2014 The Year of Heart and Soul/ The Year of the Horse/Yang Wood

 2014 The Year of Heart and Soul

       The Year of the Horse/Yang Wood

Zonters.com

"When I bestride him, I soar, I am a hawk; He trots the air, the earth sings when he touches it. The basest horn of his hoof is more musical than the pipe of Hermes; He is pure air and fire." ~ William Shakespeare

The horse is a symbol of the heart and soul. It is also a symbol of fire, the blood, the Sun, light and other auspicious elements. As a representative of the blood, the horse signifies the vital fluid that gallops through the body nourishing all organs and viscera as it races through the veins.

                 “Show me your horse, and I will tell you what you are.” ~ English Proverb

The fire symbolized by the horse, is similar to the Prajapati agni spoken of in Vedic literature. It is not a destructive fire, but a subtle blaze, which awakens, expands and lends life to all of the animals, plants and trees of the world. It is the sublime flame, which supports the Pachak Pitta, Ranjaka Pitta, Aalochaka Pitta, Sadhaka Pitta, and the Bhrajaka Pitta of the body.

Luiz Himenez

                   “The outside of a horse is good for the inside of a man.” ~Winston Churchill

The fire in the heart represented by the horse, is like the sacrificial fire that pumps life force to the rituals of the body. Like the sacrificial fire, the year of the horse instructs us to cast our negative emotions into the embers of our hearts, and allow them to be combusted and released from the mind, upwards and beyond, into the heavens of the soul.

“A horse gallops with his lungs, perseveres with his heart, And wins with his character.” – Tessio

In the Chinese language, the word “ma” is ascribed to three of the many auspicious entities spoken of in the Vedas – a mother, a horse and hemp.

According to Taoist astrology, the ruling planets of the year are the Sun and Jupiter. Thus, scanning the sky to see where these planets transit throughout the year will allow us to understand what the influences of the Horse-wood year will have on the different aspects of our life throughout 2014.

 

Maxim Khytra

 “If your horse says no, you either asked the wrong question, or asked the question wrong.” ~ Pat Parelli

Aries ascendant: Your courage will rise to the continuum of your ancestors.

Taurus ascendant: The spirit of your familial ties will merge into your courage and spirit.

Gemini ascendant: You will graduate your self - involvement into the world around you.

Cancer ascendant: A secluded life will give way to a profound sense of self and a reawakening of your core dreams and aspirations.

Leo ascendant: The previous year saw profits and interactions with many groups. This year will lead you into a more introspective climate within, and a return to your ascetic self.

Virgo ascendant: Hard work will lead to profits and connections.

Libra ascendant: Enlightened thoughts and spiritual aspirations will be integrated into your dharma and occupational life.

Scorpio ascendant: Adversity will lead to spirituality, and awakening of your higher consciousness.

Sagittarius ascendant: Transformations will occur in your relationships with lovers and partners.

Capricorn ascendant: Disease and expenses will lead to a highly knowledgeable doctor and rewarding interactions with good partners.

Aquarius ascendant: Your creativity will find rhythm and discipline.

Pisces ascendant: Your rhythms will find and spawn inventive projects and creativity

             "I don't mind what Congress does, as long as they don't do it in the streets
             and frighten the horses." ~ Victor Hugo                          

                                   VASTU — FENG SHUI

As the Sun represents the Eastern direction, and Jupiter represents the Northerneastern direction, removing clutter and engaging in the sanctification of the North, Northeast and Eastern sections of your home or dwelling is recommended for harmonizing with the influences of the Horse-wood year.

"There's nothing in life that's worth doing, if it can't be done from a horse" ~ Red Steagall

The Uffington Horse: Dated somewhere between 1000BC – 100AD      374 feet long

With the advent of Kali Yuga, many translators began interpreting the highly symbolic verses of Vedic literature literally, far outside of the context intended. Descriptions of the Ashvamedha ritual are one of the many casualties that suffered at the hands of scholars wanting to appear as if they had cracked the sacred code of many a profound text.

"Horse sense is the thing a horse has, which keeps it from betting on people." ~ W.C. fields

Countless translators from the classical period have interpreted the Ashvamedha yajna ritual as a horse sacrifice, culminating in the sacrificial killing of a horse. But as we go further back in history we can see that this is not the case. According to Yaska, we find that yajna is a synonym for adhvara, a term which specifically implies ahimsa, or the refraining from violence or harm to a living creature.

         Adhvara iti Yajnanaama Dhvaratihimsaakarmaa tatpratishedhah ~ Nirukta 2.7

                       "Why, I'd horse-whip you if I had a horse!" ~ Groucho Marx

The Mahabharata states, “It is the cunning and greedy who have introduced meat-eating into the sacrifices” ~ Adhyaaya 263-66

The Avadhuta Upanishad describes the Asvamedha sacrifice as an internal procedure, which calls upon the manifold symbolic and auspicious meanings of the horse to attain a profound liberation.

“Through intense devotion, the ascetic performs internal Asvamedha. This is the greatest sacrifice (mahaa-makha) and the highest meditative practice" (mahaa-yoga.) ~ Avadhuta Upanishad

"I never encountered a horse in whose soul there was no harmony to call on." ~ Vicky Hearn

Many texts throughout Vedic literature, seem to attempt to want to keep us on our toes about the myriad meanings a horse may come to symbolize.

