Devi, and all: Altar photos and God in Everyone

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Namaste Devi: I have photos of my family, alive and deceased, on my

altar. There are present all year long. When I perform tarpan, I

offer to the pictures. When I perform daily puja, I always

acknowledge all the members of my family, alive and deceased, and ask

God to bless them and help them. Daily I thank them for their help in

getting me to the place I am now.

When I perform daily Shiva puja at Napashwar, the large Shiva lingum

at the Ashram, I always include asking Shiva to bless all my

ancestors, alive and deceased, even though I do not have their

pictures with me. They are with me in my mind and heart. Whether I

have pictures of them on my altar, or not, they are always with me.

From my point of view, and I believe you may share this idea, God is

everywhere, including in my family members. So, having their photos

on my altar, reminds me that they are God too, and I should treat

them with love and respect and appreciation.

Indeed, Maa suggests that we see God in all people. She says she sees

males as Shiva, Krishna, Ram, etc, depending on their tempermant and

personality, while women are Durga, Kali, Lakshmi, Saraswati, etc.,

for the same reasons. She wants us to cultivate this same vision and

practice this technique, until, it becomes our reality too.

Just as we have become accustomed to seeing the world as separate from

ourselves, and we separate from it, we have to train ourselves, on

every level, to see and experience that we are one with all creation

and that we, and indeed all creation, is God.

So, we begin by performing puja at our sacred space, our altar, and

over time, we begin to expand our vision, on all levels, to worship

and see God in everything, everywhere, all the time, by performing the

pujas of childrearing, teaching, washing dishes, working, bathing,

singing, being in relationships, etc. All acts ultimately become

puja, worship, of all activity in every phase of our life.

Thanks to Maa and Swami for helping us to remember our Divinity, and

the Divinity of all beings in all existence.

 

Jai Maa Jai Swami

 

vishweshwar

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

-- In , devi <student61754 wrote:

>

> Vish,

> You note brings up a question.

> Since Ramakrishna is passed away and he is on the altar can't I

also have my family members that have passed also? Or do I need a

serpate altar for them? When doing the Cosmic puja the Tarpana is in

it and it is done then.

> Jai Maa, Jai Swamiji

> Devi

> inspectionconnection108 <inspectionconnection108 wrote:

> Namaste: Maa has pictures of family members on Her altar

as well as

> murtis and pictures of the Gods and Goddesses. On my altar, I have

> pictures of all my family members and children, grandchildren, etc.

> Each time I perform puja, I bless them and ask Shiva and Maa to take

> care of them. I thank all the ancestors for their sacrifice and good

> energy, helping me to get to the most wonderful place I am now

> residing: with Maa and Swami. I send them my energy and ask Shiva and

> Maa to bless them and send them good energy to help them on their path.

> The altar is a reflection and manifestation of what is in our hearts:

> those we love: Guru, Gods and Goddesses, relatives, family members,

> friends, those we give thanks to, and those in need. This is our

> sacred space, and we can adorn it as it suits us.

> Each of us has our own unique relationship with the Divine, and we

> worship in our own way. Some us chant slowly, some fast, some in

> English, some in Sanskrit, some falter and stumble, and some are fluid

> and graceful. Each is perfect as a reflection of our love. The

> important thing is to perform the worship.

> As Swami says: do not wait until you have all the proper articles of

> worship and the perfect altar: use whatever you have, and what you do

> not have, pull from your heart and offer.

> Thank God we can fulfill Maa's deepest desire for us all: to have an

> alter in our home and to have the ablility to worship God in whatever

> form we choose.

> And once we begin to perform the worhsip as Maa has taught us, She and

> Swami can enter into our hearts, and begin to remove our stress and

> replace it with Divine Love, They are only waiting for us to give the

> signal that we want Their help and presence, then They will fill us

> beyond our deepest dreams, until we become one with Them.

> So worship opens the channel for Union with Them, our Divine Gurus.

>

> Jai Maa Jai Swami

>

> vishweshwar

>

> , " jrholm1007 " <jrholm1007@> wrote:

> >

> > Thank you so much for your response! When I read your experience of

> > the Saraswati that looks like your mother, I thought, " Why don't I

> > have a picture of my mother on my altar?! " Because, my mother is for

> > me an embodiment of unconditional love. All my life, no matter what

> > else was going on, I have known beyond a doubt that my mother would

> > love me no matter what I did. So just now I jumped up and put a

> > picture of her on my altar! Thanks for that.

> >

> > And I love the vision that you shared of the 'membrain of

> > experiences'. One of the contemplations that has been running for me

> > about this meaning is that the spiritual practices that Shree Maa and

> > Swamiji offer us, wrap us in love and light when we do them. Thus in

> > every moment that we are engaged in the beauty of singing Chandi, or

> > chanting mantra, or contemplating the teachings, we are adding love

> > and light to our ocean of experience, which we then embody in our

> > everyday life as the effects of the practices 'dust' our thoughts,

> > words and actions with that love and light, which is then transmitted

> > to every being that we come in contact with. It's stunning to think

> > of, isn't it? Thanks for connecting in wonder, Jennifer

> >

> > , devi <student61754@> wrote:

> > >

> > > Now you have me thinking about it.

> > > I resently found a depiction of Saraswati that looks like my

> > mother.

> > > So now I use it on my altar.

> > > That in itself has changed my conception and experience with

> > Saraswati.

> > > Interesting how we read the meaning of these mantras sometimes

> > but don't always dig into the meaning til someone outside us draws

> > our attention to it and opens our eyes.

> > > Guess Saraswati has desided it's time to dig a little deeper.

> > > Thank you for voicing her direction.

> > > This is going to take time and thought.

> > > Just off the top of my head now by what you discribe as the

> > meaning I see all my experiences and the see a clear membrain

> > surounding everthing and everyone that is envolved with my

> > experiences and then I see Saraswati as that embodiment that holds it

> > all together as my personal experience here.

> > > I'll save this email and see later how my experiences change this

> > thought.

> > > Thanks for posting.

> > > Devi

> > >

> > > jrholm1007 <jrholm1007@> wrote:

> > > Hello everyone, peace and joy to you. A little while ago,

> > this was

> > > posted:

> > >

> > > Sara means an ocean.

> > >

> > > Sva means one's own.

> > >

> > > Ti means the personification or embodiment.

> > >

> > > Sarasvati is the embodiment of one's own ocean of experience.

> > >

> > > I have been curious about it ever since, it is a beautiful truth to

> > me

> > > and makes me feel wonder at what it might feel like to truly

> > realize

> > > that statement. What does it mean, to embody one's own ocean of

> > > experience?

> > >

> > > What is your understanding/experience/wonder about this truth? How

> > do

> > > you apply it to your everyday life? Thank you, Jennifer

> > >

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