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Isis of Ten Thousand Names



THE TEN THOUSAND NAMES OF ISIS
Here are some of Isis’s names.  Many have been lost with time.
Capable in calculation
Capable in writing
Inhabitant in Netru
Africa
Afrodite
Agabe
Ambula
Alexandria
High lighthouse- Isis exalted as lighthouse in Alexandria
Amenti- the hidden one
Friendship
Ankhet- producer and giver of life
Anqet- she who embraces the earth, producer of the fertility of the waters
Judge in matters of love
Asset- a way to pronounce the Egyptian name
Ast- another way to pronounce it
Atena
Au Set- a variation of Aset, Isis’s Egyptian name
Aut- Isis’s title in Dendera
The base of the most beautiful triangle
Bellicose
Benefactress of Tuat (the hells)
She who embraces the earth
She who moves or the power that intervenes
Understanding
Consecrated
Cornucopia of all our goods
Ra’s crown- Heru
Creation
Creator of the flood of the Nile
Of a beautiful form
Giver of the light in the sky
Giver of life
Goddess of crosses
Goddess of dew
Goddess of all goddesses
Goddess ex-machin- the goddess who appears on the machine, the divine
Mother goddess
Goddess fifteen
Green goddess
Diadem of life
Dikaiosyne- an aspect associated to justice
Who scatters attacks
Divine
Woman- throne
Dynamis
Dynastis
Epekoos- she who hears everything
Era- Isis identified with Era
Estia- Isis identified with Estia
Euploia- giver of good navigation
Geb’s daughter
Neb’s and Taher’s daughter
Nut’s daughter
Ra’s daughter
Seb’s daughter
Thot’s daughter
Fruitful
Galactotrouphosa- Isis who nurses, who gives the miracle of the milk of life
She who gives birth to kings
Gentle
Joy
Jewel of the wind
Justice3- Isis of justice
Great goddess
Great goddess of the hells
Great sorceress who heals
Great whit sow of Heliopolis
Great Lady
Great Lady of the Hells
Great virgin
Great
Guardian
Guide
Guide of the Muses
Hent- Queen
Heqet- Isis great sorceress
Female Horus
Immortal
Ineffable Lady
Inventrix- inventor of things
Isis- Afrodite
Isis- Afrodite – Astante
Isis- Afrodite- Pelagis
Isis- Astante
Isis- Fortune- Goddess of fate and of fortune
Isis- Hathor
Isis- Inanna
Isis- Nike- Isis associated to the goddess of victory
Isis- Tyche
Khut- giver of light
Kourotrophos
The beautiful goddess
Freedom
Linopeplos- Isis dressed in linen
Lochis
Moon
Lydia educatrix—Isis Lydia’s educator
Mother of the Gods
Divine mother
Maia
The highest of the Gods
Material
Mediatrix between the heavenly and the earthly
Medicina mundi- the power that heals the world
Menouthis- this aspect of Isis was worshipped both in Menouthis and in Alexandria where she was considered a goddess with powerful therapeutic abilites
Meri- Isis as the goddess of the sea
Myrionymos- Isis of the myriad of names, Isis of the ten-thousand names
Varied
Multi-named
Nanaia- Isis identified with the goddess Nanaia
Hidden
Nature
Nepherses- The beautiful name of the sun
Noreia- Isis identified with the goddess Noreia
Wetnurse
Ra’s eye
Omni-goddess
Omni-munificent
Omni-receiver
Omni-listener
Omni-watcher
Panthea- the goddess of all goddesses
Pantocrateira- Omni-governess
Pelagia- Isis of the sea, that protects Persefone of the boats
Persefone of the baots
Pilaria- Isis of the lighthouse in Alexandria
Phronesis- personification of knowledge
Placidae Quee- the queen of peace
Ploutodotai- Isis giver of richness
Pluonomos- Isis of many names
Polynimos- of many names
Powerful
The power that heals the world
The power that rises from the Nile
The first of the Muses in Heropolis
The first female principle in nature
The first child of time
Pterophoros- Winged Isis
She of the great wings and the scythe of the moon
She of the moon
She of the many praises
Female Ra
Queen of the sky
Queen of peace
Queen of the sun
Queen of the south and of the north
Queen of the earth
Queen of Egypt dressed in linen
Renenet- queen of harvest
Resurrection and life
Saeculi Felicitas- Happiness of our age
Saver
Saver of humanity
Saver of the sailors
Selene- the moon
Sesheta- goddess of literature and of the library
Lady of incantations
Lady of the new year
Lady of the heat and of fire
Lady of the sea
Lady of the world
Lady of bread
Lady of thunder
Lady of the northern wind
Lady of abundance
Lady of love
Lady of the bees
Lady of beauty
Lady of beer
Lady of the house of fire
Lady of growth and of decline
Lady of eternity
Lady of the flame
Lady of joy and of cheerfulness
Lady of the big house
Lady of war and rule
Lady of light
Lady of the weaving
Lady of peace
Lady of the word of the beginning
Lady of the pyramid
Lady of the earth
Lady of the earth of women
Lady of the mainland
Lady of life
Lady of the mouths of the seas and of the rivers
Lady of the two lands
Lady of the green harvest
Lady of the words of power
Lady of every country
Lady of all elements
Lady Isis
Lady rich in names
Lady everlasting in all things
Lady on a fire-shaped cart
Sophia- Isis as divine knowledge
Sothis- Isis goddess of the star Sothis (Sirio) and of the new year
Sovereign of the world
God’s bride
Ra’s bride
Master’s bride (Osiris)
The bride of the master of the abyss
The bride of the master of the flood (Osiris)
Throne- Isis she who assigns the throne
Uadyet- Isis the cobra goddess
One
The only one
Urthekau- she who is in magic incantations
Usert- Isis goddess of earth, giver of life
Venerandum- Isis as all that must be worshipped.
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An excellent article well worth reading

