After pondering on it for a while, I decided to make the original files of my paintings available for free. As I wrote on the website of my images, “All the pictures are expressions of spiritual principles / realities. I receive them and I give them for free.” This way, the images might better find the way to serve their purpose.

So if you would like to print a picture yourself, there is now a page where you can download the files of the “Images of Synthesis” in medium and high resolution format.

Have a look at this playful hand-drawn short film by Glen Keane in dark blue. Keane was the main creative in some of the most famous animated Disney films. Animated and directed entirely by him, DUET tells the story of Mia and Tosh and how their individual paths in life are woven together to create a duo – cute :-). Here you can read more about the realisation of the film. And here is a video about how it was done with “ATAP” (Google’s Advanced Technology and Projects group).

An extract from the video (c)

Basic regulations of spiritual practices are often apparently simple and easy but their import only reveals gradually and through consistent practice over a long time. That’s the tricky thing: You tend to forget the import and the practice becomes a routine. Normally you won’t notice –  unobtrusively, the transforming power diminishes or even gets lost – until there is again a “wake-up call”. It might be quite a silent call to reset your schedule.

A month ago I experienced such a “wake-up”:

Since years, I’m following the meditation proposed by Master CVV. It is simple but very profound. One of the basic regulations says, “To choose a fixed time for the daily meditation, best at an interval of 12 hours – 6 o’clock in the morning and evening.”

It is recommended to select an appropriate time for meditation and to adhere to it strictly. And 6:00 a.m. and 6:00 p.m. are recommended as the appropriate points of time. They form one of the two central axes dividing the day into 4 quarters, between morning and evening, between noon and midnight.

I know this rule since years and I followed such a meditation structure already during my years of study. I experienced the subtle dynamic strength of the rhythm: “Honour time, then time honours you.” This I knew, at least with my mind.

However, logic finds many excuses why not to be regular. There are lots of seemingly strong necessities for exceptions, and slowly exceptions become the rule, “because of office work”, “family”, “not finding time”, and you certainly know other good reasons.

Reason is not rhythm. Of course, you should not become rigid by sticking to self-imposed rules, and there is the recommendation that “any time between 4:00 and 8:00 in the morning and in the evening may be chosen to start with.”

Being an “early bird”, I have no problems starting the meditation at 06 a.m. but in the evening I used to come back tired from the office and could not do the meditation in time – I just fell asleep. I asked Sri Kumar about it and he said, “Think of the Master at 6 and do the meditation whenever it is possible for you.”

I’m no longer working at an office but I kept on arranging the meditation. I said to myself, “For me, it is more important to do the meditation together with my wife” (she is not following the 6/6 regulation)… And I found it a reasonable explanation – until recently.

Some months ago, a friend gave me a book on the yoga of Master CVV, a collection of his notes about his “courses, adjustments, principles and regulations”. I have read several of these books but most things I don’t understand. I once asked Sri Kumar and he said that they weren’t meant for the public, they were just Master CVV’s notes and we won’t understand. But I read them in bits and pieces, because somehow I felt an inspiring energy.

So one month ago, I read about how much Master CVV insisted that his disciples (“mediums”) strictly follow the given rules and regulations once they have firmly decided to practice. The disciples in town “must invariably attend daily once in the evening prayers. If they fail to attend every day evening, they will be permanently banished from this society.”

I was a bit shocked. He repeatedly emphasized the preciseness of time: those being not regular with the time “will derive only that share of development as is due to such practice”. “Some delay will occur”… He expected that the members come at a quarter to 6, rest for 15 minutes to be ready “to do practice at 6:00 o’clock precisely” and not with an empty stomach: “Yoga must be the prominent idea in your life. Everything else should be subordinate.” “You are having a false idea that the instructions and rules relating to the Yoga may be used according to your physical body’s convenience. The lenience given by me to follow the practice was taken as fun.”

This was my wake-up call. I didn’t want to reason it away but took it as a hint to integrate the rhythmic precision into my schedule without being rigid. Soon I felt an increase of energy through the magic of rhythmic order. “Axis arranged hours”, as Master CVV puts it in a mystic mantram, followed by “Higher Bridge Beginning”. Yes, this key of time is opening the entry to the higher bridge, to sublime dimensions of experiencing.

Master CVV surrounded by a group of his disciples in the early years of the 20th century.

Tomorrow is Master EK’s birthday. He was born on 11 August 1926.

