Stay in Tune!

In April of 2012, my husband (then fiance) and I traveled to Europe for a vacation and ended up having the great joy of spending time with Swami Kriyananda in Lugano, Switzerland and Assisi, Italy. As it happened, my husband and our travel companions Ramesha and Bhagavati are all musicians and singers. So, when it came time to attend a public event in Swami’s honor in Lugano, I was somehow swept up into the choir by association. It was my first time singing in the Ananda choir, although I knew the songs by rote. During the event, Swamiji stood up and sang Peace with us – at that point, my heart melted for joy.

It was after that event that Swami gave me the advice to sing in the choir for Ananda. I took the suggestion to heart, but didn’t think much on it beyond the obvious – go to rehearsal and sing. What I didn’t realize was the more subtle advice being given; get in tune. As many who knew Swami have heard, he often commented that the best way to know him is through his music. The following two years, I made sure to sing as often as I could. Over that time, I can say with deep gratitude that my energy has shifted on more and more subtle levels and I feel more in tune with Yogananda’s ray than ever before.

Just a few nights ago, the lesson came back in full force.  In a dream, Swami was asked a mundane question by someone representing me in a small meeting. In his booming, crystal clear voice Swami responded, “Enough – I will take no more of these trivial questions! Stay in tune and stop being concerned with the small stuff!” The power in his voice shook me to my core and I felt overwhelmed. I woke from the dream with an intuition that the message was important. And indeed, it is.

In small ways and big ways, I am finding that staying in tune is my most important lesson of late. It is a wonderful practice to try to get in tune with the guru. Yogananda shared a very specific, yet universal ray of light with the world. To attune with that ray requires a lot of deep meditation and thoughtful activity in the world. Each thought, each action, each word is a way that we share our vibrations outwardly and to attune to Yogananda means to try to make those vibrations the same as his. Swami is a bridge for us to that attunement. Having known him in this life for so many years, his vibration is one that is even more accessible. Not that it’s easy.

Staying in tune is a great challenge, a great practice and a great blessing. My we all share Divine vibrations in this world!

Namaste