Puja is a ritual worship of an aspect of the Supreme Divine. It is ritualized prayer. Aspects of the Supreme Divine could be angels (Deva), deities such as Lakshmi, Tara (Devata), saint/seer (Rishi), incarnation of the divine such as Mother Mary, Buddha, Christ, Krishna (Avatar), Gurus living or ascended, and elemental beings such as earth, fire, water (Bhumi, Agni, Aapa).

All of these aspects are considered facets of the ONE Supreme Divine, known in its monotheistic form as the Heavenly Father/ Heavenly Mother. To simplify, let us consider them all as deities. These deities have specific attributes that if invoked, can infuse the worshipper or the supplicant with endowments specific to the deities. For example, Mother Mary is commonly invoked and prayed to for health related quests. Lakshmi is invoked and worshipped for radiant abundance, Saraswati for burgeoning talent, Durga in times of distress, Tara in times of life changes, Buddha for compassion and spiritual wisdom, Ganapati for empowerment, and so on. Thus there are specific pujas (chants and ritual prayers) for each of these deities.

If we trust the old saying that we are reflections of the Supreme Divine, It means that all these deities with their specific attributes also lie within us as latent centers of divine power. However, these centers of divine powers are usually buried under a thick crust of karmic activity as well as life activities (thoughts, words, deeds, reactions, emotions, subliminal patterns, conditionings and so on). Energetic interference from all these activities prevents us from even sensing the presence of these power centers within us. This interference also prevents us from activating, and energizing these nodes of divine power in us. Then there are constant interference from alien energetic interference from outside of us, that divert our mental resources and disrupt out connection to these centers of divine energy within us. By ‘alien’ I mean energy other than our own.

Puja or ritualized prayer is powerfully effective because of its unique ability to penetrate this energetic karmic crust through specific chants and prayers. These prayers connect us to our inner centers of divine power. When a puja is correctly done, its energy will align specifically with the charkas of the supplicant. The ‘correctness’ of the individual elements of a puja are of two levels: In its first level called the divine level (daivikam), the chants, mudras (finger gestures), and offerings are specific to the deity invoked. In its second level called life specific level (jivaka), the chants, and other aspects of the ritual targets the supplicant as a specific incarnate being. The specificity of the ritual worship help us activate these power centers, energize, and unleash powerful, life affirming currents. Under their benevolent infusion our lives transform into a field of infinite possibilities!

Homam is a fire ceremony. Like pujas, fire ceremonies are also specific to the deities. A fire ceremony can include elements of puja, usually as adjuncts to the fire ceremony proper. Therefore a carefully constructed fire ceremony has many levels in addition to the two levels of the puja. Thus fire ceremonies can be several notches more intense in their supplication of the attributes of a specific deity. When a fire ceremony is performed correctly, and with patient focus, the fire ceremony can not only energize and harmonize the chakras, and power centers, they can also cleanse the energy channels, and confer upon the participant a serendipitous initiation, and elevate the person’s awareness to a sublime state. By virtue of their inherent complexity, fire ceremonies are task intensive.

Pujas and fire ceremonies are generally empowerment rituals.

How do you know what puja or fire ceremony to be performed?
A Rice Reading™ is the best evaluation tool for this and it is original to the lineage of teachers of Amarananda Bhairavan. However, this does not mean that other systems of energy evaluation such as astrology, channeling etc are invalid. Amarananda Bhairavan performs pujas or fire ceremonies as requested by clients.

Pujas and fire-ceremonies can be done over the phone, if a client cannot be physically present. In such cases clients call in just prior to a scheduled ceremony.

This is not an exhaustive list of pujas and fire ceremonies. You may enquire about a specific ritual at . Most pujas are $250 and fire ceremonies are $350. To schedule a puja you can click here.