Copyright (C) 1999 by William Mistele.  All rights reserved. 

Romasara, 8 Degrees Leo in the Earthzone, On Pranayama .

Leo in Earthzone:  Leo is radiant, confident, and full of rejoicing.  
Leos are naturally affectionate and supportive of others.  Libra, with
a different emphasis, is interested in love, beauty, and personal
expression. Libra, for example, is very skilled in finding the point of
balance between two individuals.  
   But Leo can find the central point which holds together an entire
community.  Leo has the strength and desire to stand on that point. 
The inspiration and life of the community is reflected in his eyes and
expressed through his voice. 
   You can find in Leo, then, a magnanimous heart and true
generosity.  There is also a ferocious will to defend the community
from attack from without and contamination from within.  Like a
mother lion with her cubs, Leo is willing to protect and to educate
her own. 
   The constellation of Leo is ruled by the sun.  Since magicians are
concerned with relating the microcosm--the individual--with the
macrocosm--the universe, it is natural there are some individuals
whose hearts reflect the light of the sun.  And what is the magical
secret of the sun's light which Leo's know?  A mature Leo can feel
in his or her heart a continuous explosion of joy which overflows as
love to others.  Indeed, if the Leos' spirituality has reached a
universal level, then their radiant light illuminates everyone like the
sun's light which shines upon the whole earth. 

8 Degrees Leo:  The 8th degree of Leo is very sensitive to life force,
vitality, breath, and the air element.  This degree of Leo on the
akashic plane seems to scream out to the whole earth--"Hey folks,
you are surrounded by a sea of vitality.  Draw it in so you shine like
the sun!"

Romasara's Domain of Akasha:  This level of akasha joins a
profound spiritual peace with mastery over breath, the etheric body,
and the air element.

Romasara's Sigil:  I draw the sigil placing the idea of mastery over
breath into it.  Immediately, my awareness of air heightens.  The air
I inhale feels incredibly rich and satisfying.  My awareness sinks into
my breathing so that I feel I have become the air and the life force
within and surrounding my body. 
     In a few moments, more life force enters and circulates within
my body.   The trick does not involve learning specific breathing
exercises.  In Romasara's approach, direct awareness of air releases
energy into the body and makes this vitality accessible to the will. 
    There is, then, a strong astral component present--total
immersion in the experience of breathing opens the senses to
perceiving life force. This is like meditating within a sacred temple. 
There is a warm, glowing sensation all through my body as if priests
are chanting and concentrating their mantras to vibrate within me.  It
seems as if Romasara has placed his hands on my head and anointed
me with an understanding of breath .
.    After practicing for a while, I notice the sea of vitality which
surrounds me. It proclaims that life is good, peaceful, and beautiful. 
Meditating with Romasara,  it is easy to imagine why some
individuals, as in India, run away to spend the rest of their lives
practicing yoga.  There is an intoxicating contentment in this energy
like the kind you reflected in the faces of great yogis.  This bliss is
so rich it strives to cancel and to destroy one's responsibility to
society.   The urgency of personal needs which demand intimate
bonds with lover, family, and community is weakened because of
the extreme relaxation.  This astral and etheric vision of universal
energy is as enchanting as entering a realm of fairies or of undines
who invite you to dwell among them forever. 
    And still this energy grows stronger.  I feel I have left the earth
and entered the sphere of the sun.  When the light is bright enough,
the barriers separating nature, human, divine,  and the planetary
zones dissolve.  Romasara, like other spirits such as Bialode,
apparently has a close tie the solar sphere as well as to our
earthzone.  Enough of this mystical rapture with endorphins running
wild in the bloodstream.  Back to our evocation. 
   
