by Valerie Joy King • In New Mexico, there was a terrible drought. The earth was parched and cracked; all the plants were dying. The situation had become desperate. Finally the local people asked an old Hopi man named David to help them pray for rain. The next day the rain came, and afterwards people asked him how it had happened.
David answered, “I didn’t pray FOR rain. I prayed RAIN.”
His technique was to first ground himself very deeply in the consciousness of Spirit. Perhaps he used a technique similar to Sunburst’s Kriya meditation. Then he used his imagination to picture the rain. He saw himself outside with heavy dark clouds above. He felt his skin and hair wet with raindrops. He felt the earth and plants drinking deep draughts of water. Mud oozed between his toes. He was dancing with joy—all of this during his meditation, and in his imagination. He also was expressing deep thankfulness for the experience.
When I heard this story, I understood more clearly that positive projection is really the same thing as true prayer. Whether or not we use words to pray, the essence of prayer is the energy we put forth. Vivid images help us put forth the energy more strongly. Like the waters from the rain clouds, you can imagine the radiant health, peace, and abundance of Spirit pouring onto your loved ones, and upon the Earth itself.
It is said that if you can reach deeply into the Divine, then use your vivid imagination, whatever you imagine MUST come to pass; so be certain it’s positive. It comes to pass because it has already happened in the consciousness of Spirit. I Am That I Am truly lives within us; this is the same being who created the entire universe and beyond. This strength is available for each of us. It is not by the power of our own small self, but by the strength and power of Spirit within us that we can imagine, and project, and be thankful.
Reflecting on this, I was reminded of what a powerful healing prayer our meditation technique is. In meditation we are visualizing and moving the living white light all through our bodies and spirits. With every breath we are actually energizing the thought and image that illumination is infusing every cell of our being; there is no separation between us and our Creator. The stronger my imagination becomes, the more I will radiate that light and all its beauty. What greater service can we offer than bringing the balance and radiance of deep peace and joy to our suffering world?
by Dawn King • We receive physical rain in season, a great blessing on our earth, but daily we also receive Spiritual rains of divine love gently falling on us to soothe us, to heal us. There are so many hidden things in our world, things we don’t hear or see but which ARE taking place and existing around us.
At one point there was an article in many publications about scientists exploring the inaudible rumble and vibration that is on the surface of our planet. It’s inaudible to us but so pervasive that if it was audible it would drown out all the normal sounds that we experience with our ears. And just as the Earth vibrates with an inaudible hum, as scientists have called it, so too we each hum with an inaudible sound that expresses our vibration.
We not only have these bodies to experience and express through, but we each have an aura about us, a sea of emotions, thoughts, habits, and life force. Some psychics can see this aura and some of its content. When I was studying a lot of astrology charts, a healer I know could see the chart form I used floating in my aura. She described it to me, much to my surprise.
This personal sea and what is in it is moderated by each of us, consciously or unconsciously. It is our own little environment, our own atmosphere. We might question if it’s becoming polluted, or if it’s healthy. Each day we have an opportunity to address what causes us pain, unhappiness, and suffering. To be conscious of what these are, what might make us ill, we must make an effort to be vigilant, to observe ourselves, our habits and our thought processes, to observe ourselves as we act, think and speak. This is introspection.
Meditation is very powerfully helpful; it can lead and guide us forward. In meditation we let go of our busy worldly thoughts and desires, our negative feelings. Through Kriya meditation we can dissolve the karmas lodged within our auras and chakras affecting our bodies. We can dive deep into the healing waters of Spirit. We turn our attention inward to see, hear, feel, and taste the Divine in the depth of our spirits. This is our super power. Through our wisdom guided willpower, we then have the strength to make the needed changes in our attitudes, thoughts, and actions.
What am I doing? What effect is it having on me? Am I reacting to people and things around me, or am I consciously acting from a point centered in Universal consciousness? Even background thoughts and attitudes can become habitual. “Oh, I’ll do that later…Oh, that person doesn’t look like my type; I’m not going to like them.”
