Imagine being content with whatever you are, however you look, whatever you possess, wherever you are…. Imagine contentment not depending on any circumstance. Just being content because. How would that feel? And what would you gain by just being content?
The shadow of discontentment
Being discontent has become so habitual that we don’t even notice it anymore. It is almost as if we are conditioned to think of ourselves as empty vessels, forgotten to look inward for solutions. Discontentment even multiplies the dissatisfaction that was stored already and to escape that feeling, there seems to be no only one way out. Blaming becomes the name of the game. Blaming the neighbors, parents, the globalists, the President, the economy and mostly ourselves. It’s a never ending ballgame where losing is the ball. And that ball will never reach the goal because it’s not looking for it to end.
Questions that are not questions
Discontentment is never the solution. On the contrary, it will only deplete you even more. Besides that, discontented people are really no fun to be around. And sure, there is a lot to be discontent about, that’s not the point. The sad thing about discontentment is that it merely brings up questions like ‘how’, ‘what’, ‘why’, ‘when’. Questions posed not to find answers but to prolong hesitation or keep the self in a state of non-commitment, not really listening or wanting to know. These type of questions create a disturbance in my mind. It increases the speed of thinking which creates a leakage that drains my energy.
Shift of focus
Instead of thinking of yourself as an empty vessel, start creating thoughts that contain fulfillment. Even if it is hard to find any reason to be content. Because, as stated above, there is always a reason to be discontent if you want to make a list. Being content to start with, just shifts focus slightly but turns your face to a whole new world. A world where you are in control instead of situations controlling you. Here is how.
Just focus on being content, without any reason. If that is a too big of a leap, think of a cat snoring next to the heater. A child tasting raindrops, or just your breath. You don’t need much to invoke the feeling of contentment.
Once you feel yourself resting in the feeling of contentment, notice how your speed of thinking slows down. If not repeat focusing on your breath, a simple thought of contentment, a visualization of how contentment would feel like.
Now getting into the state of contentment, decreasing the speed of your thinking, is creating your own peace. Experience the state of silence where restless questions make place for knowing. Once you become the embodiment of contentment, you become the embodiment of solutions. The power of contentment, because it invites silence, shifts your focus to the solution instead of the distraction.
Contentment creates happiness
Once you are accustomed to the habit of being content, situations that come in front of you will be easier to overcome. With the focus on contentment, obstacles become challenges rather than burdens. This might sound cliché but what would a distracted mind accomplish? Aren’t calm minds more receptive to problem solving solutions? Contentment is therefore not a reward but a key to gain focus. And with that new found calm focus, happiness will be your reward.
There are many ways to illustrate purity. In terms of value, gold holds a high price because of the purity of the metal, compared to silver, copper and iron. Purity can also be seen as something that is not broken, not corrupted. The innocence of a child can radiate purity.
Just like gold, purity attracts. A pure soul is sweet like honey and not aware of bitterness. Purity is a strength and can hold that strength because there is no leakage of energy. Most energy is being drained by wasteful thinking. A pure mind has focus and can direct it’s energy.
Purity refers to a level of higher consciousness where the soul experiences divine qualities like love, peace, happiness, bliss, complete knowledge of self and a sense of higher purpose, all powers required for effective day to day functioning.
Purity itself is the most important quality of soul. All souls descending into this world from the soul world were very pure.
Purity is complete absence of waste thoughts and unwanted thoughts.
Purity refers to a level of higher consciousness where the soul thinks about the benefit of others, the soul respects others and does not cause any sorrow to others.
Purity is the foundation based on which other qualities of the soul like love, peace, happiness, bliss, soul consciousness and all powers are experienced easily. Purity is complete absence of lust, anger, greed, attachments, arrogance and all other negative qualities. Purity is a journey where the soul frees itself from all the negative qualities by emerging and staying in the consciousness of positive qualities.
A soul can experience purity only by staying in soul consciousness with less or no thoughts of body. A soul has to experience being in soul consciousness with all the original positive qualities of the soul. The soul has to practice seeing others also as souls and should be able to see the positive original qualities of other souls.
Purity is the mother of peace and happiness.
The consciousness of body brings with itself:
Lust for bodily beings, lust for possession and power
Anger if things do not go your way. If you do not consider all souls as unique with unique habits, intellect and mind, then you become angry if they do not perform according to your wishes.
Consciousness of body brings with itself wants and the greed to satisfy wants. A person who does not find satisfaction with original qualities of soul becomes attracted to materialistic world and thereby to greed.
Body consciousness brings with itself attachments to spouse, children and other souls, with money , achievements and possessions, with positive qualities of other souls, with possessions.
Body consciouness leads to arrogance of what one has – be it our possessions, our temporary superiority in achievements (ridhi siddhi), buying power, seat power, personal talents, looks, materialistic achievements etc.
If there’s purity, there’s truth.
The consciousness of soul brings with itself:
Seeing everybody as soul and this body as destructible and temporary costume frees oneself from getting attracted to body. The soul resides in between the forehead and so the self is able to see the actual being and not the costume.
