Tattva Vision

 

By John Cross on April 2, 2010 / Source Reference http://magicalpath.net/

 

 

Version 2.1¹

Introduction to Tattva Vision

Lea este artículo en español: Visión tattva

Tattva (also transliterated as tattwa) (तत्त्व) is a noun, meaning “true or real state , truth , reality” and is said to comprise the two words tad (तद्) and tvam (त्वम), to give the literal meaning of “that [art] thou”. It is also called mahā-vākya (महा-वाक्य), “the great word by which the identity of the whole world with the one eternal Brahma [tad] is expressed.”²

The tattva vision exercise is based on the information and exercises of the Hermetic Order of the Golden Dawn. Therefore it can be considered to be of the Western Magical Tradition and it may not be historically or philosophically correct from the original Eastern teachings of the tattvas³. The basics of the technique are the same as for shamanic journeying and pathworking. It can be considered a type of astral projection or astral scrying.

For a background to the Western Tradition interpretation of tattvas see the article ‘An Introduction to Tattvas‘.

The tattvas are said to be the ‘astral’ forms of the magical elements: earth, air, fire, water and spirit. The following table lists the correspondences:

Tattva	Symbol	Element
Akasha	black vesica pisces / black egg	Spirit
Tejas	red equilateral triangle	Fire
Vayu	blue circle	Air
Apas	purple half circle / silver crescent	Water
Prithivi	yellow square	Earth

The Golden Dawn taught that the tattva vision exercise assists the development of astral clairvoyance. It is considered one of the easiest, fastest and most effective methods of exercising and enhancing the clairvoyant abilities.

I have intentionally left out various aspects taught by the Golden Dawn, such as the astral currents, use of a tattva tide clock, other methods of choosing a tattva to work with, and ritualized aspects of performing the technique. Read the original Golden Dawn documents⁴ if you want the Golden Dawn methods.

Tattva Cards

The tattva cards can be any size. In general the size is about that of a tarot card, but square instead of rectangular. A larger size could be used if you wished to mount it on the wall, at a greater distance, for practicing the tattva vision exercise.

The most basic set of tattva cards contains the five tattva symbols, one on each card.

A more advanced form consists of 25 cards. It can be considered as five suits, Akasha, Tejas, Vayu, Apas, and Prithivi. Each suit has a card for the main tattva symbol, plus 4 additional cards containing smaller images of the remaining tattvas. For example, Akasha suit contains: Akasha (main card), Tejas within Akasha (Fire of Spirit), Vayu within Akasha (Air of Spirit), Apas within Akasha (Water of Spirit), and Prithivi within Akasha (Earth of Spirit).

You can construct the cards using white cardboard, and either painting the symbols directly onto the cards or by cutting the shapes of the tattva symbols from coloured paper or card and gluing these to the white card. You can also print the tattva symbols directly onto white card or photographic paper.

While it is recommended that you construct your own cards, you can download PDF files of cards suitable for printing from the following links:

• Coming soon- Tattva cards (Golden Dawn)
• Coming soon – Tattva cards (alternative design)

Tattva Vision Exercise

IMPORTANT: Before attempting this exercise read the following set of instructions two or three time to ensure you have a good understanding of it.

1. Find a quiet place where you will not be disturbed.
2. Sit comfortably with a tattva card positioned at an appropriate distance.
3. Gaze fixedly at the tattva symbol. Try not to blink.
4. Breathe deeply and regularly⁵.
5. Allow the image to fill your consciousness. Imagine that you are soaking in the energy associated with element. Feel the qualities and sensations associated with it. You could use a mantra to keep your mind occupied while visualizing⁶.
6. Continue this until you see the astral colour⁷. It may ‘flash’ slightly around the edges of the symbol. Experience will teach you how long it is necessary to stare at the image for.
7. Put aside the tattva card and close your eyes⁸.
8. Allow the astral version of the tattva symbol to glow strongly in your minds eye.
9. Imagine the symbol glowing on a doorway, or that it is a portal through which you can pass.
10. Enter through the symbol doorway.
11. On passing through the gateway observe the scene around you.
12. Take time to let the scene build up before you. Use all your senses to take in the sights, sounds, smells, tastes, and tactile sensations of the place.
13. You may summon a guide to help you explore. Do this simply by requesting a guide appear to assist you. Alternative you could call upon your Higher Self to assist you.
14. What you explore, and how you interact is your choice⁹.
15. When you have finished exploring return to the portal, and return back through it.
16. Start to bring your attention back to the physical world by listening to any sounds.
17. Take a few deep breaths, and when you are ready open your eyes.
18. Record every detail in a journal¹⁰. This is essential for improving your skills, correcting problems, and gaining some insights into certain symbols and events which occur during a session.

