Imagine...
Being zapped by light coming out of someoneÂ’s forehead, who is completely nonchalant about it.
Having a resounding voice start chanting an ancient mantra right in the middle of your chest . . . silently.
Seeing someone's eyes "morph" right in front of you . . . intentionally . . . so that you will pay attention.
Someone working you over with energy so powerful you can actually hear it.
True Stories and Incidents Involving These Well-Known Spiritual Teachers:
Swami Satchidananda, Integral Yoga InstituteYogi Bhajan, 3HOYogi Amrit Desai, KripaluKanchi Math Swami from Southeastern IndiaPajor Math Swami from Southwestern IndiaThe 16th Gyalwa Karmapa, Head of Vajrayana Tibetan BuddhismThe Venerable (Dr.) Thien Tich An, University of Oriental StudiesDr. Leon Wright, Professor Emeritus of Religion, Howard UniversitySwami Muktananda, Siddha Yoga FoundationSwami Vishnudevananda, Sivananda Yoga Society
. . . and others including: The Dalai Lama, Dr. Robert Chaney of Astara, Kalu Rimpoche, Evangelist Ernest Angely, and Jetsun Ma.
And these are just the famous ones. There are other stories of astonishing spiritual power used by people who wish to remain hidden and anonymous, or simply maintain a low profile. Some of their deeds are recorded here.
This book is about power. Raw and tangible power working through flesh and blood individuals. They are scattered throughout humanity and these powerful forces of good actively work for our benefit every day.
Thomas Ashley-Farrand, the author, was introduced to a variety of individuals with awesome spiritual power during the 1970s and '80s. Some of these people were famous and headed large international spiritual organizations. Others were completely anonymous and preferred it that way. Throughout contact after contact with a hidden group operating within humanity, the author's entire understanding of what the human potential is was turned upside down. He had to completely relearn what personal power is, how it operates and how people can obtain it.
Told as a series of twenty-five true vignettes, the author recalls a series of fascinating encounters with people of tremendous, tangible spiritual power. Each encounter is told in complete and often humorous detail. Putting himself in the place of "everyman," Thomas Ashley-Farrand follows the telling of each incident with what the central spiritual teaching of the experience was for him.
Far-reaching implications and questions emerge and are explored. Who are these people? What is the nature of this power? Is this power available to anyone? Finally, he helps us to realize that we can become more than we ever dreamed of, or realized was possible.
Because of his respect for the great good these people were doing and their desires to operate without drawing certain kinds of attention to themselves, Thomas kept quiet about what happened to him. Now, he telling about the fantastic things which happened to him. As the tensions and pressures of daily life escalate, people need to be exposed to what he knows about the forces of good sweeping through the world. As he begins to draw near the end of the work, Thomas puts forth some specific spiritual constructs for the reader:
He reveals his understanding that power is feminine in nature, and tells us how he arrived at that conclusion. This idea of the feminine as the source of all manifested power is timely and compelling.
Of equal importance, the author presents the concept of the "upaguru." He refutes the idea of the guru as only single person who wields great and often whimsical power "for the good of the devotees." We are exposed, instead, to the idea that the guru is really a principle that resides in everyone. This inner teacher may lead us to one person who teaches us certain things, and then to another who has other lessons for us. Sometimes this inner teacher, which in Sanskrit is called the "upaguru," teaches us through the world of nature and through life's common experiences. We are also exposed to the concept of a conscious and self-aware force. . . the Holy Spirit, Fohat, it goes by many names. . . which works powerfully with and through some people. Yes, there may be "gurus," but there is something far older, universal and much more powerful. The entire idea of spiritual power is explained in a concrete straightforward and matter of fact manner that explains many "mysteries."
The operation of the Sadguru is presented and explored.
Finally, the idea that all power is personal in nature . . . personal to something ­ like the sun, the moon, or the earth itself ­ is presented for consideration.
The operation of personal power in the corporate world is also presented and encounters with personal power here are included in the discussion.
Finally, Love, as the greatest power, is presented along with some ideas about love for the readerÂ’s consideration. Here are some examples.
Love means service. Love quickly moves from the realm of the expressible intothe realm of the inexpressible. We soon run out of ways to express it. Yet avenues of expression through service to others abound.
The search for Love is the end of all meaning. If we lust after power, yet have no Love, our search will be dry and our attainments hollow.
Love is our birthplace, our final refuge and our reason for being. If we recognize that Compassion and Love are the ultimate destination of our search, the Heart of The Universe itself responds.