tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-157534972011-11-06T17:10:33.277+05:30Musings of a self-proclaimed mystic on everything from the mindboggling to the mundane, metaphysics to movies, philosophy to psychology, poetry to politics, tarot to trends. Live, don't just exist!Karishmahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11945136139407912234noreply@blogger.comBlogger291100tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15753497.post-15391193659904077412007-10-09T19:03:00.000+05:302007-10-09T19:12:53.419+05:30

Wow...to think it's been exactly one year to the day since I wrote my last post! I feel time flies at the speed of light nowadays. I never thought, at the time of my last posting, that it would take me so long to write a fresh post, and today, it was sheer coincidence that I just got into the mood for blogging and when I checked the date of my last post is when I realized its been exactly a year.

Karishmahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11945136139407912234noreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15753497.post-1160403495770452412006-10-09T19:43:00.000+05:302006-10-09T19:48:15.770+05:30

Due to a relocation of sorts, I didn't have access to the Internet the last 2 months, and hence, the lack of blog posts. Got back online today (phew!) and so finally got the chance to post all the articles that I had been writing and storing for publication all this time (please see the 4 new posts below). It's only now that I realized how much I love being able to publish my writings and get

Karishmahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11945136139407912234noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15753497.post-1160403177190637882006-10-09T19:42:00.000+05:302006-10-09T19:42:57.193+05:30

To be God's angels. That's what everyone on earth could be! We can't be his angels with wings, but we sure can be his angels with feet! Our prayer, every morning of every day, before we get out of our houses or start our day, should be "Use me God, just use me. Use me up. Wring me dry so that by the time I die I don't have a drop more in me to give to you". If you pray to God to use you, to use

Karishmahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11945136139407912234noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15753497.post-1160403140782873352006-10-09T19:40:00.000+05:302006-10-09T19:42:20.783+05:30

Have you ever wondered what it would be like to be a bonsai? Bonsai is an “art” that originated in China, was popularised by the Japanese, and now has spread worldwide. Bonsai, which means “a plant in a tray”, is the dwarfing of a tree or shrub by confining it to a pot or pruning it. Although it is never denied any nourishment in the form of air, water, or sunlight, and is fed with all the

Karishmahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11945136139407912234noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15753497.post-1160403029540833972006-10-09T19:39:00.000+05:302006-10-09T19:51:08.670+05:30

This might just be the longest blog post I have ever written. On July 4, this year, there was a death in my family. The death of a soul who came to us in the form of a tiny little puppy, wagging its tail and floundering around on four little cute legs, a soul who I always felt was more human than most humans I ever knew! My little Lulu. This little angel came into my life when she was just over 2

Karishmahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11945136139407912234noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15753497.post-1160402849897095072006-10-09T19:34:00.000+05:302006-10-09T19:38:50.410+05:30

This post is a distillation of some thoughts that have been whirling around in my head for many, many years.I was wondering….Does a woman need a man as her “lawfully wedded husband” only because she feels insecure about her place in the world and her ability to look after herself? In an ideal world, where women are sure of themselves and their capability to look after themselves economically,

Karishmahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11945136139407912234noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15753497.post-1155280701910913362006-08-11T12:48:00.000+05:302006-10-08T12:38:15.570+05:30

In this day and age, we have so many people claiming to be spiritual masters and so many more following them, that its very difficult to discern who is real and who isn’t. But then again, I’ve asked myself, have I grown enough spiritually to be able to discern the wheat from the chaff? The answer is a very simple “No”.  I don’t have any answers, only a lot of questions.  Ultimately, I think each

Karishmahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11945136139407912234noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15753497.post-1153124468137905972006-07-17T13:51:00.000+05:302006-07-17T13:51:08.176+05:30

“Be the change you wish to see in the world”-GandhiThis is a quote that really speaks to me, especially in today’s world where we see so many people complaining about other people, complaining about the government, talking about things they wish to change in others, in society, in the world. I myself was one of them until I read this quote. I realized there was no point getting angry or irritated

Karishmahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11945136139407912234noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15753497.post-1147859036898299262006-05-17T15:13:00.000+05:302006-05-17T15:18:44.490+05:30

In light of the growing protests in India by Christian groups against the release of the movie The Da Vinci Code and the ever-increasing possibility that the government will bow down to the pressure and ban it, I’m left feeling a mixture of outrage and amusement at the mere pettiness of it all! The way these protests are going on, one would be forgiven for thinking that the Church indeed has

Karishmahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11945136139407912234noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15753497.post-1145867864632144382006-04-24T14:07:00.000+05:302006-04-24T14:31:04.996+05:30

Did you know that in China, wild bears are captured and tortured to help in the making of certain traditional Chinese medicines? No? Then read on. Although traditional chinese medicine (TCM) has a rich heritage and has a knowledge base that equals that of India’s own traditional medicine systems, it seems there are certain medicines that require the bile of a bear as an important component.

Karishmahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11945136139407912234noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15753497.post-1144428720541735372006-04-07T22:22:00.000+05:302006-04-07T22:25:31.906+05:30

Idina Menzel, the stunningly beautiful and talented singer, actress, and songwriter says:“If we’re too big or too angry or too bold or too beautiful or too talented, it can scare people. It might scare other women, it might scare men, whatever it is. I sort of found in my life that I’ve taken a step back and made myself smaller in order to try to fit in. And that hasn’t worked. And we have to

Karishmahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11945136139407912234noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15753497.post-1135960340541329232005-12-30T22:02:00.000+05:302005-12-30T22:06:00.150+05:30

There are times in life when we have to do something totally opposite to what our “intelligence” tell us to do. Sometimes what is right is exactly what our egos can never imagine is right. Sometimes what our heart tells us to do is the one thing we don’t have the heart to do, but which may be the path to our happiness, nevertheless. This is one of the most difficult things to do in life-following

Karishmahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11945136139407912234noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15753497.post-1133867630586150522005-12-06T16:43:00.000+05:302005-12-06T16:43:50.590+05:30

Only when you love something deeply enough to die for it, will you be able to come alive.

Karishmahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11945136139407912234noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15753497.post-1128523673208236002005-10-05T20:17:00.000+05:302005-10-05T20:17:53.233+05:30

I found this wonderfully thought-provoking article on a website and just had to share it here (Please note, Indian readers can substitute some of the questions with more regionally appropriate ones and take the quiz too!):Don't bother getting a pen and paper... just read... If you can't answer them, just keep going.1. Name the five wealthiest people in the world.2. Name the last five Heisman

Karishmahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11945136139407912234noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15753497.post-1127557398609071412005-09-24T15:53:00.000+05:302005-09-29T14:04:58.243+05:30

This post aims to address an issue that has been tickling my brain cells for quite some time-that of karma versus fatalism. Are people who believe in karma delusional? Are people who believe in fate better able to adjust to the vagaries of life? Is karma just a theory? For that matter, is God just a theory? How do you decide? Does it even matter?There are a lot of people out there who think that

Karishmahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11945136139407912234noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15753497.post-1126348641073424762005-09-10T15:47:00.000+05:302005-09-10T17:43:51.050+05:30

Ever heard of the notion of a third-world country inside a first-world country? For all of you out there who dream The Great American Dream, reality could be very different, as is evident from reports coming in of the people affected by Katrina, in the United States. Is the grass really greener on the other side or should we just try to make our patch of grass as green?They say there is no better

Karishmahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11945136139407912234noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15753497.post-1125922020300864892005-09-05T17:37:00.000+05:302005-09-05T18:11:57.856+05:30

Katrina.. what a pretty name for such a terrible monster! Almost all of you with a TV would no doubt have seen the heart-wrenching pictures of people stranded and dying and suffering and dead and lost and crying in the aftermath of Katrina. There are those who sympathize and there are those who believe America got what she deserved with all her self-righteousness and "I'm a super-power" arrogance

Karishmahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11945136139407912234noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15753497.post-1125916650718145322005-09-05T16:07:00.000+05:302005-09-05T16:38:55.046+05:30

If only...If only all of us could live with the kind of passion for life that the Sufi mystic poet I've quoted below felt, before it gets too late and we're sailing towards the sunset of our lives..."One regret, dear world, that I am determined not to have when I am lying on my deathbed is that I did not kiss you enough." –HafizSo? Come on, throw yourself into life headlong!Don't wait and don't

Karishmahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11945136139407912234noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15753497.post-1125510191773559822005-08-31T23:13:00.000+05:302005-08-31T23:15:48.740+05:30

The GoddessThroughout history, humanity has perceived a Higher Power mostly in the masculine form-as a God. In Greek, Hindu, and Egyptian cultures, this power has also been interpreted to be feminine-as a Goddess. Although it may not be necessary to even picture this power in any form, in my mind, I have often felt this essence in the feminine spirit. Maybe it made me feel empowered, more

Karishmahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11945136139407912234noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15753497.post-1125414533412093882005-08-30T20:32:00.000+05:302005-09-05T16:39:28.686+05:30

