Tonsure, which was a fundamental part of rituals in Christianity, was banned in the year 1972. But do you know the history behind the religious tonsure? Was it just a ritual or was there a religious idea behind this custom? Read on through to the end to know-
- Origin of tonsure
- Why was it abandoned
- Theosophical view on tonsuring.
- Practice of tonsure in various cultures.
Tonsuring is the act of clipping off hair from the center of the head leaving some portion of it surrounding the head.
Tonsure was a religious practice that was widely followed in the seventh and eighth centuries. In this practice, Christian religious monks would shave the top of their head to show their purity.
A tonsure marked the entrance into a new stage of their religious development.
How did tonsure originate?
According to Encyclopedia of Hair: Cultural History, partial shaving may have its roots in ancient Egypt and Greece who worshipped the sun god. The men shaved a circular portion on top of their heads bald to honor the sun god. Similarly, higher monks of the ancient period left a narrow crown of hair around their heads. They believed it signified the crown of thorns placed on Jesus Christ’s head at the time of crucifixion.
The unique style called tonsure gets its name from the Latin word tondere, meaning – “to shear” or shave. The Roman Catholic Churches made it mandatory for all monks to adopt this hairstyle.
According to the Catholic Encyclopedia, “A tonsure is a sacred rite by which a baptized and confirmed Christian is received into the clerical order by a shearing of his hair.”
Members of the Roman Catholic Church and the Eastern Orthodox Church wore the tonsure, claiming that its origins go back to the time of Jesus Christ. Began in the early sixteenth century, the ritual was in trend until the Roman Catholic Church abolished the practice of tonsure in 1972.
The New York Times in the year 1972 states that tonsure was discontinued as a part of various reforms that took place in the same year by the higher orders of the Roman Church.
Here’s a theosophical reason behind the tonsure…
The importance of having the top pat of the head shaved has something to do with our Etheric centre. There are various Etheric centres present in our etheric body called the etheric chakras. These chakras absorb Prana (Vitality) present in the atmosphere and provide this Life Energy to our bodies. One such etheric chakra is located at the top of the head known as the crown chakra. It is one of the major entry points of Prana.
What does the crown chakra do?
- It is a spiritual cord which connects the individual from the divine energy.
- When it develops, it enables the person to reach the full potential of his/her astral life. All of this, while having full consciousness in his physical body.
According to The Nature of the Energy Body, authored by Grand Master Choa Kok Sui, Founder of Modern Pranic Healing and Archaic Yoga, the crown chakra performs the following functions:
- Energizing the crown chakra has the effect of energizing the whole body
- Facilitates harmonizing and normalizing of other chakras.
- Therefore, healing is usually proceeded from the crown chakra even if the affected part is somewhere else.
Theosophy believes that the real reason for tonsure, as practiced by the Roman Catholic Church, was to uncover the Brahmarandra chakra or the crown chakra (also referred to as the Sahasrara Chakra). The belief being that a tonsure cleared the way of divine force entering the etheric body.
During meditation, the psychic forces of the individual tend to awaken. Hence, to ensure no hindrance in this divine intervention, a tonsure was worn by the Catholic monks of the olden times.
Interested to know more about the crown chakra and ways to develop it? Check out our latest Module on the Etheric Chakras and learn ways to explore your Astral life to the fullest!
We however believe that the tuft of hair may not be a significant barrier to the downpour of spiritual energy into the crown chakra.
Practice of tonsure in various cultures
There are different shapes of tonsures based on the pattern such as clerical, baptismal, and monastic.
- The Roman tonsure involved shaving the whole head, except a fringe of hair symbolizing the crown of thorns; or a small round area at the crown of the head.
- In the Eastern tonsure, the whole head was shaved. They later considered the tonsure where the hair is even close to a clean shave.
- In the Celtic tonsure, all the hair in front of a line drawn over the top of the head from ear to ear was shaved.
It is also frequently used for Buddhist novices and monks. It exists as a traditional practice in Islam after completion of the Hajj and is also practiced by several Hindu religious orders.
If the thought-form is directed towards another person, it will go to that person. Either of two effects may then result. (1) If in the aura of the person concerned there is material capable of responding sympathetically to the vibration of the thought-form, then the thought-form will remain near the person, or even in his aura, and, as opportunity serves, automatically discharge itself, thus tending to strengthen in the person that particular rate of vibration. If the person [Page 49] at whom a thought form is aimed happens to be busy, or already engaged in some definite train of thought, the thought form, being unable to discharge itself into the man’s mental body, which is already vibrating at a certain determinate rate, hangs in the vicinity until the man’s mental body is sufficiently at rest to permit its entrance, when it immediate discharges itself.
In doing this it will display what appears like a very considerable amount of intelligence and adaptability, though really it is a force acting a long the line of least resistance – pressing steadily in one direction all the time, and taking advantage of any channel that it can find. Such elementals can, of course, be strengthened and their life-period extended by repetition of the same thought.
If, on the other hand, there is in the person’s aura no matter capable of response, then the thought-form cannot affect it at all. It will therefore rebound from it, with a force proportional to the energy with which impinged upon it, and return to and strike its creator.
Thus, for example,the thought of the desire for drink could not enter the body of a purely temperate man. It would strike upon his astral body, but it could not penetrate and it would then return to the sender.
The old saying that “Curses (to which might be added blessings) come home to roost” conveys this truth and explains cases where, as many have known, evil thoughts directed to a good and highly advanced man affect such a man not at all, but re-act, sometimes with terrible and devastating effect, on their creator. Hence also the obvious corollary that a pure heart and mind are the best protection against inimical assaults of feeling and thought.
On the other hand, a thought-form of love and of desire to protect, strongly directed to some beloved objects, acts as a shielding and protecting agent : it will seek all opportunities to serve and defend, will [Page 50] strengthen friendly forces and weaken unfriendly ones, that impinge on the aura. It may protect its objects from impurity, irritability, fear, etc.
