A long long time ago, China was brutally invaded by the Tartars, who were so cruel to the people that the Dragons shed tears. Those tears became jade, revered as the most auspicious healing stone in China and till today sought after for its powers.
At its most fundamental, jade soothes. It calms, balances and detoxifies. At other levels it provides heavenly protection from harmful spirits, ushers prosperity, fertility and good luck.
Two basic of varieties of jade are available in a rainbow of colours, jade-ite and nephroite which is becoming increasingly rare. Properties of each colour resonate with the seasons, directions and elements eg Red Jade for the South, exemplifying yang or Fire signs. Chosen on the basis of translucency and texture, jade is much more than ornamental in value. Jade is considered to be a symbol of purity and serenity and works well as a stabilizer and cleanser.
In terms of crystal healing, jade treats the kidneys, removes toxins and heals stitches. As an aid to fertility and childbirth it is connected with the spleen and the hips. Green jade, the most common of all jades helps calm the nervous system and is known to bring harmony between people.
Different colours have been given different attributes by spiritual healers around the world. Blue jade aids meditation and helps people who may be feeling overwhelmed. Brown jade helps to ground a person. Green jade is used to soothe the nerves. Lavender jade helps heal from heartbreak. Orange jade brings joy. Red jade helps release buried anger and resentment. White jade aids better decision making. And hellow jade boosts the energy.
Whichever way you look at jade or in whatever colour you choose, jade works quietly and subtly. The way it has for millions of people down thousands of years.
by Mita Bhan
Source: www.mitabhan.com
Photo: Daniel Tan
Saturday, January 31, 2009
Friday, January 30, 2009
The art of prediction
We are all aware that there are nine planets which are recognized by Vedic astrology. These are Sun, Moon, Mars, Mercury, Jupiter, Venus, Saturn, Rahu and Ketu. Like everything else in the universe, the planets also evolve from the 5 tatwas or the five elements. These are Earth, Air, Water, Fire and Ether.
As per the Hindu Scriptures the element predominant in a planet is as follows:
Earth : Mercury
Air : Saturn and Rahu
Water : Moon and Venus
Fire : Sun and Mars
Ether : Jupiter
Human beings acquire the temperament of the most powerful planet birth and also of planets influencing the ascendant. It is the influence of various tatwas or elements that determines the personality of a human being. These tatwas have great importance in Vedic philosophy. Below I am describing the basic effect of these elements.
When the ether element is powerful then the person is clever and creative. He is a good orator and will always acquire encyclopedic knowledge of the subject that interests him. These people make good diplomats. They are of a long stature and have a tendency of putting on weight after the age of 32 years.
When the fiery temperament is predominant then the person is confident, restless, proud and arrogant. He is of a very sharp intellect and fair complexion. When Sun and Mars are predominant, the native likes to be in a position of authority and are seldom happy working below someone. Fiery temperament makes a person daring and adventurous. Their face and physique exhibits rays of gold and a glowing fragrance.
When the earthy temperament is predominant then the individual is child like. His enthusiasm is like a small child and he is full of energy. He is fond of luxuries, comforts, and is always happy. He is very learned. His communication skills are amazing. Such a person is always clean and well dressed. Earthy temperament makes one hard working, preserving and devoted.
When watery element (Moon and Venus) gains predominance then the person likes socializing, is gregarious, can take the burden of difficult jobs, is soft spoken, loves art and music and has many friends. His body is slender, has robust health, is very good looking and has a very intuitive brain.
Airy element in predominance makes the person careless, absentminded and shabby. His power of comprehension is weak, thinks too much and has a tendency of getting depressed. He is sorrowful and indulges in self pity. He further has a charitable disposition, but is short tempered, fond of traveling, has a lean physique and lives more in the mental world than the physical.
The planets, also have the following three qualities or gunas:
(i) Satwic: Sun, Moon and Jupiter
(ii) Rajas: Mercury and Venus
(iii) Tamas: Mars, Saturn, Rahu and Ketu
Satwic quality is a good quality. He is a human being of higher intelligence, well respected, truthful and in search of truth.
Rajas quality makes a native intelligent, hardworking and patient. He is clever, protects the weaker section and seeks comfort and luxury through hard work and truthfulness.
Tamsic quality signifies greed, falsehood and laziness. He is often a sadist who seeks pleasure in the sufferings of human beings and signifies the decay of human beings.
