Seriously, Why Wait One More Minute?

In Return from Tomorrow, George Ritchie’s detailed and inspiring account of his near-death experience as a nineteen-year-old soldier, he writes:

I was not sure when the light in the room began to change; suddenly I was aware that it was brighter, a lot brighter, than it had been. I whirled to look at the night-light on the bedside table. Surely a single 15-watt bulb could not turn out that much light?

I stared in astonishment as the brightness increased, coming from nowhere, seeming to shine everywhere at once. All the light bulbs in the ward could not give off that much light. All the bulbs in the world could not! It was impossibly bright: it was like a million welders’ lamps all blazing at once. And right in the middle of my amazement came a prosaic thought, probably born of

Turn Off Your Phones!

in church today, the minister offered a nice analogy. He said that if you ask a friend to call you but you’re always on the phone with others, your friend won’t be able to reach you.

So it is with God. If your five “sense telephones” are ceaselessly relaying information and perceptions about

The Secret to a Balanced Life

In a talk at the Self-Realization Fellowship World Convocation entitled Bringing Our Lives Into Balance, Brother Achalananda blended faith and logic to articulate a compelling prescription for finding balance in our daily lives:

The more complex our lives become, the more we need to realize that there is only one reliable point of balance—and that is

Astrologer Laurie Baum’s Chakra Meditation

Laurie Baum

The hour-long Chakra Meditation above is courtesy of Laurie Baum, a psychological astrologer and psychotherapist in practice in Encinitas, California.

Laurie writes a free astrological newsletter about how planetary alignments affect our lives on earth. Click here to e-mail Laurie to subscribe at no cost, or visit Laurie’s website and click on “Free Email Newsletter.”

Laurie also offers counseling appointments via landline phone or Skype (audio or video), which she will digitally record for you. To make an appointment, click here to e-mail Laurie or call her at (760) 753-7676.

NOTE: Click here to read Laurie’s recent Spring Equinox update, which includes a detailed overview of the Grand Cross and an accompanying nineteen-minute video about this phenomenon. She shares more thoughts about the Grand Cross below.

THE GRAND CROSS OF 2014

A powerful Grand Cross has been forming in the sky during Holy Week and the Passover holiday. The powerfully symbolic Cross will gain in intensity on Easter Sunday, April 20, and continue to influence us throughout next week, capped by a Solar Eclipse on April 28-29.

Like a cross, the Grand Cross has four arms that will pull you in four different directions. It is important to maintain a strong center so you are not pulled off track. You may also feel as if something old that you no longer need is leaving your life and that you soon will have an opportunity to resurrect

Alan Pritz: Give Yourself to God

Alan Pritz

Alan Pritz is a spiritual and meditation teacher, author, musician, life coach, consultant and a personal friend. Here is an inspiring essay he wrote for InspireMeToday.com.

GIVE YOURSELF TO GOD
by Alan Pritz

Given 30 seconds to say what is most important in life, it’d be simple: give yourself to God.

God gets a mixed review, obviously a favorable spin from religious or spiritual types, but still one with vague undertones of uncertainty. The advice I gave sounds good but what does it really mean, why is it important, and how should one go about doing it?

Let’s cut to the chase. Life on earth isn’t easy. Even when wealthy or healthy, people may be miserable. With no way to know what’ll happen one minute to the next, control and security are illusory. Money, power, fame, sex, etc. promise happiness but inevitably disappoint because they lead nowhere. And more, they distract us from

Tune Out to Tune In

In church today, the minister offered two simple but effective analogies. Allow me to paraphrase what he said: “If you’re lying in bed but there’s a TV blaring in the room, you’re not going to get any sleep until you pull the plug and make it calm, quiet and dark. Now imagine that you’re working at your desk and five salesmen barge in, each of them hawking their product at once. With all

Sweeter and Sweeter

Paramahansa Yogananda meditating outside

Have you always wanted to meditate but keep on putting it off? If so, you’re probably also putting off being the best you that you can be. Witness this letter from a Texas man to Self-Realization Fellowship that was printed in the Summer 2011 issue of Self-Realization magazine:

One evening after I’d been meditating twice daily for the first six months I announced to my wife that I was going to bed rather than meditate because I was feeling so tired. Without hesitation my wife grabbed my shirt collar with both hands, and her face only inches from mine, she announced to me that I

2-4-6-8! Now It’s Time to Meditate!

Why is speedskating like meditating?

