Heavenly Sunset :)

Namaste. Today I hit up the beach with Steve for his last day. Yoga this afternoon. I've been doing a lot of relaxing, but I'm still learning so much. Yoga was the last day today :( It's something I want to do every day. I've already looked up the ashram in Buenos Aires!

I was sitting here on my computer this evening, and the sunset caught my eye through the trees. I just knew it was going to be beautiful, so I picked up my guitar and climbed to the roof. wowww it was an incredible sunset. Here's my poem inspired in the moment:

Every Moment is a Sunset

Tonight
I played the sun to sleep
on my guitar.
my heart
so full
the liquid music
poured right out.
the golden orb
of endless love
sweetly setting.
so soft
so gentle
i had to play it to sleep
on my guitar.
slender wings
soft as heaven
blessing the end of day.
pale colors
on the music played.
as i watched that
golden soul
i had to play.
gently falling into grace
it melted into clouds
with my fingers i traced
the music
of the sunset.
how it touched my heart
it was so sleepy
such a child.
it asked me for one lullaby
one moment's feelings
in a song.
i had to say yes to the sunset
as i offered the day my guitar.
my holy gift i did play
because this gift from the sun came
from trees grown in light
and bliss.
how sweet that sound came
from my guitar
how gentle it rocked the sun
in the bed of clouds.
melodies from my heart
to the soul of the sun
emotions streaming
into the clouds.
sounds so true
the sun was happy
as i sang it to sleep
on its melting bed of clouds.
so moved i was
so touched
so open.
and all the sunsets are the most beautiful.
and every moment is a sunset.

 

 

Thanks for reading :) Tonight, finish my book. Tomorrow, Pondi with Lisa for her last day! Sri Aurobindo Ashram and shopping! Photos to come for sure. In the mean time, check out this dude:

 

huge little guys like the bore holes in bamboo (like the stilt of my hut...) and make homes

the have beautiful rainbow wings and are about the size of the head of a toothbrush

hopefully they dont have stingers...

Missing everyone at home, and sending my love!

<3 Mary

 

Bonfires and Music

Hello :)

So Yesterday was a nice relaxing Saturday. Matrimandir for petal number 5! Gratitude, and green. It was a really powerful one for me. And I think green is a perfect color for gratitude. Yoga and then Mudra Chi. The instructor from Buenos Aires has a connection with an indigenous community I can stay with in Patagonia for my research if that's what I end up doing :) Everything on my path is set out for me!

Now you have a full view of the Matrimandir and the incredible Banyon Tree! WOW check out that tree! can't you even feel its power through the picture? Imagine being under it :) wish you could see the Matrimandir from inside... Maria and Jivan told me that the energy inside is even more powerful than the energy in the egyptian pyramids. Nuts!

Lisa and I went to the Eco-Music Festival at Solitude Farm after dinner. It was rockin! What a cool gathering to be a part of. It's one of the biggest and best things Auroville does all year. During the day apparently there was a market and a lot of stuff going on, but at night it was just a beautiful gathering with strings of lights, some food, a stand with live (and excellent) music, and a bonfire! It really pulled all of Auroville together. This is the city of human unity- but sometimes people live in their bubbles and you can't really see other places because of the forest- so it's so nice to have an event that gathers everyone in all at once!

Today was low key also, and I started to focus a little on Argentina! Uncle Scott- I started to read "Imagining Argentina" and it's the first book I've read in years that I can't put down!! Thank you and Auntie! I'll let you know when I finish it. After that I'm going to read the Lonely Planet guide! Argentina, here I come!


Yoga again this evening. I love it so much. It might be challenging, but my body feels sooo good. Deep always says after an asana "notice how your body feels" and my answer to myself is always "soo goodd!" haha so I realized that stretching is one of my favorite things to do, and I hope I can continue yoga!

After dinner we had a birthday party for Barney- he's turning 5! We got him a hula-hoop from a woman in Auroville who makes them. He is a fireman!! So we had a bonfire at Verite. Martin played really beautiful music, we had ice cream and brownies and strawberries, and the stars were amazing. I never wanted to leave that infinite moment! I looked up at the stars and felt like I was so at peace in the infinite divine around me. I think a good comparison to that moment is when you're a kid having the time of your life at summer camp and you're around the fire. I got that really strong feeling I used to get at Camp Jeanne d'Arc! I thought to myself "I love this so much, I never want to leave!" Verite family is really amazing :)

Good night for now!

<3 Mar

Bogi and Barney :)

Marion and Martin!

here we are together in our future

a very bright future

to hear the unseen mountains sing in the waterfall under the love of the trees

Solutions and Love of Life

Good morning/day/night!

Yesterday yoga was great, and then Lisa and I went to Sadhana Forest- which is a little community on the outskirts of Auroville. I didn't make it in time for the tour and talk so I think I'll go again next week- but the place is absolutely incredible from what I saw! They are a vegan community and there are about 15 permanent members and 100 volunteers! I guess I will have to say more next week about what they do there, but it is all eco-projects! What I loved so much was the atmosphere of the place:

There are these beautiful little nature huts with harmonious decorations and it all feels so natural. Every Friday they do a talk/tour and then a eco movie and a vegan dinner- all for free :) Lot's of people go!! I was amazed at how great of an atmosphere it was- how friendly everybody was, how happy everyone was to be there to share in our care for this earth. Looking around, I felt so in my energy. Every individual was a total expression of their self and their uniqueness. Colors all over, cool and flowly clothing in beautiful patterns and colors that complimented people's spirits. Crazy hair cuts, beautiful smiles, and vibrations emanating from everyone that rang hippie-happy love! I had such a strong feeling of being in a good place. Wow!

The movie last night was called The End of the Line- about overfishing in the world. We were asked to share our experience from the movie with other people, so for my part:

This movie really touched me and made me think. You know, everybody knows that we are overfishing, and that we shouldn't be, and that it's a dire situation. But when you think about it, the Ocean is this thing we consider a magical, vast expanse of biodiversity. In reality, we have destroyed tons of species and seem to be moving from one prey to the next- all for the sake of money. The Ocean is no longer a pristine, untouched wonder. We are actively destroying it. I guess I don't know how to say this as urgently as it needs to be said... but it is important for people to understand that eating fish- any kind of sea food- is a terrible thing to do for this world unless you have caught that seafood yourself.

