by Norman Paulsen, Sunburst Founder • Let us feel the fingers of God on the crowns of our heads. It is here at the prism doorway of life, God’s dual vortexes of energy and consciousness enter into us. Life is knocking at the door on the crowns of our heads. Yes, that Presence is knocking at the door that was open and throbbing with each heartbeat when we were infants. Let us open the door once again and invite I Am That I Am to descend into the upper chamber of our minds and into our hearts.
Divine Mother and Father are here now with us as much as they ever will be. We have to realize this. God’s blazing light and presence exists just above the open prism door on the crown and beats within our hearts every microsecond of time. God’s presence is always here. We can see, feel, and talk to God if we persist in our desire and in the tithing of our love, in meditation, and throughout our days.
We will experience the second birth, the birth of the Christ Child within our hearts. This is the ignition of energy God has placed deep within our souls before our beginnings in these bodies. This is our own pure Self, the image God had for each one of us in the beginning.
I remember the first time I experienced and felt my own pure Self in meditation. My head was moving backward on my shoulders to its limits. I was looking straight up into a tunnel of light filled with colors, like a rainbow. I moved in through the opening toward a Being of Light brilliant like the sun, shining at the end of the tunnel.
Suddenly I realized that I was not breathing and began to struggle, feeling that if I did not breathe, I would surely die. As I struggled, I realized that a divine presence was standing beside me to my left. That presence was the Divine Mother, the birth mother of my soul. The presence spoke, “My son, be not afraid; breathe from my mouth the breath of life.” Coming through the tunnel, I felt a cool sensation, a breeze on my face coming toward me from the Being of Light at the end of the tunnel.
I ceased struggling to breathe, relaxed, and immediately realized that I was alive in my body without the necessity of breathing. I recognized the presence of the pure Self, the real me existing deep within my soul, the part of each one of us that is immortal. It existed before we came into these bodies. We all intuitively know this truth and at some time will experience it.God wants all of us to know this immortality again, to know who we really are. We are not limited to just a few years, a few orbits around this sun on this tiny world. It is only a temporary stop, a place to move onward from, and toward perfection. Perfection is allowing God to be in control, not little egos, not the false self with all its endless desires.
God moves through the open door on the crowns of our heads, into our bodies, and fills us with this realization, this ecstasy, this love and consciousness. This is what life is all about. When we are young, we are full of desires for the images we see around us, and we spend our time in their pursuit. But if we can stop long enough to say, “Not my will but Thy will be done through me, Oh Father,” we will begin to walk, play, work and talk with God in this life on our way to perfection. God is our only real and true friend, our eternal companion.
The tool of meditation that we have been given is only a means of reaching this end: to know God, to be fully conscious of God within us, not 99 and 9/10s percent, but 100 percent of the time. This Being, this power, this love, this joy, this realization, is the expanding awareness of the great upper brain. It is called the upper chamber and it contains the throne room that exists in each one of us. This great higher brain exists like an incredible, divine computer that can hold the knowledge and drift of the whole creation. This is a gift that humanity hardly uses today.
This is the miracle of our existence in these bodies. Through meditation we can open up and receive this miracle in the upper chamber with God, at the last supper as we leave the false self behind. Acknowledge that which illumines the great upper brain that God has built within us. The energy and presence that comes down in swirling vortexes upon the crowns of our heads is the anointment. This is why we meditate. This is where we come face to face with the real purpose of life. God himself will teach us. I Am That I Am will program our great upper brain for us to use with Him/Her, Mother and Father Divine.
“Karma” and “Dharma” are major concepts we need to understand more fully while we engage in the conscious pursuit of becoming better citizens of the universe. In his current May-June newsletter, Vedic Astrologer Ron Berger wrote:
The word ‘Karma’ is popularly understood as the Law of Cause and Effect, or: “As you sow, so shall you reap.” From that point, it gets more complicated, with many different types of karmas arising from a myriad of actions, creating an intricate web of consequences which ensnare the soul in innumerable lifetimes. Some of these karmas will have pleasant outcomes; others not so pleasant.
Some of these karmas are unavoidable, known as ‘Dridha’ karmas. Due to the intensity of whatever past action caused them, these karmas manifest in this lifetime as lessons and circumstances that give no choice. Other karmas are ‘lighter,’ i.e., they are more negotiable; there’s more ‘wiggle room’ and therefore more choice. These are termed ‘Adridha’ karmas.
The word ‘Dharma’ has a bunch of meanings ascribed to it in modern times. It’s original meaning was ‘Duty’, a concept that was much prized in a traditional culture like ancient India, where ‘Doing what you were born to do” was considered the best way to lead your life. We can reduce this down to the concept of ‘Life Path,’ i.e., your overall purpose, or if you prefer, “The Soul’s Purpose.” The basic idea is that Dharma is something more high-minded, more intentional, compared to Karma, which seems more fated. Dharma is associated with righteousness, and often gets lumped in with Religion.
