Friday, December 5, 2008
Wednesday, November 26, 2008
In fact, I am Yellow/Violet
After I wrote the last post about Violet, I was reminded that I was also equally Yellow. So I went and reread the part in the book and saw I am indeed quite Yellow, perhaps almost equal to being Violet (see below). So here are the parts from the book on Yellow that fit me well.
Yellows believe life is meant to be enjoyed. They do not like to take life seriously, nor do they like to work.
They enjoy giving gifts such as flowers and candy.
Yellows are everybody's friends; they are some of the most considerate people on the planet. Yellows tend to be shy with people they do not know. Once they are in familiar surroundings with people they know, however, they can become the life of the party.
Yellows in their power have abundant energy as if it's flowing from an unlimited source. With all this energy flowing through their bodies, Yellows have a hard time sitting still. While they are listening to someone, they will tap their feet, fidget or squirm... It is imperative for them to stay physically active on a regular basis in order to be happy, healthy and centered.
Yellows can also be creative writers. Both physical and creative projects are therapeutic for Yellows. Yellows do not enjoy becoming involved with heavy, intense emotional problems.
It is difficult to convince Yellows to stay away from negative addictions because they enjoy the substances and they do not like being told what to do. If someone tells a Yellow what to do, he will likely do the opposite. They are natural rebels. It has to be their choice.
Yellows often have a fear of commitment. In their eyes, commitment may take away choices or options; it means they will have to grow up and accept responsibilities. They have a hard time committing to one person or one career. Yellows prefer choices and freedom rather than restrictive responsibilities. Often Yellows truly believe they want committed relationships. However, they should look at their patterns to see if they are facing the truth.
It is painful for them to feel they have caused anyone unhappiness, especially those they love. They want play mates, who can laugh with them, take care of them and at the same time not take away their freedom.
When in their power, Yellows are creative problem solvers. They can create unique, new and innovative solutions. Their solutions are usually designed to make life easier.
It does not take much money to make Yellows happy nor do they want to work that hard for it... If Yellows can imagine how something physically feels to them, it will usually manifest for them.
Yellows do not judge their success in terms of money. They judge their success by how much fun they are having, by how much freedom and flexibility they have and by how many people like them.
Yellows believe life is meant to be enjoyed. They do not like to take life seriously, nor do they like to work.
They enjoy giving gifts such as flowers and candy.
Yellows are everybody's friends; they are some of the most considerate people on the planet. Yellows tend to be shy with people they do not know. Once they are in familiar surroundings with people they know, however, they can become the life of the party.
Yellows in their power have abundant energy as if it's flowing from an unlimited source. With all this energy flowing through their bodies, Yellows have a hard time sitting still. While they are listening to someone, they will tap their feet, fidget or squirm... It is imperative for them to stay physically active on a regular basis in order to be happy, healthy and centered.
Yellows can also be creative writers. Both physical and creative projects are therapeutic for Yellows. Yellows do not enjoy becoming involved with heavy, intense emotional problems.
It is difficult to convince Yellows to stay away from negative addictions because they enjoy the substances and they do not like being told what to do. If someone tells a Yellow what to do, he will likely do the opposite. They are natural rebels. It has to be their choice.
Yellows often have a fear of commitment. In their eyes, commitment may take away choices or options; it means they will have to grow up and accept responsibilities. They have a hard time committing to one person or one career. Yellows prefer choices and freedom rather than restrictive responsibilities. Often Yellows truly believe they want committed relationships. However, they should look at their patterns to see if they are facing the truth.
It is painful for them to feel they have caused anyone unhappiness, especially those they love. They want play mates, who can laugh with them, take care of them and at the same time not take away their freedom.
When in their power, Yellows are creative problem solvers. They can create unique, new and innovative solutions. Their solutions are usually designed to make life easier.
It does not take much money to make Yellows happy nor do they want to work that hard for it... If Yellows can imagine how something physically feels to them, it will usually manifest for them.
Yellows do not judge their success in terms of money. They judge their success by how much fun they are having, by how much freedom and flexibility they have and by how many people like them.
Monday, November 24, 2008
What am I?
If you are a little interested in finding clues to what the meaning of your life may be you come across all sorts of mysticism telling you who you are. Some are ancient traditions with well tested analysis of personality and some are new age stuff which has an all new jargon for these things. Well, astrologically I knew I was a proper Capricorn with Taurus rising, a Makara in Indian, and a devoted metal Dog of Chinese astrology. Ayurvedically, that is according to Indian medicine I have the constitution of Vata, which is Air, with a little Pitta, Fire and this makes me more of a visionary and thinker than an engineer or a manager. My numerology turned out to be 8, the number of periodic renewal, not a mystic but a secure number. I even took the earth angels challenge and I turned out to be a Starperson which explains why I feel like an alien sometimes:) Recently I was pretty amazed by the results of yet another test about life colors. This is about our auras, mostly coming from birth but also developing in life. I knew that I wouldn’t be one of those Indigo or Crystal kids but now I can be proud of my Violet/Yellow aura.
Yes, now I know I have a violet aura around my airy metallic doggy sea-goat self. I’m not purely violet though. The yellow explains why I don’t take things so seriously but rather playfully and some blue which explains other things. But I’m mostly violet (see below) and I think that counts for more.
