Prayer Of The Dark Night (Sahasrara)

       As little children our prayers probably went a little something like, "Bless Mommy, Daddy, Sissy, and keep Fido safe since he has to sleep outside."  A very endearing supplication from an innocent little heart to God's ears somehow gets warped when that tiny child grows.  The adult prayer tends to go more along the lines of, "Please help me get a better job, bless my finances, make my spouse act differently, bless me with more, help me lose weight, I need, I need, I need, I want...."  Everyone has the right to pray however they choose, but what is the purpose?  What IS prayer?  Prayer is more than just a time to beseech a power higher than ourselves for what we need and desire, it is a time to align ourselves with all of creation and its greater good.  When we come before the God of our understanding we are humbling ourselves to our will and saying aloud that our life is exactly the way it was meant to be at that moment for whatever lesson we were meant to learn; it is trust.  It is love; knowing that we will be taken care of the way that the birds of the air and the beasts of the field are cared for.  Sometimes we ask for healing that doesn't come, but I think what we must understand is that once we come to God in prayer there is a way to set our inner spirit in line with our God spirit.  Prayer is our conscious connection to God and we must pray in an authentic way to truly make a difference in our own lives.  That means not turning to God when we need something, but turning to God when we want to be with someone.  When we realize that prayer is not about our words to God, but rather about our life WITH God then prayer becomes energy medicine.
       Our highest energy center, Sahasrara, is the source of enlightenment and spiritual connection to all that exists.  It is the realization that we are pure awareness, emerging through the confines of the physical body, ego, mind, and intellect.  Like a single drop in the ocean, we are a part of something in which we are contained and encompassed into every expansive aspect of consciousness.  Through this connective awareness we can live with devotion, not obsession, kindness, faith, inspiration, prophetic knowledge, and removed illusions.  Our connection to the wisdom of what is sacred  enables our symbolic sight, vision, intuition, healing, and a quality of trust that transcends human fears.  The spiritual crown empowers us beyond what our physical limitations know because we somehow remember who we were before we became this human that we see in the mirror.  Our souls are not bound by space or time and our bodies are merely an energy ladder that, as we learn to climb it, connects us with the divine Creator of earth and heaven.  When our spirituality is out of balance we tend to lean towards cynicism, closed-mindedness, depression, fatigue, migraines, materialism, frustration, boredom, sleep disorders, and mental illness.  In our darkest night the truth is calling to us, beckoning for us to come towards the light and learn what has been known for all of eternity, to see what can only be seen by those who seek, and to drink what our souls have been thirsting for since the moment we were born.
       This depression can sometimes arise out of what Saint John of the Cross called the "dark night of the soul," or spiritual awakening.  He believed that in some instances people needed to break away from the church in order to seek their own spiritual development and form a fully conscious bond with the Divine.  The development of strange new fears, the absence of meaning and purpose, and a deeper longing for knowledge brings about a spiritual crises in even the most devoted of Christians.  We have a natural longing to touch something that can transcend human restriction and release our fears.  We long to hope and dream, to be devoted to something that is greater than ourselves.  We need to be responsible for what we create in life, to discover the great power of our spirits, and live in service to all of life.  We desire to act and think through wisdom, in the knowledge that religion is a group experience and spirituality is an individual experience.  Akin to the last rites/extreme junction of the catholic church we need to come back to nothingness before we find everything.  Where we realize that there is no beginning and no end, release our regrets, complete our unfinished business, and recall our souls.  We must live in the present moment and know that we are part of the Divine.  I honor the Divine within me and seek to understand and learn from my life experiences.  I cherish my spirit and listen to the wisdom of the universe as I seek experiences that nourish my soul.  I trust my intuition, let go of attachments, love and accept myself, and move in grace.  I am grateful for all of the goodness in my life.  I am at peace.
What are you praying for?

"God is love, and he who is in love is in God and God in him."
-Meister Eckhart

Transforming Fire (Manipura)

