Cleveland, Ohio
Moving Around in Cleveland
Kaustubha and I walked to Olmsted Falls while morning was dark. We were charmed by the rustic beauty of this little enclave with rushing river, covered bridge, antique shops and other shops selling stuff you don't really need. It's a place for the rich, except for a couple of paupers like ourselves. The place has a "Silent Night" feel to it and that's for everyone.
Now, every Sunday, followers of bhakti meet at Lakewood Young Filmakers Academy on Madison. At exactly 11:08 a.m., I began speaking, not about film-making but of the wellness that comes from spirit-walking. By that I mean chanting and striding along. I told of my trekking adventures across the U.S. and Canada. Also in the quaint space, we chanted and did rock-dance.
Over in another end of town, the east end, Michael and Paurnamasi took me to the home of Krishnanandini and Tariq. I spoke from the GIta, verse 15.14 where Krishna identifies Himself as the “fire of digestion”. The word "fire" was significant because a fire was ignited in the fireplace from twigs gathered from the backyard. We call this ceremony a havan and the group of people who came were there to partake in the diksha or initiation of Jake who's sixty-six. I explained that the event is not really an initiation but more of a confirmation that the mantras he's been chanting will now be a life commitment. Congratulations!
We followed this ritual with a wonderfully wild kirtan/chanting session. The talk was conducted in a mood of sobriety but not without some jokes here and there.
May the Source be with you!
7 km
No comments:
Post a Comment