Inspirational Messages

“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

March 27, 2022

Solitude In the Source

Paula Whang-Ramos

“Now Jesus, full of the Holy Spirit, left the Jordan and was led by the Spirit into the wilderness."
Christian Bible, Luke 4:1

During this Lenten season, I have enjoyed reading the Christian Bible and listening into divine wisdom revealed in the space between the words. As I listened into the passage above, I wondered why did the Source of life lead Jesus the Christ into the wilderness? What deeper spiritual opportunity could arise from extended periods alone? In this Bible story, the Source of life immediately sent Jesus into the wilderness, just after Jesus was baptized by John the Baptist. Jesus experienced many earth life challenges, but he remained spiritually focused and did not give up. And, after an extended time alone, he emerged with a clear divine intention as he lived fully into his ministry.

In Yoga, we can experience many deep blessings that feel like the new beginning of a baptism. And, afterwards, we are encouraged to remain inwardly focused, meditating. This allows us to deeply receive and rest in the blessing, to allow it to percolate within us. Sitting in meditation can be challenging for the distracted mind uncomfortable with the gift of solitude. Yet, remaining steadfast can deepen our ability to hear the still small voice of divine wisdom within us all, that Jesus the Christ represents.

Solitary time in our inner wilderness can be a blessing when we look deeper and rest in the Source of our inner solitude. The inspiration, courage, and clarity revealed from within can deepen our faith and enhance our lives - in this lifetime.

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.

March 20, 2022

Pathways Of Spiritual Practice

Paula Whang-Ramos

“Relating to others with compassion, engaging in work with integrity, and keeping our balance as we navigate life’s changes—
this is how we live spiritual teachings—moment to conscious moment.”
~Yogacharya Ellen Grace O’Brian, CSE Daily Inspiration 06/14/2019

During these challenging times, we may find that meditation alone is insufficient to realize the inner balance, peace, and clarity we so need right now. Or we may find it difficult to meditate at all. Thankfully, we can remember that, while meditation is an important practice for spiritually conscious living, it is not the only practice.

Sacred texts from the East and the West describe universal divine qualities that can redirect us to the Wholeness still present, even during difficult times. In both the Christian Bible (1 Corinthians 13:4-8) and in the Baghavad Gita (16:1-3) we are reminded that we can inwardly experience the divine Presence when we consciously allow ITs qualities to flow through us, as us. These qualities include love, patience, kindness, gratitude, humility, peace, generosity, truthfulness, courage, hope, serenity, compassion, forgiveness, and steadfast faith. We can naturally attune to a greater good when we allow soul qualities to be expressed through us. When we live from the soul, we can experience Oneness and spiritual wisdom.

The good news is that these, and other ancient spiritual texts contain many more teachings that guide us into spiritually conscious living. When we deeply listen into these passages, we experience them as more than a checklist of qualities we aspire to acquire. Deeper contemplation helps us realize these passages as divine reflections of our true Self. When we listen and live from this innate integrity, then our presence can be a blessing of divine remembrance for ourselves and everyone around us. This is how we live spiritual teachings. This is a way back to the balance, peace, love, and wisdom that we all deserve and need now.

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.

March 13, 2022

Old Beliefs Drop Away

Paula Whang-Ramos

“Whatever one thinks oneself to be, is not what one truly is. Whatever one thinks God to be, is not what God truly is.
Every belief must be allowed to drop away so that Self-knowledge and God-knowledge can be experienced.”
~Mr. Roy Eugene Davis, The Eternal Way (1996), pg. 199

Sometimes wisdom emerges from inspiration. We read or hear a spiritual teaching, it instantly touches our soul, and we know it is True. And, if we open our spiritual eyes to see and spiritual ears to hear, then wisdom can also emerge from confusion. You know, those moments when we hear a teaching that we do not comprehend, and yet, something about it remains within us and won’t let us go.

I still remember when I first heard Yogacharya O’Brian share this week’s inspiration from her Spiritual Teacher, Mr. Roy Eugene Davis. As soon as I heard it, my soul immediately knew this teaching was True. My heart felt deep peace, clarity, and relief knowing that there was a way to live beyond the limitations of the mind. Yet, I had no idea how it could be so. And the potential for freedom beneath the mind’s confusion would not let me go.

So began the inner journey into the divine wisdom of Mr. Davis’ teaching. To my surprise, the very process of letting go of old thinking to make space for deeper listening revealed the direct experience of his teaching. Yoga teaches us that divine Wholeness is always blessing us with Its wisdom, presence, and creative power. If we are courageous and tenacious enough to listen beyond the mind into Truth, we can directly experience the Divine, by whatever name we know It to be. So, the next time you receive a spiritual teaching that confuses you, I invite you to dive into the teaching. Keep listening and living into it until you experience the Truth that your soul waits for you to hear. Truly, the journey is worth the freedom.

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.

March 6, 2022

Honoring The Spiritual Teachers

Paula Whang-Ramos

“The spiritual teacher knows who we are — beyond our personality, charm, cleverness, appearance, income, or intellectual prowess.
The spiritual teacher sees the Divine in us and insists on it. The commitment of the spiritual teacher is to call that forth and to settle for nothing less.”
~Yogacharya Ellen Grace O’Brian, CSE Daily Inspiration

CSE and BLC exist in the divine flow of the Spiritual Teachers in our teaching lineage: Mahavatar Babaji, Lahiri Mahasaya, Swami Sri Yukteswar, Paramahansa Yogananda, Roy Eugene Davis, and Yogacharya Ellen Grace O'Brian. Their eternal vision is to offer Kirya Yoga as a path to help us realize our essential Wholeness and the Source of Wholeness in which we all live and breathe and have our being.

This week, we are blessed to honor three of our beloved Spiritual Teachers: Swami Sri Yukteswar, Paramahansa Yogananda, and Roy Eugene Davis. Swami Sri Yukteswar is Paramahansa Yogananda's Spiritual Teacher who supported Yogananda's spiritual awakening and courageous journey to the USA in 1920. Paramahansa Yogananda is one of the first Yogis to teach meditation and yoga to North Americans. As a direct Disciple of Yogananda, Roy Eugene Davis was ordained to continue to represent Kriya Yoga in this teaching lineage and to freely share these teachings with sincere seekers around the world. Many of us at CSE and BLC were blessed to know Mr. Davis as Yogacharya O'Brian's Spiritual Teacher.

Join us this week at CSE and BLC as we meditate, receive inspiration from these three wise ones, and offer our gratitude for their selfless devotion to our freedom. Experience the timeless flow of Wholeness that joins, blesses, and inspires us all to awaken in this lifetime!

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.