What are your 7 big questions?  Have you made a list?  I have…here they are? Do you resonate? Would you add something?

1.  How do you know when you have recognized God as She/He really is?

2.  What does every soul long for?

3.  How can unshakeable peace be attained?

4.  How does being influenced by others hamper your personal journey and how can you protect your Self from this  influence?

5.  Do you know God as the Bestower of Happiness, the Remover of Sorrow, the Ocean of Love, and the Friend? Do you know yourself as the beloved child of the Supreme Divine Parent?

6.  Or has your life become such a hustle and bustle that there is no time left for you to develop this relationship?

7. What type of experiences do most people gravitate towards?

These are the deep questions which many people never consciously think to ask, yet on a subconscious level they may be alive and kicking.   You deserve a big congratulations for choosing to read this far and for your willingness to take a look at the possibility of  going beyond the hustle and bustle of life, beyond our deep societal programing and conditioning, and beyond the loss of our innocence at a young age, which has lead to the the  inevitable “rule of the ego” which has distracted  most of us from a quest such as this.

In order to answer these questions and turn one’s life around, it is a valuable practice to set aside the limiting perceptions and pre-conceptions of our own ego-dominated worlds, for longer and longer periods of time everyday.

Surrender the known in order to know the vast unknown and come into  your own, subtle, inner world.

One of the best ways to do this is through meditation.

Your ego and mine, have been doing their very best to keep us alive,  yet, at the same time it is our ego which  has also sadly separated us from the Truth about our Selves.  Our egos have masked our true Selves and the real questions of life which could reveal real answers.

While being held captive by our egos, we have become preoccupied with temporary, perishable, and limited pleasures, powers, and attainments.  The “true north” of our deepest longings, our truest contentment, and our lasting love and happiness has gone unnoticed and undiscovered.

Many souls look to the “after-life” for the type of fulfillment the answers to these questions can brings.

Without a doubt, I have been blessed and beset by difficulties and battles entrenched so deeply within myself that they wouldn’t budge, no matter what tools I used or how much service I thought I was doing.  Fortunately, very fortunately, these difficulties were also accompanied by an intense desire to be happy, loving, and kind.  The quandary of these two extremes created a subtle openness within,  far below the “ego’s watch”.

When I began to ask these valuable questions, I found some satisfying answers.   One of the answers came through the daily practice of Raja Yoga Meditation.   The other “godsend” has been the daily study of divine principles which has given me a deeper understanding of the soul’s battle between illusion and reality!

I’ve come to understand how important it is to pass blessings along to others, rather than compete and compare myself to others.   It is in the spirit of a blessing that I introduce you to one of our great present-day wisdom-keepers, who has blessed me in so many ways :  Dadi Janki, the 103-year-old head of the Brahma Kumariis World Spiritual University.

Dadi, as she is affectionately called, has been tested and found to have the most stable mind on the planet, at this time.  She has traveled all across the globe to share the truths and wisdom she has lived by.

One of her widely read books, Companion of God, is a simple guide to living life as a happy, fulfilled soul.  It is from this book that I share:

“As an actor on the stage of life, you need to detach yourself from the roles you are playing and get in touch with the part of you that is not an act.”

What Dadi is saying is to get in touch with you, the soul, the eternal you, the part of you that is not an act.

Meditation is your tool of discovery to discover the untapped treasures of the soul.

The part of us that is perishable and mostly running the show is kept unhappy by looking outside for true love, respect, and peace.   The present state of our world is one of  thirsting for deep relationship with the Divine, while fearing loss, annihilation, war, illness, and death.  Have you noticed that most people,today, seem to be sadly lacking in what truly makes one whole and sane.

This state of affairs is largely the result of allowing the Self to be influenced by thinking and believing that our true contentment could be found externally.

As Dadi Janki gently warns us:  “The world is a supermarket of sorrow. Don’t buy any! A good spiritual education teaches you how to be discerning in your shopping.”

How will having a spiritual education help make meaning out of your “movie”?  How will reflecting on the bigger picture turn  your personal journey around?

I invite you to take in deeply the following wisdom which identify  a condition, too often considered completely “normal”, which underpin the cause of so much unnecessary suffering.

In Dadi’s words: “Our ability to cope is hampered by thinking too much about other people…This causes problems in  the mental digestive system.  The best mental ‘antacid’ is in-depth spiritual study…( which leads to healthy introspection).  This, plus a  regular practice of self-awareness, penetrates the mind very deeply, dislodging emotional pain.”

You may be wondering how does one’s consciousness change by focusing on the spiritual aspects of the self instead of being caught up in thinking about others?  To quote Dadi again:

“An enlightened person understands that there is nothing to be gained by thinking about others.”

She suggest that a  better use of one’s time is to concentrate on the Source of Love.  Turning to the Source and to fill the Self with Divine Love is a deep aspect of Raja Yoga meditation.  This form of meditation directs one’s attention inward to the Self in order to connect again and again to the Ocean of Love.

This change of direction in our attention comforts the heart, reduces tension and restores clarity,   I invite you to carve out some time in your day to meditate on the Source of Love, and note what happens.

