Adventures in Amritapuri, India 2014-2015 : Index

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Each year, I spend six weeks in Amma’s ashram in South Kerala, India. Amma (Mata Amritanandamayi), who is sometimes referred to as The Hugging Saint since she has hugged 33 million people worldwide, is also known for her extensive networks of humanitarian projects called Embracing the World.

My last trip to Amritapuri was from November 30, 2014 to January 9, 2015. For the first time, I shared my experiences there through this blog. Afterwards, numerous people told me that the posts made them feel like they were taking the journey with me.

I decided to create this index of posts in case anyone else wants to accompany me vicariously on that journey. Enjoy!

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.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t4Svh-9ohg4

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!

Overcoming Myself

Last Thursday morning brought another challenging prompt from Sreejit at The Seeker’s Dungeon. This time the prompt was to answer the following question: “Tell us about your experiences with overcoming yourself.” I knew immediately what I would write about.

My post will actually contain three different stories. The first two are very different from each other and in the third the two come together, addressing a way I am working to “overcome myself.” Continue reading “Overcoming Myself” →