The Experiment of Life

One of the things I love the most about yoga is that it asks us to take nothing on faith. Yoga science realizes that only we can perform the experiments on our own lives, that only we can evaluate the results. It also recognizes a fundamental fact of epistemology (the study of how we know what we know); that we can truly know only by experience, not by words of others or by theories or the experiences of others.

Prior to performing this experiment, we must dissociate ourselves from our bias; discover who exactly is the Observer. We must learn to distinguish our real and authentic selves from our minds, our memories, emotions, thoughts, and perceptions. Once we have contacted this higher Self, this Divine Indweller, this Observer, we can begin the experiment. Then our lives can truly begin, exercising the one true freedom we have (the freedom to choose our responses to the world and our actions and reactions to it), setting out on the Higher Path of self-knowledge, self-acceptance, and self-transformation.

This is an experiment unequalled in science, and unparalleled in importance. For knowledge of the world outside us is moot until we have knowledge of ourselves. We cannot hope to help or heal others without first helping and healing ourselves. The inner universe is a microcosm of the larger universe outside us. Until we harmonize this universe and find peace within ourselves, we can never harmonize with or find peace with others. Thus, this experiment deserves all our attention, our energy, and our abilities. This is an experiment worthy of Einstein, daVinci, and all the greats of external science. It is an experiment worthy of Ghandi, Jesus, Buddha, and all the greats of internal science as well. It is an experiment worthy of YOU.

This experiment can change the way the world is; can add either another angry and bitter person, or one who is peaceful, calm, and helpful. Only you can decide which type of person you wish to be, and which type the world needs most now. Only you can know what your authentic truth is, and ensure your actions and thoughts are in alignment with this truth. Only you can manifest this Truth, and only you can be present and do the work required. Only you can walk your own path and learn your own lessons. Yet this function is not only valuable to the world, it is essential to it. For the world needs you, needs each and every one of us to be at our best, to give our all, to lend our hands in the transformation of self, society, and global consciousness.

The great thing about the experiment of Life is that every person has different lessons to learn, and every person derives different lessons from similar experiences and perceptions. The lessons you are on this planet to learn might be obvious to me, and those I am here to learn may seem blindingly obvious to you. Thus none can judge another, or even evaluate another's conclusions, as each is unique to the individual.

In this experiment, there are no foregone conclusions, and hopefully no expectations.Along the way, we learn lessons we never expected to learn, and perhaps fail to learn lessons we thought were critical (or learn something other than we thought we would). We are blessed to be able to learn, to interpret freely and choose accordingly, each according to their own internal wisdom, each according to the God of Their Understanding. We are truly the lucky ones.

This is our honor and our calling. Let us honor it as the sacred work it is.


AUM, Shanti, Shanti, Shantihi....



"So for a while we conducted experiments in an apartment by the river road..."
               -Sonic Youth/Chemistry

"There are so many paths up the mountain..."
               -Little River Band

Some More Quotes from a Course in Miracles

Here are some passages I had previously underlined, from a randomly-selected page of A Course in Miracles:

When a brother [or sister] acts insanely, he [she] is offering you an opportunity to bless him [her].

Every response you make is determined by who you think you are.

Teach no one that he [she] is what you would not want to be.

Love everything He [She] created, of which you are a part, or you cannot learn of His [Her] peace and accept His [Her] gift for yourself and as yourself.

You cannot know your own perfection until you have honored all those who were created like you.

Give, therefore, of your abundance, and teach your brothers [sisters] theirs. Do not share their illusions of scarcity, or you will perceive yourself as lacking.

Projection always sees your wishes in others.

You are the will of God.

...of course, just because they are underlined does not mean I think them to be true, only that they have resonated somehow with me (either by seeming untrue, obviously true, or deserving at least consideration as a novel idea).

Just a quick FYI and something to think about while stalled in traffic or during a commercial. I may include more selections later, but I typically prefer to post only my own unedited, extemporaneous prose. Anyhow,

Sat Nam (Your Name is Truth)

Namaste (No mind between; the Divine in me groks with the Divine in you)


AUM, Shanti, Shanti, Shantihiii



"To the wise, the world is full of teachers and to the fools the world is full of enemies."
           -Talmud

A Call to Service ... or a Misbegotten Dream?

I have a dream ...

