. Dreams

. Dreams touch every level of our life. They may let us glimpse the future, or give suggestions for healing, or share insights into our relationships. Above all, they can and will steer us more directly toward God.

. Sri Harold Klemp
. The Art of Spiritual Dreaming


. . Soul Never Sleeps

. Soul never sleeps. It is a unit of awareness. While the body sleeps, the consciousness of Soul is awake. The memory of this experience is often called a dream.
. Dreams are as real and vivid as the waking state. They simply occur on a different plane of existence. The reason so many of our dreams are confusing is that our memory becomes distorted. Upon waking, the dream experience is run through the dream censor, a function of our own mind, and we remember only pieces of the event. Or the dream is camouflage with symbols because of our discomfort or lack of understanding.



ECKANKAR Ancient Wisdom for Today
Sri Harold Klemp
The Mahanta the Living ECK Master

. WHY REMEMBER PAST LIVES?
.
. We need to understand that the challenges we face today involve all sorts of past-life experiences. Once we gain awareness of these links to other lives, it's possible to handle our challenges in a better way this time around. We can end a chain of karma that has hung on for centuries.



Past Lives, Dreams and Soul Travel
Sri Harold Klemp
The Mahanta, the Living ECK Master

. We are an atom in the Ocean of Love and Mercy, but we are not the only atom. If we were, there would be no Ocean. We are important only because all other Souls are important. We are equally important before God, the Sugmad. Because if one Soul isn't, then none of them are. But if one is, then all are.



The Dream Master
Sri Harold Klemp
The Mahanta, the Living ECK Master

. DREAMS ARE MEMORIES
.
. Dreams are not merely symbolic messages from the subconscious, though many people accept them only in that way. Dreams may have symbolic messages, but only at the most superficial level. All the books listing thousands of dream symbols make much ado about nothing. Symbols are but the surface of the experience.
. The dream world is actually an imperfectly remembered Soul Travel experience. When the memory is not very vivid, we call it dream.
. This is why I have linked Soul Travel and dream travel so closely together. Basically they are the same thing. They are not dreams, and they are not really Soul Travel. They are your experiences of life in greater worlds. And this is actually the best definition of Soul Travel: Your experiences of life in the spiritual dimensions, in the greater worlds of God.
. Unless you have the experience yourself, you can't really understand what it is all about. But these inner experiences are as important in gaining wisdom, knowledge, and understanding as any experience here on earth.



The Dream Master
Sri Harold Klemp
The Mahanta, the Living ECK Master

. THE UNIVERSAL NATURE OF DREAMS
.
. This is why the Mahanta, the Living ECK Master of any age tries to find ways to help people who are on the borderline of orthodox thought and seeking the real truth. He tries to help them explore the inner worlds so that they can gain more wisdom and freedom. This is part of spiritual liberation. It is part of the package of God Consciousness - to be fully, universally aware of your own worlds at all hours of the day and night.
. Along the way you have experiences that give you an understanding of the apparent mysteries that occur in everyday living. What is death? Why are some children so smart when they're only four or five years old? Why are some adults so ignorant at fifty and sixty years of age? These"mysteries" are revealed through an understanding of reincarnation and karma: How much experience has that Soul gained, or not gained, in previous lifetimes?



The Dream Master
Sri Harold Klemp
The Mahanta, the Living ECK Master

. GETTING TO KNOW YOURSELF
.
. As you advance in your study of dreams and in your understanding of life, you gain a better knowledge of who and what you, yourself, are. In the process, you also gain a greater understanding of other people - who they are and why they act as they do.
. A person with little or no spiritual awareness will not consider these things very important. "What's so great about that?" he'll say. I've got a new car, a new home, and I'm at the head of this or that board of directors. This is what life's all about. But like the symbols in the dreams, this is only part of what life is all about.



The Dream Master
Sri Harold Klemp
The Mahanta, the Living ECK Master

. . We Are Responsible

. ECKankar teaches us to be responsible. On a physical level, this means we make every effort to support ourselves. On a spiritual level, this means we earn our own state of consciousness.
. This seems illogical if we view only one life at a time. In a single life we suffer or are blessed for no apparent reason. God seems arbitrary and random. The ECK principle of spiritual responsibility makes more sense as we accept the principles of Karma and reincarnation. Reincarnation teaches that we are born again and again until we learn the spiritual lessons of life. The Law of Karma ensures that we link our behaviour with its inevitable results. We reap in one life what we have sown in another.
. If we impede the development of another human being, we will incur a karmic debt. By our actions, it's clear we haven't yet learned the Law of Love. The debt will have to be paid, and a lesson will have to be learned. The suffering which may follow is not the act of a vengeful God. We are just reaping what we have sown. It is the loving God which helps each Soul develop Its highest spiritual potential through experience.
. Perhaps the most serious of Karmic infractions is to misuse spiritual power for personal gain. History brims with examples of those who used psychic insight for personal advancement. False teachers have incurred a debt to their followers and at some point, that debt must be paid.



