Achariya George Adams
Speaks on "Lead Kindly Light"
Sunday, January 8, 2017 at 11:00am
The year 2017 is upon us. A new chapter in our spiritual life journey has begun.
Our subject this coming Sunday is inspired by one of Mahatma Gandhi’s favorite hymns, “Lead Kindly Light.”
Our mission and prayer is for the progressive awakening of our consciousness, to the reality of our inner being, the divine light within us.
Our spiritual guide is our universal ideal of life.
Our ideal is Advaita Vedanta or Absolute Monism, an ideal shared by all of the great spiritual giants of mankind.
Our intention is to unfold to greater perfection the higher qualities of our inner and outer consciousness thereby finding peace, joy and fulfillment in our life.
We have confidence that the light of God will illumine our path as it has for all of devotees of Truth.
We know that we will face obstacles along the way; however, we build confidence by succeeding in each step of our spiritual life journey. In the words of the song, “one step enough for me.”
We look forward to celebrating this occasion with you. All are welcome.
—Achariya George
From the Gurus and Swamis: AUM
From the depths of slumber,
As I ascend the spiral stairways of wakefulness,
I will whisper:
God! God! God!
Thou art the food, and when I break my fast
Of nightly separation from Thee,
I will taste Thee, and mentally say:
God! God! God!
No matter where I go, the spotlight of my mind
Will keep ever turning on Thee;
And in the battle din of activity, my silent war-cry will be:
God! God! God!
When boisterous storms of trials shriek,
And when worries howl at me,
I will drown their noises, by loudly chanting:
God! God! God!
When my mind weaves dreams
With threads of memories,
On that magic cloth will I emboss:
God! God! God!
Every night, in time of deepest sleep,
When my peace dreams and calls, Joy! Joy! Joy!
My joy comes singing evermore:
God! God! God!
In waking, eating, working, dreaming, sleeping,
Serving, meditating, chanting, divinely loving,
My soul will constantly hum, unheard by any:
God! God! God!
—Swami Paramhansa Yogananda
"How are we to meditate upon that effulgent Reality, the God of Light? We are to visualize a pure effulgence, a bright but soothing light within our body especially at Dorsal, the Anahata; the Spiritual Eye, the Kutastha; or the mystic thousand–petaled lotus, the Sahasraram. Then with devotion and determined thought silently, without moving lips or tongue, utter the Sacred Word, the Mantram, while at the same time contemplating upon its divine significance. AUM; I and my Father are one; I am that I AM and I am Brahman are some of the Mantrams of meditation on the God of Light."
—The Gayatri Prayer by Swami Premananda
“The light of the body is the eye: if therefore thine eye be single, thy whole body shall be full of light.”
—Jesus of Christ Consciousness
Noble Thoughts:
Lead, Kindly Light, amid the encircling gloom
Lead Thou me on!
The night is dark, and I am far from home,
Lead Thou me on!
Keep Thou my feet; I do not ask to see
The distant scene; one step enough for me.
I was not ever thus, nor prayed that Thou
Shouldst lead me on;
I loved to choose and see my path; but now
Lead Thou me on!
I loved the garish day, and, spite of fears,
Pride ruled my will: remember not past years.
So long Thy power hath blest me, sure it still
Will lead me on,
O'er moor and fen, o'er crag and torrent, till
The night is gone;
And with the morn those angel faces smile,
Which I have loved long since, and lost awhile.
—John Henry Newman