Dear readers, you are in for a special treat with
Chakra Mantras by
Thomas Ashley-Farrand. Subtitled
Liberate Your Spiritual Genius Through
Chanting, we are given rare teachings through specific mantras arising from
the spinal chakras that awaken our further spirituality.
I was not able to put this book down all afternoon and
evening. I felt my excitement rise from chapter to chapter as what Mr.
Ashley-Farrand wrote spoke to me with the ring of - "Hey, this makes perfect
sense."
The book is divided into 32 chapters under these larger
headings: Part I: Cosmic Concepts; Part II: Ganesha, Shakti, and Will; Part III:
The Chakras; Part IV: Divine Beings and Divine Us. Plus an Appendix titled:
Summary of the Chakra Petals and Qualities, and a Glossary.
The author's
writing, while imparting esoteric teachings about how we came to be on earth,
and how we remain part of the greater divine substance always is in an easy to
understand style of expression. I was able to follow his train of thought and
get the points he was making.
And the blessed main point brought out in
Chapter 28. The Spiritual Adult is that we must always keep love as the
basis of our spiritual quest. In fact, I found this chapter valuable to me, as
it was a reassurance that the spiritual quest is in seeing the world in a
practical way as it is and dealing with it, rather than dwelling on how we wish
it could be.
But back to the chakra mantras - we are given explanations,
theory, and special mantras for each step of the way to self-actualization and
full blossoming going from the base to the highest chakra.
Thomas
Ashley-Farrand, also known as Namadeva, is a recognized authority in Sanskrit
Mantra spiritual disciplines. He is a Vedic Priest and has taught at George
Washington University and Chaffee College. He has been initiated or blessed by
many spiritual personages including the Dalie Lama, the 16th Gyalwa Karmapa,
Kalu Rimpoche, amongst others, and his guru was the late Sadguru Sant Keshavadas
from Bangalore, India.
Namadeva has truly given us an uplifting book to
inspire our meditation and mantra japa practice. Open it anywhere and that will
be just where you need to be - it is that kind of book.
Highest
recommendation!
Details 288 page paperback; Weiser Books (August
2006); English language; ISBN: 1578633672
To order from Amazon.com go
to
Chakra
Mantras by Thomas Ashley-Farrand
Sri Ramana Maharshi (1879-1950) enlivened timeless paths from yore for our
present day world. Even though he's left his physical incarnation, when I think
on him I feel at once calm, uplifted, and more able to see grace and harmony in
life. His presence remains with us always. Let's find out more about his life
and teachings …
In this book, Arthur Osborne, as editor, has combined in one
volume many of the essential teachings of this almost silent Spiritual Master.
Part One includes Ramana Maharshi's Original Works: Self-Enquiry; Who am
I?; Five Hymns to Sri Arunachala; Forty Verses and Supplement; Upadesa Saram
(The Essence of Instruction), and Miscellaneous Verse.
Part Two -
Adaptations and Translations - includes The Song Celestial; Translations from
the Agamas; Poems from Shankaracharya; Vivekachudamani from Shankaracharya, and
Drik Drisya Viveka from Shankaracharya.
We are also fortunate the editor
has also included the useful Notes on Pronunciation, Glossary and Index. These
ending chapters make understanding various points in the book much easier for
the Western reader not familiar with Sanskrit or Eastern terms.
To begin,
let's look into the first chapter titled
'Self-Enquiry', which was
written about 1901 and is the Maharshi's first writing.
Of note is though
he was only 22 years old at the time of writing, his words were mature and with
full authority. The editor points out in the Preface that Ramana Maharshi's
awakening experience never faded or left him; his life was forever changed.
This is not the usual progression for most of us who have our moments of
enligtenment, and then eventually slide back into worldly ways and outlooks -
sometimes taking an entire lifetime or many incarnations to be steeped in
consciousness of Self, while simultaneously carrying out regular duties in the
world.
Ramana Maharshi's words: "The Self is self-effulgent. One need
give it no mental picture, anyway. The thought that imagines it is itself
bondage, because the Self is the Effulgence transcending darkness and light; one
should not think of it with the mind. Such imagination will end in bondage,
whereas the Self spontaneously shines as the Absolute. This enquiry into the
Self in devotional meditation evolves into the state of absorption of the mind
into the Self and leads to Liberation and unqualified Bliss."
And on
'Atma-Vidya' - 'Self-Knowledge', here is a portion of verse Sri Ramana
Maharshi wrote:
"3. The thought 'I am the body' is the string
On which
are threaded divers thoughts like beads.
