Step 5… Purifying Ourselves a Shared Journey
Blessings, Dear Friends,
Welcome to Step 5… Purifying Ourselves a Shared Journey.
As we continue our mysterious journey upward through the Chakras and the Spine, we arrive at the second chakra: the Sacral Chakra, or Swadhisthana, located just below the navel. This sacred energy centre governs creativity, emotional expression, sensuality, and the flow of pleasure and connection.
The Sacral Chakra
When balanced, the sacral chakra promotes:
Openness and reliability
Emotional well-being
Healthy relationships
Willingness to heal
Authentic self-expression
Engagement with life’s joys
When imbalanced, it may manifest as:
Emotional numbness
Unexpressed trauma
Creative stagnation
Difficulty with intimacy
Challenges in expressing feelings
This chakra invites us to embrace fluidity, honour our emotions, and reconnect with the sacred water of life. Through cleansing and purification, whether through fasting, movement, prayer or meditation, we will begin the journey to purify this centre and restore its radiant and natural flow.
Those who cleanse themselves from the latter will be instruments for special purposes, made holy, useful to the Master and prepared to do any good work. Flee the evil desires of youth and pursue righteousness, faith, love and peace, along with those who call on the Lord out of a pure heart. 2 Timothy 2:21–22 (NIV)
Invitation to Cleanse
This month, I warmly invite you to join me in Paramhansa Yogananda’s Nine-Day Cleansing and Revitalizing Diet, beginning on October 1st. I have personally tried this cleanse many times, and the benefits are truly remarkable. Closer to the start date, I will share more detailed guidance. In the meantime, here are some of the positive benefits you may experience:
Freedom from psychological dependency on food.
Breaking of bad eating habits.
Five to ten pound weight loss.
Cleansing of skin, eyes, lungs and intestines.
Improved health for a period of months.
Increase energy level and need for less sleep.
Rejuvenation of body and mind.
Increased clarity of mind.
Greater awareness of subtle flow of life force.
Deepening sense of joy.
Deeper, more inspired meditations.
To read more about the cleanse, click the link Paramhansa Yogananda’s Nine-Day Cleansing and Revitalizing Diet
Devotional Offering
Through Step 5, let our devotional offering to Christ be one of purification—both inner and outer. If the cleanse does not resonate with you, I encourage you to embrace an alternative practice that holds deep personal meaning. You may consider:
Fasting from distractions
Offering daily silence
Walking in nature
Engaging in acts of compassion
Whatever you choose, may it open the way for purification and grace.
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The Vine and the Branches
I am the true vine, and my Father is the gardener. He cuts off every branch in me that bears no fruit, while every branch that does bear fruit he prunes so that it will be even more fruitful.
You are already clean because of the word I have spoken to you.
Remain in me, as I also remain in you. No branch can bear fruit by itself; it must remain in the vine. Neither can you bear fruit unless you remain in me.
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153. Teach me, that my Senses contact nothing but the Good
Bless me, that I may behold nothing but that which is good. Teach me, that I may touch only purity. Train me, that I may listen to Thy voice alone in all good speech, and in the beauty of all lovely melodies. Direct me to breathe only the perfume of pure scents from the flowers of Spirit. Invite me to indulge only in the wholesome taste of soul-nourishing food. Teach me to absorb only that which reminds me of Thee.
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Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death
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Create in Me a Clean Heart, O God
Create in me a clean heart, O God; and renew a right spirit within me.
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Affirmation: Through gentle discipline, I release what no longer serves me, I am cleansed, I am cleansed, I am cleansed.
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After spending some time in reading, reflection and journaling … Refer to the Visualisation & meditation and when you have finished, if you feel too… You can offer your gratitude and devotion to Jesus Christ by drawing art or writing poetry or finding your own meaningful hearts way.
Niyama (Cleanliness)
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Make your inner self a temple of God. Make it a temple of the mystic life of the universe. Then you are king of everything, and not attached to anything.
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Cleanliness means not only physical cleanliness, but also a heart cleansed of attachments, and of the vain preoccupations of a worldly mind.
Cleanliness of body is important for the yogi. Without physical cleanliness there can be no real beginning at self-mastery. The physically unclean person is forced into an awareness of his body that prevents him from soaring to loftier perceptions. The body is unclean not only when physical dirt and other foreign matter attach themselves to it externally, but also when unnatural foods are introduced into it internally – when one cannot properly eliminate waste products from his body.
