My friend and I recently started watching Supernatural, a show that we had somehow never heard of even though it began in 2005! It starts out being about two brothers who hunt ghosts and monsters and the writing is excellent. We found it to be immediately very compelling. As it has gone on, it’s morphed into a larger plot and currently (up to where we have so far watched) the Christian Apocalypse is going on. The episode we saw this week (Episode... Read more
Yesterday we had a comment from our friend Doug asking for more information about Hinduism’s moral stances: Can you do a post on Hinduism’s stance on relavent moral issues (at least in America) like abortion, same-sex marriage, contraception, etc.? From your older posts, it sounds like Hindu morality is rather subjective and varies from person to person. If that’s case, what’s the point? Is Hinduism even concerned with/have a stance on these issues? The first thing to address is whether... Read more
I love that we’ve picked an all in one caterer/venue/planner for our wedding. It makes the whole thing a lot simpler to plan. I can just rely on them to fill in a lot of the details! Of course they are used to producing standard, cookie-cutter, western weddings and ours is anything but! You get a choice of the color of your table cloths, but they aren’t really prepared for changes bigger than that. Our site has a lovely online... Read more
The name “Amma” has been given to a woman whose real name is Mata Amritanandamayi Devi. The word Amma means “mother” (as the website Amma.org points out, it means “mother” in a number of languages). She is known to many as “The Hugging Saint.” Background It is said that Amma was spiritual from the time she was a child in 1950s Kerala. Though her parents tried to get her married, she resisted and devoted herself to Krishna instead. Apparently she... Read more
I thought it would be nice to read along through some scriptures and discuss the passages. I have a translation of the Upanishads done by Eknath Easwaran, a teacher whom I deeply trust and love. In this book there is an introduction before each translation with some insight from Easwaran. Here is a link to the Amazon page for the book I have: The seventh verse of the Easwaran translation of the Isha Upanishad is… Those who see all creatures... Read more
The American Buddhist blog has a very interesting article that really fits the theme of yesterday’s post about being careful about what guru you follow. He speaks about a documentary movie where a disillusioned Hindu man sets out to prove that gurus can be anyone, whether qualified or not. It apparently examines the current landscape of American spirituality, particularly in the “yoga movement.” I’m very interested to see this movie! Thus builds the climax of the film: Kumare’s “unveiling.” While... Read more
I asked a little while back if a guru is necessary. Many people (with good reason) say yes. How can one navigate the complex path of human spirituality with no guide? For me personally, I put a lot of faith in my inner Self to guide me. But I am jaded from the experience of coming from an organization that some would call a cult. Most people will want or need a guru to guide their progress. What I ask... Read more
The dress may just be the best part of the wedding. Okay, that and the being married to the sweetest, kindest man in the world once it’s done. I knew that there were a couple different directions I could go with the dress. As part of the east/west blend, I could do an Indian style dress in white. But I don’t really have any desire to wear white and red looks excellent on me. I can envision my wedding pictures... Read more
A woman known as Gurumayi Chidvilasananda is the current leader of the Siddha Yoga tradition. Background The path was founded by Swami Muktananda based on teachings from his guru Bhagawan Nityananda. It was in 1975 that Muktananda began opening ashrams and schools in America. Gurumayi started in the tradition as a child in India. Her parents brought her and her brother to study with Muktanada in the 1950s. By 14 she had her official initiation (“shaktipat”) and she lived at the ashram.... Read more
Did I play Holi? Oh yes. Yes, I did! Early Saturday morning we drove down to the ISKON temple and they were all ready for us. I went with my fiance and my very good friend and his girlfriend, so there were four of us all together. First we stopped in at the temple and I bowed to the Gods, then we went to the parking lot where colors were already flying. The energy was fantastic. Everyone was pumped up... Read more
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