The Cross and The Lotus Journal

The Cross and The

Lotus Journal

March 2014, Vol. 15 No. 1

Dedicated to the Realization of God and Service to Him in All Forms

Mother Hamilton

Char

coal

Dra

win

g b

y G

argi

(Lak

shm

i)

The cross and lotus symbolizes the unity between East and West. The lotus is the sign of

illumined consciousness, the thousand petal lotus of the crown chakra. The cross is the

symbol of the body surrendered to the will of God. Following the way of the cross results in

the resurrection of illumined consciousness.

The Cross and the Lotus, symbol of man. East and West blended, join hand in hand.

Marching toward the infinite light and life divine. Lift up your eyes and see the star,

descending from heaven where e’er you are. Be filled with the peace and ecstasy of God’s almighty love.

Aum-Amen. The Reverend Yogacharya Mother Hamilton

The Cross and The Lotus Journal is published by

The Cross and The Lotus Publishing Mount Vernon, WA, U.S.A.

Website: www.crossandlotus.com

E-mail: [email protected]

© 2014 The Cross and The Lotus Publishing is dedicated to the publication of materials that

promote God-realization. Our spiritual lineage begins with Jesus Christ and Babaji and flows

down to us through Lahiri Mahasaya, Swami Sri Yukteswar, Paramhansa Yogananda and

Yogacharya Mother Hamilton.

The Reverend Yogacharya David Hickenbottom continues this lineage with the help and

support of many sincere devotees. We are dedicated to realizing God and serving devotees of

every race, color, creed and religion.

Mother Hamilton often said she was the product of two fully illumined Masters, her own

Guru, Paramhansa Yogananda, and Swami Ramdas. We therefore feature articles about

Swami Ramdas and Anandashram. We bow to the feet of Saints and realized Masters of all

religions.

The Cross and The Lotus Journal

Dear Friends,

March 7th and 9th are special anniver-

saries—a time of remembering the great

lives of Paramhansa Yogananda and Sri

Yukteswarji and their Mahasamadhis.

There are many swamis and yogis who

practice, there are fewer who attain signif-

icant realization, and fewer yet who, as

Mother says, go all the way. We are privi-

leged to follow in the footsteps of some of

the world’s greats, those who gained their

complete God-realization.

The term samadhi, an ancient Sanskrit term, means to direct

together. Experientially, samadhi is the superconscious state of

ecstasy in which you merge soul and Spirit. The great sage,

Vyasa, the founding author of the Mahabharata, said that “yoga

is samadhi,” meaning that everything taught in the great yoga

tradition is pointing toward and achieved in samadhi union.

Great yogis have mapped out the progressive stages of samad-

hi union. We draw upon Paramhansa Yogananda’s descriptions1

of the various stages of samadhi, beginning with a warning about

Jada samadhi: “…spiritually useless because it only temporarily

suspends the consciousness and actions of the ego, it cannot

transform material consciousness into spiritual consciousness…

produced by methods of physical control, or by the mental anes-

thetic of keeping the mind blank, or by pressing on certain

glands.”

With masterful practice of withdrawing the life-force from

bodily consciousness one may enter into mystical union through

sabikalpa samadhi whereby, “the attention and the life-force are

switched off from the senses and are consciously kept identified

with the ever joyous Spirit. The soul is then able to absorb the

fire of Spirit-Wisdom that ‘roasts’ or destroys the seeds of body-

bound inclinations. The soul as the meditator, its state of medita-

tion and the Spirit as the object of meditation—all become one.”


With further purification the next stage is reached in which

one is not in a fixed state as with sabikalpa, but merges with the

Infinite and may move freely in the world. “In the most ad-

vanced state, nirvikalpa samadhi, the soul realizes itself and

Spirit as one. The ego consciousness, the soul consciousness,

and the ocean of Spirit are seen all existing together. It is the

state of simultaneously watching the ocean of Spirit and the

waves of creation. The individual no longer sees himself as a

‘John Smith’ but also the waves of all other lives. In nirvikalpa

the soul is simultaneously conscious of Spirit within and creation

without. The divine man in the nirvikalpa state may even engage

in performance of the material duties with no loss of inner God-

union.”

An advanced yogi may go even further than the high state of

nirvikalpa samadhi; one many attain a rare and perfected state of

brahma nirvana or sahaja samadhi in which no further effort is

required (note, there are some variations in yoga philosophy that

define these terms differently). Mother defines this final state as

going over the top, the final stage of realization in the ascent

from the human to the divine.

Even in this state there are vestiges of ego consciousness re-

quired when God wills that the individual serve on the human

plane. The difference now is that the human is known to be a

manifestation of the divine—no longer is it a human occasional-

ly having a divine experience. A spiritual master may operate in

a world of relative obscurity, such as Babaji, or he or she may be

active on the world stage, such as Yoganandaji or Swami

Ramdas; such masters are beyond any law or compulsion to be

in this world in any particular way.

When it is divinely ordained the master is ready to leave the

body in Mahasamadhi, (maha meaning great, the final exit of a

great yogi or yogini, female yogi) with his final breath he merges

into the infinite consciousness for the last time in this incarna-

tion. Only one who has mastered samadhi in life may be master

of death. Mother said that when such a one exits the body there

is a spiritual ambience that goes out all over this world as a

blessing.


As spiritual practitioners we should all strive to purify the

mind through God-union so that when that moment comes we

may enter in a complete state of joy and merge with the omnisci-

ence of God.

There are many who think of death as going somewhere else;

however for the aspirant who has merged into infinite conscious-

ness the idea of here or there is now meaningless. In divine un-

ion every place is equally part of God and part of one’s own con-

sciousness. When Ramana Maharshi heard a devotee ask, “What

shall we do when you are gone?” he commented, “And where

am I to go?” Having entered into the omniscience of the supreme

Self, he knew that time and space were no longer inseparable

barriers.

