Blog | Jacob Rudolph

"I am willing to be willing..."

In transcending the levels of consciousness, the importance of the human 'will' is emphasized because it is the most critical of all functions in spiritual work.... [It] is the invitation to Divine intervention" – Dr. David R. Hawkins (Transcending the Levels of Consciousness: The Stairway to Enlightenment, xiv) Choice. If life is about nothing else, it is about choice. It is the one thing that saturates every moment of our conscious lives. Choice reveals itself in moments ra

Jacob

Aug 94 min read

Love is the Essence of Patriotism

In honor of our nation's 250th birthday, I want to begin by saying how deeply I love America: our ideals, our national anthem, our flag, our people, our culture, our traditions, our history, our future, and our present. To me, being an American is a tremendous gift—despite the shadow side of our nation's past, present, and future. Regardless of the ways in which Americans have perpetrated harm against those who did not deserve it, nothing will shake my love for my country or

Jacob

Jul 32 min read

God – The Five Pillars of Kundalini Yoga – 5/5

More than a “pillar” of Kundalini Yoga, God is actually its ultimate foundation, process, and aim. The realization of our sat nam, our truest, most ultimate Self, is the implicit, underlying goal of every technique. For when the ego/mind/karma is cleared–– when our attachment to the dualistic content of the ego is surrendered––all that is left is the fundamental truth of our nature–– pure beingness (satchitananda) and Unconditional Love. Our upbringing, beliefs, and level of

Jacob

Jun 52 min read

Naad / Mantra – The Five Pillars of Kundalini Yoga – 4/5

Naad is the essence of vibration itself; it is the power that manifested from the primal nothingness and sparked the birth of the universe. It is eternal and within all. Everything has a vibration, which for many yogis (and physicists) is common knowledge. This includes the various levels of consciousness–– each field of consciousness has a unique pattern, from which concordant manifestations arise: “I hate myself” emerges from a destructive field, whereas “waheguru” emerges

Jacob

May 132 min read

Pranayama – The Five Pillars of Kundalini Yoga – 3/5

The breath is our most familiar reflex, yet it is likely a total stranger to us. That is to say, we have nearly 20,000 breaths/day, yet nearly all of them occur outside of our awareness! One of the fundamental yogic aims is to increase the number of conscious breaths we take. Pranayama could be described as any practice that consciously regulates the flow of breath. There are over a hundred ways to breathe, but the most basic, natural breath is where we are most likely to

Jacob

Apr 122 min read

Meditation – The Five Pillars of Kundalini Yoga – 2/5

Meditation is a process by which the mind is transcended. It is a process of self-inquiry that is accompanied by the willingness to let go of identification with the content of mind, while progressively learning to identify with the witness of the content instead. Meditation is for everyone. It can be secular in its approach, or it can be a container for the sacred. The practice of meditation affords us with an increased capacity to recognize inner patterns and cultivate cla

Jacob

Mar 22 min read

Kriya – The Five Pillars of Kundalini Yoga – 1/5

The word kriya means “action”. Specifically, “an action that leads to a complete manifestation”. It is the same power which allows a seed to sprout, a thought to be made manifest, and a desire to become a commitment. In Kundalini Yoga, a kriya is most often referred to as a sequence of postures, breath, and mantra that are integrated together as a unique set. Yet as these actions unfold, especially with repetition, they initiate the process by which our inner potential can

Jacob

Jan 302 min read

Pregnant with Light

At the threshold of the new year, I am positively filled up with the Love and grace that saturated my holiday season. This year, my Hanukkah celebrations were punctuated with attending Boulder's menorah lighting ceremony where hundreds of Jews gathered together to sing the haunting, warm melody of the Hanukkah blessing. It was a moment of awe that reached into my bones. I shared homemade latkes and applesauce with loved ones. And I lit candles in complete darkness during th

Jacob

Dec 30, 20252 min read

Simple Tools of Great Value

"Another delay on the way to Enlightenment is the supposition that one has to master an assimilate a vast amount of spiritual information...

Jacob

Apr 5, 20254 min read

Jesus, Pt. 2

"Calm and Stars" by Yongsung Kim שְׁמַע יִשְׂרָאֵל יְהוָה אֱלֹהֵינוּ יְהוָה אֶחָד בָּרוּךְ שֵׁם כְּבוֹד מַלְכוּתוֹ לְעוֹלָם וָעֶד Hear, O...

Jacob

Feb 3, 20255 min read

Jesus, Pt. 1

"After the Storm" by Yongsung Kim How do you express in words something so ineffable that to speak of it seems only to diminish its beauty? A sunset described is not a sunset seen. A rose described is not a rose inhaled. A symphony... a hug on a bad day... truly, each must be experienced to be known. As such, I can hardly bring myself to write down these words. It is painful to me that I have already failed in my heart's desire to fully convey the essence of the Presence abou

Jacob

Dec 4, 20245 min read