How I Found Eckankar
By MJ
My first knowledge of Eckankar came through a small notice in the newspaper. It caught my eye because a friend of mine had recently written and mentioned he was studying this spiritual path.
I wrote to the address in the paper and received a lovely letter explaining a little about the ancient teachings of ECK.
Then I watched a video on Eckankar and began chanting the sacred ECK name for God, HU, privately at home. I wondered if it would bring any results.
Raised as a Christian, I had doubts as to whether I was dabbling in something I shouldn't. I could feel the truth of Eckankar but hesitated to venture from the familiarity of the Christian rituals.
Since childhood I had experienced a small blue dot of light upon the inner screen of my awareness and heard subtle sounds in my ears. But it never occured to me that these were evidence of the Holy Spirit in my life. I had also been taken out of my body as a child to visit my dead grandmother and walk with her.
I thought everyone experienced such things.
I had not attended my church very often in the last ten years, as what it offered always seemed to stop short of reaching God on a personal level.
One night, I sang HU-U-U-U. I prayed to God, Jesus, the Mahanta (the Inner Master spoken of in Eckankar), and anyone else who wanted to hear me! Please give me a sign, I implored silently. Which path should I take—the path of Eckankar or the path of Christianity? I then went to sleep.
Sometime later I awoke to see the whole of my bedroom filled with a soft, loving, golden glow.
I sat up in bed and, out of force of habit, turned on my bedside lamp. A man in a brown hooded robe stood at the foot of my bed. His eyes looked lovingly into the very soul of me, and I knew I was safe.
We spoke to each other through our minds; no outer speech was needed. The golden glow fluttered around him as he acknowledged my indecision about which path to take to spiritual awareness. Quietly he assured me that Eckankar would lead me on my own path to God-Realization. He gently reminded me to use the singing of the HU wisely and with love, and to be aware of myself as a vehicle for Divine Spirit, the ECK.
This being also communicated to me about my karma, old and new, which might lead me away from Eckankar and the Mahanta.
For about half an hour, he shared his wisdom with me. I basked in his gaze of pure love. He knew and accepted everything about me, both good and bad.
Then he smiled; his eyes twinkled and sparkled, and he was gone.
Other proof came to me that Eckankar is the right path for me. But this was my first experience of being totally accepted. I have not seen him again, but I can still feel his gaze. Perhaps I may meet him again one day. Here is my memory drawing of his face.
Ed. note: See also the color portrait of Fubbi Quantz above right.
Excerpted from the 1990 Eckankar Journal, copyright © 1989 ECKANKAR. All rights reserved.
