Jai Bhakti™ (Bhakti Brophy)

SHUBH MAHASHIVARATRI!

2018-02-12T19:31:00.000-05:00

ॐ नमः शिवाय || शुभ महाशिवरात्रि
Om Namah Shivaya!
Shubh Mahashivaratri!

My old Nataraj from Gurudev Siddha Peeth

Tomorrow is Mahashivaratri, one of my favorite celebrations in the Hindu calendar. In February we celebrate Shivaratri on the 13th night of the month. This being "maha" Shivaratri, the potential of each prayer, each blessing is multiplied by a thousand; keep your sankalpa fixed on the Lord within and without.

We honor Lord Shiva for his will to create, his compassion to destroy (our ignorance), and his loving grace, amongst many other characteristics of Mahadeva. In honoring Lord Shiva we also honor Shakti, the creative energy-- pure consciousness, that enables us to see and be a part of Shiva's dance.

Look up at the moon tonight and say--

ॐ नमः शिवाय
Om Namah Shivaya
शिवाय नमः ॐ
Shivaya Namah Om

My eternal Blessings to everyone, everywhere.
Bhakti

INSTAGRAM @jai_bhakti
TWITTER @BhaktiBrophy

(image c. 2018 D.L. BROPHY)

INAUGURATION DAY: TURN OFF THE TV AND TUNE INTO THE HEART WITH JAI BHAKTI™

2017-01-20T08:58:00.000-05:00

In response to the level of anxiety friends and family members are experiencing during the transition from President Obama to our new President-Elect, I invite you to turn off your TV today and Tune into the bandwidth of your Heart.

I invite you to join me for meditation and prayer starting at noon (EST). This is a global event: folks from all over the world have responded to my plea to send out peace and love during these divisive times. I will be holding the place of the Heart for us.

You can find the free meditation instructions I posted on JAI BHAKTI™ back in 2005 here:

In response to the level of anxiety friends and family members are experiencing during the transition from President Obama to our new President-Elect, I invite you to turn off your TV today and Tune into the bandwidth of your Heart.

You can find the free meditation instructions I posted on JAI BHAKTI™ back in 2005 by clicking here .

Let us not be wary. Let us share the peace and love of our Hearts on this day and always. It's what the world needs now.

Whether you meditate, pray, chant/sing, or study sacred yogic texts ("unity) for one minute or for hours today, every second of peacefull Heart you send out will have a profound affect on yourself and the world.

Namo Namah,

Bhakti

(Donna Lynn Brophy)

Thank you to everyone on Facebook, and Twitter (especially Betty Buckley) for sharing this JAI BHAKTI™ offering with your Friends and Followers.

2017 NEW YEAR'S PRAYER...

2017-01-02T10:05:00.000-05:00

Let us not focus on

what we hate,

Let us focus on

what we Love.

Amen.

DONNA LYNN BROPHY SPINAL DISEASES FUNDRAISER!

2016-09-22T05:27:00.001-04:00

Please help Donna (aka Bhakti) get the spinal surgery she needs in NYC.

“We can find inspiration in various walks of life. Whenever we see someone rising above their limitations, having the courage to continue to not only be creative in the face of great adversity, but also to excel, these people raise the bar for all of us and seeing them continue to find a way can be tremendously inspiring. Donna is just one of those people. Her passion for music and the guitar has given her the courage and strength to rise above tremendous limitation. And this is how one can change the world for the better. By being an excellent example. You go sister!”
- Steve Vai
*Guitar Virtuoso (Frank Zappa, David Lee Roth, PIL, Whitesnake)
*Four time Grammy Award Winner
*Symphonic Composer

Donna Lynn Brophy (aka Bhakti) was hit by a car in 1997, resulting in multiple surgeries, including cervical spinal reconstruction in 2005. Living with spinal cord nerve root injuries and four incurable spinal diseases causes Donna severe chronic pain and has left her virtually bedridden and 100% disabled.

