Churning of the Ocean of Milk

There are stories that need to be written, told or read when the time is right, neither sooner nor later. Stories that spread a cosmic and ancient message from the Universe. Stories that leave a mark and inspire us to turn to our true nature, to refine ourselves, rediscover and remember that we carry the strength of the spirit and love within us, to remind us that we are love.

The story I am about to share with you is part of the Hindu culture and traditions and I first heard it at the meditation classes I was attending. This legend became the inspiration for a mysterious and special meditation that requires devotion and practice for 21, 30, 40 or 60 days.

A few weeks later, I had the opportunity to visit Cambodia where I discovered this story in the statues located in almost every ancient temple. Statues enduring over the years and embodying the energy of this sacred land, as well as dances, places and souvenirs – all of them symbolizing, depicting and passing forward this powerful legend.

The churning of the ocean of milk is a momentous event in Hindu mythology.

It is the story of the ever-continuing struggle between the Gods (Devas) and the Demons (Asuras). The Gods, who had become weakened as a result of a curse by the sage Durvasa, invited the Asuras to help them recover and obtain the ultimate prize of immortality by consuming Amrit, the elixir of immortality.

The legend begins with Indra, an ancient God (Deva) renowned as the King of the heavens, and the God of rain and thunder. As Indra traveled on his elephant-drawn chariot, he was approached by the Sage Durvasa who offered him a special garland of flowers. Indra accepted the garland and placed it on the trunk of his elephant. Unfortunately, the elephant threw the garland to the ground and greatly offended the Sage, who then cursed Indra and all the Devas were defeated, Devas condemning them to lose their great strength and fortune.

Bereft of their strength and fortune, the Gods (Devas) sought Amrit, the elixir of immortality from the depths of the cosmic ocean. The Gods had to join forces with their mortal enemies, the Demons (Asuras) to stir and churn the ocean until the Amrit floated up as butter floats up from milk and bring the Amrit to the surface, who agreed to do so in return for half of the reward.

To churn the primordial ocean, Mount Mandara was used as a churning rod and the snake-king, Vasuki, as the churning rope. The Asuras held the head of the snake and the Devas held its tail and they pulled his body alternately, causing the mountain to rotate and the ocean to churn.

The colossal tug of war continued for a million years before the gifts of the ocean were revealed.

Before the Amrit was revealed, the mythological poison of Halahala was released from the depths of the ocean. GodShiva hurriedly drank the poison to prevent it from contaminating the ocean. According to some legends, the Halahala may be the reason for Shiva’s iconic blue color.

When the Amrit was finally revealed, the Gods (Devas) and Demons (Asuras) immediately reverted to their rivalry and tried to obtain the elixir for themselves. The Gods and the Demons fought over the nectar possession, though they had originally agreed to share it equally. After many adventures, it was finally consumed by the Gods, who were thus restored in strength.

While it is easy to read the myth as a tale of universal aspiration to achieve immortality, the symbols and metaphors contained in it are rather profound:

- The Churning of the Milky Ocean is a metaphor for introspection.

- The Milky Ocean is our mind and heart complex, our consciousness, which hides many jewels, but also the poison.

- The Devas and the Asuras represent the positives and negatives of one’s own self. The churning requires both the Devas and the Asuras which means that one needs to come to terms with both the demonic and divine qualities within oneself;

- The Mandara Mountain symbolizes concentration and contemplation through meditation; Vasuki – used as the churning rope - signifies the desire to attain the nectar of immortality;

- The Halahal poison represents the suffering and pain that comes to the fore when one goes through severe penance which had to be resolved for further progress;

- The Lord Shiva’s consuming the poison symbolizes the qualities oneself needs - courage, compassion, willingness, initiative to resolve and overcome pain;

- The Amrit or the nectar of immortality is a metaphor for the realization of our true self, which is consciousness and pure love.

But is it so easy and do we have the courage to look deeper into ourselves and the deep ocean of our consciousness full of our memories, thoughts, feelings, experiences that we have collected over the years?

