Fire Ceremony and Ecology – Heal the Environment & We Heal Ourselves

Fire awakened the human consciousness millions of years ago and brought us to our present level of awareness. The tradition of havan (sacred fire ceremony) evolved thousands of years ago in order to bring balance and create harmony at all levels in the manifest as well as the un-manifest realm, on the individual as well as the universal plane. It is the worship of Nature in her most primordial form. That is what the ancients who worked for the progressive evolution of mankind prescribed.

The ritual of havan, also known as yajna, homa or Agnihotra, is one of the most ancient Vedic rituals. It consists of the kindling and consecration of a sacrificial fire, the invocation of one or more divinities, and the placing of offerings such as ghee, samagri (fragrant medicinal herbs) or grains into the flames. Sanskrit mantras and prayers are recited during the ceremony, which is often performed during an auspicious or astrologically aligned period. In modern Hinduism, fire ceremonies still play an integral part in daily worship, and are used as a symbolic form of communication with and honouring of the Divine. In many yogic traditions worldwide the havan is performed several times a week on specific days, at regular times.

Who benefits from Havan?

• All who take part in the havan.

• The household.

• The veggie garden or organic farm, including the animals.

• The neighbourhood within the ¾ km area.

• It has been observed that crime rates drop in areas where havan is performed regularly.

• The planet: Havan detoxes nature and helps to keep the energy cycles of the planet in harmony.

We have forgotten how to give back to Nature. We consume and consume – air, water, the plant, animal and mineral kingdom – for food, shelter and energy resources. This is only natural. What is not natural is the over-consuming and polluting at the same time. We have forgotten how to grow food naturally. The use of chemical fertilizers, pesticides and herbicides is destroying the delicate ecosystems of nature, creating disturbance in nature and us as we daily accumulate the chemicals in our body from the food we eat. And now with the growing of genetically modified crops we are disturbing the very fabric of life itself.

Today there is a great deal of talk about ecology and the importance of ecological balance for the survival of this planet. We talk of planting more trees, of reducing our usage of petroleum products, of eliminating gas emissions resulting from industrial growth…reducing our carbon footprint. Apart from the external ecology there is also the internal ecology, our own individual nature that requires balancing. Thoughts, emotions, feelings, dreams, ambitions, passions, fears, neuroses, psychosis, depression, disillusion and anxiety often grow out of proportion and overwhelm us. The inner ecology reflects on our outer ecology.

For inner and outer ecology we have to consider the food we are consuming…the soil and how the food is grown. If the food we eat is impure then our mind and thinking will be impure also. Food has a tremendous influence on our mind. It forms the mind as well as the body. If our environment is sick and depleted, we will become sick and depleted also.

Through Permaculture (sustainable agriculture) we can learn to heal the earth and bring balance to everything that exists around us and through yoga and yogic practices like havan, we realize that it is our duty and responsibility to look after the two gifts we have been given, namely, the environmental complex upon which we depend for our survival, and the body-mind complex in which we live.

Havan is a super science known to heal Nature. When Havan is performed regularly it will reverse pollution, balance ecological turbulence and purify everything around it. Due to pollution, the planet is deteriorating rapidly. The 2005 Stern Report revealed that 2/3 of the planets ecological systems are disturbed and out of balance. Such reports leave the public feeling powerlessness and not knowing what to do or how to feel. The good news is that Havan is a solution…easy to apply and with fast results.

Come and join us at Anahata Yoga Retreat in magnificent Golden Bay, South Island for a unique Permaculture Design Certificate course with integrated yogic practices focusing on the internal and external ecology…including havans.