Colors Magic: Methods for Self-Improvement
Author: Satguru Bodhinatha Veylanswami
Description: Through the grace of Lord Siva, during sadhana, colors in the inner aura lighten as they adjust to the rays of white light from deep within the spine. The inner aura looks like modern art, abstract colors, which come from previous experiences. When stressful memories are being dissolved, don't hold on, say goodby. Using your great soul faculty and by the grace of Lord Ganesha, perform color sadhana. Flood your aura with the colors you desire. Part of spiritual progress is to admit we have certain weaknesses but we're also perfect at the same time as the soul. Spiritual progress is made by exercising the inner nerve system of your soul body to increase your control of the instinctive, intellectual elements of your nature. Master Course Trilogy, Merging with Siva, Lessons 234-235
Transcription:
Good morning everyone.
We are continuing the lessons of "Merging with Siva" going through them in the order in which Gurudeva gave the talks and we're in Chapter 34, "Colors Magic." The major material came from 1960 and then some of the updates are from 1986.
"Methods for Self Improvement.
"Lesson 234
"Sometimes you may experience stressful moments during your daily sadhana. They will soon pass, never to reappear, so do not be worried. What is actually happening is that the white light coming out from within you penetrates various pockets of the inner aura, and one by one they are being lightened up. However, each time the inner light penetrates one or another of these congested subsubconscious pockets of color, the memories of what created them are stirred. (So, we remember because the light is stimulating what's in the subsubconscious.) This brings up, to be reexperienced, the corresponding thoughts, feelings and emotions. Because they are unbidden, the stress of this intrusion is felt in the external nerve system. Be assured, it will pass. Breathe deeply and diaphragmatically and all will be well. This is a form of mild, self-imposed psychic surgery, as the colors adjust to the rays of white light from deep within your spine through the grace of Lord Siva...."
That's a very interesting meditation to reflect on that. So a little review for those of you who aren't, haven't been following this closely. The aura has two parts. The inner aura and the outer aura, remember? So when we think of the human aura folks usually talk about the outer aura. So the outer aura extends out from the body and reflects our current state of mind. When we're in the temple the outer aura would have refined colors in it. If we go outside and a dog scares us, we'll have some gray in our aura. We go home and read the news, we'll have some yellow. So, it's constantly changing the outer aura according to what state of mind we're in. And that's what's usually thought of as the aura. But there's also the inner aura which is inside the torso and Gurudeva says it looks like modern art. So, abstract colors. And where do those abstract colors come from? They came from this and previous lives, certain experiences that were emotionally intense, they put something in the inner aura. So, the experience created it, therefore, when it's being dissolved we're remembering the experience that created it. So, that's what I'm trying to stress, it's, it's tied together. So when you move it around you remember something. You remember what created it. And the point is to let it go. Don't want to hold onto it and analyize it; you want to let it go. It's on its way out so say goodby to it.
"...If your child is crying uncontrollably and you can't get to sleep, what color would you bless him with? Would you get angry and yell, 'Why don't you go to sleep! I told you, you're disturbing your father!' (Which would be) Flashes of red? The child would be terrified. No, you would harmonize the child's emotions with shades of blue and pale green. An important part of your sadhana is to familiarize yourself with the mental-emotional counterpart of each of the colors. (There's a chart in "Merging with Siva" which has lots of colors and the corresponding emotion.) You can familiarize yourself with the individual physical, mental and spiritual effect of each color simply by looking at one color after another and experiencing the results. Each color and the emotions it reflects are like two sides of the same coin. Learn them so well that the thought of one immediately brings the idea of the other. This knowledge is the foundation of your color sadhana. Enter into this wonderful world of color with interest and earnestness."
And then my commentary is that this is bi-directional. You can visualize a color which will create the emotion or you can create the emotion which will create the color. So you can go either direction in practicing this.
Back to the text:
"You can perform color sadhana in a number of ways. For example, study the way various colors in your immediate environment make you feel. How do you feel when you enter a room that is painted blue? White? Yellow? Another way to study color is to visualize each of the colors within your conscious mind. Place before you a piece of paper of the color you wish to visualize. Look at the paper and then close your eyes and try to see the exact same color in your mind. Then open your eyes and look at the paper again and with eyes still open turn your head away from the paper and try to see the color in your conscious mind. Literally fill your mind with the color of the paper. After you have accomplished the exercise with one color, repeat it with another, then another and then another. By using your great soul faculty of observation and through the grace of Lord Ganesha, you will perceive many proofs of the significance of color. You will soon amass a stock of experiences within your subconscious mind of each color and its corresponding mental-emotional state."
