Meet Shukra the Venus Equivalent in the Vedas

Now that most western societies are ready to celebrate one more year of Valentine's day let's take a step away from the chocolates, pricey flowers and cupid to look at an interesting symbolism of Venus in the Vedic tradition.

The Vedic wisdom was developed by the ancient sages of India about 5000 years ago. The Vedas include sciences such as Ayurveda, Vastu (architecture), Jyotish (astrology) and Yoga. This ancient literature details the relationships between astronomy, astrology and human beings.

Like in western astrology, planets have an influence in many aspects of life on Earth. Komilla Sutton in her book "Indian Astrology" describe the planets as "representation of the seven level of consciousness that are encasing the evolving soul and the universal law of time."(1)

Shukra is the name of Venus in Sanskrit and is a male deity in the Vedas. As in his western counterpart, Shukra is related to the arts, refinement, pleasure, money, love; in excess greed, jealousy and materialistic views.

Shukra is the teacher of the Rakshashas (demons). Demon is a word derived from Latin that meant divinity, spirit and it was until late Latin came around that the use of daemon meant evil spirit.

Vedic astrology has a relation to the old Latin meaning as they use demons as highly evolved souls who have lost their purpose. For that reason we as humans are more related to demons in nature because of our greed and desires. "Venus as the adviser of the demons is a spiritual teacher who guides the demons towards their lost soul" (2) Komilla Sutton explains.

The lesson of Shukra is the recognition that even fulfilling all our desires, there is no warranty of happiness unless you share your wealth with others and find a deeper meaning in life. At the moment I am writing this, the images of Charlie Sheen and Lindsay Lohan come to mind as an example of great artistic talent wasted by excesses. On the other hand I saw a recent interview with Bill Gates, another talented man whose goal has been to use part of his wealth to eradicate harmful diseases in the the world.

As for most of us who don't ave that amount of resources, it is important to reflect on the symbolism of the demon with so much potential but has forgotten the reason of his existence. Another important lesson of Shukra is to recognize that everyone is doing the best they can with what they have. We all are facing different challenges so less judgment and more compassion are needed in the world and should start with a continuous practice of compassion.

One thing is clear, if you have loved unconditionally and unselfishly, you know it is a powerful force that lets you see the connection among all making you less fearful and much more compassionate.

(1)(2) Indian Astrology by Kolilla Sutton. Viking Studio 2000. Page 14.

It hurts to grow up!

By Rocio Morales

During the holiday season, I had opportunity to visit and spend time with the youngsters in the family. Many of them are teenagers or in their early twenties now. I like to talk to them because they are full of energy, hopes and aspirations. Interestingly at different times they mentioned in the conversation “I didn’t know it hurts when you grow up!” or “I didn’t expect life to be hard when you grow up!”

I understood exactly what they were trying to say. When you are young, you depend mostly of your parents and the decisions they take for you whether you have a Tiger mom or a more slacking parent, you will mostly do what they say because they say so and more importantly you will learn from their actions that will have a heavier weight on you than the pep talks. At teenagers years, you don’t have this idealized idea of your parents and usually the teens try to break free from them acting up and looking for options that would make them unique and different.
At the late teens kids stop fighting with the authority figures and start accepting them for being just humans; at this moment if they are aware they will be able to see glimpses of those adults and their impact in their life; something that can be quite disturbing.

I guess the hurting comes from the realization that you are the creator of your life, regardless of the baggage; you are the one taking decisions and watching the consequences unfold.

Sages of all times have tried to answer the question how to live fully?

Here are some points that might help to anyone awakening to the human experience:

a) Recognize that life is impermanent
b) Be aware of you baggage, sort it out and let go of what you don’t need
c) Be objective yet compassionate with others and yourself
d) Become aware of the contents of your mind and how it reacts to daily events.
e) Learn to control your emotions and think twice before acting
f) Be humble, mistakes are part of the human experience, the more you learn from them the easiest will be to avoid them in the future
g) Ask for help when you need it. You are not alone. There are many who have experienced the same as you and found ways to overcome the challenges
h) Find someone who will inspire you by his/her actions and integrity and commitment to be better and leave a better world
i) Learn from the foolish actions that you or others make
j) Attune to life everyday by looking at the sunrise, the trees, the kid trying to walk and all that inspires you and opens your heart

In Yoga the purpose of the human experience is to be aware of who we are in many levels of our psyche and open up to Reality. That is really the purpose behind the poses, and twists and turns. When the mind is resting it is easier to pay attention to the miracle of Life.

Honoring the Earth, a yogic reflection

Humankind has not woven the web of life. We are but one thread within it. Whatever we do to the web, we do to ourselves. All things are bound together. All things connect. ~Chief Seattle, 1855

Today is the 40th anniversary of Earth Day, the words of Chief Seattle are reminder of our place and responsibility in this world.
As in any celebration this day is an opportunity to reflect on how we are treating our only home so far and hopefully realize that there are ways we can help to slow the deterioration of our planet. It is the occasion to be more responsible of what we buy, how we use it, and what are we leaving behind.
The practice of Yoga should open our minds and body to the Universe and to make us aware how connected we are to all that is alive. When we practice Asana we honor the Earth element when we include poses that will touch the Earth like child's pose, table pose, downward facing dog, plank, and of course Savasana where we can be supported by the Earth an allow the body to release the gripping and tension completely. Those poses should not only ground us, with time they will open the body and prepare it to be still on meditation when we can reunite the earth with the subtle air element.
At a more subtle level, in Astrology there are four elements: air, water, fire and earth. If your natal chart has a prevalence of the earth element, according to Sri Goswami Kriyananda in his book The Wisdom and Way of Astrology he mentions that "Earth symbolizes a force that is practical, down-to- earth and cautious... the signs that represent more of the Earth element are Taurus, Virgo and Capricorn." This is just a general rule as when you look closely to any natal chart you could see that someone born under the Taurus sign can have a lot of the fire element on it. When the earth element is well balanced the person is dependable and practical, to extremes they are very rational and hard to get in touch with their feelings. The elements in the chart can also tell how compatible a person could be to another. If someone has a lot of the Earth element, anyone with a predominance of Air will "dry" that Earth quality; a fiery predominance will dried up it and water would refresh the Earth quality.
There is so much controversy on how we came to this planet, what is not a question is that so far it is the only one we have and the clear effects of the destructive nature of our greed and ambition.
Let's reconnect to the Earth at a deeper level and start caring for it with reverence not only for our own good but for the benefit of future generations.
For information and tips on green gardening, how to eat sustainably, start a compost pile and more go to http://earthday.nature.org/garden/
Read 8 steps to save the Earth at http://www.ehow.com/how_136632_save-earth.html
Recycle your mat http://www.recycleyourmat.com/
Recycle your mat in Austin, TX go to http://www.yogasanga.net/?p=7332