Obaitori

flame admist the darkness

It is early here and so dark today. Darker than it was yesterday. This morning was a dawn start. Bodhi {5 yrs} and I watched Nigella in bed together with a pot of tea. And now it's pouring with rain, it's time to leave for school, the thunder seems to be right over our heads and I'm in bed. Mmm... we will be late, that's okay, there is craft at school this morning. It was cancelled. So I'm back in bed inspired by so many artists all over the world, the ones who quietly sit with a needle and floss in hand over a coffee, a maths lesson, a fire place via Frontier Dreams with the lovely and hugely inspiring Nicole.

These little dolls I'm making are sweet and very satisfying. I was going to write quick too but quick is a word that doesn't quite fit in my vocabulary. Slow, soft, settling, these words suit. The pattern is over here at Adirondack Mama. I've made a few variations of these little dolls. This one pictured uses adhesive felt on the face, hair and tummy. This was a trial doll that Indira has now claimed as her own. At school we plan on creating a doll with and for each child which will symbolise their inner self. Inside the doll and according to the child's and family's specific desire, will go crystals, prayers, mala beads, mantras, positive words, affirmations etc

I'm listening to Yasmeen Olya as I start another doll. If you like hearing angels sing this woman is an archangel of song.

I like this little doll, she is gentle and quiet. I hope that you leave a comment and please link up to what you have created. I'd love to see it. Would you like another cup of tea? It's chai. I'm so glad you are here. Have a wonderful day and take precious care. Katie x

 

~ The Kalpa Tree ~

This post somehow became mis-laid, so leading up to yuletide preparation I present it again;

An Australian Christmas is traditionally based on an English one. A lot of these traditions; hot plum pudding, roast meat and vegetables, warm custard and bread and butter puddings, simply don't fit in a climate where 35-40 degree celcius heat predominates, most of the summer season. We, Australians have had to be clever about adapting a Christmas or celebratory season that suits all of our various belief systems, ethnicity & our individual families. this is a huge job considering that Australia is slightly larger than the continent, Europe.

In our family, we have come up with the following Australian summer season celebrations;

1. We love to spend our days on or near the beach - easy in Oz there are 10,685 mainland beaches and 838 beaches on 30 inhabited islands

2. recipes, in our family we have come up with a variety far from English ones - Mango & Coconut Prawns on the BBQ, ice-cream pudding & champagne breakfasts

3. sadhana/spiritual practice, we follow the main practice of the original custodians of this land and we watch the sunrise and sunset

4. we borrowed from the ancient Vendantic tradition, here is a tree tradition that suits our family.

A kalpa tree.

A kalpa tree is the wish-fulfilling tree in Sanskrit, in the sense of spiritual enlightenment.

From Spirit Song; The kalpa tree is a small chakra located just below the heart chakra.  It is called the Anandakanda chakra.  It depicts an altar shaded by an awning and a kalpa tree full of fruit, birds and flowers.  This is the seat of the Ishta-deva or personal god.  This little chakra has eight petals and is the place of mental worship. It grants whatever is asked and leads the aspirant to moksa, liberation from the bondage of karma. This is why it is called the wishing tree.

The kalpa tree is where you place your sankalpa; - meaning your determination, it is a process of training the mind to develop the will and to develop clarity of thought, the action of will, your spiritual resolve.

The sankalpa can be written down, perhaps on a ribbon & tied to the tree or you can put in there with your mental projection. Each time you see the tree, reinforce your sankalpa there within the tree, & within anandakanda chakra just below anahata chakra, the heart space.

Feel free to take the idea & use what you can find here. I have concerns about cut Christmas pine trees & also plastic trees so this year our tree is made from a collection of bamboo. Free, environmentally friendly & simple. The Chinese brought bamboo to Australia with them just after the English. Dazla cut the bamboo down along the roadside & we decorated it with long thin strands of silver tinsel, tiny old wooden decorations & our sankalpas.

