Bija Strings
Say The Mantras
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Key Assertions That Help To Summarize This Article:
Sometimes saying the mantras may evoke or present an action that is too powerful or too soon.
Sometimes you may wish to employ the powers of more than one chakra through stringing various sounds together in a long strung-out mantra.
If you wish to string more than one Bija Mantra together, say them in descending order; by which I mean, start with the sounds associated with the Ether (such as “om,” “ah,” or “hum.”): then descend to the Air (using “gam, “nam,” “cam,” “jam,” “tam,” and “kam.” and “yam”); then descend to Fire (using “dah,” “na,” “ta,” and “da,” and “lum” ); then to Water (using “ba,” “ma,” “ya,” “ra,” and “la,” and “vam” ); and finally to Earth (using “va,” “sah,” and “say,” and “lum.”
To buffer or give a time release effect to your search for wisdom and learning say “Om Aim Namaha;” to buffer or give a time-release effect to remove obstacles in your life say “Om Aim Namaha;” to buffer or give a time-release effect to your efforts to remove obstacles in life or bring new beginnings say “Om Gam Namaha;” to buffer or give a time-release effect to your efforts to awaken passion or bring satisfaction into your life say “Om Kleem Namaha.”
To overcome any skepticism about the effectiveness of the Bija Mantra verify their effectiveness for yourself.Certain sounds such as “ah,” “bam,”, or “da,” cannot be translated into a literal meaning but have the power to create great transformative growth and expansion in humans at the physical, emotional and spiritual levels. Such sounds are called “Bija” or Seed Mantras—mantras being sounds that are repeated for meditation purposes.
Our use of seed mantras is based, in part, on the concept of the Five Elements as described in the Vedas, perhaps the Earth’s oldest literature, dating back 5000 years. Once you know the subtleties of the Five Elements, even a brief time in nature will confirm that Ether (the space in which anything happens, the Void), Air (anything that is in motion and eternally dynamic, gives movement to biological systems), Fire (the power to transform, burn, and illuminate, the heat and radiant energy that exists in all metabolic and chemical reactions), Water (unstable, continuously flowing, the life-sustaining nectar), and Earth (the solid state of all matter, the source of all nourishment) together provide the building blocks of all material existence. Every object is unique because it contains a particular mixture of these Elements. To have a mantric impact on anything, therefore, one will need a system for saying a series of mantras—hence the need for Bija strings. Bija strings affect what is outside of you and what is inside of you, which is only natural based on one of the most important lessons to be learned along the Heartwood Path:
The outside is inside all of us.
Given the pervasive and interconnected aspects of the Five Elements, usually you will need to employ the powers of more than one element through the use of mantras. This requirement is true whether you are working to create (Fire makes Earth, for example) or destroy (Water quenches Fire). Affecting the multifaceted nature of life and the interactions of all things requires the stringing together of various sounds in a long strung-out mantra. If you wish to string more than one Bija Mantra together, say them in descending order; by which I mean, start with the sounds associated with the Ether, then descend to the Air, then descend to Fire, then Water, and finally to Earth. The mantras for the elements and the chakras are presented below now so that you will be prepared for the following activity, which will also demonstrate why you need to know about seed sounds:
Ether
Like a vessel that contains everything, our first transcendental element, Ether, is space. More specifically for our purposes here, Ether is the shape of the musical octave where all tones exist. It is perceivable when we experience the noiseless sound behind silence. Witnessing this sound will be covered later in this book. Being the shape of the octave and not the notes, or rhythms, or volume, exhibited by the other elements, Ether is either silent or open and resonate. Some associated seed sounds are “om,” and “ah.”
You are the space that is ether. To help remember this association, activate the throat chakra (Fifth Chakra) by repeating the correlated mantra: “ham,” pronounced “hum.”
Air
Volatile, shifty, breezy, and transparent, the transcendental element of Air is more commonly called the “mind” and the “intellect.” When a person is controlled more by their rational mind than by their emotions, when a person is philosophical and full of ideas, that person exhibits the element of Air. Air has speeds that are fast to very fast, a volume that is loud to very loud, and a pitch that is high to very high. Some associated seed sounds are “gam,” “nam,” “cam,” “jam,” “tam,” and “kam.”
You are air. To help remember this association, activate the heart chakra (Fourth Chakra) by repeating the correlated mantra: “lam,” pronounced “yam.”
Fire
Bring light into darkness through your vision, burn with enthusiasm, be volatile or out of control and you will be exhibiting the transcendental element of Fire. Fire is present when you move with purpose in a single direction. The speed of the element of Fire is moderately fast to medium. Its volume is moderately loud to medium. Its pitch is moderately high to medium. Some associated seed sounds are “dah,” “na,” “ta,” and “da.”
