In the Service of the Divine Mother
How can we sing the Lord’s song in a foreign land?
We are spirits projecting into this material world, into this Babylon. We grow weary of our exile. When we chant, for a little while, our spirits find rest in the comfort of home.
We remember thee, Zion.
We picked up a Swarmandal/Tanpura from Old Delhi Music, and it’s perfect for chanting japa (using a beaded mala to keep track of repetitions).
It’s a little hard to tell from the video, but the vibrations are just marvelous. This practice really seems to promote a state of profound relaxation, calm and peace – similar to what we experience at a gong bath.
Obviously, after only four days with this instrument, I still have a lot to learn. Very much looking forward to further explorations with it.
I took the guitar out front of the house to the big rainbow bench to sing the Maha Mantra.
We’ll be singing this one together at our next Key City Kirtan gathering.
“A Very Powerful Prayer”One of the first devotional activities that I learned during early explorations into Catholicism was to pray the Holy Rosary.
I had grown up in an Evangelical Protestant home, but stopped attending as an adult, and had observed no religion for a decade or more. I was drawn to a notice in our local newspaper about a session for anyone interested in learning about the Roman Catholic Faith, and decided to attend. I soon found myself there each week as an Inquirer to the Rite of Christian Initiation for Adults.
The RCIA sessions focused mostly on the “Big T’ Traditions of the Church, but we also learned about the vast and beautiful trove of Catholic culture and customs. The Rosary has been one of the most beloved and widespread Catholic prayer practices for centuries, so naturally it received some attention.
I obtained a Rosary and an instruction book, and began to learn how to use them. When I casually mentioned this to our Director of Religious Education, Sister Ancilla (a Springfield Dominican), her face grew serious, and it almost seemed as if she was in another world for a moment as she said “The Rosary is a very powerful prayer.”
The use of beads or knotted ropes to count repetitions of mantras or prayers goes back thousands of years across many cultures. In Christianity, the Desert Fathers are known to have been using prayer ropes in the 3rd Century of the Common Era, praying the Jesus Prayer – “Lord Jesus Christ, Son of God, have mercy on me, a sinner.”
It is thought that the use of 150 knot prayer ropes by the laity was practiced in imitation of Monks and Clergy, who prayed the 150 Psalms each day. Since most laymen were not literate enough to read the Psalms, they pronounced the Lord’s Prayer on each knot as a substitute.
Then, in 431 C.E. at the First Council of Ephesus, Mary was declared “Theotokos” – the Bearer of God. This declaration by the ecumenical council set in motion the more widespread adoption of Marian prayer.
The Latin word “Rosarium” means a crown or garland of roses. Dominican tradition says that the Blessed Virgin Mary appeared to St. Dominic in 1208, giving him the form of the prayer. The Dominicans continued to teach and practice the devotion, and its use spread throughout Christendom. Pope Pius V (a Dominican) established the Rosary as an “official” devotion of the Catholic Church in 1569.
And so Dominic looked to that simple way of praying and beseeching God, accessible to all and wholly pious, which is called the Rosary, or Psalter of the Blessed Virgin Mary, in which the same most Blessed Virgin is venerated by the angelic greeting repeated one hundred and fifty times, that is, according to the number of the Davidic Psalter, and by the Lord’s Prayer with each decade. Interposed with these prayers are certain meditations showing forth the entire life of Our Lord Jesus Christ, thus completing the method of prayer devised by the Fathers of the Holy Roman Church.
The “angelic greeting” is that of the Angel Gabriel in Luke’s Gospel “Hail, full of grace, the Lord is with thee: blessed art thou among women.”
In 1917, three shepherd children in Fátima, Portugal reported that they had seen apparitions of “a Lady more brilliant than the Sun.” She asked the children to pray the Rosary every day to bring an end to World War I and to bring peace to the world. Recitation of the “Fátima Prayer” at the end of each decade of the Rosary became a widespread practice thereafter.
In 2002, Pope John Paul II issue the Apostolic Letter Rosarium Virginis Mariae, declaring October 2002 to October 2003 the “Year of the Rosary” and giving us five new Luminous Mysteries to contemplate during the prayer.
The Rosary has a crucifix, a centerpiece and fifty-nine beads. The first five beads lead from the crucifix to the centerpiece. The others are arranged in sets (“decades”) around a loop from the centerpiece.
