As an astrologer, I’ve learned long time ago that I can predict timing of events with much greater certainty than their nature.
For instance, I can say that events that will begin to transpire this December and become more obvious starting in April of 2010 will crest around August 1, hitting Americans directly where their wallet is with violent force, because all potent forces of heaven will be attacking Venus in the U.S. horoscope.
Since Venus traditionally rules money and relationships, American relationships will suffer either within the country or abroad. I cannot rule out civil unrest, although I would not go as far as predicting civil war.
Unfortunately, I really cannot say what exactly is going to happen. I don’t believe anybody can. In my experience, even the best of psychics often make mistakes when it comes to future events, because we really have the power of the free will.
With this power we still cannot change the forces of time that spin the heavens, but we may lessen or even change their impact to some degree. Of course, our ability to do so is much more evident in our personal lives than on the national or international scope.
But even mundane astrologers are still handicapped in their ability to predict, since no nation has a birth certificate with official time stamped on it. The U.S., for instance, has at least 4 horoscopes that astrologers like to consider. Even its date of birth is in dispute, since historical facts point to July 2 rather than July 4 that we all celebrate.
I can assure you though, that no matter what happens around August 1 of 2010, we will survive, and the world is not going to come to an end in December of 2012 either.
About 100 years ago, a little known guru of a much more famous guru Paramahansa Yogananda wrote a tiny treatise “The Holy Science” that went unnoticed by even Yogananda’s disciples.
However, this little gem deserves almost as much reverence as Bhagavat Gita. There, Sri Yukteswar recalculated yugas (Divine divisions of time) based on precession of equinox and position of the Sun in relationship to the Galactic Center.
Yugas describe the relationship of Light and Darkness in terms of time.
There are 8 yugas in total in what is called 1 Divine Day of 24,000 years. They start with the Ascending Kali Yuga of 1200 years, during which the light of human consciousness gradually increases.
He pinpointed the beginning of that yuga at the year of 499 a.d..
This means, that in the 1699 a.d. the Ascending Dwapara Yuga began, and it will last until 4099 a.d..
During Ascending Dwapara Yuga, the light of human consciousness increases enough to develop amazing technologies based on atomic and molecular manipulations of material reality, as well as developing abilities to manipulate electricity, magnetic and gravitational forces and the like.
By the end of this yuga, humanity as the whole is also going to perfect mystical and occult techniques, enabling itself to expertly manipulate reality.
During the Ascending Treta Yuga, personal relationship with God is going to become commonplace, and during the Ascending Satya Yuga, the humanity, once again, would enter its Golden Age.
The Descending Satya Yuga will follow, and the Divine Light would begin to gradually diminish until it would be totally shut out during the Descending Kali Yuga.
If you look at the known human history, you would agree that the year of 499 a.d. falls smack in the middle of so called Dark Ages, and as of 1699, humanity began technological advancement in earnest.
Since we are at the threshold of the Advancing Dwapara Yuga, the technological advancement we have seen so far is only the beginning.
I predict that during the next decade technology is going to continue develop in leaps and bounds, particularly computer and nano technology, revolutionizing our relationship with the world. E-readers are going to become commonplace, and even catalogs are going to be on e-readers rather than on paper. TV and computer technology will merge completely. We are going to use “TV sets” for reading e-mail, solving “websudoku” puzzles, and reading news as much as watching them.
Cyber space is going to continue being the new gold mines of the world economy, and green technology is going to improve and cheapen enough to become common place.
Nano technology is going to affect every facet of our lives, from clothes to medicine, but it is in medicine where it is geared to make major impact. By the end of the next decade, we may finally defeat cancer, and our greatest concern is going to be infectious diseases.
I would be watching with interest the time period between October of 2010 and April of 2011 for some remarkable technological break-through, as Neptune – Uranus mutual reception returns for the last time.
Economically, during the next decade the U.S., Europe, Russia, China and India will continue to be the main engines, as the U.S. will continue to lead in consumerism, Russia will continue to dominate the market of natural resources, China will remain the world’s greatest factory, and India is going to finally reap the benefits of its investment in education.
But the U.S and Europe are going to be much poorer, and India, Russia, and China much richer.
This will change the political picture, as Russia and China will become the 2 main super powers.
I also believe that Pluto in Capricorn is going to undermine democracy everywhere on Earth and squash all civil unrests that flare up, and the U.S. is no exception. Of course, Orwell’s Big Brother comes to mind, but it would still remain the exaggerated version of reality. While all powers are going to strengthen their control, no country is going to descent to the fascist or communist regimes of the past.
Terrorist acts and the fear they spread are going to dominate the world politics. I am certain that Israel and Palestine are going to remain being locked in conflict, and Middle East is going to remain being the nest of terrorism. But acts of terror are going to be more sophisticated, using technological sabotage as well as suicide bombers.
During Ascending Dwapara Yuga, Light and Darkness fiercely compete with each other, and the world is full of shadows. But the Light is getting stronger every year, so, in my mind, the most important developments of the next decade are going to begin taking hold as of March of 2012. That is when Neptune is finally going to settle in Pisces, its own sign, while Uranus straddles through Aries.
I believe that spring is going to mark the beginning of the quiet revolution within human mind. I don’t mean the plentitude of small technological devices that would allow us to control them with the force of our thoughts. They already exist and are about to invade our everyday life. I bet, one of the most sought out presents this X-Mass is going to be the game where people can move a ball with their mind alone.
No, I mean the unbelievable rise in consciousness on individual level. We saw a similar spurt in consciousness during the early 80s of the last century, when Uranus and Neptune traversed Sagittarius at the same time. Sagittarius, the country of Jupiter is the sign of expansion of consciousness, while Uranus represents break-trough and Neptune is the symbol of oneness.
In Aries, Uranus is going to emphasize unique individuality of each of us, while Neptune, strong in its own sign, is going to bring mysticism and spiritual oneness to the forefront of consciousness.
Of course, for many, Neptune in Pisces would signify the descent into drugs, and Uranus in Aries coupled with Pluto in Capricorn could easily describe flare ups of anarchy. After all, Pluto walking through the sign of government and corporate structures is going to change them all big time, forcing many into quiet and not-so-quiet revolt.
Uranus in Aries is going to ensure that Big Personalities rule that moment of time, and independent contractors are going to outnumber employees everywhere. Even employees are going to be much more independent, often working from home thanks to continuously evolving technology and loss of all kinds of corporate benefits.
The Ascending Dwapara Yuga by no means signifies the end of suffering, and Africa is going to continue to be the epicenter of human suffering for a while. Changes of climate, poverty, infectious diseases and terrorist acts are going to continue being our terrible bane for a few decades longer, as Darkness does not give up so easily.
It is going to be up to us as individuals to uphold the Light, and Neptune and Uranus are going to give us a little hand there during the next decade. After all, all the disasters that befall the human kind are there to forge the kindness of the heart, so God may enter it.

While I meditated this morning, overwhelming feelings of gratitude came to me.  I felt humble and so happy for everything in my life.  All that I want is here with me already, and I am revealing it, releasing  layers of fear and limited thinking as I do. It is no irony that tomorrow is Thanksgiving! I’m gettin’ in the mood early!

