Guest guest Posted December 31, 2008 Report Share Posted December 31, 2008 Namaste all family: I have a question. When one has a sankalpa to perform certain worship daily, what does one do if one becomes " bored " or the experience becomes " dry " ? Sometimes my daily Shiva puja does not give me a deep feeling of joy. I ask for I am certain that others experience this and could share their feelings and what they do when this happens. Jai Ma Jai Swami vishweshwar Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted January 1, 2009 Report Share Posted January 1, 2009 Namaste Vish and all, thank you for asking the question, which in itself is an inspiration because it implies that even though our worship becomes 'dry' this is no reason to not stop worshipping! I confess I have often failed in this regard, and in my darkest moments I have even become angry with God for failing to keep me entertained, left my altar and even had the audacity to blame the Divine for my inability to keep my sankalpa.. When I first came here, I did not see the need for the two prayers for forgiveness in the Chandi. Now I do and I thank Divine Mother for Her patience and forgiveness! So the first thing I would like to say is that, in my view, you are blessed to experience 'dryness' because this means you are still at the altar to experience it. I suspect that only when we are willing to sit and know 'dryness' in worship we will be able to feel the Water of Life welling up deep within as a sign that Divine Mother Herself has come to 'moisten' us and make us soft again. Thank you for making me realize this and for strengthening my determination to keep my sankalpa. In a practical sense, Swamiji gave great advice. I asked in class what we should do when our fence is weak and cows come and knibble away at our tree of devotion. He said that Shree Maa is the best fence builder there is, and that we should ask Her to come and build our fence. He also said that we should grab hold of the hem of Her sari (and He demonstrated this with gusto via webcam) and not let go! This is an image that helps me very much when I feel 'dry': I look at Maa's picture and ask Her to come and build the fence and I mentally place myself at Her feet, clenching the hem of Her sari just like Swamiji did, and then I start worship. This really helps me to stay put. Another thing is that in times of 'dryness' I try to keep myself 'open' and look for as much inspiration as I possibly can wherever I can, apart from formal worship: cleaning and rearanging/decorating my altar, reading spiritual texts or poetry, listening to music, drawing etc. In that regard, I now find great joy in the beautiful compilation of texts Sriniji has placed on the website recently, which I have printed out and which I intend to decorate with drawings and pictures, and use as source of inspiration during the day. Thank you, Srini! I am looking forward to learn from you all what you do in this situation, with love, Henny , " inspectionconnection108 " <inspectionconnection108 wrote: > > Namaste all family: I have a question. When one has a sankalpa to > perform certain worship daily, what does one do if one becomes " bored " > or the experience becomes " dry " ? > Sometimes my daily Shiva puja does not give me a deep feeling of joy. > I ask for I am certain that others experience this and could share > their feelings and what they do when this happens. > > Jai Ma Jai Swami > > vishweshwar > Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted January 1, 2009 Report Share Posted January 1, 2009 Namaste Vishweshwar : I think everyone here shares your concern. My 2 cents: The crucial question is: why do we worship? Is it for our own enjoyment? Is it to experience bliss? If so, what is the difference between doing puja and having a hobby or getting a kick out of other (mundane) activities? Boredom in worship is a challenge. Puja is a service to God and should be performed without any attachment to enjoyment (the same of course is true of japa and even meditation). If the Deity rewards your services with love and bliss, that's fine; if (S)he doesn't, that's also fine. In the end, (S)he's taking care of everything. I am positively convinced about this fact - which of course is not to say that on an emotional level I'm not strongly attached to the enjoyment of worship...! So the only humble advice I can give you is to carry on doing puja without worrying about yourself too much. It's all good. A blissful 2009 to you all, Sergio P.S. on a side note, most people on a spiritual path I've spoken to have told me that the sheer emotional pleasure initially