Obaitori

{this moment}

Inspired by Soule Mama. In her words...

 

A Friday ritual;   - a single photo - no words - capturing a moment from the week. A simple, special, extraordinary moment. A moment I want to pause, savor and remember. If you're inspired to do the same, leave a link to your 'moment' in the comments for all to find and see.

 

Tomorrow evening, Saturday, our local community of women celebrate the 2011 Winter Solstice Red Tent. We pray for and give thanks for our lives. We pray for all families, women and children of the world. We pray for the happiness of all living and non-living beings. The energy here is building. A lot of labour, anticipation and excitement has gone into the preparation of this event to make it a true celebration of life. There are women who are excited about telling their tale, sometimes for the first time. We will pray for your family.

The following morning our family is taking a holiday. We are venturing up north, Cairns, Cape Tribulation, Trinity Beach, Turtle Island, Port Douglas. I'm leaving cold weather behind and therefore my knitting, mmm? I'm packing shorts, t-shirts, snorkels and swimming costumes for tropical weather. It seems strange to be packing so out of season. I'll be gone for three weeks but back for Guru Poornima.

Guru Poornima is on Friday 15th July, a special day for giving thanks for all gurus and the teachings. This year the Moon will be full at 4.40pm in Sagittarius, ruled by the wise Jupiter, and in the nakshatra of Uttar Ashada, ruled by the Vishvadevas, the ten universal deities. For information on the celebrations ask at your local yoga school, ashram and for those in NSW, Australia at Satyananda Yoga Mangrove.

 

Take precious care of each other.

With Love Katie xxx.

havan ~ mantra ~ sankalpa

 

For those of you who are new to Obaitori and yoga, here are a few important points for the Red Tent on havan, mantra and sankalpa.

Please understand that havan, mantra and sankalpa are not religious exercises.

In brief -

Havan - a purifying fire ritual.

Mantra - sound vibration to activate the conscious mind creating an inner awakening.

Sankalpa - a short positive statement, a resolve to change your life for the better.

 

We are beginning the Red Tent celebration with a havan. A havan (pronounced hawan) is a purifying ritual from the yogic roots of India. It involves a fire ceremony by invoking the divine energies of fire (agni).

 

 

Almost every ancient culture in this world acknowledges fire as a powerful and mystical force and uses fire as as an integral part of worship.

Havans are age old rituals used to invoke positive energies into our lives and into the environment. The fire is used as a medium for the attainment of various wishes, both material and spiritual.

At this havan we will be chanting the Gayatri mantra over the fire.

The Gayatri is a revered mantra recited in the ancient language of Sanskrit.

It may be translated as meaning, 'You/the universe/nature/God are the giver of life, the remover of pain and sorrow, the bestower of happiness. Just as the sun illuminates the darkness may your purifying rays enlighten our minds.'

In this way we will be praying for healing and wisdom.

After each mantra, we will say,  "swaha" which can be translated as meaning, ‘I make this offering of my self’. We then make offerings into the fire of ghee and grains and herbs.

Many people experience a profound tangible healing presence during havans, which can manifest in their lives and the environment around them. 

 

 

The Gayatri Mantra;

    om bhūr bhuvah svah

    tát savitúr váreniyam

    bhárgo devásya dhīmahi

    dhíyo yó nah pracodáyāt

We start the havan by chanting mantra. Mantras were discovered in higher states of meditation, when yogis started to explore the different layers of the mind to discover the source of existence.*

The yogis also perceived in their state of observation that by chanting a particular sound you are able to stimulate the chakras. If, for example, a long rope is tied to a tree trunk and you shake it, you will see the effect, the wave travels from one end of the rope to the other. Similarly, if the sound of a frequency is audibly spoken, the ripples of the vibration reach the other end, activate and touch the psychic centre.

So, in order to create a particular state of consciousness the yogis combined the sounds, and thus emerged mantras like Om namaha Shivaya, Om namaha bhagavate Vasudevaya, and others.

People started to think that Om Ramayah namah is a Rama mantra, Rama being the historical/mythological personality who lived at a certain time and place. Mantras started to be associated with people’s beliefs and understanding. Krishna mantras became associated with Krishna, Shiva mantras with Shiva, Devi mantras with Devi.

However, mantras precede such identification with belief systems, and the classical and committed yogic traditions have remained true to the original purpose of the mantra, which is inner awakening.

Many of you have asked about a definition of the mantra, Hari Om Tat Sat. Basically it means that form and the formless, are both one. Please go here for that definition.

