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Divine Translation
By: Michelle Berry Lane
Tags: Spirituality, Spiritual Secrets, Poetry, Interfaith, Devotion

An Interfaith Invocation

Photo by author, Moon Over Lake Huron, 2018

You may

Light candles, break bread, and

welcome the Bride in sanctity.

Utter a prayer to the One

who brings us this Universe,

Fruit of the Vine,

Festival of Light.

Reverently read the Word, forming each syllable

that is laden with meaning.

You may

Wade into the river of living water.

Offer yourself to be cleansed, taken,

open to the fire of the heart of One,

The Spirit,

The Beloved Child,

You are given the bread and the wine,

become the offering,

go forth, changed by Love.

You may

Move, spinning in your longing.

Burning devotion transforms

into streams of Love,

Spiraling outward,

Drawing inward,

whirling in Beauty,

breathing the essence of God.

You may

Travel with your feet on a twisting path,

snaking and circling back

to where you began.

Become lost,

Become found,

there is brilliant treasure in the Pilgrim’s journey,

and deep gratitude in the finding.

You may

Chant the Names of God in ecstasy,

drumming out prayer,

Echoing the first heart beats, and

every one after in a rising tide of life.

Feet dancing to the rhythm,

Feet kissing sacred ground,

Over and over and over,

the heat of the beat taking you,

into a purifying ring of fire.

You may

Sit within the Presence,

pulling beads between thumb and finger,

quietly pronouncing Love.

You may

Commit to the practice of becoming

a peaceful and loving instrument,

your lips forming a rounded OM.

Your breath,

in your body,

palms gently meeting at the heart

recognizing the light of each soul.

Come,

Bow to the Hero, the Loving Companion,

the Loyal Friend

Creator, Destroyer

the Sacred Mother of all

the Shining Monk

the Beloved Guru

the Wise Crones

the Heart Teacher

the Heart that teaches,

that learns,

that opens.

We are That.

Experience the unfolding.

See the Light in every Being,

Dios en todo,

Sarvatma-bhava.

Radiant beauty is evident.

Close your lids.

Breathe in, breathe out . . .

You are Love.

You are connected.

God is evident in the

the outstretched hand

and its touch,

our gentle words, and

the complex folds of the ear

generously tuning toward another:

a Benediction.

Peace, Peace, Peace
My Refuge — (weekly prompt)
By: Sharon Brandon
Tags: Illumination, Inspiration, Devotional, Spiritual Tree Prompt, Spiritual Secrets

Learn more. Medium is an open platform where 170 million readers come to find insightful and dynamic thinking. Here, expert and undiscovered voices alike dive into the heart of any topic and bring new ideas to the surface. Learn more

Make Medium yours. Follow the writers, publications, and topics that matter to you, and you’ll see them on your homepage and in your inbox. Explore
Life Is Beautiful, Enjoy It
By: Lanu Pitan
Tags: Spirituality, Life Lessons, Poetry On Medium, Poetry Sunday, Spiritual Secrets

To have a beautiful life, you need to build daily with love

Photo by David Veksler on Unsplash

POETRY SUNDAY

Life is beautiful if you want it to be so

You are given a life to nurture as in a garden

What you plant depends on your volition

And the amount of work you are willing to put

Life is beautiful if you want it to be so

You are given a spirit to forgive and pardon

What you see in others is your own admission

And the amount of work you are willing to put.

Life is beautiful if you want it to be so

You are given a spirit of love and laughter

What you see in others is your own disaster

As you are not willing to put love in your life.

Life is beautiful if you want it to be so

You are given a spirit of sacrifice and patience

To live an enduring life of grace and forgiveness

So that you can have a beautiful life to enjoy.

Life is beautiful, enjoy it
Key To The Kingdom
By: Isha Tewari Srivastava
Tags: Spirituality, Life Lessons, Spiritual Secrets, Poetry, Devotion

Key To The Kingdom

How easy it is to please You, my Lord!

All it takes is one loving thought

A single heartfelt remembrance can suffice

One song of gratitude for this beautiful life.

O Master, what can I offer You?

What do I have that I can call mine?

This life proceeds from Your Love and Grace

The body, the breath..it’s all Thine.

They seek You not! Else they would have known

Better than to submit heaps of gold at Your Throne

Do they not know — God cannot be bribed?

You look straight into what they cleverly try to hide.

No riches, no words, no falsehood can please You

You search a man’s heart for purity and Truth

You keep no secrets but only those who seek shall find

That the Key to Your Kingdom is humble devotion.
Devotion
By: Gurpreet Dhariwal
Tags: Spirituality, Poetry, Writing Prompts, Goddess, Spiritual Secrets

Devotion

Golden Temple, Amritsar, Picture by Gurpreet Dhariwal

I am devoted to my soul

More than God

But then I realize what it is?

A part of divine power within

God understands it so well

I don’t even explain

Truth resides in his heart

This is what I have always believed

This is what he has always shown

I get scared of human because they judge

The God within me just nudge

Picking me back from the dark to the light

Giving wings to my soul

Flying up above in the sky.

