MAHASIVRATRI

THE NIGHT OF THE YOGI/YOGINI

 

One day of each year, millions observe what is considered the most sacred vortex of time to be blessed in transformation and grace. For thousands of years, yogis, saints, sadhus, householders in India have observed this moment, the MahaSivaratri by staying up all night celebrating Lord Siva. MahaSivaratri is the night of the Eternal Yogi, Lord Siva. MahaSivaratri falls on Febuary 20th 2012.

On one day every year millions of people observe the most sacred vortex of time for blessings of transformation and grace, the MahaSivaratri.  This is the night of the Eternal Yogi, Lord Siva.  For thousands of years; yogis, saints, sadhus, and householders in India have observed this auspicious time.  By staying up all night and celebrating this Lord Siva.

 Si is the Spirit that we are.

Va is the Goddess, that of experience.

SiVa is the awakened experience.

Lord Siva is the male and female within each of us. This is the root understanding. Likewise, “yogi” refers to the feminine counterpart yogini as well. 

In spiritual India, most yogis who undergo deep tapas(meditative penance) and seldom coming out for months ~ take a break from their meditative state and come out to bless humanity during this period of MahaSivaratri. For one on the path of yoga, this is the night to experience and actually be the Eternal Yogi.

From the yogic perspective, the moon directly influences the mind and our consciousness.  Every month, there is one Sivratri which falls a day before the new moon.  And once a year, the grand MahaSivaratri (maha means great) near the new moon period creates a divine vortex of energy for rebirth and renewal. This is calculated based on the lunar calendar when our consciousness more easily condenses into divine awareness. During this period of time we can easily dissolve our thoughts to surrender our past, especially karmic patterns, to the Magic of the Now and rise above in consciousness.  

 Each month, the new moon and full moon energies changes to its own uniqueness as the Earth rotates around the Sun in its oval shaped orbit through the year. Every day of the orbit of the moon around earth holds a specific energy and a wave of consciousness. Each full moon and new moon period holds a specific vortex of energy. New moons hold the consciousness of Lord Siva, the Spirit experience and full moons hold the awareness and the mind, the energies of Lord Vishnu.

 

MahaSivaratri also holds the objective of our yoga practice, to attain the “I Am” experience and to lead a life as a Spirit having a human experience. The objective of yoga and its meaning has been described as the union of divinity with the human.
 

Lord Siva is called “Satchidananda”, the experience of being bliss and the experience of being bliss form.  That is Siva. In the meditative process, as the mind of thoughts give way to the mindless mind of a single thought that holds the thoughtlessness ~ we experience bliss.  The supreme bliss that yogis term as ananda, happiness for no reason and for all reasons.  Aum namah SiVa!

 Any saint or holy man and woman in any religion or culture have the ability to bless reality through words, i.e. they may say “Go home and you will soon have a baby” and remarkably, these words come true. This is because they are in touch with the higher conscious mind that is in union with Source, the mind state of Turiya.

The yogis dive beneath these layers within to go beyond the mind, the thought patterns and karmic imprints to the state of Turiya, the state of sleepless sleep to climb into timelessness and intensify the “I Am” experience. In deeper meditation, as we journey through the states of being awake, dreaming and sleeping, we realize each of this a facet of the mind in levels of consciousness.  

In MahaSivaratri, the key to celebrating Lord Siva is by staying awake all night long to experience the yogic state of the mind, the Turiya.  This higher conscious state of Turiya is the hidden experience that we are to be blessed with during MahaSivaratri when staying awake through the night singing, meditating, or chanting.

MahaSivaratri is also like setting our internal clock to being the timeless awareness. When we see a whole year with its ups and downs as with each season, the mind and our thinking pattern, too, fluctuates. For the yogi, the 24 hours is bound by day and night that needs be broken to step into timelessness with the mind totally in the Now through alighting the inner lamp at least once a day.

Beyond the inner journey at least once in 24 hours is the new moon and full moon energies to ride on. Beyond the lunar circle (approximately once a month) is the annual journey as our planet travels around the sun where the peak of inner realization and grace is MahaSivaratri. To celebrate MahaSivaratri observing a few yogic insights uplifts us to be unbound by time, karmic patterns and a limited mind. Instead, as angelic beings, we become the joyful instrument of Source blessed in our daily inner journey to light …to be light.

There are thousands of different ways to observe this sacred vortex of time. Below are Nandhi's few thoughts of guidance.

  
Preparing for MahaSivaratri in a yogic manner:

~ For observing the 40 day inner pilgrimage, the date is Jan 11th of 2012: We set the intent on this day with 40 days before us to unfold. We can observe this inner pilgrimage by dedicating a daily round of mantras for Lord Siva or begin a mild fasting. By 'fasting' it could mean- eating just fruits and nuts and drinking fruits/vegetable juices. Fasting helps cleanse our mind and body while allowing us to shift our energy level from gross to subtle. We do our daily yoga/meditation/puja with more awareness of this intent of Mahasivratri.

