I hope you are doing well and full of light!
I say this because we are light. It may not feel that way when we trip and fall or twist our ankle, but underneath the fabric of our being exists a great wave of light that we are all a part of.
In his Autobiography of a Yogi, the yoga master Sri Yogananda tells us how this light is connected to the law of miracles. He tells us the truth that there is no material universe, that this universe is maya, delusion, and this mirage of reality, when analyzed scientifically, all comes down to light.
It’s been almost 120 years since Einstein proved that “energy in any particle of matter is equal to its mass or weight multiplied by the square of the velocity of light”. And as Yogananda states in his autobiography, “no material body, whose mass increases with its velocity, can ever attain the velocity of light. Stated another way; only a material body whose mass is infinite could equal the velocity of light”.
Yogananda proved the abovementioned over and over again in the Autobiography of a Yogi, a book full of miracles experienced by masters and saints who are able to materialize and dematerialize their bodies or any other object, and to move with the velocity of light. They do this, he states, “by utilizing the creative light-rays in bringing into instant visibility any physical manifestation.”
With those words, Yogananda encourages us to perfect our consciousness, so that we, too, may become masters. He urges us to meditate more, to develop greater will, to keep our minds uplifted and positive, and especially to keep our hearts open to love, and to become beacons of peace, harmony, and light in our everyday lives.
I know we all are doing our best to create more light on this planet through our own actions.
It can be daunting to realize that in the higher yugas of consciousness, humans had access to unimaginable abilities. Yet it explains beautifully this journey we are all on, and even the need for reincarnation. It explains why ancient civilizations had myths of half-human, half-animal beings with superhuman powers beyond our scope of realization.
Light, in all its mysterious, scientific and mystical ways, can help turn all our visions into a life full of the miraculous.
Light manifests everywhere there is higher consciousness. When Swami Kriyananda read the poetry of Homer, he said he felt a great light coming from these works.
“When Homer was alive, people in those days spoke of ‘Divine Homer’ and I have long suspected that The Iliad and The Odyssey are like The Mahabharata and The Ramayana from India, great allegories from a higher age. Like Greece’s Iliad and the Odyssey, the vibrations of great teachings are powerful—they can change your consciousness, and uplift you, just by studying their words,” he said.
The Greek word “Fos” has deep meaning when we travel on a guided spiritual pilgrimage. Fos means light, a source of light, or radiance. We will be experiencing this Fos when we enter the temples and monasteries we’ll be visiting in Greece. Crete and Santorini next May. We’ll also be experiencing this Fos when we meditate together, and when we draw into ourselves the light from the holy sites. On this pilgrimage you’ll also learn what may have happened thousands of years ago, as we study sites through the lens of the “Yuga Cycles of Time”—a 24,000 year Vedic calendar that offers clues to our own past, present and enlightened future.
Our upcoming Ancient Greece Tour May 5-17th, 2025, will include a special guest. We are full of eugnomon, gratitude, to announce that Mataji Vanamali Devi, perhaps India’s foremost female mystic, will be joining us on this tour. As author of more than seven books on Gods and Goddesses of the Hindu pantheon, Vanamali brings an expansive perspective to understanding comparative Greek and Vedic mythology, ancient wisdom traditions and the underlying spirituality that ties these traditions together. She was a close friend of Ananda’s founder, Swami Kriyananda, often writing forwards for his books.
She is a mystic, yogi, and Divine friend to all.
Together with Jenny Kellogg, our tour’s Hellenistic expert, and Nakula and Nischala, longtime tour leaders for Ananda College, we are offering a unique spiritual and educational experience that we hope will enlighten and entertain you.
Besides teaching us powerful mantras, and offering beautiful satsangs and stories, Vanamali, who is now 87, is a rare flower we feel honored to share with you.
Join us for 13 inspiring days learning about the spirituality of ancient Greece, and how the light and darkness of our planet has affected cultures throughout time. Were some of these cultures more advanced? Or were they expressing periods of darkness from a descending yuga cycle? Every day will be a holy day when we will experience our inner light with meditation, chanting, and ample time for quiet reflection.
“Words that are saturated with sincerity, conviction, faith, and intuition are just like highly explosive vibrational bombs, which when let out, are sure to explode the rocks of difficulties and create the change desired. Avoid speaking unpleasant words, even though they are true. Sincere words or affirmations repeated understandingly, feelingly, and willingly, are sure to move the Omnipresent Cosmic Vibratory Force, and render you aid in your difficulty.” –P. Yogananda, Scientific Healing Affirmations