Somewhere Over The Rainbow: Dreams Really Do Come True

(At Kailua Beach, O'hau, Hawaii)

(North Shore of O'ahu)

Somewhere over the rainbow,

Way up high.

There’s a dream that you dreamed of

Once in a lullaby.

Somewhere over the rainbow,

Bluebirds fly,

And, dreams that you dreamed of

They really do come true.

This is a very fitting song for this visit to Hawaii. You can find it sung by IZ, who is a native Hawaiian, click on: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=V1bFr2SWP1I

Above were from a Hawaiian artist, Tabora. To me, his paintings have a mystical feeling to them..."over the rainbow" where dreams really do come true. This is a "dream," isn't it?

I am here in Kailua, on the island of O’ahu. Ted Suga, my host, has taken me all over this beautiful island from shore to shore. I met Ted at I SIT when he came to Vancouver Island, B.C. in 2007. He was born on this island and lived here all of his life.

Everywhere he has taken me is absolutely magnificent! I’ve never experienced anything so beautiful. This is truly a “dream come true,” one that I had wished for, but long forgotten, as a small girl. Isn’t it interesting how what is held near and dear to our Heart does eventually happen, in one way or another.

Here is the mountain of Olomana that is right behind Ted’s home. Every place in Hawaii is sacred, and I can certainly feel that when I look at this mountain. Ted said that it reminded him of Arunachala.

These are the Ko’olau Range mountains, paralleling for 37 miles on the eastern coast of O'ahu island. The range was formed by volcanic erruptions and has an average width of 13 miles (21 km).

Koʻolau Range is a name given to the fragmented remnant of the eastern or windward shield volcano of the island of O'ahu. The last time the volcano erupted was 10,000 years ago. It is not a mountain range in the normal sense, because it was formed as a single mountain called Koʻolau Volcano (koʻolau means "windward" in Hawiian)

What has been the most beautiful experience in being here, on this island of paradise, has been sharing in conscious company with Ted and his friends. We have met Heart to Heart as if we have known each other forever.

Sri Bhagavan says in The Ramana Gita, “On Society” where he shares that society is like one body and it’s limbs are all connected and work together as One. There appears to be difference, but we are all connected at Heart. I am so grateful to have had this very precious time to experience the Oneness in all that surrounds me.

Thank you, so much, Ted, for welcoming me into your homeland and allowing us to all experience it first hand.

One last precious view of the island ... here is the famous Diamond Head, at Waikiki, which is on the other side of the island from Ted’s home.

I am leaving on the 29^th of March for Vancouver Island, B.C., Canada. Lucas and Cheryl and all of our AHAM family on the island will be welcoming us into their corner of the world. Hope to see you there.

Love you all, from the bottom of my Heart.

Aloha!

The Mahatma

On my way out of India, I stopped over in Mumbai (Bombay) and had a day to see this unusual city. Evidently, it is the commercial capital of India and has 10% of India’s population on what is some of that is reclaimed land. There are no “homes” per se, there are just high rises to accommodate the people living in this bustling city.

One of the highlights for me, was to visit “Mani Bhavan” which was one of the few important places sanctified by Mahatma Gandhi’s close association. (See picture above) Significant discussions and decisions were made here with regards to India’s freedom movement. And, the unregistered weekly bulletin called “Satyagrahi” was issued from here. This is where he began his historic fast in 1921 and was arrested in 1932.

Mani Bhavan is where “Gandhi lived and conversed with his colleagues, molded the nation in the image of his cherished ideals of Truth and Non-violence and inspired his followers and devotees who went forth from here in the world, charged with the sense of service and sacrifice.”

As I walked through the building, the energy of his Presence was very prevalent. When Obama visited Mumbai just recently, this was where he visited first.

His wheel for spinning his kadhi cloth was still set up in one of the upper rooms.

Gandhi’s message still rings true for this day and age…timeless Truth…

“If there is a paradise on earth, it is here, it is here, it is here.”