derived from one's sadhana (puja, meditation, japa, prayer) often disappears after a while - almost as if this were a resistance test for the practitioner. As far as I understand, this is actually a common occurrence. > Namaste all family: I have a question. When one has a sankalpa to > perform certain worship daily, what does one do if one becomes " bored " > or the experience becomes " dry " ? > Sometimes my daily Shiva puja does not give me a deep feeling of joy. > I ask for I am certain that others experience this and could share > their feelings and what they do when this happens. > > Jai Ma Jai Swami > > vishweshwar > > Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted January 1, 2009 Report Share Posted January 1, 2009 Just this morning I was doing a Ganesh puja and I was not feeling very much as I went through the steps. I felt disorganized and had difficulty concentrating. Ganesh is not my Ishta Devata. I always want to do eveything for Kali and sometimes when I worship the other Deities I feel reluctant. But the thought came to me - why am I doing this? Is it something I am doing for me? I am serving the Supreme Divinity. I am paying attention as best I can this day. This is how I learn - by doing. Sometimes it is not going to be in the best order, but here I am doing it every day. Then as I offered light and incense I felt as if Ganesh was there with me and I once again got that feeling of connection and felt as if Ganesh was regarding me through the eyes of the murti. Just a brief moment of communion. As much as my little cup can hold right now. But I would have missed it if I had decided, oh forget it! I'm not in the mood today. We do the practice so we can be ready for those moments when they come. This is when the Goddess and the Guru gives the grace for us to feel our connection. Om Jai Kali Ma! Om Namah Shivaya! Kumari , " Sergio Knipe " <sergio.knipe wrote: > > Namaste Vishweshwar : > > I think everyone here shares your concern. My 2 cents: > > The crucial question is: why do we worship? Is it for our own enjoyment? > Is it to experience bliss? If so, what is the difference between doing > puja and having a hobby or getting a kick out of other (mundane) > activities? > > Boredom in worship is a challenge. Puja is a service to God and should be > performed without any attachment to enjoyment (the same of course is true > of japa and even meditation). If the Deity rewards your services with love > and bliss, that's fine; if (S)he doesn't, that's also fine. In the end, > (S)he's taking care of everything. > > I am positively convinced about this fact - which of course is not to say > that on an emotional level I'm not strongly attached to the enjoyment of > worship...! > > So the only humble advice I can give you is to carry on doing puja without > worrying about yourself too much. It's all good. > > A blissful 2009 to you all, > > Sergio > > P.S. on a side note, most people on a spiritual path I've spoken to have > told me that the sheer emotional pleasure initially derived from one's > sadhana (puja, meditation, japa, prayer) often disappears after a while - > almost as if this were a resistance test for the practitioner. As far as I > understand, this is actually a common occurrence. > > > Namaste all family: I have a question. When one has a sankalpa to > > perform certain worship daily, what does one do if one becomes " bored " > > or the experience becomes " dry " ? > > Sometimes my daily Shiva puja does not give me a deep feeling of joy. > > I ask for I am certain that others experience this and could share > > their feelings and what they do when this happens. > > > > Jai Ma Jai Swami > > > > vishweshwar > > > > > Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted January 2, 2009 Report Share Posted January 2, 2009 Dear Vish, Thanks for this question. This has happened to me quite often and no matter how hard i try worship seems to be a chore rather than the joy it should be. In my darkest moment Maa's cd "Dark Night Mother" is my saving grace. I especially listen and sing along with 4 particular songs on the CD at that time - Whom Else shall i cry to but my Mother; Everything is Your Desire; Take me across the sea and O Dark Night Mother" or i listen to Swamji's Sundar Kunda. These i find work for me. In a way i think they help with surrender in the knowledge that 'i' am not the doer; these are just test of faith. Also, early mornings before worship, i brush my teeth, wash my face and prepare the offerings for worship. Light the candle and incense and play "Mother of the Universe" in the room. I then take a shower before