Sun, 24 Sep 2023 02:54:45 -0700WeeblyWed, 12 Jul 2023 20:33:14 GMThttp://spiritualfreedomsatsang.org/blog/the-womans-right-your-rifght-to-choosel-ch-6"YOUR RIGHT TO CHOOSE - CHAPTER 6
THE WOMAN'S RIGHT

     This is a remarkable chapter.  There’s a lot of wisdom and information in a very few pages.  Darwin takes a core spiritual principle and applies it to contemporary society – in the process giving a greater understanding of human, and simultaneously deepening our understanding of spirituality because we have seen how it is seen in a human basis.

     The official focus of this chapter is regarding a woman’s right to choose to terminate her pregnancy – something that can be very controversial and has gained more visibility than usual recently.  Darwin makes it clear from the start, he is pro-choice.  He starts right off by saying this.  And he immediately explains why.  We are soul.  We are eternal self-aware sparks of God. We take on human bodies in order to interact in this universe, but we are not our bodies any more than we are the car we drive.  Further, if our body is something we drive, are we really going to get behind the wheel while it is still on the assembly line?  Most likely not.  We might go to the factory and watch it being assembled or monitor it’s progress.  But we’re not going to sit in a bare chassis.  

     In the same token, as souls we are aware of who our parents will be before we are born and we are apprised of our birth coordinates.  We may spend some prenatal  time “hovering” around our future parents, or checking up on our body-to-be’s progress.  But we’re not going to get in before it’s off the assembly line, detailed, with brand new sound system and a fresh coat of paint.  Then we open the door, sit in the driver’s seat, get comfortable, put the key in the ignition, and away we go!  If something goes wrong with the construction process and we have to wait until a new one can be assembled, it may be disappointing but It’s not the end.  And while we may be upset about the delay, we don’t say the manufacturer didn’t have a right to pull the car from the assembly line prior to its completion.  In the same way, a woman is not at fault for ending her pregnancy.  It’s okay.  Nobody was killed – because nobody was in the body yet. 

     This second point comes up within a few paragraphs when Darwin talks about feminine principles of Kali and Maya.  He says Kali is the mother principle, the symbol of femininity, which men both worship and try to control.  Then he offers a very intriguing perspective of Maya.  She is, he says, “the veil through which life comes”.  The Indian name “Maya”, Darwin notes, translates in the west as “Mary”, “Marie” and “May”.  And then, almost as a casual aside, He reminds us of Jesus being born through Mary – a powerful symbol of the Soul and the God Principle being born into human form.  I like how Darwin does this – taking Spirit and applying it to our thinking so we can see human events from the perspective of soul.  The more we do this, the more our meditative state of Naam infusion becomes part of our waking interactive life, until there is a seamless continuity between the two.  You start to become Naam, and that is a very good thing.

     I first read this chapter as one of Darwin’s columns over 30 years ago, and it immediately resonated with me.  The affect was profound and this core spiritual principle that soul is eternal has formed the foundation of my support of reproductive rights and our sisters’ right to choose.  If only people could understand this, we would not have the huge controversy about abortion and women’s sovereignty over their bodies.  

     Why don’t we take a few minutes to read this chapter, and then close our eyes and meditate on it.  Make your mantra a combination of “HU” and “I am soul.  I am eternal.  I am love.”  Feel the Shabda flow through you, washing away karmic grit of the day and bathing you in Its golden love.  And then take this out into your day.
All my love and blessings in the LightSong Eternal,


Michael Turner


*********************************


50.      "The religious orders are attempting to convince not only all women, but he Government and the people of the land as well, that the unborn child is a person.  This is not so.  The fetus is a biological entity of cells only.  The whole point is that soul, which is that individual sparks of God, does not enter the body while it is in the womb of the female, but only after the child has been brought into the outer world, and sometimes later than that. 

50.      Therefore, it is not murder if the woman decides to bear the child and carry the responsibilities of feeding it, seeing it through school and out into life, any more than it is murder if I cut off a bit of skin from a finger.  It is her decision alone; there is no karma attached.  There is nothing but the guilt and fear that has been pressed upon her through man’s ignorance and religious false moral statements. 

