Showing posts with label growth. Show all posts
Showing posts with label growth. Show all posts

Wednesday, December 5, 2012

The Saviors of God: Spiritual Exercises by N. Kazantzakis E-Book

Writer, philosopher, traveller of the world, banned by the Vatican and condemned by the Greek Orthodox church, Nikolaos Kazantzakis is one of the most important and spiritually restless Greek writers of all times. Very influenced by Homer, Dante, Henri Bergson, Sigmund Freud and Friedrich Nietzsche, he has written more than 50 books while his work has been translated in more than 40 languages. He travelled around the world, countries including France, Russia, England, Japan, China, Spain, Germany, Italy and spent prolonged periods in some of them, has even written numerous books about his travels.

Tuesday, December 4, 2012

Progress Requires Courage, Faith And Sacrifice.

“To reach a port we must set sail –
Sail, not tie at anchor
Sail, not drift.”

Franklin D. Roosevelt

This is the quote that came to my mind a few days ago when, after having finished our Ashtanga yoga practice with relaxation in savasana, our teacher asked us to sit in a comfortable position and close our eyes guiding us through a visualization exercise which was something like this (me paraphrasing): "You are on a sailing boat at the dock, ready set sail. Straight in front you lies an exotic island where you have never been before. The scenery is so beautiful and the mystery of the undiscovered place feels you with a strong urge to get there so you prepare the sails and turn the engine on. The boat starts moving forward but a few seconds later won't go any further. You look back and realize that you have not untied the rope from the dock. At the moment you look back you are filled with hesitation. You love the place you are right now, you have explored it and know it well, you feel comfortable and safe there. Then you look ahead at the undiscovered island’s direction again. It seems so beautiful and you want to explore it. You have no idea what you will encounter there but you know that for a long time you will not feel as secure as you do in the place you are now. The decision is yours to make." In my visualization I cut the rope and set sail filled with joy. And when I get there what I discover is more beautiful and thrilling than what I have left behind.