Guiding Light of The Month

O Lord, how ardently do I call and implore Thy love! Grant that my aspiration may be intense enough to awaken the same aspiration everywhere: oh, may good- ness, justice and peace reign as supreme masters, may ignorant egoism be overcome, darkness be suddenly illu- minated by Thy pure Light; may the blind see, the deaf hear, may Thy law be proclaimed in every place and, in a constantly progressive union, in an ever more perfect harmony, may all, like one single being, stretch out their arms towards Thee to identify themselves with Thee and manifest Thee upon earth. - The Mother

Along the Way… Walk at the ECP on the 4th of May, 2014

A monthly group walk organised by the Sri Aurobindo Society, Singapore in one of the many lovely parks in Singapore is an opportunity too good to be missed. Sunday, the 4th of May dawned as a clear, hot and humid morning.  The venue of this walk was the all-time favourite, East Coast Park, which has lovely walking trails that run along the sea. The sun was bright yellow, illuminating the green trees and the ocean waters.

A small group of walking enthusiasts collected at the scheduled time to warm up for the walk. By the poolside in the shade of the tall building towers at Casa Del Sol, the light breeze was cool and refreshing. After fifteen minutes of stretching and light exercises as a group, we all moved briskly through the underpass that led to the park itself.

The sound of birds chirping, tweeting, singing in the trees in the early morning is heart-warming. We all started to walk towards ‘the sun’ accompanied by the music of nature. The light waves hitting the coast languidly created rhythmic soothing sounds too. Lovely shady trees, frangipani flowers spreading fragrance and bougainvillea bushes diffusing colours around them are an irresistible treat for the senses. We thank God for gifting us with such treasures.

Moving along the trail we crossed joggers, walkers, cyclists, skate-scooterists of all ages and sizes. So many ships are anchored in the sea waters off Singapore! It is a fascinating sight. Not just this – every couple of minutes we could see and hear a plane flying for either take-off or landing. Children alone are not stimulated by the outdoor sights and sounds. We adults enjoy them too!

All too soon it was time to return and we moved to the hosts’ home for the meditation and brunch. On behalf of everyone, I take this opportunity to thank our hosts, Mrs. & Mr. Ashok and Bhakti Patel and family for organizing an enjoyable gathering for all of us. We are grateful to them for providing soothing music to help engage the mind in meditation and delicious food to please the palate.

Given below for your reading pleasure are links to two very interesting articles I read recently about walking. A number of recent books have lauded the connection between walking and thinking. But are people losing their love of the purposeless walk? Read more: at http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/magazine-27186709

If you are unable to think of a catchy, creative way to present sales data or begin a newspaper column, take a walk. A brief stroll, even around your office, can significantly increase creativity, according to a handy new study. Please refer to this link for the full article: http://well.blogs.nytimes.com/2014/04/30/want-to-be-more-creative-take-a-walk/?src=rechp

Anju Aditya

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