Uncovering Spiritual Truths In Psychic Phenomena

B.T
B.T.. SWAMI
SWAMI

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Uncovering Spiritual Truths

in Psychic Phenomena
B.T. SWAMI

HARI-NAMA PRESS

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Copyright 1996 by John E. Favors

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced, stored
in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form, by any means,
including mechanical, electronic, photocopying, recording, or otherwise, without prior written consent of the publisher.
First printing 1996, Second printing 2001
Cover design by Subala / Ecstatic Creations
Cover artwork by Philip Malpass / Goloka Books
The publisher gratefully acknowledges the kind permission of
Goloka Books to incorporate this artwork into the cover design.
Printed in the United States of America

Colleges, universities, corporations, associations and professional

organizations may receive special discounts for bulk purchases of
Spiritual Warrior I.
For more information contact the publisher:
Hari-Nama Press, PO Box 76451, Washington, DC 20013

www.harinamapress.org

Books and Book Series Available

from Hari-Nama Press by Bhakti Tirtha Swami and others
The Leadership for an Age of Higher Consciousness Series
Leadership in any capacity has taken on such awesome
proportions that even the best leaders must find creative
ways to deal with todays complex situations. This series
includes groundbreaking self-help manuals written for
those who seek to develop greater effectiveness in the
leadership process.
The Spiritual Warrior Series
The Spiritual Warrior series arms those who answer the call
with the spiritual weapons they need to battle debilitating
plagues such as depression, anxiety, and hopelessness. B.T.
Swami provides us with a series of simple techniques that
help us maintain proper perspectives, make better decisions,
and achieve uplifting results.
The Beggar Series
Deeply penetrating reflections explore such topics as
patience, humility, love, and compassion. The author
presents these subjects not as quaint musings from
another age but as necessary tools for maintaining sanity
in a world of conflict and stress.
The Reflections On Sacred Teachings Series
Through the books in this series, B.T. Swami helps us delve
deeper into many of the scriptural teachings of the Vaisnava
tradition. In plain, easy to understand language, he allows
the reader to apply texts such as Sri Siksastaka and Harinama Cintamani to daily life. In other words, he provides us
with ancient wisdom for modern times.
Black Lotus: The Spiritual Journey Of An Urban Mystic
This volume explores the life and mission of His Holiness
Bhakti Tirtha Swami, an African-Amerian seeker who
rose from impoverished beginnings to become a dynamic
worldwide spiritual leader. Black Lotus is an uplifting
story enriched by the personal testimony of family, friends,
college professors, mentors, disciples and fellow travelers
on the spiritual path. By Steven Rosen.
Order online @ www.harinamapress.org
Hari-Nama Press, PO Box 76451, Washington, DC 20013

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Uncovering Spiritual Truths

in Psychic Phenomena

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This book is an offering to my spiritual mentor

His Divine Grace A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada.

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cknowledgments

I wish to express deep gratitude and thanks to all the

people that committed much time and effort in the production
of this book. There were many services involved and many
who gave their assistance in the transcribing, typing and
proofing of this book: Yasoda Mensah-Dzomley, Martin
Mensah-Dzomley, James Parks, Courtney Parks, Laurice
Stewart, Olivia Cook, Millard Hawkins, Sylvester Brooks,
Arlene Brooks, Ayodele Brooks, Aisha Abdul-Wakil, Patricia
Jackson, Ida Michael, Krishnanandini Dasi, Eric Akridge, Paul
Ewing, JoAnn Noble, Lisa Ratcliffe, Graham Land, and
Michael Smith.
Special thanks to Steven Rosen, Marilyn Wood, Adam
Kenney, and Paulette Bowles for editing assistance. Stewart
Cannon did the wonderful layout and cover design. I would
also like to thank Phillip Malpass of Goloka Books for his
generosity in again allowing us to use a drawing from the first
volume of Illustrated Bhagavatam Stories as part of our cover
design.

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oreword

One of the great questions facing modern society is how to

reconcile different religious traditions. The conflicts between
competing religious doctrines and metaphysical systems give
strength to the skeptical argument that religion is simply a
product of human imagination, with no basis in truth. Even if
a person wants to follow a spiritual path, what is he to believe?
This book, Spiritual Warrior I, by Bhakti Tirtha Swami,
presents a universal approach to religion and spiritual growth
that attempts to reconcile several important spiritual traditions.
The books underlying philosophy is taken from the Vaisnava
tradition of India. However, the book is aimed primarily at
people influenced by a number of other traditions. These
include Christianity and Islam, the mystery schools of ancient
Egypt, the spiritualistic traditions of Africa, and the many
supernatural and quasi-supernatural manifestations of the
new age.
Two basic approaches to the problem of religious diversity
are the exclusive approach and the inclusive approach.
According to the exclusive approach, ideas which differ from

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a given set of accepted religious doctrines are rejected as

invalid. This approach simplifies things for those who can
fully place their faith in a particular set of doctrines. It can be
of great value for some people, because it allows them to
imbibe the wisdom of their particular tradition without distraction. However, for people who are doubtful and confused by
many conflicting claims, religious exclusivism may act as a
barrier to spiritual progress.
The inclusive approach attempts to unite diverse schools
of thought by combining them together. According to this idea,
different traditions are describing the same reality from different perspectives. Even though some accounts may be
corrupted or adulterated with false material, one can arrive at
a consistent picture of reality by combining different traditions
and noting their strong points and their common features. This
is the method used in this book.
What picture emerges if we try to combine different traditions? Bhakti Tirtha Swami emphasizes a basic three-tiered
picture of reality based on the world of gross matter, the world
of subtle material energy, and the transcendental world of pure
spirit. Paralleling this is a three-tiered picture of ourselves
(and other living beings) as combinations of gross physical
body, subtle mind, and transcendental soul.
All truly spiritual teachings are concerned with the transcendental world. But the subtle realm is important because it
has a great impact on our physical lives. The experiences of
the conscious self after death depend on the subtle energies,
and many religious traditions advocate the goal of attaining
life in subtle heavenly regions. Finally, observations of subtle
phenomena can increase faith in religious scriptures by
providing empirical confirmation of old religious teachings.
Thus, the subtle realm can be seen as a bridge connecting the
world of gross material experience with transcendence.
Unfortunately, many manifestations of the subtle world
seem fantastic from the modern point of view. Modern society
is dominated by the so-called enlightenment paradigm of

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eighteenth century France, in which the rational mechanics of

Isaac Newton was taken as the model for all of reality (a step
Newton himself was not willing to take). Subtle energy also
follows laws, but the flexibility with which these laws are
manipulated by subtle intelligent beings often makes subtle
effects seem absurd or impossible. This makes it difficult for
us to have a clear understanding of subtle phenomena, and it
gives an advantage to materialists who take their stand on the
laws of physics.
Unidentified flying objects (UFOs) are an example of an
apparently absurd or fantastic manifestation. Bhakti Tirtha
Swami integrates UFO aliens into his comprehensive system,
along with angels, Vedic demigods, and other traditional
subtle beings. There is much to be said in favor of this
approach, but it also creates some problems.
With thousands of people claiming they have been
abducted by extraterrestrials (ETs), there can be no doubt that
the UFO phenomenon is real and important. Even total skeptics should regard it as a sociological development worthy of
serious study. But unfortunately, the subject of UFOs is troubled by an overflowing abundance of absurd and contradictory
information. Some of this is due to manmade hoaxing and
disinformation, but some of it also appears to be due to the
UFO phenomenon itself.
Bhakti Tirtha Swami emphasizes that subtle beings are not
necessarily well-motivated. He points out, for example, that
the beings involved in psychic healing may, in some cases, be
harmful in nature. The same considerations apply to UFO
aliens and to channeled communications from various higher
beings. These phenomena may involve real agencies that are
part of the subtle dimension of reality. But some of these agencies may be deceptive or, at the very least, not interested in
giving us the truth. For this reason, it is advisable to place
information deriving from UFO encounters and psychic
phenomena under the heading of empirical data and not
directly incorporate them into a definitive metaphysical
system.

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As empirical data, this information can give useful

insights showing the relevance of old scriptures that many
people regard as mythological. For example, Bhakti Tirtha
Swami describes UFO mother-ships that are involved in the
guidance of affairs on this planet.
It is interesting to note that mother-ships are clearly
described in ancient sanskrit texts. For example, the Shiva
Purana describes three flying cities created by an engineering
genius from another planet, named Maya Danava. It goes on
to remark that Aerial chariots shining like the solar sphere,
set with Padmaraga stones, moving in all directions and looking like moonshine, illuminated the cities. Modern accounts
also describe a large craft surrounded by smaller glowing
vehicles.
Bhakti Tirtha Swami points out that religious truth should
be evaluated on the basis of authorized scripture, living saints,
and bona fide spiritual masters, or gurus. When pursuing the
inclusive approach to the problem of religious diversity, there
is always the danger of adulterating the knowledge that this
three-fold process is intended to conserve. But one can avoid
this problem by carefully distinguishing between different
categories of evidence.
The basic claim of religion is that knowledge of spiritual
truths beyond our sensory grasp is descending to us from the
spiritual world through the aid of various higher beings. At the
same time, there are beings more powerful than ourselves who
are deceptive and inimical. This means that we ultimately have
to develop the power to discriminate between different sources
of information. Bhakti Tirtha Swami emphasizes the need of
personal purification to attain this power of discrimination.
For pessimists, I should remark here that even though it may
seem very difficult to do this, a world view that allows for the
possibility of obtaining real spiritual knowledge is much more
encouraging than the world view of gross materialism, which
reduces all knowledge to meaningless patterns of interacting
atoms.
The idea of organized deception brings us to another

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theme of Bhakti Tirtha Swamis book: the role of various

manipulators in controlling and exploiting human populations.
According to some conspiracy theories, secret organizations
of humans are controlling ostensibly democratic governments,
and these secret societies may have connections with
unfriendly extraterrestrials. This is clearly an idea fraught with
paranoia and disinformation.
It is also a very old idea. For example, the concept of ETs
controlling human governments can be found in the ancient
sanskrit literature of India. The basic plot of the historical epic
called the Mahabharata is that the earth was once taken over
by ETs who took birth in earthly royal families and consolidated their power in the human kingdoms of their day. In
response, the demigods, led by Krishna, also took birth on the
earth and engaged in a struggle to drive out the inimical forces.
The idea of a struggle between forces of good and evil is
found in many religious traditions, and in the Vaisnava or
Vedic tradition of India it appears as the battle between the
devas (demigods) and the asuras (demons). Bhakti Tirtha
Swami maintains that such a battle is going on now on this
planet. He connects this with millenarianismthe idea that as
the twentieth century draws to a close, there will be a period
of turmoil and disaster culminating in a new age of enhanced
spirituality on this planet.
There are many rather doubtful prophecies about coming
earth changes, and the date of 2000 A.D. is tied explicitly to
Christian chronology. But this date is given some confirmation
by a sanskrit text called the Brahma Vaivarta Purana. There,
the goddess Ganges asks Krishna what her destiny will be in
the age of Kali, after Krishna departs. He tells her that for
5,000 years, people will be relieved of their sins by bathing in
her waters. He then points out that sins are immediately
reduced to ashes by association with pure devotees of Krishna
who chant His holy names. Krishna says that His devotees will
be on earth for 10,000 years of Kali. According to traditional
Indian chronology, 5,000 years of the age of Kali have now

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passed. So it is time for the 10,000 year period of Krishnas

devotees to begin.
After describing many categories of intelligent beings in
the universe, all with unique natures and desires, the ancient
text called the Srimad Bhagavatam pointed out that due to the
great variety of desires and natures among human beings,
there are many different theistic philosophies of life, which are
handed down through tradition, custom and disciplic succession. There are other teachers who directly support atheistic
viewpoints.
The great variety of religions is evidence of our inner
diversity as conscious beings. But just as we all share a
common spiritual essence, the ultimate spiritual purpose of all
great religions is the same. To bring out this ultimate purpose
in the context of diverse contemporary concerns is the goal of
Bhakti Tirtha Swamis book. This is certainly an important
goal in these troubled times.
Dr. Richard L. Thompson,
Bhaktivedanta Institute
Author of: Alien Identities: Ancient Insights
into Modern UFO Phenomena

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ditors preface

Spiritual Warrior I: Uncovering Spiritual Truths in

Psychic Phenomena consists of lectures given by His Holiness
Bhakti Tirtha Swami (Swami Krishnapada) to a wide variety
of live, radio and television audiences around the world, over
a period of several years. Because the topics were originally
presented in spoken form, the style is conversational and
informal. In the editing process, we have modified the text to
enhance readability, yet sought to preserve some of the verbal
nuances that would maintain the mood of the original presentations. By so doing, we hope to create an atmosphere that
literally makes you part of the audience, where you can experience the powerful presence of the speaker as he shares essential nourishment for the soul.
We would like to mention a few other stylistic considerations. In the course of his discussions, Bhakti Tirtha Swami
includes perspectives from many different spiritual philosophies, however because his audiences are composed mainly of
people in the Christian and Vedic traditions, he makes the most
extensive references to these scriptures. At times he uses

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Sanskrit terminology from the Vedas, a vast body of ancient

scriptures originating from the area of the world known today
as India. We have translated and removed these terms wherever possible, but where the use of the terms seemed important
to the point, we endeavored to explain them within the context
of the discussion. Also, the end of each chapter includes a few
of the many questions and answers exchanged during the original lectures. We hope that these will respond to some of the
concerns that may arise in the course of your reading. These
discussions between Bhakti Tirtha Swami and the audience
may also give you different angles from which to view the
topics presented.
Since the printing of Spiritual Warrior I in 1996, we have
also printed Spiritual Warrior II: Transforming Lust into Love
and Spiritual Warrior III: Solace for the Heart in Difficult
Times. All three books, along with the authors other titles, have
or are being translated into eight other languages: Russian,
Croatian, Spanish, Dutch, Italian, French, Polish and German.
Over the years, Hari-Nama Press has received thousands of
letters from readers around the world expressing appreciation
for the authors writings and the consciousness raising work he
has spearheaded in the international community.
In the spirit of trying to connect more with the readers of
Spiritual Warrior I, the editors have added to this second
edition an additional sharing exchange that Bhakti-Tirtha
Swami had with one of his audiences.
The information presented within these pages is extremely
rare, and we hope you will make the most of the knowledge
they contain. If you take these teachings seriously, they can
transform your life into a most sublime, loving adventure.

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uthors preface

We are living in an era when everything that can go wrong

is going wrong, yet at the same time miracles and extraordinary events are becoming commonplace. These occurrences
reflect the increasing polarization of consciousness on the
planet: opportunities for total absorption exist on either end of
the pious-impious continuum. This era is very special. Despite
strong negative influences, an upgrading of global consciousness is taking place. Barriers between planetary dimensions
are being removed to allow assistance in ushering in a New
Agean age of spiritual rejuvenation and enlightenment.
As we enter the twenty-first century, millions of people
around the world have begun to have mystical or psychic
experiences. Many more who have not consciously experienced such happenings are aware of the phenomena and are
open to learning more. Even those who previously claimed
disbelief in the topic find themselves reflecting more on the
possibilities as they face ongoing exposure through the media.
Metaphysical subject matter has established its identity on

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television, on the radio and in many diverse publications ranging from prestigious scientific journals to comic books.
Paranormal experiences will increase as philosophers and religionists more closely examine universal truths, as people ask
more soul-searching questions and as modern technology taps
more subtle levels of awareness.
The purpose of this book is two-fold. The first is to present
information that will encourage the reader to view the world
from a perspective that is little explored, a perspective transcendental to conventional material or metaphysical analyses.
The second purpose is to provide answers to long-unanswered
questions and to stimulate new questions to assist us in raising
our standards and goals. As we increase our standards, we will
hold ourselves and others more accountable. Three important
themes throughout the book are 1) the distinction between
positive and negative psychic phenomena, 2) the distinctions
among the physical, astral, and spiritual realms, and 3) our
ability to create our own realities based on our consciousness.
We must all be spiritual warriors armed with practical knowledge and skills to spiritually fortify us during these challenging times. In this way, we will be preparing for the
transformation to come and can serve as agents of positive
change. Those who are willing to make this commitment to
spiritual growth will benefit the most from this book.

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Chapter

reams: a state of reality

On the average, people spend at least one-third of their

lives asleep. While asleep, all of us dream, although we may
not remember our dreams. It is important to understand
exactly what is occurring while we are in that altered state so
that we can use that time of sleep to enhance our functioning
in the waking state.

The Body, the Astral Body and the Soul

Ancient scriptures tell us that man is more than the physical body. In fact, we have two bodies: the physical and the
astral, or subtle. But we are the soul! According to the ancient
Vedic scriptures of India, the size of the soul is 1/10,000 the
tip of a strand of hair. It is located in the heart region and is the
actual life force. The physical, as well as the astral or subtle
body, acts as a covering or costume that the soul wears in its
journey throughout the material sphere. As we pass from

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costume to costume or from body to body through the process

known as reincarnation, the impressions of previous lives
imprint themselves on the subtle body and are carried with us
during each lifetime. In the dream state, activity in the subtle
body becomes more dominant than activity in the physical
body. Our dream experiences are often impressions accumulated from many lifetimes.

Four Types of Dreams

Dreams can be classified in many different ways. We will
examine four types. The first concerns dreams that occur as a
result of physiological stimulation. Although your body is
asleep, your senses are still active, allowing sensory stimulation to enter into and influence your mind. For example, you
hear a train whistle which is internalized in the subconscious
and becomes a fire engine in your dream.
The second category involves thoughts that are dormant in
the subconscious. Whatever you think about often becomes
impressed upon your subconscious mind. You are not
conscious of these thoughts in the waking state, they are lying
dormant; but during sleep, when the conscious mind is at rest,
these thoughts express themselves. The mind is still active
when the physical body is asleep so the thoughts have an
outlet for free expression. What you experience while asleep is
often a release that did not, or could not, take place in the
waking state. Dreams can give you a clue regarding what you
are preoccupied with internally and the degree to which you
are being affected by your various environments.
The third type of dream concerns the predominating
thoughts you have when you are awake. If, for example, you
are impoverished and constantly hungry, most of your dreams
will be about food and finding food. In Western society, the
two most dominating concerns are work and sex, so most
dreams will be focused around these. A person who concen-

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trates a great deal on the opposite sex will experience more

sensual dreams than one who does not have this focus. The
images portrayed in the media also heavily impact our
thoughts, when we are awake and asleep. Sometimes ones
dreams are about family, depending on how close the family
relationship is. Often, when people in a close relationship are
separated, they can contact each other in the dream state.
Many times situations you experience or people you know are
on your mind when you go to sleep, which directs the course
of your dreams.
The fourth category of dreams involves those that help to
work out karma, that is, lessons that are to be experienced in
this lifetime. Sometimes, dreams can be used as a medium to
play out the karma that one has accumulated. Situations that
would normally have had to be lived through in the waking
state can be quickly worked through in the dreaming state,
thus saving time. The dream medium can also provide the
opportunity for advanced beings to chastise you. This serves
two functions: one, it saves time because the dynamics do not
have to be played out in the physical realm and two, the
lessons learned through the subtle body penetrate the soul
more thoroughly, leaving lasting impressions.

Outside the Body

When ones subtle body travels outside of the physical
body during the dream state, this experience is sometimes
referred to as lucid dreaming. When metaphysicians are able
to do this at will, the phenomenon is called astral projection or
astral traveling: the ability to consciously leave the physical
body and project the subtle body beyond its physical limitations. There are systems derived from ancient schools, such as
the Vedic and the Egyptian traditions, that teach this as an
exacting science. Students are taught to move beyond the
limits of the physical body to tune into more subtle levels. This

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perspective places emphasis on the fact that one is more than

the body and that there are numerous levels of reality that
allow many higher connections to be made.
There is beauty as well as danger when you deal with the
subtle realms. The beauty is that you can have realizations,
revelations, and experiences that can carry over into the
waking state. The danger is that you can expose yourself to
negative influences. There are many positive as well as negative entities that infiltrate ones consciousness while dreaming
or disturb one during astral travel. Often they appear in the
form of family members or close friends. There are also beings
on the subtle plane that are in the habit of engaging the sleeping person in unwanted sexual activity.
Ghosts, or disembodied beings, are one type of negative
disturbance. A ghost is a living being that has left its previous
body prematurely due to events such as suicide or murder and
has been denied access to a physical body. Because the desire
to enjoy is a fundamental characteristic of the soul, the subtle
body seeks any opportunity to inhabit a physical body to satiate its gross desire for sense gratification. When people allow
their aura to vibrate on the lower frequencies through activities such as drug or alcohol use, they become likely candidates
for contact with these disembodied entities.
As you open up spiritually, your subtle body has a particular effulgence which attracts entities from both the divine and
negative natures. You become more sensitive and aware of
everything. You become more intuitive and have more experiences in the dream state. If there are messages you should
receive, the impressions will always be there, even when you
are asleep, and you will act on them without consciously being
aware of it. If a communication is really meant for your
growth, even though you may forget it or may not be able to
understand its significance, it will still have an effect on your
consciousness. Ultimately, both the positive and negative
experiences are quality tests to assess your level of sincerity.

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Influencing the Unseen

There are things that you can do to protect yourself from
negative influences during sleep. It is helpful to hang a picture
of a saintly person in your home since everything has energy
in it. Place a picture of a spiritually advanced person behind
your bed as if it is overseeing your physical body. The more
spiritually advanced the person, the more potency there is in
that persons photograph, and the more of that potency can be
summoned to your aid. Negative entities will not feel comfortable disturbing you with a saints picture hovering over your
head.
When you enter an environment that is different from your
normal sleeping environment, remember that every single
dwelling has the energy of the people that frequent it. Some
people, especially those who are spiritually oriented, find it
difficult to rest soundly in hotels and motels. They are
disturbed by the impure energy permeating those environments, even if the place has not been used for many months. It
is healthy to purify these types of environments by playing
tapes of spiritual music. By chanting, meditating, or even
putting up spiritual pictures for the duration of your stay, you
can transform the area into a place that actually augments your
spiritual consciousness. If nothing is done to spiritualize the
atmosphere, it will be like walking into a room filled with
poisonous fumes. The converse of this is also true: by sleeping
in a spiritually surcharged atmosphere, dreams that offer spiritual realization and assistance can be obtained.
If someone is frequently under attack by negative entities,
it is because of a polluted consciousness that needs to be
upgraded. A negative entity dislikes visiting a clean mind as
much as a rat dislikes going to a clean place. You can purify
your consciousness by following the aforementioned suggestions and by maintaining stricter spiritual practices. Putting up
spiritual paraphernalia around the home and not allowing any
negative activity to go on in the environment can help you

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greatly. This may mean asking friends and loved ones to

refrain from drinking, smoking, taking drugs, gossiping, or
doing any activity that does not encourage spiritual thought
and action.
If you are sensitive and find that you are constantly under
attack, have nightmares, or feel your body regularly trespassed
upon, it may not necessarily be due to entities that are cruel or
vicious, but to ones that are seeking love and support, or are
just childish and mischievous. In these cases, you can kindly
and compassionately address the entity in your mind and
invite it to meditate with you in your sacred space. Engage it
in some spiritual activity, giving it a little push in the right
direction. If your love and devotion are sufficient, you can
literally liberate that soul from its state of bondage or incoherence. These entities need sufficient love and light to upgrade
themselves and become spiritually successful. If the entities
are vicious, fear gives them strength. As a spiritual warrior and
light bearer, a loving person can fight such an entity in order
to release its soul and send it on its way.

Maximizing Your Rest Period

It is important to remember that when the body tells you to
sleep or rest, it does so because it needs time to rejuvenate
itself. Therefore, getting proper rest will help all aspects of
existence. Our eating habits have a significant impact on our
lives, too. If you eat heavily before going to bed, your body
has to work harder to digest the food. It does not get the rest it
needs, and thus, you are more likely to experience negative
dreams. Try to eat no later than three hours before lying down.
If you want to maximize the nourishing benefits of sleep, you
should try to go to bed before 10 p.m. The most powerful
hours to nourish the body through sleep are between ten and
twelve at night. Some of you who sleep a lot and still feel tired
should try altering the hours of sleep. If you want to sleep

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fewer hours and still get quality sleep, then sleeping between
ten and twelve at night is best.
Consider your state of mindyour consciousnessbefore
going to sleep. This is extremely important. Make a commitment to spend at least fifteen minutes spiritualizing your
consciousness before going to bed. Read something spiritual,
listen to spiritual discourse or music, or engage in discussion
on a spiritual topic. Push aside the chaos and confusion that
were a part of your day, and focus on spiritual reality. In this
way, you will prepare yourself for the next six to eight hours
of sleep. If you allow yourself to focus spiritually, you will
provide less of an opportunity for negative elements to enter
your dreams. You can then benefit most from your sleeping
state.
Sleep can also assist with problem resolution. You would
be amazed to know that many major discoveries in human
history have resulted from revelations that occur upon arising.
People first reflect on a particular problem before resting.
During sleep, they concentrate on the problem on an unconscious level. When they awaken, they have the resolution to
the conflict or problem. Part of what happens when the physical body is at rest is that you become more receptive to higher
beings that serve as your guides. No one is a solitary agent. We
all have various types of guides who assist us. Most important,
there is a form of God in everyones heart, and when you put
the physical body to rest, you make closer contact with the
Lord in the heart and with your higher self.

Maximizing Your Dreams

Most people do not remember what happens during the
dream state. One useful technique to help you retain your
dream experiences is to lie still when you wake up. Once you
move your body, you integrate back into the physical dimension and you lose contact with the subtle realm. When you

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awaken, before getting out of bed, immediately reflect upon

your experiences of the night before. If you wait even five
minutes, you will forget. Some people keep a journal by the
bed to record and later interpret their dreams.
Keep in mind that the practice of dream interpretation is
not generally useful for spiritual advancement. There is a
current trend where people are encouraged to write down
every single dream and analyze every symbol. This practice
can be misleading because each component in a dream can
have varied meanings. Look at the example of a snake. A
snake is interpreted in different ways by different cultures. In
parts of the world where snakes are seen all the time, they do
not stimulate fear as they do in this country. In other parts of
the world, snakes are part of rituals and are considered sacred.
There is not one universal meaning of a snake in a dream.
People codify things and events as positive or negative based
on culture. Even within a culture there can be variations of
codification. Thus, dream analysis by the average person often
can lead to confusion due to personal speculation and mental
gymnastics.
There are many spiritually advanced people who, due to
long-standing practices such as meditation, have caused their
subtle body to become more sensitive. Thus, they may have
certain insight into dreams. However, this is not the case for
most people. Dreams that are of distinct spiritual significance
should be given attention. Do not be concerned with interpreting mundane dreams that you may experience. Examine
dream patterns and what they mean to you personally. You are
the director of your dreams in most cases, and so when you
have certain kinds of dreams you can discover their meanings.
One beneficial way to use your dreams is to direct them to
areas of your personal and spiritual growth. As you enter into
the dream state in a spiritual consciousness, you are more
likely to have a dream that is productive and that will accelerate your growth. This usually requires the guidance of someone who is spiritually advanced. As you raise your

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consciousness, this process will get progressively easier.

However, it is quite difficult if you are a spiritual neophyte.
Also, if you raise your vibration to become more conscious of
what you think in the daytime, you can have more positive
dreams.
As your consciousness becomes more developed, you
must become sensitively attuned to your inner and outer environment so you can receive higher knowledge and guidance.
Some of you will be given spiritual guidance through the
medium of dreams. A very significant dream of this caliber
occurs between the disciple or student and the mentor or spiritual master. Often, there is a need for the spiritual master to
warn the disciple or to give certain types of lessons that may
not be easy to receive under normal circumstances. In such a
situation, the communication will occur through the medium
of the dream. Because you have been made aware of the
opportunity for spiritual growth provided by dreams, you now
will automatically receive more assistance from your spiritual
guides when you are dreaming.
As mentioned, dreams can give you clues to what you are
most concerned about and how you are being affected by what
is going on around you. In general, you should just try to
become more spiritual in your waking state and you will have
more spiritual dreams. As you grow spiritually, you will find
yourself teaching more as you learn more. Your learning and
your teaching will take place even in your sleep.

Questions and Answers

Question: How can we raise the vibrations in our homes
to affect dreams in a positive way?
Answer: Because your house is your sanctuary, try to
make your house a place of worship and behave in your home
as an example to others. Dont let anyone come into your

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house who engages in activities like drinking or using drugs.

Dont even let others feel comfortable smoking just because
you love them or because they are close to you. You want to
share the best you have with anyone who comes into your
home. You wouldnt want to invite people into your home and
give them poison such as alcohol or drugs or watch them take
such toxic substances and just sit back and smile. You want
those who come to your house to be elevated by the energy
prevalent there. The concern and love they feel in your house
will inspire them to make changes in their own lives.
Dont feel intimidated about taking these measures,
because if you really care about someone, you must remain
unconcerned about how the person may perceive you. Friends
or family members may feel disturbed that you wont take
drugs, drink alcohol, or even eat meat with them, and that you
wont let them do these things in your home. However,
remember that caring about other people means that you dont
want to see them do harm to themselves. If a person doesnt
want to associate with you anymore, then you dont need that
kind of association.
One of the most potent ways to spiritualize the home is to
create a sacred space, an altar, or a room used only for meditation, prayer, or spiritual reading. If space is limited, a bookshelf or a corner will do. This is the place to keep your
spiritual books and pictures and should be the place where you
burn your candles and incense. Your sacred place will become
an area of high spiritual vibrations which will affect the entire
house, thereby attracting pious personalities. Having a sacred
space will also remind you that your home belongs to God and
that you are simply the caretaker of it.
Question: You talked about how outside experiences can
influence our dreams. I had several unusual dreams after reading a book about a person who used to go into trance states. A
lot of strange phenomena also began to occur like glass
exploding or I would hear voices softly calling my name. So

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many strange things happened that now I refuse to read a book

unless it has a strong spiritual message.
Answer: Just as there are higher beings who spread spiritual messages throughout the atmosphere by means of books,
films, music, and other mass media, there are beings of a
demonic nature who try to slow down the progress on this
planet through these media. Exposure to books and media of
this type can have a negative effect on you. Some of you may
have experienced nightmares or other problems after reading
or viewing such material. If you are a little psychic, their activities will have an even greater impact, because the more
psychic you are, the greater the possibility of intrusion from
the surroundings. Some of these entities are from other planets and some originate from the center of this planet. They are
causing many problems in our culture. To counteract this,
some of the beings of a higher nature write books or oversee
the writing of books that enhance ones spiritual development.
These books are considered fiction in a secular market but
actually help to expand awareness of higher realms. These
writers know that they will stimulate some readers and help
unfold some karma.
Sensitive people must become more discerning about
where they go, what they read, and with whom they associate.
They are more likely to be drained by negative environments
and are more likely to feel stimulated by positive influences.
When negativity is present, more discrimination is necessary.
Do not just read anything or go anywhere. If you pick up a
book and experience an unusual sensation, put it down, especially if you are dealing with occult subjects. You may be
negatively affected. Thoughts are saturated with energies that
can intrude immediately or hover around you until they have
an opportunity to take advantage of you. Thought forms that
surround you at a particular moment may wait until a later
time to affect you.

