Direct realization spiritual practice emphasizes the direct encounter. It de-emphasizes faith, trust and belief in favor of finding out about Reality firsthand for yourself.

Self-realization in Kashmir Shaivism means recognizing and knowing your self, the Self, or the nature of Reality. All of these are the same.

This poem is a part of my own exploration of my relationship to ancient traditions and their secular, scholarly, and natural histories.

Many people are outing and analyzing cult leaders these days. But people are still joining cults. What’s up with that?

On the Magic of Being Generous

I was told this story long ago.

A local thief used to regularly steal from Swami Shivananda’s ashram in Rishikesh, India.

There’s this phenom called “skepticism.” Skepticism is not doubt. Doubt is a soft, exploratory state. In fact, Abhinavagupta, a great Tantrik siddha of Kashmir, said that the most teachable students are willing to host doubt.

Three Jaya Kula students, all acupuncturists by trade, have given birth in the past few months! We asked our new mamas to offer their reflections on the intersection of parenthood and spiritual practice. Here’s what they had to say!

I’m writing this just 24-hours before a total solar eclipse. Many people have been asking me, “What should I do during the eclipse?”

A Conversation with Shambhavi Sarasvati

Shambhavi got together recently with Jacob Kyle from Embodied Philosophy to chat about the intersection of spiritual practice, politics and social justice.

Spiritual awakening is about the universalization of love and compassion. Instead of our love and concern being focused on just a few people, we discover we have the innate capacity to express a deep, abiding, and active desire for the well-being of all.

The pantheon of Hindu and Tantrik deities presents us with a playground of playfully shifting gender expressions. Nonetheless, the force of conventional gender role expectations and confusion plays itself out everywhere in contemporary spiritual communities.

For everyone who has been given an opportunity, however small, to help others wake up and discover their divine nature. . .

A Jaya Kula reader asked about the role of family relationships in Tantrik life. In general, Tantra has always been a householder tradition. As far as I know, there were no Tantrik ashrams or Tantrik monastics until modern times.

Being a mother to my son is a potent medicine that has opened my heart.

In 2016, Shambhavi gave a teaching cycle called 9 Poisons 9 Medicines 9 Fruits.

Walk with your mind married
to the bottoms of your feet

Last night I gave an impromptu talk on a special astrological combination that is forming in the sky now and is affecting everyone in the world. This combination, called “Guru Chandala yoga,” occurs when Rahu, the north node of the moon, and Jupiter are in or enter the same sign.

I’ve declared the time between now and August 2016 a year for our spiritual community, Jaya Kula, to discover and explore the nature of generosity. Want to join us?

What do you want from your spiritual practice? What do you want from life? To me these are the same question.

I think it’s time to start a conversation about soft cults.