Fall Theme & Mantra
Akasha & Om
AKASHA
Akasha is a Sanskrit word for the primordial void, emptiness or space at the foundation of reality. It was the first and most subtle element created, followed by the rest: air, fire, water and earth — each one progressively grosser.
Akasha is also associated with the exhale breath, sound and vibrations, cosmic intelligence.
"Why do we exhale? To reach the inner ether. As you go on exhaling, exhaling and exhaling, where do you reach? The inner space, which is void.” — BKS Iyengar
A good way to connect with Akasha in our everyday life is to simply look up at the sky, feel the breeze, or exhale, and see Akasha in motion. As empty space waiting to be filled, Akasha is also a symbol of immense possibilities.
More recently, in the 19th century, the Theosophical movement (western occultism) posited the concept of Akashic Records, an archive of everything that's ever happened to every soul in every lifetime. The records are not part of yoga or Hindu wisdom, but Akashic Records has its roots in the Sanskrit word Akasha.
OM
If Akasha is the primordial void, then OM is the primordial sound and vibration that rings out from this very place. Om is also at the foundation of all manifest reality; the sound before all sounds, and hence regarded as the most powerful mantra in many spiritual traditions.