The Churning of the Milky Ocean

The Churning of the Milky Ocean is a famous and sacred teaching from the Hindu text the Mahabharata. It illustrates the process that creates the much sought after “nectar of immortality” which both demons and angels alike wrestle for in an epic struggle. It is a teaching that operates on many symbolic levels, from the nature of the struggle of light and dark within the psyche of the individual, to the cycles of light and darkness that exist within the whole of creation.

It encodes a principle that’s worth understanding for anyone interested in higher consciousness as it shows how darkness and the struggle against it are essential elements in creation, enlightenment, and in living a worthwhile life, but also encodes how this principle operates in many other alchemical and spiritual processes, which are too numerous to enumerate in this article.

The Churning of the Milky Ocean

The story tells how under the direction of Gods, the asuras (demons) and devas (angels) agree to cooperate together in a tug of war in pursuit of the nectar of immortality. With the demons on one side, and the angels on the other, each hold one end of a massive serpent, which is wrapped around a sacred mountain, balanced on a turtle swimming in the great milky ocean. As the demons and devas pull back and forth, they rotate the mountain which churns the milky ocean below. The god Vishnu oversees and enables the entire process. The process of churning causes numerous treasures to emerge, a terrible poison, and finally the nectar of immortality.

Facing Opposition

Whoever wishes to be part of the forces of light and good in the world, and whoever wishes to bring the light of consciousness within themselves will face opposition (symbolized by the asuras).

Instead of seeing opposition simply as a detriment to spiritual growth, it’s more realistic to see it as an essential element of spiritual growth.

By understanding the principle of the churning of the milky ocean we learn to use darkness to generate light.

If there was only light there would be nothing to learn – it would be a form of blindness. It’s only darkness that gives shadow and allows form to be manifest and therefore visible.

Those who want to run away from opposition in the name of becoming spiritual become static. Being static nothing is created. It is only dynamism that can generate the creative energy.

What this means for enlightenment is that as we go towards the light, the darkness opposes us. The greater the light, the greater the opposing darkness. This is closely allied to two other fundamental principles of creation which are ‘action’ and ‘resistance’. Action gives movement, and movement faces resistance. Movement is in time, and in the life of an individual it is in one’s actions.

Resistance – Pulling on the Rope

Every action brings resistance, if resistance were nonexistent one thing would encompass all and creation would not be possible.

If a person tries to work for light and increases the light within themselves, they will meet a comparable resistance internally and externally due to the pulling of two opposite forces around a central pole (the symbol of infinity 8, and the seat of Satan are other examples of the point of the pole).

The rope that is pulled is the serpent, which can both ascend and descend. It is the pulling that gives motion; in this motion, the ocean of life both externally and within a person is churned. When an ocean is churned it produces waves – motion, and what lives in the ocean is stirred up. From churning the ocean poison emerges, negativity that is within and also from others. Difficult situations can arise, but after the poison comes the nectar.

Applying the principle inwardly; the thoughts and emotions become agitated within, and externally in life, people are moved by events, just as creatures in the ocean. However, at the bottom of the ocean live the ugliest creatures and the silt or mud, with enough churning the ugly creatures and the mud mix with the other creatures and the clear waters. Thus in society the worst of human nature arises in extreme conditions, and inwardly the unseen monsters of the subconscious emerge to engulf the psyche. If there is no churning, the ocean is calm and nothing is seen, there is no action and no triumph. Likewise within an individual, if the ocean is not churned, everything appears to be fine, as only the clear calm waters are seen from the surface.

Many pursuing spirituality believe the ocean shouldn’t be churned, but if it’s not, then the monsters of the subconscious will never emerge into sight; by not emerging they continue to exist and can never be removed. Likewise in society, if people don’t fight for truth, goodness and justice, then their opposites will prevail.

The struggle in society is useful for enlightenment. In society the forces of resistance pull against those who pursue enlightenment, and this generates the churning of the milky ocean.

Individuals and groups that keep retiring from opposition will inevitably be self-indulgent, and will be unable to facilitate awakening.

