To Kumari, Renuka, Linda, Kali, and all: Ideal Relationships

[Guest guest]

Namaste Linda, Kumari, Kali, and all family: Linda, you may not have

the mutual goal of God realization with your husband, but you can have

other very sweet and beautiful goals. We begin from where we are in

our relationship, and communicate our desires and hopes and dreams,

and with an open heart, work with our spouse to create goals together

which nurture and cultivate harmony in the relationship. And, by

continuing to communicate and listen to each other, our goals can

evolve as we support each other and grow closer.

As Swami says: " In a healthy relationship, we will find a way to talk

about everything. "

Let's also see what Maa and Swami mean when they talk about a spouse

worshiping their mate as God/Goddess.

 

Let's hear more from Maa and Swami from their book, BEFORE BECOMING

THIS, in the chapter MEN AND WOMEN, WHAT'S THE POINT, page 227 and

onwards, Maa and Swami talk about WHY MEN AND WOMAN ARE TOGETHER.

 

MAA SPEAKS: " They're {husband and wife} in relationships that are

selfish because nowadays there are too many distractions. There are

so many things we want to acquire. This grasping creates a lack of

balance. We have manipulated science for our selfish gain, and that

is an indication of potential catastrophe. Only when wisdom and

science are in harmony will we have peace. "

Maa continues: " If they will just begin to surrender their

selfishness, their very first attempts will give them the answer to

their question. That will give them the inspiration to strive with

greater consistency. "

 

What is the purpose of men and women having a relationship?

 

Maa responds: " For the illumination of true consciousness and bliss,

it is necessary for the masculine and feminine principles to unite,

for men and women to harmonize their natures to work together. "

 

Swami speaks: " When you put the qualities of men and women together,

you have a more dynamic capacity for working effectively in creation.

If a man can treat a woman like a Goddess, she will turn him into a

God. If a woman can treat her man like a God, he will make her into a

Goddess. "

 

How do you treat someone like a God or Goddess?

 

Maa says: " Love and respect them with all your heart.

Swami says: " Completely surrender to your partner. Having a

relationship is a sadhana, a spiritual discipline. "

 

Any suggestions for how people can see God in their partners?

 

Swami speaks: " We suggest learning puja or worship, which trains you

to see God within....and you can perform puja to your spouse, which

will help you see the God within him or her.

There is a beautiful verse in the LALITA TRISHATI that I am very fond

of. It says: " Shiva and Shakti revolve around each other mutually and

reciprocally. He who understands this understands what a chakra is. "

A chakra means a center of energy and it means a cyclical rotation.

He who understands this reciprocity will surrender his ego and the

egotism of minor irritations in order to be in harmony with the one

divinity. If there is a persistent problem., it has to be communicated

in an effective way. Otherwise it will breed disharmony.

 

At marriage ceremonies Swami has performed he will recommend that

every week men perform Durga puja to their wife, and wife perform

Shiva puja to their husband.

 

This is what worshiping one's spouse as God / Goddess means. Putting

the photo of one's intended or spouse on one's altar is another method

of keeping them in your prayers and associating them with Godliness.

I have photos of my family, children, grandchildren, ancestors, and

friends on my altar. I bless them and pray for their well being every

time I perform puja.

Maa has photos of devotees, Her spiritual children, on Her altar and

regularly keeps candles burning on behalf of devotees who need help

and have asked for prayers.

 

Maa speaks: " The foremost objective in human life is to attain

Godliness, which is liberation. Liberation is the cessation of all

pain, all bonds and every type of deficiency. In order to obtain

liberation, it is imperative to perform sadhana.

The purpose of all activity is to liberated from all bonds and to find

pure joy and true wealth. Whatever work you perform, the ultimate

objective is to attain Godliness. If you are aware of your ultimate

objective while you are working, your mind, intellect, and senses will

be in harmony and your actions will move you toward liberation. This

is what we call performing our dharma and finding our ideal of

perfections. "

 

Dear family, I have been in a committed relationship with my wife for

almost 35 years. I have experienced all that Maa and Swami say to be

Truth. I have tried to follow their advice, and to the extent I have

been able, my relationship has improved tremendously. It is sadhana,

and one has to remember that. If one wants to reach toe ultimate

Goal, that a spouse united in love of God is a tremendous boon.

Please look into your heart and ask yourself why you are married and

what you can do to improve your relationship. For if we cannot

improve this core relationship, then how can we expect this world to

become peaceful?

