Obstacles...

Now, there are probably some better terms for an obstacle that seem more positive, but I don't see the word as negative, so I'm going to use it.

Abraham (of Abraham-Hicks) would call it contrast. I do use this word a lot because often it applies. But since I frequent the Ganesh temple here in Gokulam and he is the remover of obstacles I decided to focus on this word today.

Ganesh is also known as a bit of a trickster as he'll often place the obstacle in your path, so that you are forced to stop and deal with whatever issue is there. Kind of like an old saying I used to hear from the older people in the yoga community in St. Louis, if you have an issue and ignore it, don't worry, it'll get bigger. I feel this is a similar thing.

Life will show you contrast and your job is to acknowledge it and move on around it, not to stay there noticing it all the time. Because then just more and more will come and each time it comes it will seem a bigger issue. But if you embrace it, work through the issue and let go of it once its taken care of, then that thing will likely not visit you again. And if it does that means you didn't really let go of it.

And with this I'm talking about internal things, things in your emotional and psychological being that need to be handled. Not necessarily not paying your bills, or not finding a job and stuff like that. Although those things are often cleared up as well once you take care of the internal work that needs done.

Ganesh is worshipped often times before any other deity, and is often present in most temples even if they are Vaishnava spaces as well. I frequent the one here that is close to my house before I go anywhere else, mostly because it was the first temple I ever went into but also because I love it there, he's often dressed differently, covered in turmeric, covered in bananas, many different things. But also the energy there is nice and I just like the place and I've gotten to know the priests and they are dear to me and gracious each time I come.

The idea is he'll remove the obstacles that exist between you and him, but also between and the deity that presides in said temple. His father Shiva will come in and completely destroy the thing, which can be useful but also I believe may give you less of a chance to deal with the underlying issue, but it can work as well, just depends on what you need. Then Kali is a whole other thing, but I've written plenty about my experiences with her, so you can refer to other entries.

So in a way the obstacles are the path. Without them we would not grow, without coming up against things that no longer was serving us how would we even know that we were ready to move on to a new approach to that thing? I used to believe that once someone was enlightened it meant they no longer had these things, but now I think without them why would they even be here in a body at all? It's just that you get better at observing, so when the thing comes up you see it sooner and some I believe can even just allow it to leave, or let it go in simpler terms, then move on to just being wherever they are at that time. I have noticed I can do this with certain things, but not others, so I'm still just a human lol, not a super human just yet. God, as if...

I'm not saying we should go out and seek out the obstacles, but when they do appear should we be so freaked out by them? Hopefully no, but if we are should we judge ourselves harshly for that? Hopefully no as well.

We're, well maybe I should say I'm because I really can't say why others are engaging in yoga practice. But I am practicing so that I can become more aware, more conscious, be more present with whatever I'm doing, be more understanding because I've been there, be more me and me is really the spirit seeing, hearing and feeling through these lumps of clay and water we call bodies. Be more spirit? Maybe, or maybe just being more aware that we're all spirit and can approach each other this way rather than through only physicality. Isn't this the meaning of namaste anyway?

Do we mean it when we say namaste, or even namaskar as they do in North India? I hope so, but first we have to know the meaning of the words even if we only know it topically, not at a deeper level. I think this week and over the past couple months here I've finally come to understand what it means at a deeper level. Doesn't mean I won't forget and have to remember all over again, but it does mean that maybe next time it will come more quickly.

Namaste...