El compromiso nos lleva a la libertad

~por Rukmini Walker "La necesidad del alma espiritual es que quiere salir de la esfera limitada de la esclavitud material y cumplir el deseo de completa libertad. Quiere salir de las paredes cubiertas del gran universo. Quiere ver la luz libre y el espíritu. Esa completa libertad se logra cuando se encuentra con el espíritu completo, la Personalidad de Dios ". (Significado de Bhaktivedanta al Srimad Bhagavatam 1.2.8) Últimamente he estado pensando mucho en la libertad. La gente en estos días quiere tener la libertad de hacer lo que quiera, de decir lo que quiera e incluso de alterar la verdad, si así lo desea. El alma espiritual tiene un anhelo natural para libertad. Pero, ¡qué contradictorio es que cuanto más complazcamos nuestras mentes y sentidos salvajes, más nos aprisionen! Cuando un alcohólico se compromete a dejar de beber, se libera de su adicción a la botella. Cuando un estudiante se compromete a dedicarse a sus estudios, obtiene una mayor libertad en sus futuras actividades académicas. Cuando nos comprometemos con el régimen diario de un trabajo, ganamos la libertad de la seguridad financiera. Cuando nos comprometemos a presentarnos todos los días para nuestra práctica espiritual, comenzamos a liberarnos de lo temporal. Comenzamos a vernos a nosotros mismos como espíritu, para nunca más ser disueltos por la muerte. El compromiso nos permite escuchar la voz interior que nos llama a la luz libre y al espíritu. Empezamos a saborear lo eterno. Ese compromiso nos lleva a encontrar un día el espíritu completo, la Personalidad de Dios. El compromiso nos lleva a la libertad. Todo lo mejor,Rukmini Walker

Commitment Leads Us To Freedom

~by Rukmini Walker

To listen to an audio version of this blog read by Rukmini, please click on the audio link below:

[playlist ids="4075"]

"The need of the spirit soul is that he wants to get out of the limited sphere of material bondage and fulfill the desire for complete freedom. He wants to get out of the covered walls of the greater universe. He wants to see the free light and the spirit. That complete freedom is achieved when he meets the complete spirit, the Personality of Godhead."  (Bhaktivedanta purport to Srimad Bhagavatam 1.2.8)

I’ve been thinking a lot about freedom recently. People these days want to be free to do anything they want, to say anything they want, and to even alter truth, if they feel like it.The spirit soul has a natural longing for freedom. But how counterintuitive it is, that the more we indulge our wild minds and senses, the more we become imprisoned by them!When an alcoholic commits to no longer drink, she becomes free from her addiction to the bottle. When a student commits to apply herself to her studies, she gains greater freedom in her future academic pursuits. When we commit to the daily regimen of a job, we gain the freedom of financial security.When we commit to show up each day for our spiritual practice, we begin to free ourselves from the temporary. We begin to see ourselves as spirit, to never again be dissolved by death.Commitment enables us to hear the voice within that beckons us to the free light and the spirit. We begin to taste the eternal. That commitment leads us to one day meet the complete spirit, the Personality of Godhead.Commitment leads us to freedom.All the best,Rukmini Walker

