EARLY INFLUENCES:
PAUL BRUNTON, SWAMI PREMANDANDA & KRIYA YOGA
Judging from Paul’s writing style, and the suggested reading list he put in the last chapter of “Letters to Gail – Vol. I” we can get an idea of some of his formative spiritual and literary influences. In looking at Paul’s early years, it is important to understand that metaphysics in general, and eastern religion in particular, were not in vogue as they have been in the past 50 years. There were only a handful of books, and even fewer authors, who made a dent in the western consciousness. From India there were Swami Vivekananda (chief disciple of Ramakrishna), Meher Baba and Paramahansa Yogananda (founder of modern Kriya Yoga). From Russia, there were Madame Blavatsky and G.I. Gurdjieff. And from England there were Christopher Isherwood (the main western disciple of Vivekananda) and Paul Brunton (who helped introduce Ramana Maharshi to the west).
From what I have read, Paul Brunton appears to have had a significant upon Paul Twitchell’s writing style. Both share a sense of inquiry of, and a zest for, exploring the esoteric and arcane knowledge of the east. Paul Brunton had a droll, poetic – and very British – way of expressing himself. His accounts of exploring Egypt (“A Search in Ancient Egypt”) and India (“A Search in Secret India”) convey the sense of strolling through these ancient cultures at an easy pace, taking in the sights and sounds along the way.
“A Search in Secret India” is noteworthy for its accounts of Brunton’s encounters with Meher Baba (unimpressed), Ramana Maharshi (very impressed, to the point of seeking initiation), and the Radhasoami colony at Dayalbagh (borderline bewilderment about a “secret fraternity” which “listened to the sounds inside their heads”). For many, if not most, westerners, this chapter is likely the first exposure they had with the Radhasoami teachings. Another great book is Brunton’s, “A Hermit in the Himalayas”, a wonderful account of a summer he spent living alone in a Himalayan hut, visited only occasionally by a wandering sadhu or forest dweller. The style and tone of this book are reminiscent of Paul Twitchell's narrative approach, particularly in such books as “Stranger by the River” and “The Tiger's Fang”.
The first substantial information we have about Paul Twitchell midlife is found in 1942. At this time he married his childhood sweetheart, Camille Ballowe on August 12, 1942, in Providence, Rhode Island. He also enlisted in the Navy as a Chief Specialist. He was later promoted to ensign and finally lieutenant. Paul retired from the navy shortly after V-J Day and moved with Camille first to New York and then Washington, D.C., where he served as a staff writer for “Our Navy” magazine. Over the next five years, Paul worked a variety of jobs and, with Camille, attended a wide variety of churches, metaphysical and spiritual gatherings. As Camille noted in an October 30, 1977, letter to Professor Lane:
“He was always interested in spiritual matters. Spent much of the time in meditation, read everything he could find on spiritual subjects. In New York we attended many churches and religious services. Only as visitors . . . I have always thought of Paul as a seeker of religion.”
In 1950, Paul and Camille Twitchell joined Swami Premananda’s Self Revelation Church of Absolute Monism and soon thereafter moved into the Washington, D.C. ashram. Swami Premananda was at one time a student of Paramahansa Yogananda, and taught a form of Kriya Yoga at his church. Kriya Yoga was born in 1861 (shortly after Shiv Dayal Singh brought Surat Shabda Meditation into public consciousness). It combines mantra, a frequency of the Sound Current and breath control (“Pranayama”) to facilitate spiritual upliftment.
For the next five years, Paul and Camille lived at the ashram, during which time Paul edited its publication, “The Mystic Cross”. Paul mentions his life at the ashram in “The Flute of GOD” (original edition):
“I remember very well when Swami Premananda of India, who has a Yoga Church in Washington, D.C., said, ‘When someone asked Bertrand Russell what his philosophy of life was, he wrote several volumes of books on the subject.’”
Paul continues,
“One of my experiences while serving under the Yoga Satsang line of masters, was that I found one of the masters in the guise of a beggar. I had been in difficulty for sometime, and very unhappy over the fact that nothing could be found to solve my problem . . .
The night after my problem dissolved the Indian Master Yukteswar, of Yoga Satsang, appeared to me in a dream. He said, ‘You are under my protection. I come to you to give you help. Whenever anything happens that you are discouraged and beaten by the world, I will come to you, in many guises, to help. Never worry again about life's problems on earth.’”
I’d like to pause here to mention that the above comments are found in the original, serialized edition of “The Flute of GOD”, which was first published in “Orion” Magazine (excerpts of which are featured in “The Making of a Spiritual Movement”), and are different than those in the officially published Eckankar edition of this work. In the Eckankar version, Swami Premananda’s name is changed to “Sudar Singh”, the “Yoga Satsang line of masters” becomes “Rebazar Tarzs” and “the Indian Master Yukteswar” becomes “the ECK adept”. Some may allege that Professor Lane altered the verbiage in an effort to discredit Paul Twitchell. However, I have seen photocopies of the original “Orion” editions and they read exactly as Professor Lane has stated.
A few years back I came across a book by Swami Premananda called “One Hundred And One Noble Qualities”. It was first published in 1956, shortly after Paul left the ashram, and offers some clues as to Swami Premananda’s impact on Paul’s spiritual development and later trajectory toward the Light & Sound Teachings. Some pertinent quotes include:
Our True Nature as Soul
“Man is the soul, he is spirit. In truth and reality, through all his efforts and achievements, man is incessantly endeavoring to fulfill the hopes and aspirations of his spiritual self. Man is not a corporeal being; he is a spiritual individual. Spirituality is our fundamental nature, therefore our spiritual ideal is the impelling force of our life.”
Self-Introspection
“The guiding of consciousness subjectively in order to gain the vision of one’s own spiritual self is introspection. Introspection is the inner searchlight which reveals our innate virtues and righteousness. Introspection must be continued until our divine nature and qualities are revealed within our consciousness.”
Forgiveness
“That divine attribute wherein one’s whole consciousness is lifted up into the sublime state of self-perfection is forgiveness. The inspiration of forgiveness springs forth from the realization of soul’s oneness with God and with all other souls. Forgiveness is the conclusive evidence of inner purity. A heart that is totally free from all self-limiting qualities can offer forgiveness out of the depth of its innate godliness.”
Knowledge of God
“We are impelled by our spiritual nature to attain the knowledge of God and our true self. Our whole being demands it. We are from Spirit therefore we reach out for the perfection of God. We intuitively know our ultimate spiritual destiny.”
Soul, God and the Inner Regions
“Man is transcendental soul. We are transcendental spirit. Nothing of this sensory world can confine our soul. Birth and death, pleasure and pain, and all other conditions of this plane of evanescent existence are merely the passing shadows of the divine reality of our soul. There are other planes of existence and different worlds of manifestation in God’s cosmic creation. Our soul journeys through them all, but none of these can hold our soul within its limitations. God has made our soul of the substance of His transcendent divinity that we may dwell in our spiritual glory forever.”
In the LightSong of Eternal Love,
Have a Beautiful Day!
Michael Turner
http://spiritualfreedomsatsang.org