a conversation in miracles

Jesus in Penukonda
Originally uploaded by alxindia

Q: I have heard the message that healing and special miracles bring hope and inspiration to people, although, as I would see it, not necessarily truth.

A: it's a good point.
of course miracles DO create hope and inspiration in people.

but I think those who hold this point of view only are missing the mechanism of the miracles. the creation of hope and inspiration is really secondary to the real impact/effect of seeing a miracle (on the scale we're discussing, like raising the dead, changing one thing to another, manifesting stuff, etc.) -- the real impact of witnessing a supernatural miracle is that the soul of the person seeing it starts to remember its own divine, miraculous capacity.

you can call it like a jump-start to the soul. a miracle of the scale we're talking about (like raising the dead, turning water to wine, etc.) breaks the mind, for even a few seconds.

the first time I saw something manifested out of nothing -- which I really didn't expect to see in this lifetime, I thought this stuff happened to 'other people' -- it was a handful of ash pouring out of the palm/fingers of an Indian healing saint. my mind was thunderstruck! for a split second, I thought it was a trick, you know, like the ash was up his sleeve or something.

in the next second, once that impulse faded and something deeper inside me grasped the fragrance of the creation energy that was unfolding like a microcosm of the whole creation process -- something was formed from thin air, and then dropped, a whole pile of ash, in the upturned palm of my hand..... my mind just dissolved on the spot and what remained was an inexplicable bliss.

that kind of miracle -- from one angle -- is a spark that re-ignites the (mostly forgotten) flame of the human soul.

so, from that perspective and experience -- which I've been blessed to have on many, many occasions over the last 10 years -- the miracle energy actually DOES point to the truth, or rather, it imparts a fragment of the soul's own truth (its inner divinity and creation capacity) back to the person who witnesses an outrageous miracle.

after that opening, it's up to the person who witnessed such a thing to develop that jump-start. to fan the flames, as it were. otherwise, it was a powerful invitation to see the inner truth, but the mind's doors will snap shut after a while and the remembrance of the soul will fade, again, into the fog of forgetfulness that is the human condition.

we forgot where we came from, what we really are.
the miracle allows -- for a split second or a few minutes -- a glimpse back into that truth. for a moment, it's abundantly clear where we came from, what we really are.

that is profound.

Q: You've suggested that there is a certain knowledge that makes understanding and performing miracles possible for everyone. That goes quite a large step beyond just admitting that "miracles" are possible.

A: yes, it's an outrageous claim, isn't it!?????????!!

but it's also true.

there are exact formulas, exact knowledge, divine knowledge, about how to perform miracles (which really means, understanding the creation energy, the divine energy and how it differentiates itself into souls, forms, beings).

the ancient saints -- from thousands of years ago -- wrote these formulas down. mostly they've been kept secret for millenniae, out of the hands of people who might mis-use the information, which came directly from the angels, the agents of the divine who shared such knowledge with certain human beings.

every great saint that we can name, from any tradition, knew these exact perfect formulas for how to access the god energy that is flowing in the Five Elements of creation (the earth, fire, sky, water and air), in nature, in the sun and the moon, in the human souls, and in the angels.

they knew, step by step, how to communicate in person (I mean, not in visions, but eyes open) with god the Father and god the Mother Divine.

these things aren't just a product of faith -- ie, if I have enough faith, a dead body will come back to life.

they're not just a product of love -- even though universal love is a key component in applying the miracle energy (without the love, how could one possibly bend the creation?) -- if someone comes to me dying of a heart attack, is my love alone really enough to heal them on the spot?

no.