Let us free ourselves once and forevermore from the tiny limi-

tations of ego consciousness. Merge into samadhi God-union and

live as you were designed to be from the very foundation of cre-

ation: a freed soul, a jiva mukta! Honor the lives of Sri Yuk-

teswarji and Paramhansa Yogananda by following in their

blessed footsteps and achieve your full God-realization.

1 The Bhagavad Gita; Paramhansa Yogananda; SRF, pp 100-101

Prayer for Spiritual Understanding

Oh my God, give me the wisdom of a child,

that in simplicity I may approach thy mysteries.

Give me the understanding of a humble mind,

illumined by thy Spirit,

and so shall I learn thy ways.

A Saint Francis Prayer Book


Letter to a Devotee

Dear ____________,

I make a distinction between having judgment and being judg-

mental. You must exercise judgment in life, to distinguish be-

tween what draws you closer to God and that which creates sepa-

ration.

However, when you are judgmental it separates you from God.

The content of what you think may be true, but to allow that to

detach you from your true Self cannot stand. It is at that crucial

point of separation you must immediately go to work on yourself

to have re-union with God, otherwise your instrument of judg-

ment is polluted and you will cease to be in the realm of Truth.

We have all made mistakes on the way up, the real point is to

learn our lessons and integrate these lessons into the fabric of our

beings. Feeling pain about making a mistake is normal, but we

should not make a fetish of it; that is catering to the ego.

Your letter reminded me of the story of a group of monks walk-

ing down the road. When they came to a river the head monk

spied a woman standing nearby contemplating how to cross the

river. He offered to carry her across, which she agreed to as the

currents were very strong. After parting ways on the other side the

group of monks continued on. Time and a few miles passed by

when a younger monk told his elder that it was improper for a

monk to touch a woman. The older monk said, "Oh yes, I can see

that although I only carried that lady across the river, you are car-

rying her still!"

Be of good cheer! Recover quickly from misperception of

Truth and be on your way, God is ever yearning to shine from

every cell of your being and even an instant away from Him is too

long!

Pronams,


Awakening

As sunlight suddenly bursts upon sodden fields,

emblazoning each with be-jeweled splendor,

So also the Presence of God

magnetically ignites your measured life,

branding it with irrepressible vision,

boundless mirth and knowing!

You see Him everywhere,

finding no place where He is not.

By turning towards His Light,

the utter Immensity of

His provision is made manifest.

In reverent watch,

behold the minute unfurling

of an uncommon Beauty,

arrayed from ground to sky!

Though imperceptible to many,

myriad currents interweave invisibly,

to seamlessly embroider

an eloquent tapestry of pure Spirit,

upon every limb as far as the eye can see.

That forests are alive with a celestial imperative,

cannot be omitted from an awakened Intelligence.

Rebecca Barnowe


The Ego An Excerpt from a Talk Given by

The Reverend Mother, Yogacharya M. Hamilton

in Portland, Oregon on November 17, 1960

Why Get Rid of the Ego

Mother: Now, I thought tonight that maybe we might just talk.

Maybe somebody has a question to ask, just for a change—huh?

Something has been bothering somebody? Somebody has read a

book, or has studied a lesson, and has a question to ask? Can we

come up with one?

Man: Why must we get rid of the ego? [He and Mother laugh.]

Mother: Why must we get rid of the ego? I didn’t read that let-

ter to you, did I?

[Mother retrieves the correspondence between her and a stu-

dent and begins to read.]

Letter to Mother from Student

I received your beautiful letter and was very happy to hear

from you. As a matter of fact, each and every time I read your

letter, it gives me greater inspiration for going deeper and further

into meditation and Kriya. I sincerely hope that all is well with

you and that you, too, have made the great advances in finding


God over the past several weeks as I have since the last time I

wrote to you. However, the time has come when I must come to

you and ask you for further assistance. But first let me tell you of

my beautiful experiences.

In Yoti Mudra I have found the five-rayed star, sometimes six

and seven-pointed stars in the field of blue, surrounded by the

gold halo. With regard to the Aum technique, the sound I hear is

similar to an “ssssss” sound that lasts for a few moments, then

there is a break, then the vibration followed by another break.

Generally speaking, I feel wonderful. As a matter of fact, some-

times I think I’ve arrived at samadhi. Of course I’m jesting, but

then again I don’t think it can be that far off.

Some months ago, you told me to destroy my ego. My ques-

tions are these: How do I go about doing this, or have I been do-

ing it with my practice? And secondly, of what great importance

or of what value is it for me to accomplish this? Also, how will I

feel without an ego when everyone else will have an ego? I have

also understood that psychologists have always advocated strong

egos, or is this a misunderstanding on my part? You also told me

that I had a powerful soul. May I ask, how did you know this? Is

this good? And why is it good to have a powerful soul? That’s

all the questions. Honestly, I hope you don’t think that I’m a

pest, but I would appreciate the answers to these questions.

I would like to express my sincere thanks to you for all the

help you have given me. I am also asking for your permission to

increase the number of Kriya exercises and also for any further

instructions which you would consider advisable at this time.

Please accept a small donation, not as a gratitude of my thanks,

for I could never hope to pay for all of your kind help, but as a

means of carrying on God’s work.

************

And this is what I wrote to this boy:

Letter from Mother in Reply

My Beloved Son,

In my heart, I think of you always as my spiritual son, so I


hope that you do not think it amiss that I so address you. Like

Master, I can now say, “Lord, thou hast given me a large fami-

ly.” And in wonder I watch it grow day by day. My soul reaches

out to embrace God’s children everywhere, and I love all as my

own.

Tithing

It was with great joy that I received your letters and, even

though, because of the heavy demands on my time, I am not al-

ways able to answer promptly, still I want you to know that I am

now and forever with you in spirit. Bless you for your generous

gift to help in carrying on God’s work. It is only through the love

and generosity of his devotees that it is made possible because

we have given up all that we had in order that we might realize

Him and serve Him. How few there are who carry out the com-

mandment of the Lord that the first one-tenth of all we have be

given unto Him. He further instructs us, saying:

“Bring ye all the tithes into the storehouse, that there may

be meat in mine house, and prove me now herewith, saith the

Lord of hosts, if I will not open you the windows of heaven,

and pour you out a blessing, that there shall not be room

enough to receive it.” (Malachi 3:10)

What a wonderful promise.

