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.
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.
by Dawn King •There are many cultural practices for the timing of what we would call a new year. Some call the new year “Spring Festival.” In Tibet the New Year traditionally begins with the barley harvest. Currently, Tibetan New Year (see photos) coincides with Chinese New Year, which will fall on February 12th this year. This will be the Chinese year of the metal Ox, in case you wondered. The Ox is seen as hardworking and honest, qualities we all hope to see a lot of in our leaders and legislators this coming year. We also pray that honest, hard work (with income) will soon be available to all those currently out of work due to coronavirus. Tibetan New Year involves house cleaning, food preparation, and prayer, just as beginning a new year might include these activities elsewhere. New prayer flags are hung. Special meals are shared. Everyone takes a deep breath to reflect on letting go of the old and embracing the new with hope for improvement, where it is needed. For me celebrations on January 1st, February 12th, and in spring (the start of Vedic astrological year on which I’ll write later)—all inspire me to realize each day is a fresh start. Each new day is my opportunity to strive to be my best self. One way I can be my best self is to sincerely feel gratitude for the things that are good and right with my life, with my environment, with society. There are gifts in every situation. We are in the right situation when we are following divine direction, obeying divine law. When we adjust our vision to see through God’s eyes, we know there is a season and a reason for everything under the sun. The law of Karma is always fulfilled. None of our positive efforts for betterment of ourselves or the world are in vain. We imprint the ethers with our heartfelt prayers and desires. Likewise, divine joy and deep peace are in the ethers, and within our reach.
Norman Paulsen, Sunburst Founder • We refer to life here as being part of the show. In this great show that goes on every microsecond of time, there are heroes and villains, there’s drama and action, and there’s sometimes seemingly insurmountable obstacles. When we go to a movie, we always find ourselves rooting for the hero to overcome the obstacles, to defeat the villain, and to have a happy ending.
Our lives here, our journey, is being witnessed not only by God, but by all those beings that have walked this path before us, who were able to defeat the villain, overcome the obstacles, and attain eternal life. These spirits exist; they are around us all the time. Sometimes they appear to us; sometimes they are called angels. They are all rooting for us, that we too can stay the course and never give up in our quest to realize our oneness with our Creator. They are here to help and encourage us, and if we call upon them, they will come.
Truth must be experienced, must be understood on a cellular level, and we can do this by calming the mind, stilling the body, and going into a deep meditation every morning and every evening. This process will help us all evolve and overcome any obstacles that are in our way. It will give us the strength and courage to greet each day with a smile. Each of us every day should try to treat others like we would like to be treated, to be kind and love others like we would wish to be loved.
O heavenly Father, thank you
for being with us this day and every day.
Instill in us a deep commitment to seek true understanding,
to love one another and to dedicate our lives to finding you,
gazing upon your face and hearing your voice. Amen
by Jake Collier • We clear our minds, still our bodies and open up our inner senses, so that we might taste the true reality of this life that exists within us and all around us. To truly know this reality and to truly understand ourselves and our relationship with the Creator, we have to experience it ourselves, individually.
We can be shown the way; we can be taught meditation techniques; but it is up to each one of us to make the effort, to make the journey. Libraries are full of books on how to, and which path is the right one. But the Divine can never be mentally understood. We have to experience it, to see the Creator’s shining face before our inner eye, to feel and hear God for ourselves.
This bubble of creation continues to expand and grow. God’s life is in the bubble and all around it. Each of us has an opportunity, while we walk this Earth, to know and meet our Mother-Father-Creator face to face. It is our birthright. We are created in God’s image, each of us a spark of God residing in these containers we call bodies.
When Jesus walked this Earth, he taught us that we should love one another, and treat each other like we would want to be treated. That was his ministry, his mission here. Sometimes the energies around us are very dark; sometimes love and understanding might seem far away. But we must keep trying, to be an example—giving to others, treating others with respect, manifesting light and love in everything we do, and practicing a meditation technique that can still our bodies, calm our minds, and stimulate the inner senses.
