Religion of the Light and Sound of God
Joyce has asked me to try to explain Eckankar to the Spirit Circle membership. In truth, I feel totally inadequate to even begin an explanation of Eckankar. I am so infinitesimally small in the scope of it all.... and yet, I am a part of it all; therefore, I must answer the call of the Sugmad (another name for God) and acknowledge that I have been given this assignment for a reason.
Very little of what follows are my words. What you will find here is merely a synopsis of what can be found on the Eckankar web site at http://www.eckankar.org. I urge you to visit there and begin the journey to find your own answers.
A Brief History of Eckankar
Although the ECK teachings have ancient roots, Eckankar was introduced as a modern-day religion in 1965 by Paul Twitchell.
A seeker from an early age, he was introduced to a group of spiritual masters who would change the course of his life. The high teachings of ECK had been scattered to the four corners of the world. Paul gathered these golden teachings of Light and Sound and made them readily available to us. By 1965, Paul was offering Soul Travel workshops to the public. He wrote many books on Eckankar and the Light and Sound of God.
Today, Eckankar is a nonprofit religious organization and church which has members in over one hundred countries. The spiritual home of Eckankar is the Temple of ECK in Chanhassen, Minnesota.
In October, 1981 Harold Klemp became the spiritual leader of Eckankar. His full title is Sri Harold Klemp, the Mahanta, the Living ECK Master. As the Living ECK Master, Harold Klemp is responsible for the continued evolution of the Eckankar teachings.
Sri Harold Klemp was born in Wisconsin and grew up on a small farm. He attended a two-room country schoolhouse before going to high school at a religious boarding school in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. After preministerial college in Milwaukee and fort Wayne, Indiana, he enlisted in the U.S. Air Force. There he trained as a language specialist in Indiana University and a radio intercept operator at Goodfellow AFB, Texas. Then followed a two year stint in Japan where he first encountered Eckankar.
His mission is to help people find their way back to God in this life. He travels to ECK seminars in North America, Europe, and the South Pacific. He has also visited Africa and many countries throughout the world, meeting with spiritual seekers and giving inspirational talks. There are many videocassettes and audiocassettes of his public talks available.
In his talks and writings, Harold Klemp’s sense of humor and practical approach to spirituality have helped many people around the world find truth in their lives and greater inner freedom, wisdom, and love. Many of his books can now be found at local bookstores.
In many ways, it was Sri Harold's soft-spoken voice, smiling eyes, and way of speaking almost in parables which put me at ease and drew me closer to following the path of Eckankar.
Basic Beliefs of Eckankar
* Soul is eternal and is the individual’s true identity
* Soul exists because God loves it
* Soul is on a journey of Self- and God-Realization
* Spiritual unfoldment can be accelerated by conscious contact with the ECK, Divine Spirit
* This contact can be made by the use of the Spiritual Exercises of ECK and by the guidance of the Living ECK Master
* The Mahanta, the Living ECK Master is the spiritual leader of Eckankar
* Spiritual experience and liberation in this lifetime is available to all
* You can actively explore the spiritual worlds through Soul Travel, dreams, and other techniques
A Love Song to God
HU is an ancient name for God. It’s a love song to God...
It represents the love of God for Soul. And we are Soul.
It represents the enormous love that the Creator has for ITS creation. - Harold Klemp, Spiritual leader of Eckankar
Love is the keystone of ECK: God is love, ECK is love, the Holy Spirit is love, and you are love.
This is what you are trying to achieve in your realizations. As you rise to the higher states of consciousness, you become not a greater servant of God, but a greater channel of love to all life for the Divinity which is, in whatever way you see or know IT.
You have the potential for greater happiness, love and understanding. Singing HU can bring these to you - through the Light and Sount of God.
Throughout the ages, followers of many spiritual traditions have used prayer, the singing of holy words, and meditation to bring themselves closer to God. In the same way, those who have discovered HU, an ancient name for God, sing it for their spiritual upliftment.
Regardless of your beliefs or religion, you can sing HU to become happier and more secure in God’s love.
HU is woven into the language of life. It is the Sound of all sounds. It is the wind in the leaves, falling rain, thunder of jets, singing of birds, the awful rumble of a tornado. Its sound is heard in laughter, weeping, the din of city traffic, ocean waves, and the quiet rippling of a mountain stream. And yet, the word HU is not God, ITSELF. It is a word people anywhere can use to address the Originator of Life. - Harold Klemp
A Divine Connection
Eckankar teaches that a spiritual essence, the Light and Sound, connects everyone with the Heart of God. This Light and Sound is the ECK, or Holy Spirit. Direct experience with these twin aspects of God opens the deep spiritual potential within each of us. The Light and Sound purify, uplift, and direct us on our journey home to God.
Singing HU draws us closer in a state of consciousness to the Divine Being. This is its purpose. It is for those who desire spiritual love, freedom, wisdom, and truth
You are invited to try this simple spiritual exercise. It has helped people of many different faiths open their hearts more fully to the uplifting presence of God.
First, get comfortable. Close your eyes, and take a few deep breaths. Next, gently put your attention on your inner vusual screen, where daydreams and images come to you. With your eyes closed, sing HU (pronounced like the word hue) as a song of love.
There are many ways to experience the love of God. You may notice a feeling of peace, warmth, and comfort. You may also recognize the presence of the Divine through greater spiritual insights into your daily life.
