ContentsMessage from tthe Master
Realise God
Expanding Understanding
Vajra Prana Ganesha Mudra Asana
Programming crystals
Stress part one
Boganathar
Death and Beyond
Origins of Halloween
Effecting Prosperity Naturally
GitaScendence
Letters from Heaven
Selected Articles
Realise God
by Swami Shankarananda
What is your purpose here on earth? Never have there been, at any one time, so may of you on this most beautiful planet, asking personal questions like,’what is the real goal, the final purpose here on earth?’ The external aspects of the world are of great concern to each of you. This knowledge, which is referred to, has blinded all of you in ignorance. You are bathing in the muddy ocean of Karma. There is a total reality, the ultimate realisation of which is unattainable due to your understanding that this is beyond your reach, or it is obscure, even intellectually. Your purpose here, or ultimate quest, is firstly self-realisation and thereafter God realisation. Self-realisation is looking within to the inner alter of Self. It is attainable by purification and control of mind. Purification is cleansing, both externally and internally. Do not say that you want to become the Self as such thinking is nonsensical - you are the self. The object is to realise the self. This self is the Lord within - Paramsiva. It is that which is beyond the mind, beyond the thoughts, feelings and emotions, space, time and form. The purpose of your cycle of births and deaths is simply to realise Paramsiva, thy Self. After such realisation, ego is lost and God is found. Repeated practise will lead to the ultimate enlightenment.
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Death and Beyond
by Swami Murugesu
The number of people remembering previous lifetimes is increasing in number daily. All over the world, and in all faiths, such memories are being uncovered and people who have researched the subject have concluded without a doubt that reincarnation exists. But, if we have had previous births, what happens in the interim between two lifetimes? Let us analyse this spiritually.
The ancient Egyptians, Assyrians, Babylonians, Greeks and Romans all had different views, but by looking at all of these objectively, a great truth is revealed. The Egyptians preserved the bodies of their dead kings, using a method that still baffles scientists today. Spiritualists (athma janais) knew the secrets of such embalming but did not admit to them. The Egyptians believed that if bodies were embalmed then, should the soul return, it would have a place of residence. Hindus believed that by offering foods that were enjoyed by the deceased and in keeping ornaments and clothes preferred by those who had passed on, the dead would visit and enjoy their past pleasures, bestowing blessings on the giver.
Nowadays, with so much proof of the existence of reincarnation, some conclude that souls of the dead do not vanish, but linger long after death to haunt their past habitats. In all of these past superstitions beliefs is hidden the truth of the reality of death. Every night we go into a deep slumber, forgetting us and other surrounding us. When we awake in the morning, we find that past incidents remain in our memories.
Sleep is called the ‘little death’ and death is a kind of awakening. When the subtle body leaves the physical body, a person becomes unconscious and experiences a state of non-feeling. This is a kind of sleep in which a person is completely unconscious, but when he becomes ‘conscious’, although he is not in physical form, he feels as if he has woken from a sleep.
Some believe that the dead become Gods. In actual fact, when a person leaves the physical form, his knowledge does not increase but he remains as it was during life. If a bad man dies, he does not become a good man. Even in his death, his energy will be one of negativity, as it was in life and his intention may still be to harm others. Neither does a well-studied person does not become more intelligent in death. The reason that some believe that the dead become Gods is because, in the astral body, the dead are able to see the thoughts of living people and to accomplish feats that they were unable to undertake while physically embodied, such as creating obstacles to complicate the lives of people they did not like while living.
When a Yogi or a Siddhar dies, they tend to forget their physical relatives and proceed to advance further in Athma Jnana. The practice of interring the mahans after their death is due to the fact that their body will be radiating beneficial vibrations to those who are good to them.
Whatever a person has not acquired during their physical existence, will not be acquired after death. Therefore, those who are very attached to their wive’s house or belongings, will not forget them once they have died. Their clinging to the physical plane will depend on the strength of their attachment to worldly things and they will not be able to move on easily, but will continue to ‘haunt’ family, friends and past places until the attachment is broken. Certain ceremonies can be performed to help a spirit forget their past worldly attachments and release them of their bondage to the physical world.
Some people are able to feel the presence or to see the subtle bodies of those who have died and are still earthbound and others attempt to communicate with such spirits in the hope of gaining some enlightenment about the future. This is discouraged by the inexperienced due to the fact that such spirits will usually only reproduce information that they can see in the minds of the living and do not necessarily know the future. An ordinary yoga student who knows how to Astral travel, can visit the habitat of the Devas, Pithur and then return to the physical world.
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Effecting Prosperity Naturally
by Suren Pillay
Often I have wondered what it is that makes the rich people different from the poor; the successful different from the underachievers and the famous different from the unknown. Spiritual aspirants often ascribe many of their circumstances to karma and, although there may be truth in that belief, I believe that such a belief would be a limitation and not an opportunity, if one wants to progress in this life. In my own observations, I have noticed that those who are more wealthy are unvariably more open-minded about life. Many have a consciousness of welcoming and warmth. Those wealthy people who are more close-minded, often seem to work very hard for their wealth. There is an important teaching in my observation which I think might be life-changing.
The teaching that is consciousness, supercedes action in creating results in the universe. A man of true contentment and joyfulness, harnesses the subtle metaphysical laws deeply imbedded in nature, to his advantage, sometimes unknowingly. His every action, guided by nature and God, rather than ego, brings love to himself and all those around him. In this way he exerts a positive effect in nature and to himself on all levels of being. Such a man is of true benefit to the world for his prosperity is Cosmic rather than provincial. To elevate our awareness to such a state, it seems necessary to first undergo a change in perception and then let such perceptions influence our actions in a positive way. The question then becomes, ‘how do we change our perception so that we can rise to all that we can be?’
There are many ways of altering perception. I will discuss three that have been effective for me. The first one is the reading of inspirational books. Your mind might think a trillion thoughts in one lifetime, but could never come up with an idea initiated by a Shakespeare or Einstein.
Books provide us with new ways of looking at the world and can give many insights on how to improve our state of being. A second way is to be in the company of wise men. By being in their presence, you are influenced in a subtle way by their ways of thought by taking away some of their magnetism and thus raising your consciousness to new heights. A third way is by metaphysical practice. Meditation has the power to experientially alter perceptions of who you are and what your life purpose is.
I invite you to practice the above methods that have worked for me. Life can be taken from you at any moment. I say, let us live inspired and, at the same time, inspire all of those around us. By our own determination we can effectively bring positive change in a world that is desperately in need of it.
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Reader's Contributions
A call to the Infinite
O, infinite presence, fill my heart with the fragrance of your Love;
My mind with your sky-blossoms of devotion;
And my soul with continuous remembrance of thee.
May I not forget thee and, in happiness and sadness;
May I remain ever conscious of thee;
May I work in the world inspired evermore
In body, mind and soul.
Suren