Aghori Philosophy
The following was written by my own mentor concerning the beliefs of our Order. I share it here for you:
Aghora Philosophy
The following was recently presented in a seminar to a group of Kali Odiyyas in preparation for their moving to this higher path beyond Tantra. You must accept this Path as your own to be able to receive the Order of the Dragon of Fire Initiation which is also known as the Power of the Aghora Djinn Empowerment.
Aghora Philosophy: Basic Tenets & Beliefs
© 2012 By Dr. Prajna Shiva Kalidasa
Aghora is the apotheosis of Tantra, the spiritual practice whose Supreme deity is the Great Mother Goddess, Mahakali. Aghora is defined as “filled with Light; illumined; deeper than deep.” Apotheosis is defined as “ a glorified personification of a principle or idea. Thus, Aghora is Tantra taken to a higher level, and not just any Tantra but the Left-Hand Path.
There are two paths in Tantra. The Right-Hand Path (Dakshina Marga) is slower, and operates through an orthodox religious view of external purity. The Left-Hand Path (Vama Marga) is very rapid in the approach to Enlightenment and relies upon the internal purity of the practitioner (Aghori) who has overcome it’s lusts and temptations (food, sex and sleep in excess) so that they may practice rituals involving sex, necromancy, the use of intoxicants,
Shava Sadhana, and other practices that are considered to be forbidden and inauspicious by religions without losing their self-control. This is why someone who aspires to this higher Path must go through intense training to educate the mind in the appropriate philosophy, and the use of breath-work, mantras, and Yantras so that they are purified spiritually, mentally, emotionally, and physically before being assigned the more powerful rituals that are considered to be “hedonistic and sinful” by most of the people in the world’s religions.
Dr. Robert Svoboda has this to say about Aghora: “Aghora is not indulgence, it is the forcible transformation of Darkness into Light, of the opacity of the limited individual personality into the luminescence of the Absolute. Renunciation disappears once you arrive at the Absolute because then nothing remains to renounce. An Aghori goes so deeply into Darkness, into all things undreamable to ordinary mortals, that he comes out into Light.”
There are some groups and sects in the world who try to make the claim that they alone have the right to use the title of Aghori, and often have elaborate religious rituals and dogmas to try and support their claim. But, the truth is that all real Aghoris have no use for any form of organized religion as they are beyond the bounds of allowing anyone to claim the right of ownership over their spirit and souls. In fact, the true Aghori is dedicated only to Mahakali, and cannot be recognized by any form of external mark or symbol. True Aghoris are wholly and completely internal.
Aghora is the next step beyond Tantra in the process of service to the Goddess. To that end, it is best that we explore a bit about Tantra here as what is called Tantra in the West is often just a poor excuse for perverts, hedonists and sex addicts to justify their excesses in the name of spirituality. To be certain, sex can be used to make great strides in rapid and safe forms of spiritual awakening and empowerment, and if anyone is interested in trying that route then there are supposed to be a few Sacred Prostitutes here of whom a couple will help you properly explore this Path. However, before doing so then you should know a bit more about the different kinds and levels of Tantra.
Essential there are three types of Tantra, “Pashu” or external, the “Divya” or internal, and the “Vira” or mixed/Heroic. And, there are three classes of celebrants known as the Tamasic, Rajasic, and Sattvic. We will take a brief look at each of them:
The Pashu (external) celebrant is very animalistic in nature, and is attached to external sensory objects and rituals. Many of these people are drawn into the gross sexual practices without any balance or preparation, and get lost in the excessive stimulation of it all forgetting the true purpose for their being there.
The Divya are the divine type who take on an introverted, internalized form of action. They seek more internal activities and rites that feed the spirit, but do little to experience the body as a spiritual tool, and so miss much in the process.
