2: Energizing: windhorse

Meaning

LungTa or Windhorse rituals are Tibetan spiritual practices that correct situations of lost or depleted energy; The effects include:

• increased health and vitality
• renewed focus and life direction
• return of the joy of life, curiosity and creativity
• balancing of the four elements that make up mind and body energies
• energizing stagnant projects, business or relationships
• breaking through blocks to goals and personal change and transformation

The Tibetan term Windhorse speaks to the entire range of energies associated with our lives and our environment. Thus it is closely associated with what is termed prana (in Yogic terms), chi (in Chinese medicine) and Qi (in the martial arts). While the blessings of the sang ritual, spoken of earlier, relate to the Fire Element, and Enriching accents the Earth Element, Windhorse is synonymous with the Air Element. This is considered the basic inner power behind all movement of any kind. We are all too intimately familiar with fatigue and a lack of physical energy. This affects our health, our state of mind and our motivation altogether. But windhorse energy, the Air Element is also the force behind all our activities. If there is lack of movement, there is stagnation in our personal lives, and this tremendously impacts our careers, relationships, spirituality so on. When dampened or diminished, we become unable to succeed or follow through.

LungTa Rituals

LungTa rituals raise up basic strength and overcome any loss or deficiency of the Air Element, the basic ability to put things in motion and keep them rolling. While, in a practical sense, we wish to improve our health, energy, charisma, success and wealth, relationship and social energy and so on, the Tibetan rituals invoke specific sources of renewed vitality and seek to unblock energy conduits that feed into our lifestream. The purpose is simply to reestablish the flow in all our endeavours and aspects of our being. Following the basic 5-fold pattern that is at the core of Tibetan spiritual practice, we first invoke the energies residing in the four cardinal directions and the center. Traditionally, these are associated with symbolic mythical beasts who embody the energies of these directions: the snow lion, the tiger, the dragon, the Garuda (an eagle-like sky being) and the Windhorse itself. We open up and restore the energies that come from the center, east, south, west and north, each with their own flavor and unique power to re-invigorate. There is also an evocation of the energies associated with astrological or stellar energies, which place a very deterministic, yet invisible role in our day to day struggles. All such malefic and negative energies are countered. Particularly interesting is the summoning and clarifying of the energies associated with our ancestry, or as we would say, our DNA. Karmic and biological weaknesses and causes of stagnation are corrected and revived on a spiritual level. The “miasma” (literally, swamp) of family baggage that is holding us back is swept away by the fresh spiritual winds.

Wind Energy

Prayer flags are also part of this practice, as the wind blowing across the prayers actually energizes the sacred letters imprinted there, and sets activity in motion. We are familiar with the technology of water power, wind power and solar power; Yet the Tibetans and long ago perfected the art of the sacred speech or mantra. Indeed, participants in the ritual are encouraged to generate a powerful voice and positive energy in chanting the phrases that invoke wind energy: Dra-la Kay! Finally, when our Windhorse is raised and expanded, we are infused with qualities of bravery and confidence, hope and inner certainty. When this occurs, our expression becomes aligned with these strengths. Our speech is clear, true and worth hearing, and our actions are all beneficial to ourselves and those who we touch in various ways.