For the very first edition of CHANGE Magazine we travelled to London to interview Samardashiniji, teacher and dasa at Oneness University. Exactly ten years later, we look back – and forward – in an interview with Preethaji, co-founder of O&O Academy in India for their view on our changing world.
How have you seen the world change these last ten years? If we could look through your eyes and heart what would we see and feel?
Preethaji: I see the world moving in two opposite directions. On the one hand I see growing fundamentalism and growing autocracy. I see a need for continued political domination by one person or by one group. The planet is moving towards crisis in terms of pollution and climate change.
On the other hand, I see a growing awareness and a movement away from division, away from separation, towards oneness. This massive shift in human consciousness is driven towards making connections, to being at peace. We’re working towards making this shift in human consciousness more pronounced and universal, so that it percolates and transforms every area of society.
To clarify: oneness can’t be an ideal, it has to be an awareness, a realisation, a state of consciousness. When it becomes a functional state of consciousness for the vast majority of leaders, educators, and people who are driving social change, then we are looking at a new world and that is our vision.
Oneness can’t be an ideal, it has to be an awareness, a realisation, a state of consciousness.
In what ways can each individual contribute to a positive change in the world?
Preethaji: Most people fail to recognise the power of the individual. A single individual has the power to change the course of the future of the organisation, family or nation. An individual can instigate and trigger immense violence and destruction, or can inspire great peace, harmony and togetherness in the world. And we are at a pivotal time in history. Any individual from any part of the world with a passion to create a difference can rise up to inspire millions, more easily than ever before, thanks to the internet revolution.
How does the O&O Academy fit into this?
Preethaji: O&O Academy is a philosophy and meditation school for transforming consciousness. At O&O Academy we believe in phase transition. We believe that every one of us is connected by invisible threads to our soul circle, that is, the people with whom we have shared emotional relationships from our childhood until now. We are inextricably connected in more ways than is visible in the realm of consciousness. What happens to us impacts them; what happens to them impacts us. When an individual’s consciousness undergoes a massive transformation, it impacts the state of their near and dear ones.
One of the strangest phenomena we’ve seen is that when nine members in your soul circle are awakened to a state of connection, the destiny of your entire soul circle transforms. It’s why we encourage groups to engage in a mission of collective transformation so the ripple effect can reach even those who are not part of the active mission of transformation.
It’s true that individual consciousness is connected to the totality of human consciousness, of the earth’s consciousness. When enough individuals’ consciousnesses move away from division to an awakening to oneness, when enough individuals’ consciousnesses move away from separation to greater connection and compassion, it will bring about a massive shift in the collective human consciousness itself. Of course we don’t know exactly how many people it will take before this shift happens but we do know that a phase transition will occur when we reaching that tipping point. The Academy is focused on helping individuals – and by extension the collective human consciousness – make this profound shift.
What is the most important message in your book ‘The Four Sacred Secrets’? What are the Secrets?
Preethaji: The Four Sacred Secrets isn’t a book you read; it’s a journey you undertake. It’s a path that has transformed tens of millions of lives, allowing people to achieve sustainable happiness and prosperity. It offers ancient Indian methods for finding solutions to shocking modern problems such as depression, suicide, conflicting desires and ideals, family breakdown and the loss of sacred in life. It’s a consciousness approach to end the war within yourself, discover harmony in your partner relationship, and learn to manifest sustainable and conscious wealth creation.
The meditations shared in The Four Sacred Secrets offer a neuroscientist-backed method to perform at your highest possible level. The meditations and exercises shared in the book help you improve your mood, reconnect with your surroundings, and tap into a deeper intelligence that lives throughout your body and the universe. For the first time ever, we will share the Four Sacred Secrets that will help you access the power of a beautiful state.
The First Sacred Secret is to create and nurture a spiritual vision. A spiritual vision is the secret from which the power of consciousness flows into your life to manifest any of your goals. The Second Sacred Secret is a process for recognising your inner truth; for cutting through the limiting emotional clutter and accessing beautiful states of calm and connection. The Third Sacred Secret is learning to access universal intelligence, which is a power beyond the mind to awaken to the sacred in your life. Finally, you will learn the Fourth Sacred Secret of spiritual right action; a revolutionary process for decision-making that is based not on any established systems of ethics or law, but on a transformed consciousness. The impact of practicing the Four Sacred Secrets cuts across cultures in its efficacy to dissolve problems and manifest solutions.
A spiritual vision is the secret from which the power of consciousness flows into your life to manifest any of your goals
You speak about and embody the power of a beautiful state. What is it and how can we reach that state?
