Elsie from New York

November 14, 2010

Superhero Swami In Silence

On our cherished monthly day in October  I allowed myself to read about a nice Jewish boy from Chicago who became a swami. Only on a day like this, the 24 hours protected from the mundane in a jewel box of  what is now my sacred monthly space, would I have the patience to approach such a forbidding book – sprinkled as it was with garish, baroque images of unfamiliar deities and photos of entranced Indian men and (a few) women loosely draped in white or orange ‘cult’ costumes,  among images of young American hippies in the 1960s with matted hair and silly grins.

But the backstory about this book was different enough that I gave it a go.  A good friend, a funny, light and holy modern man, Joshua Greene, had given it to me a week earlier, when I’d told him about my personal quest to cross the threshold into a more meaningful next decade.  ”Read this,” he said.  ”Radhanath’s a good guy; and it’s a great story.”  Thanks to the In Silence Together practice you wonderful women have given me, I put my Western cultural snobbery on hold for a day, and found god in this book.

The Journey Home, by Radhanath Swami (earlier known as Richard Slavin) is the episodic story of an American action hero hellbent on finding god. Sure there’s an inner journey eloquently told here, but the physical danger, geopolitical intrigues, personal confrontations, and otherwise overwhelming odds this peaceful Odysseus faces on his way ‘home’ are as breathtaking as any James Bond has mastered.  I can’t wait for the movie!

At the end of the day:  Radanath’s burning longing for god reignited mine. His discovery of god is mine, too.  One that I periodically glimpse:  the merging of the sweetness of utter love and compassion with day to day effectiveness in the world.

A few days later, I had the extraordinary experience of meeting and speaking with Radhanath Swami at the Jivamukti Yoga Center in Greenwich Village.  I saw the integration in action: His eyes had that burning coal look of the mystic – but his speech the frank, practical focus of a middle-aged American.  It has long been my dream to lead with love as the filter of my moment to moment choices. I have seen it in action in a few people: Radanath Swami is one.  He is the superhero I discovered on last month’s day of silence.  Thank you again, women In Silence Together.   Love, Elsie