Question:
I notice a tremendous difference from day to day in my ability to meditate and follow spiritual discipline. Does each day have its own vibration?
Answer:
The waves on the surface of the ocean fluctuate endlessly, but in the depths the ocean the Spirit remains unchanged. Whether we dive deeply, or see ourselves moving restlessly about on the surface, depends on where we put our attention.
The world reflects our own consciousness. An enlightened Master lives in a state of Bliss – everywhere in creation, he sees only Bliss.
Swami Kriyananda said that when he saw people suffering, his first thought was not of their present misery but of how blissful they will feel when that suffering is dissolved in the realization of God.
He felt compassion, but their suffering to him seemed only a prelude to joy – a joy made greater by the contrast with their present troubles.
Many forces try to keep us restlessly roaming about on the fluctuating surface of life. Astrological influences are real. Also, we are affected by group, national, and planetary karma. These influences challenge our individual consciousness.
It can be helpful to watch these ebbs and flows of energy with, as a friend of mine put it, “amused detachment.”
But we must eventually develop such powerful magnetism that we can remain even-minded and cheerful no matter what is going on around us.
Yogananda would sometimes ask astrologers to pick the worst times to start certain enterprises, and he would put out the energy and will to succeed despite those influences.
He wanted us to understand that these forces are real, but that man’s power of will is potentially greater than any external reality.
Sometimes our spiritual practice is effortless, and sometimes life seems to pull us away from our best intentions. God and Gurus don’t expect us to demonstrate a perfection of which we are presently incapable. All they ask is that we don’t give up. No matter how many times our will falters, we need to pick ourselves up, brush ourselves off, and start all over again.
We may wander for a long time, but in the end our heart’s longing will defeat all other attractions and we will find our eternal home in God.
Blessings,
Nayaswami Asha