It gives me a bit of a twitch when I see people giving super poetic translations of the greeting “Namaste.” Sometimes people say to me, “Wow, isn’t it amazing how much meaning can be packed into one word like that?” and I say, “No. That meaning might be implied but it’s not what the word literally means.” A translation of “My divine soul recognizes the divine soul in you” is lovely and very much in keeping with Hindu belief. But... Read more
Whenever I write something about my process of trying to conceive I always get some super obnoxious comments on Twitter. Before I went to India I asked for suggestions of temples I could visit that are known for fertility prayers. I didn’t get many responses but one person said “Yeah, it’s called a fertility clinic.” Which was not at all what I asked for. I found it incredibly rude and this person was clearly making assumptions about me. Like that... Read more
Someone on Youtube, seeing my video of my puja for Mahashivratri, wanted me to do a video of my daily puja. So today I put that together! In the video I mention some resources for putting together your daily puja. One thing was my Puja Cards, which I created and was selling at Etsy. I closed my Etsy shop because I wasn’t making enough sales to cover the fees of having listings. So instead I am offering you my Puja... Read more
We are doing a scripture study together: reading along through some scriptures and discussing the passages. From the Winthrop Sargeant translation of The Gita… 57. He who is without attachment on all sides, Encountering this or that, pleasant or unpleasant, Neither rejoicing nor disliking; His wisdom stands firm. 58. And when he withdraws completely The senses from the objects of the senses, As a tortoise withdraws its limbs into its shell, His wisdom stands firm. 59. Sense objects turn away from... Read more
Well, Mother’s Day was pretty rough for me. I mean, I have nothing against the day itself or the idea of the day and celebrating my own mom is great. But it is a very intense reminder of that one thing I don’t have that I so desperately want. And at my new job it’s hard because I am interacting with lots of customers who all want to wish me a happy Mother’s Day! I hope that this time next... Read more
I’ve been wanting to talk about the disaster in Nepal but I’m sorry to say that I’ve been very overwhelmed by the tragedy unfolding a few miles from my home and it has been difficult to focus on anything beyond Baltimore. There isn’t much to say about the terrible earthquake. Unfortunately there are those who think that what that is to say is that God is punishing people for not believing in Jesus. I have been shocked to see some... Read more
In America, where we are one of the smallest faith minorities, it can be very challenging to keep on top of when festivals and holidays are. When you live in a place where your faith is a majorly practiced one, then society helps to remind you of stuff coming up. I know when Easter is coming because the stores suddenly have plastic baskets and egg coloring kits. I know when Passover is coming because there are displays of matzo products.... Read more
There are riots right now in the city that is closest to me: Baltimore. Yet another citizen was killed by police. This time very close to home for me. I want to be out there protesting. I want to show my support for this community that is so angry and hurting. I want them to know that they are not alone in that anger and outrage. Yet I’m a coward here at home several miles away. If Brad and I... Read more
Advaita Vedanta has a reputation for being very cerebral. It’s a path of study, thinking, debating, talking, and learning. In very general terms it seems that if you want the path of study, you become an Advaitan. If you want the path of devotion you become a Vaishnava. If you want action you become a Shivite. If you want mysticism you become a Shakti. But as I’ve said before, there is a balance of all these different elements and it’s... Read more
I’ve had this movie Vegucated on my Netflix queue for ages but I finally actually watched it earlier this week. I found it quite convincing. It is about not only vegetarianism but actually veganism, which means not eating or using any animal based products. That means avoiding meat and eggs, obviously, but also milk, yogurt, cream, cheese, etc. (there’s also follow up video updates on Youtube) It struck me that in our modern world it doesn’t make sense to... Read more
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