Freedom In the Divine Presence

Yogacharya David
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Jesus In the Cosmos

Jnana translates as discrimination, “This is not of God and this is of God, the highest Light and Truth.” Jnana helps to clear us from attachment by dis-identifying with those things that are not of God, and immersing ourselves into those things that are of God. There are many categories of attachment that ensnare the mind, but the body-mind relationship is certainly one of most powerful.

Identification with the body means when your body feels pleasure or pain you have no separation between those sensations and who you are. We are seduced from an early age by pleasure. We like the feeling of pleasure and become totally consumed by wanting more and more and thus creating attachment. Of course pain is also present when living in a body and our attachment to pain even further roots us in the body. We come to forget that in Spirit we are free of attachment to either pleasure or pain, because we have bliss which has no opposite.

Obviously if we live in a body we will be subject to pleasure and pain, but the key is to have superior bliss and in this way we detach from pure body identification. Desire for pleasure and the fear of pain cements our identification with the body, so both must be given up. It is interesting how attachment to pain through fear is so powerful. You would think that giving up attachment to pain would be easy, as that is not something wanted, yet the fear of pain is a powerful magnet that draws the mind and makes it very attached to the body.

An important turning point in this regard came for me when I was at Anandashram. I was quite sick for several weeks running a very high fever and I had tremendous pain in the body. I was inwardly talking to Papa saying, “Papa, you say that pain and bliss are the same, right now I only feel pain; you must show me how pain and bliss are the same.” Suddenly I was lifted up in a vision in which I saw Papa opposite of me. He had a toothless smile and took my hands, we started to dance around and around in a circle, he was laughing and I was filled with bliss. I was still aware that my body was in pain, but I was even more aware of being filled with bliss. Then I “saw” that the same life-force that flowed to the brain as pain signals was also flowing into the brain as bliss. On that level pain and bliss were the same!

This started a thought process that continued over time in which anytime the body had pain I would go to the substratum of seeing that is was God’s life-force that was carrying the pain signals to my brain. Immediately upon seeing this the vast majority of pain would transmute itself into pure life-energy and bliss; leaving some pain signal but much reduced. I also learned how when we focus on pain as an absolute and fear becomes a driver, it intensifies pain tremendously.

Losing fear of pain, seeing the underlying life-force as coming from God behind the pain signals, and then feeling God’s Presence in the form of bliss has a tremendously palliative effect in suffering. Not only can it ease suffering in itself, it also opens intuition so that the Divine Force may be free to affect a cure.

Recently I have written much about the condition of this body wanting to give you updates on what the medical care providers have been saying. However, it is important to note that more important than what doctors and nurses say, what does God say? More importantly than what symptoms this body displays, what is all-powerful life-force doing in and around the body? And more important than what pain or discomfort this body may be in at any particular time, what bliss is flowing through my being. What I can tell you is that God is fully present and accounted for. His bliss is even now flowing through my spine and brain and through all the cells of my body. Truly there is nothing but He, even when there is weakness, pain or discomfort, it is all He! Let not this talk of the body and medical procedures (which I find interesting) make you forget there is something far greater going on daily.

“Why then,” you may ask, “is there a physical problem when God is present?” There are many times when God’s Presence can and does manifest as complete physical healing. However, there are a variety of causes that manifest as a physical problems, and there are times when God will use His physical instruments to fulfill His higher will. Thus, there is no contradiction in His perfection and His use of a physical body to fulfill a necessary karma or bring about desirable outcomes on this earth (As Jesus said, “This sickness will not end in death but is for the glory of God;” John 11:4) .

Meditate deeply upon this important concept of jnana: discriminating between what is of God and what is not of God. Learn to go beyond the things of the body and this world; know that God is the supreme Presence that assuages all pain and ignorance and makes us know we are one with the Omniscient Lord. It is in this knowledge that you will find freedom and bliss in the Divine Presence.