Therefore on diving deep upon the
quest
'Who am I and from whence?' thoughts disappear
And consciousness of
Self then flashes forth
As the 'I-I' within the cavity
Of every seeker's
Heart. And this is Heaven,
This is that Stillness, the abode of
Bliss."
Dear readers, this book has my highest recommendation for sincere
spiritual seekers of Bliss, Joy, Realization!
Details - 192 page
paperback by Weiser books, 1997; 8.3 by 5.4 inches; ISBN: 0877289077
To order from Amazon.com go to
The
Collected Works of Ramana Maharshi by Arthur Osborne, Editor
7. Disappearance of the Universe, The by Gary R. Renard
|
Gary Renard's -
The Disappearance of the Universe: Straight Talk About
Illusions, Past Lives, Religion, Sex, Politics, and the Miracles of
Forgiveness is one spiritual book that will pull out the rug from under your
preconceptions. It will take you for a flying ride over much of the dross that
has bogged down our notions of the physical world.
I had no idea what I was getting into when I picked
up the book. My husband had been reading it for the 3rd time and just finished,
and I asked him what it was about. He made that comment we may have often heard,
"read it for yourself and find out." So I did.
The book is laid out in an
interesting manner eliminating any chances for boredom. The author wrote it in
conversation form with 365 passages from
A Course in Miracles
interspersed. And who was the conversation with? Two ascended masters, of
course, who appeared out of thin air and left just as quickly after each of 18
meetings with Mr. Renard. We read the messages these masters give the author for
his personal spiritual evolution, but they are meant for all of us, because
outside the body and brain we are joined as one in mind.
The messages
from the ascended masters - Pursah and Arten - are the words and message of the
Holy Spirit and from the life of Jesus when he was on earth over 2,000 years
ago. These are eternal messages for everyone and the name of Jesus or Holy
Spirit can be translated into any language. The great message being that God is
- no conditions, language or form can contain what just is.
All through
the book the interwoven theme is forgiveness as our reason for incarnating,
whether once or over eons of time. The theme of forgiveness is expanded over and
over, written in different ways using many experiences of the ascended masters
as examples.
Forgiveness is given as the key to setting aside any
feelings of negativity or blame we may be holding against others. We are also
instructed to forgive ourselves for whatever guilt we are holding on to that may
be covering our native innocence - innocence native to our state in Heaven at
the beginning and how by choosing to follow the separation of having an
individual limited ego we lost our limitless innocence.
Pursah and Arten
guide the author and all of us, through the ways of practicing true forgiveness
- unconditional love - through our meditations, reflections and actions to the
experience of permanent enlightenment, joined once again as One with all souls,
near to and dearly beloved with God.
My highest
recommendation!
Details - 418 pages paperback; Fearless
Books (February 18, 2003); 9.2 by 6 by 1 inches; ISBN-10: 0965680959 ISBN-13:
978-0965680950
To order from Amazon.com go to
The
Disappearance of the Universe by Gary R. Renard
| 8. Divine Interventions by Dan Millman and Doug Childers
|
Open this book to any page; after reading a paragraph you're hooked on the
fantastic experience another has had in the out-of-the-ordinary.
Dan Millman and Doug Childers have included 50 stories in 50
short chapters of real experiences that inspire the reader that there is more to
understand than science knows. But, more importantly, I found these true stories
inspired me to be the best I can in my relationships and activities from now
on.
The transformational events told in the book happened all over the
world, to all ages of people, including those as young as 8 year old Lucia dos
Santos, one of the children of Fatima, Portugal, in 1915. The 'Miracle of
Fatima' has long been of interest to me; I took the name of the youngest child,
Jacinta, for my confirmation name at age 12.
Another of the stories is
called "A Sleeping Gift Awakens - The Revelations of a Modest Prophet" which is
about Edgar Cayce who was born in 1877 on a Kentucky farm. Edgar was a devout
child especially after losing a childhood friend, and from the age of 10 to 13
read the Bible all the way through 13 times. One day in reverie a presence spoke
to him and said he was to be rewarded by whatever he wished. Edgar replied:
"Most of all I would like to be helpful to others, and especially to children
when they are sick." Now we all know Edgar Cayce did infact go into this great
service.
In summary this book with 50 stories like the 2 above reinforced
the value of virtue as the supreme way to live and gave me a boost of
energy.
Highly recommended!
Details - 298 pages by Rodale
Books; ISBN: 1579543383
Here is a link to Amazon.com if you wish to
order this book:
Divine
Interventions: True Stories of Mystery and Miracles That Change Lives by Dan
Millman, Doug Childers
