by Jen Heinen
Right now we are experiencing unusual cosmic energy patterns as we find ourselves in the middle of the short space of time between a lunar and a solar eclipse. In addition, the Perseid Meteor Shower has just finished lighting up our skies at night, right as Mercury goes retrograde. Now is a good time to take a moment to chill out, enjoy the silence for a bit, regroup and ground our selves.
Take some time for yourself this month to relax, let your worries float away and above all else, be patient with yourself during this time of change as summer begins to wind down. The best way I know how to move through times of transition, however big or small, is to ground yourself on a regular basis. Ideally it should be done each day when you wake up, but at the very least each time you remember it.
My favorite technique as of late (and there are many ways to do this) is to use a strong grounding stone, such as Hematite, in a grounding meditation. The idea is to activate the Root Chakra, which is located at the base of your spine. The Root Chakra resonates with the instinctual desire to survive, the fundamental understanding of your purpose in life and the feeling of being connected to Earth.
The Hindu elephant-headed god, Ganesha, is closely linked to the Root Chakra. Therefore, when I want to ground myself, I chant the Ganesha mantra while holding my favorite piece of Hematite. When I have a little extra time, I use my Hematite mala beads, or prayer beads, which help me keep count of the number of times I chant the mantra.
Ganesha is also known as the Remover of Obstacles. Invoking his energies can also help you move through tough decisions, realize new paths to take to solve a problem and clear the mind of clutter. Lord Ganesha is also the master of wisdom and knowledge and is said to be the guardian of beauty, prosperity, grace and compassion. The mantra, like all mantras, are sacred sounds that are formed by the voice that cause healing to take place, or balance to occur. The translation from Sanskrit to English doesn't really matter because the vibrations you are creating by chanting the mantras are doing the work deep below the conscious mind. However, for a little more background, the chant loosely means:
OM: This is the vibratory power of consciousness itself. It is the best way to open and close a meditation. It is also considered a way of greeting the Gods with reverence.
GAM: When you chant GAM, you are chanting that part of you that is rooted yet transformative, powerful and wise yet still deeply sweet. This is Ganesha's sound.
GANAPATAYE: This is the formal name of Ganesha, the sweet and steadfast elephant-headed son of Shiva
NAMAHA: Another sign of reverence, a typical way to end a mantra, a sort of bowing of the head in honor of the healing work that you are doing.
{OM} Evoking everything that exists, {GAM} specifically the deepest transformative vibratory potency of consciousness, {GANAPATAYE} called Ganesha. {NAMAHA} I bow my head.
And so, if I want to keep track of the number of times I chant the mantra (multiples of nine hold significant magic), I use the Hematite mala beads by holding the first bead on the mala while I chant the mantra, then moving my fingers to the next bead while chanting it again, and thus so down the line until I reach the end of the mala. I suggest chanting the mantra at least nine times in a row, as nine is the number of completion. Consider the number nine as a magical “set”, and you can do three sets of nine, six sets of nine, and so on. The typical ending point is 108, which comes to twelve sets of nine. Most malas come with 108 beads for this reason.
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