I dream of providing an introduction to yoga to all people. I dream of guiding others into this life-changing and self-transforming practice: all people, especially those who think they cannot 'do' yoga, or that their bodies are too old or painful or injured, those who think they cannot afford to begin a yoga practice, either for lack of money or for lack of time.

I dream of taking yoga to those who really need it; the dispossesed, the alienated, those living on the fringe. My dream includes not just myself (for 'I' am not in this dream); it includes a network of care-givers who will donate their time pro-bono (without charge): bodyworkers, yoga therapists and instructors, massage therapists, personal trainers, and all manner of other healers and helpers.

For one lesson life has taught clearly is that true honor is found in helping others, and that the ultimate end of self-improvement or self-transformation is to extend ourselves and offer service to others. To do this for purely altrusitic reasons is elevates us even further, for often those who need our services most can pay for them least. Yet I think I have a solution...

If we can develop a network of instructors willing to provide free classes once in a while, I can make a schedule of free yoga classes, adding instructors as they are available to fill slots. In this manner, we can perhaps provide one free yoga class every weekday, and similar services as well. The Carriage House Community Center for the Homeless in Boulder has a holistic medicine day once a week, offering free massage, acupuncture, holistic medicine, and yoga on Tuesdays. I used to volunteer classes for this and got a space reservation for both Tuesday and Wednesday. If enough instructors volunteer, we can provide free yoga classes every day, and not just to the homeless, but to all who need them. If enough other caregivers sign up to donate services, we can also offer the other services every day.

I'd like to implement this both in Boulder, and in Denver, at the Veterans' Administration hospital and outpatient therapy center. My basic models for this effort are the Carriage House plan, Musicians on Call (which offers free music therapy to people in the hospital), and Prison Dharma Network, which offers free Buddhist meditation and counseling services to prisoners nationwide.

This is perfect for new instructors and therapists wishing to gain experience working with homeless, veterans, PTSD, and recovering drug and alcohol addicts, as well as 'normal' everyday people of all types. It is also perfect for more experienced and well-known instructors, as part of a (tax-deductible) seva, or practice of service to others. In addition to simply providing regular services at scheduled times, I'd like to pair amenable clients with a mentor who will support them in their progress and practice, much as an Alcoholics Anonymous sponsor does, or as many mentors in business and government do, although in terms of personal development rather than economic or career success.

If the service-donators wish, we could pair them with apprentices or unpaid interns, clients who volunteer their own time in order to learn from those more experienced and to grow themselves through personal experience. This would allow their wisdom to spread, and provide the chance for former students to develop a service practice of their own, sharing what they have learned (through donated time) by donated time to the consortium of instructors, therapists, care-givers, and healers.

One need not even be a accomplished yogi/yogini or instructor, for we will have timeslots for simple companionship, a chance to listen to others, provide a sympathetic ear. Plenty of lessons can be learned simply by listening to the experiences, thoughts, dreams, hopes, and fears of others. This service is as valuable to the service provider as it is to those who receive the service. In this age of alienation that some live in, simply being able to connect to another human being is critical, essential, potentially life-saving. (This service already exists and has needs for volunteers, through the VA's program of volunteer visitors for inpatients both in medical and psych wards).

I'd be glad to donate the time required for logistics and coordination, and give a few classes of my own (until we can get better instructors, that is). I would dream that I could get the word out to enough instructors and caregivers to be able to do this, but I suppose I know few enough instructors to really be able to do it. That's okay though; dreams need not be immediately realizable to be valid. I am perfectly happy for now providing my simple class here and there. Perhaps it's my ego that wants to implement things on a wide scale, to effect great and far-reaching changes. Service to one person is enough, attention to one moment and one person and one relationship and one activity is enough. I'll just let enough be enough. That has been a recurring theme and a key lesson in my life thus far, so I will live it and manifest it.

For they are out there; the wounded and the sick. All the health care plans and HMOs in the world will not provide the care they need. All the pills and prescriptions and pharmacies in the world will not ease their pain ... and their numbers are growing. If we were smart (or thought that way) we would be cranking out care givers in response to this crisis just like they crank out Marines and soldiers in response to a military 'crisis.' Yet we know that these things cannot be rushed, and that they must occur naturally, without forcing. Care-givers must be called, not made. As the time is right, patients meet with and match up with their intended caregivers. We just aim to provide the framework where this can occur, ensure we miss no opportunities and provide the broadest range of opportunities to the broadest range of people possible.