 

Love

 

Jai Ma Jai Swami

 

vishweshwar

 

 

 

 

 

 

, Linda Talbott <skyedaughter

wrote:

>

> Dear vish ~ I don't think my hubby will actually join with me in a

purposeful way to live a God/dess centered life. However, I am going

to go back and re-read that chapter because I'm very sure that I would

benefit from the information and suggestions - for things I could do

on my own that would benefit our mutual relationship. Thank you for

reminding me of this chapter; I do have the book.  :  )      Jai Maa

!!!  Jai Swamiji !!!

> ~ Linda 

>  

>

.................................................................................\

....................................................

> vish wrote:

> As you start on this

> incredible adventure, I suggest you and your intended read the book

> BEFORE BECOMING THIS.

> Maa and Swami wrote this book, available to purchase at the Devi

> Mandir web site. Chapter 21 is called RELATIONSHIPS, MEN AND WOMEN,

> WHAT'S THE POINT? "

> This is a great primer for anyone entering into a long term committed

> relationship. Maa and Swami establish why men and women should get

> together and how to establish goals and live together leading a God

> centered life, including worshiping each other as Shiva and Durga.

>

> ...I recommend this book for it gives all of us wisdom on creating and

> maintaining ideal, God centered relationships. And for those of us in

> relationships, we can find inspiration and practical techniques to

> prevent and/or cure existing problems.

>

> I will quote more of the text tomorrow night. Pleas send any

> questions on relationships so we can all discuss them in light of

> Maa's wisdom.

>

[Guest guest]

namaste shree ma & swamiji

 

thank u once again,...i now understood wat u were tryin to tell...the

feeling of love and selfless love tht we feel for god...tht same love

needs to be felt for the ppl who r imp to us...and when tht happens

those relationship will improve...probably this is the same tht lord

ram practised inspite of kaykay and mantra being rude and evil to

him..he still oved them n respected them as his mother tht finally

made them realize their mistake and start loving him..

 

though its honestly very very difficult for aperson like me who gets

angry easily and cools of eaisly too....but still controlling tht

angger is one big task tht i hope to achieve

 

maybe now i wll see all relationships in a new light

 

regards

renuka

 

, " inspectionconnection108 "

<inspectionconnection108 wrote:

>

> Namaste Linda, Kumari, Kali, and all family: Linda, you may not have

> the mutual goal of God realization with your husband, but you can have

> other very sweet and beautiful goals. We begin from where we are in

> our relationship, and communicate our desires and hopes and dreams,

> and with an open heart, work with our spouse to create goals together

> which nurture and cultivate harmony in the relationship. And, by

> continuing to communicate and listen to each other, our goals can

> evolve as we support each other and grow closer.

> As Swami says: " In a healthy relationship, we will find a way to talk

> about everything. "

> Let's also see what Maa and Swami mean when they talk about a spouse

> worshiping their mate as God/Goddess.

>

> Let's hear more from Maa and Swami from their book, BEFORE BECOMING

> THIS, in the chapter MEN AND WOMEN, WHAT'S THE POINT, page 227 and

> onwards, Maa and Swami talk about WHY MEN AND WOMAN ARE TOGETHER.

>

> MAA SPEAKS: " They're {husband and wife} in relationships that are

> selfish because nowadays there are too many distractions. There are

> so many things we want to acquire. This grasping creates a lack of

> balance. We have manipulated science for our selfish gain, and that

> is an indication of potential catastrophe. Only when wisdom and

> science are in harmony will we have peace. "

> Maa continues: " If they will just begin to surrender their

> selfishness, their very first attempts will give them the answer to

> their question. That will give them the inspiration to strive with

> greater consistency. "

>

> What is the purpose of men and women having a relationship?

>

> Maa responds: " For the illumination of true consciousness and bliss,

> it is necessary for the masculine and feminine principles to unite,

> for men and women to harmonize their natures to work together. "

>

> Swami speaks: " When you put the qualities of men and women together,

> you have a more dynamic capacity for working effectively in creation.

> If a man can treat a woman like a Goddess, she will turn him into a

> God. If a woman can treat her man like a God, he will make her into a

> Goddess. "

>

> How do you treat someone like a God or Goddess?

>

> Maa says: " Love and respect them with all your heart.

> Swami says: " Completely surrender to your partner. Having a

> relationship is a sadhana, a spiritual discipline. "

>

> Any suggestions for how people can see God in their partners?

