Bhuvaneshwari Yantra
A lot of people approach me asking for help with regards to where to begin when it comes to studying jyotish shastras. Now, for myself, coming from a lineage of jyotishis and priests, it was easy to fall into it because we naturally lived a lifestyle that was supportive of this particular type of knowledge. However, to make the process easier for all of you who are still very new to this practice, I'm doing this series on jyotish where we begin to explore and embody this divine knowledge from the gross to the subtle level.
What is jyotish? What does a jyotishi do?
The requirements for one to become a jyotishi are outlined in the shastras and I will dissect them for you here. However, we must first understand what jyotisha means. Jyoti means light and sha means sublime, which together make jyotisha the study of the sublime/divine light. A jyotishaka/jyotishi is a person that can see the motion of the light that is emitted by the divine bodies. This also means that one can study the divisions of time and the effect of it not just on human life but also on the natural environment as a whole. Sun is given the most importance in jyotish because he is known as 'Divakar' or the bringer of light so when studying the charts or learning about the planets, the jyotishi embodies the Sun (it is also said in the Brihatparashara Hora Shastra that before one begins studying jyotish, they are to pray to three deities: the Sun, Lord Vishnu and Devi Saraswati). One's conduct must also be like the Sun if one wants to become better at the science of jyotish; generous, open, and bright.
Nourishing the inner Bhumi Devi
The earth element is the solidification of all elements and is the very base of our body. Bhumi is the goddess that rules this element, is Sri Vishnu's wife, and is also the carrier of all the burdens of our life. The very first thing we must learn to cleanse our minds off is this notion of equality. Nothing is equal in nature and nature doesn't seek similarity. The beauty of nature is within its harmony and how it achieves this harmony by balancing things out. Bhumi Devi in the above picture is taking Maa Sita away due to her husband Ram accusing her of infidelity. The Devi here is acting as the scales of justice; Ram doesn't trust his wife's devotion during the period when she was kidnapped? Devi takes Sita away forever so that he learns to value her absence. We all come from the womb of this earth, are nourished by it, and go back to it but many of us don't respect the body given to us by Bhumi Devi, as if it's ours to keep forever. Your body is borrowed from the goddess so that she can enjoy the beauty of the world through you and when you pass away, this body goes back to her. This is why, it is essential to your spiritual practice that you master and refine the earth element first.
Now, I'm in no position to tell you what your body needs, this is something you will have to sit with yourself and understand and listen to it as much as possible. The more you can listen to what your body needs, the more you will be able to declutter and decondition it from what society and capitalism want you to buy. You don't need to eat expensive powders and pills and spend money on a lot of surgery and physical equipment to keep the body fit and glowing with health. All you need to do is find the correct balance for you internally so that it can reflect externally. There is a strong reason why one who does a spiritual practice of any type avoids meat, fish, pungent vegetables, alcohol, drugs, etc. because it cleanses the system for spiritual growth to occur.
Once you've achieved inner bodily balance through doing certain practices and respecting the needs of your body, the next step would be to declutter your environment. If you're someone who hoards a lot of things, buys every new thing that is out there to decorate the home, litters the environment, and keeps hyper-consuming; there is a spiritual deficiency of some sort that you're trying to combat.
Understand this: All of our desires are desires for liberation and unification with God.
Your desire for the thing that you want to buy is very temporary because it will give you a good feeling for a short while. If it's something like a chocolate; the bliss lasts for a few minutes, if it's clothing or shoes; the bliss and the hunger will last for maybe a few hours, and then you'll move on to the next thing. This whole consuming and being consumed business is very lunar because it represents lustfulness. Desire itself is not a bad thing, it is when you begin to transmute that desire into wanting higher and more refined experiences is when you'll realize how beautiful it can be and also very sustainable. Let's say you're someone who loves buying clothes, instead of buying 200 cheap pieces of clothing you will wear and throw and not even be able to love completely, buy1item that is expensive and of good quality and longevity once a month (this strengthens Venus within the chart because you're forced to take care of it). If you like eating, slow down while chewing, relish and elongate the bliss you get from the food you eat. The key to nourishing Bhumi Devi is not just to enjoy the physical body and the physical space we have in a hedonistic manner or as an excuse to indulge. We must learn to go deeper into our understanding of our desires to bring balance between our internal and external nature.
This balance creates the space for the divinity within to shine through, your body isn't just flesh and bone but becomes the deity or source of light that you want to be and your physical space also begins to improve and gives you the clarity to see through things, just like the sun illumines everything it touches.
Practice recommendation:
Now that you've understood the mental aspect of improving and nourishing the mind for a better understanding of your physical nature, let's take it a step further, and to those who are willing I give to you the mantra that you can practice every morning before you put your step on the ground. You don't have to memorize it but keep it written next to you so you can read it out loud.
Bhumi Prarthana (Prayer to the earth)
समुद्रवसनेदेविपर्वतस्तनमण्डले । विष्णुपत्निनमस्तुभ्यंपादस्पर्शंक्षमस्वमे ॥
Samudra-Vasane Devi Parvata-Stana-Mannddale | Vissnnu-Patni Namas-Tubhyam Paada-Sparsham Kssamasva-Me ||
'Oh Devi, you who have the ocean as your garments, and mountains as your bosom,
Oh, consort of Lord Vishnu, salutations to you; please forgive the touch of my feet (on earth, which is your holy body).'
Do this once every morning for 40 days at least with your hands folded before you step onto the ground and this will improve your awareness of Devi's existence in the most stabilized element and help you respect it before you begin to reach for the stars and other planets. Remember, studying astrology is a way of life and this vidya/knowledge only comes through to the ones that are firm in their devotion to it.
“What we are doing to the forests of the world is but a mirror reflection of what we are doing to ourselves and to one another.”
― Chris Maser, Forest Primeval: The Natural History of an Ancient Forest
This was such a lovely introduction to this series, excited to read more!