#Swami Yogananda

[mysticalblizzardcolor]

[4dkellysworld]

What's stopping you?

So you've read a ton of information on Tumblr (maybe even some books) and now you feel lost. And even though you want to apply, you feel stuck. Why? Well, there's too many possible variables on why someone could be feeling this way but I'll cover a few.

Personally for me, that all stopped when I found the teachings and practices that truly resonated with me & not what was popular here, I've branched out from what 4dbarbie has taught; I'm on my own path that I got led to and chose, and it feels right. And there's a strong sense of peace and certainty once you recognise and know what resonates for you personally; that's YOUR truth. The end goal is the same for everyone but the way there will differ depending on the person, their level of spiritual maturity, state of mind etc.

When asked once by Swami Yogananda, a Swami with a large following in America, what spiritual instruction should be given to the people for their uplift, Ramana Maharshi replied: “It depends on the temperament and spiritual maturity of the individual. There can be no mass instruction.”

I'll always be grateful to 4dbarbie for introducing me to non-duality and there was a time when her teachings were what I needed but now I'm on my own path doing practices that work for me which is what she encouraged too.

So maybe you keep holding off & feel unsure about it all because what you've read from teachings doesn't feel right for you personally. Don't force it to fit where it doesn't. Be bold and branch out of Tumblr and the 'mass instruction' if that doesn't sit right within you (be honest with yourself and you'll know). Find the teachings & practices that resonate with your spiritual heart & inspire you to live that truth honestly. Cut down on the sources you read from and only stick to the ones that resonate with you.

And I know there's some or a lot of people who follow so many accounts on here (LOA/void/ND) but how are you going to go forward and practice anything when you have so much conflicting information? You can't simultaneously manifest/fulfill desires and let go of the ego; their directions are complete opposites. Pick a path and stick to it. Stop flip flopping then feeling bad for not going anywhere. Your indecision is the cause of this. And I said before to be discerning of what you read too, when you stick to few sources that you know are genuine and resonate with you personally, there is little room for confusion on the truth and what you need to apply daily. This also applies to what you read on. If you can't read about multiple things without getting confused or swayed from the path, cut it out already. What value is LOA/void information anyway when you're on the ND path and vice versa? Zero; it's just a waste of your time. So stop it already.

This is just an intuitive guess on what could be causing resistance to some of you practicing and living this honestly but ultimately you'll need to dig into it yourself and figure it out. It's not something that a post will be able to cover completely as everyone is different. For anything else in life, self-discipline would be really important but I think desire for freedom is the most important and would drive anyone that has it to keep applying faithfully every day without having to force themselves to do it. Self-discipline might be more important when you start out but ultimately this has to be something that you live and breathe every day without effort.

[santmat]

George Harrison's Spirituality & Music - Beatles and Eastern Influences: https://youtu.be/6jm3a_Gvc5g?si=3dERNsMUelZ8_qBY

"Dive deep into the life of George Harrison, the legendary Beatle, and discover the profound influence of spirituality on his music. In this video, we explore how George's quest for spiritual enlightenment shaped his songwriting and personal life. From his embrace of Indian culture and the sitar to his collaborations with spiritual figures and his devotion to the Hare Krishna movement, witness the harmonious blend of his spiritual journey with his musical genius."

I believe the host of the channel, Filip Holm, is a Sufi. His documentaries are always impressively thorough, with this one even mentioning Swami Vivekananda, Yogananda, and the Vaishnava tradition. A great exploration of the Beatles, Ravi Shankar, and the various eastern influences.

[lunamagicablu]

Om Babaji - by Kriya Yoga artist Stephen Sturgess in London.

Mahavatar Babaji meditating in a Himalayan cave.

Today, July 25 July is Mahavatar Babaji Commemoration Day. It marks the auspicious occasion in 1920 when the great avatar visited Paramahansa Yogananda in Kolkata to bless the young swami’s mission to America to spread Kriya Yoga worldwide.

‘The deathless guru bears no marks of age on his body; he appears to be no more than a youth of twenty-five. Fair-skinned, of medium build and height, Babaji’s beautiful, strong body radiates a perceptible glow. His eyes are dark, calm, and tender; his long lustrous hair is copper-coloured.' (Autobiography of A Yogi). 