To struggle against darkness is not to blunder ignorantly; intelligence is needed to generate right action. Wisdom guides whether to act or not, and if so how. Sometimes darkness is overwhelming and intelligent action is required. Sometimes silence and inaction is required, but a silence which is the result of intelligence is different from that born of fear and laziness.

In Society

Those who pursue enlightened consciousness should be agents for light in the world. It’s a duty of people of this kind to fight for light. This is part of the eternal struggle between light and darkness in the cosmos. Anyone who works for light, for the spirit, and tells others about it will naturally find they are opposed by darkness.

Most people however, can’t stand this opposition, preferring a quiet mundane life and to avoid any kind of confrontation with darkness both outside and within themselves. This means that people find it easier to avoid problems that challenge themselves and their own inner deficiencies, and enjoy being aggressive, having arguments, and hurting and harming others and their environment with little or no personal restraint.

This is why so few people join the cause of light, why throughout the world it is hardly known, why almost everybody is unconsciously living a material mundane life, even if they believe they are a spiritually inclined person. This is why most have a perception of spirituality as being a way to have a successful and comfortable life as taught by today’s very rich commercial authors and speakers who themselves have created a life of wealth and comfort on people’s search for truth, or to live away from it in hermetic inner stillness and peace, but this is not real spirituality, and by seeing how much one faces opposition from darkness in life reveals just how much someone is really working for the light.

The struggle between light and darkness has existed in spiritual teachings throughout history, and is the reason why persecution plays such a big role in achieving salvation in the teachings of Jesus.

Many people have fought for the light, a handful who are known, and most who are completely unknown because history is written by the “winner” which are those with power in society – and their vested interest is in keeping people in darkness. Most of those people who fought for the light will forever remain unknown and obscure to us, whilst celebrities, criminals, politicians, who contribute only opposition to the light are those in the world who people praise and remember. To fight for light is not to be famous, but to help those few who long for the light themselves—with little recognition, with great suffering, and tremendous effort.

The messages of Jesus and Buddha were misconstrued and distorted to form the basis of religions and give the impression that to be spiritual one must be a passivist and allow darkness to do whatever it wants, but if you look deeper into their message, particularly in the texts of Jesus that were rejected by the religion, you will find someone who fought for the light and who was opposed bitterly by darkness, as were his disciples, yet their deeper message was wiped from history. Jesus’ message was deliberately given a passivist tone so that the powers that used the religion for control could create a population of passive believers who would provide no opposition to their establishment of a complete dominion over society.

Then, the power of society stigmatizes anyone who wishes to break free from its grip and to become of the light. This has happened throughout history. Many people and groups who worked for the light are still seen as heretical, primitive, degenerate, even barbaric many thousands of years later, because they have been smeared.

The principle of good is higher than that of falsity and brute force, and those who fight for good do so because it is right to do so, win or lose, they are part of the forces of light and can gain their own enlightenment.

I’ve only reflected upon part of what’s involved in the principle of the churning of the milky ocean; it has many more aspects to it and much that could be elaborated upon, not least in the alchemical process involved in the transformation of consciousness.

 

To get more of an overview of it, below is an extract from the article The Spiritual Meaning of the Spring Equinox:

The Great Struggle Between Light and Darkness in the Churning of the Milky Ocean

The spring equinox stands upon the point of balance, upon which everything pivots in its motion, in the universe, in the cycles of the seasons, and within ourselves. On one side of the equinox is the dark half of the year, and on the other the light half, representing the struggle between the forces of darkness and light. It is this struggle that gives motion to all cycles in the universe, and which is likewise found in the spiritual work to awaken.

This is why Jesus, Osiris, Quetzalcoatl, etc., faced their greatest struggle against darkness to attain the light at the spring equinox.This universal principle is illustrated at the temple of Angkor Wat in Cambodia, which aligns to the spring equinox. It portrays the ancient sacred Hindu teaching from the epic the Mahabharata of the churning of the milky ocean in a giant representation on its walls, and in the design of its temple complex which incorporates the sun and the stars as celestial counterparts of the story.

