Self-Help » grace

Christmas Comfort

Edword — Tue, 08 Dec 2009 21:03:47 +0000

What would you do if you were two,

(You couldn’t even tie your shoe)

And you woke up that Christmas day

To find yourself in piles of hay?

Then, looking all around, you see

That you are not where you should be;

Not home in bed, so clean and warm,

But in a little cow/sheep barn.

Still in your pyjamas, you

Jump up when you hear moo-oo.

Then you see a mouse run by,

Rushing so, you wonder why.

Then you see the animals are

Gathering near a shining star

And you wonder how a star

Came so far into this barn.

So you walk so quietly

Through the hay so you can see

What they all are looking at,

Cow and lamb and mouse and cat.

When you get there, you push through,

Past the silent animals, who

Let you pass to see that Thing

That makes you want to laugh and sing!

“Oh, so sweet!” you sigh, as grace,

Glowing from the sunny Face

Of that Baby lying there,

Fills your heart with cool, fresh air.

In His giggle, you feel joy,

Enough for every girl and boy.

And when He kicks His tiny Feet,

You feel that love is now complete.

Just when you feel you’ve had your fill

The whole, wide world gets brighter still

As two soft and graceful Arms

Hold you – keep you safe from harm.

You look up and see the Smile

That seems to stretch for mile upon mile;

That Smile that lights the moon and sun,

And gives life to everyone.

And there in Mother’s lap you sleep

And know the promise She will keep,

That Her Son spoke clear and true,

To come as Comforter to you.

~Edward Saugstad 1999

getting untangled from our stress mess

Edword — Sat, 28 Mar 2009 15:00:02 +0000

Sitting beneath a shady coconut grove on an Indian beach, I chatted with a bank manager about the state of modern society. We agreed that it’s ironic that the deep wisdom of the East is now being sought by the West, while the Eastern root-civilization frantically tries to ‘catch up’ with the withering Western boughs. It’s time that both sides learn to imbibe, in balance, the lessons that the other has to offer. Can the East achieve prosperity without losing it’s countless treasures of wisdom; and can the West adopt those wisdoms in order to fortify its foundations for future generations?

At the heart of every ancient culture there pervaded an inkling of unseen Reality. Even modern science (quantum physics) begins to hint towards a wonderful Source that lies just beyond our handicapped awareness. With all the precision mechanics that make up our universe and our own beings, would it be at all surprising that a specific mechanism could be built in to each of us to eventually link us to our Source? It is there, and waits in the sacrum bone at the base of our spine to be awakened. And it’s not surprising to discover that this benevolent ‘mechanism’ can only sprout naturally, without force or concentration – when the heart is ripe.

This knowledge was once a ’secret’ because we, as a race, were not mature enough to know it. It remains a secret only through our advanced complacency. A child-like curiosity would now be our most valuable asset; a natural interest in our inevitable link to enlightenment. It’s time to emerge from our self-created jungle of stress and disorientation by starting this inner process. Even better than a cooling coconut juice on a tropical seashore!

(public Sahaja Yoga Meditation workshop, Austria, March 2009)

living synchronicity

Edword — Sun, 15 Feb 2009 18:41:14 +0000

Many of us intuitively recognize the subtle connection that exists between all human beings, and with all of nature. This field of awareness has something to do with our minds, but much more to do with our hearts.

I recently chanced upon a subject of discussion with someone, that led to my meeting, for the first time in my life, with two sisters and a brother who I’d never had contact with (fifty years late, but maybe at the exact time it was meant to happen). This took place during a short visit to Canada. A few months later, I made a new friend while in Cyprus. During a lull in an after-dinner conversation, I suddenly started talking about my small ‘miracle’ in Canada to him. It turned out that this man also has a brother who he has never met, and who happens to live in my place of residence, Austria. By ‘chance’, I know the head of personnel at the company that his brother works for, which may lead to the healing meeting of these two separated siblings.

Yesterday, I connected with an old friend via Facebook, who I hadn’t seen in about thirty years. We exchanged a few sentences of enthusiastic, typed dialog in the tiny chat-box. Of all the things he chose to mention in these moments, was the fact that he lives near another old friend who I also hadn’t seen in years. I told him – amazed – that twenty-five minutes before I had just looked up that same person in a public internet search site, and phoned his home to say hi!

I have the feeling that this Power/Universe/Spirit manifests in our lives when we need to experience constructive inner growth and healing. In fact, judging by the many similar experiences I’ve lived and heard about in my travels, these compassionate nudges are becoming more and more frequent in people’s lives. Could we be entering a time when all the invisible beauty inside us shines out, when the collective consciousness of universal love unites us and puts an end to jealousy and aggression?

Things may get temporarily worse before the break-through, but there is no doubt in my mind – and heart – that a sunrise is coming that no generation will ever forget.

(Valentine’s Day, 2009)

Mom ascending

Edword — Wed, 10 Dec 2008 18:22:23 +0000

When I received the sad news this morning, I felt – believe it or not – a gentle lightening of the heart, an enthusiastic happiness that had nothing to do with my personal loss of the mother who raised and loved (loves) me. After a few seconds of meditation, I realized that I must be feeling what she is presently feeling: a dynamic, delightful freedom; a breathtaking view of life from high above life; a baby-like mood of spontaneous creativity and endless possibilities.

