GABA GABA HEY!

What in god's name is Bhakti writing about CBGB's for? Well, once upon a time, before Bhakti was a fourth grade teacher, she was a successful commercial photographer in NYC. She was also a musician who used to play at CBGB's 313 Gallery (right next door to the punk club), but that's a different post altogether.
So, why am I posting about CB's?

The other day, my mother was kind enough to drive me to Barnes and Noble (bookstore) to have a look around and purchase some Christmas gifts. After about two hours in the store, I was ready to go home . My mother was still looking around the music section (I made the mistake of showing her the new Brian Setzer CD's. She had to listen to every snippet of every song!) I was walking out of the music section when I noticed this new CBGB's book. I decided to look through it since I did a lot of photo shoots there. I wanted to see if the Turbo AC's had made it into the book (I shot their first CD cover). I was getting towards the back of the book, when I came upon two photographs of the Joey Ramone Shrine that was left by his fans right after he passed away in 2001. (Joey Ramone was the lead singer of the Ramones.) I looked at the photos and thought to myself, "Wow, these look like the photos I took the day after Joey died." Then, I caught a glimpse of the photo credit on the bottom of the page, and, low and behold, there was MY NAME! These WERE my photos! I remember that my photo agency, Retna, had sold the Joey Ramone Shrine photos I took, but I thought they only appeared in Rolling Stone and New York Magazine.

When I saw my name in the book, I yelled "OH MY GOD!!!!" Of course, everyone standing near me stopped and stared; my mom came running over to me. She was so proud. We each bought a copy of the book. I'll cherish mine forever, if only because the Ramones were my favorite band in high school, and I'm really happy that I was able to honor Joey when he died. When I lived in the East Village, NYC, I would often see Joey 'cause we both ate breakfast at the same joint. He was very kind. I always wished the Ramones had seen the same kind of commercial success that rip-off bands like Green Day are experiencing to this day. I am a fan of Green Day, but they wouldn't have their sound if the Ramones hadn't existed. Most neo-punk bands wouldn't. Long live the Ramones!

My spread in the new CBGB's book.

photos ©D.L. Brophy

tags: music, entertainment, photography, ramones

Happy Holidays to All!!!!

My nephew, Brett, IS Santa Claus!!!!

With love from Bhakti and Kitty Von Kitty!

A ZEN KOAN For You To Wrap Around You Brain

Two monks were arguing about the temple flag waving in the wind. One said, "The flag moves." The other said, "The wind moves." They argued back and forth but could not agree. Hui-neng, the sixth Patriarch, said: "Gentlemen! It is not the flag that moves. It is not the wind that moves. It is your mind that moves."


To understand the meaning of Zen Koans click here.

tags: Zen, meditation

Open Thread #1

The awakened heart says, "I must give, I must not demand." Thus it enters a gate that leads to a constant happiness.
- Hazrat Inayat Khan

The Bowl of Saki

"?Como Estas?" or Drowsy's In Da House!

I thought I would share my funniest Christmas story with you; 'tis the season and all, right? My father tells this story the best, but since he's not here right now, and it would take him an hour and a half to type the title, I've decided it would be in the best interest of everyone involved if I just give you my second-hand version. (Let me give you a visual of my dad typing: Let's say he's typing the word 'all'. It would take him twenty minutes to find the "a", twenty minutes to find the first "l", and then another ten minutes to remember where the darn "l" was that he just typed a second ago.)

It was 1971, I was almost three years old, which means I was probably just about starting to speak fluent English, as kids growing up in a third generation American family tend to do at that age. This Christmas was different from any Christmas I'd ever experienced before because it was the first time I ever asked for anything in particular from Santa, not for lack of wanting, I'm sure, just for lack of speaking.

My parents were really cool because not only did I get to ask Santa for some gifts, but I also got to ask my mom and dad for one special gift, just from them! My father says that all I kept asking for was Drowsy. She's the lovely doll (pictured above) in the pink with white polka-dotted outfit. She has a rather large dome-shaped head, and I don't know who the heck gave her that God-awful haircut, but I wanted her, nonetheless. Actually, she's quite adorable with her frilly, lace collar and all, but I know for a fact that those weren't the reasons why I wanted her so badly. I wanted Drowsy because when you pulled the string that more-or-less came out of her buttocks, she would talk to you! That was amazing technology back then, to be sure.

So, the only thing little Bhakti wanted for Christmas from her loving parents was Drowsy; that's it. That's all my parents and two brothers heard about for at least two or three weeks leading up to Christmas that year. "Me want Drowsy! Me want Drowsy!" etc., etc.

