Everything maps onto everything else. To look out over the night sky is to look out to the entire universe. Yet it revolves around a single point—the pole star (north star). Taking a closer look, the handle of the seven-starred big dipper points to the pole star. As the seasons change, the dipper rotates 360 degrees around the pole star. The dipper’s new position in each of the four seasons creates the swastika shape (andthe cross of Christianity) with the center, the pole star, being the heart and soul of the universe. This maps onto (correlates with) the central core of each and every individual.
The Rishi value (the central core, the Knower, you) is the finest fabric of the soul, your essence. The Rishis can be sensed above the head. However, if the relationship with that is not healthy, it can be a terrible distraction. More importantly the Rishi quality can be experienced deep within your being, the soul, the Jiva. The Rishis then, are the laws of nature (Dharma) that are the most refined quality of nature that comprises the Jiva (individual soul). So it is through the Rishis within that the depth of the Self–and through that, God–are known.
Our lives revolve around that one point, the essence of our being, the depth of our soul, the Jiva. Like a two-sided coin, the Jiva is the deepest aspect of our being still in relative existence. The other side of that coin is called the Atman, the (Bindu) point gateway to the Absolute Transcendental Source of all that is, i.e. God. To access the Divine is to know God through the Jiva. That is the meaning of “the kingdom of heaven dwells within.” The totality of existence dwells within you. As said in the Bhagavad Gita, all the Gods dwell within you.
Yet it is the syndrome of humanity that people look outside of themselves to find God. The mapping is that God dwells outside of us, over our heads and above. Though that mapping has validity, it leads so many astray. Such echoes of Truth, perceived as Truth, hold Truth at bay. It becomes an enticing astral level of spirituality. Worship of God then, so easily goes out of balance and becomes a life-consuming, intoxicating distraction. Indeed, the longing for God often reaches outside ourselves. Yet as the Gita and the Bible both say, the kingdom of heaven dwells within.
To find God is to refine and strengthen our experience of the Jiva, the Rishi value, the Self. It is an inward process, not an outward one. It is, of course, fine and feels nurturing, healing, and fantastic to sing the praise of God as outside and above us, but the evolutionary process is in the opposite direction, namely within. Over-emphasis of the outward direction then pulls us away from the God we feel we are reaching toward. To outwardly sing the praises of God on a Sunday afternoon in your church or temple is wonderful and is one thing. To turn it into your daily practice is quite another. God is actually revealed by the Self, to the Self, and through the Self, i.e. the Jiva.
This is why it is taught that we repeat Mantras silently. This directs the awareness to and through the Jiva, the Rishi value. Within the depth of our being, we already are One with God. We already know the Rishis. We can all sense that to some degree, though may say it in different ways. So when a Mantra is repeated silently, even if the pronunciation, rhythm, etc. are not exact, the deep physiology with the Jiva corrects it.
It is said in the Shastras that ten rules of proper pronunciation must be followed to prevent any distortion to be driven into the physiology. In fact, the Vedangas are said to be dedicated to that topic. To sing the praises of God on occasion is beautiful and fine but the actual regular daily practice is to be done silently. Also, it is best to leave the outward recitation to trained Pandits and those raised with proper enunciation. In fact, to hear Westerners try to speak out Sanskrit words can have a coarse feel to it. That is why in the temple, it is best to listen to those whose physiologies and dictions have been cultured from childhood to pronounce Vedic recitations properly. Yet at the same time, reaching outward for God can fill the heart and feel so nurturing and alluring… echoes of Truth holding Truth at bay. The path to God is indeed elusive and subtle, like traversing the razor’s edge, or passing through the eye of the needle.
We see in most every religion the reaching outside of ourselves for the Divine. Some call it being born again. Some call it attaining enlightenment, Bhakti, or Nirvana. Some say through that, God walks with them and talks with them and heals their body, mind, and life. They say they are saved. Unchecked, it hooks, intoxicates, and becomes the source of fanaticism foundational to so many religious practices.
With meditation and the Advanced Techniques, the experience of the Jiva (the Rishi value) is refined and strengthened. It does not promise instant enlightenment. Human evolution is a cultivation, not an detonation. Steady hand on the rudder. Staying on the path with distraction-free rationality is the key. The brain has two aspects… loving heart (Bhakti) and rational mind (Gyana). As illustrated in the Gita, true Bhakti comes once Gyana is solid. Know your Jiva through the Rishi value. Know God through your Jiva. JivoDevaha means the two sides of the one coin: Jiva (the Self, i.e. the Rishi value) and the Atman (Deva, God).