And I’ve decided, since tomorrow is Thanksgiving, I am taking the day off. Yes. I have decided that this is important for me to give myself the holiday as a gift for all my hard work.  I’ll be enjoying the time with my family and friends…there will be around 22 of us! FUN!

I’d also like to share  words of gratitude from Sri Daya Mata from the Self-Realization Fellowship:

“At this festive time of Thanksgiving, let us observe it also as a blessed time in offering gratitude to the One who gives us so bountifully of His goodness and beauty in this world. If we look upon everything and everyone in a spirit of reverence for the indwelling Divine Creator, whether obvious or hidden, we know we are in His omnipresent, watchful love. A thankful heart recognizes God’s all-pervasive Presence, assuring us that in all circumstances we are eternally in the care of Him who is the ultimate source of our every need.”

More of Daya Mata’s Thanksgiving message.

She talks about trust and faith in knowing that we will always be taking care of.  We don’t need to live in anger, fear, and resentment.  In knowing that all of our needs are forever taken care of, it frees us to express our true selves.  I am forever grateful for that.

Happy Thanksgiving and Namaste.

This is a great discussion exposing the practises of the Emergent Church, and how it is rapidly readying the Apostate Church to merge with not only Catholicism, but also New Age and the practises of Eastern religions, and ultimately with the interspirituality of the Antichrist’s One World Religion. Do not be deceived: EVERYONE who surrenders their mind and soul and spirit to this kind of teaching will end up being part of the Antichrist’s government, and ultimately they will all take the Mark of the Beast, and be damned forever. Make no mistake about this: unless they repent and turn to the unadultered, true, and ONLY Gospel of Jesus Christ, these people WILL GO TO HELL in the end, so I urge you, my friend, if you consider yourself a Christian, and if you want to serve God, COME OUT from among those apostate churches that are teaching contemplative prayer and other mystical practises, which will only lead you deeper and deeper into the strong delusion that will cause millions to perish. COME OUT of her, My people, says the Lord!!!

In Pacific Palisades, California less than a mile from the Pacific Ocean located directly off of that famous boulevard, Sunset, is one of the most peaceful places on the planet.

Okay, I haven’t visited every place on the planet to make that claim.  This place is pretty peaceful though and serene and beautiful and lush…are you getting the picture, yet?  This place is the Self Realization Fellowship Temple: Lake Shrine.  It was dedicated in 1950 by Paramahansa Yogananda, author of the book, Autobiography of a Yogi.

Mahatma Gandhi considered Paramahansa Yogananda one of his friends and his yogi.  Out of respect, while some of Gandhi’s ashes were strewn in his beloved India, the rest were sent to Paramahansa Yogananda for this peace memorial.

Mahatma Gandhi was a true man of peace, gaining India’s freedom through non-violence.  I feel he would be very pleased to know that some of his remains are located in such a beautiful and peaceful place.

Pagājušā gadā manās rokās nonāca grāmata (gana interesentā ceļā, bet par to cits stāsts), ko sarakstījis – ne vairāk, ne mazāk – kā viens jogs.  Lai gan bik vairāk kā 4 gadus diezgan praktiskā veidā iepazīstu jogu, pietāte pret šo fenomenu man nav mazinājusies ne drusciņas. Un domāju, ka nekad nemazināsies.

Sāku grāmatu lasīt, jo mani apbūra attēls uz tās vāka – vīrietis ar atklātu seju un  rāmu smaidu (jā, jā, es saprotu, kā tas izklausās; taču paskatieties paši). Kā drīz vien uzzināju, grāmata esot bestsellers.  Par laimi, to uzzināju tikai tad, kad jau biju sākusi lasīt, jo, ļoti iespējams, aizpriedumu vadīta (pē,  šīs populārās lietas un tādā garā) to nebūtu pat atvērusi. Paramahansa Yogananda “Autobiography of a Yogi”.

Grāmatā Yogananda stāsta par savu dzīvi. Un – jau pirmajās lappusēs – piemin krija jogu. Sāku interesēties, kas tas ir un kā izpaužas. Kad lasu, man ir svarīgi saprast, par ko ir stāsts – tāpēc gribēju uzzināt kā gluži praktiski krija joga izpaužas, kā to praktizē, kas to veido.  Tā.

Nepaiet ne pāris dienas, kad Daya jogas studijā, kur tolaik apmeklēju hatha jogas nodarbības, uz galda ieraugu – ne vairāk, ne mazāk – kā reklāmas līfletu. Un šis reklāmas papīra gabals mani informē, ka pēc pāris mēnešiem, proti – 2009. gada aprīlī Rīgā būs Šibendu Lahiri, kas stāstīs par un ievadīs krija jogā. Un Šibendu Lahiri ir ne vairāk, ne mazāk kā grāmatā daudz pieminētā Lahiri Mahasaya mazdēls.

Es, protams, aizgāju. Un nenožēloju. Šibendu Lahiri patiešām ir cilvēks, ko ir VĒRTS satikt.

Pavasarī Šibendu Lahiri jau otro reizi būs Rīgā – no 7. līdz 9.maijam. 7.maijā būs publiskā lekcija (vēl nezinu, kur), 8. – 9.maijam – praktiska ievadīšana krija jogā.

Vairāk par Šibendu Lahiri var izlasīt www.krijajoga.lv .

Ja nu dažos vārdos… – ai, tomēr nē. Labāk ir satikt viņu pašu.

P.S. Tikko izlasīju, ka arī Boriss Grebenšķikovs arī ir saņēmis krija jogas iesvētību pie Šibendu Lahiri.

Papildināts (1.12.2009) Kā šodien uzzināju, nebrauks tomēr nākamgad Šibendu Lahiri uz Latviju.  Pārdomājis.

Daži foto:

These are words of warning for people who become complacent and assume themselves as rightfully virtuous and secure. They so far have not had the misfortune visited upon others.

Can Bad Karma Be Erased, Forgiven Or Expunged?
By [http://ezinearticles.com/?expert=Gary_Zalben]Gary Zalben

When criminals break the laws of the land, they are condemned and sentenced accordingly to what is required by the provisions of the laws that were broken. But the president of the country or the governor of the state is empowered in mitigating circumstances to let the lawbreaker off with a lighter sentence or to pardon him altogether. In the same way, God being supreme and His highly developed saints who are in harmony with him can stop the fruition of bad karma or sins against the soul in persons by exercising their spiritual will-force. They can concede forgiveness of sins and free others from suffering the results of their bad actions by changing the nature of their mind and brain cells with the understanding of the precise relation of their habits and mind to the brain sufficiently changing their karmic blueprints.

Only God and His highly advanced masters or saints can forgive others. To illustrate in simple terms how this principle works, suppose for example, someone was poisoned through wrong eating, he can immediately be given an antidote to counteract the poison and thus create a new cause with an effect that will destroy the poison in his system. The powerful consciousness of the masters can equally counteract the adverse effects of earlier wrong actions accumulated in misguided people by various means. The laws of cause and effect created by God however cannot be broken; the judgments of karmic law have to be compensated in fair exchange or in kind.

