Mantra Madness
*
Om.
I love mantras. Love them. I so believe in the vibrations of the words, be it in Sanskrit, English or whatever language that speaks to the heart. From what I was taught, Sanskrit was not specifically created to communicate verbally by what the word defines, instead it was formed to imprint the most ancient sound in one another’s consciousness, enabling people to telepathically communicate through vibrations. Sounds pretty cool. But I think the same goes for English chants (or whatever language). The Universe speaks in all tongue and words uttered with intention sends out a message. Depending on what you say, you are communicating with a larger energetic field, the source, the knowledge vault.
Mantra’s are so powerful when we want to draw something in or heal or just to share gratitude with the universe for all we have. We all catch ourselves saying, “I can’t do this!” “I can‘t do this!” “I am so broke.” “My ass is fat.” “I am so tired.” In many ways these complaints are ‘mantras’ being sent out to the universe. We are delivering a message of what we DON’T have. So when we constantly talk of being so tired…we’ll remain tired because that is what we are affirming. But what if instead of saying “I am so tired.” (I am using this as an example because it seems to be the biggest complaint I have and I have it daily and bitch about it quite a bit. I am trying to break this.) How about saying, “I need more energy” (or sleep). Think about it. Saying I am so tired is just going to boomarang right back and we’ll continue to be tired. But saying what we need…like energy (or work, or a house, or a healthy relationship, or a healing)…then perhaps we may just get that.
There are no rules or restrictions of chanting, probably the most important thing is that it’s none-harmful.* And the point is we don’t have to be totally aware or in some sort of meditative and serious state when we chant. It’s all about the vibration and intent. Point being, we can be doing other things….changing a pooped diaper, driving to the store, grocery shopping (Yes, I do sing to my kids in public without having an ounce of a good voice.) doing paper work, gardening, jogging. I personally love to chant them on walks, belting them out loud so my girls can hear, feel and learn them and for the looks on people’s faces who pass by : gee, she didn’t look foreign, the kids are so blond.(For a reminder of my general neighborhood vibe, read my very first entry from last January, hence where the title Misplacedmama is born.)
While I was pregnant with Mia I had an extremely lucid dream where I was climbing up an incredible rocky and steep mountain. It was pouring raining and I was barefoot; it was challenging, back breaking work. I kept slipping and sliding and in my dream I kept telling myself that this dream was a test of my will and that really it was only a mountain and of course I could keep climbing it. Every once in a while I would say out loud, “I am tired and scared!” But I had to tell myself to stop and instructed myself to start chanting, “To the mountain of no fear.” So while I climbed in my dream, I chanted. When I finally reached the top there was the moon, waiting for me, big, round and a milky amber yellow. It was like 2 feet away from me and I reached out my hand and touched it. I woke up and was aware that my mantra for my last moments of pregnancy was to be, “To the mountain of no fear where the moon is 2 feet away.” Silly, simple, but it worked for me, relieving me of inner-fears. I chanted it on my walks and while I worked. That dream was not unlike my labor in symbolism and when I reached that state of open and my baby came out, she certainly was a little moon.
While I was pregnant with Sula, my sister and I were hanging out with Mia at the park. Mia came running up to us, very suddenly, pointing her finger in our faces and very seriously and intensely said, “DON’T FIGHT IT!” and then in the next moment her face and her voice softened up and she said, “Just riiiiiiide it.” Don’t fight it, ride it. That was by far the most perfect mantra for me from that moment on as control issues and due dates where beginning to clash. Quite a few times in earlier labor, while floating in my birth tub, blowing bubbles in the water, I sang out those words. And in that birth I learned to ride the wave exactly the way I needed to, rarely fighting the rushes of the water.
After Sula’s birth we were experiencing some pretty intense financial situations(broke beyond belief). It was nothing new for us and nothing we knew we couldn’t figure out , we just didn’t know how. Yet. Then I came across a mantra which draws in abundance while greeting the deity, goddess Lakshmi, who safe keeps it, maybe even purifies it and hands it out.
“Om Shrim Maha Lakshmiyei Swaha. (Om Shreem Maha Lawk-Shmee-ya-Swa-haw”
For 40ish days, approximately 108ishX a day (it goes by really quickly, I could finish it in an ½ hour walk.) I noticed a shift and a flow and in came more patience, health and wealth; all things I hoped for. Repetition and intention were all I needed to impresses abundance on my inner-most cellular level, enabling my innate ability to draw in my needs. Or maybe it was just the time for it to all happen, and I saw it coming. Careers changed, businesses started and we finally could take a deep breath and pay some bills.
Bill has one he made up that he calls MC FEC= Money Comes Freely, Easily and Continously. This helps him not stress so much at work, for him, time really is money as well as high pressure and physically laborious. Repeating this helps him release his concern about money while working, so he can just focus on doing a thoughtful and precise job because the money he needs will come in regardless.
I am chanting one now for knowledge and understanding. My lessons are like shooting arrows right now and so many opportunities are attacking me, asking me to open my mental doorways. I am utterly overwhelmed by the notions that have been presented to me or I seek; shamanism, quantum mechanics, and the ever-expanding and growing love for and from my children. The later has opened and filled so many places of my heart that it is obvious they are teachers and what they teach me blows my mind away. I know so little and yet feel saturated with all this beautiful information about myself and the world, it keeps finding its way to my brain but I am still trying to figure out how to use it. I want understand me on this Earth a bit better and I found a perfect mantra for it. I pin this up on my calendar and try to sing it here and there while I pass throughout the day:
Om Eim Saraswatiyei Swaha. (Om I’m Sah-rah-swaht-yay Swah-ha_)
This is a greeting to the divine feminine, particularly the goddess Saraswati. She represents the part of us that contains knowledge and creativity, plus helps memory power…memory in this life (I need to find my keys! Wallet! Kid!) and beyond. Like I said, I love chanting in Sankrit, but any language will do once you find the words that resonate with you, words that ring you’re the bell in your gut and open that 3rd eye. I think the most important thing to try is to have somewhat correct pronunciation…and as far as I was taught, you can make up your own little melody for it, or rap it over a beat, however it flies with you.
And even bedtime songs I think of as mantra, ritual of sound. My girls hear the same couple made-up songs about sleeping, and even though they won’t go to sleep, they know it is time to go to sleep. Before even knowing any of the words, Sula knew the tunes and knew they meant bath or night-night, the sound gave her body the message.
So if you feel so inclined, give the universe a message. Make it good, make it peaceful, make up a chant.rhythm.song for it and sing it out for the next month. Believe what you need and want will come to you and don’t give up faith soon. Those seeds will surely sprout if watered (or sung).
Peace.
Om
*What is considered harmful is relative I guess. When I wrote that I was thinking, how do I feel about someone chanting for abundance so they can buy, say, a really huge, massive city Hummer, which to some represents resources waste and emissions, as far a vehicle goes, so some might say that indeed is harmful, remember there are people in places in this world who wear tape over their lips when outside so they won’t accidently eat and kill bugs, any car to them is harmful to living creatures. Others would say absoluetly not harmful. Because there is plentiful abundance in the world, if someonw wants Hummer, another person is then choosing to ride a bike, or better yet, there are an abundance of resources as well, so if oil runs out, then another resource will be made available if we want it to be. Personally, I do try to stay away from judging this kind of stuff and place my hope in a mantra for over-all peace and non-violence.
*artwork by artwork by www. Pop-Temple Hamburg pop.ac
