Crescent moon at dawn
Like the one caught gleaming in
Siva’s matted locks.
It was a day of meetings and conversations and emails. I’m in the middle of a major project, and it feels demanding. I’m being careful to take good care of myself.
On the walk home, just as the last glimmers of daylight were fading, I could feel the temperature dropping. Any last warmth was being blown away by the wind. I was bundled up and had my computer with me with the intention of working from home. The sky was like a black opal–dark blue-grays with fiery orange streaks. The walk (chanting the Maha mrityunjaya mantra for some of the way) shifted me out of work mode.
I came home to my newest gardening venture. The worms will arrive separately; they will be held for me at the post office to keep them out of the cold.
Experienced vermicomposters, please feel freee to post your favorite tips for happy, healthy, hungry worms.
As I was working with this photo in preparation to post, I received the news that two acquaintances–both active and respected members of one of my spiritual communities–died today. Each had been ill, and both were able to be with their families. They were inspirations of love and patience, shining lights in their own unique way, and I wish I had known them better. How timely for me this exhortation I saw earlier this week, this reminder to face fully whatever comes.
It was gray when I woke and mostly gray—though not raining most of the day. For a few fine minutes the sky called me to watch.
As regular readers may have noticed, last Sunday I was inspired to blog about Arjuna’s dilemma on the battlefield in connection with local events. Later that day, I was reminded that this coming Sunday, January 16th, will be the first meeting of the new book club at Willow Street Yoga Center (Takoma Park studio). The book for the first meeting is Ram Dass’s Paths to God, Living the Bhagavad Gita. Perhaps I was thinking about the Gita because in the back of my mind, I knew that the reading was on my to do list. Perhaps, the book club reading was just energetically connected to where my thoughts were already going. Perhaps it was just a coincidence (though I do not much believe in coincidence).
Although the date had crept up on me unawares, I did already have Paths to God on my shelf and began reading it upon getting the reminder about the book club. The book, which is taken from a series of lectures at the then newly opened Naropa University, is rich with stories about Ram Dass’s own spiritual journey, recommendations for a wide range of practices for discovery of our own spirit, and has lots of juicy thought about taking the study of the Bhagavad Gita and other spiritual texts out of our heads and into how we live our lives and embrace the world.
I hope to see many of my local yogi friends at the book club meeting, not just to expand ourselves by reading and discussing this beautiful text, but to deepen our yoga community and practice by being together. I am sure you are welcome, too, to bring your needlework. If you cannot join us this time, do think about adding the book to your list of yoga books to read. Ram Dass is always thought-provoking, inspiring, and delightful to read.
There is a google group for the book club if you want to get updates. I trust that you will be added to the group if you email: willowstreetbookclub@googlegroups.com
