What Happens When You Get COVID-19: From Home To Hospital To Recovery

covid-19

Covid-19 In All Its Glory: A Shutterstock Licensed Image

The official name of the 2019 novel coronavirus is Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus-2 (SARS-CoV-2), resulting in a disease known as COVID-19. It’s been a wild ride for this virus, and the butt of many jokes. The mystery surrounding its origins has given birth to a variety of home-spun conspiracy theories. This includes, “All Chinese people eat bat soup,” “you can drink bleach or liquid silver to immediately kill the virus,” and “this is all media hype, the virus is no worse than the common cold.” This is what happens when good people follow misguided politicians, ideologies, and media stars, instead of cold, hard facts, and science.

There are a variety of ways you can contract COVID-19, but the most likely route is from particles in the air. You can also get it when touching someone’s hand or an object that has the virus on its surface, and then touching your face. Washing your hands several times a day, and especially after personal interactions, should be part of your preventative care plan. That said, it’s best to stay home and hibernate, wash your mail, incoming packages, and be extremely careful when engaging other people. Keep a distance of at least 6 ft.

This virus is infinitely more dangerous than the common cold (the common cold does not have a mortality rate) and probably 10-20X more dangerous than the flu. There are also signs that the virus comes in different forms, each one requiring different treatments. This is why some people have no symptoms and others experience extreme complications at the onset and eventually die. Given the mayhem, it’ll be helpful to understand how this virus could affect your body and life. Read about coronavirus here.

The 5 Phases of COVID-19

Here’s a 5-phase, fictional, personal journey that imagines what happens when the coronavirus makes its way into the human body. I sourced these feelings and experiences from a variety of first-hand accounts in Italy and China. I wrote them as first-person monologues so that you can feel into the experience and personally relate with them. I did this because, as an empath, I wasn’t feeling connected to the popular, bulleted lists that attempt to outline what patients are experiencing. While not everyone has the same journey or the same vulnerabilities, I hope these short speeches give you a few insights into what it might feel like when someone contracts COVID-19. Thanks for going along with this theatrical style. I hope it’s helpful to you.

Stage 1 – The Common Cold

“I guess it’s day two or three of not feeling so well. I have your typical runny nose, feel a bit stuffed-up, and my throat feels unusually scratchy. It sounds like a cold to me! Oh, and I’m quite congested, so I tend to cough a bit here and there. Yeah, I’ve got the usual body aches and a bit of a headache, but at least it’s not a migraine. Feeling a little warm, but not super-feverish. Since I pushed hard yesterday, I’m not going into work today. I’m going to hydrate, grab some vitamin C, and take a 3-hour nap. That should do it!”

Stage 2 – I’m 100% Recovered!
“As I said, a little C and a little nap, and I’m 100% recovered. I don’t know what all the hype is about, but I’m certain I’ve recovered. I nearly bought 150 rolls of toilet paper and a diesel generator! How silly can I be! Must’ve been the fever. I’m going to take a little walk, grab some lunch, and head back to the office a little late. I feel like I was such a wimp, but being on the mend feels great!”

Stage 3 – Wait, I’ve Got The Flu
“I definitely have a fever. And these chills don’t feel so good. I’m coughing like I invented it, and my throat feels like it’s lined with gravel. My nose drips like a faucet, and my muscles ache from head to toe. Apparently, I’ve got a weak immune system. And all of a sudden, I’m increasingly short of breath. Not going to the doc’s today as I’m sure this is temporary. So much for exercise and kale! I must’ve caught this bug at that luncheon a few days ago. I got my flu shot, but somehow I’m in the 65% who don’t respond to it. This headache and diarrhea have wiped me out. I’ll bet if I rest a bit, I won’t feel so exhausted tomorrow. Hopefully, this flu has a short shelf-life.”

Stage 4 – Actually, It’s Pneumonia!
“I hate going to the doctors, but he just confirmed that I have a 104-degree fever and pneumonia. And this headache feels more like a migraine. Tests came back, but as a flu, but as the disease COVID-19. I’m freaking out. I’m coughing-up a bio lab’s level of green phlegm, and it feels like I’m storing 5 gallons of water in my chest. My chills could cool a six-pack. This is not a good day. I don’t want to eat, I’m breathing too fast, my heart hurts, and I’m sweating like a roasted pig. My sweetheart said my lips sometimes turn a little blue. That can’t be a good thing. When my grandpa had pneumonia, he said he was confused all the time, so I’m thankful to be in my mid-40s! Not much I can do but cough, sleep, and massage my chest. Gosh, I hope I’m okay. Am I okay? At this point. I have no idea.”

Stage 5 – This Is Far Worse Than Pneumonia.
“Since breathing became difficult, I lost my senses of taste and smell, and my brain now feels swollen, so the doc checked me into intensive care. Feels like I’m breathing through a clogged straw. I can barely type. Sometimes I fear for my life and start to feel a bit lost and confused. Makes me appreciate the most important parts of my day – breathing! While nobody is telling me that I’m going to die, my doc says I’m not out of the woods yet. Ugh, look at these machines around me.”

Stage 6 – A Fork In The Road
45 year old in moderately good health: “It’s day 3 in intensive care, and day 12 of me not feeling so hot. The good news is that I feel a tiny bit better today. That said, things still feel a little dicey. The doc assured me that I’m on the tail end of this awful virus and that I’ll most likely recover to 80% within a few days. He also said that I might continue to experience some lung challenges or damage, and that only time will tell. I swear to God, for a time, I felt like I was going to die. I’m grateful for science, global data, hospitals, my awesome doctors at home – and these folks right here at the hospital! GOD BLESS YOU ALL! GO, SCIENCE!”

71 yr old with prior respiratory and kidney problems: “I arrived this morning feeling nervous. With a pounding head, all this phlegm with what feels like water in my lungs, and needing to be on a machine to breathe, I’m deeply worried. Feeling anxious. Can’t sleep and I’m so foggy all the time. My doctor says my kidneys are extremely vulnerable. She also said my lungs are struggling. I’ve invited my family to be with me today so that we can make some decisions together. Seems there are some emerging therapies, but no vaccines will be available for quite some time. I’m praying, and I’m feeling gratitude for my beautiful family.”

For A Faster Recovery, Be Healthy Right Now

While the above exploration isn’t precise, I hope it gives you a better understanding of the severity and potential variances for those who contract COVID-19. In all cases, prior good health, exercise, and nutrition seem to play important parts, not only during the peaks of the challenges but also in the length of time it takes to recover.

In all pursuits, whether physical, emotional, or spiritual, finding ways to be relaxed, peaceful, and loving go a long way. Viruses like SARS-CoV-2 (the virus that causes COVID-19) can inspire quickened emotional and spiritual evolution. As we evolve our souls, we improve the vibrations of our bodies. With positive thoughts and intentions, we improve our states of mind. If we can also enhance our diets and exercise routines, we can put ourselves in the best possible positions for smooth journeys ahead.

Good News In The Works

A few positive byproducts of the virus include far less pollution throughout the world, a drastic reduction in fracking, an industry which is now on the verge of collapse, many plastics companies are on their last breaths, and we have more time to focus on our relationships and spirituality. And even though it could take 8-18 months to become available to the general public, there is progress toward a vaccine.

While there no antiviral drugs have definitively proven successful in treating the virus, there are many companies and thousands of scientists around the world working on a vaccine. Many of these brilliant people are also being offered company and government incentives and bonuses if they find success.

Several medications and procedures have shown promise in curbing symptoms, reducing recovery time, and improving lung conditions, like the drug favipiravir. New York is testing an old Spanish Flu procedure where the plasma of recovered patients is injected into those who have the virus. While it’s not a cure, it promises to speed-up recovery. Taking other suggested drugs have shown mixed results, like hydroxychloroquine, which resulted in a death. Gilead Sciences’ antiviral drug remdesivir has shown promise as potentially having cured a small number of people, but not all of the people who took the drug improved.

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As industry icons and Fortune 1000 brands promise to manufacture masks and build ventilators, states are stepping-up. Colorado will soon receive 100,000 new test kits that utilize finger pricks, rather than the traditional sinus swab. The company Everlywell has recently launched a new home test kit for hospital and medical workers, which will be available to the general public in the coming weeks. And although the US federal government continues to ignore data, doctors, and science, most governors are directing their citizens to stay home. The result: people are listening and it’s working.

One thing is certain: Social distancing flattens the curve, which has proven successful in states like Washington and New York. Meanwhile, New Jersey, California, Oregon, Colorado, and other states have followed suit, telling their citizens to stay home, and putting all non-essential state operations and businesses on hold. You can see the results of social distancing in this phenomenal, animated infographic which successfully illustrates how a disease like COVID-19 can spread so quickly: https://www.washingtonpost.com/graphics/2020/world/corona-simulator/

As news continues to filter through your feeds and as you learn more about COVID-19, be aware that our bodies are remarkably resilient, even in our later years. The most crucial thing for you to do now is to protect yourself and your loved ones:

  • Stay home, isolate, and quarantine
  • If you must be social, keep distances at 6 ft or more
  • Cancel all travel plans
  • Cancel all child and friend playdates 
  • Get comfortable with video conferencing on Zoom, Skype, Join.me, and others
  • Wash your hands throughout the day, 20 seconds at a clip
  • Eat healthily and get lots of rest
  • Take supplements and eat greens to improve your immune system 
  • Wash all incoming packages before opening, including mail and meal deliveries
  • Use this time to meditate, forgive others, find peace, create, and expand
  • Love the ones nearest to you 
  • Pray for the world

I wish all of you good health and lots of light in your lives. Please be diligent in your preparations, and stay informed! Remember, this, too, shall pass.