Is the Body ‘Self’ or‘Other’?
© 2008 Lawrence Gold Friday, 9/5/2008 10:59:24 AM

The first impulse many people have toward the odd question, “Is the body ‘self’ or
‘other’?” is to beg the question. It seems self‐evident that the body is “self”.
Everywhere the body goes, we go; and when the body goes, we go. “I am the body.”
But the linguistic oddity, “my body,” indicates otherwise. Who or what is the “me” who
“has” a body?
To confound matters further, the teaching of many Eastern spiritual traditions is, “I am not
the body.” Who or whatis saying this?
So, we have, “I am the body,” and “I am not the body.”
I propose to sort this question out.
Why bother?
Because among all living species, only the human goes through changes of self‐definition
(personal growth); the question of “whatI am,” and any fixation on a set answer, creates fixation
(holding patterns)in our way offeeling and acting. Since itis so that holding patterns that
persist past their point of helpfulness create problems in a human life, it’s in ourinterest to look
at the root ofthe ways in which we get stuck. Our self‐definition is at the root of ourtendency to
get stuck, so, it’s helpful to understand self‐identity and whetherthe body is really part ofit.
A SOMATIC VIEWOF THE BODY
Everybody has an inside and an outside.
The inside, in physical terms, is what’s on the inside of our skin.
The outside, in physical terms, is what’s on the other side of our skin.
But there is another dimension of bodily experience than the view of the flesh. It’s the view
of the experiencer, our sense of self.
In those terms, the inside is everything we experience over which we have control. We
define all ofthat as either “me” or “mine”.
The outside is everything we experience over which we have no control. We define all of
that as “not me” and “not mine.”
Control over our experience is the predominant(but not sole) determining factor as to
whether we label something “me” and “mine” or “not me” and “not mine.” Consider, as soon as
we feel we are losing control of something that is ours, we feel in danger oflosing possession of
it. “Me” and “mine” are closely related to the sense of control.
The medium by which we experience everything inside and everything outside, everything
“me” and “mine” and “not me” and “not mine” is the body. Through the senses, the body is the
meeting place of self and experience.
And oddly, our own inner self‐sense is as observable (to ourselves) as any object of outer
perception.
TFrom what viewpoint do we observe self and other? That question calls for a moment of
introspection, here and now, before going on.
THE EMERGENCE OF CONTROL
The process of maturation involves a growth in the powers of self‐control.
Self‐control doesn’t mean self‐repression; it means self determination, autonomy,
responsibility.
Control isn’t absolute; it’s a matter of degree.
A human infant starts with survival instincts and no control over excretion. The survival
instincts, such as suckling and bonding with the mother, come alive as a racial(or species)
inheritance (“The GreatInheritance”), automatically active. Control over excretion, also a racial
inheritance, has to be learned.
The felt view, “I am the body” is a common part ofthat inheritance, and we don’t commonly
question it. It’s so second‐nature that the view rarely comes up for consideration, even at times
of death.
Learning is a primal attribute oflife, especially of human life: in the process of maturation,
first the given, inherited repertoire of functions and behaviors comes alive; then, with mastery of
those functions and behaviors, transcendence and outgrowing of those functions and behaviors
occurs, one by one, as new, self‐determined functions and behaviors emerge. Creativity starts on
the foundation provided by the automatic, basic inheritance and then builds upon, and often
transforms, the automatic inheritance. The concert violinist must be toilet‐trained, speak a
language, and be able to dress – but the ability to play the violin transcends those functions.
Learning involves inclusion and transcendence.
The entire spectrum of human experience – sensation, behavior, perception, cognition,
values, logic and intuition ‐‐ continues from generation to generation as a GreatInheritance,
much ofit unquestioned, “given and taken as right and true.” Individuals grow into the
spectrum of experience, and that growth process evolves, as we see from person to person and
culture to culture,ratherthan being standard and uniform among all individuals.
As each facet of the human inheritance comes alive in a person, the person attains a measure
of control overit. We become responsible for automatic (inherited) behaviors and, to a degree,
capable of modifying them.
As we mature and gain control over ourfunctions and behaviors, physical, emotional and
mental, each function ceases to be “it” and becomes “I” ‐– no longer, “It happened,” or “I
couldn’t help it,” but “I did that.”
THE INTERFACE OF THE SENSES
All living, sentient beings (somas)relate to whatis outside them by facing things or by
avoiding things, turning toward them orturning away from them; we relate to what is inside us
by facing them orrefusing to face them, putting attention on them or minimizing attention on
them.
What both externalfacing and internalfacing have in common is attention. To sense
things, we direct attention toward them.The body is the vehicle ofthe senses; it incorporates the sense organs. Attention to the senses
(i.e., the body) provides an impression ofthe world. The body is the medium by which we gain a
window on the physical world – but it’s more a perceptual and behavioral filter or set of filters
than a clear window – filters inherited without awareness from family, culture, education and the
mass communications media, and even via the very form of the body. These inherited perceptual
filters answerthe questions, “What exists?” “What’s important?” “What do we do about it?”
But the body is also an object of the senses. The sense organs carried by the body also
registerthe body as a sensation. The body (soma)is self‐sensing as well as other‐sensing, with
the difference between “self” and “other” being a matter of control and oflabeling.
Does that make the body “self” or “other”? Does the body belong to the world (as an object,
to be observed by others) or does it belong to ourselves (as the medium of ourintention to have
experiences)?
… another moment of introspection and contemplation.
THE SELF‐SENSE OF THE BODY
Somehow, we feel the body to be ourselves.
Now, just because we feel something doesn’t mean we identify it as ourselves, so there must
be something unique about the body‐feeling that makes itfeel like, “me”.
A sense of control over our own actions is a part ofit, but there are aspects of our bodily
selves over which we have no control, and yet we still considerto be ourselves. “I can’t believe I
did that.”
What we are talking aboutis identification – self‐identification.
Self‐identification is a feeling; it’s also a subtle intention. It’s the feeling ofthe intention, “to
be” or “to exist” or “to be alive”. It’s also the feeling of the intention to act or have experience
turn out a certain way – to control experience.
Self‐identification actually a state oftension – an effort to control life (self and other), so as to
keep our memories of the way things are intact or developing along lines of ourimagining.
All states oftension either show up as actions or as states ofreadiness to act(intentions).
Intentions manifest as patterns oftension in the musculature corresponding to the actions for
which we are ready. “Getready, get set…”
Maturation involves acquiring more and more readiness for more and more kinds of
experience – and generally, more and more tension. Socially, people look down upon
unreadiness.
To the degree that we hold on to states ofreadiness, we identify as the do‐er, who holds on to
intentions and their associated perceptions (sensations); identity forms.
Ourracial inheritance consists ofintentions and ways of acting, of perceptions and ways of
interpreting perception, that give rise to certain experiences. That’s enculturation. To the degree
that we hold on to ourinheritance, in this sense, thatthat degree we identify as the do‐er of our
lives, and so form and hold on to an identity. Identity is a set ofintentions and sensations
(attention habits) automatically held in memory, generally without attention on those intentions,
but on the objects those intentions seek to control. Self seeks to control other. The foothold of self
by which it pushes against experience is the sense ofidentity.Now, here’s another oddity: The sense of selfis a sense ofintention (readiness for anything);
the sense of the body (as most people sense it)is the sense ofits tension. People commonly
mistake the sense of contraction (ortension, orintention) forthe sense of self.
Tensions come and go, intentions come and go, sensations come and go,feelings come and
go, but the sense of being a self, having experiences, is constant. What is the nature of that self?
THE BODY AS MEMORY
Memory is the persistence of patterns, nothing more.
Memory is thought to reside in the brain, and thatis true, but not a complete accounting for
memory.
Healing is a mysterious phenomenon in which somehow the body remembers its shape and
reconstitutes it, or a close approximation ofit.
DNA is a means of memory storage in which patterns offunction pass from generation to
generation without a brain being involved.
The very persistence of a pattern is the memory ofit. In that sense, the entire kosmos
(objective cosmos and subjective world), is a memory (or a memory of many memories)
embodied in the spectrum of experience from matterto the subtleties of mind and consciousness.
Memory is not absolute. Memories change, and so does the body‐pattern, and so does the
experience ofthe body,from inside. The Universe is a living, evolving memory. (It doesn’t just
include memory; it is a form of memory. The forms of matter, energy, and experience persist over
time.)
But there is some sense in which we don’t change at all, and that is the consciousness of being
present to the experiences of the senses, present in the world, “here”, wherever we may be. The
content changes, the location changes, but the sense of self as a center of “hereness” does not. It’s
everywhere we go,familiar or unfamiliar, equally,regardless of whether we feel good orill.
How odd.
Are we the body? Are we the memory of a way of experiencing?
Before you answer,recognize that the only one that can answeris the individual self (or
soma), and that is subject to change, made of change.
MADE OF CHANGE
It’s an oddity, but we can experience only change. Any sensation that persists without
changing quickly fades. (Try staring at something and see what happens.) We perceive by