Movies like this make me think a lot about solutions. Ok, so we are overfishing, we have climate change, we are destroying the land, the forests, the rainforests, the animals... we are raping our world's resources until we get to a state of crisis. People get overwhelmed. They say: well, I can't change the world by myself. It won't make a difference if I don't eat one piece of fish tonight. But when you think about it, the MOST important solution is to live your own life in the best way possible. I don't think it's an issue of responsibility. I think it's an issue of spirit. This earth is a special place- people agree even if they aren't spiritual. Nature makes us feel good. It makes us happy. That is SO significant. Happiness isn't mental- it touches you inside. So when we are living our lives, and we think "What can we do to help this world?"- I think the answer is to be a good person. At the most personal level- your life isn't a responsibility, and this earth isn't a responsibility. Your life is a miracle! And so is this world! We get so distracted in these big revolving societies that we get so distanced from this truth. Go on a hike- go out in the snow- go to the beach- watch the sunset, the sunrise. THIS is why all we need to do to make the world a good place is to harmonize our own lives with the earth. The answer isn't "Well, if you don't change then no one will." The answer is "If you don't change, then you are missing out on a life of harmony and balance."

In terms of The End of the Line: it is your choice on a daily basis to live to love this world. If you want to eat a fish- you don't know if it has been stolen, if it has been fished illegally, if it has killed 10 other fish as bycatch, if it has killed birds in nets, dragged nets along ocean floors pulling away all life. The point is that we cannot be blind consumers, because as consumers we create the demand. This goes for all areas of consumption- meat, fish, and all other products. You are not just a cog in a consumer system with no say. If you eat that fish, you are saying that you have no control over your love for the world. This is a silly thing to say.

People always have reasons for doing things. I'm not here to convince people what to do, but I have been asked to share the story of that movie. So I think I would just like to ask you guys to question your actions. Where is your love for the world? Do you love the world? Do your actions express your love for the world? It's all about harmony- your own harmony. And this contributes to the greater harmony of our society. "Don't carry the world upon your shoulders" (Beatles). Just be a good person. That's the most important thing.

It feels good to live good :)

Mary

Every morning, the sun rises in happiness for our world.

If we don't live in harmony, maybe one day the sun won't rise.

Overview and a day in the life :)

Hey dudes. Feeling 100% today! Hoorayy!

This morning I painted some wonderful signs for Ashesh's next Integral Yoga workshop series. I was with my two newest friends, Maria and Jivan! All 4 of us are artists, and today to paint with all of them was so much fun, since usually I am painting on my own!

Maria, Jivan, and Ashesh!

Ashesh is really good at watercolors

Coolio

Up on the terrace, what a view!

Anyway, this is my short half-way overview of my "stories and ideas":

Hmm well I really like India. I like Indian traditions and spirituality. Indian food. Indian culture- clothing, lifestyle, community. But Auroville is very not-India (not in a bad way!) I really like Auroville spirituality. Well I guess this is an understatement. I totally dig Auroville spirituality. Integral Yoga. Human Unity. I really like Auroville atmosphere- traveleres, vagabonds, hippies, backpackers, alternatives, intellectuals, open-minded lovers, artists, musicians, food-endulgers. I totally like Auroville way of life- natural, simplistic, holistic, healthy and sustainable. I love what this trip has done for me. I love how it has surprised me. I love how much I have grown. I love how much it has changed my life. I love the peace that I am feeling, and the excitement I have, born of this adventure, to move on toward the rest of life! Everything is great :) I have learned more than I thought, and have been given so many things my soul needs.

Auroville is a cool place, a step in the right direction, and an outstanding example for our world. It is not perfect of course. It faces many challenges, and it struggles to embody its mission. But it tries with all its heart, and this is beautiful. I think Auroville is one of the most outstanding places on this earth- a gift from the divine. But I think Auroville will not only grow in its own way, being a first step toward a spiritual world, but it will play a major role in inspiring other places on this earth.

I guess overall from two weeks of experience, this is how I would put it: Auroville rocks and is a magical place. It isn't the ideal, but it is so right on.

Hmm... I think this is totally what I thought it would be! Yay!

Cool for a half-way update! Cool for being here! The days are slipping away.. oh nooo! I don't want to leave! I want to travel all over up and down and across and around India. I will :) Anyone want to join?

Love

Mary

"Gettin Better All the Time"

Well I am feeling much better :) especially after yoga just now. Stomach is still a little funky but I think it's working its way out of me.

I slept in the lounge last night- gave up on my bed. I had the first good night's sleep in more than a week, and a beautiful dream- i forgot what a good dream was like!

Yumi and I went to Repos beach this morning. We borrowed a friend's scooter and I drove cause Yumi was scared :) She says I drive like a crazy person... I think New Yorkers go well with India! Nick- you told me once in South Bend that I drive fast... haha! midwest drivers dont really mesh here...

Anyway, the beach was soo nice this morning! There were only about 4 people there. There were much bigger waves than the last time I went- people were surfing! The current was so strong I wanted to go catch some waves but all of the sudden I found myself 50 yards down from Yumi, so i decided to skip that part and just enjoy the shallow part- which might as well have been in the middle of the ocean the waves were so rockin :)

Matrimandir after that- petal room of Sincerity. Blue. Awesome experience, although I couldn't spend that much time there because I was feeling very tired. Probably cause I haven't eaten anything except a bit of yogurt, bananas, bread, and rice for the past two days...

Yoga is going GREAT and I can't wait to find a place in Buenos Aires (Elan if you are reading this I'm sure you'll want to join as well!)- best would be at an ashram or something.

That's all for today! Peace

Om.
Asato Ma Sat Gamaya Tamaso
Ma Jyotir Gamaya Mrityor-Ma
Amritam Gamaya

Om.
Lead me from the Unreal to the Real
From Darkness to Light
From Mortality to Immortality

Creature Photos!

