OM, a sacred template for the Four Baskets
OM—you are probably familiar with this sound, you may have heard it in a spiritual documentary or even chanted it yourself at the end of a yoga class. OM, more correctly written AUM, has been described as the primordial sound of creation, the mathematical code of the universe, the vibration from which everything arises, the secret seed of life, death and creation, a representation of the infinite consciousness of God.
It has been said that if we understand AUM, we understand our very existence and our full potential…. that is what the Four Baskets is all about!
I knew that the AUM had to be innately tied to the Four Baskets journey. So, I set out to find out if that was true, here is what I discovered…
Just like the Four Baskets, there are four distinct parts to the AUM visually, as well as in its sound and symbology. My friend, Maitreya explained it to me like this:
A - represents the waking state - symbolized by the bottom curve
U- represents the dream state - symbolized by the horizontal curve
M- represents the deep sleep state - symbolized by the upper curve
Silence- represents pure consciousness - symbolized by the dot
(interestingly, the floating curve, that separates the dot from the rest of the symbol, represents Maya – the illusion of separation)
I like how Adhvaitha, in his YouTube video, goes on to explain how the ancient Vedic teaching of AUM is connected to the four pieces of self- body, mind, ego and consciousness.
In the waking state – body, mind, ego and consciousness are all active
In the dream state -- only mind, ego, and consciousness are active
In deep sleep state -- consciousness is active, and ego is in its seed state
The silence behind and beyond the other three states is pure consciousness –known in Sanskrit as turiya - it is indescribable and incomprehensible, it is birthless, deathless, eternal, pure bliss, source, our essential nature, the true Self.
““Find the experiencer- the one who experiences all of these states of consciousness is the omniscient indwelling source and director of all. This one is the womb out of which all of the other emerges. All things originate from and dissolve back into this source.””
Now let’s watch how the AUM comes into creation as we journey through the Four Baskets:
(Please forgive the following illustrations, I had to draw them out myself!… my graphic artist son would be so proud :) )
{silence}
From pure consciousness (which is You as the organizer)
an idea of You (the organism) is formed….
{M} FIRST BASKET (conception)
in a flash of light the experiencer arises… from the silence of pure consciousness to the Deep Sleep state---
ego (identity) is in its seed state - full of potential & ready to express (nature) and also ready to be imprinted by its environment (nurture)…
In the First Basket exists….
You, as pure consciousness, and organizer (the purple dot)
+ You, as the experiencer building your identity through experience
{U} SECOND BASKET (gestation)
dream state - mind and ego are active. (Many cultures and birth psychologists describe the child in the womb as being in a state of dreaming, this is making so much sense! Catherine giggles in glee)
In the Second Basket exists:
You, as pure consciousness/organizer
+ You, the experiencer building your Ego (identity) and connecting to Mind (psyche) in the dream state.
Sometime in the middle of the 2nd basket the body becomes active and we have access to all three states of consciousness although we remain primarily in dream state throughout the 2nd basket until we are ready to birth ourselves in the…
{A} THIRD BASKET (birth journey)
waking state - body, mind and ego are all active.
In the Third Basket exists:
You as pure consciousness/organizer
(see the little purple dot in the corner? You are still there organizing and directing everything!)
+ You as the experiencer, continuing to build your identity and psyche, feel an impulse to activate your body and birth yourself into the world … in this act you choose to leave the deep comfort of the womb, stretching out your mind, body and soul in search of a meaningful existence on earth
Sometime through these 6 hours, babies usually fall asleep, slipping back into dream state and maybe even deep sleep – especially when Fourth Basket happens as it is designed, a return to mother to reset our nervous system.
{AUM} FOURTH BASKET (first 6 hours after birth)
full embodiment in an expanded state of consciousness. All 4 states are active, online and fully connected …
You are the Primordial Om of creation in this basket. You are the celestial traveler stepping into an unknown world… your surroundings and all experiences in these first 6 hours become an imprint (like a footprint in sand) stamped into your being as information that you can upload back into the collective consciousness- data that in*forms your life and for other travelers on this path – this is what life is like here…
*inform = into form, into shape, into being
There we have it! Our journey into being is formed as MUA which when chanted sounds like mmMAaaa. We come into MAtter, through the MAtrix (womb) … maternal, mammal, marrow, maize, manifest, magic, magnificence, marvel, mahina, Magdalena, Mandala, mana, mala, maya, Amma, mama … MA
MUA/ AUM is a beautiful illustration of how our inner and outer worlds reflect each other - this is our Four Baskets journey and how we can use the Four Baskets to return to wholeness
So when we chant OM/ AUM we are spiraling back through our journey into being, to the source once again. AUM helps us return to our primordial blueprint of pure potential that was there all along (I have a song about that, ask me about it next time😊)
What an exciting discovery! AUM is a sacred template and representation of our Four Baskets journey from source into being and a roadmap for our conscious return to wholeness and oneness.
MUA/AUM is a beautiful illustration of how our inner and outer worlds reflect each other.
Let’s AUM together, we’ll begin with a deep breath in … AaaaauuuuuMmmmmm
art credit: “AUM” by Maitreya Bowen, art is acrylic on metal with goldleaf, a recent gift to Catherine Lightfoot that sparked this revelation
