On the tip of your nose...

Focusing on the tip of the nose is the highest lock. It is referred to as Lotus Point Meditation. This controls the mind, which is locked in a triangle. When the optic nerve concentrates at the tip of your nose, the ida and pingala, then the sushmuna get to a center of balance. This stimulates the pineal glad and the frontal lobe of the brain. New energy pathways are created in the brain.

Whenever you meditate on the tip of your nose, the frontal lobe will become hard. As you meditate more, it will become like lead. And the funny thing is the, one day automatically it will not be lead. It "breaks." You will have intuition to see the unseen, know the unknown, and hear the unheard, and your life will not be the same as it is now.

-Yogi Bhajan

Ashes to ashes

It is the initiate, who has been tried by fire and is eager for more

solar consciousness, the bright light of illumination. But the soul

can only grow if it allows itself to receive the grace that is now 

its due. We must respond to the feminine: cool down, absorb,

and reflect in order to dissolve. Reduce to ashes, we dissolve

into tears. Our tears sprinkle on our roasting ashes...dissolving

pain. When there is no more pain, the process is over. We have

survived; we are naked, but connected to our soul. The love of

the universe...has come to our rescue...We are 

empowered, able to dissolve any obstacles.

-Francis Melville "The Book of Alchemy"

UNION

The union of opposites (love/hate, sun/moon, divine/profane, human/divine) is necessary in order for our divine essence, or Truth, to be made manifest. In the alchemical process, union also means separation. Mercury and sulfur bound together give way to salt illustrating on the physical level, the duality that gives birth to creation. On the spiritual level, the same process Adam, the first complete human being, went through: from Divine Union in the garden, to his incarnation as man, and then seeking union again through the painful purification process of life/experience. We too must confront the same phases in order to perfect ourselves and realize mastery. Every encounter, (even if it is with our Self) involves some sort of an exchange (be it monetary, energy or time). Currency (money) is energy, it either flows or is obstructed. In order to realize mastery, over the spiritual and physical planes, sacrifice is vital. Discipline, meditation and consistency are part of this process. On The Path...walk steady. When your trials ease and you begin to manifest your deepest desires, don't get relaxed! It is our ego that has us believing that you have arrived already. Remain steadfast because the hard work is just about to begin...

This small section of the 22nd passage, in the Tao Te Ching, illustrates this alchemical process best:

If you want to become whole,
let yourself be partial.
If you want to become straight,
let yourself be crooked.
If you want to become full,
let yourself be empty.
If you want to be reborn,
let yourself die.
If you want to be given everything,
give everything up. 

Keep your head up and forge forward warrior!

-Luz Emma

UNION=YOGA

What is light?
Light is where you can see everything.
Light is where darkness disappears.
Who is enlightened?
One who can see everything: good, bad, and neutral.
One who sees all, sees God.
If you cannot see God in all, you cannot see God at all.
Those who see God inside, find it.
Those who see God outside, waste their time and their lives.
This world is the essence of the Word, of shabd.
Those who follow the rules in their essence and being,
by action and thought, and deed, shall rule their destiny
and shall cover the distance of life with place, grace and glory.
When we fold our hands in prayer,
God opens His arms and gives us a hug.
Life is filled with this union.
That is yoga.
-Yogi Bhajan

Al-Khem-ist

Lord grant me more patience
With this slow burning process
Of converting my pain to gold

Lovers
I have had
But the one that
Eludes me
Is my Beloved

I see you in one
Smell you in another
Does the remedy I seek
Lie in a rare flower
That does not even exist

Why have You dispersed your essence
in so many flowers
In which my curiosity
Leads to disappointment

Please reveal The elixir
That heals my ailing heart
Or help me to accept the mystery
Of this alchemical medicine

-Luz Emma Cañas Madrigal "Impregnated with Desire"

Being a Householder

One has to be in the company of Sadhus (people who have realized God or Brahmavids) and sincerely pray to Him for His grace. Literally, one has to incessantly cry or beg to Him to express his/her sincerity to realize Him and to be with Him. Once your heart and mind are purified, you can realize Him. The average human mind is like an iron needle coated with dirt. The dirt is equated to all the mental defilement that we have. These include worldly desires coupled with anger and unethical intentions. God is like a magnet. It does not attract the needle unless the dirt is removed from the needle. When you constantly think and pray to Him, your mind gets purified. Once mind is purified (Shittashuddhi), one can realize God. Its like treating a disease with the right medicine. If you have fever, you don’t take quinine. It is absolutely possible to realize God being a householder. 

One needs to:

• Have Sadhusanga (be in the company of enlightened people)
• Pray sincerely and incessantly with your heart and soul
• Be alone occasionally to think about God. It’s like protecting a growing tree from the likely damage that could be caused by plant-eating animals

- Ramakrishna

The Emerald Tablet

Ever since I read Paulo Coelho's book, "The Alchemist," I've been obsessed with the pursuit of Alchemy. This riddle, in fact a meditation, pretty much encapsulates all of the mysteries of Alchemy. To know something profoundly, one must master it. And to master it, one must practice it in earnest. Exoteric knowledge is the manifestation of esoteric wisdom. So breathe in this Alchemical riddle, and take with you what is meant. The rest will come in practice. Patience, my love...patience. 

The process is
This is the truth, 
the whole and certain truth,

without a word of a lie.

That which is above is as that which is below,

And that which is below is as that which is above.