We weep in self-pity.
Congratulations Mom for all your achievements, and all those yet to come – enjoy the higher life for us, also!
(It’s just too bad that you can’t send postcards, but love has its own lines of communication)

With love, your son,
Ed

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

E. May Saugstad

24 March, 1930 ~ 9 December, 2008

(Mother of Darlene, Cheryl, Rick, Ed, Glenn, David, Allan and Don)

“Christmas greetings”

Edword — Wed, 10 Dec 2008 13:56:39 +0000

The Coming of the Three Kings …

never a dulllll moment

Edword — Mon, 01 Sep 2008 12:21:44 +0000

After arriving back over in Vancouver for a summer holiday, many new amazing things started falling into place….

The fun started with a spontaneous boat ride to the beautiful island resort where I spent my childhood summers. With a couple of brothers and my wife and son, we visited Buccaneer Bay (its real name!) for my first time in thirty-five years. (Captain McTaggart, one of the Greenpeace pioneers, also spent holidays there with his family in their cottage. Celebrities parked their yachts in the bay on their cruises along the coast. The Canadian Prime Minister stopped in once, and we saw John Wayne and his family another time!) It was the first place that I experienced joy. It happened when I was about twelve while climbing the small mountain there, Spyglass Hill, and seeing the breath-taking view of forests, islands and heaven-blue ocean, skies and mountains stretching out to all horizons. I would often take my sleeping-bag down to the white, sandy beach at night and fall asleep in the peaceful solitude, watching the endless, timeless starry heavens. The place hadn’t changed. There were still the same cottages, trees (quite a bit bigger now!), mossy bluffs and fresh, salty breezes – and still no electricity or modern conveniences! We knocked on our old neighbour’s door and found that most of their family was there, including new grandchildren and great-grandchildren. As one of the Hendersons remarked, it was a ‘blast from the past’ meeting again after so long.

During our outing, I happened to mention something to one of my brothers about our childhood and the two sisters and the brother that we never met, as our father had left his first wife and kids to marry our mom, who then gave birth to us. To my great surprise, he told me that two of Dad’s first offspring had managed to contact him a few years back. After discovering the name and hometown of one, I wasted no time in contacting her. She was so thrilled to get a call from me, that she couldn’t sleep the whole night as she had waited her whole life to meet us. We had agreed to meet the following weekend. My wife, Brigitte, and I spent the night in the home of my lost sister and her husband (who is part native Canadian, the great-grandson of a First Nation chief). By the time we left the next day, it felt like a half century of healing had taken place, as the joy and vibrations were very strong. We also spoke on the phone to my other missing siblings, and we’ve planned to get together soon for a big reunion. (As it turns out, my other sister breeds horses, and one of them was in China recently participating in the Olympics!)

We then had a great time the following two days as guests of the local Hindu Temple, which held a festive open-house. A dear friend and professional singer from India, who recently settled in Victoria, was invited to sing. The audience loved him. We also presented a small introduction to Sahaja Yoga, which was also very much appreciated by all.

Along the merry way, I made a point of distributing copies of my new children’s books to families that we passed on planes, ferries and other public places (as well as among our old friends at Buccaneer Bay, feeling somehow that I was sending redeeming vibrations back into my sometimes scary and tragic childhood). The stories, full of loving vibes, are created to help lift the reader toward self-realization. Surprisingly, many adults have also reported getting special, uplifting feelings from these fictional adventures! I hope those hundred or so books – and the many more that may eventually make their ways into the lives and hearts of good souls everywhere – will help in some small way to water the roots of enlightenment in the coming generation.

(p.s. – Did you know that the largest octopuses in the world live in the waters between Vancouver and Victoria, and that you can see whales, dolphins and seals almost every day there? Did you know there are magnificent, natural guardians watching over Vancouver, two mountain peaks with the shapes of lions, as well as the huge rain-forest city park with the shape of an elephant’s – Ganesha’s? – head?)

*******

To enjoy a few of these magical moments, click on the cruise ship …

Cool Check

Edword — Sun, 13 Jul 2008 19:47:21 +0000

I don’t know if you’ve ever felt that amazing, soothing cool breeze that flows out of the hands and top of the head after self-realization, but it isn’t just another interesting thing. I’ve known people who’ve felt it clearly and been benefited immensely by the fact, and then somehow forgotten or ignored it.

If you ever get the lucky chance to feel this connection to your subtle self, INVESTIGATE! …
“Hey! Why can I feel a joy-giving coolness flowing from me? It’s obviously not someone doing something to me because I can feel it when I’m alone (and the air-conditioning’s not on). Is there a history behind this phenomena? What is it good for? Can it be increased?”

Our attention is normally sucked so intensely outwards and towards distracting thoughts, that we don’t even know how to watch and enjoy our Selves. Thanks to the revolutionary fact that any human being can now feel the subtlest, life-giving energy that exists everywhere (and no longer just a few enlightened souls), we are in an unprecedented position to manifest all the ideal qualities that can create an existence that truly – well – truly ROCKS!