actually performing worship. For me, the song and incense brings a different feeling to the room and i am able to be more focussed. Another observation is the burning of the mustard oil as advised by Beloved Maa, when the mind is in discord it emits a very dark smoke but when feeling more in tune the colour of the smoke is lighter, this caused me to wonder if the burning of the oil helps us with self-deprecation. Can you please ask this question of Maa or Swamiji? Vish, a blessed and happy New Year is wished for yourself and family and i pray Mother's/Guruji's continued blessing and guidance upon you for your posts are truly inspirational. Jai Maa Jai Swamiji Kalia , "inspectionconnection108" <inspectionconnection108 wrote:>> Namaste all family: I have a question. When one has a sankalpa to> perform certain worship daily, what does one do if one becomes "bored"> or the experience becomes "dry"? > Sometimes my daily Shiva puja does not give me a deep feeling of joy. > I ask for I am certain that others experience this and could share> their feelings and what they do when this happens.> > Jai Ma Jai Swami> > vishweshwar> Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted January 3, 2009 Report Share Posted January 3, 2009 Yes, I appreciate this question being asked: " When one has a sankalpa to perform certain worship daily, what does one do if one becomes " bored " or the experience becomes " dry " ? Sometimes my daily Shiva puja does not give me a deep feeling of joy. I ask for I am certain that others experience this and could share their feelings and what they do when this happens. " It has happened to me too.... Sometimes, I just keep going along doing the chanting noticing how dispassionate I sound and then it gets kind of funny how I sound so dispassionate about something that I Love so much and then I start to laugh at myself about how ridiculous I sound then I feel like MAA is laughing with me and that usually lifts me out of it. I appreciated what folks had to say about this ;)Jai MAA!AnnOn Fri, Jan 2, 2009 at 2:29 PM, kaliananda_saraswati <kaliananda_saraswati wrote: Dear Vish, Thanks for this question. This has happened to me quite often and no matter how hard i try worship seems to be a chore rather than the joy it should be. In my darkest moment Maa's cd " Dark Night Mother " is my saving grace. I especially listen and sing along with 4 particular songs on the CD at that time - Whom Else shall i cry to but my Mother; Everything is Your Desire; Take me across the sea and O Dark Night Mother " or i listen to Swamji's Sundar Kunda. These i find work for me. In a way i think they help with surrender in the knowledge that 'i' am not the doer; these are just test of faith. Also, early mornings before worship, i brush my teeth, wash my face and prepare the offerings for worship. Light the candle and incense and play " Mother of the Universe " in the room. I then take a shower before actually performing worship. For me, the song and incense brings a different feeling to the room and i am able to be more focussed. Another observation is the burning of the mustard oil as advised by Beloved Maa, when the mind is in discord it emits a very dark smoke but when feeling more in tune the colour of the smoke is lighter, this caused me to wonder if the burning of the oil helps us with self-deprecation. Can you please ask this question of Maa or Swamiji? Vish, a blessed and happy New Year is wished for yourself and family and i pray Mother's/Guruji's continued blessing and guidance upon you for your posts are truly inspirational. Jai Maa Jai Swamiji Kalia , " inspectionconnection108 " <inspectionconnection108 wrote:>> Namaste all family: I have a question. When one has a sankalpa to > perform certain worship daily, what does one do if one becomes " bored " > or the experience becomes " dry " ? > Sometimes my daily Shiva puja does not give me a deep feeling of joy. > I ask for I am certain that others experience this and could share > their feelings and what they do when this happens.