Why I Do What I Do? By Sr. Jenna, Director, Meditation Museum

In my earlier years, on what I call a predestined spiritual path, I can remember having “out-of-body” experiences, and by “out-of-body” I mean not only the seeing the Light, but also, I coped better with everything that was going on around me. I could deal with folks with whom I just didn't see eye-to-eye, people who were jealous and things that were not necessarily working out the way I wished. But I coped really well, and the amazing thing about these experiences is that I don't recall making effort for them.

These experiences were happening to me simply because, when I was very young, I remembered reading some sheets of paper with the words, "Have the full faith, you are a soul, Remember Me, the Supreme One for all souls, and all your powers and virtues will come back to you."  Imagine that, at the age of 17!  These words walked with me until I was around 25-years old and then it clicked!

But it was not for many years after that so called “click” that I began to question why someone like me would walk a specific path of waking up at 4 a.m., becoming a vegetarian, practicing to consciously sit in silence so I could see myself from inside out, dealing with a myriad of unique personalities, and thinking that I really could contribute something special to human history.  This was a wonder, indeed. For me, to put aside my designer dresses and suits, three luxury cars, a condominium overlooking the Atlantic Ocean and being the one who would turn heads when I entered a room; and now, here I find myself living a life of self-reflection, balanced with service to humanity – such a mystery, as well as, a fortune awakened.

Why did I do it and why do I keep doing it?  Because, it all emerged at the right time I suppose.  But more than that, spirituality made sense, at least the kind of spirituality that found me. It was effective in that I saw results fast, firstly from within myself and then on the outside. My transition was easy and spirituality done with balance - and royalty looked good.  But more than anything, I saw people's lives changing and for the better. They were smiling more.

When I look back at my ownership of two nightclubs, traveling, running a business and moving with all kinds of folks, ranging from the good and some real far away from their goodness shall I say, it all seems so fictional to me.  The realities that I have found far outweigh the more intangible side of life and have been revealed by the proof of inner power and virtues.

As we move closer to a more awakened awareness of consciousness, I am becoming more optimistic that my brothers and sisters in the world will begin to awaken at the right time and realize for themselves that to be alive is such a privilege, an honor, a fortune, a gift.  And if we looked at life as only one lifetime, which many do, it's safe to say it's getting shorter.  That means I have to value every second even more. Am I?  Are you?

Personally, I do believe in more than one lifetime. It's the only way this imbalance and inequality would make sense. Over half of our world population struggles just to survive. That means, perhaps for them, life is hell. It’s not until we start to answer our "whys," can we begin to know how and when to move our lives forward.  Many of our brothers and sisters don't move forward, staying stuck seems to have become the norm, but it’s not. When I started to ask “why,” my world opened up. Like a two-year old who is fascinated to learn all that she sees, she asks, “why, what, how...” because she's ready to move into a future that awaits her. When we become adults, our asking of “whys” reduces because ego says, "I know" and for some, they simply stop asking the important questions in life completely, perhaps they wish not to see the answer. It might make them accountable for their own life's destiny. Some of us just set ourselves into, "Well, I guess this is it" mode and stay there for the rest of our lives where we might
start to blame everyone, even God for not living the life we thought we should.

But another reason behind my "why" is to contribute to the end of suffering. I can only do that when I come to understand the root cause of any type of suffering, within my own being, whether it is mental, physical, financial, or relationships, suffering is rooted in a lack of understanding of the human soul and its relationship to the Supreme Soul. When this simple knowing or memory awakened in me, a whole new world opened up. I've come to realize that when our consciousness changes from living a fictitious lifestyle to a real one, it changes the world around us and this awareness could spread throughout the world where suffering would cease.

Let me clarify “fictitious,” it’s when I begin to stop defining myself based on my possessions, dress, the car I drive, the house I live in, or how people respond or react, and replace my thinking and feeling with the character and virtues of who I stand for from the inside, then my world would have changed from fiction to real. But, it's very subtle.  We are never sure of how deep our fiction has germinated inside until it is threatened or taken away from us.  Based on how we respond to it, we have an opportunity to bear witness, from that place we would understand for ourselves how much reality or fiction we've invested in our life. Let's not wait for that moment. It's time for each and every one of us to be more reflective and begin to ask ourselves the right questions so that we can be guided to the right path where we discover how absolutely bright and powerful we are.  To live less than that, is to give in to a life of illusions.

For more information:  www.meditationmuseum.org