On learning to pray

prayerblog

Taken on shivarathri 2016.

Taught to pray

My mother taught me to pray the best way that someone can teach anyone to pray. Prayer is the silent language of Indian Spirituality that everybody speaks in temples. But I didn’t know the words.

From the outside, prayers in temples looked like eyes closed, palms together at the chest, a secret communion with God. Sometimes teardrops, sometimes bought to your knees. But what was going on inside? I had no idea.

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Happy Diwali – a celebration of our inner light

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Happy Diwali!

(I have included photos taken by some of my friends who are also honouring this beautiful day by lighting candles.)

The festival of light – one of India’s many beautiful and symbolic festivals!

While rooted in historical stories and mythology, I love to focus instead on the spiritual significance of Diwali.

For me, Diwali represents the light of our inner being. It means igniting the light within us. It is a celebration of our inner light.

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8 Things that have made me a happier person

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Hi friends 🙂

Lately I have noticed that I experience a new kind of happiness in my life. With some contemplation I have put together a list of a few things that I believe have helped create this happiness. I would love to hear from you. What makes you a happier person?

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The Wedding Series: In the garden of lights

The night before the wedding we have a party at my grandparents home. It is a chance for me to receive blessings from all our relatives and close family members. My grandfather is a strong, wise man who adores all his grandchildren. He asked me “What would make the party special for you?” and I said “lights.”

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When I stepped outside after getting ready, I felt like I had walked into a magical world, a fairytale garden. The warm indian breeze, the inky blue night sky, the starlight and fairy lights, the emerald green reflecting off the trees.

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The wedding series: Sangeet & Haldi

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For those who know anything about Indian weddings, they will know it is no easy feat. It is full of beautiful rituals and wonderful traditions, all designed to prepare the bride for her journey in this lifetime as a wife. I enjoyed every single moment of this experience. And look back at this dreamy celebration with so much gratitude and joy.

The first wedding event was the Sangeet and Haldi.

The Sangeet function is a music and dance event. A bright, vibrant celebration of preparing for all the magic of a wedding . Songs that are about weddings are played, women dance together and laugh together. They rejoice in all that love and marriage is!

The Haldi is the ritual applying of Haldi (turmeric-  for her spiritual purification) all over my body, along with honey (for her sweetness of character) and milk (for innocence of her heart) all over the bride, preparing her on the heart and soul level for becoming a wife.

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A few days in India

Good morning everybody. It is 3:50 am in India and I am awake due to the jet lag.
I love being in this country. I have a diary entry that I wrote in the summer when I was last here, and I think it quite perfectly describes my experience here, so I will share it with you today.

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The essence of your spiritual practice

Hello friends,

I am writing this post while snacking on fresh pomegranate and jackfruit in this beautiful paradise!

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I would consider myself a “spiritual” person, along with, I’m sure, many of the readers of this blog.  But lately, I have been contemplating; what does “being spiritual” really mean?

Perhaps it means various things to various people, but for me, it means that I believe in and cherish the subtle elements of life. I believe in God. I believe in devotion. I believe in being conscious on my path of self development.

Over the course of the last few years I have learned some valuable lessons in tweaking my spiritual practice. I am only at the very beginning of my journey of self-realization, but I have come to a few observations regarding the nature of ones spiritual practice. I would like to share them with you here.

 

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Photographs of India

Hello everybody! I want to share with you some of the photographs I took during my time in India this December. I am excited to try out the new gallery feature on wordpress! You can click on them to make them larger, and I have written captions to some of the images that you can see by scrolling over the images. I hope that you enjoy them!

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