Patanjali: The Luminous Sage

Patanjali

Patanjali, an eternal master. A Shutterstock Licensed Image.

Patanjali was a prolific sage who lived in the 2nd century BCE and authored The Yoga Sutras, a collection of 196 ancient practices of yoga and other traditions. Who is Patanjali? Many call him, “The Father of Yoga.”

Patanjali’s magnificent collection, now a preeminent classic in Yogic philosophy, was the most translated ancient text during the medieval era. The Patanjali Yoga Sutras continue to be a cornerstone in the foundation of Yogic teachings.

In his Yoga Sutras. Patanjali outlines the eight steps needed to attain Self-Realization. His writing is not based on belief; instead it describes methodologies for spiritual growth, according to a core set of principles for conscious living.​

In Sanskrit, “Patta” means falling or flying. “Anj” means to celebrate or honor, and “Anjali” means to revere or join the palms of hands. Therefore, we can translate the name Patanjali in this way, “Celebrate with flying reverence” or “Honor the falling Self as it joins hands with all of creation.”

Patanjali, also known as Gonardiya and Gonikaputra, spent much of his time practicing yogic meditation at the Brahmapureeswarar Temple in Tirupattur, Tamil Nadu, India. This is the temple where Lord Brahma, the Creator, was forever transformed by Lord Shiva. It is said that visitors can experience a deep transformation at this temple by calling on Shiva for help.

Patanjali may have learned yoga and other disciplines from the famous Yogic Guru, Nandhi Devar. Nandhi is one of the 18 Yoga Siddhas (perfected ones), initiated by Lord Shiva. Nandhi Devar’s disciples include Patanjali, Dakshinamoorthy, Thirumoolar, Romarishi, and Sattamuni.

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Although the Yoga Sutras of Patanjali fell into obscurity for nearly 700 years, Swami Vivekananda, a disciple of Ramakrishna, brought them back into conscious practice in the 1800s. They’ve been popular since that time.

The 196 Yoga Sutras of Patanjali comprise the holy grail for yogis, gurus, awakened masters, and devotees. The sutras are in four volumes entitled, Psychic Power, Practice of Yoga (Patanjali’s Yoga Asanas), Samadhi (state of divine bliss in union with the eternal consciousness), and Kayvalia (separateness).​

The Patanjali of this period created significant works about Ayurveda (the ancient, Indian medical philosophy) and Sanskrit grammar.

“Yoga Takes You Into The Present Moment, The Only Place Where Life Exists.”
— Patanjali

The Other Patanjalis

While Patanjali is also credited with authoring the Mahabhashya, also known as the Yogasūtrabhāṣya, a commentary on yogic truths, these works were created after the 5th Century CE, which makes it unlikely that the 2nd Century BCE Patanjali was the author.

Strangely, the name “Patanjali” appears on a long list of books and spiritually inclined treatises throughout history on subjects that include medicine, music, and alchemy. Among the texts that later Patanjalis may have written include Patanjalah or Patanjalatantra; Yogaratnakara; Yogaratnasamuccaya; Padarthavijnana and; Carakavarttika.

The Teachings Of Patanjali: The Eight Steps To Self-Realization

Patanjali taught actionable principles that lead to self-realization through yoga. Here are the eight steps, including the sub-steps:

  • Yama: Yama is often called “the five restraints,” as it notes the behaviors we should avoid when living a spiritual life. Here are the five restraints:
    • Ahimsa: Non-violence or harmlessness This is difficult to integrate into modern life. When building a house, we might kill the tiny bugs that live beneath the foundation. The idea of Ahimsa is to refrain from wishing harm on any living being, in this realm and other realms.
    • Satya: Non-lying or truthfulness. This is also a problematic notion when living in such a complex world. We can blurt out truths in the middle of a cocktail party and send a sensitive soul into depression. The idea of Satya is to show restraint when wishing for life, relationships and circumstances to be different than they are.

    • Asteya: Non-covetousness. Asteya is simple in that we should never compare ourselves to others with the hope of achieving or having what they have.
    • Brahmacharya: Sexual self-restraintBrahmacharya means “flowing with Bramha: and does not necessarily dictate being celibate. It can also refer to sexual self-control. The main idea here is that sexually expressing ourselves can drain our energy, lower our defenses, reduce our mental alertness, and negatively impact our stamina and energy. Showing sexual restraint can improve our well-being and ability to connect with the eternal consciousness. Sexual restraint also allows our kundalini to be as potent and fluid as possible.
    • Aparigraha: Non-possessiveness. If we can remain detached from all of our possessions and relations, including our bodies, we will be more connected to the depth of our spirits and the eternal Self.
  • Niyama: Niyama consists of five activities and behaviors that initiates should consider when in the pursuit of spiritual progress. Here are the five activities:
    • Saucha: Cleanliness of body, mind, and heart. Saucha is about being careful what we consume, what we ingest, what we think, what we feel, and what we believe.
    • Santosha: Contentment. The Niyama of Santosha is about realizing that nothing in this world (no person, place, event, or thought), can bring us happiness. We must rely on our interdependence through and within our higher Selves.
    • Tapasya: Austerity or self-restraint. While many ancient Yogis undoubtedly hurt themselves when demonstrating their expertise in this category, Tapasya was never meant to encourage initiates to harm or deprive themselves of essential needs. That type of deprivation and self-abuse violates the first Yama, Ahimsa.
    • Swadhyaya: Self-study or introspection. While some devotees might interpret Swadhyaya as “study of the scriptures,” it refers to “Self-study,” equal to the study of the Higher Self. This Niyama is about questioning our motives, intentions, and reasoning, and remaining open-minded to the possibility that any aspect of our beliefs or assumptions could be incorrect.
    • Ishwarapranidhana: Worship of the Supreme Self, in the form of a high-vibration living master or deity. Through worship, we become. As we meditate on the rose, we become the rose.
  • Asana: Some might assume that Asana is about perfecting our ability to perform Hatha Yoga postures. This is not true. Asana is the ability to sit without moving, and with a straight spine for long periods. Many types of yoga can help with this, but no specific Yogic discipline is required.
  • Pranayama: To have control over our physical energies, we must withdraw our attention from the outer senses and sense objects. This means we would refrain from fantasizing and becoming allured by our use of sight, smell, taste, sound and touch. If the senses provide an experience, we must remain detached. If we can move our kundalini (primary life energies) up our spine to the higher chakras, we will have experienced Pranayama.
  • Pratyahara: When we internalize our attention, focus, and mental activity (our thoughts) without externalizing them or projecting them upon other people, events, or concepts, we will have experienced Pratyahara.
  • Dharana: Dharana is the ability to concentrate with a one-pointed focus. While this Dharana might not appear to have a spiritual quality to it, imagine how difficult it would be to learn a spiritual discipline if we were unable to focus all of our attention on the teachings.
  • Dhyana: One of the most essential steps toward self-realization is our ability to faithfully meditate on God or the Higher Self for long periods. This activity alone can move us closer to our goal of self-realization because it produces outpourings of God’s grace upon our minds, bodies, hearts, and souls.
  • Samadhi: The final step in the pursuit of liberation is to practice becoming absorbed in the infinite, in the quest of a “oneness” with all of creation. ​Samadhi has two stages, Sabikalpa (temporary and conditional) and Nibikalpa (unconditional and permanent).
    • Sabikalpa is when we might release our egos during meditation, and when meditation is over, we allow the ego to return.
    • Nibikalpa is the state of eternal oneness whereupon the ego wholly dissipates into nothingness without resistance or chance of returning.

 

“The most important kind of freedom is to be what you are. You trade in your reality for a role. You trade in your sense for an act. You give up your ability to feel, and in exchange, put on a mask. There can’t be any large-scale revolution until there’s a personal revolution, on an individual level. It’s got to happen inside first.”
— Jim Morrison

Patanjali Quotes

  • “The cause of suffering is that the unbounded Self is overshadowed by the world.”
  • “Yoga is the settling of the mind into silence. When the mind has settled, we are established in our essential nature, which is unbounded Consciousness. Our essential nature is usually overshadowed by the activity of the mind.”
  • “When you are inspired by some great purpose, some extraordinary project, all your thoughts break their bonds; your mind transcends limitations; your consciousness expands in every direction; and you find yourself in a great, new and wonderful world.”
  • “Knowledge born of the finest discrimination takes us to the farthest shore. It is intuitive, omniscient, and beyond all divisions of time and space.”
  • “Ignorance is the failure to discriminate between the permanent and the impermanent, the pure and the impure, bliss and suffering, the Self, and the non-Self.”
  • “Chanting is one of the most traditional and first Yoga practices. It helps to open the throat area and is a great way to learn some Sanskrit and the Yoga Sutra.”

How Do We Begin?

The pursuit of self-realization has miraculous and surprising rewards along the way. Amid the challenges that the mind will naturally present, small spiritual gems will emerge to keep us enticed and nourished.

If we allow the carrot of liberation to be at the forefront of our minds and hearts, the grace of our deities and masters will help us dissolve all resistance. Stay the course, look to the eternal masters for guidance, and focus inwardly with intentions immersed in light and love.

Ramakrishna & Sarada Devi: Spiritual Ecstasy, Love And Vedanta

Ramakrishna And Sarada Devi

Sarada Devi and Ramakrishna, equal light-masters. A Shutterstock Licensed Image.

Sri Ramakrishna and Sarada Devi lived together in the 1800s as married awakened masters, although Sarada Devi rarely used language that portrayed herself in this way. Throughout her life, she was a devoted wife, disciple, and chaste nun.