50.      In the East, India for example, there exists worship of a feminine principle that is referred to as the Kali, the mother goddess.

51.      Kali, the mother principle, . . . represents the great womb of the universe and out of her womb is born all life.   Christianity adopted the Virgin Mother idea from the Indian philosophy (mainly Shakti, Mother of the triad group) and completely lifted it and fashioned it into a westernized idea.  The whole point is that Kali has become the symbol of the feminine mind.  The whole mystery of the feminine principle is found in the Kali symbol. 

50.      Maya, illusion, is the veil through which life comes.  Soul  steps across from the higher planes through the veil of Maya to  incarnate in the body of the child after it is born, animating it  beyond mere biological existence.  Now the word Maya has a dozen meanings.  In the West it can be seen as Marie, Mary, May, Molly,  Polly, etc.  Hence comes the Mary who gave birth to the savior Jesus, yet he only used her body in order to visit this planet. 

52.      Man is  trying to put down the choice of the individual woman to decide for  herself whether or not she wants the responsibility throughout the  rest of her physical life of bringing a child into the physical world.  For the woman in my point of view, it is simply her choice.   There is no guilt factor for those are on this path, because they have  the understanding to know that life is not limited to just this plane  of awareness and that there is no death as Man thinks of it. 
​
52.      Each of us as individuals choose and control our lives, and it is not  some else’s part either through religion or legislation to attempt to  dictate the good of all mankind."  ]]>Mon, 10 Jul 2023 17:35:07 GMThttp://spiritualfreedomsatsang.org/blog/chapter-5-be-good-to-yourselfCHAPTER 5
"BE GOOD TO YOURSELF"

     After delving into the core spiritual foundation of Surat Shabda, Darwin turns his attention in Chapter 5 to healthy living, both physical and spiritual – and illustrating how they interact.  He clearly explains that a healthy body is essential for optimal living.  On top of making human life happier and more positive, a healthier human body is more receptive an instrument it is for the eternal rhythm and melodies of Divine Spirit.  

     In discussing physical health Darji spends some time discussing vitamins, minerals, various foods and herbs, which have proven to have a beneficial influence.  He also mentions the brown rice fast and the lemonade fast (lemon juice, distilled water, maple syrup and cayenne) both of which can be both purifying and energizing. 

     Darwin also talks about our mental and spiritual health, making a particular point that we must pay attention to where our attention is, and consciously choose what we mentally ingest.  We are counseled to replace negative input with positive.  Further, Darwin teaches us an incredibly valuable lesson.  He says that whenever we are aware of negative influences around us, we should immediately take our attention and place it on the Inner Master, Shabda and God.  I would supplement this by adding that practicing Simran and repeating the Holy Names (“Simran”) is an invaluable way of focusing the attention and bringing you back to your spiritual center.  With practice, Simran can bring spiritual poise and inner calm in the flicker of an eyelash.

     Over time we learn to dwell more and more in Spirit.  As Darwin sang in his song “With Eckankar”:

        "Let your mind dwell in the Sea of Spirit, to be lifted above your daily problems. Then you are in this world, but not of it. Once grasp the Great Form Without Form,, and you’ll roam where you will, with no evil to fear. Calm, peaceful, and at ease . . .”

     One final point of note.  Darwin pauses a moment about halfway through to remind us that, in order for the Spiritual Current to remain fresh and vital within us, It must flow through us.  If we try to possess IT, it will lose Its vitality, stagnate like a stale mosquito and algae-ridden pond, and eventually become toxic.  We need to share it.  But it can’t be the kind of sharing where we think we are going to magically “enlighten” or “heal” others with our wonderful new gift.  That’s just the trap of spiritual vanity, and it will stop the flow of Shabda faster than you can imagine.  We just need to be an open window for the spring breeze of the Divine Melody to pass through of Its own accord.  Our job is to just get out of the way and let It flow.

