Sunburst: Return of the ancients : an autobiography Hardcover – January 1, 1980

Great book

Great book, its been many years since I read it, did buy a copy on Amazon about 10 years ago as the original was loaned out (and lost). The book tells the story of Norm Paulsen and the Spiritual Community (Sunburst) he founded near Santa Barbara CA in the 70's. Norm was a student devotee of Paramhansa Yogananda and he describes his experiences living in the early community Yogananda founded (Self Realization Fellowship). After the experiences with Yogananda, the book covers his life after and establishment of Sunburst. There is a newer edition that contained later material that updated this book (had a different title). Norm moved to Montana I believe then later started another community in California which may still be functioning.

This is the original version of the later revised edition called "Christ Consciousness". Norman Paulsen had an early desire to know the truth of the nature of life and was drawn to the great Indian yogi, Paramahansa Yogananda. He became a novitiate in Yogananda's organization, Self Realization Fellowship, and trained under the direct tutorage of this saint. He dropped out after a few years, as he knew that he had another calling in life other than being a monk in SRF.The book recounts his experiences with Yogananda, and the years after, when he organized a brotherhood colony called Sunburst, originally in the Santa Barbara/Goleta area of California. It is a fascinating account of his successful attempts to live closer in harmony with Nature, as advocated by Yogananda. Dedicated to the harmonious principles of a God-centered life, closely aligned to the natural rhythms of the earth; his colony has prospered and still serves spiritual seekers today, even though he died earlier in 2007.The book also goes into a theory about the evolution of man on this planet, which is intuitive insight on the part of Paulsen. This has been the more controversial aspect of this autobiography, since it is contrary to many of the conservative ideas of the origins of man on this planet.If you are interested in Yogananda or alternate and more harmonious ways of life, this is a great read. This confirms that Life has a great purpose and that it is accessible to all those who seek - they shall find if steadfast and sincere.

If you liked Yogananda's Autobiography of a Yogi, you'll love this autobiography of Norman Paulsen, one of Yogananda's monks who cared for Yogananda in his old age, and went on to found a very successful New Age community in California. Norman is a man's man, sailor, and stone mason who's down to Earth strength together with his deep connection to the divine through his yoga practice, lends credibility to his later accounts of being taken aboard a UFO and meeting Christ who was the captain! The new version was renamed "Christ Consciousness", but the original title is more descriptive, as a large portion of the book contains his personal research on the history of humanity on Earth, and how the "Great White Brotherhood" including Christ, will return to assist us.