Honoring Memorial Day

Yogacharya David

 

Hickenbottom Home Aaron Nellie.2
The tent became a house–Elmer is my grandfather

 

After the Civil War it became a tradition to decorate the graves of soldiers killed in battle. With over 600,000  dead soldiers from that terrible war, there were very few families not touched by the tremendous toll. With time, the honoring of those who gave their lives in battle continued with World War I & II and subsequent actions by the military. The end of May continued to be a time of honoring and remembering.

For many, the day is also a time for remembering family members no longer here. My father took a leading role in organizing flowers for the graves of family members buried in the Yakima Valley. Since childhood and down to recent years Memorial Day was an annual family gathering. My parents, aunts and assorted relatives made procession to graveyards in Sunnyside and Zillah to place potted plants on or near grave stones. And we were joined by thousands of others who also gathered at their own family gravesites to do the same. With a large Hispanic population in the area, the tradition is very festive with bright shiny decorations, large pictures of more recently passed relatives, sitting in lawn chairs and making a day of it. For all, the graveyards are a quiet reflection, well attended and vibrant with color in honor of military, ancestors and family members passed.

It is a day of telling stories about family members, my aunt Kay in particular was a keen family historian and recounting memories and family lore was always a favorite part of this tradition. One such story was about my great grandfather and mother.  Aaron came to the Yakima Valley as a young man with dreams. He Purchased desert land cheaply, traded a pig for some sapling fruit trees, and he had a house—well, really it was a tent. It would be some time the next year before the canal was to be built, so he made a yoke and hung a bucket on each end and would set off to the river, a few miles away, to fetch water for drinking, bathing and watering his fruit trees.

 As a young man he thought prospects were looking good—it was a good time to marry. However, the sage covered desert did not bloom young ladies at the time, so he set off over the mountain pass to the big city of Tacoma. There he met a young woman who had moved with her family from Nova Scotia. Now Tacoma and Nova Scotia share the fact they are near water, with green trees and vegetation. They met, decided to marry and Nellie moved with her new husband to their new “home” in the desert. It was January, and it was cold, bleak even. Apparently, either he had oversold the state of his “home,” that is the general consensus among the ladies of the family, or she had imagined it to be more than it was, but she was definitely not happy with the state of things as she found them. Cold and dreary in January, a few sticks in the desert ground that would some day be an orchard, and a tent to live in is not what she had anticipated!

However, these were pioneers made of tough stock. “You do what you have to do” to get by, to survive, and work for a better future. They were a couple with deep faith in God, and eventually built their wood framed and clad home, it had a proper roof and sporting glazed windows—the house continues to stand on the same property today. It is now surrounded with shade trees and orchards and farms stretching off across a verdant valley. What changes water and hard work can bring to desert, with ground anciently fertilized by rich volcanic ash from nearby Mount Rainier and Adams. Like many in America, the dream has been that you can work hard and build a future; not just for yourself, but for prospective generations as well.   

Memorial Day is also called Decoration Day, for decorating the graves with flowers and giving homage to those who went before us. As we grow in spiritual awareness, gratitude is something that grows as well. None of us would be here if not for our ancestors. We would not have the life we have if there had not been those willing to give their lives for a greater cause. We have much to be grateful for, and though today we may not live close to those festively clad graveyards, we can decorate the memories of those who have gone before us with flowering gratitude.

I bow in gratitude to my ancestors, to all of our ancestors, and affirm with our hard work we may pass down to future generations even better lives for them—that the day will come when wars and terrorism are but memories, and the only “trumpet calls” we hear are the ones that awaken our souls in God.

 

Stillness is Real Silence

Yogacharya David

 

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While at Cloud Mountain from the deck of the retreat cabin–picture by Chad

Rebecca has come to stay for some of her last days in her month-long silence and seclusion. Her time for doing this sadhana reminds me of my spending one year in silence and seclusion at Cloud Mountain. This came about when one day I was speaking to a devotee and out of my mouth came, “I feel directed to spend one year in silence.” This pronouncement came as the biggest surprise to myself—particularly since, previous to this, I had not spent even one day in meditational silence. But now that God had said it, how do I go about doing it?