[godsnameisjoy]

SINGLE

Date: 3 January 2024

Duration: 56 minutes at 10:51 PM

Depth:

Earlier yesterday, I had increased the preset timer to 56 minutes. At night, I had 12 minutes remaining on the preset timer when I first opened my eyes. In the first 4 minutes of the remaining 12, I affirmed for harmony with a certain degree of sincerity. In the next 6 minutes, I continued making affirmations but I wasn’t able to do it with the same degree of sincerity as before. In the last 2 minutes that were remaining, I just sat. I made a conscious effort to not get busy with anything that requires for me to move. I just sat straight for the last 2 minutes.

Freely flowing life energy is now dedicatedly making itself heard from a spot within my head. More than 2 decades back, when I hungrily read anything and everything written by Paramahansa Yogananda and Swami Vivekananda, I read about the meditational phenomenon of hearing a variety of sounds that come from within during deep meditation.

I didn’t have the mental capacity back then to be able to imagine what sounds from within could be. That’s probably why Kundalini energy related literature is esoteric. One has to experience it to understand fully the words written for it. Last night, it was so comforting to hear clear percussion like sounds that I knew no one else to could hear. The comfort was in knowing that life energy has not abandoned its blessed work in my meditative mind spaces.

From what I heard last night, I am convinced that life energy wishes to make my attention single. It’s probably a rite of passage. My attention has to be single pointed in order to prepare me for the third eye. My attention continues to turn to the centre of my head through the sounds it hears. Life energy has to train my attention to not scatter itself over mental imagery. To this end, I have been blessed with an interiorised sense of hearing and a steady flow of life energy into my head.

I still haven’t met my spiritual benefactor.

[manmetaphysical]

I will be giving a talk at the Rudolph Steiner House for the Astrological Lodge on Monday 4th March at 7pm. See the website for details.

I will be exploring two topics close to my heart: Astrology and Yoga: I am calling it Salutation to the Stars. But what would such a yoga sequence even look like? Are you an astrologer? Are you a yogi/yogini? If so do you practise both together? How can that be done effectively? This is what is now called Yogastrology.

Have you ever wondered how Astrology overlaps with Yoga in so many interesting ways? Does each practice have the same goals? What are the parallels and what are the differences? How does yoga interact with Ayurveda as well, along with Astrology? Are they completely different, or do they share any core beliefs or practices or are they three sister sciences dancing together? I hope to answer all these questions.

Mostly I want to analyse the charts of some of the central figures emerging out of India: Sri Yukteswar, Swami Vivekananda, Yogananda Paramhamsa, Sri Aurobindo, Krishnamacharya, BKS Iyengar, Patthabi Jois, Maharishi Mahesh Yogi, Sir Bhagwan Rajneesh and of course Bikram Choudury.

I want to ask what set these guys apart from others? How did they become yogis? They set out on a mission to bring yoga to the West and we have to wonder, were they successful? Did they complete their intentions? Is there something in their charts that indicates that? Most people would say yes since both yoga and astrology are on the rise What is in their charts that would indicate they would be successful?

So what are the key drivers and aspects of their charts? I will explore these leading players setting their incredible stories in a historical context and picking out key signatures in their charts including asteroids and astrocartography.

Not to forget the role of women in yoga too although this could probably be a whole other talk in its own right to do it justice. There may not be time. But I will take a brief glance at the astrology of some of the key female yogis too:. Blanche de Vries, Indra Devi, Ida Rolf, Tao Porchon-Lynch and Guru Jagat.

There are other key players too in the sidelines such as Alan Bennett, Aleister Crowley, Sr Ramakrishna, Pierre Bernard and Theos Bernard .They were all key influencers on the growth of yoga. All that in just one hour will certainly be a challenge. The session begins at 7pm so hope to see you there.

[squirrelspidersquotations]

"Once you stop learning, you start dying." Albert Einstein

"A loving person lives in a loving world. A hostile person lives in a hostile world. Everyone you meet is your mirror." Ken Keyes Jr.

