Happy 41st Anniversary 3HO!
By Shakti Parwha Kaur Khalsa, Mother of 3HO
For about 41 years we've been celebrating the “birth” of 3HO on January 5, 1969. To recap: It was on that January Sunday in Los Angeles, at the East West Cultural Center, that Yogi Bhajan spoke publicly for the first time in the United States about his vision of a “3HO,” and made his historic comment that it is everybody’s right to be healthy, happy, and holy. He explained that Kundalini Yoga was the tool, the method to use to ensure that everyone can claim that birthright.
He didn’t relate to 3HO being a Corporation; he was more interested in 3HO becoming a family -- made up of people who practice and teach the 3HO way of life, and live FOR each other, not just with and certainly not “at” each other.
I was reminded of this the other day when I saw the movie “Invictus,” in which Morgan Freeman, playing Nelson Mandela, when asked about his family (his wife had left him while he was in prison, and his daughter was estranged and negative toward him) replied that he had a family of 48 million people. (I hope I got the number right.) He considered everyone in the whole country his family. He cared about them all. He wanted everyone, blacks and whites to live in peace and harmony. A big challenge after Apartheid!
Similarly, Yogi Bhajan embraced all of humanity as his family. He not only talked the talk, he walked the walk. His life was an example of kindness (the highest virtue), forgiveness, and sacrifice out of love.
He learned, “It's not the life that matters, it's the courage that you bring to it” from the book Fortitude, which he read when he was nine years old, and never forgot.
When he first came to Los Angeles, before he acquired a staff, I drove him everywhere. Often I would sing songs along the way (he especially liked “I am the Bubble, Make Me the Sea” and of course, as many of you know, my theme song, the Johnny Mercer tune, “Ac-cent-u-ate the Positive.”) I also recited poetry. What I’m leading up to is that I had learned the poem “Invictus” in school, and he really, really liked it. I think you’ll like it, too, especially the way Morgan Freeman (as Mandela) recites it in the movie of the same name. It is truly inspiring.
And in this movie called “Life,” God bless us each to fulfill our destined roles with courage, grace, and loving kindness.
Reprinted from the Yoga West Los Angeles December 29, 2009 eNewsletter yogawestla.com
The Fire Tattva: 2010 Global Meditation
By Gurucharan Singh Khalsa, KRI Director of Training
Each year from 2008 to 2012 we have chosen to work on one of the five tattvas (elements) and the associated qualities of each tattva within us. Traditionally the five elements correspond to the first five chakras and are described by the qualities of earth, water, fire, air, and ether (space). By the time we reach the 2012 solstices, we will have energetically reached the sixth chakra and be ready to rely on a new level of subtlety and self-discipline. In this way we will be fully conscious and prepared to embrace change as we work together for unity and express our uniqueness as we serve, heal, and lead in this new time.
Spiritual Warrior-Strength, Balance, and Peace in a Changing World
2010 is the year of the Fire Tattva, which corresponds to the Third Chakra (navel point and solar plexus): personal strength and power, commitment, and identity. This is a time to call on our courage with the grit, caliber, and fortitude of a Spiritual Warrior. This is also the year to get clear about your goals. It is a moment to consolidate your self-discipline so you feel clear and worthy to steward all that is given to you. The Third Chakra strength must infuse your words and projection so that your seeds take root and reach to the heights.
Fire is an important quality or element in the philosophy of yoga. From the formless manifold Being that is the Infinite, to the dense form of finite existence, there is a process of manifestation that moves from the most subtle to the gross and tangible. This transition occurs in 36 steps or tattvas. Each step or tattva is a state of Being. Fire is a major step in that process and as such is a pervasive potential, which manifests in differing degrees. Fire as an element encodes a transformative function inherent in the Universe, which is experienced in particular functions throughout the body. Fire gives light. Light enables vision. Vision gives insight, perspective, and projective potency. In terms of chakras, it is associated with the Third Chakra, the Manipura Chakra, which is often represented as an upward pointing triangle and the color red.