Peacock on the road! Native around here

Flowery tree!

Aww cutie cow in the road

Auroville is a splendid place to go on a walk

Ashesh being silly and posing

Wow this is a big big spidey in the bathroom

I prefer this one waiting outside yoga!

waa I am so sick :( woke up feeling like crap. It's OK-good thing there are 15 moms here for Nia class, so I'm being taken care of! No Pondi today... hopefully I will be able to participate in yoga. I don't want to miss this opportunity

Empty Fullness

Wow today was the most full day I have had so far! Been goin goin goin can't stop rollin rollin rollin

Meditation, tai chi (I'm teachign Yumi a little!), then- an incredible breakfast, and an incredible experience at the Matrimandir.

I went to another petal today (my third!)- today was Equality. I didn't know it would be so powerful. I realized many spiritual things very fully. The divine force is equally full and total in every being. The color was purple, which was cool because its my favorite color! hehe

Then, I sat by the lotus pool again, and really really breathed deeply and slowly. Yesterday I began an 8 day sivananda yoga workshop! So I practiced some pranayam breathing techniques, and all of these healthy practices I have been doing are having an extremely powerful impact on how peaceful I am. I offered my thoughts to the divine force, and asked the mother to make me as peaceful as the water, and as soft as the wind :) The divine force is in every molecule- not just in the bigger compilations of molecules. As I felt the wind and heard the water, I got vibrations of peace from every molecule in that space.

After the lotus pool I sat under the banyon for a very long time. Ashesh told me that the banyon is called the tree of infinite life- because each trunk is a new tree. How beautiful :) I stood against one of the trunks, and saw a woman with a fallen leaf in her hand. I thought to myself "Oh what a beautiful idea of a token to have" and at that moment I looked up, and a leaf came floating slowly down and landly directly in my hand! I'm not exaggerating or anything- I watched it fall right into my hand! WOW! In my head I was like "holy crappp!" That tree, the wind, the whole world is SO alive! When that leaf fell into my hand, I knew it was directly from the divine force- that is so powerful for me, that I had a real experience of the divine force. It is so true that you can bring the divine force down into your every cell in this world. You don't have to go away and get enlightenment somewhere. We can bring it right down into us :) Wow, I am still amazed. Ashesh calls it my leaf of knowledge :) But that's only half of it!!
I then was lying under the banyon, and eventually I sat up and my legs parted a bit, and I spotted something under the grass. I parted it away, and there was a frog sitting so quietly. At first I had a wave of huge sadness- I thought I had sat on it and killed it! But it turned out to be alive, and right in front of me where I had chosen to sit! Ashesh told me that he thinks the frog represents bridging stages- because it leaps from water to air. He says it is a sign of leaping into a new consciousness!

As I left the Matrimandir, a very good man asked me which I liked better- the water or the tree (because he had been at both and seen me there for a very long time). I laughed and didn't know which- but I told him about the leaf that fell into my hand. Then, he pulled out a leaf he had kept as a token, and we laughed so hard! The joy that is in people here! Ashesh walked by, and said "Ahhh Mary, Francoise is my friend also!!" I meet very good people here. People who are happy meet and create joy in this world :)

SO Ashesh- this guy I've been talking about- and I had lunch today at his apartment complex. Ashesh teaches the Integral Yoga workshop I have been taking. He lived in the Sri Aurobindo Ashram for 20 years. You might say he is my guru, but also my brother! He introduces me to everyone he knows by saying "Ahh, have you met my little sister!?" And his smile lights of everyone's face! He invited me to have lunch with him and his wife, but Vera couldn't make it. He said I MUST meet her, we are sisters! When I mentioned Vera's name, Ashesh smiles his true true smile, and goes "Oh you say her name I am so happy! The love of my life!" He is so awakened, and his love is so pure. It's inspiring :)

Ashesh showed me their apartment, and his beautiful paintings, and Veras's musical instruments! I think Ashesh is right, they are my brother and sister :) How happy I am that I meet people like this, who I connect with on such a deep, happy level. I am full of joy that Ashesh recognized in me a sister. He teaches me everything about Integral Yoga.

After lunch, I had my second yoga class. I was scared of taking yoga because it is hard at first and all that- but these two classes I have found that I can relax so well and smile, at the same time as stretching my body into positions that are extremely difficult for me. I LOVE yoga, and I am happy to be in India and have a spiritual teacher to introduce me to it. Deep is the teacher- and he has been doing yoga since he was 6. His voice rings like an angel's! We all do some chanting (Aum and the chant for peace), and I find that with practicing my guitar with Martin, and doing this yoga, my voice also rings so beautifully :) It makes my soul fly!

by the way- Martin and I had an awesome session where I for the first time played with some one else. It was great! Martin says "Oh you do not need any more teaching!" He says I can lose myself in my music, and that is all that matters. Wow, it is incredible to have this inspiration when I can often be very insecure about my music. I shared my art with Martin (which he loves very much!) and he shares music with me!

After yoga I went right to a Nia class- which was also great! What a crazy aerobic workout. Straight dance with total energy for an hour! The end was Jimi Hendrix music, and I haven't really played any music here, so it made me extremely happy to hear my favorite!

After Nia, Deep wanted to keep this day rolling (he, too, had a full day!) So he took me on his motorcycle (bike) riding around at night under the stars, and to get some chai in a town near Auroville. The chai was divine, and Deep has such an incredible life story. Friends and friends and friends and friends- I love love love the people I meet every day!! Deep was at family constellation- the issue he presented was him choosing his spiritual path, or his real life- his "other path". He chose me to represent himself, and I chose him to represent myself- we are very much alike! He plays the djembe and lots of other drums, and the flute. He will drop me at Pondicherry (big town near here) tomorrow morning on his way there.

Oh wow- I am tired and will go to bed very soon so that I have energy to go to Pondi, and then do yoga in the afternoon. All of these relaxation activities tire me out- one to the next! But it has been a day better of joy and love. What more do I need?! Going to Pondi to visit the Ashram, and do a bit of shopping (though I dont have much to spend, things here are extremely cheap- no surprise.) The only thing that SUCKS is that my bed is so hard, I toss and turn with terrible back pains all night. Ughhh. I'll try to solve it.

