Reflections on the role of a Yogi in the modern world.

The ancient wisdom of yogis once held a revered place in society, supported and uplifted by the community. Today, as a spiritual guide, I find myself threading the needle between upholding these rich teachings and adapting to the rapid currents of Western life. In our latest episode, we venture through a tapestry of science, psychology, art, and beyond, revealing how each strand weaves into the collective spiritual evolution of our species. It's an exploration of how we, as caretakers of this ancient practice, can influence the very foundations of our educational, political, and economic systems for a future that embraces holistic growth.

Recently, I had the privilege of engaging in a thought-provoking dialogue on the Wisdom platform, an experience that illuminated the profound effects of open-minded conversations. As we shared insights and perspectives, the boundary between the spiritual and the scientific became a fertile ground for new ideas, impacting sectors from finance to personal well-being. This episode is a reflection on these transformative discussions and the importance of inclusivity and freedom from judgment as we pave the way for an enlightened society. Tune in for a contemplative session that promises to enrich your understanding and commitment to the progress of human consciousness.

Chapters

• 1:01 The Evolution of Spiritual Exploration
• 18:26 Evolution Through Open-Minded Conversations

Transcript

Speaker 1: 1:01

These are the pages of diary, footsteps in the sand, revelations, epiphanies, impressions, and experiences. A personal exploration into the spiritual evolution of humanity from duality to union. I am Penny Franton, and I am the host of the podcast, reflections upon our path to union. I'm an economist, esotericist, the Josephist Mystic Oculptist and Yogi, and this is my personal journey upon the path of spiritual exploration. So what have I been reflecting on recently? What really struck me this afternoon? And what I realized is one of the most important things about being a modern yogi is the difference between what it must have been like in ancient times as a yogi centuries ago, when they were living in a culture that supported and valued someone who was spiritually wiser. They were able to exist independently of what the modern western world requires of a yogi today. They would have had students who took care of the house for them. They would have had people in the area, bringing the food, which was prepared by their students. Of course, not every wise person lived this way, some chose a a life on the road, but in general, that was what the life of a spiritual teacher would have been like centuries ago. And to some extent, it survives today in more eastern cultures and countries. And in fact, there's one or two centers here in the UK where that still happens. So I was contemplating the difference between how they existed then, aware of things that were happening within the world around them, but not aware of the greater world as we are today. In this modern world and especially the modern western world, That lifestyle is no longer possible. And I'm not a great author. I'm not a great speaker. I didn't focus upon the New Age circuits in the nineteen eighties. I haven't written the spiritual books such recognized personalities of those times have done. I just live a very ordinary normal life but in an extraordinary way. And due to the internet and the pressures of having to understand the modern world in which we live, the extent of my interests extends far beyond what a yogi would be aware of many centuries ago. I realize that I'm interested in so many different things. Science, art, nature sport, psychology philosophy, history and geography even, you name it. But there is one thing in common with all my interests. And that is how it is reflected within the spiritual evolution of humanity as a whole. And that is what really excites me. For example, I followed the trend of psychology and how it's evolving, how it's starting to take into account, even if it isn't called spirituality, someone's purpose in life? Are they fulfilling a purpose in life? Do they feel fulfilled? And how does that affect their personality and their life? So psychology is evolving to take into account a divine connection if you like or an involvement of the divine in your life. Even if they don't use the word divine, there is a strong emphasis upon your connection to a greater whole whether that be your family or community or more. It's considered really important now in psychology and in mental health across the board this connection with others, the connection with a greater group, the connection with community. I find that fascinating. And again, I watch the growth of psychology. From that perspective of how does this reflect in the evolution of humanity as a whole? I'm also really interested in science, and a lot of people would not equate that interest with someone who lives a spiritual lifestyle However, as science evolves and grows, what really fascinates me is how it begins as well to show similarities with thoughts and philosophies of ancient wisdom and ancient spiritual belief systems, and how the one is becoming closer to the other. How one reflects the other. In many cases, perhaps it's just a difference in language. And