Techniques for Psychic Protection (4)
**************
Here is a tip from a medium I greatly respect. She told me that she always “closes down” before she goes to sleep, and places a symbol of light over her base chakra and crown chakra. This seems so obvious, but it hadn’t occurred to me. People close their chakras after meditation, so why not before sleep?
Help from the Higher Powers
Down the ages people have recognised that the best shield against evil is recourse to the Higher Powers. If you attack evil on your own, even in self-defence, you could incur some karmic penalty, especially if you attack it on its own ground. Or your adversary may have more power than you.
There is no need to be a churchgoer, or even religious, in order to call on this help. The great celestial beings are impartial. Those who work for this planet are happy to be asked, as they do not intervene in our world unless invited to do so. To intervene without being asked would be countermanding our free will.
When seeking help and protection, go for the best. Don’t go for lesser gods as they may not be impartial. With Jesus and Mary, Archangel Michael, Kwan Yin, Shiva and others of similar stature we know who we are dealing with. They have been with us forever. If you have been put off any of them because of the shenanigans of organised religions, remember that they have been betrayed by organised religion just as often as humans have, though in a different way.
It is good to cultivate a relationship with one or more of the great celestial beings, so that through your closeness with them it is easy to call on them in need. You help them by working for them on this planet and they help you in return. It usually happens that a person is drawn to one or another celestial being.
Our relationship to these great beings is like that of a toddler to a particularly wise and mature adult. The simplest way is to put your hand in theirs, like a little child, and offer them your love. This is very difficult for a sophisticated Western person to achieve, partly because the devotional approach to the spiritual life appeals to people who live with simplicity and love and are not troubled by an overactive intellect. This does not mean that such people are simple-minded. I once knew a university maths professor who was devoted to Mary and spent many hours giving the rosary.
There has never been a time when Jesus and Mary were as close to us as they are today. Jesus is so close that you can almost touch him, as thousands of Christians can testify, and Mary has been appearing in various parts of the world for many decades now. Interestingly, she has appeared on a church wall but never in a church.
Of all the great celestial beings we know of who are concerned with this planet, there are two who have made a specialised commitment to those seeking help and protection: Archangel Michael and Kwan Yin.
Archangel Michael
Click here for a bigger picture
Archangel Michael appears in the Bible and in other ancient texts as our defender against the fallen angels. He led the great cosmic battle against the forces of evil, when according to the Book of Revelation “there was war in heaven; Michael and his angels fought against the dragon … And the great dragon was cast out, that old serpent, called the Devil, and Satan, which deceiveth the whole world: he was cast out into the earth and his angels were cast out with him.” A third part of all the angels - a colossal number - rebelled and were banished from heaven and exiled on earth. Some commentators think that this refers to some great cataclysm in earth’s past.
In these end times Archangel Michael is fighting the battle of Armageddon - the second phase of the earlier cosmic war - mostly in other dimensions but partly here on earth. He is our guardian and protector and his mission is to help people overcome fear and thereby defeat the demonic. The dragon is a reptile: the whole reptilian consciousness. Whereas the Archangel Gabriel is connected with the moon, Archangel Michael is connected with the sun. He protects the just and weighs souls - so don’t ask him to help you break the law!
I believe that St Michael is the real patron saint of England rather than St George. He is linked with Mary at many churches and ancient sacred sites along the Michael and Mary ley line which runs across Britain from the Scilly Isles. The tower on top of Glastonbury tor is dedicated to St Michael. Other important places are St Michael’s Mount in Cornwall and Skellig Michael in Ireland and in Normandy there is of course Mont St Michel. He is associated with high places and with the west.
If you need protection, and especially if you are fighting evil in any form, Archangel Michael is your man. He protects soldiers, police, paramedics and anyone who is sitting quietly in their room praying for good to prevail over evil. If you need help, all you have to do is call out: Archangel Michael, help me! help me! help me!
Or there is this little prayer:
Archangel Michael be with me today,
Before me, behind me, below and above,
On my right, on my left, be within me I pray
And wherever I go protect with your love.
