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

Healing Energy of Play

Tags

energy, healing, play, playfulness

I wouldn’t be surprised if the notion of “play” isn’t exactly on the forefront of most people’s minds these days. With all the challenges facing us in so many areas of our lives, it almost seems “tone deaf” to even talk about “play”. And how are we to effect spiritual healing through “play”? Let me tell you a small story. 

Last week, I talked about the new puppy that has done a “takeover” of our home. As one would imagine, her energy level is simply off the charts. It took her a mere two or three days to cajole the older dog to engage in full out play with her. He simply couldn’t resist his instinct all her invitations to play, and eventually they both were having long sessions of all out, football like scrimmages on the living room floor. The quiet, brooding, meditative seven year old came back to life. I didn’t know that he still had it in him to engage in “play” with such joy and abandon. 

Then, another thing happened. One morning, I gave her her newly discovered, favorite, dog-bone shaped, mini-biscuit. I walked away, thinking that she would be busy for a while. When I returned a few minutes later, she was sitting in the exact same spot that I had left her, in the position that is her invitation for us adults to come play with her. The treat had been set aside in the corner of her play pen, untouched. Silly me. I then realized that her favorite treat wasn’t the dog biscuit — the opportunity to play was her favorite treat!

And so, I wondered. Where do we “adults” lose our propensity to engage in “play”? Is it that words and phrases like “leadership” or “responsibility” or “accountability” or “parenting” or “setting a good example” and so on make us forget our playful nature? All of us, in our formative years after birth discovered the world around us through play, didn’t we? We would play, sleep, eat, drink, and do it all over again the next day, wouldn’t we? So, what happened somewhere along the line that we largely forgot our sense of play? Why is it that we forgot the connection of play to our well-being and health?

Or did we really forget? Maybe we simply replaced physical play with other kinds of play. What is “play” anyway? One way to define  play is its outcome – how do we feel after the experience of play? If we feel lighter, more joyous, more at peace in any or all of the three – the heart, body or mind – after engaging in any activity, then we have engaged in play. Any creative activity that engage us in a manner which heals our heart, body or mind, can indeed be a form of play. Don’t you think so?

The painter with her colors and brushes and crayons and pencils and stencils and canvases is at play. The photographer with his cameras and landscapes and portraits and lenses and perspectives is at play. The amateur cook dabbling in the kitchen with recipes and spices or baking new creations is at play. The dancer, the musician, the writer, the poet – all are at play because their heart is lighter, their mind is healed with their activity. Any action can become play, if we approach it with a light, joyful and playful attitude. And yes, even ‘spiritually focused’ activities like meditation, yoga, prayer and more, can become play. Why not?

In the Bhagavad Gita (“the song divine”), it is said that this entire world is a creation of the divine energy at play. It is further said that the deepest and highest form of love is manifested as a result of this play. If one were to believe this to be true, then we can realize that play has tremendous (healing) energy. Imagine what our life would look like, if we were to open our heart and accept the invitation to play. In loving play, we could all experience deep bliss, deeper awareness and the deepest truth in all of our being, all over again. 

Kumud

P.S. Join us on Sunday, July 19 at 9amET on twitter for our weekly community gathering in #SpiritChat. We will toss around some  questions and answers, and experience the healing energy of play. I hope you can join us. Namaste – @AjmaniK

Hydrabgea in bloom – a wonderful example of nature at play!

Transformative Energy of Words

Tags

empowerment, energy, language, transformation, words

What feelings and emotions come to your heart and mind when you read or hear the single word, Mother? The reactions among different people may range from positive to negative, to perhaps neutral. The reaction to that single word depends on the life experiences that we may have had in relationship to the person(s) which that word represents. 

Now, let me modify the word to “Mother Mary”. What feelings and emotions come to your heart and mind now? Are they different from the single word, “Mother”? The shift in the power and energy that the two words “Mother Mary” evoke probably depends on whether you have a Christian background and/or have friends of that denomination. If I were to ask the same question of a tribal who lives in the Amazon rainforest, what would their response, if any, be? And what about words like Durga and Kali, which evoke the divine feminine who is currently being celebrated in ‘a nine days and nights festival‘ in India?

