WWW.PRANAVAMAGAZINE.COM SUMMER ISSUE 2014
In Honor of the Divine Mother C.C. White The Queen of Soul Kirtan pg.43
The Cosmic Divine Mother & Her forms of Expression pg.30
The Amma Phenomenon pg.26 Sridhar Silberfein: Visionary & founder of Bhaktifest pg.34 Bhakti is the Shakti pg.13 The Mothers Tongue: The Word is Devi pg.40 Bhakti, Shakti, & the Divine Feminine pg.9 $5.95 Summer Issue 2014 No.3
Blessed by the Goddess Saraswati pg.20
Welcome to
Pranava Magazine: The Art & Culture of Kirtan in the West ~Summer Issue 2014~ In Honor of ! Divine Mo"er “Pranava ‘OM’ is the bow, the Soul is the arrow, & the Supreme Divinity is the target. By means of full attention, the gnostic will cause the arrow to strike the target, whereupon she or he becomes Me.” -The Devi Gita 8:6 FEATURES
THE AMMA PHENOMENON
Pg.26
SRIDHAR SILBERFEIN
Pg.34 C.C. WHITE: THE QUEEN OF SOUL KIRTAN
Pg.43 BHAKTI IS THE SHAKTI
Pg.13
BHAKTI, SHAKTI, & THE DIVINE FEMININE
Pg.9 BLESSED BY GODDESS SARASWATI
Pg.20 THE MOTHERS TONGUE: THE WORD IS DEVI
Pg.40 The Cosmic Divine Mother & Her forms of Expression pg.30
*Pranava Magazine
Editorial Note In loving dedication to my Beloved Mother ~Zandra Juanita Lopez~ Jun.9 1955- Jun.14 2002
Pranava Magazine
Editorial
‘Pranava: The Art & Culture of Kirtan in the West’
www.pranavamagazine.com
Editor in Chief: J.Yochanan Russell It brings me profound joy to present the Summer 2014 Issue of Pranava Magazine, as an offering to You, in honor of the Universal Divine Mother~ Jaya Jagatambe Jai Jai Maa!! The Divine Mother is the source of our life, She is the one who provides the sustenance for our preservation, & ultimately all we need for our liberation. And as strange as this sounds, She is also the cause of our bewilderment, as Her potency veils the True reality from untrained eyes & hearts. There is nothing in this entire universe, seen & unseen, that doesn’t rely on the Divine mother for Life itself. It was Swami Vivekananda who stated: ‘The Divine Mother is the sum total of all the energy in the Universe.” This statement tells us that regardless of the tradition, we cannot escape from this Universal Truth. All of our beloved saviors, avatars, bodhisattvas, mahatmas & mystics are born of women. Whether it be Isis, Tzonatzin, Mary, Maya-Devi, Yasoda-Devi, Tara Ma (the Mother of all Buddhas) etc., whom all represent the Cosmic Virgin Mother, She has forever been the One who gave birth to the highest ideal of humanity. We can trace the steps of the Divine Feminine as the source of all that we long for, as we align our movements in Her direction. We are in an a most exciting era where the Divine Feminine is being empowered & acknowledged on many levels in society, & in particular within the kirtan culture~ Her Holy Names are being chanted with deep devotional longing & ecstatic joy, from coast to coast. Chanting the Divine names of Ma provides comfort to the soul, & direct knowingness of Her love & presence. It is with the heart on fire, which has been sparked by the Nectar of Her Divine Name, that we chant Her Glories! We’ve all faced challenging times in life where our hearts & minds are filled with depression, fear & aggravation, & all we could think about is crawling into the warm embrace of our mother. For some, our mothers are at a distance & all we have is their voice that nurtures us. And for some of us, our dear mothers have already passed, & we are only left with sweet memories & the comforting spirit that lives on in our hearts. Yet no matter the case, it is the mother energy that settles the matter & reminds us of the undying compassion & loving-kindness of the Divine Feminine. This is especially true for all who participate in kirtan dedicated to chanting the divine names of the Mother. It is with penetrating wisdom that Geoffrey Earendil states in his article ‘The Mothers Tongue: The Word is Devi’: “Mantra, sound, vibration is the very body of the Goddess.” Just as life is gestated within the womb of the female