After immersing himself in the traditions, teachings, and practices of many religions, Ramakrishna Paramahansa grew to worship the Divine Mother. Soon into their union, Ramakrishna would regard Sri Sarada Devi as an incarnation of The Divine Mother. He regularly addressed her as “Holy Mother.”​

Both of these Indian guru-mystics were deeply committed saints in service to humanity. It’s quite rare when two enlightened souls find each other so early in their lives and then co-create a unified, congruent mission.​

Upon moving into their home together, Ramakrishna asked Ma Sarada Devi if she came to distract him from his Godly life and pull him into the world of Maya. Sarada Devi responded, “No, I am here to help you realize your Chosen Ideal.”

“One Must Have Devotion Towards One’s Own Guru. Whatever May Be The Nature Of The Guru, The Disciple Gets Salvation By Dint Of His Unflinching Devotion Towards His Guru.”
— Sarada Devi

Ramakrishna

Ramakrishna Paramahansa (1836-1886) was born in Gadadhar Chatterjee, India. From early boyhood, he experienced profound spiritual gifts and ecstasies. To facilitate and broaden his understanding of his beliefs and experiences, Ramakrishna pursued several religious traditions, including a devotion to the goddess Kali. He was also a student of Advaita Vedanta, Tantra (Shaktism) and Vaishnava (bhakti yoga).

Ramakrishna was eternally devoted to God, and his teachings spread like wildfire. As a native of Bengal, Ramakrishna attracted many of the Bengalese elites, which led to the creation of The Ramakrishna Math and The Ramakrishna Mission by one of his most devoted disciples, Swami Vivekananda.

Deeply committed to the eternal nature of all religious and spiritual disciplines, Ramakrishna studied Christianity for three days, during which he saw himself merge with Jesus. When he adopted Islam for three days, he experienced himself joining with Mohammad.

When he embraced a new tradition or religion, he would fully submerge himself and become one with its master. It’s because of these experiences and this intensity of focus that Ramakrishna believed that all paths lead to the eternal flame.

Sarada Devi

Born in Joyrambati, India, Sarada Devi (1853-1920) was Ramakrishna’s wife and spiritual partner. Often called Sri Sarada Devi or Sri Sri Maa, she was widely known as The Holy Mother, most especially to the devotees in the Sri Ramakrishna Monastic Order at the Ramakrishna Monastery.​

Sri Sri Sarada Devi was a profoundly loving soul who played a vital role in the Ramakrishna movement and the sharing of her husband’s teachings.​​

Sarada Devi was an inspiration to thousands of men and women, encouraging future generations of women to choose lives focused on God. Sri Sri Maa is believed to have been an incarnation of The Divine Mother.

“If you want peace of mind, do not find fault with others. Rather learn to see your own faults. Make the whole world your own. No one is a stranger, my child; this is your own.”
— Sri Sri Maa

Ramakrishna and Sarada Devi Together

These two divine souls were married when Sri Maa was only five years old. They began sharing a household when she was in her late teens. What began as Ramakrishna Math and Sarada Math, the collective mission came to be called, “Sri Ramakrishna Sarada Math,” which includes monastic orders for men and women, along with a philanthropic mission.

Because Sarada Devi was a householder who lived with bickering relatives, she became a vital and relatable confidant to many of the householder-followers of Ramakrishna.

Ramakrishna and Sarada Devi lived a monastic, celibate life, focused solely on teaching Vedantato their many followers. After Ramakrishna passed from this life, Ramakrishna’s devotees saw Sri Sri Maa as their eternal mother.

Vedanta is one of the six schools of Hindu philosophy. It translates to, “End of the Vedas.” The primary Vedanta texts are The Upanishads, The Brahma Sutras, and the Bhagavad-Gita. The essential premise of Vedanta is simple: We are eternally connected with every living soul and physical reality. There is no duality or separation because creation consists of one great, eternal fabric.

Ramakrishna Quotes

Ramakrishna was dedicated to the eternal nature of the divine. Every breath was a prayer. Here are some of his most alluring quotes:

  • “As long as I live, so long do I learn.”
  • “God is in all men, but all men are not in God; that is why we suffer.”
  • “Only two kinds of people can attain self-knowledge: those who are not encumbered at all with learning, that is to say, whose minds are not over-crowded with thoughts borrowed from others; and those who, after studying all the scriptures and sciences, have come to realize that they know nothing.”
  • “The Man who works for others, without any selfish motive, really does good to himself.”
  • “You see many stars in the sky at night, but not when the sun rises. Can you, therefore, say that there are no stars in the heavens during the day? Because you cannot find God in the days of your ignorance, say not that there is no God.”
  • “The winds of God’s grace are always blowing; it is for us to raise our sails.”
  • “You speak of doing good to the world. Is the world such a small thing? And who are you, pray, to do good to the world? First, realize God, see Him by means of spiritual discipline. If He imparts power, you can do good to others; otherwise not.”
  • “God has made different religions to suit different aspirants, times, and countries. All doctrines are only so many paths, but a path is by no means God himself. Indeed, one can reach God if one follows any of the paths with wholehearted devotion…One may eat a cake with icing either straight or sidewise. It will taste sweet either way.”

Ramakrishna’s Final Days

Up until the moment of his death, Ramakrishna’s divine personality continued to draw a wide variety of devotees. They came from all walks of life, and a long list of races, creeds, religions, and nationalities. Christians, Muslims, agnostics, atheists, humanists, Hindus, Sikhs, devotees of other deities, and men and women from all ages flocked to his side with devotion.

No matter where disciples came from, when they were in Ramakrishna’s presence, they became purer. When in his company, a sinner could spontaneously become a saint.

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In his final days, Ramakrishna suffered from throat cancer. During this time, he was nurtured by his disciples, including Sri Sri Maa. Moments before his death, Ramakrishna transferred all of his divine gifts to Swami Vivekananda.

Near the end of his life, Ramakrishna asked that Swami continue his teachings, and he requested that all of his disciples look to Vivekananda as their leader. At an old house near the river Ganges, the Ramakrishna Order of monastics began under the direction of Swami Vivekananda.

“Practice meditation, and by and by your mind will be so calm and fixed that you will find it hard to keep away from meditation.”
— Sarada Devi

Sarada Devi’s Final Moments

Conscious of her divine nature, yet rarely expressing it, Sarada Devi was known for her kindness, motherly care, and ability to help her disciples find peace in their hearts. She continued her compassionate work until her health began to decline.​

With her devotees gathered around her, Sri Sri Maa said, “But I tell you one thing—if you want peace of mind, do not find fault with others. Rather see your own faults. Learn to make the whole world your own. No one is a stranger my child: this whole world is your own!”

Both Sarada Devi and Ramakrishna were cremated on opposite sides of the River Ganges. Their monastic lives, missions, and eternal ideals continue to inspire hearts to bow at the feet of The Divine Mother.

QAnon, 4Chan, 8Chan: The Haters of Facts & Blacks

4Chan Masthead: A Shutterstock Licensed Photo

When the Titanic sank, we didn’t have secret chat-rooms and viral videos. From the 1700s through the early 20th century, we had super-secret handshakes in members-only social organizations, most often comprised of white men. These old-time organizations include The Masons, The Skull & Bones Society, The Improved Benevolent and Protective Order of Elks of the World, The Grand Orange Lodge, The Independent Order of Odd Fellows, The Knights of Pythias, The Ancient Order of Foresters, The Ancient Order of United Workmen, The Patriotic Order Sons of America, The Molly Maguires, and many other social groups, some of which are still in existence today. 

These groups were the birthplaces of life-changing agendas, powerful social movements, and presidential campaigns. As fraternities, they shared beliefs and ideologies, they often schemed together, and would aggressively defend, protect, and uplift each other. These private societies were also safe havens for the proliferation of private, self-serving agendas.

“Those who were seen dancing were thought to be insane by those who could not hear the music.”

— Friedrich Nietzsche

Today’s most classified sanctuaries are no longer built with brick and mortar or via cocktail parties and hand-shakes. They’re formed within clouds, chatrooms, and social media platforms. Armed with prejudice and bad genes, these anonymous anti-science revolutionaries are filled with cartoonish presumptions and anger. Unrelenting and hard-core, these fanciful opinionators can be found infiltrating an all-American town near you!

A teensy tiny percentage of the chats and chatters found in these conspiratorial asylums are brilliant and backed by meticulously vetted research. Most, though, are non-scientific and anti-analysis, often refuting facts with Fisher-Price style scrutiny. Somehow ideology-based fiction has become the rage. 

QAnon, also known as “The Storm” and “The Great Awakening,” is the super-secret, pro-Trump, fighter-against-all-evils, who seeks to squash the global ring of what they call, “wealthy, satanic pedophiles.” They’re on the hunt to stop the descendants of the Rothschilds from growing their Satanic cult. 

These power-chatters can be found on 4chan and its unzipped, squirrelly twin, 8chan, otherwise known as Infinitechan or Infinitychan. These communication channels are entertaining at best. With hype, twisted beliefs, and mentally deficient premises, they hope to escort you, against your will, far from reality. Oh, and they hate gay people, folks of color, and anybody who’s not a born-again Christian. It’s White-Jesus Or Bust, Baby!

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This unhinged group of all-cap texters believes that the US government is in big trouble. They believe that a dangerous cabal, managed by Robert Mueller, Hillary Clinton, and Barack Obama, is responsible for everything from the “anti-American LGBTQ agenda,” to the 2017 shooting in Las Vegas. And even though Trump was best pals with the most diabolical pedophile and sex trafficker of all time, Jeffrey Epstein, these inbred fact-fuckers seem to believe the Trump-Epstein friendship is fake news. Facts prove otherwise.  

