April 17-21 of this year, 2008, I was blessed to return to my “ole stompin’ grounds, deep in the heart ‘o Texas.’” Actually what that means, ya’ll, when translated out of Texan into Amurrrri-can, is that I flew to out Dallas to give classes and get-togethers at the Ananda Dallas Center. My flight was over 5 hours late due to tornadoes, hail, and huge thunder storms in the Dallas-Fort Worth area. But hey! That’s springtime in Texas. The carpets of blooming bluebonnets (the fragrant state flower) and many other colorful wildflowers made up for it.

There was a time, back in the late 80’s and early 90’s, when I flew out to Texas many times a year, supporting our meditation groups and Ananda connected folks in whatever ways I could—offering classes, retreats, and so on. But during this visit, I realized that it had been several years since I returned to Texas and that was way too long to be out of touch with those fine, faithful folks, some dear old friends (and some newer ones too), and all my fellow disciples in Texas. There is a flavor of deep joy, a sweetness there among Texas devotees, which is hard to describe, but simply wonderful to feel first-hand.

In reflecting on how inspiring this visit was for me, I thought it might be interesting to write down a little of the history of Ananda’s presence in the Lone Star State—a history that actually goes back quite a few years.

In 1975, the year I first visited Ananda, I had been living in Texas for 13 years. I returned from my 2-month visit to Ananda Village (the only Ananda community there was in those years) determined somehow to create some sort of “Ananda in Texas.”

My first step was to start teaching Hatha Yoga at the closest university—which happened to be Texas A&M. I am now amazed at my courage in doing this back then, for 3 reasons:

1) Nobody asked me for credentials, which was a good thing, because I had none—except my 2 months at Ananda, being led in Energization Exercises, Ananda-style yoga, and meditation twice a day;

2) Texas A&M was a very conservative place indeed, most people in central Texas in those years not knowing yoga from yogurt;

3) Having not been officially trained to teach yoga, and none of my students having a clue what it was anyway, we all had a great time together!

Based on the success of this venture, I began offering classes and retreats in other locations, teaching meditation to whoever was interested, leading sadhanas in my home many afternoons each week, to friends who were interested, and starting a small meditation group (I think at its peak we had 3 participants).

I continued to visit Ananda Village in the hopes I could figure out a way to move there. During my Christmas visit of 1977, I heard that Swami Kriyananda was going on a nationwide tour which might be passing through Texas. I told him I lived there and perhaps I could help in some way. Little did I know what that suggestion would do!

In my brief conversation with Swami that Christmas, I said: “When you visit Texas, do you know where, in which city, you’d like to give classes?”

He answered, “Well, I guess Dallas—it’s the biggest city in Texas, isn’t it?”

I said, “Well yes, I think it is, but I live closer to Austin and Houston, and would be able to be of more help if you chose one of those cities to visit.” [hint, hint]

Imagine my surprise when, soon after my return to my home in Texas, I received a call from Keshava, who (I believe) was Swami’s secretary at that time, who told me gleefully, “Swami is coming to Austin, Houston, and Dallas and we want you to be in charge!” I just about fainted when I heard that, but bravely said I’d try. Fortunately I found other willing souls in Houston and Dallas to help make all the needed speaking engagements happen and to help find places for everyone on the “Joy Tour Team” to stay—while I took care of arrangements in Austin.

March of 1978, the Ananda “Joy Tour” arrived in Texas in full force. Swami and the “team” of a dozen or more Ananda folk, most of whom I had met on my previous visits to Ananda Village, were traveling in a van and a motor home. I worked hard to see that everything went smoothly in Austin, and I think it did! The crowds were large, the enthusiasm great, and Swami was well-received there. Houston was even better, and I think Dallas was best of all, though I didn’t get to join the group there.

In Houston, after one of his evening seminars, I asked Swami if I could have a spiritual name and he graciously blessed me with the name Savitri. What a personal peak-life experience that was!

Several times during the next 2 or 3 years after that first springtime visit, Swami returned to Texas to speak. Ananda Meditation groups sprang up in Austin, Houston, and other locations. I was thrilled to see it all, but by that time, I had moved to Ananda Village myself, and thus simply watched and prayed from afar as the Ananda Texas energy grew stronger.

Texans are indeed strong people, independent-minded, friendly, enthusiastic, and full of joy. I love them! And though I truly loved living at Ananda Village, I still missed that sweet Texas spirit and the many friends I had there. So when the time was right, and Ananda teachers were needed to travel to Texas to help our work there, I was among the first to volunteer.

I’d like to especially mention and honor a few folks who hold an important place in Ananda Texas history. Clara Evans was the first Ananda Dallas Meditation Group leader to invite me to come there to teach in 1988. Happy Winningham was a dynamic part of the Dallas group then and soon after moved to Ananda Village, as did Clara, too. Jan Shapiro took over Ananda Dallas leadership and did a magnificent job for many years. Rex Anderson and Harold Byrd led the group in Houston, Agnes Lundstead led the group in Austin, and Lewis Kreydick led a small group in South Padre Island.

Soon the Ananda Texas energy seemed dynamic enough to send full time Ananda ministers to live and serve in Texas. Pranaba and Parvati Hansen were the first to go in 1992, establishing themselves first in Austin, and eventually in Dallas, (which, interestingly enough, was the first place Swamiji had mentioned he wanted to give classes on his first cross-country speaking tour, all those years ago). Krishna Das and Mantradevi, now serving as leaders of our Ananda Los Angeles Center, also served at Ananda Dallas, 1994-1996.