Notes on Tattva Vision

• Form on the astral is symbolic¹¹. The appearance of entities or objects is not only interpreted literally, open to any method of symbolic analysis. There can be many layers of interpretation and meaning. There can be cultural and archetypal interpretations as well as personal interpretations.
• The ‘true’ nature of anything on the astral can be sensed, rather than ‘seen’. An intuitive approach and ability to ‘feel’ or ‘sense’ the energy associated with an entity or object is necessary, and it is through practice that this skill is improved.
• If in initial sessions the scene does not come spontaneously, use constructive imagination and picture a landscape or scene as you imagine it would look. Use all you know about the elements so that the scene is in harmony with the element.
• It is also possible for tattva vision to be performed as a guided meditation. One person can lead another individual or a group by adapting the exercise, and allowing those experiencing the journey plenty of time to explore. With a one-on-one situation the external guide can assist by suggesting questions to ask, or suggesting certain objects or entities be examined in more detail. It can be of great benefit, as initially it can be difficult to think ‘logically’ while in the meditative state, and sometimes golden opportunities to ask something specific are missed. An external guide may see things from a more logical and rational perspective, adding an extra level or dimension to the experience
• It is possible to use more complex symbols such as tarot cards, glyphs, runes, or the Hebrew alphabet.

For other information on tattvas and tattva vision see the following links:

• An Introduction to Tattvas

Tattva References

1. The first version of this article and exercise is can be found here.
2. Monier Williams Sanskrit-English Dictionary (2008 revision).
3. Tattvas is the commonly used plural for tattva. Previously I used tattvum as the plural, however I haven’t been able to find the source I originally used, so have gone with the standard English method of pluralization by simply adding the final ‘s’.
4. The Tattwas of the Eastern School; Tattwa Flying Roles
5. One method of breathing that you may find useful is the connected-breath. This is used in rebirthing and holotropic breathwork. Breath deeply, and as soon as your lungs are full breathe out. Ideally you breathe from the diaphragm, pushing the air out of your lungs by contracting your stomach muscles, and allow the air to ‘fall’ into your lungs rather than sucking it in.
6. One possible mantra is Tat Tvam Asi – “Thou art That” from the Chandogya Upanishad 6.8.7 of the Sama Veda.
7. This is the complimentary colour, and will appear as an afterimage once your eyes are closed. See the Wikipedia entries Complimentary_colours and Afterimage for more details.
8. Some people suggest tilting your head back to improve the effect. However as you will journey into the astral for a period of time it may be more suitable to lie down.
9. A suggested starting point for exploration is to summon a guide and ask to be taken somewhere, perhaps to meet someone who can teach you an important lesson. If you do this, you can also ask the person or entity for a gift that symbolizes the lesson.
10. You can also record your session onto a tape, mp3 player, or computer by speaking out loud during the session. This is most useful when you are familiar with this kind of astral journeying and you can take on the form of the entities you encounter and speak as them.
11. For more detail on symbolism see the article: Symbolism: What Does It All Mean

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Tattvas and Gunas

 

