[FairfieldLife] Re: Where is Jay Latham now?
What a great fragment of narrative this quote of Jay Latham's is fleshing out the origins of the TM movement going back even to the mid 20th Century. I am liking this quote very much so as to also share with people who are outside looking in on the story to help them have a more colorful perspective on where this all came from. It is nice, respectful and useful that it surfaced here. Thanks, -Buck in the Dome --- In FairfieldLife@yahoogroups.com, Richard J. Williams richard@... wrote: laughinggull108: The first 49 of 560 pages of Galaxy of Fire. Other than the Table of Contents and Preface, not much to read this early in the book. The really good stuff is in the last half. http://tinyurl.com/ntdku3 Jay Latham: Why is he here? How did he get in? The men were all clean shaven and had their best suits on. Worst of all, there couldn't have been more than fifteen Westerners, all total; the very top of Maharishi's Western organization, all there by personal invitation from Maharishi himself, and all sitting in the front row in full view of the main entrance. So much for blending in. Behind the Westerners sat hundreds of exuberant brahmin boys whom Maharishi was instructing in the Vedas. The few ladies I saw were the top administrators of Maharishi's Thousand Headed Mother Divine Course. I sat down directly in front of Maharishi who was sitting about fifteen feet away on his dais. To his left, and above him on his own dais was the present Shankaracharya of Jyothirmath, the spiritual pope of North India, Sri Swami Vishnudevananda. To his left, sitting on an even higher dais, was Guru Dev's successor (appointed by Guru Dev himself, in his will), Shri Swami Shantanand Saraswati Maharaj, retired Shankaracharya of Jyothirmath. These two sat under the gold and red umbrella of the Shankaracharya, on the throne-like chairs of their position. Surrounding them were about fifty of the most illustrious looking orange-clad swarmis I'd ever seen. This was the top of India's spiritual tradition in the flesh. The stage area was surrounded by hundreds of lights (candles, oil and ghee lamps) which are traditionally lit for Diwali. The scene was a blaze of spiritual light. As I was sitting down Marc looked up at me with an inquisitive, raised eyebrow and silently conveyed, What in the hell are you doing here ... what's with the beard and the dhoti, are you completely out of your mind? The other Westerners were also checking me out, having, of course, immediately recognized me. I didn't even want to know their thoughts. All I could think was God, when you fulfill a desire you really go all out. Since this is probably the last time I'll see Maharishi for not being properly invited, I must thank you for the fabulous send-off. I drank in the whole scene. I'd stepped into the ageless, fiery world of the Swami Order of Lord Shankara. A Sanskrit puja was underway in which Maharishi was the deity. A couple of old pujaris were chanting, with one making offerings to Maharishi splashing Ganges water on him, adorning him with green leaves, offering incense, light from ghee lamps, etc. It reminded me of a silent film I'd seen of Maharishi's master, Guru Dev, in which he was worshipped as Shankaracharya in similar fashion. This was a great honor for Maharishi, and demonstrated in the most symbolic way possible that he was held in highest esteem by the present Shankaracharya Order; with both the reigning and retired Shankaracharyas of Jyothirmath in attendance. They obviously regarded Maharishi as the most enlightened disciple of their own guru, Swami Brahmananda Saraswati (Guru Dev). I had heard that Swami Vishnudevananda was supporting Maharishi and his movement in recruiting Indians for the mass group practice of the TM- Sidhi program. Maharishi always generates a feeling of eternality and transcendent silence around him that is the most profound I've ever felt, but I had experienced this most often in the context of large gatherings of Westerners in Europe. In the midst of his own people, including the most illustrious of the Swami Order itself, the feeling was deeper, more natural, because the land and its spiritual history supported it. This was the Whole Thing, the Real Thing as Guru Dev used to say. If this were to be my last sight of the master, I had picked the right night. I felt God smiling on me. For the entire evening, Maharishi remained in samadhi, eyes closed. That doesn't mean he was completely lost to the world, though, because at one point I felt as if he were scanning me checking me out with his inner vision. He's far too powerful to not have his attention felt by his teachers. I felt him look right through me, my organs, subtle body, mind, everything. While this was going on, I tried to send him the telepathic message: Lord Shiva got me in here as a boon. If Maharishi was upset about my being here, it was his
[FairfieldLife] Re: Where is Jay Latham now?
