Greetings Dear Ones!

As the subject of this email reads, this will be my last email to this list! Change is in the air, and it's time for me to say good-bye to the Teja Blog and to the Yogini-Bliss website. In this last letter to this list, i will explain why i am letting go of that work, and i will offer the Radiance Rising pocketbook to locals for $2 each (or free when requested), and i will say thanks to the many special beings who have helped me along the way. I have much gratitude for each of you who have read my writings and shared in this part of my journey.

I am letting go of writing the Teja Blog and maintaining the Yogini-Bliss website because i simply don't have the time, energy, and money to continue doing that work. For over 1.5 years i've been working 19 hours/week at Morningstar Healing Arts (as medical assistant and also front office), and i absolutely love the work and i am super grateful to Sue & Howard Morningstar for giving me that opportunity to serve and shine in that way. And, for whatever reason(s), i haven't yet been able to find another part-time work situation for Wednesdays & Thursdays, and so i've been increasingly struggling financially. (For the astrology buffs, in the Vedic astrology system i have 5 more years of a 19 year Saturn cycle, and in March i just shifted from Saturn-Mars dasha into Saturn-Rahu dasha! That explains A LOT, eh?!!!)

On May 1st, i swallowed my pride and applied for Food Stamps, and i was kinda shocked that they gave them to me, because i don't feel poor, but as it turns out, i really am poor! Through my embarrassment i have told many people about the food stamps, and it's been amazing to me how many people have been on them in the past, are currently on them, or are planning to apply for them soon. I've also been amazed at how encouraging and supportive everyone is about it. For sure it has been one of the more humbling experiences of my life. So! As soon as the Universe wills it, i intend to find more work and be able to fully support myself financially. My boys (Gabe 13, and Zak almost 16) have been so great about it all, and they like it that because i got food stamps they automatically were given free lunches at school. They don't seem to mind spending half-time at a poor house! (At Papa's house they have much more money!)

Just in case one of you hears of some great part-time work on Wednesdays & Thursdays, i'll attach my current resume below. Even though this has been unsettling, in my core i am still really trusting that everything is happening for a reason and that just the perfect work will come to me at just the perfect time. Trust, Surrender, Breathe! Trust that every step has been perfect, Surrender to being a karma yogini householder, and Breathe into this next chapter! Om Namah Shivaya! Jai Sri Rama!

In addition to resigning from the Teja Blog and letting the Yogini-Bliss website go, i still have at least 600 copies of Radiance Rising: Spiritual Practices for Daily Living to move on out of my cottage temple! Yesterday, i moved all the boxes out of my bedroom, stacked them next to the front door, and covered them with a red cloth. Symbolically they are by the front door, ready to move on OUT! I am in the process now of contacting local hospitals, yoga centers, and so on, to donate books that can be given out free to employees, patients, students... if you work someplace locally that might be interested in giving out the book, please let me know.... and i'm also offering them for $2 each to locals (or free if you can't or don't want to make the $2 donation)... it makes a great gift, so you could get a bunch of them now and save them for the holidays, which will be here in about 3 winks given how fast time is speeding up! If you're a local and would like to get some books, please email me and we'll coordinate that....

The Yogini-Bliss website, www.yogini-bliss.com, will be on-line until it comes up for payment renewal on December 16th, 2013.... so you still have time to read the 200+ articles on the Teja Blog and enjoy some of the other offerings, like "Tips from Tejaswini", and if you aren't a local here in Ashland, you can still order Radiance Rising from the website, and/or make a donation on the store.

