Thursday 23 April 2009

Sunday, April 19th, 2009

Sunday Stroll

Both in Brampton and Toronto I conducted initiation ceremonies for those acknowledging their membership into the International Society for Krishna Consciousness. But before all of that I took to the street for a straight liberating walk west- bound on this quiet Sunday morning. I stopped by the Gopal Mandir, a small Krishna temple on Dundas st. looking particularly very Hindu- like with dozens upon dozens of icons of Krishna and other gods cluttered together on platform surfaces.

The preist of the place is a black gynaese devotees who was kind to show this humble pilgrim the washroom and offer an apple. Bless his heart. With the trek in progress the apple gave fuel and the residual juices left on my right hand fingers enthused a lonely raccoon sitting atop a low garage to come forward to sniff the sweetness.

Raccoons have been my buddies since the days that I took up my self-styled training for walking long distances. These furry creatures’ presence have always been a source of excitement for me when the walking path could be very quiet. It happens that I need a break from humans and substitute them with trees, plants, and animals.

The evening aarti (ceremony) at the Toronto temple culminated with a remarkable full participation at Kirtan (chanting). Drums rolled, lungs activated and legs and arms flung in the air.

Life is great in the devotional lane.

10 Km

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