Ramana

Tiruvannamalai, located in Tamil Nadu, southern India is where Ramana Maharshi lived his life as an enlightened sage.

Here at the foot of mount Arunachala lies his ashram – Ramanaashram.

Although “Sri Bhavagan” left his body over 60 years ago, his presence is alive in this truly vibrant ashram, where many devotees live and work, perform ceremonies, offer readings from Ramana’s books, feed the poor, the animals, and all the visitors who come to their halls.

Meals are served in the traditional style seated on the floor with banana leaf for a plate and no utensils. they consist of traditional vegetarian south indian food: dals, curries, ghee, rice, lassi, potato or corn fritters and other delectables that include the six flavors, sweet, sour, salty, astringent, pungent and bitter.

Arunachala is India’s holy mountain. Bhagavan lived in various caves on Arunachala mountain for many years. His many devotees constructed shade structures and paths for him to use.

The essence of Ramana’s teaching is this: We are all divine and awake. To know this we must overcome our belief in the thoughts that block that awareness. How? “Asking the question Who Am I, will destroy all other thoughts and like the stick used for stirring the burning pyre, it will itself get destroyed. Then there will arise self-realization.”

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Sri Bhagavan achieved self-realization at age 16, whan he faced his fear of death and realized clearly without any doubt that the body dies, yes, but the being – the Self is untouched by all things that come and go. There are many remarkable books written by him and those who knew him. He is one of the great treasures of India.

The Sacred Ganges River

The River Ganges gushes out of the Himalayas, the highest mountain range on earth.
In Rishikesh she is a wide, cool, rapidly flowing and ever gurgling presence.

Along her banks are ghats – or steps – leading down to the edge.

Every evening at sunset, fire pujas with devotional chanting are performed along the ghats. Tiny floating offerings of candles, incense and flowers are placed in the sacred river.

Ganga is the center of life in all the cities through which she flows. In the holy city of Varanasi, restaurants, ashrams, hotels, and guest houses are perched along her banks.

People bathe in her, pray to her, wash their clothes and cremate their dead on her banks. And like a mother does, she receives it all, offering her blessings.

Papaji and Satsang Bhavan

HWL Poonja also known affectionately as “Papaji” has left this earth but his spirit and teachings live on.

Here at Satsang Bhavan, the place where Papaji offered Satsang, we are gathered for three weeks of video Satsang with Papaji, in Lucknow, India. We are the guests of Brindavan Farm and Organic India. We have the privilege of going to the farm every afternoon for kirtan and dinner.
Papaji is in the lineage of Ramana Maharshi and Advaita. This branch of Hinduism declares that all beings are awake. We are only blocked by our mental content.
In our daily video satsangs with Papaji we are directed to be still, to keep quiet and to not follow the thoughts that are disturbances to our natural state of peace.
Soon Gangaji will join us to offer Satsang and retreat. She eloquently points to the truth in each one of us, and assists in actually having the experience of that.

Awake in Rishikesh

Rishikesh, a holy city on the banks of the Ganges, is known for its ashrams, spiritual teachers, yoga centers and pilgrims.  Sadus,  cows and monkeys populate the pedestrian walkways, along with vendors, motorbikes, bicycles and everyone else. It’s colorful!

 

I am here to  attend open satsangs with Mooji. Satsang means “in association with truth”. It is a gathering with a master for the purpose of liberation from ignorance and suffering. There are 600 of us gathering at the ashram every day. We are richly blessed by Mooji’s presence and his generous spirit. If you are curious about him you can visit his web site at www.mooji.org.

 

The essence of his message is that we are already awake, only blinded by belief in our thoughts, stories, and opinions. These beliefs keep our lives very small. We  are that awareness that does not die with the body. We are that which is not impermanent. When we inquire, we notice that everything we see, feel and think is impermanent. We are instead the one who is aware of all of it, yet untouched by it.

 

There are a couple of fellows here at my hotel who are also atteding Satsang with Mooji. Our sharing is rich. We don’t talk about much else! We share breakfast together, walk across Ram Jhula and catch a tuk-tuk for 100 rupees to the ashram.

Last week my Indian Facebook friend Pooja and I attended satsang together on her 33rd birthday. Afterwards she walked right up to Mooji and invited him to a birthday fire ceremony at her house. He accepted!

 

So that evening  I found myself at Pooja’s family home with Mooji.  Pooja received a personal blessing from Mooji. What grace.

A Spiritual Pilgrimage to Mother India

 

 

With 7 days remaining until my departure to Delhi, I have stuffed my bags with everything required to live on the road for the next 75 days. This is my 70th  birthday present – the journey I have  longed for. I leave everything familiar behind – puppy, husband,  friends, my comfy bed,  the ” security” of a predictable life, and my identity. I become another face  in the sea of pilgrims seeking truth and release from the dream we call reality. And I am blessed to have such company.  Our gurus, way-showers and teachers await us. Gratitude  pours from my heart. Mother India, take me home to myself! I am ready to be consumed.