Although I didn’t meet him physically, Master EK (Dr. Ekkirala Krishnamacharya) had a profound impact on my life. His teachings and his way of living impressed me very much. I first heard about him in 1981 but it took long years to “get caught” by his magnetism. His biography “Master E.K. – The New Age Teacher” is an inspiring reading and gives a good insight into his life.

Now there is a series of 6 DVDs relating to the Yoga of Master CVV (coming soon on YouTube); the second part has been published recently, dealing with the early years of Master EK’s life.

Here are a few words from a talk of Dr. K. Parvathi Kumar (Master KPK) given on Master EKs birthday in 2011:

“It is not easy to understand a Master. We just make some conclusions about him without knowing anything about him. We consider him someone similar to us. He appears so but he is not. He appears to anyone according to their own belief and though. What a Master can do in this creation, even the cosmic intelligences cannot. His work is much greater. That is why there are some disciples who fulfilled themselves just by deeply following a Master and not even looking for the Lord.

A Master gives his disciple all freedom to move as he likes but keeps a constant check on him to protect him due to his compassion towards his disciple. Generally the relationship between the Master and disciple goes on for lives and lives and does not end with just one life.

Master EK is one such grand Master who has come down to help us all in the path. He is such a grand light but he just lived a simple life. He said “I believe in simplicity and not in publicity.” His sight is a great vision. He used to appear as if he did not see us but just by seeing anyone for a moment, he could understand the complete stature of the other person from his past to present. He just behaves as an image to us. If we greet him, he greets us; if we talk to him, he talks to us, if we are arrogant towards him, he would be very arrogant and so on. So there is nothing we can understand of him. It is even useless to even try to understand him.”

It is good to remember a Master and his qualities on his birthday – and it is uplifting to us.

Master EK, 1979

When I set out to write the new Lunar Messenger for the month of Leo on Lord Krishna I felt again his magic touch. And thoughts of previous encounters came to my mind. I remember well how I noticed this touch of the presence consciously for the first time in the mid-70s of last century, when I read the newly published German version of a booklet, “The Heart of a Gopi” – “Das Herz einer Gopi” (PDF, by Raihana Tyabji, 1924, not available as English PDF) – stories about the enchanting influence of Krishna.

My first impressions of Krishna in the Europe of the 70s, however, were a bit weird: Bald-headed people in orange clothes with a queue at the back of the skull and chanting Hare Krishna were quite exotic appearances in the shopping promenades of the German city where I was studying. Years later, I had some “culinary contacts” with them – for a while the Hare Krishna people run an excellent restaurant in Berne, and one of them walking through the city gave me a free copy of their Vedic cook book…

The most intense encounter with Krishna’s magic was in the early 90s, when I translated Master EK’s “Music of the Soul” and “Man Sacrifice” about the life of Lord Krishna – these versions weren’t the ones published later. During the months of translation, I often felt blissful and like in a trance. My wife also experienced it while proof-reading. I did the translation in a time of intense inner and outer transformations and it was a strangely uplifting experience. Especially Music of the Soul I read a number of times, also in English as a “language course” with a friend. I relived the thrill when in 2012 Master EK’s “The World Teacher. Advent of Lord Krishna” was finally published in English and German. I received it from Sri Kumar and immediately dived into it.

My approach, however, was not a straight route and only slowly it took to a more differentiated shape. Chanting was definitely not my path, I found out end of the 80s when leaving the Sai Baba movement. In the 90s I bought in a second hand bookshop at a bargain price the complete 12 vol. edition Srimad Bhagavatam of Vedavyasa, in German, by Swami Prabhupada, dealing mainly with the life of Krishna. When I took some of the books to the next meeting of my then-teacher and his group, he made some derogatory remarks about the Swami and the books. His impact made me throw all the volumes in the garbage the next day. It took me quite long to trust my inner impulses and not to follow what I believe to be right, because I have heard it from someone, even if I regard him as my teacher.

I’m learning more and more to be vigilant about the energies I feel, their quality and expression, and Krishna is definitely enchanting for me. I don’t feel Hindu or like a “devotee” – it’s not my soul mood – but fascinated by the touch of the subtle presence. It was there when I translated orally comics and stories about the life of Krishna for our children while they were young. And when I did the three pictures on Lord Krishna (see below), each time this presence was strongly felt. I don’t try to analyse but just let the magic take effect on me. It is beyond mental concepts, it just IS.