I took so many good photos today, so check back in tomorrow for the photo update (forgot the cord in my capsule). Also- side note, apparently there is a cobra in our Verite garden. SO cool :) hehe

Peace, Love, Joy, Happiness, Stillness, Bliss, Divine experiences

Missing everyone very much!
<3 Mary

Thank you, universe!

Hello everybody- I appreciate you reading!

I got a new rommie- Yumi! She is from Japan and is a farmer :) She's 38 which is funny because I've realized that age doesn't really matter here.. my friends are all so much older than me, and I wouldn't even know it. It's so cool making friends from all over the world- so many people have told me to visit them and that I have a free place to stay! Not only that- they are all really good, creative people with peace in their hearts!

Yesterday I did this thing you might have heard of called family constellation. It's a sort of group therapy- but it's more spiritual, and a bit esoteric. Lisa invited me, and I went along with interest. But it turned out to be one of the most incredible experiences I've ever had. One person presents an issue- privately to the facilitator or to everyone- and then she intuitively chooses people from the group to represent certain parts of the issue- whether it is the self, her father, and mother- or abstract concepts like love and spirituality. The person guides the representatives to positions that feel right, and then the facilitator asks people how they feel, and moves them around. You can't even believe how the representatives sink into the vibrations of the situation- they might not even know what is going on, but they can feel it, and when asked how they feel, the entire issue is revealed to the person. It totally resonates with what is going on in the issue- and the facilitator tries to change the positions so that some harmony is found and that the representatives feel better- a sort of solution. It sounds like a weird concept, but actually witnessing it and participating in it- i was simply amazed at what comes from it. You might not know what you represent but you get these huge waves of emotion- sometimes even physical feelings- like this one woman said her hands felt like lead and she couldnt move them if she tried, and she was getting huge waves of heat. I presented an abstract issue from my life, and as we moved around and people said things about how they felt, I was so moved- you feel so much intense energy. I sank into it and was peeling away all these layers of my life, and the other representatives could read right into my soul. I didn't expect nearly such a powerful effect. I felt and still feel completely tranformed by the experience, and I learned something so important about myself. There are reasons why people end up in places, and the mother said that when you are reborn your soul chooses the path that it needs. Rosinda and I were talking about being open- and how being open is SO important because you can see and hear and feel what your path is. That's what brought me to Auroville (which I accidentally found in an online search), to meet so many people, and to eventually that moment in family constellation. My soul needed that so badly.

This Nia class that is going on is the same thing for everybody in it. I feel in Verite community this huge emotional love and release. Everybody in the group- Steve especially, who ended up at Verite cause it was the only place he could stay, and happened to be here during this Nia workshop- feels that this workshop is what their souls need- and somehow they were led to it. So powerful, who you are and what you can do for yourself with an open heart and mind.

I'm sorry to go on but again, woww I need this!

So today I meditated and then Yumi came with me to the roof where she did yoga (she had been staying at sivananda yoga ashram) while I did tai chi. Part of my transformation made me so happy that she came with me, and it was so nice to share my morning cleansing experience with some one. Then, she and I biked to Buddha Garden where was did an intro workshop on sustainable food growing!

I've always thought "well, mary, what do you want to do with this person that you are?" Funny funny question. I am interested in everything and I know I want some sort of alternative lifestyle- like here at Auroville. I've always known that I want to live somewhere for me and for people like me. After our farming workshop, I realized that I want to start a farm. If you think about food- it is actually what nourishes your body. and that is exactly also waht nourishes your soul. It is so important to put love and care into what you eat. I can't think of anything better than growing my own food (at least as one thing I am interested in!) I met this guy named Mael who was at the workshop. He and his friends read some books and then started a farm in western Mass a couple months ago! You can read it in his eyes how happy he is, and he didn't really know much when he started! It's cool because it's all a learning process- getting to know the land, the creatures, the plants, the seasons. This, I feel so good about, is what i want to do. So what do I want to do? Well, to do is relaly funny. but anywy, I want to be a farmer! And after college, I am going to spend a year working and saving money, and then WWOOF all around the world for a year, learning everything I can about farming. And then, to feel out a place to settle down and start a farm with some good people :) Develop a little community... be creative... live in simplicity!

it's funny that Auroville has turned out to be so much more than I thought. I'm really deep into this transformation, and I'm shedding all of these layers and layers and layers. I came here to learn about how a community of peace works because I had a very concrete idea that I wanted to do something like this. Turns out, being concrete is the silliest thing! I'm not here because of anything concrete. I'm here becaue of my path, and I can't really say anything more. except that my path is blessed to take me here, and even I- some one who thought she knew a whole lot- am truly in awe of how this is all playing out.

wowzers! advice of this entry: open your heart. it is so important to notice the hints in every moment that reveal your path to you. (hmm... read some paulo coehlo- the alchemist!)

<3
Mary

Simplicity

Yo yo americaa. Let's see.. today I took some absolutely incredible photos of the sunrise-and the moon was still in the sky! I climbed to the top of the top roof- the highest point I could see around! and it took my breath away. I was so overjoyed, i was like a two year old on my birthday haha!

what is magic if not this world?

angel sun

the moon and sun both, in a love dance in the sky

I hung out today and drew some photos. Theres this book I'm reading that talks about automatic art- which is producing art that is not from your consciousness. So I'm experimenting with silencing my mind and drawing at the same time. Interesting results so far, I think I'll keep it going and see what develops! Psychology is so cool when you think about it also as spirituality.

I went to this thing called mudra chi tonight. I didn't really know what it was but it turned out to be amazing! It's sort of a very simple tai chi form, but based in mudras- or hand positions- that the mother demonstrated. It goes along with the words: "mother give us peace, strength, and stability. sri aurobinda ma, sharanam ma ma, let us bring the force down into our cells and spread it to the whole world and to the universe"- that's half! The teacher is this awesome colorful peppy woman from Buenos Aires! She is so very excited that I am going there :) I think she can give me a great tai chi school to go to while there! such good things coming my way!!

