#TarotTuesday: Shiva Bhairava "Where My Mind Warriors At?"

For this week's tarottuesday's offering I was guided to use my Yogini of Hirapur Oracle, created by Luisa Spagna instead of a regular tarot oracle.

Shiva Bhairava is the only Divine Masculine form in this 64 yogini oracle. I have been feeling Shiva's presence a great deal lately and for him to show up in this week's reading is a boon for those on a spiritual path of transcendence and healing especially of the mind.

In the Tantric tradition Shiva is the initiator of transcendence through meditation of all forms. He also reveals secrets of love and relationship to his students—a little known aspect of him. He wears a crescent moon as a hair ornament revealing his greatest gift—the gift of a peaceful mind and expanded awareness. In the Tantric tradition the moon in a astrological chart gives an indication as to the potential for the person to transcend difficulties through controlling the emotions which in turn helps with mental peace.

There are many aspects to Shiva and Bhairava is known as a particularly fierce protector and destroyer of ignorance. He is pure fire. He comes with a message of overcoming spiritual obstacles through right use of spiritual energy for the mind. He will help you destroy whatever is in the way of your pure spiritual awareness.

In his teacher mode the Bhairava Tantra was created—an ancient text of a group of 112 meditations for the spiritual aspirant to use for many different types of obstacles. The book "The Radiance Sutras" by Lorin Roche contains all of the Bhairava Tantra in Sanskrit and English so that everyday people may benefit from the teachings. I asked Shiva what meditation in this group would be most beneficial for those who read this blog and sutra 41 came up. It reads as follows:

"Immerse yourself in the rapture of music. You know what you love. Go there. Tend to each note, each chord, Rising up from silence and dissolving again. Vibrating strings draw us Into the spacious resonance of the heart. The body becomes light as the sky And you, one with the Great Musician, Who is even now singing us Into existence."

To celebrate this week's oracle here is one of my very favorite songs/hymns to Shiva, the Shiva Tandav which talks about Shiva's excellence and compassionate intervention in our lives. I've included the meaning of the Sanskrit words in English under the video.

In closing there are many times when you can get very weary of the battle against oppression in all its forms. This is a good time to call on Bhairava Shiva to destroy the obstacles as long as it is for a righteous cause. He has a very powerful warrior energy, as mentioned before in this article very fiery and burns away impurities especially on the mental level so only come with sincerity. We are in an age where deception and mind-control/games seems to be the norm. Bhairava Shiva with his drum is the medicine for these times.

With his neck, consecrated by the flow of water flowing from the thick forest-like locks of hair, and on the neck, where the lofty snake is hanging like a garland, and the Damaru drum making the sound of Damat Damat Damat Damat, Lord Śiva did the auspicious dance of Tandava and may He shower prosperity on us all.

I have a very deep interest in Lord Śiva, whose head is glorified by the rows of moving waves of the celestial river Gaṅgā, agitating in the deep well of his hair-locks, and who has the brilliant fire flaming on the surface of his forehead, and who has the crescent moon as a jewel on his head.

May my mind seek happiness in the Lord Śiva, in whose mind all the living beings of the glorious universe exist, who is the sportive companion of Parvati (daughter of the mountain king), who controls invincible hardships with the flow of his compassionate look, who is all-pervasive the directions are his clothes.

May I seek wonderful pleasure in Lord Śiva, who is supporter of all life, who with his creeping snake with reddish brown hood and with the luster of his gem on it spreading out variegated colors on the beautiful faces of the maidens of directions, who is covered with a glittering upper garment made of the skin of a huge intoxicated elephant.

May Lord Śiva give us prosperity, who has the moon (relative of the Cakora bird) as his head-jewel, whose hair is tied by the red snake-garland, whose foot-stool is grayed by the flow of dust from the flowers from the rows of heads of all the Gods, Indra/Vishnu and others.

May we get the wealth of Siddhis from Śiva's locks of hair, of him who devoured the God of Love with the sparks of the fire flaming in His forehead, who is bowed by all the celestial leaders, who is beautiful with a crescent moon.
My interest is in Lord Śiva, who has three eyes, who has offered the powerful God of Love into the fire, flaming Dhagad Dhagad on the flat surface of his forehead, and who is the one expert artist of creation accompanied by Parvati, the daughter of the mountain king

May Lord Śiva give us prosperity, who bears the burden of this universe, who is lovely with the moon, who is red wearing the skin, who has the celestial river Ganga, whose neck is dark as midnight of new moon night covered by many layers of clouds.

I pray to Lord Śiva, whose neck is tied with the luster of the temples hanging on the neck with the glory of the fully bloomed blue lotuses which looked like the blackness (sins) of the universe, who is the killer of Manmatha, who destroyed Tripuras, who destroyed the bonds of worldly life, who destroyed the sacrifice, who destroyed the demon Andhaka, the destroyer of the elephants, and who controlled the God of death, Yama.

I pray to Lord Śiva, who has bees flying all over because of the sweet honey from the beautiful bunch of auspicious Kadamba flowers, who is the killer of Manmatha, who destroyed Tripuras, who destroyed the bonds of worldly life, who destroyed the sacrifice, who destroyed the demon Andhaka, the killer of the elephants, and who controlled the God of death, Yama.

Lord Śiva, whose dance of Tāṇḍava is in tune with the series of loud sounds of drum making Dhimid Dhimid sounds, who has the fire on the great forehead, the fire that is spreading out because of the breath of the snake wandering in whirling motion in the glorious sky.

When will I worship Lord SadāŚiva (eternally auspicious) God, with equal vision towards the people and an emperor, and a blade of grass and lotus-like eye, towards both friends and enemies, towards the valuable gem and some lump of dirt, towards a snake and a garland and towards varied ways of the world.

When will I be happy, living in the hollow place near the celestial river, Ganga, carrying the folded hands on my head all the time, with my bad thinking washed away, and uttering the mantra of Lord Śiva and devoted in the God with glorious forehead with vibrating eyes.

Divine beauty of different parts of Lord Śiva which are enlightened by fragrance of the flowers decorating the twisted hair locks of angels may always bless us with happiness and pleasure.

he Shakti (energy) which is capable of burning all the sins and spreading welfare of all and the pleasant sound produced by angels during enchanting the pious Shiv mantra at the time of Shiv-Parvati Vivah may win over & destroy all the sufferings of the world.

Whoever reads, remembers and says this best stotra as it is said here, gets purified for ever, and obtains devotion in the great Guru Śiva. For this devotion, there is no other way. Just the mere thought of Lord Śiva indeed removes the delusion.

Thus ends the Śiva-Tāṇḍava Stotra written by Śrī Rāvaṇa. Aum Namah Shivaya

Head to the sky, feet rooted in earth - Awakened Oracle