RECEIVING THE GRACE OF THE DIVINE 2

Muladhara

The idea in sitting crosslegged as in the traditional Indian way is to ground the root chakra Muladhara, at the seat of the perineum between the anus and genitals, to the earth.  "The Muladhara located at the base of the spine, the pelvic floor, and the first three vertebrae, acts as the gateway for the energy of the earth to pass through all our various bodies", says Veronica Hope. It is also said that all past memories are stored in the tip of the spine on the last vertebrae and that they never perish. No element can wipe it out and that the great saints tap into it, scanning through for past memories of an individual.

On the other extreme end, we have the Sahasrara Chakra that is located on the top of the head, that acts as the antenna and entry point for energy from the cosmos to come within.

"Also through Sahasrara, there is an energetic connection of the lower chakras with the divine levels. (Here) In 7th chakra, the energies from all the lower chakras come together. Simultaneously, the 7th chakra ensures that the rest of the chakras are recharged by the Universal energy." (Source: http://veronicahope.com)

Great saints are said to tap into its Akashic records or huge store of knowledge.

Veronica Hope brings us walking through each Chakra at http://veronicahope.com/hope/index.php/muladhara-chakra/

"The Root Chakra is the seat of the unconscious. All our fears “live” in our first chakra. All memories about wars, hunger or any disasters that threaten the survival of humanity, all of them are imprinted in the energy of the Muladhara Chakra. The wise regard all fears as valuable and beneficial experiences. When one learns from them and begins to work on him/herself, one makes progress in the spiritual development."

Svadhisthana

Svadhisthana is located halfway between the pubis and the navel point. Our subconscious resides here. All emotion is stored in this chakra that takes on the nature of the water element. So from remaining at the unconscious level, we have moved a step into the subconscious level, the realm of consciousness that lies between sleeping and waking says Veronica. Tavayogi mentions our effort is only till these two chakras, Muladhara and Svadhishthana and that the divine will take us on from there.

Manipura

Manipurа, is located in the solar plexus region. Here fire dominates. It is akin to the fire in the sacrificial fire pit homa or yagna that feeds on our offerings. Just as the fire acts as a medium for our sacrifices to be received by the Devas and Heavenly Beings, food ingested is digested and absorbed and sent to all the elementals residing throughout our body. While science says, "Your digestive system is uniquely designed to turn the food you eat into nutrients, which the body uses for energy, growth and cell repair", Agathiyar says we need to feed the elementals, that play a role in the upkeep of the physical body, appeasing their hunger.

The moment we sit to eat, a message is triggered by the senses, the smell, and the sight of food. Saliva is produced that breaks the food that goes through the track and digestive secretions are churned out to do the job further. The process is amazing, elaborate and precise thanks to the intelligence that governs the running of this machinery called a body. Just like we journey in our daily lives, food too goes through a journey. "Obtaining nutrition and energy from food is a multi-step process. The first step is ingestion, the act of taking in food. This is followed by digestion, absorption or assimilation and elimination. 

The mouth is the beginning of the digestive tract. In fact, digestion starts here as soon as you take the first bite of a meal. Chewing breaks the food into pieces that are more easily digested, while saliva mixes with food to begin the process of breaking it down into a form your body can absorb and use. The stomach is a sac-like organ with strong muscular walls. In addition to holding the food, it's also a mixer and grinder. The stomach secretes acid and powerful enzymes that continue the process of breaking down the food. When it leaves the stomach, food is the consistency of a liquid or paste. The small intestine continues the process of breaking down food by using enzymes released by the pancreas and bile from the liver. Bile is a compound that aids in the digestion of fat and eliminates waste products from the blood. Peristalsis (contractions) is also at work in this organ, moving food through and mixing it up with digestive secretions. The duodenum is largely responsible for continuing the process of breaking down food, with the jejunum and ileum being mainly responsible for the absorption of nutrients into the bloodstream. Among other functions, the oblong pancreas secretes enzymes into the small intestine. These enzymes break down protein, fat, and carbohydrates from the food we eat. The liver has many functions, but two of its main functions within the digestive system are to make and secrete bile, and to cleanse and purify the blood coming from the small intestine containing the nutrients just absorbed. The gallbladder is a pear-shaped reservoir that sits just under the liver and stores bile. Bile is made in the liver then if it needs to be stored travels to the gallbladder through a channel called the cystic duct. During a meal, the gallbladder contracts, sending bile to the small intestine. Once the nutrients have been absorbed and the leftover liquid has passed through the small intestine, what is left of the food you ate is handed over to the large intestine, or colon. Stool, or waste left over from the digestive process, is passed through the colon by means of peristalsis (contractions), first in a liquid state and ultimately in solid form as the water is removed from the stool. A stool is stored in the sigmoid colon until a "mass movement" empties it into the rectum once or twice a day. It normally takes about 36 hours for stool to get through the colon. The stool itself is mostly food debris and bacteria. These bacteria perform several useful functions, such as synthesizing various vitamins, processing waste products and food particles, and protecting against harmful bacteria. When the descending colon becomes full of stool, or feces, it empties its contents into the rectum to begin the process of elimination. It is the rectum's job to receive stool from the colon, to let you know there is stool to be evacuated, and to hold the stool until evacuation happens. When anything (gas or stool) comes into the rectum, sensors send a message to the brain. The brain then decides if the rectal contents can be released or not. If they can, the sphincters (muscles) relax and the rectum contracts, expelling its contents. If the contents cannot be expelled, the sphincters contract and the rectum accommodates, so that the sensation temporarily goes away.