* All text italics are written by Swami Niranjan. Swami means one who has mastered their mind.

 

Sankalpa is a positive resolve, a determination that one makes to improve their life. The sankalpa is a private statement that is mentally repeated at the havan and other yogic practices like yoga nidra. The statement is sacred and kept to oneself in order to contain it's energy.

A bit more from Swami Niranjan;  

Many people say it is a positive affirmation, a positive thought, but sankalpa is a process of training the mind to develop the will and to develop clarity of thought. Through sankalpa we learn how to train the mind so that the will becomes alive.

The sankalpa takes time to formulate. It might take up to two years to word the sankalpa and to work out what you want in life.

A sankalpa is a short sentence, said in the present tense in a positive way. Some examples, "I honour my mind, body and soul." "I live a balanced life." "I am in control of my mind." "I love and accept myself, exactly as I am."

The following quote might help you to formulate your sankalpa.

"What kind of future do I envision for myself? What kind of self am I trying to develop? What do I want to accomplish in my life? The thing is to paint this vision of your life in your heart as specifically as possible. That 'painting' itself becomes the design of your future. The power of the heart enables us to actually create with our lives a wonderful masterpiece in accordance with that design" ~ Daisaku Ikeda.

 

You can read more about the Red Tent 1 and 2 here.

For the winter solstice Red Tent you might wish to bring the following; something special to place on the havan altar to 'charge' up for the year, slippers and socks to keep your feet warm, flowers to decorate the altar, a candle that you can light on the night and take with you to use at home to be reminded of your sankalpa and any determinations you made on that evening.

 

 

 

sleeping in the lap of mother nature

It is still the solstice. The solstice goes for three days with the sun rising at the same exact point for three days in a row. Today has been highlighted with the natural rhythms of life, a feeling of joy, excitement and exuberance. The other solstice we experience is around Christmas time when I often have those same feelings.

In celebration of the solstice I thought I would share with you today a passage from the Yajur Veda dated around 8000 BC.

 

Live in complete harmony with Nature.

Experience the grace of God

in the splendour of the universe.

Be blessed by God's reassuring love.

The sweet dawn will sweeten your soul,

the dazzling midday will set your hearts aflutter

and the serene music of your soul

will guide you towards peace and prosperity.

And when the day's task is over

you will sleep in the lap of Mother Nature.

 

—Yajur Veda (34.37)

winter solstice 2011

  

As we once again turn towards the light wishing you a very happy 2011 winter solstice.

To my friends in the northern hemisphere I wish you peace, joy and love and a very happy summer solstice.

The solstice has great personal and cultural significance for many people, plants and animals of the world. Generally it is a time of renewal and rebirth. Today I am thinking of the new year ahead and making a list of determinations for my family and solidifying the family sankalpa.

 

Everything begins with the resolve to take the first step.

From that action, wisdom arises and change begins. Without action, nothing change.

~ Ikeda ~

 

It is a auspicious time, allow yourself some time this evening after your bath to perform this blessing, it is a special wiccan self-blessing that is good for all women to do at the solstice.

 

 

festivals and happiness

A beautiful and full weekend;

I learnt about hazelnut and chestnut blossom

A buddha visited, she had, 'i am the sun' written on the inside of her wrist. Wherever she goes she sheds her graceful light on all those who need it. She reaches out to those who are suffering.

We attended the 5 lands walk finale. Our children from the Montessori School sang this;

 

NAIYI NAYAWA

 

with Aboriginal elder, Gavi the 5 lands band and an 8 piece classical orchestra.

We participated in the cleansing of a Smoke Ceremony.

This years walk was dedicated to Aboriginal elder 'Jacko' Smith who died earlier this year. "He participated in much of the ceremony of the 5 Lands Walks over the years, particularly 'Welcome to Country' and with a twinkle in his eyes, took full credit for calling the whales which performed off MacMasters Beach during last year's Opening Ceremony."

A Message Stick is carried throughout the walk that passes through 5 Aboriginal lands between MacMasters Beach and Terrigal. This years message;

The Aboriginal people are the traditional custodians of our land, Australia. Their elders, past, present and future, hold the memories, the traditions, the culture and hopes of Indigenous Australia.  A deeper understanding of these values carries our hope for a better Australia for all.

The Ganang Spirit Dances performed on Terrigal beach. They are comprised of Aboriginal children living in the Gosford Shire aged from 2 to 10 years of age. They learn traditional Aboriginal dance and instruments from a group of Aboriginal elders.

