The ancient sages believed that life is nothing but an expression of consciousness and energy. Mind and matter are the expressions of consciousness and energy. Consciousness and energy manifest as life in the form of spirit, mind, senses, intellect and ego. Both are present in every aspect of creation in the form of Astha prakriti, the eight-fold aspect of manifest nature.

Ashta prakriti consists of the five senses and the three attributes of the mind: mana (reasoning mind), buddhi (intellect) and ahamkara, the ego identity. Therefore, God exists everywhere; that supreme element exists in every atom, type of matter, form and state. Consciousness assumes the form of the mind and the observer.

Consciousness is never active; its nature is stillness. Energy is active; it is the basis of creation. Without energy, creation cannot happen. Energy or Shakti is the predominant factor in creation and in experiencing life. Consciousness is used to realize the different moods of Shakti and acts accordingly.

As we cultivate meditative self-awareness we gradually proceed from the exterior to the interior self-identification of consciousness—identifying first with the body, then with the prana, then with the many layers of mind, one after another and finally with pure consciousness alone. As the yogis say,

See all consciousness and your body is included. – Swami Ram

Extracted from Mantra and Yantra by Swami Niranjanananda Saraswati.

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