Mentor And Healer

Goa-based Patrick

A spiritual master has the power to minister with compassion and insight, reports Anuradha Varma




Your guru could be your friend, philosopher, guide and therapist — helping you navigate life here and after. That’s because she is probably more than a knowledge-giver; she is an empathetic listener and counsellor, too. Above all, she is non-judgemental.

For single mother Prerna (not her real name), who is fighting for her daughter’s custody, a chance meeting with Goa-based healer Patrick Sanfrancesco changed her life. “I was as low as low can be. I was looking for answers, couldn’t make sense of my life and wanted guidance. Patrick taught me to look outward, and stop focusing on my life and problems. I gradually moved from my self-created hell to a self-created heaven,” says the gritty young woman.

When Prerna first saw Patrick, she was struck by the happiness he radiated, his kindness, and the way he was there for everyone. She knew she had to change her lifestyle. Now, she runs five schools for less privileged children and says, “My universe has expanded. My own child is so much happier; my family is so much bigger.”

Path Of Self-discovery
Sometimes, it takes a guru to help you find the happiness that’s locked away in your heart. Most families in India encourage confiding in a religious leader or spiritual guru. But consult a psychiatrist and you could come back with a stigma that’s not easy to get rid of — the ignorant think it means ‘you have lost your mind.’ The expertise of a guru and a medical practitioner or psychologist can be complementary. As pychiatrist Seema Hingorrany says, “A guru can lead you towards self-discovery. When we teach clients self-soothing techniques, we encourage them to attend satsangs. Introspection becomes easier with the guru’s help.”

However, overdependence is unhealthy, cautions Dr Hingorrany. “If you spend the whole day listening to her voice on a cassette, feel an intense urge to run to the guru at all times, and you start to neglect your family, it’s time to slow down. Strike a balance between the real and the spiritual world,” she advises.

Best Friend And Guide
For mediaperson Suparna (name changed), her guru is someone who helps her stay stable through life’s toughest challenges. She says, “Maitreya came to me as a friend. He guided me through the three biggest events in my life. My mother lived in a vegetative state for years and my life revolved around taking care of her. He was the first to advise me to let go. When my mother was freed of her suffering, I found great inner strength to cope with the loss. Soon after, Maitreya warned me to be ready for another loss, of my father. This time I was more accepting. When the day came, Maitreya was there to guide me through it. The final test came when I met with a near-fatal accident. He not only pulled me out of the most critical phase but asked me to make simple changes in myself. Suparna adds, “A guru becomes special because of his compassionate, giving and understanding nature. That’s what I see in Maitreya, and this helps me evolve into a better person.”

Guru Helps You Focus
When Sreemoyee Piu Kundu decided to take a sabbatical to write her book, she approached her guru, a lama. “He asked me why I was unsure about taking up something I knew would give me happiness. Why not just do it? I realised I was so used to being someone else, it was difficult to connect with the real me.” For Kundu, her guru is keeper of her conscience and is not necessarily clad in saffron robes.

For cosmetics entrepreneur Shahnaz Husain, it was her father. She says, “If there is a god on earth I worshipped, it was my father. I remember when I returned from abroad and showed him all my certificates from London, Paris and New York, he said, “You have made all the preparations for this world. What have you done for the next world?” I laughed and said, “I am very young, I can wait.” He smiled and said “Shahnaz, the only certainty in life is death! Don’t wait, start now.” So I started our free beauty-training course for speech and hearing-impaired girls and boys.”

Leading By Example
A guru is someone whose life is an example for others to emulate. Says a reporter from Dharamsala, “When I observe the Dalai Lama, I learn to slow down. I’m inspired by the way he conducts himself in public, even if he’s in a hurry, he makes each interaction, however short, meaningful and intimate.”
Television actor Ravi Dubey turned to the teachings of Buddhist philosopher Daisaku Ikeda as a dejected teen. He recalls, “I was mentally fragile and the smallest setback could crush me. I read his autobiography, which was truly inspiring. Even in the midst of turmoil, his spirit shone and he became an inspiration for others. His powerful life force turned things around for the better. A guru is someone who dispels darkness.”

The non-judgemental presence of a spiritual mentor can be a source of constant inspiration. A guru can hold up a mirror, where you can see yourself for what you are, warts and all. Says entrepreneur Divita Kanoria, “I can talk to him about my pains, phobias and problems and he listens to me with a gentle smile. His blessings give me strength and I feel I have shed my emotional and mental burdens.”

Confess Without Fear
A spiritual mentor is someone who looks at life from a more evolved plane and so can help us gain perspective. New Age guru Deepak Chopra says, “I don’t consider myself a guru. I am someone who believes that consciousness is a field of potentiality that can be explored with the same rigour as mathematics or biology. There are ‘spiritual’ solutions to all problems and they have only one principle ‘Know thyself’. In general, people are confused. If people spent a little time alone and reflected, they would not need therapists, gurus or confessionals.”

Sri Amma Bhagavan of Oneness University says, wellness is a state of harmony of body, mind and consciousness. The journey inward enables a person to accept herself for what she is. He says, “In this journey, you start from where you are and not from where you want to be.”