The Vira is a mixed version that falls in the realm known as the Hero’s Journey, and is both internal and external giving great attention to detail, and engages in practices which fall within the realm of activities that require great moral strength and courage, but which leads to lives filled with power and leads to rapid Enlightenment. Indeed, it is the same for Aghora and the Asaga in that all of life becomes a sacred rite in which honor the Five Elements and the Goddess
in every action. For example: When we urinate then we ask Mother Earth to receive it as a feminine offering to the earth, and when we defecate we ask Her to receive it as a masculine offering to the earth. Feminine energy is active like flowing water while masculine energy is more passive like solid matter. Therefore, even the grossest tasks of our lives become an act of worship to honor the Goddess.
In this seminar, and in other activities, we often do the mantras out loud so that people may learn them, but the greatest power in such activities is gained by doing them silently. Therefore, the Aghoris on the Heroic Path will do them internally within them. There is an ancient Teaching within the Asaga tradition that says, “The Temple of Silence is the place of power. Noise is diffused energy while silence is contained energy.” In fact, my favorite seminars and classes to “teach” are done in complete silence. My Apprentices and others are invited to come for from three to seven days, and work on a particular understanding. We remove our clothes, awaken the Fiery Kundalini Serpent within, honor the Secret Power of the Elements, sit down and meditate in complete silence. Often, issues will come up for people, and then they and I will go off privately and work it out. Then we return and continue in silence. Afterwards, people comment that they learned more in those few days than sometimes in months or years of spiritual training and meditation.
The Vira are the ones who will generally be found doing the more extreme practices leading to Enlightenment such as what I recommend that each of you begin with by meditating naked all night in a cemetery or crematorium, and chanting the Mahakali Left-Hand Path Mantra all night long. We are also the ones who engage in the Shava Sadhana, when possible, which you will learn about in other parts of this seminar.
The Tamasic are those people who are mentally dull and given to excessive psycho-sexual rituals involving heavy foods with cream dishes, excessively fat red meats, excessive alcoholic beverages and sexual activities culminating in sexual intercourse that are designed to overwhelm the dullness of the mind by means of excessive stimulation. This is not a part of the Aghora Path.
The Rajasic people have very active minds which need to be properly channeled. They need less physical stimulation and more control to help them along the way. These people are more given to a diet of such things as ginger, radishes, boiled grains and meat, fish and fowl, and will decorate their homes with lots of flowers.
Sattvic people enjoy great balance of mind, alertness and awareness, do not require much in the way of being controlled externally or much in the way of external forms of worship doing most of their personal devotions and practice in silence and often alone. As Svoboda puts it, “They utilize the meat of silence, the fish of breath control, the grain of concentration techniques, the wine of God(dess) intoxification, and the coitus of one’s ego with the Absolute.”
Some Aghori fall within the Rajasic realm of activity, but most are Sattvic in nature. And, all Aghori recognize that all of the Elements are found within every human, and that all aspects of life, including our spiritual life, must be in balance. When the Elements are balanced within our lives then we are able to share in the balance of all of the rest of Creation, and that is where the true power is found.
A great part of developing the ability to live in balance is through the cultivation of “otherness” and also a state and condition of perpetual “awareness”. Otherness is the ability to see and feel what is going on in all of Creation instead of just your own little world. For example, you may know what is going on around your body, but you must also be able to tap into what is going on four million light-years away in another universe, and understand how it is affecting you and you it. This is a very important capability for both a Shaman and a Sorcerer.
Three months ago I was offered the opportunity to apply for membership in a secret society that has done more to change the world for the better than any other organization in this Cycle of Ages. My great uncle was one of the finest men I have ever known, he was a part of it, and that led me to desire to join them as well. It only took 46 years for them to offer to let me apply as I found about them when I was 11. The day before this writing I received an encrypted message that told me to expect two packages in the mail, and that the contents would contain the answer to my application. Suffice it to say that I did not get much sleep last night, but spent the time working on this seminar and considering the implication for my life if I am accepted, and also if I am not, and how that may affect the rest of Creation. Such an awareness is of vital importance to what we do as well.
