•by James Kelleher•Author of 2 books on Vedic Astrology, James gives us a glimpse into the focused mind of a deep meditator.
At the moment we are passing through Dwapara Yuga, an age which is characterized by the growth of science and technology. Dwapara Yuga began around the time that the printing press was invented, when science and technology started to develop more rapidly.
The ancient seers had an amazing ability to use astrology to shed light on the events and trends of our world. They not only mapped out the ups and downs of civilization, but also described larger periods (Yugas) that coincided with universal trends of creation and destruction. They had an expanding and contracting model of our universe, and they believed that the universe was several billion years old. Not bad for a bunch of Yogis sitting in caves around 10,000 years ago.
How did they even come up with such sophisticated ideas that are very close to modern concepts of the universe? The answer to that is called “direct knowledge.” The nature of the mind is pure silence and pure knowledge. All one has to do is to simply experience the pure, silent nature of the mind, and any knowledge can be revealed directly.
It sounds easy, but it’s easier said than done. Our minds are filled with restless chaotic thoughts, and we are constantly distracted with various desires. Our modern world doesn’t help! In ancient times, Yogis spent long periods in deep meditation. Their total focus and fascination was with their inner experience. Instead of getting a PhD in engineering, they got a PhD in the science of their own minds. The result was the ability to access knowledge without reading books and without speculation and theory. They got their knowledge directly from the Source. That’s why we call them Seers.
You too can be a Yogi and experience the silence within your own mind. All you have to do is learn to meditate. Meditation is something anyone can do. It is simple, natural, and delivers a state of rest to the body that is deeper than your deepest sleep. It releases stress and has a wide range of physiological and psychological benefits. It might not make you a Seer overnight, but it can certainly improve your intuition. So why don’t more people do it? Beats me! Maybe it’s because there isn’t an app for it yet. But I’m sure that will simply be a matter of time.
• by Valerie Joy King • It’s vital to remember how powerful our thoughts are and how much we influence others just by the way we think about them. If we’re having difficulty with another person, it’s an incredibly powerful thing to visualize their positive attributes and see them in all the light they can potentially manifest.
In reality, whatever we think about another person can cause that person to reflect those thoughts back to us. If we’re holding negative thoughts of another, we’re going to strengthen those images. Yet, the beauty of it is that if we see them in a positive light, we help that light expand and grow in them. This is the gift of silent compassionate communication we can offer all the time.
There are many tools to aid your practice of compassionate communication. Some of these work from the outside in, and others work from the inside out. This is what Yogananda called the inner and outer path of Self-realization.
A good technique of meditation such as Kriya Yoga works from the inside, clearing out our personal karmic seeds and subconscious energies. As we practice, we lift these energies up into the light of consciousness, exchanging them with the pure life force of Spirit.
The other way of practicing is from the outside in, finding tools to use during everyday life. For example, before the thought of worry or frustration turns into something big, try to catch it. If you can be aware of it, sit with it and offer it up to Spirit. It’s like catching the mosquito before it bites, or a weed before it becomes bigger and stronger. You can nip it in the bud.
The ancient yogis state that if you make a habit of always speaking truthfully, your words become imbued with spiritual power. What is truth? Paramahansa Yogananda said, “Don’t speak unpleasant words even if true,” so there is a difference between the truth and the facts.
The truth is: You are an immortal soul. You are not this body; you are not this mind. Speaking truth means communicating in ways that strengthen those truths, those realizations, in yourself and others. That is the ultimate Truth.
Each year a special full moon occurs in May. If there are 2 full moons, it is the second of these and declared the celebration of Wesak, or Buddha’s commemoration. The name Wesak is derived from the Sanskrit name for this particular month.
Buddhist temples, decorated with the appropriate flags and flowers, are visited before dawn. Hymns are sung to celebrate the Buddha, his teachings (the Dharma), and his disciples (the Sangha). Processions with candles light up the evening.
During Buddha’s life, he told his followers to commemorate his life by living his teachings of compassion, peace, and good will, and by devotion to the service of humanity. Thus, at this time Buddhists give extra energy to performing noble deeds: observing vegetarian diet; offering donations of money and food to people and charity organizations in need; there are blood drives; and wild animals are released back into nature.