To pray the Rosary, we begin in the Name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, with the crucifix in hand, making the Sign of the Cross. We then recite the Apostle’s Creed.
I believe in God, the Father almighty creator of heaven and earth and in Jesus Christ, His only Son, our Lord, who was conceived by the Holy Spirit, born of the Virgin Mary, suffered under Pontius Pilate, was crucified, died, and was buried. He descended into hell. On the third day he rose again from the dead. He ascended into heaven and is seated at the right hand of God, the Father almighty. He will come again in glory to judge the living and the dead. I believe in the Holy Spirit, the Holy Catholic Church, the communion of saints, the forgiveness of sins, the resurrection of the body, and the life everlasting. Amen.
Then, on the first bead, we recite the Lord’s Prayer (which Catholics usually call the Our Father prayer).
Our Father, who art in heaven hallowed be thy name; thy kingdom come; thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread and forgive us our trespasses as we forgive those who trespass against us; and lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil. Amen.
As we grasp each of the next three beads on the way to the centerpiece, we recite the Angelic Greeting (Hail Mary prayer).
Hail Mary, full of grace. The Lord is with thee. Blessed art thou amongst women, And blessed is the fruit of thy womb, Jesus. Holy Mary, Mother of God, Pray for us sinners, Now and at the hour of our death. Amen.
Then the Doxology prayer (Glory Be).
Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit. As it was in the beginning, is now, and ever shall be, world without end. Amen.
On the last bead before the centerpiece, we begin the first decade of the Rosary. We would proclaim the first mystery to be contemplated, and perhaps read a short reflection about the mystery, and then pray the Our Father. Then, on the next ten beads, we pray the Hail Mary as we continue to contemplate the mystery. We end each decade with the Glory Be and the Fátima Prayer.
O my Jesus, forgive us of our sins. Save us from the fires of hell. Lead all souls into heaven, especially those in most need of thy mercy. Amen.
We continue on in this fashion through each set of one plus ten beads, until we have reached the centerpiece once again after the fifth decade of the prayers. We then pray the Salve Regina (Hail Holy Queen).
Hail Holy Queen, Mother of Mercy, our Life, our Sweetness, and our hope. To thee we cry, poor banished children of Eve. To thee we send up our sighs, mourning and weeping in this vale of tears. Turn then most gracious advocate, Thine eyes of mercy toward us, and after this, our exile, show unto us, the blessed fruit of thy womb, Jesus. O clement, O loving, O sweet Virgin Mary. Pray for us O Holy Mother of God, That we may be made worthy of the promises of Christ. Amen.
We conclude with this final prayer.
Let us pray. O God, whose only begotten Son, by His life, death, and resurrection, has purchased for us the rewards of eternal life, grant, we beseech Thee, that meditating upon these mysteries of the Most Holy Rosary of the Blessed Virgin Mary, we may imitate what they contain and obtain what they promise, through the same Christ Our Lord. Amen.
The Mysteries of the Rosary call to mind the most significant events of the Gospel. The are grouped into sets of five.
| Joyful Mysteries | Luminous Mysteries |
| The Annunciation | The Baptism of The Lord |
| The Visitation | The Wedding at Cana |
| The Nativity | Proclamation of the Kingdom of God |
| The Presentation | The Transfiguration |
| The Finding in the Temple | The Institution of the Lord’s Supper |
| Sorrowful Mysteries | Glorious Mysteries |
| The Agony in the Garden | The Resurrection |
| The Scourging at the Pillar | The Ascension |
| The Crowning with Thorns | The Descent of the Holy Spirit at Pentecost |
| Carrying the Cross | Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary |
| The Crucifixion | Coronation of Mary as Queen of Heaven |
I have found that Sr. Ancilla was right. The Rosary is, indeed, a “very powerful prayer.” For me, it is very much like devotional chanting, in that it seems to foster trust and surrender. It is when I let go of my need for control that I make way for marvelous things to happen in my life.
I have no data on this, but I also believe that the practice leads to a brainwave state which nurtures a sense of grounding and serenity. I can attest that I certainly feel more grounded and serene when I pray the Rosary daily.
Over many centuries, this practice has created something of an égrégore, to which our own intentions are joined when we pick up the beads. The Rosary connects me to generation after generation of others who have kept a devotion to the Holy Mother, and to her nurturing spirit of peace and compassion. There is power and beauty in that.
