Sutra means thread or string, and sutras are spiritual or sacred texts that thread together ideas and messages in as few words as possible. This is to avoid any ambiguity in their meaning, and yet it makes them so fully meaningful. The Shiva Sutras are a treatise on yoga philosophy on liberation and the Ultimate Reality.
There are 77 Shiva Sutras, broken down into three sections. I will start from the beginning and slowly work my way through them. Section 1 is called Shaambhavopaaya or:
शाम्भव उपाय
Shaambhava-upaaya
sacred to or derived from Shiva + means, way, approach, effort, and remedy
Section 1: The way as derived from Shiva
चैतन््यमात्मा ।।१।।
Chaitanyamaatmaa = chaitanya + Aatmaa
The state of being conscious or absolute awareness + Self, Soul, Reality
In my last post on the Study in a Course in Miracles blog, The Word and Voice of God, I discussed how words and voices are sounds, and just like light, sound is vibration or vibrating energy. And, as physics and quantum physics has been bringing to greater and greater light over the past century, everything is and is created from vibrating energy. Writing that post was, in a way, a nudge to myself to write this post on λόγος, “logos” [low-goss] in English, which has been in my writing queue for some time.
Back in 2009 I had begun to read Martin Heidegger’s Being and Time. It’s a fascinating read, especially for a language geek like me because, though I read an English translation, many of the notes at the bottom of each page gave the German original. Heidegger also used many Ancient Greek and Latin phrases, and by looking at the etymology, the philology and comparative linguistics, and the meanings of the words across the languages, this already densely written book on existence and ontology, on Being and being-ness, became a beautifully slow, deep, spiritual read for me.
Though I could probably write posts on this book alone for a year, here I will briefly discuss insights into ὁ λόγος, both as a linguistic and philosophical study inspired by Heidegger’s writing on it, and as a hermeneutic study of its use in the Bible in John 1:1:
From the Greek New Testament: ̓Eν ἀρχῇ ἦν ὁ Λόγος, καὶ ὁ Λόγος ἦν πρὸς τὸν Θεόν, καὶ Θεὸς ἦν ὁ Λόγος.
The common English translation: In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.
There are a few things that get lost in translation: 1) The verb ἦν (was) is in the imperfect tense, which means a continuous state of being or existence. 2) The preposition πρὸς (translated as with) is taking the accusative case: τὸν Θεόν (God). With a noun in the accusative, prepositions imply motion or movement, and here we could translate the middle phrase as: and the Word was (in motion) upon, towards, along with God.
Thirdly, let’s take a look at what ὁ Λόγος meant to those who spoke Ancient Greek. In my unabridged Ancient Greek Lexicon (and you thought I was joking about being a language geek! 🙂 ), there are nearly 3 full 8″x 10″ pages dedicated to the meaning and translation of λόγος. It’s packed meaning includes: an account, reckoning, value, consideration, relation, ratio, correspondence, explanation, debate, reason, reasoning, discourse, law, rule, reflection, deliberation, the process of thought, a continuous statement, fable, story, speech, statement, verbal expression, words (in the Lexicon: “rarely a single word”), talk, report, description, dialogue, divine utterance, and oracle.
In Being and Time, Heidegger focuses on λόγος as meaning discourse, and as he says, “to make manifest what one is ‘talking about’ in one’s discourse.” He connects his discussion on λόγος to making visible the truth or dis-covering the hidden, the covered: “because λόγος is a definite mode of letting something be seen” [through talking about it, discourse]. To talk about something, to discuss, to debate, to tell a story, etc. we can only expose, uncover, and bring things to light.
All the meanings of λόγος above require relationship – between speaker and listener, or between some observer/receiver and the source of information/words. Heidegger points out, “because λόγος can also signify that which, as something to which one addresses oneself, becomes visible in its relation to something in its ‘relatedness’, λόγος acquires the signification of relation and relationship.”
If we take λόγος to mean words, sounds, and thoughts, and we break that down into vibrations or vibrating energy, we can begin to feel the full meaning of λόγος. Einstein proved that everyone and everything, especially when broken down to the most basic constituents, is energy: E=mc2. And everyone and everything in our lives is in relationship on some energetic level. With this in mind both a more ancient and modern translation to John 1:1 could be:
In the beginning was always energy, and the energy was in motion (vibrating) along with God, and the energy was God.