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Question: How do we attract help from higher personalities through our dreams?
Answer: Since dreams are influenced by the predominant
activities and mental preoccupations of the waking state, in
order to attract higher beings you must engage in consciously
higher activities. If we spend our days speaking verbal
garbage and engaging in activities that do harm to ourselves
and other living entities, why would any being of a higher
vibration want to associate with us in our dreams or otherwise? Thus, if we raise the vibrations of our surroundings by
meditating and acting according to a higher standard, utilizing
prayer and focusing on helping others, we will be guided by
those whose role it is to assist souls in their spiritual development.

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Chapter

earching for paradise

Because much of the traditional sacred information about

the Supreme Lord and our interconnection with Him is no
longer easily accessible on this planet, there is a great deal of
misunderstanding about spiritual topics. One such area of
confusion concerns what heaven is and what the kingdom of
God is. We will examine this distinction beginning with a
discussion of the material universe. By better understanding
the material universe, we can better appreciate and understand
the heavenly planets and the spiritual world.

Where in the Universe Are We?

According to the Vedas, the universe in which the earth is
situated consists of a fourteen-planet system. The specific
planets are categorized into three areas: higher planets, middle
planets and lower planets. The lower or hellish planets are
abodes of extreme chastisement for the purpose of rectifica-

SWI.qxd 1/7/03 12:36 AM Page 26

tion. The medium planets are the earth-like planets. The higher
planets are those heavenly kingdoms that people sometimes
call Heaven. Above all these planetary systems is the kingdom
of God, or the spiritual world, which is anti-material in nature
and has nothing to do with the mundane world. Science,
specifically exobiology, says that there are billions of other
universes, many of which contain life molecules. Our planet is
actually like a speck of dust floating in one of the smallest
universes in the creation. By considering our minute position
in the larger scheme, we can be more open to aspects of this
discussion that may seem completely outside of everyday
reality.

Agents of the Lord

In every universe, there are agents in charge of overseeing
the basic functioning of the material energy. They all work
under the Supreme Lord. The Lord is not actively involved in
the creation and maintenance of these universes. Agents of the
Lord called demigods are responsible for these environments.
They oversee the material universes under the Lords jurisdiction [see chapter three].
One such agent is called Brahma. Different names are
given to the same being according to different traditions. In the
Vedic tradition, Brahma is the name of the agent that is
assigned the duty of creation, a chore we usually ascribe to the
Supreme Lord. Moreover, he is responsible for overseeing
some of the heavenly kingdoms and resides in the highest of
heavenly kingdoms. There is a different Brahma for each
universe. When people speak of God the Creator, they are
actually referring to Brahma (by whatever name each respective culture chooses to call him). He is not God but is serving
a function on behalf of God.
Brahmas post is given to an agent who sometimes falls
from higher abodes or falls from the spiritual kingdom but

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does not fall very low. At other times, the post is given to a
being who is almost 100 percent perfect but has not
completely transcended the tendency to be in control. Such a
soul is given a chance to channel those desires by being a cocreator with God and being responsible for seeing that the
material manifestation of the universes take place in the proper
manner. Everyone has had the opportunity to occupy the same
post as Brahma, but because of association with material
energy, cannot remember. Some of you may have had that post
for millions of lifetimes.
Brahma has a life span of 311,000,040,000,000 (311 trillion 40 million) years. Such a number may seem fantastic, but
consider how your view of time and space is relative to your
body. A small ant would see the distance from one wall to the
other as being tremendous, but to an elephant it would be just
a few steps. What to speak of those beings who are the size of
a planet, or of those beings who are the sun, the moon, and the
earth? Yes, the earth that we call Mother is itself a living entity.
Just as you are a universe with living entities, like bacteria,
inside of you, so too is this planet. When you start letting your
mind consider these things freely, you will see that there are so
many aspects of space, time, and different dimensions, and
that it is all relative.
Since Brahma is a material being, albeit a very advanced
one, he too leaves his body at the end of his life span. When
he leaves his body after 311 trillion years, all creation is annihilated in his particular universe. Every four billion years, all
the planetary systems are completely destroyed, including the
top heavenly planets. Within those four billion year periods,
there are fourteen distinct intervals of temporary annihilation.
This is the rhythm within which organized and systematic
creation, maintenance, and annihilation take place. Every two
thousand years, there are also some major shake-ups. Those on
the earth planet are in the introductory phases of a major
shake-up that is about to come to a head very soon. Many of
you have come to this particular planet and universe at this

SWI.qxd 1/7/03 12:36 AM Page 28

time to play a role in this transformation. Exposure to this type

of knowledge will help you to unfold and understand your
future purpose.

The Eternal Cycle of Four Ages

Each universe experiences a cycle of four different ages,
called yugas in sanskrit, that are much like the seasonal
changes present on earth. Just as the seasons are characterized
by the amount of light and heat available, the yugas are distinguished by the amount of God-consciousness that the residents
are exhibiting at the time. Their consciousness ultimately
influences the general life span, mental state, and standard of
living available to the population. We are presently in the
fourth age, called the age of quarrel and dissension in some
teachings, an age of massive chaos and pandemonium. This
age is called Kali in the Vedic scriptures. This is a time marked
by more intrusion from the subtle plane in the form of fairies,
disembodied spirits, ghosts, and other entities. In this age,
many people are possessed and people exhibit their most
animalistic tendencies.
During Kali yuga one can expect to live at most up to one
hundred years or so, but as the age progresses, a person will be
considered old at age thirty. Consider a teenage girl who has
led a rough life of prostitution and drug and alcohol abuse. She
could easily look twice her age. Thus, our lifestyle, our
thoughts, and how we take care of the physical and subtle
bodies has an effect on how the aging process manifests in our
bodies. People will become so gross, and life will become so
hellish that despite scientific advancements, life spans will
continue to decrease.
We are only five thousand years into Kali yuga. It is scheduled to last for approximately 430,000 years before the general
process comes to a conclusion and we move into the next
cycle. There is much to expect with the end of this cycle. The

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Vedas describe much famine, drought, and starvation, so much

so that people will become cannibals. Dont be shocked; there
are hundreds of thousands of people who practice cannibalism
right now. There are people in governments around the world
who make human sacrifices and sometimes eat certain human
organs as a way of obtaining power. In fact, many cosmetics
presently on the market contain human tissue from fetuses,
with the claim that these will slow down the aging process and
rejuvenate the skin. Whether you use human organs for dinner,
cosmetics, or something else, it is still human tissue, and to use
it in these ways is demonic.
In this age of quarrel, little children carry guns to school as
a way of solving arguments or protecting themselves. This is
an age when the retort Im going to blow your head off must
be taken seriously. When people reach into their pocket to pull
something out, it is no longer just brass knuckles or a chain; in
many cases it is a gun or a knife. These signs show that this
age is moving rapidly, even though we are only a few thousand
years into it.
The age before Kali was called Dvapara yuga, and its
duration was about 800,000 years. This age was more Godoriented. People lived to about one thousand years of age. The
Bible speaks of Methuselahs longevity; at that time, people
were graced with a longer life span. The physical size of
people was also larger when the spirituality was deeper.
Descriptions exist of the Sons of God, who were angelic entities that many would consider to be giants. Over time as the
spirituality decreased, so did everything else. The memory, the
intelligence, the compassion, the love, and the longevity all
began to decrease.
The age before Dvapara was the Treta yuga which lasted
about 1,300,000 years. In this age, people lived to be about
100,000 years old, and they practiced elaborate spiritual rituals. The age prior to that was called Satya, or the golden age.
This age lasted for almost 2,000,000 years, and the citizens of
this age were the most God-conscious of all.

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Everything is an aggregate of individual and collective

consciousness. In different periods of history, a certain kind of
personality predominates; the souls in those periods have similar experiences. For example, the souls that were very active
during the 1960s have similar mentalities. Adults who were
born during the baby boom have similar perspectives and life
goals. There is a certain mentality among the present-day children. This situation occurs because specific souls come at
particular times according to the work they have to do; therefore there are some similar patterns.

Paradise Found?
Now that we have a better understanding of the functioning of the our universes, lets examine the heavenly planets.
We said earlier that there is a difference between the kingdom
of God and the heavenly planets. In the Koran when Prophet
Muhammad made his ascension, he traveled with the Angel
Gabriel first to the lower hellish planets and then to the heavenly kingdoms up to the Seventh Heaven, which is the highest
material planet. At that point, Angel Gabriel could not go with
him any further. Prophet Muhammad then went to SidratilMuntaha, which is beyond the heavens; it is in the spiritual
world, the abode of Allah. There he had personal association
with Allah. Angel Gabriel wasnt allowed to go to that level
because he was not properly qualified. Prophet Muhammad
was able to have that experience because of his level of purity
and dedication to the will of Allah.
When we talk about heaven, we are talking about places or
states where intensified and unceasing pleasure is available.
These experiences are available from the earth level up to
higher planetary systems. Although such a place is called
paradise, we are not really talking about the place where the
Supreme Lord resides. We must make this distinction. When
the Bible states that God created the heavens and the earth, one

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may wonder where God was situated when the heavens were
being created. It can be logically concluded that there is a
difference between the heavens and where the Lord resides.
The heavens are a part of the material creation. The Lord
resides in the spiritual world.
How is one chosen to go to heaven? The key determinant
is ones consciousness. There are three basic modes or principles that permeate the material atmosphere and influence our
consciousness. Based on our desires, one of the three modes
will have a predominant influence on our mentality and consequent actions. The first or lowest mode is the mode of ignorance, which leads one to be aggressive, obnoxious, unclean,
animalistic, exploitative, lazy, and manipulative. Those in this
mode enjoy inflicting pain on others. People who have mainly
lived under that influence will go to a hellish environment
when they leave their bodies at death. They must spend some
time there for serious adjustment and rectification.
Then there is the mode of passion. Persons in this mode
are very attached to material gain, success, fame, and power.
Those individuals are attached to family life and the material
environment. Those who leave the body while in the mode of
passion will normally come back to an environment that is
predominantly self-centered. Such a place is actually not hell,
but surely it is not a heaven.
The mode of goodness influences one to be pious, religious, philanthropic, compassionate and ethical. People in this
mode try to love their neighbors as themselves. They are
usually vegetarians and are greatly concerned with the earth
and its inhabitants. When they leave their bodies, they have
many opportunities to go to the heavenly kingdoms for various types of pleasurable experiences, which are like extended
vacations. However, even residing in the heavenly kingdoms
with all of their pleasures is only temporary. It is the payment
you get for the pious activity performed.
It is difficult to go directly from the heavenly kingdom to
the spiritual world because the lack of duality and suffering in

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the heavenly environments prevents the inhabitants from fully

depending on the Lord. There isnt much opportunity for
devotional service to the Supreme. In our present environment
among the earth-like planets, there is more duality and
contrast. The transitory nature of life on earth often increases
ones frustration and determination to get beyond the temporary. Such a situation makes it more likely that one will cry out
to God. Thus, it is less difficult to go directly from the earth
planet to the spiritual abode than to go from the heavenly planets to the spiritual abode.

What Are the Heavens Like?

Although our responsibility is to lead you to the spiritual
world rather than the heavenly kingdoms, we will describe
some things about the heavenly kingdoms. The Bible
describes heaven as a place full of light where there is no
sorrow, or pain; there is only joy. In the Koran, or more specifically, in the Hadees-E-Qudsi, the heavenly kingdoms are also
discussed. According to the Hadees-E-Qudsi, when one goes
to the heavenly kingdoms, one will never age past thirty-three
years. People typically dont like to grow old, especially when
the aging process brings on all kinds of bodily and mental
dysfunctions. So in the higher pleasure abodes you will not
have to experience old age. Here one is constantly pursuing
sexual involvement because orgasm is basically one of the
highest of pleasures in these realms. In the Koranic description
of the heavenly planets, it is stated that a man will be able to
enjoy seventy virgins and that each person will have 80,000
servants. There are amazingly gorgeous women and extremely
handsome men. Your sexual experiences on earth would be
like pain when compared with those pleasures. In terms of
childbearing, when there is a desire for procreation in the
heavenly kingdoms, a child can be brought forth in a matter of
minutes. The child is not a small baby, but a healthy and

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vibrant youth. There is also a special kind of intoxication there

that doesnt leave an unpleasant aftereffect.
In the higher of the heavenly planets, the living entities
sometimes live for millions of years, and in the highest of
these, the living entities live for trillions of years. (Keep in
mind, however, that this is all relative. Its all a matter of the
time frame in which we view things as to whether we consider
a time period to be short or long.) Many of the mystic abilities
for which we hanker in the material world are common attributes of the beings of the heavenly kingdoms. They have the
ability to make their bodies very small or very large, or even
very light. Some of the heavenly beings can enter into this
environment and reorient their atoms and molecules in order
to manifest in certain ways. Some of these entities have the
ability to travel to other planets or other universes and the ability to acquire things from outside of their immediate environment instantaneously.
Entities of the higher kingdoms have all of these abilities.
These are just normal for themthe science of energy conversion. Some people who are now in this universe have the ability to summon souls back into their bodiescommonly called
bringing the dead back to lifejust as Ezekiel, Elijah and
Jesus did. All of the demigods have this ability. Some of you
have a hunger for mystic perfection because of the association
that you have had in the past with agents of those heavenly
kingdoms. You have an insatiable desire once again to be able
to function on that level. Because of being too preoccupied
with these mystic perfections, you have been denied access to
them so there can be a focus on the real homework you are to
do here. If you want to focus on these perfections while on
earth, when you leave here you will go back to the heavenly
planets where those kinds of abilities are common.
In these higher planetary systems, a different aspect of
God is worshiped according to the evolution of the beings on
that particular planet. In some environments, the aspect of God
with which people are familiar is the god of the sun, the god

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of the moon, the god of water, or the god of air. We can see the
influence on this planet because even here some people are
worshiping one of these aspects of the Godhead. In some cases
its due to some previous experience on a planet where that
particular aspect is dominant and worshiped with reverence
and distinction.
If the heavenly environment sounds exciting to you, then
maybe thats what you need to pursue in this lifetime. If it
doesnt sound quite so exciting, consider that there is something even beyond that environment. These descriptions of the
heavenly realms can give some stimulation, if you want it.
Remember, though, that youll be settling for a mere vacation,
because life in the heavenly planets has to come to an end.
Sometimes after a vacation is over, you get more work than
you ever expected, and you may even question if it was wise
to have taken that vacation in the first place.

Opportunities for Higher Contacts

The challenges you meet on earth and in the heavenly
planets are all part of the growth experience you undergo in
your endeavor to return to your original home in the spiritual
kingdom. According to what you need for your own acceleration, certain kinds of impressions, realizations, and associations will come to you. Why seek to acquire mystical abilities
when their possession does not necessarily imply wisdom?
Knowledge can and should lead to wisdom. Wisdom means
you go beyond the mundane and material into deeper
consciousness to open up the heart. Wisdom means you no
longer look aimlessly for God, the angels, or the higher beings,
because you begin to realize that they were always with and
around you. You were just not allowing yourself to see, hear,
or associate with them, to be guided by them, or to be sufficiently protected by them. Thus, self-realization does not
involve going out and acquiring something. It is a matter of

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opening up, receiving, and using what is already part of you.

There are persons in the world who are in constant
communion with angelic beings. These beings give them
information that allows them to do things that are beyond the
normal scheme of activities. As mentioned, you dont have to
focus so much on how to see these beings or even on how to
see God. You do, however, have to understand that such beings
see and notice you, so you must purify yourself in order to
eradicate the coverings that are denying you association with
them. These associations occur in some rare cases, such as on
space missions when astronauts have had sightings. Because
these people were outside their normal earthly environment,
these types of experiences were more accessible.
The living entity is wandering from lifetime to lifetime
sometimes in the earthly kingdoms, sometimes in the heavenly
kingdoms, sometimes in the body of a man, sometimes in the
body of a woman, sometimes in the body of an angel, sometimes as a demigod. Each individual is constantly exchanging
one body after another for lifetimessometimes hundreds of
thousand of lifetimes, sometimes millions of lifetimes. As the
intelligence pushes ones consciousness beyond the desire to
simply gratify the material senses, one acquires enough intensity to come into contact with agents of the Lord. The Lord
constantly sends representatives according to time, place, and
circumstance to help cut some of the ropes that are binding us.
This helps to free us of the amnesia that has caused us to forget
our true nature and to not experience the blessings available to
us. By having contact with the Lords emissaries, one begins
to make a major jump in consciousness and will soon be able
to connect once again with the spiritual kingdom. What you do
with that contact is up to you. Having that contact means you
will never be the same. You cannot hear this kind of knowledge and actually think that you are going to continue as
before.
This information is like a time bomb. Its a seed that has
been planted, an opportunity that has been earned. You cannot

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suffer from amnesia, regain your memory and find it easy or

comforting to forget again. This information has been given to
the soul. It is only a matter of time before the soul begins to
act upon the stimulation it has received. If anything is said that
you do not feel comfortable with, just file it away, as if for
someone else. Dont become disturbed. If anything is said that
challenges your tradition, dont put up a wall; just accept that
right now you are situated where you are. If, however, something that is said adds to your tradition or acts as a catalyst to
open a door for you, go through it!
We have purposely put out knowledge for those of you
who have spent many lifetimes in the heavenly kingdoms or
who are still caught up in trying to acquire the mystical perfections. This knowledge will enable many of you to interact with
the angelic hosts when they come. When the angels associate
with you, you will be receptive and able to use the empowerment made available to you. These beings we are speaking
about come in their pure, complete states and you will have a
chance, if you are ready, to join them.
Just as different countries all over this globe are operating
on different times of day, every universe is operating on a
different time schedule. In one universe, a particular cosmic
manifestation is just beginning; in another universe, everything is coming to an end; and in yet another, the material
manifestation is unfolding. The Supreme Lord resides in His
own abode, with His loving associates. As you enter and join
that association, all remaining sins and confusion are wiped
away. As the love, guidance, and compassion of those associates spills over onto you, all that is negative within you is
destroyed. All the last traces of greed, all the last patterns of
frustration and fear, all the last questions of whether or not you
are loved by God and what your purpose is . . . all of those
concerns disappear. You begin to experience actual love in
your associations. Loving relationships then become real and
you begin to know what it means to be home again.

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Questions and Answers

Question: What kind of techniques can we engage in that
will reveal to us these loving experiences that you talk about?
Answer: A powerful technique is calling on the name of
God. All of the major scriptures of the world emphasize the
calling of Gods name. The names of God have a profound
effect on the material energy. They act like a weapon, cutting
out much of the contamination that stagnates the consciousness. The names of God have the ability to convert material
energy into spiritual energy. They have the ability to invoke
the presence of the Lord. When you call out for someone, you
are summoning some of the essence and presence of that
particular person. The persons image comes to your mind,
along with the particular attributes and traits of that person.
The more spiritually advanced that individual is, the greater
the reciprocation and the deeper the impression that contact
with their name will leave. Similarly, when you call on the
name of God, the sound vibration provides the all-powerful
cleansing and purifying effect of God. There is a whole
science and culture based on the calling of Gods name, but in
essence these factors are why it is important as a special key
in the transformation of consciousness.
Question: Based on the understanding that the universe
goes through cycles and that the living entities incarnate back
and forth, a lot of the religious systems on earth anticipate that
there will be a time when our material plane will begin to take
on certain characteristics of the heavenly realms. Some people
who are into astrology acknowledge this time as the Age of
Aquarius, and the biblical concept is one of the coming of
the kingdom of heaven on earth. What is the difference
between incarnating in the material realm during this kind of
cosmic cycle versus incarnating in a heavenly realm?

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Answer: There is very little difference. As we explained,

because the universes are all going through the cosmic cycle
at different times, one could very well incarnate on an earthly
planet, while it is in the stage of Satya yuga, or the golden age.
Alternatively, one could incarnate on a planet in the heavenly
realms. In either case, both environments would be similar:
heavenly. That is why we emphasize that attaining the heavenly planets should not be the goal. Rather, the goal should be
attainment of the spiritual world, which is permanent. The
earth is going through a massive purification. You will find
that a heavenly environment is gradually going to develop
right here. Through this cleansing process many entities that
are not of a high enough caliber to remain in the earth environment will have to leave and be reborn on the hellish planets or elsewhere. Those entities that have upgraded
themselves, who are seeking heaven on earth, will remain
here. However, there will be a major change in consciousness,
with an emphasis on understanding our relationship with the
Godhead.
Think about this: the whole process of birth, death,
creation, maintenance and annihilation of the universes all
takes place in one single inhaling and exhaling of the divine
breath of the Supreme Lord. The dynamics of the universes are
much, much bigger than we could ever imagine. Thus, it is
critical that we remain open and receptive to all assistance and
opportunities for growth. This will be preparation for the
changes to come.
Question: Every world religion has some concept of
heaven as the goal of their practices, as you have pointed out.
What, then, prevents us from recreating chaos in heaven when
we get there, just as it is on earth?
Answer: In order to obtain residency in a heavenly realm,
one undergoes an upgrading transformation of consciousness.
So certain lower-level thoughts and activities must cease and

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be replaced with higher conscious thoughts and activities.

However, the heavenly planets are in the material plane, and
spirit souls in material bodies are prone to the four material
defects of making mistakes, being illusioned, having imperfect
senses, and having a tendency to cheat. Our desire for sense
gratification will bring us eventually to the kinds of distress
that we are experiencing here. The key is to understand that
even the heavenly planets are temporary, and that the only
place we can find lasting uninterrupted happiness is in the
spiritual world where material contamination is conspicuous
by its absence.

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Chapter

ngels and demigods

Each person is a wholistic being who has a material aspect

and a metaphysical aspect, but who is the soul. The problems
of the world are so great that they cannot be addressed by
looking at just one aspect of our existence. There must be an
appropriate marriage between the material, the metaphysical,
and the spiritual. This is not only healthy but it is imperative
and necessary for survival. Angels and demigods are important in this regard, for they are forces who can assist us in
surviving and advancing.

The Holy Books and Higher Beings

There are many dimensions to Gods creation. There are
lower hellish planets; medium planets; higher, heavenly kingdoms; and the spiritual world. There are many agents of the
Supreme who are greater than us, have a more subtle nature,
but are not quite God. The angels and demigods are in this

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category. An analogy is the Presidents cabinet. The President

has many cabinet members who oversee different departments. There is a difference between a cabinet member and the
actual head of state, the President himself. Demigods, or
devas, are the Lords cabinet members. They oversee the
affairs of the material world. People often mistakenly identify
the demigods, or those who are empowered to represent the
Divinity, as the actual Divinity Himself. Angels are of a pious
nature, as are the demigods. They differ from demigods in that
angels are not serving in administrative positions.
Various scriptures refer to angels and demigods. Lets
begin with the Bible. Genesis 1:1 says: In the beginning, God
created the heaven and the earth. Genesis 2:1 says: Thus the
heavens and the earth were finished and all the host of them.
If God created the heaven and the earth, we can understand
that He existed somewhere else, and brought into existence the
heavens and the earth from His own abode. The heavenly
planets are actually where the angels and the demigods reside.
The Supreme Lord is above the heavens, in the spiritual world
[see chapter two]. Both the demigods and the angels are material beings but are more subtle material beings than earthlings.
From this, we may go to another point. In Genesis 1:26,
we find something quite astounding, which we have all heard
countless times: And God said, let us make man in our image,
after our likeness, and let them have dominion over the fish of
the sea, and over the birds of the air, and so on. The us in
this verse is plural and shows that God is not existing alone. If
God does not exist alone, who is He talking to? He is talking
to the demigods. They, as the Lords cabinet members, are
taking responsibility for the creation of the beings in the material universes. It is the demigods who say: Let us make man
in our image. Let us create a being in our image who has the
ability to make spiritual progress. Let us advance the position
of the earthlings so that they have more of a chance to aspire
toward the Godhead.
As earthlings we are not a part of the original creation.

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The living entities on this particular planet are part of a

secondary creation. It is just like a drama where after Act 1,
the curtain closes. Then there is Act 2 and the curtain closes
again. Similarly, there is always creation, maintenance, and
annihilation in the material universes, and then the curtains
close. Then the entire process is repeated again and again.
Only the spiritual kingdom is always existing, unperturbed by
the vicissitudes of time.
Lets examine one more point in the Bible. Genesis 6:1-2
says: And it came to pass, when men began to multiply on the
face of the earth, and daughters were born unto them, that the
sons of God saw the daughters of men that they were fair, and
they took them wives of all which they chose. This indicates
that there were contacts between the sons of God, or the demigods, and the daughters of men. This interaction produced
humanity as we know it.
The Koran also discusses angels. The Prophet Muhammad
was able to give the knowledge of the Koran because of his
contact with Angel Gabriel. The Koran discusses angels
coming to this world and presents their realizations and revelations, which vary according to time, place, and circumstance. For example the Koran, Chapter 2, Verse 177 says: It
is not righteousness that ye turn your faces towards East or
West; but it is righteousness to believe in Allah and the last day
and the angels... While belief in angels may not be as universal as a belief in the Divine Being, it is accepted generally in
all major religions.

Angels in Action
There is a difference between angels and other entities
such as ghosts. A ghost can be a disembodied entity, a being
that didnt quite make the transition to its next physical body.
Even though it doesnt have a physical body, the desires for
carnal involvement still persist. For this reason, it tries to enter

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and use a physical body. A ghost performs pranks and basically has the same mentality as it did in its last embodiment.
The ghost of a highly mischievous and devious person will
emanate the same kind of disturbance as the individual did
while in the physical body. A ghost will make you fearful. If a
ghost is present in your room, you will feel as though a breeze
has just entered. If you are touched by the ghost, you will
experience a sensation of coldness.
When you come into contact with an angel, it is not
because the angel is lost as is a ghost; the angel is on a specific
mission. The angel may give you a blessing, a benediction, a
warning, guidance, and even protection. An angel is not trying
to enter into you and work through your physical form for
sense gratification or to engage in pranks at your expense. The
presence of the angel gives you a sense of warmth, security,
solace, and comfort. Angels have always been helpers to the
material universe.
You may know from biblical studies that an angel
appeared to Abraham to stop Abraham from slaying his son.
An angel descended to close the mouth of the lion when
Daniel was thrown into the pit. An angel appeared to take
Peter out of incarceration. Angels appeared to the Prophet
Muhammad. These examples reflect the role of angels as
helpers of humankind. The book of Revelations emphasizes
the coming of different types of angels. There are many scriptural references to angelic interactions.
Sometimes one may have difficulties distinguishing
between a helpful guide such as an angel and an entity that has
its own selfish agenda in mind. A simple way to evaluate these
beings is to discern whether they are pious or impious. The
efforts of the pious ones are directed towards assistance. The
impious ones are literally trying to bring stagnation into your
life.
If you have contact with an extraordinary pious life force,
dont waste time trying to determine the exact type of angel.
There are angels who are like babies or children, others who

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are feminine or masculine in manifestation, and still others

who are of no sex. These specifics are not significant. What is
significant is the message and how to use that message. Also
significant is whether the contact is destructive or upgrades
your situation. If you are attracting situations of a destructive
nature, you have work to do to eliminate such association. If
you hear voices and are becoming fearful, you must determine
how you can upgrade yourself.
An angel is vibrant and full of illuminating colors. Such
beings give you a tremendous sense of peace in distressful
situations. When someone is about to have a near-death experience or is in a trance or a coma, an angel may intervene to
ensure that the person does not leave the body. The angels
commune with the person, telling the individual to return to
the body to complete certain tasks. The angels describe what
these tasks are. Events like these have always occurred and
will continue to happen. Angels are appearing in our current
day and age, especially to protect children. Sometimes children see them and report them. Other people who are sensitive
or psychic also see them. Some people are aware of angels as
constant companions who accompany them for the majority of
their lives. For others, an angel appears to guide them out of
specific difficulties. Some of you have heard of Michael,
Gabriel, Uriel, and many other angels who become known
according to their activities. They protect and provide loving
assistance to the living entities in this universe and other material universes as well. Angels may not necessarily reside in one
particular universe, since they have the ability to move into
other arenas.

Activities of the Demigods

Demigods oversee angels and earthlings and, as
mentioned, demigods have administrative responsibilities. In
ancient cultures such as Africa, for example, most of the

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worship was dedicated to the demigods. In many Third World

cultures today, much of the worship is also dedicated to the
demigods. As mentioned earlier, God has agents whom He has
empowered to carry out certain functions for Him. The
demigods can sometimes cause interference or conflicts in the
material world, and so people worship them as a way to pacify
them. Sometimes Western scholars misunderstand this and
think that African cosmology reveres many gods. There is one
Supreme God, but these traditions recognize the importance of
the demigods and the duties and roles that they perform.
Before Buddha came into this universe, there was more
interaction between the demigods and the people of this particular planet. Priests would conduct rituals to invite the
company of the demigods. Buddha ended many of the ritualistic activities because people began to distort and misuse
them. Buddha brought in a new era which emphasized a
lifestyle of nonviolence, ethics, and moral responsibility. He
brought about a focus on a peaceful state of existence. This
meant that he curtailed excessive contact with the demigods
and shifted the focus from transcendence to peace. Although
demigods continually appear in our midst, we have become
less and less aware of them.
The devas are a large part of our day-to-day experiences.
Astrology is under the jurisdiction of the devas. No one on
earth can produce the sun or the moon, cause them to appear
on a daily basis, or create the basic minerals we find in the
earth. These activities are under the control of the devas. There
has never been a time when we did not associate with some of
our higher brothers, sisters or parents from other dimensions.
There has never been a time when we have been left home
alone without higher contacts. There is definitely contact
today, as demonstrated by some of the current space expeditions. Many of the astronauts from these expeditions are now
engaged in studies of these beings because of their experiences
in space. Some astronauts have reported being followed by
alien beings, and have had tremendous realizations. Occurrences such as these will increase in the years to come.

