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8 PILLARS OF DIVINE MARGA
An Integral & Holistic Path to True Liberation & God-Realization
In the sacred garden of Divine Marga, a radiant lotus blooms with 8 resplendent petals, each a pathway leading the seeker to the nectar of God-Realization, Soul Liberation, and Divine Living. Sat Mindo & Lyonne Premananda lovingly guide each being beyond the veils of worldly illusion, transcending even the notions of non-duality and enlightenment. Divine Marga’s mission is to unite the seeker with the highest divine realms, far beyond the confines of our local Brahmanda universe, where the soul may drink from the eternal fountain of bliss.
At the heart of this transformative journey lies the 8 Pillars of Divine Marga, a sacred lotus with 8 interconnected petals, each one as a Divine gift:
Pillar 1. Self-Realization Path
Pillar 2. Soul & Spirit Liberation (Moksha)
Pillar 3. Liberating the Personality
Pillar 4. Nervous System Integration
Pillar 5: Divine Light & Sound Stream (Shabd)
Pillar 6: Divine Name, Divine Nectar & Divine Love
Pillar 7: Selfless Service (Seva)
Pillar 8: Living Spiritual Teacher (Sat Guru)
This is no mere linear path, but a divine transcendental dance, where each element lovingly supports and enhances the others, like the harmonious notes of a celestial melody. As the seeker nurtures one petal, the entire lotus blossoms more fully, leading to the ultimate True Liberation and complete God-Realization.
Guided by Sat Mindo and Lyonne Premananda, together with Consciousness Transmissions and Divine Marga’s models, such as the Levels of Consciousness and Divine Cosmology, the spiritual path is enriched by the timeless wisdom of the ages.
PILLAR
Self-Realization Path
From Ignorance to Enlightenment - Transforming the identification of "Who Am I?"
The Path of Self-Realization to Full Consciousness, our non-dual Natural State (Sahaja Samadhi) is established in the Advaita Vedanta knowledge of the Self. This knowledge does not come and go. In the state of ignorance, you may look upon yourself as a man or woman, as the agent of limited actions and the experiencer of joys and pains, but in the state of Self-Realization, you know yourself beyond the doer as the True Self. Once you know your own true nature, you do not get involved in ignorance. This state of consciousness is infinite, characterized by boundless openness, clarity, and contentment.
The Levels of Consciousness (LOC) model, together with Consciousness Transmissions, gently guides this awakening, from the shadowed realms of victimhood and ego to the state of self-empowerment. This journey leads to the first Inner Light awakening, the dawn of spiritual consciousness, to non-dual realization, and finally to the Naturalness of Full Consciousness realization (Sahaja Self).
PILLAR
Soul & Spirit Liberation (Moksha)
Soul Liberation
From Bondage to Liberation - Purifying Karma Anchor Points
In Sant Mat, "soul and spirit liberation" refers to the ultimate goal of achieving union with the Divine by practicing meditation techniques that allow the soul to transcend its physical limitations and reach the state of "Shabd" (inner sound), ultimately leading to liberation from the cycle of rebirth and achieving a state of eternal bliss; this liberation is considered to be possible through the guidance of a living "Master" (a spiritually realized master).
Meher Baba describes that: "Good actions bind a man with a golden chain and bad actions with iron and spiked chains. But the chain is there in either case. The man has not been set free. Yoga or other studies are good actions, and they give the person a better chance in the next incarnation. But they do not set him free, or give Liberation. To have Liberation, one must neither have virtue nor vice on one's credit or debit side. But it should be a clean slate to reach the state of Moksha."
"No yogi can attain eternal freedom or emancipation, even though he might have reached the highest yogic state of samadhi through his practices, because sanskaras are still there, and all ties have not yet been snapped..."
"Yoga and other practices are good, and merit an aspirant a good life in the next birth, but a man is never free from bondage or given Moksha (Liberation) as a result of them."
In Sikhism, soul liberation means spiritual freedom or liberation from the cycle of rebirth, is achieved by living a life aligned with God's will (Hukam) and attaining a deep connection with the Divine through practices like chanting God's name and selfless service (seva).
Spirit Liberation
From Impurity to Union with the Divine Beloved - Purifying the Channels of Nada
Spirit liberation is about healing and unblocking the accumulated karma anchor points from the sound channel (nada) of the spirit to return to the immense love and purity of the liberated spirit.
