NEWSLETTERS

January 1998 Newsletter (Volume 1, Number 4)

Holiday Celebration in Honolulu

James and Jan Tamashiro, Lloyd and Becky Nakamura, and Cheryl Asato from Los Angeles, Ted and Wendy Kanamori and their children from Maui, Tatou Mehta from New Jersey, Sudhir Mehta from Jakarta and Michael Mansfield from Minnesota, came to Honolulu to celebrate the holidays. Special meditations were held while they were in town, and the New Year was welcomed in with the spiritual family meditating. Thank you for travelling from far away places to make this time together so special!

All of the out of towners and many other members of the spiritual family went to Ted and Wendy Kanamori's home on Kula, Maui for more meditation on January 3rd and 4th. The Kanamori's are always such gracious and generous hosts. Thank you, Ted and Wendy! The spiritual family also celebrated Tom Taise's 78th birthday on Maui. Tom said, "This is my best birthday ever! I am grateful to God for all of the changes in my life."

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Divine Mother Audrey's Message
Happy New Year! Welcome 1998

The cusp that exists between the end of the old year and the beginning of the new year is a gentle twilight that draws us into its folds for quiet, deep reflection. It is usually the time we commit to making changes and improvements within ourselves so our lives may become more meaningful and worthwhile. It is easy to get caught in the daily busyness of work and routines that blur the days together into a fog of forgetting.

​Meditation provides us with the opportunity to return to ourselves, to the spirit within us that is the source of our renewal and guidance. Each moment that we live is the grace of God, the very breath we take, the breath of God. Let us spend this time to review the past year, and see all of the changes that have taken place within our lives; remarkable changes.

I see the beautiful faces of the spiritual family. Each face unique, and the unforgettable eyes that are the windows to the heart of each person. I see the blazing Love of God behind the veils of fear, loneliness, sadness, anger and pain, and I rejoice in the knowing that each person will plumb the depths of his or her heart to eventually reach this pure Love.

​I recall those blessed ones who could not even stand to see themselves in the mirror, now finding self-acceptance, and self-approval; the ones who were so shut down, now blossoming and speaking up; the ones who were so far away from their feelings, now shedding tears and dropping their armor; the ones who were trapped in dark secrets, now free from the power of the secrets; the ones who were being abused and were perpetrators of abuse, now finding their dignity and self respect; the ones who held resolutely to old habits and mental conditioning, now letting go of their rigidity.

I treasure those moments of sharing where we laid bare our hearts, and pretense fell away. All that remained was raw courage to trust that the compassion in each person's heart bearing witness to the sharing would reach out and surround those present, and it did. Our capacity to love and to express love is so infinite and grand! Everywhere people are looking for this love, and the intimacy that comes from such honesty and genuineness. I bow my head, and am humbled by these courageous souls who deepen our love, and help to create an ever increasing potential within the spiritual family to provide this love to others.

Divine Mother told me at my first meeting with her, "Don't sit on the sidewalk." I understood that she did not want us to stagnate, or to become complacent in our spiritual growth. Life is continuous, and we must ever expand our consciousness into the infinite realm of the divine. This is made possible through love and devotion to God.

​In the beautiful poem, the Bhagavad Gita, in the discourse between Lord Krishna and his friend, Arjuna, Sri Krishna answers Arjuna's question posed to Him as follows:

Arjuna:
"Some worship you with steadfast love. Others worship God the unmanifest and changeless. Which kind of devotee has the greater understanding of yoga?

Sri Krishna:
Those whose minds are fixed on Me in steadfast love, worshipping Me with absolute faith, I consider them to have the greater understanding of yoga...

Quickly I come
To those who offer Me
Every action,
Worship Me only,
Their dearest delight,
With devotion undaunted.
Because they love me
They are my bondsmen
And I shall save them
From mortal sorrow
And all the waves
Of life's deathly ocean.
Be absorbed in Me,
Lodge your mind in Me:
Thus you shall dwell in Me,
Do not doubt it,
Here and hereafter...

A man should not hate any living creature. Let him be friendly and compassionate to all. He must free himself from the delusion of "I" and "mine." He must accept pleasure and pain with equal tranquility. He must be forgiving, ever contented, self-controlled, united constantly with Me in meditation. His resolve must be unshakable. He must be dedicated to Me in intellect and in mind. Such a devotee is dear to Me...

His mind is fixed upon Me, and his heart is full of devotion. He is dear to Me...
​
...Regard Me as your dearest loved one. Know Me to be your only refuge. Be united always in heart and consciousness with Me...

Give Me your whole heart,
Love and adore Me,
Worship Me always,
Bow to Me only,
And you shall find Me:
This is My promise
Who love you dearly..."   

It is easy to lose sight of our priorities as we become immersed in the hustle and bustle of daily life, and the mind strives to acquire the fruits of creation. But, in that twilight between the old and new year, between the dusk and dawn of each passing day, let the fire of God's Love that burns within our hearts propel us to seek eternal union with Him. God's pure Love draws us into Him, like the inexplicable magnet that draws the moth to the flame, and extinguishes its separateness from that light by merging into it.

​May l998 and every year be a celebration of the beautiful dance that moves us closer and closer to God realization. May each experience that the new year brings become stepping stones to ever greater love. Happy New Year!

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Jim Petroff's Testimonial
Gratitude for a Second Chance and Opportunity to Change

By 1983, my thirty-five-year life had become filled with anger, frustration and confusion. I really needed God in my life, but didn't realize it.  All I knew was that I blamed external events and people for all of my troubles. I had lifelong negative tendencies, such as a bad temper, putting my needs over those of others, quick reactivity, and a loose mouth without regard to how my words hurt others. (Read More)

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The Spiritual Family's New Year Resolutions

All my life I procrastinated by not doing many small and a few big things in life. The main reason I procrastinated was my fear of failure- fear of losing what I had and fear of getting what I didn't want. Yet Divine Mother Audrey and Divine Mother have been so gracious to give me a wonderful taste of the joy and inner peace that comes through accepting all that happens in life, even losing my job. As a result, my new year resolution is to be proactive in daily life to practice love and devotion to God by doing small and big things cheerfully, thoroughly, quickly, and with humility.
Brent Kunimoto   

Make God first and love Him. Practice humility, acceptance and flexibility. Take responsibility. Speak the truth with love and compassion. Share Divine Mother Audrey's infinite Love with everyone.
Cheryl Asato   

I resolve to choose love in each moment.
Casey Herrera   

To practice forgiveness and to see God's hand in every moment of my life.
Alan Suemori   

To have Divine Mother and Divine Mother Audrey with me in my daily life.
Walter Oshiro   

Read More