Highway Enlightenment

I was driving up to the studio this morning, with my new "Yoga Revolution" CD playing in the car, listening to Krishna Das, Donna DeLory, and Peter Gabriel..... And all of a sudden, it hit me.  I was in my car, northbound on I-75, having my own particular experience, (actually I was thinking about the line from the old Popeye cartoons, "I yam what I yam," and thinking how yogic it was!) and whizzing by me at 75 mph were hundreds of other people, driving in their cars, on their way to their destinations, listening to their music and thinking their random thoughts.  And for a split second, I recognized myself in all those other people, not knowing even what they looked like, or anything about them.  I felt connected, plugged in, aligned with the planets.  I wondered if that was akin to a glimpse of enlightenment, and then I wondered if any of those other versions of me driving down the highway were having a similar experience.

I remembered Douglas Brooks saying something like, "Everything you have ever felt or experienced has been experienced or felt by someone else.  You are not unique."  So there we were on the highway, all slightly modifed versions of ourselves, travelling through our individual realities yet sharing similar experiences.  And in that moment, was someone else considering their spirituality at the same time as me, and if so, did that mean our realities had come to an intersection?  Were we travelling the same path? (as well as the same stretch of highway?)

And, just as these kinds of moments happen, it was over in a flash.  The CD switched to the next track, someone changed lanes, my exit was approaching, and that sweet glimpse of pure perfection was gone- I was back to the mundane world of the morning commute.  These precious moments are such a gift and a blessing, a reminder that we are not alone in our journey, and that even in the seemingly non-spiritual events of our lives we can remember who we truly are.

Namaste!

What is Kirtan?

Short answer? Call-and-response chanting, of course. Deep, meaningful, poetic answer?  Read on....

Kirtan is a celebration of life.  As many people walk the earth, as many animals, trees, and flowers, as many rocks, lakes, rivers, grains of sand, and stars in the sky- this is how many forms of the Divine are in existance.  It doesn't matter which forms we celebrate, because they are all perfectly complete in their Divinity.

When I'm with a person, and I look into their eyes, I see a sparkle, a shimmer, a spark of the Divine light that comes from the heart, and I remember that I'm seeing a reflection of God in another.  When I'm alone, in darkness and silence, and I close my eyes, I look inward to my heart and I feel the presence of the Divine.  I feel safe and joyful and loved, and I recognize that these feelings don't come from me, but from a bigger, Universal energy of which I am a small, but important part.  I feel the presence of God in my heart.

Some would have you believe that there is only one way to worship God- only one path to enlightenment or salvation.  But Kirtan is not a religion or a dogma- it is a celebration through sound of the many forms of the Divine.  It recognizes that we all vibrate together as manifestations of that Universal energy.  And as we chant the names of the Divine together, we raise our vibration and we return to that state of love, peace, and bliss, the state of freedom which is our true nature.

See you at kirtan,
Cheryl

Love rocks!

Love (verb) rocks (pl. noun)

I do love rocks, they are intriguing and beautiful and solid.  Small enough to fit in my hand, they are tactile and somehow comforting.  They hold a subtle vibration, storing the warmth from the sun which transfers through my hand to my heart.  Big enough to sit or climb upon, rocks make me feel so grounded, so connected to the Earth.  I feel as if all of my molecules align with that energy and all is right in the world.  Are rocks alive?  They are made of the same basic building blocks as plants and people, carbon and hydrogen, minerals and salts, etc. and their atoms vibrate in the same way as ours do- who is to say that every single thing in existance does not contain the energy of life?

Love (noun) rocks (verb)

Love is such a powerful force.  It has the capacity to change a life in an instant.  It gives us purpose, happiness, and creates well-being in our minds and bodies.  In love, we feel that all is right in the world.  Out of love, our hearts can feel crushed, dejected, worthless.  Love is everywhere around us, within us, all of the time, whether we are attuned to it or not.  What is that energy that makes sub-atomic particles vibrate?  Could it be love?  Could it be that the Universe pulsates out of it's own delight to experience love in so many different forms?  We can tap into that pulsation, that love, that delight at any time.  We don't have to be dependent on anyone else to provide love for us, because it is always there, ever abundant, all-encompassing.  And that TOTALLY rocks.