Beggar's Bowl

Tuesday, December 31, 2013

40 Days of White

Wearing white clothing for ceremony and ritual has been a technology since the beginning of ceremony and ritual. The color white contains all the colors of the spectrum and as a symbol represents purity and purification. Traditionally, white is used to mark transitions and the ending or beginning of cycles. For practical purposes, wearing white clothing makes one more aware of the environment one inhabits, makes one more cognizant of what you touch and who touches you. According to yogic philosophy, wearing white clothing expands one's aura by one foot. The human aura radiates up to 9 feet in all directions. But if your aura falls below 4 feet, you become susceptible to the infiltration of outside entities, energies and dis-ease. Therefore wearing white not only heightens ones consciousness and deepens ones practice but can also be worn as a spiritual protectionIt significantly alters not only how you are in the world but also how you are received. I did a year in white accompanied by daily Kirtan Kriya for 2.5 hours. I must admit by the end of the year, I was dreaming of colored clothes and started wearing black as soon as possible.  But all jokes aside, it was by far one of the most challenging and also one of the most rewarding and transformative things I have ever committed my Self to. So, if you have not worn white for ceremony or ritual, as of yet, I highly recommend that  you make a commitment of at least 40 days of wearing white or at least wear white when you practice. It is much easier to make such a commitment during the warmer months because most white clothes are made of natural fibers and are very light. If you would like support or guidance in this regard, reach for me!

Sat Nam,
Mama Luz

Monday, December 16, 2013

Beggars Meditation: For Manifestation, Eliminating Negative Thoughts and Pranic Energy

"Is a saddhu any less regal than a king because all that he possesses can fit in the palm of his hand? It is all a matter of humility and how one defines prosperity." -Luz Emma

We are reaching the end of the year and this will be our last round of 40 days of meditation for 2013 and essentially will be our first for 2014. The conclusion of the year is always a good time to reflect on the recent past and set our intentions for the up coming year. We can observe our victories and losses from a healthier perspective because of the excitement of starting anew. At this juncture, we can make the choice to revisit the object of desire, release it realizing that the desire wasnt meant for us, or alter the desired outcome. The key is to temper ones ego and decifer whether what we desire is coming from our mind (ego) or heart (essence.) Only when our desire is aligned with Divine Will are we able to materialize what it is that we want and is our destiny. Know that every thing, from spiritual to material, is a gift. The power to "manifest" does not come from us but through us from Divine source and every thing comes from and returns to Him. As you see your desires materialize, it is vital to remain neutral and do not allow your Self to get seduced by your perceived power. As you hone in on your skills, and continue your walk along The Path, keep these qualities close: surrender, temperance and humility. 

One might ask, what does "begging" have to do with manifestation, eliminating negative thoughts and pranic energy? The answer is quite simple. Pranic energy, a subtle energy, is cultivated through our breath and expands through our aura creating our pranic body. It holds an essential part of our essence...our vibration. Our vibration can be viewed as a manifestation of our mind: our thought projections, the culmination of lifetimes of experience and our attachments to those experiences which essentially creates our soul/heart. Often times, what we desire is so intense that it pushes away the very thing that we seek. This coupled with negative and self defeating thoughts is a recipe for a life of discontent and struggle. Contentment and completion is our birth right. All we need is the appropriate tools to alter our life condition to live a more abundant and fulfilled life. Meditation is one of these tools. Life is as you create it, one breath at a time.

TO BEGIN: 
Sit in Easy Pose with the spine straight with chin in and chest out (Jalandhar Bandh). Rub your hands together and bring them to Prayer Pose with your thumbs against your sternum and your shoulders rolled back and down. Your eyes rolled in and up towards your third-eye brow point. Inhale through the nose and chant ONG NA MO GURU DEV NAMO (I bow to the Divine Teacher within) on two breaths. Listen here for the correct pronunciation and cadence of the ADI MANTRA which is found on my CD URBAN MANTRA: VOL I. (All proceeds from the album go to Rhythm & Breath's continued efforts to bring accessible mystical tools to urban folk.

MUDRA: Make a cup of the hands with the right hand on top of the left and the fingers crossing each other. Relax the upper arms by the sides and place this mudra at the level of your heart.

MANTRA: Meditate on a single, strong desire.

FOCUS: The eyes are looking into the cup that you’ve made with your hands.

BREATH: Inhale deeply through the nose. Exhale completely in a long, dry, spitting motion through puckered lips. Breathe desire into the cup.

NOTES: There is a whole technology and science of self-hypnosis that can change the pattern of thought flow in a person. A desire is an energy pattern. Some desires stay with us a long time and are not just physiological needs. Whatever the desire is, it needs to manifest or transform on some level of your being. Until it does, it is maintained by a self-hypnosis pattern.

This meditation works on the pranic energy in the aura and changes a particular area of the brain. The brain area is called the “conflict personality area.” It is located at the 1/3, 2/3 point — one third of the way up from the base of the skull and two thirds of the way back from the hairline. At this place, there is a place under the solar centers that can work out and manifest the desires. Yogi Bhajan said that there are blocks of desire in the personality which are “itchy” and persistent and “they sit in the heart of the person. But if you put the hand in the heart, you will never find them. They are in the 1/3, 2/3 area of the brain.” The meditation is the technology to deal with desire. It is a trance-like meditation once you master it. It removes the block of too much desire so you can manifest yourself.

TO FINISH: Recite the Warrior Healers Affirmations in Gyan Mudra, your index finger pressed against your thumb.

TO CLOSE: Rub your hands together, bring them to prayer pose and chant SAT NAM (Truth is my Identity) on one breath 3 times. Bring your hands up to your forehead and bow bringing your hands and head to the floor. This seals the work in your frontal lobe.

There it is my be-loveds! Lets build individually and collectively. If you need me, reach for me. I am open.

Salaam! Shalom! Sat Nam! 

<3 Luz Emma

*If you benefit in any way from Rhythm & Breath, please support us by making a heart donation in the "beggars bowl" at the top of the blog page. All proceeds go to the research and dissemination of mystical tools to assist seekers along the Path. Thanks in advance for your support. All assistance is humbly received and appreciated! PLEASE NOTE: Gangsta yogis will be delt with by a Higher authority.*