Aligning with Grace

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...

There are times when finding God - or experiencing God is more accessible - such moments arrive as unexpected gifts in our lives... There are times when writing is much more fluid - when thoughts come unbidden and the urge to record all of them before they evaporate into thin air is excruciating... There are moments when insights come to us at the speed of sound and break like waves against a cliff - scattering everywhere - escaping so rapidly we never really have a chance to grasp even a figment of the resulting spray or hold on to so much as a droplet... There are minutes that pile upon hours and days - irreversibly lost - they evade any attempt at the slightest retrieval - and we can only lament that they are gone forever... There are times when heaviness saturates everything and we explode from the sheer will to try to hold space for everything and every one and a million prayer requests, despite the fact that we are not meant to succeed... In those moments we do well to ...

The rain falls, gently and deliberately, and the ground soaks it up. It arrives many weeks after the parched environs sought whatever drops of moisture could be found and extracted from greater depths... The atmosphere is heavy with the political impasse of the moment. Most government employees are home, waiting out the outcome of this shutdown, unwilling pawns in a game - dare I say it? - of thrones... I feel the heaviness also - the gloom of an impending doom I cannot accept or even begin to visualize... For weeks I have wanted to write and speak, but a dying computer made it more difficult, and so instead, I journeyed inward... I wish I could say that I have profound insights and answers to share, but I have only lessons received that may be helpful to others... I am saddened to see so many displaced and hurting because of the intransigence and the inability of others to compromise, which in turn holds a nation hostage and so many souls captive. I feel powerless in the fac...

Sometimes we are meant to be placeholders in time or in space...   Some of us are here to anchor energy and/or to send and shine light wherever it is needed...   It implies that one must constantly practice non-attachment and let go of expectations and we constantly receive invitations to do so through various life experiences.   When I visited the river early one morning this week, a dense fog blanketed the water's surface. As I prayed and meditated - bit by bit - the fog lightened and released it's essence into the sky. It was only then that the brilliant blue sky revealed itself in all its magnifence, occasionally punctuated by powdery white clouds.   There is much I could share about this week. It has been full and rich and not without its blessings and challenges. And throughout all of my experiences, I was granted profound insights... For example, I realized that often when we give of ourselves, our time, and resources, we do...

" There are moments you remember all your life." This is one of those moments." ~ Barbra Streisand, Yentl There are moments in your life when profound insights arrive unbidden... There are times when you are granted clarity... There are times when you are unexpectedly able to see your way through things, and everything makes sense... On my walk today, I suddenly realized, that even when we feel most apart from others, we are still one with them. This realization came as I crossed over from a path onto a bridge, and glanced down at words recently inscribed on a wooden plank: " You shall never walk alone." Yes, even when we feel most estranged from others - and feel most pained - whether that pain is rooted in a "real" or imagined slight, or event - or a misperception - we are not apart from them and their soul essence. Even in that experience and moment, there is a fundamental unity perhaps occluded, waiting to be discovere...

Earlier this week I posted this ancient Sanskrit poem to Facebook. I have used it on many occasions in my yoga classes as a reading. It reminds me of the importance of staying present. And mindful. Each and every day... That is not to say this is an easy task. But it is one I strive for. Yes, today, and every day - look to this day and the many gifts it brings you. Strive to see the extraordinary enshrouded in the ordinary. And the sacredness in the mundane. Blessings are truly everywhere! "Look to this day for it is life the very life of life. In its brief course lie all the realities and truths of existence the joy of growth the splendor of action the glory of power. For yesterday is but a memory And tomorrow is only a vision. But today well lived makes every yesterday a memory of happiness and every tomorrow a vision of hope. Look well, therefore, to this day...." ~ ancient Sanskrit poem ~

I go down to the river on the first free morning and day I've had in a while... The fall season has been gently ushered in by forces unseen and the air is cool and crisp... I have been brought here by the urge to do both - Loving-Kindness meditation and a Gratitude practice, in thanksgiving for prayers answered and blessings received... In the coolness of the air, insights come to me about what the greatest gift we can give another soul might be... Certainly to be present to them. To pray for another and their well being - whether through the offering of traditional prayers, or something as simple and yet equally challenging as a Loving-kindness meditation can be - especially if offered for an estranged person in our lives... There is much I have wanted to share here, but a cranky and failing computer on its way out is presently impeding it. Simple sentences arise in my soul. And I share them here... Today, and every day, strive to be more fully present. As you do so,...