A Love Letter to the Universe.

Dear Universe (replaceable with god, nature, the Sun, the Brahman, the Tao, the Spirit or You) 

Image by PineForest

Namaste 🙏🏽. You cruel, heartless, unforgiving, cold, ruthless, capricious vile bitch of an enormous entity, I have never enjoyed this ride more than I am enjoying the ride now. Right now. 

The ride that I gladly call my humble life- fully embracing my joys and sorrows and everything else in between.

Looking back, it seems like I have been living several lifetimes in just one lifetime. 

Through my own doing or undoing I have cast myself into a multiverse of sorts, meeting several different individuals and groups of people, cementing deep and meaningful relationships over the span of seven years thus far. Though I’d like to think that I was conscious and complicit in my actions leading to the family break up, and my solitary life, I can’t help but to instinctively feel that a larger entity was in play, to have ordered this chaos that has launched me on a wild trajectory of cosmic proportions. And that was when I met you the cosmos aka the universe and began to see myself minus the veil of thought, shrouded in pain and suffering.

What a sight to behold the great nothingness. The formless. Eternal consciousness. You and I are one. 

I am a scion of the universe. 

I am eternal as the universe is. I am consciousness. I am formless. I am the divine. 

As formless as my source, I am made manifest in the form of an earthly being fully equipped with six levels of sense perception to fully explore and experience this world. Of Maya. Karma and Anava. Illusion, action and ignorance. 

Ignorance truly is bliss. For in our ignorance in executing our actions, in a world of illusions, we are meant to explore & experience anything, knowing that we will always be taken care of. No matter the outcome, it always works out in our favour. 

A thought now pops into my head, relating to the medicinal herbs startup I founded and recently shared it with a guest- “May we never know what evils or ills that could have befallen us had we had our desires fulfilled.” On the back of that thought, I know the outcome in the present moment is always favourable. It is always what it is. No matter how joyful or painful it is, it will pass-  It is not I, not me, not myself. 

I never fully experienced the joy of being truly happy deep inside, since I chanted this mantra given to me at the start of my spiritual journey towards the end of the last century. … 

“ I am healthy, happy and enjoying every moment of my life, may all beings be blessed with good health, prosperity & spirituality. In full faith so be it.”

 Now I do. 

To put my lifelong quest into words; I now know that I have been seeking spiritual wisdom. Not just wisdom as expounded by the ancient Greeks but spiritual wisdom espoused by the Hindus. 

Buddhism, the more scientific methodology of contemplation, of mind and being, has its roots in the deep history of Hinduism. So while my left brain is intellectualised and grounded by the daily practice of Buddhism, my right brain takes flight on the myths, stories and ideologies of Hindu lores called Sanatana dhamma, a way of life aimed at living a civilised life. Which is a way of ‘being’ as opposed to chasing and doing. 

Although already aware of the being state, I have never fully immersed myself in being, until now. To be fully centered in ‘being’ most of my waking hours brings clarity to the quality of life. 

To be fully conscious and connected to everyone and everything around me yet detached. Mindful of first taking care of oneself in thought, word and deed. To be slow to react, to be kind in words and deliberate in actions. 

It’s such a liberating feeling to be; immune to criticism, beneath or above no one and to fear nothing. 

Yet I still feel a deep yearning for my loved ones to give my life meaning and purpose and share in it. 

Right now I know that every one of us will have to sit alone in solitude in silence or in chaos to contemplate life, when the time comes. I pray it be better sooner than later, no matter what condition our lives are in. It is an irrefutable truth. One of life’s guaranteed path to enlightenment aka ending suffering. 

We are more in a state of fear than in a neutral state of mind, let alone being in a joyful state most of the time. When we sit in silent contemplation, we learn how to enjoy it coming full circle to be - 

- immune to criticism 

- beneath or above no one. 

- Fearless. 

And conduct oneself in a manner to be as wise as serpents and as gentle as doves holding loving compassion in our hearts for all beings. 

What a great way to live.

Thank you, 

With Love,

SL Peter Gan

Amen. 🙏🏽 

Ode To You For The New Year

Happy New Year 2025

Created by gfhX

Ode to You for the New Year.

If you’re like me and most wannabe overachievers reflecting on the year’s achievements or disappointments, you’re welcome to join in the annual ritual of self-congratulations or self-crucifixion.

