The Light of Christ in You

💫The Light of Christ in You💫

We are so much more than our physical bodies.

"We are spiritual beings having a physical experience."

This life is known as maya, meaning 'illusion'. Not that it isn't 100% real, but because this isn't who we are originally.

We can learn to feel more and more into our spiritual selves to help us navigate this life and tap into spiritual gifts that are our birthright. This is done through a DAILY spiritual practice that is not just about meditation and eating healthy (although those are two important practices). It's all about our ability to access and hold onto Prana - life force, chi, the light of Christ...it's that spiritual charge that animates all of life.

The following is an excerpt from the book, "Awake as in Ancient Days" by Felice Austin, also known as Nam Joti Kaur :

"According to ancient masters, “Prana is a mystical force that is found in all living physical entities, but which is non-physical. It is in the air without being air. It is in water without being water. it is in food without being food.” The ancients said that wherever there is life in the universe, there is prana. Without prana, all would be dead, lifeless matter. The word prana is derived from the Sanskrit word signifying absolute energy, divine energy, or as I know it, the Light of Christ.

The scriptures say that the Light of Christ “proceedeth forth from the presence of God to fill the immensity of space” and is “the light which is in all things, which giveth life to all things, which is the law by which all things are governed.” Though prana fills the immensity of space and is in all things, humans have a special relationship with prana because of our intellectual capabilities, which empower us to receive and transfer prana. Consequently, we can choose to fill ourselves with more prana, and we can also “send” prana to others for healing purposes."

Usually when "Christ" is spoken of, we are referring to the Master, Jesus Christ. Christ is a title rightly given to the Lord Jesus Christ as he was a master of prana, or life force energy.

Jesus tells us in John 14:12 that we can do greater works than his. Um...wow. Right? And...how?

We have the Light of Christ in us:
"In Him was life, and the life was the Light of men." John 1:4
“You are the light of the world." Matthew 5:14
"The anointing that you received from him abides in you." 1 John 2:27

The Light of Christ is in you! Christ is the anointing, an oil. Literally. Inside our bodies.

We become "closer to Christ" by following the Holy Spirit (our own intuition - also known as our Higher Self) and following the Word of God.

We become "closer to Christ" not by simply "being" Christian and believing, but practicing daily. The quickest way to do this is by gaining an understanding of, and harnessing, the power of prana with daily, intentional spiritual practice.

Follow along for more insight and get tips on how to purposefully and more properly make use of prana in your everyday life.

Letting Go

Today is day 45 of my most recent sadhana, 31 minutes of kirtan kriya.  46 days ago I knew I needed to do 31 minutes of kirtan kriya.  Not just whatever amount of time I thought I had time for,  not just whatever meditation I felt like doing, but a real sadhana that is practiced daily no matter what.

This has been quite a different experience than my first 40 day sadhana.  Then I was pushed forward by all the amazing things I was learning and experiencing.  Then I occasionally did less than 31 minutes, but when I practiced 31 minutes the time flew by.

Not this go around.  I'm not gonna lie.  It was tough.  Each time I practiced I felt the seconds tick by slowly.  My body wouldn't sit still most of the time.  My mind continually resisted.  I would put it off until evening most days, one day I got started at about 11:20 p.m. (not proud to admit it).

But I persisted.

I reached out for help when I needed it from a friend doing the same meditation - only she was approaching 365 days.  One of the things that made it difficult for me was that once I began I knew this time it wasn't going to be just 40 days.  The number that was given to me then was 120.  So I continued, knowing I needed to make this a real habit to reach that number, all the while wondering how I would make it.  During this time I was reminded that this meditation is great for generational healing if done for a year.  So for now, my goal is 365 days....but I have a hunch that number will grow as well.