Donna’s insurance no longer covers the cost of her disability and care. Therefore, her family has set up a SUPPLEMENTAL NEEDS TRUST to help provide all the costs that insurance and governmental benefits deny. This Trust will make it possible for her to have cutting edge surgery in NYC. These costs are significant, costing tens of thousands of dollars each year.
Please help Donna maintain her current level of care and quality of life.

Donations can be made online through www.gofundme.com/GoBrophy

or by mailing a check to:

Donna Lynn Brophy Supplemental Needs Trust
P.O.Box 556
Cedar Knolls, NJ 07927

THANK YOU! 🙏

Forgiveness and Trust

2016-04-12T15:37:00.001-04:00

Forgive those who have wronged you;
we are all doing the best
we can at any given moment.
Never be ashamed for having trusted;
you will be stronger for the lesson inside the pain.

MERRY CHRISTMAS!

2015-12-25T19:54:00.000-05:00

Happy Birthday to the One who is all things to all people in all places at all times.

Hallelujah!

Namo Namah,
Bhakti

The Atman Is Beyond Stain

2015-11-21T16:08:00.001-05:00

"The Inner Self (Atman) is blissful because it is not stained by the mechanics and ruminations of time."

~Bhakti Brophy

CAVERNS OF THE MIND: SPIRITUALITY and FEAR

2015-11-10T16:42:00.002-05:00

Spiritual Seekers--

Experiential knowledge of the Truth within and without does not erase the existence of the human condition.

When your spiritual energy (Goddess Kundalini Shákti) is awakened, you'll notice your practice becomes somewhat of a roller coaster ride as the kundalini touches upon charged energy pockets of the subconscious. I call these pockets the "caverns of the mind".

As the intensity ramps up, this time in our practice can seem a bit overwhelming. At times the emotions can be so intense that we feel like abandoning our practice. But the Goddess Kundalini is alluring, She keeps us coming back to the mat by entertaining us with visual and kinesthetic experiences that are as euphoric as the emotions are gut wrenching.

Fear is the greatest obstacle to spiritual freedom. Fear is the antithesis of freedom.

Fear caused the most upheaval in my practice (and life!) during this three year period of intense practice with the Goddess after shaktipat diksha. For months I was playing Whack-A-Mole with my mind: every time I worked through one fear, another popped up.

The key is to work through your fears.

As much as you'd prefer to call it quits and go back to a life of ignorant bliss (that's not really bliss, tho, is it?), your practice will continually pull you back. In my early twenties I read a quote by Chögyam Trungpa, and it has proven to be true--"Once you're on the spiritual train, there's no getting off." This is a good thing. A boon of the highest order.

So what do we do with fear?

First we must acknowledge it's existence. Sit quietly, focusing on the natural rhythm of the breath. Once you're attuned to the sensations in your body, ask the question, "What emotions am I feeling right now?" You may be surprised at the answer: sometimes we think we're angry,
but we discover we're actually sad. We think we're feeling guilt, but we're feeling fear.

By focusing on our breath and centering ourselves, we're distancing ourselves from the mind and letting our physical intelligence (intuition) lead us to the truth of what we're feeling.

I'm sharing all of this with you because even though my three years of intense austerities was years ago, and my practice is quite ordinary without the bells and whistles, I still go through periods of intense emotional upheaval. Not nearly as often as I used to, but I do get thrown off center, lose my footing, so to speak, and stumble.

It only makes sense, tho, right?

The spiritual energy is purifying our body, mind, and spirit. Sometimes this purging is done while in meditation without any
feelings of upheaval. Other times, we are forced to face our fears head on. If we don't, they're just going to gain more momentum and come back with a vengeance until we acknowledge them.

Okay, you've sat quietly and you recognize you're filled with fear. Most times simply naming the emotion "Fear" and staring it straight in the face will help loosen its grip.

