Well here we are, the best part of a year gone since coming to live on the land, here at Ananda Kriya Yogashram in Pune, India. It is now Monsoon, and no better time is there to reflect on the tests and trials that have passed and to wonder at those still yet to come.…

I am late for satsang with the revered woman saint, Mataji Vanamil Devi. I was unavoidably detained by an appointment with a highly respected vedic astrologer. But Divine Mother comes to my rescue, yet not without a playing a little joke on me. I had professed to a friend, only weeks before, that if I…

Greetings, dear ones, Life here in India is never dull. I want to tell you a little of the hardships (tapasya) and the blessings that inevitably run hand in hand with progress. When Michael and I arrived in India there were 11 or 12 great souls striving earnestly in preparation for Swami Kriyananda’s long awaited…

The time finally arrived for Michael and me to leave the island home we had known for 8 years, and the UK itself where we have lived for all our lives. As we left the house we had sold I looked back, but not with any regret or emotion. A short while later we sailed…

Dear ones, I do not have a great deal of time for writing at this present time (the packers and shippers are upstairs packing boxes for India as I speak!), but I wanted to briefly share a delightful experience from my wonderful, and deeply inspiring visit to Ananda Village for Spiritual Renewal week. A large…

Time marches on and the move to India is almost upon us. Our home is sold and we have left our jobs. Yet had Michael and I known how difficult it would be to opt out of the ‘rat-race’ we might have planned things slightly differently. Not that it has affected our decision to move…

Master said time and time again how we must remain calm in times of adversity, amidst ‘the crash of breaking worlds’. Please allow me to set the scene. It would be better if the beautiful Isle of Man, located in the middle of the Irish Sea, was renowned for its spiritual history; a centre for…

Over the last 3 years ‘the watcher’ in me has quietly observed my spiritual advancement. It is becoming very clear that a pattern is forming when my usual slow, steady steps have leaped two at a time. One might well ask what coincided with these definite peaks in advancement. Simple…I visited Ananda communities! All who…

Namaste, We have grown up in a world that is in such a mess because it has evolved, predominenetly, on reason alone. If man would evolve from intuition, we would see a very different place. I want to briefly share 2 experiences that happened on the same day. To set the scene, I meditate at…

I was very inspired by Nayaswami Savitri’s talk for Inner Renewal week 2011, at Ananda Village, California. In it, she spoke of how important it is to live just outside of ones comfort zone; to push the boundaries of limitation just that bit further with each new experience. Since my husband and I made the…

Paramhansa Yogananda said many times that when we are in the vibration of AUM (creative vibration of God as Divine Mother, the Holy Ghost) no harm can befall us. Master told us of his close disciple, Dr Lewis, who was in trouble in a boat that was caught in a sudden storm. He was in…

I am inspired to write this blog by the example of one of Ananda Sangha’s dearest spiritual sisters. In her humility, I know that she would prefer not to be named. Our sister has reached the point in this life when God is calling her Home. She lies in her bed at home, close to…

Why is it that when we know we need to be out of bed early that will be the day the alarm doesn’t go off? This happened to me this morning. I especially wanted to rise at 04 30 to allow for a long meditation and to get some chores out of the way before…

I have been awe, these last 2 or 3 years, at the way my earthly family has changed since Guru found me and guided me to Ananda. It is fascinating to watch the power of divine magnetism unfold and manifest Its profound effects, and quickly! One by one, close family members are coming round to…

We never will know our true potential if we don’t push ourselves past our perceived and self-made boundaries. Touching Soul Touching Soul came into being as a consequence of an inspired moment preceded by reading an excerpt of Swami Kriyananda’s Conversations with Yogananda. The excerpt told of a someone asking Yogananda if inspiration could be…

Dear Friends, It has been 8 months now since I first wrote the blog, Faith is My Armour:Tears a Rite of Passage, in which I describe the discovery of my sister Helen’s terminal ilness. Well, I am now able, to truly tell you with joy, that she made a very peaceful transition to the astral…

Last month saw the first anniversary of Ananda Meditation Group, Isle of Man. It was an event that I knew in my heart would come to pass; however the odds against the group’s very survival have been great. Paramahansa Yogananda taught that nothing is sent to us that we cannot handle, and it is something…

Ananda’s temple in Assisi Greetings dear friends My husband, Michael, came out with the most profound statement the other day in the beautiful Ananda temple near Assisi, Italy, and he not being familiar with the teachings of yoga. He said, “You know what is blocking my path?….myself!” Those who read a previous blog of mine…

Through Nature’s hills and wooded vales, The plenitude of Thee, unveiled, Drives Thy spear into my heart At wonderment of this, Thou art. Such peace, the like born of no other, That reaches out to world, my brother. No separateness of sky to man, For all commune as One Great Clan; Beloved, I feel Thee…

I don’t know how many times people have come to me commiserating over thwarted good intentions of meditation or some other aspect of their own spiritual practice, only to have fallen short in their discipline in some way. When I offer support I have been met on more than one occasion with, “Oh but it’s…

How many of you out there have experienced or are experiencing difficulty in expressing your spirituality through the unwitting oppression of a loved one? It is not unusual for what may seem the strongest of relationships to break down when only one of the party discovers the real mission in life: To seek ones own…

Have you heard the saying “Man plans and God laughs”? I want to tell you of my recent experience in India, not because I wish to talk about myself, but because I want to demonstrate how God’s plans will always over-ride our own for the higher good. I returned only last week from a most…

One of the hardest things for me, at the start of my spiritual journey, was what to make of the phenomena I began to experience.  I know this is a problem for many, in the beginning, and this is why I write about it. When I began to awaken to the realization that there was…

“Sue, I need to know what’s going on!  What’s happening?  Why are young people sick and dying all around me?” was a tearful telephone call to me at home from a distressed work colleague. In the Intensive Care Unit where I work we see many deaths and tragedies of God’s Lila (Sanskrit for divine play),…

Greetings all. In my last posting, I revealed Ananda’s blessed treasure, as given to me…. Attunement! Ananda Isle of Man Meditation Group Altar Attunement to such a wonderful, sacred and healing vibration, that I must share it with all. Well this is one of the ways I have begun doing just that… For some time…

My concept of Ananda, before I had visited, was a place of inspiration, support, and Paramhansa Yogananda’s teachings. My initiation into Kriya Yoga earlier this year proved to be the most moving and sacred experience of my life.  Ananda holds a treasure, just waiting to be discovered…. and if I can find it, then so…