Almighty Spirit, Jesus, Moses, Mohammed, Krishna, Buddha, all ye teachers divine, illumined beings residing in the body of Christ, meditate with us. Enter into us and reveal your presence in the Light of God, through our consciousness today.
The man Jesus, through his sacrifice and his great love, became one with the body of Christ, that great spherical orb of brilliance that is God’s first creation. Years ago when we first began Sunburst, I awoke in a vision one night as the wind blew fiercely through the trees. A gigantic wooden cross was before me. On the cross was the body of a man crucified, his head down on his chest.
The spirits riding the gale began tearing his hands and feet loose from the spikes which held them. Suddenly, he fell upon the ground. The spirits of the wind fell silent. I jumped forward, trying to assist him. He began to push himself erect; his penetrating eyes were open and looking right through me, projecting a message of eternal love. I shall forever see those eyes! They are emblazoned in my heart. With my arms open wide, I thought to embrace him. But as he moved toward me, he disappeared within me! I heard his voice speak: You now have the authority to teach in my name those things that were not taught to the multitudes, but taught in secret.
As the years have passed, I have begun to understand the power and meaning of this incredible encounter as Jesus speaks to me from within. He wanted me to understand the story of salvation, the divine cosmology that exists within each one of us. All the realms in creation, and the brilliance of the body of Christ, await each one of us. He wants us to understand where we came from, what we are to do while we are here, and where we are going when we leave.
Jesus said, Enter thy closet when you pray. Yes, find a quiet place to meditate, pray and talk to God. Remember and know that all souls who have received Christ consciousness exist in that Light. They will administer to us this very moment, if we but ask. Practice meditation and imitate their lives. Our egos may put up a great fight, demanding that our will be done. We need to receive the Light of God, and the presence of the angels, and whomever that illumined being is that we wish to follow.
This life is so very short. We need to meet God face to face now, if God will permit. Make every moment count. Practice virtue and humility. As Jesus said, Not my will, but thy will be done through me. Let us surrender our will to God that we may receive the wisdom and power of God’s creative will.
Looking at the stunning fall colors unfolding on its branches, I was drawn, after the Hong Sau Meditation during our recent Silent Retreat, to connect with a particular tree outside the Sunburst Temple.
Holding a beautiful leaf in my hand, the delicate Divine artistry so intricately displayed on this leaf was outstanding! Arrayed upon its borders was a slight tinge of the most remarkable reddish hue. “How do you feel about losing your lovely foliage, which will leave you so unclothed in the midst of the oncoming winter rains and the inevitable cold, I curiously inquired of the tree?
Into my consciousness flowed the following reply, filled with utmost love and compassion:
“I simply go with the natural order of things. Fall is a time when Nature withdraws inwardly, conserving its energy for the harsh winter conditions that always follow. We trees do not resist the Divine Order of things —we simply allow its unfolding through us. We simply are— one hundred percent a tree, just as we’ve been created to be. And, yes, we are conscious beings even as you are; however, we do not resist our ‘beingness.”’
Upon reflection, and at that very moment, my own inner voice intervened:
“Model this wise tree. Resist not or complain about life, the weather, the seasons…. Embrace it all fully and you, too, will continue to feel the unbroken inner peace that you’ve been so blessed to enjoy.
Amazing Nature, you are indeed Spirit’s playground – a repository of the greatest wisdom, beauty, joy, strength and courage, yet humble beyond compare! O how I adore you!
There they stood, majestic, commanding, glorifying the entire hillside with their immense beauty, three magnificent horses, while a beautiful lone poppy bloomed in full majesty on the Wheel of Life trail silently proclaiming to all, “Welcome!”
It was a late February morning as Sharon Ray led our silent procession to the Wheel of Life, an exercise in Mindful Walking Meditation, styled after the precepts of Thich Nhat Hanh. A cosmic blessing indeed to watch the pretty lone poppy as if proudly declaring, “Here I am – alone, yes, but here to offer joy and bring a smile to the faces of all who enter upon this sacred trail.” And smile we did!
