• by April • The world I dream of living in, creating, and being a part of…
Society truly exists as one heart. Being“real.”
Not wondering if someone is being honest.
Not hiding behind shadows.
Expressing oneself freely without fear/concern of being judged, because no one judges.
Having and being a friend where endless patience, support and encouragement is prevalent.
All animals are loved and revered and are protected from all harm.
Children are encouraged to be themselves. Starting in school by hearing the questions: What excites you? What makes you feel impassioned? What do you want to learn about? What are you curious about? What does your heart whisper to you? What is important to you? How best can you help others? What is love to you? These are a very small list of questions to jump start every child’s life journey.
Experiencing nature every day is commonplace.
Sunrises and Sunsets have deep meaning that everyone understands.
All the elements are experienced in a plethora of ways.
Everyone is encouraged to be their best self. No matter how many lessons it takes, or how long it takes, knowing you are loved and supported, and
you will eventually be the best version possible.
All talents are recognized, needed and appreciated.
All jobs/responsibilities are honored. None better or more important than another.
Respect, kindness and gratitude are natural/common expressions.
The gifts of Mother Earth and all the elements are always loved, respected and understood.
Every person on Mother Earth, knows that everything they need for any reason lies within them.
All life’s wisdom is within every person’s heart flame.
It’s up to each individual to awaken the flames of creation.
Every human being knows to love themselves, the greatest love of all.
•by Norman Paulsen • One morning while meditating, I experienced a vision. I found myself standing on the ridge above the lodge at our wilderness sanctuary. In the vision, I was looking out across the hills and up the canyons, It was foggy and the sky was gray. I wondered what the meaning was for this early morning vision. Then I noticed it showed that the livestock gate was open to the mesa.
As I drove to the sanctuary several hours later, Spirit said, “You’d better check the bulls.” So I went up the road and onto the mesa. Out towards the water tanks I saw two of the younger bulls, but none of the older ones. I looked all around, then went back up the ridge toward the gate. Here was the same scene that had been shown to me in my meditation earlier that morning. Upon reaching the gate, I could see that someone had left it open. It was clear that the older bulls were now loose on the sanctuary somewhere! We had a big job to do now!
This experience continued to show me that we can be in tune with God, with life, with our projections and responsibilities. Yes, we can receive direction and inspiration to help us see things BEFORE they happen, and try to prevent them, or make them easier to deal with. After many years of meditating daily, I cannot function correctly in my work and carry out my day if I don’t go to the well of Spirit and drink with God. It has become a habit for me to sit down and meditate each morning.
To meditate in the morning with the rising sun is to bring the sweetness of God’s presence into our life for the whole day, to receive instruction mentally and visually. We arrive at the right time and the right place for the right thing to happen for us, not too early or too late. When we are on God’s time, meditating and praying every morning, wondrous things begin to happen in our lives. We see God fulfilling our selfless desires, and freeing us up for the journey ahead.
•by Dawn King•[Photo: an Asian Autumn Festival] •On September 22, in the Northern Hemisphere we will be starting the season of Fall. What difference does that make in our daily lives? Most noticeably since mid June 21, days are getting shorter and nights longer. In fact September 22 gives us equal days and nights, which is why that date is called the Autumnal Equinox. Some cultures start their calendar year with this celestial phenomena. Some of the Earth-orbiting satellites will experience repeated interruptions of operations for a few days during and around the equinox due to the Earth’s shadow preventing continuous communications.
What you and I need with our own divine selves are “continuous communications.” Although it may be a very busy time with calls for parties and shopping (think Halloween, Thanksgiving, and Christmas), Fall leads us toward the more introspective months of Winter. It’s a time when we especially need to be mindful of staying centered…maintaining a consciousness of Spirit here and now.
Each day when we meditate (hopefully morning and evening if only for 5 minutes each time) we are focused on what is most important—taking care of ourselves. Maybe we focus on breathing and find stress dissolving. Perhaps we feel gratitude while reflecting on the positives in our life. In this quiet space we can distance ourselves from difficulties, and strengthen ourselves with affirmations. And when we meditate deeply we find a healing peace and joy fills us.
