Divine Love

New Year Message

by ronb

The New Year has come to greet you with new hopes, new determination, new will-to-achieve, new activities. In the Temple of the New Year renew your reverence for the unlimited hidden power of God within you.

Yoga Philosophy

Christmas Spirit Comes from Living in the Presence of God

by ronb

The week after Thanksgiving I had my annual week of seclusion. Seclusion is a personal retreat: a retreat where one is alone with God in prayer and meditation. This time I didn’t even go out for a walk or a run, though I did more chores around the Hermitage house than I have in past years: cleaning, mostly.

Yoga Philosophy

Why We Honor Jesus Christ & Christmas

by ronb

We occasionally are asked, “Why is the picture of Jesus Christ on the altar and why are the teachings of the bible emphasized at Ananda?” We celebrate the birth, life and teachings of Jesus Christ because we are inspired by the explanation and insight given to us by our preceptor, Paramhansa Yogananda.

Yoga Philosophy

Christmas Spirit Comes from Living in the Presence of God

by ronb

The week after Thanksgiving I had my annual week of seclusion. Seclusion is a personal retreat: a retreat where one is alone with God in prayer and meditation. This time I didn’t even go out for a walk or a run, though I did more chores around the Hermitage house than I have in past years: cleaning, mostly.

Spiritual Community

Sending Out A (Christ Consciousness) SMS

by ronb

A couple of years ago a friend of mine, Saiganesh, came with some other devotees to visit Los Angeles for a weekend of programs with Nayaswami Asha. I did not have his cell phone number so we exchanged numbers so we could communicate about weekend details.

Spiritual Growth

Goal!

by ronb

I grew up playing football, or soccer as most people know it in America. But to the rest of the world it is known as football or more aptly, “the beautiful game.” I love football, soccer, footie, whatever you want to call it. For me, playing is a transcendental experience.

Spirituality and Nature

“I’m With The Trees”

by ronb

After a long day of work selling produce on a hot summer day, I went to practice my soccer skills by kicking a ball with my eternal friend…the wall (this was a special wall from the junior high school in my neighborhood). After practicing I was hot and tired. I turned around from the wall and saw the trees swaying in the warm summer breeze.

Divine Love

Babaji’s Helping Hand

by ronb

I was in Washington DC with my high-school class on a field-trip during one of the most intense snow-storms the city had seen in nearly a decade (or so we were told). We were having dinner at a host’s house one evening when it began to snow. By the time we finished dinner, there was six inches of snow on the ground, and the storm only appeared to be worsening!