How Enjoy the World

You never enjoy the world aright, till the Sea itself floweth in your veins, till you are clothed with the heavens, and crowned with the stars: and perceive yourself to be the sole heir of the whole world, and more than so, because men are in it who are every one sole heirs as well as you. Till you can sing and rejoice and delight in God, as misers do in gold, and Kings in sceptres, you never enjoy the world.

Till your spirit filleth the whole world, and the stars are your jewels; till you are as familiar with the ways of God in all Ages as with your walk and table: till you are intimately acquainted with that shady nothing out of which the world was made: till you love men so as to desire their happiness, with a thirst equal to the zeal of your own: till you delight in God for being good to all: 
you never enjoy the world.

---by Thomas Traherne (1636-1674),
from "Centuries Of Meditations".

Khamsa

Composer and performer  - Dhafer Youssef 
Poem - Khamsa "the Khamriyyat of Abu Nuwas" (Abū Nuwās al-Ḥasan ibn Hānī al-Ḥakamī)

Bhairava's Kapala

Kapala in Bhairava's hand is a powerful recognizable symbol frightening the modern man who understands it as terrible.
And in general, this is true with a particular point of view. Bhairava embodies the dreadful nature of Shiva, par excellence; his name is enough to testify this. Born out of his destructive anger, he is the personification of the exterminating function of Rudra in the Trimurti. About ambiguity of Bhairava's figure I wrote a little here or there, but this is never enough.  Rudra's manifestation in Bhairava form became central to the shaiva traditions related to the kApAlika branch of the old pAshupata form of the shaiva-shAsana known for understanding and accepting this symbol literally. Nevertheless, the skull as such powerful symbol for anyone, has a lot of other hidden meanings (it is the set of meanings, not one).

A Kapala ( "skull" in Sanskrit) is a cup made from a human skull used as a ritual implement (a bowl) in both Hindu Tantra and Buddhist Vajrayana.

Maharakta Ganapati

Apropos, the skull it is one of the principal practice supports of the Vajrayana yogin. Many of the deities of Vajrayana, including Mahasiddhas, Dakinis and Dharmapalas are depicted carrying a Kapala, usually in their left hand.

Vajrayogini

The buddhist skull cup Thod-pa is used in tantric ritual practices to represent the transformation of delusion into perfect wisdom. The skull also symbolises Great Bliss and is a potent symbol of impermanence.
Many ancient cultures retain special attitude to this symbol and primary, it carries the human mortality idea but in an important memento mori reminder. Because in the face of death that man's self-aware is born.
This is a very common symbol in Christianity for to pondering the earthly reality of our mortality and the eternal truth of the spiritual life. It was not unheard-of for medieval religious to keep a human skull about to aid them in their meditations.
 For the medieval alchemist, the skull symbolized purification from the false identity or poisoning ego that fights desperately for its survival but must be devoured in the flames of higher consciousness. Or for the ancient Celts, it was the seat of the soul. This theme is persistent throughout Celtic spiritual life and the symbol of the severed head may be regarded as the most typical and universal of their religious attitudes.
It can be continued but the quick-list of kapala symbolism include: Time and Time's overcoming, Temporary and Eternal, Power, Divinity, Gateway, Creation, Initiation, Concentration and so on. All these symbols, or supports, or tantric rituals can serve as tantric meditations to achieve a transcendental state of thought. Exactly, this is their direct appointment. The unfathomable figure of Bhairava holds all these meanings so far as we can understand it. But it brings us closer to an understanding of not only of impermanence, but also of spiritual awakening, the death of the false self, the Great Death. It means that one sees into one's own Nature, into the One that is neither born nor destroyed. When it brings all back to One. When the amR^ita-sravaNa nectar starts flowing from within the skull.

