A Touch of Light Podcast

In Sanskrit, the word for ego is “ahankara,” literally “I do.” The ego affirms, “I, not God, am the doer, so I must strive to prove myself and win.” The soul has no need to compete, for it knows that it is only a tiny spark of the infinite reality of God. In that realization, we can rest secure and know true victory.

Success on the spiritual path is built from thousands of small steps: little insights and good decisions. Gradually we free ourselves from the entanglements that bind us to the wheel of delusion.

One question she asked stopped me in my tracks: “On your lifelong spiritual journey, what has surprised you?” My answer was unexpected even by me: “It has been a journey from knowing, to unknowing, to knowing.”

Paramhansa Yogananda told Swami Kriyananda that his life would be one of intense activity and meditation. It was no accident that he put service first, and until now our own life has followed the same pattern. Now we feel ready to reverse it: an intense search for God, with activity flowing from that. It is a big change for us, and we would welcome your prayers.

What do I want to say to sum up all the talks we have given over these past months? What have I learned?

Our rational minds might immediately object: “But Devi doesn’t speak twelve languages.” Yet dreams are the soul’s way of touching the astral world. Across all our past incarnations, who is to say how many languages we have spoken? Dreams have the power to change a life. Let me share two of my own.

Some moments in life seem ordinary at first glance, but if we’re attentive, they can reveal God’s hidden presence. We’re in India now, and a friend here shared a story that describes just such a moment.

Devi and I recently gave a talk to a standing-room-only audience of nearly seven hundred people in Delhi. It was called “How to Achieve Your Highest Potential,” a vital subject for all seekers, whether new or experienced. I thought you might enjoy exploring some of the themes we discussed.

But for me, the most inspiring transformation of all was watching the journey of Swamiji’s life. These are some of the aspects that I witnessed.

There is no release except by going within and finding spiritual freedom. Yogananda incarnated to show us how to escape our cells, and gave us meditation, service to others, and right attitude—the tools we can use to open our prison’s doors. If we employ them well, we will come to realize that we were confined by nothing but the fears and limits of our own minds.