THE VAAHAANNH
February 12, 2021
ANIMALS, THE CHAKRAS & THE ELEMENTS
“To unveil the great Goddess of Nature
is Yog.”
Tantric wisdom recognises that different creatures all have their own particular expression and power that it is possible for us to align with through invocation. The animal energies that we connect to spiritually can be a benefactory element to us upon our path when we make the connection to them.
To evoke the animal powers within us
is to return to nature.
Tantrics lay the greatest emphasis upon the return to the natural state. The natural human animal is one who is divorced from the disempowerment of surface structures upon the soil of life. Instead, the natural human animal is married to the depth of nature’s womb and it’s simple and definite laws.
The wisdom of nature opens up the spirit of the natural human. The Yogins call this spirit Pashupatinath: a form of shiva who is deeply in contact with all the elements and all the beasts that roam the Earth and the astral plane.
We all long to reach the state of natural spiritual being, we might sometimes go about getting there in less than optimal ways that can become self-defeating. We all long for the wisdom of nature to flow through us and wash the burdened edifices of un-nature. We all long to return to the garden, where rules, structures and impositions upon the spirit have no place.
The ancient yogis,
who left footprints in the Earth for us to follow,
were those who acknowleged,
yet disregarded,
that which was not in tune
with the rhythms of nature.
Rather, they evoked and invoked the spirit of nature as a way to protect themselves from the constricting artificial structures of ideology. The way of Yog could be said to be a kind of stripping away of all that which blocks the path of nature’s power from flowing.
Many of the conditions that we suffer from are not natural conditions of suffering, but are reactions to the Man-made structures that we live in – this includes both physical and psychic structures. Many of us may not be able to run wild and naked in our daily lives, but whilst living in the midst of the structures and edifices of life, we are able to open up a parallel line of natural being. That parallel line is the inquiry that Tantra concerns itself with.
The Yogins stand for unity – and that can also be taken to mean a unity between nature and non-nature.
Animals & Chakras
The Chakras are doorways
to our innermost world.
Each chakra has its own unique quality
that connects us
to the many constellations of our spirit.
Mantra (sounds) and Mudra (postures) are ways of accessing the Chakras and unfolding their potentials, whilst healing the structures and patterns that suffuse and inform the world through the chakras.
By viewing nature, and our nature, through the lenses of the Chakras, we can become aware of all manner of imprints and indoctrinations – for these are held within the Chakras themselves.
By working with the imprints in the Chakras
we resolve many karmic themes
and dissolve the illusions and dreams
we might be mistaking for Reality.
This is a place where
the animal energies in the chakras
become allies on our spiritual quest.
Perversion of the human spirit could be seen as a result of deviating too far from Mother Nature herself. Yog, in its raw form, does not ask us to develop ourselves spiritually, open the Chakras, or awaken Kundalini. Rather…
Yog understands that
in our natural state
we are already open and awakened.
Yog, in its original tantric understanding at least, provides a path aimed at leading back to our natural state of being. It is about allowing the force of Nature to simply flow without us putting up a fight or resistance. The potentialities of the Chakras await us beneath the programs and patterns that are imprinted on the face of nature.
Pashupatinath
The Friend of all Animals
Pashupatinath is a form of Shiva and literally translates as the friend of all animals. He is the friend of the Pashu’s, which means all creatures, both physical and astral.
Pashupatinath has 5 faces, 4 of which face in the cardinal directions, the fifth face gazes into the great beyond. Each of the 4 faces of Pashupatinath look deep into each of the physical elements of earth, water, air and fire. The 5th face gazes into the subtle element of Akash.
Collectively, the 5 elements are known as the Panchabooht. Panch means ‘five’ and Booht means ‘spirit’, and so Pashupatinath is the one who looks into and sees the secrets of the spirits of the elements.
In Tantric science the Panchabooht are known as Bhumi, Jaal, Vayu, Agni and Akash. They are the five elements that inform all levels of life on earth. Tantrics have timelessly honoured all creatures as links to the Panchabooht elements.
Each Animal is a creation
and carries a dominant Chakra energy
and the corresponding Element.
By honouring the animal spirits we can gain deeper insight perhaps into our human-ness or possibly into our lack of it. The elements of Panchabooht link us to the different Chakras and the vast array of creatures that live with-out and with-in us.
If you would like to join one of our rituals part of our Animals Series,