As we stood on the hilltop in reverence of Divine Mother’s Nature, Sharon reminded us of the necessity to slow down, to observe, to feel nature and “listen.” And that we did for on our way down the hill on our way to the sanctuary temple, there stood the three gorgeous horses, looking directly at us and as I “listened” their voices in unison conveyed the message to me, “We bring blessings of the Divine Father to you.”
Weeks later, a large group of us made another procession to the Wheel of Life Seed Ceremony led by Sean Fennell. And what were we sowing? Poppy seeds! Could it be a Divine call from that lone poppy that she needed friends? Could it be Divine Mother’s blessing that she recognized just how much we appreciated her lone poppy child and wanted us to create a glorious poppy community? Whatever it was, it was all wonderful, for as retreat participants made their sacred seed offering at the Wheel of Life – sowing symbolically the seeds for the future flowering of their innermost hopes and desires – we knew with conviction that Spirit had heard our prayers and proclamations.
Having explained the Wheel of Life and its significance spiritually as our inner journey, and physically as our outer journey in the world itself, Sean talked about the spiraling nature of our inner journey and showed amazing physical examples of spirals in nature, some of which (a conch shell and pine cone) powerfully captured the message that all life forms, including us humans as well as the orbiting planets and galaxies themselves, are always moving and expressing their spiraling nature.
Once again, the same three horses stood majestically in the exact location they had for the Mindful Walking event weeks earlier, as we proceeded down the hill toward our lodge area. Inwardly, I felt that Divine Spirit and the Ancient Elders of this sacred Chumash land were showering countless blessings upon us and our sincere efforts through these events to bring back Heaven on Earth, right here, right now.
Nourishing rainfall did not deter the afternoon’s planned outdoor events, for in its place an incredible Permaculture movie was shown that created an atmosphere of great anticipation and excitement as participants later eagerly planted trays of vegetable seedlings. These were to be taken home for infusing their own gardens under the guidance of Sean Fennell.
Little Eli, Sunburst’s most adored resident, was, of course, the most eager of all as he dug into the compost, playing with it, wanting to plant also but too young to do so. So thrilled was Carmen, one of the participants who had brought about twenty friends to the event, that she hugged Sean and said to him, “Thank you so much. This is the best birthday I’ve ever had!”
And as Sean humbly put it, “This is our gift to you for gifting us so greatly with your eagerness to learn, your loving presence, and the joyfulness that you and your friends all brought to us at Sunburst.”
Two months filled with many treasured memories of wonderful people, incredible energy, and great learning, blessed by three stately horses and that glorious lone poppy!
Amidst the lush green landscape of Sunburst Sanctuary in late February, about fourteen people gathered for a silent retreat weekend. The elephant image shown is one of the group mandalas that participants enjoyed co-creating together. We also practiced walking and sitting meditations, listening to singing bowls, a grounding yoga session, and mindful eating, There was plenty of free time for rest and solitude
Everyone learned to carefully listen to and be ever so grateful for the sounds of life which are always all around, like the crunching of our footsteps, the singing creek, the croaking frogs, or simply our rhythmic breath. Silence in a group was powerful and soul-nourishing, transforming participants and facilitators alike with deep peace and strength to move forward in life.
What a necessity this kind of experience is, especially in these times on our planet. We hope many more people will be able to experience this healing retreat in times to come!
The Silent Retreat inspired me to write this poem.
Like a fish who longs for the waters,
As soon as I step into silence
Your Presence
Is so tangible.
Roaring around and through me…thick Air,
Thick with Spirit Divine.
You are always here,
Permeating every particle of my being,
Enfolding me in the Matrix of your Being,
Silence brings it to the fore
Sweet yet utterly powerful Om.
To be still is to Awaken.
Participants commented:
This is my new favorite retreat and one that will feel new and different each time I do it since the silence takes me on a unique journey.
– Michelle
I loved this opportunity for intentional silence. To be around other positive, intentioned energy without having to fill the space with narrative; to be able to work on creating more space within myself while not feeling secluded or alone—what a magical concept!
– Breana
The retreat was well conceived and planned; wonderful activities and the freedom to engage or not.