The story of the churning of the milky ocean shows the fundamental principles that underpin the cycles of the sun throughout the seasons, the cycle of our earth through what is called the precession of the equinoxes, the turn of the Wheel of Samsara, the cycles of humanity called Yugas, and the inner spiritual process called resurrection.

The story is also depicted through the design of the temple itself and its alignment to the sun and stars. On the spring equinox, the sun rises to crown the pinnacle of the main tower of Angkor Wat, which is symbolic of Mount Meru, home of the gods—representing Indra (as the sun) rising into the sky to return to his abode as the King of Heaven. In 10,500 BC Angkor Wat and a number of surrounding temples aligned to the constellation Draco, which is the celestial depiction of the great serpent wrapped around the mountain.

The Struggle in the Individual and in the World

This pulling back and forth between light and darkness symbolizes an underpinning universal principle in creation, found in the cycles of cosmic time and human life. It reveals the role of darkness and light in creating movement through its struggle and opposition. But this also shows the role of darkness and light within ourselves and our lives.

This same struggle between the forces of good and evil takes place within the world, even though most people are completely unaware of it. In life, one is either taking part in this struggle or they are simply the unconscious victims of it. If one is in the struggle, they are either fighting for light, or for darkness. Those who do neither, who do not fight, who do not struggle against darkness, are simply the creatures of the ocean of existence that become churned to pieces from the churning the struggle produces, which are depicted in the churning of the milky ocean.

The Treasures

In the churning of the milky ocean, the struggle between darkness and light causes multiple spiritual treasures to emerge from the ocean, a poison that has the power to destroy the universe, and finally produces Amrita—the nectar of immortality. Without the opposition that darkness brings, there would be no movement and no struggle, and it is from the struggle that the spiritual treasures are produced. The spiritual treasures symbolize the spiritual faculties and virtues which the initiate gains through their struggle against darkness.

The Poison

The poison that the churning produces is called Kalakuta – it is so terrible that it threatens to destroy creation. Before the nectar can be recovered in the story, this terrible poison must be dealt with first.

The opposition found in life not only brings out the best in people, but also the very worst and thus opposition also creates poison.

As this is a core principle it works on many levels, in society for example poison emerges as negative actions and psychological reactions, in alchemy as lustful desire, and within the individual as the responses of the many subconscious states and the actions that result from these states.

It could be said that the act of churning brings out the poison, and therefore separates it from the nectar. The ocean is life, the human psyche, and all of creation, and to have the poison extracted from it and separated from the nectar is of great value.

The poison within, all the hatred, violence and greed etc. is brought forth from the struggle both within the individual and externally within the world. The strength of the egos (emotions such as anger, hatred etc.) stirred up is so great that it threatens to destroy everything that is good within and in the world.

For someone doing the spiritual work, when the psyche is churned by the agitation created by opposition, they get to see what is really within them – all the egos (subconscious states) that were previously hidden beneath the surface of the ocean, but which can now be extracted and destroyed. Also, when the events of life are churned, those who are of the ego are separated from those who are for good. The opposition gives rise to the land of action, where knowledge is found and intelligent deeds can be made.

In the story of the churning of the milky ocean, the devas have to ask for help to be saved from the poison. The god Shiva comes forth and swallows the poison as an act of self-sacrifice to save creation and allow the churning to continue.

The divine help which Shiva symbolizes comes to deal with the poison on different levels. In the individual, they must ask for divine help so that their own egos which are stirred up in the churning are destroyed. In the events in the world, the person of higher consciousness who sees and understands the terrible consequences of the egos of others takes it upon themselves to bear their ill effects in an act of self-sacrifice in their lives, which they do for the good of the world. And in the higher dimensions, it is the gods who mitigate the ill effects of the poison in their influence over the events of life, so that the evil of the human psyche is stopped from destroying everything.

Even though Shiva swallowed the poison, his wife stops the poison from traveling past his throat. This is the intervention of the Mother of the universe, who protects us and the whole of creation from being ultimately destroyed by the egos.

