World Oceans Day 2011...

"When anxious, uneasy and bad thoughts come, I go to the sea, and the sea drowns them out with its great wide sounds, cleanses me with its noise, and imposes a rhythm upon everything in me that is bewildered and confused." ~Rainer Maria Rilke

I went to the beach on Sunday.... Maracas Beach - which is one of the popular beaches in T&T. On the drive there I thought about how frequently (or infrequently as the case is) I actually visit the beach. One would think that living on an island would be reason enough for frequent visits to the sea but that hasn't been the case with me... Perhaps I'm not a beach baby? I remember a year or two when I didn't even visit the beach at all.

I did go this Sunday though. It was beautiful... calming in the quiet early morning. Waves crashing on the sand. Very few people about (my family isn't fond of crowds... when visiting the beach we leave home in the wee hours of the day, get to the beach before the crowds of people, and leave as the crowds start arriving). There is a peace that comes when one is able to relax on the shore... or float in the waters of the sea. Perhaps it is in the rhythm? The ebb and flow. It is simply centering... calming... beautiful.

It's World Oceans Day today... according to the website it is a day when 'people around the planet celebrate and honour the body of water which links us all, for what it provides humans and what it represents.' Take a moment to give thanks for our oceans... I don't think we have begun to understand all that it provides for us. Be inspired by these quotes from beliefnet. Check out my beach photos on Flickr.

peace,

Ren

Maha Shivratri tonight...

"Different paths to realization are prescribed by the three Vedas, by the Sānkhya, Yoga, and Shaiva doctrines, and by the Vaishnava shāstras. People follow different paths, straight or crooked, considering one best or most appropriate for their temperament, but all paths lead to You, just as different rivers flow into the same ocean." ~ Shiva Mahimnah Stotram (Hymn to the Glory of Shiva) 

When people ask me what religion I follow I usually comment that: 'it says Hindu on my birth-paper'. This is largely due to my mom (her background is Hindu) than my dad (I'm still not quite sure what his beliefs are... when I was much younger and now learning about religion I thought he was an atheist but no... I found out later that his family is Christian). As a Trini though I can say [quite calmly] that I've got family that belong to all the major faiths in our country - as in Hindu, Muslim and Christian (Presbyterian and Roman Catholic)... this is part of our culture... part of what makes us Trinis... our diversity. 

I like the freedom of being able to choose to follow whatever concepts or beliefs resonate most with me. I have taken part in Buddhist and Native American Indian rituals. I would like to whirl with the Sufis at some point in my future. My background though is strongly Hindu (again because of my mom). I wouldn't change it... mostly because in reading and listening and experiencing the energy of it - it resonates with me. 

Tonight is Maha Shivratri - in years past I have kept the vigil though tonight I won't because I'm working tomorrow (and can't take the day off or go to work zombie-fied). At least once in your lifetime, whatever religion or faith or belief you hold, I'd recommend keeping a vigil - for prayer, devotion, contemplation. It is an experience that lets your soul breathe - or at least that's what it feels like to me. As though in one night I can come close to understanding what there is to understand... of attaining the unattainable.

peace,

Ren

Magic.. Faith.. Belief..

"Whether we name divine presence synchronicity, serendipity, or graced moment matters little. What matters is the reality that our hearts have been understood. Nothing is as real as a healthy dose of magic which restores our spirits." ~Nancy Long 

I've got a red [faded red now] string tied around my left wrist. It's been there since the end of July last year and I just haven't gotten around to taking it off... the monk that put it on said it would wear off but it shows no signs of doing so... do I just leave it on? That's what I think, as it's a comfort now... a reminder of magic things. 

It amuses me [mostly... on a bad day I'm peeved] that here in Trinidad random people naturally assume that I'm Hindu. On one level... ok I get it ... our society is generally made up of Hindus, Muslims and Christians and of those major faiths it's only the Hindus [that I know of] that go around wearing red strings tied around their wrists. On another level... really? Do people not realise that there are other faiths out there that use the red string?

I got mine in a Buddhist ceremony I took part in last year... a Healing Chöd led by Dungse Rigdzin Dorje Rinpoche which was an overall amazing experience that I can't begin to put into words. Perhaps that is one of the reasons I don't want to part with my string... as I said... it's a bit of magic... protection against evil... a reminder of beautiful things. As is all things spiritual and faith-based I guess. Today is the fall equinox... time to reflect, renew, refresh... tomorrow is the full moon - full moon in September is the Harvest Moon - to me it all speaks of coming back to ourselves and connecting with the earth and sky and all that is inside and outside of us. 

It's a magic time. Miracles or what one can call miracles are happening. It's the end of a period of worship dedicated to Lord Ganesh and apparently Ganesh murtis are accepting the offerings of milk and water. While I'm not a full-fledged Hindu (all religions are equal in my book) my family does lean more towards Hinduism than other fates and thus... I'm a believer in miracles. Almost 15 years ago this same phenomenon known as the Hindu Milk Miracle on Wikipedia took place. Coincidence? Maybe. Maybe not. 

It feels like a good time for some prayer though... and a card reading or two...    

peace,

Ren