Romasara's Inner Source of Inspiration:  The energy of God,
without beginning or end, self-originating, and beyond all
understanding,  can be found within our bodies.  It is within our
breath. It is met in the perfection of our health and vitality.  In other
words, the body is sacred.  It is the temple of God.  
    It has been the custom of religions to build temples and structures
to symbolize the glory and majesty of God. Consciousness and our
five senses enjoy having the support and reassurance which comes
from entering a great cathedral, a shrine, a stone circle, a grove, or a
place of worship. But what all these majestic buildings and sacred
settings point to is Divine Presence which is found within our bodies
and hearts. 
     If I can put it this way, Romasara acts as a tour guide introducing
students to an infinite sea of vitality which is within our bodies and
which extends throughout the universe.  Therefore, as you are
drawing Romasara's sigil, include this awareness within the light you
visualize. 
    
Outer Aura:  Romasara's aura emits a very pure light.  It refines life
force. It burns with a radiant purity. 
    But as a matter of fact Romasara is very aware of every aspect of
how breath and vitality move within the body.  It could well be that
if he were a human being, he would teach a great variety of 
methods.  Each student would be introduced to the practice most
useful to him.

Inner Aura:  The way an undine is aware of the sea or a sylph of
winds and weather patterns, Romasara is aware of the life force
within the sea of air around us.  Romasara has identified his
consciousness with that sea.  In practicing breathing with Romasara,
you learn to draw upon these currents of energy which gradually
become larger and stronger. 

Akashic Plane:  The akashic plane is the equivalent of entering a
divine awareness extending without limit through space and time. 
The awareness Romasara represents on this plane is the absolute
mastery of breath, life force, and radiant light. You can approximate
this awareness in the following way.  You imagine you are a divine
being who comprehends all aspects of life force and vitality.  Your
must be certain that you have accomplished this so that you are free
of all doubt.  In other words, you simply make a picture of yourself
embodying these qualities.  This conviction, if strong and clear
enough, will eventually manifest as a physical ability.

Mental Plane:  On the mental plane,  Romasara's presence
stimulates the mind to be vibrant and to rest within a sea of shining
bright vitality.  This meditation does not emphasize your personality. 
It is a way of extending beyond yourself and identifying with the
atmosphere of the earth.  
      I mention elsewhere how Swami Rama once had a student who
kept pestering him to transmit shaktipat--that is, to confer a
transfusion of pure life force to the student.  The Swami finally
consented.  He took a glass of water and put some vitality into it as
he held the glass between his palms.  A while after the student drank
the water the student's body went into convulsions and he literally
began bouncing off the walls of  the room he was in.  
    The problem was that the student's consciousness identified with
his own body and personality.  But the energy inside of him was an
absolutely free movement of universal energy pure and radiant--a
celebration of divinity.  The energy had no way of expressing itself
within this individual.  Unlike the Swami, the student had not spent
decades chanting sacred names and mantras, opening the nadis of
energy channels within his chakras, and training his mind to be
boundless light full of bliss and delight.  It helps, then, if the student
takes some time and effort to train his mind and body so he can
understand the teacher's consciousness.
   There is a difference between the akashic plane and the mental
plane.  On the akashic plane, consciousness identifies with divinity
without any form  restriction or space and time limitation.  In
working with Romasara on the mental plane, awareness focuses on
general aspects and principles.  In this case, you become aware of
the energy vibration in the atmosphere of the earth around you.  
  Sometimes Swamis have this little mental game they like to play
with students.  They get into talking about how "I am not my body. 
I am not my thoughts.  I am not my breath.  I am not my name.  I
am not my identity, " and on and on and on.  Well, what remains at
the end of this game?  In Hinduism, following the model of a deity
such as Krishna, you identify with the one indivisible and
transcendent spirit within you.
    But on the mental plane, Romasara does assume a specific
identity.  His consciousness has content, movement, and expression. 
He identifies with the trees, their roots and leaves.  He identifies
with the plants, the clouds, the winds, the rivers, and the seas.  His
awareness is within all the processes which nourish life on earth. 
And underneath the chemistry, biochemistry, metabolism, and
breath is, again, an energy field of radiant light and pure vitality. 
This is what shines from his aura and where his consciousness rests. 
    
