The Energy of Live Flows to Your Point of Focus
Kathleen Karlsen
January – February 2023 • Vol 4, No 2
The Sri Yantra is an incredible, 12,000-year-old symbol known as “the holy wheel,” and is, by far, the most popular personal talisman in the East. Drawings of this symbol have been found on ancient stones in India.
The Sri Yantra is a symbol of wealth, harmony and protection. The word Sri means abundance, wealth or splendor. Yantra means “instrument” or “machine.” The meaning of yantra is usually translated as “a tool for the mind.” Yantras are an important visual aid for meditation. In addition, the form itself is a conductor of positive energy.
The Sri Yantra design can be placed outside or inside a home for spiritual protection. This intricate design can also be incorporated in jewelry and personal accessories.
YANTRAS & MANDALAS
Yantras are the Hindu version of the more well-known Buddhist mandalas. The terms are sometimes used interchangeably; however, there are several key differences.
Mandalas tend to be more complex, sometimes depicting interactions between divine beings, human activities, and the heavenly world. Yantras are generally composed of simple geometric forms, Sanskrit characters and organic forms such as lotus petals.
USES OF YANTRAS
They are sometimes used in Vastu (the Hindu form of Feng Shui). For example, a powerful image or sculpture of the Sri Yantra may be used to correct negative configurations or influences in the environment. Historically, yantras were considered to be sacred, and so were guarded by Hindu priests to prevent unauthorized access to them.
Yantras can also be used for specific purposes:
- Mitigation of astrological influences
- Relief for particular health conditions
- Creation of a spiritual forcefield
- Protection from the ill will of others
- A focus for meditation and mantras
YANTRAS & THE PRACTICE OF MANTRAS
Yantras are directly associated with particular sounds or sequences of sounds in mantras, and it is believed that yantras actually depict the patterns of these sounds in matter. This can be demonstrated in the images recorded by modern cymascopes, which are scientific instruments that show the geometry of sounds revealed in sand, water, or other substances, providing visual depictions of these sounds—thus connecting the unseen, auditory world with the physical dimension.
Using a cymascope, the sound OM creates a series of interlocking triangles remarkably identical to the central forms in the Sri Yantra. OM is the quintessential hum of the universe, a single syllable at the beginning of many mantras or used alone for sacred toning.
MEANING OF THE SRI YANTRA: TRIANGLES
The most basic interpretation of the Sri Yantra is the u