 

 

My travels will take me into the presence of two extraordinary beings. In Rishikesh on the banks of the Ganges in the foothills of the Himalayas, I will sit in satsang with Mooji.  My heart  is already with him there, and I hear his words in the stillness..  In mid march I’ll meet up with my friend Heather and together we will  retreat with my beloved Gangaji.

 

 

Ganesh is the Hindu God whose benefic blessing is invoked at the beginning of any new endeavor. He rides upon a rat. He is the God of good fortune, and the remover of obstacles.  Bless us all, Lord Ganesh,  as we pilgrimage to this far away land. May all beings be happy . May all beings be at peace. Om Shanti.

 

 

 

Julie and Victor tie the knot again, this time in La Manzanilla!

Celebrating a very special union in La Manzanilla,

The wedding of Julie and Victor!

Forty friends from Canada, the US and Mexico gathered one afternoon recently to celebrate Julie and Victor’s wedding. Founders of La Catalina Foundation, they support 39 children on scholarships and have a multi faceded and vibrant group of community programs geared towards providing educational opportunities to all. Julie and Victor were married in the courthouse in San Francisco this past summer, followed by a beautiful beach wedding for family in Mendocino a few weeks later. AND it was really special for all of us here in La Manzanilla to have our very own ceremony with them. Three times is a charm!

Julie and Victor get married in Mendocino

 

“Call Julie regarding their wedding in Mendocino” the note said. My heart leaped with delight! Wow, what a lovely surprise.  What a sweet opportunity to perform a ceremony for two good friends – people Richard and I dearly love! I’m thrilled!

For the next two weeks Julie and I had many telephone conversations between Mexico, San Francisco and Mendocino as we planned the event. Julie and Victor wanted to honor their family members by asking them to participate in the ceremony. The result was a three part event full of meaning for all of us. The theme of our day was “Pilgrim’s Crossing”. inspired by Julie’s 1000 mile pilgrimage in Spain and her first encounter with Victor.

A pilgrim is one on a quest, one who is open, searching and willing to push forward to achieve the goal. Together as friends and family of Julie and Victor, we created our own Pilgrim’s Crossing. It was a time to reflect, to open, to heal, to speak from the heart and to celebrate, It was a time to see with new eyes and be renewed.

We started with a traditional smudge.  Jack (Julie’s brother) and Richard (my husband) cleansed all the arrivals with sage. “The ritual of smudging with sage and sacred herbs comes to us from the native American peoples. In burning the sage, inhaling its fragrance, and bathing ourselves in its smoke we purify ourselves, clearing the energies that bind us. We let go of the past, we acknowledge our relationship to our Creator and we prepare ourselves for our Pilgrim’s Journey.”

We filed one by one in silence along the windswept coastal trail to a flat grass covered dune, Here we formed a circle. We arrive to this spot as pilgrims on a journey – our Pilgrim’s Crossing. We are invited to introduce ourselves, say where we are from, say our relationship to Julie and Victor and offer a word of blessing.

The next part of our journey is the phase of preparation, and we will do this in silence. We must prepare well, for our goal is holy and good and will last a lifetime. We have journeyed from many directions. Now we are making the final portion of our journey together, on foot, crossing over, as pilgrims, together, delivering Victor & Julie to Sacred Marriage.

We form a line and walk down a path to the beach. Victor and Julie lead the way and choose the place where we will witness their marriage.

On the beach we form a circle and place Julie and Victor inside it, surrounding them with shells. Julie and Victor perform a ceremony that honors all present and expresses their  love for one another. We are blessed to be here with them! Many beautiful tears and words are shared. These are tender and precious moments. We are all weeping and radiant.

May everyone who surrounds me
Come in peace and love towards me

May all of my brothers and companions
be in the same communion

And everyone in peace
Serve our sister humanity

I invoke the spirit of the elderly brother
The spirit of the air and of nature
So all of these will help us to be the same force

And everyone together and in peace
Will walk in happiness and love

United everyone dancing
We’ll go to the cosmos and to infinity

My will be done

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Que todos los que me rodean
Vengan en paz y amor hacia mi

Que todos mis hermanos, mis compañeros                
Todos estemos en una misma comunión

Y todos en paz,
Serviremos a nuestra hermana humanidad

Yo invoco al espíritu del hermano mayor,
Al espíritu del aire y de la naturaleza
Para que nos ayuden a ser una misma fuerza

Y todos juntos y en paz
Caminemos en alegría y amor

Unidos todos bailando
Iremos al cosmos y al infinito

Hagase mi voluntad.

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Victor and Julie, May you live long and well, filled with wisdom and peace.