SWI.qxd 1/7/03 12:36 AM Page 47

The Need for Higher Assistance

The material universes are environments provided for
beings who have chosen, for various reasons, to be outside
their natural home. These universes are environments where
we are imprisoned because of our envy of God. Life is nothing more than the process of reformation. Living in the material universes is like being in school; we are consciously or
unconsciously attending different classes and taking various
tests in the hope that we will finally graduate to the spiritual
world. We have different experiences according to what
lessons we must learn for our unfoldment.
Every major prophet tells us, as Jesus said: Love not this
world nor the things of this world. Why did prophets such as
Jesus, Muhammad and Buddha place so much emphasis on the
higher kingdom and disparage this world and all it represents?
Why did they constantly tell us about rectification and reformation? Because, as ambassadors of the spiritual world, they
came to enlighten us about how to graduate from the inferior
material sphere and become situated in the superior spiritual
realm.
Because the Lord is so merciful, He repeatedly sends us
ambassadors to help enliven our consciousness. These great
acharyas (spiritual masters) teach not only by their words but
by their example. Human beings and the demonic forces have
tried to cover up and corrupt their teachings in such a way as
to pit religion against religion. All the major teachers have told
us that we should love our neighbors as ourselves and that we
should love God with all of our heart. They have also all told
us that this world is not our original home. It is no accident
that such diverse yet harmonious teachers have made this
consistent, universal presentation. Consider how similar their
messages have been: not one major prophet, not one bona fide
teacher has said that this world is our home. Instead, these
teachers have constantly emphasized that the kingdom of God
is the real home that we seek. They are not just trying to get us

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to be escapists and run away from life. Instead, they are trying
to bring us back to reality and to help us escape from this
material prison. Although they come from diverse traditions,
their messages are the same.
Just as there are demigods and angels working on behalf
of humankind, demonic agents are also extremely active in the
world right now. There is a war going on at this time between
the pious and the impious entities. Many of the earth changes
we will be experiencing in the coming years will be due to evil
entities making their last attempt to cause massive chaos and
pandemonium. As a result of this, we are going to experience
many more wars, both on gross and subtle levels.
The idea of a new world order, or of a one-world government, is not a matter of speculation. It is on the way to becoming a reality. The issue has become: who will control that
one-world government, that one-world order? That is what the
conflict is about between the pious and impious beings. The
struggle between these two forces is causing many of the
conflicts and transitions that individuals are experiencing at
this particular time. This struggle may flare up externally as
war. It may flare up as tribal tension. It may flare up as religious tension. They are all symptoms of what is happening on
the subtle level.
One of the most devastating weapons in this regard is
mind control. As we enter the twenty-first century, well see
that such subversive tactics will increasingly be influencing
world citizens. However, angelic beings are also here doing
their work. You may even recognize that you are a visitor
yourself who has a tremendous amount of responsibility to
help bring about a higher level of collective consciousness in
this particular universe.

Preparing for the Future

As you are more open to assistance from higher powers,

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you will begin to have certain experiences. You will start to

have more activity in your dreams. Some of you will begin to
feel some pulsation in the area of the third eye. This pulsation
is due to the awakening of a chakra (energy centers in the
subtle body) that has been lying dormant. The fields of
psychology and anthropology emphasize that human beings
use less than ten percent of their brain capacity. This means
that many of our abilities remain unused. Day to day we
witness paranormal events that traditional, empirical, reductionistic schemes of knowledge cannot fully explain. We see
that some people are able to heal the sick. Some people are
mental telepathists and are able to read minds. Some people
have the sense of clairvoyance and are able to see into the
future. Our present material scientific laws do not understand,
and cannot deal with these phenomena in their totality.
However, we know that these paranormal occurrences do
exist; we may even know people who have experienced some
of them.
Because of the transition that the planet is experiencing
and will experience for a long time to come, we can no longer
hold back this kind of information. Many people need to be
become more receptive as extraordinary phenomena begin to
take place. In your lifetime, you are going to see an unusual
kind of life force on this planet. You are going to have more
contact with other-worldly beings than has happened for
millennia. You are going to determine what the nature of life
will be and what the future of the human race holds for all of us.
In these discussions we are not asking you to accept
anything on blind faith. We are definitely asking that you not
immediately reject anything either. We suggest that you do
some research for yourself. Just ponder the basic points, investigate them and, most importantly, try to know better how to
protect yourself against subtle forces so that you will not
become a casualty. If you take these simple steps, you will be
one of those who help to bring about a new era for humankind.

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Questions and Answers

Question: Could you speak more about the role of different scriptures and guides in consciousness upliftment?
Answer: The Bible, the Koran, the Torah, the Vedas, the
Puranas, and other scriptures, as well as the prophets,
Muhammad, Jesus, Buddha, Zoroaster, Madhavacharya, and
other great teachers all have a role to play in consciousnessraising. Of course, we sometimes encounter teachers that are
not bona fide, but all the bona fide teachers have a similar type
of responsibility. They give a certain kind of knowledge
adapted to time, place, and circumstances that is ultimately
geared towards helping humanity in its conscious evolution. If
we look closely, we will see that the essence of these texts is
very similar. The only differences lie with the way their practitioners codify the information.
All traditions have an exoteric and an esoteric aspect. The
exoteric elements concern the externals of the philosophy.
Exoteric practitioners are usually more sectarian and insecure,
and they propagate the exclusivity of their religion. The
esoteric practitioners seek a more profound religious experience. Going deeply into their bona fide system, they touch on
certain universal truths. They do not view other religious
groups as threats, and thus they have no difficulties with them.
If we follow these great teachers who are perfectly knowledgeable about these higher truths, our elevation on the spiritual path is assured.
There are sinister forces that are not only pitching race
against race and tribe against tribe, but religion against religion. The more empowered demonic entities have lodged
themselves in religious circles, causing great conflict. Many of
our present-day, so-called spiritual teachers are actually in
connection with these demonic energies; some are actually
possessed. Although a person may heal the sick, for example,
this does not necessarily mean that the power to do so is

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coming from a divine source. One can invoke lower entities,

which can penetrate ones consciousness and provide great
psychic abilities. Such psychic power is ultimately used to
incarcerate others and increase the number of material difficulties.
In the coming years we should all be more discerning
about where the information we accept comes from. Examine
the lives of the channelers, the mystics, the mediums, the
astrologers, or the clairvoyants. What are they saying and
doing? Are their messages uplifting and liberating? Are they
focused on the culture of love and devotion, or are their
messages concerned with power, control, and material
manipulation? Look at their lifestyle. Is it exemplary or sinful
in nature? By carefully scrutinizing individuals such as these,
you can understand whether the path they are on is negative or
positive.
Question: You mentioned demigod worship. Could you
speak about ancestor worship?
Answer: What you worship is what you get. Suppose one
of your ancestors was a murderer, a fornicator, or a thief. On
one hand you have love for that person, but you dont particularly want to emulate that behavior or lifestyle. Worshiping
ancestors blindly is a little dangerous. With the rise in
Afrocentricity, and the increased contact with Asian cultures,
ancestor worship has increased. However, we should remember that the more we focus on worshiping and serving the
Supreme, our own growth and spiritual acceleration will be
shared with our ancestors, most of whom need our help in this
way. Demigod worship and ancestor worship can be compared
to bribery. When you are trying to avoid doing something, you
pay a bribe. Sometimes the person you pay can deliver, and
sometimes they are just bluffing you. Its a risk you take. Some
people want to avoid surrendering their lives to the Supreme,
so they limit their spiritual activities to demigod or ancestor

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worship. By explaining the demigods, the angels, the ancestors and their influence, we do not mean that you should
worship them, but that as servants of the Supreme we should
have great respect for them. Even though they are on a higher
level than we are, they are still part of the material world.
Question: I have heard it said that sanskrit is a language
used by the devas. Can you speak about how languages affect
the mind?
Answer: There is a vast difference between the ancient
languages and those we use today. Language affects thought.
Those of you who speak more than one language are aware of
the different moods evoked by each language. Some languages
are more limited than others in the amount of themes and ideas
that can be expressed. Words that can describe something in
one language may not exist in another language to convey that
meaning easily. Language affects how we perceive the world
and also how we relate to the world. Modern languages are
gradually losing their ability to connect with the spiritual,
because they deal less with metaphysical and spiritual
phenomena and more with the material realm. Thus you see
that monks, priests, yogis, and medicine men will often use an
ancient language to invoke certain impressions in the
consciousness and to stimulate certain faculties.
Specific languages can also affect certain chakras and can
penetrate the covers of material nature. In the material world
the soul is covered by eight material elements. Five of these
are gross: earth, water, fire, air and ether, and three are subtle:
mind, intelligence, and false ego. False ego refers to the false
identification of ourselves as material bodies rather than spiritual souls. Specific languages vibrate with the potency to
penetrate these elements and reach the soul. Therefore, even if
we do not understand with our intelligence or minds what is
being said, and our false ego is resisting, the soul is getting the
message that is meant for it.

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Chapter

ire and brimstone, horns and tails

The topic of the devil, demons, and the hellish planets is

fraught with fears and misconceptions. For this reason, it is
often avoided. However, we must understand these subjects in
order to have a comprehensive picture of the material environment and function within it as productive spiritual
warriors.
A topic such as this brings with it a certain amount of
contradiction. We will claim that free will exists, and yet so
does predestination. You will find out that there are many
devils or demons, yet at the same time they do not actually
exist! A place called hell will be discussed that is actually a
state of consciousness. These statements may seem contradictory because of the limitations of our understanding. We are
accustomed to viewing things in terms of either/or.
Something is either A or B. In the spiritual world, something
can embrace two polarities simultaneously; it can be both A
and B. So, please bear with the seeming inconsistencies, and
you will gain a deeper understanding without unnecessary
confusion and fear.

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The Ideal Vacation Spot

Lets go on an adventure. Lets pretend I have a travel
brochure in my hand and we are trying to decide where to
spend a vacation. Ill describe a particular place and well see
if you want to go there. Once we get to this environment, no
one will be allowed to leave for hundreds and thousands of
lifetimes. This environment is designed without human
survival in mind and, once youre in it, you are constantly
harassed by your mind, by other living beings, and by material nature. While there, you have to struggle to feed, clothe and
shelter yourself. You are under many different types of oppressive governments where the majority of leaders are manipulative and exploitative. You are always experiencing some type
of disease, you grow older every day, and you have to die. No
matter how much you love yourself or how much you take
care of yourself, you are still going to die. No matter how
much you care for others, they are going to die too. In this
environment there is always war and ongoing preparation for
more wars. The basic philosophy is: I kill you, you kill me, we
kill them, and they kill us. If I asked: Would you like to go
there with me? Lets have some fun, you would all probably
respond with a resounding No! I am not interested. Consider
this: we are all presently living in such an environment right
now, an environment that we have all consciously chosen to
come tothis material world!

Free Will Versus Predestination

One may ask: If we are in this type of environment, do
we really have free will? We dont want to grow old or experience disease. We dont want to struggle so much just to
remain alive. So where is the free will? There is free will in
that you are free to make whatever choices you like, at least
within the boundaries described. Those choices, however,

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bring consequences with them. Lets say you go to a restaurant

to eat. You look at the menu and you request a particular kind
of soup. The waiter brings the soup to you. When you taste it,
you dont like it, and you start complaining. The fact,
however, is that you ordered it. You may not have fully considered the combination of ingredients or the competency of the
cook, but that is what you ordered and that is precisely what
you got. That is the nature of free will. We have the full ability to make a selection; we can press any button we please.
However, when we press a button we have to take responsibility for what happens. The reaction is predestined, but is
activated by our choice.
Thus, both free will and predestination are realities. We are
responsible for every situation in which we find ourselves.
This conclusion is rather difficult to accept, especially in
todays modern culture which trains us to find someone or
something to blame when things go wrong. Whether individuals are suffering from cancer, family conflict, lawsuits, or any
other major problem, they have actually brought it upon themselves. Lets look at illness. Even modern medicine accepts
that some illnesses are psychosomatic. The mind can and does
affect the body; it affects all matter. The subtle affects the
gross and the gross influences the subtle.
Our situations are arranged by higher agents to allow us to
become tired of trying to manipulate the material energy. Due
to not being properly appreciative of the beauty of relationship
with the Lord, humankind is given a temporary arena in which
to act out desires. This environment is designed to frustrate,
disgust, and disappoint us, to make us contemplative and
introspective. Ultimately it is meant to drive us away from the
temporary world in favor of that which is eternal. This is
arranged for us to finally realize that our happiness lies not in
dabbling with the material energy but in serving the Lord
unconditionally, thus becoming whole again.
Life is a game in which we are meant to reestablish our
real identity. Unfortunately, we often play according to our

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own rules, like children who make things up as they go along.

Children sometimes play in the streets. Although it is dangerous, it still has great appeal for them. By acting on this desire,
they put themselves in a very precarious situation. Like children, we need to learn the importance of taking responsibility
for our free will and the importance of using it wisely. Unless
we do, we will never be able to reciprocate properly in loving
relationships.
Free will is critical in a loving relationship because there
cannot be love without the opportunity to oppose that love.
There cannot be an appreciation without the opportunity to
express it through choice. If we are made in the image of the
Divine, then just as God has free will, we must also have it.
The difficulty arises in our inability to understand, or accept,
that it is not beneficial to try to use our free will separate from
God. This is because we are part and parcel of God, a tiny
fragment of the whole, but we are not the complete whole. As
part of the whole, our function is to serve the whole. The
whole is certainly not meant to serve the part. For example,
imagine if your stomach tried to eat on its own and told your
mouth, Im tired of you always taking the food first. I think I
should get it first. This would be impossible. A part cannot
properly function separately from the whole. This is the
natural order of the universe.
As we understand more and more how we are responsible
for what we experience, we can then make arrangements to
experience that which is more auspicious, and we will be able
to access the things that we really need. It is important to focus
more on what we need than on what we want, because much
of what we want unnecessarily complicates our lives. The
answer is to approach the Divinity in the mood of, Thy will
be done. Use me for Your purposes. Even higher than that
sentiment is to request that God remove our free will so that
we cannot even exercise it. We are then fully available for the
Lords service.

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Why Do Bad Things Happen to Good People?

We will now examine the concept of evil. Someone may
wonder: But if God is all good and if nothing happens outside
of Gods control, then how can there be evil in the world? How
can an all-merciful, beneficent God bring in, allow, and be
responsible for evil? On the other hand, if something does
happen outside of the Lords control, does this mean that evil
is as powerful as the Lord? Could the devil actually be
supreme? The answer begins with the premise that God is allgood and all-loving. It is true that millions of people do not
even have clean drinking water. Millions of people are dying
from starvation. Millions of people are refugees. There are
famines, droughts, hurricanes, and wars everywhere. Diseases
decimate the worlds population. How do we explain these
occurrences? Consider a prison. When you go to prison, you
understand that it is not a vacation spot or a palace, nor is it
supposed to be. A prison is an environment for rehabilitation
and rectification, not enjoyment. This material world is a
prison, its nature being one of suffering and misery. There will
always be wars in the material world. There will always be
disease and death. These phenomena are not natural because
we are in an unnatural position. We do, however, have within
us the ability to rectify the situation through the proper use of
our free will. To the degree that we identify with the material,
or the unnatural, evil is a reality for us. Evil is as real and as
penetrating as ones perceptions and thoughts. If our
consciousness is pure, we realize that the only reality is the
spiritual world. The more materially contaminated our
consciousness is, the more the material world with its misery
and pain has an influence on us.
So evil does not exist, and at the same time this whole
material cosmos is fueled by evil. The low global consciousness at this time has attracted this evil, and God allows it to
remain. Why? Because suffering the consequences of ones
behavior can push one towards the absolute good, just as chas-

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tisement from parents can instill the correct behavior in children. One may view parental chastisement as negative, but it
is actually an expression of love. People draw chastisement to
them based on actions they commit, but it should be viewed
less as an imposed punishment and more as a natural result of
improper action. This type of thinking helps us to appreciate
the opportunities for growth that our challenges provide.
Due to a misunderstanding of these issues, people believe
that God and evil are mutually exclusive concepts. Seen from
a more transcendental perspective, however, these two opposites are integrally related, as the two sides of a coin are
related. Again, we all have the choice to serve God or to focus
on serving ourselves. The reason we are in this prison of
misery is because of our desire to serve ourselves. For choosing not to serve God, we receive painful reactions.

Demons: Who the Devil Are They?

The devil is said to be the one who causes evil in the
world. Children are sometimes coerced to behave by threats
that the boogey man is going to get them. As an adult, the
boogey man becomes the devil and the fear remains. Devils
are as real as you want them to be. However, if you refuse to
give them power, then there is nothing much they can do to
you. The insane person thinks a stick is really a snake and acts
accordingly. A sane person understands, sees the stick, and is
not afraid. Similarly, we have created so many things that are
real for us only because we have allowed them to be real.
What takes precedence in our lives is based on where we focus
our energy. There are so many situations we have accepted as
priorities that are, in fact, of little importance. Conversely,
there are many very important priorities that we have blotted
out of our consciousness. This shows how powerful the mind
is. The mind can act as our own personal demon if we let it. If
we mentally accept something, we have to act upon it. For

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example, if someone tells me Swami, you are so ugly that it

hurts my eyes to see your face, I can respond in various ways.
I can accept the words at face value and become angry and
furious. I can feel I have to respond to the person in kind. I can
look in a mirror just to see how ugly I am. I can go to see a
plastic surgeon. I could do all kinds of things. Or I can simply
not allow myself to identify with that attack. If I dont accept
it, then I dont have to engage in any activities to counteract it.
I dont have to prove anything; I dont have to modify my
behavior in any particular direction. Once we identify with the
mind by accepting what the mind serves out, then not only do
we accept the thoughts, but also the corresponding feelings,
associations, conditioning, and behavior patterns. Like it or
not, we accept the whole package. We must find ways to
prevent identifying with, and being taken in by the mind so
that we can always make everything that happens a part of the
growth experience.
There are many types of negative influences. One type of
influence is thought forms. Every thought that is created by the
inhabitants of this planet makes its way into the ethers, the
subtle aspect of the air. Thought forms take on a life of their
own, influencing individuals and collectives. The more negative the thoughts, the more negative the influence. The more
positive the thoughts, the more positive the influence. Like
attracts like. The individuals consciousness becomes the
group consciousness, which manifests as the collective
consciousness of the planet.
We can make our minds the home of unfriendly beings.
These beings are the source of those little evil voices that
linger in the back waiting for someone to tune their consciousness into them; they are those risk-takers that drive us to
endanger our own lives and the lives of others in foolhardy
antics. These voices belong to subtle entities. There are three
ways to react to what one is hearing: reject it outright; accept
it as real and blot it out; or accept it and act on it. The amount
of resistance that one has to these negative thought forms will

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determine which action will be taken. Those with less resistance can be influenced by negative energy because they have
allowed themselves to tune into it. The voices become the reality for them, often with insane acts as the result. If we choose
to reject negative messages, not only will these entities have
no influence on us, they will not be drawn to us in the first
place. Therefore, we will not make them a reality.
A relationship with negative energies can also occur
through involvement in occult activities such as seances. Even
if this activity is undertaken as a joke, it is dangerous because
seances can attract demonic energy. Those that take part in
seances and similar activities sometimes perceive negative
entities and can be possessed by them. The amount of people
engaging in satanic worship is on the increase; the church of
Satan is growing rapidly. Some of the top military government
officers are in the church of Satan as are some of the top entrepreneurs, while some secret societies pay allegiance to the
devil.
These days we must fortify ourselves against the evil that
is available in the atmosphere. At one point in history, the
forces of good and evil did not occupy the same universe.
Humanitys spiritual resolve was pure and determined enough
to keep good and evil separate. Over a period of time, sin
permeated the atmosphere and good and evil began to associate not only in the same universe but later within the same
planet and eventually within the same individual. These higher
and lower selves that individuals now embody are constantly
battling for control. The mind constantly flirts between one
polarity and the other, being controlled to some extent by
ones surroundings and associations. Currently, for many
people the lower self is becoming dominant, and these individuals are becoming increasingly sinful. The higher self is
becoming covered with lust, anger, and greed. People are
gradually losing the ability to control and manipulate their
own bodies. They are losing their independence and are
becoming puppets of their mind and senses. We must examine

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this enslavement because what we focus on while alive

directly relates to what the focus will be at the time of death
and beyond.

The Soul: At Death and Beyond

Before we discuss the hellish planets, we want to briefly
examine the death process. The concept of preparation for
death was greatly emphasized in the ancient culture of Egypt,
or Kemet, as it was originally known. This is because much of
the life process is about preparation for the death experience.
The Egyptian Book of the Dead discusses Egyptian philosophy
on the process of death in detail. The elaborate preparation for
death that the ancient Egyptians practiced was not because
they had a fixation on death, but because they had an understanding of the eternality of the soul and of the many experiences accessible to the soul after death. Thus, it was wise to
prepare and make arrangements for the living being as it
moved from body to body [see chapter eight].
When the soul leaves the body, within twenty-four hours it
is taken to a place where it experiences a certain amount of
freedom for about a year of our time. After that period, the
soul is brought for evaluation before a court headed by the
superintendent of death. The court separates the pious activities from the impious and determines the degree to which that
soul is to experience a peaceful, pleasant environment and the
degree to which the soul is to be chastised and challenged in
the next life. Souls may experience pleasure in the heavenly
planets or pain in the hellish planets or they may also come to
the middle, earthly planets which offer more of a balance of
both.
It may take some souls thousands of lifetimes before they
have the opportunity to come back to a physical form within
this particular earthly atmosphere. The exact karmic requirements and arrangements that they need for their reentry may

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not be availablefor example, the right parents or the proper

physical environment. On the other hand, some people may
have so many things to work out within an environment, such
as this earth, that they are sent back immediately. At this time
there are a lot of souls that have been waiting for long periods
to reenter our atmosphere.
Abortions contribute to the backlog of suitable opportunities to take up another earthly body. As the number of abortions increase, the number of souls needing bodies increases.
Thus, the length of time it takes for souls to reenter also
increases. Because the astral plane is congested, the resulting
energy overflow and agitation are bombarding the general
populace here, causing an increase of chaos on the planet.
One may wonder whether it is at all possible to avoid this
whole after-death procedure. Yes, it is. Sometimes a soul may
have a very powerful connection with an agent of the Supreme
Lord, just as a wealthy man may have a powerful and wellknown lawyer to represent him in a court of law. If the agent,
such as a guru, is of a high quality, then sometimes the situation can be resolved without having to appear before the
karmic board. This is usually the case if the soul is connected
to the transcendental system and is no longer attached to the
limitations of the material world.
Jesus and other prophets emphasized being in the world
but not of the world. You are in this body now, but if you
understand that this body is a garment, you wont get too
caught up in identifying with and being attached to the body.
Thus, when you leave your body, you will not have to be
placed in a situation to work out your material attachments.
God doesnt really chastise or reward you. He just arranges a
situation in which you can work out that with which you are
preoccupied. If you are preoccupied with functioning on the
gross level like an animal, then you will receive a more suitable body for that activity. If you are attuned to exploiting
people, you are going to find yourself in a situation where you
will be able to experience what it is like to be exploited. If you

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are preoccupied with thoughts of divinity, spirituality, and

transcendence, then your body is becoming spiritualized, and
it is just a matter of time before you reach the spiritual dimension.

The Hellish Planets

Many of us are familiar with the old fire-and- brimstone
preachers who are eternally forecasting the heated end to a
sinful life. They warn that sinners are going to burn forever in
a dark, hellish existence. This conception can lead to reluctance in worshiping a God who proposes to toss His children,
parts of Himself, into a terrible furnace for eternity.
Punishment, by definition, is a means of rectification, not
annihilation. We would condemn any parents in society that
treated their offspring so harshly as to kill them for a minor, or
even a major, mistake. Why, then, do we accept such a harsh
view of the God of love without challenge? Given Gods
loving nature, the concept of a hell in which we burn forever
cannot be real. This is true even if we say that hell is controlled
by the devil. Is the devil more powerful than God, such that
God cannot reconnect with a soul that is in hell? The concept
of hell is more complex than is dealt with normally. It is based
on chastisement according to each individuals needs.
It is important to understand hell so that one can be
equipped with knowledge to move as far away from it as
possible. A child can be given positive encouragement by
being shown positive things. Yet an understanding of what can
happen if he or she approaches the negative can lead to more
focused and thoughtful action. Knowledge of the hellish planets can bring about a necessary sense of fear so that one
remains fortified by and focused on the Divine.
There are hundreds and thousands of hellish planets that
the soul may have to visit. Although these are real in one
sense, their existence is based on ones consciousness. Hell is

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in reality a mental concept and is experienced according to

several variables. The experience is based on ones culture,
ones religion, ones understanding, and ones consciousness.
It is surely based on ones sins: the type, the quality, and extent
of ones misdeeds. Animals do not go to hell. The animals
consciousness adapts and moves up to the next level automatically because the animal is not held accountable for its
actions. Thus, an animal gets increasingly higher bodies until
it reaches the human platform. Only at the human platform,
where there is rational intelligence to pursue self-realization,
is there accountability. It is in the human form that we are
expected to understand our relationship of servitude to the
Lord. The human body is an escape body: There is the greatest opportunity to escape the cycle of repeated birth and death
while we are in this form. However, according to our actions,
we may not be able to escape the reaction of the hellish planets. That will depend upon our consciousness.
In the hellish kingdoms, our desires become our greatest
enemies. They bombard us and attack us and ultimately frustrate us because they cannot be fulfilled. Each hell is designed
to accommodate different sinful activities. One who loves to
torment and kill small creatures and lower entities has to pay
the price of being attacked by the same type of creatures that
one has abused or killed. The sensations of pain, misery, and
torment are experienced over and over again because the soul
does not die. Those that like to cook animals alive, such as
dropping crabs, lobsters, and other marine crustaceans into
boiling water just to satisfy the palate, will get to experience
what that is like. They themselves will be dropped into a vat
of boiling water, but they will not die. They will have to experience and endure such painful sensations again and again.
A special type of hell exists for administrators, kings,
politicians, and government officials who commit extortion or
who punish innocent people. Because they are in charge of
many lives, there is a heavy penalty for misuse of their position. They will find themselves being crushed between two

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huge rollers just as easily as sugarcane is crushed to remove

the juice. They will feel their internal organs being squashed
and, again, they will not die. They will live through the painful
experiences many, many times. Another kind of hell awaits
those who indulge consistently in illicit sex that is not bound
by the sanctity of marriage. They will be in an environment
that is sexually surcharged and mental imagery will suggest
that they are with the opposite sex. But they will realize they
are actually embracing a red hot iron figure. They will suffer
the burns and intolerable heat of that figure, but they will be
unable to let go. They will experience this pain over and over
again.
For alcoholics and drug addicts, there is a similar type of
hell. Custodians of the hellish planet stand on their chests and
pour molten lead down their throats. As in the other hells, the
addicts do not die but must live and relive the torture repeatedly. Those who acquire money in an illegal or sinful way or
who exploit, cheat, and connive without a sense of remorse
have to experience their bodies being pierced by needles, just
as a weaver pushes threads back and forth across a loom. A
perpetual thief or robber will have skin removed bit by bit with
red-hot iron tongs until the body is shredded to pieces. A man
who forces a woman to engage in oral sex, with the intent of
manipulating and controlling her, will find himself drowning
in an ocean of semen, unable to find relief. A chronic liar will
find his body constantly thrown off a high cliff and broken into
pieces again and again.
Human sacrifice is unfortunately a popular practice in
places around the world and it is growing in popularity here in
America. In many cases, heads of state and fabulously rich
people have obtained their power and riches by engaging in
human sacrifice. They will have to undergo the rituals which
they have forced on others. Their bodies are ripped apart by
demonic beings who take great pleasure in drinking their
blood and inflicting other nightmarish tortures upon them.
Although these souls are experiencing repeated suffering,

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the suffering is not eternal. God is not going to allow us to

suffer forever because that would defeat the purpose of reformation. While a soul is undergoing the punishment, it simply
feels as though the suffering will last for eternity. One of the
most important aspects of going through the hellish environments is that an impression is left on the consciousness that
makes it extremely uncomfortable to pursue that line of action
again.
Sometimes impressions that have been imprinted on the
subtle body from experiences in a previous life directly affect
the present. Nightmares are sometimes due to a recollection of
a visit to the hellish kingdoms. Someone may have a very
intense phobia that has its roots in a previous life. Films we
watch may trigger something in our consciousness that comes
from experiences in other environments, such as the hellish
planets. In many cases, people who are getting ready to leave
the body (to die) may see entities from the hellish planets and
become so frightened that they begin passing stool and urine
or crying out for help. This occurs because according to our
quality when we leave the body, we are given an initial experience which is reinforced later. That experience usually
involves being escorted to the lower planets by agents of darkness (if we have been sinful) or to the upper planets or spiritual world by agents of light (if we have been pious).

Hell in Heaven
In the final category of hellish planets there is no torture.
There are what are called subterranean heavenly planets. One
may wonder why they are classified as hell. By definition, hell
refers to how little God-consciousness there is. In the subterranean heavenly planets there is an intense atmosphere of
sense gratification and self-enjoyment, even to a greater extent
than in some of the higher heavenly planets. However, there is
little or no God-awareness. Certain types of souls enter these

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planets and suffer there. It is like being under house arrest. The
environment seems nice, but it is still a form of incarceration
because the souls are imprisoned by their desires to serve their
own senses instead of God. Attempts to serve the body, mind,
and senses rather than the Lord ultimately result in misery.
These descriptions of the hellish planets sound pretty farfetched, but they are real for the beings who need to experience them. For a person of higher consciousness, such things
do not exist. Each us of has the ability to align ourselves with
one reality or the other. Once we have been exposed to this
type of information, our energy should be focused on how we
can reestablish our relationship with God, functioning in our
natural role as His servants. The more our desire to serve the
Lord increases, the more provisions are made so we never
have to worry about these material experiences again. Fear is
natural, but the power of love supersedes everything in this
material world. By raising our consciousness we can align
ourselves with the source of all love and fulfill our purpose in
this material arena without having to become preoccupied
with the rapidly decaying fabric of society or with the symptoms of an age coming to an end.