However, you don’t need to put off your mind to get the touch of the presence – it is like being on two planes at the same time. I experienced it when I did on my PC an extensive collection of material of what Dr. K.P. Kumar and Dr. E. Krishnamacharya said on Krishna and when I ventured to condense it to the essence for the Lunar Messenger. But the touch of the presence clearly pointed out the way to take.

Krishnas birth was on 18 July 3228 BC, his  birthday is celebrated on the 8th descending moon phase of Leo – this year on Sunday, 17th of August.

Music of the Soul – Full Moon. 29/12/2009

Union beyond Duality. 16/04/2011

The Magic Flute of Krishna. 21/12/2012

I like very much airing out in nature. Whenever possible, my wife and I go out for a walk on Sunday afternoon. It is a good occasion for reflecting on experiences, events or persons , especially when walking on a hill with a view into the distance. While walking thoughts get cleared out and nature replenishes the “stocks of prana”.

Before each walk I’m intensely studying the trail map of the area to find a new spot or a place where we haven’t been for some time. And there are plenty of paths in the surroundings. So I’d like to take you with us on yesterday’s afternoon walk.

I chose the Falkenfluh, about 25 km from where we are living. Falken means falcon, and Fluh is an expression for a rock face. Though there were no falcons around, it is a very beautiful place at the foothills of the Alps.

From where we parked our car there was a beautiful view down, with the Lake Thun in the background. It wasn’t raining in the afternoon but the clouds were still hanging deep and veiled the Alps of the Bernese Oberland.

When we crossed the first little forest there were wood-strawberries all along the way. Later, on the top of the Falkenfluh, there were raspberry bushes and along one forest even blueberries. We could advance only slowly, the berries were too delicious.

At the entrance of a country house, Amor was waiting for sweet victims but there weren’t many around…

A little further ahead, we discovered a ramp leading over the cliff into the abyss: a jumping-off point for delta planes and other para-gliders.

Some meters ahead, there was a triangulation point marking the geographic centre of the Canton of Bern. And the Swiss Geomatic Society was celebrating an anniversary and inviting to register in a guest-book to participate in a raffle for a GPS…

Old apple trees on a meadow were heavily loaded with fruits.

Following the path, we arrived at a little farmhouse where children on the balcony told us the direction to follow: Turning to the left and along the barn, where some hens were running through the grass

We opened a pasture gate; the path became a small trail running over the meadow. A huge linden tree spread its aura far over the little valley. On an “emotrance seminar”, my wife has learnt to observe trees by asking whether they are willing to share their energy or not. Many trees, especially young ones, are not but huge, well-grown trees are spreading their energy all around. You could clearly feel the energetic presence of the linden tree even at a distance.

The air was filled with the ringing of the bells of the sheep. Here in Switzerland, sheep and cows often wear bells, so that you can easily find them – without GPS (I recently read about the tagging of animals with codes injecting the chips subcutaneously – for “better registration” and easier delivery at the butchery…)

A little further ahead we walked up a steep trail up the mountain. The earth was still very humid from the rain of the previous days and we walked zigzag over the roots.

At the top a lady was waiting with her mountain bike. When we came out of the tree alley, she started driving downward, over the slippery ground. It was steeper than the photo shows:

The path led us along the forest with a beautiful view over the meadows. When we stopped at a bench, we saw that people were just preparing a delta glider at the ramp. And again there were bushes with berries but had enough and started going down again.

Since many years I’m fascinated by the sublime geometry of the Sri Yantra. When our children were young, we did Mithila classes and drew with them the Sri Yantra (see the book “Mithila” about the mantra Sreem and the related yantra – scroll down). In our home we have several directional Yantra mandalas inspired by the science of Vastu, also the Sri Yantra at the entrance.

A few days ago I came across the website of a German artist who has devoted his life to work on the Sri Yantra and is creating beautiful copper-works.

In his youth, Bernhard Wimmer had learned bronze casting and chasing. After years of artistic search he discovered his vocation in uniting art and science. He found in the Sri Chakra Yantra a cosmic energy generator, and he describes the work with it as a journey to the I AM through cosmic energy geometry.

Bernhard Wimmer working on a Sri Yantra (c)

On his website he explains (in German) the Sri Yantra as an instrument or better a “machine” which uses physical laws to change the physical world around. The Sri Yantra can generate energy waves which are in resonance with us and support us to build up energy fields to send them with our intentions on a journey into the cosmic field of consciousness. And it is our ability for devotion and love which opens the energy door so that we can send our deepest impulses and intentions through the world and into this cosmic field of consciousness. The Sri Yantra is an extraordinary instrument for our energy and consciousness development and can greatly intensify our work but not replace it.

