May 2010 Newsletter

Dear Friend, 

Part of the challenge of living in this age today is that it is way too easy to feel disconnected. Many live in places that really don’t support community. It might be in a big city – and we feel alone surrounded by thousands, or in a suburb where everyone has their individual plot and life, or out in the country where you feel isolated. Of course many do find community in their neighborhood, church or other groups. But many good folks just don’t get that connection that we all need.

Community isn’t always easy. It means you are interacting with the same people a lot. Sometimes that is a challenge. Sometimes we just have a negative reaction to somebody. We’re taught that means we are carrying over tensions from an earlier lifetime’s difficult interactions together. And nearly everyone will do things sometimes that we find difficult to accept. The great thing about community – and being dedicated to making a community work – is that you realize you must accept these challenging situations and find a way to make it work. After all – you really degrade your own life if you go around angry at the people you are going to see at the market and at church. So you face the difficulties, pray for those who challenge your peace, see God in everyone, accept others as they are – and be grateful. Thus we grow. And we find ourselves in an ever-sweeter environment – in the largest part because we ourselves are changing. We all need to do this wherever we find ourselves.

Community is not unique to Ananda Village. But many come here every year to see a living example of how to do it, be inspired, and learn the techniques passed down by the Masters on how to connect to the deepest part of us all. You yourself can connect to Divine Mother – who lives both in and around you. You can connect to the joy within you.

Come and learn. Come and share. We love when you come to join us. We want nothing more than to help you connect – with the joy within you.

Blessings,

Timothy

Inspiration from Yogananda

If you want Divine Law or super-conscious power to help you, do not stop your conscious efforts, nor should you rely wholly on your own natural abilities. Use effort consciously by trying and planning to succeed and by fighting failure, feeling at the same time that the Divine Law is helping your efforts to successfully reach their destination. This method establishes a conscious connection with the Divine.

Think that as you are the child of God you have access to all things that belong to your Father. Doubt not; when you want anything, cast away the consciousness of failure, realize that all things are your own. Subconscious habits of ignorance and disbelief in this law have deprived us of our Divine heritage. Those who crave to utilize the resources of Divine Supply must destroy this wrong mentality by steady effort saturated with infinite confidence.

The Karma Yoga Program   is a unique opportunity to live in a spiritual environment and an ashram setting. This wonderful program has served to uplift the lives of many - it can do the same for you. Come and join us!

Radiant Health Tip
for May

The secret of radiant health and well-being is fresh air -

Breathe consciously!

How to Achieve Glowing Health and Vitality
A holistic health experience with personal lifestyle coaching

May 23 - 29

“How to Achieve Glowing Health and Vitality at The Expanding Light turned out to be the most precious gift I have ever given myself.”
– Amy, New York

Inspiration from Kriyananda

Attunement

Over the years, I’ve made a few specific observations:

• For one, that those who serve this work selflessly are those also who gain the most from it;
• That those, again, who try to share with others the light they receive gain more, spiritually, than those who keep it to themselves. (As Paramhansa Yogananda said, “The instrument is blessed by that which flows through it.”);
• That they gain the most who seek attunement with others more advanced than they themselves are on the path;
• And that they gain the most, finally, who realize that soul-attunement with this path is more important even than long hours spent in meditation, without the companion effort to establish such inner attunement.