Then we have Lesson 235:
"Methods for Self-Improvement
"The next phase of your sadhana can begin when you have memorized the colors and their corresponding mental and emotional states and this knowledge is clearly defined in your conscious and subconscious mind. Start by giving yourself a thorough, honest, emotional and mental-maintenance examination. Begin by analyzing your fine, noble qualities and writing them on a piece of paper. Then, on the same piece of paper, note your weak, instinctive frailties. These are qualities you would like to get rid of or change to bring your nature into a more refined level of consciousness. Now, perhaps for the first time, you will be looking at yourself as a total physical, emotional, mental and spiritual being.
"Next, decide which weakness needs attention first and begin applying what you have learned about flooding your aura with the color that will effect the changes you desire. If you are persistent in your efforts, you will be pleased with the results. Choose a failing in your character, such as jealousy. Once you've made up your mind to deal with jealousy and lighten the ugly, dark-brownish-green in your inner and/or outer aura, make a clear mental picture of light green and yellow and flood those colors into your aura by just a slight effort of your will. You do not have to exert much effort to do this. You need only relax and hold a clear mental picture of the desired colors. Visualize the two colors and project them out from the center of your spine into your inner and outer aura. That is all you have to do. As soon as the light green and yellow flood your aura, you will feel an immediate change in your mental and emotional state. The antagonistic feelings of jealousy will begin to fade. The opposite mental quality of understanding and the emotional quality of self-assurance will automatically be strengthened as a result.
"Once you perfect this technique on one or two difficult traits, such as jealously, anger or resentment, you can begin to transform other weak areas of your nature, such as shyness, lack of self-confidence or being overly critical of others. The procedure is the same. And the best time to work on the area is when you have propelled into it by something that happens to you. Each time you feel yourself entering one of these areas of the mind, and your awareness is consumed by one of these feelings--in which case your aura has taken on its corresponding colors--simply visualize the counterbalancing color and flood it into your aura."
All of that reminded me of a story Gurudeva would tell on occasion. And it relates to the idea of noting your weak instinctive frailties and then working on changing them. It's a story of when he was young and was going to dance teachers. So he would tell the story on occasion that he would go to the dance teacher, and he was paying the dance teacher not to praise him but to point out what his weakness were. So, paying someone to point out the weaknesses and then working on the weaknesses to improve those to improve his skill. So that's a certain maturity, to be willing to admit we have certain weaknesses. Everyone isn't willing to do that. But that's part of the spiritual progress path is we admit we have certain weaknesses and then we work on improving them. We never want to feel bad because we have weaknesses because we're also perfect at the same time, as the soul. So we have to remember part of us is imperfect and part of us is perfect. So, if we start to feel bad about the imperfect part focus on the perfect part for a while.
Back to the text:
"If you are overtaken by anger and resentment--blackish red with streaks of yellow--visualize light blue entering your aura and surrounding your body. The light blue will neutralize the fiery reds, and before you know it the anger, and resentment are gone. Visualizing the light blue color actually drew your awareness out of certain areas of the instinctive mind into intuitive states. Instead of anger, you experience compassion and understanding. By making this part of your sadhana, you have acquired a fine new tool to cope with your instinctive-intellectual emotions and mental states.
"There will be times, of course, when the pull of the instinctive-intellectual areas will be so strong that it will be difficult for you to visualize a counterbalancing color. So strong are the pulls of the lower nature that it may even be distasteful to think of the intellectual and superconscious colors. However, through performing this sadhana regularly, there will come a time when each time your awareness is pulled into an undesirable instinctive area, you will be able to exercise the inner nerve system of your soul body and bring the instinctive, intellectual elements of your nature under your control."
I like that last sentence there and commenting on it: Gurudeva's last sentence can be paraphrased as a truly insightful statement of how spiritual progress is made. We can say that spiritual progress is made by exercising "...the inner nerve system of your soul body to increase your control of the instinctive, intellectual elements of your nature."
In other words it's the challenges of life, when we face them through exercising control that causes a lot of spiritual progress. Not just sitting on the mountain-top in a quiet place.
Thank you very much.