Questions and Answers

Question: If we know that we are suffering by not surrendering to God, why is it so difficult to change our behavior to
avoid being aligned with a hellish consciousness?
Answer: Even though we may know that we are suffering
from a hellish consciousness, it becomes difficult to change
because of the influence of lust. As living entities, we are
driven by lust. Lust is not limited to the arena of sexual interactions; it concerns all thoughts and actions focused on serving our senses. Lust is actually the reverse of love of God; it is
a perverted reflection of love of God. It covers the conscious-

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ness of living entities in different degrees according to ones

karmic patterns. The degree to which lust is covering a person
determines how much that person will be dragged into a lower
state of consciousness and brought down into a hellish condition.
We can become free from a hellish consciousness by
giving up lust or, better still, by transforming that lust back
into its original condition: unconditional love of God. This is
done by the process of devotion. Some of the processes of
devotion are: 1) hearing the name and glories of the Supreme
Lord; 2) chanting His name and glories; 3) remembering the
Lord; 4) serving the Lord; and 5) surrendering oneself fully to
the Lord. Even though we are in this material world and it
seems difficult to change our consciousness, it is possible to
do so by aligning ourselves with devotional activities.
Question: My question concerns free will. I have heard
many people say that if the Supreme ever made any mistake at
all, it was giving free will to human beings. Would you explain
why the Supreme has given us free will?
Answer: Love cannot be forced. By definition, love
depends on an independent observation and evaluation and a
willing interaction with another person. Because there is no
imposition, a natural affection develops. Love is not someone
holding a gun to your head and forcing you to say or do nice
things. It is an activity of free will undertaken in a devotional
mood, bringing forth loving energy and loving exchanges.
The Supreme Personality has given us free will to use in
devotional service to Him. We are all sons and daughters of
God but, unfortunately, we are often deviant sons and daughters. We are allowed free will to choose either to serve God or
to try to be separate from Godat least temporarily. We say
temporarily because this is only an artificial separation, one
which must come to an end. We can never be really separate
from the Lord, but we can choose to use our free will to run

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away from Him. We are given that much leeway. When a child
is deviant and causes the mother some difficulty, the mother
may say, Just go to your room and do what you like.
Although the child is in the room, the mother is still concerned
and still wishes the best for the child. But due to the childs
insistence on learning through experience, instead of learning
through hearing, the parent says, Okay, just do what you
like, giving the child the freedom to play out his or her
desires. Although they never take away the childs free will,
parents try to do what is best for the child. They educate the
child so that he or she can use that free will properly in due
course.
That scenario is basically what our situation is like here in
the material world. We are being given some leeway to use our
free will, and we generally use it in the wrong way. But as
soon as we want to turn back or as soon as we grow tired of
trying to experience enjoyment outside of our connection with
the Lord, then we are on our way back home to God. In the
learning process, many times we are faced with severe
difficulties. We may have to go through multiple lifetimes of
hardship, until we are no longer satisfied with the mundane,
until we strive for what is rightfully ours: love of God. When
we become even a little bit aware of this, we start to investigate the meaning of life more seriously. As soon as we start
this exploration, help is available. The Lord sends us highly
evolved souls, the scriptures, and divine insight as support as
we advance toward Him.
Question: Based on my religious upbringing, I grew up
with a lot of fear about going to hell if I was bad. In spiritual
life is it necessary to fear God or to even have fear? Isnt the
power of love stronger?
Answer: The power of love is the strongest force in
creation. When it is not properly directed, however, it becomes
one of the most devastating forces because it becomes a force

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of lust and greed. Lust and love are different sides of the same
coin, just as electricity can be used to heat or cool things
depending on how it is channeled. It is lust that causes so
much of mans inhumanity to man. It causes so much abuse,
misuse and exploitation. It is love that has the ability to rectify
and heal.
An immature child has conditioned responses based on
rewards and punishments. Punishments instill fear, but as the
child matures, behavior is based on love. Thus, the child
thinks, Mommy and Daddy will be disturbed if I do this; so I
will not do it. When the love is not so grounded, the child
thinks, I must not do this, because if I do, I will get
punished.
Similarly, when our spirituality is not very deep, our relationship with the Supreme Lord is based on rewards, punishment and fear. We dont behave in certain ways because we
dont want to be chastised. As we mature, our choices to act or
not act are no longer based on fear. Instead, they are determined by our willingness to render selfless service and we
become eager to do what is required out of genuine love. As
the surrender becomes deep and sincere, the Lord reciprocates
with blessings and grace accordingly. Ultimately, everything is
based on our surrender and devotion.
The major fear that people experience is fear about the
future. Actually, there is nothing but the present. The past is
already gone; its traits and patterns are upon us now. The
future is just around the corner; it is becoming the present
moment by moment. If we were more conscious about the
present, we wouldnt be so fearful about the future, especially
because we would have more control of what form that future
would take. What we do now prepares for us what we will
receive in the future. This is karma. Our present thoughts and
activities produce certain future reactions. The people who are
most fearful are those who are the most insecure. Those who
are insecure should take a closer look at their belief systems
and lifestyles. Sometimes people are fearful because they are

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afraid of what someone is going to do to them or of what they

are doing to themselves. Sometimes people are fearful about
what they have done or are doing to others. People are also
fearful because their life circumstances are not as focused or
stable as they would like.
The presence of fear indicates that there is a poor quality
of love in our lives, a weakness in our relationship with God.
This brings about suffering, and with suffering there is pain.
When we feel pain, we should try to accept it and use its
energy to move us forward. How we perceive the world
around us greatly influences our degree of frustration and
misery. It is important to learn how to make negative situations
positive and positive events even more positive. It is especially critical to make negative circumstances positive because
our environment is already negative and hostile. The message
in the environment is that our identity is material rather than
spiritual. We are taught to be sexist, racist, and sectarian. We
are taught that we should beg, borrow, steal or do whatever we
can to get ours without any concern about the future or
about who gets hurt in the process. This philosophy permeates
todays society.
Since we are not going to be able to avoid negativity
totally, it is best to learn how to coexist with it and use it as a
stepping stone. When one is walking up a flight of stairs, each
step can be a struggle, especially if there are obstacles; each
step can be seen as a confrontation. Yet, as we step up each one
anyway, we increase our sense of achievement and growth.
Similarly, negativity can be used as a stepping stone for accelerated growth. If it is not used in this way, spiritual advancement will be very difficult.
Whatever your situation, say to yourself, How can I learn
from this situation? For some reason it has come before me.
Since the Lord is my well-wisher and is merciful, magnanimous, and greatly concerned about my welfare, this situation
is occurring for my own betterment, for my own growth. The
Lord is giving me a test to see if I am able to pass it. A teacher

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gives tests to determine how well the student has internalized

a given lesson. The results of the test indicate the students
mastery of the material. The teacher does not give students
tests to set them up for failure, but to assess progress.
Similarly, the Lord does not want us to fail. The Lord tests us
to clarify our level of spiritual development and to challenge
us to grow. So, in every situation, ask yourself: How can I use
this situation to increase my loving understanding, sentiments
and reactions? If you do this, every situation will bring about
growth and progress.
The way that we view positive events is also important.
When something positive happens, if we feel that it was due
us and question why God took so long to bring it about, we are
not practicing the proper consciousness of gratitude. However,
if we properly use what we have and accept any additions or
improvements with the attitude that we are not really worthy
yet we are thankful for what the Lord has sent, then there will
be spiritual progress. When positive circumstances come, use
them in a consciousness of gratitude and appreciation. In the
same way, when negative situations come, use them to gain
strength and fortitude.
Obviously, this is easier said than done. But every action
stems from a thought or reflection. If you believe something is
possible and if you seriously attempt to bring the situation
about, it can become a reality. However, if you dont even
consider the possibilities and dont try, the potential for
success is limited, to say the least. So, always remember that
our consciousness can decrease suffering. Have you ever
noticed that there are certain people who, even if exposed to a
contagious disease, dont get infected? And when such people
do become ill, they are able to restore their bodies to health
very quickly. While they are sick, their spirits are high and
they dont even look like they are sick. This occurs because
they do not affirm sickness through their thought patterns.
Their consciousness is one of health and well-being. Changing
our consciousness can be a powerful painkiller and lead to
quick recovery.

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As children of God, we want to act in harmony with Gods

will because of our love for Him. Fear can be healthy when it
is directed towards those things that can take us away from the
Lord. We should fear the whole material world because it
represents the alternative to serving God. It is wise to maintain
a healthy paranoia about the pull that the material energy
exerts upon us. We should always be on our guard, knowing
that at any moment we can become casualties of war. This type
of fear is healthy because it motivates us to be strong spiritual
warriors; it pushes us towards increasing our love of and
service to the Lord.

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Chapter

sychic intrusion

This is an unusual time on the planet because most people

are prisoners; they are not able to exercise their own free will.
The mental space of most people on this planet is being
intruded upon and their minds are being controlled by an overload of negative energy. Mental and spiritual incarceration is a
normal state of affairs and there is a tremendous abuse of
psychic knowledge.
History shows us that there have always been serious
consequences for the misuse of higher knowledge. Such
behavior has resulted in the disappearance of highly advanced
cultures and the destruction of civilizations. Unless the present
misuse of knowledge is stopped and our energies are positively redirected, we will not have a viable future on this
planet.

Limited Senses
Consider the limited nature of the human condition. The

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human body itself has many limitations. Our senses do not tell
us the truth; they lie to us at every moment. Our ears and eyes
are not as acute as we might think. We cannot hear the sounds
nor see the sights that occur merely one building away.
Sometimes were not even aware of whats going on right
under our nose. We can only perceive certain phenomena
through the use of microscopes, telescopes, or other types of
amplifying equipment. Otherwise, were virtually helpless.
We cant smell an odor from the back of the room and sometimes we cant smell things that are only a few feet away! We
are not consciously aware of the clothes touching our bodies.
The range of what we perceive as reality is in actuality incredibly narrow. Events occur all around us that are beyond our
immediate awareness; a whole imperceptible realm exists that
has direct effects on us. Given these facts, it easy to understand
how we can be psychically controlled.

Subliminal Suggestion
One popular method of mind control is subliminal suggestion. This can be defined as the process of introducing information at a level below the threshold of conscious awareness,
in an attempt to direct the course of ones thoughts or actions.
Although it occurs surreptitiously, most people are aware that
it is widely usedespecially in advertising. Advertisements in
magazines, in newspapers, on billboards or on television are
designed to affect the subconscious through the use of various
kinds of imagery, often of a sexual nature. The sexual overtones link the advertised product to pleasure, and it is this
anticipation of a pleasurable experience that stimulates a
desire for the product.
As masters of psychology, advertisers frequently create an
illusion of need for superfluous items. Driven by the senses,
the consumer becomes a puppet easily manipulated by the
media. In one study, viewers in a movie theater were given

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subliminal messages during the movie to buy a specific soft

drink. They proved the effectiveness of the messages by
buying more of that particular drink during the movie than of
any other product.
Because of televisions broad and dedicated audience,
television advertisements are particularly effective. Millions
of people regularly watch the same show and the same advertisements at the same time each day. With satellite technology,
a program can be presented around the world, reaching
millions. The effectiveness of television advertising is one of
the reasons it is so expensive. Thousands of dollars for a few
seconds of advertising is not uncommon. Only the giants of
the business world can afford the astronomical fees. They pay
them in an attempt to make their own personal agenda the
dominant onean agenda that generally begins with money
and power and often ends in control and exploitation.
The hypnotic nature of television is another contributing
factor to the great influence of this medium. Your normal
waking consciousness is called the beta state. When you
watch television, on the other hand, you enter what is called an
alpha state; the brain is more calm, relaxed and meditative.
You must be extremely careful in this alpha state because you
are inordinately receptive to incoming information, rather like
a sponge soaking up a liquid. In a normal conversation, you
evaluate what is being said. You are able to be on guard and
decide whether you are going to accept or reject the ideas that
are being offered. However, you typically watch television at
home, in your best chair or on your most comfortable couch,
eating your favorite snack. You are relaxed. Youre in a very
pleasing environment and, therefore, more passive than usual
while all sorts of ideas are being programmed into you.
Essentially, television provides a very effective form of
hypnosis.
You have probably noticed how difficult it is to get the
attention of someone who is watching television. Even when
you call the persons name, it takes awhile for that individual

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to be jolted out of the intoxicated state. Even if one just walks

by a television with no plans to look at it, it is easy to be drawn
towards it. Television has that degree of powerful effect.
An experiment was conducted in California in which fiveand six-year-old children were asked the following question:
Who do you like the best: daddy or television? The majority
of the children preferred television! The average person experiences a great amount of pleasure through television and
spends a great many hours per day watching it. Because of the
dominant themes of violence, exploitation, and perversion,
children as well as adults are being given negative messages
about lifes goals and the means to attain them.

Power in Music
Another way to manipulate the consciousness is by infusing the ethers with polluting sound vibrations, particularly
through music. This is a very powerful means of control
because sound affects human consciousness at the deepest
possible level. Subliminal messages through the medium of
music provide a means of psychic control. The self-development movement makes use of tapes with subliminal messages
to assist people with their growth. However, negative
messages can be given just as easily as positive ones. Although
the conscious mind may be unaware of the messages, the
subconscious mind is being programmed. Supermarkets and
department stores use subliminal messages to boost sales.
Hidden in the canned Muzak is often a message to purchase a
particular set of items. Stores also use these messages in a
positive way. Experiments indicate that subtle suggestions not
to steal have decreased the amount of shoplifting significantly.
By constantly projecting these sounds, the store owners have
saved millions of dollars.
We can see the power of sound vibration in the effects of
certain types of music. There is music that increases aggres-

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sion. There is music that stimulates the base emotions of lust,

selfishness, and violence. At concerts where passionate rock
music is performed, there is a higher likelihood of drug use,
sex, and even violence. Soft instrumental music, on the other
hand, promotes a mood of peace and happiness.
To look at the power of sound from another angle, people
who take care of plants know that the growth of plants is
affected not only by soil, water and light, but also by the
people and sounds in the environment. Research has shown
that certain rock music stunts the growth of plants, and in
some cases, kills them. Such sound vibrations affect various
parts of the body of plants no less than that of humans and
animals. Different sound vibrations stimulate different
chakras in the body. Rock music tends to stimulate the lower
chakras. Studies have shown that students who listen to certain
rock music while studying achieve lower grades and are less
productive.
Some musicians and entertainers have advertised the fact
that they have direct links with satanic cults. Their records
often sympathize with demonic entities, use demonic symbols,
and some records, if played backwards, directly worship
Satan. Violence, perversion, and exploitation are always
involved in satanic rituals. Because power comes from these
rituals, people make contracts with lower entities in order to
develop untold powers. Demonic consciousness produces
negative vibrations. The more chaotic the energy, the more
strength it gives the demons. Some performers have been
known to bite off the heads of chickens and bats, and some to
drink the blood of animals on stage. This is obviously abnormal, demonic activity.

Suggestion by Remote Control

Neuro-linguistic programming (NLP) is a means by which
one can stimulate certain responses in others and interpret

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others behavior. One method is to examine peoples eye

movements as they are questioned. If they look up and to the
left, they are said to be visualizing something that they have
seen in the past. If they look to the left but on a horizontal
level, they are remembering something they have heard in the
past. These patterns are said to be usually exhibited by righthanded people. The patterns are reversed for some left-handed
individuals. Another technique involves varying the pace and
rate of your speech to influence the listeners interpretation of
what is being said.
Body movements are used also to stimulate the brain.
There are two major parts of the brain: the left hemisphere,
which controls the rational, objective, and materialistic functions, and the right hemisphere, which controls the subjective,
intuitive, mystical, and spiritual ones. By moving your left
hand, for example, you can stimulate right-brain activity in
another person. All of these NLP techniques can be used to
direct peoples energy. In fact, many government officials,
lawyers, politicians, and top business administrators are
trained in the interpretation of body language, use of speech
and hand movements.

Are Your Thoughts Your Own?

Often peoples moods do not originate with themselves,
but are suggestions projected into their mental space by others.
This is done unconsciously for the most part by one person
onto another or by groups of people to each other. In some
cases, however, thoughts are deliberately projected in someones direction to stop or direct particular cognitive, emotive,
or behavioral patterns.
We all utilize some of these mind-control techniques
knowingly or unknowingly. Some people have adopted these
techniques without even consciously knowing why or how
they work; they just know that they work. Along these same

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lines, people often use visualization techniques to attain

specific goals.
A very effective technique used by politicians and salespersons is the technique of disorientation. Its interesting to
see how this works: physically, if you slip and youre about to
fall, the tendency is to grab anything you can to regain your
stability. Similarly, when you are insecure in your life and
mentally faltering, you naturally grab for something that you
hope will reestablish your sense of equilibrium. If someone is
there reaching out, ready to put something in your hand, you
will take it. If you do not happen to be in a state of insecurity
or vulnerability, the manipulator will create such a state, and
then offer whatever it is he or she wants you to have or
believe. For example, an insurance salesperson might have
you visualize your home on fire or a terrible accident and then
introduce solutions for you to grab onto. Politicians often use
the yes, yes, yes strategy. For example, someone running for
office stands at the podium and carries on this exchange with
the audience:
Oh citizens of this wonderful city, Im sure youre all
tired of the bad roads.
Yes!
Youre tired of pollution.
Yes!
Youre tired of drugs.
Yes!
So please vote for me . . .
Yes!
The implanted idea is that if you elect John Doe, all the
problems he mentioned will be solved. Stimulated by the
rhythm that was created, you opened yourself up to being
programmed in a particular way.
We experience such situations on one level or another
every day. At times we are conscious of what is happening, yet
there is still so much of which we are unaware.

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Psychics at Work
A psychic is a person who is especially attuned and sensitive to energies beyond the physical realm. Psychics can use
their abilities positively, to assist others, or negatively, as a
means of controlling others. They can, from a separate room,
literally put someone to sleep and then revive that individual,
who has no awareness of the intrusion. In documented cases,
some psychics have focused their energies on a persons
nervous system and overwhelmed it, administering a psychic
knockout! Everyone has the ability to develop these faculties.
Some have developed them more than others to the point
where they can influence someones thoughts or see what
another is doing in a distant place.
Many world leaders, today as well as in the past, are
involved in some of these pursuits. Hitler explored psychic
phenomena. It is believed that Napoleon was a psychic. Stalin
interacted with a very powerful psychic, Wolf Messing,
instructing him to rob a bank. The psychic handed a blank note
to the bank teller and mentally willed him to hand over a sum
of money. He intruded upon the tellers mental space to such a
degree that the teller promptly handed over the money.
Much research has been conducted on psychic phenomena
and continues to this day. The former Soviet Union has
invested millions of dollars in their best institutions for training psychics and has done fascinating experiments with subtle
powers. America, too, has invested much time, money, and
manpower in the military uses of psychic energy. Great
amounts of money and the most sophisticated technology are
being used in the areas of espionage. If intelligence specialists
really want to discover something, they have the ability to do
so. Practically any electrical appliance in your home can be
used to gather information about you.
In the world today, there is an increasing polarization
between those who are focused on manipulation and exploitation and those focused on spiritual growth and inner develop-

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ment. We are in the midst of a warnot a physical war but a

war for the control of our minds. This subtle warfare is much
more serious than any external war of physical confrontation.
This mental war is far more intense and insidious.
The world is at its worst and best right now. It is in its
worst state because everything is in disarray. There is little
stability politically, economically, or sociologically. The
governments ability to control is crumbling. There is an
impending economic crisis, and political underhandedness is
at an all-time high. It is a period of great unrest and danger.
Many countries have stockpiles of chemical and nuclear
weapons, and like frightened children, their nervousness and
fear can manifest in widespread destruction. This is the best of
times because it is a period in which to assess our spiritual
growth and make great progress if we desire. Everything is
available at this juncture to allow us to become fully dependent on the Lord.

Techniques for Psychic Defense and

Fortification
The focus of psychic defense is not to impart warfare, but
to teach you certain protective strategies to enable you to
remain the free spirit that you are. The key is self-realization.
This means you must work on yourself. Any teacher can stimulate you, but there must be an underlying desire and commitment on your part to raise your consciousness. Five points will
be presented here for your consideration.

Point One
The more you identify with your mind, the more you can
become susceptible to mind intrusion. Although you have

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been conditioned to see your mind as you, your mind is actually not you. You are the user of the mind in the same way that
you are the user of your shoes, your coat, or your sweater; you
are the person who makes use of your mind. Whatever you use
is not you. It is actually the soul that uses the intellect, the
mind, and the body.
The mind is constantly engaged in accepting and rejecting
stimuli in its environment. Your environment, particularly
your immediate environment, largely determines what your
mind grabs and holds onto. In most cases, the mind is your
worst enemy, because your mind has been conditioned to tell
you that you should go after whatever your senses desire. Your
mind has been conditioned to tell you that as long as you are
identifying with the basic functions of eating, sleeping,
mating, and defending, then there is nothing else to worry
about. The you that the mind tells you to be is not the real
you.
There is a greater you, a greater potential within yourself,
within the soul. So how do you handle the mind? A powerful
technique is to treat your mind as another person who is speaking to you. When your mind starts telling you things that are
unhealthy or untrue, when your mind starts giving you grief,
when your mind starts causing fear, when your mind starts
arousing anxiety, dont accept these thoughts. You can better
reject them if you have already realized that there is a distinction between the mind and you. Always remember that
because you are separate from the mind, you can evaluate
what the mind is dictating to you.
This practice will help you when you are the target of
mind intrusion and are not really responsible for the mental
energy that is being imposed upon you. You will act with
wisdom because you will be able to recognize what is occurring.
As long as you identify with the mind, you immediately
act upon what the mind dictates. The mind will control you,
instead of the opposite, and will cause needless complications.

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You must constantly evaluate what is going in and coming out

of the mind. Someone who is thinking of you is entering into
your mental space. In most cases, people are not thinking
loving thoughts about each other. If you are spiritually
advanced and have enviable qualities, you are particularly at
risk. All kinds of people thinking envious thoughts can make
you a target of lust and exploitation. It is as if they are feeding
on you. You really have no idea of all the thoughts, the energy,
or the life forms that you are carrying around with you. Your
consciousness will determine which concerns will be the
dominant ones that you hold onto and accept. Much of your
reality is based on how you codify things. Dont accept your
thoughts as if they were the truth. Otherwise the mind is going
to enslave you.

Point Two
It is important to not identify with your own or others
problems. When people tell you their problems, they literally
give these difficulties to you. You are now carrying their problems, and usually their problems continue to increase because
they are thinking of nothing else. You may also find yourself
so overwhelmed by your own challenges that you feel like you
are under a great weight and are unable to move. A little technique in dealing with these situations is to visualize yourself
the way you want to be when you have reached a state of
perfection or have moved to a higher level. As you focus on
that image, you are creating it and you will bring yourself back
up again.

Point Three
Because the state of the body has a powerful effect on
consciousness, your diet is a vital weapon of psychic defense.

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You have to create higher energy in order to not be affected by

the lower energy. If you are making your body a graveyard by
eating meat, it will be very difficult to eliminate negative
forces from your life. If youre taking a corpse into your body,
you are making your body a cemetery for dead animals. A
psychic looking at a graveyard sees all kinds of disembodied
spirits. People who live near graveyards are often bombarded
with psychological problems because of the energy that is
located there. Imagine the effects of constantly making your
body a graveyard by eating dead flesh. Consider how meat
decays in the open and what it is doing in your body. If you
study vegetarianism you will see that nutritionally, morally,
ethically, and spiritually, vegetarianism is a preferred diet for
a saner society.

Point Four
Intoxication, in all its forms and to any degree, makes us
very vulnerable to psychic intrusion. Youve heard alcoholics
talk about seeing pink elephants. This is not a hallucination.
As you allow your body to degenerate under the effects of
intoxication, the vibration of the body moves into lower planes
of existence. As you tune into these lower planes, you contact
disembodied beings.
It is no accident that much of the world is now suffering
from drug-related problems. Worldwide infrastructures will
continue to fall apart as long as those who run them remain
addicted to drugs. Metaphysically, if you take drugs you are
putting holes in your astral body. It is as if you were summoning the entities associated with psychic intrusions, mental
attacks, and possessions. Most people who take drugs have a
visitor inside of them of whom they are totally unaware. They
have much more than just the drug hindering them; they are
carrying various beings with them. Some of these entities just
wait for opportunities and environments where they can

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intrude. If you are opening your door and calling, then somebody might come in. Using drugs is like calling in unwanted
subtle visitors.
In addition to drugs and alcohol, gambling is another form
of intoxication. In places such as Las Vegas and Atlantic City,
people become addicted to getting something for nothing.
Because there are clearly defined symptoms in people who are
addicted to gambling, it is now viewed as a distinct disease.
People are treated in clinics because they cant control themselves. Lottery systems are not in place by accident. The state
lottery systems are bail-out mechanisms used when a state is
in financial trouble. Leaders are fully aware that gambling is a
form of intoxication and can result in much financial gain. One
involved in gambling is also opening the door and inviting
outside entities in.

Point Five
The proper use of sexual energy is critical for inner stabilization and psychic protection. One of the highest uses of
sexual energy is to attract pious souls to take birth in this
realm, offering them a commitment to spiritually guide and
nurture them. In this way, these souls will eventually take up
the role of guides and teachers themselves. Utter misuse of
sexual energy can be seen in practices such as pornography.
Pornography totally devalues the beauty of the male-female
relationship. It directs men to view women as pleasure units to
be manipulated and enjoyed. Pornography propagates a
mentality of irresponsibility and produces minds that are
controlled by perversion. Pornography is very lucrative
through means such as magazines and the film and recording
industries. Along with drugs, it is one of the biggest and
fastest-growing industries on the planet. It has now reached
the point that many children are being abducted for pornographic films and satanic rituals. We are surrounded everywhere with these types of negative energies.

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To ultimately minimize the effects of the psychic

bombardment that surrounds us all, you can follow the model
of martial arts. In martial arts you dont necessarily have to
confront an attack with a counterattack. Instead, you can get
behind the enemy or sidestep him so that you move yourself
out of the way of his or her energy. You dont have to feed into
it. You can transcend it. You do this by first analyzing yourself
in those areas just mentioned: controlling the mind, positive
thinking, healthy diet, avoiding intoxication, and proper use of
sexual energy. This self-examination process will automatically make you stronger. You will create more protection for
yourself just by contemplating your situation. Thus, you dont
have to worry about all the various types of psychic attacks
that may be occurring; you will naturally have a field of
protection around you due to your fortified consciousness.
Love, righteousness, and the Divine are stronger than the
negativity of this age. Therefore, be loving and righteous. The
more you align with the Divinity, the more protection you will
have and the greater will be your spiritual advancement.

Questions and Answers

Question: How can we extend love to others, yet at the
same time protect ourselves from taking in unhealthy energy?
Answer: We should try to see everyone as an energy of
Godour friend as well as our enemy, our supporter as well
as our attacker. It doesnt mean that when you see a tiger, you
put your head in the tigers mouth because you love everyone.
Nor does it mean that you automatically accept any type of
behavior. You can hate the sin and love the sinner.
Some people are less aware than others of their potential
divinity, of their inherent nature as spiritual beings. Thus, they
are captured by a strong sense of materialism or negativity. If
this is understood, there is less desire to attack when someone

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is attacking you. If you allow yourself to get on the same level

of energy as one who is absorbed in negativity, then you lose.
Again, the technique is the same as in martial arts. You dont
attack with the same energy; instead, you step behind or to the
side, and use the persons energy in a way that helps the situation. As we experience real concern about the person, then we
transmit some of that love into the individual. The individual
will then be upgraded or will be so determined to hold onto a
position that at least he or she will avoid you. For example, if
you know someone who has a very negative outlook on life,
whenever that person comes near you, instead of talking about
problems, talk about something of a higher nature. The person
will then realize that in order to associate with you, he or she
has to rise to your level.
Another point is that the more spiritually developed you
become, the higher your energy will be. You should give your
association to others but not accept the attitudes of a lowerenergy person. The way you do that is to keep a constant
barrier against the negativity that a person is projecting.
Although you love that person, you know that in order to be of
help you must keep yourself spiritually fit. Otherwise, you
cant help the other person or yourself.
Relationships just based on sentiment rather than growth
bring degradation to all involved. You must commit not to
participate in negativity nor encourage creation of more negativity, so that you will not become wounded or become a casualty. By associating in a way that is giving rather than
accepting, you are protecting yourself and the other person
also. If there is an attack, you forgive, but you also want to
make sure that the person gets some help to deal with the sickness. If you cant help the sickness, at least you can keep yourself from becoming sick. The only way to do this is to stay
focused by maintaining spiritually elevated thoughts. You
cannot allow yourself to be devastated by the negative. Rather,
you must learn the art of transforming the negative into the
positive.

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Question: You mentioned that the mind can be our enemy.

How are we to divorce ourselves from our minds and see the
mind as a different person? First, how do I define myself as
myself without the mind, and second, how can I separate the
mind from the intelligence?
Answer: Lets look at our biological hierarchy. First, we
have the body and the senses. Higher than these is the mind.
Higher than the mind is the intelligence. Higher than the intelligence is the soul. Lets consider how these various levels
interrelate. The senses respond to the sense objects in the
immediate environment. The senses give a command to the
mind to do something to gratify them. The intelligence usually
has a more ethical, moral orientation. It tells the mind, But if
you do that, then this will be the consequence, or Do it this
way. Dont do that. By keeping ourselves immersed in spiritual or transcendental knowledgesubjects that are not just
material but about higher growth and love of Godthen the
intelligence is sharpened. It can keep the mind in check
because it engages the mind in higher-order activities. Then
the mind will be less influenced by lower-order preoccupations.
The main point is that we dont have to accept everything
that comes into our mental environment. Just assess the
thoughts as you would assess a person who comes into your
presence. You know whether the person is coming to harass
you, to ask for something, or just to be with you. Lets say
someone walks up to you. At first, youre likely to be a little
skeptical. Youll quickly want to assess the nature of this
encounter. Similarly, when the mind comes to you, check it
out, evaluate it, and qualify it. Dont just accept whatever it
brings to you, because the mind has been conditioned to keep
you in a state of illusion.
Question: How do you know when you are dealing with a
true psychic?

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Answer: To understand psychics, one should first understand something about the psychic realm, the realm that deals
with paranormal experiences. There are a variety of psychic
phenomena and abilities. One category of psychic phenomena
involves having experiences beyond the gross physical senses,
such as in remote viewing. Remote viewing is the ability to
perceive what is going on in another location. It can be likened
to the ability to send your eyes and mind somewhere else
while your body remains where it is. You can then observe a
situation and report what is occurring. Another psychic ability
is clairaudience, which means that you can hear something
that is not in your immediate environment. This may involve
hearing or seeing realities in other dimensions.
Another category of psychic phenomena is mental telepathy, which refers to receiving impressions with the mind, as in
reading someone elses thoughts. Two other areas are hypnosis, the ability to induce a state of heightened susceptibility to
suggestion, and psychokinesis, which is the use of mental
energy to move objects. There are other types of psychic abilities along these same lines.
There is another classification of abilities known as
siddhis; this literally means mystic perfections. The siddhi
known as anima is the ability to become very small, like a
particle. Kamavasayita-siddhi is the ability to assume any
shape or form one desires. Prapti-siddhi is a mystic power that
enables one to acquire a material item from any place in the
universe without physically going to get it. The ability to
control all the material elements is vasitva-siddhi.
There is a certain siddhi that allows one to summon the
soul of a person who has just died back into the physical body.
Jesus Christ, Ezekiel, and Elijah in the Christian tradition were
able to revive people from the dead. Since the physical body
is just a garment, the soul has the ability to come and go. Thus,
someone who has developed this particular mystic perfection
can summon a soul back into the body.
In our current day and age, many people visit psychics and

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channelers and involve themselves in various types of yogas.