– Laura
To renounce the ego is a little different than what we may think of as renunciation. The Upanishads say that letting go of ego is not a renunciation of life; it’s a renunciation of all those things that make us unhappy—anger, selfishness, and desires for things or people, desires for money, for relationships, or to be recognized.
What is ego? I think of it as being like a grain of sand in an oyster. The grain of sand is irritating. It causes development of layers and layers of belief systems and sense impressions around it, eventually becoming a sphere of what we identify with. The ego builds up this whole concept of what we think we are.
I find when I’m working during the day, if I’m not staying centered on the work at hand. I’m thinking about results—thinking, “I want to get this job finished, so I can go on to something else.” This is ego talking. Or, when I get done, if I keep looking back and thinking, “Oh, that’s a great job. I hope someone notices my beautiful work.” That’s the ego talking.
The ego is a slippery little guy. It has all this inner dialogue. It can look at a person and all of a sudden form a judgement: “Well, that’s probably somebody I wouldn’t want to know.” Ego creates a whole culture of stereotypes that we’re familiar with. if we watch the news, we’re constantly confronted with it.
The ego has created what we see in movies, and in our daily lives. But, we can look at our lives and ask ourselves how we’ve really enjoyed life over the years. What experiences have we found most enjoyable? Looking back upon my life, I see the most joyful times are when I’m giving a present, or making a gift for somebody. I’m not thinking about how much I’m going to receive for this; I’m just giving it. I’m not thinking, “If they don’t like it, then I can always get it back and resell it on e-bay.” My ego has had those ideas, but I had to say to myself, “Let go of that thought, and bring it back to center.”
Each of us is exploring our inner world and learning to use our God-given abilities to bring heaven on this earth. Whatever talents or gifts we have, let us remember to give those gifts unselfishly, for the enjoyment of others and the inspiration that we might give to others. This is our true enjoyment.
The first evening approached with participant’s rapt anticipation. A sumptuous light dinner, a social circle and welcoming of guests was to follow, culminating in gentle, relaxation yoga. Sunburst’s beautiful lodge was exquisitely decorated for the holidays with soothing warmth radiating from its native stone fireplace. The stage was set; ending 2016 and ushering in 2017 would be the full script. The Light and Renewal Kriya Retreat was about to begin!
After Emily led us in warm introductions, Valerie shared some highlights from the history of Sunburst, starting starting with a little boy’s childhood visions, his years in Paramahansa Yogananda’s ashram at Mt. Washington (Self-Realization Fellowship headquarters, Los Angeles, CA). Years would pass before countless young souls sought Norman Paulsen, to learn about his experience of God, and how they might also know God. Yogananda’s request to Norm became reality in the birth of Sunburst. Valerie also introduced Sunburst’s eightfold path and twelve virtues.
Friday was a day of silence and deep contemplation, a class on Hong Sau technique, yoga, amazing meals and meditations. Saturday was a memorably soul-nourishing experience as everyone gathered for the Kriya Initiation ceremony at Sunburst’s temple. Fresh flowers, fruits, and soul-stirring song set an energetic framework for the sacred Kriya initiation.
One can attend dozens of these initiations, yet feel renewed each time at all levels of one’s being. The final highlight of the day was a sacred seed ceremony at the huge
lodge fireplace. Gone would be the karmic baggage of 2016, offered into the fire for transmutation! And into the ethers were sown the seeds of individual intentions for 2017—an experience of joy, peace and fulfillment.
But wait, the party part of the evening was about to begin! A sparkling apple cider bar provided drinks for toasting “Happy New Year!” Those who chose to stay past midnight were served Ischa’s secret
recipe chai. What fun it was to stand in a gratitude circle and usher in the New Year, and to send into the ethers planet-wide blessings. January first 2017 dawned to the offering of a light breakfast, Energization Exercises, and an inspiring Sunday service. Time to visit over a generous Sunburst brunch followed, ending a perfect weekend, a perfect retreat, a special treat!
To renounce the ego is a little different than what we may think of as renunciation. 
