Of all the mystical symbols known to Initiates, Man (we use the term “Man” to refer to both genders) is considered as the most ancient among them. Man possessing the masculine and feminine natures, is the epitome of the Cosmos on a microcosmic scale. Within Man’s being lies all of the forces, powers, and principles of Nature; embodied within Man are the laws of the universe; mysteriously written within the sacred heart you will find the source of the sacred scriptures of the world. Mystery schools of the past and present regard that being created and considered “good” by the Archcreator as a reflection of the macrocosm; hence the term “microcosm” to refer to the totality of Man, and the usage of mirrors to symbolically convey the teaching of Man’s true pristine nature as exemplified in the teachings of Taoism and Dzogchen.

Paracelsus, the medieval alchemist, believed Man to be a miniature solar system. All of the creative powers utilized in the making of a solar-system are to be found inherent within this cosmic child, within Man–the god-in-becoming. Creative and spiritual powers, however, lie dormant in a latent state within Man; their unfoldment will occur as the result of evolution, the process of growing into God’s perfect image. It really takes a great deal of involvement with the study of the “Book of Man”–with internal inquiry, with introspection, with the application of principles of mysticism and the occult, and the practice thereof to discover exactly why Man is the universe on a lesser scale, on a lower octave. St. Martin, the enlightened “Theosophist,” taught that the study of the nature of Man was the most proper for humanity, especially for the “Man of Desire,” for the aspirant–the seeker of Truth. Qabalists of the Jewish mystical tradition refer to Man as the “microprosopus,” or lesser countenance,” that is, a reflected God upon the realms of formlessness and form. This belief is based on the statement in Genesis of Man being created in God’s image. In Javanese mysticism, Man is known as the “Jagad Alit,” or the “small universe.” There are parallels of this in almost every mystical tradition of the world.

While posing as a microcosmic being, Man is a macrocosmic system to the lower kingdoms in his charge. This is in accord with the principles and famed verse of Hermes; “as above, so below”–to the Law of Correspondence. By studying the microcosm, we in fact study the macrocosm. One of the Quarternary laws of Martinism propounds this particular principle of the “Thrice Greatest.” Sentient beings of the lower lifestreams look upon Man as a God–sometimes as a wrathful one. Animals, with their fine instincts developed for them by their group-spirits, their directors of evolution, perceive Man with a sense of love, and a sense of awe and fear. This ambivalent feeling and response in animals are caused by the complexity of Man’s egoistic expression, the imperfect manifestation of his innate divinity and his relationship towards life as a whole. Primitive Man, or the primitive mind responds in a similar manner towards Nature, but for a different reason–ignorance, the lack of understanding towards God and Self. The problem of apparent inharmony within Nature therefore, lies within Man himself, and only within his Self, within the microcosmic kingdom of God, will he truly find the solution to right living and right relationships. Though the ordinary mind is the slayer of the Real, it is the spiritualized mind that will nullify its miscreations. Such a principle of the mind, the function of reason of which imbued by Buddhi–intuition, love, and the higher intellect–the “intelligence of the heart” of the hierophants of ancient Egypt, would reveal to Man his “Naked Face,” his “Natural State,” his true nature, the foundation of his existence, and the unreality of phenomena–the impermanence of form and aggregates.

Initiates of the hoary past, such as to be found among the secret societies of the Compagnons, Knights Templer, Dionysiac Artificers, and the Operative Masons, designed and built their temples, cathedrals, lodges, and places of worship after the geometric design and anatomy of Man’s body. King Solomon’s Temple and the Great Pyramid are just two examples of sacred edifices constructed after the harmonic proportion embodied within Man. In one sense, Man is the source of all measures, and is himself, the measurer of all things. Within archetypal Man, lies a tome of cosmic measurements, harmonics, and balance. Ancient Greeks produced art-forms–sculptures of the human physical form that stimulated the aesthetic sense and subtly aroused and awakened in the onlooker the memory of his divinity, spiritual nature, and origin. Symmetry in an artist’s soul results in the symmetry of created forms, the harmony and beauty of which triggers in the witnessing soul through impressions impinging upon the consciousness, an alignment with the spiritual SELF. By gazing at spiritual beauty one instinctively feel the presence of the Divine.

Various symbols in the past have been used by esotericists to represent Man. Among the well-known emblems are the pentagram, the five-pointed star, numerologically the pentad; and the hexagram, the six-pointed star–the hexad. The former represents Man’s occult nature, while the latter symbolizes the unity of Man and God; or “coordinated Man”–Man with the perfect harmonization of the lower principles of his four-fold personality and his spiritual triad.

The cross, of which there are many versions, is another ancient design that portrays Man. The use of this symbol probably had its inception during the age of Man’s adoration and veneration towards the Sun. Awakening at dawn, man would face the rising sun with outstretched hands to receive the beneficent rays of life. This pose casts a shadow on the ground in the form of a cross. This was how man was symbolically equated with it. The daily ritual of sun veneration and adoration is still to be found in some cultures, in India especially. It is believed that the rite invokes an additional amount of vital force, or prana that fills the energy-structure of the microcosm. Mantras such as the beautiful Gayatri are also sometimes recited in the rite in conjunction with physical movements, making it a sacred exercise.

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At a later period, in the days of the mushrooming of esoteric schools and secret societies in Spain and the rest of Europe during the 12th and 13th centuries, the mystic rose was added to the cross, thus expanding and elaborating upon its symbolism. The union of cross and rose, is in a dynamic sense, the unity of Islamic and Christian mysticism unified by the Knights Templar and expressed in their doctrines. The “Rosy Cross” as it came to be called, was adopted by a certain mystical brotherhood that called itself “Rosicrucian” after the appellation “Rosy Cross,” or “Rosae Crucis,” to give its original Latinized version. So exquisite in form, and so sweet its perfume that the rose signified Man’s unfolding spiritual nature, his innate God-attributes. Qabalistically speaking, the cross has its origin in Malkuth, whereas the rose has its roots in Kether. The substance of the rose is divine, being composed of light, life and love; whereas crystallized spirit is the substance of the cross. Hindu philosophers would say that the rose is a manifestation of Purusha, or Soul; and the cross, Prakriti, or Matter. From one point of view, the rose attached to the cross represents the unfoldment of the anahata (heart) chakra. Rich with metaphysical significance, the Rosy Cross may be considered as one of the Secret Doctrine’s most profound Word made manifest in symbolical form. Meditating upon such a symbol, like the Holy Grail, puts us in touch with a vast fount of wisdom–with the egregore, the archetypal force, the group consciousness, and the psychic pool of spiritual ideas represented by the symbol.

Helena Blavatsky, the messenger of the Himalayan Masters of the 19th century, taught that Man is a being whose highest and lowest principles are linked together by the mental principle, by human intelligence. According to the Ancient Wisdom all beings that exist, have been, or will be Man at a certain phase of their spiritual evolution. It is believed by some occult students that Man lies midway between the higher and lower kingdoms in Nature. He is the link between the celestial kingdoms of be-ing and the natural kingdoms of becoming. St. Martin considered Man as an enigma, for although a divine son of God, with a “superior principle,” generally, Man believes himself to be a contemptible creature, a lowly being devoid of any divine spark and moral strength who was born a sinner and doomed to the eternal flames of Hell unless his faith in an external saviour is strong enough to save him.

Another puzzling feature of Man is the way he expresses himself, the way he contradicts his inner nature; he thinks of one thing, on one hand; then he says another, and later he goes on to act in a manner in opposition to his original thoughts and words–while all along the inner voice is prompting the outer consciousness with its wisdom–quite a queer creature this being called Man. Man is also regarded as a puzzle by the mortal mind because much of Man’s being and function lies hidden in his occult nature, in his immortal identity waiting to be discovered and realized by the progressive mind. Man’s spiritual, invisible being is Man unrevealed, the veiled Isis. To solve the puzzle of Man’s true identity and of his relationship to the universe, Man would have to look within, to stretch his mind and imagination, to allow his intuition full play and to expand his consciousness to new spiritual vistas. The narrow, closed, biased, caged mind will never succeed in the quest of Self-discovery. It is the open mind that will allow the unfoldment of divine seeds; for they are to sprout into the Light and ascend to new spiritual frontiers and possibilities. The mature mind is thoughtful of its place and origin in the scheme of things; the puerile mind is thoughtless regarding its raison d’etre. The riddle of the Sphinx propounded to Oedipus, and his subsequent answer, sums up the main concern of the Mystery Schools of the past of which Man was the prime subject.

Man, evolving from the quadruped phase of a dependent child-on-fours to the adult biped cycle and the tripodal phase of being, in the plane of mind corresponds to the growing spiritualized consciousness of Man. A person who thinks in finite terms is a mortal entrapped by the limitations and constrains that he imposes upon Self. Conversely, a person who regards the Self in the proper light of infinity, eternity, and immortality, commences the process of liberation and salvation. Man, on earth, in the kingdom of Malkuth, is the expression of Self in a certain phase of becoming. The carnal mind, or finite consciousness, subjects Man to the laws of Samsara, to Maya, to the laws of mortality. Attaining the spiritual mind, even that which was in Jesus Christ, we acquire or realize immortality as our true estate. We must first; however, sacrifice our animal indulgences in order for the Christ to appear in our consciousness. We should “die daily” to our self-centeredness like St. Paul. Manly Hall, an occult philosopher of the 20th century and last millennium, made this pertinent statement in his monumental work, “The Secret Teachings of All Ages”:

“Man’s status in the natural world is determined, therefore by the quality of his thinking. He whose mind is enslaved to his bestial instincts is philosophically not superior to the brute; he whose rational faculties ponder human affairs is a man; and he whose intellect is elevated to the consideration of the divine realities is already a demigod, for his being partakes of the luminosity with which his reason has brought him into proximity.”

Man, through his involvement and evolvement in matter, reveals various facets of the dark side of his psyche in the symbolical picturization of his consciousness with objects of mundane experience, such as the parasite, the beast, the robot, and the zombie. Devoid of divine illumination, Man expresses himself with such carnal personas. For instance, one moment he lives upon the sweat of another’s brow like a blood-sucker, and the next moment, he moves mechanically like a machine and aimlessly like an undead with no feeling and mental or spiritual direction in his consciousness and will. As can be seen from this, Man plays a part on the world’s stage in more ways than one, and Shakespeare probably had an inkling of this situation. The protean transformations and expressions of Man’s psyche are the manifestations of the false ego’s unstable nature, and also of Man’s false conception of his true Ego. Man identifies himself with forms, with his desires and mortal aggregates. It deludes him into thinking that he is a separate being, a unique creation, apart from the essence of all manifestations. This causes needless pain and suffering, for the identification with the false, the ephemeral, results in spiritual death and degradation, and the loss of divine light–or “Nur,” to give the Sufic designation. Unity of existence is the basis of Life, and it is wisdom to realize this fundamental condition of the Cosmos. A being who loves, extends out of its Self, to its greater SELF–the universe as a whole, the vital energies and forces that sustains the harmony of the Tao, the orderly functions of the Cosmos.

Wisdom is the way of thinking from God’s point of view, and it is acquired by attuning one’s heart with the heart of the All. Man must grow out of the personality cult, to cease worshipping this idol, this mark and symbol of the beast. This self-proclaimed god is carnal in nature, it is self-centered and egoistic. Its breath is that of sulphur, and the anguish experienced by Man who considers himself as this idol is great, and Man, as a result, undergoes a self-triggered cosmic penalty–that of suffering.. Suffering is the consequence of Man’s own willful violation or the misuse and abuse of the laws of God, of Omneity, for his self-centered purposes. One of the major laws that Man breaks each day is his identification with the false image that he creates for himself. Man should instead realize the true Self, the image of God that he essentially is. God saw that this image, this archetype, this blueprint, was good; therefore Man should likewise see the goodness in this archetypal image which is the reflection of God’s, instead of demeaning and condemning his basic identity. Man must shed his mortality, his mortal habits, his finite way of thinking and living before the “coat of various colors,” the vesture of immortality is bestowed upon him. Man’s focus should be upon his innate divinity and not on the shadow upon the wall of matter. Thinking that Man is mortal is the sin of Adam and Eve, and it caused Eden to fade from their gaze and awareness. The consequences of sin is death–spiritual deal–and this operates in an automatic fashion. Gautama Buddha declared that we are punished by our sins, our karma, and not for them. The all-merciful compassion of God, as embodied by the Bodhisattva Kuan Yin, does not throw the first stone and never will at any misguided individual. Man’s mistakes rebound back to him of their own accord, and this law is inexorable and immutable in its application in the samsaric worlds.

Man, Know Thyself

“What is man, that thou art mindful of him? and the son of man that thou visitest him?” (Psalms 8:4)

The above biblical quotation shows that the concern and enquiry into Man were of prime importance not only to the Greek sages who admonished their disciple to “know thyself,” but also to their Hebrew brethren across the Mediterranean; in fact, the wise men of all ancient cultures were of the opinion that unless one occupied one’s time and energy with the seeking out of one’s true nature, of knowing one’s Self, knowing one’s Reality–one’s presence in this physical plane is wasted and not easily acquired again for aeons; one would linger in a hell-like realm called “Hades,” or what Tibetan Buddhism calls “Bardo,” remorsing over all of one’s karmic mistakes and sins. The human form is really a precious jewel, very fragile in its structure and precious in the eyes of Divinity–for it is its instrument in this plane of existence. We should not make the mistake of thinking that the physical form would endure for a considerable period in this three-dimensional world. There are no guarantees in life. The Angel of Death may at any given moment say that our alloted time is spent. Living a hedonistic life robs us of a considerable amount of life-energy that should be returned to our Source in joyous gratitude. The energy at our disposal does not really belong to us–not to the false ego or personality–it belongs to God. For so long we have given to Caesar that which is his and not thought about rendering to God his due. It is an error to utilize the energy given for self-indulgence, for egoistic purposes. Understanding this, we should occupy ourselves with spiritual pursuits, even in the midst of everyday living.

Forsaking egoism or self-centeredness which is Qabalistically, the qlipphotic side of Man, we automatically dethrone most, if not all of the lesser gods, the devils in disguise, such as greed, sloth, jealousy, and lust. On the converse side, transcendental virtues–the Paramitas, such as giving, morality, patience, and perseverance ought to be practiced and lived by Man. Expressions of compassion, mercy, and the serving of life are just some of the many ways that we “cast bread (energy) upon the waters” and have it returned to us tenfold. Spiritual aspirants must learn to be responsible for their own actions, and to control their minds and emotions. Thinking compassionately, calmly, and impersonally is the way of the Divine.

[Note: This paper contains images which may be seen as originally published at our website]

Copyright © 2006 Luxamore
Leonard Lee aka Luxamore
Metaphysical teacher, counseler, healer and merchant of occult/magickal items of Indonesia.Magickal Items from Indonesia: talismans, mustika pearls, kerises, etc.Magickal Bezoar Mustika Pearls from Indonesia.
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Sathya Baba buried; huge mass pays its respect at Sai Baba Funeral

Sheikh Imran Bashir

Agence India Press

April 27, 2011

Puttaparthi: Indian Spiritual leader Sri Sathya Sai Baba’s last rites took place at the Prashanti Nilayam ashram in his home town of Puttaparthi today.

The 85-year-old Sai Baba has been buried during the nearly two-hour private ceremony at Kulwant Hall in the ashram, where his casket was kept for glimpses (Darshan). Ten priests conducted the private funeral. The burial was in accordance with the practice for Hindu spiritual gurus.

The burial was not open to the general public, but big screens erected around the town. The vast crowds of followers who have converged on Puttaparthi. Only family members, some members of the Prashanti Nilayam Trust and some important leaders gathered there were inside Kulwant Hall.

Baba’s nephew R.J. Ratnakar performed rituals on the mortal remains under the guidance of a priest.

Christian, Muslim, Buddhist and Jewish priests read out their respective scriptures before the rituals began around 9 a.m. A group of disciples of Tibetan Buddhist leader Dalai Lama also attended the last rites, which were performed with full state honours.

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A guard of honour was given by policemen who came in slow march and draped the national flag on the transparent casket, before the body was moved for the burial.

The buglers sounded the Last Post and policemen fired three shots in a gun salute outside the hall. A general salute was also offered by the men in uniform.

Darshan hours had to be extended until midnight on Tuesday for the thousands of devotees who wanted to pay their last respects to their spiritual leader. There were nearly four lakh devotees in Puttaparthi on Tuesday.

Millions of Sai Baba’s devotees followed the funeral live on various television channels.

After four days of state mourning, today is a holiday in all of Ananthapur district to allow people to pay homage.

The spiritual leader, loved by millions, passed away on Sunday after cardio-respiratory failure. Since then, his body has lain inside a transparent casket to allow grieving devotees, including poor villagers, foreign pilgrims and celebrities, to pay their respects.

On Tuesday, Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and Congress president Sonia Gandhi visited the ashram to pay their last respects.

Besides this, many top politicians paid homage to Sathya Sai in Puttaparthi today like BJP patriarch LK Advani, Karnataka Chief Minister BS Yeddyurappa and Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister Kiran Kumar Reddy.

