We live in a world that celebrates multi-tasking. Getting hired for any management position seems to make this a priority skill. The presumption is that it facilitates productivity.
As any parent or teacher of small children knows very well, situations often arise that interrupt one’s focus. But is multi-tasking an optimal design for attentive living, for managing stress, for achieving success? Consider the creativity, inspirational impact and enormous body of work of Swami Kriyananda – his music, books, lectures, whole communities – all brought to life with total focus, one undertaking at a time.
Can you multi-task while meditating? It curses the intended effect. Concentration and stillness flee the scene.
An axiom often repeated by Paramhansa Yogananda is another key to success: “The greater the will, the greater the flow of energy; and the greater the flow of energy, the greater the magnetism.” Whatever you want, you have to act with commitment, confidence and courage. The weaker the will, the weaker… You get it.
Another secret of success is self-study. What is it that you want? If you have failed to achieve it, why? Yogananda would constantly remind his disciples, “The season of failure is the best time for sowing seeds of success.” Get back on that horse, but with a clear understanding of what will keep you from being thrown again. Too often we approach a challenge with the same mindset that didn’t work the first time or the second or…. Stop! It’s time to rethink what you thought.
With humor and truth, probably from an old Reader’s Digest, a one-liner claimed that when you want to get somewhere, you have to know three things: where you came from, where you are going, and where you left your keys.
Ultimately, of course, the vehicle is oneself, the destination is Self-realization, and the keys are the principles that comprise a dharmic life. But in our multi-task society, even with the best intention, help is needed to keep us from driving in materialistic circles, unable to locate the exit ramp. I, like many, once believed that I could find it on my own. I wasn’t ready for the true Guru to appear.
Worldly goals need not be at the expense of spiritual gain. They can, indeed, serve a higher purpose than personal ambition and self-indulgence, thereby serving also to invite the Guru’s appearance. The question then is who is given the lead, you or the Guru? “Open your heart to me,” the Guru says, “and I will enter and take charge of your life.” Are you ready for that too? How quickly do you want to reach where the Guru wants to take you? How willing is your will to let go of what’s in the way?
The Guru is an emissary of God. It is God’s guidance that is offered, along with God’s infinite abundance. Success in this world, no matter how great, vanishes the moment we die. The multi-tasker is instantly redirected to a whole new dimension of focus where that skill is of no use. Better to seek the true success of achieving our soul’s freedom. Eyes on the prize.
I don’t remember much from my childhood, but I have a clear memory of being a young, starry-eyed boy of about 7 or 8 years old, thinking that the age of 40 was a really mature and grown-up age where adults really have everything all figured out. I know that I retained this memory because when I turned 40 myself a few months ago, the image I had in my mind of what I thought being a 40-year-old would be like made me laugh out loud. While I’d imagined having a real grasp of what life is all about, and knowing how to operate effectively in this world, a big part of me still feels like that little boy: full of curiosity and unanswerable questions about the bigger questions in life without a clue of what I’m actually doing.
But instead of feeling inadequate because of this, I feel gratified, because I soon realized that these adults only seemed to have everything figured out because they had become, as Yogananda calls them, “psychological antiques.” This means they had all their opinions and ideas already formed, their regrets and longings on a loop, and their childlike sense of wonder and curiosity all but left by the wayside. And while that kind of psychological certainty looked good to me when I was a child, having been on the spiritual path for a decade and a half I see things a bit differently now.
And sitting here at this moment, thinking about what society says a 40-year-old ought to be like, I’m actually very proud of myself because of one very silly little thing I just learned how to do recently: maintain our community pool. In fact, I was sent to an all-day seminar put on by top-tier pool professionals who explained, in all the glorious scientific detail you’d expect from an all-day pool seminar, what exactly was going on between the various chemicals in my pool. And maybe it’s because I’m at the age where bird watching inexplicably becomes interesting, or maybe these guys were actually just great presenters, but I actually found the topic fascinating, like a complex real-world puzzle that I was now in charge of solving.
