•by Dawn King•Much as things may seem to be unchanging when we want them to change in some way (an illness, our paycheck, a government), Life is Change. We need to appreciate those things we count on each day. Take time to think about what those things are and be grateful for them. They may be gone tomorrow!
I’m stopping now to acknowledge those anchors in my life: my husband, my spiritual community, the wonderful area in which I live. No matter how much I may think of myself as a “loaner”, each of us needs our community, our “tribe,” because thetribal survival instinct is built into our DNA. If you haven’t done so already, find your tribe! Any group will do if it gathers due to a common interest that you enjoy pursuing. But it should be a physical face-to-face gathering to truly meet your need for tribe; i.e. not one on social media or Zoom.
We’re living in a time of amazingly rapid changes in technology and consciousness. As someone with many decades to reflect upon, I’ve experienced a much simpler life (the 60s and earlier), moving at a much slower pace. It was wonderful! We could actually digest the experiences of each day, instead of reeling from the dizzying barrage of stimulus that assaults us from every direction today.
How can we find our center in this busy world today? In perfect harmony with Paramahansa Yogananda and Sunburst’s teachings, Omar Itani reminds us of the ancient Japanese Wabi-Sabi philosophy:
“Wabi is about recognizing beauty in humble simplicity. It invites us to open our heart and detach from the vanity of materialism so we can experience spiritual richness instead. Sabi is concerned with the passage of time, the way all things grow, age, and decay, and how it manifests itself beautifully in objects. It suggests that beauty is hidden beneath the surface of what we actually see, even in what we initially perceive as broken. Together, these two concepts create an overarching philosophy for approaching life: Accept what is, stay in the present moment, and appreciate the simple, transient stages of life.
Strive not for perfection, but for excellence instead. In other words, simply do your best to be the best that you can be.
All things in life, including you, are in an imperfect state of flux. Change is the only constant. Everything is transient and nothing is ever complete. And that’s why perfection doesn’t exist.
Slow down and simplify your life. Otherwise, you’ll rush through it, arrive at the end and wonder, ‘What was the point?’ Slowing down is what helps you become a more observant person. Which then helps you become more self-aware.…Immerse yourself into the fabric of this universe and appreciate it for what it is: The joy of watering your flowers in the morning, the joy of watching a sunset, etc.
So what’s the problem with chasing success? First, it will always evade you. And second, it’s virtually impossible to be happy all the time. The root of all unhappiness is born from being discontent with where you are and what you have. It really is as simple as that. To be content with what you have and where you are is to be grateful. To be content with what you have and where you are, while working toward what you want, and fully trusting that you can achieve it, is to be intentional. And through gratitude, intention, and action, you find happiness.
But at its core, wabi-sabi reminds you that life is fragile and temporary, it is as impermanent as anything else in nature, so why not give yourself permission to be just that, yourself?”
You may want to read the whole article; it’s found at: https://www.omaritani.com/blog/
by Sharon Ray •Often great patience and perseverance is required on our journey toward God-realization. We are wanting to experience the Divine in a way that can be felt and remembered. Our Creator is our greatest example of patience! Desiring us to enjoy an expanded state of consciousness, the Divine yet waits…lifetimes for us to turn our hearts homeward to embrace Divine consciousness.
The Lord is a great fisherman! We are on God’s line, but she does not yank us in. The Beloved of Patience lets us run the line way out into the ocean! We swim out there and get our hearts broken making all kinds of mistakes we don’t know how to get out of. Then, the Lord of Love begins to slowly reel us in, and how willingly we come back! Given the example of God’s patience with us, we become inspired to be patient with others, as well as ourselves.
The great good news is that Spirit can be experienced right now as the consciousness that enlivens us. Our Creator is the inner silent witness to all that takes place. This is the open awareness in us that has always been there and has never changed: “Permanent, unmoving, the everlasting Seer of All,” is how Yogananda described it.
The Divine is the part of us that is conscious even when we’re not thinking. This awareness has been always with us, is with us now, and will always be with us. The silent witness in us is our direct and immediate communion with God. When we are silent and awake, we are one with the Divine consciousness that lives in us and is always connected to the vast great central Sun of I Am That I Am. The Beloved is not far away somewhere else, but closer than our minds—a more real part of us than our breath.