Star cricketer Sachin Tendulkar, an ardent devotee of Baba, also visited Puttaparthi on Monday. Accompanied by wife Anjali and friend V. Chamundeshwarnath, Sachin sat beside the body of Sathya Sai Baba at Kulwant Hall and prayed for him. He was seen wiping his tears with a handkerchief handed over by his wife. Sachin, who turned 38 Sunday, did not celebrate his birthday due to Baba’s death. Former India captain Sunil Gavaskar also paid his last respects to Sai Baba on Monday. Tears could be seen in the batting legend’s eyes even as his wife, Marshneil, sobbed uncontrollably.  (AIP)

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Humanity throughout the ages have seen death as something loathsome and gruesome; something dreadful, something preferable to avoid at all cost–that is, if a choice were given–but without any other option, are forced to succumb for lack of any power over its occurrence. Anticipating the termination of life at an unexpected moment and the possible prospect of annihilation of self-identity, humanity views death as a state or condition to be feared. This fear is sustained when all around, most of the dying are seen to seemingly suffer in anguish and in agony in the death process. The fear of death is actually man’s fear of the unknown, and it indicates man’s bondage to his ignorance which ultimately grows into superstitious expressions. Because of the underlying fear, man attempts laboriously to postpone death through medicine and other means; medical science has, however, not yet found a way to prolong life indefinitely–or to ease one’s fears, to offer solace, or to answer profound questions regarding this ancient mystery. Knowing the true nature of death releases man from his bondage to his fears and to the clinging of his varied superstitions pertaining to it. Such knowledge based upon personal experience may be acquired–beliefs to the contrary places an illusory boundary upon the unfolding soul. Alice Bailey, writing for the Tibetan in “A Treatise on White Magic,” refers to man’s fears regarding death:

“The mind of man is so little developed that fear of the unknown, terrors of the unfamiliar, and attachment to form have brought a situation where one of the most beneficent occurrences in the life cycle of an incarnating Son of God is looked upon as something to be avoided and postponed for as long a time as possible.” (1972:494)

We can see from her statement that one of the factors that causes man to struggle against death, is the attachment to form. The identification of the Self with the physical form misleads one into thinking that the dissolution of the physical body results in the annihilation of the Self. Sri Sankaracharya, the eminent exponent of Advaita Vedanta, taught that the deluded mind with its beliefs in the reality of form causes bondage to Maya, or Cosmic Illusion. Philosophically speaking, this is the state of duality, and unless man perceives the One Reality underlying the dualistic worlds, and as his true nature, he lives in fear and in a state of slavery. What is Real cannot be destroyed, what is unreal does not exist apart from our false perception and understanding. This is avidya, or ignorance. To apprehend the true state of things is to be truly liberated from death. One’s consciousness is expanded and raised to a divine estate when Reality is known and death seen for what it really is. What Bailey does not mention is that the soul-process of “death” may be experienced in the meditative state. Mystics call this “dying while living,” and advanced mystics have reached a state where they may predetermine and trigger the time and process of their physical and mystical deaths–these are executed with divine permission. Mystical deaths offers one the opportunity to acquire the beautific vision called Marifatullah by Islamic gnostics. We will not dwell on this mystical aspect in this paper but focus more on the physical side of death and dying.

Before continuing further, let us first provide a definition of the branch of study dealing with death. The study is properly termed, “Thanatology” (from Greek thanatos, “death”). The Encyclopedia Britannica explains it thus:

“. . . the description or study of death and dying and the psychological mechanisms of dealing with them. Thanatology is concerned with the notion of death as popularly perceived and especially with the reactions of the dying, from whom it is felt much can be learned about dealing with death’s approach . . . Generally, psychologists have agreed that there are two overall concepts concerning death that help in understanding the simultaneous processes of living and dying. The “my death versus your death” concept emphasizes the irrational belief that while “your death” is a certainty, an exemption may be made in “my case.” The second concept, “partial deaths versus total extinction” stresses the belief that by experiencing the bereavement following the deaths of friends and relatives, a person is brought as close as possible to realizing “partial death.” These experiences colour the individual’s attitude toward greater personal losses, culminating with the ultimate loss, life itself.

“Thanatology also examines attitudes toward death, the meaning and behaviours of bereavement and grief, and the moral and ethical questions of euthanasia, organ transplants, and life support.”

Thanatology deals with death from various perspectives, from the cultural and anthropological standpoint, the clinical, biological, religious, metaphysical, etc. Death itself is defined in dictionaries as “an extinction of life,” the “ceasing to be.”

Ordinarily, the average person would avoid talking or thinking about death. When chosen as a topic for discussion, for instance, the subject is frequently and promptly relegated to the background of life’s many “evil” necessities and often spoken in hushed tones. Death has always been a taboo subject in unenlightened social circles. Man’s present negative attitude and understanding of the nature of death may cause self-inflicted suffering, torment, and pain. Man’s lack of understanding of the truth of death is mainly the result of a deficiency in the knowledge of spiritual verities, and in an absence of spiritual awareness. Religious doctrines and materialistically-oriented educational systems have inadvertently encouraged man’s negative attitude towards death. They paint horrible conditions of the after-death state, ranging from eternal punishment and torture in fashions exceeding the cruelties and atrocities of the Inquisition, to the materialistic view of nihilism and annihilation. Religion and the academic institutions offer no real comfort or solace to those whose loved ones have faced the great change. The only recourse for individuals seeking a greater understanding of death is by acquiring metaphysical knowledge concerning its nature and by developing a greater awareness of multi-dimensional life; for life simply is, it cannot cease to be. Life is Real and eternal for it is not compounded. Forms are compounded, therefore, they are evanescent. Clinging and being attached to what is temporal, and from the point of view of the Absolute as “illusory,” makes one often feel threatened to life’s varied circumstances.

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In order to be relieved from suffering in the form of bereavement and anguish, humanity as a whole would have to be re-educated as to the true nature of death, its value, its process, and regarding the state of life after the great transition. One’s frame of reference for personal existence has to be expanded to include multi-dimensional worlds, to one’s immortal aspect, and not circumscribed to physical matter. Concomitant to this cleansing process of the mind of its false beliefs and notions concerning death–both the result of social conditioning and brainwashing–there should also be a search, an investigation into the true purpose of life. For to pass through transition not knowing the purpose of one’s personal existence is to have lived in vain. It is said that to die well we must first learn to live well, and this is true, for our negative karma and our wrong attitudes and apprehension of death causally leads us to pain and suffering in the bardo, the death process–of which we will deal in later chapters. For this reason it is incumbent upon us all to embark upon the study of thanatology–the science of death, as understood by metaphysics, to live a worthwhile life, to relieve the sense of suffering, and to efface our misgivings regarding death and the after-death state. Death is simply a transformation, a process analogous to a caterpillar-turned-butterfly through metamorphosis.

Our “fate” and experiences in the afterlife and in the death process are both determined largely by our karma, beliefs, knowledge (or lack of it), purity, righteousness, and understanding of the mission and purpose of our sojourn in the physical plane. Life in this physical dimension should be seen as an opportunity to mature and to liberate oneself from all mortal restrictions even though functioning through an organic vessel. Some people experiencing the vicissitudes and hardships of life often complain that it was not their wish to be born, implying that it was not their wish to live or to be here in this physical world, and yet, in this they contradict themselves by expressing a fear of death, saying that they do not wish to die–implying that they wish to live. Such inconsistencies reflect the state of non-awareness of spiritual realities and verities. Death should be perceived as an initiation into the higher mysteries of Nature. It is thus one of the most important events in one’s spiritual journey. Mastery of one’s life, of one’s lower self, and service to the Higher Intelligences, is the wise preparation for this great initiatory experience.

In ancient cultures, the existence of the afterlife was taken for granted. In former eras there have been concepts or beliefs in the afterlife such as the “Happy Hunting Grounds” “Olympus” and the “Elysian Fields.” The spiritual instincts of early and modern man have always rebelled against the idea of death, and rightly so, for death in reality is non-existent, but the average person is normally unaware and ignorant of this truth, or he chooses to ignore it for some unknown reason. Death should not be looked upon as an ultimate chapter or conclusion of one’s life, for death is simply a change, a passing, a transition to a different plane of consciousness, a different dimensional activity. Orthodox, or conservative scientists in conformity with Einstein’s equation, “E=mc2,” tell us that nothing in the universe can be destroyed, that there can only be a transformation, a change or conversion of the patterns of energy-fields; this is the economy of life which is acknowledged as a law of the Cosmos; and yet, although furnished with this scientific theorem and understanding, these same scientists are skeptical concerning the survival of the personal consciousness or “awareness-principle,” as Tibetan Buddhists designate it. Mainstream science, although faced with many positive data concerning the survival of the consciousness acquired by researchers in the paranormal and related fields, still express incredulity as to its reality. Why is it that the life-force, soul, and consciousness are not seen by these scientists as energy-fields, just as all objects down to their minuscule component, the electrons, protons and neutrons are known to be such? More succinctly, why do scientists not recognize the soul? Is it, perhaps, because of the unconscious opposition and antagonism towards Religion that has long persecuted Science in the centuries past? From the occult point of view, group minds form living entities or currents of energy with certain qualities in accord with the thoughts and feelings generated by the originators or individuals of the same group-mind. This is called an egregore. Such egregores may have an indefinite life span, living for centuries, and influencing all that comes within its mental and emotional force fields. It is through these egregores that an individual, a scientist, for instance, living in the distant past may influence a scientist living in the present. Prejudicial feelings toward Religion and its tenets, such as its declaration of the living soul that survives the dissolution of the physical body, may therefore, be carried from the past to the present. As can be understood from the above, the antagonism of scientists may not be truly directed to the concept of the afterlife, or soul-survival, but towards religion as a whole, and this discord is an unconscious feeling–the result of centuries of maltreatment in the hands of Religion–executed in the name of the Almighty.

Investigators and exponents of mainstream science, however, have not proved in their laboratories the cessation of life, and the non-survival of consciousness after death. On the contrary, they are very close to discovering and proving its reality and validity. It would seem that the Veil of Isis is thinning; nevertheless, the question of the survival of consciousness, we feel, can only be satisfactorily and adequately answered to us by personal experience–through phenomena such as NDEs (Near Death Experience) and the projection of one’s consciousness and subtle bodies. Without personal experience there would be an element of doubt, the truth would elude our comprehension, and the false delude our understanding. Knowledge pertaining to the the truth of death eliminates fear, pain and sorrow. When one understands the nature and mechanism of life and death, one begins to lead a philosophical and mystical life, open to spiritual verities and impressions. One commences to live in harmony with the forces and laws of Nature, in accord with the purposes of the Divine Plan. Scientists would have to become philosophers and mystics in order to break through any bias constraining their minds from the truth of life after death.

It is a fallacy to think that the nature of death and the afterlife state cannot be known while one is embodied and functioning in the three-dimensional sphere. Religious fundamentalism, in general, would have us believe this. Man dies temporarily every night during the sleep-state, and he calls his activities during such a state as “dreams.” Man practices death every time he enters the delta-theta state. Poor recollection of one’s nocturnal activities results in an inadequate comprehension of the nature and relationship between sleep and death. Spiritual development improves the recollection of astral activities and the awareness of the “no-dream” state. Refinement of the soul disperses the etheric web at the crown chakra and forms a link between the brain and higher mind allowing for free movement of the personal-consciousness to higher dimensions without a break in awareness. Fundamentally, the only difference between death and the sleep-state is that death is the permanent evacuation of the awareness-principle from the physical body, whereas in sleep it is merely a temporary condition. In death the sutratma, or silver cord, snaps, and the personal-consciousness leaves the physical body to disintegrate and return to the ground from whence it came. In the sleep state, this cord which connects the physical body to the subtle bodies is maintained. Essentially, death is an illusion. Death is actually an interval between two states or planes of consciousness. It eventuates in the return of every component of the microcosm to its proper place. This truth is embodied in the poetic verse of Ovid:

“Four things of man there are: spirit, soul, ghost, flesh;

“These four, four places keep and do possess,

“The earth covers flesh, the ghost hovers o’er the grave,

“Orcus has the soul, stars do the spirit crave.”

Man has the divine ability to be aware of his being as existing independently of the physical vehicle. This is accomplished in what has come to be called lucid dreaming and astral projection, or “OBE” (out-of-the-body experience) as a modern designation for the phenomenon. Like St. Paul, it is possible for all of us to say that we “knew a man who went to the third heaven,” and hear of things not suitable for the non-initiate. Death is a change of focus of our consciousness, from one plane to another. This is also accomplished through the above means. Astral projection is an ability that all metaphysicians should seek to acquire–for it is educational and it opens-up avenues of services that one may render. Most, if not all mystical traditions teach of this occult ability. The practitioner of Taoist Yoga, for instance, learns in the course of his studies how to separate the soul and spirit from the physical body. Advance mystics and occultists are all able to function in full awareness in the physical, astral and mental worlds. Such individuals are not concerned with the arguments of materialists–arguments stating the non-survival of self, for every mystic knows the truth of the matter through personal experience.

Dying, to the initiate, is a science and an art. The technique of death is known to the inter-dimensional consciousness-traveller. The psychonaut is familiar with the many phases of the bardo that leads to one of the “six realms,” or to liberation from the cycle of reincarnation. It is the reality of reincarnation that proves to us that we are no stranger to death. We incarnate and pass through the change of death repeatedly until we emancipate ourselves from the wheel of birth and rebirth. We have all met the angel of death countless times and shall meet that specter once again in the future. All religions refer to this life-death cycle, though some metaphorically.

Every metaphysician should be familiar with the subject of death, as understood in the esoteric sense, and as to its occult process. In the course of one’s metaphysical ministry, one would often meet individuals suffering from anguish and bereavement. The metaphysician should be able to offer the kind of solace that goes beyond the service of the burial ceremony and the pronouncement of the words, “ashes to ashes, dust to dust . . .” To the dying, and those newly passed-on, the advanced metaphysician should act as a guide to the inner levels of being. He should play the role of Anubis, guiding the departed soul to its proper place. This should be an integral part to any last rites or sacraments given. There is much superstition, fear and ignorance regarding the nature of death among the masses. It, therefore, behooves the metaphysical counselor to play his or her part in enlightening society; and this ministration would benefit humanity as a whole. We feel that this paper should be written to remind metaphysicians of the importance of conveying the truths to the masses regarding the continuity of life, personal identity, and consciousness. One’s professional image is enhanced when well-equipped with the requisite knowledge. Even though much has been written on the subject of death, with much invaluable information given, we take this opportunity to add some of our own insights and experiences to enrich the existing literature and the storehouse of humanity’s learning.

Copyright © 2006 Luxamore
Leonard Lee aka Luxamore
Metaphysical teacher, counseler, healer and merchant of occult/magickal items of Indonesia.Magickal Items from Indonesia: talismans, mustika pearls, kerises, etc.Magickal Bezoar Mustika Pearls from Indonesia.
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Religion & Culture of Himachal Pradesh

¤ The People

The population of HP consists of a medley of tribes, all speaking their own language. Some of them are the Gaddis, Gujjars, Kinnauris, Lahulis and Pangwalis. The majority of the people are of Aryan stock, with exceptions like the inhabitants of Lahaul and Spiti who are distinctly of Mongol origin. Perhaps the most exotic among them are the Kinnauris, known for their extraordinary beauty and ornate jewellery.

¤ The Earliest Inhabitants

Before the coming of the Khasha Aryans were the Kols and Mundas. These people are represented by the various scheduled castes like the Kolis, Halis, Chamars, Darains, Rehars, Chanals, Lohars, Baris, Dagis, Dhakis or Turis, and form a considerable part of the population.

The great social fusion over the centuries, a process which is still going on, has resulted in many changes in the appearance and characteristics of these people. As such, like the rest of Northern India, they are ascribed to Aryan blood by mainstream historians.

¤ People Had A Simple Living

HP is the least urbanized of states in India, and so there’s an ‘untouched’ simplicity about its inhabitants. Living in a world of their own, the people are sometimes quite unaware of what’s happening in the rest of the country.
Their whole life seems to revolve around high peaks, near-accessible passes, rivers and deep valleys. All this makes for people who are essentially simple, honest, god-fearing and firmly rooted in the bedrock of the past. Ninety percent of the people live in distant ‘fairy tale’ villages and small towns, and depend on agriculture for their livelihood. Many also rear sheep, goats, and other cattle.

The traditional village house of Himachal has a rather interesting structure. The lowest storey is for household cattle, the middle for storing grain (also doubles as sleeping room for the family in winter) and the top floor or dafi forms the living area.

¤ The Gaddis of Chamba

The Gaddis are shepherds who move their flocks of sheep (which may range from a couple of hundred to a thousand in number!) from lower pastures in winter to higher ones after snowmelt. Interestingly, the Gaddis are only found scattered around the Dhauladhars. They call this area Gadheran or the land of the Gaddis. To them the Dhauladhars are not just a mountain range but like their mother.

