There’s a world deep inside us

As a gentle kindly dream

Where Love is ever present

And beauty is always seen

It’s the spirit of Christmas

When remembered all the year

That brings joy, peace and laughter

Of life’s music to our ear

So Christmas is inside us

An expanding, growing dream

Of love forever present

And beauty everywhere seen

Echo of Christ within us

Outwardly seeking new birth

As human beings perfect

Creating a heaven on earth.

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One of the most important realizations in understanding a little more about the mysteries of life – lies in the value and importance of sound.

The sacred texts of all cultures include this factor, even to the point of suggesting that all natural creation is the result of Divine Sound as is given us in the Bible, the Vedic wisdom, and in fact is inherent in all of our present religions.

Whereas ‘Amen’ is the ritualistic recognition of cosmic energy or Divine life in the Christian prayer, so ‘Aum’ is the recognized traditional sound that represents the Allness that we call God.

In classical yogic and Asian tradition it is written as either ‘OM’ or ‘Aum’ but in the sounding of the mantra it is the 3 fold trinity of sound that is expressed. This involves the guttural, tongue, and finally the lips.

As with all mantra or sacred sound, it is as important to focus the mind upon the quality we aspire to as we use our voice to ‘tune us in’ to the power and energy of the universe.

It is therefore never to be sounded casually.

The 20th Century at an end we are now in an Age of the Kali Yuga as named in the Hindu wisdom of ages “Vishnu Purana”.

Those of us who see the negative trends upon the Earth and its people – the lifestyles, habits and values observe how decadent the world is becoming. Certain prophesies of the bad period before a Golden Age seem to be manifesting – the following is taken from The Secret Doctrine.

“Periodic catastrophes and upheavals of Nature are to be expected as part of the natural order of evolution of the Earth itself. Such will be true now, in preparation for the next and future phase of man’s life on Earth.

In the Kali Yuga, matter is supreme over spirit – it is a time of dark materialism where evil appears to triumph over good.  It is the Age of Iron.

The secrets of occultism will be exposed to the masses by the Masters of Darkness and there will be a breaking of the sanctity of many things.

To quote from the sacred book of the Hindus Vishnu Purana -

“There will be contemporary monarchs, reigning over the earth kings of churlish spirit, violent temper, and ever addicted to falsehood and wickedness.  They will inflict death on women, children and cows; they will seize upon the property of their subjects (alternative translation“ be intent upon the wives of others”) they will be of limited power… their lives will be short, their desires insatiable… People of various countries intermingling with them will follow their example; and the barbarians, being powerful (in India) in the patronage of the princes, whilst pure tribes are neglected, the people will perish (“the Mlechchas will be in the centre and the Aryans in the end.”)_

Wealth and piety will decrease day by day, until the world will be wholly depraved… Property alone will confer rank; wealth will be the only source of devotion; passion will be the sole bond of union between the sexes; falsehood will be the only means of success in litigation; and women will be objects merely of sensual gratification… External types will be the only distinction of the several orders of life; dishonesty will be the means of subsistence; weakness the cause of dependence; menace and presumption will be substituted for learning; liberality will be devotion; a man if rich will be reputed pure; mutual assent will be marriage; fine clothes will be dignity.. He who is the strongest will reign….the people, unable to bear the heavy burdens (of taxes) will take refuge among the valleys… Thus, in the Kali age, will decay constantly proceed, until the human race approaches its annihilation (pralaya). When…the close of the Kali Age shall be nigh, a portion of that divine being which exists, of its own spiritual nature (Avatar) shall descend upon the Earth, endowed with the eight superhuman faculties… he will re-establish righteousness upon earth; and the minds of those who live at the end of Kali Yuga shall be awakened, and shall be as pellucid as crystal. The men who are, thus, changed….shall be as the seeds of human beings, and shall give birth to a race who shall follow the laws of the Krita Age (Age of Purity). As it is said: “When the Sun and Moon and (the Lunar Asterism) Tishya, and the planet Jupiter are in one mansion (house), the Krita (or Satya, pure Age) shall return…”

Vishnu Purana Book, Ch. xxiv

An age old but unfortunately accurate account of the negative features in modern culture. We need to take heed and revive the classical values the make us nobly human.

Whether we seek for relief from pain and suffering, or for courage to melt our fears, or for enlightenment and understanding, or look towards a recipient for our aspiration and devotion, we turn to prayer.

Although it is generally formulated in religious observances and rituals, it is something that arises in us spontaneously from our hearts and most intensely when we feel the need for a power we cannot generate ourselves when seeking to relieve the pain of another.