See God Face to Face

I am very happy to learn of your spiritual progress and the

beautiful experiences which have come to you. You may now

double the number of Kriyas which you do every day. This will

increase it to 28 in the morning and 28 in the evening. Remem-

ber to practice slowly and with deep concentration until you ac-

tually feel the cool and warm currents revolving around the

spine. As we continue to do sadhana (spiritual practice), the little

self, the ego, which identifies itself with the body and thinks of

itself as separate from God, is gradually changed and transmuted

until, with the final awakening, we see the radiance of our own

soul and come face to face with God. It is only then that we, like

the Christ, can say, “I and my Father are one.” And, as Master

said, “Blessed Spirit, I am He.”


I want to put my own experience into words.

As I knelt down to say a prayer

I felt my Heavenly Father there

His whispered bliss crept in my thoughts

And made me know ’twas Him I sought.

He poured His love into my heart

Until I felt myself a part

Of every living thing in space

And knew I’d met God face to face.

Two Thieves on the Cross

Until the ego is destroyed, we live in the world of duality,

pulled hither and yon, like a marionette on a string, battered

about by the twin forces of good and evil, the two thieves on our

own cross, which is the body. It is because our minds are con-

stantly absorbed by thoughts of good and evil that we are unable

to fix our attention upon the one Beloved who is above and be-

yond them both.

If our minds are constantly focused upon the sins we have

committed, as we are constrained by the orthodox churches to

do, how then can we place our full attention upon God? The

word “repent” means merely to creep back. It means that, having

sinned or gone away from God, we must creep back to our for-

mer status of Oneness with Him. The word “Jesus” means sav-

ior, and the word “Christ” means the anointed one.

“For many deceivers are entered into the world, who con-

fess not that Jesus Christ is come in the flesh. This is a de-

ceiver and an antichrist.” (2 John 7)

How greatly this is misunderstood. The whole Christian world

has come to think of the Christ as having been confined in only

one little body. They are the deceivers and the antichrist, because

Jesus the Mystic Christ is within every man. He is come in the

flesh, the temple of the living God. Did he not say, “Lo, I am

with you always”? Did he not also say that “God and the king-

dom of heaven are to be found only within”? If this is true, then

also he, the Son of God, can be found only within.


The Last Mile

Jesus said to his disciples:

If any man will come after me, let him deny himself, and

take up his cross, and follow me. For whosoever will save his

life shall lose it: and whosoever shall lose his life for my sake

shall find it. For what is a man profited, if he shall gain the

whole world, and lose his own soul? or what shall a man

give in exchange for his soul?” (Matthew 16: 24-26)

It can be clearly seen in the statement, “If any man will come

after me,” that man is free to choose his path. But if he does

choose to follow the Christ, it is also clear that he must deny

himself, the human ego, and take up his cross, which is his own

body, and emulate him in every detail, even unto death, or the

destruction of the ego.

This is not a path for modern moralists or coffee-klatch

“orthodoxists.” It is the last mile when the greatest and final ef-

fort must be made to pick up your cross and truly follow the

Christ. It has no place for the weak, curiosity seekers, or hangers

-on. Only tremendous strength, determination, love, worship,

and devotion for God can carry us through the final crucifixion

of the ego, which entails the death of the five senses of the gross

ego, and of the subtle ego consisting of the ten qualities of the

mind, such as lust, anger, pride, envy, jealousy, etc.

If I be Lifted Up

After the crucifixion, comes [sic] the resurrection, the ascen-

sion, and a new body which has been completely spiritualized in

Christ. For it says:

“For our conversation is in heaven; from whence also we

look within for the Saviour, the Lord Jesus Christ: Who shall

change our vile body, that it may be fashioned like unto his

glorious body, according to the working whereby he is able

even to subdue all things unto himself.” (Philippians 3:20)

He did not say that Christhood was for one man alone, but ra-

ther “as many as received him, to them gave he the power to be-

come the sons of God, even to them that believe in his name.”


He came to show us the way to Christhood so that we, too,

might become One with our Father God. He said, “If I” (the

Christ within), “be lifted up from the earth, I shall draw all men

unto myself.” If heaven is within, so also is the earth. So as the

Christ within us lifts himself up from the earth (or humanness of

our own being), he ascends into heaven and, with the magnetism

of God, draws all men unto himself.

The God-Self

Even the Christ used his five senses, because anyone in a hu-

man body must taste, smell, touch, see and hear when he func-

tions in the conscious state. However, he was not controlled by

the desires created through the use of them because he was mas-

ter of himself and all that he surveyed. Such a one, regardless of

his high estate, must use his mind as long as he functions in a

human body. The mind must be used both to eliminate the path

and to destroy itself once this purpose is affected. What is left

after all of these things have been accomplished is a spiritual

ego, the Self with a capital ‘S’. Or, to put it another way, the lit-

tle human self, the son of man, has been changed and transmuted

into his real or God-Self and is now the Son of God, the Christ.

The World’s Greatest Personalities

Much of the personality and many of the habits peculiar to the

personality, remain as an automatic function. But, because there

is nothing left in the temple but the indwelling God, even these

are divinized. The fact that the human mind no longer exists

does not mean that we function without a mind. Rather, it has

been transmuted and absorbed into the Universal Mind and func-

tions divinely in the state of Cosmic Consciousness.

Many have said, like you, “Why should I destroy my ego? Of

what value is it? I cannot conceive of such a thing because then I

would be nothing.” Let us remember the great ones who have

destroyed their egos in order that they might become the saviors

of mankind: Krishna, Buddha, Jesus the Christ, Mohammed,

Zoroaster—and in our own time, Ramakrishna, Ramana Ma-

harshi, Ramdas, and our own beloved Guru, Paramhansa Yoga-

nanda, to name only a few. Were these non-entities? Nothings?


