(Told by Marcella)
My sister gave me a copy of The Path. She saw Swamiji speak somewhere and thought I would be interested. It was several months before I finally started reading it. I had no background in these teachings but from the first page it was like the Fourth of July inside of me—pure celebration. I had been to a number of churches in my life, seeking something that made sense to me, but nothing did. Nothing touched me on a deep level until I read this book. At night I would go to sleep thinking about what I had read. When I closed my eyes, I would see flashing lights, like fireworks.
My husband was fiercely opposed to my interest in Ananda. He called it the “pinko, communist, brainwashing cult.” It was four years before I was able to get away from him to come to Ananda for a visit.
It was Winter Renewal Week and Swamiji was giving the first class. I had never seen him before, or heard him speak, and I eagerly took a seat on the aisle near the front of the room. The Ananda singers did a few songs. When they finished and started toward their seats, energy began rising up my spine. All I could see was light. I felt like the top of my head had opened up and my consciousness was expanding out to infinity.
I heard a man’s voice, which I immediately knew to be Swamiji’s, even though I had never heard him speak. “That was lovely,” he said, complimenting the singers.
I opened my eyes and saw that Swamiji was coming down the aisle just a few rows behind me. My consciousness was expanding, I realized, because of his approaching aura. Great joy filled my heart and I felt one in the Spirit with him.
That sealed it for me. I had to face extraordinary opposition from my family, but nothing could deter me. It took time for the karma to run its course, but eventually I was freed to make Ananda my home.
This experience with Swamiji happened twenty years ago. It made such an impression on my consciousness, though, that even now, when I close my eyes, I can replay every part of it.
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