Thursday 30 June 2011

Wednesday, June 29th, 2011

The Street, the Lake, A House

Barrier Lake, Alberta

Prairie dogs are actually cute looking gopher like creatures that burrow holes in the ground. They let out this sharp squeak of a sound when they sense danger. That's just what several did upon seeing me, not in unison like coyotes or wolves howling, but at interval spurts.

"Squeak!" stated on warning the others. "Monk on the lose," was my interpretation. It triggered more to do the same.

Two crows, apparent proprietors of a group of blue spruces, hang around the same area where I trek along 68th Avenue each day. They perch on their branch, fuss a bit, soar higher to a municipal lamp post.

What other images came today?

Well, a couple necking at Barrier Lake, a chosen venue for them and us. Our Calgarian hosts, Radha Madhava, Svarti and their daughters took to their first summer break. Along the lake's trail, the man and woman, with firm intent remained in strong embrace, unphased by us passersby. It came to my head, "I could have been there, certainly had done that, but put such entanglement behind."

Along with a city slickin' lot, we picnicked on lasagna so good and then trekked an uneven terrain until we reached a wind-free nook to sit and chant. The group of us then piled worn boulders to form inookshooks of Vedic deities, Jaganatha, Baladev and Subhadra.

My actor devotees, Laghu, Gour and and I practically became a deity threesome, stiff after a quick dip in the glacial waters. It's all fun in nature's domain. And in the evening an enthusiastic group back in Calgary heard our message from the Gita's Chapter 10 in a domestic setting. Also fun!

I found it most interesting that a follower of Zoroastria-turned-Vaishnav had spent the day with us. Pracetanna has ancestors committed to Zoroaster who appeared in the world 6th century BC. When Pracetanna explained this Persian-based tradition to me I could understand that the transition from sun-worship to Vaishnav ways was not extreme.

6 KM

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