Dear friends,
Sorry, I disappeared unexpectedly. Many of you wrote to see if I was okay. YES! I am doing fine, thanks for asking.
I was very active for about 7–8 years. I wrote a lot of answers, reaching about 15 million answer views.
The spiritual journey (to give it a name) is experiential, and our evolution of consciousness can never take place only by reading or studying. I’m not saying not to read or study; it’s all useful and helps maintain our interest, but the jewel itself is above the mind and its reasoning/knowing function.
During these years, many people started contacting me directly. It kept growing, with tens, hundreds, and now thousands of communications: zoom sessions, emails, WhatsApp, etc.
I have responded to every one of these. It has been beyond a full-time job (and, by the way, I also have a full-time job).
People have been very surprised when they write to me, not expecting a reply, and then have a Zoom call two hours later.
I have connected with and hopefully helped people in 120 countries.
I’m not bragging about it or trying to impress you.
The genuine need for help, spiritually, mentally, and emotionally, could not be ignored. So many people were at the end of hope and had NO ONE to listen to them. Somehow, they reached out, and the Divine Grace said, “Get to work.”
By the end of the third year, I had my own crisis: two hip replacements, my gallbladder removed, a stent put in my heart, and brain surgery. I was also emotionally drained. The worst part was having a one-in-ten-thousand reaction to a medication that was worse than all the physical problems. You might say it sparked my own dark night of the soul.
During all that, my Spiritual Master held me deeply in his divine embrace; I was like a helpless baby in his arms. He nurtured me through an inner metamorphosis.
I came out of it - a lion. I am stronger, more resilient, and determined to do what I must.
It was then that I decided to focus more on the practical job: meditating with others in the method I have practiced for 50 years: Heartfulness.
I began group meditations on Zoom for the seekers on Quora. Many people came, many experienced, and some didn’t stay, but now there is a core group from around the world that has meditated four times a week for the last two years - and rarely misses a session.
They might tell you of their own journey and transformation.
This, friends, is the actual “work.” I have given it preference above all else, and that is why I have not been writing as much.
There is a goal to this so-called spiritual journey. It is the work of one's whole life. It’s not for window shoppers. It is quite attainable if you can practice (sadhana). A group helps a lot to stay committed and regular.
Quora is a fantastic platform. There are many good writers on spiritual topics. I may, at some point, come back to it again.
But for now, the ship is sailing forward, and the wind is strong.
Any fellow sailors?