George's Spiritual Journal

[JustGeorge]

I've been thinking for awhile about making this, and I guess today is the day.

I'll be using this space to reflect on random religious/spiritual thoughts/events/practices.

Feel free to comment or share your experiences, but this is by no means open for debate.

The Sacredness of the Alley

Warm weather is upon us again.

For most, this means fun activities, gardening, time outside. For me, it means the borders of my house vanish, and I get no say of where I go and what I do, and I'm simply led around by hyperactive kids.

Today, I found myself in the alley.

Its quiet; no people about at this hour. That will change in the evening, when the people working and living on various shifts will liven the place up. Yet, its teaming with life. Squirrels and birds take advantage of the peace, moving from tree to tree. People don't worry about the appearance of their backyards as much in this area; there are aging garages with various plants coming up; not usually things people planted(or in addition to them). Mulberry trees show buds, promising food for hungry fingers(and birds).

There's something different here; civilized, yet, not. Bits of garbage sit here and there(sometimes confined, sometimes not). Garages all show signs of having been tampered with at some point; hard to imagine it any other way in one of the oldest neighborhoods in the city. When midnight rolls around, young people will loudly clamor through, followed by clouds of smoke.

One gets a very liminal(and for me, sacred) feeling sitting here, being a part of it. Looking at rusted cars being taken over by climbing grasses, seeing the gravel of the alley taper and struggle to define where it begins and where yards end.

As the robins chirp and cars sound in the distance, it seems perfect as is.

 

[The Sum of Awe]

You've always been great at creating vivid imagery with your prose. I look forward to reading more of this journal.

 

[JustGeorge]

On the one hand...

Its really cool to live in a house where 'supernatural'(I'm in no mood to debate about that word, you know what I mean) happenings are fairly common.

On the other hand...

It really sucks when you lose something, and the idea of retracing your steps means nothing, because it really could be somewhere completely non-logical.

 

[JustGeorge]

After polishing the mirror of my heart with the dust of my guru's lotus feet, I recite the divine fame of the greatest king of Raghukul dynasty, which brings forth the fruits of the 4 efforts.

Knowing my mind to be less intelligent, I remember the son of the wind, who, granting me strength, wisdom, and all kinds of knowledge, removes all my sufferings and shortcomings.

Victory to Lord Hanuman! Virctory to the Lord amongst monkeys, illuminator of the three worlds. You are Lord Rama's emissary, abode of matchless power, Maa Anjani's son, and known as the Son of the Wind.

Great Hero, you are as mighty as a thunderbolt. You destroy evil intellect, and are the companion of those having good ones. You have golden colored skin, are adorned with beautiful clothing, have adorning earrings in your ears, and your hair is thick and curly.

In your hands is a shining mace and a flag of righteousness. A sacred thread adorns your right shoulder. You are the embodiment of Lord Shiva and Venar raj Kesari's son; there is no end to your magnificence, your glory. The whole Universe worships you.

You are the wisest of the wise, virtuous and clever. You are always eager to do Lord Rama's works. You are delighted to hear of Lord Rama's doings and conducts. Lord Rama, Maa Sita, and Lord Laxmana dwell always in your heart.

Taking the subtle form, you appeared in front of Maa Sita. Taking the formidable form, you burnt down Lanka. Taking the massive form, you slaughtered the demons. This is how you completed Lord Rama's tasks, successfully.

Bringing the magic herb, you revived Laxmana. Lord Rama praised you in gratitude, and said you are as dear to him as his brother Bharat is.

Saying thus, he drew you to him and embraced you. Sanaka, gods like Brahama, sages like Narada, and the thousand mouth serpent all sing of your fame. Sanak, Sanadan, Brahma the God, Narada and all the great rishis and sages, Saraswati, Maa Divine, and the king of serpents all sing of your glory.

Yama, Kubera, and the guardians of the 4 quarter, poets and scholars, none can express your glory. You helped Sugriva by introducing him to Lord Rama, and regaining his crown. Thus, you gave him the kingship.

Likewise, by your preaching, even Vibhishana regained Sri Lanka. You swallowed the sun, located thousands of miles away, mistaking it to be a sweet red fruit.

Keeping the ring in your mouth, which Lord Rama gave you you, you crossed over the ocean, to no astonishment whatsoever. All difficult tasks of the world become easy by your grace.

You are the guardian at Lord Rama's door. No one moves forward except by your permission, which means Lord Rama's darshans are not possible except by your blessing. Those who seek refuge in you find comfort and happiness. When we have a protector like you, we do not need to be afraid of anybody or anything.