The four types of human beings:
Depending upon the predominance of gunas or qualities, Sage Parasara has described four types of human beings:
(i) Uttam (Excellent): When Satwic qualities are predominant.
(ii) Madhyam (Average): When Rajasic qualities are predominant.
(iii) Adhama (Despicable): When Tamasic qualities are predominant.
(iv) Udaseen (Neutral): A mixture of all the qualiies.
Vedic astrologers first determine the type of a person is from his birth horoscope or from the horary horoscope and then on that basis determine his stature in life. This is a prerequisite for making predictions.
by Dr. Ranjeet Mehta
Photo: Mike wade
Photo: Mike wade
Wednesday, January 28, 2009
Inner Nature
by Sadhguru Jaggi VasudevThe word nature means that aspect of life which is limited to the perception of the sense organs. Only what you can see, hear, feel, sense taste, smell - that is nature. All the things that we call as nature are physical
. Now, I am using another word called Inner Nature. That doesn’t come in the orbit of nature; it is not a part of the physical nature. Spirituality is about going beyond nature, it is about going beyond the limitation of the five sense organs. If we are limited to only those things which we perceive through five sense organs, our whole involvement with life will only be physical. Nature is physical quantity. It may be in the three different forms of solids, liquids and gases. Air is around you. Water is flowing. Earth is there. Body is there. Blood is there. All this is physical. Now, the material sciences are busy with the physical nature. They go on searching for more and more endlessly. But it is not endless. Anything you pursue on the physical level, somewhere there is an end. Maybe the end is far away. Maybe we can’t see the end right now. But there is an end to it. Whether it is medical science, or physics or chemistry, whatever you take, you go to a certain point and you stop. For example, physics has reached a certain point where it has stopped. Physics is not a growing science anymore. Because we have reached that end point where the physical quantity ends and something else begins. That something else cannot fit into the logical faculty of our perception. That something else cannot be perceived through the five sense organs. It cannot be deduced into this or that. So physicists, they have come up with what is called as fuzzy logic. These are all excuses to be illogical. You don’t want to admit that you are illogical. Because you are a scientist, you can’t be illogical. So, they have come up with what is called fuzzy logic - which is no logic. A poet is not logical. Mystics are not logical. Their scope of life is not limited to the logical mind. It is beyond that. They seek through their experience because they know the logical mind is useless. They seek through their intuition. But a scientist cannot seek through his intuition or through his experience. A physical quantity can never be unlimited. Spirituality is about transcending the limited and going into the unlimited nature. Not settling for the limited. If you want to become spiritual, you have to transcend nature. Only then you become unlimited. In the process of yoga, in any spiritual process, so many practices and other processes have been created to slowly transcend our nature. Gradually, one by one, one by one, you defeat nature. That’s one way. There is another way of simply slipping out of nature; there is no question of defeating. You are just above it. You are above your own physical nature. You have heard of yogis and others. They sit in one place - all needs of the body are forgotten totally. You have heard of many such people sitting for months or years in a place. Now, he has transcended his physical nature. Whatever the limitations of the body - it is no more a limitation for him. He has gone beyond that. All the animals are doing what is natural - eating, drinking etc. If all you want to do is live like any other animal - why do you need a philosophy, why do you need spirituality? You can simply live. You don’t have to evolve a philosophy or read Vedas to co-operate with nature. Nature will make sure that you co-operate. Now, if you have to transcend it, then you need something else. If you want to become a part of it, there is no problem. When you are with nature, slowly you’ll become a part of it. It will absorb you. Somehow, that kind of peace - when night settles, you also become peaceful. If you live in a place where there is no electricity or anything, you know - simply when sun sets, everything becomes quiet including your mind. Simply be in forest for 2 days and see. When the sun sets and everything becomes quiet - you also become quiet. So nature just overtakes you and absorbs you into its fold. That much will happen. But that’s not what we are looking for. We want to go beyond that. We don’t want to settle for nature. Nature means - it wants to perpetuate life. The moment you are born with this body, it has certain needs. It has to eat, it has to sleep, it has needs for certain pleasures. It has a need to reproduce itself. These are all nature’s tricks to keep life going on. Now, even that - man has forgotten because he has become so artificial. He doesn’t even enjoy that. Now, the elephant
you see in the wild here - he simply roams about, eats what he wants, drinks what he wants, he just goes about doing things, he is natural. Nobody taught him any philosophies. Simply he is natural. Man has forgotten that also. He has made himself so unnatural. He has not become super-natural. He has made himself so unnatural that his suffering has become very deep. If he becomes natural, definitely some amount of peace and happiness will enter his mind and heart. Definitely he will be more peaceful and more happy. But he is not totally free from suffering. Going beyond nature is the ultimate deliverance. All yogic processes are only methods to go beyond the limited dimension of nature.