> > Jai Ma Jai Swami> > vishweshwar> Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted January 5, 2009 Report Share Posted January 5, 2009 i find that adding a new viddhi and sometimes taking one out always helps with keeping it fresh. bring some chandi into the shiva puja. or vice versa. etc. etc. Ann McQuaid <laughinglife Sat, 3 Jan 2009 1:35 pm Re: [www.ShreeMaa.org] Re: Question for everyone Yes, I appreciate this question being asked: " When one has a sankalpa to perform certain worship daily, what does one do if one becomes " bored " or the experience becomes " dry " ? Sometimes my daily Shiva puja does not give me a deep feeling of joy. I ask for I am certain that others experience this and could share their feelings and what they do when this happens. " It has happened to me too.... Sometimes, I just keep going along doing the chanting noticing how dispassionate I sound and then it gets kind of funny how I sound so dispassionate about something that I Love so much and then I start to laugh at myself about how ridiculous I sound then I feel like MAA is laughing with me and that usually lifts me out of it. I appreciated what folks had to say about this Jai MAA! Ann On Fri, Jan 2, 2009 at 2:29 PM, kaliananda_saraswati <kaliananda_saraswati wrote: 0A Dear Vish, Thanks for this question. This has happened to me quite often and no matter how hard i try worship seems to be a chore rather than the joy it should be.  In my darkest moment Maa's cd " Dark Night Mother " is my saving grace. I especially listen and sing along with 4 particular songs on the CD at that time - Whom Else shall i cry to but my Mother; Everything is Your Desire; Take me across the sea and O Dark Night Mother " or i listen to Swamji's Sundar Kunda. These i find work for me. In a way i think they help with surrender in the knowledge that 'i' am not the doer; these are just test of faith. Also, early mornings before worship, i brush my teeth, wash my face and prepare the offerings for worship. Light the candle and incense and play " Mother of the Universe " in the room.  I then take a shower before actually performing worship. For me, the song and incense brings a different feeling to the room and i am able to be more focussed. Another observation is the burning of the mustard oil as advised by Beloved Maa, when the mind is in discord it emits a very dark smoke but when feeling more in tune the colour of the smoke is lighter, this caused me to wonder if the burning of the oil helps us with self-deprecation. Can you please ask this question of Maa or Swamiji? Vish, a blessed and happy New Year is wished for yourself and family and i pray Mother's/Guruji's continued blessing and guidance upon you for your posts are truly inspirational. Jai Maa Jai Swamiji Kalia , " inspectionconnection108 " <inspectionconnection108 wrote: > > Namaste all family: I have a question. When one has a sankalpa to > perform certain worship daily, what does one do if one becomes " bored " > or the experience becomes " dry " ? > Sometimes my daily Shiva puja does not give me a deep feeling of joy. > I ask for I am certain that others experience this and could share > their feelings and what they do when this happens. > > Jai Ma Jai Swami > > vishweshwar > Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted January 6, 2009 Report Share Posted January 6, 2009 Dear bmarley: What do you mean in this context by viddhi? Viddhi means to know, does this mean a scripture, such as the Chandi? I think it is a wonderful idea to mix it up a bit and vary how we do a worship. There are so many ways we can do that with the resources that Swamiji has provided for us. Good point! Om Jai Kali Ma! Om Namah Shivaya! Kumari , bmarley343 wrote: > > i find that adding a new viddhi and sometimes taking one out always > helps with keeping it fresh. bring some chandi into the shiva puja. or > vice versa. etc. etc. > > > > Ann McQuaid <laughinglife > > Sat, 3 Jan 2009 1:35 pm > Re: [www.ShreeMaa.org] Re: Question for everyone > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > Yes, I appreciate this question being asked: > > " When one has a sankalpa to > > perform certain worship daily, what does one do if one becomes " bored " > > or the experience becomes " dry " ? > > Sometimes my daily Shiva puja does not give me a deep feeling of joy. > > I ask for I am certain that others experience this and could share > > their feelings and what they do when this happens. " > > It has happened to me too.... > > Sometimes, I just keep going along doing the chanting noticing how > dispassionate I sound and then it gets kind of funny how I sound so > dispassionate about something that I Love so much and then I start to > laugh at myself about how ridiculous I sound then I feel like MAA is > laughing with me and that usually lifts me out of it. > > > I appreciated what folks had to say about this > > Jai MAA! > Ann > > > On Fri, Jan 2, 2009 at 2:29 PM, kaliananda_saraswati > <kaliananda_saraswati wrote: > > > > > > 0A > > > > > > Dear Vish, > Thanks for this question. This has happened to me quite often and no > matter how hard i try worship seems to be a chore rather than the joy > it should be.  