They were and will be for evermore the greatest personalities the

world has ever known. They chose to lose their lives, the human

ego centered only in the consciousness of the little self, that they

might become the saviors of the world. They will be remem-

bered long after all of the kings, presidents, and others great in

the worldly sense have been forgotten.

As Sri Ramana Maharshi once put it so aptly:

“The ego is the source of thought. It creates the body and

the world.

… ‘I’ minus ‘I’ is the Self. “I am this” is the ego. When the

‘I’ is kept up as the ‘I’ only, it is the Self (or God). When it

flies off on a tangent and says “I am this or that, I am such

and such,” it is the ego.

…Mukti, or liberation, consists in the utter annihilation of

the ego and the entire destruction of ‘my’ and ‘mine’ by all

possible means. Further, as these are found to flourish to-

gether, being entirely interdependent, the destruction of ei-

ther causes the destruction of the other.

…The body is the cross. Jesus, the son of man, is the ego,

or I-am-the-body idea. When the son of man is crucified on

the cross, the ego perishes, and what survives is the Absolute

Being. It is the resurrection of the Glorious Self, of Christ,

the Son of God.” (The Teachings of Ramana Maharshi)

Psychologists cannot be considered as authorities on the sub-

ject of destroying the human ego as it is related to the Spirit be-

cause their approach and end objective is to contribute to the

health and well-being of the individual in the worldly sense.

With regard to the statement I made that you had a powerful

soul, and your question as to how I knew this—I knew because

God showed me that it was so. Now that you have given up the

old life and have turned your face toward God this is good be-

cause, as we are told:

“Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, with

all thy soul, and with all thy mind, and with all thy strength.

This is the first commandment.” (Matthew 22, 37-38)


Usually, we love only ourselves, not God. We pray to Him not

for the purpose of realizing our Oneness with Him but for the

solution of our problems and the satisfaction of our desires. It

takes great love, an indomitable will, supreme faith and determi-

nation to put Him first, before and above all things and people.

Only a powerful soul has the courage to surrender himself com-

pletely to the will of God, to become as innocent as a little child,

and humble enough to become the servant of all.

Think not of that which is either good or evil in yourself or in

others, but only of your Infinite Beloved. Keep His sweet and

holy Name ever upon your lips and worship Him with adoration.

Realize that God is the sole doer in the universe, and that you of

yourself are nothing. Said the Christ:

“I of myself am nothing; it is my Father who doeth the

works.” (John 14:10—paraphrased)

Let every thought, every word, every action be dedicated to

Him alone, and the day will come when He will lift you up into

the paradise of your own being where you will rest forever in

His arms of everlasting bliss. Then truly His will will be done in

earth as it is in heaven.

Where I found the Living God

If you accept what I teach you as Truth, know that it was not

gained through intellectual study in a theological school, nor was

it garnered from books or from people, but from within my own

temple wherein I found the living God.

Let me hear of your progress regularly, and I will write to you

as often as possible in accordance with His will, answering any

questions which you may have and teaching you as He directs.

May God’s love shine forever upon the sanctuary of your de-

votion. And may your soul softly open in prayer to receive His

light.

************

[Titles added by the editors and did not appear in the original

letter.]


Raising the Serpent An Excerpt from a Talk Given by

Yogacharya David Hickenbottom

in Seattle, on February 9, 2014

as part of the Christian Yoga series of classes.

Focus for the month [from the study guide]

Live more and more in that vital life force in the spine and

brain, feeling that all good comes from that central core.

With the life force flowing up the spine, experience the high-

er centers coming alive and revealing new mansions of heav-

enly experience. Transmute all lower energies from the

spine, such as sex energy and materialism energy, and feel

that force going up the spine, instead of being expressed

through the body. Notice the freeing nature of higher experi-

ence and release yourself from the binding, limiting force of

the lower nature.

Think on the two natures of the serpent force, one facing

downward and the other surging upward. Read the Scrip-

tures, and how one takes you away from God and the other

closer to the light and healing. Clarify what thoughts and

actions help you to go up, and what takes you down. Work

on emphasizing those habits that lift you higher.

The Crux of Religious Life

We get here, in these teachings, the central core, the crux, of

all great spiritual traditions and particularly Jesus’ teachings; his

life and teachings. And that is directly relating to the spine and

the brain; this is the good news that Jesus brought—the capacity

of being a God-man, or a God-woman. Before this time most

people in Israel would have thought of a messiah as someone

coming and being a king such as King David, a righteous king

establishing the State of Israel, throwing off the yoke of Rome,

and so on.

And so they saw it as a man coming into this world. But cer-

tainly, if you had talked to them about a God-man, to most this

would have been heresy; in fact, in the story, this is what they


crucified Jesus over, for proclaiming his oneness with God. That

was not to be done, not to be thought of. And yet that was his

life and his mission. And down through the ages, particularly

through the dark ages, the Christian theology began to work

around where Jesus was the only one. They would allow that.

But they wouldn’t allow for anyone else. And the Catholic

Church, of course, had saints and allowed for saints, but when

the Protestant movement came along, they even took away that,

or they equalized the ground. Anyone who became a part of the

church was considered a saint, but they took away any meaning

to the word of being a saint.

Through these dark ages these teachings gradually got watered

down to completely lose most of their pertinent and inner mean-

ing and became something that was focalized on as a historical

event. You see a lot of emphasis on: ‘What did the original

scriptures say?’ ‘What historical proof is there around any of

this?’ That is the focus.

But always and forever spiritual teachings have come down to

us in order to awaken that deep-seated knowledge that we all

come into this world with. Some have it deeper than others.

Some have that notion from the very beginning that, “This world

is not completely real; it’s not where I really belong, there is

something greater—something higher—about my life.”

Mother Hamilton described when she came into this incarna-

tion she just knew that she was meant for something beyond

what her two eyes and the five senses told her about this world.

Many of us have come with that nature inside of us. But we lose

it with time; We get indoctrinated into this world.

