-
Analogy of the Mantra
Analogy of the Mantra
"Our understanding of the powerful way in which an ideal may work to transform us may be enhanced by a consideration of the true meaning of mantra. We have heard from the teachings of the East about the use of the mantra in meditation. However, no word is in and of itself a mantra. A word may be used mantrically or it may be used mechanically. A mantra, which is a mind tool, when truly used becomes mediator between the one force and its manifestation. (remember, mind is the builder!) A mantra calls reality into manifestation. It is like an invocation which, when uttered, is accompanied by the presence of that being invoked. We should use the word mantric rather than mantra, indicating that it is the spirit which releases the transforming energy rather than the word itself.
The setting of an ideal has similarities to the true function of a mantra in meditation. It awakens a high sense of purpose, thus opening the motivational centers through which spiritual energy may flow into manifestation in our own bodies and in our relationships with others.
The word which we set as our spiritual ideal should be one which, when dwelt upon by the mind - not the intellect but the imaginative forces of the mind - elicits a response in our bodies physically, mentally, and spiritually. Properly used, such a word invites and enhances the flow of the life forces in and through our being."
- The Edgar Cayce Primer