A Keen Sense of Gratitude on this Thanksgiving Day

Yogacharya David

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Thanksgiving is a wonderful holiday, a day dedicated to feeling gratitude for all the good things we have received in life. One of the qualities I have noticed about being uplifted in pure Spirit, gratitude is always heightened. Everyone suffers to some degree in life, and our attitude about that suffering becomes a habit. Either you can focus on what is wrong to the exclusion of the blessings you have, or you can cultivate gratitude and count your blessings (instead of sheep as the Irving Berlin song goes).

This is a day set aside for counting our blessings and giving gratitude to God for what we have been given. In the early days of America citizens were asked to fast and pray if there was something gone wrong, from natural disasters such as droughts, all the way to a lost battle in a war. And when things were good it was to be celebrated with a feast of thanksgiving and prayer dedicated to the Creator.

Canada and the U.S. have different dates for the Thanksgiving holiday, but the spirit is the same. As I think of all the things I have to be thankful for, the list is very long. What stands first and foremost is that God and Guru plucked me out from the sea of darkness and ignorance and through long purification has made me know that, “I and my Father are one.”

Other thoughts of blessings are for the many kindred spirits God has brought me into close contact with so that we may all go to God together (this brings a thrill to my heart). And this very early morning as I write this it is freezing outside and a full moon is slowly sailing over the sky creating a moon river on the Saratoga Straights; I am so grateful to have a warm home and a keen appreciation for the beauty that lies right outside the frosty window pane.

I have been the recipient of so much love and ardent prayers, it humbles me to dust. I see the progress (perhaps more clearly than the individuals see in themselves) that so many aspirants are making in their realization of God; oh my spirit can barely contain itself in seeing this progress! I also see the way many limit themselves in their growth of consciousness. But I know that the seed of yearning will not be denied, and though the outer shell of the seed may resist the power of growth, soon the limiting shell will burst wide open as tender shoots reach out to the light.

I am truly thankful for the lifesaving role that allopathic medicine has recently played in my life. I have my criticisms of modern medicine, but there is no doubt that without blood transfusions and the promise of remarkable scans made of this body that can lead to effective treatment, my life has been saved by those who have dedicated so much of their lives to healing the sick.

These stand out to me as highlights of gratitude for all that has been given to me. I would only add that God has also given me service to perform in this world, and though this service may take its toll, I would have it no other way. It is such a great privilege to be His minister and serve Him in all forms as He directs me to do. To be His instrument brings about the greatest sense of fulfillment I have ever known. For this I deeply give thanks.

Thank you my dear friends for sharing in this journey with me and adding your light of God. A powerful and pure stone of truth can create a ripple effect that changes all creation. May our journey be such a rock of truth that all creation must improve in order to accommodate that absolute force of truth and love it emanates.

Health update:

Things have moved at a remarkable speed in what can be a stodgy medical system. I have become a patient of Dr. S., a specialist in internal organs and glandular medicine. His medical assistant described him in this way: some doctors have good communication skills but are not the best technical doctors, and some are technically great but have a poor ability to relate to others, Dr. S. has both, and adding something rather impolitic, I would not work for any other doctor here! When we were at another clinic the nurse had done her externship with Dr. S. and began to spontaneously sing praises of him as well!

On Monday when I first met the doctor he spent over an hour with Carla and me and described my case as very complicated, like someone encountering a puzzle he was excited to unravel. He ordered another CAT Scan that was done immediately after my appointment with him. He also ordered a PET Scan; he said it would take at least a week to be approved by insurance, and they may deny it altogether, but he felt the test was necessary. With the invaluable help of our insurance case manager the approval came in two days’ time and I am scheduled for this test on Friday. My hemoglobin count has gone down slightly from a ten to a nine but remains out of the danger zone.

The good doctor called me on his day off, the day before Thanksgiving, and he left a long message saying that the second CAT Scan showed I had a “telescoping intestine.” He seemed to indicate this may be the real culprit in the blood loss. He also mentioned that he found no evidence of a lesion on my liver, as the previous scan had suggested; it was speculated that the lesion might indicate metastatic cancer. His overall tone was cautiously optimistic. I will seem him again next Wednesday.