Any disciple or devotee who finds his adversary through introspection realizes his wrongful actions and bad karma, has been arraigned before the court magistrate in the cosmic judiciary of karmic law of cause and effect. He must ceaselessly pray to be set free from reaping the consequences of his wrongful actions. Those condemned by the judge for breaking the cosmic laws are sent to the penitentiary of suffering by the official officers of karmic inclinations accumulated from wrong actions. It is impossible to escape from the tribunal of cosmic laws that govern every single human action until we all worked out and fully paid our karmic bills through reformation, suffering and prayers for deliverance. In time it is possible to be partially or wholly free from adverse effects of bad karma. Our final recourse for redemption and grace is devotional sincerity and deep prayers to the Divine supreme jurist, the architect of the karmic law.

Those who have not been caught for breaking the laws should not consider themselves free, innocent or guiltless than some who were condemned and punished for their offenses for they will be convicted as they are apprehended by the cosmic laws of cause and effect. These are words of warning for people who become complacent and assume themselves as rightfully virtuous and secure. They so far have not had the misfortune visited upon others. Those sleeping in ignorance who never analyze themselves and who never make any spiritual effort, will one day be bluntly awakened from mental, spiritual or physical suffering. By the cultivation of spiritual consciousness, repentance and prayers for redemption they can, without fail, avert or lessen unfavorable karmic recompense.

The master knows the secret thoughts of men and is able to manipulate certain mechanical features of the laws of karma which can be skillfully adjusted by his fingers of wisdom and by counteractive measures taken by a distressed person such as faith, deep love for God, prayer and yoga meditation to reduce or cancel out the harmful effects of past sinful actions. But if the master wants to hasten the spiritual development of an individual or disciple, he may in severe cases of deep-rooted bad karma. He may also in reply to the devoted faith and receptiveness of the petitioner accept onto himself the karmic state of a disciple, or part of it, and let the karmic effects be worked out in his own body.

Lets say a weak man named Joseph enraged an associate who was physically stronger and who then decided to raise his hand and beat Joseph but I am also very strong and instantly jumped in between them and received the well intended punch and absorbed the blow which affected me in a far lesser degree sparing Joseph the pain. Similarly when a person is condemned to suffer from wrongdoing, he is bound by the karmic law of cause and effect but a great master can repel the turmoil and let it spend its force within his body.

There have been saints recognized for having taken onto themselves the very diseases of the afflicted and thus relieving the sufferers. It is not necessary for one to suffer in order to heal by divine law, but only masters and remarkable Christ-like healers have knowledge of the sacred technique and are able to take on the spiritual, mental or physical sufferings of another to release them in their own physical bodies. Even though a pardon is granted from illness, the body is temporary and must perish in its full season. It does not matter what one’s blessing of healing or disorder is, the only way to lastingly wipe out unwanted karma is by God contact. Unfortunately the multitudes do not believe that real God contact is possible but knowledgeable disciples and devotees know better.

There are some credulous offenders who want to be free of suffering and consider it sufficient to seek confession from an everyday priest to receive divine amnesty through confession of their sinful evil deeds. There is mental consolation that confession confers on them and grants pardon, but the operation of the karmic laws are too subtle to be seen and they deem themselves to be forgiven. The selfish fear of consequences along with shallow prayer will not bring God randomly to counteract the just and truthful workings of the laws of cause and effect. Men would continue in error if permitted to do so without consequences. God cannot be moved by bartered deals of good behavior for past misconduct or sporadic emotions of praise. With heart felt divine love and devoted sincerity any sin and its consequences can be forgiven, not by mere supplication.

We have all heard the expression “get a life.” If one really wants a real life, one must try to find who his or her God-ordained guru is because no one can even casually meet their guru without good karma. We are told that during a period of psychological curiosity we should thoroughly investigate how God sends the seeking individuals ordinary teachers for addressing the awakening of souls. When the first yearning for truth comes, somebody offers you a book or recommends a teacher to awaken you, but when a soul is determined to know God, the Heavenly Father sends him a guru or an illumined soul who has cosmic consciousness and is one with him such as Jesus, Krishna, Buddha, Sri Ramakrishna, Paramahansa Yogananda and other great unknown masters who have come to earth throughout the centuries.

These masters have complete mastery of the self and no karma of their own. They come only to help the disciple to acquire the freedom from his own karma. It is extremely important to follow one master who has no karma and who can take a portion of our cross on his back. If the person you follow has not realized God he can not take it, he is only a school teacher and a person who learns from an ordinary teacher is called a student but a person who learns from a guru is called a chela or disciple. When the disciple faithfully applies and learns the teachings of a God-sent guru preceptor, he attracts the same guru in following incarnations until liberation is attained. The technique in finding your true spiritual guru not a self-appointed one is explained in the book “Autobiography of a Yogi” by Paramahansa Yogananda, a spiritual classic which explains this in detail. For more information on this subject read my article titled “Can You Break the Endless Cycle of Reincarnation with a Guru?”

This article copyright 2008-Author: Gary Zalben. You may reprint this article as long as the source is kept intact. For more information about the author and self-improvement writings see http://www.howtoselladeadhorse.com

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Gary_Zalben http://EzineArticles.com/?Can-Bad-Karma-Be-Erased,-Forgiven-Or-Expunged?&id=1088774

Namaste,

 I sometimes skim through the book, “Living Fearlessly, Bringing Out Your Inner Soul Strength” by Paramahansa Yogananda in his (HOW TO LIVE) series. Today I was skimming through it and found very remarkable and beautiful teachings on our Immortality.

 That seems a bit odd since we are so used to the western view that we are simply machines that die off. In the east there is a totally different view point on our true nature. We are not our bodies which are limited in this earthly world. Mystics have been saying this for thousands of years. We are greater than flesh and bones.

Reading from Paramahansa Yogananda’s work it states: “Do you ever think that you have been completely unsettled by circumstances-ruffled, shattered, whipped, lacking power? Banish such thoughts! You have power; you do not use it. You have all the power you need. There is nothing greater than the power of the mind.”

This statement may seem like some corny phrase from a self help book, but this is the actual truths of eastern religions and philosophies. Not only this according to Quantum Physics our minds are what shapes our realities. This means we are the creators of the world. If this is true this means if we do not like the way the world is we can change it! If we are stuck on the thoughts that we are limited to this body of ours then we will continue to be the same old helpless being in such an awful world.

Quoting from Yogananda’s work again: “How necessary it is to analyze why you behave the way you do. Some people are filled with fear; they have made it a chronic habit. They nurture fear every day; and therefore their days are miserable with worry and anxiety. What is the logic of it? We are all going to die one day. It only happens once, and when it happens it is all over with. Then why be afraid of it? Why die every day through fear? When you learn to reason clearly, you discover that so many of your everyday attitudes and actions are foolishl the unhappiness they create is totally unneceesary.”

 We are not helpless. We are ever present with that One Life, the Source of all Life. We come out of this, call it God, Ultimate Reality, or Brahman it is all the same. We are this. There is no separation. As the Saints say, “There is one thing God Cannot do and that is He cannot separate himself from us”. God is not the old man with a white beard sitting on the Throne. He is not Allah high above the Seventh heaven. God is All-Pervading. He is here and now present within us and all around us. When we comprehend this then we know that we are not these bodies. Energy cannot be destroyed. So therefore we will never die. Death is an illusion. These earthly vehicles are temporary. These bodies are only manifestations of our True Nature. That means our True Spirit or Soul is that which is feeting vital energy to this body. When the body dies, the spirit moves on. It does not look back. The Soul itself is not attached to anything. The reason why we are attached to our bodies, emotions, and desires is because we are identified with the Egoic mind.