The Yogini-Bliss website began in January, 2010, with a generous donation from my dear friend Yogi Pete. Thank you, again and again, dear Pete, for supporting my work and allowing me a place to shine my light. And thank you for supporting the publication of Radiance Rising as well!!! (Pete's new and beautiful website: http://healing-haven.com has info. about his healing holistic retreat center in Mexico) In addition to all of Pete's very generous support, i'd also like to thank Gaelyn & Bram Larrick for always doing such an amazing job on all the designs - of the website, books, biz cards,  and flyers. (Check them out at www.book-covers-that-sell.com) I'd also like to thank my beloved teacher David La Chapelle, who left his body in July 2009, and whose teachings came through me in my writings and teachings. I'd like to thank his former partner, Ananda Elise Foley, as well, for holding space for me and for loving me always as my dear Mama Ocean! (www.anandafoleystudio.com) And i'd like to thank Jai Uttal, my Guru-brother in Neem Karoli Baba-ji's Heart, for all his great music and inspiration (http://jaiuttal.com/)... And i'd like to thank Kate, my dear soul sister in Amma, who has been my biggest supporter of the Teja Blog! And for anyone who i've neglected to name here, who has supported and encouraged this work in any way, thank you, thank you, thank you!!!

So, life keeps changing, and i am flowing with the changes... And as i let go of the Teja Blog and the Yogini-Bliss website, i keep walking forward, barefoot when possible, and i am finding that i am still a Raja Yogini, ever meditating and ever chanting the Names of Rama, Sita, Hanuman, Shiva, Durga, Kali.... and still adoring my spiritual studies with cups of hot tea on my old red couch.... and still enjoying deep bliss in my vegan mystic kitchen.... and still blissing out when sitting under the Beloved Sun. And... thanks to a quick loan from my very amazing Mom & Dad, i have already bought my ticket to Pranafest, the sweet kirtan/yoga festival that will happen in Ashland again in September! Yay God.... So Much Gratitude!!!!!!

May all beings have food, clothing, shelter, clean fresh water, and peaceful sleep.
May all beings everywhere be happy and free.

Om Shanti (Peace),
Yogini Tejaswini

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Today is 12-12-12, and that date has such a nice ring to it, that I just have to post a bit of cheery inspiration… Recently, Amma (the “hugging saint” from India, who is one of the world’s top ten religious leaders, along with the Pope and the Dalai Lama), asked that people pray the ancient peace prayer for at least 5 minutes each morning and 5 minutes each evening. I began doing this practice as soon as I heard about it at our Amma Satsang on December 1^st, and it’s a wonderfully satisfying practice that brings peace to my being and also sends peace out to the Whole Web of Life.

Please join me in this simple practice… you can sing this prayer sitting up in bed, or while doing household chores… Sing line 1 one time, then keep repeating the second line over and over until you are ready to finish, and then sing the last line (Om Shanti Shanti Shantihi) one time… then you can say the translation out loud in English: May all the beings in all the worlds be happy and at peace. Click on the prayer below to link to a short video of Amma singing it with a tear rolling down her cheek. Here is the full prayer:

Om Lokah Samastah Sukhino Bhavantu

Lokah Samastah Sukhino Bhavantu

Lokah Samastah Sukhino Bhavantu

Om Shanti Shanti Shantihi

May All the Beings in All the Worlds Be Happy and At Peace.

Om Shanti Shanti Shantihi!

Yogini Tejaswini

Photo of Teja’s colorful faux fir tree with Ma statue by Teja Shankara.

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I already wrote about this in a blog article in July, but I just have to write about it again, because I am still celebrating that I am tipped over the tipping point of the transformation!

Last spring and summer I was doing some transcribing for my dear soul sister, Ananda Foley. As the representative for The LaChapelle Library, she had hired me to begin work on a book of the teachings of David LaChapelle, who was her life partner for six years (until he left the body on July 21^st, 2009), and who was our spiritual teacher.

One day while listening to one of David talk’s, I typed the following words that he said: 

“… where it shows up in our personal process is a continuous tendency to choose pain over joy. And it’s very magnetic and very addictive. So it’s just a little easier to go back to our crunch place than it is to like “ahhh”… But once the bliss muscles get developed better, then it actually is easier to go the other way, and then you’re like tipped over the tipping point of the transformation.” 

