Nayaswami Jyotish, Author at Nayaswami Jyotish and Nayaswami Devi

In a talk in 1937, Paramhansa Yogananda described nervousness as “the disease of civilization.” His practical advice and suggestions, given during the Great Depression are, if anything, even more relevant now, when so many people are feeling anxious due to modern-day stresses.

Nervousness, worry, and anxiety each have distinct different causes and cures. Worry usually involves a specific situation and is generally temporary. Anxiety is a persistent, generalized state of unease or fear that may not have any specialized trigger. Nervousness, however, arises from overstimulation of the nerves. Let’s focus on this, because strengthening our nervous system can lead to permanent improvements in our well-being on all levels—body, mind, and soul. 

Think of the nerves as electrical wiring made of organic tissue. While God made them very tough, they can weaken or burn out if overloaded. Healthy nerves are essential for a healthy body and mind.  

Here are ten practical steps you can take to build strong, healthy nerves throughout the billions of cells in your body and brain:

Physical Methods:

Mental and Emotional Methods

Spiritual

There are a lot of suggestions here, but don’t let them overwhelm you or make you nervous. Simply choose one or two that resonate most deeply and try incorporating them into your life. Your nervous system will thank you if you do.

In peace,

Nayaswami Jyotish

Listen to Jyotish as he first reads the blog, then expands on its meaning and messages for readers with behind-the-blog commentary. Subscribe to the podcast or download the audio recording by right-clicking here. Or listen to it here (8:09):

A man sat by the river, watching a holy man bathe. Suddenly a scorpion fell into the water from a tree branch. The holy man quickly scooped him up and placed him gently on the shore—but, as he did so, the scorpion stung him.

Some time passed, and again the scorpion, having crawled back up the tree, tumbled into the river. And again, the holy man rescued it. And again, the scorpion stung him.

The observer could contain himself no longer. “Why do you keep picking up that ungrateful creature? All it does is give you a painful sting!”

The saint replied calmly, “It can’t help itself. That is its nature.”

“But why do you rescue it again, knowing what it will do?”

With a gentle smile, the saint said, “I can’t help myself either. That is my nature.”

When Swami Kriyananda told us this story there was often a tremor in his voice, a glistening in his eyes. He clearly identified with the holy man, for it was his nature to serve even if his help was returned with indifference or ingratitude.

In the final years of his life, Swamiji told those close to him, “I don’t want to return to this world again. My heart has borne enough pain.” But later, with quiet resignation, he would say, “I think I will have to return. My desire to help others will pull me back.” That was his nature.

All of us live out the pattern of our nature. Our choices—thoughts, words, deeds, and feelings—when added up and averaged, create a tapestry of tendencies. Over time these tendencies form our personality. The pattern is formed by the magnetic pull of our likes and dislikes.

Infinity by Nayaswami Jyotish.

Patanjali begins his great treatise on yoga with, “Yoga is the neutralization of the waves of feeling.” Union with God, he says, comes only when the duality of attraction and repulsion is dissolved.

Our likes and dislikes are far more subtle and pervasive than we realize. Every breath we take is driven by a cellular desire for oxygen. Every bite of food, glance of the eye, every daydream, or night dream, is steered by our desires and repulsions.

The ego, in a sense, is a giant bundle of likes and dislikes. We experience thousands of them every day, almost all of them below the conscious level. As long as we inhabit this dream world of God, as long as our senses are active, we will be subject to duality’s endless tug of war.

The only way out of the long maze of evolution is to open ourselves, ever more completely, to what Yogananda called “involution,” or the attractive force of God calling us back to our true nature. Meditation is the fastest and surest way to make our return journey. It withdraws the life-force inward, away from the churning of the mind and the whirlpools of the heart.

In Autobiography of a Yogi, in the chapter “An Experience in Cosmic Consciousness,” Yogananda wrote, “The breath and the restless mind, I saw, were like storms which lashed the ocean of light into waves of material forms—earth, sky, human beings, animals, birds, trees. No perception of the Infinite as One Light could be had except by calming those storms. As often as I silenced the two natural tumults, I beheld the multitudinous waves of creation melt into one lucent sea, even as the waves of the ocean, their tempest subsiding, serenely dissolve into unity.”