ECKANKAR Ancient Wisdom for Today
Sri Harold Klemp
The Mahanta the Living ECK Master

. Heaven Exists On Other Planes

. When the physical body dies, Soul continues to exist on the other planes of God. Soul may stay on these other planes for a day, a thousand years, or more. This is dependent on Soul's mission, Its karmic obligation, and Its level of spiritual unfoldment. For many, this in-between time is heaven. The Astral Plane, for example, has sections which resemble all of the heavens described in the major religious traditions. You might find Saint Peter and the pearly gates, or the happy hunting grounds, or even visit the palace of Zeus or Jupiter. On the Astral Plane you find what you expect, what you hope for, or what you fear.



ECKANKAR Ancient Wisdom for Today
Sri Harold Klemp
The Mahanta the Living ECK Master

. Reincarnation Helps Explain Aspects of Our
. . Personalities
. Reincarnation provides an explanation for various elements of our personality. Why does a young child show great musical talent when his parents have none? The reason could be that these talents were developed in a previous life and a subtle memory persists.
. If the awareness of Soul is maintained, living in the physical world can be joyous. However, members of ECKankar aspire to spiritual freedom. This means they may choose to reincarnate but are not compelled to do so. The Mahanta can guide Soul out of the worlds of illusion and help It rise above the Laws of Karma and Reincarnation.



ECKANKAR Ancient Wisdom for Today
Sri Harold Klemp
The Mahanta the Living ECK Master

. Consciousness Has to Be Earned Moment to Moment


. Of course, obtaining the Fifth Initiation in Eckankar does not guarantee spiritual balance or understanding. Consciousness always has to be earned moment to moment. Regardless of spiritual statue, a person can become confused, experience a spiritual setback, and have to start on the path again. The road becomes narrower as we move into the higher worlds. With greater spiritual freedom comes greater responsibility and accountability.


ECKANKAR Ancient Wisdom for Today
Sri Harold Klemp
The Mahanta the Living ECK Master

. Experience Teaches Us

. Experience teaches us. When a lesson is learned, particularly a spiritual lesson, we no longer need the experience. The karma is finished. We can move on to the next step. This is not absolution or forgiveness. It is spiritual growth.



ECKANKAR Ancient Wisdom for Today
Sri Harold Klemp
The Mahanta the Living ECK Master

. Harold Klemp's Link with a Long Line of Living ECK Masters

. The present Living ECK Master, Harold Klemp, studied under Paul Twitchell, who studied under numerous teachers, including the Tibetan Rebazar Tarzs. This unbroken chain reaches back through time. There have been countless ECK Masters in this lineage. Some have been historical figures, but most have worked silently or with small groups.


ECKANKAR Ancient Wisdom for Today
Sri Harold Klemp
The Mahanta the Living ECK Master

Spirit will begin to heal only if you are willing
to first help yourself.


—Harold Klemp

The Language of Soul

. The Living ECK Master Belongs to the Order of Vairagi, Providing Guidance Home to God

. When the Living ECK Master steps down from his position, he usually takes on a different mission in the heavenly hierarchy. Shamus-i-Tabriz, who served as the Living ECK Master over four hundred years ago, now teaches in a wisdom temple on one of the other planes.
. The brotherhood of ECK Masters are members of the Order of the Vairagi. The Sanskrit word vairagi means"detached." These Masters are detached from the passions of this world. Their only mission is to guide Soul home to God. They do not have a social agenda and usually stay away from political and other causes. Through the Spiritual Exercises of ECK, many ECKist work with some of these ECK Masters.


ECKANKAR Ancient Wisdom for Today
Sri Harold Klemp
The Mahanta the Living ECK Master

. All Life Is Cyclical

. The ECK-Vidya teaches us that all of life can be divided into cycles. These cyclical patterns have their origins in the ECK, or Holy Spirit. Daily cycles are contained within monthly cycles, monthly within yearly, and so on. Because we understand earthly, physical cycles, we can predict when the moon will again be full. This would seem like a miracle to someone unfamiliar with the movement of the earth around the sun and the moon around the earth.
. It is the same with spiritual cycles. All life is governed by spiritual cycles, and the ECK-Vidya adept comes to understand them. Prophecy becomes a natural talent. The cycles governing ideas, nations, and individuals become more clear.


