The gifts of the Holy Spirit, also referred to as the 7 Gifts of the Holy Spirit, are the gifts which Roman Catholics, Anglicans and Lutherans consider the Holy Spirit gives away to the people for further their consecration and assistance in order to complete and to make the virtue perfect. These should not be confused with the ninefold fruit of the Spirit mentioned in the Bible.

Here are the seven gifts of Holy Spirit as itemized in Isaiah 11:2-3 along with their explanation as accounted in the Summa Theologica by St. Thomas Aquinas:

• Wisdom – Wisdom is one of the gifts of the Holy Spirit. This gift provides perfection in an individual's speculative reasons in the light of judgment about the truthfulness.

• Knowledge – Knowledge is one the gifts of the Holy Spirit. This gift provides perfection in an individual's practical reasons in the light of judgment about truthfulness.

• Counsel – Counsel, another essential among all other seven gifts of Holy Spirit, provides perfection in an individual's practical reason in the light of truthfulness as well as permits the individual to counter wisely.

• Fortitude – Fortitude, one of the most essential gifts of the Holy Spirit, provides the perfection of mind strength which is essential to maintain the goodliness as well as to fight off against evil spirit.

• Understanding – This gift is also known as 'Common Sense'. This gift provides the perfection of speculative reason in the realization of truth. This gift is applied when and where self-evident principles are apparent.

• Piety – Piety is a gift of the Holy Spirit, where we offer our service and reverence to the God as our father.

• Fear of the Lord – This is a gift of fear of being separated from the Almighty. It resembles the fear of separation that most children experience in their childhood when they keep separated from their parents. It is like that feeling of separation that we feel with an anxiety of getting detached from the Lord.

As illustrated by St. Thomas Aquinas, the first 4 gifts of the Holy Spirit are the gifts used to the direction of intellect, whereas, the last 3 gifts of the Holy Spirit are used to the direction of will-force towards God way.

There are seven capital virtues. These are the cardinal virtues referenced in the Christian philosophy. These seven capital virtues are – prudence, justice, restraint, fortitude, faith, hope, and charity. Now each gift corresponds to a particular virtue like follows: wisdom: charity; knowledge: faith; counsel: prudence; fortitude: fortitude; understanding: faith; piety: justice and fear of the Lord: hope.

Hindu afterlife is a vital concept in Hindu philosophy. According to the Hinduism, when an individual dies, s/he goes either to Swarga (heaven) or Naraka (hell). The heaven is constituted with deities, sages and pure souls. It is a place where pleasures are all around. On the other hand, hell is a place where people go, if they have committed sins in their lives. It is a place where pain is everywhere.

According to the scriptures found in Hinduism (Hindu Shastra), souls are immortal and eternal. Thus there are rebirth and soul reincarnation. This is where the concept of Hindu afterlife comes. A soul belongs to Jiva (life). This is limited with its own impurities of attachment, illusion and karmic law. Therefore, death is not the end of life, but a resting phase and a moment of preparation to continue the journey.

In Hinduism, there is no permanency for life or afterlife, unless the soul is liberated or getting moksha. These phenomenons are nothing but the segment of majestic illusion. Death can be explained as a temporary cessation of normal physical activity and a period for preparing the necessary resources to continue further journey. Each time the life experienced in this materialistic world offers the opportunity to gather knowledge or wisdom to manifest Samaskara, which determines the Karmic cycle in each life, while controlling the quality of life in each cycle.

According to Bhagavad-Gita, during afterlife soul travels along either of two ways. One way is governed by the presence of Sun, which characterizes the path of illumination or the path of Gods. On the other hand, the other way is governed by the presence of moon, which characterizes the path of darkness or the path of predecessors. When the soul travels along the path of Sun, it never returns back. On the other hand, the soul travels along the path of moon, returns back once again.

In Hinduism, it is believed that there are a multitude of heavens and hells and a soul can exist in any plane during the afterlife depending on its acquired Samaskara before it comes back again to experience another life cycle in the materialistic life. Hindu philosophy does not take a unanimous account on what happens to soul during its afterlife just it leaves the materialistic plane. Saivism, Vaishnavism and Shaktism offer their own unique perspective in this regard based on their individual religious belief.

Now it is time to uplift your awareness to Sahasra Chakra, where there is no Bhutas or Elements, where there is no Jnanendriya or Cognitive Senses, where there is no Karmendriya or no dynamic means of expression. It is the opening to the domain of pure consciousness. It is the point where one can sense the source of mind, which is free from the emergence of senses or elements (since the elements and senses emerge just below this level). At this level, the mantra is emerged in its subtler form, out of which the rest are emerged. The phase is realized in the perception of silence of the after the mantra OM is pronounced, which implies objectlessness and a sense-free awareness. At this state, one needs to state his or her mind in an absolute rest constituted with pure stillness coupled with non-empty form of emptiness, having the purest potential for manifestation, however, in non-manifested form.

permanent link: How to Enlighten Ajna Chakra

Now you have to lift up your awareness to the middle point of your eyebrows, while pronouncing the mantra 'OM'. You have to repeat this mantra without any interruption and follow its natural flow, over and over again. Follow the vibration and the rhythm embedded into it. Be careful about how the mantra 'OM' merges with the persistent form of vibration. Be aware of the fact that the mind has no constituents, however, originating from a distinctive source of air, water, fire, and earth. Be aware that the karmendriya is on the action by virtue of creation, procreation, embracement, movement and elimination. Sense how the chakra located at this position has no elements, however, acts as a recipient of all the senses of seeing, hearing, smelling, tasting and touching. Be aware of how the subtle senses coming from the inside of the subtle memories and experiences. Experience how the mantra 'OM' manifests itself beyond all senses experienced in and as in this materialistic plane.