 Through meditation and stillness we can remove all the dirt that covers the Gold. Dig deeper and peel all the layers of the onion. Soon you will find your Immortal self. We are Bliss and God is Bliss. If that is true then there is no separation. Stop praying to God outside of yourself. He is the Immortality and the Changeless being that you are. I am sounding blasphemous enough? If you are feeling irritated by my words then maybe it is time for you to drop the dogma and experience this Eternity right here and now in the present moment.

AUM

Sathya Sai Baba

When at his trial before Pontius Pilate, Jesus stated that he had come to earth to teach the truth, Pilate replied, “What is truth?” and walked away. Apparently he did not think that this tall gentle Jew, whom the temple priest had sent to be tried for his life as a trouble maker to the Roman rule, would have the answer to this big question. It was really laughable to think that he would have the answer to a question the Greek Philosophers from Socrates onward had failed to answer satisfactorily. Well, what is the truth? Do we know it yet, 2000 years after that mocking question was asked in Jerusalem? Did Jesus teach the truth that he claimed he had come to teach? I believe that he did for those with ears to hear. Perhaps he did not emphasise the meaning sufficiently, but he certainly emphasised the importance of knowing and living the truth, for he said, “If you know the truth, the truth will set you free.”

Most men and women long to know the truth about their own being who they really are and what the purpose of their lives on earth is. Does all this struggle and endeavour end in nothing or does some important, happy destination lie at the end of this long road, this seemingly meaningless journey of pain and pleasure? Is there some formula for living that will lead them with mathematical certainty to a goal that will bring them permanent satisfaction and happiness.

Many men and women have searched through the world for a wise Teacher who will give them the answers to such questions and who will reveal the truth of being and provide the recipe for living that will bring them the freedom and joy they seek. Well, as one of those world wandering Sadhakas, I eventually found the One, Bhagavan Sri Sathya Sai Baba. I knew I had found my teacher but I did not immediately recognise him as a Godman or Avatar.

Very soon however, Bhagavan Sri Sathya Sai Baba gave me the answers to most of my main questions; the mysteries that remain are probably beyond the level of my conscious understanding. He told me that there was just one purpose in my life, that it was to develop and expand my consciousness until it had become one with the Divine Consciousness of God and thus to become one with the Divine Being that goes under many names. There is only one Being, He told me One without a second. In the darkness of our ignorance, we think that we are separate beings and that there are billions of others, but in truth there is only one Being. Such an illogical statement was hard to accept against the evidence of my senses. Through the years that I spent in the environs of His physical presence, I began to realise the truth of this astounding paradoxical statement. Though you and I see many, touch many, hear many, communicate with many, there is in truth, only One. If this be true, then surely we must be part of the One.

I remember one day some years ago at the ashram, I was sitting on the verandah of the Mandir, as Sathya Sai Baba was calling into His presence a number of boys who had just joined his elementary school. He was standing perhaps three metres away from where I was sitting. I remember He asked each boy two things his name and where he was from. Each of them stated his name and address in India. Each one seemed overjoyed to be in the presence of Sathya Sai Baba, while one little fellow, though smaller than the rest, had the brightest smile. He gave his name readily and when Sathya Sai Baba said, “Where are you from?” he replied, “From You, Sathya Sai Baba.” Then the Lord Sai smiled too. “Look,” he said happily, “Here is one who knows he is from God.”

This boy could not have been much more than six and here was I, in my sixties and still trying to understand and realise that I was from God that indeed we all are. So we come from God, yet we are still an integral part of Him the One Being; and furthermore, in our present state of human consciousness, we are not aware of having any connection with Him; we are, in a sense, like the prince in the story who was taken from his royal home by a band of robbers. He grew up with the robbers and believed that he was one of them; indeed he had no idea of his royal identity not until many years later, when a turn of circumstances brought him back to his home, did he realise his true identity.

Must we go back to our spiritual home before we realise who we are? On the contrary, I think we must realise our identity before we can go back. Well, if we have come from God as the little boy stated, and with which Sathya Sai Baba agreed, how did this happen or seem to happen?

There are three main explanations propounded by some of the great Rishis of the past who gave commentaries on the Vedanta. The word ‘Vedanta’, by the way, means the end of the Vedas, because this philosophy comes from the Upanishads which are found at the end of each Veda. The word ‘Upanishad’ means that these teachings are for those who sit close to the feet of the Master. They are, it is implied, beyond the understanding of the ordinary man or woman. The great sages strive to understand them but do they always succeed? Now, briefly, here are the three explanations on how there seems to be such a diversity of life, whereas in truth there can be only oneness or unity.

The first explanation briefly is that God through his shakti, created a maya or illusion in which we see ourselves as separate, whereas in reality we are only one. This is sometimes called ‘the mortal dream’. Our everyday consciousness in its waking state is really a dream state and only when we wake from this dream will we see the truth of oneness; this is called the Adwaitha Vedanta or in English, non-duality.

The second great theory as given in Vedanta is that we were always throughout eternity, separate souls, though part of the one God. The best analogy I can think of for this is the fruit of the pomegranate with its many separate seeds within the same skin, all being part of the one fruit. We are still part of the one fruit or the one Being without a second, whom we call God. We, the separate seeds, are not aware or have somehow forgotten who we are.

The third of the great theories is this: The one and only God created or emanated the myriad of separate souls from within himself, they are part of his very breath, part of his essence, as the Old Testament of the Hebrews state; and for all eternity they will remain separate from their creator, that is, separate in form while being one with God in their spirit or essence. This particular understanding of Vedanta seems to lie at the base of some of the world’s great religions. For some reason, known only to God Himself, separate souls in this world are born into the great illusion believing that they are separate or asunder from God. This mistaken belief of being asunder from the One is the original sin, or error from which all other errors emanate. When, through the discipline of spiritual training, we come to understand and realise that though apparently separate in form, we are, in essence and in truth, one with God and with each other, then we come into the Kingdom of Heaven which is simply the state of Divine Love, or the feeling of oneness with all. Sathya Sai Baba, whose teachings are in line with the main teachings of Vedanta, together with the love he stirs in each spiritual heart, has not said, to my knowledge, which of these three explanations is correct. Since they all teach the one God and our eternal oneness with Him, perhaps the theories of creation are not important.

Though a great deal of joy-giving light has been thrown by the Sai teachings on such fundamental questions as where we come from, who we really are and the purpose of our long journey through this schoolroom of earth, it seems to me that one big question remains. That is, why did we have to come to earth in complete forgetfulness of our unity with the Divine One, or to look at the matter in the evolutionary way, why did we have to begin the journey in the mineral kingdom with only a modicum of consciousness?

Why did we have to develop that consciousness through life in the plant and animal kingdoms before reaching the human stage, and then struggle on further up the evolutionary ladder until we reach divine consciousness? As God is Chit or Absolute Consciousness and it is taught that we, each one of us, is wholly God, why the necessity of the long climb through aeons of time from the modicum of consciousness in the mineral to the full consciousness of the God-realised man? In brief, why was it, what the Masters call ‘the journey of necessity’, really necessary?

Perhaps this is one of the questions which, in Paramahansa Yogananda’s terms ‘will be left for eternity’, or perhaps when we have reached that adulthood of consciousness as God-realised individuals, we will know the answer.