Friendly thoughts and earnest good wishes thus create and maintain what is practically a “guardian angel” always at the side of the person thought of, no matter where he may be. Many a mother’s thoughts and prayers, for example, have given assistance and protection to her child. They may often be seen by clairvoyants, and in rare cases they may even materialise and become physically visible.
It is thus apparent that a thought of love sent from one person to another involves the actual transference of a certain amount both of force and of matter from the sender to the recipient.
If the thought is sufficiently strong, distance makes absolutely no difference to it: but a weak and diffused thought is not effective outside a limited area.
Herein lies the highest and best part of the belief in answers to prayer. On the higher planes there is an infinite flood of force always ready and waiting to be poured through when a channel is offered. A thought of perfectly unselfish devotion provides such a channel, the grandest and noblest part of such a thought ascending to the Logos Himself. The response from Him is a descent of the divine life, resulting in a great strengthening and uplifting of the maker of the channel, and the spreading all about him of a powerful and beneficent influence, which flows through the reservoir that exists on the higher planes for the helping of mankind. It is this adding to the reservoir of spiritual force which is the truth in the catholic idea of works of supererogation. The Nirmânakâyas are especially associated with this great reservoir of force.
“May God Bless You!”
How many times have you blessed someone?
Receiving and giving a blessing can be described as two out of the world feelings!
But, why does it feel so good to give a blessing and to receive one?
Brahma Kumari Shivani ji talks about blessing and curse, as a thought. A thought, which may be good or evil.
Do blessings really work?
If they do, then do curses work too?
(blessing – now commonly used like a greeting, but it remains to be deep and of value only when its meant to be said)
Do you know what initiates a blessing and how does it work on the receiver?
Are blessings mere good thoughts about a person, or is there Divine intervention in these spoken words?
We give high regards to the blessings received from a Master, a guru or a devotee. Did you know, that we all are equally capable of blessing someone?
Arthur E. Powell, in his book The Astral Body says that, On the higher planes there is an infinite flood of force always ready and waiting to be poured through when a channel is offered.
This channel is no one else, but us. We choose to act as the channel for higher forces to flow through us, when we bless someone.
Did you know that you can choose to deny a curse and not let you affect at all?
And when you do so, this curse is redirected to the creator of the curse! Now let’s see how does that happen?
As we know a curse or a blessing are nothing but a form of thought that is created and directed to a person. This thought can bear two effects on the receiver:
- If a person’s aura has capable matter to respond to the emitted thought form, the person is likely to get affected. For example, a thought form sent out to hurt a person physically who is violent or careless in nature is like to get hurt. This effect can be delayed if the aura of the person is busy.
- If a person does not have capable matter to respond to the emitted thought form, this thought form bounces back with the same energy as it was emitted to its creator. This means that a person with no violent or careless attitude cannot be hurt and the thought of hurting them will strike on the creator of thought form! (elaborate)
- If a person’s aura has capable matter to respond to the emitted thought form, the person is likely to get affected. For example, a thought form sent out to hurt a person physically who is violent or careless in nature is like to get hurt. This effect can be delayed if the aura of the person is busy.
This reminds me of the old saying, “Curses come home to roost!”
This mechanism simply applies to the fact that, a curse directed towards a good and highly advanced person doesn’t affect him/her at all but has a devastating effect on its creator!
Hence, a pure heart and mind are the most powerful protection against any harm on ourselves!
On the other hand, a thought of love and protection sent out to a beloved one will find its way to serve, defend and will strengthen friendly thoughts and weaken unfriendly thoughts that reside in the aura.
There are few examples of these thought forms coming into effect in physical form or being visible to Clairvoyants.
- Talk about mother’s love and how it reflects
- Talk about blessings working without any distance barrier
- Examples of these blessings
- Talk about BK Shivani
- How blessing has become common and holds no value when said it without intentions
- A common man can also be a source of giving out a blessing or a curse
- Talk about different form of blessing or curse
- Describe role of astral body
- The outpour of energy and us acting as a medium – giving out blessings
- Conclusion
where does the power of blessings come down on us?
It is believed that on the higher planes there are ample amount of energy waiting to come down on lower planes. When someone blesses a person, this energy flows to the lower planes through the creator of blessing as a medium to transmit this energy.
Bk Shivani
In our day to day life, the value and deepness of blessing has diminished. When we usually say “God bless you” when someone sneezes it has zero to no value because there is not emotional connect or meaning to it. Similary when you wish someone a good day, most of the times its just out of courtesy and people don’t really mean it. When a blessing like this is given out, it contains no value to it as it was said with no intent.
A blessing to work has to felt deeply, with true intentions. Such a blessing will always make its way to serve the receiver.
- It is a spiritual cord which connects the individual from the divine energy.
- When it develops, it enables the person to reach the full potential of his/her astral life. All of this, while having full consciousness in his physical body.
2.distane as barrier of blessing
It is said that the power of blessing knows no distance. Blessings can be transmitted to the person who lives across the globe and will have the same effect as if they were close. But a weak form of thought, or a weak blessing will only be limited to an area.
Have you heard about sensitive souls hearing voices in their head out of nowhere?
Ever heard someone calling out your name, only to realize there was no one around?
Or do you recall hearing weird noises yourself?
Have you wondered what kind of noises are these? Where do these voices come from? Why do only some people experience it?
These sounds come from the astral plane! It connects to only some people. This happens when entities from the astral world try to communicate with those living on the physical plane. People who can hear these sounds that no one can are gifted with the power of clairaudience!
The Etheric body helps in creating impressions coming from the astral plane on the conscious minds of people and they begin to hear voices and weird sounds in their head.
Hearing sounds and voices from the astral plane is possible in three conditions:
- When the person possesses consciously controlled power.
When you are able to hear voices from the astral plane and can consciously control this power of hearing, it is known as clairaudience.
CLAIRAUDIENCE is the supernatural ability to perceive spiritual messages that others cannot hear. It is also known as the power of hearing. It is a special gift of hearing voices from the astral world that are not audible to ordinary people. These voices speaking to a person often work as your spiritual guides that help your soul to develop.