On Christmas Eve, in the year of 1971, my father looked at my mother and said, "Oh my gosh! We forgot to get Drowsy!" My mother said that my father busted out the phone book and called every store in town. No one had even ONE Drowsy (she must have been all the rage that year!). The local K-mart told my dad to go to another K-Mart located about a half-hour away; they had a lot of them left! This made my dad very happy. He proudly fired up his black Ford truck and drove over to K-Mart in Dover, NJ (anyone who lives in or around Dover probably knows where I'm going with this!!). I can just see him, the proud father driving out to K-Mart in the middle of the night (my mother say's it was close to midnite!) to get his baby girl the Drowsy doll she's wanted for ages.

Apparently, when he arrived at the K-Mart in Dover, there were, in fact, about thirty Drowsy's left on the shelf. My father grabbed one, paid for it, and drove home. He sat at the table and got ready to wrap her up. He pulled the string:

Drowsy: "Quiero una bebida de agua!"

Dad: "What the %&#*! Honey, come here! This thing doesn't work!!!" No wonder there were so many of them left!! Damn thing is broken!"

Mom: (She pulls the string)

Drowsy: "Quiero bañarse!"

Mom: ('Looks at Drowsy, perplexed.) "Oh well. We really should have bought her earlier!"

Dad: "Just give her to me. Bhakti won't know the difference. She's just starting to talk anyway."

My dad wrapped the present and then put it under the tree. My parents went to bed and waited in anticipation for Santa to visit us that night.

The next morning, I awoke and found my Drowsy doll. I remember carrying her around for YEARS. And, thanks to her, I was fluent in Spanish by age four!

The thing that cracks me up the most about this story is that my dad thought Drowsy was broken. Picturing my dad as the Archie Bunker that he is makes it even more hysterical!

Click here to read about all things Drowsy!

Thank you for reading, and Happy Holidays!!
Love,
Bhakti

tags: humor, Christmas, Dolls

NON Memories

I really need to relax my left arm a bit, to let it heal from the physical therapy, so I've decided to post this game that I found on Waiting4Faith. Have fun, and I'll see you all soon!

RULES
If you read this, if your eyes are passing over this right now, (even if we don't speak often) please post a comment here on my blog with a COMPLETELY MADE UP AND FICTIONAL memory of you and me. It can be anything you want - good or bad - BUT IT HAS TO BE FAKE. When you're finished leaving your comment, post this little paragraph on your blog and be surprised (or mortified) about what people DON'T ACTUALLY remember about you. I think this will be fun for all... like a bowl of Skittles and M&M's mixed... a color and a flavor for everyone!

Or not...

Remember, this is a family site, so please keep it clean!

Tags:Game, Games, Humor

Potatoes For Pagans

Cousin Chrissy said she wasn't leaving any comments because, although she recognizes the beauty of the religious posts, she relates more to the potato posts. Therefore, I offer you this potato post in her honor.

Potato Quotes:

"What I say is that, if a fellow really likes potatoes, he must be a pretty decent sort of fellow."A. A. Milne (1882-1956), popular children's author



"A diet that consists predominantly of rice leads to the use of opium, just as a diet that consists predominantly of potatoes leads to the use of liquor."Friedrich Nietzsche (1844-1900), German philosopher


"My idea of heaven is a great big baked potato and someone to share it with."Oprah Winfrey, television personality



Potato Myths:

If you have a wart, rub it with a cut potato, then bury the potato in the ground. As the potato rots in the ground, your ward will disappear.

If a woman is expecting a baby, she should not eat potatoes because the baby will be born with a big head.



Potato Joke:


Why did the potato cross the road? He saw a fork up ahead.

Visit the following link to be connected to one of the funniest photo-essays I've ever seen (see photo above for a hint of what you're in for!© Timm Chapman--thanks for granting JAIBHAKTI permission to use this photo, Tim!). http://www.spudstravels.com/

May we all take comfort in knowing, this holiday season, that a full tummy is only a baked potato away. Cheers! --Bhakti


tags: humor, potatoes

A Poem By HAFIZ (1320-1389)

Every

child

has known God.

Not the God of names.

Not the God of don'ts.

Not the God who ever does

anything weird.

But the God who only knows four words

and keeps repeating them

saying

Come dance with me.

Come

dance.

