SPIRITUAL SIBLINGS

August 8 , 2017 /

SPIRITUAL SIBLINGS

My guest author this week is Kumud Ajmani, proud family man. Twenty years of NASA Research experience and counting. Consultant in areas of Propulsion, Combustion, Emissions. Green Fuels and Emissions Reduction for Aeronautics and Space. Founder and CEO of CFD Nexus. He is also the moderator of the weekly Sunday morning Spirit Chat on Twitter, a spiritual brother and mentor to many.  Photo credit to Kumud.  Thank you!

For as long as I can remember, my brothers and sisters have been a huge part of my life. Growing up in a family where three families lived on three different levels of the same house, I was always surrounded by my cousins. Every year, in the month of August, the house would come alive to celebrate a beautiful brother-sister festival. Sisters and brothers would honor each other with a renewal of their bonds of friendship, of “being there for each other”, of “answering each other’s call”, and more.

As often happens, time and distance can fray the bonds of the best of relationships. The flow of direct communication becomes sporadic as we grow older, and we assume more life roles as husbands, wives, fathers, mothers, bosses, employees… Our life role of brother or sister can seem to wax and wane like the phases of the moon… And then, as August arrives, and the moon waxes to its full, I open the mailbox one day, and there it is – a card or letter from my sisters from thousands of miles away, enclosing a thread of love – a reminder that it is time to renew the bond.

We have the bonds that are bound by time and space, and we have the spiritual bonds that are beyond time and space. We have the bonds that are borne of flesh and blood, but there are many bonds that go beyond that. In our life journey, in our different life roles, we develop friendships, often with people we have never met face to face, which become like brother-sister relationships.

Some of these brothers and sisters may even become our spiritual companions, who connect with us on a level beyond the physical, the mental and the emotional.

As I reflect on the joyous relationships that exist between my brothers and sisters and me, it is not lost on me that some of my readers may not enjoy the same with their siblings. I am also aware that some may be struggling to reestablish, renew and revive these relationships – but they are wondering about how to take the first step.

I invite you to pause and reflect on some of these questions, and revisit the dynamics of your own brother-sister relationships.

What is the state of your relationship with your siblings? What does it take for a spiritual sibling relationship to develop? Who do you consider to be your spiritual brothers and sisters? How are your flesh and blood siblings different from your spiritual brothers and sisters? Are they?

And, to all my sisters who have sustained me through the years, I offer a deep bow of gratitude. Thank you, and Namaste!

Kumud

P.S. August 7th 2017 is the annual day of brother-sister renewal celebrated across the world by those in India, and those of Indian origin. To those celebrating (I know my sisters and I will be :)), Happy Rakhi!

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