The Art of PatienceWe live in an instant society. We want instant coffee, instant pudding, and instant oatmeal. We want our computers to boot within microseconds or we get impatient. When we plant a garden, we expect to see the sprouts within a day. If we do not see the sprouts shoot up immediately, we become impatient. Similarly, when we are growing the inner garden of the soul, we need to keep tending it, day after day, with meditation, even when we do not instantly see the dramatic results we want.We do not see the seeds in the ground through the long winter, yet with proper care, they sprout into buds and then flowers. Similarly for those on the spiritual path may not see the fruits of our meditation right away. But with diligent practice, we will find that the blossoms will appear.

Trust in GodThe plants and trees in the outer gardens of the world cannot move or act on their own. They cannot talk, so they cannot ask for what they want. They cannot walk, so they cannot go out on their own to get what they need. They are planted in one place with no ability to communicate, move, or take action. They are at the mercy of Nature and God. Yet, everything is provided for them.

God provides them with soil, sunlight, air, and water. Whether they are in a tended garden or out in the wild, God has provided for them for ages. If God can provide for every blade of grass on this planet, cant we trust that God is going to provide for us also? From the garden we learn the lesson of trust in God. There is a plan for each of us. When we do not realise how much of our life is provided by Gods plan for us, we spend a tremendous amount of time worrying over things that are bound to happen anyway. If we could learn the lesson of trust in God, much energy that we waste in worrying could be used for more productive endeavours.

Do Your Best, Leavethe RestSince we do not know what is planned and what is not planned at our physical level, we need to do our best in all circumstances. We need to take the best possible action, but then leave the results to God. When something is not going our way, we need to accept that there is another plan for us and let go. We did what we could, but we should leave the rest in Gods hands.

In a garden, when we have given our seed fertile soil, water, sunlight, and air, we know we have done our best. How the plant grows then is not in our hands. It is in the hands of God. If the plant does not turn out the colour we wanted, the size we wanted, or the shape we wanted, we know there was something beyond our control. We do not blame ourselves for we know we did our part. Then, we know that God had a different plan for that plant. Similarly, we do our best in all circumstances, and then leave the results to God. In this way, we free ourselves from blame, guilt, or regret. We need to do our best and trust in God to take care of us.

Lesson of HumilityFrom the plants we learn the lesson of humility. If we watch the trees and bushes on a windy day, what do we see? We find that trees that resist the wind, crack and split. Trees that bend low to the ground with the wind do not break. When the wind passes, the trees spring back up to their upright positions. Often when challenged by the winds of other people or winds of change, we push back. We resist or fight back. We get into arguments. We may even push back physically and get into a physical fight. We may push back verbally and say things that cause altercations or a vicious exchange of words.

We may even keep quiet, but mentally go into an outburst of negative thoughts towards the person, which the person may not directly hear but can feel through the strong vibrations of anger we spew out. We should learn to observe how those trees, bushes, and flowers that go with the flow of the wind are able to prevent themselves from breaking and cracking. This is the secret of humility. Let us learn from the garden the secret of nurturing the seed of our soul with meditation on the Light and Sound of God. Let us learn from the garden the value of patience, trust, and humility. We will then experience the eternal springtime as we bask in Gods blissful garden.

When we do not realise how much of our life is provided by Gods plan for us, we spend a tremendous amount of time worrying over things that are bound to happen anyway.

Let us learn from the garden the secret of nurturing the seed of our soul, and the value of patience, trust, and humility. We will then experience the eternal springtime as we bask in Gods blissful garden.

More:

The garden of spiritual wisdom - The New Indian Express

CNA Staff, Jul 31, 2020 / 10:00 am MT (CNA).- Since 2014, Fr. Roger Dawson has run a retreat house in the idyllic countryside of north Wales. When the U.K. went into lockdown in March, he was forced to cancel retreats. But he was determined to find a new way of offering spiritual direction.

After talking to other priests at St. Beunos Jesuit Spirituality Centre, he launched a telephone service for those struggling to cope with the pressures of the coronavirus crisis.

He said the service was extremely well received, with around 150 people taking part in one-to-one conversations with clergy.

Dawson, who served in the British Army for nine years before training as a clinical psychologist, told CNA that the phone conversations revealed common problems. He also discussed how the Catholic faith can alleviate them.

The most common experience was fear. Dawson said this was to be expected because of the deadly nature of COVID-19, which has claimed the lives of more than 46,000 people in the U.K. -- the third highest recorded death toll in the world.

But he suggested that the official response to the crisis could have a long-lasting psychological impact.

In order to get people to comply, the government frightened people. That may well have been necessary, but the difficulty is that once you frighten people, its really quite difficult to unfrighten them. People havent necessarily got all the knowledge or skills to identify what the risks are, he said.

He recommended meditating on the Gospels as a way of combating fear, highlighting Matthew 5, in which Jesus proclaims the Beatitudes.

He also encouraged people to reflect on Jesus instruction to his disciples to Be not afraid. This didnt mean that nothing bad would ever happen to followers of Jesus, he said, but rather that Not even death can destroy the love of God.

