Under the banyan tree

Under the tender banyan tree
Who loves to sit with me,
And sing his soulful songs,
Watch the tender leaves flicker-
Come here, come here, come here!
Here we shall live
With no worries
All through this summer.


Our dreams soar sky high
Forever in the sunshine
Happy where we are
Happy with what we have
Come here, come here, come here!
Here we shall love
With no fears
All through this summer.

Green Again

A bit of bright blue sky to sing aloud;
A pelt of rain to sleep comfortably;
A bit of thunder and lightning to look
And feel brave and happy at times.

The swooping  airshow by the kites;
Caught by the eye and not on the lens,
The evening palettes in hues of blue,
That brings back some thoughts of you.

Like a chorus in a song, you play nonstop,
While I watch the skies and the rain,
Look at the fresh green banyan leaves
Turn wan in the summer sun like me.

The tiny heart-shaped leaves will flicker,
And our hearts will turn green once again.

Two Souls

Literature

Positive Affirmations

Babagoo

Babagoo

Karma Clearing Affirmations

• I trust the infinite cosmic intelligence to bring positive changes in my life.
• I trust the God-power within me to erase all my bad karma.
• I am happily rooted in the present and I gratefully allow the purifying power  of my consciousness to clean the slate of my past.
• The past is dead and I happily let go of my past.
• The fire of my consciousness is swallowing up all the negative patterns stored in my mind at all levels.
• I am grateful and happy to experience new joys and changes in my life.
• I choose to forgive myself and others while I let go of the past. By doing so, I place my life into the hands of the Divine Intelligence to bring me peace and positive changes in my life.
• I let go of the past and I trust in the infinite healing presence within me that is working wonder in my life.
• I allow the healing light of God to make me whole, by clearing all negative patterns of my mind.
• I forgive all and in doing so I am being forgiven by the infinite God consciousness within me.
• I trust the healing God power within me to erase all my negative karma and I am infinitely grateful for that.
• I gratefully allow the universal cosmic consciousness to create a new chapter of love, light and joy in the book of my life
• I am bathed by the healing white light of God, who is the creator of this body and mind, and who knows best how to heal my life.
• I trust my life into the hand of the divine intelligence to bring positive changes in my life.
• I trust the infinite cosmic intelligence that is operating in every opre an every cell my body to heal e and make me positive.
• I am opening myself to the love, light and healing presence within me to get healed, happy and joyful.
• God, the giver of my life is healing every aspect of my life.
• I am opening myself to the divine presence within me so that it knows what to fix within me to make my life smooth, prosperous and joyful.
• I choose to be open to the changes that life may bring.
• I embrace the changes brought by life and I allow myself to be healed.
• I forgive all and let go of all hurt, to accept the positive changes God is bringing into my life.
• I am open to changes and I allow the divine power and light to heal  me, this moment.
• I am open to finding true happiness in my life and I t rust the infinite intelligence to help me.
• The pure light of the divine is working within every cell of my body to heal the past impressions and instil joy within.
• With love and gratitude I accept the healing brought to  me by my deepest power within.
• I am accepting health in my body, joy in my mind and happiness in my life.
• I am open to changing and evolving.
• I am blissful for no particular reason and I am free, loving and compassionate.
• I am in this moment and I flow as I change every moment.
• I am the infinite Self within me which holds all events within.
• I observe life as a witness, without passing judgement, and in doing so I unlink from my past karma.

Positive Affirmations

“I am submerged in eternal light. It permeates every particle of my being. I
am living in that light. The Divine Spirit fills me within and without.”

“God is within and around me, protecting me; so I will banish the fear that
shuts out His guiding light.”

“Perfect Father, Thy light is flowing through Christ, through the saints of all religions, through the masters of India,
and through me. This divine light is present in all my body parts. I am well.”

“I know that God’s power is limitless; and as I am made in His image, I, too,
have the strength to overcome all obstacles.”

“I relax and cast aside all mental burdens, allowing God to express through
me His perfect love, peace, and wisdom.”

“Teach me to feel that I am enveloped always in the aureole of Thine all-protecting omnipresence, in birth,
in sorrow, in joy, in activity, in meditation, in ignorance, in trials, in death, and in final emancipation.”

“Thy light of goodness and Thy protective power are ever shining through me. I saw them not, because
my eyes of wisdom were closed. Now Thy touch of peace has opened my eyes; Thy goodness and unfailing protection are flowing through me.”

“My Heavenly Father, Thou art Love, and I am made in Thine image. I am the cosmic sphere of Love in which
I behold all planets, all stars, all beings, all creation as glimmering lights. I am the Love that illumines the whole universe.”

“I will help weeping ones to smile, by smiling myself,
even when it is difficult.”

“I will radiate love and goodwill to others, that I may open
a channel for God’s love to come to all.”