     Let us now take a few minutes to read Chapter Five – “Be Good To Yourself” – reflecting on the chapter, and the passages below.  Once your reading is done, close your eyes, place your attention with, sing “HU” three times out loud, and then keep doing so silently with the tongue of thought.  Allow Darwin’s words to resonate within you, lifting you up and in.  Keep your attention on the center point of HU, see the blue star of the Inner Friend and feel the Love of God embrace you.  Take the time to truly relax into this Divine Love.  Allow IT to soothe you, anoint you, and wash away your all your cares and worries.  Just bask in that Warm Golden Love, and know everything is going to be okay.

     After a few minutes, bring your attention back outside, and proceed with your day.

     Thank you for joining me in this reading, and spiritual exercise.

     With love,


     Michael Turner
      (Zanar)


****************************************


43.       “Negative thoughts and impure thoughts are a real hazard to the nervous system.  If you are the type of individual that receives a negative thought occasionally, stamp it out with placing your attention either Spirit or the Inner Master, orGod, if that’s possible, and you’ll overcome these negative thoughts.  They will start being fewer.”

43.       “Herbs, minerals and vitamins from fresh foods certainly can guide the individual to a healthier life, in order to build a strong body.  Not only strong but healthy, for health an feeling good allows one to develop spiritually to his fullest, but the individual must determine for himself what makes him feel good by the things he eats and drinks.”

45-46.  “Without proper nourishment for the body, spiritual and physical life is more difficult.”

46.       “Through Spirit in the teachings, one learns that to receive more we must give of what we have received.”

46.       “If we withhold what we receive, stagnation sets in and we’ll be like the wheel that generates power from the water and suddenly of its own volition begins to withhold the water it is using.  What happens is that it soon finds itself stifled with inert water.  It is only when the water is allowed to flow freely through that it is of value to the wheel to create the power, and that is t rue of man as well.  Spirit must freely be allowed to flow through us individually.”

46-47.  As one learns how to let Spirit flow through and be a vehicle for God, you’ll find the Inner Master working with you, not only trying to assist in overcoming negative habits or negative thoughts, and even those negative thoughts that are impressed upon the body that make the body ill.

47.       “Health and happiness means to be rid of fatigue and disease - to have a good appetite, good memory, good humor and precision in through and action, to be free from anxiety and fear, to have a great capacity for survival over illness and anxieties, to have joy, long life and greater spiritual adventures.”

​]]>Mon, 19 Jun 2023 15:25:37 GMThttp://spiritualfreedomsatsang.org/blog/your-spiritual-bodyYOUR RIGHT TO CHOOSE - CHAPTER 4
"YOUR SPIRITUAL BODY"

     In this chapter, Sri Darwin addresses the four major points of Surat Shabda Meditation: Soul, Shabda, the Living Teacher and God.

     1.     Learning to take our awareness within, tap into the Shabda, and allow IT to transport us into Soul awareness (Total Awareness);

     2.     We must use our meditations to center us in Shabda, and make IT the focus of our attention and foundation of our lives; 

     3.     (a) It is important for people living in the human body to have a Master also living in the human body; and (b) since the dawn of humanity, there has always been a living Master  (personally, I prefer “Teacher” or “Friend”) for every generation; and

     4.     Through uniting our attention with the Shabda and bringing the Friend into our lives, we are transported into the Pure Positive God Worlds and can directly, personally experience the Kingdom of Heaven and God ItSelf in this lifetime.

     As we have been practicing with this book study, please take a few minutes to read the chapter, and the passages below.  Allow Darwin’s lessons to be the focus of your meditation today, and then bring that focus into the rest of your day and your dreams tonight.


Yours Always in the Eternal Shabda,

Michael Turner

***************************************


35.       “It is the movement of the inner consciousness which travels through the lower states until it ascends into and beyond the etheric states.”

35.       “This science of total awareness grows out of the experience of soul going beyond the physical body.  The subject gains the state of religious awareness at his own volition via the spiritual exercises.  The latter is correlated only with the movement of the inner consciousness and soul within the regions of time and space.  With soul one goes above these regions beyond time and space, for All is omniscient, omnipresent, omnipotent, hence the term Total Awareness.”

