An Afternoon's Meditation

"We send vibration out into the Universe ….and the Universe answers us back.” - Manorama

Yesterday was spent in meditation sitting by a stream in the Pennsylvania countryside. I took part in a silent retreat.  I did little in the way of participation with the larger group I went primarily for the opportunity to sit alone for a few hours with a clear intention. 

When I got there I found a spot by the stream then moved to a small rock island in the middle of the water. I had to wade through a little ways to get to the middle but I was all alone on the water. I heard nothing but the flow of the water over the rocks, the wind in the trees and the sound of my own heartbeat.

My goal for the day was to become more familiar with the three female deity mantras. I had already created a short kriya for myself last week, to recite the three goddess mantras, one mala a day for a week, the first week would be Lakshmi, then Durga, then Saraswati. I’ve been working with the Lakshmi mantra everyday over the 6 days. I'd start with that, then I'd move to Durga and last, Saraswati. 

I felt the Saraswati mantra would be particularly powerful in that place next to a flowing stream. Saraswati is first a river goddess. Her other many attributes flow (pun intended) from her first being a river goddess. Learning, music, study these attributes came later in her evolution. I saved her mantra for last, wanting to have time to sink into myself, by then I would have better focus and I wanted to be focused to chant the river goddess' mantra while sitting in the middle of a fast running stream. 

Sitting by the water, watching the flow of the stream as it passed,  I began chanting inwardly the deity mantras as I had learned them listening to Thomas Ashley-Farrand’s “Mantra: Sacred Words of Power” on CD.  I began with a single round of the Lakshmi mantra. I put Lakshmi first.  I’m the most familiar with the mantra, so she came first, one mala, 108 recitations. 

 “Aum Shreem Lakshmyay Swaha,

Aum Shreem Lakshmyay Swaha,

Aum Shreem Lakshmyay Swaha” 

Lakshmi, abundance, friends, food, money…I played the images through my mind as I chanted inwardly, silently, moving the vibration through my mind at the point of arising, behind the third eye. 

Next came Durga: 

“Aum dum Dugayay Namaha, 

Aum dum Dugayay Namaha,

Aum dum Dugayay Namaha,” 

Durga, her name in sanskrit means 'invincible', she is the mother protector of all beings, even the Gods go to her for protection. She is the slayer of demons, with her beautiful shining face and her many arms full of weapons to protect the innocent from harm, we certainly need more Durga energy in our world right now! 

Around the bead string 3 times. I was feeling amazing, light, clear, hollow but not empty. By now the sun was shining, the flowers above me  were illuminated by the bright sunlight and the air was sweet with the smell of flowers and the sound of the moving water. 

Third in the feminine trinity, Saraswati, I had saved her for last on purpose. I began the first round of her mantra: 

“Om aiym Saraswatyay Swaha,

Om aiym Saraswatyay Swaha,

Om aiym Saraswatyay Swaha”

Saraswati, goddess of rivers, streams, flowing waters, she is the imaginative force of Brahma’s creation and keeper of the deep secrets of the natural world, . Her attributes are: wisdom; the life force of water; healing; grace; scholarly study; music; language; writing; the power of words; even the vibration of words. Words which are the source of creation itself. She is also the goddess of mantra itself which gives her mantra great vibrational power. 

She floats on a white lotus blossom, symbolic of pure wisdom. 

Thinking of these attributes of Saraswati, I suddenly felt the urge to open my eyes. I looked across the stream, about 60 feet from where I sat, to the other bank, I saw a large weasel, with black fur, emerge from an overhanging tree root. At first I thought it was a feret, but then realized it was way too big. It was at least 18 inches long, and black from it’s pointy head to the tip of its tail. It quickly ran along the bank and disappeared out of sight.  I looked back at the tree root from which the animal emerged but saw only blackness, darkness, “deep secrets of the natural world” I thought to myself. 

Interesting that the weasel appeared just as I started the Saraswati mantra….Manorama has a saying that resonates true for me, (and this was a perfect example): "We send vibration out into the Universe ….and the Universe answers us back.”

 On this day the reply came pretty quick! ...the deep secrets of the natural world... A thought crossed my mind. The things that are in front of us that we don't or can't see.

I closed my eyes and returned to my meditation. As I finished my first round  I heard a loud, “KAW-KAW-KAW” and a shadow passed over my closed eyes. I looked up to see a blue heron, with wings splayed wide flying over the middle of the creek, he was flying low, about 20 feet above me, I measured his wing span at about 7 feet wide (and I’m a pretty good estimator of size, having been a carpenter for 25 years). 

I stopped the repetition of the mantra and grabbed my phone to take his picture. He perched high up in a tree about 30 yards from where I sat. The minute I pointed the phone at him he turned sideways and his natural camouflage made him almost invisible! He didn’t want his picture taken! 

With all of this going on I continued chanting the mantra inwardly but I kept my eyes open. Saraswati was revealing herself to me, granting insight into the natural world that existed by the creek. The river goddess revealing the hidden nature in that creek bend to me as I chanted her mantra. She began as a river goddess, thousands of years ago, the Arryans built a great civilization around the Saraswat River. The river itself is long ago dried up, only the goddess' name remains, a reminder of those ancient times living by the river.

I continued my chant to Saraswati when two large birds flew overhead. The heron, along with his mate, had come again. His mate, who was only slightly smaller and a lighter steely gray color, swooped down to the water, landed on a rock about 15 yards from where I continued to sit looking downstream, reached out with one long leg and snatched a fish from the water in her claw then flew off further downstream, the same direction he had flown when I first saw him. 

The male heron flew up and down the stream once more before I left for the day. He was  still faster than my ability to snap his picture! The weasel didn’t return from hunting by the time I picked up my mat and meditation cushion to leave. I didn’t see it again. 

Naturally, I wonder if my invocation to the goddess of rivers had anything to do with my seeing the animals who make their home by the water. I have sat by other streams, I’ve only seen one other heron, and that was in a nature preserve, not by a creek bank. I’ve never seen a weasel outside a zoo. What I find most provocative was the timing of their appearance. Which happened within a minute of my beginning to chant the Saraswati mantra. 

But such things shall be, as they should be, a mystery. 

I walked back towards my car, said goodbye to the teacher running the retreat (I think she was a little worried I was having a bad time) and slowly drove away. As I turned onto the main road to go home, I realized that I was only driving 20 miles per hour in a 45 zone. Not typical for me! I took a few miles to get used to driving at a normal speed, and by the time I reached the highway I was back up to 65 ! 

How different the pace of nature is to our modern pace. We race through life so quickly , always going to the next thing. 

Taking the time to connect deeply with nature is the perfect antidote !