The fact the doctor’s medical assistant couldn’t believe I saw the doctor so quickly (he had a cancellation and I was put into that timeslot), that I was approved at all for the PET Scan and in such record time, that I had a CAT Scan scheduled an hour after my first doctor’s appointment, all indicate a higher power at work here that continues to daily amaze the very people who work in this field at the speed of my treatment. I know your continued prayers help clear the way of obstacles that may otherwise greatly delay or stymie the process. The one indecipherable aspect that runs contrary to this smooth flow of events is that my biopsy report from Las Vegas is still missing in action (Perhaps lending credence to the saying that what happens in Las Vegas stays in Las Vegas!). Dr. S. said that the most recent scans may render those results moot. A bit of a mystery there, but I am sure he will further explain next Wednesday.

An additional observation and point of gratitude: Carla has been a dharmic warrior throughout this process: asking questions, filling out endless forms, making multiple daily phone calls— keeping the machinery moving forward at as high a speed as possible. When the doctor talked about ordering the PET Scan Carla’s adamant reply, Yes! came out before the doctor had finished his sentence. It is an unfortunate state of affairs that oftentimes it is the squeaky wheel that gets attention, and Carla has brooked no opposition in getting treatment for this body. And fortunately the medical practitioners have always agreed; avoiding large transfusions of blood is highly desirable and has been a goal of theirs as well, which means things must happen in a timely way or it is likely I will need new blood in not too long a time.

In the big picture, all is surrendered to the will of God and my continuing prayer is that this be fulfilled for the highest good of all. So, my dear ones, may you have a blessed Thanksgiving and may the Grace of God, Christ, Gurus ever be upon you and fill you with inspiration and a keen sense of gratitude.

Healing Messages

Yogacharya David

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Garland placed in Anandamayi Ma’s Samadhi Temple: Kankhal, India

On this beautiful Sunday morning I had the inner prompting to post a sampling of the beautiful messages sent to Carla and me in the past weeks. Please feel the same upliftment and spiritual power that I do when reading these heartfelt messages. In addition to these writings that reflect such wonderful souls in God, I have been reading from a book Mother used to read from by Eva Bell Werber; Quiet Talks with the Master (It is available on Kindle). I also add these links to this beautiful chant to Anandamayi Ma on YouTube I thought you would enjoy: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TkVFNyHv60o. I found this link when I was viewing another YouTube video of Yoganandaji and Ma sent to me by Christopher Pegler: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q046Etdc9Ak.

 

Health Update: We continue to wait for the biopsy results from Valley Hospital in Las Vegas. The last word we received was their initial tests were negative, but they continue to do additional “stain” tests. I have an appointment on Monday with a surgeon who specializes in the field of medicine that connects with my condition. If we have not heard before, the surgeon should be able to get an update on the long overdue biopsy results. I have felt and been sustained by your love and prayers. Pronams, David

 

Messages

Dear David, we are just at Sri Ma’s ashram at Kankhal for the samyan saptah, and got the news of the latest health situation. In the meantime I offered a garland (mainly marigolds) on your behalf, to be placed on Sri Ma’s [Anandamayi Ma] Samadhi.

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…have been a bit keyed up, since I got home. I went into the room in which I meditate to put some things away. I felt a strong pull toward my altar.  I stood there, at God’s direction, looked at the Masters and closed my eyes.  I asked for guidance and a calm presence. What presented was you, in big form. I saw you surrounded by the Masters, then your tumor explode into many pieces of light, which spread out. Then the vision changed to you sitting there in the center of the Masters, with light shooting from the crown chakra, much like fireworks. I could not break the gaze and remained as long as was requested. As I opened my eyes, the altar was somewhat different than I envisioned. I had envisioned you in the center, which you were, but in fact your picture is a bit off to the side, leaning against Lahiri Mahasya’s picture. The Masters around the both of you. I have attached the picture of you, that I have on the altar. What struck me was how clear and pure you looked. What a vision to carry!

