Road Trip to the Heart of Matrika
Road Trip to the Heart of Matrika
When was the last time you stopped and asked yourself “why did I walk into this room?” Or the last time you missed a turn driving because you were daydreaming. Probably not too long ago, right? Me too, me too…
Well, did you know there was a yogic explanation for this? We are distracted because we are living on the surface of reality, disconnected from our true nature. Here, on the surface, images are all around us, like billboards, making promises of happiness. And we exit from our path constantly, diverting our attention left and right, preventing us from arriving at our true destination.
Who is putting up these distracting billboards? For once the culprit is not the Government. It is actually the Goddess Matrika, and she does it for fun. She toys with us like a marionette. This Goddess is the vibratory force that is the source of the power of your words, and the source of all creation in the form of the sound OM. When you are separated from her, she toys with you, but when you are united with her, you play together. As the Timirodghatta says, “The one who is a player with mother is not deluded at all.”
Being separate from matrika means that the words you use in your life are disconnected from their source in your heart. Or that the mantra you repeat only lives on the tip of the tongue. As Swami Muktananda writes, you keep the mantra and your life in two separate compartments. This ‘separation’ that we all suffer from is a part of our practice, a part of Shiva. It’s the natural result of Shiva’s cloaking power known as Maya, and is actually a necessity for manifestation itself, but that doesn’t mean we have to be fooled by it.
So how do we unite with Matrika? Where does she live and how do we get there? Hop in, because we’re taking a Road Trip to the Heart, “the abode of Matrika” as we are taught by Swami Muktananda (Nothing Exists that is not Shiva, P.7). I can’t tell you how long it will take, but I can tell you it’s worth it.
The beginning of this road trip starts like any other. You gotta find your seat, take a few sips of coffee, and get comfortable. Grab your mala and get up to about 55 MPH (Malas Per Hour). Our first destination is just outside of town, a little landmark called “the tip of the tongue”, or the Vaikhari Level of Mantra. As we approach this entry level to our experience, our mantra is usually a bit loud, like the music at the start of a road trip, and externalized, like our car dancing. Also, it’s easy to get distracted. Every diner looks appetizing, every billboard looks like a fun exit to turn on. But if we keep exiting, we’ll run out of cash and gas quick, and never arrive.
Remember, from our externalized perspective, Matrika is like a marketing wizard on Madison avenue, she knows your ‘search history’ and can put just the right distraction in front of you over and over again. As Muktananda writes, “Matrika creates infinite images,” and we fall for it by “identifying with the images or their objects.” This is the ‘play of Matrika’ that leads to the “experience of suffering.” Suffering is pulling off the highway to the heart, growth is merging back on it.
The tip of the tongue is a great start to our trip, the vibration of the mantra in the mouth is easy to feel— but if we just turn the music down a little… and focus…I bet we could begin to feel a subtler vibration in the base of the throat. This is the Madhyama level— Muktananda says here “words have taken form, but not yet emerged.” This is the point in the road trip where you actually feel like you are getting somewhere. Keeping your focus at the base of the throat while doing mantra, or just while speaking, is said to be 10,000 times more powerful than mantra or speech repeated at the mouth. And it also takes a thousand times more focus— which isn’t as much as it sounds.
Go ahead and try it. Make the Om sound and put your hands on your lips and cheeks. Feel the vibration of the OM there in the mouth, pretty straight forward. Now move your hands to the base of the throat, and try to feel the Om there. A little harder, but by no means impossible. Do it a few more times and see if you can keep your focus there.
From the throat we start down the final leg of the trip, towards the heart. This is where the whole vibe in the van starts to change— people (ie. your mind) really begin settling in. There is a quiet and steadfast resolve as we approach the Paśyanti level of the heart, our words turn into a murmur, a muttering— which is actually the definition of “japa” (Japa is mantra meditation). At this stage of the journey, you are re-commiting to your practice constantly. You glance at a billboard, but rarely get distracted enough to even mention it to others. Other times you are so focused on your mantra, that you don’t even see the billboards for miles and miles.
Swami Muktananda tells us that The Paśyanti level of the heart, and the Para level of the navel, are the abode of Matrika, and that in the realm of the heart “words are hidden, and what arises…is matrika.” This means that we start to experience the energy of the mantra, the matrika, more than the physical form of the mantra. Sri ShambhavAnanda (Babaji) often tells us that at this level, “the mantra is doing you, instead of you doing the mantra.” Maybe you have had this experience, or maybe not. It’s a form of Grace, it’s not something you can force. There are no mile markers to tell you exactly when this will happen, but if you keep driving you are sure to experience it.
And this experience is the goal of our mantra practice. Matrika itself, the energetic force behind our words and mantras, is not a physical place, it’s every place. What’s more, it can’t be seen by the eyes, or heard by the ears, because it is what makes the eyes and ears, and gives them their power. As Shiva Sutra 3.4 tells us, “You can’t be an observer of Śiva. There the observed and the observer become one.”
So where are we going? To the heart of Matrika. When will we get there? When we can surrender distractions. How long will it take us? Just start driving.
Lila Sankalpa (Promise to Play)
The next time you leave the house, or just leave your chair, take a moment to utilize your built in, Energetic, GPS— your Ganesh Positioning System. It only takes one breath to activate and always ensures a more efficient path to your destination.
To activate it, just soften your gaze and take a slower than normal inhale. With your exhale, let your mind get quiet. Then take one second, and only one second, to visualize a path you can take to your destination. That’s it (That’s level one at least). You’ll be amazed at how this one second practice can make you so much more efficient at getting to your destination.
There will be detours— expect them, and incorporate them into your route consciously. It’s not a detour if it is a part of your path to growth.
Level two begins as you start to use mantra along the way. Om-Gam-Ga-na-pa-ta-ye Na-ma-ha, with each step, brings a sense of purpose and growth to even the simplest of routes. You soon realize that there are hundreds and hundreds of paths a day that could bring you closer to your mantra. And what’s more— your Mantra will be right there with you when you arrive, which takes you to level three. Leave a comment to get level 3 instructions!