Souls are the radiating rays of Spirit, individualized as formless, vibrationless “atoms” and “tissues” of Spirit. Hence, they are coexistent with Spirit and of the same essence, as the sun and its rays are one. Though incarnate, the soul belongs to the noumenal region, which changes not. All material forms belong to the regions of phenomena; their very nature being alienated from Spirit, they change constantly. Phenomena arise from and are inseparably linked with noumena; but the latter, being of Spirit, are immutable and transcendent.

The outer surface of the soul’s consciousness that is cloaked with the instrumentalities of the ego, mind, and senses undergoes the permutations of Nature, but the soul’s essence remains inviolable.”

“By the definite science of meditation known for millenniums to the yogis and sages of India, and to Jesus, any seeker of God can enlarge the caliber of his consciousness to omniscience to receive within himself the Universal Intelligence of God.”~ Paramahansa Yogananda

In order live a fulfilled life, we must be aware of our potential and our true meaning in this world. Our access to Intuition, the soul’s connection to the divine, through meditation is the path to that awareness. By going within — only — do we find the answers and truth that we seek.

Meditation can be approached in many ways — and everyone has their own unique path. Explore some of the links below to find yours:

Meditation Basics

The Kriya Yoga Path of Meditation

The Self-Sufficient Meditator

Guided Meditation (with Deepak Chopra)

The theme of C.S. Lewis’ ‘The Chronicles of Narnia’ is based on the seven planets forming the heavens in medieval astrology, says a scholar whose theory has been examined in a BBC documentary.

The theory, proposed by Reverend Dr Michael Ward, has come after more than 50 years of literary and theological speculation arguing whether Lewis formed the classic children literature bearing a particular pattern in mind or painted his characters and incidents randomly, reports the Daily Telegraph.

In his book Planet Narnia: The Seven Heavens in the Imagination of CS Lewis, Ward has claimed that Lewis, a leading medieval scholar who never revealed the hidden theme behind the series, had based the theme of each of the book on the basis of the characteristics traced to the seven planets.

This discovery only adds fuel to the fire for some (who have claimed Lewis was everything from Occultist to Illuminati), but more than anything, it reflects Lewis’ deep connection with medieval philosophy, and an interpretation of the universe with has been lost with the advent of modern science. The ‘God-drenched’ meaningful cosmology of old has been replace with an empty-space cosmology, which, for good reason, Lewis was reluctant to embrace as the end-all of cosmological understanding.

This is an enduring problem in our day. Popular physicists, like even the young, hip Professor Brian Cox, refer to astrology as “rubbish,” but certainly have never scientifically researched the subject matter. Why is it so controversial to think that that matter has ‘meaning?’ As human beings, if a scientist were to tell us that we are combinations molecules of basic elements determined by DNA output, we’d say “Yes, that is what we are made of.” But that is not what we are. What we are made of is not the same thing as what we are. Why should we think that we know what the planets are, just because we know what they are made of?

So, when I hear thing like this — like that CS Lewis had a secret affinity for astrology — it makes me smile. A man refused to let go of the concept a completely meaningful universe, in the face of science. The cosmology of  the medieval world was based on everything in the universe being an intentional, meaningful manifestation of creation. The planets are meaningful and they are meaningful to our existence. As Lewis himself wrote in The Space Trilogy, as his hero found himself in outerspace, he “found it night by night more difficult to disbelieve in the old astrology: almost he felt, wholly he imagined ‘sweet influence’ pouring in or even stabbing his surrendered body.”

As in all dialectics, we have an action, a reaction, then a synthesis — ideally in truth. Science and technology have allowed us a very rational reaction to our early, spiritual understanding of the world. BUT, that early spiritual understanding was not wrong. Each day, as science fills in the voids, it is harkening us back to our early days. In time, I have no doubt that science will prove the very things that it, in its infancy, dismissed. Until then, the rest of us can enjoy knowing the secrets.

