NOTE:
Ganesha Chathurthi falls this Friday September 6th 2024 and you can read the old blog about Ganesha in the link below :)
He is the energy of stability, steadfastness and out of the box, solution oriented thinking. We can learn to embody the same energy of consistency and ease through yogic practices.
LORD OVER OUR THOUGHTS DEAR GANESHA by Yogacharini Maitreyi — ARKAYA YOGA
We will also learn practices in this Saturday's community satsangh (Saturday September 7 from 9 to 11 AM PST) for Ganesha and grounding and get initiated into chanting the Ganesha manthra correctly.
Join Here: https://www.arkaya.net/satsangh
THE POWER OF CONSISTENCY - PART 1: The Magic Pill To Discern Snake Oil
with Yogacharini Maitreyi
Consistency is the key to gently unlock both the gifts and the trauma that lies within us. As much as we intellectually understand this, the fantasy of the magic pill that will give us hot bodies or enlightenment over a weekend or a few hours still lurks.
Unless we see and weed out this vikalpa, that specific vasana (predisposition) will make us succumb to ego scams. Vikalpa is composed of two words. Kalpana means a dream or vision. Vi is the opposite of Sat or truth. A vision aligned with the highest is a sankalpa and a vision that is imaginary or delusional is vikalpa. It is usually harmful creating not just a chain of disharmonious events but also disconnection from self that leads to disease, both physical and mental.
Patanjali in the Yoga Sutras which were codified over 2,000 years ago (in chapter 1; verse 6) lists vikalpa as one of the vrittis. A vritti is an aberration or disturbance in the unconscious that colors perception and keeps us from seeing our true selves or situations with clarity. It therefore keeps us from yoga or true union and harmony.
Vikalpa is a fantasy, illusion, or mirage that people can chase all their lives and wonder why they are not feeling better physically, emotionally and mentally. Nor do they gain clarity. Instead they just become defenders of ideas, concepts, so called tradition, and snake oil. Such false projections are used by most scammers. They build a product, service or course to be much more than it is, like the emperor's new clothes in the fairy tale. This tale warns us all to see through how a whole kingdom can be subject to collective vikalpa and stay duped.
For those who do not know this tale, the king is duped by tricksters who pretend to be tailors and weave the best yarn from gold, silver and precious gems and simply rob him of the jewels supplied. They also say this cloth is so magical that only the intelligent will be able to see it. Everyone sees the king in his underwear yet praise the clothes as they do not want to be thought to be a fool. It is a child who screams, “the king is in his underwear!” and everyone realizes not just the scammers but they too were adding to the delusion.
To maintain an image or mask of smartness or whatever it is we think we should be, we are willing to sacrifice our authenticity unfortunately.
Below is a poem about that. I wrote this over 20 years ago when I was routinely called to speak at conferences which ranged from spiritual, self help and leadership conferences. I saw these so called leaders, experts, gurus and mahagurus were just glib talkers with little invested in their own self awareness. These quick fix workshops and mega guru promises I call ego scams as the scammer is always appealing to that part of our ego that is not integrated with our higher mind. That part of the ego seeks out escapes, wearing a mask of divinity and instant success at the expense of the well being of others, the planet as well as ourselves.
THE EMPEROR’S NEW SPIRITUALITY
Enlightenment seems to be the latest buzz word
With each flashing theirs
Like the emperor’s new clothes
Born out of delusions
Fooling themselves and the world
Only the nakedness is for real
Not enamored by their flamboyant fantasies
I prefer to stay a child
And chuckle at the emperor’s new spirituality