Before you indulge in comforting or cursing yourself with the year’s hits or misses, know that you have done enough if not too much, in pursuit of those illusive dreams you think your happiness hinges on. Everything happens or does not happen for a reason. Be thankful.

The past year has already been marked by significant global events, from political and social unrest to advancement in technology chiefly artificial intelligence.

If you’re still reading this,(congratulations, most people don’t read) you will know deep down you have done enough no matter how little or much you think you have expended. We have already arrived at year’s end or in a new one.

So sit back, relax and conspire now to contemplate on how much less you should do in the new year and spend more time doing absolutely nothing.

When you seriously focus on doing nothing, which is probably the most difficult thing to do, you'll achieve more.

In essence, if you’re doing too much you’re probably doing the wrong things.

So if you’ll just slow down, sit in a quiet place and spend some time with yourself you will invariably emerge to do the necessary with consciousness and presence.

What got us here won’t get us there.

2024 showed us the rapid advancement of Ai at dizzying speeds. It’s showing us Ai can do almost anything we can. We probably have to discard everything or every tool we used to get us here. The only thing we have left is ourself as individuals.

We are being stripped of our capabilities starting with our thinking, then they will eventually take over our doing or undoing.

As you read this, factories in China running full capacity 24/7 are called ‘dark factories’ simply because they are fully roboticized, no lighting is required save for a man and a dog. The dog’s job is to prevent the man from touching the buttons. The man’s job is to feed the dog. This is not a joke in China. Young Chinese entrepreneur Eric Chen, founder of Kingswills, a materials science company said in the New York Times recently that; “Probably in the future the competition for the US is not China, but A.I. It is coming for both of us.”

Ai is Coming For Us.

As we stand at a crossroads, humanity is faced with the echoes of its past while holding onto the promise of a hopeful future. We are navigating the complexities of progress, and it’s becoming clear: the age of AI is here, transforming the way we live.

In this fast-evolving world, we must ask ourselves: what truly brings us joy?

It is time to pursue those passions with relentless determination.

Now is the moment to confront our thoughts and fears, recognizing them for what they are — often mere stories of regret and anxiety that play on an endless loop in our mind.

Let us release this mental clutter and embrace the present. Our most authentic selves are waiting to emerge,  to create.

Remember, we do not need to chase after more. Everything we seek is already within us.

Whether you connect with a higher power, the spirit of the universe, or nature itself, know that we were equipped for this journey from the moment we were born.

You are enough. We are enough.

As we step into this new year, let it be a choice for creativity, possibility, and hope.

Happy New Year! The future is ours to create.

"Bad things are happening loudly- the injury, the flat tire, the mistake that gets you criticised. Everybody talks about the moments that make things a hassle.

Good things always happen quietly - the completed workout, the healthy meal, the ten minutes of writing. Nobody talks about the little moments that add up."

                             - James Clear 

I love you. Sprezzatura.

Fancy a Sprezzatura?

Photo by Giuseppe Mondì on Unsplash

Words descend into our conscious space everyday. Some descend like the gentle breeze, some descend like a hammer. This word landed like a crown of thorns. 

She descended like a sunset over the Tuscan horizon catching me holding a glass of red wine in one hand enjoying the vista alone.

Intoxicating, refreshing, exuberantly liberating in every sense. The wine glass is full. 

I am in… a state called; 

Sprezzatura 

Which means…Effortless Grace. Studied carelessness. Studied nonchalance. Careless grace. Nonchalance. Organised chaos. 

This word struck me like very few words have. 

The word was uttered in total abandon by signora Olivia under the Tuscan evening sky over a hill on top of an olive grove overlooking the valley below.

The truth never sounded so good. Because it is immediately felt. 

Once you understand what those beautiful letters spell- S P R E Z Z A T U R A you will never ever be able to describe the feeling. You just understand and that is enough. 

Like all other words depicting ETERNAL TRUTHS, this word sits right up there with LOVE, NOW, MEDITATE, EARTH, WATER, AIR, FIRE, SPACE, NATURE, CONSCIOUSNESS.

They all ring true to my very core. Undeniably. Irrefutably. 

Words are vibrations and they come in waves. This one comes, cocoons and envelops me like a light woollen blanket with its unique prickliness. There is a certain chill in the air. 