Kwan Yin
I have not been able to trace the owner of this remarkable painting of Kwan Yin. It is a painting of a photograph which I have seen. A woman from some South East Asian country - I forget which - showed it to me and to others years ago at a spiritual conference, and said that it was taken by an airline pilot who was flying over the China sea, and looking down, saw this vision of Kwan Yin walking on the water.
Whereas Archangel Michael is a warrior in defence of the innocent, Kwan Yin will help you no matter who you are or what you have done. You can be a murderer on death row and she will help you if you call to her, although she will probably get you to renounce your evil ways in return. This is because she took the Bodhisattva Vows, which committed her to staying with this planet until all sentient beings have been saved.
Kwan Yin is the great Mother Goddess of China. Buddhists would say that “goddess” is how the peasants see her, whereas in actuality she is a Bodhisattva, or a secondary emanation of the primary Buddha. There is an enchanting book about her called Bodhisattva of Compassion by John Blofeld which I highly recommend. She is said to have been originally a male deity called Avalokita, and some people find this a stumbling block. I see no problem with it. Gender is a moveable feast. Most people change gender several times in the course of various incarnations. This is probably because in recorded history the lives of men have offered far more opportunities of experience than have the lives of women.
No people on earth have suffered more throughout history than the Chinese, and Chinese women had the worst of it. Someone once said that the greatest misfortune on earth was to be born a Chinese woman. In such an overwhelmingly male dominated culture people needed a representative of the Divine Feminine, and no mother figure is more loving and compassionate than Kwan Yin.
Kwan Yin also appeals to Westerners who would like to connect with the Christian Mary but cannot accept the Catholic Church.
Those who are drawn to Kwan Yin enter a magical world of Chinese art and beauty, whose delicacy and sweetness conceals tremendous power. Blofeld says: “Rocks, willows, lotus pools or running water are often indications of her presence. In the chime of bronze or jade, the sough of wind in the pines, the prattle and tinkle of streams, her voice is heard.”
It is well worth while spending time getting to know Kwan Yin through books and pictures, and any shop in Chinatown sells statuettes of her of varying quality. Devotees often create a little shrine to Kwan Yin somewhere in the house, with a statuette or picture, little incense burner, flowers or other pretty things especially ones from the sea.
Her mantras are harder to find than Indian ones, but there are some on the internet. Try to avoid American versions and go for Chinese ones. Here are three of her most important mantras:
OM MANI PADME HUM
Probably the most famous mantra in the world, this means: “Hail to the jewel in the lotus.” People often meditate on Kwan Yin as the jewel in the lotus.
*********
NAMO KWAN SHIH YIN PUSA
(pronounced NAH MO KWAN SHUR YIN POOSSA)
Hail to Kwan Yin Bodhisattva.
***********
CHIU KU CHIU NAN PUSA LAI
(pronounced JO KOO JO NON POOSSA LIE)
Save from suffering, save from calamity, Bodhisattva -come!
This is the one to use if you are in trouble. But you should familiarise yourself with it before you ever need it.
***************
Shiva
You don’t have to be a Hindu to benefit from knowing the Hindu gods. The subject is too vast to go into here, but the Hindu gods and goddesses are very much with this planet and enormously powerful. Shiva forms a cosmic trinity with Brahma and Vishnu, and his role is as a destroyer of evil. Countless bronze statues show him inside a circle dancing on demons .
There is an abundance of mantra videos on the internet for Shiva and other Hindu deities. In addition I recommend the following three collections on CD:
Om namaha Shivaya by Robert Gass and On Wings of Song. Spring Hill Music 1996
Sacred Chants of Shiva Art of Living Foundation. Heaven and Earth Music 2000.
Sacred Chants of Devi Mother Divine Heaven on Earth Music 2002 (Not Shiva but a marvellous CD to have)
Once you establish a relationship with Shiva, you can use his name, which has immense power. In situations where it would be practical to do so, you can shout “Shiva!” or “Shiva come forth!” at the top of your voice to combat evil. This will scare away or shatter any demons in the vicinity.
And finally …
To the pure all things are pure. Your own goodness protects you. If you keep away from evil people and associations, don’t spend too much time on the media and ugly films and don’t concern yourself too much with thinking about evil things, you should be able to live in a contented and harmonious state of mind which will keep evil away from you. You won’t thereby escape all the pains life has to offer but you will be free from a good many of them.