Astral Plane:   On the astral plane, I get the distinct image and
sensation that breath produces the flame of spirit within the temple
of our bodies radiating inexhaustible vitality.  The sea of life force
sensed on the mental plane now takes on a focal point--in and
around your body is the dazzling and brilliant light of the sun.  The
essence of life force manifests as radiant light in your aura. 
    Franz Bardon talks about creating this aura around yourself
through breath.  Each breath accumulates more vitality within you
until you feel you are about to burst with the pressure of the light. 
Practicing over time, you learn to extend this light thirty yards
around your body.  This supercharged aura makes it easy to heal
others by transferring to them your excess vitality.  This is a great
approach.  It just takes many years of dedication and practice to get
this.  
   The nice thing about working with Romasara is that the energy
produced is not only very intense and dynamic.  It is also gentle.  It
is blazing bright and it also feels very natural and organic.  I notice it
is harmonious with my body and soothing to my emotions.

Physical Plane:  The life force here is more dense.  The light and
vitality have a more direct effect on the physical body. This is where
most yoga begins.  You stretch your muscles using asanas and
steady breathing.  Circulation is increased.  The muscles become
more flexible and resilient.  Your immune system and health
improve.  This kind of  vitality, then, can produce physical results
more quickly. 
   One individual told me that after she did yoga for an hour she was
always in a much better position to think about her unsolved
problems.  The surcharge she built up of physical vitality influenced
her astral body.  She felt whole and illuminated from within.  The
anxiety and worry she attached to problems temporarily
disappeared.  
   In this evocation, I have moved from the akashic plane down to
the physical.  Generally, students of yoga work the other way
around.  They perform exercises with their physical bodies.  And
they induce astral states of devotion and attunement to their line of
masters through chanting and meditations.  Their awareness is
gradually extended to the inner planes where they learn to see
themselves as spiritual beings 
     As with other earthzone spirits, Romasara is a teacher who
inspires and reminds students of what is possible if you are willing to
work for it. The immediate goal is to become aware of the vitality in
air and to draw it into yourself.  In the end, you produce what
appears to others as miracles through the power of your aura. 
   
Pathworking:   In a pathworking,  we may use free association and
image exploration to explore a theme.  This clarifies how we feel
and takes us into a deeper understanding of ourselves.  By contrast,
a guided meditation may take us into contact wtih collective and
global archetypes but it may not illuminate our personal experience. 
Using a sigil is more technical.  It is a method employed by a
magician and it can be the equivalent of a mini evocation in itself.  It
is also possible to combine all there methods at once.
    A Pathworking with Romasara.  To begin, I recall the different
yogis and Swamis I have met or seen practicing over the years.  As
within a dream, my point of view shifts and I see myself now within
a sphere of bright light and life force.  Romasara seems to use this
image to speak to me.  
    He says that by working with him it will become much easier for
others to understand the spiritual ideas I wish to communicate.  My
aura will naturally reflect the reality of whatever I am talking about. 
Others' imaginations will be enhanced and they will be able to feel
the inspiration which I feel. 
   He says too that I will experience far less strain in performing
evocations.  And finally, I will see much more clearly others' etheric,
astral, and mental bodies.  This will allow me to lend better
assistance to others with their problems and difficulties.
     In regard to Bardon's practices with breathing, Romasara points
out it takes years to master them.  For Romasara, it helps if you start
at the beginning by imagining you have already perfected what you
wish to embody in yourself--in this case, the mastery of life force.  
If your body senses you already have the conviction, the mental
image, and the feeling for what is to be accomplished, then you are
more likely to succeed. 
   In regard to using Romasara's sigil for mastering pranayama,
Romasara says this determined on a case by case basis.  Using a sigil
is a form of magical ritual.  You have to exert a great deal of
imagination, will, and energy to make it work.  It can be helpful
from time to time to use a sigil as you meditate but this is not
something to be overused. You want your vitality to develop
gradually and without strain.  You do not want to force your
development in a way that throws you backward because the tension
is too great to handle. 