The psychology of crisis

Dawson said that one helpful way of looking at the pandemic was through personal constructive theory, a concept pioneered by the American psychologist George Kelly in the 1950s.

What personal construct theory is saying is that were basically meaning-makers, he said. As a result of our experience, and what weve learnt and been told, we build mental maps that help us to navigate our way around the world, and to understand ourselves, our situation and other people. And wise people are people who have very sophisticated and detailed maps.

He continued: What happens in a crisis is that something happens, new information comes in, that simply does not fit this map, and one of the things thats so destabilizing for people is not just the event itself, but I cant make sense of this. I thought I was safe and Ive discovered I live in a highly dangerous world.

All your expectations about what the future would hold, or how these relationships work, or how people relate to you or treat you, totally changes and it needs a different map in order for the person to navigate the experience. At the beginning of the crisis, they havent got a map that works for this experience.

Dawson said this process could be seen in the biblical story of the road to Emmaus, where Jesus presents the disciples with a new map to understand the events in Jerusalem.

But accepting a new map required a lot of psychological energy, he explained, and often people experience anger or despair before they do so.

In some ways, thats what were having to do spiritually all the time, he said. Any Catholic who simply resolutely holds on to the map that they were given when they were catechized for their First Holy Communion isnt going to get very far in their spiritual lives and grow and deepen in their knowledge and understanding of God, because those maps are for young children, not for adults whove got to cope with the world and life experience.

So a lot of what were doing at St. Beunos is helping people to deepen their understanding of God and be changed, and think about things differently, and live differently and live more deeply, with a better map.

What we need to thrive

Dawson noted that another common experience during the pandemic was depression. He said that a concept known as self-determination theory could help to explain why.

Self-determination theory is a theory about human flourishing and conditions needed for people to thrive, he explained. The theory quite simply states that we have basic psychological needs, in the same way that we have basic physical needs.

These are: the need for a sense of autonomy -- to have some sense of control and agency in your life and environment; the need for a sense of relatedness -- to be connected with people who care about us, love us and who will talk to us and show interest in us; and a need for a sense of competence -- that is, to be doing the things were good at or, if were asked to do things were not good at, were getting the support and help from other people to get the scaffolding so that we can achieve.

If these needs are met, people thrive, reliably and predictably. The crisis has deprived people of their sense of autonomy. Its deprived people of a lot of their relationships or, in many cases, put things under severe strain. And its deprived people of doing things theyre good at.

Dawson cited a University College London study which found that both depression and anxiety levels have fallen as the lockdown has eased.

You probably would expect peoples reaction to fear to settle down. Part of its biologically driven because the adrenaline and cortisol which fires up the system just calms down after a while. So you would expect people to get used to the anxiety and for it to settle. But the absence of depression and the absence of anxiety doesnt equal flourishing, he said.

Dawson described his own experience during the crisis as one of attrition. He compared it to a four-and-a-half month tour of duty he undertook in Northern Ireland in the 1980s and a five-month stint in the Falkland Islands shortly after the war between Argentina and the U.K. in 1982.

Since he arrived at St. Beunos (pronounced St. Bye-nos), he has regularly climbed Snowdonia, the highest mountain in England and Wales.

He said: For the months of April and May, which were beautiful here, Ive been able to see those mountains but not go there. So theres that sense of attrition, of being cut off from things that refill the tanks.

Missing the sacraments

Dawson said that Catholics faced a specific challenge during the lockdown: the absence of the sacraments. He suggested that for many people this was a traumatic experience.

The thing that I think is so powerful about our sacramental system is that it makes our faith physical and flesh and blood, he said.

All of our sacraments are to do with flesh and blood, not just in terms of the Eucharist. Its another flesh-and-blood person who anoints you. Its a flesh-and-blood person who speaks the words of absolution. This is the way that our faith is made incarnate. For the faith to be made disincarnate like that I think for many will have been traumatic.

Yet, he said, this period of deprivation could be an opportunity for spiritual growth.

The thing about a crisis is that it forces us to rethink things. Any crisis has the potential to reveal deeper truths -- I mean that both spiritually and psychologically. So the challenge is to trust that God is in this with us and to hold on until whatever the graces are that God is going bring out of this are revealed. Its a long Good Friday and Holy Saturday, though, he explained.

The impact on children

Dawson said that the lockdown could have an especially detrimental impact on children. A report from the Childhood Trust last month concluded that the pandemic put children at risk of developing serious mental health problems, including post-traumatic stress, with acute challenges for those living in poverty.

Most of a childs world is taken up with school and family -- thats usually 80-90% of most childrens world, Dawson said.

Now, when school is taken out of the equation and when you lose access to all of your friends, thats extraordinarily difficult. I think we can expect this to have both emotional impact and cognitive impact. By that I mean an impact on both cognitive development and in terms of education, and social and emotional consequences. Six months is a long time for a child.

He said that the crisis had exposed the chasm between the comfortable and the uncomfortable, and that Catholics should be inspired by Catholic social teaching to challenge the status quo.