Chaos and Crisis in Washington DC

by Anuttama Dasa, on Jan. 7, 2021

------

Lord Krishna explains in the sacred text, Bhagavad-Gita, “Whatever action a great man performs, others will follow. And whatever standards he sets by exemplary acts, all the world pursues.”Yesterday in Washington, D.C., we saw the truth of this statement, and the terrible impact of the misguided thoughts, words, and actions of an influential and powerful man.Yet, each of us is great in our own fashion. We too, each of us, big and small, impact the world. We have that power. Congressional leaders were called upon yesterday to stand and be counted, to “tell the truth”, as Senator Romney pleaded. We too have choices to make, and the world will be better or worse because of it.Just as President Lincoln counseled in his second inaugural address, “…if God wills that it [the civil war] continue…until every drop of blood drawn with the lash, shall be paid by another drawn by the sword,” we too are responsible for our actions and will draw our individual and collective ‘pay.’ As Jesus spoke, “As you sow, so shall ye reap.” Or, as my Vaishnava Hindu tradition warns, our karma, both good and bad, will always find us.Some of us spoke out during the past four years of escalating violations of respect and decency; and some didn’t, for whatever reasons. But, today is a new day and it calls for each of us to reexamine our own character, and to recognize the role we play in the drama of life and in the making, and remaking, of our nation and our world.The world’s great religious and moral traditions call upon us to love our fellow human beings. My tradition teaches us to protect all forms of life, seeing such as sacred and connected to the Divine. We are also called to cleanse our minds and our hearts so that we can be agents of the good. So, let us live these ideals, and not just give them lip-service. Will we, as individuals, families, races, religions, and political parties, take the leadership role God expects of us to “bind the nation’s wounds?” Will we recognize the sisterhood and brotherhood, and the spiritual sanctity of all citizens, black and white, red and blue, rich and poor, powerful and powerless? Will we honor, promote, and protect them as such?The chaos and crisis that exploded in America’s capital yesterday was not the result of one man, or a few thousand crazed vigilantes. It was the result of years of vitriol, of planting seeds of divisiveness and hate, of reveling in the unfair and unlawful treatment of others for selfish and materialistic gains.It is long past time that we each, of whatever faith or philosophy, or political persuasion, color or creed, put aside our nasty, divisive thoughts, words and acts, and realize that the destiny of our nation and the world, and our very souls, rests in our hands.Each day, each moment, we have the power to choose kind or hurtful words. We have the power to be examples of light or darkness to our children. We have the power to say that the hate, the spiteful words, the selfish acts, the abuse, and the anger must stop. And, to commit that it will stop first with me—with my words and my actions. We have the power to promote policies in our homes, in our neighborhoods, in our workplaces, in our nation, in our media, in our political parties, and in our houses of worship that are fair to all—not just that benefit a few. We have the power to stand up for what is right, or to choose to stand down and accede to violence, hate, and anarchy.Let us wake up today chastened, yet wiser. Let us learn from yesterday’s crisis. We too can help set our nation and the world on a better path. We too, as President Lincoln called upon us, must act with “malice towards none…to do all which may achieve and cherish a just, and a lasting peace, among ourselves, and with all nations.”Hare Krishna.

---

Anuttama Dasa is the ISKCON Communications Director for ISKCON News. He is also the husband of Rukmini Walker.

*Photo Credits: Sky News, Riot at the US Capitol building on January 6th, 2021.