After a couple weeks of handling these various chemicals and processes, I started to notice something interesting: Our spiritual lives are a lot like a chlorine pool. There are various environmental factors working to change the pool every day, and in order to maintain the optimal state of a pool it needs constant care and attention, just like our sadhana and spiritual practices. We can often get caught up in thinking our spiritual well-being is somehow a reflection of our worth, that if we’re not doing well in our spiritual practices it must be because there’s something wrong with us. But the professional pool maintainer doesn’t see the pool that way, he just sees simple problems of water chemistry that require simple adjustments and fixes.
Yogananda said that Kriya yoga plus devotion is like “spiritual mathematics” and it cannot fail. Pool chemistry works in much the same way as mathematics, in that 1+1=2, and certain chemicals are needed to maintain optimal levels of other chemicals. For example, did you know if you just add chlorine to a pool of water it will quickly burn off from the sun? You actually need something called Cyanuric Acid in order to stabilize the chlorine and keep it from quickly dissipating. This reminds me a lot of the qualities cultivated in meditation, like inner Peace, Bliss, or Calmness. Without a bulwark like mental discrimination, or simply being careful about the environmental influences you subject yourself to, these inner qualities can very quickly be dissipated. Whereas carefully cultivating right environment can help maintain and grow these inner qualities much more effectively.
Similarly with pH of the water, there’s an acceptable range of acidity or basicity but not necessarily one perfect level required. This is a lot like our mental state, where we can be a bit more “happy” or “sad” depending on the moment, but keeping in the range of “even-minded and cheerful” is always the goal. Letting our emotions swing too far in either direction can be problematic in different ways, just like water that is too basic or too acidic. And whereas in our pool we can add an acid or a base to maintain a proper pH level, we can add in extra practices whenever our “spiritual pH” is a bit off. When we feel too excited, doing some grounding exercises can help us interiorize and focus our energy back into the spine, and when we feel depressed or down, some affirmations, chants, or spiritual satsang can be just the thing we need to come back into balance.
Now while a chlorine “shock” to a pool isn’t quite the same as the “liberating shock of Omnipresence” as Yogananda calls it, I could still go all day with this metaphor. However, I hope to leave you with the simple reminder that your spiritual development should be treated at times as impersonally as you would treat a chlorine pool. Just like a daily pH and chlorine check, you can do a daily Joy check, or Peace check, and see where you may need to add in a bit more sadhana, or service. Each pool is slightly different though, so make sure your introspection is filled with grace and compassion for all the karma you’ve built up to get to this point. And when we invite the Master to swim in our pool of consciousness, He helps take care of everything in even better ways than we could imagine. May His presence in your life bless you today and every day.
At Ananda, we often speak of the blessings that come from living in intentional communities rooted in high ideals and simple living. Paramhansa Yogananda envisioned these “world brotherhood colonies” as models for sustainable living in Dwapara Yuga. As he prophesied, “World brotherhood colonies will spread like wildfire!”
Community creates social connections that have a measurable impact on our health and wellbeing. Small, intentional communities allow for greater shared resources and a lesser impact on the environment. Intergenerational communities make caregiving less isolating and nurture friendships between the young and the old. For Ananda, community most especially supports our desire to center God in our lives.
Rarely will you hear one of us at Ananda speak of the challenges that community living brings to our lives. And yet we know as seekers of Self-realization that challenge is an important catalyst for spiritual growth. So, what are the hardest parts of living in a community? What can we learn from them? How can we overcome them?
Othering
This is one of the more recent criticisms of communities by scholars on the subject. Critics argue that communities, by nature, draw boundaries that create insiders and outsiders. While there’s some truth to this, it’s equally true of families, cultures, or any form of group identity.
