Being active is a consequence of being in a physical body: your heart pumps, thoughts flow, muscles move—everywhere you look creation is an expression of life-energy. Here in the desert there is a surprising amount of life. There are remarkable varieties of cactus, odd looking Kangaroo rats with long back legs, magnificent vultures flying over the peak named after them; these names may not seem appealing, but they are all quite interesting, and amazing to see. One note of caution though, there is a variety of Teddy Bear cactus that may seem like something soft you could hold like a teddy bear; however, do not be deceived, these have vicious spines that have painful microscopic barbs that don’t like to let go once attached!

Throughout all of this magnificent desert vital life-force flows and animates all we see. Mountains, plants, birds are all vibrant and live mostly by nature’s design, leaving little room for independence. When you get into the higher forms of mammals you see more exercise of will and independence, but only with the human being do you see a real development of abstract thought, self-reflection, and an independence of will that can either go seriously astray from original design, or else those life-forces are mastered and transformed into transcendent Consciousness. Sinners and saints are almost exclusively the province of the human species.

During this cycle in the planet’s evolution there are times when we have seen more of the sinner than the saint, but the innate capacity for divinity is ever present in one and all. Some of the most magnificent scripture ever penned comes from St. John and bears this inherent potential out: In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. The same was in the beginning with God. All things were made by him, and without him was not any thing made that was made. In him was life; and the life was the light of men. And the light shineth in the darkness; and the darkness comprehended it not. (John 1:1-5)

The mystery is how the Light can shine in the darkness and it is not seen? The Vedas explain the inexplicable by the means of Maya: a veil of delusion that makes creation ignorant of its own Divinity. Maya does not alter the Eternal Substance that is God, but it is a slight of hand that makes the darkness, creation, incapable of comprehending the ever-present Light.

However, there is a built-in failsafe; the Savior is the Light seeded in humanity and is present in everything that is made. So, the thing is to discover that Reality; to accept deeply into your being the light of truth that has always been with you. No individual man could ever match the description of this universal Savior, so the notion that Jesus is the exclusive expression of that Light flies in the face of the fact that that Light is in every person walking the earth. The Light was awakened in our dear savior Jesus, even as it can become awakened in each and every one of us.

This is the good news of the gospel, it is more than good news, but superlatives seem not to touch the essence of this great revelation; God with us and God born in man; God is a Reality that you may know in truth through direct inner experience. In fact, we are all made up of God-stuff; and this remarkable news has yet to be known by an unsuspecting humanity. Emmanuel, God with us, is really that, God with us in every human being!

It is your inborn Light of Dharma that demands you awaken to this greater Reality. You close your eyes, go within and you discover sacred life-force flowing throughout your being; then your divine awareness expands out to the furthest reaches of space. With the inner sight awakened you open your two eyes and you comprehend the same sacred force operating through all of nature, in all of humanity, in every living thing in space. You have awakened to Christ Consciousness, you have ascended and in seeing this you know the Heavenly Father—you realize, you are That.

Surely you see that, do you not? Surely God is awakening this Reality in you–how can He not? I only write what He writes through this form, and His word cannot be stillborn, but must live and find fulfillment in you. This is the reason you are here, and that destiny must be fulfilled in you. Having realized this eternal Truth, when you act you serve. For now you only live to serve the One who is in all. You heart pumps, thoughts flow and muscles move, and it is all an expression of the Light in you in service to the Light in all. You are the fulfillment of the sacred scriptures.

As many of us know, if a computer or one of our electronic gadgets is slowing down or stalling, the easiest and oftentimes most effective way to get things working is to turn the darn thing off, then start it again; it’s called a reboot. Computer problems can stem from software stuck in a loop it can’t get out of, or the hardware interface is malfunctioning—so, restart the computer and voila, more times than not it fixes the problem!

The “software of your mind” can also get stuck in a continuous loop. Thinking, thinking, thinking, always thinking on some topic, some obsession, some object of desire or fear or simply an endless loop of a commercial jingle you heard (if you have ever been on Disneyland’s ride “It’s a Small World, ” then you will have been subjected to this kind of diabolical jingle/abuse programming! Anytime such a tune gets going in my head I sing Ram Nam to the tune to be deprogrammed. It almost always breaks the cyclic nature of the tune, and even if it doesn’t, I am still continuously singing the Name of God).

The body’s hardware can also get stuck in repeating cycles; tense muscles in the neck, jaw, eyes, back—well, anywhere you have muscles they can become tense and remain that way. Your blood pressure gets higher, digestive secretions secrete way too much—so many ways for the body-hardware to malfunction resulting in power drains, bloatware clogging and inflaming the operating systems, and even leading to catastrophic body failures.

A realignment of the body, mind and Spirit can reboot your system that makes for maximized operations. One of the simplest ways for doing this is your bi-daily meditation. You may begin your meditation with your thinking-software wasting mental computing power by looping certain thoughts, and your body-hardware being tense and out of sorts. Now, if you spend your entire meditation time simply stuck in these loops or thinking about what is going wrong in your body or your life, that is not meditation at all, and it will definitely not reboot your system.

To properly reboot your body and mind they must be turned off—you must have a significant shift during your meditation. In Kriya your life-force moves in a circuit through your spine and brain, in Hong-Sau and Ram Nam your mind is focused on the mantra. The result: your breathing is significantly slowed, you feel a release of tension from your body, and you enter into a quiet zone that not only slows your breathing, but your thinking transforms into pure witness awareness—you become the observer of all that is. A deeper breath, an even bigger release of tension and you enjoy surpassingly beautiful peace, the joy of Spirit bubbles up from a deep Source in you and you feel expansive—your system is now being rebooted.

Sometimes a computer problem can be solved with a quick restart, in meditation terms you take a few minutes during the day to reset your body-mind-Spirit system. Other times the computer needs a whole system shut down, then wait for some time for a cold restart—meditationally this means going deeper, soaring higher until you have the solution and freedom you are looking for. Reverend Jill is taking some months in silence now—when God gives you the opportunity and the prompting this can be a wonderfully deep reboot for your entire system.

