Is there rubbish in Paradise?

Sri Lanka is advertised in travel brochures and web sites as `Paradise Island'. After the 2004 Boxing Day Tsunami it seemed far from paradise, but gradually the re-building began, thanks to wonderful help from many donors all over the world. Then came another tragedy - the re-start of the long time civil war which devastated much of the north and east of the country. 
      I have had the privilege to have an opportunity to work with some of the people trying to help re-build their lives after the double troubles. On my travels there just recently, I have seen Tamil and Singhalese people working side by side to help those stricken by the war, disease and poverty. It is heart warming, indeed almost miraculous, to see people who were on opposite sides  in the war, trying to help one another. I believe the Little Temple for world peace, shown in the photo, with a six pointed Star shining on its roof (and a large star also painted across the floor) is helping radiate the energy of peace and reconciliation to many hearts. 

       I believe the magic of the Star is also affecting the politicians!
      Anyone who has traveled in Asia, is probably aware of the `rubbish problem`. Most of my Asian travels have been in the Indian sub-continent. I have been appalled at the rubbish which is piled around the streets. The only beaches which are kept clean are those patrolled by employees of the big hotel chains, who want to keep up the `paradise image`. One of the problems is that it is not in the consciousness of most of the people to dispose of rubbish in a tidy way. When something is used, the empty carton is thrown to the wind! 
      The `paradise beach` near the Little Temple has always had a rubbish problem. I have watched local women coming on to the beach in the early morning, with their bags of rubbish! They think the wind and waves will blow it away. Seeing this over the years, I have intensified my prayers about the whole issue of pollution of the Earth`s beauty - often through ignorance. Mostly the ordinary local people have not had the benefit of education about the damage rubbish is causing to their animals, sea birds, trees and flowers.
      Our prayers and work with the Star does help. When I arrived in Sri Lanka on this trip, I had a joyful surprise when I looked at my beach...much of the rubbish had been cleared, and signs erected asking the local people not to dump more! At last the local council and politicians (an election had just taken place) were doing something. Star prayers were working! But it is a question of KOKO ing, for already little piles of rubbish are re-appearing!
      It has come to me that we can work specifically to help the rubbish issue - not just in the Indian sub-continent, but all over the world, by concentrating on the Green Ray (a wonderfully cleansing ray), shining from the heart of the Star. I have started to visualise this Ray shining not only into the earth, the trees and nature, but also touching human hearts and minds. I particularly see it inspiring teachers and those who have the power to influence children and young people, and of course to environmental workers and politicians too. It is all of us who can change our world, and make it truly `Paradise on Earth`. Let`s do it together. 

The Art of Happiness

I gave a talk in our New Lands Temple recently on the theme of Happiness. Here in the UK, January can be a long, dark, heavy month. All the excitement of Christmas is over. The post is no longer full of greetings cards, more likely bills.  The weather is usually cold and wet, and some mornings it seems it will never get light! We were blessed on that Sunday because the weather was mild and the sun shining. It made me reflect that perhaps something which can most quickly lift our spirits is sunshine. No wonder White Eagle likens God to the sun. (Many years ago we published a children’s book called Hullo Sun, teaching young ones first steps in spiritual understanding.)

White Eagle often refers to happiness in his teaching. Indeed, one of our very early White Eagle books was entitled Religion of Happiness.

Perhaps the best known of his sayings about happiness is in fact the very last passage in The Quiet Mind. In my talk I went through this phrase by phrase, looking at the meaning of each.

Underpinning them all is the keynote of love and faith in God’s love and God’s perfect plan. To me this is the secret of being happy. But I was also intrigued to read another passage of his teaching where he talks about ‘The Art of Happiness’.  This phrase really caught my attention. I thought, yes, it is an art. Whatever is going on in our lives, we can learn to accept and look for the lesson it offers us. It is our choice then, whether we try to learn the lesson or grumble and complain.  We can choose to see our glass as half empty or half full.

So, in this new year ahead, as the dark, cold winter days give way to the lighter, warmer days of spring (here in the Northern Hemisphere) perhaps our intention we might wish to make is to see our glass as half full—or even full to the brim with golden new year blessing and joy!

I end now with White Eagle’s words referred to earlier:‘Happiness is the realisation of God in the heart.  Happiness is the result of praise and thanksgiving, of faith, of acceptance, a quiet, tranquil realisation of the love of God.  This brings to the soul perfect and indescribable happiness.  God is happiness.’