Clearly, your guru can do a lot for you: She could help you sort out your life and find inner calm. But choose the right spiritual master, one who helps simplify life and leads you to joy. Remember, too that she is no replacement for a psychiatrist in cases where medical attention is necessary.

http://www.speakingtree.in/public/view-article/Mentor-And-Healer

Can you see the future?

Anuradha Varma, TNN, Apr 3, 2011
"It's a poor sort of memory that only works backwards," says the White Queen to Alice in Lewis Carroll's Alice's Adventures in Wonderland & Through the Looking-Glass. But, it's not always so, and as many individuals report, missives from the future can make their way into the present, through dreams or intuitions, spanning space and time. However, the burden of foreknowledge can be a heavy one.


Amarjit Bhinder, wife of Air-India co-pilot SS Bhinder of the Kanishka aircraft that crashed in 1985, had a premonition about his death on the day it happened. She revealed in an interview, "I had a dream that I had put his uniform shirts in the machine and it blew off. I felt depressed and ill and took three Disprins to ward off my body ache. At 3 pm, a friend came over and gave me the news...It was uncanny."

Days before the Japan tsunami took place, Canadian psychic medium Blair Robertson sealed his predictions to be opened during a fundraiser. Blair had accurately predicted that a massive earthquake and subsequent tsunami would affect Japan "on Friday or Saturday". Before the September 11, 2001 terrorist attack on the World Trade Center in New York, Hollywood actor Sir Michael Caine dreamed up a similar plot for a book. He told BBC Radio, "I had this plot where terrorists fly a plane into a London skyscraper. Then they did it in real life. I was stunned by that, so I stopped writing."

When Naina (name changed) gained consciousness after an accident, the last thing she remembered was a phone call from her friend and spiritual guru Venugopalan aka Maitreya, "I remember him sounding agitated, telling me to get out of the auto as I was heading for a major accident. But, I didn't pay attention." Says Maitreya, "There is no logical explanation to 'how I know'. It's a connection of the inner and outer spirit. We are all sticklers for plans, but such incidents throw plans out of gear, and teach us to let go, allowing space for transformation and freedom from fear. The idea is to either save the person from the mishap or make them strong enough to bear the aftermath. When it's close family and friends, at times, I start avoiding questions. It can get painful." Even as a child, Maitreya would absorb negative vibes from people, without realising it. He says, "You learn to deal with it, but it's not possible to always keep an emotional distance."

Says tarot reader Scharada Dubey, "It's important for us to ensure the client goes away feeling strengthened, not oppressed. We can't make dire predictions. A clinical approach doesn't help. We have to be compassionate and not project negative feelings as the readings get affected."

Tarot reader Madhu Kotiya has learnt that half-truths can help minimise the trauma of 'bad' news. She was eight-years-old when she told an uncle that his wife was having an affair. It turned out to be true, but her mother forbade her from 'talking like that'. She says, "I, too, tried to resist, as I wanted to live a normal life and didn't want to hear comments about my 'black tongue'. I have learnt to be diplomatic." Madhu admits, "It can be traumatic at times. My most difficult session was a couple of years ago. When this young girl walked in for a session, I could see death around her. She was full of plans for the future, and wanted to know about her impending marriage. It was very difficult for me to keep my calm. She walked out and two-and-a-half hours later, died in an accident."

Spiritual guru Deepak Chopra, whose book Soulmates touched upon messages from the beyond, prefers to look at the phenomenon from a scientific viewpoint. He says, "It's called non-local communication. It's a real phenomenon but I live my life in the present and don't get distracted by it."

Texas physician Dr Larry Dossey, in his 1989 book Recovering the Soul, introduced the concept of "non-local mind" — mind unconfined to the brain and body, mind spread infinitely throughout space and time. He says, "I have come to the opinion that premonitions are our birthright. Our capacity for them is part of our original equipment, something that comes factory installed."

In the book An Experiment with Time, aeronautical engineer John William Dunne tries to make sense of his experiences with vivid dreams which come true with shocking regularity. In the preface to the book, American physicist, author and ESP researcher Russell Targ writes, "In the laboratory, we know that if we show a frightening picture to a person, there will be a significant change in his or her physiology. Their blood pressure, heart rate, and skin resistance will all change. This fight-or-flight reaction is called an 'orienting response'. At the University of Nevada, researcher Dean Radin has shown recently that this orienting response is also observed in a person's physiology a few seconds before they see the scary picture!"

However, predictions can often make for entertaining tidbits. A Toronto-based psychic Nikki, for instance, who predicted the Tiger Woods scandal last year, has several predictions for 2011 — Hollywood actor George Clooney will marry, The Playboy Mansion will burn down after a fire that could start at a party and the US First Lady Michelle Obama could have another baby, maybe twins.