Or so the dream goes. The reality is that right now I need to give care to myself.



AUM, Shanti, Shanti, Shantihiiii


"Give, therefore, of your abundance, and teach your brothers [and sisters] theirs. Do not share their illusion of scarcity, or you will perceive yourself as lacking."
              -A Course in Miracles

"Physician, heal thyself"
              -Yeshua the Nazarene

Yoga Class in a Psychiatric Ward

This one is honored to teach yoga in the psychiatric ward of a hospital not too far from my hometown (I also teach a class in a PTSD ward of the same hospital). Last week, one of my classes was composed entirely of people on walkers, mostly older gentlemen. So while we waited for the Therapeutic Recreation person to bring any others wanting to come to class from the other side of the same ward, I got ready to give some chair yoga classes. We were getting set when Lakshmi (names have been changed to protect the innocent) brought back our only student from the other side of the ward: an athletic-looking young man.

I have this compulsion to try and please everyone. I have discovered that (as ole Honest Abe had promised) this could rarely be done, and almost never to the degree that all are pleased. The guy seemed okay with doing chair yoga, and focused his intense ex-sniper gaze on me as I began. Keeping things easy and gentle, I focused on keeping the attention on the breath, and on being fully in the present. I stressed the fact that the physical portion of yoga is not the entire practice, nor is it the core of the practice.

We moved gently through practice, and I handed it over to my assistant instructor while I moved around the cramped area helping make adjustments or lending encouragement. Seated cat-cows resulted in a range of motions, from one nice fellow who was barely able to make discernable movements, to the youngest and fittest, who exhibited a wide range of motion. The degrees of physical ability and contact with their bodies varied as widely as did the range of mental connection to and control of their bodies.

In either case, these were incredibly brave people, and I acknowledged this fact and recognized its worth and beauty at the start and finish of class. To simply arrive here, when one could just stay in the room and read or wander and smoke cigarettes, is a feat worthy of note. To decide to go to yoga class, an unknown with potentially scary undertones and against the general populace of the ward must have taken immense courage. The resistance against that first step must have been incredible. And the more physical and mental challenges one experiences, the greater the exponential increase in difficulty. One guy had a broken and barely healed shoulder (scapula), yet he tried along with the rest. It was inspirational, to say the least.

While I was not a stellar instructor, nor were my students stellar performers (outside view, at least), the class went off smoothly, and before we knew it the other people ont he ward began banging on the door complaining about the coffee getting cold and lunch being ready (we were practicing in their dayroom/lunch room). So with some fast goodbyes, well-wishes, and see-you-agains, we cleared the room. One student hugged me and thanked me, while others told me how they felt better. They seemed sincere, and it warmed my heart. Leaving the ward, I felt a spring in my step and a smile on my face.

I hadn't changed the world, and it was doubtful I'd changed even a single life, but I had contributed, no matter how small the contribution. I felt great! No one had busted a sweat and there were no pretty girls in tights. No music had played, and we had not acvhieved any fancy postures or impressive results. Still, we had practiced yoga for those here that couldn't, had sent good intentions for ourselves and others into a place of pain (and healing). The ripples (however small) had been sent out to the world, in hopes of healing and transforming ourselves, but the entire planet and universe.

As I had reminded them, they had taken the hardest steps, and the hardest part of yoga was over: showing up. They had done the two hardest poses in yoga: standing ready (Samastihi) and corspe pose (Savasana). All the rest was downhill and easy. All we had to do now was fill ourselves with gratitude and acceptance for where we are Now. Just the simple idea of knowing it is okay is an incredibly huge step forward. Being able to conceptualize that change is possible, that a newer and better self can be manifested is huge, brobdingnagian, life-changing.

All has been done.
Nothing more to do ... until the next class, that is.

I am so thankful. I think I have finally found my true vocation; introducing yoga to those who cannot afford it, and to those who think they are incapable of it or ineligible for it. Jai!


AUM, Shanti, Shanti, Shantihiii


"You know that it's time for a cool change."
           -Little River Band

Caterpillars and Butterflies

Who in a world of caterpillars, can know of the world of butterflies?