Constantly hearing voices in one’s mind can drive a person crazy! Imagine trying to speak to someone, or concentrating on a book, and hearing disturbing noises in your head continuously. Scary isn’t it? But someone who can control these voices and receive guidance from them can truly be called a clairaudient. While some are born clairaudients, others develop their psychic powers using various practices to be able to do so.
You might be blessed with the gift of clairaudience, if you hear chattering sounds in your head, a sound of music, or someone talking to you, and suggesting you something.
According to the Bible, after spending several months speaking to God on Mount Sinai, God gave Moses two stone tablets inscribed by the very finger of God. The tablets contained the Ten Commandments of the bible that form the basis of a Christian’s relationship with God. The Ten Commandments given to Moses by God proves the clairaudient power of Moses.
Taking an example from the Mahabharata; it is written that the charioteer of king Dhritarashtra – Sanjay, was blessed with the powers of clairvoyance and clairaudience. He was given the powers to see and hear what was happening in the Kurukshetra war and narrate the same to the visually impaired king.
Thus we see that when a developed soul directs the power of clairaudience, it can be used gainfully for the general good
2. When the person has a sensitive soul.
Some people are born with sensitive souls. Such people often sense someone calling them or speaking to them. Entities from the astral world easily connect to sensitive souls on the physical plane. That is why they try to communicate to those people more often.
Many horror movies like namely Annabelle and the Conjuring series show examples of sensitive souls.
Another example from the popular movie “The Conjuring” is based on the true paranormal experiences of Ed and Lorraine Warren. The movie shows Lorraine hearing voices of demonic entities communicating with her and calling out for help. Lorraine is thus a clairvoyant as well as a clairaudient in the movie.
In The Conjuring, Janet carries the same kind of sensitive soul. That is why the evil spirits keep harassing her more than anyone else in her family.
The movie Annabelle also shows little girl Janice having a sensitive soul. The demonic spirit in the doll draws her near the door and it opens to all unfortunate incidents.
3. Tearing of the atomic web
The school of Theosophy believes, we possess something called as an atomic web. An atomic web is like a shield that protects and filters elements from the astral world entering in the etheric world. It prevents the astral elements from exposing our physical consciousness to things we cannot see or hear.
Substances like drugs, tea or other intoxicants, extreme stress, trauma or even an outburst of excitement, cause damage to the atomic web. When the web tears, it allows thoughts from the astral plane to directly enter the etheric plane. This is when the man starts hallucinating.
A hallucinating person does not have developed psychic powers, so there are chances that these voices may take control of him. Under the influence of the dominating voices, he may cause any danger to himself or those around him.
A schizophrenic often has similar complaints about experiencing voices or visions that others cannot see or hear. As stress, drug addiction or other factors damage his atomic web, he is exposed to contents from the astral plane that causes hallucination.
Have your dear ones ever experienced hearing any kind of sound that inaudible to others? Share your ideas with us in the comments below!
If this spiritual blog helped in increasing your knowledge about clairaudience, don’t forget to share your views with us.
Would you like to learn in detail about clairaudience and clairvoyance?
We highly recommend you to study Module 9 of our course on The Etheric Double by Arthur E Powell which explains both those concepts and more on etheric sight!
Have you heard that people whose limbs have been amputated feel pain at the extremities of the amputated limb?
This continuous painful sensation of the missing limb after amputation is known as phantom limb pain.
You would probably imagine that if someone’s limb were to be unfortunately amputated, that limb would cease to exist entirely, with no sensation left behind. Right?
However, scientific research concludes otherwise!
As per the International Encyclopedia of the Social & Behavioral Sciences, 2001, 90% of the amputees have experienced pain in the extremities of their amputated limb. 60-70% of amputees report pain for up to one year after the amputation, but then it reduces over time.
Spooky much?
So what does science have to say about this?
Unfortunately, science has no definite answer to what causes phantom limb pain, yet. It however attempts to explain this in the following manner:
Renowned medical science website, WebMD says,
“Researchers don’t know exactly what causes phantom limb pain. One possible explanation: Nerves in parts of your spinal cord and brain “rewire” when they lose signals from the missing arm or leg. As a result, they send pain signals, a typical response when your body senses something is wrong”
So basically, when the brain/spinal cord is getting rewired to account for the missing limb, it senses something wrong, and sends the “pain” signal.
So are there any real life stories of the phantom limb syndrome?
People have reported terrifying episodes of phantom limb pain such as:
A man suffering from paralysis with a complete lesion of the spinal cord described painful and itchy feeling in the lower part of his lost foot. He could feel extreme pain in his knees and toes after amputation.
Similarly, a young man who became paraplegic after a car accident described waking up to the pain in his toes as though the nail on one toe was growing into another.
Another patient expressed a sensation of being invaded by insects, not only crawling all over his skin, but also through his veins.
Medical science has no specific drugs to treat phantom limb pain. But medicines for other conditions such as depression or epilepsy are expected to bring certain relief. Apart from the anti-depressants there are other non-drug therapies that help in easing the pain.
Isn’t it scary? So are there any answers to this query at all?
In school of Theosophy, this topic is addressed in a book called, “The Etheric Double” by Arthur E. Powell.
The book mentions that all substances on earth have a “phantom” body which is also called the “etheric body”. This body is a duplicate of the physical visible body. Hence, this is also referred to as the Etheric Double!
It has various roles, of which the key role is to be an intermediary between the physical visible body and to say for simplicity sake, the mind.
The physical body receives sensations, while the mind perceives it. The mind initiates action / motion / reaction, and the body follows the instructions of the mind.
Therefore, any sensation of pain or reaction to external stimuli will be passed on to the mind. This passage of stimuli occurs through the etheric body!
Let’s understand this Etheric body a bit more before we understand why the pain in the amputated part.
While the etheric matter is invisible in ordinary sight it is purely ‘physical’ in nature. This means it can be affected by cold, heat or even by powerful acids. The connection between the physical body and the etheric body is so strong that injuries caused on etheric body can be visible on the physical body.’
Now, coming to the moot question –
When a person’s limb is amputated, his / her physical limb is removed. However, its etheric counterpart remains intact. This etheric counterpart continues to be affected by the surrounding stimuli, leading to sensations as if the limb still existed.
