In Chinese Meridian Theory there are 5 Elements and each Element corresponds to a time of the year. Now, we are in the season of Earth, the late summer time of year. These are the last few hot days of summer, which will soon be turning into autumn. The Earth Element is about being grounded.
If someone did you good, show your gratitude by paying it forward…
I pulled up beside a man in a brown coat. He was holding a sign that said, “Even a smile helps.” I looked him in the eye and smiled a big smile, pulled over and asked him how he was doing. He looked at me and said, “It could be better and it could be worse.” I reached into my pocket and grabbed the money I had and handed it to him. As I did, another man drove by and in disgust told me I was wrong for helping the man in the brown coat, that he would likely buy drugs or alcohol.
As one of nearly 7.5 billion people who inhabit Earth, you should ask yourself whether or not you’re doing anything to make your time here meaningful. It’s important to leave your mark (and I’m definitely not talking about a huge carbon footprint) as a way to pay thanks. What I mean is to pay it forward and do your best to earn good karma. Luckily, there are numerous small acts that you can follow through with, in order to pay your rent here on Earth, so to speak.
The key here is self-love. Honoring your own individuality.
It’s about owning your self. Embracing what makes you you. Loving EVERYTHING about yourself, and all that is unique about you.
Hindu and Buddhist thought are based on a different set of assumptions than the Semitic religions. One major difference has to do with the meaning of rituals. A ritual in the Vedic traditions (Hindu and Buddhism) is spiritual because it demands mindfulness. In the developed world especially, rituals often lose their spiritual meaning and decay into meaningless routines.
They’re creepy, they’re crawly, and they are featured a lot on Halloween for a reason. I have despised spiders since childhood. I remember refusing to leave my bed as a child because I saw a massive Daddy Long Legs rudely prancing around in my room. My sister was terrified of spiders and so was I, and I had no real desire to change that whatsoever.
Everyone’s meditation practice is deeply personal depending on individual needs, and certainly it helps to have the advice of a qualified meditation teacher. But our most profound guru dwells within us.