The state of our world today can easily have an unsettling effect on us. We see increasing strife and disunion everywhere. Is what we see the portentous rumble of more planetary tension? Could it be the announcement of even greater, horrific global roars and upheaval?

What really is happening in the world right now is a battle of mass-consciousness

What really is happening in the world right now is a battle of mass-consciousness: Aggression vs. Peace. If enough people become conscious peacemakers, vibrating their inner peace and love into their immediate and personal environments, then maybe we will avoid increasing conflicts. Global peace can only win and manifest on Earth if millions of peaceful minds and hearts get active. Now!

Imagine the tug-of-war that happens on the global consciousness level: On one end of the rope, aggression and anger are pulling. On the other end, peace and harmony are pulling to make a victorious stance. Who will win? The winner will determine our planetary future and destiny.

Let’s all roll up our sleeves, join the forces on the peaceful end of that rope, and pull as hard as we can.

How?

Meditation is a major force of global consciousness. Meditation can counter the forces of aggression and pull things powerfully toward the side of peace.

Meditation is a major force of global consciousness.

Why?

It is simply this: Meditation calms the feelings in our hearts. Subsequently, we become natural peacemakers. Calm and peaceful hearts are the healing balm for so many troubles in this world.

In ancient yogic terminology: Meditation neutralizes (nirodha) the vortexes (vrittis) of feeling (chitta), resulting in a natural state of inner union (yoga). That inner union naturally manifests as outer balance and harmony. Fortunately, meditators are already pulling the rope mightily towards the side of world peace.

Here are a few more strategies you may want to implement that will help us to pull vigorously in the direction of peace, balance and harmony.

Meditate, using the techniques of your choice. In the last part of your meditation, abandon the technique, and sit in silence — deeply enjoying the harmonious effects of your meditation.

Concentrate especially on any feelings of peace, small or large, that you have. Absorb it fully into your body, mind and soul. Let your body cells drink it in as if it were an incredibly tasty and nourishing beverage. Let your brain and heart drink too. Imbue your whole being with the heavenly substance of peace.

Before you leave your meditation, affirm with Yogananda:

I am the prince of peace,
sitting on the throne of poise,
directing the kingdom of activity.

If you are not yet regular in your meditation practice, perhaps taking a meditation course will prove to be helpful to you. Make a commitment to a certain amount of meditation daily. Joining forces with a global, virtual community of meditators is a very worthwhile peace-initiative, based on the teaching that growing numbers of meditators will silently, gradually create world peace.

Meditation groups

Group meditations increase the magnetism of peace that we radiate into the world. Gathering in meditation rallies the “peace troops” that pull the world toward harmony and union. Are you part of a meditation group? Even online? If not, why not try to find one? Meditators united all around the world help to create many miracles of peace.

Peace at home

Meditation helps us to make our home life more peaceful.  Indeed, peace on the planet must begin on the little piece of earth where you live. In your home life are you demonstrating or striving for harmony? If so—then you are truly pulling in the right direction in the global Tug-of-War.

Overcoming negative traits

Let’s not kid ourselves. We may all have within us residual traits of aggression, tension, criticism, and/or unresolved anger. However, the more we meditate, the more we are able to triumph over our inner enemies. And when we do, we are pulling harder on the global rope for creating peace everywhere. In short, peace on our planet will come not from outer but from inner victories.  We are therefore called to win our inner battles to help the effort of creating a lasting and noble peace on earth.

The peaceful bottom line

Swami Kriyananda affirmed, “Peace is my bottom line. I don’t allow anything to pull myself below that line.” Think then for a moment—Is there anything in your life that is pulling you under that “bottom line?” Is there anything that is making your peace evaporate? Is it your relationship with your kids? Your partner? Your work? Traffic? Finances? Health? These are some of the usual suspects. If any of these or others are overly concerning you, do as Yogananda recommends—Go on a “worry fast.” You could call it a nervousness fast. Give yourself a certain time each day, for example between 10–11 AM, to mentally fast and say to yourself:

During this hour, I refuse to eat worry or nervousness. Instead, I firmly hold onto my inner peace.

Work also to increase this time-frame. Let nothing pull you under the bottom line of peace during your fasts.

Projecting a peaceful aura

A powerful tool for pulling on the side of world peace is to meditate in the morning, harmonizing your inner energy and consciousness before your day begins. Then, when you mix with people, try to emanate, consciously from your heart, rays of peace into the world and everyone around you. You can practice surrounding yourself with an aura of peacefulness wherever you go, walking consciously in that light of peace.

When you talk with people, try to touch them with the silent vibrations of your inner peace, born of meditation. In doing so, you will become a valiant contributor to the glorious victories of calmness.

