The Yoga of Jesus, by Paramahnsa Yogananda (Book Review)

Extracted from The Second Coming of Christ: The Resurrection of the Christ Within You, this book has little to do with yoga in the grand scheme.  The yoga connection is best summed up by a quote from Paramahnsa Yogananda’s most popular work, Autobiography of a Yogi:

“Jesus went very deep in teachings that appear on the surface to be simple-much deeper than most people understand… In [his teachings] is the whole science of yoga, the transcendental way of divine union through meditation.”

That being said, Yogananda expounds upon the New Testament’s underlying gnostic messages, obscured by centuries of dogmatic, often politically minded misunderstandings. While a case can be made for yoga as a Christ centered spiritual science (especially when you consider quotations from Jesus such as “Behold, the Kingdom of God is within you,” in connection with mediation), most of the author and his editors time here is spent unearthing a version of Jesus underrepresented in the West: a mystic whose message of love and acceptance transcends all faiths.

WHAT WORKED FOR ME

I started The Yoga of Jesus after reading the Bible’s four canonical Gospels, as well as the Gnostic Gospels and other Nag Hammadi mystical texts featuring Jesus from early Christianity, collected in Robert J. Miller’s The Complete Gospels.

I started this book hoping for a commentary on the similarities between Christianity and Hinduism, and received much more than I bargained for.  My spiritual journals from the time are filled with quotations and ruminations related to this book.  It became a perfect companion for later books I read on Christian mysticism by authors such as Rudolf Steiner and Hermetic Christian Stylianos Atteshlos (better known as Daskalos).

The Yoga of Jesus ranks high on my list for students of metaphysics seeking sound reference material.  Beyond the philosophical worth, there is enough cosmological content on the chakras and the spiritual bodies whose understanding is crucial to even the most passive student of metaphysics and esotericism.

Much can be said for the positive, fast pace of the book too.  It’s very seldom I feel this peaceful and happy reading nonfiction.

WHAT DIDN’T WORK FOR ME

I’m splitting hairs here, but the title could have been more thoughtful.  I feel like it was selected to serve a(n understandable) commercial purpose, drawing in a wealth of yoga and Eastern spiritual students as a primary demographic..  That’s really all I can say on the subject.

OVERALL

The Yoga of Jesus is one of my favorite contemporary spiritual books.  I gave it five stars on my Goodreads page.  I plan to read The Second Coming later this year, and hopefully Autobiography of a Yogi.

The Yoga of Jesus represents a cornerstone in east meets west spirituality and Christian mysticism.  It’s one of the best books I’ve read in recent years.  You could say it changed my life, and I recommend it for anyone even moderately intrigued by the ground it covers.

Karmic Kamelot: Understanding Arthurian Legend

It’s hard for me to sit beside a lake and not think about Arthurian legends.  One such afternoon, I watched a duck turn purple from the sun.  A dead fish skimmed the banks of our stone steps as I asked my boyfriend, “Who’s your favorite character from Arthurian legend?”

“Perceval or Galahad.”  He didn’t have to think.  I forgot we’d discussed this almost two years before.  “Galahad is more…,” he searched for the right word.

“Christ-like,” I offered.  Tom nodded.  Half a mile above us, I spotted two young men on the high bridge.  They leaned over the railing.  One wore white, his cap on backwards.  It was so quiet, we could hear parts of their conversation.  The occasional jogger passed by.  Moments later, a black lab approached us.  I stroked his jaw while the owners assured me he was friendly.  The dog passed, the owners passed, and up on the bridge, the guys passed.

Still on the same wavelength, my boyfriend said, “I wonder what Lancelot and Guinevere symbolized.”  I said there was something Adam and Eve-like about them and mentioned the Fall.

“After all,” I said, “it’s sort of the end of Camelot.  It’s, like, the catalyst, I guess.  That and Mordred.”  Mordred being Arthur’s bastard son with his aunt Morgause, conceived in ignorance.  According to Thomas Malory, (a knight who wrote the first Arthurian novel pulled from older poems and myths about King Arthur) King Lot of Lothian sent his wife Morgause to spy on Arthur.  I guess she didn’t resemble her sister, Arthur’s mother much. “A lot of modern movies and TV shows focus on an alliance between Morgan le Fay and Mordred bringing about the end of Camelot.  They make it more about a good versus evil struggle.  But actually, it’s just Mordred, after Guinevere and Lancelot are found out.”

Tom brought up another good point, about Arthur originally forgiving Lancelot.  Forgiveness seems to be a theme in Sir Thomas Malory’s le Morte d’ Arthur.  “Speaking of which,” I said, and returned to Morgan le Fay, “Arthur makes peace with her, towards the end of the book, do you remember?”  We both read le Morte d’ Arthur years ago.  After the enchantress steals her half-brother’s sword Excalibur and flings the scabbard into a lake, she disappears from the novel for a while.  Towards the end, Arthur and company are passing through some mountains and find her in a village or castle with her men.  “Arthur made peace with her,” that much I remembered.  She was even one of the Four Queens who took him to the isle of Avalon to be buried or healed after the Battle of Camlan.  So there again, the theme of forgiveness occurs.