Your Spirit dwells in your true Spiritual Heart, the Heart on the Right, also called Amrita Nadi. Your Spirit is full of love and virtue and seeks to reunite with the Divine Beloved.
Nada - inner channels of sound that connect the spirit with its origin. This term refers to the primal essence out of which mind, energy, and matter were manifested. Masters unite with Spirit and channel its energy to others to unfold their spiritual potentials, purify their forms of consciousness, illuminate their minds, and awaken their individual spirit.
The Divine Spirit manifested all universes. Individually, it is a spark of love within, yearning to return to its true origin for the final reunion with the Divine Beloved.
PILLAR
Liberating the Personality
From Destructive Psychology to Liberated Personality - Authentic Living Truth
By identifying the psychological and emotional defenses specific to your personality type, the Enneagram model creates opportunities for profound personal growth and healing.
Liberating the personality beyond fixations via Enneagram Psychology allows us to see past and false core fixations. The Enneagram gives us the precise structure on how to unwind the knot of ego.
The Enneagram reveals how we have falsely identified “I” as our egoic identification with the physical, emotional, and mental bodies. This identification presents itself in the unexamined belief that we are a body with behaviors, feelings, and thoughts. Once these patterns of subconscious identification are brought to light, they can be discarded in the search for the true “I.” In this way, the Enneagram is immediately useful in the process of awakening and enlightenment.
When we are ready to look directly at that which we have masked and justified, the Enneagram gives us light—reflecting light without judgment. It provides us the opportunity to see the mechanical nature of the ego that we have misidentified as “self.” In this way, the Enneagram is extremely precise in its description of what is false, so that what is true may be revealed. You can start recognizing the patterns of fixation not only in yourself, but also in your relationships. Forgiveness and compassion become possible when you discover that each one of us is simply wired a little differently, each having a different process for completing the same task.
PILLAR
Nervous System Integration
From Worry to Calm Openness - Increasing the Nervous System Capacity
Nervous system integration ensures that the physical body can sustain the higher states of consciousness. Through the Nervous System Integration (NSI) technique, we use the divine light transmission, along with other transmissions, to prepare and support one in opening, cleansing, clearing blockages from the neural pathways, and further aligning the nervous system.
The more the nervous system is attuned and aligned, the more it can integrate higher consciousness within a being. This practice is rooted in kriya yoga. It invokes masters like Mahavatar Babaji and the kriya lineage to facilitate restoration, purification, and strength, enabling one to sustain more light of consciousness within.
In a very straightforward way, Meher Baba says that "there are very few things in the mind that eat up as much energy as worry." It is one of the most difficult things not to worry. The peace we seek comes through integration. The nervous system is very important for deep rooting and integration, even at the physical level. At Divine Marga, we place a large focus on assisting everyone with nervous system retreats, workshops, and private sessions, because that is what brings consciousness's higher vibration into your bones and into your physical nervous system.
PILLAR
Divine Light & Sound Stream (Shabd)
From Separation to Divine Co-Creation - Attuning to the Divine Stream
The Divine Stream is the primal essence from which all universes were created. It is the foundation of spirituality, known as the soundless sound, the Holy Spirit in Christianity, Shekinah in Judaism, Shabd Naam in Sikhism, and Kalma in Islam.
It can be seen as the Love of God in Action. The Divine Stream can be contacted through the 12 degrees of Amrita Nadi (Heart on the Right), depending on your spiritual advancement.
This creative Divine Current, filling all space, may be likened to the electromagnetic waves. As soon as a person is tuned in by the Master, he is ready to receive the "pure white music" spoken of by Kabir. It remains only to keep the instrument properly to enjoy this melodious Bani. The entire body, particularly the mind and astral body, must be cleaned, purified, and attuned.
It takes possession of the hearer's soul; it re-creates him, and then he finds himself a citizen of a new world. The attractions of sense disappear. He is exalted. His heart is purified, and his mind is renewed. He lives anew. He has become immortal. How can the shadow of death ever cross his path? He has entered the Stream of Everlasting Life!
PILLAR
Divine Name, Divine Nectar & Divine Love
Beyond Earth & Heavens - Divine Truth, Bliss & Love Awaits
The divine light and sound stream is recognized in many of the highest spiritual paths, and so is petal number 6: Divine Name, Divine Nectar, and Divine Love. This is the practice of repetition of the divine names, the japa practice, or what Sikhs call Simran. At Divine Marga, we have two main divine names, which we use as a japa.
