The Festival of Shiv 2011: Shiv as the Supreme Guru!

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Shiv as Dakshinamurti.

Today on the festival of Shiv as it is our first Thursday of the festival or guruvaar i.e. the day of the guru in Hindi we visit Shiv in the form of the supreme guru something we know we have time and time done already on UCP but today we do it with some different slants so don't worry we're not rehashing well not really or for sure not totally! :)

We've never before on UCP considered the whole murti or deity contrived and conceived solely for the purpose of Baba Shiv being the guru...so much so that the form or murti is called Dakshinamurti where Dakshina is the Sanskrit word that describes in Hinduism the payment (in whatever form) that is given to the guru from the student in return for his guidance.

It is believed by many and we have to say also by us here at UCP that one can accept Shiv as their supreme guru and learn directly from him and that perhaps as we his lessons learn...well...one day or perhaps one night he may visit us in dream or vision or form and let us know that our lessons are complete or at least we've reached to one threshold and that at this point we can now give him dakshina in return...usually in the form of accomplishing some task towards the Hindu act of seva i.e. service to mankind...you know something like that.

Some believe he may instead come another way for example send instead an apostle of his will and way...perhaps a human being will come to you on his behalf and convey his message and so forth...

But guess what either which way we here at UCP figure Shiv would be saying seva it is...and it made us recall our friends over at the organisation actually called guess what Seva! Check them out at http://www.seva.org and Shiv willing you might be able to join them in their well...seva!

But here for now on UCP all we can do is on behalf of Shiv salute the people at Seva and note a few other lovely seva like efforts as follows:

1.Seva Cafe: Well some other people that use the seva word literally are the yummy people at Seva cafe...and to be honest us at the Meady's Musings Production House as a whole and in particular at the UCP desk have been pondering the idea of opening up a seva cafe ourselves one day...but for now all we can say is isn't a lovely Shiv like idea? You can learn more about them at their site http://www.sevacafe.org

2. Helping Hands is located on the same island as the Production House and the Production House has joined hands with them before...so we hope you might check them out too and lend perhaps hands or if not a paw! :)To do so click on this link to their Facebook page to learn some more!

3. Seva: And then there are these guys at another kinda Seva...the kind that ensures not a little one is harmed or well eaten! For it is very Shiv like to also protect the animals and so really a more encompassing Seva on behalf of Shiv really would also protect the animals or show compassion for them and what better way than to not eat them and go vege like the people at the Seva restaurant in Ann Arbor Michigan since 1973! So deliciously divine! :)

The Festival of Shiv 2011: Grand Opening!

Today on UCP we again for the 2nd year running open what for sure is one of our favourite blog series...The Festival of Shiv! We open it on a Monday...Somvaar...a day named after the Soma of the Vedas...and as we discussed last year on The Festival of Shiv...Hinduism is a religion of twists and tales and about the big and the small! So at one point in Hinduism the Soma known in the Vedas as this important drink ...like a divine nectar of sorts becomes equivalent to the moon and then in such a form he got into some trouble and then well Baba Shiv being the compassionate kinda guy he is granted him forgiveness (shamaa) and so Baba Shiv is also known as Som Nath or Soma Nath...the Lord/Master of the Moon God.

So we felt it fitting to kick off the series today i.e. on a Monday...Somvaar! Also as is no secret on this UCP blog we at the desks of UCP consider Baba Shiv to be our Supreme guru...Super Shiv if you have it and so we hold particular reverence to Baba Shiv on a Thursday as well...also known as Guruvaar in Hindi. So these days are important to note because the Festival of Shiv will run from today until the day of Maha Shivratri-3/4 March 2011...depending on your location on planet earth! But don't be bogged down by the dates for as we noted last year on our very same Festival of Shiv...we should be allowed to worship Shiv when we so Shiv willing please! But yep we will try to run our festival of Shiv daily but if it doesn't become possible we will for sure have a blog up every Mon and Thurs until Maha Shiv Ratri is upon us! So the Soma and Gura vaar or the Mon and Thurs will be some important dates to mark on UCP's Festival of Shiv 2011! :)

So let the Shiv flow! :)

And to kick of the festival this year....in song...Sonu Nigam sings what has now become one of our favourite Shiv things! Gosh every time we hear it we see Shiv dancing before us and doing yogic stretches at our favourite Shiv place! And we also feel like we ourselves could just get up and dance along with Baba Shiv as well...so it is such a lovely tune and really embodies all that is Shiv so come dance with us here on UCP or as we always say dance forth with us in this thing we call UCP-Universal Collective Prayer! :) As Sonu Nigam sings of all that is Shiv and his attributes as outlined in the Shiv Maha puran (the great story of Shiv)!

Advent Calendar 2010: Christmas Day!

Joy to the World the Lord has come...



