All of life seeks renewal. The rebirth of nature is a vivid display of this magnificent unfoldment.  Is it any wonder the symbol of the resurrection of Easter is celebrated in the spring—when life itself has risen from the slumber of its dormant state into the vibrancy, beauty and splendor of perfection!

Knowing that his earthly life was soon coming to an end, Jesus chose to return to his boyhood home of Jerusalem to observe the Passover. His welcome home, with joyous welcoming shouts of “Hosanna” and the strewing of palm branches along his pathway, has given rise to our observance of the Holyday of Palm Sunday. There is a beautiful human touch in this, as well as a profound spiritual significance. What is “home” to us? It is the place where we feel the happiest, the safest and the most loved. To the true devotee the entire cosmos is “home” for in it he finds naught else but God, the desire of his heart. Our spiritual journey home is not through time and space, but to the heart of God, which resides within each of us and pervades the entire universe.

Armed with the ideal of Soul, we will come to see that God has given us the gift of spiritual transformation, that everything we touch can and will be transformed by the spiritual substance of universal consciousness.   We have been given very special gifts of wisdom, life and love.  When we “touch” those around us with this gift, they will be turned to gold and we will be transformed by the evolution to a higher level of awareness.

The desire for freedom is one of the most impelling forces in the lives of not only human beings, but in all forms of life. “Give me liberty, or give me death!” said Patrick Henry. We all want to be free. Freedom is a quality of our soul. Sadly, that innately pure desire for freedom is often misguided and lead astray by our sense-bound ego and leads to sensory indulgence and the shirking of responsibility. Or, we hold the erroneous belief that to gain true freedom we must withdraw from this world (escape the “wheel of karma”). Does God, with whom we seek oneness and identification, withdraw from this world? Decidedly not! Look at the splendor of God’s manifestation, which we are so abundantly aware of in this season of rejuvenation. There is no holdback. We are the living manifestation of God’s transcendental perfection. Let us shine forth with the full glory of our soul in this life. The secret to true freedom is in living fully in this world but with non-attachment.

Spiritual sacrifice is the offering of life freely and completely into the Infinite by overcoming a sense of separation from that Infinite Self that resides within us. Such renunciation is the foundation of our spiritual life. It is living with the awareness of God. It is the dedication of all our actions to God. It is the realization of God.

The expression “rise and shine” is generally understood as a directive to wake up in the morning and face the tasks of the day with energy, optimism and great cheer – something we should all undoubtedly strive to do! However, there is a much deeper spiritual significance to this phrase. Linguists trace the origin of this phrase to the biblical verse found in the Book of Isaiah: “Arise, shine; for thy light is come, and the glory of the LORD is risen upon thee.” Arise indicates that we must strive to ascend the mystic cross within and realize the perfection of soul in oneness with God; shine means to then share that light of divinity unstintingly with all of creation. What good the realization of the perfection of soul without the sharing of that light with all? Let each of us strive to rise and shine!

Truth is one, though we call it by various names. With varying degrees of effort, we all seek to realize Truth.  And though it may be expressed culturally and linguistically in different forms, it remains universal, eternal and one. 

This Sunday we will discover that the Pure Consciousness that pervades the entire universe is enshrined within us.  Further, we will discover that it is within our power to attain to that consciousness and to live a more happy and fulfilled life.   We will thereafter explore how we can attain to that state of consciousness.

This Sunday we will offer together the beautiful hymn “Take Time to Be Holy.” What comes to mind when we contemplate these words? Is it that in the midst of our very busy lives we should always be sure to set aside a little time, perhaps on Sundays, or perhaps even daily, to worship God and practice holiness? To be sure! However, a deeper and more profound interpretation would be: How can we utilize time in our practice of holiness? How can we learn to perceive the changeless in the changing, the timeless eternity in the universe of time and change?

We express our humanity when we reveal divinity.  The so-called “man’s inhumanity to man” reflects the fact that we human beings often resort to our baser instincts.  But we know and we have seen countless examples of that spark of divinity in human life that brings love and wisdom amidst the darkness of ignorance and fear. And this gives us hope even in a world full of strife.