I thought of renting a cabin for the year, and others pointed out different silent retreat centers to contact, and thing one thing led to another (which is another way of saying God was leading me by the hand, step by step) and I discovered David Branscom and Cloud Mountain Retreat Center in Southwest Washington. I talked with David, who had started out his spiritual life feeling deeply connected to Master. He had built Cloud Mountain with his own hands, literally carrying the lumber and all materials on his back from the road he made to the building sites. Although it was mostly Vipassana Buddhists who rented his retreat center at that time, he was thrilled to have a connection with Master staying at his unique and newly built cabin for a long-term retreatant.  He offered the cabin and food for one year at no fee, but I felt I should pay him something; I think we settled on $250 a month. He was lovingly supportive all through the year and I cannot thank him enough for his open-hearted seva.

I knew going in, starting September of the year 2000, it would take some time to settle into silence—particularly since I had been non-stop travelling to Centers, giving talks and meeting with aspirants. The first three weeks or so in silence I could feel my whole being gradually becoming quieter. One of the first things I noted was the absence of movement—being at the cabin and on the grounds of the five-acre retreat center only—whereas before there were simple and familiar activities like going to the store, being out and about; and now, nothing. And then there was the absence of planning, no schedules to keep, no arrangements needing tending. My task was silence—be here, be now. I was simply observing, noticing these changes as time unfolded. And then there was the blessed relief I experienced; there was nowhere to go, nothing to plan, no outward demands—oh the luxury to just be with God!

There were many internal journeys through the year, great challenges, and tremendous experiences given by God and Gurus, experiences that amazed and deeply moved me. However, beyond all these many wonderful revelations, the real purpose for the year of silence and seclusion came clear to me sometime later in my time there, and then continued on afterward. I was to be established in the Presence of God.

Twenty-four years prior, Mother had ignited the kundalini force at the base of my spine that shot like a rocket to the ajna. This was the real beginning of my inward sadhana. For, there are things we do in our outer sadhana, such as developing the habit of meditation, practicing Kriya Yoga, chanting and deepening prayer; the methods we adopt in order to purify the body and mind. Inner sadhana occurs, with God and Gurus blessings, when we experience the upward current of the vastly powerful spiritual force, which in India is called the kundalini.  I could never relate all the experiences I have had with this miraculous kundalini force. It was through these experiences the inner change occurred; it involved not only Spirit, but mind and body as well. If I had been a better devotee, I am sure I should have shortened the time of transformation. However, through the years transformation did occur, and it prepared me for merging into the Higher Consciousness—the goal of mystics and saints the world over.

God had led me into silence and seclusion, and as a result of what He did, there was a solidification in my oneness with the inner Divine Presence. A strong point of this connecting union was in the Heart Center. I was deeply aware of this steadfast, unchanging Presence that was unshakable and unvarying. This place of oneness was such that it did not deviate, even when I reentered the world after the year of seclusion. This knowing oneness with the Infinite was a product of God and Gurus Grace, and with the invaluable help of my “second spiritual Mother”, dearest Swami Satchidananda. 

When God commanded this year in silence and solitude I had no idea of what was in store; I only knew it was His command. Every devotee has his or her own journey, and as we know paths to God vary in outward form. However, for most there will come a time of stepping away from the demands of the world, to be absorbed into inner silence.

Not speaking is not the real silence (it is amazing how loud and nonstop the mind can be!). Only by stilling the body and mind do you beget true stillness. Then, inner stillness is born in the heart; a place of deep connection with the Infinite Divine that is the firm foundation for oneness with God. To become still is the goal of Kriya Yoga and its after-effect, and the chanting of God’s name is meant to result in that same stillness. To be established in inner stillness brings about the extraordinary state of oneness. That is why the great mystic sage King David sang, “Be still, and know that I am God.” Be still, and know God as the eternal Self of your Being, the Source of unending bliss, and the answer to all of your heart’s desires.  

Kali–The Fierce Face of God

Yogacharya David

 

Dakshineswar-Kali
Kali-The Fierce Face of Divine Mother

This last Sunday I spoke about Kali, the fierce image of the Divine Mother. As usual, when I experience God speaking through me, I am also being taught. In my uplifted state during the talk God showed me a deeper meaning behind the imagery of Kali. For, in all sacred images and stories there are greater truths being alluded to—sacred imagery is always pointing to the supreme Reality. However, when the story is taken only at its face value, the mind becomes fixated on the fascinating but bewildering outer images of the parable. Jesus said,

13 Therefore speak I to them in parables: because they seeing see not; and hearing they hear not, neither do they understand…15 For this people’s heart is waxed gross, and their ears are dull of hearing, and their eyes they have closed…16 But blessed are your eyes, for they see: and your ears, for they hear. (Matt. 13:)

