July/August 2008 Conscious Media
There's an Elephant in My Mantra

by Erin Donley

Many have experienced the profound shifts brought forth through mantra practice. Thomas Ashley-Farrand is one of the Western world's foremost authorities on Sanskrit mantras. He is the author of many books and CDs, but he is most known for his classic Healing Mantras. Learn how to draw in love, health and abundance with this ancient and powerful form of healing and transformation.

Q. Can you explain how mantras and affirmations are different?

A. Affirmations are where you effectively reprogram the subconscious. They are powerful and useful, but mantras are entirely different. Sanskrit is an energy-based language. The sounds of the Sanskrit alphabet are directly tied to the chakras. We bring in tiny units of energy into our chakras with each chant, so over time, you experience a net gain in useful spiritual energy.

Q. Do mantras work if we don't fully understand what they mean or if we pronounce them incorrectly?

A. The whimsical expression of my guru says, "When the child is learning to speak, if it lisps a little, will the mother love it any less?" The laws of mantra are like the laws of gravity - they will work whether you understand or believe in them. It's hard wired into the charkas. If you can focus the mind, you can increase the efficacy - even more so if you can pull in the heart because devotion is the most powerful of them all.

Q. Tell us why you chose to focus on the elephant deity, Ganesha, in your workshop.

A. Ganesha is known as the "remover of obstacles." He sits in us at the base of the spine where all the nadhis, nerve channels, veins and subtle bodies are connected, right on top of the kundalini. This is a powerful place. Mantras to Ganesha are universal and can be used in all aspects of life.

Q. What brought you to the Pacific Northwest?

A. I was in meditation in L.A. and I had a drop in. Essentially it said, "Move to Portland, Oregon, open a center. When it is thriving, move down to Albuquerque and open a second one." So right now, my wife and I have a small Gayatri Temple in downtown Beaverton, but we're looking to buy 20 to 25 acres to establish an ashram in the area. I'm playing a bit of a waiting game for the right place to pop up. But my mediation life tells me that things are coming.

Q. Will the ashram be based on a particular path or religion?

A. The ashram will serve as a center for people who have the same kind of views that we do about everything from the power of mantra and puja to establishing a green-based community. We'd like to go green in every way we can and we're looking forward to getting off the grid.

Q. How did you come to hear your calling to do this work?

A. When I first met my guru, there was a moment where I became fixated on his eyes - eyes that did not seem human. They were like two black poker chips with a blazing point of light in the center. His eyes began to morph into eyes I came to recognize as my own â?? the eyes I see in the mirror every morning while shaving. The minute I had this thought, my guru laughed uproariously. He clapped me on the shoulder and walked away. I've been with him ever since. His goal for us was to keep mantra and puja practice alive. His name is Sadguru Sant Keshavadas.

Q. What contemporary spiritual teachers do you like the most?

A. Well, I naturally would go to the widow of my guru, Guru Rama Mata, who is still living. Other than that, I have not met her, but I have a very high opinion of Ammachi, [the hugging saint.] I would call her the "real deal."

Join Ashley-Farrand at New Renaissance Event Center on July 12 for a class on Myths and Mantras of Ganesha. To register, call 503-224-4929 or visit www.newrenbooks.com. Learn more about Ashley-Farrand by visiting his website at www.dharmasatsang.org. Erin Donley, the "eyes and ears" at New Renaissance Bookshop, is the editor of a free weekly e-newsletter listing events, books, product reviews and a concise look at modern-day spirituality.