MAUNI AMVASYA
The Silent Moon
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MAUNI AMVASYA
AN INITIATION INTO THE TANTRIC PATH OF YOGA
ROOTED IN THE SHAMANIC WISDOM OF INDIA
11 FEBRUARY | New Moon
Part 1 of 4 | THE WISDOM SERIES
20:oo - 23:oo CET | 19:oo-22:oo GMT
*A recording will be made available,
if you cannot make the exact date/time.
Please specify by email when registering."
The Teachers of Wisdom series will open upon the Amvasya (dark Moon) of Mauni (silence). The Mauni is the silent teacher, ‘one of silence’ or ‘wise sage’. A Mauni is a Wisdom Teacher who practices and teaches through silence. The wisdom of Mauni is an inner tuition that opens the doors of innate intuitive wisdom. The yogis and ancestors passed on wisdom through oral traditions it must be remembered.
This is an ancient ritual day in the Tantric calendar known as Mauni Amvasya. It is a time of discovering the power of speech, sound and silence… A time-honoured Tantric night of sacred silence that is kept to this day by Yogins in the ritual of working with sound and silence.
This ritual will be an initiation into working with Mauna. Mauna is the Tantric wisdom of silence as a healing tool. Little known techniques of working with speech and silence will comprise this ritual night. Such techniques of speech and silence can quicken profound processes in our psychic world, such practices can also be applied to broader fields of our lives.
The Stars
The Moon on this night is in the Nakshatra (Lunar house) of Shravan. Shravan’s ruler is in fact the Moon. This Nakshatra signifies the art of hearing and wisdom that is received by listening. Shravan is symbolised as the ear of listening. The lunar house of Shravan Nakshatra is made of the three stars Altair, Alshain, and Tarazed. These three stars together form constellation of Makara (Capricorn).
Shravana Nakshatra is the star of listening and learning. Shravana means ‘to hear’ and is symbolised as an ear.
Shravan Nakshatra is also symbolised by 3 footprints. These 3 steps correspond to this Nakshatra’s 3 stars of Altair, Alshain, and Tarazed which relate to the 3 smallest bones in the human body, which are located in the ear. These bones are known as the hammer, anvil and the stapes.
The 3 steps that symbolize this Nakshatra, further unfold their symbolism in the story of the smallest dwarf god incarnation of Vaman. who famously took 3 steps through space and time. Vaman is known as Trivikram, which means 3 footsteps. Vaman is an incarnation of Vishnu, who is the Deity of this Nakshatra. The annual festival of Vaman Jayanti that commemorates the Dwarf god Vama also falls later in the year when the Moon is in the constellation of Shravan. It is to be noted that the cosmic symphony of synchronicity is hidden in the yogic symbols and rituals.
The Ritual
In this ritual, we will be working predominantly with the Throat Chakra. The third ear of psychic sensitivity and Clairaudience. At the Throat Chakra we find the blue lunar flame of the subtle element of Akash (space) This fire rules our sensitivity to sound and the power it has over the spirit.
The Throat Chakra
is the expression of sexual energy
at a more subtle expression,
by working with the Throat Chakra
we engage the sexual energy.
In this ritual we will practice Asan, Munda and Mantra to access the physical and psychic channels of sound. During the Hatha Tantric ritual we will move very much within and towards silence. Internal and external Mantra and Mudra techniques will guide this process.
Vaak Siddhi is the magical power of speech. This awakens when the psychic faculty within us becomes pregnant with power – when the word becomes imbued with magical life. This is known to Tantrics, who honour deeply the Mauna practices Tantra.
‘Mau’ means ‘mouth’. Mauna is commonly understood as simply ‘not talking’. While this is certainly part of the practice of Mauna, there are many more practices of working with speech. In fact, the second part of the word Mauna, ‘Na’, means ‘without’. What is often overlooked is that Na is a double word that also means ‘with’.
For those interested to learn about the practice of working Yogicly with speech and silence ritualisticaly and within their daily lives are invited to join this circle of silent power.