36.       “This state known to us as the Nam state is what we must all come to and go through to become the Spirit in the Living Word of God.  We must spiritualize the mind and body by saturating ourselves with the spiritual ideal of Divine Spirit.”


36.       “Spirit must therefore come first in the life of every Initiate.”

36.       “The main teaching is that if the student faithfully practices the spiritual exercises, they will enter into the kingdom of heaven while still living in the human body.”

36.       “The Ancient Teachings Of The Masters offers a Master, for as spiritual law clearly states, the student in a human body must have a master in the human body, one who knows the way in the upper regions of heaven…”

37.       “A Master has always been present in every civilization in history . . .. Each Master in their respective time presented the spiritual law over and over again to help those who follow the path with love and spiritual freedom.  These laws which are Truth have always existed to lead man to God.”

38.       “It is necessary to have both the Light and Sound in your spiritual life.  As you know, the Light is for the traveling soul to see the pitfalls and obstructions on Its journey to God, and the Sound is for soul to follow the path back to the throne of the King of Kings, to the Sugmad.  So you must make contact with both aspects of the Word within thyself.  And this is provided by God and unfolded by the true Godman, the Master of the time, along with the Sound step by step into the land of pure and eternal life.”

38-39. “The way to God is difficult for those who struggle against the little self and look to the obstacles on the path.  The difference between Heaven and Earth as stated in ‘Stranger by the River’, by Paul Twitchell, is hardly a hairbreadth apart.”]]>Sun, 18 Jun 2023 17:59:30 GMThttp://spiritualfreedomsatsang.org/blog/the-word-of-god-your-right-to-choose-ch-3YOUR RIGHT TO CHOOSE - CHAPTER 3
"THE WORD OF GOD"
     This is a wonderful chapter.  In just a few pages, Sri Darwin teaches us not only about the nature of the Word of God (aka Shabda, Ruach, Name of God, Kalma and Holy Spirit), but also the importance of uniting your attention with IT.  It is the same theme as in the “Jap Ji” when Guru Nanak repeatedly sings the praises of communing with the Word.  Sri Darwin also says that we need to learn to consciously take control of our attention, detach it from the attractions of our senses and the world, and bring it within to commune with the Word.  In the process of doing this regularly, we immerse ourselves more and more in the Word, until we become completely centered in IT.  We become a dweller in God, and are no longer the effect of outer stimuli.  


     Let’s take a few minutes now to read the chapter, reflecting on the passages below.  When you are finished reading, please close your eyes, take your attention inside to commune with the Word, and just be in It for a little while.  Feel Its Divine Love wash over your and flow through you.  Be the Word.  And when you open your eyes and proceed with your day, feel yourself centered in that golden love beingness.  The Word is your center.  The Word is you – and you are the Word.


Thank you . . . with love,




Michael Turner




************************ 


28.      “The Shabda has been spoken of as the Living Waters of Life, the Bread of Life.  It is the Voice of God.  This is the security of the initiates.”


28-29.     “By allowing the Spirit within your world it must become part of your consciousness.”


29.      “It was stated by Rebazar Tarzs that, ‘Nothing should move the dwellers in Spirit!  He must live in God and nothing else.  The influence of the psychic worlds shall not touch him.’” 


30.      “To have conscious awareness of the influence of some negative nature and react to it will not work.  We must learn to counteract it.”


31.      “Your attention may either be attracted from without, or directed from within.  For most people their attention is either attracted from without when they are consciously occupied with the external impressions of the immediate surroundings.  For the Initiates who continue their spiritual exercises and unfold spiritually, you will find that they are not moved by external impressions but follow the inner guidance of the Master, the Inner Master.”


32.      “When you, as an Initiate, are able to control the movements of your attention in the subjective world, you can modify or alter your life as you wish.  However, this control cannot be achieved if you allow your attention to be attracted constantly from without.”


