The house is full of peace

[Jainarayan]

It occurred to me today that since I've fully embraced Sanatana Dharma, set up my shrine, begun praying, and have placed images of the deities all around (more to come ;)), the house is peaceful and tranquil. It is full of positive energy. Especially the living room where the shrine is.

[Arjuni]

And it's a self-perpetuating spiral, too: you feel more at peace for living in a peaceful environment, so you want to pray more, so you create more peace, which leads you to even more prayer...

They do not include this in the newbie brochure. MUAHAHAHAHA. :p

Indraneela
===
Oṁ Indrāya Namaḥ.
Oṁ Namaḥ Śivāya.

[Jainarayan]

Yeah, they don't tell you that in New To Hinduism 101. :D

Seriously, you are right. When you have the peace, you want more. Energy feeds off itself, whether negative or positive.

[devotee]

Namaste Mino,


It occurred to me today that since I've fully embraced Sanatana Dharma, set up my shrine, begun praying, and have placed images of the deities all around (more to come ;)), the house is peaceful and tranquil. It is full of positive energy. Especially the living room where the shrine is.

As you learn and practise meditation with other limbs of Yoga, you will the ever-lasting Ocean of peace within you.

May God manifest His blissful presence within you ! :)

OM

[Ramakrishna]

Namaste Minotaur,

That is great to hear. An abundance of positive shakti has begun to flow throughout your house since you became Hindu. May it continue and increase! You can never have too much, especially in this Kali Yuga. In ancient times, some sages even had a visible and powerful hue of energy that surrounded their altars.

Jai Sri Ram

[Onkara]

Namaste
That is inspiring. Do you have a routine around your busy day? I have considered this question myself, as I am sure it would be good to have a set routine to help guide our daily practice, although a flexible attitude to life of course as we can not always be punctual and at home.

[Adhvagat]

And it's a self-perpetuating spiral, too: you feel more at peace for living in a peaceful environment, so you want to pray more, so you create more peace, which leads you to even more prayer...

They do not include this in the newbie brochure. MUAHAHAHAHA. :p

Indraneela
===
Oṁ Indrāya Namaḥ.
Oṁ Namaḥ Śivāya.

Yes, that is something to be experienced.

We still do not have a shrine here at home, I think we don't have the discipline for this yet, but the house is full of framed cloth paintings, murtis everywhere and the place is already filled with a soothing vibe that make people exclaim that the house feels like a temple.

IMO spiritualizing your home environment should be step number one. Or should it just be the natural reflection of spiritualized family members? That's up to each person to figure it out.

[Jainarayan]

This is the post that got eaten!

[Jainarayan]

Namaste all.

I began responding but the computer ate my post before I could save it. :( At any rate, and forgive the length of the post...


Namaste Mino,May God manifest His blissful presence within you ! :)

OM

Thank you, and to you too. :)


Namaste Minotaur,

That is great to hear. An abundance of positive shakti has begun to flow throughout your house since you became Hindu. May it continue and increase! You can never have too much, especially in this Kali Yuga. In ancient times, some sages even had a visible and powerful hue of energy that surrounded their altars.

Jai Sri Ram

Yes, I agree. Since I've become receptive to it, I think I'm attracting it just as a lightning rod attracts lightning. The key is to become receptive and let it flow.

I'm eliminating as much negative influence as possible. For example, because this is a holiday weekend, people come to the shore (I live 7 miles from the beach) and want to spend the weekend at the house.

There is one person who is so full of negative energy, she is toxic. She is not welcome at the house anymore, and has been told. I know that may not be hospitable and charitable, but I have no choice. I can't have the peace and shakti disrupted.

Though I don't yet meditate properly, I think of the Lord pretty much all day. On my desk at work I have small framed images; in my truck I have a small murthi of Sri Ganesha on my dashboard (velcroed, of course). I have framed images of deities all over the house; I carry small images in my wallet. Though I know the Lord is with me all the time, seeing tangible images and murthis helps "ground" me.


Namaste
That is inspiring. Do you have a routine around your busy day? I have considered this question myself, as I am sure it would be good to have a set routine to help guide our daily practice, although a flexible attitude to life of course as we can not always be punctual and at home.

It's not a traditional or probably even a proper routine, as I don't do puja or meditate traditionally.

What I do is:

Early morning after showering and getting dressed, I go to my shrine, do Namaskār.

Early Morning Prayer:

O! Mother Earth, who has the ocean as clothes and mountains and forests on her body, who is the wife of Lord Vishnu, I bow to you. Please forgive me for touching you with my feet.

Then I say the Gayatri mantra. I say it in Sanskrit (reading from a small card on the altar), and then in English.

Then I quietly or silently chant
OM Namo Bhagavate Vasudevaya
Om Sri Ram Jai Ram Jai Jai Ram
Om Sri Ganeshaya namaha
Om Sri Maha Lakshmi namaha
Om Aim Saraswati namaha

Then the mahamantra
Hare Krishna Hare Krishna
Krishna Krishna Hare Hare
Hare Rama Hare Rama
Rama Rama Hare Hare

In the evening I do the same thing, except in place of the Early Morning Prayer I say the Lamp Lighting prayer, and offer light to the Lord at the altar:

I salute the Light that brings prosperity, auspiciousness, good health, abundance of wealth and destruction of the enemy's intellect.

I don't have a proper diya, so I use three small tea light candles in nice glass holders. I want to get a real diya, or make one. The tea lights go out by themselves at the end of the evening.

Then I say a Bedtime prayer:

Oh Lord kindly forgive my wrong actions done knowingly or unknowingly, either through my organs of action (hand, feet, speech) or through my organs of perception (eyes, ears) or by my mind.Glory unto Thee O Lord, who is the ocean of kindness.

I don't know if all this is proper, but I keep it respectful. I keep in mind "If one offers Me with love and devotion a leaf, a flower, fruit or water, I will accept it." I know the Lord accepts what we give according to our abilities.

[Ramakrishna]

Namaste Minotaur,



The key is to become receptive and let it flow.


That is very very true. You have to be receptive and recognize the existence and presence of the energy in order to feel it. Many Hindus don't know much about this cosmic energy or shakti, let alone non-Hindus. I myself have only been learning about it and really being receptive to it over the past year or so. Although I have heard of cases when a non-Hindu who doesn't even know much about Hinduism walks into a temple and they just feel something. The shakti just hits them and they feel it right away, even though they really have no idea what this energy is. It's quite fascinating, drawing their soul towards Sanatana Dharma and moksha.

Jai Sri Ram