museum of memorabilia
I was cut from the sky,
Torn like a piece of parchment paper
Wind rustling in the night
Growling, I realize:
Aliveness through hunger
Wounded and full of wonder,
Singing violet light.
— Seraphina Dawn
(love notes composed at 4am)
What do you do before the hum of day begins?
In these precious hours, I feel as if I am entirely alone. I exist at the highest zenith of my being: free to create without interruption. This is my favorite time to write poetry, recite mantras, and send blessings with Reiki.
Without a role to play, I am free to express and explore as I please.
I’ve been reviewing this idea of the Overculture, the traditional/typical customs followed by a society. This desire may stem from the season, it being winter in the Northern Hemisphere, and the mythos of Christmas is strong.
I also have Clarissa Pinkola Estes to thank for my wonder; she speaks to the overculture as:
“the larger society which often attempts to tell girls, women and elders what we ought, should and must be, do, act, react.”
— Excerpt from The Women Who Run With Wolves.
In the morning hours, I’ve been combing through what I’ve defined as my Museum of Memorabilia: memories of the woman I used to be and the many roles I’ve embodied, rejected, and unconsciously tried on.
Memory, like the mind, is not fixed; it’s fluid. The more we remember something, the more our memories become susceptible to story. Each memory becomes manipulated by our thoughts and current interpretation.
On mourning a version of myself from the past - read the poem here.
I composed this piece perhaps five years ago and the message is still very much alive within me!
The philosophy of Tantra that I follow, Kashmir Shaivism, endorses nondualism. The essence of this philosophy is in its teachings to embrace everything: liberation is possible through our engagement with the light and dark elements within ourselves and the world we share with others.
How does nondualism relate to the Museum of Memorabilia?
When I look at old photographs, meet acquaintances from the past, or read the poetry I composed at varying stages of development, I find it hard to relate to who and where I once was.
The Tantric practice would be to accept the roles I’ve played as part of becoming the woman I am here and now.
Through emotional and spiritual maturation, I am learning to define who I am based on my values - these pearls that are polished by many palms to present society with Truth, Beauty, Justice, Creativity, Action, Devotion, Love, Forgiveness, and Freedom, to name a few.
It is necessary for me to visit the Museum of Memorabilia - to write poems and consider all the events that prompted me toward the path I’m on today.
It is equally important to exit the Museum of Memorabilia - to leave the past hanging in those pretty portraits, or perhaps not-so-pretty, because not all memories are happy ones; sadness has its space to fill.
A clearing mantra that I’ve been working with to shake the rugs free of debris in these dusty rooms within my memory museum is the Long Ek Ong Kar Mantra - Listen to it here on Spotify.
If you’re interested in learning, I’ve included instructions and my interpretation of the Long Ek Ong Kar Mantra below.
Singing you love and violet light,
Seraphina.
“About Long Ek Ong Kar”
I was taught this mantra by one of the teachers in the 200-Hour Kundalini Teacher Training I took under the direction and care of Gurmuhk Kaur Khalsa.
“Long Ek Ong Kar is a healing mantra that activates the chakras (energy centers) along the spine; it allows us to tap into our creative force.
In Kundalini, we focus on eight chakras:
1. Ek - root chakra2. Ong - sacral chakra3. Kar - navel chakra* Sat - leaps from the lower triangle (first three chakras) to the upper chakras.4. Nam - heart chakra5. Wah - throat chakra 6. He - crown chakra7. Guru - aura (encompasses the entire body)
The mantra is taken in 3 breaths:
Breath 1 - the first three syllables (chakra 1-3)Breath 2 - the second three syllables (chakra 4+5)Breath 3 - the last four syllables (chakra 6-8)
Guru is the aura; it extends from the top of the head and traverses around the body and down into the ground to anchor the energy before starting the mantra again.
As you chant, visualize each of the energy centers at the specific location of the body. ”
Inspiration from sensitive creators:
✦ John Wellwood - Toward a Psychology of Awakening: Buddhism, Psychotherapy, and the Path of Personal and Spiritual Transformation.
It’s taking me a lot longer to read this book because I re-read specific passages that strike me and sit in meditation.
PS - I started reading this book to get ideas for the Tend Your Heart Fire Virtual Yoga Challenge.
Quotes to F O C US Your Attention -
≌ Do stuff. Be clenched, curious. Not waiting for inspiration's shove or society's kiss on your forehead. Pay attention. It's all about paying attention. Attention is vitality. It connects you with others. It makes you eager. Stay eager.
—Susan Sontag.
≌ Attention is the rarest and purest form of generosity.
—Simone Weil.
≌ She listened attentively to all the people who talked about what she didn't know out of curiosity, out of a desire to show that she was open to knowledge. To rise, for her, was first of all to learn (she said, “you have to furnish your mind”) and nothing was more beautiful than knowledge. Books were the only objects she handled with care. She washed her hands before touching them.
—Annie Ernaux.
1 question to brew on:
What roles do you play? At work or within the context of your intimate relationships. What role do you play within your family? List some of the characteristics of the characters you engage in daily. Do you enjoy the roles you play? How do you oscillate between them?
