I had spent about 7 years in ashrams in India and New York. When I left , I wanted nothing more to do with gurus. When a friend told us Gangaji's last meeting in Marin would be the next day, I thanked them politely but wasn't interested. But for some reason the next morning I said to my wife, "Let's go and see Gangaji."
I didn’t appear to have any strong feeling about Gangaji as she sat with us and answered questions. As an old meditator, a lot of what she said sounded very familiar, with one big exception.
All the meditators that I knew would jokingly speculate how many lifetimes it would take for our minds to get quiet. The way Gangaji spoke about it, it sounded like anyone could do it right now. I thought to myself, “Yeah right.” Needless to say, I was a little cynical.
When the meeting was over and we left the hall, I noticed that I was feeling different. There was all this energy in my heart. I kept rubbing it and saying that she touched me in some way. It took a while to realize that her Love had penetrated my heart.
My first meeting with Gangaji was accidental. A friend saw a poster for an upcoming meeting in Boulder and asked if I wanted to go along. I didn’t have any plans that evening so I said yes. Since that meeting over thirty years ago, the unfolding revelation called “my life” is what I said yes to in that moment, and more essentially I realized what had said yes to me long ago.
What did I say yes to? As you see in this video clip recorded in Estes Park in 1995, I said yes to what I feared most—Love. I said yes to opening my heart with abandon, not knowing the outcome. Love felt risky and dangerous and then it became unstoppable and undeniable. The moment of surrendering to love was my turning point.
At the end of the retreat I told my dear friend Sallie, I didn’t care what happened to me anymore—“I could just sweep the streets.” The deep well of lasting fulfillment is here, wherever I am. I didn’t end up sweeping streets. After ending my career in television, I volunteered for a year at the Foundation and ultimately joined the GF staff.
As a sister and friend, I wholeheartedly invite you to surrender to the Love that is always present and is the truth of who you are. As the Executive Director of the Gangaji Foundation, I encourage you to share this message of peace with the world just as others have shared it with you. Just like that volunteer who put up that poster, who supported the opening of my heart, you can have an impact on the world in ways you may never imagine.
May we all know peace in good times and bad
To celebrate you and the entire community dedicated to serving peace through the Gangaji Foundation, we have a wonderful opportunity to gather with Gangaji on October 26th at 11AM Pacific.
The Donor Collaborative will host this global online meeting with Gangaji organized especially for volunteers and donors. Please register below, and you will be sent the zoom link on the day of the meeting.