Shri Mataji
The Heart Chakra is the place of our Spirit, our joy, our security and our responsibility. It is placed in the centre of the chest which is also at the centre of the whole Subtle System. Our security is felt from this chakra: if we receive a fright we often spontaneously cover our hearts. It is the power of love and joy and confidence, emanating from heart, which testifies to the eternal, unconquerable Spirit that resides therein. The Sahaja Yoga affirmations for the Heart (Anahat) Chakra are, “I am the Spirit. In my Spirit I am completely secure. In my Spirit I am a completely fearless person.”
After Self-realisation, the heart is felt to have three distinct aspects: the left, right and centre. On the left is the Spirit, the Atma or Self which manifests pure existence, awareness and joy (Sat-Chit-Ananda). Once our Spirit comes into our attention we begin to drop false identifications with the body, mind, ego, emotions and conditionings. We are then free to be, open, spontaneous, natural instruments of the Divine. When we know we are the Spirit, we have the security of knowing we are eternal, children of God.
The deity or principle of left heart is God the Father, Lord Shiva, and His Shakti, Shri Parvati. In India and other Asian countries, people upon meeting each other acknowledge the Spirit in the other person by raising their hands to prayer position, in Namaskar, and by bowing. These gestures recognise and respect the essential divinity in the other person. As the poet says, “It is not for the sake of the person that the person is dear, but for the sake of the Spirit in the person, that the person is dear.” Perhaps the most dear relationship is the love between the mother and her child. This earthly mother (physical) relationship is also felt on the left heart, and so this role and relationship must be truly valued.
The centre heart governs the sense of security and protection. Here, when we are children, antibodies are created to fight any negativity within the body. The principle here is personified as the Great Goddess Jagadambe, the most powerful, multi-armed destroyer Deity who protects Her children and ultimately conquers all that is against Her children.
The right heart governs our relationship to our earthly father, and to our sense of duty and our sense of correct behaviour. The well-being and protection of our father, our relationship with him and with other masculine figures – husband, brothers and sons – and also the appropriate conduct of the father – neither irresponsible nor overly dominating – are important. Difficult relationships do put pressure on the heart.
The Deity or principle of right heart is the perfect husband, son, father and king – Lord Rama and his spouse Shri Seeta. He laid down, by example, the ideals or maryadas for right behaviour in family life.
Love is the ultimate quality or power of the heart – not the fearful, grasping, dependent or dominating condition some may calle love, but the great, fearless, life-giving, quality of open-heart that affirms, nourishes and protects. Pure Love is detached. It wants at all costs what is truly best. Spiritual love is the fountainhead of all life. It gives to all, permeates all and does all the living work. It is said, “God is Love”.
The principal element of Heart is air. Air is a primary need for us to sustain life. To clear and strengthen the Heart Chakra you can take large lungfuls of air. This effectively provides energy and dispels negativity.
Extreme over-activity of the right side, physically or mentally, stresses the heart, as does anti-God activity.
Essentially, in Spirit we are all one. Competition and fear reduce the sense of Love and compassion and so make us strangers to our Selves. Shri Mataji has said many times that, “Sahaja Yoga is only Love”.
(Photograph: koausa.org)
Self-knowledge is the key for a saviour to give to people. We have had so many saints. We have had so many Sufis. We had Tao people. We had Zen people. All kinds of realised souls came on this Earth. They all suffered. They were tortured. Nobody understood them. But now the time has come for you to know the truth, but truth which is not dry, truth which has compassion, truth that encompasses everyone, that brings the complete view of our existence. Why are we here on this Earth? What is our purpose? What should we do? Adi Shakti’s powers are such, of love and compassion, that they make you understand your Self first.
Love, for you, is very, very, limited. There’s no awareness of your own being. Just imagine what a great task it is for you, how much you have to be seriously becoming aware of your Self first.
That is extremely important. First you have to be aware of your Self. And now you have the light of your spirit. In the light of that spirit, you can see what you are and you can see how far you are going, how wrong things you are doing, what harm you are doing to yourself, and you have a power to cure it, to improve it and to come to your senses. These are the most important times. You will never get these times again. You never had it in history and you can never get it in the future.
Shri Mataji, 2001
Australia is very far off. But this is the land which is the land of purity. This is the land in the universe, is the first centre that you see there, and Uluru that you have – Uluru means, as I told you, is the Chaitanya, is the symbol of that purity. So you stand for the innocence of the world. You are such a great nation here that stands for the innocence … so you have to be careful and understand your own identity as innocent people. And I am sure it will work out very well for all of you. And this country which has many problems will be solved by your own purity, and the whole world can be helped with your own purity and beautiful lives. May God bless you.
Shri Mataji, Sydney, 1990
It’s important to rise very much above the rest of the people. Why not be like Martin Luther? We can do it. Why do we not create people of that kind who speak of something great, who bring the attention of people to something higher, raise their necks upward to see … with their heads higher than the others, and see something great within us – something so idealistic, so impossible for them to understand?
We have to have unique people. And that’s what we have to work out in our ascent – in individual and in collective ascent…. So we have to be very solemn about it and get to that state where the whole thing becomes a leela [play] because you are so powerful – like Shri Krishna.
Shri Mataji, 1990