Planetary transits, the current war and being the change we want to see

 Hari Aum.

It is extremely sad to see the present situation in the Middle East which apparently is far worse currently that it has been in an entire generation. The pictures of bombs being dropped upon entire buildings (which are then seen to melt like sand castles being washed away by the sea) is completely horrifying (it is terrible to contemplate the fate of all the unfortunate people inside). It is particularly shocking to see the large numbers of civilians on both sides who are being affected by this unfortunate war.

Our Gurus firmly tell us that when negative forces escalate their activities, those who pray and do mantras such as their disciples should also escalate their spiritual practices in an effort to counter them.

They tell us that God does permit some amount of violence to take place on Earth; this is part of our collective karma. However, at the same time, they also remind us that God expects us to do significantly more sadhana during such times.

So, let us do extra spiritual practices at this time. From my side, I commit to continuing my mantra japa of the ashtakshara and adding in some additional mantras. I also pledge to perform one or more homams (sacred fire ritual) dedicated to Narayana, Shiva and Durga to seek their blessings and protection for those affected this month. 

There will be an eclipse in a week and again in three weeks--we really must utilise this time to do extra prayers. I will do my best to do so. This is a yogic duty that applies to every one of us who has faith in God and His/Her mantras.

As we all know, the world is one family. What affects one country, will surely affect others including us. There is no room for any complacency therefore.

I hope and pray that God protects those in both Israel and Gaza/Palestine. May good sense prevail on all sides and the war de-escalate as soon as possible. I also hope and pray that other countries help to calm the situation (and avoid inflaming this further).

I should mention that, from a Vedic astrology perspective, there are some challenging planetary transits which can lead to an increase in animosity between people generally including between nations. (Some factors include the Mars-Ketu conjunction in Libra which just occurred a few days ago and which will continue until mid-November, and the upcoming eclipses on Oct 14 and 28. This can trigger/exacerbate the situation further).

Individual prayer has benefit and so does joint prayer, which is the reason our Gurus advise both. Let us join together in prayer at this time. 

Some good mantras in this situation include:

1. Om Namo Narayanaya-- invoking the peaceful form of Vishnu/Narayana to calm the situation.

2. Hare Rama mahamantra-- a powerful mantra for Kali yuga (for peace and general protection)

3. Om Shri Durgayai Namah-- invoking the Mother in Her form as Durga, the One who destroys evil 

4. Om Aim Hrim Klim Chamundayai Vicche-- another powerful mantra for the Mother 

5. Om ugram viram Mahavishnum, Jvalantam Vishvato mukham, Nrisimham bhishanam bhadram, Mrityu-mrityum namamyaham-- invoking Lord Narasimha, the fierce incarnation of Narayana

6. Mahamrityunjaya mantra-- invoking the healing and protecting energy of Lord Shiva (particularly for those who have died or are seriously injured). Alternatively, one can chant the famous panchakshara mantra Om Namah Shivaya.

I would recommend utilising your current mental state to enhance your mantra practice. If you are feeling peaceful/want to be peaceful, then repeat the ashtakshara mantra of Lord Narayana. If you are feeling upset/angry at the situation (what Sivananda would call 'righteous anger' at the death of innocents on both sides), then you may wish to consider the Durga, Narasimha or Chamunda/Navarna mantra to express your energy. If you are in healing mode, then consider the Mahamrityunjaya mantra. 

Or, if you have your own favourite mantras, do please go ahead and chant those. The mantra that you have been initiated into in your Guru's lineage will be especially valuable (as it carries your Guru's shakti/blessings). Anything will be beneficial. 

The more feeling we put into our mantra recitation, the more effective it will be. If there is no feeling/we are tired etc, it does not matter; we can still repeat the mantra as our Gurus say this will still have a powerful effect. Some days, we repeat with feeling; other days, we repeat mechanically. Whatever state we are in, we need to continue the mantra. That is the advice of all Gurus.