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I am praying for God’s best outcome for all that is occurring with your health.  Surely I have had much thought and caring and am hoping for a speedy and full recovery for you, my Beloved Guru.

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I want you to know that I see the Light of the Divine Mother flowing all around you and through you permeating every atom, every molecule of your entire being…vibrating, shinning radiating like a thousand suns. You shine like a beacon blinding any darkness that could possibly come near you. In my mind’s eye I can only see you right now, in this moment, as perfect, healthy, whole and complete.

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Last week I woke up early in the morning very much concerned about you. I wake up in bed early every morning with my mind fixed on God and as I relayed these concerns to God a simple and soothing answer came back very clearly, “David is full of light and full of peace.” And then I didn’t worry so much anymore. Although I am still concerned I know you are always being taken care of in the best possible way.

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You are always in our prayers. More so now. As you know very well Ram is busy doing miracles for His people like you. Your narration is a testimony to that. You are in good hands there.

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A few days ago I was feeling a resentment cropping up toward an imagined slight and then, without effort, a thought of you filled me with love and upliftment and erased that thought with love. Every day such thoughts of You and Mother bring love to my heart and mind. Though in body you may for now be weak, but in Spirit you are strong. May your body be filled with healing light. Pronams in gratitude to you.

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The other day I was chatting with Shree Ma [Anandamayi Ma] about David. She was right in front of me and smiled so lovingly. She then stood in front of David who was in a sitting position. She raised both her hands and placed them on the top of his head immediately there was such a feeling of Pure Love, Softness and Light poured all over him: no idea how long it lasted. But, what a Blessing and Joy.

Carla I can feel your Spiritual Strength and your willing answer to the call of this great Spiritual Challenge. You are truly answering that call. Well done!! Courage, bravery and so much love are present. God bless you girl. We hold you both tenderly in our hearts and prayers.

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We will be having a kirtan in your honor tomorrow. Please be available to receive our ardent transmission of love and prayer at the time. We trust that the healing process is already coming along nicely. The duodenum is vibrating with light. Old cells are sloughing off and new cells are being born. Victory to God.

Paramhansa Yogananda: “Father Thou art in me. I am well. The healing power of spirit is flowing through all the cells of my body. I am made of the one universal God substance.”

P.Y.: “Heavenly Father, my body cells are made of light, my fleshly cells are made of Thee. They are perfect for Thou art perfect. They art health for Thou art health. They art spirit for Thou art spirit, they art immortal for Thou art life.”

–“May the long time sun shine on you, all love surround you, may the pure light within you guide you all the way home.”

May God and the Masters ever hold and keep you.

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We can very well understand how Carla feels. We also pray for Beloved Papa’s blessings on Carla for strength to handle everything. Once again all of us intensely pray for Beloved Papa’s choicest blessings on you for speedy recovery and restoration to normal health.

Deepest love and best wishes for you, Carla, Judy, Ric and all there.

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A lovely letter to all devotees and I am sure it will be very appreciated. Having also been the recipient of Healing Oms and prayers (as have many in our group) I too know their amazing power. One is so humbled by such love. I am grateful for the times sickness has enabled me to feel myself connected to all suffering souls in the world. The load you carry is universal, may the prayers and love you receive be sufficient to alleviate the burden and pain you bear. But as I write these words I feel the Divine Mother so present with you; it is She in all these souls who prays for you and heals you; She holds you in Her arms. Om Om Om

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Though the Almighty Lord of the Universe has blessed Rev. Davidji with a mindset to accept all situations stoically, still it disturbs us. Today on the occasion of our Beloved Swamiji’s [Satchidanandaji] Jayanti, we fervently pray for HIS blessings on Rev. Davidji for speedy recovery and restoration to normal health so that he may continue to guide the aspirants on the spiritual path.