Read more from me:
Lighting the Way
By: Rhonda Skinner
Tags: Spirituality, Devotion, Inspiration, Poetry, Spiritual Secrets

Lighting the Way

Digital Collage by Author, Copyright All Rights Reserved

My heart resides within

the space all around me

Filling the field

where despondency reigned

Feelings full of grace

Embrace me

I find stillness

feeds my soul

The breath of a tree

The presence of hawk

Finds me

The expansion entwines

Lighting the way for the divine

A soul’s kiss

A smile I embrace

Bear medicine I call to you now

More than ever

your healing I grasp

Oneness and light

Devotion of the sentient

Dance of the intellect

Spin me in your arms

I find my way

the center of my being

As I reach for you

If a hand

you require
Tale Of Dog’s Tail
By: Pretheesh Presannan
Tags: Nonfiction, Mind, Mental Health, Humor, Spiritual Secrets

Had you ever heard of the tale of a dog’s tail? It is much like our thinking mind.

How? You may ask.

No matter how long you keep a dog's tail inside a pipe, as soon as you remove the tail from the pipe, it twists back to its original shape; it can never be straightened.

And so is the case with our thinking mind. No matter what you feed it with, it can only display pain creating tendencies.

Feed it with teachings of kindness, acceptance, compassion, vulnerability; it would still sing the same song (music) with different words. All those beautiful ideas become another way to be aggressive.

When the message of kindness is provided, “ I want to be more kind,” it says “I am kinder than the other guy”.

Same with compassion. “I should have been more compassionate,” it says “Be compassionate you loser”.

“Shit, I did not accept myself enough that’s why I suffered,” it says “ I am afraid I might not be able to accept that. I suck at this”.

“I must be vulnerable. I must push myself to be more vulnerable,” it says, without any reflection of the very irony in it.

When we are hijacked by the mind — everything, every new trick, every tool in our bag — becomes another way for the mind to bite its own tail, like a dog biting its own tail and wondering where the pain comes from. We are mostly blissfully unaware of how the mind inflicts pain on the host (body).

Perhaps we might still try hard enough, and hopefully, later come in terms with its helplessness and learn to leave it alone, to live sanely or not. :)
Awe and Adoration
By: Claire Elaine
Tags: Spirituality, Channeling, Spiritual Practice, Worship, Spiritual Secrets

Image by Gerd Altmann From Pixabay

The word devotion, for me, conjures up the imagery of religious art. Shiny faced innocents gazing devotedly at some even shinier object of worship, often kneeling, inert and enraptured, completely lost to themselves in awe and adoration.

I cannot picture myself in this pose for anything, though I do envy the feeling of rapture the images radiate. Maybe that’s the true aim of religious art, that we be tempted by the beauty of the feeling portrayed more so than the actual saint, god or whatever.

Maybe the artists of old knew that most sought a fullness of feeling rather than a perfectly rendered object of sacredness, so maybe a worshiper was often included to try and show us what we could experience if we just believed.

A practice not unlike a beggar placing some of his own coin in his begging bowl to encourage others to give by making them believe someone else had thought him worthy of their attention so they should give too.

Could the artists have “peppered the pot” by using the beguiling rapture of one worshiper as lure to beget thousands more?

I don’t know if that is so, but something compels us to perform acts of devotion, we think we must give of ourselves, but I’m not sure that we actually do give much at all and perhaps it is arrogant, or at least mildly absurd, that we presume our devotion adds to that which we adore anyway.

Why would something we believe to be above us have need of our loving focus?

I’m fairly sure that whatever our sacred is, it does not truly need our devotion — we do.

I think we need the heightened emotions our acts of devotion encourage. We need to lose just enough of our ordinary self in rapturous awe and adoration to awaken the divine within.

In doing this we receive more than we could ever give, we remember our true self and its own sacredness.

Namaste

Claire
You are Omnipresent
By: Ivette Cruz
Tags: Omnipresent, Spirituality, Spiritual, Poetry, Spiritual Secrets

Not only in the sky

I see you

but in every star

in the rise and

set of the sun

in every tree

I see you

I don’t need

to look afar

you are in my heart

because you are

omnipresent

you are always there
Following your inner voice
By: Elies Hadi
Tags: Spiritual Growth, Inner Voice, Life Lessons, Intuition, Spiritual Secrets

SPIRITUALITY

Following your inner voice

Unsplash Image Credit: Filip Baotic

On days that you can’t seem to hear your inner voice and you can’t identify if the answer to your questions is a HELL YES OR HELL NO, that’s the toughest moment.

However, I’ve learned, the more I try to hear it, the more silent it is.

It’s weird. At times like this, what I found best is to start taking action- whatever it’s. Because that tiny step could lead me to the missing piece I need. It could be a specific person I need to call, a place I need to visit, or a poem I need to read!

As I move my energy through taking actions, I often start to hear my inner nudges again, oh boy- how well does that feel!?

Also, sometimes our human mind simply needs external information to confirm our internal guidance- oh well, at least on days like this.
Embracing a New Change
By: Darshak Rana
Tags: Reading, Writing, Letters, Newsletter, Spiritual Secrets

SPIRITUALITY | NEWSLETTER |

Embracing a New Change

Photo by Aaron Burden on Unsplash

Dear Spiritual Souls,

It’s a tender Tuesday, and so am I. I hope you’ll have had a magnificent week, bathing in spirituality.