Preethaji: My husband and cofounder of O&O Academy, Krishnaji says all human beings experience life from one of two states of being; a suffering state or a beautiful state. There is no third state of being. And the most important decision we can make is in which state we want to live our lives. Beautiful states are flow states, such as joy, gratitude, courage, peace, love, serenity and so on. Suffering states are agitated and full of friction; think of feelings such as anger, anxiety, loneliness, or being overwhelmed.
You can tell whether you are in a beautiful state or suffering state by considering how you experience life. Does life feel like a flow or does it feel stressful and painful? The first impact of these states is felt in how you experience life; whether you feel life is a blessing or a burden. The second impact of these states is they affect your decisions, choices, actions and the consequences you will create in your life. The third impact of these states is they affect the sequence of events that unfold in your life. They either bring chaos or order into your life. I would say either reading our book The Four Sacred Secrets or using Breathing Room, our meditation app, which is full of incredibly potent guided meditations, is a great way to begin living in a beautiful state.
All human beings experience life from one of two states of being; a suffering state or a beautiful state. There is no third state of being.
The magazine CHANGE was a pioneer in the field. Today, concepts such as yoga, meditation, mindfulness, and so on are better established. Yet we still find ourselves having to be careful we aren’t labelled as being too ‘airy fairy’ in the business world. What’s your experience with this?
Preethaji: My experience travelling across the world has been, I must say, totally different. Everywhere I go, whether it is corporations, organisations or leaders, I am met by a growing openness towards meditation, towards spirituality, towards living with a greater consciousness. People are realising that so many of their individual, familial, societal, even organisational problems arise from the state of consciousness from which they are working. People want to know how to live free of stress and anxiety, and to live in a beautiful state. There is a massive interest in creating a greater sense of interconnection and in creating organisations that have a greater sense of symbiotic growth instead of exploitation.
Spirituality needs to be understood as an inner journey, a journey into consciousness and spaces you haven’t been before.
Unfortunately the word spirituality is often confused with religion or with a specific belief in a cult. Spirituality needs to be understood as an inner journey, a journey into consciousness and spaces you haven’t been before. It’s an inner journey that leads to a total metamorphosis and profound transformation. Many organisations today use our Soulsync meditation which fosters greater togetherness and helps them achieve the goals they set as a team. They practice a serene mind to overcome emotional stress and anxiety during moments of work pressure. The scenario is changing rapidly and we all must support that change.
How can we help insensitive people awaken to what the world needs? How can we build bridges with more sensitive people who believe we can help improve the world together?
Preethaji: Indifference is immoral and oftentimes bordering on criminal. We should be asking ourselves why we are indifferent to the pain even in our own families? Only too often do we run from a fellow family member’s sadness, dullness or depression. We want to avoid pain. There are many times when we choose to ignore the suffering in our own neighbourhoods. How can this be?
We’re indifferent because fundamentally we live under the illusion that we are separate from the other. We believe that our fate is separate from others. We believe that our life experiences are different; we believe our pain, our fear is different from others. We believe our longing, our love, our joy is different from others. The more we can work towards creating a global awareness of the oneness of our being and of our human experience, indifference will cease at every level. I would urge every sensitive human being to become a change maker, to initiate change or to join the change that others have initiated and participate. Our lives are greater and reach far beyond our own small selfish needs.
A CHANGE community is born from the magazine, we call ourselves CHANGERS, and our connecting slogan is ‘The more CHANGERS the better our world’. How do you feel about this slogan? Do you agree?
Preethaji: I do agree with you, with your slogan. I would add ’transform yourself and that is the beginning of world transformation’.
Our vision is ‘I am you, you are me, all is one, together we change the world’. Would you like to share your opinion? Is anything missing?
Preethaji: Your mission statement is perfect. There is no need to add anything to it, except that everyone has to realise it. Take it beyond being an ideal to a living experience for every reader of your wonderful community.
About Preethaji & Krishnaji
Preethaji and Krishnaji are two of the most impactful transformational leaders and philanthropists of our time. They have led millions on a profound journey into consciousness, helping them find the healing, joy, relationships, and purpose they are seeking. Through their new book, The Four Sacred Secrets, the couple offers a life-altering adventure that has inspired a movement towards emotional and personal prosperity. This powerful couple provides a rare opportunity for all by touring across the U.S., Asia, and Europe and leading students through their teachings otherwise only available at their Field of Abundance retreats, Ekam, or O&O Academy in India. More information on the website https://www.oo.academy/
Many thanks to Eva Moors of Peace Field Kempen and Sigrid Voorspoels for the wonderful and effortless co-creation of this interview. Under the blessed wings of Sri Amma Bhagavan and Krishnaji and Preethaji of O&O Academy India you can meditate , also via live streaming with the O&O.