The art of concealing and revealing (The 16 celestial arts)

If you go a house where there is a friendly dog, you will normally meet three types of reactions from the dog: 1) if it likes you, then it will come, wagging the tail and licking your hand; 2) if it does not like you, then it won't make much of that, perhaps a stern eye, even a small growling, 3) but if it HATES you, it will try to bite you!

However, what about the owner? If the owner likes you, he or she can smile and make a beautiful scene of hugging and kissing, or just ignore you, because they think it will be funny to see your reaction. And if there is another person there who does not like you, it is possible the owner shows some hostility towards you because of that, even though he or she does like you.

Does it make sense?

Certainly not, but this is how we humans are. It is difficult to express our real feelings and emotions because of the many ways our network was built. We try to not hurt others and many times we ourselves get hurt in the process...

So, to live in such a complex society, we do need an art: concealing and revealing. I will focus that specifically in relation to our lifestyle and traditions or beliefs we follow.

Take the example of a young 11 years-old boy, who wants to be a doctor. His neighbor is a doctor and he is stimulated by the fact he sees the doctor's family and way of living as the perfect for him. So, he asks his neighbor how is it to be a doctor.

Now, let's imagine this neighbor, with the consent of the boy's parents, take the young man into a surgery theater, there exactly by his side, so the boy can watch the good doctor, good father and good man to cut someone else's body, sweat and get blood all over him. After the operation, with his still blood stained doctor uniform, he smiles to a now very frightened boy, and asks: "This is what being a doctor means!"

I think you get the idea... probably that boy would become an engineer and I am almost sure he would prefer alternative healing instead of going through operations...

Well, there are things from our life style, traditions, beliefs and ways of doing things that are worth to be shown to the world. You can feel proud of it and you know they will follow your example. If our dear doctor would just invite the boy inside his house and talk to him about being a doctor, probably the outcome would be different.

There are other things you wouldn't tell anyone, except those you feel would share your values. If the boy is not 11 years-old, but 16, and his parent would go with him to the same place then things would work out too.

I am vegetarian. As society changes, that is not something I need to hide anymore, but for a big part of my vegetarian life (I've started when I was 18), I had to do it. Well, you don't get social marks by coming into a meeting and say: "Hi, guys, I am a vegetarian!" I prefer to show a good health, my own smile and cheerfulness. I prefer to show others values they can relate and understand.

Now, if another person is vegetarian, then I can be very, very clear and objective about my practice. I don't need to hide; I can tell them whatever I want.

Did you get it? It is an art that will make you getting more friends and being even happier. I hope you can master that very well!



With this post, I finish talking about the 16 celestial arts.

The art of social service and spiritual welfare (The 16 celestial arts)

One of the basic human principles is the will to give and help each other. It is natural. In fact, in Internet you will find lots of free things - free things that were prepared by someone who was willing to give it freely.

Of course, what we see in the world today is such a deep need by people that most professionals are not inclined to help the other, except if they have the time, the money, if it is easy, convenient... It is also natural: as human beings, we have the tendency to help first those who are closer to us, our "tribe". Later, the concept of "clan" helped the tribe to be larger. In a later evolution, nation and religion, race and even sexual orientation became a reason for a sense of community and help.

But still, you won't be able to help everyone you want and everyone who needs your help. It will be hard and difficult. On this path of self-development, I have met with several people who help in a very altruistic way, but whose bitterness still confuses me. After all, isn't helping another person one of the best ways to get happy?

If you read "Emotional Intelligence", by Daniel Goleman, you will receive many points that support that idea. Yes, there are material aspects you have to consider, but some aspects are related to emotions and feelings, and many times they are more important than the physical one. After all, if someone you know has lost her or his son, there is really nothing physical that can help the person...

So, it is important to learn the art of helping others with your mind and vibrations. Let's go back to our childhood; I am sure at least at some point you have fallen and felt pain. Just try to remember people helping you at that point. Yes, someone probably tried to apply a medicine or even took you to a hospital, but I am almost sure (and I can see you smiling here!) that you will remember first those who hugged you, or carried you. Those who whispered words of encouragement were more important for you than medicine.