--- In FairfieldLife@yahoogroups.com, Richard J. Williams richard@... wrote: laughinggull108: The first 49 of 560 pages of Galaxy of Fire. Other than the Table of Contents and Preface, not much to read this early in the book. The really good stuff is in the last half. http://tinyurl.com/ntdku3 Jay Latham: Why is he here? How did he get in? The men were all clean shaven and had their best suits on. Worst of all, there couldn't have been more than fifteen Westerners, all total; the very top of Maharishi's Western organization, all there by personal invitation from Maharishi himself, and all sitting in the front row in full view of the main entrance. So much for blending in. Behind the Westerners sat hundreds of exuberant brahmin boys whom Maharishi was instructing in the Vedas. The few ladies I saw were the top administrators of Maharishi's Thousand Headed Mother Divine Course. I sat down directly in front of Maharishi who was sitting about fifteen feet away on his dais. To his left, and above him on his own dais was the present Shankaracharya of Jyothirmath, the spiritual pope of North India, Sri Swami Vishnudevananda. To his left, sitting on an even higher dais, was Guru Dev's successor (appointed by Guru Dev himself, in his will), Shri Swami Shantanand Saraswati Maharaj, retired Shankaracharya of Jyothirmath. These two sat under the gold and red umbrella of the Shankaracharya, on the throne-like chairs of their position. Surrounding them were about fifty of the most illustrious looking orange-clad swarmis I'd ever seen. This was the top of India's spiritual tradition in the flesh. The application of meditation is just one such way to curtail our desires, because you give some time to it, and it takes you away from your lovely desires. The extension of this moment of peace between two desires is another way. Understand his central point: that consciousness is only consumed through desires- the fewer the desires, the better use of consciousness that can be made. All the disciplines which we have been given are to lead in this direction -if we practise extending the moment of peace between two desires, we can get the full benefit of this process. -Swami Shantanand Saraswati The stage area was surrounded by hundreds of lights (candles, oil and ghee lamps) which are traditionally lit for Diwali. The scene was a blaze of spiritual light. As I was sitting down Marc looked up at me with an inquisitive, raised eyebrow and silently conveyed, What in the hell are you doing here ... what's with the beard and the dhoti, are you completely out of your mind? The other Westerners were also checking me out, having, of course, immediately recognized me. I didn't even want to know their thoughts. All I could think was God, when you fulfill a desire you really go all out. Since this is probably the last time I'll see Maharishi for not being properly invited, I must thank you for the fabulous send-off. I drank in the whole scene. I'd stepped into the ageless, fiery world of the Swami Order of Lord Shankara. A Sanskrit puja was underway in which Maharishi was the deity. A couple of old pujaris were chanting, with one making offerings to Maharishi splashing Ganges water on him, adorning him with green leaves, offering incense, light from ghee lamps, etc. It reminded me of a silent film I'd seen of Maharishi's master, Guru Dev, in which he was worshipped as Shankaracharya in similar fashion. This was a great honor for Maharishi, and demonstrated in the most symbolic way possible that he was held in highest esteem by the present Shankaracharya Order; with both the reigning and retired Shankaracharyas of Jyothirmath in attendance. They obviously regarded Maharishi as the most enlightened disciple of their own guru, Swami Brahmananda Saraswati (Guru Dev). I had heard that Swami Vishnudevananda was supporting Maharishi and his movement in recruiting Indians for the mass group practice of the TM- Sidhi program. Maharishi always generates a feeling of eternality and transcendent silence around him that is the most profound I've ever felt, but I had experienced this most often in the context of large gatherings of Westerners in Europe. In the midst of his own people, including the most illustrious of the Swami Order itself, the feeling was deeper, more natural, because the land and its spiritual history supported it. This was the Whole Thing, the Real Thing as Guru Dev used to say. If this were to be my last sight of the master, I had picked the right night. I felt God smiling on me. For the entire evening, Maharishi remained in samadhi, eyes closed. That doesn't mean he was completely lost to the world, though, because at one point I felt as if he were scanning me checking me out with his inner vision. He's far too powerful to not have his attention felt by his teachers. I felt him look right through me, my organs,
[FairfieldLife] Re: Where is Jay Latham now?
--- In FairfieldLife@yahoogroups.com, Buck dhamiltony2k5@... wrote: --- In FairfieldLife@yahoogroups.com, Richard J. Williams richard@ wrote: laughinggull108: The first 49 of 560 pages of Galaxy of Fire. Other than the Table of Contents and Preface, not much to read this early in the book. The really good stuff is in the last half. http://tinyurl.com/ntdku3 Jay Latham: Why is he here? How did he get in? The men were all clean shaven and had their best suits on. Worst of all, there couldn't have been more than fifteen Westerners, all total; the very top of Maharishi's Western organization, all there by personal invitation from Maharishi himself, and all sitting in the front row in full view of the main entrance. So much for blending in. Behind the Westerners sat hundreds of exuberant brahmin boys whom Maharishi was instructing in the Vedas. The few ladies I saw were the top administrators of Maharishi's Thousand Headed Mother Divine Course. I sat down directly in front of Maharishi who was sitting about fifteen feet away on his dais. To his left, and above him on his own dais was the present Shankaracharya of Jyothirmath, the spiritual pope of North India, Sri Swami Vishnudevananda. To his left, sitting on an even higher dais, was Guru Dev's successor (appointed by Guru Dev himself, in his will), Shri Swami Shantanand Saraswati Maharaj, retired Shankaracharya of Jyothirmath. These two sat under the gold and red umbrella of the Shankaracharya, on the throne-like chairs of their position. Surrounding them were about fifty of the most illustrious looking orange-clad swarmis I'd ever seen. This was the top of India's spiritual tradition in the flesh. The application of meditation is just one such way to curtail our desires, because you give some time to it, and it takes you away from your lovely desires. The extension of this moment of peace between two desires is another way. Understand his central point: that consciousness is only consumed through desires- the fewer the desires, the better use of consciousness that can be made. All the disciplines which we have been given are to lead in this direction -if we practise extending the moment of peace between two desires, we can get the full benefit of this process. -Swami Shantanand Saraswati The stage area was