Swami Sankarananda is a simple pilgrim, as well as a wise teacher who radiates peace, love and joy to all he encounters.

Not all that long ago, though, before he was a Swami (Hindu monastic), he was caught up in the madness of the world and the madness of the mind, living a largely self-centered and ultimately unsatisfying life. A life that collapsed when it dawned on him that he would never find happiness by living this way, and he fell into a suicidal depression that lasted several years.

Swami shares this incredible true story, explaining how the light of grace miraculously lifted him out of despair and into true freedom, happiness and love; a happiness and love that is not personal but is inclusive of all.

It is a story that takes us from the jet-setting life of the worldly and influential businessman to an ashram in India learning at the feet of awakened sages and saints to a coast-to-coast walking pilgrimage across the United States cultivating a deeply transformative faith.

It is an illuminating, inspiring and entertaining tale that Swami infuses with amusing anecdotes and insightful observations alongside deeply practical wisdom for how we too can go beyond the limited mind and into the limitless Self.

It is a saga that takes us from the unreal to the real, from darkness to light; finding in the end that the light has always been here, all along.

To contact Swami, or to learn more about him, his mission, and the retreats he offers, visit divinegraceyoga.org.

Swami is active on facebook at facebook.com/shankar.ananda.11, and you can explore his teachings on YouTube at youtube.com/user/ompeaceandlove.

The website for Inflections of the Mystic Message is at mysticalmessenger.com

"Beginner’s Mind" is a phrase used in Zen to point to that state of innocent simplicity that exists before our discriminating mind parses the indivisible One into the ten thousand things. In Christian terminology we might call it living in the paradise of the Garden of Eden before our fall from grace.

Conceptually, it can seem difficult to understand and impossible to realize. But intuitively understood by the True Self it is effortless, joyful and simple.

In this half hour guided meditation we attune to that simplicity and joy. We return to our beginner’s mind. We remember what it is like to live in our natural grace.

Simply by utilizing the tool of the breath — that fundamental ever-present movement of life — we see that grace is always here. We recognize that each and every moment is an invitation to peace. We start to experience how each moment is an opportunity to let go of our restless ego and participate in the miracle of awakened being.

This meditation brings the perplexing concept of enlightenment into something practical and experiential, as we attune to the liberated awareness that is always and already present. This is in stark contrast to the spiritual seeker’s often natural instinct of turning enlightenment into a future goal. Which, as the awakened teacher Byron Katie points out so beautifully, is both misguided and impossible:

“People think that they need to get 'enlightened' in order to be free, and nobody knows what enlightenment is. Yes, it’s in the sacred texts, and yes, this guru or that lama says he has attained it, but that’s just a concept; it’s the story of a past. The truth is that there’s no such thing as enlightenment. No one is permanently enlightened; that would be the story of a future. There’s only enlightenment in the moment. Do you believe a stressful thought? Then you’re confused. Do you realize that the thought isn’t true? Then you’re enlightened to it. It’s as simple as that. And then the next thought comes, and maybe you’re enlightened to it as well, and maybe not.”

This accessible and expansive half hour guided meditation inhabits Katie’s essential teaching, and shows the way to embody meditation as a practical commitment. Make the investment to sit for 30 minutes, and reap the tremendous benefits that come from awakening from the mind’s dream into the pure awareness of being.

“Enlightenment,” says D.T. Suzuki, “is the absolute reason of the universe.”

Enlightenment, according to Sadhguru, is the one and only cure for the one and only malady that ails us: ignorance of our true nature.

Countless saints, sages, and spiritual teachers from all corners of the world echo these claims from throughout the ages, hailing enlightenment as the inevitable end to our struggles, and the very goal and purpose of life.

So what exactly is enlightenment? What is spiritual awakening according to those who have awakened? What does enlightenment tell us about who we are, and how to live?

Join Brian Clark for an in-depth exploration of this fascinating universal phenomenon, as he shares a bit of his own journey of spiritual discovery alongside awakening stories and enlightening teachings from a wide array of liberated beings, spanning the religious and secular spectrum.

Not only is enlightenment the key term to understand in order to go beyond the dogma of religion into the experiential essence of engaged spirituality, but a glimpse of its truth has the power to transform your life more radically than can be imagined.

It can not be overstated.

Enlightenment is the realization of all that is true, and the destruction of all that is false.

Inflections of the Mystic Message returns for 2024 with 12 new episodes tailor-made for seekers of Truth.

In season 3 we ask: What is enlightenment? What does it mean to spiritually awaken, and what does enlightenment tell us about how to live according to universal laws? How do we best serve the world? How do we contribute the greatest good in life, according to the teachings of our wisest sages? What about the words that we use, and the concepts we put forth? How do they hinder, and how do they help? And what can we learn from the silence that these words come out of, and to which they return? What is silence anyway?

Join mystically-minded truth-seeker Brian Clark for alternating talks, meditations and discussions into these profound topics, and discover the wisdom of the world's wisest sages as they point you back to a sacred place within yourself. Call it Love, or the Heart. Call it Reality, if you like, or Truth. Call it Presence, or God. Call it your True Self.

