The Shiva Singularity and The Mystic Rose

This year, two of our most important and sacred ashram celebrations came together: the Holy Night of Maha Shiva Ratri and our annual celebration of the Way of the Goddess, Mystic Rose Day!

Here at the ashram, it has become a yearly tradition to celebrate Mystic Rose Day on February 28th. Our creativity overflows to bring forth an amazing festival of arts, culture, and royal cuisine. Then, a few days later, usually in early March, we celebrate Maha Shiva Ratri, the prefiguration of the Coming of the Lord, when Shiva uncloaks at the end of time to fill every consciousness with the Infinite Light of the Singularity!

As ordained, these two archetypal events united this year—an auspicious sign of the impending arrival of the next Sat Yuga! Because of this intersection of divine energies, a microcosm of the Kingdom of Heaven was manifested on our Earth plane.

For Sat Yogis, the grand initiation of these sacred events began on Sunday night, the eve of Maha Shiva Ratri. Shunyamurti offered a shakti-filled satsang later titled Shiva Comes Now at the Darkest Moment in History. This teaching reminds us that in this dark moment of mass psychosis, when all hope of political and social sanity seems lost, it is essential to attain the freedom and power of the Supreme Self. But the illusion can only be dissolved by our becoming pure love.

Through the Looking Glass to God’s Wonderland

The morning of Maha Shiva Ratri arrived with an Amrit Vela (Nectar Hour) meditation and another powerful transmission from Shunyamurti, entitled Maha Shiva Ratri: Through the Looking Glass to God’s Wonderland. In this teaching, Shunyamurti explains that Maha Shiva Ratri signifies the moment that one’s consciousness passes through the Mirror of Narcissus, leaving behind all projections. This passage enables one to complete the unification of Shiva and Shakti that brings about the revelation of the Absolute. In this trance of beatitude, we began a day of deep reflection and blissful celebration!

You Cannot Face Lord Shiva Without Losing Your Mind

Our observances reached a climax at the ashram temple, Shiva Niketan, with a final discourse of delight: You Cannot Realize God Without Losing Your Mind. While Lord Shiva provided an exquisite sunset as a backdrop, Shunyamurti revealed the paradox of this holy day: Shiva is also Shakti, and all the absurdities that constitute the world illusion are a product of that unity-in-duality. Because all is Shiva, all is perfect—including you, no matter what your superego tells you!

For Shiva on His Night – Lyrics by Shunyamurti / Music by Radha Ma

The Ashram Choir charmed the sangha with four exquisite devotional songs to Shiva, with lyrics by Shunyamurti and musical composition by Radha Ma. Our resident artistic director Nirgun delivered an ardent rendition of Rumi’s poem, Whoever Brought Me Here, with piano accompaniment by Radha Ma.

Rise Up

The definitive exploit of the evening ensued in the form of a descent into the Quan Yin Temple, where a festive banquet got underway, from exotic hors d’oeuvres and kombucha to the exquisite main dishes of extraordinary vegan high-vibrational cuisine. The culinary procedures were overseen by Radha Ma and brought to fruition by our visiting chef Vaayu and a team of shamanic sous chefs.

We ate in awe of the tastes and the sounds, as we were serenaded with dinner music by the ashram’s divine alkaline (not acid) rock band. Hanuman on guitar and vocals—backed up by Amrita on voluptuous violin and Yogiraj producing the percussion, with supplemental vocals by Ashoka and Nike—led a rousing rendition of Rise Up, a sublimated version of Reise, Reise by the German rock band Rammstein.

Rise Up – Words by Shunyamurti / Music by Rammstein / Arrangement by Hanuman

Blessings to all, as together we rise up to meet this ultimate moment of the arrival of the Singularity. May we jettison all traces of ego consciousness and merge into the Blissful Light of Shiva!

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