Hard consolation

Dawson suggested that the spirituality of St. Ignatius of Loyola could also shed light on what people have experienced during the coronavirus crisis. In particular, he highlighted the saints teaching about consolation and desolation.

He said: Consolation is, classically, marked by increases in faith, hope and love. Typically, theres energy and joy and life that go with that. Desolation is the reverse: heart-sinking despair, closing in on ourselves, often focusing on ourselves, and decreases of faith, hope and love, feeling less trusting and confident.

Now, the thing about consolation is that it normally sounds like a nice feeling, and it often is. But it isnt always. Theres what Ignatius calls hard consolation, which is the consolation of being in the right place at the right time doing the right thing even though it might be really, really tough.

So someone could be at the bedside of a friend whos dying painfully of cancer, but theyre aware that Gods with them, and theyre aware that theyre in the right place at the right time doing the right thing.

He gave the example of Mary standing at the foot of the cross.

She didnt know what the future was, didnt know what God was up to, but she was with her Son, with God, trusting, faithful, and waiting for the future to reveal itself. Because as Christians we believe that that future will be good and hopeful. Thats the ground for our hope, he said.

For those who had mainly experienced desolation during the crisis, he said it was important not to blame oneself for it, but rather to learn from it.

The temptation in desolation is to give up all the other things, so to stop praying, stop your normal religious practices. But you keep faithful to those, trusting that it will pass.

He also recommended returning to previous sources of consolation, such as friends, family, and nature.

He said he had found consolation in the nature surrounding St. Beunos, where the poet Gerard Manley Hopkins lived and studied in 1874-7.

Im in an incredibly beautiful environment here at St. Beunos, and just simply going out and looking closely at some of the plants in the gardens: it grounds me. These are small instances of consolation which might not radically change my psychological or spiritual state, but it does remind me of the beauty and wonder of creation, he said.

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Coronavirus, mental health, and the spiritual life: A priest psychologist offers tips from St. Ignatius - Catholic News Agency

To know love, become we. Mevlana

Four years ago, as a journalist, I wrote a profile of the Black Lives Matter chapter in Louisville, Kentucky and the parallel movement of white advocates that had emerged to support it. I took on the assignment because I wanted to understand BLM as a new civil rights movement. But reporting the article took me into unexpected emotional and spiritual territory. I had not felt how terrifying it can be to live as a Black person in America. And I did not fully grasp the part I as a white person play in supporting that racist system.

At the time, it seemed like enough to write the story and see it published. But now, as I have been watching the police brutality protests unfold over the past few weeks around the world, but especially in Louisville, where many of the people I met during my reporting as well as other friends are involved, it feels important to share what I see as the spiritual opportunity of addressing the unconscious racism in oneself.

Race has to be one of the most difficult subjects to talk about, if not the top taboo for white people (at least for Americans). Part of what makes it so vexing is that it is a collective belief, one which underpins our social operating system, and yet it is experienced individually. If you havent experienced yourself as a systematically racialized other, you might imagine that racism is a personal problem rather than a collective one.

I have only felt hints of what it is like myself. Mostly this has taken the form of one question I have gotten over and over in my life: Where are you from? No I mean your ethnic background. This question is more commonly aimed at people of color and/or Muslims, and can be a subtle way of communicating I dont think you belong here. In my case, I think the question has mostly been motivated by idle curiosity it has never gotten me pulled aside for extra security screening or cost me a job interview but it has given me some sense of how much it can damage your sense of yourself as a whole person when others only perceive you as a set of physical features: your hair, your cheekbones, your skin.

I will also say that I have a small experience of what it means to pass, albeit through the structures of class rather than race. My grandparents, aunts and uncles were all working people: cleaning ladies, garbage men, gas station attendants, truck drivers. My parents both worked in factories but put all of their resources towards giving my sister and me an education.

College was the family dream as well as my own idea of making it. But when I finally went off to the liberal-arts college on the other side of the country that I had chosen so carefully, it was a shock to discover that I did not fit in. Of course my clothes and hair were all wrong, but it was more than that it was like I spoke a different language. I didnt get the references the other students made in conversation. They also made fun of my accent, sometimes to the point of saying they couldnt understand me.

I felt ashamed of who I was and where I had come from. I resolved to better myself by becoming like my middle-class peers in every surface way. I imitated their clothes, their hobbies, how they talked and what they talked about until they took me as one of their own: no more curious looks or semi-insulting questions. That first kind of passing allowed me to later make a career out of seeing how far I could pass in the various clubs of the middle-class professional world: corporate America, the art world, high tech.

Yet I still felt other on the inside. And I believe this feeling of being outside of the mainstream, of thinking and believing differently, in part because of the experience of being treated differently, helped guide me to the spiritual path. I was especially drawn to Sufism for its emphasis on inner qualities over outer forms, and for its teachings on love as a discipline rather than a sentimental indulgence.

