Om Ganesha,
Morning Pujas and Prayers
Namaste my chelas,
Namaste my Queen,( as long as we all know that I am the Empress above the queen)
This time you have out done yourself.
There is not one word I would change.
You words are from your heart and my chelas love to read all that you have to write.
I so want you all to feel the joy of Samadhi and so it is happening.
I love you.
Love Ma
Jai Kali Ma Ki Jai
Always at His Feet Of Our Neem Karoli Baba Ki Jai
Namaste my beloved MA,
It’s dawn on Global Phone Darshan Day, we find the “QUEEN OF L.A.” (eat your heart out Janaka Jaya, half my age, and flashing those Bette Davis eyes and all) awakening in the mortgaged castle somewhere close to the Hollywood Hills. Snoozing by my side is the not so royal prince consort Vasu, “cookie” and the truest love of my life, the noble Phoenix, a true Duke in the land of canines. Today of all days, my mind shouts, “NOT NOW” to distraction of lounging about, sitting in Starbucks sipping my Venti Latte with all the Hollywood “wannabees”, or just going back to sleep. It’s also foggy these mornings, what is known in the city of the angel’s as “June gloom”. No gloom for me this day, I am on purpose, no more aches or pains, but on the first rung of the ladder of surrender to the Paramaguru, to experience a day of joy in the path of service.
Driving cross-town one see the hordes of migrant workers congregating at Home Depot seeking any kind of day jobs. Many of them are part of our cities vast population of illegal immigrants, all of whom seem industrious, some of whom end up homeless and hungry. Last official count there were more than 86,000 homeless in this city, and lets face it, most everyone avoids them, maybe throw them some loose change, but who really cares?
In time for breakfast at the Ashram, our Swami Bahava Tarini, still scrambles a mean dozen eggs, to regularly serve the early morning Saturday faithful. All of us who attended the birthday celebration, still basking in the joyous event, relate our experiences of you MA, how we all basked in the outpouring of love for the Guru, of the amazing Dadi Janki, the rain that miraculously stopped for the event, of course the Cake Divas decadent masterpiece, the wildly politically astute Joe Grieboski (“Washington is the Hollywood for ugly guys” quoting him), and of the humility and presence of our Father Centurio.
By the way, I spent part of a day in a Vero Beach mall, shopping with Father to outfit him with an civilian wardrobe. The lady attendant in the Target dressing room area kept on giving me the fish eye, me calling out to Father, who was in the closed door dressing room, “does it fit right? do you need a bigger size? do you need some underwear?. father would come out of the dressing room and often hold my hand to acknowledge me, calling me “Guru, I’ll sure be the best dressed” . Today he even called me from his stopover in New York City to again thank me for helping outfit him, feeling so proud of his new chinos, sport shirts and fine leather sandals. “QUEER EYE FOR THE PRIEST GUY” is there a television sitcom in that or what????
Loaded with sandwiches, an abundance of always needed socks, and doggie treats for man’s truly best friend when he is homeless, we hit the road. “Here’s the best fixings we get, from MA’s kitchen” our regular “Outback Man” his name is Thomas tells his buddies in front of the donut shop on Sunset Blvd. Another regular, the remarkable Ray, who has cheated death often, flashes a million dollar smile acknowledging “You guys the best, but sure missed you all last week, how bout an extra sandwich?”
We block an exit in a parking lot where there were a group of those migrant workers, who didn’t get work, stopping to hand out food, to “Gracias”, “Vaya con Dios” and “God bless”. The car behind, to my great surprise never once sounded the horn, a favorite pastime among angry and frustrated drivers, quietly observing our serving these hungry guys. Our act of kindness somehow acknowledged by someone not bearing down and beeping us.
Our old friends Louie and Irma now camouflaged behind a fence in a lot overgrown with trees related that the police recently arrested them accusing them among other things of possession of drugs and they were forced to spend a week in jail. Louie, who is a regular churchgoer, is out every day on his broken down bike, picking up cans and bottles for small change at redemption centers, is neither a drunk or takes drugs. He assure us he was innocent. in seven years we have always encountered him and his lady fully sober, BUT some eager rookies harassed them and deprived them of their rights.
We return to the Ashram for Global Phone Darshan, to be followed by a very special birthday party for Sita Jeni, who with her unimaginable multiple personality disorder, we all have taken to our heart. No one fakes their love of Sita, we embrace her, recognizing that love is truly the greatest power in the universe. Your chela’s recognize how truth comes through the heart.
The Phone Darshan begins, my eyes are closed, I suddenly become one of the kids, sitting on your lap, not the 72 year old but six year old, cradled and hugged by the mother. I am not daydreaming, I know my Guru, you my MA always smile upon me regardless of how far away I am from you, or how old I am, and you know I am as old as dirt. You have helped me discover my true identity, to challenge me to serve, to give greater purpose in my life. in that process I will never let go of the feet of my Guru, no matter what.
The call begins. You greet your chelas all over the world, we roar back at you, “NAMASTE MA” you then greet “your cutie pies”. In discovering the magic within I too respond, “NAMASTE MA” because you anoint me with your love, so why shouldn’t I too respond to being called a “cutie pie”. I truly have begun to imagine who I am, to accept my “queenliness”, to acknowledge the beauty of the feminine within me. Thank you MA for not making fear the light anymore, that there is no greater gift to the mother, than to serve. Is this bliss? What is it I feel? Am I intoxicated by God? Can I even in my wildest dreams think that I can surrender to the heart of my being? Maybe in future lifetimes? I can somehow even contemplate attaining true Samadhi. What indeed have I gotten into this lifetime?…. I MET YOU, MA.
I love you very much with all my heart,
Your son,
Guru Jaya Das