In my darkest moment Maa's cd " Dark Night Mother " is my > saving grace. I especially listen and sing along with 4 particular > songs on the CD at that time - Whom Else shall i cry to but my > Mother; Everything is Your Desire; Take me across the sea and O Dark > Night Mother " or i listen to Swamji's Sundar Kunda. These i find work > for me. In a way i think they help with surrender in the knowledge > that 'i' am not the doer; these are just test of faith. > > Also, early mornings before worship, i brush my teeth, wash my face and > prepare the offerings for worship. Light the candle and incense and > play " Mother of the Universe " in the room.  I then take a shower > before actually performing worship. For me, the song and incense > brings a different feeling to the room and i am able to be more > focussed. > > Another observation is the burning of the mustard oil as advised by > Beloved Maa, when the mind is in discord it emits a very dark smoke but > when feeling more in tune the colour of the smoke is lighter, this > caused me to wonder if the burning of the oil helps us with > self-deprecation. Can you > please ask this question of Maa or Swamiji? > > Vish, a blessed and happy New Year is wished for yourself and family > and i pray Mother's/Guruji's continued blessing and guidance upon you > for your posts are truly inspirational. > Jai Maa Jai Swamiji > Kalia > , " inspectionconnection108 " > <inspectionconnection108@> wrote: > > > > Namaste all family: I have a question. When one has a sankalpa to > > > perform certain worship daily, what does one do if one becomes " bored " > > or the experience becomes " dry " ? > > Sometimes my daily Shiva puja does not give me a deep feeling of joy. > > I ask for I am certain that others experience this and could share > > > their feelings and what they do when this happens. > > > > Jai Ma Jai Swami > > > > vishweshwar > > > Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted January 6, 2009 Report Share Posted January 6, 2009 of my understanding, it may be a different spelling but i am seeking to mean system of worship. such as in navarna viddhi. which is the system of worship of the 9 lettered mantra nava - arna? some examples: do the chandi nyas along with the shiva pujas, do the shiva kavach along with the chandi recitation. sing shivo ham before starting the chandi. do parts purely manas. there seems to be so much variation and freedom within the practice as long as we allow it. sometimes we get stuck in thinking how it SHOULD be. but its our time with god. god loves us no matter what. and god is always right next to us. its not to bring god closer to us, its so that we feel closer to god. so i always find that its important to do something that pushes and challenges me, but also that is exciting and new. and i feel its so important to make reasonable sankalpa. if i set too much of a goal and really struggled through it today sure its tapasya but will it make me have resistences the next day, and the next. my goal is to carve out a steady even trail that i know that i can follow through with for the allotted time i set, and to always come from joy. and never come from " ahhh do i have to do this " . I GET TO DO THIS =). and no i wont beat myself up. only encourage and inspire more growth. ( i know we all have our stale periods). may divine mother continue to bless us with the correct sadhana for where each of us are at. OM SHANTI! jai chandi ma dan mjfisher2005 <mjfisher2005 Mon, 5 Jan 2009 7:52 pm [www.ShreeMaa.org] Re: Question for everyone Dear bmarley: What do you mean in this context by viddhi? Viddhi means to know, does this mean a scripture, such as the Chandi? I think it is a wonderful idea to mix it up a bit and vary how we do a worship. There are so many ways we can do that with the resources that Swamiji has provided for us. Good point! Om Jai Kali Ma! Om Namah Shivaya! Kumari , bmarley343 wrote: > > i find that adding a new viddhi and sometimes taking one out always > helps with keeping it fresh. bring some chandi into the shiva puja. or > vice versa. etc. etc. > > > > Ann McQuaid <laughinglife > > Sat, 3 Jan 2009 1:35 pm > Re: [www.ShreeMaa.org] Re: Question for everyone > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > Yes, I appreciate this question being asked: > > " When one has a sankalpa to > > perform certain worship daily, what does one do if one becomes " bored " > > or the experience becomes " dry " ? > > Sometim es my daily Shiva puja does not give me a deep feeling of joy. > > I ask for I am certain that others experience this and could share > > their feelings and what they do when this happens. " > > It