contrast, which is another name for changing experience. Some teachings call that, “duality.” It’s
not only the contrast between opposites on a single continuum, such as light and dark, but also
the contrast between things that are categorically different, apples and oranges. It’s any contrast.
What persists overtime fades from awareness. It’s called, “getting used to it.” What we take
for granted, we soon cease to notice. Most of our species inheritance is so persistent that, having
faded, as second nature, is largely inaccessible to us. Itruns on automatic, perfectly apparentin
its operation, but unnoticed, the elusive obvious. For example, all somas put objects from their
environmentinside themselves,forthe sake of continuation. It’s called, “feeding ourselves.”
Ponderthat. Isn’t that weird? Now, considerteeth. Teeth are cutting and grinding devices, and
yet their display in a smile is reassuring. Now that’s weird! But we take itfor granted.Because life is dynamic, even weird, the changes oflife keep perception refreshed –
sometimes too refreshed, as when contrasts are intense, or sudden large changes occurin life.
Changes of state keep the body sense refreshed – changing sensations, whetherinternal or
external. The memory of the body‐sense contrasts with changing sensations. That’s the basis of
excitement. Boredom is a last‐ditch effort to maintain a refreshed state in the face of unchanging
conditions – generally a strong impulse to move, to go somewhere else orto do something else –
anything to create a contrast, to refresh the sense of aliveness.
The body lives by changing (mostly within stable limits, as cycles of equilibrium that mostly
change gradually) and so the sense ofthe body is made of changes – changes of sensation,
changes of perception, changes of behavior, some subtle, some gross – temperature, hunger,
balance…
But the oddity is that the sense of “here” (defined as “where I am”) never changes.
The ultimate contrast is between change (perpetual “this and that”) and no‐change
(perpetual, “Primordial Hereness”). Oddly, in that contrast, only change (“this and that”) stands
out, while Primordial Hereness rests unnoticed in the background.
When changes quiet down, the sense of “here” shifts from being defined by the conditions of
ourlocality (this and that) to the background, primordial “hereness” of our being. Primordial
Hereness has no form, but is always present, silent and in some sense,resonant;receptive and
constantly originating new creations as thoughts and impersonal events. (Note that the feeling of
hereness, ifitis a feeling, is part of “this and that‐ness” and is not Primordial Hereness, but “local
hereness.” When “local hereness” relaxes and disappears, we also disappear and merge with
formless, Primordial Hereness.)
The challenge is to fall consciously through the boredom of distraction with “this and that‐
ness” into the substratum of Primordial Hereness (where we always, inevitably, are), to become
conscious of that which we already are, the context and nature of all of our “this and that‐ness.”
Then, we are here, but without the sense of “I” or “we” (things that change). Is the body, our
self, ourself? Who says so?
CREATION
There is something between “Primordial Hereness” and “this and that‐ness.” It’s newness.
Newness refreshes by being the bridge between Primordial Hereness and “this and that‐
ness” Newness is unknown, atfirst, incomprehensible. In that sense, it’s felt to be the same as
Primordial Hereness, withoutform. But then, the newness wears off! And the process of that
“wearing off” is that it becomes familiar, which is to say, it starts to integrate with this‐and‐that
(basically, as soon as it appears, as incomprehensible as it may be).
The integration of the new with “this and that” is constantly occurring. The unknown “new”
is constantly being made into, and becomes known as, a new “this orthat.”
Newness shows the common identity of Primordial Hereness with “this and that,” since the
moment of transition from newly‐emergent newness (incomprehensible) to familiar “this and
that‐ness” (known) is the moment when we feel we comprehend it and label it as something
known. It hasn’t changed; our mind has changed! The thing, itself,retains its essential nature as
an expression (emergence) of the unknown from Primordial Hereness, as a form of Primordial
Hereness!The new, as it emerges, is always constrained by limitations, defined by limitations, made of
limitations, even as it comes out of “Primordial Hereness” (no limitation) as an expression of
local hereness (this and that). As itintegrates with “this and that‐ness,” it becomes part of The
GreatInheritance we take for granted and that shapes ourlives, often without conscious
recognition.
The GreatInheritance is an inheritance oflimitations, memory formations; memories fade or
change.
In humans, the growth of control involves a growth of consciousness (orthe reach of
attention) to include what has faded due to persistence and familiarity, so that new creative will
can be turned onto the faded foundation from which we have operated, to freely create what has
not yet existed, out of the empty, butresonant void of Primordial Hereness.
The question, “Is the body self or other?” has more to do with whether we can exercise
control over ourinherited (or even previously created) patterns of experience and behavior, or
whetherthose patterns control us.
To the degree that we identify with the body‐sense (hold onto intentions, as the do‐er), we
hold on to remembered ways of doing things,ratherthan adapt to changing conditions or bring
something new into existence from Primordial Hereness.
To act, we must be the doer and identify as the body; to grow or change, we mustrecognize
that the do‐eris (the act of) clinging to an intention and a kind of experience that, in the face of
life’s changes, is a memory (even the memory of an imagining).
The question, “Is the body self or other?” is a trick question. The answeris, “It depends.”
As a display of observable sensations in consciousness, body is “other”; as our means of
taking action, body is self.
As long as we identify as the do‐er of actions, we fail to observe the sense of being the do‐er.
The effort of desire seems to imply, and so gives rise to the assumption of, an identity, but
without awareness of the sense of identity as a sense of tension orlimitation.
If we only observe the embodied self‐identity, we cease to participate in experience, but
instead arrest and undermine the sense of self‐identity.
Neither of these positions is a problem; the pair are a contrast of alternatives.
Fixation in form is an illusion of time, a convincing delusion of self‐identity.
Wisdom recognizes the body to be a memory without any intrinsic or essential self‐nature,
but one that exists in time and appears to have, by virtue of the existence ofrelationships, self‐
nature.
Anyway, that was not the trick of the trick question.
The trick of the trick question is this: Whether we decide that the body (soma) is “self” or
“other,” either decision is a state of mind held in memory. What we considerto be the body is
also a state of mind held in memory. Memory is made of “this and that‐ness,” but what we are is
both Primordial Hereness, not defined by “this and that‐ness,”and local hereness, which is “this
and that‐ness.” Selfis here, body is here, only temporarily defined as “this and that‐ness.”
The assumption of the alternatives posed by the question was the trick ofthe question.Observe local hereness.
Notice thatit exists in Primordial Hereness.
Let go of local here‐ness;relax into Primordial Hereness. You’re still locally here!
EVOLUTION
All things change in time. Whetherthe body is self or otheris only a matter of perspective
and temporary definition.
Practically speaking, we are recipients of a species inheritance that defines us as “this and
that,” but in a state of Primordial Hereness which is limited by neitherthis northat, butis our
essential or original nature.
Fixation in memory temporarily binds us. Memories and imaginings surface in time; the
imperative oflife (newness) is the emergence ofthe unknown into form,from Primordial
Hereness and continuing in Primordial Hereness as an expression of Primordial Hereness!
Practically speaking, to the degree that we identify with the contracted (or memory‐fixated)
state of body and mind (soma), to that degree do we constrain the emergence of newness from
Primordial Hereness (formlessness)into local hereness (manifestation). The emergence of
newness requires space.
Forthatreason, our evolution depends upon recognition and dis‐identification from
memory‐fixated states, through inclusion and transcendence, so that they/we are free to leave
space for newness.
Practically speaking, since recognition depends upon perception and perception depends
upon contrast, we can use a couple of different contrasts to perceive and recognize aspects of
ourselves thatremain familiarly hidden, to release their binding nature and create space:
1. contrast between what we desire and what we resist
2. contrast between ourintuition of Primordial Hereness and local conditions
for option 1: At any moment when we may feel stuck, we can deliberately feel what itfeels like
to be someone who resists what we are experiencing in the moment and then what it would feel
like to be someone who desires that experience. By alternating in those two feelings, we create a
contrast between them, make them more vivid, and so prepare forthe next step: to feel both
feelings simultaneously and equally. To feel them simultaneously reveals a new sensation,
previously hidden, but somehow familiar: a sense of identity felt as a kind of effort ortension
that we can relax. At the moment ofrelaxation, we may have a perception of Primordial
Hereness – or of whateverremaining tension we have around the issue (in which case, we repeat
the process).
for option 2: We may deliberately alternate between putting attention on feeling stuck and on
ourintuition of Primordial Hereness. That contrast may be sufficient to discern the tension we
are experiencing in the moment(resistance to our present experience or desire for an alternative),
so that we can relax it.
The space liberated by either ofthese options brings relieffrom the stress of memory and
imagining automatically generated by The GreatInheritance. Then, there’s room forthe
emergence of newnessinto our experience as our own creative action or as ourrefreshed
perception ofthe conditions of ourlocal hereness.Is the body “self” or “other”? “Body”, “self”, and “other” are features of The Great
Inheritance, patterns of memory, changeable by the emergence of newness. There is no such
thing as “body,” “self” or “other,” but only durable patterns of memory always being modified
by the emergence of newnessfrom the Primordial Hereness.

