Jai Ma Lotus Family!
This July at Laughing Lotus we honor the Divine Mother, represented both by our Mother Earth that nurtures and sustains us and the nourishing and loving essence of
the Divine Feminine. In celebrating the Mother in all her forms, this month Loves
Saves the Day benefits the humanitarian work of Amma, the "hugging saint" of India
whose spiritual and humanitarian work has benefited countless people throughout the world. Like Mother Earth, Amma gives ceaselessly, without discriminating; in her own
words, "When a bee hovers over a garden of varied flowers, what it beholds is not
the difference between the flowers but the honey within them. Similarly, Amma sees
the same Supreme Self in each and every one."
For nearly four decades Amma has worked to end the suffering of those around her.
Even as a child, Amma would tend to her elderly neighbors, washing their clothes,
bathing them, and even sneaking them food from her own home (to read more about
Ammachi's early life, click here: http://www.amma.org/amma).
Today Amma's humanitarian work tends to the social, medical, educational, and
spiritual needs of her fellow humans across the globe. Among her activities are:
- Mother's Kitchen - a network of soup kitchens located in 38 cities across the US
where the homeless and hungry receive not only food, but also compassion. Laughing
Lotus yogis in both NYC and San Francisco can learn more about how to volunteer in
Mother's Kitchen by clicking here:
http://www.amma.org/humanitarian-activities/social/mothers-kitchen.
- The Amrita Institute for Medical Sciences (AIMS) – the non-profit AIMS
hospital in Kerala, India has provided free medical treatment to over 750,000
people since 1998. The hospital also does outreach work in individual communities,
training local villagers to become self-sufficient health care workers and providing
free medical screenings in remote regions of rural India.
- Green Friends – Amma's work extends beyond her human children to the world of
plants and aimals. The Green Friends initiative implements activities such as
reforestation, the cultivation of medicinal herbs, and promotes inspired awareness
that the environment is something to be protected and nurtured.
To become a yogi or yogini is to develop this awareness of the Divine nature of all
things, to become the non-discriminating Mother who loves fully and who is a divine
warrior who works to protect and enrich the world around her or him. Speaking of
Mother Earth, the Divine Mother herself says, "God is in everything, not just in
human beings. God is in the mountains, the rivers and the trees, in the birds and
the animals, in the clouds, the sun, the mooon and the stars. Everything in Nature
has a purpose to fulfill. There are no mistakes in God's Creation. Every creature
and every object that has been created by God is so utterly special. How can anyone
who understands this want to kill or destroy?"
And so, this month, as we celebrate the Divine Mother and reflect upon our
increasingly fragile relationship with Mother Earth, we recall Amma's words: "Only
through love and compassion is the protection and preservation of Nature possible;"
or, in other words, Love Saves the Day!
|
