I would never have anticipated that I would develop a love/hate relationship with — of all things — an abdominal binder!
But so it is.
Not only is it by nature constricting, it doesn’t work all that well for my body type. Rather than staying evenly distributed along my torso, it gradually works its way both up and down to gather in a bunch at my lower back.
However, when I take it off to shower, I totally miss the security and support it provides and can’t wait to put it on again.
And I get to love it/hate it for almost two more weeks. Oh, goodie.
The great Indian master, Paramhansa Yogananda, recommended the wearing of an astrological bangle to strengthen one’s aura and deflect or mitigate negative karma.
In Autobiography of a Yogi he wrote: “Just as a house may be fitted with a copper rod to absorb the shock of lightning, so can the bodily temple be protected in certain ways.”
When I first found Ananda, all my new devotee friends were wearing bangles, but I figured it would take me years to save up in order to buy one for myself. After all, the bangle is made of gold, silver, and copper, and — even back in 1999 — new ones cost a pretty penny indeed!
What I didn’t know (but was about to learn) is that Divine Mother will sometimes fulfill our need before we’re even aware we have it.
I had accepted a job as school secretary for Ananda’s Living Wisdom School, which was kind of crazy to start with, considering that I knew almost nothing about the areas I was now responsible for!
The school was in the same building as the Ananda church offices, so one afternoon as I was passing through the boutique my friend who was the the office manager, called me over and introduced me to a former church member.
Turns out this woman had come in because she was no longer using her astrological bangle and wanted to sell it. My friend, Stephanie, asked her how much she was selling it for and the answer was $500. Then Stephanie turned to me and asked if I was interested. Of course I was, but I didn’t have $500!
Without a moment’s hesitation, Stephanie turned back to the woman and asked whether she would be willing to take payments of $50 a month. Again the answer was yes, so Stephanie’s next question to me was whether I could handle that.
And in the space of about ten minutes I had my own bangle which was completely paid off within ten months!
Here’s the kicker: only a few weeks later the school experienced a major upheaval; a time of severe stress involving all the teachers and staff. I was still very new — not just to the job, but also on the spiritual path — and the drama of it all really threw me for a loop. But at least I had the energetic support of my astrological bangle!
In retrospect I understood that Stephanie had served as Divine Mother’s channel to make sure I was protected.
As the time grows closer for Ramesha and I to relocate to Sacramento for my bone marrow transplant, I started feeling like it was time to get my bangle checked out and cleaned, which I hadn’t done for probably fifteen years.
I finally contacted Bhima of astrologicalbangles.com just a few days ago, and after replacement of the silver and copper, cleaning, annealing, and polishing, my bangle is as good as new — ready to support and protect me through these upcoming challenges.
I’m once again humbled by the continuous outpouring of support that I receive pretty much every day.
This is just one example.
It came, out of the blue, from dear friends that I hardly ever get to see anymore because they live in another state now. But they sent a card with this beautiful heart, and reading the message, I felt their hug and their sincere caring.
And every time I look at it, I feel very, very loved.
This morning was spent driving to Sacramento for a consultation with a specialist at the UC Davis Cancer Center, followed by a lovely lunch visit with my Dad and sister.
This was especially perfect as it was Ramesha’s birthday and he hadn’t spent time with them since our Father’s Day/birthday (mine and Cathy’s) celebration back in June!
When we stopped to pick up packages in the mailroom on our way home, we found a box of flowers addressed to Fabio Nani, which we assumed were for his birthday (which would have been a first in his experience).
But we were wrong! The bouquet of tulips came with a note addressed to me, saying: “Sending you healing thoughts and a little sunshine to brighten your day.” And it was from Amy Porterfield and her team. She’s the founder of the Digital Course Academy which Ramesha has been getting so much out of this past year.
He had written to the group to explain why he’s taking a break in order to help me during this time of health challenge, and received a tsunami wave of supportive responses that culminated in this thoughtful gift.
What an amazing group of people; they don’t even know me, but they are supporting their colleague with so much love.
I’m once again humbled by the overwhelming support we’re receiving.
I would never have guessed that receiving this much love, this much support,thismuch attention would be such a humbling experience.
But it is.
In fact, I’m beginning to think this is the first big lesson — test, even — of my health journey.
The fact is that I’m not all that comfortable with lots of attention. Of course, if I say that to someone, they’re surprised, because I’m obviously quite comfortable standing up in front of lots of people and performing.
But you see, when I’m performing, it’s not about me; it’s about the music and that makes all the difference.
So, I understand that a big part of my job right now is to focus on being open and receptive to the blessings that are pouring in from all sides.
I’m concentrating on breathing it all in and accepting that God really does love me this much.
I’m always a little surprised, yet deeply comforted, when I “own up” to my low moments and then receive so much loving support and encouragement in return. I have the world’s best network of friends, for whom I am so very, very grateful!
One of those friends reminded me about the astrological perspective. Which brought to mind a quote from my astrologer friend, Drupada: “It’s just astrological weather.”
Yep. And like the physical weather, it can be messy and inconvenient and scary at times, but it passes. 🌈
I’m feeling so blessed! Yesterday’s sharing of some doubts and concerns immediately resulted in an outpouring of support and encouragement from friends far and near.
Having people in one’s corner — believing in you, praying for you, knowing that all will be well with you — makes all the difference in the world.
You know the sign of a really great father? Look at how many times he’s been “adopted”!
I mean, my mother gave birth to two daughters — me and Cathy — but I long ago lost count of how many friends “adopted” our Dad to be their Dad as well!
Unconditional love. Unwavering support. My #1 fan. Generous to a fault (sometimes literally).
That’s my Dad.
I have so much love and gratitude for this man and I felt to share a few photos of him through the years. 💗
A Facebook friend (who I haven’t seen since high school!) was describing a recent meltdown moment and, in sympathy, I replied with one of my own…
“I hear you! My meltdown was last Friday. That’s when the resident physician connected with the community where I live gave us all a really strong talk and we started shutting everything down. It was intense. The funny thing is that my husband and I co-direct the music ministry but sort of take our music for granted… except for that evening! I was feeling the heaviness of it all and getting lower and lower… and I finally turned to him and said, “let’s sing something!” And it really helped! Whatever tools we’ve assembled over time are now getting used for real. Stay strong and healthy, my friend!💗“
This was just a quick Facebook post in support of a friend. But as I checked it for typos, I realized there was a lot of food for thought contained in that paragraph. Starting with how can I possibly take our music for grated? and why am I so surprised when it helps?
Now I’m seeing that one of the silver linings of this crisis for me is being forced to act on what I know, and really use the tools and resources at my disposal. Including the full use of this music I love.
