Challenger Way
American Jesus – Bad Religion
25 years ago today I sat in the computer lab at school while Mrs. Ryan aired the live broadcast of the Space Shuttle Challenger’s launch. Kindergartners and 1st Graders were seated in anticipation as most of our daddies and mommies had lent a hand in building the space craft. The Challenger had been towed down 10th Street East on its way to Edwards Air Force Base where it was to be place on top of an airplane and flown to Cape Canaveral, Florida.
That day in Mrs. Ryan’s class is deeply seeded in my mind. The Challenger symbolized the hope of my youth, in the US during the 1980’s we were filled with possibilities and a desire to advance. At the height of its growth and the fastest expanding city in the US, my town, the largest Aerospace community in the world, the Challenger meant progress and a job well done. It meant they were all moving in the right direction. Blue collar workers were confident in the prescribed dose of Republican bullshit and propaganda. We were, after all, winning the arms race against the Russians.
My 1st grade class co-taught by Mrs. Thompson and Mrs. Gunderson was apart of the process since Day 1 with building models, learning about the astronauts and visiting the plant where the Shuttle was partially built. The teachers were overwhelmingly enthused by Christa McAuliffe, the teacher chosen to ride in space as the first non-astronaut human. It meant a generation of children would know that teaching meant so much more than a classroom setting, it meant reaching the limits of space.
The explosion was something none of us could fathom. I remember being seated in a dark computer lab with my peers crying, unable to understand what happened. I think it was in the instance of the explosion that a whole generation of Americans realized how fragile we actually were. That sometimes lady luck isn’t on our side and on that day Jesus was not an American citizen.
Egypt Egypt / Fire In Cairo
Today’s Headline from Huffington Post: Egypt Goes Dark. The Egyptian people are rising up against the current dictatorship, calling for democracy. Live updates here.
Egypt Egypt – Egyptian Lover
Fire In Cairo – The Cure
Accept
“Whatever comes, accept it as G-d’s Will.
Om Shanthi, Shanthi, Shanthi”
– Swami Satchidananda
You Know I Can’t Let You Slide Through My Hands…
“I watched you suffer a dull aching pain
Now you decided to show me the same
No sweeping exits or off stage lines
Could make me feel bitter or treat you unkind
Wild horses, couldn’t drag me away
Wild, wild horses, we’ll ride them someday.”
Wild Horses Cover – The Sundays
Protect her, love her, kiss her, hug her, hold her, smile with her, laugh with her. But don’t make her fall if you don’t plan to catch her. – Unknown (via @sodamntrue)
Autobiography of a Yogi
Currently reading this book, only on chapter 4 and completely blown away. So far I’ve learned that trusting your intuition is the first step in following the right path. YOU KNOW WHAT YOU ARE BORN TO ACCOMPLISH. Deep down inside it lives. Awaken it.
I’m sure everyone gets something different out of this book. I highly recommend it.
Thank you to the person who bought this for me.
Nothing Comes Easily
“Wherever you are, whatever you do, have discipline in your life. Discipline your mind, discipline your senses, discipline your body. When we want a big reward, we have to pay a big price. Nothing comes easily. Even for a few minutes of ego gratification for climbing to the top of a mountain, so much effort is needed. How many months of great difficulties will you have to undergo to attain such a goal? How many times will you slip, get up, start, slip, get up, start again? At last you stand there at the top, plant your flag, and say, “I conquered Everest.” You may have conquered Everest, but you can never rest there. In ten minutes you even have to come down. For that ten minutes’ joy you worked so hard, you followed so many disciplines. Then it’s over.
In the spiritual life, however, once you get to the top, you have reached Ever-rest. You do rest there, and you won’t have to come down. You can even pull others up as well. But there are no shortcuts. A great price must be laid to reach that great goal. What is that price? Leading a selfless life.
Om Shanthi, Shanthi, Shanthi”
– Swami Satchidananda
Nataraja-asana – The King of the Dance Pose
We practice yoga asanas (poses) in an effort to purify our bodies. The idea is that if we bring our bodies to a healthy state we will be able to purify our minds, getting closer to our True Selves and bliss. If you’re familiar with Maslow’s hierarchy of needs you can consider asana practice as the bottom of the yoga pyramid, a basic survival necessity.
When practicing asanas one may find there are some poses that hit the spot more than others or even find within each asana there is a point of sheer bliss. That AH-HA moment.
Last week I found myself in Nataraja asana (The King of the Dance or King Dancer’s pose) and that AH-HA moment hit like a wave crashing over the beach. It was MY sheer bliss.
The thing is, you don’t have to be in the perfect position, you can be in a position that is suitable for your comfort level and reach that AH-HA moment. Don’t push yourself, that’s how injuries occur. I do urge you to seek out that AH-HA moment with an asana practice. However, let it come to you. It may take a few times but it’s worth waiting for.
Real Love Is Possible
“Don’t love only your fellow humans. Love everyone and everything equally. All things are your fellow beings, not only humans.
By loving everything, you are really loving yourself. Everything is nothing but the expression of yourself. If you stand in front of a mirror, you love that reflection. You smile at it and it smiles at you. In the same way, the whole world is your projection. You love because you are made of love; not because you have to love. The scriptures say to love your neighbor as your Self. You don’t love your neighbor as an individual; you love that person as your Self.
That means you have to see your Self in the other person. Real love is possible only when you see everything as your own expression. All others are none other than you; they just appear to be different. We always need to go beyond the name and form. When we rise above the worldly limitations, we will find that the essence is the same.
Om Shanthi, Shanthi, Shanthi”
– Swami Satchidananda
Ahimsa
Ahimsa (Sanskrit: Devanagari; अहिंसा; IAST ahiṃsā, Pāli: avihiṃsā) is a term meaning to do no harm (literally: the avoidance of violence – himsa). It is an important tenet of the Indian religions (Hinduism, Buddhism and especially Jainism). Ahimsa means kindness and non-violence towards all living things including animals; it respects living beings as a unity, the belief that all living things are connected. Indian leader Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi strongly believed in this principle.[1] Avoidance of verbal and physical violence is also a part of this principle, although ahimsa recognizes self-defense when necessary, as a sign of a strong spirit. It is closely connected with the notion that all kinds of violence entail negative karmic consequences.
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A Great Elephant Deep In The Forest
Repost from 10/2009 – such is the advice I am taking upon my life again.
I love this quote. I find it to be so serene and noble. And for a while I used this as a mantra to mend a broken heart.
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