Thus, as the etheric part stays attached to the rest of the body till it is physically removed, it gives out the sensations when something affects the limbs. So any pain felt in the etheric arm, will send signals to the physical brain.
To make sure the sensations are not transmitted from the astral centre to the physical brain, the etheric matter of that part must be removed. Once the connection between the dense physical body and the astral body is broken, the sensations will cease. It is also possible to drive out a patient’s own etheric matter from, say an arm or a leg, for complete anesthesia in the limb.
The possibility of utilizing knowledge of etheric phenomena for purposes of Pranic healing, mesmerism and hypnotism is limitless. In particular, the use of mesmerism to produce anesthesia for surgical or other purposes, in place of ether, gas, or chloroform is often recommended.
Now you know the true cause of phantom limb pain! With complete knowledge about the etheric body and its connection with the physical body, the topic surely isn’t as spooky anymore.
If your loved ones have experienced similar sensations, share the experience with us in the comments section below.
Share with us your feedback on the blog.
Hello, soon-to-be mum! We know you want to ensure the healthy growth of your baby and that’s why we have written about a very important and often neglected aspect of pregnancy: the mother’s thoughts and emotions.
This must be a very exciting time for you. I am sure you are taking care of your health, consuming all nutritious foods essential for the growth of your baby, doing your physical exercises regularly, all to welcome a healthy and happy child in the world.
Along with a good physical health, you shouldn’t miss on this important thing. As a mother, you also need to have positive thoughts, for a healthier growth of your child!
Experts and studies suggest that positive thoughts of a mother and a healthy environment can shape the body of the baby and nurture it during pregnancy.
So how are your emotions connected to your baby in the womb?
According to research, soon after conception a level of consciousness exists in the embryo. As the fetus develops, its subconscious stores information to prepare it for its mother’s environment.
By the sixth month, your child can hear and move in rhythm to your voice. Imagine the difference in influence this has if you sing happily or yell in anger.
The unborn child adapts and perceives a lot of things from the external world while it is still in the womb.
Even the Hindu scriptures speak of this phenomenon, through its various epics.
Abhimanyu and the Chakravyuha
This is the story of Abhimanyu, the courageous son of the great Arjuna, from the Mahabharata. Lord Krishna was Abhimanyu’s maternal uncle. He used to narrate his adventures to amuse his sister Subhadra, when she was pregnant.
One such time, Krishna was narrating his experience with the technique of breaking Chakravyuha, which is a military formation, effectively used for defence at the battlefield. While Krishna was narrating this technique to Subhadra, she fell asleep. Seeing that she was taking a sweet nap, Krishna stopped narrating the secret to exit the Chakravyuha and left it midway.
This whole time, Abhimanyu, was listening to the story in his mother’s womb, and he carefully preserved the technique in his memory. Sadly, Abhimanyu could only hear as much as Krishna narrated, which was about half of the technique.
Years later, during the Mahabharata war, Abhimanyu was faced by this Chakravyuha in a war with the Kauravas. Although he entered it successfully, he couldn’t exit it without the complete knowledge of the technique. Nevertheless, he attempted to break through, and eventually met his end.
While this is an extreme example, it highlights the importance of how the healthy mental growth of a baby begins even before it is born, while still in its mother’s womb. Recent scientific findings prove that babies can indeed hear from inside their mother.
Let us look at another example that tells us what a child learns and perceives from the mother’s womb.
Ashtavakra sage
The story of Ashtavakra is narrated in the Ramayana.
A sage named Uddalaka had a disciple named Kahola. Uddalaka offered his daughter Sujata in marriage to Kahola. After a few years, Sujata became pregnant. During her pregnancy, Sujata spent good amount of time in the ashram with her father and Kahola.
The child in her womb therefore learned many Vedas and Vedic mantras. One day Kahola was reciting Vedic Mantras at night. His baby who was still in the womb, said that he was making eight errors in each Vedic mantra.
Kahola was enraged by this and he cursed the child to be born with eight deformed body parts (feet, knees, hands, chest and head). Because of his deformities Uddalaka named him Ashtavakra. Later, he grew up to be wise man and his curse was lifted because of his sound knowledge about the Vedas.
The stories in its simplest forms tell us that pregnant mom’s thoughts and the surrounding environment are physically connected to her unborn child.
Effects on the child’s nature and behaviour
Dr. Thomas Verny who is one of the world’s leading authorities on the effects of prenatal environment on personality development says that, “Everything the pregnant mother feels and thinks is communicated through neurohormones to her unborn child, just as surely as are alcohol and nicotine,”
“Studies show that mothers under extreme and constant stress are more likely to have premature babies, lower than average in weight, hyperactive, irritable, and colicky.”
On the contrary, thoughts which fill the growing baby with a sense of happiness or calm builds a ground for the child’s balanced, happy, and serene nature throughout life.
Theosophical perspective
School of theosophy tells us that before your child’s physical body is even shaped, its etheric body is formed. The natural forces build the baby’s etheric body into which the newborn’s physical body will be built.
We have an entire Module dedicated to birth which talks about the formation of the child’s etheric body before birth.
The mother’s body supplies the etheric matter for the infant body. That is why, for the formation of a strong etheric body it is important for the mother to consume the best materials when pregnant.
Besides, the thoughts of the mother and the other thought-forms that float around her have a major impact on the growth of the child. Therefore, having a peaceful and calm mind has a positive impact on the baby. You now realize why pregnancy is indeed a very crucial time for a child’s mental and physical development.
Whether you’re planning a baby or expecting one, we sincerely hope this blog helped you in taking a step further in caring for your little one to come. Do share it with your dear ones who are going through pregnancy blues or are concerned about it. Drop a comment and let us know your views on it!
