I’ve come across some amazing and amusing examples of advanced souls being guided by intuition. These stories are from a book of letters from Paramhansa Yogananda to his second-most-advanced disciple, Yogacharya Oliver Black, My Dear Oliver. Here is the story of how Yogacharya met his guru:
Master said he was in Washington, D.C., and he was on his way back home to Los Angeles. A straight line for his travel would have been through Columbus, Ohio, but he said the inner voice/Divine Mother told him to come to Detroit.
After he got to Detroit, he didn’t know where to go or what to do. He got a telephone directory and ran his finger down the pages, leaf after leaf, until his finger stopped, and it stopped on the name of Maude Emerson. He called Maude Emerson and told her who he was—that he was Yogananda. She had in fact attended one of his lectures many years before.
She explained to him that there was somebody meeting with a group in her home. He was teaching yoga to a class of about ten to twelve people. Master said, “I want to meet that man.” And she got us together.
Another story tells of this intuitive connection in the other direction. Yogacharya writes:
Yogacharya Oliver Black
One morning I came to my office and I had a strange feeling or sensation, or itch, and I was scratching the back of my head, at the medulla oblongata. I went in to our treasurer’s office and said, “Well, I don’t know what’s the matter, but while I go home and get my bag, I’d like to have you get me an airplane ticket to Indianapolis.”
Then I flew to Indianapolis, and after I got there, I didn’t know what I was there for! [He took a cab to one of the two best hotels in the city.] I went in, and I went up to the counter and asked the clerk, “Is there anybody registered here by the name of Yogananda?” He looked at me and said, “No, there isn’t.” I said, “Where is this other hotel?” He said, “Oh, it’s just down the street.”
When I got there, I went up to the counter and asked, “Is there anyone here by the name of Yogananda?” He said, “Yes, on the ninth floor.” I just went up the elevator and knocked on the door. The door opened, and there he was! Yogananda said, “I knew you would come! I knew you would come! I knew you would come!”
Intuition develops naturally as we grow closer to God and operate more from our soul than from our ego. Intuition, you see, is the soul’s natural way of perception. We can gradually improve our intuition. First, we need to develop our ability to feel: not with emotion, but with a calm sense of knowing. Next, we need to act on our intuitive guidance, which will help it develop just as exercising a muscle helps it grow strong.
As we saw in these two stories, they each acted on a strong feeling even though the next step had not yet been revealed. It takes faith and courage to act on intuitive guidance. Try doing it a step at a time—I wouldn’t suggest you start by buying a plane ticket. Better to wait until your intuition is more highly developed.
Most importantly, we need to deepen our meditation, and contact our soul nature. A dear friend suggested something that I will pass on to you: He told me, “I have started to keep a log of each meditation. I write down a number to indicate how much of the time my attention was focused, and I also put down a number for how deep my devotion was. Making myself accountable in this way is really helping me deepen my meditation.”
I also have started to do this as a New Year’s resolution, and can attest to its effectiveness. I can feel that it is helping me focus better, open up my intuition, and draw Master’s grace and guidance. You might want to give it a try.
In divine friendship,
Nayaswami Jyotish
P.S. This is my most recent painting. Swami Kriyananda was very supportive when I started to paint. He said, “It will help you develop intuition.”
“Clouds Over Tahoe,” by Nayaswami Jyotish.
Listen to Jyotish as he reads the blog, then expands on it, often adding special behind-the-inspiration stories and answers to common spiritual questions. Subscribe to the podcast or download the audio recording by right-clicking here. Or listen to it here (10:24):
26 Comments
I enjoyed reading your essay and the painting is lovely. We have extraordinary sunsets here in Ithaca too! Om shanti om and Happy New Year!
Thank you for these emails, they really help me keep my nose pointed in the right direction. That’s a beautiful and powerful painting, thank you sharing it.
Inspiring stories! Thank you for the tip for deepening meditation. Beautiful painting, Jyotish!