Can you also carry others in your arms, hug them and whisper words? Sometimes you can do it, other times you won't be able to do it. Try this... If you know someone or a population is suffering of something, try to visualize them. See them in the screen of your mind, smiling and peaceful and you would wish them to be. Send them that peace and inner joy. Do that for a few minutes. Then, if you can do something physical, do it, but "hug them" first with the arms of your mind. Let them feel your love deeply in their heart.

When you master that art, something amazing will happen: you will learn how to heal yourself. The logic is that you cannot heal someone else if you are not even able to heal the self...

The art of thinking (The 16 celestial arts)

We all think, but some think, better than others. What is the secret in that art?

First of all, they are able to minimize their waste. Look at your house and you will see lots of waste, but basically they come from three different sources: 1) rests of what you have used, 2) environment (dust, for instance), 3) things you have acquired but which do not contribute to your household. Out of the three, the third one is the most dangerous. One lady in Brazil had about 700 tons of things, including rubbish, in her yard... Now, just imagine how much do you have within? How many situations, people, problems and other things that happened many years ago are still in your memory? They are still defining how you should live. They are still in your thoughts...

A person with the art of thinking will be able to discard anything that is not valuable for the self or for others. He or she will be able to have thoughts that are full of value.

The second thing is in relation to the quality of those thoughts. OK, perhaps you don't accumulate useless things, but what you have, is that of good quality? You will consider quality as a set of criteria such as life duration or resistance. In relation to thoughts, their quality depends on the level of the awareness you had it.

Many thoughts just pop in our minds, like pop-corn, with no visible cause. Their quality is normally related to the awareness of the moment; for instance, if you are really relaxed, it is possible that thought brings you the solution for your financial problems. But if you are about to be operated and you are stressed due to that, it is quite possible your thoughts will be dark, with lots of images of people dying in hospitals.

Other thoughts have a very clear cause and you can manage your awareness in that case. If you are very relaxed, but you need to be concerned with what your daughter is telling you it is possible that you will talk yourself into paying more attention to what she is saying. On the other hand, if you are about to be operated and you read about people who have died on the table, you can talk to yourself in a positive and encouraging way.

At both situations, quality of thought is more elevated if it is a positive, encouraging, caring one. The one who masters the art of thinking will be careful to cultivate her or his awareness so that thoughts with that quality emerge.

To master that art, the best think is learning meditation, as it helps you to monitor your thoughts and create those, which give you a sense of well-being. In a powerful meditation state, you can easily create a masterpiece in your mind.

The art of enjoying work and leisure (The 16 celestial arts)

Here I am... while writing this blog I watch people coming back from vacation.

Most of my friends post their great experiences by travelling and knowing different things around the world. But there is one funny thing about this coming back.

You know I live in Bogota and jokingly I say it is the only city I know the weather is psychological. That is right: if people are happy and full of joy, sun is shining; if people are grumpy, clouds, rains and even hail can happen. I live here for 20 years and I seldom saw a cloudy holiday... but when people start to work: clouds, rains, thunders...

Let's be honest: normal people don't like to work. Yes, people like to earn money or to use their skills. Some people find pleasure in helping others or cooking. But then we took all of that and we framed it with a label: WORK.

Work has become an antagonist in our lives.

• "Why are you so afraid?" "Well, you know, both my parents used to work all the time..."
• "Honey, I need to talk to you." "I just came back from work, give me a break, please..."
• "You can't stay like that, come on, call Jim right now and open your heart!" "No way, he is working, if I do that he will be so upset..."

I feel one of the beautiful things about being spiritual is the wholeness of your own self; you really can't dismember yourself into pieces and try to live happily with that. You are you, no matter if you are working, touring, cooking for your kids, enjoying the company of someone you love or meditating. You are you.

The art of enjoying work and leisure is the art of smiling, being happy no matter what, stay peaceful despite the situations and really enjoying life completely. When you allow yourself to be your own self, to be beyond any limitations, then you will be able to tolerate and live with all limitations. They will turn into good friends in your self-progress as human being.

And work won't be something hard and difficult that you don't like, but a part you want to play as it is part of your role in this world drama.