surrounded by hundreds of lights (candles, oil and ghee lamps) which are traditionally lit for Diwali. The scene was a blaze of spiritual light. As I was sitting down Marc looked up at me with an inquisitive, raised eyebrow and silently conveyed, What in the hell are you doing here ... what's with the beard and the dhoti, are you completely out of your mind? The other Westerners were also checking me out, having, of course, immediately recognized me. I didn't even want to know their thoughts. All I could think was God, when you fulfill a desire you really go all out. Since this is probably the last time I'll see Maharishi for not being properly invited, I must thank you for the fabulous send-off. I drank in the whole scene. I'd stepped into the ageless, fiery world of the Swami Order of Lord Shankara. A Sanskrit puja was underway in which Maharishi was the deity. A couple of old pujaris were chanting, with one making offerings to Maharishi splashing Ganges water on him, adorning him with green leaves, offering incense, light from ghee lamps, etc. It reminded me of a silent film I'd seen of Maharishi's master, Guru Dev, in which he was worshipped as Shankaracharya in similar fashion. This was a great honor for Maharishi, and demonstrated in the most symbolic way possible that he was held in highest esteem by the present Shankaracharya Order; with both the reigning and retired Shankaracharyas of Jyothirmath in attendance. They obviously regarded Maharishi as the most enlightened disciple of their own guru, Swami Brahmananda Saraswati (Guru Dev). I had heard that Swami Vishnudevananda was supporting Maharishi and his movement in recruiting Indians for the mass group practice of the TM- Sidhi program. Maharishi always generates a feeling of eternality and transcendent silence around him that is the most profound I've ever felt, but I had experienced this most often in the context of large gatherings of Westerners in Europe. In the midst of his own people, including the most illustrious of the Swami Order itself, the feeling was deeper, more natural, because the land and its spiritual history supported it. This was the Whole Thing, the Real Thing as Guru Dev used to say. If this were to be my last sight of the master, I had picked the right night. I felt God smiling on me. For the entire evening, Maharishi remained in samadhi, eyes closed. That doesn't mean he was completely lost to the world, though, because at one point I felt as if he were scanning
[FairfieldLife] Re: Where is Jay Latham now?
--- In FairfieldLife@yahoogroups.com, Buck dhamiltony2k5@... wrote: --- In FairfieldLife@yahoogroups.com, Richard J. Williams richard@ wrote: laughinggull108: The first 49 of 560 pages of Galaxy of Fire. Other than the Table of Contents and Preface, not much to read this early in the book. The really good stuff is in the last half. http://tinyurl.com/ntdku3 Jay Latham: Why is he here? How did he get in? The men were all clean shaven and had their best suits on. Worst of all, there couldn't have been more than fifteen Westerners, all total; the very top of Maharishi's Western organization, all there by personal invitation from Maharishi himself, and all sitting in the front row in full view of the main entrance. So much for blending in. Behind the Westerners sat hundreds of exuberant brahmin boys whom Maharishi was instructing in the Vedas. The few ladies I saw were the top administrators of Maharishi's Thousand Headed Mother Divine Course. I sat down directly in front of Maharishi who was sitting about fifteen feet away on his dais. To his left, and above him on his own dais was the present Shankaracharya of Jyothirmath, the spiritual pope of North India, Sri Swami Vishnudevananda. To his left, sitting on an even higher dais, was Guru Dev's successor (appointed by Guru Dev himself, in his will), Shri Swami Shantanand Saraswati Maharaj, retired Shankaracharya of Jyothirmath. These two sat under the gold and red umbrella of the Shankaracharya, on the throne-like chairs of their position. Surrounding them were about fifty of the most illustrious looking orange-clad swarmis I'd ever seen. This was the top of India's spiritual tradition in the flesh. The application of meditation is just one such way to curtail our desires, because you give some time to it, and it takes you away from your lovely desires. The extension of this moment of peace between two desires is another way. Understand his central point: that consciousness is only consumed through desires- the fewer the desires, the better use of consciousness that can be made. All the disciplines which we have been given are to lead in this direction -if we practise extending the moment of peace between two desires, we can get the full benefit of this process. -Swami Shantanand Saraswati The stage area was surrounded by hundreds of lights (candles, oil and ghee lamps) which are traditionally lit for Diwali. The scene was a blaze of spiritual light. As I was sitting down Marc looked up at me with an inquisitive, raised eyebrow and silently conveyed, What in the hell are you doing here ... what's with the beard and the dhoti, are you completely out of your mind? The other Westerners were also checking me out, having, of course, immediately recognized me. I didn't even want to know their thoughts. All I could think was God, when you fulfill a desire you really go all out. Since this is probably the last time I'll see Maharishi for not being properly invited, I must thank you for the fabulous send-off. I drank in the whole scene. I'd stepped into the ageless, fiery world of the Swami Order of Lord Shankara. A Sanskrit puja was underway in which Maharishi was the deity. A couple of old pujaris were chanting, with one making offerings to Maharishi splashing Ganges water on him, adorning him with green leaves, offering incense, light from ghee lamps, etc. It reminded me of a silent film I'd seen of Maharishi's master, Guru Dev, in which he was worshipped as Shankaracharya in similar fashion. This was a great honor for Maharishi, and demonstrated in the most symbolic way possible that he was held in highest esteem by the present Shankaracharya Order; with both the reigning and retired Shankaracharyas of Jyothirmath in attendance. They obviously regarded Maharishi as the most enlightened disciple of their own guru, Swami Brahmananda Saraswati (Guru Dev). I had heard that Swami Vishnudevananda was supporting Maharishi and his movement in recruiting Indians for the mass group practice of the TM- Sidhi program. Maharishi always generates a feeling of eternality and transcendent silence around him that is the most profound I've ever felt, but I had experienced this most often in the context of large gatherings of Westerners in Europe. In the midst of his own people, including the most illustrious of the Swami Order itself, the feeling was deeper, more natural, because the land and its spiritual history supported it. This was the Whole Thing, the Real Thing as Guru Dev used to say. If this were to be my last sight of the master, I had picked the right night. I felt God smiling on me. For the entire evening, Maharishi
[FairfieldLife] Re: Where is Jay Latham now?