The spiritual power of certain words, phrases, combination of words as prayers, mantras, and such, is well established. There is a scientific basis for the power and ability of words to convey certain energy. The basis of word power and energy is the mechanism of vibration. At the particle level, we are all atomic, vibratory beings. So, it would be natural that the vibrational energy of words would affect us in certain ways. In addition, certain words and prayers, repeated millions of times by cultures over time, attain special significance and energy. One such word which has spread universally from Indian (or Vedic) culture is AUM (or OM). Are there words or prayers that have achieved ‘special energy’ status in your language or culture?

Words, particularly when spoken in the language of the listener, confer thought, ideas, meaning and transformative power – Swami Sarvadevananda

The ability of certain words to affect us negatively, when spoken in a language which we can understand, is also powerful. The power of their words to send us almost instantly into a state of anger, dismay, rage, even hatred, has been felt by many of us. This is where our spiritual practices can help us. If we learn to keep track of our ‘trigger’ words and the situations in which we are particularly vulnerable to those triggers, we can take action. We can align and harmonize our practices to set up ‘early warning systems’ for such words, people and situations. ‘Trigger-word’ awareness is a bit like being the ‘squawker goose’ in the flock of geese sitting in the middle of the river who alerts the flock that a human has been sighted on the shore!

So, words have power, energy and the capability to set off positive, negative or neutral vibrations within us. By choosing words which empower and energize us, we are likely to empower and energize those in our energy field. By repeatedly choosing words and word combinations which enhance our own spiritual well-being, we can transmit universal positive and healing energy. Let us be empowered to speak healing words, or simply keep our silence. Such awareness and practice would be a sign of spiritual growth, yes?

Kumud

P.S. Today’s blog post was inspired by a talk titled ‘The Science of Mantra” given by Swami Sarvadevananda of the Vedanta Society of Hollywood in Cleveland on September 22 2019. It inspired a lot of questions about ‘word power and energy’, and I look forward to sharing some of those questions with you in our weekly twitter chat. Join us, Sunday Oct 6 at 9amET in #SpiritChat – bring your ‘power words’ and ‘trigger words’ to share. Namaste – @AjmaniK

what words does this photo evoke? what energy do they transmit to you?

On Seeding Friendships

Tags

celebration, creativity, energy, friendship, unity

At 5pm on Friday evening, a dozen or so folks gathered online in a multi-dimensional meeting which included sound, video, and much laughter. Lots of laughter. Many ideas were exchanged about how to best use such meetings in the future. But this first meeting was primarily about getting to know each other a bit better through the spoken word, through smiles and favorite quotes and prayers. It was about planting new seeds of friendship and growing the friendships that have formed through #SpiritChat over the years.

The Sanskrit word for ‘friendship’ is maitri. It is also referred to as <a href=”https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mettā“>Mettā</a> in the Pali language. How and where does a friendship first come to life? There is usually some common ground necessary for two (or more) people to decide to sit with one another. The sitting can be in silence, a primarily one-way communication (lecture), a two-way conversation, or even a multi-way exchange facilitated by a desire to be in each other’s presence.

When friendship takes on the energy of @maggiemistal, the expression of ‘loving kindness’ (@sageandsavvy), or is simply steeped in love (@AwakeningYourTrueSelf) or is a simple yet heart-felt expression of gratitude (@tomarciamae), it transmits the energy of the heart to all present. When it takes on the expression of ‘watching, waiting, working’ (thank you, @mscator), the gentle sharing by @wonderpix, the energy of @maggiemistal, the creativity of @heiddiz, it breathes new life into the sitting. When it is expressed through the Mettā prayer of @intuitiveheal, the wisdom of @southbaysome and the grace of @garygruber, one knows and feels that they are in a special space and time.

And so, the seeds of friendship are nurtured. One question, one answer, one chat, one conversation, one smile, one kind gesture, one zoom meeting at a time.

