A Cosmic Signature

In January, at a gathering for some of our supporters, I requested prayer for our friends in India, who were pursuing the opening of an indigenous Indian branch of The OM. So, here’s what happened since then.

With virtually no governmental pushback, Joshua, our Indian OM Director was able to move the application forward. Prior to his initial interview with the Indian officials, he prayed that God would give him favor with the Government. He filed our request as a “Religious and Charitable Trust.” As they reviewed the document, the officials didn’t ask Joshua any questions, which was incredibly rare!

I asked Joshua, “Why would the Indian government even allow a Christian organization to do that?” He explained that religious organizations who are also conducting social improvement projects can qualify, but that using the word “movement” can be problematic. Evidently, in India, the word “movement” often refers to anti-government sentiment. 

So, I asked him, “Then what should we call ourselves in India?” He said, “The OM Foundation,” which was fine with me. But then he shared one of the greatest ironies I’d ever heard.

“We think of OM as an initialism, short for The Oikos Movement. But in India, ‘OM’ is actually a word, an ancient Sanskrit word. It is spoken with every Hindu prayer and attached to every Indian slogan.” Like me, many of you may be at least somewhat familiar with it because of its usage in Eastern forms of yoga and meditation. Joshua said, “It means ‘Praise to God,’ that He is the Alpha. It represents the sound of the Universe. The Hindus believe it was the first word the Universe ever heard. And because it is so embedded in Hindu culture, OM is the perfect designation to use if we want Indian permission to conduct business.”

I said, “Okay, Joshua, so let me get this straight. In Indian religious and cultural life, OM is considered the first word God spoke into Creation. And, in the Bible, the first designation for God (‘In the beginning God created…’) is referenced by a plural Hebrew noun (Elohim) combined with a singular verb (bara), literally, ‘In the beginning They/He created…’ So, the Alpha, aka: the divine ‘oikos’ of Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, quite literally made His/Their first ‘movement’ by speaking the Universe into existence? Are you kidding me right now?” He just smiled.

The bottom line is that OM is actually the perfect way to describe what The Oikos Movement is trying to do in India…the divine Oikos creating an entire Cosmos with His personal signature!

My mind is officially blown.

Thanks for your kind financial support and prayers for all of this! It is making a huge difference.