For those who focus on the outer story alone debates ensue, and the reasoning mind can easily pick apart such images and tales for their inconsistencies, historical inaccuracies, and sometimes just plain illogic. Predictions of a future savior can fit into this category. For the past three thousand years there has been the prediction of a Messiah (Mashiach) in Judaism—a righteous king such as David who brings peace to this world and ends hunger. Christians have been waiting two thousand years for the second coming of Christ to appear from the clouds of heaven and brings a thousand years of peace. And for the past 1,400 years many Muslims have waited in anticipation for the return of the 12th Imam to bring peace and justice to this world. Coincidently, the looked-for return of these saviors will usher in the supremacy of their respective religions—leaving only one religion standing. Since these three literal scenarios are mutually exclusive, only one of them can be correct. Of course, none think their own religion will be on the losing side, but see themselves standing triumphant over their stunned competitors.

Now, you can either be a believer in one of these looked for prophecies, or see the whole thing as hopeless confusion, or perhaps use these histories to analyze current day events (today many orthodox Christians are in support of making Jerusalem the official seat of government for Israel because of predictions in the Bible state that this a prelude to the return of the Christ). However, for the practical spiritual aspirant, the understanding comes that from the beginning these predictions were not intended to be worldly based. Rather, the savior parable is a description of a coming inner spiritual illumination; for the striving devotee, New Jerusalem is a name for an enlightened state of consciousness; and the predicted thousand years of peace is the same as the thousand petalled lotus—the spiritually illumined brain.

For those who perceive the one true Creator behind all religious impulses the world over, then, as Mother Hamilton stated, there is only one God and one religion—a religion beyond secular divisions. There is only one supreme truth—and all the various religions are but descriptions of man’s relationship with that truth, or God. In the end, all religions are expressions of the same human desire to know God.

For God to be true, then the Divine Principle upon which God is understood must be universal—equally true for all. Mathematics is true no matter what language you speak or where you are from; even if you are from another planet, the principles of math will be the same. The symbols we call numbers can look different depending on your native land; language may differ but the unfolding logic of math must be the same. Similarly, the logic for realizing God and the experience of knowing God will follow certain universal principles no matter your language, culture, customs or religion.

To truly appreciate a religion, you must unlock its symbols—someone else’s religion can look alien simply because their language and symbols are not familiar to you. In India the Mother Kali is a much worshipped form of the Divine Mother. On the surface one may wonder why? So many images of God are pleasing, but she is not. That fierce image of Kali is intentional and filled with meaning. We may explore its meaning when we break through the cocoon of the outer story and take wing on direct perception of truth.

As God was showing me while I was giving the talk, the fierce face of Kali and her accompanying symbols is the outer form only—the outer fierceness symbolizes this world. Just as the image of Kali is terrible, tongue dripping blood, holding a sword, skulls hung about, so too can this world be terrifying with wars, famines, pestilence, illness, suffering of so many varieties that are all too common. Yet, mystics from time immemorial tell us that the world is God, is a sacred expression of its Creator. One can wonder how anyone can say that when there is so much hardship? It is because the mystic dives deeper and comes up with a magnificent pearl of wisdom. The spiritual master sees not merely the outer fierceness of the world, but perceives the Divine Presence underlying all creation. To the penetrating mind the beautiful Divine Mother reveals Herself behind the ugly image of Kali, and the suffering of the world.

That guiding Presence ensures that the suffering engendered by the horrors of this world eventually leads an aspirant for truth to detachment, detachment is necessary for Self-realization, and with realization comes true freedom beyond the thralldom of this world—for true freedom is oneness with God.

Our shortcut to knowing this freedom is to acknowledge that the things of this world can never bring lasting happiness. We do not need to wait for the harshness of this world to tear us from our clinging to the body and things of the world; for, the alternating currents of good and evil will ever be a part of our experience in this life. To practice detachment from duality and put our minds on God is the pathway to mystical union with the Infinite. Seen from this perspective, the fierce face of God wakes the soul from its indifference, it challenges the narrative of worldly attachments, and sets us on our way to realizing the sacred Divine Presence. Then, through eyes informed by the Divine Presence the beauty of the Creator is seen shining throughout all creation.