Only you can withstand your magnificence. All the three worlds tremble at one roar of yours. Oh Mahaveer, ghosts and evil spirits cannot come near one who remembers your name. Therefor, remembering your name means everything.

Oh Hanuman! All diseases and all kinds of pain are eradicated by the chanting of your name. Therefor, the chanting of your name on the regular is said to be very significant. One who meditates up or worships you in thought, word, or deed gets freedom from crisis and affliction.

Lord Rama is said to be the greatest ascetic among kings, but only you completed all his tasks. One who comes to you with any longing or sincere desire sees the fruits manifested, which remain undying throughout life.

Your splendor fills all the 4 ages, and your glory is renowned throughout the world. You are the guardian of sages and saints, the destroyer of demons, and adored by Lord Rama.

You have been blessed by Mara Janaki to grant boons further, to ones deserving, where you can grant the siddhis and the niddhis. You are the essence of Lord Ram bhakti. May you remain the humble and devoted servant of Raghupati.

When we sing your praise, your name, we get to meet Lord Ram and are relieved of the sufferings of many lifetimes. By your grace, we go to the eternal abode of Lord Rama after death and remain devoted to him.

It is not needed to worship and other deity or God. Service to Lord Hanuman brings all the comforts. All troubles cease for the one who remembers the powerful Lord Hanuman, and all his pains come to an end.

Oh Lord Hanuman, praises and glory to you! Oh powerful Lord, please bestow your graces on the Supreme Guru. One who recites this Chalisa 100 times gets freedom from bondage and attains great bliss.

When one reads and recites this Hanuman Chalisa, all his work gets accomplished. Lord Shiva himself is witness to it. Oh Lord Hanuman, may I always remain a humble servant, a devotee to Lord Ram, says Tulsidas. And may you resides always in my heart.

O Son of the Wind, you are the destroyer of all sorrows! You are the embodiment of fortune and prosperity. With Lord Rama, Laxmana, and Maa Sita, dwell in my heart always.

Got the whole thing recited for the first time today.

Thought I'd see how much of it I could write... got it all down... until the kids started playing the piano. Then my brain got fried and I had to take a peek to see where I was... I suspect there might have been a connection between the banging of the piano and the sudden memory loss.

I'll keep practicing!

 

[sun rise]

After polishing the mirror of my heart with the dust of my guru's lotus feet,

That's a wonderful image.

I'll keep practicing!

That's the golden key.

 

[JustGeorge]

That's a wonderful image.

Its the Hanuman Chalisa. (I realized later I didn't title it.)

That's the golden key.

I'm going to try to recite in the morning... been mentally doing so at night already; something to do as Ares falls asleep. Twice a day seems reasonable.

It was really thrilling to get through it all tonight...

 

[sun rise]

The Sacredness of the Alley

I hope I don't get too involved in interviewing you in this journal thread, but I find myself drawn to that image. Where did that come from? What is is about an alley that is sacred?

 

[JustGeorge]

I hope I don't get too involved in interviewing you in this journal thread, but I find myself drawn to that image. Where did that come from? What is is about an alley that is sacred?

What isn't sacred?

The liminal quality, for one. You are in a 'civilized' area, yet, its not. In this area, people don't dress up the back of their houses/garages like they do the front. So, you know you're in a place with humans... yet not one they spend time in. There's more wildlife back there due to it. Had a great conversation with a squirrel yesterday back there... he actually chose to get only a foot away, talking the whole time.

Its neat to see Maa Nature take over all the items people leave and forget back there as well. Bushes grow up over piles of stuff to a point you can't see the original stuff anymore.

The path... its a path, for sure. Its less trodden, though. A good symbol for anyone who society considers 'off the beaten path'. People also tend to feel less 'seen', and are more prone to do things they wouldn't do out in other areas.

There's just a rawness and realness to it...

 

[PureX]

I've been thinking for awhile about making this, and I guess today is the day.

I'll be using this space to reflect on random religious/spiritual thoughts/events/practices.

Feel free to comment or share your experiences, but this is by no means open for debate.

The Sacredness of the Alley

Warm weather is upon us again.

For most, this means fun activities, gardening, time outside. For me, it means the borders of my house vanish, and I get no say of where I go and what I do, and I'm simply led around by hyperactive kids.

Today, I found myself in the alley.

Its quiet; no people about at this hour. That will change in the evening, when the people working and living on various shifts will liven the place up. Yet, its teaming with life. Squirrels and birds take advantage of the peace, moving from tree to tree. People don't worry about the appearance of their backyards as much in this area; there are aging garages with various plants coming up; not usually things people planted(or in addition to them). Mulberry trees show buds, promising food for hungry fingers(and birds).

