We like to think we control our minds and are in charge of our minds, our thinking, but often we find that this is not the case. Have you ever lain awake at night worrying about something that you cannot do anything about? No matter how much you might sensibly tell yourself to forget it, to go to sleep and to think about it in the morning instead, you find yourself coming back again and again to the problem searching for a solution.
 
In India they often use the analogy of the mind being like a monkey, but not just any old chatterbox monkey. No. To drive the point home It’s likened to a drunken monkey( think Saturday night in any town centre). But that analogy is still not enough. The Mind is like a drunken Monkey that has been bitten by a scorpion. Crazed and tormented it lurches around looking for relief somewhere, anywhere. 
 
Yoga offers many tools to move from an agitated, restless mind/body to one where there is peaceful, harmonious flow. Whether it being doing āsana(poses), prāṇāyāma( seated breathing) or meditation, the one thing that is key to success is the ability to pay attention, to be able to direct the mind to do any activity we wish to do. 
 
Chanting is an excellent way to learn and practise this ability to control the mind. When we chant we have to pay attention to what we are reciting. You cannot chant if you are thinking about something else. Well you can but inevitably we make mistakes and that is what alert us to the fact that the mind has become a monkey.
 
Whether it be through repetition of a mantra or a longer passage we have to give our attention to the words. We need to repeat them in the correct sequence, just one syllable at a time. If we are in  a hurry then we make mistakes. If we try to hard we make mistakes. There is an art to chanting where we must coordinate the movement of the tongue and mouth with what we see or hear.
 
It is no problem if we do find ourselves distracted by other thoughts, because each time that we come back to the chant we are developing the ability to dismiss on unwanted thoughts. This could be a useful skill to develop for when you find yourself awake at night.
 
 

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We live in strange times it seems. There has been a lot going on in the skies this past 6 months reflecting the uncertainty and confusion we are experiencing in the UK.  

Just this past week Mars moved into Virgo from where he and Saturn will be 'looking' or gazing at each other, which is to say they will be influencing each other. It's a little like two hoodlums staring at each other from across the street. There is a sense of threat. Neither of them like to be gazed at in this way but neither is going to back down. It makes them edgy and unsettled. 

Imagine yourself, even if you are in your own home, under the constant gaze of someone across the street. It would be surprising if it didn't make you feel a little  anxious and edgy in a way that diminishes your capacity to think and act clearly.

In saṅskrit a planet is called a graha. Graha means to seize, to grasp.  We are often seized by the energy of a planet for good or ill.

It can be helpful to look at planets in Jyotish( Indian astrology) in two ways. In general the effect of planets can be  favourable or unfavourable for us in our life (depending on what they promise in our birth chart to begin with.)  

However no matter what they promise in our birth chart when we are in balance, in good health and suffused with a general sense of well-being we are more likely to harness the energy of a planet in a way that is ultimately beneficial for us.  When we are out of balance, stressed out, overwhelmed it is more likely that we will experience the negative side or energy of a planet.  

With Mars-Saturn combination when we are in balance we can have a high energy that allows us to focus and get the job done in a way that doesn't alienate those around us.  There is a level of intensity but it is aligned with an inner stability that yokes courage with prudence, the calculated gamble as opposed to the wild, rash action of the impatient. 

When we are out of balance we can swing between excessive desire to get the job done at ANY cost often alienating and upsetting those around us (why are other people such idiots! just get it done!),  to depressed inactivity because,  you know,  what’s the point? nothing EVER works out for me etc. There can often be a high level of agitation, restlessness and frustration that, if we allow it to, takes over and sends us further and further out of balance swinging between rage and depression.

How this current transit affects you personally will depend on your birth chart. We are all born with a particular arrangement of planets that predispose us to certain behaviours, patterns and fruits that will either be sweet or bitter in their effect. Where these planets are currently placed in the sky may activate strongly or weakly the existing patterns in your chart for good or ill. Having said that it is undeniable that it is affecting us all in a general way as seen last week in the supreme court and Parliament.  

Saturn and Mars will be gazing at each other until the 12th of November. Whatever happens in the next 6 weeks on the world stage we can help ourselves to harness the more positive side of the Mars-Saturn combination by taking a step back from the centre of our particular stage and take some time out behind the scenes. 

Very important if we are feeling overwhelmed and exhausted to find our own way of coming back to what truly matters. For some this will be through Yoga, meditation, chanting, t'ai chi and other forms of meditative practice but includes any physical activity or sport as well as things like having a relaxing massage or bath, spending time in nature, reading a good book, art, music, dance. Anything that reconnects us to some deeper aspect of ourselves. Whatever works for you. The main thing is to make time for it on a regular basis and enjoy it.    

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