Here are a few paragraphs on Violet, from the book Life Colors by Pamala Oslie. I just picked those lines which felt closest to mirroring who I actually am.
Violets are here to save the planet and save it for the better. Violets have an inner sense that they are here to do something important, that their destiny is greater than that of the average person. Because this is a Violet Age, any Violets who are not accomplishing what they came here to do are having an inner “push” –even an inner “earthquake”. These visionaries also love to travel. (Since Violets are here to save the planet, they have to see and understand what they need to save.) Violets’ careers and lifestyles must afford them the freedom to travel or they will become frustrated and feel limited and unfulfilled. They need to travel the world, explore other cultures and expand their horizons.
Violets believe that what they “see” is common sense. They do not understand why everyone can’t see what they see… Violets are often accused of being idealistic dreamers.
Violets want relationships, but their lives won’t be put on hold for them. They want partners who will live their vision with them, share a similar path and be an inspiration to them. They want mates who are willing to travel with them.
Violets judge their success by the quality of their performances, and by their ability to effectively reach their audience. Violets have a statement to make. They feel fulfilled when they know they have reached the world with their message and have inspired change. Violets need t know that they have done their part in making the planet a better place in which to live.
If you know me, you may join me in saying “wow, so correct”. If you don’t know me that well these words can help you. If you want to fıgure out what your color can be take the test here.
Yes, now I know I have a violet aura around my airy metallic doggy sea-goat self. I’m not purely violet though. The yellow explains why I don’t take things so seriously but rather playfully and some blue which explains other things. But I’m mostly violet (see below) and I think that counts for more.
Here are a few paragraphs on Violet, from the book Life Colors by Pamala Oslie. I just picked those lines which felt closest to mirroring who I actually am.
Violets are here to save the planet and save it for the better. Violets have an inner sense that they are here to do something important, that their destiny is greater than that of the average person. Because this is a Violet Age, any Violets who are not accomplishing what they came here to do are having an inner “push” –even an inner “earthquake”. These visionaries also love to travel. (Since Violets are here to save the planet, they have to see and understand what they need to save.) Violets’ careers and lifestyles must afford them the freedom to travel or they will become frustrated and feel limited and unfulfilled. They need to travel the world, explore other cultures and expand their horizons.
Violets believe that what they “see” is common sense. They do not understand why everyone can’t see what they see… Violets are often accused of being idealistic dreamers.
Violets want relationships, but their lives won’t be put on hold for them. They want partners who will live their vision with them, share a similar path and be an inspiration to them. They want mates who are willing to travel with them.
Violets judge their success by the quality of their performances, and by their ability to effectively reach their audience. Violets have a statement to make. They feel fulfilled when they know they have reached the world with their message and have inspired change. Violets need t know that they have done their part in making the planet a better place in which to live.
If you know me, you may join me in saying “wow, so correct”. If you don’t know me that well these words can help you. If you want to fıgure out what your color can be take the test here.
Tuesday, September 30, 2008
The Thin String
There are some moments in life when we see how easy it is to die. It can be a near death experience or seeing another person die. Although we may intellectually agree that we won’t be here in this body for long, it is always shocking to see how near we are.
Two days ago we went on a sightseeing/snorkeling boat trip with 6 other people we have just met (it’s cheaper and perhaps more fun this way). Our first stop was the Seven Islands which is much recommended for snorkeling. We put on our masks and some wore their life jackets and we plunged into the glassy green waters watching the colorful fish of this coral heaven. After some time we either got cold or felt it was time to move to another spot and made it towards the boat. We saw one of our company, one of the two woman professors from Manila, little far from the boat but she gave a signal to the other boat that she’s OK and perhaps would be coming soon. When I got on the boat I dried myself and looked at her drifting with her orange life jacket on. I took my binoculars (by this time she was over 100 meters away) and said to the others on the boat “she doesn’t seem to move”. They said “she just said she’s OK, she’ll be coming soon”. But she was not moving!
After 10 or 20 seconds she still didn’t seem to move and I managed to make the other guys on the boat worry. At this the captain waved at the little fisherman near her to go and see and two guys from our boat jumped into the sea and started swimming. We were stunned to see her motionless when the fisherman reached her first and tried to pull her up. Pulling the anchor and untying the boat from the buoy took time but when we arrived they were still trying to pull her on the boat. I jumped and helped the two men lift her up. The German guy who had swam the 200 meters was a first aid instructor and he knew all the classical life saving moves like CPR and mouth-to-mouth breathing but I think we were too late. We took her on our boat and went quickly back to the port, meanwhile two guys giving her CPR and breathing. We put them on a tricycle and I started shaking like I’m having a fit. Fortunately someone from the crowd came and offered me a cigarette to cool me down. When I arrived at the hospital she was already declared dead.
This was my closest encounter with dying. I’ve seen more than enough drowned people during the summers of my childhood and I’ve witnessed some car accidents where it would be a miracle if no one was dead. The nearest I’ve been to a dead person was my grandfather who was dead at the age of 97 and I knew I’d see him like this soon anyway. But this time it was different. I had never touched a dead person and never really tried to save a life.
She was with us that morning, alive. Her friend made a joke that she doesn’t swim well but if something happens to her, her students wouldn’t miss her much because she’s very tough with them. We were sitting on the same bench and while we were enjoying the colorful fish and corals her time came and she left us. And she left us with her dead body.
