by Horia Cristescu and Dan Bozaru
PART 1
WHAT IS A YANTRA ?
YANTRA literally means “support” and “instrument”. A YANTRA is a geometric design acting as a highly efficient tool for contemplation, concentration and meditation.
YANTRAS carry great spiritual significance: they each have specific meanings that pertain to higher levels of consciousness.
A YANTRA provides a focal point that acts as a window into the absolute. When the mind is concentrated on a single, simple object (like a YANTRA), the constant mental chatter comes to a halt.
Eventually, the object will no longer be needed when the mind can remain empty and silent without help. In the most advanced phases, it is actually possible to attain union with God by visualizing the specific geometric design that belongs to a YANTRA.
A YANTRA is a lot like a micro cosmic picture of the macro cosmos. It is a focal point, an outer and inner doorway. YANTRAS are often focused on a specific deity and so, by tuning into the different YANTRAS you can tap into certain deities or creative centers of force in the universe.
YANTRAS are usually designed so that the eye is guided towards the center, and they are very often symmetrical. They can be drawn on paper, wood, metal, earth, or they can be three-dimensional.
The most celebrated YANTRA in India is the Sri YANTRA, the YANTRA of Tripura Sundari. It is a symbol of the entire cosmos that serves to remind the practitioner of the fact that there is no difference between subject and object.
HOW DO YANTRAS WORK?
Basically, YANTRAS work using something called “shape energy” or “form energy”. The idea is that every shape emits a very specific frequency and energy pattern.
Examples from ancient times regarding shape energy are found in the YANTRAS and mandalas of eastern philosophies, the star of David, the five pointed star (pentagon), the Christian cross, the pyramids and so on.
Certain ‘powers’ are attributed to the various shapes. Some have ‘evil’ or negative energies and some have ‘good’ or positive energies, but in YANTRA Yoga only beneficial and harmonious energies are used.
When one focuses on a YANTRA, his mind is automatically “tuned in” by RESONANCE into the specific form energy of that YANTRA. The process of RESONANCE is then maintained and amplified.
The YANTRA acts only as a “tune in” mechanism or a doorway. The subtle energy does not come from the YANTRA itself, but from the macro cosmos.
In other words YANTRAS are the secret keys that help establish RESONANCE with the beneficial energies of the macro cosmos. Very often, YANTRAS can put us in touch with extremely elevated energies and entities, thus offering invaluable help on the spiritual path.
YANTRAS ARE ALMOST UNKNOWN IN THE WEST
At this moment, there is little known about YANTRAS in the Western world. Many people consider them to be pretty pictures and some artists claim to be able to draw “YANTRAS” from their imagination.
They are very far from the true meaning and use of YANTRAS. First of all, YANTRAS cannot simply be invented by using your imagination. Every specific mood and emotion has a specific type of form energy and shape associated with it.
This unequivocally determines the form of the YANTRA associated to that mood. Traditional YANTRAS were discovered through revelation and by clairvoyance, not invented. One needs to be a true spiritual master, a tantric guru, to be able to reveal a new YANTRA to the world.
Even if you search the Internet and various libraries you will find very little consistent knowledge about YANTRAS. Some people even place YANTRAS upside down, as a monument of their ignorance.
You cannot place a YANTRA any way you please. Almost everyone knows that when the cross is held upside down, it is no longer a beneficial symbol. Therefore, a YANTRA placed upside down is no longer the same YANTRA.