Los Angeles
Good Day!
It's been awhile and a few blogs never got written. Now we are at the SRF Convocation in Los Angeles and the schedule has been a bit hectic. Noticing a bit of a respite I sat down at the computer.
The first thing I choose to say: if your spiritual path of choice has a gathering of thousands of followers, don’t miss it! When you assemble that many souls with a shared commitment to your spiritual compass, the energy is phenomenal. Each spiritual effort made is SOOOO much easier. We had our in-room 6 hour meditation for Core IV yesterday and it was, simply put, ease and grace. I could FEEL the intense presence of the Masters mentioned when I did the Opening Prayer. The whole hotel is permeated with it. It is just not an everyday event to associate with legions of people who are each Awake, holding a shared understanding of God as FIRST priority, and a love of meditation and God-Communion.
Smiling faces abound each place I go as if it is a Light-of-Smiles-fest. Today Den and I are fasting so we are avoiding the multitude of vegetarian watering holes right in the hotel. This morning was the first long meditation (3 hours) ever offered (since I have started coming in 1971). After yesterday's 6, I was definitely up for it. In fact, I am headed to the unstructured meditation room provided for anyone so desiring as soon as I finish this blog. That room is like a magic carpet! Without much effort at all, you find yourself flying.
I say to myself, as much as to you, be aware of how the ego will avoid what we KNOW is the best thing for us. Even after forty-plus years on my path, I still find ego resisting certain spiritual endeavors I absolutely KNOW will make me happy and give me lasting contentment. I guess that sucker will do that till its bitter end. So be it. The important thing is to REMEMBER that's what it does, and don't pay it any mind! Even the 6 hour...I organized it because I knew it was the "right" thing to do....we have been having that one Tuesday morning for years. Habit made the resistance considerably less...actually it was barely there. STILL, I had no idea that meditation would be as sweet as it was. The amnesia from year-to-year is amazing.
Each of us must make a Habit of the various aspects of our spiritual sadhana. Meditation, prayer, reading, affirmations, fasting, whatever is important in your particular spiritual focus. The Habit will kick in automatically before the ego can get in many con arguments. You just kind of roll right into the wise thing to do without the mind being that engaged. I have become used to fasting one day weekly again. (I did this for years, and then let the habit fall away.) This is such a positive for me physically, emotionally, mentally, spiritually. I intend to do it going straight through to my departure from the planet. Sometimes it morphs a bit...if I do a week fast I may skip the one day for a couple of weeks...yet fasting always has a presence in my life now.
We have taken to using our Vitamix for making whole-food delicious raw meals. Did you know you can make a great soup in 6 minutes with that blender-on-steroids? Not to mention healthy "ice cream" and really delicious smoothies with far more interesting and healthy ingredients than you can buy out. We brought it with us and I can tell the difference in how I am physically.
I "got" very strongly the importance of diet and exercise-stretching during my long meditation. I KNOW they each have a major influence on depth and length of one's meditation. I am going home to already-scheduled daily yoga classes. I intend to keep these up for a few months and hopefully get enough direction, habit, and will to continue hatha on my own at home.
The easily perceptible JOY on the faces of those here is incredibly inspirational and motivational. I choose to cultivate and expand on this holy week throughout the upcoming months. I choose to LIVE the Light-of-Smiles!
Hoping you are also inspired to join me in pursuit of the Ultimate Fulfillment and Unceasing Happiness!
Loving you always, k
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