“Sound stretched is Music…
Movement stretched is dance…
Mind stretched is meditation…
Life stretched is celebration.”
A poor man celebrates the New Year once a year. A rich man celebrates each day. But the richest man celebrates every moment. You don’t need money to celebrate life. If you just have the trust and faith that you will be provided what you need tomorrow you start celebrating every moment. That’s the real sign of prosperity.
Welcome the year 2021 with a genuine smile from within. That smile comes when you know for sure that you are loved. The earth loves you. That’s why it is holding you upright. The love of the earth is its gravitational force. The air loves you. That’s why air gushes in through your nose even when you are sleeping it moves through your lungs. The Divine loves you very dearly, very deeply.
If you don’t know you are loved by the Divine, you will not be able to celebrate life. You will live in insecurity. With insecurity, greed comes. With greed, selfishness becomes strong. And with that comes anger. With anger comes lust. And with that comes all sorts of sadness, miseries one behind the other, like a chain.
In the past year, how many days were you in sanyas? How many days were you struggling, being caught in maya? Turn back and remember the whole year. Do not run away from anything. Do not reject anything. Do not go away from anything. At the same time, let your attention be on the self. This is a delicate balance. That balance is yoga. That balance is spirituality. Some people think being silent is spirituality. Some people think only celebration is spirituality. Spirituality is a harmonious blend of outer silence and inner celebration; and also inner silence and outer celebration!
The celebration that comes out of silence is a real celebration. Celebration is the nature of the spirit. Any celebration has to be spiritual. A celebration without spirituality has no depth. Silence gives depth to celebration.
Every excuse to celebrate is good. In celebration, you are not just having a party, you remind yourself of the wisdom. If sacredness is attached to a celebration, that celebration is total, complete. It’s not just body and mind but also the spirit that celebrates.
The year 2020 is fortunate because you are living at this time! When you are living for the sake of the world, the world is fortunate. Let time celebrate your presence. You keep smiling as ever. When you let time celebrate you, you are a witness amid celebration. The heart always longs for the old, the mind for the new. Life is a combination of both.
Allow the space for creativity to dawn. The year that is going by has taught us many lessons; what we should be doing and what we should not be doing. Every pain that we went through in 2020 brought us some depth, and all the joy and pleasure gave us a new vision of life and hope for the future. “The year gone by saw plenty of rainy days. This New Year, let there be sunshine—both in our lives and in society. Let us all have a determination to create a violence-free, stress-free society. May your life be filled with peace, joy and happiness! Happy New Year!