=kit101.txt

KIT 101 - Elemental Breaths:  Earth and Water

['SOS'? -- I got I guess.]

[Toenote kit101__1]

[ All the following text is by PVK, unless otherwise noted.
In all this, my (sa) set of KIT's, No PVK text has been deleted,
and no non_PVK text interjected into is remarks. 
Whatever remarks I interject are [ bracketed ] and nots are noted
'sa' ]                                                    

['sa'='Steve Amdur, Campra, CH-6718 Olivone, Switzerland,
sa73122@yahoo.com , www.geocities.com/sa73122   et. seq. ]

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KIT 101 - Elemental Breaths:  Earth and Water


The best time to do practices is before the sunrise. We are then
picking up ultraviolet rays before the sun passes the threshold of
the horizon. Secondly, we haven't set our clock into activity yet;
so we are in a much more receptive state than after having started
being active.

These are the breathing practices that Pir-o-Murshid gave to every
mureed to do every day in the morning: in through the nose out
through the nose, in through the nose out through the mouth, in
through the mouth out through the nose, and in the mouth out
through the mouth. Another way to remember the sequence is: nada-
nada, nada- mucho, mucho-nada, and then mucho-mucho. Nada, "n" for
nose and Mucho, "m" for mouth. If you understand Spanish, it's
starting from the negative and going to the positive.

Each of these breaths is characterized by a certain element. We
call it baptism with the different elements. There is a saying of
Pir-o-Murshid that we can find that which we need in the Universe,
and as I say myself, we are ingesting the Universe. We have the
discernment to enable us to choose that kind of medicine that we
need for our unfoldment. It requires of us a certain fineness of
perception to be able to determine which are the elements and how
they work. It's also true that since we exist on several levels
and have, therefore, different counterparts to our being, each one
of these counterparts needs its kind of food, so we need to shift
our sense of identity, when we are doing these practices, from the
lower levels of our being to a higher.

 "Our physical body is constituted of the five chief elements,
which compose even the whole universe. The skin, flesh, and bones
show earth properties; and the blood, perspiration, and saliva
represent the water element. The heat in the body and the
digestive fire in the system denote the fire element. The breath
and its inner work within the body, which enable us to stretch and
contract, and the power of movement, which does not allow us to
keep still for one moment, represent the air element. The ether
element in us is that which controls our activities and gradually
consumes all other elements".
PIR-O-MURSHID INAYAT KHAN

THE BAPTISM WITH EARTH

At first we are breathing in through the nose and out through the
mouth. As we breathe in through the nose, it's important to get
some sense of resonance with the magnetism of the earth. In fact,
looking at things from purely earthly point of view, we are the
magnetism.

First of all we feel the magnetic field of our body. We feel it
around our shoulders and around our forearms. Just like the
magnetism around a magnet, we can feel it. Then we feel the
magnetism in the bottom of our spine and even in our feet. We can
feel the magnetism of the earth when we're walking, or when we're
standing, or when we're sitting cross-legged. Then we feel the way
there is an ebb and flow - to and fro - oscillation. Notice the
way the magnetism of the earth seems to be drawn into our magnetic
field as we inhale, and the way our magnetic field seems to be
resorbed into the earth's field as we exhale.

"The direction of the earth element is level, and its nature is
spreading; therefore, the smallest island in the sea, in time,
grows to be a big island."
PIR-O-MURSHID INAYAT KHAN

Our point of contact with the earth, whether it's the bottom of
our spine or the soles of our feet, is a threshold situation in
which there seems to be passage from one magnetic field to the
other, even though our magnetic field permeates the earth's field
and the earth's magnetic field permeates our magnetic field, so
there's no real threshold. We feel that magnetism rising as we
inhale, passing from one chakra to the next. Then we feel the way
that when we exhale, the magnetism of our magnetic field gets
polluted. Imagine the field of a magnet in which there are a lot
of faulty nodes, and distortions that take place due to all kinds
of influences, extraneous influences from outside and from inside.
It is good if the whole magnetic field gets drained and then
renewed. We need to feel the draining effect of the earth which is
so kind as to absorb our pollution. That also applies also to the
level of the psyche.

