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!”
This weekend is shared by many religious communities as an important time of traditional celebration. Since Sunburst is non-denominational and honors all the world’s great religions, let’s learn about and honor the high points of their celebrations in this season.
Culminating in fireworks, Hindus celebrate Rama Navami festival, which is focused on morality, especially Loyalty. Some go on pilgrimage to sacred sites. After fasting, most Hindus clean and decorate their houses with flowers and other items that might honor the birth of Lord Rama. Image above is “Baby Rama”. The virtues and life of this avatar are recorded in the Ramayana, a story of the battle between good (personified by Rama) and evil (personified by Ravana).
Ravana was a brahmin (priest); he was a great scholar who wrote numerous works on scriptural philosophy. He was powerful, dynamic, and beautiful in appearance. As the brilliant, handsome king of Lanka, he had everything one would need to be happy and peaceful. Yet, he was arrogant, egoistic, greedy and lustful. His insatiable desires led him to crave more and more power, more and more money, and more and more ladies to fulfill his every whim.
Bhagwan Rama’s heart overflowed with divinity, love, generosity, humility, and a sense of duty. Ravana’s heart, in contrast, was filled with avarice, hatred, and egoism. Under Bhagwan Rama’s divine touch, the animals became his devotees and his divine helpers. Under Ravana’s touch, even humans became animals.
Followers of Judaism celebrate Passover, also called Pesach for 7 or 8 days. In the Bible, Passover marks the Exodus of the Children of Israel from Egyptian slavery, when God “passed over” the houses of the Israelites during the last of the ten plagues. It is traditional for Jewish families to gather on the first night of Passover for a special dinner called a seder. The table is set with the finest china and silverware to reflect the importance of the meal. During this symbolic meal with its traditional foods, the story of the Exodus from Egypt is retold using a special text called the Haggadah.
During the rise of Nazi persecution and terror, in 1939, American Rabbi Philip R. Alstatspoke about the power of the Passover story: It is this Faith, born of racial experience and wisdom, which gives the oppressed the strength to outlive the oppressors and to endure until the day of ultimate triumph when we shall be brought forth from bondage unto freedom, from sorrow unto joy, from mourning unto festivity, from darkness unto great light, and from servitude unto redemption.
In Christianity, the celebration of Good Friday finds its roots in the Jewish feast of Passover, the evening on which Jesus was crucified as the Passover Lamb. Preceding Good Friday is Palm Sunday, commemorating Jesus’ triumphal entry into Jerusalem. According to the Gospels, the Christed Jesus rode on a donkey into Jerusalem, and the celebrating people there laid down their cloaks and small branches of trees in front of him, singing part of Psalm 118: 25–26– Blessed is He who comes in the name of the Lord. We bless you from the house of the Lord.
The symbolism of the donkey may refer to the Eastern tradition that it is an animal of peace, unlike the horse which is the animal of war. A king would have ridden a horse when he was bent on war, and ridden a donkey to symbolize his arrival in peace. Jesus’ entry to Jerusalem would have thus symbolized his entry as the Prince of Peace, not as a war-waging king.
Painting: “Flevit super illam” (Latin: “He wept over it.”); by Enrique Simonet, 1892. In Luke 19:41 as Jesus approaches Jerusalem, he looks at the city and weeps over it, foretelling his coming Passion and the suffering that awaits the city in the events of the destruction of the Second Temple.
Light on Sunburst Sanctuary – Spring Equinox • by Letha Kiddie • This year as we celebrated another spring equinox at the Sunburst Labyrinth, my thoughts turned to the deeper meaning of Equinoxes, a time of finding balance. It seems especially important this year, following an unprecedented year of forced changes in our lives (due to the pandemic) when everyone’s balance seems to be thrown off.
To me, equanimity is extremely important in times like these, having the ability to weather the storms without incurring too much damage on our emotional, mental and physical bodies. Self care is essential, as well as giving ourselves time to process the many changes and challenges that have taken place during this time.
What can we do to balance the emotions and exhaustion we may be feeling? First of all, just being an observer to our state of mind, body and emotions, can be helpful. Giving ourselves empathy and understanding, starts us on a path of healing.
Acknowledging the stresses in our lives and perhaps sharing our thoughts, feelings, and emotions with others is a good start. Taking time to walk or sit outside helps us to expand our awareness into the larger movements going on in nature, and it helps us see that we are all part of this grander scheme of life.
Balance is symbolic of Libra, which is opposite Aries. These two signs sit directly across the zodiac from each other. While Aries (the Ram) is a fiery, outward, expansive energy, Libra moves us and nature inward into fall (autumnal equinox). They are currently a dynamic dual influence.
And how interesting that the Northern Hemisphere experiences spring equinox at the same time the Southern Hemisphere experiences fall equinox. This is another example of the duality of the third dimension in which we live—something to ponder.
Our small world can feel so large and overwhelming, but we are just a wave on this ocean of life, and we are being carried along by this force we call Life/Love/God. May we all find balance and joy in this grand adventure of life!