Quantum computing promises to exponentially propel the high tech industry forward. Nano technology boosts and microbiome understanding will transform our oceans. Major challenges will be solved, not with trillions of dollars of expenditure, but rather with technological leaps forward, dwarfing things like the industrial revolution and the computer boom. The future is great! The Age of Enlightenment is emerging!
During the month of January, there is some especially powerful Jyotish. Earlier in the month, six planets clustered in Sagittarius. This type of conjunction is rare and difficult to analyze, but has the potential to change the world. While this conjunction is challenging, some Jyotishis have referred to it as the spark that signifies transformation. The Jyotish was especially difficult from January 8-14, as Saturn conjoined Mercury (and Pluto as per Western astrology) in the last 2 degrees of Sagittarius. Also, there was a lunar eclipse on January 10.
Planets are especially unstable when transiting the final degree of a sign, and Saturn will be transiting the final degree of Sagittarius and the first degree of Capricorn from now until about the end of January. It crosses into Capricorn on January 24, the same day as the new moon (and also the scheduled starting date for the Senate hearing!). As a result, things have been, and will continue to be, rather shaky.
An example of this is the situation with the U.S., Iran, and Iraq. On an individual level, during this time, it is wise to keep the peace, avoid conflicts, and be careful in all areas of life over for the rest of the month and the first half of February. Conflicts, etc. that get created during this time could extend into the future.
The good news is that after Saturn transits into Capricorn, it will be in a much happier position. For the next five years, Saturn will transit its own signs and should provide significantly more positive results. Also, Jupiter is currently transiting its own sign of Sagittarius, producing positive results. Jupiter remains in Sagittarius until March 30, then moves into Capricorn for 3 months, shifts back into Sagittarius on June 30, and stays in Sagittarius until November 20. The upcoming times, where Jupiter is in Sagittarius and Saturn is in Capricorn, are especially auspicious. So 2020 has the potential to be an incredibly positive and transformative year!
Interestingly enough, numerology predicts it to be a transformative year as well. Click here to see the World Numerology forecast from Hans Decoz.
Perhaps you would enjoy watching the following video. Click here to watch it. The second in the series is also interesting. I imagine the rest are as well.
Sociology is obviously a huge field of study, but let’s take a look at it from the perspective of Vedic Science. Vedic Science explains:
1) There is an underlying essence (called the Unified Field of physics, Oneness, God, Is-ness, Pure Consciousness, etc.).
2) All things (from the individual, to a grain of sand, to groups, cultures, planets, and anything else you can think of) share this same One Essence: “I am that. Thou art that. All of this is nothing but that.”
3) That One thing is the source of existence as it interacts with itself in perfect harmony to manifest, support, and maintain all of existence.
4) That One thing is the source of all the laws of nature—Natural Law.
5) When living in harmony with Natural Law, individuals and groups (from family dynamics to societies and cultures) are healthy, receive the support of nature, and flourish.
6) What living in harmony with nature looks like is not simple or easy to describe. It varies through time and from individual to individual, society to society, and culture to culture.
Photo by Joy Anna Hodges
7) Individuals, groups, and cultures embrace a worldview determined by their level of harmony with nature, their level of consciousness. Thereby, they define truth and what harmony with nature ‘should’ look like.
8) A healthy culture (society) cultures the social and personal health of its individuals. This is done by supporting people to live in harmony with the laws of nature.
9) Harmony with nature cannot be determined through conditioned responses of individuals and the groupthink of those not living in harmony with nature.
10) Social laws and religious precepts are attempts to determine what living in harmony with nature should look like. As societies evolve, so do those social laws and understandings. Individuals and societies judge one another from the perspective of their own level of consciousness.
11) Understanding this essential nature of existence inspires people to be more discerning in their beliefs. Through proper meditation and discernment people can evolve. To evolve is to rest into their true nature, which is one with (in harmony with) Mother Nature. As individuals evolve, societies evolve.
12) However, old conditioned modes of thought, emotional responses, and behavior self-justify. Through such self-justification, even well intended people unknowingly resist that evolutionary process. Knowledge is thusly substituted by mistaken thinking, fanaticism, superstition and emotionalism. Anything can be justified by the intellect and at one time or another pretty much everything is.
13) Notions of Truth, perceived as Truth, hold Truth at bay. Humility is the flip side of discernment.
14) The path of evolution is so incredibly elusive, like traversing the razor’s edge or passing through the eye of the needle. Even the teachings of an enlightened guru and the wisest scriptural records of this world are taken, forgotten, spun, or even rebelled against to suit the mental and emotional states of the individual as well as members within a group–even an entire society. Thusly Knowledge slips through the fingers of humanity.