The Nectar

Finally the nectar, the positive results of the struggle emerge. Out of opposition comes the nectar of knowledge, understanding, wisdom, information, right action, good events, and what is of value in life to those who are working for greater consciousness.

In alchemy the elixir of immortality arises, that which the devas set out to achieve in the churning–which grants resurrection.

This struggle to acquire the nectar shows the important role that darkness plays in the awakening of the individual. It is in the opposition to darkness that one is tested, one develops strength, self-knowledge, will, wisdom, and many other qualities, and why before Jesus, Osiris, Quetzalcoatl, Attis, Tammuz, etc., resurrect and attain eternal life at the spring equinox, they must firstly face darkness as the betrayal, crucifixion, and death. Jesus, like Shiva, had to bear the worst of human behavior in an act of self-sacrifice, so that evil could be brought out and exposed for the good of humanity.

The Role of Spiritual Help

Whilst the demons are greater in number than the devas, the devas numbers are made up by the gods Vishnu, Indra, and Kurma, revealing that those who fight for good whilst appearing weaker in the world, are helped by the spirit, and those with the spirit, always win.

The demons try to steal the elixir of immortality using cunning and deceit, but fall before sexual desire as the god Vishnu creates an attractive woman to distract them. Instead, through the help of the god Vishnu, the elixir is consumed by the devas which gives them the strength to defeat the demons, and allows Indra (the initiate with the Son within) to return to his abode as the King of Heaven. This is symbolic of the resurrection of the Son. In the story, the defeat of the demons was only possible through Vishnu’s intervention, and thus without Vishnu’s help, Indra would not have been able to return to heaven.

This reveals that the forces of evil in creation, within ourselves, and in the world, would always dominate those of good through the use of cunning and deceit, if it wasn’t for spiritual help. Jesus, Osiris, Krishna, and Hun Hunahpu, are all killed through deceit and betrayal. But as Jesus said, without the will of his Father, he would never have been betrayed and handed over to death in the first place. It is the spirit that allows darkness its place in creation because of the opposition it provides.

“Do you refuse to speak to me?” Pilate said. “Don’t you realize I have power either to free you or to crucify you?”
Jesus answered, “You would have no power over me if it were not given to you from above.”

The Necessity of Darkness

The forces of darkness, evil, death, and decay, are found throughout all of creation, in our lives, and within ourselves, as well as the forces of light, goodness, birth, and growth. All form that we see is made perceptible through the combination of both light and shadow—if there were only darkness, or only light, we could not see. Dark and light both form a necessary part of creation, and also a necessary part of the spiritual work.

In the spiritual work, the initiate fights against the darkness within themselves and in the world, so that the light of the spirit triumphs within them. This great struggle was depicted in the life of Jesus, Osiris, Krishna, Hun Hunahpu, and many others, at the time of the spring equinox—symbolic of the battle between light and darkness.

Many teachings and philosophies today however, wish to focus only on the positive and the “feel good”. Darkness and evil is either ignored or worse, embraced. When what “feels good” is used as the measure for what is spiritual, then there is an avoidance of the truth and superficial beliefs are created on the whims of feelings and emotions. Thus, things like hell, which have been taught about in all great sacred teachings since ancient times, are virtually a subject of taboo. Religions on the other hand, have turned what were esoteric teachings intended for individuals to use to attain the divine, into idols of worship, dogma, and beliefs.

Between the commercial gurus of today and the world’s religions, the knowledge of  the processes involved in spiritual awakening and human existence is virtually lost. However, the real esoteric knowledge is still here today, and going back into the original esoteric teachings and the understanding of the cosmos and creation, one can see it has also been given throughout history.

The attainment of spirituality is not done as some today would suggest—simply by realizing it; nor is it done simply through a belief and the death of the physical body, as many religions teach. The spirit within, which gives eternal life, is reached only by those who are prepared to go through great trials, tests, and suffering—to give up all earthly pleasures, riches, fame, etc., for the treasures of the spirit which are everlasting. This is demonstrated in the teachings of betrayal, death, and resurrection, found throughout the world, which an initiate must pass through.

From The Spiritual Meaning of the Spring Equinox