Let’s offer our desires—noble or petty—into that One Light. Gradually, we will come to realize that we are that Light, and that nothing else exists.

Until then, whether saint or scorpion, we will act according to our nature.

In the One Light,

Nayaswami Jyotish

Watch Jyotish and Devi’s 50th Anniversary Celebration online here.

Listen to Jyotish as he first reads the blog, then expands on its meaning and messages for readers with behind-the-blog commentary. Subscribe to the podcast or download the audio recording by right-clicking here. Or listen to it here (8:58):

I am deep in the throes of writing a book called, The Heart of Service. When Swami Kriyananda was writing, he often shared his output with his friends. In that spirit, here is the beginning of Chapter Two, “Service as a Means of Expanding the Heart.”

One of the loveliest aspects of selfless service is its power to expand the heart. Love is an aspect of God that can be found everywhere. Some of its most touching expressions appear in the deep care and affection of parents toward their children. Not only people, but animals as well will sacrifice their own lives in order to protect their young.

There is a remarkable story of a forest ranger surveying the aftermath of a wildfire. The trees and shrubs were gone, the ashes were still smoldering, and the devastation was nearly complete. As he stood quietly, he heard a soft peeping sound, and looking closely, he saw the remains of a mother quail. To his astonishment, beneath her outstretched wings, he found four tiny chicks—alive and unharmed. In her final moments, she had shielded them from the flames, giving her life so that they might live.

What inspires such love and sacrifice? It is the divine presence within all beings. Each of us is an expression of God’s love, a love that permeates the universe and connects all things. Love is the binding force of creation, revealing itself in the pull of attraction, in friendship, in compassion, and in the instinctive urge to help those in need. Even the force of gravity, which draws objects together, can be seen as an impersonal but universal expression of divine love.

When we focus on our own personal desires, we are like an empty cup that can hold only a limited amount of divine grace. But when we open our hearts in service to others, we become a flowing channel which has no limit. Our generosity completes a kind of divine circuit, and we will be fed by the infinite ocean of God’s love. The more we give, the more we receive. Paramhansa Yogananda often said, “The channel is blessed by that which flows through it.”

True service generates a powerful spiritual magnetism. When we give with sincerity, enthusiasm, and devotion, we attract an uplifting current that blesses both ourselves and those we serve. This divine energy has a magnetic quality, drawing others into its flow and inspiring them to act with greater love and kindness.

To serve effectively, we must do so with generosity of heart, and a desire to support the soul as well as the body. When serving, try to feel energy in the area of your heart, and consciously connect it to the heart of the other person. This creates a spiritual resonance—an unspoken communication between the divine within both of you. The more we attune ourselves to this flow, the stronger our magnetism becomes, allowing us to uplift others simply by our presence and the energy we radiate.

A universal teaching of all religions is the Golden Rule, which has been expressed across cultures, traditions, and time:

If mankind could but follow this one simple rule, wars and conflict would dissolve, and laws would become unnecessary. I suspect that there is no need for lawyers, judges, or juries in the higher ages.

True selfless service is not merely an action but an exchange of energy—a dynamic current of love flowing between the giver and the receiver. When approached with the right consciousness, service is no longer a duty but a joyful opportunity to experience the boundless love of God.

With an open heart,

Nayaswami Jyotish

Photos of seva at Ananda over the years, and of Paramhansa Yogananda:

Listen to Jyotish as he first reads the blog, then expands on its meaning and messages for readers with behind-the-blog commentary. Subscribe to the podcast or download the audio recording by right-clicking here. Or listen to it here (7:53):

Devi and I are about to celebrate our golden anniversary—fifty years walking this path together. It has been an extraordinary journey right from the start.

Devi’s timing has always been impeccable. She arrived at Ananda Village on the day that we signed the papers and the property officially became ours: July 4th, 1969, American Independence Day. A fitting symbol, as our lives have been dedicated to spiritual freedom.

