Last Friday, in anticipation of beginning to read Tulasidasa’s Shri Ramacharitamanasa (The Holy Lake of the Acts of Rama), I cleaned my living room and bought myself flowers! The next morning I began reading the introduction, written by Ram Chandra Prasad, Professor of English, Patna University, Patna, India. Each morning this week, I spent my “time-out-of-time” spiritual practice in studying the introduction, and here I will share a few highlights from those studies…

Tulasidasa (1532-1623), poet-saint of Northern India, began writing the Ramacharitamanasa (his version of the Ramayana) when he was forty-two years old (my age now!), on March 30^th (today’s date!), of 1574. With his incredible capacity for work, and his determination to revitalize Hindu society, he set about the task of writing that great epic story anew, to remind his readers that there is no reason to despair. Through his depiction of Rama’s victory over the demons, the reader remembers the ultimate victory of truth over evil.

Ram Chandra Prasad, who edited and translated Tulasi’s great work into Hindi and English, writes, “Endowed with the prophetic vision of a true seer, Tulasi is alert to the present need and understands the requirements of modern times, of what he calls the Kaliyuga, and devotes all his creative energies towards providing a sure antidote to the poison that has corrupted human society today.”

Already greatly inspired by the introduction, I am very much looking forward to reading the first pages of the epic tomorrow morning, which happens to be Ram Navmi, the birthday celebration day for Rama! And, three weeks from tomorrow, in my own small way of providing “a sure antidote to the poison that has corrupted human society today”, I will once again be offering weekly Radiance Rising Circles! (Beginning April 21^st, Saturday mornings, 10:30am – 12 noon at the Unitarian Universalist Center, corner of 4^th & C Streets in Ashland.)

May all beings be Happy and Free. Jai Sri Rama! Victory to Rama!

Om Shanti (Peace),

Yogini Tejaswini

Photo of Shri Ramacharitamanasa with flowers by Teja Shankara.

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Ten days after Maha ShivaRatri, I am finally finding a few moments to write about my wild party of One… This year, since I didn’t have the energy to organize another all-night chanting event for ShivaRatri, I decided to have a quiet little chanting hour by myself. “Decided” is the key word here. I have to laugh every time I think I have a plan, because the Universe has a way of teaching me (again and again) that I’m not really in control of the “plans”! And ShivaRatri is the perfect night for letting go of the little mind’s attachments, since that is what Lord Shiva is all about. He helps us let go of everything that blocks our ability to rest in Pure Consciousness and Bliss.

So, I thought that I would just chant quietly to Shiva for an hour and then go to bed and get a good night’s sleep for work the next day… But, instead, here is what actually unfolded:

A certain lila (“divine play”) that I’ve been engaged in for a few years presented me with a situation that gave rise to some anger in my system, so when I lit the nag champa incense and sat down to chant to Shiva, instead of sweetly singing a lullaby to my Beloved, I sang louder than I have ever sung in my life. Let’s just say it was borderline yelling, and it went on for two hours, during which time I played bells and drums, and sang along with chanting CDs (and also briefly played my harmonium and sang my own chants), and rubbed my hair in Kali Wildness… Needless to say, once I got in bed it took me two more hours to fall asleep… and then I arose at 4:30am to continue chanting to Shiva for a while before work, and that’s when the Magic of ShivaRatri really descended into my being: suddenly the anger transmuted into Clarity, and I was able to calmly write a letter setting clear boundaries and bidding that lila a final farewell…

Sometimes I have to put up the Big Cosmic Shiva Mirror for me to see clearly what I need to let go of… And once I let go, I am amazed at the Bliss that flows into my being… And, in the ten days since ShivaRatri, I am astounded by all the Grace that is flowing into my life from all directions.

Repeating the Names of God really does have such a profound affect on my daily life. As the Indian poet-saint Tulsidas said, “The Name repeated with either good or evil intentions, in an angry mood or even while yawning, diffuses joy in all the ten directions.”

May all beings know the Bliss of letting go of attachments.

Om Namah Shivaya! ~ I bow to Shiva, who is Pure Consciousness and Pure Bliss.

Om Shanti (Peace),

Yogini Tejaswini

Photo of Teja with Shiva & Nandi taken by Teja’s son Gabe.

