After a cold day yesterday with stormy rain and sometimes even snow, this morning the sky was blue and the daffodils in the garden were glowing in the early morning light. In German the jonquils or daffodils are called “Easter Bells” – and this year also ringing in the start of the new solar year. This is much more the starting point than January 1st – March 21, the start of the sign of Aries, bringing in the energies of a new beginning.

Some time ago I got an inspiring story by an anonymous author called the Daffodil Principle (and when googling the title, there were of course a great amount of posts. I’ve posted it as a PDF and also translated it into German. It is about a woman who planted a big daffodil garden, creating something of indescribable magnificence and inspiration:

“When we multiply tiny pieces of time with small increments of daily effort, we too will find we can accomplish magnificent things. We can change the world.” – Enjoy.

This morning’s daffodil in the garden, recovering from the cold

We today got a (quite long) letter from a person living in the USA, who is the founder of the Living Love Fellowship and Soulprogress.com, two sites dedicated to spiritual upliftment:

“Our mission is to encourage all men and women to live spiritual life as a WHOLE, leaving out no part of their everyday lives. Only a whole spiritual life, lived in loving relationship with God and our fellow human beings, satisfies the hearts of God’s children. And, only a whole spiritual life really WORKS.”

In his letter he writes towards the end:

“When human beingness is rightly understood, the qualities above the solid red line on the enclosed diagram will be recognized as good, useful, and even Divine; and only what is below it – delusion, selfishness, and all that is of ego will be anathematized. Then, we can preserve our beautiful humanity and use it to everyone’s mutual benefit, even while we reject ego.

Our individual well-being and the collective destiny of our race depend on the living expression of all of our truly human characteristics. As truly human humans, we would certainly heal ourselves, each other, and the world! But until and unless human nature is resurrected from the trash bin in its entire and real. goodness and Godness, we will remain ineffective in love, and in creating a world of peace and happiness.

The world needs love more than anything else – desperately needs it. And, all truth seekers sorely need to love, both universally and personally. To empower human beings to love, please join us in teaching the world that:

1. True humanity and the truly human practice of relationship are beautiful – as God would have it be.
2. As children of God, it is natural for us to love both universally and personally.
3. We cannot love each other truly if, in our mystic search for God, we turn our backs on true humanity (in ourselves, and in others).

The change in thinking that’s needed is really big – and really important. Anything you’re already doing, or are willing to do, to help this human plight would be so appreciated, and tremendously helpful.”

They are running a project called “1,000 I LOVE YOUs – Dedicated to the upliftment and healing of humanity”, where they have movie samples of different persons saying into the camera (and to you): “I love you”. It somehow touches you seeing into the eyes of these persons, expressing their love towards you.

You might also want to read the text from Basics of Spiritual Life on “Love and Loving“.

I yesterday got some pictures from a friend with inspiring words coming from “pravsworld.com“, which “through its content strives to create a better human being, by cultivating ideas and values, spreading love & peace in this World to make it a better place to live; nurture peace and harmony, to have a human understand other, more importantly understand himself and realize his true potential.”

The header of the site “Pravs World”

They describe themselves as “The World’s most popular and the largest Web Group over the internet. Its probably the only that features a extensive collection of content that relates to inspiration in life and is dedicated to enrich and spread human values. It’s an inspiration to open your mind and touch your heart with words that makes positive impact. It’s an emotion felt by millions of individuals from over 120 Countries.”

You might be astonished about the name – it is the nickname of the initiator, who lives in Mumbai, India, but who doesn’t want to give his personality name because “I believe you should be known for the work you do, and your work should not be known for who you are. Let me be known for the work I do, and once you read this entire page I would seem more like a friend than some stranger.”

Have a look at the site, you find a great number of inspirational messages, and you can subscribe there to different mailing lists with daily inspiring thoughts.

Image Copyright – Pravs World & its photographers

Today a Spanish friend sent the link to a YouTube video about Tony Melendez (here with English sub-titles), a musician from Nicaragua living in the United States. He is playing guitar and giving concerts  – but without hands, since he has no arms. In the video you see him also giving a concert for Pope John Paul 2.

A fascinating demonstration of overcoming handicaps or barriers, even under most difficult situations, when there is a will to do so. An inspiration for many.

You now can surf with Google through the galaxies and discover planets, nebula or supernovae with the web-browser, without any other software. The Argentinian programmer Diego Gavinowich from Buenos Aires was a finalist in Google’s Latin America Code Jam and won a 3 months internship at Google headquarters in San Diego, USA.

Google writes: “You can search for planets, listen to Earth & Sky podcasts, watch some beautiful Hubble telescope images, or explore historical maps of the sky from the comfort of your browser.”

Seeing the pictures of the cosmos reminds me of the “Conclusion” of the Critique of Practical Reason, where the great German philosopher Immanuel Kant writes:

“Two things fill the mind with ever new and increasing admiration and awe the more often and steadily we reflect upon them: the starry heavens above me and the moral law within me.” (written on his tomb)

For moral law we today might say the subtle inner worlds you discover on the spiritual path. You find more about “Meditation – Experiment and Experience” here.

Google Terms of use – free for private use.