After I typed that, I read it aloud several times, and I was overjoyed to reflect that in the past year I have tipped over the tipping point of the transformation! I used to be so addicted to pain, but now I have really shifted so that now, through all my expansions and contractions, it is easier for me to go to bliss than to fall back into pain. Jai Shiva Shankara! Victory to the Lord of Bliss who gives Happiness and Peace!

May All Beings Everywhere know Peace.

Blissing in the Star-Fire Realms of Shiva Consciousness,

Yogini Tejaswini

Photo of Teja Tipped Over the Tipping Point taken by Teja Shankara.

Does anyone know the name of the artist who created this image of Lord Shiva? If so, please let me know! ~~~ Thanks to Sahadev for letting me know that this Shiva image was taken from this video: Lingashtakam - Lord Shiva Devotional 3D Animation by Cyber Village Solutions.

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In November 2012 I was interviewed by Dr. Krishna Gokani on his TV show The Art & Awareness of Happy Health. Now Dr. Krishna has given me permission to show that video on my YouTube channel. Topics include daily spiritual practices, meditation, grounding, cultivating gratitude, chanting while cooking to infuse the food with high vibrations, eating vegan, and choosing to be happy! I hope you enjoy the show… to view, please click on the title above or here: Teja on TV!

And… to continue following my Mystical & Mundane Musings, please visit this Teja Blog regularly, and enjoy transmissions of Shiva's Star-Fire Energies!

Radiant Healing Light to All,

Yogini Tejaswini

Photo of Dr. Krishna and Teja Shankara taken by Nancy Burton, L.Ac.

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A few nights ago I was washing a collard green leaf that was twice as big as my face, when suddenly I had a cosmic collard greens moment. While looking at all the white veiny patterns on the collard green’s tough skin, I felt as though it was from another planet! Truly, it felt other-worldly!

The night before that, I had an amazing experience with some raw turmeric root. I put about half an inch of that raw root in my mouth and began chewing… and as I chewed, I was overcome by these incredibly complete sensations of contentment, happiness, and bliss. Then today I read in William Buck’s version of the Ramayana that there are 7,000 nerves of taste, and I’m pretty sure that all 7,000 of mine must have been happily activated by that turmeric!

I am feeling such sweet gratitude for the small vegan pleasures of life that keep me vibrationally connected to the natural and cosmic worlds. Healing myself on all levels, one green at a time…

May all beings have healthy organic food to eat… if more people eat vegetarian and vegan, less resources will be used and then more food will be available for more people… I’m thinking of that wonderful slogan about living simply so others can simply live…

May all beings everywhere know the healing power of greens!

Om Shanti (Peace),

Yogini Tejaswini

Photo of collard greens by Teja Shankara.

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This photo is of me smiling and happy on the Autumn Equinox, the day I took a 3-month Brahmacharini vow. At the time I took the vow, I was intending to clear my field of the last earthguy I connected with, because I could see that our long karmic entanglement was finally at its end… and I knew that if I only vowed to not connect with him, then I might get myself into trouble connecting with someone new before I was really ready… So with the ritual of burning some photos, I vowed to the Universe that I would not hang out in the presence of an earthguy for the full season of Autumn. I smugly and happily took that vow, thinking it was going to be easy because I didn’t want to hang out with any stinkin’ earthguys anyway!

Once again, I’ve been duped by the Universe, only this time, I’m stronger and wiser, and can laugh heartily at the situation even as it’s happening. So, yeah, you may have guessed by now, that taking this vow did not magically clear all the guys from my space… but it wasn’t the karmic entanglement guy who wouldn’t leave my mind and heart… because the Universe has a really great sense of humor, it’s another guy from my past who I really want to see now, but I can’t, because I’m held fast by my own vow! What a big cosmic joke.

Fortunately for me, the right book always shows up at the right time. (Funny, for some women the right guy shows up at the right time, but for me it’s always the right book!) And so, right as I was taking this vow, I happened upon another book of Gandhi-ji’s writings entitled The Way to God. Soon I’ll post a review of it here on the Teja Blog. For now, I’ll quote the part that has helped me face the hilarity of this vow juncture:

“A really self-restrained person grows every day from strength to strength and from peace to more peace. The very first step in self-restraint is the restraint of thoughts. Understand your limitations and do only as much as you can…. Let not what I have told you alarm you or weaken you. Always aim at complete harmony of thought and word and deed. Always aim at purifying your thoughts and everything will be well.”