Our emotions want to be acknowledged. They're like little kids begging for attention, "Look at me! Look at me! I'm right here!" Once we've acknowledged it, we can sit quietly with the emotion, simply watching and feeling its presence, until it's transmuted back into pure consciousness energy. (This takes practice, but its worth the effort. Watching charged emotions dissolve back into pure
consciousness energy is enlightening. To experience first hand the existence, sustenance, and dissolution of something is mystical, for this cycle is the cycle of birth, life, and death.)

Sometimes we need to go deeper, and explore the root of our fear. Such was the case in my practice the past two weeks. My practice itself was beautiful, but dealing with the mind stuff it brought up felt like pulling teeth; I was (am) dealing with shame that's surfaced from a traumatic childhood experience. Not fun, but necessary for my spiritual growth, as well as my overall growth and health as a human being.

This shame has been controlling so many facets of my adult life, creating so much fear--Once I realized this to be the case, I used meditation and contemplation (raja yoga), and studying of scripture and texts pertinent to my specific trauma (jnana yoga), to get at the root cause--to pull the roots of this samskara out of my subconscious mind. There's still much work to do. I feel I've pulled back enough layers of the onion that I'm finally at the door to healing. After all this work, I'm ready to begin the real work. Such is the spiritual life!

While navigating my way through this upheaval--and I use the word "navigating" because I felt lost many times-- I cried often and a lot.

Again, it was not fun. It was not easy. But I know that everything is a purification. The Goddess is expelling that which is keeping me bound.

Remember that everything IS energy,
even the pain and angst. And it's not only okay to cry, it's physiologically necessary to expel the grief, fear, etc., from our system in order to heal.

Remember that our sadhana (spiritual path/practice) is for the sake of our freedom from everything that keeps us bound to the cycle of birth and death. Our practice is not for nothing. The goal is yoga: Union with our highest Self. That which is beyond shame and fear. That which is our birthright. That which we already are and always have been, but which is often veiled by the play of consciousness in the form of maya (illusion).

Its best to write these truths down on Post-It Notes and index cards and keep them handy, because we're unable to recall these truths when we're in the throws of maya.

In closing, I would like to add the importance of
having spiritual friends and mentors, someone who's been where you stand now. (Be sure to use your intuition: anyone who claims your spiritual growth is contingent upon how much you pay him or her, or asks for egregious "donations", is most certainly a charlatan).

Remembering that you're not alone is key to weathering the caverns of the mind. All Great seekers go through this purification. Take refuge in the scriptures, too. I consider the Svetashvetara Upanishad home, and lose myself within the words often.

Also, it's good to remember to lean on the things that bring joy to your life. We're not martyrs. It's vital to let yourself experience joy while going through these upheavals. For me, it's music. Sometimes spiritual music in the form of kirtan, Qawwali, namaskirtana, bhajans. Other times, it's the grace infused compositions of my beloved friends Jason Becker, Steve Vai, and Vernon Reid, respectively. This week it's been all about Jason.

We are human. Balancing our spiritual and daily lives is a tough road to navigate at first, but in time the two merge. And this is grace.

Love and All Great Blessings to you,
as my own Self.

Bhakti

Namo Namah

*Eternal thank yous and salutations to Sally ji Kempton [Swamiji Durgananda] for her countless years of altruism, asking only one thing in return: that I practice with great love and devotion. So much love.

Essay © 2015 D.L. Bhakti Brophy
"Caverns of the Mind"© 2002 D.L.Brophy
All Rights Reserved

KALI, WEATHER VANE, AEROPLANE, TREE

2015-10-31T17:13:00.000-04:00

Kali Durge Namo Namah!

I've said it a million times and I'll say it again:
I'm not able to sit up for more than a few minutes, so I'm forced to stare at the sky when I'm blessed with the chance to sit outside. (Look closely: there is an airplane in the above photo!)

Find the grace amidst the hard lessons of life.
Find the jewel in the mud.

This is one of the lessons Mahavidya Kali teaches.

Life can be brutal at times, but there is ALWAYS grace. Always.

