Gurudeva brings up Halloween and how this can impress the subconscious mind with negative affirmations. Swear words and their effects are also discussed. Gurudeva compares the subconscious mind with a computer, it remembers. The impressions and teachings to children surrounding Halloween can have long ranging implications for example Gurudeva tells us that they are being taught extortion. Children can be taught to mistrust and be deceptive. Children's minds are open to impressions. Gurudeva gives advice to not train children by dressing them in hideous costumes but instead to teach them good values. Halloween sends children in the opposite direction than from the spiritual path and is not for Hindus.

Unedited Transcript:

Today at Kauai Aadheenam. Welcome, welcome!

We have had a wonderful Homa. I gave a very nice talk to the congregation of Saiva Siddhanta Church. All the Swamis, Yogis, Sadhakas and our task-forcers were there. Boys and girls, men and women, husbands and wives, beautiful congregation, all dressed in traditional Hindu clothing. They looked so nice, so spiritual, so divine like they had dropped in from inner worlds.

Well, in a few days it will be Halloween.There is a new horror movie out in October, 'The Festival of the Dead'. It is a very scary movie. So, don't take your children or go to see it yourself. You don't want to impress your mind with negative affirmations.

In the next issue of 'Hinduism Today', Publisher's Desk has a beautiful inspired talk, given a number of years ago on 'Positive Affirmation'. I will be what I will to be. I will do what I will to do.

Be in control of your life. Think about the results of what you do, what you see, what you say, to others and to yourself. If you criticize others, you are criticizing yourself because you are hearing what you are saying. If you use swear words, you are using the d-word or s-word for yourself. All those four-letter words which are not like the four-letter words 'nice', 'love', 'help' ... you know, those kind of nice words. I just heard myself saying those words and I feel better because of it than if I use the s-word and the d-word and all those other words, which I don't even know or want to know, I would impress my subconscious mind. The subconscious mind is like the hard disk of the computer. It remembers. Once it is programmed well, it continues acting out the program, 24 hours a day.

Well, let us ask ourselves what are we teaching the children on Halloween? To dress up like goblins, little devils because everybody is doing it. Christians are doing it, Jews are doing it. I don't think our Islamic brothers are allowing that to happen. I don't think our Hindus are doing this because they are too wise. They know that the impressions go into a child's mind.

What are we teaching the children? Trick or treat! You give me something or I will do a trick! I will give you a little push or I will break a window, get a cat and put in on your porch. Am I painting a picture? Do we understand each other?

We are teaching the children to be experts in the art of extortion.They will need to do that through their divorces. They will apply that later in their lives in many, very expensive ways for their opportunity because they have been watching. We are also teaching them, while they are being trained as an extortionist, to beat somebody else. Ghosts or goblins, a little devil. This is a high point in a child's life, Christmas, Santa Claus, Halloween? What else do they have to look forward to other than these beautiful festivals of their religion? I don't relate to these two.

Many children lose total confidence in adults when they find that they have been lied to and there really is no Santa Claus. Who could trust someone who would do that to you? They are being taught that deception is OK. It would be their soul that would say NO-K, it is not right. Well, a child's mind is open. It is a long life of, like a CD or tape recorder, lot of space to be filled in. First impressions are the strongest impressions in a child's mind. So, my advice and I am sure it would be yours because you are listening. We are in cyberspace. This is my electronic ashram, you have tuned in. Let us not train the children to be extortionists and absolve their conscience by making them somebody else than they. Not only that, but dressing them in hideous costumes. This is the festival when the astral plane opens up. The asuric forces are dense on earth and capture the children. Psychic people, you have heard of walk-ins? Then, what are you going to do?

You have got to raise the children and protect the children and help the children grow up, learning good values that extortion is bad, that deception is bad. You can do that. Think about it. Halloween is not for parents on the spiritual path or those who are leading their children on the spiritual path. It is going in the opposite direction. That is where it is headed.

Well, we will be seeing each other tomorrow. We have just finished a 2-day retreat and it has been wonderful, reflecting on the past and on the future. The subject of Halloween came up. You have heard my view.