Reference:: “The Lights of Home” by Howard Murphet

Como se sabe, todos los elementos de este mundo son neutros, es su uso el que determina su bondad o su maldad, su corrección o incorrección. Del mismo modo, los intereses, aficiones, aptitudes, hobbies y preferencias de una persona pueden ser utilizados para mejores o peores propósitos.

Ya sean éstos de carácter artístico y cultural, o bien de sello más terrenal como la administración o la economía, su uso para fines loables, tales como el servicio social, los valores humanos, y la espiritualidad, los hace decididamente correctos.

En mi relación con la espiritualidad, en mi caso bajo la guía de Swami Premananda, he notado que todas aquellas aficiones o intereses que en la vida normal mundana no siempre tienen cabida, sí pueden encontrar su canalización en la vida espiritual, y con mayores beneficios.

Me explico: en algún punto de mi ser, yo (como gran parte de los muchachos) quisiera ser un jugador de fútbol reconocido y ganador; sin embargo, por cuestiones de la vida, no lo soy.

No importa; estar en contacto con la espiritualidad y el Ashram de Swami Premananda en la India me permitió (y permite) ser jugador y entrenador de fútbol a mi gusto (para más datos ver, ‘Servicio – 2da Parte’).

Más allá del ejemplo anterior, que puede sonar algo banal, mi sensación es que cualquier interés que uno tiene, cualquier aptitud ya adquirida o a desarrollar, puede ser sublimada perfectamente a través de actividades espirituales.

Otro ejemplo: en otro punto de mi ser, yo (como otra gran parte de las personas) quisiera ser un cantante o un músico. Probablemente mi deseo primero era el de ser un rock-star que mueve estadios con un solo gesto de la mano. Mis escasas aptitudes musicales, entre otras cosas, me lo impidieron. No obstante ello, el estar en contacto con la espiritualidad me permitió (y permite) cantar frente a, más o menos, grandes audiencias llevando el ritmo de la situación.

Ya lo sé, mis consuelos parecen simples; uno se puede apuntar en la liga del barrio con los amigos o en el coro de la escuela y ya podría satisfacer, con cierto perfil bajo, sus veleidades de estrellato. Quizás es verdad, pero una cosa es segura: los beneficios de la liga del barrio no se pueden comparar con los de la práctica espiritual.

Bhajan

Bhajan es el nombre que recibe, en sánscrito, una canción devocional en el Hinduismo.

A este respecto, los bhajans pueden ser de formas diversas, variando en extensión, en contenido, en idioma, en ritmos y melodías, pero una regla se mantiene: Cada línea del bhajan es cantada por el líder y el resto de los presentes repiten las palabras, línea por línea.

El canto de bhajans, o sea de cantos devocionales, es considerado una práctica espiritual de mucho beneficio. Sobre esto, Swami Premananda dice: ‘Cantar es uno de los métodos más fáciles y gozosos de concentración en lo Divino.. Debido a que los bhajans están compuestos por los nombres y las cualidades de diferentes deidades o almas iluminadas, uno está realmente cantando mantras (palabras de poder espiritual). Muchos bhajans tradicionales son antiguos mantras puestos en música’.

Aquí vale recordar que uno de los objetivos de todas las prácticas espirituales es el de concentrar la mente en un tema elevado, que nos permita quitar la atención de las cuestiones innecesarias, para así acercarnos a la Divinidad, o si se prefiere, para acercarnos a nuestro verdadera esencia, que yace debajo de toda la vorágine de nuestra mente, siempre abrumada de estímulos externos.

Entre todas estas prácticas espirituales, tales como el servicio social, los rituales tradicionales, la repetición de mantras, la meditación, etc., el canto de bhajans se identifica por ser de un carácter claramente devocional.

A este respecto, Swami dice: ‘Cantar acerca de las nobles cualidades de la Divinidad es una muy simple pero también muy efectiva y disfrutable expresión de devoción.. El bhajan eleva la mente, en una dirección espiritual.. El canto regular de bhajans crea un estado mental en quien canta en el que, por un corto período, se olvida del mundo, de sus problemas y confusión y se sumerge en pensamientos más elevados’.

Kirtan

Un tipo especifico de bhajan es el llamado kirtan (o sankirtan), que en sánscrito quiere decir ‘repetir’. De hecho, en el kirtan también se repiten las líneas del canto, pero generalmente no hay un líder, sino que el canto es más bien colectivo. Puede que haya un guía inicial que marque el ritmo, pero luego todos los presentes se unen a lo que se convierte así en un canto espiritual colectivo.

Justamente por esta condición, los kirtans suelen tener textos más cortos y simples que los bhajans con líder, ya que el secreto aquí está en la repetición constante y grupal del canto.

A pesar de su brevedad textual, los kirtans son en general temporalmente más largos que los bhajans, para lograr así que la vibración devocional de la repetición llegue a su cúspide.

El gran santo Paramahansa Yogananda, dice al respecto: ‘Los sankirtans, o reuniones musicales, son una forma efectiva del yoga o disciplina espiritual, que requieren una profunda concentración e intensa absorción en la raíz del pensamiento y del sonido’.

Y también en alusión al post de dos semanas atrás y el rol del sonido en la creación (‘La vibración de OM’), agrega: ‘Los antiguos rishis (sabios) descubrieron leyes que armonizan al hombre con la naturaleza a través del sonido. A causa de que la naturaleza es una objetivación de OM, el sonido primario, el hombre puede adquirir control sobre todas las manifestaciones naturales, a través del uso de ciertos mantras o cánticos.. Como el hombre mismo es una expresión de la Palabra Creadora, el sonido tiene un potente e inmediato efecto en él’.

Es por ello que cantando las palabras justas, o al menos palabras que se refieren a buenas virtudes y atributos, estos se materializan en vibraciones positivas y espirituales.

Krishna Das

Navegando en Internet, mirando distintas informaciones al respecto, encuentro mucho material sobre los kirtans y su popularidad en el mundo occidental contemporáneo.

Y es verdad, que últimamente he encontrado más de un artista que se dedica a este tipo de música espiritual, la mayoría de ellos de origen occidental.

En cierto sentido, esto tiene relación con la sublimación de nuestros intereses. A todos nos gusta escuchar música, y una forma muy positiva de hacerlo es, me parece, a través de música espiritual.

De todos estos artistas actuales, probablemente el más popular y conocido es Krishna Das, que es de origen norteamericano.

Sobre los kirtans, él dice: ‘Las palabras de estos cantos son denominadas los nombre divinos y vienen de un lugar que es más profundo que nuestros corazones y nuestros pensamientos, más profundo que la mente. Y así, a medida que los cantamos nos llevan hacia nosotros, dentro de nosotros. Nos llevan adentro, y mientras nos ofrecemos a la experiencia, la experiencia nos cambia. Estos cantos no tienen otro significado que la experiencia que tenemos al hacerlos.

Vienen de la tradición Hindú, pero no se trata de ser un hindú, o de creer nada de antemano. Se trata solamente de hacerlo, y experimentarlo. No tienes que unirte a nada, sólo tienes que sentarte y cantar’.

Krishna Das tiene un gurú de la India, y su acercamiento a la espiritualidad es a través del Hinduismo, pero me gusta la forma en que explica la experiencia del canto devocional, sin sectarismos.

