I asked Paramhansa Yogananda and I got a response!

this was pretty interesting.

My good friend was terminated yesterday.  I didn't get to say goodbye, so I reached out to him on Facebook asking what happened.

He didn't reply.  then today, I was mentally visualizing my guru (imagining him in my light field): Paramhansa Yogananda, and I asked aloud, "What will happen to [the name of my friend" and as I asked, literally in that exact moment, I got a message on my phone from my friend... and he said what happened and what he'll be doing next (taking some time off.)

How amazing that I got an instant answer!

Intuition

Two interesting things happened today.

 For the past few days I have been trying to trigger a OOBE while going to sleep.  I have no memory of one occurring, but something odd happened.

First, this morning... I had a "memory" of looking at a computer screen and seeing a profile of someone, like on a social site.  the name read Lakshmee. This person was a Indian woman.  Later in the day I read a segment from a book and in the book a person was mentioned.... a person named Lakshmee!

Second, while at my job, I had a meeting.  As I came into the meeting, I had a funny feeling. I looked around for someone I expected, didn't see them there and felt like they may no longer work here anymore.  Although this person had been with the company for many years, I found out a few hours later that they were dismissed that very day.

Ego in others, the reflection of me.

I recently had the interesting opportunity to meet with a couple of people.  These people I found arrogant, egotistical, frustrating and insulting.  So much attitude was pushed at me.  I could list all the things I went through with these two guys, but I'll just sum it up as arrogance.

I felt frustrated, discouraged and angry at the guys.  Then tonight in a light meditation, I asked God, "Why did you give me this situation?"  and the answer I got was "To humble you."  I dwelt on the answer for awhile and I decided to forgive these two people. When I did, I realized something amazing - what I disliked in them, is the same qualities I have inside myself.

I'm egotistical.  I'm arrogant.  I'm frustrating.  There are people that see me this way.  I've seen myself be like this.  There are some I look down on. Others I am arrogant with. 

I now see this frustrating moment as a golden opportunity to see a reflection of myself.  I now humble myself to others and those around me, and put God first.

Thanks to those mirrors who reflected my own issues back at me, that I could see my own faults.

Changing the inputs

I decided to change the inputs into my life, from negative to positive.

So...
I meditated this morning.
On the way to work, I played a recording of Swami Kriyananda on the subject of stress.
On my lunchbreak I read a small section from Paramhansa Yogananda A Biography.
I walked in quiet contemplation of Yogananda

I feel great. I feel in touch with a spiritual teacher (Yogananda) - I also feel more relaxed about whatever the world will throw at me.  For God is the Doer in all things.  In all things, I can find God.

Ocean

I've had a lot going on in my life lately.  We all do.  For me it's family emergencies, work chaos, financial crisis, personal health.  We all have our complaints.  I'm not trying to boast on mine.

But recently, after having lunch with Dharmaraj from Ananda - I really was feeling pretty meditative.  Just hanging out with someone who meditates, like Dharmaraj kinda rubs off and made me feel like I was more relaxed.

So there I was yesterday, driving home from work, and I see the ocean.  I'm coming down Colorado Ave, towards the beach, and I see the ocean way out there... and I'm thinking "look how perfectly still it is.  It's a straight line."

But it isn't calm out there in the ocean.  It isn't a straight line, when you're on a fishing boat a few miles out... you're up and down, side to side... then under the surface are all the currents going on.

Then it dawned on me.  Those undercurrents, and waves, and fuss in the ocean - it's only there when you're there at that spot.  If you stand back far enough - it's just a straight line - it's calm.

Similarly, if I step back far enough, issues like "who left the company?" or "how much money is left in my checking account?" become less reactive.  They're still there, and you deal with it, just without the reactive stress of being tossed and sunk.

 So how do we get the mind off the turmoil and onto something stable that's outside our reactive environment?  That's where the concept of God, or Guru, or Saint can really help.  It's a symbol, we can put our mind on, that isn't affected by the turmoil around us. 

Anyway, those are my thoughts on a day like this.

Light Headed - Ego Identification

I was meditating today in the park, on my lunch break.  I had this sensation of light headedness... and it scared me. I get all these fears like, "what if you're dieing?"  "what if you loose consciousness?"

I dont know why I get the lighteded feeling... But what I realized is that i'm so ego identified.  All I could do is grasp onto my chair, and try and break the meditation, to focus on myself.

This fear... this attachment to the body, is ego identificaiton... and it's not pleasant.  It disrupts and blocks spiritual progress.

Quote: Kriyananda

“I have always found that by adhering rigidly
to right action, I have achieved all the success I wanted and needed in
life.” - Kriyananda