Babji’s presence became known, ok, appeared to me last night during work with the Santo Daime in New York. I only vaguely knew of him, in that I had heard his name. Truly. He kind of just appeared.

Babji was an Indian guru for many and died in 1984. His simple message of ‘Truth, Simplicity and Love’ touched innumerable lives. This morning, I looked him up and read about him. He’s pretty extraordinary. People who’ve met him described him as ‘the embodiment of love personified’. 

OM NAMAH SHIVAYA is Babaji’s mantra. It is translated roughly as ‘Thy Will Be Done’ or ‘The Truth Sets You Free’. But I like to think of it as ‘a call to ask and then to LISTEN”.  

Uttering this mantra puts you in harmony with the world during these troubled times. Traditionally, it is said 108 times usuing mala beads. But Babji said that is not necessary. OM NAMAH SHIVAYA invokes the creative principal of the universe. It is said to be the first words uttered by the Creative Source; the oldest mantra. It can be translated as I bow to/surrender to/take refuge in Shiva. Lord Shiva is known as the Doer of Good, and the mantra is also interpreted to mean, I bow to whatever Good is happening and to Whomsoever is doing it. 

The following is an interview with Babji. It’s odd that although this is from over twenty years ago, it seems to speak to the dawning of the new age that seems to be imminently upon us: 

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And how do you use this mantra? 

Babaji: Repeat the mantra on a daily basis when at work or during meditation. Japa is repeating the mantra while passing a mala bead or what you call a rosary bead through your fingers each time you say the mantra. There are 108 beads in a mala. But you don’t have to do this.You can simply repeat it silently. 

For those reading the transcript how do you pronounce it? 

Babaji: It is pronounced like this” Ooommm Na-ma She-veye” 

What are these great changes you are speaking of? 

Babaji: The great changes or Great Revolution has started. It will be both wondrous and destructive. Most of mankind will be destroyed as Nature balances out the great injustices that mankind has caused against the environment and each other. There are a few out there who will be open to this message and will repeat the mantra, live in Truth, Simplicity and Love and serve others. They will live on the higher path, attach themselves to God. They will be brave and always walk on. There will be many mountains to cross,but they will not stop until the goal is reached. They will be strong, and will never feel disheartened. These will survive the Great Revolution. 

What does your message have to do with change? 

Babaji: Change is nothing new. It is a Law of nature. What is born must die and what dies must be born. The human being is enslaved to his lower path. The higher self must be developed, so that the lower self is destroyed and the heart is transformed. 

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Babaji’s talk of ‘revoltion’ and ‘destruction’ can seem like some pretty ominous stuff. After reading this interview this morning, I heard shamanic teacher Sandra Ingerman talk about the ‘shift’ that is now upon us as a species and as a planet. She said that the current evolution of the global organism will be ‘one of love, not procreation. Not survival of the fittest, but cooperation of spirit’ - This is a profound change in the DNA of humanity. It begs for a different conciousness and intention for the entire human race; one that seems not only required, but inevitable as we move toward a higher plane of existence as a species. 

The answer seems to be love. I mean ‘love’ as a PRACTICE. The Course in Miracles speaks of only two choices at any given moment - Love or Fear. Doesn’t it seem better to open our hearts, embrace all, and find a way for all of us to have a place at the table? Isn’t this why the Earth isn’t well, and despite it’s incredible abundance there doesn’t seem to be enough to go around?

So, If it’s true that we are all Divine (which we are), let’s give in to our inherent goodness; the same goodness that we inherited from the creative conciousness of Shiva (or if you’re science-minded, the creative conciousness of hydrogen, nitrogen and sub-atomic partcles!). Take care of our Earth and each other, embody OM NAMAH SHIVAYA, and have a nice day! At least!

There is a concept that underlies Taoist philosophy, and this idea is key to personal healing and transformation. In Chinese, it is called tzu-jan — that which is ‘of itself’, ‘by itself’, or ‘of itself so’. In other words, tzu-jan expresses that which is automatic, that which happens by itself, that which simply is with absolutely no effort. 

Now this is actually a really easy thing to understand. We are, as alive human beings, brimming over with tzu-jan. Let me show you what I mean:

As you read this, take a moment to find your heart beat. Right now, as you are reading, slow yourself down enough to actually find it. Pause, and find it. It may be in your chest, your armpit, your groin. You may feel it, or you might just sense a movement or life-energy in your body; a feeling that your body is doing its thing. Now, in your mind’s eye, imagine all the functions of your body that are happening right now - You are breathing (you can take conscious control of your breath, but it’s always there even when you aren’t paying attention to it), your stomach is digesting food, your eyes are sending signals to your brain and your brain is interpreting these words on the screen, your glands are secreting chemicals that help maintain your immune system, your hair and nails are growing, even the neurons sending signals to move your finger on the ‘mousepad’ of your computer is so automatic that you arent even aware of it. All of these things happening with absolutely no conscious effort whatsoever from you.