So aside from ruining his talismanic scabbard, we can take Morgan le Fay off the “Who Destroyed Camelot?” table.  Malory’s narrative points primarily at Mordred, poor, misguided, haunted Mordred with his crush on Guinevere.  Mordred, whose mother was decapitated by his own half-brother, had the biggest axe to grind with Camelot.  Early on in the novel, our famously noble King Arthur does something unforgivable.  Bringing Old Testament barberry to mind, he rounds up all the newborn males from the season and sets them adrift on a raft.  Mordred of course survives.  Years later, Merlin’s prophecy comes true, and father and son destroy each other.

Speaking of Merlin, the wizard made a morbid prophecy for himself too.  During the same scene, he prophesied his destruction at the hands of a young woman named Nimue (Or Viven, depending on the edition or translation).  By the time he meets Nimue, she’s established as one of the damsels of the Lady of the Lake.  By ‘damsel’ we can assume Nimue was a priestess, and while she probably picked up some spells along the way, she would have been trained more as a mystic more than a magician.  From Merlin, she wants to learn the magic arts.  After some traveling, she persuades Merlin to teach her the spell used to bring about his undoing.  Of course, Merlin already knew this was coming.  He consents, and Nimue seals him A) inside a tomb, B) beneath a rock, C) inside a crystal cave, or D) inside a tree, depending on the edition again.

Nimue goes on to replace Merlin at court.  She’s also referenced as “Lady of the Lake,” once her predecessor dies.  So we can assume in addition to being a great sorceress, she succeeds the Lady’s office as High Priestess by the Lake of Avalon.

Why didn’t Merlin fight back? I ask myself.  As a sorcerer, I’m sure he knew the advantages magic gives you over fate.  The purpose of magic, speaking from sources like the Egyptian creation myth, is to help the oppressed find loopholes when it comes to the crushing blows of life and fate.  Perhaps Merlin, having the foresight to know what Arthur would build when he took him as a newborn from his mother Igraine and father Uther, felt guilty for his part in the destruction of Igraine’s first husband Gorlois, or his part in Arthur’s decision to set the infants adrift.  Perhaps he saw in Nimue a worthy disciple and chose to pass on the reigns gracefully.  She does manage to use her gifts nobly.  When Morgan le Fay was still Arthur’s enemy, she came to the King’s defense twice.  She is never seen throughout the rest of the story behaving vindictively or cruelly.  That said, I feel like Nimue was Merlin’s karma, just as Mordred was Arthur’s karma when he canceled out Camelot’s dynasty by ending both their lives at Camlan.

Did Sir Thomas Malory set out to write a spiritual book when he penned le Morte d’ Arthur?  I don’t know.  It’s impossible not to tap into spirituality when you write something Arthurian.  The legend is based on a kindling of Christian and Pagan myths.  The Hermetic, Gnostic and mystical notes running through the epic can’t be removed.  Either way, I’m glad Malory wrote it; while imprisoned, appropriately.

The Mystery and the Mastery: Essential Tarot and Oracle Decks

Let’s start by reiterating my thoughts on reviews: everything is subjective.  What I am presenting here are Tarot, Gypsy, Lenormand and oracle decks which meet a standard I am drawn to.  They are my own personal standard because they work for me, and because they are not cluttered or difficult to read.  They are also up to par with me because they’re not gimmicky, crude or cliche.  They are in short, passion projects of the men and women, writers, poets, artists and philosophers who created them.

Here’s what I choose to read with

For daily draws, I usually start with a Lenormand reading.

What is a Lenormand reading?  The Lenormand is a system of 36 cards inspired by the French cartomancer Marie Lenormand and her methodology; though that’s almost impossible to prove.  What can be proved is that the Lenormand cards represent a culmination of long term European cartomancy (divination with cards or playing cards).  Like their cousins the “Gypsy” cards, they came from a specific culture, in this case, the culture of French card readers.

The Lenormand cards are read like separate words in a sentence. There is a Dog card representing loyalty or a friend. There is a Rider card representing a message or progress. There is a Heart card representing love, and so on. If you had a three card response laid out as Man, Heart, Letter, you can probably bet your boyfriend is sending you a love letter or text. It’s as simple as that. The Lenormand is less esoteric than the Tarot.

My first and favorite deck was Laura Tuan’s Lenormand Oracle, by Lo Scarebo. Lo Scarebo usually puts out stellar work and this is probably one of their best. The cards themselves are what you’d call over-sized. The same artwork also appears on other decks, usually with generic titles. These generic decks are often smaller, and perhaps more durable, but I’ve always loved the feel of larger decks, even if they’re more prone to bending. The images themselves are thoughtful and the coloring sits well with me.

A close second to the traditional decks would have to be the so-called Blue Owl Lenormand; a fantastically durable, and classic looking deck, slightly smaller than Poker cards. The imagery is more or less Victorian and the coloring is a bit duller, but it fits the bygone mood.