The Gaddis move freely between Chamba and Kangra when the passes of the Dhauladhar allow them to do so. In winter they move down south and can be seen around Kangra, Mandi and Bilaspur and in the small villages between Baijnath and Palampur. Marriages between people living on opposite sides of the Dhauladhar are common.

A typical song of a bride living in her in-laws’ house on the other side runs thus

Oh Mother Dhauladhar
Bend a little
O bend a little
On this side lies my mother-in-law’s place
On the other side lies my father’s place
Bend yourself a little
Bend a little
O bend a little.

¤ Religion

In the northern quarter is divine Himalaya,
The lord of the mountains,
Reaching from Eastern to Western Ocean,
Firm as a rod to measure the earth…

There demigods rest in the shade of clouds,
Which spread like a girdle below the peaks,
But when the rains disturb them
They fly to the sunlit summits….
Kalidas, 5th century AD Sanskrit poet

For thousands of years Indians, and especially the Hindus, have looked upon the mighty Himalayas with awe and reverence. For them it is the abode of the gods. There Shiva, the great god of destruction (belonging to the holy Trinity of Creator-Preserver-Destroyer), sat in deep meditation until Parvati, the himalaya-putri (daughter of the mountains), succeeded in winning his love. Temples of Shiva and Parvati abound in these mountains and thousands of pilgrims from the plains make their arduous climb to them each year.

¤ The Celebrations

Himachal is dotted with quaint Pagoda-like or shikhara styled (spired) temples. Most of these have fascinating legends attached to them. (Ask the locals, and they’ll be only too glad to share them with you.) While festivals are special occasions for celebration, worship is a part of daily life. Hinduism was brought to these hills by the immigrant Rajput tribes of the 5th to the 15th century.

But the Hinduism practiced here is in its more lenient form – the caste system is less rigid than elsewhere in India. The people have their own distinct flavour of the Hindu religion, especially in the upper hills.

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They have combined local legends and popular beliefs with the beliefs of Hinduism. The gram devta (village god) cult is a case in example. It is a curious mix of animism, demonism and Hinduism. The rugged landscape seems to have inspired such awe in the paharis (people of the mountains) that they have deified the diverse manifestations of nature.

¤ Buddhism Religion

More than 95% of the population of HP is Hindu but Buddhism has also made inroads in to the state thanks to the nearness to Tibet and presence of the Dalai Lama at Dharamsala.

The ashen valleys of Lahaul, Spiti and Kinnaur are made brilliant by the Buddhist way of life.
At times the demarcation between Hinduism and Buddhism is very faint in these hill regions. For example, the rituals of the Kinnauris are a mix Buddhist and Hindu practices. The hundreds of gompas and monasteries here serve as a veritable library for the student of Buddhism. No wonder HP is said to be God’s Own Country.

¤ Churches

There are also several notable churches and Sikh gurudwaras in the state. Christianity came in with the British, of course, who dashed to these mountains whenever the heat of the plains got to them. Shimla, Kasauli and Dalhousie served as the most important British retreats, and so have the most well known churches of the state. St-John-in-the-Wilderness in Dharamsala is also quite an attraction.Sikhism, too, is practiced in a few places in Himachal. Paonta Sahib in Sirmaur district is a major pilgrimage for Sikhs, and so is beautiful Manikaran in the Kullu Valley. The Sikhs played an important role in the history of Himachal and Guru Govind Singh, one of the ten founders of the religion, began his career on this very land.

¤ A New God Everyday?

Everybody knows that India is simply crawling with both gods and people. But Kullu valley is way ahead in that such a small part of the country alone boasts of 365 gods! and of course these gods and goddesses have many amusing tales to tell. Sample this one, it links the mountain goddess Hadimba to the royal house of the former Kullu State. Hadimba has a charming temple dedicated to her in Manali in the Kullu Valley.

Anyway, driven by drought, a poor man by the name of Bihang Mani Pal from Haridwar (in Uttar Pradesh) reached the Kullu valley in search of water. Soon he became an apprentice to a potter in this new place. One day as he was carrying pots to the market, he came upon an old woman who was actually the demoness Hadimba in disguise. Hadimba lifted him on her shoulders and promised to make him king of all he surveyed if he worshipped her as a goddess. Pal did exactly so. and lo! Bihang Mani Pal became king of Kullu and Hadimba his patron deity.

¤ Rituals

Each community in Himachal has its own set of rites and rituals that is preserved zealously. The customs and manners of these hill people are somewhat different from those of the plains. For instance, in some parts of Shimla and Sirmaur a reverse dowry system is practiced – the groom’s father pays a sum of money to the bride’s father to meet the expenses of marriage. This practice is known as dhari.

An amusing system of betrothal among some Himachalis, especially the agricultural classes, is the atta-satta ka nata. A series of marriages are arranged by the relatives of marriageable girls and boys. Thus, a father promises his daughter’s hand to another’s son on the condition that the latter give his daughter to a third man’s son, who in turn promises his daughter to the first man. Sometimes there are five or six links in the chain, and one breach nullifies the whole arrangement.

¤ The Marriage Rituals

Marriage by elopement, called haar, is sanctioned in HP, especially among the lower castes. and not just that, the setting for such an affair is also delineated!
The occasion happens in a fair or a neighbourhood marriage.Polyandry is not uncommon in Himachal, especially in Kinnaur. This might be linked to the story of Draupadi, wife of the five Pandava brothers. According to local legend, the Pandavas and Draupadi sojourned to the Sangla valley during their incognito exile (See Mahabharata for details).
It is said that they built a fort here to protect themselves from their hostile cousins, the Kauravas.

Draupadi soon came to be worshipped here as a deity. The practice of marrying a widow/widower to an unmarried brother-in-law/sister-in-law (husband’s younger brother/wife’s younger sister) is most prevalent in Himachal. Serving meat and chhang (country liqueur) is also a must in some marriages. Such rituals of marriage in the hills turn topsy-turvy the traditional Vedic marriage and notions of propriety prevalent in the plains.

¤ Birth Customs Rituals

Like all rituals of the people of HP, the birth customs, too, have a quaint local touch. During the wife’s pregnancy, the husband refrains from killing any animal with his own hands, though he may eat meat.

The woman is also not allowed to see the face of a dead person, or go near a burning place, stream or forest. Immediately after the birth of her child, the woman is given a mixture of ghee (clarified butter) and gur (jaggery) to drink.
Sometimes liqueur is also given; a ritual which, in the plains, would shock most people out of their skins. The namkaran or naming ceremony among the Kolis (a particular caste) is rather unique. Boys are named after the day or month of their birth – like Savaru from Somwar (Monday), Mangloo from Mangalwar (Tuesday), Basakhu from Baisakh (April-May), and so on.

¤ Language

Thanks to the many tribes – each with its own language and dialect – Himachal boasts of more than 60 dialects. These are Chambyali, Pangwali, Lahauli, Kinnauri and so on. In places with a Buddhist population, Tibetan is the language.

But the state’s main language is Pahari, a derivation from Sanskrit and Prakrit, which is largely unintelligible to plain dwellers. See the section Language and Literature for more on Sanskrit and Prakrit. Hindi is also spoken widely and is the language of instruction in schools. With Himachal’s close proximity to Punjab, Punjabi is the medium of communication in some places.

¤ Festivals & Fairs

The endless succession of festivals and fairs forms an important part of the cultural life of Himachal.
There are few places where religious ceremonies are as inventive or as frequent as in this state. Each year sees a cycle of rituals and festivals with melas (fairs) full of fun and frolic. So it’s almost like a yearlong party for the people up there. The main festivals are Holi, Dussehra and Diwali, brought into the fold by the immigrant Rajputs from the plains, but there are also hundreds of local celebrations.

Sometimes these have to do with the gram devta (village god) and at other times with the seasons. Thus, the arrival of winter is marked by the ‘feast of bonfire’, and summer by the ‘festival of flowers’.

More than having a strictly religious import, these festivals are a time to dress up in all sorts of finery and go socializing or shopping. Should you find a crowd of bedecked people moving en masse over the hills to another village, you can confidently follow them in the hope of reaching a mela.

¤ Dussehra Festival

Himachal is famous for its weeklong Dussehra Festival celebrated at Kullu. Though the event is meant to honour Lord Raghunathji (Rama of the Ramayana fame), it has little to do with the tradition of the Ramayana. It’s basically a get-together for all the devtas (gods) of the valley who come in their dolis (palanquins) to the Dhalpur maidan (field). The celebrations which follow are truly on a grand scale. See Kullu for more.

¤ Exhibitions

Anyway, apart from the religious festivals, HP also has a number of festivals which are secular in nature. These relate mostly to arts and crafts exhibitions, winter sports, and the like. Here’s a list of such festivals. Do check with the Himachal Tourism Development Corporation for the exact dates.
Festival/Fair
Where it’s at
When
What’s in it

National Snow Statue Competition
Kufri
January
Snow statue-making competitions.

Folk Dance Competition
Shimla
January
Dance competitions.

All India Water Sports Regatta
Pong Dam
January, October
Swimming, canoeing, kayaking, rowing, sailing, water surfing and so on.

Winter Carnival
Manali
February
Skiing competitions

Winter Sports Festival
Kufri
February
Winter sports contests

Nalwari Fair
Bilaspur
March
A trade fair, with entertainment like wrestling and so on.

TIPA (Tibetan Institute of Performing Arts) Festival
McLeodganj
April
Opera festival including folk dances and plays.

Sipi Fair
Mashobra
May
A handicrafts bazaar.

Hang Gliding rally
Billing
May
Hang gliding

Summer Festival
Shimla, Dharamsala, Dalhousie
June
Cultural programmes, art & handicrafts exhibitions, golf tournament, and flower shows.

Ladarcha Fair
Kaza
July
A trade festival.

International Folk Festival
Kullu
October
Handicrafts exhibitions, music, dance and the like.

Lavi Fair
Rampur
November
A trade fair, with everything from fruits to horses sold or bartered.

Himalaya Festival
McLeodganj
December
Troupes from all the Himalayan countries (Nepal, Bhutan, Tibet) participate in the cultural programmes.

Ice Skating Carnival
Shimla
December
Ice-skating of course, with fancy dress & other competitions, and the grand finale of a torchlight tattoo.

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Imagination is only a groping. It has no value unless it is divinely inspired, for then it becomes inspiration. Completely new terms can be made up by new-age authors. A lot of science fiction and fantasy movies also come up with several new terms which you might not have heard before. Ingenious sure, but empty all the same. Sometimes they run out of terms to explain what they are trying to say, so what do they do? They borrow from other age-old cultures and just use terms superficially. So, before one reads new-age books, one must read some real spiritual books, try to have real inner experience, and then you will have the discerning ability to tell the real from the false. But if you rather just be swooped up in some fancy imagination than the real truth, then you should just continue reading novellas and short stories and have fun.

 Imagination, as beautiful and as creative as it can be at times, is aesthetically pleasing but is also vacant and void and often baseless and non-revealing of any higher truth. It may correspond to something higher in a very faint and obscure way but it has the danger of leading you astray and away from the harsh realities that must be endured on the way to the truth if you lack discernment and rational discrimination. Imagination is a tool for us lower beings with our limited mentality and our obscure groping for truth. However, if used well it can be a good tool to reach out into the unrealized possibilities, and our minds could be like antennae that pick up on the unmanifest and will to create it here in the material realm. Some beings tend to have more power to realize and manifest what they imagine and sometimes it betters humanity and sometimes it worsens and sometimes it’s neither. It comes from the universal mind. The universe is impartial so it allows the complete and utter realization of any possibility that can be thought up and there is nothing we can imagine that isn’t already contained in the framework of the universe. It may not exist in our current world or be a part of our present existence but it still exists in seed state or realized in subtler realms. Otherwise, somebody like a Tesla could never have invented things that were yet incomprehensible to most people then. So, I admit that imagination can be used as a tool towards realization of truth, but when one ascends to higher levels of consciousness, the dependence on imagination recedes and must be abandoned in favour of inspiration and intuition combined with higher discrimination from higher and deeper realms. Also, there is a strong will required and a detailed thought process involved in converting these ideations, imaginations or inspirations into something material that is utilizable and applicable in Life.

Things that have fancy names and are colourful and make a lot of noise obviously lack content and attract attention through vacant polysyllables. The beauty should be in the content and the living truth that it represents, not some far off fantasy. These things often don’t have a definite demarcation between them. We can ideate and try to define them but that would lower its content. Then it loses value. Our language is insufficient to express higher truths. So one must first realize and live in the truth oneself and then transform one’s own being entirely before his exterior equipments (mind, life, body) are ready to express it without dilution or distortion. But most new age authors just read a lot of ancient history and scriptures from various great civilizations of the past and then just use their extremely imaginative mind to make up their own little world by which they then try and proselytize undeveloped minds. And people just buy into it because it’s been published as a book. These shouldn’t receive more importance than a novel or a short story that took you on a surreal journey yet when you’re back on the ground you must use your rational mind to discern the truth alone. Often times certain novels and stories written in the right spirit expresses more truth than this new-age nonsense. It is just a marketing gimmick. I am all for synthesizing and integrating truths from various timeless cultures but it has to be a synthesis of truth and truth alone. It must not be a mere enthusiastic and ecclesiastical orgy of polysyllables and exotic terminology engineered to invade the undeveloped minds of the ignorant mass. It must be an integration of the essence and not just terms and false symbols. None of these authors have had any authentic spiritual realizations. Neither is their outer nature transmuted enough to express the truth in any form.

 Almost all ancient texts from around the world are esoteric in the sense that they contain hidden truths, which they represent in an interactive, often extra-logical ways; kind of like a fairy tale. They exaggerate it to such an extent that it is purposely meant for you to look beyond the literal and into the deeper psychological subtleties leading to truths. However, majority of the world still hasn’t developed much of a thought-force and rather not think and just repose on the mundane. Once you have been awakened to deeper meaning behind the ancient symbolism, your perspective changes for ever. You tend to see it everywhere you look.

Terms such as religion, God, spirit and soul have all been corrupted indeed, by the limited understanding of puny minds. So, when science advanced, it found it easy to disprove all the so called “religious” truths because even the so called “religious and spiritual” leaders did not have a proper understanding of their own beliefs as science did of science. So materialism took over and we see the world today as its most extreme form. It seems today that matter and spirit are mutually exclusive but the perfect reconciliation of the two is what will set humanity free and immortal.

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In the words of the great Seer-poet-philosopher Sri Aurobindo:

 ”Atheism in Europe has been a shallow and rather childish reaction against a shallow and childish exoteric religionism and its popular inadequate and crudely dogmatic notions.”

This sort of atheism, materialism, capitalism, positivism and agnosticism is more pronounced in the west than the East. In the east there never was and possibly never will be such an unbridgeable gap between spirituality, mysticism, Religion and Science because all Eastern philosophies work towards synthesis and reconciliation. This comes easy to them because they start from an essential unity whereas all western thought begins from a multiplicity and differentiation and division. The West tends to live in the realm of the mind which has a natural tendency to division and separation and exclusive analysis and thus cannot look at the whole. It takes a part for the whole and gives it an absolute value. Thus its perspective is limited only to that portion no matter how large the portion. Eastern thought on the other hand views the world from the largeness and vastness of the spirit and thus even the most opposite of principles fuse into one essentially instead of an eternal dichotomy.

Science is still playing catch up to Spirituality & Occultism, which have a few thousand years of head start. Yet science arrogantly claims the findings as its own & discredits others; fails to acknowledge the truth in them. Perhaps, it has become a new kind of dogma and a new church. The Power of the Mantra, known to ancients millennia ago is now starting to be accepted by science as per the article by Grazyna Fosar and Franz Bludorf, “Scientist Prove DNA Can Be Reprogrammed by Words & Frequencies”. Take the long route science. I shall be waiting on the mountain peaks of the Spirit, if & when you transcend your limiting intellect & eventually get there. For our destination is the same.

However, Science cannot be completely discredited or dismissed. Science has made an immense contribution in terms of analyzing and classifying details of creation. It has brought to light the minute and detailed workings of world nature and physical matter and is constantly moving towards further perfection. However, it must work within its limits and stick to what it knows and what it’s expertise entails. It must not state its claim on non-physical or supra-physical phenomenon using physical means. It must constantly move towards a truth and be flexible in its approach and not be fixed in its ways. It must be willing to accept other possibilities beyond the physical and widen its scope and its future development. It must not become a new religion but be constantly in pursuit of truth be willing to accommodate varied viewpoints if it is to enlarge its scope.

The superficiality and the superfluousness of the world can be really frustrating at times and the Ignorance and stupidity that brews daily is just simply repugnant. However, we can only try and live the truth. That is the only way we can lead by example. Whatever truth is concretely and subjectively realized must be objectified and externalized in life and must constantly remain living. This is what the ancient rituals of various traditions such as Vedas and Tantras aimed at when they translated their inner realization as outward rites and actions. However, they have a tendency to become mechanical over time since the average man is unable to see the living truth behind the form and hold it in his heart and mind whilst performing such a rite. Hence, Spiritual realization must come first and we must be a conscious instrument, forever spontaneously acting out the truths based on the intimations received from that infinite spiritual space.

