A week from today I leave my little Church Street hermitage and return to New Mexico. I already feel my judgements that while here, I did not chant enough, did not fast enough, did not walk down to the river enough and did not embrace the silence enough.

With the exception of attending a wedding, I've refrained from public socializing. Instead of meeting friends for coffee or social affairs, I've invited a small assortment of guests over for coffee on the veranda in the morning, tea in the afternoon and a glass of wine in the evening. With summer in full swing, it is nice to sit outside in the freshness of the daily greening of two maple trees. The branches become heavier each day, the growing leaves pulling the branches closer to the earth, creating tunnels in the front yard.



Some days, I sleep late, missing my 3:35 am wake up to meet my 4 am chanting schedule. Instead, I stay in my bed, sleeping until 5:30, missing my Agni Hotra Homa sunrise timing. On awakening, I have a less than one-hour period of chanting, asana and meditation. It seems like I lost my discipline and instead race to have coffee and catch an Wi-Fi signal.

Whatever I am doing in the hermitage, I appreciate the simplicity of my routine. Waking to the morning song of birds and the smell of foliage from the blackberry plants that are growing outside of my bedroom window. I like how I can eat on my own schedule, not being expected to produce meals for a household of two and drop-in guests. Washing clothes has its own simplicity. Drying my yoga whites has become a practice of giving them enough sunlight, without the help of a clothesline. My other clothes dry closer to the earth. My days are an act of simplicity.



I've spent entirely too much time on the Wi-Fi signal that comes into my hermitage. I've found some excellent blogs written by women. I have so much gratitude for the company of women who are writing beautiful blogs. The blogs are filled with information about recycling, herbs & flowers, nature & nature writing, poetry, relationships, cooking, gardening and relationships/cooking/gardening/recycling/nature and life combined. The most valuable part of these blogs is my sense that with all of the women who are sharing their passion, I feel as if I am in the company and the grace of the Divine Mother.

Reading the blogs and savoring the messages, is my meditation. I am being nurtured and being restored by the presence of the Divine Feminine.