Defending the Jailer

There is something in psychology called the Stockholm syn-

drome, in which an experiment was done with these students—

these poor psychology students are always experimented on by

psychologists—they were put into a modified prisoner-of-war

camp, they were told what to do and when to do it, and so on.

And they were amazed how quickly these otherwise free-

thinking kind of people began to identify with the guards. If

somebody stepped out of line and the guards had to be harsh,


“Well it was the person’s fault for stepping out of line. They

shouldn’t have done that, you know. They—the guards—had no

choice.” They began to identify with their captors.

And you can say the same thing about maya and this whole

world of delusion. People have the Stockholm syndrome,

they’ve identified with the captors: “Don’t you dare think that

you can go beyond this world—this veil of tears, as it says in the

Vedas, you should just get along here; you should just go along

with the program.” And you’re thought of being something

strange or out of this world if you think that there should be any-

thing more to life.

But this is what we’re born with, and when it’s awakened in-

side of us we begin to reach out for something higher, something

greater, and in the beginning we do it with our mind. But if

we’re fortunate, we come to the point where this Kundalini—

this serpent force—is awakened inside of us. It lifts us up, and

it’s a real force. There are different people who go around and

teach classes on Kundalini and somebody will say, “Well, I had

some movement in my spine” or something like that, and they

think that it’s Kundalini.

The Power of Kundalini

The Kundalini is different than any other life force inside of

us. It is a powerful instrument, and when the soul is ready, it is

released from the base of the spine and it streams up the spine

and reaches to get to the top of the head. You can trace it per-

fectly when it’s awakened inside of you. There’s no guesswork

about it. You can watch its play as it moves up and through you.

I was fascinated one time when I was listening to a talk of

Mother’s, at the time I had this Kundalini force awakened in me

and it made me move in certain ways. Mother had explained

this; that it’s aligning you, even down to your atomic structure,

to be in perfect spiritual alignment and attunement. The

Kundalini force is an intelligent force that goes about making

this happen. And as a result of this force coming up, my body—

my upper torso—rotated in one direction, then it rotated in the

opposite direction. As I was going through this I sat in the back


at Mother’s, back in a dark corner, because I wasn’t anxious to

have anybody see me do these strange kinds of movements.

I was going along fine, and suddenly my attention was trans-

ferred right to the center of my brain. From that central aspect, I

could look down—in this state that I was in, I could look straight

down the spine. And what I saw was, about a third a way up my

spine, was the top of what looked like the head of a cobra. And I

hadn’t really thought about a serpent. I didn’t take it in a literal

kind of way, that there’s literally a serpent coming up, but in this

experience I saw this as the top head of a cobra. It was going in

perfect rhythm with the rotation of my own spine and it moved

one direction and then another direction. And then sometimes it

moved from my spine into my neck as it brought into alignment

all of these forces within me, so that this force—this Kundalini

force inside of me—would have a perfect pathway to go from the

base of the spine up to the medulla at the base of the skull, di-

rectly across to the ajna and then up to the top of the head, at the

sahasrara, or the crown chakra.

The Long Road

This is a process that in most cases takes many years, as this

purification process goes. Now there are some souls who have

had all of these experiences in previous lifetimes and they go

straight to the top. Ramana Maharshi is a case in point. But for

most of us mere mortals, it’s more of a journey; it’s more of a

struggle as this purification process takes place. And if we make

mistakes, then it lets us know in a hurry and it becomes very,

very painful, very quickly.

We get back onto course, if we’re sincere in our journey, and

we get that force—that flow—moving again in its proper direc-

tion. And gradually, gradually, it comes through all these spinal

centers and as it does it carries this Christ Seed, this seed of per-

fection within you, up the spine. When that Christ Seed comes to

each one of the spinal centers it collects from each one of the spi-

nal centers the positive and negative forces on each side. As it

collects these—these are the disciples that the Christ is picking

up. There are six different centers below this ajna center, and

with the polarity in each one of them there are a total of twelve;


these are the twelve disciples that this Christ Seed takes up the

spinal center.

As it is described in the Old Testament Genesis story, it’s

about the downward-facing serpent. When, through man’s free

will and choice, all of this life force was guided down into the

lower centers so that man may enjoy the five senses and all the

things of this world. As he was drawn into this world his divine

nature faded into the unconscious mind; he was no longer con-

sciously aware of his divine stature because he wanted to have

the total human experience.

He had free will; he was able to be in a human body and main-

tain his divine nature. But when you become focused on the

world and duality then your consciousness can be drawn down

and you get ensnared by this world. That is what is being de-

scribed.

The Opposition

In many of the stories in the Old Testament it is talking about

the back and forth, that there would be some saints—there would

be some great soul—who would come along and be working to

uplift humanity. And then there would be the oppositional forc-

es; sometimes this is told in picturesque language, such as armies

facing each other. Oftentimes our field of practice feels like a

battlefield; these are two opposing forces. And so the Kundalini

comes up, you battle one with the other. First you’re pulled by

this upward-facing serpent, and then you’re pulled downward;

this is the good thief and the bad thief that’s within you.

You see, the whole thing happens right inside of you. The

scriptures are a road map, a blueprint for your own edification,

for your own knowledge so that when you run up against these

oppositional forces you have a conceptual framework to ap-

proach it from. And you can understand it and you can see that in

actuality, all of these stories are part of your upward path.

Papa talked about one of the hardest things that he had to deal

with was anger. At one point as he was chanting God’s Name

and wandering all over India, he just—he threw himself down


into the dirt; he was just so angry. This rage just filled him, com-

pletely. But it was passing out of him. He continued his chant-

ing; he continued to let this anger, this rage, pass through him.

And as a result of that experience he gradually got rid of all of

it—got rid of all of it. This is the purification process.

Master said that one of his bugaboos in his spiritual life were

moods, that he could be subject to a mood and be taken down.

Sri Yukteswar worked very hard on him to get rid of these

moods, to become steady, to become calm all the time no matter

what was going on in his life. These great masters helped to

demonstrate for us what every human being has to go through in

their transformation from the human to the divine.