The art of learning and teaching (The 16 celestial arts)

We start to learn from the very beginning of our life, and we don't stop until our breath ceases.

However, sometimes that lesson we have learned is forgotten in the waves of life, as there are too many things happening around all the time. This is why teaching is important too.

Although teaching is the word, a more proper expression would be SHARING, because that is what teaching means: sharing whatever you have with others in such a way besides they receive it, they also imbibe it.

The trick behind teaching is: the more you teach, the more you learn. There is no doubt for anyone who ever taught anything how much they have learned through that.

The art of learning and teaching therefore is not only assimilation of new ideas, but it is also the capacity to transfer them and imbibe them even more. When you develop this art you will feel that you will ever have something new to learn, no matter your age or degree of knowledge...

The art of administration (The 16 celestial arts)

During a long time, we valued food, water and all that came from earth more than anything. People were considered rich because of how much land they had, not necessarily money... Later, mass-production turned into the main stream of our economy - we started to value a watch more than potatoes, even though we can't possibly eat a watch!

Not long ago, commerce and services took over. For some time, places which didn't produce anything but who were able to sell products well became famous around the world.

But then... I still remember when Microsoft, a software company that really does not produce anything you can eat or touch, became the most powerful company in the world, showing the last part of this Historical Economic Evolution: information is the most valuable thing in the world nowadays. The example of how people in poor countries skip a meal to be able to keep their cell phone working shows what we really value nowadays...

We are all on the inflection point of History... and we still don't know what will happen next. Many people has been prophesying it and we all know it is about to happen. Signs?

• People are trying to be simpler, going back to their original way of life.
• Organic food is a must! Nature is fashionable.
• Dozens of millions of people have watched the video "I forgot my phone" showing what is undeniable: people would love to forget their phone (cell, mobile, tablet, etc.).
• And, come one, your dream vacation place is not a city full of buildings, traffic and machines all around you... which indicates the preferences in your heart.

But before the big change happens, something we didn't realize has taken place. With all the economic changes, we really didn't let go of the past things. Different than what some scholars say about paradigm, when the new paradigm came, you held on the old one too.

So, your list of possessions is, I am sure, a very long one. Add to that intangibles like time and talents and you will have a book of possessions. Question is, how to manage all that?

Keeping success in your life relies on your capacity of administrating all you have, because everyone in this world has something valuable to another person who lacks it. It can be potatoes, or the capacity of making a chair, a sweet, or selling that to others and turning into money, or the capacity of creating a webpage, where people can exchange their talents...

Administration is an art. When it comes not from the desire to earn money, respect or fame, but from a genuine need or the desire to help others, or simply because you have that beautiful thing in yourself and you want to express yourself freely and openly, that means it comes from a different awareness.

Much of the success nowadays is based on that awareness. Look at the free stuff in internet, it is simply overwhelming. In fact, if someone just has the money for connecting and some hardware, he or she should be able to have all they need in terms of software for free. Because it comes from people who have so many treasures they don't mind sharing them with others...

Administration is not cutting or avoiding expenses. It is know how to use and spend whatever you have. The key is the authenticity you have inside.

Listen to your heart before spending money.
Listen to your heart before charging someone of something you have done.
Listen to your heart, and you will be an expert of this art.

The art of leadership (The 16 celestial arts)

A friend of mine, who has written a couple of books on leadership or related topics, is very tired. He is tired about talking on leadership.

He says because it is a saturated topic. However, I think it differently because never as today we have been in the need of a leader, and to understand what leader means.

I feel the reason is that no matter what, leadership quality is still very low.

It is interesting. With all the knowledge we have and so much capacity in terms of resources in general, the world looks like it is in a blind alley - it got into it, but there is no way to exit...

The art of leadership is related to several aspects that can be developed easily:

• It implies leadership is not an exact science. It requires experimentation, lots of patience and perseverance to happen.
• To improve the quality of any art, there is a methodology. For instance, silence and study... To improve the quality of leadership, leaders need to go deeper in silence and study more about it.
• If you are going to paint, you need to know not only about colors, but its material. Leaders need to know the context of their own leadership, which means to understand their people, their lives, the organization, the market and the world in general.
• You won't have success if nobody buys your pictures. Who is going to buy your leadership? Or, as someone said, who bothers that you get up every morning?

