Picture: Carla going through tops

More  and more have worked on discarding those items that no longer bring them joy. There are some things that come up when doing so that I would like to comment on. One is the material from past classes I have given; what to do with handouts from those classes?

There are a few, like Carla, who will actually go back and review past class notes, study them and work to integrate them into their daily life. However, I know the reality is that those are few in number, no matter how well intentioned we may be.

The real value for many is the experience of the retreat or class itself; the insights, feelings, and upliftment that come at the time and immediately after. For many, the purpose is already fulfilled in just coming to such an event. While the handouts were very valuable at the time, that moment has come and gone and re-reading the material will not have the same effect as it did originally. If that describes you, then you may let them go.

This issue has come up for several aspirants, and it tugs at the heart and soul to think of discarding of these papers. The question that comes to mind is, “Am I being disloyal or disrespectful in thinking of getting rid of them?” Go inside, if you honestly feel the only reason for keeping them is guilt, then let them go. If you feel real joy in having them, then by all means keep them. You may always request a digital copy from Carla for any materials from any past class or retreat.

When you let go of anything it adds great meaning when you give gratitude for the service those materials rendered you and the experiences you had in the class. In India when a sacred image has been damaged and can no longer be the focus for worshipping Divine Consciousness then the image is taken to the Ganges, or some sacred river and submerged into the flowing stream. You might like to have a ceremony, give a moment of gratitude for how these materials served you at the time of the retreat with a hearfelt send-off.

Another issue that comes up for different ones is when very few items in possession give any joy. There is a recognition that he or she has brought things into the home for utilitarian reasons, but joy was not part of it. Now you may have filed some insurance papers or other items that should be kept, but you cannot say they give you joy, except in knowing you should have them. However there may be many things, such as clothes and furniture, that are in your home by choice, but you have no real love for them. Then the question comes, “Will I have anything, or enough, left if I get rid of all of this?”

It may require you to become creative when you let certain things go. You can make it fun and interesting to see how to get along without something by being innovative, which may make you feel more alive and less encumbered. To see unloved things leave lifts a burden from you and opens the way for more things to come; things that you will really love. It could be you just have too much darn stuff, and so much can go out the door that you do not ever miss; even if there is some fear beforehand that you can’t do without it.

There is no doubt about it, this is a purging. And there are those reporting that when they purge their house they also lose weight, have added clarity of mind, make decisions in other areas of life more easily, even have signs of physical purging similar to a fast. This is really fascinating and powerful stuff!

I hope you will join in the tidying fest and tell me of your own experiences. It is a great way to get the energy moving in your own life. If you feel stuck right now, I would be most interested to hear how it impacts you to thoroughly purge your home of anything that does not produce joy.

I continue to be impressed with Marie Kondo’s book, The Life Changing Magic of Tidying Up, and I encourage you to read it even if you feel you are good at getting rid of things because of her know-how, the feeling and spirit that comes with her words, her well considered and deep knowledge of the subject, and her emphasis on more joy.

The response to the posting on The Joy of Tidying has been tremendous; it hit a real need. Already the amount of clothes gone from a number of households has filled up dozens of garbage bags. This Means greater organization and enjoyment for the givers, and it has released thousands of items to new recipients who will find joy in them.

The things you have are manifestations of your consciousness, so this is not just stuff, useful tools, or clutter; these are all items that are connected to you. As a result, when you make changes in your home, you change your consciousness. When you release things that are no longer are right for you, you feel light, free and renewed energy.

We all need things in life, clothing for warmth and style, shelter, books, papers, tools for accomplishing our tasks in life and entertainment. What is the right amount for one is different than for another, but we all recognize clutter when we have it, which is having things that are not right for us or having too much of it.