Let’s close our eyes and pay attention to that breath. Can you feel the witness who is paying attention to this moment? God is our conscious awareness that witnesses everything. Breathing, we invite the Light of I Am That I Am to fully illuminate our minds, our hearts, and every bit of our being.
by Norman Paulsen•Long ago in a vision, the “face” of God appeared to me as a great light, brighter than the physical sun. It identified itself to me as I Am That I Am, and conveyed the truth that the Divine is dual in nature. “I Am masculine; I Am feminine; I Am Thatness from which the two came forth.” Two equal forces neither stronger than the other, are active within the creation we observe around us every day.
“I Am That I Am” is one of the greatest mantras. When we identify with that life force and repeat those words with devotion and concentration, we will get an immediate response. We will experience that force, that life which is around and within us, keeping the atomic structure of our bodies functioning every microsecond of time.
We didn’t create ourselves, and don’t even run the inner mechanisms of our bodies. Who is doing all of this for us? There is a divine Being here in us right now that we can meet and know, who would walk fully conscious with us in these bodies it created!
There was once a devotee who was calling and calling on God, going every day to put flowers on the altar, meditating, praying, doing asanas—every practice he could think of. One day when he went to the altar, he was suddenly struck with illumination, and put the flowers on his own head! So it is when we start awakening into the Cosmic conscious mind that we begin to realize this body is a divine creation, spun together by dual divine forces.
Why does this creation exist? Why are all of us here? I Am That I Am says: “I created all of these beings so that I can become fully conscious in each one. I walk in the masculine and the feminine. I enjoy the experience of being human. I bathe in the waters. I gaze at the universe, and breathe the fresh air.”
To become fully conscious God-realized beings is what Spirit wants for all of us. Once you experience God-consciousness, it will never leave you. You may go astray, but it will never leave you. It’s like having a gentle hand on your head, always drawing you back to it.
Having this experience doesn’t mean you’re infallible, or that you don’t make mistakes. You’re like a child with a new sense added to the five outer senses. Call it the Cosmic sense, the Christ sense. It’s the sense that knows you are one with the whole cosmos, and it’s one with with us. The divine Being is you, and you are the divine Being, along with everyone else! Your awareness expands into everyone and everything you see. You realize that God is the only reality. Hold fast to that divine Being you know!
by Dawn King•The image for this article is of hands on a 9,000 year-old cave wall in Argentina. Isn’t it wonderful, as though all those people are reaching out to us from the past. We have to wonder what inspired them.
Creative expression is part of our DNA. The greatest creative energy of all has manifested each of us, and enlivens our every breath, so how could we not be creatively expressive beings as well? Art in every form, whether story telling, shaping clay, creating a song, or decorating a cake, is part of being human.
Psychologists tell us that being creative is vital for our well being, and believe it’s a mechanism to help us cope with life and prepare for challenges. A story from the journal Frontiers in Psychology:
A student was severely depressed because her grades were very poor, and she felt hopeless. At art therapy she selected a black marker and colored her entire page black. After looking at it for a while, she commented that it looked “really dark and bleak.”
She looked around and grabbed some pink sculpting clay, then started making flowers: “You know what? I think maybe this reminds me of spring.”
“Through that session and through creating art,” says her art therapist, “the student was able to imagine possibilities and see a future beyond the present moment in which she was despairing and depressed.”
As Thomas Merton has written: “Art enables us to find ourselves and lose ourselves at the same time.“ Today we might call this “being in the zone,” transcending time and space. Christianne Strang, a professor of neuroscience at the University of Alabama Birmingham (and a former president of the American Art Therapy Association) says: “Creativity in and of itself is important for remaining healthy, remaining connected to yourself and connected to the world.”
Scientific studies have shown that the brain’s reward center (the medial prefrontal cortex) has increased blood flow when study participants engage in art. Researchers conclude that art could be helpful for improving health, overcoming addictive behaviors, as well as mood and eating disorders.
So what does creative expression do for us? 1. It clears our head; 2. Helps us make sense of our emotions; 3. Relaxes and calms us; 4. Affords us a different way to communicate; 5. Helps us imagine a more hopeful future—to solve problems and face situations; 6. Activates the reward center of our brain (the medial prefrontal cortex); 7. Lowers stress and anxiety (cortisol levels); 8. Lets you focus deeply.
It takes a little effort, but is well worth letting the creativity within you express itself. Do it for your own self-enjoyment, and you will be improving the happiness consciousness on the planet.
•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.