Being in peace with the self, the surrounding, all situations, other souls, clarity in understanding the situations, giving positive responses to situations and not reactive responses. The Godly knowledge frees the soul from entering into any relationships and situations where the soul will need to get angry.
A soul who finds satisfaction in himself and God will need very minimum and still experience extra sensual happiness.
Soul consciousness frees the self from attachments to other souls and nature. Other souls are treated as separate human beings with their own mind, intellect and habits different from own mind, intellect and habits. The self is able to better understand and appreciate the other souls and be free from attachments and associated false emotions.
Soul consciousness uplifts the soul from the materialistic world and the soul is better able to understand, appreciate and adjust to other souls. The soul is able to be in self respect and at the same time respect other souls.
The attitude of purity means to have good wishes and pure feelings for each other.
Practical application of purity:
Purity is absence of waste thoughts and unwanted thoughts. The soul is able to be light and so can concentrate and achieve many different activities during the day. Students can learn all subjects very easily and without efforts. Working people will be able to do work with ease and feel as if the work is happening automatically and without efforts.
Purity improves all relationships with other souls. With purity, you are able to contribute to the spiritual development of other souls. You are able to make the other souls light and are able to be in self respect and at the same time are able to respect others as separate souls with independent mind, intellect and habits. Purity solves all problems in relationships.
Purity of soul helps in understanding the situations and people better and so respond to situations in a positive and constructive way. Purity frees the soul from being slavery to materialistic senses and helps in better decision-making for the self and others.
Purity helps in enjoying every moment of life and fills the soul with peace, happiness, bliss and unconditional love. Purity helps in seeing all situations with detachment and so enjoying every situation with peace, happiness, bliss and unconditional love.
A pure soul is able to bring positive changes in others and situations as he does not enter into conflicts with others and are able to accept others as they are.
A pure soul will always have good feelings and good wishes for others. A pure soul will never come in the way of others’ benefit and growth. A pure soul will never be jealous of others. A pure soul is able to accept others’ success with unconditional love.
A pure soul will find ways to themselves be free from sorrow and also never cause sorrow to others.
The word Swastika is derived from the Sanskrit word ‘Svasti’ which itself is a combination of ‘Su’ and ‘asti’ wich means ‘is’.
su – means “good”
asti – means “to be, to exist”
ik – means “what is in existence, and will continue to exist”
a – denotes feminine gender
It is about ‘well-being’, ‘good-luck’ or ‘auspiciousness’.
The Swastika and the Vishnu Chakra
In the literary tradition of India, the word Swastika refers to a cross, the four arms of which represents four directions or four paths – ‘Chatuspatha’. The symbol represents the four-armed pattern of the movement of the world-wheel or the four paths of life, the four different directions in which humanity moves. The Swastika shows what directions humanity takes in the cosmic wheel during the four epochs known as Satyuga (Golden Age), Tretayuga (Silver Age), Dwapuryuga (Copper Age) and Kaliyuga (Iron Age).
The Chakra, literally ‘wheel’, represents the principle of continuous movement and life. The chakra also is held sacred in India and is known as ‘Vishnu chakra’. It is believed by the Indian people to be an instrument used for the destruction of the demoniacal or evil forces. One form of the wheel is also known as Sudarshan Chakra which literally means: ‘The auspicious knowledge of the Cosmic wheel’. Knowing the cycle of time means knowing the self. Knowing the self creates happiness.
Swadarshan Chakradari – the spinner of the discuss of self-realization
Putting these facts of knowledge together, it means that Swastika represents the eternal movement of the World Life Cycle in four different directions in four Ages and the understanding of this knowledge enables a person to attain auspiciousness, good luck and happiness and in later times a symbol for well-being.
The Swastika in ancient times
In ancient times, the Swastika was used as a sacred sign by people of almost all countries. The most ancient Swastika symbols have been found in the excavations in Mohanjodaro, Harappa, Persia and Mesopotamia. In Turkey, there was a custom of placing metal standards of Swastika in the grave alongside the corpse. Probably the symbol was used to ensure safety and well-being of the Dead. In Greece and India the sign was frequently used on coins. In Egypt it was used as a religious symbol and in Great Britain it was used as a holy mark. At a site at Lullinstone, the floor of a room in a villa in Great Britain has been found adorned with Swastika. Furthermore the symbol appears on jewels of German and Scandinavian people and is inscribed on the altars of Roman-period. It was considered as an auspicious sign by the original inhabitants of America. It is found in the remains of ancient Mexico and Peruvia and also in burial mounds in the U.S.A. It is also found place among written characters in China where it connotes abundance, long life and happiness.
The sign is also marked on the chest of some statues of Buddha or on the lower side of Buddha’s feet. The Buddhist spread the use of this symbol in Tibet, China, Cambodia, Thailand, Japan and Korea. The Jains also use the sign as a sacred symbol. It was a custom among the Christians to mark this sigh on a tomb itself or to place a vase with a Swastika symbol inside the tomb to ensure the security and welfare of the departed soul. This custom was replaced by the use of a cross only much later.