Jai Ma Kalika!

Love.

Bhakti

INSTAGRAM: @jai_bhakti
TWITTER: @BhaktiBrophy

For more info on the glorious incarnations of Shakti, including Durga and her Mahavidyas, check out my beloved friend and mentor Sally Kempton's book AWAKENING SHAKTI.

www.sallykempton.com (Cut and paste into your browser.)

©2015 D.L. Brophy

JAI BHAKTI™ Blog: Tapas, Trust, And Grace

2015-10-26T20:17:00.000-04:00

Dearest Ones,

I went through a period of profound purification caused by tapas (spiritual austerities) the past two months.

While we go through this heavy, dark period of angst and depression,

the mind is not fickle about helping us forget that the purifying aspects of tapas is not only a part of the

spiritual journey,

but an essential clearing out of samskaras--old habits/tendencies etched in the fabric

of our subconscious minds.

In the midst of this round of purification,

the elephant I was wrestling in the dark was unadulterated fear.

Fear, in any form, always comes back to fear of death. Always.

For me, it was not so much my own mortality I was fearing. I made peace with

my mortality years ago. I would have to in order to navigate my way through life

with these spinal cord injuries and severe nerve pain.

A decade ago I used to say I had no fear of death,

I only had fear of living the rest of my life

in this hellish pain.

I was not wrestling with fear of my own death, it was more a fear of those around me dying.

Not being physically able to care for myself compounded the angst. (It's not surprising to me that dealing with unadulterated fear was at the center of my tapasya. In the past ten months, 13 friends and family members have died. Yama's been a busy god of death in my area as of late.)

During the purifying process, we tend to feel once removed

from the Self within-- the Atman, our truest and highest Self (aka God, Pure Consciousness, insert your word of choice here ______).

It's not that we forget that the Self/God dwells within the Heart Center,

we simply cannot access this sanctuary freely. Our mind helps us forget the portals of entry, be it chanting, meditating, practicing hatha, kriya, or jnana yoga. We don't feel it's innate pull, the longing to get back. This causes more angst, and, as mentioned above,

the mind is not going to remind you how to access the Self within.

Ha! No.

The ego enjoys dragging us back down

to its state of ignorance.

It's at this time that some lose faith;

they feel forsaken.

It's at this time we must Trust.

If God, in the form of Pure Consciousness,

has created everything, everywhere,

how could God ever leave?

Where could he go that he is not already?

If God is everywhere,

within everything,

He cannot leave.

Hence, there is no "finding" God/The Self within and without,

only discovering and remembrance of That which always was present, even if we weren't.

Once we realize that our angst, depression, and heaviness of Heart

is a causal effect of tapas--

once we remember what we forgot (that we are the Self within),

we sometimes get angry at God for hiding His presence from us.

This is a good time to contemplate the word grace.

The Nataraj, the murti (sculpture) of Lord Shiva dancing while

crushing the ego under foot,

has a five-fold function,

one of them being the ability to veil Himself from us, and

another being the giver of grace that enables us to experience Him again.

At the moment we remember the Self within--

that glorious energy center within that sages, seers, and mystic poets

have aptly coined the ocean of bliss,

that is when we bow our heads below our Hearts

and say thank you. Thank you for taking us back to ourSelves.

As the residual ash of tapas disappears,

we find ourselves back in union with our true nature.

I experienced this today in the form of crying tears of joy

45 minutes into meditation.

I Witnessed myself not as my body,

but as the one who knows I have a body.

Not as the one who is in pain,

but as the one who knows I experience pain.

I became The Witness, experiencing pure awareness.

Jesus revealed Himself in my Heart Center,

along with Hanuman, Krshna, Bade Baba Nityananada, Baba Muktananda, Swami Chidvilasananda Paramahansa; all of the great bhaktas were dancing within,

reminding me they had never left,

but were only shadowed by the ignorance of the small mind.

