Friday, May 28, 2010

Our Cosmic Beginning

Sattva, Rajas & Tamas

'Three primordial forces, interweaving to create the five elements, birth the entire creation'.

The principle of stillness, tamas, replenishes the universe and its beings and is the main principle of support within the physical universe. On the physical plane, tamas works closely with the physical functions of the body, bodily humors, tissues and wastes.

The principle of self-organizing activity, rajas, gives motility and co-ordination to the universe and to physical life. Rajas influences the psychic plane of existence and works closely with the psychological functions of the body. It gives us power to transform what is being percieved externally into thoughts, concepts, visions and dreams.

The principle of harmonic and cosmic intelligence, sattva, maintains universal and individual stasis and awareness. Sattva permeates each and every cell of our being. It functions through our existential states of awareness and maintains the cosmic memory of the entire creation - the collective memory of the entire universe from its inception. Sattva also maintains the cognitive memory of every human - each individual's memory accumulated from the beginning of time through each rebirth until the present time - our personal wisdom.

In Ayurveda, all food belongs to one of these three categories. Good quality milk, ghee, wheat and fruits that are aweet and cooling are considered to be calm-inducing, sattvic, by nature. Stimulating and heat-producing foods, such as ginger, pepper and radish, are considered to be activating, rajasic, by nature. Heavy and debilitating foods, heat-producing or cool, such as excess garlic, alcohol and ice-cream, old, processed or canned food, are considered to be mind-dulling, tamasic, by nature.

If we are to develop our capacity to be aware of our cognitive memories, to work toward being in tune with our inner intuition and the deeper rhythm of the universe, an understanding of how certain foods affect our bodies and minds is essential.

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