{"id":1001,"date":"2023-01-20T18:50:47","date_gmt":"2023-01-20T18:50:47","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.yoganandafortheworld.com\/story\/?p=1001"},"modified":"2023-01-20T22:09:14","modified_gmt":"2023-01-20T22:09:14","slug":"conversations-with-ananda-ch-17-paula-sweigert-the-customer-is-god","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.yoganandafortheworld.com\/story\/conversations-with-ananda-ch-17-paula-sweigert-the-customer-is-god\/","title":{"rendered":"Conversations With Ananda — Ch. 17, Paula Sweigert, The Customer is God"},"content":{"rendered":"
\"\"<\/a>
Paula (at right) with her brother Arjuna Lucki (at the time, Arjuna was head of Ananda Construction) and Paramhansa Yogananda\u2019s nephew, Hariprasad Ghosh at Ananda Village during a centennial celebration of Yogananda\u2019s birth, August, 1993<\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

We spoke with Paula in 1987<\/strong> when she managed Mountain Song, a popular women\u2019s clothing store and boutique in Nevada City, owned and run by Ananda members. Paula passed in 1997. Her thoughts on spiritual consciousness at work are a testimonial to her bright spirit.<\/p>\n

Q:<\/strong> How did you come to manage Mountain Song?<\/p>\n

Paula:<\/strong> I think I\u2019ve always had a natural ability for \u201cmaking atmospheres\u201d and working with clothes. My two older sisters and I would go shopping a lot with my Mom, and she had definite ideas about taste. She\u2019s seventy-five now and she buys things here, and it\u2019s a real sweet connection. She worked here at Thanksgiving and Christmas last year and loved it. She\u2019s always had good ideas.<\/p>\n

For me, the challenge hasn\u2019t been so much in the aspect of doing business as for turning the work into a spiritual thing. The business side really is just part of my nature, but one of the most interesting things over the years has been putting the spiritual teachings into action.<\/p>\n

Q:<\/strong> Is it something you have to keep your mind on?<\/p>\n

Paula:<\/strong> I think you have to experience the difference. It\u2019s about not having the ego involved. That\u2019s been a big one, going out and buying clothes and consciously setting aside the ego and calling on God \u2013 \u201cIs this right?\u201d \u201cIs this good?\u201d Then it\u2019s amazing how quickly you can make decisions, and how, if you\u2019re in the right flow, they will all be right.<\/p>\n

Latika Parojinog and I do the clothing and gift shows together, and many times we\u2019ll watch ourselves get our egos in the way. I\u2019ll say to myself, \u201cHey, I really like that dress. I know Latika doesn\u2019t like it but I\u2019m gonna get it anyway.\u201d And, sure enough, if those thoughts aren\u2019t coming from the right spot, that dress will sit on the racks until it goes on sale.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>
Fashion Show at Mountain Song, 1994. Ananda Village residents serve as models \u2014 L-R: Anne Padget, Usha Dermond, Julia Beinhorn, Linda Whan, Vairagi<\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Whenever I do the windows and decorate the store, I make myself call on God. I\u2019ll say, \u201cOkay, Divine Mother, let\u2019s do the windows. What would You like to put in?\u201d Many times people will tell me, \u201cThe windows look great!\u201d and I\u2019ll find myself puffing up and thinking, \u201cWell, I do the windows!\u201d But right way, I think, \u201cYes, but who helps you do the windows, Paula?\u201d You call on God, and you begin to realize that God really is the Doer.<\/p>\n

It\u2019s easy to get into a goal\u2011oriented mode, especially when you\u2019re in business. If businesses did less goal\u2011oriented stuff and got more into service and caring for their staffs they would do better. A couple of years ago we set some financial goals and we were \u201cAUM-ing for dollars\u201d and all this stuff. But we were having a poor day, and I was sort of talking to God and saying, \u201cWell, you know, what\u2019s the matter? Is the energy not right?\u201d<\/p>\n

I was thinking, \u201cWe have to make our goal. We need this money because of…\u201d And then I sort of stopped and said, \u201cNo, that\u2019s the problem. What we really need is to serve. When people come in, we need to see the Divine in them and serve them as if we\u2019re serving our favorite person, our favorite friend, or God, or a saint.\u201d Within fifteen minutes after I realized that, hordes of people started coming in. And for myself, I was able to serve them in a deeper way. It was as if God was saying \u201cOkay, now that you\u2019ve got the right attitude, you can go ahead and serve people in a better way.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>
Rare photo! Ananda\u2019s global ambassador, Nayaswami Asha, models during a fashion show at Mountain Song in 1986. Click image to enlarge.<\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

I think that having experiences like that, especially in business, makes the teachings come alive. In that way, business can be a spiritual opportunity.<\/p>\n

Q:<\/strong> Can you talk about how you relate to the customers? The store has a wonderful atmosphere. I understand that you have a loyal clientele.<\/p>\n