Reason used upon itself and for itself only leads to agnosticism and facts or logic leave no room for other possibilities. Reason must be used to transcend itself and turn its gaze upwards. Logic must become super-logic.

“Be the change you want to see in the world” said one adherent of non-violence and peace. I suppose that is all we can do and hope that some awakened souls follow, some hear the call, some start to think or at the least a general atmosphere of awareness and aspiration is created. And I don’t think we can be compared to animals because they are much more receptive and in-tune (albeit on a lower scale) with life than we are and so are plants (even more so). When I think for trees, especially those which have lived for years, I think of an immensely focused Yogi. Trees are best examples of absorbed meditative action. They direct all energy inwards and are inwardly receptive and yet expressive on the outside and provide selflessly. Since there is no development of ego on the plant level, the expression is unadulterated. This is very evident from the variety of flowers and fruits with their varying colours, fragrances and tastes. They are expressions, rather a glimpse at a divine truth. They are an aspect of the Divine incarnate in physical form. Such is the example to be followed.

The eating of the forbidden fruit and the gaining of knowledge of “Good and evil” can also be seen as the advent of “Mind” in man which has been the main cause for the perversion of its outlook on life. Before mind, as in animals, with only a primitive brain and much more vitality and instinct, we were more in Harmony with Nature and its movement as are animals still today. Animals do not have greed, only taking what they need to survive. This was very prevalent among the more ancient shamanistic peoples of the world whom these elitist rationalists terms “Uncivilized”. Animals don’t have hate when they kill, or lust when they mate. However, the Human mind had taken up those lower vital and physical parts of our animal selves and perverted and deformed them into what we see as primal desire selves. However, those who become more conscious and attain self-mastery and move upwards along with the progressive evolution of Nature and consciousness shall hover above these dualities of good and evil and shall have an ever increasing and Universal perspective of the life.

We must get rid of existing perceptions such as work is done only when we are moving around a lot. We must indeed be in touch with life because life is where higher truth and beauty must manifest. However, it must be from a high-seated wisdom and not a stooping to the levels of lower nature.

And about geniuses, I think they are certainly chosen in a way. Let me clarify. What I mean is that nature usually personifies itself in various means to effect a change, a revolution, a heightening of consciousness. All of this contributes to the overall evolution of the collective consciousness. So sometimes it personifies itself as genius, sometimes as great conquerors who unite many lands and spread culture and improve education and enhance progress, sometimes as destructive personas that annihilate entire civilizations through wars and genocide. Each one has its own reasons of course. If you notice, all three categories of people bring about a destruction of the old ways and establishment of the new. They all find a fault with the existing order of things and hint at the fact that it isn’t sound enough and requires improvement, modification or a complete rebuilding.

However, a balance must be achieved in the average humanity in terms of temperament. There must also be a calm openness, receptivity, confidence and belief that such examples of genius can be followed by all and can become a natural state of humanity in the future. Geniuses themselves only display an acute capability in one or two aspects and other aspects often are not very well developed and are translated into some form of eccentricity or weakness. Nature thus uses life as a field and a laboratory and humans as an experiment in progress and evolution. Thus she prepares all of humanity using exceptional individuals in specific fields so that one day a higher consciousness may descend and all humanity may be ready to receive it. This balance, in order to be achieved, needs to deter itself from extremes as has happened in the past. One must not have tendency to exclusive spiritual absorption, extreme renunciation of life through asceticism, self-annihilation of old Buddhism, pure materialism or over-indulgent hedonism. There must be a perfect balance in living. As Sri Aurobindo would put it:

“It is much more difficult to lead a life of moderation and balance, in equanimity and serenity, than to try to contend with over-indulgence in pleasure and the obscuration it entails, by over-indulgence in asceticism and the disintegration it causes.”

It is this excessive obsession with the Buddhistic shunya (Void, Zero) that has ripped India and other parts of Asia of their Life force and creativity and rend them inept to actualize and materialize their inner spiritual richness in the life of its people and this pro-ascetic attitude has created a huge gap between the spiritual and material life. India, thus losing its mental link, has suffered due to its depletion of intellect and original thinking while Europe and the United States have excelled and surpassed us in the mental realms and this was the main reason of us coming under their dominion. Now, India may be politically free from their influence, but their social and cultural and moral standards seem to have overshadowed our lofty spiritual truths and ideals. Divine Delight is the answer, Divine Ecstasy the Solution, Divine Love the cure and Divine beatitude the aim and goal not just for Asia but for the whole world.

Even Buddhism couldn’t survive for too long on its basis of absolute void or Shunya. It had to eventually adopt the Tantric attitude (Tibetan Buddhism) of transmuting life into a divine force rather than annihilating it. Chinese Buddhism and other Indo-Chinese regions have even adopted a Bhakti (Devotion) like Buddhism with a pantheon of Buddhas and Tantric Goddesses. The Japanese still perform rites with fire to Vedic gods under Japanese & Buddhistic names (refer Wikipedia). They call it Goma (from the Vedic Homa). The souls keep marching towards a divine life and though a stray soul may prefer a divine death and annihilation into a mystic void, the Lord of the creatures shall shepherd us towards the divine Brindavan.

Buddhism itself has only survived for over two millennia because Buddha was made a deity, a god (the very thing he denied and annulled) and has been remembered and revered till today through statues and idols (very thing he revolted against). The Divine works in mysterious ways. The same analogy applies to Ché Guevara’s fight against capitalism and how after his death people wear T-shirts that are commercially made with his face on them. They believe their fight is also against capitalism all the while supporting it by buying Ché Guevara “branded” T-shirts in their thousands. The Divine loves Irony and he often makes a fool of you to make you realize your own folly in your convictions, your beliefs and realizations no matter how absolute they may seem to the mind. Also, he does it to remove the obstacle of the ego and the superiority of intellect and to show us that it is only his Lila, his play and we must be only the occasion as Krishna states in the Gita.

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Tantra: as an Alternative Medicine

There are various ways for realization of SELF as Brahman, who is the source of Truth, Existence and Bliss. Tantra is one of them. Through Tantra we experience the Supreme Bliss of Knowledge & Power.

Most People are unclear about what Tantra really is and what it can do for you. Probably the most common view is that Tantra has some connection with Oriental religion, with uninhibited sex, and with the lovemaking positions and techniques outlined in the Kama Sutra, Hinduism’s oldest sex manual. To some, Tantra is a free-love cult, a survival of the psychedelic sixties; to others, it’s New Age spiritual sex therapy. See also: Sex Therapy

None of these views of Tantra are wrong outright, but none really explain what Tantra actually is. So what is Tantra? What does it mean? And, most important of all, what is its relevance to us today?

The roots of the word are Sanskrit:
Tan – thread, web, stretch, spread or expand, and
Tra – tool or instrument.
Tantra – tool for expansion or a weaving.

The word Tantra is Sanskrit, the sacred language of Hinduism and the most ancient language of the World. It derives from the root word tan, which translates as “to extend, expand, spread, continue, spin out, weave; to put forth, show, or manifest.” Like the universe we inhabit, Tantra is continually expanding, spreading, and manifesting itself like a “cosmic weave,” made up of different energies. We are part of this weave, as are our forefathers and foremothers, all life, and every type of energy and matter. This includes thoughts, actions, and all physical matter. Through Tantric practice one can experience an expansion of consciousness and recognize the interconnectedness of the web of existence.

Some Definitions of Tantra:
Because Tantra is a mystical subject, it is nearly impossible to define. Even eminent scholars have had a hard time explaining what Tantra actually is. The different explanations of Tantra indicate its multifaceted nature. Tantra is a spiritual science, which means it is also mystical, in its interconnectedness, the holistic wisdom link between ourselves and the universe we inhabit.

By embracing Tantra, we become more “real,” more “complete.” How? By recognizing and stimulating our inherent sensual spirituality, we discover parts of ourselves that have remained asleep or have been repressed. With Tantra, an energy is released that is evolutionary and “upwardly motivated.” We can learn to use this energy for pleasure, for achieving our worldly goals, and for aiding our spiritual evolution.

Familiarity with Tantra can help a person to enjoy life to the fullest. It can help do away with guilt or fear, break down self imposed or limiting cultural boundaries, and guide us in our search for solutions. Tantra teaches us to become familiar with our mystical nature, and when we do so, our boundaries expand. We enter into new domains of awareness. We become empowered, more fulfilled, and more perfect.

Traditional dictionary definitions of Tantra are revealing. A Sanskrit word, Tantra is sometimes translated as “leading principle, essential part, model, system, framework, doctrine, rule, theory, scientific work,” also as “order, chief part, rule, authority, science, mystic works, magical formulas, means, expedient, stratagem, medicine.” Finally, a Tantra is sometimes defined as “a type of mystical teaching set out mostly in the form of dialogs between a cosmic couple. intimate insightful dialogs, between God and Goddess, Shiva and Shakti, the male and female Tantric adepts, were at times written down and became known as Tantras. Naturally, these dialogs, being intimate, included sexual secrets as well as many other fascinating
topics.

Tantra has been well tested over thousands of years, not in worldly laboratories but in the laboratories of the human body, by Yogi scientists and Tibetan Lamas who were not driven by commerce but by the earnest desire for spiritual knowledge and liberation. Their observations and insights have been passed down to us.

The sacred Hindu and Buddhist scriptures known as Tantras provide detailed instructions on a wide range of topics, including spiritual knowledge, technology, and science. Their content is often paradoxical. In Tantra, science and mysticism go hand in hand, as do sensuality and asceticism. Just as advanced scientific treatises are difficult for the layperson to comprehend, so traditional Tantras require adequate preparation before they can be properly understood.

At the same time, Tantra can refer to any of a number of sacred texts in the Hindu, Jain and Tibetan Buddhist traditions. Many of these texts contain detailed guidelines for spiritual practice. From this perspective, Tantra is a vast body of spiritual and physical knowledge, encompassing an array of practices, including all forms of yoga. These practices are aimed at expan- ding consciousness and liberating oneself “through life and not through escape, using the body as an instrument.”

In Tantra, the energies of the body are used as the fuel for spiritual develop- ment.

In the West, Tantra is often called the “Yoga of Sex.” While there is a kernel of truth in this phrase, the popular press has created a misleading impression that Tantra is about having better orgasms or about becoming a better lover. Since Tantric practices are designed to expand consciousness, they can expand a person’s capacity to give, receive and experience pleasure, not only in the sexual realm but in all areas of life, provided that person is willing to do the work.

Many contemporary Tantra teachers emphasize very powerful techniques for enhancing sexual pleasure and intimacy, while some traditional teachers discourage students from exploring sexual Tantra at all.

Frequently Asked Questions on Tantra:

What is Tantra?
The spiritual art of love…of connecting spirit with form. It is experiencing love through through the beauty of the earth and all existence. It is about acceptance, rather than deniel. It also embraces compassion…about truth within unconditional love…

What are its elements? Is Tantra a yoga?
Some call it Tantra Yoga. If we see yoga as union, then I agree. Others say Tantra is not a part of Yoga, which most people see as Hatha Yoga anyway, but rather an entire lifestyle. Many in the yoga community consider Tantra “something they would rather not deal with,” so to speak. So, in that sense it is not about yoga as practiced in America, unless that yoga teacher also embraces the openess an sensual nature of Tantra.

Is Tantra a religion, or a movement within religion(s), or is it entirely separate from religion?
Tantra is not a religion. It is a spiritual path. When religion enters, then barriers are drawn. However, some call Tantra a religion, although there is no organized body of thought or practitioners as such. Tantra cannot be encapsulated into a religion or dogma.

What is the exact relationship between Tantra and sexuality?
In Tantra, sexuality is total and filled with bliss. However, Tantra is not about sex. Sex practiced or performed in Tantra is what is taught by most teachers of this spiritual lifestyle. By some Yogins sexual ignition energy is used as a tool to raise the Kundalini, or the participants bioenergy. Some practitioners simply use this energy as a tool. At some point Tantrikas experience a bliss-filled state that can be identified as asexuality. Perhaps because of general sexual suppression by cultures and religions, ancient carvings in Nepal and India depicting unbridled sexual sharing create indelible labels. Some Tantrikas do not engage in sex at all.

Is Tantra an attitude, a belief, or a practice?
No belief. It is an attitude and there are practices, in sex, and many other areas of life that can be used as tools. Many of these include contemporary conscious psychotherapeutic methods, as well as Eastern philosophy and techniques, such as pranyama, yantra, mantra, etc., as well as simply applying expanded consciousness to one’s existence.

Are there common elements in its practice, if it has any? If so, how do these relate to any common attitudes or beliefs? When you say you “practice” Tantra, what do you do exactly?

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Tantra is a lifestyle of letting-go, feeling a oneness with everything. If we were to relate Tantra to life in general, we would say there is much more lay-back living, more enjoyment of our sensual nature, a sexual freedom which follows a lifestyle of let go as well. Practicing Tantra is to walk our talk…to visualize others as Divine… to meditate, get and give and receive massages ..and to say YES! more often…to seek for the purest, highest quality of life, yet to accept whatever we have…and to feel our Divine nature…God…Goddess.

Origins/Ideals:

Where and when did Tantra start, if it had an origin?
While there are many opinions, there is no real beginning as such. See articles and books, particularly the Hindu vedas, and the spiritual philosophy of Tilopa and Milaropa. However, it is now known that using sexual-heart energy of the Kundalini for transcendence and connecting with God or Divinity was known by many cultures throughout the world. There are references to it in both the new and old testament’s of the Bible, in the Koran, the Bhagavagita and countless other spiritual texts.

Are there certain types of cultures where it arises?
Interesting question. Tantra seems to arise and gain interest when we have gone too far with our material world. More of the lay-back, natural cultures like the Cherokees and Polynesians follow a similar lifestyle. Some pagan traditions also do. Whenever civilization has filled its members with fear, Tantra becomes popular. It is something we all experience at one time or another in our lives. Now, in Russia, Tantra has become very popular.

Are there historical or fictional people associated with its origins?
You can see glimpses of Tantra in Krishna’s playfulness with the dakinis, and Jesus, no doubt, was also a Tantrika based upon his words of love and his association with Mary of Magdalene and Veronica of Nazareth. Tilopa, Naropa and Milaropa also were the so-called original messengers of Classical Tantra. However, even with the writings of Sir Richard Burton, much has been lost to antiquity

Is there an ‘ideal’ Tantra, regardless of how it manifests today? If so, what is this like?
Returning to the Biblical Garden of Eden, or a vision of Nirvana or Heaven. A community of people filled with unconditional love, bliss, a joy of life, tenderness and acceptance of all. Enjoying the good life, so to speak, unaddicted yet experiencing with totality and enlightened, of course [chuckle].

Is there an objective or ideal focus of a Tantrika? If so, what is it?
Not really. Maybe enjoying God’s existence at every moment and allowing enlightenment to occur in the process. Becoming aware…awake. Follow a form of mantra or yantra meditation, eat a proper vegetarian diet, be gentle and find love within you at each moment. The lifestyle itself is the gift and path….

What are the essentials of ‘Tantric philosophy’ if there is such a thing?
Same as above.

How does this relate to other Eastern or Western philosophies?
Most philosophies and religions have a dogmatic point-of-view of existence. Eastern and Western philosophies are tied up in dogma. Tantra is about dropping dogma, and simply being in bliss. This is difficult to talk about since all talk is the beginning of a philosophy. Philo from the Greek language means “life” and “sophy” from sophic represents study. In Tantra life in its totality is beyond study… It is experience.

Sociological/Cultural:

Are there certain sects of religious traditions which consider themselves or are considered by others to be ‘Tantric’?
Yes, many. Yogi Bhajan of the 3HO organization (adapted from the Sikh tradition) considers his path “white” Tantra. Pagan traditions call it Tantrik practice, Tibetan Buddhists follow a Tantra path (commonly called yellow Tantra), and aspects of Voodoo and Santamaria use similar practices as in black Tantra, and the worship of Kali, the destroyer. This is only a sampling. There are many texts available on Classical Tantra in new age book shops and select libraries. Swami Virato follows the path of red Tantra…for the passion of flesh and spirit.

Are there Western forms of Tantra or rough equivalents?
Not really. Perhaps what is being taught by most teachers today could be called Western forms. Quodoshka was a similar form practiced by Native Americans (Cherokee).

Can Tantra be found in Hinduism, Buddhism, and Taoism? If so, in what forms and characters?
Yes. Read the various texts. Some say Tantra predates all of them.

Why do people get excited and mention sex when they hear the word Tantra?
Because sex sells, and most Tantra teachers accent this portion of the Tantric lifestyle in their courses, workshops and seminars. However, Tantra is much more than sex.

What inhibits Tantra, what stimulates it, and what kinds of people are more likely to practice it?
Fear and a closed mind inhibit living the Tantric life, while dance, other movement, meditation and pranyama (various breathing techniques) stimulate it. People who are adventurous and open are more likely to connect to a Tantric lifestyle.

