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by Lee Ringma Om Shree Dham Farm, Australia Here we attempt to address a very delicate subject – the practices of the dairy industry and how one can justify utilizing cow’s ghee in Homa Therapy. |
Homa Therapy is part and parcel of a new way of life for the planet, a life based in Truth, peace, oneness, Love and harmlessness; all that is in alignment with the universal principles that produce true wellbeing – the catch cry of the New Age.
Homa Therapy is ancient knowledge from the Vedas. Vedas teach ‘ahimsa’ (harmlessness to all living beings) in thought, word and deed. Vedas hold the cow in high esteem. They tell us that cow dung is the only dung on the planet that is antiseptic and medicinal. Cow dung and cow’s ghee are non-negotiable components of Agnihotra that render Agnihotra effective. Vedas also tell us that the consciousness of the cow is Devic (angelic). The cow dung and cow’s ghee that go into the Homas therefore are not only purifying and imbuing the atmosphere with fragrance and nutrition but are also uplifting the atmosphere with Devic vibration.
Rudolf Steiner, preceptor of Biodynamics, has written that the cow is the only animal whose vibration is a perfect integration of the 12 constellational forces that bear down upon the planet for the sake of evolution.
The Vedas make a statement that cow’s ghee is a conductor of pure consciousness. They do not describe coconut oil or any other oils as such. In Ayurveda, a key component of the healing process of Pancha Karma is a gradual saturation of the body inside and out with medicated ghee. Ghee conducts the medicinal substances into the tissues and organs. Shree Vasant, preceptor of Homa Therapy, states that ghee transports the healing properties of Agnihotra ash to areas of the body where it is needed. This implies that ghee acts in accordance with natural intelligence. Similarly, the ghee in Agnihotra process is acting accordingly on the environment; carried by the smoke pervading the atmosphere during Agnihotra, the minute particles of ghee transport the Prana , subtle energies and micro-nutrients. These life-giving properties are then transported into the tissues of the plants and all biological organisms in the vicinity, including us, the atmosphere, the water bodies, the soil. Thus one could say Agnihotra and Homa Therapy can be likened to Ayurvedic treatment of the environment.
In Vedic societies, cows and humans live in harmony in a symbiotic relationship. People lovingly look after the cows’ needs with healthy pasture, a reliable water source and hand- feed if needed. In turn, the cow provides us with cow dung and cow urine as organic fertilizer and fungicide respectively, as well as nutritious milk when the cow is lactating. The mother cow produces enough milk to feed 2-3 calves. Normally it gives birth to one and the overflow is shared with us.
Of course, today’s society is largely non-vegetarian and thus the majority of humanity does not practice non-violence or harmlessness to all living beings. Sadly, a common practice in the dairy industry in general is to cull calves in order to preserve the bulk of the milk for sale.
How does one reconcile utilizing ghee from the dairy industry for Homa Therapy? Firstly, Vedas do not promote a lifestyle of exploitation. They promote harmlessness to all living creatures. It is the current society that is exploiting the cow. However, when we perform Agnihotra, it brings about a transformation in consciousness. The energy of the cow, i.e., the Devic energy that pervades its dung and ghee, which is seeded into the atmosphere through the process of Agnihotra, plays an important part in bringing about this purification of consciousness. This shift eventually leads to a transformation in human consciousness in the direction of total love where harmlessness ( Ahimsa) to all living beings becomes natural. Agnihotris all over the world attest to this shift in consciousness through regular Agnihotra practice over time, finding themselves naturally more attuned to and respectful of nature, more centered and in touch with their intuitive knowing, more loving and at peace. It is also a general experience of many that after doing Agnihotra for a while, they find themselves drifting towards ahimsa, i.e., naturally move towards vegetarianism.
Also consider the powerful nature of Agnihotra. It works with the very forces of creation itself– Prana— that which gives life. It is likened to an atomic explosion, only on a positive, life- giving level–so powerful that it has been shown to neutralize radioactivity. Shree Vasant once said that when one performs Agnihotra correctly, with the correct ingredients, correct size and shape copper pyramid, correct timing to the second, etc., that one Agnihotra produces enough energy in the atmosphere, that if we could harness it, could light an entire city the size of Sydney. Considering its power, it behooves us to respect the Vedic stipulation of correct performance. Agnihotra is seeding the atmosphere with heightened vibration, nutrition and life-force. That which is sent out from the broadcaster- the inverted copper pyramid- is directly related to the ingredients, and they are magnified a million-fold. One does not want to mess with such power by using one’s mind to make changes to this ancient life-giving Knowledge. Indeed, Shree Vasant has stated that making changes can actually have a detrimental effect on the environment.
At Homa Therapy centers, we are working towards creating the ideal situation, i.e., to have our own dairies, or to work with dairies wherein ghee is produced under ahimsa conditions. If it is not yet possible to source ahimsa ghee, still it is crucial to maintain Agnihotra for the healing of Nature and the upliftment of consciousness. Until then we continue to utilize ghee from the dairy industry, with the understanding that doing Agnihotra properly with cow’s ghee gives extraordinary benefits that far outweigh the detriments; in the sense that benefits to a severely ‘compromised’ planetary atmosphere accrue to such a large extent that the fires end up helping all. In fact, Agnihotra treats the core of the problem by purifying the inner and outer environment and uplifting humanity to the loving condition of Ahimsa, respecting all living beings.