And so I say Thank You

For showing me what I need to hold on to,

and what I can leave behind.

Thank you for this gift of tapas that felt like hell,

but left me stronger and wiser.

And perhaps chipped away at that pesky ego that keeps me bound.

So Much Love,

Bhakti

Namo Namah

Coping With Change

2015-06-09T19:20:00.003-04:00

Sharing our wisdom is an integral part of living a balanced life. I am honored my Guruji has blessed me with the seva of passing along the lessons I have learned throughout the years.

Today I had the great good fortune of sharing these words with a young man on Instagram. They seemed to resonate, so I share them with you.

Namo Namah
Bhakti

June 9, 2015

INSTAGRAM @jai_bhakti
TWITTER @BhaktiBrophy

Sky Gazing: Cloud Lovers Delight

2015-05-31T17:16:00.003-04:00

I looked out the window at 4 p.m. yesterday, and this is what I saw.

Glory Be to God!

May you recognize the Lord within and without.

Enjoy your day!

Namo Namah
Bhakti

INSTAGRAM @jai_bhakti
TWITTER @BhaktiBrophy

What Is The Small Mind / Ego?

2015-05-26T16:36:00.000-04:00

A student just asked me to explain the difference between the word ego as used by Freud, and the small mind/ego as it relates to raja yoga/meditation. Here's my reply.

Namo Namah,

Bhakti

The Mind Is Not Your Enemy (JAI BHAKTI™ BLOG)

2015-05-26T04:54:00.003-04:00

Hello Friends & Students!

I trust you are all having a wonderful day.

I am in the process of writing a detailed essay on the findings of my 27 year journey into the study of how the mind works. How it does an amazing job analyzing and solving problems making our life that much easier; how it sabotages us if we believe its every whim; and yet, remarkably, how it truly is the only vehicle that takes its to the Heart Center.

I began writing this as an exercise--organizing my own thoughts in answering questions from fellow seekers and students alike. I was also watching my mind go haywire after being hit with several "heavy" experiences one after another, all while navigating my way through life with these spinal cord diseases and injuries. (My father died, then I got news that Medicare is no longer paying for some of my spinal meds. The day after I got that news my beloved uncle died, then my pain management doctor retired. In my essay I address how I worked through these challenges. Hint: the story doesn't matter.)

So many balls up in the air, the only thing I could do was take a step back and focus on pure awareness. There was no other option: that's what was going to work, and I knew it. After years of working with many wonderful and fruitful dharana techniques, meditating on pure awareness is my favorite practice--but that's another essay altogether.

'Spent the afternoon searching out the above quote from my meditation journals, to help address questions my beloved friend/student G.P. is working with in her practice.

I have been infinitely blessed by masters from all walks of life sharing their wisdom freely over the years, and so, as always, if you have a question or concern regarding your practice, please contact me through Google+ , Twitter, or Instagram. Sometimes it takes awhile for me to get back to people, depending on the condition of my spine any given day, but this is my seva, and I'm happy to help. This is a glorious seva, so thank you.

Namo Namah,

Bhakti

AWARENESS

2015-05-23T16:17:00.000-04:00

LAWYER, LITTLE B, & MY SKYLIGHT POV

2015-05-03T02:27:00.000-04:00

Not being able to sit up at the party, I lied down on the floor and stared up at the sky through the skylight as my beloved friends and family celebrated Little B's birthday!

Today was gloriously beautiful (it's after midnight, so technically it was yesterday).

My cousin Sean flew in from Phoenix, Az, with his wife Clau and their two year old daughter Little B. We had a family and friends reunion to celebrate Little B's second birthday. She is an angel. I could be in the throws of overwhelming, unrelenting pain from my spinal cord injury, and Sean will text me a photo of Little B; without fail her smile lifts my spirits. She is so full of joy. That's a beautiful thing.