Prayers can sometimes be very lengthy, sometimes poetic, brief or even reduced to a condensed mantric form. As prayer represents our individual link and communication with the Divine, it is essentially personal and considered a private experience other than in communal prayer forms.

Due to the extensive research of the scholar Manly Palmer Hall and others, we have some refreshing translations of ancient texts that are not limited to any religious doctrines. The following is a beautiful example that may help to balance up what seem to be gaps in the traditional classical Christian prayer form.

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JESUS’S INSTRUCTION FOR PRAYER

This excerpt from the ancient scroll “The Essene Gospel of Peace”, said to have been the writing of Jesus as translated from the parchment by Manly Palmer Hall being an instruction to His followers regarding prayer.

“And pray every day to your Heavenly Father and Earthly Mother, that your soul become as perfect as your Heavenly Father’s holy spirit is perfect, and that your body become as perfect as the body of your Earthly Mother is perfect. For if you understand, feel, and do the commandments then all for which you pray to your Heavenly Father and your Earthy Mother will be given you. For the wisdom, the love, and the power of God are above you.

“After this manner, therefore pray to hour Heavenly Father: Our Father which art in heaven, hallowed be thy name. Thy kingdom come, Thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread. And forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors. And lead us not into temptation but deliver us from evil. For thine is the kingdom, the power and the glory for ever. Amen.

“And after this manner pray to your Earthly mother: Our Mother which art upon earth, hallowed be thy name. Thy kingdom come, and thy will be done in us, as it is in thee. As thou sendest every day thy angels, send them to us also. Forgive us our sins, as we atone all our sins against thee. And lead us not into sickness, but deliver us from all evil, for thine is the earth, the body and the health. Amen”

Instead of a seemingly complex mental process, the key to meditation is in simplicity. There are two basic concepts that can help us prepare or to may help refresh our current  meditation practice.

EXPANSION

The first is that of release and expansion of consciousness. This is the required of both physical and mental relaxation, and in preparation for meditation.

Once having prepared your comfortable seat and eyes closed, visualize yourself as a spherical body of energy that expands and stretches a little wider with every conscious exhalation of the breath.  It is like a balloon or a bubble, growing wider as you seek to embrace more and more of life, from your centre to the environment around you and further…..

Only through a sense of letting go, of surrendering, of dissolving the tight ego sense of “I” can we ever grow according to the Laws of Nature that determines growth in all spheres.

Some find a simple affirmation helps… such as “I am stretching, slowly opening the windows of my being to allow more life and light to flow through me.”

It is simply a matter of choosing what seems an appropriate concept, phrase or mantra that appeals and to which you can apply a little concentration, visualization and imagination.

Create your own and as with all affirmations, begin with “I am…”

ELEVATION

Elevation of consciousness requires a little aspiration towards a higher aim.  It is an upward growth impulse that can be applied in various spheres of our lives. We may aspire to total wellness and harmony in our psychological nature seeking to reflect the finest qualities of our balanced, loving and caring nature. Mentally we may seek to grow to intellectual heights. Or we may seek greater wisdom and spiritual understanding of our immortal soul. Beyond this we may seek closer contact or identification with the greatest of human beings.

We require an upward goal, vision or example that can help us anchor the abstract and help uplift our awareness and aspiration to whatever is the source of our personal spiritual inspiration.

Although we may choose to think of someone who represents to us a human expression of what we aspire to in life, it is better to freely focus upon universal principles and seek to become our own hero or heroine and to become what we aspire to be.

Then visualization can be applied appropriately. One example is the use of the mountain top as our symbolic reference. As we sit quietly and breathe evenly, there is a sense of progress as in our imagination we climb little by little from the plain to the summit above.

When enjoying a pleasant experience we have felt spontaneously in the course of our meditation minutes, it will then feel natural enough to formulate a simple affirmation that reflects how we feel.

We are free to use any method or technique that works for us in consciously approaching spiritual awareness but all exercises are to help us identify ourselves with our soul, the inner spiritual part of our nature and beyond to a greater sense of the universal consciousness in which we all live and move and have our being.

When individuals apply self discipline then it is possible to further the advancement of our race as a whole, albeit droplet by droplet, we can expect humanity’s progress.

Should we as a group in society, or a group of nations or greater still, contribute a unity of effort come from a small or larger group the result is magnified.

We need to advance the positive changes by intelligent and concerted efforts to unify our energies in order to save the destruction of our planet and the disintegration of culture. Prevent the enthronement of monetary power, wealth, greed and all false values.