“The very first step in non-violence is that we cultivate in our daily life, as between ourselves, truthfulness, humility, tolerance, loving kindness. The path of true non-violence requires much more courage than violence.”

“I believe in trusting. Trust begets trust. He who trusts has never yet been lost in the world.”

“I have learned this one lesson-that what is impossible with man is child’s play with God and if we have faith in that Divinity which presides on the destiny of the meanest of His creation, I have no doubt that all things are possible; and, in that final hope, I live and pass time and endeavor to obey His will.” – M.K. Gandhi

It's Always Inside Out

(A view from the Dining Hall at Jindal)

It's been a several weeks since we have shared together. The Jindal Healing Center required that we give up our laptops and concentrate fully on our healing process. They didn't take our cell phones, but we could only use them in our rooms. Reminds me of AHAM and the way we require one to focus fully while experiencing our programs.

I am now in Mumbai (Bombay), staying in a Holiday Inn, on my way to Hawaii. Wonderful!! Hot and cold running water, a soft bed, American food and all the comforts of home. And, of course, Wi-Fi. So here we are.

What to share about my experience at Jindal?... The care they gave went off the charts! They had assigned each of us a doctor that we see each day. The doctor tunes into the treatments that would be best for your situation and the food to eat. We had our schedule each day to follow through with and continue checking in with the doctor as to how the progress is going. The focus of the healing was from Naturopathy and coming back to allowing "nature to take it's course." So, by cleaning out the body is the first step and then the body can heal itself. And, their treatments all enhanced this process.

This was a huge "AHA!" for me. In our teaching, at AHAM, we reverse attention from at outward direction to following the natural inward flow into the Heart and give way to the Heart's Direction. Well, what was realized in this health program was the exact same process. What I had been doing regarding the situation with this body was to try all these different things "out there" and "hope" that something will work. It was a complete reversal, in Jindal, by going back to the source of the problem and allowing what is natural to take over. And, now it is just a matter of following the discipline of the process for a complete healing to occur. Just like we would do in our practice...staying with an "inside out" process no matter what arises until our Living from the Heart is happening naturally. Don't you love it?

We also were given Yoga as a way to heal the body and Pranayama. The one thing we all enjoyed the most was the Laughing Exercises that is supposed to be very healthy for the body-mind. It was great to have all 300 of us together at one time laughing our heads off for 15 minutes. When we finished each exercise we all acknowledged it by saying: "Very good! Very good! Very good! Ho Ho Ha Ha Ha." What a way to start the day. Here is a shot of us all together at 6:30 in the morning right before yoga ...

Here is a picture of myself and a new friend from Washington, D.C. I met people from all over the world. And, many of them were wanting information on having a meditation practice that would work for them. I was happy to give them our new website address...


Finally, I'd like for everyone to meet Dr. Mumtaj, the one who referred me to Jindal. She is starting up a place in Tiruavannamalai that has the same "nature cures" from Jindal. I am so grateful for her dedication to her "duty" as she calls it, and to her sending me to a place that truly works. She even came by bus to Jindal (8 hours) to check-in on me.

One final thing...

What was also realized in this experience is a key to releasing "body-mind identification." When we totally ignore the body-mind and "let it go" as I did, it will eventually scream out for attention, as it did. This is not the way to release body-mind identification. When we follow a health program, that works for us, we can begin to experience the body as a temple for the Heart to function in full alignment together. The merging of the two "body-mind and Heart" into One is the completion. What comes to mind was about Sri Bhagavan. During the surgery that he had on removing the cancer from his arm, as they were cutting away the skin, he was heard saying: "Poor arm" while he stroked it with tender loving care. There was complete Oneness with his arm..."not-two." This experience was his way of showing us that we don't ignore the body-mind, but love it and embrace it with our Awareness.

Ok, that's it for now...I'll write you from Hawaii. Ted Suga is my host and we have less than two weeks to see his beautiful island.

Love you all from the bottom of my Heart.