Om Bhairavaya Namah

Shiva Gangadhara Arati

om jaya gangaadhara hara shiva jaya girijaadheesha |

shiva jaya girijaadheesha |

tvam maam paalaya nityam, tvam maam paalaya nityam

krupayaa jagadeesha, 

om hara hara hara mahaadeva || 1 ||

kailaase girishikhare kalpadruma vipine,

shiva kalpadruma vipine |

gunjati madhukarapunje |

kunjavane gahane,

om hara hara hara mahaadeva || 2 ||

kokila koojati khelati hamsaavali lalitaa,

shiva hamsaavali lalitaa |

rachayati kalaakalaapam

nrutyati mudasahitaa,

om hara hara hara mahaadeva || 3 ||

tasmillalita sudeshe shaalaa maNirachitaa,

shiva shaalaa maNirachitaa |

tanmadhye haranikaTe

gouree mudasahitaa, om hara hara hara mahaadeva || 4 ||

kreeDaam rachayati bhooshaam ranjita nijameesham, 

shiva ranjita nijameesham |

brahmaadika sura sevita

praNamati te sheersham, om hara hara hara mahaadeva || 5 ||

vibudha vadhoor bahu nrutyati hrudaye mudasahitaa, 

shiva hrudaye mudasahitaa |

kinnara gaanam kurute

sapta svara sahitaa, om hara hara hara mahaadeva || 6 ||

dhinakata thai thai dhinakata mrudanga vaadayate, 

shiva mrudanga vaadayate |

kvaNa kvaNa lalitaa veNuhu

madhuram naadayate, om hara hara hara mahaadeva || 7 ||

ruNa ruNa charaNe rachayati noopuram ujjvalitam, 

shiva noopuram ujjvalitam |

chakraavarte bhramayati

kurute taam dhika taam, om hara hara hara mahaadeva || 8 ||

taam taam lupa chupa taalam naadayate, shiva taalam naadayate |

angushTa angulin aadam

laasyakataam kurute, om hara hara hara mahaadeva || 9 ||

karpoora dyuti gouram panchaanana sahitam, 

shiva panchaanana sahitam |

trinayana shashidhara moulim

vishadhara kanTha yutaM, om hara hara hara mahaadeva || 10 ||

sundara jaTaa kalaapam paavakayuta bhaalam, 

shiva paavakayuta bhaalam |

Damaru trishoola pinaakam

karadhruta nrukapaalam, om hara hara hara mahaadeva || 11 ||

shankha ninaadam krutvaa jhallari naadayate, 

shiva jhallari naadayate |

neeraajayate brahmaa

vedaruchaam paThate, om hara hara hara mahaadeva || 12 ||

iti mrudu charaNa sarojam hrutakamale dhrutvaa, 

shiva hrutkamale dhrutvaa |

avalokayati mahesham, shivalokayati suresham |

eesham abhinatvaa, om hara hara hara mahaadeva || 13 ||

runDai rachayati maalaam pannagam upaveetam, 

shiva pannagam upaveetam |

vaama vibhaage girijaa, vaama vibhaage gauree |

roopam atilalitam, om hara hara hara mahaadeva || 14 ||

sundara sakala shareere kruta bhasma aabharaNam,

shiva kruta bhasma aabharaNam |

iti vrushabha dhvaja roopam, hara shiva shankara roopam |

taapa traya haraNam, om hara hara hara mahaadeva || 15 ||

dhyaanam aaratee samaye hrudaye iti krutvaa, 

shiva hrudaye iti krutvaa |

raamam trijaTaa naatham |

eesham abhinatvaa, om hara hara hara mahaadeva || 16 ||

sangeetam evam pratidina paThanam yah kurute, 

shiva paThanam yah kurute |

shiva saayujyam gacChati, hara saayujyam gacChati |

bhaktyaa yah shruNute, om hara hara hara mahaadeva || 17 ||

om jaya gangaadhara hara shiva jaya girijaadheesha, 

shiva jaya goureenaatha |

tvam maam paalaya nityam, tvam maam paalaya shambho |

krupayaa jagadeesha, om hara hara hara mahaadeva || 17 ||

My Heart's in the Highlands

"My Heart's in the Highlands" is a 1789 song and poem by Robert Burns arranged by Estonian composer  Arvo Pärt.