Meditation Archives - Madhu Bazaz Wangu
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Meditation

Tuesday, September 8, 2026

Posted on September 7, 2026
in #Authentic Self, #Nature Lover, #Stillness, Silence, Solitude, Awareness, Being in Nature, Flourishing, Meditation, Meditation & Journaling at Ashby Ponds, Spirituality
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The practitioners of mindfulness meditation who sits in silence and solitude elevate themselves as they realize what it means to live in the awareness of the present moment. When we are aware we are lifted beyond our fleeting emotions and thoughts—painful or cheerful. We feel serenity and true peace. We sense, I’m not my ego self. I’m awareness that is one with the awareness of all—always peaceful and joyful. We are one with our Authentic Self which is always here, now and awake.  What is a life of contemplation? It is to realize that we come to the world alone and we leave alone. Our solitude may be absolute but our life is as meaningful as we make it. Our feelings, thoughts, sensations, activities and relationships are fleeting; but our Authentic Self abides. Those...

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Thursday, September 3, 2026

Posted on September 2, 2026
in #Nature Lover, Being in Nature, Mindfulness and Travealing, Travel
4 Comments

Lewis and Clark Speaker who made our adventure real! This is my last email about Lewis and Clarke’s expedition toward the western coast. Following the captains to some of the towns and sites that they had discovered made me feel grounded in the country, made the land real for me. To continue, on September 23, 1806, the Corps of Discovery returned to St. Louis. An excerpt from Lewis’s letter to President Jefferson reads: “Sir, it is with pleasure that I announce to you the safe arrival of myself and party with our papers and baggage. No accident has deprived us of a single member of our party since I last wrote you from the Mandan in April 1804.” In his reply the President wrote: “I received, my dear Sir, with unspeakable joy your...

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Thursday, August 27, 2026

Posted on August 26, 2026
in Mindfulness and Travealing, Travel
1 Comment

Lewis and Clark Exploration (The Corps of Discovery) shifted into settlements when fur traders and explorersmoved westward within a few years after the captions and their crew returned home. Within 30 years (1830s-1850’s) began large scale settlements by ordinary families. That’s from where small American towns west of Mississippi trace their origin. Such historic towns, nestled in beautiful landscapes, reflect the persona of the American people – down to earth and friendly, proud of who they are and where they live.  Before taking the Corps of Discovery voyage, we had visited cosmopolitan cities in the United States – New York, Washington, Chicago, Boston, and Los Angeles – and capital cities of the world – Cape Town, Beijing, Tokyo, New Delhi, London, Paris, Rome and Lhasa. We had gazed at great monuments and sailed long rivers....

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Saturday, August 21, 2026

Posted on August 22, 2026
in Meditation & Journaling at Ashby Ponds, Originality, Reading Books, Travel
4 Comments

Winter at Catslop Camp Having left the east coast on May 14, 1804, Lewis and Clark glided into the northern side of the mouth of the Columbia River in dugout canoes in early November 1805. With starved looks, tattered clothes rotting on their bodies, and disheveled hair, they neither had the energy nor wherewithal to moor. Clark named the spot Dismal Nitch. A group of local Indians arrived in elegantly carved and painted canoes, communicating with a few words of English they had learned from fur traders. The captains had intended to meet the last trading ship of the season on the Pacific to obtain badly needed supplies and send back journals and specimens of plants and animals to President Jefferson. But a severe winter storm prevented this. This is “the most...

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Tuesday, August 18, 2026

Posted on August 17, 2026
in #Nature Lover, #Stillness, Silence, Solitude, Being in Nature, Imagination, Meditation & Journaling at Ashby Ponds, Mindfulness and Travealing, Travel, Walking
2 Comments

While traveling through the Canadian Rockies one of our stops was the Jasper Park Lodge in Fairmont. Our cabin was situated facing Lac Beauvert (pronounced: Lack Buh-vair), “beautiful green lake.” By this time we had seen, smelled, touched, and listened to so much natural beauty that we were emotionally overwhelmed, and the stamina squeezed out. But through the cabin window the mesmerizing view of the lake magnetized us. After enjoying a cup of hot tea, we decided to walk the trail that circled the lake. We must have walked for fifteen minutes or so when the view stopped me in my tracks. My heartbeats fastened. The surface of the crystal-clear turquoise water was shimmering silver; tiny shiny waves waltzing over large spherical stones. The reflections of distant mountain ranges—green at some places, blue...