Sean is also my lawyer. He helped me deal with protecting my blog's trademarked name after I discovered someone begging for material items and asking for $750 "donations" for energy work using the same name on his blog. I'd like to reiterate that I have never charged anyone for the energy work I do (I have studied nine years, and continue to study, under the tutelage of Grandmaster Dr.Kam Yuen, Shaolin Temple).

Sean is a brilliant lawyer. He is currently helping me win my appeal re: Medicare. My hearing is in two weeks.
After nine years, Medicare has decided to deny my Lidoderm Patches. They help numb the third degree burns going from my spinal cord down my left arm. They cost $13,500/year.

Last night Dr. Yuen told me not to worry about money. Check this out: Today I caught up with my old friend/former roommate "D" from Brooklyn. We lived together (with Sean) while I was working on my college thesis. We haven't seen each other in 20 years. D tells me in no uncertain terms that if Medicare denies my meds, he will pay to set up my Special Needs Trust. What compassion!

I have such gracious friends. I'm so blessed. Such grace.

My friend Serrana (my beloved friend and guitar prodigy Jason Becker's nurse) has agreed to set up crowd funding if need be.
My friend, Vernon (lead guitarist of Living Colour) has offered to help get the word out via his fan base, etc.

I truly do have wonderful friends. It's a beautiful thing: we are all kind and have always offered to share our wisdom with others freely: whether it be music theory, mysticism, energy work, etc. We give. That's seva. Lots of people talk. We practice what we preach: do the work and forget about the fruits of your labor (this was taught by both Krishna in the Mahabharata's Bhagavad Gita, and Jesus in John and Thomas.)

Let's be honest, the glory is in the doing and the giving.

And the Maya spins her web of drama...and we all play our parts.

I might be stuck in a body riddled with dis-ease, but my Heart is open a mile wide, and I am grateful for every breath.

Thank you.

Love.

Namo Namah!

Bhakti

LIVE TODAY!

2015-05-01T17:19:00.000-04:00

Life is short.
Live today.

~ Bhakti Brophy

As a person with four incurable spinal diseases, living on borrowed time (10 years now), I cannot stress the importance of grabbing life by the reins and forging ahead.

Let no one drag you down.
Let no one crush your spirit.

And if you should fall asunder,
Get back back up
And claim the glory that is
And always has been yours.

The Self within shines as bright as the sun
Whether or not you can see,
Sense, or acknowledge her existence.

The Self is innate
All powerful
Omniscient
And infinitely glorious...

And you are That.

Namo Namah!

Bhakti

Overcoming Obstacles: The Glory Of The Sky (Jai Bhakti™ Blog)

2015-04-29T16:09:00.002-04:00

'Was having a rough day today, so mom set me up outside in my reclining chair.It's difficult to be down when surrounded by this beauty. I stared up at the sky for awhile, then meditated. Medicare has denied me access to the medication that makes living with third degree burns going down the INSIDE of my left arm remotely bearable (the medication is roughly $13,000/year. Needless to say, I cannot afford that.). I'm still not sleeping well at night due to the pain and stress, but thank God for this glorious day! It's difficult to be down when surrounded by this beauty.

The sky has always been my refuge. One of the
silver linings of not being able to sit up is that when I'm able to get outside (which is not often, but I'm grateful for the times I do get outside in my recliner or wheelchair) I have to stare at the sky. So many colors and moods...

Don't forget to look up once in awhile!

Enjoy your day.

Namo Namah
Bhakti

JAI BHAKTI™ BLOG "Shánti DeVai: Sun Bath No. 777"

2015-04-11T15:45:00.000-04:00

My beloved cat Shánti DeVai hasn't left my side since I came down with asthmatic bronchitis on Tuesday. There is nothing like a cat's unconditional love (except for a mother's. And a dog's. You get the picture.)

My fever broke twice this week, but it's back. It's warm enough to have the window open a bit. I'm enjoying listening to the birds frolicking around outside as I rest. It's amazing how, when you're bedridden 95% of the time, something as simple as the sound of a bird chirping brings such a profound sense of unity and Oneness with everything. A profound sense of well being, even when the physical body is ailing and depleted of energy. This is grace, and for this I am thankful.

