By Ischa Lea
What an exciting day it was at Sunburst Sanctuary on Saturday, May 28th as Reverend Ron Gibbons guided all participants through a meditative journey of soul exploration through mandala painting. Signifying the wholeness of creation, the word mandala is derived from Tibetan Sanskrit. Mandala translates “to be in possession of,” or “to know oneself.”
A well-seasoned teacher on this topic, Reverend Gibbons touched on some of the historical aspects of mandalas reflected in both Eastern and Western renderings. He said:
Representing the order beneath the change and apparent chaos of our lives, it is the invisible thread that ties our existence into a living net, or the spokes of our turning wheel. It is then the relationship between the individual and his life situation, the seeing of the relations between things, and the vividness of life as it is.
The mandala is universal, with one constant, the principle of the center. The center is the beginning and origin of all forms and processes, including the extension of form into time. Nature paints for us the most magnificent mandalas in flowers, snowflakes, galaxies, the rings of a tree, even the eye, all emanating from the grand center of creation, the mind of God.
The speaker’s words and the visual slide show inspired participants to enter their “inner garden” during a guided meditation. Some amazing revelations emerged, and were later shared—unique experiences coming from a Higher Self. A personal mandala rendering by each participant expressed this significance, no matter one’s artistic talents.
A mystical, magical time, it was as evidenced by the healing that occurred for one person, the overall clarity that most experienced as it pertained to their present life situations, and the overall excitement and joy that pervaded the room.
One cannot but feel the childlike anticipation of intrigue that further inspirations might hold. We continue to meditate and embellish our individual works of art, or create new ones. A joyful, healing and meditative journey of exploration still unfolding, one must reflect in awe the power of the mandala. And, as Reverend Gibbons cited:
The center of the mandala is not only the external constant of space, but also of time. The center of time is now, living totally in the now of one’s existence is to unfold like a mandala.
By Ischa Lea
What is this light that within glows
A thousand rays in all direction goes
What is this peace, this joy it holds
That none can explain, merely concur
If to him, to her its witness shows?
Darkness if there be, matters not
Its presence made invisible,
Vulnerable, inconsequential, weak
For in this light is held the joy I seek
Yes, this light powerful yet so meek
O great light, soother of souls
O devourer of ego, of falsehood all
Bare we become, stripped to the core
As a young babe in our mother’s arms
Pure love to receive, O light divine
Where there is love there can only be light; where there is light there can only be joy; where there is joy there can only be peace; where there is peace there can only be God; where there is God, there can only be virtue; where there is virtue, there is only pure consciousness; and where there is only pure consciousness, there lies bliss, there lies the one, the all, the beginning of the pure light we once were and the light we are again to become. This is the beginning, the journey, the end.
By Ischa Lea
A dear friend, Rita, once shared with me one of the best questions one can ever ask oneself when adversity strikes: “Lord, where have I not been in integrity.” My humble friend never realized what great teaching she was imparting to me. Those words, simple yet profound, are my friend’s legacy. On par with any enlightened teacher, they continue to hold deep roots in my consciousness, a benchmark for my own self-scrutiny and a gift worth sharing with all.
The month of January was not only a new beginning, but held a reminder to the world of the legacy of a great man, Martin Luther King, Jr. Wherein lay his greatness? Like Mahatma Gandhi, he, too, noted the suffering of his own brothers and sisters. Yet, like Rita, King and Gandhi were not embittered souls seeking revenge or wasting time casting blame. They opted to do something noteworthy instead. They opted to walk the path of peace, love, and integrity. Both leaders followed the commandment of the Master Jesus to “turn the other cheek,” to offer love where hatred was commonplace.
I have so often questioned, “What could I possibly leave as a legacy?” The one thought that continues to override all others is that I must practice vigilance by asking myself in all instances, “What would love do?” Granted, the emotional side of my being does have its occasional outbursts; however, subsequent actions are usually guided by deep introspection—guided by “What would love do?” I’ve come to that place where I do not “beat myself up” as much, dwelling on “Where did I go wrong? Instead, I do my best to prevent unhappy outcomes.
The following poem was lovingly provided to me by a dear brother at Sunburst from the obituary of someone he knew. Tony Johansen’s legacy to the world resonates of a great soul, full of love, kindness, compassion, and wisdom. Like Martin Luther King, Jr., he, too had a dream for our world.
What Would It Feel Like
What would it feel like
Not to live in a world gone haywire
Where everything we did
Gave to the world
More than we took from it?
What would it feel like
If we woke up in the morning and
The feelings of despair were gone
And we leapt from the bed
Eager to contribute the next thing
To the great turn around?
What would it feel like
To climb on your bike
Or walk to the bus
Instead of the car
To dig up an asphalt parking lot
Plant a vegetable garden
A duck pond, a small forest?
What would it feel like
To read to the blind, tutor a child,
Push a wheelchair
Knowing your few needs were met
And worth was measured in love
Not money
To sit quietly and listen
To those in conflict
With themselves and others?
What would it feel like
To bring the stillness of your own heart
To the turmoil of another’s heart
Gentling their waves with your calm
Letting their waves pass
Through you and away
Like wind through bamboo?