Today, I feel pumped up to share some exciting news regarding our small family. It’s been almost a month since our spiritual birth and we are growing constantly and steadily.

We are a little less than forty writers (that’s a huge number) and followers slowly inching towards a century mark. I feel delighted that we are growing into a big family.

I feel so grateful to have you all as wonderful spiritual writers and readers, who keep my mind occupied with your spiritual content.

With the commencement of autumn and nature undergoing mandatory changes, I too decided to change a few things in our publication too.

To encourage our writers and help each one of us flourish, I have decided to implement a few changes in everyone's interest.
The Lotus Does Not Forget to Bloom
By: Rhonda Skinner
Tags: Optimism, Spirituality, Growth, Poetry, Spiritual Secrets

The Lotus Does Not Forget to Bloom

Pond at Crows Nest, Photo by Author, Copyright, All Rights Reserved

My roots move effortlessly like liquid wings dancing with the apex of life

Within me

My seed I keep

Comfortably blanketed in my fibrous flesh

nucleus system

I feel my seed expanding inside me

Not wanting to let go

I hold on tighter, not wanting to release but feel her surge within me

A rhythm of existence created in my being

The mud

Nourishment from its chambers unlocked and giving

Through the muck

I cannot see

Still, the water flows around me

As if we were one

I wonder can you see me stretch

Beneath the murky waters

I smile playfully spreading my roots

Wiggling my toes

Moving beyond my current existence

I hold my seed tight as I want to release

Through the muck, I feel I cannot move without losing my seed

I want to feel my fullness

I need to bloom

I stretch and yawn

I feel the need to push gently in her cusp

As her pedals begin to open around me

Taking their first breath

I feel a relief

As if to relax and breathe it all in

More petals reveal themselves

As water caresses her tenderly

All the beauty I feel around me

My tender flesh exposed but not exploited by the light

Sounds once muffled come to life

A symbiotic whisper as I feel the sun’s first light

A stretch of my wings

I feel a waft of warm tones around me

This time anchored below

I feel my arms reach even wider

As I feel the wings of a dragonfly create a pleasant breeze

Their color so brilliant

The moments I feel so full of life and beauty

Connected to all that is

I can finally breathe, relax

I feel the rhythm of the night coming in the distance

Like a heartbeat, it comes

I feel another yawn and a need to relax as I pull my petals back, wrapping them gently in the moonlight

Under the night’s sky, I feel the blessings of my beauty I take within me as I flow with the night’s dreams
The Memories
By: Priyanka Srivastava
Tags: Writing, Travel, Poetry, India, Spiritual Secrets

The Memories

Photo by Shiv Prasad on Unsplash

quiet like the Ganges

waiting to be awakened

by the first rays of the sun.

dreamy like those flowers

near the river bank waiting to be stirred

by the chime of temple bells.

that sleepy morning when I took the walk

and stole the colours from the sky.

those memories sometime quietly smile.
Accepting My Foolishness
By: Ana-Maria Schweitzer
Tags: Acceptance, Life, Poetry, Self, Spiritual Secrets

Accepting My Foolishness

Let’s talk about that…

Photo by awar kurdish on Unsplash

Like a bug in a web

I push against the silk

to escape gravity,

to measure the immeasurable,

to resist the decay.

Newton sneers from his frame,

Neruda sifts vowels through paper,

Tutankhamun smiles with a golden sigh:

Let’s talk about that…
Acceptance
By: Chris Carter
Tags: Acceptance, Spirituality, Life Lessons, Poetry, Spiritual Secrets

I am grateful for each breath

And will continue until my death

Trying to live in grace

Until the day I see you

Face to face.
The Creator
By: Rhonda Skinner
Tags: Spiritual Growth, Spirituality, Abundance, Inspiration, Spiritual Secrets

The Creator

Digital Collage by Author, Copyright, All Rights Reserved

Life brings an infinite abundance of choices; some we create, others are created for us. The power of our voice is a choice. The acceptance of our path is an evolving terrain of choices. What speaks to us, what makes our hearts sing. Bringing our mind, body, and spirit into oneness, allowing our focus to soften till we can see the movements we sincerely desire — a birthing a dream into our reality, a walk with the divine. Creative design, the painter with brush and color to define the ripples that move us to our true center. At times in our lives, we feel we must accept the current situation as a truth. Belief drives a force that forms our focus. If we can soften our beliefs, allow them to evolve birthing into being something more than our minds could collectively define. Holding them lightly opens us to the infinite beauty that resides in our soul, our quantum field of existence. An evolution of our soul parts, what brings us to the here and now. What is our true purpose for this lifetime? What is it that speaks to your soul?
Peace to Your Heart
By: Ivette Cruz
Tags: Acceptance, Spirituality, Poetry, Weekly Prompts, Spiritual Secrets

We can’t stop

the waves of

the ocean

there are things

we can’t understand

things we can’t control

the only thing

we can do

is accept

miraculously

this will

bring peace

to our heart
Alive With Hopeful Visions
By: Kevin Doberstein
Tags: Reading, Fiction, Culture, Poetry, Spiritual Secrets