This is my latest post on the Study in a Course in Miracles blog. It serves as a good introduction to my next post here on Through the Peacock’s Eyes that will go further into the meaning of “the Word”, specifically into λόγος (logos, as in: “In the beginning was λόγος”), its etymology, and the philosopher Martin Heidegger’s hermeneutic and existential study of λόγος.
Many of the lessons in A Course In Miracles, as demonstrated in my last post The World We See, talk aboutseeing, vision, recognizing, seeking, and perceiving. Many lessons also discuss the Light, such as Lesson 44: God Is The Light In Which I See. Using visual terminology and referring to God as Light is very commonplace and, I feel, easy for those studying spirituality to grasp. However, when it comes to using audio terminology, it can be more challenging to understand or relate to its meaning.
Lesson 49: God’s Voice Speaks To Me All Through The Day.
Lesson 106: Let Me Be Still And Listen To The Truth.
Lesson 125: In quiet I receive God’s Word today.
Lesson 151: All Things Are Echoes Of The Voice For God.
Though some people may actually hear God’s voice, like Abraham in the Book of Genesis or Neale Donald Walsch…
Today is both the Feast of Saint Francis and World Animal Day! I have been very blessed to have shared my entire life with many animals. Since birth my life has been filled with animals and full because of animals. I’ve owned, lived with, raised, healed, and bred all sorts of animals: hamsters, songbirds, tropical birds, chickens, fresh and tropical fish, toads, an iguana, snakes, turtles, a tarantula, cats, and dogs. I cannot imagine what it is like to not have animals around. My current “kids”:
I am eternally grateful for animals, and I pray that all humans learn to love and appreciate the lessons and love that animals can bring into our lives!
Saint Francis of Assisi is the patron saint of animals, gardens, and the environment. He came from a wealthy family, having all the comforts of luxury for his day, but he saw that material things and pleasures could not fill his heart and soul with joy and peace. He left this existence of emptiness and suffering for the life of an ascetic monk. He chose a life of material poverty so that he could find abundance within his heart through teaching love and compassion and providing service towards others, not only to humans but also towards both animals and the environment.
Though we do not have to choose a monastic life to find everlasting fortune and abundance in our own lives, we can choose to work towards finding the courage to let go of our egos’ attachments to the material and fleeting, and to work towards filling our hearts with the same passion for compassion that Saint Francis exemplified. May The Prayer of Saint Francis be a mantra for us to live with our hearts:
Make me a channel of your peace, Where there is hatred, let me bring you love, Where there is injury, your pardon Lord, And where there’s doubt, true faith in you. Make me a channel of your peace, Where there’s despair in life, let me bring hope, Where there is darkness, only light, And where there’s sadness, ever joy. Oh Master grant that I may never seek, So much to be consoled as to console, To be understood as to understand, To be loved as to love with all my soul. Make me a channel of your peace, It is in pardoning that we are pardoned, In giving to all men that we receive, And in dying that we’re born to eternal life.
The greatness of a nation and its moral progress can be judged by the way its animals are treated.
A beautiful post by my ACIM study buddy Lisa! The journey of life for each and every one of us is filled with many learning and growing experiences of metamorphosis and transformation, much like the caterpillar into the butterfly. To read about some of my personal process of metamorphosis in my Butterfly Journal, click here.
Lately I am recognizing the wisdom the Course is lacing into my life, slowly and unassuming like a pair of simple yet stylish high top Converse sneakers. Until recent years, I would not have described myself as woman of faith. Although I had dabbled with the idea of God throughout my life, I struggled with the iconic version of the bearded white man passing judgement up in the clouds above. Now that I have reconciled what God actually is, I can see how my life has transformed from the roots up into such a beautiful more loving experience.
Julie and I talk every week via FaceTime to review our weekly lessons. As I look back over the past 9 months since we began studying A Course in Miracles together in January, I am in awe of the evolution that has occurred in our lives.
Perhaps life would have taken us on this twirly whirly…
As I mentioned last week, we are in the pre-shadow period of the upcoming Mercury retrograde that begins on October 4th, and when Mercury, the trickster, is having fun causing glitches and delays, he is really doing it for a reason. Personally, it is usually during these pre-shadow periods that I experience the tricks of silly Merc, and the actual retrograde period is when I return, re-do, and resume any disruptions.