The Swastika in Nazi Germany
In modern times, following a brief surge of popularity as a good luck symbol in Western culture, a Swastika was adopted as a symbol of the Nazi Party of Germany in 1920, who used the Swastika as a symbol of the Aryan race. After Adolf Hitler came to power in 1933, a right-facing 45° rotated swastika was incorporated into the Nazi party flag, which was made the state flag of Germany during Nazism. Hence, the Swastika has become strongly associated with Nazism and related ideologies such as fascism and white supremacy in the Western world, and is now largely stigmatized there due to the changed connotations of the symbol. Notably, it has been outlawed in Germany and other countries if used as a symbol of Nazism. Many modern political extremists and Neo-Nazi groups such as the Russian National Unity use stylized swastikas or similar symbols.
Thus it is clear that the sacred sign was at first used in India and was later adopted as a holy symbol by people of almost all countries. It is fairly certain that the Celts who took with them other Aryan beliefs and traditions to different countries of Europe as they carried the worship of Shivlinga from the Indus valley civilization, made the use of Swastika popular among other countries. They spread the use in Crete, Mesopotamia and Palestine etc.
Time is cyclic, not linear
In India, various cycles of time are well-known. One of these is the cycle of birth and death. Birth-childhood-youth-old age-death and re-birth are considered to constitute a cycle. Another cycle is that of seasons, Spring-summer-rainy season-autumn-winter and spring again; this makes a cycle.
The biggest cycle of all is the cycle of eras or epochs which is called ‘Sansar Chakra’ (World Wheel) or Kal Chakra (Time Wheel). The time is said to leave its impact on the world, or in other words, the world changes with the time. So the cycle is symbolic of Time and World both. Each epoch or era is believed to have its special individual characteristics, distinct from the other, so there being mainly four epochs, the Time Wheel has four sectors, each one influencing the world in its own way. At the and of the four epochs, the world cycle repeats again, This is called Punaravritti (coming into the cyclic movement again) from the words Punah (again) and vrittis (cyclic).
Cycle of time
The four parts of time depict the four grades of existence of the soul in the world of matter. The first is the highest and most righteous stage in which the soul, with its ruler-ship over matter has complete purity, peace and prosperity. This Golden Age or Satyuga gradually decreases into Tretayuga, The Silver Age, from super excellence in character, the souls have now started falling in celestial degrees of their divine stage.
Then after Dwapur Yuga (Copper Age), at the start of the third age, religions start to emerge in search for the lost qualities of the Golden Age. Karmic account start here and the search for God starts in the Copper age.
In Copper age, religions start
At the fourth edge, Kali-Yuga (Iron Age), mankind is degrading into violent, demoniac, unholy and anarchic forces.
The end of the Iron Age is marked as the Confluence Age, which is both the ending and the beginning of a new Cycle. It is the age of Chadti Kala, the enlightenment, illumination or uplift of the soul. The Iron Age which was the period of darkness because of ignorance and vices would be over and there would be new hope, new light, new life. It is this conjunction of time which is the most auspicious. It marks the beginning of the new world.
The auspicious confluence age where we can fill our batteries again
Ganesha, the god of good beginnings
The Swastika mark is painted in the beginning of new ventures or beginning of the new year or on auspicious occasions. Similarly, Ganesh is also adored on auspicious occasions and in the beginning of new undertakings. In fact, some people identify Swastika with Ganesh so much that they call Swastika as Ganesha.
Svastika and Ganesha as a sign of the auspicious, good, well being. It is found and used as a welcome sign, well wishes, reminder of karma and dharma.
Invoking the Shakti within, let us explore the essence and implementation of each of the 8 Divine Powers present in each of us.
Power to Withdraw – Parvati Devi
Mother Parvati symbolizes and represents this power. Only when we are soul-conscious, power of detachment will allow us to withdraw from all the worldly attachments, i.e., to disengage from the attractions of the mundane sphere. Detachment and introversion help in accumulating the power to withdraw. Just as a tortoise withdraws itself into its shell in the face of danger, so must we withdraw/disengage our minds from the mundane world like a silent spectator and witness watching the fleeting scenes of life in a detached manner. Even we should avoid getting involved in any imbroglio or altercation when people do not agree with us. Let us practise detachment and introversion. This power also helps us in overcoming greed and desires.
BK Shivani explains 1st of the 8 soul powers: Power To Withdraw. Living and working with everyone, we need to be ‘detached’ which means untouched by vibrations of situations and people. When we are stable, situations will not influence us, but we will influence them. This power is symbolised by Sri Parvathi Devi.
Power To Let Go: Maa Durga
Depicted by Durga, this power lets go of past hurt, waste thoughts or vestiges of negativism. Durga is shown riding upon a tiger, which again symbolizes winning over all your weaknesses and vices and conquering over our sense organs and taming situation as ferocious as a tiger. When we get colored in wrong company, our energies get depleted. It is then that we consider invoking the power to pack up, thus, becoming an embodiment of power and a conqueror of the self. Let us hoard valuable treasures and virtues and give up the waste and negative. Let us not blow things out of proportion, by raising a mountain out of a mole hill. We should give a full stop to the waste thoughts and negativism. This power mainly helps us in overcoming hatred, resentment and ill will.