The world needs lots of leaders, good quality leaders. I am sure you are one of them, so I hope these points can help you to refine your leadership.

The art of organizing (The 16 celestial arts)

On the 70's and 80's, the art of organization left some areas of human society and got into the mainstream of our own society. It became common - several agendas emerged, diaries, PDAs, etc.

However, what happened was the opposite of what should happen. As more means for self-organization started to be used, more organization was needed! So, more - new and sophisticated - gadgets came into existence. Result: more organization is needed.

A common person doesn't talk to his or her friends most of the time - no statistics here, but reality is that social interaction has decreased at least 80% in relation to the 60's. Sorry, no Facebook counting here... talking about REAL interaction, 3D, touching and feeling... After all, according to an old experiment, we humans need physical contact to grow and develop ourselves.

Also, tasks are not less and not better manageable because we have more instruments. Just look at a normal airport and you can see errors increasing at a fast pace - lost luggage, more time in queues than actual flying, etc.

Organizing yourself is not something you can assign to a machine. When you and I act, we use all our energies for that - time, money, intelligence, emotions, experience, desires, dreams, etc. How much of that you can really transfer to a Google Calendar?

Clarification: nothing wrong about using instruments. I use them. I just don't rely on them.

The art of organizing comes from another art... an old and almost lost art, the art of writing.

Writing is something different than typing, as the former is more art than mechanic, the basics of typing. So, just try to organize yourself by using your own hands.

For instance, I have an agenda of priorities. It is a basic text file, easy to manage. After putting into it all priorities I have, I start to write each one of them into a piece of paper. After that, I prioritize them.

The result is a very interesting sense of satisfaction when I see the pile of slips of paper disappearing around...

Start with a small to-do list. Perhaps a wish-to-do list. Experiment with yourself and you will see its impact in your organization process as a whole.

The art of keeping others happy and healthy (The 16 celestial arts)

A basic principle in life is that you cannot really change another person. But you can cooperate with their own change.

You can make someone superficially happy, if you give them a gift or you cook something nice for them. Economy works around happiness too: when people get some kind of happiness, they invest more of whatever they have into that; then people start to get unhappy, countries suffer as their investment leave to happier places.

But, to keep someone happy and healthy, thinking of healthy as a state of being, that is not so easy.

Yet, it is very easy. Just keep YOURSELF happy and healthy. It is a reality that you give whatever you have to others. So, if you have plenty of happiness that is what you are going to give them. If you yourself are feeling unhappy, that unhappiness will go towards them too.

Happiness is more than just smile or feeling good inside. It is a state where you feel all your needs are satisfied and the role you perform in this world is for enhancement, not for survival. It is that powerful feeling inside the heart that all is OK, all is good and all will always be good, no matter what.

Happiness is the best medicine as it relieves the mental stress and open new possibilities in life. When you tap into that deep resource we humans have, naturally you will give that to others.

The art of remaining happy and content (The 16 celestial arts)

Being happy is the aim of our lives. It does not matter how we try to accomplish that - by working 14 hours a day, moving to another country or even, paradoxically, starting a war - we all aim to be happy. Not only happy; happiness and contentment should be together.

If you see from this point of view, you will understand all social, technological and economic changes in the world today. Those changes indicate the lack of happiness and the attempt to get that.

It is not a small thing, happiness. A few countries are starting to give importance to it and, in this way; they try to value the most important reason why we work so much... But it is not an easy task.

And, what about you? Do you value happiness more than your job, your exercises and the party last night? Yes, you do all of that because you believe you can be happy and content, at least at some point of your life. However, many times we forget that on our way towards happiness.

It is important to remember, from time to time, the reasons behind the actions, words and thoughts. And, from time to time, the art of remaining happy and content will provide you with the capacity to reflect on your own self, and to understand what is happening to you. If necessary, you will feel the inner power to stir the boat of your life towards the right direction. Towards being fully happy and content.

