which is a form of existential analysis, the “Third Viennese School of Psychotherapy”. Reading ‘Man’s Search for Meaning’ at a very young age, inspired me and helped me facilitate the limitlessness I could find within myself. Below, I share a big, inspiring message with you all –
“If there is nothing I can change about the situation, I can change my attitude towards it” @ Create freedom in your thoughts. ~ Life-Coach Rima Desai
The big looming question is – “Is War coming?” Is that truly where our mind is staying occupied amongst all the little day to day wars that we fight in our little lives. Here, by war, I mean the challenges, milestones and obstacle courses we are constantly navigating amongst our relationships, health and career.
Yes, of course, there is tons that we can state about The President, The News and the hobble. I would be a wisely lazy person to avoid that endless conversation of The Know-it-All. My title of course is talking about Astrology – The Planets that are inviting some serious clashing of the empty utensils like a toddler searching for greater discoveries. So yes, war is coming! But what do I mean by war? What kind of war?
Today is June 25th, 2018 – A date worth noting in your journal. 5 months from now, you may enjoy revisiting this day. As a lot stands in store between now and then – 1st Dec. 2018. Big events, big transformations, big explosions or big discoveries!
As simply as I can put it, I am highly inspired by the Ancient, Vedic Astrology Calculations that inspired the CREATION of ASTRONOMY. This astrology was born some thousands of decades ago in the ancient land of India. The combinations in the sky are the ones found after who knows how many decades or centuries.
Metaphorically, Mars is the Soldier – The dutiful fighter. It loves to go out and fight for its cause, protect, be aggressive, brave. It rules the sign of Aries(action, aggression, pro-active, confident, impulsive) and Scorpio(Things hidden, secrets, underground, death, transformation). However, a soldier stands valuable on the war land, not in personal or business relationships. This planet goes retrograde on June 26th, 2018 in the sky, sitting closely with its even more fiery counterpart – Ketu (South Node) which is the co-ruler of the sign of Scorpio along with Mars. Put fire and retrograde fire together, what happens? Retrograde planets ask us to SLOW DOWN our energies, to be more passive in our approach, to repair and finish the unfinished and think deeply before we act, speak or do, to be more practical than emotional in our approach. Given, we don’t do that, given that we LASH OUT at the people that we feel frustrated with, annoyed by and force a fight for a cause like scenario, the fire doesn’t hesitate to burn us. Being too fiery in our lives at this time of the sky until the end of this year can cost us grave penalties.
However, this is just the start of the story. Here is a chain of planetary alignments you do not want to OVERLOOK at any cost!
Fiery, Retrograde Mars sits close with fiery and very sharp, weapon-like planet South Node Ketu in Capricorn – the sign of their enemy Saturn. Hence, once we make our fiery mistakes, we may want to fall back on Capricorn (Saturn) like qualities like retrospection, humility, penance, reform. However, when we fall back on Saturn, we find that Saturn currently is sitting RETROGRADE in Sagittarius – the sign of it’s enemy JUPITER.
So Jupiter asks you higher philosophical question – what has your higher faith taught you about life, treating others and core human values? And so moving from the fiery mistakes of Mars-Ketu, we fall back on Saturn which takes us further to Jupiter.
So how is Jupiter placed in the sky? This Giant also is sitting RETROGRADE in Libra – The sign of its enemy Venus – the ruler of relationships, balance and harmony.
Which means that Jupiter’s philosophy and moral values may be unable to help us at this point given that it is sitting retrograde (silent, withdrawn) in its enemy sign. While the big planets Ketu, Jupiter, Mars and Saturn will remain in those signs for several weeks to several months, the soft, beautiful Venus continues to move through several zodiac signs for the rest of the year, reminding us to harmonize and stabilize (Libra energy) in all areas of our life.
PUT THIS IN A NUTSHELL?
There are THREE Retrograde Planets in the Sky currently, and each one is sitting in the sign of their enemy planet. Aggressive, go-getter Mars and Ketu, both retrograde are sitting up too close, easily causing greater impulse for arguments, wars, fiery problems, impulsive rudeness, attacks and more.