BK Shivani explains how to release all forms of emotional burdens that deplete us, and remain light. We have held on to the past, guilt, expectations, mental images we create about ourselves or others, and also of the idea that only our view is right. We need to release them to remain light. This power is symbolized by Sri Durga Maa.
Power To Tolerate: Sri Jagdamba
After letting go of negativity, power to tolerate comes into existence. Mother Jagdamba symbolizes tolerance. For this, we need to be the mother of our own self first by checking and changing our thoughts, fondling and caressing our prattling stubborn mind. What we usually do is face others and tolerate ourselves, whereas we ought to face our own weaknesses first in order to tolerate the external world. First, let us learn to conquer ourselves. We should always remember the fact that the tree laden with fruits always bends. It faces the onslaught of stones and sticks; yet does not fail to yield fruits. Likewise, greater people are expected to tolerate and even give more generously. We should not give up trying to change ourselves; to sustain our own power of tolerance. First, let us nurture ourselves, so that we can be able to nurture and tolerate our world brethren, like a World Mother by becoming an embodiment of powers. This power is enhanced by inculcating the virtue of love and forgiveness. If we are devoid of these virtues or values, it ends up in anger. Each of us should ask ourselves, “Am I an embodiment of love, mercy and a bestower of blessings like Mother Durga?”
BK Shivani explains how to love and accept the self unconditionally, so that tolerating different sanskars (habits) and behaviors of other people becomes natural. It is about being unconditionally tolerant towards ourselves like a mother. The more loving our relationship is with the self, we will not have to make efforts to tolerate other people and nurture them. Harmony in relationships becomes natural. This power is symbolized by Sri Jagdamba.
Power to Adjust – Santoshi Maa
Tolerance power also gives rise to power to accommodate / merge. This power is depicted by Mohter Santoshi, who also showers the power of unconditional Love and acceptance on all as the Mother Of Contentment! We should treat each soul as our very child and then only we will be able to merge within all ourselves and accept them as our own despite their differences and weaknesses. With a condescending attitude towards all, we can win their unconditional love. Just as an Ocean merges all impurities like pebbles, boulders and dirty water of rivers, so must we generously merge the weaknesses of others. We should talk no evil, see no evil, hear no evil, do no evil. If we have the magnanimity and maturity to adapt ourselves to every situation and person, we will be able to develop this power. Power to merge or accommodate also helps in overcoming hatred and jealousy.
BK Shivani explains how to adjust with who we are, what happens to us, what happens around us, and remain contented with everything. Challenges in situations and people’s behaviours are inevitable. We need to find solutions, implement them and move forward. The first step is to adjust with everything, and then become ready to change. Adjustment is naturally accompanied by contentment. This power is symbolized by Sri Santoshi Ma.
Power to Discern – Gayatri Devi
Gayatri Devi is seen blowing conch shell and spinning the discus of self realization. The conch shell of knowledge and discus of self realization enhance one’s wisdom and discerning sense, thereby further facilitating decision making power! Let the blowing of conch shell of knowledge and spinning the discus of self realization clear all the clutters of mind, segregating and sorting out pearls (of wisdom) from pebbles (of waste). Thus, this power enhances wisdom and clarity. When we are overcome by desires, our wisdom dies. Desires and attachments finish our wisdom. The Geeta states, “Nashtamoha Bhav”. Through Rajayoga practice, we can enhance the power to discern and discriminate. The best example of lack of discernment and discrimination is the failure of Sita who fails to discern the disguised Maya and got misled and hoodwinked by the Golden Deer called Marich. In Kaliyuga, our materialistic desires are symbolic of the Golden Deer that allures us and deceives us at every step.
BK Shivani explains how to know to use our wisdom to discern what is right, so we do not get misled by people, situations or our own vices. We need to discern what is right or wrong, true or false, otherwise we can easily get misled by other people, situations or our weaknesses. Let us not see things superficially, but feel the vibrations of the situation or people. This power is symbolized by Sri Gayatri Devi.
Power to Decide – Saraswati Ma
Mother Saraswati is the symbol of judgment power, who discerns, deciphers and decides for herself what is right. As soon as we cultivate the power to discern, the power to decide or judge will become easy. Farsightedness facilitates timely decision. Goddess Saraswati plays her own tune, harp her own music and write her own script, thus, remaining unfazed by the world outside. She is capable of taking her own decisions, by wielding her wisdom. The decision making power helps in overcoming ego. When equilibrium is shaken, right decisions can never be taken. Concentration and stability helps us in decision making, which is enriched with practice of Rajayoga. Having a balanced attitude, we should go beyond the dichotomy of praise and insult, love and hatred. Let us overcome false pride or ego; develop humility. The statements like “I alone am the best” or “I know everything” show a feeling of conceit or false pride. This will never allow us to take timely decisions. A disciple has to be humble in front of his Guru while acquiring knowledge. So, it may help many students inculcate this power or invoke the power while acquiring education or knowledge in schools and tutorials, as much as they may learn humility also.
