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 Jonathan King•The Sunburst congregation is such an intimate group of people who I love so much. We’ve been together for so long and we help each other so much. I want to acknowledge how blessed we are to have each other, that Spirit has brought us together, has answered our prayers.
Before joining Sunburst, I was asking Spirit, “Help me find someone that has met you face to face.” I read Yogananda extensively but he was no longer here physically. Then Spirit brought me to Sunburst and allowed me to get to know Brother Norm. This answered my prayer.
In Sunburst, Spirit gave me a family of brothers and sisters who reflect the living presence of God to me every day, and give me the opportunity to reflect it back. Norm’s Sunburst teaching is so precious and comprehensive, so all encompassing.
Here, we learn to combine all of these wonderful elements: striving every day to live a virtuous life, practicing conscious living, and the eight paths. We’ve been given a tool of meditation that teaches us so many things, and brings us to a place where we can say, “Dear Spirit, what is it you would have me do? Not my will, but your will be done.” Every day we can practice; every day we can feel an incredible consciousness growing within us.
Yet sometimes, in a dry spell, we might feel we’re not that devotional. No matter what our predispositions are, everything can go better with a little more devotion. Love is the key and each one of us has a heart full of love. When we are blessed by a visitation of living Spirit, we find our heart is so full of devotion we can barely contain it.
I was reflecting on this recently and remembered a story Norm used to tell about another brother at Yogananda’s who said he really wanted illumination. This person always pestered Yogananda to give him a little thump on the chest and grant him an experience. This monk would come to Norm and say “I’m meditating day and night, but I’m not getting any results. Nothing is happening.”
I remember hearing that story and being able to identify a little bit with it. I would ask Spirit, “Fill every meditation with unconditional intense love for you. May my heart be open, pulsing with devotion, and may I offer it to you.”
Little by little, as I expressed that love to Spirit, I started to feel it returning back to me. And I wanted more. Not for myself, but when I would feel the presence of God, I wanted to give of myself without any regard for what would come in return. This felt so good.
I continued my practice, and asked Norm questions, and asked Spirit questions. I realized in practicing our Kriya meditation technique that light is always reigning down on us just like the picture of Kir Paul Sing (above).That light is coming down all the time, full of divine consciousness and full of love and devotion for us.
by Barbara McCaughey • An idea from Helen Keller’s autobiography popped into my head as I pumped gas into my car. She said that if we made it a habit to notice what we’re grateful for, there wouldn’t be enough moments in a day to acknowledge each blessing. This was a memorable statement coming from someone who could not see or hear.
I was on my way home from work and had about a half hour’s drive ahead of me. Looking up into the beautifully clouded sky, there was a small, but bright patch of blue peeking through. It had been raining off and on all day and the hillsides and air seemed so fresh and clean. I decided to use my entire drive home to notice the magnificent and varied palette of scenery.
The cares of the day melted away with these uplifting thoughts. I reached the front gate of my home refreshed and ready to enjoy the remaining daylight. Sitting in the living room talking to my husband I looked over his shoulder out the front window.
“Oh my goodness!” came tumbling out of my mouth when I spotted the most brilliant, shimmering double rainbow I had ever seen! It arced across the entire valley where we live and remained for us to stare at in wonder for about twenty minutes.
It seemed that Mother Nature was smiling back at me, loving me as I had been loving her, rewarding me with one of her most awesome images. There before us, divine Spirit’s life was represented in all the dimensions of creation in scintillating, jewel-like colors.
In moments such as these, when we choose to be part of the joy of life and turn our gaze away from less inspiring images, it seems that angels lift us on their wings and commune with us. There is a feeling that we are not alone, but an intimate part of an eternal cosmic dream.
by Norman Paulsen•The wonderful experiences that I have been blessed with were given to me for one reason only. Through all my trials, my heart never desisted from loving and seeking my divine Mother-Father. No matter what I was doing, good or bad, I could never quit loving God. If I made a mistake, I always asked forgiveness and started again.
By our love and devotion to Spirit, we begin to taste immortality. It can be seen; it can be heard; it can be felt. It is the most incredible experience. Yes, touching the hem of the divine garment.
As each and every one of us moves toward heaven within, we begin to feel God’s power in us. We are each tested to see how much we can take, like steel is thrust into the fire again and again to increase its temper. At times, you may cry to God: “Why am I so mistreated? Is your hand so set against me?”
If you listen to the silence, you will hear God saying, “I want you so strong for future work that no matter what happens, you will never break.” Our Creator cannot pour into you tremendous life and light, power and wisdom unless you, the vessel, is prepared to hold it. That is why the path to illumination is difficult, and described as a razor’s edge.
I bear witness today to the heaven we can experience within, and to the immortality of each spirit. If we persevere, each and every one of us can gain that experience, to see and know, and understand our Creator, Divine Mother-Father-God.
Oh Divine Comforter, no matter how difficult the path,
I know You have blessed me with the faculties
by which I am able to bear what comes to pass.
As I journey homeward, please hear my soul calling. I will pursue you every moment of my conscious life. I will forever persevere, Oh Spirit Divine,
to develop the willpower to never give up! I must meet you face to face. I must hold you in my arms, if you will allow.
You are my Father; you are my Birth Mother, the Creator of my soul. From you have I come forth into this world, into this sea of faces. I look for you in every face, Oh Beloved. Will you please come forth and reveal yourself to me
somehow, somewhere, someday?
I will continue to pursue you in every image and in every place,
until I find you hiding in the mirror image of my own face.
Oh Divine Comforter, No matter how difficult the path, I know You have blessed me with the faculties By which I am able to bear what comes to pass.
As I journey homeward, Please hear my soul calling. I will pursue You every moment of my conscious life. I will forever persevere, Oh Spirit Divine, To develop the willpower to never give up! I must meet You face to face. I must hold You in my arms, If You will allow.
You are my Father; You are my Birth Mother, The Creator of my soul. From You have I come forth into this world, Into this sea of faces.
I look for You in every face, Oh Beloved. Will You please come forth And reveal Yourself to me Somehow, somewhere, someday?
I will continue to pursue You In every image and in every place, Until I find You hiding In the mirror image of my own face.