The Origin of the Universe      

Ref Chakras.net



In the beginning was SHŪNYĀKĀSHA – “emptiness” or “the void”.
Shūnyākāsha is more than “nothingness”, it is an immense potency of dormant energy in which “everything” exists in a latent state of potentiality. Everything conceivable can be brought into existence, just like text written, or pictures drawn, on an empty sheet of paper.
As creation began, the divine, all-encompassing consciousness took the form of the first and original vibration manifesting as the sound “OM”.
Just like light, sound is vibration, energy. Light and sound are the forms that the Divine Self takes in the Universe. OM is the reflection of the absolute reality. OM is “Ādi Ānadi” - without beginning or end.
In the Vedas it is said:
NĀDA RŪPA PARA BRAHMA – The form of the Supreme is sound.
The vibration of OM symbolises the manifestation of God in form. The silence between two OM-sounds reveals the formless, divine principle.
OM embraces “all that exists” – past, present and future, all spheres of the Cosmos, the world and its underlying reality, mind and matter, cause and effect, the path and the goal. The Mantra OM is the “name of God”, the vibration of the Supreme, the all-encompassing Mantra. The essence of all wisdom has its roots in this sound. In the triad A-U-M the divine energy (Shakti) is united in its three elementary aspects as:
BRAHMĀ SHAKTI – the creative power that manifests the Universe
VISHNU SHAKTI – the preserving power that sustains the Cosmos
SHIVA SHAKTI – the liberating power that brings about transformation and renewal .
At the beginning of creation as the sound of OM divided the unity of Shūnyākāsha, two powers emerged from it:
PURUSHA – original consciousness
PRAKRITI – primordial nature
Prakriti is the eternal stream of divine energy and Purusha is the divine Self, the unchanging, omnipresent and omniscient witness of all events and mutations of Prakriti. To ensure that nature (Prakriti) would always maintain a connection to the divine (Purusha) the force of attraction developed as an aspect of Prakriti.
The desire for union and the striving for expansion are “natural”; they are intrinsic impulses of nature. Why does the seed that was planted in the lap of the earth sprout? Because the impetus for growth and duplication lies in its nature - uniting, unfolding, growing, multiplying, protecting, preserving and nourishing; put concisely, “loving” is the fundamental characteristic of Prakriti. Love contains the impulse for development and expansion, and this love is part of the Divine Being.
In a progressive sequence the three GUNAS (essential qualities) and the five TATTVAS (elementary principles) emanated from Prakriti. These form the basis of all manifestations, of all subtle and gross forms.

The five Tattvas are:

PRITHVĪ – Earth
ĀPAS – Water
TEJAS – Fire
VĀYU – Air
ĀKĀSHA – Space
However, without some impetus the Tattvas cannot unite. For that they require the participation of the Gunas, which are characterised by the following qualities.

Gunas:

RAJAS – activity, movement, restlessness, passion
TAMAS – rigidity, laziness, darkness, ignorance
SATTVA – harmony, light, purity, knowledge
Tattvas and Gunas are the primordial forces that have an effect on both the physical and astral planes. They influence all forms of life physically, psychically and spiritually from the beginning of their earthly existence to their end. Through the multi-layered combinations of these basic powers the human body, with its highly complex organ, nerve and brain functions, comes into existence and the psyche and mind are formed.
The diverse interactions between the five gross Tattvas, which form the physical body, are known as Prakritis (natural forces). There are twenty-five Prakritis that influence and regulate the systems of the body.
The Tattvas that are flowing aimlessly around in space are independent forces without visible effect. It is not until several of these primordial, undirected forces are concentrated at one point that something qualitatively new is produced. However, first an assembly point must be formed so the energy can be focused and assimilated. The most highly developed and most powerful centre on earth is the human. So just as bees collect around the queen bee, all forces and Tattvas follow when the Ātma enters the embryo. In order for a human form to be constructed the orderly combination of an immense number of effects is necessary. In the same way, but at a lower intensity, animal and plant life come into being.
The Cosmic forces are collected within the human body at certain central points, the CHAKRAS. These function like powerful power stations. They draw in cosmic energy, transform, store and distribute it, and then radiate it out into the Cosmos again.
The Tattvas that combined to form the body as a dwelling for the soul again detach from one another at death and return to the Cosmos. The soul then continues to wander, waiting to produce a new form again under suitable conditions. This cycle is known as CHORASI KĀ CHAKRA , “The Wheel of Rebirth and Death”.
According to Indian philosophy there are 8.4 million types of living beings that are divided into three categories: NABHA CHARA, THALA CHARA and JALA CHARA – living beings that exist in the air, those that live on or under the earth and those that live in the water. They are further divided into four different classifications according to their method of birth in these three earthly spheres:
JARĀYUJA – in the womb (humans and mammals)
ANDAJA – in an egg that is hatched (birds, reptiles, fish, etc.)
SVEDAJA – through division (lower forms of life, bacteria, etc.)
UDBHIJJA – through seed (vegetation)
Each of these groups has certain aptitudes and abilities called KALĀ in Sanskrit. Plants possess one Kalā, lower life forms two, egg-laying animals three, and mammals and humans four. While plants and animals remain at the level of their genesis, humans can develop up to sixteen Kalā through exercises, concentration and following the principles of Yoga. They can acquire twelve supernatural powers in addition to their four natural aptitudes.
Therefore, the attainment of a human birth is the greatest stroke of luck for the soul. To enable this, with God’s grace, innumerable Cosmic powers act in combination; and this joining is comparable to a great fire. Qualitatively the souls of all beings are the same: they are differentiated only in the degree of their development. A small candle flame is “fire”, but when several flames are combined a brighter light, a stronger power, results. A human lives more intensively and more consciously than an animal, and is distinguished from all other life forms through the gift of the intellect (BUDDHI).
Without faltering the wheel of rebirth keeps turning, and the soul wanders through the circle of existence driven by God’s plan and KARMAS (actions) . Human life offers the only possibility of ending this cycle. The cyclic laws of nature also bind humans, but with the help of the intellect they are capable of exploring the world, themselves and also the supernatural powers. Only humans are capable of understanding “What is God”. Only humans can realise God. That is why it is possible for them to emerge from the cycle of rebirth and, as a consequence, also help others to do so.
The practice of Yoga supports and accelerates the development of humans as it imparts to them knowledge of the true dimension of earthly life, its purpose and potential.
The evolution of consciousness attains fulfilment in the divine state of SAMĀDHI where Knower, Knowledge and the Object of Knowledge become one. Since the beginning of its existence the individual self has sought to gain knowledge about “the Self”. While in Samādhi the self recognises that it and the one sought for are one and the same – therefore also “the Knower” and “the object of knowledge” are the same – and so begins the blissful experience of unity, displacing the wrongly cherished illusion of duality.
This supreme knowledge is transmitted to us through two spiritual Tattvas, ANUPADA TATTVA and ĀDI TATTVA . Anupada Tattva (also called Guru Tattva) is the universal, divine principle that leads the creation from “darkness into light” – from unconscious existence to conscious existence. Ādi Tattva is the divine Self, ĀTMĀ . Therefore it is also called ĀTMA TATTVA or ĀTMA GYĀNA .
Self-Realised Yoga Masters are known as BRAHMANISHTA SHROTRIA, the knowers of Brahman, and TATTVA DARSHI, the knowers of the Tattvas. Their knowledge and experiences are unlimited; they transcend time, space and intellect. One who possesses self-knowledge and knowledge of the Tattvas has acquired the highest knowledge realisable by a human – with this one becomes the “knower of God” (BRAHMA GYĀNI) and the Self merges into the divine consciousness and becomes one with God.
Srī Mahāprabhujī wrote in one Bhajan:
Infinite is the experience of the Tattva Darshi Gurudev.
The blessed ones who have recognised this cross the ocean of ignorance.
I had searched everywhere – including heaven and hell –
And in all three worlds I found no-one comparable to the Sataguru.
The struggle of the Yogi to become free of passion, anger, attachment, greed and ego
Is more difficult than the battle waged on the battlefield.

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