(100973,2,'2013-11-19 16:10:13','2013-11-19 23:10:13','At SHARANYA, we are dedicated in our worship to Goddess Kali in Her myriad forms, including those as She is expressed through the world\'s various traditions that honor the Dark Goddess, the one who holds the wisdom of the full spectrum of human beingness. We honor through Maa her relationship to an unpathologized Sacred Male as manifest particularly through Shiva. This relationship is at the heart of the birthing potentials of the universe.<br><br>\r\n\r\nCeremony is held in the <a title=\"The Tradition\" href=\"http://sharanya.org/about-us/the-tradition-2/\" target=\"_blank\">Sha\'can tradition</a> and lead by Rashani (ordained clergy) with help from community. Our puja infuses methods and practices from East and West in order to create a sacred space for worship, deepening, and opening on the path of the <i>bhakta</i>, or devotee of the Divine. An <a title=\"RSVP for Kali Puja\" href=\"mailto:info@sharanya.org\" target=\"_blank\">R.S.V.P.</a> is requested if you would like to participate.<br><br>\r\n\r\n[blog category=\"2\" perpage=\"3\" pagination=\"\" ]\r\n\r\n[testimonials category=\"puja-2\" time=\"10\" effect=\"fade\" ]\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n<span style=\"font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif;\">[toggle type=\"gray\" title=\"What to bring\" active=\"\"]Offerings for the main altar are welcome. It is customary to bring flowers, fruit, wine, vegetarian offerings, or sweets and to refrain from wearing black to our public rituals. If you wish to wear a special color for Kali, we invite you to don red, a color associated with Her power in the phenomenal world as <i>shakti</i>, the activating force and the energy of creation. You are also invited to bring an object you would like to have blessed. [/toggle] </span>\r\n\r\n[toggle type=\"gray\" title=\"Donations\" active=\"\"]A sliding scale donation of $21-11 is suggested to cover the cost of the space, puja supplies and <i>prasad</i> (blessed food); however, no one is ever turned away for lack of funds, and any donation is graciously accepted. If you wish, you may <a title=\"Donate to SHARANYA\" href=\"https://www.networkforgood.org/donation/ExpressDonation.aspx?ORGID2=%2094-3334334&amp;vlrStratCode=QfHkjvv7O3iNUsVQhMSxvV1lSAo5hzn%2bjcTdl9IU4KAZH1KCyhNWvn%2fBXD%2bsythO\" target=\"_blank\">donate online</a>. We appreciate the offerings you make to support our work and the community. Jai Maa! [/toggle]\r\n\r\n[toggle type=\"gray\" title=\"What is puja like?\" active=\"\"]Our pujas are participatory, devotional, sometimes deeply transformational and often, fun! The ritual begins by casting a circle hand to hand, creating a sacred space between the worlds. We honor and invoke the powers of Earth, Air, Fire, and Water, the elements of life, as guides and allies in our worship. Through breath, song, movement, and speech in both English and Sanskrit, unique voices then call forth ancestors and the Divine.<br><br>\r\n\r\nWe first invoke Agni, Lord of the sacrificial fire, the dancing flame of all beings. Agni helps open a channel for us to commune with the Divine. Agni is also one of the most ancient deities of the Vedic tradition, honored with the first nine verses of the Rig Veda, the oldest religious text still used today. Our ceremony continues to open to the Divine by next calling Ganesha, the elephant-headed Lord of Obstacles who opens our minds and hearts to touch the Great Mystery. Through His worship, we are resolved of all that hinders our path and keeps us from fully experiencing the Divine.<br><br>\r\n\r\nMoving into deeper awareness of God and Self, we invoke Lord Shiva, the destroyer of life, sensuous yogi, Father of the Three Worlds, and Cosmic Consciousness alive in all things. His is the dance that turns the cycles of the seasons, the stars in orbit, and the ebb and flow the Universe. We welcome Him with our voices, chanting sacred verses that have lived in the hearts of humanity for thousands of years. Together we offer flowers and praise Shiva, singing \"Shiva Shambo Mahadeva Shambo\", honoring Shiva as the Great God and the bringer of peace. Opening to His love and compassion, we see the beauty and divinity of the world.<br><br>\r\n\r\nFully in the flow of Divine awareness, we then call forth Maa Kali to join our circle. With deep yearning in our beingness, we welcome Goddess with mantras that have been sung to Her for millennia. We bow to Her divine presence and perform <i>aarti</i>, offering incense, water, food, fan, and light before Her living image. Maa can be felt through her sacred image on the altar, and you are invited to take <i>darshan</i> with her. Darshan comes from the Sanskrit verb meaning \"to see\" and one can think of this practice as both seeing and being seen by the Divine. It also refers to sitting in the presence of the Divine and connecting by staring into the eyes of Kali Maa in the central image, the one that has been enlivened through <i>prana shakti</i> or life force energy. This practice will encourage peacefulness, insight, blessings and perhaps visions to come to you.<br><br>\r\n\r\nTogether we then sing \"Jai Maa\", Victory to the Mother, as we open fully and allow Her to touch our hearts. We breathe Her in, reaching ecstatic states through which we can more deeply experience Her beauty and grace. With the use of sacred substances and tools, we further deepen our awareness and allow Her messages to come forth.<br><br>\r\n\r\nThrough puja (worship) offered to Maa Kali, we allow Goddess to heal us and renew our souls. When we set time aside, as a community or alone, to perform puja to the Divine Mother, we connect to the original whim of God to know Herself. As we attune to the elemental powers and offer devotion to the gods, we transform ourselves and give birth to new worlds of being. Puja becomes part of the cosmic creation, allowing us to journey beyond time space reality and aid in the continuation of life on this planet. It grants us the ability to move from individual heart space into places of unlimited possibility. We awaken to Goddess in every facet of our being and transform our reality, coming to see Maa Kali as the Holy Mother in whom we live, move, and have our selves made whole.[/toggle]\r\n\r\n[toggle type=\"gray\" title=\"Temple etiquette\" active=\"\"]\r\n<ul>\r\n	<li><span style=\"font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif;\">As you are entering the sacred space of our <i>mandir</i> (temple), touch the ground with your right hand, and then touch your forehead. This is a symbolic gesture of humility. Taking the dust from the feet of Maa, our Divine Mother, to our brow, we contemplate and bring mindfulness to the surrender of our egos and the openness of our hearts to Her. Then join your hands together in prayer position at your heart and gently bow toward the altar as a sign of respect.</span></li>\r\n	<li><span style=\"font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif;\">Do not turn your back to the altar; please back away for a few paces and then turn.  </span></li>\r\n	<li><span style=\"font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif;\">Do not to block the altar from other people\'s view, and allow others to join you as you prostrate before Her. </span></li>\r\n	<li><span style=\"font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif;\">Please do not face the bottoms of your feet toward the altar as this is disrespectful. Do cover your feet with a shawl if you are able to do so in order to sit more comfortably (you may wish to bring your own and the temple has some on hand for community). </span></li>\r\n	<li><span style=\"font-family: Arial;\"><span style=\"font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif;\">As you move in the space, always try to go in a clockwise direction. This helps draw on the power of natural cycles and brings us into greater alignment with the mirroring of our individual selves and the turning of the universe.</span></span></li>\r\n	<li><span style=\"font-family: Arial;\">You are invited to wear red. Please abstain from wearing black during puja. </span></li>\r\n	<li><span style=\"font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif;\"><span style=\"font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif;\">Be mindful. </span></span></li>\r\n</ul>\r\n[/toggle]\r\n\r\n[toggle type=\"gray\" title=\"FAQs\" active=\"\"]\r\n\r\n<b>What is the proper way to enter the temple?</b><br><br>\r\n\r\nWhen entering sacred space, our sanctuary, or a dedicated temple, it is customary to touch the floor with one\'s right hand and then touch one\'s forehead. This is an act signifying one\'s intention to surrender to the divine (our deepest awareness of the divine will and our highest self) for the duration of the time one spends along with the deity being worshiped within the physical space occupied for worship. With this motion we are taking the dust from the floor in God/dess\' home and putting it to our head to ritualize our deeper understanding of and work toward ego surrender. We allow this intention to be witnessed and acknowledged in community.<br><br>\r\n\r\nAll who enter then pranam, paying respect to the lineage of teachers and the presiding teacher to honor the kaula, or spiritual family, of the temple and tradition.<br><br>\r\n\r\n<b>What is darshan? Are there certain or more appropriate ways to approach Maa when receiving darshan?</b><br><br>\r\n\r\n\'Darshan\' comes from the Sanskrit verb meaning, \'to see.\' Darshan literally means to \'see\' the divine; it is a term used to express the act of physically looking into the eyes of the image or statue into which the presence of the divine has been invoked and activated during ritual. By so doing, the worshiper is brought more closely into connection with the divine presence, allowing our soul--the spark of the divine within us--to recognize the original state of our beingness. Through darshan we reactivate our connection to Spirit, both internally and externally. When approaching the Divine Mother, it is important to breathe and remain open in one\'s heart.  Physical acts in addition to maintaining eye contact may include: prostration, bowing of the head, holding the hands in <i>anjali mudra</i> (the namaste or prayer position at the heart center), touching of the forehead to the feet of the deity, and other similar gestures of surrender, honoring and respect.<br><br>\r\n\r\n<b>Why do we cover our feet in front of Maa’s altar?</b><br><br>\r\n\r\nWe cover our feet and refrain from pointing them toward the altar out of respect for the spiritual process. The feet signify the mundane, the place of contact with our earthly selves. By being aware of the mundane in worship, we can set an intention to utilize that awareness to bring ourselves closer to our spiritual goals. Also, in traditional Hindu culture (as in many other cultures), pointing the feet at one\'s elders or others is considered disrespectful; and we honor the idea and practice of maintaining humility and respect in all relationships.<br><br>\r\n\r\n<b>What does the word <i>prema</i> mean?</b><br><br>\r\n\r\nIt means \'love.\'<br><br>\r\n\r\n<b>Why do we call directions thrice at community pujas? Is this a hard and fast rule?</b><br><br> \r\nThree is both a sacred number for goddess worship and a spiritual seal, a way of fully inviting in and holding the guides and energies called to be present in puja.  Calling in the directions three times also encourages more participation in the circle. We welcome invocations from all traditions during this part of the ceremony. During our annual Kali Puja Festival, the directional invocations are more elaborate and are supplemented with special elemental altars at each quarter. Therefore, during this time invocations are only done once.<br><br>\r\n\r\n<b>Why do we ring the bell before we approach Maa?</b><br><br>\r\n\r\nThe bell is rung to let Maa know that we are coming to worship Her. It also awakens us to the power of vibrational energy made manifest.<br><br>\r\n\r\n<b>Why are there so many skulls associated with Kali and the Sha\'can path?</b><br><br>\r\n\r\nIn many of the world\'s spiritual traditions, skulls, as repositories of the brain, are symbols of the power of the mind and of wisdom, as well as of the integrative forces that allow principles of mind, body and spirit to reveal the divine nature of beingness. Our cranium, therefore, is considered to be a symbol of the human potential for enlightenment, or oneness with God/dess.<br><br>\r\n\r\nWhen acting in the mundane realm, human beings often forget about or stray from this original connection to Spirit. To do so leaves the more shallow ego-identified state that is agenda-laden and task-oriented. Kali\'s skulls therefore are a reminder of our divine nature and our deeper call to the Great Mystery. They hold the potential for the unification of matter and spirit, heart and head, mind and body through love--which rectifies and embraces all opposites, bringing us through our yearning to a place of <i>sat-chit-ananda</i> (being-consciousness-bliss).  Additionally, the skulls around Kali\'s neck form a <i>mala</i>, or rosary, each symbolizing the 51 letters of the Sanskrit alphabet from which all sounds are created. Hence, all <i>mantras</i>, or conglomorates of words used to address a deity (or words used for an effect which lasts beyond the utterance of the words), are worn by Her.<br><br>\r\n\r\n<b>What does <i>ishtadevi</i> mean?</b><br><br>\r\n\r\nThis Sanskrit word means \'chosen Goddess.\' It is akin to the similar \'ishtadeva,\' meaning \'chosen God.\' In some traditions, this deity is chosen by virtue of family line; i.e., the god or goddess who is considered the family \'patron saint.\' At SHARANYA, we promote deepening personal spiritual practice while learning about the Sha\'can tradition in order to facilitate the personal revelation of this deity, who resides in one\'s heart. The ishtadeva or ishtadevi is also understood to be a reflection of the undifferentiated cosmic consciousness.<br><br>\r\n\r\n<b>What\'s the difference between <i>Devi</i> and <i>Deva</i>?</b><br><br>\r\n\r\nThe Sanskrit word Devi means Goddess, and the word Deva means God.<br><br>\r\n\r\n<b>What is <i>sadhana</i>?</b><br><br>\r\n\r\nThe Sanskrit word \'sadhana\' means spiritual practice or discipline. In this, it can mean a particular practice or method--a spiritual technology--one undertakes or employs to deepen a connection with the divine or spirit; e.g., meditation, japa, or prayer. It also refers to the spiritual journey overall and in this sense relates to one\'s way of walking in the world or \'doing\' life.<br><br>\r\n\r\n<b>What is <i>dakshina</i>?</b><br><br>\r\n\r\nThis is an offering made, monetary or otherwise, to one\'s teacher out of respect and gratitude for the teaching or work done on one\'s behalf, such as during puja, homa (fire ceremony) or other ceremony. It is given from the heart and is never asked for directly.<br><br>\r\n\r\n<b>What does <i>Jai Maa</i> mean?</b><br><br>\r\n\r\nThis is a call to the Divine Mother, \'Maa,\' a singing of Her glory. Literally, \'jai\' means \'victory,\' although we often translate it as \'hallelujah\' or \'praises.\' Speaking \'Jai Maa\' in puja (worship ceremony) is an affirmation of the Divine Mother\'s blessings, a chant of gratitude for all Her gifts and the challenges She provides that help us grow spiritually.<br><br>\r\n\r\n<b>Why do we chant to Agni first during Puja?</b><br><br>\r\n\r\nIn Hinduism, Agni is the god of fire, the one who presides over all rites and rituals. He is \'purohit,\' the one who presides over the fire ceremony and is the first deity honored in the Rig Veda, the oldest written religious text of record from among all surviving world\'s spiritual traditions. Simply, fire is what enabled humanity to first survive and then thrive. We open our ceremonies with a chant to Agni to honor the role of fire both as literal element and as metaphor for the transformational spiritual journey.<br><br>\r\n\r\n<b>How do you \"ground\"?</b><br><br>\r\n\r\nThe concept of grounding refers to any method of reconnecting to one\'s body (i.e., physicality) after engaging in any endeavor, spiritual, emotional, or intellectual that facilitates or actively directs focus away from the fact of one\'s embodied presence in the moment. We can be readily reminded of our bodies through bringing attention to our breathing or by touching of the ground on which we stand, invoking the power of पृथ्वी (pṛthvī), or Earth. Doing so reincorporates us, allowing for an integration of our experience with the fullness of mind, body and spirit.<br><br>\r\n\r\n<b>What are the most important Sanskrit texts for Shaktas?</b><br><br>\r\n\r\nTraditionally, the two most important Sanskrit texts for Shaktas are the <i>Devi Mahatmya</i> (or <i>Chandi Path</i>, as it is also called), and the <i>Srimad Devi Bhagavatam</i>. Other important texts for left-hand Tantric practitioners and devotees of the Dark Goddess Kali and all her manifestations are the <i>Yogini Tantra</i> and the <i>Kalika Purana</i>.<br><br>\r\n\r\n[/toggle]\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n<h5>Jai Maa!</h5>\r\n[thaudio href=\'http://sharanya.org/wp-content/uploads/2013/08/jaima64.mp3\'][/thaudio]\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n[one_third][teaser url=\"http://sharanya.org/events\" title=\"Puja Calendar\" src=\"http://sharanya.org/wp-content/uploads/2013/08/DSC_0387-e1378621009871.jpg\" ]Upcoming dates[/teaser][/one_third]\r\n\r\n[one_third last=last][teaser url=\"http://sharanya.org/events\" title=\"Puja Galleries\" src=\"http://sharanya.org/wp-content/uploads/2013/11/2013-11-02-17.54.47-e1384902563517.jpg\" ]Explore...[/teaser][/one_third]','Puja','','inherit','open','open','','99134-revision-v1','','','2013-11-19 16:10:13','2013-11-19 23:10:13','',99134,'http://sharanya.org/mandala/99134-revision-v1/',0,'revision','',0),(100974,2,'2013-11-19 16:11:06','2013-11-19 23:11:06','At SHARANYA, we are dedicated in our worship to Goddess Kali in Her myriad forms, including those as She is expressed through the world\'s various traditions that honor the Dark Goddess, the one who holds the wisdom of the full spectrum of human beingness. We honor through Maa her relationship to an unpathologized Sacred Male as manifest particularly through Shiva. This relationship is at the heart of the birthing potentials of the universe.<br><br>\r\n\r\nCeremony is held in the <a title=\"The Tradition\" href=\"http://sharanya.org/about-us/the-tradition-2/\" target=\"_blank\">Sha\'can tradition</a> and lead by Rashani (ordained clergy) with help from community. Our puja infuses methods and practices from East and West in order to create a sacred space for worship, deepening, and opening on the path of the <i>bhakta</i>, or devotee of the Divine. An <a title=\"RSVP for Kali Puja\" href=\"mailto:info@sharanya.org\" target=\"_blank\">R.S.V.P.</a> is requested if you would like to participate.<br><br>\r\n\r\n[blog category=\"2\" perpage=\"3\" pagination=\"\" ]\r\n\r\n[testimonials category=\"puja-2\" time=\"10\" effect=\"fade\" ]\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n<span style=\"font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif;\">[toggle type=\"gray\" title=\"What to bring\" active=\"\"]Offerings for the main altar are welcome. It is customary to bring flowers, fruit, wine, vegetarian offerings, or sweets and to refrain from wearing black to our public rituals. If you wish to wear a special color for Kali, we invite you to don red, a color associated with Her power in the phenomenal world as <i>shakti</i>, the activating force and the energy of creation. You are also invited to bring an object you would like to have blessed. [/toggle] </span>\r\n\r\n[toggle type=\"gray\" title=\"Donations\" active=\"\"]A sliding scale donation of $21-11 is suggested to cover the cost of the space, puja supplies and <i>prasad</i> (blessed food); however, no one is ever turned away for lack of funds, and any donation is graciously accepted. If you wish, you may <a title=\"Donate to SHARANYA\" href=\"https://www.networkforgood.org/donation/ExpressDonation.aspx?ORGID2=%2094-3334334&amp;vlrStratCode=QfHkjvv7O3iNUsVQhMSxvV1lSAo5hzn%2bjcTdl9IU4KAZH1KCyhNWvn%2fBXD%2bsythO\" target=\"_blank\">donate online</a>. We appreciate the offerings you make to support our work and the community. Jai Maa! [/toggle]\r\n\r\n[toggle type=\"gray\" title=\"What is puja like?\" active=\"\"]Our pujas are participatory, devotional, sometimes deeply transformational and often, fun! The ritual begins by casting a circle hand to hand, creating a sacred space between the worlds. We honor and invoke the powers of Earth, Air, Fire, and Water, the elements of life, as guides and allies in our worship. Through breath, song, movement, and speech in both English and Sanskrit, unique voices then call forth ancestors and the Divine.<br><br>\r\n\r\nWe first invoke Agni, Lord of the sacrificial fire, the dancing flame of all beings. Agni helps open a channel for us to commune with the Divine. Agni is also one of the most ancient deities of the Vedic tradition, honored with the first nine verses of the Rig Veda, the oldest religious text still used today. Our ceremony continues to open to the Divine by next calling Ganesha, the elephant-headed Lord of Obstacles who opens our minds and hearts to touch the Great Mystery. Through His worship, we are resolved of all that hinders our path and keeps us from fully experiencing the Divine.<br><br>\r\n\r\nMoving into deeper awareness of God and Self, we invoke Lord Shiva, the destroyer of life, sensuous yogi, Father of the Three Worlds, and Cosmic Consciousness alive in all things. His is the dance that turns the cycles of the seasons, the stars in orbit, and the ebb and flow the Universe. We welcome Him with our voices, chanting sacred verses that have lived in the hearts of humanity for thousands of years. Together we offer flowers and praise Shiva, singing \"Shiva Shambo Mahadeva Shambo\", honoring Shiva as the Great God and the bringer of peace. Opening to His love and compassion, we see the beauty and divinity of the world.<br><br>\r\n\r\nFully in the flow of Divine awareness, we then call forth Maa Kali to join our circle. With deep yearning in our beingness, we welcome Goddess with mantras that have been sung to Her for millennia. We bow to Her divine presence and perform <i>aarti</i>, offering incense, water, food, fan, and light before Her living image. Maa can be felt through her sacred image on the altar, and you are invited to take <i>darshan</i> with her. Darshan comes from the Sanskrit verb meaning \"to see\" and one can think of this practice as both seeing and being seen by the Divine. It also refers to sitting in the presence of the Divine and connecting by staring into the eyes of Kali Maa in the central image, the one that has been enlivened through <i>prana shakti</i> or life force energy. This practice will encourage peacefulness, insight, blessings and perhaps visions to come to you.<br><br>\r\n\r\nTogether we then sing \"Jai Maa\", Victory to the Mother, as we open fully and allow Her to touch our hearts. We breathe Her in, reaching ecstatic states through which we can more deeply experience Her beauty and grace. With the use of sacred substances and tools, we further deepen our awareness and allow Her messages to come forth.<br><br>\r\n\r\nThrough puja (worship) offered to Maa Kali, we allow Goddess to heal us and renew our souls. When we set time aside, as a community or alone, to perform puja to the Divine Mother, we connect to the original whim of God to know Herself. As we attune to the elemental powers and offer devotion to the gods, we transform ourselves and give birth to new worlds of being. Puja becomes part of the cosmic creation, allowing us to journey beyond time space reality and aid in the continuation of life on this planet. It grants us the ability to move from individual heart space into places of unlimited possibility. We awaken to Goddess in every facet of our being and transform our reality, coming to see Maa Kali as the Holy Mother in whom we live, move, and have our selves made whole.[/toggle]\r\n\r\n[toggle type=\"gray\" title=\"Temple etiquette\" active=\"\"]\r\n<ul>\r\n	<li><span style=\"font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif;\">As you are entering the sacred space of our <i>mandir</i> (temple), touch the ground with your right hand, and then touch your forehead. This is a symbolic gesture of humility. Taking the dust from the feet of Maa, our Divine Mother, to our brow, we contemplate and bring mindfulness to the surrender of our egos and the openness of our hearts to Her. Then join your hands together in prayer position at your heart and gently bow toward the altar as a sign of respect.</span></li>\r\n	<li><span style=\"font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif;\">Do not turn your back to the altar; please back away for a few paces and then turn.  </span></li>\r\n	<li><span style=\"font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif;\">Do not to block the altar from other people\'s view, and allow others to join you as you prostrate before Her. </span></li>\r\n	<li><span style=\"font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif;\">Please do not face the bottoms of your feet toward the altar as this is disrespectful. Do cover your feet with a shawl if you are able to do so in order to sit more comfortably (you may wish to bring your own and the temple has some on hand for community). </span></li>\r\n	<li><span style=\"font-family: Arial;\"><span style=\"font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif;\">As you move in the space, always try to go in a clockwise direction. This helps draw on the power of natural cycles and brings us into greater alignment with the mirroring of our individual selves and the turning of the universe.</span></span></li>\r\n	<li><span style=\"font-family: Arial;\">You are invited to wear red. Please abstain from wearing black during puja. </span></li>\r\n	<li><span style=\"font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif;\"><span style=\"font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif;\">Be mindful. </span></span></li>\r\n</ul>\r\n[/toggle]\r\n\r\n[toggle type=\"gray\" title=\"FAQs\" active=\"\"]\r\n\r\n<b>What is the proper way to enter the temple?</b><br><br>\r\n\r\nWhen entering sacred space, our sanctuary, or a dedicated temple, it is customary to touch the floor with one\'s right hand and then touch one\'s forehead. This is an act signifying one\'s intention to surrender to the divine (our deepest awareness of the divine will and our highest self) for the duration of the time one spends along with the deity being worshiped within the physical space occupied for worship. With this motion we are taking the dust from the floor in God/dess\' home and putting it to our head to ritualize our deeper understanding of and work toward ego surrender. We allow this intention to be witnessed and acknowledged in community.<br><br>\r\n\r\nAll who enter then pranam, paying respect to the lineage of teachers and the presiding teacher to honor the kaula, or spiritual family, of the temple and tradition.<br><br>\r\n\r\n<b>What is darshan? Are there certain or more appropriate ways to approach Maa when receiving darshan?</b><br><br>\r\n\r\n\'Darshan\' comes from the Sanskrit verb meaning, \'to see.\' Darshan literally means to \'see\' the divine; it is a term used to express the act of physically looking into the eyes of the image or statue into which the presence of the divine has been invoked and activated during ritual. By so doing, the worshiper is brought more closely into connection with the divine presence, allowing our soul--the spark of the divine within us--to recognize the original state of our beingness. Through darshan we reactivate our connection to Spirit, both internally and externally. When approaching the Divine Mother, it is important to breathe and remain open in one\'s heart.  Physical acts in addition to maintaining eye contact may include: prostration, bowing of the head, holding the hands in <i>anjali mudra</i> (the namaste or prayer position at the heart center), touching of the forehead to the feet of the deity, and other similar gestures of surrender, honoring and respect.<br><br>\r\n\r\n<b>Why do we cover our feet in front of Maa’s altar?</b><br><br>\r\n\r\nWe cover our feet and refrain from pointing them toward the altar out of respect for the spiritual process. The feet signify the mundane, the place of contact with our earthly selves. By being aware of the mundane in worship, we can set an intention to utilize that awareness to bring ourselves closer to our spiritual goals. Also, in traditional Hindu culture (as in many other cultures), pointing the feet at one\'s elders or others is considered disrespectful; and we honor the idea and practice of maintaining humility and respect in all relationships.<br><br>\r\n\r\n<b>What does the word <i>prema</i> mean?</b><br><br>\r\n\r\nIt means \'love.\'<br><br>\r\n\r\n<b>Why do we call directions thrice at community pujas? Is this a hard and fast rule?</b><br><br> \r\nThree is both a sacred number for goddess worship and a spiritual seal, a way of fully inviting in and holding the guides and energies called to be present in puja.  Calling in the directions three times also encourages more participation in the circle. We welcome invocations from all traditions during this part of the ceremony. During our annual Kali Puja Festival, the directional invocations are more elaborate and are supplemented with special elemental altars at each quarter. Therefore, during this time invocations are only done once.<br><br>\r\n\r\n<b>Why do we ring the bell before we approach Maa?</b><br><br>\r\n\r\nThe bell is rung to let Maa know that we are coming to worship Her. It also awakens us to the power of vibrational energy made manifest.<br><br>\r\n\r\n<b>Why are there so many skulls associated with Kali and the Sha\'can path?</b><br><br>\r\n\r\nIn many of the world\'s spiritual traditions, skulls, as repositories of the brain, are symbols of the power of the mind and of wisdom, as well as of the integrative forces that allow principles of mind, body and spirit to reveal the divine nature of beingness. Our cranium, therefore, is considered to be a symbol of the human potential for enlightenment, or oneness with God/dess.<br><br>\r\n\r\nWhen acting in the mundane realm, human beings often forget about or stray from this original connection to Spirit. To do so leaves the more shallow ego-identified state that is agenda-laden and task-oriented. Kali\'s skulls therefore are a reminder of our divine nature and our deeper call to the Great Mystery. They hold the potential for the unification of matter and spirit, heart and head, mind and body through love--which rectifies and embraces all opposites, bringing us through our yearning to a place of <i>sat-chit-ananda</i> (being-consciousness-bliss).  Additionally, the skulls around Kali\'s neck form a <i>mala</i>, or rosary, each symbolizing the 51 letters of the Sanskrit alphabet from which all sounds are created. Hence, all <i>mantras</i>, or conglomorates of words used to address a deity (or words used for an effect which lasts beyond the utterance of the words), are worn by Her.<br><br>\r\n\r\n<b>What does <i>ishtadevi</i> mean?</b><br><br>\r\n\r\nThis Sanskrit word means \'chosen Goddess.\' It is akin to the similar \'ishtadeva,\' meaning \'chosen God.\' In some traditions, this deity is chosen by virtue of family line; i.e., the god or goddess who is considered the family \'patron saint.\' At SHARANYA, we promote deepening personal spiritual practice while learning about the Sha\'can tradition in order to facilitate the personal revelation of this deity, who resides in one\'s heart. The ishtadeva or ishtadevi is also understood to be a reflection of the undifferentiated cosmic consciousness.<br><br>\r\n\r\n<b>What\'s the difference between <i>Devi</i> and <i>Deva</i>?</b><br><br>\r\n\r\nThe Sanskrit word Devi means Goddess, and the word Deva means God.<br><br>\r\n\r\n<b>What is <i>sadhana</i>?</b><br><br>\r\n\r\nThe Sanskrit word \'sadhana\' means spiritual practice or discipline. In this, it can mean a particular practice or method--a spiritual technology--one undertakes or employs to deepen a connection with the divine or spirit; e.g., meditation, japa, or prayer. It also refers to the spiritual journey overall and in this sense relates to one\'s way of walking in the world or \'doing\' life.<br><br>\r\n\r\n<b>What is <i>dakshina</i>?</b><br><br>\r\n\r\nThis is an offering made, monetary or otherwise, to one\'s teacher out of respect and gratitude for the teaching or work done on one\'s behalf, such as during puja, homa (fire ceremony) or other ceremony. It is given from the heart and is never asked for directly.<br><br>\r\n\r\n<b>What does <i>Jai Maa</i> mean?</b><br><br>\r\n\r\nThis is a call to the Divine Mother, \'Maa,\' a singing of Her glory. Literally, \'jai\' means \'victory,\' although we often translate it as \'hallelujah\' or \'praises.\' Speaking \'Jai Maa\' in puja (worship ceremony) is an affirmation of the Divine Mother\'s blessings, a chant of gratitude for all Her gifts and the challenges She provides that help us grow spiritually.<br><br>\r\n\r\n<b>Why do we chant to Agni first during Puja?</b><br><br>\r\n\r\nIn Hinduism, Agni is the god of fire, the one who presides over all rites and rituals. He is \'purohit,\' the one who presides over the fire ceremony and is the first deity honored in the Rig Veda, the oldest written religious text of record from among all surviving world\'s spiritual traditions. Simply, fire is what enabled humanity to first survive and then thrive. We open our ceremonies with a chant to Agni to honor the role of fire both as literal element and as metaphor for the transformational spiritual journey.<br><br>\r\n\r\n<b>How do you \"ground\"?</b><br><br>\r\n\r\nThe concept of grounding refers to any method of reconnecting to one\'s body (i.e., physicality) after engaging in any endeavor, spiritual, emotional, or intellectual that facilitates or actively directs focus away from the fact of one\'s embodied presence in the moment. We can be readily reminded of our bodies through bringing attention to our breathing or by touching of the ground on which we stand, invoking the power of पृथ्वी (pṛthvī), or Earth. Doing so reincorporates us, allowing for an integration of our experience with the fullness of mind, body and spirit.<br><br>\r\n\r\n<b>What are the most important Sanskrit texts for Shaktas?</b><br><br>\r\n\r\nTraditionally, the two most important Sanskrit texts for Shaktas are the <i>Devi Mahatmya</i> (or <i>Chandi Path</i>, as it is also called), and the <i>Srimad Devi Bhagavatam</i>. Other important texts for left-hand Tantric practitioners and devotees of the Dark Goddess Kali and all her manifestations are the <i>Yogini Tantra</i> and the <i>Kalika Purana</i>.<br><br>\r\n\r\n[/toggle]\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n<h5>Jai Maa!</h5>\r\n[thaudio href=\'http://sharanya.org/wp-content/uploads/2013/08/jaima64.mp3\'][/thaudio]\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n[one_third][teaser url=\"http://sharanya.org/events\" title=\"Puja Calendar\" src=\"http://sharanya.org/wp-content/uploads/2013/08/DSC_0387-e1378621009871.jpg\" ]Upcoming dates[/teaser][/one_third]\r\n\r\n[one_third last=last][teaser url=\"http://sharanya.org/resources/galleries/\" title=\"Puja Galleries\" src=\"http://sharanya.org/wp-content/uploads/2013/11/2013-11-02-17.54.47-e1384902563517.jpg\" ]Explore...[/teaser][/one_third]','Puja','','inherit','open','open','','99134-revision-v1','','','2013-11-19 16:11:06','2013-11-19 23:11:06','',99134,'http://sharanya.org/mandala/99134-revision-v1/',0,'revision','',0),(100978,2,'2014-01-16 15:12:32','2014-01-16 22:12:32','Gather with us for full moon meditation and reflection each month. Everyone is welcome, no prior experience necessary. Program consists of teaching, puja, meditation and aarati followed by refreshments.\n\nPaush Purnima is the full-moon time of reflection during the Hindu month of Magha. Traditionally, we think about our past mistakes and see to make right the tensions that exist inside as well as outside of ourselves. ','Paush Purnima Satsang','','inherit','open','open','','100551-autosave-v1','','','2014-01-16 15:12:32','2014-01-16 22:12:32','',100551,'http://sharanya.org/mandala/100551-autosave-v1/',0,'revision','',0),(100980,2,'2014-01-23 23:12:38','2014-01-24 06:12:38','[one_third] [teaser url=\"http://sharanya.org/events/festivals/\" title=\"Kali Festival\" src=\"http://sharanya.org/wp-content/uploads/2013/09/Blessed-Altar-Web-e1380257091912.jpg\" ]Miss the KPF? Look here...[/teaser] [/one_third]\r\n\r\n[one_third] [teaser url=\"http://sharanya.org/the-path/\" title=\"Curious?\" src=\"http://sharanya.org/wp-content/uploads/2013/09/DSC_0313-e1381818563636.jpg\" ]Learn more...[/teaser] [/one_third]\r\n\r\n[one_third last=last] [teaser url=\"http://sharanya.org/events/\" title=\"Puja Dates\" src=\"http://sharanya.org/wp-content/uploads/2013/09/0311-e1381818979184.jpg\" ]Visit the calendar[/teaser] [/one_third]\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n<hr />\r\n<h3>Reflections &amp; News</h3><br>\r\n\"Sing Kali\'s glory, make a happy racket, paddle this old boat of a body as fast as you can. What\'s the trouble of this world anyhow?\" - Ramprasad Sen\r\n[blog category=\"7\" perpage=\"3\" pagination=\"\" ]\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n[testimonials category=\"matrikas\" time=\"10\" randomize=\"on\" effect=\"fade\" ]','Homepage','','inherit','open','open','','99117-revision-v1','','','2014-01-23 23:12:38','2014-01-24 06:12:38','',99117,'http://sharanya.org/mandala/99117-revision-v1/',0,'revision','',0),(100981,2,'2014-01-23 23:13:18','2014-01-24 06:13:18','[one_third] [teaser url=\"http://sharanya.org/events/festivals/\" title=\"Kali Festival\" src=\"http://sharanya.org/wp-content/uploads/2013/09/Blessed-Altar-Web-e1380257091912.jpg\" ]Miss the KPF? Look here...[/teaser] [/one_third]\r\n\r\n[one_third] [teaser url=\"http://sharanya.org/the-path/\" title=\"Curious?\" src=\"http://sharanya.org/wp-content/uploads/2013/09/DSC_0313-e1381818563636.jpg\" ]Learn more...[/teaser] [/one_third]\r\n\r\n[one_third last=last] [teaser url=\"http://sharanya.org/events/\" title=\"Puja Dates\" src=\"http://sharanya.org/wp-content/uploads/2013/09/0311-e1381818979184.jpg\" ]Visit the calendar[/teaser] [/one_third]\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n<hr />\r\n<h3>Reflections &amp; News</h3><br>\r\n<i>\"Sing Kali\'s glory, make a happy racket, paddle this old boat of a body as fast as you can. What\'s the trouble of this world anyhow?\" - Ramprasad Sen</i><br>\r\n[blog category=\"7\" perpage=\"3\" pagination=\"\" ]\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n[testimonials category=\"matrikas\" time=\"10\" randomize=\"on\" effect=\"fade\" ]','Homepage','','inherit','open','open','','99117-revision-v1','','','2014-01-23 23:13:18','2014-01-24 06:13:18','',99117,'http://sharanya.org/mandala/99117-revision-v1/',0,'revision','',0),(100982,2,'2014-01-23 23:13:58','2014-01-24 06:13:58','[one_third] [teaser url=\"http://sharanya.org/events/festivals/\" title=\"Kali Festival\" src=\"http://sharanya.org/wp-content/uploads/2013/09/Blessed-Altar-Web-e1380257091912.jpg\" ]Miss the KPF? Look here...[/teaser] [/one_third]\r\n\r\n[one_third] [teaser url=\"http://sharanya.org/the-path/\" title=\"Curious?\" src=\"http://sharanya.org/wp-content/uploads/2013/09/DSC_0313-e1381818563636.jpg\" ]Learn more...[/teaser] [/one_third]\r\n\r\n[one_third last=last] [teaser url=\"http://sharanya.org/events/\" title=\"Puja Dates\" src=\"http://sharanya.org/wp-content/uploads/2013/09/0311-e1381818979184.jpg\" ]Visit the calendar[/teaser] [/one_third]\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n<hr />\r\n<h3>Reflections &amp; News</h3>\r\n<center><i>\"Sing Kali\'s glory, make a happy racket, paddle this old boat of a body as fast as you can. What\'s the trouble of this world anyhow?\" - Ramprasad Sen</i></center><br><br>\r\n[blog category=\"7\" perpage=\"3\" pagination=\"\" ]\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n[testimonials category=\"matrikas\" time=\"10\" randomize=\"on\" effect=\"fade\" ]','Homepage','','inherit','open','open','','99117-revision-v1','','','2014-01-23 23:13:58','2014-01-24 06:13:58','',99117,'http://sharanya.org/mandala/99117-revision-v1/',0,'revision','',0),(100983,2,'2014-01-23 23:14:46','2014-01-24 06:14:46','[one_third] [teaser url=\"http://sharanya.org/events/festivals/\" title=\"Kali Festival\" src=\"http://sharanya.org/wp-content/uploads/2013/09/Blessed-Altar-Web-e1380257091912.jpg\" ]Miss the KPF? Look here...[/teaser] [/one_third]\r\n\r\n[one_third] [teaser url=\"http://sharanya.org/the-path/\" title=\"Curious?\" src=\"http://sharanya.org/wp-content/uploads/2013/09/DSC_0313-e1381818563636.jpg\" ]Learn more...[/teaser] [/one_third]\r\n\r\n[one_third last=last] [teaser url=\"http://sharanya.org/events/\" title=\"Puja Dates\" src=\"http://sharanya.org/wp-content/uploads/2013/09/0311-e1381818979184.jpg\" ]Visit the calendar[/teaser] [/one_third]\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n<hr />\r\n<h3>Reflections &amp; News</h3>\r\n<center><i>\"Sing Kali\'s glory, make a happy racket,<br>paddle this old boat of a body as fast as you can. What\'s the trouble of this world anyhow?\" - Ramprasad Sen</i></center><br><br>\r\n[blog category=\"7\" perpage=\"3\" pagination=\"\" ]\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n[testimonials category=\"matrikas\" time=\"10\" randomize=\"on\" effect=\"fade\" ]','Homepage','','inherit','open','open','','99117-revision-v1','','','2014-01-23 23:14:46','2014-01-24 06:14:46','',99117,'http://sharanya.org/mandala/99117-revision-v1/',0,'revision','',0),(100984,2,'2014-01-23 23:15:16','2014-01-24 06:15:16','[one_third] [teaser url=\"http://sharanya.org/events/festivals/\" title=\"Kali Festival\" src=\"http://sharanya.org/wp-content/uploads/2013/09/Blessed-Altar-Web-e1380257091912.jpg\" ]Miss the KPF? Look here...[/teaser] [/one_third]\r\n\r\n[one_third] [teaser url=\"http://sharanya.org/the-path/\" title=\"Curious?\" src=\"http://sharanya.org/wp-content/uploads/2013/09/DSC_0313-e1381818563636.jpg\" ]Learn more...[/teaser] [/one_third]\r\n\r\n[one_third last=last] [teaser url=\"http://sharanya.org/events/\" title=\"Puja Dates\" src=\"http://sharanya.org/wp-content/uploads/2013/09/0311-e1381818979184.jpg\" ]Visit the calendar[/teaser] [/one_third]\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n<hr />\r\n<h3>Reflections &amp; News</h3>\r\n<center><i>\"Sing Kali\'s glory, make a happy racket, paddle this old boat of a body as fast as you can.<br>What\'s the trouble of this world anyhow?\" - Ramprasad Sen</i></center><br><br>\r\n[blog category=\"7\" perpage=\"3\" pagination=\"\" ]\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n[testimonials category=\"matrikas\" time=\"10\" randomize=\"on\" effect=\"fade\" ]','Homepage','','inherit','open','open','','99117-revision-v1','','','2014-01-23 23:15:16','2014-01-24 06:15:16','',99117,'http://sharanya.org/mandala/99117-revision-v1/',0,'revision','',0),(100985,2,'2014-01-23 23:16:02','2014-01-24 06:16:02','[one_third] [teaser url=\"http://sharanya.org/events/festivals/\" title=\"Kali Festival\" src=\"http://sharanya.org/wp-content/uploads/2013/09/Blessed-Altar-Web-e1380257091912.jpg\" ]Miss the KPF? Look here...[/teaser] [/one_third]\r\n\r\n[one_third] [teaser url=\"http://sharanya.org/the-path/\" title=\"Curious?\" src=\"http://sharanya.org/wp-content/uploads/2013/09/DSC_0313-e1381818563636.jpg\" ]Learn more...[/teaser] [/one_third]\r\n\r\n[one_third last=last] [teaser url=\"http://sharanya.org/events/\" title=\"Puja Dates\" src=\"http://sharanya.org/wp-content/uploads/2013/09/0311-e1381818979184.jpg\" ]Visit the calendar[/teaser] [/one_third]\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n<hr />\r\n<h3>Reflections &amp; News</h3>\r\n<center><i>\"Sing Kali\'s glory, make a happy racket, paddle this old boat of a body as fast as you can.<br>What\'s the trouble of this world anyhow?\" - Ramprasad Sen</i></center><br>\r\n[blog category=\"7\" perpage=\"3\" pagination=\"\" ]\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n[testimonials category=\"matrikas\" time=\"10\" randomize=\"on\" effect=\"fade\" ]','Homepage','','inherit','open','open','','99117-revision-v1','','','2014-01-23 23:16:02','2014-01-24 06:16:02','',99117,'http://sharanya.org/mandala/99117-revision-v1/',0,'revision','',0),(100987,2,'2014-02-04 13:37:10','2014-02-04 20:37:10','Over the next three months, I would like to explore the three traditionally Christian monastic vows from a tantric perspective. Now, before you go running and screaming to the hills, be assured that I will not be asking anyone to take the vows of poverty, chastity and obedience. The idea for this exploration was inspired by an article by Joseph Dispenza in the November/December issue of <em>Spirituality & Health</em> magazine. A former monk, Dispenza realized the deeper meaning of his vows only after he broke them and gave up his monkhood. While he briefly mentioned chastity and obedience, the main focus of his article was poverty, which will be this month\'s focus as well.\r\n\r\nI know that for many of you the idea of poverty is not just an idea - it is a reality. And while I certainly don\'t mean to make light of or downplay anyone\'s financial situation, the emphasis here is on voluntary poverty. Just wanted to be clear on this point.\r\n\r\nIn almost every monastic tradition - Christian, Buddhist, Hindu, and others - taking a vow of poverty is one of the cornerstones of monastic life. In Christianity, it wasn\'t until the twelfth century that the three vows were formalized by Francis of Assisi. Francis was a man of deep faith and took his vows literally and to great extremes. However, Dispenza points out that the vow of poverty is not just about living on little or no money, but that \"at the root of the (poverty) vow is surrendering ownership.\" For Dispenza, monastic poverty enabled him \"to apply the virtue of detachment to several areas of life: body, mind, emotions, and spirit.\" \r\n\r\nThis idea of voluntary poverty as a practice of detachment struck me as being very tantric. In Tantra, as you all know, the material world is not to be renounced but used as a means to reconnecting with our True Selves. There is no need to renounce our possessions, our titles, our families, our iThings. The potential problem lies in that saying: non-attachment is not not owning things; it is things not owning you. Dispenza would be quick to add that it is not just \"things\" that can own us, but attitudes and emotions as well.\r\n\r\nWhen the topic of non-attachment comes up, many people picture someone being cold, unfeeling, and uncaring. In fact, true detachment (I\'m using non-attachment and detachment interchangeably here) can result in quite the opposite. The famous \"Christian yogi,\" Bede Griffiths, understood this when he stated:\r\n\r\n<blockquote>What Gandhi saw so clearly is that this detachment was not a way of escape from the world but of a freedom from self-interest which enabled one to give oneself totally to God and to the world. (Christ in India, pg. 24)</blockquote>												\r\n\r\nBy recognizing and understanding how the kleshas play out in our lives, we can begin to loosen the bonds of this self-interest. By practicing tattva shuddhi, yoga nidra, and other such practices, we can begin to harmonize our individual selves with our divine selves, enabling us to act and respond in this world with compassionate detachment. We can further this process by taking up a form of voluntary poverty and asking ourselves the following questions:\r\n\r\n<li>Is this material thing really necessary? Meaning, will it help or hinder my spiritual progression?</li> \r\n\r\n<li>What thoughts, especially habitual ones, keep me in a loop of self-interest?</li>\r\n\r\n<li>Similarly, what emotions am I attached to for whatever reason?</li>\r\n\r\n<li>What would happen to me if I start to untangle myself from my attachments?</li><br>\r\n\r\nSo, I invite us to look at areas of our lives where attachments hold us fast in the bonds of self-interest. No need to making sweeping changes immediately (unless you want to and have the strength to do so) but just make small changes. Make detachment a part of your daily life and notice the subtle changes in and around you. \r\n\r\nIf you would like to share your thoughts on detachment as voluntary poverty or your experiences with it, please do so. We in community look forward to hearing from you! \r\n\r\n<i>Offered by Balipriya</i>','Vows (Part I): Voluntary Poverty - A Perspective','','publish','open','open','','voluntary-poverty-perspective','','','2014-03-10 22:09:25','2014-03-11 05:09:25','',0,'http://sharanya.org/?p=100987',0,'post','',1),(100988,2,'2014-02-04 13:37:10','2014-02-04 20:37:10','<h3>By Balipriya</h3>\r\n\r\nOver the next three months, I would like to explore the three traditionally Christian monastic vows from a tantric perspective. Now, before you go running and screaming to the hills, be assured that I will not be asking anyone to take the vows of poverty, chastity and obedience. The idea for this exploration was inspired by an article by Joseph Dispenza in the November/December issue of <em>Spirituality & Health</em> magazine. A former monk, Dispenza realized the deeper meaning of his vows only after he broke them and gave up his monkhood. While he briefly mentioned chastity and obedience, the main focus of his article was poverty, which will be this month\'s focus as well.\r\n\r\nI know that for many of you the idea of poverty is not just an idea - it is a reality. And while I certainly don\'t mean to make light of or downplay anyone\'s financial situation, the emphasis here is on voluntary poverty. Just wanted to be clear on this point.\r\n\r\nIn almost every monastic tradition - Christian, Buddhist, Hindu, and others - taking a vow of poverty is one of the cornerstones of monastic life. In Christianity, it wasn\'t until the twelfth century that the three vows were formalized by Francis of Assisi. Francis was a man of deep faith and took his vows literally and to great extremes. However, Dispenza points out that the vow of poverty is not just about living on little or no money, but that \"at the root of the (poverty) vow is surrendering ownership.\" For Dispenza, monastic poverty enabled him \"to apply the virtue of detachment to several areas of life: body, mind, emotions, and spirit.\" \r\n\r\nThis idea of voluntary poverty as a practice of detachment struck me as being very tantric. In Tantra, as you all know, the material world is not to be renounced but used as a means to reconnecting with our True Selves. There is no need to renounce our possessions, our titles, our families, our iThings. The potential problem lies in that saying: non-attachment is not not owning things; it is things not owning you. Dispenza would be quick to add that it is not just \"things\" that can own us, but attitudes and emotions as well.\r\n\r\nWhen the topic of non-attachment comes up, many people picture someone being cold, unfeeling, and uncaring. In fact, true detachment (I\'m using non-attachment and detachment interchangeably here) can result in quite the opposite. The famous \"Christian yogi,\" Bede Griffiths, understood this when he stated:\r\n\r\n<blockquote>What Gandhi saw so clearly is that this detachment was not a way of escape from the world but of a freedom from self-interest which enabled one to give oneself totally to God and to the world. (Christ in India, pg. 24)</blockquote>												\r\n\r\nBy recognizing and understanding how the kleshas play out in our lives, we can begin to loosen the bonds of this self-interest. By practicing tattva shuddhi, yoga nidra, and other such practices, we can begin to harmonize our individual selves with our divine selves, enabling us to act and respond in this world with compassionate detachment. We can further this process by taking up a form of voluntary poverty and asking ourselves the following questions:\r\n\r\n<li>Is this material thing really necessary? Meaning, will it help or hinder my spiritual progression?</li> \r\n\r\n<li>What thoughts, especially habitual ones, keep me in a loop of self-interest?</li>\r\n\r\n<li>Similarly, what emotions am I attached to for whatever reason?</li>\r\n\r\n<li>What would happen to me if I start to untangle myself from my attachments?</li>\r\n\r\nSo, I invite us to look at areas of our lives where attachments hold us fast in the bonds of self-interest. No need to making sweeping changes immediately (unless you want to and have the strength to do so) but just make small changes. Make detachment a part of your daily life and notice the subtle changes in and around you. \r\n\r\nIf you would like to share your thoughts on detachment as voluntary poverty or your experiences with it, please do so. We in community look forward to hearing from you! ','Voluntary Poverty in Perspective','','inherit','open','open','','100987-revision-v1','','','2014-02-04 13:37:10','2014-02-04 20:37:10','',100987,'http://sharanya.org/mandala/100987-revision-v1/',0,'revision','',0),(100989,2,'2014-02-04 13:38:18','2014-02-04 20:38:18','Over the next three months, I would like to explore the three traditionally Christian monastic vows from a tantric perspective. Now, before you go running and screaming to the hills, be assured that I will not be asking anyone to take the vows of poverty, chastity and obedience. The idea for this exploration was inspired by an article by Joseph Dispenza in the November/December issue of <em>Spirituality & Health</em> magazine. A former monk, Dispenza realized the deeper meaning of his vows only after he broke them and gave up his monkhood. While he briefly mentioned chastity and obedience, the main focus of his article was poverty, which will be this month\'s focus as well.\n\nI know that for many of you the idea of poverty is not just an idea - it is a reality. And while I certainly don\'t mean to make light of or downplay anyone\'s financial situation, the emphasis here is on voluntary poverty. Just wanted to be clear on this point.\n\nIn almost every monastic tradition - Christian, Buddhist, Hindu, and others - taking a vow of poverty is one of the cornerstones of monastic life. In Christianity, it wasn\'t until the twelfth century that the three vows were formalized by Francis of Assisi. Francis was a man of deep faith and took his vows literally and to great extremes. However, Dispenza points out that the vow of poverty is not just about living on little or no money, but that \"at the root of the (poverty) vow is surrendering ownership.\" For Dispenza, monastic poverty enabled him \"to apply the virtue of detachment to several areas of life: body, mind, emotions, and spirit.\" \n\nThis idea of voluntary poverty as a practice of detachment struck me as being very tantric. In Tantra, as you all know, the material world is not to be renounced but used as a means to reconnecting with our True Selves. There is no need to renounce our possessions, our titles, our families, our iThings. The potential problem lies in that saying: non-attachment is not not owning things; it is things not owning you. Dispenza would be quick to add that it is not just \"things\" that can own us, but attitudes and emotions as well.\n\nWhen the topic of non-attachment comes up, many people picture someone being cold, unfeeling, and uncaring. In fact, true detachment (I\'m using non-attachment and detachment interchangeably here) can result in quite the opposite. The famous \"Christian yogi,\" Bede Griffiths, understood this when he stated:\n\n<blockquote>What Gandhi saw so clearly is that this detachment was not a way of escape from the world but of a freedom from self-interest which enabled one to give oneself totally to God and to the world. (Christ in India, pg. 24)</blockquote>												\n\nBy recognizing and understanding how the kleshas play out in our lives, we can begin to loosen the bonds of this self-interest. By practicing tattva shuddhi, yoga nidra, and other such practices, we can begin to harmonize our individual selves with our divine selves, enabling us to act and respond in this world with compassionate detachment. We can further this process by taking up a form of voluntary poverty and asking ourselves the following questions:\n\n<li>Is this material thing really necessary? Meaning, will it help or hinder my spiritual progression?</li> \n\n<li>What thoughts, especially habitual ones, keep me in a loop of self-interest?</li>\n\n<li>Similarly, what emotions am I attached to for whatever reason?</li>\n\n<li>What would happen to me if I start to untangle myself from my attachments?</li><br>\n\nSo, I invite us to look at areas of our lives where attachments hold us fast in the bonds of self-interest. No need to making sweeping changes immediately (unless you want to and have the strength to do so) but just make small changes. Make detachment a part of your daily life and notice the subtle changes in and around you. \n\nIf you would like to share your thoughts on detachment as voluntary poverty or your experiences with it, please do so. We in community look forward to hearing from you! \n\n<i>Offered by Balipriya</i>','Voluntary Poverty in Perspective','','inherit','open','open','','100987-autosave-v1','','','2014-02-04 13:38:18','2014-02-04 20:38:18','',100987,'http://sharanya.org/mandala/100987-autosave-v1/',0,'revision','',0),(100990,2,'2014-02-04 13:39:41','2014-02-04 20:39:41','Over the next three months, I would like to explore the three traditionally Christian monastic vows from a tantric perspective. Now, before you go running and screaming to the hills, be assured that I will not be asking anyone to take the vows of poverty, chastity and obedience. The idea for this exploration was inspired by an article by Joseph Dispenza in the November/December issue of <em>Spirituality & Health</em> magazine. A former monk, Dispenza realized the deeper meaning of his vows only after he broke them and gave up his monkhood. While he briefly mentioned chastity and obedience, the main focus of his article was poverty, which will be this month\'s focus as well.\r\n\r\nI know that for many of you the idea of poverty is not just an idea - it is a reality. And while I certainly don\'t mean to make light of or downplay anyone\'s financial situation, the emphasis here is on voluntary poverty. Just wanted to be clear on this point.\r\n\r\nIn almost every monastic tradition - Christian, Buddhist, Hindu, and others - taking a vow of poverty is one of the cornerstones of monastic life. In Christianity, it wasn\'t until the twelfth century that the three vows were formalized by Francis of Assisi. Francis was a man of deep faith and took his vows literally and to great extremes. However, Dispenza points out that the vow of poverty is not just about living on little or no money, but that \"at the root of the (poverty) vow is surrendering ownership.\" For Dispenza, monastic poverty enabled him \"to apply the virtue of detachment to several areas of life: body, mind, emotions, and spirit.\" \r\n\r\nThis idea of voluntary poverty as a practice of detachment struck me as being very tantric. In Tantra, as you all know, the material world is not to be renounced but used as a means to reconnecting with our True Selves. There is no need to renounce our possessions, our titles, our families, our iThings. The potential problem lies in that saying: non-attachment is not not owning things; it is things not owning you. Dispenza would be quick to add that it is not just \"things\" that can own us, but attitudes and emotions as well.\r\n\r\nWhen the topic of non-attachment comes up, many people picture someone being cold, unfeeling, and uncaring. In fact, true detachment (I\'m using non-attachment and detachment interchangeably here) can result in quite the opposite. The famous \"Christian yogi,\" Bede Griffiths, understood this when he stated:\r\n\r\n<blockquote>What Gandhi saw so clearly is that this detachment was not a way of escape from the world but of a freedom from self-interest which enabled one to give oneself totally to God and to the world. (Christ in India, pg. 24)</blockquote>												\r\n\r\nBy recognizing and understanding how the kleshas play out in our lives, we can begin to loosen the bonds of this self-interest. By practicing tattva shuddhi, yoga nidra, and other such practices, we can begin to harmonize our individual selves with our divine selves, enabling us to act and respond in this world with compassionate detachment. We can further this process by taking up a form of voluntary poverty and asking ourselves the following questions:\r\n\r\n<li>Is this material thing really necessary? Meaning, will it help or hinder my spiritual progression?</li> \r\n\r\n<li>What thoughts, especially habitual ones, keep me in a loop of self-interest?</li>\r\n\r\n<li>Similarly, what emotions am I attached to for whatever reason?</li>\r\n\r\n<li>What would happen to me if I start to untangle myself from my attachments?</li><br>\r\n\r\nSo, I invite us to look at areas of our lives where attachments hold us fast in the bonds of self-interest. No need to making sweeping changes immediately (unless you want to and have the strength to do so) but just make small changes. Make detachment a part of your daily life and notice the subtle changes in and around you. \r\n\r\nIf you would like to share your thoughts on detachment as voluntary poverty or your experiences with it, please do so. We in community look forward to hearing from you! \r\n\r\n<i>Offered by Balipriya</i>','Voluntary Poverty in Perspective','','inherit','open','open','','100987-revision-v1','','','2014-02-04 13:39:41','2014-02-04 20:39:41','',100987,'http://sharanya.org/mandala/100987-revision-v1/',0,'revision','',0),(100993,2,'2014-02-23 00:19:03','2014-02-23 07:19:03','<blockquote>From the highest and most penetrating reverberations of the Divine undifferentiated, nameless and formless, we call to you Mother, to join us in our work to break free of the encumbrances we carry in this lifetime. \r\n\r\nBereft of freedom in our hearts, we welcome you as Kali and implore you to break the chains of fear that we bear so that we may create windows to our souls as you intended and for all who care to see, fully strong in the beauty and brilliance of our unique incarnation. \r\n\r\nYour gifts are many in the challenges of living. You create a birth canal with them that we may push and push, our lifeforce yearning for light and air in the new world, toward exquisite vulnerability replete with the puissance of infinite love. Maa, we are your children. Embrace us and take us home! <i>- Invocation, Kali Puja - PantheaCon 2014</i></blockquote><br><br>\r\n\r\n<a href=\"http://sharanya.org/wp-content/uploads/2014/02/IMG_1244-e1393141163849.jpg\"><img src=\"http://sharanya.org/wp-content/uploads/2014/02/IMG_1244-e1393141163849.jpg\" alt=\"Kali Puja PantheaCon 2014\" class=\"alignleft size-full wp-image-100994 imgborder\" /></a>\r\n\r\nIf you have been with us for Kali Puja at PantheaCon in the past, you know that the structure of the ritual remains intact while the meditation and focus through Maa\'s eyes takes a different form each year. This is because we acknowledge that setting a strong container will help birth whatever is most necessary for those present to experience in that moment. We open to those who walk into the room, our temple, for the puja and discover in an unspoken collaboration what is yearning to come forth in the space we together inhabit and create. \r\n\r\nThis Kali Puja, we were blessed by insight before the ritual to hold those who would be present as Her children. As the doors opened, we welcomed participants on a journey to experience Kali as Universal Mother, and much came of our meeting. From the depths of yearning to be held and loved, we surrendered before Her and made our personal offerings. \r\n\r\nSacrifice, we came to understand, is birthed, much like puja itself, from the strength of the <i>sankalpa</i> (sacred intention), or resolve, we hold in our hearts. Taking responsibility for our worship, with no mediator between us and Goddess, we made an offering to Maa in this form, revealing ourselves to ourselves through Her witnessing. \r\n\r\nPuja, then, provides the gift of acting as a mirror, showing us through symbol and form both our greatest potentials and the depths of our failures. Coming to hold both in dynamic tension that we may give rise to something more is what the work is all about. \r\n\r\nOf all Her mysteries, this puja invited us to most closely examine the power of sex, birth and blood, the related cultural taboos and our internalized oppressions around these facts of life. Those who were menstruating, had recently given birth or had just had sex were asked to stand and be honored. Where else can we go in the naked truth of our bodies than before our Mother, our Creatrix, and the source of our perfectly flawed selves?  \r\n\r\nInvited to return to breath and our sankalpa once more, the ritual closed with gratitudes to all who surrounded us during our worship: our guides, ancestors, lineages, and the power of fire inner (of our hearts) and outer (of our protectors) who helped make the puja possible. Our gratitudes to all who participated in this year\'s Kali Puja at PantheaCon, helping through sweet love and surrender to make it a joyous experience. \r\n\r\nJai Maa Kali ki Jai! ','PantheaCon 2014 - Kali Puja','','publish','open','open','','pantheacon-2014-kali-puja','','','2014-02-23 01:05:34','2014-02-23 08:05:34','',0,'http://sharanya.org/?p=100993',0,'post','',2),(100994,2,'2014-02-23 00:02:04','2014-02-23 07:02:04','','Kali Puja PantheaCon 2014','','inherit','open','open','','img_1244','','','2014-02-23 00:02:04','2014-02-23 07:02:04','',100993,'http://sharanya.org/wp-content/uploads/2014/02/IMG_1244.jpg',0,'attachment','image/jpeg',0),(100995,2,'2014-02-23 00:06:15','2014-02-23 07:06:15','If you have been with us for Kali Puja at PantheaCon in the past, you know that the structure of the ritual remains intact while the meditation and focus through Maa\'s eyes takes a different form each year. This is because we acknowledge that setting a strong container will help birth whatever is most necessary for those present to experience in that moment. We open to those who walk into the room, our temple, for the puja and discover in an unspoken collaboration what is yearning to come forth in the space we together inhabit and create. \r\n\r\nThis Kali Puja, we were blessed by insight before the ritual to hold those who would be present as Her children. As the doors opened, we welcomed participants on a journey to experience Kali as Universal Mother, and much came of our meeting. From the depths of yearning to be held and loved, we surrendered before Her and made our personal offerings. Sacrifice, we came to understand, is birthed, much like puja itself, from the strength of the sankalpa (sacred intention), or resolve, we hold in our hearts.  \r\n\r\n<a href=\"http://sharanya.org/wp-content/uploads/2014/02/IMG_1244.jpg\"><img src=\"http://sharanya.org/wp-content/uploads/2014/02/IMG_1244.jpg\" alt=\"Kali Puja PantheaCon 2014\" class=\"alignleft size-full wp-image-100994 imgborder\" /></a>\r\n\r\n','PantheaCon 2014 - Kali Puja','','inherit','open','open','','100993-revision-v1','','','2014-02-23 00:06:15','2014-02-23 07:06:15','',100993,'http://sharanya.org/mandala/100993-revision-v1/',0,'revision','',0),(100996,2,'2014-02-23 00:19:03','2014-02-23 07:19:03','If you have been with us for Kali Puja at PantheaCon in the past, you know that the structure of the ritual remains intact while the meditation and focus through Maa\'s eyes takes a different form each year. This is because we acknowledge that setting a strong container will help birth whatever is most necessary for those present to experience in that moment. We open to those who walk into the room, our temple, for the puja and discover in an unspoken collaboration what is yearning to come forth in the space we together inhabit and create. \r\n\r\nThis Kali Puja, we were blessed by insight before the ritual to hold those who would be present as Her children. As the doors opened, we welcomed participants on a journey to experience Kali as Universal Mother, and much came of our meeting. From the depths of yearning to be held and loved, we surrendered before Her and made our personal offerings. Sacrifice, we came to understand, is birthed, much like puja itself, from the strength of the sankalpa (sacred intention), or resolve, we hold in our hearts. Making a offering to Maa in this form, we reveal ourselves to ourselves through Her witnessing.  \r\n\r\n<a href=\"http://sharanya.org/wp-content/uploads/2014/02/IMG_1244.jpg\"><img src=\"http://sharanya.org/wp-content/uploads/2014/02/IMG_1244.jpg\" alt=\"Kali Puja PantheaCon 2014\" class=\"alignleft size-full wp-image-100994 imgborder\" /></a>\r\n\r\nFrom the highest and most penetrating reverberations of the Divine undifferentiated, nameless and formless, we call to you Mother, to join us in our work to break free of the encumbrances we carry in this lifetime. Bereft of freedom in our hearts, we welcome you as Kali and implore you to break the chains of fear that we bear so that we may create windows to our souls as you intended and for all who care to see, fully strong in the beauty and brilliance of our unique incarnation. \r\n\r\nYour gifts are many in the challenges of living. You create a birth canal with them that we may push and push, our lifeforce yearning for light and air in the new world, toward exquisite vulnerability replete with the puissance of infinite love. Maa, we are your children. Embrace us and take us home!','PantheaCon 2014 - Kali Puja','','inherit','open','open','','100993-revision-v1','','','2014-02-23 00:19:03','2014-02-23 07:19:03','',100993,'http://sharanya.org/mandala/100993-revision-v1/',0,'revision','',0),(100997,2,'2014-02-23 01:04:05','2014-02-23 08:04:05','<blockquote>From the highest and most penetrating reverberations of the Divine undifferentiated, nameless and formless, we call to you Mother, to join us in our work to break free of the encumbrances we carry in this lifetime. \n\nBereft of freedom in our hearts, we welcome you as Kali and implore you to break the chains of fear that we bear so that we may create windows to our souls as you intended and for all who care to see, fully strong in the beauty and brilliance of our unique incarnation. \n\nYour gifts are many in the challenges of living. You create a birth canal with them that we may push and push, our lifeforce yearning for light and air in the new world, toward exquisite vulnerability replete with the puissance of infinite love. Maa, we are your children. Embrace us and take us home! <i>- Invocation, Kali Puja - PantheaCon 2014</i></blockquote><br><br>\n\n<p>\n\nIf you have been with us for Kali Puja at PantheaCon in the past, you know that the structure of the ritual remains intact while the meditation and focus through Maa\'s eyes takes a different form each year. This is because we acknowledge that setting a strong container will help birth whatever is most necessary for those present to experience in that moment. We open to those who walk into the room, our temple, for the puja and discover in an unspoken collaboration what is yearning to come forth in the space we together inhabit and create. \n\nThis Kali Puja, we were blessed by insight before the ritual to hold those who would be present as Her children. As the doors opened, we welcomed participants on a journey to experience Kali as Universal Mother, and much came of our meeting. From the depths of yearning to be held and loved, we surrendered before Her and made our personal offerings. \n\nSacrifice, we came to understand, is birthed, much like puja itself, from the strength of the <i>sankalpa</i> (sacred intention), or resolve, we hold in our hearts. Taking responsibility for our worship, with no mediator between us and Goddess, we made an offering to Maa in this form, revealing ourselves to ourselves through Her witnessing. \n\nPuja, then, provides the gift of acting as a mirror, showing us through symbol and form both our greatest potentials and the depths of our failures. Coming to hold both in dynamic tension that we may give rise to something more is what the work is all about. \n\n<a href=\"http://sharanya.org/wp-content/uploads/2014/02/IMG_1244-e1393141163849.jpg\"><img src=\"http://sharanya.org/wp-content/uploads/2014/02/IMG_1244-e1393141163849.jpg\" alt=\"Kali Puja PantheaCon 2014\" class=\"alignleft size-full wp-image-100994 imgborder\" /></a>\n\nOf all Her mysteries, this puja invited us to most closely examine the power of sex, birth and blood, the related cultural taboos and our internalized oppressions around these facts of life. Those who were menstruating, had recently given birth or had just had sex were asked to stand and be honored. Where else can we go in the naked truth of our bodies than before our Mother, our Creatrix, and the source of our perfectly flawed selves?  \n\nInvited to return to breath and our sankalpa once more, the ritual closed with gratitudes to all who surrounded us during our worship: our guides, ancestors, lineages, and the power of fire inner (of our hearts) and outer (of our protectors) who helped make the puja possible. Our gratitudes to all who participated in this year\'s Kali Puja at PantheaCon, helping through sweet love and surrender to make it a joyous experience. Jai Maa Kali ki Jai! ','PantheaCon 2014 - Kali Puja','','inherit','open','open','','100993-autosave-v1','','','2014-02-23 01:04:05','2014-02-23 08:04:05','',100993,'http://sharanya.org/mandala/100993-autosave-v1/',0,'revision','',0),(100998,2,'2014-02-23 00:38:19','2014-02-23 07:38:19','<blockquote>From the highest and most penetrating reverberations of the Divine undifferentiated, nameless and formless, we call to you Mother, to join us in our work to break free of the encumbrances we carry in this lifetime. Bereft of freedom in our hearts, we welcome you as Kali and implore you to break the chains of fear that we bear so that we may create windows to our souls as you intended and for all who care to see, fully strong in the beauty and brilliance of our unique incarnation. \r\n\r\nYour gifts are many in the challenges of living. You create a birth canal with them that we may push and push, our lifeforce yearning for light and air in the new world, toward exquisite vulnerability replete with the puissance of infinite love. Maa, we are your children. Embrace us and take us home!</blockquote>\r\n\r\nIf you have been with us for Kali Puja at PantheaCon in the past, you know that the structure of the ritual remains intact while the meditation and focus through Maa\'s eyes takes a different form each year. This is because we acknowledge that setting a strong container will help birth whatever is most necessary for those present to experience in that moment. We open to those who walk into the room, our temple, for the puja and discover in an unspoken collaboration what is yearning to come forth in the space we together inhabit and create. \r\n\r\nThis Kali Puja, we were blessed by insight before the ritual to hold those who would be present as Her children. As the doors opened, we welcomed participants on a journey to experience Kali as Universal Mother, and much came of our meeting. From the depths of yearning to be held and loved, we surrendered before Her and made our personal offerings. Sacrifice, we came to understand, is birthed, much like puja itself, from the strength of the <i>sankalpa</i> (sacred intention), or resolve, we hold in our hearts. Taking responsibility for our worship, with no mediator between us and Goddess, we make an offering to Maa in this form, revealing ourselves to ourselves through Her witnessing. Puja, then, acts as a mirror, showing us both our greatest potentials and the depths of our failures. \r\n\r\n<a href=\"http://sharanya.org/wp-content/uploads/2014/02/IMG_1244-e1393140106525.jpg\"><img src=\"http://sharanya.org/wp-content/uploads/2014/02/IMG_1244-e1393140106525.jpg\" alt=\"Kali Puja PantheaCon 2014\" class=\"alignleft size-full wp-image-100994 imgborder\" /></a>\r\n\r\nOf all Her mysteries, this puja invited us to most closely examine the power of sex, birth and blood, the related cultural taboos and our internalized oppressions around these facts of life. Those who were menstruating, had recently given birth or had just had sex were asked to stand and be honored. Where else can we go in the naked truth of our bodies than before our Mother, our Creatrix, and the source of our perfectly flawed selves?  \r\n\r\nOur gratitudes to all who participated in this year\'s Kali Puja, helping through sweet love and surrender to make it a joyous experience. Jai Maa Kali ki Jai! ','PantheaCon 2014 - Kali Puja','','inherit','open','open','','100993-revision-v1','','','2014-02-23 00:38:19','2014-02-23 07:38:19','',100993,'http://sharanya.org/mandala/100993-revision-v1/',0,'revision','',0),(100999,2,'2014-02-23 00:40:03','2014-02-23 07:40:03','<blockquote>From the highest and most penetrating reverberations of the Divine undifferentiated, nameless and formless, we call to you Mother, to join us in our work to break free of the encumbrances we carry in this lifetime. Bereft of freedom in our hearts, we welcome you as Kali and implore you to break the chains of fear that we bear so that we may create windows to our souls as you intended and for all who care to see, fully strong in the beauty and brilliance of our unique incarnation. \r\n\r\nYour gifts are many in the challenges of living. You create a birth canal with them that we may push and push, our lifeforce yearning for light and air in the new world, toward exquisite vulnerability replete with the puissance of infinite love. Maa, we are your children. Embrace us and take us home!</blockquote>\r\n\r\nIf you have been with us for Kali Puja at PantheaCon in the past, you know that the structure of the ritual remains intact while the meditation and focus through Maa\'s eyes takes a different form each year. This is because we acknowledge that setting a strong container will help birth whatever is most necessary for those present to experience in that moment. We open to those who walk into the room, our temple, for the puja and discover in an unspoken collaboration what is yearning to come forth in the space we together inhabit and create. \r\n\r\nThis Kali Puja, we were blessed by insight before the ritual to hold those who would be present as Her children. As the doors opened, we welcomed participants on a journey to experience Kali as Universal Mother, and much came of our meeting. From the depths of yearning to be held and loved, we surrendered before Her and made our personal offerings. Sacrifice, we came to understand, is birthed, much like puja itself, from the strength of the <i>sankalpa</i> (sacred intention), or resolve, we hold in our hearts. Taking responsibility for our worship, with no mediator between us and Goddess, we make an offering to Maa in this form, revealing ourselves to ourselves through Her witnessing. Puja, then, acts as a mirror, showing us both our greatest potentials and the depths of our failures. \r\n\r\n<a href=\"http://sharanya.org/wp-content/uploads/2014/02/IMG_1244-e1393141163849.jpg\"><img src=\"http://sharanya.org/wp-content/uploads/2014/02/IMG_1244-e1393141163849.jpg\" alt=\"Kali Puja PantheaCon 2014\" class=\"alignleft size-full wp-image-100994 imgborder\" /></a>\r\n\r\nOf all Her mysteries, this puja invited us to most closely examine the power of sex, birth and blood, the related cultural taboos and our internalized oppressions around these facts of life. Those who were menstruating, had recently given birth or had just had sex were asked to stand and be honored. Where else can we go in the naked truth of our bodies than before our Mother, our Creatrix, and the source of our perfectly flawed selves?  \r\n\r\nOur gratitudes to all who participated in this year\'s Kali Puja, helping through sweet love and surrender to make it a joyous experience. Jai Maa Kali ki Jai! ','PantheaCon 2014 - Kali Puja','','inherit','open','open','','100993-revision-v1','','','2014-02-23 00:40:03','2014-02-23 07:40:03','',100993,'http://sharanya.org/mandala/100993-revision-v1/',0,'revision','',0),(101000,2,'2014-02-23 00:41:08','2014-02-23 07:41:08','<blockquote>From the highest and most penetrating reverberations of the Divine undifferentiated, nameless and formless, we call to you Mother, to join us in our work to break free of the encumbrances we carry in this lifetime. Bereft of freedom in our hearts, we welcome you as Kali and implore you to break the chains of fear that we bear so that we may create windows to our souls as you intended and for all who care to see, fully strong in the beauty and brilliance of our unique incarnation. \r\n\r\nYour gifts are many in the challenges of living. You create a birth canal with them that we may push and push, our lifeforce yearning for light and air in the new world, toward exquisite vulnerability replete with the puissance of infinite love. Maa, we are your children. Embrace us and take us home! - Kali Puja Invocation</blockquote><br><br>\r\n\r\nIf you have been with us for Kali Puja at PantheaCon in the past, you know that the structure of the ritual remains intact while the meditation and focus through Maa\'s eyes takes a different form each year. This is because we acknowledge that setting a strong container will help birth whatever is most necessary for those present to experience in that moment. We open to those who walk into the room, our temple, for the puja and discover in an unspoken collaboration what is yearning to come forth in the space we together inhabit and create. \r\n\r\nThis Kali Puja, we were blessed by insight before the ritual to hold those who would be present as Her children. As the doors opened, we welcomed participants on a journey to experience Kali as Universal Mother, and much came of our meeting. From the depths of yearning to be held and loved, we surrendered before Her and made our personal offerings. Sacrifice, we came to understand, is birthed, much like puja itself, from the strength of the <i>sankalpa</i> (sacred intention), or resolve, we hold in our hearts. Taking responsibility for our worship, with no mediator between us and Goddess, we make an offering to Maa in this form, revealing ourselves to ourselves through Her witnessing. Puja, then, acts as a mirror, showing us both our greatest potentials and the depths of our failures. \r\n\r\n<a href=\"http://sharanya.org/wp-content/uploads/2014/02/IMG_1244-e1393141163849.jpg\"><img src=\"http://sharanya.org/wp-content/uploads/2014/02/IMG_1244-e1393141163849.jpg\" alt=\"Kali Puja PantheaCon 2014\" class=\"alignleft size-full wp-image-100994 imgborder\" /></a>\r\n\r\nOf all Her mysteries, this puja invited us to most closely examine the power of sex, birth and blood, the related cultural taboos and our internalized oppressions around these facts of life. Those who were menstruating, had recently given birth or had just had sex were asked to stand and be honored. Where else can we go in the naked truth of our bodies than before our Mother, our Creatrix, and the source of our perfectly flawed selves?  \r\n\r\nOur gratitudes to all who participated in this year\'s Kali Puja, helping through sweet love and surrender to make it a joyous experience. Jai Maa Kali ki Jai! ','PantheaCon 2014 - Kali Puja','','inherit','open','open','','100993-revision-v1','','','2014-02-23 00:41:08','2014-02-23 07:41:08','',100993,'http://sharanya.org/mandala/100993-revision-v1/',0,'revision','',0);
INSERT INTO `wp_posts` VALUES (101001,2,'2014-02-23 00:42:05','2014-02-23 07:42:05','<blockquote>From the highest and most penetrating reverberations of the Divine undifferentiated, nameless and formless, we call to you Mother, to join us in our work to break free of the encumbrances we carry in this lifetime. \r\n\r\nBereft of freedom in our hearts, we welcome you as Kali and implore you to break the chains of fear that we bear so that we may create windows to our souls as you intended and for all who care to see, fully strong in the beauty and brilliance of our unique incarnation. \r\n\r\nYour gifts are many in the challenges of living. You create a birth canal with them that we may push and push, our lifeforce yearning for light and air in the new world, toward exquisite vulnerability replete with the puissance of infinite love. Maa, we are your children. Embrace us and take us home!</blockquote>\r\n\r\n\r\nIf you have been with us for Kali Puja at PantheaCon in the past, you know that the structure of the ritual remains intact while the meditation and focus through Maa\'s eyes takes a different form each year. This is because we acknowledge that setting a strong container will help birth whatever is most necessary for those present to experience in that moment. We open to those who walk into the room, our temple, for the puja and discover in an unspoken collaboration what is yearning to come forth in the space we together inhabit and create. \r\n\r\nThis Kali Puja, we were blessed by insight before the ritual to hold those who would be present as Her children. As the doors opened, we welcomed participants on a journey to experience Kali as Universal Mother, and much came of our meeting. From the depths of yearning to be held and loved, we surrendered before Her and made our personal offerings. Sacrifice, we came to understand, is birthed, much like puja itself, from the strength of the <i>sankalpa</i> (sacred intention), or resolve, we hold in our hearts. Taking responsibility for our worship, with no mediator between us and Goddess, we make an offering to Maa in this form, revealing ourselves to ourselves through Her witnessing. Puja, then, acts as a mirror, showing us both our greatest potentials and the depths of our failures. \r\n\r\n<a href=\"http://sharanya.org/wp-content/uploads/2014/02/IMG_1244-e1393141163849.jpg\"><img src=\"http://sharanya.org/wp-content/uploads/2014/02/IMG_1244-e1393141163849.jpg\" alt=\"Kali Puja PantheaCon 2014\" class=\"alignleft size-full wp-image-100994 imgborder\" /></a>\r\n\r\nOf all Her mysteries, this puja invited us to most closely examine the power of sex, birth and blood, the related cultural taboos and our internalized oppressions around these facts of life. Those who were menstruating, had recently given birth or had just had sex were asked to stand and be honored. Where else can we go in the naked truth of our bodies than before our Mother, our Creatrix, and the source of our perfectly flawed selves?  \r\n\r\nOur gratitudes to all who participated in this year\'s Kali Puja, helping through sweet love and surrender to make it a joyous experience. Jai Maa Kali ki Jai! ','PantheaCon 2014 - Kali Puja','','inherit','open','open','','100993-revision-v1','','','2014-02-23 00:42:05','2014-02-23 07:42:05','',100993,'http://sharanya.org/mandala/100993-revision-v1/',0,'revision','',0),(101002,2,'2014-02-23 00:44:01','2014-02-23 07:44:01','<blockquote>From the highest and most penetrating reverberations of the Divine undifferentiated, nameless and formless, we call to you Mother, to join us in our work to break free of the encumbrances we carry in this lifetime. \r\n\r\nBereft of freedom in our hearts, we welcome you as Kali and implore you to break the chains of fear that we bear so that we may create windows to our souls as you intended and for all who care to see, fully strong in the beauty and brilliance of our unique incarnation. \r\n\r\nYour gifts are many in the challenges of living. You create a birth canal with them that we may push and push, our lifeforce yearning for light and air in the new world, toward exquisite vulnerability replete with the puissance of infinite love. Maa, we are your children. Embrace us and take us home! - Invocation, Kali Puja - PantheaCon 2014</blockquote>\r\n\r\n\r\nIf you have been with us for Kali Puja at PantheaCon in the past, you know that the structure of the ritual remains intact while the meditation and focus through Maa\'s eyes takes a different form each year. This is because we acknowledge that setting a strong container will help birth whatever is most necessary for those present to experience in that moment. We open to those who walk into the room, our temple, for the puja and discover in an unspoken collaboration what is yearning to come forth in the space we together inhabit and create. \r\n\r\nThis Kali Puja, we were blessed by insight before the ritual to hold those who would be present as Her children. As the doors opened, we welcomed participants on a journey to experience Kali as Universal Mother, and much came of our meeting. From the depths of yearning to be held and loved, we surrendered before Her and made our personal offerings. \r\n\r\nSacrifice, we came to understand, is birthed, much like puja itself, from the strength of the <i>sankalpa</i> (sacred intention), or resolve, we hold in our hearts. Taking responsibility for our worship, with no mediator between us and Goddess, we make an offering to Maa in this form, revealing ourselves to ourselves through Her witnessing. Puja, then, acts as a mirror, showing us both our greatest potentials and the depths of our failures. \r\n\r\n<a href=\"http://sharanya.org/wp-content/uploads/2014/02/IMG_1244-e1393141163849.jpg\"><img src=\"http://sharanya.org/wp-content/uploads/2014/02/IMG_1244-e1393141163849.jpg\" alt=\"Kali Puja PantheaCon 2014\" class=\"alignleft size-full wp-image-100994 imgborder\" /></a>\r\n\r\nOf all Her mysteries, this puja invited us to most closely examine the power of sex, birth and blood, the related cultural taboos and our internalized oppressions around these facts of life. Those who were menstruating, had recently given birth or had just had sex were asked to stand and be honored. Where else can we go in the naked truth of our bodies than before our Mother, our Creatrix, and the source of our perfectly flawed selves?  \r\n\r\nOur gratitudes to all who participated in this year\'s Kali Puja at PantheaCon, helping through sweet love and surrender to make it a joyous experience. Jai Maa Kali ki Jai! ','PantheaCon 2014 - Kali Puja','','inherit','open','open','','100993-revision-v1','','','2014-02-23 00:44:01','2014-02-23 07:44:01','',100993,'http://sharanya.org/mandala/100993-revision-v1/',0,'revision','',0),(101003,2,'2014-02-23 00:44:36','2014-02-23 07:44:36','<blockquote>From the highest and most penetrating reverberations of the Divine undifferentiated, nameless and formless, we call to you Mother, to join us in our work to break free of the encumbrances we carry in this lifetime. \r\n\r\nBereft of freedom in our hearts, we welcome you as Kali and implore you to break the chains of fear that we bear so that we may create windows to our souls as you intended and for all who care to see, fully strong in the beauty and brilliance of our unique incarnation. \r\n\r\nYour gifts are many in the challenges of living. You create a birth canal with them that we may push and push, our lifeforce yearning for light and air in the new world, toward exquisite vulnerability replete with the puissance of infinite love. Maa, we are your children. Embrace us and take us home! <i>- Invocation, Kali Puja - PantheaCon 2014</i></blockquote>\r\n\r\n\r\nIf you have been with us for Kali Puja at PantheaCon in the past, you know that the structure of the ritual remains intact while the meditation and focus through Maa\'s eyes takes a different form each year. This is because we acknowledge that setting a strong container will help birth whatever is most necessary for those present to experience in that moment. We open to those who walk into the room, our temple, for the puja and discover in an unspoken collaboration what is yearning to come forth in the space we together inhabit and create. \r\n\r\nThis Kali Puja, we were blessed by insight before the ritual to hold those who would be present as Her children. As the doors opened, we welcomed participants on a journey to experience Kali as Universal Mother, and much came of our meeting. From the depths of yearning to be held and loved, we surrendered before Her and made our personal offerings. \r\n\r\nSacrifice, we came to understand, is birthed, much like puja itself, from the strength of the <i>sankalpa</i> (sacred intention), or resolve, we hold in our hearts. Taking responsibility for our worship, with no mediator between us and Goddess, we make an offering to Maa in this form, revealing ourselves to ourselves through Her witnessing. Puja, then, acts as a mirror, showing us both our greatest potentials and the depths of our failures. \r\n\r\n<a href=\"http://sharanya.org/wp-content/uploads/2014/02/IMG_1244-e1393141163849.jpg\"><img src=\"http://sharanya.org/wp-content/uploads/2014/02/IMG_1244-e1393141163849.jpg\" alt=\"Kali Puja PantheaCon 2014\" class=\"alignleft size-full wp-image-100994 imgborder\" /></a>\r\n\r\nOf all Her mysteries, this puja invited us to most closely examine the power of sex, birth and blood, the related cultural taboos and our internalized oppressions around these facts of life. Those who were menstruating, had recently given birth or had just had sex were asked to stand and be honored. Where else can we go in the naked truth of our bodies than before our Mother, our Creatrix, and the source of our perfectly flawed selves?  \r\n\r\nOur gratitudes to all who participated in this year\'s Kali Puja at PantheaCon, helping through sweet love and surrender to make it a joyous experience. Jai Maa Kali ki Jai! ','PantheaCon 2014 - Kali Puja','','inherit','open','open','','100993-revision-v1','','','2014-02-23 00:44:36','2014-02-23 07:44:36','',100993,'http://sharanya.org/mandala/100993-revision-v1/',0,'revision','',0),(101004,2,'2014-02-23 00:45:11','2014-02-23 07:45:11','<blockquote>From the highest and most penetrating reverberations of the Divine undifferentiated, nameless and formless, we call to you Mother, to join us in our work to break free of the encumbrances we carry in this lifetime. \r\n\r\nBereft of freedom in our hearts, we welcome you as Kali and implore you to break the chains of fear that we bear so that we may create windows to our souls as you intended and for all who care to see, fully strong in the beauty and brilliance of our unique incarnation. \r\n\r\nYour gifts are many in the challenges of living. You create a birth canal with them that we may push and push, our lifeforce yearning for light and air in the new world, toward exquisite vulnerability replete with the puissance of infinite love. Maa, we are your children. Embrace us and take us home! <i>- Invocation, Kali Puja - PantheaCon 2014</i></blockquote><br><br>\r\n\r\n<p>\r\n\r\nIf you have been with us for Kali Puja at PantheaCon in the past, you know that the structure of the ritual remains intact while the meditation and focus through Maa\'s eyes takes a different form each year. This is because we acknowledge that setting a strong container will help birth whatever is most necessary for those present to experience in that moment. We open to those who walk into the room, our temple, for the puja and discover in an unspoken collaboration what is yearning to come forth in the space we together inhabit and create. \r\n\r\nThis Kali Puja, we were blessed by insight before the ritual to hold those who would be present as Her children. As the doors opened, we welcomed participants on a journey to experience Kali as Universal Mother, and much came of our meeting. From the depths of yearning to be held and loved, we surrendered before Her and made our personal offerings. \r\n\r\nSacrifice, we came to understand, is birthed, much like puja itself, from the strength of the <i>sankalpa</i> (sacred intention), or resolve, we hold in our hearts. Taking responsibility for our worship, with no mediator between us and Goddess, we make an offering to Maa in this form, revealing ourselves to ourselves through Her witnessing. Puja, then, acts as a mirror, showing us both our greatest potentials and the depths of our failures. \r\n\r\n<a href=\"http://sharanya.org/wp-content/uploads/2014/02/IMG_1244-e1393141163849.jpg\"><img src=\"http://sharanya.org/wp-content/uploads/2014/02/IMG_1244-e1393141163849.jpg\" alt=\"Kali Puja PantheaCon 2014\" class=\"alignleft size-full wp-image-100994 imgborder\" /></a>\r\n\r\nOf all Her mysteries, this puja invited us to most closely examine the power of sex, birth and blood, the related cultural taboos and our internalized oppressions around these facts of life. Those who were menstruating, had recently given birth or had just had sex were asked to stand and be honored. Where else can we go in the naked truth of our bodies than before our Mother, our Creatrix, and the source of our perfectly flawed selves?  \r\n\r\nOur gratitudes to all who participated in this year\'s Kali Puja at PantheaCon, helping through sweet love and surrender to make it a joyous experience. Jai Maa Kali ki Jai! ','PantheaCon 2014 - Kali Puja','','inherit','open','open','','100993-revision-v1','','','2014-02-23 00:45:11','2014-02-23 07:45:11','',100993,'http://sharanya.org/mandala/100993-revision-v1/',0,'revision','',0),(101005,2,'2014-02-23 00:49:21','2014-02-23 07:49:21','<blockquote>I\'m always struck by how hard I make the practice in my head and how easy it is when it actually happens.  It strikes me especially at the PantheaCon pujas.  There we are, a little handful of initiates and perhaps hundreds of others, many of whom have no experience of Tantra or of Maa Kali.  The only Sanskrit they know is \"Om.\"  How many of them are wondering if it will be too foreign to them, or too frightening?  How many of them wonder if Maa will turn them away, or if we from SHARANYA will, for \"doing it wrong?\"\r\n\r\nIn a hotel there are many aspects of the traditional puja that we cannot do.  There is no fire, no incense, no juicy melon.  But it doesn\'t matter.  We bring forth the image of Maa, outside or in our own heads.  We surround her with our presents and decorations, however great or small they are.  We put ourselves totally into this moment, like children; and like children we scream \"Maa!\" until she comes to us.  Maa, look at me!  Maa, hear me!  Maa, hold me!  And she always does.\r\n\r\nPeople came to Her, and they sang, danced, laughed, wept, tasted cream and chocolate prasad, and in the end, they felt Her gaze and Her embrace.  - Sanatani </blockquote>\r\n\r\nSunday night, 11:00pm. Kali Puja at PantheaCon. The doors opened and the sounds of Her sacred names began to fill the air, vibrations of Goddess Kali entering our bodies through ears first. Eyes began taking in the altar images as throngs of devotees and those entranced by Her mysteries circled to the tune. SHARANYA initiates and Daughters of Kali worked to guard, ground and move the dance of Shiva and Shakti as we together purified and began to feel that the night\'s celebration would be filled with power, grace, and Divine love.\r\n\r\nAs Rashani (priestess/purohit) for the ceremony, I let Her guide me. Sensing the yearning and open hearts of everyone gathered, it was easy to take us immediately deeper into communion with our Divine Mother through meditation and breath. Her sacred syllables guided us, helping to crystallize a sankalpa (sacred intention) and further unencumber our souls. Both a certain intensity and a genuine playfulness were with us as we each spoke our name, proclaiming the intention to perform worship, each of us owning the responsibility born of our passion and desire. \r\n\r\nFrom honorings of Ganesha, Agni, Ancestors, and Shiva, we then worked our prana pratishta as a community, together  intoning SA\'HAM in meditation on Her eyes, allowing the energy on our breath to move from heart to Her. Awakening Her murti (image), Kali Maa joined us and we danced...Jai Maa! \r\n\r\nGratitudes to all who join in the magick of the night and to Amory, Satya, Jaratura, Jayada, and Sanatani especially for your dedication, energy, creativity, and presence. \r\n\r\n\r\n','PantheaCon 2010 - Kali Puja','','inherit','open','open','','99051-revision-v1','','','2014-02-23 00:49:21','2014-02-23 07:49:21','',99051,'http://sharanya.org/mandala/99051-revision-v1/',0,'revision','',0),(101006,2,'2014-02-23 00:54:15','2014-02-23 07:54:15','<img class=\"alignleft size-full wp-image-66\" title=\"SHARANYA\'s Yoni Puja\" alt=\"6th Annual Yoni Puja (2012)\" src=\"http://sharanya.org/mandala/wp-content/uploads/2012/06/021.jpg\" width=\"250\" height=\"282\" />\n\nThere was nothing that could have prepared us for the way in which Maa manifested on Sunday night for SHARANYA\'s 6th Annual Yoni Puja. Devotees gathered in San Francisco from near and far for the celebration that joins us with tens of thousands of devotees as the time of Goddess\' menstruation and Ambubachi Mela approaches at the shrine of Maa Kamakhya in Assam, India.\n\nOur temple full, invocations were chanted and songs to the Divine Mother sung as drum beats proclaimed our sincerity and heart\'s yearning. Many had never uttered her names, but tonight, we filled ourselves with love and honored She Who Resides on the Blue Mountain as Universal Mother. At the same time, we did the essential work of looking within to initiate a more personal process, one of connecting to the vibrations and essences of Truth and Beauty that She embodies as each part of creation.\n\nAfter our meditation and deeper dive into the internal landscape, we surfaced to reflect in Her holy waters, cleanse, make offerings and let our intentions be known. Maa was there as Her praises rippled in tones and through movements around community. We approached with care, deliberately and with humility, anointing Her and accepting blessings.  Red and pink flowers encircling her murti, devotees sipped of Her nectar and bowed low in respectful obeisance.\n\nOur time for individual prayers and darshan done, the air filled with the beat of the drum once more, and with bells ringing in celebration, we sang, danced and shouted with joy for the presence felt, surrender achieved, and all the moments filled with meaning yet to be revealed.\n\nJai Maa Kamakhya ki Jai!\n\n<a title=\"Pilgrimage to Kamakhya\" href=\"http://sharanya.org/events/pilgrimage/\">Read</a> about one of our past pilgrimages to India during Ambubachi Mela to learn more about the Goddess.','Yoni Puja 2012','','inherit','open','open','','65-autosave-v1','','','2014-02-23 00:54:15','2014-02-23 07:54:15','',65,'http://sharanya.org/mandala/65-autosave-v1/',0,'revision','',0),(101007,2,'2014-02-23 01:04:18','2014-02-23 08:04:18','<blockquote>From the highest and most penetrating reverberations of the Divine undifferentiated, nameless and formless, we call to you Mother, to join us in our work to break free of the encumbrances we carry in this lifetime. \r\n\r\nBereft of freedom in our hearts, we welcome you as Kali and implore you to break the chains of fear that we bear so that we may create windows to our souls as you intended and for all who care to see, fully strong in the beauty and brilliance of our unique incarnation. \r\n\r\nYour gifts are many in the challenges of living. You create a birth canal with them that we may push and push, our lifeforce yearning for light and air in the new world, toward exquisite vulnerability replete with the puissance of infinite love. Maa, we are your children. Embrace us and take us home! <i>- Invocation, Kali Puja - PantheaCon 2014</i></blockquote><br><br>\r\n\r\n<p>\r\n\r\nIf you have been with us for Kali Puja at PantheaCon in the past, you know that the structure of the ritual remains intact while the meditation and focus through Maa\'s eyes takes a different form each year. This is because we acknowledge that setting a strong container will help birth whatever is most necessary for those present to experience in that moment. We open to those who walk into the room, our temple, for the puja and discover in an unspoken collaboration what is yearning to come forth in the space we together inhabit and create. \r\n\r\nThis Kali Puja, we were blessed by insight before the ritual to hold those who would be present as Her children. As the doors opened, we welcomed participants on a journey to experience Kali as Universal Mother, and much came of our meeting. From the depths of yearning to be held and loved, we surrendered before Her and made our personal offerings. \r\n\r\nSacrifice, we came to understand, is birthed, much like puja itself, from the strength of the <i>sankalpa</i> (sacred intention), or resolve, we hold in our hearts. Taking responsibility for our worship, with no mediator between us and Goddess, we made an offering to Maa in this form, revealing ourselves to ourselves through Her witnessing. \r\n\r\nPuja, then, provides the gift of acting as a mirror, showing us through symbol and form both our greatest potentials and the depths of our failures. Coming to hold both in dynamic tension that we may give rise to something more is what the work is all about. \r\n\r\n<a href=\"http://sharanya.org/wp-content/uploads/2014/02/IMG_1244-e1393141163849.jpg\"><img src=\"http://sharanya.org/wp-content/uploads/2014/02/IMG_1244-e1393141163849.jpg\" alt=\"Kali Puja PantheaCon 2014\" class=\"alignleft size-full wp-image-100994 imgborder\" /></a>\r\n\r\nOf all Her mysteries, this puja invited us to most closely examine the power of sex, birth and blood, the related cultural taboos and our internalized oppressions around these facts of life. Those who were menstruating, had recently given birth or had just had sex were asked to stand and be honored. Where else can we go in the naked truth of our bodies than before our Mother, our Creatrix, and the source of our perfectly flawed selves?  \r\n\r\nInvited to return to breath and our sankalpa once more, the ritual closed with gratitudes to all who surrounded us during our worship: our guides, ancestors, lineages, and the power of fire inner (of our hearts) and outer (of our protectors) who helped make the puja possible. Our gratitudes to all who participated in this year\'s Kali Puja at PantheaCon, helping through sweet love and surrender to make it a joyous experience. Jai Maa Kali ki Jai! ','PantheaCon 2014 - Kali Puja','','inherit','open','open','','100993-revision-v1','','','2014-02-23 01:04:18','2014-02-23 08:04:18','',100993,'http://sharanya.org/mandala/100993-revision-v1/',0,'revision','',0),(101008,2,'2014-02-23 01:04:42','2014-02-23 08:04:42','<blockquote>From the highest and most penetrating reverberations of the Divine undifferentiated, nameless and formless, we call to you Mother, to join us in our work to break free of the encumbrances we carry in this lifetime. \r\n\r\nBereft of freedom in our hearts, we welcome you as Kali and implore you to break the chains of fear that we bear so that we may create windows to our souls as you intended and for all who care to see, fully strong in the beauty and brilliance of our unique incarnation. \r\n\r\nYour gifts are many in the challenges of living. You create a birth canal with them that we may push and push, our lifeforce yearning for light and air in the new world, toward exquisite vulnerability replete with the puissance of infinite love. Maa, we are your children. Embrace us and take us home! <i>- Invocation, Kali Puja - PantheaCon 2014</i></blockquote><br><br>\r\n\r\n<p>\r\n\r\nIf you have been with us for Kali Puja at PantheaCon in the past, you know that the structure of the ritual remains intact while the meditation and focus through Maa\'s eyes takes a different form each year. This is because we acknowledge that setting a strong container will help birth whatever is most necessary for those present to experience in that moment. We open to those who walk into the room, our temple, for the puja and discover in an unspoken collaboration what is yearning to come forth in the space we together inhabit and create. \r\n\r\nThis Kali Puja, we were blessed by insight before the ritual to hold those who would be present as Her children. As the doors opened, we welcomed participants on a journey to experience Kali as Universal Mother, and much came of our meeting. From the depths of yearning to be held and loved, we surrendered before Her and made our personal offerings. \r\n\r\nSacrifice, we came to understand, is birthed, much like puja itself, from the strength of the <i>sankalpa</i> (sacred intention), or resolve, we hold in our hearts. Taking responsibility for our worship, with no mediator between us and Goddess, we made an offering to Maa in this form, revealing ourselves to ourselves through Her witnessing. \r\n\r\nPuja, then, provides the gift of acting as a mirror, showing us through symbol and form both our greatest potentials and the depths of our failures. Coming to hold both in dynamic tension that we may give rise to something more is what the work is all about. \r\n\r\n<a href=\"http://sharanya.org/wp-content/uploads/2014/02/IMG_1244-e1393141163849.jpg\"><img src=\"http://sharanya.org/wp-content/uploads/2014/02/IMG_1244-e1393141163849.jpg\" alt=\"Kali Puja PantheaCon 2014\" class=\"alignleft size-full wp-image-100994 imgborder\" /></a>\r\n\r\nOf all Her mysteries, this puja invited us to most closely examine the power of sex, birth and blood, the related cultural taboos and our internalized oppressions around these facts of life. Those who were menstruating, had recently given birth or had just had sex were asked to stand and be honored. Where else can we go in the naked truth of our bodies than before our Mother, our Creatrix, and the source of our perfectly flawed selves?  \r\n\r\nInvited to return to breath and our sankalpa once more, the ritual closed with gratitudes to all who surrounded us during our worship: our guides, ancestors, lineages, and the power of fire inner (of our hearts) and outer (of our protectors) who helped make the puja possible. Our gratitudes to all who participated in this year\'s Kali Puja at PantheaCon, helping through sweet love and surrender to make it a joyous experience. \r\n\r\nJai Maa Kali ki Jai! ','PantheaCon 2014 - Kali Puja','','inherit','open','open','','100993-revision-v1','','','2014-02-23 01:04:42','2014-02-23 08:04:42','',100993,'http://sharanya.org/mandala/100993-revision-v1/',0,'revision','',0),(101009,2,'2014-02-23 01:05:34','2014-02-23 08:05:34','<blockquote>From the highest and most penetrating reverberations of the Divine undifferentiated, nameless and formless, we call to you Mother, to join us in our work to break free of the encumbrances we carry in this lifetime. \r\n\r\nBereft of freedom in our hearts, we welcome you as Kali and implore you to break the chains of fear that we bear so that we may create windows to our souls as you intended and for all who care to see, fully strong in the beauty and brilliance of our unique incarnation. \r\n\r\nYour gifts are many in the challenges of living. You create a birth canal with them that we may push and push, our lifeforce yearning for light and air in the new world, toward exquisite vulnerability replete with the puissance of infinite love. Maa, we are your children. Embrace us and take us home! <i>- Invocation, Kali Puja - PantheaCon 2014</i></blockquote><br><br>\r\n\r\n<a href=\"http://sharanya.org/wp-content/uploads/2014/02/IMG_1244-e1393141163849.jpg\"><img src=\"http://sharanya.org/wp-content/uploads/2014/02/IMG_1244-e1393141163849.jpg\" alt=\"Kali Puja PantheaCon 2014\" class=\"alignleft size-full wp-image-100994 imgborder\" /></a>\r\n\r\nIf you have been with us for Kali Puja at PantheaCon in the past, you know that the structure of the ritual remains intact while the meditation and focus through Maa\'s eyes takes a different form each year. This is because we acknowledge that setting a strong container will help birth whatever is most necessary for those present to experience in that moment. We open to those who walk into the room, our temple, for the puja and discover in an unspoken collaboration what is yearning to come forth in the space we together inhabit and create. \r\n\r\nThis Kali Puja, we were blessed by insight before the ritual to hold those who would be present as Her children. As the doors opened, we welcomed participants on a journey to experience Kali as Universal Mother, and much came of our meeting. From the depths of yearning to be held and loved, we surrendered before Her and made our personal offerings. \r\n\r\nSacrifice, we came to understand, is birthed, much like puja itself, from the strength of the <i>sankalpa</i> (sacred intention), or resolve, we hold in our hearts. Taking responsibility for our worship, with no mediator between us and Goddess, we made an offering to Maa in this form, revealing ourselves to ourselves through Her witnessing. \r\n\r\nPuja, then, provides the gift of acting as a mirror, showing us through symbol and form both our greatest potentials and the depths of our failures. Coming to hold both in dynamic tension that we may give rise to something more is what the work is all about. \r\n\r\nOf all Her mysteries, this puja invited us to most closely examine the power of sex, birth and blood, the related cultural taboos and our internalized oppressions around these facts of life. Those who were menstruating, had recently given birth or had just had sex were asked to stand and be honored. Where else can we go in the naked truth of our bodies than before our Mother, our Creatrix, and the source of our perfectly flawed selves?  \r\n\r\nInvited to return to breath and our sankalpa once more, the ritual closed with gratitudes to all who surrounded us during our worship: our guides, ancestors, lineages, and the power of fire inner (of our hearts) and outer (of our protectors) who helped make the puja possible. Our gratitudes to all who participated in this year\'s Kali Puja at PantheaCon, helping through sweet love and surrender to make it a joyous experience. \r\n\r\nJai Maa Kali ki Jai! ','PantheaCon 2014 - Kali Puja','','inherit','open','open','','100993-revision-v1','','','2014-02-23 01:05:34','2014-02-23 08:05:34','',100993,'http://sharanya.org/mandala/100993-revision-v1/',0,'revision','',0),(101012,2,'2014-03-10 22:04:51','2014-03-11 05:04:51','Inspired by Joseph Dispenza\'s reinterpretation of the Christian monastic vows, we continue our discussion by exploring chastity from a tantric perspective. Chastity. The very word conjures up images of Medieval metal pelvic belts and modern day purity rings. In a culture bombarded by sexual imagery and language, the notion seems rather quaint. And given the misappropriation of sex by Neo-Tantra, it is rare to see the words \"chastity\" and \"Tantra\" in the same sentence. \r\n\r\nIndeed, it seems rather odd to even discuss chastity in connection with Tantra as chastity, as traditionally defined, is sexual abstinence. Abstinence based on the belief that the physical body and its normal processes are \"dirty,\" \"sinful,\" and \"shameful.\" Even in orthodox, vedic-based Hinduism, sexual abstinence as brahmacharya serves to keep the yogi\'s mind concentrated on \"loftier\" spiritual pursuits. As Swami Subodhananda stated in 1897: \"Nothing should be sensed or done by the aspirant that might directly or otherwise tend to arouse the animal in him or her.\" \r\n\r\nIn contrast, the body in Tantra is honored as a necessary component of physical incarnation and is a means to experience and re-connect with our Original Self. Tantra takes brahmacharya and disassociates it from sexual morality and re-focuses it on the the idea of \"containment.\" Perhaps the best articulation of this re-focusing is from Ravi Ravindra in his translation of the Yoga Sutras:\r\n\r\n<blockquote>...the real meaning of brahmarcharya [is] to dwell in Brahman, the Vastness, All practice of yoga is intended to assist us in relating us more and more with the subtler and vaster realities, in which we live and move, and have our true being. In this effort, a repeated practice of containment of all our energies - of sex, of mind, of speech as well as of feeling - is required, always searching for the\r\nright balance between indulgence and deprivation. (The Wisdom of Patanjali\'s Yoga Sutras, pg. 91)</blockquote>\r\n																						\r\nThere is another level of chastity within Tantra and it begins with a very brief story. A few weeks ago, Chandra was telling a couple fellow initiates about the work that she and I are doing in the Matrika Circle. She said (and I greatly paraphrase here) that the work we do requires one to be pure of heart. I panicked: \"Pure of heart? Me? Has she met me? Doesn\'t she know about the foolish choices that I have consciously made and continue to make?\" Upon reflection, I realized that I am pure of heart. The work that I do I do because I love Maa and want nothing in return except for Her love. I\'m not interested in fame, money, followers, or siddhis. Nor am I, as my wife pointed out, trying to make amends for my mistakes. Love is my motivation and being of service to Her is my intention.\r\n\r\nPerhaps this what Dispenza meant when he stated that chastity is \"innocence of mind and heart.\" Chastity is not technical sexual purity; it is purity of heart and of intention. This purity of intention arises from a heart that knows its Self.\r\n\r\nNow, am I in a continual state of pure intention? No, of course not. I strive for it ritual and in meditation. I\'m working on extending this state more and more into my everyday life since I believe that chastity, like detachment, can be cultivated and refined, but, also like detachment, you have to work at it. Perhaps a good place to begin is by setting an intention, a sankalpa, first thing in the morning. Then during your sadhana that evening (or the following morning) assess how well you were able to live and act from your intention. This exercise is not meant to be punitive or shame-inducing; it serves only to increase our awareness of how we lived our intention.\r\n\r\nA daily spiritual practice is perhaps the most important thing that we can do to gain both the clarity to formulate our intention and the spiritual strength to act upon it. We would benefit greatly by checking the blindspots in our hearts and by realizing that our sankalpas are not always about us. This notion harkens back to last month\'s discussion on detachment; examine how your intentions might feed that loop of self-interest. If you are unsure how to do this or need a refresher, always return to your daily practice and personal mantram. If you are really stuck, you can chant <a href=\"http://www.sharanya.org/mandala/th_gallery/kalis-heart-mantra/\">Kali\'s Heart Mantram</a> as a way of asking Maa to help you chip off the hardened clay of ego around your heart.\r\n\r\nSo I invite you, my sisters and brothers, to live a chaste life. That is, a life lived from a pure heart, a heart harmonized between your self and your Self. Try it for a few weeks or so, or at least until April\'s update when we explore obedience. \r\n\r\nAs always, your thoughts, questions, and experiences are welcomed.\r\n\r\n<i>Offered by Balipriya</i>','Vows (Part II): Chastity - A Pure Heart','','publish','open','open','','chastity','','','2014-03-10 22:16:26','2014-03-11 05:16:26','',0,'http://sharanya.org/?p=101012',0,'post','',0),(101014,2,'2014-03-10 22:04:51','2014-03-11 05:04:51','Inspired by Joseph Dispenza\'s reinterpretation of the Christian monastic vows, we continue our discussion by exploring chastity from a tantric perspective. Chastity. The very word conjures up images of Medieval metal pelvic belts and modern day purity rings. In a culture bombarded by sexual imagery and language, the notion seems rather quaint. And given the misappropriation of sex by Neo-Tantra, it is rare to see the words \"chastity\" and \"Tantra\" in the same sentence. \r\n\r\nIndeed, it seems rather odd to even discuss chastity in connection with Tantra as chastity, as traditionally defined, is sexual abstinence. Abstinence based on the belief that the physical body and its normal processes are \"dirty,\" \"sinful,\" and \"shameful.\" Even in orthodox, vedic-based Hinduism, sexual abstinence as brahmacharya serves to keep the yogi\'s mind concentrated on \"loftier\" spiritual pursuits. As Swami Subodhananda stated in 1897: \"Nothing should be sensed or done by the aspirant that might directly or otherwise tend to arouse the animal in him or her.\" \r\n\r\nIn contrast, the body in Tantra is honored as a necessary component of physical incarnation and is a means to experience and re-connect with our Original Self. Tantra takes brahmacharya and disassociates it from sexual morality and re-focuses it on the the idea of \"containment.\" Perhaps the best articulation of this re-focusing is from Ravi Ravindra in his translation of the Yoga Sutras:\r\n\r\n<blockquote>...the real meaning of brahmarcharya [is] to dwell in Brahman, the Vastness, All practice of yoga is intended to assist us in relating us more and more with the subtler and vaster realities, in which we live and move, and have our true being. In this effort, a repeated practice of containment of all our energies - of sex, of mind, of speech as well as of feeling - is required, always searching for the\r\nright balance between indulgence and deprivation. (The Wisdom of Patanjali\'s Yoga Sutras, pg. 91)</blockquote>\r\n																						\r\nThere is another level of chastity within Tantra and it begins with a very brief story. A few weeks ago, Chandra was telling a couple fellow initiates about the work that she and I are doing in the Matrika Circle. She said (and I greatly paraphrase here) that the work we do requires one to be pure of heart. I panicked: \"Pure of heart? Me? Has she met me? Doesn\'t she know about the foolish choices that I have consciously made and continue to make?\" Upon reflection, I realized that I am pure of heart. The work that I do I do because I love Maa and want nothing in return except for Her love. I\'m not interested in fame, money, followers, or siddhis. Nor am I, as my wife pointed out, trying to make amends for my mistakes. Love is my motivation and being of service to Her is my intention.\r\n\r\nPerhaps this what Dispenza meant when he stated that chastity is \"innocence of mind and heart.\" Chastity is not technical sexual purity; it is purity of heart and of intention. This purity of intention arises from a heart that knows its Self.\r\n\r\nNow, am I in a continual state of pure intention? No, of course not. I strive for it ritual and in meditation. I\'m working on extending this state more and more into my everyday life since I believe that chastity, like detachment, can be cultivated and refined, but, also like detachment, you have to work at it. Perhaps a good place to begin is by setting an intention, a sankalpa, first thing in the morning. Then during your sadhana that evening (or the following morning) assess how well you were able to live and act from your intention. This exercise is not meant to be punitive or shame-inducing; it serves only to increase our awareness of how we lived our intention.\r\n\r\nA daily spiritual practice is perhaps the most important thing that we can do to gain both the clarity to formulate our intention and the spiritual strength to act upon it. We would benefit greatly by checking the blindspots in our hearts and by realizing that our sankalpas are not always about us. This notion harkens back to last month\'s discussion on detachment; examine how your intentions might feed that loop of self-interest. If you are unsure how to do this or need a refresher, always return to your daily practice and personal mantram. If you are really stuck, you can chant <a href=\"../mandala/th_gallery/kalis-heart-mantra/>Kali\'s Heart Mantram</a> as a way of asking Maa to help you chip off the hardened clay of ego around your heart.\r\n\r\nSo I invite you, my sisters and brothers, to live a chaste life. That is, a life lived from a pure heart, a heart harmonized between your self and your Self. Try it for a few weeks or so, or at least until April\'s update when we explore obedience. \r\n\r\nAs always, your thoughts, questions, and experiences are welcomed.\r\n\r\n<i>Offered by Balipriya</i>','Chastity','','inherit','open','open','','101012-revision-v1','','','2014-03-10 22:04:51','2014-03-11 05:04:51','',101012,'http://sharanya.org/mandala/101012-revision-v1/',0,'revision','',0),(101015,2,'2014-03-10 22:05:28','2014-03-11 05:05:28','Inspired by Joseph Dispenza\'s reinterpretation of the Christian monastic vows, we continue our discussion by exploring chastity from a tantric perspective. Chastity. The very word conjures up images of Medieval metal pelvic belts and modern day purity rings. In a culture bombarded by sexual imagery and language, the notion seems rather quaint. And given the misappropriation of sex by Neo-Tantra, it is rare to see the words \"chastity\" and \"Tantra\" in the same sentence. \r\n\r\nIndeed, it seems rather odd to even discuss chastity in connection with Tantra as chastity, as traditionally defined, is sexual abstinence. Abstinence based on the belief that the physical body and its normal processes are \"dirty,\" \"sinful,\" and \"shameful.\" Even in orthodox, vedic-based Hinduism, sexual abstinence as brahmacharya serves to keep the yogi\'s mind concentrated on \"loftier\" spiritual pursuits. As Swami Subodhananda stated in 1897: \"Nothing should be sensed or done by the aspirant that might directly or otherwise tend to arouse the animal in him or her.\" \r\n\r\nIn contrast, the body in Tantra is honored as a necessary component of physical incarnation and is a means to experience and re-connect with our Original Self. Tantra takes brahmacharya and disassociates it from sexual morality and re-focuses it on the the idea of \"containment.\" Perhaps the best articulation of this re-focusing is from Ravi Ravindra in his translation of the Yoga Sutras:\r\n\r\n<blockquote>...the real meaning of brahmarcharya [is] to dwell in Brahman, the Vastness, All practice of yoga is intended to assist us in relating us more and more with the subtler and vaster realities, in which we live and move, and have our true being. In this effort, a repeated practice of containment of all our energies - of sex, of mind, of speech as well as of feeling - is required, always searching for the\r\nright balance between indulgence and deprivation. (The Wisdom of Patanjali\'s Yoga Sutras, pg. 91)</blockquote>\r\n																						\r\nThere is another level of chastity within Tantra and it begins with a very brief story. A few weeks ago, Chandra was telling a couple fellow initiates about the work that she and I are doing in the Matrika Circle. She said (and I greatly paraphrase here) that the work we do requires one to be pure of heart. I panicked: \"Pure of heart? Me? Has she met me? Doesn\'t she know about the foolish choices that I have consciously made and continue to make?