--- In FairfieldLife@yahoogroups.com, Buck dhamiltony2k5@ wrote: --- In FairfieldLife@yahoogroups.com, Richard J. Williams richard@ wrote: laughinggull108: The first 49 of 560 pages of Galaxy of Fire. Other than the Table of Contents and Preface, not much to read this early in the book. The really good stuff is in the last half. http://tinyurl.com/ntdku3 Jay Latham: Why is he here? How did he get in? The men were all clean shaven and had their best suits on. Worst of all, there couldn't have been more than fifteen Westerners, all total; the very top of Maharishi's Western organization, all there by personal invitation from Maharishi himself, and all sitting in the front row in full view of the main entrance. So much for blending in. Behind the Westerners sat hundreds of exuberant brahmin boys whom Maharishi was instructing in the Vedas. The few ladies I saw were the top administrators of Maharishi's Thousand Headed Mother Divine Course. I sat down directly in front of Maharishi who was sitting about fifteen feet away on his dais. To his left, and above him on his own dais was the present Shankaracharya of Jyothirmath, the spiritual pope of North India, Sri Swami Vishnudevananda. To his left, sitting on an even higher dais, was Guru Dev's successor (appointed by Guru Dev himself, in his will), Shri Swami Shantanand Saraswati Maharaj, retired Shankaracharya of Jyothirmath. These two sat under the gold and red umbrella of the Shankaracharya, on the throne-like chairs of their position. Surrounding them were about fifty of the most illustrious looking orange-clad swarmis I'd ever seen. This was the top of India's spiritual tradition in the flesh. The application of meditation is just one such way to curtail our desires, because you give some time to it, and it takes you away from your lovely desires. The extension of this moment of peace between two desires is another way. Understand his central point: that consciousness is only consumed through desires- the fewer the desires, the better use of consciousness that can be made. All the disciplines which we have been given are to lead in this direction -if we practise extending the moment of peace between two desires, we can get the full benefit of this process. -Swami Shantanand Saraswati The stage area was surrounded by hundreds of lights (candles, oil and ghee lamps) which are traditionally lit for Diwali. The scene was a blaze of spiritual light. As I was sitting down Marc looked up at me with an inquisitive, raised eyebrow and silently conveyed, What in the hell are you doing here ... what's with the beard and the dhoti, are you completely out of your mind? The other Westerners were also checking me out, having, of course, immediately recognized me. I didn't even want to know their thoughts. All I could think was God, when you fulfill a desire you really go all out. Since this is probably the last time I'll see Maharishi for not being properly invited, I must thank you for the fabulous send-off. I drank in the whole scene. I'd stepped into the ageless, fiery world of the Swami Order of Lord Shankara. A Sanskrit puja was underway in which Maharishi was the deity. A couple of old pujaris were chanting, with one making offerings to Maharishi splashing Ganges water on him, adorning him with green leaves, offering incense, light from ghee lamps, etc. It reminded me of a silent film I'd seen of Maharishi's master, Guru Dev, in which he was worshipped as Shankaracharya in similar fashion. This was a great honor for Maharishi, and demonstrated in the most symbolic way possible that he was held in highest esteem by the present Shankaracharya Order; with both the reigning and retired Shankaracharyas of Jyothirmath in attendance. They obviously regarded Maharishi as the most enlightened disciple of their own guru, Swami Brahmananda Saraswati (Guru Dev). I had heard that Swami Vishnudevananda was supporting Maharishi and his movement in recruiting Indians for the mass group practice of the TM- Sidhi program. Maharishi always generates a feeling of eternality and transcendent silence around him that is the most profound I've ever felt, but I had experienced this most often in the context of large gatherings of Westerners in Europe. In the midst of his own people, including the most illustrious of the Swami Order itself, the feeling was deeper, more natural, because the land and its spiritual history supported it. This was the Whole Thing, the Real
[FairfieldLife] Re: Where is Jay Latham now?
