Day Nineteen
May you feel your life as a blessed journey. May you feel each and every breath blessed. May you feel blessed in every joy and sorrow. May you move through time and space with peace, tranquility, bounty, beauty, and bliss. May you be in your exalted self, always, pure and purposeful and prosperous forever. May you feel your own soul in each moment of pain, pleasure, failure, and success. May you be at ease in the daily flow of the care of your soul.
Sat Nam!
Day Eighteen
As modern human beings, one of our collective Unknowns is all the knowledge, ancient wisdom, and history that has been destroyed by holocaust, cultural revolution, genocide, war, and book burning.
Total annihilation devastates us, but it is part of the process of Creation.
The technology of Kundalini Yoga can teach us something about this. This practice strengthens the human sensory system so that an individual can become sensitive to the subtle realm and receive transmission of wisdom.
Since ancient times, spiritual practice has been transmitted from teacher to student. No lectures or texts, but living, breathing human transmission. This art of transmission seems has been all but lost and forgotten in our contemporary consciousness. Luckily, it still exists in Kundalini Yoga. We tune in with the Adhi Mantra, Ong Namo Guru Dev Namo, and these sounds connect us to the Golden Chain of teachers of this tradition. As practitioners, we are living breathing bearers of an entire lineage. In other words, the Library of Teachings is within the human body. Even if all teachings were lost in print and in digital form, there would still be those who practice this yoga. Even if only one teacher passes one teaching on to one student, the teachings will continue to exist. Even if no one passes them on, they exist, held lovingly in the Sacred Sound Current. All Great teachings exist in the subtle realm of consciousness; it’s simply a matter of tapping into that realm. Sit. Meditate. Practice. Pray.
Oh, Divine Beloved Creator of All That Is and Is No Longer, fill our collective consciousness with strength to carry on lineages, teachings, and wisdom through our practices, through our words, through our actions, thoughts, and through our prayers. If it pleases Thee, keep us healthy, happy, creative, and mighty peaceful so that we may allow, not only peace, but also wisdom to prevail on this Earth. Let us dwell in The Wisdom that transcends cultures, transcends nations, transcends boundaries, transcends limits. May we embrace The Wisdom that is inclusive, collaborative, loving, dignified, graceful, courageous and full of humility and remembrance of our contribution to the Universe. May this Great Wisdom be that which can heal, and bring dignity, divinity, prosperity, and grace to all beings everywhere. May each and every creature embody such Divine Wisdom that is impervious to fire, war, holocaust, genocide, extinction because it lives and continues to thrive in the formless Subtle Realm of Universal Consciousness. May we have the capacity and caliber to tap into this awesome Unknown. May we be with this great Unknown in loving companionship on into Infinity.
Sat Nam!
Day Sixteen
Here is one breath at a time; one line at a time; one word at a time: one stroke, one effort, one chore, one glance, one bite, one inch, one gesture, one turn, one step, one second, one day, another day, another day, and another. One repetition of the mantra after another. One strike of the tongue on the upper palate. One pump of the navel. One more prayer.
One of our Unknowns is what our life’s finished product actually looks like when we are through with our lifespan’s cycle. Every thought, every moment, every breath, every dream, every experience accumulates over the years we enjoy on this Earth plane. In the end, how can we ever know how it all must appear (or seem or feel) from the perspective of Universal Consciousness?
One Generator, Organizer, and Destroyer of All That Is knows all our little ones of this and ones of that and sees all and blesses all with some knowledge and plenty of life force.
Beloved Creator of All That Is, help all beings grow in awareness. Be with all beings to guide our expansion of consciousness. Help us all to feel connected, courageous, peaceful, fulfilled, empowered, and healed. Give us this moment another breath. Give us a real sense that this one miniscule task we are wrapped up in, no matter how large or small, is truly contributing something essential to the galactic tapestry of beauty, bounty, and bliss!
Sat Nam!
Day Fifteen
Kundalini Yoga as taught by Yogi Bhajan offers us detailed teachings on the power of the prayer of the mother for her children. The prayer of any woman is also said to have extraordinary power. So, I write tonight with an intention to honor the power of the mother’s and the woman’s prayers.
