The Red Thread

In yoga philosophy, we sometimes refer to the golden chain or golden thread that links the student to the teacher, until the student becomes a teacher, and so on back through time creating a lineage. Many Scriptures in the yoga tradition open with a list of the teachers that come before the author, some ending in a connection to the original Source (the form of the Divine for that particular lineage) such as Shiva for example. 

Recently the golden thread imagery has been added to my mind with the symbolism of the red thread. In Hindu culture, the red thread is used to bind a man and a woman in marriage and also is a symbol of protection. What I didn’t know until recently is that red thread is also a part of many other cultures and traditions.

I always think there is something very potent going on when different religions or philosophical schools have a similar version of the same concept.  For example, chanting on ‘prayer’ beads of some kind has a place in almost all world religions whether it’s to recite the Maha Mantra on japa beads or the Hail Mary on a rosary.  The concept is similar regardless of the particular ‘chant’ or bead configuration. 

And so it is with the red thread … 

Adapted from the book ‘Mary Magdalene Revealed’ by Meggan Watterson (such a brilliant book, whether you are Christian or not);

 ‘I still don’t know what it means, or better said I don’t know why it means so much. The red thread. I’m wearing it on my left wrist now, when I look at it there is this echo, like a radio frequency … it transmits. In Kabbalah, Jewish mysticism, the red thread is worn on the left wrist because it’s considered ‘feminine’. It’s the receiving side – allowing us to ‘receive’ spirit. 

In Greek mythology, the red thread enables Theseus to kill the Minotaur and find his way out of the dark labyrinth maze through it.

Japanese legend relates the red thread to our fate. We are tied by the red thread to all the people we are destined to meet in order for the soul to evolve.’

Something about this last teaching is the most potent for me. A reminder of our connection to all.

My teacher Maya Tiwari says ‘We women are divinely equipped to rediscover the mother consciousness by cooperating with one another and applying our shared vision of harmony. We heal in the courage to pause. We heal when we apply our precious life's journey to cleansing and wrapping up personal karmas.’

There is a lot of talk these days about the ‘Divine Feminine’ and reclaiming the Goddess within.  I’m totally down for this and much of the work I do, which is mostly with and for women, holds this objective at its heart.  However, when a particular paradigm or way of thinking hits the mainstream, I think it’s important to remain connected to the true essence of the teaching and not get swept up in cliches and diluted meaning. Maya Tiwari, taught us to live and practice in the mode of the divine feminine within our daily lives.  What does this really mean?

I was blessed to spend considerable time with Mother Maya, as her close students affectionately call her, both in her ashram in America and in my home in Australia.  From her, I learned how to live closer to the cycles of nature and to observe the natural world more keenly. In her ashram in North Carolina, she grew vegetables and flowers with care and dedication in the warmer months.  In the long, cold winter months Mother Maya would mindfully feed the deer as food for them was scarce when snow covered the ground. In fact, feeding wild animals is a practice also close to the heart of my other teacher Sharon Gannon who also feeds the deer in her upstate New York home.  In the book, ‘The Magic Ten and Beyond’ Sharon suggests making a sadhana (daily practice) of feeding wild birds and animals each morning wherever you happen to live in the world.  She suggests there is great humility and service in feeding another being before you feed yourself each day. I love this sentiment and have absolutely no trouble fulfilling it in my own life with five children living under my roof!

Another wonderful recommendation from Sharon is this Mary Magdalene movie which is both exquisitely beautiful and deeply moving.

My personal prayer of the Red Thread is this: 

‘May I cultivate the skill and compassion of the Divine Feminine to walk in another’s shoes and see the world from different perspectives. May I hold space for encompassing more than one thing to be true at any given time?. Give me the intelligence to prioritise connection and reflection over perfection and let go of the need to be ‘right’. 

We will be studying some of the teachings from ‘Mary Magdalene Revealed’ in Bhakti Club over the next couple of months (click www.bhaktirose.com.au/bhakticlub to join us). And I’ll be sending some red threads as a gift out to each member of the Club (over 50 women now). In the meantime may we all remember the Red Thread that binds us as sisters and collaborators to care for the Earth, the animals and each other. 

🌹

Looking to dive deeper into Ayurveda and Yoga with KATIE ROSE? Here's a helpful list of my most popular resources...