You can win over this seemingly troublesome times by:
Learning to be the Bigger Person, Humble, not giving in to the arguments, being patient, not fighting to be right, but being Kind.
Retrospecting and repairing the ugly, unfinished or broken parts of your life: career, relationships at work, home, kids, friends, etc.
Slowing down, smelling the roses, finding a higher purpose, bigger meaning in your life.
Meditating, working towards Self-Transformation
Staying away from Negative News, negative people and events.
And definitely come back 5 months later to REVIEW your journal and notice how these times transformed you, your life, the course of your journey. I am sure there are some surprises in store – either growth ones with joy or growth ones with significant learnings!
“Dear Woman, a Mother is the one who removes the thorns from one’s heart with a whisper of Love. She is the feather that floats you from a drowning sea and the bucket of Love with seamless boundaries.
At the moment you feel guilty for the mistakes you have done, resentful for what you haven’t, angry for what others did to your or sad for what you don’t have, simply lift your head up and walk up to a Mirror. Look at the person in front of you in the eye in that Mirror and say to her –
“For the times when you have been a Mother, for the millions of seconds when you have forgotten your needs for that of your child…
…for the days when you cried alone because you showered smiles at your baby,
…for the nights you awoke worried for someone else’s safety,
…for all that you have selflessly thought and done for your entire family,
…for the times when you haven’t cooked what you loved to fit the joy of the rest,
…for the times when your body hurt and you mustered the courage to go on and
…for a trillion of the billion seconds when you lived up to your duty to be a Mother, you deserve a shower of Love, a bucket of Hugs and Mountains of Flowers
…for you must know that you are not about what you sacrifice, what you feel guilty about, what you did not do right
…for you must care for yourself first, love yourself first, stop always putting the family first
…for you must start showing your children what love truly means, not sacrifice but filling your bucket, appreciating yourself, standing up for yourself, being true to who are and need, making powerful requests and drawing powerful boundaries from the irrational, sacrificial expectations others may have from you.
…for you deserve to be as much a human being as all others, for we must transform what being a woman means and show our children a new future
For today is that day like every other day when you get to Celebrate Who You are – a Mother. For you are the ultimate Angel in someone’s world, for you are the whole and the soul for them, for those little twinkling eyes and hearts you ignite with joy and hope every single day. For if you weren’t here, their world would be Dark and Lonely”.
And for that, just for that, Love Yourself Unconditionally. For you are the Divine, for you are a M-O-M! How lucky that you are, that I am, we are! For not a million dollars can win the innocence we experience every day, in the hearts of the purest, through the smiles of our little Angels.
There are only 2 entities one can pray to. One is God and other is a Mother. While God teaches us Godliness, a Mom executes it every second”. <3
Hey All You COFFEE LOVERS. For years now my friends have asked me for my coffee recipe and so here is how I make it and why you won’t find it elsewhere! Cold Coffee is called Iced Coffee in USA. It is my favorite, quick recipe to drink on hot summer days. Now this is an old post, I am re-sharing because over the years my coffee has remained true to it’s heroic talent.
So welcome Arizona, to yet another year of a heated mess. Although I love the heat any way, I love it even more with my Cold aka Iced Coffee. What I hate about iced coffee from Starbucks or elsewhere is that they pack with a load of ice with coffee and dairy that tastes very separated, non-blended and unappealing. Or, they pack it up with froth and cream that is heavy fat and sugar, unnecessary for making a tantalizing coffee shake.
Yesterday i.e. on May 6th, 2018, I made this cold coffee once again for my daughter’s teacher and that too without any sugar in it and with v. little dairy. She loved it and sipped every inch to the bottom.