We probably have habitual ways of thinking, acting, and reacting even to the foods we eat or choose. These actually become groves in our aura, easier and easier to repeat, easily becoming a habit for good or ill. It takes determined, and persevering conscious willpower to change, but prayer and meditation can help. Ask the universe and the angels for help, that you might become the shining happy person that you know you can be, the loving giving person who has so much to offer during this troubled time on our planet.
Meditation and introspection increase our awareness of what we need to change in ourselves, of how we are being self-destructive. We can have helpful revelations about ourselves—really see ourselves—and the steps we need to take to enjoy life more, and to be better attuned to Universal love and laws.
It is a wonderful thing to truly embody and experience the Creator’s love and light, our source. My prayer for you today is that you and I can let go of our moods, our bad habits, even the little things that do not serve us. Little negative thought habits can clutter our auras, muddy our thinking, and hold us back. We want more light, love, and joy in our lives, and we want to share this with others in greater abundance.
During our meditations, and whenever we can think to do so, let us ask Spirit to inspire us in how to move forward and improve ourselves. In the silence when we are listening for an answer, our reward will be feeling the Divine’s tremendous love for us. We will soon know how to move forward, and have the strength and resolve to do so.
Most loving Mother-Father Divine, let us rejoice in this beautiful life, this wonderful opportunity to know You, and to dance upon the Earth sharing your love, sharing the beauty you have created here. Let us never forget that this moment, NOW, is all we have. Amen
by Heiko Wirtz • Many people think about developing positive habits that will help them build a strong spiritual practice. When I think about that, I realize that it really starts with devotion and inward connection.
When I was younger, I read in “The Autobiography of a Yogi” about a time when Paramahansa Yogananda first had a glimpse, a vision, of the presence of the inner Sun. Reading this stirred something within me; I wanted to know God, too. I wanted to have that connection.
How could I get my focus and my love to come to that point where I was so open, that I could receive the Divine? Everywhere I looked—in the sunshine, in the glistening waters, in the trees—I could feel the vibration of God. Every cell of my body was created by God. But why did I have a consciousness that felt separate? These thoughts were beginning to deepen my spiritual quest.
This is a good time to consider your own beginnings of connection, of search. How did that evolve into your present moment? How close is Spirit? Each of us has to learn how to go within to answer that question. You have to unlock the doors inside, the chakras of your inner-dimensional spine. You have to become strong.
God will guide you every moment, but you have to trust, and inwardly believe you are on your path, and you are walking it. Then no matter where you go, you have that connection. You have that inner goal, and it is calling you. Every time you make space and remember what really lies just next to your thoughts, you connect. You make the Light notice you, and you honor it.
In your deep meditation, feel your energy moving inward, naturally pulling away from your outer limbs, your hands, your arms, inward to the center, to the core of your being. Your body is just there, but your consciousness resides deeper than that. With every breath it becomes more concentrated. Bring your energy up to the seat of your soul, to the third eye, and send out to the Divine your love, all that you are, as an offering. Then feel the divine blessing that offering. Feel it cocoon you with energy radiating from the crown of your head. You can send that energy to those you love, to all that you know, and to the world. Align your will with Spirit’s will. “Be still, and know that I am God.”
Strength lies in this connection, and the connection will show you how to live your life. It will show you when you need to sit down in your closet and practice your meditations. All you need to do is create a space in yourself where it can reside and teach you.
Let your consciousness remember the Divine always. Remember your journey. Remember to go within when it calls you. May we all connect to that light in greater abundance, and share all that we have learned with the rest of this planet. Send out your love!
by Valerie King •
Letting your eyelids gently close,
look to that place in front of you,
the screen upon which the inner-dimensional
tunnel and star of Christ first appears.
As you become conscious of your breathing,
become conscious of your thoughts
slowing and becoming deeper.