But they often confuse the psychic with the spiritual.
Much of what people perceive to be spiritual is usually something that is of the subtle material realm. Someone who
witnesses a miracle usually assumes that something divine has
occurred. This is not necessarily the case. These events can
just be a matter of knowing how to use certain laws and how
to convert certain types of energies.
Energy has two polarities: positive and negative. You can
use the negative polarity to invoke power from disembodied or
sinful entities. Sometimes a person can become possessed and
perform a variety of unusual feats that are not of a Godcentered nature. Much of the channeling involves connections
from the astral plane, which is nothing more than a subtle
dimension just a bit above the gross material level; it is not
from the anti-material, or spiritual, plane. It often is not of a
divine origin. Sometimes the messages come from disembodied beings on a gross, sinful or dangerous platform, while at
other times the messages are just metaphysical gymnastics.
These malevolent entities will cause people to think that a
mystical experience is something spiritual when in actuality
it is not. The entities will then exploit people. Such exploitation is quite common in the field of metaphysics.
Many people are involved in metaphysical and spiritual
organizations. It is important to be able to draw the line of
demarcation between the metaphysical and the spiritual. If a
person displays mystic powers but does not have a loving
orientation, we should immediately be cautious. Individuals
engaged in illicit affairs, intoxication, gambling or meat-eating
cannot contact higher spiritual planes. If we seek out such
people expecting their knowledge to be very high, we may in
fact find that their body is terribly contaminated. If we associate with them, we are taking a tremendous risk. God is not so
cheap or weak that He has to speak through such contaminated
vehicles.
Excessive fascination with metaphysical phenomena can

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hinder spiritual advancement. For one truly striving to grow

spiritually, these are nothing more than interferences. They are
pitfalls that often decrease the chance of making spiritual
advancement toward the real goal of becoming a loving
servant of the Supreme Personality of Godhead, the Supreme
Lord. Preoccupation with these phenomena is not a sign of
advancement. There are planets where all the residents have
many of the mystic powers we have enumerated and for them
it is no great accomplishment [see chapter two]. For entities of
some of the lower realms, our psychic experiences would
seem to demonstrate great advancement, when to us they are
just part of our day-to-day lives. Just as a primitive person
would find it amazing to see someone use a calculator, entities
of the lower realms are astounded by some routine things that
we take for granted. In other words, what is mystical for one
is commonplace for another. Its all relative. When you understand this, you see that often what we call psychic or mystic is
simply a matter of something unusual or unorthodox, something different from the normally accepted scheme of activities. But thats all. It might seem mystical to you for someone
to pull up the hood of his car and immediately solve a mechanical problem. However, that individual has simply acquired a
certain level of knowledge that is unavailable to you at that
time. Thus, if we are too fascinated by the gross material level
or even the subtle material level, we become stagnated.
Many spiritualists aspiring for the highest goal of love of
God such as rishis (great Vedic scholars) and yogis (those who
practice connecting with God through one of the disciplines of
yoga), often fall down when they acquire some of these
powers. This is because these powers give one the ability to
manipulate the material energy, and such powers can become
intoxicating. People who have these abilities can feel that they
are the ultimate controllers of everything, which can be a very
serious problem.
We have taken birth in this material world because we are
envious of the Supreme, because we want to be God. We can

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see around us how people are trying to be the most renounced,

the most beautiful, the most knowledgeable, or the most
wealthy. These opulences belong to the Supreme, yet humans
make herculean efforts to become the supreme possessors of
these qualities. If we want to be released from these entanglements, to acquire liberation and, ultimately, to have divine
personal association with the Supreme Godhead, we must
become free from all of these contaminations. When we are
too fascinated with psychic manipulation or the activities of
the subtle material plane, we become more and more bound to
the material world and are kept lifetime after lifetime in this
mundane sphere. What is necessary is to find a lover of God,
not a psychic.

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Chapter

FOs, extraterrestrials,
and the mother-ship

Unidentified flying objects (UFOs), extraterrestrials and

the mother-ship are topics that conventional thinkers have
historically regarded as disreputable or, at best, questionable.
However, the large number of reports and photographic
records of these phenomena indicate that they merit serious
consideration. These phenomena are real, and this discussion
will explore them at some length. While those who have a
foundation in metaphysical subjects will have a fuller understanding and appreciation of the subject matter, all can benefit
from exposure to these topics.

Finding the Future in the Past

A broad definition of extraterrestrials, or aliens, is that
they are entities who reside beyond the boundaries of the earth
planet. This includes beings from the planetary systems higher
than earthdemigodsand those beings from planetary
systems lower than the earth.

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All ancient cultures have had extraterrestrial involvement

at one level or another. Many civilizations left oral histories
and writings of extraterrestrial entities. The Native American,
African, Latin and South American peoples, among others,
have passed many stories down from generation to generation
about extraterrestrial contacts. The history of Kemet (Egypt)
suggests that the pyramids may have been built with the help
of extraterrestrials. These beings were instrumental in imparting knowledge about lasers and other technology that was
passed down through a select group of people to be used in
particular ways. The pyramids were not really designed as
tombs. Instead, one of their functions was that of amplifiers to
aid in communication between different dimensions, allowing
entities to be in tune with some of their brothers and sisters in
other realms [see chapter eight].

You Mean Thats in the Scriptures?

The scriptures speak of extraterrestrials, although in some
scriptures the information is obscured by cryptic language. In
the Bible, the chapter of Ezekiel mentions how Ezekiel saw a
wheel and that the wheel picked him up and took him to a
higher wheel. Some suggest that this higher wheel refers to a
heavenly ship. The book of Revelations indicates that as the
world approaches a state of transition, a city will appear in the
heavens. Both of these references refer to a special kind of
UFO called a mother-ship, which will be described later. A
Christian minister named Barry Downing has written extensively about the Bible and UFO phenomena.
The Vedic scriptures of India like the Bhagavata Purana,
the Mahabharata and the Ramayana describe in detail beings
from other planetary systems; the aerial vehicles, or vimanas,
in which they travel; and their ongoing contact with humans.

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The Mother-ship
A term frequently heard in UFO discussions is mothership. A mother-ship is a type of UFO that is like a huge flying
city. A mother-ship can contain hundreds or even thousands
of smaller ships that are the size of ballrooms. If fully lit up, a
mother-ship would shine more powerful than 10,000 suns.
They are incredibly large.
There have been times in our history when mother-ships
have appeared, but the occurrences were misunderstood. For
example, the Star of Bethlehem was a mother-ship. The
destruction of the cities of Sodom and Gomorrah was carried
out by a mother-ship. Angel Gabriel and Moses had connections with a mother-ship. Many of the Vedic vimanas were
mother-ships. Several years ago, a Japanese pilot reported a
strange sighting: he was being followed by fifty to sixty small
units coming out of a larger unit. This was a mother-ship as
well.
The beings of the mother-ships look more like us than any
other extraterrestrial being. They have always monitored this
particular universe. Their role is to assist the earth with
balance and advancement. They are providing support through
the transformation of consciousness that is happening now and
the transformation that will be necessary in the future. They
are able to prevent certain catastrophes and currently are
monitoring nuclear armaments to help control this precarious
situation.
History has recorded the continuous battle between good
and evil, both of which fight to control the fate of humankind.
As beings of higher consciousness (and those striving to attain
a higher consciousness) come increasingly in contact with
those who still seek selfish gain, a phenomenal cleansing takes
place. Life on the planet is partially or completely destroyed.
Mother-ships are responsible for ensuring that the population
is reestablished after this cleansing. During destructive events,
beings of the mother-ship beam up human beings of high

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levels of consciousness. This pick-up is by a beam of light and

happens instantaneously, as fast as thought. The humans who
are picked up are put to sleep immediately, especially if the
circumstances under which they were picked up are extremely
serious, such as in a catastrophe requiring global evacuation.
These people will help to reseed the planet at a later time.
Those whose bodies are destroyed are those who have not
surrendered to the Supreme. They actually benefit from the
destruction because, since they were not able to advance spiritually in that life, they will receive another opportunity to
advance in a new lifetime.
Beings from mother-ships do not directly function in the
world of human beings. Most of their work has to be done
indirectly through the beings on the earth plane. Because we
always have free will to make our own choices with the
concomitant consequences, they offer guidance to earthlings
who then are free to choose a particular course of action.

The Nation of Islam and the Mother-ship

The Honorable Elijah Muhammad, in his book Message to
the Blackman in America, and Minister Louis Farrakhan, both
of the Nation of Islam, make reference to mother-ships.
Message to the Blackman mentions the mother-ships role and
its ability to keep this world on an even keel by activities such
as controlling disasters, natural and man-made.
Some years ago, Minister Farrakhan shared an experience
he had that was similar to the biblical story of Ezekiel
mentioned earlier. Minister Farrakhan relayed that he was
picked up by a beam of light from a smaller ship and taken to
a larger ship. There, he had a chance to meet with the
Honorable Elijah Muhammad. He was instructed to inform
Colonel Muammar Qadhafi of Libya that there was going to
be a bombing of his capital and a personal attack and that other
plans were being made to accelerate a Third World War.

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Minister Farrakhan did inform Colonel Qadhafi of the plans. It

was reported that when the bombing took place, there was a
tremendous amount of interference that caused some of their
airplanes to malfunction. A group of small saucers reportedly
had been hovering over the area.

Alien Profiles
Lets now examine a few types of extraterrestrials. The
first category of such entities includes the ones who oversee
the mother-ships: the demigods. One type comes from the
North Star and beyond. If you could see them, you would
immediately notice their fiery bodies. They are very tall,
approximately eight feet in height. They have tremendous
mystic powers. They are able to move at the speed of the mind
and have the extraordinary ability to be able to see what we are
doing at any time. There are many categories of demigods who
reside in the higher planetary systems.
The second classification of alien beings is called the
gray type. They are depicted as very short with large black
eyes, big oval heads, thin bodies and vestigial mouths, noses
and ears. This type carries out the majority of the abductions.
One major book about abductions is Communion by Whitley
Streiber. It details UFO contact in which people have been
abducted and subjected to various types of experiments,
resulting in a change of consciousness. Examinations are typical of UFO abductions. The examination involves exploring
and probing the abductees body with elaborate machines.
Instruments are inserted in the body, particularly in the nose
and rectum. Humans who have been abducted in this way later
experience pain or consistent bleeding in the nose.
Some people who have been abducted have dreams of
being raped or of being on a spaceship and ejaculating continuously. These dreams represent their real experiences. The
abductors take semen and use it for the continuation of their

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own race. Humans who have had their seed taken during these
experiences later feel pain in the genitals. If you have had
recurring dreams of associating with something otherworldy
and have experienced the problems just mentioned, then you
may have already been affected by these beings. But dont
fear; these entities are not necessarily negative. They are a sad
case. They have minimized the ability to love and thus have
evolved without loving tendencies. Having evolved into a
state where they are basically composed only of intelligence,
they have no emotions. This is why their heads are big and
their bodies are small. They use their mental capabilities to
abduct; they paralyze their subjects through mental telepathy.
These entities have a very deep involvement and interaction
with this planet. Part of their preoccupation with this planet is
due to their desire to acquire emotions.
Another classification of aliens are those found at the
center of the earth. Some of these aliens are not humanoid
while others, such as those descendants of the lost continents of Mu and Atlantis [see chapter eight], are humanoid.
During the fall of Mu and Atlantis, some residents were guided
by the mother-ship to take shelter at the earths center.
Surprisingly, some unidentified flying objects do not necessarily come from other planets but from the core of our own.
There are also those extraterrestrials who are of a definite
negative nature. They rebel against the divine order and negatively affect earthly arrangements. They are sometimes called
demons. There are humans who maintain contact with these
negative extraterrestrials. These personalities have
consciously evolved into tyrants. They are trying to control the
minds of people on this planet for personal power and the
amassment of slaves. They encourage people to engage in
scams, initiate wars and participate in satanic worship. These
tyrants have highly placed agents in governments all over the
world and have more control than the secret societies. They
have infiltrated secret societies as a means to exercise their
powers of control and manipulation.

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This planet is controlled by secret societies such as the

Illuminati and the Skull and Bones Society. Skull and Bones is
one of the most powerful organizations in existence. Its
members involve themselves in human sacrifice in order to
gain power. Members of the Illuminati have immense knowledge about demigods and extraterrestrial beings. They contact
negative entities through meditation and other types of metaphysical powers. As they call upon these entities, they are
supplied with various metaphysical weaponry, for the purpose
of control and domination. Through government agencies
such as the Trilateral Commission, the Federal Reserve, and
the International Monetary Fund, etc., these societies work
their agenda of control and manipulation, in full view of the
worlds population.

Government Secrets
As mentioned, numerous reports exist about extraterrestrial experiences. Many people feel that the government
has made strong attempts to conceal this information from the
public. However, it is no longer possible to keep a lid on this
topic. There have been many exposs of the 1947 incident in
Roswell, New Mexico, where townspeople reported viewing a
disc-shaped flying object. Military personnel were called in
and some observed the wreckage of this crashed object. Over
a hundred people, mainly those associated with the government, were aware of the crash. This case was particularly
interesting because people also reported viewing bodies of the
extraterrestrials in the wreckage. The descriptions were of the
gray type of beings mentioned earlier. The incident was officially reported as a crashed weather balloon. Years later,
several former government officials appeared on television
and stated they were instructed to keep the incident secret and
were threatened with potential loss of employment if they did
not comply. The officials eventually spoke out because they
could no longer keep this information secret.

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It is now accepted by a certain contingent of society that

ex-president Eisenhower experienced extraterrestrial contact.
It is reported that ex-president Carter also saw UFOs. One of
the parliamentary members of the House of Lords in England,
the Earl of Clancarty, who is also involved in the dissemination of information about extraterrestrials, spoke to a pilot
involved in an extraterrestrial incident at Edwards Air Force
base. The Earl has written on this subject in no uncertain
terms.
We can see just from these few examples that extraterrestrial contacts and UFOs are a wide-spread phenomenon; they
are not limited to a few kooks. Groups of people who have
had these experiences meet on a regular basis. They discuss
the effects of the experiences on them and their families and
the ways they are coping. There is also a UFO hotline in New
York that makes information available to the public about the
recent sightings and experiences that have occurred. We must
realize the urgency of the situation and be aware of what is
happening in these areas. The next few decades may have a
very devastating impact on us if we are not prepared.

Seeking a Life of Love

If I have merely stirred your interest in extraterrestrials or
increased your fear, then I have failed in my purpose. The
issue is this: to what degree is this information enhancing your
ability to appreciate the controlling hand of the Lord behind
everything that exists? Is it encouraging you to surrender to
His control? If this information helps you to realize the desperate need to develop greater love, then this discussion has been
successful. When higher beings decide whom they will
salvage or help, they look at the degree of loving energy that a
person has embodied. Anyone who is contacted by a mothership who has low vibratory energy or a low consciousness will
not be able to adjust to the contact. However, those who are

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already living a life of moral purity and compassion have

made large deposits into their spiritual bank accounts, and
are in a position to properly receive a mother-ship.
Once you are in harmony with God it becomes His duty to
ensure your survival. It is His duty, too, to see to your protection. It becomes His agents duty and joy to do His bidding in
relationship to you. However, if you are not constantly calling
out to Him, the alternative scenario is bondage. You become
the victim of those negative forces that influence our minds
via the mass media. By constantly bombarding you with stimuli designed to arouse your material desires, they successfully
bring you down to a lower level of consciousness, where they
can harass and control you.
This is one of the most incredible times to be a part of this
universe. Entities are here who have been waiting millennia
for the opportunity to be born at this time, just so they can
gather enough spiritual momentum to carry them back home
to the spiritual world. You also have purposely taken birth at
this time on this planet to be a part of this unfoldment. We
encourage you to align yourself with people and practices that
will raise your consciousness and that will harmoniously align
you with the universe and with God.

Questions and Answers

Question: I once met someone who had detailed knowledge about UFOs. He said that the first nuclear catastrophe
was Sodom and Gomorrah. Could you elaborate on this?
Answer: Yes, the story of Sodom and Gomorrah is an
example of what happens when nuclear energy is released.
The mother-ship had a duty to perform and it performed it. All
of these events are based on the aggregate free will and the
collective consciousness of individuals. What happens to each
person is based on individual karma. If you have the kind of

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protective karma that is generated by being a righteous person

and by being in harmony with God, then even if your life is
taken there is a science by which your soul can be brought
back into your body if necessary.
Question: Is the Creator a force that determines the
outcome of our consciousness or is it the choices we make, our
own creativity, that lead us to be positive or negative?
Answer: It is definitely a matter of our creativity. The
Supreme Lord is like a supreme parent who loves every aspect
of His children and who is constantly making options available for them according to their receptivity. God does not have
any favorites. A persons desires will dictate whether that individual is attracted to the pious polarity or the impious polarity.
How we use our free will determines our choices and how we
draw or repel various situations. As we sow, so shall we reap.
Under the law known as the conservation of energy, the third
law of motion in physics, every action produces an equal and
corresponding reaction. We are completely responsible for the
things that are happening in our lives. If we really understood
this, we would be much more careful about the way we interact with each other, with the world around us, and with God.
Question: I have been studying UFOs for a considerable
time, yet most of the information you are sharing with us today
I have not read anywhere. I wonder whether I have been wasting my time because I have learned more in the short period of
this lecture than in all my years of studying.
Answer: Some of the things that we are discussing you
will not find in books. Much of this information was made
available through contact with a level of cosmic attunement as
well as a connection from a previous life. We are summarizing
tremendous amounts of knowledge in an attempt to make it
available for your growth. It would be difficult for you to

SWI.qxd 1/7/03 12:36 AM Page 105

discover this information by just reading various books. The

nature of the knowledge we are sharing with you is not necessarily for the mind; it is meant to go deeper. Our words are
being planted like seeds in the heart and consciousness. The
soul knows the truth and it has the ability to identify and align
itself with the desire of each person as each individual
searches for higher truths.

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Chapter

trangers in our bodies

This body is a vehicle that can experience an infinite

number of situations. The Vedic Puranas speak of 8,400,000
types of bodies that the soul can occupy throughout the
creation. If we accept the fact that the soul is the real person,
and that the body acts as a costume or garment, we can understand that we change costumes according to the activities that
we have to perform from one moment to the next, from one
life to the next. If the body can be changed, then death is nothing more than a visit to the changing room. We merely leave
one set of clothes behind and put on another. The law of
conservation in physics tells us that matter can neither be
created nor destroyed, but that it simply changes form. So
although our bodies are changing from childhood, to youth, to
old age, something remains the same. That something is the
spirit soul. This discussion will examine situations where
ones body accommodates different types of temporary or
permanent visitors.

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Walk-Ins
We first will discuss walk-ins. A walk-in occurs when a
person no longer wants to continue life in the present physical
form. The individual departs and willingly allows another soul
to occupy his or her body. A good analogy might be time
sharing: one soul is occupying a form that can be used by
another. The original owner of the body usually desires to
leave because of depression, frustration, or anxiety.
One may also decide to leave the physical form temporarily and allow another entity to occupy it. This practice has
gained popularity over the last decade under the name of channeling. Channelers are people with the ability to act as mediums. They receive communication from other realms, act upon
the messages and encourage others to act. This should not be
shocking. History shows that many great inventors and others
who have made major contributions to society heard voices
and were given certain instructions from other realms.
Beings who walk in come with their own unique patterns,
but are simultaneously aware of the patterns of the previous
occupant. The entities who enter in this way are generally of a
positive or pious nature. They are still evolving, yet they have
a duty to perform in bringing about a new era. Their understanding and their nature assist them in these efforts. The
advantage of entering a body in this way is that it saves time.
The walk-ins do not have to undergo the process of birth and
growth; they can immediately begin the work they are to do.
Sometimes they may not know that they have entered this life
as a walk-in; at a later time this fact is revealed. One indication that such a transition has taken place is when someone
who has had a period of distress or has given up the will to live
abruptly changes patterns of thought and behavior.

Possession
Possession is the forceful occupation of ones body by

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another entity, typically a negative entity. As mentioned, walkins are invited voluntarily. Sometimes entities that enter under
possession may also be invited by the host, but this invitation
is reflective of the hosts low level of consciousness. When
individuals eager for wealth, distinction, and power are ready
and willing to sell themselves for this power by associating
with lower entities and lower vibrations, such lower beings
can penetrate them. The intruding personality is dominant over
the host entity. Unlike the walk-in phenomenon, the host entity
still occupies the body with the visiting entity.
In the past few years, there has been an increasing number
of people who have committed horrendous crimes such as
mass murders and serial killings. Many of these people, when
brought to justice, have reported hearing voices and receiving
instructions. This is not hallucinatory; their nature has
allowed negative beings to reside within their consciousness.
In fact, they often say that they did not want to do certain
things but that they were feeling pushed to act in a particular
way.
Disembodied entities often attempt to occupy the physical
bodies of others. Because they are preoccupied with gratifying
their senses, they try to engage in negative sexual activities
and other forms of manipulation. These entities dabble on the
astral plane and are often encountered during sleep. Those
entities that engage in sexual activities are called incubi and
succubi.
A symptom of an obvious attack would be when one feels
something trying to enter the body through the chest or
through the back of the neck. A subtle attack may be indicated
by the occurrence of wet dreams. The sensations of waking
up and not being able to speak, or of being awake and asleep
simultaneously, can indicate that a disembodied entity is
trying to enter.
Entities will occupy the bodies of people who make themselves available through particularly sinful lives or fearful
dispositions. However, without these preconditions, these enti-

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ties can have no effect. Seventy-five percent of the work in

becoming free of a possession is recognizing that it is there.
Certain characteristics accompany states of possession. Some
examples include heavy odors, lower room temperature, or the
levitation of objects. Exorcism is one means of inducing the
entity to leave.
Entities of a negative nature have power just like entities
of a divine nature. Miracles, such as apparently supernatural
acts, are not necessarily a sign of divinity. Contact with lower
entities for the purpose of acquiring supernatural power is a
phenomenon common in the Caribbean, South America, and
Africa. In Benin, West Africa, a high percentage of the women
reveal low-level possession. In most cases their families
committed their offspring to water spirits before the children
were born. Thus, many people from that area, especially
women, become inhabited by such entities. They hear annoying voices and are often drawn to the water. We have assisted
some in severing the attachments.
To minimize the possibility of possessions, one should not
attend any rituals involving the shedding of blood, illicit sex or
attempts to communicate with the dead. Much of what is practiced as African religion in the United States is an adulteration
of bona fide practices. At the current level of consciousness on
the planet, ceremonies that deal with flesh and blood sacrifices
are not going to invoke a divine presence or divine consciousness. Those who find themselves receptive to subtle energy
should be wary of situations where these practices occur
because such environments are permeated with negative
energy. This energy can be imbibed on a very deep level,
resulting in possession.

Critical Information for Critical Times

Because of their limited exposure and deep cynicism,
Westerners tend to be ignorant about altered states and other

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dimensions. They are normally insensitive to or unaware of

anything more than their immediate reality. Thinking that this
immediate environment is the be-all and end-all, they tend
to ridicule alternative realities.
This perspective is not beneficial. People should be open
to these types of realities. We are the generation that must
determine the viability of the future for humankind. We are
living at a time when the entire planet is in danger. This
predicament demands more advanced solutions and tools to
counteract the prob- lems that are eating away at the next
generation. Under such conditions, there is a thin line between
those who will survive and those who will not.
We are risking credibility by making information of this
type available, yet the gravity of the world situation demands
that these things be made known. Many of you, as responsible
leaders for the future, will need this kind of knowledge. As
mentioned earlier, no one is living at this time by accident. It
is part of our karma to be on this planet at this particular time.
It is critical to train and cultivate leaders in the techniques that
will be needed to instruct and direct the masses, not just to a
higher standard of living, but ultimately to the path of higher
spiritual realizations. Those who have learned to operate at a
higher vibration and with a higher consciousness will bring
about a new era that will soon be more evident. Gods mercy
is greater than His law. He is more eager to send messages and
teachings then we are ready to receive. Since God is so eager
to give, we are often given information beyond our capacity
and qualification. That is His mercy; that is His love.

Questions and Answers

Question: If individuals work at enhancing their vibrations through the proper diet, would that not make them less
vulnerable to intrusions by other beings?

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Answer: Yes. Factors such as how we think, how we act,

and how we relate interpersonally determine the kind of energies drawn to us. Diet is vital not only because it affects how
the body functions but because it influences our thoughts and
actions as well. Proper diet combined with chanting mantras
(powerful words) and prayers greatly elevates the consciousness. It affects the vibrations of the body and allows us to
develop greater fortitude.
Question: When you spoke about entities within us, it
brought to mind the feminine and masculine that is within us
all. Could you talk about the importance of developing the
feminine and masculine qualities of God within ourselves so
we can be in a better position to receive spiritual assistance?
Answer: The feminine, nurturing aspect of ourselves
becomes more dominant as we become more spiritual. The
world is experiencing the effects of an overexertion of the
masculine aspect which minimizes the nurturing, the receptive, and the metaphysical. The perfectly balanced, wholistic
stage of development involves an androgynous outlook where
both the masculine and feminine aspects are exhibited. God
contains everything and as we adopt a more Godly orientation,
that universality is seen within us and within those beings that
are here to help.
Question: Can the way we feel about ourselves and the
world we live in make us more, or less, prone to possession by
negative entities?
Answer: Yes, it can, because the more negative we are and
the less we love ourselves and others, the lower our vibrations
become. This causes us to attract negative things. By positive
living and thinking, we can avoid attacks on all levels.
We have been conditioned to believe that gratifying or
appeasing our senses is the goal of life. This sense gratification

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can be gross, such as illicit sexual activity, or subtle, such as

the desire for profit, adoration and distinction. When we
encounter obstacles that limit our sense gratification, we feel
that our lives are over. The knowledge being shared here is to
help you realize that there is a much more expansive perspective on life. The challenges that make your life more difficult,
at the same time propel you towards greater growth.
Believe that if you have disappointing experiences, you
can move beyond them. View bouts of negativity as if they
were seasonal changes. Just as there is summer, fall, winter
and spring, problems come and go at regular intervals. Any
circumstance we are in is only temporary. Focus on the fact
that you will have better days in the future. Material energy is
relative. In a relative world, happiness is always followed by
distress and vice versa. The wise person learns how to function
in good times and bad. The wisest person learns how to change
even a negative situation into a positive one. The more we
operate in this fashion, the more we will attract pious beings
and experiences into our lives.

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Chapter

he pyramids: ancient
structures of mystery

There are not many subjects today that generate as much

interest, speculation, and conjecture as the pyramids. For
centuries, the best archeologists, pyramidologists, and
Egyptologists have had difficulty explaining them. The
approach that will be taken here is not a typical historical
analysis or a sociological evaluation. Our goal is not to
subtract from the significant amount of research that has been
done in this area by competent scholars. Instead, we want to
take you in another directionone that examines the spiritual
implications of the pyramids.

Interesting and Amazing Facts

The word pyramid itself stimulates great interest. It has
been written that a rice-cake of a particular shape was popular
in ancient Greece. Referred to as pyramis, some believe it was
the origin of the word pyramid. The most logical root of the

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word comes from the interpretation of the Greek words pyro,

meaning fire, and mesos, meaning middle, referring to the fire
rituals that the ancient Greeks observed in the stone structures
they visited in Kemet (Egypt).
The Encyclopedia Britannica states that the Egyptian
name for the pyramid was mer or meru. An interesting fact is
that the name meru is also found in the ancient Kushite and
Vedic cultures. The word Kushite is the term used to describe
the inhabitants of the land of Kush. The original dark-skinned
people occupied the area that is now part of northeastern
Africa. In the Kushite culture, there is the ancient capital
known as Meroe, and in the Puranas, the mountain of the gods
was called Meru. This dwelling place of the demigods is
described in the Bhagavata Purana as a pyramid-shaped peak.
This leads to the view that the pyramid shape is representative
of Mount Meru.
Pyramids exist not only on the African continent but also
in Central and South America, Mexico, Kampuchea, Ethiopia,
Somalia and India. The presence of these structures around the
world highlights the fact that at one time a single world culture
existed consisting of a single empire known as the Kushite
empire.
More than eighty pyramids were built along the banks of
the Nile in ancient Kemet. The size of the pyramids is astounding. The Great Pyramid of Giza built for King Khufu contains
more than two and a quarter million stone blocks, each block
weighing an average of two and one-half tons. It originally
stood 481 feet and covered a base of thirteen acres. The
Pyramid of the Sun in Teatihuacan, Mexico had even a larger
base than the biggest pyramid in Kemet.
The structure of the pyramids includes many chambers.
There are tunnels, like a subway, that connect the Giza pyramids underground. Some of these tunnels lead into the innermost part of planet earth. It has been documented that a river
of water can be found in the base of the pyramids. This water
is of spiritual significance, since it represents the barrier

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between the material and the spiritual worlds.

The pyramids are so awe-inspiring that they have long
been placed among the seven wonders of the ancient world.
The pyramids amaze both scientists and laypersons. Much
information can be gained about the cosmos through the study
of the construction and function of the pyramids. Many
experts believe that the pyramids are so significant that, once
they are understood, much of the mystery of human existence
on this planet will be explained.

Who Were the Egyptians?

It is often wondered whether the pyramids were built by
people like ourselves. Even with the best technology, we
cannot produce even a small replica of the Great Pyramid. The
Nikon company of Japan once tried without success to build a
sizable pyramid using modern technology. One mishap after
another forced them to abandon the attempt. The more we
understand who the Egyptians were and with whom they were
connected, the more we can understand how it was possible
for them to create such magnificent structures and why they
cannot be duplicated now.
The scriptures tell us that in ancient times there was a
single land mass that covered the earth. In the Bhagavata
Purana, it was called Jambudvipa. It is often referred to as
Gondwanaland. This land mass was divided into nine sections,
called continents or varsas, by different mountain ranges that
were part of the central mountain, Mount Meru. The bulk of
Meru is now buried within the body of the earth with only the
peak visible. Of the nine continents, only seven remain visible;
the other two were submerged during the last continental shift
and realignment of the earth. The two lost continents were
popularly known as Mu and Atlantis. It is believed by some
that the Egyptians were descendants of the people of Mu.
Others propound that they were products of the earlier

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Kushites who existed in Nubia, Ethiopia, and the Sudan.

The people of Mu and Atlantis had great metaphysical
abilities. They were God-conscious, highly sensitive, loving,
communal, and very spiritually attuned. The Atlanteans were
experts in mysticism and energy conversion and were intellectually and mentally advanced. They were not, however, as
spiritual as the people of Mu.
The land of Mu was destroyed by a change in the earths
axis. After Mu fell, some of the people migrated to Atlantis.
Atlantis was also later destroyed. Both downfalls were accelerated by misuse of mystical knowledge. After these two land
masses were destroyed, most souls left their bodies and went
to other planets or universes. Some souls were forewarned and
took shelter in the inner earth; these entities became the ones
to reseed the planet. This is similar to situations now where
some leaders have been warned to relocate their communities
in certain areas to prepare for oncoming calamities. As a new
phase of human civilization began again on earth, those who
remained on the planet propagated the species. Some souls
who had left their bodies during the destruction returned.
Those souls who took shelter in the inner earth did not immediately become part of the activities on the surface. The
offspring of those who propagated the species naturally inherited higher knowledge about the cosmos. A significant
segment of the people of Egypt possessed this ancient knowledge. This explains a paradox that often challenges historians:
there was never a time when the ancient Egyptians were primitive; they were always at a high level of achievement.