We could spend some time into our hearts, exploring, remembering and searching for those hidden, unfulfilled dreams and longings of the heart that suffocate, prevent and stop us from being happy and living in peace, harmony, tranquility and love with ourselves and our loved ones.

Maybe we are going to discover the bad memories and thoughts that are poisoning our souls and forcing us to hide our pure emotions because of being scared and terrified of brokenheartedness, sometimes even hurting our beloved ones…

How deep is our ocean of consciousness?

How much poison have we stored in our ocean that needs to be churned?

Do we find there any unrequited feelings of reciprocity and attraction; unsolicited intimacy closeness, not allowing us to see the ecstasy in our lover's eyes; unspoken words of gratitude or ones that hurt deeply and leave scars; misunderstanding or lack of communication; feelings of guilt, inadequacy, uselessness and belittling, devaluation; dark secrets that separate lovers; undisclosed sexual longings and drives; fear of abandonment, rejection or betrayal; inability to dream and create beauty; tears from the loss of a person close to our heart or an unborn child; scars from trauma, violence, physical or mental abuse; an insidious disease that deprived our body of strength; lack of faith in our knowledge and skills for a professional growth and realization; exhaustion, pain and unwillingness to keep walking, leading us deep down into a very dark place...

Well, this is the perfect time the process of attending to the content of our consciousness to begin.

Initially, bad memories and negative thoughts we have been avoiding surface to the conscious mind. It takes a strong will, desire, patience and persistence to go through the darkness we had created. But if we give pure awareness to all the negative thoughts, bad memories and energies, pain and fear which surface, we can accept and transcend them, we can transform our consciousness and become pure of all these experiences.

Healing ourselves of the accumulated poison is not easy, it is a tough process that could last from a few days to several weeks or months, or years...

Along the way we could experience a catharsis

that shakes and destroys everything we’ve built through the years, swallows with the force of a tornado, suffocates, snatches, tears and knocks us down, drags and tosses us, but churning our consciousness at the end, calms down our hearts, humbles and brings peace.

Sometimes, while going through our transformational journey, we need the wisdom, guidance and navigation of an enlightened guru or a wisdom coach. Someone who is supporting and motivating us to continue observing till we release the inner pain and the gems of light, clarity and pure love start surfacing; till we obtain a peaceful and grateful heart, spiritual freedom and enlightenment; till we allow ourselves to evolve and grow by

forgiving ourselves and others and start loving ourselves and others.

And here is the nectar - THE GREATEST GIFT OF LOVE - forgotten, hidden or covered up under the accumulated poison. Because we’ve been created with love and it’s our duty to open our souls and spread love generously and unconditionally to ourselves, our partners and families, all creatures and nature.

Everything created with the power of love is inspiring, beautiful and forever lasting.

And if ever, a dream of yours has not come true, then, I guess, you have not invested enough of that pure and unconditional passion and love that the Universe knows.

Love is the magic key that unlocks any human heart,

breaks down those walls raised high by fear of disappointment and abandonment, in order to obtain unity, reciprocity and devotion between two souls.

Love is the nectar of immortality that each of us consciously longs to discover and feel as we are destined to live and grow through love, and

our mission is to free ourselves and become LOVE.

AND WHEREVER YOU ARE, AND WHATEVER YOU DO, BE IN LOVE.

RUMI

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Dedicated to the One who inspired me to become a Giver -

it's my turn to unlock your heart with the power of love...

***

Here is the link to the Bulgarian version of the story:

https://hristinatelencheva.wixsite.com/website-1/post/%D0%B4%D0%B0-%D0%BF%D1%80%D0%B5%D0%BE%D1%82%D0%BA%D1%80%D0%B8%D0%B5%D1%88-%D0%BB%D1%8E%D0%B1%D0%BE%D0%B2%D1%82%D0%B0

Sources: https://www.dailyartmagazine.com/the-churning-of-the-ocean-of-milk/

https://detechter.com/underlying-symbolism-samudra-manthan/