"The aesthetic experience is a simple beholding

of the object....you experience a radiance.

You are held in aesthetic arrest." - Joseph Campbell.

As one drives on the 5 Freeway to Highway 140 in California you can get to one of the entrances to my favorite park in that state, Yosemite. You still have to drive for some time after you enter the park to see the heart of the Yosemite valley. At the end of that drive you go through a short tunnel and at the end almost as if by magic the whole valley seems to just appear.The first time that I saw it I literally gasped as I went into what Joseph Campbell calls aesthetic arrest.

This month we have been focusing on auspicious things, things that are conducive to success. The breath, self care, and meditation are all very auspicious things. I am very much a word nerd. I am particularly interested in the etymology of words which is the study of the original use of words and the historical development of their meaning.

Uninterrupted flow of awareness towards something.

When I wake up in the morning one of the first things that I do is to chant three different Sanskrit chants which take about 15 minutes and then I meditate for about 11 to 20 minutes or more depending on how much time I have. It is amazing that I can get more done, stay relaxed and yet active when I start my day like that. I have done these practices at other times of the day too but practicing them first thing in the morning seems to yield the most benefits.

Given the current state of affairs ... chamomile tea anyone? We would need gallons and gallons but hey whatever it takes. Self care has become very important in the middle of all the things that all of us are going through everywhere in the world. I was visiting a friend over the weekend and he pointed out how essential is to get together ... safely of course. We don't have to get together with one hundred people but we can take a walk with one friend and talk about everything and nothing.

It is finally here, the new year 2021. It never stops to amaze me how January first always feels like arriving to a new chapter which is yet to be written and at the same time I remember there are so many chapters behind it. I think that the most auspicious way to start 2021 would be to pause and focus on the breath. The breath, a natural breath, is an excellent way to calm and focus the mind. If you can recall a time when you were lost in the myriad of thoughts of the mind, you will certainly appreciate the calmness and the focus that the breath can unearth in you.

I have been contemplating what would be a great thought to keep in mind as we close 2020 and welcome 2021. The Sanskrit word Śrī (pronounced shree) keeps coming to mind again and again. This is a beautiful word filled with bright meaning. Śrī denotes: Auspiciousness, Beauty, Sacredness, Abundance, Nobility, Dignity, and Good Fortune.