Ganesh

I bow to Ganesh with the beautiful potbelly.
Thanks for always guiding me.

Ganesha ( also spelled Ganesa, also known as Ganapati and Vinayaka)
is immediately recognizable as the elephant-headed god.

Ganesh is the master of wisdom and knowledge.
He is the remover of obstacles, and guardian of beauty, prosperity, grace and compassion.
Ganesh is the first deity to be reverenced in Hindu rites and a guardian of doors of houses and temples.
He is the God that removes the internal and external obstacles of our success, and he is the one that grants the opening of our spiritual gifts.
Ganesh is the Lord of Beginnings and also the protector of all beings.

His mantra is Om Gam Ganapataye Namaha. 
This particular mantra which can be loosely translated to :
Yo! Wake up the energy of transformation so I can move through any obstacles in my life. Hooray!
Most importantly, we are calling upon the powerful energy of Ganesh.
  
Click to listen:  Om Gam Ganapataye Namaha. 


A very loose translation might be:
Om = Salutations! Everyone wake up!
Gam = The secret power sound of Ganesh. It is his “seed syllable” or bija mantra.
Ganapataye = Another name of Ganesh, the breaker of obstacles.
Namaha = Yo! Ganesh! You da God!
 

Ganesh - India 2011

Dream Big

This view

Imagine see this magnificant view over Mount Amiata every morning?
And meditate with the energy of Her.
So precious.

I recognize how easy it is to get used to daily impressions.
I see the same woman smoking her cigarettes in the window across the street every day.
The sky from my bedroom in early mornings.
The roses in the backyard.
And so on.
While teaching a retreat in Tuscany a couple of weeks ago I could indulge in this amazing view over sacred Monte Amiata every day.
I just couldn`t get enough of "her". I could drink this view throughout the day and night.
I´m quite sure I get used to it if I lived there. Maybe.
Or maybe I would indulge and merge with her as often and amazed as I did the ten days I had there.
Who know?

I will remind myself to look around and see my usual  surroundings with even more curiousity.
With childlike wonder.
With presence.
And allow myself to be moved and touched by the everydays Beauty.

Just see this

Aleph