Have you seen bodies which doesn’t have life in them? Not nice. But after all we’ll all be leaving this bodies and our bodies won’t look very nice. What am I talking about; I’m sorry to get carried away like this but I have to let this out and cleanse myself from it.
So once again I realized life is short and can end any moment. We really have to make good use of each moment we live and give thanks. Last time I felt this was exactly one year ago in Sumatra, when I almost drowned while tubing on a river. Those few moment under the pressure of the rushing water which kept me trapped against a tree trunk, I thought “hmm, maybe this is the end, but I don’t feel like it’s supposed to finish like this, and where’s Maya anway” and with one last effort I managed to save myself from the tree and go for Maya.
This past one year, I had many moments I’m very happy to have fitted into this lifetime. But there are also things that I could do without as well as things I keep postponing. I remember to give thanks at least few times a day (despite some sarcasm). When I feel I can surrender to the flow of life with no resistance I feel this is what I must be doing right then, and I count that moment well spent. But sometimes I’m just lazy and spend a whole day in front of the computer or I feel blocked because I’m trying to fit everything I do to the likes and wishes of the people I’m sharing it with and, being the free spirit that I am, it feels like a waste of life. I’m glad that at least “most” of my recent life has been well spent.
In India when I was in my hermitage alone for a whole winter (ok, not %100 alone or that much of a hermitage but close to it), I got this message that one has to be ready to let go of this life. Since then I keep reminding myself that I’m ready, I say "I'm ready to die". I’m thankful for all that I have lived in this body and although I have some future plans I’m also ready to let go of everything. This makes me feel light and free. It has kept me doing all these things I want to do. And now being 37, at the age I always thought I’d die (until a couple of years ago when I changed it to a different kind of dying) I’m more into closing accounts and being ready. I don’t have any great projects for the future. I’m not in debt and I don’t have kids. And I know life is very valuable. Each moment is so priceless we have to really be flowing to let this lifetime do its job on our souls and be ready when the end credits start to roll.
Two days ago we went on a sightseeing/snorkeling boat trip with 6 other people we have just met (it’s cheaper and perhaps more fun this way). Our first stop was the Seven Islands which is much recommended for snorkeling. We put on our masks and some wore their life jackets and we plunged into the glassy green waters watching the colorful fish of this coral heaven. After some time we either got cold or felt it was time to move to another spot and made it towards the boat. We saw one of our company, one of the two woman professors from Manila, little far from the boat but she gave a signal to the other boat that she’s OK and perhaps would be coming soon. When I got on the boat I dried myself and looked at her drifting with her orange life jacket on. I took my binoculars (by this time she was over 100 meters away) and said to the others on the boat “she doesn’t seem to move”. They said “she just said she’s OK, she’ll be coming soon”. But she was not moving!
After 10 or 20 seconds she still didn’t seem to move and I managed to make the other guys on the boat worry. At this the captain waved at the little fisherman near her to go and see and two guys from our boat jumped into the sea and started swimming. We were stunned to see her motionless when the fisherman reached her first and tried to pull her up. Pulling the anchor and untying the boat from the buoy took time but when we arrived they were still trying to pull her on the boat. I jumped and helped the two men lift her up. The German guy who had swam the 200 meters was a first aid instructor and he knew all the classical life saving moves like CPR and mouth-to-mouth breathing but I think we were too late. We took her on our boat and went quickly back to the port, meanwhile two guys giving her CPR and breathing. We put them on a tricycle and I started shaking like I’m having a fit. Fortunately someone from the crowd came and offered me a cigarette to cool me down. When I arrived at the hospital she was already declared dead.
This was my closest encounter with dying. I’ve seen more than enough drowned people during the summers of my childhood and I’ve witnessed some car accidents where it would be a miracle if no one was dead. The nearest I’ve been to a dead person was my grandfather who was dead at the age of 97 and I knew I’d see him like this soon anyway. But this time it was different. I had never touched a dead person and never really tried to save a life.
She was with us that morning, alive. Her friend made a joke that she doesn’t swim well but if something happens to her, her students wouldn’t miss her much because she’s very tough with them. We were sitting on the same bench and while we were enjoying the colorful fish and corals her time came and she left us. And she left us with her dead body.
Have you seen bodies which doesn’t have life in them? Not nice. But after all we’ll all be leaving this bodies and our bodies won’t look very nice. What am I talking about; I’m sorry to get carried away like this but I have to let this out and cleanse myself from it.
So once again I realized life is short and can end any moment. We really have to make good use of each moment we live and give thanks. Last time I felt this was exactly one year ago in Sumatra, when I almost drowned while tubing on a river. Those few moment under the pressure of the rushing water which kept me trapped against a tree trunk, I thought “hmm, maybe this is the end, but I don’t feel like it’s supposed to finish like this, and where’s Maya anway” and with one last effort I managed to save myself from the tree and go for Maya.
This past one year, I had many moments I’m very happy to have fitted into this lifetime. But there are also things that I could do without as well as things I keep postponing. I remember to give thanks at least few times a day (despite some sarcasm). When I feel I can surrender to the flow of life with no resistance I feel this is what I must be doing right then, and I count that moment well spent. But sometimes I’m just lazy and spend a whole day in front of the computer or I feel blocked because I’m trying to fit everything I do to the likes and wishes of the people I’m sharing it with and, being the free spirit that I am, it feels like a waste of life. I’m glad that at least “most” of my recent life has been well spent.
