• by Letha Kiddie•One night while I was meditating, I felt gratitude well up inside of me for the knowledge of prayer. I wondered how many people might not know how to pray, and what would be the way to teach them?
As an answer to my question, the “Lord’s Prayer” flashed into my mind. I began reciting the different verses to myself, and the meaning of the words became clearer than they had ever been. The first line became: “Our Father, who emanates heaven within and around us, sacred is thy name.” In other words, using the name of God when we pray is a powerful way to invoke the Divine presence within us.
“Thy kingdom come, thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven…” My understanding of this line came with the image of my own inner light in the form of a sun above my head. As it descends into us, this most positive and enriching “kingdom of heaven” is brought to earth.
“Give us this day our daily bread…” is not referring to physical food, but to the spiritual food we receive when we meditate daily. Meditation enriches, heals, and feeds our minds and spirits.
“Forgive us our trespasses, as we forgive those who trespass against us…” Whenever we sit before our Creator, we are asking in humility to received, regardless of any past transgressions. Likewise, we must extend that same forgiveness to others, and hold them only in the light of their pure spirits. It is only ignorance that leads us astray.
“Lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil, for thine is the kingdom, the power, and the glory forever…” This means “Please, help me in my humanness to find my way to You, and to find a way to my own illumination.”
As I continued on in my meditation that night, I felt I had received a true gift from Spirit. In looking back, I see that these are all things that can help us when we pray:
• Calling the name of God silently;
• Receiving God into us fully;
• Forgiving others;
• Letting Spirit guide us.
Remember, all souls have a voice in heaven. We only have to learn to use our voice!
by a first-time Visitor to Sunburst • Arriving early on Sunday morning, my son Tom ushers us into the main building, the Sunburst “Lodge”. The first thing that catches my attention is the beautiful illuminated stained glass rendering of the Sunburst mandala, standing tall in one corner of the “living room” area. I gaze at its beauty for some time, when from my peripheral vision I see a painting of a Kachina.
A ripple of awareness runs through my body as I recognize this Kachina from a dream I had some time ago. In the dream, I saw this figure just as it appears in this painting, but I was not given its name. Now below it I read: “Talavai Kachina. This painting was a gift from Hopi medicine man White Bear. The blessing of this Kachina is an appropriate one to help us grow pure food, and to purify our thoughts and actions as we walk the road of life.”
While I am still taking all this in, more people begin to arrive at the sanctuary. They bring smiles and greetings and food to share. We are embraced by many beautiful people and immediately we feel welcomed.
The stained glass image of the Sunburst mandala, the synchronistic event of the Kachina from my dream hovering in the painting behind me, and the welcome and heartfelt greetings from these wonderful people are circling about, within and around me.
We move to the temple, and the singing begins. Singing is a traditional part of the Sunday morning gathering at Sunburst. Today a song seems to be dedicated to the visiting guests, including my son, my little daughter, and myself. Everyone sings: “Hello my friend, nice to see you again. Won’t you please come walk with me until the journey’s end. Just to know you’re a friend of mine makes everything alright. Got to get you into my life! And I’m gonna love you, love you, love you till my heart can take no more, find me on your doorstep, won’t you open up your door…”
Tears are streaming down my cheeks as I feel the love and the blessing of being in the company of this group of true seekers. Sunburst’s founder, Norman Paulsen smiles at me from a photo on the wall and I realize, as the Kachina suggests, that I too have been intent on purifying my thoughts and actions.
Beautiful voices continue to sing, and the harmony of their voices, and the words they are singing, speak to my spirit as I continue to weep tears of joy. Then suddenly I am at a place of knowing. I realize that I have opened a door and crossed its threshold. I have found in the midst of this group of spiritually committed people, a clearer understanding and deeper awareness of my own spiritual walk.
by Norman Paulsen•Behind the veil of my expression of love, I search for thee whom I hold most dear. Beyond thoughts, beyond time, beyond mind, I strain to touch thee, to embrace thee in the silence of my being.
Within the center of my soul as I listen, I can hear you; I can feel your presence, your hands of energy upon me. At times I can see you, that great brilliance, that blazing inner sun, your face!
The pulsating hum of your sacred forces moves through every cell of my being. I know I am a child of your consciousness and energy. I know I am a part of you, even as once you called me your own.
Yes, there is nowhere thou dost not exist. It is you in all creation: in the plants, the animals, the suns, the galaxies, and most of all it is you in me, dreaming you are me. Oh Father-Mother, my life here is of such short duration; help me not to waste it in idle, self-conscious desires.
May each of us, your children, fully realize we are infinite like you. Our earthly bodies are but a dream, existing but a moment in your eternity. Our souls are a reflection of yours—yes, immortal, created to reside in the kingdom of heaven with all illumined beings.
We are your family, Mother-Father, yours sons and daughters returning. Help us not to forget thee. You are the mighty dreamer, dreaming the images of all of us and all which we see. Reveal to us Your face, brilliant like the sun.
Give to us cosmic awareness—the awareness that the great sphere of creation, with all images contained therein, is your visible body. Each one of us is but a dream of thee. We feel you. We know it is true.
by Valerie Joy King•In New Mexico, there was a terrible drought. The earth was parched and cracked; all the plants were dying. The situation had become desperate. Finally the local people asked an old Hopi man named David to help thempray for rain. The next day the rain came, and afterwards people asked him how it had happened.
David answered, “I didn’t pray FOR rain. I prayed RAIN.”
His technique was to first ground himself very deeply in the consciousness of Spirit. Perhaps he used a technique similar to Sunburst’s Kriya meditation. Then he used his imagination to picture the rain. He saw himself outside with heavy dark clouds above. He felt his skin and hair wet with raindrops. He felt the earth and plants drinking deep draughts of water. Mud oozed between his toes. He was dancing with joy—all of this during his meditation, and in his imagination. He also was expressing deep thankfulness for the experience.
When I heard this story, I understood more clearly that positive projection is really the same thing as true prayer. Whether or not we use words to pray, the essence of prayer is the energy we put forth. Vivid images help us put forth the energy more strongly. Like the waters from the rain clouds, you can imagine the radiant health, peace, and abundance of Spirit pouring onto your loved ones, and upon the Earth itself.
It is said that if you can reach deeply into the Divine, then use your vivid imagination, whatever you imagine MUST come to pass; so be certain it’s positive. It comes to pass because it has already happened in the consciousness of Spirit. I Am That I Am truly lives within us; this is the same being who created the entire universe and beyond. This strength is available for each of us. It is not by the power of our own small self, but by the strength and power of Spirit within us that we can imagine, and project, and be thankful.
Reflecting on this, I was reminded of what a powerful healing prayer our meditation technique is. In meditation we are visualizing and moving the living white light all through our bodies and spirits. With every breath we are actually energizing the thought and image that illumination is infusing every cell of our being; there is no separation between us and our Creator. The stronger my imagination becomes, the more I will radiate that light and all its beauty. What greater service can we offer than bringing the balance and radiance of deep peace and joy to our suffering world?
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!
