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I suggest that you give this a try: Make waking from the dream your first priority. Then act immediately on the whispers from your conscience.

There are no shortcuts on the spiritual path. God cannot be deceived by outward gestures when the heart remains entangled in worldly attachments. A sincere seeker must strive to rise above external distractions and desires, placing God at the center of their life.

Most of us have family, job, and social responsibilities. If we perform these in a dharmic and non-attached way, they will lead us toward our soul’s destined freedom from the dream-world of maya. We have, after all, incarnated at the exact time and place that gives us the opportunity to evolve toward the final goal of Self-realization.

Why is non-attachment one of the fundamental attitudes on the spiritual path?

We are often asked, “How can I keep the peace and joy I feel in meditation amidst the demands and distractions of daily activity?” This is, in fact, one of life’s ever-present tests. Another way of phrasing this question is, “How can I keep my energy flowing in a positive direction, in tune with my higher aspirations, so that the world does not pull me down?” Here are some solutions to this great challenge.

What I’d like to do is to walk you through a three-step process that may help you find renewed focus, energy, and enthusiasm for meditation.

Many readers will know that Ananda Village was mostly destroyed by a huge forest fire in 1976. Devi and I were new parents with an eleven-day-old infant when the flames devoured our home, our clothes, and virtually all of our possessions. In meditation this morning I was remembering that day and contemplating some of the cherished lessons I learned.

So what is our true value? It’s not what others think of us, or even what we can accomplish in this world. It’s the realization that God is the only reality behind everything that we do and are.

I’ve come across some amazing and amusing examples of advanced souls being guided by intuition. These stories are from a book of letters from Paramhansa Yogananda to his second-most-advanced disciple, Yogacharya Oliver Black.

As we enter the new year, remember, whatever the outer circumstances, to keep your love for God foremost in your mind. This is the most powerful and effective way to turn our resolutions into realities.

Here then, is a final challenge for this year. Look into your heart and find something that has “come your way, needs attention, and must be considered a duty” but that you have been avoiding. Take on the challenge, face it head-on , conquer it and free yourself from its limiting cage.

"Claim your soul’s freedom! Bless all who ever harmed you, or ever wished you harm. Give them your love, and your prayer for their freedom in God."

One of the fastest (and happiest) paths to Self-realization is simply to accept things as they are.

Now is the time to remember our innate power to rise above whatever challenges lie before us. Perhaps we can’t change the world, but then again, united in faith in God, perhaps we can. Swami Kriyananda said that those seeking God have chosen to incarnate at this time for a purpose—to balance the downward-flowing energy around us with light and faith in a higher reality.

“God,” I asked inwardly, “was it really You who came in the form of that desperate man?” I never saw the stranger again. To this day I’ve suspected that the encounter was God’s way of showing me that He Himself receives any act of kindness we express to others.

Nayaswami Jyotish reads a letter of gratitude to God and shares more on the importance of gratitude on the spiritual path.

What touched us the most, however, was seeing the divine love for others that is being offered by Ananda devotees throughout the world. Here are three stories that we heard during our travels.

We recently heard a remarkable story about Sri Yukteswar.

The saints of all religions teach that everything in life is transitory. All human suffering is caused by seeking permanence in an impermanent world. Only through inner detachment can we find lasting peace.

Diwali, the Festival of Light, is celebrated throughout India. Lights can be seen everywhere: strings of it decorating balconies and windows, candles placed in doorways and windows and on the altars of homes, and fireworks bursting like stars in the night sky.

How can this world's fighting ever end? It is only by the upliftment of consciousness. In the teachings of India, the term “maya” is used to denote “delusion.”

Isn’t is interesting that the essence of the spiritual path is somehow magically condensed into a single sacred plate?

Inner self-transformation is never easy, no matter how you approach it. In trying to transcend self-limitations and old ways of thinking, we find ourselves clinging to the familiar, even if it no longer serves our aspirations.