Ingredients:
– Cold milk of any kind: Dairy or Non-dairy: 250 ml
– Instant Coffee Powder: Nescafe normal or African coffee powder
-Sugar / Stevia / Agave: as needed
-Spices: Pinch of Cinnamon Powder or Cardamom Powder, pinch of Ginger Powder
-2-3 ice cubes, blender and a Coffee-ing Heart
HOW TO MAKE IT:
– Add milk, sugar, coffee and ice. Be sure not to overdo the ice beyond 2-3 cubes . Blend it. Taste it for sugar and modify the sugar as needed.
LOVE: I make it with immense love. I love coffee and love making it for others!
CREATIVE: I have never looked up any coffee recipe, let alone other recipes. I am not the person who can be patient reading recipes, I rather create one of my own!
SPICES: Cinnamon powder and ginger powder. Appx. 2 pinches in each glass.
OTHER STUFF: 4 med. sized ice cubes per glass, blender, milk (any), sugar, coffee.
Other times I switch the cinnamon for cardamom. Cinnamon gives a spicy ‘kick’ and cardamom gives it sweetness, choose either.
HAPPY MOTHER’S DAY in Advance. This post is dedicated to Moms, Stay-at-home, Working, Single or just simply M-O-M-S; Also dedicated to those feeling very stressed as Moms or having stressful marriages. It may sound funny and yet truly a Mom’s Daily Opera can very well be feeling like they are in a ‘Soup’. Being a Life-Coach for Women (Women Empowerment Coach), I get to see that a lot with my clients. To do or not to do? To say or not to say? To ‘stay’ or not to stay? To prioritize their lives or not? … endless thoughts…
Living as a Single Parent is never easy, I grew up in one. My mom died when I was 6. We were a family of 3 – My dad, my elder sis and me. While we had massive emotional struggles both individually and collectively due to a whole range of factors, today I talk more in terms of Moms / Women who are Married and yet are Single Moms. I mean that hundreds of moms are the ones taking 80% to 100% of the responsibility of child care and home management. I also talk about the moms who were married and later became Single Moms. I fall more so somewhere in between ;)
It has been an interesting and eye-opening ride. I have found immense blessings in the decisions I have taken to free up my internal space, emotional space and sense of freedom for self-expression. It is funny how despite the democracies we live in, thousands of Moms / Women live in relationships where they feel total lack of freedom of self-expression, even lack of freedom of thought!I was that Mom for half a decade! I was that Wife for a Decade! I was that Woman for 3 Decades!!!!Now?? No more! I stepped up to myself, to my life, to my rights, to my child and our future!
WEEKEND BONANZA?! Moms always get it for free ;)
This weekend has been one of those weekends so typical of being almost a Single Mom. From Friday evening my mind’s pool has been scuba diving into this dire need to write a life-shaking article and I finally get to it on Sunday night at 11pm! …
…An article on how we women feel trapped and keep ourselves woven into this endless victim-hood cycle of the necessary sacrifice we MUST do for our family. I don’t mean to generalize this to all women, neither to just women, there are men too that suffer and sacrifice. Yet my focus in this article and in all the work I do as a Women-Empowerment Coach and Psychologist is towards all the Asian, Indian and other Moms who feel culturally hemmed by the rigid beliefs shoved down our throats (metaphor!), literally since our conception.
Yes, since conception! This is because several beliefs are passed on to us through our mothers, the emotions they feel, thoughts they have, any suffering they feel or behavior patterns they have are passed on to us in our womb. In the womb, we receive our first teachings about re-living these emotional patterns of Victimhood, Persecution, Martyr Archetypes, etc. and pass then we pass them on to our children and future generations. Just like any other inherited illness like varicose veins, thyroid, diabetes, etc., it is like a trademark or a tendency we carry with our soul and then it gets activated when we encounter it socially.
SO WHAT DOES THIS MEAN??
This means serious good news!It means that we have way more control over our destiny than we ever thought or believed. The genes we carry can be energetically re-woven and socially insulated when we choose to alter our emotional patterns, behaviors and self-defeating beliefs. This can be done in several ways. The one most effective for me and thousands of other women has been COUNSELING, LIFE-COACHING, PAST-LIFE REGRESSION, HYPNOTHERAPY, SRP or FAMILY CONSTELLATION, SELF-HYPNOSIS, GUIDED MEDITATIONS, REIKI, etc.
