Time Out for Fun and Reflection

​A couple of weeks ago my husband and I were in Carlsbad, a seaside community just north of San Diego, on a brief getaway. We did some out-of-character (for me) activities like trying to visit Legoland (I’ll save the details for another day) and going to the horse races at Del Mar. But we saved the best for last, and on departure day, visited Paramahamsa Yogananda’s Self-Realization Fellowship in Encinitas.
Unfortunately, the temple was closed, but we stopped by the spacious bookstore to explore the offerings – books, clothing, statuary and more. After browsing the extensive collection of books by or about Yogananda, I picked up some free material, including a 9-page booklet by him on “The Law of Abundance.” 

I knew there are similarities between Yogananda’s teachings and Religious Science, but the parallels are undeniable. Some of the passages could have been written by Dr. Ernest Holmes. One, for example, is basically a concise Treatment:
“The Lord is the only power: life, love, wisdom, joy, intelligence and truth. You are made in His image, and His divine power is working for you and through you now. That universal power, health, energy, and joy are constantly manifesting in your body, in your mind and in your affairs. Realize this. Accept, rejoice in, and give thanks for the good that is already yours.”

​Here is another:
“Change your thoughts if you wish to change your conditions. Since you alone are responsible for your thoughts, only you can change them. You will want to harbor only righteous, truthful ideas when you realize that each thought, according to its nature, creates outer as well as inner results.”

​Or this:
“Wait until you have established yourself in the joy of God-communion in meditation to affirm the truths you wish to manifest in your life. Then you can go about your daily tasks knowing that the Creator is directing you, giving you power, attracting to you the right people, materials and ideas needed to bring forth that which you rightfully claim as His child.”
Clearly, these are universal truths and not exclusive to Science of Mind or any other spiritual or religious teaching. 

​We strolled next to the nearby meditation garden, which worked magic on state of mind and nervous system in a way that extended far beyond any other experience we had in the five days we were in So Cal.
The garden was beautifully maintained with numerous flowering plants, shrubs, trees and a pond. The tranquility was pervasive and palpable.  I quickly noticed a preponderance of rounded, light-glossed, mandala-like forms in the plant life. Whether that was by design, a function of the season, just what drew my eye or all of the aforementioned, I don’t know, but it contributed to the sense that this was no ordinary garden.

​The pond was stocked with koi, mostly congregating at the base of a tumble of water cascading over a small ledge in an undulating, iridescent blur of saffron, whites and golds. Coupled with the reflections off the water, it made for a mesmerizing scene of movement, color and light. Easy to slip into a meditative state for sure.

​I love the thrill of discovery when you’re in a new place. It breaks up habitual patterns and helps move stagnant energy so that when you go back home you bring something new into your familiar patterns. It was thoroughly entertaining and revitalizing to break out of my normal preferences and do some purely entertaining things that I normally wouldn’t choose to do. And it was soothing and restorative to dip into a well of spiritual nourishment and be bathed in the energies of a place dedicated to the realization of the Self. We are both human and divine and it behooves us to acknowledge both.