 

~~~ ~~~ ~~~

 

A song from The Gospel of Sri Ramakrishna, identifies this Kalpa tree with Brahman, the Supreme Reality. From Kalpa Tree Press,

"Ever perched on the Absolute, the divine bird in our innermost heart is asked to sing its celestial  song of God-absorption."

 ࿄࿄࿄

Sing, O bird that nestles deep within my heart,

Sing, O bird that sits on the Kalpa-tree of Brahman,

Sing God's everlasting praise . . .

Sing, O bird, "He alone is the Comfort of my soul."

Sing, O bird, "He alone is my life's enduring Joy."

O thou wondrous bird of my life,

Sing aloud in my heart.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Good Day Sunshine

Ah Joy! The blessings of this beautiful celebratory season make the little girl's heart in me flutter. Even though today was personally trying for me - with an on-line exam in energy systems & metabolism? I look around at our home, happy children - not currently whinging, fresh seasonal fruit, the makings of Christmas decoration & our advent calender - with gratitude & thanks to Tricia at  Little Eco Footprints - & I feel peaceful, slow & calm again.

A very beautiful & unusual moment happened this morning. I was up & prepared Dazla's breakfast & lunch to take to work. I then sat to do some sadhana. Bodhi came out at around 6am & cuddled up on my lap. We settled there for about 5 minutes until he stood up & gestured for me to follow him. I love that two year old body language of gesture - the folded up hand with slow cupping motion - I got up & walked after him. He went into my bedroom & patted the bed, I put him on - then more follow me with the hand - he wanted me to get in. Sure, I'm more than happy to have a real excuse to go back to bed in the morning! His head touched the pillow & he fell instantly asleep. I watched that little cherub as he slept, the long eyelashes, his full cheeks & his dimpled beautiful hands. I felt so honoured to be lying next to an angel. I reached for the closest book & read until Indira wandered in to say good morning. & it was a good morning with a little blessing.

 

 

Hand Made Holy Water

Water is a really important part of our diet. Most people try to use the freshest water they can get. We can further enhance that water even more. Your intention here is paramount.

Dr. Emoto an imminent Japanese scientist studied water through photography. Initially he started his experiments by subjecting water samples to music – from Beethoven to heavy metal. He noticed that there was a definite relationship to the type of music and the shape of the water crystals. Then he moved to studying the effect of water crystals to human thoughts and emotions.

Dr. Emoto would stick notes on some bottles of water that say "Thank you" or "Love" and others with signs that read, "You make me sick", or, "I will kill you." He found that the water crystal photographs responded to these expressions of consciousness. The water with positive messages formed beautiful geometric crystals and those with negative messages were malformed and lacked a definite shape.

Emoto's research can be seen at the film, "What the Bleep Do We Know!?" To read more about the experiments go here.



People know the benefits & healing properties of Holy water.

Use the best water you can find & sanctify your own 'Holy Water', put positive words on it & good thoughts & your own prayers in it.

We put an aum sticker on our water jug in the kitchen. Similiar methods can be done for children's bathtime, put a little of your home made holy water into the bath. Make some stickers for the bottom of the bath tub or shower. Positive word stickers - Love, hope, faith, I Love myself, purity, divinity... can be placed on your own stainless steel water container. Here is one from The Divine Mother, Amma.

Play classical music & place your water bottles, jugs & decorative glass bottles near by.

Holy Water can also be bought from different sites around the world, for example, Lourdes; France, Fatima; Portugal, Jordan River Holy Water. The water may seem expensive but it can be diluted into 40 litres of regular water & still have the same effect. Another method of sourcing holy water is to go to your local synagogue, temple, pure river or church & ask for some to be put in a container. This water is especially helpful for the sick. Give them tiny little amounts off a spoon. It can also be given to animals & plants.

"The Moldau" Bedrich Smetana.

When you feel irritable, your body is giving you a sign that you need calmness and peace of mind. By treating yourself more tenderly, your mind will become clearer. Focus here in a pre-meditative state on this crystal & listen quietly to The Moldau.

Please do this, it will really make you & your nervous system feel fabulous.

Remember that you are 70% water.

I Love You!

Ghee Light

As we settle more & more into our new home & as spring dawns around us I'm feeling ready, comfortable & receptive to inspiration & creative endeavour. Sorry, about that last wanky sentence but you get my gist - I'm feeling motivated to do more interesting stuff.

Today for you, ghee lamps, butter lamps or in the West; tea-light candles. Beautiful, stunning, magical, life force, light.

& very easy to make, melt your ghee, pour into a receptacle, add wick.

