Reflections on Raja Yoga.

"I am a being far greater and grander than I have yet conceived.
I am unfolding gradually but surely into higher planes of consciousness.
I am moving forward and upward constantly. 
My goals is the realization of the true self and I welcome each stage of unfoldment that leads me towards my aim. 
I am a manifestation of reality - I AM!"...
I am the Master of my Soul."
Raja Yoga.-mantram or assertions.

As I was browsing You Tube on the subject of Raja Yoga I stumble upon a audio book on the subject entitled, A series of lessons in Raja Yoga, The Mastery of the Self by Yogi Ramacharaka. I listened to the whole book as closely as i could for the past two days as it was a long discourse.It is as the book explained the fact that one attracts to oneself informations pertinent to one's topic of study and this happens to be one such calling. It is useless to mention more of the matter unless anyone interested in this matter like i have been over the years were to listen to the same audio book. In short my thoughts were answered and further instructed towards a deeper understanding of where i have been and perhaps where I am headed. It is an awakening experience having been pointed out the road signs and the Dharma gates that lay ahead.
Does it matter where or what form of revelations that comes your way in the course of your pursuit of knowledge and the truth so long if the information reveals the very essence of what one is seeking for, answering questions and pointing out all possibilities towards one's intended goal? If it had been the text on the Tao Te Ching that I had stumbles upon then it would have been the teachings of the Ancient Chinese that I would be quoting instead of the Raja Yoga. The point is I found some answers through my desire to learn more of where I am at in the course of my quest for the truth of who I am. 
Who Am I? Am I the ' field  of infinite possibilities' as Deepak Chopra likes to quote in just about every talk he presents or am I the ultimate consciousness where all things begins and ends with like the Divine Cosmic consciousness, the goal of all the Rishis and Yogis past, present and future. For one who is enduring a multiple tooth ache  and while trying enjoy a tuna sandwich and making this Blog entry on a Lap Top  that skips the lettering back and forth to add to the ultimate frustration in writing, the implication is a cosmic joke.  In short how can the 'I' claim to be such a high and mighty whatever if it cannot even stop a tooth decay? The laws of abundance, of attraction, of whatever have you maybe works for some, but it seems to me it is no better that praying as much as you can. Perhaps I am sliding backwards, regressing into submission towards another bout of doom and gloom or even despair, well I must admit, it seems like i have wasted my time over nothing all these years...or so it seems and I surely hope that this feeling to will pass.   
Well, the fever came and lasted the whole day and night, toothache and all and the body was totally beaten and so what do i do? I sat! I sat and watched every nerve and every ache and pain the body was subjected to. Here was something I could not share with anyone else but just my own being. Here was the opportunity to just watch and understand what pain and healing was all about. I endured my discomforts with more or less, joy. I was able to step back away from my physical and mental form and just watched. I watched my mind and body going through the rise and fall of my feverish state and how the body simply gave up eventually and slid into sleep; it was a small realization of how I can affect my mental and physical state had i been aware of what was going on. Yes i am indeed the master of my body, speech and mind and i just have to keep making greater effort at this realization and turn it into a reality.