Who Are You Keeping?

How do you feel when you saw the image above? Did you stop and stare at it and felt like something went "thud" in your heart? Did you suddenly feel like crying? Was there an "Eureka!" moment? Or did your mind just went blank?

Because when I first caught sight of it in my facebook news feed, my mind went blank. I stopped my usual scrolling and stared at the image for quite awhile. Something went "thud" in my head. I felt that whoever that created this image spoke directly to the heaviness in my heart - the emotional pain of being around those who just took me for granted; that I was just merely an ATM machine for their causes or whatever products and services they were peddling. And then there were people who treated me as those I wasn't there; I felt like an invisible woman in their presence.

The image appeared at a time when I was questioning myself over my choice of hanging out with such people - people whom I cared for; people whom I supported and was their cheerleader; people who took my kindness and generosity and support for granted.

My eureka moment as I read the message: I could let them go. So, I let them go, peacefully. I set myself free.

In life, we are bound to meet all kinds of people; some are kind and generous, some are nasty and cunning. So, watch out! Be discerning of who you keep company! Only keep those who...

• love you
• motivate you
• inspire you
• enhances you
• makes you happy

So, ask yourself these questions: Who do you want to spend time with? Who makes you happy? Who drains your spirit? Who supported you when you needed help? Who gives only empty promises? Who only contact you when they want to sell something? Who accept and appreciate your uniqueness?

Be discerning.

Because you're worth it.

Because you treasure real, genuine friendships and relationships.

And because all relationships work both ways, for those you chose to keep, you:

• love them dearly
• motivate them
• inspire them
• enhance them
• makes them happy

That's how we come full circle with our relationships with others.

Huge love and peace to you.

(I would like to thank the unknown creator of the image above. Thank you!)

Selected Inspirng Quotes from Tsem Tulku Rinpoche's "If Not Now, When?"

Here are 10 inspiring quotes that I've selected from Tsem Tulku Rinpoche's book, "If Not Now,When?". There were many beautiful and meaningful quotes in the book, but somehow, these 10 quotes attracted my attention.

Here are the 10 quotes:

1. The greatest mind is not about wanting other people to change; but you yourself changing and accepting other people. The greatest mind is to stop thinking when THEY will change. No. We should think, "When will I change?"
2. Spiritual practice is not about going to places and chanting, knowing the stuff and debating. Spiritual practice is the transformation of our perspective and how we look at things. It is how much our mind has changed from negative to positive. That is spiritual practice.
3. We can bring joy to others if we have controlled our minds. We can control our minds if we take any holy being's teachings - of Buddha, Mohammed, Jesus Christ, Krishna - and we really sincerely practice them, not just follow blindly, then we will see a big difference.
4. If we are going to pray for and benefit the world, we should start with the people we live with. We don't talk about world peace, we talk about the people we live with.
5. If we have been having arguments with our wife, we should stop thinking, "Why is my wife like that? Maybe we should start thinking, "Why do I react to my wife life like that?" and let go and change ourselves.
6. If you blame others for everything wrong in your life, you give control over your life to them. If you control your life, you cannot blame others.
7. Gymnast, lazy people, complainers and successful people have all practiced to be what they are good at. So, if you keep practicing being lazy, you will be lazy. If you keep practicing complaining, you will always complain. If you practice compassion, generosity, patience, working hard and having a bigger vision, you will become better at it with time because you will create the causes to become better. You are practicing to become better.
8. God and Buddha cannot get rid of hatred but a development of love within ourselves can. Forgiveness is the start.
9. Time and death of people will not stand still for you to finish your project, plans, works and wishes. If the real reason for what we are doing now is to bring happiness to those we care about, and we neglect, mistreat, forget them or make them sad, then how do we know they will still be around or alive when we are ready?
10. What matters is right now. How you react.

Good to contemplate and reflect on these wise words from Rinpoche, don't you think?

(The photo above was taken by me last December while taking a short break at Marriot Putrajaya Resort.)