The art of developing (The 16 celestial arts)

As humans, we don't stop growing. Well, physically things work differently... but in terms of mental, social and spiritual skills, we can grow as much as we want, no matter the age or body conditions.

Learning is a skill, and you can also learn that. With time and comfort, we get attached to the convenient way of doing things. We prefer to stay at our comfort zone and we don't dare to go beyond that. This makes us to stop growing, or even shrinking...

Learning is a special art of life, where you are able to renounce some convictions and allow yourself to experience with something else. It is not that you only assimilate knowledge; your awareness stretches and you become a different person with that.

Learning creates change. Not the change that comes from outside, but the change that comes from a deep realization and experimentation.

How to learn? That is the question today more than any other moment in history as everything is really available, so there are no excuses to not learn. And if you are a person with difficulties to learn something, try this:

• Understand the reason you should learn something. Is this worthwhile? Do you really need that? Will this contribute for your growth or for others'? If the answer is YES, then go ahead, but if the answer is NO, learn an important lesson: learn only that is valuable for you, otherwise your learning process will turn into a struggle.
• Look for a method to learn. Not all methods are good to everyone. Try yours! Talk to others and check how they do it. Rehearse, change and rehearse again until you feel you are really learning.
• Don't get enticed by knowledge. Learning is a dance for two, and experience is also very important.
• Don't let yourself get lost into experience. Theory is fundamental so that experience can be repeated or reenacted.
• Fix certain aims for learning. Not too high, not too low, something that can be achieved.
• Enjoy learning! A lot! It has to be funny, interesting and motivating by itself.

The main advantage of this skill in your life will the easiness to change, as change means adaptation and adaptation means learning.

The art of refreshing (The 16 celestial arts)

In such a stressful world, relaxation is pricy. Most of a normal person's money goes towards what we could call "means of relaxation": tours, hotels, movies (in-house or at a cinema), SPA, etc.

It is a concept: if you are stressed, go and relax yourself! This concept has become a paradigm and we all live under that, at least at some point of our lives. The problem is that when you finished with the relaxation, eventually you have to come back to the stressing situations. Good perhaps for the economy, but bad for people. And if it is bad for people, definitely will be bad for economy on the long term.

So, this skill is very valuable. When you learn to refresh yourself, revitalizing your mind and body, whilst amidst your own duties within your household or work, you would have find paradise at your doorstep.

Is it even possible? Yes, it is. It requires practice and discipline, but as soon as you have the knowledge and the skill to relax yourself, you can do it even under stress.

This skill helps you to keep balance in your life and to improve your health in many dimensions - physical, mental, emotional, etc. But, how to do it?

First of all, you have to really understand yourself and what relaxes you and what does not relax you. Think of relaxation of a massage session; some people leave the session sighing and celebrating the distension, but others leave it feeling pain all over the body. In other words, relaxation is not a general formula...

When you relax, things seem easier, you feel full of energy and very well, and you can solve problems much faster than under stress. So, what does relax you? It is not really the means, but the way you see them. Relaxation starts in your attitude, not at a SPA.

As a spiritual person, the main attitude that brings relaxation is the feeling that I am just an instrument; I don't need to worry about anything. Other people I know relax with the attitude that this will pass very soon, so let me enjoy it and learn from it. What is the attitude you have that relaxes you more than anything?

When you answered that, then you can choose the best instrument or means for your relaxation. You will need at least one that can be used daily. For me, it is meditation, but for other people is walking daily at a park. It would be good if you have one instrument that allows you to relax at any moment, like a minute-length meditation.

If you do that, you will see that you will become more productive, happy and satisfied with your life, and with other people. And that is worth the price to create a discipline and develop this skill.

The art of reforming (The 16 celestial arts)

Transformation is in the minds of many and definitely SOME transformation happens. Not necessarily the one we would like to experience.

Let's look into the present world and we will see so many signs of transformation:

• The ascension of BRIC. This is changing not only this present period of world history, but it is the first time when Economy has been as the main changing factor and the first time when at least one power will be in the South Hemisphere (Brazil).
• Climate change. Denied by many (not sure HOW they deny it...), this is affecting more and more economies and societies. At least one country is trying to "move out" as its citizens see their shores being taken by the ocean and that is happening even in one of the biggest countries denying the obvious...
• Social networks replacing social interaction. We can't be blind; people are more into some kind of social networking (including chats and constant email) than talking to human beings.