BK Shivani explains how to know to take right decisions in life and stand by them, even if people around us are not supportive of our choices. Let us practice taking our own decisions. Once we discern and decide accurately, we need to stand by it even if we are alone. We can then be with everyone without getting influenced by them, and yet walk the path of truth. This power is symbolized by Sri Saraswati Ma.
Power to Face – Kali Ma
Mother Kali denotes absolute fearlessness. First of all, we should emerge this power by confronting our own weaknesses. Let us finish body-consciousness and vices, so as to be able to face any person, thing or situation. This, actually, refers to the power of truth and fight for justice, with no room for mercy. It is ruthlessness that is the opposite of the power to tolerate. It is not only to defy circumstances but also to face people of different characters and shades. For example, you have a sleeper berth booked and if a daily commuter boards the train in the morning, you ought to generously accommodate him next to you on your sleeper berth/seat. On the other hand, if during night travel, somebody claims your seat or berth to be his, face him. Do not tolerate the situation. So, it is to invoke and wield the right power at the right time, depending on the time and situation. This power, in particular, helps us in overcoming fear. It boosts up courage. The one, who is pure, honest and truthful, can face the entire world fearlessly. Mother Kali has conquered even the fear and threat of Death. Thus, let us be seated on a higher pedestal and be fearless, intrepid and brave like Maha Kali.
BK Shivani explains the need to confront abuse, exploitation, compromise of values, and our own weaknesses. Whereas we the need to adjust with other people’s sanskars (habits). Whatever system we are a part of, let us stand against unethical practices and not accept them. Let us also face our own vices, weaknesses, and wrong habits and finish them. It is Self-transformation which leads to World-transformation. This power is symbolized by Sri Kali Ma.
Sri Lakshmi Devi – Power to Co-operate
The culmination of all powers is shown by Mother Lakshmi, the Mother of Prosperity, who is depicted as being seated on a Lotus as her Vehicle and is symbolizing the abundance of prosperity, yet enjoying a detached stage and also showing no competition, comparison and jealousy but cooperation all the way. Unity is strength! If sense and sensibility are exercized, with love, it further develops flexibility and resilience. Else one is likely to foster hatred. Say, for example, a leader of an organization ought to create a congenial environment of work by lovingly extending his hands of cooperation to all colleagues and subordinates. This power is characterized by giving and donating powers and virtues generously and abundantly. The one, who is always full, is alone capable of giving. Thus, prosperity multiplies by donating magnanimously in all generosity. That is the reason why Mother Lakshmi is believed to bring all sorts of prosperity.
BK Shivani explains the Power To Co-operate. We are always surrounded by people who carry different behaviors. No matter what their sanskar (habit) is, let us co-operate by blessing them. Let us also extend co-operation to our body, to other people and to our environment by keeping our every thought, word and karma pure. This power is symbolized by Sri Lakshmi Devi.
Shakti power
To become an embodiment of Power (Shaktis) is to effectively use our innate values and virtues in our thoughts, words, actions and relationships, and thereby bring benefits to the self, society and the environment. We do not slay the so called physical demons with weapons (Shastra); but we, spin the discus of self realization, thereby harnessing the divine powers from the Almighty Shiva in order to become Shivshaktis and slay our own vices and weaknesses.
The term Upwaas in Hindi literally means to “reside near”; ‘Upa’ means near ‘Waas’ means to reside. So, if one is near or close to God, he/she stays in His constant remembrance, never contemplates on indulging in wrong activities like vices and sins. This should be the virtual vow instead of fasting or starving of foods.
The divine power (Shakti) is divinity obtained by taking the constant pilgrimage of love and remembrance of God Shiva in all our thoughts and actions (Karma) and imbibing divine virtues and powers, according to His elevated instructions (Shrimat), and churning the same. Self realization, renaissance of spiritual knowledge and awakening help us to get rid of our vices and dispel the darkness of ignorance. This refers to the symbolic significance of awakening (Jagran) of the cult of devotion (Bhakti Marg) during Navratri festival. Why be awakened only for nine nights? Let us practice purity in thoughts words and deeds and endeavor to dispel the darkness of ignorance for good. Thus, let us offer our vices as oblations not only during Navratri but also every day to purify our souls eternally
“The Eye of Horus” of ancient Egyptian symbolizes protection, royal power and good health. It would bring about eternal kingdom, oneness and righteousness for the world and it can’t be destroyed. In a one American dollar, it was shown on top of the pyramid which also known as “The all seeing eye”.
It is quite striking, seeing the correlation between the Eye of Horus and the internal structure of the center of the brain at the cross section, where the Third Eye is located.
The Third Eye or the Eye of Knowledge is known as the gateway to higher consciousness. Hinduism and Buddhism use the third eye as symbolism of enlightenment which is shown as a dot, eye or mark on the forehead of deities and enlightened beings. This is why Hindus place a ’tilak’ between the eyebrows.
The pineal gland, located in the middle of the brain, was believed to be the seat of the soul thus the position of the third eye. Catholicism depicts pineal as a pine cone in art.