Caos y Crisis en Washington DC

por Anuttama Dasa, 7 de enero de 2021

------

El Señor Krishna explica en el texto sagrado, Bhagavad-Gita, “Cualquier acción que realice un gran hombre, otros la seguirán.  Y cualesquiera que sean las normas que él establezca mediante actos ejemplares, todo el mundo las persigue ".Ayer en Washington, D.C., vimos la verdad de esta declaración y el terrible impacto de los pensamientos, palabras y acciones equivocadas de un hombre influyente y poderoso.Sin embargo, cada uno de nosotros somos estupendos a su manera.  Nosotros también, cada uno de nosotros, grandes y pequeños, impactamos al mundo.  Tenemos ese poder.  Ayer se pidió a los líderes del Congreso que se pongan de pie y sean contados, para "decir la verdad", como suplicó el senador Romney.  Nosotros también tenemos opciones que tomar y el mundo será mejor o peor a causa de ello.Así como el presidente Lincoln aconsejó en su segundo discurso inaugural, "... si Dios quiere que [la guerra civil] continúe ... hasta que cada gota de sangre extraída con el látigo, sea pagada por otra extraída por la espada", nosotros también somos responsables  por nuestras acciones y atraeremos nuestra 'paga' individual y colectiva. Como dijo Jesús, “Lo que siembres, cosecharás”.  O, como advierte mi tradición hindú Vaishnava, nuestro karma, tanto bueno como malo, siempre nos encontrará.Algunos de nosotros hablamos durante los últimos cuatro años sobre la escalada de violaciones del respeto y la decencia;  y algunos no, por las razones que sean.  Pero hoy es un nuevo día y nos exige que cada uno de nosotros vuelva a examinar nuestro propio carácter y reconozcamos el papel que desempeñamos en el drama de la vida y en la creación y reconstrucción de nuestra nación y nuestro mundo.Las grandes tradiciones religiosas y morales del mundo nos exigen amar a nuestros semejantes.  Mi tradición nos enseña a proteger todas las formas de vida, considerándolas sagradas y conectadas con lo Divino.  También estamos llamados a limpiar nuestra mente y nuestro corazón para que podamos ser agentes del bien.  Por lo tanto, vivamos estos ideales, y no solo de boquilla.  ¿Asumiremos nosotros, como individuos, familias, razas, religiones y partidos políticos, el papel de liderazgo que Dios espera de nosotros para "vendar las heridas de la nación"?  ¿Reconoceremos la hermandad y la fraternidad, y la santidad espiritual de todos los ciudadanos, blancos y negros, rojos y azules, ricos y pobres, poderosos e impotentes?  ¿Los honraremos, promoveremos y protegeremos como tales?El caos y la crisis que estalló ayer en la capital de los Estados Unidos no fue el resultado de un solo hombre o de unos miles de justicieros enloquecidos.  Fue el resultado de años de vitriolo, de plantar semillas de división y odio, de deleitarse con el trato injusto e ilegal de otros para obtener ganancias egoístas y materialistas.Ya es hora de que cada uno de nosotros, sea cual sea la fe o filosofía, o la persuasión política, el color o el credo, dejemos a un lado nuestros pensamientos, palabras y actos desagradables y divisivos, y nos demos cuenta de que el destino de nuestra nación y del mundo, y nuestras almas, esta en nuestras manos.Cada día, cada momento, tenemos el poder de elegir palabras amables o hirientes.  Tenemos el poder de ser ejemplos de luz u oscuridad para nuestros hijos.  Tenemos el poder de decir que el odio, las palabras rencorosas, los actos egoístas, el abuso y la ira deben cesar.  Y comprometerse a que se detendrá primero conmigo, con mis palabras y mis acciones.  Tenemos el poder de promover políticas en nuestros hogares, en nuestros vecindarios, en nuestros lugares de trabajo, en nuestra nación, en nuestros medios de comunicación, en nuestros partidos políticos y en nuestras casas de adoración que sean justas para todos, no solo que beneficien a unos pocos.  Tenemos el poder de defender lo que es correcto o de optar por retirarnos y acceder a la violencia, el odio y la anarquía.Despertemos hoy castigados, pero más sabios.  Aprendamos de la crisis de ayer.  Nosotros también podemos ayudar a poner a nuestra nación y al mundo en un mejor camino.  Nosotros también, como nos pidió el presidente Lincoln, debemos actuar con "malicia hacia nadie ... para hacer todo lo que pueda lograr y apreciar una paz justa y duradera, entre nosotros y con todas las naciones".Hare Krishna.

---

Anuttama Dasa es el director de comunicaciones de ISKCON para ISKCON News.  También es el esposo de Rukmini Walker.

*Crédito de la foto: Sky News, motín en el edificio del Capitolio de EE. UU. El 6 de enero de 2021.

Homily for the New Year

Our deepest apologies to all the readers of Urban Devi, as we came across this beautiful message on the internet, but later found that it is written by the renowned Portuguese poet Fernando Pessoa, not Pope Francis. Please accept our apologies for this misrepresentation.  

Thank you,

Rukmini Walker

---

-by Fernando Pessoa (1888-1935) "Palco de vida" 

---

*You can have flaws, be anxious, and even be angry, but do not forget that your life is the greatest enterprise in the world. Only you can stop it from going bust.