Para los que no lo conocen, o quieren conocer más, la página web es http://www.krishnadas.com/ y si clickan en la opción ‘Listen to KD’ podrán escuchar muy bellos ejemplos de su música, versiones aggiornatas de la antiquísima tradición de la India.

Niños

Volviendo a los bhajans, Swami Premananda también habla de su relación con los niños: ‘Tradicionalmente, las madres de todas las nacionalidades y contextos culturales han cantado canciones de cuna para tranquilizar a sus bebés y hacerlos dormir. De la misma forma, cuando enseñamos las canciones divinas de Dios a los niños, les mostramos como darle a la mente un descanso del mundo y a experimentar una mayor presencia interna’.

En cuanto a los clásicos bhajans con líder vocal, Swami dice sobre los niños: ‘Aprender a guiar un bhajan les da auto-confianza y desarrolla un sentimiento por la espiritualidad a una temprana edad’.

Aquí me gustaría agregar que esto vale no sólo para los niños. Y me remito a mi experiencia.

Si bien todos estamos habituados a canturrear en la vida, generalmente es de puertas hacia adentro. Sólo unas pocas personas, ya sea por aptitud o intrepidez, son las que cantan en público. Por más que cantar parece algo fácil, pues basta abrir la boca para hacerlo (a diferencia de aprender tocar un instrumento musical, que puede llevar años), está claro que no es tan simple.

Sin un adecuado entrenamiento, cantar bien no es algo que nos salga naturalmente a la mayoría.

Más allá de mis olvidables incursiones colegiales en el coro, mis antecedentes de cantor eran escasos y mediocres. Aunque en mi mente tuviera la melodía y el tono de una canción, mi cuerpo y mi voz se negaban extrañamente a exteriorizarlo de manera justa.

No fue hasta que comencé a frecuentar las reuniones del Centro Sri Premananda de Villa Carlos Paz, hace unos nueve años, que empecé a cantar con más personas. Antes de eso, había intentado acompañar a mi hermano con su banda de garaje, pero la falta de oído y el pudor, coartaron sin piedad mi carrera en el rock.

Como contrapartida, en las reuniones espirituales del Centro, de a poco fui adquiriendo un poco más de conocimiento sobre mi voz. Con la protección que da el anonimato grupal, pude ensayar mis límites, que eran muchos. De hecho, siguen siendo muchos, pero lo que cambió es la actitud.

Líder

En Argentina me acostumbré a cantar kirtans, es decir cantos grupales. Una vez que me hube trasladado a Europa y tuve contacto permanente con la Juventud Premananda (la rama juvenil de la Misión de Swami Premananda), los bhajans comenzaron a tener una presencia cotidiana en mi vida.

En la Juventud Premananda hay chicos que son realmente músicos, y hay voces angelicales. Ya sólo escucharlos y repetir con el coro es un placer. Pero también es normal que, en algún punto, a uno le vengan ganas de liderar su propio bhajan.

Recuerdo frescamente la primera vez que canté un bhajan frente al resto de los jóvenes. Era un bhajan a Krishna, que me conocía bastante bien, y me salió aceptable.

Desde entonces, he cantado bhajans en público otras veces, en distintos lugares, y con el tiempo tengo cada vez más tranquilidad y confianza para hacerlo.

El cantar un bhajan como líder es, como dice Swami, un excelente ejercicio. Tener la responsabilidad  de guiar a los demás en el canto es una gran práctica espiritual, más allá de los nombres divinos que uno canta.

De la misma forma, participar en el kirtan también tiene su trabajo espiritual, pues uno debe unirse al canto colectivo, reduciendo su deseo de destacar, siendo uno más para el elevado objetivo común.

Las dos versiones de canto devocional me gustan mucho y las dos tienen sus beneficios.

Muestras

En la página web del Ashram Sri Premananda, se pueden encontrar una serie de archivos de audio con bhajans: http://www.sripremananda.org/Espanol/es4_pictures/es4_p3_audio.html

El primer bhajan es a Shiva y está cantado por el mismo Swami, que a pesar de su voz ronca, que a veces parece hasta desafinada, está impregnado de mucha fuerza espiritual.

También hay dos bhajans a Ganesha, el dios más popular. Son verdaderamente lindos estos dos cantos. Además, hay un bhajan a la Madre Divina, que también es bello.

Swami en el Ashram

Por supuesto, mi voz no aparece en estos bhajans; que haya mejorado con mi canto no es suficiente para quitarle el puesto a los grandes cantores.

Pero sí es suficiente para sublimar las antiguas veleidades de estrella de rock, a través de una práctica espiritual que te llena de devoción y paz, incluso cuando nadie está escuchando.

En el ahora lejano primer post de este diario espiritual (‘Lo Sagrado y lo Profano’), hablé de lo que el libro de Paramahansa Yogananda, ‘La Autobiografía de un Yogui’, había representado para mi familia en términos de iniciación a la vida espiritual.

Con el pasar de los meses, y con mayor o menor protagonismo, dicho libro fue nombrado en más de una ocasión entre estas líneas, la última de estas veces, la semana pasada.

Está claro que al menos una vez ya había leído el libro en mi vida, a lo que se suman todas las historias y parábolas extraídas del mismo, que me fueron repetidas de manera oral. Además de las lecturas fragmentadas que realicé en busca de informaciones particulares.

A pesar de todo esto, no puedo decir que me conozco el libro de memoria, ni mucho menos. De hecho, la relectura que comenzó la semana pasada me ha generado un renovado encanto por la ‘Autobiografía’.

No sólo porque uno descubre detalles que antes había pasado por alto, como sucede con cualquier libro. Sino porque además, creo que ahora tengo un poco más de entendimiento que me sirve para asimilar mejor, por un lado, cuestiones más filosóficas, y por otro lado, simples eventos que aparecen en el relato, y que antes sólo me parecían adornos literarios.

Todo este interés renovado me está haciendo pensar en algunos temas, y así dejando a mi inquieta mente que asocie libremente, me dispongo a describir, desde mi parcial visión, algunos de estos pensamientos.

Unión

Al parecer, la traducción más fiel que se puede hacer de la palabra sánscrita yoga, es ‘unión’, o en realidad, ‘unión divina’.

La Real Academia Española define al yoga como: ‘Conjunto de disciplinas físico-mentales originales de la India, destinadas a conseguir la perfección espiritual y la unión en lo absoluto’.

Sin menospreciar la anterior definición, que me parece bastante buena, transcribo aquí la del mismo Paramahansa Yogananda:

‘El yoga es un método que enseña a calmar la turbulencia natural de los pensamientos, los que de otra manera impiden al hombre atisbar la naturaleza de su propio ser’.

Y en otro capítulo, Yogananda dice: ‘La meta de la ciencia del yoga es aquietar la mente para que pueda escuchar sin distorsión alguna el infalible consejo de la Voz Interior’.

Estas explicaciones no son una creación de Yogananda, sino que tienen su asidero en la tradición milenaria de la India, siendo Patanjali uno de sus sabios más reconocidos, sobre todo por sus Yoga Sutras (también conocidos como los ‘Aforismos de Patanjali’), que son considerados uno de los seis sistemas de la filosofía hindú basados en los Vedas (libros sagrados del Hinduismo).

