HOMA HEALING FIRES in MEXICO, NORTH AMERICA

"Honour each man as your brother.
Every woman as your sister.
Do not be swayed by party politics and senseless rhetoric.
Do not give into fear."

- Shree Vasant -

"We are nearer now.
See the Light before you.
Take heart.
Move in Light, toward the Light."   

- Master Shree Vasant - 

"It is important to entertain no judgment. No judgment of any sort. Imagine if the world was full of people who did not pass judgment. There is so much joy inside your heart. Release all judgment. Then there is no expectation, no disappointment. Only LOVE."
 
- Master Shree Vasant  -

Diana Molano and Endir Rozo wrote:

"We share with you the happiness we felt when doing Agnihotra in the sacred lagoon of Ubaque and being aware and practicing Tryambakam Homa during the closing of the Lion portal. The joy of meeting, of feeling that Mother Earth responds to our offerings immediately and in opulence, that our heart is in synchrony with everything and that synchronization occurs when we are

"More meditations. Dance. Chant. Assimilate all that you have been given. More silent meditation. Affirm the holy in all manner of thought, word and deed. Never utter a single word of judgment. Never utter a single word condemning another. Take care what you think, hence what is your written word. Let it always be that of TRUTH."

- Master Shree Vasant -

"We do not ask you to follow a certain package of beliefs, nor do we ask that you adhere to principles which are foreign or difficult. All that is given is given out of love and can be found in all scriptures, the words on the tongues of all great prophets and sages."  

- Master Shree Vasant -

"At this stage you really have to go into more humility. You are becoming more and more humble, but you have to take hold of experiences with very difficult people who test your reactions all the time. These very people will help you achieve humility."  

- Master Shree Vasant -

"When some awareness comes, fulfilling earthly desires ceases to be the person’s goal in life. Once he or she becomes God oriented and not self oriented he/she realized that there is indeed a Higher Will, a Divine Plan. They realize there is no higher purpose other than to become unified with the creator of all beings. Then begins the person’s surrender.

The meetings to share Agnihotra in groups in the open, underneath trees and below the stars, are happening again frequently and with great joy, there are always occasions like Earth Day, moon days, etc.
(Photos of encounters in Eggersdorf, sent by Reiner Szcypior.)

In previous Homa Health Newsletter editions we have been focusing on medicinal herbs that are easy to grow and common worldwide. This time we would like to write about Lemon Balm and Peppermint. Both plants can easily be grown in garden beds or in pots on a balcony or windowsill, and when grown in a Homa atmosphere they have even greater medicinal properties and aroma. Only the leaves and stems are used medicinally.

Lemon Balm (Melissa officinalis)
This is a bushy herb growing 40 to 80 cm tall with small white flowers and a strong lemon scent to its green leaves. Seeds can be slow to germinate but once established it grows easily with little attention. Start early under cover or indoors in pots keeping the temperature above 20 °C. Pot up and plant out in spring. Lemon Balm is a full hardy herb that likes most soils and full sun.

You can harvest the whole aerial part of the plant just before it goes to flower and dry carefully and quickly so as to retain as much of the volatile oils as possible. Herbs can be dried in bunches in a dry and well ventilated area out of direct sunlight. Store in airtight containers with a sprinkling of Agnihotra Ash Powder.

Lemon Balm makes a very pleasant tea that is relaxing to the nervous and digestive systems and lowers blood pressure.  Drink this tea for digestive cramps and flatulence. As it is calming as well as gently uplifting, Lemon Balm is good for anxiety, insomnia, stress and mild depression.

Lemon Balm is anti-viral so is often included in cold and flu herb mixtures. You can also make a medicinal ghee with the herb that can be used on cold sores, chicken pox, and herpes. We explained how to make medicinal Calendula ghee in one of the previous HHNL editions and you can use the same method with Lemon Balm leaves.

It can help normalize an overactive thyroid and may also regulate an under-active thyroid.

Trials have shown Lemon Balm increases concentration and memory, which together with its anxiety and stress reducing actions, means it is the ideal herb to take before any exams.

