Saturday, November 24, 2012

Bindi Girl opens for Convergence: Tonight in SF!

Namaste, lovely friends!
Digested your Thanksgiving Dinner? Ready to shake a turkey tail feather?
For those of you anywhere near San Francisco, give thanks, come on down and get down at Convergence, a Dance*Music*Art Celebration hosted by LoveTech and Worldly. The Center is a unique community/art/healing venue located in an old church rectory in the Lower Haight.


Bindi Girl (c'est moi!) opens the night up at 8pm SHARP in the PlaySpace room with a reading from The Adventures of Bindi Girl followed by a Q&A on India quests 'n travels!

Be sure to stick around to hear amazing world-tech music from some of my favorite local artists, including Moldover and the legendary Cheb I Sabbah.

NOTE: I'll be performing at 8pm sharp! Early birds, come on down!
Space is limited: Buy tickets here in advance - only $15


Saturday 11/24 8pm-1am
at The Center, 548 Fillmore St
San Francisco


Hope to see you there, or somewhere on Planet Earth, soon!
Love,
Bindi Girl

Sunday, November 11, 2012

THE GUNAS: The energies of the physical and psychic universe

Namaste, friends:

You may practice yoga and meditation to awaken body, mind, and soul, but do you know about the gunas? No, the gunas are not beings from another planet. The gunas are the energies of the physical and psychic universe. They are very helpful to understand, for they describe the ever-flowing, ever-changing nature of Reality.

On a recent retreat at the Vedanta Society of Northern California, I copied down the following notes on the gunas from the celebrated text, The Spiritual Heritage of India, by Swami Prabhavananda, a beloved philosopher and monk in the Sri Ramakrishna lineage. I found the description illuminating and precise, and so thought to share them with you, too.


THE GUNAS: The energies of the physical and psychic universe* 

The word guna literally means quality. Guna can also mean “the rope that bends.” Gunas are bundles of energies or forces which are never at rest. They are the material cause of the psychic and physical universe. One of them at any moment predominates. The three gunas are: sattva, rajas, and tamas.

  • ·         Sattva informs all that is pure and fine.
  • ·         Rajas informs the active principle
  • ·         Tamas informs the principle of solidity and resistance.
All three gunas are present in everything, but one guna always predominates. For example sattva (also written sattwa) is predominant in sunlight, rajas in an erupting volcano, and tamas in a block of granite.
The gunas also represent the different stages in the process of evolution of any particular entity. Sattva is the essence or the form to be realized; tamas is the inherent obstacle to its realization; and rajas is the power by which the obstacle is removed and it becomes manifest. Sattva finally is the power by which a product manifests itself to consciousness.

How does this translate to qualities of MIND?
  • ·         Sattva: tranquility, purity, and calmness
  • ·         Rajas: passion, restlessness, aggressive activity
  • ·         Tamas: stupidity, laziness, inertia
Rajas is the key to overcoming Tamas and moving into Sattva, i.e.
T+R =S
R+S =S

The ultimate is to transcend Sattva also and reach the Purusha, the unchanging principle of intelligence. Purusha is the real Self, which is above and beyond the gunas.

*From The Spiritual Heritage of India, by Swami Prabhavananda (Vedanta Society, 1962)

Tuesday, November 6, 2012

Bindi Book Bash Update - let's do it again!

Thank you to all the friends and fans
who came to the October Bindi Book Parties!

Namaste,
 
Both the "Chai and Bindi Party" and the "Bindi Book Bash and Kirtan" were fabulous events. I got a real kick out of speaking bad Hindi with the Indian waitstaff at the San Francisco event, with Bollywood on the big screen behind me. It was great to share authentic and delicious chai tea and samosas with some of my closest friends in celebration of my book success.

In Marin the next day, we had a nice turnout at the YogaWorks book bash and kirtan with Mirabai and friends. I surprised myself as I read the first two mini-chapters of my book: "Night Flight" and "Arrival," as my own words brought tears to my eyes! I wasn't sure if it was the emotion of being on stage and reading, or the poignancy of the words I wrote, come to life 10 years later. But when I looked out in the audience, I caught sight of a few other Indophiles who were also choked up. This line had a particularly strong effect on me:

India will show you
the places in your heart
that must be purified.

Photo: Alix Rauh

The India Q+A session was also moving. The attendees had powerful questions that made me stop and think. I loved sharing my experiences about surrendering to the art of long-term travel and pilgrimages, and my personal spiritual journey - diving deep into the heart of India. I can't wait for the next chance to speak about these topics in public, and I welcome the opportunity.

Thanks to your reviews and support,
Bindi is the #1-rated India travel book on Amazon. 

Have you given Bindi a review on Amazon?
If yes, THANK YOU! If 'not yet,' please do so here. Every review helps an indie author to get the word out.


Thank you friends, fans and family.
Keep living your dreams.
With love,
Bindi