Meditation
A major contribution of Carl Jung (1875-1961), a Swiss psychiatrist and psychologist, was his work in the area of the unconscious and the collective unconscious. Jung defines the unconscious as the part of the mind of an individual that contains experiences, knowledge and personal motivations of which the individual is not consciously aware. He described the universal collective unconscious as a deeper level of unconsciousness which includes all the shared knowledge, experiences and collective wisdom of the whole of humanity. It is made up of archetypes which are innate and which refer to universal thought patterns common to all societies, such as the archetype of the mother and the archetype of religion, the search for a connection with a higher power. He also believed that the members of every society or culture share a collective unconscious, which includes all the particular understandings and meanings that have developed from their history and that enable people to react to situations in ways similar to their ancestors.
Shri Mataji Nirmala Devi has developed a method by which it is possible to make the unconscious conscious. It involves gaining our Self-realisation, which Jung called “individuation” and which modern psychologists and psychiatrists call “self-actualisation” and which gives us complete psychological integration. Shri Mataji’s method is called Sahaja Yoga, and takes just ten minutes to work. “Sahaja” means “spontaneous” and “born with you”. The method allows us to go into a state of meditation known as “thoughtless awareness” in which we are awake and alert but are not thinking and are not affected by what is happening in our environment.
The Kundalini, which is the residual life force, lies dormant in the sacrum bone at the bottom of the spine. It is the spark of Divinity within us, known as the “Aatma” in India, and it records everything that we ever do and everything that ever happens to us, in our unconscious. The Kundalini is activated when we start seeking, when we develop a strong desire to become a better person, to know the ultimate truth about life, about the universe, or the meaning of life, and situations arise so that this desire can be fulfilled. The fulfilment of that desire is to have our Self-realisation.
During Self-realisation the kundalini rises up through the spine and through the limbic area, the old brain, which controls our heartbeat, our breathing, our digestion, and our instincts and intuition. It then flows out of the fontanelle bone area to unite with the universal life force, the creative power of the universe, known as the “Paramatma” in India, which does all the living work, making the seeds sprout in the ground and making the flowers fragrant.
After Self-realisation, in thoughtless awareness, we are able to feel the state of our being on our cental nervous system, through “vibratory awareness”. We are able to feel the state of our chakras on our fingertips as each of the seven chakras corresponds to a different finger or part of the hand. As each chakra corresponds to a different sphere in our psychological, emotional, physical and spiritual lives we can decode the messages and discover what we need to do to improve our lives. In this way, what was previously unknown to us in our unconscious, becomes conscious.
We also become collectively conscious. Just as we are able to know the state of our own being, we are able to know the state of the being of other people as well because we become connected to the collective unconscious during meditation. We can know in a conscious way what people are like because we can feel the state of their chakras on our fingertips and we have the knowledge to decode what it means. As a result of being collectively conscious we feel more compassionate and understanding towards others. This knowledge can never be used to harm others; it is only for the benevolence of ourselves, our societies and ultimately the whole world.
Kay Alford
(Photograph: academic.brooklyncuny.edu)
In Indian philosophy, there is a view as to why humankind finds itself in its present chaotic situation. The belief is that humankind passes through different ages, or Yugas. There are four main Yugas, and much like the different seasons, each has its own character. According to the Puranas, which are ancient Indian texts, the Yugas last for thousands of years. With each Yuga, the collective unconscious shifts, and gradually humankind finds itself adopting different principles and beliefs. For instance, there is a Golden Age, or Satya Yuga. This is a divine time; an age of spirituality. During this time, there is harmony between people; the world is a place of benevolence. People are said to be in a state of constant medititation. It is a time where there is no disease or sickness. Conflict is a thing of the past.
The second Age or Yuga is the Treta Yuga. This is an age characterised by mental abilities. This age is seen as a step down from the Golden Age of Satya Yuga. Man now has a sense of self. He develops the desire for power. A belief in man’s own mental abilities steadily rises.
The third age is Dvapara Yuga. In this age the sciences flourish. Inventions are abundant, especially inventions that seem to make distances between people and places disappear.
The fourth age, which is the one we currently find ourselves in, is Kali Yuga. This is the age of Darkness, where humankind has lost its inner connection with Divinity. It is, unfortunately, the world as we see it today. Here is an extract from the Mahabarata, describing the Kali Yuga. And remember, the Mahabharata was written thousands of years ago. So, this was written as a sign of things to come:
“Avarice and wrath will be common. Men will openly display animosity towards each other. Ignorance of Dharma will occur. Lust will be viewed as being socially acceptable. People will have thoughts of murder for no justification, and they will see nothing wrong with that mind-set. Family murders will also occur. People will see those who are helpless as easy targets and remove everything from them. Many other unwanted changes will occur. The right hand will deceive the left and the left the right. People will not trust a single person in the world, not even their immediate family. Even husband and wife will find contempt in each other. In the Kali Yuga even pre-teenage girls will get pregnant. The primary cause will be the social acceptance of sexual intercourse as being the central requirement of life. It is believed that sin will increase exponentially, whilst virtue will fade and cease to flourish. People will take vows only to break them soon. Alongside death and famine being everywhere, men will have lustful thoughts and so will women. People will without reason destroy trees and gardens. As previously mentioned, men will murder. There will be no respect for animals. People will become addicted to intoxicating drinks. Men will find their jobs stressful and will go to retreats to escape their work. As the sin increases exponentially, so will the incidence of divine justice and wrath.”