I took this photo a few minutes ago. 'Rolled over to throw out some tissues and there she was, gazing at me.

Some day I shall tell the story about how she picked out her own name. Well, she picked her first name. DeVai is a portmanteau of Devi (goddess) and Vai, my dear friend, and composer, Steve Vai's last name.

Enjoy the rest of your day!

Namo Namah,
Bhakti

JAI BHAKTI™ BLOG WISHES YOU A HAPPY EASTER!

2015-04-05T07:00:00.000-04:00

May you continuously shine on in your rebirth!

Love,
Bhakti

JAI BHAKTI™ BLOG: Yesterday and Today

2015-04-01T15:54:00.003-04:00

I'm thinking perhaps April Fool's day came a day early yesterday, what with the hour long snow storm and all:

Today, the snow thas melted and the sun is shining brightly.
Jay Hanuman! Sri Surya (the Sun) is shining his light upon us all!

A beautiful day of rebirth. This is spring.

May your renewal in all things great and good give you a profound sense of peace and rejuvenation in the name of Jesus. Hallelujah!

Happy Easter!

Love and Blessings, my friends.

Namo Namah,
Bhakti

Flying V And CBGB's (JAI BHAKTI™ BLOG)

2015-03-29T09:37:00.003-04:00

As my blog celebrates its tenth year anniversary this year, I've decided to post some photos from my personal archives.

The first photo is a 1988 portrait of me with my '83 Ibanez Flying V guitar*. This photo was a promo shot for my band MIDNIGHT LIGHTNING and was taken at The School of Visual Arts. My band was getting ready to play at the University of Delaware.

* I gave that guitar to my cousin G. as a gift for letting me crash at his apartment in San Francisco while I vacationed there for two weeks in 1994. That was one of the sweetest sounding electrics I've ever owned!

This next photo is a flier for one of my LIVE ACOUSTIC™ shows at CBGB'S in NYC. I started performing again four years after my car accident: my physical therapist had to tape my right shoulder blade in place before every show so my arm wouldn't fall asleep! Again...where there's a will there's a way. (I'm currently unable to play due to my spinal diseases...but you know that already.)

The flier is sitting on top of one of my black and white photographs that was published in CBGB's 30th ANNIVERSARY book.

The photo of CBGB's was originally published in ROLLING STONE magazine paying tribute to the death of Joey Ramone. This was a great milestone for me. I moved to NYC and started my photography career at age 18 with one goal in mind: be published in ROLLING
STONE by the time I was 35. I lost my photography business after I was hit by the car in 1997 at age 28...but my goal was reached at age 31, thanks to my photo agency Retna, NYC, London, reselling that photo to ROLLING STONE! Set a goal and work your tail off to meet that end, and you'll be happy to see what fruits you reap!

More photos from the archive will be posted in the future.

Enjoy your day!

Namo Namah
Bhakti

JAI BHAKTI™ BLOG Happy Ram Navami!

2015-03-28T18:41:00.003-04:00

Dear Friends and Fellow Bhaktas--

HAPPY RAM NAVAMI!

Jaya!

I recall the first time my eyes fell upon the Hanuman murti at my Beloved's ashram. I fell to my knees at his feet and wept the most profound tears of joy.

And so began my love affair with the greatest bhakta in the pantheon of Hindu deities. He is akin to John in relation to Jesus.

To have been given the name "Bhakti" by my Guruji is an honor I don't take lightly. It's a beautiful female name, and certainly sums up my life, my heart, and my sadhana. Swamiji Durgananda (Sally Kempton) once said to me, "You ARE Bhakti!" What a boon. For others to see this--especially during my intensive three years of internal work when insecurities abound--was indeed a gift. So much Grace! As we become ripe, we experience this as a universal truth.