Learn more. Medium is an open platform where 170 million readers come to find insightful and dynamic thinking. Here, expert and undiscovered voices alike dive into the heart of any topic and bring new ideas to the surface. Learn more

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Resilience
By: Darshak Rana
Tags: Resilience, Spirituality, Life Lessons, Poetry, Spiritual Secrets

Learn more. Medium is an open platform where 170 million readers come to find insightful and dynamic thinking. Here, expert and undiscovered voices alike dive into the heart of any topic and bring new ideas to the surface. Learn more

Make Medium yours. Follow the writers, publications, and topics that matter to you, and you’ll see them on your homepage and in your inbox. Explore
Love Is All That The Law Demands
By: Lanu Pitan
Tags: Spirituality, Poetry, Poetry On Medium, Love, Spiritual Secrets

God’s love is able to awaken your soul and light up your path

Photo by Steve Halama on Unsplash

Poetry Sunday

Let me shout it at the rooftop

So that it can echo at the mountain

To penetrate the open soul

Love is all that the law demands.

Let it be said at the treetop

So that it can flow to the fountain

To penetrate the penitent soul

Love is all that the law demands

Let it be the message of the eavesdrop

So that it can strike your inner core

To light up your remorseful path

And then finally, you understand that

Love is all that the law demands
Flowing Like A River Of Hope
By: Kevin Doberstein
Tags: Spirituality, Fiction, Inspiration, Poetry, Spiritual Secrets

Flowing Like A River Of Hope

Photo by Arnie Chou from Pexels

Flowing like a river of hope.

Expectations of the peaceful river,

harmonious,

quiet.

Tranquility and calm like you

will never know.

Feeling the clarity of the

pure water every day.

The sacred light shines

from within.

Chasing away the sad

awful grim.
Searching For My Existence
By: Darshak Rana
Tags: Self-awareness, Spirituality, Life, Poetry, Spiritual Secrets

The shining stars are tucked in tight

And the exhausted sun has died at night

As the moon smiles softly

And my pals sleep cozily

I stay awake to decode a mystery

That sits untouched in the books of history

The flowers have started to bloom

As I watch my efforts die in gloom

My existence and my role, I want to seek

Before my life becomes fragile and weak

The time’s ticking very fast

And nothing’s going to forever last

So, I must keep marching on

Before, I see my final dawn.
Promise Of Impatience
By: Pretheesh Presannan
Tags: Self Inquiry, Poetry, Habits, Impatience, Spiritual Secrets

Promise Of Impatience

impatience tries to convince me

that there is a point of no-pain

somewhere in the future

that if only I rushed towards it

I could be there now

in that pain-free zone

also, impatience tries to convince me

that there is a point of no-pain

somewhere out there right now

and that if only

I drop and shift away

from the present activity

I could access that space

of painlessness

but what impatience

never wants me to see

is that there is no way

I could escape ‘pain’

if it is there;

and that impatience itself

is sustaining the pain

when I have moments of clarity

I am naturally at ease

with pain or discomfort

in this very moment as it is;

and no tricks are needed

I am somewhat impatiently writing this poem in a habitual mode although I cannot deny that each moment of the day will unfold anyway and it will most probably include me in all those moments, good or bad, right or wrong, with or without impatience. :)

One needs tricks when they do not examine the truth of their experience.
Hold Me Close
By: Afiyah The Poet
Tags: Self Love, Love Yourself, 365 Days Of Poetry, Poetry, Spiritual Secrets

I hold me close

for my fear is great

I hold me close

for I feel the panic

My mind ignites

with every little worry

My body shakes

for the world that’s ending

Imagined or not

the threat is real

The little girl inside of me

braces for the impact

A soothing world

she didn’t have

I have to be the voice of reason

that soothes her fears

I hold me close

because I am the one

that can give rest

to the trembling heart.

(365 Days of Poetry — Day 255)
The Universe is Yours
By: Ivette Cruz
Tags: Spirituality, Universe, Poetry, Micropoetry, Spiritual Secrets

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I Know Nothing, But Love
By: Darshak Rana
Tags: Spirituality, Letters, Poetry, Love, Spiritual Secrets

Dear Spiritual Companions,

One more week has passed in this lifetime and I made it worthwhile by practicing to enjoying my own company, as discussed in my last letter.

Being in solitude, was a surreal experience. On the first day, I started to sit with myself for fifteen minutes pondering about my behavior on that day. I analyzed my Karma by detaching myself from my own deeds.

As a result, I was able to find faults in my Karma and I suggested I change certain traits. The next day, I became more vigilant and aware of my Karma. But I made mistakes.

Nevertheless, I kept on continuing “Me-Sessions” with myself for the whole week. As the fruits of my penance, I found that “ Love only matters and we are here in this world to Love”.

That feeling gave birth to this poem, “ I know nothing, but Love”.

This week I am going to practice Love. Whoever I meet and greet, I am going to do with love. No matter what the situation it is or the other person’s behavior towards me, I am going to respond with love.

