To express love toward the lower astral “deities” is, in the great scheme of things, one way of sharing God’s love, particularly if, by expressing that love, we are offering appreciation to Him, above all, for His inexhaustible bounty.

The ultimate purpose of visualization and of devotional images is to lift the mind into communion with the Absolute. Always, the quest must be for transcendence.

All delusions endanger one’s peace of mind, strengthen the ego, and deepen one’s sense of isolation from others and from any sense of support from the universe. Worst of all, they cause us to seek fulfillment in means that always prove to be, in the end, mere shadows.

What we draw to us now is also the result of many attitudes of the past. If people treat us harshly despite our present kindness to them, it is because the seeds of harshness have not been completely erased from our own consciousness.

When Kriyananda published “Education for Life: Preparing Children to Meet the Challenges,” I recognized it as the “cure” for the ills of our society because it explained how teachers and parents could give children a sense of life’s joyous possibilities, starting at the earliest age.

When we understand that our joy lies in doing whatever God has given us to do, then what we do is no longer a burden but a wonderful opportunity to grow spiritually. And when we act in that spirit, He blesses us.

For devotees, the purpose of all work is to put into action those divine qualities you’re developing inside. The consciousness with which you do your work is the most important aspect, not the outward form.

The avatars come again and again, to correct people’s misunderstandings of the eternal, unchanging truth.

It seems far better to trust in Him, and to try to follow His guidance, rather than to get sidetracked in the questionable truths of astral beings who purportedly speak to us through mediums.

Swami Kriyananda emphasizes that no sign is inherently more or less spiritual than any other.

This is a time when people need to “stand up and be counted” – a time for active participation in the outer struggle of light against darkness.

What is needed today is a spiritual army of souls demonstrating — not militantly or aggressively, but with sincerity declared — their commitment to higher values, to God, and to a firm rejection of worldly values.

The Bhagavad Gita tells us that at the end of every day we should ask: “Which side won?” When you see that you made a mistake, admit it honestly to yourself. Don’t feel badly; just say, “I’m trying and I will do better.”

It is a mistake to think that you will ever find the perfect mate. Life, outwardly, cannot be other than a compromise between the ideal and reality.

Today anyone who is truly aware of human directions believes we’re in for very hard times. For devotees, such times present an extraordinary opportunity for service and spiritual growth, greater than any in recorded history.

Are moral values truly arbitrary and subjective? Can we really say people can just do what they like, and that there are no personal consequences they will have to suffer, outside of the need to maintain social order?

Courtesy is a healing balm; it can soothe troubled hearts, and win cooperation even from the hostile.

Yoga makes us more aware of ourselves as bodies of energy, not merely of material substance. The more aware we become that we are energy, the greater control we have in our lives.

Paramhansa Yogananda told us more than once that in a former life he had been William the Conqueror. Some months after his passing, an inspiration came to me: I suddenly realized that I had been his youngest son, Henry, who later was crowned as Henry I.

How do you react when a test comes? You won’t be worthy of God if you try to run away from your difficulties. To succeed on the spiritual path you need that level of courage that allows you to think, “No matter how long this test lasts, it will pass in time so why worry about it?”

Never lend money unless you can feel, in your heart, that you are giving the money away. Be sensible in your lending, however. Make sure you are helping someone whose need is real.

What exactly do we mean by saying we have been given free will? If all actions are done by God, how are we free? All of us in our souls have the power either to turn toward God or to reject Him; to love Him, or to spurn Him. This, in essence, is our only true freedom.

Master seldom praised me for my labor. But he sometimes praised me for my devotion. He was more anxious that develop and perfect ourselves in this quality rather than tremendous outward labor, but in forgetfulness of God.