Egypt and Mysticism - My Personal Experience - Part 2

To go to Part 1, CLICK HERE

Hurghada

Now was the time for a long drive from Luxor to Hurghada and to spend some leisurely time. It was a magical drive, sometimes it was 12 lane road, the driver was experienced and efficient. Feasting eyes on the vast desert around, it was a meditative drive!

The hotel had a huge campus with so many trees and date palms. The air was cool and soothing, the meditation here was also rewarding. 

 

After a peaceful sleep, next day morning we went walking to the Red sea and had a nice swim. The Red Sea is the saltiest sea of all the seas that connect to the ocean without even one river meeting the sea. Connected to the Mediterranean Sea via the Suez Canal, the Red Sea laps the shores of eastern Egypt and its beautiful beaches are just over 100 kilometres from Cairo. A popular hypothesis about the origins of the Red Sea's name is that it contains a cyanobacteria called Trichodesmium erythraeum, which turns the normally blue-green water a reddish-brown. 

The Red Sea is known for its vibrant coral reefs, diverse marine life, and clear blue waters, making it a popular destination for diving and snorkelling. And that was what we planned for the next day and we signed up for the boat trip that would take us deep inside for snorkelling. And what marine life we got to see there! It was so amazing and clearly visible because of the crystal clear water. 

Then we were taken to the Orange Bay Island, which is called the Maldives of Egypt, where we were given some time to chill out, swim and rest before heading back to the hotel. It was a great place to relax and to really enjoy the sun and clear water of the Red Sea.

To Cairo

Now the last leg of our trip – three days in Cairo, pyramids, here we come! 

Cairo, the capital of Egypt, is a city of contrasts. It is home to ancient ruins, world-class museums, and bustling markets. When the guide told us that there are 1000 pyramids around the world, in countries like Sudan (The Nubian Pyramids), Peru(Chavin de Huantar), Mexico, Iraq, Guatemala, Rome, and China, I was literally shocked. For me, pyramids and Egypt were synonymous. When we were in Sudan, nobody mentioned anything about pyramids. But the biggest pyramids are in Egypt, and there are 140 of them.

 The Great Pyramids of Giza

The famous image of three pyramids outside of Cairo is imprinted in people’s minds across the world. They include the Great Pyramid, built for Pharaoh Khufu, which is the largest one. Another one was for Pharaoh Khafre. This temple complex also includes the famous Sphinx statue – a half-man, half-lion figure. The third one was built for Menkaure.

The pyramids were built to honor certain Pharaohs of the fourth ruling dynasty of Egypt during a period known as the Old Kingdom, the first great era of Egyptian civilization that lasted from 2686 to 2181 BCE. They were built to serve as temples to the Gods and also to entomb the pharaohs, who were believed to be divine, who would continue to live in the afterlife. Therefore, it was essential that the body of the pharaoh be carefully preserved, which was done through mummification. It was believed they could take their possessions with them, so the rulers were buried inside the pyramids with items they intended to take with them into the next life. The ancient pyramids of Giza, known as one of the seven wonders of the ancient world, were built over 4,000 years ago and are still standing tall today.

The Pyramids of Giza represent the advanced technological and engineering capabilities of the ancient Egyptians. They used astronomy and the stars to guide precise measurements and utilized geometry and other mathematics to build the pyramids. The 3 pyramids are synchronized with the Orion galaxy. The pyramids are also considered as electricity generators. According to our guide, the magnetic power of the pyramid is so strong that helicopters flying above it fall down.

National Museum of Egyptian civilization and Mummies hall

This world-class museum houses a vast collection of ancient Egyptian artefacts, including the famous death mask of Tutankhamun. The museum is unique in its presentation of the whole history of Egyptian civilization.

Items for grooming

The Royal Mummies' Hall, considered the crown jewel of the museum, is specially designed to display the mummies of the ancient Kings and Queens of Egypt. It is designed in a way to give the visitor the feeling of strolling down the Valley of the Kings, where most of these mummies were originally resting. The ancient Egyptian civilization, famous for its pyramids, pharaohs, mummies, and tombs, flourished for thousands of years, and. contributed to modern-day society with its many cultural developments, particularly in language and mathematics. 

The Mummies hall includes 20 Royal mummies, 18 Kings and 2 Queens, from the 17th until the 20th dynasty. In 1922, British archaeologist Howard Carter discovered the mummy of pharaoh Tutankhamun in Egypt's Valley of the Kings. In spite of several apparent grave robberies, the tomb was crammed with ancient treasures including jewellery, gilded shrines and a solid gold funerary mask. Tutankhamun's mummy and sarcophagus are still on display in the tomb in Luxor. 