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Radical acceptance

I am writing to you from the incredible India. We are at the moment staying in Udaipur, a city of bloodshed and riches. If you are interested in the history or the most exquisite artwork and the spectacular palace we are staying in, read my posts on The Path of Divine Love.

India is a country that is steeped in religion as well as esoteric and occult spirituality and mysticism. It is also absolutely chaotic and seemingly random and has none of the concepts of western thinking. It reminds me of the mind’s inner reality – impossible to make sense of anything and the sooner the mind realizes this, the sooner awakening can take place. Maybe it is exactly because of the nature of the Eastern mind and its created reality, that so many spiritual traditions developed here.

Sacred places and places of pilgrimage definitely is saturated with high energy and I find that here in India, the energy is much higher than anywhere else that I have been. Even as I stepped out into busy Bombay at one in the morning, my organic cells answered in bliss to the vibration. I hardly slept the first few nights as the energy is so powerful. It would seem that every inch of the earth here are glowing with Light. To my clear-seeing eyes I am at times suffused and awash once again with the tremendous Absolute – the Light in the poverty; the beauty in the dirt; the worship in the cows eating garbage; the holy in the shrines on every street corner; the paradoxes abound! These highlight the inability of the mind to ever grasp the Absolute Love which is us and the reality behind the veil!

The word Radical Acceptance came to me. Through radical acceptance one can step into the Illumined Mind – actually you don’t have to do any stepping into as She will step into you. Like the lotus born from the muddy roots, the Illumined Mind is born from radical acceptance of the polarity. The Light of Maa rises in you as the glowing blossom pushes through the outer leaves – indeed the lingam rises up into the Light of the Sun, Surya and Vishnu the Cosmic Christ.

Yesterday we visited the main temple in Udaipur, the Jagdish Mandir, dedicated to Vishnu. We had a wonderful impromptu session of bhajans, drumming the tabla and dancing in the temple as a small circle of local women invited me to join them. Soon we attracted a crowd with the clapping and singing and the temple was full!! It was a beautiful experience of such love, acceptance and joy; the simplicity of it all struck me! And that is the core of what everyone is craving for and seeking! The only thing that stands between you and this intimacy is fear. The best way that I know to overcome fear is by applying that which you believe to be true.

Do you believe that Love is your true nature? Then start to live being loving. Love is an action. Love thy neighbour as thyself. Forgive seven times seven. Let go of self-centered selfish fears of loss of power. I can continue for pages and pages, but you have heard it all already.

Spirituality has become a commodity and that is also true here in India. Everywhere are ads for gurus and visiting healers. But that is not where you will find the Light of Love, of Prema. You can see it in all the many tiny shrines that is visited before work, during lunch time and after work. You will see it in the thank offerings to the gods’ image, the water given to a thirsty cow, free meals every day at the many seva temples and so on. The homage that the disciples here show to their gurus in the ashram, is but a small gesture of their personal dedication to Spirit. Their daily adornment of their bodies with bangles, paste and perfume is a symbol of the adornment of the Soul.

This lifestyle is a daily symbol and metaphor for the sacred ordinary life!!

As above so below – that which you think you will create in the physical. That which you create in the physical, feeds and nurtures the soul.

Adorn your mind with forgiveness and practice radical acceptance – over and over. No sadhana will bring you peace and love other than meditation on the inner self, in the body, in the moment. The deeper you go into yourself, into the adorned soul clothed by the radiant bodies, the wider the intimacy.

It really is very simple. And you are born with everything that you need within yourself. Instead of trying to figure things out or trying to get more power in whatever form, go within in every moment; practice radical acceptance of every feeling, every thought, every action (without judgement) and see what arises

With blessings
Hettienne Bhakty Maji

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This is not your life

As I work on the preparations for the Second Initiation into the Temple of Mary
and I connect with all those minds and Consciousness that will
be attending, both in person and in the invisible,
I am struck once again by how difficult it is to explain
the paradox of Truth to anyone.
On the one hand, you are told that you can have whatever you set your
mind to;  that you can awaken the Genius within and that
all your desires can be fulfilled;
on the other hand you are told that it is not your will
and it is by Divine Grace only.
Well, as always, this is the paradox and both the above statements are true.
When you accept that all is by Divine Grace only,
and you accept that this life is not yours to live as you see fit and as
pleases your ego,
but that it is all in the hands of the Divine Mother and Father,
our King and Queen in Heaven,
and that Her Will is truly your will,
then indeed,
you will live the blessed life that you are wishing for.
But then, you see, it is no longer the life that the ego wished for.
All that was so important to the ego and all that you
were conditioned into believing you need for self-fulfillment
and self-expression,
then falls away.
As you are married to the Beloved in the sacred bridal chamber
of your heart, you leave behind the ideas, the expectations,
the need for a lavish wedding celebration,
and you enter naked, without expectation,
without selfish drive and greed,
with one desire only,
and that is to become the Will of God Within.
As I muse on how to explain this to anyone, I allow my thoughts
to linger over my own life.  I did not choose Mary, Maria, Mother of God,
to be my Ishta Devata, my personal manifestation of God :
She chose me. 
And I had many opportunities to walk away;
many challenges where I had to confront every belief system,
every idea of what I thought I wanted for my own life.
But She gave me many many opportunities
where I could choose again and again.
As I work on the manual I contemplate how I would never have
thought that these are the teachings that I will convey to others;
that it is so foreign to whom I thought I was (years ago)
and where my life would take me or where I wanted to go.
how to explain this to another in order for him or her
to gain understanding and acceptance?
all the while I am standing in the kitchen, leaning over the
gasplate, cooking brunch
as I cut the mushrooms, and add the potatoes to the pan,
I am suddenly
in another world; in another light;
a past life;
I am still ‘me’, the same Essence,the same Wisdom,
 but I am in a different body
with thoughts in her head.
As I look down I am dressed in a dress of the fifteenth century it seems,
with a rough linen apron overdress – both in very dowdy colours.
I have a very ample bosom and a round body
I am Irish and in Ireland
I am the cook in a nunnery.
I stand over a huge fire, smells of potatoes wafting up
Every day I say the rosary with the nuns
I chant the mantra while I cook
and deep in my heart I have an incredible understanding
and a Divine Light of the truth hidden in the Rosary –
one which I cannot share with the nuns as this could mean my death.
And silently, I wish to one day, be able to share this wisdom with
the world.
In a flash I am back here, at Sancta Maria,
with a smile on my lips.
Indeed, this life is not mine to be lived for myself. 
It belongs to Wisdom, to the River of the Infinite.
I started yesterday on a profound project with the Rosary of the Rose Queen
some of which will be incorporated in the manual.
Maybe this will illuminate the paradox for you?
In Bhakty
Hettienne BhaktyMaJi

