The religion of Eckankar is one of great mystery. Paul Twitchell introduced it as a modern-day religion in 1965, but Twitchell says it was brought to the world 6 million years ago from the planet Venus, via an Eck Master. The ironic thing is, that before 1965 on one had ever heard of the religion or knew what or who and Eck Master was. Question will forever surround the history of Eckankar, but the modern day religion is nothing like anything else in the world. .
Eckankar is full of ideas, visions, and behaviors, which have been passed down over the last 6 million, or maybe the past 38 years depending on who you talk too. Eckankar is loaded with memes and anamnesis, and the preceding pages will "throw light on" how they relate to Eckankar.
The major belief of Eckankar is that it is the Light and Sound of God. In the Eckankar religion, spiritual exercises are a big part in growing in the faith. A common practice is to sing the word HU, an ancient name for God. This is a meme because this has spread from person to person over generations through the religion. .
The importance of singing HU is so that one can build a spiritual foundation based on personal experience with the Light and Sound of God. By singing HU, ECKist's have the potential for greater happiness, love, and understanding of the religion. This will help ECKist's learn to recognize the presence of the Holy Spirit present in their everyday lives. As Eckankar members solidify their foundation, they will grow closer and closer with God. When one has a solid foundation, the singing will bring "beneficial vibrations", according to founder Paul Twitchwell. This singing is recommended daily, and the more you sing, the closer you will become with God.
Current Spiritual leader, Sri Harold Klemp, the Mahanta, the Living ECK Master has this to say about HU:.
"HU is woven into the language of life. It is the Sound of all sounds. It is the wind in the leaves, falling rain, thunder of jets, singing of birds, the awful rumble of a tornado.