sex, so too does universal life resides as pure potential in the form of vibrational-sound, within the very body of the Divine Cosmic Mother, & it is She that gives birth to our words. For this reason, I teach students that we should only repeat mantras in our minds & speak only sincere words from our hearts, for this is how Devi creates our lives, according to what we place in Her womb, which is the ubiquitous Matrix that we all live, move & have our Being in. In the words of my favorite Ecstatic poet, the Shakta Ramprasad: “O Wisdom Goddess, Your Essence alone is present within every life, every event. Your living power flows freely as this universe. You are expressed fully, even by the smallest movement. Wherever I go, wherever I look, I perceive only you, my Blissful Mother, radiant as pure cosmic play. Earth, water, fire, air, space & consciousness are simply your projected forms. There is nothing else! Ma! Maa! Maaa! Your lucid dream of light is the theater of birth & death, the expanse of boundless transparency. This poet can only cry in ecstasy: “Green mountains, fragrant blossoms, countless lives on land & beneath the sea, animate & inanimate objects are composed of Mothers reality, & spontaneously express Her Will.” (Mother of the Universe- Visions of the Goddess & Tantric Hymns of EnlightenmentLex Hixon) May your hearts forever remain ablaze in the bhav of Bhakti, as you draw ever nearer unto the One OM Shakti OM!! Yours in Loving-Compassionate-Wisdom, ~J.Yochanan Russell
pranavamag@gmail.com
Assisting Editor: Shannon Chambers Senior Contributors: Maturanath-ji, Shanti Shivani-ji Contributors: Mirabai Devi, Geoffrey Earendil, Brenda Patoine Art Director: J.Yochanan Russell Advertising, Marketing & Circulation: J.Yochanan Russell Senior Photographer Ankush Vimawala Article Submission Inquiries: pranavamag@gmail.com Request our Media Kit for Ad Submissions: pranavamag@gmail.com Cover Photo Courtesy: Dabling Harward
*The definition of Pranava: Pranava is the name of the Primordial All-pervasive Sound Vibration that culminates as OM/AUM, which is the Word of GOD/ Divinity. Pranava is the voice of the life-force in motion. Pranava is that which impregnates all with Life, & it is that which puts everything into Motion, hence the etymology, Prana= Life-force & Va: the root of Vayu, Vata, Vaccha (voice). This is why Every invocation & prayer to the Divine begins & ends with the Pranava seed syllable OM ~ aum, amen, amin~
MIRABAI DEVI Columnist
contributors
Mirabai Devi is a new paradigm spiritual teacher. Her teachings emphasize the importance of spiritual practice for self-realization, combined with a commitment to personal growth. She recognizes the importance of people working through their patterns and issues by means of self-reflection with the aim of becoming impeccable. As a conduit for the Divine Feminine, Mirabai’s approach is receptive and inclusive, rather than dogmatic. She favors interaction, rather than hierarchy. MIRABAIDEVI.COM
SHANTI SHIVANI Senior Contributor Shanti Shivani is is a singer/nada yogini/sound healer, internationally acclaimed seminar leader and recording artist. She is one of the few Western pioneers bringing the sacred traditions of Nada Yoga and Dhrupad, the most ancient style of Hindustani classical music, to the West. Shanti has been leading kirtan & singing Buddhist, Sufi, Gregorian & Hebrew chants internationally since 1993. She currently lives in Eugene, OR. SHANTISHIVANI.COM
MATTHEW MATURA BENNETT Senior Contributor As a gifted teacher of Bhakti Yoga, Author and a Certified Ayurvedic Lifestyle Counselor, Matura has conducted hundreds of classes, and lead uplifting kirtans in America, England, Australia & India, inspiring others to seek and serve the Conscious Spiritual Reality that is the basis of all world faiths. A preview of Matura's forthcoming book "Absolute Abundance" can be previewed here: ABUNDANTLIVES.ORG