In addition, we can perform homams, pujas and any other form of worship we like for the sake of calming this situation.

A helpful resource regarding the method to perform a simple homam is:

https://www.vedicastrologer.org/homa/

The most simple form of a homam with minimum rituals that can be performed would be to light a fire in a homam kunda or other fire-proof vessel and say "O Lord/Mother, I would like to perform a homam dedicated to You for the sake of peace. I ask You to please be present in full manifestation in this sacred fire. Thank you for being present. And now, please accept the offerings that I will make into this as an expression of my devotion to You."

Then repeat the mantra you have selected with the word 'Svaha' at the end (this is how a mantra is used in homams; E.g. "Om Namo Narayanaya, Svaha"). With each mantra recitation, make an offering of ghee (clarified butter) with a spoon into the fire (let the ghee fall into the fire at the same time as you utter the word 'Svaha'). After repeating the mantra for a few minutes (as little or as long as you can spare), then thank God for accepting the offerings. 

Imagine Him/Her returning to your anahata chakra (heart space; where He/She always resides) after the homam is complete. And after this, our Gurus advise us to say, 'sarvam Sri Krishnarpanamastu' or words surrendering the doership of the ritual to God (as it is by the grace of God that we are able to perform spiritual practice, we surrender the credit/spiritual merit for this to Him/Her; this frees us from building up any karma, and helps take us to the state beyond karma, i.e. spiritual liberation).

Simple pujas can also be performed for the purpose of peace. The key point I would like to make is that we do not have to perform perfect rituals all the time. In whatever language we speak, with whatever (sattvic) materials we have, we can perform simple rituals. Whatever mental or physical state we are in, we are eligible to pray to God for this purpose of peace.

So, Om Namo Narayanaya. Om Shri Durgayai Namah. Om Trayambakam yajamahe, Sugandhim pushti vardhanam, urva rukamiva bandhanan mrityor-mukshiya mamritat.

May God bless both Israel and Palestine and protect innocent people on both sides. May the war end soon and a peaceful solution to the longstanding issues faced by both countries be finally found. The same also applies to Russia and Ukraine and all other warring nations. 

May God grant peace to us all.

Hari Aum Tat Sat.

P.S. The yogis say that we live in a 'sea of thoughts'. We influence, and are influenced, by others, both knowingly and unknowingly, whether we are near or far from each other.

The consciousness of each one of us therefore contributes to the collective consciousness of humanity. 

Therefore, at this dangerous time of collective karma indicating rising hostilities between people, let us each consciously try not to be hostile towards anyone in our lives.  

Let us each declare, "From this moment onwards, I renounce all hostilities towards all those in my life. I accept that whatever has happened/is happening between all of us is the result of our own karma/destiny, and I release this now and forever more. I consciously send a friendly energy to all beings (with the recognition that we are all a part of One God)". 

This declaration can help us feel lighter and more free from the burdens that we may have been carrying in our lives. It is also important to release any hostility one may feel towards oneself; medical research has suggested that we/our inner critic speaks much more harshly to ourselves than we ever would to others. And much of the negative stuff we say to ourselves has no basis in reality; it is simply not true. It only serves to make feel sad (in fact, tackling these incorrect, negative thoughts about ourselves and others is a key part of the rationale behind the treatment for low mood/depression in the form of CBT/Cognitive Behavioural Therapy).

I myself would now like to make the above pledge to free myself from any negative energy that may have accumulated within me over time and to enable myself to embrace a renewed, positive outlook on my life as a whole.

Even if we succeed only partially/to an extent or just some of the time with this pledge, it is the intention behind this that is significant. If we are sincere, then this is bound to gradually lead to an improvement and positive change in each one of us over time. And this will be good for us spiritually, and beneficial for humanity as a whole. 

As Gandhi once said, "Be the change you wish to see in the world". This war is a wake-up call for each one of us with regard to our own lives.

Hari Aum Tat Sat.