“If anything disturbs your peace, practice having faith that divine grace is already actively at work restoring wholeness and well-being.

Then make any necessary adjustments in harmony with that insight.”
Yogacharya Ellen Grace O'Brian, Spiritual Director, Center for Spiritual Enlightenment

Blue Lotus

Inspirational Messages

April 24, 2022

The Power Of Compassion

Paula Whang-Ramos

"The journey of spiritual awakening includes times of forgetting the truth of our being as well as times of remembering."
~Yogacharya Ellen Grace O'Brian, The Jewel of Abundance, pg. 73

We want to do a good job in our endeavors, right? We want to "get it right" the first time, so we don't have to do "it" over again. We may even consider it "failing" if we need to repeat the process. This expectation of perfection can be a form of self-harm, especially when we are undertaking a new practice or skill.

In spiritual practice, compassion, not perfection, is a much more useful perspective. Because in truth, we do need time and repeated opportunities to remember, return and reclaim the inner terrain of our indwelling peace, love, and wholeness. We are so accustomed to seeking these qualities outside ourselves, that we forget our inner integrity and essential wisdom. In spiritual practice, we stop using moments of forgetfulness as a harsh judgment about an unrealistic expectation that serves no useful function.

Instead, we learn to greet moments of forgetfulness as a compassionate opportunity to practice remembering and returning to the essential Wholeness that indwells us all. The simple act of consciously turning our attention and awareness within, is in itself an important foundational spiritual practice, as we learn to make space in our hearts for our own inner arrival. Greeting our Selves in compassion, and not perfection, is the key to our return.

Meditate with us at CSE and at Blue Lotus Center. Study and grow with others devoted to thriving in peace, love, and wisdom. Contribute to the realization of peace in our minds, our hearts, our families, our community, and our world. Blue Lotus Meditation & Yoga Center welcomes sincere seekers from all backgrounds.

April 17, 2022

Nurture Your Divine Unfoldment
Paula Whang-Ramos

“Cultivate the inspiration and anticipation that your life is a divine unfoldment.
Know that greater good, beyond your current knowledge, is right now coming your way.”
~Yogacharya Ellen Grace OBrian, CSE Daily Inspiration 04/16/2022

My husband has a small garden in our backyard. Eleven months out of the year, it looks like a patch of dirt. Then, every year, as Winter turns to Spring, bright green leaves appear from which beautiful colorful tulips emerge. What do we see when we look at such beautiful life emerging from a patch of dirt? Through physical eyes, we may appreciate the radiant flowers and powerful leaves.

And, if we look more deeply, through spiritual eyes, then we may see even more. When we sit in the presence of our plant friends, perhaps we can see how the Source of life persistently asserts Its divine presence and wisdom to create life, beauty, and harmony from seemingly lifeless circumstances.

Perhaps we can take a moment and see how the Source of life is revealing Its presence, creative power, and intelligence in our lives right now – even in those areas of our lives that, on the surface, appear barren and lifeless. During this holy season of divine wisdom, freedom, and opportunities to awaken, let’s look beneath the surface of our lives, where divine presence, possibility, and wisdom abound!

Meditate with us at CSE and at Blue Lotus Center. Study and grow with others devoted to thriving in peace, love, and wisdom. Contribute to the realization of peace in our minds, our hearts, our families, our community, and our world. Blue Lotus Meditation & Yoga Center welcomes sincere seekers from all backgrounds.

April 10, 2022

Live Intentionally - Now!
Paula Whang-Ramos

"Fortunately, yoga's spiritual practice for intentional living is doable at every stage of life -
whether we are students, young adults, new parents, middle-aged, or elders...
We arrange conditions within and around us to encourage the prosperous flow of energy in our life."
~ Yogacharya Ellen Grace O'Brian, The Jewel of Abundance, pg. 104-105.

It is such a blessing to realize that the abundant wholeness of Yogic living is always available to us. Life commitments, family responsibilities, financial obligations, and even aging bodies are all welcome on the path of Wholeness. Not "instead of", but "in addition to" these life experiences, we can learn to adapt our thoughts, words, and actions to be more supportive of our highest good at any age or station in life.

Rather than seeing these life experiences as potential obstacles or reasons to delay our prosperity consciousness and prosperous living, classical Yogic teachings reveal how we can use these very circumstances to wake up into our innate Wholeness within and around us - right here, right now. So, let's not wait for something or someone in our lives to change before we joyfully claim and consciously care for these amazing and precious lives we are given. Let's intentionally live into the peace, love, and wisdom that we all seek now!

Meditate with us at CSE and at Blue Lotus Center. Study and grow with others devoted to thriving in peace, love, and wisdom. Contribute to the realization of peace in our minds, our hearts, our families, our community, and our world. Blue Lotus Meditation & Yoga Center welcomes sincere seekers from all backgrounds.

April 3, 2022

Beyond the 40 Days - Living In Divine Love

Paula Whang-Ramos

“Our lives continually drift away from their true home. We forget we are God's beloved...During Lent, God calls us home.
We remember who we truly are...Lent invites us to open our lives to this love however far we may have drifted and to return again."
~Trevor Hudson, (2015), Pauses For Lent, pg. 12

The Lenten season is a holy time in Catholic and some Christian traditions. It typically includes special daily practices during 40 of the 46 days leading up to and including Easter. Lent is associated with important periods in the earth life and spiritual journey of Jesus the Christ.

Lent has different meanings for different people. Some may experience Lent as a time of spiritual rebirth and an opportunity to begin again. Others may experience Lent as a time to stop a bad habit. Others may recall childhood experiences of Lent that did not enhance the Divine Love that they sought. Still, others are unfamiliar with Lent and are interested in learning more about it as a spiritual practice. To those who love Lent, to those who don't, and to those who wonder how Lent can deepen their own journey into Divine Love, I invite you to join us this Saturday at CSE.

Individuals from all backgrounds are invited to CSE's day-long Lenten retreat: "Beyond the 40 Days: Living In Divine Love". Beneath the literal understanding of Lent, we will metaphysically explore this tradition, and how the metaphysical practices of fasting, scripture study, and prayer can deepen our own daily practice beyond the Lenten season. Gift your Self a day of compassionate inward turning into the Divine love that resides in the hearts of seekers from all traditions, and the child within us all. Participants from all backgrounds are welcome.

Meditate with us at CSE and at Blue Lotus Center. Consciously affirm this year as the one when we claim the courageous spiritual power, presence, and wisdom to realize our worthwhile dreams. Experience the inner radiance, peace, and delight that naturally arises from meditation. Study, meditate and grow with others devoted to thriving in peace, love, and wisdom. Contribute to the realization of peace in our minds, our hearts, our families, our community, and our world. Blue Lotus Meditation & Yoga Center welcomes sincere seekers from all backgrounds.

Meditation & Yoga Center:

CSE south county meditation center