I need a vehicle through which to IMPLEMENT the divine love that is always flowing, always accessible -- I need to know the mechanisms of how Love itself becomes a soul, becomes a healthy body rather than an ailing one, becomes water rather than dirt, breath rather than blood.

from my own side, this is what I spent so many years, researching on, in India -- witnessing many miracles (including the ones listed above, like the ones Jesus performed during his lifetime), and doing the hard work to learn the formulas that underlie the miracle energy and how it operates in this creation.

by hard work, btw, I meant, the totality of going through the process of learning these formulas -- because in learning them, the self gets pulverized, the belief systems (everything I thought I knew about myself, god, my life, personality, etc.) have to crash and shatter, the soul has to grow, the egoism has to take a back seat on the bus. and that is NOT easy.

it doesn't come naturally -- it's work.

it's also thrilling.

it's evidence how tricky and painful these times are, on the planet, that this information is becoming available now to humanity at large.

what I know is that every soul is eligible to receive that information, and implement those miracles in the world. (but they have to be willing to do that hard work.)

we really need this kind of healing, the information about the miracles, and what they really do in this world.

this is what Jesus represented, demonstrated, stood for, embodied -- humanity's chance to get the same information he learned and practiced, in order to uplift all humanity.

a few thoughts about enlightenment...

messiah cat
Originally uploaded by alxindia

from another online exchange about spirituality:



"There are spiritual perspectives that claim that one should “do nothing.” This points to the question, is there really anything we can do to arrange or set the conditions toward “realization”? Could it be that the “work” that we do only obstructs from that which we desire? Therefore, if we no longer desire this “state of mind,” and thus abstain from the “work,” would that facilitate its happening more fortuitously? Chiefly because we no longer “desire” it?

Bhagavan Sri Ramana is reputed to have attained realization at age 16 (I think that was the age)." - M.S.

these are great questions. here's my response --


well, yes, and this is one of my major beefs with most spirituality movements in America – in the West, we want to have our enlightenment super-easily and if someone comes along promising us that there's 'no work to do' – wowee! jackpot! and we all get to be smug and go home from the workshops feeling warm fuzzies.

but. how long does that last? & what do we really mean by 'enlightenment'?

(and if I'm already enlightened, how come I don't ACT like it?)

spiritual work needs to be done for 99.9% of the people who are interested in real spirituality and enlightenment stages. there's really no way around that.

even Sri Ramana Maharshi, whom you mentioned, had to do some hard work internally – yes, he got an experience of his enlightenment at 16 years old BUT he had a guru who helped him re-open his energy channels he'd already gained by hard work in some other lifetime.

nor did his enlightenment stages STOP at 16 years old. he kept learning, growing, dwelling in his internal channels, as do all saints of that caliber, throughout his entire life.

for example, most people don't even realize that he worshipped the Divine Mother, the Shakti. he kept a Sri Chakra Yantra on top of his mountain (his guru) Arunachala, and did ritual to it every day.

people like to point to Ramana as an example of someone who 'just woke up' and then 'didn't do anything' but inhabit the silence – but that's a wishful thinking and naive understanding of the complexity of who and what he was, and what he really did.

and – if it's really in the cards for humanity at large to have those kinds of experiences, ie, to 'just wake up' out of the clear blue – why hasn't it happened in MASS numbers? there are oh-so-many spiritual seekers who'd love to have those experiences. if it's so easy – why hasn't it happened?

my response to my own questions – *grinning* – is that hard work IS part of spiritual enlightenment. surrender and ego-subduing is part of that hard work. understanding where we really came from, where the soul originated, is part of that hard work. standing still and open-hearted while our karmas are being burned off and transformed – not running away when the going gets tough – is some really hard work.

finding a spiritual master or guide who actually HAS that kind of understanding and enlightenment and who is willing to help someone else along (many masters aren't that willing because of the karmas involved) – is part of that hard work. even if that guru is a mountain, like in the case of Ramana Maharshi. of course, he didn't see the mountain Arunachala as a mountain, he saw that it was Lord Shiva.

simply put, the reason we don't act enlightened (even if we really are, underneath) is the mountain of karma each of us is carrying, and the negative qualities reinforced from that karmic mountain.

