Light on Sunburst Sanctuary – Thankful for Winter Rain • Despite California’s widespread drought, Sunburst Sanctuary was recently blessed with generous rainfall. Nine inches in two days was enough to soak the dry land, but not so much as to cause extensive damage. A total of ten inches fell over 5 days. Creeks are full of water music. Preparations had been done to help prevent major runoff in newly seeded fields. Throughout the showers, turkeys and smaller wild birds continued to forage for food, as did deer and livestock.After the rain, Heiko graded the main road. Now we watch for early spring wildflowers like peonies. Pussy willow catkins are abuzz with bees in the naked branches of willow trees. There’s a connection between the perfect amount of rain Sunburst Sanctuary enjoyed in the most recent storms and our prayers and songs requesting it. Human desires do not go unnoticed on dimensions beyond our understanding. Even casual repeated thoughts have power. That’s why it’s important to be conscious and careful about what you think, what you wish for, and how you word your requests. You are more powerful than you realize! For blessings when you need them, acknowledge and be grateful for your current blessings.
Intuition has always been important in my life. When I was a small boy, intuition led me to the basement of the old Lompoc Library where I met a holy messenger. I’ll share another story from my youth.
Bud Bouchard was a farmer. He and his father had been farming the area around Northridge for years. I admired Bud. He hauled around a new four-cylinder diesel Caterpillar tractor on a trailer behind an old Model A. I wanted to learn how to drive that tractor in the worst way.
One day I found Bud parked in front of the post office. I stopped my bike, “Say Bud, do you need anyone to help you farm?”
He eyed me silently, “Well, Norm, you sure you really want to work?”
“I like to work hard, and I really want to learn how to farm.”
“Great. Jump in the truck; you can throw your bike in the back.”
Soon I spotted Bud’s yellow tractor in a big field as we pulled up.
“Get up there in the seat while I run you through it a few times.” Bud fired up the Cat and jumped into the seat beside me; we made a few turns around the field. “You got the feel of it now, Norm?”
I was a little dubious, but Bud went on: “Hook up the disk and have at it, I’ll be back in a couple of hours to pick you up.” Bud was putting me to a test, either I did or didn’t run this Caterpillar and disk up the field. If I did it properly, I had a job.
I began the job, sensing right away that my intuition would figure out how to disk the field properly. I followed my inner guidance. Two hours later I finished the field, tidying up the edges. After shutting down the machine, I sat there admiring my first completed job.
Bud showed up. “Hey, Norm,” he yelled, laughing. “You did okay. Not bad at all. Tomorrow I’ll show you how to get it ready to plant.” *
Years later, as a young man, I was led by Intuition to visit an artist with Autobiography of a Yogi on his coffee table. Seeing Yogananda on that book, my inner voice spoke loudly; I knew in an instant that I had to meet him. My life was changed forever, and eventually I was led to Santa Barbara to develop a spiritual community.
The all-seeing eye of God, the seat of Intuition, resides within each soul. Through Kriya meditation practice we return to our Divine Source, and commune with our Creator.
Practice patience, and listen to the voice of conscience, your intuition, when trying to make a decision. True direction from the pure Self does not arise from the emotions, nor from a confused mental condition. Be still and meditate a moment; listen to the space between your thoughts and you will receive the right direction.
* This story of Intuition in action is from Norm’s autobiography, Life, Love, God.
by Patty Paulsen • We’re each existing in our little spot on a tiny part of planet Earth, and all around us is space. As far as the mind can envision—even to the farthest of galaxies and the deepest of seas—Divine Consciousness is there. It’s everywhere, in every space, in every atom, and inside of us too. The kingdom of God is within us.
It’s easy to think of love in our own life, in our little circle of friends and loved ones. We learn a lot in those relationships, in that sharing, in the sacrifices and compromises we make for love. If we take a moment, we can realize how expansive love really is, this amazing, immense ocean of life, of love, of God. We can tap into cultivating divine love. We are very much a part of this ocean of love. We swim in it, yet sometimes feel separate from it,
There have been many saints and teachers, enlightened ones who have realized this love. Either in the body or out of the body, they still live in this ocean of love. They’re awake and ready to hear our call and our prayers, for they live in divine Love and in the joy and bliss of Spirit. To know that they are alive as we call them in, to join us in our meditations and be present with us on our journey is a real blessing.
This brings me to the teachings of Jesus. His whole message came from divine love and his great commandments to love God with all your heart, all your soul, mind, and strength. And, he said to love one another. He was aware of how powerful the heart is. Not just the physical heart that keeps us in this body, but the energy field and the astral center of the heart. The mind and the heart are very much connected.
I know for myself I had a blessed relationship, a marriage for many years. In our relationship, we always knew God was in the midst of us. There were three in our relationship at all times, as one. When my husband had to leave the physical plane, his love didn’t leave. It is as present this moment as it was then. Love is what gives us the joy of waking up every morning. If there was no love, what would we want to live for?
Yogananda speaks of cultivating divine love saying, “The world as a whole has forgotten the real meaning of the word love. You have to taste the fruit to know its flavor. So it is with love. All of you have tasted love in some form in your hearts. Therefore, you know a little about what it is. But have you understood how to develop love? How to purify and expand it into divine love? A spark of this divine love exists in most hearts in the beginning of life, but is usually lost because one does not know how to cultivate it. The satisfaction of love is not in the feeling itself, but in the joy that feeling brings.”