The Egyptian Staff of Osiris, dating back to approximately 1224 BC, depicts two intertwining serpents rising up to meet at a pinecone. Modern scholars and philosophers have noted the staff’s symbolic parallels to the Indian “Kundalini,” a spiritual energy in the body depicted as coiled serpents rising up from the base of the spine to the Third Eye (Pineal Gland) in the moment of enlightenment. Awakened Kundalini represents the merging and alignment of the Chakras, and is said to be the one and only way to attain the “Divine Wisdom” brining pure joy, pure knowledge and pure love.
The PinealGland is associated with the 7th Chakra aka the Crown Chakra. This tiny gland is responsible brain activity and sleeping patterns. The Pineal is affected by the cycles of the sun and secretes both melatonin and serotonin as a result.
The Caduceus, the medical sign for health and well being, depicts the two serpent energies spiraling up the spine activating each chakra. Hindu and esoteric medicine has always known of seven Chakras which run in a line through the body that follows adjacent the spinal column to the brain. Through them flows the energy or life force of the body. Chinese call this Qi. The energy is divided into two separate streams of male and female based energy called Ida and Pingala in Hindus. These two streams of energy coiled in alternative spirals through the chain of chakras.”
Third eye meditation
Raja Yoga meditation is an open-eyed technique that can be used by anyone, anywhere. Whether you want to learn how to relax, need to be more concentrated and creative or are searching for personal enlightenment, Raja Yoga Meditation can satisfy each of those needs.
The Brahma Kumaris teach Raja Yoga, a meditation practice combined with spiritual self-knowledge. The meditation course is not based on a regime of physical postures but rather an insight into the workings of the mind, intellect and subconscious and the ability to apply this knowledge in everyday situations.
Health benefits of a healthy Hypothalamus, Pituitary and Pineal Gland
These three glands are of critical importance to the body. The hypothalamus, pituitary and pineal glands, are all located in the brain. These glands work synergistically to control many functions in the body.
Dopamine
The Hypothalamus produces dopamine, the feel good secretion as it promotes balance within all of the Body’s 12 Major Organs. Copious amounts of Dopamine within the Brain prevent us from succumbing to addictions. If we are absent of dopamine, addictions and brain disease set in.
An Acidic Body and Mind prevents the production of Dopamine
Alzheimer’s, Dementia, Parkinson’s Disease occur within us because our brains no longer produce dopamine. Hyper-Acidity And causes our brain’s to stop producing dopamine. Hyper-Acidity is caused by eating meat, dairy, eggs. But also by emotions like worry, anger, doubt, frustration and fear.
The hypothalamus links the nervous system to the endocrine system (hormonal) which it does by controlling the pituitary gland. The hypothalamus synthesizes and secretes neurohormones that stimulate or inhibit the secretion of pituitary hormones which in turn aids the hypothalamus in controlling temperature, hunger, emotions, stress, rage, sleep etc.
Both the hypothalamus and the pituitary glands are tightly connected because the hypothalamus controls the pituitary and between them they secrete 16 hormones.
Hormones
Many children today experience symptoms because their hormones are out-of-balance or out-of-sync with one another. Hormones have their individual functions, but they may not be able to do their jobs if they are not in balance or in sync with other hormones in the body. Any hormone out-of-sync disrupts all the other hormones and their functioning. Hormones are very complex and sensitive to diet and toxins.
The pituitary gland stores two hormones found in the brain: Oxytocin (OXT), which is needed for birthing, bonding, socialization, behaviors and emotions and Vasopressin (VP), which is an anti-diuretic hormone (ADH). Vasopressin enhances muscle tone, peer bonding and improves memory and social behavior. The Pituitary Gland secretes Serotonin which is known as the happiness secretion because, it eliminates Depression, causes the brain to “Feel Happy/Contented”, stabilizes our moods, eliminates anxiety, regulates our appetite to avoid urges, encourages long deep sleeps, removes toxins from the body and encourages blood clotting and the healing of wounds.
The pineal gland plays a significant role in depression. The pineal gland needs darkness to secrete melatonin. Sleeping disorders can cause melatonin deficiency. The Pineal Gland produces the ‘honey’, the Melatonin (Mela = Honey, Sweetness, Preservative) which gifts to us Long Life, potentially everlasting life if we are pure and fills us with the Light of God.
Other factors that influence and disturb the pineal gland’s production of melatonin are excessive exposure to electromagnetic fields and calcification caused by fluoride.
Harvard did a major study on this massive outbreak of Death through complications to the brain (Alzheimer’s, Dementia, etc) and what they found was that of the 11,000 + corpses tested post mortem, none of them had any Melatonin (Pineal Gland), Serotonin (Pituitary Gland) or Dopamine (Hypothalamus) in their brains.
The Mahabharata war symbolizes the spiritual war that took place in the Confluence Age* which is now. The Mahabharata war has a subtle part as well as a physical part. The conquest of the vices is the subtle part done through the pilgrimage of remembrance or yoga as taught in the Gita.
The physical part is through nuclear wars, plagues, pestilence and natural calamities. Shivratri signals the beginning of the Mahabharata of greed and lust, there arises a conflict. So, there has to be a rational acceptance of self-control.