Peaceful voice

A vibrational power for creating harmony in your environment is your own voice. It is a wonderful practice therefore to meditate creating an inner atmosphere of peace, so that when you interact with the world you can maintain that peaceful aura and consciously project a calming influence through your voice. Additionally, you can use your eyes which, as Yogananda explained, strongly transmit our magnetism. When you look into people’s eyes, think peace. Transmit peace.

Harmonious thoughts

Meditation naturally calms and harmonizes our thoughts. This effect is of major importance. Thoughts are much more powerful than they may seem. How easy it is to think unkind, judgmental or other negative thoughts, is it not? After meditating, consciously choose to let kindness and harmony reign, realizing that one single peace-inspired thought holds more power for peace than a thousand slogans. This is an amazing power in the global tussle for heavenly accord.

Forgiveness

At the end of your meditation, with raised hands send peaceful energy to the world. Send that friendship also to those whom you feel have wronged you. Inwardly forgive them. If you cannot offer peace to them, how will you offer it to others on the planet, whose lives have never touched yours? A forgiving heart is a true instrument of world unity.

Managing stress

Stress usually creates a completely tumultuous vibration and consciousness. Meditation is anti-stress medicine. So let’s try to never neglect our meditation. If you have been negligent, strive to re-establish it.

Meditate in the morning, even if only a little bit. Once your day life starts, place a higher priority on holding peace in your heart than on achieving goals, or on meeting your deadlines. In fact, outside of meditation, we would best use the word urgent for our daily tasks very sparingly. Are they really all that urgent? What is truly urgent is peace. Peace must triumph in the global Tug-of-War. So let your measure of success be not primarily in achieving material goals or in the amount of money you make, but in how much inner serenity you can generate and share.

Differences of opinion

God watches the heart.Paramhansa Yogananda
When you are faced with  people who hold different perspectives and values – individuals who may be 100% different yourself – let’s say in their political orientation, or in their way of doing things, remember that love is the highest truth and the highest principle. Go a step further. Can you love that nasty politician you have a tendency to detest? Can you love that seemingly rival religious organization? It’s best to let the elixir of meditation relax your mind. Then you can lovingly smile, continuing to pull on the vibrational rope of peace. “God watches the heart,” Yogananda said. It’s all about our vibration, our love. Opinions will have no importance at all when we stand in front of the Creator.

Becoming a channel of peace

Meditation opens us up to higher realities. Suddenly we may realize that our inner peace is not really our own. It is a manifestation of the infinite Ocean of Spirit which lives in us like a little wave of peace, of love, and of joy. What a discovery! A wonderful practice of radiating peace to the world is to consciously channel it from its source in Infinity. When you do this, your Tug-of-War muscles will truly become very powerful and you will be a major force of peace on Earth. The angels will smile upon you and bless you.

Contacting the Divine

In meditation, we tune our inner antennae to higher realities. This helps us to naturally contact the Divine in one form or another.

Visualize peace as a tangible healing light…
Here is a visualization we can practice: Visualize peace as a tangible healing light descending from the higher spheres, coming to earth as a gift from heavenly regions. Note: It does so only if we consciously open up to it. If we are unable to receive it, that light is unable to descend.

Doing our part

This brings us to a major point, globally speaking. Our separation from Spirit is the true cause of strife on our planet. The cause is never really with our governments. The root of the trouble is that too many people are going through life unaware of their ability to practice inner communion. In this way, we are cut off from the very Source of peace, but together we can contribute to changing that situation. The more we live that inner contact, the harder we can pull on the rope for peace in the Tug-of-War, for the benefit of our entire planet.

Let us all accept that creating world peace is not someone else’s job: it is OUR responsibility. Why wait for the future to bring us that harmony? Let us instead live peacefully in this very moment. Only then will we be able to create future peace in all countries.

Are you ready to pull hard on the side of global peace in this Tug-of-War? Well then…Go and meditate!

IN JOY!


Start a New Meditation Practice or Inspire Your Current One

The 10-week Ananda Course in Meditation online course is designed to provide in-depth instruction in scientific meditation techniques that bring more peace, deeper relaxation, and focused concentration to every area of your life, regardless of outer conditions.

These techniques are based on the teachings of Paramhansa Yogananda, author of Autobiography of a Yogi.

Learn more

4 Comments

  1. Great piece! May I suggest you create links in your emailed pieces so that we may share them on social media? I would love to post this and share!

    1. Glad you’d like to share, Susan; all in the spirit of expansiveness! For FB you can easily copy and paste the URL to share.

  2. Thank you for article about the importance of meditation. The first yoga sutra of Pantajali states that yoga is about calming the mind. The Bhagavad Gita discuses four ways to center the mind – Karma Yoga, Bhakti Yoga, Raja Yoga, and LLana Yoga. I can focus on inner peace during my work, worship, meditation, and thinking !!

  3. Thank you dear Jayadev for these beautiful sparkling pieces of inspiration! Jai Guru

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