Awareness is the first law of survival in combat, in survival in the wilderness and as an Aghora Shaman or Sorcerer. According to the great Aghora mystic Vimalananda, “To be really aware you must be able to know simultaneously what is going on thousands of miles away today, what may have happened here centuries ago, what will happen anywhere in the world centuries from now, and what is occurring, has occurred, and will occur on other planes of existence. And you still act as if you know nothing. You must just sit and talk with people and play the part that Nature has assigned you.” Awareness! Cultivate it if you aspire to walk the Path of the Aghora in service to Mahakali.
It is safe to say that we Aghori are spiritual thrill seekers as we continually push our own limits further and further in our quest to serve Mahakali and to grow in Enlightenment. This is not a Path for the timid or shy. There is nothing inauspicious to the Aghora except being ordinary. Anyone can do that. In fact, the Aghora seek “to die while still being alive” which means that you must give up all attachment to your possessions, including your body. Anyone can do this to a degree, but Aghoris do so to the extreme.
You can begin this process quite simply by looking at your body every morning, and acknowledging that it will die someday, but your spirit will go on. And, if you live in a city then spend every night that you can meditating naked in a cemetery. Once you become comfortable with your own mortality, and with the spirits of the dead, then you will have made great progress. In Aghora you embrace Darkness, and you make it work for you.
Intoxicants in Ritual:
When one has developed “Otherness”, and has overcome the “Three Poisons” (Ignorance, Greed and Fear as well as their addictions to food, sex and sleep) then they can both face Death and call it their friend, and use such things as intoxicants in ritual as an aid to their practice rather than something that dulls our senses. Rather that keeping us from being able to function properly, Maria and I use it to sharpen our senses at the beginning of a major ritual process. When you reach this level of discipline then you are able to do this safely, but until you overcome the “Three Poisons” and their addictions then it is best that you leave this alone. And, until you can do this safely then it is highly advisable that you also leave alone the use of…
Sex in Ritual:
Sex is the ultimate addiction for anyone in a human body. The more you get it then the more that you want it! In some ways this is very good, as it is with women, and in some ways it can become a problem, as it often does with men. For a woman, the more orgasms she has the more power there is in her life. In the case of men, full body orgasms are very empowering, but once he ejaculates then it’s over for awhile. There are exercises that men can do to learn to avoid ejaculation, but only about fifty percent of all men can master them.
Men are most definitely the inferior design sexually, but not physically, and many men have a premature ejaculation problem. This can be strengthened by masturbating once every day. The more a man ejaculates then the more semen he has, and the more control on length of time that he can develop, and yet he then faces a new danger: that of becoming addicted to his own hand rather than dealing with the emotions and needs of his partner. It’s one of those “damned if you do, and damned if you don’t” scenarios until you learn to discipline your sex life and the thoughts that fuel it.
There are other exercises that work very well for both women and men to improve their control during sex, but that is a subject for another day. This situation is about understanding that your body is a tool for spiritual growth, and to become comfortable in it. Aghori do and are. Suffice it to say that the sexual rituals that bring an Aghora the most power require serious self-discipline, and are such that thy generally freak out all of “polite” and religious society. They also bring a massive Blessing from Mahakali for both the woman and the man, and the potential for abuse is great. For these reasons then people are encouraged to do other forms of lesser tantric sexual exercises that help develop your self-control, and that you do nothing else until after much other preparation, until you have reached the “summit” in Aghora as described below. Having attained that level then these other “inauspicious and dangerous” activities will no longer be a problem for you.
The Left-Hand Path:
The Right-Hand Path is about doing all of the things that are considered auspicious by religions, and that maintain the status quo which guarantees their control over society and slow spiritual growth for individuals. It is “safe”, easy and requires little in the way of courage. The Left-Hand Path takes true courage, engages in the things that are considered inauspicious by religions, and provides rapid enlightenment.