>

> Swami speaks: " We suggest learning puja or worship, which trains you

> to see God within....and you can perform puja to your spouse, which

> will help you see the God within him or her.

> There is a beautiful verse in the LALITA TRISHATI that I am very fond

> of. It says: " Shiva and Shakti revolve around each other mutually and

> reciprocally. He who understands this understands what a chakra is. "

> A chakra means a center of energy and it means a cyclical rotation.

> He who understands this reciprocity will surrender his ego and the

> egotism of minor irritations in order to be in harmony with the one

> divinity. If there is a persistent problem., it has to be communicated

> in an effective way. Otherwise it will breed disharmony.

>

> At marriage ceremonies Swami has performed he will recommend that

> every week men perform Durga puja to their wife, and wife perform

> Shiva puja to their husband.

>

> This is what worshiping one's spouse as God / Goddess means. Putting

> the photo of one's intended or spouse on one's altar is another method

> of keeping them in your prayers and associating them with Godliness.

> I have photos of my family, children, grandchildren, ancestors, and

> friends on my altar. I bless them and pray for their well being every

> time I perform puja.

> Maa has photos of devotees, Her spiritual children, on Her altar and

> regularly keeps candles burning on behalf of devotees who need help

> and have asked for prayers.

>

> Maa speaks: " The foremost objective in human life is to attain

> Godliness, which is liberation. Liberation is the cessation of all

> pain, all bonds and every type of deficiency. In order to obtain

> liberation, it is imperative to perform sadhana.

> The purpose of all activity is to liberated from all bonds and to find

> pure joy and true wealth. Whatever work you perform, the ultimate

> objective is to attain Godliness. If you are aware of your ultimate

> objective while you are working, your mind, intellect, and senses will

> be in harmony and your actions will move you toward liberation. This

> is what we call performing our dharma and finding our ideal of

> perfections. "

>

> Dear family, I have been in a committed relationship with my wife for

> almost 35 years. I have experienced all that Maa and Swami say to be

> Truth. I have tried to follow their advice, and to the extent I have

> been able, my relationship has improved tremendously. It is sadhana,

> and one has to remember that. If one wants to reach toe ultimate

> Goal, that a spouse united in love of God is a tremendous boon.

> Please look into your heart and ask yourself why you are married and

> what you can do to improve your relationship. For if we cannot

> improve this core relationship, then how can we expect this world to

> become peaceful?

>

> Love

>

> Jai Ma Jai Swami

>

> vishweshwar

, Linda Talbott <skyedaughter@>

> wrote:

> >

> > Dear vish ~ I don't think my hubby will actually join with me in a

> purposeful way to live a God/dess centered life. However, I am going

> to go back and re-read that chapter because I'm very sure that I would

> benefit from the information and suggestions - for things I could do

> on my own that would benefit our mutual relationship. Thank you for

> reminding me of this chapter; I do have the book.  :  )      Jai Maa

> !!!  Jai Swamiji !!!

> > ~ Linda 

> >  

> >

>

.................................................................................\

....................................................

> > vish wrote:

> > As you start on this

> > incredible adventure, I suggest you and your intended read the book

> > BEFORE BECOMING THIS.

> > Maa and Swami wrote this book, available to purchase at the Devi

> > Mandir web site. Chapter 21 is called RELATIONSHIPS, MEN AND WOMEN,

> > WHAT'S THE POINT? "

> > This is a great primer for anyone entering into a long term committed

> > relationship. Maa and Swami establish why men and women should get

> > together and how to establish goals and live together leading a God

> > centered life, including worshiping each other as Shiva and Durga.

> >

> > ...I recommend this book for it gives all of us wisdom on creating and

> > maintaining ideal, God centered relationships. And for those of us in

> > relationships, we can find inspiration and practical techniques to

> > prevent and/or cure existing problems.

> >

> > I will quote more of the text tomorrow night. Pleas send any

> > questions on relationships so we can all discuss them in light of

> > Maa's wisdom.

> >

>

[Guest guest]

Dear vish ~ thank you so much for sharing your own experience and Maa's and Swamiji's words from "Before Becoming This." This is a tremendous boon to the group and to me, and you are doing wonderful seva by bringing these to the group. Thank you also for the Chapter (21) and page number (227) in "Before Becoming This," where Maa and Swami speak of relationships. My sankalpa today is find my book and read that chapter.

