Electricity is the energy that drives mundane power tools and it is generated in many different ways by the manipulation of energy.

“Energy has two important characteristics that make it possible for people to direct and control it effectively. First, energy is impartial, nonresistant and totally malleable to individual desires. A person’s free will determines how it will be used and at what vibratory level it will operate – a high level for spiritual purposes or a low one for selfish ends”

These power tools whilst apparently cutting down on time and improving on efficiency, also have drawbacks. Gone are the lovingly crafted masterpieces along with their creators. Demand for electricity becomes more and more essential and the increasing pressure put on the power stations results in blackouts whereby one has to revert back to manual work again. Electricity corporations put demands on Government who in turn increase the tax on the people. A never ending story.

“In ancient Vedic times, the monarch was considered naradeva God represented in human form. In other words, the king was accepted as God’s direct representative. The divine monarch was empowered by God and would be offered all assistance and facility by the demigods – agents even more powerful than angels and archangels. The king worked simultaneously from the platforms of material, metaphysical and spiritual power, and was imbued with purity and genuine concern for his people. The Srimad Bhagavatam explains that divine monarchs possessed eight mystic opulences (siddhis).

These eight perfections were:

• 1. anima - the power to decrease in size and enter an atom; or to become lighter than a feather;

  2. mahima - the power to make oneself very heavy or very large;

  3. laghima - the power to travel to other planets;

  4. prapti - the power of acquisition;

  5. isita - the power to create or destroy a planet;

  6. vasita - the power of mind-control and hypnosis;

  7. prakamya - various types of magic within the scope of nature; and

  8. kamavasayita - mystic power that transcended the laws of nature.”

Many yogis still spend considerable time in austerities and hardship in order to obtain such powers. Sometimes we come across people with unusual talents brought forward from their past – a vestige of what they used to be like. But these powers, whilst sounding appealing, are yet again more of Nature’s tricks to keep us attached and involved in this material world. It takes a very intelligent person to realise that both life and work are a never ending treadmill with no joy at the end and with small amounts of success en route.

The real power tools we need are not bought with money, but are gained only by a great spiritual desire to change ourselves back into what we originally were, children and loving servants of God. It takes great character to turn against the modern trend of instant gratification and to surrender to a simpler way of life. By aiming for a less involved life, one doesn’t have to wait until retirement to read, pray, chant and worship and to understand who we are and what we are doing here. Do we really need to continually learn lessons?

Another reason for breaking out of the pattern we are in, is when we realise that only as humans, do we have free will and if we have to return because we still haven't learned the lesson, what guarantee is there that after we die we will come back again as a human! A frightening thought when you find out that there are 8,400,000 species out there and only a very small percentage are human!

“The ultimate purpose of spiritual life is to go back home to the kingdom of God , or the spiritual world. The practice of compassion is an essential aspect of our preparation of this goal. Preparation is necessary even in mundane life; it helps us function appropriately in various environments…..

Without proper preparation we leave ourselves open to extreme embarrassment…..

Similarly, we must be well prepared for our eventual arrival in the spiritual world ….

(A)ll the major scriptures emphasize that we are eternal beings who have a home far beyond the mundane realm of our material existence. We are out of place in this mateial realm which serves as a training ground for higher experiences but is not where we can be truly happy.

Right now, we must prepare ourselves as expediently as possible to regain what we have lost and to receive the treasures that are awaiting us in the spiritual kingdom. No one can expect to enter the kingdom of God without deep compassion….

When we selflessly align ourselves with transcendental consciousness, the universe will supply us with amazing support. Because we are no longer controlled by the normal limitations of the earthly realm, we can accomplish miracles. As we develop higher perception and higher love, we become so worthy to receive such blessings that eventually we will be ‘parolled’ from the restrictions of the material prison atmosphere”

So some of our power tools are:

1. Treat everyone you encounter as if the success of your spiritual life depends upon the quality of your interactions with them.

2. Reflect upon the person you love the most, and aspire to treat everyone with that same quality of love.

3. View all conflicts as your own fault first

4. Realise that the people in your present environment might very well be the people with whom you will live out your life, and who will be with you at the time of death.

• taken from Spiritual Warrior III – Solace for the Heart in Difficult Times Pg 269 B.T.