You know how when you go out to eat at a restaurant, there’s a coat-rack by the door? You take off your jacket or sweater and hang it on a hook. The people with you hang their stuff on other hooks. Doesn’t matter what hook you choose, right? As long as it does the job. […]
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The Maha-Mrityunjaya mantra is a powerful tool for healing and overcoming fear. During this time of stress and uncertainty, this mantra can help one sustain a healthy nervous system and strong immunity. It can also aid in mental balance, the ability to stay centered and sane while collective turmoil is in the air. We’ve attached
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My son, Jahnu, was eight years old, in third grade. We were in the car together and he was obviously in deep thought. I knew he had experienced a hassle at school. I waited and, sure enough, he opened up and told me he had something on his mind. “Dad,” he asked, “you seem like
Spanda Karikas is an important scripture of Kashmir Shaivism from the 10’th century AD. Translation by Prem Prakash – May 2020 Section I: Svarūpaspanda The Primal Creative Impulse as One’s True Nature 1. Yasyonmeṣanimeṣābhyāṁ jagataḥ pralayodayau Taṁ śakticakravibhavaprabhavaṁ śaṅkaraṁ stumaḥ We extol Shiva Shankara, The Generator of Auspiciousness — the One Soul in the heart
1. Today I see all things as lessons. My purpose in life is to learn and to grow. I have no other goals to accomplish. As such, everything that occurs is an opportunity to fulfill my reason for being alive in this world. 2. Today I am determined to learn. I no longer look for
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The 64 Auspicious Names of the Great God, Shiva The Maheshwara Murtham is a list of 64 names that describe the attributes of Shiva, the yogic archetypal God. Shiva is the expression of healthy, spiritual male energy. Rather than simply translating the names, I have conveyed the meaning of the names in couplet form in
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The Brahmajñānāvalīmālā, “The Garland of Waves of Divine Consciousness,” is a text composed by Shankara, perhaps the foremost exponent of the non-dual vision of the yoga tradition. This writing exemplifies jnana yoga, the yoga of wisdom. It highlights the unity of all beings, and the divine consciousness that resides in all, and permeates all. Translated
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From Spring, 2019 issue of Light of Consciousness My yoga guru, Baba Hari Dass, died about a month ago, at the age of 95. Curiously, it doesn’t feel like much has changed. I am sad about his passing, of course, and that I’ll never get to see him again in this world. I feel him
A simple farmer lived his entire life troubled by a seeming lack of wealth. He convinced himself that all his problems would cease, and he would be happy, if only he had money. The next life he was born as a king, with all of the court’s gold at his disposal. Alas, happiness was not
On Maha Shivaratri, “The Great Night of Shiva,” yogis stay awake all night chanting in order to invoke and evoke divine compassion. We have honored Shivaratri for 25 years at our Kailash Ashram in Vermont. One time, several years ago, around 3:00 am, I hit my wall. I was tired, tired, tired. I no longer
