There have been an extraordinary call for prayers in the last little while, indicating that the world is going through a transition. Even as this world goes through seasons of the year, and today we stand on the cusp of the fall equinox, so too there are times in life when there are intense changes and transitions that affect us all.

To the sensitive yogi, Master said that there are four times of transition each day. Of course we are all familiar with sunrise, sunset, noon and midnight as common markers of the day. However, the meditating yogi will notice special times of the day that are propitious for going within, 4-6 a.m., 11 a.m.-noon, 5-6 p.m., and 10-midnight. One can take advantage of these subtle but powerful tides of energy by using these times for prayer and meditation.

I was so charmed when travelling in Islamic countries when the call to prayer came at different times of the day. Around sunset and the sinking sun radiating deep orange was one such time; the very warm day cooling a bit, the call to prayer coming from different towers around the city, shop owners retiring to the rear of their stores and bowing to the Creator of us all on their magic prayer rugs, the whole city becoming quiet for some minutes while the world acknowledged the One who makes it all possible. Such a lovely feeling.  

Other transitions may not make it so easy to find peace, for there are times in life when health, prosperity, work conditions, family life and friendships can all go through transitions, sometimes going our way and other times not. And yet finding peace, inner assurance, a solid foundation in a constantly changing world is at the heart of our spiritual practice. Even Mother said she could have an initial shock of when something first happened. So we too may feel, at first, an initial disturbance, but like a compass needle that always finds north, so our minds go directly to God. Other times we may find no disturbance at all when something untoward happens, we simply are feeling the great divine peace from start to finish.

Naturally, from a human standpoint we like to have things go easy. For some, when a transition takes something away and makes life more challenging, we can feel betrayed. Somewhere inside we feel that if we are making spiritual effort, then everything should go perfectly smooth in this world. However, we do live in world of duality, and the alternating currents will always be at work bringing both, from a human standpoint, good and bad situations. While it is true that leading a spiritual life will avoid many a painful trap in life, no one may avoid all difficulties, and at times hardships seem to come bundled up and delivered all at once.

To find lasting happiness we must rise above this world of duality, for this world will never be able to deliver it. There is a Source of serenity and joy within that cannot be eclipsed by dualism. Avatar Buddha said that life is suffering, then he gave the formulae for transcending it. Attachment to the things of this world makes us blind to this innate Source, so we must remove our full attention from this world and through deepened meditation become established in the ever-abiding Presence within–Nirvana.

Being established in such peace you now have an unshakable foundation for entering into any and all circumstances of life, and the things of this world do not make you over-glad, or over-sad–they simply are. Your real source of joy comes from your oneness with the Infinite Beloved–Sat, Chid, Ananda–eternal existence, consciousness and bliss. As the great Lahiri Mahasaya said, make acquaintance with God in the springtime, for elsewise you may Him elusive in the winter of life. Seek Him out daily, and learn to make the Divine Presence the unmovable core for you being.  

The constant rehearsing of problems that might happen, that have happened, an underlying anxiety that drains our energy—what is this all about?

Being prepared for when things go wrong is a prudent thing to do—having a filled pantry, working flashlights, first aid bandages all are good things to have around, just in case…. However, the conscious and unconscious minds take this to an exaggerated degree and makes warning sounds in our bodies and heads 24/7. Far from useful, it becomes destructive as it produces false warnings, skews our judgment, can make us over-function or withdraw from life, and burns up life-energy without benefit—wearing us out and robbing us of joy!

As I have often said, “It has been a rough couple of thousand years!” Our history is filled with the lack of food and starvation, wars with its pain and miseries, lack of justice and stability, extremely difficult working conditions and little medical care, limited opportunities—it has not been uniformly bad, but a large share of the world’s population have had it very difficult. While there are definitely difficult lives in the world today, there are also great advancements on so many fronts and increasingly a great number of lives are so much better off; statistically better than ever before. However, the echoes of traumatic experiences can resound even when surrounded by relative peace and prosperity.

I worked with a psychiatrist who was making a study of WWII holocaust survivors and their children. The survivors of these death camps oftentimes got about their lives, not talking about or seemingly devastated by past experiences. However, their children and children’s children exhibited post-traumatic stress, seemingly for no apparent reason—until you considered that the un-grieved horrors that the parents and grandparents went through were passed down to their progeny. Their holocaust surviving parents did not have the time or energy to grieve for their devastating losses; they simply had to get on with their lives to build something better for themselves and their children. But, the emotional charges from those losses were passed down to new generations, waiting for the day that they should be worked out.