Right now, Sue Chadwick is the acting Ananda Minister and primary director of Ananda Dallas, the very active Ananda Dallas Meditation & Yoga Center, located at 4901 Keller Springs Road, Suite 103, Addison, TX 75001, on Keller Springs Rd. between the Tollway and Addison Road They have a full calendar of activities, including Sunday Service every Sunday, programs for families, yoga and meditation classes, and so on. Check it all out at www.anandadallas.org

During my visit this past April, I was thrilled to see how strong and dynamic Ananda Dallas has become now, with a great core of dedicated kriyabans who really know the importance of keeping their Center strongly serving as a beacon of light for all truth-thirsty souls. I know from personal experience that it is not easy, living in mid-America and trying to hold yourself together as a devotee of this path, keeping your own spiritual practices strong, and trying to help others to find their own way spiritually also. Therefore, I bow at the feet (and cowboy boots) of all those Texas devotees of past, present, and future, who were and are able to do just that. Bless you one and all. I can’t mention you all by name, but you know who you are.

Earlier this year, I took a 17-day (Feb. 10 -27, 2008) trip to Kerala, South India, specifically to an Ayurvedic Health Resort called Somatheeram (translation “Moon-Seashore”).

This trip was sponsored by Ananda’s Expanding Light Yoga and Meditation Retreat near Nevada City, California and led by Gyandev and Diksha McCord—it was their third year to take folks on this healing retreat, and they did a great job as tour leaders. There were 28 of us on the tour. I was able to join the group as an extra staff person, an opportunity for which I will be forever grateful. It was a never-to-be-forgotten experience.

I would highly recommend this Ayurvedic Retreat for anyone, for reasons I will describe below—but most especially if you are interested in healing yourself of anything and while enjoying a vacation in a tropical paradise, experiencing the lovingly spiritual vibrations of South India, and being pampered head-to-toe with unique Ayurvedic treatments.

Because I have been teaching yoga, meditation, and all related topics for over 30 years, I was somewhat familiar with Ayurveda (translation: “knowledge of life”), the primary healing and dietary branch of the yogic sciences. I’ve had my “doshas” diagnosed and special Ayurvedic diets recommended. I’d heard of the special oil treatments and massage that Ayurveda recommends and the “Shirodhara or oil-dripping-on-your-head” treatment, but had never experienced those delights before this trip. So although I knew a bit of what to expect, I was still not sure of how I’d feel about having Ayurvedic treatments every day. Still, the friends I had talked to who had been on this retreat had raved about it, so I figured I’d like it, too. In reality, it was far beyond my expectations, to say the least.

Most of our group flew from San Francisco to Trivundrum, South India, with a stop in Singapore. It’s a long trip, but much more fun when you are with a group. We arrived at night, so it was difficult to see just exactly what the surroundings looked like. We were greeted by the friendly and efficient staff and given fresh coconut juice (in the coconut!) to drink with a straw—very refreshing after all that travel. We went to bed hearing the ocean roar and awoke to the sound of rain on the roof (the only time it rained while we were there).

Kerala is the name of the state in South India where the Somatheeram Ayurvedic Retreat is located, right on the Arabian Sea. Kerala means coconut palm, and I could see why when we got up the next morning. The palms were very tall, slender, and lovely, and they were everywhere, blowing in the warm breezes! In addition were riots of colorful flowers blooming in profusion and washed clean by the rain. The property is landscaped and maintained beautifully. Along every walk-way, there were carefully labeled pots of live herb plants, many of which were used in our healing treatments. I’ve been growing and using herbs for many years, so this was a special treat for me, though certainly many were new to me. The sounds of crows (“caw! caw!”) was omnipresent and often very loud, along with the cries of many other sorts of tropical birds. It sounded like the background sound track of a Tarzan movie. The weather was clear, warm (in the 80’s) and quite humid. It was cooler and ocean-breezy in the mornings, when we did our yoga and meditation sessions outside, under the palm trees and overlooking the ocean.

On our first morning, we came together for an orientation on what to expect from our treatments and an introduction to the staff and the doctors. We also had a blessing and puja (special fire and other offerings ceremony) performed for us by a young Brahmin priest. That afternoon we had our first personal evaluation with two Ayurvedic doctors and were given a dosha diagnosis and treatment schedule for the rest of our stay. In our tour package were included seven Ayurvedic treatments of 2 hours each. I took only my 7 as I felt I needed to have spare time to help Gyandev and Diksha as needed, or just relax if not. Most of my fellow retreatants added on more treatments. My friend, Suzanne Ilgun got the prize for the most treatments taken, one a day and doubling up for two a day on the last few days. She looked so fabulous at the end of the retreat, having lost 10 lbs and looking so rested and relaxed with a “Kerala glow” all around her. She was impressive!

What were the Ayurvedic treatments like? Ayurvedic healing treatments are ancient. Some form of Ayurveda has been practice in this area of India especially, for over a thousand years. The traditions are old indeed! The area/climate/temperature/humidity etc are said to be absolute perfect for healing to take place. The humidity is high, but that is essential to the “sweating-out-the-toxins” part of the treatments. Once you are “diagnosed” and “categorized by dosha as predominantly vatta (airy), pita (fiery), or kapha (earthy)” by the doctors, you are given some herbal remedies to take orally, daily, usually before and after meals. Some tasted OK. Some were tablets and easy to take. Some tasted like something I refuse to describe, but I took them anyway (mostly). I’m sure they were doing me good, because I felt better and better every day. And then you are turned over to a primary therapist (male for the men, female for the women) who takes care of your treatments every day. You are taken to a treatment room, which is quaintly attractive, as all the buildings are there. Primarily brick with palm-thatched roofs. Simple but very nice, clean, and comfortable.