An interesting thing occurred on day 41.  I felt fear for continuing my sadhana and the changes that it was going to bring.  Real fear.  I sensed this was because now the real work was to begin. (God has been somewhat quiet as I plowed on for this sadhana.)  Now, I know that this is why I practice - to find real, deep level changing that I know won't take place any other way, but fear is not rational.  One lesson I've learned is that it's important to feel our feelings, all of them, so I relaxed into the moment and allowed the tears.  A mantra came to my mind, one I used a great deal during my first 40 days.  (I had forgotten that there was fear involved in those days as well.)  The mantra Chattr Chakkr Vertee is used in a meditation for eliminating fears.  It is so beautiful that I memorized it during my first 40 days so that I could use it at any time. It was nice for it to come to mind when I needed it. My doubts were calmed.

As I practiced kirtan kriya the minutes flew by.

The root of all resistance is fear. Fear of change.  Fear of letting go of the oars and allowing God to transform us in the best way only He can.  We are taught that we are in control of our lives but I think we forget that this "we" - this "me" image in our mind is the one that we have created over the span of all the years we have lived.  We forget that our soul is on a mission, and only God can help us with that.  No matter what we may want in this life, there will always be some things that only cause distress and unhappiness when we  resist God- even if what we want is righteous.

One brief example of this in my life was my sincere desire to have children.  I have never in my life been pregnant.  I can't even begin to describe the grief and anguish during the many years of trying - of begging God to bless me in the way that I wanted.  But once I let that go, my daughter was born exactly 9 months later through another woman.  That was a divine answer enough for me.


So this morning when I was in that stage of waking but trying to talk myself out of getting out of bed and then trying to find reasons why I deserved to stay in bed instead of wake early and meditate, I suddenly had the thought that this isn't about me, this is about God.  And I could no long, not for one second, stay in bed. While meditating I learned why I felt distant from God these past weeks: me. That's all.  Nothing more.  Me and all the things in life that I want, that I feel are sincere and right.

God has a plan for us and I know that before this life we had a say in that plan and knew it was for the best.  God knows what is best for our soul's development.  No matter how right we think our aspirations are, no matter how right we think we are, there is always something better that we cannot even comprehend.

Let go of the oars. Let go of the fear. Your life is guided by the One who knows more.  

Sat Nam,
Samantha

Let the Mind Expand

"There is no harm for any man or woman letting the mind expand to lay hold upon all that God has revealed, and to ponder upon it, as the ancient children of God did. . . . When we have prepared ourselves by getting all the knowledge we possibly can from that which is written, God will give us more". -Orson Pratt 

Love this quote!  There is so much to reflect on.  Here is another thought to consider:

 "One of the grand fundamental principles of 'Mormonism' is to receive truth, let it come from whence it may." -Joseph Smith

Some thoughts:

• Do we allow our minds, let alone our hearts, to be open enough to receive truth "come from whence it may"?
• As LDS we have been taught if we are righteous and obedient and seek the things of God, our faith in Jesus Christ can grow until we are worthy to have all things revealed to us (Ether 3:1-20, James 2:14-20, Ether 12:6, D&C 88:67-68;93:1, 27-28) and when we are prepared, the Lord will reveal more sacred records to us (Ether 3:21-4:18, 2 Nephi 27:7-11).

I know that sadhana, a daily spiritual practice, is helpful here.  Searching, pondering (meditating), and praying daily to receive further light and truth. Some kind of daily practice is crucial.  It takes commitment.  It even takes courage.  But it is so worth it!

Sat nam,
Samantha

Webinar Topics

40 Days Closer to Christ

A Nourishing Journey for Body, Mind and Spirit

“Be not conformed to this world,

but be ye transformed by the

renewing of your mind.”

Romans 12:1-2

Weekly Meeting Topics

Week 1 - Prayer, Praise, and Power

"You are very powerful, provided you know how powerful you are." - Yogi Bhajan

Take a close look at meditation and why so many people are drawn to yoga.
Find out how not praising God daily is like holding your spiritual breath.
Learn how to meditate and the power of sadhana (a daily spiritual practice).

Week 2 - The Body and the Breath

"There is more wisdom in your body than your deepest philosophies." - Freidrick Neitzche

Explore the connections between the spiritual and physical bodies.
Find out how our physical bodies are influenced by our spiritual health.
Learn useful breathing techniques to help you feel centered and calm.

