The Golden Thread

by James Perry

Just as all roads lead to Rome, I have come to believe that all religions and spiritual teachings—in their own time and place—lead to God. Some are long journeys, some are short, but all eventually lead to the main road. While I am on a particular path, even one uniquely my own, I am on the right road if I am moving forward towards my destination. Yet, what happens when I have traveled as far as I can? If all paths are roads leading to the main road, can I shorten my journey by finding the main road?

I embraced the religion of my birth until I was seventeen—at which point my beliefs began to unravel. What I believed no longer seemed compatible with my changing and evolving world-view. Throughout college, I found myself in a spiritual wasteland, not sure of what I believed about God or which direction to travel.

After graduating from college, I picked up my spiritual search again. I studied and learned much from the major religions and metaphysical literature. Christianity taught me that love is the key to a spiritual life. Reincarnation and karma taught me that I alone am responsible and accountable for my actions. Metaphysics taught me much about the hidden side of life. For a period, this eclectic approach worked well for me.

Eclectic means “composed of the best elements drawn from several sources.” An eclectic spiritual path, therefore, is one that attempts to draw the best elements together from various teachings. Several questions then arise: What is the origin of these teachings? How trustworthy and reliable are they? Where do they lead? In compiling the best, does a golden thread tie them together? If so, what is this golden thread?

Whether I follow a specific path or no particular path, can I learn from many sources, because God, the One Source, is present in all sources? Even if the answer is yes, can I cut through all the multicolored threads and grasp the golden thread?

At twenty-six, I knew I had gone as far as I could by picking and choosing from the smorgasbord available. Now at another crossroads, I wondered if it was possible to go straight to the One Source—the main road. How or where did the great religious teachers like Christ and Buddha get their inspiration? Could I tap into that same wisdom?

The Light and Sound of God

At this new crossroad, much like Saul on the road to Damascus, the Light and Sound of God came into my life. I have since come to understand that the best spiritual elements drawn from various sources come from this Light and Sound. The Light and Sound of God is the main road, the One Source.

“The New Testament” relates how the Holy Spirit, which is the Light and Sound, came to the Apostles on the Day of Pentecost as “cloven tongues of fire and as a mighty, rushing wind.” The Sound Current first came to me as bells tinkling. I heard it in my left ear while quietly reading. I first thought it must be my watch ticking, or worse, tinnitus. I was at a loss to explain this mysterious sound, which continued intermittently for several weeks.

This audible and visible current of spiritual energy is the creative force flowing outward then back again to the Godhead. The Sound is God's Voice calling all Souls back home. The Light is a beacon that lights up the way. We can see, hear and feel this musical and luminous wave as God's eternal love and presence, which envelops us constantly.

The tinkling bell I heard is only one of the many manifestations of the greater Sound Current. With daily practice of the contemplative exercises taught through Eckankar, I would hear even more of these sounds over time, including the mighty, rushing wind that the Apostles experienced.

These inner sounds can be described as bees swarming, musical tones, such as a single pitched flute, strings, woodwinds in combination, the ocean roaring, thunder, bells tinkling, electricity humming or wind. The Light can appear in varying colors, shades and intensities, such as green, pink, blue, yellow, gold and clear, bright white.

In my experience, daily contact with the Light and Sound through contemplation provides the quickest and most direct path back home to God. Purification by the Light and Sound is the surest way for Soul to enter the higher spiritual realities.

The Missing Thread

Paul Twitchell founded Eckankar, Religion of the Light and Sound of God, in 1965. An eclectic himself, Paul made a study of all the religious, philosophical, and metaphysical teachings of the day. He gathered up the fragments of spiritual truth he found scattered throughout these teachings and put them together the best he could in one set of writings.

Yet, Paul taught—as does Eckankar today— that the golden thread that binds these pieces of cloth into one finely woven tapestry is the Light and Sound of God. The Light and Sound, or ECK, is the origin of all spiritual truth and wisdom. All spiritual teachings spring from this common source.

Harold Klemp, the present spiritual leader of Eckankar, in The Living Word, Book 2, writes, “Personal experience with the Light and Sound of God is the cornerstone of the ECK teachings. Of all the religions on earth today, Eckankar offers the most direct teachings of the Light and Sound of God. These twin pillars are missing in whole or in part from the rest. People who truly find these two aspects of God undergo a complete spiritual change. Life becomes fresh and new again, as it was in childhood.”

In my own study of numerous teachings, I found most were missing the golden thread. I found commonality among them, similarities I also found in Eckankar, but Eckankar was the only one that explained the Light and Sound of God or how to connect with this Life Force. This golden spool of Light and Sound is the center of the teachings of Eckankar.

Our Journey through Wonderland

In choosing a path—or in creating our own—our path may be wide or narrow. It may be easy or difficult. But it should also be as straight and sure as possible. Otherwise, we are like Alice wandering aimlessly through Wonderland.

After Alice left the Duchess' abode, she did not know which direction to take. When she asked the Cheshire Cat which way she should walk, he replied that it depended on where she wanted to go. Alice told the Cheshire Cat that it did not matter as long as she got somewhere. The Cheshire Cat told Alice she would certainly end up somewhere if she walked long and far enough. Indirect in her direction, Alice failed to find the golden thread that was her lifeline out of the rabbit hole.

Before I found the Wonderland of the Light and Sound, I was much like Alice wandering aimlessly on my journey. After I made conscious contact with the Light and Sound, all doubt of God's existence disappeared and my relationship with God became clear. I learned and continue to learn that I am Soul, I come from God, and it is my destiny to return to God as a God-Realized co-worker and co-creator. Through contemplative techniques and practices, I am able to connect daily with this Light and Sound, the One Source. You can too.

Sing HU

“In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.” The Word is HU. HU (pronounced hue) is both an ancient name for God as well as a sound of God that derives from the Sound Current. The sound of HU is the sound within all sounds and is part of the fabric and language of life. In the beginning was the Sound, and the Sound was with God, and the Sound was God. The Sound is HU.

Chanting or singing HU daily for 20-30 minutes as a love-song to God has the power to uplift, transform and heal. Chanting HU opens the inner eyes and ears to see and hear the Light and Sound. Anyone can use the HU, regardless of spiritual beliefs. Singing HU daily in spiritual contemplation is a powerful way to connect with the Light and Sound.

The one universal truth above all others is that God is love. Divine love is the Wonderland of life. The Light and Sound is this divine love in expression. We as Souls exist because God loves us. Love is everything and the only thing that really matters. Love is the only way to reach the Kingdom of Heaven. Divine love is the golden thread that binds all life together. By singing HU, you can find this golden thread of love through the Light and Sound of God.

© 2006, James Perry. James Perry is a member of the Eckankar Clergy. To learn more about Eckankar, visit www.eckankar.org or call 800-Love-God. The opinions expressed in this article are those of the writer and not necessarily those of Eckankar or Harold Klemp, the spiritual leader of Eckankar.

Printed in the December 2006/January 2007 issue of Innerchange.