My friend Anu hosted a wonderful Navratri get-together for our mom’s group. Her parents were there and her mother had set up a lovely gollu. It was so nice. I had a great time. Navratri is my favorite holiday and it’s so wonderful when you get to participate in it with other people. Read more
Tomorrow is the start of fall Navratri. This is honestly probably my favorite holiday. I’m not sure why, I just really connect with it. Unfortunately this year I missed both Krishna Janmashtami and Ganesh Chaturthi. As I’ve said before, it’s hard to keep on top of when holidays are when you’re living in a community that doesn’t share your religion. Also having a new baby has made it hard to keep up with a lot of things in life! So... Read more
Yes, you heard me right! I am a big fan of tabletop gaming. It is, in fact, how I met my husband. Last week I discovered this new game called Karmaka, which is a card game about evolving from a dung beetle up to moksha. Right now the game is not yet available because the pre-order just ended and it comes out in October or November, but they have a free print and play version on their website. You’ll see... Read more
There’s a trend these days to try to simplify one’s life and it’s an urge I can definitely understand. Excess stuff kind of tugs at the soul, for me at least. Clutter in my living space become clutter in my mind, taking up valuable space in both the mental and physical realms. In fact, I find a clutter-free space to be as soothing to the mind as a mandala. However, a friend recently posted an article written by someone who... Read more
My life has become wonderful. Everything I always hoped it would be. I have the doting husband, my own home, and I’m a stay-at-home mom to the sweetest little baby the world may have ever produced! The weird thing is that since all these things have fallen into place, I’ve been having nightmares. I’m not usually that prone to them but for the last few months I’ve been having bad dreams just about every night. And they rarely have to... Read more
Even though a big part of Hinduism is being present and enjoying what is in front of us right now, I struggle a lot not to stress about losing what I currently have. Right now my life is perfection. I have a wonderful husband and a perfect baby. I own a home and write for a living. Everything that I longed for in my teens and twenties has come to me. And I realized that life is not quite like... Read more
I grew up with a lot of value placed on being present and having quiet times of focus and just being. It is important to have periods of simply existing and connecting with your self and the world around you. Yet even I have fallen victim to the fear of being bored. I pack distractions with me in case of any down time. Books, portable video games, Facebook on my smart phone. I seem to be afraid of any quiet... Read more
We were visiting friends in Ohio last week when this question came up. We were talking about a relative who seemed to be going down a sad path, one in which she was encouraged not to think for herself or question anything. She expresses a desire to marry very young with a courtship and not kiss until her wedding day. Which is not necessarily a bad thing, of course, but one wonders if she truly desires those things or if... Read more
I ran across this interesting article about the statistical likelihood of the existence of aliens. Usually I would dismiss such things, but this article showed a fascinating analysis of scientific data to suggest that it would be wildly unlikely that an “advanced” alien civilization has never existed (though none might exist at this current time). Definitely worth a read. One thing that I kept thinking about as I read is how that possibility impacts reincarnation. Do our souls sometimes incarnate on Earth... Read more
I don’t know why it took me so long to notice my hypocrisy in this. For a long time it has been easy for me to look at Christianity and Islam and say that there must be something inherently violent or hateful about them because look at the actions of their adherents. Whether it’s Christians shooting up an abortion clinic or an Islamic suicide bomber or just a person you meet who says something bigoted, how easy it is to... Read more
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