burning off that karma starts freeing our inner self to express itself more clearly and openly and purely. and that's a pretty hard work, at least, in my experience and the tradition that I've dedicated the last 9 years of my life to pursuing – because it goes way beyond normal 'emotional processing' and superficial psychological or behavioral changes.

and, no, I don't think the work itself obscures the enlightenment experience or 'attainment' (which is a funny word, but you know what I mean). in my experience, the work only crystalizes the focus, the divine desire to get enlightened – it hones that yearning for god, and for the inner realization that each of us is That.

also, doing the work keeps us really humble and connected – because at a certain point, you realize there's an endless amount of 'work' to do, and the development of the internal consciousness, of the soul, really never ends no matter how 'enlightened' we are or become.

turning a page

mmy_red_garland
Originally uploaded by alxindia

my mate Jonathan and I recently sent this message to our friends and family in our spiritual community, about the mahasamadhi (conscious death/passing) of a great spiritual figure, Maharishi Mahesh Yogi. I thought it was worth posting here as well.


"Dear Divine Souls,

here is an amazing end to an era of spirituality spanning more than 50 years in the West -- and a powerful beginning of the next chapter of this planet's spiritual evolution. millions of people around the world, since 1959, have learned to meditate deeply and achieve samadhi through the technique of TM, Transcendental Meditation, that Maharishi Mahesh Yogi brought to the world when he left India.

the following (below) are a few thoughts from one of the members of his Purusha program, who was there in Vlodrop, Holland, and saw Maharishi in his mahasamadhi (conscious exit from the body). you can feel the bliss and the beauty of this amazing passing.

many of you called or emailed us to be sure that we had heard the news -- & we thank you for your immense thoughtfulness and kind regard for us in connection with Maharishi. we wanted to let you know our hearts, as well, on this auspicious day.

we are quite sure that Maharishi Mahesh Yogi, and his master, "Guru Dev" (Brahmananda Saraswati) have given a remarkable blessing to this world in terms of timing (new moon) and expansion of the divine energy they have represented in this world for so long, by this maha samadhi.

it is so inspiring to see how one dedicated divine soul was able to bring the balm of meditation to millions and millions of people all over the globe in 142 countries -- enabling them to touch the silence of eternity, and to drink every day from that ocean of unbounded love.

and now he has passed that torch on to all of us who follow on the path of dharma -- to bring the next steps, the next blessings in this expanding banquet of knowledge and love -- how to operate the miracle mechanisms to relieve the heart broken sufferings of the world, and to realize our true nature and birth right as the divine souls we all are. there is a lot of work for us all to do!

on New Year's Eve last year, Maharishi gave this beautiful talk before going into 3 days of silence at the beginning of 2007:

"Jai Guru Dev. Jai Guru Dev. Jai Guru Dev. With these humble, very humble, very humble feelings of world consciousness offering at the feet of Guru Dev, we are entering in the field of absolute, eternal admiration to the eternal silence that rules the universe.

We are entering into the domain of the eternal administrator of the universe, the Will of God -- so that we nourish our Being with that eternal silent administrative power of Veda, so that the ocean of silence guides and rules over every activity of the individual and every nation -- every incoming and outgoing breath of our single individual life and the life of every nation in our world family -- to display that master management, master administration of total Natural Law, the Constitution of the Universe, the Veda, for all coming time.

All Glory to Guru Dev. Jai Guru Dev. Jai Guru Dev. Jai Guru Dev."

Jai Guru Dev!
Jai Guru Datta!

"I really have to say, hats off to Maharshi -- he really got the whole world to meditate." - Sri Kaleshwar

"Allah Malik Eke." ("All gods are one.") - Shirdi Sai Baba

love,

Alx & Jonathan"


Subject: From a Purusha member in Vlodrop.

