Meet Malini Iyer of Cosmic Art and Science in West LA

Today we’d like to introduce you to Malini Iyer.

So, before we jump into specific questions, why don’t you give us some details about you and your story.
Life’s most impactful moments are those hinges that send you on a different path. For me, that was the passing of my father followed immediately by a breakup. My father was my friend, philosopher, guide and cheerleader. His passing pulled the rug out from under my feet and I was deeply lost. For about four months, I sat in a tiny guesthouse with unpacked moving boxes piled up, staring into abyss. The rage in me threatened to destroy my very own being. That’s when I landed on my spiritual path. The first time I closed my eyes in meditation, I experienced Shiva sitting alongside Dad. There was no turning back then. I plunged deep into spirituality while pursuing an intense PhD that required me to be in the laboratory at 5 am. I also started dancing a lot, having previously trained in Bharatanatyam, a classical Indian dance. The yoga teacher training and daily meditation I pursued delivered me to the next level of spiritual growth.

Through Bharatanatyam, I experienced and developed Bhakti (devotion), daily kriya and meditation practice helped cultivate the discipline of body and mind (Raja yoga), service or Karma yoga came naturally to me but it was not until I discovered good teachings in Vedic Astrology that it all began to click in place. Astrology became the foundation of Gnana yoga where I could constructively engage my intellect to comprehend the journey of spiritual self-discovery. Study of Vedanta helped too, but study of how karmas ripen (both at the individual and collective level) and how spirit takes form via Vedic Astrology aligned my mind, intellect and emotions to the inner evolution.

On the spiritual path, a part of me romanticizes the lifestyle of a yogi meditating in the Himalayan caves. Yet, I realize the importance of engaging with the world where humans cruelly stick out their feet creating petty-driven frustrations. These worldly experiences have chiseled me to develop a personal code of conduct based on integrity, authenticity and empathy. I abide to an unspoken vow to always empower others, having worked through disempowering situations myself resulting from being young, naïve, immigrant, women, person of color, lower middle class – you get the picture. Needless to say, in order to empower others, I need to relentlessly decondition and embrace my own power. This requires a constant learning from others and deconditioning from anything that doesn’t serve my growth. I had to normalize my relationship to money, food & sexuality.

Through the practice of astrology, I discovered that there are two main things that most people are concerned about – career and relationships. Both involve our desires being met by the other person on which we have no control. I have dedicated a huge part of my own spiritual practice learning about relationships and relational astrology.

The geek in me also loves the intersection of quantum physics, neuroscience and Vedic astrology. Having studied neuromodulation of sympathetic nerves for most of my research career, I can easily appreciate this intersection. Quantum physics studies the interaction and interconversion of energy and matter and how conscious observer changes the behavior of the same. The wave and particle form of energy is captured by our neurons (acting as antennas), in most cases primarily through the five senses, to form pockets of information transmitted to the brain for interpretation. This very act of consciousness capturing pockets of energy changes its behavior as shown by the double-slit experiment. In Hindu philosophy, this is called Karma. Astrology is a study of karma. (For astrology novice, I recommend Sam Geppi’s Level 1 course).

I bring all of this when I read people’s charts – always with the intention to empower, always with the intention of helping people find their own light.

I am blessed with amazing spiritual teachers who have shown me the light when I could find none within me.

Overall, has it been relatively smooth? If not, what were some of the struggles along the way?
Smooth road? Even a broken path can lead to a beautiful meadow.

Most of my struggles stemmed from not having enough faith in myself and the higher power. The cut-throat nature of the workplace, bureaucratic policies, envy, unhealthy competing peers, and not having high discrimination for good teachers have all contributed to a level of confusion. It is human nature to find the worst (perceived) quality in oneself and blame the struggles on it in order to keep moving forward. I must admit that all my life, I have felt like the hermit walking through a bustling city surrounded by crowd, cars and concrete jungle, yet on a solitary path. Every time I am aligned with my higher self even the broken path starts to function as a breeze carrying me with a great momentum to my meadows.

Please tell us about Cosmic Art and Science.
My endeavor is called Cosmic Art and Science. I employ multidisciplinary branches of science namely, astronomy, quantum physics, neuroscience, physiology and philosophy to unravel karmic patterns unfolding (astrology) in an individual at a particular time. In other words, I practice astrology. Since I have led such an intersectional life, my main focus areas are spiritual growth, working through relationships of all kinds, career or life purpose, and healing.

An inner resolve to authentically build people up is what sets my endeavor apart from others. Sometimes, to truly empower people, it is important to make them aware of their blind spots. Not everyone is ready to look at things that they have consciously and subconsciously ignored throughout their lives. That’s where I practice kindness, gentleness, compassion and empathy the most.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://cosmicartandscience.com/
• Phone: +1 424 543-4409
• Email: [email protected]
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/urfriendmalini/

Image Credit:
Ira M Barres, Musab Zack Siddiqui, John Merrell

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