A few days after she arrived, a woman walked up to her and said, “You’re going to marry Jyotish.” Devi looked at her skeptically, not knowing who this woman was, and barely knowing who I was. The woman, Haripriya, simply smiled and said, “Just wait and see.” It took six years for her prediction to come true, but she knew what she was saying.

Haripriya became a very dear friend and mentor to both of us. She had spent over six years in the ashram of the great saint, Ananda Moyi Ma, and became a lifelong disciple. She carried a depth of spirituality that touched everyone she met. And lest you think that I was exceptionally slow to get the message, those six years apart at Ananda were vital for each of us. We were new to the path, and both of us needed time for our individual spiritual commitments to ripen.

With our anniversary approaching, I’ve been reflecting on what has made our marriage so harmonious, successful, and fulfilling. Here are a few elements that come to mind:

A Shared Purpose: A fulfilling life is built on dedication to something greater than oneself. This is as true for a marriage as an individual. I firmly believe that Devi and I were destined to be together—not just as husband and wife, but as partners in serving a divine mission. Our marriage has been instrumental in the creation of Ananda, the first of Paramhansa Yogananda’s “world brotherhood colonies.” Together with other Ananda pioneers, we’ve had to create a community out of the ether, with no preexisting model. Swami Kriyananda was the visionary architect, but Devi and I were among the chief contractor-builders. We’ve always served as both leaders and way-showers helping to define Ananda’s path forward.

A Roadmap: Having a shared purpose is only the first step. Many people have beautiful dreams, but without a roadmap they wander aimlessly until the trials and tribulations of life wear them down.

Years ago, we did a series of radio interviews about Ananda. More than once, the interviewer asked us to stay and talk after the show ended. The common question was, “How were you able to hold on to your dreams?” The answer was simple: We were blessed with clarity of understanding, thanks to the priceless teachings of Paramhansa Yogananda and the living example of Swami Kriyananda. We ourselves still had to make the strenuous effort needed to keep moving forward. But at least we always knew where we were headed.

Meditate together: One of the greatest blessings in life is to have a partner who shares your spiritual aspirations. Our love for each other has deepened over the years because it is rooted in a mutual love for God. We have meditated together morning and evening almost every day in the last fifty years. The Divine Presence has guided, uplifted, and united us.

Serve together: Yogananda’s spiritual path is a blend of both meditation and service. When a couple serve together, their auras blend in the purifying vibration of selflessness. Devi and I have been unusually fortunate to share a joint mission. We have traveled the world together teaching, writing, and helping others. Through it all, our energies have balanced and strengthened one another. Mutual service is a powerful force that keeps relationships vibrant and ever-new.

Enjoy Life Together: Yogananda said, “Life is a struggle for joy every step of the way. May I win the battle on the very spot I now stand.”

If you want not only to win the battle of life, but to stay together with someone, here is a secret: You’d better enjoy the journey, not just the destination.

Every day Devi and I take time to walk together, to laugh, to play, and to cherish the company of friends. Life shared with your dearest friend is not only richer and more meaningful, but also a lot more fun.

We’re celebrating our fiftieth anniversary with the whole Ananda family. If you can, come and celebrate with us at Ananda Village. If you can’t make it, the events will be recorded and later shared online. We hope you can join us.

In joy,

Nayaswami Jyotish

Listen to Jyotish as he first reads the blog, then expands on its meaning and messages for readers with behind-the-blog commentary. Subscribe to the podcast or download the audio recording by right-clicking here. Or listen to it here (9:40):

Sister Gyanamata, Paramhansa Yogananda’s most advanced woman disciple, endured years of poor health. During a particularly severe test, she wanted to pray to God, but didn’t know what to ask for. So she asked God a deeper question: “What prayer will You accept?” The divine response came clearly and powerfully: “Lord, change no circumstance of my life. Change me.”

Most people take the opposite approach. They direct all their energy toward changing external conditions. But life doesn’t work that way. Our circumstances are meant to help us learn needed lessons. Wherever you find yourself today, recognize that you are in a classroom your soul has designed for your growth. Trying to change the setting is like switching schools without learning the lessons. It is useless. Karma is relentless—you can run, but you can’t hide.