Dadi also encourages us to send  good wishes and pure feelings to others.  Creating this habit (in ourselves) will alleviate the need to think confused and negative thoughts any further about a person or a situation.   This one change can ultimately resolve the situations we find ourselves in and relieve us from the vicious cycle of negative, unproductive thoughts about “why”, “when”, and “how”.  Whenever you are in internal/external conflict with someone…begin to remind yourself that deep within, they too are a pure soul.

Continually repeat within that: ‘So and So is a pure soul’, each time your mind spirals into negativity about them.  This is guaranteed to resolve the situation which is more than likely a karmic account created in the past by your own actions.

Instead of sending worried, angry, resentful, critical, and /or doubtful thoughts to another, send love and pure wishes.  The truth of this can be felt at the end of the day, as one feels light, free, and peaceful.  To the one who recognizes it, putting this one jewel into practice is like receiving a key to changing the course of your life.  This type of wisdom is life-giving, universal, non-denominational, and very practical.  Best of all, it gets positive results.

 May the truth of this jewel,  allow you to understand the nature of these times and the nature of you, the soul,  in a new way.

More wisdom from the heart of Dadi Janki:   “Right now, what the soul really needs most is power.  Having been through birth after birth, accumulating rubbish along the way, the soul is burdened and depleted and therefore unable to perform to its greatest potential.  When we use our inner resources in the right way, power is gained, enabling us to stay with God and to reach our destination. Wasting the mind on ordinary, mundane, and conditioned thinking is a waste of time and energy.  Souls leave the path; they leave God, because they have wasted their thoughts, words, and breath in this way. Blaming others and complaining are just making excuses.

This is a big mistake which wastes more energy and causes more loss of power. There isn’t time to behave in this way any more.

Understand that we need power and start cultivating it.  As power develops, so will love.” You may be pondering how can I restore the original power of my soul?  Once again, I invite you to turn inward to your existence as a precious, peaceful soul, then turn to the Beloved who knows you fully and sees you in your perfection.

A simple 3 step method for this can be used:

1.  Find a time that works best for you every day.   Start out with a moment or two, and gradually build up to ten to twenty minutes each day, to stop and become still and silent within, connecting with the energy of you, as a peaceful soul.   Many souls find that a clear time of day that supports this inner movement is early in the morning.  Others may choose the beautiful moments created by the setting sun or the winding down time, right before sleep.

Take the thought, “I am a peaceful soul” and hold it, firmly and confidently, in your mind. As you focus on this one thought it will gradually release its essence into your consciousness; you will truly feel the peace that lies within.  Day by day, this thought will bring you into deeper and deeper peace, into the inner ocean of unshakeable peace which exists, intact, within you.

2.  As you hold this thought, wasteful thoughts may try to distract you.  Surrender each thought to the Beloved or the Higher Power.  Give the distracting thoughts and energy no attention, no matter how great the attraction or force with which they throw themselves at you may be.

Release, release, release, all wasteful thoughts, feelings, and opinions.  Surrender, surrender, surrender. Melt into Peace.  Surrender your mind to the Beloved who awaits you with the tenderest of love and peace.

3.  Whenever you feel distracted, return to the empowering thought about your true essence: “I am a peaceful soul. Peace is my true nature.”  As you continue this practice, you will find that when you return to the everyday world, you will be able to carry the awareness of your essence of peace with you.  This awareness will become more stable and unshakeable as you give yourself permission to stop often during the day, if only for a few moments and go within. You will accumulate the power to stop the hectic spinning of the world and return to your true nature.  This is one of the most important powers of the soul, the ability “to stop” in midstream, pack up your thoughts, and come back to peace.

Take this opportunity to fill completely from the Fountain of all Goodness and Virtue, the Fountain of Love and Divine Power.  Visualize yourself being showered upon from this fountain or immersed and floating in the Ocean of Love.

Below are suggested sites to find guided meditations that I’ve found to be personally conducive to opening my awareness to peace and love.

http://www.ariellehecht.com/spiritual nourishment

Anthony Strano’s Link of Life (4 part meditation can be found on YouTube).

Also websites: http://www.meditateinhawaii.com

http://www.awakenedacademy.com

justaminute.org

Here’s a Peaceful Affirmation which you may write out by hand and place in various spots in your home and workplace, to reinforce the remembrance of who you truly are:

I remember to be still and to bask in my inner ocean of silence and peace.

I find a time and place in which I am there for my Self, every day. 

I am true to this commitment to my Self and this practice of peace.

My spiritual energy is being charged and renewed every day

I enjoy these precious moments of time in which I stop and dip into the ocean of peace within.

I find I can go deeper and deeper into  peace each day.

OM SHANTI*  (from Hindi) = “I am a Peaceful Soul”

May you be continually blessed and bless others with your awareness of peace and may your feelings be filled with equal amounts of love and detachment.

                                                    You are a Being of Peace!

                                                           Your Sister in Peace,

                                                                   Shivalaya

One of my favorite pictures of Dadi Janki~a living treasure!  Dadi is one of the first female spiritual leaders.  She is a “Wisdom Keeper” and one of an eminent group of spiritual leaders who advise the UN at world summits and in times of trouble.