Tree of Life Affirmations

I take in and give out nourishment in perfect balance. I am important. I count. I now care for and nourish myself with love and with joy. I allow others the freedom to be who they are. We are all safe and free. 

Affirmation of Forgiveness For Karmic Healing

This affirmation can be used for healing different aspects of your life. Repeat daily in the form of prayer for 21 days.

*****

I ask forgiveness from all living beings,
from all my ancestors,
from Mother Earth and
from the Creator of All That Is

For all the unwholesome deeds
that I have committed against you in any of my incarnations
from the beginning of Time!

I accept your forgiveness now!

I forgive everyone myself – completely and unconditionally.

I forgive myself
for all my unwholesome thoughts,
emotions, words and deeds –
in relation to myself,
to other living beings,
to all my ancestors,
to Mother Earth and the Creator
in all incarnations, from the beginning of time!

I do this completely and unconditionally.

I forgive and accept myself completely in all my incarnations.

Creator of All That Is, thank you for dissolving my negative karma
in relation to the
“HEALTH” aspect of my life!

Thank you for healing this aspect of my life on all levels
– as much as possible now!

With full faith, thank you!

So be it! (3 times)
And so it is!

(Yulia Pal)

Positive Affirmations for the Eyes

• I see with love and joy.

• I now create a life I love to look at.

• I am now willing to see my own beauty and magnificence.

• Life is eternal and filled with joy.

• Harmony and joy and beauty and safety now surround this child.

• It is safe for me to see. I am at peace.

• I am safe in the here and now. I see that clearly.

• I see with love and tenderness.

• I accept Divine guidance and am always safe.

• I love and approve of myself right now.

• It is safe to be me. I express who I am.

• I have the power and strength and knowledge to handle everything in my life.

#antondymtchenko

#eyeofnature

#youcanhealyourlife

#louisehayaffirmation

#positiveaffirmations

Togetherness

You are my want, my need, my desire, my everything,
My one addiction that I never want to give up ever,
May be time- the years, the months and the days-
Might bring about a change in this feeling for you.

But I want you to know that after all these years,
I want yours to be the shoulder where I return to
With the broken scattered pieces to be held close,
And put together with a few words of consolation.

I want yours to be the eyes that hold my bold gaze,
To give in without holding anything back from me;
I want yours to be lips that greet me in surprise
To give ecstasy when most desired without saying so.

While you and I enjoy our days of mutual togetherness,
I want your love to be the kind that stays around forever.

Sunshine Forever

You do nothing but sing praises of the sun;

The mighty rays that sweep across everyone.

There are no masks on your face but truth

The pain of fighting hard for a loyal path.

You see the best that is possible for all of us;

You cry out over the tiniest details in surprise

You sing with the twilights over the sunshine,

Abundant and joyful that has blessed us all.

The taste of perfection in a move of hand,

The model that you emulate, the best life.

Though it has its ups and downs as I can see

May this battle defeat all bittersweet strife.

When the sun rises in its glory once again

We will sing the sunshine song in unison.

#summersolstice2022

#longestdayoftheyear2022

Twinflame reunion

You are a wanderer whose heart loves to ramble and get lost in the beauty of nature. Sometimes, the lonely roads have worn you out and you have looked with jealousy at the togetherness that the ones lucky in their lives enjoy. 

The days were long where you did not have a soul to breathe your worries to. And despite the lonely hours spent by your self, you long for a companion who will complement you, the one who will finish your half-finished sentences or who might enjoy lying on the green grass on full moon nights. 

There is always this desire, the need for warmth, for compassion, for meaningless chatter and meaningful silences yet the road is quite lonely. 

Much later at a turnstile, you might meet a traveller in whose eyes you might see eternity, in whose warmth all your wanderlust might be kindled again, in whose extended hand you might see a soul connection.  

There might be others who have gone ahead and reached their destinations long ago but your blessing is that you value the wisdom taught by the lonely roads, the weary feet and the patience that these wanderings have brought. 

Your twinflame will make your appreciate the long days of weariness and when you begin a life of togetherness, it will be a like a dream come true, like the joining of opposites, and this reunion of your twinflame will bring back life to your years lost in unhappy searches.

Happy Reading Day

Sunshine Forever

You do nothing but sing praises of the sun;
The mighty rays that sweep across everyone.
There are no masks on your face but truth
The pain of fighting hard for a loyal path.

You see the best that is possible for all of us;
You cry out over the tiniest details in surprise
You sing with the twilights over the sunshine,
Abundant and joyful that has blessed us all.

The taste of perfection in a move of hand,
The model that you emulate, the best life.
Though it has its ups and downs as I can see
May this battle defeat all bittersweet strife.

When the sun rises in its glory once again
We will sing the sunshine song in unison.

The Full Moon Prayer

(With my hands outstretched and with a full heart), I bow to the moon, the earth, the sky, and the stars.

