Wednesday, April 27, 2011

Gypsy folklore tells Robin brings Good Luck!

Seeing Robins means it is finally Spring! 

Warm breeze with the scent of flowers in the air. Traditionally, seeing a robin means good luck. Gypsy folklore tells us that it brings good luck to see the first robin of spring. Not only is the robin a promise of new beginnings with the new cycle of spring in our midst, it carries symbolic meanings of cheer, joviality and light-heartedness. The robin's song tells the tale of "Live, love, laugh and be happy" and that is precisely what the symbolic meaning of the red robin tells us.

If one robin foretells good fortune, what does two bring? This morning I took my coffee out onto the front porch to revel in the early mist, watching the purple haze gradually change to burnt umber and fade as the day began. As I took in the Vermont mountains from my parents house at the base of  Killington I saw one lovely robin in a tree. Another robin darted from the telephone wire to the sidewalk and began walking down the sidewalk toward us. I was pretty sure he was after the robin in the tree, but before I could ask him, she flew from the tree to another half way down the street. The dance of love was on. Soon they both disappeared from my line of sight behind the neighbor's bushes.

Bird song has returned to the skies, little buds on trees are ready to burst open, and the spring flowers are poised for blooming! Robins are sure to bring luck as they are to be a harbinger that warm weather and all that implies are surely on the way...

"Native American Plains' tribes attributed the return of the sun (inception of spring) with the red robin too. Indeed, many Native American beliefs attributed solar symbolic meaning to the red robin because its rosy red chest is symbolic of the dawning sun. Also, its bright yellow beak is symbolic of sun rays lighting the earth with hope. Omaha tribes believed the sun rose and set on the wings of the robin.

The robin's bright yellow beak is also symbolic of sun rays to the Native American. Native Americans attributed their beak color with being mindful of the spoken word. The robin was a sign to only present the highest truth when speaking.

Further, Iroquois and Shoshone tribe lore indicated the white ring around the red robin's eye was symbolic of prophetic vision, clarity, and great wisdom. The robin would be called upon during ceremonies when clear understanding was needed, and quality judgments needed to be made

The robin brings a fresh new perspective to situations that are otherwise foggy and unclear. Try calling on robin energy for clarity when your judgment is clouded or when you need light shed on an issue.

The red robin reminds us it's time to shake the sleepiness out of our head (both figuratively and literally), get alert, get moving, and start enjoying life! Enjoy the bright road ahead because it's only going to get brighter..."

For more info, visit Animal Totem- Robin.

Saturday, April 23, 2011

Significance of 108

What is the significance of 108?

Mala beads have 108 beads. It evolved as a simple logistical solution to doing repetitions of mantras. Aim for 108 times and you will be more likely to meet a hundred reps done correctly.
There are many mathematical reasons why 108 is observed. One of the is a feature of the planets. There are 9 planets; Mercury, Venus, Earth, Mars, Jupiter, Uranus, Neptune, Saturn and Pluto. There are also 12 zodiac signs and 12 Chinese animal years. 12X9=108 Another planetary mathematical formula is that the distance between the Earth and the Sun is 108 times the diameter of the Sun as is the distance between the Earth and the Moon is 108 times the diameter of the Moon. There are also 108 stitches on a baseball.

Thursday, April 14, 2011

Parvati is Transcendence

Navratri begins with worship and respects for the initiator of unfolding the universe. The story of Parvati and Lord Shiva is one of ecstatic transcendence. Jimutavahana, Shiva Rides the Clouds from Shambhavi Chopra's Yogini. I take this story from her book.

"Parvati, in the embrace of Lord Shiva, being carried above the clouds, was so ecstatic that she gave him the name "Kamadeva," the Lord of Desire, the catalyst for all creative processes, whom Shiva had slain, was reborn the moment Parvati embraced him...Shiva yielded to Parvati's soft, sweet words, her smile stirring love in Shiva's austere heart.

The two complimented each other perfectly. She was gentle and divinely graceful; He was wild and forceful. Her subtle lasya tempered his energetic tandava and created perfect harmony. Together, the Divine cosmic couple captivated the vibrations of the Universe.

Parvati gently enticed Shiva into the ways of the world, and through a myriad of questions aroused his concern for the cosmos, Nature, society, life, love and marriage, which he was previously oblivious to.

His great wisdom, acquired through eons of brooding and meditation, was shared for the good of the cosmos. Parvati was the perfect student, Shiva the perfect teacher. Through their cosmic union, the world was enriched by sacred conversations and the secrets of the Vedas, the splendors of the Shastras and the deep mysteries of the Tantras were revealed. Lost in the heights of Mount Meru, at the very center of the Universe, Shiva, the supreme yogi and Shakti, his sensual female consort, together view the world. The cosmic couple is satiated with the transcendental peace that follows the ecstasy of their union.