Is it possible for Tantra to die out?
Never!

Tantra in the eyes of Great Recent Tantric – Dr. Narayan Dutt Shrimali:

A hypothesis and the principles derived out of it make the rock bottom of any systemised knowledge. When the same principle is ascertained as law, it is rendered the form of pure science. Now it is clear that science is the knowledge brought under general principles through minute analysis and experimentation.

Tantra is an eminent science having thousands of principles. In fact, it is the system of our life and a science of practice and practical knowledge. Through Tantra, we can attain superb powers by attracting and deriving the divine faculties pervading the entire cosmos. The aspirant of Tantra makes his internal capacity sharp and intensely forceful just like a magnet. This science is the process of activating the various dormant vital glands and Chakras of the astral form, present inside the human body. It makes us aware of the truth that a person can get liberation from his own subjugation, can achieve immense power and even with the physical body present, can free himself from his body and expand his faculties infinitely.

Each and every element of the nature is associated with the other. Every action has a definite basis and for that action, there also exists an equal and opposite reaction. This uninterrupted succession of atomic process is going on in our atmosphere. Formation of water vapours, rain from the clouds due to attraction between positively and negatively charged atoms, storms, tempest and earthquakes, all are interrelated to each other.

Tantra is the process of intensification of our peculiar inner potentialities so that we can command this atomic arrangement which in other words is known as ‘Siddhi’. The flow of energy is going on ceaselessly in the environment and when your own inner energy becomes capable of influencing the external ones, nothing will remain impossible for you and this is the science of Tantra in which the aspirant’s wish is first and foremost.

Fear of Tantra is baseless:
The notions of an ordinary person about Tantra are not worthy to mention as this science of power has been misused very much. Those who are quite conversant with Tantra, by awakening their internal cosmic faculties, acquire knowledge to progress ahead and by activating the internal Chakras become ultimately successful in attaining Self realisation and thereby Supreme Bliss, whereas the imperfect Tantriks focus their attention towards the leftist part which hitherto has been utilised by such Tantriks in causing pain and harm to others and in achieving sensual enjoyment. Thus they involve themselves in a wrong direction. Although they can cause damage to the common men, yet eventually such Tantriks undergo severe sufferings and their lives get highly miserable.

This is human nature that every person focuses his attention first on the bad aspect of any subject and not on the virtuous one. This attitude proves harmful to them. As I have said earlier that Tantra is a process of activating internal cosmic faculties of the invisible world and making them favourable for oneself. During this process, that vigorous energy at first affects the person who is trying to overpower it and if at that time the aspirant does not get frightened, the divine energy itself behaves like a slave and then performs all the miraculous deeds at the will of the aspirant. To explain further I am citing an illustration- If you go outside during winter without wearing woollen clothes, what will happen? The frozen particles of cold wave will fall violently upon you and you will fall sick. But in case you are totally prepared- you have a healthy physique covered with woollen clothes, cold cannot affect you in any way and you will proceed ahead without any fear. The same is the case with Tantra. If you are not afraid, have the required equipment and also a sound knowledge then Tantra is the easiest way for you to acquire the divine powers.

To emerge successful in Tantra, fearlessness as well as elevation of inner consciousness are absolutely essential because in this Sadhana, the power is to be evolved from within.

Confidentiality in Tantra:
In our ancient scriptures, there is great emphasis on the fact that the real Tantra should be kept confidential. What is the reason behind this secrecy? If this science has got usefulness, it should be popularised and propagated everywhere, every person should have its knowledge. But this is not the case. What is the reason behind it?

The real Tantra and its secrets were passed on verbally by the competent Guru to his disciples only. The disciples memorised that science and also got realisation of ‘Siddhi’ but the Guru got his disciples to promise that this knowledge would be granted to only those who really deserved it. So they had this relevant argument behind their secrecy. As I have written above that every action has equal and opposite reaction. For example if you disturb anyone – tease a dog, bull or snake, it will certainly attack you. You should have strength to fight them and ultimately bring them under your control. The same is true for Tantra. If a suspicious, weak and fearful person starts Tantra Sadhna, he on experiencing some distress or crisis, generally leaves it midway and thus puts himself in danger due to reversible reaction of the Sadhna because at that moment the inner energy of the aspirant is feeble and so is easily overpowered by the external forces. This is the reason why only a competent Guru is capable to impart the knowledge of Tantra. A Guru minutely and completely analyses the disciple and on getting assured that his disciple would never misuse that power, he starts teaching Tantra Sadhna. Immediately after getting success, the aspirant becomes very much energetic and his vigorous activities must be utilised for public welfare as well as for Self Realisation and not for causing harm to others.

Due to the afore mentioned reasons, the methods of Tantra Sadhnas have been written incompletely, or in symbols and one, who performs Sadhna according to what is written in scriptures can never be successful as the complete knowledge can be attained only through the guidance of a Guru.

How Tantra became a taboo? What then happened in between that has made Tantra a taboo today ?
Perusal of the past reveals that after Gorakhnath pseudo gurus like Bhayanand started the misuse of Tantra and thus got introduced vile practices like meat eating, sex and money spinning into the system. These false Tantriks not just used these rather expounded that without them success is impossible in field of Tantra. These unconscientious one’s even stooped so low as to resort to drinking, rape and swindling.

It was then but natural for the common man to keep distance from such practicers who were unfortunately more in number than real masters of Tantra. Soon society began to shun Tantra and a belief was generated that Tantra itself is a vile practice and has no useful applications in life.

But the problem was not with Tantra rather with the charlatans who used Tantra as an excuse to give vent to their beastly cravings. In fact Tantra is a science that can instill totality in life. A question may arise that when there are Mantras to procure divine blessings why do we need Tantra?

Wise and capable persons do not come to their conclusions in a moment, but only after a careful analysis of any thing. When the left wing of Tantra got predominant and those, who were keen to do these leftist Sadhnas for their petty and selfish ends, did not get success, they turned into big critics of Tantra and only those persons created misconceptions about Tantra.

Apart from this, the British education and Moghal’s culture had an attack on the fundamental elements of Indian society i.e. religious rites, Mantra, Tantra etc. They were aware of the fact that this great science of Vedas, Upnishads and Mantras was responsible for the highly elevated Indian culture, so they thought that if they circulated misconceptions against this science, the Indian people would spontaneously become slaves and unfortunately they succeeded in their evil mission. It should be remembered that psychological subjugation is more dangerous than physical one and this was the mental dependence which caused our deterioration from the heights of prosperity.

The objective of ‘Mantra Tantra Yantra Vigyan’ is to present the proper and complete knowledge of these occult sciences in simplest form before the people so that they themselves verify it and emerge successful in life through it’s use. Only then this science will flourish and we will get deliverance from mental over subjugation and will also regain our self respect and an exalted spiritual stature.

The Real Benefits of Tantra:
Tantra is basically the source of energy and if you master this science, you can easily conquer your materialistic obstacles, other persons can be influenced by you and their activities can be channelised according to your own will. The harmful effects of planets, influences of an evil eye and evil spirits can be removed. It is also helpful as a remedy of mental tension, unbearable pain and other physical and psychological ailments. The scope of Tantra is very wide including Vashikaran, Maran, Ucchattan, Hypnotism, Divine Vision etc., which in many ways are beneficial in modern life.

In fact, Tantra leads to the path of self surrender and it pertains to all the aspects of physical and parapsychological life. Life, a divine gift bestowed upon by the Almighty can be fully purposeful by regenerating one’s inner creative faculties and giving ‘Karma’, a predominant role in our lives and this is the genesis of life’s purposefulness and success.

“One who fears Tantra cannot be a human; and a Sadhak he never can be. In the times of Guru Gorakhnath Tantra was a much respected science popular in all stratas of society for it has in it solutions to all problems of life.

Actually Mantra is a prayer, it is a request put to the concerned deity to help one. But it is not necessary that the deity shall be moved by one’s plea. On the other hand if one uses Tantra one could compel the divine power to help. Tantra in fact is a guarantee that the concerned deity shall without fail have to shower its blessings.

A prayer may fail to touch the heart of the deity but Tantra forces it to grant the desired boon. The Sadhanas in Tantra and Mantra methods might appear similar yet Tantra is a thousand fold more powerful and unfailing.

Tantra gains all the more significance in the present times when every person has no spare time on hands. One cannot be expected to devote several hours each day to long Sadhana procedures. Today every one wishes for instant success and Tantra sure can bring it ; for Tantra means performing a Sadhana by a special meticulous procedure. Nothing is left to chance and all aspects are taken care of, so that success is sure and instant.

Still if due to human weakness some imperfection creeps into the Sadhana or Mantra chanting there are no negative results as is often (wrongly) believed by most people. Only result shall be that the desired wish shall not be fulfilled, but then one could try again.

Tantra is a jewel of the Sadhana world that can solve quickly and effectively all problems of human life like poverty, misery, unhappy married life, being childless, jobless, failure in business or health and so on. To resort to Tantra means adopting a sure way to success.” – Dr. Srimali
Author – Yogi Padma Anand is an experieinced Yoga and Spiritual Master.
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Foreword
The following exercises are designed to assist in freeing the most potent energy known to humanity and resident in creation. They are not designed for someone with little or no esoteric experience. In general, it would be advisable to have at lest one to two years of practical, daily experience with the Middle Pillar and/or Pentagram Rituals; in addition, an equal amount of time with the Hexagram Rituals. Several working of the 32nd through 24th Paths on the Tree of Life would also be desirable[a), and regular practice of once a week or so of “Rising on the Planes”[b). Common sense, a willingness to “Make haste slowly”, and a balanced lifestyle may be the best protection against any unpleasant side effects of these, or other, esoteric practices[3). It is very important that you keep a diary of your practices and experiences with the exercises given.

The amount of time it will take to experience the Secret Fire is unknown, although preparation is the best guarantee of success. The amount of time given to each exercise should not exceed more than 15 or 20 minutes in the beginning, and then 30 or 45 minutes after the first half year or so. It is also strongly advised that anyone undertaking these exercises also maintain a regular, daily usage of spagyric tinctures for each of the planetary qualities of the day it is used. This additional, slow, and methodical cleansing of the subtle psychic channels will aid in relieving some of side-effects of esoteric work. The nightly application of “Dream Yoga” is also suggested, as this will attune the student to the qualities of the day while sleeping, aid in interior contacts, and may shed light on particular problems of the Work.[4]

While this may seem like a lot of work, it is not. Tinctures are fairly easy to make, all that is required is their regular use. This takes no more time than swallowing a vitamin. Dream yoga is done as we are falling asleep anyhow, no additional time required for this either. What is does take is regularity, commitment, and perseverance. Qualities that assure, albeit confer, adepthood. Best of luck in your practices. In the Bonds of Esotericism,

Introduction

In the Western esoteric practices there is an apparent knowledge gap regarding the role of esoteric practices and their effects on the subtle, and not so subtle, bodies of practitioners. In the East, all practices, whether designated as such or not, are designed to awaken the semi-dormant energy resident in all creation, and ‘living beings’ in particular. This energy is known as “Kundalini”, “The Serpent Fire”, and the “Dragon” depending on tradition. Extreme care has been taken, despite contradictions between systems, to chart the effects of exercises on this latent energy, and how it ‘flows’ through the physical, emotional, and psychic body, at what stages, and in relation to which exercises. Such a detailed analysis is lacking in modern Western estotericism.

For modern kabbalists, the most common introduction to ceremonial magic is through the Lesser Ritual of the Pentagram and the Middle Pillar Exercise. The purpose of this paper is twofold: to show how this, and related exercise can stimulate the Secret Fire, and to suggest exercises for its regulation by esoteric students who are engaged in a Hermetic path, such as general studies or alchemy, who may have experienced its awakening and are in need of simple and direct exercises for its regulation.

Theoretical Background

The majority of modern esoteric students are familiar with the Middle Pillar exercise, as such, it will be the fundamental basis for much of this article. In addition, the Sepher Yetzirah, and a limited number of alchemical references will be made.

The basis of kabbalah is that through increasing levels of density, humanity came into its present state of physical incarnation and psychic evolution. Through rituals, exercises, and meditations, the energy latent in creation generally, and the body of the practitioner in particular, can be “awakened”, purified, and directed. This energy can then be used for spiritual development, psychic expansion, or physical health and improvement.

Creation – “In the Beginning …”

Creation is seen to have taken place, in Western kabbalistic and alchemical terms, in the following process.

The Divine mind of God, the Absolute, or in Hebrew the Ain Soph Aur (Limitless Light), through a series of expansions and contractions establishes the boundaries of Creation. The first world is the most subtle, and closest to the original state of non-existence, and is Atzilooth. This is called the world of Fire, because of the lively, undefined, and almost uncontrollable nature of fire. Next is Briah, or the World of Archetypes and forms as our human mind can grasp them. It is symbolized as the World of Air, and is the result as a barrier world that is formed by the creation of the next World, Yetzirah, or Water. This is the highly psychic and emotionally charged world immediately behind the veil of material existence, or Assiah. Also known as the World of Earth, because of the solid, concrete nature of material life.

The purpose of this scheme, is to show that creation occurs in increasingly dense levels of energy-matter, from the most subtle, or Fire, to the most dense, or Earth. Within this context of increasing density, there also arises a series of ten planes or levels of consciousness which combines with energy-matter, known as Sepheroth, or spheres of being. They occur in a pattern of: unity, reflection, polarity, reflection, polarity, unity, reflection, polarity, unity, and finally materialization. This basic idea of unity-polarity-and re-harmonizing, is the basis of kabbalistic and alchemical practices, and is derived from the observation of Nature.

Each World is a reflection to a denser or more subtle degree than the one before or after it. Each Sepheroth is a reflection, in part, of what proceeds or follows it. However, since each reflection is only partial, or slightly distorted, each Sphere takes on its own unique characteristics. Only the so-called “Middle Four Sphereoth” have the ability to harmonize or reflect in total all of the energies of creation, on some level.

This ‘zigzag’ of Creation is called the “Lightning Flash”. The return of energy from dense matter, back through the various stages, Sepheroth, and Worlds of Creation is known as the “Path of the Serpent” because of its reverse, or complimentary ‘zigzag’ nature back up this diagram called the Tree of Life.

For the alchemist, somewhere between the third and fourth level, or sphere of creation, energy takes on the characteristic that will allow for the formation of matter at some future state, or level ten. This energy is called Prima Materia, Chaos in the Bible, Spiritus Mundi (Spirit of the Earth), and others. Here, duality is made complete, and genuine polarity exists, as opposed to simple the potential, or idea, of polarity that had existed previously. Energy is divided into active and passive modes, with the active energy constituting the energies of life, and the passive one the energy of matter. In “The Golden Chain of Homer”, the active energy is called Niter and the passive energy is called Salt.

The energy of Life manifests in two forms, Fire and Air. While both are predominately active in nature, fire is the more active of the two, with Air being slightly passive because of the partial Water Element in its makeup. Potential Matter manifests its energy as Water and Earth. These Elements have nothing to do with the material bodies of the same name, and as such are capitalized and called “Elemental” to distinguish them from the earth we walk on, water we drink, air we breath, and fire we cook with. They are in fact, energetic states, each with their own unique characteristics, as well as each of the previously mentioned ten levels of consciousness within them. The Elements also have preferred ways of interacting with each other, to form the Three Principles of alchemy. There are in fact, forty different ways energy-matter-consciousness can manifest in our world.

The Three Essentials are the alchemical principles of Sulpher, Mercury, and Salt. Like the “Elements” these principle concepts are to be thought of a “Philosophical” and not literally as chemical elements or compounds. The Alchemical Sulphur, or Soul, of a things predominates in the animating principles of energy (Fire) and intelligence (Air); Alchemical Salt, or the physical body of a thing, predominates in unconscious forces, psychic, and instinctual intelligence (Water) and solid matter (Earth); Alchemical Mercury, or general life force, predominates in intelligence (Air) and instinctual forces, and psychic energy (Water), as such it is the link, or bridge, between the higher forces of Sulphur and the lower body of matter.

In the mineral realm the dominant energy is that of Earth, a little Water, and very little Air or Fire. In the vegetable realm, the dominant energy is Water and Air, but little Fire and Earth. In the animal realm, the dominant force element is Fire, then Air, but little Earth. These qualities need to be understood as they have been defined for the following information to be of any use to the practicing, or aspiring, Hermeticist. For example, using the above definitions, we can say that the plant realm has an abundance of instinctual energy (Water) and intelligence, i.e. a specific function (Air), but little direct energy (Fire), as this is received passively from the sun; and little hard, physical, matter (Earth).

In the East as in the West, the idea of principle Elements and Philosophic Principles are expressed in more or less the same manner. This original undifferentiated energy from creation is often called in Indian philosophy, and modern occult, and New Age circles, as akasha, or Spirit. However, akasha, consists of two (2) aspects, one active as we have noted, Niter, and the other passive, Salt. The energies of Niter are also referred to as the force of Kundalini, or spiritual forces. In alchemy, this is the Secret Fire. To the Salt, belongs the force of Prana, or Vital Energy.