Believe it or not, in the past 2 years I have opened myself up to ALL of the above therapies and used a combination of EACH and ALL of these therapies to fish out a new baby out of me – a new ‘Self-Identity’ I mean. A new way of thinking, feeling and living. I have TRANSFORMED 280 degrees and continue to move towards the 360 mark!A big proof to that is my TWIN FLAME ACTIVATION and this super powerful journey that I am in. A second huge proof to this is the quality of LIVE VIDEOS, presentation and confidence that so many viewers tell me I clearly depict! A third proof is that now, I facilitate the powerful transformation of others. I can go on with the list of success and transformation I and others have found in me since all the major healing I have done. Above all, the happiness that spills out of me is at a totally different level. Clearing up the Generational Pathology that Women in my ancestral weave have inherited was probably one huge sigh of relief.
However, Family Constellation, SRP and Past life regression has its limitations. In that, it can clear up negative, stuck energy and soul contracts and yet we have to do our Inner Work in clearing up our belief systems, be willing to confront our fears, shames, guilts and grief, face the hardest and show willingness to change. No one can change our destiny but ourselves.
It is definitely not easy. It requires one to sit on a wired fence with a fire at the bottom and a sword hanging above. What I mean by that is the ‘fear’ part of confronting a whole new life-style against societal beliefs. Most women chicken out because of the high risk of social taboos and probable social rejection. Courage is one thing I have, for I cannot be a Revolutionary, a Leader if I can’t walk the talk! How can I guide other Moms and Women onto a saner life and path if I can’t show what Speaking Up means, what drawing strong boundaries means while continuing to be kind and unconditional in one’s acceptance of self and others. How can I motivate and encourage you to alter your identity and life-style if I cannot question and confront harmful societal and cultural practices.
Don’t get me wrong. One does not always have to bat out of a marriage or take extreme measures. The aim is ALWAYS to be objective about the next best steps and the final goal. If one can spark the beginning of a two way street, it is the way to go. Sometimes just putting your foot down and stop being the door mat can do wonders.Women are so used to giving endless and feeling empty within, the man almost never realizes how much is being taken for granted. Often times the problem is with us. We need to give less and do enough for ourselves so that our bucket of Love and Joy does not drain out like cooking what we love just as often as we cook what the family loves. Even practices like asking for care from the family when we are ill or drawing a boundary on how much and how often we will entertain guests can be super helpful in the long run. We receive no productive outcome/s when we just about don’t do that and also keep constantly complaining.
But then there are many women that have been or are being seriously abused or ones that are on an endlessly one street dead end curve; where there is almost no hope for recuperation or any real love and cooperation coming from the man no matter what one does. Some men clearly refuse counseling, mutual discussion or anything to do with healing the relationship. They may be in denial or in defensive mode and may even stay there forever!
Ultimately, you are the best judge of your next steps. You know deep in your heart what’s your truth and your sixth sense must be your best advocate. It knows! As long as you can differentiate between your 6th sense and your logic, and follow the deep nudge, you are good to go. As for me too, you may need a lot of VALIDATION in the early steps, and constant ones too! I asked for it more and more, again and again from my experts and my true well-wishers and today I am anything but Thankful a 100 times and more :)
A POT OF ADVICE by ME
“The parents who think that they are staying in the marriage only for the kids are either having an excuse to run away from the fears of separation or are lacking perspective.
If we stay in a #marriage that harbors Bitterness, Harshness, Arguments, Lack of Love, Judgement and rejection despite all efforts, then we are showing our children that Relationships are a Burden and all about Bitterness. That to me, is not #Commitment, that is Foolishness!Killing our happiness by the fear of society or the fear of our children’s future is showing and teaching our children to do the same things in their future. It is Actually Killing their future to see a #Partnership that is Superficial, Contractual in Nature where both parents stay in a partnership merely for the Sake of it. Pretence is never healthy.
