Month: December 2023

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Practicing the presence of God

Brother Lawrence

“Everyone discusses my art and pretends to understand, as if it were necessary to understand, when it is simply necessary to love.” — Claude Monet

This quote reminds of Nayaswami Parvati’s beautiful talk at Sunday service this morning.

She was sharing about Brother Lawrence, telling us that his way of practicing the presence of God was absolutely just love. He simply loved God!

He became a lay member in a monastery, but when he tried to tune into the dogma of the church (being a sinner; heaven and hell; etc.) it made him feel bad. So he just continued loving God instead!

He wasn’t educated and his service was very humble, but he was filled with deep wisdom and his spiritual life was dynamic.

Brother Lawrence died in 1691 but his insights and teachings continue to inspire us more than 300 years later.

Thinking of his life, I don’t think he would mind if I adapt the above quote by Claude Monet in his honor:

“Everyone discusses God and pretends to understand, as if it were necessary to understand, when it is simply necessary to love.”

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Happy Hanukkah

I usually fall behind on things throughout the month of December, so — sure enough — Hanukkah started two days ago and I’m just now tuning in.

Of course, it’s such a heartbreaking time, with wars happening and Antisemitism on the rise and craziness in Congress…but I want to focus on goodness and love and….LIGHT!

So, Happy Hanukkah and if you feel to, check out Project Menorah as a way to combat Antisemitism.

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Light and easy

Here’s to feeling light and easy while enjoying a quiet, laid back evening.

A nice way to end an intense week…especially with a full weekend ahead, which will be followed by another big week.

It’s definitely that time of year!

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More and more satisfying

That’s how I’m feeling about our ensemble rehearsals!

We’re listening more to one another. We’re maintaining the energy and holding our pitch. We’re consistently conveying the meaning of the lyrics. We’re going deeper into the consciousness of every song.

Sometimes it feels like hard work, but at the same time, we’re having so much FUN!

This is one of the moments that I really, really love my job.

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Feeling needed

If you saw this while walking past a car, wouldn’t you see it as a message from the universe? I certainly did!

It’s nice to know I’m needed. 😉

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Clang, clang, clang!

Today I made the delightful discovery that Voctave has recorded “The Trolley Song” — one of my absolute most favorite songs of all time!

My first introduction to this song was on my Dad’s recording of the Dave Brubeck Quartet, featuring Paul Desmond on alto saxophone. I was in high school and saxophone was my main instrument at the time. So, Paul Desmond was basically my hero, but more than that was simply how the song made me feel. It’s just so buoyant and happy.

It wasn’t until many years later that I saw the movie, “Meet Me in St. Louis,” and finally heard the original version of the song, sung by Judy Garland. I found it to be just as buoyant and happy as ever.

Which brings me back to Voctave. In addition to the buoyant and happy song itself, I love the over-the-top fun and creativity they brought to their version.

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Rediscovering Voctave

The first time we heard this group — back before they were called Voctave — was when we stumbled upon their Disney medley in 2015 or so. It was so incredibly amazing that we listened to it over and over again, and I still revisit it when I need a little something to pick me up (as I wrote about in this blog post).

Now I’ve rediscovered them yet again and am delighted to find that they’re still going strong.

I’ve never in my life heard a group with such perfection of timing, harmony, and interpretation. The arrangements are also out-of-this-world wonderful.

But when you add the depth of feeling and expressivity that they convey in every note…! Well, it just doesn’t get any better than this.

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Feeling inspired

No matter how much I struggle to stick with my day-to-day routines (including meditation), I’m always grateful for the boost of bliss and inspiration I feel after a Kriya initiation!

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A red-letter day!

Yes, our new recording of Swami Kriyananda’s Christ Lives: An Oratorio was officially released today! You can find it HERE.

Equally thrilling was the return of Jyotish and Devi to Ananda Village, after more than three months (which felt like forever) in Italy, the Netherlands, and India.

The entire community met them as they arrived at the entrance to the Village late this morning. I had hoped to find a pic to share here, but it seems that nobody — not even one of our usual photo-happy folks — thought to pull out phone or camera.

On the one hand, I wish I had a photo. But on the other hand, I appreciate that we were all just in the moment, being with Jyotish and Devi, giving them our undivided attention.

The truth is that I specifically grabbed my phone when I got out of the car for exactly that reason. But I didn’t think of it once while we were all there.

Below is the next best thing — a photo of Jyotish and Devi just before they caught the flight home from Mumbai.