"Rudeness is the weak man's imitation of strength." Edmund Burke

"There’s no such thing as a friend who doesn’t have any flaws. But if you try to look for all their flaws, you will remain with no friends." Zen Sayings

"Be like the tree, let the dead leaves drop." Rumi

"The way to do is to be." Lao Tzu

"Stillness is the altar of spirit." Paramahansa Yogananda

"All the powers in the universe are already ours. It is we who have put our hands before our eyes and cry that it is dark." Swami Vivekananda

"I've learned one thing: you can only really get to know a person after a row. Only then can you judge their true character!" Anne Frank

[indiesole]

THE 236 GREATEST PERSONALITIES IN THE ENTIRE KNOWN HISTORY/COLLECTIVE CONSCIOUSNESS OF THIS WORLD! (@INDIES)

i.e. THE 236 GREATEST PERSONALITIES IN WORLD HISTORY! (@INDIES)

Rajesh Khanna

Lionel Messi

Leonardo Da Vinci

Muhammad Ali

Joan of Arc

William Shakespeare

Vincent Van Gogh

Online Indie

J. K. Rowling

David Lean

Nadia Comaneci

Diego Maradona

Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart

Meena Kumari

Julius Caesar

Harrison Ford

Ludwig Van Beethoven

William W. Cargill

Fritz Hoffmann-La Roche

Samuel Curtis Johnson

Sam Walton

John D. Rockefeller

Andrew Carnegie

Roy Thomson

Tim Berners-Lee

Marie Curie

James J. Hill

Cornelius Vanderbilt

Roman Polanski

Samuel Slater

J. P. Morgan

Cary Grant

Dmitri Mendeleev

John Harvard

Alain Delon

Ramakrishna Paramhansa (Official God)

The Lumiere Brothers, Auguste & Louis

Carl Friedrich Benz

Michelangelo

Maharishi Mahesh Yogi

Ramana Maharishi

Mark Twain

Swami Sri Yukteswar Giri

Bruce Lee

Bhagwan Krishna (Official God)

Charlemagne

Rene Descartes

John F. Kennedy

Bhagwan Ganesha (Official God)

Walt Disney

Albert Einstein

Nikola Tesla

Alfred Hitchcock

Pythagoras

William Randolph Hearst

Cosimo de’ Medici

Johann Sebastian Bach

Alec Guinness

Nostradamus

Christopher Plummer

Archimedes

Jackie Chan

Guru Dutt

Amma Karunamayi/ Mata Parvati (Official God)

Peter Sellers

Gerard Depardieu

Joseph Safra

Robert Morris

Sean Connery

Petr Kellner

Aristotle Onassis

Usain Bolt

Jack Welch

Alfredo di Stefano

Elizabeth Taylor

Michael Jordan

Paul Muni

Steven Spielberg

Louis Pasteur

Ingrid Bergman

Norma Shearer

Dr. B. R. Ambedkar

Ayn Rand

Jesus Christ (Official God)

Luciano Pavarotti

Alain Resnais

Frank Sinatra

Allah (Official God)

Richard Nixon

Charlie Chaplin

Thomas Alva Edison

Alexander Graham Bell

Wright Brothers

Arjun (of Bhagwan Krishna’s Gita)

Jim Simons

George Lucas

Swami Sri Lahiri Mahasaya

Carl Lewis

Brett Favre

Helen Keller

Bernard Mannes Baruch

Buddha (Official God)

Hugh Grant

K. L. Saigal

Roger Federer

Rash Behari Bose

Tiger Woods

William Blake

Jesse Owens

Claude Miller

Bernardo Bertolucci

Subhash Chandra Bose

Satyajit Ray

Hippocrates

Chiang Kai-Shek

John Logie Baird

Geeta Dutt

Raphael (painter)

Bhagwan Shiva (Official God)

Radha (Ancient Krishna devotee)

George Orwell

Jorge Paulo Lemann

Catherine Deneuve

Pierre-Auguste Renoir

Bill Gates

Bhagwan Ram (Official God)

Michael Phelps

Michael Faraday

Audrey Hepburn

Dalai Lama

Grace Kelly

Mikhail Gorbachev

Vladimir Putin

Galileo Galilei

Gary Cooper

Roger Moore

John Huston

Blaise Pascal

Humphrey Bogart

Rudyard Kipling

Samuel Morse

Wayne Gretzky

Yogi Berra

Barry Levinson

Patrice Chereau (director)

Jerry Lewis

Louis Daguerre

James Watt

Henri Rousseau

Nikita Krushchev

Jack Dorsey

Dev Anand

Elia Kazan

Alexander Fleming

David Selznick

Frank Marshall

Viswanathan Anand

Major Dhyan Chand

Swami Vivekananda

Felix Rohatyn

Sam Spiegel

Anand Bakshi

Victor Hugo

Bhagwan Sri Sathya Sai Baba (Official God)

