From Dream to Waking Dream

When I'm asleep, I go to a land of no body. I feel I just am my surroundings and interact with all the people I make appear around me. I am the whole dream world I have created.
When I seem to wake up to this world I feel I put myself into one body and it complains.
One day I will realize the expansiveness of my Self while awake.

To my friends:

It was nice to hang out with u.
To laugh and talk and listen.
To be sincere and feel your presence.
I am glad we are friends. 
Seriously, sincerely, no joke.
I am amused by life. 
I am content enough,
Even when I cry...

I am intrigued by your sarcasm,
which I am SO not used to. 
By friends I didn't even notice were sarcastic. Who knew!

I'm grateful for a love that sinks into every pore of my body. 
By the eyes of divinity staring at me.
Saying something...through your face.
I'm satisfied by my own pouty lips. 
By the things I would like to share. 
By the dreams I let go of. 
By being semi transparent. 

I hug u.
Understanding something without words.
Smiling into infinity.
Something dissolves. 
For that brief moment we have no beginning or end.
A celestial machinery beyond intellelect. 

Walk with me to the cavern of my heart.
May we stand forever ready in a space lost between moments of thought.

Thanks for being my friend,
However few and far between the contact may be at times...
I hold u in my heart.

I'm Home; So to Speak

Hello! I am in the states once again.
Adjusting to being in the American Californian culture and environment.
Visiting friends and various towns.

Perhaps to run off to the more plant and land oriented spaces soon for some Mother Nature TLC.

Hugs! For people and trees :-)

5 Months in India!

Hello All,

     I have been in India for 5 months now. I wish I could show you what everything looks like here. Maybe you shall just come visit some day and see for yourself.

     I am back to my regular schedule it would seem today. I had a cold that made my body very tired for many days. It was a good time to search within myself and watch my thoughts, whatever that means.

     Today I went to my caretaker seva (volunteer work) and then I came home to have rest for a bit before breakfast. So I thought I could write a bit before the rest of the day.

     After breakfast I shall see if I have the gusto to go back to compost seva as well. I have been with the compost seva team since February and I love the work and people there a lot.

  ...perhaps more later. You have any specific questions, lemme know!

Love You,
Lara Sophia Madhura
p.s. Here is a picture my roommate had of the ashram. Yep, its really nice here...

Mantra

Your mantra is a gift from God.
Every time you chant it it is like saying Dear Lord Thank You for my present.
Everyday I open my present just a little and peek and my Self within.

'Once Amor'

'Forget everything u thought u knew about me; it could be wrong. Remember all the good things about life; it's beautiful here when we share.
Dust off your compass; u up for an adventure? We're going to see the world within while watching the world without. Let's compare stories as we sail the open ocean of the mind...'

Shh...

Taking sometime in silence. This is beneficial to watch the mind and all the places it goes. Love you, quietly ;~}

'Becoming'

I am the heat of the sea floor spreading.
I am the current of the lightening through the air.
I am the contact of your feet upon the ground.
I am the binding of the atoms to one another.
I am the motion of the currents of the ocean.
I am the sound of the fledging making the first push through the egg shell.
I am the one thought u can believe.
I am formless and doubtless and one.
I am the yearning.
I am the knowing.
I am love.
Be complete in the moment u let go.
Become one.

'Standing Still and Waiting for God'

'I hear u talking; u are what all hearts r made of. I see your face in the dove at my window sill. I hear your voice in the sound of the crow. I see you glide through the sky as an eagle. I feel your breathe as the ocean air upon my face. I feel your touch as the waves lapping at my feet. But where r u; will u not show your face my love...'

'Be Everything'

I am the sun, the wind, the rain. 
I am the flowers budding on the young tree branch.
I am the small animals climbing up the trunks of the trees and soaring overhead.
I am the me in u and the u in me.
I am everything and the nothing in between...

Hot Drinks on a Hot Day!

TI didn't understand drinking hot drinks on a hot day before I came here.
Now I drink hot drinks often during the day when it's hot. It actually feels very nice on the body, like an internal hot tub. It's relaxing of a sort.

