Religion, a personal communion

A personal communion with the universe in solitude is the only religion one needs. No middlemen, no preset place or time, no mindless rituals or elaborate accessories.

Just a humbling feeling of awe and an intense feeling of oneness with the universe ..

As if honey could taste itself and all its drops together and all its drops could taste each other and each the whole honeycomb as itself, so should the end be with God and the soul of man and the universe. - Sri Aurobindo

Composter and a lesson on Maya ..

For over a year, I have been dumping all kinds of kitchen and yard waste into my backyard composter. Some time goes by and they are all transformed into the same black organic matter we call compost. From this matter arises all things and everything dissolves into it.

Now just imagine how dull the earth would be if all the land was simply covered with this inert black matter and nothing else. Gladly that is not to be! Nature loves infinite variety which she forms and transforms from this very same matter. The earth is her eternal playground where new art is created endlessly. This is Maya according to Hinduism, the grand illusion!!

All the myriad objects that form the universe are the external reality that we perceive. The true reality is the hidden principle of nature, of matter and energy that transforms and animates everything. 

On the Red Road ..

Red Road

The Red Road is a personal journey through life that one must walk alone. It is the good road of balance and harmony. A road that we pave by our daily actions and decisions.

The land we live on is the sacred land of the Red people, the indigenous people of North America. Their spirituality will inevitably seep into us and lead us along the Red Road, teaching us again to honor the earth and live according to the rhythms of nature.

Brute force in parenting ..

My husband and I use starkly different approaches when it comes to parenting our children. While I frequently resort to the faster, short cut approach of brute force to enforce discipline and compliance he always takes the longer, arduous route of patiently wrangling and reasoning with them.

Today, in one epiphanous moment I have decided to let go brute force once and for all in parenting. I hope to use the slower but surer force of love and reasoning.

This decision comes from the conviction that the 'means to achieve any end must also be just'. Brute force is violence and using it even sparingly makes me a brute. Brute force only achieves immediate outward compliance. Inward transformation is only achieved by appealing to another's reason.

This is what Gandhi's Satyagraha stands for. Employing peaceful methods at all times. The decision to give up brute force will demand more of me ..in developing patience and exercising self control.

Non-violence is a weapon of the strong - Gandhi

Quality maketh a man ..

In the innumerable interactions with people during the course of life only a few leave a lasting impression on us. The ones that do are men that set a high personal standard for themselves. Inwardly our respect is reserved only for them.

Once we get past the physical appearances, cultural differences and external characteristics, the true distinguishing factor between men is the quality he demands of himself and others. We reveal our own standards in all our daily actions. In the quality of our work, our ethics, our speech, the books we read .. in the quality of food we eat and what we serve to others

What distinguishes the “elite” from the masses is only their insistence upon “quality.” - Dag Hammarskjold

Simplicity .. contentment with less

Simplicity of the Amish, Quakers and Shakers

The ongoing journey of simplifying my life has involved shedding excesses in all aspects of living paving the way for a quieter, centred, inwardly rich life.

Material excesses and dependency on stuff must be reduced to essentials. This includes excess body weight accumulated from years of neglect. Adopting a lean, natural diet and moderation in consumption removes the heaviness and keeps us lithe and agile.

Mental excesses are aspects that impact our mind. Relationship invariably affects our mind. Keeping social interactions down to a few meaningful ones is worth more than several superficial connections. Our speech and thought must be simple and straight. A simple philosophy to live by frees us from many a burdens .. of rituals, traditions, religions, compulsions and preconceived beliefs freeing up the mind from many reins. For me it is a pantheistic philosophy that ties everything together beautifully both logically and spiritually.

As we become simpler in our ways, we can begin to experience the freedom and lightness of being.

'Tis the gift to be simple, 'tis the gift to be free 
'Tis the gift to come down where we ought to be, 
And when we find ourselves in the place just right, 
'Twill be in the valley of love and delight. 
When true simplicity is gained, 
To bow and to bend we shan't be ashamed, 
To turn, turn will be our delight, 
Till by turning, turning we come 'round right.

- Shaker song by Elder Joseph Brackett.

Hope always ..

This picture gives me great hope. No matter how much concrete we dump, life will still find an opening. The elements of nature are constantly at work trying to restore the natural order of things. Anything going against nature will eventually decay and crumble. So long as we are aligned with nature, there is always hope and healing!

The natural healing force within each of us is the greatest force in getting well. Natural forces within us are the true healers of disease. - Hippocrates (ancient Greek physician)