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Tuesday, 11 August 2026

Posted on August 10, 2026
in #Nature Lover, #Stillness and Quietude, Being in Nature, Mindfulness and Travealing, Travel
2 Comments

Nature is imbued with numen (spirit). Rudolf Otto, the German phenomenologist of religions, qualified the numinous (spiritual) as being mysterium, fascinans et tremendum. In other words: mysterious, awe-inspiring, and filled with terror. He used the Latin phrase, Mysterium Tremendum et Fascinans to describe the dual nature of the experience of the Holy or the Sacred. It encompasses both a terrifying and awe-inspiring aspect (tremendum) and a fascinating/alluring aspect (fascinans). He argued that this profound emotional experience was at the heart of the world religions. I have experienced this in nature which I regard as Sacred. I would like to share with you two such experiences, the first being fascinating and the second terror inspiring. #1 Awe Inspiring and AlluringOur stay at Denali National Park in Alaska remained covered with mist and clouds. The guide had promised an unforgettable view of...

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Thursday, August 6, 2026

Posted on August 5, 2026
in Last Quarter of Our Lives, Mindfulness and Travealing, Travel, Well Being
2 Comments

The month of August is dedicated to “Mindfulness and Travel.” I’d like to begin with one of my experiences about how this country to which I arrived as an immigrant in 1974 became my home. So here it goes, A trip with my husband tracing the last leg of Lewis and Clark’s Expedition from the east to the west coast was an adventure of a lifetime for both of us, especially for me.  After reading two hefty volumes, Undaunted Courage and Journals of Lewis and Clark I was “called” to go on the similar journey like the one they experienced. We took a flight from Pittsburgh, PA to Portland, Oregon. From there we embarked on a boat that carried us upon the waters of the Columbia and Snake Rivers. The third American President, Thomas Jefferson (1801-1809) had envisioned an...

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Tuesday, August 4, 2026

Posted on August 3, 2026
in #Nature Lover, #Stillness and Quietude, Awareness, Being in Nature, Flourishing, Mindfulness and Travealing, Travel
6 Comments

Month 8, “Mindfulness and Travel” is dedicated to traveling within the country and around the world. I’d like to share with you how I discovered awe and beauty in American National Parks.  While trekking in Sedona, Arizona my fleeting thoughts subsided amidst the fiery, awesome, sacred red rock mountains. Other worldly natural beauty felt like possessing some sacred power. I breathed in the sage-scented mesas and walked on orange-dusted pathways. The sun scorched my skin and frequently made me close my eyes. But my deeper Self awakened coalescing with surrounding spirituality. The magnificent Cathedral and Bell Rocks mesmerized. The cliffs, mesas, and fringes of juniper forests set against searing blue sky impressed. Taking our fill we continued our bus ride toward Grand Canyon, arriving at our cottage late at night. Next morning we rose early and realized...

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Thursday, July 30, 2026

Posted on July 29, 2026
in #Nature Lover, Mindfulness and Travealing, Travel, Well Being
2 Comments

Traveling within the country or internationally opens the closed windows of our mind. When we travel our vision becomes more expansive, our lives are enriched, and new connections make us realize that the gem of compassion, the lotus in our heart is in each and every one of us—irrespective of our race, religion, color or gender.  As seekers on spiritual path we need clear mind and open heart to see, connect and understand the people different from us.  When we travel Our vision becomes more expansive, our lives are enriched, and we make new connections. Before my husband retired I occasionally accompanied him on his business trips. A bit nervous about walking alone around in a new city, I would stay back in our hotel room to write. But the thought of adventuring...

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Tuesday, July 28, 2026

Posted on July 27, 2026
in #Nature Lover, Being in Nature, Creativity, Flourishing, Imagination, Mindfulness and Travealing, Travel
3 Comments

Ashby Ponds under Harvest Moonlight Walking after sunrise and before sunset is popular. But have you walked under a moonless night when the sky is inky black-blue and stars twinkle bright, or when the moon is full? If you have, you know how nighttime walks heighten our senses of hearing and smell, titillate our body and mind. In the dark, the sense of sight diminishes but hearing takes over. Focus on the breath, and the inner stillness feels stronger. Slow your pace, stop, tilt your head upward and gaze at expanse of stars. Wonderment! Awe! You have to walk under the majesty of the night sky to feel it’s serenity and magical spell. It clears the mind, it calms, it makes you forget petty problems that had earlier in the day made you...

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