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When Ganesh is pleased he raises his trunk and flaps his ears.

This tantric phrase referring to Ganesh holds much symbolism as to Ganesh’s significance.

He is the Elephant God of the base chakra.

The trunk raising is indicative of Kundalini Shakti rising up when the base chakra energy is nourished and grounded. 

When stray psychic energies are concentrated and given solid form and life they then become sweet nourishment to Elephant who will raise the accumulated power that has been brought home, this he does with a move of his trunk.

Ganesh the Elephant headed God is a favourite amongst the Indian Gods and possibly the widest known of all the Indian deities outside of India.

Ganesh Chaturthi is celebrated on the 4th day of the New Moon of August. Chaturthi means fourth and refers to the 4th day following a New Moon or Full Moon.

This is the grand Ganesh Moon.

In Tantric cosmology this Moon day is said to be amongst the most psychically destabilizing days and hence the Elephant ritual is a practice that fills the polar opposite of instability by its stability. It is a ritual of grounding and weight that has greatly stabilizing effects. Such ritual practices have been kept preciously by Tantrics and involve many careful formulas for working with focussed energy. Orthodox rites have this day as a very dramatically festive time with much public and private home measures of worship.

The Chaturthi each month is the 4th lunar day and is a Moon phase marked by instability and dwindling power. The Moon energy of the Full and New Moon is potent for the first 3 nights and then on the 4th day its effects starts to subside.

This subsiding corresponds to a subsiding of psychic tension/magnetism within us that is pronounced and potent at the extremes of the New and Full lunar expressions. The subsiding of inner psychic magnetism brings with is a state of psychic instability and uncertainty, hence the solidity of the Elephant energy is invoked on the Chaturthi days.

This is the 4th lunar day each month, where Tantrics invoke the energy of the elephant through internal and external mudras. 

Tantricly and most practically calling  upon solidity and stability within the destabilizing lunar effects of the 4th day. By looking for and finding the elephant within the unbalance of the psychic nature is to go to the eye of the storm where there is a place of safe and solid ground amidst the moving swirl of effects.

Ganesh the keeper of 4

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Ganesh is the Elephant God who guards the Mooladhar Chakra. 

This is the Earth Chakra lotus that has 4 petals of 4 syllables along with a central root or Bija (seed) mantra from which the 4 syllables originate. 

The utterance of these syllables awaken the physical and psychic sensitivities of this chakra. The physical elephant mudras require slow strength and steady endurance to perform. 

When practicing with the elephant energy, one replicates the qualities of the creature. The inner mudras are characterized by weight and heavy focus and have as their outcome a grounding and maturing of psychic energy.

The 4 petals of the Mooladhar chakra are 4 sounds that govern the 4 most physical elements: Earth, water, fire and air. 

Working with the Ganesh ruled elephant practices brings stability to the foundations of our primary elements and this will be the focus of our online tantric ritual on the 22nd of August, practicing the secret inner and outer mudras and the 4 sacred mantras. 

The slow, strong steady countenance of an elephant is something held in high reverence and esteem amongst the tantrics.

In the field and cultural fabric within which we live and die, many may be the doings so easily and lightly driven by haste and baseless expressions. 

The Elephant is a much needed spirit creature within our being. 

The steady current of the elephant stands strong in superficialities and is a power to back up every step of our being with a weight of earthly wisdom.

A steady rhythmical step by which the elephant proceeds.

The elephant is the only 4 legged creature that has 4 forward bending knees. The 4 sided yantra of the square is a representation and signification of the base chakra. The square is a pictorial character of equality, formed by the balance of the 4 elements.

10 days of the Elephant

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Ganesh Chaturthi is a ritual festival where an earthen statue of Ganesh, or of an elephant is made. Publicly this statue is worshiped and paraded until the 10th day it is submerged in water.

Earth returning to water holds much significance in this rite.

All over India there are tens of thousands of statues of Ganesh offered to the waters at the conclusion of this festival. Some of these statues are of gigantic proportions and luminously coloured and affixed to vehicles as they are paraded proudly towards their watery rebirth.

Tantrics rites of ritual create an earthen form of an elephant with earth and water from ones locality. The elephant form is placed upon a metal base to spread electrical magnetism and then meditated upon and infused with one’s magnetism that one in turn relates to the base chakra through concentrated focus. 

It is focused upon intensively for the 10 days until the full Moon.

This invoking life into statue or representation of a deity or principle is known as Pran Pratishtha and is done in formal orthodox rites of setting up statues in temples.

Tantric formulas work in similar ways through imbuing life and energy into statues for specific inner work and healing measures. This form of concentration upon the statue of Ganesh has as its focus the bringing up of one’s base chakra themes so they can come up to be viewed and worked with. By such methods one may get a view of karmic obstacles of Mooladhar chakra to be healed.

The invocation of this elephant energy is most powerful upon this yearly junction of Ganesh Chaturthi as astral elements are in favour of supporting the Elephant energy ritual.

It is the peak of fire as the Hot season has touched its pinnacle, the opposite element of air is brought forward by fire, the Monsoon of water and humidity at large at this time brings forth its opposite of the earth element. In this way the physical elements are at their peak of stimulation, which in turn activate the subtle reflections of these elements within the base chakra.

10 days following Ganesh Chaturthi takes one to the full Moon. The earthen statue is then offered into water such as a river by Tantrics.

The Tantrics take this as a meditation of releasing blocked or locked shakti to enter to the worlds above in the chakras beyond the base; beginning with the second chakra of Shaktistan.

This offering of the earth statue to the water is a movement that represents the opening of the granthi’s (psycho/physical knots) of the base chakra and the subsequent release of Shakti to the ascent towards the second chakra which is the sexual chakra, which is connected to the water element.

This outer way of working hints at the inner mudras that relate to the elephant. 

These mudras are known as Gaja Karana (doing of elephant) and are Mudras that are exercised at this favourable time in order to assist the dissolving of ones earthy knots and karma’s.

Ganesh protector of the Mother
and Home

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The story of Ganesh tells how he was the son of Shakti and Shiva.

His mother wanted to take a bath but could not find the peace to enter into union with the water element, many disturbing demands came upon her until she finally asked Ganesh to stand guard at the entrance to the home, which he proudly did, refusing any admittance that came their way.

Ganesh’s father Shiva had the habit of disappearing for long periods of time and retreating to the mountains where he would be undisturbed. 

In deep solitude Shiva would pursue deep travels into the inner spiritual worlds.

The season was at its hottest and the outer fire of the earth’s atmosphere had aroused the inner fire of Shiva.

The rains of the time had brought the fire down to the watery second chakra and further reached Shiva’s passion. 

Passion and determination brought Shiva down from the mountain and he found himself wandering home to his Wife.

When he reached the house, he found a young child standing guard who would not let him enter.

Ganesh had been born in his absence and neither had knowledge of each other. Shiva pushed him aside but Ganesh would not relent. 

A vicious slap from Shiva decapitated the boy, sending the head flying into worlds beyond terrestrial reach. 

Without the slightest care for what he had just done, Shiva entered into the watery chamber where his wife bathed naked in milky jasmine and rose scented waters.

‘’How did you enter within” she asked of him. ‘Our son should have let no one in”

Shiva realised then what he had just done and his heated passion and one pointed determination started to give way to lament.

The Shiva power from above may carry the fire down to the water-element ruled Sexual chakra of Shaktistan (literally place of the Goddess) but without the inclusion of the Earth element, the fire poses an unwelcome risk to the watery Goddess of the second Chakra.

The milky bath water started to turn red as the blood of the child poured gradually in.

Distraught wails of the mother resounded through the ethers.

Shiva said, ”By the power of Kechari Mudra, I say that the first living being to come this way shall offer life to our son.”

