Hanging Cactus at Self Realization Fellowship Gardens
This cactus caught my eye last week at the meditation gardens. I swear the colors of the flowers there are digitally enhanced! The brothers who tend the garden do such careful work. They are quiet and rarely interact with visitors, intent upon their jobs. One day three of them were cleaning the koi pond as I meditated. Wearing thigh-high wading boots, they cleaned as the giant koi swam about them.
Visiting the gardens this time of year is less of a quiet meditation experience and more an experience of sharing. Everyone visits and they talk and talk in many different languages…it’s a good thing, but different than the winter months when it’s more peaceful.
Did I tell you about Yogananda’s lap pool? It’s still there. An empty, small, blue square pool with colorful tile wall backing it and a small grass lawn around it. It is one of the most revered spots there. I love to sit beside it and look at the ocean and surfers as I say my mantras silently. It really is a deeply profound place. I can just imagine him swimming slow laps.
Yogananda loved so many aspects of all different religions, you feel that he’s just there still as an encouraging, loving friend.
Thank you, dear SRF friends, for keeping these gardens open!