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My love calls out to you from every particle of my being and it is God too who prays so deeply for you through me—for His perfect son. You are all radiance and blessedness to me, ever in my heart and soul.

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There is no end to Ram’s adventures for us! The ways in which you are working with this one are excellent instruction for all. Blessings and love.

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Hari Om! Hari Om! Hari Om!

Our hearts are with you in earnest prayer. What a painful mail it is.

May Papa, Mataji and Swamiji help David, Carla and all of you at this hour, restore normalcy to our dear Davidji.

We are simply shocked again.

Vimala has rushed to Homa Mandir to offer her prayers at the round. Shruti almost broke down. God alone is our refuge. David has taken so much of our karmas. Let us all do a chain RamNam – 10 minutes each person.

Lots of our prayers

Chandra & all others join in the prayer

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My dear guru, I pray to God to heal you completely. Knowing all that has happened to you during your pilgrimage health wise has checked me in feeling so sorry and sad about myself, and here you are having so much pain. My wishes and prayers are for you to gain all your health as you are so much needed in these times of life. Giving all my love to you and not to forget our loving Carla. Thank you my beloved guru. Om sri ram jai ram.

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All our prayers are with you for David to recover completely and to live a normal life with all of us, without any pain or disease. As we all need that pure soul with us for our spiritual upliftment, I am sure that Papa will ensure a speedy recovery to complete normalcy.

Our prayers also for lots of strength to all of you there who are physically serving David.

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We are thinking of you, surrounding you in light and meditating with all our might and main.

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How extraordinary your cosmic journey, surveying heights and depths, inside and out! How my heart has wept, as you are taken through flames of unbearable suffering, witnessing His drama as a spectator beholds fields leveled and seeds ripening in the dark!

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My heart beams you many rays of healing light during this time. May the outcome be the one that God is pleased with the most (and us too). May God answer our prayers to have you with us for a long time yet. Love to you both.

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Picture: Prayers from our dear little ones

Patience and Persistence

Yogacharya David

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Picture: Arjuna Surrendering to God (Krishna) Before Entering Into Battle

Part of the journey of this pilgrimage for us is the unexpected need to learn to navigate through the medical/insurance complex. Like all of life’s undertakings, it requires a combination of patience and persistence.

Fortunately I have had Carla as a partner in this endeavor. She has pushed to get doors to open and uses me as the big hammer backup when her efforts do not yield results. This began at the end of last year in signing up for health insurance. Even though an entire bureaucracy had been set up to get first time people to be enrolled, bewilderment and frustration only seemed to build with each interaction. However, at a time Carla just wanted to let it all go, some inner force in me kept insisting that we must have health insurance; something neither one of us have had it since leaving jobs that provided it.

With a few calls from the “big hammer” the doors of healthcare slowly swung open and we were enrolled. Flash forward to October and the beginning of our need for health insurance made itself known. Even though we had a very large initial deductible, the specialist doctor in Moab assured us that we would easily exceed those amounts with the hospital stay.

I have to say, this modern system has literally saved my life. Without the blood transfusions and various procedures it is no stretch to say I would not still be living very long without their interventions. I am very grateful for those who have dedicated a significant portion of their lives to learning the skills to care for those whose bodies have ceased to function properly.

With that being said there are also gaps in our current system that could be bettered. One area was when we returned to Camano. I had not had a primary care physician (a PCP) due to the fact that I have not needed one in the 40 plus years, since I had a family physician that my parents arranged. I had been to see a physician a total of three times in those 40 years, and two of those times had been walk-in clinics. The insurance wanted me to now have a PCP, but calls around would require two plus weeks to see someone; and my blood count had gone from 8.3 to a dangerous 5.1 in the previous two weeks. Two weeks was too long to get in to see a physician.

So, Carla called in the big hammer, me. I called the 24 hour insurance nurse and told her it was recommended by the specialist doctor in Las Vegas that the best way to get in to see a doctor was to go to the hospital emergency room. The nurse was appalled a doctor said this, which he did, and I think dollar signs started to roll around in her head that the insurance would need to pay for such a visit. Suddenly she remembered they had a case management program; a case manager is an RN on the phone who was there to help you navigate the medical system.

