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Archangel
Mikael (Michael), Captain Lord of the Heavenly Forces, is best known as the
fiery warrior archangel but he (this is my preference when referring to Mikael
even though all heavenly beings are the unity of male and female) also stands
for spiritual illumination and is the spirit guide for the dead, the heavenly shaman—the
psychopomp. As a psychopomp, he aids in the passing over of souls to the
Otherworld and with his Scales of Truth, he weighs the light(ness) of the heart
of each soul’s incarnation. Mikael,
the Archangel of the Grail, is the most outstanding and foremost angel in
Christian, Hebrew and Islamic lore. As the heavenly Prince of Light, Mikael
(‘who is as God’) pierces the earth serpent (dragon/energies) forming the
connection, union and the oneness of Heaven and Earth and is thus revealed to
all who seek their own oneness as the Feathered Serpent. But Mikael also does
battle with the earth dragon of materialism/greed/external power/ego that
stands in the way of spiritual attainment and enlightenment. He is the Preparer
of the Way before each Messenger from God, thus as the one that clears the way
for the Second-Coming, Mikael brings revelation and inspiration and visionary
glimpses of divinity as well as a fearless spirit for the ones that are
destined to play a role ushering in the new Age of Aquarius/The Sixth Sun. He
is the great initiator into the Mysteries and the guardian of high places,
spirals and labyrinths. Mikael, being the Sun Archangel, is honored on Sunday
and during the month of August, while his feast day, Michaelmas, is celebrated
on September 29th in the sign of Libra, the sign of balance and the
ruler of Venus.
In the Buddhist Pantheon the myō-ō (kings of light) are vanquishers of evil. Fudō stands as the most famous of the wisdom kings. As an esoteric Buddhist guardian deity, Fudō Myō-ō—Immovable Wisdom King is the protector of Buddhism and the destroyer of the illusions of life. With a glaring continence, Fudō Myo-ō guides us in achieving a mind that is unaffected by desires and the carnal temptations of life. As a messenger of Dainichi Nyorai (Cosmic Buddha), Fudō grasps the devil slaying sword (gōma no ken) in his right hand, which symbolizes wisdom cutting through ignorance, while in his left hand, the rope (kensaku) catches and binds the demons of desire. Fudō Myo-ō guides one onto the path of self-control by cutting though the illusionary mind with his wisdom sword and with his rope, binding the passions that lead one astray. Fudō is portrayed surrounded by flames that bring light and purification to the darkness of the deluded mind. He usually sits or stands on a flat rock symbolizing the concept of Fudōshin —Immovable mind. The translation of Fudōshin also means “immovable heart.” Fudō means immovable while shin indicates heart as well as mind. And this is in truth the spiritual meaning of fudōshin where the heart and mind are one. The immovable heart is also the immovable mind and the immovable mind is also the immovable heart, paradoxical. On the surface, the concept of fudōshin also seems contradictory where the mind and heart are always moving while being immovable. The key is a mind that remains detached, an essential quality for the martial and/or spiritual artist. An immovable mind, one that is detached, does not stop or become fixated on any one thing but constantly flows while staying centered. This is true mastery—mastery of life. As martial and spiritual artists, this allows us to achieve a state of mind where all actions and re-actions are natural and effective without the corrupting influence of anger, fear, doubt, winning, losing and so forth.
Ku is the god of war, power and the sunrise. The son’s
of Chief’s were dedicated to Ku to assure that they grew up to be great
warriors. Ku, as an ancestral god, is one of the four main gods of the
ancient Hawaiians: Ku, Lono, Kane, and Kanaloa. Ku is the master martial god—the protector, his wife Hina
the earth mother. However, pre-dating the Hawaiian culture, Ku was
recognized as the morning star and his twin, his wife Hina, was the
evening star. Ku, the heavens, the light and Hina, the earth, the dark - the onmyo of existence. To the Hawaiians, Ku
represents the East, or the sun rising, which indicates morning. Ku
equals "rising upright." Hina, his wife represents the
West, or the sun setting, which indicates evening. Hina means
"leaning down." The Ancient Hawaiians
worshiped Ku for things such as good fishing, long life, good crops, and
family and national prosperity as a whole. For example, early in the morning,
prayers would be said by fishermen to Ku to help them with their
fishing. Ku was also the male generating power - appealed to for
rain, growth, fishing, sorcery and martial power. Ku energy is very intense, very powerful—a white-tipped
flame of protective righteousness. Today, very few Hawaiian carvers will attempt
to fashion an actual Ku statue, or as more commonly known, a Tiki.
In
many of the ancient but ageless spiritual traditions, your guardian angel is
looked at as your “Higher Self”. The following spiritual exercise will help you
feel your connection to your guardian angel: The Preparation: Find a quiet place where you will not be disturbed
out in nature. It would be best to do this exercise in a fasting state (4 hours
as a minimum) Please
sit on the ground in a comfortable posture. The Beginning: Once you are ready, begin noticing your
surrounding. Use all of your senses to
do this: see something very clearly (the trees), hear something (birds, etc.),
smell something (the air), feel something (the earth), and taste something (use
your tongue to taste your upper lip). Now
start paying attention to your breathing. As you breathe in, visualize the air
coming in through the crown of your head, and as you exhale, visualize the air
leaving by your navel region. Maintain this shifting of your
awareness...breathe in air through the crown, breathe out air through the
navel. In a few moments you will feel
relaxed. The Exercise: Now focus on a part of nature in front of you. It
could be the grass that you are sitting on, a rock or a flower near you, but
lightly rest your eyes on the beauty of nature. Work on not blinking your eyes
and do not change your focus; keep your focus on love and
beauty. If your mind begins to "wander" or "chatter" shift your awareness to your breathing while still keeping your focus on the object of love and beauty in front of you. After a few minutes, slowly let your eyes close; keep seeing the beauty
and the love. Let any images enter your mind; one of these images may be your
guardian angel; beauty and love is your guardian angel; feel your connection.
Rest in silence and the beauty and love of your guardian angel. The Conclusion: When you feel complete;
slowly open your eyes and feel the freedom and love of having a conscious
connection with your guardian angel…feel the love and power of this experience.
When you are ready, thank, bless and love the earth, the heavens and yourself.
As with all experiential exercises and journeys, it is best to lock the
experience within your subconscious, either by writing it down, or discussing
it with another person, or both. |
THE ARCHANGEL MIKAEL—Heavenly and Earthly Guardian
Fudō Myō-
Spiritual Growth
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