If we want to outwit karma, the right question is, “How must I change myself?” If you ask this question sincerely—especially in meditation—and listen with a receptive heart, a response will come.

Paramhansa Yogananda said, “The nature of habit can be understood in this analogy: Clay can be molded into a vase; and while the clay is still soft it is easy to change the form of that vase again and again. But once it is fired in an oven, its shape becomes firmly set. So it is with your consciousness. Your thoughts are molding your actions and your mental convictions from the repetition of those actions is the fire that hardens the thoughts into unyielding habit patterns.

“If you have molded clay into a vase and fired it, and now you want to make that object into a tray, you cannot do so. But you can pulverize the vase and add that powder to fresh clay, and then form it into a tray.”

When we ask, “How do I need to change myself?” what we are really asking is, “What deep-seated mental/emotional patterns do I need to break?” Pulverizing these patterns is not always easy, especially those repeated patterns we’ve carried with us from place to place and person to person.

Once we identify a self-destructive pattern, we must summon the determination needed to break it. This requires unwavering willpower, and is done by adamantly refusing to give in to the negative habit. Every time we feel the pull of an old habit, we need to resist, and destroy our mental commitment to it.

As Master suggested, it is easier if we replace the negative pattern with a positive one—mix the pulverized vase with soft clay that can be remolded. Smoking could be remolded into an exercise routine. A judgmental mindset can be transformed into acceptance and appreciation. Restlessness in meditation can be redirected into deep focus on the breath or on visualizing our guru’s eyes.

It takes strong willpower to find our way to victory. In the early days of Ananda, a greedy store owner to whom Ananda owed money threatened to foreclose on the Meditation Retreat unless Swami Kriyananda immediately paid the whole bill, even though it was not yet due. Some friends, hearing about Swami’s difficulty, said, “Come over to our house and have a cup of tea. It will help you feel better.”

Swamiji answered forcefully, “I don’t care how I feel—I want to know what I can do about it.” Being solution oriented, he soon found the money and turned the tables on the store owner, who ended up giving him a large discount. In this instance, Swamiji needed to exert his will, not to break a deep habit, but rather to master unfamiliar challenges in the world of business.

The greatest takeaway is this: When faced with a challenge, especially a recurring one, don’t look to change any outward conditions. Pray as Gyanamata did: “Lord, change no circumstance of my life. Change me.” Then get busy remaking your old impractical vases into new useful trays.

In joy,

Nayaswami Jyotish

Listen to Jyotish as he first reads the blog, then expands on its meaning and messages for readers with behind-the-blog commentary. Subscribe to the podcast or download the audio recording by right-clicking here. Or listen to it here (9:05):

Imagine this in your mind’s eye: It is a sunny Sunday afternoon in November, and you are part of a small group that Paramhansa Yogananda has invited to an informal satsang at his Encinitas Hermitage. You are deeply enthralled, listening closely as he says these words with great soul-power, trying to wake you from the dream of maya:

“Here in this finite world, we behold length, breadth, and thickness, but there is another plane where the three dimensions do not exist; all is transparent. Everything is consciousness. The sense of taste is consciousness. The sense of smell is consciousness. Our feelings, our thoughts, and our body are nothing but consciousness. Just as we can see, hear, smell, taste, and touch in a dream, so in that higher sphere we experience all these sensations through pure consciousness.

“This is what I am seeing now even as I speak to you. I am not in this body; I am a part of all that exists. These things I am beholding are just as real to me as are you who are in this room. You have to awaken in order to perceive that God is everywhere and to realize that you have been dreaming.

“I don’t know why I am telling these things to you, but I feel I must do so. I used to talk of them, but in the presence of those who became indifferent I couldn’t speak—my mouth wouldn’t open. This time He has made me tell, that you may know there is nothing to live for except Him. All else will go.”