Othering is something we must overcome if we are to experience our oneness with the Divine, which is the whole purpose of yoga. In his series of speeches titled, A World Without Boundaries, Paramhansa Yogananda lays out the road map to overcoming this human tendency. We begin, he suggests, within our own selves. We shed light on the prejudices that our personal experiences, family and society lodged within us. We release them in the realization that we are all children of God. Next, we expand our love until we love all the world as our family. To do this, we meditate to expand and uplift our consciousness.
In creating Ananda Village, Swami Kriyananda made it an early order of business to create a retreat center for people to stay and receive what we have to share. This was no accident. Ananda’s early and lasting emphasis on sharing the teachings is a positive, outward pulling force that helps our communities constantly seek to serve others beyond our ‘membership.’ Swami traveled the world, wrote books, lectured publicly, and touched everyone he met with his warm smile. He encouraged us to start schools, businesses, and philanthropic endeavors.
Here in Ananda Portland, we do this through our seva with local nonprofits and, like Swami, with our events, writings, classes and by supporting interfaith events aimed at uplifting consciousness. Community, by its nature, has a boundary yes, but that does not mean we cannot consciously expand ourselves to include others in meaningful and uplifting ways. As Swami says in his book Education for Life, maturity is,”the ability to relate appropriately to other realities than one’s own.”
Collective Over Individual
As a highly individualistic society, the idea that one might place the collective good ahead of our own self interest is seen as oppressive and absurd. And yet, the consequences of this extreme adherence to individual interest is a root cause of our social and environmental crisis today.
I study and teach wild horse behavior for precisely this reason. By understanding the social structure of horses, I see more objectively how a healthy community thrives when the collective good is placed first. Horses have roles, but not hierarchy. The roles exist for the health and safety of the herd. When a lead horse is injured or needs to rest, another will graciously take its place until the original horse is ready to serve. How is leadership assigned? By consensus, the herd follows the horse with the most consistent good judgement.
As with all things, the Buddha’s wisdom applies here, “the middle path is the way.” Through trial and error, those of us living in community learn that we cannot and should not suppress our individuality or abandon our own inner knowing. But we also learn that if we do not consider the impact our decisions have on the collective, for better or worse, we soon find ourselves walking away from our community entirely.
I recall a time when I was working with a mentor in my equine assisted learning practice who said to me, “when you talk about your life, it’s as if Ananda is another person in your nuclear family.” This was an astute observation. What we learn, if we are to make community living last, is that we do well to consider how our personal choices impact the whole because they do. The more we live in that knowing, the more we live congruent with this Divine truth: we are one.
Harmony Over Conflict
When we enter the social contract of community, much like marriage, we discover that what we say matters. There are no take backs. With our spouses and children, we learn very quickly that there are times to speak up, times to listen, and times to live and let live. An excellent rule of thumb offered by Swami Kriyananda when deciding whether to say what you see is this, “Is it true? Is it helpful?”
Through the course of community living we find ourselves faced with opportunities to decide what we will say, to whom, and how. It may be something small, like an annoyance from a neighbor. It may be more significant, like the observance of someone’s risky behavior.
During the pandemic, I sometimes received calls from fellow community members concerned about my choices. My family had created a small pod with a few other households to care for our young children. Though we kept public contact minimal, some still viewed our approach as risky and let us know. I didn’t love receiving those calls—but I reminded myself: this was a friend, afraid. I, too, was afraid. I made the best choices I could for my family, took precautions, and did my best to respond with kindness.
Another horse wisdom mentor of mine once said, “harmony is the resolution of conflict, not its absence.” This hit home as a balance point to the desire to maintain harmony over honesty. It is okay to disagree and have challenging conversations. Just pick your battles with discernment and remember that harmony is the goal. To achieve resolution, we should listen with an open mind and speak with an open heart.
The wedding vows that Swami Kriyananda wrote sum this up exceptionally well, “I will respect your right to see truth as you perceive it, and to be guided as you feel deeply within yourself.”
“You get your bachelor’s degree and think you know it all. Then you earn your master’s and realize you know only a little. But when you get your PhD, you understand you know nothing.”
