Aligning with Grace

"Choose joy." No matter the question or the situation - choose joy... This is the message I received, just a week ago today, when I experienced darshan with Mother Meera for the fourth time in the last few years. The moment I looked into her infinite eyes, it was like gazing deeply into the cosmos and into Eternity. Time stood perfectly still. I sat in my seat and meditated afterwards, feeling her hands still placed on my head, as she continued to purify my soul. Every opportunity I have darshan with Mother, I receive exactly what I need... The first two times, my life was tumultuous and I was in such a state of need, but by the third time I had navigated rough waters and left it behind, and so my experience was lighter, more blissful, and joyous... This time, it was all about joy - feeling joy - embodying joy - becoming joy - and most importantly - I was prompted to share joy... Everything I read or came across during the course of the week was a reminder to exp...

A week ago I was privileged to have experienced darshan with Mother Meera for the third time in my life.  It has taken me a week to write about it, because so much of the experience is truly ineffable and defies all attempts at articulation. At its essence is a transmission of love that is mystical and of a deeply personal and interior nature... It was a blessing to be accompanied by a dear soul companion and to meet very old and dear friends of hers at the temple, who have become mine as well - and to share this experience with each of them. I have written about my previous experiences with Mother Meera on this blog, and provide links to those entries at the end of this post. Each time, I have received exactly what I needed... The first time I saw her in the fall of 2008, I was in the midst of a deep depression. The second time, I had emerged from this time of darkness and difficulty following a period of intense healing, body work, and therapy. I received peace and e...

After morning meditations, I head down to the river on a very resplendent fall morning. The air is crisp, and the sun shines brightly, a total gift, after nearly 24 hours of steady and much needed rain... It has been a while since I visited this river, which is swollen right now, and greatly abundant. There was a time, not so long ago, I visited it every day, offering prayers, lovingkindness meditations, and numerous spiritual practices, that I now realize, were not so much meant for the others they were intended for, but to release much more in me than I could ever have envisioned or thought possible. I stand at the launching area, and survey the ondulations of waves, breaking up at the banks of the river, scattering and dissipating, merely a footprint away from my toes... In some ways, the topography of the river resembles the covers of a few of my manuscripts, but in other ways, this river is very different. The river and I - are the same - and yet, we are not... I try to remember t...

I awaken to the first frost of the season - a delicate blanket covering the grass - and it takes my breath away. I wonder what it would be like to kayak this morning. It has been weeks, and perhaps months since the last time I launched into the river... But first, I make a cup of Parisian coffee, and climb back into bed and enjoy the quiet and the stillness. I am reminded of Mother Teresa of Calcutta , who once wrote: "God speaks, in the silence of the heart, and we listen." Yes, I listen. Every morning and evening I ask to be shown the way. I ask that the path be made clear...And after enjoying every moment with my hot cup of coffee, savoring every sip - I give thanks for a good night's sleep, and for the gift of this day, and everything it will bring to me... I teach a yoga class, and then drive out to meet a treasured soul to walk the labyrinth and celebrate my birthday, a few days early. This sacred walk is a practice this soul companion and I have done many times o...

I continue to journey through the Yoga Sutras of Patanjali as themes for my yoga classes, and today, we arrive at Sutra 1.33 . Here is a translation by Nischala Joy Devi that I like very much: "When presented with disquieting thoughts or feelings, cultivate an opposite, elevated attitude. This is Pratipaksha Bhavana." This is both a beautiful and challenging practice - but it is one that has the potential to change the world. At the very least, it can shift the energies in our immediate life, by enabling us to choose to see the light that is absent in the darkness, and the goodness that resides in the essence of every person, opportunity, and experience we are presented with. As Nischala Joy Devi notes, in her wonderfully transformative interpretation of the Sutras, The Secret Power of Yoga , Pratipaksha Bhavana it is a personal practice that "helps to change my attitude rather than hoping to change the situation or the people who 'cause me' to be unhappy....

There are no words to describe my second " darshan " with Mother Meera ... Readers of this blog, will recall that in September of 2008, I had the opportunity to experience darshan with Mother Meera when she came to Maryland. The word " darshan " literally means "sight" - and is most generally understood as to be granted a vision of the Divine, or the opportunity to be in the presence of a Divine Incarnation, avatar, or saint and receive a direct transmission of their energy. Two years ago, I had the most incredible experience. But, much has happened in my life since then, and I felt much lighter and joyous, and much more deeply transformed this second time. It has seemed to me, in the couple days since I had darshan , that something very profoundly shifted in me... Darshan with Mother Meera occurs in silence. I was so lost in meditating, I almost missed my opportunity to go up to her! When you finally do approach her, you kneel before her and she cradl...