August 2001
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COMING
EVENTS
Unveil Your Angelic
Nature
EVELYN PERRICONE
WHAT IS AN Ashim? An Ashim (pronounced
Asheem from the Hebrew) is what we who are on the spiritual path are meant to become—the
angelic human we were born to be; a Soul of Fire—full of light and love, completely
connected to the divine source of creativity and compassion in every moment of our
daily existence.
"Ashim are so called," according to Dr. Donald Schnell (Prema Baba Swamiji),
author of the widely acclaimed The Initiation, and Marilyn Diamond Schell (Leelananda
Swamy), famed as co-author of the bestselling Fit for Life, “because they are the
messengers—the conduits of Divine radiant vibrations of light and love to humanity.
Christ, Moses, Krishna, Jesus, and the Buddha, to mention just a few, were all leaders
of the Ashim in their eras. They might be described as beings in service to humankind—angelic
beings in human form—or human beings who have succeeded in birthing their divine
qualities” (from Enlightenment 101 e-Course).
Prema Baba Swamiji and Swamy Leelananda share this alchemical process—the “ultimate
alchemy”—our personal transformation from human to Ashim. In the ancient Egyptian
mystery schools, alchemy (in ancient Egyptian Al-Keem) was the art of rejuvenation,
“the transmutation of the lower, darker, and denser elements of personality (the
lead) into the higher, brighter, spiritually illuminated elements (the gold)” (from
Enlightennment 101 e-Course).
So how can we become an Ashim? One way is by awakening through prema, defined as
“the divine love buried deep within the heart,” and ananda, “the natural bliss of
the soul.” Premananda—a term coined by Babaji, the immortal Yogi-Christ of India
who initiated Dr. Schnell into the Holy Order of Swamys in 1997—is the “paradise
of love and bliss” within us (The Initiation, pp. 31-33).
There are many ways of experiencing Premananda. One of the simplest, from the Enlightenment
101 e-Course, is to close your eyes and recall a happy, joyful moment in your life—it
could be some blissful interchange with your significant other or your child, playtime
with a favorite pet, the scent of a rose, or the pattern of a snowflake. Now notice
where the feeling of bliss and love is located in your body. Many find it located
in the area of their heart. Wherever it is, put your attention on it and have that
feeling glow like the sun. As you slowly come back to normal consciousness, that
golden sun may continue to glow naturally, without any effort on your part.
This kind of technique stops our mind from being filled with the thousands of thoughts
that run through it every moment of our day. Babaji tells Prema Baba in India, “Stop
thinking….You are not the mind. To think so is a great insanity! I'm wanting you
to share with the sweet souls how to put the mind aside for a while. Take them on
a journey to Premananda, where they can revitalize themselves with the deepest love
and joy.”
There are many ancient and modern tools of transformation from all spiritual and
religious traditions that are revealed in the Enlightenment 101 retreats. You can
experience this transformation for yourself at Awakening To Prema, to be held in
Minneapolis, Sept. 8-9, and in the Enlightenment 101 e-Course, from www.enlightenment101.com.
The retreat is a divine celebration of prema, the Higher Love that is our essence,
with a myriad of techniques that enable us to experience our own divinity and the
divinity in others. Since the Prema Swamys are Sri Babaji’s direct emmissaries in
the West, the environment is literally permeated with the magnetism of Babaji’s divine
presence. A beautiful blend of Eastern and Western techniques open the heart and
remove the veils that keep us from truly experiencing our higher nature. The environment
is highly charged with divine energy to effect permanent changes at the cellular
level. This divine energy is also transmitted through the pages of each monthly installment
of the e-Course.
Here’s what some retreat participants have to say: "I'm noticing that after
several months of the Prema work that doing life from my heart brings me more peace,
love, and connection to God. The troubles that my ego creates—like needing to control
the future or holding to the pains of the past, the need to be right, the need to
be special, fear, jealousy, and victimhood—are dropping away. In essence, I love
my self more, and have more love in my interactions with people" (BD, Fairfield,
IA).
“During the retreat, Prema and Leela shared their vision for the world with us, and
I found it corresponded with my own. I also experienced a rebirth of my personal
dreams and visions, and for that I am eternally grateful” (MB, Southold, NY).
“To experience prema,” according to Swamy Leela, “is to embrace in the here and now,
a heaven on Earth—a state of loving bliss that emanates naturally from the human
heart…. I wish to emphasize the rare blessing of this chance to nourish yourself
with spiritual love, and reap the benefits of prema as peace and harmony in your
life. As you heal yourself, you play your role in the healing of the world through
Divine Love.”
For information about the Sept. 8-9 Minneapolis Awakening to Prema Seminar, call
952-898-0654, 952-898-5203; see the accompanying ad in this issue. For e-Course info,
please go to www.enlightenment101.com.
Evelyn Perricone is a freelance writer and editor, as well as a reiki master, living
in Iowa.
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2001 Twin Cities WELLNESS newspaper.
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