Peppermint (Mentha piperita)
Peppermint grows 30 - 100 cm tall with a square purple stem and green or purple-green leaves. Peppermint is difficult to grow true from seed, so it is best to buy seedlings or propagate by division or as cuttings. Once established it will spread out quickly via its creeping roots and may need to be contained with a barrier. All the mints have medicinal properties but Peppermint is usually considered to have the strongest action. For children and pregnant women, you can use more gentle mints like Spearmint. Harvest aerial parts just before flowers open and dry in the same way as Lemon Balm.

Peppermint is a contradictory herb as it is both stimulating to the circulatory system but relaxing to the nervous system. Peppermint makes a delicious tea and is an excellent remedy for gastro-intestinal disorders such as indigestion and gas. It improves appetite and digestion and relieves nausea, morning sickness and motion sickness. Drinking an infusion eases anxiety, tension, headaches, and relieves painful periods.

For cold and flu, it combines well with Lemon Balm, and Chamomile. Drink Peppermint tea regularly if you are prone to Urinary Tract Infections.

Peppermint is an invaluable aromatic herb often added to tea mixtures for its broad action and aromatic flavour.

To make Lemon Balm or Peppermint tea add I-2 teaspoons of dried herb and a pinch of Agnihotra ash per cup of boiling water, let it sit for 5-10 minutes and strain. If using fresh herb then use about 3 teaspoons per cup.
Enjoy the tasty tea!

Apologies for the lengthy title of this piece, but these four aspects of life make up the inexorable (unavoidable) ’rules of the road’ for our lives.

As inexorable may translate as ‘unrelenting,’ we may think of ourselves as stuck with these—whether we like it or not. Blessing or curse? It’s up to us.

FREE WILL: I have the power to choose between right and wrong, between truth and falsehood, between proper behaviour and improper actions. We cannot escape this ‘law of nature.’ It is with us and no more possible to avoid than breathing with our lungs or hearing with our ears.

POWER OF DISCRIMINATION:
In choosing between right and wrong actions, the gauge is my power of discrimination. Virtually all waking moments include choices we must make as to what to think, what to feel and what we intend to do.

I like to think of life as a continuum in which there are 10s—the perfect choice, 5s—borderline or so-so actions, and 1s which can get me thrown into prison or lead to a divorce.

How can we negotiate our lives when faced with such an awesome power that we couldn’t give it up even if we wanted to?

One way is to ‘turn it over,’ ‘let go, let God,’ surrender to the will of a Higher Power.

Often, we are consciously aware of our choices. “I know I shouldn’t eat another piece of pizza,” a clear voice inside of me implores. I know through EXPERIENCE l will feel way too full if I do eat it. It’s not like I haven’t faced this ‘conundrum' before. Wasn’t it just yesterday I stared at the restaurant menu at the choice between large fried potatoes or the small size? No big mystery here. If I don’t use deodorant, I may find myself bereft of company. If I don’t brush my teeth, kissing may be low on my to do list today.

So, experience and the power of discrimination work hand in hand. They are important tools on our journey through life. Do habits influence our choices? Yes. So, engaging in Tapa, self-discipline, is very helpful as it literally burns out the old impressions on the mind (Samskaras in Sanskrit language).

May I share an experience or two? I was about six years old and my school class took a trip to the Wonder Bread Factory in Washington, D.C. Despite the poor reputation that white bread ultimately acquired many years later, in 1952, we thought this bread was just fine, and as the package said, “Builds Strong Bodies 8 Ways.” What’s not to like?

I digress. During the tour of the bakery at the factory, the tour leader announced what might have been obvious even to a six year old, ”Whatever you do, DO NOT TOUCH THE OVEN,” that lurked in front of us, kind of like an approaching train.

As I had never had the experience of being faced with such a momentous, dramatic decision before, some force of nature overcame me and guess what I touched? I learned a lesson that stuck with me until about 30 years later when a similar decision descended upon me. I got ‘burned’ again.