While this is a bleak description, I think we have to admit that it is an accurate one. There is, however, another Yuga, and it’s called Krita Yuga. Krita Yuga doesn’t last for thousands of years, but rather for several decades. It comes in between the four major Yugas and marks the transition from one to another.
According to the prophecies of Kakayyar Bhujander, a renowned Indian astrologer who lived almost 2000 years ago, this age of Darkness, or Kali Yuga, would begin to recede in the year 1970. It’s at this time the the world enters the transition stage, the Krita Yuga, which leads us to the promised times of Satya Yuga, the age of meditation, bliss and enlightenment.
Andre Anglem
Everyone is now familiar with the stereotypical image of a yogi sitting cross-legged chanting the sound, “OM”. But what is the real significance of “OM”?
OM is the primordial sound of the universe, the first sound, the sound that was made at the Big Bang, the beginning of our universe, and it resonates within our being. OM has the power to take us into meditation, to make us one with the universe, to take us into the the silence and the peace that is the vastness and the power of the universe, like the stillness of a bottomless lake that has no ripples.
The sound, OM, was made when matter first started to divide and differentiate and to recombine. OM is actually made up of three separate sounds, A-U-M, that together make the sound, OM. The first is “A” which sounds like “ar” as in “car”. The second is “U” which sounds like “oo” as in “book”. The third is “M” which sounds like “m” as in “man”. These sounds can help to keep us in balance. How?
Human beings have within them a subtle body which consists of three channels and seven chakras. The three channels are connected to our emotions on the left, our physical and mental activity on the right and our integration and balance in the centre. If we are over-emotional we are operating too much on the left side, and if we are thinking and planning too much or are over-active physically then we are using our right side too much. These situations cause the imbalances which lead to physical and mental health problems.
The central channel is generally activated only when we achieve our Self-realisation. This happens when the residual life force (called the Kundalini) which resides in the sacrum bone in every human being rises up through the spine, through the limbic area in the brain and out the top of the head at the fontanelle bone area. It then connects us with the All-pervading Power of the universe, the force that created us, the force that keeps the planets in their orbits and makes the seeds sprout in the Mother Earth.
Once we have our Self-realisation we can go into “thoughtless awareness”, the state of true meditation in which we are awake and alert but we are not thinking. In thoughtless awareness the Kundalini flows through us, balancing our subtle systems and clearing our chakras, giving us good health and feelings of well-being. As we continue to meditate and to strengthen this connection, the Kundalini flows more strongly and we are able to enjoy the silence, the space between the thoughts, to be the pure consciousness, to feel one with the whole of creation.
After our Self-realisation, when we have that connection to the force that created us, the sounds of the OM (AUM) can help to clear and balance our channels. If we use as a mantra the sound, A (“ar” as in “car”), it will help to clear the left channel, the sound, U (“oo” as in “book”), will help to clear the right channel and the sound, M (“m” as in “man”) ,will work on the central channel. As a result, the whole system will come into balance.
The sound, OM, also has the power to clear each of the chakras when sung at the pitch which resonates with the particular chakra, and it can raise the Kundalini when sung up the musical scale.
So, sit comfortably, on the floor or on a chair, hands palm upwards on your lap. Take a few deep breaths, and relax. Now sing, “Aaaaoooommm,” and let the sound take you into meditation, into the stillness and the silence and the peace that is the vastness of the universe where you are at one with the whole of creation and are nothing but pure consciousness. Enjoy!
Kay Alford
(Illustration: affirmations.goingon.com)
Shri Mataji Nirmala Devi founded Sahaja Yoga in 1970. Since that time She has given hundreds, maybe thousands, of public lectures all over the world during which she has spoken about the evolution of human beings into what she calls “super-human beings”.
Shri Mataji describes the last breakthrough of evolution as the attainment of Self-realisation. Self-realisation is the process by which the residual life-force in every human being (called the Kundalini) which resides in the sacrum bone, the triangular bone at the base of the spine, rises up the spinal column and up through the limbic area (the “old” brain) and out of the fontanelle bone area to unite with the All-pervading Power of the universe.
When this happens, we become connected to the power that created us. We become more knowledgeable about ourselves. We become collectively conscious, as Carl Jung has described. We are more connected to, more knowledgeable about and more compassionate towards others. We feel peaceful and joyful, and we feel loved and more loving towards others.
As we begin to meditate and to strengthen this connection after attaining our Self-realisation we become “thoughtlessly aware”, we become better people, we automatically act in more selfless and constructive ways and all our bad habits drop out. We gain the benefits of better health, good self-esteem and improved relationships with others. We receive inspiration to help us in our endeavours and experience being “in the flow”, where everything happens effortlessly and spontaneously, more often. In this way we become, as Shri Mataji says, “super-human beings”.
Shri Mataji describes this new state as the last step in our evolution and says that it is our birthright as human beings to receive it. It is very helpful on the microcosmic level, the personal level, to achieve this new state of being, through our Self-realisation, but even greater benefits accrue when this breakthrough is achieved on the macrocosmic level, the collective level.
Just as Self-realisation integrates all the best qualities of the human being in each individual, when many human beings have their Self-realisation then integration can take place on a global level. People of all cultures and backgrounds can then transcend their differences, live in peace and work co-operatively towards a new era of harmony and prosperity in a truly multi-cultural world.
Kay Alford