Showing 618 articles

The importance of knowing what is good

Author: Sabine Leitner

October 19, 2017

If morality is the discernment of what is good and consequently the ability to choose between what is good and what is bad, then we have clearly lost our moral compass some time ago. It seems that we don’t really know anymore what is good for us. And this starts at the most basic level [...]

Yunus Emre, a Sufi Poet from Anatolia

Author: Pinar Akhan

October 19, 2017

It is said that anyone in Turkey – even the illiterate – will have heard of Yunus Emre. Although he is not as popular here as he is in Turkey, the new TV series “Yunus Emre” is one of the attempts to make him known in the English-speaking world. What made him famous was not [...]

Philosophy as a Way of Life

Author: Julian Scott

October 19, 2017

The other day I heard a memorable phrase from the mouth of a Yorkshire farmer: “Farming is a way of life.” And it occurred to me that anything which is done properly must be a way of life. The same is true of philosophy. “Generally speaking, university philosophy is mere fencing in front of a [...]

Myths of the Starry Sky

Author: Natalya Petlevych

October 19, 2017

The starry sky fascinates us with its beauty and mysteries. Its can also tell us many stories that we can relate to. The Pole Star is a symbol of the immovable centre around which everything revolves, a symbol of eternity that transcends the world of time and change in which we are born and live. [...]

Concrete from the past, for the future.

Author: Florimond Krins

October 19, 2017

Concrete is a compound composed of cement, water, sand and/or gravel, and it can also be reinforced with steel rods arranged in a mesh within the concrete slab or column. Our modern civilization is known for its abundant use of concrete, so abundant that there is an actual shortage of sand worldwide, which is also [...]

Encountering the Mind through Ashtanga Yoga

Author: Manjula Nanavati

September 12, 2017

“When the senses are stilled, when the mind is at rest, when the intellect wavers not – then say the wise, is reached the highest stage. This steady control of the senses and mind is defined as Yoga. He who attains it is free from delusion.” – Kathopanishad (1) All the greatest spiritual teachers have [...]

The Little Prince: A Journey Inwards

Author: Krutika Mehta

September 10, 2017

Most ancient traditions seem to share a dominant myth that revolves around a long and arduous journey with the hero facing danger or death, overcoming obstacles, before accomplishing his purposeful goal and returning home. Ancient Egypt, Greece and Rome, among others, viewed some of these heroes even as gods. Hercules and Arjuna are examples of [...]

Keeping the Flame Alive

Author: Kurush Dordi

August 29, 2017

As the Sun rises over the horizon and fills the sky with its magical light, a 2000 year old ritual is performed daily in the few remaining Zoroastrian temples of Mumbai. The priest performs a ceremony (5 times each day), tending to the flames of the consecrated fire, offering fragrant sandalwood and incense while reciting [...]

Re-Humanizing Corporate Culture

Author: Vasant Sanzgiri

August 29, 2017

Most people working in organizations are familiar with the Human Resources Department. It is the single point of contact for an employee – through the processes of Recruitment, On-boarding, Training, Integration, Appraisals, Growth, and even the Exit Interview. Since the HR Dept comprises a team of people that interacts with employees, it would seem appropriate [...]

The Solar Hero

Author: Natalya Petlevych

August 29, 2017

During these days of sunlight’s fullness, it is good to remember the symbolism of the sun and its connection to our inner centre, our Higher Self. This connection appears most frequently in the stories of solar heroes. These myths tell us that a human being has something of the transient and something of the eternal, [...]

Classical Dance: A Stairway to Spirituality

Author: Purbasha Ghosh

August 27, 2017

In our perpetual pursuit of the perceived definition of success, our minds and bodies are incessantly engaged in surface level occupations; being ‘busy’ appears to be a natural choice to satiate our voracious material and intellectual needs. Nevertheless, somewhere a higher center within us remains starved and an intense yearning to unite with something larger [...]

More than Melody – Boethius’ Music of the Spheres

Author: Siobhan Farrar

August 27, 2017

The Music of the Spheres begins in Ancient Greece with Pythagoras who, upon passing a blacksmiths is said to have heard consonance in the different sounds of the hammer. By this he was inspired to discover the connection between vibration, frequencies and pitch. For Pythagoras the octave ratio of 1:2 is considered a symbol of [...]