This corresponds to the first stage in the Ziraat process,
agriculture, which is to get rid of a lot of old roots and stones
and all kinds of elements that are disturbing to our growth, that
stand in the way of our growth.

It's what is called a catharsis. In alchemy it's the first stage,
in which there is a sifting between the grosser elements and the
finer elements, and the gross elements are then rejected. They
feel the gravity of the earth, that exercises more pull on the
grosser elements of our being than on the finer ones. The
catharsis starts by getting rid of the grosser elements in our
being. Eventually our whole magnetic field gets resorbed and then
renewed again.

Pir-o-Murshid does give Wazaif that can be used with the breathing
practices. The one I suggest for this first breath, which is
called the baptism of the earth, is Muid. Muid is not just
inertia. Inertia represents a kind of stability. But Muid also
represents something a little more dynamic, which is the ability
of the organism to self-organize itself if it has been disturbed,
and to return to its original state if we don't intervene with our
will. That's what is called "stay with it." It has a kind of
stabilizing effect, as the earth has.

 "In fact, each of these elements creates out of itself its child-
element and again in time absorbs it within itself. The elements
show the Creator's nature, Who creates at times and absorbs at
times. This is explained thus in the Qur'an: "All come from God,
and all are bound to return to Him." "
PIR-O-MURSHID INAYAT KHAN

All of this work we're doing with our subtle body actually does
affect us at the level of our psyche. Pir-o-Murshid does describe
people according to the element that predominates in their being.
Just imagine that you have all these elements in you. The earth
element in you represents your durability, the fact that you have
some kind of stability and reliability. You can be relied upon.
Murshid also says that a person who has entirely, or predominantly
the earth quality, needs to be directed. This person is full of
good will but can not take initiative. You might recognize that as
one of your qualities or, defects, or whatever it is; one of your
characteristics is that you want to do things but you're blocked,
find it difficult to take initiative, to make a decision, and are
very glad if somebody else takes the initiative in telling you
what to do. Then you can do it very well.

THE BAPTISM WITH WATER

Next we work with the water element. Experience the difference
between breathing in through the mouth or breathing in through the
nose. Just try it. First try inhaling through the nose and out
through the nose. Now try breathing in through the mouth and out
through the mouth. So you see that breathing through the mouth
activates the thyroid gland which has the effect of affecting many
other hormones in the body including the adrenaline.

We breathe in through the nose and out through the mouth, thinking
of an aperture at the top of our fontanel, the crown of our skull,
and then of very fine energy descending. We see how it seems to
affect one chakra after the other. We're awakening the latent,
virtual energies in our being, we're opening of the heart center,
the region of the heart, the solar plexus, and stimulating
adrenaline. There is a chakra between the solar plexus and the
second chakra, which is the "hara" of the Chinese and of Zen,
which awakens the flow of adrenaline in our blood. As we descend
to the second chakra forces need to be transmuted. As we inhale
again, they are activated. Then, as in tantra, they need to be
sublimated, and then transmuted into the forces of love. Then the
breath moves right down to the bottom chakra, muladhara, where we
are awakening the serpents, the snakes, the caduceus.

When we inhale, we have unleashed these vital forces that are
waiting to be nurtured by the descent of the Holy Spirit. They are
lying in wait for that moment that they can receive the baptism of
water, which is really the baptism of the Holy Spirit, like Elijah
finding refuge at a wonderful spring of water, the waters of life.

Of course the Bedouins have a legend about the appearance of
Khidr, who is Elijah actually, the green man of the desert. If
you've traveled in the desert, you know what it means to be days
and days in the sand, and then all of a sudden coming to an oasis
where there is greenery and all this vitality. Of course people
and camels congregate there. In the vastness of the desert one can
get lost. The Bedouins talk of the appearance of this green man
who comes and says, "Do you want me to help you? I can show you
the way, but don't question my guidance." Then you see a
shimmering on the horizon and you think he is going the other way.
So you say, "Khidr." And he looks at you and he says, "There was a
condition. You think you know how to get there. OK. Go on your
own." That's water, the waters of life. You have to know how to
find the waters of life.