All of this came together when I recently read Layla Saads blog post I need to talk to spiritual white women about white supremacy. I realized that despite the experiences which have helped me imagine how painful and maddening it must be to live as a person of color in our society, I have been perpetuating that system through my own white silence. I have let comments or situations pass without saying at the very least that the comment made me feel uncomfortable. I let the situations pass for the usual reason: going along to get along, out of the fear that I would upset another white person or that it would create some kind of scene I wouldnt know how to manage or get out of. And when it comes to those I am close to, the fear has been that I probably wouldnt change their mind but I could end up damaging our relationship.

But in Sufism we are told that a dervish must not fear. The way I understand that injunction is that we must set aside our egos fears for its own comfort and security, as these are the main causes of separation from the Divine Reality and an authentic relationship with other people (and what could be a more concise definition of racism)?

If I want to know true love and wholeness for myself then I need to do the work of reconciliation and wholeness, as the Quran reminds us in Surah Maryam*.

Two points in Saads piece in particular resonated for me with our Path. For white people who say they want to be allies to people of color, she writes, Saying Yes to doing this work is only the first step. Your Yes means:

YES to seeing my spirituality as a way to engage deeper into this work rather than as a way to bypass this work, and to recognizing that being devoted to Spirit means being devoted to social justice.

YES to doing this work every day, even when I get it wrong, even when its hard, even when it feels like Im not good enough at it because its not about me.

My dear sister Saimma Dyers blog post on sacred activism explains the connection between social justice and Sufism far better than I can. What I can say out of my own observation is that, unlike the civil rights movement of the 1960s, which was led by spiritual leaders such as Dr King and Malcolm X, it does not seem that todays leaders are holding a prophetic vision of a just society. Perhaps it is up to us as everyday spiritual activists to hold that vision ourselves.

Speaking out for, and living in service of a larger ideal, is another way of saying its not about me. So much of our work as dervishes is already about escaping the prison of me to come into the rose garden of friendship. Whiteness is just another layer of the false self to be shed. By embracing the work of undoing our own racial conditioning, there is a spiritual opportunity to embrace humanity not as a lofty ideal but in the day-to-day messiness of real relationships.

In a Hadith Qudsi, the Divine tells us, When I love my faithful servant, I am the hearing by which she or he hears, the eye by which she or he sees and the foot by which she or he walks. That is a promise which can also be read in the other direction, as an invitation to step into the Divine perspective. In other words: if Haqq were the lens through which we perceived the world, we would not experience ourselves as a lone being separate from others on the basis of race, gender, nationality, religion, class, or a myriad other identifications. We would experience ourselves instead as an individuated aspect of the Divine Reality: a ray of light refracted into a variety of hues, all emanating from the same Source. Our challenge now as spiritual activists is to speak out for the truth of that perspective and do the work of living it.

*VERILY, those who attain to faith and do righteous deeds will the Most Gracious endow with love; Quran 19:96, Muhammad Asad translation

More:

The Spiritual Opportunity of Working on Your Own Racism - Patheos

The original PlayStation is renowned for its diverse library of games, but no genre is as synonymous with the system as JRPGs. In its five-year lifespan, the console produced a staggering number of instant classics, including three beloved Final Fantasy games, Chrono Cross, Vagrant Story, and Suikoden II, among others. Yoshitaka Murayama, the original creator behind the latter, is hoping to recapture that golden era of JRPGs with his next venture, Eiyuden Chronicle: Hundred Heroes.

Earlier this year, Murayama and a handful of other industry veterans founded Rabbit & Bear Studios, an independent development studio based in Tokyo, Japan. The company's first project, Eiyuden Chronicle, is a classical turn-based RPG forged in the mold of Suikoden II.

"The first thing we decided when our members came together was, 'It's about time we made a really interesting game that we ourselves want to make,'" Murayama said in a press release. Perhaps unsurprisingly, Eiyuden Chronicle revisits the themes and aesthetic that defined his PlayStation-era work.

The visuals in particular evoke the feel of Murayama's PS One classic. The game features a striking 2.5D graphical style that's reminiscent of Octopath Traveler, Square Enix's own consciously retro RPG. This likeness isn't coincidental. "From a graphical perspective, Octopath Traveler has inspired us and given us hope that there is a mid-point between new and old that a wide audience can appreciate," Murayama tells GameSpot over email.

Working alongside Murayama on the project are other Suikoden veterans Junko Kawano (Suikoden, Suikoden IV) and Osamu Komuta (Suikoden Tactics, Suikoden Tierkreis), as well as Junichi Murakami (Castlevania: Aria of Sorrow). For Murayama and Kawano, Eiyuden Chronicle marks the first time in 25 years that the two have collaborated on a project, but that long gap has not been a hurdle. "I wish I could say we've all grown and changed in many ways but it feels like nothing has changed in the last 25 years!" Kawano says. "But it definitely feels like you are seeing long lost friends from your hometown that you have missed dearly. I'm sure it feels like some strange time-warp."

Like its spiritual predecessors, Eiyuden Chronicle's story is told against the backdrop of war. The game follows a young warrior named Nowa and his friend, Seign Kesling. Nowa hails from a small village in a remote corner of the League of Nations, while Seign is an imperial officer for the Galdean Empire, a militarily advanced nation that has discovered how to amplify the magical powers of an artifact called "rune-lens." With this power, the empire is marching into the other territories around the continent of Allraan in search of more artifacts that can be used to bolster its hold over the land.

