Abishekam Puja
Puja (offering) is a beautiful way to show our love, gratitude and devotion to the Divine-Spirit-Creator of All. When we make offers with love to the Divine, magic happens, and easily takes one into the sweetness of Divine connection.
For us puja was discovered in India through Vedic rituals with Sri Shakti Amma, involving many aspects or tools. Veda means “knowledge from nature”. The Veda’s consist of chants and hymns. “Chanting comes from nature. In the depths of their meditation and deep concentration, the sages recorded the sounds of nature. These are the Vedas.” Sri Shakti Amma
Seeing the Vedas are from nature, they for the whole of the world. “The Vedas are very broad and wide. They cover many subjects spiritual and practical. The main concept of the Vedas is to guide man on a path of peace and joy through spiritual life.” Sri Shakthi Amma
We have found these powerful spiritual practices are easily translated cross cultures and create so much joy! Simply by offering similar items (from Australian nature) to show our gratitude to spirit, creation, Divine or what one prefers to call it. It is a very effective and easy way to create Divine connection.
Using spiritual tools like mantra, flowers, and specific offerings to a symbolic deity, puja assists one in focusing our love and energy on the Divine. As we focus with devotion, the Divine qualities become imbued into our being, allowing one to know who they truly are. This is the beauty and magic of Puja ceremonies.
Abhishekam is a particular puja ritual that uses items like water, turmeric, fruits, milk, honey, herbs and yoghurt to bathe a deity sculpture of (in this case) the Goddess. Flowers, jewels, silk sari then adorn her, as we sing our devotion in traditional Sanskrit chants.
Feel free to chant along to the Divine names and songs or simply sit and watch the offerings being made. As we honor the Divine in this way, the blessings of Bhakti may be experienced.
Bhakti (devotion) yoga has many positive qualities, with love being the main ingredient. Bhakti yoga is said to be a very direct path, by loving the Divine we easily merge into the connection with the Divine, the underlying essence of all yoga (union).
Om Namo Narayani
I surrender to Divine