In a larger sense, Dharma is The Law, or more accurately the Laws, that govern human existence. By acknowledging and willfully participating in the natural laws that underlie our lives, we can consciously fulfill our Karma, our inherited fate. And herein lies the connection between Karma and Dharma: the conscious practice of dharma becomes the remedy for karma. We don’t have any way to reach back into our past actions and change what we did that produced our present circumstances. The unseen past and its consequences appear to manifest as our own personal uncontrollable chaos. But with the Dharma we can, theoretically at least, purposefully align ourselves with the Universal Forces, and through Righteous Actions, start to rectify the accumulated karmas that restrict our lives.
If there have been lifetimes of disregard for The Dharma, then the person will continue to live in a personal hell, until things get difficult enough that they “see the light” and turn to God. In this way, difficult karma can be a blessing, since it will (eventually) put a person on the path of righteousness.
Another important idea is that your vocation is your dharma. The word ‘vocation’ is being broadly interpreted here; in today’s world it is used to describe your professional activities. But your Dharmic Vocation would be more than just that. Broadly speaking, it’s simply what you do out in the world. To do what you do in the world as a manifestation of dharma means that your personal actions are in alignment with the Universal Order. How you ‘serve’ is central to the idea of living a life grounded in The Dharma. Generosity and Charity are another major expression of Righteousness, and therefore, the Dharma.
by Norman Paulsen, Sunburst Founder•The Christ consciousness looks forward to the day when all beings on this planet will possess it again, when this Earth, the natural garden, will be cared for and appreciated, where divine architecture will again appear, fashioned with the harmonious proportions upon which the whole universe has been constructed. These things will again come.
It is little self- or ego-consciousness that humanity is struggling through, grappling with and trying to leave behind. It is the greater experience of Christ consciousness that seeks to dwell in every mind on this planet. Once seeing the light of pure consciousness you will know that God is alive and that you are indeed a true son and a true daughter. You will have divine direction then, as to what you should do to help divine will preserve life on this planet for our children and our children’s children.
As many of us as hear this, we must do something to change the conditions that exist by lifting our own consciousness higher and higher into the light of Divine Spirit. We will find direction that we can begin to turn the tide of destruction and save our world.
Mars, at one time, had oceans and rivers and life. What great catastrophe overtook our sister planet out there in space? If, indeed the remains of some great society are there for humanity to discover, let it awaken the minds of those who are in power here before it’s too late, and Earth suffers a similar fate.
For our sake, and our children’s sake, changes must be made. In each one of our lives, we need to strive for more light, more divinely guided will and direction, and not just be willing to sit and wait to see what somebody else will do.
Almighty Spirit, our divine Mother, our divine Father, we thank you for this life that we are aware of …for our bodies, for each other and for this world, so magnificently beautiful, floating like a jewel in the sea of infinity. Almighty Spirit, inspire us, and direct us that we might do those things which will preserve the lives of our children and our children’s children, and preserve this world in all its beauty that it may not be destroyed through greed and selfishness.
Almighty Spirit, you are the pure clear air and gentle breeze we feel upon us. You are the life that beats in our hearts, that enables us to communicate with each other. You are the love we feel for all things. You are the Life in each one of us, all of these faces, each one different. All of these bodies are yours. Help us to nourish the Earth with love and husbandry, to protect it for future generations. Almighty Spirit, we love you.
by Catherine Mauron • My visit to the butterfly sanctuary years ago was an awesome experience. Lying on the ground, consciousness filled with fluttering wings, eyes drunk with the awesome beauty of the colorful winged beings flying in circles above me, I started to wonder about the butterfly story.
The medicine of the butterfly is rebirth, transformation, rejuvenation. Like a spiritual aspirant, the caterpillar starts its life at the base, preoccupied first by physical needs, eating nutritious leaves, sleeping, and growing. Until, one day, suddenly, something calls from deep within its being, and the caterpillar starts to turn inwards.
It wraps itself in a cocoon, its meditation closet. Then it waits and waits. Finally after much perseverance, deepening its own knowledge about itself, it reaches illumination: “I’m no longer a caterpillar! I am a butterfly!”
The pure Self has revealed its true nature, the veil of the cocoon has become thin, like the veil of meditation, and the light of knowledge starts to pierce through. What an awesome spiritual insight the butterfly can bring to us if we try not only to understand it with the mind, but rather try to feel it deep within us.
Now the butterfly slowly unfolds its wings, observing with awe its transformation, fluttering gently in its new winged attributes, letting the gentle breeze dry them. No more concerned about eating, sleeping, or growing, it starts to fly—just a little bit at first. Soon it understands the full potential of its new abilities, and the open sky, infinite in its beauty, becomes its garden of Eden. “How high and how far can I fly?”
Some butterflies don’t fly very far. Others migrate, flying over the ocean, limited only by their own imagination. Just by realizing their true nature they allow it to become manifest. Let us all fill ourselves with butterfly medicine and fly higher and higher to meet the sunrise of our spirits.