It is not that simply spending more time in meditation results in progress, but there is something about extended meditations being required for going deeper. With increased time internal operating flaws are met and new downloaded code allows for higher planes of consciousness. It may not always be the fact that something “incredible” occurs, rather it may be a deepening of awareness and a groundedness in Spirit that is being established. During my year of silence and solitude an inner stillness was established in my heart-center that has stayed with me continuously, no matter the outer circumstances. Of course, with stillness there is no fear—there is only perfect trust and reliance upon God alone.

Now, to a computer engineer the circuitry of a mother board may look beautiful. However, that does not compare in the least with the beauty of the lotus-brain streaming with Light, a manifestation of the Divine Mother-board, and with inner-vision you also see the life-force flowing throughout the subtle body system. What elegance of design, with speeds surpassing that of electrons or even light—complete downloads at the rate of perfectly synced thought-transference.

So, whether it is a shorter meditational restart or a deeper complete shutdown, look for the signs that make you know you have had a successful reboot. Then you will maximize your body-mind workstation, wonderfully synchronized with God’s Mainframe Divine Consciousness.

Anniversary of Sri Yukteswarji Mahasamadhi—March 9, 1936.

The Autobiography of a Yogi is an amazingly told story on so many levels, written by such a tremendous soul. Master, a yogi of such great realization did not try pose as “above it all,” rather he gave us a picture of how he suffered the pangs of shock and depression at the passing of his own Master—it created a darkened night for him. He wrote in the Autobiography:

My days were filled with lectures, classes, interviews, and reunions with old friends. Beneath a hollow smile and a life of ceaseless activity, a stream of black brooding polluted the inner river of bliss which for so many years had meandered under the sands of all my perceptions.

In his letters to Rajasi, he expands on the grief that filled him at that time. He wrote this letter on March 17 while he was at Ranchi, just days after his guru’s passing.

In spite of all wisdom and perception, I feel very lonely since our Guruji Swami Sri Yukteswar Giriji left us. Now you know, beloved one, what consolation you have given me, what gratefulness you have won from me and Guruji for being the divine instrument of making it possible for me to come here and pay to him my last respects on earth. I wrote you, “Guruji is planning to give up his body. Perhaps I can stay him.” I had it all planned to go on March 6 to Puri where he was residing, but God didn’t let me lest I pray to keep him here. Instead, I started to go on March 8, and I was prevented. Then I went on March 9 and arrived at Puri March 10 morning, only to see his lifeless body in samadhi posture. According to custom I had to bury his body in the ashram grounds. The body which had reflected omnipresent wisdom lay lifeless before me mocking, “I didn’t let you pray for me.”

On March 9, 7 p.m., our Guruji left his body; and about that time he intimated to me of his departure. Also on the train I saw two tunnels of light and his astral self telling me of his departure. Though since his departure I have been seeing him all of the time, practically, still it is a great, great shock that I won’t ever be able to show you and Mt. Washington devotees Swami Sri Yukteswarji in body. He had told me, “If I live through March (Bengali Chaitra month), I will live longer.” When I had asked him to see an American lady from California, he replied, “I won’t see her now, nor anyone else in this life.” I know there would have been a great battle if I was present at the time of his passing. I wrote a letter to him asking him not to give up his body, but the people through whom I sent it did not read it to him. Guruji was slightly feverish for five days. His fever left in the end; and while his body seemed perfectly well, he left in samadhi.

If there were words, I would write to you how I feel about the material disappearance of Master. Imagine, the Lord God did not want me to pray lest He have to grant my prayer or deny it. The lion has left his cage, the lion whose roar of wisdom kept me undergoing a thousand privations and demands of organization work. If I could weep, I would feel relieved. If I would cry, the gods would cry with me. If I had a thousand mouths, I would say India lost one of the greatest in wisdom.  But the saddest of all is I could not show him you.

We can all relate, at least to some extent, the sense of loss and sadness Master was feeling at the passing of his master. What is amazing, is how open Master is with his feelings, with no pretense that he is undisturbed. He puts a human face on being God-realized. For, even as Mother, he was both fully human and divine.

As much as he had grieved, so did he feel the intensity of joy at his guru’s resurrection. Again from the Autobiography:

Gone was the sorrow of parting. The pity and grief for his death, long robber of my peace, now fled in stark shame. Bliss poured forth like a fountain through endless, newly opened soul-pores. Anciently clogged with disuse, they now widened in purity at the driving flood of ecstasy. Subconscious thoughts and feelings of my past incarnations shed their karmic taints, lustrously renewed by Sri Yukteswar’s divine visit.

When I sat meditating at Puri’s Samadhi Temple during my 1998 pilgrimage, I unexpectedly felt Sri Yukteswar’s joy in torrents. Sri Yukteswarji made me know that his promise to his disciple, recorded in the Autobiography, was not just for Paramhansaji, but for all of us:

“Dearest Master! Rebuke me a million times—do scold me now!”

“I shall chide you no more.” His divine voice was grave, yet with an undercurrent of laughter. “You and I shall smile together, so long as our two forms appear different in the maya-dream of God. Finally we shall merge as one in the Cosmic Beloved; our smiles shall be His smile, our unified song of joy vibrating throughout eternity to be broadcast to God-tuned souls!”

It is good to remember that God-realized souls live human lives, they endure what everyone goes through at one time or another. They do this to show us that our humanness is not a bar to experiencing God. Rather, we may feel that it is God living His life through us, and therefore everything—pleasure and pain, happiness and sadness—comes from the one Source of all that is. God plays through us like a fine instrument, hitting any range of notes of His own choosing—for all is made from the musical streams of Ananda/Bliss.

