I regularly have been passing a dairy farm for over a year that had not been caring for its cows well.  Each day I pass by, i greet the cows with love but in my heart, I was unhappy with their condition.  Three days a week, I drive by, think and feel for how I can be of help to them.  I would look at the countless grassy fieldsand wish that they would be allowed to roam and feed on them.  I began planning  to lodge a complaint with our state agriculture department but had not yet done so. 

Last month, I noticed a truck from our State agriculturedepartment that oversees dairy farming parked at the farm.  The next day, the cows were out grazing on the many acres of grass meadows.  The foul feeding area was undergoing a major clean up and the lovely cows themselves had been cleaned of their mud and feces.  My heart was singing with joy for them.

As any creature of habit, the cows began wandering off to eat the dry hay and feed formerly provided and I became concerned that the situation would again degrade.  Two weeks ago, the truck was again there and further clean ups began, the old feeding area was now roped off and no dry hay was provided.  So far, so good and now those beautiful cows can even wander to the edge where I can seem them closer up.  What joy to begin a work day with such a blissful scene.

I recounted this story to my dearest friend, who was equally overjoyed.  We were both impressed that our State took action.  She then turned to me and said "you changed that just with your energy!"  That never occurred to me.  What do you think?

 Yeah for Cows!

linda m

The sweetest fruit of the last two years was tasted following laughter class

was it extraordinary fruit or sweetened by the chemistry released through laughing

Though forced at first to forge a path to the funny bone

it melted all the holding on so joy could spill through every pore

i'm grateful to that funny man who knows his science well

and weaves it into art and play and teaches how to tickle

our pituitaries so they can send some happy vibes pulsing through

our anatomy and clearing fear of stepping into Light.

The sweetest fruit was a nectarine at 4:15

drizzled in laughter and sprinkled with joy and topped with the sweetness

of the Self.

At one of our  last satsangs, a teacher   mentioned a comment she received stating that ‘Vedanta was too intellectual and not of the heart’  (apologies as this is not a verbatim quote).  I have been contemplating this since it was said and today brought it up to our small Vedanta Study Group for their feedback.  Responses included that Vedanta was “heady,”  “that it works through the head or mind and filters into the rest of your Life,” “Vedanta is practical and can make you a better person,“ and my own thought that it helps you develop discrimination and a different lens through which to view Life.

Well, our study group concluded two hours ago but my mind is still mulling this over and incorporating my friends comments.  It was only when I took a break from thinking that the most beautiful and appropriate response popped up.  “The teachings of Vedanta provide a foundation from which Life can be lived.”  I say this is appropriate because this is exactly how it has affected me.  I have a rock solid foundation that allows me to explore our magnificent world and understand It through Vedanta.  From the principles of the basic elements of the material world, the vasanas that drive our thoughts and actions, and the perceiving that all is Brahman to the application that we are all intricately connected to all beings and every thought, word and deed affects the whole. 

Now, we’re talkin’.  This realization doesn’t feel so heady  and it reminds me of many instances where these teachings  caused me to make a different choice, a more compassionate choice.  This also reminds me of why we gather in satsang: to be in the company of truth seekers, to exchange perspectives and learn from each other.  So, thank you to my fellow seekers of Truth, to our Beloved teachers, to those who make it possible to gather and of course, to Our Ancestors for passing down the teachings of Vedanta.

May we all know Peace,
lindam

Maybe if we stop elevating our entertainers to the status of Kings, they can stop overmedicating themselves and self-destructing.  We are all equal with lesser or greater degrees of expression.  Putting others on a pedestal attracts energy that tends to deface and defame  the one elevated and subject them to overscrutiny that none of us would wish to face.  Compassion calls us to appreciate others and not hold them to unachievable standards that weigh heavily on one's conscience.  Wake up to your own Divinity, recognize it in others and let everyone Be.

May we all know Peace.

"I just want everybody to get along."  I have heard this mantra echoing  in my head and heart as far back as I can remember.  I grew up in a loud Italian household where volume did not always equate with arguing.  And often it did.  The yelling was fiery, opinionated and short-lived.  Then everyone moved on.  It was just a passing dialogue and grudges were not held.  Of course, if you're on the sensitive side, even brief and well-meant screaming can leave you rattled.  And it did.

Then and Now, fighting causes a physiological discomfort in my heart and a deep longing for Peace.  As a preschooler, I would be distraught witnessing family or neighborhood fights.  As an adult, whenever a conflict or war broke out in some part of the world, I would recoil in silent heartache and dismay for days.  Since conflicts were cropping up entirely too often, my reaction was no longer practical as I had children to raise and work to attend to.  Meditation was a tremendous support as I worked to find a more productive response.  There were the occasional anti-war demonstrations and petition signings that offered slight relief.  They were, however, actions taken in the spirit of 'against' something  instead of 'for' what I wanted to see happen.  It was  just a subtle form of disagreement!

I am now 51; and as I search my being for true purpose, there's that mantra and that same impulse.  I want all beings to live in Peace and I need to be part of that process.  I work as a psychotherapist and have an outlet for facilitating harmony.  It seems time to extend and allow this desire for resolution and reconciliation to burst into a larger setting.  I am willing to go where it leads, heck; I'm excited. 

May we all know Peace and Purpose.

In Peace, Love and Laughter

lm