It is tough to say what will come next, but for today, the heart feels filled with maitri – the benevolence and radiance of those who shared with all of their heart.

The sage Patanjali said in his yoga sutras (aphorisms) – “be friendly towards those who are friendly towards you.” It sounds simple enough, but it isn’t always easy to do (why is that person being friendly? what do they want from me?) However, it is safe to say that we are largely “friendly to all” in the #SpiritChat community, and we extended on that principle in today’s sitting.

As I sat watching the radiant colors of the sun, the sky and the clouds merge into the lake waters, it reminded me of the ease with which we all converged on the common ground of friendship today. We came a bit closer to the essence of maitri, of Mettā, of meditation.

Kumud @AjmaniK

P.S. What is (or was) the greatest friendship you have experienced? How were its seeds sown? How did its roots develop, its flowers bloom? And those friendships that withered away – what was their life cycle? Share with us, Sunday April 7 at 9amET / 1pm UTC / 630pm India in our weekly #spiritchat on Twitter. Namaste – Kumud

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 🙂 )

 

The XYZ of Spiritual Actions

Tags

action, energy, intention, results

It is often at the beginning of every new (calendar) year, or any new significant ‘life event’, that we pause to consider and evaluate the changes that we may want to make in our life. It is the ‘crossroads’ that often provide us the openness to make (different) choices than the ones that we have been making on our journey(s) that have brought us this far. If we feel empowered enough and free enough to allow ourselves to make different choices, we can then take the next step.

This next step often involves ‘taking new action(s)’ to bring our new choices to life in our daily lives. If we do not act differently, our choices remain ‘frozen’ in our heart and mind in the shape of intentions. It is our new daily actions that breathe heat into our heart, and thaw out the intentions so that their results may flow within the world – ours and those that we are connected with. But where are we, who are often ‘stuck’ in our habits, dogmas, myths, and sometimes even our beliefs, to find the energy, the reasons and the support to take new actions?

Let us start at the ‘end result’ in my mind. Let me suggest that we go to the end of the alphabet, and consider the ‘XYZ’ of thawing our intentions through actions.

First, the X. We may think of this as the “X-factor”, or the ‘great unknown’. On my recent trip to Mexico, I was ‘accidentally’ introduced to a Mayan healer who talked about the concept of “Xi”. Yes, it is similar to the eastern concept of “Chi”. Xi is the dynamic life-force that flows within all of us. The Mayans believe that Xi comes to us ‘at birth’, through the one who births us. When we are in a ‘lower state’ of vibration – weighed down by anger, hate, revenge, and so on – our Xi suffers. We are drained of Xi. The good news is that we can re-energize ourselves by putting ourselves into a ‘higher state’ of vibration through the practice of awareness (of breath) an mindfulness (of the moment). What is the state of our Xi, the X-factor in our life?

Second, the Y. I think of this as the “why”. You may have heard the quote – “when the why is big enough, the facts don’t count”. I am sure that there has been at least one instance in your life where your reason, your why, was so strong, that you ignored all of the “so called’ facts. You took action anyway. I am not talking about ‘impulsive’, ‘spur of the moment’ actions that we often take. The bigger “why” is something that has been nudging us, speaking to us in our heart for so long that we can no longer ignore it. When we find ours, it becomes fuel for action that raises our Xi, and empowers those around us to raise their Xi too. Yes. That Y. Do you know your ‘Y’?

Third, the Z. We are often advised to ‘begin with the end in mind’. So, that becomes our Z. It is not exactly an ‘end’, but a milepost that we may create for ourselves. The milepost can inform us about how far we have come as a result of making new choices, taking new actions. The ‘Z’ can beckon to us to keep moving, to take that next step, while also being mindful and present about how and where we arrive with every step. Sometimes, we may ‘lose’ some loved ones along the path, and their loss may deplete our Xi, make us question our Why, cause us to reset and revise our milepost, our Z. We are reminded of the circle of life. Life has a way of reminding us of the XYZ – the consequences of our choices, our actions.