Anubis, depicted as a jackal-headed God, was one of the most important Gods in Ancient Egyptian history and he was said to have invented the mummification process. 

Using special processes, the Egyptians removed all moisture from the body, leaving only a dried form that would not easily decay. Other steps included embalming the body, removal of brain, removal of internal organs, drying out process and wrapping of the body. The heart, representing the centre of all knowledge and emotions, was usually left untouched inside the body while the brain was often thrown away. The wrapping served two purposes:  the bandages kept moisture away from the body so it would not decompose, and the wrappings let the embalmers build up the shape of the mummy, to give it a more lifelike form. The whole process lasted about 70 days.Those that couldn’t afford embalming generally had their bodies ‘preserved’ through drying in hot desert sands or by covering them with resin.

Alexandria

Next was a full day trip to Alexandria, which was among the largest and most magnificent cities in antiquity. Founded by Alexander the Great in 331 BC, palaces and temples dominating the skyline, its architecture and culture even overshadowed those of the city of Rome. The city’s 130 metres high Pharos lighthouse represented one of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World. 

Alexandria was also famous for its huge library with about half a million roles of papyrus. One of the largest ports on the Mediterranean coast, Alexandria was a major centre of civilization in the ancient world, controlling commerce between Egypt and the eastern Mediterranean, and has continued throughout its long history to act as a vital crossing point for merchants and their trade on the maritime routes between Asia and Europe.

Parts of the city’s royal quarter with its temples, palaces, royal gardens and harbour structures were situated in the eastern harbour, called the Portus Magnus. Here, on the Island of Antirhodos and the Poseidium Peninsula, Julius Caesar, Mark Antony and the famous Cleopatra 7 used to stay.

After a series of earthquakes and tidal waves, the Portus Magnus and parts of the city’s ancient coastline sank beneath the sea. For more than 1,200 years temples, buildings, palaces, statues, ceramics, coins, jewellery and everyday objects lay untouched on the seabed covered by thick layers of sand and sediment. Using selective mechanical soundings or through the use of electronic detection instruments such as nuclear magnetic resonance, archaeological remains buried under the sediment were located. The archaeological campaigns have made it possible to develop, for the first time, a complete panorama of the famous Portus Magnus.

Here I couldn’t help myself from thinking about Dwaraka of India, which is also buried under sea, as my body was resonating similar to the way I felt while visiting Bet Dwaraka.

Cleopatra

I have to mention about Cleopatra here. I had a lesson on Cleopatra during my Pre University Course and the teacher who took the lesson explained in vivid detail how Cleopatra committed suicide from snake bites, that I remember it even now.

Daughter of King Ptolemy XII Auletes, Cleopatra was destined to become the last queen of the Macedonian dynasty that ruled Egypt between the death of Alexander the Great in 323 BCE and its annexation by Rome in 30 BCE. She actively influenced Roman politics at a crucial period and was especially known for her relationships with Julius Caesar and Mark Antony. She came to represent, as did no other woman of antiquity, the prototype of the romantic femme fatale. Most archaeologists assume that Cleopatra's grave is in ancient Alexandria.

Catacomb

Whereas tombs are basically stone rooms, the catacombs are tunnels and caves. They are underground galleries used for centuries as cemeteries.

 The catacombs consist of three tiers of tombs and chambers cut into bedrock to a depth of 35m. The bottom level used to be flooded and inaccessible. But when we visited, the water was not present and the guide told we were lucky to go to the deeper level. Entry is through a spiral staircase; the bodies of the dead would have been lowered on ropes down the centre of this circular shaft. The catacombs in the Kom al-Shoqafa cemetery are one of the Seven Wonders of the Middle Ages, due to their combination of the Greek, Egyptian and Roman civilizations and their walls containing the distinctive inscriptions of each of them.

Pompey’s pillar

It is believed that the ashes or remains of the great Roman general Pompey were in a pot at the top of the column. Pompey's Pillar is one of the oldest and highest memorial columns in the world. It is a 25 meter tall structure of granite, completed in 292 AD. In Arabic, this pillar is referred to as ‘Amud El-Sawari’. This is a Roman victory column, which was constructed to honour the Roman emperor Diocletian, who ruled between 298 AD to 302 AD.

Pompey’s Pillar is one of the few ruins of the ancient Roman complex known as Serapeum, a temple that was created for the worship of the God Serapis. The God Serapis is syncretic deity that was created from a mixture of different Egyptian Gods such as Osiris and Apis, the sacred bull, along with Greek Gods such as Zeus and Dionysus.