It was a baby elephant that wandered to their home and offered life to the decapitated child’s body, and so Ganesh received the head of the elephant for which he gets the name Gajanan, the elephant faced one.

The elephant has an unparalleled memory that took note of the offence, hence Ganesh is often portrayed as the great record keeper with pen in hand.

The Tantric language of Moon time

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In this story the detailing of Ganesh as the protector of the Mother is a significant detail. 

The New Moon just 4 days previous to this day of Ganesh’s elephant birth was celebrated as Pithori Amvasya or Mata Puja as it’s known in Tantric ritual – This is the Mothers Moon that brings the mother energy to the solar plexus chakra known as Manipur.

Pithori refers to flour and edible sustenance which is the physical sustenance to the body through the stomach at the level of the fire-ruled Manipur chakra.

If we trace it further back to the previous Full Moon, we find the horse Moon which represents the Air element and the Annahatt heart and its touch upon throat Chakra. The Pran of the heart chakra connects to and is converted into and creates the element of Akash (space) at the Vishudd chakra at the throat.

And previous to the Horse Moon was the Soma Moon (see previous blog) which connects to the upper chakras and to the most subtle ultra-terrestrial element.

When we see the pattern of how the chakras have worked along all the way down through their respective elements we can see that the ritual days have brought the movement down to the Base and second chakra at this junction. 

Water and Earth are implicit in this most tangible junction of manifestation to the previous preceding elements.

The energy has come through the chakric line… down from the subtle element of soma through space, air, fire and water to now meet Ganesh at the base of Earth.

21 leaves and 21 sweets and 21 mantras.
The sum of 7 x 3

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That the subconscious mind is accessed by symbols and emotion has been known to Tantrics for aeons. Much of the tantric work is to access the out of sight granthis (knots) and karmas that affect the foundation of one’s being.

Tantric work partakes of much more than blind ritual of tradition, but has a very clear focus upon the symbol being worked with and what it represents within oneself. 

The Bhar (outer) mudra is recognized and focused on with its corresponding Anthar (inner) mudra. Whether this focus is on asana and inner meditation or upon ritual offerings and gestures. 

Tantra is a very focused and practical undertaking – it focuses and ‘practicalizes’ subtle energies through symbolic concentrations on intangible or far away realities so they can be brought closer within tangible range.

Focus requires the inner fire of Tejas and at the same time focus stokes this fire, the steadiness of the flame of Tejas is dependent upon our usage or wastage of our Pran (breath). 

When Tejas is nurtured and cared for then Tantra becomes powerful. 

Tejas builds Soma and in turn manifests as Ojas in a more embodied and tangible level of being. 

Tantra shows and teaches subtle care experientially by its very methods of practice. It shows us areas where we do not take care of the subtle elements, without the subtle care Tantra cannot begin.

It is said that Ganesh is very fond of eating sweets. He is often pictured with a tray of Indian delicacies. 

Modhak sweets are a coconut filled dumplings and in many regions of India are said to be the favourite of Ganesh. He is sometimes called Modhakapriya for this reason, which means ‘the one who loves to eat Modhak’.

The form of a modhak is like a small conical mountain and represents the weight and solidity of the Mountain. The form of Ganesh also represents a mountainous conical shape that spells out solidity and earthed power.

21 sweets are offered to Ganesh in many forms of Ganesh puja (ritual). 21 is a number sacred to Ganesh for several reasons as we shall see.

Ganesh represents the mountainous base and foundation of all the chakras, for this he is known as Chakravatin.

There are 7 major chakras in the body that physically are connected to the 7 major endocrine glands that create and distribute hormones. When there are said to be 8 major glands one must note that the male and female reproductive glands are both included in the list, and except in the rare cases of physical hermaphrodites, there are 7 predominant with a man or woman.

These hormones of the glandular system condition our physicality to a great extent. The suppression or increase of a single hormonal substance can radically alter our bodily health and chemistry and also our consciousness.

By working with conscious and focus, we effect change in the physical level via the hormonal system – this also works the other way around. 

By working with physical mudra, Asana (movements) and Pran (breath) we approach the spirit world through the balancing of chemical constituents. 

Ganesh is the Chakravatin who balances the whole psycho/physical structure of the chakras. The chakras are 7 and exist in the physical world, they exist in the ‘astral’ and effect the emotional/mental levels of our being, and they extend beyond terrestrial reach into causal world and beyond to the spiritual world. The chakras can be seen as doorways to these levels of existence.

All in all the 7 chakras exist in these three worlds which are known by various names such as Bumi, Patala and Swarga.

That equals 21 levels of the 7 chakras when we see them as 7 x 3.

Each of these 21 chakra levels has a name and that is a name of Ganesh.

Rituals of Ganesh often work with these 21 mantras made up of various forms of his name. 

The 21 mantras work with the science of Naad (sound) to activate the potentialities of the 21 levels of chakra.

Within each of the 21 names of Ganesh is encoded a meaning that pertains to a particular level of the chakras.

Here is a list of the 21 names of Ganesh:

1. Sarveshwara
2. Sumukha
3. Suragraja
4. Vatave
5. Bhalachandra
6. Chaturhotra
7. Heramba
8. Ekadanta
9. Guhagraja
10. Vakratunda
11. Shurpakarna
12. Harasuna
13. Lambodara
14. Gajamukha
15. Umaputra
16. Ganadhisha
17. Vinayaka
18. Hematunda
19. Vikata
20. Kapila
21. Siddhi Vinayaka

The first name in the list translates as the lord of the whole structure, and the last name in the list translates as the one who successfully brings magic and power.

In Tantric ritual each of the 21 sweets is offered along with each of the 21 mantras and concentration upon the 7 chakras in the 3 worlds. 

Ladhus or Modhaks being the most common offerings with the mantras, but all manner of sweets can and are be used as offerings to the energies and spirits of the 21 levels of awareness.

The sweets represent the physical tangible level.

Aside from the sweets, 21 types of leaf are offered and often made into incenses in Tantric ritual, the incense of the leaves represents the astral level by its more subtle form of matter.

For example jasmine leaves, Dhurbha grass, and several other leaves are offered, some of which have slight psychoactive effects when specially prepared as incense.

The gaseous level of the scent connects to the more subtle astral levels and spirits so that the various incenses further stimulate the 21 chakric levels.

Ganapati is a common name of Ganesh and translates as the pati (friend or master) of the Gana (spirits who preside in the 21 worlds) In the orthodox rituals the leaves are not usually burned, but offered whole. It is most common to offer 21 offerings of the Dhurbha grass alone. This is a leaf amongst the 21 that has a profoundly cooling effect on the body and is a preparation in many yogic remedies. The Dhurbha grass is to be offered with 3 strands that represent the 3 spinal channels, the scent and ingestion of this grass removes heat in the 3 main Nadis (meridians) so that Shakti can flow without burning obstructions.

There is a story that encapsulates the importance of the cooling effect of this important yogic herb that is used widely in many types of remedy and ritual invocation.

One there was a bothersome demon called Anlasur. He represented the heating nature of many of the pursuits that humans take that consume Soma (psychic elixir).

The demon Anlasur breathed fire and was causing catastrophe for humans.

The Gods and Yogis invoked Ganesh for help with this disturbing foe who was consuming life power.

The mighty Ganesh simply swallowed him whole and that seemed to be the end of that.

But soon after Ganesh was overcome with heat and burning sensations in his stomach. The fire was so great that he gained a voracious appetite to appease it.

The awakening of the Manipur (solar plexus chakra) finds form in Ganesh’s powerful belly and is further exemplified in the Ladhu sweet which is a heating yellow sweet ball that represents the sun.

The burning only abated when the clairvoyant sages ‘looked’ for a cure to the heat and saw the cooling nature of the Dhurbha grass that grows so commonly and abundantly. Having been covered in the Grass the heat in Ganesh’s belly subsided.

