THE TANTRIC YAMAS & NIYAMAS: MATI

To develop a spiritual will and intellect is to go within to the source of all knowledge - God. It is to develop a profound understanding of life and ourselves by connecting with our intuition.

By studying mystical texts and listening to spiritual teachers, we can develop a deeper understanding of the Universe and our place in it. By doing this, we can begin to live our lives more intentionally, with greater purpose and direction. We can also start to make positive changes in our lives that will have a lasting impact on ourselves and the world around us.

The first step in practicing Mati is to transcend the intellect, the thinking portion of our mind. Initially, the thinking mind is dominated by our instinctive nature. We are caught up in the lower emotions of fear, anger, jealousy and revenge. 

Furthermore, the negative karmas caused by our adharmic deeds keep the intellect in a constant state of disturbance. However, as we progress spiritually, we begin to rise above these negative emotions and karmas. 

Part of the challenge in cultivating intuition is to distinguish a thought that comes from intuition from one that comes from memory and reason. A simple way of doing this is to know that insights are a flash of understanding that contain a complete concept and are short in duration. Thoughts from memory and reason are partial concepts and last longer. 

We then start to see the larger picture and our focus shifts from the narrow perspective of the ego to the broader perspective of the soul. We become more compassionate and understanding, and our intellect becomes more tranquil. This enables us to make wiser decisions, both in our personal lives and in our interactions with others. Consequently, developing a spiritual intellect is an essential aspect of practicing Mati.