‘Ishvara’ is a Sanskrit word that can be translated to mean supreme, or personal, God. ‘Pranidhana’ means to dedicate, devote, or surrender. Card Symbology: The feminine and the masculine qualities live within us all and seek integration, which is found by turning towards the Source. To surrender means to reveal our naked form and devotedly […]
Ishvara Pranidhana – Devotion & Surrender Read More »
Dharana is composed of two Sanskrit roots: dha, meaning ‘holding’ or ‘maintaining’ and ana meaning ‘something else’. It is also derived from the verbal root dhar which means ‘to bind together’ or ‘to make stable’. Card Symbology: In the yogic mind-training, concentration moves from the periphery towards the centre and then into absorption. One-pointedness is
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Definition: This word stems from two Sanskrit roots: ‘Brahman’, meaning God or Ultimate Reality in the Vedas, and ‘carya’, which means occupation with, engaging, behaviour, to follow, or going after. Card Symbology: The swan is a mythical symbol of discernment, possessing the ability to separate milk from water, or the real from the unreal. The
Brahmacharya – Divine Conduct Read More »
Lord Shiva as Nataraja, the cosmic dancer, is said to be the creator of the 84,000 yoga asanas – a metaphor for the endless movements we can perform. The fire ring symbolizes the purifying power of movement, both disciplined and wild, and the hands traveling through the perfect yantra (geometry) reflect the dimensions of space
Definition: Sanskrit, from ‘a’ meaning non and ‘parigrah’ meaning amass, to seize. Combined it means the opposite of accumulation or clinging. Card Symbology: Sand is a symbol of impermanence; all things arise and pass away… even the rock that seemed impenetrable becomes sand in the hands of time. Letting go is the way we allow
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Definition: From Sanskrit, with ‘a’ meaning non or without, and ‘hiṃsā’ meaning violence. Card Symbology: The flower of life is a universal geometry, revealing that everything in the universe shares an underlying sameness. Living harmoniously with all our relations is the foundation of spiritual culture, where the love between humans and other species is pivotal.
Ahimsa – Non-violence Read More »
Definition: In Sanskrit, ‘dhyana’ means contemplation, reflection, and profound, abstract meditation. The root word is ‘dhi’, referring to imaginative vision. Card Symbology: The light without is a reflection of the light within. When we close our eyes we can merge with the light of awareness, and it may feel that our bodies are floating or
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Definition: The Sanskrit word guru means ‘weighty, grave’ (compared with Latin gravis ), hence ‘elder, teacher’, or ‘one who is heavy with knowledge’. It can refer to the ‘Spiritual Master’, one who has attained perfection in yoga. Another etymology explains the syllables gu as ‘darkness’ and ru as ‘destroyer’, thus meaning “one who destroys/dispels darkness”.
Definition: Ananda is a state of bliss or divine joy. It is considered to be one of the highest states of consciousness. It comes from the basic verb ‘nandati’, which means ‘to rejoice’. Card Symbology: The child represents our inherent blissfulness. Sunflowers are an exuberant expression of nature, following the sun as it moves across
Japa is derived from the root ‘jap’, meaning “to utter in a low voice, repeat internally, mutter”. It can be further defined as ‘ja’ “to destroy birth, death, and reincarnation” and ‘pa’ meaning “to destroy one’s sins.” Card Symbology:The sacred symbols spiralling out of the mouth are names of the Divine. According to yoga and