I am an Absolute Monist.  I believe that:
Truth is One Men Call it by Various Names.
God, Brahman, is Consciousness, Existence, Bliss, Absolute.
Everything is the Manifestation of God, the Divine Reality.
My Soul is of identical Nature with the God of the Universe.
I Should Make myself Pure by Good Thoughts, Good Words and Good Deeds.
By the Realization of My Own Self the Absolute Self is Realized.                             
God is the Light of the Heavens and the Earth.
By the Realization of God I Become One with God.
I Am That I Am.
I and My Father Are One.
I Am Brahman The Absolute Self.

Our spiritual pursuits in the life of yoga are interwoven throughout our thoughts, words and deeds.  Every thought is a seed in the garden of our mind.  Every word is an opportunity to express wisdom and realization. Every action is a step toward uniting ourselves with the infinite universe of creation. But it is easy to forget. We forget who and what we are… we forget our divine nature.  We forget to care for all of God’s creation. We forget to speak with kindness… to use words that remind us all of the higher truths.  We forget to act selflessly.

But if we think often of God… If we remember that the soul within us is of identical nature with the God of the universe… then with these thoughts our words will help and heal, and our efforts will become blessings to ourselves and those around us.

In our spiritual life it is of the utmost importance that we hold the highest ideal as a beacon of light to guide us along the path - that ideal being the oneness of Soul with God, the Absolute. That being said, it is often hard for us to reconcile, or recognize the relevance of that highest of ideals with our day-to-day living. It is too easy for us to succumb to the erroneous notion that that moment of realization will occur at some distant point in time and has little or no bearing on our present life. Yoga is the goal and the means to achieving that goal; the way and the goal must be one. If we wish to reach that lofty realization of Oneness with God we must practice the presence of God in the here and now in every aspect of our lives. God abides with us always!

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. 

As we welcome the new year, a feeling of self-renewal inspires our reflection and dedication. This new beginning brings to our minds a prayer for peace and a desire for wisdom.

Our spiritual resolution is to recognize the divine attributes that pervade creation.  We aspire to the perfection of Soul, just as Jesus proclaimed: “Be ye therefore perfect; even as your Father which is in heaven is perfect.”

This Sunday’s Service falls on Christmas Day. Symbolically, the birth of The Christ will have occurred the night before, and the infant Jesus of Christ Consciousness, symbolically our Soul, will have been born within each of us. It remains for this infant child to grow and unfold and at the right moment to awaken to its spiritual journey of Self-realization and unique life expression.  

Throughout the ages humanity has commemorated the birth of those souls whose birth on earth has come as given by God to awaken us, to guide us to salvation, and to bring “peace on earth” and “goodwill to all.”

We recognize and remember the birth of a great soul in human form and in the process we, ourselves, are reborn. Each time we give ourselves in service, each time we meditate, each time we offer prayers of thankfulness, we gather unto us the glorious attributes of the infinite light of soul.

Synergy is that mysterious dynamic that emerges from wholesomeness wherein the power of the whole inexplicably exceeds the sum of its parts. This powerful dynamic is now being recognized and is manifest in the ideals of holistic (“whole”istic) medicine, whole food, and so forth. Wholeness brings health to us physically, mentally and spiritually. In fact the etymology of our words “health” and “heal” can be traced back to the Proto-Germanic hailitho – “whole, uninjured, of good omen.” How can we live the most wholesome and healthy life? By attuning our lives in all its aspects to the ultimate source of wholeness: God. In God we are healed and made whole again. In the words of the psalmist: “He makes me whole again, steering me off worn, hard paths to roads where truth and righteousness echo His name.”

The Advent season is a time of preparation that directs our hearts and minds to the light of God. We prepare ourselves not only during this holy season but daily. If we keep our consciousness attached to the sensory world, we lose sight of the true goal. But if we lift our consciousness the supreme Self of us all, we realize the true Self.
 

During this holy season we remember the great blessings of life. This is a time to pause and reflect, to give thanks and share our joy. This is a time when we yearn to be awakened to the consciousness of holiness within and around us.