Let’s not feel obligated to participate in activities that don’t serve us. You have choices! As Fall begins, set parameters for yourself on what you want this season to look and feel like for you. Choose wisely what you do, and what you offer to do for others. Keep long-term effects and outcomes in mind. Uplifting thoughts and actions will elevate the holidays, and beyond. Letting go of annoyances and ignoring obstacles will help you stay centered.
“Taking life seriously does not mean spending our whole lives meditating in a cave. In the modern world we have to work and earn our living, but we need not live without any view of the deeper meaning of life. Our task is to strike a balance, to find a middle way, to learn not to overstretch ourselves with extraneous activities and preoccupations, but to simplify our lives. In Buddhism, discipline is to do what is appropriate or just. The key to finding a happy balance is simplicity. It is one thing to set out on the spiritual journey. It’s quite another to find the patience and endurance, the wisdom, courage, and humility to follow it to the end.” – Sogyal Rinpoche
•by Letha Kiddie•The real aim of meditation is unlocking our heart’s natural devotion for God. The Kriya meditation technique helps us to detach ourselves from the demands and images of daily life. By focusing our awareness on the breath as it moves through each chakra, we purify and energize those centers in our spine and brain, become more receptive to the currents of life force which give us life.
The meditation technique is essential in overcoming the ceaseless flow of thoughts that would keep us from realizing our goal of illumination. Even if you start with five minutes of meditation in the morning and five minutes in the evening, as long as you do something every day, changes will happen.
An important factor is the devotion with which we meditate. Over time, your desire to sit with God will grow. Your thought processes will slow down and your heart will open. You can then enjoy deep communion with whatever image of God you hold, or simply be bathed in the peace, joy, and healing of the Divine.
“Meditate more; go deep. By changing your habits you will awaken in your heart the memory of God’s wondrous Being, and knowing God, there is no doubt that you will love the Divine.” – Paramahansa Yogananda
It is our birthright to experience the uplifting that comes from growing closer to our Creator, experiencing the “breath of life.” The dual aspect of our Creator as Mother and Father can continually wrap us in a cocoon of love, peace, and rapture. The more we fully concentrate with love and devotion in our meditation, the more progress we will make on our inward journey, and the more we will feel at home with the meditation process.
Norman Paulsen, Sunburst’s Founder, has said: God is a living Being we can know and communicate with personally. Our secret thoughts and deepest desires are known by God. The greatest moment of all occurs when we truly realize that God exists and is teaching us how to walk through this life. We then know that we are not alone. We must listen deeply for our Creator’s instructions on how to live correctly; then happiness will come.
To meditate deeply requires us to sit very still; still in mind as well as body. Actually doing so, of course is a problem that we all have in varying degrees. It is important, though, because God’s voice inside of us is a quiet one that only grows louder as we make the effort to listen to it. That means stilling ourselves to all of the other voices around and within us.
If you live with other people, and they are not also trying to meditate, then there can be quite a bit of distraction around you. If so, try to meditate after everyone else is in bed, or have a set time for meditation when others agree to be quiet. Having a regular time for meditation also helps your body and mind become accustomed to that time and makes it easier to be still. A comfortable pair of ear plugs could also help.
When you stretch before meditating, it relaxes your body and prepares your mind for the idea that you are about to be still. Three slow deep breaths in and out can energize you at the start of the day, or let go of a busy day when it’s over.
At home and at work, there is always more than enough to do, but the spiritual path needs to be a balanced one. We need to convince ourselves that making time specifically for Spirit is important. Spirit created us and gave us free will. That’s because our love for Spirit would mean nothing if we were all programmed like robots to love our Creator. By our free will we can choose to love Spirit and make time to express it: “Nothing else matters as much to me right now than sitting in quiet meditation to experience Your Presence.”
Helpful to meditation is the practice of God’s presence in all that you do throughout the day. Being still within involves training our mind to be one-pointed; we can make an effort to keep the mind from wandering during daily activities. Likewise, we can maintain focus on Spirit as the doer through us.
Sunburst’s Founder, Norman Paulsen shared: By continually planting positive seeds of focused meditation, and making the effort to live as Spirit intended us to live, we overcome the negative forces—we split the darkness around us, and experience the Divine with its radiant spheres of brilliant light. Once seeing, we know.