Life also has a way of renewing us. We begin anew. We arise, awaken to our reservoir of love. We relearn how to put joy in every step, in every action and celebrate every arrival along the way. Step by step, we raise our Xi, we rediscover our why, and we create new mileposts through our new choices and actions.

Like Richard Bach said, and I paraphrase – we are rarely given the gift of a choice without also being given the XYZ of making it happen…

Happy New Year, and Namaste!

Kumud @AjmaniK

P.S. We ring in the New Year of 2018 with ‘The XYZ of Spiritual Actions’ – Sunday, January 7th 2018 at 9amET/2pmUTC on twitter. Please join us! If you have ideas or suggestions for the #SpiritChat community in 2018, please share in the comments. Namaste, and thank you! -Kumud.

Crossroads in nature…

Creative Energy Practice – HeartFulness

Tags

creativity, energy, meditation

Among all of the creative practices that can help us increase our emotional and spiritual energy levels, mindfulness and meditation are often in the top few. Rarely does a weekly #SpiritChat go by where these to practices are not mentioned in an answer to one or more questions by one or more participants. Lately, mindfulness has become almost a ‘buzzword’ fix-it-all for many of our ‘problems’ that are apparently caused by our perpetually distracted mind. There seems to be an abundance of mindfulness (often labeled ‘self-awareness’) practices available to us. We simply have to choose one, or even many. But what about meditation as a creative practice to raise our energy levels?

In some way or form, I have had a personal practice of ‘meditation’ for a few years. I would call it more like ‘an attempt to sit still and examine what flows through my mind and heart’. It has basically been a ‘roll my own’ method with some partial guidance by sporadic attendance at meditation workshops, reading about meditation techniques and others’ experiences, and so on. To say that I had been simply ‘spinning my wheels’ without much apparent ‘benefit’ or tangible ‘progress’, other than the satisfaction that I had at least developed a regular habit of ‘sitting at a given hour’, would be an understatement. The universe must have felt my silent cry for assistance, for last November, I decided to give ‘heartfulness’ a try.

In a casual conversation on the ‘festival of lights’ holiday, I told my brother-in-law in India that I was ready to begin my heartfulness practice. It wasn’t that he hadn’t asked me to try out what he had been practicing for many years. It was just that I had not been willing (or able?) to listen to his invitation with any degree of acceptance. So, he had left me alone to ‘get ready to ask for help’ in my own way. And when I did ask, he was ready. We began with an introductory session the very next day, followed by two short sessions on subsequent days during the week. And then, it was all up to me, to have the self-discipline to follow the simple instructions.

Six months later, I can say that the practice itself is very simple, straightforward and effective. Like any new practice, it ‘works’ if you ‘practice’ it. I am earnestly working on being creative in creating time to make the practice of heartfulness a part of my daily life. I am getting close. Very close. Why have I ‘stuck’ with it? If the results so far are any indication of what the future will hold, I am eager, willing and present to all the energetic possibilities that heartfulness meditation has to offer!

As part of our weekly #SpiritChat conversation, I invite you to our conversation with special guest @amalik1818 (yes, my #heartfulness coach :)) on Sunday, June 26th 2016 at 9amET/1pmUTC. I am very excited about all of you meeting Alok, and feeling his wonderful energy. We have been trying to coordinate this for a few months now, and the time and space coordinates have finally aligned!

Namaste,

Kumud @AjmaniK

Resources: Heartfulness Meditation

Bio: Dr Alok Malik retired from the Indian Army after being a practicing surgeon for over twenty years. He is currently the Medical Director for one of the largest hospitals in Hyderabad, India. His meditation practice stretches back over a decade, and he is a certified trainer in Heartfulness techniques.

P.S. If you have been trying to establish a creative energy #meditation practice, or been ‘struggling’ with your current one (like I did for two and a half years), or merely are curious to try something new, Alok @amalik1818 will offer a choice of two thirty minute ‘remote’ sessions to get you started after the chat – Sunday 8pmET or Monday 8pmET (other times may be available on request. please ask). No strings attached. No charge or fee. How to sign up? Leave a comment below or DM me on twitter for the very simple instructions. Come join us!