Last night it rained ;-)
It was SO noisy. The combination of the water falling on the metal roofs of various over hangs and the eruption of the wild life response to the rain coming down...it was an immense reaction!

It smelt so nice afterward, and refreshing.
There was a beautiful cloth hanging out to air dry. Lovely blossoms of violet and white like. 
All the clothes gets air dried here. 
We have clothes lines in our bedroom. Some in the kitchen and one across the room by our beds. 

Everyday is the same but different ;-)

I'm having a nice time here.
Everyday overlaps, they tend to get into a little pattern for sometime where the days are te same but different. I have similar things I will do for many days in a row but the people and objects I interact with will be a little different. 

I help an elderly woman in the morning.
She is very nice and we listen to prayers and spiritual music ;-) And do exercises to keep mobile, it's good for me too!

Then I really get my exercise by making compost! So much fun! The recycling system and waste management is fantastic here and it's great exercise. 
I really work my arms for compost, then as perhaps I mentioned: I take the stairs often. My room is on the 8th floor! Great view of a sea of Palm trees and the ocean ;~} very nice scenery here...

Then I have a nice light lunch of salad and veggies. The monastery is vegetarian but there are nice western foods like French fries or salads or pizza :-) 

May go on a day trip today with some friends to see some great big trees in Ochira :-) hugs!

Madhura Lara

Silly picture, un related, fun dream!

I had a sweet dream: 
I was in the good court of a mall. There were MANY people there, there was little light at all. I sat at a table and started singing 'I you're happy and u know it clap ur hands' it took some time but folks caught on and at the end of it people clapped and were happy it had occurred. People then recognized me while I walked around the mall. It was funny ;-)

Mooooooo!

I gratefully share that I was able to help clean up after the cows at the ashram for a little bit during my stay here. Yes, this meant cleaning up poop :-)* The dung then gets mixed into the compost; which is my other main seva (volunteering) right now. It's a lot of fun and I know much more about efficient composting than I did before. Also, it is a lot of really good exercise ;~] Buff Madhura Lara; here I come! In Sankrit, Madhura means Sweet, that's my spiritual name here ;-) nice huh ;-) hee hee hee, Hugs and Cheers!
Ps. Baby Moo Moos are cute cuuute! 

A sweaty Madhura Lara :-)

It's hot here! India is a humid place to hang your hat ;-)
These days: I wake up, go spend time with an nice elder woman who needs some assistance, mix compost with my friends, eventually there is lunch, some reading, drawing, relaxing, meditating. Laughter Yoga class tomorrow! Here, that's every Sunday :-)
Enjoying life and helping others; a good balance :-) Hugs!

Free Will Astrology - Best Horoscopes, Ever!

Leo Horoscope for week of February 13, 2014
Verticle Oracle cardLeo (July 23-August 22)
Making eye contact is essential for building potent links with people you care about. It bypasses rational thought, stimulating chemical reactions in your bodies that enhance empathy and intimacy. In practicing the art of love, it's one of the most potent moves you can make. This Valentine season would be an excellent time for you Leos to explore the frontiers of what's possible through prolonged eye contact. Start here: Cultivate a sincere desire to know what's simmering inside the souls of your dearest allies. With that as your driving force, your gaze won't be clouded by shyness or self-consciousness.


I wish I could post pictures but not for sometime....

My phone needs to re-boot. I will have to connect to wifi to do this but that may not happen for a while.
Life is good! Keeping busy and learning lots. Meditating, reading, doing volunteer work everyday :)
facebook connect: LaraSophia FlyingArtista



Me in Singapore!

I've gotten a bit more fit since then, I live on the 8th floor...lots of stairs, many times a day :) yay! hugs!

Being with my Self :) ha ha ha

I found a great spot to sit and be with my Self, there is a women's meditation spot on top of the roof of the Kali temple at the ashram :)
its by the library and u can hear and see the ocean.
I am taking a break from compost seva and doing other things instead :)

Also, I stayed at the ashram while Amma went on tour with a few hundred people to visit the state of Kerala.
It felt right for me. I am pleaed with my time here.

