It was a full day.
Good night and sweet dreams.
Evening surrender
This tickled my funny bone
We had an extremely productive meeting at Dharmadevi and Narayan’s home this morning.
First we greeted Kali (their little black dog); met the three goats; caught a glimpse of some of the chickens; and viewed the barn and farmyard area (the cow chose not to make an appearance).
Then we brainstormed a whole new level of collaboration between Crystal Clarity Publishers and the Ananda Music Ministry. It feels like we’re shifting into a glorious new age for the music and books of Ananda!
But the funniest moment for me came when I noticed something strange in the bedroom… 😂
We’re getting there
We’ve been patiently waiting (we took our Lightbearer vows in January) for our friend, Mantradevi, to figure out how to get Lightbearer robes made. (It’s been a huge challenge but Mantradevi is a real trooper and she’s getting it done!)
She finally found a wonderful seamstress in town and today Ramesha was able to try on his finished robe — whoo hoo!
Mine is next. 🤩
Blame it on the heat
Unless I’ve had a definite appointment, this past week has seen me mostly holing up at home.
I’ve made it a point to get up early enough to walk every morning while temperatures are still fairly cool. But other than that I’ve alternated between catching up on paperwork and emails with reading my book and sweating. 😳
In fact, I’ve been feeling slightly antisocial and I really do think the heat is mostly to blame.
Wisdom from Rumi
It’s up to us to shine our light.
And that means every single one of us, no exceptions!
The world needs as many warriors of light as it can get right now.
Forest bathing
Although there’s been quite a lot written and said about forest bathing in the last few years, it’s not something I paid much attention to — other than vaguely thinking it was a good thing.
But this past week I’ve been getting back into a walking routine, going slightly farther each day. And as I went far enough this morning to actually relax and tune into my surroundings more deeply, I suddenly became aware that I was doing a version of forest bathing!
In fact, I live right in the forest, so every time I leave my home I can be forest bathing…if I’m consciously aware of doing so.
Of course, when I went to read more about forest bathing *, I learned that the recommended length for a forest bath is two hours.
Well, maybe I’ll save that for special occasion forest baths!
[* Click here for an article in Time magazine by Dr. Qing Li, the author of Forest Bathing: How Trees Can Help You Find Health and Happiness.]
Grateful for 20 years of marriage
Today Ramesha and I celebrated twenty years of marriage by going out for dinner at a lovely Italian restaurant in Grass Valley.
In looking through wedding photos, this one really jumped out at me. I mean really! Doesn’t Ramesha’s smile just say it all?!?
What a fortunate woman I am, indeed!
Patriotism & freedom
Thank you to my friend, Joni Palita, for the evocative photo and inspiring quotes. Plenty to think about as we celebrate the 4th of July in these interesting times.
“True patriotism springs from a belief in the dignity of the individual, freedom and equality not only for Americans but for all people on earth.”
— Eleanor Roosevelt
“Those who deny freedom to others, deserve it not for themselves.”
― Abraham Lincoln
“The function of freedom is to free someone else.”
― Toni Morrison, Nobel Peace Prize for Literature
Happy 90th to my wonderful Dad!
Maybe I’m just a little bit biased, but I truly believe that I have the best (and most handsome) Dad ever!
And today he turns 90 years old (still just as handsome as he ever was). How wonderful is that?
So, HAPPY BIRTHDAY, Gilbert Brooks! ✨💖✨
Exciting new developments
While we were in Lugano a couple of months ago, I felt a certain amount of inward restlessness. It was hard to pin down and define. The best I could come up with was that I felt some sort of shift was trying to happen.
In fact, for some time I had been becoming aware of a subtle but gradually increasing sense that we needed to be doing something more to accomplish our mission in serving the music of Ananda.
Well, not too long after we got back from Europe, Ramesha made the decision to reduce his teaching schedule in order to serve the music ministry full time. This is a huge shift — for him and for me — which is rippling out and inspiring the exciting new developments which we’re sharing about in the letter that follows.
Dear friend,
We’d like to share some exciting new developments about our work in service to Ananda Music.
Starting in the next few months, Bhagavati and I will be focusing a lot more on traveling to Ananda centers and meditation groups to provide support with learning, singing, and more deeply understanding our music.
We’ve experienced again and again the transforming power of Ananda Music; we want to make it possible for more people to benefit from it.
Our goal is to support everyone who wants to learn and sing our wonderful music!
If this project inspires you and you feel to support our efforts and help with travel expenses, we invite you to join our Bhagavati & Ramesha Patreon.
As a thank you for your generous help you will receive an exclusive video from us every month. 
Yay! The energy is definitely moving and we’re thrilled with the prospect of potentially visiting five different Ananda communities between now and the end of the year!