Sri Yukteswarji, an incarnation of wisdom, is a flawless compass guiding us to the Eternal. Such wisdom can be very strict, crushing our meandering dreams and ruthlessly severing our attachments. This is all done without malice, but with the greatest love and solicitude. In fact, all that this great God-man did was done to bring about a revelation that all creation is an explosion of Ananda-Bliss—and as such, the realization that you are part and parcel made up of sacred Joy. You have both the wisdom of the wise in you, and you are a being of bliss without end. This is what Sri Yukteswarji came to awaken in Master, and in us all.

Here, we have from Dr. Lewis a firsthand account of his experiences with Master days before his leaving the body. Dr. Lewis gave this talk three days after Master’s Mahasamadhi:

Now I’ll tell you one or two things about my own experiences with him the last few days. Lately he has been reminiscing about how we started way back in Boston, 32 years ago. He said, “Remember Electric Avenue?” That’s where we used to live. “All the good times we used to have?” And I said, “Yes.” And he said, “We’ve had a good life, haven’t we?” I said, “That’s right.” I said, “Yes, we might have been hanging around a night club and things like that. But no. This is better. We can let go.” Then he said quickly, without much emphasis, “We’ll be parted for a little while and then we’ll be together again.” But the delusion is so great that even then I wouldn’t accept it. I knew my soul went just right back when he said it. Sure, the Lord keeps it covered up pretty well.

When he said we’d be separated for a little bit but then together again, then he said right at that time, I remember so distinctly, “But remember, I’ll be closer to you when I’m out of this body, than I have been in the body.” So remember, there is the key. So let us not be depressed. Let us not feel bad. God is running the show. We are His children, and His Infinite Light is with us. In that Light is the Master and all great saints. There is nothing to fear except if we do not stay in that Light and Consciousness. That’s all.

And so, I feel better. A load has been lifted. I didn’t know what the load was, with some physical trouble going with it. But the load was that coming events cast their shadow, and the Soul knows it. And so be of good cheer. The Master is not away from us. He is with us more, and more.

Master’s last Evening

Master was scheduled to give a speech welcoming the new Ambassador from India during a banquet at the Biltmore Hotel in Las Angeles. What a fulfillment, an Ambassador from a free India! The freedom movement led by Mahatma Gandhi, whom Master had met and initiated into Kriya Yoga; a freedom movement that came with definite birth pains but was at last a reality—that Master had lived long enough to see it become a reality. The new Ambassador and his wife had come to a luncheon put on by Master, and they all got on famously.

The night of the banquet Master had reserved a room at the Biltmore to rest beforehand. He had been carrying a terrific load in his body, enduring so much pain, heart problems and difficulty in walking. He said that Divine Mother had scheduled that he leave his body well before this time, but he had prayed for more time so he could complete his commentary on the Bhagavad Gita—which he did and pronounced that it was ready to publish.

This is what Dr. Lewis said during that same talk about Master’s physical condition in his last years (remember Master was only in his fifties at the time):

And then, from then on it was a terrific fight. For a long, long time he just laid there. Because you cannot take the karma of thousands of people, thousands of people, without a reaction–that’s the spiritual law. It is not ordinary sickness. People make that mistake. It is because he takes the sins and the karma of others. And he has told me two things which were a direct result of the taking of karma of others. One was the condition of his legs. The other was the condition of his heart.

And so, from then on, for months he laid without moving. Gradually up, and walking about. He said many times, “I have no interest.” He said, “It’s only a few little things I have to make myself want to enjoy the senses,” and so forth. “But,” he said, “for a few of you, I stay.” Now these are facts.

Even though he endured so much suffering in his body, he continued to move the world toward God. So, he attended the banquet and when you see his picture known as “the last smile,” taken that evening you would never guess he was ready to leave the body, he radiates so much light, love and divinity.

Master stood to talk, the room quieted, and he gave a lively, funny and heartfelt talk. He told a favorite story about when he first arrived in America. He had heard about Native Americans scalping white men, and when he saw a number of bald men walking about he thought with horror that the Indians must have been at work! Then, he concluded his talk with a recitation of his poem, “My India:”

Hail, mother of religions, lotus, scenic beauty,
And sages!
Thy wide doors are open,
Welcoming God’s true sons through all ages.
Where Ganges, woods, Himalayan caves, and men dream God –
I am hallowed; my body touched that sod.

Ah, as Master concluded this poem he felt himself leaving the body. He turned to his right, the traditional way for a yogi’s mahasamadhi is to rotate to the right three times. But, as usual Master was in a rush when it came to God, and he only started his first turn when he dropped his body—flying to his eternal freedom in God, flying to the feet of his dearest Guru, flying into the spiritual arms of his Infinite Beloved.

Master was not “taken away,” rather he is now permeating every particle of space, in every flower’s fragrance and the golden sunset. Even closer, he is in your heart and can be heard in your soul’s whispers. Master is ever with the attuned soul, ever waiting for you to follow him into your eternal oneness with your Heavenly Father and Divine Mother.

My years as a mediator, both volunteering as a mediator and a trainer for the first Dispute Resolution Center in Washington State and as a founding principal in Conflict Resolution Service was a time of extremely rich experiences and learning. A mediator is a bit like a firefighter—running into a flaming building that everyone else is running away from!

Becoming a mediator was a big journey for me, as beforehand I tended to be a conflict avoider. So, the idea of changing directions and heading for the fire was  contrary to everything I knew up until that time. However, with new tools in hand mediation gave me an opportunity to learn a number of lessons about conflict and human nature. Here are some things I learned along the way.

First Lesson: The power of “I’m sorry.” Something as fundamental as what your mother taught you does wonders in a conflict—a simple and sincere apology, “I am sorry.”  During discussions that involved thousands or tens of thousands of dollars, the fate of careers and the happiness of whole neighborhoods, a sincere apology worked wonders to resolve conflicts—negotiations most often went smoothly after a climactic apology.

Lesson Two: What is being fought over is rarely what is really at issue. People argue over money or children, all sorts of things. But, what is usually driving the demands people make when taking a hard position is something that is not being said: disappointment, identity, safety, or values. Attachment to an expectation is a very powerful thing; “I thought you were going to ….”. The hurt and anger over disappointment definitely fuels the feud. The key, go behind the scenes to discover, “Why is this thing you are asking for so important to you?” Find that out, and then you can talk about how to address the underlying interest instead of arguing over intractable positions.

