Raw and Deep

Wow, Deep Breath.  This has been a very powerful week for me, as I have come back to my ancestral home in India to go deeper into healing and birthing my mission and movement in the world.

Everything has been very raw and potent for me and even creating this week’s video was no easy task!

I welcome you watch it, as I speak about how important it is to heal and draw strength from your ancestral line in order to birth your BIG mission and movement.

Because here’s the thing, it is likely that whatever it is you are meant to birth and change in the world is directly connected to that which you are meant to heal most deeply within yourself, and therefore in your ancestry.

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Collaborating and committing



I visited the nursery that was founded by the trust my father started. The nursery functions as the pre-school to begin to prepare the children for primary school, and is primarily serving the poorer children of the community.

I also had another EXCITING meeting with the women leaders of the community. I feel so much energy from them. Having me come and talk about the rising of women all over the world, and offer a wider, outside perspective, has been able to infuse new energy in their work here. What came out of the meeting was a commitment of the current leaders to step up more and begin to collaborate on starting a women’s project that will be housed in the new high school. I’ve committed that I will also help to do research on possibilities, continue to stay involved and visit at least twice a year. We ended with a sister song of solidarity as the journey continues!… ♥

Journey to understanding…

I’ve been meeting with the women in the village. I’ve been here only a couple days and already I have been told about two women who were killed in the community, one by her husband and the other by her in-laws. I’m sure there are many more cases.

This is very common here in India, unfortunately, and still a shock to experience it first hand. I’m still understanding everything, but for sure domestic violence has come up a number of times. Husbands drink and the beat their wives. I am told it’s more predominant in the poorer castes here, where the women are also working in the nearby factories and are shouldering a huge part of the family duties. Because the women are working, they can’t be at home to make sure the children go to school and so many children are still not going to school, and so the cycle repeats. However, I am also told that domestic abuse is rampant in all castes and know that it sure was in my direct lineage as well.

This being said, I have been so touched by all the meetings I have had with women. Basically, there are about 10 women’s savings groups that have been set up through the trust my father started. Women come together to pool money together and then one woman will take out the money to use it for a specific purpose, usually a wedding or some household repair. I have been meeting with the leaders to see how perhaps the work can expand and through this have become aware of the levels of violence in the community. The leaders are so strong and beautiful and dynamic. I have more insight into my own fabric, though obviously born into very different circumstances. So, I’m staying open to where the energy may lead… Jai MA!

Moreshwari

Look at this beautiful goddess!!

 

Her name is Moreshwari. She’s an aspect of the Goddess Durga. I recently visited her temple here in Gujarat. She is what’s called the KulDevi of my ancestry on my mom’s side. Kul means ‘ancestry’ and Devi means ‘Goddess,’ so she’s the Ancestral Goddess of the lineage.

 

In India, most communities will have a KulDevi that they have worshiped for hundreds, maybe thousands of years. She’s like the Mother Goddess of the family.

 

 

On my father’s side the KulDevi is AmbaJi, also an aspect of Durga and the KulDev (male ancestral god) is Shiva. All of these are fierce Gods and Goddeses. It’s so fascinating for me to be learning this about my family now, as I have been drawn into devotion to the fierce Goddesses over the past year.

 

Seek TRUTH, Be the Change

Greetings from Gujarat, India! I’m here in the home state of my ancestors and also the home state of Gandhi.

It is such a deep blessing that I was recently able to visit Gandhi’s ashram here in Gujarat.

Sitting in the courtyard of his former home, I created this short video for you to capture the energy of Gandhi’s message to BE THE CHANGE!

What came across most strongly from Gandhi’s ashram was his inner search for TRUTH, which he called GOD.

His inner spiritual, or personal journey, was the place from which he birthed one of the most massive social movements in human history, India’s Independence movement.

So what I’d like to leave you with this week, is how important it is to commit to your inner truth, and particularly how important it is to establish a daily practice to open to this inner truth as you birth your mission and movement in the world.

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From the spirit of Gandhi’s Ashram

I arrived to Gujarat a couple days ago. This is the state I’m from in India. It’s also the birth place of Gandhi. I’ll be here for some time to reconnect to Gandhi’s energy and my ancestors. I’m feeling to ground in my roots and do some ancestral healing to birth my mission and movement in the world. Profound times…

Your Yoni’s Power to Birth Your Mission!

I am so exciting to be writing to you about this week’s subject, the Power of our Yoni’s!

In Sanskrit, the ancient spiritual language, Yoni means vagina, vulva, womb, creation, source. For thousands of years the Yoni was worshiped as THE symbol of the Goddess and women’s power.

For more on this, I created a short video live from Devipuram, where I have been for the past several weeks diving deeper into the sacred teachings and practices from the ancient Tantric Goddess lineages of India.

Why I’m so excited to be talking about the Yoni is because of the transformative power it has for our own relationship to our power and bodies and the transformative power for the world.

The Yoni is our source of life. It is from where we came and from where every living being on this planet has come.
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Great peace, freedom, and devotion from Devipuram

In transit from Devipuram to Gujarat, the state of my ancestral roots. I leave Devipuram with deep gratitude. Some highlights: Worship, worship, worship, puja galore, fire ceremonies, morning salutations of Sri Matre Namaha! (Salutations to the Mother), Deep bonding, Guruji-the living embodiment of the Mother- learning, learning, learning, chai, chai, chai, dogs and cats and lots of crows, singing, dancing, grounding, nesting, being. LOVE LOVE LOVE, GREAT PEACE, FREEDOM, DEVOTION.

Passing down the love during the full moon

A few nights ago we did a fire puja, or worship, in honor of the full moon and invoking the energies of the Ten Mahavidyas, or wisdom goddesses. The ceremony was led by a powerful, powerful woman you can see here, Prema Ma. Her name means LOVE :) Passing down the love on this full moon day and night here in India and last full moon of 2012. Cheers to a New Year filled with Grace for all. Jai Ma!

Following the Heart’s Wisdom

Greetings from India!

I am so grateful to share my experience in India with you. It is such magic to be back here. My soul is alive and dancing!

I recently had a soul-filled moment as I visited a very ancient Fort and had the spontaneous urge to dance.

The freedom I felt in the dance did not come from my mind but rather a surrender to a strong inner calling that I HAD to dance. In fact, this whole trip to India had been one-big surrender and heart-felt calling.

I have been so used to thinking I needed my mind to strategize and lead me, but I let my mind go and I am more on purpose and EMBODIED in my Mission than ever before.

As we move into 2013, my hope is that you too will surrender to your hearts wisdom and inner callings to guide you to greater freedom in any area if your life you wish for.

My wish is that you will always follow your heart and dreams and know that this is the path to Embodying your Highest Mission and light in the world.