The Substance of Things Hoped For My first job, upon arriving in Rome, was in real estate. The employer was a posh American lady, in her late sixties and as tough as nails, working in partnership with her ambitious, competitive daughter. In the Eternal City, the two ladies had been able to smell an opportunity in the business of selling and renting houses and apartments to the international community of … Read More
Love: Human And Divine How many loved your moments of glad grace, And loved your beauty with love false or true, But one man loved the pilgrim soul in you, And loved the sorrows of your changing face. – William Butler Yeats Americans often finish their phone calls with relatives by saying “Love you!” These two words, or three (“I … Read More
Mother Of Us All Our neighbor’s car door was badly scratched. The householder, a dentist, had sandpapered the damaged area on the driver-side door, but that had only served to highlight the need for the whole door to be repainted. The little boy I was at that time, normally inattentive to concerns about cars, couldn’t help but notice the big … Read More
Swami Kriyananda, the first all-round Dwapara Yuga leader An institution is the lengthened shadow of one man. Never could I read Emerson’s aphorism, oft quoted by Swami Kriyananda, without a feeling of heavy resistance rising within my heart. It may have been the result of my Dutch mindset, in which every form of determined, visionary leadership smacks of authoritarianism and, … Read More
The Devoted Heart Long ago my youngest son, age five at that time, asked me, out of the blue: “Dad, do you exist?” “Yes,” I responded, without thinking. The answer, I now think, was just as interesting as the question, coming out of the mouth of a little child. What made it interesting was its immediacy. Of course I exist! A … Read More
The Steady Heart In his early teens, my father was a fervent opponent of European colonialism in what was then called “the Dutch Indies” — an archipelago which, like a garland of emeralds, winds about the equator. Not surprisingly, his views also opposed those of my grandfather, who was of the opinion that “we (the Netherlands) simply cannot afford to … Read More
In my early forties, quite unexpectedly, I felt propelled to have my Dutch university degree recognized here in Italy. I immediately acted upon this unforeseen objective and fearlessly challenged the labyrinth of this country’s bureaucracy. Finally I was told that, in order to get what I wanted, I had to pay a year’s university fee, take three additional exams, and … Read More
Introduction The seed of Self-realization lies buried in man’s consciousness. It is the natural love of the heart, waiting to be awakened by man’s willingness to turn his attention within and seek connection with his own Spirit. It’s not necessarily an easy path to travel by: sometimes winding and uphill, other times straight and smooth; sometimes bright and tranquil, other … Read More
Years ago I was involved in the founding of an Ananda center in Rome. Although I scarcely had any prior experience with starting a facility like that, my enthusiasm was intense and sincere. It was not always kept under control though. Yogananda encourages us to interiorize our spiritual enthusiasm so that we might apply it judiciously. Properly used and placed, … Read More
When I was in my late teens I made an unpleasant discovery: I had a fear of banks. In itself this needn’t have been a problem. But my friends and I were travelling in foreign countries, and the special checks that I was carrying needed my signature within a bank in order to be cashed. Those blurred lines that my … Read More
A major karmic challenge in this life arose during my early school years. One day a boy emerged from a large group of children playing in the schoolyard. He walked over to me and said, “We are friends.” His announcement was accompanied by a rather fierce handshake. He told me his name was Edmund. The friendship that ensued for Edmund … Read More
There was a period in my life, sometime during my mid-twenties, when I was despondent because my girlfriend had left me.I simply couldn’t comprehend how and why this had happened – and so unexpectedly! Maybe the deep bond that I felt with her had eclipsed my awareness of residual effects of traumas of her dysfunctional childhood. Maybe she could already … Read More