Many appreciate you, admire you and love you. Remember that to be happy is not to have a sky without a storm, a road without accidents, work without fatigue, relationships without disappointments. To be happy is to find strength in forgiveness, hope in battles, security in the stage of fear, love in discord.It is not only to enjoy the smile, but also to reflect on the sadness. It is not only to celebrate the successes, but to learn lessons from the failures. It is not only to feel happy with the applause, but to be happy in anonymity. Being happy is not a fatality of destiny, but an achievement for those who can travel within themselves. To be happy is to stop feeling like a victim and become your destiny's author. It is to cross deserts, yet to be able to find an oasis in the depths of our soul. It is to thank God for every morning, for the miracle of life. Being happy is not being afraid of your own feelings. It's to be able to talk about you. It is having the courage to hear a "no". It is confidence in the face of criticism, even when unjustified. It is to kiss your children, pamper your parents, to live poetic moments with friends, even when they hurt us. To be happy is to let live the creature that lives in each of us, free, joyful and simple. It is to have maturity to be able to say: "I made mistakes". It is to have the courage to say "I am sorry". It is to have the sensitivity to say, "I need you". It is to have the ability to say "I love you". May your life become a garden of opportunities for happiness ... That in spring may it be a lover of joy. In winter a lover of wisdom. And when you make a mistake, start all over again. For only then will you be in love with life. You will find that to be happy is not to have a perfect life. But use the tears to irrigate tolerance. Use your losses to train patience. Use your mistakes to sculptor serenity. Use pain to plaster pleasure. Use obstacles to open windows of intelligence. Never give up .... Never give up on people who love you. Never give up on happiness, for life is an incredible show.* 

Homilía para el Nuevo Año

Nuestras más profundas disculpas a todos los lectores de Urban Devi, ya que encontramos este hermoso mensaje en el Internet, pero luego descubrimos que fue escrito por el renombrado poeta portugués Fernando Pessoa, no por el Papa Francisco.  Por favor acepten nuestras disculpas por esta tergiversación.

 Gracias,

 Rukmini Walker

 -de Fernando Pessoa (1888-1935) “Palco de vida”

 Homilía para el Nuevo Año

 "Puedes tener defectos, estar ansioso e incluso estar enojado, pero no olvides que tu vida es la empresa más grande del mundo. Solo tú puedes evitar que se arruine.

 Muchos te aprecian, te admiran y te quieren.  Recuerda que ser feliz no es tener un cielo sin tormenta, una carretera sin accidentes, trabajar sin cansancio, relaciones sin decepciones.

 Ser feliz es encontrar fuerza en el perdón, esperanza en las batallas, seguridad en la etapa del miedo, amor en la discordia.

 No es solo para disfrutar de la sonrisa, sino también para reflexionar sobre la tristeza.

 No se trata solo de celebrar los éxitos, sino de aprender lecciones de los fracasos.

 No se trata solo de sentirse feliz con los aplausos, sino de ser feliz en el anonimato.

 Ser feliz no es una fatalidad del destino, sino un logro para quienes pueden viajar dentro de sí mismos.

 Ser feliz es dejar de sentirse víctima y convertirse en el autor de su destino.

 Es atravesar desiertos, pero poder encontrar un oasis en el fondo de nuestra alma.

 Es dar gracias a Dios por cada mañana, por el milagro de la vida.

 Ser feliz es no tener miedo de tus propios sentimientos.  Es poder hablar de ti.

 Es tener el coraje de escuchar un "no".

 Es confianza ante las críticas, incluso cuando no están justificadas.

 Es besar a tus hijos, mimar a tus padres, vivir momentos poéticos con los amigos, incluso cuando nos lastiman.

 Ser feliz es dejar vivir la criatura que vive en cada uno de nosotros, libre, alegre y sencilla.

 Es tener madurez para poder decir: "Me equivoqué".  Es tener el valor de decir "lo siento".

 Es tener la sensibilidad para decir "te necesito".

 Es tener la capacidad de decir "te amo".

 Que tu vida se convierta en un jardín de oportunidades para la felicidad ... Que en primavera sea un amante de la alegría.  En invierno amante de la sabiduría.

 Y cuando cometas un error, comienza de nuevo.  Porque solo entonces estarás enamorado de la vida.

 Descubrirás que ser feliz no es tener una vida perfecta.  Pero usa las lágrimas para irrigar la tolerancia.

 Utilice sus pérdidas para entrenar la paciencia.  Usa tus errores para esculpir la serenidad.

 Usa el dolor para enyesar el placer.

 Usa obstáculos para abrir ventanas de inteligencia.

