Gurupurnima – the day to honour the guiding principle of God is on 18 July 2008. In the coming month the Guru Principle will be more active and on the 18th will be 1000 times more active. Do take advantage of this spiritually conducive period and step up your spiritual practice efforts.
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Read more:

Who is a Guru?
Which spiritual practice should I do?
What is Path of Guru’s Grace?

There will be a total Lunar eclipse on 21 Feb 2008. There is an increase in raja-tama during eclipses which has negative effects on humanity. Ghosts take advantage of the heightened raja-tama to create a variety of issues that have global negative repercussions.

Regular spiritual practice as well as intense spiritual practice like chanting the Name of God during the eclipse ensures that one is insulated from its subtle harmful effects.
More articles:

Spiritual effect of the Moon on man
The spiritual significance of an eclipse

According to the lunar calendar, this year the ancestors’ fortnight (pitrupaksha) falls in the fortnight between 27 Sep 2007 to 11 Oct 2007. If we chant ‘Sree Gurudev Datta’ during this period, our ancestor’s derive even more benefit from it and attain momentum faster in the afterlife.

From this perspective to help our ancestors attain momentum from the Region of the Dead (Martyaloka) to Nether region (Bhuvaloka), it is essential that all chant ‘Sree Gurudev Datta’ for 6 hours daily during this fortnight. During this period priority should be given to …

Due to the increase in raja-tama in the current times the recommended minimum amount of chanting is 2 hours a day. This can be a combination of either the Name of God as per one’s religion and/or the chant of Sree Gurudev Datta to overcome ancestral problems.
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About chanting
Sattva, raja and tama