“The most important thing in life is to learn how to give out love, and to let it come in”. -Morrie Schwartz

I’ll let you guys know about my experiments with love, in next week's newsletter.

“I love, not because you are worthy of it, but it is my worthiness to love without any inhibitions”.- Darshak Rana

See you all, my Spiritual companions, on the next Touching Tuesday.

Please keep loving and continue sharing your spiritual secrets with us.

Best wishes,

Darshak Rana
Pure Perception
By: Rhonda Skinner
Tags: Oneness, Belief, Poetry, Perception, Spiritual Secrets

Pure Perception

Photo by David Monje on Unsplash

Oneness of being

My thoughts I do think

Are they my thoughts, or are they ours

I gaze into the fields of my mind

I see you standing there

The inevitable being of oneness

Falls on the shoulders of belief

I see nothing

I am nothing

I am everything

So much I embrace in the essence of being

The movements I make

The breath I take

Reaches you

Is one with you

I am the pulse that beats

I am the moves you make

I am the I in infinite

Songs touch me as they touch you

Movement like a wave connecting with the shore

I am pure perception

I am thought matter

Cell and bone

Body of thoughts

Dreams and wishes

Desires we share

Heart opening free from want

Embrace the breath I breathe

As your chest expands

And contracts

The dance begins

Do you feel the breath that breathes

Movement cannot be denied

Sands of time whisper to me

Truths of the sea

My hips move the murder of crows that resides in the trees

Inevitable ripple you cannot deny

Lose the fear of separateness

The illusion lives in an unsettled mind

Rhonda Skinner
Contentment
By: Afiyah The Poet
Tags: Awe, 365 Days Of Poetry, Contentment, Poetry, Spiritual Secrets

Clouds move fast

in a sunset lit sky

hurrying to some place

in a meteorological adventure

My heart moves slow

as I gaze at God’s palette

marveling at the subtle hues

that bring out the awe in me

Contentment comes

in a slowly churned space

savoring the feast of the heart

with softly opened eyes.

(365 Days of Poetry — Day 252)
I Will Always Trust (song/poem)
By: Sharon Brandon
Tags: Spiritual Tree, Illumination, Songs, Poetry, Spiritual Secrets

All my hope lies in You

For You give me all that is truth

You always bring me through

In my darkest night

I will always trust

I will always hope in You

No matter how dark the night

Your love leads as light

And I know You care

You lead me everywhere

I will always trust

I will always hope in You

How dark is the night

How bright is your light

Showing me the way

You give me life

And I will always trust

And I will always hope in You

And I will always trust

And I will always hope in You
Wise and profound thoughts here, Darshak
By: Sylvia Wohlfarth
Tags: Self Improvement, Gratitude, Spirituality, Poetry, Spiritual Secrets

An Irish-Nigerian soul living in Ireland after 40 years in Germany. A social anthropologist, English teacher, and more. With stories to share; and an opinion…
Always Grateful
By: Ivette Cruz
Tags: Longing For God, Spirituality, God, Poetry, Spiritual Secrets

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Longing for God — Poetry. Spiritual Secrets Weekly Prompt
By: Sharon Brandon
Tags: Spiritual Tree, Illumination, Poetry, Worship, Spiritual Secrets

Oh how my soul does yearn

And oh how my spirit does burn

I AM longing for You

You are God of my circumstance

You are God of my present and past

Everything I AM is because of You
Namaste
By: Darshak Rana
Tags: Spirituality, Equality, Respect, Poetry, Spiritual Secrets

Inside, we are all the same,

pure and divine.

But on the outside, we carry a name,

That has egoistic tags.

I honor your identity,

because that’s my humility.

I consider you not above me,

not beneath me.

I respect the inner beauty of your soul,

because within you resides,

the same virtues

that I possess.

Let me love you,

and show you

your real self,

by my

gentle gesture

of Folding Hands.

It isn’t a tradition

or a legacy

that I carry forward.

But, it’s an idea

and an ideology,

that I like to follow,

and treat everyone equal,

just the way

the beloved Almighty does!
The Eternal Quest
By: J.D. Ranade
Tags: Spirituality, Life, Trees, Haiku, Spiritual Secrets

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Embracing Outsiderness
By: Pretheesh Presannan
Tags: Healing, Spirituality, Embrace, Fear, Spiritual Secrets

would you strive hard to fit in

or would you fully embrace

that sense of being an outsider;

to fit in means

you want to escape

that sense of outsiderness;

any movement

any cleverness

any tricks and gimmicks

is to disrespect that monster

— the sense of being an outsider;

maybe you felt it

on the first day of your school;

maybe you felt it

while being gang-bullied;

do you feel like

bending and joining the group

because anything would be better

than embracing that outsiderness;

maybe next time

when you feel that

terror of being an outsider

— be it in the street, or in the grocery store, or in the junction, or anywhere —

remember that child, which was yourself,

and ask would I embrace it

and if you do embrace that beast

you are holding every child

that had been terrorized by it

in the past and in the future

wish you could

gather that courage

which is neither to fight nor to flee

but to gently embrace it fully

in its fullness— that demon: outsiderness
Acceptance
By: Ivette Cruz
Tags: Acceptance, Spirituality, Poetry, Micropoetry, Spiritual Secrets