Lesson three: Conflicts are costly. When people take hard positions and make demands it is good to explore, “What is the “cost” for this ongoing conflict?” We can be myopic when hurt or angry and take a stubborn position that ends up hurting us more by prolonging a conflict. Doing a quick calculation, what is the cost in terms of money, resources, lost time, emotional energy and pain, legal consequences, diminished opportunities or hurting others? The cost can be varied and enormous, but we are too invested in keeping angry vengeance or fearful avoidance to take time to add up the cost. Oftentimes laying out the cost in front of us helps us to understand it is in our best interest to work for a solution.

Lesson 4: The benefits of civility. One of the responsibilities of a mediator is to keep the discussion between disputants civil and productive. Truth need not be a casualty of being respectful—in fact it is far more likely what one side is saying will be heard by the other party when spoken with respect. Ungoverned anger, both in words and actions, can immediately derail progress for finding a solution. Then there are people who use anger as a way to intimidate and win. Neither uncontrolled anger or being a bully will work to find a long term, satisfying resolution. Speaking the truth with respect is the quickest way to be heard by another, and to resolve a conflict.

Lesson 5: Emotions balloon up and make problems bigger. Emotions can balloon up—anger, hurt and resentment can take on huge proportions, especially when something has festered for a long time. The “emotional balloon” needs to deflate to a reasonable size in order for it not to carry things away to unknown, uncertain and worse places than where you started. Taking time to get some perspective, talking it out with a confidential friend, or working it out of the body through exercise are all ways to decrease the emotional balloon. Then we can talk calmly about what is most important to us to the one with whom we are having differences.

Lesson 6: Avoidance makes conflict worse. My good friend and mediator Paul says, “Go to the heat.” The heat is what most people avoid, but that is where the life-energy is. Many have been burned by heat, so we tend to avoid it. However, learning to use the heat to find truth and unlock its life-energy for productive uses will create new associations in your mind about what can happen through conflict resolution. Now, you can be excited to unlock new and positive possibilities when all that life-energy is directed to create something that will be good for everyone. It is fine to take some time to deflate your emotional balloon, that is a very useful thing to do. But, do not let the opportunity slip away for working through a knotty problem. When you and the other party are ready, then use your skills and go to the heat!

Lesson 7: Good faith is a must—”It takes two to dance.” In any conflict there will be at least two parties involved. For a voluntary resolution, whoever is involved needs to be there in good faith. That does not mean they know something positive is going to happen in advance, but that they sincerely want resolution to the conflict. One of the few failed mediations I conducted was a landlord-tenant conflict. The tenant was behind in rent; the landlord was willing to be flexible, but felt things had gone on too long. In a caucus, a confidential meeting, the tenant told me the only reason she agreed to a mediation was to buy more time for staying in her apartment; she had no intention of paying her rent. I could not tell the landlord what she had said, but I called an immediate end to the mediation due to the fact that not all the parties were there in good faith. Sincerity is required to find common ground that will create a solution that works for everyone.

Lessons in being proactive. You can work to keep differences from growing into an oversized conflict by proactively practicing the above principles. When you realize you have made a mistake, make a sincere apology. Work to understand what is really going on under the surface when you or someone else is upset or makes demands; then speak to that underlying issue. Also, recognize the cost of conflict, it absolutely takes a toll. Keeping the cost in mind will motivate you to address the problem and work it out. And, for goodness sake, be civil, it is one of life’s great inventions—being respectful can often stop a conflict before it starts. Then, before you address a conflict be sure you have let the some of the air out of your stretched emotional balloon before you say or do something that destroys the fabric of your relationship with another. When there is a conflict, work to resolve it, don’t avoid it; taking time to cool down is good, but do not let the topic go cold. And, at all times, be sincere in your dealings with others—good faith is required to find good solutions.

These are lessons I have learned about conflict through helping hundreds of people resolve some very tough, seemingly intractable problems. These lessons have been so valuable for me. Resolve to be a peacemaker in your life, and help this world to be a better place for yourself and others.

“Blessed are the peacemakers: for they shall be called the children of God.” (Matt 5:9)

First thing this morning Carla wished me a happy birthday, a very fine thing. The first thought I have on hearing this is that the person who should be honored on my birthday is my mother. She is the one who carried me around for nine months while chasing after my two brothers; morning sickness, body having to accommodate a nine plus pound child growing in her, going through birth pains and a 10 p.m. delivery—a long day I am sure. Because I had been breech she had sutures and was in pain and needed help for a few weeks after from my aunt Joyce who was in school at the time. And me? I was just along for the ride throughout all of this—that is until a rude awakening of being born into this world with its brightly lit room and a welcoming slap to get the breathing started. Welcome to the new world!

I was the third of three, a few years after my brothers. When I asked my mother if I was unplanned, she said no. When I asked if she had been hoping for a girl, she said no, she was happy with whatever I was. I didn’t ever believe her about not hoping for a girl, but I think it was a justifiable lie. She had grown up an only girl, and I think she may have wondered what she ever did to deserve getting three active boys to raise. In our adulthood, two of the best days of the year for my mom was Thanksgiving and Christmas, when all her children and then grandchildren and ultimately great grandchildren were all there. Yes, she certainly deserves to be honored today.

This early morning Saturn is bright, but Venus is truly blazing on the forehead of the eastern sky. The Big Dipper stands mighty, always pointing us to the North Star for direction, and Orion’s belt and sword ever reminds me of Arjuna, faithful warrior on the spiritual battlefield. It is a brisk cold with gusty winds and the screen-monitor-sky has gradually brightened revealing a saguaro cactus forest all around and craggy peaks on either side. It is a good day to be alive.