\" Upon reflection, I realized that I am pure of heart. The work that I do I do because I love Maa and want nothing in return except for Her love. I\'m not interested in fame, money, followers, or siddhis. Nor am I, as my wife pointed out, trying to make amends for my mistakes. Love is my motivation and being of service to Her is my intention.\r\n\r\nPerhaps this what Dispenza meant when he stated that chastity is \"innocence of mind and heart.\" Chastity is not technical sexual purity; it is purity of heart and of intention. This purity of intention arises from a heart that knows its Self.\r\n\r\nNow, am I in a continual state of pure intention? No, of course not. I strive for it ritual and in meditation. I\'m working on extending this state more and more into my everyday life since I believe that chastity, like detachment, can be cultivated and refined, but, also like detachment, you have to work at it. Perhaps a good place to begin is by setting an intention, a sankalpa, first thing in the morning. Then during your sadhana that evening (or the following morning) assess how well you were able to live and act from your intention. This exercise is not meant to be punitive or shame-inducing; it serves only to increase our awareness of how we lived our intention.\r\n\r\nA daily spiritual practice is perhaps the most important thing that we can do to gain both the clarity to formulate our intention and the spiritual strength to act upon it. We would benefit greatly by checking the blindspots in our hearts and by realizing that our sankalpas are not always about us. This notion harkens back to last month\'s discussion on detachment; examine how your intentions might feed that loop of self-interest. If you are unsure how to do this or need a refresher, always return to your daily practice and personal mantram. If you are really stuck, you can chant <a href=\"../mandala/th_gallery/kalis-heart-mantra/>Kali\'s Heart Mantram</a> as a way of asking Maa to help you chip off the hardened clay of ego around your heart.\r\n\r\nSo I invite you, my sisters and brothers, to live a chaste life. That is, a life lived from a pure heart, a heart harmonized between your self and your Self. Try it for a few weeks or so, or at least until April\'s update when we explore obedience. \r\n\r\nAs always, your thoughts, questions, and experiences are welcomed.\r\n\r\n<i>Offered by Balipriya</i>','Chastity: A Pure Heart','','inherit','open','open','','101012-revision-v1','','','2014-03-10 22:05:28','2014-03-11 05:05:28','',101012,'http://sharanya.org/mandala/101012-revision-v1/',0,'revision','',0),(101016,2,'2014-03-10 22:07:35','2014-03-11 05:07:35','Inspired by Joseph Dispenza\'s reinterpretation of the Christian monastic vows, we continue our discussion by exploring chastity from a tantric perspective. Chastity. The very word conjures up images of Medieval metal pelvic belts and modern day purity rings. In a culture bombarded by sexual imagery and language, the notion seems rather quaint. And given the misappropriation of sex by Neo-Tantra, it is rare to see the words \"chastity\" and \"Tantra\" in the same sentence. \n\nIndeed, it seems rather odd to even discuss chastity in connection with Tantra as chastity, as traditionally defined, is sexual abstinence. Abstinence based on the belief that the physical body and its normal processes are \"dirty,\" \"sinful,\" and \"shameful.\" Even in orthodox, vedic-based Hinduism, sexual abstinence as brahmacharya serves to keep the yogi\'s mind concentrated on \"loftier\" spiritual pursuits. As Swami Subodhananda stated in 1897: \"Nothing should be sensed or done by the aspirant that might directly or otherwise tend to arouse the animal in him or her.\" \n\nIn contrast, the body in Tantra is honored as a necessary component of physical incarnation and is a means to experience and re-connect with our Original Self. Tantra takes brahmacharya and disassociates it from sexual morality and re-focuses it on the the idea of \"containment.\" Perhaps the best articulation of this re-focusing is from Ravi Ravindra in his translation of the Yoga Sutras:\n\n<blockquote>...the real meaning of brahmarcharya [is] to dwell in Brahman, the Vastness, All practice of yoga is intended to assist us in relating us more and more with the subtler and vaster realities, in which we live and move, and have our true being. In this effort, a repeated practice of containment of all our energies - of sex, of mind, of speech as well as of feeling - is required, always searching for the\nright balance between indulgence and deprivation. (The Wisdom of Patanjali\'s Yoga Sutras, pg. 91)</blockquote>\n																						\nThere is another level of chastity within Tantra and it begins with a very brief story. A few weeks ago, Chandra was telling a couple fellow initiates about the work that she and I are doing in the Matrika Circle. She said (and I greatly paraphrase here) that the work we do requires one to be pure of heart. I panicked: \"Pure of heart? Me? Has she met me? Doesn\'t she know about the foolish choices that I have consciously made and continue to make?\" Upon reflection, I realized that I am pure of heart. The work that I do I do because I love Maa and want nothing in return except for Her love. I\'m not interested in fame, money, followers, or siddhis. Nor am I, as my wife pointed out, trying to make amends for my mistakes. Love is my motivation and being of service to Her is my intention.\n\nPerhaps this what Dispenza meant when he stated that chastity is \"innocence of mind and heart.\" Chastity is not technical sexual purity; it is purity of heart and of intention. This purity of intention arises from a heart that knows its Self.\n\nNow, am I in a continual state of pure intention? No, of course not. I strive for it ritual and in meditation. I\'m working on extending this state more and more into my everyday life since I believe that chastity, like detachment, can be cultivated and refined, but, also like detachment, you have to work at it. Perhaps a good place to begin is by setting an intention, a sankalpa, first thing in the morning. Then during your sadhana that evening (or the following morning) assess how well you were able to live and act from your intention. This exercise is not meant to be punitive or shame-inducing; it serves only to increase our awareness of how we lived our intention.\n\nA daily spiritual practice is perhaps the most important thing that we can do to gain both the clarity to formulate our intention and the spiritual strength to act upon it. We would benefit greatly by checking the blindspots in our hearts and by realizing that our sankalpas are not always about us. This notion harkens back to last month\'s discussion on detachment; examine how your intentions might feed that loop of self-interest. If you are unsure how to do this or need a refresher, always return to your daily practice and personal mantram. If you are really stuck, you can chant <a href=\"../mandala/th_gallery/kalis-heart-mantra/>Kali\'s Heart Mantram</a> as a way of asking Maa to help you chip off the hardened clay of ego around your heart.\n\nSo I invite you, my sisters and brothers, to live a chaste life. That is, a life lived from a pure heart, a heart harmonized between your self and your Self. Try it for a few weeks or so, or at least until April\'s update when we explore obedience. \n\nAs always, your thoughts, questions, and experiences are welcomed.\n\n<i>Offered by Balipriya</i>','Vows (Part II): Chastity - A Pure Heart','','inherit','open','open','','101012-autosave-v1','','','2014-03-10 22:07:35','2014-03-11 05:07:35','',101012,'http://sharanya.org/mandala/101012-autosave-v1/',0,'revision','',0),(101017,2,'2014-03-10 22:08:49','2014-03-11 05:08:49','Inspired by Joseph Dispenza\'s reinterpretation of the Christian monastic vows, we continue our discussion by exploring chastity from a tantric perspective. Chastity. The very word conjures up images of Medieval metal pelvic belts and modern day purity rings. In a culture bombarded by sexual imagery and language, the notion seems rather quaint. And given the misappropriation of sex by Neo-Tantra, it is rare to see the words \"chastity\" and \"Tantra\" in the same sentence. \r\n\r\nIndeed, it seems rather odd to even discuss chastity in connection with Tantra as chastity, as traditionally defined, is sexual abstinence. Abstinence based on the belief that the physical body and its normal processes are \"dirty,\" \"sinful,\" and \"shameful.\" Even in orthodox, vedic-based Hinduism, sexual abstinence as brahmacharya serves to keep the yogi\'s mind concentrated on \"loftier\" spiritual pursuits. As Swami Subodhananda stated in 1897: \"Nothing should be sensed or done by the aspirant that might directly or otherwise tend to arouse the animal in him or her.\" \r\n\r\nIn contrast, the body in Tantra is honored as a necessary component of physical incarnation and is a means to experience and re-connect with our Original Self. Tantra takes brahmacharya and disassociates it from sexual morality and re-focuses it on the the idea of \"containment.\" Perhaps the best articulation of this re-focusing is from Ravi Ravindra in his translation of the Yoga Sutras:\r\n\r\n<blockquote>...the real meaning of brahmarcharya [is] to dwell in Brahman, the Vastness, All practice of yoga is intended to assist us in relating us more and more with the subtler and vaster realities, in which we live and move, and have our true being. In this effort, a repeated practice of containment of all our energies - of sex, of mind, of speech as well as of feeling - is required, always searching for the\r\nright balance between indulgence and deprivation. (The Wisdom of Patanjali\'s Yoga Sutras, pg. 91)</blockquote>\r\n																						\r\nThere is another level of chastity within Tantra and it begins with a very brief story. A few weeks ago, Chandra was telling a couple fellow initiates about the work that she and I are doing in the Matrika Circle. She said (and I greatly paraphrase here) that the work we do requires one to be pure of heart. I panicked: \"Pure of heart? Me? Has she met me? Doesn\'t she know about the foolish choices that I have consciously made and continue to make?\" Upon reflection, I realized that I am pure of heart. The work that I do I do because I love Maa and want nothing in return except for Her love. I\'m not interested in fame, money, followers, or siddhis. Nor am I, as my wife pointed out, trying to make amends for my mistakes. Love is my motivation and being of service to Her is my intention.\r\n\r\nPerhaps this what Dispenza meant when he stated that chastity is \"innocence of mind and heart.\" Chastity is not technical sexual purity; it is purity of heart and of intention. This purity of intention arises from a heart that knows its Self.\r\n\r\nNow, am I in a continual state of pure intention? No, of course not. I strive for it ritual and in meditation. I\'m working on extending this state more and more into my everyday life since I believe that chastity, like detachment, can be cultivated and refined, but, also like detachment, you have to work at it. Perhaps a good place to begin is by setting an intention, a sankalpa, first thing in the morning. Then during your sadhana that evening (or the following morning) assess how well you were able to live and act from your intention. This exercise is not meant to be punitive or shame-inducing; it serves only to increase our awareness of how we lived our intention.\r\n\r\nA daily spiritual practice is perhaps the most important thing that we can do to gain both the clarity to formulate our intention and the spiritual strength to act upon it. We would benefit greatly by checking the blindspots in our hearts and by realizing that our sankalpas are not always about us. This notion harkens back to last month\'s discussion on detachment; examine how your intentions might feed that loop of self-interest. If you are unsure how to do this or need a refresher, always return to your daily practice and personal mantram. If you are really stuck, you can chant <a href=\"../mandala/th_gallery/kalis-heart-mantra/>Kali\'s Heart Mantram</a> as a way of asking Maa to help you chip off the hardened clay of ego around your heart.\r\n\r\nSo I invite you, my sisters and brothers, to live a chaste life. That is, a life lived from a pure heart, a heart harmonized between your self and your Self. Try it for a few weeks or so, or at least until April\'s update when we explore obedience. \r\n\r\nAs always, your thoughts, questions, and experiences are welcomed.\r\n\r\n<i>Offered by Balipriya</i>','Vows (Part II): Chastity - A Pure Heart','','inherit','open','open','','101012-revision-v1','','','2014-03-10 22:08:49','2014-03-11 05:08:49','',101012,'http://sharanya.org/mandala/101012-revision-v1/',0,'revision','',0),(101018,2,'2014-03-10 22:09:25','2014-03-11 05:09:25','Over the next three months, I would like to explore the three traditionally Christian monastic vows from a tantric perspective. Now, before you go running and screaming to the hills, be assured that I will not be asking anyone to take the vows of poverty, chastity and obedience. The idea for this exploration was inspired by an article by Joseph Dispenza in the November/December issue of <em>Spirituality & Health</em> magazine. A former monk, Dispenza realized the deeper meaning of his vows only after he broke them and gave up his monkhood. While he briefly mentioned chastity and obedience, the main focus of his article was poverty, which will be this month\'s focus as well.\r\n\r\nI know that for many of you the idea of poverty is not just an idea - it is a reality. And while I certainly don\'t mean to make light of or downplay anyone\'s financial situation, the emphasis here is on voluntary poverty. Just wanted to be clear on this point.\r\n\r\nIn almost every monastic tradition - Christian, Buddhist, Hindu, and others - taking a vow of poverty is one of the cornerstones of monastic life. In Christianity, it wasn\'t until the twelfth century that the three vows were formalized by Francis of Assisi. Francis was a man of deep faith and took his vows literally and to great extremes. However, Dispenza points out that the vow of poverty is not just about living on little or no money, but that \"at the root of the (poverty) vow is surrendering ownership.\" For Dispenza, monastic poverty enabled him \"to apply the virtue of detachment to several areas of life: body, mind, emotions, and spirit.\" \r\n\r\nThis idea of voluntary poverty as a practice of detachment struck me as being very tantric. In Tantra, as you all know, the material world is not to be renounced but used as a means to reconnecting with our True Selves. There is no need to renounce our possessions, our titles, our families, our iThings. The potential problem lies in that saying: non-attachment is not not owning things; it is things not owning you. Dispenza would be quick to add that it is not just \"things\" that can own us, but attitudes and emotions as well.\r\n\r\nWhen the topic of non-attachment comes up, many people picture someone being cold, unfeeling, and uncaring. In fact, true detachment (I\'m using non-attachment and detachment interchangeably here) can result in quite the opposite. The famous \"Christian yogi,\" Bede Griffiths, understood this when he stated:\r\n\r\n<blockquote>What Gandhi saw so clearly is that this detachment was not a way of escape from the world but of a freedom from self-interest which enabled one to give oneself totally to God and to the world. (Christ in India, pg. 24)</blockquote>												\r\n\r\nBy recognizing and understanding how the kleshas play out in our lives, we can begin to loosen the bonds of this self-interest. By practicing tattva shuddhi, yoga nidra, and other such practices, we can begin to harmonize our individual selves with our divine selves, enabling us to act and respond in this world with compassionate detachment. We can further this process by taking up a form of voluntary poverty and asking ourselves the following questions:\r\n\r\n<li>Is this material thing really necessary? Meaning, will it help or hinder my spiritual progression?</li> \r\n\r\n<li>What thoughts, especially habitual ones, keep me in a loop of self-interest?</li>\r\n\r\n<li>Similarly, what emotions am I attached to for whatever reason?</li>\r\n\r\n<li>What would happen to me if I start to untangle myself from my attachments?</li><br>\r\n\r\nSo, I invite us to look at areas of our lives where attachments hold us fast in the bonds of self-interest. No need to making sweeping changes immediately (unless you want to and have the strength to do so) but just make small changes. Make detachment a part of your daily life and notice the subtle changes in and around you. \r\n\r\nIf you would like to share your thoughts on detachment as voluntary poverty or your experiences with it, please do so. We in community look forward to hearing from you! \r\n\r\n<i>Offered by Balipriya</i>','Vows (Part I): Voluntary Poverty - A Perspective','','inherit','open','open','','100987-revision-v1','','','2014-03-10 22:09:25','2014-03-11 05:09:25','',100987,'http://sharanya.org/mandala/100987-revision-v1/',0,'revision','',0),(101019,2,'2014-03-10 22:14:04','2014-03-11 05:14:04','','Love Altar','','inherit','open','open','','lovealtarframed','','','2014-03-10 22:14:04','2014-03-11 05:14:04','',101012,'http://sharanya.org/wp-content/uploads/2014/03/LoveAltarFramed.jpg',0,'attachment','image/jpeg',0),(101020,2,'2014-03-10 22:16:26','2014-03-11 05:16:26','Inspired by Joseph Dispenza\'s reinterpretation of the Christian monastic vows, we continue our discussion by exploring chastity from a tantric perspective. Chastity. The very word conjures up images of Medieval metal pelvic belts and modern day purity rings. In a culture bombarded by sexual imagery and language, the notion seems rather quaint. And given the misappropriation of sex by Neo-Tantra, it is rare to see the words \"chastity\" and \"Tantra\" in the same sentence. \r\n\r\nIndeed, it seems rather odd to even discuss chastity in connection with Tantra as chastity, as traditionally defined, is sexual abstinence. Abstinence based on the belief that the physical body and its normal processes are \"dirty,\" \"sinful,\" and \"shameful.\" Even in orthodox, vedic-based Hinduism, sexual abstinence as brahmacharya serves to keep the yogi\'s mind concentrated on \"loftier\" spiritual pursuits. As Swami Subodhananda stated in 1897: \"Nothing should be sensed or done by the aspirant that might directly or otherwise tend to arouse the animal in him or her.\" \r\n\r\nIn contrast, the body in Tantra is honored as a necessary component of physical incarnation and is a means to experience and re-connect with our Original Self. Tantra takes brahmacharya and disassociates it from sexual morality and re-focuses it on the the idea of \"containment.\" Perhaps the best articulation of this re-focusing is from Ravi Ravindra in his translation of the Yoga Sutras:\r\n\r\n<blockquote>...the real meaning of brahmarcharya [is] to dwell in Brahman, the Vastness, All practice of yoga is intended to assist us in relating us more and more with the subtler and vaster realities, in which we live and move, and have our true being. In this effort, a repeated practice of containment of all our energies - of sex, of mind, of speech as well as of feeling - is required, always searching for the\r\nright balance between indulgence and deprivation. (The Wisdom of Patanjali\'s Yoga Sutras, pg. 91)</blockquote>\r\n																						\r\nThere is another level of chastity within Tantra and it begins with a very brief story. A few weeks ago, Chandra was telling a couple fellow initiates about the work that she and I are doing in the Matrika Circle. She said (and I greatly paraphrase here) that the work we do requires one to be pure of heart. I panicked: \"Pure of heart? Me? Has she met me? Doesn\'t she know about the foolish choices that I have consciously made and continue to make?\" Upon reflection, I realized that I am pure of heart. The work that I do I do because I love Maa and want nothing in return except for Her love. I\'m not interested in fame, money, followers, or siddhis. Nor am I, as my wife pointed out, trying to make amends for my mistakes. Love is my motivation and being of service to Her is my intention.\r\n\r\nPerhaps this what Dispenza meant when he stated that chastity is \"innocence of mind and heart.\" Chastity is not technical sexual purity; it is purity of heart and of intention. This purity of intention arises from a heart that knows its Self.\r\n\r\nNow, am I in a continual state of pure intention? No, of course not. I strive for it ritual and in meditation. I\'m working on extending this state more and more into my everyday life since I believe that chastity, like detachment, can be cultivated and refined, but, also like detachment, you have to work at it. Perhaps a good place to begin is by setting an intention, a sankalpa, first thing in the morning. Then during your sadhana that evening (or the following morning) assess how well you were able to live and act from your intention. This exercise is not meant to be punitive or shame-inducing; it serves only to increase our awareness of how we lived our intention.\r\n\r\nA daily spiritual practice is perhaps the most important thing that we can do to gain both the clarity to formulate our intention and the spiritual strength to act upon it. We would benefit greatly by checking the blindspots in our hearts and by realizing that our sankalpas are not always about us. This notion harkens back to last month\'s discussion on detachment; examine how your intentions might feed that loop of self-interest. If you are unsure how to do this or need a refresher, always return to your daily practice and personal mantram. If you are really stuck, you can chant <a href=\"http://www.sharanya.org/mandala/th_gallery/kalis-heart-mantra/\">Kali\'s Heart Mantram</a> as a way of asking Maa to help you chip off the hardened clay of ego around your heart.\r\n\r\nSo I invite you, my sisters and brothers, to live a chaste life. That is, a life lived from a pure heart, a heart harmonized between your self and your Self. Try it for a few weeks or so, or at least until April\'s update when we explore obedience. \r\n\r\nAs always, your thoughts, questions, and experiences are welcomed.\r\n\r\n<i>Offered by Balipriya</i>','Vows (Part II): Chastity - A Pure Heart','','inherit','open','open','','101012-revision-v1','','','2014-03-10 22:16:26','2014-03-11 05:16:26','',101012,'http://sharanya.org/mandala/101012-revision-v1/',0,'revision','',0),(101021,2,'2014-03-10 22:19:55','2014-03-11 05:19:55','<!-- BEGIN Mantra of the Month -->\r\n<!-- Audio thumbnail and title link -->\r\n<h2><img alt=\"\" src=\"http://sharanya.org/wp-content/themes/churchope/lib/metabox/images/i_audio.png\" />\r\n<a style=\"text-decoration: none;\" href=\"http://sharanya.org/mandala/th_gallery/honoring-the-ancestors/\">Featured Mantram: Honoring Ancestors</a></h2>\r\n<!-- Header image -->\r\n<a href=\"http://sharanya.org/mandala/th_gallery/honoring-the-ancestors/\"><img class=\"size-full wp-image-99337 imgborder aligncenter alt=\"Ancestors\' Invocation\" src=\"http://sharanya.org/wp-content/uploads/2013/10/Ancestors-Mantram.jpg\" width=\"350\" height=\"264\" /></a>\r\n\r\n<!-- Audio player -->\r\n[thaudio href=\'http://sharanya.org/wp-content/uploads/2013/10/05-Track-05.m4a\'][/thaudio]\r\n<h2><b style=\"font-size: 13px;\">Translation:</b></h2>\r\n<em>From the highest realm to the lowest, as far as the universe extends, let all divine sages and forebearers, all deceased ancestors, on both the father\'s and mother\'s side be worshiped. Let this humble offering of sesame and water benefit the whole world, from the heavens down to this earth; may it benefit the inhabitants of the seven continents belonging to unlimited families in the past.</em><br><br>\r\n\r\n<strong><em><a href=\"http://sharanya.org/mandala/th_gallery/honoring-the-ancestors/\">Learn more about this mantram...</a></em></strong>\r\n\r\n<!-- END Mantra of the Month -->\r\n\r\n<hr style=\"border-top: 2px solid #aaa; margin: 30px 0;\" />\r\n\r\n[blog category=\"24\" perpage=\"1\" pagination=\"\" ]\r\n\r\n<hr style=\"border-top: 2px solid #aaa; margin: 30px 0;\" />\r\n\r\n[terms_gallery terms=\"24\" perpage=\"10\" pagination=\"on\" layout=\"medium\" isotope=\"on\" ]','Mantra','','inherit','open','open','','99154-revision-v1','','','2014-03-10 22:19:55','2014-03-11 05:19:55','',99154,'http://sharanya.org/mandala/99154-revision-v1/',0,'revision','',0),(101022,2,'2014-03-10 22:31:09','2014-03-11 05:31:09','Birthed in India over 15 years ago, SHARANYA exists to empower seeds of change on individual, collective, and planetary levels towards healing, respect, responsibility, and the fullest awareness of an interconnected, interrelated cosmic reality. Our origins are rooted in a commitment to social justice and to the (r)evolution of consciousness across space-time realities that we might transform increasingly toward peace.<br><br>\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n[toggle type=\"gray\" title=\"Our Temple in India\" active=\"\"]\r\n\r\n<a href=\"http://sharanya.org/wp-content/uploads/2013/08/MBCMTemple.jpg\"><img class=\"aligncenter size-full wp-image-99537 imgborder\" alt=\"Maa Batakali Mandir (Puri)\" src=\"http://sharanya.org/wp-content/uploads/2013/08/MBCMTemple.jpg\" /></a>\r\n<h3 style=\"text-align: center;\"><span style=\"font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif;\">Constitution of Maa Batakali Sanskrutika Parisada</span></h3>\r\n<span style=\"font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif;\">The Maa Batakali Cultural Mission\r\n</span><br>\r\n<span style=\"font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif;\">Balisahi, Puri Town, Puri  752 001 Orissa</span><br>\r\n\r\nRegistration Number: 2802/211/91-92<br>\r\nFiled and Certified by the Audit Superintendent District Panchayat Office, Puri<br><br>\r\n\r\n<b>Mission Statement:</b>\r\n<ul>To create and nurture a community of life-affirming individuals devoted to Mother Worship and to developing an understanding of how such devotion can positively transform our global community.</ul>\r\n<b>Vision Statement:</b>\r\n<ul>The Maa Batakali Cultural Mission is dedicated to promoting the vision of the world as a global community in Her divine name.</ul>\r\n<b>Aims and Objectives:</b>\r\n<ul>\r\n	<li>To maintain this Mission as a nonprofit public-benefit organization, not organized for the private gain of any person.</li>\r\n	<li>To foster awareness of Goddess worship as a life-affirming path among the global community; and to eradicate erroneous and superstitious beliefs in this regard.</li>\r\n	<li>To organize, develop and execute recreational, cultural and spiritual activities for the community.</li>\r\n	<li>To undertake programs for the establishment of community housing, social forestry and environmental sanitation; et alia.</li>\r\n	<li>To organize, fund and promote Mission Centers for community gatherings, social welfare programs and adult education, including the establishment of a library with emphasis on educational activities for community youth; and to develop various pilot projects to meet the needs of community members.</li>\r\n	<li>To organize outreach programs for those not in or around Mission Centers.</li>\r\n	<li>To undertake projects expressly designed to promote the welfare of Scheduled Caste, Scheduled Tribe and other economically \"backward\" classes of people, and to promote the development of cooperative ideas and enterprise among them and the community at large.</li>\r\n	<li>To draw up schemes for the rehabilitation of antisocial persons; i.e., those with problems related to alcohol and drug abuse, and to assist their families as required.</li>\r\n	<li>To educate about and mobilize peacefully against sati, dowry, beggary, caste crime and similar social ills.</li>\r\n	<li>To publish a monthly newsletter, community bulletin and other educational materials for the promotion of the spiritual and cultural philosophy of the Mission.</li>\r\n	<li>To help provide relief, through community efforts, for those effected by natural calamities and other emergencies.</li>\r\n	<li>To promote cultural exchange of ideas and beliefs throughout India and the world.</li>\r\n	<li>To assist in providing legal aid to the needy and the poor.</li>\r\n	<li>To establish sister organizations, in the United States and elsewhere, in order to promote the vision of the Mission worldwide.</li>\r\n	<li>To develop fundraising schemes for the future growth and maintenance of the Mission and its associations.</li>\r\n</ul>\r\n[/toggle]\r\n\r\n[toggle type=\"gray\" title=\"Origin Story: Part I\" active=\"\"]<a href=\"http://sharanya.org/wp-content/uploads/2013/08/ShyamPuriWeb.jpg\"><img class=\"alignleft size-full wp-image-99541 imgborder\" alt=\"Shyam Sundar Dash at Maabatakali Mandir\" src=\"http://sharanya.org/wp-content/uploads/2013/08/ShyamPuriWeb.jpg\" /></a><em>August 2, 1998</em><br><br>\r\nIt\'s summer in India, the time when the air is thick, sweat plentiful, and the monsoon\'s rains swell the skies and the streets. I have come here, to this land of spice, spirit and the sacred, to further my work in ecofeminism by looking at women\'s spiritual connections to social justice and activism on behalf of the environment. I am not here long, however, before Maa, the Divine Mother, shows me that there\'s more to my quest than I originally thought.<br><br>\r\n\r\nSpeaking to a guide at my hotel, I tell him, \"I need to find a temple to the Goddess.\"<br><br>\r\n\r\n\"Which one,\" he asks. \"Which goddess?\"<br><br>\r\n\r\n\"Well, Kali,\" I state hesitatingly, unsure of how my request will be received.  The man looks me up and down, trying to determine where I fit within the spectrum of visitors from whom he makes his livelihood.<br><br>\r\n\r\n\"Wouldn\'t you rather visit Lord Jaganath?\" he inquires. Lord of the Universe, Jaganath is honored at this time in Puri (the eastern <i>dham</i>, one of the sacred compass points in India) in a huge festival to which hundreds of thousands flock each year. Together with his brother and sister, this is the only time the Lord leaves the <I>mandir</I> (temple). He\'s on a family outing to his summer home across the town, and everyone comes out to get a glimpse of the royal family.<br><br>\r\n\r\n\"No,\" I respond quickly. I\'m restless and on a mission. It is Kali I need to see and no one else. That She is responsible for my getting through a political uprising in Digha at the southern end of West Bengal unscathed is apparent to me. I have come here therefore to give thanks and need to be at her feet in a temple soon. Sensing my urgency, the gentleman kindly calls to an auto-rickshaw driver with a shrug, not wanting to engage me further about goddesses. The driver arrives.<br><br>\r\n\r\n\"Kali mandir,\" I say to him as he pulls up alongside us. At this point, I have no idea how many homes Maa has here in Puri. After receiving no further instructions, the driver takes off towards the center of town. I later find out (after several unsuccessful attempts to again visit the place to which I am now heading) that there are at least four Kali temples accessible to visitors. Reaching our destination, I buy a hibiscus mala, a garland of her sacred flower, and add that to my <I>puja</I> (worship) basket. Into it too go coconut, juicy betel nut and other sweets to delight Her. My offering is noteworthy at this temple for its size; but I am generous as I feel a strong need to show my appreciation to Goddess for getting me out of Digha alive. <br><br>\r\n\r\nThe pujari at Maa Batakali Mandir, Shyam Sundar Dash, is a Brahmin priest with two sons. In his devotion and gratitude for the goddess having given him these sons, Shyam has built this temple. A small roadside mandir, passersby usually drop rupees on the temple steps on their daily rounds. It is nothing too fancy, but Maa here is absolutely resplendent.<br><br>\r\n\r\nIn his time, Shyam has doubled as a government worker, making regular trips back and forth from his office to tend to Maa and her devotees. Now retired, he tends to the temple and its congregation of worshipers every day for morning prayers and evening <i>aarati</i> (a beautiful celebration with lights and offerings). As Shyam sees me approach for the first time, he stares. He asks me directly why I am there, and although he is not angry, his disposition and directness can easily be mistaken for exactly that at first. Truly, he\'s just curious, but I am startled by his question.<br><br>\r\n\r\n\"Are you ISKON?\" he demands.<br><br>\r\n\r\nSuspense broken, I let out a nervous laugh. The International Society of Krishna Consciousness (a.k.a. Hare Krishnas) has never drawn me, but Puri is full of Western devotees. Lord Jaganath, I learn is, like Krishna whom those in ISKON worship, one of the ten incarnations of Lord Vishnu, the God of Preservation, and one of the main Hindu deities.<br><br>\r\n\r\n\"No,\" I reply, \"I came to thank Maa.\"  After a few more words, Shyam accepts my offering basket, performing puja on my behalf. He asks my name in order to conduct the rites. When we\'re through, he asks why I\'m there. But my eyes are transfixed on Maa\'s image as it transforms before me, and I can only point to my heart by way of explanation. \"She\'s here,\" I manage to say. Then, everything that has been kept inside until now in this challenging land of contrasts streams out through my eyes in hot tears.<br><br>\r\n\r\nFrom June through the end of August 1998, I live in Puri. My friends up north forgive me for not coming back. My field work on is put on hold. It was my pause when Shyam asked after the ritual, \"Will you come visit my house?\" that changed not only the course of my research, but also my life. Aware of India\'s potential for surprises, I held a moment of silence before responding and internally questioned his invitation and motivations.<br><br>\r\n\r\nFeeling inside, I sensed that this was an offering, and a door was opening to me that might never open again. In the pause, I could see Her face dimly, and I wondered in my rational mind about my work and Shyam\'s intentions. It took me three days to surrender to the feeling and my vision of Her beckoning. After careful thought and some time meditating with the ocean\'s wisdom, I said yes. I returned to meet my new teacher and his family.<br><br>\r\n\r\nThe more time I spent in Puri, the more I realized that Goddess was working in quite mysterious ways and that Shyam was no typical Brahmin priest.  As time passed, I learned the extent to which She was working through him, and I absorbed many levels of Her teachings. Some were straightforward and harsh; others were more obtuse and delightful.<br><br>\r\n\r\nAfter much work on my temple manners, Sanskrit, and a conversion to Hinduism, <I>diksha</I>, or initiation into Kali\'s mysteries is the next profound unfolding of my spiritual journey. The day comes on the August new moon, and I am thrilled when I realize it will be August 2nd, the festival of the harvest often called Lughnasad (or Lammas) in the earth-based Western calendar. It is as though Maa has answered my burning question: Can I do this, honor you, Mother, as a priestess in both worlds? The synchronicity of timing does not escape me, and I feel She is telling me that I can have it both ways, walking as a Goddess worshiper wherever I may be in the world. To Her, I learn, there is no distinction.<br><br>\r\n\r\nThe initiation is radical by most Hindu standards. Shyam is a Brahmin priest, and I am not only a Westerner but also a woman; and women in India are not initiated by Brahmins. Following the Vedas in his public work, Shyam also practices Tantra. This is the in-road to Maa that is clearly appropriate for my circumstances and his. Tantrics care not of my birth, only my longing. But perhaps there would be less to explain and fewer staring eyes as we sit working together at the temple were Shyam to be more public about the various faces of his devotion.<br><br> \r\n\r\nAs Shyam manages to satisfy people\'s natural curiosity with his answers to their queries and suspicious looks, I pretend not to notice the robust number of visitors to the temple in the evenings after the gates have closed and we have begun our private work and evening prayers together.<a href=\"http://sharanya.org/wp-content/uploads/2013/08/ShyamSundarDashChandraAlexandrePuriMBCM1-e1377156643651.jpg\"><img class=\"size-full wp-image-99707 imgborder alignright\" alt=\"Chandra Alexandre and Shyam Sundar Dash at Puri Mandir\" src=\"http://sharanya.org/wp-content/uploads/2013/08/ShyamSundarDashChandraAlexandrePuriMBCM1-e1377156643651.jpg\" width=\"228\" height=\"246\" /></a>\r\n\r\nMy practice deepens after initiation, and on Her sacred day of Kali Puja some months later in October, I sit at the feet of the goddess in the temple, a spot that locals cannot come near. It is nearing midnight and the heat of the day lifting off the earth combined with the hot lamps that light Her image makes the sweat drip down my arms, makes my sari blouse feel even tighter than it already is, and makes me wish I couldn\'t see the large number of bugs and ants crawling on my feet and ankles in search of food. I honor Her by pouring <i>ghee</i> (clarified butter) for the <i>homa</i> (fire offering) ceremony, and I honor the fact that I am Shyam\'s first <i>chela</i> (student), a position of honor in this lineage tradition.<br><br>\r\n\r\nI tend to my responsibilities dutifully as the <I>Chandi Path</I> verses resonate off the temple walls and expand into the night air. In moments of quiet, I think about the day Shyam said he\'d been waiting for me, how he said his own guru had told him that one day, he would be bringing someone other than his sons to the path. I remember how Shyam said he had found the signs in my face the very first day we had met at the temple; signs telling him that I was the student to which his guru had referred. We finish our time together and he tells me the most important thing: \"Go! Go back to your home land, America, and spread Mother Worship!\"<br><br>\r\n\r\nUpon my return to the States, SHARANYA is born and my dedication to Kali Maa takes root with the formation of community on Western shores. The wisdom of the ocean is remembered and I am home.<br><br>\r\n\r\n<hr />\r\n\r\n<strong>Chandra Alexandre</strong> is the founding director of SHARANYA. She received <i>namakarana samskara</i> and her first <em>diksha </em>from Shyam Sundar Dash (founder of the Maa Batakali Mandir in Puri; Bharadvaja gotra) in 1998. \r\n\r\n[/toggle]\r\n\r\n[toggle type=\"gray\" title=\"Origin Story: Part II\" active=\"\"]<a href=\"http://sharanya.org/wp-content/uploads/2013/08/KamakhyaMandirWeb.jpg\"><img class=\"alignleft size-full wp-image-99540 imgborder\" alt=\"Kamakhya Mandir\" src=\"http://sharanya.org/wp-content/uploads/2013/08/KamakhyaMandirWeb.jpg\" /></a><em>June 26, 2003</em><br><br>\r\n\r\n\"Babaji wants to see you.\"<br><br>\r\n\r\n<span style=\"font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif;\"> I’m walking barefoot down the muddy side of Nilachal Hill at Kamakhya in northeastern India after witnessing one of the most beautiful Sanskrit recitations I have ever heard. The white kurtas of the Brahmin men gathered in a circle around a sacred fire stand in marked contrast though to the throngs of red-clad women waiting in long lines to see their Mother. Both, I imagine, receive Her blessings. I am in northeastern India, in Assam, participating in an annual Tantrick pilgrimage to the seat of the goddess’ power, the place where her <i>yoni</i>, or sexual organ, resides on Earth.  It’s a powerful place, a place of contrasts where all come together, whether Vaishnava, Shaivite or Shakta, to honor Maa. It\'s a place, one might say, where all unites in Her name.  </span><br><br>\r\n\r\n<span style=\"font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif;\"> Babji, I learn, is a 400-year old Aghori. A believer in the preeminence of the divine as Shiva, pure consciousness, he is a practitioner of the non-dualistic or \"left-hand\" Tantric rites. In short, this means that he adheres to a rather literal interpretation of what other Tantrics might do symbolically in ritual and devotion on the path to enlightenment. He meditates, for example, not only on <i>yantras</i> (sacred diagrams), but on yantras in cremation grounds on top of corpses; he drinks wine and liquor; he smokes hash and takes in other natural mind-altering substances. He believes that the pathway to the divine is through the body, through this world, through all of creation. His accepts it all, the pure and impure, the wicked and sane, as sacred. He is a radical non-dualist—one who believes in the One as well as in the reality of the phenomenal world. His path is fast and furious, sweet and sublime, potentially off-putting at the same time that it attracts wonder, excitement, and awe.  He loves Maa. </span><br><br>\r\n\r\n<span style=\"font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif;\"> The three black-clad initiates standing outside his cave-like shelter on the hillside welcome me in. I meet Babji. He’s old but looks young, his face the only give-away that he’s been around the block a few times. His body, otherwise, is baby-like. He looks pregnant, a little round belly on a very thin frame. I sit cross-legged in front of him. To his left, the fire pit. To his right, a <i>kapala</i>, or human skull cup from which wine and other mind-altering substances are drunk, sits upturned. He calls me \"Beti,\" or daughter. Two followers of his are there; his initiates have left us alone. The woman wipes the snot dripping from Babaji\'s nose with a handkerchief and then moves to mop sweat from his forehead. No one, it appears, is immune to this sweltering summer heat. The Indian devotee next to her, perhaps her husband, has had far too much <i>bhang</i> (Cannabis) or something; his eyes have trouble steadying on me. </span><br><br>\r\n\r\n<span style=\"font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif;\">My Sanskrit is better than my Hindi at this point. Fortunately, I can make out meaning from of the ritual language Babaji is using. The man helps a little, but his English is as poor as my Hindi. We quiet. Suddenly, Babaji grabs me. He pulls me to him with unsuspected strength. Face against face, I feel the bristles of his long beard against my cheek, and I feel coolness where the snot has been touching. I am startled, but now I’m held. I am held firmly, with apparent intention. The touch is not violent or inappropriate. The strength is deep and calming. I stay quiet and listen inside to my belly and instincts. Presence prevails, and I allow myself to trust the moment. Just then, Babaji begins. His mouth now pressed to my ear, he sounds an ancient mantra. My heart trembles, my eyes close, and I go inward. I surrender to these sounds, soaking in the ancient reverberations, feeling in them the voices of the lineage, the guttural utterances of vibrations across time and space. All enter my ear. All penetrate my soul.  </span><br><br>\r\n\r\n<span style=\"font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif;\"> Moments pass and I eventually sit back upright in silence. One moment, then two. From deep inside, the sobbing begins. There’s no rational thought, no rhyme or reason, just the moment and my feeling of tremendous love and connection to all that is…I recognize a touch of <i>sat chit ananada</i>: being, consciousness, bliss. My forehead now on Babji\'s knee, he pats my head and strokes my hair. I sit back upright. Silence. One moment, then two. Babaji reaches to his left where a rusty knife about four inches long sits waiting. I follow his motion with my eyes. Instantly, I am terrified. I have visions of blood. Stop! One moment, then two. Stop! This time, it’s an admonition to remember. Allow yourself to be taken, it says. You’ve been here before; you know what\'s happening. It\'s safe. Breathe. </span><br><br>\r\n\r\n<span style=\"font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif;\">Babaji lowers my head with his hand and takes a fist-full of hair from my crown. He pulls hard enough to undo strands from my braid. Close to the scalp he cuts with the knife. Old and well-used, it doesn’t cut very well.  He pulls harder to get through the thickness of my mane and it hurts for an instant. I deepen my surrender. He cuts. He finishes, and I sit back up. Dazed, with my awareness in another place, I still must know.  </span><br><br>\r\n\r\n<span style=\"font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif;\"> \"What,\" I ask, “are you going to do with it?\"  </span><br><br>\r\n\r\n<span style=\"font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif;\"> \"A sacrifice,” he says, \"will be offered in the fire tonight.\" He holds up my hair.  </span><br><br>\r\n\r\n<span style=\"font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif;\"> \"It’s an equal exchange,\" he says. \"The price you pay for being welcomed into the family.”</span><br><br>\r\n\r\n<em>By: Chandra Alexandre</em>\r\n\r\n[/toggle]\r\n\r\n[toggle type=\"gray\" title=\"Founder\'s Biography\" active=\"\"]<img class=\"alignleft size-full wp-image-99540 imgborder\" alt=\"Chandra Alexandre\" src=\"http://sharanya.org/wp-content/uploads/2013/09/DSC_0731-e1378968031852.jpg\" /> Chandra Alexandre is a Tantric Bhairavi, an initiator in the tradition of Kali, serving SHARANYA as clergy. She is a householder and a regular pilgrim to the birthplace of Tantra in northeastern India, where she studies and practices with her teachers. Chandra was first initiated into the mysteries of the dark goddess in 1998 in Puri, Orissa on the dakshinacara path, and then, five years later, she accepted the non-dualistic path of vamacara Tantra at Kamakhya outside of Guwahati in Assam. Her maternal grandmother was her first guide into the ways of spirit in the world.<br><br>\r\n\r\nOn her initial return from India, Chandra founded SHARANYA to serve those committed to embodied and engaged spirituality for social justice and transformation. This was the birth of Sha’can, an authentic lineage tradition of Shakta Tantra contextualized and made relevant for people and lands distant from the source. Chandra and community complement San Francisco Bay Area worship, events and services with an online mystery school, Kali Vidya, to serve an international community of spiritual seekers and lovers of Maa.<br><br>\r\n\r\nChandra is known for her passionate engagement of theory and practice. She holds a PhD in Asian & Comparative Studies from the California Institute of Integral Studies, a Doctor of Ministry degree from Wisdom University (formerly the University of Creation Spirituality), and an MBA in sustainable management from Presidio Graduate School. In addition to SHARANYA, she engages her commitment through several community-based nonprofit organizations working for educational equity, poverty alleviation and the empowerment of women and girls.<br><br>\r\n\r\nOriginally from New York, Chandra has, since 1995, called San Francisco home. She is a devoted wife and mother and also conjurer of <i>The Aghori Bakery: Everyday Spiritual Conversations</i> (forthcoming).[/toggle]\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n<h5>Kali: Goddess of Social Justice</h5>\r\n<a href=\"http://sharanya.org/wp-content/uploads/2013/08/DSCN1214-e1381995966484.jpg\"><img src=\"http://sharanya.org/wp-content/uploads/2013/08/DSCN1214-e1381995966484.jpg\" alt=\"Kali Murti\" class=\"alignleft size-full wp-image-100719 imgborder\" /></a> \r\n<br><br><br><br><br><br><br><br><br><br><br>\r\n\r\n[thaudio href=\'http://sharanya.org/wp-content/uploads/2013/08/Kali-Maa-Iconography.mp3\']Interview excerpt: <i>Chandra Alexandre</I> (Interviewed by Karen Tate) December 31, 2008[/thaudio]\r\n\r\n\r\n[testimonials category=\"origins\" time=\"10\" effect=\"fade\" ]\r\n\r\n&nbsp;','Origins','','inherit','open','open','','99123-revision-v1','','','2014-03-10 22:31:09','2014-03-11 05:31:09','',99123,'http://sharanya.org/mandala/99123-revision-v1/',0,'revision','',0),(101024,2,'2014-03-27 20:40:27','2014-03-28 03:40:27','Join us as we come together to explore Goddess through writings, poetry, reflection, discussion, meditation, devotion, spiritual technologies, <i>sadhana</i> (spiritual practice), and the creation of community through Shakta Tantra in the Sha\'can tradition.<br><br>\r\n\r\nOur courses are designed to help all spiritual seekers contextualize the ancient and living goddess traditions within the socio-cultural and psycho-spiritual framework of today\'s world, creating lived spaces for the Divine in all Her forms—including those of the Sacred Masculine—in personal practice and devotion.<br>\r\n\r\n[testimonials category=\"kali-vidya\" time=\"10\" effect=\"fade\" ]\r\n\r\nIf you seek community and want to learn more about SHARANYA\'s spiritual path as an authentic, Tantric lineage tradition of goddess worship, then we welcome you to delve into <em>Devoted to Devi: Embracing  Tradition - Walking the Path</em>.  Join this introductory class in our open source, interactive online forum!<br><br>\r\n\r\nRegistration is now OPEN for our next offerings.<br><br>\r\n\r\n[toggle type=\"gray\" title=\"SHA101: <em>Devoted to Devi</em>\" active=\"\"]Join us for the next series of classes beginning April 2014.<br><br>\r\n\r\nClasses run for sixteen weeks to allow an integration of the rich lessons with your ongoing practice and explorations in the Sha\'can tradition. We begin this introductory course at SHARANYA\'s Kali Vidya with creation of a Western framework that helps us build a respectful and appropriate bridge to the Eastern mysteries and understanding of Devi, Goddess, our Divine Mother, She Who Embraces All.<br><br>\r\n\r\nGiven our roots in the earth-based spiritualities of East and West, we start with a very basic introduction to the Craft. Even if you are already familiar with this tradition, please consider yourself a beginner on our path as we create perspective for Western elements of devotion in Sha\'can. The first section of our course will give you an important introduction to and perspective on how we practice. The exercises given are also important foundational keys for the rest of the spiritual homework provided. In addition to on-line sharing, this includes daily practice, readings, research, participation in development of an on-line glossary, and other requirements designed to facilitate your spiritual exploration and unfolding.<br><br>\r\n\r\nWe then provide a brief background on what Tantra is (and what it is not) and how it fits within Sha\'can. Next, we offer an introduction and overview of the Dark Goddess and why She is important, followed by a beginner\'s look at Kali as the Great Mother and Four-Fold Feminine Force.<br><br>\r\n\r\nThis course, when all of the components are put together, creates a ritual through which you may approach Kali Maa, our Divine Mother, and gain understanding that will complement your sincere devotion.[/toggle]\r\n\r\n[toggle type=\"gray\" title=\"SHA201: <i>Unveiling Goddess: Practices at the Heart of Tantra</i>\" active=\"\"]This is an intermediate course for those who have completed SHA101. Join us for the next series of classes beginning April 2014.<br><br>\r\n\r\nOnce you have journeyed through our introductory course, having learned tools and absorbed the ethics and basics of the tradition, the next step in your studies lies here, in <i>Unveiling Goddess</i>. In this in-depth course, we will continue to explore the nuances of spiritual discipline and practice in the Sha\'can tradition, learning additional methods of worship and delving more deeply into the Tantric frameworks of the Shakta lineage carried from India to new shores. Participants in this collaborative forum will share experiences and receive feedback each week as they develop the techniques during <i>sadhana</i> (spiritual practice) and utilize them within their own devotional work, inclusive of ritual, prayer, meditation, ecstatic dance and other forms of worship. Emphasis will be on establishment of an invigorated daily practice through the pathways of the <i>Yoga Sutras</i>.[/toggle]\r\n\r\nTo enroll, simply pay online. Once we have received your registration, we will email you with login information and additional course details. Questions? Email us at <a title=\"Email Kali Vidya\" href=\"mailto:info@kalividya.org\" target=\"_blank\">info@kalividya.org</a>.<br><br>\r\n\r\n<form action=\"https://www.paypal.com/cgi-bin/webscr\" method=\"post\" target=\"_top\"><input type=\"hidden\" name=\"cmd\" value=\"_s-xclick\" />\r\n<input type=\"hidden\" name=\"hosted_button_id\" value=\"SLWA52RAF42GG\" />\r\n<table>\r\n<tbody>\r\n<tr>\r\n<td><input type=\"hidden\" name=\"on0\" value=\"Courses offered\" />Courses offered</td>\r\n</tr>\r\n<tr>\r\n<td><select name=\"os0\"><option value=\"SHA101\">SHA101 $81.00 USD</option><option value=\"SHA201\">SHA201 $81.00 USD</option></select></td>\r\n</tr>\r\n</tbody>\r\n</table>\r\n<input type=\"hidden\" name=\"currency_code\" value=\"USD\" />\r\n<div class=\"widget_feedburner\" style=\"padding: 15px;\"><button type=\"submit\">Enroll Now</button></div>\r\n</form>\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n[teaser url=\"http://www.kalividya.org\" title=\"Kali Vidya\" src=\"http://sharanya.org/wp-content/uploads/2013/09/India-2007-050-e1379737365818.jpg\" ]Login[/teaser]',' Kali Vidya','','inherit','open','open','','99152-revision-v1','','','2014-03-27 20:40:27','2014-03-28 03:40:27','',99152,'http://sharanya.org/mandala/99152-revision-v1/',0,'revision','',0),(101025,2,'2014-04-03 15:43:11','2014-04-03 22:43:11','We conclude our discussion on the traditional monastic vows from a tantric perspective by exploring obedience. I\'m going to hazard a guess and suggest that of the three vows, obedience is the hardest one around which to wrap our minds. Perhaps it is not a stretch to understand poverty as detachment or chastity as purity of heart; those concepts can be translated from one tradition to another. But obedience? Not many in our culture are willing to follow another person\'s will or instructions, especially if it calls for sublimating their own. After all, our country was founded on disobedience and in sweeping terms, we, as Americans, have an uneasy relationship with obedience.\r\n\r\nI could elaborate on the numerous incidents of social and political acts of disobedience that have shaped and continue to shape our nation, but that is really beyond the scope of this post. Suffice it to say that a cautious regard of obedience is part of the American ethos. This is perhaps one reason why the guru-shishya relationship has been historically problematic here in the States. So how can we even discuss obedience in tantric terms when it is so culturally-loaded?\r\n\r\nI knew that I had to return to the basics and strip the word to its root. I was surprised to discover that the root word behind obedience is \"to perceive.\" Once I learned that \"audible\" and \"aesthetic\" share a common ancestry with obedience, I wondered how perception and obedience fit together. \r\n\r\nTo further my understanding, I turned to Joseph Dispenza, from whom I drew inspiration for this three-part discussion. Dispenza posits that obedience is \"personal responsibility.\" Of course, I agree that you should be accountable for your actions and words but I feel that Dispenza is off-track a bit. The potential problem with personal responsibility is the trap of making everything about you. How many times have I used \"personal responsibility\" to get what I want as if the very act of ownership of my words or feelings trump those of others? I would have less of issue with this idea if Dispenza defined obedience as \"Personal responsibility\" which is inclusive of ourselves, of our community, and of the Divine. Gender queer and Gregorian monk, Br. Karekin M. Yarian\'s take on obedience nicely articulates this (substitute tantric ideals for the Christian ones where needed):\r\n\r\n<blockquote>Obedience is not intended to diminish our capacity for reasonable engagement of questions of conscience or belief. It is instead a witness to the role of community in the ongoing search for and appropriation of the Gospel way of life and its center in God. (\"The Vow of Obedience\" - punkmonksf.com)</blockquote>\r\n	\r\nThe key element in the above passage is \"witness.\" We are called to witness, to perceive, the role of community in developing and maintaining a God/dess-centered life. We accomplish this by realizing our own role in community and using that knowledge to strengthen the community as a whole. Thus, obedience in tantric terms is the ability to perceive and act from your mahavratam, your life\'s work/purpose. When you understand your \"great vow\" and order your life around it (not you around it), you generate enormous transformative energy, benefitting all - you, your community, your planet. That is why the work that we do through and in SHARANYA is (r)evolutionary. \r\n\r\n\"That\'s nice, \" you may say, \"It sounds so grandiose and almost unobtainable. I don\'t have a clue what my life\'s purpose is!\" I would wager that you do, indeed, have a clue, otherwise you would not be where you are right now. You may not consciously know that you have an idea, an inkling of your mahavratam, but you are doing, being, and living it right now - you only have to perceive it. \r\n\r\nLike so many of our spiritual pursuits, perceiving our mahavratam is simple in theory and difficult in practice. Maintaining a daily spiritual practice will give you strength; harmonizing your physical and subtle bodies through tattva shuddhi and other similar practices will provide clarity; and regularly performing prana pratistha will help better attune you to the Divine. These are all tools at your disposal; utilize them. This is one of the beautiful things about Tantra; all of creation is there to aid you on your journey. Yet, as we have seen time and time again in our explorations, your spiritual journey is not necessarily about you. To return to Br. Karekin:\r\n\r\n<blockquote>Poverty, Chastity, and Obedience are our way of seeking God, centered not around autonomy but around participation in and \r\nwith community. We must never be satisfied that living the vows is the success of our journey - but rather that they are the pointers to an objective truth that lies beyond them. They are markers on the journey to God, and we must bear witness in our lives that to seek God and God\'s Truth are not only necessary, but that these goals are worthy of pursuit.</blockquote>\r\n\r\nTaken together, these three vows are not just for cloistered monastics but for each of us to live our lives from compassionate detachment, with a full and pure heart, as we perceive our greater purpose and live accordingly, in harmony with ourselves, each other, and the world. If that still sounds \"grandiose,\" then perhaps it is time to change the definition of that word as well. Jai Maa!\r\n\r\nWell, what a trip this has been as we navigated what we thought was well-charted territory! I hope that you have enjoyed this three-part installment and even if you did not comment publicly, it is my wish that this series provided some food for thought. Your comments, questions, and experiences on any one or all of the vows is most welcomed.\r\n\r\nDeep gratitudes to each one of you.\r\n\r\nJai Kali Mata Ki Jai!\r\n\r\n<em>Offered in Her Service by Balipriya</em>','Vows (Part III): Obedience - Perceiving Our Mahavratam','','publish','open','open','','vows-part-iii-obedience-perceiving-mahavratam','','','2014-04-03 15:43:11','2014-04-03 22:43:11','',0,'http://sharanya.org/?p=101025',0,'post','',0),(101026,2,'2014-04-03 15:43:11','2014-04-03 22:43:11','We conclude our discussion on the traditional monastic vows from a tantric perspective by exploring obedience. I\'m going to hazard a guess and suggest that of the three vows, obedience is the hardest one around which to wrap our minds. Perhaps it is not a stretch to understand poverty as detachment or chastity as purity of heart; those concepts can be translated from one tradition to another. But obedience? Not many in our culture are willing to follow another person\'s will or instructions, especially if it calls for sublimating their own. After all, our country was founded on disobedience and in sweeping terms, we, as Americans, have an uneasy relationship with obedience.\r\n\r\nI could elaborate on the numerous incidents of social and political acts of disobedience that have shaped and continue to shape our nation, but that is really beyond the scope of this post. Suffice it to say that a cautious regard of obedience is part of the American ethos. This is perhaps one reason why the guru-shishya relationship has been historically problematic here in the States. So how can we even discuss obedience in tantric terms when it is so culturally-loaded?\r\n\r\nI knew that I had to return to the basics and strip the word to its root. I was surprised to discover that the root word behind obedience is \"to perceive.\" Once I learned that \"audible\" and \"aesthetic\" share a common ancestry with obedience, I wondered how perception and obedience fit together. \r\n\r\nTo further my understanding, I turned to Joseph Dispenza, from whom I drew inspiration for this three-part discussion. Dispenza posits that obedience is \"personal responsibility.\" Of course, I agree that you should be accountable for your actions and words but I feel that Dispenza is off-track a bit. The potential problem with personal responsibility is the trap of making everything about you. How many times have I used \"personal responsibility\" to get what I want as if the very act of ownership of my words or feelings trump those of others? I would have less of issue with this idea if Dispenza defined obedience as \"Personal responsibility\" which is inclusive of ourselves, of our community, and of the Divine. Gender queer and Gregorian monk, Br. Karekin M. Yarian\'s take on obedience nicely articulates this (substitute tantric ideals for the Christian ones where needed):\r\n\r\n<blockquote>Obedience is not intended to diminish our capacity for reasonable engagement of questions of conscience or belief. It is instead a witness to the role of community in the ongoing search for and appropriation of the Gospel way of life and its center in God. (\"The Vow of Obedience\" - punkmonksf.com)</blockquote>\r\n	\r\nThe key element in the above passage is \"witness.\" We are called to witness, to perceive, the role of community in developing and maintaining a God/dess-centered life. We accomplish this by realizing our own role in community and using that knowledge to strengthen the community as a whole. Thus, obedience in tantric terms is the ability to perceive and act from your mahavratam, your life\'s work/purpose. When you understand your \"great vow\" and order your life around it (not you around it), you generate enormous transformative energy, benefitting all - you, your community, your planet. That is why the work that we do through and in SHARANYA is (r)evolutionary. \r\n\r\n\"That\'s nice, \" you may say, \"It sounds so grandiose and almost unobtainable. I don\'t have a clue what my life\'s purpose is!