By Mati (Sandy) Gilbert
Recently, I watched the Golden Globes Award Show on TV. I realized that I have no idea who most of the nominees are or what they do. My family and friends continually talk about stars, their shows and their lives.
Watching the show did allow me to put some names to faces. What I did enjoy about the show was the variety of the ladies’ evening gowns — so colorful and sparkly. They reminded of the time, many, many years ago, when it was so important for me to be pretty, to be liked and to be desired.
You can watch the Golden Globes or other award shows to enjoy the splendor of the celebration, OR you can be comparing their looks, bodies, hair and clothing to yours. When your mind is caught in the comparisons, it is saying mundane mantras.
Mundane mantras are the statements you repeat to yourself and others about your worldly life. Your mind is full of “clutter.” You are constantly thinking of external stuff: people you know, places to go, things you need to do, and what you have done or not. You also probably think about what others should or should not be doing.
Comparisons make you think that if you were prettier/handsomer, had more money, accomplished a specific task or found the perfect soul mate, then you would be happy. It doesn’t work that way. What happens is that, when you get the external objects that you were fixated on, your mind stops, which creates an opening for your inherent bliss to arise from within. It all comes from quieting your mind.
The paradox is, that to become happier, you must not depend on others and external objects for your happiness. It is essential for you to find and know your Divine Essence, your capital-S Self. How do you find your Self? The easiest and most powerful gateway inward is by repeating a Divine mantra, one invested with Consciousness. 
Repeating such a mantra gives you deep meditation. In that stillness, you discover your Self. Mantra and meditation are the tools to finding your own Divinity.
Both mundane and divine mantras are form of consciousness. Once you are settled in the knowing of your own Divinity, you will enjoy your daily life more fully. Life’s goal is Self-Realization, ALWAYS living in that state. How glorious!
You do not need to give up living in the world today. Definitely not. You continue your relationships and all of life’s experiences. You won’t lose your life when you become enlightened. You can have both. You will be able to function on a very different level, being here now, but you will have clarity, capacity and compassion. Life gets so much easier and calmer when you know your Self. To get there, you need to use the Divine mantra more; it will lessen the impact of mundane mantras inside. My teacher, Swami Nirmalananda, renders Shiva Sutra 2.1 as “Your own mind is made divine by mantra.”
The mundane thoughts that used to plague me, about being pretty, liked, and desired, all came from my mind. Thankfully, I am different now. I am so grateful to have received an enlivened mantra from Swamiji.
You get to choose. You already know what your mundane mantras do for you. A Divine mantra puts you on the path of enlightenment. I know the path I want to take. What about you?
OM svaroopa svasvabhavah namo namah