again, it's fascinating to watch this growth, this evolution. Science and its impact upon humanity and the evolution of humanity. How is it going to change the future for the lives of humanity as a whole? So as a yogi, it's not just all about spiritual belief systems. It's inclusive of so many different things. It also includes knowledge and study of just about everything for Example, educational systems. Economics, politics, art, ecology. Everything now has for me a spiritual understanding in terms of how it's evolving and how that evolution is affecting humanity as a whole. The other aspect of being a yogi is part of our overall purpose. And that is to use our imagination to create thought forms of what the potential of the future for humanity would be. We are really interested in envisioning alternatives to everything. What is an alternative form of education? How can we evolve and change the educational system. How do we change and evolve up a political system so that it will best help and aid a spiritual evolution for humanity. How do we change the economic systems, the distribution of resources worldwide? Etcetera. So being a yogi is not just sitting in an ice ram, contemplating, meditating, and teaching your students about the spiritual aspects of the world. It's about being in and amongst the whole world understanding every aspect of life, the evolution of humanity as a whole. And it's a huge undertaking, and I will never grasp but the simplest and first principles of some of the subjects that I love to study. However, what I do love is the way all the different aspects and subjects that I study all interlinked and support each other or could support each other in the evolution of humanity as a whole. So being a yodie is no longer being separate from the human race, being separate from the normal life of a human being. It is now to involve and take in and understand every aspect of human society. This is quite a daunting task to be so involved in so many aspects and avenues of discovery. This study and growth in understanding is underpinned or always underpinned by how it may best serve the spiritual evolution of humanity and how it may evolve and change into something that is supportive of the greater good for the greater whole. And this is new for the yogis of today, and it's driven by the modern Western society in which we now find ourselves. Forty, fifty years ago, Guros and Masters wrote books. Gave talks, traveled the world, became famous names and made me living as it were from their work and their talks and their lectures. Nowadays, that growth, development, and level of awareness is available to everyone, to anyone. Someone who starts to gain control over their emotions and clear them, to gain control over their thought patterns and clear them, to start meditating and use certain spiritual practices, and in this way, anyone can attain a level of spiritual awareness today. And this is what's so exciting watching this knowledge, this experience rippling outwards, from it just being the various few across the world to the exploration in the eighties of so many different authors and New Age thinkers, and now it has taken a broader step forward, rippling out into the potential for anyone to experience a greater spiritual awareness and understanding. And it's really exciting to watch because for me as a yogi, a theosophist, and a conist, this is the evolution of humanity. This is the next step for humanity. The concept that humanity's next step in evolution is a connection to a level of consciousness beyond that of the mind, beyond that of the personality. For one to the better term, I call it, soul consciousness. And all the ancient wisdoms and theosophies agree that this is the next level in human evolution, a connection to the next level of consciousness. However, I'm not talking about what I term lower psychism. I'm not talking about astral or psychic abilities but something beyond that. There is a growing awareness of that level of psychic development because it is a side effect of the overall spiritual development of humanity. However, it's important that people are aware that it is a side effect and not to be caught up in the glamour of lower psychism. I've taught many students as a spiritual mentor, and many of them come to me with psychic gifts. But they're so caught up in what they've experiencing at an astral level like amazing visions and talking to spirits and entities on the inner planes. However, they term it, but they come to me thinking that this is a huge evolution for them. That they are amazing high level spiritual people. But it's only a side effect of the growing awareness and connection to an even higher level of consciousness. And yet, it is so easy to get caught up into and to be distracted from the real evolution beyond these distractions. So don't take it on faith, but that message you received from a psychic is going to be true or is going to happen or is even vitally important for your spiritual development. Beings upon the astral planes are not highly spiritually developed, and actually have their own interests at heart and will delude and try to motivate the person that they're trying to contact in a way that suits them. And it has nothing to do with your spiritual development at all. It's just like meeting another human being and having a conversation