So I keep doing these little daily updates, but once in a while it is nice to REFLECT:

Auroville is so different from any place I've ever been. I don't think I've encountered or felt any anger or fear since I have been here. wow. The coolest thing that I have yet to mention is the simple life. here, I live in a hut made from trees, with a simple cot and a mosquito net. I use tiny pieces of toilet paper (although some people don't use any), I take 2 minute cold showers (which feels incredible in the morning- I turn the water on, count to three and literally jump in!), I bike everywhere I want to go, I eat local, organic food, and I busy myself during the day with being in nature, reading, writing, drawing, making music, meeting people, and learning from others. Nature has become every part of what I do- from the ants that crawl around and I try not to squish, to the birds that sing in the morning. Simplicity is so blissful. I know there is work to be done in order to live which for the present I am not taking part of, but this whole community is in fact doing that. Verite is completely sustainable and healthy. Being a part of nature is something at home that we do on trips or on certain occasions that we set for ourselves- but when you really really immerse yourself and live in nature, it feels more incredible that you realize! We are all part of nature, and to me it is so nice to embrace that. I think it will be hard for me to go live in a huge city like Buenos Aires or to go back to South Bend- although I am excited for what both of those hold. But this feels so right, and it clears your mind automatically. All the accumulated stress in america has so much to do with unnecessary things like tv and videogames and unhealthy food and expensive stuff to gather and call the things we own. Personal property, belongings, things, stuff, junk. Everything that we need in order to be happy lies right inside of us. What a simple thought, and what a strange thought for most people. wow. I think that in the future everyone should work toward bringing society back to nature! Nature makes people happy.

Simplicity is bliss.
Lovely lovely day

Mary

hehe! best moment :)

peaceful between the sun and the moon

Healing

Hello! Today I woke up after a second night of really bad dreams. When you sleep, your different levels of forces go to their planes of existence- for example, your subconscious goes to the subconscious plane. (side note- when you hit deep sleep, your soul goes to it's plane- sachchidananada, or bliss! very very important for you to get some deep sleep.) Anyway, I think my subconscious is releasing or sort of letting go of a lot of negativity since I have been here cleansing my spirit. It is a good thing! Hopefully soon I will have wonderful dreams!

I went to another petal room today: Progress! It was orange and the image was a sort of center dot with rays exploding from it in circles. I concentrated very fully on the beauty, and then I sat by the lotus pond where there was a nice breeze mixed with the sound of water and the warmth of sunshine. I lay under the banyon tree on my back and was amazed that I could feel the roots of the tree going deep into the earth :) After all of this experience I really felt a weight lift from my mind that was full of frenzied thoughts from my negative dreams. My mind was cleansed completely, and I felt so peaceful. A total therapy. The park of unity and the matrimandir hold so much concentrated peace, it is an awesome thing. People from all over the world coming to gather at that one place in love and for peace. It's like the meditation room here at Verite- I can go and sit and for some reason it is very easy for me to meditate there. Bhavana says that is because some one has been meditating there every day since Verite was started years and years ago- even she went to meditate there when it was just a field! What a beautiful power, the accumulation of good vibrations of peace.

Took a much needed nap after getting rid of the bat in my capsule... it returned later today. Poor thing was alone and needed a dark place to sleep! They are really adorable, and it is fascinating to see a bat up close because as they hang there gently sleeping their ears are rotating in circles, twitching non-stop so that they can hear everything while they sleep. I let it chill out and I think it will be gone tonight in the dark. Lisa has moved in with me for three days now! I should warn her about the bat... I think his name is Eustace- like in Voyage of the Dawn Treader. The little guy people don't really want around but at heart he's a pure spirit :) Marion says the bat is good luck!

I did a Creative Movement dance class today. I'm really getting into dance, which isn't surprising since I like to express my creativity in everything in any way! We played with different levels of space, letting our personalities wonder on the floor or up in the air. Magda would begin a sentence such as "I am on the floor because" and then we would move on the ground and see how we would like to complete the sentence. I freakin love creativity!!! There are way cool things here that allow you to be yourself!

Creativity is so healing, also. I just finished a book on images in healing and shamanism. It was mainly about using the imagination to heal, and how it is the only practice that really works because it is behind all science and native practices. Western medicine is such a system of money- making money from healing people. What healing really is is creativity and transcendence. Think about the placebo effect for a good example. What people think or imagine really dictates the state of their being. Western medicine makes me sad when it is practiced in places that take away imagination and in ways that take out the individual creativity. Shamans are true healers because they use imagination. The coolest part I read is how the images shamans use aren't symbols but they are a system of communication from the real spiritual realms that they have the privelege of accessing. Hopefully people will start seeing that western medicine in its current practice is a silly game of money. Healing is about love.

Martin is around tonight and has brought his guitar, so I think I will go play some with him! Today I brought my guitar over to the visitor's center, which was so pleasant. I got so many smiles! And one girl came and talked to me about how she has a guitar but doesn't know how to play. I explained to her how I have been teaching myself and feeling out my music, and she said she would go home and start playing! Also, Ganesh- one of the guys who works at Verite- is learning to play. At dinner he was telling us about the Tamil (where I am in India) culture- from death ceremonies to marriage. Very cool. He wants to come to study in New York!

Good night, and sweet dreams (hopefully...)!
<3
Mary

Auroville Awakening

good morning, forest!

ahhhhh, breath it in!

up on the roof where i do tai chi each morning :)

and the must inspiring photo i've ever taken

I climbed up on the ladder on the roof, going even higher up

and there were these beautiful clouds behind the trees with the sun dancing over them :)

oh, to be a bird!
this one had a wonderful perch, drinking in the sunrise!

Ocean and lots of photos!

So today was super relaxing, and I did some art and went to the beach! The Bay of Bengal is very stunning and warm! No seaweed or anything, and very smooth sand at the bottom. Steve asked me if I wanted to go, and we ended up going with the whole Nia group that is staying here. It was a lot of fun! Steve and I swam all day long!

great photo of my old, hippie pal Steve!