21 sprouts or bundles are offered in orthodox worship, often wrapped upon the statue of Ganesh in a way that mirrors and gives honour of the story.

Tantric mats are sometimes woven from this grass and used for executing the heating mudras and practicing without overheating the system. The asan (blanket) of the yogi is of the utmost importance in mudra practice.  Substances that do not conduct the electric generated by yogic practice(such as rubber yoga mats) work counterproductively on the electrical nervous system.

Ganesh and the honouring of the ancestors

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As already noted, the Ganesh Chaturthi festival takes place after the Mother’s New Moon festival known as Prithori amvasya (see previous blogpost).

It is a new Moon of honouring the Mata Tattva.

The Mothers Moon follows on logically to the Ganesh Chaturthi to give a deeper grounding and earthing to the ancestral work set in motion on the New Moon.

In the Story we have already seen how Ganesh was the protector of the Mother as he stood watch over the watery world of the second chakra as his Mother wished to bathe undisturbed.

Another story that points to Ganesh’s significance as an honorary of the ancestors is one that tells of him as Chakravatin. 

The literal meaning of Chakravatin is the one who causes all the chakras to spin.

This is a word assigned to a ruler in a spiritual or a mundane sense and refers to ‘one who circles the world’

The story goes that in their youth, Ganesh and his brother Skanda were finding ways to test their super powers. A bet was set up between them – that the one who circles the world the fastest would win a plate of sweets.

The fast paced brother Skanda, was highly confident that he wound win the bet over the elephant paced Ganesh.

On the go! He set off at lightning speed and circled the world. 

When he returned he saw that Ganesh had not even left the house.

He prepared to take the prize of the sweets for himself, when Ganesh interjected and said, ”you were slower than I thought my dear brother.”

Skanda was not quite understanding until Ganesh clarified the situation.

Ganesh told how his world was his parents Parvati and Shiva and he did not need to race across space and time to circle them as Skanda had done. In fact he stayed home and took a few steps around them and completed it before Skanda had returned.

Skanda understood this and accepted Ganesh’s success.

Ganesh happily got the sweets and smiled at being able to communicate a secret about grounding energy.

When Ganesh Circles and concentrates on his parents as his ‘uni’verse he is honouring the ancestral lines. Ganesh grounds energy by setting free the astral knots that link us to blocked ancestral imprints. Ancestral work is a big part of Tantra and some of the mudras quite literally involve circling the ancestry and resolving issues on the spiritual levels.  Our ancestry lives in the psychic atmosphere of our being and is acknowledged as a key by the tantric for grounding and solidifying stray energies.

Ganesh in this story presents himself as the guardian to the world of the ancestors and the honouring of the lines from which we come.

Quite conveniently and without chance, as we flow our way through the Tantric years calendar, Ganesh carries us to the next major ancient tantric festival of Ancestral healing.

At the September Full Moon, we come upon the festival known as Pitri Pakasha, which literally translates as ‘the fortnight of the ancestors.’

At the time of the Pitri Pakasha the constellations of astral energies and influence are such that the spirit world of the ancestors comes close to the earth and Tantrics pay homage with healing rituals particularly on the Full, half and New Moon throughout the two weeks of the Pitri Pakasha festival time. 

It is a time of healing deep seated issues along the ancestral line. We will be gathering on specific dates in September too to join in ritual. For now we hope you will join us of these august dates to celebrate the child-mother connection.

Wisdom is a heavy subject with a heavy price that the Weight of the Elephant formed Ganesh reminds us of.

Hara Ring

Dark Moon | September 06
Mothers Moon

The Dark Moon of Child & Parents
Star constellation of the Pleiades active

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Upon this sacred and ancient Tantric festival day, the Mother gives blessing and prayer to her children.
The healing of the Ancestral Shadows that we carry is the root of this Moon festival known as Pithori Amavasya.

The ritual is for healing of the ancestral blueprints of the Mothers line.
It is a ritual day for parents and Mothers and anyone wishing to heal the knots of karma connected to their matrilineal parentage through deep tantric prayer. It is important to note how the whole of Tantric science upon the physical plane, within the bounds of birth and death, is a practice of Prayer. At deeper layers, the practice of prayer may become replaced by Prayer itself.
We live, move and have our being in a multiverse of energies that the Yogis give honour to by way of prayer.

The recognition of the seed of the one spirit within the numerous energies of the multiverse is the beginning of Yog. Though the seed be layered upon and sheaved by endless unique expressions, the source is the great mystery to which the courageous inquisitive explorer can’t help but be pulled.

On the September Dark Moon, we honour another principle: The Mata Tattva (Mother element).
By honouring and connecting in prayer and ritual to the multiverse of such energies and sacred principles of existence, the yogins becomes full of honour and sacredness themselves.

The science of Tantra is a science and art of prayer and honour to the infinite forces and manifestations of Shakti. The prayer is eternal and it’s discovery never stops.

Shakti offered in prayer builds relationship with and to the place it is offered.

The Yogins therefore take care of Shakti and learn not to throw her into and places recklessly. We build relationship to the spirits by the Shakti we give those spirits. To put it another way: the places we invest our power become our reality. Sometimes the things we feed end up feeding on us.

On this occasion of Prithori Amvasya…

The mother element within ourselves is activated, honoured and given dynamism by astral forces in Tantric ritual.
That implies not only Mothers of children but all born of the womb.
In the orthodox manner of this festivals acknowledgement, the focus goes on Prayers by Mothers, whereby Indian Mothers offer prayers, fasting and austerities for the good of their children. 

MOTHER
THE GRAIN & FLOUR OF LIFE

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This ritual day is popularly called Prithori Amvasya.
The word ‘Prith’ refers to flour.
In some forms of worship, Murti’s (statues of the 7 mothers) are made out of flour or other such produce of sustenance such as rice and ground grain.

The acknowledgment of the staple grains that we eat on a day to day basis, has inherent in it the honour of the nourishing Mother element. And so the festival gets its name as the flour festival.  The Tantrics know this festival as Mata Puja which means the Mother Ritual.
In the Tantric lines of ritual, the Mother Tattva within all is nourished and connected with, through specific ritual formulas and practices. These practices apply to both Woman and Man, and apply equally to the child-full or child-less. The focus is on connecting to the Mata Tatva within, or one could call it the power of the inner Mother that we all carry.

Through the efforts of Tapasya (yogic austerity), concentrated prayers and fasting, the veil between the physical and psychic world is made thin. This assists in contacting and communicating with the energies offered by the planetary and astral forces upon ritual days, in the case of this ritual day – with the Mata Tattva or mother energy principle.

This Mata Tattva energy resides physically and energetically in the Womb of Woman, and in the Man it  presides in the physical and etheric ‘inner Womb’ that is responsible for the creation of the seed.

The physical and psychic essences of Rajas and Bindu or blood and Seed carry the imprint of Shakti and Shiv and the creative principle of the Mata Tatva. The lines of energy that distribute the creative Mother energy through the medium of the psycho/physical Rajas and Bindu are 7 in number.

THE STAR MOTHERS

In the human organism the 7 major Nadis of the distribution of Mata Shakti are named after the 7 stars of Kritta star constellation – also known also as the constellation of Pleiades. These stars are named after 7 forms of the Mother.

These astral star portals connect ethericly to the human microcosm of the astral body through the 7 Chakras and their respective Nadis (energy lines) that share the names of the 7 star Mothers. In the psycho/physical Human system the 7 major nadis that carry the creative Mata Tatva energy emanate from and to the Womb through the medium of the Rajas, in Woman, and the Bindu, in the Man:

1) womb to anus
2) womb to sexual organ
3) womb to navel 
4) womb to right and left breast
5) womb to throat 
6) womb to brain 
7) womb to top of head 

The mudras of Kamakhya and Kanah Karana, it may be noted tend to predominantly incorporate these channels.

