Mala heart
Mala heart
Sanskrit Mantras are very very old and have been used for healing and for facilitating a deep state like meditation for thousands of years. Sanskrit is no longer spoken but it is the language of the Ancient Indian Texts and Scriptures. The language itself is seen to be energetic rather than literal. It is said the channels – nadis – part of our energetic body, are cleared by repeating them and that they work by clearing karma. The traditional practice is to repeat the Mantra 108 times (one mala). You do not have to count in this way, just repeating the mantra shifts consciousness in a calming feel-good way and I would encourage you to trust your intuition about how to go about a practice.
I find the feel (as well as the sound) of mantras very powerful and beautiful. Some I have worked with as a discipline for a certain amount of time such as 40 days and others I have used intensely as part of a ceremony. I have found them to be very powerful, both at the time of chanting them and for many months and years afterwards. It is said that if you are taught a mantra by someone who has worked with it a lot, it makes it more powerful for you as the energy builds up with use and that gets passed on – hence the power of teacher to student over the years in Spiritual Traditions.
There are many many mantras and they are all for different purposes, eg healing or spiritual growth. Finding the right mantra is important – one you feel drawn to. Although there is also the story of the 2 monks watching one of their brothers walking on water and commenting to each other ‘He’s using the wrong chant!’ yet he was still walking on water!
I invite you to come and experience the power of sacred healing chanting for yourself. Whilst they can be used for facilitating a meditative state, many people also find them to be uplifting and joyful especially when sung. Since our lovely regular space in Herne Bay closed, I am now holding regular monthly sessions again at a lovely new venue in Whitstable – Shakti Den on Monday afternoons at 2pm once a month on the second Monday of the month. Please see Events for all the upcoming group sessions.
Earth based Sacred Chanting is also held regularly near canterbury at The Quiet View. Please see Events page for what’s on.