Consciously invoke the Divine in the temple of silence, and in deeper mediation find Him in the temple of bliss. The kingdom of God is just behind the darkness of closed eyes, and the first gate that opens to it is inner peace. Peace and joy are the voices of God that have long been ignored and forgotten in the din of human passions. Through meditation, we still our restlessness, focusing our attention at that point between the eyebrows. Thoughts, like clouds, begin to dissipate without distracting us anymore, and we remain focused on this presence of peace. It’s in this daily practice that we begin to cultivate divine love.
by Barbara McCaughey • I once saw someone demonstrate two types of surrender in body language. The first type had shoulders and head drooping forward, arms limp in the lap. The second type had arms, face, and palms up toward the sky. I thought, “The heart must open, and the arms create a funnel for spirit to enter.” When that happens, we’re guided and more comfortable living in the moment.
Think of surrender as a way of allowing space in your consciousness for the Divine to enter. You can gain a glimpse of what you truly are when you reflect your divine nature.
Letting go of the ego is an act of continuous courage. The self-conscious ego thinks it’s separate from its Creator, and from the creation. Ego wants to amass things, thoughts, and knowledge…and protect it all. Although the self-conscious ego experiences the ups and the downs of life’s drama, it’s afraid to let go. It’s not really sure what will happen when it surrenders to divine guidance.
But when we have the desire to start letting go, then we’re led to a way that helps us. For many of us, that way has been Kriya meditation, which allows us to live our lives more consciously. Norman Paulsen, founder of Sunburst, lived a life that was a beautiful demonstration of surrender. Life, Love, God, his autobiography describes Norm’s spiritual journey in detail. From the time he was a child, he desired to meet God, and this was strengthened when he met his teacher Paramahansa Yogananda, who taught him Kriya Yoga. Later, Divine Mother revealed herself to Norm’s consciousness. He said that then his physical mind, self-conscious ego, and personality had to stand aside. It was his own pure Self that spoke directly to Divine Mother. As she promised, seven days later she returned and presented him to Divine Father.
Norm said he felt no fear. He was able to look within and see that he had no other desires. “There’s nothing else in this world that I want, only you. Only you, Lord!” It was the continuous practice of surrender that led him to that day.
Many years ago I was sitting in meditation; it was a very difficult time in my life. I was lamenting to Spirit, “I’ve got this challenge, and that challenge; what am I going to do?” The thoughts felt like a moving freight train. All of a sudden, it’s like the brakes were engaged. My mind was flooded with thoughts from Spirit, showing me all the blessings in my life—blessings I was ignoring.
I was left feeling, “With all that I’ve been given, how could I not fulfill my mission to be loving, and to keep surrendering to the Divine?” Almighty Spirit, Help me to be very present with You in this moment, that I might see a glimpse of who I truly am. Amen.
by Letha Kiddie•January brings us into a time of reflection and projection each year. Looking back over past months, we notice some of the patterns that emerged of both happiness and suffering. Now it’s time to take note of where we wish to direct our future energies.
We ask ourselves, have we found peace in ourselves and brought peace to others? Have we had kindness for all? Do we carry the deep integrated wholeness of our body/soul connection? And how do we know what our souls’ intentions for this lifetime are?
The main purpose for learning how to meditate in silence, to sit without struggle, to close ones’ eyes without falling asleep, to open and to discover the light of the Pure Self, is all about connecting with our souls’ purpose and simply becoming the most spacious version of ourselves possible.
The cycles of life are continuously working to create, maintain, and transform us. It is not hard to look and notice the advancements in technology, but it is harder to notice the subtler advancements of our own levels of awareness.
This year let us commit to exploring some of these unseen vistas inside of us. Let us commit to learning how to sit in meditation with an open heart and an open mind… empty, yet full.
As we take a deep in-breath and exhale slowly, we begin to let go of the past year, its struggles and triumphs, its victories and its pain. We give way for the New to dawn brightly in our consciousness. Each season gives way to the next bringing us understanding and peace.
Join me in this adventure of inner-discovery, a quest for a full and balanced life. Let us be inspired by the light that illuminates from within. Blessings and Namaste.
Light on Sunburst Sanctuary – Range Management • January
“Do what you love to do, and be around things that make you smile. The cows make me smile every day.” – David Jackson
Sunburst is a sanctuary in nature not only for people, but also for flora and fauna, plants and animals, wild and domestic. Management of 4,000 acres of mostly wild land is a challenge. Potential fires, erosion, and useful resources are all taken into consideration, with permaculture in mind. If the land is healthy, the animal ecosystem prospers too. We are all connected. Overgrowth of flammable foliage is managed with the help of cattle that also fertilizes the land, and develops passable trails for other wildlife and people. Sunburst’s livestock, cattle and horses, are people friendly, especially the horses. You wouldn’t be able to pet a cow, bull or calf, because their tendency is to stay clear of people, although they find people fascinating to watch. Plant communities have developed with grazing animals throughout history, making grazing animals important to the wellbeing of these plants. The goal is a healthy balance of plants and animals.
