I had a dream many years ago, which vividly taught me that it is God — not our efforts in meditation — who actually transforms us:
I was riding a bicycle on a country road surrounded by wheat fields, when a large falcon swooped out of the sky and began flying right beside me.
I looked at the falcon and the falcon looked at me—and then he smiled. The falcon had a magical presence. It began flying faster, so I pedaled harder to keep up with this magnificent being.
The falcon smiled again, this time seemingly to say, ‘Can you go faster?’ By pedaling furiously, I was barely able to keep up with its faster pace. It took everything I had to stay even with the falcon.
Seeing that I was still keeping up with him, the falcon dramatically increased his speed. To my surprise, I felt a force propelling me forward, and I was able to stay abreast of the rapidly flying falcon.
I wasn’t pedaling anymore; I was being carried along by the falcon’s presence.
Then the bird flew upward into the sky, and I found myself on my bicycle rising skyward with my falcon friend.
God wants to carry us into the skies of Spirit. Our job is to energetically and lovingly offer ourselves to God and let Him transform us.
The following words by Swami Kriyananda express a profound and encouraging truth about how one advances spiritually:
You may think, “I can never love God the way the great saints love Him. I’ll never have their fervor or joy.”
But you will find that as you keep reaching for God, He will uplift you. He will give you the power to find Him. You can’t generate that power yourself. But your love can draw that power to you.
Visualize before you a very young child reaching up with outstretched arms. Feel his childlike faith and conviction that you will pick him up.
His innocence and trust is irresistible. Feel your heart responding to the child’s beautiful innocence. Reach down and lovingly lift him up to you.
God Himself has given you the ability to love. He will respond when you offer yourself to Him with childlike love and trusting expectation. Then, He will reach down and lift you up into His Beloved Presence.
In divine friendship,
Nayaswami Bharat
116 Comments
Thank you,
Such a wonderful way to make this point crystal clear.
What a beautiful, inspirational dream. I, too had a flying dream. I was flying up into the sky and when I came to the clouds, there was Master urging me to grab the dangling cross or some other Holy symbol swinging from a ribbon and as I was reaching and stretching for it I woke up.
Beautiful, Bharat. As was your Sunday Service this week. Thank you so much for your ever-inspiring presence in the Village and online!
love,
miriam
What a wonderful dream, and a beautiful outcome. Thank you so much for sharing this with us. Much love, and many blessings, Nancy
“It took everything I had,” the poem states. I was reminded of how the act of surrender and to yielding allows the Father to invite us to fly….in that order. I enjoyed this wonderful story.
Blessings to all!
Thank you for your deep inspiration, power and love you share with all.
Tyagini Chandi Holliman
Wonderful and reinforcing – I took a course in ‘Kriya Yoga’ back in 2006 in an ‘Ananda Sangha’ center in Delhi. I have been practicing it since then but not really seeing any significant progress. However an article such as this makes you believe in yourself and keep up the good work. When Swami Kriyananda himself says that God will only provide us the power to find Him if we continue our search, it gives us the impetus to keep it going. I really wish that I can surrender myself completely to God so as to feel one with Him and fly with the falcon.
This was just what I needed today to uplift my thoughts. Working in the world which is necessary at this time, is sometimes in such contrast to my inner vibrations, that it is actually irritating to my nervous system. I thank you for this Truth, and a moment of satsang on my lunch hour………Aum Guru!!
Why must we “pedal” so feverishly for something we already have? “The Kingdom of God is within you.” Namaste’
So beautiful!
This reminds me of a mystical Experience When I was 35..I called on God, for help..and one day when I was driving home from work in my car, I thought of someone, I had perceived as a enemy, that I’ll get her some flowers, without her knowing it was from me, When I had that thought, I immediately went into a state of Divine Ecstasy and Love with God, My Beloved Father, Never had I known such Uplifting Joy, and I heard this amazing Sound. This wonderful Bliss stayed with me all Night Long, and I soared with God!
Sometimes I have dreams from which I awake feeling rewarded. Only rarely do I remember the reason, but I feel uplifted, full of awe.
Your message, randomly sent to one who did not seek it, is a fresh breath of air to one who needed it. Thank you.
