Hello and welcome to episode 103 of The Ask Sri Vishwanath Show. Today I want to talk about environment and the power of places.
Today’s question comes from Julie and she says “I am not able to pursue my spiritual practices because of my environment and the distractions in it. I would like to move but my husband has work here so we can’t. Do you have any tips that can help me?”
That’s a great question and yes we can certainly help you. Yogananda, who is very popular in the west said “greater than your willpower is your environment. Change that if necessary.” I would like you to write that down. Environment is the one great thing that can lift anyone up. Whenever great people come they choose the environment that suits them best. Remember it’s not just the place it’s also the people because they make up the environment.
Environment
In most cases we are just put in an environment and the timeline moves accordingly and we get stuck up. There are two environments, outside and inside. First we will talk about outside and then inside. The thing is, the higher the pitch of the sound in the place where you live, the lower the peace of the people living there. That’s why in places like the Himalayas people are able to find peace so easily. Even a terrorist could find peace up there. Whenever sound is low, vibrations are high. When sound is high people communicate through thoughts and the vibrations will be lower.
The theory applies to everyone from a minister in power to a beggar on the street. The best thing you can do for them is to place them in a good environment. Everyone needs a place where the sound is low so they can be really inspired. It’s called a power spot and it’s the key.
There is a beautiful verse in the Vedas which I think will help you. It goes like this:
Sweet blow the winds,
Sweet flow the rivers,
May the herbs be sweet to us,
May the dust of the earth bring us happiness,
May the fruits of the trees bring us happiness.
Power point
This is how sound should travel and how energy should move. The sages new this so whenever there was area where thousands of people lived there would be a temple. This temple would be a zone of highly concentrated energy where the idol would be very powerful. It would worshiped by a sage who was very pure. This would make the idol a power centre. The people living around the temple would be protected by its power and whenever they needed inspiration they would go there. Now temples have been built everywhere and it had become more of a social thing but the original and most important reason for building a temple was to have a power point.
The nature of the world is that it is always high in rajasic and tamasic gunas so they always communicate through thought. This means sounds are high and vibrations are low and we get into trouble. It’s important to understand this nature. Remember this and you’ll be able to start to find the right environment. So you don’t need willpower. You need to change your environment, if you can at all. That’s the first step.
But what if we can’t change that environment? Like you Julie, sometimes it’s not possible to move. In this case we must build that power point inside our consciousness. We don’t have to physically go to a place. We can go there mentally. When you go mentally you can shut off all the sounds on the outside.
A field and water
To do this, Vivekananda says you must visualise a beautiful green field with crops and flowers. Imagine there is a famer and there is also a river flowing through the field which brings water to the crops. There is a lock in the river so whenever the plants have had enough water the farmer can close it and open it again when they need more water.
In this case the field is you. Visualise that. The crops you need to grow are your hopes and dreams. To do this you’ll need a lot of energy and you can use this wonderful ocean of water to help give you that energy. It’s always there behind you feeding you with its energy. The locks are our body, mind and intellect and if the water is not flowing it is because they are closed and we need to open them. The farmer closes the locks so the crops won’t get flooded but we must leave them open because we want a continuous supply of energy. Always keep it open. Open the locks and throw them away.
Lotus flower
In the midst of this I want you to imagine a lotus in the centre of your heart. This is called Ananta Chakra. Visualise the lotus and see the 12 individual petals on it. When the energy is blocked the petals will be closed. Visualise those petals opening because when you do something magical will happen. The sun and the moon are constantly supplying you with energy whether we realise it or not. They are deposited at the bottom of our energy reservoirs. We don’t use them because they are blocked by the locks of body, mind and intellect. We can open them by imagining the petals of the lotus flower opening inside our hearts.
If you can open them up you will have an endless supply of energy. You will never be tired and you will always have a fresh perspective on things. Keep visualising those petals. Imagine each one of the petals opening to free up those channels and let that energy flow. The energy is there you just need to know how to access it and make use of it.
As you move up the body imagine another lotus flower in your throat. Imagine this one has 16 petals. Again see them all opening one by one and feel that energy begin to move freely. With every petal that opens you are becoming closer to your consciousness. You are becoming full of energy. Now in between your eyes imagine a lotus with 2 petals. See the two petals opening between your eyes and releasing that beautiful light of energy into your mind. At this point your mind and consciousness become one and you will be full of energy and bliss. You will feel so powerful. You will see God everywhere. Everything will be the consciousness.
Try it Julie. It will help you so much on your journey. I hope I answered your questions. Remember you keep asking questions and I’ll keep answering them.