This question (or something like it) was asked originally (at least in this form of analogy) by Jed McKenna, in one of his books (Spiritual Warfare, I believe). I wish I could attribute it to myself, for it rings so true. Jed didn't go into too much detail beyond presentation of this marvelous analogy, but here are some of my thoughts on the matter:

Throughout history, wise people (caterpillars like ourselves) have claimed to have knowledge of how it is to be a butterfly, what that world is like, and how we can become butterflies ourselves (or accelerate the natural process of becoming butterflies). They often imagine us evolving into a sort of super-caterpillar, an advanced version of our current selves. Many claim our enlightenment and actualization into butterflies will be mostly internal, and to outside appearances we will still be caterpillars, yet somehow will be butterflies within (on on another plane, or in eternity, the afterlife, or in the realm of spirit), far beyond the material manifestations of butterflies and caterpillars.

Some of this rings true, for we sense within ourselves that we are more than our current manifestation, that we possess potential far beyond what we are now manifesting, far beyond our current constraints or limitations. We sense this and want desperately to believe it, but nevertheless remain caterpillars and unsure if there is anything more, if this whole concept of butterflies is something we dreamed up, a sort of opiate of the masses (to paraphrase Karl Marx out of context). 

I guess the big point of this is not whether we are caterpillars or not, or whether we will evolve into butterflies or something else, but the simple statement of the truism that since none has come back from the afterlife to show us what awaits, none alive can possibly know what (if anything) awaits. This is one of the fundamental tenets of Nowism: that since none can truly know (from direct experience) what the afterlife holds, none can say with any certainty. Thus, all religions are equally valid (or invalid) and all deserve equal respect and consideration (and skepticism). *

My desire is not to be something I am not, but to be as complete and present a caterpillar as I can (if that is indeed what I am), and to help other caterpillars as much as I can. I'll leave the butterfly stuff for later; I'm too busy and ahppy being a caterpillar for now. Before I would wish to know the joy of wings and caress of the wind, I want to know the solace and stability of the Earth beneath me, supporting me and grounding me. These things are as much pre-requisites to flying as wings are (or so I imagine in my caterpillar brain).

Yes, none can know for sure, and that is as it should be. Our time is so precious, it makes little sense to spend it in the nebulous realms of possible pasts and imagined futures, both of which are merely thought forms. There is too much to experience and learn from here in the present, the only place we can possibly be and the only place we can truly manifest ourselves and fulfill our potential. If our potentials lead us to later become butterflies, that is moot in the present, and becoming must first start with being.

So let us be, let it be and all shall be well... right here and now, in the present.


AUM, Shanti, Shanti, Shantihii


"All shall be well, and all shall be well, and all manner of things shall be well."
          -Dame Julian of Norwich, 1637 (?)


* A corollary of this is that if God exists, She/He/It must (and indeed can only) manifest in the Now.

The Ambrosial Hours

The hours before sunrise are known in Vedic tradition as Amrit Vela, the ambrosial hours. In that special time, the world sleeps; crack heads and partiers have gone to bed, and even the night hunters like foxes have quit their roaming. The early birds are all asleep, dreams of worms dancing in their heads. The ubiquitous sound of traffic has slowed to a barely perceptible hum. Even the police are idle, napping in their cars, eating donuts, or preparing for their shift to end. Night shift workers have just passed the ebb, where life force is at its most dim, and it is a struggle to stay awake. It seems that virtually no one is awake. In these pre-dawn hours, it seems I share the world with God alone.

In this balanced moment, as the star-spangled sky slowly fills with pre-dawn light, one can feel the shift; the past recedes into the present, as the new day unfurls, as night gives way to day. The dark bulk of the mountains is slowly painted with shape and form, clouds are accentuated with gentle and subtle eldritch light. I watch in awe as the Master Artist paints a new day, stroke by loving stroke, creating a new world with the growing light of Life.

This special time is when I sit in meditation, when I perform my kriyas and pujas (rituals and observances), when I perform my ablutions and prepare for my morning yoga class. Sometimes I sit in my Yin poses and read something inspirational. Sometimes I just stand there and gaze at the stars. I typically am accompanied by gentle Celtic flute and harp music, or crystal singing bowls (prayer bowls). Sometimes I just sit in silence and feel the life rush into my body, feel the hope dawn in synchronicity with the new day.

Now, when the ether is free of electronic detritus like cell phone signals and the endless radio waves we use to signify communications, my thoughts, prayers, and intentions float free and unobstructed. I send out gratitude and hope, intentions that the rest of the world experience the joy and peace I wish for my own loved ones. In the pre-dawn silence I hear only the whisper of the wind, the soft singing of the creek. The air unmarred by man-made sounds, I can almost hear the still, calm voice of God, of the AUM that underlies all other sounds, the sound of the universe turning and of grass growing; the sound of change.