References:
1. https://www.the-open-mind.com/your-thoughts-their-effect-on-your-unborn-baby-2/
2. https://www.nhsf.org.uk/2005/12/mahabharata-abhimanyu-and-the-chakra-vyuha/
3. http://globalpress.hinduismnow.org/magazine/the-story-of-ashtavakra-and-his-father-kahola/
4. https://getfitforbirth.com/a-mothers-emotions-affect-her-unborn-child/
IS INTUITION REALLY THE HIGHEST FORM OF INTELLIGENCE?
Did you know the unfortunate incident of 9/11 was predicted long before it happened?
Have you heard stories of Simpsons predicting future?
Or Nostradamus’ four liner poems becoming reality?
You must wonder if this is all true.
Let’s find out!
COMMON PEOPLE LIKE YOU AND I CAN FOREFEEL EVENTS OF FUTURE
Yes, you read that right!
A vague feeling that something isn’t right or sensing someone’s negative energy is a part of ESP (Extra Sensory Perception).
One of the confessions on the website Graveyard Shift by Ranker said –
“I felt I should run out of the car right now, and when I did, few seconds later a big maple tree fell over the car and a branch pierced right through the seat where I was sitting.”
The above experience was of a common man just like us, and this vague feeling that he felt is called an Intuition.
Here’s a quote from the most popular book Intuition: Knowing Beyond Logic written by Osho,
“You know the word tuition—tuition comes from outside, somebody teaches you, the tutor. Intuition means something that arises within your being; it is your potential, that’s why it is called intuition.”
LET’S UNDERSTAND WHAT INTUITION IS!
Have you everfelt strongly positive or negative about some situation, person or event, sensed that something isn’t right? And later your vague feelings proved to be true?
Then you have had an intuition!
Intuition is a part of “Extra Sensory Perception” or ESP (we will look at it in the latter part of the blog post). Intuition in common parlance is also known as Gut feeling.
A feeling that your loved one might fall sick or simply that you might have to cancel your flight, without knowing ‘why’ is an intuition but only if this is proved to be true in the coming future.
Excerpts from the writings of Sri Sri Paramahansa Yogananda say,
“Intuition is soul guidance; appearing naturally in man during those instants when his mind is calm…The goal of yoga science is to calm the mind, that without distortion it may hear the infallible counsel of the Inner Voice.”
According to Theosophy,
These feelings of Intuition come from the ‘Navel Centre’ or ‘Navel Chakra’ which is also called ‘Manipura’ in Sanskrit.
This chakra is closely associated to feelings. When the correspondent chakra in the astral body is awakened, the signal from Astral Chakra flows first through activated Etheric Chakra, and then reaches the physical body.
This is how you feel intuitive about certain things in your surrounding or somewhere far.
BUT THERE’S MORE TO THIS,
Your Navel Chakra is not the only chakra that gives you these feelings;
Extra Sensory Perceptions include a broad category as seen above.
Since we’ve already discussed Intuition, let’s see what the other terms mean!
CLAIRVOYANCE
Clairvoyance is the ability to see things and receive visions from different planes of existence such as Etheric, Astral, Mental and Causal Plane.
The Centre between the eyebrows is termed as ‘Ajna’ in Sanskrit and the activation of this chakra in the Astral and Etheric body can result into Clairvoyant abilities at Astral Level. As the Ajna Chakra develops in corresponding bodies (like Mental and Causal Body) on different planes, the level of Clairvoyance also simultaneously develop.
HAVE YOU HEARD THE STORY OF CLAIRVOYANT BABA VANGA?
Baba Vanga was a Bulgarian Mystic, Clairvoyant, and Herbalist, born in 1911. At the age of 12, she was lifted in the air and threw in a field by a tornado that caused her blindness. After a long search, she was found unconscious and her eyes covered in sand and dust. Baba said, she started experiencing clairvoyant abilities ever since!
Fascinating,isn’t it?
Did you know?
She predicted events like 9/11, Barack Obama’s Presidency, 2004 Tsunami and many more historic incidents!
READING AKASHIC RECORDS
You must have heard of few people who claim that they can reveal your past life. Some of these people possess the ability of reading Akashic Records.
Akashic Records are the memory seen on the astral plane, which is just a recurring reflection from other higher planes. Akashic Records are also called “The Divine Memory” since they include everything that has happened in the history of mankind.
Sometimes, a developed ability of Clairvoyance can allow you to perceive memories by Will on the Astral Plane and sometimes these might just appear as mere glimpses. Since these memories are a recurring reflection on Astral Plane, they can be really hard to comprehend. On the other hand, perceiving Akashic Records on Mental Plane is much more accurate and complete in nature, to do so, it demands faculties pertaining to Mental Plane.
Here are few stories of people having glimpses of their past lives. Read below some of the jaw-dropping stories by Psychology Today.
Do you think that Bran – The Broken, of House Stark, a popular character from the renowned fictional series ‘Game of Thrones’ had access to Akashic Records when he became the “Three Eyed Raven?”
Below is a clip from the series where Bran wargs (ability to trace people, places and events beyond the boundaries of time) in the past at his land of Winterfell.
Note: This is only a dramatic depiction
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ORDINARY PSYCHOMETER
An Ordinary Psychometer needs an object connected to the past scene he/she wishes to see. A crystal or any other object can also help them focus and access the past scene that they aim to perceive.
You can read more about Psychometry here!
Is Cisco Ramon from popular super hero series ‘The Flash’ a Psychometer?
He is often seen vibing into the past, with the help of an object connected to it.
Below is a video that can help you relate!
CLAIRAUDIENCE
Throat Chakra is called ‘Visuddha’ in Sanskrit. Awakening of this centre in Astral and Etheric body results in Clairaudience abilities.Clairaudience is the ability to hear voices, pleasant or unpleasant, from Astral Plane.
‘The Conjuring 2’ is a perfect example of Clairaudience abilities.
In this movie, the lead child character Janet becomes a victim when she starts hearing and experiencing evil entities.
Click on this video (trailer – ‘The Conjuring 2’) below to see Janet hearing the communications from the evil entities.
To understand clairaudience better, you can read our blog below,
SYMPATHIZING WITH OTHERS
To sympathize with others is to feel what the other person or an entity is going through.