Recently, I attended an extraordinary concert with the renown musicians Snatam Kaur, Ajeet Kaur, Ezra Landis, Tripp Dudley, and Siri Kirtan Kaur at the Seaside Center for Spiritual Living in Encinitas. During the concert, Snatam had to tune her guitar before singing “People of Love.” While tuning the guitar, she chatted with her audience. She mentioned that her grandfather once told her that his generation’s job was to start the Peace Movement. So, Snatam’s grandfather added, it would be our generation’s job to take on the challenge of healing the environment. Snatam ended this little chat with a graceful and gentle reminder: vote for Bernie Sanders.
In the forty or so years (from 1969-2004) that Yogi Bhajan taught in the United States and around the world, he encouraged so many people to pray for peace. They prayed for peace. Now, we continue to observe Peace Prayer Day every Summer Solstice. We have lots of great teachings that guide us to understand that peace is not the destination; peace is the way. Peace is something we practice, not some utopian ideal to reach. Peace takes grit, muscle, power, prayer, discipline, courage, courage, courage. Any nation can build an army and dump way too much money into a military machine. That’s for sissies. I’m willing to bet that half the United States Marine Corps would collapse under the physical, mental, and spiritual challenge to hold Wheel Pose for 11 minutes. But I am going off on some tangent that is likely to throw me way out of my Neutral Mind.
So, I return to a sense of gratitude that a generation of yogis learned directly from Yogi Bhajan while he lived on this Earth plane and were fortunate to pray for peace in his presence.
But he passed out of his human body and dwells in the hearts and minds of those who practice the teachings he shared. He taught about the Mother’s Prayer. Being a mother myself, I appreciate these teachings; but practicing to become a more prayerful yogi, I am beginning to appreciate another dimension to the Mother’s Prayer.
So, now that the time has come that our shared environmental crisis has grown desperate. We need to build a powerful legacy of Earthing that is on par with Peace Prayer Day. One way to approach this is to pray that we, in our most radiant, collective human consciousness come up with more creative, sustainable, authentic, and lasting solutions to heal our Earth.
But, even more importantly, we must listen. What is our Mother Earth’s prayer? Do we have the capacity to listen to the Earth, to communicate–really communicate, prayerfully communicate–with trees, plants, flowers, dirt, stones, water, clouds, animals? Are we able to hear with open minds and hearts what it is this Earth wants and needs most from her children, from Her Creator, from Her Universe?
Mother Earth, what is your prayer? What is your wish for your own spiritual destiny? What is your wish for the destinies of the creatures and beings who regard you as their mother? I am blessed to be here. I am blessed to be with you. I am blessed to be listening. With a prayerful mind and heart and with open ears and an open inner ear, I bow.
Sat Nam!
Day Fourteen
Always play with what it means to “intune” to someone or something. Seems intunement involves opening up and expanding the heart and mind Infinitely. Expand so much that everything comes inside the consciousness. When the soul vibrates full awareness and compassion toward the heart of all things, all circumstances, all situations, all beings, then the prayer is real. The prayer is effective. The prayer shall have power. Be courageous. Become sensitive to, and align with, the sound waves of the heart of all things. Project the prayer to surf these sound waves.
May we intune to one another and support one another to become excellent!
Yogi Bhajan’s quotes on prayer
Sat Nam!
Day Thirteen
Perhaps prayer is not answered. Prayer is effective. Prayer is a dialogue with the Creator of All That Is; you yourself are one creator of All Creation who is conversing with All Creation’s Creator. Worry not over prayer being received, heard, or answered. Articulate the prayer with clarity, power, and grace. Put all your energy into the prayer. Attach the mind to prayer, and become a thirsty songbird who has found, at last, a drop of rain. The unknown becomes known; the unheard, heard; the unseen, seen.
May this mind attach to prayer and this heart beat to the rhythm of wisdom, compassion, and miracles.
“Prayer is the ray of the soul.” ~Yogi Bhajan
Sat Nam!