Find the right balance that allows the winds of heaven to move through all parts of your life, uninhibited; recognize that clutter blocks that movement. Here are a couple of points made by the author, Marie Kondo (The life-changing magic of tidying up), said in my own words:

• Books are for reading, if you are not going to re-read a book or read it for the first time (you have had it for six months and not read it yet) then pass it on, even if it is new. Let someone else enjoy the book you will probably never open.
• The joy of receiving a gift may be in the exchange itself. If, after this exchange the item does not give you joy, then pass it on. Know the gift has already fulfilled its purpose when you received it and the thoughtfulness and effort the giver made in presenting it to you. A real friend would not want you hanging on to something they gave you if it does not give you real joy.
• A few pictures will remind you of a past event. Having boxes of badly taken pictures that you will “someday” go through will not bring you joy, nor will you ever go through them. Sort them now and keep only the cream of the crop.
• Keep papers only as long as it takes to deal with them. When you respond to a letter or pay a bill let the paper go; don’t keep them a minute longer. And don’t keep extra buttons from new clothes (when have you ever used that button?), even instruction manuals you can look up online—let them all go.
• Make a place for everything you have. Give it a home and then find joy in returning it to its home when you are done with it.

Many of us think of organizing and tidying up as a hassle, overwhelming or never really possible. Connecting this process to feeling joy, freedom and clarity of consciousness brings new elements to what may seem a vexing and perpetual problem.

Picture: The progression of life talked about by Sri Krishna in the Bhagavad Gita–The imgage of Krishna in each: from the womb to the last stage of life.

We all have theories about how this world works. Many people carry on their “programs” for seeking happiness with little analysis of what actually does or does not work. A life unexamined is bound to repeat errors ad infinitum until there is some regard for learning from experience.

The ability to observe and learn from experience is an essential step in maturity and in refining our search for happiness. The one common denominator amongst all mankind is the desire for happiness. For those whose lives take a spiritual bent a basic premise is arrived at: this world will never be a source for lasting happiness–not ever.

The true aspirant knows that what produces real, lasting happiness is communion with God; the Self, united with the infinite Being, is eternal, and is filled with supreme Consciousness and Bliss.

Due to the physical body’s tendency to get sick, grow old and die this world can never fulfill this promise. Prosperity and situations in life are ever in flux; every high is followed by a low. So it is with all things created, the law of duality always applies, without exception. The discriminating devotee knows that whatever is born will die, that anything external to the Self will one day fall away, and that there is no pleasure or satisfaction in this worldly realm that will not lose its savor over time.

Each individual has the right to any theory he or she chooses for attaining lasting happiness. But, one thing is certain, if the essence of that theory and its practice does not have, at its very core, the eternal Being, Consciousness and Bliss of God, it will fail to supply lasting happiness.

Picture: Palm Canyon; Mother thought this the most wonderful place 55 years ago, and it still is.

God is equally present everywhere. Thus affirms the great scriptures of the world and realized Beings down through time. And so God proves on a daily basis as He has taken us hither and yon. We have travelled to the deserts of Southern California to be here with devotees and to see how Divine Mother manifests Herself in this part of the world.

We have motored our way to Borrego Springs where Rick and Judy have their RV parked on the desert “boon-docking” in the midst of purple and brown shaded mountains. Rajasi Jnanakananda (James J. Lynn), Dr. Lewis and Bob Raymer all had homes in this area, using them as retreats. Mother came here after returning from India in 1958 in her recovery from paralysis suffered in her Mystical Crucifixion.

It is easy to see why they found this area conducive to healing and raised consciousness. There is such a pure and expansive feeling in this desert. Indeed, saints have sought out the desert from time immemorial in order to find solitude and pure vibration. Perhaps we will be brought back some day in order to spend more time here.

From the simplicity of boon-docking we return to the glamor of Palm Desert– El Paseo is a “tony” shopping area that would please more discriminating  buyers. With beautifully lite boulevards that are banked on either side by walled off golf courses, deluxe hotels and resorts, it is simply amazing how water changes brown hills to green grass and rising palms trees. Bread may be the staff of life, but water is the absolutely essential ingredient for all life on this planet.