Be well and smile, I'm smiling at you!



Compost and Tour!!!

Hi Yáll,
I am doing well at Amma's ashram. Tour is about to start in maybe two days. The orientation for tour is downstairs in just a few minutes. you can feel the excitement! We're going to travel with Amma around Kerala for about 10 days maybe :)

I have taken to speaking less. sort of a silence thing but i am still laughing and i say the minimum of words to get by. Example: banana, curd and granola, sprout salad no onion and my name to get internet...basic wants and needs. internet is a sanity need. ha ha ha

i am volunteering doing compost seva. it is so much fun! i play with food straps, poo, leaves, mulch, saw dust, etc. and mix it all together with a bunch of new friends that are like a band of brothers!

hugs!

Love Lara
(Madhura)
p.s. Bika, Italo, Ross, if you're reading this I wrote to u first and then copied it here! love u!!!!

4 Days in!

Arrived in Kochin India and spend two days at a hotel near the airport.
Ventured to Lulu mall the next day and walked around, bought a few things and watched a movie.
Got a scoop of ice cream for 80 cents!

Came to Amritapuri and checked in. Got a room and roommate, settled in.
Next evenings my best friend and I got a hug from Amma. It was fun and awesome!
It took about an hour to travel through the line, or que, but it felt like the time went really fast!

I started one of my SEVA jobs today (seva is selfless service, or volunteering).
I'm working in compost. Sorting food waste and bits of plastic or paper that get tossed in the bins. Then we mix in white, green, black compost materials like leaves, saw dust, and poo!
Also, the Amritapuri ashram has an extensive recycling program, just so you know!
Everyday and many times a day the receptacles are emptied and new ones set up. 

I'll see about writing every now and then to update yáll...but the grammar will be shotty because I'm paying for the internet time. it's not much but it adds up. :) there are about 4000 people at the ashram, maybe 250 americans and then folks from all over the world. many folks just stay a few days to visit while touring India. I'm here for some time.

love and hugs,
Lara

feel free to write to me or send me travel tissues, powdered soap, anything useful and light, travel tooth paste, a ladies razor would be nice :) and a pair of scissors!

thank you thank you much gratitude

:) :) :)
ADDRESS:
Mata Amritanandamayi Math,
Amritapuri.p.o, Kollam,
Kerala, India, 690525.
(to Lara Sophia McPherson)

I am in India!

It's awesome here :) beautiful sights, sounds and experiences :)
Hugs to All and Laughter for some, okay most, okay all...
Lara

Flying to India took a while...

but that's that now.  :)
Presently, I am resting on the hotel bed with my laptop and using the hotel's wifi :) Fantastic! I can still take pictures w/ my phone, so that's super cool. I saw a new US movie today that cost about $3 at the LULU mall. It's a HUGE mall and lots of people go there to sight see. It's a good cool activity on a hot day.
Also, a scoop of ice cream was just 0.80 cents, pretty cool for me <3 p="">

The count down...

...is nearly complete! On my way to India!
Traveling for the next "2 Days" around the world :/) Stopping in Korea and Singapore and then finally India!!
Hugs and Love to you all, shall post and connect when possible 💛💙💚

Going to India!

Making a Pilgrimage to India!
Don't know when I shall return; best way to reach me is my new Gmail email and perhaps occasionally Facebook:)

Cheers and Smiles,
Lara Sophia
January 2014

Memories

I don't have much in the way of items from my childhood. My family moved around a lot and things got lost to the ethers, given away. But I have this one cookie cutter, that I don't really use, that was my Mom's. I'd like to think that I could just look at cookie cutters and remember I like making cookies. That it's not this specific cookie cutter that I need to hold onto and make not useful just because I have a thought attached to it that it belonged to my mother. If she had it years ago she would have given it away by now. And it would be someone else's memory to carry...