Dear Friends:

Thursday, January 14, is called Makara Sankranti in India.

On this day, the sun is honored as the form of the Absolute, the embodiment of the supreme light that both nourishes and sustains the world.

In the Indian epic, the Mahabharata, the noble warrior, Bhishma , was mortally wounded in battle. As the embodiment of dharma, or righteousness, Bhishma chose to lie on a bed of arrows, waiting to die until the sun had turned in a northern direction so that his final journey would follow the path of light.

Spend some time on Thursday in contemplation of your own dharma. Spend some time thinking of others and how you treat them. Spend some time in contemplation of your duty and righteousness in this world, and how you may want to express this quality.

In India, people joyfully gift gifts of sesame seed sweets to one another. Where can you give and receive sweets in your own life? On Thursday, resolve to settle past differences and allow the spirit of friendship to guide your interactions.

And above all, speak sweetly to one another!

Happy Makara Sankranti!!!

Love, Gopita