Buddha was born in 623 B.C. in India. It is believed that he attained enlightenment during the full moon in May, and that his final liberation from this material world was on the same day. Buddha’s birthday is also celebrated as being on this day by his millions of followers.
Buddha gained enlightenment while meditating under a tree (Ficus religiosa), called peepalin India. It has heart-shaped leaves, and is used medicinally. This kind of tree is said to live over 1500 years. A cutting from the original Bodhi tree was planted in Sri Lanka and is claimed to be over 2200 years old. In Burma, during Wesak, Bodhitrees are watered to ensure their survival through a dry summer.
•by Norman Paulsen, Sunburst Founder•In our self-conscious state of mind, we often think our Creator is so far away, someplace other than within us. We think: “Maybe It’s out there in space…” or “He’s on a mountaintop.”
The Divine’s consciousness inhabits the space between each atom, between each subatomic particle in our bodies. Meditation is so important to each of us, becausein the silence of our beings we can find this space where the Divine is. Just sit and be still. Pray that God will reveal himself, herself to you.
When we can perceive the center of our own consciousness, that smallest of all places within us, we can perceive God. We can hear the perpetual chant of AUM, of HUM. We can then perceive the Divine’s voice speaking to us—a real conversation with God. We hear words, actual replies to our questions.
What a wondrous thing it is that we have the ability within us to communicate with the Divine. So few really practice it! Yet, nothing on Earth is more important.
Jesus said: Seek first the kingdom of God, and: The kingdom of God is within you. How can we find it within us? We find it through true prayer and meditation.
O beloved Mother,we dedicate this day to your beautiful Earth, your garden floating in infinity.What a jewel it is! We dedicate our energy and our lives todayto helping preserve your garden here for your children, now and in the future.It is a blessing to be a caretaker of your Earth,so full of your Spirit.
We love you Father! We love you Mother! Open our consciousness to your presence. This day, let us all become warriors of light and truth, that we may go forth in your will and your guidance to help your world and your children.Amen
•by Dawn King• Saint Patrick’s Day (March 17th) is celebrated in many parts of the world. Lesser known is his contemporary, Ireland’s patroness, Saint Brigid of Kildare, also known as Bridget of Ireland. These two figures of renown lived around the year five hundred.
Brigid’s father was a Druid chieftain; her Portuguese mother had been captured and transported to Ireland by pirates. Brigid was named after the Druid goddess of fire, whose manifestations were song, craftsmanship and poetry. In that era, wisdom was shared through poetry, mostly sung; therefore poetry was considered to be the flame of knowledge.
Brigid the Druid goddess and Brigid the Irish saint share February 1 as their feast day. A simple form of woven cross is attributed to her. When attached to the ceiling (above the hearth) it was credited with preventing the home from catching fire; Irish homes had thatched roofs which burned readily.
Famous for her common sense and goodness, Brigid was honored for her compassion and generosity toward those in need. As a young girl, her only wish was to devote her life to God. Women had little opportunity to exert self-will, and her father forbade her aspirations.
Undaunted, she gave away the household bounty to others. Her father decided to let her become a nun after she gave his jewel-encrusted sword to a leper. She later established a convent for women and a number of charitable foundations.
One story is associated with the official blessing Brigid received to acknowledge her as Abbess of Kildare Abbey. This famous monastery accommodated both nuns and monks. During the ceremony, the elderly Bishop inadvertently read the wrong rites and consecrated her as a Bishop. At the time, this could not be rescinded under any circumstances. The Abbess position retained such power until the Synod of Kells in 1152.
During her own lifetime, Brigid was considered to be a saint. She is known today throughout Ireland, sometimes as “Mary of the Gael” (Mary of the Irish). An excerpted translation of the oldest account of Brigid follows:
Saint Brigid was not given to sleep, nor was she intermittent about God’s love; Not merely that she did not buy, she did not seek for The wealth of this world below the Holy One.