       Manipura, located in the upper abdomen, is the very core of our feminine mystique.  The fires that burn from our bellies bring forth into the world our mental abilities, intellect, and confidence.  From these flames spit our personal power, identity, and confidence.  A woman who can make decisions, clear judgments, and assert her opinions and beliefs is a woman with a well balanced solar plexus chakra.  It's difficult, especially for a person still healing, to exert bravery and stand up for themselves.  We must learn to tame our inner fires so as not to misuse our power or let our ambition abuse those around us, but we must also learn to fan the flames within us in order to take control of our own lives and feel the independence that we so longingly strive for.
       In Sanskrit this word means "shining gem", which is very becoming considering the way that life's pressures squeeze us until we either turn to diamonds or dust.  To better understand Manipura, we must first look at the element that represents it.  When thinking of fire I think of the weakest, yet most unyielding, of the elements.  Fire is lovely to look at, beautiful, enchanting.  It draws us in and has a mystical allure that can't quite be explained.  Fire brings warmth, color, and even fun as it dances in a way that seems to say, "I can't be tamed."  When out of control a fire can scorch the earth and consume everything in its path, but when stifled the fire can be easily put out by every other element.  Air, water, and earth can all suffocate a hesitant flame with ease, but fire needs and craves all of the other elements in order to exist.  Fire needs the air in order to burn, the earth to contain it, and the water to temper it.  In this same respect, our personalities can display this imbalance as excessive control or helplessness, obsession or irresponsibility, intolerance or overindulgence, insecurity, fear, lack of confidence or low self-esteem.  A balanced Manipura allows us the much needed control over our thoughts and emotions to help us set healthy boundaries.
       Anytime we must fight within ourselves to muster up the courage to conquer a fear, or when we struggle to speak up for ourselves, or whenever we simply have to employ self-control in a situation, we are activating and exercising our solar plexus chakra.  We must learn to utilize this energy force for our own sake, to fulfill our own personal power.  We need to know that we have the means to tap into self-assurance, self-discipline, and to move forward in confidence anytime we get the courage to reach inside of ourselves and let our yellow fire shine through.  Fire has the ability to hurt others, but it also can take other elements and transform them into more than their original selves.  Through the flames water can become air, air can become water, and earth can become glass.  Personal power does not mean that we have the ability to manipulate others, it means that we have the potential to master ourselves, and that vital capability to choose is the softly spoken message of the Manipura.  We can overcome any fear, conquer any demon, and demand the respect that we deserve.  I will not judge or criticize myself any longer, but instead I will choose to seek out and live my life purpose.  I will light Manipura as a torch held high and let its light guide me to love and accept myself, to stand up for myself, and to be strong and courageous.  It will remind me that I am worthy of love, kindness, and respect.  Its blaze will awaken in me the ability to choose what is best for myself and express myself in a powerful way.  Its warmth will keep strong the ambition to direct my own life and my power to choose.  I am free in any situation.  I feel my own power, and I am at peace within myself.
What burns within you?

"Until you've found the fire inside yourself you won't reach the spring of life."
- Rumi

Your Own Place (Svadhishthana)

       There is a place hidden within me that I call my own.  A place where my happiness shines with a warm, orange glow.  It is the forest of pleasure that lies at the very center of who I am; a true and unspoiled oasis of the senses.  The torrential waterfall of imagination and bubbling thoughts merge with the mountains of creativity and joy to birth my own passion and intimacy.  It is a natural sanctuary where my Atman visits to sing and dance.  But with the flowing waters of emotion come the scattered pieces of what my awareness must put to shame.  I feel with all of my perceptions, every part of my being, until I can't help but absorb the shame and guilt of societal pressures.  I know, just as much as anyone, that hidden pain and sadness never go away.  I will push myself to express my dissatisfaction's so that I can find my own truth.  In doing so, I will find my freedom.  Sometimes it's hard to find the origination point of emotional upset, but I can feel within my being that there must be a deeply hidden place that stores these sentiments.  This place within is called the Svadhishthana.  It is the absolute foundation of emotional well-being, the energy place that whispers to us about how we relate to the world while we seek the formation of our identity.  It is the place where we FEEL.  It is where we enjoy ourselves and live in the moment, to experience the fullness of life.  Svadhishthana is the heaven that we hold within, and it is easily torn away by the world around our physical bodies.  On the one hand, we have ideas that bring us joy and partners who share our physical pleasure.  On the other hand, we have cultural struggles, societal coercion, and the gross misuse of sexual energy.  The culture we live in magnifies unrealistic images of sex, while other parts of the community condemn physical pleasures.  We live in a world where feelings are not valued, where ardor and emotional reactions are frowned upon, while abusive fetishes and the denial of one's own desires are a necessary sacrifice for "happiness".  The waters between normal, healthy desires and excessive, opportunistic impulses become muddy.  We are left in confusion of our true wants, in shame of our natural responses, and with a lack of fire for anything humanly real.  This disparity is what turns my own soul place into a hell of internal pain, addiction, and emotional instability.  This is where I feel the disconnect between my body and my feelings.  I learned not to trust myself and to deny my true desires.  How can I create anything of beauty when I am disconnected from my sensual self?  I love my body.  I enjoy my body.  I will walk with bare feet.  I will envision the orange glow healing the belly of my closeness.  I will do more of exactly what makes me happy.  I will allow my energy to transform the feelings within my body, to let go, to move, to feel the winds of change.  I will have healthy boundaries.  I will feel pleasure and passion with every breath that I take.  I will nourish my body while valuing and respecting my own needs.  My sexuality is sacred and my emotions are the language of my soul.  I am at peace.
Where's your secret place?