Perhaps because it comes with the truth that to live life one has to let go of life. It brings with it an exuberance that almost chokes. At the same time it uplifts one’s spirit freeing oneself from all the fetters of guilt and despair. And the need for control.

Once understood, we begin to see that life is to be lived with a certain carelessness. 

Caring less for desired outcomes but accepting whatever comes as a result. No matter how industrious, well prepared, well planned or painful diligence poured into any pursuit, the outcome is yet uncertain. The result of one’s ventures seldom, if never, turn out exactly as planned. 

Sometimes, in fact most times, they turn out better than planned but one is too blinded with expectations that one misses the better result staring at one’s face. Perhaps it is because one only has one yardstick for the measurement of success. A dogged determination of gain, conquest, ownership and possession. Self-service as an end to all pursuits. Forgetting the bigger picture of who and what was gained, what was experienced and who we have become as a result of the strife. 

Only when one can adopt an attitude of 'careless grace' can one begin to fully appreciate life, enjoy the journey, choose whatever shows up and one will never be disappointed. 

The life that we live is truly 'organised chaos' because nothing is certain. 

When nothing is certain, anything is possible. 

All one has to do is pay attention.  

I love you. A Spiritual Vision.

 What is a Spiritual Vision?

Photo by Tom Gainor on Unsplash

Sounds really deep doesn't it? Sounds like you'd have to shave your head, retreat into a cave deep in the mountains, sit and contemplate your life, doesn't it?

Well not quite. 

Thanks to Preethaji & Krishnaji, founders of O&O Academy, it simply means deciding which inner state to operate from. But before we decide which inner state to be constantly in, the question of WHY arises. Why do we have to decide on a spiritual vision?

Because, in our brain, there are 100 billion neurons, a trillion support cells called neuroglia and at least 100 trillion neural connections. Our thoughts and emotions are like electrical impulses moving at incredible speeds between neurons. 

According to Jennifer Hawthorne, bestselling co-author of Chicken Soup for the Woman's Soul, human beings have 12,000 to 60,000 thoughts per day, and the majority of them are repetitive. 

And a shocking 80 percent of our ordinary mental chatter are negative. Which means most people on average live 80 percent of their time in a suffering state unconsciously, and 20 percent of the time in a beautiful state.

To truly come alive, we must reverse the ratio. Gradually the 20 percent must become 40 percent, 60 percent, 80 percent or more living in a beautiful state. Imagine how beautiful life would be.

So A Spiritual Vision is not a goal to reach. It is simply this; 

It refers to the very state you choose to live in as you go about reaching your goals. It is, in fact, the mother of all visions.

Let's say you have a vision of being a leader, a partner, parent, or a CEO. Those are roles. 

They're all about doing. What about your inner state every day? 

Would you be ok with fulfilling the role of a leader, partner, parent, CEO in a state of confusion, frustration or guilt?

Or would you like to fulfill these roles while living in a beautiful state of connection and clarity? 

Imagine a happy parent? A fulfilled partner, or A grateful CEO?  

So I think the most important decision we can ever hold on to is this;

From which state do we want to live every day of our lives? From which state do we want to create our destiny?

There are only two states of being- A beautiful state or A suffering state. You get to choose.

I love you. Summer is Autumn in New York.

 Today is Summer's birthday. 

As birthdays and summer go, they bring great Joy to everyone everywhere.

I had the precious joy of assembling a goodie bag of sorts, with a little help from my friends at the florist and work creating little bundles of delight.

Then the joy of discovery, after delivery of the unique combinations, that she's safely back at the big apple. Pursuing her heart's desire once again.

 

It seems like only a short while ago that I left the girl then perched atop Columbus Circle at The Mandarin Oriental overlooking Central Park in New York city. She had settled into dance school to begin her journey into music and drama at AMDA. That was six years ago. 

It must have been a fabulous journey seeing where she is now. Back to doing what she loves doing most- Musical Theatre and Dance.

There is great joy revelling in that thought today. 

Here's wishing you A Happy Birthday and Bon Voyage on yet another great adventure.

Just remember this; "Our ceiling is your floor" ~ Daughter (Venus-Sleeping at last)

And as you spread your joy, May you find Joy in everything you do.

I love you. Infinite Wisdom.

 As Deep As The Ocean

Photo by Maryna Yazbeck on Unsplash

All experiences are like bubbles appearing momentarily on the surface of the ocean. 

