My path is devotional. After reading about Divine Mother in Autobiography of a Yogi, I had found my ticket to bliss. First I found love for Her through the trees, as I would walk to work through the streets of Los Angeles. Then, once I found Her in my own heart, accessible anytime anywhere, I understood that I needed no … Read More
Millennial Meditations: 3 Reasons to Use the Ananda Meditation App
I’m a longtime meditator, so when Ananda launched it’s new meditation App I thought, “Cool, glad there is something for beginners.” I was terribly wrong. The new meditation App is changing my meditations, and thus, changing my life. The key is to use the “Custom Meditation” section in the App…it’s AMAZING. Here’s why: Inspiration: Like many meditators, I suffer from … Read More
Humble Pie and Writing a Wrong
Life has a knack for humbling you. A few people might not experience the humility gained in a life well-lived, but the rest of us know what it means to think, “Oh yeah, I got this,” only to smack, cartoon style, into an unnoticed wall. I had a moment like that recently when I thought I had created something awesome … Read More
Introspection and Journal Writing Suggestions
Paramhansa Yogananda said that meditation is the “jet plane route to Self-realization.” Meditation, however must be balanced with selfless service, for most of us cannot spend all of our time in meditation. Divine Mother (as Yogananda used to refer to God) knows this, and has arranged it so the many lessons we need to learn are offered to us in … Read More
Growing Up Ananda: How a Bunch of Hippies Got it Right
I was born and raised in a spiritual intentional community. To answer your first question, yes, I loved it. If you google “intentional community” and try to find a glowing testimonial from a child raised in one, you’ll most likely find none. I certainly haven’t. Every article I’ve ever read has been from someone who is coming to grips with … Read More
Starving Artist
I walked out of Master’s Market at Ananda Village on a summer day in 1978, wondering how I could make the money to buy a new camera. Digging in my jeans pocket, I found thirty-four cents – the extent of my net worth. We lived simple lives, free of electricity and indoor plumbing, just kerosene lanterns and outhouses. I worked … Read More
Generosity is Genetic: The Yoga of Prosperous Parenting
This week my husband and I did our annual budget. With two kids and barely-above-the-poverty-line salaries, this might be a terrifying experience, but for us it is not. For us, our budget is a tangible experience of the Divine; an ongoing testament to the truth that, “a consciousness of abundance, attracts abundance,” as Swami Kriyananda taught. This year we were … Read More
Rock in the Snow Field
When we woke at 2:30 a.m., the tent seemed smaller than it had when we crawled in to sleep a few hours earlier. It had begun to snow and the walls were caving in. For the rest of the night, we thumped the nylon periodically to keep the snow from accumulating and collapsing the tent. We were sleepless, but not … Read More
Peace and Harmony for the U.S. Elections
As I was leaving my house on Saturday to go for a walk around the pond near my home, I spoke briefly with my landlord. He was sharing his anxiety around the upcoming elections and the “ugliness” that has become more visible in our country as a result. He and his wife were leaving town to assist with a campaign … Read More
My Name is Gratitude
If I were to choose a spiritual name for myself, it would have to be Gratitude. I started drinking in my early teens. Drugs came later, in the ’60s, just before I turned twenty. All my friends drank, and everything that happened after sundown involved drugs and alcohol. So we were more inclined to play loud music than to play … Read More