\" I would wager that you do, indeed, have a clue, otherwise you would not be where you are right now. You may not consciously know that you have an idea, an inkling of your mahavratam, but you are doing, being, and living it right now - you only have to perceive it. \r\n\r\nLike so many of our spiritual pursuits, perceiving our mahavratam is simple in theory and difficult in practice. Maintaining a daily spiritual practice will give you strength; harmonizing your physical and subtle bodies through tattva shuddhi and other similar practices will provide clarity; and regularly performing prana pratistha will help better attune you to the Divine. These are all tools at your disposal; utilize them. This is one of the beautiful things about Tantra; all of creation is there to aid you on your journey. Yet, as we have seen time and time again in our explorations, your spiritual journey is not necessarily about you. To return to Br. Karekin:\r\n\r\n<blockquote>Poverty, Chastity, and Obedience are our way of seeking God, centered not around autonomy but around participation in and \r\nwith community. We must never be satisfied that living the vows is the success of our journey - but rather that they are the pointers to an objective truth that lies beyond them. They are markers on the journey to God, and we must bear witness in our lives that to seek God and God\'s Truth are not only necessary, but that these goals are worthy of pursuit.</blockquote>\r\n\r\nTaken together, these three vows are not just for cloistered monastics but for each of us to live our lives from compassionate detachment, with a full and pure heart, as we perceive our greater purpose and live accordingly, in harmony with ourselves, each other, and the world. If that still sounds \"grandiose,\" then perhaps it is time to change the definition of that word as well. Jai Maa!\r\n\r\nWell, what a trip this has been as we navigated what we thought was well-charted territory! I hope that you have enjoyed this three-part installment and even if you did not comment publicly, it is my wish that this series provided some food for thought. Your comments, questions, and experiences on any one or all of the vows is most welcomed.\r\n\r\nDeep gratitudes to each one of you.\r\n\r\nJai Kali Mata Ki Jai!\r\n\r\n<em>Offered in Her Service by Balipriya</em>','Vows (Part III): Obedience - Perceiving Our Mahavratam','','inherit','open','open','','101025-revision-v1','','','2014-04-03 15:43:11','2014-04-03 22:43:11','',101025,'http://sharanya.org/mandala/101025-revision-v1/',0,'revision','',0),(101028,2,'2014-05-16 13:36:58','2014-05-16 20:36:58','Join us as we come together to explore Goddess through writings, poetry, reflection, discussion, meditation, devotion, spiritual technologies, <i>sadhana</i> (spiritual practice), and the creation of community through Shakta Tantra in the Sha\'can tradition.<br><br>\r\n\r\nOur courses are designed to help all spiritual seekers contextualize the ancient and living goddess traditions within the socio-cultural and psycho-spiritual framework of today\'s world, creating lived spaces for the Divine in all Her forms—including those of the Sacred Masculine—in personal practice and devotion.<br>\r\n\r\n[testimonials category=\"kali-vidya\" time=\"10\" effect=\"fade\" ]\r\n\r\nIf you seek community and want to learn more about SHARANYA\'s spiritual path as an authentic, Tantric lineage tradition of goddess worship, then we welcome you to delve into <em>Devoted to Devi: Embracing  Tradition - Walking the Path</em>.  Join this introductory class in our open source, interactive online forum!<br><br>\r\n\r\nRegistration is now OPEN for our next offerings.<br><br>\r\n\r\n[toggle type=\"gray\" title=\"SHA101: <em>Devoted to Devi</em>\" active=\"\"]Join us for the next series of classes beginning August 2014.<br><br>\r\n\r\nClasses run for sixteen weeks to allow an integration of the rich lessons with your ongoing practice and explorations in the Sha\'can tradition. We begin this introductory course at SHARANYA\'s Kali Vidya with creation of a Western framework that helps us build a respectful and appropriate bridge to the Eastern mysteries and understanding of Devi, Goddess, our Divine Mother, She Who Embraces All.<br><br>\r\n\r\nGiven our roots in the earth-based spiritualities of East and West, we start with a very basic introduction to the Craft. Even if you are already familiar with this tradition, please consider yourself a beginner on our path as we create perspective for Western elements of devotion in Sha\'can. The first section of our course will give you an important introduction to and perspective on how we practice. The exercises given are also important foundational keys for the rest of the spiritual homework provided. In addition to on-line sharing, this includes daily practice, readings, research, participation in development of an on-line glossary, and other requirements designed to facilitate your spiritual exploration and unfolding.<br><br>\r\n\r\nWe then provide a brief background on what Tantra is (and what it is not) and how it fits within Sha\'can. Next, we offer an introduction and overview of the Dark Goddess and why She is important, followed by a beginner\'s look at Kali as the Great Mother and Four-Fold Feminine Force.<br><br>\r\n\r\nThis course, when all of the components are put together, creates a ritual through which you may approach Kali Maa, our Divine Mother, and gain understanding that will complement your sincere devotion.[/toggle]\r\n\r\n[toggle type=\"gray\" title=\"SHA201: <i>Unveiling Goddess: Practices at the Heart of Tantra</i>\" active=\"\"]This is an intermediate course for those who have completed SHA101. Join us for the next series of classes beginning August 2014.<br><br>\r\n\r\nOnce you have journeyed through our introductory course, having learned tools and absorbed the ethics and basics of the tradition, the next step in your studies lies here, in <i>Unveiling Goddess</i>. In this in-depth course, we will continue to explore the nuances of spiritual discipline and practice in the Sha\'can tradition, learning additional methods of worship and delving more deeply into the Tantric frameworks of the Shakta lineage carried from India to new shores. Participants in this collaborative forum will share experiences and receive feedback each week as they develop the techniques during <i>sadhana</i> (spiritual practice) and utilize them within their own devotional work, inclusive of ritual, prayer, meditation, ecstatic dance and other forms of worship. Emphasis will be on establishment of an invigorated daily practice through the pathways of the <i>Yoga Sutras</i>.[/toggle]\r\n\r\nTo enroll, simply pay online. Once we have received your registration, we will email you with login information and additional course details. Questions? Email us at <a title=\"Email Kali Vidya\" href=\"mailto:info@kalividya.org\" target=\"_blank\">info@kalividya.org</a>.<br><br>\r\n\r\n<form action=\"https://www.paypal.com/cgi-bin/webscr\" method=\"post\" target=\"_top\"><input type=\"hidden\" name=\"cmd\" value=\"_s-xclick\" />\r\n<input type=\"hidden\" name=\"hosted_button_id\" value=\"SLWA52RAF42GG\" />\r\n<table>\r\n<tbody>\r\n<tr>\r\n<td><input type=\"hidden\" name=\"on0\" value=\"Courses offered\" />Courses offered</td>\r\n</tr>\r\n<tr>\r\n<td><select name=\"os0\"><option value=\"SHA101\">SHA101 $81.00 USD</option><option value=\"SHA201\">SHA201 $81.00 USD</option></select></td>\r\n</tr>\r\n</tbody>\r\n</table>\r\n<input type=\"hidden\" name=\"currency_code\" value=\"USD\" />\r\n<div class=\"widget_feedburner\" style=\"padding: 15px;\"><button type=\"submit\">Enroll Now</button></div>\r\n</form>\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n[teaser url=\"http://www.kalividya.org\" title=\"Kali Vidya\" src=\"http://sharanya.org/wp-content/uploads/2013/09/India-2007-050-e1379737365818.jpg\" ]Login[/teaser]',' Kali Vidya','','inherit','open','open','','99152-revision-v1','','','2014-05-16 13:36:58','2014-05-16 20:36:58','',99152,'http://sharanya.org/mandala/99152-revision-v1/',0,'revision','',0),(101032,2,'2014-06-26 22:13:47','2014-06-27 05:13:47','<a href=\"http://sharanya.org/wp-content/uploads/2014/06/Hawaii-Greece-2007-355-e1403847042143.jpg\"><img src=\"http://sharanya.org/wp-content/uploads/2014/06/Hawaii-Greece-2007-355-e1403847042143-273x300.jpg\" alt=\"Creativity\" class=\"alignleft size-medium wp-image-101038 imgborder\" /></a>Whether it’s an art project or the birth of a child, the creative process is often mysterious. We all know the magic involved in bringing something to fruition. And if we have nurtured life within our womb, we have an embodied experience from which to speak that ties us in yet another way to our mystical selves through the power of creation.  Either way, we know the struggles of the journey and what it takes to hold true to our virtue and soulful purpose amidst others’ opinions and our own doubts.  As the time of our creative endeavor, literal birthing, or self-awareness process grows, winds, unfolds, gets shaped by our will and is manipulated by our unconscious intentions and agendas (or those of others), we learn some of the cosmic forces that have come together for the manifestation of our own bodies and this Earth. \r\n\r\nThe philosophy of Tantra, and specifically that of creation, or <i>srishti</i> (as it’s called in Sanskrit), involves 51 distinct components. This article deals with a subset of these within the microcosm of our personal reality to provide additional insight as to the nature of the journey, regardless of manifestation or eventual outcome. The process by which Shakti creates the world of forms is the focus of our engagement.  Shakti is Goddess, the primordial feminine/female principle that enlivens All. Moreover, She is energy, the Divine spark. The process by which She descends from the transcendental into the realms of spirit and then into matter is called <i>pavritti</i>.  (As She expands and becomes increasingly drawn back to Source, the process is called <i>nivritti</i>, which is spiritual evolution.) Whether using this cosmology as a tool to bring mindfulness to your daily projects, to a pregnancy, or to your spiritual development, the hope is that you as a seeker are able to take away revelations from meditations on the movements of energy and its relationship to consciousness that this understanding informs. \r\n\r\nFollowing then are the levels of increasing manifestation as descended from the One, that which is nameless and formless, residing beyond the confines of Time and Space.  Each of these ten phases of the creation process is adapted from the working of essential purification based on the Tantric sadhana (spiritual discipline) known as Tattva Shuddhi.  You will notice that each of these is resonant with the ten lunar cycles from conception to childbirth. Each is also based upon the nature and duration of the flows of energy through the cycle of involution; and elements within this process are given here noting durations.  These are in the appropriate ratios relative to one another as related by the adepts. Thus, for example, when within the timeframe of Ether (which has a duration of two in the creation/creative process), we cycle for half the time than when in Air, which as a duration of four. These cycles can be weeks, days, hours, minutes, months or years—the timeline is up to you and your creation process. \r\n\r\nThis outline and progression can be used to help deepen your own birthing experience, no matter what it is or where you are (or were) in the process.  Each section below:  i)  contains a description of a tattva (principle or element) as key to understanding a phase of that creation process; ii)  invites you further into the mystery with a reflection question or two; and, iii) provides a brief ritual you may wish to do.  It is intended to serve as a guide for all your endeavors so that they will manifest that for which you yearn and labor, and it seeks to help awaken you to exciting new potentials for creation.  \r\n\r\n<h3>(1)	Prana Shakti - Source (Duration 1)</h3>\r\nAt the very beginning, we feel the stirring of our insides. A yearning comes to awareness and we desire to create or realize we are creating. Just as the Divine chose to incarnate in order to know and experience more of the Divine, we too can learn from choosing to create. Prana Shakti, the flow of vital energy within us, is our teacher and guide as we undertake the journey. Here, you will want to know the forces of breath within you, for they carry Her. Delve more deeply too into the basics of your practice so that you may (re)discover the fundamental patterns and movements of energy within. Visit the energy centers or chakras of the body, as well as the rivers or channels through which the currents flow. These are 72,000 in number and are called nadis—but you may wish to focus on establishing a relationship with the main ten or so. See what you can discover through your own turn to the inner landscape. \r\n\r\nWhile a birthing will happen at some point in the future, this is not the time for agendas or expectations. All we can know is that the end will come at some point, that the solidification of our efforts will eventually manifest, and the beginning of something new born of our effort, patience, love and inspiration will happen in time. Today, we stand poised and expectant. The infinite source of our soul connects to potentials and possibilities in this world, and we are free to let our creativity flow. We may strive to bring consciousness to all we attempt. Still, this is not the time to begin willful engagement toward a specific outcome. It is rather a time for heartfelt deepening into self and world. It is from this place that the specific components of our creative process will be revealed. \r\n\r\n<b>Reflection:</b> What is it in me that gives rise to this potential, this awakening, this project or this child (metaphoric or literal)?  Can I remain free of expectations and agendas in order to serve and honor the end as one unto itself? \r\n\r\n<b>Ritual:</b> Think of all you have done to get to this point of creating. Honor yourself and those who have helped you. Set a sankalpa (sacred intention) for the journey (this can be revised as you progress). You may wish to place a marker on your altar denoting the initiation of your process. Something that is personally meaningful and symbolic of your path is most likely to inspire you, whether in the most happy of moments or during the challenges and obstacles that you may face ahead. Make time to gaze at this object every day to reconnect and embolden your efforts. \r\n\r\n<hr />\r\n<em>By: Chandra Alexandre</em> - Originally published in Llewellyn\'s 2013 Magical Almanac under the title, <em>Doing Life & Creating Life: An Introduction to the Birthing Mystery through Tantra</em> \r\n<!--nextpage-->\r\n\r\n<h3>(2)	Prakriti-Purusha (Duration 4)</h3>\r\nHere we rest in the dance, largely unconscious, of what it takes to make something come alive. The push and pull of energy and consciousness here enlivens the process and we are creating even when we may not be aware of what’s happening.  In this second stage, these forces—energy and consciousness—begin to particularize and polarize, creating an articulated dynamic tension from the spark of our whim that is geared toward experiencing something new in the world birthed through us.  We are offered clues of the goings on through dreams and synchronicities—we might wish to pay attention—but the work of this phase rests predominantly on who we are and what we have done before.\r\n \r\nThe power of <i>prakriti</i> (the principle of Shakti within and as nature) is the creatrix activating our imagination and intuitive juices. The awareness of purusha (the principle of consciousness within our world) provides connection to soul. Together, they are the initial force required for the birthing to occur. Prakriti and purusha are partners responding to you and to any stimulus in your world as a river would to a rock in its path: they continue their flow uninterrupted. Without consideration of their dance, however, we may lose the impetus toward action or may dwindle our energies in mindless pursuits that do not serve our essence or the greater good.  By paying attention here, we gain the ability to see the potentials of the sacred and of evil, of compassion and of violence; of all the ways in which harmony is achieved not by forceful resistance to the flows of the Divine will, but by the application of holistic vision to all life has to offer. \r\n\r\n<b>Reflection:</b> Do I allow myself to trust intuition, that sacred balance of embodied knowing and spirit? Can my motives stay pure, as in reflective of a harmony between outer perception and inner experience? How do I reflect the dance of prakriti and purusha in and through my choices, actions, speech and thought? \r\n\r\n<b>Ritual:</b> Create a list of all the things that you desire to be in the mix so that your creation will be born whole and perfect.  Choose four to be the cornerstones of your birthing process and meditate on these, holding them in your mind and heart as fully as possible throughout your pregnancy or creative endeavor.  You may also wish to create a collage or work of art to represent the fullness of your dance with prakriti and purusha. Use this visual representation as a mandala to help strengthen your resolve and commitment.  \r\n\r\n<h3>(3)	Mahat Tattva (Duration 5)</h3>\r\nMahat Tattva, the Great Principle, is the expression of higher mind (often called buddhi) within us. It is also the discriminating force of judgment that is unclouded by ego or emotion.  Mahat tattva is what guides our motivation toward intention aligned with soul and then action.  Here is the space then of deep contemplation, self-reflection, emerging wisdom, and continued release from things that may hinder perception, discernment, and our ultimate ability to make decisions that serve the creative process and its eventual outcome.\r\n \r\nAs you consider this, know that in mahat tattva we are given room to trust and augment the previous work done toward cultivation of soulful caring; that is, caring not tied to past impressions, habits or other enmeshments in the world. This can be very challenging, and it is in this stage that we spend more time than we have on previous stages of our journey.  Often, the word used to describe the stance of mahat tattva is dispassion, but to be dispassionate in this space is again to care infinitely. We do so while remaining clear and free of the things that get us fired up, triggered, or otherwise tangled in the ruts of daily life—whether real or imagined. In mahat tattva, we trust our intuition (not our instinct!) as it has been increasingly refined through the interplay of prakriti and purusha and brought further into waking consciousness. \r\n\r\n<b>Reflection:</b> Where and in whom do I place my trust as a provider of information? Do I listen to others before I listen to myself? Can I release myself from the tangled strands of gossip and half truths that surround me in all the spaces I inhabit (work, school, family, friends, etc.)?  \r\n\r\n<b>Ritual:</b> Meditate on a time in which you were emotionally charged by something or someone (let it be far enough in the past that you can enter this space easily). Go through the instance or episode again briefly in your mind, allowing yourself to feel the experience in your body. Notice the internal landscape of impressions as you relive the moment. Let this resolve somewhat quickly into a natural conclusion. Now, return to heartfelt breath and bring in sakshi, or witness consciousness. This is the power cultivated through mahat tattva of nonjudgmental discernment. Staying aware of a dispassionate stance, allow yourself to notice your reactions from this mental position as you again replay the incident or situation. See what you notice and what you learn.  \r\n\r\n<h3>(4)	Ahamkara (Duration 1)</h3>\r\nAhamkara in Sanskrit means I-ness, and we often simply refer to it as ego. Ahamkara is the birthplace of self-awareness in this journey, of that which tells me there’s a “me” and there’s a “you.” It is therefore a starting point for us as individuals (for herein lies our blossoming individuality) to take full responsibility for ourselves. This is the work of this phase of our creative process. \r\n\r\nSo that the nature of our task is clear, you may wish to think of ahamkara as a point around which both freedom and fetters circle continuously. Stuck in the grooves of past incarnations, of pleasures, addictions, worldly goods or arrogance?  We are limited by ahamkara in that it is what ties our soul to this reality. Yearning for understanding to bridge divides of difference, for equity, peace, health and well-being for all?  We are liberated through ahamkara in that it provides a focus for our unique soul imprint (called <i>jivatman</i> in Sanskrit) on the backdrop of creation as a whole. In this way, the Divine may experience itself through us and we may in turn experience the Divine. As we increasingly realize this reflection as true, ahamkara is shattered and we are able to take in reality as Reality. \r\n\r\nGaining enough self-awareness to reign in our ego appropriately, however, takes dedication and practice.  Still, as we create, a healthy amount of ego presence is required to ensure that we have what it takes to support our creation throughout the birthing and into the world.  Ahamkara is necessary but not sufficient for the sustenance of our creative process. We might think of it then as the spiritual equivalent of all that’s involved in fortifying and readying the body so that as mothers metaphoric or actual we can provide healthy and rich breast milk to our newborn.  \r\n\r\n<b>Reflection:</b> How do I fall into the entrapments of ego? Am I willing to take on the full ramifications of my thoughts, words and actions? What do I need to change or do to make it so? \r\n\r\n<b>Ritual:</b> Do sadhana. That is, make a commitment to spiritual practice, and do something every day. Find a practice you can do regularly at the same time even if only for five minutes. Let it be fun and transformational, deepening and enlivening.  Perhaps you will chant while doing laundry, or memorize verses while running. Perhaps you will sit in silence or stare at a candle flame. No matter what your choice, understand this dedication as a strengthening exercise, one that will make you ready for all it takes for a strong relationship to ahamkara, one with true humility and open-hearted presence, to emerge.\r\n\r\n<h3>(5)	Akasha / Ether (Duration 2) </h3>\r\nAn important transition is occurring as we move into the realm of akasha, for here is the final space in which the subtle body fully dominates our creative process.  As akasha enters the picture, we begin to sense the world of forms, even if they are still a bit farther down the road.  It is here and by this influence that as embodied beings we begin to listen to our spiritual impulses; but during the incarnation process in which we’re currently engaged, it is here that the boundaries of our psychic selves are established and the spaces that hold the physical matter of our bodies together are formed.  With this, energy and consciousness as thus far come into beingness are making a lot of noise, as it were, in the subtle realm. As we enter akasha, it is thus increasingly important to be diligent and mindful of the things, persons, and intentions that impact us. For some, readiness to continue engaging creatively means establishing appropriate protections so that inimical influences do not sway or hinder us. \r\n\r\nAkasha is the void, space, and blackness. While primary among akasha’s responsibilities is articulation of the psychic centers, called chakras, illumination of the way to understanding through vibration and sound is also a key component of this element. Akasha is thus keenly tied to our hearing sense. As the first of the basic tattvas to arise, it is also the last to go as we dissolve back into Source on our spiritual quest. Thus, when in meditation, you may find that you can focus on the internal landscape, keeping out all smells, tastes, visions, and tactile sensations, but you are aware of sounds arising from outside of yourself almost no matter how deeply you may seem to go into an altered state.  Utilize the force of akasha to tune in to the most delicate of impressions as you journey now, and strive for your ears to become increasingly attuned to the sounds of your origins—to those speaking to you from your clan wave (the ancestors). Listen well too to the promises of others, to the whispers of your imagination, and for the sounds of falsehood.  \r\n\r\n<b>Reflection:</b> What is the substance of my psychic self and how can I cultivate a relationship with my subtle body?   Am I willing to truly listen? Do I need to protect myself in any way for this creative process to unfold in alignment with soulful purpose? \r\n\r\n<b>Ritual:</b> Give your creation, child or project a spirit name (even a temporary one). Tie a red, black and white piece of cloth to a stick and place it on your altar like a flag. White represents our highest spiritual power, red our activity in the world, and black our latent potential. These forces, known as gunas (qualities of nature) arise with akasha and inform all of our elemental work.  Imagine now connecting to the very first vibration of the cosmos; that from which all else arose. Let this inner sound reverberate. As you feel ready, pick up your flag, press it between your palms, and move it to the sounds and rhythms of this vibration, intoning the name you have chosen.  You may wish to record any impressions or experiences you have as messages from akasha.         \r\n\r\n<!--nextpage-->                                                                                  \r\n<h3>(6)	Vayu / Air (Duration 4)</h3>\r\nVayu is that which arises from the void, from the blackness of space that is akasha. It arises because of excitement, and it is thus the current that powers the spiraling of the elements within nature even while it remains formless. Each part of manifest creation is made up of the elements in different proportions, and vayu provides the creative turning, fast or slow, that propels the combinations into actuality. Vayu is also simply the wind that caresses us gently. It is too the tingles we feel on our skin every time we are reminded of a lover’s touch, and it is the life-force energy that carries us more deeply into the body, the means we have through which to know and experience the world.  \r\n\r\nVayu is a sweet shaper of our intentions and a guide toward our dreams. Through vayu, we know the feel of the world. In our creation process, vayu is a time of heightened intuition, of flowing thoughts and ideas, of increased potentials for success, of heartfelt connections and of constant change. Because things may seem to be moving along quickly now and variance is a key part of the journey here, it is a good time for reflection on the patterns of our lives. As you meet others and interact in and with the world, stay focused and present to the constancy of your commitment despite the challenges of flightiness and diffusion that vayu can bring. As you sense the winds of change, allow the tingles of vitality you feel—vayu’s reminder of engagement—to enliven your efforts toward moves that best serve your creative process.\r\n\r\n<b>Reflection:</b> What is it that distracts me or makes me lose focus? Do I need help or assistance now to stay on track with my efforts, centered in myself, nourished, and feeling vital? \r\n\r\n<b>Ritual:</b> Find your breath. Take time to pause and be present for the thrill of the moment. You are alive and the world is turning. The moon, sun, and stars are all waiting. Open yourself now in a stance of gratitude and humbleness, awe and yearning, to the potentials that lay head.  Allow prana—the vital energy carried on vayu—to fill you as you breathe. Send the breath from the tip of your toes to the crown of your head and back down again, relaxing into every cell of your being so that the vital airs that sustain you provide deep cleansing . As you perform this exercise, you may also wish to chant (silently or aloud) vayu’s seed mantram, YAM (pronounced yuh’-m). Use this seed syllable to get into those hard-to-reach places. \r\n\r\n<h3>(7)	 Agni / Fire (Duration 6)</h3>\r\nIncreasing vibration next gives rise to perceptible light. Light shines through the darkness of the causal and then the subtle realm, giving us entry to new frontiers. It is at once static and traveling, particle and wave, here and there. Agni, or fire, is the awakening of light in this world, and it is a defining force.  We welcome in this phase of the birthing mystery with an important recognition of wonder, as well as of the small self and its impact.  This is relevant especially now because as we are able to discern by the power of sight selected forms arising from the energy put forth in the last phase by vayu, our spirits are moved and simultaneously, even more than before, we know a distinct “I.” The difference between us and the world seems to expand; if left unattended, ego can take center stage.\r\n\r\nOther challenges are to be found here as well, such as anger and resentment.  Agni’s light generates warmth, and this heat can fire up tempers. Mindful then of the challenges brought with the arrival of agni, we can harness the gifts offered to diligent travelers. Clairvoyance, for example, is among them. But whether extrasensory or pedestrian, the offerings of agni are all magnificent tools in the work of shaping destiny.  Our ability here to put into our crucible the variety of boons bestowed and cultivated this far in the journey serves to render us humble and free—for we must remember that they are not our gifts alone.   \r\n\r\nAgni both consumes and radiates, all the while transforming, catalyzing and sparking something new. A guide into the darkness of our personal shadow, agni offers an opportunity now to move into and out of your pain, sorrow, fear, hatred, jealousy and rage. Allow the burning to cleanse and anoint yourself with the ashes. There is more than meets the eye to this phase of the journey. \r\n\r\n<b>Reflection:</b> Who am I that gives rise to this creation? Am I the same person I was when I started? What has transformed, seen increase, or seen burning away? \r\n\r\n<b>Ritual:</b> The yantra or sacred diagram associated with agni is a red downward pointing triangle. In embodied purification practice, it is situated between the heart and navel. At each point of the triangle, there are bhupura, or gates.  Either seated or laying down, visualize this yantra within your own body. Now, imagine the ingredients of your life that have been with you since the beginning of this voyage as grains of sand filling it. Just as the filling completes, the yantra begins turning clockwise, gradually getting faster and faster. At the climax of the spinning, the bhupura open and grains are flung out, but not all. The ones that remain are the building blocks of your looking glass. Take time to see and reflect on whatever you put into the mix that lingers. Look deeply into that mirror and take in the gaze of the one who looks back.   \r\n\r\n<h3>(8)	Apas / Water (Duration 8)</h3>\r\nFrom time to time now, the structure of our creation has hints of borders, for in apas we find a perfect balance of order and chaos. Here, our excitement rises as the container is filled. The cells of our body feel the quickening. Although we realize things are not yet set or settled, we are readying. Our work is ripening and we anticipate the juiciness. We can almost taste it. \r\n\r\nApas is an element that can feel intimate. It is the stuff of our blood, our tears, our sex, our secretions. It is the fluid of life and in this sense, the magic of creation on Earth. Without water, nothing would be possible. Apas therefore tells us to soak, not bathe, and to make ablutions, not wash. It reminds us to play in fountains and slurp down rainbows. It says that if we wish to gain clarity, then we must cleanse and purify; that is, harmonize inner and outer reality .To do this, we must  listen to the small voice inside that comes from a marrying of head and heart.  \r\nApas here in this phase of our journey pervades everything, and consciously or unconsciously, we drink it in. \r\n\r\nA time of heightened creativity and imagination, apas opens us to potentials for laughter, love, delight and healing.  It invites us to listen to our intuition, for it may have meaningful messages. But at the same time that we feel a bounty of divine blessings, apas asks that we begin to feel the edges of practical concerns. For example, have we planted enough and tended enough, watered enough and weeded enough, to realize a good harvest?  This is the time to balance fluidity with a measure of confinement such as the setting of goals and establishment of guidelines. Therefore, find the edges of your stream, and knowing the beauty of its source, seek to navigate safely toward its conclusion. \r\n\r\n<b>Reflection:</b> Where do I flow and not resist? Where do I resist and wish to flow? Can I surrender as a stick upon a river to the currents of life while still surely placing footfalls on the path? \r\n\r\n<b>Ritual: </b>Gather beads or make some of your own. Collect charms and amulets from broken bracelets and necklaces that have sat in boxes or drawers for years. Meditate on the gifts they brought you when actively worn, and on the ways they might serve you now. Gather these energies to you and consider a new piece of jewelry or altar adornment. String it together and let magic flow. Alternatively, make soup. Cut your favorite vegetables into chunks, add broth and seasoning, stir, simmer and let sit for thirty minutes before eating.  In other words, find a way to nourish yourself soon.   \r\n\r\n<!--nextpage-->\r\n<h3>(9)	Prithvi / Earth (Duration 10)</h3>\r\n\r\nThe end is almost in sight, but patience is required because we remain under prithvi’s spell for a while, this phase of the journey offering us a chance to assess our position.  Although the journey is not yet complete, there are signs that closure is coming. Already, no more adjustments can be made, and we thus look to the road ahead with reasonably measured glances. Fitting the solidity of earth, we stand our ground here as prithvi weaves and knots the energy of apas into form, and we mark our travels noting what was, what will be, and what shall be no more.  Gazing at the horizon, we can see the light shifting into brighter colors, our eyes awakening here to the yellow of the sun. This color is the hallmark of manifestation on our path, a vibration that signifies the radiance of life.  \r\n\r\nWe may be hopeful and excited, but it is also not yet quite the time for celebrating—there is still work to be done.  We might, for example, wish to plan a party! Now is a time for preparations, for readying, and for deciding how to honor this passage as it draws nigh. What ritual components will be fit for the coming occasion?  In order to decide what might be most appropriate or best reflective of the journey and serve as a rite (whether simple or elaborate), we must come to know the now-discernable boundaries of our creation. Take time therefore to explore those edges. As one together, you have been co-creating; and as soon-to-be two apart, you will be in a new kind of relationship, that of creator and created. From this dance, the waiting time of prithvi will help reveal deeper truths about your respective natures. Finally, we must here enliven our senses, and especially the grounded sense of smell, so that we can tell by the aromas wafting all around when the cooking is done.\r\n \r\n<b>Reflection:</b>  Prithvi offers us a chance then to feel the fullness of our work, our belly, rest, and in our repose, sweeten the foundation of our efforts with fragrant memories. Take some time to be close to the earth and the source of your connection to creativity, be that a mountain, river, forest, or ant hill.  \r\n\r\n<b>Ritual:</b> Sprout a seed or bud from your next fridge foraging and plant it in your home or garden.  Avocados, potatoes, onions, and fruits work well. As you do the planting, bury any ritual materials you have acquired during this whole manifestation time that you wish to return to Earth. Note the coming full circle and offer your gratitudes to the dirt for all that this sacred substance contains. \r\n\r\n<h3>(10)	Completion: The Birthing</h3>\r\nAn ending and a beautiful beginning, birth is violent as matter is both created and destroyed. Perfect in every way, the process nonetheless leaves us whole and complete. Today, we reap the rewards of our journey and take in the awesome power of Shakti engaged and fulfilled.  The magic of the moment brings us into heightened awareness of the world, and if awe is not immediately apparent, we are at least given the potential to see through new eyes. Here, we awaken to the mystery. In this way may your journey be soul-making, and may you be thus inspired to willingly create again. \r\n\r\n\r\n','Tattva Shuddhi: Inspiring the Creative Process through Ritual & Reflection','','publish','open','open','','creative-process-ritual-reflection','','','2017-03-22 15:23:28','2017-03-22 22:23:28','',0,'http://sharanya.org/?p=101032',0,'post','',0),(101033,2,'2014-06-26 22:06:57','2014-06-27 05:06:57','','Yoni Puja 2012','','inherit','open','open','','012','','','2014-06-26 22:06:57','2014-06-27 05:06:57','',101032,'http://sharanya.org/wp-content/uploads/2014/06/012.jpg',0,'attachment','image/jpeg',0),(101035,2,'2014-06-26 22:13:47','2014-06-27 05:13:47','<em>By: Chandra Alexandre</em>\r\n\r\n<hr />\r\n\r\nWhether it’s an art project or the birth of a child, the creative process is often mysterious. We all know the magic involved in bringing something to fruition. And especially if we have nurtured life within our wombs, we have a truly embodied experience from which to speak.  Either way, we know the struggles of the journey and what it takes to hold true to our virtue and soulful purpose amidst others’ opinions and our own doubts.  As the time of our creative endeavor, literal birthing, or self-awareness process grows, winds, unfolds, gets shaped by our will and is manipulated by our unconscious intentions and agendas (or those of others), we learn some of the cosmic forces that have come together for the manifestation of our own bodies and this Earth. \r\n\r\nThe philosophy of Tantra, and specifically that of creation, or <i>srishti</i> (as it’s called in Sanskrit), involves 51 distinct components. This article deals with a subset of these within the microcosm of our personal reality to provide additional insight as to the nature of the journey, regardless of manifestation or eventual outcome. The process by which Shakti creates the world of forms is the focus of our engagement.  Shakti is Goddess, the primordial feminine/female principle that enlivens All. Moreover, She is energy, the Divine spark. The process by which She descends from the transcendental into the realms of spirit and then into matter is called <i>pavritti</i>.  (As She expands and becomes increasingly drawn back to Source, the process is called <i>nivritti</i>, which is spiritual evolution.) Whether using this cosmology as a tool to bring mindfulness to your daily projects, to a pregnancy, or to your spiritual development, the hope is that you as a seeker are able to take away revelations from meditations on the movements of energy and its relationship to consciousness that this understanding informs. \r\n\r\nFollowing then are the levels of increasing manifestation as descended from the One, that which is nameless and formless, residing beyond the confines of Time and Space.  Each of these ten phases of the creation process is adapted from the working of essential purification based on the Tantric sadhana (spiritual discipline) known as Tattva Shuddhi.  You will notice that each of these is resonant with the ten lunar cycles from conception to childbirth. Each is also based upon the nature and duration of the flows of energy through the cycle of involution; and elements within this process are given here noting durations.  These are in the appropriate ratios relative to one another as related by the adepts. Thus, for example, when within the timeframe of Ether (which has a duration of two in the creation/creative process), we cycle for half the time than when in Air, which as a duration of four. These cycles can be weeks, days, hours, minutes, months or years—the timeline is up to you and your creation process. \r\n\r\nThis outline and progression can be used to help deepen your own birthing experience, no matter what it is or where you are (or were) in the process.  Each section below:  i)  contains a description of a tattva (principle or element) as key to understanding a phase of that creation process; ii)  invites you further into the mystery with a reflection question or two; and, iii) provides a brief ritual you may wish to do.  It is intended to serve as a guide for all your endeavors so that they will manifest that for which you yearn and labor, and it seeks to help awaken you to exciting new potentials for creation.  \r\n\r\n<h3>(1)	Prana Shakti - Source (Duration 1)</h3>\r\nAt the very beginning, we feel the stirring of our insides. A yearning comes to awareness and we desire to create or realize we are creating. Just as the Divine chose to incarnate in order to know and experience more of the Divine, we too can learn from choosing to create. Prana Shakti, the flow of vital energy within us, is our teacher and guide as we undertake the journey. Here, you will want to know the forces of breath within you, for they carry Her. Delve more deeply too into the basics of your practice so that you may (re)discover the fundamental patterns and movements of energy within. Visit the energy centers or chakras of the body, as well as the rivers or channels through which the currents flow. These are 72,000 in number and are called nadis—but you may wish to focus on establishing a relationship with the main ten or so. See what you can discover through your own turn to the inner landscape. \r\n\r\nWhile a birthing will happen at some point in the future, this is not the time for agendas or expectations. All we can know is that the end will come at some point, that the solidification of our efforts will eventually manifest, and the beginning of something new born of our effort, patience, love and inspiration will happen in time. Today, we stand poised and expectant. The infinite source of our soul connects to potentials and possibilities in this world, and we are free to let our creativity flow. We may strive to bring consciousness to all we attempt. Still, this is not the time to begin willful engagement toward a specific outcome. It is rather a time for heartfelt deepening into self and world. It is from this place that the specific components of our creative process will be revealed. \r\n\r\nReflection: 	What is it in me that gives rise to this potential, this awakening, this project or this child (metaphoric or literal)?  Can I remain free of expectations and agendas in order to serve and honor the end as one unto itself? \r\n\r\nRitual:	Think of all you have done to get to this point of creating. Honor yourself and those who have helped you. Set a sankalpa (sacred intention) for the journey (this can be revised as you progress). You may wish to place a marker on your altar denoting the initiation of your process. Something that is personally meaningful and symbolic of your path is most likely to inspire you, whether in the most happy of moments or during the challenges and obstacles that you may face ahead. Make time to gaze at this object every day to reconnect and embolden your efforts. \r\n\r\n<!--nextpage-->\r\n\r\n<h3>(2)	Prakriti-Purusha (Duration 4)</h3>\r\nHere we rest in the dance, largely unconscious, of what it takes to make something come alive. The push and pull of energy and consciousness here enlivens the process and we are creating even when we may not be aware of what’s happening.  In this second stage, these forces—energy and consciousness—begin to particularize and polarize, creating an articulated dynamic tension from the spark of our whim that is geared toward experiencing something new in the world birthed through us.  We are offered clues of the goings on through dreams and synchronicities—we might wish to pay attention—but the work of this phase rests predominantly on who we are and what we have done before.\r\n \r\nThe power of <i>prakriti</i> (the principle of Shakti within and as nature) is the creatrix activating our imagination and intuitive juices. The awareness of purusha (the principle of consciousness within our world) provides connection to soul. Together, they are the initial force required for the birthing to occur. Prakriti and purusha are partners responding to you and to any stimulus in your world as a river would to a rock in its path: they continue their flow uninterrupted. Without consideration of their dance, however, we may lose the impetus toward action or may dwindle our energies in mindless pursuits that do not serve our essence or the greater good.  By paying attention here, we gain the ability to see the potentials of the sacred and of evil, of compassion and of violence; of all the ways in which harmony is achieved not by forceful resistance to the flows of the Divine will, but by the application of holistic vision to all life has to offer. \r\n\r\nReflection:	 Do I allow myself to trust intuition, that sacred balance of embodied knowing and spirit? Can my motives stay pure, as in reflective of a harmony between outer perception and inner experience? How do I reflect the dance of prakriti and purusha in and through my choices, actions, speech and thought? \r\n\r\nRitual: 	Create a list of all the things that you desire to be in the mix so that your creation will be born whole and perfect.  Choose four to be the cornerstones of your birthing process and meditate on these, holding them in your mind and heart as fully as possible throughout your pregnancy or creative endeavor.  You may also wish to create a collage or work of art to represent the fullness of your dance with prakriti and purusha. Use this visual representation as a mandala to help strengthen your resolve and commitment.  \r\n\r\n<h3>(3)	Mahat Tattva (Duration 5)</h3>\r\nMahat Tattva, the Great Principle, is the expression of higher mind (often called buddhi) within us. It is also the discriminating force of judgment that is unclouded by ego or emotion.  Mahat tattva is what guides our motivation toward intention aligned with soul and then action.  Here is the space then of deep contemplation, self-reflection, emerging wisdom, and continued release from things that may hinder perception, discernment, and our ultimate ability to make decisions that serve the creative process and its eventual outcome.\r\n \r\nAs you consider this, know that in mahat tattva we are given room to trust and augment the previous work done toward cultivation of soulful caring; that is, caring not tied to past impressions, habits or other enmeshments in the world. This can be very challenging, and it is in this stage that we spend more time than we have on previous stages of our journey.  Often, the word used to describe the stance of mahat tattva is dispassion, but to be dispassionate in this space is again to care infinitely. We do so while remaining clear and free of the things that get us fired up, triggered, or otherwise tangled in the ruts of daily life—whether real or imagined. In mahat tattva, we trust our intuition (not our instinct!) as it has been increasingly refined through the interplay of prakriti and purusha and brought further into waking consciousness. \r\n\r\nReflection: 	Where and in whom do I place my trust as a provider of information? Do I listen to others before I listen to myself? Can I release myself from the tangled strands of gossip and half truths that surround me in all the spaces I inhabit (work, school, family, friends, etc.)?  \r\n\r\nRitual:	Meditate on a time in which you were emotionally charged by something or someone (let it be far enough in the past that you can enter this space easily). Go through the instance or episode again briefly in your mind, allowing yourself to feel the experience in your body. Notice the internal landscape of impressions as you relive the moment. Let this resolve somewhat quickly into a natural conclusion. Now, return to heartfelt breath and bring in sakshi, or witness consciousness. This is the power cultivated through mahat tattva of nonjudgmental discernment. Staying aware of a dispassionate stance, allow yourself to notice your reactions from this mental position as you again replay the incident or situation. See what you notice and what you learn.  \r\n\r\n<h3>(4)	Ahamkara (Duration 1)</h3>\r\nAhamkara in Sanskrit means I-ness, and we often simply refer to it as ego. Ahamkara is the birthplace of self-awareness in this journey, of that which tells me there’s a “me” and there’s a “you.” It is therefore a starting point for us as individuals (for herein lies our blossoming individuality) to take full responsibility for ourselves. This is the work of this phase of our creative process. \r\n\r\nSo that the nature of our task is clear, you may wish to think of ahamkara as a point around which both freedom and fetters circle continuously. Stuck in the grooves of past incarnations, of pleasures, addictions, worldly goods or arrogance?  We are limited by ahamkara in that it is what ties our soul to this reality. Yearning for understanding to bridge divides of difference, for equity, peace, health and well-being for all?  We are liberated through ahamkara in that it provides a focus for our unique soul imprint (called <i>jivatman</i> in Sanskrit) on the backdrop of creation as a whole. In this way, the Divine may experience itself through us and we may in turn experience the Divine. As we increasingly realize this reflection as true, ahamkara is shattered and we are able to take in reality as Reality. \r\n\r\nGaining enough self-awareness to reign in our ego appropriately, however, takes dedication and practice.  Still, as we create, a healthy amount of ego presence is required to ensure that we have what it takes to support our creation throughout the birthing and into the world.  Ahamkara is necessary but not sufficient for the sustenance of our creative process. We might think of it then as the spiritual equivalent of all that’s involved in fortifying and readying the body so that as mothers metaphoric or actual we can provide healthy and rich breast milk to our newborn.  \r\n\r\nReflection: 	How do I fall into the entrapments of ego? Am I willing to take on the full ramifications of my thoughts, words and actions? What do I need to change or do to make it so? \r\n\r\nRitual: 	Do sadhana. That is, make a commitment to spiritual practice, and do something every day. Find a practice you can do regularly at the same time even if only for five minutes. Let it be fun and transformational, deepening and enlivening.  Perhaps you will chant while doing laundry, or memorize verses while running. Perhaps you will sit in silence or stare at a candle flame. No matter what your choice, understand this dedication as a strengthening exercise, one that will make you ready for all it takes for a strong relationship to ahamkara, one with true humility and open-hearted presence, to emerge.\r\n\r\n<h3>(5)	Akasha / Ether (Duration 2) </h3>\r\nAn important transition is occurring as we move into the realm of akasha, for here is the final space in which the subtle body fully dominates our creative process.  As akasha enters the picture, we begin to sense the world of forms, even if they are still a bit farther down the road.  It is here and by this influence that as embodied beings we begin to listen to our spiritual impulses; but during the incarnation process in which we’re currently engaged, it is here that the boundaries of our psychic selves are established and the spaces that hold the physical matter of our bodies together are formed.  With this, energy and consciousness as thus far come into beingness are making a lot of noise, as it were, in the subtle realm. As we enter akasha, it is thus increasingly important to be diligent and mindful of the things, persons, and intentions that impact us. For some, readiness to continue engaging creatively means establishing appropriate protections so that inimical influences do not sway or hinder us. \r\n\r\nAkasha is the void, space, and blackness. While primary among akasha’s responsibilities is articulation of the psychic centers, called chakras, illumination of the way to understanding through vibration and sound is also a key component of this element. Akasha is thus keenly tied to our hearing sense. As the first of the basic tattvas to arise, it is also the last to go as we dissolve back into Source on our spiritual quest. Thus, when in meditation, you may find that you can focus on the internal landscape, keeping out all smells, tastes, visions, and tactile sensations, but you are aware of sounds arising from outside of yourself almost no matter how deeply you may seem to go into an altered state.  Utilize the force of akasha to tune in to the most delicate of impressions as you journey now, and strive for your ears to become increasingly attuned to the sounds of your origins—to those speaking to you from your clan wave (the ancestors). Listen well too to the promises of others, to the whispers of your imagination, and for the sounds of falsehood.  \r\n\r\nReflection:	What is the substance of my psychic self and how can I cultivate a relationship with my subtle body?   Am I willing to truly listen? Do I need to protect myself in any way for this creative process to unfold in alignment with soulful purpose? \r\n\r\nRitual:	Give your creation, child or project a spirit name (even a temporary one). Tie a red, black and white piece of cloth to a stick and place it on your altar like a flag. White represents our highest spiritual power, red our activity in the world, and black our latent potential. These forces, known as gunas (qualities of nature) arise with akasha and inform all of our elemental work.  Imagine now connecting to the very first vibration of the cosmos; that from which all else arose. Let this inner sound reverberate. As you feel ready, pick up your flag, press it between your palms, and move it to the sounds and rhythms of this vibration, intoning the name you have chosen.  You may wish to record any impressions or experiences you have as messages from akasha.         \r\n\r\n<!--nextpage-->           \r\n                                                                                          \r\n<h3>(6)	Vayu / Air (Duration 4)</h3>\r\nVayu is that which arises from the void, from the blackness of space that is akasha. It arises because of excitement, and it is thus the current that powers the spiraling of the elements within nature even while it remains formless. Each part of manifest creation is made up of the elements in different proportions, and vayu provides the creative turning, fast or slow, that propels the combinations into actuality. Vayu is also simply the wind that caresses us gently. It is too the tingles we feel on our skin every time we are reminded of a lover’s touch, and it is the life-force energy that carries us more deeply into the body, the means we have through which to know and experience the world.  \r\n\r\nVayu is a sweet shaper of our intentions and a guide toward our dreams. Through vayu, we know the feel of the world. In our creation process, vayu is a time of heightened intuition, of flowing thoughts and ideas, of increased potentials for success, of heartfelt connections and of constant change. Because things may seem to be moving along quickly now and variance is a key part of the journey here, it is a good time for reflection on the patterns of our lives. As you meet others and interact in and with the world, stay focused and present to the constancy of your commitment despite the challenges of flightiness and diffusion that vayu can bring. As you sense the winds of change, allow the tingles of vitality you feel—vayu’s reminder of engagement—to enliven your efforts toward moves that best serve your creative process.\r\n\r\nReflection:	What is it that distracts me or makes me lose focus? Do I need help or assistance now to stay on track with my efforts, centered in myself, nourished, and feeling vital? \r\n\r\nRitual:	 Find your breath. Take time to pause and be present for the thrill of the moment. You are alive and the world is turning. The moon, sun, and stars are all waiting. Open yourself now in a stance of gratitude and humbleness, awe and yearning, to the potentials that lay head.  Allow prana—the vital energy carried on vayu—to fill you as you breathe. Send the breath from the tip of your toes to the crown of your head and back down again, relaxing into every cell of your being so that the vital airs that sustain you provide deep cleansing . As you perform this exercise, you may also wish to chant (silently or aloud) vayu’s seed mantram, YAM (pronounced yuh’-m). Use this seed syllable to get into those hard-to-reach places. \r\n\r\n<h3>(7)	 Agni / Fire (Duration 6)<h3>\r\nIncreasing vibration next gives rise to perceptible light. Light shines through the darkness of the causal and then the subtle realm, giving us entry to new frontiers. It is at once static and traveling, particle and wave, here and there. Agni, or fire, is the awakening of light in this world, and it is a defining force.  We welcome in this phase of the birthing mystery with an important recognition of wonder, as well as of the small self and its impact.  This is relevant especially now because as we are able to discern by the power of sight selected forms arising from the energy put forth in the last phase by vayu, our spirits are moved and simultaneously, even more than before, we know a distinct “I.” The difference between us and the world seems to expand; if left unattended, ego can take center stage.\r\n\r\nOther challenges are to be found here as well, such as anger and resentment.  Agni’s light generates warmth, and this heat can fire up tempers. Mindful then of the challenges brought with the arrival of agni, we can harness the gifts offered to diligent travelers. Clairvoyance, for example, is among them. But whether extrasensory or pedestrian, the offerings of agni are all magnificent tools in the work of shaping destiny.  Our ability here to put into our crucible the variety of boons bestowed and cultivated this far in the journey serves to render us humble and free—for we must remember that they are not our gifts alone.   \r\nAgni both consumes and radiates, all the while transforming, catalyzing and sparking something new. A guide into the darkness of our personal shadow, agni offers an opportunity now to move into and out of your pain, sorrow, fear, hatred, jealousy and rage. Allow the burning to cleanse and anoint yourself with the ashes. There is more than meets the eye to this phase of the journey. \r\n\r\nReflection:	Who am I that gives rise to this creation? Am I the same person I was when I started? What has transformed, seen increase, or seen burning away? \r\n\r\nRitual:	 The yantra or sacred diagram associated with agni is a red downward pointing triangle. In embodied purification practice, it is situated between the heart and navel. At each point of the triangle, there are bhupura, or gates.  Either seated or laying down, visualize this yantra within your own body. Now, imagine the ingredients of your life that have been with you since the beginning of this voyage as grains of sand filling it. Just as the filling completes, the yantra begins turning clockwise, gradually getting faster and faster. At the climax of the spinning, the bhupura open and grains are flung out, but not all. The ones that remain are the building blocks of your looking glass. Take time to see and reflect on whatever you put into the mix that lingers. Look deeply into that mirror and take in the gaze of the one who looks back.   \r\n\r\n<h3>(8)	Apas / Water (Duration 8)</h3>\r\nFrom time to time now, the structure of our creation has hints of borders, for in apas we find a perfect balance of order and chaos. Here, our excitement rises as the container is filled. The cells of our body feel the quickening. Although we realize things are not yet set or settled, we are readying. Our work is ripening and we anticipate the juiciness. We can almost taste it. \r\n\r\nApas is an element that can feel intimate. It is the stuff of our blood, our tears, our sex, our secretions. It is the fluid of life and in this sense, the magic of creation on Earth. Without water, nothing would be possible. Apas therefore tells us to soak, not bathe, and to make ablutions, not wash. It reminds us to play in fountains and slurp down rainbows. It says that if we wish to gain clarity, then we must cleanse and purify; that is, harmonize inner and outer reality .To do this, we must  listen to the small voice inside that comes from a marrying of head and heart.  \r\nApas here in this phase of our journey pervades everything, and consciously or unconsciously, we drink it in. A time of heightened creativity and imagination, apas opens us to potentials for laughter, love, delight and healing.  It invites us to listen to our intuition, for it may have meaningful messages. But at the same time that we feel a bounty of divine blessings, apas asks that we begin to feel the edges of practical concerns. For example, have we planted enough and tended enough, watered enough and weeded enough, to realize a good harvest?  This is the time to balance fluidity with a measure of confinement such as the setting of goals and establishment of guidelines. Therefore, find the edges of your stream, and knowing the beauty of its source, seek to navigate safely toward its conclusion. \r\n\r\nReflection:	Where do I flow and not resist? Where do I resist and wish to flow? Can I surrender as a stick upon a river to the currents of life while still surely placing footfalls on the path? \r\n\r\nRitual: 	 Gather beads or make some of your own. Collect charms and amulets from broken bracelets and necklaces that have sat in boxes or drawers for years. Meditate on the gifts they brought you when actively worn, and on the ways they might serve you now. Gather these energies to you and consider a new piece of jewelry or altar adornment. String it together and let magic flow. Alternatively, make soup. Cut your favorite vegetables into chunks, add broth and seasoning, stir, simmer and let sit for thirty minutes before eating.  In other words, find a way to nourish yourself soon.   \r\n\r\n<!--nextpage-->\r\n\r\n<h3>(9)	Prithvi / Earth (Duration 10)</h3>\r\n\r\nThe end is almost in sight, but patience is required because we remain under prithvi’s spell for a while, this phase of the journey offering us a chance to assess our position.  Although the journey is not yet complete, there are signs that closure is coming. Already, no more adjustments can be made, and we thus look to the road ahead with reasonably measured glances. Fitting the solidity of earth, we stand our ground here as prithvi weaves and knots the energy of apas into form, and we mark our travels noting what was, what will be, and what shall be no more.  