This is the social side of the law of ‘Dharma’. The law that puts some limits to man’s desires, serves as a regulative principle of life and requires us to respect the dignity and the needs of ‘brother man’. It is this regulating principle that solves all other conflicts.
It is what is called ‘Purity’ or ‘Righteousness’. Anyone who desires peace has to have purity or ‘original nature’; it is Rajyoga that stabilizes man in his ‘original nature’ or ‘original form’. Rajyoga is, therefore, the turnkey for peace. It changes man’s outlook, transforms his behavior, gets him peace by having a mental link with God and enables him to lead a life of inner and outer harmony. Lucky are those who possess this turn-key for peace.
*This confluence age hosts the war between the vices and the virtues, known as the Mahabharat war to the Hindus, or Armageddon to the Judaic and Christian world. At the end of the iron age, the soul becomes totally degraded, weak and helpless and is controlled by the vices and influenced by the senses and elements. The soul is eclipsed by impurity and loses all its powers and is under the control of Rawan and this what is called the “veil of maya”. The only weapon to destroy and overcome this maya is the Remembrance of God Shiva in every thought in order to perform elevated actions.
This remembrance is written in the Gita as “Manmannabhav”, which means to establish your mind in Me”. It is to surrender the vices in the sacrificial fire of the knowledge of Rudra called the “Rudra Gita Gyan Yagna”. (Yogi B.K. Khem Jokhoo. Trinidad. May 2019 – Karma, Law of Destiny and Dharamraj)
Balance is boring. There I said it. When I see the word Balance I want to fight it. Why? To me, balance does not encourage grow. Here is why.
Process versus outcome
Balance is used a lot in combination with mindfulness and meditation. It looks nice on the outside but when you really want to go into some deeper levels in meditation, balance becomes an obstacle. The illusion is to think that meditation and balance are the same. They are not. Meditation is the way, and balance is the outcome. By focusing solely on the outcome, you eradicate the process, the path. And you know what happens when the monkey puts his hand in the jar to get the banana out? Right, the hand gets stuck.
The experience of balance is a great feeling where everything is where it should be. And this was probably the case al along, but are you able to feel that yet? My guess is no. Focusing on the outcome is basically saying that al the turmoil, all the obstacles, pain, confusion that will come on your path, do not exist. How is that not suppression? It is said that the process is a female energy and the outcome is a male energy. Meditating on balance however, is totally focusing on the male energy, the outcome. It is a hard, stubborn way of saying: what I experience does not exist. It is the monk sitting on a mountain al alone and pretend the world does not exist. To me, that is sheer laziness. There he sits, in perfect balance, on the top of his mountain, looking down on the world where the action is. Does it serve a purpose? Probably. Adding peace from a distance could work. But for most earthly creatures it’s probably not manageable to sit on a mountaintop all day long.
When balance does work
So solely focusing on balance can make oneself a bit fanatic and even isolated. When balance is not a mindful meditation but a daily practice, I could see it working. As a flow within the rhythm of everyday life. Like an equilibrium, a state in which opposing forces or influences are balanced:
Work – Rest
Sit – Walk
Spend time alone – Spend time with friends
Play music – Enjoy silence
Eat – Poop
Sounds heavenly right? Maybe a bit boring? Old people enjoy balance a lot. They have their diner at time, go to the bingo on Friday, go for walks and rests…. awesome!
When balance does not work
In short: when you are young fast and fierce! When you want to change habit patterns you got stuck in. When you feel that life is suffocating. When you feel that the status quo no longer serve your needs. In that case balance is killing. Because often enough, when you enter the realm of inner work, you will find turmoil, duality, trauma hidden beneath the surface of your perfect balanced life. And it hurts to just let it sit there and pretend it’s not there.
Inner conflict, duality and stress
The enlightened monk on the mountain looks great but for most of us it is not the reality right now. We just can’t balance our way out of an inner conflict. Let’s look at this inner conflict as two different directions, two flows of energy going the opposite direction. One direction is moving left, and one direction is moving right. Just like an elastic band that you can stretch. Now what happens if you stretch the band more and more? It would jump either right back or it would break. Now pretending you are in balance by sitting in the middle, doesn’t allow your inner conflict to stretch. It may feel as if you are in control of the opposite directions, but in reality you are keeping yourself in a freeze position.
The illusion of balance is that it could hide unresolved inner conflicts due to mental, emotional, sexual or physical abuse. Instead of resolving and healing, it creates a cognitive dissonance that is often confused with balance or peace.
Self empowerment versus balance
To actively change situations, to heal inner conflict, focus on balance is like waiting at a bus station and hope someone comes to heal you. You outsource your inner work to the Gods that may or may not appear in your life. Instead of sitting in the waiting room of your own life, it requires courage to get actively involved in your own healing. It is leaving the mental state of wishing, hoping and praying into the heart state of experiencing. In order to own your peace, you’ll have to roll up your sleeves and do the work. That means, in reality, facing your shadows and start working with them. Shadow-work in combination with meditation is a good start.