The heart of man is impure when it longs for anything that is foreign to its own nature. Dirt is not dirt when it is out-of-doors on the ground. There, it is more properly thought of as earth. It is when earth is found indoors that it is considered unclean. To long for the things of this world is a mark of inner impurity not necessarily because the things of this world are impure in themselves (can anything made by God be considered essentially unholy?), but because the soul’s true and natural realm is the spiritual. “Father,” said St. Augustine, “Thou hast made us for Thyself, and our hearts are restless until they find their rest in Thee.” It is the nature of the soul to find fulfillment in itself, in communion with the Highest Reality.
Cleanliness, outwardly and inwardly, physically and mentally, is a necessary step towards freedom from the physical imperatives. Patanjali says that from perfect cleanliness there arises a consciousness of freedom from the body, a disinclination for its natural pleasures. By the same token, he says, one who has reached this state is no longer inclined to seek pleasure from others, physically, nor to commune with them on a physical plane; one’s love for them becomes selfless and spiritual. For when the heart has been freed of internal impurities, one is able to see through the veil of matter and to discover in all men the spiritual essence that is his own Self. Once the dust of selfish desire has been removed from the rooms of man’s inner consciousness, he is able to see that the things he has desired in this physical world are but Spirit, too, in essence.
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Cleanliness includes both outer and inner cleansings.
Outer cleanliness means caring for the body, through hygiene, fasting, healthy eating, gentle movement like yoga, natural healing methods and avoiding harmful substances such as alcohol and drugs.
Inner cleanliness means letting go of harmful emotions like pride, anger, greed, and despair. These feelings create spiritual disease in our bodies, block our connection to the Divine and keep us from growing spiritually.
True purification is a sacred return to peace and harmony in body, mind, and spirit. It is not only about discipline, but also about devotion, healing, and the gentle unfolding of our inner light within ourselves.
Visualisation (2nd chakra - Sacral - Swadhisthana Chakra) by Prashanti
As we consciously align our faith, trust, and speech with the eternal words of God, let us mindfully direct our devotion toward the Sacral Chakra, honouring our emotions and reconnecting with the sacred water of life. Let us now take a quiet, peaceful moment to gaze thoughtfully at the image before us, gently connecting with the deep, rich, calming colour orange that beautifully represents this chakra.
Focus your full attention on the Sacral Chakra. With each gentle and mindful breath, calm and steady in rhythm, begin to slowly close your eyes, maintaining the focus of the sacral chakra firmly within.
Feel a warm, soothing light filling your entire body with deep, calming, cooling waves of the still waters, radiating its beautiful, creative ever balancing, and restorative energy, purifying and cleansing every part of your being. Notice the soft waves of peace flowing gently up and down your spine. Rest and cherish this moment, and rest for a while, in the deep inner quiet.
Now, let us quietly and reverently affirm together the sacred words from Psalm 23 in English and Italian, St John and Paramhansa Yogananda
Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death
Se dovessi camminare in una valle oscura
I am the true vine, and my Father is the gardener. He cuts off every branch in me that bears no fruit, while every branch that does bear fruit he prunes so that it will be even more fruitful.
You are already clean because of the word I have spoken to you.
Remain in me, as I also remain in you. No branch can bear fruit by itself; it must remain in the vine. Neither can you bear fruit unless you remain in me.
Bless me, that I may behold nothing but that which is good. Teach me, that I may touch only purity. Train me, that I may listen to Thy voice alone in all good speech, and in the beauty of all lovely melodies. Direct me to breathe only the perfume of pure scents from the flowers of Spirit. Invite me to indulge only in the wholesome taste of soul-nourishing food. Teach me to absorb only that which reminds me of Thee.
Aum Peace Amen
Sacred Music & Mantras
Book References
Ghandhi, M. (N.D) The Eleven Vows of Mahatma Gandhi-Their Observances and Relevance
https://www.gandhi-manibhavan.org/educational-resources/the-eleven-vows-of-gandhiji.html
New International Version. (2025). BibleGateway.com. https://www.biblegateway.com/
Yogananda, P. (1952). Metaphysical Meditations. 1952 Edition. Crystal Clarity Publishers.
Yogananda, P. (2007). How to Love and Be Loved: Wisdom of Yogananda. Crystal Clarity Publishers.
Yogananda, P. (2021). God Talks With Arjuna: The Bhagavad Gita. Ebook Edition. International Publications Council of Self-Relization Fellowship.
Yogananda, P. (2021). Scientific Healing Affirmations: Theory and Practice of Concentration. Ebook Edition. International Publications Council of Self-Relization Fellowship.
Yogananda, P. (N.D) Whispers From Eternity. https://www.ananda.org/free-inspiration/books/whispers-from-eternity/
Yogananda, P. (2021).The Divine Romance: Collected Talks & Essays on Realizing God in Daily Life, Volume II. Ebook Edition. International Publications Council of Self-Relization Fellowship.