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Dharma Sankat
By: Pretheesh Presannan
Tags: Trauma, Sitting, Emotional Release, Neurosis, Spiritual Secrets

to sit or to act

to give time to settle the dust

or to act in unclearness

to allow the fears in body-mind

to play out and naturally

fall into a state of fearlessness

to not fight or flee

in presence of discomfort

to not fall for the

conditioned reflex-reaction

but to stay and to see

how one gets hijacked

to not force an artificial order

preached by self-help gurus

but to allow to stumble upon

order naturally and organically

to not force some ideal state

or habits of superior people

upon you aggressively,

but to be with the fact

of what you are unflinchingly

to not trade current reality

for a future fantasy

to not suppress or sedate

the chaotic restless energy

but to be with it;

trusting that its release

will give rise to sanity

and stability within

that you do not have to

rely on mental tricks

one might as well

shiver and tremble fully

that its end will

pave the way

for a fresh beginning

with crystal clarity;

so that you are not

confused or in dharmasankat

whether to-be or to-do
Gratitude
By: Darshak Rana
Tags: Self Improvement, Gratitude, Spirituality, Poetry, Spiritual Secrets

Of all the things God has given me

I can think just the tiniest word,

-Thanks

Emerging from my heart,

And settling down on my deeds.

I may have less as compared to others,

But I am happy.

At least God remembered,

to feed me a bread

before I hug the night.

I think, my life is short,

not to acquire the worldly treasures,

but to express

my gratitude

in the way I want.

For, whatever I have in life,

I’d like to share.

I believe that I make my living

by what I get.

But to make my life,

I must always give.
I think you may have misjudged ftmo in many ways..
Tags: Trading, Ftmo, Funding, Forex

I think you may have misjudged ftmo in many ways.. You make the rules seem impossible when they are quite easy. Any trader with some experience, a good strategy and good risk to reward ratio should have no problem passing. Example.. If i take the 25k challenge i cannot be in drawdown or loose more than 1250 in a day(5%).. With a good strategy youll be nowhere near it.. Ill take a trade with a 1.25 lot size with a stop loss of 15 pips and a tp of 50 or more depending on price action and momentum. So i am risking 0.75 percent which is 187 usd for a reward of 625 or more. And to pass you need to make 10 percent.. Well in just 4 trades youve passed… so i dont find it that difficult. Maybe for someone who has a bad strategy and risks 50 pip sl to make 100 pips and uses a big lot size.. Ftmo is set up for consistency, safety and patience. Not guys who take 20 trades per day risking many pips to gain very little.. Id love to discuss it more. But overall ftmo offers a great opportunity for good traders to make money who dont have huge capital. Especially in these covid days or in low income countries. It could be a lifesaver. Literally. Thanks
Reliance Jio Leads Series A Funding Of Mobile Gaming Startup Krikey
By: Gaurav Wadekar
Tags: Series, Gamer, Gaming, Startup, Funding

Jio invests in gaming startup Krikey, new AR game Yaatra launched in India

Mukesh Ambani’s company Reliance Jio has invested in San Francisco-based mobile gaming company Krikey, although Jio has not disclosed the total amount of the investment. So far it has raised a total of $ 22 million investment in Krikey.

In India, Crici has launched a mobile game called Augmented Reality based “Yatra” in association with Reliance Jio. Reliance Jio customers will get the exclusive facility to play with the 3D avatar of this new game. All mobile users will be able to play this game. The game can be downloaded for free from the Google Play Store and iOS Store.

The gaming industry in the country is growing rapidly. By 2021, the gaming industry in India will touch a figure of around 100 billion rupees which can reach 143 billion rupees by 2022. Reliance Jio wants to consolidate its footprint in the gaming market. Investment in sales is being seen as this link.

For More Info:-https://www.darkdroida.com/2020/12/reliance-jio-leads-series-funding-of.html
SaaS startup Uniplatform Tech raises funds from Frontline Strategy Funds, SucSEED Ventures, others
By: Frontline Strategy Fund
Tags: Tech, Investment, Funding, India, Private Equity

Uniplatform Tech runs real estate SaaS platform MultiplyMyLeads.com.

According to a statement issued by the company, Uniplatform will utilise the funds to expand to New Delhi.

Read more: https://yourstory.com/2020/01/funding-alert-saas-startup-uniplatform-tech-frontline-strategy
The best ways to raise funding for a Startup
By: Sai Ma
Tags: Investing, Capital, Venture Capital, Funding, Raising Capital

Lack of funding is most often the reason why startups struggle to get off the ground. Here are a few ways to raise that all important cash flow so you can start work on your dream.

(Photo Credit — freeimages)
Twinkle Twinkle Little Star
Tags: Innovation, Venture Capital, Entrepreneurship, Startup, Funding

MA0002 Title: Twinkle Twinkle Little Star

The food for thought for this MicroArticle is a rhyme that I am confident all of you are familiar. We all interpreted it in our own way when we were growing up:

“Twinkle Twinkle little star how I wonder what you are,

Up above the sky so high, like a diamond in the sky”

This was all about unreachability, untouchable, unattainable — comparison with a very precious object — Diamond.

