by Dawn King • It was early morning and I was about to crack an egg into the frying pan when my husband startled me, and I jumped. The egg flew from my hand onto the top edge of the dishwasher door, which was slightly ajar. Next it careened onto the laminate floor.
I’ve dropped eggs a few times over the years, each time resulting in an eggy, gooey mess. But this time a miracle—the egg was intact. Though the shell was cracked, it still clung to the egg. The membrane inside was unbroken, so nothing leaked out. “Whew!” I exhaled.
Instantly a Divine message entered my consciousness. “I AM taking care of you, just like this egg.”
“Wow!” a feeling of relief came over me. Like so many of us since Covid arrived, my whole life has been in tumult for a number of months. Various circumstances have compounded upon the situation, leaving us in a state of worry and uncertainty about the future.
Ideally, we would live in the present, unconcerned about tomorrow. But even the birds outside my window prepare for tomorrow.If they’re acorn woodpeckers, they gather acorns and stash them. And all birds make nests in preparation for the coming of a new brood.
Humans not only want to prepare for tomorrow, but want to feel that there’s safety in the future. This is hard when life throws you a sudden, unexpected challenge. It can be hard even when you see the challenge imminently bearing down on you. What to do?
Sunburst’s founder Norm Paulsen seemed to advise meditation as the solution for everything. The longer I live, the more I learn how effective regular meditation, and devotion to Spirit is. Through meditation we learn to realize and reflect on the many gifts of Spirit in our lives. This leads us to love the Divine, and want to be closer to, and more in harmony with our Creator.
Norm once said: “Each time that we meditate, the imprint of our heart’s love leaves an eternal picture in the mind of our Creator.…We are part of immortal life, here in this world for such a short time.…We were each created perfect in the beginning. Let us strive to regain our perfection.”
From the Divine Heart of Love, we have each come. Divine Love is the Seed within each of us. When we connect with that Seed and nourish it, in turn it nourishes our spirits. If the ability to meditate eludes us, we can still reflect on the blessings of each day, and develop love by loving those around us, realizing they too are divinely created and sustained, just like us.
Love inspires Faith in us that helps us hear and know the truth of its message: “All is well; I Am taking care of you. Seek me and listen.”
Today we honor the memory of Paramahansa Yogananda, and his mahasamadhi on March 7, 1952. Mahasamadhi is a final, intentional and conscious exit from the body.
by Fredd Dunham • Paramahansa Yogananda was an amazing being, a modern day saint, who was born into this life fully conscious of who he was before, and where he was going in this life. He expressed the frustration as an infant of not being able to communicate, with many languages running around in his head. His parents lived a spiritual lifestyle in harmony with each other on their spiritual path. He became a member of the Swami order and his name was changed from Mukunda to Yogananda, which means bliss through union. On March 7, 1952, for the final time he consciously left his body in an incorruptible state; over the next 30 days it did not decay. This made headlines in the L.A. Times.
Yogananda was an avid traveler as a youth. Throughout India he met and conversed with sages, saints and yogis of all persuasions. In 1920, he was sent by his teacher, Sri Yukteswar, and Babaji to America to teach Kriya yoga meditation in the west. He founded Self-Realization Fellowship upon arrival, and spent 15 years traveling around the U.S. speaking in the largest halls available to sold out crowds. People came to hear this amazing man speak so eloquently about his experiences with God, and how yogic teachings were the same as the teachings of Jesus.
In 1935, tired of traveling, Yogananda concentrated his energy on building S.R.F. as a legal religious organization in California. He attracted souls that were seriously interested in obtaining God realization themselves. In the 1950s, he developed the Los Angeles Lake Shrine Temple and Gardens. A beautiful 5-acre lake is surrounded by a walkway and lush gardens. When built, it was a landmark in L.A. It includes a world peace shrine holding ashes of Mahatma Gandhi, who had been a friend of Yogananda.
Yogananda personally instructed over 100,000 people in the method of Kriya yoga meditation. He was indefatigable in his effort to work for Spirit so that every soul could reach its ultimate goal of illumination while leading an active life. Yogananda touched thousands of people when he was alive, and ultimately millions of people through his book, Autobiography of a Yogi.
My life was first touched by Yogananda in the late sixties when I was living in a small trailer. Yogananda’s student, Sunburst founder Norman Paulsen, had previously started teaching Kriya yoga to interested young people in this very same trailer. I came across Autobiography of a Yogi and started reading. About halfway through the book, I decided I would try to meditate.
I sat down on the bed and closed my eyes, doing my best to meditate without any instructions. A gigantic vortex of light came down into the room and surrounded me, like a whirlwind. I felt the life-changing touch of Divine Spirit, and shortly thereafter met Norman and moved to Sunburst Community where he was continuing the work of Yogananda.
