October 24th, 2014

I really like Halloween.  I like to decorate for it. I like to dress up. I like to see all the kids' costumes at my door.  I remember last year  two kids coming to my door where I usually have a huge jumping spider sitting close by. I activate the spider from inside but I always ask the kids first if they like to be scared; I don't want tears at my door!!!  So I asked these two kids.  One said yes. He looked to be about seven. The other said no. He was definitely in High School.  I figured the older kid could handle the spider if the little kid could so I stepped on the button. The older kid about flew backwards off my step; the little kid laughed.  Halloween could be looked at as a good time to address fears because the scary stuff about Halloween is all in jest. Better to deal with a fear of ghosts if they are little kids dressed up rather than real ones, right? So, we are picking up that witch's broom and sweeping away fear today.  Fear makes us clutch onto things. It creates mindful clutter. 

The word Jharu in Hindi means broom. Symbolically, it represents spiritual cleansing.  The deity Lakshmi is the goddess of abundance, wealth, good fortune and good luck. But she is said to only frequent clean places. Alakshmi is Laksmi's older sister and she frequents dirty places; she brings about misfortune, greed and envy.  She sounds scarier, right?  So we sweep away the dirt, we sweep away the fear, we live in peace.

Today, we focused on "trick-onasana".  A pose of balance, openess and expression. 

"I don't know that there are real ghosts and goblins, but there are always more trick-or-treaters than neighborhood kids." ~Robert Brault

Some poses are tricky; some transitions are tricky. But the challenge makes them intriguing.

"He was like her favorite type of candy, she realized, a bit sour at first but all sweetness in the long run. Admittedly . . . that tartness was part of the allure all along.” ― Victoria Kahler, Their Friend Scarlet

 

A New Broom by Witt Wittmann

I bought a new broom today
and swept the cobwebs down,
A thick accumulation of dregs,
a mass of tangles and smut.
I whisked a conglomeration of dust
that forever stuck—inaccessible.
Lifted the rug under which was hidden
years of grime that
Made traversing treacherous
with things that trip you up.

I rolled that rug and cast it off
and pitched the whole mess out.
I bought a new broom today
and mucked about the house.

Gone are the indignities that cannot be untwined
from the unfulfilled goals and dreams,
Cleared the place of bitter resentments
secured with insecurities.
Shackling phobias, permanently pitched
with a flick of bristles strawy,
Dismal doubts and grubby grudges
all brushed not so effortlessly away.

I bought a new broom today
and swept the corners of my brain. 

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