Nawal Gani, who does coffee cup readings, remembers dreaming of a new moon overturned and a broken chair be fore late Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi passed away. When her mother died, she was at the airport with her sister. Nawal remembers, "In the washroom, I looked at my face in the mirror and wondered why I looked so sad, like I had a terrible loss. I came out to the news that my mother had passed away." She says, "At times, it's tough to separate yourself from clients' problems. I often get rashes or feel extremely agitated in the presence of some people. At times, when I have done aura readings, I have had to be rushed to hospital."

Gopalan Kennedy, astrologer, operates as a 'reporter' and believes in calling a spade a spade. He says, "I knew when my father was dying. Personally, knowing things beforehand helps me a lot. Nothing comes as a shock or a surprise. And it helps me to be well-prepared before the event actually takes place."

Nan Umrigar, author of Sounds of Silence, learnt to communicate with spirits through automatic writing when she lost her young son Karl to an accident. She says, "The spirits don't tell us about future events. However, when people seek help with court cases, divorce or a sick child, help comes in different ways. One has to learn to recognise it. I don't get involved... the decision is not mine to make. It all depends on individual karma. But yes, it has made me more perceptive to signs all around me."

There is also the concept of free will, the fact that one can change future events, and not everything is predestined. Says Joy Dev, who conducts past-life regression sessions, "Awareness of patterns in one's life helps people break out of them. I don't believe in 'good' and 'bad' incidents. If you remove emotions from an incident, there is always a lesson hidden within."

Choreographer Shiamak Davar has often been warned about future events. "All of us have gut instincts but some have them highly developed as they've opened their sub-conscious minds. They have a greater power of knowing what is going to happen. But I still believe in karma and still believe if things have to happen, they will happen. My spiritual mother, Khorshed Bhavnagiri, had often warned me about people and calamities. The most powerful thing one can do is to pray and learn the power of acceptance."

Next time you have a gut instinct, it may be your inner self preparing you for something ahead!

http://articles.timesofindia.indiatimes.com/2011-04-03/vintage-wisdom/29376713_1_japan-tsunami-maitreya-dreams

Dreamcatchers!

Scary but true! There are those who claim to be able to enter our dreams and manage them. Anuradha Varma meets some dream creators

Can you enter a person’s dream? In Inception, actor Leonardo di Caprio, who plays an industrial spy, steals secrets when his victims are asleep by penetrating their dreams. The dream snatcher can even sow the seed of inception for an idea.


While the movie’s fiction, it may be grounded in fact. The New Scientist reports, “In the movie, the dream-snatchers use a drug called somnacin and a dream machine to upload a scenario into someone’s sleeping mind. This fictional dream machine is called a Portable Automated Somnacin IntraVenous device. A device does already exist that can effectively read someone’s mind. A functional MRI scanner takes snapshots of brain activity, and then the software recreates images of what the subject was looking at. The researchers say it has the potential one day to be able to record someone’s dream.” It reveals that dreams occur in both rapid-eye movement (REM) sleep, and non- REM sleep.

However, while sceptics abound, believers back up the theory. Mystic and tarot reader Veenu Sandal believes she can cure people through their dreams, using the technique of telementation, beaming out thoughts to positively influence them. She says, “All thoughts and experiences are stored in a person’s brain. It’s like watching television. Sometimes, the person wakes up and I have to start all over again. It’s an invasion of privacy and I do it only with permission.”

Entering another’s dream can have interesting results. Recalls Veenu, “A man passed a park three days ago and saw a couple getting romantic. In his dream, I saw him embark upon an affair with a colleague.” She gets best results between 1 am and 2 am.

Healer and psychic Venugopalan, aka Maitreya, believes free will plays an important role and an individual can reject a forced scenario if he wishes, even while dreaming. Transferring thoughts into a person’s mind is about connecting, even fusing with the other’s energy. He says, “If you go deep into a person’s dream, you can program his thoughts.”

Even Goa-based healer Patrick Sanfrancesco related, during a talk, how he wove a dream about cops busting a club, after the parents complained that their son was turning a compulsive gambler. After three nights of this, the young man stayed home!

Controlling dreams isn’t a new trend. In fact, Tibetan Buddhists use dream yoga to get nearer to the Absolute, through lucid dreaming, by comparing the illusion to the transitory nature of life.

In a lucid dream, a term coined by Dutch psychiatrist Frederik van Eeden, one is aware that one is dreaming. In his Proceedings of the Society for Psychical Research, published in 1913, he describes his experiments with dreams. He writes, “I dreamt that I was lying in the garden before the windows of my study, and saw the eyes of my dog through the glass pane. I was lying on my chest and observing the dog very keenly. At the same time, I knew with perfect certainty that I was dreaming and lying on my back in my bed. And then I resolved to wake up slowly and carefully and observe how my sensation of lying on my chest would change into the sensation of lying on my back.”

Dream researcher and psychologist at Harvard University, Deirdre Barrett has recommended, “You can tell yourself at bedtime that you want to dream on a particular topic — that you want to be lucid in your dream, realise you’re dreaming. People who have had bad nightmares may want to script a different outcome, a kind of mastery dream to replace the nightmares.” Enjoy more power over your dreams!

Source: http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/life-style/spirituality/self-help/Dreamcatchers/articleshow/6525350.cms