Bodhi, who carries a kangaroo skin was eyeing off the lead dancer. He was wearing traditional possum skin dress.

I met a woman who had both Greek and Australian Aboriginal blood, she makes bush flower essences. I asked her about the possum. She said that there is an Aboriginal law about the possum dress. I later found out more here . For Bodhi to be initiated into this level he needs to 10 years of age - about the same time it will take me to find approximately 20 possums and for Dazla, who has Aboriginal blood, to skin them.

Aboriginal women were the first Australians to make patchwork quilts. They fashioned possum and kangaroo skins into blankets and cloaks.

On Sunday I attended my local Buddhist meeting. The study material was happiness. Here is the Buddhist perspective on happiness. I left feeling very content. I also left with a full belly of true Indian delights, tulsi plant cuttings and a basketful of organic mandarins from a friend's new farm, I thanked him smiled at his excitement.

At home I proprogated 3 tulsi plants and am drying about 100 leaves.

Gave my delighted children said mandarins, they smiled.

Ate hazelnut icecream.

Also ate seared salmon on the bbq. yum!

Joining Amanda today over at Habit of Being for weekending. 

How was your weekend? What did you do?

Happiness

A person with a vast heart is happy.
Such a person lives each day with a broad and embracing spirit.
A person with a strong will is happy.
Such a person can confidently enjoy life, never defeated by suffering.
A person with a profound spirit is happy.
Such a person can savor life's depths
while creating meaning and value that will last for eternity.
A person with a pure mind is happy.
Such a person is always surrounded by refreshing breezes of joy.

Ikeda.

 

 

the yogi and the ghost

Many traditions use stories to teach great spiritual truths. Here, on Sundays, some of these stories will be re-told. They can be understood by adults & children. Where possible I will suggest a children's picture book that teaches the same or similar story.

*** *** ***

~ Photo ~

by Swami Chintanshuddhi Saraswati

One day, high up in the snow-lined ridges of the Himalayas, a wandering yogi came upon a derelict house and thought it wise to shelter there the night, as storm clouds were gathering over the peaks and the air was chilling to the bone. The house was deserted, and full of dust and cobwebs. He rolled out his mat in the corner of a front room and gazed out of the window as the storm approached.

A deep feeling of sorrow darkened the yogi’s heart. “I have failed in my sadhana,” he thought sadly. “Twenty years of intense meditation and still no fruits, no peace, no bliss. My mind is as wild and unruly as it was when I first started. I have failed to conquer it.” He drifted in and out of sleep, listening to the howling wind and rain in his dreams.

Around midnight the ghost of the house discovered the sleeping yogi. “Aha!” he exclaimed in glee and rattled his chains. “What fun to give him a fright.” The ghost moaned into the ear of the yogi and rattled his chains loudly.

The yogi opened his eyes. “A haunted house! There’s an important message here. Yes, my mind is just like this ghost – wailing, howling, rattling its chains.” He contemplated this idea for a few moments and then drifted back into slumber.

The ghost was aghast. This had never happened before, not in three hundred years of successful haunting, of watching his victims fly screaming out of the gate. He slumped down beside the snoring yogi and a great depression came over him. “I am a failure, my haunting skills have completely left me. Oh woe! What will become of me?” After a while he picked up his shackles and chains, and trundled off down the corridor.

The morning brought no relief from the wild storm. The yogi awoke and gazed out at the swirling world. “My mind is just like this storm,” he pondered, and gave up the thought of doing any meditation. He stretched his stiff body and decided to spend the morning exploring the house.

The melancholy ghost was sobbing in the attic when he heard footsteps climbing the stairs. Feeling curious, he traipsed meekly after the yogi, along the rambling corridors, into each dusty room, and even up into the turrets. The yogi was aware of the ghost, but remained unafraid. “Yes, my mind is just like this ghost, roaming the corridors of a derelict house, lost in the cobwebs of its own creation.” They went down to an overgrown graveyard beyond the garden walls and sat in the rain amidst the old grey tombstones. Suddenly a strong thought hit the yogi – Why is the mind like a ghost? Because it has no resting place.

“Of course!” exclaimed the yogi. “No resting place!”

“No resting place!” echoed the ghost mournfully and rattled his chains.

The yogi raised his arms to the grey skies. “I have tried to conquer my mind through force, through suppression. I have watched it cowering like a frightened animal. I have seen it retaliate by creating huge upheavals inside me. But I have never thought to be kind, to be a friend, to give the mind a resting place.”