They arise depending on the weather, the winds and the motion of the water. 

Similarly, all phenomena including your thoughts and emotions are merely the flow of energy, arising and dissolving. You can't grasp or hold onto a bubble. Your family, friends and possessions are like bubbles appearing out of mind's empty essence- the Ocean of Wisdom. 

The bubbles are not the source of happiness- this Ocean of Wisdom is. 

Therefore when the bubbles vanish, your happiness will not disappear. These bubbles are actually a wondrous display. 

Understanding it in this way, you will be inspired to swim like a fish in this Ocean of Wisdom.

I love you. Keep Calm and Hold on. (Yoga, Hinduism, Buddhism, Stoicism)

 Yogic Culture births Hinduism. Hinduism births Buddhism. And perhaps Stoicism?

In times like these, one is tempted to be sucked into the doldrums that besiege our nation- the alarming number of Covid cases has become a daily scoreboard for public sentiment. At time of writing, the numbers are at an all time high of 11,618 new cases. The higher the numbers climb, the more the hopeless masses sink into despair. Who can blame them? Their livelihoods have been severely curtailed, jobs have been wiped out, businesses have shutdown for months now. No solution is yet in sight.

How will people feed themselves or their families? How do they even survive? 

Here I distract myself from answering questions that have no plausible answers but write about spirituality because spirituality is where I seek solace and more importantly, clarity. While solace is a temporary feeling, clarity is actionable.

While I try to maintain an even keel with my life grounded in Stoicism principles outlined in my previous blog- Here- Stoicism, I am also a devotee of Hinduism, deeply rooted in the Yogic culture. 

I have come to realise there are great similarities in the two. Whether they are related or not I do not know.

I would like to highlight 5 Yogic Principles extolled numerous times by one of the most lucid and eloquent thinker and speaker on the subject of life. 

With great reverence and gratitude I would like to share practical enlightenment from Sadhguru.

1. Keep Account of Your Joy.

Everyday (Covid or no) all sorts of things and events happen to our life, most of which we have no control over. So what's important is that no matter what happens in our life situation, we must stay joyful and keep score of how many moments of Joy you have. Joy is not a goal to attain, joy is available to you at any time. Joy means you're at ease with no pain in the body or trouble in the mind. 

These are the only two kinds of human suffering- body and mind. 

Joy means life has come to ease you not mess you up. If you are at ease, your are in Joy. 

2. Eating With Gratitude.

Whatever you eat, just like whatever you do, you must do it consciously. There is life in food, as we consume it, it gives us life, keeping us alive. Therefore it is life giving material, so whatever and whenever we eat we must eat with reverence and gratitude. Especially now, when people aren't certain when they will have their next meal.

3. Connecting With The Earth.

This very earth that we walk upon has a certain power and memory. After all, all life on this planet has come out of this earth. Spend a few minutes outdoors in your garden, staying in touch with mother earth, touching the soil with our palms and our soles to connect with nature, touching the plants, the flowers and the trees. 

This is the basis of our life, this will harmonise our system. 

4. Wake Up With A Smile.

Before going to sleep each night, sit in bed for two minutes and imagine you're going to die in two minutes time. Then see how you sleep. You will see that when or if you wake up you will feel like a 'newborn'. If you are still alive, then give yourself a Big Smile. Statistics show some people may not wake up tomorrow morning. Being alive is the greatest thing happening to you. Not your possessions, not your family, not your titles or achievements. You're Alive right now. So Smile. Life is indeed very brief.

5. Resolve to get High on Life.

Your ability to live on this planet is essentially how well you can harness your body and your mind. To harness this, it's very important to keep a little space between You and your body and You and your mind. Remember whatever suffering is only experienced in the body or the mind. There is no other kind of suffering- only Physical suffering and Mental suffering. When you can keep a little distance between You and the body and mind, there is no fear of suffering. If you can do this for just a few minutes a day, you will truly get high on life. 

Only then you will explore the full depth and dimension of this life. 

All you need to resolve to do is;  Meditate.

If you'd like to do so, go to my earlier posts > Meditation #1, or Meditate #2, or Be Still  or Meditation #4 or just scroll down to the last post before this. Try it. It's highly recommended.

Stay Safe. Stay Joyful.

I love you. The "Final" Invitation.

 Finding Our Way Home

I want to know if you can be alone

 

with yourself

 

and if you truly like the company you keep

 

in the empty moments.

