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Start from where you are, not where you want to be...
I recently picked up the book You Are The Universe: Ram Dass Maps The Journey, arranged and illustrated by Amy Buetens and Julie Weinstein. It is a compilation of teachings of self-discovery, sourced from recordings and writings by the spiritual teacher, Ram Dass.
Below are a few quotes from the book. May these words guide your soul and offer you inspiration as they have for me. (The purchase link is below. I don't receive anything from these links, I share them for your benefit.)
"Start from where you are, not where you wish you were. The work you're doing becomes your path."
"It's not called a practice for nothing. You actually have to be on the path to get somewhere. Not that there's anywhere to go. It's just about becoming more here. More present in this moment."
"Once we begin to explore our own psyche, mind, and heart, we begin to appreciate that everybody else is in the same situation. We're not so different."
"You make decisions based on the optimum information you have available now, and by quieting your mind. And by deeply feeling the present. If you are quiet enough and can find the place in you that is behind time, then your choices contain within them the nature of the way things will change."
"The minute you start to try to live your life as if nothing will change, you become an enemy of the Way Of Things. So instead, you learn to dance with change. You learn to live more comfortably with less certainty about the future–or who you'll be when you grow up, or how it will all turn out."
"Seeing the possibility is indeed different from being the possibility."
"I tell you that you have to expect your heart to open AND to close, like an accordion. And when it closes, it will open. And when it opens, it will probably close. Because behind closings and openings, here we are. Instead of dramatizing your closed heart or your open heart, just allow it to be part of the process of life. And be patient with yourself."
"Breath deeply, in and out of the heart as though it had nostrils–right in the heart. You can use that breath to ferret out those places where there is a deep sadness or some deep attachments that are slowing your progress. Let them come forth, and let them go."
"All that you seek is already within you. You are loved just for being who you are, just for existing. You don’t have to do anything to earn it. Your shortcomings, your lack of self-esteem, physical perfection, or social and economic success – none of that matters. No one can take this love away from you, and it will always be here.”
In his own words, Ram Dass speaks directly to young readers, sharing his most significant memories and rites-of-passage. From family dynamics and self-confidence to the fight for social justice, the lessons in You Are the Universe are presented in an easy-to-read graphic novel style and provide teens with valuable insight for navigating many contemporary challenges. Readers will discover insights into love, spirituality, and universal truths, and learn how to discover their own life's purpose.
I'm a yoga teacher and artist who loves to talk about yoga, spirituality, meditation, mantra, art, lifestyle, and more. Subscribe to my Lotus Letters to blossom and grow.
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