With the very helpful case manager I had a doctor’s appointment for the next morning with an internist, who in turn made an appointment with a surgeon for Friday, and a PCP appointment for the next Tuesday in nearby Stanwood. Suddenly things were moving and felt to be on a good track. The internist also called to the lab that was supposed to have my results on Monday or Tuesday, this was Wednesday, and she talked directly to the lab tech, something Carla had not been able to do with repeated calls. He explained the first “staining” tests came back negative, but he wanted to run another series of tests; they would have the results in the next day (today).

This persistence had paid off! But along with the persistence has been patience. Waiting for results of a test that can have very large implications can be trying. It is both in the persistence and the patience that our spiritual life can play such a large roll. Attunement with God brings strength of will to act, along with faith that doors will open according to His will. This attunement also gives us patience, for all is ultimately in His hands.

We learn to strike when He prompts us to strike, and to reside in Him in pure trust when there is nothing for us to take action upon. Like the wise blacksmith, he knows that to strike upon iron when it is not yet up to temperature is uselessly spent energy. When the iron glows the right color of red, then it is time to strike the iron to give it the shape wanted. So too, when listening to God, He prompts us to strike when it will do the maximum good. Anxiousness will have us flailing about uselessly, wearing ourselves out with what turns out to be destructive actions because we are not attuning ourselves to Him.

This great lesson in life presents itself to you in many guises. Through school, in families and work situations, in all situations of life you are given the opportunity of learning to attune and trust your life to the all-powerful Lord residing in your heart and soul. Recognize His prompting to act when you must, without being held back by fear or attachment. To learn this most basic of spiritual lessons is to become free, for the burden resides upon God’s shoulders and He must devise what is to be done in any situation. What freedom there is in this loving, trusting and intimate attunement with the Infinite Spirit within you.

Pilgrimage’s Twists and Turns

Yogacharya David

 

View of the Olympics Upon Return

Picture: Olympic Mountains Upon Return

From our wonderful time on Skype with the Victoria Group onward my energy and health took a downturn. Mornings had lately been the lowest energy ebb, but now I was not picking up at all through the day. Also the burning pain in my stomach persisted and after two weeks it seemed a good idea to at least get the blood level checked again.

Sure enough my hemoglobin count had dropped again to a six. Boulder City hospital transferred me to Valley Hospital in Las Vegas; Carla followed the ambulance in a rented car. Entering into the emergency entrance strapped to a gurney was like entering a movie set. Lined up with another six new patients also on gurneys, there was noise and controlled chaos as I lay just inside the sliding doors.

Ram was present in the alcoholic-dementia man who was talking to no one in particular about events in the 1970s, an elderly woman calling out, “Help, help me,” about every ten seconds, and nurses and doctors all busy going to and fro. Finally I was taken to an adjoining room that felt to be kept at 60 degrees. I was attended by a nurse who was a double for my nephew Chad. An East Indian doctor came in and said he would be my primary doctor, taking very fast and laughing repeatedly, he came in and went out in about a minute. After many hours during which there was a loud fire alarm and strobe lights flashing for over five minutes and shifting in an uncomfortable gurney without knowing what would be done with me next, I was eventually taken to Medical ICU room at about midnight. There I was hooked up to five or six electrical monitors, I was poked repeatedly for blood and places to begin the infusion of fluids.

Many have commented on how spectacular the lights are at night in Las Vegas, however my only experience of lights while in Las Vegas were the many bouncing lights on monitors! That, and three walls and a ceiling of an ICU room. One nurse came in, an event that occurred about every half-hour throughout the night, and told me with a laugh that I had not checked into the Comfort Inn; I heartily agreed. That was also apparent from the lack of room service, as I was given nothing to eat or drink for 28 hours due to the anticipated endoscopy. With all seriousness though, I received excellent and friendly care while there.