You are fire. To help remember this association, activate the power chakra (Third Chakra) by repeating the correlated mantra: “lam,” pronounced “lum.”
Water
Water manifests itself as flowing creativity. When you are involved with reproduction and sexuality you are up to your navel in the transcendental element of water. When the speed is moderately slow and the volume is medium to low, and the pitch is medium to low, you are likely exhibiting or experiencing the element Water. Some seed sounds associated with water are “ba,” “ma,” “ya,” “ra,” and “la.”
You are water. To help remember this association, activate the sex chakra (Second Chakra) by repeating the correlated mantra: “vam.”
Earth
As the foundation for the other transcendental elements, Earth is exhibited when you are real and have your “feet on the ground,” when you are solid, when you are factual and when you are reliable. Without this transcendental element there is fear and insecurity–– two emotional conditions that force a person to compensate by being rigid, dogmatic, and opinionated. The speed of the rhythm associated with Earth is slow to very slow. Its volume is low to very low. And its pitch is low to very low. Associated seed sounds are “va,” “sah,” and “say.” You are the Earth. To help remember this association, activate the root chakra (First Chakra) by repeating the correlated mantra: “lam,” pronounced “lum.”
Sometimes saying the mantras––words or sounds repeated to aid concentration––may evoke or present an action that is too powerful or too soon. To soften the effects of mantras, to use the mantras as a sweet devotion, or to create a sort of time-release effect: place the mantra “Om” before and the mantra “Namaha” after certain pure mantra sounds. Here are some examples of how to buffer or give a time-release effect when tired and at the same time do some other things:
to slowly infuse strength and stability into your soul say “Om Hoom Namaha,”
for a slower development of wisdom and learning say “Om Aim Namaha,”
to slow down the pace of new beginnings say “Om Gam Namaha,” and
to awaken passion gradually or to bring satisfaction into your life at a slower pace say “Om Kleem Namaha.”
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HumaNatureConnect Activity
Creating Your Own Healing Mantras
For this activity, work out some mantras for you to use for specific healing purposes. Think about what you need right now in terms of physical or emotional healing. If you cannot decide, talk out loud to your chosen natural being, telling it how you feel about whatever is going on in your life presently. Listen to yourself talk. Note if your speed of expression is fast or slow, if your volume is high or low, and if your pitch is high or low. Make needed adjustments in your emotional state based on the following question for you to use regularly on yourself and, later on, with others: Is the quality inherent in a transcendental element, as imparted to yourself or others through the Bija Mantra (seed sound) for the highest good of the individual (and for the highest good of the Greater Self which is that person and his or her associates and environment)? If the tone, speed, and volume of your voice is too high pitched, fast-paced and loud, and if what you are saying is not very creative, then you may want to evoke the elements of Earth (for solid steadiness) and Water (for the flow of new ideas) by using the mantra “ba va” or “ma sah.” In making your strings of mantras, apply the transcendent element needed and arrange the sounds in descending order as described above (Ether> Air>Fire> Water> Earth. Before using a mantra whisper it to yourself to see if it resonates properly, based on your intuition. Make sure the sounds you are using match with your intention. Also, make sure the sounds chosen come from the transcendental elements needed for the highest good rather than for some transitory or inappropriate purpose. To make this activity more effective, say the Bija Mantra in the speed, pitch, and volume of the transcendental elements you are evoking by using the seed sounds. Here’s a quick summary:
Ether is silent or open and its associated seed sounds are “om,” and “ah.”
Air has speeds that are fast to very fast, a volume that is loud to very loud, and a pitch that is high to very high. Some associated seed sounds are “gam,” “nam,” “cam,” “jam,” “tam,” and “kam.”
Fire has speeds that are moderately fast to medium, it’s volume is moderately loud to medium, it’s pitch is moderately high to medium and associated seed sounds are “dah,” “na,” “ta,” and “da.”
Water is moderately slow, it’s volume is medium to low, its pitch is medium to low and its associated speed sounds are “ba,” “ma,” “ya,” “ra,” and “la.”
Earth is slow to very slow, its volume is low to very low, its pitch is low to very low, and its seed sounds are “va,” “sah,” and “say.”
I understand any skepticism about the effectiveness of the Bija Mantras. Trust what I have presented here, but verify it yourself. Having tried the seed sounds myself, I can report that they were helpful for me. Saying “Va, Sa, Say,” slow, low, and quietly, for example, helps me to keep my heart from falling out of rhythm (as it sometimes does when I am exhausted from overwork or emotionally strained by a loved one). The mantras seem to work surprisingly fast.
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