Walking with William of Normandy: A Paramhansa Yogananda Pilgrimage Guide

By Richard Salva

Experience Yogananda’s Past Life in France

Are you inspired by Paramhansa Yogananda? Have you enjoyed his Autobiography of a Yogi and other writings? If so, you may have visited his sites in California and in India.
But — did you know that there are shrines in Europe where Yogananda's blessings can be felt? And those of his great guru, Sri Yukteswar?

It's true! I've felt those blessings. And so have a select few who knew where to go.
It all has to do with something Yogananda told his close disciples. The great yoga master said that, in a past life, he was a Norman duke and British king . . .

"[Paramhansa Yogananda] told us that, in a former incarnation, he had been William the Conqueror." —Conversations with Yogananda by Swami Kriyananda

He also said that Sri Yukteswar had incarnated as William's spiritual advisor, Lanfranc.

Powerful Blessings

When I heard about this, I was fascinated. My wife and I traveled to Normandy to visit places made famous by William and Lanfranc.
We were overwhelmed by the powerful blessings we experienced there. And we would like to share those blessings with you.
Many of these sites are only an hour or two by train from Paris.
I encourage you to go there and meditate. Take that trip to Paris you've been dreaming about — and experience Yogananda's blessings at the same time!
To help you plan and make your Normandy pilgrimage, I have written this guidebook, filled with hundreds of tidbits that will enrich your pilgrimage experience.

Here's what you'll receive:
• First-hand descriptions of the most inspiring William the Conqueror sites in Normandy.
• Directions on how to get there.
• Site accessibility breakdown by train or car.
• Maps with William sites highlighted, and diagrams of important sites.
• Brief history lessons that enhance your appreciation of each site
• Travel diary excerpts — to give you a sense of what you might experience.
• Photographs of William's castles, his tomb, his birthplace . . .
And much more!
______________________________________

“Beautiful! I think that many will be inspired by this book to take a similar pilgrimage.” — Swami Kriyananada, direct disciple of Paramhansa Yogananda

"Fascinating! Richard Salva brings to life the previous incarnations of Paramhansa Yogananda and Sri Yukteswar. . . . Enjoy it!" — Dambara Begley, Meditation Instructor

• Language: English
• Publisher: Crystar Press
• Release date: Nov 26, 2014
• ISBN: 9780977238156

Book preview

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Statue of William the Conqueror

Falaise, Normandy

[Yogananda] told us that, in a former incarnation, he had been William the Conqueror. —Conversations with Yogananda by Swami Kriyananda

Walking with

William of Normandy

A Paramhansa Yogananda

Pilgrimage Guide

Richard Salva

"March with God. March with God.

Sword in hand, heart afire!"

—Haridas Blake

Crystar Press

Penn Valley, California

Crystar Press • Penn Valley, CA 95946

Copyright © 2007, 2010 by Richard Salva

First edition published 2007. Second edition 2010.

All rights reserved. Published 2010.

No part of this book may be used or reproduced in any manner whatsoever without written permission except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical articles and reviews.

Printed in the United States of America

ISBN: 978-0-9772381-5-6

Cover art: Barbara Bingham

Photo credits: All Normandy photos by Richard and Laura Salva

Maps and diagrams by Richard Salva

www.crystarpress.com

To William

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Paramhansa Yogananda

[Paramhansa Yogananda] was lovable. . . . Yet he was also the very personification of power! —Conversations with Yogananda by Swami Kriyananda

Contents

List of Illustrations

Introduction

1. Caen

2. Bayeux

3. Dives-sur-Mer

4. Bonneville-sur-Touques

5. Mont-Saint-Michel and Avranches

6. Falaise

7. Lisieux

8. Bec

9. Jumièges

10. Rouen

11. Off the Beaten Track

12. The Twelfth Kriya

About the Author

Further Explorations

Illustrations

Photographs

Paramhansa Yogananda with a tiger skin

Statue of William the Conqueror, Falaise

William’s Castle

St-Georges Church, Caen Castle

The ruins of William’s Palace, Caen Castle

Interior View of William’s Palace Ruins

St. Stephen’s Church & the men’s monastery

Site of William’s tomb, St. Stephen’s Church

William’s tombstone, St. Stephen’s Church

The avenue beside the Dives River

The author meditating at Dives

Bonneville Castle from the roadside

Mont-Saint-Michel

Saint Michael statue, Mont-Saint-Michel

Falaise Castle

Paramhansa Yogananda

Sri Yukteswar, guru of Yogananda

Laura meditating, Bec

Jumièges

St. Gervais Church, Rouen

Plaque commemorating William’s passing

Effigy of William’s grandfather, Rouen

Paramhansa Yogananda

Maps and Diagrams

Normandy

Caen

Caen Castle

St. Stephen’s Church, Caen

Bayeux

Dives-sur-Mer

Lisieux

Rouen

About the Maps

This book was originally published as an eBook. Using that format, it would be possible to zoom in on the maps for greater clarity.

To help you get the most out of these maps, I have created a webpage with downloads for each of them. Now you can download and zoom in on each map, just like those who have purchased the eBook version.

The Normandy Maps download webpage is:

www.crystarpress.com/bonus_stuff/w80W75w66maps.html

Please note: these maps are not intended as comprehensive place, city, or site descriptions. They are offered to enhance your awareness of where these sites are located in a given area. (For instance, very few of the street names are listed.) It is recommended, therefore, that you obtain tourist or other fully descriptive maps of any locations you are visiting, especially the cities of Caen, Bayeux, Lisieux, and Rouen.

A number of the maps I have made include site locations that are seldom or never listed on tourist maps, or are otherwise hard to find. They can be a helpful tool when used in conjunction with your other maps.

Acknowledgements

To everyone who helped with the development of this book, I express my deep and sincere thanks.

I would like to mention my appreciation toward:

The staff of the tourist offices for the cities of Caen, Touques, and Rouen in Normandy, France.

John Downey, for computer help.

My wife, Laura, who shared so much inspiration while walking with me in William’s footsteps.

For other assistance: Swami Kriyananda, Asha and David Praver, Panduranga Heater, Rambhakta Beinhorn, Haridas Blake, and Frank Monahan.

I would especially like to thank Swami Kriyananda and Crystal Clarity Publishers for allowing the use of quotes from several works: The New Path and Conversations with Yogananda, by Swami Kriyananda, and The Flawless Mirror by Kamala Silva. Without their generous help, this book would not have been possible.

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Introduction

Every year, followers of Paramhansa Yogananda—author of the spiritual classic, Autobiography of a Yogi—travel to India to meditate where that great master of yoga and other gurus of his lineage lived.

Yet there are similar pilgrimage spots in France that are seldom visited by yogis. These sites—blessed by Yogananda and Yogananda’s guru, Sri Yukteswar—are located in Normandy. In fact, just a two-hour’s train ride from Paris, one can find wonderful pilgrimage sites brimming with spiritual blessings. 

I know. Years ago, my wife Laura and I included a week in Normandy as part of a trip to France. That week was the highlight of our trip. So much so that, two years later, we paid another visit.

The first time we went, we didn’t know what to expect. Yogananda said that in a past life he had been the great Norman duke and