:
> Dear Friends,
>
> On January 11, 2008, Maharishi gave his farewell address to his worldwide family, saying that he had fulfilled his "designed duty to Guru Dev" and was handing over all responsibilities to his Rajas and Ministers and national leaders, and retiring from activity. It was an emotion-filled tribute that followed, with all the assembled dignitaries of the Movement giving their personal appreciations and cherished memories. He asked his Rajas if he deserved a gift of a memorial, to himself and Guru Dev, for what had been brought to the world: a Tower of Invincibility in each of the countries overseen by the Rajas.
>
> A couple weeks ago, it was resolved that the first tower would be built right next to Maharishi's house. The groundbreaking ceremony took place on Monday January 28. Offers of funding poured in from around the world.
>
> Today, February 5, 2008, having fulfilled his duty to Guru Dev, Maharishi took mahasamadhi. He has left his mortal body, but he remains with us eternally in spirit, in our hearts, in the very Silence that permeates every grain of creation.
>
> I remember the first time I saw Maharishi. It was in the auditorium at Humboldt University, California. He walked through the line of people on either side, gently taking the flowers people offered him. I didn't have any flowers, it was a new concept to me to give flowers to a man. But the feeling of gratitude was so overwhelming that it was so natural that I wished I had a flower--anything--to give. He glanced at me with a brilliant gleam in his eye, a smile, and a soft Jai Guru Dev as if to say, "It wasn't necessary, just enjoy." My heart melted in joy. It was a moment made indelible in my memory.
>
> Tonight, around 7:30 pm everyone here collected in the big meeting tent where Maharaja Raam announced the news (which you can hear on the Maharishi Channel, see link below). We listened to sahasranam, and then did puja to Guru Dev. The air was saturated with incense, purity, and a sanctified transcendental bliss colored with a soft silent sadness. The Rajas and Directors were invited by Maharaja Raam to Maharishi's house, then everyone was invited to go.
>
> The only time before when everyone was invited into Maharishi's house was just before he entered it the first time, about 10-11 years ago, no doubt with much celebration. This time it was quiet. Only a few whispers. A lady couldn't hold back and wept. Single file we slowly made our way upstairs to the brahmasthan room that Maharishi had spent so many hours in the past 10-11 years, pouring out an inexhaustible flow of knowledge and inspiration and guidance to Movement leaders, to Purusha and Mother Divine, and to the whole world, through every modern system of communication.
>
> One has time to let the reality of events sink in while waiting in line. My thoughts touched on wonderful memories of Maharishi and also the events of the day. A mixture of joy and sadness on the solid ground of bliss. And a bit of pondering. What would happen now that he isn't directing and prodding his Movement to move at every turn? I felt the thoughts of some others, similar. Others emanated solid confidence. Indeed, this Movement is in very good hands.
>
> Finally I reached the door of the brahmasthan. I could see the large room was full of Rajas and Ministers, meditating or just silently watching. It was also full of all sorts of gifts from years of celebrations, on tables, on shelves, and free standing. Devatas and elephants, Faberge eggs and flags, gold wish-fulfilling trees and building models, and innumerable other gifts with so much concentrated gratitude emanating from each. It was a beautiful gold and crystal wonderland. But the most striking decoration was the row of huge pictures of Guru Dev above--maybe 8--which Maharishi could see from his couch every day. They dominated everything. Maharishi's life always was 100% devotion to Guru Dev. As he said just a few weeks before, he offered his EVERYTHING to Guru Dev.
>
> His mortal remains sat upright on a bed, wrapped in white except for his face, garlanded in a few thin strands of flowers from head to foot. Maharaja Raam sat meditating next to the bed. I couldn't stand. My mentor, my teacher, my infallible guide through the perilous roads of life had gone silent. I bowed in prayer of gratitude and a request. Somehow I felt it already answered.
>
> Such a divine master is so unimaginably rare. It has been our extraordinary great fortune to have been touched by his infinite compassion and transformed by his perfect knowledge. He altered our personal destinies and the destiny of the whole world. I think it is quite fair and true to say he saved the world from annihilation, several times probably. I know he saved me, many times, in ways I can barely comprehend, too personal to describe. You must have your own story.
>
> Within our hearts Maharishi will always remain. We pray that his work, the work of Guru Dev, will be carried on ceaselessly through his Rajas, Ministers, Directors, Governors, sidhas, meditators, and all lovers of life, to bring permanent Invincibility to every nation and to unfold the full glory of life in enlightenment in every sincere seeker for all generations to come.
>
> Maharishi gave us everything we need. Now let us move forward, guided by Maharishi and Guru Dev in our hearts, to create the full glory of Heaven on Earth. Nothing else could be more worthwhile to do.
>
> Jai Guru Dev,
>
> S.
>
> Watch for announcements of ceremonies at:
> http://news.mou.org/
> http://globalgoodnews.com/watch-live.html
>
> Maharishi's farewell addresses of January 9, 11, and 12, 2008:
> http://press-conference.globalgoodnews.com/archive-menu.html
>
> A beautiful synopsis of Maharishi's achievements can be found here:
> >http://maharishi-programmes.globalgoodnews.com/achievements/Maharishi.html