People of the Inner Earth

Every planet is populated inside as well as outside. God is
so fantastic that life can be found everywhere. The entities
from the inner earth are very close to us. They have gained
much wisdom because they fled from the activities of war and

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natural catastrophes. They were able to survive because their

consciousness is one of compassion and love. Because they
are of a subtler nature, they are not always manifest in this
plane. They can choose whether they want to be visible or not.
Beings of the inner earth have the ability to visit here.
Using energy conversion, these beings have the ability to
create force fields that can penetrate the ocean, opening it up
to allow their vessels to come in or out. An example is the
Bermuda Triangle. The ships and planes that disappear
involve the inner earth people. Sometimes inner earth personalities cause volcano eruptions and hurricanes as a reaction to
the testing of nuclear bombs in the their atmosphere. At other
times, there is a need for them to release a particular energy
that often manifests in the form of earthquakes or volcanoes.
The real reason for this phenomenal activity, however, is the
collective karma of the individuals on the planet itself.
The ancient Egyptians were related to the beings of Mu
and Atlantis and had full knowledge of the beings of the inner
earth. They were very powerful beings with great knowledge
and extraterrestrial contacts. Much of what was accomplished
regarding the pyramids was due to these connections.

The Building of the Pyramids

There are numerous and varied accounts of how the pyramids were built. The Greek historian Herodotus asserted that
groups of 100,000 men worked for twenty years to build the
Great Pyramid. Other perspectives are that 4,000 skilled laborers worked all year round. Many have the conception that the
stones were dragged up ramps that grew as the pyramids rose,
and that the ramps were later dismantled. Some researchers
question these theories. For example, some say that in order
for the ramp theory to be true, the ramps would have to be
more sophisticated than the pyramids themselves. They would
have to be expanded and extended so fast that it would be
impossible to build the pyramids.

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Information regarding how the pyramids were built is

known by some secret societies, especially the Masonic order.
The major architect of the pyramids was Imhotep. He was
responsible for much of the knowledge of the mystical
schools. Imhotep was considered to be an incarnation of the
son of God and thus was in the same category as Jesusan
empowered representative of the Godhead. For about two and
one-half years, Imhotep planned the construction of the major
pyramids. The actual work took less than six years. How is this
possible when scientists, basing their estimates on present-day
technology, claim that the Great Pyramid could not have been
completed in less than twenty years?
One key aspect was the use of laser energy for cutting the
stone. This explains the smooth cut of the blocks that amazes
scientists. Another critical aspect was that through the process
of converting energy and raising vibrations, the Egyptians
were able to counteract gravity and literally levitate the stones
with minimum expenditure of human energy. This is how the
construction of the pyramids was possible. To many people,
this perspective may seem highly unlikely, but consider the
vast amount of knowledge our contemporary scientists have
acquired with much less capabilities and connections than the
ancient Egyptians. Realistically, then, there must have been
knowledge of superior technologies that is untapped by
present-day minds.

The Pyramids: Places of Worship or

Tombs of Death?
There has been widespread speculation about the purpose
of the pyramids. Much has been made about the presence of
the bodies of the pharaohs found in the inner chambers of the
pyramids and the great wealth that was placed with them. This
has led to the perception that the pyramids functioned as elab-

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orate burial chambers for the dead. However, the purpose of

the pyramids was much greater than this.
The main function of the pyramids was to worship the
Supreme and the many demigods that served Him. The ancient
Egyptians considered themselves descendants of the sun, part
of the dynasty of the sun. Ancient cultures considered themselves descendants of either the sun or the moon. This is the
case with the people of Somalia, for example, where soma
means moon, and Ali means God. Kilamanjaro is known also
as the mountain of the moon. In Egypt, worship of the sun was
prominent, ra being the name for the sun. In sanskrit, ra means
shining light or brilliant. The Bhagavata Puranas state
that people generally worshiped the Supreme Lord in the form
of Surya Narayana, who is the sun god.
Pyramids were used as temples in which fire sacrifices and
rituals were performed. The pyramid was like a miniature
universe in that it represented the structure of the universe,
from the subterranean planets through the heavenly planets
and upwards into the spiritual realm. The spiritual world was
represented by the zenith, or tip, of the pyramid in which was
encased a black stone, or amanite, a representation of the
Supreme Lord. It is interesting to note that in the Egyptian
language, the words amen or amonon mean concealed, and
similarly in sanskrit, the same word amonon means Godhidden. Both aum and amonon in the Vedic culture represent
Divinity or God in a hidden form.
Another of the major functions of the pyramids was to act
as a navigating element for extraterrestrial beings. When they
were first built, the pyramids were coated with limestone and
could be seen for miles and miles. The pyramids were like
amplifiers allowing communication between the priests and
these beings. The perfectly executed construction allowed
such communication to take place. This communication
between those on earth and other beings was not unusual at
that time. The elaborate and precise worship in which the
priests of the temples engaged created an atmosphere

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conducive to contact with the demigods. Not only did the

demigods come and go freely, but they had personal
exchanges with earthly beings. These relationships were
possible because of the purity of consciousness of the earth
inhabitants. As the collective consciousness became less Godconscious and more degraded, these types of exchanges
diminished in frequency.

Transition of the Soul

To better understand why bodies were placed in the pyramids, one must examine Egyptian philosophy. The Egyptians
believed that because the pharaoh was a representative of God,
he would become a god at his death. Therefore, they were very
particular about the arrangements made for him both in life
and death. Once the representative of God left the body, he
was placed in a shrine called a samadhi or place of final
trance in his own assigned chamber within the pyramid
temple structure. This was done because the king or pharaoh
was considered a divine representative of the Supreme
Godhead. Because his body was considered to be spiritualized,
it could not be disposed of in an ordinary manner. This practice of placing the representatives of God in special burial
chambers still occurs in modern-day India for spiritual
masters, since they are considered revered saints. These
samadhis are found in the temple structures and become
places of pilgrimage for those seeking spiritual advancement.
The Egyptians believed in the concept of the ba and the ka.
The ba is the soul and the ka is a spiritual duplicate of the
physical body. The ka is spiritual in nature, created at birth and
released by the body at death. The Egyptians believed that the
soul, the ba, remained within the mummy of the pharaoh in the
heart region and that the ka would travel between the material
universe and the spiritual universe. The ka could come back
and forth as long as the physical body could be recognized, so

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often a statue of the person would be placed in the tomb and a

mask in the likeness of the person would be placed over the
mummy.
The Egyptians believed that once a person was entombed,
the journey to the chambers of judgment would begin. At the
end of that journey, the souls past activities would be judged
by a karmic board, which would determine ones next life
based on the activities during ones past life. Ones consciousness and commitment to service would be factors considered
by the board. The god Anubis would weigh the heart of the
deceased person against the feather of Maat, the goddess of
justice. The more negative karma a person had accumulated,
the heavier was the heart. If the heart was too heavy, it would
outweigh the feather and the heart would be consumed by a
monster. In this conception, the soul then would become an
evil spirit forever in opposition to the gods. If the heart passed
the test, then it would go to live with Osiris in Yalu, the heavenly kingdom.
There is an evident connection between the Egyptian
culture and that of Sudan, Ethiopia, and Ghana. For example,
there are many similarities between the inner activities of the
pharaoh and that of the Asante Hene (the cultural president of
Ghana). This is not surprising, because history tells us that
when the Egyptians left Egypt, they migrated to Sudan and
Ghana, where some of the knowledge of the ancient practices
is still available. We have personally observed these similar
practices in our exchanges with the Asante Hene. There is
always a person seated at the right foot of the Asante Hene,
representing his soul. This person is usually a young boy
called the kra which means soul in the Akan language. In
Egypt, when the pharaohs left their bodies, they usually did
not go alone; some close attendants were sent with them.
When the Asante Hene leaves his body, those personal attendants closest in service to him will leave with him. Until
recently, a hundred others also had to leave. When the Asante
Hene leaves his body, his departure is usually not announced

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for awhile. When it is announced, those individuals who are to

leave with him have already been chosen. Those persons who
are part of the internal entourage have been trained for this
role; they are to be attendants in the hereafter. Thus, practices
that existed thousands of years ago are still operating now.

Deity Worship: An Idol Occupation?

The temples of ancient Egypt held magnificent statues that
the Egyptians worshiped. They had the understanding that a
living essence dwelt within those statues. The Bible condemns
idol worship, but this practice was not idol worship. Idol
worship exists when people create something from their own
imaginations and then worship that concoction as God. In one
sense, idol worship is anything that you consider more important than God, whether its your car, your house, or your job
anything that takes priority over serving the Lord.
Confusion has developed concerning the difference
between idol worship and deity worship. Many people mistake
deities for idols. In deity worship, mantras are recited that
invite a spiritual presence into what, by external appearance,
would seem to be wood, stone, or marble. Just as the wind can
come into a building, certain spiritual elements can come
inside a physical structure. The soul is inside the physical
body, yet when the soul leaves, the body is called a corpse.
The confusion occurs when the uninitiated think that the external form is the spiritual essence itself.

The Priests Daily Practice in Deity Worship

Many religious traditions have some kind of form that they
worship. Reverence for the icon serves as a catalyst for spiritual growth. Originally, deity worship had authorized standards describing how the priest was to construct the statue and

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authorized techniques for worshiping it. If you were to travel

back in time and witness the daily worship of the deity in
Egypt, you would observe very precise, purposeful devotional
activities. Before sunrise the gods meal would be prepared,
and at dawn the priests and priestesses would awaken the god
with melody and song as they went in procession to the shrine.
The priests that had undergone purification entered the shrine
and proceeded to bathe, dress, and decorate the deity with
costly ornaments. They then burned sweet incense and offered
the food and drink they had prepared. The food, now considered sanctified, was removed and later distributed among the
priests. At midday and in the evening, further meals were
cooked and offered to the deity, and at night the deity was put
to bed. The room was purified by incense and was carefully
swept and put in order for the next days activities.
By studying the daily lives of the temple priests, we can
understand that they were not involved in a whimsical activity
concocted from their minds. Their lives reflected the authorized techniques and rituals with which they worshiped the
deities. The priests were allowed many privileges, but they
were also expected to lead simple and austere lives. They had
high standards of cleanliness and were to eat and drink moderately, abstaining from certain foods such as pork and fish.
They bathed twice a day and shaved their heads and bodies
every three days. Their clothes were simple fine white linen
cloth and they wore white sandals.
Not all priests were allowed to perform deity worship.
They were authorized by spiritual masters. There were several
levels in the priesthood assigned to each demigod; some
priests wore distinctive clothing to show their position. The
priest who was responsible for the chanting of the mantras
always wore a sash across his chest. These daily practices of
an ancient priesthood can be seen today in the lives of the
brahmin priests of South India and the fetish priests of West
Africa. Even today many of these practices remain intact.
However, due to the low consciousness in present-day human

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civilization, it is recommended that people not involve themselves in deity worship to the same degree as in the past.

Mystical Mantras
There are two principal mantra techniques, both of which
involve repetition. One is verbal repetition, and the other is a
written form. Both are very potent in affecting the consciousness. This art of mantra repetition is known to people of the
different mystery schools who have acquired this confidential
knowledge. They write certain mantras on their own bodies or
chant certain mantras to ward off negative energy and attract
positive energy.
In Egypt, when death rituals were performed, the priest
would write various mantras on the chest of the mummy. The
priests would also write mantras for protection on amulets and
place them around the neck of the mummy. The Egyptian
Book of the Dead, also known as The Book of Coming Forth
By Day, explains certain rituals on how to open the mouth.
This does not refer to the physical mouth, but to the calling of
the ka into the statue of its owner, endowing the statue with the
faculties of a living person. This was all done by the power of
mantras, or hekau, written on the body of the mummy or on
the persons statue. When you chant a mantra, you are invoking the energy with which the mantra is associated. This is
similar to when you call someones name; you are bringing
that person to you.
Mantras also provided protection in the tombs so that
when intruders entered the tombs, they fell prey to a curse. In
many cases, grave robbers died when they broke into the
tombs. The deaths of the intruders were arranged by two
mechanisms. The first involved the priest making a potent
force field by chanting mantras. Second, the priests were so
astute in science that they could arrange for radiation to affect
the cells of a person passing through it, causing an immediate
reaction.

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Mantra chanting is so potent that certain ancient priests

could take someones life through incantations. Even today,
there are people, especially in India, Africa, and South
America, who know the science of chanting mantras and can
heal the sick through the process of sound vibration. Before
ceremonies for certain rites of passage were performed, the
priest would recite specific mantras so the participants could
recognize the priests power.
We should always remember that activities such as mantra
chanting and deity worship should be under taken in the mood
of Lord, Thy will be done. These spiritual technologies actually allow us to make spiritual connections to help our
consciousness focus on the will of the Lord, understanding
that the Lord is actually always here for us.

Revealing the Function of Secret Orders

Some mystery schools had to practice underground to
protect the ancient wisdom, making it available to initiates
only. They knew the dangers associated with offering this
knowledge openly: common people would abuse its power.
Historically, these secret orders would not expose certain
truths, but instead kept them in an inner circle. This practice is
not elitist. Members knew that people could harm themselves
and others if confidential knowledge fell into the hands of the
uninitiated. An example is animal sacrifice, which was a legitimate ritual carried out by qualified people under certain
conditions. By taking the life of the animal, the priest could
either send the animal to a higher realm or arrange for that
animal to receive another body of a higher order. Thus, it was
an activity of liberation. Now people are performing animal
sacrifices without the proper knowledge or consciousness,
thereby bringing about unwanted negative effects on themselves and the environment.
The priests in the pyramids of Egypt had tremendous

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knowledge and power, but the knowledge became fragmented

as the planet went through upheavals and the priesthood
became polluted through corruption and political manipulations. The knowledge eventually became diluted and degenerated into many of the religious institutions seen today, with
their ecumenical councils and mundane interests. The leaders
gradually began to change one aspect after another until the
original tradition was no longer recognizable.

Ancient Structures: Modern Teachers

The pyramids and the activities therein were like shrines
for broadcasting spiritual messages and making spiritual
contact. They allowed for amplification of thoughts and
communication with higher entities for the invocation of
certain blessings and, later, for preparation of the body for its
connection with the worlds after physical death.
The pyramids assist us in appreciating the deep knowledge
that is revealed as we go within ourselves and penetrate deeper
levels of consciousness. The pyramids also keep us aware of
the communication and cooperation that can exist among the
different planes of activity. These magnificent structures
remind us to connect back with our Source, the Supreme Lord,
in order to be empowered to do the work necessary for spiritual upliftment of the planet.

Questions and Answers

Question: Please explain the effects of mantras.
Answer: Sound has effects on matter. You can manipulate
matter to such a degree that it begins to change form. A
soprano can sing a note that, held long enough, can shatter a
glass. The sound vibrations of different qualities have differ-

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ent effects on consciousness and different effects on matter.

These effects can be seen even with music. Certain types of
music make one aggressive, lusty or excited. Other types of
music enhance relaxation and sleepiness. Thus, sound affects
the consciousness just as it affects matter. It affects the subtle
body; it has an influence on how the molecules and cells function. There are specific sounds that have specific effects; these
sounds can be channeled and used to raise consciousness or to
lower it.
Question: Given the information shared about ancient
Egypt, how can those who identify with Egypt best direct their
studies of Egypt and their travel to Egypt for optimum spiritual growth?
Answer: If you project your consciousness on Egypt,
then you project your consciousness on the universe because
the people of Egypt had major control of the whole planet.
They came from different time periods and they had knowledge of the entire earth. They even had connections with other
planets. This knowledge reflects the conception of act locally
but think globally because they directed their energies
towards their immediate activities, yet also had an expansive
vision and arena of activity.
You should also act locally and globally and think in interplanetary terms. Because you have to be practical, you act
locally but dont allow yourself to be stagnated. In that way
you are including more variables of reality and considering
how they interrelate and interact. You then will be more
aligned with the laws of the Supreme and will be more able to
follow those laws.
Question: It seems that pyramids are becoming a fad in
that many people are focusing on pyramid power: putting
objects under pyramids or sitting under pyramids seeking
mystical experiences. Ive experienced those types of things

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but the thrill has worn off.

Shouldnt we be looking for something higher than exciting experiences?
Answer: This is a very good point. Sometimes when we
are new on the spiritual path, the Lord gives us unusual experiences. Certain psychic phenomena occur, or we experience a
little bliss. Then, after awhile, everything disappears and we
begin chasing after that experience, trying to recapture it. The
Lord gives us a little taste of what is possible in order to
heighten our desire and to encourage us to keep moving
forward. However, the goal should not be mere metaphysical
or psychic experiences; they can become distractions.
Although they are often needed to demonstrate the existence
of something beyond our usual experience or to encourage us
to explore more subtle levels, at a certain point they are no
longer important. Metaphysical and paranormal phenomena
will occur around us without our trying to pursue them.
Pursuing them can lead to dependency and may become addictive, just as if we were taking a drug. In such circumstances,
the desire for power and control, and for unusual abilities, ultimately pushes love for the Supreme to the background.
As we grow spiritually, we begin to learn that real progress
happens internally. Various guides, such as books, teachings,
and physical or spiritual personalities, are available to help us
measure our progress. All of these help us look at ourselves
from different angles to discover the right course of action,
which ultimately is to move aside and allow the Lord to lead.
This process does not require us to give up our identity, to be
slaves, or to be meek and submissive. Instead, it asks us to
develop a faith strong enough to allow us to say one day,
From this day on, dear Lord, I am yours, and to truly mean
it. Then everything becomes available to us. Eventually, we
reach the point of realizing that we have been trying to be in
the drivers seat for so many lifetimes. For so many lifetimes
we have been seeking what we want and not what we need.

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Sometimes we have even received what we wanted, only to

discover that we were still not satisfied. The object of our
desires was not what we expected, and sometimes it even
complicated our situation. After such a process continues for a
very long time, finally one day we say, Dear Lord, Thy will
be done. I give up trying to understand reality in an independent way, and I no longer think I can perceive and control
everything with this limited mind. It is this mood of Thy will
be done, Lord that allowed the priests in ancient Egypt to
utilize rituals in ways that were spiritually potent. The more
we can imbibe this surrendered consciousness, the more we
can advance on our spiritual paths towards the goal of
increased love and service to the Lord.

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Chapter

he quest for eternal bliss

A key emphasis in scriptures from various paths is developing our relationship with God. Unfortunately, people often
have limited information about the object of their loveGods
likes and dislikes, His activities, His abodeand how to
connect with the Lord. Comprehensive information about
these topics is available and we will share some of it in this
discussion. Follow carefully; certain things will be exposed
that will later emerge in your consciousness at those times
when it is most needed.

Four Universal Paths

How do we connect with the supreme goal? What path
will take us back home? To begin with, all paths fall into four
philosophical categories: materialism, voidism, impersonalism, and personalism. It is important to keep these four
schools of thought in mind as we examine what is in the

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material universe, what is outside the material universe, and

what is in the spiritual kingdom.
The philosophy of materialism is basically an atheistic
philosophy. Materialism holds that a human being is nothing
but a physical entity without a soul. Existence is simply a
matter of being placed in different environments which
produce a corresponding personality. Life is viewed as simply
a matter of eating, sleeping, mating and defending, or as
Charles Darwin stated, a survival of the fittest. This philosophy produces gross selfishness and is based on exploitation
and manipulation, rather than living in harmony with nature.
This is the atheistic philosophy that the forces of oppression
adhere to and try to spread throughout the world.
Secondly, there is the philosophy of voidism. According to
this philosophy, material involvement produces anxiety, material relationships bring pain, and material pursuits cause
stresses, frustration, and depression. This connects deeply
with the philosophy of Buddhism, where the goal is one of
trying to obtain nirvana: freedom from ego, freedom from a
focus on the material world, and freedom from the bombardment of sensual interferences. This philosophy tells us what
reality is not, but there is little information on what reality is.
The third philosophy is that of impersonalism.
Impersonalism moves us outside of the material arena and into
cosmic consciousness or samadhi. In this consciousness,
people experience the universality of all creation and feel a
certain oneness with God, thinking themselves to be God. The
focus is on merging into Gods energy and on becoming one
with the light of God. The philosophy of impersonalism tries
to encompass all the basic material elements, but it explains
only one dimension of Divinity, and is thus incomplete. It
shows how we are one with God, but it totally neglects to
explain how we are different from God, and this is essential. It
is this difference that we experience and which stands out as
fundamental for spiritual development. If we are different
from God, then we can develop an attitude of service to Him.

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Otherwise, loving service becomes quite impossible.

The philosophy of personalism recognizes that materialism brings pain and confusion, but that one must rise above
these difficulties and become free from sensual bombardment.
The philosophy of personalism includes aspects of materialism, of voidism, and of impersonalism. But it goes further. It
recognizes that there are some activities that are not material.
Lets consider an analogy. A man has a cavity which is
causing a toothache. He is not even able to appreciate the
aroma of food without his tooth hurting. Materialism is like an
aching tooth; it gives a great deal of pain and suffering. The
man tries mentally to rise above the pain and he also takes
medication, which stops the pain for awhile. This level is like
voidism: although he is free of the pain caused by the tooth,
his state is one of neutrality at best. As the man focuses on
enjoying the aroma of the food, he is at a level akin to impersonalism; he can enjoy the energy of the food. Once the man
makes up his mind and goes to the dentist and is cured of the
toothache, not only can he smell the food; he can actually
enjoy eating it. This level is analogous to personalism. The
elimination of the root cause of his suffering allows him to
have a direct relationship with the food. Sometimes when we
find ourselves in a bad situation, we think that positive
means the elimination of the negative. However, to stop our
negative material situation is merely the beginning. The next
stage is to find some positive spiritual engagement to replace
the material activity.

Personalism Versus Impersonalism

Personal conceptions automatically contain and go beyond
impersonal understanding. The Supreme Lord, being absolute,
can simultaneously exist personally and impersonally. There
are three basic energies of the Divine: the external energy that
maintains the material universe; the marginal energy, which is

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made up of the living entities; and the internal energy, which

maintains the spiritual world. Due to our conditioning, we tend
to view spiritual as the opposite of material. To us, material
means form; therefore, spiritual must mean formless. Material
means active; therefore, spiritual means devoid of activity. In
order to grasp a true understanding of activities in the spiritual
world, we have to lay these misconceptions aside. Through
love and devotion, we can move beyond the impersonal
approach to God after many, many lifetimes of being in this
cosmic consciousness. We then finally obtain an opportunity
to come in contact with the extraordinary activities of the spiritual world.
The spiritual world is our natural environment. The great
teachers are constantly telling us about an existence beyond
that which we perceive. They are anxious to show us the
means to regain that most precious state that we have lost. For
so many lifetimes the soul has been wandering in and out of
many environments and situations, unconsciously starving for
spiritual association.
When we say the prayer Our Father, Who art in heaven,
hallowed be Thy name. Thy kingdom come, Thy will be done,
on earth as it is in heaven, we understand that the material
world is a reflection of the spiritual world. The material world
is actually a perverted reflection of reality. In the material
world, we have many kinds of interactions, but they are
limited, painful and, ultimately, lead to frustration. In the spiritual kingdom, our relationship is with the Lord and our activities are ever fresh. Every second in the spiritual world
becomes a moment of higher pleasure.
There are two major divisions in the spiritual kingdom.
There is the brahmajyoti, which is sometimes referred to as the
light or effulgence, and there are the spiritual planets, where
the various manifestations of the Lord and His devotees
reside. Gods personal aspect is experienced here. Some of
you are still seeking oneness, the impersonal light, and the
opportunity to merge with the Supreme. This desire is due to
some material contamination. It is the first phase that we expe-

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rience as we begin to make connection with the higher

consciousness. As we experience cosmic oneness, we may
become so intoxicated and happy that we falsely conclude
there is nothing higher. This is our first major mistake. While
these experiences are enjoyable, they are limited. Beyond
cosmic consciousness is the opportunity for personal exchange
with the Lord.
Liberation is a term frequently used in impersonal
schools of thoughtliberation from the material world to
become one with God, or even to become God. Again, our
goal should be beyond liberation. We must be liberated countless times before we get a chance to actually enter the kingdom of God. We must travel through many lifetimes and pay
tremendous duespursuing austerities, religiosity and spirituality of various typesto get beyond the platform of liberation.
There is an intermediate phase of unfoldment when we are
able to associate with an individual form of God located in the
heart region of every living being; this aspect of God is known
as the paramatma. This is a higher oneness that is more
localized and more personal, a stage that great yogis strive to
attain through their yogic practices. We can then spiritually
advance towards the ultimate association with the Supreme
Lord in the spiritual world.
Going back to the toothache analogy, once the aroma of
food permeates someones nose, the desire to eat the food will
sooner or later become the uppermost goal. That person will
then try all means possible to attain the food and enjoy it.
Similarly, impersonalism will eventually lead to personalism.
The question is: will we take the long, slow route of sense
enjoyment or the direct, quick route of surrender to the Lords
will? The latter gives eternal pleasure.

Five Types of Relationships with God

As mentioned, the spiritual world is full of activities

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centered on loving exchanges with the Lord. Existence means

functioning and interacting. The ultimate expression of all
such functioning and interaction is love. Love involves
service. Love does not simply mean knowledge about someone, nor does it just culminate in salvation. Once again, love
means service. All the activities in the spiritual world are
based on service to the Lord. Ancient scriptures tell us that
there are exchanges we can have with God other than He as
our father and we as His children. The Vedas detail the activities in the kingdom of God and speak of five relationships, or
rasas, that we may have with the Supreme.
We can use the analogy of an invalid lying in bed. The
relationship between the bed that the invalid is lying on and
the invalid himself would be considered the first rasa of
neutrality. In this rasa, which is one of serving in a non-active
mood, the bed is serving the invalid neutrally. A servant brings
in the persons meal. This servant is serving in the second rasa
of servitude, where there is a certain amount of exchange, but
on a very formal level. Then the persons friend walks in to
visit; this is the third rasa in the mood of friendship and
involves more warmth and personal exchange. Then the
persons mother walks in to check on the situation, representing the rasa of parenthood which carries with it a whole different, more intimate set of emotions. Finally, the persons spouse
returns home and serves the person in the conjugal rasa, or the
intimate mood of a lover. As we move from the mood of
neutrality to conjugality, the intimacy expressed between the
giver and the recipient increases, as does the confidential
nature of the exchange.
Another analogy is that of a judge. Most people view a
judge with awe, reverence and fear. The colleague of the
judge, who is also a judge, sees the judge as a friend. The two
of them share a certain love and respect for each other in an
exchange of friendship. When the judge goes home, he puts
aside his role of judge for that of husband and father. He helps
his wife wash the dishes and plays horsey on the floor with

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his grandchildren in a very loving mood. The intimacy of love

pushes the relationship beyond the boundaries of formality. It
goes beyond selfishness and produces an intensity in giving
and sharing of a most personal nature.
The spiritual kingdom is a realm of intimacy, of deep sharing, and selflessness. Just as we experience relationships here,
once back in the spiritual realm our relationships will be similar, but will be focused on God. In the material world we are
all moved constantly by lust, which is literally forcing our
actions and covering much of our activities with greed. In the
spiritual kingdom, because we are in contact with the Supreme
Personality, all of our actions are still being driven, but they
are being inspired by love. There is a tremendous unconditional love so powerful that we are immersed in it, fully realizing ourselves as pure spirit souls.
The relationship of strong love among a mother, father and
child that we see on earth is possible only because it exists in
the spiritual world, in the realm of perfection. The material
relationship is a reflection of the spiritual. In the spiritual
world, we can act as the parent or friend of God. We can also
have a conjugal relationship with the Lord in the mood of
husband and wife. These relationships are all possible. Each of
us has our own specific relationship. Once we are back home,
it will be fully manifest. This type of personal interaction
produces an amazing and almost inconceivable sense of
ecstasy that increases as we render service to the Supreme
Lord and His associates. The more we serve God, the more He
serves us, encouraging us to serve more. Thus, the blissful
reciprocation goes on. This information is very, very confidential. To those uncommitted to a spiritual way of life,
descriptions of this highest state are kept to a minimum. As
ones desire to know absolute truth increases, more knowledge
is revealed.
Service is the highest ecstasy. Service can extend to a point
where one finds feelings of ecstasy interfering with ones
service. This symptom occurs in the highest of loving rela-

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tionships. The experience of bliss in the spiritual world is so

intense that talking is like singing and walking is like dancing.
Every object in the kingdom is alive and possesses personality. There are trees that fulfill any desire you may have. Your
desires, of course, are centered on Gods pleasure; your desires
are not only yours but His also. And this gives you even more
pleasure. In the spiritual kingdom, there is no death, no
disease, no old age; these occurrences are all part of this
temporary world of limitations and pain.
We can go up to the heavenly kingdoms many, many
times and enjoy them for thousands of years, yet we will ultimately fall back down. We can progress to the point of liberation hundreds and hundreds of times, but until we develop
freedom from envy and until we obtain help from the ambassadors of the spiritual kingdom, there is no possibility of
further progress. It cannot be achieved on ones own merit.
However, one may have sufficient merit and a strong enough
desire to attract one of the necessary helpers who will guide
one to the actual kingdom of God.
Contact with an agent of the Lord from the transcendental
realm is a rather unusual experience, since most souls simply
entangle themselves further in the actions and reactions of
materialistic life. It takes a tremendous amount of previously
acquired pious credits from past lives to be given the opportunity to break the cycle. What actually happens when one is
able to meet with a transcendental agent, or spiritual master?
At that most fortunate time, one is given the opportunity to
understand how to break out of this material existence and to
experience the activities of the spiritual world. We should
eagerly listen to and follow the instructions from such empowered agents of the Lord.

The Joy of Personal Exchange

Our desires bring to us what is necessary for our growth.
Everything we experience is based on our desires, and our

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desires are based on the kinds of association that we keep and

the type of vibrations that we imbibe. If we surround ourselves
with people and activities of higher vibrations, the truth will
naturally have its effect. That effect will vary according to the
degree of envy we are holding within our hearts. We can have
personal exchanges with God, even in these bodies. When this
happens, the physical body cannot properly contain the experiences. There is a whole science of the ecstasy that one experiences when love of God actually awakens. For example,
there are moments when one loses external consciousness.
There are moments when the body begins to feel such happiness and love in contact with the Reservoir of Love that the
limbs begin to retract like a turtles.
A person who is beginning to have such experiences, and
is beginning to have an awareness of past, present and future
and of other dimensions, does not reveal such symptoms but
keeps them confidential. The experiences are like a permanent
high of tremendous intensity, but one that is difficult to
share. Even the experience of coming in contact with the
universal energy pales in comparison to having association
with the spiritual world itself. The experience of the oneness
of cosmic consciousness is like pain compared to the experience of transcendental activities in the spiritual realm. It could
be said to be like searching for broken glass in a diamond
mine.
Now these experiences may sound very unusual. That is
because they are unusual. They are coming from other realms.
Although they may sound very strange, there is a certain truth
that many recognize. A certain part of our being has known
intuitively of these truths, and now hearing them strikes a
chord. Those of you who have encountered the concept of
merging with God and have not been comfortable with its
ultimate goal of loss of identity, now know why. This concept
is unnatural. We all have identities, fashioned in Gods image,
and we are consciously or unconsciously striving to reach the
perfection of that identity.