Recently Devi and I gave a satsang to the members of Ananda Village. I talked mainly about prioritizing our spiritual goals above all else. All of us have many demands on our time and energy, but let’s make waking from the dream of maya our first priority. We will be able to fulfill our responsibilities much better if we do so from a higher state of consciousness.

Attunement is the key, and the very core of the spiritual path. The more we open up to the support and direction of God and Gurus, the more they can guide our lives.

I have found that if I remember to ask, they will guide me in even seemingly inconsequential things. Once, when I was managing a business at Ananda Village, I urgently needed some supplies. I drove to a warehouse in San Francisco to find that only a janitor was present. He took me onto a huge floor where I was confronted with many hundreds of unlabeled boxes. At a loss, I sent a quick but urgent prayer to Master. Then, the thought came into my mind that our supplies usually came sealed with a yellow band. I pointed to two boxes with yellow bands at the far back, and said, “Let’s check those.” Sure enough, it was exactly what I needed. While this may seem trivial, for me it was an important reassurance that Master is always watching us, ready to come to our aid if asked.

The guidance we receive is usually quite subtle, and comes as a little tickle in the mind. In his touching poem, “When I am Only a Dream,” Yogananda says,

When no shallow entreaty or stern stentorian command

There is great power in listening to those whispers when they come to us. Recently I have started a new practice: If a thought comes into my conscience to do something, I act on it immediately. Maybe it is “Wash the cup,” “Eat more salad,” or “Meditate for a few more minutes.” Whatever comes, I take it as a gentle directive from Master himself. It has strengthened my attunement, fortified my will power, and helped me feel that Master is ever near and dear.

I suggest that you give this a try: Make waking from the dream your first priority. Then act immediately on the whispers from your conscience.

In joy,

Nayaswami Jyotish

Listen to Jyotish as he first reads the blog, then expands on its meaning and messages for readers with behind-the-blog commentary. Subscribe to the podcast or download the audio recording by right-clicking here. Or listen to it here (8:14):

Last year the staff at the Ananda Center in Gurgaon gave us a unique gift, a book of my paintings. We are now in the process of revising the book so that it can be available for anyone who would like a copy. I’m writing short descriptions of most of nearly two hundred paintings, giving the spiritual meaning and, in some cases, the back story. I start with an account of how I started painting:

In the Beginning There Was Light

In Genesis, the Bible says, “In the beginning, God said, Let there be light, and there was light.” The way I started painting, interestingly, followed this Biblical pattern. Around 1998 a friend suggested that I have a “color therapy” session from a healer/friend of his. I agreed to try a treatment as a courtesy to my friend, since I don’t usually seem to get much benefit from subtle healing methods. The practitioner was part healer and part scientist. He used a device which could be adjusted to any wavelength of light, and which could produce any of more than a million colors. First, he muscle-tested me to determine what I needed, then he had me look through a chrome tube into a brightly colored light. He determined that I needed three different colors: a bright green, a ruby red, and a deep sapphire blue. Having had no expectations, I was startled to find that my body felt like it was floating on air as I left the treatment room.

My conclusion was that I was needing more bright colors. I first thought of using theatrical gels, but that didn’t seem feasible. Then a weekend came when Devi was away, traveling with a friend. I’d grown up in a family of artists, and my mother, in particular, always felt that if anyone could do something, so could she. With that background, I decided that the way to get more color in our life was simply to start painting.

In addition, our living room wall had a small painting (about the size of a laptop) as the centerpiece. So, being me, I decided I would simply paint a nice big, brightly colored painting for that space. It wasn’t quite that easy, but within a month or two we had an adequate new painting hanging there.

From that starting point I went on to paint regularly, averaging around ten paintings a year. I had to squeeze out the time from other responsibilities, but I greatly enjoyed not only the process but also the results. When I mentioned that I had started painting to Swami Kriyananda, he immediately responded, “Very good. It will help you spiritually. You’re too intellectual, and this will help you develop more intuition.”