Paula:<\/strong> I think, first off, they know that we\u2019re honest. Also, we don\u2019t buy clothing that is tacky. We really try to help bring out the beauty in women, to try to make them feel good about themselves. So many people come in, short and fat, slim and tall, and we try to find things that bring out the best in them, by being honest and saying, \u201cNo, that doesn\u2019t do anything for you.\u201d The store has a wonderful mixture of clothing, and we can help lots of different women.<\/p>\n

Q:<\/strong> Do you select the clothes with that in mind, to bring out people\u2019s inner qualities?<\/p>\n

Paula:<\/strong> Yes, we do. Colors and styles. We buy things so that people can look nice and bring out their true selves, so they\u2019ll look good and feel proud of themselves. Sometimes women will come in and they\u2019ll be unhappy and need some upliftment. By our being happy, and by having the store be happy and exude a positive vibration, they\u2019re able to leave the store feeling uplifted.<\/p>\n

We sell cassette tapes, and a woman came in and was asking if we played subliminal tapes to make people buy. Martha Green, who has a Texas accent, said, \u201cWhah no, we dohn\u2019t have to do that.\u201d Because this lady said that every time she drove down the street, she would try not to stop at Mountain Song, but she said she could feel the car sort of pull over to the side of the road, because the magnetism was so strong for her to come in.<\/p>\n

It\u2019s a different type of \u201cbusy\u2011ness.\u201d At many times of the year it\u2019s not all that busy, and you can let yourself get bored. But if you work on your inner magnetism, and practice seeing everything as God, and see the little bath articles and vases and clothes as creations of God, and put energy into them, then you\u2019re learning about that inner spiritual magnetism.<\/p>\n

Q:<\/strong> Does it take a particular kind of person to work here?<\/p>\n

Paula:<\/strong> It\u2019s true. One of our staff was saying, \u201cYou know, Paula, it\u2019s wonderful to see you change things all the time. I\u2019m so fixed in my ideas that it\u2019s nice to see you go through the store and wipe everything out and make it look really nice again. It makes you realize you don\u2019t need to get stuck in what you\u2019re doing. That you can change continually and it\u2019s fine, especially when it\u2019s a change upward.\u201d<\/p>\n

Q:<\/strong> I attended a fashion show here, and I came out feeling good and not at all pulled down by a vibration\u00a0of sensuality or materialism. Do you have thoughts about what a person\u2019s appearance means in terms of their spirituality and self\u2011development?<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>
Paula in 1995<\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Paula:<\/strong> I think that if you don\u2019t look good it reflects what you\u2019re thinking and feeling about yourself. And it\u2019s not that you need to look good in an egoic kind of way. For me, I really like color and the creativity of clothes. They are objects of beauty. God did make all of the things that are beautiful, and it\u2019s wonderful to see them on people. People have to look at you, and why not have them look at something pleasing? It\u2019s reflective of where your insides are, to have a nice temple inside and have your heart be beautiful. Instead of being seedy and ugly for God, I want to be beautiful for God.<\/p>\n

Q:<\/strong> Do you think clothes can help bring out a person\u2019s spiritual side?<\/p>\n

Paula:<\/strong> Well, if they\u2019re receptive I think, they can. The women in the show are so beautiful. They shine with an inner radiance. If they don\u2019t feel good in something I put on them, it\u2019s wonderful that they can say, \u201cNo, that doesn\u2019t feel like me,\u201d and we\u2019ll work around it. Really, everybody has a style, and we have colors that look good on us. God made us in certain ways, with certain skin pigmentations and everything. There\u2019s a lot to the science of color, and helping people see it can bring out the better side in them.<\/p>\n

One of the nicest things is that before the show, the models get together and pray. It\u2019s so that they can be channels for God\u2019s energy, and for giving to the people out there. I think that comes across in the show, because they have that sweetness.<\/p>\n

Another nice thing we\u2019ve had is continuity in the staff. As time goes by, you can work with unity and understanding and create a vibration, because you get deeper and deeper in tune with each other. In many stores, they have such a high turnover that they aren\u2019t able to create that bond. We pray together every morning. We do prayers for purification, and we bless each other or we pray for each other. We\u2019ll pray for the store, and we\u2019ll pray for certain customers, and it creates a real bond.<\/p>\n

Q:<\/strong> How about women\u2019s roles? Is there an expression of women\u2019s self\u2011development that\u2019s going on with the staff?<\/p>\n

Paula:<\/strong> I think there is. Several women have come from very outward, traditionally male jobs. One of our staff was a chemist and another worked in construction. They\u2019ve brought the mental aspects of that experience into their work here, but they\u2019ve come into a very feminine job, and they\u2019ve been able to bring out more of the Divine Mother in themselves, and they\u2019ve been able to achieve more of an inner balance.<\/p>\n

I think that if women could learn, especially in business roles, not to worry so much about being assertive and aggressive, but to really tap into the higher role of the Divine Mother and then call on God for decisions, they\u2019d find it much easier and more effective.<\/p>\n