Anāhata, also called the heart chakra enables a man to sympathize with other astral entities and allows them to comprehend their feelings. Sometimes, the pain from the sufferer is also felt by the one who sympathizes.
One good way to start developing your intuitive abilities is through meditation. I personally prefer Grand Master Choa Kok Sui’s Twin Heart Meditation, which was awarded the first place at the Academy of Integrated Health & Medicine (AIHM) Annual Conference.
Can you determine which kind of Extra Sensory Perception you have experienced before? Was it an intuition?
Share with us an experience where you followed your intuitive feelings in the comments below. And also, let us know about your experiences in meditation!
REFERENCES:
https://www.ranker.com/list/people-tell-stories-of-gut-feelings-that-were-right/amandasedlakhevener
https://www.goodreads.com/work/quotes/93504-intuition-knowing-beyond-logic
https://www.osho.com/read/osho/about-osho
https://www.liveabout.com/need-to-know-info-about-psychometry-2593072
https://thespiritconsciousness.com/clairaudience-voices-head/
Have you ever wondered what hallucinations really are?
Where do these voices come from? What is it that some can see while others cannot?
Beginning with learning about the commonly believed ideas about hallucinations, we will study these ideas from the perspective of the spiritual teachings of the Theosophical school
What is hallucination?
Hallucinations are sensations created by our mind that appear real to the victim. These sensations can be perceived by all the senses even though it is non-existent.
The effects of hallucination can be very severe and can cause the person to feel or become isolated. A hallucinating person when left alone may suffer from paranoia or phobia of any kind. He or she must be given immediate medication.
While there are both negative and positive types of visions experienced by people, this blog will focus on its negative aspects and what causes them to occur.
What does Science say about the causes of hallucination?
It is widely believed that hallucination is caused by extreme stress (mental & physical), lack of sleep, and drug abuse of substance like marijuana or LSD, extreme fear or poor medical condition.
– mental or physical illness, like schizophrenia, epilepsy or alcoholic intoxication
Depending upon the cause of hallucinations one may need to visit a psychiatrist, a neurologist, or a general practitioner. Treatment of hallucination and schizophrenia may include taking medication to cure physical or mental illness. The doctor may also recommend adopting healthier behaviors like avoiding excessive alcoholic drinks and getting proper sleep.
Reasons for hallucinations can be psychiatric or medical. However, both have severe effects on the patient.
CAUSES OF HALLUCINATION ACCORDING TO THEOSOPHY:
Hallucinations are caused by the improper functioning of the atomic web
So what is an atomic web?
The atomic web is made up of a single layer of physical atoms which are condensed with of a differenta special kind of Prana. It acts as a layer which allows only those Prana that can easily pass from the astral into the physical plane, and blocks all other types of forces which cannot be used by either or any of the two planes.
In simpler words, the atomic web is like a shield that protects and filters elements from the astral world entering in the etheric world. The etheric plane is where all creative imaginations occur.
Sometimes it so happens that the etheric vision is temporarily activated by delirium tremens and the person suffering may witness etheric and astral creatures. For example, snake-likes and other scary creatures are belonging to the lower levelt are seen by some alcoholics. These are creatures of a lower order that get attracted by the odor of alcohol and appear to feast on these odors. The drunkard, whose atomic web may be damaged due to the inflammatory constituents of these substances, may hence witness these creatures.
Thus, we see that the atomic web helps keep these visuals outside the view of a normal human being. It is this filtration by the atomic web which is necessary because in its absence, the contents from the astral plane will leave impressions on the etheric brain that humans are not equipped to understand, interpret. Most of us may find those impressions gory and hence may not be able to handle what we see.
Thus if any harm reaches this important shield, it leads to highly dangerous effects like:
It may release the outpour of all kinds of astral experiences into the physical consciousness. If a person accidentally opens communication between the
two planes, it is most likely that all of his astral experiences will flow into his physical plane that could be hazardous to the well being of such person.
The individual becomes an open hub for astral entities to enter at any time. Those entities can bring with them certain forces which an ordinary person cannot handle and is unprepared to face.
In some cases, it is also possible that the person is dominated by an astral being who wants to control that person’s vehicle which can drive an individual crazy.
For this reason the atomic web must be taken care by avoiding substances that harm them.
Substances like drugs, alcohol, tobacco smoking habit etc. causes the web or shield to literally burn and get destroyed as soon as the inflammatory materials speed into the web. This causes damage to the shield, and is comparatively less common.
Other things that can harm the atomic web is extreme stress, depression caused by the passing away of a dear one, trauma, poor physical and mental health, etc. Thus, burning away of the shield causes an individual to become insane, obsessed and develop delirium tremens.
It is therefore advised to avoid alcoholism and other drugs and to take good care of the physical and mental health. For this, following a regular sleep pattern is also necessary.
It is also possible to deal with hallucination and related problems with the help of Pranic psychotherapy.
Let us know if this article has helped you in knowing more about hallucinations. If you or your loved ones ever experienced hallucinations, share your experience with us in the comments below!
How often have you woken up from a dream trying to recollect what you dreamt? And the more you tried to remember, the more difficult it got. Right? Ever wondered why?
This spiritual blog will attempt to explore the question, “why we don’t remember our dreams?” from the perspective of the theosophical school. Dive right in!
What really are dreams? Are they visual images and stories created by the mind? Or is it just a random set of images from your day to day life?
This educational blog will try to decode the source of your dreams and the reasons, why you can’t catch them even if you try to, once you are awake!
Or are they just cognitive, sensory or emotional occurrences experienced during sleep?- simplify
You may have experienced at times that while waking up, when you are in light sleep, you are able to recall what you were dreaming about, but as soon as you wake up, your memory of that dream starts fading and it becomes extremely difficult to remember the dream. Let us understand why. – Make it more appealing!
This blog post will shed light on the concept of dreaming; reasons behind difficulty in recollecting them; and ways to successfully recall dreams based on theosophical ideas about dreaming.
Let us first learn about:
SOME COMMONLY ACCEPTED BELIEFS ABOUT DREAMS:
Dreams are a result of various things such as real-life experiences, all that is running in our subconscious mind while we are awake, and also our deepest desires are often envisioned in dreams.