has happened to me too.... > > Sometimes, I just keep going along doing the chanting noticing how > dispassionate I sound and then it gets kind of funny how I sound so > dispassionate about something that I Love so much and then I start to > laugh at myself about how ridiculous I sound then I feel like MAA is > laughing with me and that usually lifts me out of it. > > > I appreciated what folks had to say about this > > Jai MAA! > Ann > > > On Fri, Jan 2, 2009 at 2:29 PM, kaliananda_saraswati > <kaliananda_saraswati wrote: > > > > > > 0A > > > > > > Dear Vish, > Thanks for this question. This has happened to me quite often and no > matter how hard i try worship seems to be a chore rather than the joy > it should be.  In my darkest moment Maa's cd " Dark Night Mother " is my > saving grace. I especially listen and sing along with 4 particular > songs on the CD at that time - Whom Else shall i cry to but my > Mother; Everything is Your Desire; Take me across the sea and O Dark > Night Mother " or i listen to Swamji's Sundar Kunda. These i find work > for me. In a way i think they help with surrender in the knowledge > that 'i' am not the doer; these are just test of faith. > > Also, early mornings before worship, i brush my teeth, wash my face and > prepare the offerings for worship. Light the candle and incense and > play " Mother of the Universe " in the room.  I then take a shower > before actually performing worship. For me, the song and incense > brings a different feeling to the room and i am able to be more > focussed. > > Another observation is the burning of the mustard oil as advised by > Beloved Maa, when the mind is in discord it emits a very dark smoke but > when feeling more in tune the colour of the smoke is lighter, this > caused me to wonder if the burning of the oil helps us with > self-deprecation. Can you > please ask this question of Maa or Swamiji? > > Vish, a blessed and happy New Year is wished for yourself and family > and i pray Mother's/Guruji's continued blessing and guidance upon you > for your posts are truly inspirational. > Jai Maa Jai Swamiji > Kalia > , " inspectionconnection108 " > <inspectionconnection108@> wrote: > > > > Namaste all family: I have a question. When one has a sankalpa to > > > perform certain worship daily, what does one do if one becomes " bored " > > or the experience becomes " dry " ? > > Sometimes my daily Shiva puja does not give me a deep feeling of joy. > > I ask for I am certain that others experience this and could share > > > their feelings and what they do when this happens. > > > > Jai Ma Jai Swami > > > > vishweshwar > > > Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted January 6, 2009 Report Share Posted January 6, 2009 Thank you for clairifying this for me, Dan. I have a little grasp of Sanskrit meaning, but sometimes I do not know the connotations. Your remarks are right on target! I do tend to be a bit rigid, so I set myself up for failure when I cannot keep up with a practice. I have to be careful when I make sankalpa as well. I am cautious not to make them too specific, or I will develop resistance to what I am doing. If others are doing more than me, well I have to look at the idea that I am making progress and we all develop in different things at different speeds. The importance is the regularity. Ma is always there as you said. When I make time for Her it is all to my benefit (and others as well). Om Jai Kali Ma! Om Namah Shivaya! Kumari , bmarley343 wrote: > > > of my understanding, it may be a different spelling but i am seeking to > mean system of worship. such as in navarna viddhi. which is the system > of worship of the 9 lettered mantra nava - arna? > > some examples: > > do the chandi nyas along with the shiva pujas, do the shiva kavach > along with the chandi recitation. sing shivo ham before starting the > chandi. do parts purely manas. there seems to be so much variation and > freedom within the practice as long as we allow it. > > sometimes we get stuck in thinking how it SHOULD be. but its our time > with god. god loves us no matter what. and god is always right next to > us. its not to bring god closer to us, its so that we feel closer to > god. > > so i always find that its important to do something that pushes and > challenges me, but also that is exciting and new. and i feel its so > important to make reasonable sankalpa. if i set too much of a goal and > really struggled through it today sure its tapasya but will it make me > have resistences the next day, and the next. my goal is to carve out a > steady even trail that i know that i can follow through with