The 7 stars of the Kritta star constellation (Pleiades) intersect with these corresponding Nadis in the human astral body through the portals of the chakras – by way of which the celestial energies reach the astral human body.

The astral effect upon these particular Nadis by the stars forces are more pronounced upon certain festival days which are days based on lunar and atmospheric influences.

The festival of Prithori Amvasya is such a festival that activates the energy of the Mother in us all.

This is the dark moon festival time of ritual for birthing the potentials of the ‘7 Mothers’ in ourselves, whether woman or man. 

There are also 2 other ritual junctions in the Tantric years calendar where the energies of the Pleiades have a pronounced effect upon our human system here upon earth. These days are kept by tantrics for further ritualistic procedures of working with the Mother energy.

THE PLEIADES
A CLUSTER OF LOVERS

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They are known as the seven sisters in western astrology. They are called the Sapt Matricas by the tantrics. Collectively they are the 7 Goddesses known as the Kritta. The word Kritta means ‘to cut’.
The myth tells how they were once cut from the Sapt Rishi constellation of the 7 stars of the Big Dipper. Indeed if one looks closely at the two star constellations it can be seen that they have a resemblance to each other.

There was a time when the Sapt Matricas and the Sapt Rishi existed beside each other as Lovers. The separating cut aroused the bluish dust cloud that can be seen around the Pleiades. Agni the God of fire was summoned by tapas (powerful firey prayers) of the 7 Rishis (Rishi refers to wise seer). Agni was invoked and his firey eyes fell upon the beauty of the seven Matrikas.
Agni fell profoundly in Love with the 7 star Goddesses because of their brightness and luminosity. Agni is their opposite. 

The 7 Matricas star Goddesses represent the cooling creative fire of Tejas and Agni represents the heating, consuming and destroying fire.

The balance of these two types of fire is the way of Tantric Wisdom.

These fires belong together as they balance each other, but at the same time they are opposites that repel each other out and cancel the other out, much the same as the dance between Night and Day… cold and hot.
Agni’s Love for them was so great but unrealisable because of their marriages to the 7 Rishis.

Agni could not bear it and so he left the realm of the stars out of the desperation and sorrow of unrequited Love.
Agni then came to Earth as the first fire, his presence threatened to consume the entire earth.

The Goddess Svaha found him weeping fiery tears in a Forrest made barren by his laments.
Svaha fell in love with Agni for his intensity. When she realised the cause of his lamentations she immediately changed her form to look just like the 7 Matrika star Goddesses and together in her 7 formed femininity she entered into blissful union with Agni.
Agni was overjoyed and lived his deepest burning wish.

One may note in many of the fire rituals of India, both Tantric and orthodox, the name Svaha is uttered as mantras offerings are given into a ritual fire. Svaha being the cooling mantra that cools the hottest element of fire so it can be converted to Tejas and into a workable handleable form. The story encapsulates this principle in the way that Svaha is able to calm Agnis  fiery tears from becoming all-consuming.

Meanwhile up in the world of the Stars things had gotten barren for the wives of the Rishis. The fire had literally gone out without Agni’s presence. It had been the Invocation of Agni by the Tapas of the Rishis that had kept the flame of love burning. The Rishis became impotent old wise men that the wives began to suffer.

They were only fit for writing and spreading scriptural knowledge and started to write and teach… the once Wise lovers aflame with the fires of wisdom had become a bore. 

An amazing intrigue started when the Saptrishi’s heard that their wives had mothered the child of Agni. Accusations of infidelity were coldly thrown. The Rishis hoped to rouse Agni once more by their angry displays but all they succeeded in doing was insult and distance themselves from their wives. 

The offended and bored wives withdrew themselves as the flame of Love no longer burned, they travelled to another part of the sky, cutting the connection to their former lovers – hence the name of their constellation, known collectively as the Kritta: literally ‘to cut’.

The 7 Mother Stars of the Kritta constellation are in a portion of the astral plane which gives form to human souls on their last junction in incarnation upon the earth plane. The Saptrishi constellation of the Big Dipper can be said to give form to the mental and causal bodies of the soul whereas the Krittas of the (Pleiades) give birth and form to the astral emotional and subtle bodies that more closely connected to the physical plane. The Mother stars are the last star junction the spirit crosses until it comes to the plane of Bhumi (Earth) where it is physically birthed by the Mother.

The myth shows how the Seven Mother Stars separated from the 7 Rishi Stars. This manoeuvre created a bridge from the spirit realms to the Earth. This happened in a previous Manvantara (inestimably earlier age) This created a linking of the causal/mental plane to the astral/earth orbit, through a bridge like connection from the 7 Mothers to their once beloveds – the 7 Rishis. 

An autonomy between the astral and the causal is something that is built through the astral thread known as the Antankarana. This thread exists within the spine and is equally a thread that connects the causal plane to the astral and furthermore to the earth through the intermediary of the Stars we are speaking of.
By bringing the 7 mother elements into balance, we bring a balance to the chakras in the body. The seven mothers are important to balance and bring into harmony if we are to establish connection to the causal plane and beyond.

The Mothers give astral form to the physical (Dhatus) or body constituents.
Each Matrika (Mother) rules a particular chakra which in turn rules a particular Dhatu.

The 7 Mothers are listed as:

1) Varahi: bone, Mooladhar Chakra
2) Indrani: marrow, Shaktistan Chakra
3) Kaumari: muscle, Manipur Chakra
4) Vaishnavi: fat, Heart Chakra
5) Brahmani: skin, Vishudd Chakra
6) Maheshvari: blood,  Agna Chakra
7) Chamunda: Bindu in the man, Rajas in the female;  Sahasra Chakra.

CHAMUNDA

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Chamunda is the leader of the 64 Tantric Yoginis, her seat is on top of the human body where she waits for our death. Chamunda favours the seat of a corpse.

She is the Maha Shakti behind the 64 yoginis are who are mentioned in, and have been assimilated into, the scriptures of India. The wisdom of the 64 Yogis takes form in Tantric circles of initiation, outside of these circles, there is little known about them other than the weaving into scriptural mythology. The mantras and ritual practices that relate to the 64 yoginis involve very powerful formulas and rituals that have never been under the star of common knowledge.

Just like the temples of the 64 yoginis themselves in remote places, many unknown outside of Tantric circles and often in difficult to reach places.
The 64 yoginis are the keepers of the 64 types of Indian arts known as Kaula.
The door to those arts goes through the Goddess Chamunda.

She gets her name from the fact that she consumed the Asuras (demons) Chanda and Munda. These are the astral-Chandu and mental-Munda forces in ourselves that we have lost connection to through dissociation and unconsciousness.

The yogi works to associate the Chandu and Munda in unifying centralised awareness so that Chamunda May come about.

These forces when moving inward in a centripetal direction are a nourishing force  of Shakti that brings us life and arouses the grand Chamunda power that is key to the 64 Yogini powers: – Just as in the story where Chamunda consumes Chanda and Munda after first sucking out their blood into her very centre.

When the movement of Chanda and Munda moves outward in a centrifugal direction (away from the centre) then we have dispersion of Shakti and spiritual turmoil..

The force and violent ruthlessness of Chamunda represent an intense focus and unseating effort of the yogi to call Shakti back home.

GODDESSES & GODS
DEVI AND DEVA

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When looking at the names of 7 Mother Goddesses, one can see the reflection to Gods that they are related to.

1. Brahmani, is the Shakti of Brahma the creative energy.
2. Indrani is the Shakti of Indra, the energy of thunder and lightning.
3. Kaumari is the Shakti of Kumar, God of War and energy of Mangala the planet Mars.
4. Vaishnavi is the Shakti of Vishnu 
5. Varahi is the earthly Shakti of Varaha
6. Maheshvari is the Shakti of Maheshvara. A name of Shiva.
7. Chamunda is the Shakti of Bhairav the terrifying form of Shiva.  