You will finally are able to find the contradictions in yourself and be at peace with them. You will build up inner resilience so that the elastic band no longer snaps or jumps back. When you are able to master your reaction to things instead of ‘peace out’ of situations, then you know you are healing. Then, just on a sunny day, out of the blue, you will experience this inner calm state called balance.
As soon as I start to think about Duality and non-duality my head starts to spin. It is both a simple and complex topic on which philosophers can debate ENDLESSLY. But I am not a philosopher, I am a yogi who studies the ancient Bhagwad Gita. That is, I practise Raja Yoga at the Brahma Kumaris. However, the concept of non duality comes across a lot and here is my attempt to wrap my mind around it.
What is duality?
As soon as you open the can of worms about duality and non-duality a Cacophony of words and opinions come up about what non-duality is. There are multiple views on non-duality and there are unlimited dualities. So let’s look at the word duality and some synonyms.
In etymology, the word duality comes from the late Latin dualitas, from dualis, from duo ‘two’.
Synonyms of duality are:
dualism
duplexity
ambivalence
dichotomy
polarity
separation
opposition
difference
Various types of non-duality
There is no one global view on non-duality. Even the non-duality is in duality. For me personally, I see two main different views:
Denial of reality
Embracing reality
Acosmic
Cosmic
Mukti (liberation off live)
Jivan Mukti (liberation in live)
Denial of reality
Embracing reality
The above is a bit of a black and white approach, but to understand the different views there is no other way for me to explain it. In short it boils down to:
you either vanish from the earth and merge into the light of non-existence
you embrace reality and end all conflict within oneself
According to acosmism, this plurality of individual objects is ultimately unreal, non-existent, a mere appearance or illusion. Cosmic Non-Dualism does not tend to world renunciation but rather to the exact opposite. More about that here.
Mukti means liberation from live, the ultimate goal in live being liberated from it. Jivan Mukti means being liberated in life. So whilst you are acting in the world, you experience liberation.
Shakespeare was right al along: To Be or not to Be. Duality is an existential dilemma. Should I stay or should I go. My guess is to stay, because…. what if there is no escape?
Being free of ego, the end of inner duality
Now here comes, for me personally, the non-duality that is real, tangible and to be experienced: being free of ego. If there is no escape in life, let’s face it, we have to work to maintain our body, we have relationships, we are in reality. Being free inside that reality is liberation in life. However what gets us into trouble inside that reality is our ego, our false perception of our selves.
If non-duality is the experience of absence of duality, then ego is a root cause of experiencing duality. The ego says: I am male, I am female, I am black, I am white, I am rich, I am poor. Every label we put on ourselves is a separation that leads to isolation. And isolation leads to all kinds of mental problems. I isolation, it becomes hard to establish a relationship…
Relationships
For me, the non-duality perspective boils down to the ability to establish a relationship or not. It may sound harsh, but when I think of Eckhart Tolle, I see a man alone on a bench. When I think of Buddha I see a man alone under a tree. What I see is the path of isolation. If reality is a mere reflection of myself, it means I do not exist as a separate being, then why is there an urge to connect with other people? Let alone God? Where does authenticity go? The vanishing point of view makes no sense to me. Freeing myself from ego on the other hand, in order to have healthier relationships, does.
Illustration above:
Wang Chên-p’êng (王振鵬)
Description
English: “Vimalakirti and the Doctrine of Nonduality”, handscroll, ink on silk.
As in any family, individuals in the narcissist family are as unique as their finger prints, but their roles are remarkably similar across class, race, and any other measure of human “difference.”
My Narcissist Family
In the narcissist family, as a means of survival everyone rotates around the narcissist, who is usually Mom or Dad. Sometimes both parents are narcissistic. In my family, my father was the overt Narcissist Personality Disorder (NPD) type, and my mother enabled his abuse while also having her own covert narcissistic traits mixed with a higher order of being that sometimes allowed her to give affection, attention, and generosity. When it served my father’s needs, as is typical of NPDs, he bestowed approval, even idealized exaltation, to his “golden child,” my brother.
Sit comfortably and relax. Recall the feelings associated with some mistake or mistakes you have made in the past. Connect with any feelings of hatred and revenge; connect with any feelings of guilt and how you felt you had let others and yourself down; the shame and the humiliation you may have felt…
Now ask yourself:
‘What good is it doing me or others by holding onto these feelings…?
What benefits does it bring me? How does it help me, or the other people affected…?’ (pause for 30 seconds).
Now, say the following to yourself inside your mind:
‘I decide that I have held onto these feelings long enough and it is time to let them go… This is a matter of reason as they no longer serve me, and a matter of my will at a deep level to release them… I feel all these negative feelings and let them go… I release them… let them go…’
Now, unconditionally, forgive yourself… you have made a mistake… you have learned from that mistake… there is nothing to be gained from having feelings of guilt or shame… let them go… forgive yourself… forgive everyone else who may have contributed… it is time to let it go…
Now focus on your true self – a divine being of spiritual energy situated at the center of the forehead… focus on your inner feelings of peace… Think of and feel your inner qualities of honesty, tolerance, kindness and generosity. Focus on them, as this is who you truly are… a peaceful, compassionate, forgiving being of spiritual light… radiating these qualities to the world…
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