One of my very first paintings was indicative of the direction my art would take. It was an exercise from an art book in which you were supposed to paint a group of rocks with shading. I did the exercise, but it felt purposeless to paint just rocks, so I placed them in the Crystal Hermitage gardens at Ananda Village, and added the tulips and chapel in the background. I showed it to Swamiji and he graciously accepted it as a gift. It still hangs on the wall of his dining room in the Ananda community in Assisi, Italy. Here it is.

The Chapel August 1998, painting #3 by Nayaswami Jyotish.

*   *   *   *   *   *   *

Painting is one of the forms of creativity that I have included in my life, and it gives me great joy, both in creating a painting and in offering it to the recipient. Paramhansa Yogananda advised everyone to be creative. I, too, would urge you to find some way of expressing your own creativity. The form doesn’t matter, but the flow of joy is essential to your attunement with Divine Mother, and, fortunately, to your own happiness.

In joy,

Nayaswami Jyotish

Listen to Jyotish as he first reads the blog, then expands on its meaning and messages for readers with behind-the-blog commentary. Subscribe to the podcast or download the audio recording by right-clicking here. Or listen to it here (10:09):

A single theme runs through spiritual teachings like a string that connects the beads of a mala. That theme is: Pay attention, focus on what you are doing, be here now.

Swami Kriyananda meditating, 1968.

At this time of year many people make resolutions for the new year. Generally, these are about creating new, healthy habits or leaving behind harmful ones. They’re typically about something on the physical plane—diet, say, or exercise. A few people may resolve to improve mental or emotional habits: changing attitudes or controlling emotions. Fewer still make resolutions about their spiritual lives.

All of these are helpful, especially the spiritual resolutions. These help us transcend the endless dualities of maya rather than, as Swami Kriyananda occasionally put it, “trying to improve the mud puddle we’re sitting in.”

Yet one resolution can improve everything else, one change to rule them all: Pay attention to what you are doing while you are doing it. Paramhansa Yogananda often spoke about the benefits of focused attention and gave many examples to illustrate its power:

The mind’s power is astonishing when focused. Here’s a fun little example: There is a yearly contest for memorizing binary numbers—long strings of zeros and ones. Contestants achieve remarkable results depending on the time allowed:

Such results, fueled by deep concentration, offer inspiration as well as a cautionary tale to those of us who have trouble remembering our own phone numbers!

When one is trying to change a behavior, four key principles are helpful:

Take a moment to reflect on how you would like to grow in the coming year. Choose one or two resolutions that feel both important and achievable. Then focus deeply, make a powerful commitment, and vote the new habit into office with your thoughts and actions.

In divine friendship,

Nayaswami Jyotish

Listen to Jyotish as he first reads the blog, then expands on its meaning and messages for readers with behind-the-blog commentary. Subscribe to the podcast or download the audio recording by right-clicking here. Or listen to it here (8:03):

Many years ago, I wrote an essay entitled “I Am the Christ Within,” which began this way:

I am the Christ consciousness, which has been with you always. Before you were born, I was there. Before even the world was, I was. I am the Spirit of God that dwells in the heart of every atom. I am ever aware of you, though you see me not. To every part of your being, I give my unconditional love.

On the day of your birth I, too, was born within you, destined from eternity to be the king and ruler of all your thought-citizens. My birth took place in a humble, silent part of your mind. Only your pure and simple thought-children knew of my coming, and even they had to be awakened from their slumber by the angels of your latent God-consciousness.

As you grew, you began to call me with all your heart. I heard your soul-call and came out of the clouds of your desires and distractions. I, the Christ within you, sought out those attitudes that were ready to become my disciples, and called to them, “Follow me.”

In that essay I explored how the disciples of Jesus represent our own inner tendencies, much as Paramhansa Yogananda did in his explanation of the Bhagavad Gita. However, this is not the theme of this blog. (If you’re interested in reading the whole essay, I’ve included a link at the end.)

Devi and I are each writing a book. Mine is The Heart of Service. I recently completed a visualization for Chapter One that came to me in meditation, and I’d like to share it with you.

Visualization on the Soul’s Journey

Imagine a vast stadium filled with a hundred thousand people. Every seat in every tier is filled, and you are sitting in the bottom row.

