Photo by Ashley Marie - CC license

We create our realities with our thoughts. Cultivating the witness, that part of our minds that objectively watches everything we are, allows us to clearly see all of our thoughts. Through the power of watching our thoughts, we gradually change the way we perceive the world. We shift from viewing the world as a serious court of justice to seeing this universe as a joyous playground. Like gleeful children, we get to play and celebrate during this lifetime we've been given. On the playground we enjoy ourselves fully, even if sometimes we scrape our knees or get our hearts broken! No matter what pains we go through, we can't let the heartbreaks keep us from opening up and having a good time on the playground.

Here is a bit of news from the fun I'm having lately on the Tejaswini Playground ~

~ I continue to enjoy creating all kinds of vegan food combinations. This morning I heated up some leftover rice (long grain brown rice and wild rice), along with some walnuts, raisins, and dried cranberries. Then I stirred in some raw cacao nibs, cinnamon, and two potent powders by HealthForce Nutritionals: Vitamineral Green and MacaForce.  As I ate that incredibly delicious bowl of nourishment, I felt deep gratitude for all the organic vegan food that supports my temple body.

~ Even though I’ve still experienced some romantic-lila-related-sorrow in my being (despite continually focusing on my brahmacharya vow), the overall theme emerging in my life this past month has been one of gratitude, praise, and celebration. One day I ran into a woman who had attended the Radiance Rising Circle the night before, and she said, “So you’re a healer and a praiser?” I loved that so much – I hadn’t thought of myself as a “praiser” before, but indeed that is a large part of who I am.

~ Albert Einstein said, “If you want to live a happy life, tie it to a goal, not to people or things.” I understand that the sorrow states that pass through my being are caused by an attachment to a certain person, so I am now consciously focusing my attention (again and again) on my goals for life. To that end, I wrote out the following intentions: attitude of Gratitude; positive thinking; enthusiasm; merging in Union with Lord Shiva; and serving others. Union with Shiva represents detachment and the Pure Bliss gained through detachment.  Anandamayi Ma, Blissful mystic and sage of India (1896-1982), describes the process of merging with Shiva in this way:

“Shiva, the Eternal Spirit, has resolved Himself into jivas, sentient beings, and every creature has to become reconverted again into Shiva. Just as water freezes into ice, and ice melts into water, so this play of transformation of Shiva into jiva and jiva into Shiva goes on and on through eternity.”  (Women of Power and Grace: Nine Astonishing, Inspiring Luminaries of Our Time, by Timothy Conway, Ph.D., the Wake Up Press, Santa Barbara, CA, 1995.)

~ As I am slowly building my Reiki energy healing practice (www.ashlandholistichealth.com), I have had the opportunity to enjoy some trades with other practitioners. One such trade was with a very gifted Tarot Card reader. Through the reading I received guidance to remember that everything serves Spirit and all energies are workable. One of the cards indicated that I should become the Master Alchemist and work with the energies associated with my current life situation.

~ A few weeks ago a brief stomach flu passed through my body. I went for acupuncture, and during the session a new mantra/affirmation/intention arose in me: “I am happy and healthy, and I WANT GOD!”

~ That affirmation echoed the little mantra that was buzzing in my head during the Radiance Rising Circle on Ammachi’s 57^th birthday: “I want to sit in circles with people singing to God until I die!” Here is one of my favorite quotes from Amma, the Hugging Saint from India, who is a Guru to millions of people (including me): “Life should blossom into total laughter. This is religion. This is spirituality. This is real prayer. God is the innocent, spontaneous smile that blossoms from within.” (Lead Us to Purity: A Selection of Sri Mata Amritanandamayi’s Speeches, 1990-1999, Compiled by Swami Jnanamritananda, M.A. Center, San Ramon, CA, 2007.)

~ At the weekly Radiance Rising Circles, my natural smile blossoms from within. The week after we celebrated Amma’s birthday, we honored the birthday of Mahatma Gandhi. I had already celebrated Gandhi-ji’s birthday at a fire circle on his actual birthday, but since I love birthdays, I brought his photo (with curly ribbons attached) to the Radiance Rising Circle too. In his honor we chanted to Sita and Ram, and sometimes I substituted, “Be the Change You Wanna See, Jai Jai Ram,” for the traditional Rama mantra, “Sri Ram Jai Ram Jai Jai Ram” (Victory to Lord Rama).

~ For more detailed musings about many of my life happenings, please follow this Teja Blog. Recent blog article titles include: “My Vegan Tempeh Dinner,” “An Abundance of Gratitude,” “Grounded at the Root,” “The Story of a Blessing Way Circle,” “Happy Birthday to Ammachi and to Gandhi-ji!,” “Vegan Risotto,” and “Nourished by the Light of the Divine Mother.”

~ Regular, daily spiritual practices continue to nourish and strengthen me. Through sitting in silent meditation morning and evening, and through cultivating the Witness, working with the chakras, chanting (singing) devotional songs, studying spiritual teachings, and serving others, I raise my vibration and strengthen my core. I feel so inspired to share these practices with others, because they have helped me so much on my journey.

~ In high school I was a cheerleader, and those cheerleading qualities of enthusiasm and passion still live in me. Now, instead of cheering for the Tigers to win the basketball game, I’m cheering for people to open their hearts through doing regular spiritual practices. That is why I wrote Radiance Rising: Spiritual Practices for Daily Living. In this easy-to-read pocketbook, I give basic instructions for beginning a meditation practice, and I outline the other practices that I do on the Raja Yoga Path. This book would make a great holiday gift for yourself and for many of your friends and family, so I recently put it on sale at half-price, through December 16^th, 2010. Please go to thhis website store to order your copies today! (Please note that 10% of every sale and donation on my website goes to Amma’s charitable organizations. www.amma.org)

~ A few nights ago, I attended an amazing event with renowned storyteller, author and mythologist, Michael Meade. Since he was promoting his new book, Fate and Destiny: The Two Agreements of the Soul, his dynamic presentation centered around fate and destiny. He explained that we are each born seeded with a destiny, and that destiny is hidden within the challenges of our fate. Through colorful storytelling, he imparted the message that we each have a responsibility to discover who we truly are and what gifts we have to give to the world. He ended the beautiful and inspiring evening with Rumi’s poem “Each Note.” Here is my favorite part of that poem:

God picks up the reed-flute world and blows.
Each note is a need coming through one of us,
a passion, a longing-pain.

Remember the lips
where the wind-breath originated,
and let your note be clear.
Don’t try to end it.
BE Your Note.
I’ll show you how it’s enough.

Go up on the roof at night
in the city of the soul.

Let Everyone climb on their roofs
and sing their notes!

Sing loud!

~ This autumn has been a particularly busy time for this yogini, because my two sons (ages 10 and 13) are now involved in sports and musical instruments, along with all the school stuff. The past few weeks I witnessed myself going through a cute little cycle of overwhelm, so this weekend I took a lot of time alone to remember that I am not the doer, and I am not in charge of time! Since last night was the final night of the 9-night Hindu festival, Navarathri, that honors Shakti, the Divine Feminine, I sat down with my harmonium and chanted to Kali Ma, the most fierce Hindu aspect of the Divine Mother. Kali represents Time, and She helps to conquer the illusions of the ego, such as me thinking that I’m really in control of time here! Again and again, I surrender my little will to the Divine Will.

May you enjoy the playground of your life.

May all beings have food, clothing, shelter, and spiritual upliftment each day.

May all beings everywhere know Peace and Happiness.

Om Shanti (Peace),

Yogini Tejaswini 

Photos of Teja’s table and autumn tree by Teja Shankara. Photo of Teja in the creek by Vivek.