Shiva explained to his consort the meaning of transcendence. The whole of existance is consummated with transcendence, which is the goal of all yogas. Transcendence reaches beyond all phenominal limitations and is the supreme goal of evolution; the ultimate destiny of our creaturely existance. The creative force of Bahma brings all beings into existance, while the preserving force of Vishnu protects their lives. The transcendental force of Shiva leads one beyond worldlieness, moving from the mundane to the metaphysical. On the highest level, transcendence is the complete experience of reality beyond both worldlieness and death.

Each of these deities is inseparable from its respective counterpart, the feminine energy or shakti. In Tantra, every higher principal exists through the union of male and female forces. Shakti is the essence of sheer bliss. Through bhakti or devotion, she uplifts the force of faith. The shakti of Brahma, Saraswati, is the patroness of 64 traditional arts. These arts and sciences add to the charm and eloquence of the person.

Without such modes of expression, our lives would be devoid of zeal, ardor or passion. These arts form a means of communication and self-expression for our deepest urges. Shiva's consort Kali is the initiator to transcendence. A woman becomes one with Kali by coming to terms with her own awesome power of initiation. Lakshmi, Lord Vishnu's consort, is the pure embodiement of preservation, prosperity and beauty. The triad of these three forces of creativity, transcendence and preservation correspond to birth, death and life in our very existance.

Love unites us to the source, the supreme creative force in the universe, where Shiva and Shakti merge."

Wednesday, April 13, 2011

9 Days of Navratri

Chaitra Navratri or Vasant Navratri was April 4, 2011 to April 12, 2011

Mid-March to Mid-April is the festival of Navarati, celebrated in devotion to goddesses Parvati, Lakshmi and Saraswati. The first three days of Navratri are dedicated to Goddess Durga (Warrior Goddess) dressed in red and mounted on a lion. Her various incarnations - Kumari, Parvati and Kali - are worshipped during these days. They represent the three different classes of womanhood that include the child, the young girl and the mature woman. Next three days are dedicated to Goddess Lakshmi (Goddess of Wealth and Prosperity), dressed in gold and mounted on an owl and finally, last three are dedicated to Goddess Saraswati (Goddess Of Knowledge), dressed in milky white and mounted on a pure white swan. Sweetmeats are prepared for the celebrations. Children and adults dress up in new bright-colored dresses for the night performances. 

The first is to goddess of action and energy, Parvati, relinquishing attachments to material things for 3 days then the next is to abundance and the opening of the heart chakra, backbends and inversions for the final three to Saraswati. Focusing on the head, the crown chakra and giving life to artistic pursuits. I will be in NYC for part of this fast so finding classes at the Jivamukti Studio in Manhattan should be a good way to go.

I just learned of it, so will begin celebrating on the 14th to end on Easter Sunday. Fast will exclude meat and coffee and highlight smoothies, veggies and quinoa. Mantras will be to each goddess respectively and each day will learn a new story and post. Learning, living and being.

Thursday, April 7, 2011

Phlegm

Cleansing is a Natural Process of Both the Earth and the Body

There is a season in Vermont we call Mud. The end of winter when dirty snowbanks still line the roads and new flowers are eagerly poking up from the ground, sometimes only to be killed by a late frost or a hungry beaver. Things are still dead and brown. In many cases, because of the wildly fluctuating weather conditions, sickness overtakes even the heartiest of yogis.

Somewhere between the sunny flashes of warmth and the last minute snowstorms, the virus I had been fighting off from Montreal to Florida and back again overtook me. Possibly the stressful conditions brought on by the movement of new directions coupled with unexpected events and newly acquired family proximity lowered my natural immunity. Whatever the reason, I was feverish and in a state of delerium for days.

Resistance to change found me like a small naked child stranded on a desert island, staring into the approaching tsunami of challenging new events seemed overwhelming. Homeostasis is the body's attempt at balance, a natural equilibrium.Suddenly faced with gaining and then losing everything important in life within only a few months of each climactic event, my body, which had become accostomed to the last long plateau was thrown into an abyss. I faced it head on.

The season of spring evolves and breathes new life into the crevices where the winter has filled and nourished fertile soil. The fermented residue must somehow join the compost pile, the toxins must be pushed out. My body is trying to eject the poisons from my system as well. The white knights of my blood cells chasing the vile invaders out. They are hiding in the moat, waiting for the dragon to burn them out, breathing fiery coughing phlegm. Forceful pranayama.

Final days of mud are drawing to a close. Feeling the vital blessing of mother nature restore us, even on the Northern shores of the East Coast, to abundant health again. I know this phlegmatic seasonal lull is drawing short. The verdant bloom of spring is already budding.