Symbols of Realization

It is in this transformation that the serpent force is a very pow-

erful symbol. I used here the picture of the single serpent going

up the pole, that’s used for medical practitioners.

It is the same serpent force that is pictured on the

brass pole that Moses had going up to the top;

this is becoming a master of your self. And often-

times we also see this other symbol of the twin

serpents that are

coming up, and at

the top are wings;

these two serpents

are the ida and the

pingala, the posi-

tive and negative,

the sun and the

moon on both sides

of the spine and as

they twine them-

selves up and they come up to the top of the

spine.

These two images are symbolic, emblematic of what happens

in raising the Kundalini. This single serpent is the symbol of a

healer, and the double serpent is a messenger of God.


Pilgrimages to India [Several devotees visited Anandashram since Yogacharya Da-

vid and Carla’s visit in the fall (see last journal). Here are the

reflections from some of the pilgrims, in the order of their visit.]

Special memories of Anan-

dashram, tucked into a corner

of my heart forever:

Women picking flower

blossoms every morning, so

that holy images of Swami

Ramdas, Mother Krishnabai

and Swami Satchidananda

would be honored...Small

flower bouquets created daily,

then handed out in reverence

to devotees during the morn-

ing flower ceremonies...The

arati prayers at noon; The bliss-

ful sadhu, grinning from ear to ear, chanting to our Lord; The

crippled devotee, repeating Ram Nam in solitude during mid-

day, while others rested; Swami Muktananda’s ever-generous

heart! Balakrishna, twice a day, carrying heavy urns filled with

coffee and tea, to devotees’ rooms—you snooze, you lose!;

Women bent over, sweeping leaves that fall incessantly from the

trees at Anandashram; Being greeted with “Hari Om”, or having

someone touch their heart in acknowledgment of the Indwelling

Spirit, as they passed you by; And meditation in Swamiji’s se-

rene room—heavenly.

Truth seekers from all walks of life and from all parts of the

globe are welcomed at Anandashram! One feels such peace

there—such absolute peace. Papa, Mataji, Swamiji, Mother, Da-

vid, along with countless other Great Ones, had walked there,

continue to walk there, had radiated Pure Love and Wisdom

there, and continue to give and give and give, until all sincere

seekers return to the Light of their own beings.

Mukta creating a flower bouquet


Know that there are places on this planet where God’s Light

shines so brightly—a beacon for all who turn their gaze inwards.

Know that Anandashram is one of those places.

Aum Sri Ram Jai Ram Jai Jai Ram… By Judy Ellis

***********************

When at the ash-

ram, I have noticed

Papa grants wishes.

So many small and

simple desires are

taken care of with-

out a spoken word.

This time I decided

to try to ask for Pa-

pa’s help when I

was having distract-

ing thoughts. The

ashram is full of

people, and each is

unusual to the west-

ern eye. I found my-

self often thinking, oh I would love to have that sari, or I wonder

how much someone had to pay for that necklace, or how sad that

a person has that disability. I realized how many judgments and

desires were racing through my thoughts, and asked Papa to help

me see all as God, so the distractions would become worship.

The most wonderful thing happened. I saw everyone as perfect

and delightful exactly as they were. By traditional standards

there were some very disfigured people, and Papa allowed me to

see them as the most beautiful things I had ever seen. They saw

it in my eyes and beamed that beauty right back at me. As I write

this the image of their beauty is as present as when it occurred

months ago.

By Rev. Jill Hough

***********************

Judy, Swami Chandrananda & Jill


When I first

heard that David

and some of the

other devotees were

going to Anandash-

ram I didn’t think

much about it. The

trip sounded like it

would be nice, but

with my work

schedule and fi-

nances the thought

of actually going

didn’t cross my

mind. I had recently decided that I would follow any inspirations

that I felt were selfless and that fell into the category of

“Kingdom” work. Rather than second guessing these inspirations

that I sometimes get I had decided that I needed to follow them.

For the next few weeks after meditation I would feel a pull to go

to the ashram. The human part of my mind soon began to ration-

alize all the reasons why the trip wouldn’t make any sense, fi-

nancially and otherwise, but after a Silent Saturday spent with

David and other devotees I felt a strong message “get your tick-

ets now.” I had already committed to following any inspirations

that I felt would further the cause of the Kingdom regardless of

what my human mind might have to say about it so I went online

and found some tickets, checked my work schedule and was

planning my trip a few hours later.

I later finished reading “In Quest of God” by Swami Ramdas,

completed packing a few sets of clothes into my backpack and

off I went! Anandashram was very peaceful and I feel that the

pilgrimage has helped me to deepen my spiritual practices and

gotten me closer to my Ultimate Goal. Now during my time

driving to and from work and when my mind can be idle I think

of God. I can’t wait until I have forged a connection so deep that

I can remember God during all waking moments of the day. I am

so happy with everything God has willed for me and am deeply

Travis Raney with Swami Muktananda


grateful for all of the blessing He has so graciously bestowed and

continues daily to bestow upon me. The closer I get to God the

happier I am in life. I of myself am nothing, it is my Father who

doeth the works. By Travis Raney

[More by Travis on Dec. 9th post: yogacharyadavid.com.]

***********************

In addition to having a warm, loving spiritual family in North

America, I feel like I have discovered more warm loving family

in India. It has opened up a whole new world to me. I feel there

is, in addition to my Guru, a refuge I can go to if I ever needed it.

My journey to the Ashram was comfortable and I felt safe—no

issues. I loved all the people we met at the Ashram and the Swa-

mis and all at the Ashram were so hospitable.

The teachings of Ramdas re-enforce everything David teaches

us. There is very powerful spiritual energy at the Ashram. It has

been a big event in my life—up there with marriage and babies,

and meeting my Guru. Chad told me before I went that it was a

life-changing event for him. It has been for me too. It is difficult

to articulate why exactly—many things—but intuitively I think

if a person feels ready to go, then making the pilgrimage and be-

ing in this powerful place changes a person on many levels.

