New Moon in Shravana

New Moon — Listen, listen well…

The new moon in Shravana Nakshatra represents the best of Rama Yoga, the practice of single pointed focus. And the point is clear, to listen.

Shravana is the Learning Ear, and it requires that we grow still, silent, and tune our inner ear toward the outer as much as possible today. The Ego-mind won’t like this. The Ego-mind is that which forms from desire born from sensory experience. It takes in data from the material world, feeds it to the intellect, and then does its best to impose order, logic, and reason on what is almost always a noisy, chaotic, messy dump of sensation.

When the Ego-mind and intellect get together and sift something pleasurable from the chaos, we want more of it. When the result is pain, we want to push it away as fast as possible. All of this is based on outward sensation. Meanwhile, the unconscious, shadowy nature that is at least half of our personality, is looking slant-eyed at the Ego for ignoring the needs of the inmost self, the part that stands at the precipice of the infinite and eternal field of all creation.

Shravana, the Divine ear, with the Dark Moon filling the space, asks and empowers us to turn off the intellect for awhile, to let the Ego play in the muck without acknowledging it, and to shut out the world so we may hear the inner voices of ancient truths and deeper wisdom. Under a new moon, these voices are seeking a path to one place, a place of connection to all of life. The reunion of those torn asunder by desire, by differing attitudes of pleasure and pain, by an Ego grown so large that the hidden nature and truth of our being is completely blocked and even forgotten. Today there is an open channel for everyone.

The Ego wants only to hear what others think about us, so it can be puffed up by the compliments and seek to avenge every word spoken against us without regard for the truth of the speech. By turning inward, we hear the voice of that from whence we came and are forever part of.

Please do this loving act for yourself and by yourself. Sit quietly alone someplace quiet. Close your eyes and draw your hearing inward. Shut out the traffic, the sounds of nature, the voices of those around you. Next, close off the voices of the ego, the I want, I’m bored, this is a waste of time, by focusing instead on looking inward. Focus your consciousness on one of the Chakras — base of the spine, navel, solar plexus, heart, throat, third eye, or crown of the head — and silently chant a sacred word — Om, Ram, Krishna, Buddha, Jesus, Allah, Yahweh, Peace, Love, Kindness— whatever has meaning for you — it’s not a religious rite, it’s acknowledgement of our inner light and the energetic origin and continuation of our life. And then listen, whether for five minutes or an hour, be still and listen for the universe within to answer.

Connection through listening is the object of the work.

Hari Om!