In understanding my limitations, I see that even though I am a wannabe-brahmacharini, the truth is that I’m really not ready to take that vow long-term. Sigh.

May all beings keep a sense of humor amidst the difficulties of life.

Om Shanti (Peace),

Yogini Tejaswini

Photo of “Brahmacharini” Tejaswini taken by Teja’s son Gabe.

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In my last blog article, I delightfully announced that I was ready to offer Radiance Rising Circles again… But, as it turns out, it is not the right time for it. I was really inspired and excited about offering the circles again, but then I realized that I need to focus my time and energy on my boys, my work, and my health.

With this decision, I feel as though I am purifying in the Fire of Change… And I am super grateful to note that all of my daily spiritual practices are now really working in my life, as evidenced by my new ability to remain happy amidst all the challenges, and my ever-increasing acceptance of change. With a happy and curious heart, I welcome whatever is arising next!

May all beings everywhere know the True Happy State that is ever-present beneath and behind all the little details of life.

Om Shanti (Peace),

Yogini Tejaswini

Photo of Teja’s cheery coffee table arrangement taken by Teja Shankara.

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Last Friday, in anticipation of beginning to read Tulasidasa’s Shri Ramacharitamanasa (The Holy Lake of the Acts of Rama), I cleaned my living room and bought myself flowers! The next morning I began reading the introduction, written by Ram Chandra Prasad, Professor of English, Patna University, Patna, India. Each morning this week, I spent my “time-out-of-time” spiritual practice in studying the introduction, and here I will share a few highlights from those studies…

Tulasidasa (1532-1623), poet-saint of Northern India, began writing the Ramacharitamanasa (his version of the Ramayana) when he was forty-two years old (my age now!), on March 30^th (today’s date!), of 1574. With his incredible capacity for work, and his determination to revitalize Hindu society, he set about the task of writing that great epic story anew, to remind his readers that there is no reason to despair. Through his depiction of Rama’s victory over the demons, the reader remembers the ultimate victory of truth over evil.

Ram Chandra Prasad, who edited and translated Tulasi’s great work into Hindi and English, writes, “Endowed with the prophetic vision of a true seer, Tulasi is alert to the present need and understands the requirements of modern times, of what he calls the Kaliyuga, and devotes all his creative energies towards providing a sure antidote to the poison that has corrupted human society today.”

Already greatly inspired by the introduction, I am very much looking forward to reading the first pages of the epic tomorrow morning, which happens to be Ram Navmi, the birthday celebration day for Rama! And, three weeks from tomorrow, in my own small way of providing “a sure antidote to the poison that has corrupted human society today”, I will once again be offering weekly Radiance Rising Circles! (Beginning April 21^st, Saturday mornings, 10:30am – 12 noon at the Unitarian Universalist Center, corner of 4^th & C Streets in Ashland.)

May all beings be Happy and Free. Jai Sri Rama! Victory to Rama!

Om Shanti (Peace),

Yogini Tejaswini

Photo of Shri Ramacharitamanasa with flowers by Teja Shankara.

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My breakfast this morning was so seriously yummy that I just had to grab the camera and photograph it for this blog. It may not look that fabulous, but the taste sensation sure was amazing! I simply heated leftover wild rice and leftover sweet potatoes in a pan with coconut oil and some delightfully nourishing pieces of Medjool dates. With each bite, I was filled with Happiness and Gratitude. Cheers to conscious eating!!!

Simple instructions for cooking wild rice: soak the wild rice overnight. Add a sprinkle of Himalayan krystal salt, bring to a boil (in the water it was soaked in), then simmer medium-high, covered, for about an hour – until just the moment when the water is all cooked up.