May you explore the mystery guided by love.

We honor and celebrate your marriage.

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Desiree and Marty

Desiree and Marty called me on a Monday and I married them on Tuesday! On a weekend getaway from Tahoe, Marty brought along their marriage license with the secret intention of giving Desiree an opportunity to tie the knot in a private ceremony on the coastal bluffs – before their big Tahoe wedding later this year. She loved the idea. We met at 3 pm in their hotel room, planned the ceremony together, and performed it at 4pm! Spontaneity, serendipity and creativity were our witnesses, along with Helen, their exuberant and generous hotel owner. Desiree in mini skirt and Marty in shorts and tee, were happily willing to follow the moments as they unfolded that day. Their wedding was a mix of loving words and joyful play. What a treat! This wedding had all the power and depth of any wedding I have performed because love, appreciation and joy were present in spades! Congratulations Desiree and Marty. Long life and happiness.

Rainbow Tattoo Wedding ~ Index Finger Moustache!

 

 

Meeting Erin and James, hearing their stories of love and hope, sharing and laughing with this delightful couple as we planned their ceremony was pure pleasure. Meeting their friends and family and performing their colorful wedding was pure joy.

Erin’s stunningly beautiful tattoos of Kuan Yin and her Dragon by artist Jeff Gogue were a spectacular part of her appearance in her jewel studded gown. The bridesmaid and guests in their own jewel-tones: turquiose, purple, blue, green, fuscia, orange – created an eye popping rainbow on this otherwise gray Mendocino afternoon.  Erin and James, two happy lovers filled with warmth and gratitude,  locked gazes throughout the ceremony. Standing closely together, crying and smiling, they were in rapture –  Wow!

Following the ceremony and more by hugs and handshakes, we adjourned to the “barn” at Spring Ranch where we were treated to luscious figs and cheeses. Many guests received their complimentary “index-finger moustache”  or “fingerstache” tattoo from T.J. Meres as we awaited our royal wedding feast beautifully presented by Sonya Houston of Mendocino Weddings .

Every wedding is unique and surprisingly different from the others.  For some couples, their officiant is just a necessary tool for accomplishing the job of getting married. For others, there is a real and enduring friendship that grows from the shared experience of creating a life-changing event together. James and Erin blessed me with their openness, enthusiasm and freindship. I write this post in gratitude to them, their friends and family who welcomed me into their circle that day. I was richly blessed.

Erin and James, may you have every happiness – “until the wheels fall off!”

Presence: Simply being with what is here.

When I first returned from Mexico this past June after a month long retreat, I was very quiet inside, so able to be in the moment and feel and see the vibration of life around me. As my days became busier with more demands, my walks with my puppy were different – it was hard to shut down my planning mind and future-past mind so I could just be walking with her.

We all need to find these simple moments of quietude, these moments of deep healing and awareness. Why? Our true selves- our essence – is very still. In this stillness nothing need be done – we need only witness and enjoy the play of life. Here, no problems exist. We are free to enjoy the moments as they arise.  The most adept can do this all the time, even in the most trying of circumstances. Every moment holds an opportunity for going deeper into the mystery. In this spirit, I share this blog post by Brynne Betz.

Posted: 14 Aug 2012 11:51 PM PDT On a quiet side street of my island home there are dandelions and tall, weedy grasses and a tiny creek that dances over bits of stone. It makes me happy to walk along this street, my senses open, my heart oh, so wide. I like to see the things that no one else notices, to give them my attention and to feel them plump up when I do. Like the tuft of grass in the middle of the street. I love him. I don’t know how he happened, but there, suddenly, in the middle of pure asphalt, is mister tuft of happy green grass. When neighboring lawns turn brown and coarse, he doesn’t. Here it is late summer and still he’s his sweet self of lush green. And then there is the Stop sign tucked behind the tree that so few can ever see unless they get under the tree like I did. What color is the Stop sign, I asked my little girl. And now I ask you…what color is the Stop sign? Is she really red? Or is she something more? Is she also white…with maybe a little bit of tree juice mixed in there, too? What color is your Stop sign, the one nearest to your home? She’s not just red even if 99% of us say it is so. For we forget to really see. To see the letters, to see the happenings, to see the life of something we stop beside every single day. When we take the risk, because it is indeed a risk, to look closer and closer, the things around us begin to change. You see, it takes a certain bravery to wait and just look when the rest of the world is in such a hurry. But when we do, when we soften enough to step outside of our self-centeredness, we open ourselves up to a realm of wonder where we are a part of something larger. That place where we connect not just with a person or a people, but with the things around us too, that place, it emerges. The You in you and the Me in me…walk into the light to guide us home. We are steered back to our center. And all because we took the time to give our attention to something. A patch of grass A Stop sign Anything that finds its way into your path Is your sacred ticket To You.