As you gaze toward the crowd, you begin to see a pattern. The top rows, farthest from you, have the roughest-looking people. Gradually, as the seats get closer to you, the people become more refined. Those in your row radiate both refinement and spiritual upliftment.

Suddenly you realize that every person in the stadium is one of your past incarnations. The small globe of light that is your soul has moved from person to person, incarnation to incarnation. As it inhabited each body, the actions, qualities, and karma of that life became imprinted on its memory.

In this present incarnation, your soul carries the memories and qualities of all those lives, reaching back to your earliest incarnations—just as your DNA carries traces of the whole evolution of your physical body. The karma from each life followed you into the next, helping you learn the effects of your thoughts and actions. In this life, you are the culmination of all of those experiences.

Very gradually, your soul’s true nature began to free itself from the mud of ignorance. Your globe of light longs to escape from its long imprisonment in one body after the next. It yearns to experience Christ consciousness within and merge with the light.

Finally, you realize that everyone you meet has their own stadium filled with their own incarnations. Drama upon drama. In each person there is a soul yearning to be free. As you interact and serve others, do so with the deep respect and appreciation they deserve. No matter what disguise their body and personality wear in this life, it is only the latest form in the ancient progression of their soul.

A Special Season

The Christmas season is an ideal time of year to expand our hearts and minds. As Paramhansa Yogananda wrote, “This Christmas morning we invoke the spirit of Jesus, the spirit of Christ to descend upon our consciousness and give us the realization of infinity.”

May we all discover the inner Christ, and feel love, peace, and goodwill toward all.

In the light,

Nayaswami Jyotish

P.S. Here’s the whole essay, “I Am the Christ Within.”

Listen to Jyotish as he first reads the blog, then expands on its meaning and messages for readers with behind-the-blog commentary. Subscribe to the podcast or download the audio recording by right-clicking here. Or listen to it here (9:16):

The Christmas season has begun, bringing with it images of Santa Claus, carols, and shopping deals. Even though society’s expression is largely outward, still an uplifted and festive mood marks this season. But for the spiritual seeker, this time of year offers a different kind of opportunity. For a few weeks each year a special grace descends, and the Infinite Consciousness touches and opens people’s hearts.

We can take advantage of this special energy by tuning in to the underlying Christ Consciousness. Great masters and saints from time immemorial have achieved Self-realization and experienced unity with all that exists. While Jesus was not unique in this awareness, this season offers a powerful opportunity to tune in to him and to emulate his virtues. Here are three of his most important qualities, and some thoughts about how we can express them in our own lives.

Forgiveness: Paramhansa Yogananda particularly chose this quality among the many that Jesus demonstrated. In Whispers from Eternity, he wrote, “O Thou Great Lover of all error-torn brothers, an unseen monument of the mightiest miracle of love was established in every heart when the magic of Thy voice uttered: ‘Forgive them, for they know not what they do.’”

Love: Paramhansa Yogananda expressed three of God’s qualities most strongly: wisdom, love, and joy. The same can be said of Jesus. While the miracles he performed can dazzle us, if we look beneath the surface we will see that they are all expressions of love. His heart was vast enough to contain everyone in his embrace. That is why the Christmas season brims with so many expressions of love and giving. Among his final words to his disciples were, “A new command I give you: Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another. By this everyone will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another.”

Joy: Swami Kriyananda often emphasized the joy of Jesus. In part it was to counter the excessive focus on his crucifixion and suffering. But there’s a deeper reason also. Joy is the central quality of our true Self. The more we express it, the closer we come to merging with God.

A Final Thought

During this holy season, take time to reflect on the attributes of Christ that have touched your life. If you feel inspired, share with the other readers one of his qualities, along with some practical tips for becoming a channel of Christ Consciousness.

In the spirit of Christmas,

Nayaswami Jyotish

Listen to Jyotish as he first reads the blog, then expands on its meaning and messages for readers with behind-the-blog commentary. Subscribe to the podcast or download the audio recording by right-clicking here. Or listen to it here (9:57):