Grugger’s Way

Autobiography of a Yogi is one of the most influential books to come out of the eastern spiritualism of India. The author, known as Paramahansa Yogananda, founded the Self Realization Fellowship organization in the United States and spent many years in the USA inspiring thousands of seekers to look within for guidance.

To find our own path, each of us may explore history and belief systems, readings, great books, the lives of the saints, world religions, and however else we realize our true selves, which eventually we find within our own hearts and minds.

You may have heard the expression “He has an Old Soul.”  

When I hear this, it is oftentimes in reference to a particularly precocious child or a sensitive youth.  They who seem advanced beyond their years are said to have an “Old Soul.”  This implies that some souls are older than others.

In order to even discuss such a supposition, one has to accept the premise that souls reincarnate into human bodies more than once, or at least that some do…or might.  Nobody knows.  Of course one must first accept the idea that a spiritual soul exists and expresses itself through an Earthly incarnation.

In my research about souls reincarnating, whether on Earth or on other planets or in other dimensions, I have read that some spiritualists suggest that fifty or one hundred or even three hundred human lifetimes could be possible.  I am not giving any credibility to these numbers since I, for one, have no idea about such things.

What I DO think, is that our concept of time and aging plays no role in the Universe whatsoever.  Time, as we know it, is insignificant beyond our own little planet and solar system.  We have ways of measuring our “concept” of time passing, as planets rotate and circumnavigate our Sun.  Beyond that, who knows?

What we hope for and what really happens upon death is for each of us to discover in our own…..time.

I finally discovered for myself how comforting it is to have a pet fall asleep in my lap.

What a strange sensation it is to feel responsible for this little creature for the remainder of it’s life.  Not unlike what we feel for a child, although I acknowledge that there is a difference.

In our later years a pet often takes the place of a child in our lives. And we LOVE these little critters; they are part of God’s kingdoms.   I know what I feel for our new little puppy, sometimes sleeping quietly and sometimes fitfully, in my lap.  Occasionally she gets the hiccups, which I quickly cure by applying pressure to each side of each of her thoracic vertebra, a technique that works equally well with humans, by the way.

So in my silent reverie I wonder what she feels.  Does she have any “emotional body” equivalent to our human dimension?  Does she feel love or affection for me and my wife in the same way that a human might?   

We assign words like “loyalty” to her behavior, but does she feel any sense of what we equate to loyalty in human terms?  I sometimes think “yes” and sometimes think “no.”  Most of all, though, I think it doesn’t really matter.  I think she just feels “safe” and “provided for” (human terms again) and that is enough.

The feelings she generates within me and within my wife are all that really matters.  What we give to her in terms of human emotional love is really what we perceive that we receive in return…and it is bountiful and Good.

CheyAnna is pictured here at age 6 months, 26 pounds and 15 inches tall.  She is called a Dalton Terrier, a cross between a Dalmation and a Boston Terrier (plus there is a little something else in there that makes her unique).

New Year, New Energy, New Attitude

Whether young or old, a new year always seems to bring new possibilities and energies to our lives.  It’s all in our head, of course. One day’s difference on the calendar really means nothing physically.  It is a mental thing.

Like so much of the rest of our lives, once we realize how important the “mental” aspect really is, the more control we begin to exert over our own moods, energies, attitudes and life experiences.

It takes a long time…a life time for many of us…before we come into our own.  Before we begin to “self-actualize” and feel like we are in charge of our lives.  There is no one else to blame for failures and mistakes than ourselves.  What we learn…once we learn…is that we bring into our lives that which we subconsciously manifest.   This is not a new concept–it has been with us for centuries.   It has taken on different names in different cultures, but we can witness the results of this enlightenment through at least the last two thousand years. 

Mentally, we enjoy the idea of “starting over” with a clean slate, so to speak.  If you have managed to avoid sinking yourself into debt over the Christmas season, you are several steps ahead of the rest of us. 

We usually begin with “Resolutions.”  This year, my resolutions are to change my actions, and thus through my actions to change myself for the better.   Tomorrow I will discuss the first new actions that will improve my life.  I welcome your ideas and reactions as well.