We need to draw strength from wisdom of the past that has endured as testament to its importance and to welcome inspired concepts from young and old who demonstrate their dedication to improvement of human lives and correcting our mistakes – not only environmental ones, but moral, ethical and cultural errors or omissions.

Whether we apply our efforts in self discipline or choose group involvement, we need to share a commitment that includes  -

Believe in the supreme Power of Nature and take refuge and comfort in its laws

Seek a feeling of one-ness with all life

Harmonious relationship with the natural environment and respect for animals and all nature’s creatures

Respect the common need to cultivate human minds and hearts through expanding consciousness, not contracting

Protect the innocent and defenceless in our life sphere

Apply laws that defend us from invasive practices of those who are not considerate of the welfare and comfort of others

Ban ugliness in material creations and raucous sounds of disharmony in music

Educate our youth through choosing to adopt clear paths of knowledge that have constructive outcomes in application

Discourage all violence not only of action and behaviour, but of thought, word and deed.

Regularly practise contentment and appreciation of the goodness of life and our personal blessings

Realise the qualities and gifts of all natural elements – sun and moon radiations, fire, earth, air and water, minerals, and particularly the plant kingdom, which provides us with so many benefits – food, shelter, fuel, medicine, fabric, and hundreds of other uses

Be creative, each according to our inherent and acquired talents and skills.

At this sacred time we are reminded of the essential message of the Christian celebration of Easter – that is ‘sacrifice.’

There may be many ideas and associations relating to the scriptures and to the idea of sacrifice that can be translated on either a personal level or as a spiritual generality when focussed upon the universal symbolism that Nature demonstrates so vividly for us on this planet in the miracle of growth.

In all growth there is observed the yielding of one thing for another life continuance whether this is seen in a material sense as in the crumbling of a rock to make soil or in the shedding of a snakeskin, or on a human level, the maternal sacrifices for a child or the warrior who gives his life for what he holds dear.  Within the whole process we see that life is given for something else to evolve.

The giving of life of Jesus was such that the full potential of the human spirit of the Christ may be known to us, reflects a magnitude of extreme sacrifice motivated by love.  It is to this ideal that we aspire.

We best honour and acknowledge such a wondrous capacity by exercising the principle within our own lives. It is only our imagination can only bring us a measure of understanding by stirring our own capacity to give in some way so that what we love or value most may be preserved or its life or fate advanced.

Easter time in the natural season of the southern hemisphere is a quiet, introvert withdrawal of energies during autumn as in the northern hemisphere the accent is upon the resurrection or joy of the spirit released in spring.

We are encouraged to meditate upon  both aspects of Easter – upon what we value most and would consider giving even our own life for its advance or welfare and also to attempt to identify with the ideal loving and joyful human being that we are all growing toward as our ideal and personified  in the Christ.

We will all know the soothing effect of wandering around our own garden, tending or watering.  It tends to put us in a natural meditative mood of appreciation of plant life in general and perhaps allows us a little sense of pride in the results of our personal horticultural efforts.

All meditative states of consciousness commence with a stimulus or focus. If we have a material focus such as a beautiful flower we will be inclined to expand our thoughts and emotions and also elevate them as we look at the intricate handiwork of nature and drink in its beauty.

We will do much the same when we contemplate any beautiful painting or object in a gallery or museum that displays the skill and the beauty of human creativity.

However, when we are viewing the grandeur, the expanses of Nature’s handiwork outside these restricted environments something is added to our consciousness. Whether we call it a greater appreciation, or realize the scope and grander scale of landscapes and complexities, or viewing it evokes an emotional response such as awe or even worship, we are entering a different state. From the comfort of the smaller sphere we are entering the explosive realization of the majesty of life that creates and maintains limitless life and beautiful forms on our planet.  We cannot help but stretch our hearts and minds in an effort to embrace the reality.  If we will allow it, this will invite immensely satisfying spiritual or soul experiences beyond the mundane to freshen our senses and mental perceptions.

The grander the landscape, the vaster the horizons, the more majestically we perceive Nature as a whole. As a scientist gazing for hours into the worlds of the minute dimensions would react to the sudden focus upon the most imposing examples of the magnitude of natural creations such as Niagara Falls or the Grand Canyon outside, so we find our ‘muscles’ of consciousness undergo movement and changes when we switch from our little personal world to contemplate the realities of the universe beyond. In some measure this will tend to happen with all meditations to a greater or lesser degree.

