...one of those days where I realize I am not completely impervious to sadness, frustration, and confusion....
...one of those days where I need to deal with my student loan holder: strategizing how I might even begin to think of starting to initiate a re-payment plan-of-action for an insane amount of educational debt that makes me feel like I'm climbing Mt. Everest as a newborn baby....
...one of those days where I question myself, my shortcomings, my struggles, my dreams...
...one of those days where it seems like life is so overwhelming with possibility for either good or bad or happy or sad that I can't move myself forward to work on anything...
...just one of those bummin' days.
And that's the reality of life....we all have them...even the healers, the preachers, the bleeding-hearts, the teachers....
No one is impervious to the dark side and I think that's where most of our enlightening comes from. I suppose that's why I feel so devoted to Kali, the Mother Goddess of Black Time, Destruction, Courage, and Fierce Love. !!! She's our ally for exploring the darkness of oneself....to find the courage and love to face even the most terrifying aspects of reality...she helps us to see that it is from the darkness we are born and to the darkness we will return...
So it is this necessary darkness that engulfs us with fear, insecurity, despair, anger, and confusion we require to see the light of inspiration! Our world has become pairs of opposites....light, dark, good, bad, happy, sad, female, male, yes, no.....Every day we are faced with polarities and extremes. How might we regain balance to move forward with clarity and purpose?
There are many tools available to us for finding the courage to be present during these times of darkness and we can call upon and utilize these tools for support. We can breathe, walk, run, drink tea, practice yoga, scream at the top of our lungs, journal, have sex, pray, meditate, eat, sleep, go to the batting cages or shooting range, read, drink, practice mantra, oh wait....mantra?
A mantra is a tool or instrument used to "shake oneself out of a deep sleep".
This sleep may be general stagnation or fatigue, laziness, cyclical behaviors, self-destructive patterns, ignorance, confusion, lack of awareness, awareness but no desire or inclination to move forward, etc.
When we practice mantra we practice letting go of the mind and instead surrendering to the inherent wisdom of the body and of our Higher Selves, of Spirit! We use mantras to open up a fresh perspective and change our self-defeating habits.
There are many types of mantras from all around the world, found in song, spoken word, drumming, art, etc., but today's mantra is a chant.
It's called "Ad Sach" a Kundalini Shakti Mantra, and is helpful for bad days, helps remove obstacles, useful for when you feel stuck or confused, and when you are ready to let go of something to create space for something new.
Ad Sach
"Aad such, jugaad such, haibee such,
naanak hosee bhee such"
Pronunciation
"Odd such, Jew-God such,
ha-bay-such, nan-nak ho-ho-say bay-such"
Meaning
"True in the beginning. True throughout the ages. True as this moment, Nanak says this Truth shall ever be."
According to Yogi Bhajan, "This mantra connects the speaker to the Infinite and the Infinite to the speaker."
Chant this mantra aloud or even to yourself in your own mind, anytime you feel you could use it. You may devote yourself to chanting this for 2, 5,7, or even 11 minutes! In the grand scheme of things, what's 2 minutes!?!?
To really go deep and remove obstacles and habits, try chanting each day for a month! See what may happen....
I am also taking this challenge of devotion to myself...to find the light of balance and ease, to let go of the old and allow in the new!
Today I start 7 minutes of "Ad Sach" each day until the end of the year.
If we don't like where we're at or what we're doing, then we should do something different to change it!
Would you like to join me??? What are you willing to let go of? What would you like to attract?
email me privately for more information if you need help getting started :)
From the deepest place in the heart,
CHEERS!
The Wise Owl
...
This chant was taken from the Book of Hatha Gong, my beloved yogic manual created and written by my Master Teacher Duane Armitage.
He is citing this chant from Yogi Bhajan's, "The meaning of Mantra" from The Aquarian Teacher.
Yogi Bhajan was the influence behind the movement of Kundalini yoga to the West.
You may also find youtube videos for different ways to interpret the sounds and rhythm of this chant.