Bernhard Wimmer (c)

Bernhard Wimmer is singing mantrams while working on a Yantra, mainly the Gayatri mantram, the invocation of Light. The work is done for the highest weal of the world and the place or the people for which he does a Yantra. Here are two videos with interviews (in German)  about his work (1 / 2).

It is interesting how his descriptions match with what Dr. Ekkirala Krishnamacharya says about the Sri Yantra in his book “Spiritual Psychology“:

“Tantric texts in Sanskrit and the Kabbala prescribe various compound symmetrical shapes for various compound numbers that are to be meditated upon to acquire perfection of the mental, vital and lower Buddhic planes. They are called Yantras in Sanskrit. Sri Yantra is the most perfect and profound form of all. It is not only a perfect shape for meditation, but it represents the operations of the whole cosmos down to the individual man. It is formed by an arrangement of five equilateral triangles with their apexes below, and another set of four equilateral triangles with their apexes above, the circumcircles of these triangles and three squares outlining the whole figure.”

And Dr. K. Parvathi Kumar explains in the book “Mithila – A New Age School Syllabus” the work with Sri as a scientific work of manifesting subtle energies:  “The invocation of the Mother ‘SRI’ makes you magnetic and lucky when you practice it with deep interest and inclination. In this invocation, you are carrying out a triangular work, i.e., you are applying a Sound (Mantra) upon a Symbol (Yantra) according to a specific process (Tantra). This is a scientific way of manifesting the subtle energies upon the grosser planes, known to the Magicians. If your motives are sacred, it leads to White Magic.”

And in the book on Mantrams he explains:  “SRI stands for the splendour, the Divine Nature. SRI is a seed sound. It helps speedier transformation and it is the work of fire.”

Bernhard Wimmer is producing the Sri Yantra in copper, the metal of Venus – the sound Srim is part of the mantra of the Venus principle. But he also sells the Yantra as beautiful prints. Have a look at the website of Bernhard Wimmer. (Thank you for the permission of using the images.)

Bernhard Wimmer (c)

Tonight the sun passes into Leo – so here comes the picture to the month.

According to spiritual astrology, the heart centre is the seat of the soul and is ruled by Leo. Leo is the expression of the I AM, the sun of our being. The lion is the symbol of the personality which is to be transformed by the soul. The highest point of illumination in us is the head centre, and via this centre a yogi establishes contact with the sun centre of our planet, Shamballa. On a still higher plane there is a relation to the polar star.

The painting took some inner preparation before I began the outer work. To start with, I did a print-out of a colour spectrum wheel with 7 layers per colour shade. I photographed an icosahedron cut in a rock crystal and used the form of this Platonic solid of 20 triangles as an expression of rounded-up matter, or the “diamond body” of the spiritual matter which an initiate carries. For the meditator inside the crystal, I chose a picture of a statue of an Eastern goddess in a blessing posture which I took some years ago in the home of friends. I placed her face into the centre of the triangle pointing upwards and placed the picture of a lion with its head in the middle of the downward triangle. I put the colour wheel into the background with its centre at the heart centre of the meditator, symbolising the spectrum of the one light manifesting in 7 layers of creation. The colour of Leo is gold, and so the lion radiates a hue of golden light.

Behind the colour wheel I included a photo of the Dhaulagiri (meaning “White Mountain”) of the Himalayas as a symbol of intense aspiration towards greatest heights. On the front of the meditator, I placed the symbol of the sun. I shaped the headpiece exceeding the pyramid as an etheric representation of Shamballa which the meditator contacts via the head centre. Atop of it you see a star symbolising the polar star forming a triangle with two other stars.

See more pictures on the site with my paintings.

09 April 2014, pencils and photo work

I would like to share some experiences I had the last weeks around a prophecy of the return of Master CVV – as Master KPK (Dr. K. Parvathi Kumar). For me it was as if I flew a loop. I pondered some days whether I should blog about it or not, but I decided that yes. And the text, though short-cut, is definitely longer than an easy-to-read blogpost in “Facebook compatibility” should be.

I deeply respect other viewpoints – this is just about my experiences.

