Life, the Universe & Atma

They say there are places in the world that have energy vortexes. Sedona in Arizona and Christchurch in New Zealand are known for this metaphysical phenomenon.

Maybe we just don’t understand it yet – like they did not understand planetary motion a few centuries ago.

In the same way, I have felt a distinct aura in a few places: Thanjavur, Kashi, Pashupatinath and Tamdi Surla. In each of these places there is a temple built to worship Mahadev or Shiva. Maybe these places were selected because of this aura. Maybe it has to do with geomagnetic fields or some other phenomenon. They say this feeling is also intense and present at Mount Kailash. Based on the evidence seen in astronomy and architecture, I believe that ancient Hinduism was built largely on the foundations of scientific thought. So to make this statement is not unreasonable.

I am not a scientist and will have to find out more in the subject of geology etc to understand why it is what it is.

But the ‘what it is’ is vivid and clear. The experience is clear and can be put into words reasonably well as follows:

In Hinduism there is the concept of the Atma – the soul or the spirit – which is the powerhouse that makes us what we are, drives our actions and thoughts. It is not the mind and it is not the body. The body has a life for a limited period and the mind dies along with it. But the soul does not die. Because the soul is a part of the supreme consciousness and is resident within an individual during her lifetime and upon death of the body, reunites with the supreme. The endeavour of enlightenment is to re-join with the supreme while we are still alive and attain unity, even if it is for a few brief moments. For those who have experienced such a moment, no explanation is needed. And for those who haven’t, no explanation can suffice. There are many paths to get to that point of union with the supreme and lose our complete sense of identity as jaina mishra and just become one with the infinite universe even if the union is like a brief flash – temporary and transient.

So in these places – Thanjavur, Pashupatinath, Kashi and Tamdi Surla, the sense of self shrinks and the aura of the place is conducive to the experience of the infinite to which we belong.

To engineer these states and to seek out that union they say the use of substances is one path. Tantric practices are another. And meditation is one more. I have no experience with the first. And have not pursued tantric practices or guided meditation either. But the foundations of these last two evolved studies are easily found in daily life experiences. So unbeknownst to us, most of us live some of these as we pour ourselves into living and loving. The important thing is that the elevated state is experienced only when we pour oneself into them “completely”.

On the other hand, sometimes even without a directed engineering of these states, these ‘happen’ to us. These moments of oneness have come into my life since childhood. Un-engineered. With no particular special situations. So I know this feeling and know how to recognize it. I know others who have been there so it isn’t unusual.

So if I should ever wish to engineer the experience with intent through meditative practices, I believe that these places may hold the perfect configuration of energies to deliver that flash.

Just some conjectures … !

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jaina mishra / wovensouls

July 2026