“Whatever it is you’re seeking won’t come in the form you’re expecting.” –Haruki Murakami
• by Jonathan King •As spiritual seekers, each one of us is like a little child, who has been separated from our parents. We have grown up living our lives searching, looking for those parents, knowing they are alive somewhere. Even though we are apart, we love them so much.
As we grow in the spirit and reach out, it is as if we are being told that the parents we are seeking are nearby, and they are seeking us as well. Our hearts are filled with joy at the prospect of reuniting and feeling whole, of feeling healed and complete.
It is so awe inspiring to contemplate that God is everywhere in the boundless immensity of this creation, from the vastness of innumerable galaxies to the spaces between atoms. This gigantic universe is filled with a Being who knows us. Since our inception our Creator has been longing for us to know him/her and longing to play in this creation through us.
As we grow and change, we reach out for union with our Creator. We may practice techniques of meditation, develop a deeper love for life, and extend ourselves in selfless service. We try our best to live in virtue. This is divine Spirit growing within us.
At Sunburst Sanctuary, meditation is at the heart of our spiritual endeavor. As we practice our technique, we reach up and give all that we are to that living, loving Presence who created us, and who is watching us, and waiting for us to come home. It’s the heart’s devotion that attracts a greater peace and flow of life force into us and satisfies any longing.
Let us each offer all that we are—all our love, all of our joy, our loneliness, sorrows, and pain—to the only Being who can heal us, I Am That I Am. Ask that Presence to be one with you. Draw that holy Presence, that sacred Light through your being and bask in the healing energy of divine Spirit.
We sometimes refer to this process in meditation as “breathing the Light,” or “circulating the Light.” Some wonderful things happen as we practice and integrate Kriya yoga’s tools into our lives. We begin to grow. The more that we practice, the more we become transformed.
As we offer all of ourselves to divine Spirit, we are exchanging all the ego’s triumphs and tragedies for that Light of God that comes into us—a living Presence, a living Light. It fills those places that we’ve offered up, and we are changed. We feel more love for others, more love for this beautiful Earth that supports us. Every aspect of life seems richer and more full as we grow in that living Presence.
The only true healing is to allow God’s love and light to circulate in our beings. The more we practice these techniques, the more we will feel a fulfilling Presence growing and answering our prayers. So let us offer all that we are, open our hearts and let that divine Presence of I Am That I Am come in and awaken us.
by Norman Paulsen, Sunburst Founder•I was so blessed to have been led as a young man to my teacher, Paramahansa Yogananda. Many years ago, he was planning to take me along on a steamship voyage to India. He even sent me shopping to get the right suit for the trip.
Only a couple weeks before we were to leave, Yogananda called one night and said: “Big Boy—he always called me Big Boy—Divine Mother has told me that I will be leaving the body shortly and that I would not go to India.”
I responded, “Sir, if you are leaving, I want to go, too.”
“Oh no!” Yogananda replied: “You have a work to do.”
I remember the day I was told of his passing out of the body. I rushed to Mount Washington to see him one last time. Master had told me before he left that he would come to see me after he left his body.
Some months later I was living in Santa Barbara, wondering if he would ever come back. One Saturday I came home from work and sat down in my room to read. Suddenly, the wind came up outside my apartment, shaking the front of the building.
The door blew open and Master Yogananda walked into my room. He stood before me and gave instructions as to how I should live my life.
I received the glorious message that he was immortal—that he could come back to talk to me, and that this was proof that we all have immortal souls. We can all come back to see our loved ones; our lives go on in this great immensity of God’s creation; I saw the resurrection of the man I loved.
Yogananda proved to me that through the practice of meditation and the ancient teachings, the way is open for all to come and enjoy life, with God-realization alive in our consciousness. That experience has brought me to this day and to this place, and I thank him, my teacher. I thank God for allowing me to be here with this message and this truth.
Through deep meditation and prayer, may we all seek those teachings that will guide us on our journey onward through our inner-dimensional tunnel, to the light that is right within us. Jesus said, the kingdom of heaven is within you. Inner-dimensionally, it is all here. Not somewhere out in space, but so near that you can touch it, feel it, and see it in your deep meditation, if you persist. Resurrection of the soul is possible for each one of us. Love is the key that unlocks the spiritual gates.
Quote from Paramahansa Yogananda follows: by Paramahansa Yogananda • Resurrect your soul from all dreams of frailties. Resurrect your soul in eternal wisdom. What is the method? It includes many things: self-control, good diet, fortitude, an undaunted mental attitude, and relaxation of the consciousness from body identification by daily practice of scientific concentration and meditation principles. Refuse to be defeated. You have unlimited power; you must cultivate that power, that is all.
It is time to realize your unity with all by experiencing your oneness with God. Again and again, pray in your soul: “Oh Lord, come, clear away the dust of my indifference. Flood my consciousness, Oh Infinite Christ, with thy divine consciousness!”
