Rāga cloaks The Heart’s Desire
This fall we’re diving into Tantric Yoga philosophy as applied to modern life. Even if you’re not a “yoga person” you may find that this philosophy has something to offer… come along for the ride. We’ve talked about our innate powers - now we turn to the cloaks - kanchukas - that keep us from experiencing our power.
We begin December today. That frenzied month of accumulation. Accumulation of things, of people, of food and drink, of experiences, of celebration. I love the beauty of the holiday season, but like many, I am discomforted by the consumerism. And so, it feels appropriate that we’ve come to the third kanchuka today.
Rāga can be translated as desire or attachment. This is the cloak that covers Iccha Shakti - the power of the hearts desire, or intention. Rāga is the cloak of craving, wanting, and desiring from the mind. This is the cloak of the hungry ghost that can never be filled so it keeps getting more stuff. This is that separation from our fullness that makes us want something more, something different than this life.
From the NST view, whenever you want anything what you actually crave is Chiti. You want completeness. You want wholeness. You want to taste the fullness of your entire being. But, most of the time you cannot. Most of the time the cloak is so thick you cannot see through it.
It’s Never Enough
Most of the time you are wrapped in the cloak of your mind’s desire and you cannot see what you actually want. When the shadow side is out it tells you a new car will make you feel good. A new outfit, the latest gadget, a different partner, more friends, better abs - somewhere in here you’ll find what you’re missing. You’ll find what completes you.
Continuing to the extreme, craving bordering on addiction arises to try to fill the void and escape the disconnection. Folks over accumulate stuff and hoard resources even knowing that others go without when one has more than enough. But… it can never be enough when the shadow side is out. Never, ever enough when you’re looking OUT THERE for what you can only find IN HERE.
What You Really Want
What then, of gold? Can there be golden sided desire? Of course. Desire to return to wholeness. The deep longing of the Heart to remember it eternal nature is what fuels the spiritual journey. A golden approach is to turn desire back towards itself, back towards Chiti.
Rāga covers the heart’s deep desire, so to turn back towards that desire rather than mind-based desire is a way to wear the gold side of the cloak. Desire the fullest expression of the heart’s will. Live and breathe from the heart not the society pressure and the hungry ghost that can never be filled.
The Paradox of Desire
With desire, we come upon a paradox. In so many spiritual paths desire is a problem. Desire is to be repressed at all costs. As we saw above, this is for good reason. Craving and mind based desire cause so much suffering. And yet, no desire means the heart can’t have it’s expression. NST doesn’t see desire as bad. Instead it sees desire as more or less life-affirming for you and for others.
Desire withers away when it is unexplored. Shadow of unused desire is a kind of apathy or victimhood where one believes one cannot ever hope for anything. It is a diminishment of the heart where one can become despondent and never take the risk of living into the fullest expression of their dharma.
True desire, healthy desire is sourced in the heart. It is Chiti’s intention. It is her heart’s will for you and your healthy expression of it is important for your growth and for the world. That’s to say, you need your deep hearted dreams.
The golden side is to know you CAN dream, you CAN desire. And to dream big in service of the highest good. The highest good for you is where you experience your fullness, and you create opportunities for others to experience their innate fullness too. The Shakti will guide you into those experiences through your deepest desires. Imagine how that could change the world.
Practice This:
When desire or craving arises, Pause
Notice the energy behind the the craving
Ask your Heart what it really wants
Take several rounds of breath
Breathe the quality you really want into your cells
Breathe out the craving
If an action arises, take it. If not, continue your day
Repeat as often as needed
Fictional Example: I’m craving a new sweater, but I pause. I feel the pulsing energy, and the hungry quality of it. When I ask my Heart what it really wants it tells me it’s craving connection (which I thought I might get through admiration of my sweater). I breathe in the feeling of connection. I breathe out the intensity of the craving. When I finish breathing I feel a little better. Then I call my mom and have a few minutes connecting.
Your Tasks
Your task is to become skillful at discovering your deepest truest desires.
Your task is to choose to align with those desires.
Your task is to use moments of craving to wake up to feelings of separation, disconnection and to remember Chiti
Let your desires remind you of your fullness rather than lack. And remember who you are, dear one. You are the entirety of the universe in a specific unique form. Follow your heart’s desires and let them lead you home.