Stay in a marriage for #Love, #Unity and #Companionship, our children need to see that. If we cannot show our children that, then we must show them LOVE by Being our Individual selves outside the Marriage. Sometimes #Divorce is Wisdom and a Gift to our children!”
~ Soul Food ~ by Coach Rima Desai ~ Happy Upcoming Mother’s Day!!
It is funny how in today’s world of ‘Rahu’ Kaal (The immortal North Node) we consider that a hero who can show much physical strength and power, often shown in movies with special physical powers as that of Spiderman, Ironman and so on. And even though there is emphasis on the internal strength and concentrated energies to activate and sustain those super powers, yet there is just a heavy bodily element there.
The Super Star I am talking about today is nothing like that. He possessed no particular bodily powers and in fact, did not need any. Dated back to 599 B.C. he was and continues to remain one of the most inspiring figures in Indian History. Originally known as ‘Vardhaman’ (birth name), he gained the title of * MAHAVIR (Maha = Super or Great, Vir = Courageous). Thousands of Jain followers bow to Mahavir Bhagwan (Bhagwan = God) on this special day of his Birth (Mahavir Jayanti; Jayanti = Birthday). As per the English calender it fell on April 1, 2018.
For those who are new to JAINISM- It has been comparatively a small but extremely powerful SECT within the Indian cultural setting. Jains are followers of Jainism – a religion that focuses heavily on liberation of the soul by means of conquering the 5 senses and living a life of renunciation and unconditional love. Lord Mahavir was the 24th, last of the Tirthankars (Guide, Spiritual Teacher) of Jainism in this Era of the Earth’s cycle.
I have been lucky to be born in a highly religious Jain family, a family which owned a Jain Temple in India which was open to public. Not only did we pray diligently, we did several group satsangs (spiritual meetings) and attended religious teachings where we were taught and guided by inspiring stories of Lord Mahavir and other previous Jain Lords.
So What makes Lord Mahavir a Super Hero after all?
Mahavir Bhagwan was born in the city of Vaishali (current day Bihar) in a wealthy, kingly family of King Siddharth and Queen Trishala. The birth of a great man was expected by the 14 auspicious dream symbols his pregnant mom received in her sleep.
Despite having several wordly pleasures and services at his command, he exhibited a kind, virtuous nature and deep respect of his parents since childhood. As per his parents’ wishes he married beautiful Yashoda at a young age and had a daughter with her. Vardhaman had immense love from family, good health and unimaginable prosperity and yet he continued to feel disconnected, detached from all those worldly pleasures. He donated tons and tons of gold and charity with ease to several of his people. 2 years after his parents’ demise, he renounced all his worldly pleasures, prosperity, personal bonds and became a homeless ascetic in the search for TRUTH and ENLIGHTENMENT.
For 12.5 years after that he spent his life in a single piece of cloth (to give up sensual pleasure, Jainism taught giving up all that belonged to one’s senses and using the bear minimum needed for survival), with no other bodily belongings (no shoes, no jewelry, no possessions or belongings) and deeply meditated in the jungles with silence and discipline. His massive courage was depicted by his unconditional patience and kindness towards animals, humans and demons who made every attempt to harm him and break his indomitable meditative pose. He was whipped, burnt, bitten, hurt, hammered into by cruel deeds and yet he remained unwavering in his resolve to be at peace and silence. In his meditations he received deep revelations about God, Godliness and liberation from Life and death.
Once of the most powerful stories of Lord Mahavir’s monk life is when he was passing through a jungle path and all villagers had warned him to stay away from that path for the venomous and outrageous snake (Chandkaushik) would immediately kill all those who walked that path. When Lord Mahavir exhibited invincible courage and walked that path with a heart full of unconditional love and peace for the snake, the villagers did not expect him to see him alive again. The snake tried all he could to defeat and scare Lord Mahavir with his fierce moves, bites and behavior. Not only did the snake bite heal itself on Lord Mahavir’s feet but he shed white milk liquid from his body instead of blood when he was bitten. With his loving heart, Lord Mahavir held up his right palm to bless the snake and eventually with his unconditional love, he melt all of the snake’s anger and even healed the snake’s past life emotional patterns of rage and pride. The snake bowed to Lord Mahavir and the villagers could then safely travel that path never to worry again about being attacked.