I had a beautiful demonstration of grace through the Divine Mother as Kali. In pilgrimage I was at the temple of Dakshineswar in India. It was here that the great Ramakrishna worshiped the image of Kali and where he came to realize God. While walking the temple complex I came to the Kali Temple just as the doors were opened to reveal the statue of Kali. There was a large crowd pressing in to see the image. As I stood behind the crowd I thought that while I did want to see the statue that Ramakrishna had worshipped, I did not want to enter this press of humanity.

As I stood apart from all the people, with Swami Vishwananda beside me, a side door of the temple opened; a priest came out and walked directly over to me. He took my hand and indicated I should come with him—I followed him back to the side door. Swami Vishwananda came in behind me and we were ushered through an inner hallway right up front to the image of Kali, with the pressing crowd behind us, separated by a gate. The temple priest did not say a word, but gracefully arranged for this darshan of the Mother Kali in such a remarkable way. Why I was singled out is a mystery, one can only say the Divine Mother wished it so.

Just as the Divine Mother arranged for this darshan, so God arranges for knowing the Divine Presence for the sincere and aspiring heart, bypassing the fierce noisiness and confusion of this world, taking you into your inner temple of silence where Divine Mother reveals Herself. The message comes, you should not be dissuaded by the outer fierceness of the image of Kali or of this sometimes-harsh world, but dive deep in devotional meditation to find the pearl of realization that reveals the beauty of God, both within and without.

Mother’s Day

Yogacharya David

 

2012-P1030058
My mother and me in front of her tea cup collection–2012

What a perfect idea, to honor mothers everywhere. As Mother said, “every mother goes through pain, and sometimes into the very jaws of death, to bring forth every child which she bears.” This was true of my own mother.

God gave me an experience of being in my mother’s womb. I heard my mother’s heartbeat, I was so perfectly comfortable being where I was. And, I knew that life on earth would not be an easy one, I felt resistant to leaving that haven of peace in the womb, as I listened to that heartbeat. It was such a complete experience that while going through it my own physical body was curled up in a fetal position.

 

I talked with my mother after I had this inner experience about my birth. She said that I was breached, and the doctor was up to his elbows getting me turned. She had tears from this that needed to be sutured, and my aunt Kay came to help her for some weeks after the birth as my mother could not move easily—she had my two older brothers to care for as well as a new baby. Every mother faces the possibility of the unknown, and shows great courage in bringing forth new life. When we really think about it, new life is absolutely a miracle, and no new life is possible without a mother.

 

Today we salute our mother’s, and if feel great gratitude not only for my own mother, but all mothers; for they made a decision for life, and life is a miracle.

Since I not only have a physical mother, without whom I would not have this incarnation, I also have my spiritual Mother, without whom I would not have a life worth living. Plato compared himself with a midwife, helping to bring forward a new being, spiritually born. Guru takes it further. The guru delivers spiritual Shakti or power of the Divine Mother, and so is an essential part of the Christ, or Krishna, child taking birth in the aspirant. Then guru shepherds the soul through all the experiences the soul must go through in order to know God.

 

Babaji described how he watched over the soul of Lahiri Mahasaya; when he left the body in a previous incarnation, moved with him in Spirit as he spent a life in the astral, then kept him under a protective wing when he was just a little tyke buried under the sands in lotus posture and then growing into manhood. How lovingly he was with his beloved disciple—watching, protecting and secretly guiding him until it was ordained that they should meet again in the physical.

 

Mother, willing to expend herself completely, entered the “jaws of death” to help bring about the total restoration of God-consciousness to all whom God had given her. I know that even when we are not aware, she watches over us, helping us to overcome our karma and to know the Infinite. Motherhood requires patience, for the zygote, fetus, newborn, a graceless teen and all the in-between stages will not appear like a finished product, not at all. Yet the Guru never ceases to see the perfect soul in God that each one of us truly are. Oh, such patience, a forbearance that only God can display!

 

I bow to you my blessed Divine Mother. May your Grace lift us up, guide us through the great transformation; that we may merge into God, and God into us. Inspire us to be what we should be in God, and know the perfect freedom of Spirit—to be immersed in the bliss you experience and the supreme wisdom you know.

For all Mothers, have a blessed Mother’s Day.

 

81 Mother Nicole
Mother to us all

 

 

The Life of Yogananda–My Takeaway

Yogacharya David

 

 

1920s-Turban-2-recduced
Early 1920s Master occasionally wore a turban

A week after finishing The Life of Yogananda there are some takeaways I have from this biography. The first is how hard Master worked and the sheer amount he travelled for years while crisscrossing America. Some years he was at Mt. Washington for merely a few weeks. I know Master said in the Autobiography that he loved to travel and see new places, yet this amount of being on the road must have been very challenging. He was here in America to make a difference—and what a difference he made.

