Blog

By Nayaswami Dharmadevi Last week we attended Spiritual Renewal Week at Ananda Village. It was a week filled with inspirational talks each morning by speakers who have dedicated their lives to Self-realization. Each evening was a unique expression of divine art – from a concert of Swami Kriyananda’s music to a performance of his play “The Jewel in the Lotus.” Our week ended with a Kriya initiation, like a crescendo in the most beautiful symphony. Early in the week, my … Read More

By Nayaswami Narayan Have you ever made a mistake and realized it right after the fact? I had a moment like that the other day with Dharmadevi. What happened? Soccer-ego. Allow me to explain. I grew up playing soccer since I was about five years old. I know the game well (Not that it’s all that complicated!). As my old college teammate and friend used to say, “You pass the ball, you kick the ball. It’s a simple game.” Dharmadevi … Read More

“Mother Teresa expressed sexuality.” These words hung in the air, with more than a little bit of tension, in the conservative Catholic Church in middle Georgia. I was blessed to grow up with a priest who was truly a man of God and didn’t mind stirring up the congregation to get a principle across. It was Valentine’s Day when Narayan and I happened to be visiting my mom several years ago. Father Fred invited up an older couple who were … Read More

Did you know that “I” is the most common pronoun in the English language? I (Egad, it just came out!) guess that’s not a big surprise. We like to talk about ourselves. Not only to others, but probably more so to ourselves. How do you speak to yourself? Perhaps you’ve beaten yourself up recently. I don’t mean physically, but rather some old school mental self-flagellation. You know, those kind of negative self deprecating thoughts that tell you everything that is … Read More

The bells have pealed the opening of the portals of all hope in the New Year. The ever-marching pall bearers of the time have carried the depression, disease, and failure-stricken deceased old year to be delightfully buried in the cemetery of happy oblivion. Do not again conjure up the specter of the trialsome past year to stalk silently on the fields of your Soul forces and scare your determination, enthusiasm, and perseverance away. Behold, through the gates of the New Year, … Read More

Just Don’t It! Narayan and I are in beautiful Costa Rica as I write this blog. On our first day, we attended a yoga class. The teacher informed us that yoga is much more than the asanas, or postures, so she was going to share some yogic philosophy with us. She began talking about Patanjali’s Ashtanga Yoga, or the 8 limbs of yoga. She wanted to give special emphasis to the first limb, Yama. Yama literally means “control” in Sanskrit. … Read More

The other day Dharmadevi and I stopped at a Cafe on the West Side for a bite to eat. It was called “The Golden Mean”. On their menu they described the Golden Mean as “the pause between two extremes.” Wow, I thought, what a great description of the Christ consciousness! And it was a poignant reminder for me to prepare inwardly for spiritual Christmas through our upcoming all-day meditation. What better way to describe the Christ consciousness than the “pause … Read More

My Christmas wish for you this year is twofold: that the consciousness of Christ be manifest in you through deep meditation, and that your exemplary actions will persuade others to abandon their evil or worldly ways and become spiritual. Both meditation and action are necessary on the spiritual path, for they contribute toward individual and mass evolution. It is not God’s will to develop spiritually in a selfish way, i.e., without extending help to others who are suffering. So remember always … Read More