 ~ Full Moon of Feb 7^th, 2012: the Full Moon proceeding the day of MahaSivaratri to start observing MahaSivaratri. The full moon facilitates the time to plunge deeper into Mahasivratri as we recognize the full moon to be our mind. As the full moon wanes to be the new moon, we intend to dissolve our body consciousness and the mind to the Spirit. We could intensify our yoga and meditation practice.

 
 ~ Feb 7th^th – Feb 20^th, 2012: Our journey from Full Moon preceding MahaSivaratri Feb 18th until the night of MahaSivaratri on March 2nd is to be the experience of Spirit. We turn our mind inward and gradually shift our consciousness from the body into the soul. As the moon wanes and dissolves, we dissolve our ego states of 'me', 'mine' and 'i' into the higher consciousness of oneness of Lord SiVa.

 
 ~ MahaSivaratri is the celebration of the Spirit by the Spirit. Empowered worship of Source is from the intent of wanting to be Source.

 
~ Fasting, cleansing and revitalizing- is the willing act of abstaining from some/certain or all food and drink for a period of time. In our inner journey of meditation during MahaSivaratri, we eat fruits, nuts and fruit/vegetable juice.  This is gradually reduced; and with puja we transform to be Lord Siva.  These are moments for detoxification and cleansing the body, mind, and soul. It is advisable to take ayurvedic herbs and tonics to strengthen and rejuvenate our mind and body. Herbs such as Brahmi, Ashwagandha etc help. Each of us have a unique need- so consult an ayurvedic practitioner for advice.

 ~ Jump into your personal Mother Ganga each morning! By slipping into a cold water bath/shower each morning, we dissolve our primal bond to the body and thus are born again. If getting into the cold water shower in the morning is difficult, do yoga and through yoga dissolve into Lord Siva of the five elements and the body becomes easier to surrender into the divine.  Once in the water turn clockwise three times, allowing Ganga Ma to flow over your form.   Surrender your karma to Ganga by lifting the arms allowing the karmic energies to wash away from the under arms and then surrender the face and head.  You will be amazed how much energy you get! The deeper secret in yoga is tumo- the inner fire. Cold water showers awaken us to this grace.

            
 ~ Trials: It is normal for humanity and our own realities to experience turbulence and upheavals  just before MahaSivaratri.  After MahaSivaratri, calm and inspired realities unfold. The mind readily plunges within whenever there is hardship in our external realities. After MahaSivaratri is observed and complete, it is normal to witness a huge blessing or blessings in our external reality.

 
~ Light a lamp at least once a day and meditate, chant and pray. If this is not possible, still the mind and visualize the lamp within and experience Source as the joys within the stillness of a mind without thoughts. The stillness of mind is Lord Siva, the experience of being the Self, the soul. Chanting Lord siva mantras 108 times as many times is highly recommended.

 
~ Pilgrimages to sacred places during this period help the inner journey. Being aware of each thought and setting the mind alight through mantra chanting creates the inner lamp of awareness that gradually shines 24/7. When we visit sacred places during this period, we are constantly aligning ourselves to Source while experiencing Source in a magnified way.

 
 ~ Do dharma. An effective form of dharma is to feed the hungry while we are fasting.  In satisfying other’s hunger, we are divinely fed with the subtle energy of Source- an amazing way to satisfy our own hunger! Do dharma in random kindness going beyond our own suffering and discomfort enables the realization of Oneness, the essence of Source.  All good works are magnified during this sacred time.

 ~ Chakra Resonance. When doing yoga/meditating or walking lift our consciousness from the muladhara chakra (root chakra) above to the Guru chakra (above the navel). We transcend the body consciousness of heat and cold, hunger, etc. through the shift in our consciousness.  Climb within each day and go further beyond the mind into the vibrant light within!

  
 ~ Drishti toward the Third Eye {pituitary gland}.  Drishti essentially means: point of visual focus.  Climb above to the third eye and watch the vibrant light of the mantra dance. In bringing this light in the third eye to stillness, the mind transcends to the mindless realm of joy that Sages call the sleepless sleep, Turiya. 

As Mahasivratri approaches, with yogic observance, we will experience ourselves as light beings. Slowly but surely we begin to enjoy the joys of vibrant stillness, timelessness and the vastness of our own being. On the night of Mahasivratri, we realize ourselves to be SiVa, the effulgent being of Light and the ease at which we are the timelessness celebrating Source as Source.

  ~ On the day/night of MahaSivaratri ~

be the pillar of light, Lord Siva, the Eternal Yogi.

Aum namah SiVaYa!

 

 
May humanity arise in the awake consciousness of wisdom that enables each of us to be the prophets and masters of higher consciousness!  May each of us be instruments of Source and in our breath, the ascendance of collective wisdom of Oneness.

We are the messengers of peace, love and Oneness of Source!

Aum namah SiVaYa!