for the > allotted time i set, and to always come from joy. and never come from > " ahhh do i have to do this " . I GET TO DO THIS =). and no i wont beat > myself up. only encourage and inspire more growth. ( i know we all have > our stale periods). may divine mother continue to > bless us with the > correct sadhana for where each of us are at. OM SHANTI! > > jai chandi ma > > dan > > > mjfisher2005 <mjfisher2005 > > Mon, 5 Jan 2009 7:52 pm > [www.ShreeMaa.org] Re: Question for everyone Dear bmarley: > > What do you mean in this context by viddhi? Viddhi means to know, > does this mean a scripture, such as the Chandi? I think it is a > wonderful idea to mix it up a bit and vary how we do a worship. > There are so many ways we can do that with the resources that Swamiji > has provided for us. Good point! > > Om Jai Kali Ma! Om Namah Shivaya! > Kumari > > , bmarley343@ wrote: > > > > i find that adding a new viddhi and sometimes taking one out always > > helps with keeping it fresh. bring some chandi into the shiva puja. > or > > vice versa. etc. etc. > > > > > > > > Ann McQuaid <laughinglife@> > > > > Sat, 3 Jan 2009 1:35 pm > > Re: [www.ShreeMaa.org] Re: Question for everyone > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > Yes, I appreciate this question being asked: > > > > " When one has a sankalpa to > > > > perform certain worship daily, what does one do if one > becomes " bored " > > > > or the experience becomes " dry " ? > > > > Sometim > es my daily Shiva puja does not give me a deep feeling of > joy. > > > > I ask for I am certain that others experience this and could share > > > > their feelings and what they do when this happens. " > > > > It has happened to me too.... > > > > Sometimes, I just keep going along doing the chanting noticing how > > dispassionate I sound and then it gets kind of funny how I sound so > > dispassionate about something that I Love so much and then I start > to > > laugh at myself about how ridiculous I sound then I feel like MAA > is > > laughing with me and that usually lifts me out of it. > > > > > > I appreciated what folks had to say about this > > > > Jai MAA! > > Ann > > > > > > On Fri, Jan 2, 2009 at 2:29 PM, kaliananda_saraswati > > <kaliananda_saraswati@> wrote: > > > > > > > > > > > > 0A > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > Dear Vish, > > Thanks for this question. This has happened to me quite often and > no > > matter how hard i try worship seems to be a chore rather than the > joy > > it should be.  In my darkest moment Maa's cd " Dark Night Mother " > is my > > saving grace. I especially listen and sing along with 4 > particular > > songs on the CD at that time - Whom Else shall i cry to but my > > Mother; Everything is Your Desire; Take me across the sea and O > Dark > > Night Mother " or i listen to Swamji's Sundar Kunda. These > i find > work > > for me. In a way i think they help with surrender in the > knowledge > > that 'i' am not the doer; these are just test of faith. > > > > Also, early mornings before worship, i brush my teeth, wash my face > and > > prepare the offerings for worship. Light the candle and incense > and > > play " Mother of the Universe " in the room.  I then take a shower > > before actually performing worship. For me, the song and > incense > > brings a different feeling to the room and i am able to be more > > focussed. > > > > Another observation is the burning of the mustard oil as advised by > > Beloved Maa, when the mind is in discord it emits a very dark smoke > but > > when feeling more in tune the colour of the smoke is lighter, this > > caused me to wonder if the burning of the oil helps us with > > self-deprecation. Can you > > please ask this question of Maa or Swamiji? > > > > Vish, a blessed and happy New Year is wished for yourself and > family > > and i pray Mother's/Guruji's continued blessing and guidance upon > you > > for your posts are truly inspirational. > > Jai Maa Jai Swamiji > > Kalia > > , " inspectionconnection108 " > > <inspectionconnection108@> wrote: > > > > > > Namaste all family: I have a question. When one has a sankalpa to > > > > > perform certain worship daily, what does one do if one > becomes > " bored " > > > or the experience becomes " dry " ? > > > Sometimes my daily Shiva puja does not give me a deep feeling of > joy. > > > I ask for I am certain that others experience this and could share > > > > > their feelings and what they do when this happens. > > > > > > Jai Ma Jai Swami > > > > > > vishweshwar > > > > > > Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted January 6, 2009 Report Share Posted January 