Saturday, August 2, 2014
Spectral colors
Spectral colors
The familiar colors of the
rainbow in the
spectrum
– named using the Latin
word for appearance
or apparition
by Isaac Newton
in 1671 – include all those colors that can be produced by visible
light of a single wavelength only, the pure
spectral or
monochromatic
colors. The table at
right shows approximate frequencies (in terahertz)
and wavelengths (in nanometers)
for various pure spectral colors. The wavelengths listed are as
measured in air or vacuum
(see refractive
index).
The color table should not be
interpreted as a definitive list – the pure spectral colors form a
continuous spectrum, and how it is divided into distinct colors
linguistically is
a matter of culture and historical contingency (although people
everywhere have been shown to perceive
colors in the same way. A common list identifies six main bands: red,
orange, yellow, green, blue, and violet. Newton's conception included
a seventh color, indigo,
between blue and purple. It is possible that what Newton referred to
as blue is nearer to what today we call cyan,
and that indigo was simply the dark blue of the indigo
dye that was being imported at the time.
The intensity
of a spectral color, relative to the context in which it is viewed,
may alter its perception considerably; for example, a low-intensity
orange-yellow is brown,
and a low-intensity yellow-green is olive-green.
Sunday, April 20, 2014
Friday, April 18, 2014
Friday, April 11, 2014
Thursday, April 10, 2014
Amulet
Amulet
An amulet (Latin amuletum) can be any object but its most important characteristic is its alleged power to protect its owner from danger or harm. Amulets are different from talismans as a talisman is believed to bring luck or some other benefit, though it can offer protection as well. Amulets are often confused with pendants—charms
that hang from necklaces—any given pendant may indeed be an amulet, but
so may any other charm which purports to protect its owner from danger.
Potential amulets include gems, especially engraved gems, statues, coins, drawings, pendants, rings, plants and animals; even words in the form of a magical spell or incantation to repel evil or bad luck.
The word "amulet" comes from the Latin amuletum; the earliest extant use of the term is in Pliny's Natural History, meaning "an object that protects a person from trouble".
Sunday, April 6, 2014
Dreaming
Dreaming
Dreaming is a gateway to infinity…the sophisticated art of
displacing perception from its habitual position in order to enhance and
enlarge the scope of what can be perceived.
- Don Juan Matus
Don Juan Matus was the Yaqui Indian, and leader of a lineage of seers
from ancient Mexico, who taught Carlos Castaneda, Florinda Donner-Grau,
Taisha Abelar and Carol Tiggs his lineage’s arts – dreaming was among
them.
Dreaming – the act of shifting perception awake or in sleep – is
honed and perfected by living impeccably with self-responsibility,
ethical treatment of self and others, the keeping of our commitments,
and the following of our life’s purpose.
According to the seers of our line, dreaming is not enhanced by
simple technique or scientific measurement, but rather by the accrual of
a particular type of energy – dreaming attention energy – the energy that accompanies our energetic twin or double, called in our tradition, our energy body.
The gathering of this special type of energy is a daily affair. Since
most of our attention resides in our waking state, the honing of this
particular type of energy body attention in daily life nearly guarantees
a transfer of it to our dreaming sleep.
For example, persons complaining of unwanted sensations or
visitations in their nightly dream need look no further than similar
situations in their waking state. If you are oppressed in your sleeping
dream, for sure you feel oppressed in your daily life. And the
redirection of your attention in your waking state from overwhelmed to
conscious action with your energy body, gives you not only the best
opportunity to create and live your best life, but also the dreaming
attention, strength and courage to amend your dreaming sleep.
Florinda Donner-Grau best illustrates the reaching of her energy body
while waking as she describes her letting go of her usual habits of
judgment and criticism to let infinity help her write her college
entrance paper. She called this phenomenon, ‘dreaming awake,’ and says:
I sat at the table and spread out the
pages all around me. Right under my watchful eyes the entire structure
of my paper emerged, superimposing itself on my original draft like a
double exposure on a frame of film.
And Carlos Castaneda similarly describes how redeploying his
attention away from himself, his self-importance in daily life, gave him
the energy to make the journey from normal sleeping dream awareness, sueno, to heightened sleeping dream awareness, ensueno.
So the tools to dream – awake and in sleep – lie right in our very
hands, in normal awareness, on this side of the veil that often
separates us from heightened awareness.
Mandala amulet
Sky Mandala amulet
Intending from Completeness
For seers, our ability to intend is our magic.
And it is far different from our usual act of ‘wishing’ than we might first imagine.
In the course of our daily doings, we courteously and even sincerely ‘wish’ friends and loved ones “good health,” “good morning and night,” “a good vacation,” “good luck.”
Yet often we say these words casually, not from our deepest selves, and sometimes even with the hope that our friends won’t ask us for more involvement.
For seers, intending comes from our deepest selves – our silent, knowing, compassionate, dreaming selves – which when hooked to infinity and directed, sends a vibration into the world as complete as the being who sent it and as vast as infinity itself.