ECKANKAR Ancient Wisdom for Today
Sri Harold Klemp
The Mahanta the Living ECK Master

. Gain Spiritual Understanding From the
. Temples of Golden Wisdom

. Often we can gain wisdom and spiritual understanding by visiting Temples of Golden Wisdom. There are Temples on each plane, each with an ECK Master serving as the guardian of the Shariyat-Ki-Sugmad, the holy scriptures of ECK. Most notable on the Physical Plane are the Katsupari Monastery in Tibet (Fubbi Quantz, guardian); the Gare-Hira Temple at Agam Des in the Hindu Kush mountains (Yaul Sacabi, guardian); the Faqiti Monastery in the Gobi Desert, (Banjani, guardian); and the Temple of ECK in Chanhassen, Minnesota (Harold Klemp, guardian). The sound of the physical Plane is often heard as thunder.

. The Astral Plane

. As you dream, you may spend a great deal of time in a more refined state of consciousness called the Astral Plane. Your Astral body is lighter and functions at a higher vibration. The Astral is the source of human emotion, psychic phenomena, ghosts, and UFOs. The Astral Plane is also home for most humans upon the death of their physical body.
. The Astral Plane is much larger and more beautiful than the Physical Plane and often mistaken for man's final resting place, or heaven. The spiritual beings who reside there seem angelic by earth's standards, and the rules of the Astral Plane appear as gods to those unfamiliar with the planes above the Astral.
. This is the highest plane reached by those practicing astral projection and most occult sciences. Askleposis, the Temple of Golden Wisdom on this plane, is located in Sahasra-dal-Kanwal (Gopal Das, guardian). You can often recognize the Astral Plane by the sound of the roaring sea.


ECKANKAR Ancient Wisdom for Today
Sri Harold Klemp
The Mahanta the Living ECK Master

. The Causal Plane

. Memories of past lives are stored on the next higher plane of existence, the Causal Plane. If you are looking for the seeds of your current life, you could visit the Causal Plane and read the Akashic records. The Causal Plane contains more spiritual matter than does the Physical, but it is still governed by the laws of duality. The Sakapori Temple of Golden Wisdom is located here in the city of Honu, and the guardian of the Shariyat-Ki-Sugmad there is Shamus-i-Tabriz. You can recognize the Causal Plane by the sound of tinkling bells.
. As you travel into a higher state of consciousness, the magnificence of what you behold can be overwhelming. This in itself can be a trap, because the temptation to linger is strong. The impression is always that you have reached the highest state. This is why the Mahanta, the Inner Master, is so important. He will always be near to give you a little nudge, to remind you to continue on your spiritual journey.



ECKANKAR Ancient Wisdom for Today
Sri Harold Klemp
The Mahanta the Living ECK Master

. The Mental Plane

. The source of the mind and its constructs-philosophy, ethics, and moral teachings - is the Mental Plane. It is a grand place populated by advanced spiritual beings. The word Aum, chanted by those in many religious groups, originates from the Mental Plane. Although this is a very spiritual plane, residents of this plane are still subjected to reincarnation. This is because the Mental Plane is still part of the lower worlds.
. To pass into the true spiritual planes, we must drop the mind. Soul uses the mind as a tool but cannot be guided by it. The mind cannot understand the true nature of God. God can only be experienced, the descriptions of God are most often inaccurate because they depend on the power of the mind.
. The Temple of Namayatan, the Temple of Golden Wisdom on this plane, is located in the city of Mer Kailash, and the guardian is the Koji Chanda. You can recognize the Mental Plane by the sound of running water.



ECKANKAR Ancient Wisdom for Today
Sri Harold Klemp
The Mahanta the Living ECK Master

. The Etheric Plane

. Marking the border between the low and higher worlds of Divine Spirit is the Etheric Plane. This is the source of our primitive thoughts and the subconscious. The Dayaka Temple of Golden Wisdom is located here in the city of Arhirit, and the guardian of the Shariyat-Ki-Sugmad is Lai Tsi. You can recognize the Etheric Plane by the sound of buzzing bees.
. As you unfold spiritually, you'll travel through the various God Worlds of ECK. This journey will be a unique experience because we are all individuals, each at a different point in our unfoldment.


ECKANKAR Ancient Wisdom for Today
Sri Harold Klemp
The Mahanta the Living ECK Master

. Love

. The very heart of the doctrine of ECK is love. This love is that divine essence which unites all Souls. The higher Soul goes into the other worlds the greater this becomes. Love is the bond which holds the worlds together.

.