One of my professors shared this with me long ago, and it struck such a chord that I both laughed and pondered it often in the years that followed. Over time, I began to wonder: what if we applied this same concept to the spiritual path?
In the pursuit of Self-realization, it might go something like this: You get initiated into Kriya Yoga and think enlightenment is just around the corner. Then, after a decade of daily practice, you know the technique, but your inspiration has run dry. If you remain determined, you seek further training, take deeper vows, redouble your efforts, and absorb all the wisdom you can find, only to realize you’ve been practicing just 1% of what your guru recommended, and even that imperfectly.
And then, finally, you smile. Because you understand that this is the Soul’s work, an undertaking that spans the vast cycles of time. It will take as long as it takes.
The journey to Self-realization is long, but the path becomes increasingly sprinkled with joy as we begin to experience life through the lens of Spirit. Many of us are empaths, deeply attuned to the suffering in the world: fear, anxiety, cynicism, and rage, often for good reason. Walking this path requires tenderness: to move through the suffering with an open heart while recognizing that each person is a fellow soul on their own journey. Some may be more lost than you. Others have found a better way—follow them. As Maya Angelou wisely said, “Do the best you can until you know better. Then when you know better, do better.”
Paramhansa Yogananda’s Psychological Chart offers profound insight into this journey, mapping the development of human consciousness on the path to enlightenment. It is a powerful tool for Swadhyaya (introspection) , an essential step in Patanjali’s eightfold path of yoga. Certain qualities, he teaches, indicate an elevating consciousness. Some of them may surprise you:
Dutifulness—out of love, out of respect
Acting in accordance with the suggestions of superior minds
Quiet
Faithful
Patient
Amiable
Having a sense of propriety
At first, I wondered—why these? While undeniably noble, some might be perceived as weakness in certain contexts. But as I reflected, I saw their deeper significance. These qualities mirror the wisdom in my professor’s words: the more we learn on the spiritual path, the more we realize how little we truly know.
Ultimately, our own willpower and experience will take us far—but not all the way to liberation. To reach ultimate freedom, we need a guide. And to accept such guidance—to surrender to Divine wisdom—we must cultivate great humility.
Join us at New Renaissance Bookshop for an evening of music, inspiration, and deep spiritual wisdom as we welcome Jyotish & Devi, the spiritual leaders of Ananda, for a special gathering. This free event offers a chance to explore how spiritual community can uplift our world, bringing hope, connection, and divine light into our lives.
✨ Inspiring Talks 🎶 Uplifting Music ❓ Q&A with Jyotish & Devi
It’s now Christmas time: the greatest, most holy time of year. We celebrate with so many traditions all over the world, including many other holy days and observances unrelated to the birth of Jesus Christ. But it is universally recognized as the sacred season where even the astronomical and astrological phenomenon align with an increase of light in the darkest of times. Every tradition, culture and expression in some way relates to the deeper meaning of Christmas time: not only the birth of the universal, divine Christ consciousness, but the awakening of that same divine light in everyone and everything. One of the most extraordinary special traditions is Paramhansa Yogananda’s 8-hour Christmas meditation, practiced at Ananda Portland and by devotees all over the world, meditating deeply to awaken in Christ’s light.
This world is both matter and Spirit, and the awakening Christ in all every thing, and each individual, is the scintillating super highway to become a Christ oneself and realize that divine consciousness everywhere. Swami Kriyananda wrote a beautiful song in which each line beautifully describes this path of awakening in Christ’s light:
When human hopes toward Thee aspire, dark woods of grief are set afire. When someone, anyone, consciously aspires towards higher consciousness and God, that same lamp of devotion ignites the fire that eventually transmutes all human grief, sorrow and suffering. Yogananda said: “Remember that finding God will mean the funeral of all sorrows.” The conflagration of these very real and difficult human experiences goes up in self offering, the rising smoke of blissful freedom in its release.
