Eckankar is a spiritual teaching that was started by Paul Twitchell in 1965 after his spiritual journey through Tibet and India.
Mike Smith, of St. Joseph, is a local Eck spiritual leader and has been following the teachings of Eckankar since 1978.
“I think the big idea behind this teaching is the notion of spiritual freedom and God’s love,” he said.
Smith said mental freedom means getting rid of negative emotions that can sometimes be part of our consciousness, such as guilt, fear and anger, and “getting rid of any kind of limitation we have and freeing ourselves to be more of ourselves.”
Smith said Eck taught that humans are more than a physical body, and that our true essence is a soul, a collective consciousness. Eck also teaches about karma and reincarnation.
“So this is not the only time I’ve lived,” he said. “I’ve lived before and that’s the way we live on Earth. We learn as we live and that learning is karma. So whenever I come up against some obstacle, I know there’s something I need to learn.”
He found Eckankar at a time when he felt he needed to find his purpose, and through ECK he learned that he was here to learn and grow into a more divine being.
“And that’s what gives me the ability to understand why the world is the way it is. The world is not unfair or unjust,” he says. “It’s completely fair and just. So with anything that happens to me, I ask myself: ‘What can I learn from this?’ or ‘What can I do to contribute to this situation?’ And answering those two questions helps me feel balanced and connected.”
Judy Pickering is a vahana of Eckankar in Springfield. She and her husband learned about the teachings when they were in their 20s, about 45 years ago. She said the Friday night program in Springfield is a safe place to talk about spirituality.
“What we always see in the spiritual talks and events that we hold is that people are so relieved when they hear someone talk about a spiritual experience,” she says. “Especially when a family member dies, and they feel something, or they feel that person’s presence after the fact, and it’s like, ‘I’m OK,’ it gives them some kind of comfort, like, ‘Don’t worry, I’m OK.’ And when they hear other people share these stories, they become so happy, because that seems to happen when we have spiritual talks.”
The program will be two hours long, and Pickering says participants will rotate through three tables – one on dreaming, one on overcoming fear, and one on death and reincarnation – and there will also be the opportunity to take part in daydreaming exercises and meditation.
Smith is asking people to come with an open mind.
“Many people want to see this teaching as anti-religious or anti-spiritual, but it’s not,” he said.
And they don’t force their beliefs on anyone, he said. In fact, one of the spiritual laws that ECK followers follow is to not proselytize or intrude into other people’s space. “So we’re just there to share this teaching and the blessings it has given us, but we’re not trying to convert anyone.”
“Have You Had a Spiritual Experience?” begins on Friday evening, May 31st at 6pm in the Library Center.