I love the Ocean so much- true to being a Pisces- a water symbol! Ever since I was little I've been quite the water baby. And perfectly, my name is Mary- Star of the Sea! Swimming in the ocean was a fantastic feeling, I don't think I have been in the Ocean in a year or more! What a shame :( Today was a great day for me, and between the full moon and the ocean- now I am full of my powers and spirit!

Lovely waters!

Me, my guitar, and India!

I swear he was looking straight into my eyes

colorful traveling!

Hindu statues

A beauty of a tree

Photographic Moments!

first proof of my actual being here- its not a lie!

Sri Aurobindo statue on the sunset of the full moon

WOW this photo rocks! full moon and the Matrimandir! Now you can know what this weird golden globe thing looks like! (for reference... it is huge! probably something like 50 yards, but then again i'm bad at estimations)

ANDD some artwork for you! My artwork, my prayers!

Let's melt the world

May the instrument of my soul

become one with the moon

-ode to the female spirit!

There is no divine force like the

present moment

may no force divide our one eternal soul

may we find everlasting peace within

Female Spirit

Today was quite a powerful day from the very beginning- the day of the Full Moon!

I did tai chi on the roof after meditating, and the sunrise felt very special. I think the male spirit was shining brightly on the day of the full moon- the female spirit.

Went to the Matrimandir to concentrate in the inner chamber for 45 minutes and then my first petal- Perseverance! Perseverance is yellow, and it had a beautiful symbol in it like lines of crescent moons- very appropriate. I wrote a poem called Perseverance when I got back :) The Matrimandir concentration was just as powerful as the first time! Being inside is such a surreal, science fiction look. You really walk in and feel like you are in the center of the universe.

After lunch I went to a 3 o'clock talk on Integral Yoga with my dear, dear friend Ashesh :) I went to this talk last Wednesday, and met Ashesh there. He is an older man who lived in the Sri Aurobindo ashram just nearby here for 20 years. Now he teaches the theory in Auroville! I have run into him every day since I met him, and his smile warms my heart. He is one of those people who truly has an inner glow. I feel love pour out of his heart! He has begun to call me his sister, and I will be having lunch with him and his wife on Tuesday!! I feel so special for meeting him and for connecting with him so much. Plus, he is an incredible teacher! I knew so much less than I thought I did about Integral Yoga before I came here. I learn and learn like drinking water, and I am deeply touched by the spiritual theory. It goes beyond anything that I have ever heard. My spirituality is now changed, and I know I will grow in this path. Love the Mother- the supreme force- that is all you must do in every moment. Dedicate everything to the Mother! The theory behind this is all so complicated I could go on forever (as does Ashesh!) but I seem to grasp it so naturally and fluidly. It comes to me. I can't believe that I found my way here to Auroville only to find out it is exactly what my spirit needs. But that is how the Mother works, when you become a servitor of the divine concsiousness, you allow yourself to develop what the eternal force and your soul needs. I'm sure to some people this sounds like a very foreign and strange theory that I have started to follow, but it really is just to follow your own path and to be a good person, totally selfless. Any questions?? Throw em at me and I'll see what I've learned! haha

On my bike ride home (yay! home!) I got a couple outstanding photos of the full moon. I have never seen or felt a moon fuller in my life. This truly blows me away. I can feel its power! Some one was stopped on the road taking a photo, so I slowed to see what the view was- and it was a woman who has just moved to the other capsule (Marion from Paris!) and she had an INCREDIBLE view of the full moon spirit right beside the golden Matrimandir. Photo to come tomorrow! Marion is soo cool! We like the same exact things: tai chi, dance, music, massage therapy... we talked about the power of the moon and had dinner, then we went up to the roof and were in awe of the stars and moon. Tonight I will go play my guitar on the roof with some people so that it inahles the female spirit, giving my music the vibrations of the moon.

Hope everyone is having a good winter in the states, and I am definitely keeping everyone in mind and heart. You should check out the moon, too, if you have a clear view!
Love
Mary

Everything and More!

What up USA! This week is going to be incredibly busy busy busy!

Today I did my normal morning meditation, tai chi, and breakfast. Then I read a book on healing the mind and getting rid of stress and fear. The Verite library is like a treasure trove of every book Ive ever wanted to read! I grabbed 10 :) This book was cool because it was informed by Sri Aurobindo and the Mother's philosophy of health. I know in our western world we have a very set paradigm for medicine, but if anyone is open to it you should consider looking into holistic healing- even just looking up what Sri Aurobindo has to say about health. Health all comes from the breath. You breath and you control your thoughts, and if this process is disturbed, that is the root of all illness.

I signed up for 3 more concentrations at the Matrimandir today! Tomorrow I go for 45 minutes and then I have a 25 minute concentration in one of the 12 petal rooms that surrounds the gold globe. Each petal room represents a color and a value like Honesty or Humility. My goal is to get to all 12, but it is only open 3 days a week, so I will do as many as I can.

I attended an inisight seminar on education in Auroville, which was just amazing! There education here revolved around spirituality. they have schools from kindergarten to high school. But the theory is that you let the child grow and explore. the goal is to allow education to be released from the hands of adults- instructors here are not so much teachers as friends. Free progress is a main principle. Creativity is totally accepted and education aims at keeping in mind the future. Sri Aurobindo's main insight is that man is merely a transitional being. in the future, man will evolve into a further spiritual being. think of it like evolving from apes. in the future, there will be a similar man with a similar form, but with a totally new consciousness! This is important to education here. Children are taught consciousness awareness and many practices that go with that. I totally dig this, it answers all of my problems that I have with my own education. Here, education is not an accumulation of knowledge. Education and life are completely one. This is truly how it should be. This talk inspired me to bring this back to the US. I would like to run a small summer camp or daycare and work with the children on creative and spiritual activities. Maybe I will this summer!

