Jyotish Astrology
I had always been interested in magic and mysticism, but after a couple of years doing yoga and studying philosophy out of Varanasi, I came out of my room with some questions. “Sanjay,” I asked, “If all this karma is cycling along with past lives and future lives, the best way to understand all of that would be by studying the cycles of the planets, so astrology should work?”
“It works very well,” he said, “I can do your chart for you if you like.”
I was amazed by the accuracy of the past predictions; the amount of detail he could see int he chart. I was completely amazed at how well astrology worked. I began studying almost immediately. During those early years of my astrology studies Sanjay I probably read 1000’s of charts together.
Astrology bring shape to what can become quite a chaotic search for deep meaning, it gives a structure under which philosophical theory can be tested and understood in a practical way. Through astrology we can see the energies at work and understand their effects. I consider astrology to be a major part of the Tantric Way of the Elements (the Tattva). Join me for a metaphysical journey.
Pilgrimage
Growing up in Canada, pilgrimage meant going to visit some kind of natural wonder or aboriginal sacred place. My grade 8 French teacher took us to visit every church in Montreal. Growing up under the Native American traditions, pilgrimage meant, Spirit Quest, going off alone into the forest to face your fears and meet with the guardian spirits of the forest and ones own totem animals. By the time I reached my mid-twenties, it was common for me to grab my pack and head off through the forest and the mountains alone for a couple days or a weeks to commune with nature.
I originally went to India to follow in the steps of the Buddha: going where he went, doing what he did. After a few months of Buddhist monasteries I came back to Varanasi and dove in Hinduism, Tantra & the Vedic Sciences.
In many ways my whole life feels like pilgrimage. Holy space, sacred place & natures beauty have always been important to me. That need to connect with something greater than everything, to walk in the steps of the masters, to be touched by God.
I spent a month wandering the the Great Rann of Kutch before coming to the Narmada river. To balance the studies & teaching going on in Varanasi, I go to Narmada to get away from it all and focus on practice and worship. I walked 1500km of the Narmada Parikrama a few years ago. Earlier this year I did my first European Camino: the 1200km Via de la Plata across Spain.
Much of my pilgrimage has been to tribal areas & indigenous cultures around the world. I often think that I travel through time as well as space. You can see more my involvement with tribalism and shamanism below. But one of the major differences between tourism & pilgrimage is that the pilgrim goes to discover himself; the tourist travels to see things. Be a seeker of the self, always. Mahadev.
Energy Healing
I had chronic back pain from slipped disks from age 16 till about age 30. I had tried everything, doctors were talking about surgery, martial arts training helped a lot, but I didn’t find the cure until I added the Yoga practices of pranayama & meditation. From there I began a deep dive into alternative healing methods.
I spent a few years teaching yoga & studying massage in Guatemala, Thai Yoga massage (to clinical level) and Chinese Medicine (also a clinical practicum using moxa) in Thailand. I spent several months in a clinical practicum for acupuncture in India, and have gone back for further training & practice. I got 1000hr certificates in Yoga therapy when I broke my back a few years ago.
The magic of Ayurveda & Chinese Medicine is that it still connects spirituality and the virtues to our physical heath. At this point in my life I am focused spiritual healing, healing the root of our experience. This is where the healing energy comes from.
grew up reading books on psychology, I sometimes think I have used every method on myself. I had a few years doing art therapy (and sold everything I ever painted). I couple more years doing dance therapy: ecstatic dance and this sort of thing. I’ve lived with Gestalt therapists, had numerous psychoanalysts as students, I’ve read almost everything by Carl Jung when I was younger and now consider him the father of modern astrology.
I travel with acupuncture needles and still practice a bit of massage and do private yoga classes. I don’t usually advertise this anymore, but but technically I do still provide these kinds of services.
Tribal Culture & Shamanism
I grew up in the forest. I’m Metis through my mothers family. I had a pretty traditional upbringing in this way: hunting, fishing, trapping, skinning animals; a love for nature, simple life, the magic of the forest, the water. We moved around a lot a child; when we weren’t moving home, we we travelling somewhere; before I was one years old my mother took me on a 4000km journey across the country.
I understood from an early age that everything is in relationship with everything: interconnected, promoting an nourishing; but also restricting, and killing. Absolutely nothing happens in isolations. It’s all alchemy, everything has some magic in it, we just have to learn how to use what is available in a way that combines love and respect while inspiring the same.
I’ve visited ancient cultures around the world. I was one of the first outsiders to visit the Konyak headhunting tribes of northern Nagaland. I spent months wandering the Kutch deserts connecting with Jats & Rebari nomadic herdsmen. While walking through the Shoolpanishwar mountains on pilgrimage I connected with a Dang and several other tribes along the Narmada river.
I was amazed by the similarities between the Napali hill tribes and ancient Mayan cultures we find in Central America. These ancient cultures are all still connected to nature & the land. In many cases they are still without electricity or modern conveniences beyond metal. And tribes like the Nagas are still using traditional metal smiths, and even make muskets like the one’s carried by the early British explorers.
MikesSleepingDog
Kal Bhairava rides on a dog. You might say the dog is the vehicle he uses to transmit his teachings. In some sense, all the old baba’s have taken on that dog energy of Bhairava. On my first trip to Varanasi, a sleeping dog jumped up and bit me in a ass while I was looking for a guest house. With blood dripping down my leg I decided to just stay in the next place that came along. This is how I found my Varanasi home, Eden Halt & my guru, Sanjay Tripathi. Over the past 20 years I have become a part of the family. They say dogs have a direct transmission to universal energy; they don’t waste any time wondering what to do next, they just do, or don’t do. When the dogs are sleeping, we know that all is well: like having Ol’ Jip curled up by your feet. Over the years I have come to see how this metaphor matches my endless wandering without home or family, seeking only to connect with the source and share that connection with other.
Join me for Adventure
Join me for pilgrimage and travel. Help with research. Apprentice as a Vedic astrologer. I work with student from beginners to those who wish to do the equivalent of a PhD in Vedic Astrology. I also support those working in sister fields of the Vedic or mystic sciences: Yogis, Philosopher, Psychologists, Doctors, and healers.