The yogic process of bringing the light back

Last post we left the story with alluding to the continuation of the story with “the churning of the ocean of milk”. 

This is an allegory for the yogic process of stirring the consciousness, to make it reveal its content and its true nature.

This process is in yoga done by the help of, for example, Asana, Pranayama and Mantra. 

All of these practices stirs up emotional and mental material, as well as work on the more subtle layers of the individual. 

This very complicated process is beautifully explained in this story.

In the story the devas (gods of light) and asuras (gods of darkness) are appointed to churn the ocean of milk (consciousness) to get the quality of abundance, light and goodness back to the world. 

In the process goodness surfaces in different forms, but so too does the darkness. The darkness surface as a sticky, black substance. To save the world Shiva takes this substance into his throat. 

This symbolizes the capacity of consciousness (Shiva) to hold and transform the darkness into light. 

The process ends with Lakshmi surfacing with a pot of nectar. This nectar (Amrita) is the essence of sri; abundance, light and goodness in all its forms. 

The story ends with the asuras (gods of darkness) being fooled from getting any of the Amrita (nectar). 

This symbolizes that the parts of the personality that is lack of consciousness and lack of truthfulness, can not take part of consciousness or truthfullness. 

This means that even if untruthful and unconscious parts of our selves are part of the motivation and the work of “churning the ocean of consciousness”, they can never receive its fruit, since the qualities of consciousness, like clarity and truth, eradicates their existence. 

Music: Jaya, Shantala