The Perks of Completing a Forty-Day Mantra Sadhana September 12, 2015 17:04
I recently completed a forty-day mantra practice. My intention was to invite more abundance into my life, so I chose Om Shrim Maha Lakshmiyei Swaha. I chanted daily, sometimes with, and sometimes without, my mala, I sang this mantra in the car while I was driving to work, and I even wrote it down repeatedly in a small notebook. I also kept observational notes in a separate notebook, and at the end of the forty days, I reflected on what I had experienced and learned.
Here are some highlights:
* While driving, I kept noticing chocolate brown cars (all different makes and models) while I chanted. I don't use my mala while driving--it's too distracting for me, but the beads on the mala that I used for this sadhana are chocolate brown. (I'm embarrassed to say it took me a week to make this connection, but I eventually sorted it out :).
* I didn't win the lottery, but I won a few free tickets, and I found a quarter on the sidewalk. One of the biggest lessons I learned from this practice is that abundance is not limited to finances.
*I had amazingly vivid and powerful dream images during this time period. Not only were they visually captivating, they were also instructive pieces of relevant guidance.
* I spent an amazing day at a Buddhist center in Bloomington with a dear friend. The ceremony was beautiful, the catered food was delicious, and, at the end of the retreat, a posse of Tibetan monks blessed my mala.
*Books found me--the right books, at just the right time--Tosha Silver's Change Me Prayers, Tara Brach's Radical Acceptance and True Refuge, Bruce Lipton's The Biology of Belief. An abundance of wisdom took hold.
*My discoveries and revelations, however, were not always positive. Similar to an asana practice, a mantra practice can stir up da shit. Unresolved issues with friends and colleagues rose to the surface and demanded my attention, unexpected technology glitches occurred, traffic jams and crazy drivers seemed to follow me on some days. This abundance of insanity was also instructive, and my reactions to these "surprises" had evolved as well. Instead of getting caught up in the drama and spinning inside a vortex of anger and frustration, I paused, I allowed, I waited, I chose thoughtful words, and I didn't take any of the craziness personally.
This mantra sadhana was extremely beneficial. Even though it pushed my buttons at times, and the discipline of the practice was tedious or inconvenient on some days, I persevered, and I did, in fact, receive abundance--an abundance of wisdom, guidance, humor, spontaneity, creativity, friendship, and self-respect. Even though the abundance I received did not come in the form that I was expecting, it definitely came in the form that I needed, and I can't wait to start my next forty-day sadhana. TM