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The Supreme Source Of All Healing
Spiritual practice is unique for every individual. I have been drinking from the well of wisdom in the Vedas for the past 35 years, especially the Srimad-Bhagavatam, also known as the Bhagavata Purana, one of Hinduism’s eighteen great puranas.
The Vedas are the original Sanskrit texts of India’s ancient spiritual culture featuring a vast body of wisdom in every field of human life, to help the soul navigate this world and reach the ultimate destination beyond.
This ancient manual of life was compiled by Srila Vyasadeva, who is revered by great saints and seers as a literary incarnation of God. In Sanskrit, he is called a saktyavesa-avatara, which means one who is empowered with energy of Divinity to fulfill a distinct purpose. In the case of Vyasa, his Divine purpose was the writing of everything that humans need to know to fulfill their aims and completely awaken spiritually.
Although Vyasadeva was an avatar, and therefore not an ordinary person, he felt despondent after composing all the Vedas. His guru, Narada Muni, the great sage among the demigods, then appeared to him and explained that the cause of his despondency was that he had not yet fully glorified the personal feature of the Absolute Truth.
Taking this to heart, Vyasadeva then meditated deeply on the Supreme Personality of Godhead and wrote Srimad-Bhagavatam from his matured and purified realization.
In Vyasadeva’s own estimation, the most profound of all spiritual wisdom within the Vedas is found within the Srimad-Bhagavatam. And the cream of that cream he describes as bhakti, devotional service to the Supreme Personality of Godhead.
The Powerful Magic Inside
Every human being has powerful magic inside, and part of my job is to teach people how to use that magical energy. I understand the term ‘magic’ is somewhat of a loaded word, so let me re-frame it. Jesus called if faith and told us that with a small amount of faith we can move mountains. Buddha called it thought manifestation and explained that our conscious thought produces our reality.
How we focus our energy will eventually manifest in one way or another in our lives. For some people this implies ‘darkness’ or ‘evil.’ Darkness does exist, but I believe that it exists only as a catalyst to increase our vibrational frequency if we are ready to do so.
My personal belief is that darkness cannot ‘stick’ if there is nothing for it to stick to. This is why, when discussing lower vibrational frequencies, the best action is to increase your vibration. In my view there is really no war of light versus dark, or good versus evil. We can turn on the lights and then if there is something that needs to be cleaned up, we can clean it up. The darkness does not struggle when the lights come on. It just goes away.
For nearly all problematic circumstances our primary goal should be to change our consciousness and increase our vibrational frequency. It is quite rare that we are we taught to use this magic in everyday life.
There have been many spiritual teachers that have talked about it in the past, as I stated above. Jesus had enough magic (faith) to walk on water and Buddha could exert his magic (consciousness) to tame a wild elephant.
Prophets, Or Time Travelers?
Could some of the famous prophets, such as Nostradamus, or the prophets of the King James Version of the Bible, or the prophet Mohammad, actually have been time travelers?
And is it merely coincidence that the Oracle of Delphi used a brass seat for visions of the future? As did Nostradamus, the 16th Century French poet and visionary. Nostradamus writes, “I will be seated at night, in my secret study. Alone sitting upon a stool of brass, a flame shall leap forth from the solitude, granting that which is not to be believed in vain.”
And, in the 1895 HG Wells fiction novel, The Time Machine, the protagonist of the story uses a black and polished brass time machine to gain mechanical control over time. Is there something about sitting on brass that allows one to see into the future? Or, could they possibly be talking about a brass seat on a sort of vehicle?
There is a mystic figure called Khidr in Islamic exegesis. Khidr is said to have met Islamic figures and prophets at different times and places. It is difficult for scholars to understand how that could be – unless Khidr was a time traveler or an immortal being. Khidr was said to have met with Moses, Abu Zur’a al-Razi and Elijah. It is also believed that Elijah and Khidr may be the same person.
The scriptures say that Elijah did not die that he ascended into heaven (time travel) and would return as one of the two witnesses of the Great Tribulation period that would precede the Second Coming of Christ.
Enoch, from the Biblical scriptures is said to have taken many trips to heaven to meet the pre-existent Son of Man, whom Enoch prophesied would judge the souls of all men. Is this too, another instance of time travel? Interestingly, the book of Enoch was omitted from the King James Version of the Bible.
In several instances of supposed time travel a “storm” or a “ball of fire” or even a “chariot of fire” is mentioned. As in the book of Ezekiel, when he has a vision of the future, he mentions a whirl wind coming out of the north, a great cloud with raging fire, engulfing itself – this being the first of the prophet’s visions.
Gauchito Gil – The Cowboy Saint
There are many saints not officially recognized by the Roman Catholic Church, or by any other religion for that matter. One of the most popular among them is Antonion Gil, better known as the Gauchito Gil (Little Gaucho Gil). His popularity rose exponentially in the last few decades and he is considered miraculous by many people who venerate him. He might not be properly canonized, but he is informally considered to be a saint in Argentina. His cult is so widespread that everyone in the country at least knows of his existence.
When traveling from one town to another in the Argentine provinces, it is very common to see a tree with many red ribbons blowing in the wind, and underneath it a small wooden case that holds an image of Gauchito Gil. In some places there are even a small temple, or even a church dedicated to this saintly figure. None of them are recognized officially by the Catholic Church, but the service of a priest is not uncommon.
Gauchito Gil’s life came to a tragic end 142 years ago, on January 8, 1878, near Mercedes, Corrientes, in Argentina. His executioners were a group of policemen who had to transfer him to the courts of Goya, but who decided instead to execute him on the way there.
Gil was accused of being a deserter and a matrero (someone who lives in isolation to be out of reach from the law). But the laborers and peasants in the area knew him instead as a warrior for justice, who protected the weak, relieved the sick and avenged the humiliated. His enemies considered him a fearsome expropriator, as well as a healer capable of making people fall in love with him, or paralyzing them with his powerful eyes.
Love Is The Healing Force
I grew up in a Christian family. In fact, it was going to seminary, and exploring world religions, that eventually led me to practice metaphysics and intuitive consulting as a full-time profession. Being trained and ordained in a Christian organization has also given me a unique perspective on alternative spirituality and metaphysics.
Jesus is, in fact, one of the spiritual guides I connect with when I work with people. This has made me realize that Jesus, the central figure in Christianity, is often misunderstood by many people. In the many years of connecting with Jesus, I am confident that he never had the intention to create a formal, organized religion. In fact, often the religious attributes attached to Jesus are far more complex than his original core message.
Jesus taught very simple strategies for life. I think sometimes these strategies are considered too simple by some people. When asked, Jesus was able to sum up his teachings in three simple statements. Someone inquired about an authentic spiritual path and Jesus gave two commandments and then gave a third statement, “In these two commandments rest all of the law and the prophets.”
This third statement is quite profound. He was stating that every spiritual text that had ever been written, or would ever be written, could be summed up in two commandments. This means that in Jesus’ perspective, if a person simply abided by these two commandments, they would be fulfilling the fundamental guidelines associated with religious and spiritual practice.
If you are interested in Jesus’ teachings, or interested in following the path he taught, then the good news is that you are already following the second ‘commandment.’ I have been living on this planet long enough to recognize that every person is already following this second commandment, which says, “Love your neighbor as yourself.”