UPDATE: At the request of my good blogger buddy Sage, I will give you a little bit of a background on Hafiz. I will start by saying that Hafiz is probably my all-time favorite poet, not merely because he writes about his love for God, but because his poems are filled with life, love, and Humor (with a capital 'H'!). I once stayed up all night reading a new translation of his works titled The Gift:, by Daniel Ladinsky. Here's a bit of the biography of Hafiz found on the very first page of this magical book:

Hafiz (c.1320-1389) is the most beloved poet of Persia. Born in Shiraz, he lived at about the same time as Chaucer in England and about one hundred years after Rumi. He spent nearly all of his life in Shiraz, where he became a famous Sufi master. When he died he was thought to have written an estimated 5,000 poems, of which 500 to 700 have survived. His Divan (collected poems) is a classic in the literature of Sufism. The work of Hafiz became known to the West largely through the efforts of Goethe, whose enthusiasm rubbed off on Ralph Waldo Emerson, who translated Hafiz in the nineteenth century. Hafiz's poems were also admired by such diverse writers as Nietzsche, Pushkin, Turgenev, Carlyle, and Carcia Lorca; even Sherlock Holmes quotes Hafiz in one of the stories by Arthur Conan Doyle. In 1923, Hazrat Inayat Khan, the Indian teacher often credited with bringing Sufism to the West, proclaimed that 'the words of Hafiz have won every heart that listens."

Now that I have the book in my hands again, I will post another one of my favorites:

Two Giant Fat People

God

And I have become

Like two giant fat people

Living in a

Tiny boat.

We

Keep

Bumping into each other and

L

A

U

G

H

I

N

G

.

I hope that Daniel Ladinsky will accept a link from his book title to Amazon.com as payment enough for using his translations on my site. I feel confident that Mr. Ladinsky will be tickled that many people are being exposed to Hafiz through his translations on this blog! :)

Tags:

Hafiz, poetry, spirituality

PASAYADAN: "The Gift of Divine Grace"

These verses were written by a young saint of medieval India named Jnaneshwar Maharaj. The Pasayadan is the name given to the nine verses that close the 'most unique commentary on the Bhagavad Gita ever written'. The popular name of this commentary is the JNANESHWARI. I think this is one of the most beautiful prayers ever written. It is said that by simply reading the words of the Pasayadan we receive the wealth of merit that is contained in this beautiful prayer. May it be so.

PASAYADAN

The Gift of Divine Grace

1. May the Self of the universe be pleased with this sacrifice of words and bestow His grace on me.

2. May the sinners no longer commit evil deeds, may their desire to do good increase, and may all beings live in harmony with one another.

3. May the darkness of sin disappear, may the world see the rising of the sun of righteousness, and may the desires of all creatures be satisfied.

4. May everyone keep the company of saints devoted to God, who will shower their blessings on them.

5. Saints are walking gardens filled with wish-fulfilling trees, and they are living villages of wish-fulfilling gems. Their words are like oceans of nectar.

6. They are moons without blemish and suns without heat. May these saints be the friends of all people.

7. May all beings in all the worlds be filled with joy, and may they worship God forever.

8. May all those for whom this book is their very life be blessed with success in this world and the next.

9. Then, Nivrittinath, the great Master said that this blessing will be granted. This brought great joy to Jnaneshwar.

This translation of the Pasayadan can be found in Jnaneshwar's Gita as rendered by Swami Kripananda, as well as the CD "Pasayadan and Mahalakshmi Stotram: As sung in Siddha Yoga Ashrams". Both of these items can be purchased at the Siddha Yoga Bookstore.

tags:

Pasayadan, sprituality, Jnaneshwar Maharaj, poetry, Bhagavad Gita

The Moon

The moon is one of my favorite things in the entire world. I often take refuge in the moon during times of trial. To me it represents stability and clarity.
I absolutely love when the moon is visible during the day.






During the evenings, I love to gaze up at the moon and repeat my mantra: Om Namah Shivaya. This mantra reminds me of God within and without. I enjoy repeating the mantra while soaking up the cool rays of the moon.


Above: Photograph of the moon at noon yesterday. Below: Photograph of the moon a midnight last night.

Today is Human Rights Day. May we spread the joy and love of your hearts today and always, and remember those less fortunate than ourselves.

Happy Holidays,
Bhakti


Photographs ©2005 D.L. Brophy
tags: photography, religion, miscellaneous

It's Beginning To Look A Lot Like...

May your hearts be filled with the love and joy of the holiday season now, and forever.

tags:holidays, miscellaneous

Some Thoughts On Happiness

IT’S SO SIMPLE TO BE HAPPY, BUT SO DIFFICULT TO BE SIMPLE

---- Swami Vivekananda

The answers are so simple, and right in front of us, yet we (as humans) demand that they be complex and out of reach!

– Bhakti 11/21/05

To love is to suffer. To avoid suffering, one must not love. But then, one suffers from not loving. Therefore, to love is to suffer; not to love is to suffer; to suffer is to suffer. To be happy is to love. To be happy, then, is to suffer, but suffering makes one unhappy. Therefore, to be happy, one must love or love to suffer or suffer from too much happiness.