That dreams are random and hence they hardly ever fuse into the memory. They generally occur in the REM (Rapid Eye Movement) stage of sleep. In the REM stage eyes move rapidly in many directions, the muscles freeze temporarily, blood pressure and heart rate increases. After waking up from REM, people describe bizarre visions and irrational stories that they call dreams.
It is believed that people are less likely to remember their dream because in the REM stage the long-term memory is shut, and so the memory of the dream is not stored in the brain. That is why the dream does not stay for longer than 5 minutes in the brain.
It is also said that if a man wakes up in between REM sleep, the long term memory turns back on and pondering over the last dream memory, can increase the chances of recollecting the dream.
Let us understand the concept of dreaming from the view of the Theosophical Society.
School of Theosophy tells us that while sleeping, the Astral body travels away from the Physical body and before waking up it returns to the Physical body, which may create a slight impact on the Etheric Double and the physical consciousness. This, at times leaves a very vague and short-lived memory of the astral experience. These experiences from the astral plane are called “dreams”.
The etheric plane also plays an active part in dreaming, the etheric part of the brain acts as the playing field of the creative imagination, in dreams, especially the imagination caused by external impressions, or from any internal pressure from the cerebral vessels. – simplify
Dreams are usually dramatic because the etheric body draws the collective contents of the physical brain, and arranges, separates, and recombines these as per its own fancies, and creates the lower world of dream.
In this way, dreams consist of the astral and etheric experiences of the physical brain while sleeping.- simplify
Now what really causes an obstruction in the recollection of dreams?
When an individual is asleep his long-term memory shuts down. The atomic web filters the transferring elements from the astral plane to the mental plane. It disables the memory of sleep life from the physical consciousness.
A sleeper has limited control over the content and the images that he sees as his memory is blocked by the atomic web that time.
Dreams are formed through vibrations coming from the Astral and the Etheric plane to the Mental plane. These vibrations form images and tales that we picture while sleeping. When we strain ourselves to recall the dream in a conscious state, the signals coming from the vibrations coming from the physical brain tend to overpower those coming from the Astral and the Etheric plane. So the more you force our brain to recollect the dream, the quicker it fades.
Now what really causes an obstruction in the recollection of dreams?
One of the possible ways to recall dreams is to keep your mind calm, and meditate over what little you remember from your dream. Noting down what you remember and guided meditation helps in easy recollection of dreams. A steady brain is very important to be able to do so.
Another way of bringing dreams into waking consciousness is by developing your Astral body that helps in transferring your dreams to the physical brain. Addictive items such as caffeine, alcohol or any other hallucinating drugs inhibit the atomic web that filters elements from the astral plane to the mental plane. Therefore, one should avoid intake of these items to prevent the atomic web from damaging.
Have you ever tried to use any of the above mentioned methods to recollect your dreams before? Share your experience below.
When was the last time you could remember the entire dream for a long time? Let us know how you tried to remember your dreams in the comment section below!
We are all well versed by the fact that every adult needs seven – nine hours sleep for a fresh morning. While most of us fail to do so due hundred reasons, here’s why you should make it a daily habit to sleep early and maintain a healthy sleep cycle.
WHAT DO WORLD’S RICHEST PEOPLE THINK ABOUT SLEEPING EARLY?
Some of the most successful people we know of, have a tendency of sleeping early every night, and they expound the benefits of doing the same.
“Early to bed, early to rise, makes a man healthy, wealthy and wise.”
– Benjamin Franklin, Founding Father of the United States
“I’m more alert and I think more clearly”,
Jeff Bezos, founder of Amazon.com and the wealthiest man in the world
Some of the other leading lights who hit the pillow at early hours to remain alert and fresh the next morning are Bill Gates (Former CEO of Microsoft, second wealthiest man in the world), Warren Buffet (Chairman and CEO of Berkshire Hathaway, third wealthiest man in the world) & also the Holy Dalai Lama.
The renowned / popular health and medical information website WebMD suggests that sleeping early can boost your mood helping you avoid mood disorders.
According to American News and opinion website, Huffpost’s ‘9 science-backed reasons why you should sleep early’
“While you snooze, your body is hard at work performing repairs on your heart, blood vessels, brain and other tissues that help keep chronic disease at bay. Skimp on sleep, and that nightly maintenance schedule starts to suffer. Eventually, your parts will start to wear out, setting the stage for major problems.”
Why does this happen and what does Theosophy say about it?
This phenomenon draws from two principles based in theosophy.
- The role of physical elemental.
- Creation and use of Prana, or vitality, through the day.
The physical elemental has a big role to play in the working mechanism of dense physical body during night time and the effect when we wake up.
Keep reading to know more…
What is Physical Elemental?
In simple words, the physical elementals have two important roles
- They keep the physical body tense during day to perform tasks and help them remain alert at all times. This makes sure, that physical body is prepared for action all day long.
- They also help in absorbing Prana when the dense physical body is relaxed and at rest during sleeping hours at night.
Thus, Physical Elemental takes in Prana from the environment and assimilates it into the physical dense body, hence working like a machine throughout.
Now what is Prana and why is it important for our body?
Prana is a life force emitted from the sun that enters some of the atoms in the Earth’s atmosphere. This configuration can be termed as vitality globules.
Prana as described in The Etheric Double by A. E. Powell (Theosophist and Author) is a “Life-Breath”, in every creature.
Helena Petrovna Blavatsky, (Founder of Theosophical Society, Author, Occultist and Philosopher.) compares Prana to oxygen that also supports life. In western words Prana can literally translate to ‘vitality’.
Indra Deva, the King of Heavens and a God from Hindu Scriptures says, “I am Prana, and Prana is Life.”
How does a Prana or vitality globule work in our body?
- It holds all cells and molecules in our body together, without Prana our dense physical body would be nothing but independent cells performing scattered tasks
- The formation of Prana happens only during daytime due to availability of sunlight
- It is absorbed through Spleen Chakra in our body and then distributed to other Chakras
YOU MUST WONDER… HOW PRANA IS CONNECTED TO SLEEPING EARLY?
