January 23, 2012
How incredible to realize that this is the first morning with sunshine this year...
Nature is exploding in sounds, smells & colors...
And interesting enough, as I write, I hear thunder....
just to remind us that our comfort zone can change in an instant
One never knows whats behind the Mountain
So many people ask me exactly what my Spiritual practice is all about. I have a hard time explaining it, as a label/figure must always be present to make any sense.
I am devoted to my personal well being albeit sometimes I seem to be far from the track,
and I try my best to practice lovingkindness.
In Hinduism, spiritual path both my Teachers Vamadeva Shastri & Shambhaviji follow there is a term that defines what it is all about: Sadhana.
A complex and beautiful word. This is the simplest and easiest explanation I have read:
"Sadhana is a Sanskrit work whose root, sadh, means to reclaim that which is divine in us, our power to heal, serve, rejoice, and uplift the spirit. Sadhana practices encompass all our daily activities, from the simple to the sublime--from cooking a meal to exploring your inner self through meditation. The goal of sadhana is to enable you to recover your natural rhythms and realign your inner life and daily habits with the cycles of the universe. When you begin to live and move wih the rhythms of nature, your mind becomes more lucid and more peaceful and your health improves. Your entire life becomes easier." - Maya Tiwari
So to define myself with a term that I feel comfortable with, I am Sadhak.
A Spiritual Seeker. A Spiritual Student. Someone that is in pursuit of peace, happiness & lovingkindness.
I enjoy going to Temples, Churches, Cathedrals anywhere I can connect with the Divine, in whatever form it takes at any specific place. The world is my place of worship and Nature is the ultimate representation of God's eternal blessings & beauty.
A blessed Sunday to all.
Happy New Year !
Today is the first official day of the year... what did you do ?
I sat in the sunshine after 4 days of pouring rain.
With a book. - The Golden Acorn by Catherine Cooper.
Actually not a book, but my Kindle.
It's about a little boy who has a very special gold acorn that will save the forests !
more on it later, but I want to really talk about books.
I know I have many... some would say too many... I have never really counted them but they are all over the house. On shelves, tables, drawers... you name a place !
Half way through my morning I got an invitation from my daughter to join her on Shelfari.com so we can share our readings... (yes she did take after her Mamma) .
Well, this Shelfari has an option for you to upload your purchases from Amazon.com
So, according to my 'history ' with Amazon, I have since April 1997, purchased over 437 books. not bad... and the interesting thing was to notice the reading pattern. There were Garden years, Cooking Years, Art years, Spiritual years, Travel years. And that is only from Amazon. Not counting the Barnes&Noble or Watertone's attacks I always have when I travel.
The space and care all these books need is overwhelming! and in the spirit of eco-friendly less foot-print impact I converted to Kindle. Or was converted by a dear friend who mentioned I'd soon be found under a pile of books in the middle of nowhere!
So for the last 15 months, only Kindle downloads. The great thing is you get the book in 30 seconds... I'm not joking ! no visits to the post-office (who think I'm a teacher because of the smiling boxes from Amazon arriving, and of course only a teacher could read so much !!), no anxious waiting for the 23-35 day delivery to my small town in Brazil... nor postage costs!
So this brings me to my first 2012 project.
Find all my books, get new shelves made for them.
Dust them all...
Make a list of what I still have to and want to read....
and try and keep up my average ,according to my shopping record, to a book a week.
I really think Amazon should send me some freebies !!
But I have confessions to make......
I still miss the physical book.
I still long for a NYC library card
I still miss my smiley boxes arriving home with me
I still dream of being part of a Book Club
I still have space on my shelves!
May 2012 be a happy reading year to all.
If you can make it 1 book a month, it will enrich your life.
Exchange that ghastly soap-opera stuff for a good read !