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In very advanced spiritual experiences of various traditions, we find references to the bride of God or to personal
exchanges with the Lord. There were very advanced Muslims
and Sufis who went beyond the rituals and experienced the
great divinity of personhood. There were those in early times
involved in mystic Christianity who spoke about hearing God.
They were not imagining this. Because they were free of all
obstacles, they were able to be natural. It is natural to be able
to have communication with the Father. This entire discussion
is just to help us gain greater realization that there are deeper
levels for which we can strive. Certain seeds have been
planted to help you gradually revitalize your dormant
consciousness.

Questions and Answers

Question: You refer to scriptures from around the world,
yet we know that scriptures have been corrupted throughout
history by humankind. How does one go about analyzing what
is true in the scriptures and what is not true?
Answer: We know that as history progresses, there is a
tendency for humans to abuse and misuse scripture. We see
this occurrence in scriptures that have many versions reflecting different interpretations, such as the Bible. While the basic
essence remains, there are changes. All scripture can be appreciated and understood at different levels. There is always a
need for a key to help us go deeper into a particular scripture.
Three checkpoints help us understand truth in a particular
scripture, although none of these by itself is sufficient and reliable. The checkpoints are: 1) the authorized scripture itself, 2)
previous and current followers who are living the traditions of
that scriptures (saints), and 3) the spiritual master, or guru.
Any highly spiritual process has to balance all of these three
elements. A scripture that is not in accordance with the teach-

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ings of the saints and masters is a bogus or watered-down

scripture. Any saint whose behavior does not match the scripture and does not correspond with the teachings of the spiritual
masters is a bogus saint, or at least some of the activities in
which that person engages are bogus. Any spiritual master
whose behavior does not correspond with the saints and bona
fide scripture is a bogus spiritual mentor. When actions correspond with scripture, with saints living the tradition and with
beingsspiritual masterswho have transcendental contact,
we can feel secure. Whenever any of those checkpoints is out
of line, we are at best adhering to something that, while functional, may not necessarily be of an absolute nature.
There are some teachers who say there is no need for
books. They say this simply because they dont want to be
checked. There are some saints who say there is no need to
adhere to previous traditions or claim that there is no need for
spiritual mentors. This is because they want only their ideas to
be accepted. They, too, are bogus. There are some people who
only follow scripture, and their minds are boggled by the
apparent contradictions. They may read a scripture over and
over and become confused or misinterpret its meaning. That is
why, in addition to the scripture, we have living saints who are
following the tradition, and ascended masters or prophets. We
put these together and when they match, we know we have a
bona fide prophet, a bona fide saint, and a bona fide scripture.
Thus, although scriptures differ from each other and have been
changed, the essence is still there and can be extracted.
Question: I have been searching for my true personality,
my true inner identity that comes from God. What advice can
you give me about how to find a guide to help me realize who
I truly am?
Answer: Its very simple. Sometimes we get a little caught
up trying to decide who is the right teacher or the best teacher.
We dont need to reflect so externally. Instead, we should

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focus more on trying to become more serious in our own lives.

As we are becoming more serious in our own lives, the
Supreme Lord will connect us with the kind of teacher that can
help us to the next stage. Dont worry so much about externals.
Be serious within your own consciousness. Cry out more in
desperation and that will naturally and automatically draw a
master who will be able to guide you and help you at your
present level. There are many different types of teachers, varying in quality and level of responsibility, simply because there
are many different types of personalities who need to be
helped in various ways. That is just how personally the
Supreme Lord arranges everything.
Question: The uplifting of consciousness you mention
seems to become more of a reality as the earth cleanses the
impious elements. How long will it take before the cleansing
is over and what will the earth look like once it is completed?
Answer: Its almost over now. Souls currently on the
planet literally have come to be a part of this intense scheme
of activity. Many have come from different types of universes
and different types of environments to be here at this time to
assist in what is about to take place. A description of the future
cannot be so easily categorized because the future is taking
place now, through the changing consciousness. I realize that
this all sounds rather cryptic. However, we can say that we
will not have the same kind of confusion and separatism of
nationalism, racism, and tribalism to the degree that we do
now. We wont have to experience the same limitations,
because many of the limitations we are experiencing now are
due to considerably low levels of consciousness. As
consciousness becomes more elevated, we will have more
opportunities to experience the higher realms. This will give
us more ability to solve many of the problems that we now
face. We will be more in harmony again with our big brothers and sisters, the angels and demigods who have the respon-

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sibility to assist us. Resource depletion and shortages, which

are all due to negative karma and sinful activities, will surely
be a thing of the past.
As we develop a higher consciousness, the whole level of
this planet will be raised. The bottom line is that people are
getting a chance to see how much they are qualified for
empowerment. With that empowerment, many of our dormant
faculties will again become active. We currently use very few
of our actual abilities and this is the reason why our consciousness is so dull. We have all types of psychic abilities that will
enable us to function better in the coming world order. We can
achieve a point where mental telepathy becomes commonplace. It is just a matter of being more in harmony with natural
laws so that we are able to use more of what we have. These
are incredible times for which we are preparing ourselves.

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losing reflections

Creatures from the inner depths of this planet, splitting the

earth with quakes and volcanoes; demons whispering in our
minds feeding evil thoughts to our subconscious. Aliens from
other universes and dimensions manipulating our lives;
pyschic intrusion as an everyday reality; and subliminal
suggestion as a staple of our existence. It seems like a bleak
and sorry stay we have ordered for ourseleves on this earth
planet. The situations just mentioned may seem far-fetched
and outside everyday reality, but how bizarre are they? Any
more bizarre than a mother crushing the skull of her five-yearold? Another strapping her toddlers into a sinking car? Fifteenyear-old youths slitting the throat of their peer in an outlandish
sect-like ritual? Children going on wild shooting sprees in
their schools? Leaders being murdered for seeking peace?
Civilians slaughtering each other en masse in the name of
ethnic cleansing? This unfortunately is the reality, as extraordinary as it sounds. What is to be done? There are a number of
options. We can succumb to the negativity and either jump on

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the band wagon or dive to the depths of depression, which

usually ends in suicide or an addiction of some kind. We can
take a neutral stance and opt out of the human race. We can
become one of the mindless masses controlled by fear, intimidation, and manipulation.
There is another path: the path of the Spiritual Warrior. It
is not an easy path. It demands courage, determination, discipline, intense compassionand unconditional love. It requires
an understanding that this world is not the final chapter.
Spiritual Warriors undergo adversity and challenge, but in a
positive and equipoised frame of mind, realizing that challenges purify and obstacles force them to jump higher, run
faster, and try harder. Even gold, the most valuable and costly
of metals, is brought into its glory by fire, and the diamond,
the most precious of gems, is formed by intense pressure and
heat. Spiritual Warriors are not alone; they carry the Supreme
Lord in their hearts. Angels guard and guide them and the residents of the spiritual world cheer them as heroes and heroines
on their journey back home to the transcendental realm. Do
you want to join the ranks of this transcendental army? If so,
you must take a stand; you must make a choice. As the negative forces struggle to maintain their foothold in our lives, only
two sides will emerge: the spiritually enlightened and the
materially oppressed. Beloved, you do not have the luxury of
time. Your current thoughts and actions are already placing
you in one camp or the other.
The earth is emerging into a millenium of spiritual enlightenment and purity. Her residents will be conspicuous by their
loving natures and peaceful minds. The devas and angels will
again visit this planet, and tranquility will permeate the
atmosphere. We invite you to take your place among the
inhabitants of the Golden Age. Take up your weapons of
austerity, mercy, compassion and love, and join the ranks of
the Spiritual Warriors as we forge a new beginning under the
banner of the Supreme Lord.

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etaphysical experiences:
an audience exchange

The following exchange took place between by His

Holiness Bhakti Tirtha Swami Krishnapada with a live audience of spiritual seekers from many different traditions. This
is a brief sampling of the ongoing lecture & discussion group
sessions sponsored worldwide by the Institute for Applied
Spiritual Technology.
Bhakti Tirtha Swami: Thank you for joining us again this
week. We honor your presence today, because you will be the
ones doing most of the talking. We want to hear from you
about some of your recent adventures in spiritual life. We are
very proud of all of you for continuing on your quest as
Spiritual Warriors. We are proud of you for what you have
perhaps done in previous lives that has brought you here, and
we are proud of you for what we hope you will continue to do
in this lifetime.
These are not ordinary meetings: We are sure that your
experiences will attest to that. Many of you have experienced
some obstacles in your efforts to attend these meetings. Many

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of you have also experienced states of existence that are

coming directly from the aggregate energy in the room, or
from some of the invisible visitors who come here to guide,
shelter, and protect us, and cut us away from some of our
attackers.
We are especially proud of your bravery and perseverance
in attending these meetings. How many of you have noticed
that when you try to come to these meetings, all kinds of
things try to stop you from coming? That is no accident.
Almost every time I try to come here I am under attack. I may
have stomachaches or other bodily ills, and all of this arises
because different forces are trying to keep me from coming
here.
Each time it happens, I just smile and say, Oh, its going
to be a good discussion tonight! Were going to have a good
turn out! I wont be surprised if some day I have to crawl here
just to keep this commitment.
Moderator: Thank you Swami. There was one experience
we had traveling in Zambia, Africa, which may give our guests
some insight into how divinely ordained an experience this is
that they are entering into with these Institute meetings. In
1986, we attended a banquet in honor of Swami Krishnapada,
which was being hosted by the Zambian president, President
Kaunda. Swami had just met with a disciple of his who is a
high court justice in Zambia, and one of the presidents
colleagues. This justice kept saying to Swami, President
Kaunda very much wants to meet with you. The justice one
day left word for Swami that the president feels he will have
adequate time to spend with you around dinnertime at the end
of his business day. Swami was of course delighted to hear
this, and he, myself and a small entourage went over to the
State House that evening for an honorary dinner.
Since President Kaunda is a strict vegetarian, the meal was
fabulous and all of our anxieties about the meal meeting our
strict dietary standards were relieved. We discussed many

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heavy spiritual topics and questions, and once the meal was
over, we took a walking tour of the beautiful State House, and
talked for at least another hour. At this point, Swami thanked
the president for hosting him and began to leave, but the president interrupted, saying: Ive enjoyed myself tremendously,
Swami; but have you seen the animals on the back lawn yet?
Swami hadnt yet seen the back lawn, so we took another tour
of this area, which lasted another forty-five minutes. The president kept finding reasons to keep us around so he could keep
hearing from the Swami. Then Swami again begged his leave
and gave President Kaunda a farewell hug.
To make a long story short, it was just before midnight that
we actually left the State House and, just as we were leaving
Swami and President Kaunda again embraced and said, right
in my presence, that they believed that their connection was so
strong because it was continuing from a previous life. Our
road trip home was another three or more hours, and for the
entire ride we enthusiastically reminisced about how successful our preaching in Africa had been because, by the grace of
God, we had now met almost every Head of State from West
Africa to South Africa, plus we had established many farms,
monasteries, several cottage industries and numerous other
tangible projects. As I thought about all the progress we had
made, I was getting more and more excited. Then Swami
turned to me and said, You know, all these inroads weve
made are wonderful, but we havent done very much for our
family in the Westthe Americans. This comment more or
less stuck in my brain, but at the time I pretty much shrugged
it off thinking, well probably never see the shores of
America again. But before I knew it, Swami was inviting me
to the States and arranging T.V. and radio programs and
lectures at universities and other locations. At this point, we
started doing more brainstorming, and in a short time many of
our programs had as many as four and five hundred people in
attendance. Some of you probably remember an event last
year where we had to change rooms in the university because

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we couldnt contain all the guests that turned out. Actually, all
this is a product of our discussions in Zambia that evening
after leaving President Kaundas! This has taught me not to
doubt the mercy of God or power of Swamis vision. Would
you like to add anything, Swami?
BTS: No, I think youve given a wonderful description. I
just want to mention that doing these programs hasnt always
been easy. As I said earlier, we often encounter obstacles when
we commit to coming to these kinds of programs, and we are
sometimes even outright attacked by negative forces.
Fortunately, when were planning what to present here, we
also get a lot of guidance from higher forces a day or two
before concerning specific things to say to you. When were
with you, we tune into the collective energy of the room, and
try to understand how to address each issue so that everyone
will walk away with something. Our words may just serve as
a little bit of refreshment, something that feeds your hunger or
may give you an appetizer and allow you to realize that you
need more nourishment.
Were not trying to embarrass anyone by asking you to
share, nor are we trying to create some sort of prayer meeting
where everybody makes a testimony or makes a confession.
The idea is that, since were talking about spiritual science and
spiritual warfare, we want to warn you about certain dangers,
help you prepare for your tests, and help you progress faster.
Unusual experiences may be a sign of your growth and of
help coming from various agents, who are very concerned
about your welfare and well being; other experiences may be
signs of challenges to your acceleration. We want to hear how
you are applying the technologies youve been learning over
the past weeks. This encourages others to take advantage of
what you have learned.
If we are just data collecting, then thats a material
endeavor. What people generally call knowledge is actually
data processingaggregating and amalgamating information.
But that information doesnt necessarily deal with the essence

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or deeper aspects of existence. It really doesnt deal with

higher realms. It may tell us something of the present, something of the past, and project something of the future, but basically it is all in a linear paradigm.
There is a need to go deeper, particularly when discussing
the transition from the material, to the psychic, to the spiritual.
We need to discuss and discover how to spiritualize all of our
activities, because the soul by nature must be active.
Spiritual warfare means loving activity and application. It
means constant vigilance and self-inventory. When you are on
the battlefield, you must be very perceptive, alert and meticulous; otherwise you may become a casualty. Even worse, if
you are weak in covering your territory, you can cause someone else to become a casualty. Everything that each individual
does has an effect on many other people.
Let us explain something in relationship to thought forms.
Thought forms can be described as a grid of electricity that
comes out of your subtle body, or out of your auric presence.
You are an aggregate of your past activities and thoughts. At
each moment you are emitting so much of what you have
become from past experiences, so much of what you are thinking and feeling in the present, and so much of what you are
contemplating for the future. Those who have psychic abilities
or can see the aura and thought forms will see a color, intensity, and also certain forms. Various thoughts emanate a
distinct color, and certain types of thoughts emanate a particular form. Each person constantly projects rays composed of
these different forms.
When you think of someone, you see that person and a
connection is made. You know intuitively that when you pray
for someone, you send good wishes to him or her. Not only do
you send good wishes, you also literally send thought forms to
that person. When you are thinking devotionally and lovingly
of people, it is as if you are sending weapons to protect and
uplift them. These forms may not always act immediately, but
may remain around the person for a while like a guardian

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angel. By projecting those thoughts, you are traveling there.

Part of you is having your beloveds association and providing
some protection.
The converse is also true. When you think negatively of
someone you are attacking that person, sending weapons of
destruction. You may directly attack the person at a particular
time, or your hostile thoughts may surround him until there is
a moment of vulnerability.
We are all constantly being bombarded by various mentalities. Just as you have the physical body thats moving about,
there is the subtle body and subtle forms that are bouncing all
over the room. These forms are bouncing off of you, bouncing
around your car, bouncing around your house, and bouncing
around your office. Dont you notice feeling distinct energies
when you walk into certain environments? Sometimes you go
into an environment and feel as if youre being choked. Other
times you go somewhere and you automatically feel elevated,
light and blissful.
Sound vibration, of course, does a similar thing, but even
more powerfully. Sometimes music can create certain thought
forms that remain in an environment for hours. When you
walk into that environment, you pick up those vibrations. For
example if you are listening to music that effects the lower
chakras, then your lust, greed and anxiety are incited by that
music. In many cases, the thought forms from that kind of
music follow and surround its listeners.
My point is, so much of being a Spiritual Warrior has to do
with how you protect yourself, so that you can go out and do
righteous, hopefully transcendental, things. You need a strong
spiritual immune system so as not to be weakened. Just as
germs and diseases are always there, but sometimes our resistance is low, making us susceptible to a disease.
We wont go into much detail about psychic defense here
and now, because we have specific tapes discussing these
points. The major thing to remember is that we must be properly fortified, so as to keep our thoughts and lifestyles unfold-

SWI.qxd 1/7/03 12:36 AM Page 155

ing in healthy, natural ways. If your vibrations are of a high

caliber, attacking energies will not find an avenue to intrude.
Of course the best news, beloveds, is that if you remain
devotional and compassionate, then if anyone tries to
viciously attack you, their evil thoughts wont bear fruit
because your higher consciousness will diffuse the attack.
Psychic attacks frequently work this way. An attack may
meet its target, but if you deflect it with love, then it may even
go back and reach the sender. Of course, we dont want to
weaken or destroy someone else, even an adversary. We want
to defeat them with love, and we want to upgrade their situation. In fact, as you maintain your position of purity, devotion,
concern and compassion, you will naturally uplift others,
because your thoughts will also go out and hover around such
persons.
If you are thinking kindly of someone and you see no
outward change, dont feel that nothing is happening. If youre
praying, meditating and focusing on someone, and sending
them love, but nothing seems to be happening, dont give up
the thoughts are there and they will have an effect on that individual as well as on the collective arena. In some cases, the
person youre meditating on may not be a real candidate for
your love, but you put your love out, and therefore someone
else may be able to receive that.
There are some entities that have the ability to redirect
situations once theyve been put into motion. Its just like if
you throw a ball, I may hit that ball, directing it somewhere
else. You may project loving thoughts, and certain entities may
help you channel the benefit to another area.
Anyway, this is not sports. These are things that can help
you to appreciate the value of being more conscientious of
what you think about others, and of keeping yourself fit. We
want to heighten your awareness so that the thoughts you put
out have a very positive effect on those you care about. This
information can also help you become more aware of why you
sometimes feel drained or suppressed, or as if there are

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tremendous mood changes occurring in your personality that

have suddenly come upon you.
Lastly, on the subject of thought forms, Spiritual Warriors
must acknowledge that there is a psychological state corresponding to every disease that exists. All diseases can be
traced back to unhealthy mental states, and every disease
follows certain psychic patterns. The thought forms you radiate can determine how fast you heal, whether you heal, how
strong your resistance is, or the possibility of spontaneous
remission, whereby you actually revive yourself without any
treatment. All this has a lot to do with the way you process
mental energy.
In a sense, the entire cosmic manifestation is comprised of
various thought forms from the Supreme Godhead. Many of
the activities of the devas or demigods are also based on
thoughts that are projected into the atmosphere, affecting the
environment. Likewise, the basic process of human growth
and the interactions of civilization are products of thought.
According to your thoughts, you align yourself with higher or
lower beings. Thus, by thought, you are either adding negativity or positivity to the aggregate consciousness. Try to keep an
ongoing positivism about yourself as you interact and function, and always realize that the effects of your thoughts will
eventually emerge.
As far as fulfilling your desires is concerned, you may
have your timetable, but Mother-Father God may have a
different time scheme or an altogether different agenda. Thus,
much of your success will be based on your perseverance and
determination to endure through certain dry spells. On that
note, lets open up for questions.
Moderator: Anyone who wants to begin can come up to
the microphone or pass a question forward on the paper weve
provided. We also want to express our gratitude for your sticking with this series, and your willingness to give even more of
yourselves today by opening up with personal experiences.
1st Guest: Thank you Swami and other members of the

SWI.qxd 1/7/03 12:36 AM Page 157

Institute. I have one experience Id like to share. But first, Id

like to personally thank Swami for his invaluable help since
Ive been here. The experience Id like to share involves mathematics. I have a masters and a BS in mathematics, and I
started meditating about fifteen or sixteen years ago. Since
then, Ive had this recurring dream where I always flunk basic
mathematics, and I wonder, How could this happen?
This dream would come several times within a week or
sometimes twice within one night, and its been occurring for
fifteen years. I was thinking that there must be something I am
lacking or not doing. But the revelation I had from attending
this series was this: All that we personally do, will not
warrant salvation. Our salvation has to come through our
efforts in connection with the grace of God. Of course, prior
to this realization, my understanding had been, If I do X,
then Y will result. If I do A, then B will result, so one can
earn salvation in that way. But now I know that you dont just
earn it mechanically. Its a gift. I thank Swami for helping me
realize that. Not only is salvation a gift, its a gift that comes
to us by the collective will of many yogis and masters. God
gives the gift of salvation through His servants.
BTS: Thank you fellow Spiritual Warrior. Ill do my best
to expound on some of your sharings in order to reiterate some
of our principles. First, as Spiritual Warriors we have to understand our environment. This planet, in fact this universe, is a
horrible place. We can see that we are always in some sort of
anxiety. Were experiencing anxieties from our own minds and
bodies, which are harassing us constantly. Were in anxieties
that relate to other individuals who do various things and say
various things about us, and were in anxiety due to the
demigods themselves. Sometimes its too hot; sometimes its
too cold. Sometimes its hailing; sometimes its snowing;
sometimes theres famine or drought. All of these things are
coordinated by the higher hosts.
Our environment is basically a reformatory, and the
process of growth is to gradually become less envious of the

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Supreme, and to become less of a lawbreaker, so that we can

go back to our home, the Kingdom of God. Nevertheless, a
Spiritual Warrior must be aware that there is so much sin in
this worldso much gross and subtle contamination that
incarcerates our souls.
When your hands are tied, its very hard to free yourself on
your own. Knowing this, the Supreme constantly arranges to
give us helpers, who are sometimes manifested and sometimes
invisible. We never, by our own actions, fully acquire what is
necessary to become free from this place. In this particular
age, sin is the norm, rather than piety. Most people are doing
things that are opposed to their human and spiritual acceleration. But is that very surprising? This world is considered the
abode of Satan or Maya. The earth planet is not the Kingdom
of God. Otherwise, why would so many saintly personalities
come here advising us how to escape?
It is the loving duty of prophets to wake us up. In fact,
prophets are often just those who have woken up a little earlier
than others. We can never feel that we, in our own right, have
the ability to escape the material prison house. If we do, we
will depend too much on our own knowledge, strength and
intelligence, and well be doomed. But every major religious
scripture in the world emphasizes that we should beg for the
grace and mercy of God while purifying our activities, and
every major religion emphasizes humility.
Another aspect is that, while these agents of the Lord may
help physically, they often give even more help subtly
through, for instance, dreams. Many of you have noticed that
you get some help in your dreams. This help is given according to how much you desire it, and how much you are prepared
to connect with the transcendental realm. A great deal has to
do with faith and with how well you mentally align yourself
with divinity. In some cases, Gods messengers appear in and
out of your dreams to assist you on either the subtle or astral
plane. That is part of the duty of every prophet.
In my own case, I often receive help from a divine connec-

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tion when Im at a major crossroads in my life, or a period of

intense indecision. My spiritual master, His Divine Grace Srila
Prabhupada, has left this planet physically, and yet he remains
accessible. We all have many guides. The Lord has not left us
alone in this hellish place. We all have many helpers, but, as
youve heard many times, we must ready ourselves because
the teacher wont come until the student is ready.
Moderator: Thank you very much for your contribution.
Weve got so many seasoned spiritualists here. This gentleman
has been meditating for fifteen years. How many people here
have been meditating, or involved in some spiritual practice,
for ten or more years? Thats a good three quarters of the
room. How many people have been interested in consciousness-raising for ten or more years? Thats another half of the
room. So, collectively, weve got well over ten years of
general experience or tenure in spiritual circlesrepresenting
over a decade of spiritual aspiration. Thats amazing in itself.
2nd Guest: Fellow Spiritual Warriors, Im honored to be
here and share with you my small contribution. My experience
has to do with a subject that Swami brought to bear last week
in regard to shadow ecstasies. I have been fortunate enough to
have experienced such phenomena in my spiritual practices.
By coming to these meetings, I realize now that those experiences were not caused by me at all. I know that it was grace
from somewhere else, and because I needed such mystic experiences to become more serious about spirituality, God
arranged for them to occur. Now, I am no longer pursuing the
psychic experience, but I am more ready to learn the science
of true surrender to the Supreme, because the Supreme is actually the greatest mystic and His love and association go far
beyond psychic ecstasies.
BTS: Thank you very much. Youre commenting on last
weeks discussion of shadow ecstasy. Shadow ecstasy can be
experienced when you are with a very highly advanced soul
and some of that souls divinity spills over to you. In such a
situation, you can have a brief experience of ecstasy, or an

SWI.qxd 1/7/03 12:36 AM Page 160

experience of the Divinity. Its not fully yours. Its due to your
being in contact with an electrified current, but you may experience it as if it were yours.
This Spiritual Warrior was happy to hear an explanation of
what takes place in these encounters, and hes expressing that,
in his own case, being with a certain teacher may have caused
a particular experience to come upon him. These are some of
the experiences that can happen. The study of how and why
things of this nature take place is categorized as spiritual
science. Obviously there are always people who can pretend to
have these experiences, but there are certain distinct ways of
knowing how they happen, why they happen, and of looking
at the quality of the particular experience. Were happy that
you were able to utilize some of the information you heard
here last week to decipher your experience. And, most importantly, that you were able to look beyond the psychic fixation.
Were glad you shared, because we would like to have
more insight into what each of you are thinking and feeling,
and the transitions you are going through, and offer some
explanations of these different phenomena. These dialogues
are also a way for me to get a better cue of how much information you are able to handle without an overload, and how I
can prepare you better to receive more.
In our last four or five sessions we gave a lot of detailed
information, and, if that becomes an overload, youll get
diminishing returns and wont get the full benefit. Our desire
is to humbly serve all of you as an aggregate assembly, and as
individuals, so that we can gradually impart the greatest benefit to the greatest number of people.
3rd Guest: Blessings, Swami and other members of the
Institute. The experience I recently had deals with a rather
subtle revelation. I was very fortunate that, when I first started
meditating years ago, and consciously put myself on a spiritual path, I experienced many phenomena that were very
mystifying and fascinating. Then, there was a period of time
when I didnt experience any such phenomena, so I felt that I

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wasnt progressing. Now, thankfully, I feel that Ive found a

more direct path, and Im again experiencing some subtle
results. But one of the challenges I was facing surrounded
surrender and free will.
One of our recent discussions related to overcoming and
transcending fear. Im amazed at the clarity of the revelation I
had as a result of that meditation. I remember wondering: How
do I know if Im acting on my free will, or if I am acting on
the will of God?
When I dealt with that question, I realized that if I surrender, theres really no need for free will, because then Im
totally acting on the will of God. For the first time, it all
seemed very clear to me. After being very frustrated for a
while because of not experiencing any mystical phenomena, I
realized that it is mystical just to realize the subtle aspect, and
the clarity that can be experienced through that subtlety. It
doesnt have to be a grandiose flash of lightning or some kind
of phenomenal dreamjust the courage to trust God more and
more.
BTS: That is a very good realization. Sometimes the Lord
plays games with us. You may initially get some amazing
results from your meditation, your toning, your chanting, or
your prayers, but later you wonder, Where is that experience? Its often a way the Supreme accelerates your desire or
encourages you to keep moving ahead. It gives you a little
taste, so that afterward you will be willing to pay the price for
the continued experience. Of course, the goal is not just trying
to have metaphysical experiences, or even just to obtain bliss.
Sometimes it works like a teaser to further entice you. In the
Vedic scriptures, theres the story of how Lord Krishna came
to the sage Narada Muni in his meditation, just to encourage
him to continue his practice. But Krishna also told Narada that
he would never again see the Lord in that lifetime.
At a high level of consciousness, psychic phenomena and
mysticism become an unappealing distraction. An example of
this is given in the scriptures in the description of Daruka.

SWI.qxd 1/7/03 12:36 AM Page 162

Darukas service was to fan Lord Narayana in a very opulent

setting. But in doing his service, sometimes Daruka experienced so much ecstasy, that he could no longer hold the fan,
and his ecstasy became an impediment, thus Daruka prayed to
the Lord to take his ecstasy away so that he could perform his
service without distraction.
Initially, psychic experiences are often needed to let you
know that there is something beyond your blunt perception, or
to encourage you to look into more subtle realms. However, at
some level, they are no longer important. At this point, metaphysical or paranormal things may just happen around you,
without your trying to pursue them. If you are always pursuing these things, they can lead to a salvationist consciousness,
or can become like a drug. You become a junkie yearning for
the psychic experience, and the Supreme gets pushed into the
backgroundthe idea of loving God and His parts and parcels
becomes secondary, and more emphasis is placed on power,
control and the ability to do unusual things.
As we progress, our learning turns more inward. At that
stage, books, teachings and spiritual personalities can serve as
a mirror, helping you to look at yourself from different angles
and reflect upon what to do. This young lady is experiencing
the benefits of looking more inward, moving aside and letting
the Lord be the driver. Its not a matter of giving up our identity or becoming a slave or overly meek. Its a matter of having
strong enough faith to know that, by saying, From this day
on, Lord, Im yours, everything will be made available to you
as and when you need it.
Just as we told you the other day, much of what were
discussing is introductory material. There is even more information available to those on other material planets, and in
higher universes, what to say of the spiritual world. In the spiritual realm, spiritual information and experiences increase at
every second. Every second the pleasures increase, and every
moment is more exciting than the last. Its only in the material
realm that things dwindle and deteriorate until their eventual
destruction.