Association with sages aids in spiritual progress…thank you brother for sharing.
Dearest Bharat: Thank you for sharing this wonderful experience of God’s grace and joy in taking us into the atmosphere of love reflected in the falcon rising. In a deep meditation I had yesterday and the day before, I had a precious experience of Spirit taking me into the depths of the oceans – and rising with the Whales as they joyfully belly flopped on the water; and then weaving through the waters with porpouses and schools of fish. It was delightful. And in an instant I was flying in huge flocks of birds dancing in the skys… and then I was flying in a flock of geese, honking in the skies and sharing the winds. I felt so free and a part of everything that is. Then I was dropped into my body and the meditation was over. It was so sweet. I had not thought of sharing it …. until you shared yours. Thank you and much love, Barb
Your single-minded dream-ful conviction off-sets dark convictions scattered by others. Thank you. L.
amazing and very inspiring… thank you ever so much
Thank you so much for the wonderful message. It is indeed an inspiration and an aid what our approach should be on the path. I have also found those quiet moments inspiration and guidance does come…. all in the silence guidance is there.
Dear Bharat,
Thank you for the reminder of God’s uplifting grace, which surely comes to us when we put out our full energy — to keep up with His presence in our lives. This path of effort and grace is a magnificent blessing, indeed. Aum, lahari
Thank you for the beautiful story. It was definitely uplifting.
its amazing and great feeling . thanking for sharing
Thanks for sharing these uplifting Insights.
thank you
somethind i needed very very badly
a million thanks
joy
ps
there is such joy in your face
love
roza
What an inspiring dream! I almost could feel it myself, pedaling besides the falcon high in the sky, feeling free, feeling carried ;-)!
Thank You and God Bless!
Thank you dear soul for your uplifting sharing. It touched me deeply and reminded me of why I am here and what God and Guru ask of me for my highest and best good. In Joy, Steve
Thank you for a message that I sorely needed at this time.
Namaste,
Ana Marie
Thankyou, Bharat!
Perfect words of inspiration for me today.
Kamini
Thank you so much, Bharat! The dream touched my heart & was exactly what I needed to be reminded of at this time! See you in August. ~Aum~
Thank you for sharing that wonderful feeling of being uplifted and the power of the subconscious mind.
It also reminded me of the movie ET.
Blessings to you.
”If we keep approaching the God with LOVE, He will uplift us and we can love God as that of the Saints” great words to remember and practice…. thanks….
Many, many thanks Bharat for the reminders of loving Divine Mother with childlike innocence and putting out all our energy to love God and be uplifted into her loving presence!
It is wonderfull that you make me know how close we are to our beloved and how he will raise us up from this world of delusion
Thanks Bharat for sharing your love
dear nayaswami has in very simple way demonstrated how a man can crave for god and make him his own as simplicity of a child. then only god descends to uplift him.
thankin you from r p,
Falcons are really wonderful creatures.Their effortless flight without moving wings instills peace, joy and stability in me.
Thanks for sharing
it was very interesting to read.
I want to quote your post in my blog. It can?
And you et an account on Twitter?
Very well told. That’s what I’m counting on. My own “little” self doesn’t seem up to it, but my inner “divine” Self I know has the power. When the time is ripe.
Greetings Literki – Reply to # 35
Yes, you can post this on your blog. Please credit The Daily Meditator. Thank you for sharing this with your friends. Unfortunately, I do not have an account with Twitter.
Bharat, the effort to unlearn and be as trusting as a child needs to be made nonethless. So it is finally, a question of our efforts – the “right effort” as the Buddhists put it. God is certainly just and when our efforts merit it, self-realization naturally occurs. If it has not, it follows that we are not yet ripe for it.
The moral of your dream is not that we are helpless as a child in the matter but that we need to be as utterly trusting. Not only in God, but neccessarily before that, in ourselves and our efforts.
Take the case of the hungry brahmin child who after several failed requests, finally takes up the stick threatening to beat the Gods in his temple if they did not promptly partake of the food offered to them (and thereby allow him to quickly have the remaining as prasad) just as his father before leaving and entrusting this task to him, had told him they would. No wonder the Gods promptly appeared and did as told.
