As the spirit of Juneteenth stirs the unyielding spirit of the collective soul, this month we investigate the cosmic power that drives the evolutionary transformation that ripples across space and time in fulfillment of humanity’s collective soul destiny.

Burned at the stake, at age 19, on 30 May 1431, by the English Catholic Church for heresy – acting against the words of God – Saint Joan of Arc, the Maiden of Orléans, answered the call of her own prophecy, inspiring King Charles VII to claim his crown, despite his rumored illegitimacy, and the French army to rise victoriously, from a state of apathy.

Immortalized as a martyr for her devoted sense of purpose and valiant sacrifice, Joan has been portrayed in countless cultural works over the past half-millennial, ranging from literature, music, paintings, sculptures, and theater. In the 1920’s, she served as a powerful icon in the US Women’s Suffrage movement.

During the two-year period, from being granted her own small military force and ultimately burnt at the stake, Joan’s demonstrated courage, bravery and defiance created such a profound ripple in human consciousness to impact future ages, that her birth was undeniably destined to evolve human consciousness.

In the years leading up to Joan’s birth, a number of vague prophecies were raised into collective consciousness regarding a young virgin maiden who would rescue France. At the time of her incarnation in 1412, the Hundred Year’s War, a brutal conflict between the English and French Royal houses over the throne of France, was in its 75th year.

The longest war in recorded history, within this period of immense darkness during the Middle Ages, five generations of kings from two dynasties fought for the throne of France, the dominant kingdom in Western Europe.

The prophecy by the Arthurian sorcerer Merlin, which claimed that “France will be lost by a woman and saved by a virgin from the oak forests of Lorraine,” so perfectly fit the description of Isabeau of Bavaria’s adulterously portrayal, the mother of Charles VII, that when the 17 year-old virgin Joan, possessed by visions, made her second attempt to meet with the Dauphin, his heart was more welcoming to the potential of her prophetic fulfillment.

“You have been in a state of hallucination thinking that you are a mortal, struggling and suffering. Through meditation you come in contact with your Real Self and forget what you thought you were.”
– Yogananda Paramahansa

Referred to as “the Father of Yoga in the West,” Yogananda Parmahansa, born 5 January 1893 in Gorakhpur, India, arrived in the United States in September 1920, as a delegate to the International Congress of Religions, held in Boston.

Living in a small room at the YMCA, Yogananda began lecturing in various Boston-area venues on his “scientific” approach to God-knowledge and on the ultimate unity of all religion, quickly attracting a large and enthusiastic following.

In 1920, Yogananda founded the Self-Realization Fellowship, with the first center established in Boston, to “disseminate among the nations a knowledge of definite scientific techniques for attaining direct personal experience of God.”

By 1924, Yogananda undertook a transcontinental tour, finally landing by the end of the year in Los Angeles, to spread his message farther afield. There, he established the fellowship’s world headquarters in 1925. Various additional temples, meditation and spiritual living communities were developed across the globe by his disciples.

Yogananda emphasized the underlying unity of the world’s great religions, and taught universally applicable methods for realizing the cosmic creative power. To serious students of his teachings, he taught the soul-awakening techniques of Kriya Yoga, initiating more than 100,000 men and women during his thirty years in the West.

Through consistent and dedicated action, one can experience profound inner transformation and self-empowerment that establishes adherences to a value system of independence, growth and collective transformation.

One can experience numerous physical, mental, and spiritual benefits through the regular practice of Kriya Yoga. Physically, it enhances vitality, strengthens the nervous system, and improves overall health and well-being. Mentally, it cultivates clarity, focus, and concentration, increasing creativity and mental sharpness. Spiritually, Kriya Yoga helps to awaken the dormant spiritual potential within and deepen one’s connection with the divine.

The human vessel is a cosmic receiver for powerful universal energies that can only be accessed through the evolutionary self-attunement process. Through the individual drive to become, collective evolution can be rapidly attained for exponential growth and transformation that spreads contagiously.