Hello Beloveds! I just returned from The Oneness World Headquarters in Varadaiapalem, in the Andhra Pradesh area of Southeast India. I spent two weeks with the Oneness Spiritual Guides who reviewed the Oneness teachings as given by Sri AmmaBhagavan. Nearly 400 people seeking to become oneness trainers (those who can initiate Blessing Givers to give Deeksha) attended from every country on the globe: Russian, China, Japan, The Netherlands, Italy, and Spain to name a few. All faiths were represented. During the week, Bhagavan met with each country separately and we had an opportunity to laugh with him as we received his blessing. His mission remains the same: to spread the power and beauty of God’s grace to every corner of this planet, as abundantly as possible.
Golden City, where the temple was built, is an amazing structure. It hosts thousands of visitors and local residents for ceremonies and darshans with Amma and Bhagavan. A darshan is an event in consciousness, where the spiritual seeker or devotee develops a greater love and devotion for the Divine Presence. The energy in the temple is very powerful and in some areas, I could feel it throughout my entire body.
At the Oneness University campus, we spent two weeks in deep meditation and honed our spiritual practices, such as PranaYama. Our group had many Homas which are ancient sacred fire ceremonies in the Vedic tradition of Sanatana Dharma. They last about 2 hours, and during many of these, my third eye opened up and I saw many mystical symbols while meditating. During a Homa, the spiritual guides hold an intention for healing, world peace, or even prosperity, and forms of the Divine are invoked through mantras and prayers. They cast offerings of fruit, flowers, or money in the fire, while chanting in Sanskrit. These chants have a unique vibration that infiltrates the energy field of everyone present.
On the last day of our spiritual pilgrimage, we were invited to do our own individual Homa, in the tradition of the local villagers. Under a thatched roof in the countryside, we sat at our own alters while Satish, a Oneness guide, presided over the ceremony. In conjunction with the fire, he instructed us in how to transform our intentions and prayers into reality. It was a beautiful experience!
I will be offering Blessing Giver events this spring in addition to the Oneness Experience course, so please check my website for details! The course will be given in an ‘East Meets West’ style, encompassing some of the eastern spiritual practices from India but will also include reverence and love for Jesus, the Spiritual Master. It should be very interesting! Above all, these classes will cultivate a deeper love for the Divine Presence within you, in whatever wisdom tradition that you hold most dear. Remember, we are all one within the Divine. I hope to pass the grace to many of you soon so please stay tuned! Om Shanti and Love, Charlene
Links: Oneness University: http://www.onenessuniversity.org/
