The Guru’s moon. While Baba was in his body, Guru Pūrnimā, the full moon in July, was celebrated with thousands of people paying their respects to Baba. At this time of year, Ganeshpuri experiences the monsoon. We would hear the rain coming and run under the overhangs on the buildings. The weather may have been brutal, but it did not …
The Power of Woundedness….
We are becoming a world of wounded people. In the United States alone, there is an entire complex of industries, helping professions, and self-help promoters that profit from encouraging us to identify with woundedness. The words “health” and “wholeness” are thrown around, but the actual focus is on woundedness. This “healing” industry preserves our wounds; it feeds off our wounds …
Power Hungry, Powerful….
When the motivation is Love with no twists and turns, then everyone is Loved. Then every action is for everyone’s good. When we can tell the difference between Love and power, we can see that the Guru actually wants us not just to love, but to be Love. But as long as we are attached to and identified with the …
Love and Independence….
The Guru brings us independence from the tyranny of the small self. Independence means that we know who we are and know we are not the small self. We are freed from the constructs that have kept us locked in the smallness of an idea. We are now free to act and relate with the world without being identified with …
Love: the True and the False….
Baba used to say “Thank God for false gurus.” Why? Because they serve as foils by which we can recognize the true. I never questioned this. Baba had me take care of the false gurus that came to see him. He taught me to discern the difference between these false guides and Baba. These people had trappings, disciples, protocols, rituals, …
The Risk of Love….
“If you don’t love, you’re dead. If you do, they’ll kill you.” -Herbert McCabe Love is everyone’s goal whether they know it or not. Love comes with a risk because until we actively choose this goal we will be only moving toward twisted love which is always tainted with hate. The people who Love are willing to Love no matter …
The Guru Stone….
Many people have read my story of being given the Guru stone in my book Walking Home with Baba. For those who have not, I will give a short summary and continue from there. Over my years with Baba, he gave me various semiprecious stones. There were several citrines; they are lovely but only resemble the Guru stone, which in …
I Am No Fun….
I am no fun. Throughout my life I have heard this. I have even believed it and felt bad. Being identified as a no-fun person means the activities and interests I enjoy are no fun. Some of those activities and interests included dancing at age six and becoming both dedicated and disciplined from the time I was eight. Neighborhood bicycling, …
The General on the Hill….
Some commentators on the Yoga Sutras speak of the Witness as a General on a hill overlooking the troops. From this metaphor many people come to understand the Witness as distant and unengaged; a being who watches but is completely uninvolved. The troops are left to their own devices and therefore to fate, wandering the field without the guidance of …
Our Birthright Is the Witness….
Baba always had me witness, watch. I, however, always wanted to be part of the action. And the truth is I was; my acting took the form of witnessing. As a child I always preferred to participate, as in camp where I always wanted to be the camper, never the counselor who stood around and watched. As a dancer I …