At least since the sixties, many spiritual seekers in the West have been searching for a fast track to enlightenment. Have they finally found one? For Arjuna Ardagh, author of Awakening into Oneness, and many thousands of others around the world, the answer may now be yes. It’s called deeksha, or the “oneness blessing,” and according to Ardagh, it has the power to change one’s consciousness by a transmission of energy that can alter the brain itself.

In this surprising and engaging conversation, Ardagh and WIE’s editor-in-chief Andrew Cohen take an insider’s tour exploring the popular movement that has formed around this rapidly growing spiritual phenomenon. Ardagh explains the origins of deeksha in South India and describes how the oneness blessing was created by a former grammar school director named Sri Bhagavan. With his wife Sri Amma, Bhagavan (who many revere as an avatar) is now the head of Oneness University near Chennai, where the deeksha technique is taught during 21-day courses to everyone from rickshaw wallahs to Hollywood starlets.

Deeksha’s originators believe that the potential in this new spiritual method is unlimited, and that it is destined to usher in a global age of unity consciousness. Is there any evidence for their claims? Ardagh, founder of the Living Essence Foundation in Nevada City, CA, plays the part of both journalist and advocate. In this unique dialogue between spiritual teachers, Cohen probes Ardagh’s experience and thoughts on this phenomenon in order to get at the essence of what deeksha is all about.

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