Introduction to blog 20 – My Personal Journey in Om Divine Grace Yoga.

The four specific components of Om Divine Grace Yoga are enumerated in the first five blogs Then blogs move on to a broad view of my own Om Divine Grace Yoga spiritual journey. Then comes the teaching material associated with this pathway. Blog twenty now continues with this material.  Some of this is adapted from the Om Divine Grace Journey – which you can read on this site in various blogs.

Om Divine Grace Yoga is designed to enable practical use by a practitioner interested in this pathway. Of course anything here can be approached as just reading matter of interest.

Historically, this pathway is approached via a Guru for initiation and guidance. In our modern world this might not be feasible or practical, given the nature of this dark era (Kali Yuga). It may not be possible to get a guru who can assist you in this area.

It is necessary now to offer this spiritual pathway and process as an option for any practitioner, desiring progress. All this material will also become a book when all the blogs are complete.

My personal teachings gained from my journey in Om Divine Grace Yoga.

Being Divine – continued from blog 19

Mental health & science

That there is scientific research about spirituality and mental health is telling. Somehow science has lost the plot and now wants to go back to the Stone Age when human began worshiping. Why are scientists interested in something that millions have accepted for thousands of years? It’s even reaching into psychiatry with the neuro-scientific exploration of religious and spiritual phenomena. In other words, let’s prove that it’s all in the mind. So for once psychiatry has got it spot on. Yes it is all in the mind! Life and the Universe: everything and anything is but a product of Maya, which is if drilled down to individual level, is but a mind product. It’s all fantasy, so why treat it? With medication, therapy, etc? Actually medication use is very logical. We eat food, we ingest substances, and we have always been a bunch of self-medicators. Goes with the territory, so don’t knock those clever chemists who seek to make us feel good. And yes, science will enable us to live forever and beat all disease, and be happy. Yeah right! Whatever. Do you want to stay in Samsara, (the illusion & delusion of human existence), and continue to suffer? Forever? If not, then do not live forever – ever!

The Divine is perfect and complete, and emanations from the Divine, such as this world of Life and the Universe, are complete in purpose, though it all seems crazy from a disturbed mind perspective. Be it your belief in the Goddess as the creatrix, or God as Him, or as the Big Bang. Whatever is produced in this Cosmic Consciousness is interconnected with sound. Therefore the mantra will heal the craziness and allow different perspectives. It can seem very slow, especially if you are feeling some agitation. Remember though, you are not your body and mind. You are the “witness”. Your natural state is Sat, Chit, Ananda. – Existence, Knowledge, Bliss.

Thankfully though, science here has advanced, this field of research is still in its early stages, so most of us will be “dead and gone” before the wonders of this new “new-age” hits us. There still will be an ever increasing interest in doing this science based, advancement of life on earth.  (An earth which may not exist due to global warming, wars, Covid etc.). Then there is the pursuit of scientific evidence for the existence of God. (So it gets weirder).

At least there is a growing and significant consideration of spirituality even at a scientific level. This may be happening more and more in the world, even though the daily news says we are doomed to kill each other, or some pandemic will do the job.

Attachments & mental health

Unfortunately attachments will remain in the soul memory and affect future passage onwards, even after death. This will be especially so if predominant negative thoughts remain to the time of death. Some type of obsession, addiction or just plain old lust may have a regressive effect regarding next realm entry. Fortunately the power of mantra and faith will cut through the bonds eventually, even it seems there is some delay. Be patient with the short trial which occurs also while practicing the devotions, meditation yoga, or mantra repetition, and allow the onward journey to pick up successful in its own time. (Seek also God’s, will – not my will). Surrender to the Divine Grace to allow what you can’t control or overcome, to be cleared away.

The last dominant thought is very important, and if we are dependent on our spiritual practice, then we will remember what we need to at death. Even if you think you are such a sinner or bad person, invoke your mantra at the point of death. The emissaries of darkness will be held back. There is a lot of confusion involved in all religions within the “holy books”, but take only what you need for sanity. What makes sense, and seems productive. The writings of those who have been realized are more important, as they have had the experience and can better advise accordingly. 

Religion and spirituality issues have become in more in recent times, part of a mental health clinician’s initial evaluation, or assessment. That doesn’t address the issue of human desire and attachment, nor the consequences of that. It’s a clinical direction that often defers to culture, political correctness, religious groups etc. without really understanding how all the mental health issues are is bound up with, or co-current with spirituality. Therapy and counseling direction may see the issues in part, but may also not revisit this area during treatment, once the initial assessment phase is over.