At this morning’s service at the Self-Realization Fellowship temple, Brother Bhumananda offered a couple of wonderful tips for ensuring a productive meditation session. He recalled that in his high school days, the entire school gathered for a pep rally before every football game, which fired up the players to perform at their best. He also told an anecdote about watching participants warming up for the speedskating finals in the Olympics. He said there was no doubt that Bonnie Blair would be victorious—which she was—because her intense desire to win was evident in her face.

He then suggested that before each meditation session, we take a minute or two

Thinking and Reading Cannot Lead You to God

Studying scriptures and spiritual writings can be tremendously inspiring and rewarding, but know this: The mind is incapable of leading you to God. The exalted state of conscious unity with the Divine cannot be explained; it can only be experienced.







In the CD, Is Meditation on God Compatible With Modern Life?, Sri Daya Mata echoes that sentiment, as you

Tending Your Divine Flower Garden

I love this excerpt from a satsanga (Q&A) given by Sri Daya Mata, the longtime president of Self-Realization Fellowship. It drives home the point that your spiritual path will only take you as far as you take it. Enlightenment takes time and effort. As Beverly Sills noted, “There are no shortcuts to any place worth going.” Here are Daya Ma’s insights from the Fall 2006 issue of Self-Realization magazine.

Sri Daya Mata

Seeking God is like tending a flower garden: You plant the seeds and wait patiently for the flowers to bloom; but if you also allow weeds to sprout up and remain, gradually those intruders will crowd out the good plants and take over the garden. When you want the blossoms of God’s presence, you have to

Meditation for Christmas Morn

Paramahansa Yogananda

In the spirit of the true meaning of Christmas, I am pleased to share this excerpt from Metaphysical Meditations by Paramahansa Yogananda. May you have a wonderful holiday season and may 2011 bring ceaseless blessings your way.

MEDITATION FOR CHRISTMAS MORN

Celebrate the birth of Christ in the cradle of your consciousness during the Christmas season. Let His vast perception in Nature, in

Heart Songs

Alan Pritz

My good friend Alan Pritz has created a new CD of spiritual chants called Heart Songs. These devotional chants were introduced or popularized by Paramahansa Yogananda and his devotees. Alan, in fact, was the person who introduced me to the teachings of Yogananda more than ten years ago.

Devotionally chanting prior to meditation helps prepare the mind to receive the presence of God. I often find myself

The Little Joy of the Soul

Paramahansa Yogananda meditating

Meditation is not an emptying of the mind. It is the highest form of concentration in which the mind is focused entirely on God. What we call happiness is negligible compared to the inner peace and exultation of spirit we attain in meditation.

Happiness, the province of the ego, is fleeting. Joy, the

How to Meditate for Beginners

Paramahansa Yogananda, founder of Self-Realization Fellowship

Over the years, many people have asked me how to meditate. They want to start but are not sure how to begin. If you would like to start a meditation practice, I heartily endorse the instructions given on the newly remodeled Self-Realization Fellowship website.

Click here for How to Meditate—Beginner’s Instructions. Follow the steps to advance to Correct Posture and A Beginner’s Meditation. You’ll also find links to information about prayers, affirmations and devotional chanting.

As a bonus, click here for a handful of very short Q&A videos on meditation. Plus, click on Guided Meditations under the Meditation & Kriya Yoga menu at the top of the site and you’ll find three fifteen-minute audios of Guided Meditations.

To commune daily with God in deep meditation, and to carry His love and guidance with you into all your dutiful activities, is the way that leads to permanent peace and happiness.
Paramahansa Yogananda

If this material interests you, click here for information about SRF’s Lessons on Meditation and

Meditation: Falling Awake

This insightful double-interview, Meditation: Falling Awake, was presented on The Spirit of Things on the ABC Radio Network. Host Rachael Kohn interviewed Dr. Jon Kabat-Zinn, who says the purpose of meditation is mindfulness, not bliss; and Self-Realization Fellowship monk Brother Satyananda, who makes the case that meditation can produce mindfulness and spiritual bliss.

What is mindfulness? In the interview, Dr. Kabat-Zinn defines it as: The awareness that arises from paying attention, on purpose, in the present moment, non-judgmentally.

Click on the audio player below to listen to the

Calmly Active, Actively Calm

What we call happiness is negligible compared to the inner peace and ecstatic joy we attain in meditation. Happiness, the province of the ego, is fleeting. Joy, the natural state of the soul, is infinite and eternal.

Still your mind in me, still yourself in me, and without a doubt you 
shall be united with me, Lord of 
Love, dwelling in your heart.
Bhagavad Gita 12:8

Enriching your inner life is only half the equation. If the peace and unconditional love you feel in meditation is not