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Ahh, the last day of the year. As I wrote in a previous blog (“Spiritual Purification through Releasing Impurities”), I picked the angel card Release for the Year 2011, and it has been quite a challenging year filled with much emotional release! This final month I focused on consciously releasing as much as possible, so I can begin the New Year free from all blockages to living in dharmic right livelihood. So wouldn’t you know, for this last week of the year, I picked the angel card Freedom…

And this last week I have let go of so many more things, concepts, ideals, plans… I even let go of organizing the ShivaRatri event that was scheduled for February 19^th, 2012… I am sure my Beloved Husband Lord Shiva will understand, since He is the Bliss that arises from letting go of all attachments and expectations!

So I say Good Riddance 2011… and Welcome 2012! May all beings be Free and Blissed-out inside the One Radiance…

Happy New Year 2012 to all… Om Namah Shivaya! I bow to Lord Shiva, who is Pure Consciousness and Pure Bliss.

Om Shanti (Peace),

Yogini Tejaswini

Shiva image adapted from a wallpaper on aboutshiva.com

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There is a living angel walking in our midst. Meet Michael Meade: author, mythologist, and storyteller extraordinaire. Gratefully, I have been blessed to experience his great work a number of times, in Ashland and also at the Beloved Festival (2009). Last week, I watched his latest video, “Voices of Veterans: A Welcome Home Ceremony”, and I was moved to tears… not just a few tears, but uncontrollable sobbing.

Why was I crying so much while watching this ten-minute video? Well, I was crying in general for all the pain and suffering created by wars; for all the men and women who endure the horrors of war and for all their families who must endure the nightmarish effects of PTSD (Post Traumatic Stress Disorder) after the soldiers return home. When I really tune in to all that suffering, I cannot stop crying… and in the first few minutes of the video, Michael Meade says something that strikes a really deep chord in me. He says, “We’re trying to reduce the suffering that’s inside the veterans, and we’re also trying to spread it, I’m sorry to tell you, into the community. Don’t take too much, but if everybody takes a little bit, then they have less to carry.” When I heard that, I felt as if he was talking directly to my compassionate heart.

I am happy to cry for the veterans, especially if my tears might just help relieve some of their pain… And, I wasn’t just crying in general… I was also crying because the one I love (but cannot be with) served almost a year in Vietnam, and I was crying for his pain. All of his experiences in Vietnam (at least the ones he shared with me) came rushing back into my mind, and I was overwhelmed with the desire to take that pain away and somehow make it better. Even though we are no longer in physical contact, I will always love him and I pray that someday, some way, all that war pain will release and he will experience deep, profound healing. 

I am so grateful for all the healing work that Michael Meade is doing with the veterans. Truly a living angel, he is shining light in a realm of darkness. May his work ripple out and out and out, touching the lives and hearts of all veterans everywhere. May their pain be lessened.

May all beings be healed in the Light.

Om Shanti (Peace), 

Yogini Tejaswini

Photo of angel on Teja’s faux fir tree taken by Teja Shankara.

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Do you ever feel strange, like you are simultaneously here and not really here? It is difficult to explain the experience in words, but it is something I have noticed since I was in high school. Back then I felt completely scared and freaked out by the sensation, so I went to the priest and told him about it. He gave me chocolate candies and soothing words, which comforted me, but then when I got to college, I again felt freaked out by feeling like I wasn’t really here, even though I knew I was here…

So, at that stage in the journey, I went to the university’s health clinic and signed up for some free counseling sessions with a psychology intern. He listened and diagnosed me with a “depersonalization disorder.” I can’t remember what I thought of that with my young 19-year-old brain, and I can’t remember if I did anything about it, except to continue trying to find depth and connection through alcohol and other bad habits…

This past week I have been feeling that strangeness again, only this time I have nearly a decade’s worth of studying Yogic philosophy in my brain, so I don’t feel afraid. Instead, I am thinking “Well, isn’t this an interesting experience!” Remembering that counselor’s assessment, that I was disconnecting from my personality, I now see that it is a normal – and welcome – part of the spiritual process of allowing the ego/personality to fall away so that the soul can radiate love in all directions. 

Experiencing different levels of consciousness simultaneously is nothing to be afraid of, if you have the proper framework for understanding the sensations. When I gaze at a basket full of bright holiday cheer, at the level of the physical senses I may feel delight, but that’s not all that’s going on in my multi-layered being… At the level of the soul, I might be traveling in and out of several dimensions in just a few seconds! It is like that for all of us, whether we are aware of it or not.