Beyond all reach of earthly skill, Thy love alone our hearts can fill. Nothing in this human experience can fill our hearts: relationships, money, travel, lavish gifts…this world is an unfortunate combination of endless pleasures (and pains) which will never, ever fill the void in our hearts. We may imagine or construct a series of false joys, but in the end we will always be insecure, lonely, fearful or otherwise incomplete without God. Fortunately it is a two way street: when we finally seek God earnestly with devotion, our hearts gradually and spontaneously become full with God-happiness and peace. In the prayerful words of St. Augustine “Thou hast formed us for Thyself, and our hearts are restless till they find rest in Thee.”
Christ’s light that shone on earth from heaven opened for us the inner door. The guru or avatar, most famously represented beautifully as Christ, opens the inner door for us to enter the realms of divine consciousness. We cannot get there without kriya yoga: the practice of transmuting our inner energies by pranayam and Guru’s grace. Yogananda describes the path through the inner door as “deeper, longer, Guru-given meditation”, where at least comes the “celestial Samadhi”, final union with God through Christ.
To all who love the gift is given: joy and freedom evermore! Love is only a humble word which hints at the divine, cosmic power underlying and overarching everything in this universe and far beyond. Love is synonymous with God, and is the final answer and only solution to everything in this world. Sri Yukteswar said that “Divine love is without condition, without boundary, without change. The flux of the human heart is gone forever at the transfixing touch of pure love.” This is the love of God and Guru, the real and only summum bonum of this world, through which our own steadfast seeking, meditation and loving, will give us the ultimate gift of joy and freedom, evermore.
The pace of life is ours to make. Whether fast or slow on the outside, our attitude on the inside is ours to choose: anxious, unruffled or an adjective in between. Paramhansa Yogananda would remind his disciples to “make haste slowly.” In other words, strive to be “actively calm and calmly active,” and in a manner that is “even-minded and cheerful.”
Yet, most folks turn this life into a rat race. Busy is the norm, and that can be good, but when busy is more about adding stress, competing for perks, or keeping up with the crowd, where’s the calmness? Where’s the joy?
Most of us have much that requires our attention every day, and things can pile up. Sadly, though, our approach to meeting the challenge is often merely out of habit and routine. Getting things done is without a sense of in-the-moment freshness. The goal is to get our have-to’s out of the way so that we can get on with our want-to’s.
Thus, it is not surprising that our social conditioning, aimed at getting ahead and getting what we want, tends to block us from our greater creative potential and solution consciousness. And for what? The world appears to be in a rush for what mostly remains out of reach, and is not fulfilling even when attained.
In short, we seem to be running around for little more than the sake of running around.
Those of us in the West in particular have been trained to be impatient, on the premise that it drives us to succeed sooner than later, but it can also lead us into decisions that would fare better if based on a patient perspective. When we rush into relationships, or into choices that lure us with more comfort and convenience, the result is likely to speed us into what we have sought to avoid.
Do you ever worry? Rushing and worry are joined at the hip. We want things to be certain, and when something is not, we commonly hit the accelerator to get beyond it, worried about the outcome if we don’t. People today even rush through their good times – “It’s been lovely, but I have to go.” – because habit says we need to find out what’s next.
The oddity in all of this is that none of us wants to be as we are when rushing. It’s exhausting. But instead of slowing down and living more from within, the majority turn their hectic pace into a source of pride, a kind of consolation prize for continuing to endure pressure, tension and worry.
Trial and error reveals what we are here to learn: how to live well, both spiritually and successfully in this world. We just need to learn it. Thank you, Master, for your divine patience in guiding us onward and upward to that learning.
Life is nothing if not an adventure. Each new day brings opportunities to explore the vast landscape of life. How we spend our time reveals much about who we are and where we’re going, and our attitudes and approach to life often determine the pace and rhythm at which we get there. Swami Kriyananda wrote “Life is a great adventure. Look around you: There are trails leading off in all directions to new discoveries!”
