Great Storytelling Network Newsletter – 22 October 2014

Since today is Deepavali/Diwali, I asked the columnists to feature ‘light’ as the theme in their stories. Rohi wrote about the Goddess Laxmi and Kalidas, Eric explained Diwali in his own unique way and Charles shared a lovely poem. My story about the architecture of a Hindu temple was published in the local papers. I hope you enjoy all our stories.

Happy storytelling.

Aneeta Sundararaj

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Strange as it seems, during my 16 years as a student, not one of my teachers discussed how to learn. Are you as interested in learning as me?

LEARNING IS NATURAL – BUT NEEDS YOUR HELP

For humans, learning is as natural and as automatic as breathing. But that doesn’t mean there’s no benefit to thinking about it. In fact, research on learning is now advancing and important assumptions are being overturned or reinforced.

BECOMING A MASTER

Becoming expert is one important area illuminated by new research. Our time is called ‘the age of specialization’ because most of us want to become masters of one or more domains – so information on mastery is helpful.

Mastery doesn’t seem as automatic as basic learning. There must be special factors involved, since we don’t automatically become expert at everything we learn or practice. For example, most of us learn to drive a car, but few of us become masterful drivers. Instead we reach a certain level of proficiency and then stop improving – even if we accumulate lots of practice by driving thousands of miles a year.

ALL PRACTICE DOES NOT ‘..MAKE PERFECT’

That old saw, ‘practice makes perfect’ isn’t enough to explain mastery. While experts agree that practice is critical, it’s really more like ‘Perfect practice makes perfect’
– and ‘Imperfect practice makes imperfect’. So what factors make mastery practice more perfect?

PERFECTING PRACTICE

Researchers have confirmed some popular assumptions. For one, it takes time to become a master – and lots of it! Typically, you can expect to spend at least 10 years of your life mastering anything non-trivial. Notice how that’s about the minimum time it takes to get a PHD? People are in a hurry these days, but mastery is not something you can hurry much. …

To read more, please click here.

Jesus Christ says in the Bible…‘I am the Light of this world, whosoever that follows me shall not walk in darkness’… ‘Let your Light shine before all men’… ‘You don’t Light a lamp and put it under’ …

The message of Deepavali is all about Light…Tell It…Show It…Live It…Light the World with its message…

Deepawali or Diwali is the biggest and the brightest of all Hindu festivals. Each day of Diwali has its own tale, legend, and myth to tell.
Enjoy the festival of lights. Deepavali means “a row of lights”. It falls on the last two days of the dark half of the Hindu month of Kartik (October-November).
Everyone forgets and forgives wrongs in an air of freedom, festivity and friendliness. Diwali festival brings about unity and charity and dazzles all with joy. Marked by 4 days of celebration.
Plus each day of Diwali is separated by a different tradition. It is celebration of life, enjoyment and goodness. Light a diya , sit quietly, shut your eyes, withdraw the senses, concentrate on this supreme light and illuminate your soul.
And during Diwali, lights illuminate every corner of India; scent of incense sticks hangs in the air, mingled with the sounds of fire-crackers, joy, togetherness and hope. Diwali is celebrated around the globe. Outside India, it is more than a Hindu festival. It’s a celebration of South-Asian identities.
What is the origin of Deepawali? In mood of great rejoicing village folks move about freely, mixing with one another, all enmity forgotten. It’s a period of love. Deepawali is a great unifying force.
At Deepawali festival, fix your mind on this supreme light and enjoy the real Diwali by attaining illumination of the soul.
Let those with keen inner spiritual ears clearly hear the voice of the sages, “O Children of God unite, and love all”.
In each legend, myth and story of Deepawali, lies the significance of victory of good over evil. From darkness unto light — the light that empowers us to good deeds, that brings us closer to divinity.

Happy Diwali!

You will get all you want in life, if you help enough other people get what they want.” ~Zig Ziglar

Diwali, the festival of lights, the most important festival of Hindus will be celebrated in the last week of October this year. Hindus believe that Diwali is the most auspicious day to worship Laxmi, the goddess of wealth and prosperity.

However, if you are a writer or an artist, this ancient Indian tale may inspire you to celebrate your creativity this Diwali.

In ancient times, Kalidasa was the royal bard and dramatist in the court of King Ananda. One day, Laxmi, the goddess of wealth, appeared before him at dawn, and said,

“Kalidasa, I will be leaving your house on Diwali night. After I leave, you will lose all your wealth. Even worse, you may never write another word of poetry.”

“But why?” asked the bewildered Kalidasa.

To read more please click here.

ON Deepavali last year, when I visited the temple, something didn’t feel right. Yet, I couldn’t put my finger on why I wasn’t feeling at peace.

When I discussed this with J.R. Rajaji, a former member of the committee of the Hindu Endowment Board which oversees the Waterfall Temple (Arulmigu Balathandayuthapani Temple) in Penang, he asked me if I had stepped into the temple the right way. This puzzled me. Nonetheless, I recalled that, because of the crowd, I had entered via a side entrance.

Rajaji, 78, then mentioned “vashtu shastra” and I asked him to explain why that was important in matters of temple construction and worship. He explained: “You see, the design of a Hindu temple is like the structure of a cosmic man who, in Hindu mythology, is called Purush.”

According to the story, Lord Brahma created Purush when he was creating the Universe. In the process, things got a little out of hand and Purush became too large to manage. At the behest of the other Gods, Lord Brahma contained Purush by pinning him down with his head towards north-east and legs to the south-west. Unable to bring Himself to destroy Purush, Lord Brahma decided to make him immortal. Henceforth, he was to be known as Vashtu-Purush and all mortals who built a structure on Earth needed to first worship him….

To read more, please click here.

Can you take just a moment …?
Well, maybe more than just one.
Can you let yourself go and share in my daydream?
The letting go part will allow us to consider all of the possibilities
In life … in your life … in the lives of others,
It only takes a moment to turn darkness into light.

Imagine, if you will …
Imagine that if it were possible
To gather all of the weapons throughout the world
And trade them for life’s fortunes.

Not for riches but for reason; …

To read more, please click here.

*** nothing to report ***

From around the net …

Diwali: Festival of Lights

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