We have all come from tough stock, and the many losses and difficulties of those previous generations can be passed down through families—it can explain much in what may seem unexplainable symptoms. Then you add on the layers of past lifetimes a soul has experienced during this dark Kali Yuga, the emotional charges of past life experiences lurking deep in the subconscious mind—This complex weave of the psyche reveals why unexpected challenges can seem to occur from thin air, as well as unexplainable strengths and talents we simply come with, fully intact from birth.

Some can look at that list of atrocities and problems and think, “How can there be a God?” Others can look at that same list, see how well we all do in general, how much kindness and caring there is in the world, how much healing happens daily, and think, “It is only by the Grace of God that decency is as prevalent as it is!” I, of course, come down on the side that God’s Grace—always active and present—making us yearn for a better world and a desire for growth. Along with Grace is human free will, which can choose horrible actions, creating a daily testing field for right action for every individual and group. Family history, past lifetimes, and of course the environment we live in interlace their influences, both positively angelic all the way to demonic. Like the immune system fighting off toxins, germs and viruses that threaten our health from within and without, so we need a superb mental and spiritual “immune system” to create and maintain total health and happiness.

Although you may strive to maintain a positive environment to live in, you may freely admit there are many things outside of your control, and if those negative things beyond your influence are given preeminence in your mind, they will bring you low. The greatest boost to your physical, mental and spiritual immune systems is God remembrance. Through God remembrance the first thing that happens is that you take your mind off of the merry-go-round of the mind that feels overwhelmed or powerless and it aligns you with the supreme power and divine intelligence of God. God is positivity itself: hope, faith and a doorway to all things possible. Remembering the attributes of God: Oh Lord, You are all-powerful, wisdom and light itself, You are peace and love without limit—You are my all and all in all; chanting God’s name, meditating upon Him, listening to inspiring talks and music; it elevates your mood, changes your thinking, stimulates smooth life-energy, and purifies the mind—both your conscious and subconscious minds are uplifted through your contact with the super-conscious mind.

Of course you may have legitimate concerns in your life, but you no longer turn these into a worry machine. Now you see those possible problems in the light of God. He is working out His will through you, His willing instrument—in fact it is for this purpose you have taken incarnation and there is no place you would rather be than here and now—because this is where He has placed you.

Recently a devotee went through a serious operation. She said that while in recovery she felt that she was in the hospital for some greater reason—she had deep conversations there with a young man with addiction problems, visited many on the ward and was a bright light, and in fact the nurses gravitated to her room due to her calm and positive manner. When I was in the hospital I too felt that this was my opportunity to pray for all those there, including the care givers. With the mind so busily engaged in bringing the Light of God to a situation, there was no time for worry!

This world is on an evolutionary climb out of the Dark Ages, and yes there are challenges, however, with God in your heart this is a new day, a bright day full of promise and glory. God is on the move, and whether the world around you seems to reflect that or not, it is certainly true for you as you lead the way into the path of joy, light, abundance—Grace operating within, without and all about. Put your mind on God, put you mind on God, put your mind on God and your life is changing already—feel the peace and joy of His ever-abiding Presence right in your own heart and soul.  Learn what it is to live a life without fear, always aware of His ever-abiding Grace residing in your heart, mind and soul. Be it so!

This weekend we are taking time to come to Loon Lake Retreat for intensive study of the liberating methods for Self-realization. For all those who come there are many more who would like to be there, but we may all share something of our time together in satsang through our connection in Spirit.

There is much written by saints and realized masters as to what the goal of spiritual practice is, however, no matter how perfect the words for its description,  there is no replacing actual God-contact and having direct experience of those realized states of consciousness.

To live in divine consciousness is the greatest accomplishment of a lifetime, because it does the greatest good for the individual, and it has the most powerful uplifting effect upon all creation. If someone is starving, they must of course have food, and if someone is in excruciating pain they should have some relief. But in meeting such immediate needs, a temporary solution is given to a temporary problem–no matter how great the need in the moment and how good it is to be able to offer relief. The deeper, longer lasting suffering of humanity is found in the mind and soul. Identifying this suffering is the first step in the recovery of the consciousness that leads to long term happiness.

