Still adventuring...

"We are shaped and fashioned by what we love." ~Johann Wolfgang von Goethe

I think perhaps I may have lived in the Berkshires in a past life. How else can I explain the sense of homecoming I feel on my return here? Yes, one can say that I've been here before (last year - Kripalu experience) but even at that time there was an unexplainable sense of ..belonging. My heart is fuller.. my lungs breathe deeper. There is  a strange sort of peace. 

Since my last postings I have visited two Botanical Gardens.. laid my head down in completely different types of lodgings and immersed myself in the artsy spirituality that is this area of the world.

The first Garden to be visited was in NJ on Sunday... mom & I encouraged my brother to take us... Skylands - the New Jersey Botanical Gardens is simply gorgeous. It brings to mind weddings and garden parties and large family gatherings. Perhaps it is the Taurean in me that is pleased with all the green space, flowering plants and moving water. Taurus is an earth sign - we're supposed to be known for our green thumbs... I don't know why but my thumbs (or any other digits) totally missed that astrological influence. Plants die when I try to take care of them. Plants stay healthy (safe) if I let them be. I love looking at them though... and just being in such a space can be incredibly uplifting and energizing. 

The next day my mom and I were on our way to Massachusetts. Due to some unforeseen circumstances we arrived later than scheduled and thus booked the night at the Red Lion Inn, Stockbridge, MA. I think my mom has karma with this Inn that maybe she's worked out now. Last year when I was a volunteer at Kripalu and mom came by me she got off at the wrong bus stop which incidentally was the one at the Red Lion Inn. Since then she's always talked about how nice they were and such. When we found ourselves needing a place to stay urgently it seemed that the best idea would be to stay at the Red Lion (the bus stops there after all). The Red Lion Inn has major history as it dates back almost two centuries. It's New England charm at its best. We travelled to the 2nd floor via an old-fashioned cage elevator... We counted teapots in the dining room... We were generally charmed by the entire place... 

The Red Lion Inn is in Stockbridge, MA. Totally worth visiting. We did a walking tour... stuffed our suitcases into the rental car and wandered around like the tourists we were. Feasted our eyes at the Schantz Gallery: contemporary glass sculptures at its best. Contemplated going to the Library but knew we'd end up spending the day there...

Got into our rental car and headed to our main place of abode during our mini-week in the Berkshires... the GPS couldn't find it. Luckily we (female Trinis) have a semi-developed sense of direction.. we're in the midst of the state forest..


Day after... designated Kripalu day... much love to you people who I did see and who I didn't... it was great being back... soaking in the atmosphere... so different yet so much the same. Energy flow and grow... A piece of my heart resides there... Questions: how long am I back for? Will I come again? What am I doing now? Am I using what I learnt? Am I? Hmm... Still in processing ... hold on all the questions. One truth: I want to travel to places such as this. Keeping an eye out for the road to Mexico. Cloud coverage over MA... Heaviness in the atmosphere. 

Last full day in the Berkshires: weather: sunny - hardly a cloud in the sky. Plan to be out early... end up staying in till the afternoon. I love you my mama.. and I worry. Visit to the Norman Rockwell Museum... did you know he spent the last 25 years of his life in Stockbridge?  Have new found appreciation for both his art and his life. 

Visit to the second Garden: the Berkshire Botanical Gardens... beauty.. form.. nature. They've got a Hogwarts garden! Inspired by Harry Potter and filled with plants and herbs for the witch and wizard... lol... Yes, I do like some fantasy mixed in with my reality.. Thank you. 

Feel a bit lost ... am I really leaving tomorrow? Yes. Sneak into Kripalu and pay a last visit to the Labyrinth... Contemplation. Where am I now... what do I need to be doing... what's holding me back... 

We drive through Undermountain... my mom no longer holds on to the seat though the road is narrower... who needs a GPS? I don't. Forest. Mountain. Beauty. There is a bit of me that aches when I think about leaving. Living in the moment... still hard to do... will it one day be easier? Breathe. 


Late night and I'm closing here. We take a bus to NY today/tomorrow/early morning and that signals the return leg of this journey. It's my brother's birthday today. Time moves but is there really time? Questions and answers and I'm in a strange mood tonight...


May we find what we seek... guidance on our path... 


peace,
Rtr