(With my left hand drawing from the energy of the earth and my right hand to the sky and the moon), I allow my Self to be a vessel for release and renewal.

I release all that does not serve me.

(Consider any anger, anguish, worry, sorrow, envy, pain, and/or other emotions and beliefs that you need to let go of. Breathe, and release. Take your time and Move as you are guided to, to release during this process.)

I release all archaic patterning that suppresses or degrades the divine feminine in all her manifestations, within my self,
within all society, and on the planet. I refuse to conduct, consent, or condone thoughts, words or deeds that degrade the feminine.

(Hands raises to the moon as you allow for your own release – bring mother energy through the earth as you do this)

As I release the hurt, ignorance, and the greed that feeds such suppression, I call forth the unlimited creative force that is the divine feminine in all forms of life.

May the divine feminine and masculine engage in their eternal dance to bring forth mutual harmony and respect, and peaceful, joyous coexistence for all beings and this living, breathing Earth.

And so it is.

 

The Unsent Letters

Inspiration

A blank page, listens in silence,
At this midnight hour, before me.
What fire burns in me, to merge,
Unwritten ellipses of memory-

The promises your eyes gave

And the melodies my heart made-
As history, of gains and losses,
A signature, in black and white.

Little Things: 'Here We Go!'

They are Kavu and Momo to each other. Cute. Funny. Adorable. The latest from Little Things Web Series has Kavya and Dhruv going on a long drive just to meet the bhaji-seller. But it turns out that the bhaji-seller hasn't turned up in days and instead they have an adventure at a vineyard tasting wines.

They learn about the three Ss of winesipping-smell, swirl and sip. She is drunk and wonders whether to quit her present job or not. Dhruv weighs the pros and cons for her. She shares her emotions especially what she feels about how complacent she has become.

On the other hand, she is glad that they made this trip because it is a milestone in their relationship. So, this season finale ends with the story of how they first met. 

Songs of the Yellow Moon

When I was growing up, I used to get so irrirated with my grandmother who will come up with aa song for every random word that I said. Being a language teacher, she was a storehouse of poems and songs and rhymes that would make me cringe, so much that my message will be completely lost in the process of communication. Growing older, I have understood that I have got at least fifty percent of her riddlesome nature, of singing songs about random words and people.

There were other legends about her. One was that she had the ability to make a very fiery husband crack up in laughter whose way of self-expression was flying plates at the dinner table if he wasn’t happy with the food that she prepared. Then on sleepless nights, they would tell each other how they had met each other when they were both eighteen and he will say with a smile that even then he knew she will be the one whom he would marry. With my late reading hours, I might drop in to their room listening to them argue about the hardships and obstacles they faced from her family (sixty five years ago) and their beautiful love story that I don’t think even their children know much about.

I am no different I guess, at least about the song part. Life is so uneventful yet one feels consoled by the sight of a full moon. I guess the best part was the feeling to go on gazing at it as if its magic is enough to lighten up your entire being. I think that's when my I remembered my all time favourite "Yellow Moon" and needless to say as with old favourites, these play in the head from beginning to end, with each word, right in its place.

About the lovebirds, lost her songs and her memory after his death and her favourite way of spending sleepless nights was her constant prayers for death and asking for the priest to give the holy sacrement. Once, when I was giving her food, she noticed the newspaper and asked me "Has my name come in the obituary today?" May her soul rest in peace!

Songs of the Super Moon

In the long years that we were in love,
You were the only sun of my universe
I have rhymed, bled and given birth
On the pure rhythms of your calendar.

Like the moon, I have had my full tides,
Where I have went ahead of everyone,
Conquered the world and been on high,
Loved you with the might of my limbs.

Like the moon, I have had my ebbs,
Where I have fallen behind so low,
So much that I couldn't smile or laugh,
Missed your limbs that coil round me.

We change with the tides of the moon,
Yet our love comes back in full circle.

The Unsent Letters

The Unsent Letters

The Unsent Letters

Hum rahe ya na rahe yaad ayenge ye pal

Some favourites from KK. May his voice linger on! 

1. Pyar Ke Pal

2. Yaaron Dosti

3. Abhi Abhi to Mile Hain

4. Dil Kyun Ye Mera Shor Kare

5. Alvida

6. Kya Mujhe Pyar Hai

7. Labon Ko

8. Khuda Jaane

9. O Meri Jaan

10. Zindagi Dol Pal ki

11. Zara Sa

12. Aap ki Dua

Euphemistic desire: Dear Diary

Today, I heard a transgender writer speak of her genitals as if it were the most natural thing in the world, her lips curling to the words my vagina, my breasts, my body and the crowd listening as if it were the most natural thing in the world. I don't know how many among the men would say my penis or how many among the women would dare to say my vagina or my breasts except in a very clinical sense and that too when talking to the doctor about some afflictions that affect them.