There are two great joys in my life right now. The first is to see aspirants with both feet on the path: striving, working, loving and giving heart, mind and soul for the Divine Quest. And not just that, but showing signs of progress: skin shining, eyes glittering, bliss and love filling their cups to overflowing. It is not that everyday we must look like a front-page cover for Enlightenment Today, not when there are dark nights to be endured and heavy burdens that must be carried. But, a general trend up; what started as a spark that became a flame and is now a blazing sun of aspiration. In my soul I walk with each one God has given me; I slog through the muck, I strain at the climb, I glory in newfound vistas with each one of you. It is my greatest privilege to share in the toils, but also to stand alongside you on glorious peaks of realization. It is the best of lives, the noblest of goals, and the most fulfilling of accomplishments to go to God together.

My second great joy in life is that Mother has given me some tasks to do for her. It has been one of God’s precious jokes in life for Him to assign me the task of assembling Mother’s prodigious compilation of spoken words and making them into book form. Me, who worked harder in high school studies to get out of work than simply doing the work.  Me, who spends many hours writing a posting that is read in minutes. Me, who knew more about sin than syntax in high school; this is who God assigns this work? Fine joke Ram!

Not only that, but He has me writing to you in these postings and other publications as well as working on Mother’s writings. I am reassured by God that even a broken candle can still give light. If so, it is only because of God and Gurus blessings that anything of note may be done through this form. I am also blessed with those who did pay attention in English class as part of our virtual International Headquarters of the Cross and Lotus Publishing to keep me from complete embarrassment.

So, I think I have absolutely the best job description in the world. When the timer for this body is up, my greatest wish is that God and Gurus may give even the smallest indication that they are at all pleased with the work done here in their names. It is truly a bold proclamation to say that I work for God and Gurus, but it is not without justification. Mother gave me this work, she is a product of her Master, as he was of his own Master, and I know that God has given His stamp upon my Soul, and in this I have complete assurance that “I am about my Father’s business.”

Now, it is up to me to utilize each day for His glory and to manifest His Light through all that I think, do and say. It is the greatest joy that we may go to God together; that He bless us so and that each of us fulfills the tasks He has given. In saying this as my birthday wish, I do not blow out the lighted candle, but ask that lighted souls everywhere may manifest more and more light for the One, and for  all.

Another parable spake he unto them; The kingdom of heaven is like unto leaven, which a woman took, and hid in three measures of meal, till the whole was leavened. (Matt 13:33)

And what does this saying mean? The leaven is a substance that makes the bread to rise. And what is that yeast in us that makes us rise up to the kingdom of heaven? The spiritual master sows a seed in the aspirant, the power of God in the master warms the “oven” of consciousness for that one, making the conditions right; for the “the whole is leavened.” The “three measures” are for the three bodies in man, the physical, astral and causal.

The guru ignites a fire in the devotee that results in focused sadhana. Ongoing spiritual practice done with intensity makes the “oven warm.” This warmth allows the bread to keep rising and rising, as the consciousness is experiencing more upliftment, more God-experience. And what happens if the oven cools? If the aspirant loses the fire of renunciation and a glowing love for God? Then the bread will cease rising; will collapse in on itself once again.

When I met Mother, I felt such power of God coming from her. She focused my mind on chanting God’s name, she initiated me into the practice of Kriya Yoga, giving me the means to make the interior of consciousness glow–the bread to rise. However, this did not happen in an instant. In the beginning God-experience came a little here and a little there. My desire for God was strong, but so were the opposing forces. It continued to be a tremendous battle.

We should not imagine all we have to do is reach out for God and we will have everything. Mother describes God-realization as the “pearl of great price,” and indeed it is. No one can read about the life of Jesus, in whose footsteps we are told to follow, and think it all happens in a day and without the greatest commitment. Even being aware of these difficulties, it must be balanced with knowing we have such wonderful examples of accomplished yogis and spiritual masters who demonstrate what is possible; that we too might know God.

What love I have had for sitting on my meditation blanket with mala beads in hand. Feeling the sacred Kriya Breath revolving in the spine and brain, making me feel close to our guru-lineage and being purified from the inside out. Every morning and night spent in the laboratory of my own body and soul, learning to explore inner depths and heights of consciousness–feeling deepening peace, inner stillness, and growing awareness of the Divine Presence. All of this–warming the oven.

It is easiest to speak about extraordinary experiences, what is more difficult to describe is the comfort and glow of joy that comes from engaging in deepened meditation. A smile grows through inner radiance, love glows in your heart, peace is felt within and without; these are signs of being on the right track.

A favorite quote of mine from Sri Yukteswarji in the Autobiography of a Yogi (pp 98-9):

My guru was smiling. “I am sure you aren’t expecting a venerable Personage, adorning a throne in some antiseptic corner of the cosmos! I see, however, that you are imagining that the possession of miraculous powers is knowledge of God. One might have the whole universe, and find the Lord elusive still! Spiritual advancement is not measured by one’s outward powers, but only by the depth of his bliss in meditation. “Ever-new Joy is God. He is inexhaustible; as you continue your meditations during the years, He will beguile you with an infinite ingenuity. Devotees like yourself who have found the way to God never dream exchanging Him for any other happiness; He is seductive beyond thought of competition. “How quickly we weary of earthly pleasures! Desire for material things is endless; man is never satisfied completely, and pursues one goal after another. The ‘something else’ he seeks is the Lord, who alone can grant lasting joy.

When you sit for meditation, take with you your remembrance of your connection with saints and realized masters from the world over, that you are plugging into the Creator of all that is. What a sacred privilege this is, and in the depths of your meditation you are fulfilling what you have come to do. In the peace and joy of communion with God, the oven warms and the bread rises as you enter your kingdom of heaven.