15) Ignorance means ‘to ignore’ (ignore-ance). In this age of ignorance, wisdom and discernment are kicked around like footballs.
16) As individuals in a society rest into the transcendental depth of their being, the society will heal. It is a process which requires time and patience. Progress is measured not in the amount of information one has accumulated. Progress is measured not in the degree one has modified their behavior to suit a belief. Progress is measured not in the degree of emotional gratification. Progress is measured not in how many years invested. If one insists upon measuring progress, it would be measured by how many lifetimes of wise discernment one has lived.
We are but tiny ships navigating the winds and waves of Karma on the ocean of existence. The Law of Karma is the law that determines for every action, there is an equal, but opposite, reaction. What goes around comes around. As you sow, so shall ye reap. Most believe their Karma is acting upon them from outside. Most fancy their thoughts and emotions to be their own. Yet most of people’s Karma is between their ears and in their hearts, setting their sails in whatever direction it does.
Facts are just dots on a page. How people’s hearts and minds connect those dots determines their image of others—of the world. Anything can be and is justified with the intellect. Anything can be and is justified with the emotions. Karma weaves the webs people call life. Karma weaves the webs people call truth. Karma weaves the webs people call justice. Though Karma is God’s Will, Karma is only half of God’s Will.
The other half is accessible to the extent that people’s hearts and minds are free from Karma. Some call it the Divine Spark within. Some call it the Transcendent. Some call it the Kingdom of Heaven.
It is not enough to think you are free. It is not enough to feel you are free. It is usually just people’s Karma that makes them think and feel they are free.
To find that place of Divine and True Freedom is to transcend this world of Karma. Divinity lies beyond thoughts and emotions. Yet, Divinity is the source of thoughts and emotions that emerge unaltered or altered by the winds and waves of Karma.
Projections of inner negativity (conviction, anger, judgement, fear, etc.) are the waves and winds of karmic currents that direct and twist the fate of people’s thoughts and emotions.
Divinity and Karma are the two aspects of God’s Will which entwine to form the world… through people and by people, and therein act upon people.
Jyotish charts are the complex maps of Karma. The world’s karmic map has, of late, shown severe winds and churning waves. But the time is coming when people will live from a place within, beyond the touch of Karma. The time is coming when people can walk through the world of Karma, but not lose Themselves to Karma. The time is coming when people will be established in the silent Divine Depth of the ocean of existence. True peace, harmony, love, and freedom lie beyond the choppy waves of karmic existence that most call life. Looking to the surface to find the Divine, though common and understandable, is an emotional fantasy. Divinity, though permeating the surface, dwells deeper. Thoughts and emotions are, at best, echoes of Truth which, held too tightly, hold Truth at bay.
It is up to the individual to transcend: to access the depth within. to be “without the three Gunas”, called karmic life, and “take the mind to infinity” as Krishna declared in the Bhagavad Gita. to no longer lose one’s self to the maze of karmic thoughts and emotions. to no longer behave as dictated by Karma’s polarizing convictions of good and bad. to stop reaching to emotional images of God as a substitute for the true Divinity of God. The time is coming to know thy true Self.
It is called wisdom. It is called maturity. It is called Divine. It is called Good Will toward all.
It is so very uplifting and beautiful when the temple is filled with people chanting. It permeates the temple and cultures the heart with an exquisite feeling of sublime spirituality and devotion to God. It is nice that some of the Mount Soma residents have been exploring and enjoying chanting. Like many things, whether or not one chooses to chant is certainly a personal choice, but if done wisely it can be beneficial. Like everything, it boils down to ‘healthy relationship with’. I recently discussed chanting with Pandit Prasad and we offer the following:
The healing benefits of chanting can be particularly enjoyed if there are psychological, energetic, or emotional blocks. Clearing such blocks through chanting can, of course, be highly beneficial and open the physiology and energy system with numerous benefits possible. Some find such benefits through other pathways… for example, dance, singing, various forms of yoga or healing, personal relationships, etc.
When people are meditating regularly for a long period of time, impurities can get stirred up as they clear out of the physiology. Things like chanting, exercise, etc. can help clear them and the resultant experiences can then be quite desirable, even dramatic. Of course, that is an individual matter. Some will take to and derive benefit from one thing. Others will take to another based upon physiological needs and personal affinities.
At times, the result of adding exercise, chanting, or diet change can be truly dramatic. We just need to keep them in the context of the nature and structure of life and existence, such as we have discussed in the school. In our enthusiasm, when we start a new practice, it is best to not go overboard. Of course, such enthusiasm is understandable, though it is always best when we come back into balance.