Imagine you are diving deep into a beautiful ocean,
looking intently to find
that precious pearl that lies at the bottom.
The more quiet your thoughts become,
the deeper you can dive.
That precious pearl, that star of light,
is your true Self.
This body that you live in, this personality
with all its thoughts, emotions, and desires,
is simply the clothing that you wear.
It is not your true being.
Who are we?
Who is I Am That I Am?
Who is the I Am that exists at the very root,
the very core of our being?
This is what our meditation is for:
to rediscover who I Am really is.
by Sunburst Friend and Vedic Astrologer James Kelleher • Helping people is a good thing to do, but it can be complicated. Sometimes the person doesn’t want the help you want to give. Sometimes they are even literally unable to accept help. Other times, you think that you can help, but find out that you have overestimated your ability to help them.
When he was alive, my teacher, Sadguru Sivananda Murthy and I had a conversation in which I asked him, “It seems to me that giving to other people doesn’t really help them most of the time. If you see a guy on the street who looks like a drug addict and he is asking for money for food, you get the impression that he is not going to use the money for food. He will probably use if for drugs or alcohol. Should you give the man money?”
Sivananda Murthy said, “Yes, just give him something. It doesn’t matter what he is going to do with the money. Besides, you don’t know, he might actually buy food with it. It’s not your job to control what he does with your gift. Give him the money because it is good for you. The gift of money will most likely not help him, but the compassion you feel when you give it will help definitely help you.
The motivation for helping someone can be complicated. Why do you actually want to help? Most people help others out of a belief or story about themselves. The logic goes like this. “I learned from my parents that good people help others. I am a good person. Therefore, I am the sort of person who helps others.” When the person finds an opportunity to help someone, they do it, at least in part because it confirms their story about themselves. It makes them feel good about themselves. There’s nothing wrong with this type of giving. We all have stories about ourselves. It’s a lot better to see yourself as a good person than to see yourself as a dirty rotten scoundrel. But that type of giving takes place in your head. It’s not a spontaneous thing, and it is rooted in the ego.
Some people take if further by then telling their friends about their act of charity. They may not actually be bragging, but just sharing something they enjoyed doing. When other people acknowledge their generous act, that reinforces their story about being a good person even more deeply. I don’t want to sound religious here, but in his Sermon on the Mount, Christ said, “When you give to the needy, do not let your left hand know what your right hand is doing”. Most Christian clergy interpret this to mean that you shouldn’t brag about it when you do good. The Vedic interpretation of this is that you shouldn’t even take ownership of the action. The action should be spontaneous and so intensely present that you don’t even see yourself as the doer. That way, there is no sense of a story to reinforce. From the Vedic perspective, true virtue is the natural spontaneous expression of a truly silent mind.
In the Bhagavad Gita, Krisna advises Arjuna to do his duty as a warrior and to protect the innocent, after first immersing himself in meditation. He tells him, “Established in Being, perform action.” Real virtue comes out of a silent mind. A silent mind has no agenda and is devoid of stories. Acting from a platform of silence, the mind doesn’t audit your action. There is no thought of yourself as a doer of good.
Unfortunately, most of us have minds that are constantly filled with an endless stream of thoughts, beliefs and stories. Does that mean that we should give up on trying to do good? Of course not. Just go for it and do your best. Actually, doing good, even if you are validating a story about being a good person, helps to quiet the mind. Virtue is simple. Like meditation, it brings greater silence to the mind.
It’s just cause and effect, like in physics. According to Newton’s third law, every action has an equal and opposite reaction. What goes around comes around. As you sow, so shall you reap! That’s the simplified, but very true statement about karma. It’s just physics. Albert Einstein said that, “Compounding interest is one of the greatest miracles known to man.” I would add that the habit of doing good, is like putting money in a bank account that has compounding interest. The Vedic tradition holds that the law of Karma is the most relentless force in the Universe.
For more from James, see: https://jameskelleher.com/