The head of the sacred horse is the dawn; the eye is the Sun, his breath is the wind, the vaisvanara fire is it’s open mouth, the body is the year, it’s back is the sky, the belly is the atmosphere, it’s hoofs are the earth, the sides are the 4 directions, the ribs are the intermediate directions, the limbs are the seasons, the joints are the months and fortnights, the feet are the days and nights, it’s bones are the stars, the clouds are the flesh, the sands are the food in it’s stomach, the blood vessels are the rivers, the mountains are the liver and lungs, the hairs are the trees and herbs, the rising Sun is the front, while the setting Sun is the hind part. When he yawns all brightens, when he shakes it thunders, it rains when he urinates, and his voice, is the great voice. ~ Brihadaranyaka Upanishad

                             “A canter is a cure for every evil.”  ~ Benjamin Disraeli
                 

                                     Haya: A horse, a mare

Hayaayurveda: Veterinary medicine for horses.

Hayasaastra: Texts relating to horses.

Haya-rupin: Having the shape or appearance of a horse.

Haya-nirghosha: The noise or clatter of a horse.

Haya-maaraka or Haya-Maarana: The killing of Horses

Haya-medha: Asva-medha

        “I've spent most of my life riding horses. The rest I've just wasted.”  W. Churchill

Haya is a word that means urging or driving forward, and is also used to describe the zodiacal sign Sagittarius. Haya can also indicate the ginseng root, or the symbolism of the number 7 (as in the 7 horses of the Sun).  

 In Puranic literature, Uchchaishravas, the seven-headed horse, is the second auspicious item that emerges from the churning of the sacred ocean of milk(samudra manthan.) In one version, Indra acquires the divine steed, in others this mystical flying stallion is claimed by King Bali.

In the Bhagavad Gita, Krishna explains to Arjuna, " Of all the horses, I am Uchchaihshravas born with the Amrita" ~ Vibhuti yoga

               "There is no secret so close as that between a rider and his horse."             

                ~ Robert Surtees

                                              Hayagriva

Hayagriva is the horse-headed avatar of lord Vishnu. Countless texts describe his divine importance, from the Ramayana to the Upanishads, Puranas and Mahabharata. His relevance endured for thousands of years and was even fused and imported into Tibetan Buddhism.

In the Brahmanada Puranam, there is a tale of Agasthya Muni performing severe austerities to the lord at Kanchi.

Pleased with his intense tapasya, Vishnu appears as the avatar Hayagriva and blesses sage Agastya with the knowledge and text of the Devi Mahaathmyam.

“It is the horse's gift, to connect us with Heaven and our own footsteps." ~ Ronnie Sweet

Before he carries out the Pattabhishekham, Rama wakes early during Brahma muhurtam, performs his anushtaanam, and worships Lord Hayagriva. ~ Ramayana. 6 sargam.7

"He's not going to look back if you don't … they're the most forgiving creatures god ever made." 

~ Nicholas Evans

     Once upon a time, Sage Narada approached Brahma and said: “O Brahma, please teach me the highest spiritual knowledge, knowledge that quickly removes all sins and brings spiritual glory and divine opulence.”

    Brahma said, “One who knows the mantras glorifying Lord Hayagriva, encompasses the knowledge of all the Srutis, Smrtis, Itihasas, and Puranas. He becomes glorious with all spiritual fortune.”

~ Shri Hayagriva Upanisad

                                        "The way to heaven is on a horse’s back."

When Vishnu was roused from his yogic sleep (yoga nidra,) he took form with the head of a horse. Glowing like the bright full Moon that illumines the world, his head was the very abode of the Vedas. Hayagriva's long flowing locks had the brilliance of the rays of the Sun. The endless expanse of space, stars and constellations became the crown of his head; the upper and lower lokas became his ears; the Earth became his forehead; the Ganga and Saraswati rivers became his hips; the two great oceans turned into his eyebrows; the Sun and Moon became his eyes; the twilight morphed into his nose; the sound Om became his memory and intelligence; the soma-drinking celestial ancestors formed into his teeth, Goloka and Brahmaloka manifested as his lips, and the dark night of the great destruction which dissolves the entire world became his neck.  ~ Mahabharata. Shanti Parva. Vyasa Bharatam       

The spirit of the horse overcomes the limitations of the flesh with such dedication, that many stories in American history detail a horse racing at the command of its owner across the plains until death overcame it. The devotion of a horse overcomes all the boundaries of this world. The American Indians were aware of the boundless spirit of the horse, and would be keen to notice when a horse needed to stop and rest; otherwise, it would subsist solely on it's spirit alone.

This spirit of steeds, is the gift available to all in the Year of the Horse; the ability to focus on our goals and destinations, and race to our objectives. The Bible verse, "the spirit is willing but the flesh is weak" accurately describes the extent to which a horse will surpass, above and beyond the call of limitations to embrace the spirit of any endeavor.

                  “A horse, a horse, my kingdom for a horse!” ~ William Shakespeare

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       Lakshmi Hayagriva Stotram

               

        Agním īḷe puróhitaṃ yajñásya devám ṛtvíjam hótāraṃ ratnadhâtamam