 Nunca te rindas ... Nunca te rindas con las personas que te aman.  Nunca renuncies a la felicidad, porque la vida es un espectáculo increíble. *

Por Lo Que Vivimos, Por Lo Que Morimos

~ por Rukmini Walker 7.1.2021---- Vivo en los suburbios de Washington, DC, a unos dieciocho millas del centro de gobierno de los Estados Unidos. Ayer, partidarios del presidente que había perdido su candidatura a la reelección irrumpieron en el edificio del Capitolio de los EE. UU., violentamente rompieron ventanas y entraron por la fuerza en el edificio mientras el Congreso estaba en sesión. Lo que en el pasado fue un mero ritual de confirmar oficialmente al próximo presidente, fue interrumpido ayer por la violencia y la agresión. Una mujer recibió un disparo y luego murió. Hoy nos enteramos de que habían muerto otras tres personas. Nuestro tiempo en este mundo es tan frágil. Cada uno de nosotros elige momento a momento por qué decidimos vivir y por qué morir. Los momentos unidos se convierten en días, luego en años y luego en una vida. La intención importa, la conciencia importa y cada uno crea nuestro destino. La vida humana es un regalo excepcional en una evolución a lo largo de millones de vidas. ¿Puede este regalo de la vida ser devuelto al Dador de la vida, de una manera que dure más que esta existencia temporal? Los pequeños momentos ofrecidos con una intención amorosa adquieren una calidad eterna. ¿Para qué elijo vivir? ¿Por qué elijo morir? Todo lo mejor,Rukmini Walker

What We Live For, What We Die For

~by Rukmini Walker

1.7.2021

----

I live in the suburbs of Washington, DC, about eighteen miles from the center of government of the United States. Yesterday, supporters of the President who’d lost his bid for re-election stormed the US Capitol Building, violently breaking windows and forcibly entering the building while a session of Congress was in session.

What’s in the past been a mere ritual of officially confirming the next president, was disrupted yesterday by violence and aggression. A woman was shot and later died. Today we heard that an additional three people had died. Our time in this world is so fragile.

Each of us chooses from moment to moment what we decide to live for, and what to die for. Moments strung together become days, then years, and then a life. Intention matters, consciousness matters, and each creates our destiny.

Human life is a rare gift in an evolution through millions of lives. Can this gift of life be offered back to The Giver of life, in a way that outlasts this temporal existence? Tiny moments offered with loving intention take on an eternal quality.

What do I choose to live for? What do I choose to die for?

All the best,

Rukmini Walker

A Practice of Gratitude

~presented by Rukmini Walker

Three years ago today, ISKCON Desire Tree hosted Rukmini Walker in Mumbai, India for a special talk on cultivating an attitude of gratitude.  To listen to this talk full of countless gems, please click on this link or the video image below. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a0QsLXlvqIA&feature=emb_title

Christmas Day Celebration Events on Alachua Radio!

Please join these special Christmas celebration radio programs on December 25. This year, the appearance of the Bhagavad Gita according to the lunar calendar coincides with Christmas Day. Christmas is all about the giving and receiving the Holy message -- to love God with your whole mind and soul. May you find these special programs inspiring. For more details, please see below.[embed]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WKP8rqdpI2M&feature=youtu.be&fbclid=IwAR3O4mk2J7A9U5qG1l5G_A0s7hq508WgGCHclRXFLbdZIOD7ZE1loVy_SJs[/embed]

Tune in on December 25 at krishna108.airtime.pro

---

---------------------------

 -----------

Happy Holidays!

Rukmini Walkerwww.patreon.com/RukminiWalker

A Yes to What’s Been Given

-by Rukmini Walker

Please click below to listen to the audio version of this blog post:

[audio m4a="http://www.urbandevi.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/12/9711-Skyhill-Way.m4a"][/audio]

-----

“Until one is committed, there is hesitancy, the chance to draw back. Concerning all acts of initiative (and creation) there is one elementary truth, the ignorance of which kills countless ideas and splendid plans: that the moment one definitely commits oneself, then Providence moves too. All sorts of things occur to help one that never would otherwise have occurred. A whole stream of events issues from the decision, raising in one’s favor all manner of unforeseen incidents and meetings and material assistance, which no man could have dreamed would have come his way. Whatever you can do, or dream you can do, begin it. Boldness has genius, power, and magic in it. Begin it now.”