This fascinating, generally anonymous group of knuckleheads believes that Trump and his friends will drain the swamp and combat the “deep state” in all branches of the U.S. government. Nothing even close to this has happened since Trump took office. 

While I love the idea of deconstructing the deep state, I believe 4Channers might garner a little more respect if they introduced the American public to the aliens held at Area 51 or any other military black site. Instead, they run romper rooms full of unintelligent, fictitious garbage. Remember when we used to watch cartoons as kids? Yeah, it’s like that. 

Regardless of where they stand on any given topic, 4channers and 8Channers know how to push buttons and fan flames, even though 99% of their bullshit is born from jealousy, arrogance, and presumption. Their reactions to each other, and some of their most vocal critics, are not just combative, they’re volcanic. While these folks seem perfectly at-home in their attempts to set their chatrooms on fire, the atmosphere on these sites appears to be just a few cotton candies shy of a circus. 

Although they’re passionate and pro-America, they’re not champions of facts, actual events, and statistics, which tend to be based on silly things like mathematics, science, and well, ya know, reality. And you can forget scrutiny. Just like Trump at a town hall, they fuck-up, fumble, and fold.

These folks can’t scrutinize ideas and shape them into recognizable, relatable, defensible realities. Their brains can only handle sensationalism, fantasy, and self-aggrandizement. They don’t have any solutions, they just conjure conspiracies and masturbate themselves into frenzies. 

While the fodder on these channels is enjoyable to some, the Chatters might serve more people if they inched ever-so-slightly toward representing a realistic version of our three-dimensional reality and a more balanced perspective on how to live with other humans. Instead, they want everybody to be fearful and buy guns because Bill Gates is planting poisonous chips in the brains of bus drivers, librarians, and soccer moms so he can control black people and Safeway. Soon, we’ll all be running book clubs, drinking boxes of white wine, and fucking pool boys when Daddy’s in Des Moines. 

While not all the data has been collected, it’s pretty clear that Channers are less evolved than apes. Anybody who fights against science is nothing but a jealous clown who hates ideas they couldn’t possibly imagine. It’s like telling your mechanic you know more about your carburetor than he does. Folks like these would have executed Einstein, fearful that electric lights turn babies into zombies.

Here’s the thing: people who stockpile guns because they believe Trump & White-Jesus are starting the Apocalypse are often unable to form complete sentences or represent coherent thought. Let’s face it, these virus-denying, professional inbreeders should be euthanized. 

“You’ve reached 4chan. Leave your moral standards at the tone.”

— Anonymous

Here’s the icing on the cake: all the channy jibber-jabbers in the United States are constantly on alert for hints secretly implanted in the speeches by the Commander-in-Chief, President Donald Ape-Dump. These might include the ways he looks at his wife, makes fun of cerebral palsy victims, or how he sips a water bottle using two shaking hands. From the President’s slightest behavior or action, Channers assign meanings and assumptions. While fascinating, this is nothing short of a far-reaching insanity. 

Many lunatic Channers believe the pseudonym “Q” on 4Chan is the pen-name of John F. Kennedy Jr., the son of the former president, who, they claim, did not die in a plane crash years ago. Apparently, he lived, left his family, went into hiding, and started blogging, long before the personal computer was invented. 

If you’re a Q fan, please stay indoors and read books.

Some 4Channers and 8Channers believe their coveted channels have become compromised by anti-American, White House office staff and masked liberals living in the tunnels underneath the Capital. Whether you’re with the former or latter, please double the meds.

“Don’t forget, you’re here forever.”

— A common banner for 4chan

In addition to investigating evils, dangers, and Democrats, these anti-social networks are keenly focused on dismantling the Illuminati, terminating the CIA, and exalting Christian Revivalism. It seems they want every liberal and LGBTQ person to finally pray-away their tendencies of immorality and collusion. 

Most Channers seem to believe that vaccines, moon landings, and climate change are hoaxes. And they’re convinced that J. P. Morgan paid Germans to sink the Titanic. Somehow, they believe this saved the Federal Reserve. Even the head writers of The Simpsons marvel at ideas like these.

“4chan is like — It’s like a look at what the human race really wants to be, deep down inside. It’s how we would treat each other if there were no such thing as restraint or empathy.”

— I Hate Everything

The Top Titanic Conspiracy Theory

This theory surmises that the multi-millionaire financier wanted to kill his rivals Jacob Astor, Isidor Straus, and Benjamin Guggenheim. His motive was to dismantle the Federal Reserve, an institution that Morgan had long been manipulating and controlling, in one way or another. 

Since the three amigos were not pro Federal Reserve, and they never shared their opinions in public, they were probably not at war with Morgan. Given that most millionaires are secretive when it comes to their views, it’s silly to assume the things they said in public as anything more than playful banter. These types of men are driven by profit, not honesty.

Long before his company added him to Titanic’s manifest, customary for a man of his stature, J. Pierpont Morgan had a busy schedule of philanthropic, business, and social events. With his absence, he was not trying to avoid dying on the Titanic. Morgan’s dance card was simply too full, which prevented him from joining the maiden voyage. 

It’s interesting to note that the Federal Reserve is insanely complicated and self-serving. While it regularly determines interest rates and pathways to acquire loans and homes, its’ primary function is to serve the banking industry and the original investors in the US experiment. The Fed could care less about the American citizens who fund it. 

The Federal Reserve was built on the premise that only rich men and politicians should benefit from the government and its bank. The average American citizen was never a contender for using the bank to grow wealth. This position was always meant for politicians who construct the laws and the wealthy people who fund them. This has never changed. 

Digging deeper, one might determine that “The Fed” was created in haste by a group of greedy and naive colonists, to serve only a handful of wealthy slave-owners, farmers, Governors, Senators, and Congressman.

Since it’s inception, The Fed has only benefited foreign investors and bankers, which has resulted in a mountain of debt to the American people. With a strapped, confused, and overburdened government, rich men have more room to manipulate the market toward their favor. It makes sense, right?

“The proper funding of the present debt will render it a national blessing. The creation of debt should always be accompanied with the means of extinguishment.”

~ Alexander Hamilton

There’s one positive aspect here. The whackjob, gay-bashing, science-hating racists on 4Chan, 8Chan, and similar sites sometimes kick a pebble that’s remotely connected to a possible truth, if you squint. For example: if it weren’t for the Chanheads, we might never have seen a connection between Darpanet, Monsanto, The Skull & Bones Society, and WTC’s Larry Silverstein. Before 4Chan, it was difficult to unearth and explore these types of connections. But the good ends there.

Larry Silverstein was the World Trade Center leaseholder who increased his insurance coverage a few months before the 9-11 terrorist attacks. This statement is true. The original 4Chan claim was that Larry purchased anti-terrorism insurance. No, he didn’t. There is no such insurance policy inclusion or exclusion. It’s just insurance, which generally seems to cover terrorist attacks. This is the type of vetting that’s missing from deep-state conspiracy theories.

But here’s the rub: 75% of a 2018 Monmouth Poll agreed: “A group of unelected government and military officials are secretly manipulating or directing national policy.” While I wholeheartedly agree, this idea doesn’t conflict with my belief that scientific research is valuable, wearing masks is an example of self-respect and empathy, and fact-based news is vital to sustaining a healthy Democratic Republic. That said, the US is nothing more than a bank-serving Corporate Oligarchy.

What can we do? Bring the banks under public ownership and tax every religion. Then we can talk.

“Nothing is random. Everything has meaning.”

— Anonymous, 4Chan

Sri Anandamayi Ma: The Perfect, Profound And Mysterious Flower

Sri Anandamayi Ma

Sri Anandamayi Ma, a beautiful, loving master. A Shutterstock Licensed Image.

When asked why she was in this world, Sri Anandamayi Ma said, “In this world? I am not anywhere. I am myself reposing within myself.”

An astrologer, Abinush Babu, once had the honor of reading Sri Ma’s palms. He said that her markings were beyond a defined deity or tradition, and “beyond the control of the invisible.” He went on to say that Kali would return to worship her.

Every soul who visited Sri Ma was struck by her sweet but aloof tranquility, and her remarkable depth of presence. It was as if she did not only sway with the wind but was the wind itself.​

There seemed to be no distilling the identity and physical form of Sri Ma from the nature-form of the universe. She appeared to be within all eternal fabrics, and beyond space and time. First-hand accounts state that when seated with Sri Ma, it felt as if you were sitting on the edge of forever.

“Ma Is Here. What Is There To Worry About?”
— Anandamayi Ma

Anandamayi Ma: Becoming The Divine

Anandamayi Ma (1896-1982) was an Indian spiritual leader with boundless compassion. She was born as Nirmôla (Nirmala) Shundori (Immaculate Goddess), in Uttrakhand, India. Nirmala’s surrounding village consisted of mostly Muslims who have continued to call her, “Our own Ma.”​

Nirmala’s parents were also euphoric, spiritual initiates, and were known for their kind and lovely natures. Her mother was a devout housewife, loving mother, and generous neighbor. Her father had a beautiful voice and sang the ancient bhajans at local kirtans.

Nirmala’s possibly insane neighbor Harakumar, was the first person to recognize her true divine nature. Morning and night, he would call her “Ma.”