Day Twelve
Years ago, as a new mother without a daily yoga and meditation practice, the challenges of raising children inspired desperate prayers. If I had uttered such prayers aloud, one might have sounded like this, “God, please help me!” Or, another might sound like this, “Oh my God, not this again!” I would feel like giving up. I used to succumb to self-pity; I’d wonder at the injustice of a Universe that shows no mercy to a sleep deprived, friendless, modern woman who is simply trying to survive an endless onslaught of physical, emotional, social, financial, and cultural demands. I’d often fear I could never ever properly fulfill my family’s incessant needs.
“God, help me!” is not a true prayer but an expression of pure desperation. How could I help it: My nervous system was weak. My breath was too shallow.
Luckily, desperation is easy to transcend: Deepen the breath. Strengthen the lungs, the heart, and the nervous system. Practice daily. Feel at home with every inhale and every exhale.
Desperation turns to inspiration. I feel ready for anything. I wonder at the truth that anyone and everyone can vibrate the divine love of the Creator and All Creation! I surrender completely to the Unknown facets of the fulfillment of the family’s needs. The only thing that is up to me is to pray the prayer of the Mother.
Today’s Prayer: May the singing of praises be your food. Praise your life. Praise your children. Praise your friends. Praise your spouse. Praise a glass of water! Praise a stubbed toe! Praise your own heart’s prayer! Praise the breath of life! Praise your Mother-in-Law’s cooking. Praise your own consciousness. And may the remembrance of your Source and True Home, the Creator and Creation, give you infinite delight!
Sat Nam!
Day Eleven
Eleven is a significant number in yogic numerology. We meditate for eleven minutes to effect the nervous and glandular systems. The eleventh body of consciousness is about allowing Infinity to flow through our entire being to uplift all. Eleven days of a meditation is a significant day. Momentum increases. Things start to shift.
This evening my five-year-old daughter meditated by my side. She did not play, fidget, mock, or squirm like she often does. She chanted the mantra on one breath. She participated in a seated position with her fingers in Ghyan Mudra for the entire eleven minutes. She participated like an old soul who’d known this meditation from past lives. She participated, riding the sound current of the Isht Sodhana Mantra Kriya. When finished, she felt proud of herself for completing the meditation.
By the Grace of the Beloved Creator of All That Is, she is sleeping soundly now.
And here I was in some overly critical corner of my mind, fretting over whether or not I should be teaching my children to pray the same way my father had taught me. Since writing this series of blog posts, I had started wondered whether I should teach my children to say bedtime prayers. “Now I lay me down to sleep….” Or “Thank God for having a nice day…” Should I explain to them how I was taught and try to replicate that? Hm. Wonder. Wonder.
But then, after eleven days of my own practice, my daughter, on her own, chose to sit with me and commit to eleven minutes.
Goes to show how useless it is to fret. Just meditate.
What a glorious eleven minutes that was! I shall never forget it as long as I live! Infinite gratitude to the wisdom of fiver-year-old children!
Yogi Bhajan taught that the most powerful prayer is the prayer of the mother for her children. There is no way a mother can screw up in prayer.
The world-renown yoga teacher, Gurumukh, teaches mothers to pray. In her book for expectant mothers, she explains that whenever she sees a homeless person, she wonders, “Didn’t his mother pray for him?” Not only can a mothers prayer keep her children off the streets, but Yogi Bhajan says, “Just one prayer of the mother can make the child the greatest man on earth.”
It’s never too late for a mother to pray for her children. And if you are not even a mother, no worries, you can pray for all that you nurture. Everyone has a mother within. Pray from that place within you that is the Mother in you, and your prayer shall be powerful.
Today’s prayer: May children everywhere feel a sense of joy, excitement, and good fortune that they are alive in this wild world. May they guide us, through their pure light and intuition, in how and what we are to teach them. May children be nurtured by Great Spirit. May they always play and laugh with full and open hearts. May they know the soulful rewards of kindness to all creatures. May they feel confident and enlightened with the knowledge that they can and shall heal this world. May they lovingly honor their Mother Earth and, in doing so, feel deeply cherished and loved. May children everywhere thrive and be ten times greater than their parents and caregivers. May parents and caregivers feel ever at peace with their children and with themselves.
Sat Nam!
Rebecca Jane 