Travel Note:  We are currently encamped at Picacho Peak State Park. It is lovely here with Saguaro Cactus, rugged hills and rock formations all around. Although not the frigid temperatures experienced throughout much of America, we had snow on peaks the other day and it has rained a good deal. It has been a cold desert, although scheduled to get warmer this week. Yesterday I was taken out for a pre-birthday lunch at a restaurant in Tuscon that Carla and I went to three years ago and remembered still for its delicious food and good service. We gathered there and it was a perfect time of celebration. We will continue camping here until this coming Friday. Blessings

Dispassion is a topic that Krishna and yogi-saints return to frequently. In the Bhagavad Gita we read (Chapter 6 Verse 35-6):

O mighty-armed Prince, undoubtedly the mind is fickle and unruly; but by yoga practice and by dispassion, O Arjuna, the mind may nevertheless be controlled.

This is My word: Yoga is difficult of attainment by the ungoverned man; but he who is self-controlled will, by striving through proper methods, be able to achieve it.

As aspirants it is important for us to understand this most potent word, dispassion (vairagya). We work toward Self-realization when we practice controlling our thoughts through Kriya Meditation. Circulating the life-force through the spine and brain we discover a balance of mind in which we experience inner stillness. From this stillness we are actively aware, but the world of the senses seems one step removed. This naturally creates a state of dispassion.

We can compare this true inner state of dispassionate-stillness with the yogi-aspirant who is practicing to be dispassionate. In this case you are striving to rise above physical sensations, emotional states and insistent thoughts. You are not actively experiencing stillness, rather your practice is to not allow the things of the world disturb you in order to attain stillness.

When the mind thinks about projecting itself into a state of dispassion, it can think, “Oh, what a dull place to be,” or, “I could never be indifferent to the world.” Either you think you could not or would not want dispassion. However, this state of consciousness spoken of by Krishna and the saints is not only possible, but is to be much desired.

Let us look at it this way—imagine your consciousness stretching itself out to be a great ocean. You are the depths of that ocean, and the waves rolling on the surface, the currents running deep like massive rivers throughout your oceanic self, various thermal layers are realms unto themselves, big and small fish and mammals are moving within you; you are the totality of all that the ocean is.

Now, the big and small waves on the surface are thoughts and sensations that exist for shorter or longer periods of time, the river currents are deeper wisdom-thoughts of God coursing throughout your being, and thermal layers are various levels of consciousness in you. All these aspects play and sport about in the totality of yourself as the ocean, all coming and going.

You are aware of all these comings and goings; however, you are also aware of the deep nature of the ocean, your identity as the ocean itself in which all these activities are taking place. It is not that these various aspects of your self are unreal, but none of them change The Deep in you—your Soul, Self, or Spirit. Imagine you are aware of all the different parts at play, but whatever they do or do not do, they do not alter The Deep in you; the changeless and ever-existent part of you.

In your spiritual practice you can, and it is beneficial to, work on being dispassionate towards the things of the world. You can keep the image of being identified with the vast Deep of the ocean as a helpful mental practice. At the same time, you are aware of the alternating waves of experiences that pass over your surface, but never distressing or disturbing The Deep in you. Then, through your continued sadhana you experience a momentous shift in awareness; you are no longer imagining The Deep, you become identified with it. You actively see the things of the world playing on the surface of your consciousness, each part having its time of existence, but not altering The Deep in you.

Gradually you are permanently established in The Deep. Now worldly-experience is seen as passing phenomenon, but you never exclusively identify with it. You realize that The Deep is your true Self, and that you are ever That. You are no longer practicing dispassion, you have become dispassion itself. All that is in the ocean exists in you: the thought-wave sense experiences, the deep diving whales of revelation, the thermal layers of consciousness and broad river-currents of intuitive wisdom from God roll over your surface and move through you. Each is created, preserved for a time, then disappear back into you once again. All the while, you are ever at one with The Deep. You know that you are the great I Am That I Am in the beginningless, endless ocean of Self.

Since my early twenties, I have two favorite scriptures that have inspired me, stayed with me and been my friends and guides these many years, They are the “New Testament” sayings of Jesus, and the teachings of Krishna in the “Bhagavad Gita.” In terms of pure poetic imagery and concise Truth, these two Avatars are truly amazing. I have never made a study of either of these from an academic viewpoint, rather I use them for inspiration. I may have read through them from beginning to end but a few times, if at all. I am much more likely to pick up the narrative at God’s prompting and latch on to a few verses. Soon I have the inspiration I need; my soul is lifted on these scriptural wings that elevates my consciousness and delivers me into Heavenly Realms; finally, my soul merges into Spirit; self becomes Self.

This morning I pick up the Gita, and my eyes rest on this:

Bhagavad Gita Chapter 5 Verses 8-10

The cognizer of truth, united to God, automatically perceives, “I myself do nothing”— even though he sees, hears, touches, smells, eats, moves, sleeps, breathes, speaks, rejects, holds, opens or closes his eyes— realizing that it is the senses (activated by Nature) that work amid sense objects. Like unto the lotus leaf that remains unsullied by water, the yogi who performs actions, forswearing attachment and surrendering his actions to the Infinite, remains unbound by entanglement in the senses.

There are times when it seems that Jesus is quoting Krishna; such as when he says,

“When ye have lifted up the Son of man, then ye know that I am he, and that I do nothing myself; but as my Father taught me.” (John 8:28)

Let us take this idea, “It is not this ‘I’ who acts.” In fact, this “I”, is what both Krishna and Jesus start with, “I do nothing.” The “I” has gone through a change, from “the one acting” into a witness of what is being done. The “lifting up of the son of man” is the transformation that leads us from ego consciousness to being “united with God.”

You may sense in yourself how fundamental this notion of doership is to your nature: “I am doing this, feeling this, thinking this.” From a purely human standpoint, if you do not have this sense of being the doer, you are labeled with a dissociative disorder. However, feeling like you are unconnected with your body or its actions because of psychological trauma is not what is being described here. No, this state of consciousness comes as an earned experience, it is an advancement in the psyche, not a setback.