Eventually, the spectre of time intrudes, and I gather my things for my morning pedal; pack with yoga clothes and gym clothes (for after yoga), an orange and a headlamp. Most of my stuff was prepared the night before, as my Mom taught me when I was young. This keeps me from having to rush around getting ready, frees my time for enjoyment of these rare and special moments. I relish them. Finally, I am ready and step out into the new day. The stars have faded in the east as the glowing colors spread, leaving only the bright dot of Venus and a crescent moon (or whatever astronomical configuration exists that day).

For a while, the only sound is that of my tires on the pavement and my softly sung Hare Ramas. The occasional car turns into a growing stream of cars, all the early birds rushing to wherever it is they go. The pastel marvel grows in the east, a gorgeous panoply of colors that would make Rembrandt or C.M. Russel's jaws drop in awe. Or perhaps it is a relatively colorless dawning, obscured by clouds or enhanced by the gentle fall of snowflakes. Either way, I ride gladly through the gathering day, feeling the life and gladness well up in my chest like a wave.

Finally I arrive, moments before or after the instructor for that morning's class does. It is six AM, and dawn is approaching. Exchanging a few quick greetings, I set up my yoga mat (trying to avoid staying in the same old place) and head into the locker room for one of my favorite morning rituals: the warm shower before yoga. I let the water wash over me like the rains of Shambala, cleaning away the past, the dirt  of the world outside, purifying and preparing me for the best ritual of all. I may sing gently, or just enjoy the sensations of the water on my body, the growing energy and gratitude within. I am all alone here, in a place where no one dare enter. It is safe and special, and smells good.

My eagerness to get into the warm womb of the yoga room pulls me away from my rejuvenating waters. I make my way onto my mat, usually the only one in the room. Gathering in the last of  the ambrosia, I release the last of the previous day's worries, cares, and toxins (or so I think). I gently begin to come into my body, occupying every cell and filling each with love and gratitude. I slowly work each limb, to the Rice Krispies crackle and pop of waking joints. As people begin to trickle into the room, I slowly finish my preparations and come to a gentle child's pose until I hear the instructor's voice greet us, signalling  the beginning of our morning Vinyasa flow.

As we begin, the day is truly dawning and the last of the ambrosial hours fading. The night is already a distant memory, and we send each on their respective ways with a grateful AUM to unite our breaths and send our love out to the world. We are 'doing yoga' for all those who cannot, and we feel honored. We truly are the lucky ones, as we synchronize our energy in Sun Salutations, while the the sun slowly rises. Our spirits soar ands our bodies sweat, and eventually we lay there in corpse pose, having gone through a minature cycle of life; beginning in embryo pose, moving to child's pose, through the range of Vinyasa poses, and finally ending up in Savasana, the corpse pose.

We lie in our puddles of sweat, invigorated and relaxed, grateful and peaceful. Our bodies, minds, and spirits have been turned on, each part energized, harmonized, and synchronized. Each part has been invited into allegiance by the ancient and timeless sequence of movements that have been developed over the millenia, by generations of dedicated sages and yogis. We lie there not in a state of bliss, but as manifestations of bliss. We are well-tuned instruments, the hands of the Divine, content to rest now that we have re-established our identities as children of Divine Light. After a quick shower, we are on our separate ways, bringing our yoga off our mats and into the new day. It before eight AM, and the world has mostly woken up, or begun to.

On the weekends, my ambrosial hours differ slightly. I think I will sleep in ... and do; until at least five thirty or six. At this time of year, I am still in the edge of the transition: between the end of the ambrosial hours and the beginning of the dawning time. I perform my yoga alone outside, as the rest of the world sleeps in innocent weekend oblivion. I enjoy the emptiness of the house, perhaps cleaning up a bit and then maybe reading something inspirational before finally turning to the computer to type a few words before my grandson awakes for a Play Day.