"Luke 2:1-20 (New International Version, ©2010)
1 In those days Caesar Augustus issued a decree that a census should be taken of the entire Roman world. 2 (This was the first census that took place while[a] Quirinius was governor of Syria.) 3 And everyone went to their own town to register.

4 So Joseph also went up from the town of Nazareth in Galilee to Judea, to Bethlehem the town of David, because he belonged to the house and line of David. 5 He went there to register with Mary, who was pledged to be married to him and was expecting a child. 6 While they were there, the time came for the baby to be born, 7 and she gave birth to her firstborn, a son. She wrapped him in cloths and placed him in a manger, because there was no guest room available for them.

8 And there were shepherds living out in the fields nearby, keeping watch over their flocks at night. 9 An angel of the Lord appeared to them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were terrified. 10 But the angel said to them, “Do not be afraid. I bring you good news that will cause great joy for all the people. 11 Today in the town of David a Savior has been born to you; he is the Messiah, the Lord. 12 This will be a sign to you: You will find a baby wrapped in cloths and lying in a manger.”

13 Suddenly a great company of the heavenly host appeared with the angel, praising God and saying,

14 “Glory to God in the highest heaven,
and on earth peace to those on whom his favor rests.”

15 When the angels had left them and gone into heaven, the shepherds said to one another, “Let’s go to Bethlehem and see this thing that has happened, which the Lord has told us about.”

16 So they hurried off and found Mary and Joseph, and the baby, who was lying in the manger. 17 When they had seen him, they spread the word concerning what had been told them about this child, 18 and all who heard it were amazed at what the shepherds said to them. 19 But Mary treasured up all these things and pondered them in her heart. 20 The shepherds returned, glorifying and praising God for all the things they had heard and seen, which were just as they had been told.

Footnotes:
a. Luke 2:2 Or This census took place before"

Advent Calendar 2010: Our Christmas Eve Prayer!

Christmas Eve Bread copyright Meady's Musings Production

Tonight on the Eve of Christmas 2010 as promised we have again been visited by our Brother in UCP-Deacon Greg Kirk to say for us a prayer! :)However technological difficulties made us lose the copy of the exact prayer and so he sent us a new one with renewed blessings just fresh from his Christmas Eve evening mass and is also in spirit with us tonight! So here it is along with what was our Christmas Prayer on the Advent calendar last year!

Tonight's Christmas Eve Prayer
by Deacon Greg Kirk

Gracious God,
You could not contain your love for your people. When your people did not or could not come to you, you came to us. A brilliant star is a symbol and reminder that your Son, Jesus, is the Light of the World. This Christmas may His Light and Love be born anew within us. Empower us to share this Light and Love with those around us. And may Peace finally reign in our world. Help us to share in the Divinity of Christ, the One who humbled Himself and came to share in our humanity.
Amen

THE CHRISTMAS PRAYER (first said in 2009)
By Deacon Greg Kirk

The Season of Light

Christmas is Light, the darkness has been overcome by one who came to love. Christmas is more than decorating trees, exchanging gifts and gathering with loved ones. Christmas is an opportunity to embrace the Light - to open to the power, bliss and peace the Light brings.

Jesus of Nazareth desired to know the Light and live within its embrace so deeply, he became one with the Light. He left a path, a way, for you and I to share in this bliss. "Love God with all your being and love your neighbor as you love yourself." Jesus assured us that we are loved completely, unconditionally. He encouraged us to root our lives in the hope and promise of this Love.

My prayer this Christmas is for people everywhere to experience the Light and Love within them, to know more deeply of their beauty and dignity, to experience the Essence or True Self within and to find the freedom to be the people they were created to be.

Darkness abounds in our world, in many circumstances and ways. Embracing the Light -being open to every person's truth, daring to love others, especially the vulnerable and marginalized, causes the darkness to recede and the Light to shine more brilliantly.

Dare to be Light, dare to be Love. Dare to be one with the One who is Light and Love as Jesus did. You will find new possibilities and power. You will find yourself. And you will find yourself within the heart of God.

Love, Greg

So here on UCP we wish you Merry Christmas and to all a good night and continue to catch the Christmas Adventures of the Purple Elephant and the Little Mouse on our parent blog Meady's Musings.

Advent Calendar 2010: The Christ that is in Christmas..

No one knows for certain it seems really when Jesus Christ of Nazareth was born...in fact the 'old church' it seems never really celebrated his birth...his death and resurrection were seen as more important a celebration and we here at UCP have to say with agree with that! But regardless of not knowing the date for centuries Jesus Christ's birthday has been celebrated on the 25th of December and really all December long as the Advent.