As with all new practices, there are certain guidelines we do well to note:
Chanting for some can result in excess emotional indulgence which can turn a person into what is often called a “bliss ninny.” Then they begin to judge another person’s level of enlightenment based upon “bliss ninny” standards. This is common in many religions and social groups. Those who behave in a certain manner are considered more ‘spiritually evolved.’ Of course, we know that another person’s level of consciousness cannot be judged based upon the surface or upon our own personal affinities.
When the heart is overly enlivened (as described in Ayurveda and Chinese Medicine), it can distort perception. When blocks are cleared and emotions are excessively indulged, people can blur emotions with enlightenment. That can become an obstacle to true spiritual growth. Getting emotional about union with God can be confused with deeper union which transcends emotions. In such a case, chanting (like other things) can become a distraction that pulls people away from a deeper spiritual path. Discernment can be compromised.
We also do well to remember the elevator analogy: when you have been meditating and evolving rapidly, it is like climbing high in an elevator. If you take a moment to look at the view from that height, it is spectacular. So the inclination can be to stay with that level, be distracted by it, and hesitate to go back to what got you to that level in the first place. As a result, you can cease to continue climbing in the elevator to even higher levels.
It is as if for many years we have been cultivating a beautiful garden with fruit trees, etc. Then, if we pick a fruit and enjoy it, we may think it is the fruit that gave the gift. Actually, of course, the real gift is the cultivation that bore the fruit, not the picking of the fruit. Years of meditation and study make many fruits available, and the physiology of meditators becomes like ripe fruit. Various practices you then employ can pick the wonderful fruits we have been cultivating.
Excess chanting can even create a hypnotic state of euphoria. For that reason, some temples in India do not allow certain groups of people following such a path to even enter the temple. As stated earlier, those hypnotic states can lead a person to believe they are getting enlightened, when actually they are being misled. After spending time in India, many people become acutely aware of all sorts of practices done in the name of spiritual growth, that are more truly forms of mind manipulation. They could be forms of chanting, healing, or various spiritual practices. That is why I like to recommend: “Safety first!”
Bottom line: Like everything else, it is a matter of ‘relationship with’. Better to have a good relationship with a bad thing (i.e., staying away from it), than a bad relationship with a good thing (for example, excessive indulgence in it or emphasis upon it).
Remember that the deepest level of Bhakti transcends emotions. Bhakti is rooted in the transcendental depth of your being. Personally, I most cherish the experience of Bhakti I enjoy in deep meditation. However, I also love listening to, and being swept away by, the feeling evoked when the visitors chant at temple gatherings. When Pandits gather and chant together, it is exquisite.
So, if you enjoy chanting, do so wisely and be sure the Mantras you use, and the amount and ways you use them is done properly. If you are at Mount Soma, it is wise to take advantage of the opportunityto have it monitored. Panditji and I are asking that you allow us to do so. If you would like to chant, please let us know what you would like to do, so Panditji and I can confer with one another and offer our assistance. Then, with our blessings, if you like chanting and feel you are getting benefit from it, ENJOY!
A friend in India emailed me saying that there is a movement in India, saying, “a new concept is fast moving here, that is one earth one religion.”
I responded by saying that religions are 1/2 spiritual and 1/2 cultural. The idea of ONE religion is not correct. There is one central God, worshipped differently in different cultures. Even polytheistic religions recognize that all the Gods are aspects of the One. However, whitewashing the world is not correct. Multinational corporations tried to do that decades ago. It was a huge failure.
Cultural integrity is a good thing. Yet, racism is cultural integrity gone insane. As humanity evolves, religions will honor and respect one another. They will live in harmony and mutual support, not opposition or friction. It will be the laws of Mother Nature that determine which religion flourishes in which part of the world… not the laws of men. The laws of nature differ in different regions of the world. The laws of nature, for example, differ on mountain tops versus desserts. Cultures culture the lives of the people to live in harmony with nature. Mother Nature cultures each culture. When we live in foreign lands, we honor the culture of that land, while maintaining the integrity of our personal lives.
I was born and raised Christian. Yet, I have learned of the tremendous value of Vedic wisdom, knowledge, and technology. All humanity can benefit from those Vedic principles. Similarly, all humanity can benefit from science. But it is not right thinking to believe we must abandon our cultural integrity to benefit from things Vedic or scientific.
There will, and should always be, differing affinities and faiths throughout the world. That is natural and good. Peace, love, and harmony will only arise from Unity in the midst of diversity. We must learn to live together in harmony on all levels of life: family, neighborhood, community, society, nation, continent, and world.
