Around Father’s Day 2021

The gigantic tension before the shooting of an arrow, and the total relaxation seconds later, is my way of connecting to the universe.

Paulo Coelho

On reading the above words of Coelho , I recalled the meditation taught to me by my father- in which he told about meditation being like the holding of a bow – and would regularly meditate daily for twenty minutes morning and evening .

While talking to friends from different spiritual traditions, I came to know different ways of approaching the universal spirit and energy.

MY FATHER PNB

A child who lost his mother before he was five , he grew up in Shimla , the summer capital of British India .

We as a family would go for trips to Shimla , when we were staying in Pune in the 1970 s . He introduced me to the rhythm of the Himalayas, and the magic of the morning hour when night turns into day .

He would get up before that hour and exercise, study, and pray.

THE HOME LIBRARY

We started our home library with an encyclopedia in the early 1970 s .

The gift of the love of the written word was passed on to me by my parents.

Through many readings, book discussions and meditations our family has evolved into living in Ontario now.

As the mind’s eye goes back to the origins of our family in the Garhwal Himalayas the spirit and aspirations of some seekers came to mind.

Walks in and around Shimla , prayers at Hill Temples like Jakhu , Tara Devi and around Laxman Jhula area of Rishikesh,

and trips further up to Badrinath Kedarnath added to our understanding of the spiritual traditions.

This blend of nature and meditation made us realize the truth in some words of seekers who have gone through this path before.

The words of Alexandra David-Ne’el as quoted in Robert Twigger’s book ‘ White mountain ‘ summarize some of these walks and meditations

“ Instead of focussing on wealth creation and making labour saving inventions , the people of the Himalayas have concentrated on psychic development.

In special monasteries- mastery over breathing and mind is developed using symbols, mantras, and long periods of concentration. And long periods of walking. “

BY THE HUMBER TRAILS

Last week met a friend, a seeker who has walked the Humber trails for over half a century, and witnessed the evolution of the city.

He has sought psychic development over many walks .

In some ways , the energy of the universe, and our connections to each other and the universal spirit came alive as we talked about Generations and their impacts through decades.

“ If I cannot get far I just go around ten fifteen kilometres from the city to be with my inner self and connect with the universal spirit “ my friend told me as we walked quietly along the Humber.