Now don't get us wrong readers...there is actually a very good UCP reason to us saying all of this...you see really Christmas is already UCP at its finest because it is really already just a mis-mash of traditions from all over the world and really people from all over the world of all faiths and races and this and that celebrate it in their own special way. Yes at the centre of the montage for the festival is Jesus Christ of Nazareth who is a being of great importance here on UCP...on planet earth and Universe wide. But really he isn't doing much in Christmas except lending his name to as he is still a baby at the end of the Christmas story as most know it. And you see it is more than likely the case that most of the stuff about his birth that is celebrated for Christmas is fictionalized around some of these references in the Bible:

Isaiah 7:14
Therefore the Lord himself will give you a sign. Behold, the virgin shall conceive and bear a son, and shall call his name Immanuel.

Luke 1:35
And the angel answered her, “The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you; therefore the child to be born will be called holy–the Son of God.

Matthew 1:23
“Behold, the virgin shall conceive and bear a son, and they shall call his name Immanuel” (which means, God with us).

Luke 2:9-12
And an angel of the Lord appeared to them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were filled with fear. (10) And the angel said to them, “Fear not, for behold, I bring you good news of a great joy that will be for all the people. (11) For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Savior, who is Christ the Lord. (12) And this will be a sign for you: you will find a baby wrapped in swaddling cloths and lying in a manger.”

Luke 2:13-14
And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God and saying, (14) “Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace among those with whom he is pleased!” “Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace among those with whom he is pleased!”

Micah 5:2
“But you, Bethlehem Ephrathah,
though you are small among the clans of Judah,
out of you will come for me
one who will be ruler over Israel,
whose origins are from of old,
from ancient times. ”

Isaiah 9:6-7
(6) For to us a child is born, to us a son is given; and the government shall be upon his shoulder, and his name shall be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace. (7) Of the increase of his government and of peace there will be no end, on the throne of David and over his kingdom, to establish it and to uphold it with justice and with righteousness from this time forth and forevermore. The zeal of the LORD of hosts will do this.

But what really is important is this:

Christmas is a time of good cheer...of sharing and giving...compassion and loving...
But we will let the writer that told Virginia that yes there was a Santa Claus tell you more here because really he did it so much better than we feel any of us on UCP can manage to chalk it up today so here he says it all...as he talks about the persona of one of the great fictionalized chracters associated with Christmas- Santa Claus who in spirit is Christ like and so in spirit for us here at UCP he does exist!


And really most of the goodness associated with Christmas is indeed behaviour that can be seen as Christ like...behaviour that Jesus Christ of Nazareth would have displayed throughout his life. Behaviour that we should follow as an example not just at Christmas time but all year true! So really we at Christmas time should not just celebrate his birth but his life and how he lived it and try to emulate it!

Advent Calendar 2010: The Four Sundays of Advent!

Image taken from this site.

We here at UCP apologise for not issuing a blog on every day of the calendar but we hope you've been catching The Christmas Adventures of the Purple Elephant and the Little Mouse over on our parent blog Meady's Musings and hope to be regular from here on in...hopefully daily...and make sure to stay tuned for our special Christmas Eve prayer! :)

But on our posting today on Day 9 of the Advent calender we here at UCP would like to discuss the concept of the four Sundays of Advent! According to Christianity the Lord created the Heavens and Earth in six days and then on the seventh day he rested. This day in the Gregorian calendar is Sunday and traditionally for centuries and centuries is when Christians go to church. So just like there is the Advent Calendar all December long each Sunday in December is also an exciting countdown to Christmas and many churches mark the count down by lighting candles...I like how this site describes the whole ritual so here is an excerpt of it from the site Ken Collin's website:

"You light candles at the beginning of each service and snuff them out at the end.

* On the first Sunday in Advent, you light the first candle. Have your service, then snuff out the candle.
* On the second Sunday in Advent, you light two candles, first the one from the previous Sunday, then the second one. Have your service, then snuff out the candles.
* On the third Sunday in Advent, you light the two candles from the previous weeks, in the order you lit them before, then you add the third one. Have your service, then snuff out the candles.
* On the fourth Sunday in Advent, you light the three candles from the previous weeks, in the order you lit them before, then you light the fourth one. Have your service, then snuff out the candles. You should get a stair-step effect, since each candle is a different length by now.

If you have a fifth candle in the center, then on Christmas Day you light the four candles in the order you lit them before, and then you light the center candle. Have your service, then snuff out the candles.

You notice how I emphasize snuffing out the candles at the end of each service? This has absolutely no liturgical significance whatsoever, but it is vitally important and you must not leave it out. It prevents the candles from burning your house down."

I recommend that you snuff out the candles, rather than blowing them out. The reason is that if you blow them out, you might spray hot wax over everything.

And here is a lovely video of the ritual...the candles are usually part of a wreath called the Advent wreath:

A Prayer Declares Our Advent Calendar 2010 Open!

The Advent is again upon us
May your Divine light be our guide
As we Christmas plans contrive
The season should be festive
But yet also reflective

So come here to UCP
Share our Christmas treats
Filled with spirituality

We see the light in you
And you see the light in us
As we declare the Advent calendar 2010
Officially open!

Please read our parent blog Meady's Musings here for the details of how our calendar will unfold this year.