In India when I was in my hermitage alone for a whole winter (ok, not %100 alone or that much of a hermitage but close to it), I got this message that one has to be ready to let go of this life. Since then I keep reminding myself that I’m ready, I say "I'm ready to die". I’m thankful for all that I have lived in this body and although I have some future plans I’m also ready to let go of everything. This makes me feel light and free. It has kept me doing all these things I want to do. And now being 37, at the age I always thought I’d die (until a couple of years ago when I changed it to a different kind of dying) I’m more into closing accounts and being ready. I don’t have any great projects for the future. I’m not in debt and I don’t have kids. And I know life is very valuable. Each moment is so priceless we have to really be flowing to let this lifetime do its job on our souls and be ready when the end credits start to roll.
Sunday, September 28, 2008
Monday, September 1, 2008
The Story of Garlic
This is one of my favorite stories of the Hindu mythology. It is a part of the greater story commonly known as The Churning of the Ocean of Milk (Samudra Manthan) which is the main creation myth of Hinduism. As is the case with all Hindu stories, there are many versions and this one is inspired from the version in the book The Greatness of Saturn – A Therapeutic Mythic by Robert E. Svoboda (to be published in Turkish as soon as I’m back in Turkey).
A long long time ago, before the universe as we know it came into being, there was the vast Ocean of Milk. The positive and negative forces of the universe, Devas (i.e. Gods or Demigods[1]) and Asuras (i.e. Demons[2]) were constantly at war (as they are to this day). As there is day and there is night, there were times when each would seem to be winning. But they were not yet immortal, and with each war their numbers were decreasing. Fearing that this might lead to the eventual destruction of all Devas, they decided to seek immortality.
After a very long quest, the Devas learned that the only way to create the elixir of immortality, Amrita (i.e. Ambrosia) was to churn the Ocean of Milk. But the ocean was so vast, the job so great that their numbers alone were not sufficient for this task. So they decided to seek the help of the Asuras. Together, they took the great mountain Mandara as the churning rod and brought down the snake Vasuki from heavens to spin it with. The earth could not support the weight and friction of the rotating mount Mandara, so the great god Vishnu incarnated as the enormous tortoise Kurma, and went under it. There was a dispute over who is going to hold which end of the snake and finally the Demons decided to hold the head, thinking that this will put them in a more privileged position at the end. But when they started churning by pulling Vasuki in either direction, the distressed snake started to breath flames and burnt many Asuras.
After many years of churning, the Ocean of milk started to turn into water and things started to emerge from it, such as the heavenly Parijata tree, which was placed in heaven, Kamadhenu, the wish fulfilling cow, and Lakshmi, the Goddess of Wealth and Abundance (about 14 in all). Just when all were getting impatient for the emergence of the potion of immortality, the ultimate Hala-Hala poison sprang out of the ocean. This poison was so strong that it could destroy whole life. Great Lord Shiva took all this poison in his mouth and held it in his throat, which turned it blue. From then on he’d be called Neelkanth, “the Blue Throated One” as the neutralizer of the ultimate poison [3]. Finally Dhanwantari, the Goddess of Medicine came out of the ocean holding a little clay pot containing Amrita.
When they saw the fruit of their hard labor, the key to their victory over death right in front of their eyes, the Asuras and Devas once again started to fight for it. It was an auspicious time for the Asuras ad in the end it was them who managed to carry it away, meanwhile dropping four drops on earth [4]. On seeing this, Great Vishnu transformed himself to Mohini, the most beautiful woman ever and went to negotiate with the Asuras. Blinded by her charms, they accepted to be fed the Amrita through her nipples and handed her the pot and in great grief saw Mohini transform back to Vishnu. But it was too late.
Delighted to finally be able to taste immortality, the Devas formed a line waiting for Lord Vishnu to serve them one drop each. All the divinities were there, including the planet deities. In their excitement they failed to see the demon Rahu disguised as a Deva sneak between the Sun and the Moon. After the Sun took his drop of Amrita, just when Vishnu dropped one in the mouth of Rahu, they realized he was in fact a demon and screamed in alarm. Vishnu quickly drew his discus and cut the throat of Rahu, thus separating his head and body. But Rahu had already tasted immortality and had become semi-immortal. The head which fell on the Sun became the Solar Eclipse (Rahu) and the body which fell on the Moon became the Lunar Eclipse (Ketu). To this day they keep these Devas under their curse but since they don’t have a full body, soon after they eat the Sun and the Moon they emerge on the other side [5].
Their blood fell on earth and wherever they fell, garlic grew. That’s why garlic creates eclipses in the hearts and souls of those who eat it [6].
Of course, all the elements in this story can be interpreted in many different ways and this has happened when this ancient story was carried and transformed between different cultures. One good interpretation I have found suggests the below explanation of each element:
- The story itself represents the spiritual endeavor of a person to achieve self-realization through concentration of mind, withdrawal of senses, control of desires and practice of austerities and asceticism.
- The Devas and Asuras represent the positives and negatives of one's personality. Their cooperation suggests that when one is on the spiritual path, one has to integrate and harmonize the positive and negative aspects and put both energies to work for the common goal or realization.