All retrogrades create slow-downs and disruptions for a reason. All you can do is see what is really being presented or opened up for you and go with the flow! For me, during my week+ of no internet, I saw that I was presented with the opportunity to do some book reading and studying that I had not done in a while. It also gave me more time for more in-depth self-study and meditation that has actually been very helpful and insightful for one of my upcoming books. And it has helped me to bring computer time into more balance. Never before the last year and a half had I been on the computer so much. A majority of that time I couldn’t do much else because I was watching/caring for my mother. Now, however, I have the opportunity to balance out my computer time with other activities.
By releasing, not resisting, and going with the flow, all has gone quite smoothly and harmoniously! This upcoming week’s Weekly Oracle Card Reading fits in with this so well! Check it out below, or subscribe to my YouTube channel here.
I also discuss all the interesting transits going on in Libra and Aries right now in Western Astrology on my Blog Talk Radio show here. Transits include the Sun, Mercury retrograde, Venus, North and South nodes, Uranus, and the Moon and the lunar eclipse!
Navaratri means nine nights, from navam, नवम्, nine, and ratri, रात्रि, night, in Sanskrit. This festival is celebrated twice each year, in the Autumn and the Spring. In Spring Navaratri begins when the Moon enters the Nakshatra Ashwini at 0° in Mesha/Aries in the Sidereal Zodiac (Vedic Astrology/Jyotisha). Autumn Navararti begins when the Moon enters the Nakshatra Chitra at 23°20′ in Virgo/Kanya. For my location on the west coast of the US, this transit of the Moon occurs at 7:11 am tomorrow September 25th.
Navaratri is a celebration to honor the Divine Mother/Shakti. The nine nights can be broken down to honor the nine names of the Divine Mother in the form of Durga, but more commonly Navaratri is celebrated by breaking down the nine nights into three nights of devotion to the three emanations of Shakti – Kali/Durga, the fierce goddess of time, death, and destruction; Lakshmi – goddess of wealth, prosperity, and fortune; and Saraswati – goddess of knowledge, wisdom, and nature. The trinity of goddesses, the divine feminine energies, work with the divine masculine energies, the trinity of Shiva, Vishnu, and Brahma, in the continuous cycles of the Universe.
The first three nights of Navaratri are dedicated to Kali. During this time we (women and men) can focus on cleansing and clearing out of our lives, including our bodies and minds, that which does not serve us. These are nights to break down, deconstruct, purify/cleanse, and set the stage for reconstruction for what we wish to bring into our lives.
The second three nights are dedicated to Lakshmi. During this time we focus on that which we wish to preserve and keep in our lives. These nights are a great time to focus on expressing gratitude and appreciation for all the physical/material, emotional, mental, and spiritual abundance that our lives have been blessed with.
The third three nights are dedicated to Sawaswati. During this time we open our hearts and souls to receive the Divine Mother’s guidance, now and into the future, as we build upon our actions and preparations of the previous six nights.
This year Navaratri happens to coincide with the Jewish New Year celebration, Rosh Hashanah, and with the Day of Atonement, Yom Kippur. To learn more about these religious celebrations, see post on Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur here. Happy New Year and Happy Autumn to All!
Here is little more about the Divine Mother and a beautiful Mantra to the Divine Mother:
Most religions, whether monotheistic or polytheistic, have a figure who represents the Divine Mother and Mother Earth, such as Gaia, the Virgin Mary, Frigg, Demeter, Tara, Pachamama, Isis, Prakriti, and Shakti. Ancestral spirits, the souls of mothers, grandmothers, etc. who have past, can also represent the Divine Mother.
The Divine Mother represents the the creative force of the Universe and on the mundane level, the creative force of motherhood and nature. The Divine Mother nourishes and sustains life. She is the cosmic mother of time and space, the dynamic action of the Divine Oneness. She is an aspect of and the creative force of the Divine Oneness manifesting as Nature and Life.
This mantra to the Divine Mother was written by Shri Aurobindo, based on a traditional Indian chant:
Om Anandamayi, Chaitanyamayi, Satyamayi, Parame Swari.
Om, She full of Bliss, She full of Consciousness, She full of Truth, She who is Supreme.
This week’s Oracle Card Reading, which you can view here, reminded me of this post I wrote in February 2013. I’ve been sensing big changes coming, and feel this applies to many of us right now…
As Heraclitus knew, change is always happening whether we choose to make change or not. Things change: flowers whither, seeds sprout, caterpillars become butterflies, clothes become worn, waves erode the shores… Change happens; it’s just part of life, but sometimes we have to choose to make change. Making change can be scary, for it means we are stepping into the unknown. It means we can no longer control the present and the future. It means we have to let go of our ego’s desire to hang onto things, face our fear and anxiety about the future, have faith in our ability to create our lives, and take that step into that exciting adventure called change.
