About 23 years ago, I met two amazing people who lived on a small farm close to Malmo, Nebraska. They had established a Babaji ashram there, as Babaji himself had instructed them to do when they went to Haidiakhan in India to see him. (For information on Babaji, go to www.Babaji.net.)
By the time I became acquainted with this couple, Babaji had left his physical body, but he left behind many wonderful teachings. One core teaching is to live your life in "Truth, Simplicity, and Love. That teaching always seemed elusive to me. Yeah, it was a nice thing to aspire to. We had a poster on our wall for years with the words "Truth, Simplicity, and Love" on it. But with my busy life raising children, helping my husband's chiropractic practice, pursuing careers, moving about, getting involved in causes and politics, I felt rather removed from Truth, Simplicity, and even Love at times!
I am now staying in a rustic little log cabin in the southwest corner of Missouri, and will be here until February 13. Now, for the first time, I feel very connected with Babaji's message. I've been here six days now, and my life is simple and creative and loving. I wake up, stoke the fire in the wood stove, heat water for tea, write in my journal noting thoughts and feelings and perhaps dreams I remember. Then I put on my dancing/yoga clothes and start some rhythmic music on the CD player. (My favorite is a CD by Boka Marimba of Zimbabwean marimba music.) Dancing always makes me feel joyful and energized; I am literally leaping for joy! I dance mostly African style, with steps and movements my friend Kyla Jones taught in her "African Footsteps" class. (Thank you, Kyla!)
After dancing for about a half hour, I do some yoga stretches and the Tibetan "Five Rites," then change into warmer clothes and fix some breakfast. I've been eating oatmeal with raisins, apples, and nuts. This morning I had apples, bananas, blueberries, and pecans. I relish eating! I really savor the flavors and have gratitude for all the people who had a hand in providing this food to nourish my body, from the farmer to the grocery clerk.
I wash my dishes, which involves heating up water on the range and using very little water. The cabin had been unoccupied this winter until now, and although the water had been drained from the pipes, apparently one pipe was missed. Big whoops! Mother Nature doesn't like pipes with water left in them, so she makes them burst in freezing temperatures! So I am unable to use the modern convenience of indoor plumbing in my little cabin. It really isn't too bad; my friends Bernadine and Charlie live in the main house just up the path, so I bring down water in buckets for cooking, washing up, and to flush the toilet. Luckily I learned to be frugal with water at the Babaji ashram in Nebraska, where we used an outhouse, took bucket baths, and were careful not to waste water when doing dishes. It was good training.
After cleaning the kitchen from breakfast (which only takes about five minutes--wish it only took that long at home!), I have several choices about what to do. I've been listening to the Abraham (Law of Attraction) tapes a lot. Sometimes I sit and listen and jot down ideas, or sometimes I paint while I listen.
I find I am very drawn to painting! I loved to paint with oils when I was a child, but I never became very proficient at it. I bought an oil painting set for my daughter last year, but she didn't use it much, so I brought it with me to the cabin along with several prepared canvasses. I am painting images that came to me one morning a few weeks ago. The images are a visual representation of affirmations that I find helpful in my healing and in other areas of my life. I find the process of painting extremely peaceful, especially here where I don't have other demands for my attention and time. I love to watch the colors blend and flow together, and I am having fun experimenting with different techniques. I also bought some watercolor pencils, with which I have worked a little before, but never very satisfactorily. This morning I woke up with an idea for using the pencils, and I was thrilled with the result. I painted for almost two hours after getting up, and became totally lost in the artistic process--so satisfying!
I have also been writing down some songs that have been coming to me recently. I have composed "joy songs" since first becoming involved in the Unity Church in Lawrence, Kansas around 1978. My songs tend to be simple and repetitive, easy to remember and teach to others. Many serve as a kind of affirmative mantra that runs through my head all the time. Since working the teachings of Abraham the songs have been flowing at such a fast rate, I don't get them all written down. Like dreams, I need to write the songs down or they vanish from my mind.
I brought a lap top computer with me to do some writing, but so far the painting and music seem to be my focus. I am trying not to have any agenda for my time here; I just do what seems right in the moment.
On Tuesday I took a walk in the woods, which still has snow from a storm last week. Bernadine and Charlie's dog Velvet accompanied me. Velvet is named for her velvety soft black coat, and she made an excellent companion for my walk, running ahead then waiting for me to catch up. It was a bright sunny day, above freezing so more of the icy snow was melting.
The cabin is close to the big house, so I'm not exactly out in the wilderness all by myself. Bernadine and Charlie are both amazing people; I'll write more about them later (they need a whole post all to themselves!) Bernadine has made me some lovely salads to go with the food I'm fixing for myself.
Yesterday (Wednesday) we drove into Pineville, a tiny little village close to the Arkansas border. There is a chiropractor and naturopathic doctor there who has a wellness center. Bernadine wanted me to try a magnetic therapeutic device they have there, and meet the woman who helped design and develop it. I'll write more about this therapy later, too. I'm going back next week for another session with it.
Abraham says if you are doing things, and thinking thoughts that make you feel good--happy, joyous, loving--that you are allowing the stream of Source Energy to flow unimpeded into you. When you feel more negative emotions, you are pinching off the stream. Living in this cabin, experiencing " Truth, Simplicity, and Love" every day, most of the day, must be opening the floodgates of Source Energy! I luxuriate in the time I have to just BE--not having any agenda or things I must do. No one is relying on me. No one has expectations of me. I decide from moment to moment what to do, and it is all stuff I REALLY enjoy doing--reading, writing, painting, dancing, listening to music or creating it, listening to Abraham tell me how to consciously create the life I want! I even enjoy creating a nutritious meal for myself and cleaning up afterwards! (Cooking has never been one of my favorite activities.)
I think everyone should have a little cabin in the woods to go to, even of only for a few days. I am so very grateful for Bernadine for building the little cabin and making it available. (By the way, she is open to renting it out to people who would like to do as I have done. Another " perk" to this cabin is that Bernadine is a healer and physician. More about her in the next post!)