. Now, I am using another word called Inner Nature. That doesn’t come in the orbit of nature; it is not a part of the physical nature. Spirituality is about going beyond nature, it is about going beyond the limitation of the five sense organs. If we are limited to only those things which we perceive through five sense organs, our whole involvement with life will only be physical. Nature is physical quantity. It may be in the three different forms of solids, liquids and gases. Air is around you. Water is flowing. Earth is there. Body is there. Blood is there. All this is physical. Now, the material sciences are busy with the physical nature. They go on searching for more and more endlessly. But it is not endless. Anything you pursue on the physical level, somewhere there is an end. Maybe the end is far away. Maybe we can’t see the end right now. But there is an end to it. Whether it is medical science, or physics or chemistry, whatever you take, you go to a certain point and you stop. For example, physics has reached a certain point where it has stopped. Physics is not a growing science anymore. Because we have reached that end point where the physical quantity ends and something else begins. That something else cannot fit into the logical faculty of our perception. That something else cannot be perceived through the five sense organs. It cannot be deduced into this or that. So physicists, they have come up with what is called as fuzzy logic. These are all excuses to be illogical. You don’t want to admit that you are illogical. Because you are a scientist, you can’t be illogical. So, they have come up with what is called fuzzy logic - which is no logic. A poet is not logical. Mystics are not logical. Their scope of life is not limited to the logical mind. It is beyond that. They seek through their experience because they know the logical mind is useless. They seek through their intuition. But a scientist cannot seek through his intuition or through his experience. A physical quantity can never be unlimited. Spirituality is about transcending the limited and going into the unlimited nature. Not settling for the limited. If you want to become spiritual, you have to transcend nature. Only then you become unlimited. In the process of yoga, in any spiritual process, so many practices and other processes have been created to slowly transcend our nature. Gradually, one by one, one by one, you defeat nature. That’s one way. There is another way of simply slipping out of nature; there is no question of defeating. You are just above it. You are above your own physical nature. You have heard of yogis and others. They sit in one place - all needs of the body are forgotten totally. You have heard of many such people sitting for months or years in a place. Now, he has transcended his physical nature. Whatever the limitations of the body - it is no more a limitation for him. He has gone beyond that. All the animals are doing what is natural - eating, drinking etc. If all you want to do is live like any other animal - why do you need a philosophy, why do you need spirituality? You can simply live. You don’t have to evolve a philosophy or read Vedas to co-operate with nature. Nature will make sure that you co-operate. Now, if you have to transcend it, then you need something else. If you want to become a part of it, there is no problem. When you are with nature, slowly you’ll become a part of it. It will absorb you. Somehow, that kind of peace - when night settles, you also become peaceful. If you live in a place where there is no electricity or anything, you know - simply when sun sets, everything becomes quiet including your mind. Simply be in forest for 2 days and see. When the sun sets and everything becomes quiet - you also become quiet. So nature just overtakes you and absorbs you into its fold. That much will happen. But that’s not what we are looking for. We want to go beyond that. We don’t want to settle for nature. Nature means - it wants to perpetuate life. The moment you are born with this body, it has certain needs. It has to eat, it has to sleep, it has needs for certain pleasures. It has a need to reproduce itself. These are all nature’s tricks to keep life going on. Now, even that - man has forgotten because he has become so artificial. He doesn’t even enjoy that. Now, the elephant
you see in the wild here - he simply roams about, eats what he wants, drinks what he wants, he just goes about doing things, he is natural. Nobody taught him any philosophies. Simply he is natural. Man has forgotten that also. He has made himself so unnatural. He has not become super-natural. He has made himself so unnatural that his suffering has become very deep. If he becomes natural, definitely some amount of peace and happiness will enter his mind and heart. Definitely he will be more peaceful and more happy. But he is not totally free from suffering. Going beyond nature is the ultimate deliverance. All yogic processes are only methods to go beyond the limited dimension of nature.
Photo: Michael Lorenzo
Meditate with Surya mudra
Suryayog is a life changing odyssey that elevates your mind and transforms your approach to life. A self reflective way to evolve - the body, mind and spirit.