. The Shariyat-Ki-Sugmad.
. . Book One

. Love Is Simple

. In Cloak of consciousness, Harold Klemp says, "It is no secret that the power of love is stronger than the power of the mind. The mind enjoys little games and psychic adventures, such as the use of crystal power. Someone who wants the God Consciousness no longer cares for these things. We care about the Light and Sound of God. For this one must have the Golden Heart, which means a heart filled with love.



ECKANKAR Ancient Wisdom for Today
Sri Harold Klemp
The Mahanta the Living ECK Master

. Know Greater Love Through the Golden
. Heart

. The key to love is the Golden Heart. If you have it, it is very easy to Soul Travel. Let's take a moment to look within and experience the radiant love of the Golden Heart.
. Begin to visualize a growing, golden light surrounding you. It may be very subtle at first. It embraces you, flows with you.
. Soon you are riding currents of light into the vastness of the cosmic sea. A place you've long forgotten. It's a place deep within your inner being, the dwelling place of Soul.
. Now your consciousness settles on the surface of the sea. Now the sea of love and light begins to emanate from you, expanding. It's deeper than the mind can conceive. You've moved beyond the regions of space and time.
. Ever so lightly, you sense a breeze. You hear the sound of a wind from deep within. It creates tiny ripples on the surface of the sea. Suddenly you realize you're experiencing the Light and Sound of God. You can stay here for a while if you choose, basking in the radiant, soothing ocean of Light and love.
. When you're ready, slowly come back. It should be easy enough to speak of this kind of experience, but words often fail us. We can try to share our experience, but it's up to each of us to open up that awareness within ourselves.
. Truth is not gained through observation, it's gained through experience. The path of ECKankar offers each of us the opportunity to open our consciousness and our hearts to greater awareness, to become the Golden Heart. We can each feel the love that passes on from one world to the next, into the higher planes of reality. But the awakening has to start within your heart.



ECKANKAR Ancient Wisdom for Today
Sri Harold Klemp
The Mahanta the Living ECK Master

. The ECK-Vidya

. If you are open to the Holy Spirit, you will find truth coming to you through the actions and words of other people. This is a facet of the ECK-Vidya, the ancient science of prophecy. I call it the Golden-tongue Wisdom.
. When God speaks to you through others, the words may even come via the electronic media.... Suddenly a sentence pops out that is precisely for you. It may mean nothing to anyone else, but for you it has a significant meaning.


Sri Harold Klemp
The Drumbeat of Time

. All Life Is Cyclical

. The ECK-Vidya teaches us that all of life can be divided into cycles. These cyclical patterns have their origins in the ECK, or Holy Spirit. Daily cycles are contained within monthly cycles, monthly within yearly, and so on. Because we understand earthly, physical cycles, we can predict when the moon will again be full. This would seem like a miracle to someone unfamiliar with the movement of the earth around the sun and the moon around the earth.
. It is the same with spiritual cycles. All life is governed by spiritual cycles, and the ECK-Vidya adept comes to understand them. Prophecy becomes a natural talent. The cycles governing ideas, nations, and individuals become more clear.


ECKANKAR Ancient Wisdom for Today
Sri Harold Klemp
The Mahanta the Living ECK Master

. ECK-Vidya looks into Soul Records-Past, Present, and Future.

. Those trained in the ECK-Vidya are able to delve into the past and future. These adepts can look into the Soul records to understand what has happened and why. They can also look into the future and see what is likely to happen. They can do this because they have come to understand the cycles of life.
. This goes beyond astrology, which is the study of planetary influences only. Planetary influences are often overwhelmed by other spiritual forces at work. Knowledge gained from astrology originates from the Astral Plane, only one plane above the physical. The same can be said for other psychic procedures, like numerology or channeling.


ECKANKAR Ancient Wisdom for Today
Sri Harold Klemp
The Mahanta the Living ECK Master

This Is a Warring Planet but That's Ok

. What does the future hold? Unfortunately for those utopians who believe we can have heaven on earth, our planet is a warring planet. Any period of peace will be followed by one of conflict. It is the nature of the lower worlds to have life and death, joy and suffering. The only way we can have heaven on earth is if our consciousness resides on the Soul Plane. Though we are in a physical body, our attention is on the love of God. Thus we are in this world, but not of it



ECKANKAR Ancient Wisdom for Today
Sri Harold Klemp
The Mahanta the Living ECK Master

. Never Use Knowledge to Manipulate Others

. The ECK-Vidya has identified the various cycles which govern man's life here on earth. The responsibility of working with the ECK-Vidya is great, because the information gained can be so easily misused. Many people would be knocked out of balance if they knew what was going to happen to future generations. Others would try to take the information and use it for their personal financial advantage. A rule of Divine Spirit is that we must never use our knowledge to control or manipulate others.