- The ocean of milk is the mind or the human consciousness.
- The Mandara mountain symbolizes concentration.
- The tortoise Kurma symbolizes the withdrawal of the senses into oneself.
- The snake Vasuki symbolizes desire.
- The Halahala poison symbolizes suffering and pain. This is also interpreted as cannabis and is the reason that smoking ganja is considered a spiritual practice for some Shivaite Hindus.
- Lord Shiva symbolizes the ascetic principle.
- The various precious objects that come out of the ocean symbolize the psychic or spiritual powers one gains along the way to spiritual realization.
- Dhanvantari symbolizes health and signifies that immortality (i.e. longevity) or spiritual success can be achieved only when the body and the mind are in a perfect state of health.
- Mohini symbolizes delusion of the mind in the form of (or originating from) pride.
- Amrita symbolizes the ultimate achievement of the goal of self-realization.
May this story help you on your path.
------------------------
[1] The Sanskrit word Deva (Divinity, God) is possibly the origin of the word Devil.
[2] The Sanskrit word Asura (Demon) is possibly the origin of Ahura Mazda, the name of God in the first monotheistic religion of the west, Zoroastrianism.
[3] Some versions suggest that later he gave this poison to snakes, scorpions and mushrooms. Some also believe that, this transformation of poison to spiritual power is reflected in the ritual use of cannabis plant.
[4] These fell to Haridwar, Allahabad, Ujjain and Nasik, where the greatest spiritual gatherings of humankind, the Kumbha Mela is held every 12 years, where millions gather in search of the one drop of immortality.
[5] After this, they took their place among the 9 planets of the Hindu system, the Grahas, along with Sun, Moon, Mercury, Venus, Mars, Jupiter and Saturn. They are the most malefic and the most feared planets after Saturn and they are semi-immortal as they appear only occasionally.
[6] One of the reasons why most yogis and some other religious people of India do not eat garlic.
A long long time ago, before the universe as we know it came into being, there was the vast Ocean of Milk. The positive and negative forces of the universe, Devas (i.e. Gods or Demigods[1]) and Asuras (i.e. Demons[2]) were constantly at war (as they are to this day). As there is day and there is night, there were times when each would seem to be winning. But they were not yet immortal, and with each war their numbers were decreasing. Fearing that this might lead to the eventual destruction of all Devas, they decided to seek immortality.
After a very long quest, the Devas learned that the only way to create the elixir of immortality, Amrita (i.e. Ambrosia) was to churn the Ocean of Milk. But the ocean was so vast, the job so great that their numbers alone were not sufficient for this task. So they decided to seek the help of the Asuras. Together, they took the great mountain Mandara as the churning rod and brought down the snake Vasuki from heavens to spin it with. The earth could not support the weight and friction of the rotating mount Mandara, so the great god Vishnu incarnated as the enormous tortoise Kurma, and went under it. There was a dispute over who is going to hold which end of the snake and finally the Demons decided to hold the head, thinking that this will put them in a more privileged position at the end. But when they started churning by pulling Vasuki in either direction, the distressed snake started to breath flames and burnt many Asuras.
After many years of churning, the Ocean of milk started to turn into water and things started to emerge from it, such as the heavenly Parijata tree, which was placed in heaven, Kamadhenu, the wish fulfilling cow, and Lakshmi, the Goddess of Wealth and Abundance (about 14 in all). Just when all were getting impatient for the emergence of the potion of immortality, the ultimate Hala-Hala poison sprang out of the ocean. This poison was so strong that it could destroy whole life. Great Lord Shiva took all this poison in his mouth and held it in his throat, which turned it blue. From then on he’d be called Neelkanth, “the Blue Throated One” as the neutralizer of the ultimate poison [3]. Finally Dhanwantari, the Goddess of Medicine came out of the ocean holding a little clay pot containing Amrita.
When they saw the fruit of their hard labor, the key to their victory over death right in front of their eyes, the Asuras and Devas once again started to fight for it. It was an auspicious time for the Asuras ad in the end it was them who managed to carry it away, meanwhile dropping four drops on earth [4]. On seeing this, Great Vishnu transformed himself to Mohini, the most beautiful woman ever and went to negotiate with the Asuras. Blinded by her charms, they accepted to be fed the Amrita through her nipples and handed her the pot and in great grief saw Mohini transform back to Vishnu. But it was too late.
Delighted to finally be able to taste immortality, the Devas formed a line waiting for Lord Vishnu to serve them one drop each. All the divinities were there, including the planet deities. In their excitement they failed to see the demon Rahu disguised as a Deva sneak between the Sun and the Moon. After the Sun took his drop of Amrita, just when Vishnu dropped one in the mouth of Rahu, they realized he was in fact a demon and screamed in alarm. Vishnu quickly drew his discus and cut the throat of Rahu, thus separating his head and body. But Rahu had already tasted immortality and had become semi-immortal. The head which fell on the Sun became the Solar Eclipse (Rahu) and the body which fell on the Moon became the Lunar Eclipse (Ketu). To this day they keep these Devas under their curse but since they don’t have a full body, soon after they eat the Sun and the Moon they emerge on the other side [5].
Their blood fell on earth and wherever they fell, garlic grew. That’s why garlic creates eclipses in the hearts and souls of those who eat it [6].
