Amma is Coming!

Amma will be starting her 2017 Summer Tour in the Seattle area on Saturday, May 27. She will be holding programs at the Hyatt Regency Bellevue.

Amma is known as a humanitarian and a spiritual leader, teaching and modeling a message of love and service to the poor. She offers a motherly hug to those who come to meet her.

May 27, All Day Program:11 am
May 28 Morning: 10:00am Evening: 7:30pm,
May 29, Morning: 10:00am, Evening 7:00pm (Includes a ceremony for world peace)

(Lines for tokens for Amma’s embrace will start forming 90 minutes before each program. The number of tokens may be limited due to time constraints so it is best to come early if you want a hug.)

All programs are free. For more detailed information about each event click here.

After Amma leaves the Seattle area she will go to San Ramon, Los Angeles, Santa Fe, Dallas, Chicago, Atlanta, New York City, Boston, Washington DC and Toronto. To watch a movie about Amma’s darshan (hugs) and her innumerable humanitarian and charitable activities go to: embracingtheworld.org/news-etw-movie/

 

Honoring Hanuman and Vishu

Photo Credit: Holy Images

Yesterday, I attended a chant of the Hanuman Chalisa, a 40 verse poem that is believed to have been written by Tulsidas in the 16th century. I have loved that chant since the mid-nineties.

Wikipedia says this about Hanuman:

Lord Hanuman is an ardent devotee of Lord Sri Rama and is widely known for his unflinching devotion to Sri Rama. Hanuman is the symbol of strength and energy. He is said to be able to assume any form at will, wield the gada (including many celestial weapons), move mountains, dart through the air, seize the clouds and equally rival Garuda in swiftness of flight.

Lord Hanuman is worshiped as a deity with the ability to attain victory against evil and provide protection.

During the time in my life that I made tiny dolls of the Hindu Gods and Goddesses, one of the dolls I made was of Hanuman. The doll on the left side of the gallery below was my first Hanuman doll; I still keep it on my altar. Hanuman is usually depicted with Lord Rama or Lord Rama and Sita in his heart, but I put a photo of Amma in the heart of my Hanuman doll.

On my way to the Hanuman program yesterday, I stopped by a local nursery and bought two Oregon grape plants for my yard. They both had beautiful yellow blossoms. This morning, I realized that I had planted them in an area  that has other yellow flowers and that yellow is the color that is most associated with Hanuman.

After writing the first draft of this post, I decided to work outside. I told the friend who was working with me about the yellow flowers. He reminded me that yellow is also the color of Vishu, a holiday that celebrates our deep connection with nature. Vishu was two days ago. Below is a photo of the flower most associated with Vishu, along with a message that Amma gave on that day.

I am excited that I have inadvertently dedicated a part of my yard to Hanuman and Vishu. I love synchronicity.

Sooryagayathri and Rahul Vellal: Brahmam Okate

In August of last year, I posted several videos of a child  singer, Sooryagayathri, from Kerala, India.  I described her as having an  exquisite, mesmerizing voice. I just found out she has a new video, one that was posted three weeks ago. This time she sings with a young boy named Rahul Vellal. I hope you enjoy their music as much as I do.

Weekly Photo Challenge: Look Up

I have been sorry that I didn’t create a collage for the Weekly Photo Challenge: Look Up ever since that July 2016 week came and went. I’ve decided that it’s never too late so am going to do it now!

(You can hover the cursor over the photos to see where they were taken. Click anywhere on the gallery to enlarge them.)

Can You Say, Too Much Information?

Today I was remembering a post Sreejit wrote when he arrived in America from India in 2014. I laughed just thinking about it. A few minutes ago I read the post to friends who are visiting and we all laughed. I decided to share it with all of you. Enjoy!

Color Your World: White

I’ve been eagerly awaiting the day when “White” would be the “Color Your World” assignment because I love the photos of white flowers I have taken in Seattle and India. Today’s the day!

 

From my Seattle neighborhood:

From Amritapuri, India:

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Posted for: Color Your World: White