It doesn't matter what you call it, but it is in connecting with it; it is in experiencing yourself as Pure Life before your mind's commentary about what's going on; it is in awakening from the ego's dream into the soul's immensity that we know the profundity of the mystic message and experience the blissful magic of life for ourselves.

Inflections of the Mystic Message is not for everyone. But it is for anyone who has a desire to understand their own nature, and a willingness to learn from the wisest souls who have ever walked this earth. It is for all seekers of Truth. Inflections of the Mystic Message is a love offering for anyone wishing to understand the deepest spiritual teachings, and discover the truth for yourself.

Enjoy season 3 of Inflections of the Mystic Message :)

p.s. This is a good episode to share with friends or family you think might be interested, as it is short and gives a good overview of the podcast. Visit mysticalmessenger.com for more.

Naren Schreiner is a former monk, present day pujari, and always and forever lover of the Divine who joins Brian for this final conversation of season 2. They talk about the perfect bliss underlying this often chaotic world, and how that blissful perfection holds human suffering within it … or does it?

Naren shares stories from his own life, as well as the divine life of Paramahansa Yogananda, that great Indian yogi and guru to thousands who is often considered the godfather of Yoga in the West. Throughout the conversation Naren sprinkles in Sanskrit teachings, Vedantic wisdom, and even blesses us with a devotional song glorifying Divine Mother.

How do we acknowledge suffering - and wholeheartedly accept the human realities of the world - while at the same time honoring that mystic truth that we are invited in this very moment to participate in an eternally blissful perfection?

What role does our intellect play, and what role does the heart play in this process?

How do we “remain happy while uprooting the causes of unhappiness,” as Yogananda-ji instructs us?

Join Brian and Naren for this probing and illuminating conversation that is at turns humorous and serious, which raises questions and offers insights; as these two lifelong spiritual seekers tease out the underlying Reality of this confounding, glorious, complicated, simple, paradoxical, self-luminous Life.

To learn more about Naren and his offerings, please visit ⁠⁠⁠nivedanam.com⁠⁠⁠.

More Inflections of the Mystic Message at ⁠⁠⁠mysticalmessenger.com⁠⁠⁠.

Follow your breath and find your bliss.

This bliss — a kind of cosmically perfect peace — is inside of you, and by participating in this pleasant and accessible half hour meditation, it can help you experience this peace and rest for yourself.

You don’t have to chase after bliss. You don’t need to go anywhere else to find it.

All you have to do is shift attention away from restlessness, and dwell in the center of awareness within you.

It is quite ordinary. And it is most extraordinary.

Follow your bliss in this most simple and straightforward manner, and find out for yourself what wholeness and peace has always been here, all along, inviting you to abide in the happiest center of your true Self.

The struggle is real ... Or is it?

Our experience says largely that it is - for we cannot deny the angst of this age, and the suffering experienced in this body, on this earth.

But the enlightened sages say differently. The world's great sages, saints and spiritual teachers all share a crystal clear message that beneath the suffering lies an unimaginable and immense universal power known as love, and this love is an intelligent force that is aware and awake, and synonymous - nay, identical - with the true nature of your true being.

Throughout history, countless souls have come out the other side of suffering, and swear that this anguish we experience is only on the surface; that beneath the pain of existence is an absolutely perfect bliss. To awaken spiritually means to abide in this bliss, forevermore, and discover that it has always been here, all along.

It’s almost too good to be true, but in fact this is the absolute and unerring Truth of the mystic message, of the perennial philosophy that crops us again and again and again on this earth. Everything is infinitely well and always was and always will be.

Rumi, Patanjali, Ram Dass, Julian of Norwich, Adyashanti and a great many more wise souls confirm this good news from their own experiential inner understanding; and they invite us, wholeheartedly, whole being-ly, into the eternal salvation and unending love that is the perfect bliss of it all.

Enjoy the Truth. Enjoy the bliss of your true Self. :)

mysticalmessenger.com

Brendan J. Fox is sometimes described as a modern day St. Francis or (more often) a real life Disney princess - someone who befriends wild animals in a way that most of us surely find astonishing and unimaginable. He is also a wise soul on a conscious spiritual path; a good-humored guide who is helping others to develop mental toughness, physical wellness, and cultivate inner peace.

Join host Brian Clark as he asks Brendan about this profound and unexpected connection to animals, the deeper lessons of spiritual surrender that underly the mystery and grace moving through the world, and how we can embody peace, love and lasting happiness in an experiential way that honors the totality and richness of our life's purpose.

To experience Brendan's incredible wildlife encounters for yourself, visit him on ⁠⁠⁠Instagram⁠⁠⁠, ⁠⁠⁠TikTok⁠⁠⁠⁠, or ⁠⁠⁠YouTube⁠⁠⁠ (where you can also watch a video version of this conversation).

For more about Inflections of the Mystic Message, including a satsang talk and guided meditation that go along with this nature-based conversation, visit mysticalmessenger.com.