Los Yoga Sutras, al igual que los demás sistemas filosóficos hindúes, comprenden no sólo enseñanzas teóricas, sino también prácticas, y contienen métodos (los más eficaces, se dice) para alcanzar la percepción directa de la verdad.

Es decir, que cuando se hace referencia al yoga, en su uso original, el sentido es el de un método que lleva a la ‘unión’ de uno mismo con su propio ser (o con Dios).

Quien practica yoga es entonces considerado un yogui, o sea alguien que ‘se ejercita en un definido procedimiento, por medio del cual la mente y el cuerpo son disciplinados, paso a paso, y el alma es liberada gradualmente’.

El nombre monástico Yogananda, significa justamente ‘bienaventuranza’ (ananda) a través de la ‘unión divina’ (yoga).

Hatha

Con bastante seguridad el sentido más divulgado actualmente de la palabra yoga, se remite a la rama especializada en posturas físicas y en técnicas para mejorar la salud.

Parece entonces coherente que la Real Academia Española, con la que no a menudo comparto ideas, tenga entonces una segunda definición para la palabra yoga:

‘Conjunto de las prácticas modernas derivadas del yoga hindú y dirigidas a obtener mayor eficacia en el dominio del cuerpo y la concentración anímica’.

A pesar de esta distinción académica, es un hecho que cuando se habla de yoga en la vida cotidiana nos referimos más bien al Hatha Yoga, o yoga físico.

Según Yogananda, el Hatha es bueno y produce resultados físicos asombrosos, pero es una rama del yoga poco usada por los yoguis dedicados a la obtención de la liberación espiritual.

El Yoga a secas (también conocido como Raja Yoga), sin embargo, también tiene sus ejercicios físicos, pero éstos se concentran en preparar el cuerpo para la meditación, es decir, en conseguir una postura correcta (asana), que implica la columna vertebral erecta y el cuerpo firme pero en posición cómoda, y el control de la respiración (pranayama).

En cuanto al ‘yoga físico’, aparte de Hatha hay otras ramas, consideradas relativamente modernas (Ashtanga; Vinyasa; Kundalini), que ofrecen variaciones (de intensidad, dinamismo o exigencia), siempre más enfocadas al aspecto corporal que el yoga original.

Validez

 De todos modos, y ésta es en parte mi interpretación, estos yogas físicos derivados del hatha, no deben ser considerados inferiores. Así como para cada persona existe un método adecuado, también lo hay para cada época.

Cuando los antiguos sabios (llamados rishis) de la India vivían en el bosque hace miles de años, el modo de vida, el medio ambiente y el nivel de conciencia colectivo eran sin duda diferentes a los actuales.

En la vida moderna, la posibilidad de que una persona común se siente por varias horas a meditar y hacer ejercicios respiratorios no es tan viable. Es por ello, que los sabios espirituales contemporáneos adaptan las enseñanzas originales a los tiempos que corren.

Dichas enseñanzas no varían en esencia, es sólo la forma de presentarlas la que cambia.

En un mundo donde todo parece estar en movimiento continuo y donde la importancia de la forma es mayor que la del contenido, me parece normal que existan métodos que enfaticen también el aspecto físico y exterior, no como resignadas versiones del olvidado pasado sino como métodos actualizados de la misma verdad.

Quienquiera que practique con constancia y dedicación un ‘yoga físico’, aunque sólo sea por razones de salud, sin duda verá cambios que van más allá del aspecto exterior y físico.

Las antiguas posturas de yoga fueron diseñadas por sabios espirituales, y teniendo en cuenta que el cuerpo está unido a la mente, los cambios que se produzcan en el exterior también repercutirán en el interior.

Evidentemente, el cambio más importante debe producirse en el interior, pero muchas veces hay que empezar por lo que se tiene más a la mano.

Energetización

De hecho, Paramahansa Yogananda mismo, también diseñó un sistema especial para el desarrollo físico, denominado Yogoda, que también es conocido como los ‘ejercicios de energetización’.

El sistema consiste en dirigir la energía vital de una parte del cuerpo a otra; es decir, se visualiza el cuerpo como si estuviera dividido en veinte partes, y por medio de la voluntad se dirige mentalmente la energía por turnos a cada sección.

De esta forma, uno puede renovar sus energías o, en palabras de Yogananda, ‘recargar la batería’.

Viendo que mi constancia para el clásico Hatha Yoga no era la mejor, hace algunos años, mi tío Murali me enseñó los ‘ejercicios de energetización’. Desde entonces, los he practicado casi todos los días, por la mañana. Idealmente, deberían ser practicados a la mañana y al atardecer, pero ya hemos hablado de la vida moderna y sus exigencias.

Del mismo modo, en estos años ha habido más de una mañana en que no realicé los energizantes ejercicios (por pereza; por fallas del despertador; por viajes), pero de verdad trato de no saltármelos, pues he notado que a mi cuerpo, y también mi mente, les cuesta mucho más entrar a la vida cuando no los hago.

Por otro lado, y a pesar de mi falta de constancia, siempre he hecho hatha yoga, aunque generalmente no de manera regular. Más que a mi propia voluntad, este acercamiento se debe a que gran parte de mi familia estaba involucrada con el yoga de manera directa.

Por empezar, mi tío, que es profesor de yoga; también mi abuela, que con ochenta y nueve años todavía da clases de hatha; mi madre, que por años fue profesora; mi padre, que de manera más informal también ha sido profesor; e incluso mi hermano, que por un breve período dio clases a unas pocas vecinas del barrio.

Como ven, todos son o han sido profesores, yo soy el único que todavía es estudiante. Y por suerte, en los últimos meses encontré un buen centro de yoga en Barcelona, donde me da gusto ir dos veces por semana. A ver si de una vez me puedo tocar la punta de los pies con las manos.

Quietud

Por más que el yoga que hago ahora sea más bien físico (Hatha, y eventualmente Vinyasa), no me caben dudas de que se trata de una práctica que puede ser profundamente espiritual.

Cuando uno hace una postura de yoga de manera correcta (o al menos trata), entran en juego factores que van más allá del físico.

Por un lado, el esfuerzo físico requerido es generalmente alto, sobre todo si uno no está acostumbrado, y además porque se mueven zonas del cuerpo que muchas veces están muy en desuso. Sin ser un deportista a tiempo completo, durante la mayoría de mi juventud he practicado deportes y sé lo que es estar agotado físicamente a causa de ello.

Jamás, en todos esos años de correr noventa minutos detrás de una pelota, o de trotar por los parques de la ciudad, me sentí tan agotado como haciendo la postura de ‘la silla’ en torsión, por solamente citar un caso.

Por otro lado, otros factores que entran juego son la respiración (tener conciencia de la respiración), la atención, la concentración, y también, la quietud.

Quizás visto objetivamente, correr por una hora y media sea más agotador que estarse quieto en una postura yóguica por un solo minuto. Pero, desde mi punto de vista, puedo asegurar que el hecho de estar en movimiento, aliviana en cierta forma el cansancio físico.

Aunque sea paradójico, la explicación que encuentro es que estamos acostumbrados a estar en movimiento permanente, pendientes de estímulos externos constantes. Mantenerse quieto durante menos de un minuto, en una postura que requiere atención, concentración y esfuerzo no es tan simple para nuestros desacostumbrados cuerpos, y lo es menos para nuestras aún más desacostumbradas mentes.