Of course I enjoy reading the Tarot as well. For a simple three card, past, present, future scenario, I usually employ the Rider Waite Smith. But what could I say about the RWS that hasn’t already been said? They help me explore the emotional, mental, and spiritual aspects of a situation; which the Lenormand, typically, will not.

I’m a big fan of the Tarot de Marseilles, specifically the Convos decks. I’m just partial to the minimal, clean coloring and the dimensions of the people and objects who populate their world. The court and Major Arcana cards seem to communicate with one another, in a way that the RWS characters do not. I typically read them as a scene with a four card spread.

Halfway between the Lenormand and Tarot systems are the Gypsy cards.  The Gypsy decks have a special place in my heart.  They are the unsung heroes of cartomancy.  I’m sure I’ll elaborate in future entries, but the Gypsy system should never be confused with the Lenormand, just as the Lenormand should never be confused with the Tarot.

One of the biggest differences between the Gypsy and the Lenormand is that the Gypsy decks typically employ about twenty more cards.  They have a larger vocabulary.  While the Lenormand may have two finance and budget cards (the Fish and Bear, depending), the Gypsy cards can have up to six (Fortuna Major or Fortuna Major; Some Money for smaller sums, and a Safe for lump sums).  I find this extremely useful, as not all financial situations you’re going to read about are the same.  The Gypsy decks can get a little more specific.  They sometimes include emotional cards, which the Lenormand  (aside from the Heart or Cloud cards) lack. There are Sadness cards, Anger, and Jealousy.  Gypsy cards offer the emotional aspects of everyday life.

I have two Gypsy decks to share with you, which I may expand upon on later.

Piatnik’s aptly named “Gipsy” deck is probably my favorite, though we are still getting to know one another.  Most of the positive points I made about Gypsy decks in general (more emotion cards, financial cards, etc) apply here. There are also a number of portrait cards, indicating specific people in the querant’s life.  While the Lenormand simply employs a Man and Woman card, Piatnik’s Gipsy deck employs male and female Sweethearts among other characters like the Officer, Judge and Priest.

I am also a fan of Lady Lorelei’s Gypsy Fortunes. Check back periodically for my full scale review; it’s almost ready.  But in the meanwhile, you can be sure this deck is at home in my essentials chest. The coloring is beautiful. They remind me of vintage circus and carnival posters. They’re so semantic, there’s really no need for titles.

Times change and we adjust our collections as readers.  Some decks disappear and others are given away.  But of those we explored today, I can’t imagine myself stowing on a back shelf.  Thanks for reading, and if you have some essential decks please share below!

 

The Goddess Bast

We live in a vast universe. The spirits of Ancient Egypt, skilled in Shamanism, are perfectly equipped to navigate it. Their anthropomorphic natures give them inherent skills and highly evolved senses human beings are still developing. The Egyptians, who were excellent observers of nature, witnessed these spirits in an animistic universe.

The Egyptian pantheon offered their services as protectors, farmers, embalming experts and artisans. Bast, like many a goddess named the Eye of Ra, was regarded as the avenging, offensive hand of the imperial sun. Her protection extended to Lower Egypt, as the northern counterpart of Sekhemet. She was not a less feral, sated version of the aforementioned lioness. It was Artemis, after all, the cunning, solitary huntress, who the Greeks associated with Bast (and by extension, the Italio-Roman witch queen Diana, I suppose).

Bast is a keenly realized deity whose bright eyes are always observing me. She is clear and crisp as peppermint. Though I don’t mean this in an amorous context (Bast is, after all, not considered a patron of sexual or romantic love), there is a romantic side to Bast. It’s in her refined, displaced nature, like the aloof desert cat or strays I met in Albuquerque. She also has the ability to change her shape, as the Ancients Egyptians discovered. Even after she became represented as a woman with a cat’s face, she held in her hands an aegis bearing the face of an angry lioness.

It should be noted that Bast is still a mystery to us in the modern day. What little information survives from the ancient world comes from pyramid and wall texts. There are no prayers from these bygone days preserved to Bast. Much of these records relate to her relationships with the pharaoh, the state and Ra. We do know that the Egyptian people prayed to her and that countless cat statues were offered to her by everyday people. She and Sekhemet were similar in prominence to Uadjet and Nekhebet, the transcendent bird-snake goddesses found in countless artistic renderings and the pharaoh’s crown.

For my part, I felt Bast’s presence gradually, and when I finally acknowledged her, she produced vivid omens and audible responses. But in the end, only Bast can teach you about Bast.I believe she can help us travail new Shamanic depths. If you feel endangered or that someone wishes you ill, Bast can defend you. If you feel you’ve been cursed, if you lack good fortune, Bast may be able to help you. She can rip away negative energy and associations. Hexes are no match for her.

Bast is also a provider who can teach you how to access the universe’s abundant nature. I have known Bast to attend her totem animals, and return them if they’ve wandered off from home; though she is not strictly the “Goddess of Cats.”

She responds favorably to chanting and drumming, like the lwa of Vodou and African Diaspora. Offer Bast fresh water, flowers, incense, bars of chocolate and jewelry.   More information on Bast can be found in S.D. Cass’s stellar essay, and Ellen Cannon Reed’s book, Circle of Isis.