After meditating this morning, I felt permeated with a sweet, baby-like softness that made my perception clear and my heart sing. The Vibrations were emitting like a seaside breeze. In this state, it’s possible to put the peaceful, steady attention on any problem and spontaneously recognize colorful, doable solutions.

Year after year, it gets better, like an irrigated desert where new life increasingly sprouts into form.

What to say.
Better check it out.

Unexpected internal coolness on a hot Lebanese day

~ self-realization in Raouche, July 2008 ~

pure desire

Edword — Mon, 04 Feb 2008 13:03:07 +0000

There once was a child
Who played with a ball
And thought of the children
With no ball at all:

He picked up that ball
And gave it a kiss
And for every poor child
A ball he did wish.

There once was a child
Who looked at the sky
And seeing the dirt there
She started to cry:

She reached out her arms
Hugged sky to her heart
And prayed that the people
Stop sending up dark.

There once was a child
Who dreamed in the night
That God is inside us
With comfort and light,

And when the time comes
For the Mother to rise
All the problems will end
In the love from our eyes.

- e.s.

**********************************************

this morning in Venice

Edword — Sun, 20 Jan 2008 20:46:20 +0000

Looking out from our hotel in Venice this morning (where my wife participated in an art exhibition), I noticed a classroom full of Italian children through the window across the way. We had just spent the previous evening strolling through famous museums where the intense expressions of human souls have been on display for tens and, in some cases, hundreds of years. The ever-present thirst for growth and becoming was stirring. Now watching these children play and study, I was moved by the contrast between this striving generation’s vast creative potential and will to shape our future, and the watery foundations on which we were presently all resting.

The thought that this charming, ancient city may some day be a ghost-town with the indifferent tides of time rotting its foundations and peeling away its fine tapestries, awoke in me a deep resolve to help reinforce the foundations of our race. If there was ever a moment in history to fully awaken and share the permanent treasure of enlightenment, then surely that moment is now. A time when the beautiful white light of Spirit can shine through the colorful prism that is each person, enriching every culture. With the trigger for activating this unprecedented leap in our evolution just waiting in each of us for our heartfelt attention, it is so important that we communicate the light we find within, and help each other to climb up to the secure heights.

We have passed through centuries of unbearable injustice and brutality, but still we return again and again with hope in our hearts. May not the long hope of a single soul prove fruitless.

(For all those who clearly feel this connection, the haunting mystery of life has been replaced with lasting delight. Neither church nor temple can house that direct connection which lives in every human being.)

______________________________________________________

meditation: a new, hope-filled beginning – part 2

Edword — Wed, 09 Jan 2008 18:39:26 +0000

After experimenting with various meditation techniques (in one case for over eight years), I tried something that I’d never heard of. Back in those days, Sahaja Yoga was only practiced by a handful of people on my continent, having been recently introduced there. My early experiences ranged from numb but hopeful regular practice, to waves of lightness and clarity that I previously could only have dreamt of. I had been a heavy drug user, and that, combined with the fact that my subtle system had been brutally short-circuited by incompatible overdoses of questionable meditation techniques, rendered me somewhat insensitive at first. But as the weeks progressed, I realized that I had stumbled upon something universal and essential – something which I had spent most of my life digging for.

One of the many significant changes that happened to me was the strengthening of my immune system. I rarely catch a cold now (at the most, once a year), and sometimes I can feel a virus enter my body – that is, I feel a slight over-sensitivity to cold, and the right side heats up as the liver works to filter the intruder – but it doesn’t actually manifest as cold symptoms. On such occasions my attention automatically focuses at the top of the head where the important opening to collective consciousness is established after self-realization, thus helping the nurturing kundalini energy in the spine to ascend and protect the entire system. This is clearly not a ceremonial effort based on belief in a theory, but a natural reflex occurring out of inherent comprehension of specific, internal phenomena. Because I’m familiar, due to the fact that my kundalini is active, with the various sensations and effects of my inner workings through regular meditation, I spontaneously take the appropriate action, if action is needed. Simply putting a hand (presuming one feels the flow of cool vibrations from the hand) on a discomforted place can quickly relieve the body from harmful imbalance and tension. One need not have a degree in medicine to heal many of the simple complications that trouble us. There are of course a wealth of other useful methods, but the two important things that we need to begin are the sensitivity to subtle vibrations, and frequent freedom from thoughts, both of which come naturally through self-realization (awakening of the kundalini) and regular meditation to maintain the yoga, union.

It’s no wonder that Sahaja Yoga is now practiced in over a hundred countries, and has transformed countless lives, being passed on easily and cost free from one person to another. I was fortunate to catch an early glimpse of this essential transformation, and am truly happy to say that, unlike so many things in life, the benefits of this don’t diminish – these positive changes steadily increase. Everyone is hoping there is a simple, universal secret to reaching a joyful life. There is, and it’s purposely built in to each of us, eagerly waiting to be activated and nurtured.