Update: How To Participate in the ‘Introductory Sessions’ conducted by Alok Malik – @amalik1818 on Twitter in #SpiritChat

Step ONE: Watch and follow the Heartfulness Relaxation video commands for ten minutes, BEFORE start of meditation session (start at 745pmET today)
https://youtu.be/HuiV395xI4I

Step TWO: Login to twitter. Check in to #SpiritChat with a simple tweet confirming that you are PRESENT, at least five minutes before the designated START time of 8pmET. The trainer (@amalik1818) needs confirmation that you are present – we are doing this via twitter/#SpiritChat for now. (we may add a WhatsApp group or alternate way later to accomplish this step).

Sit comfortably, on seeing the Twitter message (or if not on Twitter, start at designated time) to START MEDITATION do the following ——

1. Put your phone on silent mode
2. Ensure that no one disturbs you for at least thirty minutes
3. Gently close your eyes
4. Gently take your attention to the source of divine light within your heart
5. Don’t try to concentrate or try to see the light. Just imagine that the source of Divine Light is within your heart and it is attracting you
6. If your mind wanders to some other thought, then gently push it away and naturally get it back to the source of light within your heart.
7. Slowly you will experience thoughtlessness and absorption in meditation
8. Continue meditation for thirty minutes. You may use an alarm to guide you.
9. Jot down your experiences during meditation and condition after meditation in a spiritual journal.
10. Remember NOT to concentrate on the source of light, or keep repeating the thought about the source of light as a mantra. If you don’t see any light, that’s ok, and if you see some that’s also ok.

Above steps are from the two-minute video for Heartfulness Techinques at
https://youtu.be/xMzZl_7mRpY

Tips:

1. Watch the Heartfulness meditation video

2. Follow the Heartfulness Relaxation script for ten min BEFORE meditation

3. Meditation takes place at the level of subconscious mind. When we imagine in our conscious mind that there is a source of divine light within our heart, the same settles in the subconscious mind and stays there. Now even if this thought were to disappear from the conscious mind it does not matter. We therefore don’t have to concentrate on it, repeat it or run after it.

4. If some other thought comes to our mind AND we give attention to it by actively participating in it, THEN that thought settled on the subconscious mind. Moment we realise that we have got swayed by another thought, then gently push it aside and naturally center back on the source of light within your heart.

5.While you meditate, the trainer focuses Yogic Transmission on your subtle body. Experience its effect and note the same in your journal.

Going Forward: After three guided meditation sessions (thirty minutes each), you may start meditating on your own at a fixed time in the morning. Start with thirty min and gradually increase it to one hour.

One meditation followup session with a trainer will be needed once a week (at least once every alternate week) going forwards.
We can schedule them on a fixed day and time (TBD) for all to join in a group setting.

Questions? Please ask in comments below or DM @amalik1818 or @AjmaniK – thank you!

Heartfulness – Cleaning

1. After finishing your work day, sit comfortably, close your eyes and focus your attention on the complete spine, from the top of the neck to the bottom of the tail bone

2. Continuously imagine that all complexities and impurities are leaving you through the back of the spine, in the form of vapor. Don’t try and see any vapor.

3. After a few minutes you will feel some vibration/heat coming out from a segment of the spine. Now concentrate on that segment of the spine and use your will to accelerate the going out of complexities and impurities, till it stops coming out.

4. Then move to the next segment of the spine and repeat the above process.

5. By the time you’ve covered the whole spine, you will be feeling much lighter.

6. Now imagine that the Sacred Current of Divine is flowing from the Source into your heart and spreading across the whole body, and filling it with Sacredness.

7. Get up with a feeling of being filled with Sacredness. The above process takes 15 to 30 min

Tips:

1. In case you tend to go into meditation during cleaning, break it by opening your eyes and restart the Cleaning.

2. In case you can’t do the Cleaning in the evening, do it before going to sleep.

Energy Balance and Equanimity

Tags

balance, energy, equanimity, spiritchat, spiritual

Immediately following our live chat on ‘Energy of the Heart’ last week, I had the opportunity to be part of a ceremony with a group of more than two hundred people. The chanting of ancient mantras (seed-words) is combined with offerings into a ‘sacred-fire’, and is called a homa. The sound-vibrations created by the mantra various chants led by two priests, who train from childhood in the traditional methods of chanting, raised the energy level for all present in an unprecedented way.