 

I especially loved the part where you wrote of the two people circling each other. At my daughter, Amy's wedding, which was modeled after a traditional Jewish wedding (they just added their own personal touches), there was a point where she had to circle her husband to be, then he circled her, then they circled each other. Remembering this "dance" brings tears to my eyes because their looks were the most profound and deep with mutual Love, Respect and Devotion that I have ever seen. I felt it was a gift from God/dess to be able to witness this.

 

And where you share what Maa and Swamiji said about relationships, it put what Maa said to my sister in a deeper and very significant context. Again, vish, thank you so much for taking the time to do this for the group. Jai Maa , Jai Swamiji ~ Linda

 

 

vish wrote.

 

....Linda, you may not havethe mutual goal of God realization with your husband, but you can haveother very sweet and beautiful goals. We begin from where we are inour relationship, and communicate our desires and hopes and dreams,and with an open heart, work with our spouse to create goals togetherwhich nurture and cultivate harmony in the relationship. And, bycontinuing to communicate and listen to each other, our goals canevolve as we support each other and grow closer. As Swami says: "In a healthy relationship, we will find a way to talkabout everything."onwards, Maa and Swami talk about WHY MEN AND WOMAN ARE TOGETHER....Maa responds: "For the illumination of true consciousness and bliss,it is necessary for the masculine and feminine principles to unite,for men and women to harmonize their natures to work together."Swami speaks: "When you put the qualities of men and women

together,you have a more dynamic capacity for working effectively in creation.If a man can treat a woman like a Goddess, she will turn him into aGod. If a woman can treat her man like a God, he will make her into aGoddess."Dear family, I have been in a committed relationship with my wife foralmost 35 years. I have experienced all that Maa and Swami say to beTruth. I have tried to follow their advice, and to the extent I havebeen able, my relationship has improved tremendously. It is sadhana,and one has to remember that. If one wants to reach toe ultimateGoal, that a spouse united in love of God is a tremendous boon.Please look into your heart and ask yourself why you are married andwhat you can do to improve your relationship. For if we cannotimprove this core relationship, then how can we expect this world tobecome peaceful?

[Guest guest]

I suppose it might seem crazy to be worshipping your partner in that

way. To me it makes perfect sense now. I may not be able to put in

words to him what he means to me. Very honestly this is the first

time i have been able to see God in someone, anyone. I saw him as

Shiva almost from the beginning, but I could not accept that.

Believe me I have had to do many austerities to get to this point,

like Parvati. And I am sure there will be many more. But it was the

grace of Shree Maa that turned his mind to me at last. It is not

that I see him as faultless, but I see the things that I love about

Shiva in him reflected. As Maa said, " We will find a way to talk

about it. " We've already joked about it, and that is a way of

talking about something that may be too deep and too true to say

directly. As I give from the bottom of my heart, he begins to give

to me.

 

I ask for Swamiji and Maa's blessing on our coming together. May we

be truly graced.

 

Om Jai Kali Ma! Om Namah Shivaya!

Kumari

 

, " glassfairy_14 "

<glassfairy_14 wrote:

>

> namaste shree ma & swamiji

>

> thank u once again,...i now understood wat u were tryin to

tell...the

> feeling of love and selfless love tht we feel for god...tht same

love

> needs to be felt for the ppl who r imp to us...and when tht happens

> those relationship will improve...probably this is the same tht lord

> ram practised inspite of kaykay and mantra being rude and evil to

> him..he still oved them n respected them as his mother tht finally

> made them realize their mistake and start loving him..

>

> though its honestly very very difficult for aperson like me who

gets

> angry easily and cools of eaisly too....but still controlling tht

> angger is one big task tht i hope to achieve

>

> maybe now i wll see all relationships in a new light

>

> regards

> renuka

>

> , " inspectionconnection108 "

> <inspectionconnection108@> wrote:

> >

> > Namaste Linda, Kumari, Kali, and all family: Linda, you may not

have

> > the mutual goal of God realization with your husband, but you can

have

> > other very sweet and beautiful goals. We begin from where we are

in

> > our relationship, and communicate our desires and hopes and

dreams,

> > and with an open heart, work with our spouse to create goals

together

> > which nurture and cultivate harmony in the relationship. And, by

> > continuing to communicate and listen to each other, our goals can

> > evolve as we support each other and grow closer.

> > As Swami says: " In a healthy relationship, we will find a way to

talk

> > about everything. "

> > Let's also see what Maa and Swami mean when they talk about a

spouse

> > worshiping their mate as God/Goddess.