As fate would have it, Nowa also happens upon a rune-lens while out on a mission, and the discovery will ultimately ignite a confrontation between the League of Nations and the Galdean Empire--and test his friendship with Seign. This is a theme that has long intrigued Murayama. "One of the main themes I like to focus on is 'What is a hero,' but also, how do friendships and relationships affect the course of history?," Murayama says. "A single choice to stand up for a friend or alliance can be the spark that starts a world-altering war. I find that terribly interesting."

Suikoden's signature hallmark is its expansive cast; every entry features more than 100 unique recruitable characters, each of whom plays a role in the overarching story, and it's clear from the subtitle that Eiyuden Chronicle will continue that tradition. Much like Suikoden, the game will have 100 heroes to recruit, and as these characters join your ranks, you'll gradually build up a fortress base. Naturally, coming up with backstories and unique personalities for such an extensive cast is a challenge.

"Of course it's a major hassle," Murayama says. "You not only have to create 100 characters and their backstories but additionally how they all relate and the role they will serve. It's an incredibly complicated web. And even from the beginning, as the subtitle states, this is a tale about heroes. So our hope is to work with the community to build out these very heroes very much as the community also organically grows."

For Kawano, who serves as Eiyuden Chronicle's lead artist and character designer, this expansive cast list presents a different sort of challenge. "It's not hard to create new characters," Kawano says. "In a title like this where you have to create a huge amount, it's more about endurance. Especially towards the end of development you are cramming so many things in last- minute. However, the hard part is after you are done and out of 'runway' you invariably feel like you missed the opportunity to add this character or that character. So that regret is the worst part."

Although Eiyuden Chronicle deliberately harkens back to Suikoden and other classic JRPGs in many ways, Murayama hopes the game will be viewed on its own merits. "I don't want to be defined by my past," he says. "This game represents an extension of some of the gameplay and systems that I have honed over my many years as a game developer, but it is a new title and needs to stand on its own.

"Eiyuden represents a major challenge for us. At the core of that challenge is for us to make a game that is intensely satisfying and just flat-out fun. While many people have doubts and issues with crowdfunding and Kickstarter, it still remains the best chance an old creator like myself has to own IP and to interact with a serious group of fans who are investing in the project from the ground up. Something that takes serious commitment. It may sound cheesy but it's easy to doubt and be negative. It takes a true hero to believe in something."

Rabbit & Bear is raising funds to develop Eiyuden Chronicle through Kickstarter. The crowdfunding campaign runs until August 28, although it has already proven to be an overwhelming success; donations blew past the studio's original $500,000 goal in only two hours and hit the $1 million stretch goal to bring the game to consoles in less than a day. The team is humbled by the positive response from fans, writing on Twitter: "I can't believe it was funded so quickly! Many people have no hope in Kickstarter so I was so afraid. Thank you so much my heroes!!!! I will make a great game for you!"

Eiyuden Chronicle is tentatively planned to launch in Fall 2022.

Read more:

Suikoden Creators On Making A Spiritual Successor To The Classic JRPG - GameSpot

Stevie Nicks shared a recent journal entry that basically encapsulates how many of us are feeling during the COVID-19 pandemic, which has taken more than 660,000 lives worldwide, with more than 150,000 dead in the U.S. to date, and cases continue to surge. As scientists and other health experts have been stressing to help stem the deadly tide, Nicks implores everyone to wear a mask and stay in and also addresses the emotional ups and downs that many music and concert lovers who are adhering to health guidelines can relate to in these isolated, insomnia-inducing times.

In her July 17th journal entry, which she shared Wednesday via Twitter, Nicks references Crosby, Stills, Nash and Youngs Our House and the Rolling Stones Wild Horses. She writes the entry when shes still awake at 6:50 a.m. and is listening to music, which makes her happy. Feeling slightly euphoric and inspired to be alive and still be able to feel young and safe here, she writes. However, the goodness she is experiencing is fleeting as she explains that her early-morning hope dissipates once she reads the news of the day.

If everyone could just wear a mask and stay in as much as possible you might be able to find this magical place I have found, in the early morning when everyone sleeps, she continues.

In order for us all to get back to our former lives we must all change into spiritual warriors. We must make it our mission to fight the virus; otherwise there is nothing left, she adds, noting that there is no way to rewind and emphasizes the necessity to take preventative measures immediately for a promising future. I want to go back on the road. I want to sing for you again. I want to put on those high black suede platform boots and dance for you again. I want you to forget the world and sing with me.

Please dont throw this world away, she implores. Please dont give up on humanity and let this virus win this war. It is up to us now.

Read more:

Stevie Nicks Is the Spiritual-Warrior Leader We Need: Wear a Mask and Stay In - Rolling Stone

Yajurveda (700-300 BC) has been dealt with in a treatise called Hindu World where it is described as the second Veda, compiled mainly from Rig-vedic hymns, but showing considerable deviation from the original Rig-vedic text. It also has prose passages of a later date. The Yajur-veda, like the Sama-veda samhita (collection), introduces a geographical milieu different from that of the Rig-veda. It is not so much the Indus and its tributaries any more, but the areas of the Satlej, Jamna and Ganges rivers.

