"Whatever you can do or dream you can, begin it. Boldness has genius, power and magic in it.'" (Goethe)

(I like this Story from From A Third Serving of Chicken Soup for the Soul, by Jack Canfield and Mark Victor Hansen:)

The Secrets of Heaven and Hell

The old monk sat by the side of the road. With his eyes closed, his legs crossed and his hands folded in his lap, he sat. In deep meditation he sat.

Suddenly his zazen was interrupted by the harsh and demanding voice of a samurai warrior. "Old man! Teach me about heaven and hell!"

At first, as though he had not heard, there was no perceptible response from the monk. But gradually he began to open his eyes, the faintest hint of a smile playing around the corners of his mouth as the samurai stood there, waiting impatiently, growing more and more agitated with each passing second.

"You wish to know the secrets of heaven and hell?" replied the monk at last. "You who are so unkempt. You whose hands and feet are covered with dirt. You whose hair is uncombed, whose breath is foul, whose sword is all rusty and neglected. You who are ugly and whose mother dresses you funny. You would ask me of heaven and hell?"

The samurai uttered a vile curse. He drew his sword and raised it high over his head. His face turned to crimson, and the veins of his neck stood out in bold relief as he prepared to sever the monk's head from its shoulders.

"That is hell," said the old monk gently, just as the sword began its descent.

In that fraction of a second, the samurai was overcome with amazement, awe, compassion and love for this gentle being who had dared to risk his very life to give him such a teaching. He stopped his sword in mid-flight and his eyes filled with grateful tears.

"And that," said the monk, "is heaven."

The Magic of White Sage

Together may we be protected
Together may we be nourished
Together may we work with great energy
May our journey together be brilliant and effective
May there be no bad feelings between us
Peace, peace, peace

(From the Kato Upanishad)

White sage is considered sacred by many Native Americans ; it is used to make smudge sticks, a type of incense. White sage is believed to cleanse a space of any evil spirits or 'negative' energies that may be present, while also bringing in 'positive' energies. This power is said to be released from the plant by the burning of the leaves, which are typically bundled into a wand or stick. Today many Native American tribes still use the stems and leaves for smudging as part of purification ceremonies.

I spent the day yesterday making sage wands for puja. Much of what I rolled up yesterday I trimmed on Friday under the Full Moon. It's much like pruning Bonzai. A very meditative process that really requires patience and care to not break the delicate, brittle branches. This time of year they have gone without water for awhile now and are fragile. Because the sage grows in big, thick bushes, it's a full-yogic practice of bending, stretching, and reaching into awkward positions. Long legs definitely help!! : )

As I packed and wrapped the sage into rolls to dry, I chanted a peace invocation - A prayer for peace and harmony. It is my hope that these prayers unravel and get carried by the sacred smoke as the sage wands are burned. May the prayers be sent in all four directions to the ends of the Earth, so that whomever the smoke finds and touches instantly feels a greater peace and harmony come upon them!!

Here's the prayer:
OM Saha nav avatu, Saha nau bhunaktu, Saha viryam karava vahai Tejasvi nav adhitam astu ma vidvisha vahai
Om Shanti Shanti Shanti

Be well!! Many blessings of great Abundance and Beauty!!
OM

Healing with Sound workshop with Blanca at Ziva Yoga Studio (downtown Chico, Ca)

Healing with Breath and Sound Workshop - Ziva Yoga Studio, with Blanca - October 10, 2010
The floor was smooth and polished beneath my feet as I entered the tranquil space just a few minutes late, tip toeing to the open space where a blanket and bolsters were set up facing the teacher. Serene and beautiful she looked; regal and official on her pile of cushions with a small table beside her lit with a ghee lantern, a picture of her guru, and a picture of her guru's guru, a vase of flowers, and a hand bell for beginning and ending the chanting sessions. In front of her was a low set podium holding her notes and in front of that was an iron easel with white paper board sheets propped up, the top card displaying a hand-written mantra in big letters: Shantipathah: A Prayer for Peace & Harmony for our studies. We were given a hand-out entitled: "The Practice: Bija-Mantra Sounding- Expanding Your Vocal Power", and the other side of the page read: "The Inner Sound of the Human Voice", and showed a diagram of the energy of sound flowing through the chakra pathways in the human body.
To open, we each tested our solar (right side) and lunar (left side) breath to see if it was balanced and which one felt more activated. We were then shown how to properly balance the breath by placing the fist of our most active side under our opposing armpit, and then performing a special breathing exercise, described as alternate nostril breathing, which took us about 5 minutes. I personally came out of the exercise feeling very relaxed, calm, and energized.
We were offered hot tea, which totally hit the spot, and sitting up straight, in lotus position, in a single, straight line, we students faced our instructor ready to begin.
She first introduced herself as Blanca, and gave a brief history of how she was brought into the world of Ayurveda and particularly healing with sound vibrations.

She walked us through the chakras in the body, using the diagram on the handout and explaining carefully the position and the movement and meaning of each chakra, and the particular stage of life at which each one is usually developed and potentially mastered. She described how the human voice is a divine human instrument and the most powerful healing tool we have. She said "Sound brings harmony and clarity into your life".

We now knew the locations of the chakras in the body and were now ready to learn what sound to put with each area. We started with the root chakra and worked up through all seven chakras. We learned that these sacred vowel sounds were called the 'bija mantras'.
"The bija sounds reverberate in the body and balances the viatl prana (life force), intuition, mind, health, and the breath as well" Blanca told us.
We worked through several rounds of the bija mantras and then sat quietly for several minutes, becoming aware of the subtle changes that had transpired in our bodies.
The sounds of the chakras starting with the lowest and working up to the highest are:
Lam
Vam
Ram
Yam
Ham
Om
and the seventh chakra in the center of brain is silent

By reciting seven rounds for seven minutes for seven weeks you can "gradually cleanse and harmonize your inner vibrations and bring them into alliance with your personal sound". (The Practice - handout)
Find a tranquil place in the early morning and sit facing the rising sun to practice this powerful healing with sound exercise.
A couple participants reported that their stomachs felt entirely more relaxed after we finished the sound practice. I felt incredibly calm, clear, and alert - almost like I was buzzing.
I highly recommend Blanca's Healing with Sound workshops to everyone. There is no experience necessary, or even any introductory knowledge. Sound truly is the most powerful healing instrument that we have. We should use it more often.
Thank you Blanca for sharing this wonderful knowledge with the community. I hope to see more workshops offered, and this particular practice expounded on and offered in a more advanced series.