The other fact that stands out is how many balls Master was balancing: a travelling speaker, event planning, advertising and then the classes that followed, responsibility for the Mt. Washington Headquarters and a growing number of churches and Centers, financial responsibilities to keep it all going (working to pay off debts much of this time), and fulfilling his role as guru to a growing number of devotees—in person, through letters and in Spirit.

Then there were the disappointments: those he depended on who did not follow through—even betrayed him, people of wealth saying they would support the work and then nothing, having to battle prejudice and people being suspicious of his motives, jealousy and those who thought they knew better than he.

And, he rose above these obstacles and challenges; he was a tremendous success. In hindsight we see his accomplishments—however, hindsight can lose details, and while Master did have support, drew many wonderful souls to him, and is a shining light in this world, it stands out to me what an extraordinary God-man he was to overcome all the trials that God sent to him.

There are those who do not always see the man in the God-man. Some have said that Jesus did not really suffer on the cross, because God could not suffer. Nor could he have had doubts, because how could God doubt? And while it is true that a God-man or a God-woman has access to extraordinary power and consciousness, that one still lives in a human body, faces many of the same trials that any human being does, can even feel despondent (Rama, an incarnation of God felt depressed at times when separated from Sita). Acknowledging his humanness only increases our compassion and appreciation for all that Master accomplished in his life.

And how may this inform us on our path to God-realization? As Master said, “The same God that is in me, is also in you.” You call upon that same God—the tremendous power, upliftment and intelligence that made it possible for Master to do all he did—and that Divinity ignites in you the qualities of the all-powerful One.

As Mother said of her own condition as a fully realized Being, “I am fully human, and fully Divine.” To many this seems to be an unsolvable paradox, but for the sincere aspirant it offers inspiration—even in your humanness, you are also Divine. Your task is the same that Master and Mother had in their lives, to realize the inner divinity of God. In Master’s life you have a story of just such possibilities, not only for Master or just a chosen few, but for all who aspire.

For my book review of The Life of Yogananda:

http://www.crossandlotus.com/David/BookReviews/A_Review_of_The_Life_of_Yogananda.pdf

Saint Lynn

Yogacharya David

 

Rajasi Meditating by ocean
Successful Businessman and an Accomplished Yogi

 

May 5, 1892 James (Jimmy) Lynn, Saint Lynn as Master referred to him, was born on this day near Archibald Louisiana. What a remarkable example of a modern businessman becoming an accomplished yogi. For those who say their lives are too busy to meditate, here is a man running multiple business enterprises, a householder with a wife (who was not in favor of his being Master’s disciple), with all the pressures and demands that his position came with, and still he found time for deep meditation and gaining a high spiritual perfection. Master gave Saint Lynn the distinction of the name Rajasi, king of yogis.

In a talk given in 1960 Mother recalls Rajasi at a Kriya Initiation: “I remember that one time Master was giving a Kriya Initiation in Los Angeles. When you practice Kriya over a long period of time, you can practice it very little before you go into ecstasy—at a certain time during your development the Life Force will immediately leave your body. Well, Rajasi was sitting in the front row, and Master was telling all the different devotees how to do Kriya. Rajasi, because he had been doing Kriya for many years was able to leave his body—he was a master in his own right—and he slumped immediately to the floor. Well, Bernard rushed over and pressed the jugular vein in order to bring the Life Force back into the body—yogis have this method where they can return life to the body. So finally, when Rajasi went in front of Master to receive the initiation, Master laughed at him (and Rajasi had a bald head), and he patted his head, and he said, ‘Well, you left us for a little while, didn’t you?’” (Mother laughing)

And this is what Rajasi once said in a talk to devotees, “”One of the blessings I have received in my friendship with Paramhansa Yogananda has been permanent relief from a state of nervousness, a state of strain, an inward state of uncertainty. I have gained calmness, peace, joy, and a sense of security that cannot come to anyone until he has found the true security of the soul.” and “How heavenly is the company of a saint! Of all the things that have come to me in life, I treasure most the blessings that Paramhansaji has bestowed on me.”

Rajasi was a tremendous help to Master both spiritually and materially, and we are the grateful beneficiaries of his taking incarnation with Master so that we might have living examples of what is possible for both human evolution and involution. We bow to the great Light shining through your life Saint Lynn.