Oracle Reading for 28 March 2017

Today is New Moon. I thought I select a card from Caroline Myss's Healing Cards deck. Haven't use this deck for quite sometime, so why not pick one today?

Card 41 came up and it says: Now is now. Are you going to be here or not?

The back reads: A delicious question. Spend this day living fully in your reply, even if you're unable to let go of yesterday entirely. When you give yesterday more power than today, does it enhance the here-and-now?

Today is New Moon. Let go of yesterday, and create fresh, new beginnings today. To create we have to stay present. Now is now.

New Moon blessings everyone!

Oracle Reading for 3 March 2017

In the swift of an eye, we are now in March 2017. How quickly 2017 swoops us up!

Today, I was drawn to pulling a card from Doreen Virtue's Goddess Guidance Oracle Cards deck. And sexy Freyja popped right out very quickly.

She said, "It's now March already. Don't hold yourself back. Unleash your adventurous side. Take risks and be daring. Be bold and work towards achieving your dreams. Stay true to your heart's passion. Do not procrastinate because before you know it, 2017 will be over quickly!"

Freyja is a Nordic earth goddess of fertility, celebration and passion. It's interesting that she came up today. Because today is Friday, and Friday is named after this Nordic goddess.

Have a great, adventurous weekend!

The Lotus, Dragonfly and Lady Moon

Lady Moon shines her Light,
Dragonfly dances in the Dark.
The Lotus grows Tall and Strong,
To sing a Fragrant Song.
- Khema Yen, 6 February 2017.

(The mandala above is titled, The Lotus, Dragonfly and Lady Moon)

On The First Day of The Rooster New Year

Mother Sea beckons

on the early morning

of the First Day of the Rooster New Year.

Leaving behind celebrating humans

I answered her urgent call.

Just me,

the Wind,

the Waves,

the Sky,

the Trees,

the Rocks,

and Concrete.

I greet Mother Sea;

my first visit of the year.

Heart sigh...

"At last! Someone hears me!

Someone understands me!"

And Heart pours.

She releases and empties ancient stories,

All....

Mother Sea listens

Patiently,

Non judgmentally

Completely.

She takes them in

All...

Washes them away,

All...

And then, I whisper back,

the prayers of the Ho'oponopono people,

"I'm Sorry,

Please Forgive Me,

I Love You,

Thank You"

over and over to the crushing waves;

requesting Mother Sea,

to take my prayers to all corners of Mother Earth.

It is Done.

It is Complete.

On the First Day of the Rooster New Year,

I take a First Breath.

- Khema Yen, 30 January 2017

Changing From The Inside Out

I don't know who created the image above. I just happened to see it on my Facebook news feed. I like it a lot as the message carries a lot of wisdom on how to ride through this change of times.

I can't change what's going on outside me. I can't change the thoughts and behaviours of haters and racists and all those corrupt politicians, for example.

But I can change my response and consciousness by asking: "What's going on inside me that perpetuate this? How did I create this on an unconscious level? In what role have I contributed to this mess the whole world is in now? What do I need to let go such that I could offer a response that is based on compassion and love instead of fear and hatred? What are the lessons that I need to learn from this? Whom do I need to forgive? What do I need to let go so that there's peace in me?"

These are examples of the questions you can ask yourself; questions that do not offer easy answers. For, the answers come, not from the intellectual and philosophical mind, but from a place of silence and meditation. They are questions that point to a change in consciousness in oneself; questions that help shift our perceptions of life, and brings us closer to understanding ourselves and our contributions to life around us. These are spiritual questions that change one's consciousness.

Ask them, meditate upon them, and wait patiently for insights to arise. The greatest gift we can offer right now to society is our willingness to go deep inside us and take full responsibility for our creations. Yes, we are the ones that is creating our reality. We are creative beings, living in a interrelated world.

Once we, one by one, acknowledge our contributions to the collective unconscious, and once we, one by one, let go of our unconscious patterns that created the mess in our world, society will change.