And God is the pulsating Life through it all. From the lonely gecko sunning on a rock to the pink shod lady walking her purebred pooch past brand name stores it is all Divine Mother parading Her life in a variety that is dizzying in its multiplicity. To the unbiased eye both manifest a singular mystery and beauty that pulses with bliss. Is not the life in the water flowing up the center of the palm tree not the same as what manifests in the lady in fluorescent pink shoes? And is not all life from the same Source, and a blissful expression of God?

Through pure vision the kingdom of Heaven is spread all over this earth, and with eyes to see and ears to hear it is unallayed joy to behold it. May you also know that kingdom as it manifests in your life, and that you feel His bliss now and always

In a current survey of spiritual literature there is a broad spectrum of attitudes about God, the ultimate Reality, and the world we live in. There are examples of those who give up everything in this world, even a loin cloth, to overcome the limiting pull of worldly attraction in order to know God. Then there are others who seem to be book and retreat “production machines” who are apparently making millions by writing and talking about “spiritual” living.

What are we to believe about realizing God and our relationship to this world? In our Kriya lineage we read the most interesting account of Babaji manifesting a palace for Lahiri Mahasaya in order to satisfy a latent desire. And Swami Ramdas writes that the “World Is God.” And yet we know that attachment to this world is a major stumbling block on the road to realization.

We must make a careful analysis to perceive the truth of the matter; this is especially true given how deceptive the ego-mind is. On our journey to realization we know that things of the world definitely bring the mind down from inner states of peace and bliss. This battle between the uplifting forces and downward attractions is tremendous.

But not everything in this world is a temptation. What will be a great attraction for one person may have no appeal to another. Therefore, the object of attraction is not the problem, it is the attachment the mind forms for a person, place or thing.

A good rule of thumb is that when you feel the pull of strong attraction, avoid it. Instead, place your mind firmly upon God until the “fever” of attraction has completely passed. Even then you are very careful not to provoke an attraction by becoming too familiar with it; for slumbering embers can too easily awaken into burning passions.

God has taken me through many experiences in my relationship to this world. He gradually took everything away from me in the worldly sense; finally He took job and profession as well. When I spent a year in silence and seclusion I had but a few items of furniture: a meditation chair, a table and a mat for a bed.

After having taken me out of this world, Divine Will seemed intent on bringing me back into it. First came marriage, that came with a dowry of a Ford Escort car and a few more items of furniture. Then through His good graces we lived with others from place to place, then rented a house, then we bought a house, more cars came our way, and this last year another house! Just this week He has brought us to California where we are staying in my brothers beautiful motor home for three weeks in a magnificent RV park in Palm Desert.

As we sit surrounded by motor homes, some of them costing over a million dollars, the question comes, “What is my relationship to all of this?” Ever since my year in silence I have been established in an immovable stillness within. Somehow whatever comes does not touch this stillness that directly merges with the great, supreme Reality. These gifts of material things are God’s play, His lila. If ever I notice that the Still-Presence is disturbed by these outer happenings, I will instantly run away.

Even with this inner detachment I feel that I should be a good steward of what has been given. Cars and house should be kept in good working order, uplifting beauty created, and an open hand is kept for giving to others what has been given to me as God directs.

This abundance that has come is a logic defying play that unfolds before my astounded vision. I say “logic defying” because with having renounced all, so much has now come; it really goes against what the worldly mind would think. However, even with this material prosperity, what is profoundly clear to me is that happiness begins within. If every material thing was suddenly gone and all I had was God, I truly know that in Him I have everything!

Perhaps even those authors who have made millions also have God, for all things are possible with Him. But it is rare for someone with millions to know that God is the source of all prosperity, not a bank account or a portfolio.