6, 2009 I think that sometimes we fail to trust that our cherished deity is truly in front of us, a guest in our house, enjoying our love and seva. We begin to treat worship as a matter of routine, or something to make us feel better. One solution that works for me is to spend some time alone with my deity first, meditate and visualize how he/she looks and is dressed that day, pray to them, talk to them and feel their presence before I start my puja. Papia , bmarley343 wrote: > > i find that adding a new viddhi and sometimes taking one out always > helps with keeping it fresh. bring some chandi into the shiva puja. or > vice versa. etc. etc. > > > > Ann McQuaid <laughinglife > > Sat, 3 Jan 2009 1:35 pm > Re: [www.ShreeMaa.org] Re: Question for everyone > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > Yes, I appreciate this question being asked: > > " When one has a sankalpa to > > perform certain worship daily, what does one do if one becomes " bored " > > or the experience becomes " dry " ? > > Sometimes my daily Shiva puja does not give me a deep feeling of joy. > > I ask for I am certain that others experience this and could share > > their feelings and what they do when this happens. " > > It has happened to me too.... > > Sometimes, I just keep going along doing the chanting noticing how > dispassionate I sound and then it gets kind of funny how I sound so > dispassionate about something that I Love so much and then I start to > laugh at myself about how ridiculous I sound then I feel like MAA is > laughing with me and that usually lifts me out of it. > > > I appreciated what folks had to say about this > > Jai MAA! > Ann > > > On Fri, Jan 2, 2009 at 2:29 PM, kaliananda_saraswati > <kaliananda_saraswati wrote: > > > > > > 0A > > > > > > Dear Vish, > Thanks for this question. This has happened to me quite often and no > matter how hard i try worship seems to be a chore rather than the joy > it should be.  In my darkest moment Maa's cd " Dark Night Mother " is my > saving grace. I especially listen and sing along with 4 particular > songs on the CD at that time - Whom Else shall i cry to but my > Mother; Everything is Your Desire; Take me across the sea and O Dark > Night Mother " or i listen to Swamji's Sundar Kunda. These i find work > for me. In a way i think they help with surrender in the knowledge > that 'i' am not the doer; these are just test of faith. > > Also, early mornings before worship, i brush my teeth, wash my face and > prepare the offerings for worship. Light the candle and incense and > play " Mother of the Universe " in the room.  I then take a shower > before actually performing worship. For me, the song and incense > brings a different feeling to the room and i am able to be more > focussed. > > Another observation is the burning of the mustard oil as advised by > Beloved Maa, when the mind is in discord it emits a very dark smoke but > when feeling more in tune the colour of the smoke is lighter, this > caused me to wonder if the burning of the oil helps us with > self-deprecation. Can you > please ask this question of Maa or Swamiji? > > Vish, a blessed and happy New Year is wished for yourself and family > and i pray Mother's/Guruji's continued blessing and guidance upon you > for your posts are truly inspirational. > Jai Maa Jai Swamiji > Kalia > , " inspectionconnection108 " > <inspectionconnection108@> wrote: > > > > Namaste all family: I have a question. When one has a sankalpa to > > > perform certain worship daily, what does one do if one becomes " bored " > > or the experience becomes " dry " ? > > Sometimes my daily Shiva puja does not give me a deep feeling of joy. > > I ask for I am certain that others experience this and could share > > > their feelings and what they do when this happens. > > > > Jai Ma Jai Swami > > > > vishweshwar > > > Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted January 7, 2009 Report Share Posted January 7, 2009 Dear Ones, I am stumped! Why this desire to oscillate between two distinct and different thought forces and identities. I thought the very idea of Sadhana (Puja and Path) is to develop total and complete concentration of mind without which Sidhi (reaching the goal of enlightenment) is not possible. Sri Ramakrishna used to say: respect and bow before all deities and paths but do your sadhana devoted to your chosen Ishta. Once perfection is achieved and goal is reached, it will be easy to pursue other paths if so desired. He has demonstrated it in his life. Namaskar chetan Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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