Where will we go and what will we discover? How to know which trail to take? One of the greatest trails is service to others. As long as we limit our life’s experiences to our own little world and life, we curtail the potential for our own expansion and growth. While some exceptional person might achieve great money, fame or success, life will remain somehow empty without a meaningful way to give back in service to others. Not only a principle of life, service or seva is a powerful spiritual practice to expand from ego to Spirit consciousness. Seeing and serving God in others opens the heart and expands the mind. Then helping others enriches our experiences and fosters joyful self discovery.
At Ananda Portland we are blazing a new trail of discovery with our Service Adventure Club. The inspiration includes working with some of the children in our Sangha to put these principles into practice: seeking adventure and service consciously in our community together. With a little yoga and meditation practice as our foundation, we’ll partner with local non-profits to volunteer our time and energy to help others. We’ll also explore the wonders of the natural world together and foster a sense of joyful discovery and awe. And we’ll do it as a community, a Sangha in the sense of a spiritual family with bonds of kindness, respect and love.
Our first adventure includes an invitation to our broader Sangha to join us in volunteering at HomePlate Youth Services, our next door neighbors to the Ananda Portland Temple in Beaverton. We’ll be preparing and serving meals for up to 40 youths experiencing instability in their lives–all with a spirit of loving service and joy. Consider supporting this effort by volunteering your time or helping with resources to feed these hungry kids–but only if you feel the call of adventure! Click here to answer the call and serve with us 🙂
The most meaningful experiences of life are never scripted. They come from an unwritten story of magic and love which interconnects everything in this world. When we expand ourselves in service to others, in a spirit of adventure and self-discovery, our own story gets so much more interesting, fulfilling and fun.
Last week on Rise in Freedom, Gita reflected on the covid pandemic and how to find our way through uncertain times. Continuing that theme, the pandemic and times like it may well have be times when, like the brilliant writer PG Wodehouse’s character Bertie Wooster once inquired:
“There are moments, Jeeves, when one asks oneself, ‘Do trousers matter?’” to which his faithful valet Jeeves’ stoically replied: “The mood will pass, sir.”
Beyond the philosophical question of trousers in moments of dejection and difficulty, the world today is a hotbed of rapid change and uncertainty, making the quest for peace a spiritual obligation. But raising our consciousness isn’t just a personal endeavor; it is a collective necessity that can transform society from the ground up.
In his book Hope for a Better World, Swami Kriyananda emphasized that the solution to humanity’s challenges is not in changing systems but elevating consciousness: “What will raise humanity…is a higher consciousness – something that groups, particularly, can demonstrate.” This collective shift in consciousness can be much more effective and inspiring than isolated individual efforts. The monasteries of the Dark Ages are a classical example where collective spiritual practices helped to preserve and elevate civilization in times of global turmoil.
Swamiji also describes the disintegration of old, form-bound consciousness and the emergence of a more flowing, intuitive consciousness. He writes: “We are at a time of a greater awakening of the spirit, not just sort of an intuitive flow in our work and in our dealings and so on, but a greater awareness of who we really are.” This shift involves recognizing that energy is the fundamental force behind our actions and thoughts. By becoming more aware of this energy and working with it consciously, we can better navigate the complexities and difficulties of life.
In times of global instability and change, the greatest reforms will come from small groups made up of dedicated individuals rather than through systemic or political efforts. Ananda is one such group, made up of countless individuals dedicated to sincere practice of yoga, meditation, service and devotion to uplift consciousness. While there are many such groups creating positive change, the majority of humankind only spins the wheels of the world’s problems in place. Again on this subject Swamiji writes: “Human problems have their roots deep in human nature. Their only possible solution lies quite outside the political arena – in a broad shift of consciousness.” And rather than the simple fact of the noble Jeeves’ truth that “the mood will pass”, there lies a far greater opportunity at the heart of it.