An interesting fact

Though it was just the beginning of tourist season, there was quite a crowd of visitors. To me, Egypt doesn't appear to be back packers friendly, hardly saw any. Bulk of tourism seems to be through agents. 

Time to leave

On the next day, we took our flight back. On reaching back, there was no feeling that we had travelled so much, no tiredness, no jet lag, nothing. It may be from the fact that on every single day in Egypt, all of us got deep, peaceful sleep that was very unique!

While I was reading this travelogue after writing it down, I was surprised at the number of times the word ‘meditation’ was present. Yes, actually I was in a meditative state most of the time. The visit increased my love for the country and left me with a desire to do ‘Egyptology.’

References:

1.       https://carnegiemnh.org/egypt-and-the-nile/#:~:text=Every%20aspect%20of%20life%20in,brought%20life%20to%20the%20desert.

2.       https://www.journeytoegypt.com/en/blog/nile-river#:~:text=The%20Nile%20in%20Egypt%20and,civilizations%20in%20the%20ancient%20world.

3.       https://egyptianmuseum.org/explore/greco-and-roman-period-monuments-edfu-temple#:~:text=Built%20from%20237%20%E2%80%93%2057%20BCE&text=It%20is%20dedicated%20to%20the,the%20Ptolemaic%20period%20in%20Egypt.

4.       https://www.archaeology.org/news/3065-150306-karnak-ptah-favissa#:~:text=The%20items%20date%20from%20the,a%20small%20stele%20marked%20with

5.       https://study.com/academy/lesson/pyramids-of-giza-history-facts-location.html#:~:text=The%20Pyramids%20of%20Giza%20are%20the%20largest%20and%20most%20recognizable,from%202686%20to%202181%20BCE.

6.       https://www.skyscanner.co.in/news/tips/ancient-pyramids-around-the-world

7.       https://www.franckgoddio.org/projects/sunken-civilizations/alexandria/#:~:text=Due%20to%20a%20combination%20of,coastline%20sank%20beneath%20the%20sea.

8.       https://www.britannica.com/biography/Cleopatra-queen-of-Egypt

9.       https://egypttimetravel.com/pompey-pillar

Egypt and Mysticism - My Personal Experience - Part 1

When we were working at the Al Arab Medical University in Benghazi, Libya in late 1980s, I dreamt of visiting Egypt that bordered Libya on the East side. There were two reasons for this. One, I had a great fascination for Pyramids and Sphinx, second, I had a beautiful pen friend (her name was Mona) from Egypt during school days. But that dream couldn't materialize because of visa problems- visa was required to leave Libya and also to re-enter, which was not an easy process. 

Egypt, at last

Now when I set my foot on Egypt after 36 years of that dream, I realized  why I had to wait for all this time. Through my spiritual practices over these years, I have reached a level to absorb much more of the spiritual essence than I could have imbibed years back! Most of the time I was there, I felt as if I was in an an upper layer of the atmosphere. Egypt is a land of stunning landscapes, ancient wonders, and vibrant culture.

Cairo to Aswan

We reached Cairo on October 13th afternoon and settled into the Parkside hotel for the night stay, as there was an early morning flight to catch for Aswan the next day. We would be coming back to the same hotel to spend the last three days before the return flight. The moment we entered the reception area of the hotel, I gasped at the decor. It gave the complete feeling of being in Egypt!

Before leaving for the airport at 3am the next day,we were given very poorly packed  breakfast boxes, and it was a real pain to carry them, along with our luggage, as you can see below.

When we reached Aswan our guide was waiting for us. He was a knowledgeable and  compassionate person. After completing 5 years of study on Egyptian history, he still does self study to update his knowledge. Located along the banks of the mighty River Nile, Aswan is a small, quiet town. We had Philae temple and Aswan High Dam on the itinerary to visit that day. 

The Aswan Dam and Philae temple

With the visit to the Aswan High Dam, one of the world's largest embankment dams, our education on Egypt started. It is a rock-fill dam located at the northern border between Egypt and Sudan. Built across the Nile in Aswan between 1960 and 1970, it enabled better control of flooding, and increased water storage for irrigation and electricity. The dam was seen as pivotal to Egypt’s planned industrialization. 

Philae Temple is associated with the goddess Isis, who was revered as the divine mother and the goddess of fertility, magic, and protection. According to devotees, a visit to the temple and offering prayers to Isis would grant them blessings, protection, and guidance.

Living on the river Nile

After these visits we came to the Nile cruise. Sleeping three nights with Nile beneath us! And meditating in the atmosphere carrying vibrations of Nile!! What a great blessing!