By Geraldine Di Cicco

Lisa, Geraldine’s

daughter, was at the

ashram, too. Geraldine & Maureen Chlopan


***********************

How wonderful to have a place like Anandashram, where one

can go to deepen one’s spiritual sadhana, in an atmosphere of

love and service! I am grateful to God and Guru that I had the

opportunity to make my seventh pilgrimage to the ashram for

the month of January. Mother’s path is a blend of east and west,

Christianity and Yoga, Master and Papa. Seattle is a long way

from Kerala, India but my heart and practice seem to need both.

It is always a

joy to see all the

dear ashram in-

mates and swa-

mis. In addition,

I am always so

amazed and de-

lighted that Papa

brings most of

those I have met

over the years to

the ashram at

the same time I

am there—both

foreigners and

Indians who live

elsewhere. What a joyous homecoming! On this occasion I had

loving and inspiring satsang with Swami Maitreyi and Gargi,

whom I hadn’t seen for seven years. I also had the privilege of

getting to know some wonderful new souls.

My goal this trip was to really make use of my time there. I

found it especially beneficial meditating in Swami

Satchidanandji’s room which retains a powerful vibration, al-

lowing one to “dive deep and soar high.” Swami Muktananda

gave me an inspiring “take-home message” about seeing God as

the sole doer. As I tearfully passed through the ashram gates he

and Swami Chandrananda were waving goodbye.

Om Sri Ram Jai Ram Jai Jai Ram.

By Cate Koler

Homecoming: Sarala (Hyderabad) & Radha (London)


Memories of Mother In celebration of our beloved Guru on Mother’s Day-earthly moth-

er, spiritual Mother and Divine Mother. This poem was written to her

eldest child, Gari but she recited it to her spiritual children too.

To My Son, Gari

In my heart is a constant prayer for you

That murmurs like a haunting refrain

It is filled with love and knowledge true

That God’s wisdom you will gain.

I see in the mirror of my mind

The reflection of your soul—

I see its exquisite beauty

And its color of purest gold.

I see God standing close to you

Holding out His hand

Just waiting for you to tell Him

You are His to command.

Enter into His temple

Seal it very tight

Forget the things of time and space

Be one with His infinite light.

Mo

ther

& c

hil

dre

n:

Bil

lie,

Gar

i &

Bar

bar

a


Brahman is beyond the three Gunas From The Gospel of Sri Ramakrishna

M: “Is compassion also a bondage?”

Sri Ramakrishna: “This question is not for ordinary mortals.

Compassion is the result of the Sattwa quality. The Sattwa quali-

ty is protective, the Rajas quality is creative, and Tamas is de-

structive, but Brahman the Absolute is beyond the three quali-

ties—Sattwa, Rajas, and Tamas. It is also beyond Prakriti or na-

ture. Where there is absolute Reality, no quality of nature can

reach. As a thief cannot go to the exact spot where the treasure

is, because he is afraid of being caught, so Sattwa, Rajas, and

Tamas, like thieves, cannot go to the realm where is the treasure

of the Absolute.

Parable of the three robbers

A man was going through the woods. On his way he was

caught by a band of three robbers. They took away everything he

had. Then the first robber asked: “What is the use of keeping this

man alive?” And drawing his sword, he was about to kill him,

when the second robber stopped him, saying: “What good will

be done by killing him? Tie his hands and feet and throw him to

one side.” So they bound his hands and feet and went away leav-

ing him by the roadside. After they had been gone for a while,

the third robber returned and said to him: “Ah! Are you hurt?

Come let me untie the cords and release you.” Then when he had

removed the cords, he said: “Now come with me. I will show

you the road.” After walking for a long distance, they found the

road, and then the robber said: “Look, there is your home. Fol-

low the road and you will soon reach it.” The man, thanking

him, replied: “Sir, you have done me a great service. I am great-

ly obliged to you. Will you not come with me to my house?”

The robber answered: “No, I cannot go there; the guard would

find me out.”

Three Gunas of nature

This world is the wilderness. The three robbers are the three

Gunas of nature,—Sattwa, Rajas, and Tamas. Jiva or the individ-


Center News

Check out Davidji’s blog: at www.yogacharyadavid.com

Yogacharya David frequently posts inspiring messages.

New Center Leader for Maple Ridge

Dianne Tipton is now Center Leader for Maple Ridge and is

holding meditation services at her home (see crossandlotus.com

calendar for specific times). In February we had a Service and

House Blessing for Dianne with chanting and a talk by

Yogacharya David. Potluck followed, a blissful time for all.

ual soul is the traveler; self-knowledge is his treasure. The Ta-

mas quality tries to destroy the Jiva, the Rajas quality binds him

with the fetters of the world, but the Sattwa quality protects him

from the actions of Rajas and Tamas. By taking refuge with the

Sattwa quality, Jiva becomes free from lust and anger, which are

effects of Tamas; the Sattwa quality also emancipates the Jiva or

the individual soul from the bondage of the world. But Sattwa

quality itself is also a robber. It cannot give Divine wisdom or

the knowledge of the Absolute. It leads one, however, up to the

path of the Supreme Abode and then it says: “Behold, there is

thy home!” Then it disappears. Even the Sattwa quality cannot

go near the abode of the Absolute.


Happy Birthday, Yogacharya David By Carla Hickenbottom

I had been wondering how to celebrate the most important per-

son in my life (and in many other people’s lives) on the auspi-

cious occasion of David’s 60th

birthday (February 26th). Jill

graciously agreed to host the

event and reminded me that at

one time David had mentioned

instead of giving presents peo-

ple could perform “random acts

of kindness” so we agreed we

should incorporate that into our plans.

Jill, David and Greg

The birthday celebration started with a delicious lunch pre-

pared by Jill, followed by devotees reading or speaking about

their “random acts.” Those who were not able to attend but sent

theirs were read aloud. It was so heartwarming and inspiring

hearing about all those dedicated to giving service in honor of

David. The birthday party closed with a beautiful and uplifting

kirtan and all felt God’s gift of David in their hearts. David said

it was his best birthday ever!


