•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.
•by Norman Paulsen, Sunburst Founder•In our self-conscious state of mind, we often think our Creator is so far away, someplace other than within us. We think: “Maybe It’s out there in space…” or “He’s on a mountaintop.”
The Divine’s consciousness inhabits the space between each atom, between each subatomic particle in our bodies. Meditation is so important to each of us, becausein the silence of our beings we can find this space where the Divine is. Just sit and be still. Pray that God will reveal himself, herself to you.
When we can perceive the center of our own consciousness, that smallest of all places within us, we can perceive God. We can hear the perpetual chant of AUM, of HUM. We can then perceive the Divine’s voice speaking to us—a real conversation with God. We hear words, actual replies to our questions.
What a wondrous thing it is that we have the ability within us to communicate with the Divine. So few really practice it! Yet, nothing on Earth is more important.
Jesus said: Seek first the kingdom of God, and: The kingdom of God is within you. How can we find it within us? We find it through true prayer and meditation.
O beloved Mother,we dedicate this day to your beautiful Earth, your garden floating in infinity.What a jewel it is! We dedicate our energy and our lives todayto helping preserve your garden here for your children, now and in the future.It is a blessing to be a caretaker of your Earth,so full of your Spirit.
We love you Father! We love you Mother! Open our consciousness to your presence. This day, let us all become warriors of light and truth, that we may go forth in your will and your guidance to help your world and your children.Amen
•by Jake Collier (with Dawn King)• The bodies we inhabit are incredible creations, more sophisticated than any supercomputer. Part of the Creator’s plan is that vital actions in these bodies can be carried out without us having to think of them every time they’re needed (like breathing). The original purpose for this was to perpetuate happiness, joy, and closeness with our Creator.Because we have free will, the downside is that we can easily establish habits, including ones that aren’t good for us.
A new study tells us that it takes about 66 days of effort to start (or break) a habit. Meditation is a wonderful tool that can help us establish good habits and get rid of any negative ones. It can even help us reflect and realize that we have a habit that doesn’t serve us. Kriya meditation actually helps us burn up the karma of negative habits.
Association with people who are living the ideals you aspire to can help you attain your goals. Another factor is willpower. Paramahansa Yogananda recommended that we find some pursuit or goal that would be challenging, then strive continually toward it, until we achieve it. This builds willpower, as well self-confidence and strength of character.
Our evening meditations are the best time to reflect on our thoughts and actions of the day, and to make resolutions for the next day. We want our habits and actions to lead us into a state of spiritual ecstasy. The energy of our Creator permeates this whole creation. The more we draw it in, drink it, consume it, the stronger our will becomes. We want our habits to lead us toward illumination, to feel the joys of increased life, and the indescribable comfort of being embraced by love divine.
•by Norman Paulsen, Sunburst Founder•To have God present in our lives every day, we tune in before we go outward to do our work. To meditate in the morning with the rising sun is to bring the sweetness of God’s presence into our life for the whole day; to receive instruction mentally and visually. We arrive at the right time and the right place for the right thing to happen for us, not too early or too late, missing the great benefits. When we are on God’s time, patiently meditating and praying every morning, wondrous things begin to happen in our lives. We see God fulfilling our selfless desires, and freeing us up for the journey ahead.
To spend half an hour, or even fifteen minutes with God in the morning every day before work, and again before you go to sleep at night, even if you have to miss some sleep, is to receive angelic, illumined beings who desire to help you on your journey. This is why I meditate, and why I encourage others to do so. It is your birthright to see and know God as your best friend. Your Divine Father-Mother exists in this immensity, even as your earthly father and mother exist.
“Behold, I stand at the door and knock,” saith the Christ, who is ever patiently waiting. We have to open the door on the crown of our head and invite Christ, I Am That I Am, into our temple. The right and left hands of God, moving in dual vortexes, descend as softly as a dove and land on the crown of our heads. This is the anointment, the baptism of divine fire, which you can see and feel with the love and presence of Christ within.
by John McCaughey•The other day it was a bright sunny day at the ranch, and I was washing off a piece of equipment near some pine trees. I’ve been particularly fond of these trees and knew I could take the time to give them a bath and a drink at the same time. I aimed the water high into each pine. Every branch moved with the force of the water.
When you give a bath to a little baby who can’t even sit up, you can tell how much it appreciates the touching and caring. It giggles with joy, and then smiles as you hold it in a towel next to you. That was the feeling one of those trees conveyed to me; it appreciated the attention. How beautiful the pine branches were while wearing water droplets sparkling in the sunlight!
In an instant, a number of feelings passed through me. I pondered the creation, and a point before time, when all that existed was the slumbering I Am That I Am in the smallest of all places. What incredible power had to be so focused at that point. When I try to understand, I’m brought to my knees. It’s so amazing…and I seem so insignificant.
But Jesus said, “These things that I do, you can do also, and far greater things.” This has stayed with me and encourages me.
Now the trees I had sprayedwere shaking in the breeze. I realized that the way our eyes see the world is one thing, but the way it really exists is another. All the cells of my body were mingling with the atoms in the air, and the air was touching the cells of the trees. My feet on the ground were mingling with the atomic structure and magnetism of the Earth in one huge collage of energy, atoms, cells, vortexes of magnetism and light. Truly, we can just reach out and touch anything, because we’re all connected to everything.
Looking back, it always seemed to me that the path home to Spirit was uphill—sometimes really steep, sometimes more gradual, but always uphill. Recently, however, it came to me that each one of us crosses a threshold of knowing that there’s no turning back on the spiritual path. Once we are truly rooted in our spirituality, the path is not uphill, and we know that when everything is right we’ll collide head on with our Creator and experience the joy of knowing who we truly are.
Each one of us has a personal relationship with Spirit, completely unique, completely dependable, totally real. We should all be encouraged…should allow our hearts to be light and open. We are all children of God, and I Am That I Am is alive in every place…in every point in the universe. Each one of us has been blessed with the desire to be one with that energy and given the tools to attain that goal.