with them. And what's their intention? What's their motivation in telling you something or teaching you something? It's no different. The difference starts to come when you connect to soul consciousness, which is that awareness, which is beyond the human mind and then you literally get beyond the personality, beyond the motivations of that personality. And that is when you start to get pure knowledge and pure intuition. At this level of awareness, you will experience what some people call bliss or a piece that passive understanding because basically you've gone beyond all your thought patterns and emotional behavioral patterns. Even the concept of time ceases as well and you exist in the eternal now, So your whole concept of this second, the next second, what's gonna happen, what has happened, just disappears. And there's absolutely no personality influence or motivation behind what you experience. At a sole consciousness level. So it's always important that when you're receiving guidance through a medium, through a psychic, through taro cards, through whichever means you're employing, that you always start off by doubting it, by questioning it. And then see what happens, but don't necessarily be guided by it. It may simply be or have a motivation that's not helpful for you in your spiritual evolution or it may even be guided by a personality behavioral pattern of your own that you're unaware of at the time. So being a yogi in the modern western world is about not just your expansion into soul consciousness, an existing on that level of consciousness as well as that of the personality, that duality. It's also about simultaneously recognizing how the understanding from this viewpoint is going to support the spiritual growth of humanity as a whole. Exploring it in your own mind, contemplating it in meditation, having conversations with other people, exploring the possibilities of how the development of those ideas and concepts can be brought about, and then building that into real positive and vivid thought forms. In that way, you help humanity to visualize a potential positive future. Rather than being caught up in the difficulties and fears of modern day living, which are there constantly disturbing you emotionally and mentally. But in exploring these avenues, Exploring all these different subjects, these different areas of knowledge, by talking to other people about them, by thinking about how you can improve them, Even if you feel a part of you feels, oh, this is silly. This is impossible. It's never gonna happen. Just by thinking about it. Just by talking about it. Just by holding positive thought forms about it. You are part of the solution rather than part of the problem. The more you fall into fear and anxiety of the problems of modern day living the more you become a part of the problem. The way forward is to start thinking about change. Thinking and holding patterns and thought forms of what might be, and you will draw to you other people who are thinking the same or want to. And it starts a ripple effect. If you can just start the conversation, if you can get people excited about potential for change, If you can start a group of people just talking about how you could change things, then you start a grassroots revolution. And those thought forms will grow into actions and those actions will actually produce change in the evolution of humanity. Take a look at what other groups are focused out there in different areas. Is there a group out there who is discussing a change in politics What are they saying? What are they thinking? Is there a group out there that are thinking about modern science? What's actually happening in modern science? Where is their thought patterns going? Where is their thinking going? And wouldn't it be amazing if there was a platform where we could all bring it together? A platform open minded enough to bring a spiritual yogi in a modern western world together with someone of a scientific mind and to create discussion to see if you could evolve together ideas for the evolution of humanity. Even talk about the growth of business, finance, and money. It's not for Yogi to stand back apart from all these aspects of human life. They are all evolving. Every aspect is evolving. It's all part of humanity. It's all part of modern western life. And needs to start talking to each other without judgment. Not thinking that our truth is the only truth, that our belief system is the only belief system, but that everyone has a point of view and everybody has something positive to bring to the solution. And the wisdom platform is a most incredible platform for bringing that about. And as a yogi in a modern western world, it's such a privilege to be here and to be a part of this. And perhaps in my small, small way, to encourage that growth, that discussion and partake in creating so many positive thought forms for the future. Thank you for listening to this podcast which was based upon our talk given on the Wisdom platform back in September twenty twenty three. I'm very grateful to those that have chosen to support my podcast as this enables me to continue to maintain this platform, my website, create new podcasts and develop a growing online presence. Through other social media platforms as well. Wishing you all much love. And may the light of the soul guide your footsteps.