Here you receive a 2 hour (for some slightly longer) treatment by 1, 2, 3 or 4 highly trained therapists. Now everybody was having different treatments of different types, some more strenuous than others. We really had fun each evening at dinner comparing our “treatment experiences” and laughing a lot at each person’s descriptions of them. I was having a “Rejuvenation Program” which was a lighter sort of treatment series. Others were having the “Purification Program” which was longer and more complex, as I had it described to me by others—it included dietary recommendations for every meal. Everybody I talked to seemed very happy with what was going on in their individualized treatments. I should mention that we had several men on this trip with us and they felt greatly healed and benefited by their treatments—it’s not just a “pampering girly” thing going on here, believe me! It involves deep healing techniques for men and women alike. Besides our group there were other guests also, primarily from Germany, Russia, Italy, and other European countries. I think we might have been the only Americans there!

Here is the main theme of the treatments: OIL, OIL, and more OIL! Literally gallons of herbal oil (usually sesame or coconut oil base) were being used on you. They make all this oil at a nearby facility, which we toured one day as part of our experience—very interesting to see how they do this! The oil was warmed to a comfortable temperature and slathered on in amazing quantities. Massages were quite different from the kind we are used to in the West. Lighter strokes (sometimes with more than one person working on you), not so much digging into the muscles. But very thorough and it really felt wonderful to me. They use their hands, obviously, to massage you all over, but also their feet. They treat your eyes, your ears, your nasal/sinus cavities, and other body parts I won’t mention. I drank cups of warm ghee (clarified butter) and herbs before treatments, and warm herbal water or coconut juice after treatments. So you are definitely being treated both inside and out. After two hours or more of treatment, you are give a clean cotton robe to wear to your room and told NOT to shower off the oil but rather sit out in nature in your hammock or rest somewhere shady and calm for an hour, to let the oil soak in more deeply and to reap the benefits of the treatments.

We also received Shirodara, the most commonly known treatment of Ayurveda, wherein a light stream of oil is poured slowly on your forehead for quite a while. It is blissful! You really do go into an altered state of consciousness with this one. All of it was a treat for me to experience, as well as being rejuvenating. I felt strongly that the doctors, treatment personnel, and all the healing staff members really know what they are doing and are very good at it and professional, too. Plus they are very kind, friendly, loving, caring, and always sweet as can be. Treatment sessions always began with a short blessing ceremony and lighting of incense by your primary practitioner. It’s pampering of body, mind, and soul like none other.

These treatments were the FOCUS of most of our days, but many other fun things happened too, a few of which I will describe. But first let me tell you what Somatheeram looked like. As I mentioned, it is located right on the Arabian Sea. The primary buildings and individual cabins are placed on many levels on the steep side of bluffs overlooking the ocean. Therefore, you are always feeling ocean breezes and hearing the sound of the sea. The cabins or resident rooms are new, but built to resemble the local and ancient architecture. They are made of red brick and often round in shape. They have thatched coconut palm roofs, ceiling fans, and excellent ventilation and kept spotlessly clean. Most have a hammock outside and spectacular beach views. They are set among palm forests and brick or stone walkways.

As I mentioned, everything is beautifully landscaped with tropical flowers and plants, meticulously maintained and kept tidy by a friendly grounds crew. There are many steps to climb to go from your residence to dining room to beach to sadhana area to treatment centers to swimming pool, but this is very good exercise (makes you sweat!) and very much a part of the healing process. The dining areas (there are more than one) are open and breezy, partially indoors and partially under the sky. There is entertainment almost every evening during dinner consisting or dance, music, chanting, plays, and so on.

The food is very, very good. It is served buffet style. It is fresh and delicious. It is primarily vegetarian and Indian style, but at dinner there is always one entrée which has meat or fish in it. If you don’t care for what is on the buffet, you may order whatever you like from their menu. There is room service—allowing you to have anything you want delivered right to your room.

The beach is an inspiring place to spend time and I did so every day, usually at dawn and/or dusk. The water is beautiful, though the crashing waves were a little too rough for me to venture out too far. The strongest swimmers in our group cautioned us to be very careful of the surf. On the way down to the beach closest to our resort is a Christian shrine with statues of Jesus and also St. Thomas, who brought Christianity to this area of India in about 50AD. There are always people there kneeling in prayer in worship. An inspiring sight! And there are often special processions to the shrine with music and singing. Christianity, Indian style, in a rainbow of colors.

Many of us might have been content to hang out and eat and sleep and do yoga and swim and walk on the beach and have our Ayurvedic treatments—sounds nice, doesn’t it?—it was! But there were other fun things we did—side trips and such. I mentioned our trip to the facility where all the herbal oils and medicines were made. But our first outing was to a nearby cove/beach area called Kovalam—about 30 minutes away. It was a georgous crescent shaped beach and a sort of shopping boardwalk all along the beach. This was a majorly good shopping area and people, including myself, found beautiful things to buy at really inexpensive prices. Also just outside the gates of our resort, were many nice shops also, including friendly tailors who would make you whatever clothes you wanted in just few hours—difficult to resist!