Gazing at the horizon, we can see the light shifting into brighter colors, our eyes awakening here to the yellow of the sun. This color is the hallmark of manifestation on our path, a vibration that signifies the radiance of life.  \r\n\r\nWe may be hopeful and excited, but it is also not yet quite the time for celebrating—there is still work to be done.  We might, for example, wish to plan a party! Now is a time for preparations, for readying, and for deciding how to honor this passage as it draws nigh. What ritual components will be fit for the coming occasion?  In order to decide what might be most appropriate or best reflective of the journey and serve as a rite (whether simple or elaborate), we must come to know the now discernable boundaries of our creation. Take time therefore to explore those edges. As one together, you have been co-creating; and as soon-to-be two apart, you will be in a new kind of relationship, that of creator and created. From this dance, the waiting time of prithvi will help reveal deeper truths about your respective natures. \r\n \r\nFinally, we must here enliven our senses, and especially the grounded sense of smell, so that we can tell by the aromas wafting all around when the cooking is done. Prithvi offers us a chance then to feel the fullness of our belly, rest, and in our repose, sweeten the foundation of our work with fragrant memories.  \r\n\r\nRitual:	Sprout a seed or bud from your next fridge foraging and plant it in your home or garden.  Avocados, potatoes, onions, and fruits work well. As you do the planting, bury any ritual materials you have acquired during this whole manifestation time that you wish to return to Earth. Note the coming full circle and offer your gratitudes to the dirt for all that this sacred substance contains. \r\n\r\n<h3>(10)	Completion: The Birthing</h3>\r\nAn ending and a beautiful beginning, birth is violent as matter is both created and destroyed. Perfect in every way, the process nonetheless leaves us whole and complete. Today, we reap the rewards of our journey and take in the awesome power of Shakti engaged and fulfilled.  The magic of the moment brings us into heightened awareness of the world, and if awe is not immediately apparent, we are at least given the potential to see through new eyes. Here, we awaken to the mystery. In this way may your journey be soul-making, and may you be thus inspired to willingly create again. \r\n\r\n<hr />\r\nOriginally published in Llewellyn\'s 2013 Magical Almanac under the title, <em>Doing Life & Creating Life: An Introduction to the Birthing Mystery through Tantra</em>\r\n','The Creative Process through Ritual & Reflection','','inherit','open','open','','101032-revision-v1','','','2014-06-26 22:13:47','2014-06-27 05:13:47','',101032,'http://sharanya.org/mandala/101032-revision-v1/',0,'revision','',0),(101036,2,'2017-03-22 15:23:22','2017-03-22 22:23:22','<a href=\"http://sharanya.org/wp-content/uploads/2014/06/Hawaii-Greece-2007-355-e1403847042143.jpg\"><img src=\"http://sharanya.org/wp-content/uploads/2014/06/Hawaii-Greece-2007-355-e1403847042143-273x300.jpg\" alt=\"Creativity\" class=\"alignleft size-medium wp-image-101038 imgborder\" /></a>Whether it’s an art project or the birth of a child, the creative process is often mysterious. We all know the magic involved in bringing something to fruition. And if we have nurtured life within our womb, we have an embodied experience from which to speak that ties us in yet another way to our mystical selves through the power of creation.  Either way, we know the struggles of the journey and what it takes to hold true to our virtue and soulful purpose amidst others’ opinions and our own doubts.  As the time of our creative endeavor, literal birthing, or self-awareness process grows, winds, unfolds, gets shaped by our will and is manipulated by our unconscious intentions and agendas (or those of others), we learn some of the cosmic forces that have come together for the manifestation of our own bodies and this Earth. \n\nThe philosophy of Tantra, and specifically that of creation, or <i>srishti</i> (as it’s called in Sanskrit), involves 51 distinct components. This article deals with a subset of these within the microcosm of our personal reality to provide additional insight as to the nature of the journey, regardless of manifestation or eventual outcome. The process by which Shakti creates the world of forms is the focus of our engagement.  Shakti is Goddess, the primordial feminine/female principle that enlivens All. Moreover, She is energy, the Divine spark. The process by which She descends from the transcendental into the realms of spirit and then into matter is called <i>pavritti</i>.  (As She expands and becomes increasingly drawn back to Source, the process is called <i>nivritti</i>, which is spiritual evolution.) Whether using this cosmology as a tool to bring mindfulness to your daily projects, to a pregnancy, or to your spiritual development, the hope is that you as a seeker are able to take away revelations from meditations on the movements of energy and its relationship to consciousness that this understanding informs. \n\nFollowing then are the levels of increasing manifestation as descended from the One, that which is nameless and formless, residing beyond the confines of Time and Space.  Each of these ten phases of the creation process is adapted from the working of essential purification based on the Tantric sadhana (spiritual discipline) known as Tattva Shuddhi.  You will notice that each of these is resonant with the ten lunar cycles from conception to childbirth. Each is also based upon the nature and duration of the flows of energy through the cycle of involution; and elements within this process are given here noting durations.  These are in the appropriate ratios relative to one another as related by the adepts. Thus, for example, when within the timeframe of Ether (which has a duration of two in the creation/creative process), we cycle for half the time than when in Air, which as a duration of four. These cycles can be weeks, days, hours, minutes, months or years—the timeline is up to you and your creation process. \n\nThis outline and progression can be used to help deepen your own birthing experience, no matter what it is or where you are (or were) in the process.  Each section below:  i)  contains a description of a tattva (principle or element) as key to understanding a phase of that creation process; ii)  invites you further into the mystery with a reflection question or two; and, iii) provides a brief ritual you may wish to do.  It is intended to serve as a guide for all your endeavors so that they will manifest that for which you yearn and labor, and it seeks to help awaken you to exciting new potentials for creation.  \n\n<h3>(1)	Prana Shakti - Source (Duration 1)</h3>\nAt the very beginning, we feel the stirring of our insides. A yearning comes to awareness and we desire to create or realize we are creating. Just as the Divine chose to incarnate in order to know and experience more of the Divine, we too can learn from choosing to create. Prana Shakti, the flow of vital energy within us, is our teacher and guide as we undertake the journey. Here, you will want to know the forces of breath within you, for they carry Her. Delve more deeply too into the basics of your practice so that you may (re)discover the fundamental patterns and movements of energy within. Visit the energy centers or chakras of the body, as well as the rivers or channels through which the currents flow. These are 72,000 in number and are called nadis—but you may wish to focus on establishing a relationship with the main ten or so. See what you can discover through your own turn to the inner landscape. \n\nWhile a birthing will happen at some point in the future, this is not the time for agendas or expectations. All we can know is that the end will come at some point, that the solidification of our efforts will eventually manifest, and the beginning of something new born of our effort, patience, love and inspiration will happen in time. Today, we stand poised and expectant. The infinite source of our soul connects to potentials and possibilities in this world, and we are free to let our creativity flow. We may strive to bring consciousness to all we attempt. Still, this is not the time to begin willful engagement toward a specific outcome. It is rather a time for heartfelt deepening into self and world. It is from this place that the specific components of our creative process will be revealed. \n\n<b>Reflection:</b> What is it in me that gives rise to this potential, this awakening, this project or this child (metaphoric or literal)?  Can I remain free of expectations and agendas in order to serve and honor the end as one unto itself? \n\n<b>Ritual:</b> Think of all you have done to get to this point of creating. Honor yourself and those who have helped you. Set a sankalpa (sacred intention) for the journey (this can be revised as you progress). You may wish to place a marker on your altar denoting the initiation of your process. Something that is personally meaningful and symbolic of your path is most likely to inspire you, whether in the most happy of moments or during the challenges and obstacles that you may face ahead. Make time to gaze at this object every day to reconnect and embolden your efforts. \n\n<hr />\n<em>By: Chandra Alexandre</em> - Originally published in Llewellyn\'s 2013 Magical Almanac under the title, <em>Doing Life & Creating Life: An Introduction to the Birthing Mystery through Tantra</em> \n<!--nextpage-->\n\n<h3>(2)	Prakriti-Purusha (Duration 4)</h3>\nHere we rest in the dance, largely unconscious, of what it takes to make something come alive. The push and pull of energy and consciousness here enlivens the process and we are creating even when we may not be aware of what’s happening.  In this second stage, these forces—energy and consciousness—begin to particularize and polarize, creating an articulated dynamic tension from the spark of our whim that is geared toward experiencing something new in the world birthed through us.  We are offered clues of the goings on through dreams and synchronicities—we might wish to pay attention—but the work of this phase rests predominantly on who we are and what we have done before.\n \nThe power of <i>prakriti</i> (the principle of Shakti within and as nature) is the creatrix activating our imagination and intuitive juices. The awareness of purusha (the principle of consciousness within our world) provides connection to soul. Together, they are the initial force required for the birthing to occur. Prakriti and purusha are partners responding to you and to any stimulus in your world as a river would to a rock in its path: they continue their flow uninterrupted. Without consideration of their dance, however, we may lose the impetus toward action or may dwindle our energies in mindless pursuits that do not serve our essence or the greater good.  By paying attention here, we gain the ability to see the potentials of the sacred and of evil, of compassion and of violence; of all the ways in which harmony is achieved not by forceful resistance to the flows of the Divine will, but by the application of holistic vision to all life has to offer. \n\n<b>Reflection:</b> Do I allow myself to trust intuition, that sacred balance of embodied knowing and spirit? Can my motives stay pure, as in reflective of a harmony between outer perception and inner experience? How do I reflect the dance of prakriti and purusha in and through my choices, actions, speech and thought? \n\n<b>Ritual:</b> Create a list of all the things that you desire to be in the mix so that your creation will be born whole and perfect.  Choose four to be the cornerstones of your birthing process and meditate on these, holding them in your mind and heart as fully as possible throughout your pregnancy or creative endeavor.  You may also wish to create a collage or work of art to represent the fullness of your dance with prakriti and purusha. Use this visual representation as a mandala to help strengthen your resolve and commitment.  \n\n<h3>(3)	Mahat Tattva (Duration 5)</h3>\nMahat Tattva, the Great Principle, is the expression of higher mind (often called buddhi) within us. It is also the discriminating force of judgment that is unclouded by ego or emotion.  Mahat tattva is what guides our motivation toward intention aligned with soul and then action.  Here is the space then of deep contemplation, self-reflection, emerging wisdom, and continued release from things that may hinder perception, discernment, and our ultimate ability to make decisions that serve the creative process and its eventual outcome.\n \nAs you consider this, know that in mahat tattva we are given room to trust and augment the previous work done toward cultivation of soulful caring; that is, caring not tied to past impressions, habits or other enmeshments in the world. This can be very challenging, and it is in this stage that we spend more time than we have on previous stages of our journey.  Often, the word used to describe the stance of mahat tattva is dispassion, but to be dispassionate in this space is again to care infinitely. We do so while remaining clear and free of the things that get us fired up, triggered, or otherwise tangled in the ruts of daily life—whether real or imagined. In mahat tattva, we trust our intuition (not our instinct!) as it has been increasingly refined through the interplay of prakriti and purusha and brought further into waking consciousness. \n\n<b>Reflection:</b> Where and in whom do I place my trust as a provider of information? Do I listen to others before I listen to myself? Can I release myself from the tangled strands of gossip and half truths that surround me in all the spaces I inhabit (work, school, family, friends, etc.)?  \n\n<b>Ritual:</b> Meditate on a time in which you were emotionally charged by something or someone (let it be far enough in the past that you can enter this space easily). Go through the instance or episode again briefly in your mind, allowing yourself to feel the experience in your body. Notice the internal landscape of impressions as you relive the moment. Let this resolve somewhat quickly into a natural conclusion. Now, return to heartfelt breath and bring in sakshi, or witness consciousness. This is the power cultivated through mahat tattva of nonjudgmental discernment. Staying aware of a dispassionate stance, allow yourself to notice your reactions from this mental position as you again replay the incident or situation. See what you notice and what you learn.  \n\n<h3>(4)	Ahamkara (Duration 1)</h3>\nAhamkara in Sanskrit means I-ness, and we often simply refer to it as ego. Ahamkara is the birthplace of self-awareness in this journey, of that which tells me there’s a “me” and there’s a “you.” It is therefore a starting point for us as individuals (for herein lies our blossoming individuality) to take full responsibility for ourselves. This is the work of this phase of our creative process. \n\nSo that the nature of our task is clear, you may wish to think of ahamkara as a point around which both freedom and fetters circle continuously. Stuck in the grooves of past incarnations, of pleasures, addictions, worldly goods or arrogance?  We are limited by ahamkara in that it is what ties our soul to this reality. Yearning for understanding to bridge divides of difference, for equity, peace, health and well-being for all?  We are liberated through ahamkara in that it provides a focus for our unique soul imprint (called <i>jivatman</i> in Sanskrit) on the backdrop of creation as a whole. In this way, the Divine may experience itself through us and we may in turn experience the Divine. As we increasingly realize this reflection as true, ahamkara is shattered and we are able to take in reality as Reality. \n\nGaining enough self-awareness to reign in our ego appropriately, however, takes dedication and practice.  Still, as we create, a healthy amount of ego presence is required to ensure that we have what it takes to support our creation throughout the birthing and into the world.  Ahamkara is necessary but not sufficient for the sustenance of our creative process. We might think of it then as the spiritual equivalent of all that’s involved in fortifying and readying the body so that as mothers metaphoric or actual we can provide healthy and rich breast milk to our newborn.  \n\n<b>Reflection:</b> How do I fall into the entrapments of ego? Am I willing to take on the full ramifications of my thoughts, words and actions? What do I need to change or do to make it so? \n\n<b>Ritual:</b> Do sadhana. That is, make a commitment to spiritual practice, and do something every day. Find a practice you can do regularly at the same time even if only for five minutes. Let it be fun and transformational, deepening and enlivening.  Perhaps you will chant while doing laundry, or memorize verses while running. Perhaps you will sit in silence or stare at a candle flame. No matter what your choice, understand this dedication as a strengthening exercise, one that will make you ready for all it takes for a strong relationship to ahamkara, one with true humility and open-hearted presence, to emerge.\n\n<h3>(5)	Akasha / Ether (Duration 2) </h3>\nAn important transition is occurring as we move into the realm of akasha, for here is the final space in which the subtle body fully dominates our creative process.  As akasha enters the picture, we begin to sense the world of forms, even if they are still a bit farther down the road.  It is here and by this influence that as embodied beings we begin to listen to our spiritual impulses; but during the incarnation process in which we’re currently engaged, it is here that the boundaries of our psychic selves are established and the spaces that hold the physical matter of our bodies together are formed.  With this, energy and consciousness as thus far come into beingness are making a lot of noise, as it were, in the subtle realm. As we enter akasha, it is thus increasingly important to be diligent and mindful of the things, persons, and intentions that impact us. For some, readiness to continue engaging creatively means establishing appropriate protections so that inimical influences do not sway or hinder us. \n\nAkasha is the void, space, and blackness. While primary among akasha’s responsibilities is articulation of the psychic centers, called chakras, illumination of the way to understanding through vibration and sound is also a key component of this element. Akasha is thus keenly tied to our hearing sense. As the first of the basic tattvas to arise, it is also the last to go as we dissolve back into Source on our spiritual quest. Thus, when in meditation, you may find that you can focus on the internal landscape, keeping out all smells, tastes, visions, and tactile sensations, but you are aware of sounds arising from outside of yourself almost no matter how deeply you may seem to go into an altered state.  Utilize the force of akasha to tune in to the most delicate of impressions as you journey now, and strive for your ears to become increasingly attuned to the sounds of your origins—to those speaking to you from your clan wave (the ancestors). Listen well too to the promises of others, to the whispers of your imagination, and for the sounds of falsehood.  \n\n<b>Reflection:</b> What is the substance of my psychic self and how can I cultivate a relationship with my subtle body?   Am I willing to truly listen? Do I need to protect myself in any way for this creative process to unfold in alignment with soulful purpose? \n\n<b>Ritual:</b> Give your creation, child or project a spirit name (even a temporary one). Tie a red, black and white piece of cloth to a stick and place it on your altar like a flag. White represents our highest spiritual power, red our activity in the world, and black our latent potential. These forces, known as gunas (qualities of nature) arise with akasha and inform all of our elemental work.  Imagine now connecting to the very first vibration of the cosmos; that from which all else arose. Let this inner sound reverberate. As you feel ready, pick up your flag, press it between your palms, and move it to the sounds and rhythms of this vibration, intoning the name you have chosen.  You may wish to record any impressions or experiences you have as messages from akasha.         \n\n<!--nextpage-->                                                                                  \n<h3>(6)	Vayu / Air (Duration 4)</h3>\nVayu is that which arises from the void, from the blackness of space that is akasha. It arises because of excitement, and it is thus the current that powers the spiraling of the elements within nature even while it remains formless. Each part of manifest creation is made up of the elements in different proportions, and vayu provides the creative turning, fast or slow, that propels the combinations into actuality. Vayu is also simply the wind that caresses us gently. It is too the tingles we feel on our skin every time we are reminded of a lover’s touch, and it is the life-force energy that carries us more deeply into the body, the means we have through which to know and experience the world.  \n\nVayu is a sweet shaper of our intentions and a guide toward our dreams. Through vayu, we know the feel of the world. In our creation process, vayu is a time of heightened intuition, of flowing thoughts and ideas, of increased potentials for success, of heartfelt connections and of constant change. Because things may seem to be moving along quickly now and variance is a key part of the journey here, it is a good time for reflection on the patterns of our lives. As you meet others and interact in and with the world, stay focused and present to the constancy of your commitment despite the challenges of flightiness and diffusion that vayu can bring. As you sense the winds of change, allow the tingles of vitality you feel—vayu’s reminder of engagement—to enliven your efforts toward moves that best serve your creative process.\n\n<b>Reflection:</b> What is it that distracts me or makes me lose focus? Do I need help or assistance now to stay on track with my efforts, centered in myself, nourished, and feeling vital? \n\n<b>Ritual:</b> Find your breath. Take time to pause and be present for the thrill of the moment. You are alive and the world is turning. The moon, sun, and stars are all waiting. Open yourself now in a stance of gratitude and humbleness, awe and yearning, to the potentials that lay head.  Allow prana—the vital energy carried on vayu—to fill you as you breathe. Send the breath from the tip of your toes to the crown of your head and back down again, relaxing into every cell of your being so that the vital airs that sustain you provide deep cleansing . As you perform this exercise, you may also wish to chant (silently or aloud) vayu’s seed mantram, YAM (pronounced yuh’-m). Use this seed syllable to get into those hard-to-reach places. \n\n<h3>(7)	 Agni / Fire (Duration 6)</h3>\nIncreasing vibration next gives rise to perceptible light. Light shines through the darkness of the causal and then the subtle realm, giving us entry to new frontiers. It is at once static and traveling, particle and wave, here and there. Agni, or fire, is the awakening of light in this world, and it is a defining force.  We welcome in this phase of the birthing mystery with an important recognition of wonder, as well as of the small self and its impact.  This is relevant especially now because as we are able to discern by the power of sight selected forms arising from the energy put forth in the last phase by vayu, our spirits are moved and simultaneously, even more than before, we know a distinct “I.” The difference between us and the world seems to expand; if left unattended, ego can take center stage.\n\nOther challenges are to be found here as well, such as anger and resentment.  Agni’s light generates warmth, and this heat can fire up tempers. Mindful then of the challenges brought with the arrival of agni, we can harness the gifts offered to diligent travelers. Clairvoyance, for example, is among them. But whether extrasensory or pedestrian, the offerings of agni are all magnificent tools in the work of shaping destiny.  Our ability here to put into our crucible the variety of boons bestowed and cultivated this far in the journey serves to render us humble and free—for we must remember that they are not our gifts alone.   \n\nAgni both consumes and radiates, all the while transforming, catalyzing and sparking something new. A guide into the darkness of our personal shadow, agni offers an opportunity now to move into and out of your pain, sorrow, fear, hatred, jealousy and rage. Allow the burning to cleanse and anoint yourself with the ashes. There is more than meets the eye to this phase of the journey. \n\n<b>Reflection:</b> Who am I that gives rise to this creation? Am I the same person I was when I started? What has transformed, seen increase, or seen burning away? \n\n<b>Ritual:</b> The yantra or sacred diagram associated with agni is a red downward pointing triangle. In embodied purification practice, it is situated between the heart and navel. At each point of the triangle, there are bhupura, or gates.  Either seated or laying down, visualize this yantra within your own body. Now, imagine the ingredients of your life that have been with you since the beginning of this voyage as grains of sand filling it. Just as the filling completes, the yantra begins turning clockwise, gradually getting faster and faster. At the climax of the spinning, the bhupura open and grains are flung out, but not all. The ones that remain are the building blocks of your looking glass. Take time to see and reflect on whatever you put into the mix that lingers. Look deeply into that mirror and take in the gaze of the one who looks back.   \n\n<h3>(8)	Apas / Water (Duration 8)</h3>\nFrom time to time now, the structure of our creation has hints of borders, for in apas we find a perfect balance of order and chaos. Here, our excitement rises as the container is filled. The cells of our body feel the quickening. Although we realize things are not yet set or settled, we are readying. Our work is ripening and we anticipate the juiciness. We can almost taste it. \n\nApas is an element that can feel intimate. It is the stuff of our blood, our tears, our sex, our secretions. It is the fluid of life and in this sense, the magic of creation on Earth. Without water, nothing would be possible. Apas therefore tells us to soak, not bathe, and to make ablutions, not wash. It reminds us to play in fountains and slurp down rainbows. It says that if we wish to gain clarity, then we must cleanse and purify; that is, harmonize inner and outer reality .To do this, we must  listen to the small voice inside that comes from a marrying of head and heart.  \nApas here in this phase of our journey pervades everything, and consciously or unconsciously, we drink it in. \n\nA time of heightened creativity and imagination, apas opens us to potentials for laughter, love, delight and healing.  It invites us to listen to our intuition, for it may have meaningful messages. But at the same time that we feel a bounty of divine blessings, apas asks that we begin to feel the edges of practical concerns. For example, have we planted enough and tended enough, watered enough and weeded enough, to realize a good harvest?  This is the time to balance fluidity with a measure of confinement such as the setting of goals and establishment of guidelines. Therefore, find the edges of your stream, and knowing the beauty of its source, seek to navigate safely toward its conclusion. \n\n<b>Reflection:</b> Where do I flow and not resist? Where do I resist and wish to flow? Can I surrender as a stick upon a river to the currents of life while still surely placing footfalls on the path? \n\n<b>Ritual: </b>Gather beads or make some of your own. Collect charms and amulets from broken bracelets and necklaces that have sat in boxes or drawers for years. Meditate on the gifts they brought you when actively worn, and on the ways they might serve you now. Gather these energies to you and consider a new piece of jewelry or altar adornment. String it together and let magic flow. Alternatively, make soup. Cut your favorite vegetables into chunks, add broth and seasoning, stir, simmer and let sit for thirty minutes before eating.  In other words, find a way to nourish yourself soon.   \n\n<!--nextpage-->\n<h3>(9)	Prithvi / Earth (Duration 10)</h3>\n\nThe end is almost in sight, but patience is required because we remain under prithvi’s spell for a while, this phase of the journey offering us a chance to assess our position.  Although the journey is not yet complete, there are signs that closure is coming. Already, no more adjustments can be made, and we thus look to the road ahead with reasonably measured glances. Fitting the solidity of earth, we stand our ground here as prithvi weaves and knots the energy of apas into form, and we mark our travels noting what was, what will be, and what shall be no more.  Gazing at the horizon, we can see the light shifting into brighter colors, our eyes awakening here to the yellow of the sun. This color is the hallmark of manifestation on our path, a vibration that signifies the radiance of life.  \n\nWe may be hopeful and excited, but it is also not yet quite the time for celebrating—there is still work to be done.  We might, for example, wish to plan a party! Now is a time for preparations, for readying, and for deciding how to honor this passage as it draws nigh. What ritual components will be fit for the coming occasion?  In order to decide what might be most appropriate or best reflective of the journey and serve as a rite (whether simple or elaborate), we must come to know the now-discernable boundaries of our creation. Take time therefore to explore those edges. As one together, you have been co-creating; and as soon-to-be two apart, you will be in a new kind of relationship, that of creator and created. From this dance, the waiting time of prithvi will help reveal deeper truths about your respective natures. Finally, we must here enliven our senses, and especially the grounded sense of smell, so that we can tell by the aromas wafting all around when the cooking is done.\n \n<b>Reflection:</b>  Prithvi offers us a chance then to feel the fullness of our work, our belly, rest, and in our repose, sweeten the foundation of our efforts with fragrant memories. Take some time to be close to the earth and the source of your connection to creativity, be that a mountain, river, forest, or ant hill.  \n\n<b>Ritual:</b> Sprout a seed or bud from your next fridge foraging and plant it in your home or garden.  Avocados, potatoes, onions, and fruits work well. As you do the planting, bury any ritual materials you have acquired during this whole manifestation time that you wish to return to Earth. Note the coming full circle and offer your gratitudes to the dirt for all that this sacred substance contains. \n\n<h3>(10)	Completion: The Birthing</h3>\nAn ending and a beautiful beginning, birth is violent as matter is both created and destroyed. Perfect in every way, the process nonetheless leaves us whole and complete. Today, we reap the rewards of our journey and take in the awesome power of Shakti engaged and fulfilled.  The magic of the moment brings us into heightened awareness of the world, and if awe is not immediately apparent, we are at least given the potential to see through new eyes. Here, we awaken to the mystery. In this way may your journey be soul-making, and may you be thus inspired to willingly create again. \n\n\n','Tattva Shuddhi: Inspiring the Creative Process through Ritual & Reflection','','inherit','open','open','','101032-autosave-v1','','','2017-03-22 15:23:22','2017-03-22 22:23:22','',101032,'http://sharanya.org/mandala/101032-autosave-v1/',0,'revision','',0),(101037,2,'2014-06-26 22:22:12','2014-06-27 05:22:12','<em>By: Chandra Alexandre</em>\r\n\r\n<hr />\r\n\r\nWhether it’s an art project or the birth of a child, the creative process is often mysterious. We all know the magic involved in bringing something to fruition. And especially if we have nurtured life within our wombs, we have a truly embodied experience from which to speak.  Either way, we know the struggles of the journey and what it takes to hold true to our virtue and soulful purpose amidst others’ opinions and our own doubts.  As the time of our creative endeavor, literal birthing, or self-awareness process grows, winds, unfolds, gets shaped by our will and is manipulated by our unconscious intentions and agendas (or those of others), we learn some of the cosmic forces that have come together for the manifestation of our own bodies and this Earth. \r\n\r\nThe philosophy of Tantra, and specifically that of creation, or <i>srishti</i> (as it’s called in Sanskrit), involves 51 distinct components. This article deals with a subset of these within the microcosm of our personal reality to provide additional insight as to the nature of the journey, regardless of manifestation or eventual outcome. The process by which Shakti creates the world of forms is the focus of our engagement.  Shakti is Goddess, the primordial feminine/female principle that enlivens All. Moreover, She is energy, the Divine spark. The process by which She descends from the transcendental into the realms of spirit and then into matter is called <i>pavritti</i>.  (As She expands and becomes increasingly drawn back to Source, the process is called <i>nivritti</i>, which is spiritual evolution.) Whether using this cosmology as a tool to bring mindfulness to your daily projects, to a pregnancy, or to your spiritual development, the hope is that you as a seeker are able to take away revelations from meditations on the movements of energy and its relationship to consciousness that this understanding informs. \r\n\r\nFollowing then are the levels of increasing manifestation as descended from the One, that which is nameless and formless, residing beyond the confines of Time and Space.  Each of these ten phases of the creation process is adapted from the working of essential purification based on the Tantric sadhana (spiritual discipline) known as Tattva Shuddhi.  You will notice that each of these is resonant with the ten lunar cycles from conception to childbirth. Each is also based upon the nature and duration of the flows of energy through the cycle of involution; and elements within this process are given here noting durations.  These are in the appropriate ratios relative to one another as related by the adepts. Thus, for example, when within the timeframe of Ether (which has a duration of two in the creation/creative process), we cycle for half the time than when in Air, which as a duration of four. These cycles can be weeks, days, hours, minutes, months or years—the timeline is up to you and your creation process. \r\n\r\nThis outline and progression can be used to help deepen your own birthing experience, no matter what it is or where you are (or were) in the process.  Each section below:  i)  contains a description of a tattva (principle or element) as key to understanding a phase of that creation process; ii)  invites you further into the mystery with a reflection question or two; and, iii) provides a brief ritual you may wish to do.  It is intended to serve as a guide for all your endeavors so that they will manifest that for which you yearn and labor, and it seeks to help awaken you to exciting new potentials for creation.  \r\n\r\n<h3>(1)	Prana Shakti - Source (Duration 1)</h3>\r\nAt the very beginning, we feel the stirring of our insides. A yearning comes to awareness and we desire to create or realize we are creating. Just as the Divine chose to incarnate in order to know and experience more of the Divine, we too can learn from choosing to create. Prana Shakti, the flow of vital energy within us, is our teacher and guide as we undertake the journey. Here, you will want to know the forces of breath within you, for they carry Her. Delve more deeply too into the basics of your practice so that you may (re)discover the fundamental patterns and movements of energy within. Visit the energy centers or chakras of the body, as well as the rivers or channels through which the currents flow. These are 72,000 in number and are called nadis—but you may wish to focus on establishing a relationship with the main ten or so. See what you can discover through your own turn to the inner landscape. \r\n\r\nWhile a birthing will happen at some point in the future, this is not the time for agendas or expectations. All we can know is that the end will come at some point, that the solidification of our efforts will eventually manifest, and the beginning of something new born of our effort, patience, love and inspiration will happen in time. Today, we stand poised and expectant. The infinite source of our soul connects to potentials and possibilities in this world, and we are free to let our creativity flow. We may strive to bring consciousness to all we attempt. Still, this is not the time to begin willful engagement toward a specific outcome. It is rather a time for heartfelt deepening into self and world. It is from this place that the specific components of our creative process will be revealed. \r\n\r\n<b>Reflection:</b> What is it in me that gives rise to this potential, this awakening, this project or this child (metaphoric or literal)?  Can I remain free of expectations and agendas in order to serve and honor the end as one unto itself? \r\n\r\n<b>Ritual:</b> Think of all you have done to get to this point of creating. Honor yourself and those who have helped you. Set a sankalpa (sacred intention) for the journey (this can be revised as you progress). You may wish to place a marker on your altar denoting the initiation of your process. Something that is personally meaningful and symbolic of your path is most likely to inspire you, whether in the most happy of moments or during the challenges and obstacles that you may face ahead. Make time to gaze at this object every day to reconnect and embolden your efforts. \r\n\r\n<!--nextpage-->\r\n\r\n<h3>(2)	Prakriti-Purusha (Duration 4)</h3>\r\nHere we rest in the dance, largely unconscious, of what it takes to make something come alive. The push and pull of energy and consciousness here enlivens the process and we are creating even when we may not be aware of what’s happening.  In this second stage, these forces—energy and consciousness—begin to particularize and polarize, creating an articulated dynamic tension from the spark of our whim that is geared toward experiencing something new in the world birthed through us.  We are offered clues of the goings on through dreams and synchronicities—we might wish to pay attention—but the work of this phase rests predominantly on who we are and what we have done before.\r\n \r\nThe power of <i>prakriti</i> (the principle of Shakti within and as nature) is the creatrix activating our imagination and intuitive juices. The awareness of purusha (the principle of consciousness within our world) provides connection to soul. Together, they are the initial force required for the birthing to occur. Prakriti and purusha are partners responding to you and to any stimulus in your world as a river would to a rock in its path: they continue their flow uninterrupted. Without consideration of their dance, however, we may lose the impetus toward action or may dwindle our energies in mindless pursuits that do not serve our essence or the greater good.  By paying attention here, we gain the ability to see the potentials of the sacred and of evil, of compassion and of violence; of all the ways in which harmony is achieved not by forceful resistance to the flows of the Divine will, but by the application of holistic vision to all life has to offer. \r\n\r\n<b>Reflection:</b> Do I allow myself to trust intuition, that sacred balance of embodied knowing and spirit? Can my motives stay pure, as in reflective of a harmony between outer perception and inner experience? How do I reflect the dance of prakriti and purusha in and through my choices, actions, speech and thought? \r\n\r\n<b>Ritual:</b> Create a list of all the things that you desire to be in the mix so that your creation will be born whole and perfect.  Choose four to be the cornerstones of your birthing process and meditate on these, holding them in your mind and heart as fully as possible throughout your pregnancy or creative endeavor.  You may also wish to create a collage or work of art to represent the fullness of your dance with prakriti and purusha. Use this visual representation as a mandala to help strengthen your resolve and commitment.  \r\n\r\n<h3>(3)	Mahat Tattva (Duration 5)</h3>\r\nMahat Tattva, the Great Principle, is the expression of higher mind (often called buddhi) within us. It is also the discriminating force of judgment that is unclouded by ego or emotion.  Mahat tattva is what guides our motivation toward intention aligned with soul and then action.  Here is the space then of deep contemplation, self-reflection, emerging wisdom, and continued release from things that may hinder perception, discernment, and our ultimate ability to make decisions that serve the creative process and its eventual outcome.\r\n \r\nAs you consider this, know that in mahat tattva we are given room to trust and augment the previous work done toward cultivation of soulful caring; that is, caring not tied to past impressions, habits or other enmeshments in the world. This can be very challenging, and it is in this stage that we spend more time than we have on previous stages of our journey.  Often, the word used to describe the stance of mahat tattva is dispassion, but to be dispassionate in this space is again to care infinitely. We do so while remaining clear and free of the things that get us fired up, triggered, or otherwise tangled in the ruts of daily life—whether real or imagined. In mahat tattva, we trust our intuition (not our instinct!) as it has been increasingly refined through the interplay of prakriti and purusha and brought further into waking consciousness. \r\n\r\n<b>Reflection:</b> Where and in whom do I place my trust as a provider of information? Do I listen to others before I listen to myself? Can I release myself from the tangled strands of gossip and half truths that surround me in all the spaces I inhabit (work, school, family, friends, etc.)?  \r\n\r\n<b>Ritual:</b> Meditate on a time in which you were emotionally charged by something or someone (let it be far enough in the past that you can enter this space easily). Go through the instance or episode again briefly in your mind, allowing yourself to feel the experience in your body. Notice the internal landscape of impressions as you relive the moment. Let this resolve somewhat quickly into a natural conclusion. Now, return to heartfelt breath and bring in sakshi, or witness consciousness. This is the power cultivated through mahat tattva of nonjudgmental discernment. Staying aware of a dispassionate stance, allow yourself to notice your reactions from this mental position as you again replay the incident or situation. See what you notice and what you learn.  \r\n\r\n<h3>(4)	Ahamkara (Duration 1)</h3>\r\nAhamkara in Sanskrit means I-ness, and we often simply refer to it as ego. Ahamkara is the birthplace of self-awareness in this journey, of that which tells me there’s a “me” and there’s a “you.” It is therefore a starting point for us as individuals (for herein lies our blossoming individuality) to take full responsibility for ourselves. This is the work of this phase of our creative process. \r\n\r\nSo that the nature of our task is clear, you may wish to think of ahamkara as a point around which both freedom and fetters circle continuously. Stuck in the grooves of past incarnations, of pleasures, addictions, worldly goods or arrogance?  We are limited by ahamkara in that it is what ties our soul to this reality. Yearning for understanding to bridge divides of difference, for equity, peace, health and well-being for all?  We are liberated through ahamkara in that it provides a focus for our unique soul imprint (called <i>jivatman</i> in Sanskrit) on the backdrop of creation as a whole. In this way, the Divine may experience itself through us and we may in turn experience the Divine. As we increasingly realize this reflection as true, ahamkara is shattered and we are able to take in reality as Reality. \r\n\r\nGaining enough self-awareness to reign in our ego appropriately, however, takes dedication and practice.  Still, as we create, a healthy amount of ego presence is required to ensure that we have what it takes to support our creation throughout the birthing and into the world.  Ahamkara is necessary but not sufficient for the sustenance of our creative process. We might think of it then as the spiritual equivalent of all that’s involved in fortifying and readying the body so that as mothers metaphoric or actual we can provide healthy and rich breast milk to our newborn.  \r\n\r\n<b>Reflection:</b> How do I fall into the entrapments of ego? Am I willing to take on the full ramifications of my thoughts, words and actions? What do I need to change or do to make it so? \r\n\r\n<b>Ritual:</b> Do sadhana. That is, make a commitment to spiritual practice, and do something every day. Find a practice you can do regularly at the same time even if only for five minutes. Let it be fun and transformational, deepening and enlivening.  Perhaps you will chant while doing laundry, or memorize verses while running. Perhaps you will sit in silence or stare at a candle flame. No matter what your choice, understand this dedication as a strengthening exercise, one that will make you ready for all it takes for a strong relationship to ahamkara, one with true humility and open-hearted presence, to emerge.\r\n\r\n<h3>(5)	Akasha / Ether (Duration 2) </h3>\r\nAn important transition is occurring as we move into the realm of akasha, for here is the final space in which the subtle body fully dominates our creative process.  As akasha enters the picture, we begin to sense the world of forms, even if they are still a bit farther down the road.  It is here and by this influence that as embodied beings we begin to listen to our spiritual impulses; but during the incarnation process in which we’re currently engaged, it is here that the boundaries of our psychic selves are established and the spaces that hold the physical matter of our bodies together are formed.  With this, energy and consciousness as thus far come into beingness are making a lot of noise, as it were, in the subtle realm. As we enter akasha, it is thus increasingly important to be diligent and mindful of the things, persons, and intentions that impact us. For some, readiness to continue engaging creatively means establishing appropriate protections so that inimical influences do not sway or hinder us. \r\n\r\nAkasha is the void, space, and blackness. While primary among akasha’s responsibilities is articulation of the psychic centers, called chakras, illumination of the way to understanding through vibration and sound is also a key component of this element. Akasha is thus keenly tied to our hearing sense. As the first of the basic tattvas to arise, it is also the last to go as we dissolve back into Source on our spiritual quest. Thus, when in meditation, you may find that you can focus on the internal landscape, keeping out all smells, tastes, visions, and tactile sensations, but you are aware of sounds arising from outside of yourself almost no matter how deeply you may seem to go into an altered state.  Utilize the force of akasha to tune in to the most delicate of impressions as you journey now, and strive for your ears to become increasingly attuned to the sounds of your origins—to those speaking to you from your clan wave (the ancestors). Listen well too to the promises of others, to the whispers of your imagination, and for the sounds of falsehood.  \r\n\r\n<b>Reflection:</b> What is the substance of my psychic self and how can I cultivate a relationship with my subtle body?   Am I willing to truly listen? Do I need to protect myself in any way for this creative process to unfold in alignment with soulful purpose? \r\n\r\n<b>Ritual:</b> Give your creation, child or project a spirit name (even a temporary one). Tie a red, black and white piece of cloth to a stick and place it on your altar like a flag. White represents our highest spiritual power, red our activity in the world, and black our latent potential. These forces, known as gunas (qualities of nature) arise with akasha and inform all of our elemental work.  Imagine now connecting to the very first vibration of the cosmos; that from which all else arose. Let this inner sound reverberate. As you feel ready, pick up your flag, press it between your palms, and move it to the sounds and rhythms of this vibration, intoning the name you have chosen.  You may wish to record any impressions or experiences you have as messages from akasha.         \r\n\r\n<!--nextpage-->                                                                                  \r\n<h3>(6)	Vayu / Air (Duration 4)</h3>\r\nVayu is that which arises from the void, from the blackness of space that is akasha. It arises because of excitement, and it is thus the current that powers the spiraling of the elements within nature even while it remains formless. Each part of manifest creation is made up of the elements in different proportions, and vayu provides the creative turning, fast or slow, that propels the combinations into actuality. Vayu is also simply the wind that caresses us gently. It is too the tingles we feel on our skin every time we are reminded of a lover’s touch, and it is the life-force energy that carries us more deeply into the body, the means we have through which to know and experience the world.  \r\n\r\nVayu is a sweet shaper of our intentions and a guide toward our dreams. Through vayu, we know the feel of the world. In our creation process, vayu is a time of heightened intuition, of flowing thoughts and ideas, of increased potentials for success, of heartfelt connections and of constant change. Because things may seem to be moving along quickly now and variance is a key part of the journey here, it is a good time for reflection on the patterns of our lives. As you meet others and interact in and with the world, stay focused and present to the constancy of your commitment despite the challenges of flightiness and diffusion that vayu can bring. As you sense the winds of change, allow the tingles of vitality you feel—vayu’s reminder of engagement—to enliven your efforts toward moves that best serve your creative process.\r\n\r\n<b>Reflection:</b> What is it that distracts me or makes me lose focus? Do I need help or assistance now to stay on track with my efforts, centered in myself, nourished, and feeling vital? \r\n\r\n<b>Ritual:</b> Find your breath. Take time to pause and be present for the thrill of the moment. You are alive and the world is turning. The moon, sun, and stars are all waiting. Open yourself now in a stance of gratitude and humbleness, awe and yearning, to the potentials that lay head.  Allow prana—the vital energy carried on vayu—to fill you as you breathe. Send the breath from the tip of your toes to the crown of your head and back down again, relaxing into every cell of your being so that the vital airs that sustain you provide deep cleansing . As you perform this exercise, you may also wish to chant (silently or aloud) vayu’s seed mantram, YAM (pronounced yuh’-m). Use this seed syllable to get into those hard-to-reach places. \r\n\r\n<h3>(7)	 Agni / Fire (Duration 6)</h3>\r\nIncreasing vibration next gives rise to perceptible light. Light shines through the darkness of the causal and then the subtle realm, giving us entry to new frontiers. It is at once static and traveling, particle and wave, here and there. Agni, or fire, is the awakening of light in this world, and it is a defining force.  We welcome in this phase of the birthing mystery with an important recognition of wonder, as well as of the small self and its impact.  This is relevant especially now because as we are able to discern by the power of sight selected forms arising from the energy put forth in the last phase by vayu, our spirits are moved and simultaneously, even more than before, we know a distinct “I.” The difference between us and the world seems to expand; if left unattended, ego can take center stage.\r\n\r\nOther challenges are to be found here as well, such as anger and resentment.  Agni’s light generates warmth, and this heat can fire up tempers. Mindful then of the challenges brought with the arrival of agni, we can harness the gifts offered to diligent travelers. Clairvoyance, for example, is among them. But whether extrasensory or pedestrian, the offerings of agni are all magnificent tools in the work of shaping destiny.  Our ability here to put into our crucible the variety of boons bestowed and cultivated this far in the journey serves to render us humble and free—for we must remember that they are not our gifts alone.   \r\n\r\nAgni both consumes and radiates, all the while transforming, catalyzing and sparking something new. A guide into the darkness of our personal shadow, agni offers an opportunity now to move into and out of your pain, sorrow, fear, hatred, jealousy and rage. Allow the burning to cleanse and anoint yourself with the ashes. There is more than meets the eye to this phase of the journey. \r\n\r\n<b>Reflection:</b> Who am I that gives rise to this creation? Am I the same person I was when I started? What has transformed, seen increase, or seen burning away? \r\n\r\n<b>Ritual:</b> The yantra or sacred diagram associated with agni is a red downward pointing triangle. In embodied purification practice, it is situated between the heart and navel. At each point of the triangle, there are bhupura, or gates.  Either seated or laying down, visualize this yantra within your own body. Now, imagine the ingredients of your life that have been with you since the beginning of this voyage as grains of sand filling it. Just as the filling completes, the yantra begins turning clockwise, gradually getting faster and faster. At the climax of the spinning, the bhupura open and grains are flung out, but not all. The ones that remain are the building blocks of your looking glass. Take time to see and reflect on whatever you put into the mix that lingers. Look deeply into that mirror and take in the gaze of the one who looks back.   \r\n\r\n<h3>(8)	Apas / Water (Duration 8)</h3>\r\nFrom time to time now, the structure of our creation has hints of borders, for in apas we find a perfect balance of order and chaos. Here, our excitement rises as the container is filled. The cells of our body feel the quickening. Although we realize things are not yet set or settled, we are readying. Our work is ripening and we anticipate the juiciness. We can almost taste it. \r\n\r\nApas is an element that can feel intimate. It is the stuff of our blood, our tears, our sex, our secretions. It is the fluid of life and in this sense, the magic of creation on Earth. Without water, nothing would be possible. Apas therefore tells us to soak, not bathe, and to make ablutions, not wash. It reminds us to play in fountains and slurp down rainbows. It says that if we wish to gain clarity, then we must cleanse and purify; that is, harmonize inner and outer reality .To do this, we must  listen to the small voice inside that comes from a marrying of head and heart.  \r\nApas here in this phase of our journey pervades everything, and consciously or unconsciously, we drink it in. \r\n\r\nA time of heightened creativity and imagination, apas opens us to potentials for laughter, love, delight and healing.  It invites us to listen to our intuition, for it may have meaningful messages. But at the same time that we feel a bounty of divine blessings, apas asks that we begin to feel the edges of practical concerns. For example, have we planted enough and tended enough, watered enough and weeded enough, to realize a good harvest?  This is the time to balance fluidity with a measure of confinement such as the setting of goals and establishment of guidelines. Therefore, find the edges of your stream, and knowing the beauty of its source, seek to navigate safely toward its conclusion. \r\n\r\n<b>Reflection:</b> Where do I flow and not resist? Where do I resist and wish to flow? Can I surrender as a stick upon a river to the currents of life while still surely placing footfalls on the path? \r\n\r\n<b>Ritual: </b>Gather beads or make some of your own. Collect charms and amulets from broken bracelets and necklaces that have sat in boxes or drawers for years. Meditate on the gifts they brought you when actively worn, and on the ways they might serve you now. Gather these energies to you and consider a new piece of jewelry or altar adornment. String it together and let magic flow. Alternatively, make soup. Cut your favorite vegetables into chunks, add broth and seasoning, stir, simmer and let sit for thirty minutes before eating.  In other words, find a way to nourish yourself soon.   \r\n\r\n<!--nextpage-->\r\n<h3>(9)	Prithvi / Earth (Duration 10)</h3>\r\n\r\nThe end is almost in sight, but patience is required because we remain under prithvi’s spell for a while, this phase of the journey offering us a chance to assess our position.  Although the journey is not yet complete, there are signs that closure is coming. Already, no more adjustments can be made, and we thus look to the road ahead with reasonably measured glances. Fitting the solidity of earth, we stand our ground here as prithvi weaves and knots the energy of apas into form, and we mark our travels noting what was, what will be, and what shall be no more.  Gazing at the horizon, we can see the light shifting into brighter colors, our eyes awakening here to the yellow of the sun. This color is the hallmark of manifestation on our path, a vibration that signifies the radiance of life.  \r\n\r\nWe may be hopeful and excited, but it is also not yet quite the time for celebrating—there is still work to be done.  We might, for example, wish to plan a party! Now is a time for preparations, for readying, and for deciding how to honor this passage as it draws nigh. What ritual components will be fit for the coming occasion?  In order to decide what might be most appropriate or best reflective of the journey and serve as a rite (whether simple or elaborate), we must come to know the now-discernable boundaries of our creation. Take time therefore to explore those edges. As one together, you have been co-creating; and as soon-to-be two apart, you will be in a new kind of relationship, that of creator and created. From this dance, the waiting time of prithvi will help reveal deeper truths about your respective natures. Finally, we must here enliven our senses, and especially the grounded sense of smell, so that we can tell by the aromas wafting all around when the cooking is done.\r\n \r\n<b>Reflection:</b>  Prithvi offers us a chance then to feel the fullness of our work, our belly, rest, and in our repose, sweeten the foundation of our efforts with fragrant memories. Take some time to be close to the earth and the source of your connection to creativity, be that a mountain, river, forest, or ant hill.  \r\n\r\n<b>Ritual:</b> Sprout a seed or bud from your next fridge foraging and plant it in your home or garden.  Avocados, potatoes, onions, and fruits work well. As you do the planting, bury any ritual materials you have acquired during this whole manifestation time that you wish to return to Earth. Note the coming full circle and offer your gratitudes to the dirt for all that this sacred substance contains. \r\n\r\n<h3>(10)	Completion: The Birthing</h3>\r\nAn ending and a beautiful beginning, birth is violent as matter is both created and destroyed. Perfect in every way, the process nonetheless leaves us whole and complete. Today, we reap the rewards of our journey and take in the awesome power of Shakti engaged and fulfilled.  The magic of the moment brings us into heightened awareness of the world, and if awe is not immediately apparent, we are at least given the potential to see through new eyes. Here, we awaken to the mystery. In this way may your journey be soul-making, and may you be thus inspired to willingly create again. \r\n\r\n<hr />\r\nOriginally published in Llewellyn\'s 2013 Magical Almanac under the title, <em>Doing Life & Creating Life: An Introduction to the Birthing Mystery through Tantra</em>\r\n','The Creative Process through Ritual & Reflection','','inherit','open','open','','101032-revision-v1','','','2014-06-26 22:22:12','2014-06-27 05:22:12','',101032,'http://sharanya.org/mandala/101032-revision-v1/',0,'revision','',0),(101038,2,'2014-06-26 22:30:12','2014-06-27 05:30:12','','Creativity','','inherit','open','open','','hawaii-greece-2007-355','','','2014-06-26 22:30:12','2014-06-27 05:30:12','',101032,'http://sharanya.org/wp-content/uploads/2014/06/Hawaii-Greece-2007-355.jpg',0,'attachment','image/jpeg',0),(101039,2,'2014-06-27 00:32:55','2014-06-27 07:32:55','SHARANYA offered the 8th Annual Yoni Puja Festival on June 22, 2014 at the Cultural Integration Fellowship in San Francisco. We gathered to honor women, the Feminine and goddesses as they exist in the spaces of being and planet. Our puja was divine!','Yoni Puja Festival','','publish','closed','closed','','yoni-puja','','','2014-06-27 00:32:36','2014-06-27 07:32:36','',0,'http://sharanya.org/?post_type=th_galleries&#038;p=101039',0,'th_galleries','',0),(101040,2,'2014-06-26 22:49:17','2014-06-27 05:49:17','','Yoni Puja 2014','','inherit','open','open','','yoni-puja-2014-1','','','2014-06-26 22:49:17','2014-06-27 05:49:17','',101039,'http://sharanya.org/wp-content/uploads/2014/06/Yoni-Puja-2014-1.jpg',0,'attachment','image/jpeg',0),(101041,2,'2014-06-26 23:40:58','2014-06-27 06:40:58','<p>Begun in 2006, this year marked the 9th anniversary of SHARANYA\'s Yoni Puja Festival. Designed to welcome newcomers and initiates alike, the community provides spiritual seekers of all backgrounds an introduction to the Divine Mother as the Goddess of Life, Death and Rebirth. We came together on the night of June 21, 2015 to sing Her praises, offer our devotions, worship Her and receive the divine nectar of Her bliss, the <i>yoni tattva</i>. As Maa Kamakhya, She holds the power of the cosmos and the liberating potentials of the female as birther of Her creation.</p>\r\n<p>Many devotees filled the temple singing Her names, assembling with reverence and respect to honor Earth, women, Goddess and the Feminine. Opening through the gateways provided by age-old spiritual techniques, we together came to understand ourselves, one another and the Divine more deeply through our communion and worship. Jai Maa!</p>\r\n<p>[testimonials category=\"yoni puja\" time=\"10\" effect=\"fade\" ]</p>\r\n<p>[terms_gallery terms=\"82\" perpage=\"3\" pagination=\"on\" layout=\"medium\" isotope=\"\" ]</p>\r\n','Yoni Puja Festival','','publish','closed','closed','','yoni-puja-festival','','','2015-10-21 02:31:34','2015-10-21 09:31:34','',99912,'http://sharanya.org/?page_id=101041',0,'page','',0),(101049,2,'2014-06-26 23:10:40','2014-06-27 06:10:40','Begun in 2006, this year marked the 8th anniversary of SHARANYA\'s Yoni Puja Festival. Designed to welcome newcomers and initiates alike, the community provides spiritual seekers of all backgrounds an introduction to the Divine Mother as the Goddess of Life, Death and Rebirth. We came together on the night of June 22, 2014 to sing Her praises, offer our devotions, worship Her and receive the divine nectar of Her bliss, the <i>yoni tattva</i>. As Maa Kamakhya, She holds the power of the cosmos and the liberating potentials of the female as birther of Her creation.