I was curious about the Sanskrit Translation for Hara Hara Mahadev, as it was commonly used around Shivaratri and in literature about the event. Hara Hara Hara Mahadev Om Namah Shivaya Namah Shivaya An approximate translation would be: Two of the names of Lord Shiva, which invoke His energy as the great God and destroyer of darkness….
Maha Shivratri (Sanskrit: महाशिवरात्रि),is a Hindu festival celebrated every year in reverence of the Hindu deity Lord Shiva who represents the Pure Conscious Principle. Shivaratri literally means the great night of Shiva or the night of Shiva; Shiva literally means “auspicious” and as Shankara, he is the giver of happiness and the god who destroys evil. This year, Shivaratri will…
Up until today, working in the kitchen and eating meals within the community has been a valuable test of my will and austerity. For example, witnessing and smelling the decadence of a creamy chocolate cake being prepared and decorated was the ultimate in divine temptation. But I have remained true to my cleanse, only consuming…
I’m finding myself in a unique situation right now. I have been successfully diligent and fastidious in determination on and commitment to this 9 day cleanse. Today is Day 8 and tomorrow we are supposed to break our cleanse gently by consuming kitchari with vegetables. However, with this being Shiva Ratri at Mount Madonna, in…
For the first time in 3 weeks, we left the Mount Madonna retreat to go in to town. What a revelation! Life all of a sudden became hectic, and the beauty of nature discovered in the Redwoods felt extremely distant. However, acclimatizing myself to life off the mountain is good thing. I thoroughly enjoyed our…
So far, it has been pretty easy for me to just eat gentle foods that complement my dosha constitution. Rice, potatoes, vegetables, nuts and seeds, fruit. For the past three days, there have been so many choices without feeling like I’m lacking or doing without. Tomorrow however begins 5 days of pure kitchari consumption. No sugars, no enhancements,…
Last night at the Kirtan in Santa Cruz, I was invited to participate in a 9 day cleanse along with three other fellow Mount Madonna lady friends. Without really discussing much about the details, I jumped at the chance of having the support group for such a ritual. I’ve done cleanses before, but always on my own….
Last night an incredible evening of joyous kirtan music (spiritual songs) took place at the Pacific Cultural Center (PCC) in Santa Cruz. The PCC is affiliated with Mount Madonna in that both non-profit organizations belong under the Hanuman Fellowship. The students of Baba Hari Dass established the Fellowship as a vehicle for the teachings of…
Wow, what an incredibly long past week this have been. A 9 day silent meditation retreat with Adyashanti was held in the main conference center and throughout the grounds of Mount Madonna. In this retreat, 250 people remained silent for the duration of their stay. For those of us volunteering with the YSC program, it meant really crazy busy…
Today is our precious day off from our hectic volunteer schedules here at Mount Madonna. Getting up at 5:30am for our daily yoga, meditation and pranayama session has been difficult at times and really challenging, especially as we both have diligently practiced Dinacharya each morning prior to our 2 hour morning yoga class. This morning…