ECKANKAR Ancient Wisdom for Today
Sri Harold Klemp
The Mahanta the Living ECK Master

. . DIVINE EVOLUTION
.
. Death is a doorway, a transition into the inner worlds. Birth and death mark the journey of Soul. The translation, or movement, from one stage of experience to another is but a further step on Soul's journey home to God.
. The great fear behind all fears is the fear of death. Death is such an absolute term. It means that's the end of everything. That's how people think of death. But if we look at the spiritual matter of the death of the physical body, we in Eckankar prefer the term translation; we say someone has translated.
. Think of it in terms of translating one language to another - like from English into German, or from German into English or French. The meaning and content, the essence, is the same. Likewise, Soul is the same and can carry Its body of knowledge from one lifetime into another.
. The purpose of the ECK Teachings is to make you aware of yourself as Soul. You begin to realize your ability to move beyond the physical body even while you are still alive in the body. When Saint Paul said, "I die daily," he referred to this process. It is similar to death in that in the Soul body, one actually leaves the physical body to take a look at the worlds beyond.
. Here one gains confidence and courage and becomes acquainted with the other worlds, so that when the time comes, Soul moves through the transition very smoothly, very naturally. Death loses its sting; the grave loses its victory.


Spiritual Wisdom on Life After Death
Sri Harold Klemp
The Mahanta, the Living ECK Master

. REINCARNATION CLEARS UP MYSTERIES

. Many people don't understand there is a reason for inequalities. Why some people are born as geniuses and others as slow learners.
. Some have been here many lifetimes. Musicians, for example, may have practiced for lifetimes before this one. They pick up their interest in music when they come back. People call them geniuses, and they think it's a big mystery how Mozart could possibly play piano at age of four.
. Reincarnation clears up a lot of mysteries. This is part of what Eckankar has to offer you. Yet beyond reincarnation and karma (cause and effect), which are part of our teachings, there is something more.
. This something more is divine love.

. SOUL EXISTS BECAUSE GOD LOVES IT

. That is why there is no such thing as eternal death. The teachings of Eckankar give hope to people who have no hope.
. How do you get off the wheel of karma?
. You're going to have to go through your lessons until the experiences of life give you the wisdom, love, and understanding that you need to someday take a step higher on the spiritual ladder and ultimately become a Co-worker with God.
. This is the goal in ECK: To become a Co-worker with God.



Spiritual Wisdom on Life After Death
Sri Harold Klemp
The Mahanta, the Living ECK Master

. Initiations Links Soul to the Audible Life Stream

. The ECK is the essence of Sugmad, or God. It flows from the Creator down into the lower worlds and then returns again to the Source. It supports and sustains all life. Over the centuries It has been given many names. The Holy Spirit, Holy Ghost, Logos, the Word, Divine Spirit, the Bani, and the Vadan are a few of these names. Many religious traditions refer to the ECK in some way.
. Divine Spirit is also called the Audible Life Stream, because It can be experienced audibly, as Sound. It is awareness of this Sound that distinguishes Eckankar from many other religions. When Soul is ready, the Mahanta links It with this Sound. This allows Soul to travel at Its own pace back to God.
. As individuals progress spiritually, they become eligible for further initiations. Each initiation strengthens the bond of love between the individual and God.



ECKANKAR Ancient Wisdom for Today
Sri Harold Klemp
The Mahanta the Living ECK Master

. Each of Us Enters Eckankar with a Different State of Consciousness

. Harold Klemp says in How to Survive Spiritually in Our Times, "Your ECK initiation can open the window of heaven. Your state of consciousness means nothing more than your state of acceptance."
. Each of us enters the path of ECKankar with a different state of consciousness. Our own level of unfoldment depends on our experience in this life and in previous incarnations. Some have studied the ECK teachings in past lives and therefore take to the path quite easily. For others it may be their first contact with the teachings of Light and Sound, and they may feel more comfortable proceeding slowly.



ECKANKAR Ancient Wisdom for Today
Sri Harold Klemp
The Mahanta the Living ECK Master

. Those who want truth must make the initial effort to find the source of knowledge and to approach it, taking advantage of the help and indications which are given to all, but which people as a rule do not want to see or recognize. Knowledge cannot come to you without effort on your part.
. Strangely, most persons feel that truth can be given to them without much effort. However, this is a wrong attitude for great knowledge is not easy to gather to one's self.
. Many times an individual's independent effort will attain him nothing. It is usually gained through those who already possess it. One should learn from those who know.


Sri Paul Twitchell
The Flute of God