After lunch I read another book! This one was on tai chi and how it relates to the I-ching. I learned so much from it about the form that I already know so well in my energy. Every tai chi movement is related to an I-Ching trigram or hexagram- a symbol composed of 6 lines. Each symbol means something different having to do with nature, such as rising sun over lake. These symbols really add power to the form I do. Also I learned that tai chi is like alchemy- moving your energy from one spiritual holding place to the next. Your sexual energy is transformed into your chi which is moved into your spirit, which takes the form of emptiness. beautiful!

THENN! I went to a session called "cultivating concentration". I felt like I was in the movie Waking Life today because I went from one place to the next learning awesome stuff! This time it was me and two other people, and we had an hour long talk with an Indian man on Sri Aurobino- but it was on the history of his theory, beginning with Buddhism, Hinduism, and such. It was very cool having some one explain to us many of the stories and principles of these traditions. Clearly he had grown up with this knowledge, making it very informative! Sri Aurobino's integral yoga and supramental consciousness is incredible to me because it goes beyond nirvana. What do you do in this world once you have been enlightened and there still exists pain and suffering? Well.. Sri Aurobindo says that there is an eternal force that connects this life and the life divine. By cultivating that force, by bringing the supramental into the mind, we can become evolved, like I said earlier. I really like Sri Aurobindo's theory. It is extremely advanced. I would say it is the most highly evolved spiritualism that exists today, and I wasn't aware before I came here, but it is very very prominent all over the world!

After that, I did a Nia class here at Verite! There is an 8 day Nia workshop here, so people all over the world have come to Verite to stay here and participate in "Nia India". Nia is basically an energy dance. It has a very involved theory, I understand. I think it revolves around "being here now" and "arriving" ... arriving at the present moment. Basically there is a fusion music of spiritual music, hip hop, tribal music, etc. You let loose completely and move your joints. Everything is in the most happy and fun way- you let yourself go! You really, really let yourself go! Everyone is swirling around and loving life :) It is very very trance-like and tribal. We had a circle at one point and I jumped in the middle, swirling around! Hahaha sooo thrilling! I goes well with tai chi, because tai chi helps you know your and others' energies, so I could really free-form dance smoothly and in the most fluid way. Nia was developed in California, and it has spread to something like 43 countries over the past 30 years or so. Actually, I am sitting next to the instructor now :) It is so cool having everyone in my community participate in Nia, and then eating meals together and all. It makes for such a unifying spirit! I won't be doing the workshop every day (need to spread out my funds!) but I will certainly do it in the future. I felt so natural and happy. A smile came to my face, and I just moved with passion and love!

Well... I guess that was my day!! Haha, what a full one. That's why I love this place. I could go on and on about one single day because on top of all that I do I meet the most incredible people and have awesome conversations. I think one of my favorite friends is this older guy named Steve. He is a total grown-up hippie but he doesnt really come off as one, so its really funny and cool! and he just started Nia too. He says it takes him back to the good old days :)

I'm living the life, man! The life I've really wanted to live for a very long time! Learning multitudes and creating my art, living my art, and sharing my art. Kathir had a look at my sketchbook today and dove into it, spending 5 minutes on each one! Describing my drawings, telling me what he got from them, asking questions. This is such an appreciative environment. I feel loved and nurture, and I feel like I can inspire people and can in turn be totally inspired :)

Love! Full moon tomorrow and maybe I will help Wanda, our Korean gardner and cook, to make lunch after my Matrimandir visit :)

Mary

Pongal Passion and Guitar Love

Pongal festival today! I biked about 40 minutes to Kulupalayam- one of the towns near Auroville. I went by myself which was an awesome adventure. The town is not too big, but there are tons and tons of visitors for the harvest festival- a very important holiday.

The colors were absolutely incredible. Everywhere you look the deep yellows and majestic pinks are brightening your world. They set up a little market with Tamil town people selling silly, bright colored plastic toys and beads. You walk around and all the adorable, bright-eyed children try to get you to buy them food and the products they are selling. The children are free spirited and joyful. They are not shy, but they have a quiet understanding within them. Their smiles light up the world :)

The "cow-run" is the big event of Pongal! The cow is the sacred animal of Hinduism. They paint the cow horns in beautiful colors and deck them with strings of flowers and bananas as well as tying ballons to them! It's funny hearing the cows "moo" all over, because it is such a strange, ringing sound. Everybody- tons of foreigners like myself and many locals- gather together to wait for the cow run. Everybody is very happy and in a great celebratory mood! The best way to describe it is like Christmas! But in the sun with colors and animals and strangers who you itneract with all over the place. Such a vibrant atmosphere!

There is music and drums, and when the cows are getting lined up (on the street) everybody begins to throw bananas! Although it is almost dangerous (they hurt! I doged so many that came whizzing by my face) nobody seems very worried because it is so fun and energizing. The children have a blast! In fact, this holiday really is for children- for the child in all of us!

I walked around for hours with my camera snapping shots and saying hello to people. All of the children wave to you and smile, saying "Happy Pongal!" It is so friendly! They have beautiful mandala decorations made from stone dust in all colors that lay on teh floor all over the place. There is actually a competition for the best mandala! I've been told that they used to make these from wheat flour or something- so that they could give food to the ants!

The cow run was fun- it is more like a cow march! most of the cows are led down the street to cheers and screams! Then, some of them are led running. There is such a wild frenzy of delight and passion! I think the people value the cow-dung because they pick it up and sometimes paint it on their faces. They also have all different color paint powders that people smear all over!

The streets are so crowded and loud, and everything is buzzing with total energy! it really is all-consuming! the festival is truly a celebration. I am so glad I took part in it because I feel like I really got a better sense for Indian culture- seeing as Auroville is very different from India itself. It was so thrilling and passionate. Colorful. Beautiful. Loving. Wild!

On my ride back once I made it out of the crowded road (very difficult on a bike when everyone else is riding motorcylces and you have a coconut in your hand!) the silence hit me so hard! Wow, it was like I could hear the world!

This afternoon was relaxing and peaceful. I have been having the most incredible conversations with everybody here at Verite. Everybody is here to learn, and we all are each other's teachers!