You can begin to get an idea of this state through practicing being the witness to what you are doing. Many years ago I read a book, “Zen in the Art of Archery,” By Eugen Harrigel. In it, he describes the discipline of the Zen monk watching himself go through all the motions of shooting a bow and arrow. Sounds easy enough. Nothing can be further from the truth. It is years of practice, observing every movement of muscle, stringing the bow, setting the arrow, pulling the string, bending the bow, aiming at the target, and releasing the arrow. Everything is done with full mindfulness; without the mind wandering here and there, totally focused on the action being performed. When done correctly, shooting a bow and arrow becomes meditation; you are the witness; then something extraordinary happens: the Zen state of mind.

While reading this book I decided to do my own kind of “witness” practice. When I was doing the simplest of tasks, I observed myself in the doing, every muscle being moved, the sensation of moving in space, sounds in the room, breathing, even the heart beating; everything was to be noted by the observer within. And what did I experience? Physically and mentally I slowed down, I was aware of minute movement. And something more, my consciousness moved from the “doer” to the observer. The practice shifted me into a meditative state as the body continued in its action. It was very nice.

Through time and experience this practice took on new dimensions, even though I was no longer practicing as inspired by the book. Rather, being the observer took on its own life. I felt that Prakriti (the power of Nature) was moving through me—prana, or life-force, was doing the work through this body. Then, another level of awareness. It is God, the supreme power and intelligence that is beyond Nature that is acting, speaking and even thinking through this form.

I have to say, these are magnificent realizations to be had. They change your life, and if you let them, they transform you. The “son of man” in you is “lifted up;” you become the “cognizer of truth, united with God.” In that union you know in truth the statement, I do nothing, it is my Heavenly Father who doeth the works. Now, everything that is said and done through this form comes through the “I” witness from a much higher Source.

When any aspirant “lifts up” the human consciousness (the son of man) into the Divine Consciousness (our Heavenly Father), then you know the same transformation, the same truth. Whatever happens to the body and the world becomes like water slipping off the “enameled leaf,” leaving the inner Son of God ever in oneness with the Heavenly Father.

I want to wish you a lovely Valentine’s Day, a day brimming with the love of God filling your heart to overflowing. According to early Christian history, Saint Valentine died a martyr, but while in prison he healed the daughter of his jailor of blindness. When he wrote her a letter, he signed it, “Your Valentine.” Saint Valentine not only forgave his jailor, but healed his daughter—such a loving thing to do.

Master wrote so beautifully of charity. Charity has taken on different meanings down through time, from its original meaning of love, to acts of love, to helping someone in need, to non-profit organizations. But, let us examine the word from its headwaters, love and acts of love as Master does:

“Charity is born of sympathy. By empathy, a quality of Omnipresence, a person may transfer his consciousness to that within suffering men; and experience, as his own, their griefs and limitations. It is then that the charitable desire to offer help springs forth.

“Selfishness cramps the omnipresent soul in a miserable prison of limiting material desires. You should desire salvation so that you may give it to everyone else. You should desire to drink God’s nectar of bliss so that you may share it with all. That is true charity.”

Master so beautifully connects the act of giving back to its source, Omnipresence, from which empathy naturally springs. In Omnipresence you feel what others feel, however it is not a simple connection to another, rather you take with you awareness of God’s love and compassion as well as His clarity of truth and right behavior. If someone is struggling with staying true to their higher Self, then through Omnipresence you see the future consequences of wrong actions, and you know all of the suffering that individual will go through; your heart goes out to such a one even as they fall short of the goal. And one who suffers the effects of past actions in body, mind or soul, you feel such compassionate understanding for that one. In both cases you feel the fullness of God’s love flowing through your own heart in Omniscient empathy.

In seeing all creation as an expression of Ananda, God’s bliss, then you see the truth, even as Sant Kabir did when he said, “I laugh when I hear that the fish in the water is thirsty.” Truly, we swim in an ocean of love, an ocean of bliss, it is all around us, we are immersed in it; we need only drink of what is so abundantly permeating the air we breathe.

And this is my Saint Valentine’s wish for you my dear One, that you may drink to your heart’s content from Living Waters of Spirit; that your heart may run full to overflowing with love for God and all creation. That when you do an act of charity, it is first an act of love, an action that is a natural outcome of Omnipresence. And when you are the receiver of someone’s loving act, that you receive the love behind the act and are conscious of it first. In this way, it is truly God giving to God. It is in that spirit that you please me most in receiving all the love of God that is, even now, overflowing my heart and I that I see flowing out to you now. “Your Valentine.”

Greetings from the Southwest desert. We are currently encamped near Yuma Arizona. An unfortunate consequence of this area is we have enough cell tower connection to send and receive email, but not enough to stream live. It makes it so difficult to listen when the broadcast stalls or loses total connection during a talk. So, today we will commune in spirit; using our built in inner-net.

You know, it truly is amazing what capacities we have that are too often unexplored. There are airwaves from radio and television bandwidths all around us, but we are not properly attuned to listen to or see such broadcasts. For that, we need a radio or television with the proper receiver. There are also subatomic particles flying right through you, even through the earth at incredible speeds, yet all of this goes on unnoticed. As these things are going on around and through us (even as we read this), so are there communications going on between individuals.

A solar flare from our distant sun can interfere with a radio broadcast here on earth, and so does the static of restless thoughts and ceaseless activity make hearing these subtle communications between people unheard. One of the beautiful things about life in the astral worlds is that thought transference occurs naturally; without misinterpreting words getting into the way. Even as writing is a poor substitute for a perfect memory, so spoken words is a poor imitation for thought transference.

During my stay at Anandashram in 1998-9, I sat each evening with Swamiji. He and a few intimates go about Ashram business while I quietly enter and sit next to the wall and meditate. He tolerates my presence without giving me the boot, so I sit for an hour, then quietly pronam and leave. While meditating with my eyes closed, I know when his attention shifts to me; he does not call out to me, but I sense it. I open my eyes and he is quietly waiting, then begins to talk to me. Now, if I had been more advanced, perhaps the conversation would have occurred without words at all; for this too has happened on more than one occasion as well.

