Each Full Moon is a perfect time for releasing what no longer serves us, letting go of what is no longer needed, and for healing. Combined with the energy of the Lunar eclipse on the Full Moon, this is a powerful time for new beginnings and embracing transformation in the coming months.
The first lunar eclipse of the decade will be visible on January 10 and 11 in Asia, Africa, Europe and Australia, and in some parts of the Americas as a shadow across the face of the moon. Eclipses are harbingers of change and transformation and invite us to heal. During lunar eclipses when the shadow of the Earth falls across the Moon it is said that unconscious feelings are brought to the surface, grounding them in reality. They encourage us to let go of emotions and attachments that no longer serve us. We can trust in what is unfolding as natural to the cycles of transformation and change and know that it is all for a higher purpose.
Each month for the Full Moon we have the opportunity to meditate Ra Ma Da Sa, Sa Say So Hung, the mantra for sacred healing first taught by Yogi Bhajan in 1973. We gracefully came upon this video of Yogi Bhajan teaching this meditation from 1989 in Rome, Italy thanks to our friends at Light on Kundalini (LOK).
This healing meditation is used to pray for healing energy for our friends, family, ourselves, and the world. Practicing the mantra and mudra properly will optimize the energy flow and will make this meditation all the more potent. This practice brings in healing on any levels of our experience and can be done individually or in full moon circles holding space for someone who is in the center of the circle receiving the healing energy.
The mantra consists of 8 basic sounds: Ra Ma Da Sa, Sa Say So Hung, which translate to:
Ra – Sun
Ma – Moon
Daa – Earth
Saa – Impersonal Infinity
Saa Say – Totality of Infinity
So – Personal sense of merger and identity
Hung – The infinite, vibrating and real.
This mantra taps into the energies of the sun, moon, earth, and the Infinite Spirit to bring deep healing. It is important to pull the navel point powerfully on the first Sa and on Hung. Note that the word Hung is not long and drawn out. Rather, it is clipped off forcefully as you pull in the navel. Chant one complete cycle of the entire mantra with each breath. Then deeply inhale and repeat. Remember to move the mouth precisely with each sound. Try to feel the resonance in the mouth and in the sinus area.
The posture for this meditation is to sit in Easy Pose (sitting on the floor, with legs crossed) or in a chair with feet planted firmly on the ground, with the spine straight, and a light Neck Lock applied (chin pulled back slightly). Keep the eyes closed during the meditation.
The mudra (hand position) is most important. The elbows are bent down by the sides and are tucked comfortably but firmly against the ribs. The forearms are almost perpendicular to the floor, with the hands extended out at a 45 degree angle from the center of the body. Most importantly, the palms are perfectly flat, facing up, hands bent back at the wrists. You should feel a pull in the lowest part of your forearm as you almost hyper-extend your wrist to make the palms flat. Karuna reminds her students that this tends to be the most challenging part of the meditation and it is important not to let the hands relax out of the position. The fingers are kept side by side, except that the thumb is spread from the other four fingers.
Meditation and chanting should continue for 11 to 31 minutes and end by inhaling deeply and hold the breath, as you offer a healing prayer. Visualize the person you wish to heal as being totally healthy, radiant, and strong. See the person completely engulfed in a healing white light and completely healed. Then exhale and inhale deeply again, hold the breath, and offer the same prayer again, and exhale.
To complete, inhale deeply, stretch your arms up high, and vigorously shake out your hands and fingers for several seconds. Keep the arms up and hands shaking as you exhale. Repeat two more times and relax.
As we at Light on Light look ahead to the year ahead we are truly happy that our work with yoga and spiritual practice communities worldwide is bringing so many of them to know more about each other and to begin thinking how we all work together for the global momentum of transformational change. We will continue our publishing partnerships with the International Day of Yoga Committee at the United Nations, and others, and are pursuing future plans with a large number of spiritual practice communities who share the goal of a “spirituality of wholeness” and cultivating real well-being at the personal, regional, national and worldwide levels. As His Holiness the Dalai Lama said in Dr. Kurt Johnson’s visit to him in November: “this is our true nature; so, we can actually make these things happen!”. Step by step, and thanks to all of you!
Sat Nam!
From Light on Light with love,
Karuna
Kurt
Shannon
For any questions on this practice, you are welcome to reach out to Karuna directly at www.lightonkundalini.com