Interestingly, the most dark and difficult times of change can serve as the catalyst for the greatest spiritual awakening and growth. Many saints and mystics have foretold of great suffering, cataclysm and economic disaster. But these objectively negative experiences hold a secret key of transformation for all those who can leverage it. Everyone who is alive during a given period of global challenge shares a common karma, one which earnest spiritual seekers consciously choose to live and grow through.
Not only can we weather any storms that come, we can each put our trousers on to create tremendous positive change–raising our individual and collective consciousness. The effects will ripple out and bring greater peace and harmony throughout the world, and serve as a beacon of hope in challenging times.
I just finished a novel about the pandemic that brought back waves of memories from that time. It remains surreal to me that on March 11, 2020, the world simply stopped. One day to the next, schools closed, businesses shuttered, and airports emptied. We couldn’t find toilet paper and scrambled to buy dry goods, just in case. Remember the bidet toilet fad? And then the hospitals in New York City swelled. Then New Orleans, Chicago, and Detroit. We all lost someone or something dear to us. A job, a loved one, a wedding, a funeral. Plans changed.
Three months ago, I found myself in the backseat of a cab in NYC for the second time post-pandemic, feeling simultaneously heartbroken by the scale of human tragedy experienced there and inspired by the resilience on full display on that warm spring day. Among the flood of memories, I began to wonder about uncertainty, how much of it we faced, and what we learned.
Yoga teaches us that the ego is the soul identified with the body. When the body feels threatened, the ego revolts. The ego’s inclination is to seek an answer, to find some explanation or enemy whose defeat will bring certainty back. Perhaps that is why we have seen a rise in populist nationalism on a global scale. It takes very little study of history to discover that great human-induced tragedies come on the heels of social instability and prolonged periods of uncertainty.
Paramhansa Yogananda counseled that when facing uncertainty, we should maintain an openness to the good while being willing to question. In that way, one sees God in all things, opens with humility to the lessons, and through calm perception, finds the dharmic response to any circumstance. Swami Kriyananda further advised taking uncertainty one battle at a time, one day at a time.
This attitude would have brought about different results had we collectively applied it during the pandemic. What if we had focused on the helpers, seen the highest in each other, and taken a day-by-day response to our brave new world? What if we had prayed Yogananda’s prayer: “O King of kings, train thou, in the camp of discipline, the nobilities of self-control and calmness in me. Be Thou their Divine General, like Krishna of yore, against the invading hordes of darkness, passion, and greed.”
I am certain that some of us did just that. Sadly, too many were caught up in the wave of ego-affirming separateness. For most of us, the pandemic was a wake-up call, but what we awoke to seems extremely varied.
As I am often inspired to do, I look to the animal kingdom for alternative ways to approach life. Horses, when faced with uncertainty, instinctively gather together and determine the best course of action. Their leaders take the input from the collective and choose a path that seems most safe, adjusting constantly as new information comes into their awareness. Trees send vital energy through their roots to their vulnerable neighbors. Birds call cries of warning, and the squirrels, rabbits, and foxes all listen.
It is the human, when acting from the ego self, that scurries into hiding and isolation in times of uncertainty. We hoard treasure. We use our intellect and our power to win against a perceived threat. The pandemic required our isolation, pushing many of us toward our lower instincts.
The battle of life is fought largely in the mind and heart. When we learn to calm them both, see from the highest vantage point we can, and listen for the whispers of truth in all of nature and in each other, we find our way forward one step at a time. When we come from that place of calmness, we are able to help others find that strength within themselves.
As we face the uncertainties in our times, may we return to Paramhansa Yogananda’s prayer for a united world,
“Let us pray in our hearts for a League of Souls and a United World.
Though we may seem divided by race, creed, color, class,
and political prejudices, still, as children of the one God
we are able to feel brotherhood and world unity.
May we work for the creation of a United World
in which every nation will be a useful part,
guided by God through man’s enlightened conscience.”