At the Jubilee celebration of 30 Years WTT Germany I suddenly grew very alert when I heard in the Jubilee speech the words “When Master CVV left his physical body on March 12th, 1922, he promised his followers that he would return in the year 1945 to continue his work.” These words printed in the jubilee book continue a bit later with, “Master KPK was born two days after the new moon in the sign of Scorpio on November 7th, 1945… This consensus foreshadows the incarnation of Master CVV’s soul in Master KPK ….” I remembered having heard this some years before and that at the same time a “red question-mark” rose up inwardly.

I afterwards asked the speakers where this quote is from, and they referred to the book of Sabine Anliker about Master KPK. Yes, there I had read it in 2005, and it says, “Master CVV informed his disciples that he would come back in the year 1945. This is found in the book Kundalini written by Sri Ramanujam which is available in the library of the UNO Geneva. Master KPK was born in 1945! ….”

I still was sceptical if it is correct, so I decided to ask Sri Kumar directly. When I met him in Hergiswil 12 days ago, I gave him a paper with some questions and: “… Could you comment on the prophecy. Has it been given by Master CVV or is it a claim of the followers?”

He read my questions from the paper, while I was standing next to him. Then he asked for my pencil and gave me in his handwriting: “Return of Master CVV in 1945 has been a prophecy, recorded in the Tamil books of his followers.”

For me, this context was enough, for the moment, – I didn’t want to ask him, hey, are you the reincarnation?

I was struck by the answer in written and pondered a lot on it. Both Masters have touched me to the core and mean very much for me. But I would never have “fused them” into “one as the sequence of the other”. I was reminded of the sequence of Shirdi Sai, Sathya Sai and Prema Sai spoken about by Sri Sathya Sai Baba, or reincarnation traditions of Buddhist lamas.

I googled for the book of T.S. Ramanujam mentioned by Sabine: “Kundalini – or Universal Love Refound“, published Madras 1938 – but there was no PDF version. However, I found an old booklet, half  Tamil?/Telugu?, half English, about Master CVV, with a longer article by Ramanujam on Physical Immortality – here is the PDF version, just the English part, and here the complete version (15 MB). There you find a mention of 1945 and the re-emergence of Master CVV:

“When the space is fixed, the picture will stand” – these words of the Master are still ringing in the ears of his mediums who, from the surface of the earth, are looking forward to his re-emergence in an eternal physical form. When that Great Day comes, it may not be after 1945, a current of Physical Immortality will run from the Master to the mediums in logical succession, as a current of electricity runs from bulb to bulb, and illuminate, as if in a flash, all human beings with the light of eternity!”

Picture of Master CVV from the book

I shared the answer of Sri Kumar with some close friends, and I received a reply from an old “fellow traveller”. On my request he wrote: “You are most welcome to use what I say in terms of ‘a group member said’ but thank you for respecting that I do not want to be named.” Of course. We have a regular correspondence, and it is fascinating to me.

Here are some extracts from his email, reduced to what is relevant in this context:

“So, just a few thoughts, logic based and not ‘intuitive-knowing’ based. I have told you some of this. When I met KPK in xxx in xxx we went for a walk together and the conversation was far reaching. He said that He and I had been together before and that we had been with DK as doctors in the German army during the war. “The war” would be the conflict from 1914-1945. So, that puts us both in incarnation somewhere during this time. He said that DK transmitted the Bailey books from Germany and not from Tibet. He told me that DK was so advanced that He could ‘save the planet by Himself.’

On very many occasions KPK has demonstrated to me a deep and intimate knowledge of the workings of KH’s ashram. I once saw Aurobindo and EK standing together. I asked KPK and he said yes that they were in KH’s ashram. He told me that he had been sent to help EK in his work and that they would send someone to me to help me with mine. …

I have been told by xxx that he was with KPK in Argentina. They took him out for dinner or entertainment and there was a show featuring the Tango. I guess it was pretty sexual, the dance. xxx and the others were embarrassed and embarrassed for the teacher. KPK reportedly joked, not to worry that this would help him “take the 5th.”

And, recently he gave me His CVV medium number.

So, I do know of what Sabine has said that KPK is THE incarnation of CVV. But the above pieces do not necessarily fit with this hypothesis.

A full incarnation of an Avatar, coming as less then a full Master at birth? KPK himself reincarnated at the 4th degree and with a CVV medium number….. In incarnation as a co-worker with DK, perhaps, at the same time CVV was in his body.