The Yajur-veda represents a transition between the spontaneous, free-worshipping period of the Rig-veda and the later brahmanical period when ritualism had become firmly established. It is a priestly handbook, arranged in liturgical form for the performance of sacrifices (yaja), as its name implies. It embodies the sacrificial formulas in their entirety, prescribes rules for the construction of altars, for the new and full-moon sacrifices, the rajasuya, the asvamedha, and the soma sacrifices. Strict observance of the ceremonial in every detail was insisted upon, and deviations led to the formation of new schools, there being over one hundred Yajur-vedic schools at the time of Patanjali (200 BC). Much of the sakha literature grew up out of variants of the Yajur-vedic texts.

In the Yajur-veda the sacrifice becomes so important that even the gods are compelled to do the will of the brahimns. Religion becomes a mechanical ritual in which crowds of priests conduct vast and complicated ceremonies whose effects are believed to be felt in the farthermost heavens. Its under-lying principles were so ridden with superstition and belief in the power of the priests to do and undo the cosmic order itself that critics have likened their formulas to the ravings of mental delirium. The priest especially associated with the Yajur-vedic ceremonial was the adhvaryu.

The Yajur-veda now consists of two samhitas, which once existed in one hundred and one recensions. Both the samhitas contain almost the same subject matter but differently arranged. The Taittiriya Samhita, commonly called the Black Yajur-veda for its obscurity of meaning, was known in the third century BC, and is the older of the two. It has been described as an undigested jumble of different pieces, and as having a motley character. In this samhita the distinction between the Mantra and the Brahmana portions is not as clear as in the other Vedas.

The Vajasaneyi Samhita, or the White Yajur-veda, was communicated to the sage Yajasaneti Samhita by the Sun God in his equine form. It has a much more methodical arrangement and brings order and light, as opposed to the confusion and darkness of the Black Yajur-veda. In the book titled Sacred Scriptures of India it says that Yajurveda inspires humans to walk on the path of Karma and that is why it is also referred to as Karma-Veda. The essence of the Yajurveda lies in those mantras (incantations) that inspire people to initiate action. It further says that there are many branches of Yajurveda but two branches, namely, Krishna and Shukla Yajurveda have gained relatively more prominence, i.e., Krishna Yajurveda and Shukla Yajurveda. Besides it, it says that Yajurveda was later on named as Taitareya Samhita.

Sama-veda (c. 700-300 BC) (saman, melody), the third Veda. Its samhita or principal part is wholly metrical, consisting of 1549 verses, of which only 75 are not traceable to the Rig-veda. The stanzas are arranged in two books or collections of verses. The Sama-veda embodies the knowledge of melodies and chants. The samhita of this Veda served as a textbook for the priests who officiated at the Soma sacrifices. It indicates the tunes to which the sacred hymns are to be sung, by showing the prolongation, the repetition and interpolation of syllables required in the singing. The Sama-veda also contains a detailed account of the soma rites. The hierophants associated with the Sama-veda are known as the udgatri.

Many of the invocations in the Sama-veda are addressed to Soma, some to Agni and some to Indra. The mantra part of the Sama-veda is poor in literary quality and historical interest, but the Brahmanas belonging to it are important. Of the once numerous samhitas of the Samaveda (the Puranas speak of a thousand) only one has reached us, in three recensions, namely: the Kauthama, current in Gujarat, the Ranayaniya which survives in Maharashtra, and the Jaiminiya in the Karnatic.

In the Sacred Scriptures of India it is described that the compilation of Richas (Shlokas) is known as Sama. Sama is dependent on the Richas. The beauty of speech lied in the Richas. The beauty of Richas lie in the sama and the beauty of the same lies in the style of pronunciation and singing. The knowledge of sama, therefore, is Samaveda. This refers to Geeta-10/22 where Shri Krishna has stated the importance of Samaveda in the following manner: Vedamana Samavedo Asmi meaning I am samaveda myself amongst the Vedas.

There are two parts of the Samaveda (1) Purvarchik (2) Uttararchik. In between both of them is Mahanamnayarchik which comprises of 10 incantations. There are four parts of Purvarchika Aagneya, Aendra, Paavmaan and Aasanya.

Atharvaveda is considered in Hindu World as the fourth Veda, of whose origin there has been much contentious speculation. It is also referred to as the Brahma-veda because it served as the manual of the chief sacrificial priests, the brahmins. A great deal is said in the Atharva-veda hymns about the brahmins and the honours due to them. One-sixth of the work is not metrical, and about one-six of the hymns are also found among the hymns of the Rig-veda, mostly in the first, eight and tenth books. The rest of the subject matter is peculiar to the Atharva-veda, This Veda was once current in nine different redactions, of which only two, the Pippalada and Sunaka recensions are extant, the former in a single unpublished Tubingen manuscript discovered by Roth.