Happiness is something that everyone searches for but very few are able to find. Here are five key steps that lead to permanent happiness:

Let us not limit our vision to our individual spiritual search, or to the challenges in our daily life. We are a part of a great family of God, come together to help others, too, to find their way to truth. Master closed his Autobiography of a Yogi with these words: “Lord, Thou hast given this monk a large family!” United in his love, let us carry his banner forward.

A small group of us just returned from a glorious trip to Varanasi, Kolkata, and Serampore—all places known for their holiness, and filled with events sacred to our line of gurus. Everywhere we saw and experienced the joyful celebration of God in many things that is characteristic of life in India, a celebration not somber and serious, but filled with exuberance.

Over and again through the long mists of time, great souls who have inhabited India have chosen God.

I understood that I could be myself without trying to impress others according to their standards—ones that I didn’t share. This is a gift of the spiritual path: to discover and accept our own uniqueness, and let it determine the course of our life.

This thought, ”Let’s let God decide,” should be like a mantra, a compass that guides our life. It is a shorthand way of saying, “Not my will, nor your will, but God’s will.”

Sometimes it is life’s tests and challenges that help us to feel God’s love more deeply. Recently while in Assisi, Jyotish and I contracted Covid, which fortunately was a very mild case. Now we are almost totally recovered.

The Masters work in very long rhythms to bring about the spiritual evolution of the planet. The current situation is not the disaster that it may appear on the surface to be. It is, rather, one of the steps needed for our awakening.

A recent lesson from a stranger while Jyotish and Devi waited in the airport as they departed for their tour. How important visualization is in our success on the spiritual path.

sn’t this everyone’s dilemma—clouds get in our way? A blossoming of love, faith, and clarity is the real benefit of the prayer, Let Thy will be done.

Every point of the universe can be perceived as the center. You are the center of the universe, and someday you will be able to experience this.

Every time you discover your mind caught in the negative loop, mentally repeat, “Let it Go, Let it Go.”

During our travels in India over the past two months, we’ve been launching the latest compilation of our blogs, A Touch of Inner Power. Recently at the Ananda center in Pune, Jyotish and I spoke about different expressions of inner power and how they can uplift our life. Here are a few of the thoughts that we shared.

“Are you there, God? Are you listening to my prayers? Do you even know what I’m going through?”

Have you ever lost something and searched for it everywhere?

We can choose to express divine love and forgiveness no matter how the world behaves. Then we build an inner fortress of higher consciousness which is impenetrable to the forces of darkness.

While out of her body, the woman had some deep insights which help us see how entrenched attitudes and habits keep us bound. Here are some important takeaways.

Here are five ways we can overcome the karma of past wrong actions, given by Paramhansa Yogananda.

This ancient teaching suggests a wisdom that can really improve our lives if we put it into practice.

When difficult events bear down and you feel discouraged or anxious, remember that the little bubble of your life is never separate from God’s endless joy, peace, and love.

How to work on manageable habits, taking on one at a time, until you can transform them.

What is this kind of harmony, and how can we develop it in our own life?

Few of us need to concern ourselves with levitation yet, but we all should practice levity. How can we “in-joy” ourselves?

uring our recent travels, I’ve come across some quotes on the internet credited to Abraham Lincoln. None of them, as it happens, can be reliably, or for the most part even plausibly, attributed to that great man. Such is the age we live in. A lot of what we read or hear these days is of questionable reliability, and we need to use our own discrimination and common sense. There is a difference, however, between fact and truth. Regardless of who first uttered these quotes, they each contain a kernel of truth, which is eternal and can never be created but only perceived. Here are a few of them, both witty and wise, along with my comments.

Here are some signs to help guide you.

How can we translate the physical squint of an artist into the mental and spiritual squint that  would be so helpful in life?

A resurrection of tulips” is a metaphor for the power of God to change all of life beneficially and fill it with His love and joy.