Tell me, “What is Agni Yoga?”

Dear Friends,

Seekers of wisdom frequently ask, “What is Agni Yoga?” We could answer by saying: Agni Yoga is the path of striving toward fiery Self-perfectment. It is the path to enlightenment; to Truth. Agni Yoga is linked inseparably with infinity and Hierarchy.

Let me share with you one of the very unambiguous working definitions of Agni Yoga that can be practiced today and on into many more of your incarnations.

“Urusvati knows that it is easier to see a dragon at one’s door than a nest of worms. But who can say which is the more dangerous? Worms will come crawling, bringing with them suspicions and doubts. They will whisper, “We do not know the meaning of Agni Yoga, perhaps it is just an empty sound, leading to delusion. Would it not be better to express its essence in a simpler way that can be discussed and considered?”

“All right, let it be as they wish: Agni Yoga is service to good. Understand this definition in its full meaning. Learn to serve good. Learn devotion to the Great Service. Find the fiery forces that will help to manifest courage on all difficult paths. Understand why these paths are difficult. Learn to accept naturally the fires of your nature. Understand all the great manifestations of the Universe. Do not become fatigued with daily labor, which is the best pranayama. Assist all seekers, on all paths.

“Experience the greatness of thought that lives in the Infinite. Allow no fear in yourselves, and protect others from it. Immerse yourselves in knowledge, because ignorance is a terrible crime. Welcome the young ones with a smile, for you build the bridges and roads for them. Choose for yourself the heaviest labors, and be an example for all. In this way, you will reveal to all the full meaning of service to good. Do not fear the whisperers of doubt, who will always be with you as your shadow. Let your shadow be a long one. Concentrate upon your work and your achievements, gained in a natural way.

“The Thinker taught, “Only that which is achieved naturally will create the luminous future.”[1]

“The Teachings of Agni Yoga, the yoga of Living Ethics, is understood as the Teaching of Life. It is a Teaching whose Sutras number in the thousands[2] generously offering spiritual disciplines to practice, the science of life to contemplate, exploration in an understanding of art, beauty and culture, an education to direct one’s thinking toward immortality and the continuity of life, insight into the higher spheres of life, higher thought, joy and the future, and more. “Joy is about the future and cannot live in the past.” [3]

There is also a beautiful feminine side to Agni Yoga quickly recognizable as the seeker studies the nature of the heart, the Cosmic Magnet, and the Mother of the World. “The significance of the heart is great; in the future, it will replace the most complex apparatuses.”[4]

The Master M. in writing about Helena Roerich, the founder of the Agni Yoga Society says: Urusvati treasures thought about the Mother of the World. [5]

They are rending the Raiment of the Lord. 

They scoff at its tatters.

But the daughter of the world and the

Mother of the Universe will join the

   Pieces of this Raiment.

And thou wilt come ready to receive thy

   Vestment.

For, wherefore the power and wherefore

   The sacrifice, if there be no joy?

And where is compassion,

And where is devotion,

And where is the love of creation,

If their shoulders are not bedecked with the

   Raiment of the Mother of the World?[6]

 “The Mother of the World appears as a symbol of the Feminine Origin in the New Epoch and the Masculine Origin voluntary returns the treasure of the World to the Feminine Origin.”[7]

Of Agni Yoga, the Master M wrote: “I affirm that Agni Yoga is a light on the path. It is of no consequence how travelers make use of this blessing. The way is indicated to them. Those who discern the signs of fire will come.

“Thus do I wish to strengthen those who have realized the urgency of the Teaching of Agni Yoga. One should not delay until the time when the torrent drives the crowd in search of salvation. This would only be knowledge gained under threat and terror, and such knowledge is of no value. It is necessary to know those who are guided by a free consciousness. Only those who know the purpose of a battle can participate in it. Slaves driven by force are not needed. I consider it right to protect sincere striving rather than to search for the fragments of a broken vessel.”[8]

“What is Agni Yoga? Probably the simplest and most profound definition is that Agni Yoga is related to light, energy, and fire. For years and years as students, we try to comprehend. ‘What is fire?’ It seems to have such a mystery behind it. Well, here are some very simple yet profound definitions: Fire is life. It is also purity, cleansing, and abundance. Fire also means the inner essence of a person. Think of this, even if we’re not on the path of Agni Yoga, even if we’re not on any path, we are still fiery beings. If a person is dead, there is no heat in their body, nor in their emotions, mind, or spirit. I remember when a dear friend made his transition, and at his funeral, I walked up to the coffin and touched him. It was the first time I had ever touched a dead person. The body is cold. There is no heat; there is no Light, there is no radiation coming from that body. In other words, there is no fire. It is the inner fire that gives Light to all beings. It is that Divine Spark, which we call the Monad, that gives us the Light, and that Light is the inner fire.”[9]

“As we finally enter into the path of Agni Yoga, the path of fire, we begin to ask ourselves, “Just what part of me is real?” Then it becomes quite challenging to awaken to who we really are.”

If you want to travel the path of Agni Yoga, the path of Life, here are some questions you can ask yourself as you begin your journey in earnest. “Who am I, really?” “Just what part of me is real?” What part of my nature has changed and evolved (or not changed or evolved) since I began to live a spiritual life? You can take a look over the past several months or year and see where you failed and where you were successful then continue to work on yourself. If you start striving as a yogi of Truth, you can begin to achieve success and will not repeat your failures. Let us strive toward fiery Self-perfectment.

“You should also remember that there is nothing forced in the manifestations of an Agni Yogi, as the Agni Yogi is his own laboratory. He, himself, by the force of his spirit, transforms his fires. The Teacher gives the Indications of the Teaching for broadening the consciousness, but the pupil himself must apply it. The Teacher watches over the process of igniting by covering the centers with layers of soma when the ignition threatens to become a conflagration. But without the participation of the spirit of the pupil, no transmutation is possible.”[10]

If you have any questions, and you are very much invited to do so, please post them in the comments section. 

With Love,

Joleen

[1] Supermundane 586.

[2] To learn more about the Sutras of Agni Yoga go to www:agniyoga.org for a complete listing of the series of books on the teachings of Agni Yoga

[3] Supermundane, Book I (1938). New York, NY: Agni Yoga Society, Inc. [1994] 2016

[4] Ibid., verse, 22

[5] Ibid., verse, 38.

[6] Leaves of Morya’s Garden (1924), Book One. 3rd ed. New York, NY: Agni Yoga Society, Inc. [1923] 1999, repr. 2016.

[7] Ibid., p. 74

[8] Agni Yoga, verse 300 (1929), 6th ed. New York, NY: Agni Yoga Society, Inc., 1997, repr. 2016.

[9] Sunday Talks III: Discipleship & Human Progress. Joleen D. DuBois. Prescott, AZ: White Mountain Education Association, Inc., 2008.

[10] Letters Of Helena Roerich I, 11 September 1929