Cake again at Sunday service

Jenrr

i H

ough

Briana with baby Aurelia

Honor and Sarah


Celebration of the Anniversary

of Mother’s Mahasamadhi The 23rd anniversary of Mother’s Mahasa-

madhi (January 31) was celebrated both in

the Seattle area and at Anandashram, In-

dia.

On Saturday, February 1st, devotees gath-

ered at Mother’s graveside for a service

led by Yogacharya David. Everyone

brought flowers to lay on the gravestone.

Lunch at an Indian restaurant followed.

On Sunday,

February 2nd,

Yogacharya

David led a

service in Mt.

Vernon about

Mother. He

also posted

some writings about Mother and some excerpts from her talks on

his blog: yogacharyadavid.com .

At the ashram, Mother’s Mahasamadhi was celebrated on Jan-

uary 31 from morning until night. Special garlands were placed

on the altar and the mandirs in her honor and a beautiful flower

arrangement was created by Swami Maitreyi to adorn her photo.

During the afternoon reading session Swami Muktananda read

several selections about Mother out of the books, World is God,

Gospel of Swami Ramdas and the introductions by Swami

Satchidananda and Yogacharya David in Memories of Mother.

Cate spoke briefly about Mother, what attracted her to Mother’s

teachings and her connection to Anandashram. At the end of the

day Cate lit the arati in her honor and passed out prasad.

Jill, Travis, Briana (w/ Aurelia), Win, Charmie, Beckie

http://yogacharyadavid.com


Bridge Pose (Setu Bandhasana) By Briana Jones

This is a lovely pose for opening and strengthening, both

physically and spiritually. Feel yourself opening like a vibrant

spring flower to the sun, giving and receiving beauty, love, and

will power.

Props: Hard, even, slip free floor surface, yoga mat

Practice: Lie on your back with your knees bent, feet hip-

width apart. Press your low back against the floor and tilt the

pelvis upward. Continue lifting from the tail, allowing the spine

to be drawn off the floor vertebra by vertebra, like a pearl neck-

lace. Keep your knees parallel and press your feet against the

earth. Walk your shoulder blades together beneath you and clasp

your hands, reaching towards the heels. Use your strong back

body and your contact surfaces with the earth to support a beau-

tiful opening of the front body. Like the arc of a rainbow, lift

your belly button to the heavens, and with full belly breath, feel

the energy flow!

To come out of the pose, release shoulders and arms and slow-

ly lower the spine down, drawing the tail towards the heels to

lengthen. Draw your knees into your chest for a few breaths and

then release the legs long.

Modifications: For low back care, lift the spine only a few

inches off the floor, lengthening the back and keeping the pelvis

lifted higher than the navel.

Benefits: Strengthens the back and thighs. Opens and releases

the chest, heart, and lungs. Energizes and uplifts mood. May all

live in the Eternal Spring! Namaste.


From the Master’s Kitchen One of the recipes originally published in Master’s Lessons

Mexican Corn

Corn: 2 cups cooked

Celery: 1/4 c. chopped

Tomatoes: 1-1/2 cups

stewed

Cheese: 1/2 c. grated

Onion: 1 chopped

Cracker crumbs: 1/2

cup whole wheat

Cooking oil: 2 tbsp.

Chili powder: 2 tsp.

Salt: mineralized

Combine ingredients and put into buttered baking dish. Bake

in moderate oven 30 minutes.

Comments from our C&L chef, Angela Victory

As I sat on my kitchen floor flipping through my pile of Mas-

ter’s recipes, snow falling outside and some of my favourite mu-

sic playing, I was calm and thinking of my mom. I felt her with

me and there was an extra special quietness to the moment. Lots

of great recipes were asking to be made and I was remembering

back to a beautiful email that Rebecca sent me about cooking

from the journal which added to the inspiration of this casse-

role—kind of a chili or a cooked salsa: a per-

fect potluck dish, with Master’s smiles. A

few variations were rye bread blitzes for

cracker crumbs; corn chips would have been

my first choice but improvising is always

fun. I think adding beans would make it

more of a vegetarian ‘meal’, served with

chopped avocado and Greek yogurt on top to

garnish. Happy cooking!


Journal Editors: Larry & Cate Koler

Calendar of Events Mar. 5 Ash Wednesday

7 Paramhansa Yogananda’s Mahasamadhi (1952)

9 Swami Sri Yukteswar’s Mahasamadhi (1936)

20 Spring Equinox (9:57 p.m. PDT)

Apr. 15 Swami Ramdas’ Birthday (1884)

20 Easter

May 11 Mother’s Day

10 Swami Sri Yukteswar’s Birthday (1855)

26 Memorial Day

June 15 Father’s Day

21 Summer Solstice (3:47 a.m. PDT)

Sri Yukteswar and Master during a Holy Day Celebration

God is ever after us. He wants to

take us to Himself and grant us the

highest beatitude. But we try to

escape from Him even as a dirt-

covered child runs away from its

mother who wants to bathe it. We

are trying to run away from the

Divine Mother who wants to puri-

fy us and give us the highest bliss.

We like playing with the toys of

the world, ignoring Her call.

Swami Ramdas

Any great saint of any

religion who has attained

God-consciousness knows

how to withdraw his

consciousness and life force

from the sense regions and

the spinal cord passage and

the plexuses in the spine to

God-consciousness in the

brain and the eternal space

surrounding the body.

Paramhansa Yogananda

Service to God is an essential attitude that expands conscious-

ness beyond merely individual concerns. To ask, “How may I

be of service to You, Lord?” opens the heart and attunes it to a

higher thought. Now you feel Divine Life flowing through

your entire being as you go about your seva, your loving ser-

vice to the One, and to all.

Yogacharya David Hickenbottom

Jesu

s in

th

e G

ard

en o

f G

eth

sem

ane

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