(Published in Spiritually Speaking of The Daily Guardian on May 3, 2021)
The world is going through a terrible crisis of Covid-19 pandemic and our beloved country of India is, in particular, going through a terrible second wave that is causing fear, sadness and pain in the lives of many. It is a good time to look inwards and realise who we truly are and try to do what we can to raise the vibrations of ourselves and in the process of the world and our country.
Through these raised vibrations we can do our bit in bringing healing to the world and the country. Having said that, we must continue to follow public health guidelines like wearing masks, using hand sanitisers and social distancing. Also, we must honour the rules of the land and avoid moving outside for some time unless necessary.
Now let us take a look at how we can realise who we are and through that become a force of positive change in our world and nation.
The stillness of mind is necessary for us to realise who we really are. “Be still and know that I am God”, says Psalm 46:10, clear advice in the Bible by the Lord to meditate.
When a stone is dropped into a pond of water, it creates ripples, which prevent a person from seeing his reflection in the pond.
It is only when the ripples subside and the water is still that you can see your reflection. Our consciousness is like the pond; if thoughts enter into our mind, they create ripples in our consciousness and these ripples prevent us from seeing our self in the pond of our consciousness.
Stubborn thoughts need to be stopped if true knowledge of self is to be gained. This must happen smoothly. A thought is like a fire, which is fuelled by attention.
By not paying attention to a stubborn thought, it can be made to pass through the mind unattended. Do not try to wrestle with your unwanted thoughts. Wrestling with them is giving attention to them and will make it difficult for them to go away.
A person can only truly concentrate on one thing at a time. In today’s social media-dominated world, it is not easy to concentrate on one thing at a time and this causes our minds to be constantly in a state of flux – fluctuating from one thought to the other. Our constant bombardment with messages either on WhatsApp or Instagram or the like is something that can be considered like an addiction. Though these things have their uses, they must be controlled. We have developed a kind of dependency on these things.
You don’t have to respond immediately to every message or text that comes your way. Take a breather!
Negative thoughts are very natural especially in these testing times of Covid spreading like wildfire throughout our beloved country of India. But the spreading of negative thoughts must be controlled by each one of us to create a positive aura in our country. Stray thoughts of any kind are not welcome when we are trying to still the mind.
Focusing on our breath is a good way to divert attention away from stray thoughts.
Breathe in deeply through your nose and while breathing in, pay attention to your breath. Hold the breath inside you for just a few seconds, maybe five or six seconds, and exhale slowly paying attention to your breath as you exhale.
This technique will relax you as well as help in stilling the mind. After repeating this exercise about 10 times, say the word, ‘Om’, ‘Amen’ or ‘Amin’ — depending on your choice, they all refer to the creative word of God — three times.
Now focus your attention on the point between the eyebrows about one inch above the eyebrow level. This is the centre of Krishna or Christ Consciousness, which is called the Kutastha Centre by Paramahansa Yogananda.
In the Bible, this place is mentioned by Christ when he says in Matthew 6:22: “The light of the body is the eye: If therefore thy eye be single, thy whole body shall be full of light”.
The idea is to concentrate on this point without thinking or allowing thoughts to enter the mind. True meditation is the complete stillness of the mind.
Though thinking about God is a good thing and can help raise the levels of positive energy around you, while meditating try not to think of anything — not even God. Remember what the Bible says, “Be still and know that I am God”.
Though thinking about God is a good thing and can help raise the levels of positive energy around you, while meditating try not to think of anything — not even God. Remember what the Bible says, “Be still and know that I am God”.
A feeling of complete relaxation and tranquillity is soon followed by joyous bliss that is all-pervading. When the eye is single — the single eye of intuition or the Kutastha Centre becomes the focus of attention — then the body shall be full of light.
When the attention is focused like a magnifying glass at the Kutastha Centre, the eye of intuition will see the divine light of God and the body shall be bathed by the Divine and Glorious light.
In that moment of blissfulness, direct that peace and light that you see towards the world and especially towards India. Imagine an India that is healthy and pandemic free. In your mind gently let go of any kind of anger, fear, resentment that you have towards anyone and forgive. Send thoughts of love and healing to India and the world. This will surely help to raise the vibrations of the world and the country. The more people who do this, the better it is.
It is a wonderful feeling to still the mind and see your true blissful self in the reflection of your pond of consciousness. Seek God within you now and ask that you be filled with love, light and the power of healing. With these things directed towards the planet and the nation, you will be doing your role in healing the planet and helping to bring brighter days ahead.