The teachings of the Mother Mantra find their origins in the ancient tradition of Shamanic Yoga.
I was initiated to the path of shamanic yoga more than 30 years ago in Sri Lanka by my teacher Michael Williams, who, despite his English name, was a Tamil, a yoga and shamanism scholar.
According to the teachings of Shamanic Yoga, we live in a universe that is not substantial (is not made of its own substance), but is symbolic and “imaginal”, that is, it is made up of images.
This perfectly matches the Buddhist concept of “samsara wheel” otherwise known as the “wheel of illusions”; it is therefore “chitta maya”, or “deceit of our conscience”. The same concept exists in Hinduism too; in the “Linga Purana” we read: “the existence is Shiva's dance who, dancing, awakens matter and makes of it pulsating waves”. This is poetry, but it's also science; it reminds us, in fact, of quantum physics, where matter is seen as “waves pulsating in the void”.
Matter is impermanent; in the tradition of the Mother Mantra we say it's like lightning: it appears and disappears, it does not last, it is unsubstantial. Our minds must be deceiving us when we see reality as permanent and substantial. This deceit is, in truth, a cage, wherein we suffocate and suffer, since, if events are considered as objective, they cannot be modeled by our ability to imagine. This is how a person ends up being a victim of events rather than their creator or lover.
Images, which constitute all events we experience in life, are created in a relationship between two elements, which we can call “visible” and “invisible”. We could alternatively define-it as the “human” and the “divine”. This is a love relationship.
When somebody manages to lead all events back to their original nature, which is love, suffering ends. The ability to create with love, for love, in love is the point which we are able to reach through the morning and evening spiritual exercises and the healing practices knowing in the Mother Mantra tradition. And described in the book “Mother Mantra”.
A great result that can be achieved by a daily practice of the Mother Mantra rituals is the absence of effort. The ability of living effortlessly can be obtained by understanding what the true quality of what we are relating-to is in every situation of our life. If every person and object that we deal with is nothing but an image, a mask, an illusion, then what we are actually dealing with in any occasion is the divine. Once this has been grasped, all actions will result effortless, since in this magical relationship with the divine everything is given to you before you even have the need for it.
When personal effort ceases to be, we enter a condition of constant and incessant inspiration: we are inspired.
Even a scientist, when discovering something exceptional, has to give up the need of controlling everything and surrender to a relationship with the mysterious, with the divine, whence one gets the right idea at the right moment. This condition is known as “mystic marriage”, or for alchemists, “alchemic wedding”. This is a concept found in all of the spiritual traditions of the world. Think of Hinduism and the partnership between Shiva and Parvati, the latter being the creative force. Think of the esoteric Buddha: in esoteric Buddhism the main point of reference is not Gautama Siddhartha, but the so called Vajra Dara, that is the Buddha depicted in an erotic union with his companion. Think of esoteric Christianity, Gnosticism, where we hear about the union between Christ and Sophia. Think of the Song of Songs which tells of the love between Solomon and his bride, and then think of esoteric Islam, of Sufism with poets like Rumi, who praises the carnal love between human and divine.
Entering into a mystic marriage means to be in the company of a good spirit, which we can call guardian angel or guide spirit. It is basically the representative of the divine.
The daily ritual practices from the Mother Mantra are also a path towards “deep ecology”. Nature is not a material object, but a symbol. We project what we have inside and inhabit our own images.
To understand nature and our own body, we should try to look at them through their own eyes, not through the eyes of mind. Not only do we have two eyes looking at the outside world, we also have an eye looking inwards. It is through this eye that we can behold the truth of nature and our body and through which we can awake from the illusion that creates suffering.
To open your inward-looking eye means to gain access to a “supramental” vision in which wisdom and love are inseparable. Only through this kind of true wisdom it is possible to practice deep ecology and soul making.
Ritual practices from the Mother Mantra work on three levels simultaneously: at a visual, emotional and bodily level. Working with one’s body is always central.
The body is, after all, the main dimension in which we live. A real change in consciousness transforms our relationship with images, thus changing the meaning that we attach to these images and the way in which we process them.
Let’s now see, in detail, how it is possible to bring into daily practice some of the fundamental rituals which will allow us to achieve our objectives.
1) Reaching the first objective: kindle a dialogue with one’s invisible lover.
This involves developing an ever more conscious relationship with your guide spirit, known as invisible lover in the Mother Mantra tradition.
This is achieved by maintaining a good level of energy in the body; for I am able to feel the presence of my accompanying guide spirit and of the ideas which it inspires only if there is healthy, balanced energy in my body. Thus, the Mother Mantra offers some practices aimed at raising our energy levels by body movement and breath control. A healthy diet is also fundamental. Various practices and guidance for a correct lifestyle can be found in the book “Mother Mantra”.
The Mother Mantra also includes some formulas through which it is possible to kindle a dialogue with one’s invisible lover.
2) Reaching the second objective: how to find the positive aspect of each person and event through the blessings pronounced with the Mother Mantra.
This can be achieved by maintaining a high level of pleasure in the body. When a high level of pleasure (which is also a state of calm, serenity, peace) is present in our organs we are lead to behave positively and bless existence, people, places, and all that we encounter in our life path. When the body feels pleasure we live in a state of enthusiasm (the origin of the word, “entheos” means, to be in God, or possessed by a god).
Keeping a high level of pleasure in our body is also linked with always acting creatively. When we do something uncreative, something repetitive, which reiterates well-known patterns, the level of pleasure and enthusiasm in our life drops drastically.
3) Reaching the third objective: how to act effortlessly and be inspired.
In order to reach the third objective, imagine, during the day, your guide spirit in the form of an animal. Simply imagine your animal spirit being situated just above your head before your forehead. Let your animal spirit, from that position, devour all mental doubts before your mind even get the chance to process them fully. Maintain a condition of mental silence by silently repeating, to no-one and nothing, “I believe”, allow your invisible lover to inspire you with the best ideas. Ideas come immediately when you manage to create a mental void.
Then try to be in contact with nature for as much as possible and welcome the spirits of nature in you.
The Mother Mantra tradition presents many practices that are aimed at reaching high levels of inspiration. They are called “morning and evening spiritual exercises”.
4) Reaching the fourth objective: opening the inward-looking eye and developing “supramental” vision.
To this end the Mother Mantra tradition offers a truly vast array of practices that are described in the book “Mother Mantra”.