The most important or core of Suryayog is the Surya Mudra. This mudra, which consists of interlocking of fingers of the right and left hand, is a symbolic merger of male and female principles and balancing Panchabhuta or five elements to control senses and free ourselves from the claims and demands of the physical, emotional and mental domains. One can reach a meditative stage when pure energy of the sun’s rays cleanses our spirit and fills us with the spiritual energy of love.
Here little interpretation of Surya Mudra is needed. Equilibrium or balance of mind, body and soul is the foremost requirement for the path of enlightenment and bliss. Right hand represents male positive energy, the left brain - the reasoning power, while the left hand stands for female energy, negative, right brain- the creative power. Further right is supposed to be the embodiment of electro energy flowing from south to north (right) and left denote magnetic flex traveling from north to south (left). When one gazes at the early morning Sun, the rays activate positive pineal glands which can be called light meter of the body and negative pituitary glands which control hormone release- which is body’s reaction.
Here little interpretation of Surya Mudra is needed. Equilibrium or balance of mind, body and soul is the foremost requirement for the path of enlightenment and bliss. Right hand represents male positive energy, the left brain - the reasoning power, while the left hand stands for female energy, negative, right brain- the creative power. Further right is supposed to be the embodiment of electro energy flowing from south to north (right) and left denote magnetic flex traveling from north to south (left). When one gazes at the early morning Sun, the rays activate positive pineal glands which can be called light meter of the body and negative pituitary glands which control hormone release- which is body’s reaction.
The finger tips reflect five elements or Panchabhutas - thumb is fire, index is air, middle finger is space, while ring finger and little finger represents earth and water, respectively. Thus interlinking of the finger tips not only balances the positive and negatives of the five elements of the body, but also mirrors the macrocosm of the universe in the microcosm of the human being.
A silver coin is placed on the third eye position on the forehead, while doing the Suryayog. If we take this as one of the tip and see the placement of the hands in Surya Mudra, a triangle or pyramidal formation can be seen. This is a representation of Shakti as well as a formation that helps in imbibing light and cosmic energy.
Passage of the Guru
Recently I wrote a brief article entitled “Passage to the Guru”. It described a recent retreat I was blessed to take in the company of my master, Avatar Adi Da Samraj, at his hermitage island in Fiji. This one is entitled “Passage of the Guru” since my beloved master unexpectedly passed from the body on November 27, less than two weeks after I returned. He had been in perfect health, and was working in his art studio when he suddenly took his Mahasamadhi. His devotees were in shock. Like hundreds of others from around the world, I immediately headed back to Fiji to participate in an extended vigil. It was a time of both heartbreak and grace. Heartbreak because there was a deep longing for this most precious of beings. And grace because his presence was felt as strongly as ever before. It is said that the passing of a true Realizer is a great wind that blows countless blessings to those open to receiving them. Many of my friends from various countries had remarkable stories of such blessings. What became completely clear was that Adi Da was continuing to teach and instruct his devotees. How is this possible? In Adi Da’s case he left a large number of books, essays, and art. There are DVD’s of his Darshan and CD’s of his discourses. There are temples for devotional worship, and a body of instruction for different phases of spiritual practice. There is a community of devotees around the world who are seriously committed to following the way he has given. But most importantly, his spiritual presence and his state of realization are untouched by the passing of his body. Just as there are millions of people who have a devotional relationship to Krishna, Buddha, Jesus
, or Sai Baba, the presence of Adi Da is a light that continues to burn bright. All that appears before our eyes arises from that which is formless, eternal, infinite, and Divine. Things come and things go. Bodies are born and bodies die. The passing of the guru is a stark reminder that one day each of us will pass, too. Until then will we live as suffering beings that follow our own desires only to be reincarnated for more of the same? Or are we willing to be mastered by a true Realizer (in the body or not) and thus participate in prefect freedom, beyond the reaches of birth and death? This is the question for both Adi Da’s devotees and for aspirants of truth everywhere.
, or Sai Baba, the presence of Adi Da is a light that continues to burn bright. All that appears before our eyes arises from that which is formless, eternal, infinite, and Divine. Things come and things go. Bodies are born and bodies die. The passing of the guru is a stark reminder that one day each of us will pass, too. Until then will we live as suffering beings that follow our own desires only to be reincarnated for more of the same? Or are we willing to be mastered by a true Realizer (in the body or not) and thus participate in prefect freedom, beyond the reaches of birth and death? This is the question for both Adi Da’s devotees and for aspirants of truth everywhere.
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