We use ghee lamps for a variety of reasons. Ghee lamps have the capacity to attract the sattvic vibrations present in the environment. They also radiate sattvic properties into the environment. & also they are a great way to use up the ghee that you may have overcooked.

Making your own wick is easy - get a cotton ball & twist it around in your fingers a hundred or so times - I started buying mine at the local Indian store because, with all things considered, it does save time. Even so it is a lovely activity for children - make sure the wicks are tight as sometimes they can undo & you are left with a wick on fire & out of control. We have a range of receptacles. The little clay ones are called diyas - pronounced day-va. These can also be hand made by children using clay; sort of like making a little pinch pot.

From Maharishi Ayurveda, Shubhra Krishan says, "Ghee is everywhere in Indian life. For centuries, Indian women have used carbon from ghee-lamps as a protective eyeliner". Indian women put this on their children with such ease - when I attempt it, my children look like Tibetans, black smothered across their tiny faces to protect them from the Himalayan glare. When I use it on myself, it feels really good. It is cost effective & a great environmental alternative to lots of other eyeliners on the market.

It is best to leave the candles to set overnight. Light carefully. Each light will vary of course in burning time. The following picture shows a lamp that is about 4cms or just over an inch in diameter & will burn for about 4 hours.

The colour of a ghee lamp is very different. It is a softer, warmer, more natural light. It is really lovely to use for trataka - candle gazing.

Be still & know that I am here.

Meditation Cushion

This is a meditation cushion my mother made me several years ago. *** Insert picture; I would, except a little mouse got in & ate it - must have been hungry! Before this, Mum went into a store & measured up the style I liked. She took those numbers home & created a very beautiful purple cushion then embroidered an orange/geru om on it (a meditation in itself called likhit japa).

 

Bausinger-Versand

Here is a pattern that can be used to make your own cushion. The colour fabric could correspond to a chakra you might be working on. Consider also a pattern or yantra; a picture of a mantra, for the top of the cushion. Some people say that you should never have 'om' under your bottom but I personally don't think it matters in the slightest. You may want to think about stuffing it with old grains, - but they do get heavy & mice eat them, so be warned -  husks, pillow filling etc. It is a simple pattern that is quite pretty too. Also consider creating a higher vibration to the cushion by chanting on every stitch - using the machine you will have to chant very fast! Increase the vibration further by placing crystals inside or other objects of significance. Also write mantras or positive affirmations on little pieces of paper & sew them deep inside your cushion.

While you are it. Why not buy or make one for your cat, here. This is from Mogu, a meditation cushion for the Zen modern cat.

Shiva Temple

 

Dazla has created a temple in our backyard. It is something that anyone can do & dedicate it to their God. Our temple is to the first Yogi - Shiva. There are many definitions of Shiva & one is free to make up one's own definition - what it means to you personally is the most important part, it is the most relevant thing - not someone else's definition, although this can guide you. To me, Shiva means God, divine power, goodness, kindness, compassion. Shiva & the symbols he represents remind me to be kind to myself & others, always.

Dazla has great knowledge & experience of temples & has pilgrimaged to ten of the 12 Mahashiva temples throughout India. I can say that this type of experience is in his blood, his bones, his past lives as a sadhu.

Our beautiful Daddy Dazla started early in the morning with his usual gusto vata nature. He sought a place in the garden to place the Shiva Lingham. Ideally it faces east & prayers & symbols are placed underneath.

Daz built the formwork, mixed the concrete & shaped this sweet little temple. He placed the Lingham in the wet concrete to create a mould - took it out & washed it - & formed the Yoni with his hands. The Lingham was one he bought back from India from the bottom of the Narmada River. The Narmada River is considered the mother and giver of peace.

 

The next day the sacred space was ready to consecrate. We did a puja. We placed coloured powder over the temple, sandalwood paste, honey, sacred water & milk. We then offered flowers - hundreds of little white petals. Then we performed a havan; a fire ceremony. We chanted the Mahamritunjaya Mantra 108 times to invoke health, well-being & Love into our hearts & home.

 

Havans create a harmonious atmosphere, they purify the environment & create a very special feeling around the home by uplifting the vibration. They can be easily performed at your own home by you - you do not need to be a Brahmin or initiated into any lineage. For a guide - & coming soon, a havan kit - go to Satyananda's shop.

Every morning, incense is offered, a bell is rung & prayers invoke & reaffirm our Love for God, ourselves, our family & friends & the greater world.

A few days later Dazla painted the Shiva Lingham. We now feel at home in our new place.