Many a stories have been told about Lord Mahavir’s UNCONDITIONAL LOVE, irrevocable KINDNESS and unshakeable internal will power. There were days and weeks he spent on forced fast with no food to be found anywhere as he refused to eat Non-Vegetarian (organisms with 3 or more senses) or Underground food (roots have unlimited amounts of micro-organisms) of any kind. He liberated Chandanbala from her shackles and ultimately attained Kevalgyan (ULtimate, Universal Knowledge) owing to his constant dedication to peaceful instrospection. Kevalgyan is attained only by those who are completely conquered the 5 senses, have no sensual desires left to fulfill.
He then sermoned for several years, enlightening not only humans of all languages but even animals and other organisms by his own single speech and dialect (He was internally so powerful that each organism understood his speech in their own language). His spirit was then liberated from the birth-death cycle forever and became an enlightened, liberted soul, inspiring, motivating and guiding millions of Jain followers for centuries later.
My love for Mahavir Swami (Swami = Lord) is very deep. When I was in my early 20s and had visited Jodhpur, Rajastan, my family went up to the top of the fort to get the view of the city and tour the fort. I however, sat a full 2 hours in Mahavir Swami’s temple, looked at him, meditated and cried for wanting to be like him, with him, following his path. Post that deep connection that I had found with him in that temple, Lord Mahavir visited me in my dreams early in the morning on the way back to my home. The bright, bold Halo around his head and his charismatic presence and words are still fresh in my mind – soul after a decade and a half.
It was Lord Mahavir who gave us the words – “LIVE and LET LIVE” which meant do no harm to others not only by action but also by thought (don’t judge, don’t criticise, don’t anger) and allow others the freedom to self-expression and life.
Today across the world Lord Mahavir’s Jayanti (birthday) was celebrated with pomp and joy. My celebration of this day was by a Loving Silence for a few minutes and stories of Mahavir Swami’s courage and kindness to my young daughter.
So if you ask me who is my role model, you know that it is no human born in this era! So what or who do you call a SUPER HERO, a SUPER STAR? One that embodies unlimited physical strength to win others through physical power or one that exhibits ultimate Soul Power merely by Unconditional Love, Kindness and Will Power?? What kind of power would you want your children to learn? How do we resolved conflicts in our lives??
* Please note that many Indian names and words don’t traditionally end in an ‘a’ . The ‘a’ in the end is what I have found as an adaption by the western world. There is nothing like Yoga in traditional Indian dictionary or dialect. It is Yog (Exercise of the Soul), It is Mahavir not Mahavira and so on..
Big Money! The green notes, “paisa duniya ko gumati hai” (money runs the world – in Hindi).“Sahi kaha” (as in rightly said).
But it is the dark truth that we need money and we need more. The daily demands of living are increasing and so are our debts. Why don’t our pay cheques then catch up as well? What really is the secret to making more money quickly and easily?
My money awareness started about a year ago, when I realized I had really nothing much to ‘bank’ on. For ten years I had no work permit, I was living off my husband’s hard earned money with little, almost no savings. My self-esteem had obviously no ropes for staying at home, I was given little value and I myself felt like I wasn’t contributing enough.
I find it weird that in U.S.A. so many thousands, (no exaggeration) of men and women blindly plunged into I.T. as their new career in this new land simply because it promises jobs and a great income to start with. I have seen many people totally oblivion to I.T., get a starter in big companies. They do so by submitting ‘fake’ certificates acquired from India and by doing short, quick courses to get important prior knowledge to start off. Firms in USA hire us Indians/Asians because not only are the certificates convincing but also was the fact that Asians are extremely smart and hard working. No lies. We are intelligent, we know how to sweep our way through the tunnels of success no matter what!
