On Being Forever Young

Tags

divinity, energy, feminine, festivals, youth

To put it mildly, the year 2020 has been a challenging year for the human race. For many of us, our share of problems, fears and anxieties has reached new highs in this year. So, how do we find solutions for them from a spiritual perspective? Let us step back and consider the root cause, and try to find some remedies. We can begin today, October 17, which marks the beginning of the  festival that celebrates ‘renewal of divine energy’ over the forthcoming nine days and nights (Navaratri).  

Let us consider. The problems that we have, which manifest as our fears and anxieties, can be viewed as the that of the body and/or of the mind. If this is true, then would our problems ‘disappear’ if we were to lose awareness of the body and the mind? One ’state’ in which we lose this mind/body awareness is when we go to sleep every night. Of course, we often carry our fears and anxieties into the sleep state, because they manifest as dreams (or nightmares). On days like that, we may sleep for a long time, and yet, we wake up tired because our mind did not find any rest from our fears.

And yet, there are some nights (or even afternoons :)), where we sleep that deep sleep of the newborn who does not have any worries, who is not lying awake wondering whether she will have ‘milk to drink’ in the morning. Then, in that dream state, the  consciousness has traveled beyond body and mind, and we wake up rested because we were freed of our fears and anxieties. 

So, if in some states of deep sleep, we can have the awareness of no-body and no-mind, then what is it that remains? Who are we, really in that state of sleep? And, can we develop that same awareness of no-body and no-mind in our waking state? If we could  develop the awareness that we are something greater than mere body and mind, then would we come face-to-face with our real existence?

Many would argue that such an awareness, such freedom from body and mind, is not possible or practical. Living in the world, we are immersed daily in a sea of time, space, action and causation. Fear, anxiety, pain, loss, distress, aging, and such — these are the things of the “real world”. We need to face all of these things of daily life, for which we need strength and the courage to overcome. So, where can we draw our strength from?

Vedanta philosophy (the ‘end of knowledge’) speaks to three sources of strength. The first, ‘moral’ strength comes from our adherence to truth, even when we may stand to suffer great personal loss as a result. Hence, Satyameva Jayate – the truth is always victorious. The second, ‘religious’ strength comes from a belief in a power greater than us, and the faith that That power source ‘has our back’ all the time. The third, ‘spiritual’ strength comes from the knowing that we are not the body or the mind — affirmed by the direct experience that our reality is That indestructible spirit.  

If we can develop these three sources of strength, and keep replenishing them, then we can be walking, talking, sleeping, dreaming and waking in a state where fear and anxiety do not exist. We can develop strength and courage through the renewal and celebration of divine energy and awareness within. Join me in the renewal.

Let us all celebrate our journey of becoming forever young. 

Kumud

P.S. Join us in our weekly twitter conversation on twitter as we gather to renew our strength and courage by sharing our stories through questions and answers, and a sharing of tea and cookies. Namaste – @AjmaniK

On Divine Mother(s)

Tags

divinity, energy, mothers, mothersday

Mother’s Day has often made for some very interesting chats in #SpiritChat on Twitter. I learnt while hosting my first such #MothersDay chat that, the very word, Mother, brings forth a range of very conflicting emotions in many – some of which can even evoke pain, fear and angst.

So, this year, I decided to adopt a different focus as related to the word, Mother. In Indian (spiritual) culture, particularly the Vedic (or Hindu) culture that I grew up in, there is a very powerful and prevalent concept of a “Divine Mother”. The three main manifestations of this concept are – the protector (Durga, or the fierce form), the benefactor (Lakshmi, or the prosperity form), and the educator (Saraswati, or the ‘easily flowing in speech’ form).

One would be hard pressed to walk into any Hindu home or place of worship without encountering one of these three forms of the Divine Mother – often referred to with the simple word, Devi. There are dozens of festivals dedicated to celebrate their various accomplishments and invoke their grace. There is scarcely any Vedic service that is complete without chanting and extolling that Devi whose energy flows through the Sun – she who is called Gayatri (another form of Saraswati).

 

I would not want you to infer that all of these forms of the Divine Mother imply a multiplicity of Mothers… for every child can only have One (birth) Mother, yes? And so it is with the Oneness of the core spiritual energy that flows through all the forms of Devi. For the nature of the water that is inherently pure, does not change based on the vessel within which it is contained, does it? We simply ascribe different qualities to the One, so that we can best relate to That form of the Divine Mother which best nourishes our heart and soul.

Let us pause and consider. If we were to choose one of the three – protector, benefactor or educator – which Divine Mother would we most relate to? Which form best nourishes our heart? What is our relationship with her like? How has that relationship changed over time and space? Are there any other qualities that distinguish our vision of a Divine Mother?

The Indian saint, Ramakrishna Parmahansa was said to have achieved enlightenment through his devotion to Kali (the really fierce form of Durga). He would often exclaim – “…why would I ever fear, when I have (Divine) Mother by my side all the time?”

Perhaps, some day, we can claim and exclaim the same, as our relationship with our (Divine) Mother, unfolds to that state. That, indeed, will be a Divine Mother’s Day to celebrate!

 

Kumud

P.S. Join the #SpiritChat community on Twitter, Sunday, May 13th at 9amET / 630pmIST. Share with us about your Divine #Mother(s). Namaste. (And for those interested in more on Devi, check out my ‘other’ blog at http://blog.eaglespace.com/tag/goddess 🙂 )

 

Tags

divinity, vivekananda

Each Soul is Potentially Divine.

The goal is to manifest this divinity within, by controlling nature – internal and external.

Do this either by work, worship, or psychic control, or philosophy – by one, or more, or all of these – and be free.

This is the whole of religion. Doctrines, or dogmas, or rituals, or books, or temples, or forms, are but secondary details.

Swami Vivekananda