God also had gave me an opportunity to talk to the night nurse about the challenges of parenting, offering some thoughts she found helpful, and giving sympathy to another nurse who was dealing with a son who had diabetes that softened her mood extremely. Truly, caregivers are often in need of care themselves.

With further treatment needed for a mass found in the duodenum it seemed the prudent thing was to return to home ground; so we have now arrived at Camano Island. These are some of the many twists and turns that have occurred in this pilgrimage.

God being the all-powerful controller has continued to plan for everything perfectly; however it may look on a human level. The prayer that comes back to me again and again is Mother’s saying, “Lord, let this be fulfilled for the highest good of everyone concerned.” Be it so.

God as our Tour Guide

Yogacharya David

20151107 Valley of Fire Campground-Looked like we landed on a movie set from the Flintstoes and the town of Bedrock-

Picture: Camped @ Valley of Fire: Looked as if we were dropped into the set of a Flintstones Movie in the town of Bedrock

I don’t think there could ever be two polar opposites as extreme as my father and me when it comes to making travel plans. My mother and father travelled extensively all over the world, going on tours that were well planned in advance. I, on the other hand have only one plan, what does God have in mind for me today?

When I asked my father where he was going on his next trip I thought I might get a brief answer of what continent(s) they would be going to, what countries and possibly some highlights of special sites they planned to see. Instead I would get a ream of papers organized and stapled together with daily itineraries. Such details as what time they were to get up, when they would arrive for breakfast and the minute they were to leave on the tour bus would come my way. Each and every fifteen minutes of the day was planned, and you better take care if you are the tour guide and there is any transgression in the timetable, for my father’s famous temper could erupt at such inconvenient inconsistencies!

How his son travels is so far different that you would think we came from distant planets. God is the tour guide, and He must make all arrangements as things unfold. Mother once said that when organizing an event create a skeletal plan, and then let God fill in the details. And, if God wished to rearrange the skeleton, then let Him do so.

In leaving on this pilgrimage there have been only the barest of skeletal plans. I have had some notion that we would circumambulate the North American Continent; in a contrary counter-clockwise direction (traditional pilgrimage circumambulations are clockwise). I knew we would begin with a tour of the Utah Canyons that are justifiably known for their tremendous beauty and grandeur. God prompted this pilgrimage for purposes fully known only to His all-knowing omniscience. I have some hints from Him, and He has revealed other parts of His plan as we have continued this journey, but it always makes it interesting to find deeper reasons as I assiduously follow His will.

What I find truly awe-inspiring is how He takes care of us with unfailing love and attention to detail. Some may call it coincidence or lucky breaks, but when time after time His total inner direction and outer answers to our needs are miraculously fulfilled, one must finally come to the conclusion that luck or coincidence simply does not suffice to explain how He perfectly takes care of us.

Last night we knew we would have to travel some miles to find a phone connection that would enable us to make a Skype call to the Victoria Group. Earlier in the day we travelled to the only nearby town to scout out a strong signal and get a few things at the store. Even though the town sported a Community College we had zero connection for our phone service. While driving back there was one stretch of road that showed promise of 4G with 3 bars; it would be sufficient. Turns out in the entire area we scouted there was less than a quarter mile of road that had any phone connection, and there happened to be a reasonable gravel turnout where we could park by the side of Hi-way just where the signal was the strongest.

Later that night we drove to the same spot and found it now had only 1 bar strength, and that would definitely not be enough. However since that was the only spot we had found any connection we turned it over to God and continued to set up the tablet and tethered it to the extraordinary phone Chad provides for us. At the appointed time we made the call and for nearly an hour we had perfect connection with that most wonderful group of souls in Victoria. When we finished I looked at the phone connection and we had 4G at 4 bars; thank you Ram!