The function of the Vital energy is to maintain physical life forms and existence. It is completely instinctual and unconscious and is heavily influenced by cosmic cycles, astrological pulses, and other natural phenomena. The function of the Secret Fire is to increase in humanity, the only place where it is present, its sense of self, or “I”. At the lowest level or functioning, this is the ego, at its highest, it is Divinity incarnate, as both are two sides of the same coin. One is ‘self’ in relation to the physical world and others; the other is ‘self’ in relationship to all of Creation and as a co-creator.

In the vast majority of humanity, this Secret Fire, or liberating energy of self-consciousness, lies dormant, asleep at the base of the spine, coiled like a serpent. Only a small amount manages to escape, reaching a sepherothic level, or so-called chakra, thus creating a loci of consciousness for each person. If it reaches the top of the skull, and beyond, a spiritual awakening can occur, allowing for a descent and re-ascent of the energy, during which the psychic centers can be awakened allowing for the manifestation of psychic powers and related phenomena.

The Secret Fire ascends as a result of a temporary weakening of the Vital Energy in the physical body. This is why so many spiritual awakenings take place under great physical stress, times of illness, or near-death-experiences. When the Secret Fire will ascend through the various psychic-physical currents causing it to be enveloped in a sphere of luminous light.

The experiencing of the Secret Fire, as a result of the suppression of the physical body’s Vital Energy, can create condition which manifests in various forms:

-Some perceive the bright light as an angel, their Higher Self, or “Holy Guardian Angel”, others as a spiritual teacher.

-Astral projection may result, along with perception of the immediate surroundings.

-Uncontrolled physical movements may also result, typical of so-called ‘kundalini phenomena’: shaking, rapid breathing, swinging of the torso, uncontrolled giddiness, and sitting straight upright in the Pharonic position.

After a period of time, the energy will descend, and return to the base of the spine.

The effects of this awakening will take some time for the consciousness of the individual to adjust to, and not limited to the ‘non-physical’ realms. The physical body, although to a lesser degree, is also changed and improved in functioning, constituting a genuine “re-birth’ on several levels. However, it is up to the mind, or sense of “I”, of the individual, to cooperate with this influx of power if more permanent changes in consciousness are to be made.

As we can see, the concept of kundalini, or the Secret Fire, is linked to two polar concepts: that of the undifferentiated creative energy, and the second, as the seed of this energy locked on each cell of material creation, and focused in humanity at the base of the spine.

When this energy rises as a result of psychic experiences, and not because the physical weakness, can cause the Vital Energy of the body to be concentrated on various areas of the body, creating physical and psychic disturbances. If the energy becomes concentrated in the head, it can create the illusion of a spiritual awakening, as well as the well known “hot and cold” flashes, or currents, up and down the spine. The effects of the Secret Fire however, and not its re-distributive effects on the Vital Energy, can create the following phenomena:

Intense pains suggestive of an illness

Crawling sensations of ants or small bugs over the skin, as well as a ‘jumping’ sensation of the energy

A feeling of crystal clear calmness and tranquillity, rise from center to center to the top of the head

Ascending in the famous ‘zigzag’ or Rising Serpent pattern

The energy can skip a center or two

The energy can reach the top of the head in a flash of light

The character attributes of both positive and negative are exaggerated and sexual power is increased.

If the energy rises to the top of the head, then it becomes possible to work directly on the Vital Energy within the body, and use it, as a means of enhancing the psychic experience and spiritual awakening.

In short, the psychic centers must first be awakened by the Secret Fire and purified, before the energy of the physical body, can be concentrated upon them.

Thus, our psychic exercises, and esoteric meditations are designed to prepare our minds, bodies, and consciousness for the liberation of the Secret Fire buried deep inside us. Through a progressive cleansing of the blood, nervous system, and endocrine glands, the ‘chains’ of the Vital Energy upon the Secret Fire are reduced and eliminated, allowing the ever present power and energy, a veritable pressure waiting to be released, to spring into action. Thus, the Serpent doesn’t really sleep, it is we who are asleep to its presence and potential blessing.

The Secret Fire and the Sepheroth

“So he drove out the man: and he placed at the east of the garden of Eden cherubim, and a flaming sword which turned every way, to keep the way of the Tree of Life.” Genesis 3:24

The use of the “Tree of Life” has been both a blessing and a curse for modern esotericism. When understood, the “Tree” offers a complete and working model of Creation on both the microcosmic and macrocosmic scales. However, where many fail is on the personal level. The ability to apply the often very general information of the Tree to personal experiences of the initiate when they deal with physiological phenomena is profoundly lacking in modern esoteric circles. The reasons for this are several: First, many modern esotericists simply repeat what they have learned without experiencing whether or not it is true on a personal level; second, the language of kabbalah is multi-leveled, with the same word having several meanings, thus many who are using the words don’t know what they actually mean, or on what level it may be interpreted; thirdly, the diagram of the Tree is simply too neat and compartmentalized. Many kabbalists are unable to adapt to the fact that interior reality is much more flexible than the Tree allows when applied to the two dimensional page or illustration.

These problems are farther complicated by the idea of “One Tree” but “Four Worlds” making much meaningful, practical information nearly impossible to come by regarding the crises of spiritual awakening and so-called Kundalini phenomena as it relates to kabbalistic practices. When compared to the clear and explicit information available from Taoist and Tantrik sources, it is no wonder that so many Americans and Europeans prefer those systems to those more culturally and historically related.

To help resolve these problems in the transmission of knowledge, only information that has a relationship to experience of the author or others he has discussed this topic with will be included here. Theory will be stated as theory, and experience as experience. The meaning of common kabbalistic words will be defined, and redefined, to keep the communication clear and direct. An extensive use of confusing and somewhat irrelevant god-forms, references to mythology, and cosmology unconnected to the personal experience will be avoided.

Arousing the Sleeping Serpent

“Just as Moses lifted up the flaming serpent in the desert, so must the Son of Man be lifted up, that all who believe may have eternal life in him.” John 3:14-15

The Lesser Ritual of the Pentagram is often the first ritual learned by aspiring magicians. Its function is to teach the basic mechanics of solitary ritual, and to give a basic technique whereby destructive energies maybe repelled or dispersed from the sphere of influence of the operator. The symbols used in the ritual are fundamental to other rituals of a more complex nature, however, to disregard the Lesser Ritual as somehow less effective is a mistake. A ritual, no matter how simple or complex is only as effective as the skill of its operator. Repeated use of the LRP is can be more effective than incompetent or irregular use of more sophisticated rites.

In total, there are approximately six fundamental rituals used in Western occultism reflecting an influence of The Hermetic Order of the Golden Dawn: 1) the Lesser Ritual of the Pentagram 2) the Supreme Ritual of the Pentagram 3) the Lesser Ritual of the Hexegram 4) the Greater Ritual of the Hexegram and 5) the Rose+Cross Ritual. The use of The Flashing Sword appears to be irregular, however it will also be considered along with its companion exercise or, The Rising Serpent.

Within these, the use of the Middle Pillar is optional, it is however, the Middle Pillar Exercise which does the most to purify the bodily energies, or Vital Energy, and make pathways for the release of the Secret Fire.

The Middle Pillar

“I will make the victor a pillar in the temple of my God, and he shall go out no more: and I will write upon him the name of my God, and the name of the city of my God, which is new Jerusalem, which cometh down out of heaven from my God: and I will write upon him my new name.” Revelations 3:12

Several variations of the Middle Pillar Exercise exist, however their fundamentals remain the same. Whether or not one uses the Elements as suggested by Regardie in “True Art of Healing” or the Sepherothic/planetary correspondences as he later suggests (and is most commonly used) in his book “The Middle Pillar” is irrelevant. The methods used by the Arum Solis will also be considered as an alternative exercise.

The theoretical basis of the Middle Pillar is that through imagination, breath, and concentration, the psychic energy of creation, here principally Yetzirah, can be directed allowing for a purification of the Vital Energy that holds the Secret Fire in check. As our psychic centers are cleansed of emotional, moral, and materialistic residue, they better reflect the cosmic energy that works through them. Through its pre-described pattern of circulating the energy, the Middle Pillar assists in smoothing out the edges of our aura, as well as increasing the flow of energy in general directions, so that the psychic pathways, both large and small, can be purified and strengthened through an increase of Vital Energy.

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The pathways described for the Middle Pillar are circular in nature. They are for the most part large, clear, and bright, with a reflective quality too them. Regardie says that the psychic spheres should be imagined like large, clear, brilliant diamonds if no other color is known. Although, in the end, the entire sphere, or extended aura, of the practitioner should be imagined as a brilliant diamond radiating heat and light.

The beauty of the Middle Pillar is that it, like many esoteric practices, is really a layered exercise. Containing an almost infinite amount of flexibility and growth potential. As the practitioner develops in skill and manipulation of the imagery, the amount of new possibilities increases.

One of central movements of the Middle Pillar is the “Fountain of Light”. Here, the practitioner imagines a brilliant force of energy forcing its way up through the soles of their feet and out the top of their head, spraying along the edges of their aura, making it strong and clear of any roughness, and gathering again at their feet. This cyclic imagery is repeated several times. This key part of the exercise, is the central part that prepares the central pathways for the eventual release of the Secret Fire. It is also similar to Eastern practices as seen in Chinese Chi Kung, Indian Tantra, and Tibetan Vajrayana yoga.

This being said, it is also clear that some differences exist between Eastern and Western methods of releasing the Secret Fire. The methods of direct work on the psychic centers, and an upward climbing of the spinal column is more traumatic than the more general work of the Middle Pillar. It is for this reason, that the techniques of yoga, save a few, that are aimed straight away at releasing the Secret Fire, require supervision of a guru. Being that they so restrict the activities of the practitioner, and require close supervision, they are also systems that are impractical for day to day life in American and European culture.

While similarities exist, and will be examined, the major differences appear to be the following:

1) Indian yoga is aimed principally at liberation from the physical realm in as quick a method as possible. Western esoteric practices are aimed at the perfection of matter and the psyche within the material world, and not an abandonment of it.

2) Chinese yoga, or Chi Kung, is more akin to Western practices, in that it is aimed at perfection of the material world, and even the spiritualizing of the body into a “Body of Light”. It however, is more akin to Indian yoga, in that it starts at level of the etheric body (nadis or acupuncture points) and proceeds from there. This “from the bottom up, and inside out” approach is different from the Middle Pillars “top down, outside in” method. Because the etheric body is directly effected early on, the effects are more dramatic, as well as potentially traumatic for the unprepared. In the Middle Pillar, the etheric body is often the last thing effected. This is because the symbolism used, as well as the need to develop skills in concentration, visualization, and meditation effect primarily the mental outlook of the practitioner for a long period of time. Only after considerable practice, of a year or more, on a daily basis, do the effects of the Middle Pillar begin to sink into the astral body, and eventually filter into the etheric and physical bodies of the practitioner. It is stated in one source, that it takes a minimum of three years for even the most advanced yoga practitioner to release the Kundalini through special exercises. A ‘release’ which we have stated, is not a release per say, but the removal of obstacles to its natural expression. This is a critical point, since it is often said that to experience kundalini will often take twenty years of practice of esoteric exercises, or even Hatha Yoga, the same amount of time it took Nicholas Flamel to confect The Philosopher’s Stone. During a recent workshop, Jean Dubuis stated that it may be possible to complete the extremely dangerous Flamel Method in three years. It may be that for the alchemist, the interior creation of the Philosopher’s Stone is nothing short of the kundalini experience, and the exterior creation of the Stone is the ability to direct this Cosmic creative energy at will.

3) Tibetan systems run somewhere between the Chinese and Indian, in that they are concerned with liberation, but also with the creation of an etherial body made from their bodily essences. This Diamond Body, or Rainbow Body, is pure light and can materialize at the will of the adept. Like the Chinese and Indian systems, the Tibetan use a rituals for the purification of the mind and emotions of the practitioners, as well as the visual images in both anthropomorphic deities and abstract geometric forms. The Rituals of the Pentagram and Hexagram fulfill this function when performing the Middle Pillar.

Thus, we can see, the major differences in Eastern and Western practices can be summarized in function and reference point of origin. The East seeks liberation through progressive untying of the knots of ignorance that bind humanity to incarnation. The West seeks to perfect the material world making material reality a reflection of spiritual reality. One accomplished, the adept can then proceed to dis-incarnate at will. The Western approach seeks to be more active in the world and to transform it, while the Eastern approach is to see the world as an illusion that is impermanent, and as such, is more passive. Such philosophies, like all beliefs and cultures, reflect the physical environment of their earliest origin. In tropical and sub-tropical zones the concern with time is less important that in the Northern hemisphere where a winter without food stores means death for the community. The cold, harsh realities of arctic zones produce a different theory and technique, and as such, different ideal (gods) than agricultural areas. Whether one is a hunter nomad or an established agrarian society is reflective of the physical landscape they live in, and as such effects values, needs, and spiritual philosophy and technique.

This is of critical concern whenever one is considering adopting the esoteric practices on another land or culture. Why did it arise, and under what circumstances? Are those same conditions applicable today, and in the life of the potential practitioner? In view of current conditions, are the practices being considered progressive or regressive in nature? That is, are they forward moving, or simply an idealization of a mythical past ‘golden age’?

“The heart girt with a serpent is my Name!” Chaldean Oracles

Salt is a symbol of wisdom and learning. Saturn, is associated with Ouroboros, the Great Serpent biting its tail, symbolic of limitation. As such it is closely allied with the earth, but also all of material creation, and those things which border on non-being, or Eternity. In one 15th century manuscript, the serpent is made of two colors, red and green. Red is outside and green is inside. Green, the color of Nature and of Venus, is the beginning of the Work. Red, the color of the Stone, and Mars, is the end of the Work.

“Sapiens dominabitur astris.” The wise shall exercise dominion over the stars. As we correct the astrological imbalances (i.e psychic centers or chakras) within ourselves, astrological conditions outside have less of a negative effect on us. We gain dominion over the ‘stellar’ forces and can “make the sun shine in our oratory when we will it so.”

The seventeenth century pupil of Jakob Boehme, Gichtel placed the cosmic spiral, or “Wheel of Nature” within the human body. J.G. Gichtel’s Theosophica Practica, 1898. Saturn is the crown, Jupiter the brow, Mars the throat, Sun with a serpent around it, the heart, Venus liver, Mercury the spleen, and Moon the sexual organs, or in straight theosophic decent down the Tree. It is the Heart with a serpent that attracts our attention. Here he also places the Element of Fire.

Egyptian initiates were also called scarabs because they pushed along the egg of their regeneration.

Mysteria Magica, vol 3 The Magical Philosophy: The brow included in the Middle Pillar (called: Clavis Rei [1st Formula] The Rousing of the Citadels) and the color scale varies with each center. An additional use of the rising twin serpents of the Caduceus are included at the end. The brow is attributed to Saturn, and is said to balance out the Yesod center, as well as add power to the remaining centers in the Middle Pillar as the Golden Dawn and Aurem Solis present it.

Alchemically, Salt is derived from the union of Elemental Earth and Elemental Water (or Assiah and Yetzirah), the Secret Fire is ‘hidden’ in the Salt (material body) and represents the unconscious, instinctual forces that seek release. It is sometimes called “Hellfire” in that if uncontrolled, or poorly released, it can reek havoc on the body and psyche of the student, via its purifying effects. This is illustrated by the 31st Path, or Path of Fire, sometimes mistaken for “Purgatory” or “Hell” by the un- regenerated who pass through this Path after death. This Path is also under the direction of Mercury and Shin, the symbols of spiritual guidance and evolution. For those interested in Notarikon, Shin shares the same numerical value, 300, as the Hebrew phrase, “The Spirit of the Living God.”

“I indeed baptize you with water unto repentance; but he that cometh after me is mightier than I, whose shoes I am not worthy to bear: He shall baptize you with the Holy Ghost and with fire.” Matthew 3:11

The letter Shin is often used in meditation as a symbol of Divine light, life, love, or presence. It is imagined above the head, just touching the crown, then inside the head proper (as it is associated with intelligence and the energy of the nervous system in the Sepher Yetzirah), descending into the heart, and finally, expanding from there to engulf the meditator in a sea of fire. Because it consists of three flaming Yods, or tongues, it is sometimes associated with the flaming tongues of Pentecost, and a variety of Trinitarian concepts.

Several possible interpretations are available to use regarding this statement: One suggests that John the Baptist was initiating repentance as well as entrance into the watery world of Yetzirah, but that Jesus, was offering a path of initiation into the fire of the Soul, or full adepthood. A second interpretation is that John was offering initiation up the 29th Path, or the Path of Water; while Jesus was offering the harder and more rigorous Path of Fire, or the 31st Path to his disciples. Neither of these is a definitive answer, only a modern kabbalistic attempt to understand Scripture in the context of initiatic practices. The mention of the Holy Spirit is more informative however, as this phrase was adopted by the Jews during the period of the Babylonian Captivity and represents the origin of Persian and Chaldean influences on Jewish mystical beliefs.

