Blog | Mindfulness, Meditation, Journaling & Walking in Nature
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Writings and Readings Blog

Madhu Bazaz Wangu

Day 315, Friday, November 15, 2024

Posted on November 14, 2024
in Creativity
6 Comments

Reflection Inspiration Love – whether it be romantic, maternal, or friendship – works as a soothing balm on the deep fear caused by the awareness of death. In the snug bosom of my parents’ love, I was unaware of my own mortality. With the caring of my family and comfort of my home, I was clueless about life’s temporariness. By the time I got married to the love of my life, I was conscious of my own demise but could easily put that thought at the back of my mind. Death was something that happened to others – old and sick people. My husband’s love made me forget the ephemerality of life, and in his company, I keep my death at bay. Through the love of our daughters and grandchildren, I feel that I...

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Day 14, Thursday, November 14, 2024

Posted on November 13, 2024
in Meditation
4 Comments

Reflections Inspiration . . . As a writer or a reader, you go through the portal that carries you to the world of words and books. This world has the power to obliterate your worldview, crack you open, transform you, and then revive you, changed. There have been times when I have finished reading a book, closed its covers and uttered, “I can see now. I found myself. Wow!” All my life I have searched for purpose and meaning. What I have discovered with each “wow” is for me to keep changing and wondering. The meaning of life depends on your purpose. What is your calling? When you "hear" the call, take it to your heart, don’t do it for the fruit or the award. Just "follow your heart" let allies help you...

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Day 13, Wednesday, November 13, 2025

Posted on November 12, 2024
in Being in Nature, Journaling, Travel
2 Comments

Reflection Sailing through the subzero glacial waters in Alaska as the hills of snow passed by was simultaneously wondrous and terrifying. As was a hint of frothy water hiding treacherous pointed rocks that had wrecked many incoming ships near the Cape of Good Hope. Inspiration What has awe, wonder, and delight to do with writing? Awe is when we experience three emotions at once – fascination, terror, holiness. When an experience stops you in your tracks, blasts you open, awakens you… when the ego collapses, you encounter the land beyond the maps you have visualized. You feel sacralized and one with the infinite universe. You cannot experience the sacred or have original ideas while living in the daily rut. Something has to shake you up, shatter your unexamined values, question your unanalyzed beliefs....

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Day 312, Tuesday, November 12, 2024

Posted on November 11, 2024
in Being in Nature, Creativity, Nonverbal Activities, Writing
5 Comments

Reflection Inspiration One morning I watched the sun rise from behind a beautiful cloudy horizon. For a few minutes, I remained mesmerized as the golden yellow orb changed to bright orange, igniting the sky with a fiery otherworldliness. I don’t usually go outside first thing in the morning. If I hadn’t opened the door to bring in a package, I would not have witnessed those few minutes in which the sun and sky were performing their daily display of sheer beauty. That whole day, the glory of the sunrise stayed with me, connecting me with many spectacular sunrises I had witnessed before. It was like a surprise gift sent along with the parcel I brought inside. Perhaps it was a hint not to ignore the beauty that constantly happens in the world while...

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Day 311, Monday, November 11, 2024

Posted on November 10, 2024
in Being in Nature, Nonverbal Activities, Travel
4 Comments

Reflections The monumental elements of nature such as mammoth mountains, immensely vast oceans, milky way and galaxies stir deep wonder and dread that has a divine quality. That's how I felt as I walked below the colossal rocks that seem to kiss the sky from where I stood. The feeling of dread, a side-effect of awe is similar to the feeling we get from death defying rides at an amusement park. Inspiration An astonishingly beautiful place is Zion National Park in Utah. “Zion” means “holy place” or “kingdom of heaven.” The park’s colossal mountains and steep cliffs and abundant crystal-clear streams are evidence of its majesty. Their beauty transports the traveler to a fantasy world. Temporarily I forgot where I was – in the human world or another planet. I felt the similar...

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Day 310, Sunday, November 10, 2024

Posted on November 9, 2024
in Journaling
5 Comments

Reflections Inspiration I had not heard about national parks until after coming to the United States in 1976. When we visited Yellowstone National Park and Grand Canyon National Park in 2013… I. Had. No. Idea! I was enthralled by how awe and delight enraptured me in their presence. I was born in the lap of the Himalayas, in the valley of Kashmir. I was two years old when we moved to New Delhi, the overcrowded metropolitan capital city. But it was home. My family returned to the valley to get away from scorching summer heat in the capital, to my birthplace about which the Mughal Emperor Jehangir soulfully exclaimed, “If there is paradise on Earth, it is here, it is here, it is here!” Awe-inspiring nature was ingrained in my visual vocabulary. I get affected...

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Day 309, Saturday, November 9, 2024

Posted on November 8, 2024
in Being in Nature, Creativity, Travel
0 Comments

Reflections Good morning friends! Do you know of a friend or an event that relates nature and people? Someone you know who lives in the mountains, near a river or in the woods? If not perhaps today's post inspires you to write a short story about it. Inspiration Natural landscape can absorb you in its majesty, shake you up with its exquisite beauty, and spew you out transformed. This has happened to me over and over again in U.S. National Parks. Many individuals report feeling connected to the sacred through nature. Were you aware that regions with higher levels of natural amenities have lower rates of adherence to religious organizations? Mountains, hills, lakes, beaches, coastlines, forests, and pleasant weather all contribute to the powerful spiritual effects on people’s behavior who live close by. Spiritual relates to...

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Day 308, Friday, November 8, 2024

Posted on November 7, 2024
in Being in Nature, Travel
0 Comments

Reflections The photos included in this post are also featured on the cover of my book, "Images of Indian Goddesses." Such images had triggered the strong emotions while I was researching and writing my doctoral dissertation. I held them in my heart-mind for years. And then when I finally stood mesmerized in front of them all my emotions poured out. INSPIRATIONKali in Himachal While driving in the lower Himalayan Mountains with my husband, we viewed the River Bias as its flow shimmered in the deep valley. The intention of our trip in the state of Himachal Pradesh was to photograph the images of the Indian goddess Kali enshrined in the locally well-known temple. I had seen goddess photos in art history books, describing such local temples, and this one had attracted my...

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Day 307, Thursday, November 7, 2024

Posted on November 6, 2024
in Being in Nature, Creativity, Travel
0 Comments

Reflections Magnificence of nature and magnificent art, music, dance-drama performances turn me speechless. Words lose their meaning. Coming from a writer, this is a significant declaration. In silence, my eyes well, heart hurts (in a good way) and my ego self dissipates. I merge into what I'm beholding as the matter turns into spirit. The object can be as small as a flower or a bonsai arrangement. Or as marvelous as Michelangelo's David. Inspiration A photograph of a great work of art is the mere memory of the original. In no way can it have the same impact as an in-person encounter. I experienced this when we visited the Galleria dell’Accademia in Florence, Italy. I had seen the reproductions of Michelangelo’s marble statue of David, but was clueless about how I would...

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Day 306, Wednesday, November 6, 2024

Posted on November 5, 2024
in Cooking, Nonverbal Activities
4 Comments

Reflections After breathing, the senses of taste and smell are elemental for living beings. Did you know these two senses are the oldest and essential for our survival? They play key roles in such basic processes as eating, avoiding danger and mating. Your nose knows even if your eyes are closed. When you are closer to sea, standing on freshly mowed grass, or next to wet mulch, you know what it is. But you cannot describe the smsell. You can only name the object that is giving away the smell hoping that what you say would resonate your experience in the mind of the other person. When we taste with attention, even the simplest of foods provide a universe of sensory experience. One bit of juicy apple, freshly baked bread, cool water...

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