Easy method for baking sweet potatoes: scrub, leave skins on, and place in a pan with olive oil. Coat the sweet potatoes with the oil, and put them, uncovered, in a preheated oven at 385 degrees. Bake for 45 minutes. You don’t even need to turn them or poke them, it’s really that easy! Just make sure that they are actually sweet potatoes, and not yams… for several years I didn’t realize (or remember) the difference, but this week I have re-discovered the amazing joy of sweet potatoes, which are actually quite different from yams. A few nights ago I baked American sweet potatoes along with Japanese sweet potatoes, and I can’t decide which I like better. What about you?

Hope you enjoy this seriously yummy vegan breakfast sometime. If you do, let me know how you like it. 

May all beings everywhere have food, clothing, shelter, and peaceful sleep.

May all beings be happy and free.

Om Shanti (Peace), 

Yogini Tejaswini

Photo of Teja’s seriously yummy breakfast taken by Teja Shankara.

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In a recent blog article (“Amazing Gratitude for Amazing Manifestation!”), I shared that I was re-reading Gandhi-ji’s Book of Prayers while waiting to order the Tulsidas Ramayana. Well, after finishing Gandhi-ji’s Book of Prayers, each morning I just kept reading it, even though the Tulsidas Ramayana had already arrived in the mail. For some reason, it wasn’t quite time to begin the new book, and even though I was beginning to feel a bit restless with reading the same prayers over and over, I knew that I needed to do so.

On my spiritual journey, any time I encounter some form of resistance, I find that to be very rich material to work with, so instead of putting the book away when I felt some boredom arising, I took the opportunity to delve deeper into the book… And I am so glad I did that, because I learned a bit about the power of repeating those prayers over and over.

Repetition of those prayers was one of Gandhi-ji’s primary daily practices. During one of his prison terms, he translated the Ashram Bhajanavali into English. These were the prayers that they recited daily in his ashram, and many of them are by recognizable Indian saints such as Mirabai, Kabir, and Tulsidas.

In the book’s introduction, Michael N. Nagler describes how deeply those prayers were woven into the content of Gandhi-ji’s consciousness. He writes that Gandhi would “allude to or “think in” lines from these hymns in the course of some discussion or other.” I can relate to that now, as it has been my experience, over the past few weeks, that the daily reading of these prayers is having a profound effect on my consciousness.

Here are a few phrases (taken from various prayers throughout the collection) that I particularly enjoy reading out loud, again and again:

“In the Kaliyuga, Ramanama* is the all-yielding tree… Repeating the name purifies the mind and banishes misfortune… Kabir says, this is the excellent life and I have sung of it. There is a state beyond misery and happiness, my mind is fixed on it…. He who is restraint incarnate is Rama…. The humble cottage is good enough; covering made of tattered rags is also good enough. I should eat with relish whatever it pleases God to give me from day to day…. O dear Lord…as soon as I saw thy face, the world became useless to me and my mind became detached from it. The happiness that the world gives is like a mirage; one should move about deeming it of no account…. We must sing of Hari with zest… Resolve upon enthroning Ramanama in thy heart…. have abundant love for all…take Ramanama…consider all to be good…regard God as the giver and the enjoyer…. You are intoxicated with your own infatuation; wake up and look around. What is the use of weeping when time knocks at the door? It costs nothing to sing Hari’s praises…. only the simple natural state…no desire for even an atom… Brahma and his creation cannot be separated even for a moment, but we of the earth earthy have no inkling of that vital principle; an owl may live for a hundred years and still will not know what the day is like. The Lord is like the ocean – too big for the eyes to scan….O my eyes, look deep and there is Hari…”

* Ramanama literally means “Rama’s Name” and it refers to the spiritual power of repeating God’s Name.

I hope you enjoyed this little taste of Gandhi-ji’s Book of Prayers. I plan to enjoy them for a few more days, and then dive deeply into the Tulsidas Ramayana!

May all beings be Happy and Free.

Om Shanti (Peace),

Yogini Tejaswini

Photo of Gandhi-ji’s Book of Prayers taken by Teja Shankara.

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