Sunday, March 14, 2010
Books, Mudras, and Constant Discovery
Have you ever entered a bookstore and felt a sudden wave of joy flash through your body? It is as if the books actually emanated a special vibration that your inner detector could receive even before you absorbed the contents.
In earlier times, books were considered sacred, for they carried the power of the gods passed down to humanity. The Shaiva Sutras, for example, connect us to ancient wisdom coming down from supernal forces, for parts of this book are thought to be the product of divine inspiration. In the Christian world, monks labored for years to provide though their illuminated manuscripts an appropriate home for the sacred texts of the Bible. Probably these early volumes carried discernible vibrations of their makers as well as their contents. Long before printing, books were carefully inscribed on papyrus or vellum or other materials to preserve such knowledge received from above.
And--strangely enough--even the books of today, including the paperbacks, if they are on sacred topics, radiate a special energy, which we may sense if we attend closely.
This morning, I felt no special energies moving as I started my practice, and decided that I would simply go through my chi gong exercises as a form of stretching and exercise. But at some point, I was moved to walk over to my bookcase and stand before a shelf of Kundalini texts. And at that point, I felt what Vyaas Houston calls a "brightening" of various chakras, almost as if the books were speaking to me, saying,"Yes, we hold sacred knowledge and this wisdom spreads outward in energetic waves to those who approach with a right attitude."
At that point, one book suddenly stood out. It was entitled "Mudras," an area I have not given much attention to recently. I opened it and formed one of the simplest of all, thumb against first two fingers, and as I did so I felt the energies move in subtle delight.
Always, there is new experience, a different mode to explore.The Kundalini trail is never dull.
(picture from Wikipedia)
