Following the Cosmic Breadcrumb Trail

“Centres of light must be established throughout the world, because they attract the inhabitants of higher realms who rejoice in them. The beams of light we project by means of our songs, our meditations and our prayers are seen from great distances by celestial, high-frequency entities. Perceiving these pure rays of light shining through the spiritual shadows and darkness surrounding the earth, they come to contemplate them and bestow their blessings on us.  We must establish these rivers of light throughout the world in order to form a link between heaven and earth. They are living, breathing conduits through which these divine blessings descend for all human beings, and. without them the earth would be prey to very dark and destructive forces. If you truly wish to help your family, your country and the entire world, you must do everything possible to create these pockets of light through which the earth enters into contact with heaven. All human beings benefit from your efforts, thanks to which they receive spiritual nourishment and joy. This is the greatest, most glorious work you can undertake. You must never forget this.”
– Omraam Mikhaël Aïvanhov

This past July I went and spent a weekend at Blagoslovenie, the motherhouse of the Canadian chapter of the organization which looks after the dissemination of the teachings of the Bulgarian/French Gnostic spiritual master Omraam Mikhael Aivanhov.

Aivanhov, to the more recent readers of my blog, is one of  the spiritual master whose teachings I feel resonates the closest for me (you’ll see his quotes around here a lot)  and while I don’t want to classify myself as a “follower” (I find that word has really culty associations and asks people to suspend their critical thinking skills) I will say that Aivanhov’s teachings have inspired me immensely over the years and in many ways have played a huge part in how I look at things. What I like about him is that he has a very take-it-or-leave-it attitude. There’s no “come-follow-me-and-I-promise-you-riches” kind of talk.  May not work for everyone but it works for me.  (For anyone interested, the biography about him by the late yoga scholar and noted Indologist Georg Feuerstein is fantastic and gives an amazing understanding of Aivanhov’s work for beginners.)

Great read.

The have chapters all over the world now but I’m quite lucky in that the Canadian headquarter is a 2 hour drive away from me in Quebec’s magical Eastern Townships, at the top of the Appalachian panhandle and not far at all from one of the only 7 crystal mines in the world. It’s a beautiful and often over-looked part of Canada which is blessed with an exceptional microclimate which allows for all sorts of organic farming, outdoor living and homesteading.

My understanding is that the area was once a golf course back in the 1970s. The organization bought it in the early 1980s. Aivanhov visited the area several times before he passed on in 1986 and designated it the Canadian headquarter . The area is now transformed into a self-sustaining organic farm with 7 different lakes on the gigantic property which includes meadows, forests, orchards, fields, hills, greenhouses, streams and ponds all fed by underground springs. It is quite an impressive and incredibly peaceful and pure place to visit. Colorful birds and butterflies are everywhere, cute little chipmunks run around between the trees and you can hear birds singing all day long. In Aivanhov’s words, “Billions of the most extraordinary entities live here… Go, walk the land, explore it and put these entities to work.”

It was this last quote alone which convinced me that I need to go experience the place and investigate it. Also, I had been due for a spiritual retreat for quite a while. Too many questions. Not enough answers. Not enough clarity. Needed to be around some like-minded people. Walking, doing some yoga and meditating in nature sounded like the antidote which I needed. And so I went.

For those persons who are unfamiliar with Aivanhov’s teachings, it might be a bumpy trip. After all, you’re saying prayers in the original Bulgarian or in French translation, singing songs in Bulgarian, eating vegetarian meals in silence, waking up super-early in the morning to watch the sunrise and greet the Sun in silent meditation followed by a session of sun-gazing and solar yoga (exercises below). I’ve been reading Aivanhov since 1996-97 so I understood what these spiritual exercises signified and what was going on and didn’t feel uncomfortable in the least while joining everyone else. Everyone there made me feel welcome and were exceptionally kind.

One morning, another guest and I went walking through the forests and meadows and looking at the various lakes. I was looking for a good spot to do some yoga by myself but I also wanted a chance to investigate the extensive grounds and get a feel for the land there. My walking companion is a herbalist and wanted a chance to gather some fresh St. John’s Wort in the meadows. Eventually I found myself at one of the many lakes, liked what I saw and lay down my yoga mat.

Companion: “Can you keep a secret”

Me: “Yes, of course”

Companion: “This is the exact spot where the Master would meditate.”

I was elated. What were the odds? It was sign that I was at least on the right rack. Finally, a space where I could try to communicate with him. I returned the next day by myself to meditate, ask questions and ask for a sign which would give me an answer. One of the questions I wasn’t sure about was a reconnaissance trip to the Pacific Northwest of the US, to survey and investigate a few spiritual spots, namely Neahkahnie mountain, Nehalem Bay, Crater Lake and Orcas Island.

Almost as soon as I hit the highway while driving home back from the retreat, I saw an exit sign towards “Boulevard de Portland” in the town of Sherbrooke.

I got my answer.

(P.S It’s not possible for everyone to go out and create a spiritual retreat or compound. It’s really about creating a shared, common place of  pure intention, that’s how we become the the conduits between heaven and earth. You can do that in your back yard, front lawn or balcony.)