<br><br>\r\n\r\nMany devotees filled the temple singing Her names, assembling with reverence and respect to honor Earth, women and Goddess. Opening through the gateways provided by age-old spiritual techniques, we together came to understand ourselves, one another and the Divine more deeply through our communion and worship. Jai Maa!<br><br>\r\n\r\n[terms_gallery terms=\"26\" perpage=\"3\" pagination=\"on\" layout=\"medium\" isotope=\"\" ]','Yoni Puja Festival','','inherit','open','open','','101041-revision-v1','','','2014-06-26 23:10:40','2014-06-27 06:10:40','',101041,'http://sharanya.org/mandala/101041-revision-v1/',0,'revision','',0),(101050,2,'2014-06-26 23:12:00','2014-06-27 06:12:00','<p>Begun in 2006, this year marked the 8th anniversary of SHARANYA\'s Yoni Puja Festival. Designed to welcome newcomers and initiates alike, the community provides spiritual seekers of all backgrounds an introduction to the Divine Mother as the Goddess of Life, Death and Rebirth. We came together on the night of June 22, 2014 to sing Her praises, offer our devotions, worship Her and receive the divine nectar of Her bliss, the <i>yoni tattva</i>. As Maa Kamakhya, She holds the power of the cosmos and the liberating potentials of the female as birther of Her creation.</p>\r\n<p>Many devotees filled the temple singing Her names, assembling with reverence and respect to honor Earth, women and Goddess. Opening through the gateways provided by age-old spiritual techniques, we together came to understand ourselves, one another and the Divine more deeply through our communion and worship. Jai Maa!</p>\r\n<p>[terms_gallery terms=\"23\" perpage=\"3\" pagination=\"on\" layout=\"medium\" isotope=\"\" ]</p>\r\n','Yoni Puja Festival','','inherit','open','open','','101041-revision-v1','','','2014-06-26 23:12:00','2014-06-27 06:12:00','',101041,'http://sharanya.org/mandala/101041-revision-v1/',0,'revision','',0),(101051,2,'2014-06-26 23:12:33','2014-06-27 06:12:33','<p>Begun in 2006, this year marked the 8th anniversary of SHARANYA\'s Yoni Puja Festival. Designed to welcome newcomers and initiates alike, the community provides spiritual seekers of all backgrounds an introduction to the Divine Mother as the Goddess of Life, Death and Rebirth. We came together on the night of June 22, 2014 to sing Her praises, offer our devotions, worship Her and receive the divine nectar of Her bliss, the <i>yoni tattva</i>. As Maa Kamakhya, She holds the power of the cosmos and the liberating potentials of the female as birther of Her creation.</p>\r\n\r\n<p>Many devotees filled the temple singing Her names, assembling with reverence and respect to honor Earth, women and Goddess. Opening through the gateways provided by age-old spiritual techniques, we together came to understand ourselves, one another and the Divine more deeply through our communion and worship. Jai Maa!</p>\r\n<p>\r\n\r\n[terms_gallery terms=\"23\" perpage=\"3\" pagination=\"on\" layout=\"medium\" isotope=\"\" ]</p>\r\n','Yoni Puja Festival','','inherit','open','open','','101041-revision-v1','','','2014-06-26 23:12:33','2014-06-27 06:12:33','',101041,'http://sharanya.org/mandala/101041-revision-v1/',0,'revision','',0),(101052,2,'2014-06-26 23:13:55','2014-06-27 06:13:55','<p>Begun in 2006, this year marked the 8th anniversary of SHARANYA\'s Yoni Puja Festival. Designed to welcome newcomers and initiates alike, the community provides spiritual seekers of all backgrounds an introduction to the Divine Mother as the Goddess of Life, Death and Rebirth. We came together on the night of June 22, 2014 to sing Her praises, offer our devotions, worship Her and receive the divine nectar of Her bliss, the <i>yoni tattva</i>. As Maa Kamakhya, She holds the power of the cosmos and the liberating potentials of the female as birther of Her creation.</p>\r\n<p>Many devotees filled the temple singing Her names, assembling with reverence and respect to honor Earth, women and Goddess. Opening through the gateways provided by age-old spiritual techniques, we together came to understand ourselves, one another and the Divine more deeply through our communion and worship. Jai Maa!</p>\r\n<p>[terms_gallery terms=\"26\" perpage=\"3\" pagination=\"on\" layout=\"medium\" isotope=\"\" ]</p>\r\n','Yoni Puja Festival','','inherit','open','open','','101041-revision-v1','','','2014-06-26 23:13:55','2014-06-27 06:13:55','',101041,'http://sharanya.org/mandala/101041-revision-v1/',0,'revision','',0),(101053,2,'2014-06-26 23:18:00','2014-06-27 06:18:00','<p>Begun in 2006, this year marked the 8th anniversary of SHARANYA\'s Yoni Puja Festival. Designed to welcome newcomers and initiates alike, the community provides spiritual seekers of all backgrounds an introduction to the Divine Mother as the Goddess of Life, Death and Rebirth. We came together on the night of June 22, 2014 to sing Her praises, offer our devotions, worship Her and receive the divine nectar of Her bliss, the <i>yoni tattva</i>. As Maa Kamakhya, She holds the power of the cosmos and the liberating potentials of the female as birther of Her creation.</p>\r\n<p>Many devotees filled the temple singing Her names, assembling with reverence and respect to honor Earth, women and Goddess. Opening through the gateways provided by age-old spiritual techniques, we together came to understand ourselves, one another and the Divine more deeply through our communion and worship. Jai Maa!</p>\r\n<p>[terms_gallery terms=\"16\" perpage=\"3\" pagination=\"on\" layout=\"medium\" isotope=\"\" ]</p>\r\n','Yoni Puja Festival','','inherit','open','open','','101041-revision-v1','','','2014-06-26 23:18:00','2014-06-27 06:18:00','',101041,'http://sharanya.org/mandala/101041-revision-v1/',0,'revision','',0),(101054,2,'2014-06-26 23:18:19','2014-06-27 06:18:19','<p>Begun in 2006, this year marked the 8th anniversary of SHARANYA\'s Yoni Puja Festival. Designed to welcome newcomers and initiates alike, the community provides spiritual seekers of all backgrounds an introduction to the Divine Mother as the Goddess of Life, Death and Rebirth. We came together on the night of June 22, 2014 to sing Her praises, offer our devotions, worship Her and receive the divine nectar of Her bliss, the <i>yoni tattva</i>. As Maa Kamakhya, She holds the power of the cosmos and the liberating potentials of the female as birther of Her creation.</p>\r\n<p>Many devotees filled the temple singing Her names, assembling with reverence and respect to honor Earth, women and Goddess. Opening through the gateways provided by age-old spiritual techniques, we together came to understand ourselves, one another and the Divine more deeply through our communion and worship. Jai Maa!</p>\r\n<p>[terms_gallery terms=\"27\" perpage=\"3\" pagination=\"on\" layout=\"medium\" isotope=\"\" ]</p>\r\n','Yoni Puja Festival','','inherit','open','open','','101041-revision-v1','','','2014-06-26 23:18:19','2014-06-27 06:18:19','',101041,'http://sharanya.org/mandala/101041-revision-v1/',0,'revision','',0),(101055,2,'2014-06-26 23:19:51','2014-06-27 06:19:51','','Yoni Puja 2014 Main Altar','','inherit','open','open','','dsc_0207','','','2014-06-26 23:19:51','2014-06-27 06:19:51','',101041,'http://sharanya.org/wp-content/uploads/2014/06/DSC_0207.jpg',0,'attachment','image/jpeg',0),(101056,2,'2014-06-26 23:26:50','2014-06-27 06:26:50','8th Annual Festival\r\nJune 22, 2014','Yoni Puja','','publish','closed','closed','','festivals-2','','','2014-09-24 20:36:23','2014-09-25 03:36:23','',0,'http://sharanya.org/?post_type=th_slideshows&#038;p=101056',0,'th_slideshows','',0),(101057,2,'2014-06-26 23:40:58','2014-06-27 06:40:58','<p>Begun in 2006, this year marked the 8th anniversary of SHARANYA\'s Yoni Puja Festival. Designed to welcome newcomers and initiates alike, the community provides spiritual seekers of all backgrounds an introduction to the Divine Mother as the Goddess of Life, Death and Rebirth. We came together on the night of June 22, 2014 to sing Her praises, offer our devotions, worship Her and receive the divine nectar of Her bliss, the <i>yoni tattva</i>. As Maa Kamakhya, She holds the power of the cosmos and the liberating potentials of the female as birther of Her creation.</p>\r\n<p>Many devotees filled the temple singing Her names, assembling with reverence and respect to honor Earth, women, Goddess and the Feminine. Opening through the gateways provided by age-old spiritual techniques, we together came to understand ourselves, one another and the Divine more deeply through our communion and worship. Jai Maa!</p>\r\n<p>[terms_gallery terms=\"27\" perpage=\"3\" pagination=\"on\" layout=\"medium\" isotope=\"\" ]</p>\r\n','Yoni Puja Festival','','inherit','open','open','','101041-revision-v1','','','2014-06-26 23:40:58','2014-06-27 06:40:58','',101041,'http://sharanya.org/mandala/101041-revision-v1/',0,'revision','',0),(101058,2,'2014-06-26 23:49:09','2014-06-27 06:49:09','The sacred elixir of Tantric vamacara rites, Yoni Tattva is offered in our puja in a revised form that all can imbibe. The kiss of Maa is taken three times after a devotee surrenders to the Divine before Her. ','Receiving Yoni Tattva','','publish','closed','closed','','receiving-yoni-tattva','','','2014-06-26 23:49:33','2014-06-27 06:49:33','',0,'http://sharanya.org/?post_type=th_galleries&#038;p=101058',0,'th_galleries','',0),(101061,2,'2014-06-26 23:45:32','2014-06-27 06:45:32','','Receiving Yoni Tattva','','inherit','open','open','','dsc_0160','','','2014-06-26 23:45:32','2014-06-27 06:45:32','',101058,'http://sharanya.org/wp-content/uploads/2014/06/DSC_0160.jpg',0,'attachment','image/jpeg',0),(101062,2,'2014-06-25 19:55:13','2014-06-26 02:55:13','In India at this time, Goddess as Maa Kamakhya refreshes the whole of the world, allowing devotees to drink in the vibrancy of the elements anew. She is the fecundity of the soil, the richness of menstrual blood and the yearning of our hearts. In our puja, we invoke Her into the yoni murti and offer Her our praises. Jai Maa!','Praises to Maa Kamakhya','','publish','closed','closed','','praises-maa-kamakhya','','','2014-06-27 00:35:21','2014-06-27 07:35:21','',0,'http://sharanya.org/?post_type=th_galleries&#038;p=101062',0,'th_galleries','',0),(101063,2,'2014-06-26 23:51:08','2014-06-27 06:51:08','','Praises to Maa Kamakhya','','inherit','open','open','','dsc_0184','','','2014-06-26 23:51:08','2014-06-27 06:51:08','',101062,'http://sharanya.org/wp-content/uploads/2014/06/DSC_0184.jpg',0,'attachment','image/jpeg',0),(101064,2,'2014-06-27 00:02:10','2014-06-27 07:02:10','Once She has been invoked into our yoni murti, Maa is present and treated as a most honored guest. She is bathed, dressed, offered food and made comfortable so that darshan may begin. Aarati culminates in a celebration of fiery lights representing Her divine gaze as it bestows blessings.','Aarati to Maa','','publish','closed','closed','','aarati-maa','','','2014-06-27 00:02:10','2014-06-27 07:02:10','',0,'http://sharanya.org/?post_type=th_galleries&#038;p=101064',0,'th_galleries','',0),(101065,2,'2014-06-26 23:57:06','2014-06-27 06:57:06','','Aarati to Maa','','inherit','open','open','','dsc_0175','','','2014-06-26 23:57:06','2014-06-27 06:57:06','',101064,'http://sharanya.org/wp-content/uploads/2014/06/DSC_0175.jpg',0,'attachment','image/jpeg',0),(101066,2,'2014-06-27 00:08:10','2014-06-27 07:08:10','Shiva joins our Yoni Puja to dance with Maa in a celebration of creation. We sing, \"Shiva, Shiva, Shiva Shambo!\" as the harmonium vibrates the melody throughout the temple and our hearts are lifted in joy. Making an offering of flowers, here an initiate asks for blessings and honors the Lord of Transformation. ','Shiva\'s Blessing','','publish','closed','closed','','shivas-blessing','','','2014-06-27 00:08:10','2014-06-27 07:08:10','',0,'http://sharanya.org/?post_type=th_galleries&#038;p=101066',0,'th_galleries','',0),(101067,2,'2014-06-27 00:03:51','2014-06-27 07:03:51','','Shiva\'s Blessing','','inherit','open','open','','dsc_0125','','','2014-06-27 00:03:51','2014-06-27 07:03:51','',101066,'http://sharanya.org/wp-content/uploads/2014/06/DSC_0125.jpg',0,'attachment','image/jpeg',0),(101068,2,'2014-06-26 09:27:18','2014-06-26 16:27:18','At each Yoni Puja, our worship deepens through meditation and reflection on the <i>sankalpa</i> or sacred intention we have each made. We come to the well to purify our intentions, cleanse our spirit and then proceed to the encounter with Maa for which we have been waiting all year. Once completed, we take our blessed offerings and drop a penny to symbolize our gratitude and promise to return to the world our energy and effort on behalf of all beings who suffer. ','Prayers at the Well','','publish','closed','closed','','prayers-well','','','2014-06-27 00:31:24','2014-06-27 07:31:24','',0,'http://sharanya.org/?post_type=th_galleries&#038;p=101068',0,'th_galleries','',0),(101070,2,'2014-06-27 00:20:51','2014-06-27 07:20:51','','Prayers at the Well','','inherit','open','open','','dsc_0118','','','2014-06-27 00:20:51','2014-06-27 07:20:51','',101068,'http://sharanya.org/wp-content/uploads/2014/06/DSC_0118.jpg',0,'attachment','image/jpeg',0),(101071,2,'2014-06-27 00:30:06','2014-06-27 07:30:06',' ','','','publish','open','closed','','101071','','','2017-03-19 15:58:39','2017-03-19 22:58:39','',99912,'http://sharanya.org/?p=101071',11,'nav_menu_item','',0),(101072,2,'2014-06-27 00:42:15','2014-06-27 07:42:15','<hr />\r\n\r\nWhether it’s an art project or the birth of a child, the creative process is often mysterious. We all know the magic involved in bringing something to fruition. And especially if we have nurtured life within our wombs, we have a truly embodied experience from which to speak.  Either way, we know the struggles of the journey and what it takes to hold true to our virtue and soulful purpose amidst others’ opinions and our own doubts.  As the time of our creative endeavor, literal birthing, or self-awareness process grows, winds, unfolds, gets shaped by our will and is manipulated by our unconscious intentions and agendas (or those of others), we learn some of the cosmic forces that have come together for the manifestation of our own bodies and this Earth. \r\n\r\nThe philosophy of Tantra, and specifically that of creation, or <i>srishti</i> (as it’s called in Sanskrit), involves 51 distinct components. This article deals with a subset of these within the microcosm of our personal reality to provide additional insight as to the nature of the journey, regardless of manifestation or eventual outcome. The process by which Shakti creates the world of forms is the focus of our engagement.  Shakti is Goddess, the primordial feminine/female principle that enlivens All. Moreover, She is energy, the Divine spark. The process by which She descends from the transcendental into the realms of spirit and then into matter is called <i>pavritti</i>.  (As She expands and becomes increasingly drawn back to Source, the process is called <i>nivritti</i>, which is spiritual evolution.) Whether using this cosmology as a tool to bring mindfulness to your daily projects, to a pregnancy, or to your spiritual development, the hope is that you as a seeker are able to take away revelations from meditations on the movements of energy and its relationship to consciousness that this understanding informs. \r\n\r\nFollowing then are the levels of increasing manifestation as descended from the One, that which is nameless and formless, residing beyond the confines of Time and Space.  Each of these ten phases of the creation process is adapted from the working of essential purification based on the Tantric sadhana (spiritual discipline) known as Tattva Shuddhi.  You will notice that each of these is resonant with the ten lunar cycles from conception to childbirth. Each is also based upon the nature and duration of the flows of energy through the cycle of involution; and elements within this process are given here noting durations.  These are in the appropriate ratios relative to one another as related by the adepts. Thus, for example, when within the timeframe of Ether (which has a duration of two in the creation/creative process), we cycle for half the time than when in Air, which as a duration of four. These cycles can be weeks, days, hours, minutes, months or years—the timeline is up to you and your creation process. \r\n\r\nThis outline and progression can be used to help deepen your own birthing experience, no matter what it is or where you are (or were) in the process.  Each section below:  i)  contains a description of a tattva (principle or element) as key to understanding a phase of that creation process; ii)  invites you further into the mystery with a reflection question or two; and, iii) provides a brief ritual you may wish to do.  It is intended to serve as a guide for all your endeavors so that they will manifest that for which you yearn and labor, and it seeks to help awaken you to exciting new potentials for creation.  \r\n\r\n<h3>(1)	Prana Shakti - Source (Duration 1)</h3>\r\nAt the very beginning, we feel the stirring of our insides. A yearning comes to awareness and we desire to create or realize we are creating. Just as the Divine chose to incarnate in order to know and experience more of the Divine, we too can learn from choosing to create. Prana Shakti, the flow of vital energy within us, is our teacher and guide as we undertake the journey. Here, you will want to know the forces of breath within you, for they carry Her. Delve more deeply too into the basics of your practice so that you may (re)discover the fundamental patterns and movements of energy within. Visit the energy centers or chakras of the body, as well as the rivers or channels through which the currents flow. These are 72,000 in number and are called nadis—but you may wish to focus on establishing a relationship with the main ten or so. See what you can discover through your own turn to the inner landscape. \r\n\r\nWhile a birthing will happen at some point in the future, this is not the time for agendas or expectations. All we can know is that the end will come at some point, that the solidification of our efforts will eventually manifest, and the beginning of something new born of our effort, patience, love and inspiration will happen in time. Today, we stand poised and expectant. The infinite source of our soul connects to potentials and possibilities in this world, and we are free to let our creativity flow. We may strive to bring consciousness to all we attempt. Still, this is not the time to begin willful engagement toward a specific outcome. It is rather a time for heartfelt deepening into self and world. It is from this place that the specific components of our creative process will be revealed. \r\n\r\n<b>Reflection:</b> What is it in me that gives rise to this potential, this awakening, this project or this child (metaphoric or literal)?  Can I remain free of expectations and agendas in order to serve and honor the end as one unto itself? \r\n\r\n<b>Ritual:</b> Think of all you have done to get to this point of creating. Honor yourself and those who have helped you. Set a sankalpa (sacred intention) for the journey (this can be revised as you progress). You may wish to place a marker on your altar denoting the initiation of your process. Something that is personally meaningful and symbolic of your path is most likely to inspire you, whether in the most happy of moments or during the challenges and obstacles that you may face ahead. Make time to gaze at this object every day to reconnect and embolden your efforts. \r\n\r\n<!--nextpage-->\r\n\r\n<h3>(2)	Prakriti-Purusha (Duration 4)</h3>\r\nHere we rest in the dance, largely unconscious, of what it takes to make something come alive. The push and pull of energy and consciousness here enlivens the process and we are creating even when we may not be aware of what’s happening.  In this second stage, these forces—energy and consciousness—begin to particularize and polarize, creating an articulated dynamic tension from the spark of our whim that is geared toward experiencing something new in the world birthed through us.  We are offered clues of the goings on through dreams and synchronicities—we might wish to pay attention—but the work of this phase rests predominantly on who we are and what we have done before.\r\n \r\nThe power of <i>prakriti</i> (the principle of Shakti within and as nature) is the creatrix activating our imagination and intuitive juices. The awareness of purusha (the principle of consciousness within our world) provides connection to soul. Together, they are the initial force required for the birthing to occur. Prakriti and purusha are partners responding to you and to any stimulus in your world as a river would to a rock in its path: they continue their flow uninterrupted. Without consideration of their dance, however, we may lose the impetus toward action or may dwindle our energies in mindless pursuits that do not serve our essence or the greater good.  By paying attention here, we gain the ability to see the potentials of the sacred and of evil, of compassion and of violence; of all the ways in which harmony is achieved not by forceful resistance to the flows of the Divine will, but by the application of holistic vision to all life has to offer. \r\n\r\n<b>Reflection:</b> Do I allow myself to trust intuition, that sacred balance of embodied knowing and spirit? Can my motives stay pure, as in reflective of a harmony between outer perception and inner experience? How do I reflect the dance of prakriti and purusha in and through my choices, actions, speech and thought? \r\n\r\n<b>Ritual:</b> Create a list of all the things that you desire to be in the mix so that your creation will be born whole and perfect.  Choose four to be the cornerstones of your birthing process and meditate on these, holding them in your mind and heart as fully as possible throughout your pregnancy or creative endeavor.  You may also wish to create a collage or work of art to represent the fullness of your dance with prakriti and purusha. Use this visual representation as a mandala to help strengthen your resolve and commitment.  \r\n\r\n<h3>(3)	Mahat Tattva (Duration 5)</h3>\r\nMahat Tattva, the Great Principle, is the expression of higher mind (often called buddhi) within us. It is also the discriminating force of judgment that is unclouded by ego or emotion.  Mahat tattva is what guides our motivation toward intention aligned with soul and then action.  Here is the space then of deep contemplation, self-reflection, emerging wisdom, and continued release from things that may hinder perception, discernment, and our ultimate ability to make decisions that serve the creative process and its eventual outcome.\r\n \r\nAs you consider this, know that in mahat tattva we are given room to trust and augment the previous work done toward cultivation of soulful caring; that is, caring not tied to past impressions, habits or other enmeshments in the world. This can be very challenging, and it is in this stage that we spend more time than we have on previous stages of our journey.  Often, the word used to describe the stance of mahat tattva is dispassion, but to be dispassionate in this space is again to care infinitely. We do so while remaining clear and free of the things that get us fired up, triggered, or otherwise tangled in the ruts of daily life—whether real or imagined. In mahat tattva, we trust our intuition (not our instinct!) as it has been increasingly refined through the interplay of prakriti and purusha and brought further into waking consciousness. \r\n\r\n<b>Reflection:</b> Where and in whom do I place my trust as a provider of information? Do I listen to others before I listen to myself? Can I release myself from the tangled strands of gossip and half truths that surround me in all the spaces I inhabit (work, school, family, friends, etc.)?  \r\n\r\n<b>Ritual:</b> Meditate on a time in which you were emotionally charged by something or someone (let it be far enough in the past that you can enter this space easily). Go through the instance or episode again briefly in your mind, allowing yourself to feel the experience in your body. Notice the internal landscape of impressions as you relive the moment. Let this resolve somewhat quickly into a natural conclusion. Now, return to heartfelt breath and bring in sakshi, or witness consciousness. This is the power cultivated through mahat tattva of nonjudgmental discernment. Staying aware of a dispassionate stance, allow yourself to notice your reactions from this mental position as you again replay the incident or situation. See what you notice and what you learn.  \r\n\r\n<h3>(4)	Ahamkara (Duration 1)</h3>\r\nAhamkara in Sanskrit means I-ness, and we often simply refer to it as ego. Ahamkara is the birthplace of self-awareness in this journey, of that which tells me there’s a “me” and there’s a “you.” It is therefore a starting point for us as individuals (for herein lies our blossoming individuality) to take full responsibility for ourselves. This is the work of this phase of our creative process. \r\n\r\nSo that the nature of our task is clear, you may wish to think of ahamkara as a point around which both freedom and fetters circle continuously. Stuck in the grooves of past incarnations, of pleasures, addictions, worldly goods or arrogance?  We are limited by ahamkara in that it is what ties our soul to this reality. Yearning for understanding to bridge divides of difference, for equity, peace, health and well-being for all?  We are liberated through ahamkara in that it provides a focus for our unique soul imprint (called <i>jivatman</i> in Sanskrit) on the backdrop of creation as a whole. In this way, the Divine may experience itself through us and we may in turn experience the Divine. As we increasingly realize this reflection as true, ahamkara is shattered and we are able to take in reality as Reality. \r\n\r\nGaining enough self-awareness to reign in our ego appropriately, however, takes dedication and practice.  Still, as we create, a healthy amount of ego presence is required to ensure that we have what it takes to support our creation throughout the birthing and into the world.  Ahamkara is necessary but not sufficient for the sustenance of our creative process. We might think of it then as the spiritual equivalent of all that’s involved in fortifying and readying the body so that as mothers metaphoric or actual we can provide healthy and rich breast milk to our newborn.  \r\n\r\n<b>Reflection:</b> How do I fall into the entrapments of ego? Am I willing to take on the full ramifications of my thoughts, words and actions? What do I need to change or do to make it so? \r\n\r\n<b>Ritual:</b> Do sadhana. That is, make a commitment to spiritual practice, and do something every day. Find a practice you can do regularly at the same time even if only for five minutes. Let it be fun and transformational, deepening and enlivening.  Perhaps you will chant while doing laundry, or memorize verses while running. Perhaps you will sit in silence or stare at a candle flame. No matter what your choice, understand this dedication as a strengthening exercise, one that will make you ready for all it takes for a strong relationship to ahamkara, one with true humility and open-hearted presence, to emerge.\r\n\r\n<h3>(5)	Akasha / Ether (Duration 2) </h3>\r\nAn important transition is occurring as we move into the realm of akasha, for here is the final space in which the subtle body fully dominates our creative process.  As akasha enters the picture, we begin to sense the world of forms, even if they are still a bit farther down the road.  It is here and by this influence that as embodied beings we begin to listen to our spiritual impulses; but during the incarnation process in which we’re currently engaged, it is here that the boundaries of our psychic selves are established and the spaces that hold the physical matter of our bodies together are formed.  With this, energy and consciousness as thus far come into beingness are making a lot of noise, as it were, in the subtle realm. As we enter akasha, it is thus increasingly important to be diligent and mindful of the things, persons, and intentions that impact us. For some, readiness to continue engaging creatively means establishing appropriate protections so that inimical influences do not sway or hinder us. \r\n\r\nAkasha is the void, space, and blackness. While primary among akasha’s responsibilities is articulation of the psychic centers, called chakras, illumination of the way to understanding through vibration and sound is also a key component of this element. Akasha is thus keenly tied to our hearing sense. As the first of the basic tattvas to arise, it is also the last to go as we dissolve back into Source on our spiritual quest. Thus, when in meditation, you may find that you can focus on the internal landscape, keeping out all smells, tastes, visions, and tactile sensations, but you are aware of sounds arising from outside of yourself almost no matter how deeply you may seem to go into an altered state.  Utilize the force of akasha to tune in to the most delicate of impressions as you journey now, and strive for your ears to become increasingly attuned to the sounds of your origins—to those speaking to you from your clan wave (the ancestors). Listen well too to the promises of others, to the whispers of your imagination, and for the sounds of falsehood.  \r\n\r\n<b>Reflection:</b> What is the substance of my psychic self and how can I cultivate a relationship with my subtle body?   Am I willing to truly listen? Do I need to protect myself in any way for this creative process to unfold in alignment with soulful purpose? \r\n\r\n<b>Ritual:</b> Give your creation, child or project a spirit name (even a temporary one). Tie a red, black and white piece of cloth to a stick and place it on your altar like a flag. White represents our highest spiritual power, red our activity in the world, and black our latent potential. These forces, known as gunas (qualities of nature) arise with akasha and inform all of our elemental work.  Imagine now connecting to the very first vibration of the cosmos; that from which all else arose. Let this inner sound reverberate. As you feel ready, pick up your flag, press it between your palms, and move it to the sounds and rhythms of this vibration, intoning the name you have chosen.  You may wish to record any impressions or experiences you have as messages from akasha.         \r\n\r\n<!--nextpage-->                                                                                  \r\n<h3>(6)	Vayu / Air (Duration 4)</h3>\r\nVayu is that which arises from the void, from the blackness of space that is akasha. It arises because of excitement, and it is thus the current that powers the spiraling of the elements within nature even while it remains formless. Each part of manifest creation is made up of the elements in different proportions, and vayu provides the creative turning, fast or slow, that propels the combinations into actuality. Vayu is also simply the wind that caresses us gently. It is too the tingles we feel on our skin every time we are reminded of a lover’s touch, and it is the life-force energy that carries us more deeply into the body, the means we have through which to know and experience the world.  \r\n\r\nVayu is a sweet shaper of our intentions and a guide toward our dreams. Through vayu, we know the feel of the world. In our creation process, vayu is a time of heightened intuition, of flowing thoughts and ideas, of increased potentials for success, of heartfelt connections and of constant change. Because things may seem to be moving along quickly now and variance is a key part of the journey here, it is a good time for reflection on the patterns of our lives. As you meet others and interact in and with the world, stay focused and present to the constancy of your commitment despite the challenges of flightiness and diffusion that vayu can bring. As you sense the winds of change, allow the tingles of vitality you feel—vayu’s reminder of engagement—to enliven your efforts toward moves that best serve your creative process.\r\n\r\n<b>Reflection:</b> What is it that distracts me or makes me lose focus? Do I need help or assistance now to stay on track with my efforts, centered in myself, nourished, and feeling vital? \r\n\r\n<b>Ritual:</b> Find your breath. Take time to pause and be present for the thrill of the moment. You are alive and the world is turning. The moon, sun, and stars are all waiting. Open yourself now in a stance of gratitude and humbleness, awe and yearning, to the potentials that lay head.  Allow prana—the vital energy carried on vayu—to fill you as you breathe. Send the breath from the tip of your toes to the crown of your head and back down again, relaxing into every cell of your being so that the vital airs that sustain you provide deep cleansing . As you perform this exercise, you may also wish to chant (silently or aloud) vayu’s seed mantram, YAM (pronounced yuh’-m). Use this seed syllable to get into those hard-to-reach places. \r\n\r\n<h3>(7)	 Agni / Fire (Duration 6)</h3>\r\nIncreasing vibration next gives rise to perceptible light. Light shines through the darkness of the causal and then the subtle realm, giving us entry to new frontiers. It is at once static and traveling, particle and wave, here and there. Agni, or fire, is the awakening of light in this world, and it is a defining force.  We welcome in this phase of the birthing mystery with an important recognition of wonder, as well as of the small self and its impact.  This is relevant especially now because as we are able to discern by the power of sight selected forms arising from the energy put forth in the last phase by vayu, our spirits are moved and simultaneously, even more than before, we know a distinct “I.” The difference between us and the world seems to expand; if left unattended, ego can take center stage.\r\n\r\nOther challenges are to be found here as well, such as anger and resentment.  Agni’s light generates warmth, and this heat can fire up tempers. Mindful then of the challenges brought with the arrival of agni, we can harness the gifts offered to diligent travelers. Clairvoyance, for example, is among them. But whether extrasensory or pedestrian, the offerings of agni are all magnificent tools in the work of shaping destiny.  Our ability here to put into our crucible the variety of boons bestowed and cultivated this far in the journey serves to render us humble and free—for we must remember that they are not our gifts alone.   \r\n\r\nAgni both consumes and radiates, all the while transforming, catalyzing and sparking something new. A guide into the darkness of our personal shadow, agni offers an opportunity now to move into and out of your pain, sorrow, fear, hatred, jealousy and rage. Allow the burning to cleanse and anoint yourself with the ashes. There is more than meets the eye to this phase of the journey. \r\n\r\n<b>Reflection:</b> Who am I that gives rise to this creation? Am I the same person I was when I started? What has transformed, seen increase, or seen burning away? \r\n\r\n<b>Ritual:</b> The yantra or sacred diagram associated with agni is a red downward pointing triangle. In embodied purification practice, it is situated between the heart and navel. At each point of the triangle, there are bhupura, or gates.  Either seated or laying down, visualize this yantra within your own body. Now, imagine the ingredients of your life that have been with you since the beginning of this voyage as grains of sand filling it. Just as the filling completes, the yantra begins turning clockwise, gradually getting faster and faster. At the climax of the spinning, the bhupura open and grains are flung out, but not all. The ones that remain are the building blocks of your looking glass. Take time to see and reflect on whatever you put into the mix that lingers. Look deeply into that mirror and take in the gaze of the one who looks back.   \r\n\r\n<h3>(8)	Apas / Water (Duration 8)</h3>\r\nFrom time to time now, the structure of our creation has hints of borders, for in apas we find a perfect balance of order and chaos. Here, our excitement rises as the container is filled. The cells of our body feel the quickening. Although we realize things are not yet set or settled, we are readying. Our work is ripening and we anticipate the juiciness. We can almost taste it. \r\n\r\nApas is an element that can feel intimate. It is the stuff of our blood, our tears, our sex, our secretions. It is the fluid of life and in this sense, the magic of creation on Earth. Without water, nothing would be possible. Apas therefore tells us to soak, not bathe, and to make ablutions, not wash. It reminds us to play in fountains and slurp down rainbows. It says that if we wish to gain clarity, then we must cleanse and purify; that is, harmonize inner and outer reality .To do this, we must  listen to the small voice inside that comes from a marrying of head and heart.  \r\nApas here in this phase of our journey pervades everything, and consciously or unconsciously, we drink it in. \r\n\r\nA time of heightened creativity and imagination, apas opens us to potentials for laughter, love, delight and healing.  It invites us to listen to our intuition, for it may have meaningful messages. But at the same time that we feel a bounty of divine blessings, apas asks that we begin to feel the edges of practical concerns. For example, have we planted enough and tended enough, watered enough and weeded enough, to realize a good harvest?  This is the time to balance fluidity with a measure of confinement such as the setting of goals and establishment of guidelines. Therefore, find the edges of your stream, and knowing the beauty of its source, seek to navigate safely toward its conclusion. \r\n\r\n<b>Reflection:</b> Where do I flow and not resist? Where do I resist and wish to flow? Can I surrender as a stick upon a river to the currents of life while still surely placing footfalls on the path? \r\n\r\n<b>Ritual: </b>Gather beads or make some of your own. Collect charms and amulets from broken bracelets and necklaces that have sat in boxes or drawers for years. Meditate on the gifts they brought you when actively worn, and on the ways they might serve you now. Gather these energies to you and consider a new piece of jewelry or altar adornment. String it together and let magic flow. Alternatively, make soup. Cut your favorite vegetables into chunks, add broth and seasoning, stir, simmer and let sit for thirty minutes before eating.  In other words, find a way to nourish yourself soon.   \r\n\r\n<!--nextpage-->\r\n<h3>(9)	Prithvi / Earth (Duration 10)</h3>\r\n\r\nThe end is almost in sight, but patience is required because we remain under prithvi’s spell for a while, this phase of the journey offering us a chance to assess our position.  Although the journey is not yet complete, there are signs that closure is coming. Already, no more adjustments can be made, and we thus look to the road ahead with reasonably measured glances. Fitting the solidity of earth, we stand our ground here as prithvi weaves and knots the energy of apas into form, and we mark our travels noting what was, what will be, and what shall be no more.  Gazing at the horizon, we can see the light shifting into brighter colors, our eyes awakening here to the yellow of the sun. This color is the hallmark of manifestation on our path, a vibration that signifies the radiance of life.  \r\n\r\nWe may be hopeful and excited, but it is also not yet quite the time for celebrating—there is still work to be done.  We might, for example, wish to plan a party! Now is a time for preparations, for readying, and for deciding how to honor this passage as it draws nigh. What ritual components will be fit for the coming occasion?  In order to decide what might be most appropriate or best reflective of the journey and serve as a rite (whether simple or elaborate), we must come to know the now-discernable boundaries of our creation. Take time therefore to explore those edges. As one together, you have been co-creating; and as soon-to-be two apart, you will be in a new kind of relationship, that of creator and created. From this dance, the waiting time of prithvi will help reveal deeper truths about your respective natures. Finally, we must here enliven our senses, and especially the grounded sense of smell, so that we can tell by the aromas wafting all around when the cooking is done.\r\n \r\n<b>Reflection:</b>  Prithvi offers us a chance then to feel the fullness of our work, our belly, rest, and in our repose, sweeten the foundation of our efforts with fragrant memories. Take some time to be close to the earth and the source of your connection to creativity, be that a mountain, river, forest, or ant hill.  \r\n\r\n<b>Ritual:</b> Sprout a seed or bud from your next fridge foraging and plant it in your home or garden.  Avocados, potatoes, onions, and fruits work well. As you do the planting, bury any ritual materials you have acquired during this whole manifestation time that you wish to return to Earth. Note the coming full circle and offer your gratitudes to the dirt for all that this sacred substance contains. \r\n\r\n<h3>(10)	Completion: The Birthing</h3>\r\nAn ending and a beautiful beginning, birth is violent as matter is both created and destroyed. Perfect in every way, the process nonetheless leaves us whole and complete. Today, we reap the rewards of our journey and take in the awesome power of Shakti engaged and fulfilled.  The magic of the moment brings us into heightened awareness of the world, and if awe is not immediately apparent, we are at least given the potential to see through new eyes. Here, we awaken to the mystery. In this way may your journey be soul-making, and may you be thus inspired to willingly create again. \r\n\r\n<hr />\r\n<em>By: Chandra Alexandre</em>\r\nOriginally published in Llewellyn\'s 2013 Magical Almanac under the title, <em>Doing Life & Creating Life: An Introduction to the Birthing Mystery through Tantra</em> \r\n','The Creative Process through Ritual & Reflection','','inherit','open','open','','101032-revision-v1','','','2014-06-27 00:42:15','2014-06-27 07:42:15','',101032,'http://sharanya.org/mandala/101032-revision-v1/',0,'revision','',0),(101073,2,'2014-06-27 00:44:10','2014-06-27 07:44:10','Whether it’s an art project or the birth of a child, the creative process is often mysterious. We all know the magic involved in bringing something to fruition. And especially if we have nurtured life within our wombs, we have a truly embodied experience from which to speak.  Either way, we know the struggles of the journey and what it takes to hold true to our virtue and soulful purpose amidst others’ opinions and our own doubts.  As the time of our creative endeavor, literal birthing, or self-awareness process grows, winds, unfolds, gets shaped by our will and is manipulated by our unconscious intentions and agendas (or those of others), we learn some of the cosmic forces that have come together for the manifestation of our own bodies and this Earth. \r\n\r\nThe philosophy of Tantra, and specifically that of creation, or <i>srishti</i> (as it’s called in Sanskrit), involves 51 distinct components. This article deals with a subset of these within the microcosm of our personal reality to provide additional insight as to the nature of the journey, regardless of manifestation or eventual outcome. The process by which Shakti creates the world of forms is the focus of our engagement.  Shakti is Goddess, the primordial feminine/female principle that enlivens All. Moreover, She is energy, the Divine spark. The process by which She descends from the transcendental into the realms of spirit and then into matter is called <i>pavritti</i>.  (As She expands and becomes increasingly drawn back to Source, the process is called <i>nivritti</i>, which is spiritual evolution.) Whether using this cosmology as a tool to bring mindfulness to your daily projects, to a pregnancy, or to your spiritual development, the hope is that you as a seeker are able to take away revelations from meditations on the movements of energy and its relationship to consciousness that this understanding informs. \r\n\r\nFollowing then are the levels of increasing manifestation as descended from the One, that which is nameless and formless, residing beyond the confines of Time and Space.  Each of these ten phases of the creation process is adapted from the working of essential purification based on the Tantric sadhana (spiritual discipline) known as Tattva Shuddhi.  You will notice that each of these is resonant with the ten lunar cycles from conception to childbirth. Each is also based upon the nature and duration of the flows of energy through the cycle of involution; and elements within this process are given here noting durations.  These are in the appropriate ratios relative to one another as related by the adepts. Thus, for example, when within the timeframe of Ether (which has a duration of two in the creation/creative process), we cycle for half the time than when in Air, which as a duration of four. These cycles can be weeks, days, hours, minutes, months or years—the timeline is up to you and your creation process. \r\n\r\nThis outline and progression can be used to help deepen your own birthing experience, no matter what it is or where you are (or were) in the process.  Each section below:  i)  contains a description of a tattva (principle or element) as key to understanding a phase of that creation process; ii)  invites you further into the mystery with a reflection question or two; and, iii) provides a brief ritual you may wish to do.  It is intended to serve as a guide for all your endeavors so that they will manifest that for which you yearn and labor, and it seeks to help awaken you to exciting new potentials for creation.  \r\n\r\n<h3>(1)	Prana Shakti - Source (Duration 1)</h3>\r\nAt the very beginning, we feel the stirring of our insides. A yearning comes to awareness and we desire to create or realize we are creating. Just as the Divine chose to incarnate in order to know and experience more of the Divine, we too can learn from choosing to create. Prana Shakti, the flow of vital energy within us, is our teacher and guide as we undertake the journey. Here, you will want to know the forces of breath within you, for they carry Her. Delve more deeply too into the basics of your practice so that you may (re)discover the fundamental patterns and movements of energy within. Visit the energy centers or chakras of the body, as well as the rivers or channels through which the currents flow. These are 72,000 in number and are called nadis—but you may wish to focus on establishing a relationship with the main ten or so. See what you can discover through your own turn to the inner landscape. \r\n\r\nWhile a birthing will happen at some point in the future, this is not the time for agendas or expectations. All we can know is that the end will come at some point, that the solidification of our efforts will eventually manifest, and the beginning of something new born of our effort, patience, love and inspiration will happen in time. Today, we stand poised and expectant. The infinite source of our soul connects to potentials and possibilities in this world, and we are free to let our creativity flow. We may strive to bring consciousness to all we attempt. Still, this is not the time to begin willful engagement toward a specific outcome. It is rather a time for heartfelt deepening into self and world. It is from this place that the specific components of our creative process will be revealed. \r\n\r\n<b>Reflection:</b> What is it in me that gives rise to this potential, this awakening, this project or this child (metaphoric or literal)?  Can I remain free of expectations and agendas in order to serve and honor the end as one unto itself? \r\n\r\n<b>Ritual:</b> Think of all you have done to get to this point of creating. Honor yourself and those who have helped you. Set a sankalpa (sacred intention) for the journey (this can be revised as you progress). You may wish to place a marker on your altar denoting the initiation of your process. Something that is personally meaningful and symbolic of your path is most likely to inspire you, whether in the most happy of moments or during the challenges and obstacles that you may face ahead. Make time to gaze at this object every day to reconnect and embolden your efforts. \r\n\r\n<hr />\r\n<em>By: Chandra Alexandre</em> - Originally published in Llewellyn\'s 2013 Magical Almanac under the title, <em>Doing Life & Creating Life: An Introduction to the Birthing Mystery through Tantra</em> \r\n<!--nextpage-->\r\n\r\n<h3>(2)	Prakriti-Purusha (Duration 4)</h3>\r\nHere we rest in the dance, largely unconscious, of what it takes to make something come alive. The push and pull of energy and consciousness here enlivens the process and we are creating even when we may not be aware of what’s happening.  In this second stage, these forces—energy and consciousness—begin to particularize and polarize, creating an articulated dynamic tension from the spark of our whim that is geared toward experiencing something new in the world birthed through us.  We are offered clues of the goings on through dreams and synchronicities—we might wish to pay attention—but the work of this phase rests predominantly on who we are and what we have done before.\r\n \r\nThe power of <i>prakriti</i> (the principle of Shakti within and as nature) is the creatrix activating our imagination and intuitive juices. The awareness of purusha (the principle of consciousness within our world) provides connection to soul. Together, they are the initial force required for the birthing to occur. Prakriti and purusha are partners responding to you and to any stimulus in your world as a river would to a rock in its path: they continue their flow uninterrupted. Without consideration of their dance, however, we may lose the impetus toward action or may dwindle our energies in mindless pursuits that do not serve our essence or the greater good.  By paying attention here, we gain the ability to see the potentials of the sacred and of evil, of compassion and of violence; of all the ways in which harmony is achieved not by forceful resistance to the flows of the Divine will, but by the application of holistic vision to all life has to offer. \r\n\r\n<b>Reflection:</b> Do I allow myself to trust intuition, that sacred balance of embodied knowing and spirit? Can my motives stay pure, as in reflective of a harmony between outer perception and inner experience? How do I reflect the dance of prakriti and purusha in and through my choices, actions, speech and thought? \r\n\r\n<b>Ritual:</b> Create a list of all the things that you desire to be in the mix so that your creation will be born whole and perfect.  Choose four to be the cornerstones of your birthing process and meditate on these, holding them in your mind and heart as fully as possible throughout your pregnancy or creative endeavor.  You may also wish to create a collage or work of art to represent the fullness of your dance with prakriti and purusha. Use this visual representation as a mandala to help strengthen your resolve and commitment.  \r\n\r\n<h3>(3)	Mahat Tattva (Duration 5)</h3>\r\nMahat Tattva, the Great Principle, is the expression of higher mind (often called buddhi) within us. It is also the discriminating force of judgment that is unclouded by ego or emotion.  Mahat tattva is what guides our motivation toward intention aligned with soul and then action.  Here is the space then of deep contemplation, self-reflection, emerging wisdom, and continued release from things that may hinder perception, discernment, and our ultimate ability to make decisions that serve the creative process and its eventual outcome.\r\n \r\nAs you consider this, know that in mahat tattva we are given room to trust and augment the previous work done toward cultivation of soulful caring; that is, caring not tied to past impressions, habits or other enmeshments in the world. This can be very challenging, and it is in this stage that we spend more time than we have on previous stages of our journey.  Often, the word used to describe the stance of mahat tattva is dispassion, but to be dispassionate in this space is again to care infinitely. We do so while remaining clear and free of the things that get us fired up, triggered, or otherwise tangled in the ruts of daily life—whether real or imagined. In mahat tattva, we trust our intuition (not our instinct!) as it has been increasingly refined through the interplay of prakriti and purusha and brought further into waking consciousness. \r\n\r\n<b>Reflection:</b> Where and in whom do I place my trust as a provider of information? Do I listen to others before I listen to myself? Can I release myself from the tangled strands of gossip and half truths that surround me in all the spaces I inhabit (work, school, family, friends, etc.)?  \r\n\r\n<b>Ritual:</b> Meditate on a time in which you were emotionally charged by something or someone (let it be far enough in the past that you can enter this space easily). Go through the instance or episode again briefly in your mind, allowing yourself to feel the experience in your body. Notice the internal landscape of impressions as you relive the moment. Let this resolve somewhat quickly into a natural conclusion. Now, return to heartfelt breath and bring in sakshi, or witness consciousness. This is the power cultivated through mahat tattva of nonjudgmental discernment. Staying aware of a dispassionate stance, allow yourself to notice your reactions from this mental position as you again replay the incident or situation. See what you notice and what you learn.  \r\n\r\n<h3>(4)	Ahamkara (Duration 1)</h3>\r\nAhamkara in Sanskrit means I-ness, and we often simply refer to it as ego. Ahamkara is the birthplace of self-awareness in this journey, of that which tells me there’s a “me” and there’s a “you.” It is therefore a starting point for us as individuals (for herein lies our blossoming individuality) to take full responsibility for ourselves. This is the work of this phase of our creative process. \r\n\r\nSo that the nature of our task is clear, you may wish to think of ahamkara as a point around which both freedom and fetters circle continuously. Stuck in the grooves of past incarnations, of pleasures, addictions, worldly goods or arrogance?  We are limited by ahamkara in that it is what ties our soul to this reality. Yearning for understanding to bridge divides of difference, for equity, peace, health and well-being for all?  We are liberated through ahamkara in that it provides a focus for our unique soul imprint (called <i>jivatman</i> in Sanskrit) on the backdrop of creation as a whole. In this way, the Divine may experience itself through us and we may in turn experience the Divine. As we increasingly realize this reflection as true, ahamkara is shattered and we are able to take in reality as Reality. \r\n\r\nGaining enough self-awareness to reign in our ego appropriately, however, takes dedication and practice.  Still, as we create, a healthy amount of ego presence is required to ensure that we have what it takes to support our creation throughout the birthing and into the world.  Ahamkara is necessary but not sufficient for the sustenance of our creative process. We might think of it then as the spiritual equivalent of all that’s involved in fortifying and readying the body so that as mothers metaphoric or actual we can provide healthy and rich breast milk to our newborn.  \r\n\r\n<b>Reflection:</b> How do I fall into the entrapments of ego? Am I willing to take on the full ramifications of my thoughts, words and actions? What do I need to change or do to make it so? \r\n\r\n<b>Ritual:</b> Do sadhana. That is, make a commitment to spiritual practice, and do something every day. Find a practice you can do regularly at the same time even if only for five minutes. Let it be fun and transformational, deepening and enlivening.  Perhaps you will chant while doing laundry, or memorize verses while running. Perhaps you will sit in silence or stare at a candle flame. No matter what your choice, understand this dedication as a strengthening exercise, one that will make you ready for all it takes for a strong relationship to ahamkara, one with true humility and open-hearted presence, to emerge.\r\n\r\n<h3>(5)	Akasha / Ether (Duration 2) </h3>\r\nAn important transition is occurring as we move into the realm of akasha, for here is the final space in which the subtle body fully dominates our creative process.  As akasha enters the picture, we begin to sense the world of forms, even if they are still a bit farther down the road.  It is here and by this influence that as embodied beings we begin to listen to our spiritual impulses; but during the incarnation process in which we’re currently engaged, it is here that the boundaries of our psychic selves are established and the spaces that hold the physical matter of our bodies together are formed.  With this, energy and consciousness as thus far come into beingness are making a lot of noise, as it were, in the subtle realm. As we enter akasha, it is thus increasingly important to be diligent and mindful of the things, persons, and intentions that impact us. For some, readiness to continue engaging creatively means establishing appropriate protections so that inimical influences do not sway or hinder us. \r\n\r\nAkasha is the void, space, and blackness. While primary among akasha’s responsibilities is articulation of the psychic centers, called chakras, illumination of the way to understanding through vibration and sound is also a key component of this element. Akasha is thus keenly tied to our hearing sense. As the first of the basic tattvas to arise, it is also the last to go as we dissolve back into Source on our spiritual quest. Thus, when in meditation, you may find that you can focus on the internal landscape, keeping out all smells, tastes, visions, and tactile sensations, but you are aware of sounds arising from outside of yourself almost no matter how deeply you may seem to go into an altered state.  Utilize the force of akasha to tune in to the most delicate of impressions as you journey now, and strive for your ears to become increasingly attuned to the sounds of your origins—to those speaking to you from your clan wave (the ancestors). Listen well too to the promises of others, to the whispers of your imagination, and for the sounds of falsehood.  \r\n\r\n<b>Reflection:</b> What is the substance of my psychic self and how can I cultivate a relationship with my subtle body?   Am I willing to truly listen? Do I need to protect myself in any way for this creative process to unfold in alignment with soulful purpose? \r\n\r\n<b>Ritual:</b> Give your creation, child or project a spirit name (even a temporary one). Tie a red, black and white piece of cloth to a stick and place it on your altar like a flag. White represents our highest spiritual power, red our activity in the world, and black our latent potential. These forces, known as gunas (qualities of nature) arise with akasha and inform all of our elemental work.  Imagine now connecting to the very first vibration of the cosmos; that from which all else arose. Let this inner sound reverberate. As you feel ready, pick up your flag, press it between your palms, and move it to the sounds and rhythms of this vibration, intoning the name you have chosen.  You may wish to record any impressions or experiences you have as messages from akasha.         \r\n\r\n<!--nextpage-->                                                                                  \r\n<h3>(6)	Vayu / Air (Duration 4)</h3>\r\nVayu is that which arises from the void, from the blackness of space that is akasha. It arises because of excitement, and it is thus the current that powers the spiraling of the elements within nature even while it remains formless. Each part of manifest creation is made up of the elements in different proportions, and vayu provides the creative turning, fast or slow, that propels the combinations into actuality. Vayu is also simply the wind that caresses us gently. It is too the tingles we feel on our skin every time we are reminded of a lover’s touch, and it is the life-force energy that carries us more deeply into the body, the means we have through which to know and experience the world.  \r\n\r\nVayu is a sweet shaper of our intentions and a guide toward our dreams. Through vayu, we know the feel of the world. In our creation process, vayu is a time of heightened intuition, of flowing thoughts and ideas, of increased potentials for success, of heartfelt connections and of constant change. Because things may seem to be moving along quickly now and variance is a key part of the journey here, it is a good time for reflection on the patterns of our lives. As you meet others and interact in and with the world, stay focused and present to the constancy of your commitment despite the challenges of flightiness and diffusion that vayu can bring. As you sense the winds of change, allow the tingles of vitality you feel—vayu’s reminder of engagement—to enliven your efforts toward moves that best serve your creative process.\r\n\r\n<b>Reflection:</b> What is it that distracts me or makes me lose focus? Do I need help or assistance now to stay on track with my efforts, centered in myself, nourished, and feeling vital? \r\n\r\n<b>Ritual:</b> Find your breath. Take time to pause and be present for the thrill of the moment. You are alive and the world is turning. The moon, sun, and stars are all waiting. Open yourself now in a stance of gratitude and humbleness, awe and yearning, to the potentials that lay head.  Allow prana—the vital energy carried on vayu—to fill you as you breathe. Send the breath from the tip of your toes to the crown of your head and back down again, relaxing into every cell of your being so that the vital airs that sustain you provide deep cleansing . As you perform this exercise, you may also wish to chant (silently or aloud) vayu’s seed mantram, YAM (pronounced yuh’-m). Use this seed syllable to get into those hard-to-reach places. \r\n\r\n<h3>(7)	 Agni / Fire (Duration 6)</h3>\r\nIncreasing vibration next gives rise to perceptible light. Light shines through the darkness of the causal and then the subtle realm, giving us entry to new frontiers. It is at once static and traveling, particle and wave, here and there. Agni, or fire, is the awakening of light in this world, and it is a defining force.  We welcome in this phase of the birthing mystery with an important recognition of wonder, as well as of the small self and its impact.  This is relevant especially now because as we are able to discern by the power of sight selected forms arising from the energy put forth in the last phase by vayu, our spirits are moved and simultaneously, even more than before, we know a distinct “I.” The difference between us and the world seems to expand; if left unattended, ego can take center stage.