The Atharva-veda embodies the magical formulary of ancient India, and much of it is devoted to spells, incantations, chants and charms. In general the charms and spells are divided into two classes; they are either bheshajani, which are of medicinal, healing and peaceful nature, dealing with cures and herbs for treating fever, leprosy, jaundice, dropsy and other diseases; this class includes prayers for successful childbirth, love spells, charms for fecundity, for the recovery of virility, hymns for the birth of sons, and a quaint chant to put the household to sleep while the lover steals into the girls home at night. Or else they belong to the abhichara class, which are of a bewitching and malevolent nature; these include spells for producing diseases and bringing ill-luck to enemies. Among them is a spell that a woman may use against her rival to make her remain a spinster; another spell is meant to destroy a mans virility, and so forth. There are hymns to serpents and demons, and incantations replete with witchcraft, sorcery and black magic.

One of the reputed authors of the Atharva-veda was the Rishi Atharvan, of Maga of Persian ancestry. But certain parts, especially the verses dealing with the rites of sorcerers and wizards were attributed to the Rishi Angiras, of pre-Aryan, probably Dravidian stock. The hymns were said to have been collected by Sumantu, a Rishi of great antiquity who bequeathed the material to Rishi Vyasa for arranging.

The Atharva-veda is the most interesting of the sruti, for it has preserved to a great extent a solid core of pre-Aryan and non-Aryan tradition. It is unique among the texts of Vedic period and an important source of information regarding popular religious belief, not so far modified by priestly religion. It reveals in fact a vast substratum of indigenous doctrine that is not only non-Vedic but at times contra-Vedic.

Scholars trace Mesopotamian influences in the Atharva-veda, among them Dr. Bhandarkar, who discerns in it the magical lore of the Asuras. Others see evidence of Vratya and Maga Doctrines. The Vishnu Purana and the Bhavishya Purana speak of the Angiras as one of the four Vedas of the Magas. The foreign words occurring in the Atharva-veda, which Tilak traced to Chaldea, may have been only strange to Sanskrit, and may well have formed part of the regular vocabulary of the Maga priests.

For long the Atharva-veda was not included among the other three Vedas. Although the Vedas are now said to be four in number this was not the originally recognized number of the compilations. The oldest records refer to only three Vedas, namely, the Rig, Sama and Yajur. Manu speaks of these as the trayi (triad) milked out from the fire, air, and sun, and the Atharva-veda was not even acknowledged in his time. There is no reference to it in the Chhandogya Upanishad; the Brahmana texts mention only three Vedas; the Jatakas know of only three.

This would seem to indicate not that the Atharvaveda was non-existent at the time the other Vedas were composed, but that it did not for several centuries form part of the sacred scriptures of the Aryans. Of its canonical status today it has been said that influential scholars of South India still deny the genuineness of the Atharva-veda. While discussing this Veda in the treatise titled the Sacred Scriptures of India, this Veda is described as devoid of movement or concentration. The word Tharva means fickleness or movement and accordingly the word Atharva means that which is unwavering, concentrated or unchanging. That is why it is said: Tharva Gati Karma Na Tharva Eti Atharva.

The philosophy of Yoga speaks that: Yogash Chitta Vritti Nirodhah, which means controlling the different impulses of the mind and senses in Yoga. The Gita re-iterates that when the mind is free from impulses and flaws, the mind becomes stable and the person becomes neutral when the impulses of the mind and the other senses are in control, then only the mind is freed from instability and perturbances. The word Atharva therefore refers to neutrality of personality. The Atharvaveda speaks more about Yoga, the human physiology, different ailments, social structure, spirituality, appreciation of natural beauty, national religion, etc. This knowledge is practical and is worth bringing in use. This Veda is a fusion of prose and poetry together. Ayurveda is considered to be the Upaveda (Sub-Veda) of this Veda. This write up highlights the spiritual aspects of Vedas only. The other little known aspects shall be discussed later.

Next issue: Puranas, the eternal trouble shooters

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Understanding Hinduism: 4 Vedas the fountain heads of spirituality - Tehelka

As galleries and art institutions around the world begin to reopen, we are spotlighting individual showsonline and IRLthat are worth your attention.

What the gallery says: Jessica Silverman presents a two-part summer series, Conversational Spirits, exploring animismthe belief that animals, plants, places, and objects can be enlivened by spirits or imminent powers.

Associated with the worship of nature and the rise of subordinate souls, animism is a theme broadly relevant to a time in which equal rights, ecology, and biochemistry are serious concerns. Animism has long been germane to art insofar as the most compelling objects are imbued with such intention, intensity, and energy that they feel alive.

Why its worth a look:Are humans the only creatures gifted with what can be called a spirit? Belief in the spiritual realm has had a resurgence lately in art (and elsewhere), with interest in the thought gaining momentum beyond niche circles.

From Judy Chicagos tree branches, which pulsate with life, to Luke Butlers paintings of bald eagles clutching paint brushes, and on throughTammy Rae Carlands depictions of books, which seem to speak almost audibly,the plants, animals, and objects in these artworks are practically thinking, breathing beingsand by seemingly questioning their surroundings, they inspire viewers to do the same.