Our world has ways of putting words to complex things but not something as simple as your sex or mine or theirs, your desires or mine or theirs. Stronger than the feeling of finding nicer labels for all private parts was the feeling of curiosity about how she has lived with courage when many a man or a woman with ordinary lives might have crumbled before life's ordinary struggles.

Is it that difficult to find words to express love for the one you love just because you are an introvert or because your identity is different from that of the majority?

Thoughts listening to Kalki Subramaniam

On Air

The way your memory creeps up before my eyes
The way you croon your favourite songs and mine,
The songs that have stayed despite the long years
Playful, naughty, sad, philosophical or just pleasant.

The songs that bring you back to me wherever I am
Wild dreams of being one with you body and soul
Spending endless hours in embraces like creepers
Despite the long sad years of absence and longing.

Though I long for our lost days with a heavy heart,
Those days of endless sunshine that were so perfect
Your sweet voice singing your favourites and mine
During all seasons and all times, every single day.

The songs that I listen on the radio this morning
Brings back a smile in this era of infinite longing.

The Unsent Letters

Always intrigued by the Letters that Noah wrote Ellie in Nicholas Sparks' The Notebook. Thinking of writing 365 letters that were unsent.

Menstrupedia Comic: The Friendly Guide to Periods for Girls

What comes first to my mind, when I think of the onset of periods is the Maturity Celebration in Tamil Nadu shown in the song Thandatti Karuppayi from the film Kaadhal starring Sandhya and Bharath. However, this might be a popular media depiction of a girl hailing from a rich background as we read of girls who skip school they cannot afford sanitary pads or girls who use rags and sawdust during this time. For most of the girls in my generation, menarche came as a surprise or even shock as most of us didn’t know why we were bleeding. 

As Aditi Gupta says in her TED Talks, A taboo-free way to talk about periods, some even though they had blood cancer. The generation before that probably never spoke the word aloud. The generation before that must have never have heard of sanitary pads. But when one clearly remembers the trauma of the first period at school or the kind of experiences of your clothes showing signs of it, through firsthand or second hand experiences.Nowadays, the onset of menarche is quite early when compared to the previous generations because of various reasons. 

Children learn about periods quite early from their peers who have early or through books and films. However, it is good to educate them about what periods is all about. So, a sign of the changing times can be seen in a book by Aditi Gupta named Menstrupedia Comic: The Friendly Guide to Periods for Girls. The book talks about menstruation and the processes that are behind it in the form of a comic. It aims at dissipating some of the myths that surround menstruation and in bringing about a healthy view of it as a natural biological process. The book is in the form of a story where Priya Didi speaks about menstrual hygiene and health to her younger cousin and her friends Jiya and Mira. This is highly recommended for young girls who will learn to see periods positively. This book is available on amazon.

Sacred Spaces

In times of despair and darkness, your soul lingers on a favourite memory for a second and without knowing how or why, there is shift in thinking that realign you to the present. This memory could be a place near the River Green, where you grew up or could be the verdant campus where you studied or your favourite space in your house.

The spaces you love, the view that your balcony offers, your favourite reading space in the drawing room or the serene space you have made for your gods-all become memories to be visited in the mind's eye.

However, my favourite space was my armchair from where I visited many imaginary lands and learnt the magic of written words. The view that this room offered was lovely, with the blue skies and the sight of tall buildings etched across. During the rains, this is the space from where I sang my favourite songs.

Yet my love, you are my favourite sacred space, the one I visit every day, whenever I think of our days of togetherness, the one secret haven where I rest when in strife and where my soul might come back when the body loses its breath. 

You are that sacred space that I will inhabit in the realms of dreams where the bonds of this world don't matter any longer. 

#sacredspaces

#home

Unsent Letters

Dear Sean

I still remember the first day I met you. It was a beautiful morning with the sun shining bright. You and I met and looked at each other with surprise in our eyes. Even now, I think you never fail to surprise me. That first day was pure magic, I still remember. I have always thought it would be a wonderful story for us to tell the future generations. However, our lives were never meant to be together. Yet on days like this, I write you letters on how beautiful life would have been had we been together. Even after all these years, I still love you, adore you and cherish you as mine.

Yours truly,
Berry

Unconditional love

Beauty

Angel Number

Change

Favourites from KK

Some favourites from KK. May his voice linger on! 

1. Pyar Ke Pal

2. Yaaron Dosti

3. Abhi Abhi to Mile Hain

4. Dil Kyun Ye Mera Shor Kare

5. Alvida

6. Kya Mujhe Pyar Hai

7. Labon Ko

8. Khuda Jaane

9. O Meri Jaan

10. Zindagi Dol Pal ki

11. Zara Sa

12. Aap ki Dua