My Guru, Swami Sri Atmananda, has a mission: “To divinize the consciousness of humanity.” In order to do this, harmony must be restored to the elemental structure of life on this planet. The elements of ether (space), air, fire, water and earth that take form in all beings, as well as the planet itself, must be brought into alignment with the Divine cosmic vibrations.
How can this cosmic harmony be restored? Swami Atmananda has found the secret in the Vedas, among the earliest of Hindu scriptures dating back at least 5,000 years. This process is called “yajnya.” The powerful yajnyas that Atmananda is re-introducing to the world involve a process in which certain Vedic mantras are chanted by Brahmin priests to invoke and worship the subtle cosmic forces of harmony, while also offering substances such as ghee (purified butter), sandalwood and the purist of medicinal herbs and spices into a great yajnya “kunda” or firepit, where the energy of the offerings are transmitted to the highest spheres of consciousness so that this Divine energy might shine itself back upon us.
For many westerners, the idea of yajnyas and firepits may seem foreign, archaic and even irrelevant to modern life. I had a bit of this skepticism until I realized the timeless quality of yajnya and felt the power of yajnya for myself. I have seen the process transform awareness, creating a much higher level of universal consciousness in myself and others who have experienced yajnya. One of my yajnyas completely healed a long-standing rupture in my relationship with my son. I have witnessed other yajnyas produce immediate effects in healing illnesses and mitigating the effects of natural disasters, such as the putting out of raging forest fires around the world.
If the idea of a yajnya fire ceremony is still a bit too much for you, I invite you to consider the process Swamiji calls “inner yajnya” or “yogic yajnya.” You may discover you actually have been doing yajnya for many years without having a name for it. Any time you intentionally call upon the divine—by whatever name you may use, and in whatever form or no-form you perceive it—and then naturally experience a sense of awe, respect, devotion, or love, then you are experiencing the first two parts of yajnya—invocation and worship. To complete the yajnya process, all you need do next is to make an offering. After invoking and worshipping the Divine as we know it, offering our selves, our service, material or financial offerings, or even surrendering our egoic desires and attachments, completes the yajnya process.
For example, I have come to realize that reiki healing as we offer it in Kali-Ki Reiki is a form of yajnya. In a healing session, we first invoke the Kali-Ki Reiki symbols. These symbols are sacred light-forms given to us by the Divine Mother as instruments or transmitters of Her healing energy, or Loveforce. The moment we invoke these symbols, we are also invoking Her. This is the invocation portion of reiki as yajnya. Upon invoking the symbols, there is inevitably a moment of awe, of sacred reverence, in which the practitioner is infused with unconditional love and devotion. This is the worship portion of reiki as yajnya. Finally, when we place hands on our client or open ourselves to become a conduit for healing at distance, this is the offering portion of the yajnya practice. We understand that we are not the “doer” of the healing that we offer. Rather, we are transmitting or channeling the divine Loveforce that we have invoked and worshipped, so that She may offer it through us to the one in need of healing. Essentially, when we invoke the unitive cosmic force of Divine goodness while holding that force in reverence and adoration, and then offer ourselves or our services from that conscious awareness, we are performing yajnya.
I invite you to take this moment to breathe, allowing yourself to become quiet and intentional. Invoke “That” which is most sacred to you. Worship, adore, and love That. Offer who you are, what you have, and what in you needs to be released and transformed to the sacredness of That. Through practice of these simple steps, you will experience the purifying and harmonizing effects of yajnya in the fire of your own awareness. Take another breath, and feel your own consciousness aligning with the Divine.
To learn more about yajnya as performed by Swami Sri Atmananda, or about Kali-Ki Reiki, please contact the author at [email protected].
Joni Dittrich, Ph.D. (Rajashree Maa), author of May the Loveforce Be With You: Kali-Ki Reiki: Healing Through Divine Mother & Yogic Wisdom, is a master of four reiki lineages and a venerated interspiritual teacher of meditation, yogic wisdom and holistic wellness. From many years of practice as a psychologist and healer, she sees true healing as a gateway to spiritual wisening and awareness of the Limitless Love at the heart of being. She is the founder of The Wisdom School based in Napa, California, which is dedicated to offering online and in-person healing sessions and training in Kali-Ki Reiki and supportive practices. https://thewisdomschool.us