The term Holy Spirit (Ruach Elohim) is derived from the Zend Avesta, and the phrase, Spenta Mainyu, or “Holy (Creative) Spirit”. The creative power is implied and not stated in the original, an appears to be lost in subsequent translations into modern languages via Jewish and Christian traditions. This Spenta Maiynu is a purifying and regenerating energy and intelligence with a cosmic host of six or seven intelligence’s at its command.

“It [Spenta Mainyu] is the self-realizing quality or activity of Ahura Mazda (the Good Mind); it is the self-generating energy that leads to the creation and evolution of the universe. Spenta Mainyu is dynamic and creation is an ongoing process. For Zoroaster, holiness meant also abundance, growth, and health. Spenta Mainyu represents the principle of augmentation and development in the universe.” (F. Mehr, p.29)

This power and their beings comprise the Mathrem, or Mathra, literally, ‘the sacred word of power’, which is the basis for the development of the practice of mantra in India and “Words of Power” in the Middle East and Egypt. Manthrem or Mathra is in its own right held to be the supreme mantra from which all others are derived, in the same fashion as YHVH is the origin of all Hebrew Divine Names. This is mentioned because in Persia and Babylon, the convergence of what would develop into semi-independent Eastern and Western esoteric practices is complete. In one respect, it could be said to be the original home of yoga, kabbalah, alchemy, and magic as we know them. Period art and architecture shows winged creatures familiar to Jewish and Egyptian tradition, planetary diagrams, an early version of the Tree of Life, and several variations of the intertwined serpent motif.

The Cosmic Triangle of Fire

“The successful adept must be endowed with a knowledge of the material of the Great Work; also with faith, silence, purity of heart, and prayerfulness. After passing through the gate surmounted with the hieroglyph of philosophic mercury he traverses the seven angles of the citadel, representing the chief operations of the Great Work – calcination, dissolution, purification, introduction into the sealed Vase of Hermes, transference of the Vase to the Athanor [furnace], coagulation, putrefaction, ceration, multiplication and projection. And even upon reaching the Petra Philosophalis, he finds it is held in custody by a formidable dragon.”

Amphitheatrum sapientiae aeternae, Heinrich Khunrath

Saturn is related to Mercury in alchemical text, and is given the same ambiguous sexuality, or androgyny, and named it ‘Mercurius senex’.

In Tiphareth, the geometric symbol is the interlaced triangles of water and fire, or the Star of David. When expanded to connect the planetary sepheroth of the Tree (with Saturn being attributed to Daath), the Triangle of Water connects the spheres of Mars, Jupiter, and Luna. The Triangle of Fire connects Saturn, Venus, and Mercury.

Just as Orobouros is cosmic energy (the serpent) limiting itself (Saturn), Venus is the creative cosmic force multiplying itself in life (its vegetative nature) as a prism splits the light of the sun. Mercury, like Saturn in many respects, is androgynous, and controls the fire of creation, directing it in the creation of the Philosopher’s Stone. Mercury holds the Caduceus, or winged staff with two serpents intertwined around it. The Wings represent sublimation, the serpents the basic forces of creation. There crossing over is the psychic centers, often given as seven in number, here representing the colors in the spectrum, plus white (Venus). Central to the diagram is Sol, which is the cosmic creative forces which unify, enliven, and harmonize creation, and which we can hope to contact. It is central, and directs and controls all of the other planets, psychic centers, or aspects of Cosmic energy.

By contacting the fire of the Sun, we can open the fire of the other psychic centers (via Venus), and more easily direct the restrictive and enlightening energy of Saturn, through the powers of the Mind, or Mercury.

To understand these multi-faceted aspects of the planets, particularly Venus and Mercury, it is important to have done the Pathworkings up to Tiphareth. While this is not required to perform the techniques later in this monograph, it is a help for an understanding of the theoretical part.

However, we can begin to understand the relationship of the Spheres to each other by undertaking a series of meditations based on the following idea:

Venus is the regenerating, sensual, active life force in its vegetative and unconscious manner. It responds to heat, light, and emotion. On the Path of the Decent, Venus splits the singular rays of the Sun into the many facets of the color spectrum, and as such, can lead us to a better understanding of the relationship between multiplicity and unity, the psychic centers and planets, and their unique natures. On the Path of Ascent, Venus re-unites the divergent energies, both planetary and personal (psychic centers) and harmonizes it into a singular force, although still multi-colored, until it returns to the Sun as pure light.

“This Stone rises in growing, greening things.” Wherefore when the Green is reduced to its former nature, whereby things sprout and come forth in due time, it must be decocted and putrefied in the way of our secret art.” Splendor solis, Trismosin

The Stone is made through the greening of nature (Netzach) and it returning to its source (Tipahreth) by putrefaction (Death card of the path connecting them).

Mercury gives form and meaning to the diverse energies made by the splitting actions of Venus, and re-unites them as fundamental forces, symbolized by the Caduceus. Mercury is Psychopomp, or Guide of the Soul, and directs the energies that Venus represents. Since both Venus and Mercury sit at the base of the Pillars of kabbalah, they access the material, astral, and mental realms, and can influence all three to some degree. On the Descent, Mercury creates form and structure, for the body, the mind, or the soul, and on the ascent, Mercury helps free us from the limitations of form, without forgetting its lessons.

The serpent is primordial force or energy, fire and water being the principle two of creation, with air and earth following them. Because it shed it’s skin, it is seen as a symbol of regeneration and renewal. It is also dangerous, deadly, can be found often in ‘guardian’ roles near springs or water as well as deserts. When controlled or mastered, is seen as mastering a powerful and deadly, yet regenerating force, basic to creation, or possibly from which creation came.

The Secret Fire is directly linked to the sexual, (i.e. principle and most basic creative forces) in humanity. Here, the relationship between ‘bliss’ ‘ecstasy’ and the erotic impulse can be clearly seen and experienced. The development of a host of ‘sexual yogas’ and ‘sex magic(k)’ practices bear this out to some degree. However, it is the sexual desire in humanity that acts as its basic drive and evolutionary force. It is also suggests that the ability and need for mystical experiences is biologically rooted. Only be ignoring the most basic of pleasures, sex, can we ignore the drive to ecstatic union on some level. The ‘little death’ or petite morte, is a forerunner of the ‘big death’ as we let go and experience divine oblivion.

Sexual power, linked to our innate drive for mystical experiences, is also linked to human evolution, and some kind of predetermined point or state to which we are being directed.

This is a significant point, in that almost all of modern Western societies psychological illnesses are focused around sexual repression and obsession.

If the Secret Fire flows freely, or with greater strength than before, without the proper purification of the Vital Energy of the physical body, it is possible that it will result in what appears to be extreme physical, but more likely psychological illness in the form of schizophrenia and psychosis; instead of psychic gifts, genius, and either transpersonal states, or simply altered states of consciousness.

Wilhelm Reich, the father of Orgon Therapy states that the basis for all mental-emotional disturbances are anchored in the physical body, and that these anchors can be released through breathing techniques, somewhat similar to pranayamana. Since the body is the “Salt” of alchemy, and partially composed of accessible unconscious elements through its “Watery Element” all of our emotional and physical experiences become indelibly marked, associated, or stored in our physical body. If these blocks, or energy concentrations of emotional and physical trauma (composed of Vital Energy) are not removed before the Secret Fire begins to flow more intensely, the so-called negative side effects of ‘Kundalini phenomena’ will appear.

Abuse of drugs, alcohol, and sexual extremes only worsen the condition in that they inadvertently release the Secret Fire by weakening the physical body and its link to the astral, thereby damaging the etheric substructure, and create energy blocks in the end rather than diminish them, when the mind and body attempt to make repairs.

A nervous system damaged by substance abuse makes a tricky vehicle for the clear, clean, and powerful expression of the Secret Fire. It is through our nervous system (under the domain of Yesod-Luna) that we engage both the physical world, as well as out interior world. It links the body (Malkooth) with the Mind-Intellect (Hod) as well as instinctual, creative, and sensual urges (Netzach). If it is damaged, our ability to relate fully, creatively, and productively to these psyhco-physical-spiritual parts of our self becomes endangered. If it is damaged, then our most direct and important link to our Holy Guardian Angel, and means of releasing the Secret Fire safely (via Tiphareth) is threatened in this incarnation.

“Listen, then while I make known the Grand Arcanum of this wonder-working Stone, which at the same time is not a stone, which exists in every man, and may be found in its own place at all times…. It is called a stone, not because it is like a stone, but only because by virtue of its fixed nature, it resists the action of fire as successfully as any stone….If we say that its nature is spiritual, it would be no more than the truth; if we describe it as corporeal, the expression would be equally correct; for it is subtle, penetrative, glorified, spiritual gold. It is the noblest of all created things…it is a spirit or quintessence.”

A Short Guide to the Celestial Ruby, Philethes.

Freeing the Dragon

How long it takes to un-block our psychic anatomy for a more complete and harmonious functioning of the Secret Fire is unclear. It is stated that even the most advanced yogis require a minimum of three years of special practice for this to occur. Since that kind of training takes place under specialized and supervised conditions, it can be assumed that modern Western life requires more time, as well as self-reflection and referral, since the average Western occultist, be they kabbalist, alchemist, or both, will spend the majority of their time working alone or at best in occasional small groups.

Certain schools of yoga as well as kabbalah and Sufi practices view the heart as the center of the individual universe, and the most important of all psychic centers. By opening the heart, we gain access to our Interior Master, or Holy Guardian Angel (messenger),characterized by a strong manifestation of intuition. This is the final resting place for the Serpents Tongue after its ascent over the skull, and as Boehme and Hermetic imagery have shown, the “Heart girt with a serpent” is the ideal to which mystics aspire.

As one yogi put it, we approach the “Big King” first, and allow him to direct the activities of the serpent – language not unfamiliar to Hermeticists.

Adam Kadmon: Secret Fire and YHVH

“For our God is a consuming fire.” Hebrews 12:29

While alchemy, kabbalah, and astrology have been homogenized in modern esoteric practices to create an almost seamless synthesis, this is not true of earlier periods. Traditionally, alchemy and astrology played almost no role in Jewish kabbalah[5], and while it has been put forward that may Jews were alchemists, and some great alchemists possibly Jews[6], no manuscripts of Jewish alchemical practices seem to exist in any great number. Even the most famed Esch M’saref, or “The Refiner’s Fire”, is a compilation of material, focusing mainly on gematria, and not a ‘chemical’ work in itself.

Early kabbalists imagined creation taking place in several stages, from which was generated the anthropomorphic image of the ‘primordial man’, or Adam Kadmon. This ‘first man’ was imagined as being crated out of the four-letters of the Divine Name stacked one on top of the other. Yod was the head, Heh, the arms and shoulders, Vau, the spine and sexual organs, and the final Heh, the hips and legs. A host of attributes and qualities came to be associated with each letter, and as a whole, it formed its own school of kabbalistic meditation. By adding other letters, altering combinations, and substituting letters based on numerological equivalents, additional Divine Names, names of archangels, angels, and other spiritual beings were generated.

The oral tradition of Adam Kadmon is similar to that of the Egyptian god Osiris, in that Osiris was dismembered and reconstructed, while Adam “Fell” to pieces, and it is the work of the kabbalist to reconstruct the Original Adam. Each of us is said to be a piece of this original soul, and it is our purpose to find our place in Creation, via kabbalistic methods.

Saint-Germain and the Most Holy Three-Fold Wisdom

The idea of Secret Fire in initiatic psycho-alchemical texts such as The Most Holy Trinsophia (Three Fold Wisdom)[7] illustrate the point of hidden fire, associated with volcanic power, and under the influence of Venus. Works such as this bear a strong resemblance to alchemical-kabbalistic texts, and either use mystical symbolism of these esoteric schools, or such symbols are used to interpret the texts meaning.

In the text, Saint-Germian reportedly recounts the details of his initiation through the twelve degrees of Cosmic Consciousness. The use of earthly fire in the form of volcanic eruptions, lava, and seas of flame symbolize the presence of an underlying matrix of living energy that pervades material and non-material creation, uniting and constantly renewing it through what can be seen as violent activity.

La Tres Sainte Trinsophie is comprised of twelve sections, each with its own illustration. The most obvious alignment that can be seen, is between the twelve sections, the zodiac, and the stages of alchemy. It can also be suggested, for our considerations, the seven major and five minor psychic centers.

The story begins with Saint-Germain on the lava beds of Vesuvius, later he passes an alter on which is a cup, with a winger serpent intertwined around it twelve times. Saint-Germain then enters into a vast realm of fire, in the midst of which is a greenish-gold serpent with ruby eyes which he must dominate with a sword, the symbol of an enlightened will. With this act, anger, hate, and pride are cast out of his consciousness, and the senses are brought under direction.

In one of the scenes depicted, Saint-Germain is in front of a triangular alter with an elaborate candlestick . It’s base if formed out of two intertwined serpents and terminates at a lotus, with the taper placed in the center. Two inscribed panels accompany the illustration. The first one reads: “To the strong is given the burden” and the second, “Kindle a fire upon the high place that the sacrifice may be borne upward to the Desired One.” The final illustration shows the heavens ablaze with light and a triangle surrounded by a square and circle. The initiate, here Saint-Germain, is accompanied by Isis Revealed, the goddess of life and Nature.

The pictures described illustrate that even at the end of the Illuminist era, classical alchemical and kabbalistic symbolism was in widespread use by esotericists. However, its direction was changed from classical, or laboratory alchemy, to ‘philosophic’ or ‘spiritual’ alchemy. Just as kabbalah had undergone a radical transformation at the hands of alchemists and Christian mystics, alchemy itself had also changed. While such manuscripts may be of dubious value for practical laboratory work, fortunately, they still are of value for interior spiritual initiation – an initiation that only the Secret Fire can bring.

Exercises

The Middle Pillar

The Middle Pillar is a well known exercise to almost every student of magic. The details of the exercise are clearly outlined in Israel Regardie’s book of same name, and will not be gone into here. Instead, exposition of those point relevant to the Secret Fire will be outlined. These points are:

The establishment of Malkooth.

Circulation of the Light

The Fountain of Light

Malkooth as Kether

Relationship of Tiphareth to Malkooth and Kether

Secondary considerations will be paid to:

The Ritual of the Pentagram

The Ritual of the Hexagram

Establishing Malkooth

Malkooth or ‘Kingdom’ is a complex sphere in that it represents several broad concepts simultaneously. It is at once, our feet when the Tree of Life is projected on the human frame (and the knees and base of spine when seated or kneeling); all solid matter, earth, and all material creation. It is our bones, and the marrow they contain is a personal aspect of the Secret Fire. It is important that we have a strong sense of foundation when we talk about Earth and Malkooth, so that in meditation we can remain grounded and secure. The stronger our sense of connection to the earth and our bodies we have, the more energy we can generate and the easier it will be to direct it. It is analogous to trying to build a skyscraper on a poured slab concrete for a foundation verses a four-story subbasement. The better the foundation, the stronger the structure.

Since the Secret Fire is hidden in the Earth, it is good to spend some time, even several years, working through the details of the Pentagram rituals. Cleansing, harmonizing, projecting, and withdrawing the energy represented there into yourself and surrounding area. The North is an especially important area for concentration, in that it is Earth of Earth, and is our hidden gateway to the Secret Fire. Buried in the solid nature of matter, is a underlying vibrant energy that is continually pulsating, giving rise to form and life, and turning energy in matter and matter into energy. This underlying nature is illustrated in , the Sign of Taurus, the zodiacal sigil given to the North. In it we see the Moon crowning a circle with a dot in the center, or the Sun. This combined lunar-solar sign for earthly nature points to the theory that all matter is simply condensed sun light, or hidden fire.

By associating the heaviness of Earth and the underlying heat it contains (the molten, volcanic core) with our feet, knees, and base of spine (and eventually our whole skeletal system), we can begin to experience the literal network creation is formed from. This imagery is reinforced by the statement that Malkooth and Kether are one. By imaging that an unlimited stream of energy is pulsating into and out of creation from the Ain Soph Aur at Kether, and then imaging the same for material creation as you envision it, at Malkooth. All to often the spheres are imagined as being static beings or states, when nothing is farther from the truth. They are alive, dynamic, and constantly interacting with each other and the energy-matter matrix. This interaction is most clearly seen on the Middle Pillar and the central spheres.

Kether-Tiphareth-Malkooth Triad

In Western and some Eastern esoteric practices, all exercises begin with a drawing down of energy from the Crown, or Kether. This is done because Kether, is on the edge of “non-existence” draws energy into and out of being. This energy is then regulated, until it becomes manageable by our human consciousness, said to be somewhere around Chesed, on the Cosmic scale of things.

On the personal level, Kether, or our personal Crown, regulates the flow of energy into and out of our bodies. We then direct this energy through our brain and nervous system, until it becomes manageable by our consciousness. Just as Kether is the bridge between Being and Non-Being on the Cosmic Scale, our personal Kether is the bridge between energy and matter. In our personal being, this is the pineal gland.