RAM NAVAMI is the last day of Chait Navratri--the spring festival honoring Goddess Durga, one of the ten Mahavidyas in Hindu mythology.
Ram is an avatar of Lord Vishnu--one of the last avatars of Sri Vishnu to take human form. My beloved Hanuman is the greatest devotee of Ram. And so perhaps you understand why today is such a special celebration to me. There's so much LOVE and DEVOTION!

In addition to my regular (meditation) practice, I will honor Ram Navami by reading my favorite excerpts from the RAMAYANA, the epic tale of Sita, Ram, and Hanuman (I highly recommend Michael Buck's translation); I will chant my favorite Ram and Hanuman bhajans; perhaps read my favorite lines from Sri Rudram; and I will end the day meditating on my Heart Center, where the energy of all of these glorious deities reside.

This sadhana is so rich. Imagine being stuck in a body riddled with severe pain from spinal cord diseases...and yet still being able to quiet the mind, transmute anxieties, etc., and bring yourself back to the source. This IS grace. This is the reason for these spiritual celebrations: renewal.

This is the work of the physical Guru, and the Inner Guru. And you are That!

Wishing you all a blessed evening.

As always, from my heart to yours,
Namo Namah!

Bhakti

JAI BHAKTI™ BLOG: How I Type With Spine Injuries

2015-03-27T19:34:00.000-04:00

One of my students asked if I use Dragon Software to type. No, actually, I don't have a computer.

I lie I bed and SWYPE everything from my phone!

Where there's a will...

Jaya!

JAI BHAKTI™ BLOG: Silver Linings Amidst Disability

2015-03-27T18:40:00.000-04:00

Dear Ones,

"'Tis almost the season
to recline outside
And commune with the sky!"

I love when words flow through me, like the above poem. AUM.

Once you have experienced and lived from the hub of ALL creation, you see definitively that there's always a silver lining, no matter the level of chaos you are experiencing in the objectified field of awareness.

Chaos, too, is a manifestation of the One: Pure Consciousness.
Everything is a manifestation of the One.

This is what Subramuniyaswami refers to as DANCING SHIVA, and Baba Muktananda (as well as Vedic and Sufi mystics before him) called The Play of Consciousness.

Being 100% physically disabled and not able to sit up, one of my silver linings is becoming One with the sky (not that we have ever been parted!).

Find the One.

Discover WHO YOU ARE...your Truth...and meditate. Contemplate this Truth.

(Fifteen years ago, while on personal retreat at the now famous Omega Institute, a fellow devotee/bhakta recommended I read the back cover of TALKS WITH RAMANA MAHARSHI. I suggest you do the same. Read everything Ramana wrote...and watch the layers of your small self peel away.)

Find forms of remembrance because, friends, there are many levels of "enlightenment", and when maya tests your will, chances are you will need to remember what you have forgotten. (My quote, "I forgot to remember" sums up the dark night of the soul quite well. There is the dark night that lasts awhile, different for every seeker, and then, as has been my experience, we fall back into that place from time to time on our journey towards freedom from the cycle of birth and death.)

Twenty seven glorious years since I became
immersed in the glorious, cognitive pursuit of who, what, when, where, and why (jnana yoga);
glorious is an apt word, to be sure.

For me, ever since childhood, the epiphanies and experiences always came first, and then the pursuit of meaning, relativity...etc.
The journey through the fields of maya have been challenging, but as my beloved Guru said to me eleven years ago: "Sadhana is sweet, like a flower." Life may kick me down often and a lot...but indeed, my sadhana is sweet. So much grace.

How can I look out at this sky and not believe that everything is in perfect order--even while immersed in legal battle with Medicare to get my spinal meds paid for? (Thank you to my lawyer, from Maricopa, AZ, who is helping me pro bono. You see...right there: grace! More on that later.)

Eternal Blessings to you, as my very own Self.

Namo Namah
Bhakti

JAI BHAKTI ™ BLOG
CELEBRATING OUR TENTH YEAR ANNIVERSARY!