And much more! But, I guess that was not that the transformation we would expect... For instance, it would be wonderful to read something like this in a future newspaper:

• A human commonwealth. Wealth and poor countries joint efforts to create a unique human society where money is not the main factor. They guaranteed the basics for everyone (food, health, shelter, education and communication) and they created a new method of economic interaction, based in talents rather than money.
• Earth is balanced. After many millennia, humans were able to establish a sustainable balance with the rest of Earth, which prevented the destruction of the environment and the end of many species.
• Humans are humans. It is almost laughable to think that at some point in history, people were paying attention more to a flat screen or a computer screen than to their fellow human beings. Present society values and encourages personal interaction with the normal positive consequences for health and wealth.

A dreamer? Perhaps... But, you see, what is lacking is not something macro or global, it is MY and YOUR transformation, a transformation that comes from will not from obligation. A transformation that starts from mind and awareness, not at some government palace.

When that transformation happens, even though one human being gets transformed, a reaction chain will generate enough energy to affect the whole world. And dreams will come true...

The art of dealing with others (The 16 celestial arts)

One issue that is increasing in the world is that many reports on researches have been published about the increasing number of people living by themselves even in countries with a more family, group or team-driven mentality, like Colombia and India.

And it is not only a question of living: how many one-passenger cars do you see every day? How many people chose to work by themselves, or are seen jogging or enjoying life alone?

This affects economy and society in ways that we are just starting to understand. In fact, there is nothing bad about being alone, but what is the reason? Is it a choice out of reflection or it is the result of not being able to cope with others?

If the second question is more realistic, then it is necessary to develop the skill of dealing with other people. We are social people - at some point or another, we will need each other, perhaps sooner than later.

As it is a skill, or an art, we can learn that. We can learn that wonderful art our ancestors had to learn when they had to live and work with people who were not family, part of their own race or religion. We can learn the necessary art of accepting and appreciating each other as we are.

It does not mean that everyone has to be friend to each other. With some people definitely your relationship will be casual, only a small connection. But it has to come from a personal choice rather of incapacity to deal with others.

Here are some points to bear in mind whilst developing this skill:

• Be patient. Whatever you do to help relationship with another person will bear fruit in time. But not necessarily right now. Just don't lose hope, don't stop watering the seeds of good deeds, wishes or words.
• Look for the common ground. We can always find something we have in common with other people. That is the beginning of the bridge between you and others.
• Less social network, more social presence. At least understand that people, real people, are crucial for our own growth as humans. And go for it, talk to them, meet them and enjoy their way of being.
• Enjoy the opposites. Contrary to nature, we always to try and look for similar people. Try to talk to someone who like what you dislike; just enjoy a refreshing point of view, something you never thought before. Enjoy it, instead of raging about it.
• Discriminate. In the good sense, learn who can be your friends and who can't be that. If someone can't be your friend but you have to live with them, reflect on it - ask "why?". If someone is not your friend, but you have to work with them, make agreements and develop the skill of dialogue.

If you do that, you will realize the greatness other people have. And you will end enjoying dealing with others.

The 16 celestial arts

I´ve mentioned during the post on skills of the self about this idea, which I find brilliant, of the celestial arts.

The word in Hindi for celestial arts is of difficult translation: Kala. It is related to the circus arts, which is a mix between art and skill. The translation is an open choice, indicating that is an art that takes you to heaven.

In other words, to be spiritual in this world requires from you to manage life like a circus artist: on a day-to-day basis, rehearsing all the time and expecting the maximum of the self at the crucial moment, when that adverse or difficult situation emerges in your life.

The number sixteen indicates the number of degrees for the full moon, a traditional symbol of dynamic perfection. Both words mean that to reach perfection takes from you the effort to transform the self by applying those arts and understanding that perfection is possible, but it is dynamic: sometimes you are full moon, whilst other times...

I will be talking about these arts in the next sixteen posts. I will make my best to make the matter practical and applicable in life.

Take care for now...