I have long been inspired by St. Francis of Assisi, for his simplicity, love of animals, and life of devotional service. Though I have not studied his life in any detail, I have still felt St. Francis was part of my inner circle of friends, silently pouring love and inspiration from a higher plane.

Last Friday, I got tangible proof that he has, in truth, been silently inspiring me.

First let me take you back some 15 or 20 years. I do not even remember precisely when this happened, but one day, I decided that I would train myself to wake up every morning in a very intentional manner, so I might embrace the day ahead from a place of deep attunement.

So I picked up a poem by Yogananda — my favorite poem by him — called “God! God! God!”. I memorized it and told my mind to recite this poem to me silently first thing in the morning.

That’s been my habit ever since. It gives me a most beautiful on-ramp for every new day. “From the depths of slumber, as I ascend the spiral stairway of wakefulness”, the words of this poem start to flow through my consciousness, infusing me with a feeling of deep kinship with the Divine.

Now, back to last Friday.

It was the capstone event at the end of a blessed week of meditation, chanting, spiritual lectures, and fellowship — the Self Realization Fellowship (SRF) 2024 World Convocation. SRF’s President, Brother Chidananda, was speaking to three thousand or so of us gathered in Los Angeles’ Bonaventure Hotel, along with many thousands joining via livestream.

In his talk, Brother shared a previously untold story. In his role as the Editor-in-Chief of SRF Publications, Brother Chidananda has had, for many years, the responsibility to edit and publish much of Yogananda’s original writings — some of it still to be published. He read the following personal story from Yogananda:

“One day in the midst of a lecture that I was delivering at Mount Washington, I began to feel the presence of St. Francis and then I saw his luminous form standing by my side, and I said suddenly to the stenographer who was present, ‘Take this down, for St. Francis is standing by my side. He is dictating this.’ And then the poem ‘God, God, God’ came spontaneously from my lips. That came from him.

“I don’t think a word had been changed. That was his poem, not mine.”

Normally, it would be highly unsettling to learn that a work you deeply admire, by an author you deeply admire, was actually not their composition but someone else’s.

But in this case, the audience responded to this revelation with palpable joy. Joy in knowing that the great ones are always present in the ether, helping and guiding those who are attuned. Joy in knowing that on a higher plane of consciousness, there are no Christians or Jews or Muslims or Hindus — just individualized waves of the same one ocean, merging, separating, and merging again. Joy in the idea that perhaps all great works of beauty — in science, art, business, and more — are not wholly conceived or executed on the human plane, but bequeathed to us by the divine.

“Ah!”, I reflected later, “Without my knowing it, St. Francis has been coming to me, every day, just when I am waking up, to inspire me in the most perfect way.”

Warmly,
Hitendra

“I am no longer the wave of consciousness thinking itself separated from the sea of cosmic consciousness. I am the Ocean of Spirit that has become the wave of human life.”

Paramahansa Yogananda

P.S. At our “Inner Mastery: Activating Your 5 Core Energies” Executive Retreat at the Ojo Spa in Santa Fe in October, I look forward to discussing the power of affirmations — a simple uplifting thought that packs a spiritual punch when we embed it deep in our psyche, to inspire and guide us to our full potential. If you’d like to learn more about the retreat, join us tomorrow, Thursday, at 10am EST for a session with my team and me to know more about what you can expect from the experience, and how this retreat can support your goals.

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