Bhajiji, an early disciple, suggested that her name be Anandamayi Ma, meaning “Joy-Permeated Mother” or “Bliss-Permeated Mother.” In deference to her adoring followers, Nirmala adopted her divine name. Bhajiji would be the first to construct a temple devoted to Andandamayi Ma.​

At age 26, Anandamayi Ma relinquished her human identity and embraced a spontaneous initiation into living sainthood. Describing the late-night ritual, Sri Ma said, “As the master (guru), I revealed the mantra; as the disciple (shishya) I accepted it and immediately began reciting it.”

While many people wanted to package Sri Ma’s ideology and ascribe it to traditional religion, Anandamayi Ma did not allow labels. She would say that she was Christian, Muslim, Hindu, Sikh, Zoroastrian, and more. She had no limits, especially when it came to religious identities because she resided in a boundless reality.

Anandamayi Ma did not lecture like other teachers and gurus. She never prepared her speeches, nor did she compile or edit them. She was a profound conversationalist and delivered the deepest teachings through speedy discussions, laced with good-natured humor.​

Sri Ma did not subscribe to the idea of being anybody’s guru. She also rejected the idea that being a renunciate was required for a spiritual path. She often said, “All paths are my paths. I have no particular path.” While most of her work was not recorded, it is known that Anandamayi Ma’s speeches were drenched in Bengali wordplay, which is difficult to translate with precision. While most of her teachings and instructions were infused with jokes and songs, she gave many long discourses and encouraged silent meditation.

To inspire her devotees, Anandamayi Ma would also give out little hints which she called “kheyala.” Sri Ma’s kheyalas could be found within her words, mantras, and songs. Sri Ma’s prime initiative was clear, “The supreme calling of every human being is to aspire to self-realization. All other obligations are secondary.”

Anandamayi Ma’s Mantra

The Gayatri (or Savitri) mantra is dedicated to Savitr, a Sun deity and is derived from teachings found in the Rig Veda. The mantra is widely stated in Vedic texts and was praised by the Buddha.

This holy and revered mantra has long been used to initiate devotees into a devotional Hindu life. While it was long believed the mantra was explicitly intended for boys and men, Sri Ma was the first saint in hundreds of years to initiate women utilizing this mantra.

When we chant this mantra, we are asking the divine feminine to fill our lives, minds, bodies and hearts with eternal positive energy and divine bliss.

Here, in Sanskrit, is the Gayatri mantra:

“Om bhūr bhuvaḥ svaḥ
tatsaviturvareṇyaṃ
bhargo devasyadhīmahi
dhiyo yo naḥ prachodayāt.”

Swami Vivekananda translated this mantra to mean, “We meditate on the glory of that Being who has produced this universe; may she enlighten our minds.”

Shirram Sharma’s translation is as follows, “Om, the Brahm, the Universal Divine Energy, vital spiritual energy (Pran), the essence of our life existence, Positivity, destroyer of sufferings, the happiness, that is bright, luminous like the Sun, best, destroyer of evil thoughts, the divinity who grants happiness may imbibe its Divinity and Brilliance within us which may purify us and guide our righteous wisdom on the right path.” Regardless of the assumed translation of this holy phrase, when repeatedly chanting this mantra, the seeker’s heart and mind open to an outpouring of divine light.

“The Remembrance Of God Must Be Sustained Under All Conditions And Circumstances.”
— Anandamayi Ma

Anandamayi Ma’s Marriage

At the young age of thirteen, Sri Ma became a bride to a man named Ramani. According to Indian tradition, due to her age, she immediately became a servant to her brother’s wife.​

Even though she was submerged in a challenging situation, which included years of unfair treatment, Sri Ma took care of her brother, his wife, their kids, and the majority of their household chores. Amidst all of the drama in the house, Sri Ma remained joyful.​

​For many years, Sri Ma’s family did not understand her happiness, assuming it was the result of a low level of intelligence. Regardless of the challenges and assumptions swirling around her, Sri Ma remained loving and cheerful.

Sri Anandamayi Ma

Sri Ma also remained loyal to her marriage with Ramani, whom she named Bholanath. The idea that it was a wholly celibate marriage has never been contested.

Bholanath was Sri Ma’s devotee, and the two traveled together for many years. With her husband by her side, Sri Ma held public programs and kirtans where she would go into full-bodied spiritual ecstasies. Because he became somewhat of a gatekeeper and bodyguard, “Bholanathji” was also seen as a religious figure in some circles.

After years of love and devotion, Bholanathji died while Sri Ma’s hand rested gently upon his head. His last words were, “Ananda, Ananda, Ananda.” Joy, Joy, Joy. Throughout their marriage, Sri Ma remained a devout and tireless partner to her husband.

Sri Ma’s reaction to her husband’s death was not surprising to her devotees. She said, “Do you start to wail and cry if a person goes to another room in the house? This death is inevitably connected with this life. In the sphere of Immortality, where is the question of death and loss? Nobody is lost to me.”

It was in this way that Sri Ma’s compassion and detachment were in perfect, divine harmony.

Sri Anandamayi Mabook-live-intuitive-reading-with-paul-wagner

  • “Whether you worship Christ, Krishna, Kali or Allah, you actually worship the one Light that is also in you, since It pervades all things.”
  • “Without cause or reason, His compassion and His grace are pouring forth at every instant.”
  • “Joys and sorrows are time born and cannot last. Therefore, do not be perturbed by them. The greater the difficulties and obstructions, the more intense will be your endeavor to cling to His feet and the more will your prayer increase from within.”
  • “At every breath try to be in communion with Him [Her] through His/Her Name.”
  • “As you love your own body, so regard everyone as equal to your own body. When the Supreme Experience supervenes, everyone’s service is revealed as one’s own service. Call it a bird, an insect, an animal or a man, call it by any name you please; one serves one’s own Self in every one of them.”
  • “Perfect resignation gives the deepest joy of all. Accept it as your sole resource.”

Anandamayi Ma’s Miracles

Many first-hand reports describe the unique, spiritual qualities and gifts that this divine master shared with her disciples and householder followers.

During public kirtans, early in her sainthood, Sri Ma swayed to the music as if she were perfectly united with its vibrational material. Amid her bliss, and while her body continued to sway, her spirit would often exit and rise above her body. As Sri Ma’s spirit moved around the room, she shed light on all of the attendees, which resulted in revelations, healings, and deeply inspired peace in the receivers.

These types of experiences were frequent and visible to everyone. It was as if Sri Ma wanted her devotees to see how thin a veil exists between here and the other realms.

Thousands of people reported physical, mental and emotional healings simply by attending her programs, imagining her form or chanting her mantras.

“My consciousness has never associated itself with this temporary body. Before I came on this earth, Father, I was the same. As a little girl, I was the same. I grew into womanhood, but still, I was the same. When the family in which I had been born made arrangements to have this body married, I was the same… And, Father, in front of you now, I am the same. Ever afterward, though the dance of creation changes around me in the hall of eternity, I shall be the same.”
— Anandamayi Ma

The Non-Organized, Non-Proclaimed Guru

Because Sri Ma traveled in a haphazard way, she could follow the flow of the light that moved through her. In cities where ashrams were built to honor her divinity, she would often choose to visit a different location within that city, never stepping foot inside the structures that bared her name.

Even meals could not be assumed. Sri Ma would say, “It is not necessary to eat at all to preserve the body. I eat only because a semblance of normal behavior must be kept up so that you should not feel uncomfortable with me.” It was regularly reported that Sri Ma was in excellent health, whether she ate or not.

With less structure, proprieties, and management dictating her life and travels, it appears that Sri Anandamayi Ma invited the winds of the divine to move through her as spontaneous blessings in every moment.​

Many of her devotees might agree with this sentiment, “The knot of the heart is penetrated, all doubts are resolved, all bondages are destroyed upon seeing Her who is here and beyond.” — Mundakopanisad 11.2.8

Empath Self Care and Protection

Self-Care and Protection

Empaths often require better self-care and self-protection. A Shutterstock Licensed Image.

An Empath is a highly sensitive person, often referred to as HSP, but the HSP label is not entirely correct. HSPs are sensitive to light, sound, experiences, and emotions, while Empaths will embody the emotions, experiences, and relational energy of others. This means that Empaths not only feel what you are feeling, but often have intel on how you can untangle your mess and improve your life. When Empaths heal themselves and get beyond their egos, they can become emotional superheroes.​

Many Empaths must learn how to set clear boundaries with family members and friends. They have to adopt practices, habits, and rituals that help them clear the emotional debris they often collect through everyday experiences. Empaths are big-hearted, intuitive sponges. It’s not complicated; if you feel it, they feel it.​

Because Empaths tend to live with one foot other realms, they sometimes find it difficult living in the real world. To be grounded and happy, Empaths often need:

  • Time to consider, embrace and integrate personal and work relationships
  • Healthy food and helpful supplements
  • Meditation and prayer
  • Leisure activities that don’t involve crowds. For example, most Empaths might avoid shopping at Walmart and wild parties on the 4th of July.

Empaths need space and solitude to allow for careful introspection. Empaths also need to regularly express their emotions, which is most often, sadness. If you’re an Empath, you might be shy, spiritually inclined, a lover of solitude, and clairvoyant. You might also love to write, paint, sculpt or dance more than most artists. The fiercest Empaths will cut a relationship cord in the blink of an eye.​

If you’re like me, you might be so sensitive and attuned to other people’s emotions and lives, you sometimes experience temporary, physical manifestations of other people’s pain and trauma. This, too, shall pass.

When you finally come to terms with being an Empath, life tends to invite some dramatic, yet overall positive changes. You begin to set better boundaries. You learn what is right for you and what is hurtful. You learn what types of people diminish your quality of life, and you learn how to maneuver through society without losing hope.​

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Empaths hoping to become spiritual warriors can process the emotions and experiences of everybody around them at such a rate, they can burn through lifetimes of karma in one thrust of emotional expression.