selling enlightenment to the age of ignorance

A&J2 gateways07
Originally uploaded by alxindia

which means, traveling and teaching.

it's been an interesting whirlwind of events -- I'm feeling lately as though we're living in a kind of revolving door, one of those really big ones, like you see in the entrances to airports -- and we keep going around and around and those flashes of color and movement are the souls, the people who attend our classes and workshops -- we can see them clearly, for a moment, and then whoosh..... out the door and back around the cycle we go.

to the next location and event series, and the next, and the next.

it seems that the G.O.D. energy -- the Generator, Operator, Destroyer -- really does make you do the things you least prefer, at times, in order to get Its message across to the people who need to receive the divine knowledge & energy the most.

I don't think either Jonathan or I really seriously thought we'd be lecturing much outside of Santa Cruz -- and now we're being pulled into the most interesting places to share the hard-won (and hard-fought, and hard-disciplined) knowledge and divine experience we received in South India.

actually, I should backtrack. initially, in fact, we DID think of traveling -- there was even some fantasy of an RV or something, just driving around like itinerant Western sadhus, sharing chautauqua in small towns across North America.

but then, of course, because it was a romantic/spiritual ideal -- that didn't happen and we wound up hunkering down in the Santa Cruz mountains and teaching teaching teaching -- two or four or even, sometimes, eight people at a time -- on a constant basis.

after a few years went by, we discovered we had quite a spiritual community growing up in these har hills -- another surprise.

then the idea of forming a spiritual center or ashram community here became stronger and stronger.... and...

since THAT's become a prominent, important idea.... sticking in this one place and really developing that center and finding land and going through all the important steps to create it....

has led to us spreading out and sharing these teachings in different areas, rather than sitting in the redwoods of Santa Cruz and making the spiritual center dream a concrete reality.

hah! that's the Datta energy, writ large. there's no getting around G. O. D., there's no escaping it, there's no weaseling out of whatever it wants you to do -- simply you have to grin and surrender and go in the direction It's pointing.

I console myself by knowing that god is a LOT smarter than I am, and has a brilliant plan about how to deploy each and every one of us. (not to mention a great sense of humor!)

it gets really easy to be flexible, inspired, light-hearted and deadly serious about the divine knowledge -- and our role in it -- once we just let the divine run the show and stop worrying about the details.

someone remarked recently that I 'sure know how to get attention, or to be in the spotlight,' and I had to howl, positively, HOWL, with laughter about this remark.

most of my life I've been thrust, uncomfortably, and awkwardly, and reluctantly at best, into the role of someone who's on stage. I hated it as a performer, and came to an uneasy truce with being the center of attention only when I felt the message I had come to convey (either through music or poetry) was really important and needed to be shared with others.

otherwise, I'm easier curled up in front of the statue of Shirdi Baba who presides over our home temple, reading a good book on a rainy day with a warm cat nearby and a week's supply of homemade chai. and no phones ringing.