These special ambrosial hours are a way to add sacred time to your day; time that is transparent to and not conflicting with your 'normal' schedule. These hours can be used for yoga, fitness, walking, reading, or doing extra chores. In ancient tradition, they are sacred and used for praise, meditation, or reflection prior to the beginning of the day. By adding these hours to our lives, we add special time, time that is sacred, time that is much-needed for our own personal growth and development. Typically, no one else will be crazy enough to wake at this time, so it is guaranteed Alone Time; time to get to know and nurture one's self, time to be spent effectively or frittered away, however one feels at the moment, for it is your time and yours alone. Cell phones do not ring at this hour, nor are e-mails exchanged (unless you have virtual or actual friends online elsewhere on the planet). No one is awake to intrude on your time, or to expect anything from you. Even without the sacred and spiritual components, this alone provides critical ballast and balance to hectic modern lives, where quiet time or time alone is rare and precious, or even non-existant.

Amrit Vela, the perfect preparation for the dawn. And any day that one can experience the dawn hours is a good day ... no a great one, no matter what happens later. A day started well will have positive momentum, to grow and expand as the day progresses, to spill over and into the lives of others, sharing the gift with even those who have slept in and missed their own ambrosial hours.

The ambrosial hours are a true gift we can give ourselves, moments that await only our presence. These hours will serve to ignite the entire 86,400 seconds of each day, put a shine in your eyes and a smile on your face. Experiencing the ambrosial hours are a gift to your Self that keeps on giving. I invite you to try experiencing yours.



AUM, Shanti, Shanti, Shantihiiii




"Right here, right now, there is no other place that I wanna be. Right here, right now; watching the world wake up from history."
                 -Jesus Jones (?)

"Here's to you, my love, with blessings from above and let the day begin."
                 -The Call



Complete lyrics to Let the Day Begin, by The Call

Here's to the babies in a brand new world
Here's to the beauty of the stars
Here's to the travellers on the open road
Here's to the dreamers in the bars

Here's to the teachers in the crowded rooms
Here's to the workers in the fields
Here's to the preachers of the sacred words
Here's to the drivers at the wheel

Here's to you my little loves with blessings from above
Now let the day begin
Here's to you my little loves with blessings from above
Now let the day begin, let the day begin

Here's to the winners of the human race
Here's to the losers in the game
Here's to the soldiers of the bitter war
Here's to the wall that bears their names

Here's to you my little loves with blessings from above
Now let the day begin
Here's to you my little loves with blessings from above
Let the day begin, let the day begin, let the day start

Here's to the doctors and their healing work
Here's to the loved ones in their care
Here's to the strangers on the streets tonight
Here's to the lonely everywhere

Here's to the wisdom from the mouths of babes
Here's to the lions in the cage
Here's to the struggles of the silent war
Here's to the closing of the age.

(key of D, if I remember correctly ... or at least that's how I used to play it)

Ode to Ganesh, the four-armed, elephant headed god who rides a rat

One of my favorite gods is Ganesh (or Ganesha), the four-armed, elephant headed god that rides a rat. Now, no one thinks that Ganesha is how God is supposed to look and be, exactly (except the Ganapataya, devout Ganesh worshippers of ancient times). Instead, they see Ganesh as depicting one facet of the unknowable and ineffable Ultimate, which no icons or ideas can encompass. I like this facet of the Infinite Radiant IS: the remover and placer of obstacles.

I like when one of my favorite yoga teachers does a call-and-response chant to Ganesha: Jai AUM sharanam, sharanam Ganesha. Gam, gum Ganapatay sharanam Ganesha, Jai AUM sharanam, sharanam Ganesha (in her crystal-clear and perfect voice). I am a Gemini, and am also both an empiricist and a mysticist. I believe Ganesha is a god icon both for a facet of God, and for atheists, as the god of Statistics and Probability.

Ganesha represents the power of the breath in the physical portion of yoga, Hatha (or asana). Ganesh need not be religious or spiritual, and may in fact be thought of as the facet of life that is continually in new beginnings.

Here's an ancient prayer to Ganesha:

"(O Lord Ganapati!) You are (the Trinity) Brahma, Vishnu, and Mahesa. You are Indra. You are fire [Agni] and air [Vāyu]. You are the sun [Sūrya] and the moon [Chandrama]. You are Brahman. You are (the three worlds) Bhuloka [earth], Antariksha-loka [space], and Swargaloka [heaven]. You are Aum. (That is to say, You are all this)"

           -Ganapati Atharvashirsa

AUM Gam Gum Ganapatayay namaha! AUM Sri hrim glim gam gum Ganapataya namahaiiiiiii!

AUM, Shanti, Shanti, Shantihiii