Remaining steady in the face of life’s ups and downs brings to mind my favorite Dr. Seuss book (in truth the only one of his I have read), “Oh, The Places You”ll Go!” In this story our intrepid traveller (you) goes through all the ups and the terrifying downs, but ever proceeds upon his or her way; a parable of life’s journey.

This life does take you to so many places, in body mind and spirit; every one of them has great meaning in your ultimate adventure in going to God. The key to finding happiness in the journey is to find that place of stillness within your heart and soul, and never let it go. Then be in wonder as God unfolds His life within you and all around you; and oh, the places you will go!

“Congratulations!

Today is your day.

Your off to Great Places!

Your off and away!

You have brains in your head.

You have feet in your shoes.

You can steer yourself

any direction you choose”

Dr. Seuss

Picture: Garuda–Vishnu’s Eagle

For many of us the busy time of the holidays are over. The annual holy-days of Thanksgiving, Christmas and the birth of a New Year are passed. For most these times will create new memories of love, family and sacred moments.

Because this is such a powerful time of year, others will feel the pang of pain due to loved ones who are no longer present and losses of various kinds. The keen remembrance of loss reminds us that there is only one constant in all creation, and that is our loving Creator; the Father and Mother of all that exists.

The recurring healing message is that by attunement with heavenly Father and Divine Mother all wounds, hurts and losses may be soothed with the salve of growing peace, joy and love.

This re-union of soul and Spirit, after so long living in the Great Divorce from God is the theme for this lifetime. All great myths, stories, and scriptures expressed throughout the world and down through all time comes to one central point: to find the resolution of suffering; it is the real work you are here to do.

The key to gaining spiritual freedom, that is the removal of suffering, is the ability to learn from your experience. This ability to learn from experience is basic to all growth. So many people repeat the same errors and expect different results: this is insanity. The soul who wishes to really grow must be a keen observer of cause and effect, for this is the universal law of creation.

As we eye this new year, let us not simply list those things we wish to change, as we have listed in previous years. Create a solid plan with behavioral benchmarks. Be determined to apply the spiritual principles you have been taught and become master of yourself. Do not allow another year to go by treading water only, when you are meant to soar in the skies!

Let your eagle heart rise to the heavens and know yourself to be a spiritual dynamo who can remove mountains of suffering for yourself and for others. You are made in the image and likeness of the Infinite Being; this is the Truth!

How can you remain in a shadow existence when that is not who you are? Realize there is so much more to you. Demand your birthright, proclaim your freedom and manifest all that you are in truth. This is the task for which you have come and it waits for you to step into the Divine Image and Likeness of who and what you truly are.

New Year’s was brought in, in the same manner that I have celebrated for the past 35 years, with a Meditation Service. Mother Hamilton was doing this each year when I met her. I remember these times, at the end when we could hear firecrackers going off in the neighborhood at mid-night Mother would wish us, “Happy New Year.”

Many people are used to “celebrating” in alternate ways, many times drinking too much, trying to have a good time, and many are feeling lonely and unhappy. Far too many wake up in the morning with some kind of hangover that makes them feel very bad.

Last night we watched a talk of Mother’s, listened to Yogananda speak, and I felt the uplifting power in the room and the purity of Spirit as we “dumped our minds into Superconsciousness” and soared “with wings as eagles.”

Well into the early morning that beautiful Spirit sang its song throughout every cell of my Being. The feeling of completeness, wholeness, and perfection was with me, and so too with many who joined our Service in person, through ustream and in Spirit.

And this morning, the song of Aum and the qualities of purity, love and gratitude continue to thrill my soul, like listening to the most sublime symphony echoing through all eternity. Oh, what joy is mine! I remember back to early years my vain pursuit of happiness in the worldly way, that even at the time felt hollow. Tears of gratitude pour out of me, “Oh Lord, my cup runs over with the wine of Your Bliss, my heart melts and runs like a river of love, and You make me know that we are ever united in the “ocean of mirth.”

This is my kind of “hangover.”