I was on a sales trip in Chicago and saw a woman with whom I wanted to strike up a conversation—or more. I did not strike up a conversation. Instead, I found out where she lived and proceeded to drive to the suburbs and find her house.

I found it and simply had to knock on her door and… who knows what?

I got out of my car and was immediately overcome with a feeling of doom. “This is not a good idea. A cold supernatural wind smacked me in the face. What was I thinking? Was I practicing for a career in stalking? Might not it have been preferable to phone her before showing up on her doorstep?”

And so, INTUITION, the last of the 4 aspects in this article’s title, reared its head. I just knew this was a bad idea, I’d regret it in the morning, I should have gone back to my hotel room and curled up with a cup of tea and some Wonder Bread toast.

But no, the moth was drawn to the flame, the mouse saw the trap, but the cheese smell was intoxicating. The incense covered over the smell of fried onions in the house. So… guess what…again?

I got out of my car, took two steps towards her front door, saw the Doberman Pinscher dog begin its full throttled run towards me, and despite the six-foot high fence in its path, all of a sudden I was introduced to Superdog who like his human namesake, Superman, was able to leap tall fences in a single bound and 5 seconds later, I felt the sensation of a steel-like trap wrapped around my left calf (which I feared would be the last time I would feel any sensation in that calf).
How shall we label the ensuing moments? Let’s start with ‘terror, fear, self-loathing, wish I were anywhere else but here….’’

Were it not for Grace, 36 years later I would still have a noticeable limp, not to mention a reconstructed calf. But, in those days, some called me “Bootman,” as on most days, I wore thick, leather boots. Actually, it might have just been only Jannette who called me that, but since she would soon become a brilliant therapist, I wore the moniker proudly. Well, Bootman’s calf was saved by his leather boots which were high enough to cover his calves.

So, Superdog’s teeth bit into my boot and though still I was left with a bone bruise the colours of the rainbow for months and months, I still had a left calf and no limp. Saved again was I — one of the earlier

times Grace intervened to save either my life—quite literally—or save me from extreme consequences of bad decisions. Best to use intuition and not unduly ‘tax the Divine.’

That I may have earned or was somehow deserving of such Grace of Almighty boggles the mind, but warms the heart.

The four aspects of the title of this article may not emanate or be derived from our minds, but it must be said, that it is via the vehicle of the mind that they are accessed and put into action. Hence HOMA PSYCHOTHERAPY, a major aspect of which is the MIND TRAINING PROGRAMME, occupies a place of importance under the banner of Agnihotra and Homa Therapy.

And it is no accident that when we are asked how Agnihotra works, we often return to ATMOSPHERE, PRANA, MIND—change the atmosphere in positive ways through the agency of purifying fires, the effects are beneficial to Prana, and as Prana and Mind are inextricably connected, training our minds to react positively and ultimately with love always becomes not only a worthy goal, but a real possibility.

We were given the vision of ‘Happiness Here & Now’ when we started Agnihotra. Using our Free Will, Power of Discrimination, Experience and Intuition as we walk along the Fivefold Path, will enhance the chances of our being happy here and now, and no doubt speed up its manifestation.

 Introduction to Vedic Mantras

In this space, we will start the study of a set of Mantras transmitted from time immemorial in Sanskrit language (saṁskṛta bhāṣā) contained in the Vedas (Vedāḥ), a group of Saṁhitās or collections of books of the ancientmost revealed Science known to Humankind.

The word Veda comes from sanskrit root “vid-, vetti, vidita”, which means “to know”. Hence Veda means Knowledge, Science. Vedas are a treasure house of knowledge.

These Vedas were arranged and compiled in four great collections of Mantras and Brāhmaṇas, namely: Ṛg Veda, Yajur Veda, Sāma Veda and Atharva Veda.
All this Science was originally transmitted verbally, id est: from lips to ears, from Guru (Master) to Śiśya (Disciple) and later on it was rendered into written sanskrit devanāgarī by the ancient sage Vyāsadeva.