Of course, all the elements in this story can be interpreted in many different ways and this has happened when this ancient story was carried and transformed between different cultures. One good interpretation I have found suggests the below explanation of each element:
- The story itself represents the spiritual endeavor of a person to achieve self-realization through concentration of mind, withdrawal of senses, control of desires and practice of austerities and asceticism.
- The Devas and Asuras represent the positives and negatives of one's personality. Their cooperation suggests that when one is on the spiritual path, one has to integrate and harmonize the positive and negative aspects and put both energies to work for the common goal or realization.
- The ocean of milk is the mind or the human consciousness.
- The Mandara mountain symbolizes concentration.
- The tortoise Kurma symbolizes the withdrawal of the senses into oneself.
- The snake Vasuki symbolizes desire.
- The Halahala poison symbolizes suffering and pain. This is also interpreted as cannabis and is the reason that smoking ganja is considered a spiritual practice for some Shivaite Hindus.
- Lord Shiva symbolizes the ascetic principle.
- The various precious objects that come out of the ocean symbolize the psychic or spiritual powers one gains along the way to spiritual realization.
- Dhanvantari symbolizes health and signifies that immortality (i.e. longevity) or spiritual success can be achieved only when the body and the mind are in a perfect state of health.
- Mohini symbolizes delusion of the mind in the form of (or originating from) pride.
- Amrita symbolizes the ultimate achievement of the goal of self-realization.
May this story help you on your path.
------------------------
[1] The Sanskrit word Deva (Divinity, God) is possibly the origin of the word Devil.
[2] The Sanskrit word Asura (Demon) is possibly the origin of Ahura Mazda, the name of God in the first monotheistic religion of the west, Zoroastrianism.
[3] Some versions suggest that later he gave this poison to snakes, scorpions and mushrooms. Some also believe that, this transformation of poison to spiritual power is reflected in the ritual use of cannabis plant.
[4] These fell to Haridwar, Allahabad, Ujjain and Nasik, where the greatest spiritual gatherings of humankind, the Kumbha Mela is held every 12 years, where millions gather in search of the one drop of immortality.
[5] After this, they took their place among the 9 planets of the Hindu system, the Grahas, along with Sun, Moon, Mercury, Venus, Mars, Jupiter and Saturn. They are the most malefic and the most feared planets after Saturn and they are semi-immortal as they appear only occasionally.
[6] One of the reasons why most yogis and some other religious people of India do not eat garlic.
Monday, August 18, 2008
WELCOME
Today I announced my first time ever blogs. I have been motivated to do this by Maya who has been blogging for some years and recently started a new blog with the purpose of letting off steam. So I thought I also can use some letting off steam. At first I thought “who’s going to read these anyway?” but then I realized I don’t need to care. It’s more like putting a message in a bottle and tossing it into the ocean of the internet. Someone will read it one day, someone with patience. I have a lot to share and I know I like to keep it as detailed as it gets (one could say “I have a problem with keeping it short” but I rather not see it as a problem). I hope you have the patience
So I started this blog and three others about a month ago. I’ve been updating it quite often ever since but this may not be sustained as I’m not this much online when I’m on the road. I’ve decided to make use of this period of temporarily settling in a ‘civilized’ place by sharing things.
I was waiting to be more satisfied with the first part of the content to invite you here but I realized that’s very hard. I’m not that happy with my blogging skills but it’s a new thing for me anyway. I feel like I’m writing an e-mail to a good, concerned friend who doesn’t have a face or a name. It’s like keeping a diary starting with “dear journal” and then letting the world see it. It’s weird. I just hope it’s not boring and that you have a little patience to see what I have to share.
I just learned that the order of blog posts go reverse. So what you see right below this one is the last post I sent and the first post I wrote is at the bottom of this page, or even on the ‘history’ part which can be reached through the side panel. I would really appreciate it if you can start with the couple of first entries rather than the last ones, so that the blog gains a little relevance.
I would really like to hear some comments about what I wrote so please click the ‘comment’ link right under the posts to give me some feedback. If you really like what I write and want to see what I write as soon as I put it online you can ‘subscribe’ to this blog using the ‘subscribe’ links on the side panel (RSS).
As I said I have 4 blogs now. This one is about my inner journey and I have one on traveling, one on relationship stories and one in Turkish.
Welcome to my little web.
But this is an old tale you tell – they say.
But surely this is a new tale you tell – some say.
Tell it once again – they say;
Or, do not tell it again – others say.
But I have heard all this before –say some;
Or, but this is not how it was told before – say the rest.
And these, these are our people, Dervish Baba, this is man.
Naqshibandi Recital
as quoted in The Way of The Sufi by Idries Shah
So I started this blog and three others about a month ago. I’ve been updating it quite often ever since but this may not be sustained as I’m not this much online when I’m on the road. I’ve decided to make use of this period of temporarily settling in a ‘civilized’ place by sharing things.
I was waiting to be more satisfied with the first part of the content to invite you here but I realized that’s very hard. I’m not that happy with my blogging skills but it’s a new thing for me anyway. I feel like I’m writing an e-mail to a good, concerned friend who doesn’t have a face or a name. It’s like keeping a diary starting with “dear journal” and then letting the world see it. It’s weird. I just hope it’s not boring and that you have a little patience to see what I have to share.