As my beloved teacher David La Chapelle would say, there’s a lot more going on (all the time) than what we see.

May all fear be cast away from the human species. May all beings dissolve into warm, bright Love. 

Om Shanti (Peace),

Yogini Tejaswini

Photo of holiday cheer by Teja Shankara.

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On the last day of November, I sat down and wrote the following in my journal: “Ahh, thankfully only one more month of this year of Release! (I picked the angel card, Release, for the Year 2011, and this year has indeed required almost constant release work.) My intention for the month of December is to release as many impurities as possible: to release negativities, fears, anxieties, cravings, attachments, desires, sorrows, expectations, confusions, and delusions, so that I will be more clear for meaningful work in the world to come through.”

So then, after writing that, I got a cup of strong mate-black tea with coconut milk, lit a candle, and opened the book I am currently reading: Be Love Now by Ram Dass. Amazingly, I read the following: “We can’t mask impurities for very long. When we suppress or repress them, they gain energy. Eventually we all have to deal with our same old karmic obstacles… kama (lust), krodh (anger), moha (confusion), lobh (greed)… the spectrum of impulses and desires… This clearing out opens the door for dharma, for being in harmony with the laws of the universe…” (Later in the book, Ram Dass describes “the dharma” as “the perfect harmony of God’s will and the human mind.”)

Well, after reading the same thing that I had just written in my journal, I was just in total awe of the synchronicities of the universe… And then, it got even better: a few days later, I picked my angel card for this week, and got Purification. Yes, Beloved Universe, I noticed the perfection of that one!

Today I am embracing the spiritual purification that is happening in my being this week. I may not like all the emotions that are clearing out, but I am standing firmly in the process, saying “Yes! Please release everything that is blocking me from living the dharma. My intention for 2012 is to live simply in happiness, health, and dharma. I visualize dharmic right livelihood arising from releasing all blockages to Harmony between this human mind and the Will of the Universe!” May it be so.

And you, what are your intentions for the New Year? 

May all beings live in harmony on this sacred, sacred earth. 

Om Shanti (Peace), 

Yogini Tejaswini

Photo of Purification angel card on Teja’s kitchen table taken by Teja Shankara.

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O Sacred Mt. Shasta,
I am praying for Divine Grace!

May all the beings in all the worlds be happy and at peace.

Om Lokah Samastah Sukhino Bhavantu. Om Shanti Shanti Shantihi.

Om Shanti (Peace),

Yogini Tejaswini

Photos of Mt. Shasta and Teja’s barefeet on Shasta taken by Teja Shankara.

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My son Gabe took this amazing photo of the sun setting up on Mt. Ashland, the night of the Full Moon in July… After that night of speaking my intentions to the Full Moon, I posted a blog article entitled “Allowing Intentions to Manifest through the “I don’t know” Mantra!” Well, since writing that article, the hilarious (and sometimes not so hilarious) internal conversations have continued, and this morning the hilarity (and despair) of it all has prompted me to write the following article…

There are many “correct” expressions in the world of “manifesting intentions” – you’ve probably heard these a zillion times: “Follow your bliss and the money will follow.” “If you are in the flow, the Universe will support you.” “When one door closes, another door opens.” Well, what if these expressions were true in the 70’s and 80’s, and perhaps even in the 90’s, but they aren’t so true in this world of the present decade (whatever it’s called)? I mean, there are a lot more people on the planet now, and the gap between the rich and the poor has grown exponentially. There are nearly 1 billion people starving on this planet earth – are they finding open doors? 

Perhaps, with 7 billion people on the planet, if we were all truly “in the flow”, then the Universe would support us all, but that support would look quite different from the current state of affairs in which a small minority is very, very wealthy, while the masses are growing poorer each day. It is difficult to even contemplate this subject, because whether or not you are currently financially stable, when you read this article, perhaps you feel hopeless to help the situation in any positive way. I myself do not know the answers. I am simply sharing what is on my mind today. Please feel free to comment in the section below this article, and/or you can email me anytime: teja@yogini-bliss.com

May all beings have food, clothing, shelter, and peaceful sleep each night.

Om Shanti (Peace), 

Yogini Tejaswini

Photo of sunset on Mt. Ashland taken by Teja’s son Gabe.