After identifying that it is separation from divine consciousness that is the cause of this suffering, we must go about how to get relief from this mental and spiritual pain. Deep analysis shows that so much suffering comes about due to the attachment we have to the things and situations of this world. Attachment makes us think that our happiness is dependent upon having certain situations or objects, and if we do not have them then we are miserable (or if we have them and they are taken away then we are unhappy). Real happiness is to be found within and is not dependent upon these outer conditions. If happiness is thought to stem from something that is temporary, and what in this world is not temporary, then happiness will always be followed by pain when that temporary situation changes.

This understanding makes us know that only by finding an unshakable source of happiness within, that transcends the things of time and space will make for a solution to suffering. Great saints and spiritual masters who have gone into the laboratories of their own deepened experience tell us that there is an eternal fount of joy and bliss to be found within. This fount does not run dry, is not dependent upon outer conditions, and makes us know the truth of who and what we truly are. This truth is known through direct experience–it is portable, going with us wherever we go, and transcends the limited human mind.

One might well ask, “If this is true, why is the whole world not running after unending happiness? And really, that is a most poignant question, but the answer is in what was said earlier about attachment; it acts as a screen that hides this simple truth. A child has a toy, then sees another child with another toy. At first the child is happy with their own toy, but when he sees the other child with a different toy he cries such tears at the thought of not having the other toy. We must give up attachment first, then the truth is revealed, but we do not like to give up our attachments having come to believe that our happiness lies in having certain things or situations.

However, when you have a ready and simple faith, you find the truth is not far away. Having the willingness to open your heart and mind to the radiant Presence already existing within reveals the doorway to this most wonder-filled and exciting experience that can be had by all. You do not need to build complicated creeds and beliefs, in fact that is contrary to the prime simplicity that gets you entry. Let go of all thoughts that happiness lies out there somewhere, and open your mind and heart to the divine revelation that is seeking out an opportunity for awakening you now. Let us join together, if not in person then in spirit, and seek out this omniscient Presence that is also seeking you. 

I am God’s Grip, and there is no other place I would rather be. From my late teens God prodded me towards Him, and away from the world. I did not know it was He at the time; in fact I had no faith in any concept of God I knew of then, only that I was restless, and definitely not content with what I saw in the world. That restlessness grew into a deep spiritual pain, and finally in my extremity I turned to God, and He lifted my pain; though later it came back—the shepherd’s dog nipping at me without respite.

Then began the long journey of sadhana in which I had further glimpses of God’s Light and bliss; a training of the mind to stay focused on Him through the techniques my Gurudev had instructed me. Those creaky doors yielded, a bit at a time, opening then closing tight, then opening again, always with the shepherds dog driving me on when I would have rather gone back to sleep. I even resented the shepherd’s dog, thinking why could I not be happy, as others seemed to find happiness in this world? But, thankfully it drove me on, for what I sometimes thought of as a curse then I now see as my greatest blessing.

And many a time I fell, many a time I made mistakes, and suffered the consequences. Unfortunately, not only I suffered, by those around me suffered as well. Even through the Dark Night of my Soul, even through the many mistakes and missteps, Grace found a way through my ignorance, my vanity, lower human desires and indifference. What endless patience God and Guru gave me, never giving up on me, transforming base metal of humanness into gold of Spirit—God and Guru being alchemists extraordinaire.

However many missteps on my part, I never wavered in my desire for God, and gradually that transformation took shape, a new being was born; something far beyond my ability to enact. So, while I was an active participant in the process, I was increasingly very much the witness to the extraordinary forces at work in me. God experience went from very occasional glimpses, then to a most of the time Reality, culminating in an every moment state of being.

Now I live in His grip, God’s power and intelligence flowing through me, and I am witness to what He does in and around me. And I am more humbled than ever before, for the witness in me is in awe of what He is about. There is no life more fully lived than when in Him; His bliss, His grace is ever at work. And what He has shown me, what I most definitely know, is that same spark of Divinity, that same seed of Grace that has grown into a tree, is in every living soul that walks the earth.

Not all will awaken to this transformed life in this lifetime, but there are those destined to live in Him, and shed His qualities to all the earth. As one or two awaken, so that quickens the lives of others, and one or two awaken over there, then there, and on and on it spreads as the world is lifted into greater heights. When a significant minority transforms—not that large of a percentage actually—it will spread all over this earth. Suddenly it will not be about money, power and fame, but about recognizing the Light in one another and in the world itself. Even though the world may be no great support in living a spiritual life at this present time, there is no greater opportunity to be in the vanguard of what is to come—to help lead the way through your own example. For I can tell you from my own experience, there is no greater way to live this life than to be in the grip of God.