How Does the Story End?

How Does the Story End?  In his autobiography, The New Path, Swami Kriyananda shares a fascinating dream: “I was living with many other people in a torture chamber. For generations our families had lived here, knowing no world but this one; the possibility of any other existence simply never occurred to us. One awoke, one was tortured, and, at night, … Read More

Who Is Divine Mother

Is she a myth, a cloud, a bird, or a feeling? A tigress, a shell, a bee, or a healing? Does she live in the ocean or up in the sky? Perhaps she’s a river flowing along, or someone’s mother singing a song? Maybe she’s hiding beneath the veil, A lovely mountain, a sacred tale? Is she the moon, guiding … Read More

The Power of Chanting

The highest purpose of chanting is to help awaken us to our own spiritual potential: to bring us closer to Self-realization. Chanting has the power to bring a divine response to all who practice it with deep attention and feeling. Singing, Yogananda said, is a divine art; and devotional chanting is the highest form of this art because it leads … Read More

Understanding Death

Death is only an experience through which you are meant to learn a great lesson: you cannot die. – Paramhansa Yogananda We mortals have so many misconceptions about death that it has grown in importance and implanted in us the idea of annihilation and pain. Death is simply one of the steps in the soul’s journey from the state of … Read More

Choose Your Memories

“Memory was given to us to keep alive only life’s good experiences and lessons.” Paramhansa Yogananda When I was a young child, I would occasionally wake up crying in the middle of the night from a bad dream. Fortunately, I had a wise, loving mother who would come and sit by my bed to comfort me. Her advice on such … Read More

Understanding Illness

Some people seem to enjoy ill health, due to the fear it puts in the minds of loved ones and the special attention they receive. There is almost a defensive pride in those who constantly warn us: “I can’t do this or that; I have a weak heart.” Often I’m told: “Oh, asthma, (or tuberculosis or diabetes) runs in the … Read More

Is My Meditation Working?

Have you ever asked yourself this question? If so, welcome to the club! Whenever we are trying to reach a goal or destination, we want to see signs along the way that we are headed in the right direction. We generally want to know that we are making progress so that we can be encouraged and remain motivated. Otherwise, the … Read More

Seclusion

Devi and I just finished a week of seclusion at a private retreat house atop Abbott Mount, in the foothills of the Himalayas. Ever-present in the distance is Nanda Devi, a mountain that many in India believe to be a living goddess. In this rarefied air, one feels the blessing of God and the Masters to be palpable. Seclusion is … Read More

Paramhansa Yogananda’s Nine-Day Cleansing and Revitalizing Diet

I am continually amazed at the comprehensiveness of Paramhansa Yogananda’s teachings for the balanced development of body, mind and spirit. There is almost no aspect of our lives to which Yogananda hasn’t applied the ancient science of yoga, and given us a practical, straight-forward regime to follow—getting along with your employer, developing personality, finding the correct spouse, destroying bad habits, … Read More