In the finite world of forms, fire is fed by fuel. Physiologically, it is the power of digestion and food is its fuel. Emotionally, it is passion and the fuel is the object of love or desire. Psychologically, it is known as personal will and the fuel is a goal. When fire is present it induces dynamic change, restlessness, and purification of the substance and form it presides in. Fire is increased with the practice and discipline of yoga. The Fifth Chakra supports this internal flame through the power of projection and by charging the space it can burn in with potential.
In the formless realm of experience, the fire tattva is prakasha, the brilliance of the soul, the insight and intuition of the mind, and the presence of awareness. It is the light, which gives rise to forms. This quality was described in an early lecture by Yogi Bhajan: “Saints and sages have taught mankind that whatever elements are found in the constitution of the Infinite Universe will also be found in the human body. The Universe is the entire Cosmos; and we are a microcosm of the entire Cosmos. If we were to take a thimbleful of sea water and examine it closely, we would find by chemical qualitative analysis that the constituents of the sea water in the thimble are identical to those of the vast ocean. Similarly, the constituents of our individual bodies are identical to those of the Universe. It would be a strange finding if some element were found inside the human body which differed from the elements of the Universe. For there is One Creator who has created this Creation, and all manifested things are born from the One Source of all.
Our personality is dependent on which of the five gross elements predominates in our nature. The agnigranthi, or fire center, manifests through the spleen, liver, pancreas, and adrenal glands. Just as the heat of the sun makes life possible on Earth, the heat of the agni tattva sustains life in the body. The day this internal fire goes out means death to the individual as surely as this world would die if the sun refused to shine. Persons with a supremacy of this agni tattva are very vigorous, full of perseverance, and become untiring workers. They have a wonderful capacity for leadership and a directness of manner and speech.”
© The Teachings of Yogi Bhajan, January 1, 1973
Fire is applied and refined in the meditative art of Traatik Yoga, sometimes called gazing. Students select a flame, a sacred object, or the image of a teacher or saint to focus on. But it is more than gazing. Gazing in the West implies passivity with alertness. In yoga it is an active projection of the mind and self in order to merge with the existence and qualities of an object. If the focus is a flame, you increase the purifying capacity of the body and mind. Fire Traatik is used for healing. If the object is an image of a teacher-like the Tantric Meditation photo of Yogi Bhajan-the meditator attunes to and “acquires the virtues” of the teacher. Certain objects are crafted with specific qualities that a meditator may wish to cultivate. This is the art of yantra-the use of form and image as energy. Performing traatik on an image of the Golden Temple links the state of the meditator to a profound healing space. The temple itself is designed with proportions and color that make it a perfect gateway for spiritual and healing traatik practice.
When the fire element is strong and integrated, in balance with the personality, it gives one bright eyes. The light of the soul is shown in the healing glance of the saint. Practice of traatik keeps vision healthy and gives the ability to see the subtle and unseen as well as the visible.
As we move toward the Aquarian shift we invite this quality of insight, will, and leadership. The
meditation we are practicing invokes the projective power of the chakras, from the Third and Fifth Chakras, and refines the use of light, fire, and truth (satya) in the mantra. Let us gain clarity and will to walk the rest of the mile and deliver our heart and soul to a future of peace and blessings. Let us each be fully human and fully our Self.
Our Sustainable Future
By Joshua Sandstrom, Oregon, USA
Fair Trade
It’s nice to go to the store and find affordable clothing, shoes, housewares, and all the other things our modern life enjoys. In fact it has become so convenient to go to the local department store and purchase a lovely variety of consumer products that we rarely stop to think much about where these goods come from, or why they are so inexpensive.
Unfortunately, those deep discounts and low prices are usually a result of the producers having been paid less, rather than lower margins at the retail level. For example, the typical imported tropical fruit is picked before it is ripe, treated with preservatives, then rushed to a market near you, ripening along the way. The farmer who grew it is in stiff competition with his neighbors to sell his crop, and the only buyers are usually large corporations staging price wars and driving down the prices before they buy. Even our friendly Whole Foods store is known for creating price wars over crops in order to buy at lower prices and then sell at a premium to you. Luckily there is a growing movement among small-scale producers and buyers starting to infiltrate such ‘business as usual’ practices.