To help me in this process emotions, I watch movies that center around love, complex and deep relationships, and oppression. Because an Empath will naturally embody the feelings of the main characters in movies, I’ll cry from beginning to end. As strange as that might sound, doing so, I shed lots of emotional and psychological debris, and up-level my vibration and awareness. In every instance, crying produces indescribable feelings of freedom.

How to Protect Yourself

​If you’re an Empath, you most likely have one or two unique gifts. You can use them to serve yourself and those you love, or you can share your gifts with the world. Whether you’re a full-time psychic or healer, or you just want to keep yourself whole and happy, here are a few tips that might help you:

  • Seek ways to nurture your heart every day.
  • Keep things simple in relationships, work, and life in general.
  • Eat less meat, and only if it’s organic.
  • Eat only pasture-raised, non-GMO, happy eggs.
  • Eat lots of organic, non-GMO vegetables.
  • Eat spoonfuls of pure sunlight powder like Spirulina, Chlorella, Barley grass, Wheatgrass, and Moringa
  • Be decisive so that you have flow in your life.
  • Let go of the people and things that consistently burn you or trip you up.
  • Be less impulsive so that you can better serve and heal yourself. If you’re not whole, it’s difficult to help others do the same.
  • Don’t let solitude swallow you whole. Step into the light, often!
  • Don’t allow another person’s momentum or conviction sway you from your truth and peacefulness.
  • When in the throes of conflict, don’t allow yourself to be manipulated or coerced into becoming someone you are not.
  • If you’ve absorbed another person’s energy, dance around the room and try to release it through prayerful movement.
  • Don’t take on too many projects, tasks, or relationships at once. If you have too many pockets of energy swirling around you, you might become confused.
  • Learn to continually love yourself, even amid the worst mistakes and challenges. When you fall short of this, always try to nudge yourself back to self-love.
  • To become resilient, turn to nature, meditation, prayer, and rituals.
  • Stay away from people who tell you that you’re too sensitive. They will never fully understand you, and they might fail you at vital junctures in your life.
  • Be a little less generous, especially when you know your energy is depleted.
  • Seek love and adventures with people who honor your role as an Empath.
  • Set firm boundaries with the people who believe that Empaths and other sensitives are weak.
  • Confide in at least one loving, caring person every day.
  • Dig a little deeper into your faith by seeking the most love-based and light-filled aspects within your religion and spiritual practices.
  • Watch movies that make you feel love and provoke your tears.
  • Don’t be afraid to ask for affection when you need it.
  • Spend lots of time in the water. Whether it’s hot baths, cold showers, lakes, streams or oceans, Empaths tend to revitalize around water.
  • See your heart as a beautiful, fragile, and powerful light-being. Love and protect your heart, and seek to express the feelings that live there.

Remember that you are a bundle of electricity, a complex vibration, a spark born from the eternal consciousness’s love of life. Even amid the worst circumstances, be open to the possibilities, embody hope, and seek light and love. These things are your birthright.​

The world needs healthy, positive Empaths. If you’re so inclined, you can make a living as an intuitive reader, healer, or psychic. With more healers and Empaths serving creation, our planet stands the best chance of infusing itself with light and love.

I love being an Intuitive-Empath and serving others. Over time, I learned to exit stifling situations and protect myself. I also learned to stop apologizing for my gifts. Now, I can wholeheartedly be myself without judgment. I hope you can, too.

In all things, dig deeply to find your clarity, express your emotions, and honor what you know to be true. Being an Empath is a wonderful thing.

Manly P. Hall: Prolific Teacher

Manly P. Hall

Manly P. Hall – his writings are remarkable and piercing!

Born in Peterborough, Canada to a Rosicrucian-Chiropractor Mom and a dentist Dad, Manly Palmer Hall moved to the United States at a young age. Armed with an obsession for mysticism, Manly became a prolific writer of esoteric books. After launching himself as an ordained minister of The Church of the People in Los Angeles, Manly P. Hall grew to become one of the century’s most active teachers of ancient philosophies and lost traditions.​

In 1928, Hall wrote, “The Secret Teachings of All Ages – An Encyclopedic Outline of Masonic, Hermetic, Qabbalistic and Rosicrucian Symbolic Philosophy.” Weighing over 15 pounds, the volume was often referred to as “The Great Book.” This work, which covers a variety of philosophical, theosophical, and mathematical topics, sold for over $70, which equates to $1043 in today’s money.

“To live in the world without becoming aware of the meaning of the world is like wandering about in a great library without touching the books.”
― Manly P. Hall, The Secret Teaching of All Ages

George Barron, curator of the De Young Museum at the time, said, “Into this volume has been compressed the quintessence of a colossal learning. It is a living human document, pulsating with the mental and spiritual vibrations of a profound thinker who takes knowledge for his province and reduces whole libraries to a single tome.”

Hall wrote his opus because he was dedicated to reporting on, “the proposition that, concealed within the emblematic figures, allegories and rituals of the ancients, is a secret doctrine concerning the inner mysteries of life, which doctrine has been preserved in toto among a small band of initiated minds.”

Who is Manly P. Hall? He’s most likely the reason that esoteric writings and teachings have exponentially grown in popularity over the past 20 years. Without his longstanding commitment to inviting these ancient teachings into public consciousness, we might have lost the most essential truths of the ages.​

With a career that spanned 70 years, Mr. Hall gave over eight thousand lectures, including two at Carnegie Hall in New York City. At Carnegie, Manly P. Hall’s lectures were titled “The Secret Destiny of America” (1942) and “Plato’s Prophecy of Worldwide Democracy” (1945).

Over time, Manly published over 150 esoteric books, essays, treatises, and pamphlets, which covered a wide berth of topics, including:

“Experiences are the chemicals of life with which the philosopher experiments”
— Manly P. Hall

The Philosophical Research Society

In 1934, Manly P. Hall founded the nonprofit organization known as “The Philosophical Research Society” (PRS) in California. Still in existence, PRS is dedicated to the study of religion, mythology, metaphysics, and the occult. It houses over 50,000 volumes, including all of the books authored by Hall. In 1995, to keep their unprecedented library afloat, PRS sold their world-leading book collections on alchemy, esoterica, and hermetica to the Getty Research Institute.

Manly felt strongly about his organization, saying, “Education at any age is a lifelong dedication to the improvement of character, and the enlargement of understanding. There is no reason why PRS should not be remembered like Plato’s Academy, but if it is to continue, the society must make use of the most advanced technology available. I now envision a university of the mind, and think that through proper organization we can bring this message of enlightened living to a much greater audience throughout the world.”

The Philosophical Research Society has influenced many of today’s thinkers and teachers, including several U.S. Presidents and other world leaders.

Manly P. Hall Quotes

Here is a handful of quotes from one of the most prolific writers of all time:​

  • “Though the modern world may know a million secrets, the ancient world knew one – and that was greater than the million; for the million secrets breed death, disaster, sorrow, selfishness, lust, and avarice, but the one secret confers life, light, and truth.”
  • “Wisdom fears no thing, but still bows humbly to its own source, with its deeper understanding, loves all things, for it has seen the beauty, the tenderness, and the sweetness which underlie Life’s mystery.”
  • “Fascinated by the glitter of gain, man gazes at the Medusa-like face of greed and stands petrified.”
  • “Plato defined good as threefold in character: good in the soul, expressed through the virtues; good in the body, expressed through the symmetry and endurance of the parts; and good in the external world, expressed through social position and companionship.”book-live-intuitive-reading-with-paul-wagner
  • “A little philosophy inclineth man’s mind to atheism; but depth in philosophy bringeth men’s minds about to religion.”
  • “The pineal gland is a link between the consciousness of man and the invisible worlds of Nature. Whenever the arc of the pituitary body contacts this gland there are flashes of temporary clairvoyance, but the process of making these two work together consistently is one requiring not only years bur lives of consecration and special physiological and biological training. This third eye is the Cyclopean eye of the ancients, for it was an organ of conscious vision long before the physical eyes were formed, although vision was a sense of cognition rather than sight in those ancient days.”
  • “It was apparent that materialism was in complete control of the economic structure, the final objective of which was for the individual to become part of a system providing an economic security at the expense of the human soul, mind, and body.”
  • “When the human race learns to read the language of symbolism, a great veil will fall from the eyes of men. They shall then know truth and, more than that, they shall realize that from the beginning truth has been in the world unrecognized, save by a small but gradually increasing number appointed by the Lords of the Dawn as ministers to the needs of human creatures struggling co regain their consciousness of divinity.”
  • “Ignorance fears all things, falling, terror-stricken before the passing wind. Superstition stands as the monument to ignorance, and before it kneel all who realize their own weakness who see in all things the strength they do not possess.”

Manly P. Hall Books

Manly was prolific, not only in his lectures but also in the writing of books. As his publications became more popular, Manly was able to enroll key benefactors Carolyn Lloyd and her daughter Estelle, whose family controlled oil fields in California. Carolyn funded Hall’s travels so that he could acquire ancient literature from around the world and begin sharing it with his followers.

At the start of his writing journey, Manly published a handful of small pamphlets including, “The Breastplate of the High Priest” and “Wands and Serpents.”

