I spoke of this movie in the recent California class. It is a beautiful true story. Personally, I got choked up several times while viewing it. I am not sure if all people would react the same way I did, but I do believe it is a movie that you would like to watch.
At Mount Soma, in the past, we have seen rocket launches such as the below in the eastern sky:
“People across the mid-Atlantic may see a rocket fly through the sky on Saturday morning as it blasts off from Wallops Island, Virginia.
“An Antares rocket is set to launch from the Wallops Island Flight Facility at 7:37 a.m. EST Saturday, 11/11/17 in a mission to deliver supplies to the International Space Station (ISS).” – Accuweather
Mount Soma and Sri Somesvara Temple will be featured in a segment of North Carolina Weekend on UNC-TV. It airs at 9:00pm tonight, November 2, 2017. The segment is also available on YouTube – see below. Enjoy!
Perhaps my favorite comment about the Advanced Techniques came from a student who said it is as if they don’t even ‘do’ the Advanced Techniques anymore. Rather, it is as if the Advanced Techniques have transformed their meditations. That is perfect. Really, the Advanced Techniques just happen naturally. However, learning them and ‘doing’ them for a while opens the door to the universe of consciousness and its potential.
Having said that, it is still a good idea, from time to time, to ‘feel into’ one of the techniques of your choice when you sit down to meditate, before you actually start your meditation. That tends to facilitate the experience of that technique. Yet, once done, the meditation goes in whatever direction it goes. It is all an effortless practice.
Generally, my meditations go into Phase 2 or 3 of the Advanced Techniques. However this morning, it was all Phase 1 and it was wonderful. What the Advanced Techniques do for a person’s meditations is marvelous. I am so excited to teach Phase 1 this winter to more students! I hope all students can attend!
I am thrilled to teach Phase 2 to the Ashram and staff this winter and to the Phase 2 students this upcoming summer! And then onto Phase 3 the following year! It is such a great adventure! The ultimate frontier! The exploration of the unbounded universe of consciousness!
We have begun broadcasting live on YouTube. Initially, it was done only for the Advanced Techniques Course follow-ups. However, it has been so enjoyable that we are also going to be doing broadcasts for everyone. The first broadcast for everyone will be this Saturday, September 30th at 11:30am EDT. It will be the final gathering of this year’s Mother Divine Retreat at Mount Soma. You will be able to watch the recording after the live showing, so no need to be concerned if you are busy at the time of the live broadcast.
The live streaming will appear on my YouTube home page.
If you are watching live, you can email in questions to doug@mountsoma.org. If you have your own YouTube channel set up (instructions here), you may also use the chat feature to ask questions.
The format will, as usual, be freeform. Among other things, the question of how to attain clarity in the complexities of life will be discussed. Enjoy!
We really enjoyed talking to the Advanced Techniques students and look forward to doing it again! We also look forward to video streaming with the entire student body as well as the public at large.
Please feel free to make comments to this blog.
Because it is Shravan Maas (Shiva month), Shani Shanivar (auspicious Saturn day during Shravan Maas), and Pradosham – Maasa Shivarathri (auspicious day of the month for Shiva), today’s auspiciousness is considered equal to Mahashivarathri (Great Night of Shiva).
The Shani (Saturn) Puja just finished, after that a Rudrabhishekam, and there will be a Rudrabhishekam this evening at 5:30 pm at Sri Somesvara Temple. We hope you can join us!
This Sunday at noon, we’ll be doing the first follow-up video stream for those who took the Advanced Techniques Course, Phase 1. If you took that course, you will receive an email right before it starts with instructions.
May 20, 2017 was another great day. Lots of people fillled Hanuman Park for Hanuman Jayanthi. The chanting and bhajans were wonderful. The feeling of family, community and devotion filled the air. Beautiful!
View more pictures on the Hanuman Jayanthi Photo Gallery.
I just want to make sure that everybody understands that the Advanced Techniques Course is much more than an 8-day program. It lasts a full year. The techniques we will be learning are as subtle as they are profound. The general idea is that we will continue to work with them over the year with Internet discussions along some format. At this point in time, we’re not certain what the format will be. It could be via Skype or something else. It will be set up in a way that people who cannot attend the conference (hopefully live online) will be able to access the recording.
The Advanced Techniques Course this summer will be the foundation for the Advanced Techniques that follow over the next couple of years. Where it leads is breathtaking. Please do everything you can to not miss this opportunity! Because the techniques are so subtle, it is important to be introduced to them in person, which is why we constructed the 8-day summer course the way we did.
If at all possible, those of you on the west coast would do well to attend at least the first day (Friday, March 31) of the upcoming class at Walnut Creek. Some of the techniques that will be taught there may assist you in your learning of the Advanced Techniques this summer. Attending that Friday session is not a prerequisite, but is advisable.
Thus far, I have only given the initial techniques to the people in the Mount Soma Ashram Program. Everyone finds it extremely exciting. The experience of teaching the ashram the techniques has assisted me in refining the methodology through which they are best taught. I intend next to teach members of the Mount Soma staff, followed by the course this summer. We’re all very much looking forward to it!
P.S. Please note that for some time now, I have been writing blogs as well as articles. The articles are for the public at large. So, you can read them if you like, but it is more important that you read the blogs because they are more directed toward students and a deeper knowledge.