So, this is how…
Like mentioned earlier, Prana comes directly from the sun, therefore its existence is unquestionable during daytime, but what happens when the sun sets and there is no sunlight anymore?
Here’s the answer…
Prana, is at its peak level (highest) during dusk and worn off (lowest) at daybreak. Therefore, all living beings must absorb/assimilate it during its maximal existence.
While the sun is set…
- Prana is maximum in the atmosphere
- But the production is halted
- Every living-being then absorbs Prana
- Dense physical body needs to be relaxed so that our physical elemental can absorb Prana efficiently
The sooner your physical body is relaxed, the more they can assimilate Prana from the atmosphere.
Therefore, your physical body needs to be at rest early. When you sleep early, the amount of Prana is ample for absorption and as you delay your sleep, the amount declines as well. As the night falls, the amount of Prana reduces.
Therefore, when you sleep late, the amount of Prana absorbed is less resulting into low energy when you wake up. During dawn this level of Prana is almost down to zero and therefore there is not enough Prana for Physical Elemental to absorb.
Now can hit the hay early tonight and experience the change yourself.
Tell us how it worked for you!
Share with us your sleeping pattern or ways how you can manifest sleeping early in the comment section below!
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Have you heard that the practice of cremation is considered better than burial? Why more and more people are preferring cremation than other ways of treating a dead physical body?
This educational and spiritual blog will discuss the topic of cremation vs burial from the perspective of the Theosophical school with a background of how dead physical bodies are treated in various cultures around the world.
In this article, we will briefly discuss practices in Christanity, Islam, Zoroastrians, Buddhism and in Hindus, before coming to the theosophical perspective!
Christian view on cremation and burial:
Most Christians practice burial. Although in the Bible there is no clear direction given about treating the dead bodies, burial is practiced by Christians as an age old custom followed by the Israelites and the Egyptians as recorded in the bible.
The Christian believe in salvation and therefore how you treat the dead is given little value for no matter when or how the man dies, he will be resurrected to everlasting life in a new body for an eternal life. During resurrection whether a person’s body has been buried or cremated will not make any difference.
Christians bury the dead of the dear ones to show respect to the body. Even though the spirit has passed on to an eternal destiny, the body of the deceased remains a tangible reminder of how much the person meant to them. Whether burial or cremation expresses that respect appropriately is a very personal decision taken by the family of the deceased.
Coming to the Islamic view on Cremation:
In Islam, cremation is considered to be “haram” or an unclean practice. Muslims are prohibited from taking part in the act of cremation or even supporting or witnessing the event.
Burying the dead is the method prescribed in the divine law of Islam. Muslims believe that the body should be treated with the utmost respect in life and in death. Burning the dead is considered as a form of damage to the body which is forbidden by Allah.
The Quran talks about resurrection after the body is disintegrated. It is believed that during resurrection, Allah resurrects the body from the tailbone. Cremation destroys the tailbone along with the rest of the body which prevents resurrection of the body.
However, it is also believed that Allah can revive the cremated body for resurrection even if there are no physical remnants of the body left. So, cremation does not necessarily prevent the dead from entering heaven or hell. The choice is again in the hands of the immediate family members of the deceased.
Zoroastrians have the following beliefs about cremation and burial:
Zoroastrians strongly connect physical purity with spiritual purity. They traditionally consider decomposition as demonic. The corrupt influence of decomposition is said to be contagious and spiritually dangerous. That is why, Zoroastrian funeral customs are mainly focused on keeping infection away from the community, in which after washing the body, it is moved to the “dakhma” or Tower of Silence.
The dakhma is a wide tower with an open platform. Corpses are left on the elevated platform to be eaten clean by vultures, which only takes a few hours.
In this way the body is destroyed completely before getting corrupted. The corpses are not placed on the ground because it would corrupt the earth. For the same reason, Zoroastrians do not cremate their dead, because they believe it would corrupt the fire.
For Zoroastrians in many parts of the world who have no access to dakhma have adapted burial and sometimes cremation as an alternative method of treating the dead body.
Hindus and cremation:
Hindus believe that the soul is not bound to only one physical body, but number of bodies before reaching the final destination of freedom, or mukti. The death only symbolizes the departure of the soul from the present physical body to the next life.
Hindus are expected to work on freeing themselves from attachments and desires and living a pure life that will release them from the present life cycle in order to reach the final stage.
Hindus give little value to the body. They see the body as a prison for the soul that creates attachments and desires that prevent its progress towards freedom. Their belief in the after-life plays a key role in the practice of cremation. Therefore, in Hindu funerals, the role of cremation is to break the ties of the soul to the body by the holy fire, releasing it to move toward mukti.
Cremation is practiced to detach the newly disembodied subtle body from every attachment and encourage it to pass on to its new journey instead of hovering around dear ones.
What Theosophy talks about Cremation:
The school of Theosophy teaches that after the physical body dies the etheric body begins to disintegrate, eventually followed by other various bodies of the man. Cremation serves as the best practice to handle the dead physical body because burning the body ensures swift disintegration of the etheric body.
Burying, on the other hand, slows down the gradual process of the disintegration of all other bodies.
This makes way for evil spirits or demons to take advantage of the buried physical body or of the etheric body to carry out any malpractices through black magic. Burning the dense physical body destroys the very point of origin of the etheric double.
Next, if the soul of a man strongly desires to return back to his physical body for whichever unfortunate reason, the practice of cremation completely abolishes the unnatural possibility of it. However, the same cannot be said about the burial or embalming of the body.
Even though burial is considered a ‘kinder’ way of disposing the dead body, however, the gradual process of decomposition of the body is not acknowledged which makes cremation a lot kinder practice than burial. Some men die not just from old-age but because of some disease.
What are your views about the practice of cremation?
Do you believe in the practice of cremation or burial?
Do you have any other beliefs apart from the traditional religious beliefs on handling the dead body? If so, share your views with us.
Also, let us know if we missed out on anything in the comments below.