> >

> > Let's hear more from Maa and Swami from their book, BEFORE

BECOMING

> > THIS, in the chapter MEN AND WOMEN, WHAT'S THE POINT, page 227 and

> > onwards, Maa and Swami talk about WHY MEN AND WOMAN ARE TOGETHER.

> >

> > MAA SPEAKS: " They're {husband and wife} in relationships that are

> > selfish because nowadays there are too many distractions. There

are

> > so many things we want to acquire. This grasping creates a lack

of

> > balance. We have manipulated science for our selfish gain, and

that

> > is an indication of potential catastrophe. Only when wisdom and

> > science are in harmony will we have peace. "

> > Maa continues: " If they will just begin to surrender their

> > selfishness, their very first attempts will give them the answer

to

> > their question. That will give them the inspiration to strive

with

> > greater consistency. "

> >

> > What is the purpose of men and women having a relationship?

> >

> > Maa responds: " For the illumination of true consciousness and

bliss,

> > it is necessary for the masculine and feminine principles to

unite,

> > for men and women to harmonize their natures to work together. "

> >

> > Swami speaks: " When you put the qualities of men and women

together,

> > you have a more dynamic capacity for working effectively in

creation.

> > If a man can treat a woman like a Goddess, she will turn him

into a

> > God. If a woman can treat her man like a God, he will make her

into a

> > Goddess. "

> >

> > How do you treat someone like a God or Goddess?

> >

> > Maa says: " Love and respect them with all your heart.

> > Swami says: " Completely surrender to your partner. Having a

> > relationship is a sadhana, a spiritual discipline. "

> >

> > Any suggestions for how people can see God in their partners?

> >

> > Swami speaks: " We suggest learning puja or worship, which trains

you

> > to see God within....and you can perform puja to your spouse,

which

> > will help you see the God within him or her.

> > There is a beautiful verse in the LALITA TRISHATI that I am very

fond

> > of. It says: " Shiva and Shakti revolve around each other

mutually and

> > reciprocally. He who understands this understands what a chakra

is. "

> > A chakra means a center of energy and it means a cyclical

rotation.

> > He who understands this reciprocity will surrender his ego and the

> > egotism of minor irritations in order to be in harmony with the

one

> > divinity. If there is a persistent problem., it has to be

communicated

> > in an effective way. Otherwise it will breed disharmony.

> >

> > At marriage ceremonies Swami has performed he will recommend that

> > every week men perform Durga puja to their wife, and wife perform

> > Shiva puja to their husband.

> >

> > This is what worshiping one's spouse as God / Goddess means.

Putting

> > the photo of one's intended or spouse on one's altar is another

method

> > of keeping them in your prayers and associating them with

Godliness.

> > I have photos of my family, children, grandchildren, ancestors,

and

> > friends on my altar. I bless them and pray for their well being

every

> > time I perform puja.

> > Maa has photos of devotees, Her spiritual children, on Her altar

and

> > regularly keeps candles burning on behalf of devotees who need

help

> > and have asked for prayers.

> >

> > Maa speaks: " The foremost objective in human life is to attain

> > Godliness, which is liberation. Liberation is the cessation of

all

> > pain, all bonds and every type of deficiency. In order to obtain

> > liberation, it is imperative to perform sadhana.

> > The purpose of all activity is to liberated from all bonds and to

find

> > pure joy and true wealth. Whatever work you perform, the ultimate

> > objective is to attain Godliness. If you are aware of your

ultimate

> > objective while you are working, your mind, intellect, and senses

will

> > be in harmony and your actions will move you toward liberation.

This

> > is what we call performing our dharma and finding our ideal of

> > perfections. "

> >

> > Dear family, I have been in a committed relationship with my wife

for

> > almost 35 years. I have experienced all that Maa and Swami say to

be

> > Truth. I have tried to follow their advice, and to the extent I

have

> > been able, my relationship has improved tremendously. It is

sadhana,

> > and one has to remember that. If one wants to reach toe ultimate

> > Goal, that a spouse united in love of God is a tremendous boon.

> > Please look into your heart and ask yourself why you are married

and

> > what you can do to improve your relationship. For if we cannot

> > improve this core relationship, then how can we expect this world

to

> > become peaceful?