The 7 Mother’s are the Devi’s of the 7 Deva’s.
Each Devi is a form of the Deva that is more tangible and manifest. 
This is inherent in their roles as the 7 Mothers.

The Mother gives form and birth to terrestrial life whereas the Deva stands for the ultra-terrestrial principle upon the mental and causal levels. Devi is the expression and shape of the principle in motion and manifestation. If the Deva is the Seed then Devi is the flower and fruit.
The tree of life is the interplay of Devi and Deva. 

The 7 Mother’s represent the more tangible physical form of Tejas, which becomes Ojas.
Ojas is the capacity of the emotional/physical organism to contain and distribute the fire of Tejas.

Tejas can be defined as the inner spiritual power of focus that touches upon subtle spiritual realms. The ability to access these subtle energies is one thing but to integrate these energies into the physical and emotional level is another thing entirely.

In the Tantric line of secret teaching, the 7 Devas represent 7 forms of Tejas that find union, completion and expression along with the 7 Devi’s through the medium of the 7 chakras.

The Earth Goddess Bhumi for example relates to the earth chakra and the subtle form of earth. She resides in and rules the base chakra – Mooladhar.

The Earth Goddess is also known as Bhudevi.

These are alternate names of the Matrika Varahi. She has the form of a boars head with a woman’s body and rides on a buffalo and is the Devi Shakti of the Deva Varaha.
When working with the Earth element, the Tantrics might then for example, employ the buffalo Mudras to engage the earth element.

THE MYTH OF THE EARTH

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The myth tells how the Earth goddess Varahi had sunk down deep into the waters and how the great wild-boar-headed god Varaha came from the heights beyond the physical descending down (Tejas meeting Ojas).

Varaha had the body of a man and the head of a wild boar.
In his Love he tried to save his beloved, the Earth Goddess Varahi.
He fearlessly dived into the waters and hooked the earth upon his tusks and brought her to balance on the waters once again. 

Beneath her he installed a magical Elephant, Turtle and a snake to make sure she would never sink back into the depths. The Symbolism of the earth can be seen here with the elephant and the turtle and snake are two creatures that articulate between both water and earth.

This story is rich with symbols that point to the balance between the water and earth and the respective chakras – the Mooladhar, earth chakra, with the Shaktistan, water chakra. 

The earth element inside us in our base chakra can be submerged in the sea of the second sexual chakra. The optimal place is when the earth is in balance with the waters, possessing the stability and foundation of an elephant, and the articulation of a turtle and snake between earthly and watery worlds.
The Kundalini serpent which lives at the base of our being is indicated clearly in the myth.

The Asuras (demons) are the opposite of the Devas,

In the myth an Asura Hiranyaksha who dragged the Earth Goddess into the waters represents the unbalanced forces of the sexual chakra, which in the story had become imbalanced in relation to the earth chakra. 
The demon first emptied the earth of water which made her Tamasic (heavy) he then kidnapped her and then took the earth Goddess underwater. By this gesture, he submerged stability and balance.

The Tantrics practically study themselves through Tantric methodologies, to see where they might themselves be submerging their own stability and compromising their base chakra.

The base chakra supports the whole chakric system. It is to do with our home and our integrity.
And like the powerful Deva Varaha we must sometimes also dare to dive into the very depths of our chakric themes to recover our Shakti.
A wild boar knows no taboos of putting it’s snout and tusks into all manner of matters and types of matter – just as Vahara recovered his Shakti Varahi.

This myth of Varaha and Varahi relates to the relationship between the lower two chakras. There are myths that relate to other chakras and the relations between the chakras.

For example the Lion god Narashima ripped the entrapped Shakti out of the solar plexus of Hiranyakashipu in another myth.

The demon who took Varahi down into the waters was actually the brother of Hiranyakashipu who is also known as Hiranyaksha. The two brothers are tied up in the themes of the Granthis (energetic blocks/knots) at the world of the Chakras below the Kalabandh – the centre of the body at the diaphragm which separates the upper reflections of expressionary chakras from the Base powers of the chakras below where the two brothers represent the Granthis.

Energetic blocks are the psycho/physical Granthis, as the yogis call them. 

They are made up of unconscious themes that the yogi seeks to resolve through Tantric means.

When we go a bit further into the myth of the two brothers – who cause chaos in the lower chakras through an unbalanced handling of force – we see that they were once the divine gate keepers to the Heart chakra. However, they failed to do their job satisfactorily and thence fell from grace and became the energies of chaos that haunt the lower chakras below the Kalabandh.

STORIES & MEANINGS

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These stories may easily seem like fantastical fairy tales and they are, but further in stories are encoded yogic principles, one could see the moral aspect very easily and this is often latched onto by the religious expressions and sentiments projected upon such stories. Such stories abound in scriptural texts in vast amounts of variations. The stories are ancient and archetypal realities that point to inner elements that we experience on the yogic voyage. The symbols of the chakras and their significances are woven in to the stories, they can easily be shaped to represent moral codes as is often done by the religious institutions, but much more is in the stories than mere morality.

The lines of myth pre-date scripture, scripture has been a human attempt to install stories and information systematically. Very often what happens is that those stories take on the meanings that organised religions assign to them. Tantrics do not really have scriptures, even if there are a few ancient writings under the name of Tantra. Tantra is a subject kept alive and distributed carefully through oral, magical and practical means. The stories are often imparted by elders who may have little or no scriptural insight.

The stories are numerous and point at inner realities that relate to the yogic cosmology of the universe that we are.

They are at once teaching stories and double up as stories portraying energy principles detailing the cosmology of the human psycho/physical system and the macrocosmic celestial movements of planetary and atmospheric influences.

For example the above detailed story of the Vahara power inside us tells of how the base chakra can be submerged by the second chakra if the Shakti is lived or even ‘unlived’ to an unbalanced greater extent through the second chakra. The Vahara power is the active side of Varahi who represents the passive earth element, an active earth power is then needed to care for the base chakra if we are to keep the earth mother inside of us in a state of nourishing release or ‘receptivity’. 

Another name of Varahi is Bhumi. 

In another story, Bhumi who is the Earth Goddess married the sky father God Dyaus Pitir (literally sky father) together they birthed a daughter called Usha who is the Goddess of the dawn that opens her eyes at twilight.

Polarities coming together to give birth to the new is implicit in the story. The story of Varahi shows how, if we do not find the active earth principle within ourselves, then our home life falls into chaos and reliance upon anything but our own earth powers.

Just as in the Story where Varahi is submerged by the unconscious and unbalanced waters of the second chakra, Varahi represents the nourishing aspect of home life.

Vahara, on the other hand, is the active earth power that places the earth elephant, serpent and turtle beneath her to keep stability, these second creatures both being creatures that can articulate between both earth and water, or between the base and second chakra.

The Seven Mothers are responsible for the creation of life in the womb.

They introduce the 7 forms of Tejas which relate to the subtle principles symbolised by the Deva’s. The Mothers bring these elements into the emotional and physical realm through the 7 physical constituents called the Datus: blood, bone, skin, marrow, bindi/rajas, muscle fat.

This applies equally to the grounding of ultra-terrestrial realities to the terrestrial level as it does to the bringing of nourishment and life to a child in the womb.

The 7 Mother’s feature pivotally in Tantric ritual when addressing childbirth and the care and development of children.

7 types of Malady are traceable to the 7 Mother’s being offended. For example if the first Mother Varahi is not honoured then this effects the earth element and the bones. Bone is the Dhatu (bodily element) under the rulership if Varahi. There are particular uses of Bija mantras that access the realm of the earth element and bring it into balance. 

Accidents also come under the rulership of Varahi as they are physical manifestations of psychic energies.