This movement is called Fair Trade. It is responsible for transforming the lives of hundreds of thousands of village farmers and small-scale producers throughout the world. Fair Trade is a market-based approach to business that aims to help producers in developing countries and promote sustainability. The movement advocates high social and environmental standards and the payment of higher prices to producers. It focuses in particular on exports/imports between developing countries and developed countries, most notably handicrafts, coffee, cocoa, sugar, tea, bananas, honey, cotton, wine, fresh fruit, chocolate and flowers.
The concept is simple. Buyers get to know the people they are buying from, and even go visit them if possible, learning about their needs, costs of living, operations, etc. Often producers in the developing world under-sell themselves just to get some money flowing. Fair Trade buyers make sure that producers charge enough to meet their needs, be sustainable, and become successful.
It may seem to go against good traditional business sense, but times are changing. Many consumers now demand Fair Trade in the stores, coffee shops and restaurants they support. More and more people want to know the story about where the things they are buying come from, what the people are like, and most importantly, if they are being compensated fairly for their energy.
Here are a few great places to learn more about Fair Trade:
TransFair USA, Fair Trade Federation, Fair Trade Resource Network, Fair Trade Label
Sustainable Fashion
Fair Trade alone is not enough. Although it helps, what good is a Fairly Produced food or personal item, if it is made from toxic materials and chemical dyes? What it is made from is as important as how it is made.
Using products made from Organic Cotton,¹ Hemp,² and other natural fibers helps all of us enjoy the world a whole lot more. Conventional cotton is the single biggest user of chemical pesticides on the planet. For each T-shirt produced, ¼ cup of intense, toxic chemicals is dumped into the soils. Many of the chemicals used are stronger than those used to grow conventional food, as cotton is not considered a food crop.
When we are willing to spend a little bit more and buy a Fair Trade, Organic Cotton T-shirt, we are making an investment in the future of humanity. Going to Wal-Mart to buy a cheap $4 shirt contributes to third world citizens being underpaid and living in sub-standard conditions. Going the extra mile to buy Fair Trade natural products from a local business ensures a living wage for the producer and also higher production standards overall. Instead of contaminating ground water for generations to come, natural products lead to soil improvement and bio-diversity of the ecosystem.
Next time you go shopping for clothing, look for Organic Cotton. It is softer than conventional or synthetic clothing and you can feel the difference wearing it. You can also rest in the knowledge that you are helping to improve the overall environment and greatly reducing your environmental impact. For more information about Organic Cotton, Hemp, and other natural products please visit the following resources:
Organic Trade Association, Sustainable Fiber Project, Hemp Industries Association.
Joshua Sandstrom co-founded the Green Team at Summer Solstice in New Mexico and has 8 years of experience working in Fair Trade with his business Circle of the Sun. He is available for further information at Joshua@circleofthesun.org
¹Organic Cotton is generally understood as cotton that is grown without chemical fertilizers or pesticides from plants which are not genetically modified. In the United States the USDA National Organic Program sets the standard although this was designed for food and can lead to some confusion. As of 2007, 265,517 bales of organic cotton were produced in 24 countries and worldwide production was growing at a rate of more than 50% per year. Cotton covers 2.5% of the world's cultivated land yet uses 16% of the world's insecticides, more than any other single major crop. Though organic cotton has less environmental impact than conventional cotton, it costs more to produce.
²In modern times, industrial hemp has been used for industrial purposes including paper, textiles, biodegradable plastics, construction, health food, and fuel. It is one of the fastest growing biomasses known, producing up to 10 tonnes of dry fiber per acre.
SEVAlicious: Let Go of the Ego and Step into Service
By Darshan F. Jessop
“Everybody can’t serve every part of everybody. I can serve some parts, someone else can serve some parts, and it’s all seva. That is love. Love is a very realistic service we render to each other.” ~ Yogi Bhajan
It is a yogic truism that the Universe will always take care of us, if only we will allow it!
