Sunday,
July 17th, 2016
Toronto,
Ontario
Some
of What Happened
A
couple flew in from Hawaii to attend the Chariot fest and I was given the
honour to award them diksha
(initiation) into the Vaishnava
tradition. Three couples also took
second or brahminical
initiation. The new initiates are Guru
das, an attorney, and his fantastic wife, Amala.
The
ritual, which had quite the appeal for the public (as it was held outdoors on
Centre Island), was colourful, and was positioned in front of the mystical
temple under a marquis.
On
the second day of the festival, like the first, I was scheduled to conduct an
aerobics class to the sound of drum and mantra. Held at the youth tent called the Bhakti Cloud, within no time, volunteers
who wanted to loosen-up and shake-it-out filled the space.
For
my own record, I thought to document the
one hour talk which I gave at the Govardhan Farm tent. The topic was “Spiritual Ecology and the Age
of Machinery.” As you might imagine, I underscored
the culture of “Hands On” and expressed the superiority of manually working with
soil and animals, over the use of machines.
We
certainly need to have a hard look at what is favourable for mankind and the
environment. The future is in our hands,
especially when we plan and act in the present for an improved world which is
based on the balance of the physical and the spiritual.
A
last point to raise on the outcome of the fest, is that it was record-breaking
for spiritual book sales, devotional items, and food. Also, there were splendid presentations made
on the stage.
May
the Source be with you!
2
km
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