“1000 Days: Practice every day for 1000 days straight. This will allow you to master the new habit of consciousness that the kriya or mantra has promised. No matter what the challenge, you can call on this new habit to serve you.”
1,000 Days of Sat Kriya
Almost 33 months ago, I made a commitment to myself: I would complete a 1,000-day spiritual practice to not only test my resolve, but also to see how dedicating myself to an unwavering daily practice could transform my life. Today, Saturday, May 14, 2022, around 6:30 a.m., I lowered my arms after completing my 1,000 straight day of a daily practice, looked around my backyard to see the sun cresting over the horizon, birds chirping as they awakened to start their new day, as I reflected on the last two and a half years of my life. So much had changed; so much stayed the same; I was different, yet essentially the same; I evolved and devolved to the point of exhaustion and at the end of it all I realized, the journey never ends.
I was alone; no one sat beside me as I completed day 1,000; there was no celebration of my accomplishment; no fanfare; nothing seemed to have changed that much since I began this journey in September of 2019, and yet, it had. The effects of a long-term Sadhana are subtle, almost unnoticeable. Each day we stand before God, alone, and we begin chiseling our consciousness like a sculptor might chisel a marble statue. At the beginning, it’s like we are taking a large hammer and pounding the chisel, knocking off large chunks of marble to only then beginning refining and shaping our masterpiece much later in the process. It’s a tremendously long process to transform our consciousness.
Read David’s book, White Tantric Yoga!
The beginning of any journey is oftentimes the most unrewarding. In the first 100 days of the practice, few “results” materialize. Mostly, we are faced with our egoic constructs that flare up telling us we are unworthy or that we should feel shame, guilt, or regret for something we have done in the past. Past conditioning arises, as our Truth begins to bubble to the surface. This is the work. This is that part of the artistic spiritual process that seems to have very few rewards. Our commitment is our grace and quite frankly, it is all we have during these early days.
This period can feel lonely and pointless. There is no shortage of times when our mind will tell us that we are wasting our time, or that we are doing it wrong, or that we are not good enough to claim the peace and harmony that is our birthright. We plow ahead, most likely completely alone, without any real assurance that what we are doing is a worthwhile endeavor.
The reality is that what we are doing is carving and reshaping our consciousness in a way that will forever change the course of our life. Make no mistake about it; it’s not pretty. Facing our own darkness can be scary. Take solace in knowing that everyone goes through this—within everyone lurks darkness and each of us must face it. We can either face our darkness consciously, on our own terms, or this magical Universe will do it for us; however, this may not be as pleasant had we just done it on our own.
From days 200-500 we are “in” the spiritual practice. We are nowhere near completing it and in this stage, we must simply put our head down and keep persevering through the practice. We continue chiseling our masterpiece of marble by smoothing out the rough edges of our consciousness. Our neurosis rise within us to be investigated, understood, and healed. We will regress backwards and fall into past patterns that no longer serve us, we will question once again whether any of this works. Our ego will convince us to quit, telling us, “This is silly. You’re wasting your time.” The ego wants to do everything it can to get you to stop because when you finally complete this journey the ego will now be in service of you and not the other way around.
Somewhere along the way, it’s possible that we may ask, “Who is the ‘I’ that is telling me that ‘I’ am wasting my time?” Can there be two, both the mind and the ‘I’ or is there only “one”? We won’t be able to answer the question at this time (or maybe ever), but it is a huge advancement to simply pose the question.
Sat Kriya: Days 500-750
As we drift from days 500 to 750, a new level of commitment presents itself. We have completed half of our committed practice and for the first time we begin to see that it’s possible to go the distance on this journey. We continue the process of carving our masterpiece with more delicate and refining strokes. Before we know it, the world begins shifting around us. Things that no longer serve us quietly move out of our life making room for our soul’s purpose. This may include what we do for a living (I had two comedy clubs when I began this journey which I have since left behind), our peer group, habits that no longer serve and a multitude of other things that may fade from our lives.
Once we hit day 750, it seems only an Act of God will prevent us from completing our goal. When we have completed ¾ of our goal, we move forward with a new sense of determination. Our masterpiece now has presented itself in a way where those around us can see the beauty of the world that we are creating. Many things in our life have probably changed by this point. Old friends will notice the changes and comment about them; those that we thought were friends may longer be in our life; our interests will not look the same; our purpose will most likely evolve to include helping those around us through acts of service. We are changing; the world is noticing.
Days 750-900 can be lonely. As we continue working on our masterpiece, we have a tendency to become a perfectionist, while holding ourselves to a standard that simply isn’t reachable. It’s not uncommon to wonder why certain sages reach spiritual perfection while we still feel “very human” and flawed. Our failings surface once again for our discernment while we continue with what most likely feels like an arduous and sometimes unfulfilling journey.
The last 100 days are the most pressure. After spending more than two years committed to a goal, the thought of somehow missing a day of practice looms each and every day. To miss a day now would be nothing short of soul crushing. Our masterpiece is so close and reaching our goal’s zenith seems entirely plausible. We polish our consciousness, investigate our thoughts, and begin to understand that we are all One with the Universe while at the same time forgetting this in daily execution. What we “know” and how we “live” in our day-to-day lives may not align perfectly yet but we try nonetheless.
Our “humanness” still arises, yet our spiritual knowledge permeates under the surface of everything we do. Now when we fail, we know better. Our awareness has been awakened and we can no longer plead ignorance. We know what is for the Greatest Good of All, but whether we practice this in each moment is another story entirely. But…we know better. We can see our shortcomings now and they are no longer shadows that lurk in the darkness. They are before us and only the light can transmute them into a form of grace.
The final ten days are those of reflection. After almost two and a half years it is obviously that we have changed, yet the biggest surprise is that our work is never finished. We don’t wake up spiritually complete. The journey is only beginning. We have faced ourselves, investigated our own darker aspects, and shined the light on the consciousness to welcome in the Divine. The journey doesn’t end, it continues forth as we ascend upwards towards the Light of Love.
The most surprising revelation for me over the last 1,000 days is that on my final day, I inherently understand it doesn’t end today. When the sun rises tomorrow, I must make my way before God once again and continue carving the masterpiece of my life. There is no destination; the journey doesn’t end; on the road to consciousness, the path continues to unfold before my eyes.
Tomorrow marks day 1001.