Falling, or having something fall upon oneself is a malady under the eye of Varahi. 

The things that wound or offend the earth element are to be considered when attempting to make peace with Varahi. Drugs for example radically unground the physical Datus and unseat Varahi.

Varahi is at the base of all the Datus, even though bone is her speciality.

She is the foundation of the whole system. Indeed she resides in the base Chakra. Her Mudra is sometimes known as Bhumi Mudra or the earth triangle and is most often the starting place of Tantric yogic ritual. Varahi needs special attention as the base of our being must be honoured for the structure to live well.

Tantrics who work very much in trance and the astral realms of ritual equally risk unseating Varahi by unbalancing the physical Dhatus. 

Prolonged  levels of focus in subtle realities can draw Tejas and Ojas apart. 

In order to keep Varahi in her seat and happy, the Tantric must take care to not get un-lodged from the earth seat by excessive wayward travels to the spirit realms. Such travels are not easily accessed for most are require a degree of siddhi and focus, so this mainly pertains to those who are deeply living in intensive daily Tantric sadhana.

For such practitioners it is important to find a way to the earth seat of Varahi. There are methods to ground the energies, sometimes tobacco is used as a crude method but it is far from being recommended. 

The magnetism of babies and young children, animals and forests also grounds the physical layers and it is good for far-traveling Tantrics to associate with such.

VARAHI RULES THE HOME

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It is said that if Varahi is pleased she brings Love between Mothers and Fathers. She brings love from the parents to the children and back to the parents from the children.

The children represent the underworld of Patala. They are in a process of growing and manifesting from the seed of potential born of a dark womb.

The mother is the physical/astral realm of Bhumi. The Mata Tatva spreads a nourishing energy through the astral level and spreads to the physical. Woman is connected to this through her rajas (womb energy). This principle is most starkly seen in pregnancy.

The father represents the mental/causal world known as Svarga.

The Bindu seed has the action to move in this direction and so the man connects to this realm. Again, this principle can be seen to play out actively in the creation of life.

For these 3 elements of Mother, Child and Father to be in balance with each other – practically and figuratively speaking – Varahi must be pleased.
These 3 energetic interplays can be looked at closely to be seen to play out on many levels.

Homes without Love are homes where Varahi’s seat is comprised. Whatever the constellation of the home may be, whether abounding with family or whether it be the solitary home, it is made up of this movement of energy, regardless of gender, or partnership or child-fullness or childlessness, a home is dependent upon these aforementioned exchanges of energy. The articulation of these energies in fluid motion make for a good home life.

Every man has the child and woman inside him. As every woman has the man and child inside her.

The physicality creates a magnetic current that makes an energy more present.. a man has constituents in his body that a woman does not have and vice versa, regardless of sexual or gender orientation, the energies we are talking about are magnetic principals that do not relate to a socio-stereotype of roles.

We have taken the model of mother, father and children to express movements of energy. Whatever the state of our home we may see how the balance of the 3 elements expressed in Patala, Bhumi Svarga must be in harmony. We can say underworld/astral, earth plane and spirit world just as readily as child, mother, father.

The intonation of mantras is a bridge between the world of Tejas and Ojas, as making sound is the physical feel-able activity of a subtle form of sound. If a mantra is said internally without voicing it physically then it builds Tejas internally.

The 7 types of Tejas are addressed very specifically by inner concentrations on 7 types of sound, when voicing these sounds it gives them tangible form and applies the energy to be converted to Ojas.

This is anthar mantra (inner sound) and the opposite is bhar mantra (externalized sound).

There is to be sometimes noted a change in the internally voiced Bija than in the externally voiced.

Tantrics are able to accomplish siddhi’s such as Healing if they build up a power of inner Tejas through inner mantra. The voicing of an internally empowered  mantra unleashes tremendous force that is dependent upon the degree to which it has been empowered.

In the same way that the car needs petrol to drive, the engine of ritualistic undertakings requires fuel. 

Tejas is the fuel and Ojas is the car, we could say.

HONOURING THE 7 MOTHERS
AFTERTHOUGHTS

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When the 7 types of Energy are honoured then there is a harmony in the Chakras.

For example, if we were taking a journey, we would need to make sure we have the respective necessities with us.  We would take the required and suitable clothing to accommodate the weather, we would secure the necessary travel documents and tickets to allow the journey, and we would arrange for necessary nourishment and accommodation. If all the elements of taking such a journey are in balance then there would be a satisfactory outcome to reaching the destination.

If one element were out of balance, such as not having a ticket or not taking warm enough clothes for the climate then the whole journey could be thrown off balance.

The structure of the Chakras and the chakric life that we live needs balance for harmony to prevail. It is a careful undertaking to learn about our own specific chakric life and the care it needs as we go through the journey of life.  Every person has their own melody, rhythm and music of the Chakras that takes listening to know just how to honour and move by it.

The remedies that nourish our chakras can be found through self-study and Tantric practices. By experientially investigating the psychic and physical rhythms of our make-up, we can discover the poisons and the remedies that create or destroy Life and Love in us. 

The tantric practitioner takes a step of self-reliant autonomy that sets aside any standard system of conduct.  The tantric becomes his or her own physician as they investigate the dynamics of their use of energy. Actions that we ourselves do are investigated in Tantra for their life giving or life taking potentialities.

The 7 mothers each have their realm of influence through their respective mantras and remedies. Seven types of flower are known in Tantra to that create remedies for example. Food crystals, metals, types of Sadhana (spiritual practice) and many manner of things exert influence upon the chakras through a psycho/physical medium.

By correspondence and connection, each of the 7 energy constellations relate to respective elements of influence.

Just as there are beneficial currents of the seven mothers which are known as Amrit (remedies), there are also malefic currents known as Halahala (poisons).

The correct measure of elixir and poison is needed in balance to arouse harmony in the chakras. The state of a chakra can itself turn poison to elixir and elixir to poison.

The 7 mothers are our celestial parents who are connected to us through the chakras – In the same way that the parents are always connected to a child spiritually, before and after birth and into adulthood and beyond.

A great field of influence exists through the parents to the child through the chakric system, especially that which the parent does in the younger years of the child, bears heavy influence upon the child energetically. 

THE WOMB OF LIFE

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The seven Mothers are the creators of life in the womb. They reveal 7 types of the creative fire of Tejas in the wombs of the 7 chakras. 

The 7 stars of the Pleiades are a celestial form of Tejas that is revealed and honoured by Tantrics on the September Dark Moon. The seven stars reveal themselves by a bluish diamond-like glow.

There are other points in the year when these Star Goddesses come into their power. We shall come to those days later in more detail upon the respective ritual days.

September is a time of maturing and the first beginnings of harvest. The Matrikas play their role in this fruitful development.  This beginning of ripening applies to fruit and harvest as well as to human life. The time of harvesting the fruit of the astral forces and their influence on physical life is now. The ancients who lived so much in natural rhythms, as to be able to feel and see the influence of celestial and planetary currents, chanted mantras to match the vibrations of the stars and set up ritual conditions for the spirits of the 7 mothers to me welcomed and pleased.

When the 7 mothers are offended by us going against nature ‘and our own nature’, they are said to bring disharmony in the area of birth.

This applies to physical both as well as the birth of our visions. 

The mothers are pleased when we extend ourselves through tapasya (yogic technique and effort) to touch the stars.

Women who have problems conceiving children would be directed Tantricly, for example, to balance the bodily elements through the learning and chanting of the corresponding Bija mantras.

The Bija Mantras (seed syllables) of the 7 mothers have connection to the nadis (energy lines) that articulate the 7 dhatus (bodily substances) to and from the womb and areas of reproduction.

The 7 Matrikas care for children by shining favourable fortune upon them.

Children are still in the range of influence of the celestial currents as they are not so fully incarnated from the spiritual to the earthly yet through the passage of development and time.