One day we went to downtown Trivundrum to a fancy department store named Parthas, where many beautiful shirts, saris, punjabis, and so on were purchased by members our group. My two favorite outings were the tropical delights of our houseboat ride on the inland waterway system of Kerala and our day-trip to the southern tip of India, Cape Comorin/Kanyakumari, and a temple on a rock island where Swami Vivekananda swam out to and meditated on for many days before coming to America in 1893—combined with a visit to a huge Hindu temple complex, Suchindrum, built in honor of Brahma, Vishnu, and Shiva.

We happened to be at our resort on the night of the full moon, so we had a kirtan (group chanting session) out on the beach that evening. I led it and I so much enjoyed chanting in that enchanted place with the ocean sound of AUM playing along with the harmonium.

As I mentioned above, we had a pretty location to have sadhana (Energization, yoga stretches, and meditation) outside on a lawn, under the tall coconut palms and overlooking the beach, every morning, 6:30-8am. Sadhana was optional, as was everything, but most of our group attended and enjoyed it very much. This really added to the healing dimension of the whole experience.

Diksha gave some great morning classes on the teachings of Ayurveda, which were very helpful in letting us understand more of what was going on as a part of what we were experiencing in the afternoon treatments.

When it was time for part of our group to leave for New Delhi for a week at Ananda India headquarters and part to go on back to the US or to other travel destinations, we found we had grown very close to each other and were a bit sad to be parted. We had laughed together and shared so many unique situations—making new friends or deepening already existing friendships.

Should you consider going on this retreat with us next year? Absolutely and without question! Ask anyone who went. I know that they’d recommend you do it. Being in Mother India is an experience not to be missed, no matter what part of the country you choose to visit. But Kerala and the Ayurvedic Healing experience are—well, I’m running out of good descriptive adjectives, so I’ll just stop now. Questions? E-mail me any time!

In these pages I aim to show how a spiritual mission, regardless of its name and tenets, can be made to relate to the whole world.

Paramhansa Yogananda prophesied that some day the purpose of all religions would be accepted as being one and the same: Self-realization. Included in that understanding would be a sense of the non-sectarian fellowship of all truth seekers. His own mission as he stated it was, above all, to teach “the original teachings of Jesus Christ, and the original yoga teachings of Krishna.” He stated that he had come, further, to unite all religions in an understanding of their higher purpose. His mission to show the underlying oneness of two great religions, particularly, may therefore be seen as symbolic also, being meant to demonstrate the underlying oneness of all religions, for humanity everywhere is seeking the same eventual fulfillment: bliss in God. Self-realization—the realization of God as the indwelling Self of all beings—is then, in the broadest sense, the true goal of all religions and the deepest desire in every human heart.

The great master, in his teachings, also drew to a focus countless truths that have been expressed diversely through the ages. He showed that the highest wisdom has always been the same essential truths, the first of which is that all men are rays of the one Divine Light, and the second, that man’s ultimate destiny is to merge back of his own free will into that Light.

For this reason, in my book Revelations of Christ, Proclaimed by Paramhansa Yogananda, I proposed that this highest truth be called “Sanaatan Dharma, the Eternal Religion,” for in all the universe this has to be the supreme truth: union with God as the final reality of all beings.

Yogananda presented a way of life that was unitive—one that would make spiritually relevant every aspect of human life: business and the art of self-support generally; marriage; education; the fine arts; self-expansion through service to others; and the supreme art of how to live happily in this world.

Finally, he proposed a life-style designed to enable people everywhere to incorporate their varied pursuits into a harmonious, God-centered existence. Through the years that he taught in the West, he urged his audiences to adopt this life-style by gathering together in what he called “world-brotherhood colonies.” I was blessed to be able to found the first Ananda World-Brotherhood community in 1968 on what are today some 1,000 acres near Nevada City, California. At present there are eight functioning examples of this ideal in various parts of the world.

The sheer breadth of the Master’s vision, and its practical relevance to the needs of our age, demonstrate that he was, in the fullest sense of the word, a World Teacher, and not the guru only of a particular group of disciples. In fact, he’d been sent to be the way-shower for a new age, and savior for the “many millions,” as he put it, who would tune into the divine ray he had brought. For mankind has arrived at the dawn of new awakening into a globally heightened spiritual awareness.

Swami Sri Yukteswar, the guru of Paramhansa Yogananda, stated in his book The Holy Science that the whole of mankind is now, scripturally speaking, in a new age. The earth itself entered this age in the year 1900 after an interim, or bridge (sandhya), of 200 years, during which time the new rays gradually grew in strength. The ancient teachings of India gave this age the name, Dwapara Yuga.

The first of four yugas, Kali (the dark) Yuga, was an age when most people perceived everything narrowly, both in material and in fixed terms. Men needed outer as well as inner forms. Outwardly, the more solid those forms the better; and inwardly they felt comfortable with carefully formulated dogmas and fixed ideas. Organizationally, they were comfortable with firm structures; they liked everything to be established and in its own place. They believed the universe to be geocentric, and God, to them, was a bearded old man seated “somewhere up there” on an eternal throne of judgment. The earth being conceived of as flat made it easier, of course, to visualize heaven as literally high up above them.

Dwapara Yuga is bringing greater fluidity to people’s consciousness. This is an age, above all, of energy-awareness. Many people, aware of some new awareness stirring within and around them, welcome it exuberantly as though it gave unbridled license to indulge to excess in everything they liked. In the fine arts (painting, sculpture, and music), traditional forms have been cast aside in favor of the grotesque, the trivial, and the blasphemous. In children’s education, certain experiments have brought more confusion than enlightenment. The same may be said of people’s understanding of morality, and in their social behavior.