Here is a handful of quotes from one of the most prolific writers of all time:​

  • The Lost Keys of Freemasonry
  • The Ways of the Lonely Ones
  • Nordic, Gothic, and Finnish Rites
  • The Sages of China
  • Pythagorean Mathematics
  • The Zodiac and its Symbols
  • Mystic Christianity
  • How to Understand Your Bible
  • Venerated Teachers of the Jains, Sikhs, and Parsis
  • Black and White Magic
  • The Mystical Christ
  • Rosicrucians and Magister Christoph Schlegel
  • First Principles of Philosophy
  • Francis Bacon: The Concealed Poet
  • Initiation of Plato
  • The Inner Life of Minerals, Plants, and Animals
  • Koyasan: Sanctuary of Esoteric Buddhism
  • Krishna and the Battle of Kurukshetra
  • Neoplatonism: Theology for Wanderers in the New Millennium
  • The Symbolism of Light and Color
  • The White Bird of Tao
  • Visions and Metaphysical Experiences

​“The esoteric system is all based upon the ultimate motive. Ultimate motive is the service of truth itself, a complete dedication to the service of the realities of existence.”
— Manly P. Hall

Teachers, Wives, And Death

Manly had few known teachers, although he loved reading the works of H. P. Blavatsky. Madame Helena Blavatsky’s work centered around theosophy, a mystical, philosophical system. With regard for Miss Blavatsky,

Manly once said, “The original work of H.P Blavatsky stands unique, even within the field of related literature; and as a result of the years, which have passed, since 1888, when the Volumes were first published, we are aware that her own peculiar and particular insight, still makes these works unique, remarkable and valuable.”

While Manly’s first marriage was with Fay B. deRavenne, who later committed suicide, his second wife, Marie Bauer Hall, was born in Germany and lived a full life from 1904-2005. At an early age, Marie joined the convent to learn how to be a teacher. At 18, she ventured to the United States and married George Bauer. After raising two children with George, in 1950, she married Manly P. Hall.

“It is for this reason that the candidate assumes the vows of celibacy, for the close connection existing in the advanced disciple between the brain and the reproductive system necessitates an absolute conservation of all life energies.”
— Manly P. Hall

Marie Bauer Hall’s life work, which she was known to defend, was loving and supporting Manly P. Hall, and excavating the grounds of the Bruton Church and the elusive Bruton Vault in Williamsburg, VA. She hoped to unearth the secrets of Shakespeare, Francis Bacon, the Illuminati, and The Seventh Seal.

In 1938, the Rockefeller Foundation funded her excavation to unearth the original foundation of the 1676 Bruton Church. Despite her team’s worthy attempt and others throughout her life, Marie never found her treasure.​

Manly P. Hall died in 1990 at the age of 89. He succumbed to the hands of his greedy, thieving assistant, Daniel Fritz. While the evil conman did not abscond with Manly’s vast riches and library, he also did not serve prison time. It was an unkind and unjust conclusion to one of the most generous teachers of our time.

Manly P. Hall’s work inspired millions of people to seek their inner truths and expand their understandings of the universe. His work continues to be a beacon of light for those who seek it. When Manly died, he was a 33° Mason, the highest honor bestowed by The Supreme Council of the Scottish Rite.

We Can Heal our Minds, Hearts, Relationships, and Lives Through Meditation

Meditation

Heal and evolve through meditation. A Shutterstock Licensed Image.

In the midst of chaos, we often allow our minds to create projections, plans, excuses, and defenses. Rather than take deep breaths and allow storms to pass, we tend to build imaginary constructs, temporary fantasies, and complex webs of justifications to distract us from our simplest truths. While all of these things are born from obsessing within the mind, we always have opportunities to advance beyond the mind, and into the realms of the eternal Self. This is where we can source the most enduring and durable peacefulness.

While there are many types of healing meditations, they need not be complicated. To meditate, we don’t need to join a club, yoga center or spiritual organization. We do not need intense instructions or a key to the executive bathroom. With one simple, inward turn, we can access the most divine gems and the most expansive senses of ourselves.

“Quiet the mind, and the soul will speak.”
— Ma Jaya Sati Bhagavati

 

There are many healing meditation methods, from breath meditation for emotional healing to daily meditation to work through grief. As spiritual Beings in pursuit of deep clarity, we might want to utilize all of the sounds and colors available to us, or we might simply want to chant a sacred syllable. We can connect with all the realms and access downloads of our ancient destinies or we can humbly bow in the direction of our divine gurus and masters. The options for our healing, liberation and expansion are endless.

Healing Meditation Methods

There are many healing meditation methods, some of which have been passed through generations of oracles, healers and enlightened masters. When it comes to meditation, there are no secrets or exclusivity. If you have a sincere desire and the ability to commit to practicing them, these methods will help you establish pathways to healing and lasting peace.

Light & Sound

The universe is comprised of light and sound, both of which can be broken down into vibrations and electromagnetic fields. Sound and light exist and travel as waves, with light moving much faster than sound. Light waves have tiny wavelengths, which is why you might hear something but not see it.

book-live-intuitive-reading-with-paul-wagner

As a living-Being in a three-dimensional reality, you comprise an overall vibration, assembled from collections of vibrations and electromagnetic fields, all derived from lights and sounds. In essence, you are the embodiment of light and sound. When we focus on a color or sound, which are already within us, we can improve our emotional and physical bodies, and we can achieve higher states of consciousness.

By silently focusing on the sound “Om” within your mind, you can improve all aspects of your life. By meditating on the colors white, purple, or pink, you can improve your clarity, sense of Being, and heal yourself. While not all meditations will produce tangible or obvious healings, all healings are born from our alignment with the purest lights and sounds.

Chanting

When we verbally chant a mantra or spiritual sound, we are inviting our bodies, hearts and minds to align with the vibrations of the tones that are coming out of our voice-boxes and mouths. When we chant “Om,” the sound of the universe, we are asking our physical and spiritual bodies to vibrate at the same levels and resonance as the universe. Chanting longer prayers and sutrasexposes us to a host of improved vibrations, each of which adds a measure of value to our physical forms and light-bodies.

A simple, Sanskrit mantra is: “Lokah Samastah Sukhino Bhavantu,” which translates roughly to: “May all beings in all the worlds, and in all the realms, be happy and free. May I embody that happiness and freedom, and reflect these things with every fibre of my being, in all that I do.” Chanting this for some time will bring you closer to being the embodiment of its vibration.

Although it’s usually chanted in Sanskrit, here is the English translation of “The Heart Sutra,” impeccably translated by the Buddhist Text Translation Society. This beautiful and healing sutra can induce a deep state of meditation, and it is one of the most profound and vibrationally advanced prayers available to us:

“Translated by Tang Dharma Master of the Tripitaka Hsüan-Tsang on imperial command.

When Avalokiteshvara Bodhisattva was practicing the profound prajna paramita, he illuminated the five skandhas and saw that they are all empty, and he crossed beyond all suffering and difficulty. Shariputra, form does not differ from emptiness; emptiness does not differ from form. Form itself is emptiness; emptiness itself is form. So, too, are feeling, cognition, formation, and consciousness. Shariputra, all dharmas are empty of characteristics. They are not produced. Not destroyed, not defiled, not pure, and they neither increase nor diminish.

Therefore, in emptiness there is no form, feeling, cognition, formation, or consciousness; no eyes, ears, nose, tongue, body, or mind; no sights, sounds, smells, tastes, objects of touch, or dharmas; no field of the eyes, up to and including no field of mind-consciousness; and no ignorance or ending of ignorance, up to and including no old age and death or ending of old age and death. There is no suffering, no accumulating, no extinction, no way, and no understanding and no attaining. Because nothing is attained, the Bodhisattva, through reliance on prajna paramita, is unimpeded in his mind. Because there is no impediment, he is not afraid, and he leaves distorted dream-thinking far behind. Ultimately Nirvana!​

All Buddhas of the three periods of time attain Anuttarasamyaksambodhi through reliance on prajna paramita. Therefore, know that prajna paramita is a great spiritual mantra, a great bright mantra, a supreme mantra, an unequalled mantra. It can remove all suffering; it is genuine and not false. That is why the mantra of prajna paramita was spoken. Recite it like this: Gate gate paragate parasamgate bodhi svaha!”

Kundalini​

The Kundalini is the life-force that travels throughout your body, upward through you scalp, and onward to the heavens. This force is never-ending and it is connected to everything. Within your body, the Kundalini is a river that is connected to all Kundalini rivers through spacetime. You can invite the awakening of your Kundalini by breathing through your nose, and activating your diaphragm with each inhale and exhale.

As you breathe inward and outward, thrust the Kundalini upward from your root chakra, then out of your body, and then back into your body, again through your root chakra. This circular meditation has the ability to improve your immune system and heal any part of your body, mind, and heart.

Divine Intervention, Celestial Beings, Cosmic Masters

If you would like to meditate with angels, you can do so by sitting quietly in a comfortable position and gently requesting their presence. If you remain in a peaceful, loving, and open state-of-mind, you can attract assistance from the divine and communicate with celestial light-Beings. If you know that you want to connect with a specific angel or master, you can simply recite their name over and over again.

Depending on your religion or deity, consider repeating one or more of the following invitations:

  • Archangel Michael, I am in communion with you, awaiting your light, love and guidance.
  • I invite the sacred heart of Jesus to open my heart and mind to eternal love and light.
  • Mighty and beautiful Ariel, I am open to your love and light. Please guide me.
  • My Beloved Guru, I pray for your light and love. Inspire me to awaken.
  • Cosmic and Ascended Masters, I welcome you into my heart. Liberate me and infuse my physical and etheric bodies with light and love.

