The True Beginning

Two darling faces that popped up while walking.

Diving into the reading has been fantastic.  Almost finished with the Gita and started another book about a guru's process to self realization. In Gurudev's absence, I have been reflective of the past year spanning from the animal search in South Africa to ending up in India for a spiritual search.  I am at the bottom of my to do list.  I have been able to experience poverty, charity work, disabled education, and animal welfare programs while living in a very different culture.  The only door to go through now is whatever my spiritual providence is and I need a Guru for that.  Looks like I am in great shape.

On a much deeper, clearer level, I am here for one reason--to experience the Divine through Gurudev's teachings.  My sceptic/scientist is turning into a devotee.  I understand why the heart path has to transcend the intellect at some point. The reading is support, but the real process will continue with meditation and inner teachings from Gurudev.  Very, very blessed to be at the bottom of my list and be in the "right" place. Willingness, trust, and love well up as I open to the unknown of the path and the future.

It is the true beginning.

Great place to take a nap.  My manhole cover flew off my heart again when I looked in her eyes and touched her nose.

Peace Pilgrim: An American Sage

Thank you Hava for the video clip and thank you Eddie for the book several years ago.  Reading her book inspired me to look at spirituality from a bigger picture--a global picture.  Her work encouraged me to get out of my chair and take the first step...  Could there be a Global walk for Peace? Watching the video reminded me of how truly inspiring she was (is.)

Video: Peace Pilgrim: An American Sage Who Walked Her Talk

http://www.peacepilgrim.org/htmfiles/sagevideo.htm

Peace Pilgrim Home

Peace Pilgrim - 1908-1981 - Walking over 25,000 miles from 1953 to 1981, Peace Pilgrim spread her message of world, group, and individual inner peace throughout North

Another piece of reality:

 Bangalore police rescue child beggars*

Heart Growing

A surprise photo from someone at the ashram--thank you!

Bring It On!!!

Bring it on!!!  After the begging children and hounding taxi driver's, I was asking if that is the best the universe can do.  What, no damaged animals, buses running me over, or what ever else flavors the day?  Something has shifted.  I feel like dancing in the street.  While walking to the gym this morning, I realized that the struggles are only against my own thought process.  I can feel that singular thread that now exists inside.  There isn't anything else.  I have been here before, but more as a punctuation than a sentence or a paragraph.  If I am only fighting against myself, than I am excited to get rolling on burning off the karmic debt to freedom.  I was challenging India to "Bring it" as I walked home.  Can I stay in this place of equanimity?  Time will tell, but in the mean time--I see the peephole to freedom. 

Don't Touch The Knob

After spending a remarkable morning with the group at DISHA, so much love, enthusiasm, and compassion from the team and the children--how does one adjust to what is viewed while driving home?  At one stop sign, there was a woman who had her children doing gymnastics on the street in between the cars asking for money.   The next stop light, there were two young girls without shirts, filthy, bedraggled hair, no shoes weaving in between the vehicles asking for money.  The third stopping point, there were two boys playing instruments with painted faces who were asking for money.  The list goes on.  There was a dead, bloodied cat in the road which high-sided one wheel as we drove over it.  As I stepped out of the auto-rickshaw upon reaching "home" there was a half eaten dog carcass on the street.

Do I just hide and never come out?  The room isn't even a retreat.  The home owner's decided that one section of the bathroom wall wasn't clean enough (soap residue) even though their enclosed bathrooms constantly smell of urine, so one has to hold their breath while exiting out the door.  All of it is minor relative to the big picture, but forget logic.

Is this the process to stabilize in an open heart under any and all conditions?  Keeps increasing the highs and lows until something completely fractures and insanity or internal peace is reached?  Someone mentioned 5 years to burn through the karma to reach peace and when I almost fainted, "Five years of this?????" there was a possibility of 2.  Strategy?  I sat with this thought of strategy. Not mine of course--just waiting to hear the download.  Not sure if I will survive, but the only information that circulated through me was try and stay in that deepest, most wide open, loving place in my heart no matter what.  It is all an illusion anyway right?

If the blog goes "dark," you will know that I went insane....

This is real:

India's Deadly Secret http://news.yahoo.com/video/tech-15749651/india-s-deadly-secret-27566497.html Part 1: Why an estimated 40 million girls have gone "missing" in India. Read the full story

DISHA Hippotherapy

Morning Assembly

Getting Started

Hippotherapy offered at DISHA www.dishafoundation.org , I was invited to come out and experience another facet of India's support for disabled, young people.  The military generously provides a bus, horses, and rider/handlers to facilitate the children having a unique experience with horses.  The magic of horses is an international phenomena.  The process was to put the children on the front of the saddle with a rider and take them for a ride.   I asked if they had ever considered placing the children on alone, with a side-walker on each side, and a handler at the horse's head. It had not been tried, but with much enthusiasm, they jumped right in. I had the good fortune to observe the process at the therapeutic riding center in Southern California www.sheacenter.org during the past 5 years.   They are one of the leading centers in North America for hippotherapy.

Normal process

Making Changes

First test run

While watching the transformation, I never would have guessed they were using polo ponies who had never done this before and the children within one lap were starting to find their center balance, core stabilization, and independence.  Wow, it was remarkable to witness such a change.  The adults helping were surprised as well.  One person remarked that now she could really understand the benefits of hippotherapy.  I don't have an experienced eye for the therapeutic side, but I have years of observing transformation in riding position, so I could see it too!  It all touched that very deep place I am uncovering in my heart from the spiritual journey.   Too bad California wasn't closer, so the "experts" could come and give a hand, but I will offer what I can and focus on safety--getting helmets for the children, safe footwear, handling techniques for the horses, looking at alignment in the children. etc.

Final Group

(Quite a moment for me to watch the last two boys sitting up unassisted with big smiles on their faces--completely forgetting their disabilities until I saw them crawling up the stairs after dismounting.  Thank you to the Shea Center for letting me absorb your thoughtful/professional process!)

The Gym

One half

This is it--the gym.  Getting really creative with the equipment which is fun.  Most days the power is off, but I am still finding ways to get a good workout.  Muscles are starting to reappear.  Cardio is still suffering a bit, but I don't have anything that is requiring large levels of aerobic capacity right now.  I should work out a deal with the owner, since he likes to use me as part of the sales pitch for new customers.  I have never really worked out with the same group of guys everyday, since the gym I belong to at home is huge, (24 Hour Fitness) so a bond of sorts is forming.  Who would have guessed...

Other half