A “NO” uttered from deepest conviction is better and greater than a “YES” merely uttered to please, or what is worse, to avoid trouble.

Mahatma Gandhi

meditation

Learning to meditate changed my life, very much for the better. Where there had been a dark and scary void in the centre of my being, regular meditation gradually replaced that with a radiant warm golden light. This inner light is now always accessible to me and is a source of great comfort and strength. Regular meditation makes me happy and clear thinking.

Meditation is all about mental focus. You aim to quieten the chattering of your mind, and to enter a state of calm and bliss. This is the Beta state we enter naturally between sleep and wakefulness, but in meditation, we aim to hold that state. Once this is accomplished you can then go further, into deeper states of consciousness, which I will describe elsewhere.

I practice a stripped down form of Raja Yoga, where the physical aspects of yoga are dispensed with, and the focus is on mental yoga or "union" with the divine. This meditation is done with eyes open, so that it can be practiced even whilst walking around. For me, the primary "yukti" or method is visualisation of the light within me. I aim to meditate first thing each morning, for half and hour to an hour or more, and then again for brief periods throughout the day. A key facet of Raja yoga is that you aim to be in a "soul-conscious" i.e. yogic state at all times, throughout the day, whilst working, eating, playing, even whilst sleeping! Now I am able to meditate "on the fly" whenever I feel the need - e.g. if my mind is racing or chaotic, or I am feeling challenged or disturbed. A few moments of calm and focussed inner reflection can re-charge you for hours.

When possible, I prefer to meditate within a group. We sit in a room designated only for this purpose, and focus on a candle or light or picture in front of us. There is incense burning, and calm meditation music playing, interspersed with periods of silence. I find that the discipline of being in a group helps me focus more strongly, and for longer. Also, when there are powerful meditators in the group then they lift the 'vibe' of the meditation room, enhancing the experience for others: this is particularly helpful for beginners, who might otherwise struggle to focus.

Some of the most powerful experiences I have had in meditation involved "drishti" i.e. spiritual vision. This is a communication of third eye energies between two souls - it involves looking into each other's eyes, whilst in a yogic state - third eye energies travel between the two participants. When you give someone drishti, and they give you drishti back, there is an intense experience of blissful energy being exchanged. It does require both participants to be in an elevated state of consciousness at the time, and then the experience will elevate your state of consciousness further.

A key factor relevant to the meditation experience is the atmosphere of the place of meditation. It is far easier to meditate in a room which has been used effectively for this purpose over a period of time. Thus, purpose built meditation rooms, temples, and some churches and chapels, serve you well. On the other hand, once you are accomplished, it It is a good test to try to meditate in an place with a base or chaotic energy, for example a supermarket or shopping mall - if you can achieve a blissful yogic state in such an environment then you are doing well! Such efforts make us stronger.

Meditation requires practice and persistence, but the results are very much worth the effort. An experienced yogi can meditate anytime and anywhere, and the yogic state becomes their everyday state of consciousness. This is what I am aiming for.

devolution

Mankind has not evolved, but "devolved", from giants who once walked the earth, to a near animal state... vowed to cataclysmic annihilation, while an evolving elite gathers all of human experience for a resurrection in spirituality.

Schwaller - quoted by Colin Wilson in "From Atlantis to the Sphynx"

change

You must be the change you hope to see in the world.

Gandhi

religion and the new spirituality

I love spirituality, but I do not much care for religion. Religion can be a gateway to spirituality, but it can also be a cage, preventing us from going deeper. If we go deep enough into any religion, then we end up at the same place, in the golden light of universal truth, in enlightenment. However, as soon as we say that "our belief" is true, and that the beliefs of others are false, then we have adopted a religious ideology. And then religion becomes a trap.

Religions are based on control, on authority, on a hierarchy. Religious authorities tell us how to worship, and how to behave. They depict God as external, and only reachable through that religion. They require that we follow their directions, and do what we are told.

In the new spirituality, we are not told what to think or what to do. We are our own best authority, as we work to know and love ourselves. We learn to listen inside, and discover how to live a more spiritual life.

The old way says that there is only one true path, and that all other ways are wrong.

The new spirituality says that many paths lead to spiritual freedom and peace.

We have a rich array of gems from which to draw illumination: the world's religious traditions, mythology, psychology, healing methods, scientific wisdom, and most of all our own experiences. We each take a personal selection from these gems, and string a necklace all of our own.

stop thinking - start living

There is only now, the present moment. The past has passed away, and we cannot alter it. The future is unknown, and we cannot predict it with any certainty.

Thought absorbs energy. We waste our energy when we think about the past or the future. And when we are thinking, we miss the present moment.

So, stop thinking. Enter the present moment. Start being. Shift attention to now.

This is a very conscious state. You are conscious, but thinking much less, or perhaps not at all.

Invite moments of stillness into your life. Escape from the mental noise of thinking.

Be still with a flower, or a crystal, or a bird. Nature can draw us into inner stillness. Flowers are not anxious, not concerned about tomorrow. Look at them, and see their beauty. Feel their magical presence.



Stop labelling people, things, and situations. Stop analysing, and just perceive. Let the mind become still, and experience the moment. Feel it.

When we are in our heads, we are not present. We are lost in thought.

So, pull your attention away from thinking, towards observing, towards feeling, towards being.

The world around us is vitally alive, but when we are absorbed in thought, it seems lifeless and dead. Don't let the mind grab your attention. Become like a child, alert and alive once again.

Stop thinking. Start living.

fluid and free

The peoples of the earth will no longer be shut off from one another within states but will flow freely over the surface of the earth and intermingle. Man will be forced to realize that power must be kept open, fluid and free. His aim will be not to possess power but to radiate it.

Henry Miller : Sunday After the War

wise

Yesterday I was clever,
So I wanted to change the whole world.
Today I am wise,
So I am changing myself.

Sanjiwan Kumar

two thieves

Many of us crucify ourselves between two thieves - regret for the past and fear of the future.

Fulton Oursler

what am I?

What am I? I am a soul. I am a conscient being of light. I inhabit a human body. This is temporary. I am not this body. I have this body. I wear it like a costume. It is my body, for a while. When it is worn out, I will cast it off, and put on a new body.

I am eternal. I am indestructible. I am blissful. I radiate love and light. I am mighty. My powers are unlimited. I am one with all other beings. We are in union. We are one. We are divine.

We are here on planet Earth to experience separation. It is all a game. We are playing in our garden. We are playing roles in a great drama. I am not my role. I am the actor that plays the role.

I have a body, but that body is not me. I have a personality, but that personality is not me. I have thoughts but these thoughts are not me. I feel emotion but that emotion is not me. All of these create a false sense of self. I am not these. I am the life force that animates the body. I am a spiritual being. I am life itself. I am divine. I am. And so are you.

a living for all

According to the activist and economist David Korten, the goal of a life-serving economy "is to generate a living for all, rather than a killing for a few."

Marisa Smith in Reality Sandwich