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What can you expect at the Second Initiation into the Mysteries of Maria?

Moonflower in garden at Sancta Maria
 
The Second Initiation will contain many practical tools and rites; mantra yoga, praying the IsisMariaSophia rosary; and working with the Four Elements in the self and the powerful practise of working with personal polarity.
 
Here follows an extract from the introduction to the underlying
principle of these powerful rituals and teachings, visible to higher spiritual
awareness.
 
 
INITIATION INTO THE SACRED MYSTERIES OF THE TEMPLE OF MARIA/MARY
The Great Work is often defined as the process of becoming more than human.  It involves a concentrated and consciously directed effort to overcome imbalances, weaknesses and limitations while unfolding the inner potentials and opening to higher consciousness.  It is the turning to one’s personal growth and development, purification and consecration.  It involves the acquiring of self-knowledge, self-mastery;  a creation of the alchemical container in which the alchemical marriage will be consummated and the Christ within, be born through the work of Shekinah, MahaShakty.
ln the ancient traditions, there are references to the procedures involved in the process.  There are various threads of commonality.  They all involved a spiritual discipline aimed at altering, transforming and expanding human consciousness.    They involved a philosophy of life by which one could live according to that higher state of consciousness while within the physical world.
This great work is divided into three mysteries : the lesser, the greater and the supreme mysteries.
The lesser has to do with ethics, behaviour and our relationships with other people.  They involved the unfoldment and development of the personality.  The level of the Seeker.  The greater mysteries involve the development of our individuality, our own creatively distinct energies.  It involves moving from psychic sight to spiritual insight.
The supreme mysteries are the teachings around the spiritual essence of life and its true effects within the physical.  They involve understanding how everything is connected and works.  They involve learning to set things in motion for the benefit of all and not just for the immediate.  It is the aligning of one’s own energies with the more Universal rhythms and energies of life.
One of the Delphic Oracles states : Vocatus atque non vocatus Deus aderit – Calling or no calling God will be present.  All of the lessons, the teachings and mysteries of life unfold within the natural course of our own existence.  We do not achieve higher consciousness and spirituality through artificially contrived situations, but through the applications of our realizations within the day-to-day life circumstances that we encounter.  Learning to look upon life from a universal rather than a personal perspective is what helps unfold the sleeping potential that lies within each of us.  As students of the Mysteries, it is our task to recognize these relationships and then to begin the process of creating new ones – ones that are more in line with the divine.
In the Second Initiation into the Mysteries of the Temple of Mary we will focus on Gnosis of the Cosmic Christ.


Christ exists in all things that are – Gregory of Nazianzus

This third nature of Christ (neither human nor divine, but cosmic) – has not noticeably attracted the explicit attention of the faithful or of theologians – Teilhard de Chardin
The Via Maria, the Temple of Mary way of imparting teachings and initiation is the way of Wild Gnosis or Crazy Wisdom which traditionally relies on the sacred relationship between Guru and Sisya, and the commitment as Flamekeeper to the Hearth and the Temple of Mary as spiritual community.  Transmission of teachings happen through diksha (spiritual energetic transference), through Shaktypat (the transference of kundalini energy by the Guru) and through the play of the Holy Shekinah in satsang, weekend retreats in energetic powerful spaces, meditation, sacred art, sacred ritual and temple rites.
 The aim of the members of the Temple of Mary is direct spiritual and mystical experience of the Shekinah, the Cosmic Christ within, the Golden Self born from the Hieros Gamos which occurs through Divine Grace – our spiritual life and practise representing our cooperation with Grace, the action of the Divine Kundalini.
A Guru who embodies something of the Holy Shekinah, the Divine
Shakty (the Divine Presence and Power) can help to facilitate a movement of Divine Grace, as can exposure to the Shakty of temple rites. However, it is the spiritual life and practise which forms the ground for the alchemical marriage and Self-Realization.
GNOSIS
True gnosis is a special quality of knowing – a knowing that has at its core personal transformation through personal experience.  It demands and requires an original experience – a source experience, as defined by Carl Jung.  It requires an awakening to the world of shadows and an awakening of the transcendent energies of the heart.  It requires the individual to learn to walk the road of shadows where secret knowledge of the soul exists.
The Gnostic teachings set about describing the practises and mysteries of attaining Gnosis.  The Gnostic teachings declare that the Divine Feminine is the hidden key to understanding the esoteric teachings of Christianity and Hinduism, as well as the Kaballah;  that the Divine Feminine is the key to experiencing the mysticism and power of the Divine on a more personal level.
In the Temple of Mary we work with the Love-Wisdom principle – we refer to the God of Love and the Goddess of Wisdom.  In the Kabbalah this principle is the Shekinah.  This great Love and Wisdom Principle is also known as the Cosmic Christ.  The Cosmic Christ is the great Love-Wisdom principle that manifests in the Sun Gods and the Love Goddesses, most popularly known as Jesus Christ or Yeshua in the Western Christian tradition.  The Cosmic Christ is also known as Sophia, Shekinah and Wisdom in the Gnostic traditions. Other manifestations of the Christ that are known to mystery schools are Vishnu, Krishna, Buddha, Osiris, Odin, Mohammed, Zoroaster, Adonis, Prometheus, Eros, Thor, Baal – many of these myths include the Virgin Birth by the Theotokos – the Mother of God, indeed the Mother that births God, that births all.
The Cosmic Christ is the divine Golden child born within us as a result of the Hieros Gamos, the alchemical marriage within.
In the Western tradition of Kabbalah, Gnosis, Theosophy and other derivatives of western thinking and religion, the Christ is seen as the masculine principle, the Logos, the Radiant Sun.
In the Bhakty tradition, it is Krishna Consciousness.
Western Tradition of the Christ Consciousness and the Cosmic Christ
In the esoteric and occult Western traditions, the inner Christ is wisdom itself, the Christ-Sophia is the Cosmic Christ;  She Who births the Christ within the individual Soul.  The Cosmic Christ is the overlighting principle of divinity which is embodied in the world soul (the anima mundi) and the Solar Logos (the Sun or Father Principle).  It is the impersonal cosmic force of ‘goodness’ or ‘compassion’ or ‘prema’.  It is beyond individuality and expresses Itself through a prepared, sanctified container of the human Soul.
The inner Christ, the Christed Self, the golden child has up till now been seen as the masculine principle, the male Sun child born from the union of the Sacred Masculine and the Divine Feminine.  But now we know that the Christ is both masculine and feminine, Jesus and Mary, Radha and Krishna, Osiris and Isis, both mother to my son and lover to my father – these are metaphysical expressions to illustrate the inner consciousness;  to give it a symbol and an image in order to understand the inner processes of the soul and the mind.  The Self births falls in love with the Self, joins the Self in divine union and gives birth to the Self.
Among the Chinese, Christ is Fu-ji. Among the Mexicans, Christ is Quetzalcoatl, who was the Messiah and the transformer of the Toltecs. Among the Japanese he is Amida who has the power of opening the doors of Gokurak (Paradise). In the worship of Zoroaster, Christ is Ahura-Mazda. The German Edda cites Christos, the God of their theogony similar to Jesus of Nazareth, born on Christmas Day, December 25th, at midnight, just as the Christian, Nordic Odin, Wotan and Belen.
The gospel of Krishna in millenary India is similar to the Christian gospel. In the ancient Egypt of the pharaohs, Christ is Osiris, and every person who incarnated him was Osirified; Hermes Trismegistus is the Egyptian Christ, the incarnated Osiris.
Introduction to the Second Initiation of the Mysteries of the Temple of Mary
 