Malkooth is the final condensing of these Cosmic forces, and on the Cosmic Scale is all of material creation. On our personal level, it our physical bodies, and as an intermediary, the environment we live and move in with others. Since Malkooth is a World, that of Asssiah, as well as a Sphere, it has its own “Kether aspect” or ability to create matter that goes from the most dense to most subtle. These subtler forms of matter border on their own realm of “Non-Being” or that which crosses over from the purely material to the psychic. In our bodies this would be the prostate and sexual glands, perineum, and base of the spine.

The meeting place for these two polar aspects of our being and creation, is in the Heart Center, or Tiphareth. Here, all of creation is harmonized and brought into a state of dynamic tension and vitality around an intelligent center. This intelligence direct the other aspect of creation so that they work in harmony with one another for the good of all. This is our heart pumping blood to all of our organs, our pituitary gland, or “Master Gland” giving directions to all of our endocrine system, our Solar Plexus, regulating nerve energy in general; and the nucleus of each atom, cell, or the Sun in our solar system.

In its role of chief mediator of forces, Tiphareth is constantly sending vital energy to all area of creation, and transmitting energy from the Crown, or highest abstract realms, to Malkooth, or the densist levels of matter. It in many ways, is the regulator of this energy to such s degree, that it can be said that matter itself is actually made by Tiphareth. In physical terms this means that all matter is nothing but condensed light energy. In personal terms, its means that our bodies and environment are the creation of our deepest held thoughts.

To help develop a more conscious and functional relationship between these three centers of energy-matter-consciousness exchange, the following exercise is suggested:

Imagine a brilliant sphere of Light with a binding, almost point black center, just above or touching the top of your head. Inhale, drawing down a shaft of this sphere into your Heart. Exhale, sending the shaft of light through your body and legs out the soles of your feet, into the molten center of the Earth. Inhale again, visualizing the fiery energy of this Center of the Earth moving up in a golden reddish stream to your Heart. Hold it, energizing the heart in brilliant light. Exhale, seeing the light expand in heat, light, life energy, and power.

It is important at this point, that the energy not only be coordinated with the inhalation, but be ‘breathed up’ from the earth and not forced. This can be done by imagining a strong, flexible, hollow tube or canal running from the center of the earth, or feet, to the heart center. The energy can also be imagined running up the feet, as a pulse, entering the spinal column, and focusing energizing the heart area.

Imagine after a period of time, that it is in the heart of the universe, and the adept, that matter and energy meet and are created.

Just as our ‘heart felt’ feelings direct the limitless energy of Kether into manifestation, so do they direct manifestation back to Kether, or elsewhere, if we desire.

It is very important that the heart not be overheated, and that the energy once accumulated be circulated or discharged in some fashion. This can be into a talisman, a healing treatment, or into a glass of cold water which is then consumed. It can also be discharged out the solar plexus as a general circulation to the rest of the aura.

In addition, the vowel sounds associated with the Rose+Cross ritual, or A.I.O. may be intoned after competency in the basic techniques gave been acquired. First, practice intoning the sounds as a single breath, resonating from the center of your heart. After a while, begin splitting the sounds so that A resonates with the head; I with the heart; and O with the Solar plexus. After a period of time, move the O sound down to the perineum where it will have a stranger affect on the ‘Malkooth’ sphere(s). [8]

Substantial resonating of the sounds in the perineum will open up 12 different channels that link the spine to the legs, knees, and feet, uniting these various ‘functional’ Malkooths. It also effects the prostrate gland in men.

Yesod- Link Between the Selves

Yesod sits astride the gateway to the invisible, and is the repository for all that ascends and descends into manifestation. It represents several key elements of our being, including our nervous system and brain; psychic centers; unconscious yearnings and desires; and locus of memory. Through its sometimes dark and troubling, but always powerful waters, we can come into direct contact with our Holy Guardian Angel in Tipahreth. By imagining Yesod as a gateway that reflects up as well as down, we can learn to direct our psychic energies in either direction. This way, Yesod is more than just a doorway which we knock at and hope something is thrown out to us, but instead is a portal we can move through and exist consciously. While much of this early expansion will take place in dream states, such as lucid dreaming, and spontaneous astral projection, eventually a greater degree of control will emerge, in which consciousness is projected willfully and returns with full memory of its experiences.

This state can be quicken though, by reinforcing Yesods link to Malkooth (for memory) and Tiphareth (willed consciousness). The following exercises are designed with these two goals in mind.

After performing the Middle Pillar, focus your attention on Yesod. Imagine it as a large sphere extending to the edges of your expanded aura, violet in color. Shrink it back to normal size and then imagine all of your physical energy, in malkooth, and through out your body, is moving up toward Yesod. This is your ability to move, manifest, and create in the material world. Imagine the spheres merge and become harmonious. Now, pull it up even further to Tiphareth, and bath the combined material and psychic-sexual energy of Yesod in the golden light of Tiphareth, and feel the three merge into one. After several minutes project them back to their original positions.

Imagine the light of Yesod as being simultaneously dual in nature, reflecting up toward Tiphareth and down toward Malkooth.

Move to Tiphareth and do the same, imagine its light reflecting down toward Yesod, and up toward Kether, the source of all energy.

Imagine the Elements as pure and perfect ideas, emanating from Tiphareth through a clear field of Yesod, and condensing into matter. Imagine your thoughts as pure and perfect ideas, being projected from your heart, with the combined sexual-creative energy of Yesod, into manifestation in malkooth.

Imagine the pure light and energy of Kether above your head, becoming accessible in Tiphareth, your heart, and manifesting as pure creations in Malkooth, beneath your feet. Feel the energy reverse this process, going from hard, cold, dense matter, to abstract energy forms, to pure, undifferentiated energy. In addition, the Clavis Rea Formula can be an effective illustrator of this point.

Circulation of the Light, after the establishment of the spheres should be vivid, clear, and deep in the body as well as extended out form it. This can be done is phases, with the first phases working gently on the outside, forming broad bands of light, and increasing in density and power as they begin to reach deep below the surface of the tissue, to the bones themselves. This helps to anchor the power in the body, while expanding and clearing the aura. At all times, the energy should be palpable.

The Fountain of Light should move through the spinal column slowly at first, and with greater intensity and speed as experience progresses. The burst should be lively and bright, with a clear fluid like flame coursing around the edges of the expanded aura, at a radius of three to four feet on all sides. Lose your self in the flow of energy, as it passes through your body, out your head, into your feet, up your legs, purifying and energyzing as it goes.

At the conclusion of the exercise, you may withdraw the energy into the sub-epidermal layer of your body, feeling it strengthen and energize the tissue, sinking into the bones and purifying the marrow, an essential element in long life and strong bones. This should also be done along the spinal cord, imagining that the soft tissue between the vertebrae are packed with energy and the nerve connections are strong and vital.

The Rituals of the Pentagram and Hexagram

The rituals of the Pentagram re use for directing the principle Elements of the material world (Assiah), matter-energy matrix closest to our consciousness, and the outer-materially directed personality of this incarnation. It is through directing and purifying to some degree these Elements, that we can begin to turn our attention inward and have the Vision of our Higher Self, or Holy Guardian Angel, that exists in Kether, communicated with in Tiphareth, and reflected to us in the subconscious of Yesod.

The ego, or self-created image of self in relation to

 This article is published at our site through courtesy of Dr Stanley Brain Kings who is the author of a number of other important articles, which can be accessed at the wetpaint site/ visit www.illuminatedminds.wetpaint.com
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Cymbal is a percussion instrument made of circular bras plate; it’s often used in Tibetan music’s. Cymbals are major instrument of Buddhist rituals & meditation. The cymbals consist of thin round plates and can be played as pair which is struck sidelong against each other to produce a crashing sound; it can be also played by striking with sticks causing the vibration on it.

The size & weight of cymbals plays major role in the sound that it produces. Cymbals are popularly measured by their diameter in inches & centimeters. For louder sounds bigger and thicker cymbals are more appropriate.  For lowered pitch and faster sound one can used thinner and small cymbals.

The profile of the cymbal is the vertical distance of the bow from the bottom of the bell to the cymbal edge (higher profile cymbals are more bowl shaped). The profile affects the pitch of the cymbal; higher profile cymbals have higher pitch.

Historically, cymbals were made from individually cast cymbal blanks which were then hot-forged, often with many annealing processes, to form the rough shape of the cymbal.

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The finishing stages consisted of cold-hammering to unevenly harden the metal, then turning on a lathe to reduce the thickness, and then often a final cold hammering.

The hot and cold hammering were all performed entirely by a highly skilled hand and was a labor-intensive process. The only machine to touch the cymbal was a hand-held. This lathing step could decrease the weight of the cymbal by two-thirds or more, and resulted in further uneven hardening which produces much of the tone of a traditionally made cymbal. This effect was deliberately enhanced by use of a coarse lathe tool, and sometimes by a very limited final polishing, leaving the lathe tool marks as “tone grooves”. Traditional cymbals are lathed over the entire surface top and bottom.

There are mainly two types of Tibetan Cymbals:

The Rolmo Cymbals
Silnyen Cymbals

The Rolmo Cymbal is a horizontal ritual cymbal used by Tibetan monks in Buddhist rituals. It has a wide central boss and is struck vertically, in contrast to the Silnyen.

The Silnyen Cymbal is a Tibetan percussion instrument in the form of a cymbal with a small or no central boss. The Silnyen is struck by horizontal movement and is used in Buddhist rites.

Cymbals produced in Nepal and Tibet is hand hammered and purely made by Hand. 

Dolma Sherpa
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The most common female body shape classification, HourglassRuler (Rectangle), Spoon and Cone (Triangle) is an update of Sheldon’s three body types, which may seem limiting to you.

Jackowski’s updated four body shapes and their corresponding workouts are detailed in “Escape Your Shape – How To Workout Smarter, Not Harder”. Here’s a brief description to give you an ideea, to which we’ve added basics of the right weight loss diet for each female body shape, so you can see which foods to favor and which to avoid – for less cravings, mood fluctuations and struggle.

Here we go.

1. Hourglass Female Body Shape

 
1.a. Workouts:

If you have an Hourglass female body shape, your muscles bulk up faster, so do NOT add weights to your exercising routine until you lost your body fat.

Favor: impact sports that require high speed and low to medium resistance that involve both upper and lower body:

•Isolated exercises: L-kicks, leg-outs, leg curls & lifts, vertical scissors, arms push-outs, biceps curls, triceps kickbacks, upright rows, front & behind-the-neck presses – all at high reps (30-50 repetitions for each exercise)

•Whole-body workouts: long-distance swimming (crawl stroke only) jumping rope, 5 tibetan rites, fast walking with no incline, skiing, stationary biking (low resistance)
Avoid: jogging, roller-blading, step classes, walking on an incline, kick-boxing, spinning, and high-impact aerobics.

1.b. Diet:

Favor: lean, high-quality proteins (skinless chicken/turkey breast, lean beef/veal, tuna, cod), cooked/raw high-fiber, low GI (glycemic index) vegetables: (cabbage, broccoli, zucchini, and all leafy green vegetables), and all fruits.
Include foods that are good omega 3 sources (wild salmon, halibut, sardines, flaxseed oil, avocados, nuts, olive oil), as your body can’t release the fat without them.

Avoid: cooked high GI vegetables (carrots, beets, potatoes), all foods containing animal fat (other than the ones above), carbonated drinks, and foods high in sugar.
When cooking, use only healthy cooking oils to avoid toxins that bind your body fat.

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2. Ruler (Rectangle) Female Body Shape
 
2.a. Workouts:

Favor: anything that requires long and sustained aerobic movements – without weights until you reach your ideal weight. Do a stretching routine before and after any workouts, and – most of all – do not skip abdominal exercises; start with them, as you’ll have more energy.

•Isolated exercises: upper and lower abdominal crunches, full sit-ups, push-ups, spinning, and all upper- or lower-body exercises using medium/high resistance

•Whole-body workouts: long-distance running on an incline, 5 tibetan rites, roller-blading, long-distance swimming, water aerobics, kick-boxing, jumping rope (preferably with a weighted rope), stationary biking/stepping, skiing, any elliptical machine – all with medium/high resistance
Avoid: exercises that may cause discomfort to the lower back region (vertical scissors, leg lifts and side leg lifts); as soon as you add abdominal strength and hamstring flexibility, you may start doing these too.

2.b. Diet:

Favor: high-quality proteins (chicken/turkey, beef/veal, tuna, shellfish, beans, whole wheat & rye products) and all complex carbs (all fruits and vegetables, brown rice).
Include foods that are good omega 3 sources (wild salmon, halibut, sardines, flaxseed oil, avocados, nuts, olive oil), as your body can’t release the fat without them.

Avoid: simple carbs (high starches like white rice and white wheat products, potatoes), carbonated drinks, and foods high in sugar.
When cooking, use only healthy cooking oils to avoid dangerous toxins.

3. Spoon Female Body Shape
 
3.a. Workouts:

Favour: any movements that require lower body flexibility, strength, and coordination, with absolutely NO resistance or weights – as the Spoon female body shape is already heavier on the lower body.

•Isolated exercises: marching in place on toes, all variations of push-ups, L-kicks, leg-outs, one-legged leg lifts, side leg lifts, standing knee to opposite chest, and vertical scissors

•Whole-body workouts: brisk walking with no incline, 5 tibetan rites, skiing, jumping rope
Avoid: all leg curls, presses, and extensions; squats, spinning, step classes, kick-boxing, skating, roller-blading, swimming, long-distance running, high-impact aerobics.

3.b. Diet:

Favor: lean, high-quality proteins (skinless chicken/turkey breast, lean beef/veal, tuna, cod), cooked/raw high-fiber, low glycemic index (GI) vegetables: (cabbage, broccoli, zucchini, and all leafy green vegetables), and low GI fruits (berries, prunes, cherries, apples).
Include foods that are good omega 3 sources (wild salmon, halibut, sardines, flaxseed oil, avocados, nuts, olive oil), as your body can’t release the fat without them.

Avoid: sweet fruits (pears, appricots, melons, grapes, pineapple), cooked high GI vegetables (carrots, beets, potatoes), all foods containing fats (other than the ones above), carbonated drinks, and foods high in sugar.
When cooking, use only healthy cooking oils to avoid toxins that bind your body fat.

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You may have already consigned your dreams of wrinkle-free aging to the scrap heap, but your decision may to do so may have been premature. So why not consider a simple ten-minute daily routine to fight aging, retrieve your dream, and wait for your amazing results to show themselves?

There is, in fact, a powerful anti-aging regimen known as the Five Tibetan Rites, developed in the Himalayas by masters of the on the ancient philosophy of Yoga. This regimen consists of some stretches and postures created over twenty centuries ago by Tibetan monks, and it condenses a group of twenty-one distinct exercises into only five.

Although the Five Tibetan Rites take only ten minutes a day to perform, they offer the same health benefits that have allowed many Tibetan monks to live for as much as 120 years.

What are the benefits of the Five Tibetan Rites?

First, they will regulate any hormone imbalances from which you may be suffering. Having a balanced endocrine system is the key to long life, energy, health, and youth. These Yoga postures will return your energy centers to a normal way of operating, and will do it while letting you have fun!

The Five Tibetan Rites may be one of the most closely guarded health secrets but are unparalleled in their potential for improving your health and slowing your aging. The first free your physical and mental energy systems, and then balance the newly released energy!

Those new to the Five Tibetan Rites find them delightfully freeing, and those who have been using them for a time report huge upswings in their energy levels, sharpened mental faculties, improved cardiovascular function, a more relaxed approach to life, and a general sense of heightened well-being.

The release of energy reserves which had been blocked for years, and the newly increased blood flow which result from the Five Tibetan Rites are both responsible for the rejuvenating effects it has on the skin. It truly is a remarkable anti-aging program.

But the Five Tibetan Rites offer far more in the way of health benefits:

1 – Properly performing these exercises will reduce those extra pounds around the middle which so often accompany middle age;

2 – The Five Tibetan Rites will increase the concentration of oxygen in your blood, which will in turn speed up your metabolism, and lead to weight loss;

3 – The Rites will noticeably improve your muscle tone;

4 – The Five Tibetan Rites will clean your lymphatic system, and flush toxins from your body. In fact, they will so effectively detoxify you that when you begin the program you may feel weak or nauseous as your body is cleansed;

5 – They will increase your spinal flexibility and give you better posture.

The great thing about this anti aging workout is that you feel centered right away. But over time, all the other physical and mental benefits become more obvious.

Your abdominal and gluteal muscles get nicely toned, your posture improves greatly, and overall, your concentration levels and steadiness of mood also improves.

Plus, there’s no excuse for not doing them either! Some people love their gym workouts, so you can keep to those 3-5 days a week but you can do these rites the days you’re not at the gym. Simply do them at home in the morning before breakfast!

While other exercise programs may improve your cardiovascular function and muscle tone, there is none with the anti-aging properties which the detoxifying Five Tibetan Rites can offer. So take the time to learn some more about this amazing program, and put two thousand years’ worth of wisdom to work on improving your health!

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