CRANIOSACRAL
THERAPY
THE ORIGINS OF AYA
Before history began to be recorded, there was a shamanistic language spoken all over the world. From Japan to Native America, from African to Indo-European nations.
Aya is believed to originate from that shamanistic language. It recurs in a great number of languages, and the meanings are connected with spirituality, goodness and creativity.
In the old Celtic tradition, Aya was both a greeting and a blessing and is still in use in some parts of the British isles. In Scotland the word Aye, derived from Aya is an affirmation meaning 'yes'.
In Western African cultures, Aya denotes a fern, and the qualities of elegance, perseverance and endurance. It is used to describe people with the same attributes.
In Japan, the word has connotations of grace and beauty and is a very popular name for women.
In Arabic sacred literature, it denotes what is miraculous and out of the ordinary.
In the Indian communities of Mauritius, Aya was an affectionate name given to an elderly lady, somewhat like the word Auntie.
In the Sanskrit school I attended, we called the teacher, Aya.
Perhaps the most interesting connotation is within the realm of spirituality where Aya generally means a spiritual presence able to inspire the human consciousness.
The Indian tradition believe in mysterious and spiritual beings connected with the origin of man. The origin of knowledge would appear whenever the world needed new knowledge and a new orientation of consciousness.
These spiritual beings were associated with the element fire, or, as the Sanskrit tradition will have it Agni, which means the power of enlightenment and of transcendental knowledge.
Aya is a magical name and a powerful mantra in its own right. When intoned, it serves to alleviate acute physical pain. It also provides emotional relief when the sound is allowed to come from the location of the emotional pain, either in the heart or the solar plexus.
Aya has the power to act upon the world for the better.
Dr. Jacques R. Rangasamy, MBE