Today we decided to leave Valley of Fire Campground due to cold winds picking up; we headed for places unknown. Carla saw there was a well-rated campground on Lake Mead at Boulder Beach for only 10 dollars a night. When we arrived we found a lovely corner campground spot with an unobstructed view of the deep blue waters of Lake Mead and a red mountainous backdrop; much warmer weather and no winds, thank you Ram!

So you see, we don’t do too badly with God as our tour guide. And although this trip can have all the appearances of a vacation or holiday it varies significantly in that from stem to stern it has been dedicated to His service. I can tell you the last twenty four hours He has inwardly worked me relentlessly, giving me a load to carry that is almost more than I think that I can bear. Of course that is true, of myself I cannot carry the load He has given me, He must make that possible as He also makes such perfect arrangements for our travel and sees to every other detail in our lives. Living in perfect trust of following His will and depending only on His abundant supply, I would have it no other way.

These are further pictures from Pilgrimage North America. I continue to learn about posting these pictures and I hope you are able to access them properly. The link is: https://plus.google.com/u/2/photos/104170741072595580408/albums/6209989194023900545?sort=1

From Snow Canyon to Valley of Fire

Yogacharya David
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Snow Canyon from North Galoot

From Zion National Park we toured our way toward St. George, on the Utah-Arizona border. Rick and Judy secured a camp spot for us at Snow Canyon State Campground just north of St. George. It is a beautiful campground in a valley of red rock formations that was discovered by white settlers when they looked for some lost cows in the area. There is evidence that native people were inhabitants thousands of years before that.

We took a hike up the Lost Pinion Trail that took us through narrow cracks between rocks and opened into small meadows of beautiful soft green sage plants unlike I have ever seen before. Another day took us on foot up to the North Galoot with vistas in every direction. While I struggled for breath at times I went on every hike and climbed every peak I set my sights on. The quiet nature of the park and the large distances between campsites made this stay a favorite for Carla and me.

We took a day to tour Brigham Young’s winter home in St. George and view the large Mormon Cathedral (the first Mormon Cathedral in Utah). I had wanted to get a better feeling for the man behind the image of Brigham Young. Although he spent winters here with one of his wives and no children for several years there, it yielded few clues about his inner nature.

Perhaps what was missing was for me the biggest clue. Neither Carla nor I felt any spiritual uplift while at his house. Our guides were a sweet couple, obviously devoted Mormons, but even with their enthusiasm there was little I took away about “The Prophet.” Perhaps since it is not my path to God I have no resonance with the man, but I had wanted to get a spiritual measure of this powerful man in Mormon history. He had a large library of books and was a voracious reader. He learned to read from his mother, had only 16 days of formal education but was instrumental in launching two universities that continue to educate today.

From St. George Utah we left the state, crossed the corner of Arizona and entered our sixth state, Nevada. Letting Ram be our guide we drove south and came to Valley of Fire State Park. We were charmed as we entered the campground, it had all the appearances of a movie set for the Flintstones and the town of Bedrock. Rounded red rocks in surprising shapes and thousands of little caves and delightful contours met us at every angle.

The next day we took a tour of the road leading up to the White Domes, we hiked through Rainbow Vista and at the end of the road we took the steep climb down to the Narrows at the White Domes. The Narrows are wide enough to let one person pass through at a time, with a winding path that would make a serpent’s trail look straight, and cliffs rose straight up on either side beyond sight. The entire walk was most wonderful and was a demonstration of how far I have come in these past weeks; this walk would have been inconceivable just a week ago. Nevada has demonstrated that Utah has nothing on it in terms of beautiful canyons and unusual rock formations here at Valley of Fire.

20151106 Carla at the start of The Narrows Valley of Fire Nevada

Picture: Carla ready to enter The Narrows

Both at Snow Canyon and here at Valley of Fire we have had little or no phone/internet connection. Tonight we will drive 45 minutes each way to make a Skype call to the Victoria Center and I hope to be able to send this posting out at that same time. Know that you continue in our thoughts and prayers, and that this Pilgrimage North America continues to yield a wonderful prescription of extraordinary locations and purifying vibrations.

Years

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