If the parents are out of balance with any of the Matrika elements, either physically or psychically, then the child reaps that unbalance because of their close connection to the parents.

The prayers of Mothers for the well-being of children is the conventional interpretation of this ritual day. When looking at this Dark Moon festival from the Tantric perspective, we see that this ancient balancing ritual is done for the welfare of children. Hence it is called the Mothers Moon Ritual to tantrics – Mata Amvasya Puja. 

It is Tantricly carried out by both men and women, both child-full and child-less people for the pleasing of the seven protective Mothers, the ritual arouses innocence and heals both the inner and outer child.

This ritual has as a root the practice of formulas for adults to set up favourable spiritual conditions in their psycho/physical mechanism, so that the children and children to come would be freed from ancestral karmas, shadows and ill-favoured imprints. 

Ritual practices and Healing at this time focuses on freeing oneself of their own ancestral karmas so that the child in us can relinquish itself of inner battles.

By establishing good connection with the 7 Motherly spirt energies of the Matrikas that exist within us – reflected and empowered on this day by the Star forces that rule them –

We give space to the Child of Freedom.

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Hara Ring

Naaga Puja is also known as Naaga Panchami.
A time honoured Indian festival,
both for orthodox worship and the Tantric lines,
it is a ritual time of working with the spirit of the snake.

Practices of the Snake Night

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Upon this night, Tantrics engage in inner and outer snake mudras and ritual practice to balance their energy involvements upon the astral plane. The junction of celestial energies upon this festival day makes it a most favourable time for working with the astral forces. Bija mantras relating to the snake are chanted along with the antar (inner) Naag Mudras. Various asanam are practiced to help assist one in opening the astral portals in the psycho/physical constitution.

In Tantric practice, there are many particular physical snake mudras which help free our perception and vision from astral interference. For example, Naagini mudra is a radical position of body and mind that embodies the snake quality strongly in our system, it establishes a strong connection to the world of the snakes. In fact it refers directly to a woman who is both human and serpent at the same time. Working with inner and outer eagle practices also forms part of the Tantric Naagas Panchami ritual as the eagle and snake are intimately connected.

The spirits and energies of the Astral plane are of numerous kinds. Those that live in the most unconscious recesses are known to Tantrics as the Naagas. The Naagas are spirits and energies that can have deep effect upon our consciousness. They link to us and live and operate from the most unconscious level of our being.

Naaga Lokh – realms of the underworld

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Naaga ‘Lokh’ (realm) is one of the many dimensions of the astral world. We might think of it as a parallel universe where we exist perhaps only in a semi-conscious or unintegrated state. The work of the Tantric Naaga Puja Ritual is to find the part of our human consciousness that dwells unconsciously in the World of the Naaga and bring it to a state of awakened awareness.

The Naaga realms are places where our Shakti is invested in a semi-aware state of consciousness particularly in relation to base and sexual chakra themes. These can be places where we have blind spots and lose our power. By becoming aware of our unconscious investments and the patterning we have within ourselves, we may relinquish the invested Shakti.

Naaga Lokh exists in the underworld. This is not a ‘hell’ as might be understood by the term underworld, although it can be depending on what kind of relationship we have to the Naaga spirits within ourselves. The underworld is known as Patala to the yogis. It has seven divisions and each semi division corresponds to one of the seven chakras. Naaga Lokh is the deepest of them all. It is a deep ‘heaven’ and is said to have more beauty than the upper world, with the Naaga as keepers of its most precious jewels, the Naagmani.

Some say that it is mere myth that a cobra has a jewel underneath its hood. Many speculations have ensued around the Naagmani, and many commercial ventures of selling such pseudo-Snake stones are undertaken in the name of Naagmani.

Real Naagmani’s are very rare and can never be procured easily. Only very specific and extremely rare snakes carry the precious stone. Some tantrics may gain such a stone by very special procedures that involve a deep degree of magical knowledge and accomplishment. The Naagmani is sometimes handed down as a power object among the Siddha’s in their initiations.

The 3 worlds and their 7 divisions

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According to the Tantrics, there exist three worlds. The first two are portals to the astral world:

Patala – the underworld of seven divisions, connected to the seven chakras and connected astrally to the earth;

Bhumi or Pritvi – the Earthly world which includes the stars and physical manifestation of planets. This physical world we live in has seven divisions of manifested energy which are expressed through the chakras. These chakras start at the terrestrial base levels to bring and go all the way up to the ultra-terrestrial chakras in the head that are finer the frequencies. Individuals and collectives in the physical world may live in all manner of energy constellation of the seven realities of the chakras. Naturally we move between these seven states of being according to many factors, one being the influence of Lunar currents upon our constitution.

Swarga – the third world – is the upper world beyond the physical that is connected to us on earth through the portals of the stars. Again this is divided into seven levels – each of which corresponds and intersects with the manifestations of Chakras within us on earth.

We could think of the Swarga realms as the fruit and flowers of the tree, the earth could be likened to the shade of the tree along with the taste and scent of its offerings. The Patala underworld would then be the roots.

These worlds are given various names according to the district or the bent of the school. For example in left hand Tantra (the way of the Heart): The realm of Patala is the world of the Crow – Kah. The realm of Swarga is the world of the Swan – Hamsa. Bhumi is the Earth Goddess who stands between their flights, she is the place where the birds meet and depart in the ever swinging dance between moondark and moonlight.

At the Full Moon, the upper Swarga World of the Swan is most active, as it is in the ascending half of the lunar month.
At the Dark Moon, the underworld of the Crow…Patala is most active, as it is on the descending half of the lunar month.

By balancing and addressing our being in one of the worlds, we balance and address the reflection of that world in all its 3 levels:

1) The unconscious
2) The physical manifest level of the body
3) The level of consciousness

These 3 layers interrelate and are inseparable. By addressing unconscious areas we bring the corresponding shift of power to a change in our consciousness and the body changes in the way Praan (breath) and Shakti relate to it.

We often have a familiar station of residence that is our main chakra of issue with which we are concerned. Through this chakra we may predominantly express and live out our life.

The Chakras are stations or even whole worlds we could say and Tantrics are travellers between the worlds. Tantrics start at the base underworld levels. They work also with much physical Mudra and spiritual astral vision techniques, but a lot of the focus of the Tantric pursuit comes back towards opening and untying the knots of the unconscious Granthis in the underworld.

The rituals of Tantrics take into account atmospheric, celestial, lunar and seasonal shifts of energy and the portals that these movements create in relation to the 3 worlds. What drives a person to such Tantric travels of traversing and connecting unknown territories? is a question well worth pondering!

Shiva and the 3 Worlds

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Shiva is the one who is free of the shadows of the unconscious, or rather free of the overshadowing of consciousness. The state of Shiva that is our potential is to become aware on all the spiritual planes, waking from dreams and integrating and disentangling ourselves from unconscious energy ties to the numerous astral realms.

Mythology often tells of competitions between the Gods. In one such instance Shiva revealed the extent of his power, burning through the three worlds with the power of his awareness.

This fire of awareness and psychic power is known as Tejas. It is strong when the things that belong to the upper world of consciousness are gathered and extricated from the places they are intertwined in the underworld of the unconscious. The myth tells how the beam of Tejas extended to infinity beyond the underworlds and the upperworlds, it’s end was sought hopelessly but never to be found. Shiva himself was the beam. The great Lingam of energy.

Ling refers to the Male generative power and Gam to the Female creative power. Shiva was the pinnacle of both of these forces in balance in all three worlds.

Shiva revealed himself as a vast beam of Tejas fire which shot out 12 snakes from the 12 Naaga Granthi (snake knot) portals of his body. These 12 portals relate to the body’s 12 snake meridians.