but dharma seems to supersede what we think we want, or what we suspect our destiny is all about. it really pushes us, like baby birds, out of whatever comfortable nests we think we inhabit, and forces us to represent god's messages and miracles, energy channels and teachings, in the world. at every turn.

embracing that and growing into that role is a real experience. recognizing that it is the divine running the show, speaking through us, doing Its work through every human instrument it can use effectively, healing through us, loving through us, taking care of others through us -- it's a huge recognition. sometimes it's a leap of faith.

and mostly, it's an incredible relief.

then, there is no 'attention to get' or spotlights to vie for -- all of that, too, is in god's capable hands.

because all of the credit belongs to god, and all of the blame also belongs to god.

we just keep showing up, doing our maximum best, and letting god be god.

at the end of the day, I can't think of a more blissful way to spend one's life.

back to the kitties

god...
Originally uploaded by alxindia

someone sent me this photo with the subject, in email, simply as 'god.'

I have to say, all Vedic knowledge and profound divine experiences aside, there really are days when I think it's entirely possible that a giant feline-like creature could be running this planet, thinking to Itself,

"OMG WTF???"

*snickering*

yeah, it's late, I've slipped off the chain of my mind once more...

altar of agnostic heresy

Jesus in Penukonda
Originally uploaded by alxindia

at seven years old the world
was still its own mystery;
fresh & shiny like a new penny
yet to be in circulation
& largely undiscovered
in its mad grimy detail.

living in the woods, then,
just like living in the woods now
except: closer to the ground
& trees waving taller
in the breezes.

mundane to you
was magic to me –
sunlight exploding from the tops of trees,
the rustling possibility of a rabbit in dry leaves,
infinite shades & qualities of dirt.

silent in Nature
there & only there
could I hear myself.

summer days, I sneaked away into the woods
earnest as a lover rushing, blushing, to a tryst
& found sublime nothing, after hours
& hours of not looking.

humming some fragmented
off-key tune, sprawling in the cool duff
at the base of an old & trusted comrade, oak by name,

playing at private ritual
as though by rote, invoking a dangerous freedom:

miniature golden Mary on the left,
surrounded by glitter & sequins,
or were they sunbeams? & noble Jesus,
no bigger than my fingertip,
robes flowing in brass tones, to the right.

hour after hour, until the sunlight ceased to play
through the sparse leafy roof

& twilight rendered
all things grey regardless
of their proper daytime tints,

the messiah & his mother came to life in my hands,
speaking volumes half-inaudible,

celebrated, initiated, praised, vowed, blessed,
blended into the roots of the complicit oak,

housed in fallen leaves arching cathedral-style
over their little metallic bodies flashing light…

& together with the sky
Jesus & Mary & I built
a tiny temple
in the dirt.

holidaze & spiritual technology

happy-christmas-face
Originally uploaded by alxindia

one of my Christmas items to be hugely grateful about this year is the website that keeps providing these hilarious kitty pictures to the world, every day. *snickering*

well, it's holiday time here in the Santa Cruz mountains. I really do love it -- all the homes along the otherwise depressingly darkened roads around here are lit up with lights and Christmas trees. it's mystical to come around a dark, rainy curve in the road and then see the happy, sparkling Christmas lights outlining a whole home, or its front porch, or front door, or whatever.

as we drive by, I keep hearing the phrase "there is a light in the darkness" in my mind, and it's incredibly uplifting -- keeps connecting me back to the Big Boss Jesus and why he came into this crazy planet.

we were talking with someone a few days ago about all of this ancient spiritual information that's coming, once again, to the planet after a 2000-year (or more) hiatus, through Sri Kaleshwar and what he's bringing. and what we're teaching.