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Photo by Ashley Marie - CC License

On this playground of life, we get to choose how we spend our time: we can choose to run around doing things that lower our vibrations, OR we can choose to commit to regular, daily spiritual practices that raise our vibrations. Each small change that we make within ourselves then ripples out and benefits all of Creation. This year I intend to help raise the vibration of the human species, through my work as a cheerleader for spiritual practices. (This paragraph is repeated each month for emphasis, since this is the theme for the 2011 newsletters.)

Here is some recent news from the playground of my life ~

~ Over the past month, I have begun to experience the joy of de-cluttering my living space. Please read my blog articles about this: “Humor & Gratitude with Clearing Out Clutter!” and “Barefoot Vegan Yogini is Moving Out Clutter!” 

~ This summer continues to be very full and richly abundant in many ways. In the midst of it all, I strengthened my Gratitude muscle by reading and reviewing Café Gratitude’s recipe book ~ “Teja’s Review of I Am Grateful: Recipes & Lifestyle of Café Gratitude, by Terces Engelhart with Orchid”

~ What does the word “fun” mean to you now, in this phase of your life? That is a question I’ve been pondering lately. I think you might enjoy the blog article I wrote about that: “What the word “fun” means now to this vegan yogini…”  I would love to hear your comments on this topic, so please send me an email when you get a free moment: teja@yogini-bliss.com

~ One of the funnest parts of my summer was taking my boys, ages 11 and 14, home to visit family in the Midwest. We met my new niece Zoe, and we spent time with my nearly 97-year-old Grandma. My parents took us to a city zoo, where we rented a swan paddleboat on a green lake. Soon I will publish a blog article about my experience with the birds at that zoo. On our last day of the visit, my brother and his family took us to the Cincinnati Whole Foods Market, which was fun for my sons who have been watching a rather fun video called “Whole Foods Parking Lot”  

~ The day after returning to Ashland, I gave Reiki healing sessions in the Healing Sanctuary at the Peace Village Festival. It was so wonderful for me to spend that time immersed in the Loving Energy that is Reiki, but then I spent some time at the festival, and my system became overwhelmed by all of the ganja (marijuana) energies and entities that were swirling all around me. Feeling exhausted and headachey from those energies, I took refuge in the Goddess Temple. Even though I had been one of the founding members of the Goddess Temple of Ashland, due to the craziness of my life lately, I had not been in the temple since the opening day on March 19^th, 2011. It was such an amazing homecoming for me: I lay down on the carpet for a long time, and I felt so incredibly held by the Mother. It felt as though the Divine Mother’s nurturing energies were cradling me in sweet embrace, soothing all the distressed energies I had unfortunately taken in from the ganja vibrations of the festival.

~ Recently I purchased a massage table, and I will be offering Reiki healing sessions in people’s homes under my new business name, Radiance Rising Reiki. Please stay tuned for more information on this! 

~ Yesterday my dear friend Jill and I traveled down to Mt. Shasta for a wonderful Amma Satsang under the trees on the mountain. Before the bhajans (devotional songs) began, we hiked up to a gorgeous spring. On that hike, I felt as though my barefeet were receiving energies and information from the stones and soil and waters. So much fun!

~ On this great playground of life, I wish you much fun on your journey.

May all beings everywhere know the Deep Joy that arises from having some good healthy fun!

Om Shanti (Peace),

Yogini Tejaswini

Photo of Teja, Zak, and Gabe in the Peace Swan taken by Teja’s Mom; photo of view from Shasta spring taken by Teja Shankara.

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A couple of days ago, before going to give a Reiki healing session, I was blessed to receive the darshan (“vision” or blessing by a holy being) of a red dragonfly in my yard. Like a small child, I became very excited when I saw that being, and so I began talking to it in a very animated way, and for the next thirty minutes, we connected soul-to-soul. That little being looked in my eyes and flew around flirting with me! And when I ran inside to get the camera, it seemed very pleased and flitted around in different poses for me! I share those photos with you here, so that you may also receive the red dragonfly darshan!

Remembering that everything and everyone is connected in one, continuous web of energy and vibration, I walked a few blocks barefoot and gave a wonderfully warm and loving Reiki energy healing session.

May all beings know how interconnected we all are… 

Om Shanti (Peace),

Yogini Tejaswini

Photos of red dragonfly darshan taken by Teja Shankara.

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