Tidings of the Great Ones
Namaste to all, and Aloha from Hawaii.
As we have concluded the year 2015, we should remember that the auspicious winter period always provides us with an opportunity for deep reflection. Many of the greatest souls of our lineage, and to my thinking, of all time, were born over the winter months.
This year, a particularly potent day occurred, that being the conjunction of Holy Mother’s birthday and Kalpataru Day on New Year’s. Her birthday sometimes falls on Christmas, and on Christmas Eve as well. Whatever the case, such auspicious days always provide excellent times to contemplate the birth of perfect souls like Her. Sri Ramakrishna, Her Divine Consort and Husband, has His own Jayanti in the Winter too, which falls this coming year in early March, and I will be at the West Coast centers celebrating it with all of you. Please use this spiritually charged time frame to intensify scriptural study, meditation, devotional practices, and service of God in mankind – the Four Yogas. This is what Swami Vivekananda brought for us in this day and age, in part. His birthday also falls in the winter, this year on January 31st.
Of course, any time is a good time to increase one’s devotion to God and knowledge of Divine Reality. But just as Holy Mother used to say, there is a special time of year when one can find mangos of the finest and juiciest variety, while it is difficult to find them out of season. Thus, we are to perform our spiritual disciplines daily, year round, as that establishes us in spirituality even when times are not balanced and favorable for us – or for the world. And when times do become extra auspicious, the benefits will be all the more amazing and capacious if we have prepared the ground with practice. Even spiritually illumined souls continue with sadhana, which for them is attended with increased peace and bliss.
So, while the New Year is still young, let us prepare together a little in advance for the spiritual downpour of blessings and virtues that are to come. And as the year advances we can all meditate as one upon our Holy Mother and pray to Her to confer Her boon of incomparable blessings upon all.
May Good betide all,
May Peace come unto all,
May all see the face of Truth
And be fortified by the armor of Their Love.
Babaji Bob Kindler
Spiritual Director
SRV Associations