Trataka - One Pointed Concentration

Trataka is a shatkarma - the sixth one, it is a cleansing practice which teaches & promotes one pointed concentration, focus, will-power & determination.

A great way to develop these qualities in your children is to give them mandalas to 'play' with. If the children are over twelve years of age they can be meditated upon like the described process. Or more informally with younger children, with the benefits still to be gained by being coloured-in, transfered, made into stain-glass...

 

Trataka is a deceptively simple but powerful practice. Trataka means 'to gaze steadily at a fixed point' and there are two forms of the practice. One is 'bahiranga' or external trataka and the other is 'antaranga' or internal trataka. Bahiranga is easier to practise because one simply has to gaze at an object or symbol. However, antaranga trataka involves clear and stable inner visualisation of an object.

In the practice of trataka an object is gazed at until its subtle form manifests in front of the closed eyes. The point of concentration is usually a symbol or object which activates the inner potential and can absorb the mind. The symbol most commonly used is a candle flame, because even after the eyes are closed, the impression remains naturally for some time, and then antaranga trataka can easily be performed. The purpose of focusing the eyes on an external object is to arouse the internal vision and make it absolutely steady by stopping the eye movements.

Technique from Satyananda Yoga Magazine -  Bahiranga Trataka

Practise in a dark room which is free from drafts and insects - you can use a flower, a picture; mandala, saint, guru, something uplifting or place a candle at arms length in front of you with the flame at eye level - it is important that the flame does not flicker in the least - sit in a comfortable meditative pose, preferably siddhasana/siddha yoni asana and place the hands on the knees in either gyana or chin mudra - relax your whole body, close your eyes and prepare yourself as for any meditative practice -make yourself still and quiet and be prepared to keep your body perfectly still throughout the entire practice -practise kaya sthairyam for a few minutes - open your eyes and gaze at the middle portion of the flame (ideally one should focus on the red tip of the wick as it does not move due to draft) - gaze for as long as possible without blinking and without strain until the eyes begin to water or tire - you will be able to increase the time gradually with practice to ten minutes - remain the silent witness (sakshi) throughout, observing all thoughts and feeling which may arise - when you close your eyes keep them fixed an the impression in chidakasha - if the afterimage moves, bring it back to the centre and continue gazing until the impression disappears - once you can stabilise the after image, study it and look intently at its colour.

Yogic science gives as much importance to certain cleansing processes as it does to asana or pranayama. Without regular cleansing of the system one cannot gain maximum benefit from yoga practices. Without purification of the body one will not be ready for the higher practices of yoga.

Body cleansing is brought about by the practice of the shatkarmas or six purificatory techniques which are very important from the point of view of physical and mental health. These simple techniques are also highly valuable in healing internal disorders. There are six main groups of shatkarmas or yogic cleansers as follows:

1. Neti: nasal cleaning, including jala neti and sutra neti.

2. Dhauti: cleansing of the digestive tract.

3. Nauli: abdominal massage.

4. Basti: colon cleaning.

5. Kapalbhati: purification and vitalisation of the frontal lobes.

6. Trataka: blinkless gazing.

Each of these groups contains more than one practice, such as jala neti, vaman dhauti (or kunjal kriya), moola shodhana etc. They are all excellent practices designed to purify the whole body and bring about excellent health. They also bring clarity and harmony to the mind.

The first five practices are to be only to be performed when they have been taught by an expert. You need to go to an ashram where these practices are taught in a formal way by an experienced practioner. For the next course on these Hatha Yoga cleansing practices go to Satyananda Yoga here for your nearest ashram.

Oh My Ghee!

A good friend once said, "Ghee is Love." & Indira at Mahanandi says, "All auspicious occasions in life start with ghee in India. Be it an offering to God, or the babies first solid food - people lavish their love with ghee." Making ghee can be done as a sadhana.

Ghee is made from unsalted butter, slowly heated to separate the lactose, milk solids from the butter fat and strained through a cloth.

After making my first really good batch of ghee I'm beginning to understand the Love statement. This is the first batch I've made at the new house - this is important as the stove top is not gas but - gasp - electric! I was quite timid looking at those scary numbers on the little knob; 1 - 6, mmm, I chose 4 - then literally said a prayer, the mahamrtunjaya mantra. & as I placed each stick of butter in to the stainless steel copper bottomed pan I held it in my hands, said 'thanks' to the sweet cow & chanted om. I cooked it for twice as long as anyone else would tell you & that hour hour was a long one. The children were set up with an activity in order to keep harassment at a minimum & I breathed deeply & chanted throughout. Sounds dramatic but it is really important to me to get this exactly right as the benefits of ghee for the family are extreme.