There is also power and beauty in creating a personal ritual or set of habits in relation to devotional practices such as this. I sometimes will light a cone or stick of rose incense and a Marian votive candle before beginning the prayers of the Rosary, and I still like to use the same Celtic Cross beads set that I first began praying with nearly thirty years ago. This helps to promote a sense of continuity with the grounding and serenity noted above.
Although the structure of the devotion described above may seem a little overwhelming at first, there are lots of resources available nowadays to make it simple to begin. There’s no need to memorize the prayers, or even to have a set of beads in your hands (although they are widely available and relatively inexpensive). Here are some links that may be helpful if you have an interest.
Rosary Army – Dear friends Greg and Jennifer Willits began making and giving away all-twine knotted Rosaries two decades ago, and they are still doing it today. You can request yours, for free, on their website. They also have an app that will lead you through the prayers of the Rosary.
Rosary Center and Confraternity – This site offers instructions on how to pray the Rosary, along with articles, videos, an online store and more.
How to Pray the Rosary – From the USCCB.
The Mysteries of the Rosary – From the Vatican Website
Some thoughts on why we sing Bhakti. Also, little snips of the Gayatri and Adi Mantras.
I went live on Facebook this afternoon to share one of the chants that we plan to sing Friday Evening at the March gathering of Key City Kirtan.
Here’s the link to register for the event.
https://www.alignlightyoga.com/event-details/key-city-kirtan-kankakee-bhakti-gathering-6
This is one of my favorite chants to the Divine Mother.
Kali Durge Namo Namah
Uma Parvati Namo Nahah
Shakti Kundalini Namo Namah
“Having polished the mirror of my heart with the dust from my Guru’s lotus feet, I sing the pure fame of the best of the Raghus which bestows the four fruits of life.”
So begins the stunningly beautiful Hanuman Chalisa, a poem of devotion to Lord Hanuman composed by Tulsidas in the 16th Century.
Maharaj-ji said that every line of the Hanuman Chalisa is a Mahamantra. In my own experience, it does seem to be an extremely powerful prayer. It has certainly helped me trust and surrender to God more.
This is one of the chants that Devadas includes several days a week in his daily livestreamed sadhana. Also, Shyama Chapin has been livestreaming the Chalisa, along with other chants and readings from the Ramayana, each morning at 7 AM Eastern Time for nearly a year on her Facebook Page.
The photo above is a page from the Kainchi Temple prayer book available from the Taos Neem Karoli Baba Ashram’s online store.
As my practice develops I thought it might be good to keep track from time to time of my daily sadhana routine. Here’s what I’m doing at the current time.
Now that the holidays are behind us, I do my best to rise around 6:30 AM Central Time. This gives me an opportunity to brew coffee for the family, and spend some time in meditation before the day begins in earnest and the kirtan stream from Brooklyn begins at 9 AM Eastern.
Silent Mantra Meditation – Usually while coffee is brewing I sit for my first meditation of the day. I begin with a short prayer of invocation and some breath work. Some days it is just a few deep breaths or cyclical breathing, some days I also include a couple minutes of breath of fire to really clear out the CO2. Then I begin the mantra repetition, and continue for twenty minutes or so. At the end I bring my hands into prayer mudra and give thanks for another day in this life.
Daily Draw – I have been in the habit for nearly two years of drawing a Tarot card each morning, reflecting and journaling. These daily draws are the practice that first brought me out of the darkness. They led me to sobriety, meditation, and the other habits and resources that have helped me develop. They’re still teaching and guiding me.
Office of Readings Combined With Lauds – I began the daily scripture and prayer discipline of the Divine Office for Lent 2020. In prior years I have left off the practice at Easter, but this time continued with it.
Daily Word – This short daily reflection from Unity has been a source of great comfort and encouragement to me since I began reading it in May of 2019. It’s uncanny how the messages and scripture passages so often relate to things in my life, and also relate to the scriptures in the Divine Office, and to the card that turned up that day.
Gratitude – This is the time that I set aside to write down a few things for which I am especially grateful. Sometimes they will be things that have presented themselves already in the morning, or sometimes they are things that I remember from the prior day. I find that starting each day with gratitude and thanksgiving is the foundation for a happy life.
In all, these morning devotional practices usually take less than an hour, and they help me bring a calmer mind and a better sense of purpose to everything that I do for the rest of the day.
