| Paramhansa Yogananda was a great master of yoga. | | | | peace, and astrong sense of divine reassurance." |
| He wrotethe spiritual classic, Autobiography of a Yogi. | | | | It puzzled me why this ground should hold such a |
| Yogananda was a man of great spiritual power. | | | | powerful divineenergy, and I tried to think it through, |
| Through histalks and writings, he changed (and | | | | to reconstruct whathad happened. |
| continues to change) manythousands of lives. He | | | | Back in 1066, William called his military leaders and |
| showed all the signs of enlightenment--of having | | | | theirknights to sail their newly built ships to this spot, |
| achieved the highest state of Self-realization. | | | | along withanyone else he could induce to come: |
| Many people familiar with Yogananda are unaware | | | | Flemish and French soldiers,and mercenaries. |
| that he oftenspoke of a past life of his, a famous | | | | According to the records, at one point Williamhad all |
| past life. He said that in the | | | | the men, ships, horses, supplies, and portable |
| 11th century he had been William the Conqueror--the | | | | castlewalls in place, but then the weather refused to |
| great | | | | cooperate. Thewind was blowing in the wrong |
| Norman Duke and British King. | | | | direction, and it continued thatway for quite some |
| My wife and I traveled twice to Normandy to visit | | | | time. Meanwhile the men sat here waiting. |
| historic sitesrelated to William's life, and felt while | | | | Days and weeks passed by while they waited. |
| meditating there, Yogananda'stransforming spiritual | | | | In the end, they remained in Dives for a month and a |
| blessings. | | | | half. |
| This month I am e-publishing a book that will help | | | | William visited this site often during that period, but |
| others toexperience those same blessings. | | | | stayedmostly at a castle in Bonneville, about ten miles |
| It is titled: Walking with William of Normandy: A | | | | east as theseagulls fly. There, along with his barons, |
| Paramhansa | | | | he fine-tuned hisinvasion plans. But he must have |
| Yogananda Pilgrimage Guide. | | | | been keenly aware of thesituation in the |
| Walking with William contains many photos and maps, | | | | encampment. |
| details ofwhere to go and what to see, and excerpts | | | | Many of the Norman soldiers would have had mixed |
| from my travel diarywritten during my first trip to | | | | feelings. |
| Normandy. | | | | This was a dangerous expedition, a great risk. They |
| To celebrate this publishing event, I am sharing one | | | | might alldrown in the channel, be killed in a foreign |
| of the experiences | | | | land, or come backwith nothing. Many of them had |
| I had in Normandy related to Yogananda's past life as | | | | homes nearby that beckonedthem. Dives is located in |
| The Conqueror. | | | | the very heart of Normandy. While theywaited here, |
| The experience took place on a nondescript pathway | | | | it would have been easy to brood on the |
| along the River Dives,in the seaside town of | | | | foolhardynessof the venture, and the wisdom, the |
| Dives-sur-Mer, near where William gathered his | | | | common sense, even,of returning to their wives and |
| forcesjust before his invasion of England. | | | | children, their hearths and homes. |
| I hope you will enjoy this story, and that it may | | | | And then there were the foreigners and mercenaries. |
| inspire you, if youfind yourself in Paris, to make the | | | | Thosemen were held by even feebler ties. It would |
| two-hour train ride to Caen (andbeyond), and visit | | | | have been difficultto keep such a loose confederation |
| some of the sites sacred to the Conqueror. | | | | focused on the goal. Withthe lack of activity, it would |
| As we walked along the Dives River, it wasn't long | | | | have been natural for the men togrumble and |
| before thatsame feeling we had sensed in Caen | | | | complain--and leave. |
| descended on us. Yoganandawas near. | | | | This long delay was one of the most delicate |
| Laura and I agreed to experience this site in silence | | | | moments in thehistory of the Norman invasion of |
| and toshare our impressions later. It was curious | | | | England. The whole venturehung by a thread. Over |
| because, eventhough we were generally in the right | | | | those weeks, William's army couldeasily have |
| area, neither of us knewexactly where the ancient | | | | dispersed by ones, twos, and small groups. In theend, |
| encampment was. Yet the feeling ofdivine energy | | | | he might have been left with only a token force. |
| grew incredibly strong at one section of | | | | But William was more than just a great leader. He |
| theembankment right by the river: as if we were | | | | was a spiritualmaster. He was Yogananda in a past |
| passing through aninvisible vibrational wall. The feeling | | | | life, and he knew whatto do. |
| sustained for a while, thengrew more faint the | | | | William sent a powerful thought-form to Dives. To |
| farther we walked. When in the midst of it, Iwas | | | | ensure thateveryone stayed put and remained in |
| sure I was standing on the same ground William's | | | | tune, and that the invasionwould go forth as planned, |
| soldiershad inhabited--where they had loaded up the | | | | he cast his brilliant aura over theencampment. Hour |
| ships for theirjourney to England--the image depicted | | | | after hour, day after day, week after week,he |
| on the Bayeaux Tapestry. | | | | projected his energy, consciousness, purpose, and will |
| It seemed odd because, even though this was | | | | tothat spot. And some nine hundred and thirty-five |
| basicallyjust an old military site, I felt as if I were | | | | years later, |
| standing in Jerusalemor Benares. The inspiration was | | | | Laura and I felt that energy in Dives. William's spiritual |
| that strong. | | | | powerhad sustained through the centuries. It was |
| We sat by the river to meditate. | | | | more than tangible;it was overwhelming. |
| Laura put her experience into words, "I felt joy and | | | | |