Nile runs through or along the border of 10 other African countries. Its three main tributaries are the White Nile, the Blue Nile, and the Atbara. Every aspect of life in Egypt depended on the river – the Nile provided food and resources, land for agriculture, a means of travel, and transportation of materials. It literally brought life into the desert, which led to the Greek historian Herodotus remark that Lower Egypt was a “gift of the Nile”.

About one-tenth of the area of the continent is covered by the Nile river basin, and it served as the stage for the evolution and decay of advanced civilizations in the ancient world. Unlike other rivers known to them, the Nile flowed from the south northward and was in flood at the warmest time of the year – this was an unsolved mystery to the ancient Egyptians and Greeks.

Kom Ombo and Edfu Temples

They are the two most popular landmarks in between Luxor and Aswan. Kom Ombo is unique – it is dedicated to two deities, Sobek and Horus. The left entrance here is dedicated to the falcon headed God (the first “God of the kingdom”) Horus and the right one takes you to the sanctum sanctorum of the crocodile headed God Sobek.  Kom Ombo means the heap of gold; the word Kom means heap in Arabic and the word Ombo means gold in the ancient Egyptian language.

Constructed over the course of 180 years under a variety of rulers during the Ptolemaic period in Egypt, Edfu temple was built on top of much older ruins dating back to Ramses III. The Temple of Edfu was buried for centuries under sand and silt until the nineteenth century, when French Egyptologist Auguste Mariette rediscovered the site. It is widely regarded as Egypt's very best-preserved temple.

The building contains a wealth of legible inscriptions on its walls, describing the conflict between Horus, the deity of the fertile Egyptian lands near the Nile, and Seth, the deity of the surrounding Egyptian desert, as Horus seeks revenge for the murder of his father, Osiris. This story was ceremoniously re-enacted by the ancient Egyptians each year at the temple complex.

Luxor

Sailing overnight, we reached Luxor and checked out after breakfast. Located on the Nile river, Luxor is known as the "World's Greatest Open-Air Museum" due to its abundance of ancient ruins. We had a full day of programs, visiting the Valley of Kings, Queen Hatshepsut temple, Colossi of Memnon, and after lunch, Karnak and Luxor temples.

The Valley of kings was part of the ancient city of Thebes and was the burial site of almost all the kings (pharaohs) of the 18th, 19th, and 20th dynasties (1539–1075 BCE), from Thutmose I to Ramses X. Located in the hills behind Dayr al-Baḥrī, the 62 known tombs exhibit variety both in plain and in decoration. It was Tuthmosis who started the tradition of burial in the Valley of the Kings, and pharaohs stopped building pyramids after that. Tuthmosis changed the burial traditions of ancient Egyptian kings forever when he built the Valley of the Kings as an effort to protect his tomb from robbers.

Queen Hatshepsut temple

The temple of Hatshepsut (Egyptian: Ḏsr-ḏsrw meaning "Holy of Holies") is a mortuary temple built during the reign of Pharaoh Hatshepsut of the Eighteenth Dynasty of Egypt. Located opposite the city of Luxor, it is considered to be a masterpiece of ancient architecture, its three massive terraces rise above the desert floor and into the cliffs of Deir el-Bahari. Identified by its axes, the temple has twin functions: its main east-west axis served to receive the barque of Amun-Ra at the climax of the festival, while its north-south axis represented the life cycle of the pharaoh from coronation to rebirth.

In a country that was ruled by kings, Hatsepsut took charge once her husband died and left very young sons. She made trade treaties with neighbouring kingdoms, stopped wars and was extremely successful and loved dearly by the public.  After a long time Egypt had no orphans and widows because men were not dying in battle. However, her son in law killed her and took over after she had an affair with a foreigner.

The state of the temple has suffered over time. Two decades after Hatshepsut's death, under the direction of Thutmose III, references to her rule were erased, usurped or obliterated. The reasons behind the proscription remain a mystery. Perhaps the concept of a female king was anathema to ancient Egyptian society. 

The Colossi of Memnon

The Colossi of Memnon are two enormous statues of 18th Dynasty Pharaoh Amenhotep III originally designed to guard his mortuary temple, located on the western bank of the Nile, opposite Luxor. They are two-seated king statues on ornamented thrones, representing the pharaoh wearing the royal headdress of the Nemes, protected by the divine cobra. Weighing 720 tonnes each, they are 18 meters tall. They are carved from single blocks of sandstone.

The earthquake at 27 BC partially destroyed the Colossi of Memnon, it was then restored by Roman emperors during the Roman Empire in ancient Egypt.