That leads me perfectly into the most moving experience I just had. This guy at dinner was in the corner playing an instrument (I forget the name... from South Africa!) and I asked him what else he played. He said everything, and that guitar is his main instrument! He asked me to go and get mine, and little did I know he is truly a awesome guitarist. We talked about how music comes from the soul, and how it is the ultimate peace. He taught me some chords, and about the shapes your fingers make. how you can hear the shapes. how your fingers dance. He said I have a truly natural sense of music, more than most in his years of teaching! That was so good to hear for me :) He also was in love with my sweet, sacred instrument. It truly is a beautiful one. Mom and Dad- thank you for that years ago because I love it more than anything else I have! Martin- from South Africa- and I talked about how travelling with a guitar is the best thing because it picks up the sounds of the land. It's great to play in nature, too, or to play for nature (full moon on Wednesday!) Having him play my guitar was wonderful, because my guitar now has his vibrations, which are honest and loving. He talked to me about Sanskrit and how it doesn't really translate into literal words. For example, in sanskrit a word does not mean "god" but rather has the vibrations of god. Also, sanskrit sounds are great to sing with guitar. As you begin to sing the sounds, your voice harmonizes with the music.

I learned so much from Martin, I could not be happier! This is ultimately what I was hoping for on this journey :) What more could I ask for but a musical guru and friend to help me play the music of my soul! We are going to play many many more times, and I have already learned so much!

Oh what a great day and night! Today was full! I wrote three poems and finished typing my novelette!Tomorrow is full! This week is full! So much has been done, so much is to do! I am told this will be the state of things when I leave Auroville as well :)

And to sleep again, in Joy!
Love
Mar

Auroville

inspired by the Matrimandir

The Soul

It's only halfway through the day but I have to write. I have just been to the Matrimandir, and I am overflowing with the spirit.

We had to wait a pretty long time to enter into the park and the Matrimandir itself, but that didn't matter. I felt limitless patience because I knew the power of the experience I was about to have. As we entered the park, I felt such a growing stillness. The trees, the flowers, the birds, the butterflies... a place of true beauty. Next to the golden globe that is the Matrimandir stands an enormous banyon tree. The banyon tree is a tree that has many branches, some which shoot down to the earth to form new trunks. The banyon is the center of Auroville. It probably has about 18 trunks! You could feel the presence of the tree. You could feel the devotion of the tree, the endless strength it offers to this place of human unity.

Walking past the banyon, we approached the golden globe, a million times more powerful that from afar. It has golden circular plates covering its outer surface, and it is suspended so that underneath the the globe is a circular space. We all sat in a circle, people from all over the world, around a lotus shapes structure. It was almost flat, but the pure white lotus petals (marble maybe?) were set in gradually descending fashion, leading to the center- where a crystal sphere sits. Water flows slowly over the petals down to the center, but so slowly that you can observe every ripple, like birds of water diving into paradise :)

This moment was all consuming. I became the water, the people, the Matrimandir, and the park of Unity. To think that this was only the beginning of my experience!

After this we walked into the Matrimandir itself! As you enter, you can not believe what you see. You walk into a huge shperical room- all white, with  a soft red lighting. Crystal holders are poised with candles flickering. A white spiral ramp, carpeted in white, leads up and up and around. I felt like I was walking into the soul of the universe. As you ascend into the globe, you walk one step at a time. One step, that is all that exists.

And then, the ultimate beginning: at the top of the ramp, you enter into a spherical room. Tall and holy, with soft lighting. White carpets. Four tall white pillars reaching upward, and in the center of the cieling a light that shines a pillar of light down- to the large crystal sphere in the center of the room, balanced on a stand of golden symbols of Auroville. White cushions circle around the crystal, as people take their places to meditate. Walking into this room, nothing else existed. I walked right into the ultimate emptiness. The whiteness is both light and dark at the same time, casting sacred robes around every person. I sat, and I breathed in the awe of this power, this perfection. Meditating, om- the sound of the universe- came in and out through my every breath. I at once became the perfect sphere within which I sat, and this sphere grew outward to consume all of Auroville and all of the world.

Straight through this experience from entering the park I was so moved I felt on the verge of tears. I thought of all the people I wish could be with me. I thought of all my life, all I have loved, learned, and given. I thought of everyone who has helped me to become myself, and I wished more than anything this family of friends could be with me. In my hands, in my mudra, I brought them to me. I brought into the Soul of Auroville- into the main chamber of the Matrimandir, into that white perfection- all of creation.

We were only allowed to remain for 10 minutes, which was enough for a first time. Exiting, I felt endlessly rejuvinated. I had deepend so much, emptied so much. I found a sense of peace that existed infinitely inside of me. From my feet to my smile, I felt radiant in joy.

Then, exiting the Matrimandir, I awoke to the world. I walked out into Nature, bringing with me in my heart and hands all that my spirit had felt- perfect cleansing. I sat beneath the banyon tree, leaning against a trunk for support. I sat there, tracing the convoluted map of trunks and branches, seeing no end to peace. Circling around the main trunk- the mother soul, the divine consciousness- I could feel a limitless fountain of love. Ananda. I placed both my hands against the tree and gave myself completely to it, in ultimate silence. Breathing out, I offered my soul to the world, and breathing in, I drank in the love of the banyon- the strength to bring the divine into this world.

I hope here I have given you a part of the peace I have found today. We are all one, and in those moments I was solely one with all of you. "Peace comes from within," my bracelet (thank you Nana and Bumpy!) says. It is the ultimate truth- what I have within me, all of you have within you. This is why I am here. I hope that you will find your path- your integral yoga- to inner peace. It is the only thing that matters. I write this blog not just as a blog to tell a story. I'm writing, and I am here, because I want to make peace. This is why Notre Dame has given me a grant!

So please take these words and feel them. Bring them to the world :)
Know that Auroville, here with the banyon and the Matrimandir, exist. There is a place on earth- in this world that we know and love and travel- that exists in total love. There is actually a location here with soil, water, and sky, that represents the world we can all live in.

A peaceful day to everyone, and now I am going to have lunch and to the town to celebrate Pongal!
Truly,
Mary