REST OF SERIES
Part 2 | 11 March | SHIVARATRI – The Great Night of Shiva: The First Yogi
Part 3 | 24 July | GURU PURNIMA – Honouring the Inner Teacher
Part 4 | 18 December | DATTA JAYANTI – Moving beyond Duality
WHERE & HOW: It’s all Online.
MUST REGISTER IN ADVANCE
The rituals takes place ONLINE, from 7pm until ±11pm Central European Time (CET). *A recording will be made available, if you cannot make the exact date/time. Just specify by email when registering.
Teachers of Wisdom
____
Tantra is a wisdom tradition that entails strict codes that are handed on in unbroken lines from teacher to student. The teacher is the link in the chain of Tantra. The original tantric practices are themselves the Teacher that lead us to the Darshan (vision) of the Guru Tatva (element). In the Tantric tradition, the teacher is no job but a way of life.
WHAT IS 'WORKING WITH THE SHADOW'?
A short interview with Boonath.
ANCIENT & SACRED
On these healing circles you will practice a form of Yoga that is rarely available and accessible even in India today. You will take part in a sacred Yogic tradition that roots itself in India’s native shamanic wisdom & Tantric lineage handed down orally between generations of Yogis, Babas, Sadhus and Fakirs.
You will be exposed to the old tantric ways of seeking profound healing and spiritual awakening, including practicing in darkly-lit spaces to quieten the mind and awaken the senses to the body’s subtle energy currents, holding simple postures for long periods of time, and engaging in powerful breath-work to open-up the body and take the mind into altered states of consciousness.
GENTLE
The practice draws on postures seldom used in modern styles of yoga, ancient sequences that honour the mother and the divine feminine, gently opening-up the body to its highest levels of flexibility through minimal effort.
Integral to this experience will be the exploration of sound-currents present in the body (Nada Yoga) – perhaps one of Yoga’s greatest secrets and one of the most powerful vehicles through which the karmic patterns stored in the chakras can be accessed and released in pursuit of profound healing.
UNIQUE
Unique to this tradition is its simultaneous employment of Asanas (postures), aerobic & anaerobic Pranayam (breathwork), Mudras (gestures), and Mantras (sacred sounds).
The synergy created by the employment of these various yogic tools will lead you into altered states of consciousness and dream-like experiences aimed at facilitating a greater openness to inward journeying and an easier access to your subconscious.
UNBOUND
Because we are going to play with shamanic yogic traditions, the practice will take place outside of clearly time constraints. Generally, the practice will last about 6 hours, but if the group is ready to practice longer we might carry well into the night.
INCLUSIVE
The Circle is open to those interested in the healing path.
Tantra and Yoga practitioners, and those seeking healing, practitioners of the mystic arts. Both advanced and beginners will find a place in this circle.
If you have had or are having psychosis please get in touch directly with us as this is important to know about in this work. The same goes for those with strong mobility issues. Drug and alcohol users also need to inform us of their condition. Thank you.
The practie usually takes place in the dark or darkly-lit spaces.
The pictures below were taken in daylight to capture the flow of a practice.
BOONATH
BOONATH was born into a life of yoga. He grew up between Europe and India and was introduced as a child to yoga through his grandparents who were on both sides yoga practitioners.
His grandparents took him on his first Himalayan pilgrimage when he was just seven years old and he has been exposed to the world of yogis ever since.
Boonath has taken initiation into the left hand path (that’s the path of the heart) and specialises in the branch of Chandra Parampara, that is a secret style of Moon practice that works with the night forces. It is a style of tantra that goes very deep into the subconscious roots It is first and foremostly a Healing System. Most of his family still lives in India and he has been travelling there regularly throughout his life in pursuit of yoga. He has worked closely in apprenticeship with elders in the line of Siddha systems of healing and holds much knowledge in the use of rituals, mantras and body/spirit healing methods among other things.
Boonath has been working in this line and helping people with the implementation of these techniques for over 25 years to successfully overcome mental and physical problems, from chronic pain to addiction.