(William Hutchison Murray, concerning one of his climbing expeditions to the Himalayas)

-----

I witnessed this magic many times in the life of my teacher, Srila Prabhupada. Yet in his life he had innumerable setbacks as well.Psychotherapist David Richo writes that there are five unavoidable “givens”, five immutable facts, that come to visit us all many times over:One. Everything changes and endsTwo. Things do not always go according to plan.Three. Life is not always fair.Four. Pain is part of life.Five. People are not always loving and loyal all the time.We’ve all experienced these facts of life. And yet there is grace as well. Moving in our lives, unwarrantedly, and unexpectedly. St. Paul advised us to be grateful in all things, though we cannot always honestly feel grateful for all things. How do we rectify this paradox?Living in the material world can evoke a sense of pessimism. Yet unforeseen grace that arrives, beyond my plan-making or comprehension, exists as well. At those times, a material pessimism is held in tension with those rays of spiritual optimism. We are eternal beings who come from a higher sphere, meant for a higher life, a higher love, beyond this temporary world of suffering.The path of Bhakti is sometimes called, The Path of Grace. My tiny efforts and sincere intentions, coupled with grace, can move me, shift me toward a “Yes” to all that presents itself each day.All the best,Rukmini Walker

Damodarastakam Prayers

Kartik, also known as the month of Damodara, is a month for deepening one's love for Krishna. This year Kartik begins on October 31, 2020.  It is considered by devotees of Krishna to be the holiest month of the year. During this month, devotees make extra vows, perform extra spiritual activities, and generally worship Krishna in His form as a young boy,Here is a beautiful recording of Gaura Vani and Sri Vani Devi Dasi together singing the Damodarastakam prayers. Every year during the month of Kartik we offer this special 8 verse prayer to Krishna called Damodarastakam. It is sung either in the morning or the evening along with the offering of a ghee lamp.Happy Kartik!All the best,Rukmini

Women of the Bhagavata

~presented by Rukmini Walker

On August 28, 2020, Princeton University's Hindu Life Program sponsored a wisdom talk with Rukmini Walker. Rukmini has been a student and teacher of the Bhagavata Purana for more than four decades. In this talk, she guides an exploration of the women's voices that emerge from this important text.The Bhāgavata Purāna is considered a masterpiece of Indian philosophy and the definitive treatise on Hinduism's path of devotion. The Bhāgavata Purāna, it is also a text that repeatedly exalts women and presents them as the exemplars of true wisdom. From the poetry of princesses and queens to the heartfelt prayers of simple village maidens to the cries of social misfits and prostitutes... women's voices fill the pages of this sacred text with beauty and power.

To listen to this talk, please click on this link

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tFvWdaFvvYo&feature=youtu.be

BBC Sunday Morning Live - Spirituality Equality and the Hare Krishna Movement

In this BBC interview, journalists look at faith groups tackling gender balance.  They explore how the International Society for Krishna Consciousness (ISKCON) is becoming a more female facing tradition and embracing spiritual equality for all.To listen to this short BBC piece, please click on this link or the image below.All the best,Rukmini Walkerwww.patreon.com/RukminiWalker[embed]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CIZuD1xwJrk&feature=youtu.be[/embed] 