The 12 snakes of Tejas fire were attracted to 12 magnetic places of power on the earth – marked by the 12 Jyotirlingam temples spread across India. Jyotir means ‘sacred flame’. Each of the 12 temples is related to one of 12 forms of Shiva and these 12 forms are also names for the 12 (Naaga) Granthi (energy knots) of the human organism, with the the temples located diametrically upon the human body. Each temple has a Bija mantra known to Tantrics which can open the related places energy knots in the psycho/physical system. Sophisticated Tantric methods of bodily asan along with Mudra and inner psychic work unties the Granthis and brings the human into a balance in and between the three worlds.

A particular magnetic place of power upon the earth can open the particular corresponding Granthi in the body. Obstinate karmic blocks and both psychic and physical impediments can be healed by going to the corresponding places of magnetism. Such places of power can equally disrupt psychic and physical forces in the human system.

The 7 Stars of the Saptrishi

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As discussed in a previous newsletter, Sapt means ‘seven’ and Rishi means ‘Seer’. The 7 stars of the Saptrishi constellation are connected to the 7 chakras and represent portals through which the 7 types of human soul are incarnated.

One star type may be reflected or represented more strongly in a particular culture, group of people or individual. Though astral forces of like-kind, as well as like-kind types of being do tend to group together and create a defined line of consensual reality, this is not a clear cut subject with hard and fast rules.

A Tantric practitioner attempts to know all 7 worlds of the 7 Stars of the Saptrishi and may attempt to move out of their comfort zone and familiar port of residence – discovering worlds shaded from view by unconsciousness and worlds far beyond their star of origin. When the voyage has gone so far and all astral worlds are made a home of…then the Yogi becomes one of the Natanaaga, the celestial dancers.

The Turtle Star

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‘Kacchaapa’ refers to one of the Saptrishi star constellations and means ‘turtle’ in reference to its  elliptical turtleshell-like shape. 

Mythology tells that the Turtle Star Rishi Kacchaapa fathered 84 crore (Indian numerical measurement) of all manner of species of astral spirit, earth creatures and plants including the Naagas. From the very monstrous astral ghouls known as Rakshasas to the very Benign Gahandarvas. Even Garuda, the King of Birds himself is his son. All such being relate to the earth or water elements, even if only as an opposite, as in the case of the bird (sky) relating to the snake (earth) and each came through this one (turtle star) in a previous Manvantara (age).

The Turtle Star is an astral portal to the earth plane for the Naagas, connecting them to us energetically and physically at the level of the base and sexual chakras. It is to be remembered that a snake is a creature that is close to the earth, it can swim, much in the same way a turtle is versatile in these two elements. Hyper aware in their world, paradoxically, the Naaga spirits that incarnate on the earth can be profoundly tamasic (sleepy) and revolve in the themes and shadows of these first two chakras. They are usually astral brings and realities or illusions depending on the insight of our vision. Just as a Naaga may incarnate in the human realm, so a human on earth may enter the Naaga worlds through work with the chakras as star portals worlds.

Awakening Garuda, King of Birds

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Garuda is often known as the vahana (vehicle) of Vishnu. Garuda is half human and half eagle. Known commonly as the enemy of all serpents, his Tejas (spiritual fire) is not dimmed or put to sleep by their slippery world. The astral world of the Naagas is seen in awareness when the Tejas is relinquished and brought to flame.

Two fires recognised by the Tantrics are worked with and brought to their rightful balance. Tejas –  cooling and creative.  Agni – hot and destructive.

This very principle of the human bird represents the becoming conscious within the unconscious worlds of the Naagas. A human with the possibility of flight, represented by the wings of Garuda. He is one who has penetrated the world of unconsciousness in an awakened state, able to see the dreams that steal Shakti from the Astral plane and bring her back.

By flying spiritually into the astral plane with the sharp vision of the eagle Guruda we are able to awaken from unconscious dreams of ‘illusory reality’ in the worlds of the Naagas. For Garuda the Naagas are no threat, his vision and direction are one pointed (Dharana). He represents the ascent of Kundalini.

Awakening Garuda within ourselves means disentangling our energy from the illusions that bind it in the astral plane, with the skill of an eagle. Garuda is also known as Ellh in Tantra, and finds his expression in the Ellh Mudras (eagle locks). The Tantric becomes Garuda when working with astral illusions, dreams and shadows. The sharp penetrating vision of the eagle is needed for such a venture of insight.

Taking the Dance of Shiva

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In many depictions, Shiva wears snakes at all the major energy junctions of the physical locations of the Granthis, even wearing the snake necklace. He wears them as ornaments because he is friend and lord of the snake spirits of the astral plane, and therefore called Naaganath. The Naaga spirits are no longer knots upon the energy centres of his physical and astral body. Shiva is one who has awakened from the dream of the Naagas.

Legend has it that when we attempt Tantra, we are taking the dance of Shiva. Through the astral levels of dreams. Shiva lives in us as the lord of dreams, awake in the dreams and illusions of variegated astral realities.The path of Shiva reveals to us where we are yet unconscious.

Shiva is he who opens the doors of Tantric practices. To the locked doors of the Granthis – it is Shiva who gives the keys when we undergo the courageous voyage to face the world of our dreams and illusions. Shiva is the fearless one inside us. Shiva is ever on the path of dreams and reality. He is at once, human and animal, angel and demon, man and woman, dark and light…..and at the same time Shiva is beyond these things. Shiva is the soul within us that is empowered upon the day of Nag Panchami to voyage through the astral.

Returning Shakti

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A focused state of awareness and Kundalini awakening occurs when one de-invests themselves of unconscious patterning. Tantra is such a path of deprogramming. In order to awaken the Queen Shakti of Kundalini, the yogi brings their Shakti back from the realms of the unconscious. On the Path of Kundalini, one confronts the deep layers of oneself and becomes conscious of the spiritual forces within and behind their inner states of unconsciousness.

The portal to the world of the Naaga is opened by the celestial currents on this day of Naaga Panchami. Naaga spirits can give both benefic or malefic effects according to the level of our awareness of the astral planes and relation to Shakti. For example – if we were to walk through a stretch of forest known for its wild dogs with an open basket full of meat, chances are we would be pursued for the aforementioned food. Travelling in a more conscious manner however, we might know how to protect our goods or even befriend the dogs and walk with them as allays.

By denying ourselves access to the realm of the snakes altogether because of its alleged ‘danger’ or difficulty, we deny ourselves access to the reflection of that realm in the upper-world, the world of the Birds.

The Naaga astral planes cannot be shut down or denied, but our relationship to those worlds and spirits changes according to the way we relate to them. Naagas that cause us suffering are brought into a different constellation of relationship with us as we become conscious of previously unconscious uses of Shakti energy.  Tantrics see how the path of denial or repression leads to a diminishment of life power. Turning one’s gaze in an easy and pleasant direction and holding it there takes a huge amount of Shakti and can close off our great potentials. Some spiritual paths might work in this way, but Tantra is inclusive of all realms.  Sitting in the courageous seat of Shiva, the Tantric comes to know all of existence.

As one becomes familiar and aware of the world of unconsciousness, the journey becomes one of waking up from dreams that shade our power. Shakti is then raised from her latency of being. She lives in the unconscious in varying degrees… intertwined in the unseen half of the reflection of life.  Our vision broadens to see the underworld – which is brought to awareness by the exploration that the Tantrics know as the healing path.

Unresolved sexual and base karma themes within the first two chakras of our being are what tie us unconsciously to the world of the Naagas. By bringing our sexual power back from the unconscious places of investment there, we heal deeply rooted imprints – even ancestral sexual imprints that we carry. We naturally and gradually awaken Kundalini as the great amount of invested astral Shakti is brought back to our centre.

For Kundalini to awaken it is as simple as healing the bonds that disempower us and take our powers away with them. Simple yes, but a profound venture to undertake.

Beauty comes when Shakti returns,
Hara Ring

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