> >

> > Love

> >

> > Jai Ma Jai Swami

> >

> > vishweshwar

> >

> >

> >

> >

> >

> >

> > , Linda Talbott <skyedaughter@>

> > wrote:

> > >

> > > Dear vish ~ I don't think my hubby will actually join with me

in a

> > purposeful way to live a God/dess centered life. However, I am

going

> > to go back and re-read that chapter because I'm very sure that I

would

> > benefit from the information and suggestions - for things I could

do

> > on my own that would benefit our mutual relationship. Thank you

for

> > reminding me of this chapter; I do have the book.  :  )      Jai

Maa

> > !!!  Jai Swamiji !!!

> > > ~ Linda 

> > >  

> > >

> >

> ....................................................................

................................................................

> > > vish wrote:

> > > As you start on this

> > > incredible adventure, I suggest you and your intended read the

book

> > > BEFORE BECOMING THIS.

> > > Maa and Swami wrote this book, available to purchase at the Devi

> > > Mandir web site. Chapter 21 is called RELATIONSHIPS, MEN AND

WOMEN,

> > > WHAT'S THE POINT? "

> > > This is a great primer for anyone entering into a long term

committed

> > > relationship. Maa and Swami establish why men and women should

get

> > > together and how to establish goals and live together leading a

God

> > > centered life, including worshiping each other as Shiva and

Durga.

> > >

> > > ...I recommend this book for it gives all of us wisdom on

creating and

> > > maintaining ideal, God centered relationships. And for those of

us in

> > > relationships, we can find inspiration and practical techniques

to

> > > prevent and/or cure existing problems.

> > >

> > > I will quote more of the text tomorrow night. Pleas send any

> > > questions on relationships so we can all discuss them in light

of

> > > Maa's wisdom.

> > >

> >

>

[Guest guest]

Dear glassfairy ~ first let me apologize if half of an email got sent to the group. I was writing and all of a sudden it disappeared.

 

I'm so glad you wrote back. Ram is one of my favorites, and I love the Ramayana. Did you know that the Ramayana was made into a made for tv (in India) mini series? Except it wasn't mini. Now that it has been converted to cd, the whole collection is 39 cds. It is a dream of mine to one day buy it. I used to watch portions of it with my sister when it was still on video tape with subtitles. Thank you for letting us know of your feelings.

 

Jai Maa , Jai Swamiji ~ Linda

 

glassfairy wrote:

 

thank u once again,...i now understood wat u were tryin to tell...thefeeling of love and selfless love tht we feel for god...tht same loveneeds to be felt for the ppl who r imp to us...and when tht happensthose relationship will improve...probably this is the same tht lordram practised inspite of kaykay and mantra being rude and evil tohim..he still oved them n respected them as his mother tht finallymade them realize their mistake and start loving him..

[Guest guest]

Dear Kumari ~ thank you so much for sharing your experience. This has become a very rich topic for the group, which is wonderful. If we think of the digest group as a group relationship, it appears very clearly that this is something, like Swamiji says in "Before Becoming This," when he talks about a relationship being a goal that is worthy of attention and respect. And what you quoted as Maa saying, we have found, are finding many ways to "talk about it." For me, being part of this group is one of my goal.

 

Also what you quoted from Shree Maa, where she says," "We will find a way to talk about it." We've already joked about it, and that is a way of talking about something that may be too deep and too true to say directly...," turned on a lightfbulb in my head. One of the issues my husband and I are working on in therapy is communication. At our most recent visit, he opened up and really made himself vulnerable. He said things about me, good things, that I have never heard him say before, and it made me realize that "still waters run deep." So part of my goal of the encircling relationship is not to expect a lot of verbal communication, and to relish it and let David know how much I value it. Yesterday I began to put up my altar. Now it is ready to receive my murtis, my lotus candle holder, my mala, and a picture of David, along with pics of Shree Maa and Swamiji. I won't put it on right away, though; I'll give him time to adjust to

seeing the alter. Again, thank you so much for continuing the "conversation." Jai Maa , Jai Swamiji ~ Linda

 

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Kumari wrote:

I suppose it might seem crazy to be worshipping your partner in that way. To me it makes perfect sense now. I may not be able to put in words to him what he means to me. Very honestly this is the first time i have been able to see God in someone, anyone. I saw him as Shiva almost from the beginning, but I could not accept that. Believe me I have had to do many austerities to get to this point, like Parvati. And I am sure there will be many more. But it was the grace of Shree Maa that turned his mind to me at last. It is not that I see him as faultless, but I see the things that I love about Shiva in him reflected. As Maa said, "We will find a way to talk about it." We've already joked about it, and that is a way of talking about something that may be too deep and too true to say directly. As I give from the bottom of my heart, he begins to give to me.