\r\n\r\nOther challenges are to be found here as well, such as anger and resentment.  Agni’s light generates warmth, and this heat can fire up tempers. Mindful then of the challenges brought with the arrival of agni, we can harness the gifts offered to diligent travelers. Clairvoyance, for example, is among them. But whether extrasensory or pedestrian, the offerings of agni are all magnificent tools in the work of shaping destiny.  Our ability here to put into our crucible the variety of boons bestowed and cultivated this far in the journey serves to render us humble and free—for we must remember that they are not our gifts alone.   \r\n\r\nAgni both consumes and radiates, all the while transforming, catalyzing and sparking something new. A guide into the darkness of our personal shadow, agni offers an opportunity now to move into and out of your pain, sorrow, fear, hatred, jealousy and rage. Allow the burning to cleanse and anoint yourself with the ashes. There is more than meets the eye to this phase of the journey. \r\n\r\n<b>Reflection:</b> Who am I that gives rise to this creation? Am I the same person I was when I started? What has transformed, seen increase, or seen burning away? \r\n\r\n<b>Ritual:</b> The yantra or sacred diagram associated with agni is a red downward pointing triangle. In embodied purification practice, it is situated between the heart and navel. At each point of the triangle, there are bhupura, or gates.  Either seated or laying down, visualize this yantra within your own body. Now, imagine the ingredients of your life that have been with you since the beginning of this voyage as grains of sand filling it. Just as the filling completes, the yantra begins turning clockwise, gradually getting faster and faster. At the climax of the spinning, the bhupura open and grains are flung out, but not all. The ones that remain are the building blocks of your looking glass. Take time to see and reflect on whatever you put into the mix that lingers. Look deeply into that mirror and take in the gaze of the one who looks back.   \r\n\r\n<h3>(8)	Apas / Water (Duration 8)</h3>\r\nFrom time to time now, the structure of our creation has hints of borders, for in apas we find a perfect balance of order and chaos. Here, our excitement rises as the container is filled. The cells of our body feel the quickening. Although we realize things are not yet set or settled, we are readying. Our work is ripening and we anticipate the juiciness. We can almost taste it. \r\n\r\nApas is an element that can feel intimate. It is the stuff of our blood, our tears, our sex, our secretions. It is the fluid of life and in this sense, the magic of creation on Earth. Without water, nothing would be possible. Apas therefore tells us to soak, not bathe, and to make ablutions, not wash. It reminds us to play in fountains and slurp down rainbows. It says that if we wish to gain clarity, then we must cleanse and purify; that is, harmonize inner and outer reality .To do this, we must  listen to the small voice inside that comes from a marrying of head and heart.  \r\nApas here in this phase of our journey pervades everything, and consciously or unconsciously, we drink it in. \r\n\r\nA time of heightened creativity and imagination, apas opens us to potentials for laughter, love, delight and healing.  It invites us to listen to our intuition, for it may have meaningful messages. But at the same time that we feel a bounty of divine blessings, apas asks that we begin to feel the edges of practical concerns. For example, have we planted enough and tended enough, watered enough and weeded enough, to realize a good harvest?  This is the time to balance fluidity with a measure of confinement such as the setting of goals and establishment of guidelines. Therefore, find the edges of your stream, and knowing the beauty of its source, seek to navigate safely toward its conclusion. \r\n\r\n<b>Reflection:</b> Where do I flow and not resist? Where do I resist and wish to flow? Can I surrender as a stick upon a river to the currents of life while still surely placing footfalls on the path? \r\n\r\n<b>Ritual: </b>Gather beads or make some of your own. Collect charms and amulets from broken bracelets and necklaces that have sat in boxes or drawers for years. Meditate on the gifts they brought you when actively worn, and on the ways they might serve you now. Gather these energies to you and consider a new piece of jewelry or altar adornment. String it together and let magic flow. Alternatively, make soup. Cut your favorite vegetables into chunks, add broth and seasoning, stir, simmer and let sit for thirty minutes before eating.  In other words, find a way to nourish yourself soon.   \r\n\r\n<!--nextpage-->\r\n<h3>(9)	Prithvi / Earth (Duration 10)</h3>\r\n\r\nThe end is almost in sight, but patience is required because we remain under prithvi’s spell for a while, this phase of the journey offering us a chance to assess our position.  Although the journey is not yet complete, there are signs that closure is coming. Already, no more adjustments can be made, and we thus look to the road ahead with reasonably measured glances. Fitting the solidity of earth, we stand our ground here as prithvi weaves and knots the energy of apas into form, and we mark our travels noting what was, what will be, and what shall be no more.  Gazing at the horizon, we can see the light shifting into brighter colors, our eyes awakening here to the yellow of the sun. This color is the hallmark of manifestation on our path, a vibration that signifies the radiance of life.  \r\n\r\nWe may be hopeful and excited, but it is also not yet quite the time for celebrating—there is still work to be done.  We might, for example, wish to plan a party! Now is a time for preparations, for readying, and for deciding how to honor this passage as it draws nigh. What ritual components will be fit for the coming occasion?  In order to decide what might be most appropriate or best reflective of the journey and serve as a rite (whether simple or elaborate), we must come to know the now-discernable boundaries of our creation. Take time therefore to explore those edges. As one together, you have been co-creating; and as soon-to-be two apart, you will be in a new kind of relationship, that of creator and created. From this dance, the waiting time of prithvi will help reveal deeper truths about your respective natures. Finally, we must here enliven our senses, and especially the grounded sense of smell, so that we can tell by the aromas wafting all around when the cooking is done.\r\n \r\n<b>Reflection:</b>  Prithvi offers us a chance then to feel the fullness of our work, our belly, rest, and in our repose, sweeten the foundation of our efforts with fragrant memories. Take some time to be close to the earth and the source of your connection to creativity, be that a mountain, river, forest, or ant hill.  \r\n\r\n<b>Ritual:</b> Sprout a seed or bud from your next fridge foraging and plant it in your home or garden.  Avocados, potatoes, onions, and fruits work well. As you do the planting, bury any ritual materials you have acquired during this whole manifestation time that you wish to return to Earth. Note the coming full circle and offer your gratitudes to the dirt for all that this sacred substance contains. \r\n\r\n<h3>(10)	Completion: The Birthing</h3>\r\nAn ending and a beautiful beginning, birth is violent as matter is both created and destroyed. Perfect in every way, the process nonetheless leaves us whole and complete. Today, we reap the rewards of our journey and take in the awesome power of Shakti engaged and fulfilled.  The magic of the moment brings us into heightened awareness of the world, and if awe is not immediately apparent, we are at least given the potential to see through new eyes. Here, we awaken to the mystery. In this way may your journey be soul-making, and may you be thus inspired to willingly create again. \r\n\r\n\r\n','The Creative Process through Ritual & Reflection','','inherit','open','open','','101032-revision-v1','','','2014-06-27 00:44:10','2014-06-27 07:44:10','',101032,'http://sharanya.org/mandala/101032-revision-v1/',0,'revision','',0),(101075,2,'2014-07-07 20:45:18','2014-07-08 03:45:18','<p>...As one’s breath slows and one’s eyes close under the measured rhythm of [chant], Kali is made to expand and fill the room. She is in every flickering flame and in the glinting bronze, she is in the incense and in the mounting rhythm of the chant, she is in the bodies of the people present and in those who are missing but are thought of. She is in the Sanskritic root mantras and in the ordinary English syllables, which sound so extraordinary when said with new meaning and new purpose. She is in one’s mind and in one’s body, and though she is a goddess, her body is also somehow present and tangible and real.</p>\n','Yoni Puja','','inherit','open','open','','100846-autosave-v1','','','2014-07-07 20:45:18','2014-07-08 03:45:18','',100846,'http://sharanya.org/mandala/100846-autosave-v1/',0,'revision','',0),(101076,2,'2014-07-07 20:48:32','2014-07-08 03:48:32','<p>Begun in 2006, this year marked the 8th anniversary of SHARANYA\'s Yoni Puja Festival. Designed to welcome newcomers and initiates alike, the community provides spiritual seekers of all backgrounds an introduction to the Divine Mother as the Goddess of Life, Death and Rebirth. We came together on the night of June 22, 2014 to sing Her praises, offer our devotions, worship Her and receive the divine nectar of Her bliss, the <i>yoni tattva</i>. As Maa Kamakhya, She holds the power of the cosmos and the liberating potentials of the female as birther of Her creation.</p>\r\n<p>Many devotees filled the temple singing Her names, assembling with reverence and respect to honor Earth, women, Goddess and the Feminine. Opening through the gateways provided by age-old spiritual techniques, we together came to understand ourselves, one another and the Divine more deeply through our communion and worship. Jai Maa!</p>\r\n[testimonials category=\"yoni puja\" time=\"10\" effect=\"fade\" ]\r\n<p>[terms_gallery terms=\"27\" perpage=\"3\" pagination=\"on\" layout=\"medium\" isotope=\"\" ]</p>\r\n','Yoni Puja Festival','','inherit','open','open','','101041-revision-v1','','','2014-07-07 20:48:32','2014-07-08 03:48:32','',101041,'http://sharanya.org/mandala/101041-revision-v1/',0,'revision','',0),(101081,2,'2014-09-13 21:47:13','2014-09-14 04:47:13','Initiates in the tradition are invited to rededicate to Sha\'can and affirm their commitment to community for another year. ','Rededication Ceremony','','publish','closed','closed','','rededication-ceremony-2','','','2014-09-13 21:47:13','2014-09-14 04:47:13','',0,'http://sharanya.org/?post_type=th_events&#038;p=101081',0,'th_events','',0),(101082,2,'2014-09-13 21:48:29','2014-09-14 04:48:29','This ceremony is for those who have sat in circle (at least one year is required) and have chosen to accept the commitment of initiation. The Kaula is present to support the transition from neophyte to initiate. ','Initiation Ceremony','','publish','closed','closed','','initiation-ceremony-2','','','2014-09-13 21:48:29','2014-09-14 04:48:29','',0,'http://sharanya.org/?post_type=th_events&#038;p=101082',0,'th_events','',0),(101084,2,'2014-09-20 19:57:53','2014-09-21 02:57:53','Community celebration of Solstice and the magic of the shortest day of the year. Friends and family of community members are welcome to attend. ','Yule Party','','publish','closed','closed','','yule-party-2','','','2014-09-20 19:57:53','2014-09-21 02:57:53','',0,'http://sharanya.org/?post_type=th_events&#038;p=101084',0,'th_events','',0),(101085,2,'2014-09-20 19:59:26','2014-09-21 02:59:26','','Yogini Ritual Circle','','publish','closed','closed','','yogini-ritual-circle-15','','','2014-09-20 19:59:26','2014-09-21 02:59:26','',0,'http://sharanya.org/?post_type=th_events&#038;p=101085',0,'th_events','',0),(101086,2,'2014-09-20 20:00:00','2014-09-21 03:00:00','','Yogini Ritual Circle','','publish','closed','closed','','yogini-ritual-circle-16','','','2014-09-20 20:00:00','2014-09-21 03:00:00','',0,'http://sharanya.org/?post_type=th_events&#038;p=101086',0,'th_events','',0),(101087,2,'2014-09-20 20:00:29','2014-09-21 03:00:29','','Yogini Ritual Circle','','publish','closed','closed','','yogini-ritual-circle-17','','','2014-12-12 23:11:40','2014-12-13 06:11:40','',0,'http://sharanya.org/?post_type=th_events&#038;p=101087',0,'th_events','',0),(101088,2,'2014-09-20 20:00:56','2014-09-21 03:00:56','','Yogini Ritual Circle','','publish','closed','closed','','yogini-ritual-circle-18','','','2014-09-20 20:00:56','2014-09-21 03:00:56','',0,'http://sharanya.org/?post_type=th_events&#038;p=101088',0,'th_events','',0),(101089,2,'2014-09-20 20:01:20','2014-09-21 03:01:20','','Yogini Ritual Circle','','publish','closed','closed','','yogini-ritual-circle-19','','','2014-09-20 20:01:20','2014-09-21 03:01:20','',0,'http://sharanya.org/?post_type=th_events&#038;p=101089',0,'th_events','',0),(101090,2,'2014-09-20 20:02:15','2014-09-21 03:02:15','','Yogini Ritual Circle','','publish','closed','closed','','yogini-ritual-circle-20','','','2014-09-20 20:02:15','2014-09-21 03:02:15','',0,'http://sharanya.org/?post_type=th_events&#038;p=101090',0,'th_events','',0),(101091,2,'2014-09-20 20:02:43','2014-09-21 03:02:43','','Yogini Ritual Circle','','publish','closed','closed','','yogini-ritual-circle-21','','','2014-09-20 20:02:43','2014-09-21 03:02:43','',0,'http://sharanya.org/?post_type=th_events&#038;p=101091',0,'th_events','',0),(101092,2,'2014-09-20 20:03:35','2014-09-21 03:03:35','','Yogini Ritual Circle','','publish','closed','closed','','yogini-ritual-circle-22','','','2014-09-20 20:03:35','2014-09-21 03:03:35','',0,'http://sharanya.org/?post_type=th_events&#038;p=101092',0,'th_events','',0),(101093,2,'2014-09-20 20:04:32','2014-09-21 03:04:32','','Yogini Ritual Circle','','publish','closed','closed','','yogini-ritual-circle-23','','','2015-06-15 09:43:10','2015-06-15 16:43:10','',0,'http://sharanya.org/?post_type=th_events&#038;p=101093',0,'th_events','',0),(101094,2,'2014-09-20 20:06:27','2014-09-21 03:06:27','','Yogini Ritual Circle','','publish','closed','closed','','yogini-ritual-circle-24','','','2014-09-20 20:06:27','2014-09-21 03:06:27','',0,'http://sharanya.org/?post_type=th_events&#038;p=101094',0,'th_events','',0),(101095,2,'2014-09-20 20:07:41','2014-09-21 03:07:41','','Yogini Ritual Circle','','publish','closed','closed','','yogini-ritual-circle-25','','','2014-09-20 20:07:41','2014-09-21 03:07:41','',0,'http://sharanya.org/?post_type=th_events&#038;p=101095',0,'th_events','',0),(101096,2,'2014-09-20 20:08:07','2014-09-21 03:08:07','Initiates of the tradition deepen into the mysteries each month practicing and engaging the divine energies known as Mahavidya. ','Yogini Ritual Circle','','publish','closed','closed','','yogini-ritual-circle-26','','','2016-01-20 00:09:58','2016-01-20 07:09:58','',0,'http://sharanya.org/?post_type=th_events&#038;p=101096',0,'th_events','',0),(101097,2,'2014-09-20 20:08:46','2014-09-21 03:08:46','Community celebration of Solstice and the magic of the shortest day of the year. Friends and family of community members are welcome to attend. ','Yule Party','','publish','closed','closed','','yule-party-3','','','2014-09-20 20:08:46','2014-09-21 03:08:46','',0,'http://sharanya.org/?post_type=th_events&#038;p=101097',0,'th_events','',0),(101098,2,'2014-09-20 20:40:42','2014-09-21 03:40:42','<h2>Devotions to the Dark Goddess</h2>\r\n\r\nLet this ritual break open your heart that you may sing Her praises, dance Her mysteries, and deepen into self-reflection toward your own Divine nature. Come ready to dive into shadows of your resistance and re-surface renewed. Surrender through meditation, mantra and movement as we engage Her mysteries. Jai Maa! \r\n\r\nAll are welcome! \r\n\r\n','PantheaCon Kali Puja','','publish','closed','closed','','pantheacon-kali-puja-2','','','2014-11-06 13:09:34','2014-11-06 20:09:34','',0,'http://sharanya.org/?post_type=th_events&#038;p=101098',0,'th_events','',0),(101099,2,'2014-09-20 20:44:01','2014-09-21 03:44:01','Each month after puja, community and initiates gather for teachings on the Tantras. Particulars of ritual, personal practice, philosophy, and spiritual development are explored. ','Teaching Circle','','publish','closed','closed','','teaching-circle-12','','','2014-09-20 20:44:01','2014-09-21 03:44:01','',0,'http://sharanya.org/?post_type=th_events&#038;p=101099',0,'th_events','',0),(101100,2,'2014-09-20 20:44:28','2014-09-21 03:44:28','Each month after puja, community and initiates gather for teachings on the Tantras. Particulars of ritual, personal practice, philosophy, and spiritual development are explored. ','Teaching Circle','','publish','closed','closed','','teaching-circle-13','','','2014-09-20 20:44:28','2014-09-21 03:44:28','',0,'http://sharanya.org/?post_type=th_events&#038;p=101100',0,'th_events','',0),(101101,2,'2014-09-20 20:52:13','2014-09-21 03:52:13','Each month after puja, community and initiates gather for teachings on the Tantras. Particulars of ritual, personal practice, philosophy, and spiritual development are explored. ','Teaching Circle','','publish','closed','closed','','teaching-circle-14','','','2014-09-20 20:52:13','2014-09-21 03:52:13','',0,'http://sharanya.org/?post_type=th_events&#038;p=101101',0,'th_events','',0),(101102,2,'2014-09-20 20:53:44','2014-09-21 03:53:44','Each month after puja, community and initiates gather for teachings on the Tantras. Particulars of ritual, personal practice, philosophy, and spiritual development are explored. ','Teaching Circle','','publish','closed','closed','','teaching-circle-15','','','2014-09-20 20:53:44','2014-09-21 03:53:44','',0,'http://sharanya.org/?post_type=th_events&#038;p=101102',0,'th_events','',0),(101103,2,'2014-09-20 20:54:39','2014-09-21 03:54:39','Each month after puja, community and initiates gather for teachings on the Tantras. Particulars of ritual, personal practice, philosophy, and spiritual development are explored. ','Teaching Circle','','publish','closed','closed','','teaching-circle-16','','','2014-09-20 20:54:39','2014-09-21 03:54:39','',0,'http://sharanya.org/?post_type=th_events&#038;p=101103',0,'th_events','',0),(101105,2,'2014-09-20 22:43:21','2014-09-21 05:43:21','Each month after puja, community and initiates gather for teachings on the Tantras. Particulars of ritual, personal practice, philosophy, and spiritual development are explored. ','Teaching Circle','','publish','closed','closed','','teaching-circle-17','','','2014-09-20 22:43:21','2014-09-21 05:43:21','',0,'http://sharanya.org/?post_type=th_events&#038;p=101105',0,'th_events','',0),(101106,2,'2014-09-20 22:43:57','2014-09-21 05:43:57','Each month after puja, community and initiates gather for teachings on the Tantras. Particulars of ritual, personal practice, philosophy, and spiritual development are explored. ','Teaching Circle','','publish','closed','closed','','teaching-circle-18','','','2014-09-20 22:43:57','2014-09-21 05:43:57','',0,'http://sharanya.org/?post_type=th_events&#038;p=101106',0,'th_events','',0),(101107,2,'2014-09-20 22:44:59','2014-09-21 05:44:59','Each month after puja, community and initiates gather for teachings on the Tantras. Particulars of ritual, personal practice, philosophy, and spiritual development are explored. ','Teaching Circle','','publish','closed','closed','','teaching-circle-19','','','2014-09-20 22:44:59','2014-09-21 05:44:59','',0,'http://sharanya.org/?post_type=th_events&#038;p=101107',0,'th_events','',0),(101108,2,'2014-09-20 22:47:20','2014-09-21 05:47:20','Each month after puja, community and initiates gather for teachings on the Tantras. Particulars of ritual, personal practice, philosophy, and spiritual development are explored. ','Teaching Circle','','publish','closed','closed','','teaching-circle-21','','','2016-05-22 20:23:19','2016-05-23 03:23:19','',0,'http://sharanya.org/?post_type=th_events&#038;p=101108',0,'th_events','',0),(101109,2,'2014-09-20 22:48:39','2014-09-21 05:48:39','<b>This is a closed puja for initiates only in 2015.</b>\r\n\r\nThis is a devotional and celebratory festival dedicated to Mahadevi, Great Goddess, and Her most powerful manifestations through the Ten Great Insights, the Most Transparent Revelations of Consciousness, during the auspicious time of abundance in the cycle of life, death, and rebirth...the time when Devi, Goddess, bleeds. \r\n\r\nOften, the connection between the power of women\'s blood and the paradoxical mystery of the Goddess is most fully recognized in the Crone or Dark Goddess aspect of the Divine because She is the doorway between the worlds of life and death. It is the raudra devīs (fierce goddesses) who, in India, are said to menstruate. In temples dedicated to these intense emanations of śākti (the feminine force), one finds the rites and rituals of the goddess\' ritu, or menstrual blood. \r\n\r\nAt SHARANYA, we hold this space for Her and for all beings seeking peace, healing, truth and wholeness. During this time, we recognize the power of Her most holy festival of Ambuvāci--the three days the goddess menstruates (beginning on the new moon usually following Summer Solstice)--when the forces of life and death co-join at the temple of Kāmākhyā in northeastern India, birthplace of Tantra and a heartland today of goddess worship. \r\n\r\nIn our Yoni Puja, we recognize that Her potency is so wild and intense, so sweet and sublime, that whether seen as fierce or mild She is a force offering both comfort and strength...even in our moments of silence and despair. We invite you to be with us. Open in the safe space of our temple to the paradox held in the quiet and the song in order to receive her lessons, as well as Her blessings, during this most auspicious time. ','9th Annual Yoni Puja Festival','','publish','closed','closed','','9th-annual-yoni-puja-festival','','','2015-03-30 09:29:11','2015-03-30 16:29:11','',0,'http://sharanya.org/?post_type=th_events&#038;p=101109',0,'th_events','',0),(101110,2,'2014-09-20 22:51:23','2014-09-21 05:51:23','<p>A celebration honoring the cycle of life, the Great Mystery and all things on the margins. Join us as we come together in community to welcome in the new year at this time of Kali Puja and Divali, the Festival of Lights, and honor Goddess manifest in the whole of creation. </p>\r\n<p>As the darkness closes in, we offer our prayers to Maa Kali, Mother of the Universe. Together we will honor Her in Her many forms through the Sha\'can tradition of Shakta Tantra. With your help, we are planning to fill the temple with chant, song, dance, devotion, and celebration.</p>\r\n<p>What to bring... Offerings for the main altar are welcome. It is customary to bring flowers, fruit, wine, vegetarian offerings, or sweets and to refrain from wearing black to our public rituals. If you wish to wear a special color for Kali, we invite you to don red, a color associated with Her power in the phenomenal world as shakti, the activating force and the energy of creation. You are also invited to bring an object you would like to have blessed.</p>\r\n<p>A sliding scale donation of $21-11 is also suggested to cover the cost of the space, puja supplies and prasad (blessed food); however, no one is ever turned away for lack of funds, and any donation is graciously accepted; we appreciate so much the offerings you make to support our work and the community.</p>\r\n<p>All lovers of the Divine are welcome! Doors open at 5:30PM, ritual begins promptly at 6:00PM.</p>\r\n<p><b>Location:</b> 2650 Fulton Street (at 3rd Avenue), San Francisco, CA 94118</p>\r\n<p><b>R.S.V.P.</b>: <a href=\"https://www.networkforgood.org/donation/ExpressDonation.aspx?ORGID2= 94-3334334\">Make a donation to attend</a> (note Kali Puja Festival).</p>\r\n<p><b>Questions?</b> Email us at <a href=mailto:info@sharanya.org>info@sharanya.org</a></p>\r\n<p><iframe src=\"http://mapsengine.google.com/map/embed?mid=z31HImSkDDrM.kHtJeWlN3KjQ\" width=\"640\" height=\"480\"></iframe></p>\r\n','12th Annual Kali Puja Festival','','publish','closed','closed','','12th-annual-kali-puja-festival','','','2015-10-16 11:52:39','2015-10-16 18:52:39','',0,'http://sharanya.org/?post_type=th_events&#038;p=101110',0,'th_events','',0),(101111,2,'2014-09-20 22:56:07','2014-09-21 05:56:07','','Matrika Chakra','','publish','closed','closed','','matrika-chakra','','','2014-09-20 22:56:07','2014-09-21 05:56:07','',0,'http://sharanya.org/?post_type=th_events&#038;p=101111',0,'th_events','',0),(101112,2,'2014-09-24 15:12:32','2014-09-24 22:12:32','As a practitioner of Tantra, I suggest that despite evidence asserting climate change is irreversible, Tantra offers us a road to hope and a mandate that our activism on behalf of the planet prevail. Whether or not we believe that we can alter the course of our current predicament, we have more to consider than acquiescence and nihilism in response to bad news, and we have even more to feel than unrelenting frustration over our species\' lack of will to change.\r\n\r\nThe tenets of my faith hold that creation is the immanent heart of the Divine. I believe the Earth body is our body is Her body. And if I believe that we are all the substance of the other, creating a profound relationship within the whole of creation and the spiraling of evolution, then I have access to a genuine experience of empathy, both for the planet and for the circumstances of which we are all a part.\r\n\r\n<blockquote>In Tantra, crisis can move us down the path toward perfected love. Might this global crisis push the whole of our planet beyond limiting and oppressive value systems into a revelation of accountability and promise?</blockquote>\r\n\r\nThis way of conceiving of reality breeds action. Empathy motivates us to remedy the causes of pain and suffering that we, as part of the web of life, experience. Without empathy, we remain at a distance from what we can only consider as other people\'s problems. Action with such awareness is also an embrace of life as it appears in the moment, accepting challenges as a part of the dynamic dance of energy and consciousness that weaves our collective story. To deny the importance of these challenges is also to deny the possibilities of this lifetime\'s striving and yearning: in our response to challenge, we grow on the path.\r\n\r\nTantra teaches that the fabric of life is woven across time and space on threads of creation and dissolution. With and through our particular human bodies, we gift the Divine with the insights born of a unique love perfected through the fires of our individual torment, however acquired (for example, through the karmas of past actions, the oppressions of society, or the psycho-spiritual hindrances of birth). This love, in fact, was the instigation for our incarnation in the first place. It is the presence of this love that, the mystics agree, compels us toward the unknown in our often unconscious quest for wholeness.\r\n\r\nIn seeking to know itself through new relationships of flesh inspirited, the Divine created and our crucible was formed. From this inspiration and with the lessons of our triumphs and failures deeply embodied, both we and the cycles of the cosmos continue to evolve. We adapt, transform, release attachments, and come to the center of our hearts where the wisdom of head and body commingles into intuition and resilience.\r\n\r\nAs we increasingly give expression to the Divine will, our souls rejoice, because doing the work of this lifetime frees us. Freedom earned on the path of spiritual progress is our own embrace of unconditional love. However, to be clear, this work is not facilitating a movement toward that which lies beyond the body, brought on by a need to return to Source. Rather, it is a movement into the fullness of our embodiment, complete with the attachments and sufferings of our encapsulation, the residues of our encumbered perceptions, and the effluvia of the physical. Through our labors on the path and with freedoms gained from the effort comes the stuff of intoxicating bliss—the nectar of Tantra that is release from our most deeply seated fears.\r\n\r\n<hr />\r\n<em>By: Chandra Alexandre</em> - Originally published as part of the Public Square 2014 Summer Series: Conversations on Religious Trends on Patheos and may also be found <a href=\"http://www.patheos.com/Topics/2014-Religious-Trends/Pagan/Tantric-Motivations-for-Countering-Climate-Change-Chandra-Alexandre-072314.html\">here</a>.\r\n \r\n<!--nextpage-->\r\n\r\nIn this way, we might consider that the crisis we all face—a crisis that haunts us regardless of our race, class, sexual orientation, gender, age, or other such distinctions—is exactly what will catalyze the elusive spiritual covenant of our time: peace. Might crisis, as it can for us on the path, not push the whole of creation beyond limiting and oppressive value systems into a revelation of high expectations, accountability, and promise? It may be that an irreversible crisis is what can finally take us collectively toward innovative solutions to climate change, among other ills. Perhaps there are new ways of being that draw on the resources of the whole of humanity, doing so in ways we never before imagined, and moreover, that were never before allowed.\r\n\r\nIn response, what can we do now, even if we are still in a place of uncertainty regarding Gaia? Here are two suggestions:\r\n\r\n<b>Ritual.</b> Why? It plays out the cosmic order. In Tantra, worship is not merely a symbolic performance, but an engagement of cosmic events in this world. In this way, we can own the larger picture of which we are a part and see reflections of our greater truth while living the lessons of the here and now.\r\n\r\n<b>Define, Claim, and Act on Your Spiritual Values.</b> No matter what your faith tradition, there are still spiritual values within that you must discover and claim for your own. If they happen to reflect the teachings of your outer path, all the better. Either way, the process of coming to know yourself as a value-based Earth citizen can do much to instigate change in day-to-day behaviors and motivations. Be willing to dig deep, surface, and move in the world in alignment with your values from the inside out.\r\n\r\nContinuing to believe in the rightness of our existence, despite the mistakes of the past and the grim shadow on the horizon, is essential to maintaining a connection to the Divine in times like these. This alone has the power to liberate us by virtue of our belief in the possible.','Tantric Motivations for Countering Climate Change','','publish','open','open','','tantric-motivations-for-countering-climate-change','','','2014-09-24 15:17:06','2014-09-24 22:17:06','',0,'http://sharanya.org/?p=101112',0,'post','',0),(101113,2,'2014-09-24 15:10:32','2014-09-24 22:10:32','','Hibiscus','','inherit','open','open','','4ma_edited-1-2','','','2014-09-24 15:10:42','2014-09-24 22:10:42','',101112,'http://sharanya.org/wp-content/uploads/2014/09/4MA_edited-1.jpg',0,'attachment','image/jpeg',0),(101114,2,'2014-09-24 15:12:32','2014-09-24 22:12:32','As a practitioner of Tantra, I suggest that despite evidence asserting climate change is irreversible, Tantra offers us a road to hope and a mandate that our activism on behalf of the planet prevail. Whether or not we believe that we can alter the course of our current predicament, we have more to consider than acquiescence and nihilism in response to bad news, and we have even more to feel than unrelenting frustration over our species\' lack of will to change.\r\nThe tenets of my faith hold that creation is the immanent heart of the Divine. I believe the Earth body is our body is Her body. And if I believe that we are all the substance of the other, creating a profound relationship within the whole of creation and the spiraling of evolution, then I have access to a genuine experience of empathy, both for the planet and for the circumstances of which we are all a part.\r\n\r\n<b-quote>In Tantra, crisis can move us down the path toward perfected love. Might this global crisis push the whole of our planet beyond limiting and oppressive value systems into a revelation of accountability and promise?</b-quote>\r\n\r\nThis way of conceiving of reality breeds action. Empathy motivates us to remedy the causes of pain and suffering that we, as part of the web of life, experience. Without empathy, we remain at a distance from what we can only consider as other people\'s problems. Action with such awareness is also an embrace of life as it appears in the moment, accepting challenges as a part of the dynamic dance of energy and consciousness that weaves our collective story. To deny the importance of these challenges is also to deny the possibilities of this lifetime\'s striving and yearning: in our response to challenge, we grow on the path.\r\nTantra teaches that the fabric of life is woven across time and space on threads of creation and dissolution. With and through our particular human bodies, we gift the Divine with the insights born of a unique love perfected through the fires of our individual torment, however acquired (for example, through the karmas of past actions, the oppressions of society, or the psycho-spiritual hindrances of birth). This love, in fact, was the instigation for our incarnation in the first place. It is the presence of this love that, the mystics agree, compels us toward the unknown in our often unconscious quest for wholeness.\r\nIn seeking to know itself through new relationships of flesh inspirited, the Divine created and our crucible was formed. From this inspiration and with the lessons of our triumphs and failures deeply embodied, both we and the cycles of the cosmos continue to evolve. We adapt, transform, release attachments, and come to the center of our hearts where the wisdom of head and body comingles into intuition and resilience.\r\nAs we increasingly give expression to the Divine will, our souls rejoice, because doing the work of this lifetime frees us. Freedom earned on the path of spiritual progress is our own embrace of unconditional love. However, to be clear, this work is not facilitating a movement toward that which lies beyond the body, brought on by a need to return to Source. Rather, it is a movement into the fullness of our embodiment, complete with the attachments and sufferings of our encapsulation, the residues of our encumbered perceptions, and the effluvia of the physical. Through our labors on the path and with freedoms gained from the effort comes the stuff of intoxicating bliss—the nectar of Tantra that is release from our most deeply seated fears.\r\n\r\n<!--nextpage-->\r\n\r\nIn this way, we might consider that the crisis we all face—a crisis that haunts us regardless of our race, class, sexual orientation, gender, age, or other such distinctions—is exactly what will catalyze the elusive spiritual covenant of our time: peace. Might crisis, as it can for us on the path, not push the whole of creation beyond limiting and oppressive value systems into a revelation of high expectations, accountability, and promise? It may be that an irreversible crisis is what can finally take us collectively toward innovative solutions to climate change, among other ills. Perhaps there are new ways of being that draw on the resources of the whole of humanity, doing so in ways we never before imagined, and moreover, that were never before allowed.\r\n\r\nIn response, what can we do now, even if we are still in a place of uncertainty regarding Gaia? Here are two suggestions:\r\n\r\n<b>Ritual.</b> Why? It plays out the cosmic order. In Tantra, worship is not merely a symbolic performance, but an engagement of cosmic events in this world. In this way, we can own the larger picture of which we are a part and see reflections of our greater truth while living the lessons of the here and now.\r\n\r\n<b>Define, Claim, and Act on Your Spiritual Values.</b> No matter what your faith tradition, there are still spiritual values within that you must discover and claim for your own. If they happen to reflect the teachings of your outer path, all the better. Either way, the process of coming to know yourself as a value-based Earth citizen can do much to instigate change in day-to-day behaviors and motivations. Be willing to dig deep, surface, and move in the world in alignment with your values from the inside out.\r\n\r\nContinuing to believe in the rightness of our existence, despite the mistakes of the past and the grim shadow on the horizon, is essential to maintaining a connection to the Divine in times like these. This alone has the power to liberate us by virtue of our belief in the possible.','Tantric Motivations for Countering Climate Change','','inherit','open','open','','101112-revision-v1','','','2014-09-24 15:12:32','2014-09-24 22:12:32','',101112,'http://sharanya.org/mandala/101112-revision-v1/',0,'revision','',0),(101115,2,'2014-09-24 15:16:38','2014-09-24 22:16:38','As a practitioner of Tantra, I suggest that despite evidence asserting climate change is irreversible, Tantra offers us a road to hope and a mandate that our activism on behalf of the planet prevail. Whether or not we believe that we can alter the course of our current predicament, we have more to consider than acquiescence and nihilism in response to bad news, and we have even more to feel than unrelenting frustration over our species\' lack of will to change.\n\nThe tenets of my faith hold that creation is the immanent heart of the Divine. I believe the Earth body is our body is Her body. And if I believe that we are all the substance of the other, creating a profound relationship within the whole of creation and the spiraling of evolution, then I have access to a genuine experience of empathy, both for the planet and for the circumstances of which we are all a part.\n\n<blockquote>In Tantra, crisis can move us down the path toward perfected love. Might this global crisis push the whole of our planet beyond limiting and oppressive value systems into a revelation of accountability and promise?</blockquote>\n\nThis way of conceiving of reality breeds action. Empathy motivates us to remedy the causes of pain and suffering that we, as part of the web of life, experience. Without empathy, we remain at a distance from what we can only consider as other people\'s problems. Action with such awareness is also an embrace of life as it appears in the moment, accepting challenges as a part of the dynamic dance of energy and consciousness that weaves our collective story. To deny the importance of these challenges is also to deny the possibilities of this lifetime\'s striving and yearning: in our response to challenge, we grow on the path.\n\nTantra teaches that the fabric of life is woven across time and space on threads of creation and dissolution. With and through our particular human bodies, we gift the Divine with the insights born of a unique love perfected through the fires of our individual torment, however acquired (for example, through the karmas of past actions, the oppressions of society, or the psycho-spiritual hindrances of birth). This love, in fact, was the instigation for our incarnation in the first place. It is the presence of this love that, the mystics agree, compels us toward the unknown in our often unconscious quest for wholeness.\n\nIn seeking to know itself through new relationships of flesh inspirited, the Divine created and our crucible was formed. From this inspiration and with the lessons of our triumphs and failures deeply embodied, both we and the cycles of the cosmos continue to evolve. We adapt, transform, release attachments, and come to the center of our hearts where the wisdom of head and body comingles into intuition and resilience.\n\nAs we increasingly give expression to the Divine will, our souls rejoice, because doing the work of this lifetime frees us. Freedom earned on the path of spiritual progress is our own embrace of unconditional love. However, to be clear, this work is not facilitating a movement toward that which lies beyond the body, brought on by a need to return to Source. Rather, it is a movement into the fullness of our embodiment, complete with the attachments and sufferings of our encapsulation, the residues of our encumbered perceptions, and the effluvia of the physical. Through our labors on the path and with freedoms gained from the effort comes the stuff of intoxicating bliss—the nectar of Tantra that is release from our most deeply seated fears.\n\n<hr />\n<em>By: Chandra Alexandre</em> - Originally published as part of the Public Square 2014 Summer Series: Conversations on Religious Trends on Patheos and may be found <a href=\"http://www.patheos.com/Topics/2014-Religious-Trends/Pagan/Tantric-Motivations-for-Countering-Climate-Change-Chandra-Alexandre-072314.html\">here</a>.\n \n<!--nextpage-->\n\nIn this way, we might consider that the crisis we all face—a crisis that haunts us regardless of our race, class, sexual orientation, gender, age, or other such distinctions—is exactly what will catalyze the elusive spiritual covenant of our time: peace. Might crisis, as it can for us on the path, not push the whole of creation beyond limiting and oppressive value systems into a revelation of high expectations, accountability, and promise? It may be that an irreversible crisis is what can finally take us collectively toward innovative solutions to climate change, among other ills. Perhaps there are new ways of being that draw on the resources of the whole of humanity, doing so in ways we never before imagined, and moreover, that were never before allowed.\n\nIn response, what can we do now, even if we are still in a place of uncertainty regarding Gaia? Here are two suggestions:\n\n<b>Ritual.</b> Why? It plays out the cosmic order. In Tantra, worship is not merely a symbolic performance, but an engagement of cosmic events in this world. In this way, we can own the larger picture of which we are a part and see reflections of our greater truth while living the lessons of the here and now.\n\n<b>Define, Claim, and Act on Your Spiritual Values.</b> No matter what your faith tradition, there are still spiritual values within that you must discover and claim for your own. If they happen to reflect the teachings of your outer path, all the better. Either way, the process of coming to know yourself as a value-based Earth citizen can do much to instigate change in day-to-day behaviors and motivations. Be willing to dig deep, surface, and move in the world in alignment with your values from the inside out.\n\nContinuing to believe in the rightness of our existence, despite the mistakes of the past and the grim shadow on the horizon, is essential to maintaining a connection to the Divine in times like these. This alone has the power to liberate us by virtue of our belief in the possible.','Tantric Motivations for Countering Climate Change','','inherit','open','open','','101112-autosave-v1','','','2014-09-24 15:16:38','2014-09-24 22:16:38','',101112,'http://sharanya.org/mandala/101112-autosave-v1/',0,'revision','',0),(101116,2,'2014-09-24 15:15:30','2014-09-24 22:15:30','As a practitioner of Tantra, I suggest that despite evidence asserting climate change is irreversible, Tantra offers us a road to hope and a mandate that our activism on behalf of the planet prevail. Whether or not we believe that we can alter the course of our current predicament, we have more to consider than acquiescence and nihilism in response to bad news, and we have even more to feel than unrelenting frustration over our species\' lack of will to change.\r\nThe tenets of my faith hold that creation is the immanent heart of the Divine. I believe the Earth body is our body is Her body. And if I believe that we are all the substance of the other, creating a profound relationship within the whole of creation and the spiraling of evolution, then I have access to a genuine experience of empathy, both for the planet and for the circumstances of which we are all a part.\r\n\r\n<b-quote>In Tantra, crisis can move us down the path toward perfected love. Might this global crisis push the whole of our planet beyond limiting and oppressive value systems into a revelation of accountability and promise?</b-quote>\r\n\r\nThis way of conceiving of reality breeds action. Empathy motivates us to remedy the causes of pain and suffering that we, as part of the web of life, experience. Without empathy, we remain at a distance from what we can only consider as other people\'s problems. Action with such awareness is also an embrace of life as it appears in the moment, accepting challenges as a part of the dynamic dance of energy and consciousness that weaves our collective story. To deny the importance of these challenges is also to deny the possibilities of this lifetime\'s striving and yearning: in our response to challenge, we grow on the path.\r\n\r\nTantra teaches that the fabric of life is woven across time and space on threads of creation and dissolution. With and through our particular human bodies, we gift the Divine with the insights born of a unique love perfected through the fires of our individual torment, however acquired (for example, through the karmas of past actions, the oppressions of society, or the psycho-spiritual hindrances of birth). This love, in fact, was the instigation for our incarnation in the first place. It is the presence of this love that, the mystics agree, compels us toward the unknown in our often unconscious quest for wholeness.\r\n\r\nIn seeking to know itself through new relationships of flesh inspirited, the Divine created and our crucible was formed. From this inspiration and with the lessons of our triumphs and failures deeply embodied, both we and the cycles of the cosmos continue to evolve. We adapt, transform, release attachments, and come to the center of our hearts where the wisdom of head and body comingles into intuition and resilience.\r\n\r\nAs we increasingly give expression to the Divine will, our souls rejoice, because doing the work of this lifetime frees us. Freedom earned on the path of spiritual progress is our own embrace of unconditional love. However, to be clear, this work is not facilitating a movement toward that which lies beyond the body, brought on by a need to return to Source. Rather, it is a movement into the fullness of our embodiment, complete with the attachments and sufferings of our encapsulation, the residues of our encumbered perceptions, and the effluvia of the physical. Through our labors on the path and with freedoms gained from the effort comes the stuff of intoxicating bliss—the nectar of Tantra that is release from our most deeply seated fears.\r\n\r\n<hr />\r\n<em>By: Chandra Alexandre</em> - Originally published as part of the Public Square 2014 Summer Series: Conversations on Religious Trends on Patheos and may be found <a href=\"http://www.patheos.com/Topics/2014-Religious-Trends/Pagan/Tantric-Motivations-for-Countering-Climate-Change-Chandra-Alexandre-072314.html\">here</a>.\r\n \r\n<!--nextpage-->\r\n\r\nIn this way, we might consider that the crisis we all face—a crisis that haunts us regardless of our race, class, sexual orientation, gender, age, or other such distinctions—is exactly what will catalyze the elusive spiritual covenant of our time: peace. Might crisis, as it can for us on the path, not push the whole of creation beyond limiting and oppressive value systems into a revelation of high expectations, accountability, and promise? It may be that an irreversible crisis is what can finally take us collectively toward innovative solutions to climate change, among other ills. Perhaps there are new ways of being that draw on the resources of the whole of humanity, doing so in ways we never before imagined, and moreover, that were never before allowed.\r\n\r\nIn response, what can we do now, even if we are still in a place of uncertainty regarding Gaia? Here are two suggestions:\r\n\r\n<b>Ritual.</b> Why? It plays out the cosmic order. In Tantra, worship is not merely a symbolic performance, but an engagement of cosmic events in this world. In this way, we can own the larger picture of which we are a part and see reflections of our greater truth while living the lessons of the here and now.\r\n\r\n<b>Define, Claim, and Act on Your Spiritual Values.</b> No matter what your faith tradition, there are still spiritual values within that you must discover and claim for your own. If they happen to reflect the teachings of your outer path, all the better. Either way, the process of coming to know yourself as a value-based Earth citizen can do much to instigate change in day-to-day behaviors and motivations. Be willing to dig deep, surface, and move in the world in alignment with your values from the inside out.\r\n\r\nContinuing to believe in the rightness of our existence, despite the mistakes of the past and the grim shadow on the horizon, is essential to maintaining a connection to the Divine in times like these. This alone has the power to liberate us by virtue of our belief in the possible.','Tantric Motivations for Countering Climate Change','','inherit','open','open','','101112-revision-v1','','','2014-09-24 15:15:30','2014-09-24 22:15:30','',101112,'http://sharanya.org/mandala/101112-revision-v1/',0,'revision','',0),(101117,2,'2014-09-24 15:17:06','2014-09-24 22:17:06','As a practitioner of Tantra, I suggest that despite evidence asserting climate change is irreversible, Tantra offers us a road to hope and a mandate that our activism on behalf of the planet prevail. Whether or not we believe that we can alter the course of our current predicament, we have more to consider than acquiescence and nihilism in response to bad news, and we have even more to feel than unrelenting frustration over our species\' lack of will to change.\r\n\r\nThe tenets of my faith hold that creation is the immanent heart of the Divine. I believe the Earth body is our body is Her body. And if I believe that we are all the substance of the other, creating a profound relationship within the whole of creation and the spiraling of evolution, then I have access to a genuine experience of empathy, both for the planet and for the circumstances of which we are all a part.\r\n\r\n<blockquote>In Tantra, crisis can move us down the path toward perfected love. Might this global crisis push the whole of our planet beyond limiting and oppressive value systems into a revelation of accountability and promise?</blockquote>\r\n\r\nThis way of conceiving of reality breeds action. Empathy motivates us to remedy the causes of pain and suffering that we, as part of the web of life, experience. Without empathy, we remain at a distance from what we can only consider as other people\'s problems. Action with such awareness is also an embrace of life as it appears in the moment, accepting challenges as a part of the dynamic dance of energy and consciousness that weaves our collective story. To deny the importance of these challenges is also to deny the possibilities of this lifetime\'s striving and yearning: in our response to challenge, we grow on the path.\r\n\r\nTantra teaches that the fabric of life is woven across time and space on threads of creation and dissolution. With and through our particular human bodies, we gift the Divine with the insights born of a unique love perfected through the fires of our individual torment, however acquired (for example, through the karmas of past actions, the oppressions of society, or the psycho-spiritual hindrances of birth). This love, in fact, was the instigation for our incarnation in the first place. It is the presence of this love that, the mystics agree, compels us toward the unknown in our often unconscious quest for wholeness.\r\n\r\nIn seeking to know itself through new relationships of flesh inspirited, the Divine created and our crucible was formed. From this inspiration and with the lessons of our triumphs and failures deeply embodied, both we and the cycles of the cosmos continue to evolve. We adapt, transform, release attachments, and come to the center of our hearts where the wisdom of head and body commingles into intuition and resilience.\r\n\r\nAs we increasingly give expression to the Divine will, our souls rejoice, because doing the work of this lifetime frees us. Freedom earned on the path of spiritual progress is our own embrace of unconditional love. However, to be clear, this work is not facilitating a movement toward that which lies beyond the body, brought on by a need to return to Source. Rather, it is a movement into the fullness of our embodiment, complete with the attachments and sufferings of our encapsulation, the residues of our encumbered perceptions, and the effluvia of the physical. Through our labors on the path and with freedoms gained from the effort comes the stuff of intoxicating bliss—the nectar of Tantra that is release from our most deeply seated fears.\r\n\r\n<hr />\r\n<em>By: Chandra Alexandre</em> - Originally published as part of the Public Square 2014 Summer Series: Conversations on Religious Trends on Patheos and may also be found <a href=\"http://www.patheos.com/Topics/2014-Religious-Trends/Pagan/Tantric-Motivations-for-Countering-Climate-Change-Chandra-Alexandre-072314.html\">here</a>.\r\n \r\n<!--nextpage-->\r\n\r\nIn this way, we might consider that the crisis we all face—a crisis that haunts us regardless of our race, class, sexual orientation, gender, age, or other such distinctions—is exactly what will catalyze the elusive spiritual covenant of our time: peace. Might crisis, as it can for us on the path, not push the whole of creation beyond limiting and oppressive value systems into a revelation of high expectations, accountability, and promise? It may be that an irreversible crisis is what can finally take us collectively toward innovative solutions to climate change, among other ills. Perhaps there are new ways of being that draw on the resources of the whole of humanity, doing so in ways we never before imagined, and moreover, that were never before allowed.\r\n\r\nIn response, what can we do now, even if we are still in a place of uncertainty regarding Gaia? Here are two suggestions:\r\n\r\n<b>Ritual.</b> Why? It plays out the cosmic order. In Tantra, worship is not merely a symbolic performance, but an engagement of cosmic events in this world. In this way, we can own the larger picture of which we are a part and see reflections of our greater truth while living the lessons of the here and now.\r\n\r\n<b>Define, Claim, and Act on Your Spiritual Values.</b> No matter what your faith tradition, there are still spiritual values within that you must discover and claim for your own. If they happen to reflect the teachings of your outer path, all the better. Either way, the process of coming to know yourself as a value-based Earth citizen can do much to instigate change in day-to-day behaviors and motivations. Be willing to dig deep, surface, and move in the world in alignment with your values from the inside out.\r\n\r\nContinuing to believe in the rightness of our existence, despite the mistakes of the past and the grim shadow on the horizon, is essential to maintaining a connection to the Divine in times like these. This alone has the power to liberate us by virtue of our belief in the possible.','Tantric Motivations for Countering Climate Change','','inherit','open','open','','101112-revision-v1','','','2014-09-24 15:17:06','2014-09-24 22:17:06','',101112,'http://sharanya.org/mandala/101112-revision-v1/',0,'revision','',0),(101118,2,'2014-09-24 20:22:35','2014-09-25 03:22:35','[one_third] [teaser url=\"http://sharanya.org/mandala/th_event/11th-annual-kali-puja-festival/\" title=\"Kali Festival\" src=\"http://sharanya.org/wp-content/uploads/2013/09/Blessed-Altar-Web-e1380257091912.jpg\" ]Kali Puja Festival? Join us 10/25![/teaser] [/one_third]\r\n\r\n[one_third] [teaser url=\"http://sharanya.org/the-path/\" title=\"Curious?\" src=\"http://sharanya.org/wp-content/uploads/2013/09/DSC_0313-e1381818563636.jpg\" ]Learn more...[/teaser] [/one_third]\r\n\r\n[one_third last=last] [teaser url=\"http://sharanya.org/events/\" title=\"Puja Dates\" src=\"http://sharanya.org/wp-content/uploads/2013/09/0311-e1381818979184.jpg\" ]Visit the calendar[/teaser] [/one_third]\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n<hr />\r\n<h3>Reflections &amp; News</h3>\r\n<center><i>\"Sing Kali\'s glory, make a happy racket, paddle this old boat of a body as fast as you can.<br>What\'s the trouble of this world anyhow?\" - Ramprasad Sen</i></center><br>\r\n[blog category=\"7\" perpage=\"3\" pagination=\"\" ]\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n[testimonials category=\"matrikas\" time=\"10\" randomize=\"on\" effect=\"fade\" ]','Homepage','','inherit','open','open','','99117-revision-v1','','','2014-09-24 20:22:35','2014-09-25 03:22:35','',99117,'http://sharanya.org/mandala/99117-revision-v1/',0,'revision','',0),(101119,2,'2014-09-24 20:23:39','2014-09-25 03:23:39','[one_third] [teaser url=\"http://sharanya.org/mandala/th_event/11th-annual-kali-puja-festival/\" title=\"Kali Festival\" src=\"http://sharanya.org/wp-content/uploads/2013/09/Blessed-Altar-Web-e1380257091912.jpg\" ]It\'s here! Join us on 10/25[/teaser] [/one_third]\r\n\r\n[one_third] [teaser url=\"http://sharanya.org/the-path/\" title=\"Curious?\" src=\"http://sharanya.org/wp-content/uploads/2013/09/DSC_0313-e1381818563636.jpg\" ]Learn more...[/teaser] [/one_third]\r\n\r\n[one_third last=last] [teaser url=\"http://sharanya.org/events/\" title=\"Puja Dates\" src=\"http://sharanya.org/wp-content/uploads/2013/09/0311-e1381818979184.jpg\" ]Visit the calendar[/teaser] [/one_third]\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n<hr />\r\n<h3>Reflections &amp; News</h3>\r\n<center><i>\"Sing Kali\'s glory, make a happy racket, paddle this old boat of a body as fast as you can.<br>What\'s the trouble of this world anyhow?\" - Ramprasad Sen</i></center><br>\r\n[blog category=\"7\" perpage=\"3\" pagination=\"\" ]\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n[testimonials category=\"matrikas\" time=\"10\" randomize=\"on\" effect=\"fade\" ]','Homepage','','inherit','open','open','','99117-revision-v1','','','2014-09-24 20:23:39','2014-09-25 03:23:39','',99117,'http://sharanya.org/mandala/99117-revision-v1/',0,'revision','',0),(101120,2,'2014-09-24 20:23:59','2014-09-25 03:23:59','[one_third] [teaser url=\"http://sharanya.org/mandala/th_event/11th-annual-kali-puja-festival/\" title=\"Kali Puja Festival\" src=\"http://sharanya.org/wp-content/uploads/2013/09/Blessed-Altar-Web-e1380257091912.jpg\" ]It\'s here! Join us on 10/25[/teaser] [/one_third]\r\n\r\n[one_third] [teaser url=\"http://sharanya.org/the-path/\" title=\"Curious?\" src=\"http://sharanya.org/wp-content/uploads/2013/09/DSC_0313-e1381818563636.jpg\" ]Learn more...[/teaser] [/one_third]\r\n\r\n[one_third last=last] [teaser url=\"http://sharanya.org/events/\" title=\"Puja Dates\" src=\"http://sharanya.org/wp-content/uploads/2013/09/0311-e1381818979184.jpg\" ]Visit the calendar[/teaser] [/one_third]\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n<hr />\r\n<h3>Reflections &amp; News</h3>\r\n<center><i>\"Sing Kali\'s glory, make a happy racket, paddle this old boat of a body as fast as you can.<br>What\'s the trouble of this world anyhow?\" - Ramprasad Sen</i></center><br>\r\n[blog category=\"7\" perpage=\"3\" pagination=\"\" ]\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n[testimonials category=\"matrikas\" time=\"10\" randomize=\"on\" effect=\"fade\" ]','Homepage','','inherit','open','open','','99117-revision-v1','','','2014-09-24 20:23:59','2014-09-25 03:23:59','',99117,'http://sharanya.org/mandala/99117-revision-v1/',0,'revision','',0),(101121,2,'2014-09-24 20:26:06','2014-09-25 03:26:06','A celebration honoring the cycle of life, the Great Mystery and all things on the margins. Join us as we come together in community to welcome in the new year at this time of Kali Puja and Divali, the Festival of Lights, and honor Goddess manifest in the whole of creation. \n\nAs the darkness closes in, we offer our prayers to Maa Kali, Mother of the Universe. Together we will honor Her in Her many forms through the Sha\'can tradition of Shakta Tantra. With your help, we are planning to fill the temple with chant, song, dance, devotion, and celebration. Visit here to learn more and see images from last year\'s celebrat\n\nWhat to bring... Offerings for the main altar are welcome. It is customary to bring flowers, fruit, wine, vegetarian offerings, or sweets and to refrain from wearing black to our public rituals. If you wish to wear a special color for Kali, we invite you to don red, a color associated with Her power in the phenomenal world as shakti, the activating force and the energy of creation. You are also invited to bring an object you would like to have blessed.\n\nA sliding scale donation of $21-11 is also suggested to cover the cost of the space, puja supplies and prasad (blessed food); however, no one is ever turned away for lack of funds, and any donation is graciously accepted; we appreciate so much the offerings you make to support our work and the community.\n\nAll lovers of the Divine are welcome! Doors open at 5:30PM, ritual begins promptly at 6:00PM.\n\n<b>Location:</b> 2650 Fulton Street (at 3rd Avenue), San Francisco, CA 94118\n\n<b>R.S.V.P.</b>: <a href=\"https://www.networkforgood.org/donation/ExpressDonation.aspx?ORGID2= 94-3334334\">Make a donation to attend</a> (note Kali Puja Festival).\n\n<b>Questions?</b> Email us at <a href=mailto:info@sharanya.org>info@sharanya.org</a><br><br>\n\n<p>\n\n<iframe src=\"http://mapsengine.google.com/map/embed?mid=z31HImSkDDrM.kHtJeWlN3KjQ\" width=\"640\" height=\"480\"></iframe>','11th Annual Kali Puja Festival','','inherit','open','open','','100668-autosave-v1','','','2014-09-24 20:26:06','2014-09-25 03:26:06','',100668,'http://sharanya.org/mandala/100668-autosave-v1/',0,'revision','',0),(101122,2,'2014-09-24 20:29:50','2014-09-25 03:29:50','11th Annual Festival\r\nOctober 25, 2014','Kali Puja','','publish','closed','closed','','festivals-3','','','2017-03-16 23:45:34','2017-03-17 06:45:34','',0,'http://sharanya.org/?post_type=th_slideshows&#038;p=101122',0,'th_slideshows','',0),(101123,2,'2014-09-24 20:32:45','2014-09-25 03:32:45','11th Annual Kali Puja Festival\nOctober 25, 2014','Kali Puja Festival','','inherit','open','open','','101122-autosave-v1','','','2014-09-24 20:32:45','2014-09-25 03:32:45','',101122,'http://sharanya.org/mandala/101122-autosave-v1/',0,'revision','',0),(101124,2,'2014-09-25 21:45:44','2014-09-26 04:45:44','','Ancestors Mantram','','inherit','open','open','','ancestors-mantram-3','','','2014-09-25 21:45:44','2014-09-26 04:45:44','',0,'http://sharanya.org/wp-content/uploads/2014/09/Ancestors-Mantram.jpg',0,'attachment','image/jpeg',0),(101125,2,'2014-09-25 21:47:14','2014-09-26 04:47:14','<!-- BEGIN Mantra of the Month -->\r\n<!-- Audio thumbnail and title link -->\r\n<h2><img alt=\"\" src=\"http://sharanya.org/wp-content/themes/churchope/lib/metabox/images/i_audio.png\" />\r\n<a style=\"text-decoration: none;\" href=\"http://sharanya.org/mandala/th_gallery/honoring-the-ancestors/\">Featured Mantram: Honoring Ancestors</a></h2>\r\n<!-- Header image -->\r\n<a href=\"http://sharanya.org/mandala/th_gallery/honoring-the-ancestors/\"><img class=\"size-full wp-image-99337 imgborder aligncenter alt=\"Ancestors\' Invocation\" src=\"http://sharanya.org/wp-content/uploads/2014/09/Ancestors-Mantram.jpg\" width=\"397\" height=\"338\" /></a>\r\n\r\n<!