Steve Jobs

Srinivasa Ramanujam

Lord Hanuman

Stanley Kubrick

Giotto

Voltaire

Diego Velazquez

Ernest Hemingway

Francis Ford Coppola

Michael Douglas

Kirk Douglas

Mario Lemieux

Kishore Kumar

James Stewart

Douglas Fairbanks

Confucius

Babe Ruth

Raj Kapoor

Titian aka Tiziano Vecelli

El Greco

Francisco de Goya

Jim Carrey

Mohammad Rafi

Steffi Graf

Pele

Gustave Courbet

Rani Laxmibai of Jhansi

Milos Forman

Steve Wozniak

Georgia O’ Keeffe

Mala Sinha

Aryabhatta

Magic Johnson

Patanjali

Leo Tolstoy

Tansen

Henry Fonda

Albrecht Durer

Benazir Bhutto

Cal Ripken Jr

Samuel Goldwyn

Mumtaz (actress)

Panini

Nicolaus Copernicus

Pablo Picasso

George Clooney

Olivia de Havilland

Prem Chand

Imran Khan

Pete Sampras

Ratan Tata

Meerabai (16th c. Krishna devotee)

Queen Elizabeth II

Pope John Paul II

James Cameron

Jack Ma

Warren Buffett

Romy Schneider

C. V. Raman

Aung San Suu Kyi

Benjamin Netanyahu

Frank Capra

Michael Schumacher

Steve Forbes

Paramhansa Yogananda

Tom Hanks

Kamal Amrohi

Hans Holbein

Shammi Kapoor

Gerardus Mercator

Edith Piaf

Bhagwan Shirdi Sai Baba (Official God)

[the-reality-revolution]

Rizwan Virk - On The Lessons Of Autobiography Of A Yogi

Paramahansa Yogananda's Autobiography of a Yogi was one of the most impactful spiritual books of the 20th century and has travelled around the world, inspiring millions to walk the spiritual path. But what are 21st-century spiritual aspirants, steeped in technology and science, to think of these classic tales of gurus, swamis, and miracles in the Himalayas? Do these tales have relevance today? In Wisdom of a Yogi, best-selling author, entrepreneur, and venture capitalist Rizwan Virk brings out the lessons from Yogananda's classic and reinterprets them for the modern age. In 14 unforgettable lessons, interweaving stories from the autobiography with tales of college professors, students, entrepreneurs, and modern seekers, Virk brings the ancient lessons of karma, yoga, meditation, and siddhas into the modern age of YouTube, video games, mobile phones, and social media. Whether you have never read or listened to the autobiography, or have experienced it multiple times, Wisdom of a Yogi will help enhance your spiritual practice in today's increasingly complex, cluttered, and connected world. Rizwan (“Riz”) Virk is a successful  entrepreneur, investor, futurist, bestselling author, video game industry pioneer, and indie film producer.     Riz received a B.S. in Computer Science  from MIT,  and a M.S. in Management from Stanford's GSB.  He is currently working on a PhD at ASU's College of Global Futures, researching metaverse and virtual worlds. Riz has produced many indie films (imdb link), including Thrive,   Sirius,  Knights of Badassdom, starring Peter Dinklage and Summer Glau, The CW's The Outpost, as well as adaptations of the works of Philip K. Dick and Ursula K. Le Guin. ​ Riz’s otherr books include Startup Myths & Models, The Simulation Hypothesis, The Simulated Multiverse, Zen Entrepreneurship, and Treasure Hunt: Follow Your Inner Clues to Find True Success, and The Simulated Multiverse.

[kkdas]

"Seldom do men realize how often God heeds their prayers. He is not partial to a few, but listens to everyone who approaches Him trustfully. His children should ever have implicit faith in the loving-kindness of their Omnipresent Father."

- Swami Sri Yukteswar

The Lake Shrine Meditation Gardens are open free of charge, Wednesday through Sunday. Advance reservations are required and are available every Saturday morning at 10am. Please visit Lakeshrine.org and follow the steps provided.

#yogananda #lakeshrine

[opalstream]

Affirmation

Today I will cultivate initiative.

The man of initiative

creates something from nothing;

he makes the impossible possible

by the great inventive power of Spirit.

