author: R.R. Shakti, PhD ​

to build a bridge
My mom was a Christian believer. She was also the best friend I have ever had. She lived with terminal cancer for six years, then left this world in December, 2018. I miss her every single day. 

A few months after she passed, I had a thought that stopped me in my tracks. I realized that so much of what I had studied—my years of exploring religions, mystic traditions, mythology, psychology, spiritual inquiry—was, in some unspoken and devoted way, actually for her.
Her faith included something painful—the doctrine of hell. It placed a distance between us. By not sharing that belief, I might be condemned to eternal damnation.

She loved me far too much for that to be easy. And I loved her far too much to cause her such pain. 
So I kept studying. Not to argue or to prove that I was right; but to find a language that could hold us both. 

My mama was a natural scholar. She was my homeschooling teacher—a woman with a brilliant, curious mind. And now I see that I was trying to meet her there. To build a bridge. To learn how to speak in a way that unites rather than divides.


to be like Jesus
Recently, I was introduced to “former” pastor Brian Recker and his book Hell Bent. And something opened. I found myself revisiting Christianity—not as a system of fear or exclusion, but as a soul story I could step back into with integrity. Not to save myself from hell. Not to walk on streets of gold when I die. But because I want to live like Jesus. The “king of kings,” who did not rule through fear, but through unconditioned love. A love beyond opposites. Not divided between belief systems. Not fractured by doctrine. Not deadened by dogma. But alive.

I am drawn to the one who included the marginalized, who disrupted rigid systems, who embodied compassion in a way that still moves through us. A compassion that makes space for more than one way of seeing—and opens, again and again, into peace.
​
Today this old story feels new again—whole again—as I think about eggs and kings. And a simple chorus rings through my heart, like a cosmic refrain: We are all living inside this story of rebirth. In our collective grief. In our healing. In the persistent ways we learn to build bridges; to narrow the distance and love each other across difference.
Again and again.

On the first whisper of the rememberence of spring, when the light just begins to return, we celebrate Vasant Panchami—the Indian holy day devoted to the invocation of the Goddess archetype: Saraswatī. 

She comes dressed in white and gold, carrying a veena and a book, riding the swan—a reminder that wisdom is not loud, and knowledge is not rushed.

Saraswatī is the archetype of inspired intelligence.
She governs learning, language, poetry, music, myth, memory, speech, song and the subtle art of listening.
She teaches us that creativity is not something we do—it is something we tend. Something we are. 

On Vasant Panchami we bless our books, our instruments, our journals and our voices.
We bow to the lineage of teachers who carried these rivers of wisdom before us.
We step into a new season of learning as an act of devotion and creative freedom. 

You are invited into this luminous series of Wisdom Teachings with Beloved Master Teacher Sreedevi Bringi,
who will guide us through storytelling, embodied practice, mantra and puja to celebrate Saraswati as a living presence in our creative lives.

These teachings are an inspiration  and encouragement for artists, mystics, seekers, and scholars—a place to remember that your voice is potent, your study is sacred, and your creativity is a form of prayer.

Wherever you are on the path—with a pen, a paintbrush, a mat, a song or a question—you are warmly welcomed into this circle, this satsang, of living wisdom.

Author: R.R. Shakti, PhD

A month later the movie COCO was released in the theaters. It tells the story of Dia de los Muertos and the profound beauty of remembering our ancestors. Marley and I decided that the following year we would build an ofrenda to honor her great-grandparents. When October came back around, we were ready. We had researched the tradition and had gathered stories and wedding photos, sugar-skulls and marigolds. We build the most beautiful altar. We make Grand-Anne's goulash recipe and Grandma Weirenga's chocolate chip cookies. We even place a can of beer on the ofrenda for Grandpa Redding.


My husband shares memories of his grandparents. I tell stories of mine. Marley listens with presence and curiosity. There is gratitude and a sense of belonging in her eyes, as we gaze upon the photographs of our ancestors. We honor the love that brought us here. We revel in the light each soul brought to the planet. And we honor the mystery–the unseen journey on the "other side." We embrace the unknown with peace and wonder as we trust in the ultimate fulfillment of Love.

​
Early that December, my mama transitioned to eternity. Her tango with cancer, which had begun just before my daughter was born, had finally come to an end. Marley had always known her grandma as both a magnificent, radiant light and someone whose time was short. She was living with cancer and she was dying from cancer. Through it all, she was joyful and full of grace–a living example of boundless Love.


It is no wonder that the Halloween I grew up with–the parody of monsters in costume, the glorified horror of death–just doesn't resonate for my kid as much as does the ritual of the ofrenda. And as we place my mama's photo on the altar each year, we light a candle as a symbol of her enduring presence in our lives. Her Love. Our Love. Eternal Love. The light of Love illuminates darkness and dispels fear.

We celebrate that light.

​holy days. love. shadow.​
Discover more on these topics. ​

Author: R.R. Shakti, PhD.
​
Amāvāsyā is the Sanskrit word for the new moon. At Soul Artist we make the new moon a time for renewal–a time to empty out all the excess to make space for something fresh and, maybe, unexpected. The new moon is a monthly opportunity to embrace creative transformation. 

The next new moon is one of the most celebrated all year, because it initiates one of the biggest annual Indian holidays: Diwali. More than a billion people celebrate Diwali worldwide. 

Diwali is called the "Festival of Lights" because it is a celebration of illumination. It honors the light of your awakened consciousness; the radiant kindle of your creative heart fire. It invokes beauty, prosperity, and love–the archetypal attributes of the Indian Goddess, Lakshmī. This lively mystic tradition invites you to realize these attributes as qualities of your own mind. Rituals serve to remind you of your inner power and transform your awareness toward abundance. And, in case you have forgotten, your most powerful expression of abundance is a grateful heart.

Diwali festivities begin two days before amāvāsyā and conclude two days after, for a five day party that wakes you up to more joy and more gratitude for a more meaningful life. 

diwali • light • rituals
​​Discover more on these topics. ​

diwali. love. marriage.​
Discover more on these topics. 

Author: R.R. Shakti, PhD

Imagine the world before electricity. I bet you'd tend your fire carefully. Make it last through the cold, dark night.
...And then comes dawn. Every morning is like a victory The triumph of the light. 
That is why Indian holy days, like Diwali. celebrate the light. 
That is why Indian mantras, like Gayatri, invoke and worship the light as a divine power. 
​
It is. 

In yoga, I honor the "dawning of awareness" as the power of illumination which awakens, heals, and provides clear vision. 

But the light does not always come easy. Let me explain with a story: 

Once upon a time my husband and I were arguing. It was heated. Now, I can't even remember what it was about. But at the time I was quite certain–I had no doubt–that I was "RIGHT!"
He disagreed. He presented his case, but I doubled down on my point of view, again and again. I wanted him to realize (and admit) that I was "RIGHT!" 

Then something happened. Mid-sentence. It hit me like a floodlight: "Oh, shit. He is right... 
​
I'm wrong."

Author: R.R. Shakti, PhD

Author: R.R. Shakti, PhD