A number of well-known Indian yogis visited Ananda during the 1970s. One of these great souls was Swami Chidananda, the head of Sivananda’s ashram after the master passed.
During his visit an important exchange took place in our large garden. It was the type of simple, but profound, lesson we so often miss if we aren’t paying attention. God sometimes gives us important teachings in seemingly unimportant ways.
Swami Chidananda Saraswati. Image from http://radhanath-swami.org.
During Swami Chidananda’s tour, he noticed a small rusty can between two rows of plants. “What is that for?” he asked.
The gardener replied, “We use that to water the baby plants after we have transplanted them.”
He then said, “If you use it, you should paint it and keep it in a special place. If it is left rusty and abandoned, it will attract lower astral entities.”
I doubt that any of us had ever considered that the things in our environment might attract astral beings, be they angels, devas, or low spirits. Yogananda said, “Astral beings are not ordinarily visible on earth, unless we know how to perceive the astral world through the spiritual eye.” He also said, “Environment is stronger than will power.”
Swami Kriyananda’s home at Ananda Village.
The different worlds—causal, astral, and physical—are kept separate not by distance, but by different rates of vibration, much as television programs appear on different channels. Swami Kriyananda surrounded himself with flowers, crystals, and beautiful objects. It wasn’t only for the loveliness of the things themselves but, more importantly, for their high vibrations. Similarly, over the years, we’ve made Ananda Village beautiful, a place where land, trees, and animals are loved and appreciated.
A friend and her remarkable daughter visited Ananda recently. The girl, who is six years old, related this dream she had while visiting: She was swimming in a lake at Ananda, when suddenly many fairies came to her. Their leader, the one with bright golden skin and long, yellow hair, said, “The world is changing, and it’s hard to find places where we are welcome. We are happy here, but can you help us find other places?”
Here is a question we should all ask: “What kind of physical and mental environment are we creating?” Is it one full of high vibrations and spiritual beauty—the kind that draws fairies and devas? Or is it a place of rusty cans, negative emotions, and lackluster spiritual vibrations supportive to lower astral entities?
Let us join together to create the points of light this world so desperately needs.
In God’s light,
Nayaswami Jyotish
16 Comments
Amazing article and an eye opener…Thank you Jyotishji :-)
Oh Jyotish, thank you for sharing this sweet and so touching story. Yes the environment is much more important than what we think and Swamiji is such an example for all of us, everything which was surrounding him was so beautiful and full of grace…thank you!
This Touch of Light posting is so touching! It feels so much like something Swamiji might have written or commented on. I have always loved how he could explain consciousness in the deepest yet simplest ways. Thank you Nayaswami Jyotish, for continuing this tradition!
Thanks so much for this important reminder, Jyotish, about environment, Mother Earth, and the nature spirits. Rest easy that there’s a good sized group here in Cinci who are very aware and make it our special intention to honor all of Divine Mother’s creation, and fill the environment with Light and Joy.
Dear Nayaswami Jyotish,
Thank you for the article. It inspires us to keep our environment welcoming with full of grace :)
Joy,
Prem
My husband wanted to paint an unused swimming pool wall (a part of it…), but I told him why bother because we won’t see it (it is not facing our house). Now, dear Jyotish, I know why we need to do it. We will even paint a garden on it so that it is pleasing to the eye and welcoming to “fairies and devas”. Thank you so much! Blessings to all! Honey, we have work to do!!!!
Very powerful–having lived in different spiritual communities, including Ananda, this helps to explain why Ananda has always felt different for me than the rest. More spiritually mature at Ananda, if that makes sense…as you say, it comes down to vibration…thank you again, Jyotish…
This is so beautiful, Jyotish. It is so in accordance with the admonition that came with the vision of the Yogananda Gardens of the Northwest. It is just what we, too, are hoping to do on the Laurelwood property, but this puts it into perspective: Creating places for the higher astral entities and spiritual beings. That’s what we want to do to honor Master and Swamiji.
Thank you Jyotish
May Beauty and Harmony surround us all,
Created by God and our intention to manifest “Heaven on Earth”
for all beings of Light. Now I have even more incentive. Thanks.
~~~Peace, Josette
Very powerful inspiration. Thank you.
Dear Jyotish, You first told me this story several years ago. I still relay it occasionally at The Expanding Light, and I think of it with considerable frequency. It’s very useful as a guide all the time, and particularly helpful at this time as we work to balance saving water during this extreme drought while keeping the gardens lovely. With lots of help we have rearranged plants and redone the irrigation system to get water to where we need it while not wasting it. It’s so important that we keep our environment uplifting for all.
beautiful, thank you!
Jyotish, thank you for sharing this. I personally have a lot of work to do to make my home attract the devas. I’m working on it. I did not realize that the physical environment attracts its like from the astral plane until you mentioned that during one of the recent talks you and Devi gave. So now I’m working harder to overturn the habit of years. I have made progress and am looking forward to much more progress!
Blessings,
Pat
Amazing and informative.Thank you very much Jyotish ji.
Touch of light shakes one to wake up and care for environment. Astral beings,spirits and devas help us to guard against negative thoughts. Thank you Jyotish for this knowledge which will help to enlighten this world and to remove dark clouds of negativity.
Thank you, for this wonderful lesson.