Interdependence

A new declaration written by R.R. Shakti, PhD.

I hold the truth of Self-Realization:
That all beings are divinely unified;
That we are empowered by Universal Source with certain infinite potential; awakened by prana, moksha, and surrender to Love.

As American as John (Cougar) Mellencamp, I too was raised in a small Indiana town. “...taught the fear of Jesus in a small town; used to daydream in that small town. Another boring romantic—that’s me.”

As I have traveled far and wide from that little mid-western community, I have seen what it means to be an American in the light of its beauty and its paradox. It has brought me to the question of what it means. to me, to be an American yogini living in the world today.

Just as the richness of our national culture is cultivated by its multiformity; so too, my personal yoga "blissipline" is enriched by many teachers and approaches to the practice. It is a celebration of diversity and of the interconnected rivers that run beneath the surface of it all.

Yoga is an opportunity to initiate my own rites of passage and sacraments of meaning as they honor and edify my inner guru. It presents both an exotic adventure and a stable hOMe.
I was inspired to write my “Declaration of Interdependence” based on the American Declaration of Independence which almost, but not quite, represents my personal view.

"We hold these truths to be self-evident..."
Satya is a sanskrit word for truth. It comes from the root word, Sat, which means is-ness. In other words, Sat is something so profoundly true that it needs no further definition than simply to say, “it IS.”

As an American yogini, I am a Sat Seeker: seeking the truth of my own dharma; my true nature; the truth of my relationship to the world around me; the truth in politics, religion, and sciences; the truth of my mind. When I seek tis truth, what I find is Self-Realization–a balanced wholeness within and a Love beyond opposition. The power of Love becomes experientially evident. Therefore, I hold the truth of Self-Realization.

"...that all men are created equal..."
As an American yogini, it is apparent that all beings are divinely unified on a dynamic and living planet...

I bear witness to the pulsation of Universal Consciousness conjoining us all. I see a holy person in a homeless person; angels in the outcast; beauty in all the races’ faces–a reflection of divinity in each, unique one. All beings are not only equal in our reflection of divinity. We are unwaveringly united in that Love. 

...that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights... 
As an American yogini, I am empowered with the awareness of my own infinite potential and the potency of my choices. 

May my life be an expression of the infinite power of Love. May all others remember that, they too, are an expression of infinite potential. 
​
...that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness. 
As an American yogini, I’ve learned how to stoke the life force of prana within me and that moksha (liberation) is available within the next breath. I realize that so much suffering can be avoided when I stop pursuing only the ego's gain, surrendering instead to the bliss of my true nature as Love. 

As an American yogini, I appreciate a community that reminds me daily of my true nature and inner power. I am gratefully honored and inspired by our interdependence. 

​Namaste to you and Happy Interdependence Day!