Where You are, there is God  

In a big forest of rare beauty, there are several thousands of tall trees. Implicit everywhere in the forest, there is the inspiring music from London, the latest news from New York, and most interesting programmes of entertainment, information, education and culture from several broadcasting stations. But, none of the trees know it. They have no resource in themselves to grow sensitive to the electro-magnetic waves streaming in from all directions. To them the very idea of radio-broadcasting frequencies is ridiculous. To make matters worse, they deny when told that there is heaven-making music all about them, and denounce you as crazy. For all those proud tall trees that grand music and those joyous news are non-existent, and if existent far-removed and inaccessible to a degree that it would be better to deny its existence. Amidst those leafy, prosperous trees of flowers and fruits, there is the unattractive, plain-looking apparently unproductive, cane-like radio-receiving antenna. This antenna receives from a selected direction, the waves of the music, and the equipment beneath it reproduces the music. So, it does the news. Wherever there is an antenna, there is the festivity of music, the world of knowledge and the kingdom of joy.

This world is constituted of endless diversity. There are billions of things in the world: trees, stones, animals, fishes that swim, birds that fly, creatures that crawl. Nowhere in this immeasurable multiverse, this world of diversity, there seems to be God present. But, the moment there is the antenna of the human heart in aspiration, in devotion, in prayer, there the celestial and heaven-making Music of God's all-creative and all-wondrous Presence is produced. Wherever there is a human heart, there is God. For, that heart alone can rise up in spiritual aspirations, unfold its higher potentialities, bloom in devotion, radiate the fragrance of divine love and divine faith, and receive the life-fulfilling music of the divine Presence, Peace, Beauty, and express it. Where the human life is, there is the divine Spirit. The former is formed and sustained by the latter, and the latter alone can fulfil truly and permanently every aim the former is seeking.

Let us not be the lifeless sticks, but the wondrous antenna that receives, and permits expression of the divine Light, Love, Grace, Power, Knowledge, Happiness. Like the antenna, let us grow responsive to the grand super electromagnetic waves of the Kingdom of infinite Perfection streaming into us from all directions, the Kingdom whose centre, being infinite, is in our own inner hearts. Let our life receive and reproduce from all directions the imperishable wonders of the Spirit.

The materialistic trees around the antenna accuse it as an ascetic, otherworldly, unsocial, fruitless. They say, 'We are prospering; we bear leaves, flowers and fruits. This unwise and dreamy antenna is looking for things impalpable, God, Truth, Kingdom of Heaven. It is barren and useless to society.' But, who can refute that the antenna is valuable beyond all those trees, for it alone can receive the Essences of Life, the immortal music of the joy, peace, prosperity, life of the Infinite? It alone can grow responsive to, and assimilative of, the Perfections of the Divine, from all directions. It makes the impalpable realities palpables. It turns the unheard music, the heard, the inaudible world of joy into an audible world of exalted sense-experience. Life is truly fulfilled only in that which is the inexhaustible and infinite producer, bearer and sustainer of life. And, that is the Spirit, Truth, God.

The Workings of the Human Mind are Invisible.  
How much more should not God be Invisible?  

When Thomas sits for meditation, his mind wanders. Can anybody see his mind wandering? No one can. Is the wandering of the mind something like the table moving from one place to another, and can it be pointed out or seen? Certainly not. Though he, as a spiritual aspirant, is supposed to think of God, his mind is jumping from object to object. When so petty a power like the mind is invisible in its operations, movements, self-expressions, how much more should not God's activities, movements, operations, self-expressions be visible to man when the functions of his own brother's mind are not visible to him?

The measure of progress he makes, the treasures that he lays up, while he practises devotional exercises, prays, meditates, does selfless services, are invisible. But, there can be no gain greater than the gain of life-fulfilling devotion, no activity higher, and no wealth more abundant, than the wealth of the self-revealing and all-illuminating activity of the contemplative inner divine Consciousness.