I just learned that the order of blog posts go reverse. So what you see right below this one is the last post I sent and the first post I wrote is at the bottom of this page, or even on the ‘history’ part which can be reached through the side panel. I would really appreciate it if you can start with the couple of first entries rather than the last ones, so that the blog gains a little relevance.
I would really like to hear some comments about what I wrote so please click the ‘comment’ link right under the posts to give me some feedback. If you really like what I write and want to see what I write as soon as I put it online you can ‘subscribe’ to this blog using the ‘subscribe’ links on the side panel (RSS).
As I said I have 4 blogs now. This one is about my inner journey and I have one on traveling, one on relationship stories and one in Turkish.
Welcome to my little web.
But this is an old tale you tell – they say.
But surely this is a new tale you tell – some say.
Tell it once again – they say;
Or, do not tell it again – others say.
But I have heard all this before –say some;
Or, but this is not how it was told before – say the rest.
And these, these are our people, Dervish Baba, this is man.
Naqshibandi Recital
as quoted in The Way of The Sufi by Idries Shah
Being 37
I used to believe that I would die when I'm 37. The reason for this was a part of a greater dialogue I was having with God as a kid. I asked for a proof and God waited 20 years to give me that but about this age the signs came much earlier.
It's one of those numbers that keeps catching your eyes everywhere. Since I was not aware of the fact that my dad was 37 when I was born, the first one that caught my eye was my primary school number. Then when I was in high school suddenly all numbers were 37, my dormitory room, my dining table, my library card. I was excited when digital watches became so popular and I also had one but I couldn't carry it for long because 4 out of 5 times I'd l look at it in one day it would be 37 past something. I switched to analog. In university I was surprised to see the first girl I had a crash on had the number 037 but when within the first days of my relationship with my second girl friend in the university they had her dormitory room changed to number 37 I thought maybe it was contagious. And it was. It went on like this and although the frequency changes, this number is still with me.
Why I thought of it as my age of death and not something else is another story. I know it came pretty early, too early for a child to think of when he's going to die but I never really questioned it; it was like hearing a word of God or channeling some information that already is written somewhere else. When they asked me what I would be when I grew up, I would only think up to 37. When I was no more a kid and we would talk with friends about when we grow old, I wouldn’t fantasize about my 60s because I “knew” I’d live up to 37. I had plans until that age only, and it consisted mainly of living free and learning about life. This went on until a few years ago.
I know it sounds pretty stupid to get obsessed with a reoccurrence of a number and even more stupid to think of it as an age to leave this body, but, honestly, it gave me the freedom to live every day (or every decade) as if it’s my last. I managed to not be attached to anything. In fact, when I felt things getting too rigid in my life, I just quited them. I have addictions like anybody else but at least being a traveler I managed to be more committed to life itself than anything else.
The only problem about this is that I am 37 now and I don’t really feel I’m leaving soon. I honestly would like to have a fresh start but I wouldn’t like to start from age zero in another body. I’m very thankful for all the experience of this life and the little wisdom it brought me. I’d rather have a rebirth while I live. What I have to accept here is perhaps that I’m a bit too lazy to take the steps for this rebirth. Rumi’s words ring in my ears continuously:
So in short I can say that I feel, or I have always felt, that something is going to happen with me soon. I like to think of it as a positive rebirth, detox sort of thing but I know sometimes the best lessons in life come the hard way and we just have to be prepared for it. Just don’t be too surprised when it happens, I’ll try not to be and give thanks. I just can’t wait for it.
It's one of those numbers that keeps catching your eyes everywhere. Since I was not aware of the fact that my dad was 37 when I was born, the first one that caught my eye was my primary school number. Then when I was in high school suddenly all numbers were 37, my dormitory room, my dining table, my library card. I was excited when digital watches became so popular and I also had one but I couldn't carry it for long because 4 out of 5 times I'd l look at it in one day it would be 37 past something. I switched to analog. In university I was surprised to see the first girl I had a crash on had the number 037 but when within the first days of my relationship with my second girl friend in the university they had her dormitory room changed to number 37 I thought maybe it was contagious. And it was. It went on like this and although the frequency changes, this number is still with me.Why I thought of it as my age of death and not something else is another story. I know it came pretty early, too early for a child to think of when he's going to die but I never really questioned it; it was like hearing a word of God or channeling some information that already is written somewhere else. When they asked me what I would be when I grew up, I would only think up to 37. When I was no more a kid and we would talk with friends about when we grow old, I wouldn’t fantasize about my 60s because I “knew” I’d live up to 37. I had plans until that age only, and it consisted mainly of living free and learning about life. This went on until a few years ago.
I know it sounds pretty stupid to get obsessed with a reoccurrence of a number and even more stupid to think of it as an age to leave this body, but, honestly, it gave me the freedom to live every day (or every decade) as if it’s my last. I managed to not be attached to anything. In fact, when I felt things getting too rigid in my life, I just quited them. I have addictions like anybody else but at least being a traveler I managed to be more committed to life itself than anything else.