Think of all the great words and great teachings as your deadly enemy. Avoid them, because you have to find your own source. You have not to be a follower, an imitator. You have to be an original individual; you have to find your innermost core on your own, with no guide, no guiding scriptures. It is a dark night, but with the intense fire of inquiry you are bound to come to the sunrise.

Everybody who has burned with intense inquiry has found the sunrise. Others only believe. Those who believe are not religious, they are simply avoiding the great adventure of religion by believing.

[COUTESTY OF OSHO]

“Recognize that the very molecules that make up your body, the atoms that construct the molecules, are traceable to the crucibles that were once the centers of high mass stars that exploded their chemically rich guts into the galaxy, enriching pristine gas clouds with the chemistry of life. So that we are all connected to each other biologically, to the earth chemically and to the rest of the universe atomically…We are in the universe and the universe is in us.”
— Neil DeGrasse Tyson, Astrophysicst & Director of Hayden Planetarium

Someone once said: “Be Known for One Thing.”
This sentiment has bothered me since the first time I heard it. Why — why should we be known for only one thing? Why should we be “defined” by one thing alone?

All definitions are — at best — half truths. They never tell us the whole story. Look at the people in our lives: the mothers, or plumbers, or CEO’s, or farmers, etc, etc…..it is so easy to label each other by the “one thing” we know about them. One thing I have learned over and over again on this journey is that people are *always* more interesting than we initially think. Everyonehas a story.

And no one can be defined by just one thing. Take Leonardo DaVinci, or Rudolf Steiner (pictured above), for example. They were artists, and scientists, and philosophers, mathematicians and architects, and writers, and teachers……..all of the above. As diverse and creative human beings, why shouldnt we all be recognized for the full dimension of our humanity? And why should each of us, in turn, not embrace the entire gamut of spiritual and material existence? Aren’t we just selling ourselves short by picking one thing to invest our time in?

That being said, there is “one thing” that all of the things listed above have in common: they are manifestations — clues or tools for the meaning of existence. The arts and sciences, and everything in between, all connect us to the same source. If you look for “God” — or meaning — in everything, you will be fascinated by everything. That is the Renaissance Man. Whether you find meaning in numbers, or in creativity, or at the altar — the world is a place of endless wonder — and life itself is the crowned jewel of that wonder.

Next time you are in LA, put a trip to Mt. Washington on your list. Talk about good energy. I could have spent days in the mediation gardens.

Sometimes in life you go to places that have a special power — not tangible, yet perceptible. This place, perched peacefully atop the mountain, overlooking the valleys and the hustle of Hollywood, breathes with the magical energy of California — the raw energy that made California what it is, long before it became the cultural mecca it now is.

Its no wonder that people fall in love with this place — there is something in the air in California. And these mediation gardens are a great place to experience it — above the din, in peace. Mile-wide reiki and sky-high palms….

You can find out more about Paramahansa Yogananda the man, and the many gardens he established in the early 1900′s throughout the LA area here, at his legacy organization: The Self-Realization Fellowship.

Trivia: Did you know that the fellowship’s Lake Shrine, located on the other side of the city, is home to Gandhi’s ashes?

Turning inwards is not a turning at all. Going inwards is not a going at all.

Turning inwards simply means that you have been running after this desire and that, and you have been running and running and you have been coming again and again to frustration.That each desire brings misery, that there is no fulfillment through desire. That you never reach anywhere, that contentment is impossible. Seeing this truth, that running after desires takes you nowhere, you stop. Not that you make any effort to stop. If you make any effort to stop it is again running, in a subtle way. You are still desiring–maybe now it is desirelessness that you desire.

If you are making an effort to go in, you are still going out. Any effort can only take you out, outwards. All journeys are outward journeys, there is no inward journey. How can you journey inwards? You are already there, there is no point in going. When going stops, journeying disappears; when desiring is no more clouding your mind, you are in. This is called turning in. But it is not a turning at all, it is simply not going out.

Courtesy of Osho Zen Tarot, This Very Body The Buddha Chapter 9