Word of the Day: jiiva

definition:

jIva mf(%{A4})n. living , existing , alive RV. &c. ; healthy (blood) Car. viii , 6 , 74 ; ifc. living by (see %{jala-cara-} , %{rUpa-}) ; causing to live , vivifying (see , %{putra-} , %{-jala}) ; m. n. any living being , anything living RV. &c. ; life , existence MBh. iv , vi Hariv. &c. (ifc. f. %{A} Katha1s.) ; m. the principle of life , vital breath , the living or personal soul (as distinguished from the universal soul see %{jIvA7tman}) RV. i , 164 , 30 ChUp. S3vetUp. Pras3nUp. Mn. &c. ; N. of a plant L. ; Br2ihaspati (regent of Jupiter) VarBr2S. Laghuj. Su1ryas. Ka1s3i1Kh. ; the 3rd lustrum in the 60 years “‘ Br2ihaspati cycle VarBr2S. viii , 26 ; N. of one of the 8 Maruts Ya1jn5. ii , 102/103 39 ; Karn2a L. ; n. N. of a metre RPra1t. xvii , 4 [422,3] ; (%{A}) f. life L. ; the earth L. ; a bow-string L. ; (in geom. = %{jyA}) the chord of an arc ; the sine of an arc Su1ryas. ii , 57 (cf. %{tri-} , %{tri-bha} “‘ , %{dRg-gati-} , %{lamba-} and %{zaGku-jIvA}) ; N. of a plant (%{jIvantI} or %{vacA} L.) VarBr2S. iii , 39 ; the tinkling of ornaments L. ; pl. N. of a particular formula Kaus3. Vait. ; cf. %{ati-} , %{upa-} and %{saM-jIva4} ; %{a-} , %{kumAra-} , %{ciraM-} , %{jagaj-} , %{dur-} , %{nir-} , %{pApa-} , %{bandhu-} , %{sa-} , %{su-} ; %{khSudra-jivA} , %{yAvaj-jIvam} ; [cf. %{bi4os} ; Lat. {vivus} ; Lith. %{gIvas} ; Goth. {qvius} ; Eng. {quick} ; Hib. {beo}.]

A jiiva is defined to be a living being, but it goes deeper than that. A jiiva is the feeling of differention from the Undifferentiated. It is who we treat when we see a client. It is the recreation of the Atman from the soul self via manas or mind. It is a personality.

A personality is all well and good. Kind of.

Is it not ultimately a disturbance, much like a dosha?

Astrology teaches many important things, but the principal one is that we are actually Undifferent. We are One.

Content of consciousness (for example, seeing a tree) and consciousness itself are one.

So, the jiiva is important to understand if not to have. Many people want to know, or be reminded of, their story when they come in for a reading.

But what happens when people drop their stories? Is this even recommended?

I contend that is always recommended. Why?

The story will change in the next reincarnation anyway.
If the story is bad, what use is there not to forgive and move on?
Even if the story is good, I don’t know what it gives besides pleasure, which is neither here nor there Ayurvedically, and we’ve got to consider the high likelihood that pleasure might be unsatisfying or addictive.
Maybe I’ll get posts saying I’m against the personality, but this isn’t quite true.

In living, there is just more to life than limitation.

Hart once said, it’s not good to show your chart in everyday life, and yet he also has said “I am what I am.”

Another paradox from the teacher.

We are what we are jiiva-wise, but we are more than that too.

If you have a strong Mars, for example, use its gifts, but don’t think that that is all you are.

Most people in fact get swept up in the forces of their charts and their charts are all that their lives show.

It just seems sad to witness.

Jiiva, wake up!