laughinggull108: The first 49 of 560 pages of Galaxy of Fire. Other than the Table of Contents and Preface, not much to read this early in the book. The really good stuff is in the last half. http://tinyurl.com/ntdku3 Jay Latham: Why is he here? How did he get in? The men were all clean shaven and had their best suits on. Worst of all, there couldn't have been more than fifteen Westerners, all total; the very top of Maharishi's Western organization, all there by personal invitation from Maharishi himself, and all sitting in the front row in full view of the main entrance. So much for blending in. Behind the Westerners sat hundreds of exuberant brahmin boys whom Maharishi was instructing in the Vedas. The few ladies I saw were the top administrators of Maharishi's Thousand Headed Mother Divine Course. I sat down directly in front of Maharishi who was sitting about fifteen feet away on his dais. To his left, and above him on his own dais was the present Shankaracharya of Jyothirmath, the spiritual pope of North India, Sri Swami Vishnudevananda. To his left, sitting on an even higher dais, was Guru Dev's successor (appointed by Guru Dev himself, in his will), Shri Swami Shantanand Saraswati Maharaj, retired Shankaracharya of Jyothirmath. These two sat under the gold and red umbrella of the Shankaracharya, on the throne-like chairs of their position. Surrounding them were about fifty of the most illustrious looking orange-clad swarmis I'd ever seen. This was the top of India's spiritual tradition in the flesh. The stage area was surrounded by hundreds of lights (candles, oil and ghee lamps) which are traditionally lit for Diwali. The scene was a blaze of spiritual light. As I was sitting down Marc looked up at me with an inquisitive, raised eyebrow and silently conveyed, What in the hell are you doing here ... what's with the beard and the dhoti, are you completely out of your mind? The other Westerners were also checking me out, having, of course, immediately recognized me. I didn't even want to know their thoughts. All I could think was God, when you fulfill a desire you really go all out. Since this is probably the last time I'll see Maharishi for not being properly invited, I must thank you for the fabulous send-off. I drank in the whole scene. I'd stepped into the ageless, fiery world of the Swami Order of Lord Shankara. A Sanskrit puja was underway in which Maharishi was the deity. A couple of old pujaris were chanting, with one making offerings to Maharishi splashing Ganges water on him, adorning him with green leaves, offering incense, light from ghee lamps, etc. It reminded me of a silent film I'd seen of Maharishi's master, Guru Dev, in which he was worshipped as Shankaracharya in similar fashion. This was a great honor for Maharishi, and demonstrated in the most symbolic way possible that he was held in highest esteem by the present Shankaracharya Order; with both the reigning and retired Shankaracharyas of Jyothirmath in attendance. They obviously regarded Maharishi as the most enlightened disciple of their own guru, Swami Brahmananda Saraswati (Guru Dev). I had heard that Swami Vishnudevananda was supporting Maharishi and his movement in recruiting Indians for the mass group practice of the TM- Sidhi program. Maharishi always generates a feeling of eternality and transcendent silence around him that is the most profound I've ever felt, but I had experienced this most often in the context of large gatherings of Westerners in Europe. In the midst of his own people, including the most illustrious of the Swami Order itself, the feeling was deeper, more natural, because the land and its spiritual history supported it. This was the Whole Thing, the Real Thing as Guru Dev used to say. If this were to be my last sight of the master, I had picked the right night. I felt God smiling on me. For the entire evening, Maharishi remained in samadhi, eyes closed. That doesn't mean he was completely lost to the world, though, because at one point I felt as if he were scanning me checking me out with his inner vision. He's far too powerful to not have his attention felt by his teachers. I felt him look right through me, my organs, subtle body, mind, everything. While this was going on, I tried to send him the telepathic message: Lord Shiva got me in here as a boon. If Maharishi was upset about my being here, it was his own fault-he was the one who taught me, in person, the highly effective techniques for locating transcendental consciousness and fulfilling desires through That. I was living proof of his own success this night. I'd gotten through his carefully selected, highly effective human shield and then been delivered at his feet as a VIP. That is the power of the Lord. The deep velvety-red umbrellas of Swami Vishnudevananda Saraswati and Swami Shantanandji Saraswati, embroidered with large gold Sanskrit letters, were obviously very old. To me, they represented the cosmic umbrella that
[FairfieldLife] Re: Where is Jay Latham now?
[http://www.galaxy-of-fire.com/resources/112_JayLatham_meditator_1985.JP\ G] J.L.meditating in Delhi, 1985 Just in case someone is interested in the Galaxy of Fire, 2nd Edition the upcoming publication by Jekyll Highsmith Publishers who was (w)orking with Jay's family, and aided by the author's extensive notes which says on their homepage There were many things about the 1st Edition that Jay had planned to improve and refine before its first run publication in 2000, but he was unable to finish before he dropped his body and left this world. Do not miss following excerpts from Galaxy of Fire, 2nd Edition including many pictures http://www.galaxy-of-fire.com/book_excerpts.html http://www.galaxy-of-fire.com/book_excerpts.html 1.Blue Shiva - from Preface: Galaxy of Fire, 2nd Edition: Pilgrimage to Kedarnath, in the Himalaya Mountains of Northern India including photos. 2.The Pugil Stick Range - from Chapter 1: Basic Training in the Marine Corps at Parris Island, SC during the late 1960s. The language is graphic, and with a smile I read 3.Shivalinga Transmission - from Chapter 11:Maharishi's courses on Vedic Science in 1980. and the practice of using the Shiva Linga, with unusual results as a cosmic transmitter. [http://www.galaxy-of-fire.com/resources/ShivalingTransmission-02-B.JPG] One of J.L.s Shiva Lingam stones, used to heighten his spiritual practice, 1980, where he formed my own cult within the cult within the cult known as the Third Eye Fellowship(his note:When I use the word cult here, I use it in the light-hearted sense of a group of people who share a common interest that gives a positive spiritual experience, as opposed to cultish groups who share negative interests, such as the subversion, killing, or overpowering of other people and cultures.) Being myself quite close to Maharishi for a mesmerizing unforgettable time with the privilege to use several time even MMY's private bath room [;)] Jay's funny but IMHO and experience accurate description of battling to get a seat near the front close to Maharishi sounds quite familiar to me : Some of those battles were quite interesting to watch, because of the incredible egos and competition involved. The game was to figure out which person was the purest, most devoted, most loved by Maharishi, or just plain wealthiest. It was like watching two gunslingers facing each other down when someone of questionable caste had sat in the unmarked, unsaved seat of one who was, for lack of a better description, puffed up with pride (as the Hindu scriptures often say of a god gone wrong). --- In FairfieldLife@yahoogroups.com, laughinggull108 wrote: The first 49 of 560 pages of Galaxy of Fire. Other than the Table of Contents and Preface, not much to read this early in the book. The really good stuff is in the last half. http://tinyurl.com/ntdku3 --- In FairfieldLife@yahoogroups.com, Richard J. Williams richard@ wrote: wleed3: Where is Jay Lathem now? According to Bob Brigante, Jay Latham is dead. You can read some excerpts from Jay's book here: 'From Galaxy of Fire by Jay Latham' http://tinyurl.com/loysc9y 'Galaxy of Fire' http://tinyurl.com/k42g6xg 'Galaxy of Fire' by Jay Latham Sunstar, 2001 http://www.amazon.com/Galaxy-Fire-Jay-Latham/dp/1887472770
[FairfieldLife] Re: Where is Jay Latham now?