Karnak Temple

The Temple of Karnak was believed to be the spot where creation began, and a point of interaction between the God Amun-Ra and Egyptians. It is important to Egypt's cultural history because it was a place of worship and provides clues about the ancient Egyptian religion.

A pit near the temple of the God Ptah at Karnak yielded 38 religious artefacts that had been placed around a seated statue of the God Ptah. The items date from the eighth to seventh centuries B.C. and include 14 statues and figurines of Osiris; three statuettes of baboons; two statuettes of the Goddess Mut; one head and fragments of a statue of Bastet, the cat Goddess; two unidentified statuette bases; a small plaque and part of a small stele marked with the name of the God Ptah.

The Luxor Temple

This is a large Ancient Egyptian temple complex located on the east bank of the Nile River, dedicated to the rejuvenation of kingship; it may have been where many of the pharaohs of Egypt were crowned . It was inscribed on the UNESCO World Heritage List in 1979. The avenue (known as "path of god") stretching for about 2,700 metres between the Luxor Temple and the Karnak area is lined with human-headed sphinxes.

The Luxor Temple was built during the New Kingdom and dedicated to the Theban Triad that consisted of Amun, his consort Mut, and their son Khonsu. This massive temple contains ten sections: the Avenue of the Sphinxes, First Pylon, Roman Camp, Mosque, Court of Ramses II, Court of Amenhotep III, Chapel of Mut, Chapel of Khonsu, Chapel of Amun, and finally the Birth Chamber.

To go to Part 2, CLICK HERE

When Sun God Showered Blessings

 

Recently I was invited to give a session on meditation for the staff of a hotel. I asked them what image or words come to their mind on hearing the word ‘Meditation’. The answer came that it brings the picture of a sadhu clad in white or saffron clothes sitting on a mountain top or beneath a huge tree with closed eyes and hands in Gyana mudra.

So I asked, as a house holder, why should I talk about meditation to the youngsters who are leading a worldly life?

To have a stable mind

If we look at anybody’s life, the experiences that come over a period of time is like this – ‘sadness... tension.... stress... fear... happiness... sadness... tension.... stress... fear...happiness..’ and it keeps repeating in that order. During all the negative experiences, one is worried and not in a stable state.

What about experiences that bring happiness? Let us take an example, when a father gets to know that his daughter got first rank in the Pre University examination, he is overjoyed. How long do you think that the happiness remains? Various thoughts follow. “Now that she has got first rank, I need to put her in a good college, but my financial situation is tight...” “For further education she will go to a big city and I have heard horrible stories of the bad influences in those cities. What will happen to my daughter?” And in so many other ways his mind will wander and in no time that extreme happiness turns to negative thinking.

Regular meditation helps one to go beyond these obvious thinking streams, to keep the mind in a neutral position so that correct decisions can be taken.

How to meditate?

The simplest way is to just observe the breathing, because breath and mind are closely connected. Doing this even for five minutes before going to sleep and on getting up in the morning can bring wonderful changes over a period of time.

Mindfulness during every act/work one does is also a type of meditation. The mind will keep wandering, but bring it back to the current moment.

Chanting mantra with full awareness is also akin to meditation.

And then there are guided meditations.

The experience

I helped them to meditate by being aware of the breath through watching the rising and falling of the abdomen.

Then I took them through a guided meditation. It was a partly cloudy day and Sun was not visible when we started. I designed the meditation to strengthen their health and immune power by accessing the power of Sun, our life giver. It was a great experience to them and when we finished and they opened their eyes, the Sun came out of the clouds and was shining bright, bringing sun light into the area where we were sitting.

That was the indication from the Sun God that He had accepted our effort and blessed all of us!

Fortified Logical Mind – Shutter To a Beautiful World Beyond!

Logical thinking

Logical thinking is an important skill that can help us rationalise our thoughts and create positive outcomes. It is a combination of situational awareness and the ability to regulate your emotions productively so that they do not interfere in your decision-making processes. But logical thinking is the tip of an iceberg, which is the approach to life. Consider this example: We are crossing a river (life) in a boat (logical thinking). Once the river is crossed, we have to walk on the land. Thinking that the boat was such a useful means to cross the river, you tie it to your leg and start walking. What will be the result?

To embrace life in all its entirety and to enjoy it to the fullest, we need to realise the limitations of logical thinking and at some point in life, decide to take a leap.

Pendulum dowsing

Almost two decades back when I asked my friend to teach me pendulum dowsing, she just explained and showed it to me. I picked up the pendulum and it worked beautifully in my hand right from the first attempt. And so it was for many people whom I taught it. Then one day came a close friend who wanted to learn. I said that it was so easy and showed him. And I was shocked to see that the pendulum refused to make even a tiny movement in his hand. That is when I developed a step by step method to teach people like that.