Al principio de esta crónica decía que la meta del yoga es aquietar la mente; pues bien, si en ese minuto de quietud física que dura la difícil postura, uno puede asimismo mantener una quietud mental, respirando, sin desear que la postura se acabe ya, sin pensar en qué hará al salir de clase, sin concentrarse en la gota de sudor que está cayendo sobre nuestro ojo, entonces también se estará convirtiendo en un yogui.

Meditar en el bosque durante siete años bajo un árbol ya llegará, por ahora quisiera aquietar mi mente al menos por un minuto, en busca de la gradual ‘unión con mi ser’.

A warm welcome to you all !

My name is Agnes Fehlau, I am Professional Intuitive who channels messages of wisdom from the Spiritual Hierarchy, a group of Ascended Masters who overlook and assist in the well-being of our planet and beyond ~

Although I have been channeling informally for some time now, it has been only until recently that I have been ”inspired’ or should I say ‘urged’  to share my work with others.  In this blog I will also share my thoughts & insights having to do with our personal and spiritual unfoldment - at this GRAND of cosmic shifts.

Are you ready ? I am. Let’s begin.

In the highest good of all,

Agnes ~

by Paramahansa Yogananda (1893 – 1952).

God, God, God!
From the depth of slumber,
As I ascend the spiral stairway of wakefulness,
I whisper
God, God, God!

Thou art the food and when I break my fast                      5
Of nightly separation from Thee
I taste thee and mentally say
God, God, God!

No matter where I go, the spotlight of my mind
Ever keeps turning on Thee;                                            10
And in the battle dim of activity my silent war cry
Is ever;
God, God, God!

When boisterous storms of trials shriek
And worries howl at me,                                                   15
I drown their noises, loudly chanting
God, God, God!

When my mind weaves dreams
With treads of memories,
Then on that magic cloth I do emboss;                               20
God, God, God!

Ever night, in time of deepest sleep,
My peace dreams and calls; Joy! Joy! Joy!
And my Joy comes singing evermore;
God, God, God!                                                                 25

In waking, eating, working, dreaming, sleeping,
Serving, meditating, chanting, divinely loving,
My soul constantly hums, unheard by any;
God, God, God!

Notes:
http://www.dlshq.org/saints/yogananda.htm
http://www.yogananda-srf.org/py-life/index.html

Nota do blogueiro: Livro sublime. Paramahansa Yogananda  conta detalhadamente toda sua trajetória dos primeiros anos de sua vida até sua iluminação, passando por cidades e países, narrando encontro com diversos mestres que passaram pelo seu caminho, principalmente com seu Guru Sri Yukteswar.

Este livro mudou minha vida e acredito veemente que mudará a de todos os leitores, pois suas páginas estão repletas de palavras recheadas com o mais puro Amor Divino, que toca diretamente nossos corações. Ao ler esse livro o leitor conseguirá se situar de forma plena em sua vida, sendo capaz de encarar seus desafios com total confiança tendo sempre em vista seu objetivo Supremo.

Namastê!

Livro Autobriografia de um Iogue

Autor: Paramahansa Yogananda
Editora: Self Realization Fellowship

Onde comprar: http://loja.lotusdosaber.com/autobiografia-de-um-iogue.html (Preço da editora)

http://www.estantevirtual.com.br/buscaporautortitulo/Paramahansa%20Yogananda%20Autobiografia%20de%20um%20Iogue (Site de Sebos)

Nota do blogueiro: Afirmação de cura tirada do livro “Afirmações científicas de cura” de Paramahansa Yogananda – Editora SRF.

Amigos, essas afirmações, passadas pelo Mestre Paramahansa Yogananda, tem a função de algutinar palavras com significado e vibrações puras e iluminadas a fim de limpar nossos centros energéticos e programar nossa estrutura vital para viver saudavelmente e conseguir alcançar qualquer desejo que tenhamos (logicamente desejos e necessidades puramente do bem).

__”__

Concentre seu pensamento na testa e repita o seguinte:

Penso que minha vida flui.

Sei que minha vida flui.

Do cérebro a todo meu corpo, ela flui.

Raios de luz atravessam

As raízes de meus tecidos.

Nas vértebras, jorra a corrente vital,

Como fonte borbulhante, pela coluna vertebral.

As pequenas células bebem dela;

Suas diminutas bocas resplandecem.

As pequenas células bebem dela;

Suas diminutas bocas resplandecem.

There is someone else far better qualified than I am to respond to that question. Tom Butler-Bowdon is the author of five volumes in the 50 Classics series. He selected and then discusses primary sources for five subjects: prosperity, psychology, success, self-help, and spirituality. In each of the five volumes, he provides a brief bio of each author, then examines several key ideas and explains the enduring significance of the given work. Here is a representative selection of authors and works featured in 50 Spiritual Classics:

Black Elk, Black Elk Speaks (1932)
Carlos Castaneda, Journey to Ixtlan (1972)
Mohandas Gandhi, An Autobiography: The Story of My Experiments With Truth (1927)
William James, The Varieties of Religious Experience (1902)
C.S. Lewis, The Screwtape Letters (1942)
Robert M. Pirsig, Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance (1974)
Mother Teresa, A Simple Path (1994)
Paramahansa Yogananda, Autobiography of a Yogi (1974)

Here is an excerpt from Butler-Bowdon’s discussion of Ghandi:

“What first strikes you about Gandhi’s autobiography is the strange wording of the title. If it had been a mere political life story, the title would have read something like ‘An Autobiography: How I Liberated India from British Rule’. But right from the beginning of the book, Gandhi is at pains to point out that it is not simply a description of events (although it does provide this), but the recording of his efforts to isolate ‘truth’ amid the chaos of normal existence. What makes the book doubly interesting is that it was written before he became a famous world figure. He did not, after all, return to live in India until 1915, when he in his mid-40s, and he was not then the white-robed figure we think of today but a lawyer in a suit with a family.

“The salutary term ‘Mahatama’ (great soul) had yet to stick, and he was still able to travel around India without getting mobbed. Whereas biographical dictionaries devote most of their entries to Gandhi’s political work in India, three quarters of the Autobiography is devoted to his youth and the 21 years of his adult life that he spent working for the rights of Indians in South Africa. Wherever he was, though, the constants in Gandhi’s life were his various experiments, the main ones being vegetarianism, celibacy, non-violence and simple living. Each of these were expressions of larger philosophical/spiritual concepts that he drew from Hinduism: brahmacharya; ahimsa; and aparigraha. No understanding of Gandhi is possible without at least having some awareness of these terms and what they meant to him. Written originally in his native Gurjarati, the book did not appear in English until 1957. Though rather long, it is broken up into short, clearly titled chapters on the essential episodes in his life, and is one of the more gripping life stories you are likely to read.”

To those curious to know which are the most highly regarded books on the subject of spirituality, I highly recommend this book as a guide to other sources. Here is a link to Butler-Bowdon’s Web site where you can obtain more information about him and his works. You can also sign up for e-mail alerts:

http://www.butler-bowdon.com/

Comments, questions, requests, or suggestions? Please share them. They will be most welcome and I thank you for them. Best regards, Bob