Thus the term, “New Age,” is also viewed with anxiety by those who believe in the old traditions. In fact, what we are witnessing is a struggle between the old ways—ways that once seemed “carved in stone”—and a new, more flexible spirit that is struggling for clear self-expression.

This struggle between the old ways and the new, though still rather amorphous, is in evidence everywhere. We see it in religion also, in the struggle between those who adhere to the traditions of the past and those who reject all tradition as antiquated. To the religious traditionalist, the mere hint of a new age “sets his teeth agrinding.”

For Moslems, the cornerstone of whose religion is the saying, “There is no God but Allah and Mohammed is His prophet,” no other way is acceptable.

For Christians, time itself is measured from the year of Christ’s birth. Fundamentalists, especially, are convinced that the world is fast approaching the “end times” that were predicted by the Bible with the Second Coming of Christ. Among Moslems also, there are some who believe that something approximating those “end times” is approaching.

Naturally, a world view in which mankind, after centuries of relative darkness, is postulated as poised and ready to soar up into new realities is fiercely rejected by anyone who believes that the past two thousand years virtually defined the term, “Christian enlightenment.”

Much of the present antagonism on the part of orthodoxy toward the “new age” is due, I think, to the arrogance of some who have embraced it mainly for its novelty. For “new age,” as a concept, appeals especially to the young whose tendency in any case is to reject the old. Many scientists, too, have arrogated to themselves the role of “heralds of a new wisdom,” basing the claim not on any suggestion of being better human beings, themselves, nor on any but the thinnest hope that their discoveries will someday make anyone such a human being, but on the simple fact that a few scientists (the very few real pioneers) have discovered unexpected facts about the universe.

Writers since Einstein have had a hey-day with the theory that morality, far from being absolute (“all things being relative”), may even, with a little manipulation, be discarded altogether.

“Avant garde” artists of all kinds, again, having milked the “new age” concept for every ounce of its shock value, offer nothing to replace the rubble created by their iconoclasm, which still litters the countryside.

And self-styled trend-setters, finally, have no clear notion as to where, why, or how to direct people’s attention. They offer only trivia—or, worse still—blasphemy in place of the worthwhile and the meaningful. Indeed, I personally have reached the conclusion that anyone who follows the dictates of “style” shows himself to be without taste.

The public, quite naturally, finds itself bewildered. Nor is it surprising that many today gaze back for comfort to past traditions which, to them, are at least recognizable. The relativity of time which Einstein claimed, has not, after all, thrown any clocks out of kilter. Scientific discoveries have altered no fundamental human reality. Works of art may titillate or outrage a few people, but the meaninglessness they suggest neither inspires nor offers any hope of new insights. Indeed, the most that the dogma, “art for art’s sake,” will ever accomplish will be to inspire a certain smugness on the part of those who accept it, as they consider themselves favored with insights that are unavailable to the “canaille.”

What is most notable about the times we live in is that, in every field of endeavor, human perceptions are expanding and new windows opening onto the vastness and subtlety of the universe. The need is growing everywhere in human hearts to make sense of these insights. We cannot simply reject them. Nor can we merely embrace them, in the exuberant manner of adolescents, for their shock value. We must assess them and do our best to understand what their implications are for human life.

We must accept first, of course, the simple fact that these new waves of insight are, in fact, unprecedented. We must also transcend any fear we may harbor that eternal values are being threatened. Indeed, Truth cannot be a house divided. Self-proclaimed “wisdom,” moreover, that is rooted in neither Truth nor tradition, is almost always mere superstition.

In this essay I propose to explain at some length what Sri Yukteswar said and meant about the new age, and his reasons for claiming that we have entered it already. I will present facts that support his statement, and that he himself could not have presented back in 1894, when he wrote his book, for science had not yet made the discoveries that would justify his claims.

The first part of this paper will present the general basis for Sri Yukteswar’s predictions, and will explain at some length what is implied by the term, “new age.” The last part will focus more specifically on Paramhansa Yogananda’s mission in this age.

One of the results of the new energy that is now flooding our planet is that people are being challenged to assume more personal responsibility for their lives. In a sense, certainly, religious organizations may continue to obstruct the spread of true, inward religion. I shall also show, however, how religious organizations also can be beneficial and expansive, in the spirit of Dwapara Yuga, and how Paramhansa Yogananda himself set the tone for this new type of organization.

Copyright © 2008 Hansa Trust. All rights reserved.

The full text of the essay will appear in a book by Crystal Clarity Publishers later this year. Click here to pre-order.

Or, “What Happened At Our House During the Big Storm.”

The short version

A huge oak tree fell on our dome-home at noon on Friday in the middle of a large windstorm. We were at home, but not hurt. We have quite a bit of damage to the dome, but we have received tons of help on every level and we will be able to keep living there while repairs are happening. We are very grateful to God and Gurus, but certainly would appreciate your prayers at this time. It was and is all quite an adventure, full of challenges and many special blessings. If you want to know more details, read on:

The long version

A big storm and high winds were expected here including power outages and all that sort of thing. But we are used to it out here in the country – it happens every winter – and we thought we were prepared. Sudarshan and I both came home early from work because the electricity had gone off everywhere and it was difficult to work without it. This was a great blessing, because we could start dealing with everything very quickly after the tree fell and get help also. So at 12 noon, I was sitting at the dining room table eating lunch and Sudarshan was a couple of feet away from me, talking on the phone. Our kitty Grayson, who is generally a quiet cat, starting yowling a lot. We tried to calm him, but he wouldn’t be calmed and finally went to the bedroom and hid (intuitive cat – they often seem to know these things ahead of time).