God is for everyone. We can know God through a personal, direct experience of the Creator; it’s for each and every one of us to make that connection and know our destiny. Oh mighty Spirit, all you elders and saints in the light, be thou with us now. Touch each one of us; inspire us onward that we might know you, Oh Christ Spirit come into us, fill us with your divine radiance, and lead us in this life, closer to you and all the angels. Amen
by Dawn King • We’re always happy to have a sudden pleasant surprise, especially something that seems like a miracle. But every day offers us numerous mini-miracles, in which we can find just as much happiness and pleasure. Life is richer and more supportive when you start to realize the many miracles that allow us to exist, to experience, and to reflect.
When we want more happiness in our days, it’s worth taking the time to consciously acknowledge the blessings of each day. Often these “miracles” are the things we experience every day: good friends, family, a job we like, our health, our home, etc.
“People usually consider walking on water or in thin air a miracle. But I think the real miracle is not to walk either on water or in thin air, but to walk on Earth. Every day we are engaged in a miracle which we don’t even recognize: a blue sky, white clouds, green leaves, the black curious eyes of a child—our own two eyes. All is a miracle.” – Thich Nhat Hanh, The Miracle of Mindfullness
Pausing in our day to be fully conscious of the moment, can bring us new realizations of the miracles all around us. Regular meditation times can help us develop this consciousness. But the more we can pause to take a deep breath and reflect, even if it’s in the midst of activity, the more we will come to fully experience and appreciate each moment.
When life is not going well, it’s an even more important time to reflect on the moment. If we can flip our mind to the positive side, and focus on what is going well in this difficult time, we will attract more miracles into our days. Life is always trying to give us a life preserver, a solution, or a new way to connect with it.
At the start of the Covid shutdown in California, I was embarking on a much anticipated trip to Mexico with a friend. It was the miracle of a vacation, which I sorely needed. After hours of travel and our failure to cross the border, exhausted, we retreated to her home at 2 a.m. She then invited me to stay and vacation at her house. It was another miracle that gave me a much needed rest from responsibilities at my home.
In reflecting, I’ve also realized that what I always thought was one of the worst years of my life was actually one of the best. When I was in the 4th grade, my teacher who was very stern, drilled us endlessly with multiplication tables and homework. We spent hours practicing our writing, and I got into trouble for acting too funny.
The gift in all this was: that same year I gained a pen pal in another country and won some writing contests, and then in 5th grade I got to trade math for art class. It took me many years to appreciate the positive side of what I’d always considered a dark year in my life. If you reflect long enough, you may also find that your darkest moments have some of the greatest gifts in them. Meanwhile, I hope you find the miracles and blessings of today.
P.S. My inspiring friend Shawn Anderson shared this: At the end of each day, I ask myself: “What was today’s highlight?” I reflect, write my answer on a small slip of paper, fold it, and put the day’s highlight in my Dream Box…an accountability tool to keep me connected to remembering that every day has something good about it, a highlight. The Dream Box also reminds me that dreams, goals, and wishes articulated on paper are the first step in making them happen. Life is as magical as we choose to make it! *Free newsletterShawnAnderson.com
by David Adolphsen • I’ve been reflecting lately on my relationship with Spirit. It’s a relationship that started when, as a young adult, I became aware of my attraction to the inner world, to the love and complete feeling of connectedness that can happen in a life of Spirit.
Now I realize that my daily meditation practice is like having a date every day with Divine Spirit. I set some time aside each day to sit with Spirit, to connect through meditation and devotional prayer.
Like any relationship, there are times when it’s easier to feel the love for that divine partner, for that earthly partner, or even for your pet who may be chewing up the couch. There are times when it’s just easier than other times to feel that unconditional love. It’s easy to be excited about a new relationship, but over time we need to spice it up.
Sometimes when I sit down to meditate with Spirit, it feels more like a working meditation than a loving relationship-building meditation. At those times, I have to give myself the same compassion and the same space that I’ld give anyone else who may be feeling less connected than normally.
Learning some further refinements of the Kriya meditation tool can also be a way to spice up our relationship with Spirit. We can go even deeper into the reality of who we are, and our connection to the consciousness that is always around us and within us. We just need to uncover it.
Sometimes I pray: Help me love You more. Inspire me to see and to feel your goodness in everything, and give me the strength to stand up, to try to get beyond my self-conscious mind and expand into the Christ-conscious reality that is all around me all the time.
Hafiz wrote: Only that illumined One who keeps seducing the formless into form had the charm to win my heart. Only a perfect one who is always laughing at the word “two” can make you know of Love.
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 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.