What it looks like:

Installation view of Conversational Spirits I. Courtesy of Jessica Silverman, San Francisco.

Rose B. Simpson, Conjure (2020) [detail]. Courtesy of the artist and Jessica Silverman, San Francisco.

Dashiell Manley, Those Seeing Flowers We Cannot See (2020). Courtesy of the artist and Jessica Silverman, San Francisco.

Judy Chicago, Trees Twisting with Joy (1996). Courtesy of the artist and Jessica Silverman Gallery.

Hayal Pozanti, Their Own Internal Time 102 (Rim Kona Kona) (2020). Courtesy of the artist and Jessica Silverman San Francisco.

Installation view of Tammy Rae Carlands work in Conversational Spirits. Courtesy of the artist and Jessica Silverman San Francisco.

Tammy Rae Carland, Peeling Performativity, (2019). Courtesy of the artist and Jessica Silverman San Francisco.

Tammy Rae Carland, Lean on me, (2019). Courtesy of the artist and Jessica Silverman San Francisco.

Hernan Bas, Feeding time at the Little Shop of Horrors, (2020). Courtesy of the artist and Jessica Silverman San Francisco.

Installation view of Conversational Spirits II at Jessica Silverman, San Francisco.

Hernan Bas, Feeding time at the Little Shop of Horrors, [detail] (2020). Courtesy of the artist and Jessica Silverman, San Francisco.

Margo Wolowiec, Seed Surge (2020) [detail]. Courtesy of the artist and Jessica Silverman, San Francisco.

Margo Wolowiec, Seed Surge (2020). Courtesy of the artist and Jessica Silverman, San Francisco.

Claudia Wieser, Untitled (2019) left and right. Courtesy of the artist and Jessica Silverman, San Francisco.

Julian Hoeber, When the Meat Stops Thinking the Flies Arrive, For Better or Worse, (2020). Courtesy of the artist and Jessica Silverman, San Francisco.

Installation view of Conversational Spirits II. Courtesy of Jessica Silverman, San Francisco.

Martha Friedman, Nerve Language 1, (2020). Courtesy of the artist and Jessica Silverman, San Francisco.

Martha Friedman, Nerve Language 3, (2020). Courtesy of the artist and Jessica Silverman, San Francisco.

David Huffman, Ideology, (2020). Courtesy of the artist and Jessica Silverman, San Francisco.

Installation view of Conversational Spirits II. Courtesy of the artist and Jessica Silverman, San Francisco.

Daisy Youngblood, Leaping I (2010). Courtesy of the artist and Jessica Silverman, San Francisco.

Installation view of Conversational Spirits I. Courtesy of Jessica Silverman, San Francisco.

Andrea Bowers, If We Do Not Do the Impossible We Shall Be Faced With the Unthinkable (2020) [detail]. Courtesy of the artist and Jessica Silverman, San Francisco.

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A Transporting New Exhibition Explores the Possibility That All Things Are Imbued With Spiritual LifeSee Artworks Here - artnet News

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Australian city are now subject to a stage 4 lockdown due to a surge in coronavirus cases.

The premier of the eastern Australian state of Victoria, Daniel Andrews, said-

an overnight curfew would be implemented across Melbourne Australias second-biggest city from 8 p.m. to 5 a.m. .After he declared a state of disaster in the entire state.

Andrews states that 671 brand new coronavirus cases had been detected in Victoria since Saturday, including seven deaths.

The state has witnessed a steadily rising toll on both deaths and infections

within the past six weeks and currently has 6,322 cases of active disease.

Under the recently imposedstage four restrictions, residents of this state capital Melbourne is going to be allow to shop.

And exercise only within 5 km (3 miles) in the houses. Students throughout the state will return to learning at home.

The remainder of Victoria will probably be under point three constraints in next Thursday,

with restaurants, bars, cafes, and fitness centers shut.

The new steps across the state are to stay in place until at least September 13. Public wellness bushfire.

A state of disaster was first called in Victoria throughout the gigantic bushfires there six months ago,

and Andrews drew parallels between the two situations.

This is a public health bushfire, however you cant smell the smoke, and also you can not find the flames. This is very different; it is a wicked enemy, he said.

The premier said there would be additional announcements on Monday that could likely include the closure of some industrial sectors. The new lockdown measures will last for six weeks.

These are large steps, but theyre necessary. Weve to restrict the amount of movement

and to restrict the quantity of transmission of the virus, Andrews explained. Far-reaching powers

Under Victorias Emergency Management Act of 1986, at a state of disaster,

the states Emergency Services Minister canrestrain and restrict entry to,

movement inside and departure in the catastrophe area of any part of it, based on public broadcaster ABC.

The act also allows the minister, or even the police or emergency services which answer to him or her,

to take ownership of any land if such a transfer is consider to be necessary under a condition of disaster.

Even though a state of crisis can last up to six months before being revoked,

a condition of catastrophe has to be renewed after a month if it is deemed necessary.

Each term provides authorities different powers to manage crises.

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3 things to watch this weekend: Reese Witherspoon's spiritual sequel to Big Little Lies - News Lagoon