--- In FairfieldLife@yahoogroups.com, Richard J. Williams richard@... wrote: laughinggull108: The first 49 of 560 pages of Galaxy of Fire. Other than the Table of Contents and Preface, not much to read this early in the book. The really good stuff is in the last half. http://tinyurl.com/ntdku3 Jay Latham: Why is he here? How did he get in? The men were all clean shaven and had their best suits on. Worst of all, there couldn't have been more than fifteen Westerners, all total; the very top of Maharishi's Western organization, all there by personal invitation from Maharishi himself, and all sitting in the front row in full view of the main entrance. So much for blending in. Behind the Westerners sat hundreds of exuberant brahmin boys whom Maharishi was instructing in the Vedas. The few ladies I saw were the top administrators of Maharishi's Thousand Headed Mother Divine Course. I sat down directly in front of Maharishi who was sitting about fifteen feet away on his dais. To his left, and above him on his own dais was the present Shankaracharya of Jyothirmath, the spiritual pope of North India, Sri Swami Vishnudevananda. To his left, sitting on an even higher dais, was Guru Dev's successor (appointed by Guru Dev himself, in his will), Shri Swami Shantanand Saraswati Maharaj, retired Shankaracharya of Jyothirmath. These two sat under the gold and red umbrella of the Shankaracharya, on the throne-like chairs of their position. Surrounding them were about fifty of the most illustrious looking orange-clad swarmis I'd ever seen. This was the top of India's spiritual tradition in the flesh. The stage area was surrounded by hundreds of lights (candles, oil and ghee lamps) which are traditionally lit for Diwali. The scene was a blaze of spiritual light. As I was sitting down Marc looked up at me with an inquisitive, raised eyebrow and silently conveyed, What in the hell are you doing here ... what's with the beard and the dhoti, are you completely out of your mind? The other Westerners were also checking me out, having, of course, immediately recognized me. I didn't even want to know their thoughts. All I could think was God, when you fulfill a desire you really go all out. Since this is probably the last time I'll see Maharishi for not being properly invited, I must thank you for the fabulous send-off. I drank in the whole scene. I'd stepped into the ageless, fiery world of the Swami Order of Lord Shankara. A Sanskrit puja was underway in which Maharishi was the deity. A couple of old pujaris were chanting, with one making offerings to Maharishi splashing Ganges water on him, adorning him with green leaves, offering incense, light from ghee lamps, etc. It reminded me of a silent film I'd seen of Maharishi's master, Guru Dev, in which he was worshipped as Shankaracharya in similar fashion. This was a great honor for Maharishi, and demonstrated in the most symbolic way possible that he was held in highest esteem by the present Shankaracharya Order; with both the reigning and retired Shankaracharyas of Jyothirmath in attendance. They obviously regarded Maharishi as the most enlightened disciple of their own guru, Swami Brahmananda Saraswati (Guru Dev). I had heard that Swami Vishnudevananda was supporting Maharishi and his movement in recruiting Indians for the mass group practice of the TM- Sidhi program. Maharishi always generates a feeling of eternality and transcendent silence around him that is the most profound I've ever felt, but I had experienced this most often in the context of large gatherings of Westerners in Europe. In the midst of his own people, including the most illustrious of the Swami Order itself, the feeling was deeper, more natural, because the land and its spiritual history supported it. This was the Whole Thing, the Real Thing as Guru Dev used to say. If this were to be my last sight of the master, I had picked the right night. I felt God smiling on me. For the entire evening, Maharishi remained in samadhi, eyes closed. That doesn't mean he was completely lost to the world, though, because at one point I felt as if he were scanning me checking me out with his inner vision. He's far too powerful to not have his attention felt by his teachers. I felt him look right through me, my organs, subtle body, mind, everything. While this was going on, I tried to send him the telepathic message: Lord Shiva got me in here as a boon. If Maharishi was upset about my being here, it was his own fault-he was the one who taught me, in person, the highly effective techniques for locating transcendental consciousness and fulfilling desires through That. I was living proof of his own success this night. I'd gotten through his carefully selected, highly effective human shield and then been delivered at his feet as a VIP. That is the power of the Lord. The deep velvety-red umbrellas of Swami
[FairfieldLife] Re: Where is Jay Latham now?
