BY A STAFF REPORTER
LOS ANGELES, CA - The Brahma Kumaris of Los Angeles hosted two programs exploring the theme `Awakening to the Call of the Time’ at the Dolby Theatre here on June 9. The special guest was Sister Shivani, an internationally-renowned spiritual teacher and inspirational speaker from India, known worldwide for her...
LOS ANGELES, CA - The Brahma Kumaris of Los Angeles hosted two programs exploring the theme `Awakening to the Call of the Time’ at the Dolby Theatre here on June 9. The special guest was Sister Shivani, an internationally-renowned spiritual teacher and inspirational speaker from India, known worldwide for her...
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television show, `Awakening with the Brahma Kumaris.’
Upon entering the hall, there was a serene tone set by instrumentalist Emiliano Campobello, on a variety of flutes and Tibetan singing bowls in the morning; and Bob Bates on the Kora harp with Arthur Kegerreis on the upright bass in the evening. The instrumentalist also created a flowing musical backdrop, which accompanied Sister Shivani’s live guided meditations, and sounded heavenly in the Dolby Theatre.
In the morning session, emcee Raj Punjabi heartily welcomed everyone to the event, followed by a stage blessing and divine dance by the Leela Dance Academy, directed by Rina Mehta. In the evening, emcees Jason Michael and Heather Powers (The Powers of Love) opened the evening by proposing that “the call of time” is for each one of us to go to our highest state of unconditional love, then Heather Powers sang a heart-opening song called “Remember,” calling each one to remember who we really are. In the morning singer Elizabeth Padilla sang, “Om Shanti Om” in an angelic voice; while in the evening, a moving dance performance, “Love Medley” was performed by the Inner-City Arts Repertory Dance Company, led by director Marissa Herrera. This was followed by an inspirational vocal/rap duet performed by Matre and Lesley Kernochan.
In the evening, music producer Rod McGrew introduced special guest Rev. Dr. Michael Beckwith of the Agape International Spiritual Center, who shared about the importance of `Awakening,’ followed by a dialog between McGrew and Sister. Shivani. She then followed these awesome artistic experiences with meditations and a deeply insightful talk. Sister. Shivani’s message for both programs was that in order to change our world, we first need to raise the quality of our own energy and thinking, especially in the area of relationships. She began with two questions about the state of the world. First, if I see the world as full of stress and distress, have I contributed to this state? Second, what personal contribution am I willing to make to shift to a world of harmony, unity, love and respect? “This may sound like a tall order,” said Sister Shivani, “but we can always begin the process inside ourselves. Negative thoughts – anger, jealousy, fear, worry – are of a low vibrational frequency. They cause pain to the self and they also affect others.” Sister Shivani demonstrated the ability to shift our thinking by leading the audience in a short meditation on peace and happiness. After a few minutes, the atmosphere in the theater was tangibly lighter. She then asked, “using this method, is it possible to eradicate terror, violence and war?” Using an analogy, she suggested that the Dolby Theatre is like a little world; it is a space filled with people. If anyone in the theater right now is feeling troubled, that person would be particularly susceptible to the atmosphere in the theater. By the audience meditating for a few minutes and raising the vibrational frequency of the theatre, that person would be influenced and would become less troubled.
Likewise, in the world, extremely troubled people are especially affected by the atmosphere around them. Our collective thoughts either raise or lower the overall vibration level of the atmosphere. If the vibrational level is low, troubled people can be tipped toward violence. If the vibrational level is high, they can be influenced to regain their equilibrium. Therefore, to shift to a world of peace, we must create peaceful thoughts, especially when unpleasant situations happen and we are tempted to think negatively.
Sister Shivani acknowledged that this process takes focus, energy and faith. Why make the effort to raise our vibrations when we could simply walk away from troublesome people and situations? Because cleaning up our thoughts makes us feel good, allowing us to maintain a state of peace, harmony and happiness. It brings ease to our relationships and can even improve physical health, as our cells are influenced by vibrations.
The bottom line is that when anything happens, first take care of yourself by filling up with high-quality energy, and then radiate that energy. Your trust, love and respect will empower others to do the same.
Upon entering the hall, there was a serene tone set by instrumentalist Emiliano Campobello, on a variety of flutes and Tibetan singing bowls in the morning; and Bob Bates on the Kora harp with Arthur Kegerreis on the upright bass in the evening. The instrumentalist also created a flowing musical backdrop, which accompanied Sister Shivani’s live guided meditations, and sounded heavenly in the Dolby Theatre.
In the morning session, emcee Raj Punjabi heartily welcomed everyone to the event, followed by a stage blessing and divine dance by the Leela Dance Academy, directed by Rina Mehta. In the evening, emcees Jason Michael and Heather Powers (The Powers of Love) opened the evening by proposing that “the call of time” is for each one of us to go to our highest state of unconditional love, then Heather Powers sang a heart-opening song called “Remember,” calling each one to remember who we really are. In the morning singer Elizabeth Padilla sang, “Om Shanti Om” in an angelic voice; while in the evening, a moving dance performance, “Love Medley” was performed by the Inner-City Arts Repertory Dance Company, led by director Marissa Herrera. This was followed by an inspirational vocal/rap duet performed by Matre and Lesley Kernochan.
In the evening, music producer Rod McGrew introduced special guest Rev. Dr. Michael Beckwith of the Agape International Spiritual Center, who shared about the importance of `Awakening,’ followed by a dialog between McGrew and Sister. Shivani. She then followed these awesome artistic experiences with meditations and a deeply insightful talk. Sister. Shivani’s message for both programs was that in order to change our world, we first need to raise the quality of our own energy and thinking, especially in the area of relationships. She began with two questions about the state of the world. First, if I see the world as full of stress and distress, have I contributed to this state? Second, what personal contribution am I willing to make to shift to a world of harmony, unity, love and respect? “This may sound like a tall order,” said Sister Shivani, “but we can always begin the process inside ourselves. Negative thoughts – anger, jealousy, fear, worry – are of a low vibrational frequency. They cause pain to the self and they also affect others.” Sister Shivani demonstrated the ability to shift our thinking by leading the audience in a short meditation on peace and happiness. After a few minutes, the atmosphere in the theater was tangibly lighter. She then asked, “using this method, is it possible to eradicate terror, violence and war?” Using an analogy, she suggested that the Dolby Theatre is like a little world; it is a space filled with people. If anyone in the theater right now is feeling troubled, that person would be particularly susceptible to the atmosphere in the theater. By the audience meditating for a few minutes and raising the vibrational frequency of the theatre, that person would be influenced and would become less troubled.
Likewise, in the world, extremely troubled people are especially affected by the atmosphere around them. Our collective thoughts either raise or lower the overall vibration level of the atmosphere. If the vibrational level is low, troubled people can be tipped toward violence. If the vibrational level is high, they can be influenced to regain their equilibrium. Therefore, to shift to a world of peace, we must create peaceful thoughts, especially when unpleasant situations happen and we are tempted to think negatively.
Sister Shivani acknowledged that this process takes focus, energy and faith. Why make the effort to raise our vibrations when we could simply walk away from troublesome people and situations? Because cleaning up our thoughts makes us feel good, allowing us to maintain a state of peace, harmony and happiness. It brings ease to our relationships and can even improve physical health, as our cells are influenced by vibrations.
The bottom line is that when anything happens, first take care of yourself by filling up with high-quality energy, and then radiate that energy. Your trust, love and respect will empower others to do the same.
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