“Abanshamash” mantra

The “Abanshamash” mantra is the refrain Atu Abanshamash Dumuzi uses to lead followers at the Nature Absorption Academy London Branch. Repeated aloud in a shared gathering, it accompanies his teaching about nature absorption and the energy of the sun; its steady cadence also marks the moment when Wanda’s attention to ordinary reality begins to recede.

Form and Setting

Atu chants “Abanshamash, Abanshamash, Abanshamash” slowly and in a deep voice, then asks the people gathered to repeat it with him. The scene takes place in the Academy’s simple Bayswater apartment, where followers sit on the floor. The short, recurring word gives the gathering a common verbal rhythm, joining their individual participation into a chorus.

Use in the Gathering

The followers repeat the mantra for a while with their eyes shut. Wanda then notices her sense of orientation and desire to return to reality disappearing. When Atu tells them to open their eyes and look at him, he continues with “Abanshamash, Abanshamash,” stretching his arms so that the sleeves of his light yellow coat fan out like angel wings. Chant, closed eyes, and the shift back to looking at their leader thus frame successive stages of the gathering.

Meaning and Effect

The mantra sits within Atu’s emphasis on the universe and the sun’s energy. His language moves from the shared refrain to intimate declarations: he says he sees his followers, calls them beautiful, and tells them their souls are beckoning to him. When addressing Wanda, he repeats that she is as beautiful as the sun itself, but also tells her not to listen to anyone, not even him, and instead to listen to her own Atman and surrender herself. The scene places the mantra between collective devotion and a message of inward attention, even as Atu’s direct address makes him the gathering’s focal point.