Dear initiates, seekers and friends, Divine Heart Center wishes everyone a very happy and joyous New Year 2015. As the New Year begins, I am reminded of the golden words of Shri Lahiri Mahasaya, the Yogi Christ of India.
“Banat banat ban jaye” –These words spoken in colloquial Hindi more than a century ago indicate a profound truth. The literal translation would read something like, “doing, doing and one day it becomes”.
In spirit, the words mean that through continued spiritual practice, slowly but surely, one day the spiritual goal is achieved. These words have provided hope and encouragement for more than a century to all sincere practitioners of meditative Yoga.
Lahiri Mahasaya was a complete Raja Yogi. He was a householder who married, raised a family and worked as an accountant. Yet his spiritual stature is extraordinary. Lahiri Mahasaya reintroduced the modern world to Kriya Yoga in a structured way. He also introduced us once again to the timeless Mahavatar Babaji through a description of his own meeting with the eternal Yogi in a cave in Dunagiri Hills in India. (I had the privilege of visiting this cave a few years back in India. The climb in the rain was steep but the deep meditation in the cave more than compensated for the effort).
The spiritual stature of Lahiri Mahasaya is evident in writings which mention him as having initiated the Sai Baba of Shirdi. His own Guru Mahavatar Babaji is the fountainhead of the Nath lineage which has produced spiritual powerhouses like Jesus the Christ and Lao Tsu. Lord Ram, Shri Krishna, Lord Hanuman and Guru Nanak have praised Him.
The point to consider is that if a busy professional and householder in the eighteen hundreds can scale the summits of spirituality amidst all the challenges of a worldly life, why can’t we?
It is true that in case of Lahiri Mahasaya, it was the merits of his previous births that supported and propelled his spiritual journey in his life as Lahiri. Not all of us have evolved to such an extent that spiritual faith and fervor is embedded in our DNA. However, one has to make a start somewhere and someday.
Let today be that day when you become more focused in your spiritual pursuits and more balanced in your daily life. Let the place that you are in be your starting point. Do not wait for the world to free you for your Yoga and meditation "pastimes". Your union with the eternal, in as much as it depends on Grace, is ultimately your responsibility too. Yoga is a serious pursuit. It is a journey into self-exploration.
This New Year, I wish that you find time for Yoga, Reiki and meditation. They are all means to one end – your own realization of who you are; a realization of your true Self. An awakening of your mind from the conceptual sleep which falsely makes you feel accomplished and knowledgeable in your worldly life but, in Reality, keeps you dreaming in an ever increasing field of illusion.
This universe is ultimately three truths – the Absolute, the being and the illusion. A Reiki Raja Yogi has to balance all three. While being the manager of the illusory world, he or she has to be the master of his own Self and progress into the Absolute. The illusory world is always unstable; this inherent instability has to be managed using worldly laws and customs. The Self is more stable – so, therefore, one has to know the self to be anchored in long term stability. The Absolute is the basis of everything; it is the center of spiritual gravity. Meditation on the Absolute under correct guidance aligns the illusory world, the being and its relationship with the Absolute such that a liberating balance is achieved. When this happens, Reiki flows freely through the being and Yoga is accomplished.
In this New Year, find time for meditation so that you can align with the Truth and realize your true Self.
As far as the worldly work of the Divine Heart Center is concerned, year 2014 was a busy year for us. A strong core group of Master Reiki Raja Yogis and advanced healers has been formed. All charged with a strong power of will and a strong power of love - a team of Yogis who can manage their life in the illusory world while expanding their awareness into the Absolute. They do this for their own realization and for the benefit of all sentient beings.
In 2014, select initiates also enjoyed spiritual retreats, especially the one to the Himalayas in India. Significant spiritual experiences were earned in the Himalayan trip including visions and visitations by the highest Gurus. By the Grace of the Absolute, we were led to a cave where Lord Shiva himself had meditated. Today, many months after, I continue to experience the healing photons of light from the “shivling” in the cave.
A new meditation music track called “Reiki Healing Affirmations” was also released to specifically benefit the Reiki channels worldwide. This music track mentions the Reiki points in the body and the psychosomatic affirmations related to each point. Thanks to everyone who has used this track in their practice; we have received positive feedback for the track. We will pass the praise to the Divine.
The year 2015 will be equally busy. We, at Divine Heart Center, feel like the Swan who is calm in the awareness of the Divine above the illusory waters of the world. However, in the worldly waters, the Yogi Swan is paddling its webbed feet intensely like there is no tomorrow. This is Karma Yoga – the yoga of non-attached action at its finest.
Please take a look at the meditative retreats and the active spiritual tours that we have planned for everyone’s benefit in 2015. Our summer retreat in the US is planned from May 8th-10th. This year’s Himalayan tour will take place in the Nepal Himalayas. There is also a tour planned for Mount Kailash – the holiest place in Hinduism and many other religions. Please register for the retreats as soon as possible so that we can plan efficiently.
Our first book on Reiki Raja Yoga is being drafted as I write this blog. Plans are also underway for expanding the New England center into a Retreat Center for the benefit of Yogis who want to meditate for multiple days. Of course, all these noble efforts require energy and funds. To generate funds, we have decided to offer pre-orders for the first book and discounted gift vouchers and healing cards for the retreat center. We like to avoid taking donations but we welcome our supporters buying our healing cards. This energy exchange makes it a win-win for the center and its supporters.
Thank you once more to everyone, especially the core team, for their support and keep up the practice of Reiki Raja Yoga.
Aum, Prem, Brham.
Shailesh and the Divine team.