Be Enthusiastically Active

To activate the law of action you must be active. Exercise your powers, rather than ossifying in inertia. So many people are lazy and lacking in ambition - doing the bare minimum of work to somehow live and eat until they die. Such a slothful existence is hardly worthy of being called life. To be alive is to be on fire with purpose, to move forward with undaunted determination toward a goal. You must be enthusiastically active, make something of yourself, and give something worthwhile to the world. It is because my Guru (Swami Sri Yukteswar) strengthened in me the conviction that I could be something that I made the effort to achieve, in spite of the forces that tried to stop me.-Paramahansa Yogananda, To Be Victorious in Life, p 11; Affirmation, Metaphysical Meditations p 11.

*Identify the forces that try to hold you back from accomplishing your highest purpose. One at a time, overcome them. Your will power contains the Invincible Energy of God. OmLove, Annie

[mysticalblizzardcolor]

[ajay-k-sahu]

KRSNA and Autobiography of a Yogi

After reading two deeply spiritual books, KRSNA and Autobiography of a Yogi, I found myself reflecting on their powerful messages. Rather than reviewing them, I want to share what I understood from these works about spirituality, devotion, and the science behind yogic practices.

KRSNA, written by A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada, took me to a world that I could feel deeply involved in. The book tells the story of Lord Krishna from birth, describing how he faced many demons and defeated them either by his own power or through others. At first, I found the strong statements about Krishna as the Supreme God challenging. It seemed like the book focused solely on him as the highest deity. But as I read more, the message became clearer. The book explains the difference between praying to Krishna and to other gods, including Lord Shiva and the many demigods. It emphasizes that while demigods can give us material wealth or blessings, only Krishna has the power to grant salvation. This gives Krishna a unique place in the spiritual world.

Autobiography of a Yogi, written by Paramahansa Yogananda, shares the stories of many yogis and their remarkable experiences. It strengthened my belief that what seems magical is actually based on science and practice. The practices and skills of these yogis come from years of disciplined training. Yogananda’s stories show that these are not just miracles but the result of dedicated effort and mastery in yoga. While not everyone may be able to reach this level, the book reveals what’s possible through commitment to yogic practice.

[lunamagicablu]

Mahavatar Babaji recieving a blessing from Christ in a Himalayan cave by Kriya Yoga artist Stephen Sturgess in London.

Today, July 25 July is Mahavatar Babaji Commemoration Day. It marks the auspicious occasion in 1920 when the great avatar visited Paramahansa Yogananda in Kolkata to bless the young swami’s mission to America to spread Kriya Yoga worldwide.

‘The deathless guru bears no marks of age on his body; he appears to be no more than a youth of twenty-five. Fair-skinned, of medium build and height, Babaji’s beautiful, strong body radiates a perceptible glow. His eyes are dark, calm, and tender; his long lustrous hair is copper-coloured.' (Autobiography of A Yogi).

OM BABAJI! OM CHRIST!

[godsnameisjoy]

CHANGE OF SOUND

Date: 17 January 2024

Duration: 69 minutes at 10:00 PM

Depth:

It is about 10 days now that I haven’t heard the typical plucking sound that I had been hearing for a while. I can best describe it as the sound of a bursting bubble made of a thick liquid. Now imagine the sound coming from the centre of one’s head. That’s how it was during my meditations from 10 days back.

In the last 10 days, there has been a change. The change, most likely, is irreversible. I have a feeling that last night’s meditation revealed the change. From a steady pluck of a thick bubble bursting, it is simply the surface of a thick liquid giving way. The built up bubble sound has disappeared. The bubble has disappeared. Last night, it was simply the surface of a very thick liquid cracking open.

Having written thus far, my mind is suggesting the phrase ‘volcano like’. I am guessing that a dormant volcano’s flat mouth would have to develop cracks before shooting out. ‘Wonder what volcanic cracks sound like. Having added a bit about volcanoes 🌋, I can’t help but notice the bizarreness of it all. I am still writing about sounds I hear during meditation, with an interiorised sense of sound!

I must sound crazy to the reader. 😊That’s ok. If only blogging was possible in the times of Swami Vivekananda and Paramahansa Yogananda. That’s 1863-1902 and 1893-1952, respectively. If the two spiritual giants could have blogged, then my writing today wouldn’t come as a surprise.