Some researchers now point to the association of spiritual values with psychiatric disorders, and make comparisons for instance, to worship frequency. Why go this route? Then there is the issue of, say, a religious or spiritual person who develops mania or a psychosis, with seemingly obsession about their belief to a dangerous point. Remember that whatever is normal for a person, as part of personality expression, may also be involved in quite disordered religious type thinking. Historically, persons with “crazy” thinking or behavior were often seen in a different light by the public and even put on a pedestal! Unfortunately though they could be seen as possessed or witches with fatal consequences. I have not seen and met or read of any spiritual advanced being, who was not at some stage intimately involved with religion in some form. Why would anyone with mental health disorders not have the same involvement? It’s just the mind disorder that “skews” things. (Yes, of course, there are severe clinically, diagnosed disorders of the mind which need professional input, due to the danger presented to the individual and others).

It’s the spiritual journey that addresses the issue of human life attachments. This though could be made without any references to or involvement with, religion, either as belief or practice or as morals. Many say “I am not religious”, without seeing that a lot of their spiritual practices historically were part of organized religions. Religion and spiritual practice may seem to go hand in hand then, although nowadays this relationship is seems more tenuous and even hostile at times. The spiritual seeker may find at a certain stage, a burning desire or motivation to escape from or leave behind all or some of previously held religious beliefs and practices. Many gurus also seem to imply that at the higher stage of spiritual practice you move on from religion, and even from the teachers and teachings that you started out with. So, theoretically, the spiritual journey could be made without any references to, or involvement with, religion, either as belief or practice or as morals. Yet, have not seen, met, or read of any spiritual advanced being who was not at some stage involved with religion in some form.

The semi-naked yogis in India are avadhootas. They are revered as very holy as they give up all attachments, including sometimes social and religious restraints or rules. They can appear to be mentally unwell or to have significant psychiatric issues. These crazy adepts in certain spiritual traditions are practicing as they are, after being immersed in the religious culture of Hinduism, (or other religions) and then move past the restraints in but are also accepted as being culturally acceptable by the public. They are held in high esteem and are visited sometimes by multitudes of devotees. They sometime go on to build, (around them), quite large ashrams. (Or rather. their followers do this work).  They are however “de-attached”

In some other religions today, this renunciation is almost a deviance from the accepted moral and social rule. So, this non-attachment can be seen as a sin or a moral deviation.

The spiritual journey is about the goal, the end product, not-withstanding the connections made on the way with organized religion, New Age ideas, and evidence based therapies. Religion etc. becomes a block to spiritual growth when it interferes with, or is allowed to, block further evolvement. The concepts of God, deities, messiahs, and avatars or incarnations, belongs to the realm of the practitioner but not to the world of the Realized One, who has become awakened, enlightened or divinely fulfilled. That goal is really quite anarchic, disinhibited, and even destructive in terms of what passes as conventional ways of equating ordinary life with the Higher Power. It might seem to indicate a madness, psychosis even, or perhaps almost catatonic depression, as some yogi have presented. (See my descriptions of such yogis in my book: English-Man, Beggar-Man, Holy-Man).

Devotion which derives from or is associated with the East (Hindu, Buddhism and others), is sometimes contrasted in a negative way with the Western scientific civilizations, and traditions of Christian and Jewish monotheism. In regards to some of the New Age practices, they are often contrasted with science or religion, and can be in this basket. Some though, have presented alternative therapy modes, which have become more mainstream, and even for instance, more acceptable to conservative Christians. On the positive, there does seem to be an amalgamating or synthesizing impetus happening, which could lead to total holistic approach to the concept of well-being and awareness. It comes out even in the current “trendy mindfulness” explosion, and the being “woke” stance. This seems good reason to say there is a revolution potential, for practices that have a wide appeal to different of people, who then have a what seems to be new outlook on spiritual searching endeavors. It probably is actually a synthesis of what has gone before, and not a revolution. People now more often, seem to want religion that is non-judgemental, and accepts a variety of beliefs. This is worlds away from fundamentalism, which also fights back to maintain its traditional power base.

to say there is a revolution potential, for practices that have a wide appeal to different of people, who then have a what seems to be new outlook on spiritual searching endeavors. It probably is actually a synthesis of what has gone before, and not a revolution. People now more often, seem to want religion that is non-judgemental, and accepts a variety of beliefs. This is worlds away from fundamentalism, which also fights back to maintain its traditional power base.