When you sing HU and sit in quiet contemplation, you might also perceive the inner Light and Sound. The Light may appear as brightness or colors on your inner visual screen. The sound may be musical or the sounds of nature, such as the wind or ocean. However you experience the presence of God, it is bringing you a broader understanding of the life you lead.
As you sing the name of God, with love, for twenty minutes a day, the bindings and bands that constrain Soul will begin to unwind. Not all at once, but very slowly, at a rate you can understand and accept. As these bindings are released, Soul rises in spiritual freedom.
As soul, you are like a balloon that rises above the ground. The higher you go, the farther you can see. And the farther you can see, the better you can plan your life.
Eckankar, Religion of the Light and Sound of God, offers tools to come into a closer relationship with God. Membership in Eckankar is available for those who wish to pursue their spiritual goals with the guidance of the Living ECK Master.
The current Living ECK Master is Harold Klemp. His mission is to help interested people find their own way back to God. As the outer teacher, he writes discourses and gives talks throughout the world. As the Mahanta, the inner teacher, he gives personal inner guidance to those who request it.
Your first meeting with the Mahanta, the Living ECK Master can take place in your dreams or in the waking state. It is indeed a blessed moment. An inner connection between you and the Mahanta begins developing, a connection that is vital to your spiritual growth. Even if you never meet the Living ECK Master in his outer form, you are always together inwardly.
You will find that your connection with the Inner Master and the ECK grows stronger with the practice of the Spiritual Exercises of ECK. Day by day, you will realize more clearly the love of the Mahanta for each Soul in the worlds of God. In time you will understand that you no longer walk alone, for the Inner Master serves as your constant guide and companion.
What is Soul Travel?
The traditional concept of "Soul" is that you have one, but that it is distant from your everyday life and will become important only when your physical body ceases to exist. The ECKist, on the other hand, believes that each person is Soul and that It is the essential and permanent center of our being. It can never be lost.
We can, however, forget who we are. Our physical senses and emotions become overwhelming, and we lose Soul’s spiritual viewpoint. Regaining this viewpoint is called Soul Travel. And Soul Travel is accomplished by practicing the Spriitual Exercises of ECK on a daily basis. Success at Soul Travel is not dependent on any special diets, customs, or ascetic practices. It is truly a natural ability.
Many people experience Soul Travel as an expansion of awareness and knowingness, an inner nudge to call a friend, or seeing beyond their difficulties to a deeper meaning. Others may have dramatic experiences full of spiritual majesty.
Everyone is different, yet each person’s experience is special to them and equally important in their progression.
Spiritual Exercises of ECK
Similar to prayer, these spiritual exercises help you open your heart to Divine Spirit, the Light and Sound of God. Eckankar teaches over one hundred different exercises, all designed to give you a greater understanding of yourself and of God. They can be practiced privately and at your own pace.
When you step onto the path to God and you begin looking for that secret path to heaven, the way will be opened for you. And the way lies through the Spiritual Exercises of ECK.
These spiritual exercises link you with the guidance of the Holy Spirit, which is seen as Light and heard as Sound. The inner Sound is the Voice of God calling us home. The inner Light is a beacon to light our way. All the Spiritual Exercises of ECK are built on these two divine aspects of the Holy Spirit.
Learning spiritual consciousness is learning how to live in this world no matter what comes., how to live life graciously, from childhood to old age, how to live life in the best way possible.
We gain confidence in ourselves, that we are Soul, that we are eternal, that we live forever, that death cannot destroy us.
We learn to be patient with ourselves. It is a rare person who has instant success and dramatic results right away. We expect subtle, gradual changes in our outlook on life over a period of weeks or months or years. A good way to keep track of this is by using a journal to note any insights, perceptions, or changes you notice in yourself.
Use the spiritual exercise that works best for you based on the outer conditions you’re faced with. No matter which one you use, all you really want is experience with the Light and Sound of God.
Doing one exercise every day for about twenty minutes will build your spiritual stamina gently over time. Regular daily practice is the key to success.
Spiritual experiences are not the privilege of a select few. With self-discipline and commitment you can build your own foundation of spirituality. If you wish to pursue this study further, you will find numerous exercises described in Eckankar books and tapes.
Membership in Eckankar takes you one step further. Members receive monthly discourses written by the spiritual leader of Eckankar, Harold Klemp. As the Living ECK Master, his mission is to help people gain inner freedom, wisdom, and love through the Spiritual Exercises of ECK.
To find out more about membership or to request books call (952) 380-2222, weekdays, between 8:00 a.m. and 5:00 p.m. central time or visit the Eckankar web site at http://www.eckankar.org.
Eckankar is all of this and so much more. Every individual’s experience with the ECK is unique and personal and meaningful. I cannot begin to tell you what it might mean to you. You must find that our for yourself.
Please take the time to learn more by visiting the Eckankar web site, reading books by Paul Twitchell and Sri Harold Klemp, the Mahanta, the Living ECK Master, listening to tapes by Sri Harold Klemp and by singing HU and doing the spriritual exercises of ECK.
If anyone has questions about my personal experience with ECK, please feel free to email me. More in-depth questions regarding Eckankar should be directed to Sri Harold Klemp and the Eckankar staff at http://www.eckankar.org. Contact information can be found on the "Site Map" page.
May the Love and Light and Sound of ECK be with you always...
Ruth Nott
An ECK chela (a student of ECK)
NOTE: Any questions concerning any of the above material should be posted in the forum.