Muscle testing

I uploaded a video on muscle testing and got a feedback, “It looked unbelievable, but I still thought there must be some noticeable change if I try it myself. But I didn't feel any change. What does it mean?”

Again, I learned muscle testing 15 years back and have done it on many of my clients, getting dependable results. This was the first time I heard it didn’t work. I replied, “I think your conscious mind is too controlling that it doesn't let your subconscious express.”

Then I thought of many more out there, whose conscious mind is too controlling, who have very strong logical minds, who think that whatever they have achieved in life is ONLY because of their logical thinking and problem solving ability. I feel sad that they are missing out a beautiful aspect of life.

Can they get a glimpse of the other side?

Strong logical thinking and the deep faith that this is the only thing that can help wade through life keeps fortifying that aspect of life and it creates an almost impenetrable shutter to give even a glimpse of the other magnificent aspect of life.

But if one is determined to go through that shutter, there is a way. It starts with getting in touch with one’s own body first. Sit for some time with closed eyes and start breathing longer and deeper. Watch the movement of the belly with each breath. Gradually increase that time to half hour. Then slowly you will start to feel that your body is communicating with you. Keep doing that longer and you will be able to have a glimpse of that world beyond.

How long is it going to take? Well, depending on how deep rooted is that aspect in you, it may take months to years. I know it, a very close friend who was totally logical, needed more than three decades to even sense the type of energy present in a place! 

And this meditation can help too: CLICK HERE

Reference:

https://in.indeed.com/career-advice/career-development/how-to-think-logically

Free up your Emotional Disk Space

Emotions  like happiness, fear, anger, or hatred, can be caused by the situation that you are in or the people you are with.

While emotions start as sensations in the body, feelings are generated from our thoughts about those emotions. In other words, feelings are how we interpret emotions and let them sink in. We use the word, "feel," for both physical and emotional states.            

Basic emotons

A widely accepted theory of basic emotions and their expressions, developed Paul Ekman, suggests we have six basic emotions: sadness, happiness, fear, anger, surprise and disgust. Love is usually accompanied by the most intense emotions, but love is not an emotion. Love is a set of emotions and behaviours characterized by intimacy, passion, and commitment. It involves care, closeness, protectiveness, attraction, affection, and trust. 

Expression of emotions

Emotion is a very adaptive form of physiological response, and it regulates our lives. It is expressed largely in the theatre of the body, through posture and facial expression , and through internal processes as heart rate and blood pressure. Each emotion is associated with a distinct facial expression.

Though each one of us would love to have positive emotions, if we check our inner status, it will be seen that majority of the times we are stuck in negative emotions.

Energy in motion

Peter McWilliams quote: Emotion is energy in motion. The Latin derivative for the word emotion, 'emotere', literally means energy in motion. The biological aspect of emotions involves an intricate interplay among hormones, neurotransmitters, and the nervous system. Like everything else in the universe, these biological constituents are composed of atoms that vibrate and generate energy.

Effects of positive and negative emotions

Positive emotions bring about a reduction in stress and a boost to general well-being. Positive emotions can actually act as a buffer between you and stressful events in your life, allowing you to cope more effectively and preserve your mental health.

On the other hand, negative attitudes and feelings of helplessness and hopelessness create chronic stress, upsetting the body's hormone balance, depleting the brain chemicals required for happiness, and damages the immune system. Chronic stress can actually decrease our lifespan.

Negative emotions drain our energy and prevent us from bringing out the best in us. Each cell in our body is a complete living organism by itself, with all the biological functions like digestion, respiration, excretion etc., Every cell in your body experiences the emotion as you, the large organism is experiencing.

Clearing up the stored up negative emtions

The ‘prana’ aspect in the air you breathe has the capacity to remove these stored up negative emotions and associated blocked up energy. This can be a great transformative experience!

For this meditation, CLICK HERE

Reference:

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC1201429/ 

Healing Is A Serious Line Of Work

Recently I had a conversation with somebody who had received healing from a Reiki master some time back. Based on his experience (he didn’t feel anything) he formed his conclusion that one has to be highly spiritual to learn Reiki. Mikao Usui had decades of spiritual practice, that is why he could get the power of Reiki.

These points need elaboration

From the time I learned Reiki a quarter century back, lot of things have changed. Reiki is not treated with the respect and sanctity it deserves. Two or three levels of Reiki are taught over a weekend and majority want to start healing others immediately. Lack of proper training and attunement and  deficiency of serious self work/ self healing lead to either disappointment for the client (like the person who talked to me) or the healer picking up the client’s symptoms and suffering serious health problems. Because of the latter, many Reiki masters stop healing others over a period of time.