The World Forum of Civil Society Networks UBUNTU have worked out a very important Declaration on the context of the 60º Anniversary of the Universal Declaration on Human Rights UDHR. This Declaration was published with the first 50 signatures on 14 March 2008 in the International Herald Tribune (London – NY). Since last Friday dozens of people and organizations are signing this Declaration (and we have signed it, too).

The drafters of this Declaration have given a clear message to the world: to reach peaceful societies we need to promote human right to peace, right to development and environment protection.

By signing this Declaration you can express you support of the UDHR.

By the way, the name of the world forum UBUNTU, “is an age-old African term for humaneness – for caring, sharing and being in harmony with all of creation. As an ideal, it promotes co-operation between individuals, cultures and nations.”

Colourful globe of world union – sculpture in the Elfenau Park, Berne, June 2007

 And a last story sent by my Indian friend :

“5 important lessons to learn from a humble pencil:

1. It tells you that everything you do will always leave a mark,
2. You can always correct the mistake you make,
3. The important thing in life is what you are from inside and not from out side,
4. In life you will undergo painful sharpenings which will make you better in whatever you do,
5. Finally, to be the best you can be, you must allow yourself to be held and guided by the hand that holds you.”

And one more story sent by my Indian friend :

An old Master instructed an unhappy young man to put a handful of salt in a glass of water and then to drink it. “How does it taste?” the Master asked. “Awful,” spat the apprentice.

The Master chuckled and then asked the young man to take another handful of salt and put it in the lake. The two walked in silence to the nearby lake and when the apprentice swirled his handful of salt into the lake, the old man said, “Now drink from the lake.”

As the water dripped down the young man’s chin, the Master asked, “How does it taste?” “Good!” remarked the apprentice. “Do you taste the salt?” asked the Master. “No,” said the young man.

The Master sat beside this troubled young man, took his hands, and said, “The pain of life is pure salt; no more, no less. The amount of pain in life remains the same, exactly the same. But the amount we taste the ‘pain’ depends on the container we put it into.

So when you are in pain, the only thing you can do is to enlarge your sense of things ….. Stop being a glass. Become a lake!”

Picnic of a young couple at the Gerzensee near Berne, Switzerland

Another story sent by my Indian friend :

“This is one of the best explanations of why God allows pain and suffering that I have seen…

A man went to a barbershop to have his hair cut and his beard trimmed. As the barber began to work, they began to have a good conversation. They talked about so many things and various subjects. When they eventually touched on the subject of God, the barber said: ‘I don’t believe that God exists.’

‘Why do you say that?’ asked the customer. ‘Well, you just have to go out in the street to realize that God doesn’t exist. Tell me, if God exists, would there be so many sick people? Would there be abandoned children? If God existed, there would be neither suffering nor pain. I can’t imagine a loving God who would allow all of these things.’

The customer thought for a moment, but didn’t respond because he didn’t want to start an argument. The barber finished his job and the customer left the shop. Just after he left the barbershop, he saw a man in the street with long, stringy, dirty hair and an untrimmed beard. He looked dirty and unkempt.

The customer turned back and entered the barber shop again and he said to the barber:

‘You know what? Barbers do not exist.’ – ‘How can you say that?’ asked the surprised barber. ‘I am here, and I am a barber. And I just worked on you!’ – ‘No!’ the customer exclaimed. ‘Barbers don’t exist because if they did, there would be no people with dirty long hair and untrimmed beards, like that man outside.’ –

‘Ah, but barbers DO exist! That’s what happens when people do not come to me.’ – ‘Exactly!’ affirmed the customer. ‘That’s the point! God, too, DOES exist! That’s what happens when people do not go to Him and don’t look to Him for help. That’s why there’s so much pain and suffering in the world.’ ”

He was not at the barber, but is in search of the Divine: A hermit in the Himalayas. Photo of a friend, India 2005

My Indian friend sent me yesterday some other stories, and this one that is also quite widespread in the blogosphere (the world of blog writers). But it is worth while adding:

“When you see geese flying along in “V” formation, you might consider what science has discovered as to why they fly that way:

As each bird flaps its wings, it creates an uplift for the bird immediately following. By flying in “V” formation, the whole flock adds at least 71 percent greater flying range than if each bird flew on its own.

People who share a common direction and sense of community can get where they are going more quickly and easily because they are travelling on the thrust of one another.

When a goose falls out of formation, it suddenly feels the drag and resistance of trying to go it alone, and quickly gets back into formation to take advantage of the lifting power of the bird in front.

If we have as much sense as a goose, we will stay in formation with those people who are headed the same way we are.

When the head goose gets tired, it rotates back in the wing and another goose flies point.

It is sensible to take turns doing demanding jobs, whether with people or with geese flying south.

Geese honk from behind to encourage those up front to keep up their speed.

What messages do we give when we honk from behind?

Finally … and this is important … when a goose gets sick or is wounded by gunshot, and falls out of formation, two other geese fall out with that goose and follow it down to lend help and protection. They stay with the fallen goose until it is able to fly or until it dies, and only then do they launch out on their own, or with another formation to catch up with their group.

If we have the sense of a goose, we will stand by each other like that.”

You might like to read the Lunar Messenger about “Groups and Group Consciousness“.

Some birds like flying alone – an eagle (?) in front of a mountain in the Alps near Thun