Our expansions and contractions of consciousness are always likely to be exercised according to our personal interests, tasks and responsibilities. But it is generally in states or moods of stress that we suffer from contraction and feel tight, limited and insecure. We need then to relax, to stretch and to feel aware of the wonderful vastness of life as a whole, and feel safe.

There is no better proof of the soul stimulus that is given to us than to watch someone enjoying something of beauty.

When reading a beautiful message or story we eagerly digest the silent melody of the words.

When an audience is entranced by a superb performance of visual art such as ballet, it is obvious in the whole atmosphere that becomes hushed.

Beautiful classical music can uplift the spirit almost quicker than anything else, if we are sensitive to sound and can surrender to its influence.

The beautiful form and perfume of a rose can transport us by its classical beauty to help us feel uplifted by an inhalation.

Whether we are eager for enjoyment of scent, sight or sound or appreciate our inner world of  thought and imagination as we read, we all crave to be nourished by beauty.

Creating a beautiful atmosphere, a beautiful home, or a beautiful world is a work of art and must be also a task of love.

Although nothing we create can rival Nature’s beauties, we seek inspiration from it and remember our beautiful experiences as we attempt to channel its beauty or even to replicate it.

But this vital nourishment for our soul and for our whole sense of well being is threatened by various influences in our modern lifestyle….such as  violence, ugliness, raucous noise, toxic smells, and lack of time given to beautiful creations. Beauty has also been rejected as an indicator of quality of life and if we are to be able to continue to be nourished by it, we must champion and encourage beauty in all things and to resist any attitude or trend that seeks to usurp its place by encouragement of discord and lack of grace in our culture.

Nature’s beauty gives silent pleasure

Hatha Yoga System

Why the system was developed – that of Hatha Yoga to enable the body to last long enough to study of the deeper purposes and the higher spiritual Laws behind life and arrive at a  satisfactory degree of knowledge of the universe. To aspire in this way, we must first have health if we wish to enjoy many years of life enquiry.

Psyche has Seven Sheaths – Koshas

These are the layers of the human psyche -the material or physical sheath, the energy body or vital sheath, the emotional self, the lower mental sheath (practical), the higher mind (intellect), the soul, and the spiritual identity.  It is wise to study the etheric and physical in relation to the whole psyche.  The first provides our protective shield and the flow of prana through the nadis and vital channels will be found to have close correspondence with traditional acupuncture and the defined nervous system of today.

Yogic Approach to Psychology

Western approach to psychology arrives at knowledge through analysis and the Yogic way is through synthesis – they are opposite approaches. However, to discipline and train any aspect of our nature gives us control over it. This applies whether it is commanding the physical body, asserting our mind over our emotions or training our minds through mental exercises, concentration and imagination. The supreme control of mind is considered to be the cessation of restlessness and ability to calm our ocean of thought that it may reflect clearly the truth of things.  It is when our mental activity ceases that we can become aware of our inner voice of intuition that serves us as our ultimate guide.

The human psyche is understood as not merely the personality (lower self) but the over- riding, directing, individual intelligence that we know as our soul (higher self).

The practices of Yoga are designed to integrate these aspects of ourselves.

Teaching Ancient Wisdom

Patanjali was first in writing of Yoga techniques as far as we know. Before that time,  knowledge passed on from Guru to chela through unbroken traditional lines of the ancient wisdom.  It was the chela’s privilege to personally inherit valued spiritual knowledge and had to prove his worthiness, unlike the indiscriminate, mass distribution of knowledge as it is today. Such knowledge was then linked with a deep sense of responsibility.

The Master Guru or Adept chose his pupils, or chelas as we are reminded in the saying “When the pupil is ready, the Master comes. Along with other traditions, there are many modifications and changes in present day practices and teaching, but the spiritual principles endure.

Truths of Life

The essential natural laws and truths of life do not change whether expressed through the Vedic lore or the ancient texts of great religions and passing philosophies.  These spiritual insights have not changed for thousands of years – unlike the many divisions and eruptions within religions and cults of many kinds.  The degree of understanding and expression of the  those truths is left up to the wisdom of the modern western teacher.

Devotion to the teacher and to God was once the keynote essential to a happy transmission of spiritual knowledge from teacher to pupil through the language of the heart.

We have developed as a materialistic humanity to the point where we seek to function from the mental level of the intellect. We may wish to reach the Source – but each one for himself. Personal devotion is limited and spiritual devotion is difficult for many.

The very simplicity of Yoga teachings, because of the fundamental truths which are accented,  has a universal appeal and provides a technique for better physical, emotional and mental health – the three which are essential before ever the spiritual life can become a known reality.