Welcome to the ECKANKAR Soul Adventure Podcast, and a warm hello from the Temple of ECK in Chanhassen, Minnesota. I'm your host, Heather Davari. Thanks for joining us today. Well, it's about that time of year when many of us are contemplating changing our lives for the better. For me, it used to be one of the most hopeful and most frustrating times of the year because there was so much I wanted to do. I would make my resolutions and just as quickly forget about them. I didn't have the tools or the understanding to get where I wanted to go. It felt a lot like groping around in the dark. Maybe you can relate. And that was how it went for a long time until I learned what millions of spiritual seekers already knew, that in order to make the high level changes I wanted, like living my full potential in this lifetime, I needed more than a mental plan. True inner change and spiritual freedom from the past requires working with the creative power of Soul every day. In other words, I had to learn to tap into my own creative, God-given abilities and guidance. Doing that would require developing a powerful spiritual practice, preferably one that would help me grow but didn't feel like a chore. Fourteen years later, and I am still in awe of how this one simple practice has changed my life, and it can work for anyone, regardless of your beliefs or background. So let's take a deep dive into the benefits and secrets of developing a powerful spiritual practice. Our guest talk today is from a long-time member of the ECKANKAR clergy, Doug Kunin. This short talk was recorded during a community event here at the Temple of ECK called the Sound of Soul. Let's take a listen.
Doug K:Welcome. Welcome to the Temple of ECK on this windy day in the Twin Cities. My name is Doug Kunin, and it is a joy to be here with you at the Temple of ECK as we head into autumn, which is a special time that we can start the atoms moving in a wave of change to set new goals, to wrap up loose ends, to let go of everything in the past that's held us back. And so today's an opportunity to maybe see a new vision of yourself, fulfill a new dream, but most of all, to just be in this moment, like the trees dropping their leaves, all the stress or worry or whatever, just this time to be in this moment and dwell in your full capabilities as Soul. So the theme, and it's a light theme, is Develop a Powerful Spiritual Practice. And a powerful spiritual practice can help us make a fresh new start, and it can awaken us to our full potential as human beings and as spiritual beings. And I've got a short story that I feel demonstrates that to some extent. So my wife and I were talking, and I was sharing a health problem that I've been having, and we've both been seeing the same doctor who practices an ancient modality. Well, it's been updated by modern science. And I'm mentioning this problem, and Sharon, my wife, says, "The doctor, she has an app for that." And I'm like, "Whoa! What is it? What's the app?" And she says, "Her." And I say, "Her what?" And she looks at me and says, "She." And then I jumped in, of course, spousal cutting in, and I said, "Yes, yes. What does she do with this app?" And Sharon looks at me like, Knock, knock, and she says, "She is the app!" Okay, here I was thinking of this non-existent new technology and overlooking the innate potential of each individual to be a master at their craft. And, you know, have we lost touch with our innate potentials? Well, a powerful spiritual practice can put us in touch with that potential so we can fulfill that potential. So it's especially true, having a spiritual practice and adding this ingredient of the HU, this ancient mantra and sacred sound. H-U. Huuuuu. So how does this work? Well, first of all, on the practice side, consistent daily practice, even a little bit a day. It doesn't have to be long, big sessions. Just a little bit each day creates a vibratory current in our own beingness. You might want to call it your aura or whatever, but it goes out and it touches other people. It touches all life. Short story. A dear friend of mine was on a trip up north to Grand Marais, and she was walking along the street, and people have their dogs, and there's this big, big brown dog that's just all full of energy and excitement. And she asked the owner, "Can I just sit down and pet your dog?" And they're,"Fine." And he's all rrr -rrr all over her, excitable and all that. And she just started singing HU softly, and the dog just calmed down and looked at her right in the eyes. Oh, the dog's name? Tough Enough. So she was being a magnet of divine love working with the HU. So a little bit more about HU. It's said to be the sound behind all sounds. It's a carrier of love between the creator and you. It belongs to no religion, no language, but it can't help being part of every language. It won't change your path or religion. It will enhance it. So this is in a state of spiritual freedom where you work with this. So when you sing or chant HU, you're contacting a living center of spiritual vibration vastly more powerful than the human consciousness. Your very atoms become energized and enlivened with this spiritual current from the source. Now, what is the source? People have all names for it. It can be God. It can be Higher Power, the One, the First Cause the Universe, whatever you as an individual want to, however you want to refer to this, that's great. The names don't matter as much as contact. So every time someone repeats this HU mantra, it's like dropping a pebble in a still pond and the ripples go out. That's that vibratory current. It's simply the divine love current. And it has beneficial effects in all areas of your life that you might not even think about in advance. But the main benefit is to open the seeker's heart to divine love. Now, bonus benefit is it can benefit people you don't even know. You will never know what you being as an instrument of this love, how it might touch someone else, being of service. So when you sing HU today, you're being of service to all life. So we're gonna be singing HU for about 15 minutes. What's going on during that 15 minutes, which can be like a long time? Some models of mindfulness and meditation are about stilling the mind, going into that quietude and observational awareness. That's excellent. There's also another dimension of you can apply the seeing power of Soul for creative visualizations. What's the shape of your dream or your question to life? Do you have a new vision of yourself? What does that look like? Or are you just looking for a boost up to meet the waves of life? HU is kind of like a universal spiritual vitamin. It can be adapted to any circumstance or condition. It can heal the heart from grief, sadness, stress. It can give you a gradual shift. Now, one part of this active element of contemplation or a spiritual exercise, is coming at it from a state of love and gratitude, and that's only something you - we - can do. That creative element of coming from a state of love or gratitude as we sing or chant HU and work with a creative visualization that opens the doorway to higher awareness, and it opens the doorway so Divine Spirit can start to cowork with us in unexpected ways. It'll meet you halfway, and the possibilities are infinite. So I'm going to read a passage from this book, The Sound of Soul. There are 65 quotes or contemplation seeds in this book. And later, if you go downstairs, you can pick up a free copy at the Guest Welcome Center. So I'm going to read this, and you can sing along, you can listen, any way you want to participate. It's called"Filled with Love." And this is by Sri Harold Klemp, the spiritual leader of ECKANKAR."If people would trust their heart and know that if they love God and open their heart, if they love God through loving their neighbor, they would find that God brings help and protection to them in ways that most people don't know. The way to do that is to sing HU to yourself. You just sing this very quietly to yourself or inwardly. You may see the light of God. It can be a blue light, a white light, a yellow light, or a green light. You can see it in many different ways. Or you may hear the sound of tinkling bells, a flute, a full orchestra, or something as simple as a sigh, but you will be filled with love. Sing HU, and this may help you open your heart to God's love. Then you will find the miracles happening in your life too." Huuuuuuu
Heather Davari:Welcome back. We didn't play the full 15 minute group HU chant that followed that talk, but I hope that gave you a small taste of the beauty and possibilities of the HU as a daily practice, regardless of your faith. Now, if you're looking for a more community experience, ECKANKAR Sound of Soul events like the one that you just heard are held all around the world. And of course, everyone is welcome. Just search ECKANKAR Sound of Soul event near me. Now, on an individual level, the free HU app is a great place to start. Just go to HUapp.org or go straight to your app store and look for ECKANKAR HU app. And that's just one of the many spiritual resources that ECKANKAR makes available to anyone looking to live a better life full of divine love here and now. You can check out the show notes for more transformative and free resources to help you on your Soul adventure, whatever it may be. Well, that's our show for today. Thank you for listening and see you next time.