I cannot think of two beings more aligned in their inner purpose, more joyous in their recognition of the divine spirit that unites them and more giving of that wisdom, joy and peace to everyone who comes their way. To two of my dearest, here's a wish that they may, forever, remain in glorious union, in constant celebration of the spirit that is at the center of their lives. May these words of Rumi echo in every moment of their togetherness...

This Marriage

May these vows and this marriage be blessed.

May it be sweet milk, this marriage, like wine and halvah.

May this marriage offer fruit and shade like the date palm.

May this marriage be full of laughter, our every day a day in paradise.

May this marriage be a sign of compassion,

a seal of happiness here and hereafter.

May this marriage have a fair face and a good name,

an omen as welcomes the moon in a clear blue sky.

I am out of words to describe how spirit mingles in this marriage.

-- Rumi

'The garden of love is green without limit

and yields many fruits other than sorrow or joy.

Love is beyond either condition:

without spring, without autumn, it is always fresh.'

- Rumi

Have patience with all things, but chiefly have patience with yourself. Do not lose courage in considering your own imperfections, but instantly set about remedying them - every day begin the task anew.

- Saint Francis De Sales

God Eavesdrops

What an opportunity two hearts have whenever they talk.

For when our words are loving, playful and encouraging,

God cannot help but eavesdrop even more than usual.

And then, of course, the odds increase on the divine being felt.

- Hafiz

IshAvAsyam idam sarvam

Divine interventions

And miracle coincidences seem to abound; I am only stunned by how many I might have missed by simply not opening myself out to receive them. Some, however, require no such effort; they are truly and explicitly just that and are handed to you on a golden platter. Many months ago, sometime last year, I had heard a lecture by a monk and had been struck by the ordinary circumstances and some not so ordinary, but extremely disturbing and saddening situations in his life through which he had realized the underlying truth of love and unity. At the time I inspired by the sense of peace that pervaded his being and the aura he seemed to radiate; an aura that brought some of that peace to permeate my being...
Last week as I struggled to embrace peace, I searched online for his lectures to find one that might speak specifically to this inner process of transforming angst to peace and acceptance. I found many inspiring talks on unconditional love of all and devotion to truth, yet not exactly the thing I was looking for. This afternoon, I find, two friends who remembered how moved I was by the Swamiji's presence, saved a copy of his autobiography he recently completed, for me. I am moved beyond words by this act of kindness and the divinity behind it.

Know, son, that everything in the universe

is a pitcher brimming with wisdom and beauty.

The universe is a drop of the Tigris of His Beauty,

this Beauty not contained by any skin.

His beauty was a Hidden Trasure so full

it burst open and made the earth

more radiant than the heavens.

- Rumi

My Dear Ones,

I would like you to know how grateful I am for the multitude of ways in which so many of you have, sometimes even unbeknownst to you, shown me much kindness and have given me great strength, which during these last few days, has delivered me from pain and confusion to clarity and peace. I must now reassure you that, as a result, I am not sad or grieving; I do not mourn any loss, as I have seen something larger that has been gained, for which I am only thankful. Know that I am as joyful and peaceful as I can possibly be.

I am however, also mindful of a beautiful facet of this adage (that a friend has repeated many many times over to me, and that I only recently realized) 'Make hay while the sun shines.' It is not very often that circumstances, which provide the space to question and understand what it truly means to accept peace and let go of mortal attachment, present themselves. Even less often have I found myself receptive to such opportunities to delve deep into my inner- most fears and attachments. Now that I have chosen peace, I would like to harvest it to its fullest potential. And so if it seems that I have, over the course of this last week, chosen silence over speech, seclusion over company, calm over excitement, it has only been to dig deeper into the wellspring of true joy. It shall soon brim over in ways familiar to many. But in the meantime, know that I am well. And I trust that you are too, as you are in my prayers.

With much love and thanks,

Yours, sincerely.

I journeyed too

I must confess that a deeply fulfilling evening a few days ago left me at an utter loss for words. I was simply moved beyond putting into words what I experienced. (The knowledge that my dear SG would do poetic justice in describing the same kept the words convniently out of reach :). At any rate, knowing now that she did in fact do just that-here, I shall add only that I was stunned by the vision and scale of the very random act of kindness that offering that space, enabling an evening of experiencing unified purpose and giving of oneself freely to utter strangers, that the hosts performed, so very inspiringly, lovingly and most humbly. In doing so, they helped me also take one step forward in realizing just how limitless the opportunities are to serve and discover the love and beauty in every being.

I was touched, and tagged by that act. And now, so are you! As one gentleman said using the phrase made famous by Nike, 'Just Do It'.

Finding God

He is to be found everywhere, and as N rightly said today, he acts through each of us, drawing us ever nearer to one another and thereby to Him.

I am usually cautious about reading prayers in public, or more specifically in the midst of groups of people whom I don't know well. While I might read material bordering on the spiritual quite comfortably, I would not read something overtly so, or expressing any fervent religious sentiment, for fear of putting my neighbor, especially such as on my Caltrain rides, in a position of awkwardness or discomfort. Perhaps this too stems from a deep-seated fear of being branded an irrational fanatic. This evening, however, I felt no qualms and was completely at peace in opening the book of Baha'i prayers that V and N had been kind enough to gift me last year. As I flipped through the pages, not quite finding the right one, my fingers stopped at the one entitled 'Nearness to God'. The seat that had been vacant next to me until that instant, was occupied by a kindly lady, who sat down just as my eyes rested upon the title. And turning to me with a wide smile she said, 'You know what? I had the exact same idea!' And with that she set down her bags and opened her evening read- a pocket Book of Pslams.

Peace.

For the month of Sacrifice that was...

For the lesson it reiterated for me on its last day, for the ideal of striving to let go of attachment it reinforced, for the test of loving spiritually that it brought, I am grateful. I am grateful to the joy that loved ones bring in life and leave in memory, for the blessing it is to have love around us. I pray that we may all live such lives that take us ever closer to the Eternal Light. I pray that we may all live by the ideal of this gentle prayer of the Saint Francis of Assisi.

"O divine Master, grant that I may not so much seek to be consoled as to console; to be understood as to understand; to be loved as to love. For it is in giving that we receive; it is in pardoning that we are pardoned; and it is in dying that we are born to eternal life."

For April

The thought to meditate upon and imbibe:

My actions are the ground on which I stand