Now, it is 21st century — time to think differently, see differently, interpret differently:

Little star is our next generation

is our next generation Up above the sky so high — is the unreachable part of our society with need — basic need — health housing, nutrition, education and employment.

— is the unreachable part of our society with need — basic need — health housing, nutrition, education and employment. Like a diamond in the sky — this is the huge untapped potential among the new generation impact entrepreneurs just waiting to be nurtured.

You can do it! You can bring a better world for everyone — the Impact Entrepreneurs of the 21st Century.

Think it twice now:

“Twinkle Twinkle little star how I wonder what you are,

Up above the sky so high, like a diamond in the sky”

Contributor/s: Farhadur Reza

Contact: farhad.reza@impress.bz
Dear Ms. Mackenzie, My name is George Clark.
By: George Clark, Gmail.Com
Tags: Help, Funding, Mackenzie Scott, Medical, Angels

Dear Ms. Mackenzie,







My name is George Clark. My family and I are about to lose everything we have. We barely have enough to feed the kids from day to day. I have just had surgery and I’m unable to do anything right now to try and provide for them.







Is there any way possible that I can plead for some help from you and your foundation Ms. Mackenzie?







I was a small business owner at the beginning of the year and the along came Covid-19. Our governor put everything on lockdown and I had to close my business a short while later because paying all the bills and nothing coming in pretty much bankrupted me. Then while I was moving everything out of my shop I got in a pretty bad accident causing me to lose feelings from my waist down. I have been almost completely bedridden since my initial surgery to repair my internal injuries.







My doctor wants me to see a neurologist next and possibly will require neck/back surgery because I have no feelings in my lower extremities and can’t stand up for more that a couple of minutes before my legs just fold out from under me. If I have to have another neck/back surgery I will definitely be in a hopeless situation.







I am almost 48 years old and I’ve worked since I was 14. My family and I are in Mississippi and we have pursued every avenue we could think of for help. I saw an article today showing where you were helping people in need and I pray that writing you will help somehow with easing My families suffering. I don’t don’t where else to turn Ms. Makenzie please if you can find it in your heart to help my family I would do anything...







I’m just praying everyday for some sort of miracle to be perfectly honest. I have lived off of what savings I had and my medical expenses took up the rest. I’m about to lose my home, my only transportation, and my sanity.







Sincerely,



George Clark



(601)433-5276



king.of.roses03@gmail.com
Funding Sources for Black, Latinx & Womxn Founders
By: Tessa Flippin
Tags: VC, Diversity, Entrepreneurship, Startup, Funding

I started my career in VC 3.5 years ago as an associate at TechNexus. TechNexus is a seed stage VC firm which uniquely and successfully positions itself as a strategic growth partner to corporations. Over the past few years of working in the VC industry, I’ve made it a point to develop networks of organizations and other VCs that fund and support companies at the earliest stages.

Prior to joining TechNexus as an investor, I was the founder of La Plataforma, a social impact fintech platform that sends international money transfers throughout Latin America for the unbanked. As a founder, my team and I participated in numerous accelerators rising $200k in pre-seed funding in 2019.

As a Black, woman founder, raising capital was a challenge to say the least. Despite going to Stanford for undergrad and Columbia Business School for my MBA, very few were willing to take a chance on me.

The difficulty of raising capital for La Plataforma was never something I attributed to my race or gender. Everyone said entrepreneurship is hard and raising capital is a slow process, so I just assumed it was equally hard for everyone.

Fast forward to 2020, in the wake of the murder of George Floyd and the light it shed on racial inequities, I realized that capital raising was exponentially harder for me, and other Black founders and Womxn founders like me, simply because of my race and my gender. Only 1% of venture backed companies have a Black founder. Furthermore, Black women raised 0.0006% of all VC funding over the past decade.

Realizing, retroactively, that my race and gender, combined, put me at a nearly insurmountable disadvantage, I’ve compiled a database of organizations that are actively deploying capital to Black, Latinx and Womxn led companies at the earliest stages.

Database focused on venture scale businesses:

Database focused on SMBs & Lifestyle businesses:

I’ve developed these databases through my experience navigating the VC industry as a founder and early-stage investor. I want Womxn of Color who choose to tackle the entrepreneurial journey for themselves to realize success and have doors opened for them based on their unique ability to see problems that have historically been ignored and build solutions to those problems that have historically been underfunded.

(If I missed your org or VC, contact @tessaflippin on twitter to be added.)
Pitching to fund EU COVID-19 passports
Tags: Covid 19, Blockchain, Startup, Funding, Startup Lessons

BackTogether App in Use

ComeTogether recently had the opportunity to participate in two Blockchain-focused pitching events. Walking away with a win at both events!

It might seem that having a startup focused on ticketing for live events might not be the easiest sell in the middle of a global pandemic. But a mid-term expansion of focus to address the pandemic in the context of events resulted in the development of BackTogether, a COVID-19 passport app that can be used as a separate module or integrated into the ComeTogether offer to help safely restart the events industry.

