Honoring Maharishi Mahesh Yogi

Honoring Maharishi Mahesh Yogi
(First Published February 6, 2008)
It is with great sadness and simultaneously with deep love and appreciation in my heart that I tell you of the passing of Maharishi Mahesh Yogi on February 5. Those of you who practice TM might honor Maharishi by remembering him in the last two minutes of your TM practice. 

I attended a lecture to learn about TM on January 23, 1974. At that time, I had finished my doctorate at the University of Chicago in interdisciplinary studies and was a licensed Psychologist in Illinois. Yet, despite all this education, I felt I still needed to access some deep knowledge. An advertisement in my local newspaper caught my attention. I attended a free lecture on January 23, 1974 at 7:30 pm. The information I heard so profoundly impressed me that I was initiated as a meditator on January 27, 1974 @ 11:10 am in Chicago, Illinois.

Learning to meditate using TM continues to be one of the most valuable experiences of my life and is the most endurable technique of meditation for me (I have studied and used many other techniques since 1974 in addition to TM). Through the years, I studied advanced techniques of TM and continue to recommend it in my professional practice. Maharishi brought the widespread practice of meditation into Western life through his innovative approach to meditating - making it easy, natural and integrating it into an active Western life style.

For the May 5-12, 2007 Daily Report Weekly Commentary I spoke about Maharishi and his contribution to our current times. I said,

We continue in a cosmic pattern of individual sensitivity toward the collective well being of each other and to the planet. The increased awareness everyone seems to have regarding issues such as global warming and food safety reflects this cosmic pattern. Humans have the unique capacity to change their reality and thus, to change the world. Consider your own life as the microcosm of the macrocosm, i.e., you as one person reflect some aspect of all others. Project positive creative energy toward solutions rather than engaging in the fear that underlies alarmist fatalistic projections. The healthier, happier, and wealthier you are on all layers of your being, the more that sense of abundance radiates to others.

Early in the Transcendental Meditation movement, Maharishi Mahesh Yogi maintained that when a certain percentage of a population in an area meditated, the crime and violence in that area decreased. As a student attending the University of Chicago and living in Hyde Park, I was acutely aware of the high crime rate in this area of Chicago. Thus, I was pleasantly surprised to note that when the Transcendental Meditation Center opened in my neighborhood, the crime rate dramatically decreased as Maharishi said it would. This drop in crime rate was reported in the neighborhood and also by Chicago newspapers. Of course, the media and police statisticians had little idea what caused the shift, but as a practitioner of Transcendental Meditation, I understood.

I urge all of my readers to check out the study recently reported by Maharishi University of Management located at: http://www.mum.edu/worldpeace/research.html. The opening paragraph says,

The unique effectiveness of Maharishi’s Unified Field-Based Approach to Defense in preventing social violence, terrorism, and war has been confirmed by more than 50 demonstrations and 23 scientific studies. This research has been carefully scrutinized by independent scholars and accepted for publication in top academic journals (see references). In every case, this approach produced marked reductions of crime, social violence, terrorism, and war, and increased peace and positivity in society.

I find the report especially enlightening since we are in a period of time when the cosmic patterns challenge each of us to take responsibility for our own change. When you resist change, you experience disharmony on the outer plane. When you tune in deeply to your own process in order to find the balance that aligns you with your own position and flow in the scheme of things, you find the outer ease to facilitate change in your life. From this place balance your inner and outer life. Things will seem to “fall into place” in your reality world.

Marharishi’s contribution to global consciousness is immeasurable. He brought inner peace to many at a time of strife and change. At the same time, he introduced and initiated concepts and practices from Eastern thought into the Western Mind transcending the limitations of culture and bringing the depth of the Self into manifesting form with beauty, naturalness, and grace. J’ai Guru Dev.

In Loving Light,

Eleanor Haspel-Portner, Ph.D.
Licensed Psychologist (Psy5297) & Master Coach

About the Author
Eleanor Haspel-Portner, Ph.D. passionately brings together esoteric wisdom and scientific discovery in Noble Sciences Sacred Synthesis™. She received her Ph.D. from The University of Chicago, Department of Comparative Human Development. Eleanor uniquely integrates her background and training in the Social Sciences (psychology, biology, anthropology, sociology) with a wide array of esoteric and traditional scientific studies.
Through the principles and tools she developed and validated at Noble Sciences, Eleanor helps people transform their lives. Beginning her private practice work as a clinical psychologist in 1974 (License: Psy5297) and as a masterful coach, Eleanor has worked with thousands of individuals, couples, and groups to synthesize life experiences in practical ways for living healthy, successful, and creatively fulfilling lives. She published her first book, Marriage in Trouble: A Time of Decision in 1976 and has published extensively since.

Eleanor’s professional memberships include: American Psychological Association, Southern California Society for Clinical Hypnosis (Board Member & Faculty), American Society for Clinical Hypnosis (ASCH Approved Consultant), Diplomate & Certified Relationship Specialist of the American Psychotherapy Association, Relationship Coaching Institute, International Coach Federation, Professional Coach and Mentor Association, International Association of Coaching, Reiki Alliance, and American Federation of Astrologers.

Most recently Eleanor’s writings can be accessed through her websites including www.noblesciences.com, www.consciouslifechoices, and www.dreleanorhaspel-portner.com. Email Eleanor at: ehp@noblescience.com, or call her at: (310) 230-7787.
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