Tuesday, December 27, 2022

The Annex, Toronto 

 

Positive Good Feeling 

 

During the two years of COVID, much paraphernalia piles up; some of it is worthy to trash, some of it needs keeping. For sure some of it needs restationing into other storage areas. The chair room just can't take everything. So, I pulled up my socks and rolled up my sleeves and getting “by with a little help from my friends,” (I like Joe Cocker's version of the song) we're accomplishing a major cleanup. 

 

And it feels so good. 

 

I'll tell you what else feels so good, calling up my peers and encouraging them to sponsor Gita's for distribution to people who could really use the wisdom and thereby turn things around. It makes me feel cleaner. 

 

The preparation for our upcoming drama is starting to come together. This is hard work, but I get the opportunity to work with men and women in their twenties; always an energetic and hopeful bunch. The efforts are creating such a nice atmosphere in the temple and the ashram. 

 

My final feel-good activity for the day was my evening walk. It's a quiet week, time between Christmas and New Year's. I do hope for a good year to come. One where people will find themselves caught in positive engagements. Cleaning clutter, sharing wisdom, giving time to future leaders and some self down-time made this day positive and pure. 

 

May the Source be with you! 

4km 

 

Monday, December 26, 2022

Yorkville, Toronto.

Coming Up

Being setting up the stage for our upcoming drama, “Big Fish, Little Fish.” January 1st is the date for its presentation., 5:30 PM. It's a story about the journey. In the life of a soul who falls from grace, you can say. Unique about this. Comedic play. Is that we draw an analogy of a fish out of water.

This endeavour. Of community theatre. Is all fueled by actors and teckies from the local congregation. It's good fun, and it has a great message behind it, which is that we all came from the spirit world. That's where we belong, and that's where we should be headed. The term used by our guru, Prabhupada, was “Go back home, back to Godhead.” 

We are going to fill up our temple room where the stage is set up. In the early ’80s, the then temple president, Vishvakarma, and I, initiated this. January 1st Festival, which we named the Prabhupada Festival. We figured it was a way to welcome the New Year and set it on a good note. Just our regular Sunday program has been going well, attendance wise. so many new and younger people are attending, and there's nothing to indicate that it will slow down.

This is a good sign. Basic culture and higher consciousness will be a major force and have a healthy presence in the earthly landscape for this century and centuries to come. It is imperative that we preserve integrity while expansion takes place.

Happy New Year!

May the Source be with you!

4km

 

Sunday, December 25, 2022

Oakville, Ontario

Looking Back and Ahead

I asked the group at “I Gita” if 2022 was a good year and I received mixed responses. One person responded with an ambivalent tone. Others expressed optimism. I simply asked this as a lead to have the folks think about a New Year’s resolution – practical steps towards sustainable improvement. It’s what many of us think about at this time of year as we flip the calendar.

My presentation tonight was quite impromptu. The organizers of the program, a marvelous couple, Kasyapa and Panchami, wanted something different and left it to me. Well, a beautiful chant by Annapurna had to be a component. I inserted into the program a reading and charade-ing from the story of the bumble-bee and Krishna. That was fun. Vallabha Hari cracked some jokes. I also engaged the groups in a form of Chi Gong; moving to the maha-mantra.

By the time it came to eating, something was prying at me when I had a few seconds to myself. I asked myself – tested myself – with the question, “What are you going to do about taking progressive steps that you are not doing now?” I really haven't come to an answer at the moment, but it is important to me to drive to some conclusion within the next few days.

In all frankness, I believe, as a bhakti yoga practitioner, there is an obligation to enhance and advance improvement. When the question re-visited me, about the year 2022, I’ll admit there were some bright sparkles in the year. The most taxing feature was dissension or bashing over the internet. People could be sweeter with each other.

May the Source be with you!