AGNIHOTRA - THE BASIC FIRE OF HOMA THERAPY

Following are the materials needed:

1) copper pyramid of a prescribed size
2) dried cow dung patties
3) clarified unsalted cow's butter (ghee)
4) integral rice (unbroken grains)
5) timetable for your place (is sent free of charge)
6) a watch showing hour, minutes and seconds (check your watch on radio)
7) matches (no lighters)
8) instructive Homa Therapy tape with Mantras
Ghee Preparation:
Ghee is the only fuel allowed for the practice of the HOMA HEALING FIRES.
Take pure cow's butter without salt and without any additives. It is important that the butter is WITHOUT SALT. Please do not use any aluminum pots to prepare the ghee. It should be heated on low fire and when the white foam starts coming up remove it with a wooden ladle.
Once this white foam no longer rise to the surface and you can see the bottom of the pot clearly (the liquid becomes transparent, golden), you can turn off the fire. Sometimes there are remains, which stay at the bottom. After cooling down pour only the golden liquid through a fine strainer of cloth or paper towel. The strained liquid is GHEE (clarified butter).
The Ghee doesn't need refrigeration. The older it is, the greater it's healing capacity. But age doesn't matter in the process of the HOMA fires. Ghee, according to AYURVEDA, is a very special medicinal substance when used in the fire of AGNIHOTRA. The Ghee acts as a carrier of subtle healing energies.
 

Prepare on low fire.
Take off the white foam coming to the surface.		 You can see the transparent, golden liquid. Strain through cloth or paper filter.Store in glass jar with lid.
Preparation of dried cow dung:

It is ideal to pick up the fresh cow (bull or calf) manure and to immediately prepare "patties" and dry them in the sun. You can allow them to dry first on one side and later turn them to the other side. You can also use a net, attached to a frame, so that they can dry at the same time on both sides. If the patties are completely dry, pick them up and use them for the healing fires. It is recommended to store big quantities of dried cow dung patties in order to have them in times of rain and in the winter.
If the opportunity to collect fresh manure is not given, the second option is to pick up the already dried manure from the field, remove stones and grass and to cut it into smaller slices.

Preparing patties from fresh cow manure.
Notes: it is important that the collected manure
be not of cows that are fed with concentrated food, because it contains fish flour, which
is not part of their natural diet.

Selection of integral rice:
Use only integral rice, because it is less polished. Only the whole grains are selected, because if the rice is broken, the subtle energy structure around the rice is broken and it is not fit for the healing fires.
The quantity of rice used in one Agnihotra fire is twice the quantity we can grab with the three fingers (thumb, middle and ring finger) of the right hand.


   Integral rice, whole grains
Gesture, how the rice is put into the Agnihotra fire. Apply a little ghee to the body of rice.

How to read the timetable?
The timetable has a column on the very left, showing the days of the month (1 to 31). In continuation the different months are mentioned and under every month there are two columns of numbers. One column says SR = sunrise, the other says SS = sunset. When there are 5 numbers, the first number indicates the hour, the next two numbers indicate the minutes and the last two numbers indicate the seconds. When there are only 4 numbers, only minutes and seconds are indicated.
Shown on the timetable is the exact time for each day of sunrise and sunset for a certain place. Exactly at that indicated moment you begin to sing the Mantra (evening/morning Agnihotra Mantra) and put the two portions of rice into the fire with the word "Suaha".
Example a): on January first the sun rises in this certain place at 5 hours, 45 minutes and 03 seconds.
Example b): on January second the sunset in this certain place is at 6 hours, 48 minutes and 04 seconds.
Example c): on March tenth the sunrise is in this certain place is at 6 hours, 17 minutes and 54 seconds.
Adjust your watch:
It is recommended to adjust your watch if possible daily. Digital watches are recommended, since it is easier to read the exact time. All the clocks and watches lose their exact time. There are radio programs that give the official hour through sounds. In Internet are addresses with atomic clocks. The USA government also has a page with the exact hour: www.time.gov
There are digital cellular telephones connected with satellites and they maintain the exact satellite hour. Now we also have satellite watches.
Please look for a way to always have the correct hour; this is essential for the correct practice of AGNIHOTRA. If one DOES NOT do Agnihotra at the correct hour, NO healing effects are given.
 
With what to light the fire?
Use wooden matches. Do not use lighters. If one needs more time to light a piece of dried cow dung with Ghee, use a candle and light the cow dung above the flame of the candle; do not lift the candle over the pyramid. These healing fires cannot be polluted with wax, burned matches or other substances. ONLY THE INGREDIENTS (dried cow dung, integral rice and ghee) CAN BE PUT INSIDE THE PYRAMID.

Who can do these healing fires?
Anybody who is able to utter the Mantras can and should perform the Agnihotra.
WOMEN DURING THEIR DAYS OF MENSTRUATION should NOT perform this fires. The reason is very simple: these techniques work with subtle energies coming from the sun. In the process these energies are thrown up into space (12 km). Women's energy during menstruation is connected with the element earth that is a descending energy. When women in period do the fires, the energies collide and diminish the healing effect. For this reason it does not recommendable to practice the fires in these days. In the first 4 days of menstruation the energy flow is directed downwards.
Normally on the fifth day, after taking a complete shower (from head to feet) the woman is ready to do the healing fires. (Exception, when the flow after the 4th day is heavier than in the first days. Then better to wait, till the flow stops completely.)
During menstruation women do not prepare or handle the Ghee, cow dung or any other of the materials and ingredients necessary for Agnihotra and other healing fires. We recommend strongly that another person living in the same household, who does the fires during this time, takes a shower right before Agnihotra time in order to take maximum advantage of the healing effects.
 
 
Accessories:
There are copper accessories available that make the handling easier, like spoons, spatulas, plates, tweezers, base, covers, etc. but some of these items can be substituted with wooden, porcelain, glass or clay materials.
NO other metals than copper are used in connection with these Ayurvedic healing fires.

Any Questions? Please write us: terapiahoma@yahoo.com

Other HOMA Healing fires:
If you are interested in knowing more about ADDITIONAL HOMA HEALING FIRES, please contact us.