--- In FairfieldLife@yahoogroups.com, nablusoss1008 no_reply@... wrote: --- In FairfieldLife@yahoogroups.com, Richard J. Williams richard@ wrote: laughinggull108: The first 49 of 560 pages of Galaxy of Fire. Other than the Table of Contents and Preface, not much to read this early in the book. The really good stuff is in the last half. http://tinyurl.com/ntdku3 Jay Latham: Why is he here? How did he get in? The men were all clean shaven and had their best suits on. Worst of all, there couldn't have been more than fifteen Westerners, all total; the very top of Maharishi's Western organization, all there by personal invitation from Maharishi himself, and all sitting in the front row in full view of the main entrance. So much for blending in. Behind the Westerners sat hundreds of exuberant brahmin boys whom Maharishi was instructing in the Vedas. The few ladies I saw were the top administrators of Maharishi's Thousand Headed Mother Divine Course. I sat down directly in front of Maharishi who was sitting about fifteen feet away on his dais. To his left, and above him on his own dais was the present Shankaracharya of Jyothirmath, the spiritual pope of North India, Sri Swami Vishnudevananda. To his left, sitting on an even higher dais, was Guru Dev's successor (appointed by Guru Dev himself, in his will), Shri Swami Shantanand Saraswati Maharaj, retired Shankaracharya of Jyothirmath. These two sat under the gold and red umbrella of the Shankaracharya, on the throne-like chairs of their position. Surrounding them were about fifty of the most illustrious looking orange-clad swarmis I'd ever seen. This was the top of India's spiritual tradition in the flesh. The stage area was surrounded by hundreds of lights (candles, oil and ghee lamps) which are traditionally lit for Diwali. The scene was a blaze of spiritual light. As I was sitting down Marc looked up at me with an inquisitive, raised eyebrow and silently conveyed, What in the hell are you doing here ... what's with the beard and the dhoti, are you completely out of your mind? The other Westerners were also checking me out, having, of course, immediately recognized me. I didn't even want to know their thoughts. All I could think was God, when you fulfill a desire you really go all out. Since this is probably the last time I'll see Maharishi for not being properly invited, I must thank you for the fabulous send-off. I drank in the whole scene. I'd stepped into the ageless, fiery world of the Swami Order of Lord Shankara. A Sanskrit puja was underway in which Maharishi was the deity. A couple of old pujaris were chanting, with one making offerings to Maharishi splashing Ganges water on him, adorning him with green leaves, offering incense, light from ghee lamps, etc. It reminded me of a silent film I'd seen of Maharishi's master, Guru Dev, in which he was worshipped as Shankaracharya in similar fashion. This was a great honor for Maharishi, and demonstrated in the most symbolic way possible that he was held in highest esteem by the present Shankaracharya Order; with both the reigning and retired Shankaracharyas of Jyothirmath in attendance. They obviously regarded Maharishi as the most enlightened disciple of their own guru, Swami Brahmananda Saraswati (Guru Dev). I had heard that Swami Vishnudevananda was supporting Maharishi and his movement in recruiting Indians for the mass group practice of the TM- Sidhi program. Maharishi always generates a feeling of eternality and transcendent silence around him that is the most profound I've ever felt, but I had experienced this most often in the context of large gatherings of Westerners in Europe. In the midst of his own people, including the most illustrious of the Swami Order itself, the feeling was deeper, more natural, because the land and its spiritual history supported it. This was the Whole Thing, the Real Thing as Guru Dev used to say. If this were to be my last sight of the master, I had picked the right night. I felt God smiling on me. For the entire evening, Maharishi remained in samadhi, eyes closed. That doesn't mean he was completely lost to the world, though, because at one point I felt as if he were scanning me checking me out with his inner vision. He's far too powerful to not have his attention felt by his teachers. I felt him look right through me, my organs, subtle body, mind, everything. While this was going on, I tried to send him the telepathic message: Lord Shiva got me in here as a boon. If Maharishi was upset about my being here, it was his own fault-he was the one who taught me, in person, the highly effective techniques for locating transcendental consciousness and fulfilling desires through That. I was living proof of his own success this night. I'd gotten through his carefully selected, highly effective
[FairfieldLife] Re: Where is Jay Latham now?
