“Out of the bosom of the air
Out of the cloud-folds of her garments shaken,
Oer the woodlands brown and bare,
Over the harvest-fields forsaken,
Silent, and soft, and slow
descends the snow.”
—Henry Wadsworth Longfellow

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During this retreat I would like to go deep into myself, leaving all the different layers behind. I know that deep down in the very bottom of my heart a treasure is waiting for me. I can find it by the process of “spiritual archaeology.” I feel that this treasure will give me the strength required to deal with the compromises I make in my life that keep me in the so-called comfort zone. It is a dangerous zone that gets darker each time I act in a way contrary to what I know to be true.

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When our spiritual teacher, A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada, explained the philosophy of Bhakti Yoga to all of us students in the 1960s-70s there was already a small ecology movement in this country. (more…)

The following is a speech given at a vigil in support of the people of Darfur, hosted by Students Taking Action: Darfur (STAND) at the University Chapel, University of Virginia.

Good evening.

We have all come together this evening to pray for, and show solidarity with, those who are suffering at the hands of others in Darfur. Certainly prayer is appropriate and powerful.

But we should also inquire: Why is there so much suffering, not just in Darfur, but everywhere? And what can we do about it? Because if we are really compassionate and sane, we want to stop the suffering in Darfur and around the globe, permanently.

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One day, high up in the mountain retreat of Shiva, Vishnu came to see him, & left behind, at the entrance, his eagle-like carrier, Garuda.

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Before I turned 18, I lived in 4 countries and attended 6 schools. Transition, adjustment, flexibility – these were concepts I understood and embraced. It was after I settled into a dorm room at Columbia University as a freshman that time stopped moving so quickly, and my attitude started to shift from adaptation to identification and independence.

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Americans love their pets. We feed them better than most humans in third world countries are fed. We dote on them with toys at Christmas, and we award them the honorary status of “children.” But do we acknowledge that all creatures are, like us, spirit soul? (more…)

Thirteen years ago we were one of a handful of exhibitors at the first (would it be annual?) Vegetarian Festival on the downtown mall in Charlottesville, VA. We didn’t know what to expect but we put together a quick exhibit on the spiritual reasons behind vegetarianism. (more…)