There are those who try to develop psychic abilities, but the psychic realm is of a different nature than this deeper spiritual communion. The psychic realm can be used for many reasons; not necessarily for pure spiritual intent. After meeting Mother, I read the Autobiography of a Yogi every spring for ten years. It seemed like a good time of year for new seeds to be sown. I was amazed at the things I found in that same book with each reading. New information, new themes revealed themselves as if brand new with each reading. One year a principle became crystal clear. Whenever a truly realized master performs a “miracle,” Babaji, Lahiri Mahasaya, Sri Yukteswarji, or highly realized saint, he or she announces that it is by God’s command he initiates this extraordinary event. By God’s command—not a whim, for personal gain or to prove something, but the purity of intent was from the highest Source.

When you go through the successive layers of human potential during your spiritual unfoldment many temptations come to you; some as subtle as the breeze on a still day, others slam into you like a speeding dump truck. Things will happen: psychic experiences, powers of various kinds present themselves. Even as Jesus is picturesquely portrayed as being tempted by Satan to display powers, to gain power, name and fame in the world, so are we tempted. We may not have a man with pointed ears and all in red standing before us, but he may as well be. He stands before us with a silver platter asking if he can interest us in any of his wares; all we need do is bow down to him and we may take. Of course, we may even think such abilities are a sign of spiritual advancement! Tricky devil. We must exhibit the utmost integrity and surrender all such powers, knowing that to the sincere yogi these are detours that will take us off a cliff, not to the mountaintop.

Communion in God makes a bond of one with one another; not simply through personal psychic connection, but through the purity and disinterest of God-experience. Then, what is transferred, what is known is of the highest and best for everyone concerned. Such communication is uplifting, purifying and edifying on every level. The receiver of God-consciousness is switched on, you feel the pulse of Divine Life throughout all creation, you realize these spiritual rays have always been in and around you, only you did not have the eyes to see and the ears to hear. (Matt 13:43) Become an active receiver, realize the universal truth of what Jesus says, “Lo, I am with you always.” (Matt 28:20) Let us go within and commune with our Infinite Beloved, and through Him with all.

One day God gave me a funny. He said, “Where two or more are gathered…. There shall be politics.” And you know, He is right! Because even amongst like-minded personalities there will be differences on any topic when you get into particulars. Now, my mother told me not to discuss politics or religion in polite company, “It does no good.” Well, that leaves what…. The weather? Even that is not a safe today with global warming such a hot topic!

People have differences, it is systemic to creation and God’s great diversity throughout nature. The word politics traces its history back to a book with that title written by Aristotle.  After writing a book about ethics his narrative naturally wove into his next book on politics. The Greek word politikos became the English word Polettiques, and later politics—among its many shades of meaning is, “of, for, or relating to citizens.”

Politics has always had its contentious side. When Julius Caesar proclaimed himself dictator, Marcus Brutus made his political point with the end of a knife to divest his old friend and mentor of his monarchical powers. With the death of millions of innocents along with the perpetrators down through the years, we definitely know there are real-life consequences to politics. Today our airwaves are filled with raucous politics; sharp edges dueling and colliding with contrasting ideas and motivations. We are fortunate today that the majority of those sharp edges are words and not blades, guns or worse.

And how do politics and spiritual living go together? In a word, carefully. There are those who tie religion and politics closely together, saying that God is on their side and those who do not agree are evil. And others make political assertions with all the certitude of religious conviction; dissenters are seen as immoral. In both cases, anyone differing from the “party line” is beyond respectable. There are real life consequences to decisions made in the political arena, so it is easy to see why emotions can take over, and that is especially true when there is no respect for the God in another–seeing God in another even when he may be in error.

In the Mahabharata, the epic poem that includes an immense war, one of the warriors is asked, “Can you fight without anger?” This is an interesting question when the stakes are so high. He replies that he can, and only then is he allowed to enter into the fray. Inflamed emotions such as anger, greed, revenge, and fear can all lead to adharmic behavior that not only retards the progress of an individual, but all those his or her life touches. Therefore, those called to a political life are tested on their own unique battlefield and are called upon to act with the utmost integrity, to ever abide by their highest Light and for the greatest good of all.

And for those of us not directly on this battlefield, but interested participants in the body politic? We too must act in accordance with dharma. The very same emotions that sink a politician can be a black mark on a citizen. Explosive anger, fear and greed leaves its residue on any wayward devotee. Trust in God, compassion, and recognizing that good people can disagree, are ways to stay attuned to inward stillness and true wisdom. Master admonishes, “Wise men discuss, fools argue.” Of course, all may have clear, well-defined positions, many of us do, but keeping proper perspective is a must for spiritual balance.

Some choose to defer decisions to others and not get involved, but actively informed citizen-yogis help keep things on track. One does not need to watch every thrust and blow in hand-to-hand political combat, but to stay abreast of the evolving issues and tuning in to how God directs you on the issues is consistent with being a responsible citizen with the privilege to vote. This makes for a better, though many times imperfect system.

Devotees too have widely varying perspectives on issues. But even this can lead to wonderful results. Two dear devotees are an example of this. One devotee has been a long-term activist for worker rights and the downtrodden. Another is a leader of a police force near the Canadian/American border. There was to be a large protest at the border crossing. The policeman arrived at a planning meeting between law enforcement and the protest organizers. He was anxious about the coming protest, knowing that they can take ugly turns. When he walked into the meeting he recognized one of the organizers on the other side, a fellow kriyaban and activist-friend, he immediately relaxed and thought, “Everything is going to be ok.” And it was.

In God, every difference need not separate us in Spirit. Rather, you first find the unity operating beneath the great diversity of creation. As Jesus originally said, “Where two or three are gathered in my name, there am I in the midst of them. (Matt 18:20) Being established in this unity, found in God-consciousness, allows for the unfoldment of harmonious differences. Each may hold firm opinions, yet there is a recognition it is all God’s play, and that God enjoys His play. God within you chooses your level of interest and involvement in the rough and tumble world of politics, but whatever He chooses for you, you are always mindful that this is theater; underneath it all we are all actors playing our parts. By not losing contact with God, you do not get lost in the play.