Aghora encourages us to master both the Right-Hand Path and the Left-Hand Path. This allows us to meet people where they are, and then help them regain their spiritual, mental, emotional and physical freedom from the brain-washing and slavery they have allowed themselves to become trapped within. To become an Aghori is to accept the entirety of the universe and Creation as part of the One, and that includes Death, fear, good, evil and the Right-Hand Path with it’s apathy and complacency as well. The
highest path of the Aghora is not achieved in a day, but is a process requiring one to climb ever higher up the mountain of truth. Your arrival at the summit will be achieved when you no longer have any fear. In the words of Vimalananda, “When you see One in All, and All in One, there can be no fear – fear of what, yourself? Everywhere I see, everything is me…Can you fear yourself? No, you fear only the unknown; once anything is known, the fear drops away. Once you know yourself to be part and parcel of the One, what is there to fear…The worst fear of all is the fear of Death; once you go beyond the fear of Death, you go beyond all fears because you go beyond all expectation and anticipation, which are the causes of most karmas…Once you drop fear the whole world is open to you because you have nothing to take from anyone; you know only how to give because you have nothing to hold on to. What can you possess when everything is you? You already possess everything. It is really a superb feeling!”
Once you reach this point then in this country it is like graduating from high school. Vimalananda taught that your college degree only comes to you after passing the examination of “Attack”. As Vimalananda explained it: “When the hordes of ethereal beings find they can’t tempt you, they will try to drive you mad with their power of fright. But don’t bother, how can they harm you? You are a part of the totality of existence, and your Mother (Mahakali) is looking after you; what more do you want?”
As we went through the process of the Mahakali Storm Initiations then we were attacked along the way, and those attacks were very real. People were injured and bled from it, teeth were broken, others became ill, confused, discouraged, and some were successfully tempted into joining the Dark Lodge. Shit happens, we weathered the storm, and we passed the examination yet again. Now, in preparing to present this information for the first time in this country, an agent-in-place for the Dark Lodge, and other spirits, have tested us further by attacking Raven’s and my personal relationship, and then attacking two of those whom we love and with whom the future of the earth rests. We are passing the test and moving on.
There are other tests as well. There is another organization, that I wrote about earlier, the most secret society on the planet at this time that was founded for the sole purposes of fully restoring women’s freedom and destroying the grip of religion upon the hearts and minds of humankind so that we can all return to a free spirituality, and have no more slavery of any kind in this world. It has been my highest desire to be a part of this organization for the purpose being able to do my work better, and the opportunity has arisen. I will know by the week before this seminar is over whether I have been accepted or not. If so then that will be wonderful, and if not then there will be other lives in service to Mahakali and so it does not matter. It is only a test. Sometimes we are tested publicly, and sometimes we are tested privately, but we are always tested. When we have reached the “summit” then we find that there is simply another still higher mountain to climb that we were unable to see until we had climbed the one that we are now on.
My single greatest desire in life is to know Mahakali in all of Her forms so that I can Love and serve Her totally and completely for the rest of Eternity. As long as I keep my focus without fear then I have passed the highest test. In the Lord of the Rings Trilogy there is a scene in which the ever impetuous Pippin has gotten himself in trouble yet again. He is in the Hall of the Kings of Gondor, and a good man has just been sent to his death by his ungrateful father, the Steward of Gondor. The Steward is eating his lunch, and commands to Hobbit to sing him a song. It could well have been written by an Aghori:
The Hobbit’s Lament
“All this behind, the worlds ahead
There are many Paths to tread
Through Darkness to the edge of night
Until the Stars are all alight
Mist and Darkness
Clouds and Flame
We shall return till all Shadows fade.”
In Aghora, the only acceptable end is Victory as we move successfully through the deepest Darkness into the Light.
Namaskar
Jai Mahakali!
Prajna Shiva Kalidasa
