The nurse wrapped a warm toasty blanket
around me as I waited for my MRI.
I wondered how many bodies this blanket
had warmed as folks sat
worrying about their perishable bones.
Then the thought came as clear as a bell
ringing, resounding, echoing from the apex of
a very high Himalayan mountain peak:
"I go on forever...I go on forever"
A gurney carrying a man in
obvious pain shuttled by.
I felt the sun rising over that mountaintop
splashing my face and
all the patients in the MRI room
“We go on forever…We go on forever…!"

It’s scary out there Sai Ma
sometimes I just want to
hide in the folds of your orange skirt
tuck my head under your
manifold all embracing arms
Universal Mother
Please wipe the tears from
our red rimmed eyes
and kiss the boo boo
on our broken hearts

Death is at the door
He is knocking loudly
Quick light a candle
Go within……
lets not waste a second
on anything other than
God Realization
Self Realization

Boy! quills were flying this morning. I guess
both David and I woke up on the wrong side of the bed
We were both fussing at each other. We had planned an
early morning trip to the beach and had not had our
liberating cup of morning coffee.
After a while we became more aware and worked on
being sweeter to each other.

As we headed to Coconut Point Beach in Melbourne, Fl, past
the Sandy shoes Hotel,
I thought about what my sister said last night
as I gave her a deep foot massage.

"We, as divine beings are creating everything.
Our experiences are a manifestation of our
thoughts, feelings and actions.
Even scientists are realizing
that there really isn’t anything out there.
It is all a projection of consciousness.
An impermanent motion picture that we get
caught up in and accept as real."

David and I held hands as we walked
along the magnificent shoreline,
gentle waves threw phosphorescent kisses over our feet,
pelicans glided through the gorgeous blue skies.

David stooped to pick up some unusual shells scattered across the
beach. “Look, Sonya… pukalani shells, you don’t see these too often
they have natural holes at the top.  Hawaiians make necklaces
out of these of shells.

I smiled gathering more shells, turning towards the ocean,
the warm amber sun reached out to hug us.
"Yes", I  said to David, “We are like golden spiders
creating a web of happiness or sadness.
It’s all up to us. We just have to remember.”

if you slit your wrists
only nectar flows
You are not this body
You are Spirit eternal
Your body is a sacred temple
fashioned by
God for you to learn how
to love more expansively
So suicide is not an option
Swami says this:
“DEVOTEE: Swami, when I am distressed, I feel like committing suicide.
SWAMI: You should not. However difficult life is,
try to be its master and not its slave.
Every human being has a preordained life span.
It is like staying in a leased house.
Before you actually vacate the house,
you have to find another one to move in.
Similarly, before leaving one body,
God selects another body and a span,
depending upon the karmic debts.
In case death is inflicted arbitrarily,
you are denying yourself a chance to work out
your karma as early as possible
and reach a permanent abode.
In suicide, you are stranded midway.
It would be a frightening state of affairs for you.
There is no vacant space in nature.
God has filled the space with spirits
and many other invisible entities.
When suicide is committed, they show up and terrorize you.
Moreover, a jivi is blissfully aware of God only
for one hour in its life. First, fifteen minutes
while shedding the mortal coil, i.e., at death;
second, fifteen minutes after coming
out of the womb, i.e., at birth;
and third, thirty minutes during the marriage.
God is present with the jivi on all these three occasions.
Hence, do not destroy the life that God has given you.
Lead the life you have got righteously.
The person who faces the trials in life calmly
and always remembers God will one day,
definitely, get His grace. Do not doubt its veracity.
Face these tests with faith in Him.

(Swami asked other people to get their doubts clarified.
Nobody asked anything.)” **~Sai Rapture, p.82

I feel good today
because I am conscious of You
there is nothing clouding my mind
Hari
my feet are dancing along the Sathwik path
a crystal mala dangles from my fingers
I drank the elixir of your sweet name
this morning
as did the Blue jays and Catbirds
in the garden
even our kitty cat Rama purrs
Sai Ram… Sai Ram… Sai Ram

The spider’s eye glittered
from the bottom corner of the desk
She was a huge mamma jamma
hiding behind a silken web

I shrieked and David came running into
the room

I find spiders scary, their hairy black legs
and small monstrous form is enough
to send a series of shudders up
my spine

Nevertheless “Charlotte” plays a vital role
in Nature’s global ecosystem
without Araneae our world would be
overrun with insects devouring
crops and spreading disease

In fact, grandmother spider from
Native American culture created the world
spinning her alchemical web,
embroidered with dew she hurled
the dreamcatcher into the
heavens transmuting it into stars

How cool is that?

David carefully captured the little goddess
releasing her to the night winds and starry
firmament

As we turned to go back inside I caught a glimpse
of a willowy silhouette, grandmother spider
grinning broadly
giving us the thumbs ups