--Woody Allen

tags: spirituality, humor, philosophy

woody allen photo downloaded from: http://idata.over-blog.com

SNOW! SNOW! SNOW! (Another Lazy Day In The Bhakti Household!)

I have been feeling relatively good for the past two days, and have been going for leisurely walks around town. This morning, while lying in bed, I was daydreaming about walking uptown to the bagel store to purchase myself an everything bagel with olive cream cheese and a large hazelnut coffee with milk. Oh, it'd been so long since I'd even had enough energy to think about doing this. I was psyched!

"I'm going to get dressed and walk uptown today to get my bagel and coffee!" To have the energy and the desire and the ABILITY to go for a walk today seemed an absolute Godsend!

Then, I opened my blinds: snow everywhere (see picture above). Huh-oh--plans cancelled. *Must call parents to pick up said bagel and coffee.* Kitty and I decided to just lounge around and not do much of anything productive today. It's a lazy day in the Bhakti household. That's okay, too!

Note to readers: In a previous post I wrote about how Kitty Von Kitty (pictured above) has no sense of balance. Do you notice the little nick on Kitty's nose? Last week she tried to jump from the computer monitor to the little tray-table I have set up by the window for her. She missed the table. Actually, it would be more accurate to say that she hit the table with her nose, instead of her paws. She pranced away from the scene of the accident as if nothing was wrong, but I distinctly remember hearing expletives coming from underneath the bed, where she took refuge in order to lick her wounds.

MAKE YOUR VERY OWN, COMPUTER GENERATED SNOWFLAKES HERE! (This really is just too cool for words. Try it out and have fun!)

(Thanks to Kenju for the above link!)

tags: humor, weather

, games, fun

RANT 'N RAVE #1: Free For All

I just don't get it...the two party lines dividing the country in half...red and blue and me and you and I hate you and you're a loser 'cause you don't think like I do...what's all the fuss, man?...you're all missing the point. We need to LIVE TOGETHER to survive...I can't stand the divide...in the name of God you start a crusade...what God is it to whom you pray? it certainly ain't the god that's shown me my own worth and heart and love and compassion to this day. Once you see your heart you can never go back...there's no love in politics...it's just the American way...I've never seen my God portrayed up there giving hope to the poor and love to the blind and compassion to everyone even if they are a lowly prostitute like mary m. ...people on the Internet, please can't you see? we can't cast the first stone...we're ALL guilty. ...we go back and forth and curse and swear to defend our stance til the end of time...but who are you to tell your brother or sister what he or she can do? ...try to look in the mirror...into your eyes...what are you doing to better the world?...who have you helped today? ...what cause have you fought for with all your heart and soul....and who's spirit did you uplift...there is no spirit in politics...it's all a sham. look inside and you'll find what you're searching for; whether you call Him Yahweh, Jesus, Buddha, Shakti, The Self, the Witness, the One, the Great Universal Mother, Kundalini Shakti....on and on and on....Who of you who are fighting over politics has so much love in your heart that it's overflowing? I don't feel it. Anti-abortion this and pro-abortion that--throw away your picket signs and look within your hearts. Heal yourselves, my God....who has the right to cast a stone? Who? Stand up now and be heard...Lord love a duck...I can't stand the red and the blue. This is supposed to be the United States of America and most of what I read on these blogs is the Divided States of me vs. you...I can't stand it anymore. It's all in the head. ...nothing from the heart. Nothing. What ever happened to LOVE ONE ANOTHER??? What ever happened to LOVE ONE ANOTHER???? WHAT EVER HAPPENED TO LOVE ONE ANOTHER???? Oh, I see, you've skipped that page...well, I suggest you go back and dog-ear that page....'don't have to walk on water...make water from wine....enlighten the world...or do anything...but love one another. Please. It hurts me to see this fighting. There is NO spirituality in politics. It's hard, and dead, and rough, and malignent. FOR CRYING OUT LOUD...PLEASE...FOR THE BENEFIT OF US ALL...LOVE ONE ANOTHER!

Put down your verbal guns right now and do something nice for someone or for yourself. Help the world become a better place by doing something kind for it. Resistence creates suffering.

Don't focus on what you hate: focus on what you LOVE!

This is NOT a red and blue country. It is ONE country...indivisible.

RED and BLUE= PURPLE

From now on I'm color blind. I don't want to hear about your red and blue. I want to hear about what you're doing to make the world a better place.
What have you done today to make the world a better place? Who have you helped? Who have you loved? Who have you inspired? How have you honored yourself today? I WANT ANSWERS, DAMNIT!

LOVE ONE ANOTHER.
IT'S SO EASY...IT'S SO SIMPLE...IT'S RIGHT HERE...RIGHT NOW.