One of the big black-oak trees in our front yard was uprooted by a huge wind gust and thrown on to the house, hitting the dining room area about 2 feet from where I was sitting. I saw it coming at the window out of the corner of my eye, but there was nothing I could do. I felt very calm and was mostly surprised to see all the pictures and a mirror flying off the walls all around me (the mirror didn’t break). The big window beside broke and plexi-glass flew my way, but again didn’t hit me. Sudarshan calmly said to the person on the phone: “I’ve got to go now. A tree just fell on Savitri.”

Naturally the friend he was speaking to was shocked, but she could hear me saying in the background: “I’m OK! I’m OK!” I stood up, folded my hands and said a prayer of thanksgiving to my guru. Our phone friend hung up and called her husband and lots of other guys in the community who were there with chain saws and tarps within 20 minutes. They worked for quite some time under very dangerous conditions. The storm was at its full furry, wind howling, debris blowing about. It was spectacular. They were able to chain-saw the tree carefully into sections and use a winch to pull it off the house in such a way as to not damage the dome any further. But several folks were high up there on ladders or on our slippery dome in high winds. What heroes they all were! We are so grateful for all the help.

The tree punched a big hole in the side and top of our dome and did some damage to the cupola a the top and another section higher up also. I stayed inside and tried to deal with all the water coming into the house (fortunately it was on to vinyl flooring and not carpeting) and move furniture out of the way of the instant interior waterfalls. Several women friends came to help me deal with the inside of the house and that was great. Once the outside workers got a big tarp lashed on to damaged part, things quickly got a lot better inside the house.

So we have spent the last couple of days (Yogananda’s birthday weekend, no less) working hard to clean up, to assess the damage, to take pictures for insurance purposes (we are insured through the Village, thank God!) and to start some of the actual repair work.

All this took place without electricity as we were without power for three days and during intermittent snow falls, which were fortunately not too heavy in our area. Friends came through with all sorts of food and repair work and continuing offers of aid. We have much hard work to do, perhaps months of it, to get it all repaired. Because of the gaping hole in the dome, we have to use more than the usual amounts of fire wood to keep warm, but other than that, we are able to eat, sleep, and carry on. We’ll be living in the middle of a construction project for as long as it takes, which you know is never fun, if you’ve ever had THAT experience yourself. It is sad on another level, because Sudarshan had recently finished re-shingling the whole dome pretty much by himself, and now a large section of has to be re-done. It’s very tricky doing this, because the roof comes all the way to the ground on our dome and the sides are steep and the angles are tricky. Ah, well!

All through it I felt very calm and blessed, so meditation does help “free one from dire fears and colossal sufferings” (smile). I feel that there was indeed a great amount of karma which was held at bay by divine forces, especially by Master himself. We are taught in our path that often when karma is coming to us, the gurus protect us. We still get the karma, but may be mitigated. Instead of breaking an arm, you might just get a scratch – that sort of thing. Sudarshan and I were about 2 feet from what would have been either sudden death or severe injury, if the tree hadn’t been nudged out of the way just a little and kept from falling on to the window near us instead of the roof/wall.

We had an engineer-architect friend helping us yesterday. He explained that a regular building, being hit by such a force, most likely would have been totally destroyed. But a geodesic dome, because of the way it is built, has a way of deflecting a blow and spreading it all over the structure instead of concentrating it at one place – making it super-strong. This is an amazing fact about geodesic domes, I think. Swami Kriyananda, our founder, really encouraged us to build domes in the early days of Ananda. Esthetically they are unique and the energy is excellent inside them. Practically, they present many unusual privacy challenges. But safety-wise, I now believe that they can’t be beat! Thanks Swamiji!

Another lesson driven home once again: Living in an intentional, spiritual community like Ananda Village has value beyond all measure. In times of trouble, sickness, disaster, whatever, your gurubais are there beside you, never questioning the cost to themselves personally, going the extra mile. And I am sure all our friends here understand that we would do our best to do the same for them in a situation like this one. Everyone in the world should live this way! I know it’s not possible in the world just now, but do I wish I could convince everybody otherwise. The blessings are amazing! As Swamiji’s song says (”Many Hands Make a Miracle”) “…when people laugh, and dance, and struggle as friends, then all their dreams achieve their ends.” So very, very true. Cooperative living, at its finest! Loving, divine friendship made manifest.

Ananda’s outreach efforts in Spanish started in the ’80s with Marga Dominguez-Goering. She began by translating Swami Kriyananda’s “Festival of Light” ceremony performed at Sunday Services, and Ananda’s beginner lessons in meditation.

In 1997, with my arrival at Ananda Village, we founded Ananda’s Spanish Ministry, which is now online at www.anandaespanol.org.

Marga (from Spain) and I (from Colombia) both shared the desire to spread Paramhansa Yogananda’s teachings and Ananda’s way of life with Spanish speaking people.

However, without a Spanish speaking population nearby and without a web site, the Spanish ministry was not going to grow very fast – this was obvious. Ram Smith, an Ananda minister, encouraged us to organize a workshop at Ananda’s Meditation Retreat. We created a very simple web site and a whole family from Colombia, who lived in the San Francisco Bay Area attended. About 6 people came.