The only problem about this is that I am 37 now and I don’t really feel I’m leaving soon. I honestly would like to have a fresh start but I wouldn’t like to start from age zero in another body. I’m very thankful for all the experience of this life and the little wisdom it brought me. I’d rather have a rebirth while I live. What I have to accept here is perhaps that I’m a bit too lazy to take the steps for this rebirth. Rumi’s words ring in my ears continuously:
Gamble everything for love,
if you’re a true human being.
If not, leave this gathering.
Half-heartedness doesn’t reach into majesty.
You set out to find God,
but you keep stopping for long periods
at mean spirited roadhouses.
if you’re a true human being.
If not, leave this gathering.
Half-heartedness doesn’t reach into majesty.
You set out to find God,
but you keep stopping for long periods
at mean spirited roadhouses.
So in short I can say that I feel, or I have always felt, that something is going to happen with me soon. I like to think of it as a positive rebirth, detox sort of thing but I know sometimes the best lessons in life come the hard way and we just have to be prepared for it. Just don’t be too surprised when it happens, I’ll try not to be and give thanks. I just can’t wait for it.
Birdsong brings relief
To my longing.
I am just as ecstatic as they are,
But with nothing to say!
Please, universal soul,
practice some song,
or something,
through me!
Maulana Jalal-ud-din Rumi
To my longing.
I am just as ecstatic as they are,
But with nothing to say!
Please, universal soul,
practice some song,
or something,
through me!
Maulana Jalal-ud-din Rumi
Sunday, August 10, 2008
The Wheel of Dependent Origination
Here is why there is so much suffering, why even when we feel whole and happy there is something in us which is not happy. This is the wheel of dependent arising from Buddhism. It is a chain of things which create a facit circle which we unconsciously follow and which lead to suffering. To be free from suffering we need to break this chain. Although basically it is very simple to do it (like “be here now”) it is also very hard since we are in a way ‘addicted’ to the way things go. This wheel and each of its elements are subject to years of studying. I will not attempt to explain them here but you can find material on the subject pretty easily (see links at the end). This is also usually one main subject of teaching in most meditation courses.
I hope the time we will break our chains and find our peaceful center comes without too much suffering.
Paticcasamuppada- The wheel of dependent origination
Ignorance leads to Contact
Contact leads to Feeling
Feeling leads to Craving
Craving leads to Attachment
Attachment leads to Becoming
Becoming leads to Birth
Birth leads to Suffering
Suffering leads to Ignorance
(On many wheels the path between Ignorance and Contact is also expanded to Ignorance leads to Concoction leads to Mind-Body leads to Six Sense Organs leads to Contact)
***
Buddhists seem to love numbering things and here is the Noble Eightfold Path:
1. Right Understanding,
2. Right Aim,
3. Right Speech,
4. Right Action,
5. Right Livelihood,
6. Right Effort,
7. Right Mindfulness,
8. Right Concentration
And here are the Ten Fetters tying us to the cycle of existence:
1. Personality belief,
2. Uncertainty about the path,
3. Belief in rites and rituals,
4. Sensuous greed,
5. Ill-will,
6. Greed for fine material existence,
7. Greed for immaterial existence,
8. Pride,
9. Agitation,
10. Ignorance.
May all beings be happy,
May all beings be holy,
May there be no disharmony of any kind anywhere.
_______________________________
Here are some links if you want to learn more about dependent origination and/or Buddhism in general.
http://www.vimokkha.com/paticcasamuppada.html
http://www.akshin.net/introduction/intro-causeofsuffering.htm
http://www.geocities.com/dependentorigination/
http://web.ukonline.co.uk/buddhism/mogokcan.htm
Thursday, July 31, 2008
Inner Light
Inner Light
by
George Harrison, The Beatles
Without going out of your door,
You can know all things on earth
without looking out of your window,
you can know the ways of heaven.
The farther one travels
the less one knows
the less one really knows.
Arrive without travelling,
See all without looking,
Do all without doing.
by
George Harrison, The Beatles
Without going out of your door,
You can know all things on earth
without looking out of your window,
you can know the ways of heaven.
The farther one travels
the less one knows
the less one really knows.
Arrive without travelling,
See all without looking,
Do all without doing.
Twists and turns of the road
Either this deep desire of mine will be found on this journey, or when I get back home.
It may be that satisfaction I need depends on my going away,so that when I've gone and come back, I'll find it home.
I will search for the Friend with all my passion and all my energy, until I learn that I don't need to search.
The real truth of existence is sealed, until after many twists and turns of the road.
Maulana Jalaluddin Rumi
It may be that satisfaction I need depends on my going away,so that when I've gone and come back, I'll find it home.
I will search for the Friend with all my passion and all my energy, until I learn that I don't need to search.
The real truth of existence is sealed, until after many twists and turns of the road.
Maulana Jalaluddin Rumi
Sunday, July 27, 2008
The Inner Quest
Life is an inner journey.
No matter how many words we use we can never come close to what the inner experience is really like. Telling about the learning is like painting a taste, it’s mostly waste.
But we can suggest how it feels. We can trust the perceptivity of the receiver and just talk.
And since all we’d say would be suggestions, mere words and abstractions, we could as well talk about anything at all.
Since everything happens for a reason, they all have to make some sense.
There is a basic truth in every mundane illusion.
And here I am opening up my insides. This blog is meant to be an outlet for my storming brain and sparkling soul. This is a travel to the center of the meaning of life. Please let go of all your judgments and feel your way through my maze.
Welcome…
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