Week 3 - Feasting, Fasting...and Fear

“When I am afraid, I put my trust in you. In God, whose word I praise— in God I trust and am not afraid. What can mere mortals do to me?" Psalm 56:3-4 

Explore how daily habits and food choices determine consciousness.
Learn why an intellectual understanding of nutrition alone is insufficient to change behavior.
Discover how to balance temporal and spiritual needs.

Week 4 - Matters of the Mind

"Set your mind on the things above, not on the things that are on the earth." - Colossians 3:2

Where is the mind and what does it mean to be conscious?
Take a deep look at the subconscious mind as well as the positive, negative and neutral minds.
Learn techniques for retraining the mind and clearing the subconscious.

Week 5 - The Thoughts We Think

“Our greatest weapon against stress is our ability to choose one thought over another.” - William James

Identify beliefs that are behind subconscious thought forms.
Learn how to manage your personal thought energy.
Learn what is at the heart of all addictions.

Week 6 - Conversion, Commitment, and Confidence

"The ordinary acts we practice every day at home are of more importance to the soul than their simplicity might suggest." - Thomas Moore

Is it possible to "master time"?
How to "Keep Up."
More ways to Communicate with God

*PLUS*
Nourishing recipes
Weekly tools and techniques
Group challenges
Meditations and yoga kriyas
Private Facebook support group

Are you up to a 40 day journey that will bring you closer to Christ?

Join now!
It is not too late!  
You can still get started with the video of the first class.  
(Our next 40 days will begin again in August.)

New course beginning at the end of August!  Stay tuned!

Why 40 Days?

The number 40 appears across many faiths and belief systems.  Here is just a sample:

• Christ fasted 40 days and 40 nights. (Matthew 4:2, Mark 1:13, Luke 4:2)
• During Noah's time, it rain for 40 days and 40 nights. (Genesis 7:4)
• It took the Israelites 40 years to reach the promised land. 
• One of the prerequisites in Judaism for a man to study Kabbalah is that he is 40 years old.  
• The Israelites were challenged twice a day for 40 days before David defeated him (Samuel 17:16). 
• Jesus appears to his disciples after his death and stays with them for 40 days before ascending to heaven. (Acts 1:3)
• Lent consists of 40 days preceding Easter although it differs from East to West on the inclusion of Sundays in the count. 
• In Islam, Muhammad received his calling at age 40.  Believers have also been encouraged to devote themselves to God for 40 days to see wisdom come forth.
• In Hindu tradition some of the fasting periods consist of 40 days.

But when I heard a lecture given by a Kundalini Yoga instructor about the science behind how consciousness is changed after doing something consistently for 40 days, I was amazed.  He states that the iron in our blood is a recordable substance much like the old cassette tapes.  We make more than a million blood cells with every beat of our hearts and with that it records on the bone marrow of your body everything about who you are (and who you think you are or are not) then and there at that moment emotionally and physically.  That's why meditations are given in minutes (11 minute, 31 minute...).  It isn't about the minutes spent meditating but the approximate beats of the heart.  Your red blood cells live for about 112 days.  In 40 days there's a "tipping point" when the new blood cells start to overpower the old blood cells.  Now there will be a whole set of new blood cells that are carrying with them a brand new intention and attitude.  So that is why there are 40 day Sadhanas.(Sadhana means daily spiritual practice, or devotional in Christian terminology.)

Isn't that just cool?! Here is the link to the You Tube video if you want to hear it from him.

Instinctively I always felt that the popular "21 days to build a new habit" thing wasn't long enough.  It actually takes an average of 66 days so hopefully your first 40 day journey Closer to Christ is a good start to continue for a lifetime.

“Therefore when we do sadhana, what do we do? We challenge the weakness, the laziness and our self-destruction. We challenge everything which is going to destroy us tomorrow.” 
–Yogi Bhajan, 1/21/88

So, of course, if you can go beyond 40 days and keep up - endure, you will become the person you truly wish to be - with Christ's help, as always.

Sat Nam,
Samantha