I mentioned one system that's 7000-years-old, The Holy Womb Chakra, and that it's an ancient spiritual technology.

to me, it's no news that yoga is a science, and that the terms we use to describe spiritual information do sound mechanistic or technological -- we talk about the 'mechanisms' of creation, the 'soul science', and spiritual technology.

but I forget, sometimes, how unusual that sounds to folks who don't have a background in the Vedic knowledge, or in the spiritual lexicon, particularly, that I'm accustomed to.

so it was really cute when my listener giggled, and laughed at the idea of 'spiritual technology' -- in an appreciative way, as if the intelligence was dawning on her that there ARE spiritual mechanisms that can be learned, studied, parsed, and applied. just like, uh, material technology.

it was a great moment of seeing a perception shift in an interesting, and comical, and lively way. I really enjoyed it -- it's moments like that that sustain my inspiration and remind me how sacred and uplifting, how extraordinary and supernatural these tools and teachings really are. I'm delighted that it is my path in this life to represent them, and to share them.



**************
last piece of spiritual advice for today -- DON'T eat the f^%-ing tinsel, or you'll wind up looking like this Christmas kitteh!

spirit of christmas

spirit of christmas
Originally uploaded by alxindia

*grinning*

no words for this photo. just, uh, there are cream-puff days and then there are Maha Kali days.

one of my colleagues here refers to some kinds of troublesome, super-intense days as "Penukonda Days." as in, "geez, this was really a Penukonda day!" *chuckle*

that must be the ultimate in-joke of the cosmos, or at least on this planet. everyone thinks spirituality is this nice-nice, love-n-light process of getting sweeter and sweeter and more and more blissful -- and I've actually had folks tell me, with stars in their eyes, "you're so LUCKY to be living in such a calm, spiritual, peaceful ashram...!"

what to say? swallow mah tongue, nod, and smile, and don't roll the eyes visibly.

for anyone who's actually lived in Penukonda, or spent serious time there, every day is a century passing, as if whole lifetimes have been ground out and heaps of karmas have been reduced to a pulp, during the whole day when nothing, really, seemed to be happening.

one day in Penukonda can be an ultimately blissful, beautiful experience -- and at the same time it can seem like a total torture chamber, as we come face-to-face with people who are also in the same karmic pressure-cooker, and they become instruments of our own unfortunate karmas coming back to us as tests, taunts, challenges, arbitrary snarls, and outright insults.

some days, I literally felt as though I'd been battered and bludgeoned by people until I was black and blue.... and I'd crawl back to my room, exhausted by my apparent efforts at surviving the slings and arrows of what seemed like truly outrageous fortune...

and I'd look back on the morning's events (which now seemed like an eon ago), and think that something that occurred in the morning had been several weeks before. (yes, the time factor gets highly stretched and distorted in Penukonda... a curious attribute of the life there.)

I'd say to Jonathan, 'oh, you know, that thing we did last week," and he would grin at me and reply, "Alx!? that was THIS MORNING!"

omigawd!

some days here in America are really just like that -- "Penukonda days."

and this has to do with Christmas, how, exactly?

*grinning*

RAWRRRRRRRRRRRR!

it's the most wonderful time of the year....

Christmas Kitty 3
Originally uploaded by alxindia

well, between the 2-hour conference-call satsangs every Saturday morning, the 2-hour satsang (in person as well as on the phone) every Thursday night, the bhajans/kirtan performances, intensive teaching schedule (a workshop every weekend!), helping organize the travels of about 26 people to South India in early March -- including myself and Jonathan -- (!), doing personal healing sessions and online kibbitzing, uh, that was 'online satsang....' wasn't it?

*grinning*

and taking care of my own personal ninja twins, the ever-growing, ever-expanding black fluffy zen monks, Masters Pi and Li.......

yeah, I'm a little bit overdue for the Christmas vacation part!

(do we EVER get an actual break?

I used to joke, "I'll sleep when I'm dead".... but now, what with reincarnation and all looming on the horizon of reality, I realize even THAT sleep may turn out to be a myth.....)

anyway, tomorrow's my birthday -- am getting a Christmas tree!!!!!!!!!

wheeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

and will be spending a good deal of time trying to keep the Flying Ninja Brothers OUT of it, no doubt.....

since they, too, will think that they are superb and deserving ormanents....