 
 
 

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Archer, are you missing the mark?

You are the bows from which your children as living arrows are sent forth. 
The archer sees the mark upon the path of the infinite, and He bends you with His might that His arrows may go swift and far. 
Let your bending in the archer’s hand be for gladness; 
For even as he loves the arrow that flies, so He loves also the bow that is stable.
Quote from Kahlil Giban’s The Prophet
Earlier this week I caught a snippet of a programme on the History channel
on television on the spiritual practise of Japanese archery.
I cannot remember the exact commentary, but the few words that jumped out at me and
stayed with me for days were :
‘the goal is to sacrifice the personal desire to hit the target and to rather allow
for the spirit and body to harmonise’.
Not that profound I suppose, but ponder on these words.
It also brought to mind the definition of  ‘sin’ to mean ‘an archery term that means
to miss the mark’.
Now, if you put these two thoughts together, it does become profound.
In the game of leela, in this world, you have two players, the proverbial
angel and daimon, the ego and Spirit.  At times you feel opposed,
at other times you feel as though you have the champion in your corner, but how often
do you feel in harmony with your Spirit?
What do you measure this harmony by? 
Do you look at how ‘successful’ your life is?
Do you measure it by how often you meet your goal?
I suppose, the important question is,
what is your goal?
And what would you say is the ‘sin’ of missing the mark?  One can only
know the answer to this if your know what the mark is.

When we let go of our desire to be clever or successful
or to change the world, or to create beautiful things,
we may begin to be open to the sacred truth 
of our experience as it is, not how we want it to be.

For you, as a spiritual person, in search of direct immersion in your Self and
Spirit, the mark cannot be the hitting of the target set out for you
by your personal self!!
I went to read up a bit more on Japanese archery and it seems that the spiritual practise
is regarded as a secret.  I would think that is because people have the tendency to take things out
of context and the mind has the tendency to claim ownership of that
which he does not understand at all!!
Here are some extracts of what I found, and these few lines are all you need
for your application and understanding of the teachings of the Temple of Mary.
(I am not suggesting that you take up archery!)
Kyudo is practiced in many different schools, some of which descend from military shooting and others that descend from ceremonial or contemplative practice. Therefore, the emphasis is different. Some emphasize aesthetics and others efficiency. Contemplative schools teach the form as a meditation in action. In certain schools, to shoot correctly will result inevitably in hitting the desired target. For this a phrase seisha hicchū, “true shooting, certain hitting”, is used.

According to the Nippon Kyudo Federation the supreme goal of kyudo is the state of shin-zen-bi, roughly “truth-goodness-beauty”,which can be approximated as: when archers shoot correctly (i.e. truthfully) with virtuous spirit and attitude toward all persons and all things which relate to kyudo (i.e. with goodness), beautiful shooting is realized naturally.

Kyudo practice  includes the idea of moral and spiritual development. Today many archers practice kyudo as a sport, with marksmanship being paramount. However, the goal most devotees of kyudo seek is seisha seichū, “correct shooting is correct hitting”. In kyudo the unique action of expansion (nobiai) that results in a natural release, is sought. When the technique of the shooting is correct the result is that the arrow hits the target. To give oneself completely to the shooting is the spiritual goal, achieved by perfection of both the spirit and shooting technique leading tomunen musō, “no thoughts, no illusions”. 

