And So It Begins

1.1.11

One is the Divine number ~ full of new beginnings ~  the basis for all creation.  Wow!

Who knows what amount of magic this year will contain?!?!

(Here's a funny article detailing some numerical significance of the date.)

This morning found us at a fantastic yoga class with my teacher Laurel and her husband Dan.  Much wisdom and good energy was shared for the first day of this New Year!

I discovered a new song during our time together, which is Baba Hanuman by Heather and Benjy Wertheimer.  In the recent past, I have heard the same song by Krishna Das ~ and cannot seem to get enough of it.

Also, it seems like Hanuman is becoming more important to me right now (read: my heart is being called in that direction) and one of my goals for 2011 is to learn the Hanuman Chalisa.  It is said there is great power in chanting it.

"Whoever recites Hanuman Chalisa (40 stanzas praising Hanuman), written by Shree Tulsi Das, for 40 mornings, will beget health, wealth, happiness, courage, valour and wisdom. Devotees reading this Chalisa 108 times will overcome all obstacles."

With my Southern Baptist upbringing, it has taken me quite some time to gain an affinity for and get comfortable with the various Hindu deities.   On the surface, 'worshiping' a monkey god seems really silly!!  However, I am now able to move out of my judging mind and see the significance of viewing the Divine in the many manifestations represented by the epic Indian stories and scriptures.

(Although even now as I see images of Hanuman, I can't help but remember the characters in Planet of the Apes ~ some of which we saw on our recent visit to the Science Fiction Museum and Hall of Fame in Seattle!)

Hanuman signifies devotion to the Lord.  Bhakti yoga is the yoga of devotion.  It is not necessary to have an outside source or entity to which you are devoted.  Quite the opposite ~ devotion to your own Higher Self is the key.

"The kingdom of God is within you." 

~ Jesus, as quoted in Luke 17:21

And there are as many paths to this as there are people on the planet!

So in the case of unearthing your True Self (the work of the soul), devotion to the process.

"The prize is in the process."

~Baron Baptiste

Hanuman represents that devotion.

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I am delighted to be blogging again!  For those of you who are new here....WELCOME!

And for those who knew me from other blogging incarnations...WELCOME BACK!

I have great optimism for what this New Year will bring. :-)
I hope you'll stay tuned as this space develops.

Namaste'

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