Very sensitive to how it was, Meruda. Fealty testing the faith-base: battling to get a seat near the front close to Maharishi sounds quite familiar to me : Some of those battles were quite interesting to watch, because of the incredible egos and competition involved. The game was to figure out which person was the purest, most devoted, most loved by Maharishi, or just plain wealthiest. It was like watching two gunslingers facing each other down when someone of questionable caste had sat in the unmarked, unsaved seat of one who was, for lack of a better description, puffed up with pride (as the Hindu scriptures often say of a god gone wrong). --- In FairfieldLife@yahoogroups.com, merudanda no_reply@... wrote: [http://www.galaxy-of-fire.com/resources/112_JayLatham_meditator_1985.JP\ G] J.L.meditating in Delhi, 1985 Just in case someone is interested in the Galaxy of Fire, 2nd Edition the upcoming publication by Jekyll Highsmith Publishers who was (w)orking with Jay's family, and aided by the author's extensive notes which says on their homepage There were many things about the 1st Edition that Jay had planned to improve and refine before its first run publication in 2000, but he was unable to finish before he dropped his body and left this world. Do not miss following excerpts from Galaxy of Fire, 2nd Edition including many pictures http://www.galaxy-of-fire.com/book_excerpts.html http://www.galaxy-of-fire.com/book_excerpts.html 1.Blue Shiva - from Preface: Galaxy of Fire, 2nd Edition: Pilgrimage to Kedarnath, in the Himalaya Mountains of Northern India including photos. 2.The Pugil Stick Range - from Chapter 1: Basic Training in the Marine Corps at Parris Island, SC during the late 1960s. The language is graphic, and with a smile I read 3.Shivalinga Transmission - from Chapter 11:Maharishi's courses on Vedic Science in 1980. and the practice of using the Shiva Linga, with unusual results as a cosmic transmitter. [http://www.galaxy-of-fire.com/resources/ShivalingTransmission-02-B.JPG] One of J.L.s Shiva Lingam stones, used to heighten his spiritual practice, 1980, where he formed my own cult within the cult within the cult known as the Third Eye Fellowship(his note:When I use the word cult here, I use it in the light-hearted sense of a group of people who share a common interest that gives a positive spiritual experience, as opposed to cultish groups who share negative interests, such as the subversion, killing, or overpowering of other people and cultures.) Being myself quite close to Maharishi for a mesmerizing unforgettable time with the privilege to use several time even MMY's private bath room [;)] Jay's funny but IMHO and experience accurate description of battling to get a seat near the front close to Maharishi sounds quite familiar to me : Some of those battles were quite interesting to watch, because of the incredible egos and competition involved. The game was to figure out which person was the purest, most devoted, most loved by Maharishi, or just plain wealthiest. It was like watching two gunslingers facing each other down when someone of questionable caste had sat in the unmarked, unsaved seat of one who was, for lack of a better description, puffed up with pride (as the Hindu scriptures often say of a god gone wrong). --- In FairfieldLife@yahoogroups.com, laughinggull108 wrote: The first 49 of 560 pages of Galaxy of Fire. Other than the Table of Contents and Preface, not much to read this early in the book. The really good stuff is in the last half. http://tinyurl.com/ntdku3 --- In FairfieldLife@yahoogroups.com, Richard J. Williams richard@ wrote: wleed3: Where is Jay Lathem now? According to Bob Brigante, Jay Latham is dead. You can read some excerpts from Jay's book here: 'From Galaxy of Fire by Jay Latham' http://tinyurl.com/loysc9y 'Galaxy of Fire' http://tinyurl.com/k42g6xg 'Galaxy of Fire' by Jay Latham Sunstar, 2001 http://www.amazon.com/Galaxy-Fire-Jay-Latham/dp/1887472770
[FairfieldLife] Re: Where is Jay Latham now?
He may be a highly evolved 10-12 year old living somewhere on earth or maybe he's with his beloved Shiva haunting those isolated places high in the Himalayas. As far as reaching out to him, you might try a legitimate medium. unless that's an oxymoron. --- In FairfieldLife@yahoogroups.com, wleed3 WLeed3@... wrote: Where is jan now like to reach out to him now? In a message dated 05/31/13 07:46:09 Eastern Daylight Time, no_re...@yahoogroups.com writes: Thanks Judy. I particularly liked Jay Latham's piece in issue 2. Very powerful writing (as in Galaxy of Fire) and worth keeping as I plan a pilgrimage to these same hallowed grounds. I didn't know Jay well but I spent some time with him in Livingston Manor in the late 70s on governor staff. Anyone here know Jay well and can share what he was all about? --- In FairfieldLife@yahoogroups.com, authfriend authfriend@ wrote: For anyone who's interested, issues #1 and #2 (March 4 and 25, 1993) of LB Shriver's newspaper Survival in Paradise have been posted on his Fairfield blog: http://fairfieldiowa.wordpress.com/survival-in-paradise/ Issue #4 (August 26, 1993) is available in the Files section here, but it's a messy PDF that's not easy to read (#1 and #2 have been scanned and OCR'd and are clean as a whistle--a few OCR typos notwithstanding). Issue #4 is here: http://fairfieldiowa.wordpress.com/survival-in-paradise/ Filename Survival.pdf There's interesting stuff in all of them, including some good writing from LB, as well as some rather, um, idiosyncratic pieces by contributors. The issues are informative from a historical perspective, but also rather sad given LB's optimism at the time about positive change in the TMO. To subscribe, send a message to: fairfieldlife-subscr...@yahoogroups.com Or go to: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/FairfieldLife/ and click 'Join This Group!'Yahoo! Groups Links http://docs.yahoo.com/info/terms/
[FairfieldLife] Re: Where is Jay Latham now?
The first 49 of 560 pages of Galaxy of Fire. Other than the Table of Contents and Preface, not much to read this early in the book. The really good stuff is in the last half. http://tinyurl.com/ntdku3 --- In FairfieldLife@yahoogroups.com, Richard J. Williams richard@... wrote: wleed3: Where is Jay Lathem now? According to Bob Brigante, Jay Latham is dead. You can read some excerpts from Jay's book here: 'From Galaxy of Fire by Jay Latham' http://tinyurl.com/loysc9y 'Galaxy of Fire' http://tinyurl.com/k42g6xg 'Galaxy of Fire' by Jay Latham Sunstar, 2001 http://www.amazon.com/Galaxy-Fire-Jay-Latham/dp/1887472770