Perhaps the best way to explain the spirit of kyudo is to put it in Onuma sensei’s words: “When shooting, sometimes we will hit the target but miss the self. At other times we will miss the target but hit the self. Our purpose, though, is to hit the target as the self and hope that the sharp sound of arrow penetrating paper will awaken us from the so-called ‘dream of life’ and give us real insight into the ultimate state of being.”
 Their belief is that matters of the spirit are not teachable and that it is a waste of time to devote any part of your study to anything other than technical proficiency. In one sense that view is correct. The development of the spirit is an ongoing, personal experience. A teacher may lead the way by his or her example but there is very little they can do to actually “teach” spirit. But as Onuma sensei also liked to say, “If one day you wish to have a large, beautiful pine tree as the center-piece of your garden you do not wait until you are old to plant the seed. The seed must be planted early and the tree nurtured over the years if it is to be truly grand at the end of your life.” The same can be said of the development of the spirit.
We are often asked what makes kyudo so special; what does it offer the kyudo practitioner that they cannot find elsewhere. Without hesitation we always answer, “nothing.” That is because kyudo is only one pathway among many as we travel through life. The three essential elements of kyudo, Truth, Goodness, and Beauty, are by no means exclusive to the practice of kyudo. These qualities have been an integral part of every culture throughout history and are fundamental to the creation of our arts, philosophy, and religious activities. So why do most great kyudo masters impress upon their students the relationship between spiritual development and kyudo practice? Because it is an excellent vehicle for the study of the human character and condition, and it works well in concert with all of life’s other spiritual paths. Everyone that watches an accomplished kyudo practitioner is struck by the simplicity of the act, and it is easy to imagine that the same thing goes through their mind as went through ours upon seeing kyudo for the first time: That there doesn’t appear to be much going on. It’s just a matter of memorizing a few simple moves and holding the bow steady. The target is not so far away. There is no extreme physical exertion. No screaming and jumping about. All said it appears simple enough to be learned in a few sessions. Our teacher even supported our thoughts when, at our first meeting, he said, “Kyudo is a simple art consisting of just eight basic movements which take no more than a few minutes to complete. The practice of kyudo requires only that you align your body with the target, stand straight, fill yourself with spirit, and shoot with a pure heart and meaningful purpose.”
Simple enough, we thought. But, we were in for a shock. Both of us are quick learners with good powers of observation and the ability to correctly translate physical movement into being. Kyudo looked easy enough, but that view quickly changed when we first picked up a Japanese bow. Never mind about shooting with a pure heart and meaningful purpose, it was completely overwhelming to simply keep the arrow nocked to the bowstring. It was very frustrating to say the least. For a long period of time all of our training sessions were of a strictly technical nature, giving weight to the idea of teaching technique and ignoring the spiritual aspects of Kyudo. So why did Onuma sensei insist that spirit was equally, if not more, important than technique? Because there are many levels to the development of the spirit and the first goes hand in hand with the process of learning anything new: It is the recognition and, later, the development of one’s personal character. It is human nature to experience frustration, anger, joy, pride, and embarrassment when learning. And while it is extremely difficult to eliminate those emotions it is possible to temper your responses to them. And that should be one of your first considerations as you begin your practice of kyudo.
In order to control your reactions to a situation you must first recognize your reactions to a situation. Sounds simple, but while emersed in the trials of learning the last thing on our mind is self-reflection. As a kyudo practitioner, however, you must make a conscious effort each time you shoot to mentally document not only the technical aspects of your shooting but your emotional response to the shooting as well. In time, a recognizable pattern of behavior will emerge. Kyudo is an art and, as with any art form, personal emotion is reflected in the content of the art. In kyudo, anger will make your shooting tight and uncontrolled, frustration will create unsettling nervous tension, and excessive pride will rob the shooting of its beauty and elegance. It is that knowledge, and the ability to use the knowledge to control emotional self-expression that separates a true master of kyudo from a person who is merely technically proficient. It is also why an aging master, though they may suffer from diminished physical and technical capability, can still inspire all who watch them with a shooting style that is far beyond that of a younger practitioner. And it is that knowledge and control that every new kyudo practitioner should seek out for themselves, even in the early stages of their study. It is the essence of kyudo, and a sure path to a deeper understanding of truth, goodness, and beauty.
So, what is the point I am trying to get across?
Firstly, as a spiritual seeker your goal is to be in harmony with Soul and Spirit, in other words
with Self and that requires sacrificing the ego and mind and its personal desires.
If you can imagine yourself as the archer, who sacrifices the need to hit the target
in order to harmonise himself with the bow and arrow
and with the flying of the arrow, regardless of hitting the target…….
At first, the student has to practise the skill of archery.  Mastering the technical skill
takes many many years and eventually the target is hit.
The target probably could have been hit right from the beginning, if the ego was
allowed to prevail.
But through the shift of focus, the desire of the personality was sacrificed.
The need to be successful was sacrificed.
The need to look good in the eyes of the world was sacrificed.
The habit of measuring your ‘okayness’ by the desired outcome of your
actions was sacrificed.
The need to achieve was sacrificed.
The need to be happy because the personal goal was achieved was sacrificed.
The need to receive attention and acclaim was sacrificed.
The need to feel good about the personal self was sacrificed.
The need to prove a point was sacrificed.
The need to validate yourself was sacrificed.
The need to feel good about yourself was sacrificed.
The need to feel satisfied was sacrificed.
The need to feel happy was sacrificed.
Maybe you have a few of your own that you can add here.
When your goal is truly at-one-ment, and direct mystical living and experience,
then the personal will and desire has to be sacrificed.

I invite you into a process of transformation.  As you apply
the daily practises, try not to set a particular goal for yourself,
other than showing up to what is offered and being open to the experience
of your sacred life.

The ego and mind uses rationalisation and justification in order to maintain
its existence.  It creates belief system in order to keep you tied to
it (the mind) and in order to maintain its existence.
If you truly want to have a direct mystical experience, you have to
be willing to let go of your deepest belief systems.  They disguise themselves
in such a way that you forget that they truly are not a part of your True Self.
You have come to accept their voices as the voice of your True Self, or as the Voice of God.
The Voice of God is not a voice.  It is a feeling that resonates in every cell of your being.
It is a feeling of lightness, expansion, joy, ease and bliss.
It is actually a place of no-thing within yourself and everything – an emptiness,
devoid of reason and will and drive and knowing.  It just IS.
Expectation can preclude the opportunity for discovery.
When we try to reach a goal, we become fixated on it and we miss the
process.

Beginner’s mind is the practise of coming to an experience wth an 
openness and a willingness to be transformed. 

It makes sense that if you want to become harmonised with Self which is no-thing,
you have to allow the personal self to be removed.
And here your personal will enters the picture as you have been given freedom of choice.
You can choose to cling to old habits, stubborn belief systems and comfortable
knee-jerk reactions, or you can crucify the personal will.
‘Know thyself’ is the epitaph in most traditions.  Know the world that
we live in.  Know the culture that you move in.  Through immersion you come to
know the world, but there comes a time when you need to wake up and realise
that you are not that.
Dr Matthew Fox has written a Litany of Deliverance from Patriarchy. (this is
and extract)  It may be worth your while to 
print this and stick it up somewhere where you can see it often – to remind you
that this is the world that you live in – your mind has been conditioned
to accept this ‘sin’ as reality :
A Litany of Deliverance
From Patriarchy’s dualism
From Patriarchy’s proneness to self-pity
From Patriarchy’s sentimentalism
From Patriarchy’s violence
From Patriarchy’s lack of imagination
From Patriarchy’s intellectual laziness
From Patriarchy’s lack of authentic curiosity
From Patriarchy’s separation of head from body
From Patriarchy’s preoccupation with sex
From Patriarchy’s fear of intimacy
From Patriarchy’s reptilian brain
From Patriarchy’s envy and manipulation of children
From Patriarchy’s abuse of women
From Patriarchy’s homophobia
From Patriarchy’s righteousness
From Patriarchy’s forgetfulness of beauty and art
From Patriarchy’s quest for immortality
From Patriarchy’s matricide, spare us O Divine One!
Secondly, as in archery, the seeker has to go through the seemingly simple
practice, day after day, year after year.  It seems so simple and unnecessary.
To the mind it seems outdated and old-fashioned.
Why is all of this necessary, when I can merely aim at the target, shoot
and hit the target and walk away feeling satisfied with my efforts and results?
Because then you have missed the mark, my friend.
Aum Isis-Maria-Sophia
In Bhakty
Bhaktymayi Ma
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Om Ave Maria

Om Ave Maria

Oh Glorious Universal Mother of all
Divinity endless encompassing all
I thank you for showing yourself always
For opening my eyes to see

Your face Your presence
Infinity large
Minuscule small
The cloaked cloud
The constant breath
The rushing river
The focused roaming wind
The piercing sun
The rain of grace
The Light of thunder
Calm during the storm
Comfort
Refuge
Joy

All reaching infinitely
A force of and beyond
Tangible, solid as the biggest mountain
Gentle, subtle as the caress of the slightest feather

Your face
Bhakty Ma Ji’s face
My face

Your grace
Maria
Maria
Maria

Thank you for choosing Bhakty Maji Ma
Thank you for the depth
Thank you for the darkness
Thank you for the serpent sigh
Thank you for the chaotic stillness
Thank you for the endless flowering petal
Thank you for the comforting scorch
Thank you for the place of one-ness
The sweet shudder

I am loved
I am love
All is love
All that is and all that is not
The binding of it all and the scattering of every aspect
All arranged perfectly

Your endless caved womb
Your breast
The bursting heart oozing endless
Golden syrupy nectar of love
Of life
Of death

AUM
Zaneta Astera DeviMaria

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Via Maria

Maria Shrine at Sancta Maria, my home and Temple of Mary www.shekinahdove.org
 
 

Via Maria – The Way of Maria, the path of Mary

The physical world and all of creation is sacred and a gift of Grace. The Divine is present in all things and all things are in the Divine.

