Life is a journey filled with highs and lows. Sometimes it feels like a roller coaster, bursting with exhilarating peaks and gloomy valleys. At other times, it feels like the repetitive routine of a Ferris wheel that simply turns in endless circles. We will continue to ride the cycle of life from one incarnation to the next until we have learned our lessons. Paramhansa Yogananda said that ultimately this cycle becomes an “anguishing monotony.”

Tests often come to devotees to raise to conscious awareness the hidden karmic patterns that cause us suffering. The tests reveal both small and big karmic blind spots, and depending on the degree of misery they bring us, we’re motivated to overcome them.

How does one develop powers? We don’t so much acquire them as embody them. In a sense, Jesus gave us clear instructions for how to walk on water, or heal others, or feed the masses: “Love God with all your heart, mind, soul, and strength.” As long as we, the ego, want powers, they will elude us. But as the ego dissolves, God, the only power in the universe, will use us as He wills.

Divine love is impersonal, because it is universally rather than individually rooted. And it is also personal, because it touches each of us uniquely according to our own nature. This is what Swamiji was trying to convey to me when seeing my disappointment: To feel God’s love for us we need to open ourselves to a greater reality.

When Swami Kriyananda gave me the spiritual name, Jyotish, he said that it means “Inner Light.” Seeing light in the forehead during meditation has always been a cornerstone of my practice, which is probably why he chose this name for me.

Here are some basic techniques and principles for drawing inner guidance. First, start by calming your mind in meditation.

I will celebrate my eightieth birthday in less than a month. I thought it appropriate to share a few significant lessons I’ve learned over the years...

As a lifelong meditator, I love to hear people’s experiences of how meditation has helped them. Here are a few such stories which, taken together, show a broad spectrum of benefits that meditation can bring.

There are many ways that we can uplift our spirits when we feel down. The most important is attuning to God and Guru. Try to feel that He is your closest friend, waiting to help you.

The spiritual path can sometimes seem like an endless struggle up a steep cliff, with little to show for our efforts along the way. But the ability to find the strength to keep going is what separates the dilettante devotee from the true seeker. Deep commitment is the secret to drawing God’s presence into our life.