Finally, glowing with the light of our own fresh action and solutions, we will intend the same forward. In other words, from our completeness, we will intend completeness to others.
Mandala necklace
Persian flower Mandala necklace
Mandala necklace with print of original Mandala painting.
This necklace is amulet too.
Saturday, April 5, 2014
Egyptian amulets
Ancient amulets
All cultures have some form of good luck charm, like the rabbit’s foot
or four-leaf clover. In Ancient Egypt, charms were known as amulets and
were usually in the form of plants, animals, or sacred objects. They
were thought to provide protection against evil or danger, as well as
bringing good luck. These ornaments or jewelry were even placed with the
deceased to ensure they had a safe afterlife.
Mandala amulet
Flaming Mandala amulet
I was told beforehand that there was no possible way of knowing what my individual threshold might be, and that the only way of finding this out was through direct experience. This is exactly what happened to me.
Following don Juan’s suggestions, I had persisted in forcing myself to remain silent, and one day, while walking at UCLA, I reached my mysterious threshold. I knew I had reached it because in one instant, I experienced something don Juan had described at length to me. He had called it ‘stopping the world.’ In the blink of an eye, the world ceased to be what it was, and for the first time in my life, I became conscious that I was seeing energy as it flowed in the universe.
I had to sit down on some brick steps. I knew that I was sitting on some brick steps, but I knew it only intellectually, through memory. Experientially, I was resting on energy. I myself was energy, and so was everything around me. I had canceled out my interpretation system.
After seeing energy directly, I became conscious that although I was seeing for the first time in my life, I had been seeing energy as it flows in the universe all my life, but I had not been conscious of it. To see energy as it flows in the universe was not the novelty.
- Carlos Castaneda
Sunday, January 26, 2014
Tuesday, December 3, 2013
Symbolism of lotus
Lotus
The lotus
is an ancient polyvalent
symbol in Asian culture. Hindus revere it with the gods Vishnu,
Brahma and to a
lesser degree Kubera,
and the goddesses Lakshmi
and Sarasvati .
Often used as an example of divine beauty and purity,
Vishnu is often described as the 'Lotus-Eyed One'. The lotus springs
from the navel of Vishnu
whilst he is in Yoga
Nidra. The lotus blooms uncovering the creator god Brahma in
padmasana.
Its unfolding petals suggest the expansion of the soul. The growth of
its pure beauty from the mud of its origin holds a benign spiritual
promise. Particularly Brahma and Lakshmi, the divinities of potency
and wealth, have the lotus symbol associated with them.
The lotus flower is one of the Vajrayana Ashtamangala,
representative of creation and cosmic renewal and 'primordial purity'
(Wylie: ka dag) and shares in the chakra
and mandala
symbolism of the Dharmachakra,
is also cited extensively within Puranic
and Vedic
literature, for example:
One who performs his duty without attachment, surrendering the results unto the Supreme Lord, is unaffected by sinful action, as the lotus is untouched by water.
—Bhagavad Gita 5.10:
This has also taken root in Chinese cultures with a famous
statement made by the 11th
century Confucian
scholar Zhou Dunyi:
"I love the lotus because while growing from mud, it is
unstained."
The padma is held to be a flower with a thousand petals and is
therefore associated with the Sahasrara
and indeed all the chakra. The padma appears as an endemic dais upon
which deities rest and indeed upon which Hindu
iconography is founded.
In Buddhist
symbolism the lotus is symbolic of purity of the body,
speech, and mind as while rooted in the mud, its flowers blossom
on long stalks as if floating above the muddy waters of attachment
and desire. It is also symbolic of detachment as drops of water
easily slide off its petals.
It is also to be noted that most Buddhist,
Chinese, Hindu, Japanese, amongst other Asian deities are often are
depicted as seated on a lotus flower. According to legend, Gautama
Buddha was born with the ability to walk and everywhere he
stepped, lotus flowers bloomed.
Mandalas in Architecture
The Buddhist stupa
In architecture the Buddhist stupa is the oldest and most prevalent form to reflect the structure and flow of the mandala. Stupas are a dome shaped structure designed to hold sacred relics.
You can also see the structural representation of a mandala
in the construction of most cathedrals and churches of 12th century.
These are structures build around a center point and include beautiful
stained glass rose windows. These windows reflect a great spiritual
presence.
Tibetan Mandalas
Tibetan Mandalas
The Tibetan Monks are most famous for creating mandalas
from colored sand. Monks study for about three years to learn all the
symbols to be used in creation of a mandala. They learn the geometric
shapes to be used and strive to become one with their work as they add
sand to the creation. In most cases, four monks create four sections of
the mandala each, with a helper that colors in the outlines they make
in the mandala. The eight must work as one person and that is the
beauty of creating the mandala in the first place.
It is interesting to know that after spending weeks and weeks making the Tibetan sand mandalas
a broom is taken to the creation and the sand is collected and taken
to the nearest body of water. It released into the water so that all
that use the water will benefit from the blessings of the mandala.