Thank you!! 🙏🙏🙏
Painting resembles
“Nature is Yoga is Nature'”
which again presented as
“Om Yogandhakara Mathana Padma Janmaadhi Vandithaha” (Yoga is meditating into inner darkness which erupts eternal Lotus from time immemorial which is ever blissly greeted by living beings)
in SriGuruDatta Sahasranamaavali
Nayaswami Jyotish, thank you very much for this article (every article really, but this one is striking me). It resonates with me deeply. In these last few months I have recommitted to my spiritual life and am enjoying the wonders of connection to Source. Messages of healing have been coming through “loud” and clear, including themes of creativity and motion to both heal and connect. Your mention of painting made me joyful as it is another reminder, another cue to take action in creativity for healing, for helping reveal what is hidden. Many many thanks.
Thank you Jyotish! I pray that we may all develop our intuition more and more each day. Thank you for telling us that painting also helps to develop the intuition.
Thank you !
Dear Nayaswami Jyotish Ji,
Happy New Year!
Thank you for this wonderful blog. The stories are very inspiring. I will give it try with the journal. Very useful guidance.
And thank you for sharing the painting. Looks beautiful!
Joy,
Prem
Thank you for sharing these experiments to deepen meditation and develop intuition. And the painting speaks to me through the intuitive language of light and color!
Grand advice Jyotishji, and an especially beautiful painting. It has your vibration in it : ).
Be well dear one,
Meri
Thank you for this article! I’m going to start logging my meditations.
And the painting is beautiful, full of light and joy!
As always, thank you! These types of stories put real-world meat on the bones of spirituality. I (we) need such examples to show us the path is valid and not just imagined.
Very nice painting; wonderful and colourful topography with snowcapped mountains and weathered hills; fall season, afternoon image of an undulating landscape.
Nice article and nice painting!
thanks
Dear Jyotish,
Thank you for the encouragement and suggestion. What is the best way to keep track of quality time during a meditation? Do you actually stop when you feel less focus or devotion and note the time? I would very much like to try this, but would like guidance on how to make it effective. Thank you and Happiest of New Years, Sushila P.
Here is the method I’ve been using. At the end of meditation, not during, I ask myself to give a number from 1 to 4 each representing a quarter of the meditation. 1 would be a meditation in which I was not very focused at all, less than 1/4 of the time. 2 would be about half focused and half distracted. 3 is 3/4 of the time focused, and 4 very focused. It doesn’t have to be exact at all, just a method so you hold yourself accountable for trying to keep your mind on your meditation practice.
Wow, what a blessing to read this!!! Thank you, thank you!!!
The blog is an inspiring to read, although the painting “takes the cake.” Exquisite – a wordless blog unto itself. Thanks for sharing, Jyotish.
Thank you dear Jyotish, for this and all the other inspirations that help me so much to go deeper into my spiritual life!
I couldn´t find the book “My dear Oliver” on Internet; do you know where it can be found? I would really like to read it and share it with others.
God bless you and Devi for all your wonderful service to Master and all of us. May you feel His loving guidance even more in this new year.
Jai Guru!
Dear Vesna,
The book “My Dear Oliver” is currently out of print. Crystal Clarity is looking into the possibility of printing and selling it, but that’s a long-term project if it is even possible.
I really like your painting. The clouds are spectacular in their colors. I don’t know if you intended the island near the bottom right to be floating in space.. It gives a surrealistic feel. If that was not intended you may want to anchor it to the water with some shadow. Keep up the beautiful work.
Thanks for this blog on intuition. I like the suggestion to track each meditation – that sounds a little overwhelming to me, though!
I love your painting, Jyotish. Just beautiful! Thank you for sharing it!
Blessings, given and received,
Gail
Dear Jyotishji,
Very very beautiful painting.Thank you for sharing.
Aum!Aum!Aum!
Yes, I like the two suggestions to deepen meditation and to develop intuition at the same time! Thank you. I will try this. Your painting is so very uplifting!
This is very timely, I am making a choice that is very big and I am trying to tap into my own intuition. God bless.