There's something different here; civilized, yet, not. Bits of garbage sit here and there(sometimes confined, sometimes not). Garages all show signs of having been tampered with at some point; hard to imagine it any other way in one of the oldest neighborhoods in the city. When midnight rolls around, young people will loudly clamor through, followed by clouds of smoke.

One gets a very liminal(and for me, sacred) feeling sitting here, being a part of it. Looking at rusted cars being taken over by climbing grasses, seeing the gravel of the alley taper and struggle to define where it begins and where yards end.

As the robins chirp and cars sound in the distance, it seems perfect as is.

Are you at all familiar with the writing of Thomas Merton? He was a Trappist monk living in a monastery in the southern U.S during the 1960s, but he had a very interesting history before that and was an excellent observational/contemplative writer. Reading your post put me in mind of him and that is a strong compliment. Especially of a book of his called, "Conjectures of a Guilty Bystander".

 

[JustGeorge]

Are you at all familiar with the writing of Thomas Merton? He was a Trappist monk living in a monastery in the southern U.S during the 1960s, but he had a very interesting history before that and was an excellent observational writer. Reading you post put me in mind of him and that is a strong compliment. Especially of a book of his called, "Conjectures of a Guilty Bystander".

I haven't heard of him. I'll check him out!

 

[sun rise]

What isn't sacred?

I agree but that is not a common perspective. And that's a touchstone for me because when I can't hold that perspective for some reason, I know it's the "i" that can't hold it rather than the real "I".

 

[JustGeorge]

I agree but that is not a common perspective. And that's a touchstone for me because when I can't hold that perspective for some reason, I know it's the "i" that can't hold it rather than the real "I".

I think not being able to get into the 'sacred' in more traditional ways(due to lack of freedom in daily life) has forced this lesson home for me.

 

[JustGeorge]

There was a point yesterday, in which I noticed while driving around dusk, that the Sun and the Moon faced each other in the sky. Sun behind me, Moon in front. I felt a kind of intense energy...

Why do we never talk about the Daytime Moon?

Any time the Moon is discussed, its usually in a 'night only' context, yet there he/she is. Right there in the clear blue sky.

Anyone have any thoughts on the Daytime Moon in a spiritual context? I'm curious to hear them.

 

[Vinayaka]

There was a point yesterday, in which I noticed while driving around dusk, that the Sun and the Moon faced each other in the sky. Sun behind me, Moon in front. I felt a kind of intense energy...

Why do we never talk about the Daytime Moon?

Any time the Moon is discussed, its usually in a 'night only' context, yet there he/she is. Right there in the clear blue sky.

Anyone have any thoughts on the Daytime Moon in a spiritual context? I'm curious to hear them.

The other day she was directly above me, straight up. In that moment, I pondered the significance of that. Changing latitudes while travelling can do some rather odd things.

 

[sun rise]

I know the metaphor of us being the moon to Divinity which is the sun so we should strive to reflect that divinity in our thoughts, words and deeds But the question of a Daytime Moon is not something I have ever thought about.

 

[JustGeorge]

I wonder if there's a deity of Free Junk on the Side of the Road...

Ares tends to be enamored with it, and we tend to come across just what we need when he's getting unstable in the car...

 

[sun rise]

I wonder if there's a deity of Free Junk on the Side of the Road...

Ares tends to be enamored with it, and we tend to come across just what we need when he's getting unstable in the car...

Where you attribute that to a specific deity, an angel, an advanced agent or random chance, the important thing is that you are receptive.

There's a "joke", teaching story that goes something like: Someone left some gold on a bridge a poor man in need was going to cross. When the poor man got to the other side he was asked "did you see anything while crossing the river?". The poor man replied "no, I had the whim to close my eyes so I saw nothing". How many people are like that? Too many.

 

[JustGeorge]

Where you attribute that to a specific deity, an angel, an advanced agent or random chance, the important thing is that you are receptive.

There's a "joke", teaching story that goes something like: Someone left some gold on a bridge a poor man in need was going to cross. When the poor man got to the other side he was asked "did you see anything while crossing the river?". The poor man replied "no, I had the whim to close my eyes so I saw nothing". How many people are like that? Too many.

There's a lot to see...

So much...

 

[JustGeorge]

Ares gets in a pious mood every once and awhile.

Interesting to oversee his 'Shiva party'. Looked like an unstructured puja(I had to help with the incense and diya).

Strange activity for a day that I've had to call the psychiatrist due to manic activity. His behavior's had me in tears more than once this afternoon, and yet, there he sits, in a room full of breakables conducting a reasonable program of worship.

Life's weird.

 

[sun rise]

Life's weird.

Some people's lives are weirder than others - a truism.