A Guided Meditation.  This is a basic format for a guided
meditation.  You can embellish it and expand on it in any way you
want.  
   Relax and sit comfortably.  Concentrate on your breathing.  Now
imagine a spiritual being.  This could be Romasara or another spirit
related to vitality, health, and healing. As an example, visualize the
archangel Raphael descending and appearing in front of you.
  You see the shimmering light and radiant healing power shining
from his aura.  You look into his eyes and see the glory of God and
God's beauty being freely extended to all who are willing to receive
it.  
   As you inhale, you sense in your own breath a willingness to
experience this light, inspiration, and healing.  The archangel's aura
grows brighter and now part of his aura extends in front of him as a
divine gift and blessing--he gives of his own being so that you might
experience and know his love.  
    This energized image--an exact replica of the archangel--floats
over to you and blends with your aura.  You see, hear, feel, taste,
and smell it and breathe it into yourself.  There is a transition and
you find yourself now within Rapheal's heart.  You feel a love so
vast and wonderful the stars are born to give expression to its
beauty.  You also feel joined to a healing power so great it can
restore anything to harmony.  
    As you breathe with his energy and let it sink in,  it saturates
every cell in your body.  You know now that your mind, soul, and
body have become a manifestation of this light and healing power. 
You are cloaked in beauty with the power to bless anyone who
enters your life
   Now return from this elevated state to your own body and
personality.  The intensity of the energy fades but within your heart
there is now a direct link to Raphael.  The essence of his inspiration
is forever within your heart. 

Common Difficulties/Imbalances:  The first step in working with
Romasara is to develop the etheric body.  Most individuals are only
aware of their physical body and not of the life force which
animates it. One way to become aware of vitality is to practice yoga. 
In this case, as you stretch a muscle or practice an asana, you also
breathe into the muscles being exercised.  As you do this, you
slowly begin to notice the range of sensations relating to tension,
relaxation, and increased blood flow.  
   In becoming aware of these sensations, an individual also
gradually becomes aware of the more subtle vitality which sustains
the life of the body.  Eventually, it is possible to sense directly the
flows of life force.  Tai Chi Chuan, Chi Kung, and various other
practices also increase awareness of the etheric body through
movement, balance, breathing, stretching, and training the
imagination to circulate energy.
   Once you have this awareness, then it is easy to practice
pranayama.  You can sense the life force which enters your body as
you breathe.  You can circulate this energy through your body and
direct it consciously.  In the process, you get a feel for how to
maintain harmony and restore health.
   It is also possible to sense the vitality in the air surrounding your
body and to draw upon this energy to a greater degree.  Of course,
if your concentration and imagination are sufficiently trained, you
can practice Bardon's accumulation of vitality exercises.  Whatever
procedure you use, whether it is quick or slow, the bottom line
remains.  You have to attain a direct awareness of the etheric body
in a way which furthers health and maintains harmony.
   Consider an example of Romasara's approach to pranayama.  You
can concentrate on your breath and imagine that you are drawing
vitality into your right arm as you inhale and releasing it as you
exhale.  Try this for a few moments.  Picture the inside of your arm
empty and that energy enters it and leaves it as your breathe in and
out. 
   Make a fist now with your right hand gradually tightening the
muscles through the whole right arm.  Notice at each level of
tightness the different sensations.  The muscles flex and may lock in
position.  You may notice an increase in blood pressure in your arm
and the skin temperature become warmer.  Keep your muscles
flexed for ten or twenty seconds.
   Now slowly release the muscles until your arm is relaxed.  Here
you will notice various sensations such as the feeling of lactic acid
being absorbed by the blood and perhaps warmth all through the
muscles of your arm.  
    Now try the breathing exercise again. Imagine your right arm is
empty and you are inhaling and exhaling energy into it.  It is more
likely that you will sense to a greater degree the vitality entering and
leaving the arm with the movement of your breath.  The point is that
the more you are aware of your body, the more easily it will be to
sense the presence of vitality within you.