 

~~

         

"TELL ME ABOUT A MOMENT of real solitude, a moment when you were with yourself and felt yourself at the center, a moment when you could feel the world, the stars, the galaxies spinning around you."

 

"Tell me have you met yourself? Have you been able to step outside the business of life for just one moment and look in from the outside, feeling yourself whole and separate and yet with the world."

 

"There is a tension in living fully, what often feels like an opposition between our longing for the solitude where we can find our own company and the desire to be fully and intimately with the world. When we learn to live with both the desire for separation and the longing for union, we find that they are simply two ways of knowing the same ache: we all just want to go home."

 

"I have come to accept that no matter how much I am able to be with myself, no matter how much I like my own company, I still long to sit close to and at times to merge completely with another in deep intimacy. This too is coming home. The completeness of self is found when we can be alone and when we can bring all of who we are to another, receiving and being received fully."

 

"This is the sacred marriage: the coming together of two who have each met themselves on the road. When two who have this intimacy with themselves are fully with each other- whether for a lifetime or for a moment- the world is held tenderly and fed by the image they create simply by being together. They can be friends or family, lovers or life partners, or simply two strangers whose lives intersect for a moment.

 

They may be telling each other stories, or making love, or sharing a task, or sitting in silence together. It doesn't matter. If having met myself in the empty moments, I am willing and able to bring all of who I am to another, receiving all of who they are, then we are truly together. In that moment in the image our being together creates, we are the manifestation of life holding, creating and feeding life. This is the fullness of the homecoming for which we all long.

 

~ Oriah Mountain Dreamer.

* Do I feel like crying? Yes. 

Do I want to cry? No. 

I feel the full 'gentle' force of this book like a visit from a stranger who has seen and understood the deepest, darkest recesses of my heart. 

 

The End.

I love you. Joy and Sorrow

 Joy and Sorrow

This gem was gifted from the stars tonight. 

Like music, this perfect piece was delivered with love to give meaning to a joyful and sorrowful life. 

On Joy and Sorrow
Kahlil Gibran - 1883-1931

• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 

Then a woman said, Speak to us of Joy and Sorrow.
     
 And he answered:
 
Your joy is your sorrow unmasked.
And the selfsame well from which your laughter rises was oftentimes filled with your tears.
 
And how else can it be?
The deeper that sorrow carves into your being, the more joy you can contain.
Is not the cup that holds your wine the very cup that was burned in the potter’s oven?
And is not the lute that soothes your spirit, the very wood that was hollowed with knives?
     
 
When you are joyous, look deep into your heart and you shall find it is only that which has given you sorrow that is giving you joy.
When you are sorrowful look again in your heart, and you shall see that in truth you are weeping for that which has been your delight.
    
Some of you say, “Joy is greater than sorrow,” and others say, “Nay, sorrow is the greater.”
But I say unto you, they are inseparable.
Together they come, and when one sits alone with you at your board, remember that the other is asleep upon your bed.

Verily you are suspended like scales between your sorrow and your joy.
Only when you are empty are you at standstill and balanced.
          When the treasure-keeper lifts you to weigh his gold and his silver, needs           must your joy or your sorrow rise or fall.

This poem is in the public domain. Published in Poem-a-Day on February 10, 2019, by the Academy of American Poets.

I love you. The Invitation #5

 The Joy.

This chapter explores joy. And sharing it.

Why is it often hard for us to choose joy, even in moments when there are no painful circumstances in our lives? Sometimes we simply do not know how. Many of our secular rituals of celebration and relaxation involve moving away from what is- numbing out, if only a little, with drugs or alcohol. As one of my students once said, "We don't seem to know very much about how to lighten up without numbing out." Music and dance are obvious exceptions to this, but in our culture we are too often only spectators and not participants in creating and moving to the sound of celebration.

 

I want to cultivate ways of celebrating joy in my life and I want to recognise and savour the moments of joy that come. I want to enjoy the full variety of pleasures life holds, even when some of those joys appear to others to be incompatible and contradictory.

 

"I want to know if you can be with joy

mine or your own,

if you can dance with wildness

and let the ecstasy fill you to the tips of your 

fingers and toes

without cautioning us to be careful

to be realistic

to remember the limitations of being human."

~ Oriah Mountain Dreamer

So get up and dance.