The Other Realms and Worlds

As you project yourself into these other realms, wrap yourself in protective white or pink light. Rest quietly within this light and invite energetic healings from all of the Beings in your projected reality. You might consider silently whispering a simple request within your mind, similar to, “I invite the most beautiful and sacred embodiments of light, in this realm and others, so they may up-level my vibrations and understandings.”

If you wish to traverse the universe and experience the light and vibrations of other realities, all you need to do is speak to the heavenly bodies within your mind’s eye. Ask your guides and angels to open your awareness to all living-Beings throughout all of the universes. Ask the Cosmic Masters and Ascended Light-Beings to help you project into other realms and worlds.

Pranic Healing Meditations (Breath)

Prana means “breath.” Each of us is born from, and sustained, by breath. While pranic healing involves a non-touch style of energetic massage, pranic healing meditation involves focusing on our own breath, infusing it with light and love, and directing it throughout our physical and emotional bodies.

A simple pranic meditation might be to focus on your inhale and exhale. As you inhale, infuse your breath with white light. As it enters your body through your heart or another point, imagine it flowing through your skin, bones, and veins. Use the light to heal every part of you. As you exhale, imagine that any negative energy exits with the breath. Whenever you are stressed or confused, close your eyes and invite your breath to heal you, and improve your vibration. You can use this same technique to heal others.

Visualizations

When we focus our minds on a specific reality, whether it involves a healed physical body, the birth of a healthy child, or a specific lifestyle, the universe conspires to co-create this vision with us. Allow your visions to be detailed. Keep in mind that even the slightest negative intention can negatively impact the foundation of your vision. Focus on the light in all things related to your life path and vision. Holding the vision and then breathing light and loving into it, we are inviting all light-Beings to join us in its co-creation.

Guided Meditations

We can listen to others as they guide us into our most profound Selves. Guided meditations can take the pressure off of our distracted minds, making it easier for us to access the purest nature. Consider the many talented healers who have recorded thousands of guided meditations, or you can choose your favorite from the web and record it yourself. With repetition, your mind will learn to absorb these recorded journeys and their related pathways, and you’ll eventually have no need for them.

“Learn to be calm and you will always be happy.”
— Paramahansa Yogananda

Written Meditations

Even though the mind can be distracting, some people find it helpful to write their meditations. This gives their bodies something to do while their hearts and spirits traverse the various stages of clarity and peacefulness.

If writing brings you peace, use positive and beautiful language to inspire your most illuminated states of mind and heart. The activity called, “Dreamer and the Scribe,” allows you and a partner to connect with your most peaceful and poetic selves. By tapping into the bounty of the heart, this exercise acts as a healing meditation.

After choosing a topic, one person lays horizontally on a couch and verbally describes their dreams related to the topic. The scribe writes what they hear from the dreamer, continually editing and shaping the dreamer’s words into the most poetic form possible.

When the dreamer is done dreaming, and the scribe has completed her writing and shaping, the two switch places. Afterward, they each read their dreams aloud to each other. This experience can be extremely enjoyable and enlightening, especially when the topics chosen are related to love, light, and liberation.

Kundalini Meditation & Yogi Bhajan

Kundalini Meditation

Kundalini Meditation can clear your chi and mind. A Shutterstock Licensed Image.

From the late 1990s to the early 2000s, I spent time with Harbhajan Singh Khalsa, often known as Siri Singh Sahib to his followers. To the world, he was most prominently known as Yogi Bhajan (1929-2004). A deeply devoted Sikh, healer, vegan, intuitive master, entrepreneur, founder of the Kundalini meditation and yoga movement, and executive director of a global economic foundation There may never be another Yogi Bhajan. He was remarkable.

When we visited together, I would affectionately call him, “Yogi.” In my heart, I felt him to be akin to Yogi Bear, a big, playful, cuddly, and protective friend.I loved his warmth and intensity. After he would lovingly calculate the numerology of my birth, Yogi would say, “Paul, you love to play a foot beneath your potential. Why is that?” I am still unable to answer that question.

When wandering within spiritual circles, seeking the master within, it’s not always obvious how important a particular experience or person might become to us. It might be said that I took Yogi Bhajan for granted, never fully understanding that his generosity and friendship were some of the loveliest and most essential gifts to my life.

Yogi Bhajan was the founder of 3HO (the Healthy, Happy, Holy Organization), and the first spiritual master to openly teach Kundalini meditation and yoga in the United States. Yogi was a stunning and powerful gem, and his gift of Kundalini meditation and yoga has touched millions of lives.

“When you don’t go within, you go without.”
— Yogi Bhajan

What Is The Purpose Of Kundalini Meditation?

The purpose of Kundalini Meditation and other forms of meditation and yoga is to help us release the false identities that enslave us into projection, instability, anxiety, and attachment.

By reducing our attachments to our public identities, inflamed egos, troubled minds, and contrived masks, we move deeper into spirit and become more attuned to our original selves. Through regulated breathing patterns (pranayama) and specific postures (body and hands) known as mudras, we increase our vibrations and align with divine frequencies. Think of meditation as a spiritual, chiropractic adjustment.

Our vibrations and frequencies are vital to our pursuit of awakening and liberation. When our vibrations are hampered, we pursue and magnetize toward people, places, events, intentions, thoughts, and actions that disconnect us from the light and our highest potentialities. If we can be single-minded and heart-centered in our spiritual intentions, we will inch toward liberation. Meditation and yoga are beneficial in this pursuit.

“You owe it to yourself to be yourself.”
— Yogi Bhajan

How Do I Do Kundalini Meditation?

There are several types of Kundalini meditation, some of which can enliven a variety of aspects within our bodies and spirits. Consider being careful with this type of meditation. Many trendy, new-age derivatives may or may not be helpful in your pursuit of light and love.

Kundalini meditation is an ancient practice and should be engaged with the highest standards in mind.
Here is Yogi Bhajan’s original Kundalini Meditation, which he began teaching in the United States in the late 1960s. I’ve infused Yogi’s original form of meditation with a few suggestions for a gentler experience.

“I do not believe in miracles, I rely on them.”
— Yogi Bhajan

Yogi Bhajan’s Original Kundalini Meditation

  1. Sit comfortably with your spine straight: It’s okay to rest on a chair or couch, but sitting on a meditation pillow on the floor will strengthen your spine, deepen the effects of your breath, and improve your breathing patterns.
  2. Form a mudra: Use your hands to create an open-fingered (pointed upward) chalice or lotus flower. Your pinkies and thumbs should be pressed together, while the other fingers are spread out to form an open cavity. Hold this flower in front of your heart, remembering to keep your spine straight. Specific hand formations like these are known as mudras. Mudras are most often aligned with Buddhist and Hindu principles and inspire energetic flow and an uprising of vibration.
  3. Eyes: If possible, close your eyes and then open them ever so slightly. If you can also roll your eyes upward, it will be of benefit to the experience. You can also look down or toward the light through the open slit.
  4. Settle-in: To relax into a pre-meditative state, inhale deeply and exhale three times. Pause, breathe regularly, then repeat. Amidst this breathing, release tension, fear, masks, and preconceived notions.
  5. Fifteen minutes of breathing: To begin partial pranayama breathing, inhale one-third of a full breath and hold for 15 seconds. Inhale another one-third for 15 seconds. Inhale the final 15 seconds, then exhale. Repeat this pattern of breathing for 5 to 15 minutes, preferably as near to 15 minutes as possible. If you need to start with 10 seconds of holding the breath at each interval, that’s okay, too. If you’d prefer, consider increasing the ranges up to 20 seconds in length.
  6. Eleven minutes of chanting mantra. The original mantra for this meditation is Har Jee Har Har Har Har Har Jee. The mantra translates roughly to: “O, my soul, (the creative) God is, God is, God is, God is, O, my soul.” You may also chant the simpler mantra, “Sat Nam,” which means, “Truth or True (Sat) identity (Nam).” If your faith falls under a different tradition, you may simply repeat the name of your desired deity.
  7. Repeat the initial pranayama breathing pattern.

“You are very powerful, providing you know how powerful you are.”
— Yogi Bhajan

How Does Kundalini Meditation Relate To Kundalini Yoga?

Kundalini meditation is built into Kundalini yoga, and meditation is a form of yoga. Yoga and meditation practices are aligned, in that they arebook-live-intuitive-reading-with-paul-wagner often designed to remove the mental chatter and obstacles that prevent us from seeing ourselves clearly. Meditation is focused on the breath and resting posture and does not traditionally include physical movement. Meanwhile, traditional yoga involves specific breathing patterns, structured physical movements and positions, and basic meditation.

Without Kundalini meditation, there would be no Kundalini yoga, yet the inverse is not necessarily true. According to many enlightened spiritual masters, meditation is the most beneficial modality for spiritual advancement. It deepens our connection to our most authentic selves, expands our spirits, and broadens our capacity for compassion and awareness. Meanwhile, the physical components found in yoga are not essential for every initiate and might not enhance every person’s spiritual path.

 

Many of the derivative and hipster forms of yoga in the market today are nothing more than exercise. Depending upon its lineage and quality, and the intentions and depth of the teacher, yoga can be self-centered, and, therefore, antithetical to the pursuit of a spiritual awakening. New-age yoga has become an integral part of pop-culture. This has had positive and negative effects. While some of the forms of the new yoga are inching people closer to peace and liberation, other types are indulgent and might inspire self-gratification.

According to ancient principles, this type of egocentric validation can quickly placate and stifle an individual’s ability to achieve a divinely inspired clarity. When choosing a yogic path, be discerning. Seek clear, loving, and dedicated instructors who embody the principles of the original Hindu and Buddhist teachings. You can learn more about Yogi Bhajan’s teachings at 3HO and Library of Teachings.