Think of the mentality of those monks that created the masterpiece
only to have it brushed away. This would truly take a feat of
selflessness.
There are a set of plans and instructions for creating mandalas
within each spiritual entity. There are set symbols and set rituals
for creating the symbols. There is often a set order in which to place
the symbols. Constructing a mandala is sometimes painstakingly intense, yet that is the beauty of creating one.
Monday, April 29, 2013
Wednesday, April 17, 2013
Tuesday, April 16, 2013
Flower of life
Flower of life
The Flower of Life is the name coined by New Age author Drunvalo Melchizedek for a geometrical figure composed of multiple evenly-spaced,
overlapping circles. This figure,
used as a decorative motiv since ancient times, forms a flower-like pattern with the symmetrical structure of a hexagon.
A "Flower of Life" figure consists of seven or
more overlapping circles, in which the center of each circle is on the
circumference of up to six surrounding circles of the same diameter. However,
the surrounding circles need not be clearly or completely drawn; in fact, some
ancient symbols that are claimed as examples of the Flower of Life contain only
a single circle or hexagon.
New Age followers ascribe many forms of significance to the
Flower of Life and three similar figures, called the "Egg of Life,"
the "Fruit of Life," the "Seed of Life,"and the "Tree
of Life." Melchizedek and others assert that these figures are symbols of sacred geometry, that they represent
ancient spiritual beliefs, and that they depict fundamental aspects of space
and time. They claim that Metatron's
Cube may be derived from the
Flower of Life pattern, and that the Platonic
solids within it were
"thought to act as a template from which all life springs."
The Flower of Life and the Seed of Life are linked by New
Age authors with the Biblical prophet Enoch,
the Archangel Metatron, the six
days of Creation, the Vesica Piscis religious symbol, and Borromean rings.
Mandala painting - Tribal Mandala
Mandala painting
Tribal Mandala
Acryl on paper
Blue color means balanced existence, sustaining life, eased nerve system, transmitting forces and energy. Blue thought is a thought about relaxing the nerve system to achieve the balance of the mind or a thought about surviving. Electric blue can override any other color in the Aura.
Tuesday, April 2, 2013
Ganesha
Ganesha
Hindu art
Ganesha also known as Pillaiyar, Ganapati and Vinayaka, is one of the best-known and most widely worshipped
deities in the Hindu pantheon. His image is found throughout India and Nepal. Hindu sects worship him regardless of affiliations.
Devotion
to Ganesha is widely diffused and extends to
Jains, Buddhists, and beyond India.
Although
he is known by many other attributes, Ganesha's elephant head makes him particularly easy to
identify. Ganesha
is widely revered as the Remover of Obstacles and
more generally as Lord of Beginnings and Lord of Obstacles, patron of arts and sciences, and the deva of
intellect and wisdom. He is
honoured at the beginning of rituals and ceremonies and invoked as Patron of
Letters during writing sessions. Several
texts relatemythological anecdotes associated
with his birth and exploits and explain his distinct iconography.
Ganesha
emerged as a distinct deity in clearly recognizable form in the 4th and 5th
centuries CE, during the Gupta
Period, although he inherited traits from Vedic and pre-Vedic precursors. His popularity rose quickly, and he
was formally included among the five primary deities of Smartism (a Hindu denomination) in the 9th
century. A sect of devotees called the Ganapatya
(Sanskrit: गाणपत्य; IAST: gāṇapatya), who identified
Ganesha as the supreme deity, arose during this period. The principal scriptures dedicated to
Ganesha are the Ganesha Purana,
the Mudgala Purana, and the Ganapati Atharvashirsa.
Mandalay Palace
Mandalay Palace
The Mandalay Palace, located in Mandalay, Myanmar, is the last royal palace of the last Burmese monarchy. The palace was constructed, between 1857 and 1859 as part of King Mindon's founding of the new royal capital city of Mandalay. The plan of Mandalay Palace largely follows the traditional Burmese palace design, inside a walled fort surrounded by a moat. The palace itself is at the centre of the citadel and faces east. All buildings of the palace are of one storey in height. The number of spires above a building indicated the importance of the area below.
Mandalay
Palace was the primary royal residence of King Mindon and King Thibaw, the last two kings of the
country. The complex ceased to be a royal residence and seat of government on
28 November 1885 when, during the Third
Anglo-Burmese War, troops of the Burma Field Force entered the palace and
captured the royal family. The British turned the palace compound into Fort Dufferin, named after the then viceroy of India. Throughout the British colonial era, the palace was
seen by the Burmese as the primary symbol sovereignty and identity. Much of the
palace compound was destroyed during World
War II by allied bombing; only
the royal mint and the watch tower survived. A replica of the palace was rebuilt
in the 1990s with some modern materials.
Today,
Mandalay Palace is a primary symbol of Mandalay and a major tourist
destination.Mandalay Palace has been vividly covered in Amitav Ghosh's
historical novel The Glass Palace.
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