Boonath’s healing and yoga work sees him travelling across the whole of Europe to give workshops and healing sessions. His travels and yoga workshops continue to benefit people in deprived circumstances.
In recent years Boonath has been living and teaching yoga in Germany where he has a network of students. It was in Berlin that Boonath met Kim, with whom Boonath co-founded Working with the Shadow in 2014.
Formal studies and encounters have all left their impression on Boonath, but his teachings are deeply rooted in the Shamanic traditions of the mystical Babas and Fakirs of India, with whom Boonath has been studying closely since childhood to the present day.
KIM
KIM is an Eco-Activist turned Yogi and the founder of Healing in the Willows, the retreat company hosting Working with the Shadow, which he developed in 2014 in collaboration with Boonath, who he assists with the teaching. Kim discovered Yoga in 2005, following a burn-out at work that brought him onto the path of ‘Yog’. Kim had spent over 10 years coordinating international environmental campaigns in Brussels, Amsterdam and Berlin for major environmental NGOs, including Greenpeace, WWF, Friends of the Earth, ActionAid, and many others.
Kim practiced Yoga with many teachers from several modern styles of Yoga (including Iyengar, Astanga, Vinasa, Bikram, Sivananda, Scaravelli, Kundalini) all over Europe, India and further afield. In 2011 Kim set up a first yoga collective in Berlin, which he then expanded to a new location in 2013, in one of the economically deprived areas of town that was undergoing gentrification. The collective brought together a variety of local teachers to promote yoga on a donation basis within the surrounding community unable to afford the increasing cost of living. It was there that Kim met Boonath and, through Boonath, that his understanding of what Yoga is and what Yoga can do shifted entirely. Boonath’s rare and ancient Tantric lineage revolutionised Kim’s understanding of Yoga and initiated him into a mystical healing journey that impacted strongly also on Kim’s activist work.
Since then Kim has been collaborating with Boonath on developing Working with the Shadow through the retreats, workshops and online classes.
“It shifted my understanding of what Yoga actually is,
on a fundamental level”
Joe
Farmer & Activist | UK
REGISTRATION.
A recording will be made available,
if you cannot make the exact date/time.
Just specify by email when registering.
TO BOOK A PLACE ON THE ONLINE SESSION…
STEP 1 | Make the payment
either via Paypal or bank transfer (see below).
STEP 2 | Send a proof of payment
(a screenshot will do) to info@healinginthewillows.com
We will then:
STEP 3 | Send you a confirmation email confirming your registration.
STEP 4 | The day of the event, we will send you an email containing:
– all the technical details to connect to the class online,
– suggestions on how best to prepare for the practice (foods and drinks to avoid),
– how to set-up your room for the practice,
– props you might need during the practice (blankets, cushions, etc).
PANDEMIC-FRIENDLY PRICE
FEES VARY ACCORDING TO INCOME
Please choose the amount matching your current economic situation,
whether you are unemployed, low income or high income.
Please remember that we depend entirely on peoples’ fees for the carrying out of this work:
UNEMPLOYED
€25 / €80
1 ritual / all 4 rituals
LOW INCOME
€35 / €120
1 ritual / all 4 rituals
HIGH INCOME
€50 / €170
1 ritual / all 4 rituals
PAYPAL
kim.bizzarri@gmail.com
BANK TRANSFER
Account holder: Kim Bizzarri
Iban: IT91A0200870691000003926096
Bic/Swift: UNCRITM1CEC
Bank: Unicredit
*
PAYMENTS ARE TO BE MADE BEFORE
& NO LATER THAN NOON
ON THE DAY OF THE EVENT
*
THE SESSION WILL HAPPEN ON ZOOM
We will send you the links and passwords necessary for joining the practice.
All your need your end is a computer / tablet with a camera (preferably, but not essential – it’s important that you can see us), a microphone (so that we can hear you, but it’s not essential) and good speakers / audio,
as it will be fundamental that you hear the instructions.
*
IF YOU HAVE ANY QUESTIONS
T: +39 3298456532
@: info [at] healinginthewillows.com
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