I felt very fortunate to be part of this energy-raising and energy-balancing experience of the homa. On further research of some of the mantras used in the ceremony, it became clear that the energy-shift that I felt while being in that energetic-space was real, not imaginary. As Wikipedia suggests:

The Sanskrit word mantra- (m.; also n. mantram) consists of the root man- “to think” (also in manas “mind”) and the suffix -tra, designating tools or instruments, hence a literal translation would be “instrument of thought”. -Wikipedia

Why do I share this story with you? For one, it seemed to be relevant to the theme of ‘energy’ we have in #SpiritChat for the month of June. The energy balance created by the combination of sound, fire, heat, aromas (created by the fire offerings), and the food shared at the conclusion – it still resonates strong within me, almost a week later. The impromptu sense of community created by the sharing of vibrations by people from different backgrounds, color and age groups created waves of energy renewal that perhaps reached far beyond where the sounds faded to virtually nothing.

As I reflect some more on the necessity for restoring energy balance in our lives, I wonder – where does imbalance arise from? It is perhaps because we live our lives in a world of opposites – we want to gravitate towards joy, good health, happiness and wealth – away from sorrow, illness, pain and poverty. When the pendulum of life swings away from our preferred direction, we immediately seek balance towards the center.

But the center is a tough place, which once attained, to be able to remain in. We are not trained to remain in the center. Many of us feel more alive when we are strongly for- or against- something. Anything. Equanimity is such a transient state in our ‘normal’ lives that we are like ‘deer in the headlights’ when we do face it. What if we were to create a spiritual and emotional life where equanimity is our default state? A state where opposites disappear – where we accept both joy and sorrow – as one. As Osho says – true balance is a state where we do not merely immerse oursleves in the ocean, we dissolve into it, become one with.

It is in that balance wthat we shall truly know the ocean, won’t we? Be the water. Be the salt. Be the waves. Be the shores. Know That balance.

Namaste,

Kumud @AjmaniK

Join us in #SpiritChat on twitter – Sunday, June 19th at 9amET/1pmUTC for a conversation about ‘Energy Balance’. We will talk about personal energy balance, what affects it, how we have disturbed nature’s energy balance and how to restore it. I look forward to feeling the community’s energy and vibration. Namaste!

Energy of the Heart – by Elisa @womenandbiz

Tags

energy, heart, spiritchat

Dear #SpiritChat Community,

This week we’ve been invited to have a conversation about the energy of the heart.

The heart is at the center point of all beings – Where the energies converge, where the 7 chakras meet, where you connect with self and one another.

We invite you to, in preparation for this Sunday’s chat, take a moment to breathe, connect with your heart space, focus on your heart and ask: how does it feel in this moment?

Does it feel full, energized, connected, filled with love? Does it feel depleted, drained, lonely, craving attention? This is a simple check in to feel the heart and connect for a moment. Then you could ask – what does it need?

It may simply need to have its presence acknowledged. It may need you to practice receiving the nurturing and love it is sending you. It may need you to send love to it, and to find ways to replenish its energies.

Whatever answers you get, be gentle, kind and compassionate towards your heart and towards yourself. If it resonates for you, repeat this exercise as needed, take a moment to listen to your heart’s wisdom, and respond accordingly.

Namaste,

Your #SpiritChat’s Heart Space.

(Letter written by Elisa Balabram @womenandbiz)

Bio: Elisa Balabram (@womenandbiz) is an Intuitive Business and Life Coach, a teacher, a writer, and the author of “Ask Others, Trust Yourself – The Entrepreneurial Woman’s Key to Success”. You can read her blog and learn more about her at www.askotherstrustyourself.com. Do connect with Elisa at her Facebook Page titled Intuitive Business and Life Coaching.