Let go of the ego and step into service. We can make a difference every day by acting from a place of authenticity and selflessness. Every moment we can leave our marks in the world by dropping fear and coming from a place of love.
Energy flows where thoughts go. There is also the saying that what goes around comes around, and another that says give and you shall receive. The basis of all of these is: that on which you center your attention, you bring to yourself. Sometimes we think we can’t serve because we are too busy dealing with our own needs. If you are focused on what you need all the time, the Universe will focus on need, and neediness could become the predominant theme in your life. Focus on giving however, and the Universe focuses on giving to you as well. Focus on what you can share (not what you will get back from sharing), and the Universe is focused on what it can share with you. If you can focus on serving, the Universe focuses on serving you.
We close ourselves to the gifts of the Universe through limiting how we think and on what we choose to focus. If we want to change this, one way we can do so is by taking conscious responsibility for our focus and our underlying thoughts. Then we can relax and serve in the secure knowledge that positive outcomes depend upon our willingness to live in the spirit of love, service, and hope.
Being able to serve someone is the highest seva (selfless service) and the highest love we can give. It is the highest love of a spiritual teacher, it is the highest love of a friend, it is the highest love of a lover-to serve the Soul, the Light of those around us, always giving them permission to shine their brightest, to live their highest and best lives, and to reach their highest destinies.
Darshan F. Jessop is a writer, fundraiser, entrepreneur, happy mom, and Change Yourself Coach. She is currently writing her first book, The Power to Change: Change Yourself, Change the World. For more information or coaching appointments: darshanmay14@yahoo.com.
Reprinted from Aquarian Times November 2008
Marry Yourself
By Sat Kirtan Kaur, Amsterdamg
In 2002 I had everything a girl could want-money, a beautiful house, a good job, a nice partner. But I was not happy.
After all, throughout my life everything had just come easily to me. I pretended to be happy, but I knew something was missing. I discovered I was missing myself in my life. I didn’t feel I was really part of my life, I just lived it. I didn’t pay attention to the pain in my arms from working on the computer. I went to the physical therapist and he worked on me, and I felt better for a little while. But he could not take away my inner pain, my inner sadness. I knew that if I wanted to be happy, I had to change some things in my life.
I bought a yoga book and started practicing. I began to listen to my inner voice. I began to think about becoming a yoga teacher. But I wasn’t so sure about this inner guidance. I knew making a change like this would have an enormous impact on my life. I gave myself six months before taking any action and during those six months my whole life changed. My relationship ended and I moved to Amsterdam. There was no longer any reason to be afraid of change, and I began to prepare for Kundalini Yoga teacher training.
I took some classes and joined the daily sadhana group at a local studio. I got hooked on White Tantric Yoga (WTY), so I went to many courses, together with colleagues and friends. I even went to a WTY course in Stockholm with my mother. It was a powerful experience of positive change.
I took the Level 2 teacher training in Authentic Relationships with Karta Singh in France. I went to the Gurdwara there (Gurdwara means “door to the Guru”), and started reading from the Siri Guru Granth Sahib¹. I read many pages about God, the Beloved, and it touched me very deeply. The idea came to me to make a long-term, loving commitment to myself. I picked a date, 8-8-2008, bought a ring and had it inscribed: “I love and accept myself for who I am.” I went to India, and chanting Aad Such Jugaad Such Haibhee Such Naanak Hosee Bhee Such (“Meditate on that which was true in the primal beginning, is true through every activity and age, is true at this instant now, and Nanak says will be true forever”). I “married” myself.
The teachings of Yogi Bhajan made it so clear to me that within me is everything I need. All I have to do is to be. That’s all.
Sometimes a pictures says more than a thousand words.