32.      “Each day set yourself the duty of deliberately withdrawing your attention from the world around you on the outer and focus it subjectively by doing a spiritual exercise, such as the easy way. “
]]>Thu, 15 Jun 2023 15:21:34 GMThttp://spiritualfreedomsatsang.org/blog/your-right-to-choose-day-2-the-golden-preceptsSRI DARWIN GROSS - YOUR RIGHT TO CHOOSE
DAY 2, CHAPTER 2: - THE GOLDEN PRECEPTS​

     Darwin packs a lot into this chapter.  It’s very powerful, informative and inspiring.  It’s like he just cuts to the chase and says: “Okay.  This is what it’s all about”.  The part of this chapter that immediately stands out is Darwin’s breakdown of “the three basic cardinal principles, the three laws of God”, on pages 21-22.  But the entire chapter is full of depth and spiritual wisdom.  


     I’ve selected some passages which I feel merit particular attention.  Please take some time to read both the chapter and the selections below, and allow Darwin’s words to resonate within you now, and during your meditation.


Have a beautiful day.


Yours in the LightSong Eternal,


Michael Turner




********************


21.     “I would like to point out here that Spirit, the voice of God, is the mainstream of Life out of which all doctrines flow.  It is the basic teachings of religious belief, philosophy and other doctrines on the fulfillment of Life.”


21-22.     One learns at this early stage that there are three basic cardinal principles, three laws of God.


       -     The first law which consists of the master, the Bani (Sound Current), and Jivan Mukti (spiritual freedom).


     -     The second law, which consists of Self-Realization, God-Realization, and entering into the kingdom of heaven, either in this life or the next.


     -     The third law which consists of the Darshan, meeting with the Master at the temple within or in the dream state and being recognized by him; the divisions of the spiritual and material worlds; and the Atma Sarup (the Soul Body)  It is not required to meet the Master in the physical body.




22.       “(M)ind is not power.”


22.       “The Master’s role is to lead the student out of darkness into the divine light of the highest kingdom.  Thus he will gain spiritual freedom, and the knowledge he gains will be the greatest of all wisdoms, not gained from stories or books but from contact with God ITSelf.”


23.       “It is and always will be an individual path.  Each person chooses for themselves whether or not they wish to take the next step.  They are not forced in any direction.”


23.       “(T)hose that work in some way, to give a book to a friend or loved one, or hold a discussion class . . . or take some area of responsibility, must have and do have greater ethics than the rest of the world.  The laws of karma will come into play swiftly.”


23.       “The student has the linkup initiation and it takes the master to do that, but the Word, that which we know as the Sound Current, is the reactivation within himself to establish himself again in the kingdom of heaven.”


24.       “The student in order to accept the will of God must give up his inner mental hassles to the Master, not the physical Master, but the Inner Master in his radiant form and let the Inner Master take over and direct his life, because it will be through them that God will work to give the directions and to carry him and take him into the higher life.”


25.       “One keeps in mind that the Master is only an instrument and because he is the instrument he himself has no will, in a sense, of his own . . .. He doesn’t say ‘now do this’ or ‘you do that,’ but the divine power, the Spirit Itself . . . is flowing through the Master, reaches out and IT of Itself (God) takes and directs and moves the individual within a certain direction.”


25.       “An individual that is guided and listens to the Master will have far greater ethics than man knows.

]]>Wed, 14 Jun 2023 19:52:00 GMThttp://spiritualfreedomsatsang.org/blog/your-right-to-choose-book-study-chapter-1]]>Tue, 13 Jun 2023 14:37:41 GMThttp://spiritualfreedomsatsang.org/blog/good-morning7074091Good morning.  It is a beautiful day here in the Old Pueblo.  How are you all doing?  Where is your attention this morning?

Al my love in the LightSong Eternal,

Michael 
]]>Fri, 12 May 2023 16:14:16 GMThttp://spiritualfreedomsatsang.org/blog/level-flightLEVEL FLIGHT
Hi. It’s been awhile since we’ve talked.  I’ve been taking some extended personal time to attend to things on the home front. So I was thinking, to get back into the groove, let’s start by talking about level flight.