"Among the ancient Hindus there was a custom of giving water as a
benediction to guests, which is observed even now. A Brahmin will
as a rule first offer water to his guest which means not only to
quench the thirst, but is like giving life to the guest. The
Persians have called the water of life Ab-e Hayat, and in many
verses one finds this word."
PIR-O-MURSHID INAYAT KHAN

 In this practice we breathe in through the nose and exhale
through the mouth. Now we are making a differentiation between the
two poles of our being, the north pole and the south pole of the
magnet, and of course the energy field between the two. Imagine
that the north field, which is above our head, is of the nature of
the Holy Spirit. A very fine energy seems to be quite the opposite
of the energy of the earth. In fact the energy that we ascribe to
the earth could be illustrated by gravity, the gravitational
forces coagulate the atoms into formations, what we call solid
matter. What we call spirit represents quite the opposite, a kind
of buoyancy, as compared with gravity, levity, disperseful,
therefore freedom from constraint of conditioning.

As we draw in, as we inhale, we concentrate on that very fine
energy that we call pure spirit. Think of this concept that we
find not only in Catholicism, but in Judaism also and in Islam:
the quickening of the Holy Spirit, ruh al quddus, which has been
illustrated by the visitation of the Virgin Mary by the Archangel
Gabriel. It's not just the visitation, but also a quickening.

We feel a different kind of energy coming through us when we're
doing the first practice, baptism of earth. We had to clear all
the dross, the obstacles, in the first baptism. In the second
baptism, we're doing something very interesting. First of all the
space that has been cleared by the catharsis in the first baptism
is now filled by the Holy Spirit. It's as though the heavy
material of our being is being drawn down into the earth, and at
the same time the influence of the Holy Spirit is gaining ground,
descending through us from one chakra to the next. That's where we
exhale through the mouth. We feel that sweeping effect of the
descent of the Holy Spirit that's quickening us.

"When we come to the water element, we find that it is pliable,
and can be poured from one vessel to another. The course of a
river or a stream may be diverted and made to go in another
direction. It is poorer in spirit than the earth, for it is a
higher element. A more exalted state of consciousness belongs to
the poor in spirit, the pliable and the serviceable, than to the
stiff and set."
PIR-O-MURSHID INAYAT KHAN

The Wazifa is MUHYI instead of MUID. It's a whole different matrix
that has the effect of really shattering us. The descent of the
Holy Spirit can be shattering and overwhelming. It's no longer
recycling. It's introducing a whole different, celestial,
influence. That's the baptism with water.

It's like irrigation in agriculture. You have to give some life
sustenance to the seeds. What Pir-o-Murshid said is that a person
with this water quality is very sociable and sensitive and lovable
and active, just like water that is running from a stream, life
giving and joyous. Water still needs to have some direction
because it can flow one way or the other, and is influenced by the
wind. People predominantly of a water nature could easily be
influenced by other people because they don't have the stability,
the resilience of the earth people. You've got that in you, as I
said. It's not each person has just one quality. You'll notice in
yourself that flexibility which ensures that you are not stubborn,
but you're open to the influences from all sides. You see that it
gives life to your being, which would be stodgy if you only gave
vent to your earthly quality (stubbornness, as I say). Now you are
much more flexible, more adaptable, which has a disadvantage too.
That is the baptism with water.

[ SOS hardcopy notes:  
'(to be continued with Fire, Air, in Part II)'

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Skim_Check (ie I check paragiraffes, but not sentences) OK.

A paragiraffe is an extended paragaph.

What I cross_check is this, my (sa) Save_As__text_only of the
Kaivan KIT (via Word 2000) against the SOS harcopy. ]


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COMMENTS FROM THE PEANUT GALLERY:

[Toenote kit101__1]
[i.e. I say -- ('I''s me -- 'sa'): viz.: This is my
Save_As__text_only of the Kaivan English KIT 101, the which I done
did via Word 2000 (which ain't astoundin') and will Skim_check
against the SOS -- (that's 'SO SEATTLE'; let's not have a battle)
hardcopy]
*** WE GIVE ENGLISH LESSONS CHEEP ***
(It's "for the birds" or so I herds )
(It's as its spoke (in 'Finnegan's Woke')