Retreat participants doing yoga exercises

In the following months and years, we continued our outreach efforts, and attracted devotees from all over – including some who were interested in sharing the teachings of yoga and meditation, helping them to reach more people.

Seeing these students’ commitment and devotion to this spiritual path made us feel that Paramhansa Yogananda was helping us to find leaders that could take these teachings back to their own homes, in places like Spain, Argentina, and Los Angeles. When the Internet became popular everywhere, the work was cut out for us.

In time, with the help of Ananda’s Director of the Kriya Yoga Ministry, we decided to focus on finding and training people who were interested in Kriya Yoga. Paramhansa Yogananda called Kriya Yoga “the easiest, most effective, and most scientific avenue of approach to the Infinite.”

Students who take Kriya Initiation start with lessons in meditation, continue with the Spanish version of The Art and Science of Raja Yoga, and accept discipleship to Paramhansa Yogananda before learning the techniques of Kriya Yoga.

The students download the lessons through our web site: Ananda Español. 3,000 people signed up for the lessons in the last 3 years, and we are getting about 80 new students a week! We have students in 26 countries and new meditation groups are forming on a regular basis.

It’s a team effort!

On one end, we have Marga and I, who correspond with new students, welcoming them and answering their questions. I coordinate North America, Mexico, and Latino America, while Marga coordinates Spain and other countries. We have students from Croatia, Malaysia, and Israel! (You can find Spanish speaking people everywhere in the world.)

An Ananda minister arranging flowers before a retreat in Venezuala

On the other end, we have the leaders of the meditation groups where we send nearby students so that they can have 1-on-1 training. We also offer retreats where people get to know us and can meet other people on the same spiritual path.

In Spain we are seeing an incredible increase in students, and new leaders are coming forth, like Pedro Rapp, who came to a retreat in Segovia in 2005. With other Ananda members in Spain he has trained 2 new Kriyabans in his area and has helped train several disciples of Paramhansa Yogananda.

Having an Ananda community nearby whose teachers can travel – like Ananda Italy – and having a handful of dedicated leaders interested in spreading these teachings, the number of students interested in Kriya Yoga sky rockets.

A challenge is to take this model to Latino America, where there is no community nearby, and where students have a hard time getting visas to come to America. Still, the Spanish ministry has given Kriya Initiation in Cuba, Venezuela, and now Mexico, whose future looks very good. In Mexico, recently, another Ananda member and myself were invited to give discipleship training to 80 new devotees (below) who are now on their way to taking Kriya Initiation.

“Now I love to meditate!”

These are some of the things that we are hearing from our students:

“Thank you, for all your help. I have tried so many different techniques to learn to meditate and not until now have I seen any progress. I feel deep peace and perceive a deep breakthrough in my search.”
– Alvaro, Mexico

“I just started this path and already saw important changes in myself; I have more tolerance, I feel calmer and more patient. Even my friends and family can tell the difference. My goal is to contact God through my gurus with Ananda’s help. Thank you so much for everything.”
– Francisco, Ecuador

“I’m really enjoying the teachings of Paramhansa Yogananda. I found them exceptional and full of practical and spiritual wisdom.”
– Rafael, Spain

“I have finished the second part of the lessons and I have a strong desire to continue and to prepare for Kriya Yoga.”
– Maria, Argentina

“The Energization Exercises are excellent!! Thank you. Now I love to meditate!”
– Olga, Mexico

I wish you all a very happy New Year.

After reading Swami Kriyananda’s recent letters to us relating his bliss in the midst of his surgeries and chemotherapy I realize that the “happy” in our new year greetings is a powerful affirmation to feel inner joy despite any outward circumstances.


I am sharing a collection of photos from Ananda including our snow, and celebration of Yogananda’s birthday. The Western United States has been hit by a storm with high winds and we are experiencing the 3rd day of power outages.

Amazingly, The Expanding Light Retreat had electricity and hosted a lovely service in honor of our Guru.
This is a special day for those of us on this path. It is an opportunity to honor our Guru and to remember God’s love for us, be thankful for these teachings, Ananda, and Swami Kriyananda. The ceremony included a flower ceremony and the reading of an article by Swamiji entitled, Why I Love My Guru. It was a beautiful evening.

A lot has happened since I last blogged about World Brotherhood Day. We celebrated the Christmas holidays with a Living Wisdom School concert, and another musical evening featuring songs from the Christ Lives Oratorio. We honored the birth of Christ at Sunday Service and with a Christmas eve and morning service and meditation. Ananda also observed its traditional 8-hour meditation at The Expanding Light on December 22.

Many would say the holidays would be a bad time to lose a loved one. But, to leave this world during such a holy time seems a blessing. My father had been ill for sometime and passed away on Christmas eve morning. I drew great comfort from the sacredness of this season.

The Sunday Service before Christmas the choir sang the Christ Child’s Asleep (by Swami Kriyananda). The words from that song flowed through me and have stayed with me. Phrases of the song uplift me even now.

I was very involved helping my mother provide for my dad’s care. I have always been close to my dad and this past year and a half was a good time to just be with him and help him and love him. My husband, Dave and I were with my dad during his final moments. We were awed by the very still peace in his room. In my human heart there was a profound wordless comfort. And even though I wasn’t happy to lose my father I was glad for him that he now was free from any pain. In the minutes, hours and days after my father’s passing I felt my consciousness elevated by grace. I felt at peace and I knew I didn’t have to worry about my dad.

