Sunday, October 29th, 2017

St John’s, Newfoundland

More in St. John’s

Our U.S. walking party, comprised of three Canadian Krishna monks, hit the trail, the “Great Trail” at its start.  The longest constructed trail is this one with a distance of 24,000 kilometres connecting the Atlantic, Pacific and Arctic Oceans by way of a foot path.  Hayagriva, Marshall and I really just scratched the surface, covering a mere 3 km, and that was just the 3 km to get to the starting point, formerly called the “Trans Canada Trail. Mile Zero Km.”  It would take me just under two years to make that distance non-stop if I were to tackle it.  Mind you, I’m not unfamiliar with it.  I’ve taken to segments of it.

Today we made our second visit to the local Hindu temple to worship and to talk on the topic “The Rope of God,”  Highlighting the pastime of God as a child.  Krishna, as a baby, stands there shaking in fear and kajal, mascara, mixed with tears runs down His cheeks.  His mother is unhappy at His behavior and so she proceeds to give him a licking.  She gathers some rope nearby and after some struggle manages to tie Krishna to a wooden grinding mortar.  Her prescription toward correcting her son is driven by love, of course.

The above story is meant to invoke a parental feeling toward Krishna and to be charmed by Him.  It seems to me that the telling of the tale impacted the group.  By evening we held to a more yogic crowd at Meranda’s Lotus Centre.  It has been fifteen years since Meranda and I began the Sunday night chanting sessions.  It has been going strong ever since, thanks to her steady determination in maintaining such a worthwhile program. http://thelotuscentre.ca

Tonight’s session was a strong feel-good.

May the Source be with you!

6 km

Saturday, October 28th, 2017

St. John’s, Newfoundland

Messages and Mantras

Hayagriva, Marshall and I took an additional but short walk to Signal Hill, the famous location where the first-ever telegraph was received.  It was in 1901, on December 12^th, that Marconi heard on his headset the wireless Morse codes sent from England on top of this hill some 2000 miles away.

We were fascinated by this piece of information, especially the boys who came here for the first time.  At the base of the hill is a Sea Centre which has interesting exhibits, one of which includes the event of the Titanic’s sinking.  In fact, the mighty ship that set sail in April of 1912 hit the ocean’s bottom at a depth of  2.4 miles, a mere 500 or more kilometres from the sight where we were walking.

A section of the exhibit showcases quotes from people like George Bernard Shaw, who in his own eloquent words, was highly critical of flaws made in the search attempt, or lack of it, for passengers aboard the vessel.  And there’s a quote also from Phillips who was receiving telegraph messages, warning of the dangerous ice and who responded to them with a “Shut up! Shut up! I’m busy…”

Newfoundlanders, though,  are indeed friendly.  You’ll be walking along, and someone who sees you will just break out into a conversation.  The sweetness of the islanders was also felt when we spoke at the Hindu Temple off Penny Lane in St. John’s.  People of Asian and Western stock turned up to hear from Chapter Six of the Gita on the theme, “The Mind—Best Friend or Worst Enemy.”

What truly came across as ‘friendly’ exercise was our chanting aerobics where all who attended got up on their feet, not to walk, but to dance to the beat of the drum and the cry of the mantra.

May the Source be with you!

6 km

Friday, October 27th, 2017

St. John’s Newfoundland

To the Atlantic Edge

It’s a tight fit! I thought when we first saw Josh in his Spider-man outfit, all prepared for a Halloween party that evening.  He was our host for a presentation at the Science Building at Memorial University and, being a nursing student, it’s assumed he’s a caring soul.  He also mentioned his guru gave him the mantra, OM NAMO BHAGAVATE VASUDEVAYA.

The attendance was a bit down from last year, however, the folks who came were of quality.  It’s great to see some younger people come with questions.  Stephen and Justin were among them.  And Miranda, seasoned, wise and experienced, is the ultimate yoga teacher, and she is like a sister to me.  She happens to be the daughter of renowned artist, Gerald Squires, whose studio we’re staying in.  Gerald passed away last year; bless his soul.  Many of his works are of religious themes.  Good stuff!

I said a number of things and talked about the world of mass destruction and how walking for me, personally, has offered spiritual solutions to mundane problems.  One item that resonated with this group of individuals who all have yoga connections was, “It’s better to give, than just be.”

I was happy to be in Newfoundland, to reunite with my marathon team, Hayagriva and Marshall.  We plan a weekend of talks, walks and chants, all of which began with tonight’s gathering.  One person wanted to know if I’d seen God on any of the walks; my frank answer to that was, “Yes, through the conduit of nature, and people giving their heart.”

May the Source be with you!

5km