If you want to know more about marrying yourself, please contact Sat Kirtan Kaur: info@investinyoga.nl
¹The living Guru for Sikhs, a sacred volume containing the words of many enlightened beings who wrote while in a state of union (yoga) with God
2010 Numerology Forecast
By Nam Hari Kaur Khalsa, California, USA
The calendar year of 2010 shifts the psyche of humanity into a proactive rhythm of accomplishment and regeneration. We have just come through a catharsis of cleansing, completion, and clearing of all that cannot be maintained in the Aquarian Age. 2009 was the cosmic rotor-rooter of this process. With the initiative spirit of number 10 we now have the wind in our sails to move forward in new directions.
Ten represents enthusiasm, vigor, and a willingness to fight for what is right. Emotionally it is the dynamic of “All or Nothing!” so pacing yourself is important—you may feel overwhelmed by the increasing pressure of the times. You get to pick your own theme song this year, and you have two top choices: the Queen/David Bowie rock n' roll duet “Under Pressure,” and the option to sing along with “Hero” by Mariah Carey. Ten is the archetype of the hero or warrior, so choose your battles wisely—some people will be in a fighting mood. Considering the overall number of the year can save the day. Three (2+0+1+0=3) represents creativity and nurturing, as well as an aspect of the thinking process called the “Positive Mind.” If there was a motto for the Positive Mind it would be, “There are no problems, only solutions.” Three is also social energy. Use your creativity in cooperation with others. We all need each other, and as Yogi Bhajan has said, referring to this transition period, “Don’t isolate and insulate yourself.”
There is a sense of emotional urgency to the flow of the year, and similar to a mountain river, which has a stretch of rapids, we will be tested in our ability to respond quickly and decisively to changing circumstances and events. There are times when working with others will be the only way to navigate through the rocks and divits. The spirit of “All hands on deck!” will prevail, so keep your navel point strong and you will have the balance, focus, and self-solidarity to come through with grace and excellence. Number 3 represents the navel point, and 11 minutes a day of Sat Kriya¹ will sustain you like nothing else. When you are on track, there is a greater ability to read the field and maneuver accordingly, through your own sensory system.>
In physiology, 10 represents the nervous system, and the interplay this year between the numbers 10 and 3 can be quite dramatic. Similar to the effect of a power surge on the electrical system of a house, our own nervous systems may be vulnerable to emotional surges, which can blow out our mental fuses. The effects of this are brain drain leading to potentially irrational behavior. In the science of Numerology, any number can manifest in the positive or negative polarity. When 3 goes negative it can show up as childlike emotional rage and lashing out. Directly or indirectly we are affected by this behavior on a local and a global level. In your personal life you must determine where your boundaries are so you don’t end up going down with the ship. As Yogi Bhajan once said, “You don't follow destruction.”
Looking now to the bright and sparkling side of life, number 3 symbolizes food, creativity, and nurturing. In the children’s fable, Stone Soup, a weary traveler approaches a rural village that has been impoverished by wartime conditions. The traveler requests a night's lodging and food, but the villagers are wary and fearful, conditioned by a sense of lack. The traveler then smiles and says, “Not to worry, I will feed you all!” and proceeds to build a fire and start a huge pot of water boiling. He then pulls out a rock from a silken pouch and adds it to the water, which invokes curiosity among the villagers who want to see what he's up to. He invites all who stop by to join him for dinner, and suggests that the feast will be even grander if they might be so kind as to bring a cabbage, potato, or onion to add to the soup. Soon everyone joins in the festivities and before you know it, they are happily stirring the grand cauldron of soup and feeding the entire village.
Here we are now, in our house, in our village. Let’s step out and share our spiritual wealth and vision so we may dissolve the illusion of lack and regenerate the soul of humanity into the abundance of the Aquarian Age.
“When life is applied, life is supplied by God.” ~ Yogi Bhajan
Nam Hari Kaur uses the science of Numerology to help people better understand the trends and cycles of their lives. Hidden away in your birth date are the secrets to your life’s true happiness and potential. The Destiny Line of our life is the frequency of our heart's fulfillment. In a flow of clarity and compassion your questions on love, relationships, money, and career are answered. For an appointment in person or by phone: 310-202-8937 or 575-305-0017, or akara@cybermesa.com
¹Sat Kriya is a simple yogic exercise which can be learned from any certified Kundalini Yoga