In fact, that thing that you call ‘you’ (John Smith, dentist, 45 years old, father of three) has no control, and no part in just about anything that is happening inside you. It is ALL occurring by itself; effortlessly, and perfectly. It is ‘of itself so’. And you - your personality, your ego, that persona that you define as ‘me’, has nothing to do with any of it. You don’t ‘grow your bones’, they just grow. 

Now for a moment, think about waves crashing on a beach, cloud formations on a sunny day, a tree in a forest that you once noticed, a school of fish shoaling in perfect formation. These things, just like the processes in your body are likewise, totally spontaneous. They just are. Yes, the cycles of the moon can effect the tides, gases and elements merge in just the right way to create a cloud, photosynthesis is responsible for the growth of the tree, fish respond instantaneously to tiny vibrations from the others in their school, but these are just explanations and conceptualizations of a bigger process; a Great Happening - Nature occurring all by itself. Can you now entertain the idea, that you actually have a tremendous amount in common with a cloud, a tree, a school of fish?

Even a hawk making a conscious decision to swoop down and eat a mouse is still a completely spontaneous event. Its the hawk’s nature to eat mice (they have the vision to see the tiniest movement thousands of feet away), and mice were meant to be eaten by hawks (they make up for this by being incredibly procreative as a species). You might think that the hawk/mouse example is a little more like us. We do, unlike a cloud or a tree, have a conscious mind.

But here’s the thing: until we learn to teach it not to, our conscious mind lies to us. It tells us who we should be, what rules we are supposed to follow, what we are actually allowed to have, even what we are supposed to look like. But no matter how hard you try, you can’t get out of nature; true authentic nature. You cant tell it what to do, boss it around, or beat it into submission. Nature will always win. And just as your heart beats ‘self-so’, if you give it a chance, your mind can function in the same way. We are just too afraid (confused, beaten down, socialized) to let it. 

This is all that healing is: Aligning what is happening in our minds with our real nature. The same nature that beats our hearts and the same force that produces the clouds. And by opening our arms to the Great Happening (and its going to happen whether we embrace it or not) and saying ‘YES’, we stop fighting with nature, we make friends with ourselves, and we see our reflections in the trees. 

The seven major chakras are energy centers in the body that are located along the spine. While they are invisible, we know from Chinese acupuncture (and many other eastern systems of healing) that there is a vast and complex system of meridians and nadis that are energetic pathways (similar to the veins and capillaries and their transportion of blood) in the body. Moreover, it is now widely accepted that each human being also has an aura, or personal energy field (often called the Luminous Energy Field) that surrounds the body. 

The chakra centers store, assimilate and process information.  When I first began to study them through the work of Carolyn Myss, she described them as ‘computers’. At first I thought this was a simplistic way to characterize them. But now, having worked with them in such detail and for so much time, this analogy is actually quite astute. In the same way that computers store information and log memory, the chakras contain all of the emotional, physical, mental, and spiritual ‘data’ of the human energy system. 

These incredible discs of energy and information are also directly related to the biology of the body. Each chakra has a connection to (and are located near) the seven glands of the endocrine system. The endocrine system chemically regulates every single function of the body and brain. Processes like fighting illness, digesting food, and cognition, begin initially, and are overseen by, the glands of the endocrine system. In addition, each chakra is housed near the vital organs and connected to complex groups of nerve ganglia that take the information that the chakras contain and absorb from the outside world, and transform it into physiological response within the body. 

In the most basic terms, this is why we get a ‘tension headache,’ a ‘nervous stomach,’ or an overall increased physical vitality when we receive good news - the body is literally responding physiologically to mental and emotional information. And this information travels through, and is assimilated by, the chakras. 

Given this, any chronic physical or emotional condition, is the result of preexisting imbalances in the human energy field (the chakras). In other words, illness is always energetic before it is physical. What causes these energetic imbalances? While the list is endless, some examples might be —  negative thinking and self-talk, anxiety, unresolved trauma, compromised self esteem, abusive relationships, poor work or home environment, fear, addiction , etc. Any of these types of problems will cause a chakra to close or function in an impaired way. Chronic chakra dysfunction can affect physical health. To quote Caroline Myss: ‘your biography becomes your biology’. 

While the health of the physical body is obviously incredibly important, the quality of ones emotional and mental life is equally vital. How we manifest in the world, achieve goals, engage in our professional careers, relate to family and friends, our sexual identity, self-image, and overall life direction all have their energetic blue-prints in the chakras. Whenever any of these aspects of our lives are not working well, healing and change occur when we re-program and cleanse the chakras.  