So the beginning of this year started off in a blur of change. But, as always, the new year is a good time to contemplate new beginnings and resolutions to improve various aspects of our lives. Dave Warner’s Sunday Service talk last week was so beautiful. He said that in these times when we are so busy—the thought of even adding good resolutions to our list can seem overwhelming and impossible to maintain.

Dave reminded us that doing something simple like adding japa (the repetition of God’s name) or repeating a favorite affirmation can raise our consciousness. That in itself will help us attract the perfect changes into our lives. By raising our consciousness we change from the inside out. Doing these simple things can help us to spiritualize our lives and deepen our meditations.

There have been moments in my life where I felt my consciousness was high. Durng those times, I have always been amazed that any hurts or griefs I may have been feeling were soothed and washed away. Japa, affirmation, meditation and willingness helps open the doorway to higher consciousness which brings right answers, direction, comfort, and peace.

The power of the Christmas season has an underlying devotion and joy. The hope and spirit of recommiting to high ideals during the New Year and the celebration of Yogananda’s birthday makes this time of year very special.

Last year, as a Christmas project, I created a “Samadhi Slideshow”. It is Master’s poem, Samadhi, set to music and photos. We also played it at Masters’s Birthday celebration last year. Many people have seen it, but maybe you haven’t. If you would like to watch it you can click here. Master said it is good to read about higher states of consciousness as another way to try to tune into higher realities.

I think of you often. May the Masters Bless you all with peace and joy.

PS. Please continue to pray for Swami Kriyananda. Pray that he feel God’s presence and grace and bliss always. Pray for his healing. See yourself as an instrument of light. And see yourself blessed by this light.

Here is an excerpt from a note that Lakshman (Swami’s secretary) wrote yesterday: I’ll mention first that Swamiji’ has been feeling much, much better—quite well, in fact—the past couple of days: “Swamiji’s blood work came back perfect!” It looks as if he (along with Miriam, Lila, and me) will be going to Assisi as planned this Friday, for four weeks. Miriam (who, amazingly enough, has had years of experience at this very thing) will administer his next two rounds of chemotherapy there. She and the folks in Assisi have lined up all the doctors and facilities needed, in case she needs to be in touch with them, and she’ll also have ready cellphone access to all the doctors back in India.  But no one’s anticipating any problems, which is why the oncologist is saying it’s fine for Swamiji to go. “It has to be this 24-hour prayer vigil!” Miriam wrote. “Everyone is so amazed at Swamiji’s progress.”

Christmas is a holy time, a joyful time of remembering Christ’s life and mission and taking those blessings deep within. It is also a fun-filled, busy time for families, which can become frantic and harried, with all feelings of blessing and holiness lost in the hustle.

Over the years we have used many different traditions and activities in our home to keep the focus of our Christmases on spiritual blessings. At the Ananda Portland Temple and Teaching Center, we have also engaged the children in many fun activities to help teach them the meaning of Christmas.

This year at the temple we brought back the tradition of Advent. Advent is well known in Catholic churches, but not commonly practiced in the Protestant tradition or other faiths. Very simply, it is a wonderful way to repeatedly bring the focus back to spiritual blessings during the holy season.

If you look up the Advent tradition, you will find a variety of Bible readings and scripts that are used, but I’ll tell you how we adapted the idea for our Sunday Services.

An advent wreath has 4 candles placed around it, with a 5th candle in the center. Each week (starting 4 Sundays prior to Christmas eve), a candle is lit. On Christmas Eve all 4 are burning and the 5th one is lit to represent the Christ.

The wreath was set up on a table next to the altar. The children were happy to help light the candles and carry figures to add to the nativity scene. We assigned those duties prior to service, to avoid hurt feelings and save time.

The first candle represents the Promise of Christ’s birth and the eternal promise that divine light will always come into darkness. The three wisemen were brought up the first week, because they understood why Christ was coming and they followed the star (seen in the spiritual eye in deep meditation).

The second candle represents divine Love. Mary and Joseph and the empty manger were added because of the love they held in their hearts for God and for the Christ child.

The third candle represents divine Joy and the shepherds. The great joy the shepherds experienced at the news of Christ’s birth can be experienced by everyone who opens their heart to what God is offering.

The fourth candle represents divine Light, manifested by the angels. This is the last Sunday before Christmas Eve and the nativity, with the addition of the angel, was now in full splendor on the altar.

We also added a new service for families on Christmas Eve. Scheduled from 5pm – 6pm, it was accessible to all, but especially child friendly. During this service, we lit the last advent candle, placed the little baby Jesus safely in his manger, and “built” a live creche scene with costumed players of all ages.

The feelings of deep blessings, gratitude and awe were tangible that evening. Because of the focus on the Christmas story and the qualities of spiritual blessing each week, the Christmas Eve service felt like a sweet culmination of celebration, instead of a too-brief opportunity to take it all in at once.

Advent can be practiced at home and can become a deep and meaningful part of the Christmas season. Children can be engaged on many levels – they can choose stories and crafts that depict the quality focused on for the week. They can set up their nativity or decorate their room a little at a time. The advent wreath can be the centerpiece on the table and if Sunday is not a convenient time for family celebration, choose another day of the week to do your advent remembrance.

Paramhansa Yogananda taught that a long Christmas meditation was good practice for adults to balance the social aspects of Christmas with the inner opportunity for grace. For children, balance can be even harder to find. I am so grateful for the blessings shared during our Advent season, and the insights and joy experienced by adults and children together.

May the new year bring you ever closer to God,

In divine friendship, Lorna