One of my co-workers mentioned in late December how the 31st hadn’t even come and gone and already the local stores were putting up their Valentine’s Day displays. No one had time to recover emotionally, let alone financially, from holiday sticker shock, before being reminded that yet again, they had to buy their friends’, family’s and paramours’ love with gifts of wine, chocolate and roses.

With each passing year, I hear the dread in those around me grow at Valentine’s Day and all that it entails. A day that is, in theory, supposed to be all about love, seems to be about nothing but stress. Where to get dinner, what to order, what to wear, what gifts to buy, and so on and so forth. It becomes a production with a questionable return on investment.

I have noticed an interesting phenomenon surrounding Halloween. 364.25 days a year, cobwebs are no good and eyesores. For some of us, they are downright scary (because where there’s a web, there’s a spider). Yet on October 31st, cobwebs are considered decoration and ‘cool’, as opposed to a sign that we’ve gotten lax in our domestic duties.

In fact, Halloween is sort of a get-out-of-jail-free card for many people. The one day a year where women (and men) can get away with cavorting around in their undergarments without getting arrested, when toilet papering houses, throwing eggs, vandalism and violence is almost acceptable. Police are out in force to deter any criminal mischief-making, and often shrug off otherwise reprehensible behavior as ‘Halloween always brings out the crazies’.

Add to this, haunted houses, conducting seances or use of ouija boards in fun and jest, to (pun intended) “get into the spirit of things”.

People have been talking about ‘climate change’ for a while now, from the record-breaking droughts in Texas, to the alarming intensity of typhoons and hurricanes all across the globe, to the overwhelming precipitation the world over.

However, another type of climate change seems to be taking place. It became more pronounced in early 2011 with the uprisings in the Middle East and North Africa, but has gained momentum and strength in the last couple of months elsewhere. I speak of course, about the “Occupy” movements and “World Revolution Day” spanning the globe.

I know when I see the people around me, there does seem to be a general sense of malaise and unhappiness. This got me wondering–if the protesters on Wall Street and all over got what they asked for, would that be it? Would everyone go home and live happily ever after?

This Halloween, we report on one other malpractice observed during the festival – that of denigrating religious figures, God or deities. In New York City, supermodel Heidi Klum dressed up in a costume resembling the Hindu Goddess Kali. This type of stunt displays disrespect towards the aspect of the God principle represented through that form, especially when it is done to attract public attention. A basic law of spiritual science states that ‘The word, touch, form, taste, smell and its related energy coexist’. This means where the form of God is present such as in the form of deity Kali, God’s attendant divine energy is also present. Hence that form is something to be revered, rather than used for fun, entertainment or publicity.

I recently came across an article on luxury homes in the US, and it made me wonder if the people who are extremely wealthy were truly happy. Lasting happiness is the underlying reason why we would want to be rich right?
I have some very close family friends who would be considered extremely wealthy. Of the many families I know that fall into this category, one stands out in particular, as they own several aircrafts for personal use. In fact, when their daughter got married, they spent over $3000 per guest …

I recently attended a spiritual retreat organized by SSRF. Two seekers of SSRF from New Jersey had offered their home for hosting it. Seekers of SSRF including child-seekers from various parts of North America gathered for the 3-day event. The aim of the retreat was to guide seekers who had been practicing Spirituality for some years under the guidance of SSRF, to take their spiritual practice to the next level.
While all of us benefited immensely, the child-seekers were the stars of the retreat. Thirteen children between the ages of 8 …