August 2017

8-28-217

Return to Peace

Paula Whang-Ramos

"The spiritual practice for meeting challenges—whether small daily irritations, disappointments, or great difficulties, is the same—to let our thoughts settle.
We let go of clinging to moods or worries, regrets and fears, and reconnect to our deepest Self, the divine Reality right where we are.
Peace will come. Guidance will be revealed. Wait."
~ Yogacharya Ellen Grace O'Brian

I know I have wandered far from Spiritual Truth when I hold my own peace hostage to a daily irritation, disappointment or difficulty. In those moments, I wrongly think that my peace will be restored when that circumstantial irritation goes away. It's true that I may experience temporary peace when the irritation subsides. However, as soon as that irritation goes away, a different disappointment can rise to take its place, and I can find myself on the roller coaster of difficulty once again.

Why can't peace come and stay? Well, spiritual teachings say that it actually does. Divine, unshakable peace indwells us 24/7, even when we forget and react in fear or anger. The more interesting question is "In the face of chaos, confusion, conflict and stress, how can we return to this indwelling peace? Join us this morning (9/27/17) at CSE as we will explore practical spiritual teachings to help us return to the peace we all yearn for in our hearts, in our families and in our country right now. Gift your Self a time of restoration, meditation, and fellowship with our extended CSE spiritual family.

Return to peace. Meditate with us at the Blue Lotus Center. Learn and experience universal spiritual practices to return to peace now. Affirm the inner call to cultivate peace in our minds, hearts, families, community and our world. The Blue Lotus Meditation & Yoga Center welcomes sincere seekers from all backgrounds. Beginning and experienced participants from all traditions are welcome at all gatherings.

8-21-201

Claim Your Contentment and Peace

Paula Whang-Ramos

"When the mind is quiet, contentment naturally arrives. This is key."
~ Yogacharya Ellen Grace O'Brian

Ancient yogic teachings remind us that unshakable contentment and peace are qualities of our true spiritual Self. They eternally reside within us all the time, everywhere, no matter what. Even when we get distracted by circumstantial conflicts, mental chaos, confusing conversations, and other stressors, contentment and peace remain unaffected and ever-present within us all.

Meditation is a practice and a pathway into these soul qualities. As a practice, meditation teaches us to quiet the mind so we can directly experience soul contentment and peace. As a pathway, a meditative lifestyle teaches us to live from the soul's peace and contentment on a daily basis. When we become reactive to changing circumstances, our meditation practice and meditative lifestyle offers remedies to return to these soul qualities once again.

I invite you to join us next Sunday, August 27th, for worship services at CSE, where we will continue to explore ancient, practical pathways to peace. Gift your Self a time of restoration, meditation, and fellowship with our extended CSE spiritual family where contentment and peace abound!

Return to peace. Meditate with us at the Blue Lotus Center. Experience inner contentment and peace that awaits your return. Affirm the inner call to cultivate peace in our minds, hearts, families, community and our world. The Blue Lotus Meditation & Yoga Center welcomes sincere seekers from all backgrounds. Beginning and experienced participants from all traditions are welcome at all gatherings.

8-14-2017

Personal Power and Freedom

Paula Whang-Ramos

"Personal empowerment rests on our willingness to claim responsibility for our experience.

It is up to us to live with power and freedom. No one gives that to us and no one can take it away."
~ Yogacharya Ellen Grace O'Brian

"No victims, no villains" is a saying that helps me remain in Oneness consciousness. When I hear myself share a life story where there is a victim or a villain, I know that I’m coming from my ego mind that likes to separate, compare, divide, and conquer, so it can play the "winner", or the "martyr". In that moment, I realize that I set myself up for suffering, not because the story is true, but because I just gave my divine power away to the competitive ego mind.

When we find ourselves in "two-ness" consciousness of "us vs. them", we have turned away from our conscious communion in Wholeness and peace that always flows within us. We can use this realization to make an inner course correction back into the divine power and presence of Oneness that indwells us all, regardless of apparent differences and dramatic stories. We have within us the power to create the illusion of separateness, as we turn our attention away from the wholeness that we are. And, we can rely on that same power to reclaim It again.

Return to peace. Join us at the Blue Lotus Center and affirm the inner call to return to peace in our minds, hearts, families, community and our world. Reclaim the peace that arises when we consciously choose to live in the freedom of the One. Practice and study with us from ancient, universal, time tested techniques to be the change we want to see in the world now. The Blue Lotus Meditation & Yoga Center welcomes sincere seekers from all backgrounds. Beginning and experienced participants from all traditions are welcome at all gatherings.

8-7-2017

How To Live Boldly As A Spiritual Being

Paula Whang-Ramos

"There is a reason we dream - we are made of possibility. Live boldly in the world as a spiritual being."
~ Yogacharya Ellen Grace O'Brian

In a jigsaw puzzle, the puzzle pieces are all the same in that every single piece is made of the same substance, and all the pieces are intended to fit into the same puzzle. And yet, each puzzle piece has its own unique shape that fits in its own unique place in the puzzle. If we try to force a piece into another's place, it will not truly fit. But when we place that same piece in its unique space, its proper fit strengthens the completion of the entire puzzle.

In Divine Wholeness, I imagine each of us humans as unique expressions of a 7 billion piece puzzle. We are all made of the same divinely blessed peace, love and wholeness of the One, and we each have a unique contribution to offer to Life. How do we realize our life purpose and take our unique place in the divine plan of Wholeness? Where can we open into divine possibility that waits to be uniquely expressed through us? How can we boldly live these divinely blessed lives we are gifted?

In addition to participation in spiritual community with experienced spiritual teachers at the Center for Spiritual Enlightenment and Blue Lotus Center, we are also very blessed with the opportunity to study and grow at our own pace in CSE's Dharma 365! independent web based spiritual study program. Step into the stream of divine grace and wisdom as Yogacharya O'Brian offers monthly practices, weekly lessons and daily inspirations to help us realize and live in and from the joy, clarity and love of the One. Participate in BLC's monthly Dharma 365!Contemplative group and share the journey with other sincere seekers. Enrollment in Dharma 365! is available year-round. Enroll today and take your place in the divine plan unfolding!

Return to peace. Join us at the Blue Lotus Center and affirm the inner call to return to peace in our minds, hearts, families, community and our world. Practice and study with us from the ancient, universal, time tested techniques of Kriya Yoga, and learn to be the change you want to see in the world now. The Blue Lotus Meditation & Yoga Center welcomes sincere seekers from all backgrounds. Beginning and experienced participants from all traditions are welcome at all groups and classes.

Blue Lotus

Meditation & Yoga Center:

CSE south county meditation center