The sages have spoken. There is a Natural Order to the Universe and all that She contains. She, because of Her relationship with Source. She is Twin Sister, the Wife and the Mother of Creation. She is the Force, of Source. And yet He birthed Her – go figure. Just one more Creation Myth to help us make sense of this profound complexity called Life. And yet again, every sage of every tradition known to Man, since the beginning, has held this Truth to be self-evident. Maybe that’s the problem – this self-examination that necessitates a self-comparison against everything It observes.
Ardhana-Ishwara is an androgyny. I admit, the pretty colors that the Indians use to depict Them enchant me. Even Guru encouraged me once upon a time to hang an image of Them in my room, before counseling me against any image whatsoever, only to return to innocence and normalcy and once more be free to entertain any image at all. And why not? I am a man, innocence itself born from the same Love Marriage of the Natural Order as you. The beautiful love-child of Their Union, I dance in celebration of that Union with flowers in my hair, kicking up rainbows with every footfall. Oh, here I go again, waxing poetic. Forgive me; I’m just a little kid with too many words for my own good, and just like any little kid who knows no better, when I look out into the world, all I see is me, and many more like me. Surely we’re all related. My Sisters and Mothers and Brothers and Fathers all. But if we’re not, if this is just my illusion, forgive me; I don’t know anything. I’m innocent.
The sages have spoken. Self is everything it observes, and what it observes is that Original Beauty born of that Original Love, and so I love all that I observe. This is the Natural Order, and the response of innocence to Life. For it is written that God Created the Heaven & the Earth, and that Heaven is within each Child of the Earth, and to know my place in Heaven is to know myself as a Child of Heaven, and Be, as but One Child among the Creation. Original innocence. Knowing nothing. I Am. Bolenath. Tat tvam asi.
Actually Source is not a Male, nor Force a Female; the asexual cell-division of mitosis comes to mind. They are identical. In the beginning was only One; that’s the Origin Story. One begat Two. So what is all this bloody nuisance of yin-yang, masculine-feminine and God-Goddess-Nature alluding to? How did the story become Paternal and Fraternal? And does it really matter at all? The divisions. The hierarchies. Real Yoga takes us to the crux of the problem, coaxing division into Union, reining in the hierarchies with keen discrimination. Gyan. Viveka Samskara, burning away the impressions of nonsense with penetrating insight and impeccable analysis until Nothing is left but Truth. Putting the 3rd Eye to proper use. This is the Way of the Jnani and the Path of Knowledge.
Real Yoga shows us several Paths to the Goal of Union and Self-realization, paths to the re-discovery of innocence drowned out in the noise of experience. Paths to recollection of freedom forgotten in choices made. Paths to Self-mastery of a human nature seemingly disconnected from its Mother Nature. Tantra. Real Yoga. Showing us a Way to remembrance of the Original Beauty before judgement pronounced this and that good and bad. It was such a long time ago, wasn’t it? Mommy told us not to put that in our mouths. Daddy said it was dangerous. But look, you’re walking! Such a good baby. Hey, don’t throw the macaroni on the floor!
Still, a few of us Remember Neverland, don’t we? There’s an ache deep down, and it burns. Most of us turn it off and get on with the grind, only much later bemoaning an intangible something forgotten. Heaven help you were the Pan to suddenly alight on your windowsill and ask you to play. You might die of heart failure on the spot! Some of us rebel against indoctrination though, and rebel hard, holding fast to the innocence only to fall down a different rabbit hole of experience. A few lucky ones will find their way home out the other side. Some of us enter a labyrinth searching for an ephemeral dream never to return at all. Forward. Forward we all march to our fate.
The sages have spoken, they who have walked these paths before us. They’ve left us breadcrumbs to follow, and thanks God! Whoever said we must walk the Wheel of Life alone? They’ve left us incredibly precise maps of the entire existential reality in order that we might get clear of the haze that gradually, but inexorably begins to press down upon us and put us to sleep far too young. The sages have defined with impeccable attention to detail, the Principles of our Reality (Tattvas) and the Qualities or Attributes (Gunas) that comprise Her Limitations & Capacities in this physical manifestation. Three qualities, Sattva, Tamas and Rajas meaning something like Equanimeous, Active and Inertial respectively. Three qualities to describe all the principles that have coalesced and wrapped themselves up to become Me. I am every Element (Tri-Dosha); Fire, Water & Air find their place in the Earth that is Me. What about Spirit, you ask?
The sages have spoken. Depending on the proclivity of Spirit, the interest and direction of the Soul Rider that holds the reins of my Chariot and guides the mind from its place deep within me at the center of the layers (Koshas), there are various Paths of Activity that I might want to engage in, simply for the purpose of realizing my Nature, the literal extent of my freedom, the nature of my capacities and limitations as a human being, and as a spark of the Origin Story. Real Yoga exists to bring you back to utter normalcy and return you to innocence. Gyana Yoga for we who are predisposed to applications of intellection. Hatha for we who are predisposed to force and power. Bhakti Yoga for we who are predisposed to follow the Heart – ultimately they are the same! And they lead to the same place – Union. Remembrance.
Wake up! Food fight! Play! Play! Be happy! You are free! Free to do what you do and be what you are while sailing across this great Ocean of Beauty and Bliss.
Come play with me in my Private Facebook Group Real Yoga.
…is a Saiva Tantrika, Gyana Yogi and founder of Uma Maheshwara Yoga & Ayurveda. David has an MA in Semiotics, lives in Japan with his family and works as a coach in L & D, devoting his time to developing science-based tools and programs that help people reach the fullest potential of the human condition.