Why the cows in India roam wild & free
Cows, cows, cows in India…everywhere One of my favorite parts about going to India is spending time with the cows :). They are everywhere…smack dab in middle of traffic, grazing in open apartment courtyards, catching a nap on a street median and sticking...
Happy Diwali (Indian New Year’s Eve)
Dear Friends, The week of our Indian New Year’s is super special, it’s one of my favorite weeks of the year :). The days leading up to Diwali (our Indian New Year’s Eve) are super festive. Every morning and evening during those five days, it’s...
Navratri
Festival of the Goddesses….inside and out. Yesterday was the first day of Navratri, the 9-day Indian festival dedicated to the goddesses Durga Ma, Amba Ma, Annapurna Devi, Saraswatiji, Lakshmiji, Bhavani Ma….and so, so, so many others…including the...
Shraddh: honoring our ancestors
One of my favorite things about the Indian culture is the vast amount of traditions, ceremonies and customs that are sprinkled throughout the year to honor the gods, our ancestors and the divinity within ourselves. Today marks the first day of Shraddh (Sept 5-19), a two-week period dedicated to honoring our ancestors.
The Great American Eclipse
Happy August everyone! This month we have two big eclipses happening; a full lunar eclipse on August 7 (not visible in the USA) and a full solar eclipse on August 21, that’s already been named as the Great American Eclipse, as it will only be visible in the...
Chaitra Navratri: A special kind of New Moon
Honoring the Divine Today is the start of a new moon, that falls in the “special variety” of new moons. For those of you not familiar with the Indian Lunar calendar, it is the traditional calendar by which yogi’s have observed holy days &...
The Greatness of Shiva
EVERYDAY REMINDERS FOR STRIVING MEDITATORS This Friday night is one of my all-time favorite nights of the year; Shivratri; a night dedicated to Lord Shiva, the Lord of Yoga, the ultimate renunciate. This hindu deity, known for his deep states of meditation, ability to...
Festival of Lights- inside & out
Inviting The Divine Within. I can’t believe it’s my favorite time of the year already :)! Diwali is certainly the biggest and the brightest of all Hindu festivals; known as the festival of lights (deep = light and avali = a row i.e., a row of lights)...