It is said that the source of this Knowledge is absolutely superhuman or “apauruṣeya”. This means that the Vedas are eternal (nitya/śāśvata) and by this reason without beginning(anādi) and endless (ananta).

So therefore, the temporal and historical manifestation of Vedas is merely apparent. That is to say that Vedas have existed since ever. The eternal, everlasting vedic knowledge is known as Satyasanātana Dharma which may be translated as Eternal Religion or Eternal Science.

This knowledge was revealed and transmitted by means of the Ṛṣhis, Ṛṣayas or Ᾱrṣa who were very exalted, highly supergifted, enlighted and superconscious Beings. The way of reception of these vedic Mantras was through inner hearing (Śruti) and inner vision (Dṛṣṭi).
Because of that it is said that the Ṛiṣhis are the “draṣṭārāḥ” seers and hearers of the sound vibrations of vedic Mantras. They are not composers or creators of the Mantras.



These powerful Mantras have a rigorous and precise metrical, musical and mathematical structure called “chāndas” which consist in a perfect arrangement of vowels, consonants and syllables (varṇāḥ), duration (mātrā), intensity or emphasis (balam), tonal or musical notes (svara), continuity and flow (sāma) and punctuation (santānaḥ).

The Science of Vedas states that everything comes from the Primordial Vibration (Oṁkāra, Ekamakṣaram).

This divine archetypal Sound is the creator of all the universes conceivable. This Sound has been designated with names such as Nāda Brahma, Śabda, Lógos or Verbum in different religious and philosophical traditions.

Out of these statements we may draw the conclusion that everything is vibration or oscillation. The whole of all universes has an oscillating character and all vibration, in terms of vedic Science, may be considered as Sound (Śabda), both in a metaphysical and physical, acoustic and audible sense.

All these interesting subject matters are being thoroughly studied nowadays by physicists and neuroscientists among other scientific specialists.

According with the vedic knowledge, Mantras are essentially perfect sound vibrations endowed with illuminating powers, purifying and healing energies and with profound meanings created towards protection and release/liberation of the Mind of living, conscious Beings.

As a matter of fact, the technical definition of sanskrit word Mantra has a double meaning, id est: “mananāt trāyate iti mantraḥ”, which means that the Mantra intensely protects and simultaneously liberates the Mind of the one who pronounces it.

The sanskrit particle “Man” within the word Mantra means “Mind” as the latin word “Mens/Mentis” and the expression “tra” comes from the sanskrit verb “Trā, trāyate, trāya, trāṇa, trāta” meaning “to protect, to rescue and to liberate”.

The sanskrit stem or verbal root “Man” means “to think” and from it come the sanskrit word “Mānava” which means Human Being and the english words “Man” and “Woman”.

This word “Mānava” denoting the Human

Being as a thinking Being is in terms of semantics akin to the german word Mensch and also with the hebrew word “Άdam” (“Adán in spanish) which is the contraction of “Ᾱdi + Manu”, id est: Primordial (Ᾱdi) Human Being (Manu).

The Human Being by virtue of his/her Mind or Manas is able to discern the changeless among the changing, the absolute among the relative, the infinite among the finite, the one among the many. But in order to perceive and to grasp the One, the absolute Unity that pervades all Reality, an intense process of purification of the Intellect is to be done in order to elevate the level of consciousness and understanding until to reach a higher and sublime state of Intelligence called Prajñā.

With this purpose thousands of Mantras and Yajñas have been revealed and prescribed for the purification of the Mind and the Atmosphere.


According to the teachings of the sage Śhree Vasant V. Paranjpe, Vedas contain knowledge from amoeba to Almighty. The whole of the Vedic Knowledge is a very powerful and clarifying guideline, but even if you know all the Vedas it is not enough.

It is necessary to acquire a superior knowledge with the help and Grace of a “bona fide” Guru or spiritual Master who is versed in Vedas and has really experienced the state of awakening and eternal bliss.

This Guru or Master who dissipates the darkness of ignorance and fear is not only the external Guru or Ᾱchārya but also the inner Guru placed within the heart of every living conscious Being.