September 2000

The Magic of the Maharishi Yagya Program
By Linda Egenes

To see a production by Landis & Company is to be immersed in a magical world of enchantment. Life-size puppets, actors and mimes wearing masks, scenery that morphs onstage, lavish costumes, original musical scores, shadow plays, special effects and magical illusions transform timeless fables such as Beauty and the Beast into the supernatural.

As the writers, creators, producers, directors, and actors in these productions, Landis and Jennifer Smith face an unimaginably complex task. So for the past five years, they’ve used the Maharishi Yagya program as a tool to enhance their creativity and success.

"Whenever we even get the idea to have a yagya, things just start happening," says Jennifer. "The cosmic connection gets stimulated and re-enlivened."

A couple of years ago, Landis & Company launched their first full-scale production, Beauty and the Beast. The complex project took over a year to produce and involved fifteen other professionals—the director, musical composer, puppeteers, and the artists who created the sets, masks, props, costumes, and lighting system.

"We had a series of Maharishi Yagya performances specifically to remove obstacles for this production," says Jennifer. "The project turned out to be one of the most harmonious things we have ever done. It seemed like every obstacle that could have been a barrier got cleared out of the way. Everyone had so much fun, and felt uplifted."

The show went on the road for 260 performances, packing audiences of children and adults. Reviewers raved that the show was "sheer enchantment."

Landis and Jennifer have observed positive benefits in their personal lives as well. "During the ten days the yagya for the removal of obstacles was taking place, I felt a distinct difference in my meditations," says Landis. "My experience was much deeper and unmistakably clearer. And that has continued to this very day."

Jennifer says, "Maharishi Yagya performances create increased subtlety of experience in my meditation and a general feeling of upliftment and support of Nature. That’s why we get really excited about having yagyas done."

With the successful completion of Beauty and the Beast, Landis & Company is now back at home in Philadelphia working on their next full-scale production, Cinderella. In the future they hope to stage the ancient Indian epic, The Ramayana.

One of their most cherished dreams is to build a Maharishi Sthapatya Veda design theater in Philadelphia. To help realize this goal, Jennifer and Landis had another Maharishi Yagya performance for their business—this time for greater financial success. "With Beauty and the Beast we made a very large paradigm leap on the artistic side," says Landis. "Now we’ve realized that we need to transform that into wealth— wealth for the company and for every-one who’s involved in it."

Although it’s too soon for Landis and Jennifer to report on the full results of this particular yagya, they have already noticed some major changes. "Just this week several new funding sources have opened up," says Jennifer. "All of a sudden opportunities are percolating." Though it’s not always easy to think up such elaborate and enchanting illusions, Landis & Company continues to find a source of real magic in the Maharishi Yagya program. "For me, Maharishi Yagya performances wash away old patterns of thinking, feeling, and behavior," Landis says, "and they create a great liveliness of consciousness in an effortless way."

If you'd like to know more about the Maharishi Yagya program, call 800-483-2234 (from Canada or the U.S.) or e-mail: MaharishiYagya@Maharishi.net.

Linda Egenes is the author of three books and a faculty member of Maharishi University of Management.