I think these pieces point toward KPK being a medium of CVV, yes, overshadowed and demonstrating the energy of Synthesis and aspects of CVV’s mind. But, I’m thinking he could not be CVV as a reincarnate…

Of course I do NOT KNOW. “Above my pay grade” as we say… I just assemble pieces using what logic I can use. When Sabine made the claim about KPK as CVV, it did not ‘feel’ right inside.

I asked him and he only smiled but did not answer.

Sabine is a very faithful devotee, I’m not sure that helps with reason sometimes. …

I am committed to KPK, EK, the WTT for life. It all came to me ‘from the inside out’ and KPK as KPK has told me, ‘I am in you.’ It is very clear that I am in his gaze. I think if he was 4th degree and taking the 5th, and if he is a medium of CVV, this changes nothing for me at all. I have not need for him to be the Full incarnation of the Avatar of Synthesis….”

Another close friend who followed the discussion wrote to me: “For me also, it was kind of strange and hard to believe that KPK is CVV. Maybe mainly because when you call for CVV or KPK, this is not the same vibration… Moreover, I noted that KPK is really answering very precisdly to any question, not 1% beside the question. If you look what you asked: “Has it been given by Master CVV or is it a claim of the followers?” and what he answered: “Return of Master CVV in 1945 has been a prophecy, recorded in the Tamil books of his followers.” it seems very clear that word to word, he’s pointing out the “claim of the followers”…

Things inside me fell again into an order. When a friend asked me why I was so eager to know, I replied, “It is about self-knowledge and truth – do I believe something because others have said so or is it in accordance with my own inner intuition? And if it is not, I better not accept it – though I respect the insights of the others.”

There was an echo in my mind of the lines in Secret Doctrine (Vol. III, page 401) quoted also by AA Bailey: “The Lord Buddha has said that we must not believe in a thing said merely because it is said… “I taught you not to believe merely because you have heard, but when you believed of your consciousness, then to act accordingly and abundantly.”

Photo of a 3-d picture of Master CVV, taken in the house of a friend

Beginning of June, when I met Sri Kumar in Hergiswil, he gave me a warm welcome and pointed to some cookies and chocolate on the table: “Take some”.

I answered, “I must be careful” and pointed to my stomach. He smiled and replied, “In our age it is no longer necessary.”

So I took a cookie and I saw him later take one, too. I forgot about the episode.

My body weight is an issue for me since my childhood…

When three weeks later we were in the hotel in Paris, I shared a room in the apartment, which was the “dining hall” for Sri Kumar and his close company. The rest of us had our meals in another apartment, and I used to silently slip out of my room to the other one. The last day in the morning, I saw Sri Kumar casually talking with Sabine and Anna and I had the impulse to ask if I could join. He said, “Yes, please come”.

He then smilingly remarked, “You look a bit thinner – did you lose weight?” I replied, “I’m happy when I can keep it stable.”

He continued: “Agastya, Master Jupiter (he is the eldest of the Masters of Wisdom) is always fasting though he eats great quantities of food. But he doesn’t live in the consciousness of eating. He has realised that the food he takes is Brahman and that it is Brahman who is eating the food. In this consciousness the food which is Brahman nourishes the body which is Brahman, and so Agastya is not eating.  This is real fasting. Not eating keeps the mind with eating. When you realise that the whole process is only Brahman, then you won’t put on any weight. It won’t stick to the body. Just offer it to Brahman and see that it is Brahman who eats.”

He then started singing:
“Brahmarpanam Brahma Havir / Brahmagnau Brahmanaahutam / Brahmaiva Tena Ghantavyam / Brahmakarma Samadhina
Aham Vaishvanaro Bhutva / Praninaam Dehamaashritaha / Pranapana Samayuktah / Pachaamyannam Chaturvidham”

I knew these verses from the Bhagavad Gita. I later looked them up on the web and found them on the Sathya Sai website:

“The act of offering is God, the oblation is God / By God it is offered into the Fire of God / God is That which is to be attained by him / who performs action pertaining to God.
Becoming the life-fire in the bodies of living beings / mingling with the subtle breaths, / I digest the four kinds of food.”

I remembered that a friend had recorded the melody last January in India, with Parvathi Varanasi, the sister of Sri Kumar, singing it. In traditional Indian families, it is sung before you eat a meal. I’m just learning it by heart. It reminds me to realise that it’s not me eating but the Divine, and that the food is also divine.

The sweets on the table