Living in the Season: Summer

~by Susan Weiser Mason and George Mason

Here in Damariscotta Mills the Summer is full on. Flowers are blooming profusely and veggies are exploding out of what once were neat rows. Life is abundant, and a bit over the top! Before Covid, this was the season when I used to walk to the swimming hole to get refreshed and to hang out with neighbors and new found friends. What I always found there was an ease and informality that was satisfying and fun. The free flowing and relaxed communal atmosphere of the swimming hole is, in fact, a great example of what the energy of Summer is all about.Using the lessons and practice of Five Element Acupuncture, I follow what is a seamless flow of change throughout the year. By drawing attention to how every season has an energetic texture that presents opportunities and tasks, we may be reminded how we can live in harmony with this, our very own Summer, unfolding right here, right now.Summer is the time of maximum expansion and fullness. We see it in the garden, and we feel it under the luxuriant shade of trees. There is energy and there is appetite. The days are long, and we have capacity, and we want to embrace it all.Energetically, Summer has us opening doors and enjoying what makes us happy. Summer joy is ephemeral and radiant. It excites us, and encourages laughter. We may even gather some of that magic and hold it close to sustain us through the depths of Winter. But as we play, visit, and throw ourselves into the bright pageant of the season, we often overextend, and there is exhaustion. This is not so much the problem of Summer, as it is the issue of our compulsively living the whole year as though it were Summer. If we run just as hard in February with no allowance for Winter’s requirement to rest and rejuvenate, we may simply not have the reserves to successfully get through August. Summer madness relies on the rest of the year for preparation. There needs to be a season to replenish the reservoir. Going non-stop all year long is not realistic, if health is a consideration.Under pre-pandemic conditions, there were those who found the wonderful prospect of hanging out with friends and family overtaken by the reality of hosting too many guests, and being worn out by facilitating summer experiences for others, rather than having adventures themselves. Normally, this season is one of increased social interaction, and while this is natural, it can be relentless. Finding balance in a time of excess is essential.In this regard, Nature is the perfect companion and antidote for the delights and challenges of Summer, especially with the constraints of social distancing. To be out in it; to be awed by the proliferation of life, the fullness of green, the ocean’s expanse, is to be held by it’s quiet authority. The natural world embodies and perfectly moderates the lessons of Summer in ways that we can integrate.This season confronts us with how our ‘wanting’ is almost unquenchable. The deep and inclusive refrain of Summer is, ‘Live and let live’. It’s not sentimental, and it’s not always safe. Some may even feel a bit too exposed. There can be a quiet voice wishing for a little less wildness, please; a little more containment! For those folks, its like staying too long at the fair, and they will not regret that Summer is brief.In closing, eat fresh while you can! The water beckons. The trails invite, but so does a book, or a nap. Enjoy!

---

Dear sister to Rukmini Walker, Susan Weiser Mason is a Traditional Acupuncturist located in Damariscotta Mills, Nobleboro. She has been in practice since 1986. For more information, go to susanacupuncture.com or call 563-1571.)  Her husband George Mason is an artist and acupuncturist. www.georgemasonart.com.

Journeying Beyond the Festival

an interview with Rukmini devi dasi

This year, ISKCON Toronto turned its biggest festival of the year in to a virtual one -- Festival of India. Celebrations took place over twelve days.  Rukmini Walker gave the last spiritual seminar of the festival on the last day called, Journeying Beyond the Festival.  She shared reflections about the mood of Ratha Yatra and the importance of "pulling the Lord back to Vrindavan by the ropes of our love."

To watch this inspiring seminar, please click here or on the image below:

Petals of Grace

by Debra Sue LynnLord, I come to You this nightoffering a humble prayer of gratitude…Creator of all the worlds!Cause of all causes!For Your glory,Lord, hear this heart’s song:You are my Rock, my Fortress. Guarded.Protected. Sheltered, but not hidden.You are the Changeless Now, the Absolute Truth.It doesn’t matter how difficult the journey seems,how exposed the heart must be;for until You come to the doorstep of one’s heart,knocking, waiting, breaking down all walls of resistance,melting all obstacles to peace,we circle,suffering endlessly while we wait, wait for…redemption, redemption that never seems to come.When our hearts, our minds surrender,beckon and, bid You stay, then Lord, in receptive silenceYou arise.When the seeds of Faith germinateinto racemes of Friendship, then on the stem of patienceYour petals of grace embrace me.You awaken all my centersreleasing Eternal Springs of Bliss within this soul.Though love resides within, peace must be earned.When no one and nothing comforts me,Only Your Word, written upon ancient scrolls,bold text of Sacred Scripture unfold to grant me peace.You, Supreme Benefactor, source of all that IS,only Your mellifluous song stills this restless heart.You are Love’s celestial rhapsody,the longest and the shortest step,the most narrow and straight way to freedom.Your pure essence,Your ineffable Spirit resides at the core,in the fiber of my soul‘s eternal quest.With unquenchable thirst, unsatisfied hunger,I come, surrendered,kneeling at Your feet to the Altar of Holy Silence,in Absolute Knowing.Holding fast to Your Word,and in Your Name, I proclaim:This Journey, this Quest WILL… ISleading me on the only, true, Pathway Home.