The chakras literally make up every aspect of our being. Below is a short overview of where they are in the body and what they contain:

CHAKRA 1 (ROOT CHAKRA)

Location - base of spine at the perineum

Content - basic survival needs (food, clothing, shelter), connection to earth, family and tribal beliefs, continuation of the species

Organs - elimination system

CHAKRA 2 (SACRAL CHAKRA)

Location - 2 inches below the navel

Content - sexuality, sexual identity, giving and receiving pleasure, money, emotion, sensuality, the fight or flight response, relationship, creativity

Organs - reproductive system

CHAKRA 3 (SOLAR PLEXUS CHAKRA)

Location - solar plexus (the soft spot below where the ribs meet)

Content - sense of self, self-esteem, personal management of ones own health, who we are in the world, persona

Organs - digestive system

CHAKRA 4 (HEART CHAKRA)

Location - Central Heart area

Content - our ability to love, self-love, compassion, higher quality of relationships

Organs - circulatory system

CHAKRA 5 (THROAT CHAKRA)

Location - throat

Content - self-expression, communication, the seat of will and will-power, addiction, professional/career will

Organs - thyroid gland and ears

CHAKRA 6 (BROW CHAKRA)

Location - third eye (center of brow)

Content - thinking, cognitive center, processing and assimilation of ideas, intuition, physic sight, executive will (how we ‘run our show’)

Organs - pineal gland and brain function

CHAKRA 7 (CROWN CHAKRA)

Location - crown of head

Content - connection to Spirit, higher self, inspiration

Organs - pituitary gland and brain function

DISFUNCTION, HEALING AND SPIRITUAL ASPECTS OF THE CHAKRAS

The information contained in our chakras is often detrimental or out-dated for us, and also largely unconcious. We let negative beliefs, unhealthy perceptions and bad habits determine the quality of energy that we possess. Dysfunction in our energy system is often ‘placed’ there by others when we were children. It can be the result of mis-knowledge about ourselves based on conclusions we have made about life or our identity after abuse, trauma or emotional neglect. Not to mention a host of societal norms or family customs of which we unconsciously subscribe, and that do not serve us at all. When the chakras are out of balance, they contain ideas, beliefs, habits and thought patterns that are totally incongruent with our authentic personal truth. This is why we get feel sick, stuck and depressed.

A common idea in this ‘new age’ is that we ‘create our own reality’. And in truth, we absolutely do. We can, at any time, begin to change the content of our chakras. We can reconfigure, restructure and resurrect our energy system into one that glows with health, vitality, positivity and abundance. Like computers, the chakras will hold any information that we choose to ‘download’. They will open to any new energies and ideas that we decide we want to make a part of us. 

Finally, the chakras have a rich ‘spiritual’ aspect. They function best when we are running energy through them that celebrates, encourages and supports our highest good. When we align with a vision of ourselves, and a view of the world that is expansive, inherently abundant, joyful, and filled with possibility, the chakras function optimally. 

Most interesting perhaps, is that even when we are unconscious of the severity of the problems in our lives - when we deny the existence of a negative situation, when we pretend that a relationship that is stifling us is ‘just fine’, when we accept a falsehood about ourselves that keeps us stuck, abused, or unable to move forward, the chakras will send a message (through a feeling, an intuition, an illness) that we are out of balance. In other words, the chakras help align us with Higher Intelligence, with our Higher Selves, with Spirit. This helps to light our way. 

Chakra Balancing, Shamanic Healing and Reiki are all energy medicine practices that work with developing and transforming the chakras. 

And, although I have had the impulse to write something many times, nothing felt quite right, or ‘universal’ enough to become the dreaded ‘first blog’. So I have been waiting until the inspiration (or the material) presented itself as the perfect jumping off point.

Yesterday, I had a client who came for a SHAMANIC HEALING session. This morning he received (and he sent me) a poem that was written by his twelve year old neice. What she wrote is the essence of what it is I (and all of us, for that matter), are trying to do and be in this lifetime. And it is said with such profound simpleness, that I will let it speak for itself. 

For those that know me, they know that I can TALK. :) So it is with tremendous humbleness that I defer my ‘first blog’ not to my own brilliant ideas, but to the wisdom of a twelve year old girl:

THE SHATTERER

by Emily A. Aubin 

As I blitz fast and free

I feel emotion over me,

and I am bound.

As if to the rythm of a beating drum,

laughter shatters sky,

formerly deep and glum, a sky of sorrow shatters.

Avoid no water,

shatter silver,

let joy overcome you through 

shattered silver.

Never lose hope to fierce wind,

Run forward and shatter air.

Fight the wind and

shatter air.

When darkness takes you prisioner,

blitz right on and

shatter darkness,

out-blitz dusk,

and shatter darkness.