It depends on what women want to do. So many women want to make a big career, and I think there\u2019s a way to do it where your ego isn\u2019t so much involved. When Latika and I go to the shows, we see women who are very demanding, ranting and raving all the time, or very artistic and temperamental, or just ego\u2011demanding. I feel there\u2019s no reason for that, because you can get the same results by being calm and centered, without being a pushover.<\/p>\n

Latika and I go to lots of shows, almost one a month, and they are very intense. Many times we\u2019ve had people at the shows tell us, \u201cYou and Latika are so centered. You\u2019re always right there, and you know what you\u2019re doing. We like seeing you.\u201d They know we\u2019re different, and when they find out that we\u2019re part of a spiritual community and that we meditate, many of them will say, \u201cOh, please send me some literature, because I\u2019d like to know more.\u201d<\/p>\n

One time when I was working at Earth Song, I was putting away some herb teas, and a woman came up and whispered in my ear, \u201cNow, what is it that you all have here? I know it\u2019s more than herb tea.\u201d<\/p>\n

You could talk a long time about women in business, and about the ways to bring out feminine qualities without becoming obnoxious. One of them is by learning to meditate, because you become so centered, and you have better ideas, clearer ideas, without needing to be defensive. When people get into a spiritual mode, especially women, they develop a great quality of the Divine Mother and of the heart.<\/p>\n

When we go to the shows, I always pray to God to direct us to the products that are in tune, and to the people who have the same vibration that we do. Especially at the gift shows, where there are maybe five to eight miles of exhibits and you\u2019re looking at booth after booth filled with stuff, you\u2019ll be walking along, and you\u2019ll sort of stop and turn and walk into a booth, and they\u2019re wonderful people, and they have things that are really in tune with the store. It\u2019s amazing how when you ask for guidance, just tuning in and concentrating on that inner quiet place, how all day long God guides you and helps you.<\/p>\n

Many people ask us, \u201cHow do you keep God with you all day long in the store?\u201d For sure, it takes lots of training. I can hardly wait till I can be in the consciousness of God all day. But you can make a start anytime.<\/p>\n

You find little games for yourself. One woman was telling us that she has a beeper watch, and every hour she\u2019ll make herself say hello to God. You can start making little steps for yourself. If it can\u2019t be every hour, make it every two hours. Slowly, those hours turn into half\u2011hours, and the half\u2011hours turn into minutes.<\/p>\n

I talk to myself a lot, and I just make sure I\u2019m talking to God, too. It doesn\u2019t have to be big and fancy. Just carry on small conversations. That way, you can be with God more. When you make a decision, instead of saying something off the top of your head, stop and say, \u201cDivine Mother, what needs to happen here? How can I help this situation? What should I say? If I shouldn\u2019t say anything, please help me keep my mouth shut!\u201d It\u2019s a real help. You feel so much better at the end of the day. Your job turns into a meditation, and when you go into meditation it\u2019s so much deeper.<\/p>\n

Another thing I\u2019ve learned in dealing with the staff is to understand their personalities and help bring out the best in them. You don\u2019t want people to be something they\u2019re not, or something you think they ought to be. Because they\u2019re not you. It\u2019s good to remember that God created them so they would be able to help people in their own way.<\/p>\n

Q:<\/strong> How do you get that kind of insight into people?<\/p>\n

Paula:<\/strong> I think by meditating. The more you deal with people, the better you can understand them. Another very important thing for a manager is not to ask people to do things you haven\u2019t done yourself. Our toilet ran over the other day, and I said to one of the staff, \u201cOh, gosh, our bathroom\u2019s all funky.\u201d She kind of looked at me like, \u201cOh, are you going to ask me to go clean it up?\u201d I said, \u201cNo, no, I already cleaned it up.\u201d And she was so happy! But now maybe the next time I can ask her, and it won\u2019t be so hard.<\/p>\n

What other things have I learned? Just having faith. If you put out the right kind of energy, and you have the right consciousness behind it, and the right attitude, God really will take care of everything, He\u2019ll make it successful. Whether it does well financially or not, it will still be successful if you have the right attitude behind everything you do.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

We spoke with Paula in 1987 when she managed Mountain Song, a popular women\u2019s clothing store and boutique in Nevada City, owned and run by Ananda members. Paula passed in 1997. Her thoughts on spiritual consciousness at work are a testimonial to her bright spirit. Q: How did you come to manage Mountain Song? Paula: … Read more<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-1001","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-uncategorized"],"yoast_head":"\nConversations With Ananda — Ch. 17, Paula Sweigert, The Customer is God - Swami Kriyananda: Lightbearer<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"A disciple of Paramhansa Yogananda shares her experiences bringing spiritual consciousness to her work.\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.yoganandafortheworld.com\/story\/conversations-with-ananda-ch-17-paula-sweigert-the-customer-is-god\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta 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