You Shall be Comforted

Yogacharya David

 

Calendar standing on boat-SRF 2.1
Master on a boat in Mexico–A time when God took all the “wind out of his sails”

 

Change is the nature of this world. This is a simple fact, yet there is a part of the brain that, to make sense of this world, looks to those predictable things in life to help us to find assurance and order. Assurance that the world is safe, order so that we might navigate this world and find happiness. So, while certain parts of the brain are looking for order, change comes and upsets that looked for order—change that can make us feel shaken to the core.

When we enter the spiritual way of seeing things we seek to transfer our looking for assurance, safety and order from this world to our growing union with God. But, as Mother says, Rome was not built in a day, and neither does man attain his God-realization overnight. It is a process, one we seek to quicken—as Master said, not to go by the bullock-cart method, but to take the airplane route. Through deepened God-experience we recognize that the inner assurance of knowing God is the only constant in life—for everything that is born will die, everything that is created will one day disappear.

Then there are certain things that happen in life that shake us to our core. When Master came to America he enlisted the help of his friend from India, Swami Dhirananda. Dhirananda came and was a mainstay through the 1920s at Mt. Washington while Master travelled the length and breadth of America giving lectures and classes nearly non-stop. One day Dhirananda showed up in New York, where Master was lecturing, and said he was leaving the organization and demanded money from Master for the work he had done. Master agreed he needed money to start a new life and promised payments for years to come. However, the shock of this meeting took the wind out of Master’s sails, he even seriously thought of returning to India—permanently. Fortunately for us, he says Divine Mother took me by the ear, and told him to continue on. After some time spent in Mexico he returned to the work God had given him—even though a part of him simply wanted to wander on the banks of the Ganges.

Many “wake up calls” come to us challenging our attachment to the way we think this world should be, versus how it is in the moment. It may be illness, death, loss of job or relationship—this world can deliver some serious knocks and shocks. In my sadhana God systematically withdrew from me so many personal landmarks, first the mahasamadhi of my guru, then the loss of marriage, family, home, profession, taking me through two years of a “Dark Night of the Soul.” It stripped me to the bone, then ground the bones to dust and blew the dust to the four corners of the earth. I took a sabbatical from being a minister—for I, who was empty, how I could I serve others when I had nothing, not a thing I could give?

What we must know, these “wake up calls” come with a purpose—to wake us up! The Vedas say, Arise, Awake! When all we have is taken from us, then we must turn to God as our refuge, solace, comforter and guide. To not do so is to slide into darkness. Even then, so much darkness will eventually serve to awaken the Divine within—only, how much suffering occurs between slipping into darkness and doing the hard work of extracting ourselves from the deep well into which we have fallen.

Here is the good news, you may save yourself depths of despair by going to God now. Turn your attention to Him, in good times and in tough times. If illness creeps up on you, if pain of sorrow seeks to enfold you in its wings of separateness, if financial misfortunes weigh you down, if relationships betray you—then take God with you. Under stress we tend to close down. Do the opposite—open up to God. Breathe, open and allow the Divine Current to flow into you, allow the Divine Presence to glow within. Let go of the world, all things of time and space, all outer realities, and focus on God alone.

The Great Master said, Blessed are they that mourn, for they shall be comforted. (Matt. 5:4) Blessed are they that mourn—the reason you mourn is that you love, and love is the greatest gift of all. Love can be painful when you feel loss, but the Master says you shall be comforted. However, not all who mourn feel comfort. That is because in your loss you feel separated and bereft. But, there is a greater truth than isolation, a more profound way of being in this world. You are forever connected with God, and by turning your mind towards Him, that blessed Spirit comes into you and you into Him. This Holy Spirit comforts you, assuages the pain, makes you know you are never alone.

When Yogananda took the blow to the work he had given himself completely to for the previous decade, he turned to Divine Mother for comfort and guidance. And throughout the Dark Night of the Soul that God and Guru put me through, I somehow knew that it was Divine Will that was at work. To breathe, open, and allow your Divine Friend, Guide and Savior to gain entry into your innermost pain and aloneness means that you are on the pathway to wholeness, that you are growing in God—merging into Him even as He is merging into you. The path of the cross is the path to resurrection—from pain of separation to the bliss, light and wisdom of the Perfect One. This is the true assurance that we have so long been looking for—that God is with you always.

 

 

 

 

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