At 8 AM my local time, Devadas’ Daily Kirtan begins streaming. I find that hearing and chanting these ancient names of God have brought innumerable graces into my life. The main benefit of the practice, for me, has been surrender.
There’s a great story about Swami Prabhupada. He had come to New York City at the age of 70, with little money, no connections, and no worldly support. His guru had told him to spread the practice of bhakti to the West. At his lowest point, he wrote a poem saying that though things looked hopeless, he trusted that there must have been some reason that the Lord had brought him to America. His words were to the effect of “very well, Krishna – make me dance as you wish.”
I cannot explain how bhakti works in this way, but it does. When one feels like a feather on the breath of God, everything in life is sweeter and easier.
I’m a lot more flexible with my practice later in the day. Without fail I pray Vespers each day. I nearly always spend twenty minutes in meditation as well, and lately we have been praying a Family Rosary before bedtime. I’ve also been delving into Paramahansa Yogananda’s lessons lately, and beginning to learn some of the techniques that he taught. These afternoon and evening practices are a lot less routine and fixed for me, though. I depend on the morning practice to do the “heavy lifting” and am able to just enjoy whatever I do later in the day as it comes. In this respect it’s something like the combination of a structured fitness regimen and open gym.
I may spend time in meditation or other edifying activities of some sort at other times of the day as well. This might be a short break for meditation, prayer or (most often) chanting.
But I set aside specific time for practice morning and evening each day without fail. I only wish that I had developed the habit in the days of my youth.
Do you have thoughts or questions? I love to read your comments.
Brothers and sisters, the appointed time has grown short; from now on, let even those who have wives be as though they had none, and those who mourn as though they were not mourning, and those who rejoice as though they were not rejoicing, and those who buy as though they had no possessions, and those who deal with the world as though they had no dealings with it. For the present form of this world is passing away. I want you to be free from anxieties. – From the First Letter to the Church at Corinth
At the time this letter was written, there was great discussion among Followers of the Way about whether or not they ought to completely renounce life in the world, and spend every moment waiting in rapt anticipation. St. Paul’s counsel is that people should continue to go about their daily lives and activities (married life, mourning, rejoicing, commerce, etc.) but to do it all without attachment to any of it.
It seems to me that this is identical to Sri Krishna’s instruction to Arjuna. “Be not moved in success or failure, for union with God is evenness of mind.” The path of renunciation is not required. Instead, we are to continue to perform the duties of life, but remain unattached personally to the outcomes of our actions.
We should not pretend that our human lives and experiences are divorced from the material realm. The idea is to figure out how to live in the world, to be here now, in a way that is better – a way that expresses the values of heaven: compassion and kindness and patience and humility and joy – to feed each other, to be at peace, and to live with ease of heart.
“I want you to be free from anxieties.”
I recently watched AWAKE: The Life of Yogananda and it got me interested in his teachings. So many people on the spiritual path have mentioned his Autobiography of a Yogi as the prime inspiration for their journey, but I had never picked it up before. After watching the film, I downloaded the Kindle version and am now about halfway through.
Paramahansa Yogananda was the final guru in a lineage that began with the “Deathless Yogi” Mahavatar Babaji. Yogananda came to the United States in 1920 and toured extensively, lecturing and teaching yoga, which he often referred to as “the science of religion.” He also began to publish a series of lessons which were made available by mail, intended to help the reader begin with meditation along the path toward learning Kriya Yoga (the practice taught by his lineage).
The Self-Realization Fellowship is the organization that he established in the US to carry on his work. They still offer his lessons by mail. The content was updated after Yogananda left the body by his disciple Sri Mrinilini Mata, to whom he had entrusted the project. She considered it her life’s work, and the revised series was finally launched in 2019. It remains faithful to the original series, but offers some additional depth, incorporating some of Yogananda’s later writings and quotes.
The introduction to the series is available to read for free at this link.
Highest Achievements Through Self-Realization
I am just beginning to study and practice the meditation techniques taught by Yogananda. I don’t know yet whether or not I will adopt them as my principal practice. They are quite a bit more involved than the simple silent mantra meditation that I have been practicing. I am definitely interested in exploring them further, though, and will report back as I progress.
If you have had experience with Yogananda’s teachings or have practiced his methods, I’d love to hear your thoughts.