It is said that ghee enhances intelligence, understanding, memory and ojas or "life energy." My very general understanding is that digestive enzymes are fat-soluble & their precursor is fat. This means that ghee stimulates food to be broken down & is easily absorbed by the body thus obtaining all of the foods goodness.

Here is a photo taken outside to show you the colour you need to aim for - please don't carry your hot ghee around the backyard, it's stupid & dangerous!

 

"For centuries, ghee has been considered a rasayana, which means a healing food that balances both body and mind," says Shubhra Krishan, author of Essential Ayurveda (New World Library, 2003).

Ayurvedic practitioners often use ghee as a base in their herbal formulations. For example, the preparation pancha pikta ghrita combines five bitter herbs with ghee in order to quickly and evenly deliver herbal healing deep into the body's lipid-based cell walls. Ghee can help protect those cells as well. Two of its ingredients--vitamin E and beta-carotene--are known antioxidants, so it can be categorized as a free-radical fighter.

The following extract is from Ancient Organics;

"Making ghee is a sadhana to induce a sattvic mind."

                      -Maya Tiwari

As for us, we make our Ghee in 'Shukla Paksh', on the white and waxing fortnights of the moon in a peaceful environment. We boil our butter in stainless steel heavy pots, over a gas flame in a beautiful and positive environment, using the ancient 'Mahamrtunjaya' mantra to invoke and entice the 'Divine' energy of Life.

The Ghee we make changes slightly as the seasons and the diet of the cows change. For instance, in winter, there are many days that the cows are not able to graze in the pastures and there is more silage in their diet. During this time, the butter and the ghee is less yellow. You can tell  by the color of our ghee and by Straus butter that these cows are eating fresh grass. It is the result of beta carotene in the grass- this is whay many butters are artificially colored. There was a memory amongst the earlier  generations that yellow color in the butter meant a good diet for the cows and a high nutritional quality.

We have found the making of Ghee to be a very beautiful and peaceful experience. The beautiful sound of the mantra in the space. The sound of softly boiling butter, the pouring of the thick liquid into bottles. The wonderful smell Ghee has as it permeates the room.

Ghee Recipe

Preparation Time: 1-2 hours
(This recipe makes enough ghee to store and use for some time)

Ingredients -

5-6 sticks of unsalted organic butter

Remove the butter from the packaging and place in a heavy bottomed, large pot on medium heat. Once all the butter is melted, lower the heat to as low as it will go and let simmer uncovered. As the butter is simmering some of the milk solids will rise to the top. Keep simmering the butter checking on it every now and then to make sure it is not burning. You will know the ghee is ready when it turns a clear golden colour. It is not ready if you put in a spoon to the bottom, scoop some up & it still has a greenish tinge. When golden & clear remove from heat and allow to cool for a while in the pot. Then strain through a thin cotton cloth to remove solids. Be very careful during this process as the ghee is still very, very hot. I like to strain the ghee into a stainless steel container with a tight lid for storage. Ghee will keep for a few months in a cool dry environment. Make sure to use a clean, dry spoon when taking ghee to use from your storage container.

As a sweet treat, collect the solids in a small bowl & mix these with sustainable coconut palm sugar. Most children Love it!

The colour 24 hours later, the ghee has set & is ready to use.

Tibetan Prayer Bowl

Our Tibetan Singing bowl has finally got a home of it's own. For a long time I was concerned about the bowl & it's apparent 'lostness' on the family altar. I knew that it was very important for it to be honoured & respected. The bowl represents the element of air through sound.

If you are inclined to make your own, this prayer bowl pillow is like a big pin cushion. I was going to make mine but saw this one at Adyar & thought that I would use the time I would take to make it, to chant instead & also pay respect for all the resources that collectively made this beautiful pillow.

In Buddhist practice, singing bowls are used as a support for meditation, trance induction and prayer. For my own practice I strike it when a particular phrase in a sutra, mantra or prayer is begun or concluded. Singing bowls may also mark the passage of time or signal a change in activity.

Singing bowls are unique because they are multiphonic instruments, producing multiple harmonic overtones at the same time. If you are looking to buy a singing bowl I can recommend the Bodhisattva Trading Company. They are an experienced business, are sympathetic to the plight of the Tibetan people, society & culture & are ethical.

This very short 29 second film shows how to play a prayer bowl.