Ramakrishna often advised using the force that a child rightfully exerts on his mother. He illustrated this by singing a song of Ramprasad which asserts that despite grave sins like killing of a Brahmin, children or women, “If I die calling your name O Durga, at this last moment, you do not have the power not to come”.
The moot point is to love God as one’s own.
God too wants to uplifted! Soordas participated in the Joy of mother Yashoda as the child Krishna gleefully ran into her arms and she uplifted him!
God too wants to dance to somebody else’s tunes! Imagine the maddening Joy of Yashoda and the Gopis dress up child Krishna as a girl and he poses and dances to their tune!
God too wants to wash somebody’s feet! But we need to be a true friend like Sudama.
God too wants to lean on somebody! But we need to be an elder brother like Balarama or a younger one like Lakshman!
God too wants to be romantically loved! But we need to be like Meera, Radha or the Gopis of Brindavan. This ‘madhur’ bhava is said to be the most complete and encompass all the other bhavas.
Ramakrishna used the metaphor of the eagle for one who “no matter how high he flies, has eyes only for the wordly garbage”. Again, children flying on their bicycles was the poster image of the film “E.T.” This trivia may help broaden the perspective.
When I feel I am not making any spiritual progress, this is just the kind of inspiration I need to propel myself forward. After renewed efforts, I actually feel the Divine Presence around me. Thanks for such a lovely story.
It is really beautifully written. It guides us how we should keep our faith in our true love which is DIVINE and how we can maintain and feel our touch with GOD. This is going to get us out of every difficult situation of life for sure and help us move on the spiritual path steadily.
Thanks !
Upon reading these blessed words, My Eyes are filled with too many tears of Joy to express in Words what my Heart can’t say….In Master forever…Durgadas
Such a beautiful dream, Bharat. It’s from the superconscious level that gives us guidance directly from God. I’m going to be doing a dream course at the Bothell Temple in January and would love to quote it as an example of such dreams. Will that be okay with you?
Shubatani, yes, of course, you can share the falcon dream with your course students. Blessings of light, Bharat
Beautiful — thank you
Thank you!
Beautifully simple and simply beautiful!
Thank you, Bharat. This was meaningful and inspiring. It reminded me of something Bro. Bhaktananda told me in a letter many years ago: “Fathomless depths of love for God lie hidden in the human heart, waiting to be uncovered by the Guru’s liberating discipline.” – Gratefully, Rambhakta
Thank you for resuming this publication. Nyaswami Bharat’s article is beautifully written and very encouraging to this devotee who is trying to improve her devotional self!
song of solomon 1:4 “draw me; we will run together”
God beckons us onward and travels with us on our journey homeward
thank you , b.Carol
Many thanks for this!
It’s a great analogy…
Thank you for sharing that wonderful dream. Having faith in God to carry us beyond what we think we can do can be exhilarating and so rewarding, as long as we don’t let fear stop us. And Swamiji’s words about trusting God to help us deepen our love was exactly what I needed to hear. Thank you again.
Dear Bharat,
Thankyou so much for your lovely story of the bird flying next to you and enabling you to reach its speed.
The other night the Giants’ pitcher, Madison Bumgarner, reached, it would seem, superhuman heights with his pitching. I thought about him and remembered Master telling us we have great potential if we only used it and believed in ourselves. Well, we all believed in Bumgarner, and away he went with God’s power!
God Bless you for this deep gift of grace. He certainly comes to us in
appropriate ways!
Thanks very beautiful.
Yes I also feel since 2009 I joined Ananda Sanga and with my daily meditation I started loving divine Mother more and more.now more clarity about meaning of life rather easer to understand life.this gives me more strength. Thanks to Great Gurus.
Dear Bharatji, if I did not know you and your other miracle stories, I might doubt this one; that you biked as fast as the bird flew, and then upward. This is another one of your innocently advanced teachings, and it fits into this weeks other Rapture / hawk guide stories I heard. Thank you.
Thanks Bharat this is a very inspiring and beautiful reading.
Very true , if God will’s everything will happen