When I feel scared about making changes in my life, the vision of the Fool card of the Tarot appears. The Tarot is a complex language of symbols imbued with spiritual and metaphysical meaning. In this card the Fool looks like a happy-go-lucky young man, carrying the white roses of purity and innocence and embarking on a journey right off a cliff into a huge crevasse! Is the Fool completely unaware of his surroundings and the impending risk of stepping off into the abyss below? Or, has he made the decision to move forward on his life’s journey, acting on faith that the divine will keep him safe and guide him in the right direction as he steps into the unknown, the future?
The Fool card is numbered zero. Zero is nothing, empty, yet full of all potential. The “0” is both a window to offer us vision to our possibilities, and also the doorway that offers us passage towards personal growth and actualizing our potentials and our dreams. When we choose to make change, we free ourselves from the chains of worry and the need to know and control everything. When we choose change, we open ourselves up to explore the adventure that is life. By stepping into the unknown, we connect with our True Self.
No matter how much we try to plan it out, the future is truly unknown. Having faith in ourselves and not letting fear make our decisions for us, will help us deal with changes that happen and the changes we make ourselves. The unknown is an expansive and dark place. With knowledge and wisdom guiding us, we can illuminate the darkness. Anxiety about the future can burn out any light. May the inner light of our True Self guide us on our journeys into the unknown, the exciting adventure called change.
As our journey through A Course in Miracles progresses, the lessons have not only become longer, but more expansive and in depth. Themes and concepts repeat like a fractal expanding, showing us that the message of Truth, Light, and Love is ever-present and consistent. It is the human mind, however, that must work through, experience, and come to awareness and greater awareness throughout this journey of our souls back to God or Source. This journey takes us through continuous, transformative enlightening from the world we (the physical bodies) see to the world we (our souls) want – the world that is Truth.
Lesson 128: The World I See Holds Nothing I Want.
From Lesson 128: The world you see holds nothing that you need to offer you; nothing that you can use in any way, nor anything at all that serves to give you joy.
Lately I’ve been drawn to move closer to the beach and the sea. In Western astrology my Moon is in Pisces, whose ruler Neptune is in my 12th house. To sum that up, I have a tremendous amount of draw to and connection with the unconscious, the psyche, deep psychology, the shadow realm, feelings and emotions, intuition, and the dreamworld. It also means being near the ocean is more natural for me and good for my health.
As I research and ponder moving closer to the ocean I have come across sea creatures and sea images regularly, especially with the starfish. This morning on my friend Linda’s blog, Litebeing Chronicles, the image of a starfish “spoke” to me as if in affirmation of my wish and need to be closer to the ocean.
Synchronistically, the Star card of the Tarot has been coming up for me regularly in my daily spread. This card is about inspiration, imagination, being in tune with feelings, wishes, and dreams (daydreams, visualizations, goals/desires for life, and even unconscious dreams and their messages, especially if lucid).
The starfish is a sensory creature. It has no brain but a highly sensitive nervous system that allows it to feel its way through life in the ocean, whose tides are influenced by the Moon. This makes it very perceptive and very connected to the symbolism of the feminine, yin, the Moon, water, and the unconscious. Unlike us humans, the starfish cannot over-analyze things, and thus remains interconnected to the Universe. The stars in the heavens are represented by the stars in the ocean, and vice versa. As above, so below.
The starry vault of heaven is in truth the open book of cosmic projection, in which are reflected the mythologems, i.e., the archetypes. In this vision astrology and alchemy, the two classical functionaries of the psychology of the collective unconscious, join hands.
– C.G. Jung
Starfish also have the ability to regenerate lost limbs. This symbolizes our ability to shed negative thought patterns, beliefs, attachments, and addictions, and to regrow, renew, and even rebirth parts or all of ourselves to become whole, holy, and healthy.
Sutra means thread or string, and sutras are spiritual or sacred texts that thread together ideas and messages in as few words as possible. This is to avoid any ambiguity in their meaning, and yet it makes them so fully meaningful. The Shiva Sutras are a treatise on yoga philosophy on liberation and the Ultimate Reality.
Through the Peacock's Eyes 