Level flight means focusing on the basics.  I’m reminded of Richard Bach’s story about Jonathan Livingston Seagull - a master of all aspects of flying.  He can fly faster than any seagull, do every acrobatic maneuver imaginable and even transcend space and time.  But when he started teaching his students to be great fliers, he found that some of them got caught up in the spectacle and intricacies, they wanted to discover all the tricks and acrobatics without learning the basics.  So he focused on level flight.

So many times when discussing God and spirituality, it is easy to get caught up in all the details.  And when you begin delving into esoteric levels, details multiply.  So many secrets.  So much arcane, hidden knowledge known only to the select few.  

And yet the irony here is that all of this knowledge and all the esoteric secrets in the universe do not bring inner peace.  Knowledge is a product of the mind, and the mind is a restless creature.    It is always seeking new information about whatever interests it.  This applies I all fields of interest: sports, cooking ,TV, cars, gardening, tech, movies, traveling, music, politics . . . and spirituality.  

Yet the essence of spirituality, like the essence of life, is simplicity itself.  It is being in harmony with love.
Being a single dad taught me a lot about simplicity and love.  My daughter had very simple needs at first: food, sleep, changing, playtime and, most of all, love. Being her dad simplified my life tremendously.  No matter what was going on, if my child needed me I would drop whatever I was doing and take care of her.  And behind all of this is the one thing that matters most: my unconditional love for her.  That love has never wavered.  It is, and has always been there for her - even when I couldn’t be physically present - enfolding her, comforting her, protecting her.  That unconditional love has always been the one thing in her life that she can be absolutely sure of, without the slightest doubt.  

It is the same with God and humanity.  God’s LightSong of Eternal Love - Shabda, Naam, Word, Kalma, Ruach, Holy Spirit - is always with us.  It is the Force that created us, which sustains us, which connects us to and brings us back home to God.  The golden love of the Spiritual Current is the essence of simplicity.  The mind tries to complicate things and add all sorts of mysteries and esoteric knowledge, and rules, l laws and regulations to distract us from this basic truth.   But the essence of the soul is timeless, golden, eternal, divine love - God ITSelf in pure expression,  As St. John once so aptly wrote, Moses (a human expression of the mind power) gave us the law, but Christ Jesus (a human expression of the Lord of the Soul) gave us grace and truth.

If we can simply learn to commune with and be in harmony with the LightSong of Eternal Love, IT will embraced us and take us Home.  You don’t need to belong to any particular religion or organization. Everyone can be equally devout in their faith and attain spiritual freedom.  All you need to do is be immersed in the LightSong of Eternal Love that is the Spiritual Current.  Place your attention on the Eternal .  Accept It.  Trust It.  Let go to It.  Allow yourself to be forgiven and to be loved.  Be Love, and IT will take you home.

Thank you . . . with love,


Michael ]]>Wed, 21 Jul 2021 17:22:25 GMThttp://spiritualfreedomsatsang.org/blog/nam-bhaktiNAM BHAKTI 
          “If we wish to transcend the domain of matter and mind; untie the knot that binds the mind and soul; insure complete conquest of suffering and death; and realize the Lord while still living in the physical body, we must constantly devote ourselves to Nam Bhakti (love of the Spiritual Light and Sound Current) – the great wonder-worker of all times and ages.”
(“SPIRITUAL DISCOURSES”.  Maharaj Charan Singh.  RSSB.  Pg. 111)

 
Yours in the LightSong of Eternal Love,
 
 
Michael Turner
SPIRITUAL FREEDOM SATSANG
 
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]]>Wed, 21 Jul 2021 02:46:46 GMThttp://spiritualfreedomsatsang.org/blog/wednesday-night-zoom-satsang-meditation-discussionHi.  

Our next Zoom Satsang, Meditation and Discussion will be Wednesday, July 21, 2021, at 7:00 p.m. PST.  Please email me for the Zoom link.  I hope you are having beautiful day.  

Yours in the LightSong of Nam,

Michael 
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