The BikerFrom the mystical to the material…This post has to do with something very down-to-earth. A bike commercial.Bajaj is a name that is synonymous with advertising which hits right home. Ask an average Indian about Bajaj bikes, and I bet the old ad jingle “Hamara Bajaj…” will start playing in his head! Not only was the music for these ads catchy, the visuals were also appealing and

Karishmahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11945136139407912234noreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15753497.post-1125081558877512942005-08-27T00:09:00.000+05:302007-12-18T15:25:25.471+05:30

If there was one movie I could make everyone on this planet see, which would it be? If there was one movie I wish I had the heart, ingenuity, creativity, and talent to have written and directed, which would it be? Which is the one movie I feel has that perfect combination of memorable characters, an unforgettable story, inspiring values, a background score that fits the movie perfectly, and

Karishmahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11945136139407912234noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15753497.post-1125081385893084182005-08-27T00:06:00.000+05:302007-12-18T15:28:17.768+05:30

The snapshot above is of my dog, Lulu. Now, I just winced when I wrote that sentence. The words “my dog” seem to be winking at me and striking my conscience. Because she’s not just a dog to me. And because somehow, in the minds of people who have never been blessed to share their lives and homes with a dog, the word “dog” brings up images and connotations that a dog is somehow inferior to a human

Karishmahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11945136139407912234noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15753497.post-1124976369276245272005-08-25T18:38:00.000+05:302005-08-26T13:23:39.210+05:30

The world abounds with quotes, and it seems anyone who knows how to string words together has a quote attributed to him/her. However, the ones that have struck me, inspired me, and motivated me are a handful and I'd like to re-quote them here, in hopes that if there is someone out there in need of an inspirational pick-me-up, it could be found here. So here goes:"I cannot believe that the purpose

Karishmahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11945136139407912234noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15753497.post-1124919300179817532005-08-25T02:59:00.000+05:302005-08-25T14:55:21.583+05:30

Seeing the movie Born Free and later, reading a story about an African boy who escaped from slavery, made me think long and hard about certain things which I took for granted, like freedom...What I felt first was outrage, and these words are born from that sense of mad anger that such things happen even now...I believe that no spirit is born to be captive. Every spirit, whatever form it takes, is

Karishmahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11945136139407912234noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15753497.post-1124918959387192702005-08-25T02:45:00.000+05:302005-08-25T14:50:07.143+05:30

The most important value in life, for me, is my freedom. The freedom to be myself, the freedom to make choices based on my value system. What is life without the freedom of choice? Without the freedom to think, to just be? That is something we take for granted and think we have, but on introspection, I realize that very few of us can lay claim to freedom of the soul. We may be free in all other

Karishmahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11945136139407912234noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15753497.post-1124917197238327832005-08-25T02:24:00.000+05:302005-08-25T02:35:31.100+05:30

This is a a poem by "Oriah". Although I have read many a poem in my lifetime, this one touched my soul. Since it's quite a long poem, I've decided to retain here only those verses that really sang to my heart...The InvitationIt doesn't interest me what you do for a livingI want to know what you ache forand if you dare to dream of meeting your heart's longing.It doesn't interest me how old you

Karishmahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11945136139407912234noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15753497.post-1124916460818558372005-08-25T02:13:00.000+05:302005-08-25T16:42:04.556+05:30

If I could institute an award for the best blogger, it would go to Jesse Kornbluth, also known as Swami Uptown. You can find him on beliefnet.com, under "blogs". This is one person who does not mince words, is honest, upfront, bold, and smart...A good read and a good way to sharpen your wits and thinking...

Karishmahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11945136139407912234noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15753497.post-1124907816410208002005-08-24T23:40:00.000+05:302005-12-18T14:41:16.690+05:30

For the betterment of humankind, I've decided to include here a compilation of some of the places I love to visit on the net...some of these sites have taught me a lot, some have made me think, made me laugh, made me wonder, made me cry, and made me rethink! Could happen to you too.. check these out!www.bbc.co.uk/science/humanbody/mind (Know Thyself better.. knowledge is Power)http://

Karishmahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11945136139407912234noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15753497.post-1124904032846222672005-08-24T22:48:00.000+05:302005-08-30T22:09:02.786+05:30

I feel like offering a lil prayer of gratitude to the Gods and Goddesses of the Internet…What would we do without the net? All my life, I’ve felt kind of weird because of my thoughts, views and ideas, from the more mundane things to the more heavyweight stuff. Once I got onto the “web”, though, all of that changed. I’ve found out that I’m really not weird, just different, but so is everyone else,

Karishmahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11945136139407912234noreply@blogger.com0