God is both Mother and Father, Lover and Beloved and the Absolute One

This physical universe is a manifestation of the Love of the Belove;
God and Goddess, Lover and Beloved in an eternal embrace of ecstasy.

 Our highest values are Love, Wisdom and Beauty.

 Through spiritual practise (sadhana),
devotion (bhakty),
divine inspiration and 
commitment to keeping the flames of inspiration and spiritual vision al and
compassion in the world and taking the work out into the communities as Flamekeepers of the Temple of Mary, we find our true selves.

This is a path of bhakty (devotion and worship), mysticism and creativity. We express our devotion and worship through acts of dance, song, mantra, ritual sacrament and puja; we access the Divine within ourselves and everything through deep meditation, through Vision and Beauty (the highest expression) as well as through contemplation on the suffering and painful challenges of our daily lives.

 We express our love for and devotion to the Divine through acts of creativity and compassionate giving. This is defined in the following text :

 Let my every word be a prayer to Thee
Every movement of my hands a ritual gesture to Thee
Every step I take a circumambulation of Thy image
Every morsel I eat a rite of sacrifice to Thee
Every time I lay down a prostration at Thy feet;
Every act of personal pleasure and all else that I do,
Let it all be a form of worshipping Thee.
From verse 27 of Shri Aadi Shankara’s Saundaryalahari

 Via Maria draws from many traditions. There are many wells in the sacred Ganga and we drink deeply from all these wells, bringing together many pieces of the greater picture. We use wisdom from occult Christianity, the teachings of the Cosmic Christ and the Cosmic Mother, the Tree of Life, Hindu Tantra, Bridal Mysticism, the Gnostic teachings,  and Goddess religions amongst others.

In prema,
Ave Maria

 

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Goddess full of Grace

Painting : Sacred words by Sri Hettienne Bhaktymayi Maria Ma
Hail Mary, Goddess full of Grace
The God is with you
Blessed are you among women
and blessed is the fruit of the creativity
that spirals forth from your womb.
Through your art and rituals of beauty,
we find our forgiveness and healing.
Holy Goddess, Mother of Earth,
work the mystery for your children
now and forever
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Living by Grace

Most of us start the journey towards awakening in an attempt to escape our current state of mind or to heal the body. In the beginning various tools are applied, such as affirmations, releasing techniques and various other modalities, but then eventually, the truth dawns, that actually you are only re-arranging the furniture! Carlos Castanedas said that when you wake up and you realise you are in the house of the mind, do not waste time exploring the various rooms, get out of there as fast as you can! Well, that is one approach. But ultimately, we are walking between worlds and we have to learn to live with the tension of the opposites. This constitutes the middle road – that of living by Grace.

The mostly negative and fearful ego-mind is the greatest obstacle that stands between you and the direct experience of Soul. In order to live by Grace and to live in freedom, you need to let go of your need to suffer and to receive Love in every breathing moment! I agree that when you first read this sentence, you tend to react, what utter nonsense, who chooses to suffer willingly and knowingly? But the mind, through its conditioning and its ‘learning’ chooses suffering more often that what is obvious.

It revels in its own sense of suffering. The mind identifies with the story of ‘me’ and ‘me’ cannot exist without the story! Thus it is easy to become so enmeshed in the story that it becomes your identity and all of who you think you are. When in actual fact, you are not the story and you need to remember who you are.

The truth is that you are never separated from the Divine Soul. Your True Self is the one behind the web of the mind. Your mind is your active opponent when it engages in self-rejection, self-deprecation, criticism of the self, breaking down your self-esteem and filling you with thoughts of not being good enough, not lovable, and so on. So now you are probably thinking to yourself, well, I know that is the problem; how do I change it?

First of all, change your belief system. At first you may need blind faith. Blind faith in an ever loving Presence that has never abandoned you and has never rejected you. Accept that you in fact do not know the true nature of the divine Presence. All that you think you know about it, you have acquired through the perception of your experiences and thus your conditioning. The mind wants to keep you safe and protected against re-experiencing any painful feelings. Thus it contracts and armours itself and does whatever it takes to keep you from revealing yourself, or from taking any emotional risks. But when you apply the mind in its higher function of self-enquiry and you follow the bread crumb trail back to the origin of the thought and the belief system, you will find that your mind’s reasoning is absolutely crazy! There is no logic and no rationale. It is a story woven and fabricated by your mind and it will most probably not even make sense to anybody else. So this is where Carlos Castanedas’ statement makes so much sense. Why do you want to spend time unravelling the many, many stories that your mind created? It is so much simpler to merely jump from the plane, knowing that you carry a parachute and free float down to a new reality.

Obviously this is not as easy as I make it sound, but with consistent effort this is well within your reach. At first it is difficult to do as you now have to break a life long habit. A habit of being angry, or feeling justified in your behaviour, or feeling sorry for yourself. And obviously, it is not that obvious!! The mind has an excellent trickster and a wizard at its disposal and through the use of smoke and mirrors, it conceals these mind sets and attitudes behind a veil of justification and ‘reasonable’ self-centredness!
What does it mean to ‘desire God’? It means that you accept that there is a Principle of Love – complete, unconditional and infinite Love. That this Love Principle is Perfection and that its power is omnipotent and omnipresent. You accept that ultimately your will is God’s Will and God’s Will is your will and that God’s Will is only Love. So, I suppose you have to believe that your mind is not in control, it has never been in control and that personal willpower will not get you what you want!! And then by implication, this means that ‘your will’ is not the personal will of the mind. And mostly, we only get to this point in our consciousness and awareness, through hardship and suffering, and often through disease of the body! So we have gone full circle.

You can choose to look at disease or challenges in your life as signs of ‘not doing it right’ or ‘not being aligned’, or whatever terminology the mind choooses to use. OR you can look at it from the perspective of LOVE, and that is that All Is As It Should Be at all times. You may not understand, you may not be able to see the bigger picture, but knowledge of God and the true nature of Love, will set you free to accept and surrender at all times. And through acceptance and surrender, the resistance dissolves and thus the mental pattern that created the disease in the first place.
You see, you do not need self-improvement. You are innately whole. You entered this world in absolute innocence and wholeness. And then the journey started. And the pain that you felt, was the pain of believing you are separate from God, that you had been abandoned by God. And one of the many ‘reasons’ why these feelings were created is because this world cannot validate your sacred Individual Self. So, when you looked into the eyes of another, you could not see your True Self reflected back at you. Nowhere could you see evidence of your innocence and your purity. Your True Self was rejected in experiences with others. When you revealed your exuberance, your absolute Self-absorbed happiness and joy, it was labelled as inappropriate; your pleasure in the beingness of your physical body may have been called perverse. In many different ways, your Being were rejected. And this is the truth for all human beings, in varying degrees.

When you find someone that you resonate with, your experience is always one of ‘he/she gets me’, they understand me, they ‘see’ me. But sooner or later, this is no longer true and problems start in the relationship. Do not look for acceptance in the eyes of another, rather reflect acceptance for yourself as the other through your own eyes, back at the world.   As you are learn that you are so much more than your story and so much more than others’ reflections, and you start to gain this conviction, you become the Grace.

blessings
Maji