My struggle has been the choice between doing what I love and doing the ‘smart’ thing as others call it. They all say, it is smart to get into I.T. as the pay cheques start anywhere from $4000 a month! But I.T. is not anything close to what I love doing. I am an all in and out people person and love Psychology to the core. However, in USA my degree is considered as good as useless because for one, I studied from a developing, 3rd world country and for two I do not have a Ph.D. required for practising as a Psychologist. Even to teach, I would have to go through a whole process to get my teaching certification, learn the latest Psychology terms, pass exams and more. Studying another Masters of Psychology from USA even for one year, would cost me up to $28,000.
Here was what my thought process was 3 years ago: “I studied Masters in Psychology from Mumbai, India. Studied thick books, tough terms, as good as law and toiled all those years for nothing?! To stay home for an entire decade and rot in my brain and life with no success?” I was going through a major identity crisis alike many other immigrants. I felt outcasted career wise, there was no place for me to set foot.
Life had swept my career off my sweep in a jiffy and held me captive for 10 years. After being released from 10 years of that prison, not only was my mind blank, my heart was blank too. The clouds of confusion had gotten under the thick boots of determination.
Don’t get me wrong, I am the typical Type A, go getter personality. So, I could not possibly sit there allow life to consume me. It sure did but while it was demolishing the empire of dreams I once had, I began to write a new story. I was building a mini castle of faith and joy for myself.
I was enrolled as a student in Transformational Life-Coaching Certification from SWIHA, I started holding camps for children from home, I was writing and publishing articles in well-known networks and yet I was earning close to NOTHING. Fast forward a few years, I received my Green Card in 2016 and started working in a day-care. In no time, I was working in a Montessori and now in USA’s largest Charter School working with Special Needs’ Children as a one-on-one Para. I typically get to work with low functioning, high autism, ADD/ADHD or other special needs’ children. Finally, my passion and talents from psychology were beginning to come together.
I am also Life-Coaching Women one-on-one now, helping them realize their passions and follow their dreams, making tons of inspiring Facebook Videos for women and holding side classes for preschool children from home. I am sure not making a whole lot of money YET, but my heart is fulfilled with how I am giving back my gifts and talents to the world and doing what I desire. No regrets if I die tomorrow!
It impacted my self-esteem deeply and to know that we were going deeper into the debts we held in USA was even more stressful. In other words, no money to invest, no starter support, no educational support, no work experience to show for a decade, only my WILL-POWER, MY SPIRIT. But what if God offered me all the other things at the cost of not having WILL-POWER, not having a STRONG DRIVE? What would I chose?
I would chose my internal drive at the expense of giving up all other resources and that is exactly what my career path has proven to me, I have proven it to life.
I have proven that I won’t compromise my passion for a paycheck, my will power for support, my internal drive for outside resources. If I have a choice of either, I will always chose the former. I have now, after 10 years, set myself on a tough journey of building my career by myself, as a Single Mom, in a foreign country, with lack of capital or other important resources but I know that I can CREATE my own network, my own resources and the Universe will have my back for living a life where I am TRUE to my TALENTS and my PASSION.
Do you relate to my story? Do you have a similar strong drive to share your gifts with the world? Everyone who tells you – “It won’t happen” is your ultimate RESOURCE to make it happen. Because they said it to you, now you can do it even more, even better~ Go for it Wonderful Woman ~ Follow your passions!! Watch my VIDEO HERE
What if we were to use our intelligence to enrich our lives over and beyond the money factor? For sure, some of us are made for IT and have that carved deeply in our ‘passion’ book. But for scores of others, it is just a ‘job’ that starts with another ‘draggy’ day and ends with another pay cheque. Do you really enjoy the feeling of working 9 to 5 or rather 7pm to 9 pm for that pay cheque, pension plan or bill that gets paid? Or would you rather have MORE MONEY THAN YOU CAN SPEND and enjoy every bit of earning that money, love your life for it and not feel half as stressed or weighed down by the challenges that the work presents.
I want you to hear my video above, hear my inspiring story, see what life has in store for you!
