Good Morning - the Rain has Come!
This article comes from the amazing experiences I've had over the last 30 years having been tied every year with this sacred thread called the Rakhi by various senior administrators and teachers in our university, whether in India, UK or in whatever country I was serving. I have also had the lovely role of tying this thread to students who attended our Raksha Bandhan programs. I have seen the beneficial effect rakhi has on others, enhancing their self esteem by feeling loved and protected, and also its positive effect on creating love, harmony and respect within the nuclear family. Will arrange for you to receive a rakhi. Also attached for you to see is a photo of
Prime Minister Modi, who since being in office has the rakhi tied every year.
Best Wishes, Sr Chirya. Keep flying!
Brahma Kumaris Illustration
The Eternal Bond for Protection
The celebration of Raksha Bandhan, shows us what relationships should be like characterised by love, respect, kindness and empathy. Our attitude and approach even towards people we do not know personally should be governed by these qualities intrinsic to the human soul. During the celebration, when we are tied with the sacred thread of protection the 'rakhi', a pledge is taken to stay in our original nature of peace, love, purity, wisdom, mercy. This promise is a continual reminder that my every thought, word and action is one of having good wishes, of being elevated and divine. I remember and practice to see every person as a child of God and part of my spiritual family. This unlimited vision of universal brotherhood creates peace as it breaks all barriers of caste, creed, age, gender, religion, socio-economic status, color and personality traits.
Raksha Bandhan originally focused on having an unlimited spiritual, loving relationship with God that nurtured, protected, uplifted us and created a heavenly world. It is the memorial of when we were united together in the love of God, our true protector. However, over time, the present era has modernized and limited this festival to relationships within the nuclear family, where sisters tie the sacred thread, the rakhi, around the wrist of their brothers to honor and protect them, and pray for their well-being and safety. The brother, in turn, promises to protect the dignity and honor of the sister and the family. To date, the customs and lessons demonstrated in this special annual celebration have kept the family functional and united. Family members remain close knit as it encourages bonding, respect, caring, trust and love amongst them.
This deeper spiritual global understanding of Raksha Bandhan now occurs due to the re-emergence of Godly knowledge of 'soul consciousness'. We souls awaken and remember to see ourselves as souls with a body rather than a body with a brain! Having forgotten our eternal identity of being a spark of divine energy, a soul, a being of sparkling light, we became entangled in the bondage of physical matter, 'body consciousness'. Lust, anger, greed, attachment and ego overpowered and influenced us to perform wrong actions, which in turn caused sorrow. However, the Supreme Father is bound to look after us when we are 'soul conscious'. Now in these uncertain times of potential and possibly deadly changes, God the Father, is surrounding and tying all his loving spiritual children with an 'unlimited rakhi'. He is protecting us within this bond in His golden loving threads of Light and Might.
Raksha Bandhan encourages respect for both genders particularly women to protect and ensure their equality and safety. With this new spiritual understanding, this protection and honour rests not only on brothers within the family, but on every member of society. No single individual can protect another person all the time. The antidote is to create pure feelings in our minds as lust and anger start in the mind. On the day of Raksha Bandhan onwards, we can decide to extend pure love to everyone. Positive change can happen with spiritual training and empowerment. The daily practice of meditation enables us to channel our thoughts in a positive direction and put a full stop to the wasteful and negative thoughts. This purity of mind removes fear and brings happiness, wisdom and the power to keep on giving. Rakhis can be made by hand and tied on the wrists of close friends, relatives, neighbors, religious and administrative leaders and to heads of countries. Now over 100 countries and all religions value and honor this festival occuring this year on August 21, 2021.
My positive attitude and actions ensure that I receive both God's blessings and good wishes from all souls in this global family. These work as my protection and stay with me forever. Rakhi broadens our vision beyond the boundaries of our own family to the entire earth as one family, children of God under the Fatherhood of God. The physical rakhi can be tied whenever the occasion calls for it. Everyday you can connect to God and have a spiritual rakhi tied to ensure your protection and safety.
For further details contact Chirya Yvonne Risely at bkchirya@gmail.com - chirya.risely@peacevillageretreat.org
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