The temple is the best place to learn to feel Paramatma's Presence. This Presence is actually the shakti that Paramatma sends as blessings to us. In a temple Paramatma's shakti, continuously emanates from the deity. It is this shakti that creates the calm and serene atmosphere of a temple. It is also known as the vibration of the temple.

The shakti that emanates from the deity is the strongest during the puja ceremony. Even if a devotee is not able to feel the shakti, he or she is still receiving this shakti blessing. The feelings this shakti evokes in us are similar to the feeling of security, care and peace that we experience when living under the care of our parents.

God showers us with His shakti blessings when we are in prayer. To be able to feel God’s shakti enriches our life with spiritual joy. It lifts our spirits and inspires love and inspiration in our life. If you have yet to experience Paramatma's wonderful Presence, the following practice which involves temple worship can help you.This practice that I learnt from my guru will help you sensitize your physical and spiritual senses so you can start to identify and enjoy God’s ever flowing benevolent shakti. You may not feel any different when you begin this practice. However the more you practice, the more sensitive your spiritual and physical senses will become. Then, one day you will start to feel the shakti coming directly from the temple’s sanctum, overwhelming you with a warm and loving feeling welling up within your heart.

1. The first step is to choose a temple to go to. Choose either a Shiva, Vishnu or Shakti temple that you can attend regularly. A Shiva, Vishnu or Shakti temple means any temple whose main or central sanctum is a deity of Shiva, Vishnu or Shakti. For instance, the main deity can be a Shivalingam, Lord Thiagaraja & Uma, Lord Rama & Sita, Lord Venkateshvara, Goddess Lakshmi, Goddess Rajarajeswari; basically any form of Paramatma.

2. Prepare yourself before going to the temple by bathing and attiring yourself appropriately. As you prepare, anticipate your meeting with God. Give as much time and attention in your preparation to be in God's Presence as you would if you were going to meet somebody very close and dear to you. You can also sing devotional songs or chant mantras as you prepare, to put yourself in the right frame of mind and keep from getting distracted by mundane daily chores.

3. Prepare also an offering for God. The offering can be anything from worship items such as incense or abishegam materials, loose flowers, a garland, fruits or specially cooked food for God. Your offering can be simple or elaborate. It is up to you, so long as it is a sincere offering. Taking offerings for God is an important part of this practice as it is expressing our gratitude to God. Expressing gratitude is key to the success of this practice.

Now you are ready to go to the temple.

4. When you reach the temple, do the pradakshina three times around the main sanctum. Most temples provide for circumambulation, though some temples may not have space for it. If pradakshina is not possible then skip this step.

5. Next go to the Lord Ganesha shrine and ask Him in your prayer for His assistance to help you feel God's Presence.

6. Then proceed to the main sanctum of the temple. Give your offering reverently to the priest to be presented to the deity.

7. As you stand in front of the deity, fill your heart with gratitude for all that you have received from God and spiritually place the gratitude you feel at God’s Holy Feet (Do this by visualizing that all your gratitude is contained in your offering). By filling yourself with gratitude, you open yourself to feeling God’s Love. Then offer prayerful requests of your needs as you might usually do. Part of your prayers ask for the Grace of experiencing Him/Her.

8. After your prayers remain in the sight of the deity for about five minutes. Try to keep your mind free from distractions and focused on God by silently singing devotional hymns or chanting mantras. Stand there with your eyes fixed on the deity, or, with your eyes closed and visualizing God within yourself. Be open to any experience that may follow. Do not force yourself to feel anything or doubt if you are imagining an inner experience if you have one. Just accept whatever comes even if it is that you do not feel any different. It takes practice for our senses to develope the sensitivity to feel God's subtle shakti. It is a very refined sense.

9. If you are not able to stand for a long time in front of the main sanctum because you will have to give way to other devotees, you can continue the practice of trying to feel God's Presence while sitting in a quiet area of the temple and meditating on the deity. You can choose any area within the temple. It can also be in front of a different shrine. Start the meditation by taking relaxed and deep breaths. Focus your attention on your breath for about three minutes then visualize that you are worshipping God in the temple as if you are His priest. Chant mantras and sing songs, perform abishegams, offer flowers, incense as you desire. You do this until you reach a point in your meditation when you feel so saturated with your worship of God within that you just want to be absolutely quiet in your mind. At this point of your internal worship your visualizations will cease. This is a natural and normal state of deep meditation. Be open to any experience or sublime emotions that may follow. Remain in this quiet state for as long as you can as it will develop your spiritual senses. When your awareness comes back into normal consciousness and thoughts flood back into the mind, the meditation is over and you can pay your respects to God in the main sanctum and leave the temple.

As your spiritual senses become more keen with this practice, you will be able to feel and enjoy God's subtle and tangible Presence as soon as you enter the temple   or when you stand in front of the deity and when you are in meditation in the temple. You will be able to feel the 'vibration' of any temple or place of worship you step in and even compare the difference in the 'vibration' from one place to another.

The usefulness of this practice comes especially when you are feeling down, discouraged or disappointed. Just go to the temple and tune yourself to God's shakti. When you tap into the shakti, visualize your body and mind being filled with the shakti from head to toe. Try it and see how God works His magic in your life.