---

*From the book, Bhakti Blossoms, a Collection of Contemporary Vaishnavi Poetry | Golden Dragonfly Press | 2017 | from page 176 | Printed with permission.

"Exploring Faith, An Essential Aspect of the Spiritual Path", with HG Visakha Devi Dasi

Last Sunday, June 28, the Bhakti Center held its monthly Urban Devi Sanga with special guest Visakha Devi Dasi.  In this sanga, Visakha discussed "Exploring Faith, An Essential Aspect of the Spiritual Path".  What is faith and why does it sometimes wax and wane? What can we do to enhance it and make it steady even in the midst of a society that often doesn’t value faith?

Please click here or on the image below to watch a recording of this class!

Urban Devi is a monthly interactive women’s discussion circle that seeks to make spirituality accessible to women in the 21st century. Each session focuses on a theme based on topics that are of importance to women and will offer insight and practical applications from the practice of Bhakti Yoga.[embed]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rUUg51fOaik&feature=youtu.be[/embed]

Women of Bhakti

~produced and directed by Jahnava Hausner

 

"Women of Bhakti is a tribute to the unsung heroines of Bhakti." Producer Jahnava Hausner and award-winning filmmaker Hilary Tapper take viewers on an extraordinary journey into the lives of historical and modern devotees of bhakti yoga in this groundbreaking film. Women of Bhakti, shot in India and America, is an artistic and entertaining film that gives viewers an enlightening understanding of the bhakti, or devotional, tradition and its relation to modern yoga practice. Yoginis, swamis, and scholars share their valuable knowledge, wisdom and experience of bhakti, and in doing so they guide us into the temple of our hearts where the natural inspiration for service, truth and love reside. Notable figures include: Radhanatha Swami, Shiva Rea, Sara Ivanhoe, Shyam Das, The Mayapuris, Gauravani, Rukmini Walker, Sharon Gannon, and Dana Flynn.

 

---

Please click here or on the video link below to watch this inspiring film:

[embed]https://youtu.be/Gn-iAms_Wlo[/embed]

Mother Earth...Start Caring

My friend Vivienne who is in Spain is expressing here the pain she’s feeling for Mother Earth right now...  All the best, Rukmini Walker

---

~by Vivienne

The earth whispered but you did not hear.The earth spoke but you did not listenThe earth screamed but you turned her off.And so I was born...I was not born to punish you..I was born to awaken you..The earth cried out for help...Massive flooding. But you didn't listen.Burning fires. But you didn't listen.Strong hurricanes. But you didn't listen.Terrifying Tornadoes. But you didn't listen.You still don't listen to the earth when.Ocean animals are dying due to pollutants in the waters.Glaciers melting at an alarming rate.Severe drought.You didn't listen to how much negativity the earth is receiving.Non-stop wars.Non-stop greed.You just kept going on with your life..No matter how much hate there was..No matter how many killings daily..It was more important to get that latest iPhone than worry about what the earth was trying to tell you..But now I am here.And I've made the world stop in its tracks.I've made YOU finally listen.I've made you take refuge.I've made you stop thinking about materialistic things..Now you are like the earth...You are only worried about YOUR survival.How does that feel?I give you fever.. as the fires burn on earth.I give you respiratory issues.. as pollution filled the earth’s air.I give you weakness as the earth weakens every day.I took away your comforts..Your outings.The things you would use to forget about the planet and its pain.And I made the world stop...And now...China has better air quality.. Skys are clear blue because factories are not spewing pollution unto the earth's air.The water in Venice is clean and Because the gondola boats that pollute the water are not being used.YOU are having to take time to reflect on what is important in your life.Again I am not here to punish you.. I am here to Awaken you...When all this is over and I am gone... Please remember these moments..Listen to the earth.  Listen to your soul.Stop Polluting the earth.Stop Fighting amongst each other.Stop caring about materialistic things.And start loving your neighbors.Start caring about the earth and all its creatures.Start believing in a Creator.Because next time I may come back even stronger....Signed,Coronavirus..