Celebrations
I shouldn’t really boast but I felt like sharing with you all that I received my certificate for achieving my MSc in Consciousness, Spirituality & Transpersonal Psychology today. It has been a long five years, but I am grateful for the journey and that I never gave up, and for all the wisdom I have learned.
I feel exceptionally blessed that I received my certificate today as March 7th is the anniversary of the day that Paramhansa Yogananda left his body in Mahasamadhi, a yogi’s conscious exit in freedom at the time of death. I was grateful that I was able to celebrate in meditation with people from all around the world.
During this time of celebration, I was reflecting on some of the personal experiences I have had with the living conscious energy of death and the unconditional love that Paramhansa Yogananda shared with everyone.
When I was a child, without going into much detail, I remember laying in bed, being in and out of consciousness and seeing light beings appear around me and then all of a sudden the light beings turned into doctors and nurses. Also, another time in my life was during my ministry training, I was given the opportunity to experience writing my own funeral script. Where later I was chosen to deliver my own funeral script that I had written for myself in front of my peers and tutors. Saying goodbye to myself was a very powerful experience to say the least, and I will add I never had the traditional funeral ceremony, I had chosen a sea burial, bon voyage :). I learned that life makes death possible, the more we face death and be open to talking about our fears around death and dying the more freer and present we become in our attitudes towards our appreciation for the gift of life and each other.
On my birthday I was reading a letter by Paramhansa Yogananda dated in 1933 here is a short excerpt from the beginning of the letter that I thought I would share that really touched me.
”To my friends, in all lands and in all worlds, greetings and good will! Wherever you are, whoever you are, of whatever color, race, or creed, I send you my love and the pledge of my loyalty. You, who for thousands of years, or for only a day, have worked and fought for justice, freedom, and Truth, receive my gratitude and devotion”
Tears came to my eyes just reading this because I was not even born yet when he had written this letter, not only that, I felt like he knew me on a deep and personal level. I connected with him on a level where I knew he was with me and that he could feel me, see me and hear me. For him to simply say receive my gratitude and devotion, for all you have been through, changed something in me, in my mind I was like who says that, why would he want to reach out to people in this way, especially me.
However reading his letter over and over again I could feel his sincerity, warmth, devotion, full acceptance and unconditional love pour forth from the vibration of his words filling my heart and whole being, that no words can never ever describe.
I have a lot of respect for Paramhansa Yogananda as he pledged his loyalty and love to us and carried out that pledge until the day he died and beyond. I am in awe of his, unconditional love, devotion, dedication and service that he has shared for us all to follow in his footsteps. I have numerous amount of Paramhansa Yogananda books that I have accumulated for many many years but have never read them. I am new to the path of Paramhansa Yogananda’s teachings and I am grateful that our paths have naturally come together again and I am looking forward to learning more about him.
Where there is death, there is freedom, and ever new joy.
Here is to new beginnings, greater peace, unconditional love and seeing what God unfolds for us all.
Blessings & Love
Rev Dinah Pemberton