Probably over 1000 different branches of Reiki exist today. Majority of them evolved in the West in the New Age Movement, the practitioners altering the basic teachings to accommodate their other beliefs and practices.

Coming to the point that one has to be highly spiritual to learn Reiki, my experience over the years has been just the opposite. After learning Reiki and doing daily self healing over a period of time, many of my Reiki students have told me that gradually they started going on the spiritual pathway.

Uniqueness of Reiki

Reiki stands apart from all other healing systems because it can 1.heal you, 2.protect you, 3.and ensure your spiritual growth. It will bring all that are needed for you, to you. But you have the choice to either pick that up and progress, or just ignore them and go backward. Because life is ultimately moving forward or backward, it is never static.

Yes, Mikao Usui had a strong spiritual background when he came across Reiki. But then he got the blessing of giving attunement, which he taught his students. The problem is, many think that is the end, whereas the attunement is just the beginning. By becoming a Reiki channel, you have chosen a path of serious self work, which may span over many incarnations. Healing others is a side benefit that comes along. When it is reversed ie., healing others is the main job and self work is secondary, problems start cropping up.

Important aspects of healing others

1.       Do your Reiki self healing twice a day and follow diligently whatever spiritual practices you do daily.

2.       Always do self protection before healing others. Whenever possible, be in contact with the ground while healing.

3.       There has to be a proportion of how much self healing/self protection you are doing versus how much healing you are doing for others daily

4.       A strong desire to heal the client is not conducive to the well being of the healer. He /she will pick up the symptoms of the client.

5.      Do not think yourself as the healer, it is Reiki that is doing the healing.

2.       Make sure there is adequate energy exchange (only exception is your immediate family members)

 

References:

 

https://ihreiki.com/reiki_info/reiki_today/reiki_branches/?v=c86ee0d9d7ed

 

Daily Habits And Astrology

The major planets

Our present life is a result of our actions in the previous lives, but if we remember that our future life will be shaped according to our actions today and now, life takes on a new meaning and provides enthusiasm to meet every day challenges. The Sun, Moon, Mars, Jupiter, Saturn, Mercury and Venus have major influence in our lives. We are not just hapless victims of the planetary effects, but our actions can influence them too. It is in our capacity to obtain blessings instead of malefic effects from them.

By following some simple habits, we can not only make our life happy, but also improve our luck  and economic condition, as well as stall some (not all) misfortunes. First let us understand that Sun is considered our father. It gives us a healthy constitution, immunity, and luck. Moon represents our mother. It controls our mind, blood circulation, and nourishment.

Understand the effects of planets

If we habitually leave food on our plates after meals, or waste food, moon gives us unexplained fears, sleeplessness, and unnecessary thoughts that drain our energy. Also, it brings sadness to our mothers.

If the first meal is taken without rinsing the mouth (think of having tea/coffee on the bed), Moon and Venus come into action and affect worldly comforts, physical beauty and economic conditions adversely.

Throwing trash everywhere, Sun and Saturn are invoked and this leads to loss of respect, luck, fame and it adversely affects your personality. It also gives suffering to father.

Polluting and wasting water brings the wrath of Moon, Rahu, and Goddess Lakshmi.

Leaving the bed unmade after getting up in the morning stimulates Rahu to bring in head ache, injuries, dent in reputation, getting involved in false cases, and mental disturbance.

Keeping a cluttered house and dirty surroundings is not good from astrological, vastu and health point of view.

Some easy solutions

Our physical body is the temple of our soul and its upkeep is our vital duty. It is through this body that we perform our familial and social duties, as also work towards manifesting our dreams. So we have to be careful to take healthy, limited quantity of food, do daily exercise, have healthy habits, and a balanced work/ rest life.

To keep our mind healthy, pranayam, meditation, satsang, and spiritual practices are helpful. It is a powerful practice to look at both palms on getting up in the morning, bring in gratitude in the mind for all that you have been blessed with, and get up from the bed with a prayer to have a fruitful and happy day ahead.

Finally, always be ready to lend a hand to those who are less fortunate.

Parashar Lake in Himachal Pradesh

 I started learning Astrology in all seriousness last year, when we got an awesome teacher . I find it so fascinating and accurate, though one needs to be intuitive to get correct results. While planning a trip to Himachal Pradesh, my husband came across ‘Parashar Lake’ on the internet. First he discarded the idea, but it came up again later and when he mentioned this to me, I showed a keen interest. I would very much like to visit the lake as he is my ultimate Guru for astrology .

