In the non-dualistic Tantra Philosophy, it is said that there are two aspects to the power of knowledge. These are Jñāna which refers to the knowing of theoretical knowledge and vijñāna which is the actual experience of that theoretical knowledge. To truly imbibe full knowledge of anything these two aspects must be acknowledged and experienced.

The highest Truth in this philosophy is that:

"There is only one Consciousness"

As many of you know, I recently went back to school to deepen my understanding of teaching. It’s been eye-opening to see how many layers there are to this path—it’s both a little overwhelming and incredibly inspiring. As I move through this process, I keep coming back to a beautiful concept from yoga philosophy: the three aspects of the Creative Cosmic Force: icchā śakti (the power of will), jńāna śakti (the power of knowledge), and kriyā śakti (the power of action). These three work together to bring anything into being, whether we’re talking about the vastness of the universe or the tiniest personal transformation.

As I was browsing for photographs to use for this email I came across the one above. It caught my attention because it reminded me of something I heard my teacher say a long time ago. She said that sometimes life does not get any easier "but it does get interesting"

Prāṇa is  a Sanskrit word that translates to "vital energy" or "life force" in English. It is connected to the breath which is how we usually experience it. Prāṇa as the breath is the place where the mind and the body meet and interact. This interaction happens all the time whether we realize it or not.

This week we will have a total lunar eclipse or blood moon the night of Thursday March 13th that will go into Friday the 14th. This event marks the beginning of eclipse season which will last for 18th months. Every eclipse season reminds me of the cycles of changes in nature since every eclipse season happens in a different pair of zodiac sings. Change is the one constant thing in life.

Many many years ago when I lived in California I received a mantra from my teacher:

om namah śivāya

Little did I know at the time how much this mantra was going to be part of my life from that point on. Om namah śivāya is my constant companion. I repeated at all moments during the day. I repeat it silently if I see something beautiful,  or if I am going through something challenging, or when I need to calm my mind down, or when I need to go deeper into myself in meditation, or when I am on the train, or sometimes when I am just walking on the streets. I repeat it eleven times before each meal and one hundred and eight times before falling asleep. Over the years I have come to feel like this mantra is an angel watching over me all the time.