This is how we cultivate devotion, bhakti, the highest devotion (Nirguna Bhakti), to purify the heart, awaken inner awareness, and even to taste the divine nectar, which gives us bliss, love, and joy. This is how we cultivate the 12 states of the heart. Bhakti and devotion align us with the divine beloved and allow us to know God intimately within you, as you.
Through devotion and Grace, the Divine Name, or the Divine Word is revealed. It is known in the Bible, "in the beginning was the Word, and the Word was God." From this Word, the creation started. And Guru Granth Sahib says, "Meditate on the Naam, the Name of Lord, oh, my mind." This is how we attain the beautiful fruits of our practice with devotion, love, and repetition of the Divine Name.
PILLAR
Selfless Service (Seva)
The Bhagavad Gita teaches, "Perform all thy actions with mind concentrated on the Divine, renouncing attachment and looking upon success and failure with an equal eye.”
The 7th petal, Selfless Service (Seva), is the fragrant offering of the heart, where every action becomes a prayer and every breath a hymn of love. In this practice of Karma Yoga, the seeker is serving without attachment, purifying the heart and dissolving the ego. Selfless service are charitable actions by and from mind, body, and wealth. Seva can be done physically or through the Soul. The Highest Service is that which is done through the Soul. Seva is the divine alchemy that transforms service into devotion, aligning the devotee with the divine will.
This embodies Karma Yoga and the path of selfless action, meaning action without attachment to results. In Divine Marga, seva purifies the heart. It dissolves the ego because it bypasses the ego and further aligns one with the Divine Will. This is a spiritual bhakti practice that cultivates compassion and supports the authentic experience of living in oneness, transforming service into love for God. This is one of the qualities that Western culture lacks, and it needs to be practiced more because that supports you on your journey to live in oneness with God.
The revered Neem Karoli Baba used to reply when people asked, "How can I know God more?" He would say, "Feed the people. Help the people. Be selfless."
PILLAR
Living Spiritual Teacher (Sat Guru)
The Guru Granth Sahib says that "the Sat Guru is the boat. And as a boat man, and by His grace, one crosses over to the other side."
The 8th Pillar of Divine Marga is the importance of the living spiritual teacher, the Sat Guru. A Sat Guru is a spiritual master who has gained mastery in the region of Satya Lok / Sach Khand. This is the being who is assigned or commissioned by the Supreme God, Sat Purush, to help liberate and redeem souls and bring them back to their true divine home. At Divine Marga, we provide guidance, transmissions, initiation, and protection, taking care of your soul's karma, accelerating your spiritual growth, and protecting you from illusions while aligning you with the divine truth. A Sat Guru is defined as one who has attained liberation from Pinda, Anda, Brahmanda, BrahmaJyoti, ParBrahmanda, and who has been established in the true Divine Region. It is very rare to meet a living being like this. It is a great blessing to meet one who is alive, and living teachers are greatly emphasized in the traditions of Sant Mat and Sikhism.
As Jesus said, that "He is the WAY and the TRUTH and the LIFE, no one comes to the Father except through the Christ," meaning that it is the living teacher, the living Sat Guru, who is the means for liberation. The master appears in different forms, with different names and in different parts of the world, but at each time throughout history, there are always a few living teachers. The living master is the guide who can lead the soul back to its origins.
And the true living master also holds the true light of God. That is what supports, emanates, and guides others through that true light.
These are the 8 Pillars of Divine Marga, the eight petals of the lotus of ultimate True Liberation and complete God-Realization.
Self-Realization helps in awakening to the natural state of Full Consciousness. Personality liberation enables the authentic integration of living in Full Consciousness. Nervous system integration is crucial to sustaining higher consciousness. Soul and spirit are vital for karma clearing to attain liberation (Moksha). The Divine Light and Sound Stream (Shabd) is a central structure of all creation.
The Divine Name is the very primordial origin, and the Nectar and Love are the sustenance that fuels Bhakti and devotion. Selfless Service, like the fragrance of the lotus, cultivates devotion, and the divine grace of the Living Sat Guru ensures the lotus blooms in full splendor.
Therefore, Divine Marga is a whole and complete path and roadmap where everything is integrated and enriched with divine wisdom and knowledge, where each pillar lovingly supports the others in holistic balance.
One comes to know God fully and completely, to be absolutely intimate with God, as One without a second. Divine Marga is a transcendental path to the True Divine Eternal Home, where the soul merges into the eternal bliss.