– Tony Johansen
By Ischa Lea
Recently, sitting, wondering what I might write about and figuring it would come to me, I decided to lay it to rest for a moment and turned on the tv just in time to see an older man holding on to a young fellow by his collar admonishing him, “I’m gonna get you to add another virtue to your list – how about telling the truth?”
“Wow!” I thought, “That’s what I’ll write about!”
The twelve virtues have been referred to again and again in many disciplines, being expressed also as the predominant energy of its astrological counterpart. Reflecting on the Sunburst teachings, one of the paths of conscious living happens to be Speech. Looking further, I realized that its counterpart among the twelve virtues is Honesty.
Thinking about this and focusing on the topic of “Telling the truth,” I realized that it takes great Courage to be truthful every day—before oneself, before God, and even more so before others. It takes Perseverance to continually practice being truthful. It takes Patience to offer with tender words the truth. It takes Humility to tell the truth, not caring in what light others may cast us for doing so. It takes Forgiveness and Compassion to honor someone who is being truthful, even if that truth may tug at our sensitive nerves. And above all, it takes great Love to be able to rise above the aftermath that truth often engenders.
In the following excerpt, Victoria Raynor writes regarding the great philosopher and mystic, Aristotle:
“He believed that the function of a human was to engage in an activity of the soul in accordance with virtue.”
Reflecting on why certain companies, foundations, and spiritual organizations have endured, grown, thrived and gained respect over decades, one salient feature seems to stand out—that to the best of their abilities, they operated being truthful to their mission—to offer good products and services, operate in integrity, and take good financial care of all those upon whom their success depended. Respect for each other was key. People were more than workers or members; they were invaluable to the long-term survival of the whole.
As this New Year dawned, millions of people made new resolutions. It’s been said, however, that only a tiny percentage of resolutions are actually kept. Thinking about this, I realized that the reason might be two-fold: Firstly, that our old habits of thinking and behaving die hard. And secondly, that if we live truthfully in our lives, the very Universe would bend to our assistance, ensuring that our dreams, desires, and resolutions are fulfilled, bringing us more joy in our lives.
At Sunburst EarthLight Fellowship, a sacred seed ceremony was held to commemorate the dawning of the New Year and a new energy. Beautiful melodies filled the air as each participant offered into the fire the seeds of old habits, old thoughts and old desires. Prayers and seeds of new desires and good habits were also offered into the fire for divine blessings.
What an amazing feeling it was to release the old and bring in the new in such lovely settings, surrounded by loving soul travelers and filled with the blessings of Divine Spirit! How gratifying the thought that the New Year brings another opportunity for telling the truth, and living the truth.
Help me Oh Lord that in truth I may stand
‘Though tattered, worn, disappointed I may be.
I know that perfection yet a myth is to me,
But Lord keep me rooted in truth before thee.
May the good that I seek for myself of use be,
To all brothers and sisters thou hast sent to me.
Help me to carry out thy greatest command,
That with the same love, as for myself I hold,
I may take tenderly each brother’s, sister’s hand.
New Year’s Eve Seed Ceremony
– Paramahansa Yogananda, “Man’s Eternal Quest”
The parallelisms of Christ’s teachings with Yoga-Vedanta doctrines strongly support the records known to exist in India, which state that Jesus lived and studied there during fifteen of the unaccounted-for years of his life…. Jesus journeyed to India to return the visit of the three “wise men from the east,” who came to pay homage to him at his birth. They were guided to the Christ Child by the divine light of a star—not a physical luminary, but the star of the omniscient spiritual eye.…
The spiritual eye is a metaphysical telescope through which one can see to infinity in all directions simultaneously, beholding with omnipresent spherical vision whatever is happening in any point of creation. …Jesus referred to it: …”The light of the body is the eye; if therefore thine eye be single, thy whole body shall be full of light.”…
The title “Christ” is also found in India—it was perhaps given to Jesus there—in the word “Krishna.” …“Christ” and “Krishna” are titles signifying divinity, meaning that these two avatars were one with God. While residing in physical form, their consciousness expressed oneness with the Christ consciousness (Sanskrit Kutastha Chaitanya), the Intelligence of God omnipresent in creation.…
Christ came at a critical time in history, when the world was sorely in need of spiritual hope and regeneration. His message was not intended to foster multifarious sects, each claiming him as their own. His was a universal message of unity, one of the grandest ever given. He reminded mankind that it is written in the scriptures, “Ye are gods;” and St. John voiced the inspiration and spirit of Christ’s teaching when he said, “But as many as received him [the Christ Consciousness manifested in Jesus and in all creation], to them gave he power to become the sons of God.”
by Leela
The Almighty could smash His fists
into every situation and set it straight,
fix everything, yet
God’s Loving hands support me
from behind veils of ignorance and blankets of desires.
Those huge gentle hands, cradling me;
teaching me to spread my hands to embrace the world,
to hold whomever I may find,
whatever has happened,
and see that the One has had a hand in it.
God’s Will be done but I must ask for it; listen to it.
God will not force it on me,
but patiently waits.
