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'Elan Vital' was the name of this magazine published by Divine Light Mission from 1977 until the early 1980's. Divine Light Mission was then renamed 'Elan Vital' when Prem Rawat decided to distance himself from his brief early 1970's fame/infamy as the fat teenage God boy whose career foundered in a derisive glare of publicity with his wedding to an older and taller devotee, his disowning, disinheriting and depositing by his mother because of drunkeness and a "playboy lifestyle" and the failure of his proclamations that he would usher in a Millenium of Peace through his "Knowledge."
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They shared a common format - full color glossy pages. A full colour photo of the obese, jowly Prem Rawat, on the cover and some of his latest speeches, one or two of his earlier speeches and many, many photos, often full-page, of himself often dressed as the God Krishna and dancing in his inimitable fashion.
The concept of an 'Elan Vital', a term denoting a hypothetical "vital force", coined by Henri Bergson an early 20th century French philosopher, that underlies evolution and is usually assocaited with "vitalism", the discredited doctrine that there is some vital principle underlying life. This is a basic part of the Rawatism religion. He has claimed, as his father did before him, for most of his career that he reveals "the energy that is keeping you alive" through the use of his "3rd technique" of meditation ie concentrating on your breath. The concept of an "elan vital" has been thoroughly debunked by modern research in biology.
Many thanks to Bob and Connie who made these texts available for publication on the internet.
Prem Rawat's "Knowledge" has three parts: regularly listening to his speeches, doing voluntary work for organisations serving him or donating money and daily meditation correctly practicing the four techniques he recommends. The techniques are so simple it's hard to see how they could be practiced incorrectly. First technique ("Divine Light") involves sticking your thumb and middle finger on your eyeballs (NB: with eyes closed) and your index finger between your eyebrows. Second technique: ("Heavenly Music") poking your thumbs into your ears and listening. Third technique: ("Holy Name") thinking about your breathing (NB: continue to breathe). Fourth technique: ("Nectar") curling your tongue backwards and tasting. Rawat's father taught slightly different techniques but either way it's difficult to see how these could produce the benefits claimed for them especially as Rawat claims His Knowledge is the only method of attaining real happiness and love in this life.