-- Audio player -->\r\n[thaudio href=\'http://sharanya.org/wp-content/uploads/2013/10/05-Track-05.m4a\'][/thaudio]\r\n<h2><b style=\"font-size: 13px;\">Translation:</b></h2>\r\n<em>From the highest realm to the lowest, as far as the universe extends, let all divine sages and forebearers, all deceased ancestors, on both the father\'s and mother\'s side be worshiped. Let this humble offering of sesame and water benefit the whole world, from the heavens down to this earth; may it benefit the inhabitants of the seven continents belonging to unlimited families in the past.</em><br><br>\r\n\r\n<strong><em><a href=\"http://sharanya.org/mandala/th_gallery/honoring-the-ancestors/\">Learn more about this mantram...</a></em></strong>\r\n\r\n<!-- END Mantra of the Month -->\r\n\r\n<hr style=\"border-top: 2px solid #aaa; margin: 30px 0;\" />\r\n\r\n[blog category=\"24\" perpage=\"1\" pagination=\"\" ]\r\n\r\n<hr style=\"border-top: 2px solid #aaa; margin: 30px 0;\" />\r\n\r\n[terms_gallery terms=\"24\" perpage=\"10\" pagination=\"on\" layout=\"medium\" isotope=\"on\" ]','Mantra','','inherit','open','open','','99154-revision-v1','','','2014-09-25 21:47:14','2014-09-26 04:47:14','',99154,'http://sharanya.org/mandala/99154-revision-v1/',0,'revision','',0),(101127,2,'2014-10-01 20:33:20','2014-10-02 03:33:20','The Sha\'can tradition offers many opportunities for the neophyte as well as the initiate on the path to practice, worship, learn, deepen, and cultivate spiritual leadership. At SHARANYA, those seeking an understanding of and way into Sha\'can begin with sitting in circle, joining us regularly for puja, service and teaching circles. Those who receive initiation are welcomed into the Kaula, or family of initiates.<br><br>\r\n\r\n[toggle type=\"gray\" title=\"The Kaula\" active=\"\"]\r\nThe Kaula, our spiritual family, is bonded by faith, commitment and devotion to Goddess Kali. Each year we welcome Sha\'can initiates new and old to ceremonies that solidify their practice and another year\'s work on the path.\r\n<ul>\r\n        <li><strong>Rededication</strong> of Initiates (there was no 11th Chakra initiation) took place on Saturday, August 16th (2014) at 8:00pm. Jai Maa! to Balipriya, Bhaktashankari, Satya, Jayada, Purnamanaha, Maya,  Gitapriya, Vibhutihi, Shuddha, Citra and Chinnamasta for their presence, devotion and open-hearted embrace of the Divine Mother.</li>\r\n	<li><strong>Rededication</strong> of Initiates (there was no 10th Chakra initiation) took place on Saturday, August 10th (2013) at 8:00pm. Jai Maa! to Balipriya, Bhaktashankari, Satya, Jayada, Haravallabha, Purnamanaha, Maya, Punyadeha, Gitapriya, Tivra, Vibhutihi, Shuddha, and Chinnamasta for their presence, devotion and open-hearted embrace of the Divine Mother.</li>\r\n	<li><strong>Rededication</strong> of Initiates took place on Saturday, August 11th (2012) at 8:00pm. Jai Maa! to Bhaktashankari, Pavini, Haravallabha, Satya, Jayada, Purnamanaha, Jaratura, Balipriya, Citra and Maya for their presence, devotion and open-hearted embrace of the Divine Mother.</li>\r\n	<li><strong>Initiation</strong> of our 2011-12 circle (9th Chakra) took place on Friday, August 24th (2012) at 8:00pm. Jai Maa! to Gitapriya, Tivra, Vibhutihi, Shuddha, and Chinnamasta for their presence, devotion and open-hearted embrace of the Divine Mother.</li>\r\n	<li><strong>Rededication</strong> of Initiates (there was no 8th Chakra initiation) took place on Friday, September 9th (2011) at 8:00pm. Jai Maa! to Purnamanaha, Bhaktashankari, Jayada, Balipriya, Jaratura, Satya, Mahesha and Haravallabha for their presence, devotion and open-hearted embrace of the Divine Mother.</li>\r\n	<li><strong>Initiation</strong> of our 2009-2010 circle (7th Chakra) took place on Friday, September 10th (2010) at 8:00pm. Jai Maa! to Raktapa, Purnamanaha, Bhaktashankari, and Nitya, with thanks to community and all who have loved them and supported their work during the past year and a day!</li>\r\n	<li><strong>Initiation</strong> of our 2008-2009 circle took place on Friday, September 11th (2009) at 8:00pm. Jai Maa! to Mahesha, Haravallabha, Duti, Satya, and Citra, with thanks to community and all who have supported their work during the past year and a day!</li>\r\n	<li><strong>Initiation</strong> of our 2007-2008 circle took place on Friday, September 5th (2008) at 8:00pm. Jai Maa! to Jaratura, Jayada, Sanatani, Sarasvati, Anangarekha, and Balipriya, with thanks to community and all who have supported their work during the past year and a day!</li>\r\n	<li><strong>Initiation</strong> of our 2006-2007 circle took place on Friday, September 7th (2007) at 8:00pm. Jai Maa! to Asha and Kumarirupadharini, with thanks to community and all who have supported their work during the past year and a day!</li>\r\n	<li><strong>Initiation</strong> of our 2005-2006 circle took place on Friday, September 1st (2006) at 8:00pm. Jai Maa! to Shunyanivasini, Svadha, Kalabhairavi, Pavini, Durgatarini, Shreyasi, Ranapandita, and Maya, with thanks to community and all who have supported their work during the past year and a day!</li>\r\n	<li><strong>Initiation</strong> of our 2004-2005 circle took place on Friday, September 2nd (2005) at 8:00pm. Jai Maa! to Punyadeha, Shashini, Svayambhupuspapuspini, and Bhaktisukhini, with thanks to community and all who have supported their work during the past year and a day!</li>\r\n	<li><strong>Initiation</strong> of our 2003-2004 circle took place on Friday, August 26th (2004) at 8:00pm. Jai Maa! to Bhagavati, Karuna, Sundari, and Kumari, with thanks to our ancestors, guides and the lineage for the support and love during the past year and a day!</li>\r\n</ul>\r\n[/toggle]\r\n<br>\r\n<h5>Begin The Path</h5>\r\nJoin us for the next Teaching Circle to learn more about the Sha\'can path and the road to initiation. Formerly articulated through Daughters of Kali, a year-and-a-day teaching circle, the path of study and devotion now aligns with the initiate path of practice to increase mentorship, engagement in community and direct access to practices for deepened sadhana and worship.<br><br>\r\n\r\n[upcoming category=\"teaching-circle\" count=\"2\" place=\"1\" time=\"1\" phone=\"1\" ]\r\n\r\nAfter Teaching Circle, stay for Kali Puja and engage your practice through spiritual technologies and devotion.\r\n\r\n[testimonials category=\"the-path\" time=\"10\" effect=\"fade\" ]\r\n\r\n<h5>Farther Along The Path</h5>\r\nInitiation is a decision come to only after deep personal reflection, commitment, and dedicated work on the path. After initiation, many choose to further deepen study and practice in our ongoing circle of initiates, the Yogini Chakra. Many in our community stay in this circle, becoming mentors and elders in community. Others may choose to do the work necessary to take on a leadership role through Matrika Chakra.<br><br>\r\n\r\nFrom this place, it is also possible to continue the journey to ordination, working toward recognition as full clergy: the Rashani of Sha\'can. This path is available to any committed seeker.<br><br>\r\n\r\n[one_third] [teaser url=\"http://sharanya.org/the-path/commitment/\" title=\"Initiation\" src=\"http://sharanya.org/wp-content/uploads/2013/08/SF-Oct-08-123-e1377932688317.jpg\" ]Learn more...[/teaser] [/one_third]\r\n[one_third last=last] [teaser url=\"http://sharanya.org/the-path/ordination/\" title=\"Ordination\" src=\"http://sharanya.org/wp-content/uploads/2013/08/IMG_2076-e1377932258801.jpg\" ]Learn more...[/teaser] [/one_third]','The Path','','inherit','open','open','','99140-revision-v1','','','2014-10-01 20:33:20','2014-10-02 03:33:20','',99140,'http://sharanya.org/mandala/99140-revision-v1/',0,'revision','',0),(101128,2,'2014-10-01 20:34:57','2014-10-02 03:34:57','The Sha\'can tradition offers many opportunities for the neophyte as well as the initiate on the path to practice, worship, learn, deepen, and cultivate spiritual leadership. At SHARANYA, those seeking an understanding of and way into Sha\'can begin with sitting in circle, joining us regularly for puja, service and teaching circles. Those who receive initiation are welcomed into the Kaula, or family of initiates.<br><br>\r\n\r\n[toggle type=\"gray\" title=\"The Kaula\" active=\"\"]\r\nThe Kaula, our spiritual family, is bonded by faith, commitment and devotion to Goddess Kali. Each year we welcome Sha\'can initiates new and old to ceremonies that solidify their practice and another year\'s work on the path.\r\n<ul>\r\n        <li><strong>Rededication</strong> of Initiates (there was no 11th Chakra initiation) took place on Saturday, August 16th (2014) at 8:00pm. Jai Maa! to Balipriya, Bhaktashankari, Satya, Jayada, Purnamanaha, Maya,  Gitapriya, Vibhutihi, Shuddha, Citra and Chinnamasta for their presence, devotion and open-hearted embrace of the Divine Mother.</li>\r\n	<li><strong>Rededication</strong> of Initiates (there was no 10th Chakra initiation) took place on Saturday, August 10th (2013) at 8:00pm. Jai Maa! to Balipriya, Bhaktashankari, Satya, Jayada, Haravallabha, Purnamanaha, Maya, Punyadeha, Gitapriya, Tivra, Vibhutihi, Shuddha, and Chinnamasta for their presence, devotion and open-hearted embrace of the Divine Mother.</li>\r\n	<li><strong>Rededication</strong> of Initiates took place on Saturday, August 11th (2012) at 8:00pm. Jai Maa! to Bhaktashankari, Pavini, Haravallabha, Satya, Jayada, Purnamanaha, Jaratura, Balipriya, Citra and Maya for their presence, devotion and open-hearted embrace of the Divine Mother.</li>\r\n	<li><strong>Initiation</strong> of our 2011-12 circle (9th Chakra) took place on Friday, August 24th (2012) at 8:00pm. Jai Maa! to Gitapriya, Tivra, Vibhutihi, Shuddha, and Chinnamasta for their presence, devotion and open-hearted embrace of the Divine Mother.</li>\r\n	<li><strong>Rededication</strong> of Initiates (there was no 8th Chakra initiation) took place on Friday, September 9th (2011) at 8:00pm. Jai Maa! to Purnamanaha, Bhaktashankari, Jayada, Balipriya, Jaratura, Satya, Mahesha and Haravallabha for their presence, devotion and open-hearted embrace of the Divine Mother.</li>\r\n	<li><strong>Initiation</strong> of our 2009-2010 circle (7th Chakra) took place on Friday, September 10th (2010) at 8:00pm. Jai Maa! to Raktapa, Purnamanaha, Bhaktashankari, and Nitya, with thanks to community and all who have loved them and supported their work during the past year and a day!</li>\r\n	<li><strong>Initiation</strong> of our 2008-2009 circle took place on Friday, September 11th (2009) at 8:00pm. Jai Maa! to Mahesha, Haravallabha, Duti, Satya, and Citra, with thanks to community and all who have supported their work during the past year and a day!</li>\r\n	<li><strong>Initiation</strong> of our 2007-2008 circle took place on Friday, September 5th (2008) at 8:00pm. Jai Maa! to Jaratura, Jayada, Sanatani, Sarasvati, Anangarekha, and Balipriya, with thanks to community and all who have supported their work during the past year and a day!</li>\r\n	<li><strong>Initiation</strong> of our 2006-2007 circle took place on Friday, September 7th (2007) at 8:00pm. Jai Maa! to Asha and Kumarirupadharini, with thanks to community and all who have supported their work during the past year and a day!</li>\r\n	<li><strong>Initiation</strong> of our 2005-2006 circle took place on Friday, September 1st (2006) at 8:00pm. Jai Maa! to Shunyanivasini, Svadha, Kalabhairavi, Pavini, Durgatarini, Shreyasi, Ranapandita, and Maya, with thanks to community and all who have supported their work during the past year and a day!</li>\r\n	<li><strong>Initiation</strong> of our 2004-2005 circle took place on Friday, September 2nd (2005) at 8:00pm. Jai Maa! to Punyadeha, Shashini, Svayambhupuspapuspini, and Bhaktisukhini, with thanks to community and all who have supported their work during the past year and a day!</li>\r\n	<li><strong>Initiation</strong> of our 2003-2004 circle took place on Friday, August 26th (2004) at 8:00pm. Jai Maa! to Bhagavati, Karuna, Sundari, and Kumari, with thanks to our ancestors, guides and the lineage for the support and love during the past year and a day!</li>\r\n</ul>\r\n[/toggle]\r\n<br>\r\n<h5>Begin The Path</h5>\r\nJoin us for the next Teaching Circle to learn more about the Sha\'can path and the road to initiation. Formerly articulated through Daughters of Kali, a year-and-a-day teaching circle, the path of study and devotion now aligns with the initiate path of practice to increase mentorship, engagement in community and direct access to practices for deepened sadhana and worship.<br><br>\r\n\r\n[upcoming category=\"teaching-circle\" count=\"2\" place=\"1\" time=\"1\" phone=\"1\" ]\r\n\r\nAfter monthly Kali Puja (1pm), stay for Teaching Circle and engage your practice through spiritual technologies and devotion.\r\n\r\n[testimonials category=\"the-path\" time=\"10\" effect=\"fade\" ]\r\n\r\n<h5>Farther Along The Path</h5>\r\nInitiation is a decision come to only after deep personal reflection, commitment, and dedicated work on the path. After initiation, many choose to further deepen study and practice in our ongoing circle of initiates, the Yogini Chakra. Many in our community stay in this circle, becoming mentors and elders in community. Others may choose to do the work necessary to take on a leadership role through Matrika Chakra.<br><br>\r\n\r\nFrom this place, it is also possible to continue the journey to ordination, working toward recognition as full clergy: the Rashani of Sha\'can. This path is available to any committed seeker.<br><br>\r\n\r\n[one_third] [teaser url=\"http://sharanya.org/the-path/commitment/\" title=\"Initiation\" src=\"http://sharanya.org/wp-content/uploads/2013/08/SF-Oct-08-123-e1377932688317.jpg\" ]Learn more...[/teaser] [/one_third]\r\n[one_third last=last] [teaser url=\"http://sharanya.org/the-path/ordination/\" title=\"Ordination\" src=\"http://sharanya.org/wp-content/uploads/2013/08/IMG_2076-e1377932258801.jpg\" ]Learn more...[/teaser] [/one_third]','The Path','','inherit','open','open','','99140-revision-v1','','','2014-10-01 20:34:57','2014-10-02 03:34:57','',99140,'http://sharanya.org/mandala/99140-revision-v1/',0,'revision','',0),(101132,2,'2014-11-06 13:09:05','2014-11-06 20:09:05','<h2>Devotions to the Dark Goddess</h2>\n\nLet this ritual break open your heart that you may sing Her praises, dance Her mysteries, and deepen into self-reflection toward your own Divine nature. Come ready to dive into shadows of your resistance and re-surface renewed. Surrender through meditation, mantra and movement as we engage Her mysteries. Jai Maa! \n\nAll are welcome! \n\nHotel Location: ','PantheaCon Kali Puja','','inherit','open','open','','101098-autosave-v1','','','2014-11-06 13:09:05','2014-11-06 20:09:05','',101098,'http://sharanya.org/mandala/101098-autosave-v1/',0,'revision','',0),(101133,2,'2014-11-06 13:18:01','2014-11-06 20:18:01','Gather with us each month for new moon meditation and reflection. Everyone is welcome to join the circle, and no prior experience is necessary. ','Amavasya Satsang','','publish','closed','closed','','amavasya-satsang-11','','','2014-11-06 13:18:01','2014-11-06 20:18:01','',0,'http://sharanya.org/?post_type=th_events&#038;p=101133',0,'th_events','',0),(101134,2,'2014-11-06 13:19:08','2014-11-06 20:19:08','Gather with us each month for new moon meditation and reflection. Everyone is welcome to join the circle, and no prior experience is necessary. ','Amavasya Satsang','','publish','closed','closed','','amavasya-satsang-12','','','2014-11-06 13:19:08','2014-11-06 20:19:08','',0,'http://sharanya.org/?post_type=th_events&#038;p=101134',0,'th_events','',0),(101135,2,'2014-11-06 13:19:32','2014-11-06 20:19:32','Gather with us each month for new moon meditation and reflection. Everyone is welcome to join the circle, and no prior experience is necessary. ','Amavasya Satsang','','publish','closed','closed','','amavasya-satsang-13','','','2014-11-06 13:19:32','2014-11-06 20:19:32','',0,'http://sharanya.org/?post_type=th_events&#038;p=101135',0,'th_events','',0),(101136,2,'2014-11-06 13:20:01','2014-11-06 20:20:01','Gather with us each month for new moon meditation and reflection. Everyone is welcome to join the circle, and no prior experience is necessary. ','Amavasya Satsang','','publish','closed','closed','','amavasya-satsang-14','','','2014-11-06 13:20:01','2014-11-06 20:20:01','',0,'http://sharanya.org/?post_type=th_events&#038;p=101136',0,'th_events','',0),(101137,2,'2014-11-06 13:21:18','2014-11-06 20:21:18','Gather with us each month for new moon meditation and reflection. Everyone is welcome to join the circle, and no prior experience is necessary. ','Amavasya Satsang','','publish','closed','closed','','amavasya-satsang-15','','','2014-11-06 13:21:18','2014-11-06 20:21:18','',0,'http://sharanya.org/?post_type=th_events&#038;p=101137',0,'th_events','',0),(101138,2,'2014-11-06 13:21:49','2014-11-06 20:21:49','Gather with us each month for new moon meditation and reflection. Everyone is welcome to join the circle, and no prior experience is necessary. ','Amavasya Satsang','','publish','closed','closed','','amavasya-satsang-16','','','2014-11-06 13:21:49','2014-11-06 20:21:49','',0,'http://sharanya.org/?post_type=th_events&#038;p=101138',0,'th_events','',0),(101139,2,'2014-11-06 13:22:29','2014-11-06 20:22:29','Gather with us each month for new moon meditation and reflection. Everyone is welcome to join the circle, and no prior experience is necessary. ','Amavasya Satsang','','publish','closed','closed','','amavasya-satsang-17','','','2014-11-06 13:22:29','2014-11-06 20:22:29','',0,'http://sharanya.org/?post_type=th_events&#038;p=101139',0,'th_events','',0),(101140,2,'2014-11-06 13:23:05','2014-11-06 20:23:05','Gather with us each month for new moon meditation and reflection. Everyone is welcome to join the circle, and no prior experience is necessary. ','Amavasya Satsang','','publish','closed','closed','','amavasya-satsang-18','','','2014-11-06 13:23:05','2014-11-06 20:23:05','',0,'http://sharanya.org/?post_type=th_events&#038;p=101140',0,'th_events','',0),(101141,2,'2014-11-06 13:23:39','2014-11-06 20:23:39','Gather with us each month for new moon meditation and reflection. Everyone is welcome to join the circle, and no prior experience is necessary. ','Amavasya Satsang','','publish','closed','closed','','amavasya-satsang-19','','','2014-11-06 13:23:39','2014-11-06 20:23:39','',0,'http://sharanya.org/?post_type=th_events&#038;p=101141',0,'th_events','',0),(101142,2,'2014-11-06 13:24:12','2014-11-06 20:24:12','Gather with us each month for new moon meditation and reflection. Everyone is welcome to join the circle, and no prior experience is necessary. ','Amavasya Satsang','','publish','closed','closed','','amavasya-satsang-20','','','2014-11-06 13:24:12','2014-11-06 20:24:12','',0,'http://sharanya.org/?post_type=th_events&#038;p=101142',0,'th_events','',0),(101143,2,'2014-11-06 13:25:01','2014-11-06 20:25:01','Gather with us each month for new moon meditation and reflection. Everyone is welcome to join the circle, and no prior experience is necessary. ','Amavasya Satsang','','publish','closed','closed','','amavasya-satsang-21','','','2014-11-06 13:25:01','2014-11-06 20:25:01','',0,'http://sharanya.org/?post_type=th_events&#038;p=101143',0,'th_events','',0),(101144,2,'2014-11-06 13:26:21','2014-11-06 20:26:21','Gather with us each month for new moon meditation and reflection. Everyone is welcome to join the circle, and no prior experience is necessary. ','Amavasya Satsang','','publish','closed','closed','','amavasya-satsang-22','','','2014-11-06 13:26:21','2014-11-06 20:26:21','',0,'http://sharanya.org/?post_type=th_events&#038;p=101144',0,'th_events','',0),(101145,2,'2014-11-06 13:27:42','2014-11-06 20:27:42','Gather with us for full moon meditation and reflection each month. Everyone is welcome, no prior experience necessary. ','Purnima Satsang','','publish','closed','closed','','purnima-satsang-14','','','2014-11-06 13:27:42','2014-11-06 20:27:42','',0,'http://sharanya.org/?post_type=th_events&#038;p=101145',0,'th_events','',0),(101146,2,'2014-11-06 13:28:09','2014-11-06 20:28:09','Gather with us for full moon meditation and reflection each month. Everyone is welcome, no prior experience necessary. ','Purnima Satsang','','publish','closed','closed','','purnima-satsang-15','','','2014-11-06 13:28:09','2014-11-06 20:28:09','',0,'http://sharanya.org/?post_type=th_events&#038;p=101146',0,'th_events','',0),(101147,2,'2014-11-06 13:28:33','2014-11-06 20:28:33','Gather with us for full moon meditation and reflection each month. Everyone is welcome, no prior experience necessary. ','Purnima Satsang','','publish','closed','closed','','purnima-satsang-16','','','2014-11-06 13:28:33','2014-11-06 20:28:33','',0,'http://sharanya.org/?post_type=th_events&#038;p=101147',0,'th_events','',0),(101148,2,'2014-11-06 13:29:06','2014-11-06 20:29:06','Gather with us for full moon meditation and reflection each month. Everyone is welcome, no prior experience necessary. ','Purnima Satsang','','publish','closed','closed','','purnima-satsang-17','','','2014-11-06 13:29:06','2014-11-06 20:29:06','',0,'http://sharanya.org/?post_type=th_events&#038;p=101148',0,'th_events','',0),(101149,2,'2014-11-06 13:29:31','2014-11-06 20:29:31','Gather with us for full moon meditation and reflection each month. Everyone is welcome, no prior experience necessary. ','Purnima Satsang','','publish','closed','closed','','purnima-satsang-18','','','2014-11-06 13:29:31','2014-11-06 20:29:31','',0,'http://sharanya.org/?post_type=th_events&#038;p=101149',0,'th_events','',0),(101150,2,'2014-11-06 13:29:53','2014-11-06 20:29:53','Gather with us for full moon meditation and reflection each month. Everyone is welcome, no prior experience necessary. ','Purnima Satsang','','publish','closed','closed','','purnima-satsang-19','','','2014-11-06 13:29:53','2014-11-06 20:29:53','',0,'http://sharanya.org/?post_type=th_events&#038;p=101150',0,'th_events','',0),(101151,2,'2014-11-06 13:30:22','2014-11-06 20:30:22','Gather with us for full moon meditation and reflection each month. Everyone is welcome, no prior experience necessary. ','Purnima Satsang','','publish','closed','closed','','purnima-satsang-20','','','2014-11-06 13:30:22','2014-11-06 20:30:22','',0,'http://sharanya.org/?post_type=th_events&#038;p=101151',0,'th_events','',0),(101152,2,'2014-11-06 13:31:20','2014-11-06 20:31:20','Gather with us for full moon meditation and reflection each month. Everyone is welcome, no prior experience necessary. ','Purnima Satsang','','publish','closed','closed','','purnima-satsang-21','','','2014-11-06 13:31:20','2014-11-06 20:31:20','',0,'http://sharanya.org/?post_type=th_events&#038;p=101152',0,'th_events','',0),(101153,2,'2014-11-06 13:31:45','2014-11-06 20:31:45','Gather with us for full moon meditation and reflection each month. Everyone is welcome, no prior experience necessary. ','Purnima Satsang','','publish','closed','closed','','purnima-satsang-22','','','2014-11-06 13:31:45','2014-11-06 20:31:45','',0,'http://sharanya.org/?post_type=th_events&#038;p=101153',0,'th_events','',0),(101154,2,'2014-11-06 13:32:13','2014-11-06 20:32:13','Gather with us for full moon meditation and reflection each month. Everyone is welcome, no prior experience necessary. ','Purnima Satsang','','publish','closed','closed','','purnima-satsang-23','','','2014-11-06 13:32:13','2014-11-06 20:32:13','',0,'http://sharanya.org/?post_type=th_events&#038;p=101154',0,'th_events','',0),(101155,2,'2014-11-06 13:32:48','2014-11-06 20:32:48','Gather with us for full moon meditation and reflection each month. Everyone is welcome, no prior experience necessary. ','Purnima Satsang','','publish','closed','closed','','purnima-satsang-24','','','2014-11-06 13:32:48','2014-11-06 20:32:48','',0,'http://sharanya.org/?post_type=th_events&#038;p=101155',0,'th_events','',0),(101156,2,'2014-11-06 13:33:24','2014-11-06 20:33:24','Gather with us for full moon meditation and reflection each month. Everyone is welcome, no prior experience necessary. ','Purnima Satsang','','publish','closed','closed','','purnima-satsang-25','','','2014-11-06 13:33:24','2014-11-06 20:33:24','',0,'http://sharanya.org/?post_type=th_events&#038;p=101156',0,'th_events','',0),(101157,2,'2014-11-06 14:02:27','2014-11-06 21:02:27','Join us monthly as we come together to honor Kali Maa, Divine Mother and Great Goddess, offering reverence as we create ritualized as well as lived spaces in which the fundamental and activating energy of shakti can be realized today.\r\n\r\nWe begin with an initiate-led ritual to enliven our murti through a process called prana pratishta. Community joins at 1pm for the full puja. Learn more about our ceremony <a href=\"http://sharanya.org/events/pujas/\">here</a>. \r\n\r\nRSVP required to attend: <a href=\"mailto:info@sharanya.org\">info@sharanya.org</a> or make a <a href=\"https://www.networkforgood.org/donation/ExpressDonation.aspx?ORGID2= 94-3334334\">donation online</a>.\r\n\r\nAll pujas are followed by our teaching circle, open to everyone. Learn more about <a href=\"http://sharanya.org/the-path/\">The Path</a>. \r\n','Kali Puja','','publish','closed','closed','','kali-puja-3','','','2014-11-06 14:02:27','2014-11-06 21:02:27','',0,'http://sharanya.org/?post_type=th_events&#038;p=101157',0,'th_events','',0),(101158,2,'2014-11-06 14:04:44','2014-11-06 21:04:44','Join us monthly as we come together to honor Kali Maa, Divine Mother and Great Goddess, offering reverence as we create ritualized as well as lived spaces in which the fundamental and activating energy of shakti can be realized today.\r\n\r\nWe begin with an initiate-led ritual to enliven our murti through a process called prana pratishta. Community joins at 1pm for the full puja. Learn more about our ceremony <a href=\"http://sharanya.org/events/pujas/\">here</a>. \r\n\r\nRSVP required to attend: <a href=\"mailto:info@sharanya.org\">info@sharanya.org</a> or make a <a href=\"https://www.networkforgood.org/donation/ExpressDonation.aspx?ORGID2= 94-3334334\">donation online</a>.\r\n\r\nAll pujas are followed by our teaching circle, open to everyone. Learn more about <a href=\"http://sharanya.org/the-path/\">The Path</a>. \r\n','Kali Puja','','publish','closed','closed','','kali-puja-15','','','2014-11-06 14:04:44','2014-11-06 21:04:44','',0,'http://sharanya.org/?post_type=th_events&#038;p=101158',0,'th_events','',0),(101159,2,'2014-11-06 14:05:12','2014-11-06 21:05:12','Join us monthly as we come together to honor Kali Maa, Divine Mother and Great Goddess, offering reverence as we create ritualized as well as lived spaces in which the fundamental and activating energy of shakti can be realized today.\r\n\r\nWe begin with an initiate-led ritual to enliven our murti through a process called prana pratishta. Community joins at 1pm for the full puja. Learn more about our ceremony <a href=\"http://sharanya.org/events/pujas/\">here</a>. \r\n\r\nRSVP required to attend: <a href=\"mailto:info@sharanya.org\">info@sharanya.org</a> or make a <a href=\"https://www.networkforgood.org/donation/ExpressDonation.aspx?ORGID2= 94-3334334\">donation online</a>.\r\n\r\nAll pujas are followed by our teaching circle, open to everyone. Learn more about <a href=\"http://sharanya.org/the-path/\">The Path</a>. \r\n','Kali Puja','','publish','closed','closed','','kali-puja-16','','','2014-11-06 14:05:12','2014-11-06 21:05:12','',0,'http://sharanya.org/?post_type=th_events&#038;p=101159',0,'th_events','',0),(101160,2,'2014-11-06 14:07:37','2014-11-06 21:07:37','Join us monthly as we come together to honor Kali Maa, Divine Mother and Great Goddess, offering reverence as we create ritualized as well as lived spaces in which the fundamental and activating energy of shakti can be realized today.\r\n\r\nWe begin with an initiate-led ritual to enliven our murti through a process called prana pratishta. Community joins at 1pm for the full puja. Learn more about our ceremony <a href=\"http://sharanya.org/events/pujas/\">here</a>. \r\n\r\nRSVP required to attend: <a href=\"mailto:info@sharanya.org\">info@sharanya.org</a> or make a <a href=\"https://www.networkforgood.org/donation/ExpressDonation.aspx?ORGID2= 94-3334334\">donation online</a>.\r\n\r\nAll pujas are followed by our teaching circle, open to everyone. Learn more about <a href=\"http://sharanya.org/the-path/\">The Path</a>. \r\n','Kali Puja','','publish','closed','closed','','kali-puja-17','','','2014-11-06 14:07:37','2014-11-06 21:07:37','',0,'http://sharanya.org/?post_type=th_events&#038;p=101160',0,'th_events','',0),(101161,2,'2014-11-06 14:08:07','2014-11-06 21:08:07','Join us monthly as we come together to honor Kali Maa, Divine Mother and Great Goddess, offering reverence as we create ritualized as well as lived spaces in which the fundamental and activating energy of shakti can be realized today.\r\n\r\nWe begin with an initiate-led ritual to enliven our murti through a process called prana pratishta. Community joins at 1pm for the full puja. Learn more about our ceremony <a href=\"http://sharanya.org/events/pujas/\">here</a>. \r\n\r\nRSVP required to attend: <a href=\"mailto:info@sharanya.org\">info@sharanya.org</a> or make a <a href=\"https://www.networkforgood.org/donation/ExpressDonation.aspx?ORGID2= 94-3334334\">donation online</a>.\r\n\r\nAll pujas are followed by our teaching circle, open to everyone. Learn more about <a href=\"http://sharanya.org/the-path/\">The Path</a>. \r\n','Kali Puja','','publish','closed','closed','','kali-puja-18','','','2014-11-06 14:08:07','2014-11-06 21:08:07','',0,'http://sharanya.org/?post_type=th_events&#038;p=101161',0,'th_events','',0),(101162,2,'2014-11-06 14:08:34','2014-11-06 21:08:34','Join us monthly as we come together to honor Kali Maa, Divine Mother and Great Goddess, offering reverence as we create ritualized as well as lived spaces in which the fundamental and activating energy of shakti can be realized today.\r\n\r\nWe begin with an initiate-led ritual to enliven our murti through a process called prana pratishta. Community joins at 1pm for the full puja. Learn more about our ceremony <a href=\"http://sharanya.org/events/pujas/\">here</a>. \r\n\r\nRSVP required to attend: <a href=\"mailto:info@sharanya.org\">info@sharanya.org</a> or make a <a href=\"https://www.networkforgood.org/donation/ExpressDonation.aspx?ORGID2= 94-3334334\">donation online</a>.\r\n\r\nAll pujas are followed by our teaching circle, open to everyone. Learn more about <a href=\"http://sharanya.org/the-path/\">The Path</a>. \r\n','Kali Puja','','publish','closed','closed','','kali-puja-19','','','2014-11-06 14:08:34','2014-11-06 21:08:34','',0,'http://sharanya.org/?post_type=th_events&#038;p=101162',0,'th_events','',0),(101163,2,'2014-11-06 14:09:00','2014-11-06 21:09:00','Join us monthly as we come together to honor Kali Maa, Divine Mother and Great Goddess, offering reverence as we create ritualized as well as lived spaces in which the fundamental and activating energy of shakti can be realized today.\r\n\r\nWe begin with an initiate-led ritual to enliven our murti through a process called prana pratishta. Community joins at 1pm for the full puja. Learn more about our ceremony <a href=\"http://sharanya.org/events/pujas/\">here</a>. \r\n\r\nRSVP required to attend: <a href=\"mailto:info@sharanya.org\">info@sharanya.org</a> or make a <a href=\"https://www.networkforgood.org/donation/ExpressDonation.aspx?ORGID2= 94-3334334\">donation online</a>.\r\n\r\nAll pujas are followed by our teaching circle, open to everyone. Learn more about <a href=\"http://sharanya.org/the-path/\">The Path</a>. \r\n','Kali Puja','','publish','closed','closed','','kali-puja-20','','','2014-11-06 14:09:00','2014-11-06 21:09:00','',0,'http://sharanya.org/?post_type=th_events&#038;p=101163',0,'th_events','',0),(101164,2,'2014-11-06 14:09:26','2014-11-06 21:09:26','Join us monthly as we come together to honor Kali Maa, Divine Mother and Great Goddess, offering reverence as we create ritualized as well as lived spaces in which the fundamental and activating energy of shakti can be realized today.\r\n\r\nWe begin with an initiate-led ritual to enliven our murti through a process called prana pratishta. Community joins at 1pm for the full puja. Learn more about our ceremony <a href=\"http://sharanya.org/events/pujas/\">here</a>. \r\n\r\nRSVP required to attend: <a href=\"mailto:info@sharanya.org\">info@sharanya.org</a> or make a <a href=\"https://www.networkforgood.org/donation/ExpressDonation.aspx?ORGID2= 94-3334334\">donation online</a>.\r\n\r\nAll pujas are followed by our teaching circle, open to everyone. Learn more about <a href=\"http://sharanya.org/the-path/\">The Path</a>. \r\n','Kali Puja','','publish','closed','closed','','kali-puja-21','','','2014-11-06 14:09:26','2014-11-06 21:09:26','',0,'http://sharanya.org/?post_type=th_events&#038;p=101164',0,'th_events','',0),(101165,2,'2014-11-06 14:09:52','2014-11-06 21:09:52','Join us monthly as we come together to honor Kali Maa, Divine Mother and Great Goddess, offering reverence as we create ritualized as well as lived spaces in which the fundamental and activating energy of shakti can be realized today.\r\n\r\nWe begin with an initiate-led ritual to enliven our murti through a process called prana pratishta. Community joins at 1pm for the full puja. Learn more about our ceremony <a href=\"http://sharanya.org/events/pujas/\">here</a>. \r\n\r\nRSVP required to attend: <a href=\"mailto:info@sharanya.org\">info@sharanya.org</a> or make a <a href=\"https://www.networkforgood.org/donation/ExpressDonation.aspx?ORGID2= 94-3334334\">donation online</a>.\r\n\r\nAll pujas are followed by our teaching circle, open to everyone. Learn more about <a href=\"http://sharanya.org/the-path/\">The Path</a>. \r\n','Kali Puja','','publish','closed','closed','','kali-puja-22','','','2014-11-06 14:09:52','2014-11-06 21:09:52','',0,'http://sharanya.org/?post_type=th_events&#038;p=101165',0,'th_events','',0),(101167,2,'2014-12-04 20:37:41','2014-12-05 03:37:41','','Balipriya','','inherit','open','open','','balipriya','','','2014-12-04 20:37:41','2014-12-05 03:37:41','',99127,'http://sharanya.org/wp-content/uploads/2013/08/Balipriya.jpg',0,'attachment','image/jpeg',0),(101168,2,'2014-12-04 20:37:55','2014-12-05 03:37:55','SHARANYA is a small and growing community-supported organization, run fully by devotee volunteers. All of our work in the world, from pujas and meditation circles, to project work in India, is carried out from a place of love and desire for engagement with Maa and Her creation through <i>seva</i> or spiritual service.<br><br>\r\n\r\nWe welcome new community participation in all of our endeavors. As a spiritual seeker, you are invited to attend our public services and to learn about the Sha\'can tradition by sitting in circle and volunteering. If you wish to participate but are located far from our home, we invite you to enroll in <a title=\"Kali Vidya\" href=\"http://sharanya.org/the-path/kali-vidya/\">Kali Vidya</a>, our online mystery school.<br><br>\r\n\r\nHelp deepen and expand our offerings as well as your own personal commitment to the Divine and spiritual community as you feel called. There are always opportunities to join us, and we welcome your participation and inspiration!<br><br>\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n[blog category=\"33\" perpage=\"1\" pagination=\"\" ]\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n[toggle type=\"gray\" title=\"What we do\" active=\"\"]We function on multiple levels to serve the overall mission and vision of the organization by:\r\n<ul>\r\n	<li>Offering worship services and helping to fulfill the spiritual needs of community</li>\r\n	<li>Co-creating the Sha\'can tradition as a spiritual evolution of Eastern and Western thought, the(a)ology, lived experience, and devotion</li>\r\n	<li>Making the Divine Feminine/Divine Female in all Her guises, but particularly those of South Asian lineage honored by the Shakta Tantric path, accessible to Westerners</li>\r\n	<li>Educating about South Asian culture and religion</li>\r\n	<li>Offering rites of passage and life event ceremonies</li>\r\n	<li>Facilitating transformation for girls and women in order to promote self-esteem and empowerment</li>\r\n	<li>Providing spiritual pilgrimage opportunities</li>\r\n	<li>Engaging in interfaith dialogue and promoting cross-cultural awareness</li>\r\n</ul>\r\n[/toggle]\r\n\r\n[toggle type=\"gray\" title=\"Volunteer\" active=\"\"]Visit our VolunteerMatch page to learn about current volunteer needs in support of the organization.\r\n<p align=\"center\"><a href=\"http://www.volunteermatch.org/results/org_detail.jsp?orgid=16615\" target=\"other\">\r\n<img alt=\"[VolunteerMatch - Where Volunteering Begins.]\" src=\"http://www.volunteermatch.org/images/2.0/new_logo.gif\" width=\"207\" height=\"102\" border=\"0\" /></a></p>\r\n[/toggle]\r\n\r\n[toggle type=\"gray\" title=\"Services\" active=\"\"]\r\n<ol><span style=\"color: #9c1601; font-family: wingdings; font-size: x-large;\">{</span> Weddings, Handfasting &amp; Commitment Ceremonies</ol>\r\n<ol><span style=\"color: #9c1601; font-family: wingdings; font-size: x-large;\">{</span> Renewal of Vows</ol>\r\n<ol><span style=\"color: #9c1601; font-family: wingdings; font-size: x-large;\">{</span> Spiritual Guidance</ol>\r\n<ol><span style=\"color: #9c1601; font-family: wingdings; font-size: x-large;\">{</span> Birth Rituals &amp; Blessingways</ol>\r\n<ol><span style=\"color: #9c1601; font-family: wingdings; font-size: x-large;\">{</span> Coming of Age, Puberty Rites &amp; Menarche Rituals</ol>\r\n<ol><span style=\"color: #9c1601; font-family: wingdings; font-size: x-large;\">{</span> Croning &amp; Menopause Rituals</ol>\r\n<ol><span style=\"color: #9c1601; font-family: wingdings; font-size: x-large;\">{</span> Crossing Over, Burial Rites &amp; Funerals</ol>\r\n[/toggle]\r\n\r\n[toggle type=\"gray\" title=\"Advisors\" active=\"\"]SHARANYA is supported by a Council and Board made up of adepts, devotees and academics from the US and India. We are grateful for their partnership and support.\r\n<ul>\r\n	<li>[tooltip tip=\"Rashbehari is a temple Panda, or approved facilitator, at Kalighat Mandir in Kolkata, West Bengal. In addition to guiding SHARANYA pilgrims at this famous Shakta Pitha (the sacred site where Maa Kali\'s big toe is said to have fallen to Earth) for over ten years, Rashbehari is a child of Maa, offering her bhajans (songs) and playing tunes to delight Her on his harmonium. Rashbehari\'s love of the Divine Mother is deep and infuses all he does. His graciousness, hospitality, delight in the Mystery, and care for those who seek to know Her is profound and has resulted in a long and deep friendship with the organization. He has also been instrumental in our discovery of the delight of Shyama Krishna, the Black Krishna, as found at Kalighat. <I>Hai Krishna Karuna Sindhu Dino Bhuntu Jagamapate Gopesha Gopeka Kanta Sri Radha Kanta Namo-stute!</I>\"]Rashbehari Das[/tooltip]</li>\r\n	<li>[tooltip tip=\"Shyam is the Founder and President, and residing Priest of the Maa Batakali Temple in Puri, Orissa (India). He has spent his life dedicated to the goddess Kali, and also organizes for social change in his hometown under the auspices of the Maa Batakali Cultural Mission-Puri. In conjunction with Chandra, who serves as the Chairman of the Puri Branch, Shyam has developed a Constitution that provides guidance for programs of transformation in a multiplicity of arenas.\"]Shyam Sundar Dash[/tooltip]</li>\r\n	<li>[tooltip tip=\"Based in Kolkata (Calcutta), Milan is a Development Consultant and a researcher providing services to NGO/PVOs, research institutes, government bodies, universities, and donor agencies. He focuses on training, research, implementation, monitoring and evaluation, documentation, planning and budgeting. Further, he is a certified National Trainer and Researcher on HIV/AIDS, with qualifications as an abstract reviewer of different national and international conferences. Milan frequently presents papers at conferences worldwide on different issues of development, such as: the World Bank, sociology, demography, sustainable development and agriculture, women in development, children, reproductive health and HIV/AIDS.\"]Milan K. Dinda, Ph.D.[/tooltip]</li>\r\n	<li>[tooltip tip=\"Originally from Kolkata and now based in Toronto, Ontario (Canada), Ravi brings extensive experience to the organization from years of working in the nonprofit sector, both in India and Canada. His ability to work across cultures and translate among them is a gift he shares openly. Ravi has been a friend to the organization even prior to its official formation, helping guide inquiries and make introductions to people and places throughout the Indian subcontinent since 1998. Over the years, he has gifted SHARANYA with his willingness to aid with all manner of support, and has consistently opened both his home and his heart, facilitating understanding, relationship, and the building of bridges to others and to his homeland.\"]Ravi Jain, MPH[/tooltip]</li>\r\n	<li>[tooltip tip=\"Elena is a Hindu pujari, Christian minister, and Wiccan clergy. She founded the Circle of the Feminine Divine in Stockton, California, a worship and study group devoted to exploring the meaning of the \'Motherhood of God\' and its implications for understanding the world\'s religions. She served for two years as President of the Interfaith Council of San Joaquin in Stockton, and is a guest lecturer at the University of the Pacific. Her first book, <I>Combating Inner Terrorism: Strategies of the Goddess from the Devi Mahatmyam</I>, is now available everywhere.\"]Elena Kelly[/tooltip]</li>\r\n	<li>[tooltip tip=\"Jeff holds the J. Newton Rayzor Chair in Philosophy and Religious Thought at Rice University, where he is also the Chair of the Department of Religious Studies. He has written a number of books on comparative mystical literature, American countercultural translations of Asian religious traditions, and the history of Western esotericism from ancient Gnosticism to the New Age. These include: <i>Esalen: America and the Religion of No Religion</i> (Chicago, 2007), <i>The Serpent\'s Gift: Gnostic Reflections on the Study of Religion</i> (Chicago, 2006), <i>Roads of Excess, Palaces of Wisdom: Eroticism and Reflexivity in the Study of Mysticism </i>(Chicago, 2001), and <i>Kali\'s Child: The Mystical and the Erotic in the Life and Teachings of Ramakrishna</i> (Chicago, 1995). Spiritually speaking, Jeff underwent an overwhelming, spontaneous <i>shakti-pat</i> or initiatory experience in Calcutta in 1989 during Kali-Puja, about which, out of which, and toward which he has written, thought, taught, and intuited ever since (the fullest description of this event can be found in <i>Roads of Excess, Palaces of Wisdom</i>, hence his Sanskrit motto on both his letterhead and business card: <i>svapna-siddha</i>, \'realized in a dream.\' Hence also his desire to support spiritual communities like SHARANYA. Pretty much nothing about him that you read on the Internet is true.\"]Jeffrey J. Kripal, Ph.D.[/tooltip]</li>\r\n	<li>[tooltip tip=\"Murray has been a regular puja attendee since 2007 and has also become a valued volunteer supporting SHARANYA behind the scenes. He provides logistical support as well as photography at nearly all of the organization\'s public activities. A computer software engineer by trade, he has been donating his skills and resources to support SHARANYA\'s online presence, most recently focused on enabling the online school, <i>Kali Vidya</i>.\"]Murray Kucherawy[/tooltip]</li>\r\n	<li>[tooltip tip=\"Nancy\'s connection to the Divine Mother came directly from her love of the natural world and her feminist convictions. She teaches yoga classes and offers Phoenix Rising Yoga Therapy in combination with Reike and counseling in Berkeley. She is a tremendous devotee of Maa and considers it a joy and an honor to be affiliated with SHARANYA and its important mission in the world. <I>May all beings find love and purpose. May we all personally, collectively, and planetary find our way to renewal and survival. Jai Ma and Blessed Be.</I>\"]Nancy Leatzow[/tooltip]</li>\r\n	<li>[tooltip tip=\"William developed his love for the many paths and faces of the goddess beginning with his own awakening inspired by his Grandmother, a devout Baptist Christian and pioneer woman who, as a little girl, migrated west traveling in a covered wagon. In his family travels, William lived much of his youth in East Africa. Living both in the African jungles and stateside, he developed an intimate appreciation and connection with indigenous peoples, shamanistic practices, the animal kingdom, and deep ecology. He has explored parapsychology and the turn-of-the-century works of the theosophists and steeped himself in many branches of the human potential movement, with roots both western and eastern. He has a strong and abiding connection with SHARANYA, and since 1997 through his own humble connection with the amazing graces of Maa has held the work of SHARANYA in great esteem.\"]William Moulton[/tooltip]</li>\r\n	<li>[tooltip tip=\"Initiated by her parents into Shakta Tantra and the mysteries of Tara Mata, Chitrika has been a dedicated practitioner of the faith from her youth and a beloved child of Maa for as long as she can remember. Today, she leads homa (fire ceremony) rites, puja, and Tantric ritual for community regularly in Kolkata and Tarapith, West Bengal. A jotish (astrologer), she also brings this ancient wisdom to bear on her work with those she advises in the ways of the Divine Mother. <em>Joi Tara!</em>\"]Chitrika Nyayaratna, M.A.[/tooltip]</li>\r\n	<li>[tooltip tip=\"Jim is Director of the Asian and Comparative Studies Program at the California Institute of Integral Studies (CIIS) where he has taught Sanskrit as well as Indian religion and philosophy for 27 years. His primary association with Goddess is in the Divine Mother (once named Mirra Alfassa), who was the spiritual partner of Sri Aurobindo. Jim has also done extensive research on the Sri Vidya tradition and on the Sri Cakra, which is seen as the subtle form of the Goddess in that tradition. He has spent many years teaching about the Indian Tantric tradition and reading the Sanskrit texts of that tradition. Jim holds a doctorate from UC Berkeley in South Asian Literature (Tamil).\"]James Ryan, Ph.D.[/tooltip]</li>\r\n	<li>[tooltip tip=\"Stuart, also known as Jivanand, has been a marriage therapist for 30 years, and was first choice to codirect Ram Dass\'s \'prison ashram\' and first in the US to bring yoga to the homeless mentally-ill in the 1970s. Stuart is Co-president of the Association for Transpersonal Psychology and a 20-year trustee for CIIS. He is the author of <i>Eros Consciousness & Kundalini</i>, <i>Words From the Soul</i>, and <i>Your Perfect Lips</i>, as well as numerous articles and chapters on  psychotherapy and tantra yoga with presentations throughout the US, India, Europe and Russia. A thirty-year adept at anahata-nad, spontaneous yogic chanting, he has three CDs with Axis Mundi. Stuart holds a BA from Princeton and a Ph.D. from CIIS.\"]Stuart Sovatsky, Ph.D.[/tooltip]</li>\r\n</ul>\r\n[/toggle]\r\n\r\n[toggle type=\"gray\" title=\"Initiates & Elders\" active=\"\"]Foundational to SHARANYA is our core of initiate practitioners who have committed to personal transformation and the work of engaged spiritual leadership. Through our ritual and teaching circles, these elders deepen the heart of Sha\'can and our community\'s evolution.\r\n<ul>\r\n	<li><a href=\"http://sharanya.org/wp-content/uploads/2013/08/Balipriya.jpg\"><img src=\"http://sharanya.org/wp-content/uploads/2013/08/Balipriya.jpg\" alt=\"Balipriya\" class=\"alignleft size-full wp-image-101167 imgborder\" /></a>[tooltip tip=\"Balipriya Dahl has been actively involved in SHARANYA for over seven years and has been an initiate for six years. She is a member of the Yogini and Matrika Teaching Chakras, as well as an Apprentice. At the end of her Apprenticeship next year, she intends to ordain in the Sha\'can tradition, Goddess willing. She seeks to debunk the myths and misinformation surrounding Tantra, making it accessible to a wider audience while maintaining and honoring its rich lineage.</I>\"]Balipriya Dahl[/tooltip]</li>\r\n</ul>\r\n[/toggle]\r\n\r\nReview the rest of our website for information on our offerings and initiatives. <a title=\"Contact Us\" href=\"http://sharanya.org/contact-us/\">Contact us</a> if we may provide additional information about ways to participate in the SHARANYA community.','Community','','inherit','open','open','','99127-revision-v1','','','2014-12-04 20:37:55','2014-12-05 03:37:55','',99127,'http://sharanya.org/mandala/99127-revision-v1/',0,'revision','',0),(101169,2,'2014-12-08 12:56:23','2014-12-08 19:56:23','SHARANYA is a small and growing community-supported organization, run fully by devotee volunteers. All of our work in the world, from pujas and meditation circles, to project work in India, is carried out from a place of love and desire for engagement with Maa and Her creation through <i>seva</i> or spiritual service.<br><br>\r\n\r\nWe welcome new community participation in all of our endeavors. As a spiritual seeker, you are invited to attend our public services and to learn about the Sha\'can tradition by sitting in circle and volunteering. If you wish to participate but are located far from our home, we invite you to enroll in <a title=\"Kali Vidya\" href=\"http://sharanya.org/the-path/kali-vidya/\">Kali Vidya</a>, our online mystery school.<br><br>\r\n\r\nHelp deepen and expand our offerings as well as your own personal commitment to the Divine and spiritual community as you feel called. There are always opportunities to join us, and we welcome your participation and inspiration!<br><br>\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n[blog category=\"33\" perpage=\"1\" pagination=\"\" ]\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n[toggle type=\"gray\" title=\"What we do\" active=\"\"]We function on multiple levels to serve the overall mission and vision of the organization by:\r\n<ul>\r\n	<li>Offering worship services and helping to fulfill the spiritual needs of community</li>\r\n	<li>Co-creating the Sha\'can tradition as a spiritual evolution of Eastern and Western thought, the(a)ology, lived experience, and devotion</li>\r\n	<li>Making the Divine Feminine/Divine Female in all Her guises, but particularly those of South Asian lineage honored by the Shakta Tantric path, accessible to Westerners</li>\r\n	<li>Educating about South Asian culture and religion</li>\r\n	<li>Offering rites of passage and life event ceremonies</li>\r\n	<li>Facilitating transformation for girls and women in order to promote self-esteem and empowerment</li>\r\n	<li>Providing spiritual pilgrimage opportunities</li>\r\n	<li>Engaging in interfaith dialogue and promoting cross-cultural awareness</li>\r\n</ul>\r\n[/toggle]\r\n\r\n[toggle type=\"gray\" title=\"Volunteer\" active=\"\"]Visit our VolunteerMatch page to learn about current volunteer needs in support of the organization.\r\n<p align=\"center\"><a href=\"http://www.volunteermatch.org/results/org_detail.jsp?orgid=16615\" target=\"other\">\r\n<img alt=\"[VolunteerMatch - Where Volunteering Begins.]\" src=\"http://www.volunteermatch.org/images/2.0/new_logo.gif\" width=\"207\" height=\"102\" border=\"0\" /></a></p>\r\n[/toggle]\r\n\r\n[toggle type=\"gray\" title=\"Services\" active=\"\"]\r\n<ol><span style=\"color: #9c1601; font-family: wingdings; font-size: x-large;\">{</span> Weddings, Handfasting &amp; Commitment Ceremonies</ol>\r\n<ol><span style=\"color: #9c1601; font-family: wingdings; font-size: x-large;\">{</span> Renewal of Vows</ol>\r\n<ol><span style=\"color: #9c1601; font-family: wingdings; font-size: x-large;\">{</span> Spiritual Guidance</ol>\r\n<ol><span style=\"color: #9c1601; font-family: wingdings; font-size: x-large;\">{</span> Birth Rituals &amp; Blessingways</ol>\r\n<ol><span style=\"color: #9c1601; font-family: wingdings; font-size: x-large;\">{</span> Coming of Age, Puberty Rites &amp; Menarche Rituals</ol>\r\n<ol><span style=\"color: #9c1601; font-family: wingdings; font-size: x-large;\">{</span> Croning &amp; Menopause Rituals</ol>\r\n<ol><span style=\"color: #9c1601; font-family: wingdings; font-size: x-large;\">{</span> Crossing Over, Burial Rites &amp; Funerals</ol>\r\n[/toggle]\r\n\r\n[toggle type=\"gray\" title=\"Advisors\" active=\"\"]SHARANYA is supported by a Council and Board made up of adepts, devotees and academics from the US and India. We are grateful for their partnership and support.\r\n<ul>\r\n	<li>[tooltip tip=\"Rashbehari is a temple Panda, or approved facilitator, at Kalighat Mandir in Kolkata, West Bengal. In addition to guiding SHARANYA pilgrims at this famous Shakta Pitha (the sacred site where Maa Kali\'s big toe is said to have fallen to Earth) for over ten years, Rashbehari is a child of Maa, offering her bhajans (songs) and playing tunes to delight Her on his harmonium. Rashbehari\'s love of the Divine Mother is deep and infuses all he does. His graciousness, hospitality, delight in the Mystery, and care for those who seek to know Her is profound and has resulted in a long and deep friendship with the organization. He has also been instrumental in our discovery of the delight of Shyama Krishna, the Black Krishna, as found at Kalighat. <I>Hai Krishna Karuna Sindhu Dino Bhuntu Jagamapate Gopesha Gopeka Kanta Sri Radha Kanta Namo-stute!</I>\"]Rashbehari Das[/tooltip]</li>\r\n	<li>[tooltip tip=\"Shyam is the Founder and President, and residing Priest of the Maa Batakali Temple in Puri, Orissa (India). He has spent his life dedicated to the goddess Kali, and also organizes for social change in his hometown under the auspices of the Maa Batakali Cultural Mission-Puri. In conjunction with Chandra, who serves as the Chairman of the Puri Branch, Shyam has developed a Constitution that provides guidance for programs of transformation in a multiplicity of arenas.\"]Shyam Sundar Dash[/tooltip]</li>\r\n	<li>[tooltip tip=\"Based in Kolkata (Calcutta), Milan is a Development Consultant and a researcher providing services to NGO/PVOs, research institutes, government bodies, universities, and donor agencies. He focuses on training, research, implementation, monitoring and evaluation, documentation, planning and budgeting. Further, he is a certified National Trainer and Researcher on HIV/AIDS, with qualifications as an abstract reviewer of different national and international conferences. Milan frequently presents papers at conferences worldwide on different issues of development, such as: the World Bank, sociology, demography, sustainable development and agriculture, women in development, children, reproductive health and HIV/AIDS.\"]Milan K. Dinda, Ph.D.[/tooltip]</li>\r\n	<li>[tooltip tip=\"Originally from Kolkata and now based in Toronto, Ontario (Canada), Ravi brings extensive experience to the organization from years of working in the nonprofit sector, both in India and Canada. His ability to work across cultures and translate among them is a gift he shares openly. Ravi has been a friend to the organization even prior to its official formation, helping guide inquiries and make introductions to people and places throughout the Indian subcontinent since 1998. Over the years, he has gifted SHARANYA with his willingness to aid with all manner of support, and has consistently opened both his home and his heart, facilitating understanding, relationship, and the building of bridges to others and to his homeland.\"]Ravi Jain, MPH[/tooltip]</li>\r\n	<li>[tooltip tip=\"Elena is a Hindu pujari, Christian minister, and Wiccan clergy. She founded the Circle of the Feminine Divine in Stockton, California, a worship and study group devoted to exploring the meaning of the \'Motherhood of God\' and its implications for understanding the world\'s religions. She served for two years as President of the Interfaith Council of San Joaquin in Stockton, and is a guest lecturer at the University of the Pacific. Her first book, <I>Combating Inner Terrorism: Strategies of the Goddess from the Devi Mahatmyam</I>, is now available everywhere.\"]Elena Kelly[/tooltip]</li>\r\n	<li>[tooltip tip=\"Jeff holds the J. Newton Rayzor Chair in Philosophy and Religious Thought at Rice University, where he is also the Chair of the Department of Religious Studies. He has written a number of books on comparative mystical literature, American countercultural translations of Asian religious traditions, and the history of Western esotericism from ancient Gnosticism to the New Age. These include: <i>Esalen: America and the Religion of No Religion</i> (Chicago, 2007), <i>The Serpent\'s Gift: Gnostic Reflections on the Study of Religion</i> (Chicago, 2006), <i>Roads of Excess, Palaces of Wisdom: Eroticism and Reflexivity in the Study of Mysticism </i>(Chicago, 2001), and <i>Kali\'s Child: The Mystical and the Erotic in the Life and Teachings of Ramakrishna</i> (Chicago, 1995). Spiritually speaking, Jeff underwent an overwhelming, spontaneous <i>shakti-pat</i> or initiatory experience in Calcutta in 1989 during Kali-Puja, about which, out of which, and toward which he has written, thought, taught, and intuited ever since (the fullest description of this event can be found in <i>Roads of Excess, Palaces of Wisdom</i>, hence his Sanskrit motto on both his letterhead and business card: <i>svapna-siddha</i>, \'realized in a dream.\' Hence also his desire to support spiritual communities like SHARANYA. Pretty much nothing about him that you read on the Internet is true.\"]Jeffrey J. Kripal, Ph.D.[/tooltip]</li>\r\n	<li>[tooltip tip=\"Murray has been a regular puja attendee since 2007 and has also become a valued volunteer supporting SHARANYA behind the scenes. He provides logistical support as well as photography at nearly all of the organization\'s public activities. A computer software engineer by trade, he has been donating his skills and resources to support SHARANYA\'s online presence, most recently focused on enabling the online school, <i>Kali Vidya</i>.\"]Murray Kucherawy[/tooltip]</li>\r\n	<li>[tooltip tip=\"Nancy\'s connection to the Divine Mother came directly from her love of the natural world and her feminist convictions. She teaches yoga classes and offers Phoenix Rising Yoga Therapy in combination with Reike and counseling in Berkeley. She is a tremendous devotee of Maa and considers it a joy and an honor to be affiliated with SHARANYA and its important mission in the world. <I>May all beings find love and purpose. May we all personally, collectively, and planetary find our way to renewal and survival. Jai Ma and Blessed Be.</I>\"]Nancy Leatzow[/tooltip]</li>\r\n	<li>[tooltip tip=\"William developed his love for the many paths and faces of the goddess beginning with his own awakening inspired by his Grandmother, a devout Baptist Christian and pioneer woman who, as a little girl, migrated west traveling in a covered wagon. In his family travels, William lived much of his youth in East Africa. Living both in the African jungles and stateside, he developed an intimate appreciation and connection with indigenous peoples, shamanistic practices, the animal kingdom, and deep ecology. He has explored parapsychology and the turn-of-the-century works of the theosophists and steeped himself in many branches of the human potential movement, with roots both western and eastern. He has a strong and abiding connection with SHARANYA, and since 1997 through his own humble connection with the amazing graces of Maa has held the work of SHARANYA in great esteem.\"]William Moulton[/tooltip]</li>\r\n	<li>[tooltip tip=\"Initiated by her parents into Shakta Tantra and the mysteries of Tara Mata, Chitrika has been a dedicated practitioner of the faith from her youth and a beloved child of Maa for as long as she can remember. Today, she leads homa (fire ceremony) rites, puja, and Tantric ritual for community regularly in Kolkata and Tarapith, West Bengal. A jotish (astrologer), she also brings this ancient wisdom to bear on her work with those she advises in the ways of the Divine Mother. <em>Joi Tara!</em>\"]Chitrika Nyayaratna, M.A.[/tooltip]</li>\r\n	<li>[tooltip tip=\"Jim is Director of the Asian and Comparative Studies Program at the California Institute of Integral Studies (CIIS) where he has taught Sanskrit as well as Indian religion and philosophy for 27 years. His primary association with Goddess is in the Divine Mother (once named Mirra Alfassa), who was the spiritual partner of Sri Aurobindo. Jim has also done extensive research on the Sri Vidya tradition and on the Sri Cakra, which is seen as the subtle form of the Goddess in that tradition. He has spent many years teaching about the Indian Tantric tradition and reading the Sanskrit texts of that tradition. Jim holds a doctorate from UC Berkeley in South Asian Literature (Tamil).\"]James Ryan, Ph.D.[/tooltip]</li>\r\n	<li>[tooltip tip=\"Stuart, also known as Jivanand, has been a marriage therapist for 30 years, and was first choice to codirect Ram Dass\'s \'prison ashram\' and first in the US to bring yoga to the homeless mentally-ill in the 1970s. Stuart is Co-president of the Association for Transpersonal Psychology and a 20-year trustee for CIIS. He is the author of <i>Eros Consciousness & Kundalini</i>, <i>Words From the Soul</i>, and <i>Your Perfect Lips</i>, as well as numerous articles and chapters on  psychotherapy and tantra yoga with presentations throughout the US, India, Europe and Russia. A thirty-year adept at anahata-nad, spontaneous yogic chanting, he has three CDs with Axis Mundi. Stuart holds a BA from Princeton and a Ph.D. from CIIS.\"]Stuart Sovatsky, Ph.D.[/tooltip]</li>\r\n</ul>\r\n[/toggle]\r\n\r\n[toggle type=\"gray\" title=\"Initiates & Elders\" active=\"\"]Foundational to SHARANYA is our core of initiate practitioners who have committed to personal transformation and the work of engaged spiritual leadership. Through our ritual and teaching circles, these elders deepen the heart of Sha\'can and our community\'s evolution.\r\n<ul>\r\n	<li><a href=\"http://sharanya.org/wp-content/uploads/2013/08/Balipriya.jpg\"><img src=\"http://sharanya.org/wp-content/uploads/2013/08/Balipriya.jpg\" alt=\"Balipriya\" class=\"alignleft size-full wp-image-101167 imgborder\" /></a>[tooltip tip=\"Balipriya Dahl has been actively involved in SHARANYA for over seven years and has been an initiate for six years. She is a member of the Yogini Teaching and Ritual Chakras, of Matrika Chakra, and an Apprentice. At the end of her Apprenticeship next year (in November 2015), she intends to ordain in the Sha\'can tradition, Goddess willing. She seeks to debunk the myths and misinformation surrounding Tantra, making it accessible to a wider audience while maintaining and honoring its rich lineage.\"]Balipriya Dahl[/tooltip]</li>\r\n</ul>\r\n        <li>[tooltip tip=\"Shuddha is entering into her 4th year in SHARANYA, and has been an initiate for 2 years. She is a member of the Yogini Teaching and Ritual Circles, Matrika Chakra, and regularly attends monthly Kali Puja.  With the blessings and direction of Kali Maa and Chandra Maa, Shuddha hopes to follow the path to ordination and bring comfort, compassion, and healing to those with palliative/end-of-life care needs.\"]Shuddha Butler[/tooltip]</li>\r\n[/toggle]\r\n\r\nReview the rest of our website for information on our offerings and initiatives. <a title=\"Contact Us\" href=\"http://sharanya.org/contact-us/\">Contact us</a> if we may provide additional information about ways to participate in the SHARANYA community.','Community','','inherit','open','open','','99127-revision-v1','','','2014-12-08 12:56:23','2014-12-08 19:56:23','',99127,'http://sharanya.org/mandala/99127-revision-v1/',0,'revision','',0),