GEOFFREY EARENDIL Contributor Geoffrey Earendil has been teaching Hatha Yoga for more than 15 years. A student of the common roots of Chi Kung, Hatha Yoga, and Ayurveda he is an initiate of a traditional Kaula Tantra lineage. He teaches physical practices to support the subtle body from Long Beach, CA. With Gratitude to Chogyam Trungpa, Dr.Robert Svoboda, Vamadeva Shastri, and Nisha Bhairavi. Find him at: VAJRADEHA.COM
BRENDA PATOINE Columnist Brenda Patoine is a freelance neuroscience writer by day, who discovered kirtan at Omega Ecstatic Chant one year while living and volunteering there. She hasn’t been the same since. Three years ago she launched The Bhakti Beat, a kirtan and mantra music blog featuring videos, news, reviews, and interviews. Follow The Bhakti Beat on facebook, twitter, YouTube and Google+. BHAKTIBEAT.COM
J. YOCHANAN RUSSELL Editor in Chief- Senior Writer J. Yochanan~ Russell is the founder, Editor in Chief of Pranava Magazine. He is a longtime student & practitioner of Universal Gnostic Dharma, Ayurveda, Vajrayana Tantra, Mahamudra & Dzogchen. As a lover & player of Sacred Music, Yochanan participates in the cultivation of Mantric Music/Kirtan & offers esoteric teachings for the healing, spiritual development, upliftment & empowerment of humanity. KARUNASHALA.COM
Transform your life through the powerful healing energy of Yoga and Ayurveda in the beautiful world-renown Mayan retreat of Maya Tulum, Mexico. Reserve your spot today! www.joannematsonyoga.com
Joanne Matson Joanne embraces Ayurveda in all aspects of her life.  She is a certified Ay u r v e d a We l l n e s s Counselor with the Kerala Ayurveda Academy and the American Institute of Vedic Studies. She is also a certified Raja yoga teacher.
Clara Macy Clara Macy eats, sleeps and drinks Ayurveda & Yo g a . T h e l i f e l o n g obsession began in 1998, when she completed her 200-hour yoga certification. She then continued to study all over the world with top yogis, but uncovered something more.
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J. Yochanan Russell Yochanan is a Certified Ayurvedic Life-Style C o u n s e l o r, Ta n t r i c Meditation Instructor & Devotional Soul-Kirtan L e a d e r. T h r o u g h t h e integration of what John offers, you will rise to your full potential.
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DEVI
BHAKTI, SHAKTI, AND THE DIVINE FEMININE: WITH MIRABAI
EXTREME January 2009
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Bhakti, Shakti, and The Divine Feminine with Mirabai Devi
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PRANAVA 10
“The restoration of the Divine Feminine on the planet is crucial at this time. It is not a luxury, but an urgent necessity that She is honored, and that Her qualities are developed in both men and women to help bring Adiam condimentum about global peace and balance�. Purus in consectetuer Proin in sapien. Fusce urna magna,neque eget lacus. Maecenas felis nunc aliquam ac consequat vitae.
LOREM IPSUM Mirabai’s Charitable Works The New Jerusalem Home for HIV/AIDS orphans in Johannesburg, South Africa offers outstanding holistic support to children. Aromatherapy, Massage, Chelation Therapy, Kirtan, and Spiritual healing, as well as full medical treatment and educational scholarships are provided to all children at the orphanage. As a result, the New Jerusalem Home is Mirabai’s number one choice. She has personally worked with all the children at the Maecenas aliquam maecenas home. She frequently Sociis maurisfunds in integer, donates and a dolor netus non dui organizes fundraising aliquet, sagittis felis events dolor for the charity sodales, sociis mauris, vel eu libero in the U.S. and in South cras. Interdum at. Eget habitasse Africa. elementum est, ipsum purus pede class. Sodales nulla ante auctor mirabaidevi.com excepturi wisi, dolor eros condimentum dis, sodales lacus nunc, at. In orci ligula suscipit.
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PRANAVA 11
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