The first of two events in the course of a single week was BlockStart. The partnership program has received funding from the European Union’s Horizon 2020 research and innovation program under a grant agreement. They work with seed, early and growth stage startups by bringing them together with SMEs to develop and prototype their solutions with real-world business input. This helps the SMEs to be early-adopters of blockchain, while helping the start-ups to work with live target customer input. Industry areas of focus were Fintech, ICT and Retail.

Starting with an ideation kickoff, selected start-ups move to a four-month prototype phase in order to ensure their ideas have a relevant market fit. There is a two-month pilot phase to allow for refinement of the final customer offer.

ComeTogether competed against nineteen other start-ups to be in the final ten selected for this next phase along with funding.

Also in the same week was BlockIS. An accelerator program to build an open and collaborative cross-border, cross-sector innovation ecosystem. This is to foster blockchain technology adoption in agrifood, logistics and finance within the EU.

This structured program works with start-ups to take them through a process of innovation, experimentation and commercialization. Initially competing against forty-four other start-ups in the innovation phase, ComeTogether was among twenty-three organizations selected to move to the experiment phase. In addition to funding, technology and business guidance is provided. At the completion of these activities, ten finalists will be chosen to take their MVP to market.

The team was awarded 69,000 Euros in funding across both events. Another important aspect of these programs are the connections within the wider industry to set the groundwork for further market engagement. A great success from a busy week!

What was it like to pitch in two events concurrently? Lazaros Penteridis, CEO of ComeTogether shared his thoughts on five topics:
Litigation Financing — New Asset Class
By: Pankaj Gupta
Tags: Litigation, Personal Finance, Investors, Stock Market, Funding

Litigation Financing, a new alternative asset class is emerging which has better prospects, with Global players trying to enter the Indian Market

Concept (Source: Association of Litigation Funders):

Litigation funding is where a third party after doing due diligence provides the financial resources to enable costly litigation. The litigant obtains all or part of the financing to cover its legal costs from a litigation funder, who has no direct interest in the proceedings

Funders’ share of the proceeds is negotiated at the outset and the principle on which this concept is based is called Champetry

Case is won — Funder receives its financial reward which can be either a % of the damages recovered, or a multiple of the amount advanced by the funder, or a combination of the two

Case is Lost — Funder loses its money and nothing is owed by the litigant

This financing tool provides a means of access to justice for claimants who may not have funds available, or may not wish to tie up funds, for costly yet meritorious claims

Global Litigation Funds have claimed a success rate of >70% and have generated better returns compared to Private Equity, Hedge Fund and Real Estate (Source: Bloomberg)

India:

There is no legislative instrument for Litigation funding (TRF), but lawyers are barred from funding litigation when representing the disputing party or accepting success based fee

Also Indian Companies like HCC and Patel Engineering have tried this model earlier, where HCC engaged in legal battle against NTPC and NHAI has assigned all its interests and rights amounting to ~Rs 2,000 Cr., to an SPV offering Rs 1,750 Cr., while management representatives have stated that the actual cover given to investors is effectively ~2x as the amounts expected from these claims and awards is Rs 4,000–4,500 Cr.

As per ET report, global litigation funds: Omni Bridgeway, Innsworth Capital, Marsh and Profile Investment and Phoenix Advisors along with Singularity Legal (India) are creating an India focused litigation financing platform
US Capital Global Advises on $80Million Construction Loan for Luxury Multi-Family Real Estate Project in New York
By: Jeffrey Sweeney
Tags: Investment, Development, Luxury, Real Estate, Funding

San Francisco-based private financial group provides financial advisory services for the developer of a new luxury, class-A, full-service community in New York.

US Capital Global has advised on a $80 million construction loan for a real estate firm in the process of developing luxury rental apartment units in a new suburban multi-family construction project in New York State. With easy access to commuter rail, the property commands unobstructed panoramic river views. The development is expected to create nearly 250 construction jobs.

Headquartered in San Francisco, US Capital Global is a full-service private financial group with an established track record in investment banking, asset management, and capital formation services. The group has deep experience in financing businesses across a wide range of real estate sectors, including residential, commercial, and industrial.

“We are pleased to have advised on a construction loan for this luxury real estate developer,” said Jeffrey Sweeney, Chairman and CEO at US Capital Global. “The company approached US Capital Global for assistance with $80 million of construction financing for its impressive multi-family real estate project in New York. We advised the company on facility structure and capital formation, while also reviewing the sponsor, market and project timelines, budget, and financial projections.”

About US Capital Global

Established in 1998, US Capital Global leverages the latest FinTech and RegTech innovation to provide sophisticated debt, equity, and investment products to lower middle market companies and investors. The US Capital Global group manages direct investment funds and provides wealth management and capital raise services through its affiliates, including US Capital Global Investment Management LLC, US Capital Global Wealth Management LLC, and its FINRA- member broker-dealer, US Capital Global Securities LLC. The group collaborates closely with its peers in professional banking and investment advisory. www.uscapglobal.com.

To learn more about US Capital Global, email Jeffrey Sweeney, Chairman and CEO, at jsweeney@uscapglobal.com or call +1 415–889–1010.