(Source:https://www.webmd.com/heartburn-gerd/your-digestive-system#1

https://courses.lumenlearning.com/suny-mcc-biology2/chapter/digestive-system-processes/

An amazing work of art indeed!

Veronica continues to brief us of the journey through the chakras.

Тhe Solar plexus chakra gives us the opportunity to absorb knowledge and experience. The harmonization of the work of Manipura Chakra depends on how we evaluate that knowledge and live through the experience. The Manipura Chakra is the “City of Jewels” in which we find the pearls of clarity, wisdom, self-confidence and wellbeing. These qualities shine down to the lower Chakras as well as up to the Heart Centre. 

Anahata

As Tavayogi told me, "Only now the true journey starts!", the actual journey begins at the heart chakra. Compassion and bliss, tears and cries of joy for no reason begin to pour when the stone-hearted melt in compassion towards others. The selfish thought turns outwards. 

Anahata is located in the center of the chest. Being in the center of the entire human energy body, the heart chakra – Аnahata - is responsible for the balancing, harmonious adjustment and interaction of the lower triangle - the first three chakras - with the upper triangle of the chakras, fifth, sixth and seventh - Spiritual higher plane. The three lower chakras operate with personal energy, separating a person from the others. The three higher chakras are the collective aspects of the "I" that give a connection to the energy of the Universe. Anahata chakra is precisely the place where the personal and collective aspects of the one's "I" meet.

This is exactly what The Divine, Lord Muruga and Agathiyar meant when they asked us to open the heart chakra so that they could enter and do their work. 

When we live "from the Heart”, there is compassion and acceptance of all that is, as it is. It is harmonious enriching interaction with other people, unconditional love and the desire to share with others their joy and inner light. This strength heals the inner wounds and allows us to forget the pain and unpleasantness of the past. 

Tavayogi once taught me the mantras related to each chakra that by chanting it performs Aadhara Sudhi that cleanses the particular chakra and brings about Siddhi or its manifestations. He asks that I never share it with others for reasons only known to him. Prior to this, he made all 8 of us promise not to share the mantra of Agathiyar that he gave us upon our very first initiation at a local affiliate branch of his the Agathiyar Gnana Peedham in Malaysia. Earlier to that, when my nephew was used as a medium to convey a mantra that came mysteriously, at my home, he asked that I never question what was to take place and he never told me the inner secrets of the proceedings until many years later. Initially, I could not come to terms with the secrecy involved in these matters but later I knew that it was to avoid confusion that arises in the minds of seekers who did not understand the workings of the divine as yet but were given such life-transforming aids on the spiritual path. The seekers often share the news of they receiving the mantra with others and compare notes and become confused or disillusioned about the sanctity or correctness of the mantras when they come across these mantras elsewhere where it differs with what they had received. Instead of beginning chanting the mantra as initiated, following the dictates of the guru, or rather than going back to the guru with the doubt or question,  they either postpone or put on hold the practice and wait to verify with others. I personally have received queries from others initiated into similar mantras asking why theirs differed with how I chanted it. I tell them this is what I received and I carry on with it without questioning, hinting to them that they should do the same too. But some chose to point out the variation to us, telling us that we have got it all wrong. They tell us that we are chanting it wrongly, that there is a missing syllable or word etc. 

To those who prefer to debate, question the authenticity and remind us that a mantra wrongly said will not bring the desired effect and frighten us that it could harm us, here is a wonderful story.

A story is told of the young lad who was trained in a monastery and excelled in his religious studies. When the time was right for him to go out to the world beyond the safety and confines of the walls surrounding the monastery to learn and gain practical experience, his master summoned him and gave him a task too. He was asked to preach to the village folks who lived across the river banks, what he had learned at the monastery. The student was floating on cloud nine for being the chosen one to embark on a prestigious mission, thinking that would bring him pride and recognition in the local community.

He bid farewell to his master and traveled the long distance until he came to the bank of the river. As he stood at the bank and gazed at the village on the opposite bank, he turned around to look for any boatman who could take him across the wide and deep river. There was no boat to be seen but his gaze fell on an old man who was seated on the ground in the shade of a tree some distance away. The lad walked towards him and could not fail but notice that he seemed to be mumbling something to himself. On nearing him, the lad was surprised to hear the same mantra that he had been chanting at the monastery, was being chanted by the old man, but with a slight variation. The lad immediately apprehended the man telling him that he was chanting it all wrong and began to recite it the way he was taught at the monastery. The old man whose chanting was abruptly interrupted, gladly listened to the lad and repeated the mantra as taught by him and thanked him for enlightening him.

The young lad was proud that he had begun his mission right there on the shore of the riverbank by passing on the mantra to his very first student - the old man. Soon a boatman came along and he boarded the boat asking the boatman to take him across to the village. As they approached the middle of the wide and deep river, the lad noticed the boatman, who was seated across him and rowing the boat, gasp, his face suddenly changed pale and his jaw dropped. What had he seen that had shocked him, the lad thought as he turned around. To his surprise he saw the old man wading across the river towards their boat, walking quite naturally on the water's surface. The lad too was stunned seeing the feat. The old man came alongside the boat and told the lad that he had forgot a syllable from the mantra and asked the lad to repeat it. The lad held on to the old man, hugged him tight and cried, asking to be pardoned for his arrogance. The lad followed the old man back to the river bank never stepping foot in the village. He took the old man as his master and served him in his old age. He dropped his ego and pride that day.