Category: Inspiration

Memories of Taize

Yesterday, I read a beautiful and moving poem, Remaining True, written by Wendell A. Brown.  The picture that went with the poem contained the words from Psalms 103:1  “Bless the Lord, oh my soul, and all that is within me, bless His holy name.”

The Psalm reminded me of a song from Taize that I love, Bless the Lord My Soul.  I found it on YouTube and played it.  As I listened, tears came to my eyes.

Wikipedia says this about Taize:

The Taizé Community is an ecumenical monastic order in Taizé, Saône-et-Loire, Burgundy, France. It is composed of more than one hundred brothers, from Protestant and Catholic traditions, who originate from about thirty countries across the world. It was founded in 1940 by Brother Roger Schütz, a Reformed Protestant. Guidelines for the community’s life are contained in The Rule of Taizé[1] written by Brother Roger and first published in French in 1954.

The community has become one of the world’s most important sites of Christian pilgrimage. Over 100,000 young people from around the world make pilgrimages to Taizé each year for prayer, Bible study, sharing, and communal work. Through the community’s ecumenical outlook, they are encouraged to live in the spirit of kindness, simplicity and reconciliation.

In December of 2001,  two friends and I went to Taize on our way to Amma’s ashram in India.   I felt so blessed to be in the presence of Brother Roger.  He radiated a spiritual energy that was so palpable….. and so kind.

Below you will find YouTube videos of two Taize songs.  The first is Bless the Lord My Soul and the second is my favorite Taize song, Veni Sancte Spiritus.  I picked this version to share with you not only because the music is beautiful, but also because it has pictures of Taize and of Brother Roger.

I hope you enjoy them as much as I do.

As I listened to the second song, tears started pouring down my cheeks.  There are places in Seattle where Taize chants are sung regularly.  It is time for me to go again….. very soon!

Photography 101: Bliss

In March 2014, I started my Living, Learning and Letting Go blog.  Creating posts for the blog has without doubt been a major source of bliss for me. When I think of which post I associate most with the word bliss, Bastet Pixelventures: One Point Perspective photography challenge comes to mind.

When first I read her challenge on June 2, I had no idea what a one point perspective was. I read Bastet’s directions and also looked the phrase up on Wikipedia. Wikipedia says:

A one-point perspective drawing means that the drawing has a single vanishing point, usually (though not necessarily) directly opposite the viewer’s eye and usually (though not necessarily) on the horizon line. All lines parallel with the viewer’s line of sight recede to the horizon towards this vanishing point. This is the standard “receding railroad tracks” phenomenon.

Now I knew what it was, but what photo could I take? As I started on my morning meditation walk, ideas began to enter my mind. I knew I wanted it to be a useful photograph, i.e. something that had a purpose beyond my post. Next I thought of the PNW Litter Project I coordinate. I could take a photo that could not only be used for the challenge, but also in our monthly GreenFriends newsletter and for Litter Project promotion.

Soon thereafter, it dawned on me how I could accomplish my goal.  I was so excited. As soon as I returned home, I set to work.

A main focus of the Litter Project is to pick up cigarette butts, the biggest form of litter in the world.  The butts are so toxic to the earth and to our waterways, marine animals, birds, etc.  To date we have picked up more than 225,000 butts.  We send them to TerraCycle to be turned into plastic pallets.

My idea was to create a photo that shows the never ending nature of the problem. To do that, I placed 1375 cigarette butts in a straight line on a sidewalk near my home. It worked!

I definitely felt blissful while creating the imagery and when I saw the photograph!

Litter
Cigarette Butt Litter in One Point Perspective

Written for Photography 101:  Bliss

Crocheted Afghans for the Homeless

In 2004, Seattle Amma satsang members joined together to make crocheted afghans for men and women who were moving from the streets into transitional housing.  The afghans were all made from scrap yarn.  Each of us crocheted as many squares as possible and then we mixed and matched the squares to create the beautiful blankets.

Here are pictures of some of the afghans we made:

This project was inspired by a group called Warm Up America.

Gratitude Sunday: धन्यवाद: मार्ल (Thank You Marla)

I have a lifetime pattern of having essentially no interest in sports.  Last year that changed in a big way. Starting with the third game, I began to feel drawn to watch the Seahawks play football.  From then on, I made a priority of watching every game. During the six weeks I was in India, I would follow the scoring on my Android.  If the game occurred while I was asleep, checking the final score was my first priority of the morning. Continue reading “Gratitude Sunday: धन्यवाद: मार्ल (Thank You Marla)” →

Happy Birthday to Mahatma Gandhi

Mohandas_K._Gandhi,_portrait

“When I despair, I remember that all through history the way of truth and love have always won. There have been tyrants and murderers, and for a time, they can seem invincible, but in the end, they always fall. Think of it–always.”

― Mahatma Gandhi

Born October 02, 1869
Died January 30, 1948

From Darkness to Light

  ॐ असतो मा सद्गमय । तमसो मा ज्योतिर्गमय । मृत्योर्मा अमृतं गमय । ॐ शान्तिः शान्तिः शान्तिः ॥

Om Asato Maa Sad-Gamaya | Tamaso Maa Jyotir-Gamaya |
Mrityor-Maa Amritam Gamaya | Om Shaantih Shaantih Shaantih ||

Om, Lead us from Unreality (of Transitory Existence) to the Reality (of the Eternal Self),
Lead us from the Darkness (of Ignorance) to the Light (of Spiritual Knowledge),
Lead us from the Fear of Death to the Knowledge of Immortality.
Om Peace, Peace, Peace.

Navatatri started on Friday.  Navaratri is a nine day festival honoring Goddesses Durga, Lakshmi and Saraswati.  Durga destroys our negative tendencies; Lakshmi brings prosperity; and Saraswati is the embodiment of knowledge.  On Friday, I went to a friend’s house for an event and she had a Navaratri altar set up.  The altar was so stunning that I gasped when I walked into the room.  I heard the same reaction from other people. Continue reading “From Darkness to Light” →

Gratitude Sunday

I met Amma in summer of 1989 and took my first trip to India in January 1990.  I have traveled to India almost every year since then.  The first two visits were short (10 days to 3 weeks).  The third and fourth were for two months.  From then on, my yearly journey has been for five or six weeks. Continue reading “Gratitude Sunday” →