Over time I have accumulated a strong dislike of people, almost a hatred. I find other people to be annoying, selfish, and greedy. Mankind as a species is destructive. I know this negativity is not beneficial to anyone, especially myself. So how do I start finding it in my heart to care about other people?
—Natalie, USA
Thank you, Natalie, for your honesty and also for acknowledging that it is time to change. That is a key step. Paramhansa Yogananda in his life worshipped God in the aspect of the Divine Mother. In fact, he said that this understanding of God is very important and needed in our times because of the feminine qualities it brings to the fore, such as humility, compassion, unconditional love, cooperation, peace, forgiveness and the like.
Yogananda’s worship of the Divine Mother was not just formal. In life, he expressed these qualities, looked for them, and cultivated them inwardly. The Divine Mother takes all under her care. She loves them even when they err – not that She approves! Rather, she always sees the hidden potential of the soul. One time a devotee complained to Anandamayi Ma ( a great woman saint whom Yogananda talks about in his Autobiography of a Yogi) about all that was wrong in the world, finding fault with the state of things. She responded, “Don’t you think the one who created all this knows what’s he’s doing?
Yogananda emphasized that whatever we concentrate on we become and we also magnetize. Concentrate on the good things that are happening and good people. Concentrate on the saints and masters and draw on their consciousness. Change begins in the heart. Pray for those things and those people which you do not understand nor like. Feel Divine Mother’s unconditional love flowing through your heart and surrounding them with light. Swami Kriyananda wrote a chant, Come out of the darkness, Mother. Here, darkness means ignorance. Pray for the hidden divine light to reveal itself and express only good qualities.
In Divine Love,
Nayaswami Maria