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Spiritually, there is constant growth. Every time you are

involved in some service, or in trying to offer something to the
Supreme, your lot increases and magnifies. There is actually a
loving competition that takes place between the Supreme and
His parts and parcels. In this competition, the more that you
serve the Godhead, the more the Godhead serves and facilitates you. We dont talk much about this because its rather
confidential and because this concept can become confusing
or arouse ulterior motives in immature people. Before we
place any expectations on the Lord, we must always remind
ourselves that we are in this world because of improper attitudes and improper actions that amount to our denial of the
Lord. However, there is a certain level where you get
involved, not really in service or in pursuing ecstasy, but only
in play. Its just joyful happiness in your service to the
Supreme.
This blissful state is not a matter of sentimentalism or
hallucination. Its about coming in contact with the reservoir
of all happiness, all pleasure, all knowledge, all wealth, and all
opulence. Thats why experiences of ecstasy are very intense.
Ecstasy is like getting a sampling of divine love. But the physical body cant hold or contain even a small amount of it. The
Bible tells us that we all have a celestial and a terrestrial presence, and that while were in the terrestrial or physical, we are
away from the Lord.
The Vedas teach us that the soul is full of knowledge, bliss
and eternality. The physical body, on the other hand, tends to
imprison the soul from its union with God. We inhabit physical bodies as long as we continue breaking Gods laws. The
ecstasy and psychic phenomena can be a loving sign or indication from Gods messengers that it is time to more fully
honor our souls by fully surrendering to Gods love and
protection.
These physical bodies, as they are now, cant contain the
higher experiences of love and divinity. They are simply
prison suits. The performance of spiritual activities gradually

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lets us out of these prison suits, converting the physical vehicle into a form that is totally spiritual. Certain psychic experiences can be signs that the body is becoming spiritualized, and
beginning to tune in to other realms and dimensions, so we
may sometimes encounter these signs in our spiritual development.
4th Guest: I have two things to share. The first involves
the first time I heard Swami speak. In that lecture, he talked
about vegetarian eating, and a merciful diet. I had been
married for about seven years, to a gentleman who was vegetarian. I had been vegetarian for two years in an attempt to
please him, but I stopped being vegetarian and eventually I
even left him, because I felt he was forcing me to be what he
wanted me to be. Then I heard Swami speak about vegetarianism, explaining how preparing the food and eating the food
has to do with devotional service to the Creator. That was a
very different feeling than someone telling me I had to eat this
way or that way. To make a long story short, Ive become a
vegetarian, and am now engaged in regulated spiritual activities with much deeper appreciation.
My next concern has to do with one of the primary considerations youve listed in the past: Considering other peoples
points of view. Im generally a loner and I have been most of
my adult life. But recently I started reaching out more to
people. I feel a connection with people, because I feel a
connection with God. I know that God created each and every
one of us, and through Swamis teachings, it has really sunk in
that God dwells inside each of us.
I like to talk, watch TV, read booksstuff like that. But
often, I dont get a chance to talk to anybody but my cats.
Then, when I went to work, I would really talk. In fact, I would
get a bit overbearing, trying to teach people what I thought
was good, and what I had learned; but not everybody wanted
to hear it. As a result of Swamis techniques, Ive started
listening to other peoples points of view more, and I am now
able to help them in a more spiritual way. Before, I was trying

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to force them to accept my views without caring or properly

understanding their desires. Now Ive become more appreciative of people and, because Im listening more to what they
have to say, Im finding that they are more appreciative of me.
BTS: Thank you very much. Another aspect of this simple
technique is that, we sometimes have to put ourselves in
anothers position. Present their arguments to yourself, or
write them down. As you examine these arguments, you will
come to a better understanding of why someone is thinking,
feeling or acting in a certain way. This will help you to resolve
the conflict in such a way that everyone feels satisfied with the
outcome. This is a very spiritual technique, even though its a
simple one. Its a spiritual phenomenon because it deals principally with the idea of loving your neighbor as yourself and
feeling that you are your brothers keeper, while honoring the
presence of God in everyone. The motivation is to do something that makes life better for the people around you. As you
genuinely love people more, you will find all kinds of ways to
remain chaste to moral and religious principles while at the
same time helping the community around you.
5th Guest: First and foremost, I would like to thank
Swami for giving us his unconditional love and for sharing his
wisdom, love and blessings. Secondly, Swami, when you first
invited us to share, I thought, What can I share? Then you
mentioned helpers and I immediately said, Thats it! Ive had
practical experience with spiritual helpers.
Actually, it seems that whenever Im in trouble and not
sure what to do, or I get very frazzled and frustrated, I
suddenly stop and think, Why am I doing this? I have help.
So I settle down quietly and pray. These are situations where I
need immediate answers, so I sit and think quietly. I call on
God to ask for what I want, or ask for help and guidance. And,
the miracle or blessing is that I can see the help almost immediately, and this rescue happens so often. I have my own business. I have two businesses, in fact; we made several million
of dollars this year, and I can see that divine intervention

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comes all the time, in terms of resolving problems in my businesses and in my personal life. This is something that I see all
the time, and I just want to thank you for the wisdom and
knowledge you share, and for making me aware of those blessings because I realize now that they may have been coming all
along, but before I began coming here I just wasnt recognizing them so much. So, I thank God and I thank you.
BTS: Sometimes theres a little confusion, because people
think that being spiritual means youre not supposed to do
secular things. Actually, spirituality means that you do things
very conscientiously, even more conscientiously than most
people do. If youre an entrepreneur then you can focus more
on trying to be fair, trying to be attentive, and understanding
how karmic results unfold. You can realize that were all being
monitored by the Supreme, and that God has no favorites.
Everyone has the same loving Mother-Father God. Your very
best well-wisher is the Person whos controlling everything
and Who is there for us all to call upon. Whatever our lifestyle
is, if we try to make it more spiritual, the Supreme will help us
to become more productive. Were not worshiping a poor God.
Were not worshiping an unintelligent God. God is not weak
or incompetent, and one of the signs of a strong alignment
with Him is that wonderful auspicious things begin to happen
in our lives. Even when there is something that is temporarily
negative, that becomes auspicious also, because it becomes an
amazing learning experience for you.
If were constantly having complication after complication, we have to take a closer look and see what it is that we
are doing which is not proper. How are we going against the
basic universal laws? How are we removing ourselves from
the mercy and the blessings that are accessible? When the
Lord blesses us, it is a test to see how we will use these blessings. However, when He takes our creature comforts away, it
is also a blessing and a test.
6th Guest: All praises and thanks for your mercy, Swami.
I just want to say two things. The first is that, while you were

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traveling, your disciples were giving many talks. One of the

talks that I would like the Institute to give again is the one
about spiritualization of the sexual relationship. I found that
the presenter handled that discussion very well, and it really
helped me. I have a daughter who is going to be twelve, and I
hear so many discussions on TV about safe sex. Even though
I come from Guyana, and have a very strict upbringing, after
a while, I start getting broken down. I think, How should I
handle this? Maybe Im too strict. After that lecture, I knew
that this was the way I wanted to go. Thankfully, my daughter
has been coming with me to hear the lectures. I love the way
you and your staff address very controversial topics in such a
caring but no-nonsense way.
I was also very impressed with those four disciples of
yours who were lecturing in your absence. They seem to give
so much light, energy and selfless service that it really encourages me to try to imitate some of their actions. Now I am
chanting and following the four spiritual principles of no
gambling, intoxication, illicit sex or eating of meat, fish or
eggs.
The second thing involves a dream I had. It happened
because I was reading a book about somebody going into a
trance state and then finding out that he used to be a scribe in
ancient Egypt. The book was very nice and it had many elaborate prayers in it. But, after I finished reading it, a lot of
things started happening within me and around me. One thing
that started happening was that things, like drinking glasses,
would just suddenly explode or break, and I would hear voices
saying my name softly. I would have dreams where I would
keep getting out of bed, and I would think I was up for the day,
but I was still dreaming. Then, finally, I would get up and say,
Oh, well Im up now.
In one of the dreams I had, I was back in the house in
Guyana where I grew up. I saw a lot of people, mostly
females, come into the house dressed in white. Then, in the
dream, I went into the kitchen of that house and looked up in

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the rafters and saw a big snake. Naturally I was frightened

because I felt an evil energy coming from the snake. It seemed
that the snake was trying to prevent me from picking up his
thoughts. Then my son came in, from wherever he was, around
two or three in the morning, and he had another snake. I felt
that this snake was more peaceful, and was not vicious; and
this snake destroyed the first snake. I dont know what that
meant, but, when I read this book, a lot of very strange things
started happening to me. Anyway, I raise this, Swami, mostly
to invite your input and feedback. Maybe you can help me
understand this dream a bit better.
BTS: Let me explain a principal thats taking place in
some of your dream experiences. Higher beings find ways to
help civilizations and individuals, consciously and unconsciously. There are some higher beings, for instance, in the
entertainment field right now. They are arranging songs that
put a certain kind of energy into the atmosphere. Similarly,
they are helping to produce movies that can stimulate a quest
for knowledge regarding higher connections. Likewise, there
are beings here that are very demonic in nature. Part of their
agenda is to slow down the progress of this planet. Some of
them are from other universes, some are from other planets,
and some of them are from the center of this universe. Their
mission is completely demonic, and they are also affecting
society, and causing many problems.
Some of the beings of a higher nature will write books or
stimulate people to write books through channeling.
Sometimes they write books that the secular market takes to be
fiction, but are actually true. They know that if you read these
books, some impressions will be made, and it will help some
of your karma unfold. Similarly, there are entities that find
ways to intrude upon you. These entities also produce films
and books. In those books they unleash some of their demonic
energy, and by your reading of such books, that energy can
have a negative effect on you. Im sure some of you have had
the experience of reading a book that affects your subconscious, and you wind up having nightmares.

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The more psychic and sensitive you are, the more of an

effect such forces can have on you. The more psychic ability
you have, the more youll experience intrusion from all sides,
good and bad. You simply pick up whatever is in the environment more easily. Some people are like that. They can sense
more subtly, and thus, they have to be more careful about
where they go, what they read, and whom they associate with.
They are more likely to be drained in negative environments,
and more likely to be stimulated in positive environments.
In this age, when so many environments are negative, we
have to be very discriminating and weed out certain stimuli.
Dont pick up or read just anything. Dont go just anywhere.
If you are reading a book and start getting some unusual sensations, put it downespecially if its dealing with something of
an occult nature. As we discussed earlier, energies can intrude
and hover around you until they have a chance to take advantage of you.
There is a tremendous subtle energy war happening on this
planet between the pious and the impious. It is very important
these days to be careful about the kind of things you allow
near youwhat you hear, what you eat, what you read, and
what you speak. On the other hand, through positive associations like these sessions, some of you have been able to shed
a certain amount of negative karma from previous lifetimes.
As you do that, you will progress spiritually even faster.
7th Guest: Greetings, Your Holiness, with all my heart. I
have one brief comment about a revelation I had when I first
came to see Swami at the Institute. I have always known of the
Ten Commandments and especially of the one Thou shall
not kill. But recently, this commandment suddenly became
very clear to me due to my contact with the Institute. I now
realize that every animal, and every living form is a creature
of God. When I thought about Thou shall not kill. It suddenly
dawned on me that this means, Thou shall not kill, period.
not simply, Thou shall not kill man. It includes unborn
babies, animals, cows, dogs and insects. This was a startling

SWI.qxd 1/7/03 12:36 AM Page 170

revelation for me. As a result, when I see an insect now, I look

at it very closely, and I see it as a tiny spark of light from God.
Consequently, I dont kill it. As a matter of fact, if insects are
in my home, I make a special effort to carry them outdoors
Ive also found that my psychic abilities have increased
tremendously. Im constantly seeing flashes of light. As a
matter a fact, the first night that I came to hear Swami speak,
there were some chairs situated behind him, and there was an
entity of light, sitting in the chair to his right side, I believe. It
was playing games with me, because I would see it, but then
when I tried to look at it directly, it would disappear. Another
time there was a huge entity of light about eight feet tall, and
maybe four feet wide, against the door in the back. It appeared
suddenly, right after Swami had spoken some Sanskrit prayers.
The other thing Ive been experiencing in the auditorium
here, is seeing the aura of certain individuals. Ive been
compelled to walk up to those people, after the lecture, and tell
them about the aura I see around them. Oddly enough, the
color of these auras seems to have a direct correlation with
what theyre currently doing in their lives.
Another thing is that Im hearing voices nowvoices of
disembodied entities, I believe. Sometimes, when Im talking
to someone, these entities will tell me something very personal
about them, such as, This individuals going to be expecting
a baby. or, This individuals expecting a boy or a girl. or that
he or she will be changing residences. The voices are very
light, almost like a whisper.
Im very happy about all of these experiences, and Im
very open, but I have to be careful because I sometimes overwhelm people with my openness, my love for them, and my
intensity. But, it is such a wonderful feeling, and I cannot find
the words to tell you, that this is the first time in my life that I
have actually felt happy about being here, on this planetthe
very first time. So, thank you Swami.
BTS: Our guest who is speaking is actually not from
America, but from Haiti, I think. Right? She is from a back-

SWI.qxd 1/7/03 12:36 AM Page 171

ground and a culture, in this life and maybe previous lives,

where shes had a lot of exposure to the subtle energy.
Therefore, she has been born with some very attuned psychic
ability.
Those who have psychic tendencies often feel very alone,
because things are happening to them and around them that
they cant openly discuss with others. A few of you have similar feelings. You may have even thought something was wrong
with you, and wondered why you saw and heard things that
other people couldnt. Well, it can be a curse or a blessing. It
might be a sign that you have done a lot of spiritual work in
previous lives, and youve come into this world with certain
awareness, perhaps, in accordance with dues that you have
paid and work that you are to do.
It can be a problem, however, if in this life you dont go
beyond your current level of awareness. If an evolved spiritual
being comes into this world with psychic abilities, and stays at
that level, its like a failure. But, if you come here with an
awareness of how much more there is to experience, and use
these abilities to go beyond accepting the orthodox, and try to
find out Who is responsible for your experiences, then such a
psychic platform makes a healthy catalyst for helping you
advance.
These days, many people who start a spiritual quest are
simply interested in what they can acquire to psychically
manipulate the outcome of events, and how they can dabble
metaphysically for their own profit and distinction. They
arent so interested in becoming pure servants of the Godhead,
or in putting love and compassion at the forefront. This is
another of the warnings we want to issue to aspiring Spiritual
Warriors. Dont get caught in the snare of imitating the
Supreme or trying to enjoy His energies. Try to become Gods
servants, so that you will receive the supreme benefit of pure
devotional service.
Moderator: We want to thank all of our guests who have
shared, and all those who listened to these sharings. Well

SWI.qxd 1/7/03 12:36 AM Page 172

close our session with some closing remarks by His Holiness.

But first, I want to take a poll. How many people, who have
been coming here for a while, have noticed more challenges
and tests in your daily life? Raise your hands. About a hundred
people or so. Thats a sign that youre having chances to
advance. Would you agree, Swami?
BTS: Yes, absolutely. Some people become afraid
because, when they begin a more serious quest for a spiritual
connection, they notice that in one sense they start having
more problems than they ever had before. Dont be shocked if
that happens to you because these factors go together. Growth
and testing come hand in hand. The real test is to persevere
through your problems. Everyone has a higher self and lower
self. Gradually, we experience more of the higher self and less
of the lower self. With constant nourishment of the higher self,
the lower self ceases to be such a bother.
If you have begun meditating, chanting, or toning, and you
notice that all kinds of garbage surfaces in your mind as you
perform your practices, dont slow down. Dont worry about
those thoughts. Theyre just things that have been embedded
for a long time, and are now coming out. Most important, keep
calling on the holy names of God with intensity and humility.
8th Guest: I know its a bit late, but let me ask one final
question. Im wondering: why might some of us be experiencing possessions?
BTS: Well, in some cases, some of you have abused drugs
in the past, or have dabbled with the occult. When this is the
case, lower entities hover in these environments looking for
hosts to possess. In other cases, you may have been at places
where people were performing certain rituals. Unknowingly,
by attending those rituals you may have invoked different
types of disembodied entities. Sometimes you carry those entities home with you, and, in some cases, it is as if those entities
are riding on your back.
When we perform spiritual practices, its like a direct
attack against negative forces. When they become disturbed

SWI.qxd 1/7/03 12:36 AM Page 173

by your attacks, sometimes these forces kick or fight, or try to

discourage your practice so you will no longer push them
away. That is a negative experience. Other experiences are just
a part of your growth process.
Ultimately, as long as youre keeping God at the center,
honoring true saints and bona fide spiritual mentors, remaining humble and taking shelter of the Holy Names, you will be
protected from anything and everything that might mean you
harm.
Part of our reason for having this discussion today is that
some of you have been hearing lectures, but youve become a
little lazy and a bit distracted by the glare of the material
nature. We want to encourage you to begin experimenting
more and taking advantage of the technologies were offering,
and seeing for yourself if they really work. We dont want you
to come here and cheer us on like this is a stage act and were
performers. Were not trying to entertain you with a really nice
sermon. Were concerned with what you have really learned,
and how its influencing your spiritual evolution and growth.
We want to thank all of you for participating, and we want
to remind you that you have a tremendous spiritual heritage,
and the potential to make amazing growth in this lifetime. At
the same time we feel obliged to urge you on in your quest
because, if you dont make a change soon, some of you are
going to fail your tests and not make sufficient progress in this
lifetime.
Certain spiritual messengers have responsibility for
certain souls. They are responsible for arranging, either
directly or indirectly, for those souls to get the necessary help
and stimulation they need to continue what they havent yet
finished. We must also remember that certain events happen in
cycles in these universes. If we dont catch up to those cycles,
it may take hundreds of thousands of lifetimes before we
regain the opportunity we have now.
This human form that we each inhabit now is a very
special form. It is an escape body. Its a body that allows us a

SWI.qxd 1/7/03 12:36 AM Page 174

chance to go directly from the earth plane back to the

Kingdom of God. There are 8,400,000 different types of
bodies, and its not that every body type in creation is able to
bring the soul directly back to Gods Kingdom. Even in some
of the angelic bodies, it is not possible to go directly back
home to the Father.
Many times, angelic hosts are waiting to take birth in a
body that will allow them to be on this planet when a great
spiritual harvest is going on. Such a harvest is happening on
this planet right now, and some of you are gardeners who will
help in that harvest. As you work out some of your own karmic
patterns, you will help many others in their progression. If you
fail to work out your issues, then you will be doing a great
disservice to yourself and to the other souls you have a responsibility for.
Above all, we must realize that we are living on borrowed
time. We should not take for granted that the future will always
be here. We are already on borrowed time, and by the mercy
of the Lord, we are being given additional time to try to get
ourselves together. We must become more of the loving beings
that we are inside ourselves, but have somehow gotten away
from.
Much of the progress of people on this planet will be made
in connection with certain spiritual generals who have responsibility for them. In other words, some of you may have
responsibility for other souls whom you have not even met yet.
As you grow, those souls will be fed from your own strength.
Rather than worry if you are a spiritual general or not, we
simply encourage all of you who feel this call to meet the challenge of being a conscientious Spiritual Warrior who is
humble, selfless and brave. I love you, and I pray that we will
stay together as spiritual warriors working more on ourselves
to help to respiritualize the planet. I leave all of you with
potent words of wisdom from my mentor His Divine Grace
Srila Prabhupada, who said that purity is the force!

SWI.qxd 1/7/03 12:36 AM Page 175

uggested reading

This suggested reading list may further enrich your understanding of the subjects covered in this book.
Ali, Abdullah Yusuf. The Meaning Of The Holy Quran.
Brentwood: Amana Corporation, 1993.
Amen, Ra Un Nefer. Metu Neter (Vol. 1): The Great Oracle
Of Tehuti and The Egyptian System of Spiritual Cultivation.
New York: Khamit Corp., 1990.
Budge, E. A. Wallis. The Egyptian Book Of The Dead: The
Papyrus Of Ani, Egyptian Text Transliteration and
Translation. New York: Dover Publications, 1967.
Carter, J. Edwin. Living Is Forever. Norfolk: Hampton Roads,
1990.
Downing, Barry H. The Bible And Flying Saucers. New York:
J.B.Lippincott, 1968.

SWI.qxd 1/7/03 12:36 AM Page 176

Grinder, John, and Richard Bandler. Trance-formations:

Neuro-Linguistic Programming and the Structure of Hypnosis.
Moab,Utah: Real People Press, 1981.
Spiritual Emergency: When Personal Transformation
Becomes a Crisis. Edited by Stanislav Grof and Christina
Grof. Los Angeles: Jeremy P. Tarcher, 1989.
Hadees-E-Qudsi (The Commands Of Allah). Edited by
Sahbanul Hind and Hazrat Maulana Ahmad Saeed. New
Delhi, India: Dini Book Depot, 1988.
Key, Wilson Bryan. The Clam Plate Orgy And Other
Subliminal Techniques For Manipulating Your Behaviour.
New York: New American Library, 1981.
. Subliminal Seduction: Ad Medias Manipulation Of A
Not So Innocent America. New York: Signet Books, 1981.
Kusche, Larry. The Bermuda Triangle Mystery: Solved.
Buffalo: Prometheus Books, 1976.
Levi. The Aquarian Gospel Of Jesus The Christ. Marina Del
Ray: Devors and Co., 1988.
Lewis, Byron A., and R. Frank Pucelik. Magic Demystified.
Lake Oswego, Ore: Metamorphous Press, 1982.
The New Oxford Annotated Bible with the Apocrypha (New
Revised Standard Version). Edited by Bruce M. Metzger and
Roland E. Murphy. New York: Oxford University Press,
1991.
Montgomery, Ruth. Here And Hereafter. New York: Coward
and McCann, 1968.

SWI.qxd 1/7/03 12:36 AM Page 177

. A Search For The Truth. New York: Morrow, 1967.

. Strangers Among Us: Enlightened Beings From A
World To Come. New York: Coward, McCann and
Geoghegan, 1979.
. Threshold To Tomorrow. New York: Putnam, 1982.
. The World Before. New York: Coward, McCann and
Geoghegan, 1976.
. A World Beyond: A Startling Message From The
Eminent Arthur Ford From Beyond The Grave. New York:
Coward, McCann and Geoghegan, 1971.
Muhammad, Elijah. Message To The Blackman In America.
Chicago: Muhammad Mosque of Islam No.2, 1965.
Prabhupada, A .C. Bhaktivedanta Swami. Bhagavad Gita As It
Is. Los Angeles: Bhaktivedanta Book Trust, 1983.
. Easy Journey To Other Planets.
Bhaktivedanta Book Trust, 1982.

Los Angeles:

. The Journey Of Self Discovery.

Bhaktivedanta Book Trust, 1990.

Los Angeles:

. The Laws Of Nature: An Infallible Justice. Los

Angeles: Bhaktivedanta Book Trust, 1991.
. A Second Chance: The Story Of A Near-Death
Experience. Los Angeles: Bhaktivedanta Book Trust, 1991.
. Srimad Bhagavatam, Cantos 1-12 (Also referred to
as the Bhagavata Purana).
Manila, Phillippines:
Bhaktivedanta Book Trust, 1982.

SWI.qxd 1/7/03 12:36 AM Page 178

Rosen, Steven. Diet for Transcendence, Badger: Torchlight

1997.
Strieber, Whitley. Communion: A True Story.
Avon, 1987.

New York:

. Transformation: The Breakthrough.

Beech Tree Books/Morrow, 1988.

New York:

Subramaniam, Kamala. Mahabharata.

Bharatiya Vidya Bharan, 1990.

Bombay, India:

Thompson, Richard L. Alien Identities: Ancient Insights into

Modern UFO Phenomena. San Diego: Govardan Hill
Publishing, 1993.
Three Initiates. The Kybalion: A Study Of The Hermetic
Philosophy Of Ancient Egypt and Greece. Chicago: The Yogi
Publication Society, 1940.
Time-Life Books. Mysteries Of The Unknown: Mystic Places.
Alexandria: Time-Life Books, 1987.
. Mysteries Of The Unknown: The UFO Phenomenon.
Alexandria: Time-Life Books, 1987.
African Presence In Early Asia. Edited by Ivan van Sertima
and Runoko Rashidi. New Brunswick:
Transaction
Publishers, 1988.

SWI.qxd 1/7/03 12:36 AM Page 179

lossary

Acharya: A sanskrit word meaning one whose behavior

reflects God, or one who teaches by his example. Another
name for a guru, or spiritual master.
Astral traveling: Traveling in the astral or subtle dimension,
or traveling with the astral body. A dimension accessible to
us in our sleep state.
Aura: A field of fine sheaths of energy which permeate the
solid physical bodies of molecules and atoms, producing a
luminous glow surrounding a figure or object. This is often
depicted as a halo around the heads of spiritually advanced
beings.
Bhagavata Purana: Also known as the Srimad Bhagavatam.
Ancient vedic scriptures of principal narrations and instructions dating back at least three thousand years. There are
eighteen of them in number, of which the Bhagavata
Purana is the most important.

SWI.qxd 1/7/03 12:36 AM Page 180

Brahma: The first created being of the universe. Under the

direction of the Supreme Lord, he creates the universe and
all forms of life in the universe. He rules the mode of passion.
Demigod: More highly consciously evolved beings that act as
agents of the Supreme Lord and are responsible for the day
to day functions within this material universe.
Deva: Sanskrit word meaning demigod.
Hadees-E-Qudsi: Known also as the El Hadith, or Ahadith,
consists of visions or words sent by Allah and revealed
through the angel Gabriel which were described by the
Prophet Mohammed in his own words. Scriptures which
complement the Holy Koran.
Incubi: Female humanoid entities that engage in erotic relationships with human beings.
Kemet: The original name ancient Egyptians gave their land.
Mahabharata: The history of the planet. One of the vedic
scriptures, along with the Ramayana known as the itihasas,
(historical epics).
Mantra: Transcendental sound that frees the mind from material bondage.
Modes: Refers to the three qualities of material nature: goodness, passion and ignorance.
Muzak: Trade name for piped-in recorded background music
available in public places.
Siddhi: A sanskrit word meaning mystical ability or

SWI.qxd 1/7/03 12:36 AM Page 181

perfection. There are eight principle siddhis that can be

obtained through austere yogic training. These include that
ability to make an object lighter than air, enabling it to
float; the ability to reduce ones body size; the ability to
expand ones body into nine duplicate forms; the ability to
acquire an object from any where outside ones immediate
environment immediately.
Sidratil Muntaha: The place where Allah resides.
Sucubi: Male humanoid entities that engage in erotic relationships with human beings.
Swami: A person in the fourth order, or ashrama of renunciation. One who is able to fully control his senses. Also refered to as Goswami.
Vedas: A sanskrit word meaning knowledge. The name given
to the oldest collection of written manuscripts known to
man.
Vimanas: Sanskrit word denoting aerial vehicles, which could
be either grossly physical machines, made of subtle energy
or transcendental (spiritual) energy.
Yuga: A sanskrit word meaning millennium or age. A portion
of time designated to the spiritual seasons that occur on a
cyclical basis in this universe.

About The
Author

hakti Tirtha Swami was born John E. Favors in a pious,

God-fearing family. As a child evangelist, he appeared
regularly on television, and as a young man, he was a leader
in Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.s civil rights movement. At Princeton University, he became president of the student council
and also served as chairman of the Third World Coalition.
Although his main degree is in psychology, he has received
accolades in many other fields, including politics, African
studies, and international law.
Bhakti Tirtha Swamis books are used as reference texts
in universities and leadership organizations throughout
the world. Many of his books have been printed in English,
German, French, Spanish, Portuguese, Macedonian, Croatian, Russian, Hebrew, Slovenian, Balinese, and Italian.
His Holiness has served as Assistant Coordinator for
penal reform programs in the State of New Jersey, Office
of the Public Defender, and as a director of several drug
abuse clinics in the United States. In addition, he has been
a special consultant for Educational Testing Services in the
U.S.A. and has managed campaigns for politicians. Bhakti
Tirtha Swami gained international recognition as a representative of the Bhaktivedanta Book Trust, particularly for
his outstanding work with scholars in the former communist
countries of Eastern Europe.

Bhakti Tirtha Swami directly oversaw projects in the

United States (particularly Washington D.C., Potomac, Mary
land, Detroit, Pennsylvania, West Virginia), West Africa,
South Africa, Switzerland, France, Croatia, and Bosnia. He
also served as the director of the American Federation of
Vaisnava Colleges and Schools.
In the United States, Bhakti Tirtha Swami was the founder
and director of the Institute for Applied Spiritual Technology,
director of the International Committee for Urban Spiritual
Development, and one of the international coordinators
of the Seventh Pan African Congress. Reflecting his wide
range of interests, he was also a member of the Institute
for Noetic Sciences, the Center for Defense Information, the
United Nations Association for America, the National Peace
Institute Foundation, the World Future Society, and the
Global Forum of Spiritual and Parliamentary Leaders.
A specialist in international relations and conflict resolution, Bhakti Tirtha Swami constantly traveled around the
world and had become a spiritual consultant to many highranking members of the United Nations, to various celebrities, and to several chiefs, kings, and high court justices. In
1990 His Holiness was coronated as a high chief in Warri,
Nigeria in recognition for his outstanding work in Africa and
the world. In recent years, he met several times with thenPresident Nelson Mandela of South Africa to share visions
and strategies for world peace.
In addition to encouraging self-sufficiency through the
development of schools, clinics, farm projects, and cottage
industries, Bhakti Tirtha Swami conducted seminars and
workshops on principle-centered leadership, spiritual
development, interpersonal relationships, stress and time
management, and other pertinent topics. He was also
widely acknowledged as a viable participant in the resolution of global conflict.
On August 5, 2004, Bhakti Tirtha Swami was diagnosed
with melanoma cancer in his left foot. Although he made

every effort to treat his condition, the cancer continued to

spread, leading His Holiness to teach the most important
lessonhow to die. During the time after his diagnosis, he
gave numerous lectures on the topic and completed a book
of meditations, The Beggar IV: Die Before Dying, also dedicated to this same topic. Almost a year later, on June 27,
2005, His Holiness departed from this world, surrounded by
loving friends, relatives, and disciples.
Although His Holiness Bhakti Tirtha Swami has seemingly gone, he actually left behind him a powerful legacy
that will continue to live on through his students and
well-wishers, and especially through his books. Numerous
lectures, seminars, and workshops wait in the archives for
Hari-Nama Press to transcribe and to then publish in future
books. B.T. Swamis teachings will undoubtedly continue
through these unique books and through the lives of those
who imbibe his message.

Books by Hari-Nama Press

Leadership for an Age of Higher Consciousness I: Administration
from a Metaphysical Perspective
Leadership for an Age of Higher Consciousness II: Ancient Wisdom
for Modern Times
Spiritual Warrior I: Uncovering Spiritual Truths in Psychic Phenomena
Spiritual Warrior II: Transforming Lust into Love
Spiritual Warrior III: Solace for the Heart in Difficult Times
Spiritual Warrior IV: Conquering the Enemies of the Mind
Spiritual Warrior V: Making the Mind Your Best Friend
Spiritual Warrior VI: Beyond Fanaticism, Terrorism, and War:
Discover the Peace Solution
Reflections on Sacred Teachings I: Sri Siksastaka
Reflections on Sacred Teachings II: Madhurya-Kadambini
Reflections on Sacred Teachings III: Harinama Cintamani
Reflections on Sacred Teachings IV: Sri Isopanisad
Reflections on Sacred Teachings V: Srila Bhaktisiddhantas Sixty-four
Principles for Community
Reflections on Sacred Teachings VI: Radha-Sunya: Missing Mercy
The Beggar I: Meditations and Prayers on the Supreme Lord
The Beggar II: Crying Out for the Mercy
The Beggar III: False Ego: The Greatest Enemy of the Spiritual Leader
The Beggar IV: Die Before Dying
Black Lotus: The Spiritual Journey of An Urban Mystic

Check our web site @ www.harinamapress.org

for additional information.