Thus are accomplished the miracles of the ONE.

And, as all things come from the ONE, through the meditation 

of the ONE, so all things are created by this One Thing through adaptation.

It's father is the Sun; it's mother the Moon.

The Wind bears in its belly; the Earth nurtures it.

It engenders all the wonders of the Universe

It's power is complete when it is turned to Earth.

Separate the Earth from Fire, the subtle from the gross,

Gently and with great ingenuity.

It ascends from Earth to Heaven and descends again to Earth,

Combining the power of above and below.

Thus you will achieve the glory of the Universe

And all obscurity will flee from you.

This is the power of all powers,

For it overcomes every subtle thing

And penetrates every solid thing.

Thus was all the world created.

And thus are marvelous works to come,

For this is the process.

Therefore am I called Thrice-greatest Hermes,

For I am master of the three principles 

of universal wisdom.

This concludes what I have to say about the work of the Sun.

- from the Emerald Tablet

HHHmmm. Meditate on that...

- Mama Luz

Details for 40 day meditation

Yogic science says that there are certain lengths of time meditations should be done for certain desired effects. The meditation we will be doing is for 11 minutes. 11 minutes of meditation begins to change the nerves and the glandular system. We will be doing this meditation for 40 consecutive days, 11 minutes every day. Because, it takes 40 days to change a habit, 90 days to confirm the habit, 120 days for the new habit is who you are and 1,000 you have mastered the new habit. If you decide to continue for more than 40 days it is up to you, but it must be done for the specific prescribed amount of days stated above.

Sitting in easy pose (legs crossed), with eyes rolled inward towards third eye-brow point, we open with the mantra "ong na mo gu ru dev namo" which means, I bow to the Divine wisdom within. Chant the mantra on one breath if you can. But I like to split it up into two, ong na mo...sip in air...then gu ru dev namo. I have more power in my breath and I feel the vibration in my heart center more. We repeat this mantra 3 times.

Then you will hit the sides of the palms alternately. The focus is on the tip of the nose, with the eyes 1/10th open. 

Pinky fingers,  palms up. 

Then index fingers, palms down. 

Each time they hit you will repeat the mantra "HAR" rolling the "r" slightly pronounced "hud."

Repeating the mantra and mudra consecutively for 11 minutes.

Discover your own rhythm with the mantra, the breath and your body. You may even do the meditation to music of your choice. I have chanted to everything from Punk to Hip Hop. No hypocrisy here, we are the embodiment of the sacred and the profane.

After 11 minutes, sit quietly in GYAN MUDRA: Thumbs pressed against the index finger palms up, elbows straight, elbows on the knees. Allowing the vibration of the mantra to circulate your body, mind and spirit.

To close we return to prayer pose, and we chant on one breath, "SAT NAM." Which means Truth is my identity. We repeat this mantra 3 times.

And there it is! Not so bad, is it?

We are a karmic group now, people. Whether we know each other, or not, we are putting forth something really positive into the universe, together. Healing ourselves, our communities and our families. 

I am really hyped about sharing this ancient knowledge you. I have been using the excuse of not having manifested my yoga studio, yet, as an excuse to not teach. There go virtual yoga, until I manifest the physical space. So, I am honored that you are trusting me as your guide and that you were a part of it from the beginning. And I cant wait to see the abundance we create together. At the end of our 40 days, we will share what we manifest, or if we fell off the practice and missed a day. If that happens, no worries. We are building our own personal spiritual practice.

I will be sending out words of wisdom and encouragement that come to me. Discipline is not easy. If it were, we would all be masters already (which we are we) just haven't realized it yet.

I will be posting the video Thursday night. Excuse our rag tag production (ie. Adrian's finger). It was our first video shoot. We did it "guerilla style" with no tripod. Apologies, we were on the run and had no time to work out the kinks. The full moon is upon us! Just a couple days away! Everything will work itself out in the end, it always does...

Blessings!

- Luz Emma

For Prosperity

ong na mo gu ru dev namo

har

har

silence

sat nam

Work...

Work is love made visible. And if you cannot work with love but only with distaste, it is better that you should leave your work and sit at the gate of the temple and take alms of those who work with joy.

- Khalil Gibran

What are you?

You are a Christian because you believe in Jesus, you are a Jew because you believe in all the prophets including Moses. You are a Muslim because you believe in Muhammad as a prophet, and you are a Sufi because you believe in the universal teaching of God's love. You are really none of those, but you are all of the those because you believe in God. And once you believe in God there is no religion. Once you divide yourself off with religions, you are separated from your fellowman.

- Bawa Muhaiyaddeen

Yoga of Awareness

Kundalini Yoga and Meditation as taught by Yogi Bhajan uses Asana (yoga postures), Pranayam (breathing techniques), Mantra (use of sound to alter thought patterns and brain chemistry), Mudra (hand positions to channel energy flow) and Meditation (quieting the mind to promote mental clarity and self-awareness).

Kundalini lies at the base of the spine. Kundalini is sexual energy, creative energy. When pranic energy is cultivated and raised, it can unlock our infinite potential. When the energy in the lower triangle (1st, 2nd, 3rd chakra) is stagnant and/or stuck, we become fearful, uncompromising and angry.

With this yoga, we break through the blockages in our chakras, alter our life condition and heal life-times of karma.

It is said that Kundalini is the fastest way to create transformation.