He closed his eyes to meditate on this revelation and things became clear. “The hearth of the heart is the resting place for the mind. There, instead of roaming endlessly life after life, the mind reconnects with its source and becomes peaceful, blissful, contented. Its fractures begin to heal and then true yoga begins.”

Listening intently, the ghost was puzzled. Although he was a spirit, he’d had no spiritual training whatsoever and had to grapple with these concepts. But the words ‘resting place’ had struck a chord deep inside and he wanted to learn more.

The storm cleared and it was time for the yogi to depart. As he bid farewell to the old house and headed off down the path, he felt the breezy step of the ghost close behind.

{this moment}

Inspired by Soule Mama. In her words...

 

A Friday ritual;   - a single photo - no words - capturing a moment from the week. A simple, special, extraordinary moment. A moment I want to pause, savor and remember. If you're inspired to do the same, leave a link to your 'moment' in the comments for all to find and see.

 

Red Tent Winter Solstice 2011 Invitation

 

Beautiful Women,

We are very pleased to invite you to the Winter Solstice 2011 Red Tent.

Red Tents are traditionally menstrual tents where women gather to sit for three days whilst they bleed. Here, they rest, talk, sing, massage, dance, reiki and just be. They still have 'real' ones around the world - it is reported that these communities do not experience pre-menstrual tension and other pressures to just 'get on with it.' Women are respected, loved and given that break they need.

The Red Tent is a safe place where you can come and be just you. It is a place to uncover and rediscover  the divinity within, to open up and unveil your true essence, the Divine Mother.

The event is to be held at the Central Coast Montessori School, Australia on the evening of Saturday 25th June at 6pm.

Bring your blankets, a pillow, and something special to place on the havan altar while you attend.

Young women of menarche age are welcome. Nursing babies are welcome until walking age.

$10 - $20 suggested donation - to a nominated registered women’s charity.

Michelle is creating a felted spiral wall hanging. We ask each of you to bring one of the following to sew onto the spiral whilst the stories are being told;
♥ a glass bead, a 4cm squared piece of fabric that holds meaning, a shell with a hole, a small natural object of beauty.

To replenish our energy;
♥ a plate of food, sweet or savoury. Chai and mulled wine will be served all night.

Your story ~ if you wish to tell one ~
♥ for the Third tent we encourage you to tell a story of your own birth of wisdom. Birth stories are always welcome.

We will be creating a decorative canopy cloth for use at future Red Tents. If you wish, please bring along;
♥ a piece of fabric 40 × 40cm with red tones. It can be of any style with beading, sequins, plain or embroidered cloth. These pieces will be sewn together to create a meaningful, significantly historical cloth that perhaps even our ‘daughters’ will use at their Red Tents.

                                                                    - Programme -

6pm ~ arrival, settling

6:30pm ~ Havan ~ fire ceremony invoking The Divine Mother, chanting Durga Path × 3,

Gayatri Mantra × 108

* please be prompt, do not enter the space whilst the havan is being performed, kindly wait outside

7pm ~ Welcome and introduction. Stories begin.

8:30 ~ Dinner.

9:30 ~ Story Telling.

10:30 ~ Supper.

11:00 ~ Story Telling.

Midnight ~ Conclusion Ceremony.

 

Please feel free to extend this invitation to your friends.

RSVP's appreciated.

If you would like to contribute to the labour of the Red Tent, please let us know.

Be bold. Be adventurous. Live your dream.

Om Shanti Om.

Love Michelle, Nicole, Amanda and Katie.

 

Evening Talk by Dr Rama Prasad

Making your Daily Routine Divine with the wisdom of Ayurveda.

Fri 17th June

7.00pm $20

MY Manly Yoga

27 Pittwater Road Manly NSW Australia 2095

 

What is Ayurveda?

Born from Ancient Indian wisdom, Ayurveda is hailed as the ‘mother of all healing sciences’.

Ayurveda focuses on inspiring individuals to heal rapidly and easily with the aid of herbs, diet, body therapies, counselling and lifestyle adjustments.

Dr. Rama Prasad -

Rama is one of Australasia’s most qualified and experienced practitioners in the field of Ayurveda. An experienced Ayurvedic physician and teacher since 1989, Rama has a reputation as a gifted and sensitive healer with a warm and compassionate nature. Along with consulting at Ayurveda Elements Chatswood, Rama is the principle lecturer for Nature Care College’s Ayurveda Course and and is the founder of The Australian Sanskrit Institute.

Bookings & more info 9977 4725

fancy

a little home decorating window shopping from Ruby Traders ... they are having a sale too!