832 – Maha Shivratri

I am sharing a mantra with you, dedicated to Shiva, seeking atonement and blessings.

Om namaste astu bhagvana visrvesrvaraya mahadevaya
Trayambakaya tripurantakaya trikalagnikalaya
Kalagirudraya nilakanthaya mrityumjayaya
Sarvesrvaraya sadashivaya sriman mahadevaya Namah.

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719 – Freedom from what?

True liberation is freedom from attachments, desires and fears. It is the Yogic path which will lead us. The passage to Nirodha, to the state of Samadhi is not an easy voyage. It requires sadhana, self-discipline and wholehearted commitment. The change from tamo guna and rajo guna to sattva guna is a basic step. Continue reading

638 – Early morning meditation on the Goddess Kundalini

Tantric Form of Goddess Worship, 11th book of the Devi Bhagvata.

The Kundalini resides on the ruddy lotus (the mooladhara).
She is blood red in color and has Hrim for her symbol.
She is like a lotus filament.
Her face is the sun, her breasts the moon.
If she dwells just once in one’s heart, one is liberated.
She is (all acts): sitting, coming, going, understanding, reflecting, lauding, singing. I am universal and divine; all (my acts and) praise are worship for you (the Devi).
I am the Goddess; you are not other (than I). I am Brahman, free of sorrow.
I am infinite being, consciousness and bliss. Thus, should one reflect on one’s Self.
She shines brilliantly in her ascent; she appears like nectar in her descent;
I take refuge in that woman who wanders along the middle channel in the form of bliss.

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606 – Hope and Worry

Hope is the thing with feathers
By Emily Dickenson (1861)

Hope is the thing with feathers–
That perches in the soul–
And sings the tune without the words–
And never stops-at-all–
And sweetest –in the Gale—is heard–
And sore must be the storm–
That could abash the little Bird.
That kept so many warm–
I’ve heard it in the chilliest land–
And on the strangest Sea–
Yet—never—in Extremity,
It asked a crumb—of me.

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583 – Accept and respect your body and soul

Guna means virtue and each one of us is blessed with three gunas. They emerge from Prakriti creating the essential aspects of all nature—matter, energy and consciousness. These are tamas (darkness and chaos), rajas (activity and passion) and sattva (beingness and harmony). These gunas are constantly in flux and they are responsible for creating maya (illusion). As human beings we can consciously alter our levels of gunas in our body and mind. Continue reading

564 – Chant with your heart – part 3

The individual sounds of So and Ham.

In the first stage, one synchronized Soham with the breath. In the second stage, one synchronized Hamso, with the breath. Now in the third stage the introspection is upon the individual sound of So with the ingoing breath and Ham with the outgoing breath. After So there is a pause again and after Ham. Be aware of the two individual sounds and do not unite them. Continue reading

539 – Words – sacred sounds

The power of the word lasts forever. It cannot fade away. I read that when we say something hurtful to someone intentionally, it never leaves the ether. Words are made of prana as we utter them by using our prana. They themselves have the energy and power which can heal, help, hurt, harm or hinder, humiliate and humble. Continue reading

469 – Individual or collective consciousness

What is consciousness? Consciousness is your individual awareness of your unique thoughts, memories, feelings, sensation and of the environment. The complete meaning of consciousness is your awareness of yourself and the world around you. Continue reading

459 – Celebrate your inner Christmas

Swami Satyananda Saraswati said in December 25,1983 during his stay in Australia:

“The divine baby is the Christ, who came onto this mortal plane of consciousness in order to save and to redeem us, and to destroy the tamasic and demonic forces in and around us.

When Christ came, he destroyed avidya (ignorance). He denounced the so-called institutionalized forces which were surviving and thriving in the name of religion. Is the situation any different today? Will he accept what is going in, in the name of religion?

I know one thing that is higher consciousness which is called Christ Consciousness, Buddha Consciousness, or Krishna Consciousness, is awakened in you at any time in your life, it is not going to bring disaster. It will be the beginning of knowledge, experience, bliss, and the feeling of unity with every living person. That is why Yoga is taught. Knowledge is not enough; you need the experience which is like a flash of lightning.

Understand, who is Christ? Which Christ do you know? Is he the Christ born of a worldly father? Is he the Christ, who is the indwelling entity in every heart? Is he the Christ who creates a vision of the whole universe within and without? Is he the Christ, who transcends everything? He is all four and he came down in a physical body. He was not a myth. He was a man in flesh and blood. He lives in our hearts.

Wherever you can awaken yourself, he is there in your heart.”

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414 – Showers of Samadhi

Swami Satyananda Saraswati.1960
Freed from its usual patterns of samskaras
Mind is fashioned in the divine pattern,
Then the showers of samadhi descend.
At this juncture true knowledge arises
This is samprajnata samadhi, let me call it darshan,
But it takes time to be perfectly established.

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