We continue the month of June with our #energy theme. I invite you to join my co-host in the spotlight, Elisa Balabram (@womenandbiz) and me (@AjmaniK) on twitter in hashtag #SpiritChat (or via the web at http://chat.spiritchat.org – Sunday June 12th 2016 at 9amET / 2pm UK / 6:30pm India, as we explore this topic of “Energy of the Heart” in the context of spirituality. Thank you. – Kumud.

Spiritual Energy – An Evaluation

Tags

balance, energy, evaluation, renewal, spirituality

Energy is a funny thing.

We pay a lot of attention to it when we don’t have it, and we often fritter it away frivolously when we have an abundance of it.

We assume that we will always have enough of it when riding a wave of good health, and we wonder if we will ever be able to fully restore it when we are sick or in chronic pain.

We look at those who seem like supercharged energy bunnies in their actions and wonder why we can’t be like them – whereas they are wondering why they can’t be easy-paced like us?

No matter which way we look at it, energy – or lack of it – runs our lives. In its many forms – physical (P), mental (M), emotional (E), financial (F) and spiritual (S) – the state of health of our energies is vital to our actions and purpose.

So, let us begin by taking inventory of our energies. Some forms of energy like P and F are easy to inventory, while others like M and E may need a bit more of an in-depth exam. As for spiritual energy – how do we inventory it? How may we measure the state of our spiritual health?

Once we have inventoried the various health states, the next step is to discern what actions or inactions – of our own, or of others – leak our energy reservoirs? Conversely, what is it that fills our energy reservoirs? This self-evaluation – or evaluation guided by the gentle, loving assistance of a trusted friend or advisor who can encourage you to explore those energy corners where you would rather not go by yourself – can reveal a lot of hidden strengths and cracks in our energy continuum. Pull out a piece of legal size paper, make two columns, and take inventory. Leaks energy vs Fills energy. Do it once a week for a month. Observe the patterns. What will emerge?

Now that we have an understanding of our energy ‘leaks’ and ‘fills’ (I really want to call it ‘fillers’ but that just sounds ‘wrong’ :)), what next? We may be ready to begin rebalancing and renewing. Or even rebirthing. We are ready to ‘plug’ the leaks because we know where they exist in our energetic life. But know is not enough. We need to take concerted action to plug the holes. But ‘I am too busy to plug these leaks’, you say? Well, small leaks in a garden hose may be okay at low pressure, but a pressure surge or temperature change of life’s waters may leave you without a healthy energy conduit. Result? An unscheduled trip to the nearest garden store’s emergency room for a replacement conduit!

Some may ask. And what if we (or our advisors) deem that the container is so full of holes, that it is beyond repair – unpluggable? Well. That may be the best news of all. For that may mean that we are ready for an energetic transformation. Not just a change. But a complete transformation with a brand new energy container. But, I digress by taking about ‘death of the old energy’.

So, we plug and then we fill the reservoir again, to restore to that level which will support our higher purpose in life. Yes, our old habits will cause us to spring new leaks, so the work is to find new, energy-filling habits for the old, energy-leaking ones! After refilling, there is one more step.

We may need to put some filters in place. We may have worked hard to ensure that our inner and outer worlds are pure and pristine, but the reality is that pollution exists. Filters can ensure that our intakes, thoughts, words and actions retain the level of purity that we desire to establish and maintain. The good news is that we can choose the filter size – coarse, medium or fine – for the different energy components of our life. Now that some filters are in place, what’s next?

How effectively do we use our energy reservoir? Energy efficiency – how much ‘useful’ work does our energy reservoir do for you and for others? What kind of resistance comes into play during energy conversion? How do we balance the feminine and masculine aspects of our energies? What role do tools and practices like meditation play in energy creation and conservation?

These are a few questions that we will answer in our #SpiritChat conversations in the month of June. We kickoff the month on Sunday, June 5th (9amET/1pmUTC on twitter) with the topic of “Spiritual Energy: An Evaluation”. Join us for an energy health check-up!

Kumud @AjmaniK