Vedic Astrology and Maharishi Parashar

Maharishi Parashar is a pioneer among the promoters of Indian astrology and ‘Brihat Parashara Hora Shastra’is a complete text. Astrology of ancient and present is based on the rules laid down by Parashar. Due to the merit and completeness of ‘Parasara Hora Sastra’, this creation of his is widely referred to.

Rishi Parashar had acquired knowledge of many disciplines and given them to the world. Parashar has many verses in the Rigveda. The Vishnu Purana, Parashar Smriti, Videharaj Janaka referred to as Gita (Parashar Geeta), BrihatparasharSamhita, etc. are compositions of Parashar.

When Parashara’s father, Sakti Maharishi died after being devoured by the king Kalmashapada along with Vashista's other sons, Vashistha resorted to ending his life by suicide. Hence he jumped from Mount Meru but landed on soft cotton, he entered a forest fire only to remain unharmed, then he jumped into the ocean that saved him by casting him ashore. Then he jumped in the overflowing river Vipasa, which also left him ashore. Then he jumped into the river Haimavat, which fled in several directions from his fear and was named Satadru. Then when he returned to his ashram, he found his daughter-in-law (wife of Sakti Maharishi) pregnant. When a son was born he acted as his father and hence forgot completely about destroying his life. Hence, the child was named Parashara which meant enlivener of the dead. Parashara was known as the "limping sage". He had his leg wounded during an attack on his ashram. Veda Vyasa is the son of Parashar muni with Satyavati.

The Parashar Lake

Sage Prashar had meditated on the banks of this lake, hence it is named Prashar Lake. Bhima, one of the Pandava brothers, is said to have created the lake. After the Kurukshetra / Mahabharat war, the Pandavas were returning with Lord Kamrunag. When they reached this place, Kamrunag loved the tranquil surroundings and decided to live here forever. So, Bhima, who was the strongest, rammed his elbow on one of the mountains and created a big dent in the land. This dent became Prashar Lake. There is also another belief that the lake was formed as result of striking of rod (Gurj) by Rishi Prashar and water came out and took shape of the lake.

Parashar Lake is a freshwater lake located at an altitude of 2,730 metres in the Mandi district of Himachal Pradesh, India. It lies 49 km east of the town of Mandi, and has a three storied pagoda-like temple dedicated to Sage Prashar situated on its bank. Rishi Prashar is considered  the patron God of Mandi region. The temple was built in the 13th century by Raja Ban Sen of Mandi in honor of the sage.

There is a round, floating island in the lake, which is a common natural phenomenon found all around the world. It is composed of plant matter in various stages of decomposition, and is held aloft by the oxygen in its plants' roots. The floating island moves in all directions in the lake. The floating land covers 7% of the area of the lake. 

Sudden dip in temperature

We reached Sadar district in Mandi by afternoon and took a room in Bingal Home stay. 

The temperature had dropped to 6 degrees and with normal clothes, I was freezing. The person at the home stay advised us to visit Parashar lake immediately so that we could reach back by 5.30 pm, considering that it takes one and a half hours drive each way. I just wanted to go inside a blanket and sleep; it had started slightly drizzling too (which luckily  stopped after a while). My daughter coaxed me to wear  warm clothes to go to the Parashar lake, and reminded that Reiki is there to take care. So that is what we did!

On the way we found a place to have a light lunch:

Located at an altitude of 2730 mtr. Prashar is known for Prashar lake, sloppy meadows, dense forest and the panoramic view of snow clad ranges of Dhauladhar.  As we reached the highest road, the path got very slushy and the car refused to go forward. So we walked the remaining distance, which was tough. 

The moment I set my eyes on the Parashar lake, I was enveloped in a warm energy field and forgot about the cold and the aching feet! It was a feast to the eyes and balm for the mind.

Inside the temple

Then we went inside the temple dedicated to Sage Parashar. His standing idol was a sight to behold and those powerful penetrating eyes! Sage Parsahar had meditated in this place – that thought brought goose bumps for me. We meditated inside the temple, which was an enlivening experience! As usual, I felt my aura picking up and integrating energy from the surrounding. I prayed to him to help me with my astrology studies.

Back to the room

We walked back to the car and the moment we sat inside, it started drizzling. Reiki gave us clear skies till then. Stopping at the same restaurant where we had lunch, we had tea and came back to the room to finally get under the blanket!

 

References:

https://www.humansofuttarakhand.com/vedic-astrology-maharishi-parashar/

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Prashar_Lake

https://hpmandi.nic.in/tourist-place/prashar-mandi/