Working with Vedic Deities as a Westerner
Long before I studied yoga, the deities from India fascinated me. When I would see them in stores, where they were all lined up, I always wanted to know who was who and what their story was. I also remember somehow knowing that there were mantras connected to them, possibly from reading about it in books or seeing it in a movie.
When I started studying yoga, I got a surface introduction, but I still didn't really know how to relate with them.
One day in yoga teacher training, we did a japa practice (mantra repetition), of om gam ganapataye namah. My dear teacher Krishna explained that this was a Ganesha mantra, but not much more than that. About halfway through the 108 repetitions, I felt Ganesha. I can't really describe it in words, but I felt the energy of the mantra moving through my body and mind.
It was an interesting experience, but the real relationship began when I left my marriage. This was the starting point for a sequence of events that included, a divorce, both of my children leaving for college, living on my own for the first time in my life, Covid quarantine, losing a dear friend to cancer, a breast cancer scare of my own, and leaving a financially secure career in admin to devote myself full time to my healing arts business.
For about 3 solid years, I was turned inside out again and again. And every day, I would chant. Sometimes to one deity, sometimes to all of them. I poured my whole heart into my practice because I wanted to understand. I wanted to understand my life, why I was the way I was, why other people were the way they were. I wanted to be able to access my heart again which had locked down so tight it physically heart. I wanted to know, what I was suppose to do now?
Little by little, I began to get answers. Sometimes in meditation, sometimes from a feather or a hawk that would appear at precisely the right moment or a random email that would pop up for no apparent reason. I began to realize that I was actually having a conversation with the universe, and that it all traced back to my chanting practice.
What I've learned since then, is that the beautiful and ornate forms of the gods and goddesses came quite a bit later than when many of them were first mentioned in the Vedas. They were originally understood through the qualities they embodied.
The devas and devatas, as they are called in Sanskrit are essentially individual strands of universal intelligence that are woven into the matrix of our external world, as well as our inner world. When we chant, we vibrationally align with the essence of these qualities, activating them both inside and out.
For example, when we chant to Ganesha, we are activating a vibrational force that amoung other things, helps us to remove obstacles from our path, both inside of ourselves and out in the world as well.
The forms give our minds something concrete to focus on, the stories help us relate, and the iconography is adorned with symbols to remind us at a quick glance what function they perform. But beyond that, there is a relationship that can be formed with the divine that infuses an awareness of how sacred this life is and that you are part of this sacredness.
So, if you’re curious or feel drawn to learn more about these beings of light, don’t feel shy just because you didn’t grow up with them. Their wisdom is universal.
Starting this month, I’ll be offering a Vedic Chanting for Beginners series that will focus on getting to know popular deities along a corresponding mantra. For more info click HERE.