Endless are Your Possibilities  

It takes a philosopher to ask questions such as, 'What is Truth? Who created the Universe? Can we define the nature of mind? Has life a meaning?' Such a philosopher is in each of you.

It takes an artist to admire great artistic works, the beauty in nature and in daily life. Such an aesthetician and artist is in each of you.

It takes a poet to wonder at the stars, the blue sky and the sea and the mountains, and speak of them in inspiring words of beauty. Such a poet is in each of you.

It takes a saint to trust in God and to be in communion with God's Presence, Love, Beauty, Grace. Such a saint is in each of you.

It takes a God-like person to behold the Presence of God everywhere. Such a God-like person is in each of you.

It takes the heart of a great soul, to make many sacrifices and take any pains to keep progressing on the path of evolution and spiritual unfoldment. Such a heart is in each of you.

There is love in you, which could be extended to all creation. There is faith in you, which could be developed immensely. There is Knowledge in you that could be increased enormously.

Endless are your possibilities. Unless you unfold these many possibilities, capacities, abilities, powers, from within your divine inner consciousness, your outer life cannot be abundant, rich, full of light and joy.

From the knowledge that you are organically related in your inner being, with God, you can derive immense strength and a great sense of security. By the conviction that there is the one supreme Power of God everywhere, with which you are inseparably related, draw liberating, creative, joyous, persisting peace.

You are an Embodiment of many Powers  

All the extraordinary qualities of nature that are characteristic of the world's greatest saints are there in you.

If not great purity, some purity is present in you. If not endless knowledge, some amount of knowledge you do possess. Though not superhuman patience, a little patience you do command. If not great and all-absorbing love for God, some love that That which you recognize as the Good, or the Beautiful, or Truth, or God, is active in you. That amount of faith which moves mountains, you may not have, but you cannot deny that there is in you some little faith. If all in you is not receptive to the all-perfecting divine Presence, yet there lurks in you something which appreciates readily the things of Love, Light, Beauty, God.

Your love when fully grown, is the saint. When the little faith in you fully flowers, it is the wonder-worker. Your wisdom when fully developed, is the sage.

How to Develop Supernormal Powers  

Love is the Power of powers. Love all, at all times, in all circumstances and conditions, and even in the most difficult situations. Let nothing external, or internal, dry up the perennial springs of the silent, unobserved flow of your love for all.

Transformation of our entire inner nature, of our thoughts, emotions, energies, is a wonderful way of acquiring tremendous spiritual powers. When we exceed the animal and human nature, refine, exalt and illuminate our minds and hearts, will and inner spirit, we gain the numberless powers that belong to our inner self-luminous spiritual nature.

Constant experience of the Presence of God, endows us with rare powers. The power to remain unaffected by difficult circumstances, the power to rule the environment and not to be ruled by it, the power to remain peaceful, joyous, unshaken, are among the many powers that we accrue to us from the practice of the Presence of God.

Faith when developed is a great power. It moves mountains. Self-surrender to the omnipresent, omnipotent, omniscient and all-loving, all-protecting, all-perfecting Divinity, fills us with extraordinary powers.

Special concentration exercises awaken the divine powers in us. Meditation unfolds the higher powers of perception and divine nature.

Mantra-practice, the constant repetition of the mystical syllables, puts us in touch with the various powers of God. The Might, the Light, the Grace, the Peace of God, find their manifestation in our daily life.

Years of devotion, and strict adherence to truth, bestows on us the power of making true everything that we say, or wish, to anyone.

Magnanimous nature, generosity and free bestowal of charities, liberate us from every type of want, and secure for us material and spiritual welfare and prosperity.

We acquire the power to live long, by deep, slow, rhythmical breathing. We also gain by it peace of mind, freedom from physical and mental ailments, and get closer to the knowledge of God.

When we go on wishing welfare to all, praying for everyone, every creature, and desire the happiness of all that has life and breathes, we find ourselves in possession of great inner Light, Joy, Peace, Power, and our lives are made secure against accidents, losses, misfortunes. We become a great blessing to the whole creation.

- Swami Omkarananda