addition to the family!

holy $#!£

i just spoke to my mother and she told me that MY BROTHER GOT MARRIED YESTERDAY!!!

Akiko was leaving on Sunday to Japan to be with her family for New Years, and my brother was scheduled to follow a week later. The purpose of him going was so that her parents could meet him and he could ask for her hand in marriage. They have been together for about 3 years, and have been living together for about 2, and they even have a dog together. She really wanted her parents permission first, but with her visa expiring in less than 2 months she decided to just take the plunge and go for it.

They decided on Christmas Day, Thursday, but since Friday they were both working all day, and Sunday she was leaving for Japan, that only left Saturday. So they went and got some silver bands, went to the court house with one of his friends and one of hers (two witnesses required), and signed their papers! Then she went home to pack and he went to work. My mother called him that night just to say hi and see how he is doing and he told her. And she told me when I called her today to see how she is doing. They have already told her parents and so now his trip to Japan has been converted from going to ask for her hand in marriage to meeting his in-laws!!!

We are very excited for Joseph and Akiko Wakai Koumpounis!!!

And the plan is to all meet up in Greece this summer! the whole tribe will descend on Athens in June and we'll hang for 2 weeks. wow wow wow!!!

so according to my mother ... one down, one to go!

then i called my father in greece and told him the news that my brother is married. he was happy and asked me to ask my brother to call him. so i suggested that my father call him instead. so i gave him the number and he said he would call. i don't know how many years it's been since they have talked. then i broke the news to him that we are all coming to greece this summer. mind you my father sold our family house in the suburbs of athens, severed ties completely with the majority of the family, and lives with his partner more than an hour outside of Athens by the sea. My mother hasn't been to Greece sine 91, and my brother since 96. Needless to say he was shocked. i made it clear we are going as a vacation and if he chooses to he can see any or all of us but no expectations, no burden. he was still very shocked by the time we got off the phone. lets see what happens as it gets closer to the date.

what a morning!!!

happy happy happy monday
kisses and love and hugs and laughter to you all...

christmas in the city!

nisarga had hoped we would be spending it in goa. he had wishes of hot sun, sand and sea. but we agreed on delhi. why? because of friends. i absolutely didn't want to spend christmas on the road somewhere when there is the option of being with friends. especially since i recently cut my umbilical cord with my apartment.

so we descended upon delhi on the 22nd dec, monday, and started to make the rounds. we had not expected it but we had lunch and/ or dinner every day at someones place. nisarga was resistant to going out so much. it was only his second christmas out of poland and away from his family, so there were emotions to be considered.

and there was a cultural gap to be overcome... unbeknown to me. lets see. when i say christmas dinner, i mean dinner on the 25th. when i say Christmas eve dinner, i mean dinner on the 24th. and so goes for lunch. when are presents opened? christmas morning, no... not at midnight, in the morning. gotta give santa and the reindeer a chance to reach your place during the night right?

well guess what? most of the Europeans think otherwise. christmas dinner is on the 24th, and opening presents happens at midnight. so this resulted in confusion between this american gal and the europeans. how did i not notice this before? how did i not realize this difference before? well... i had not! so i double booked us and thought we had plans when we didn't. and nisarga was frustrated with me because the night of the 24th was so important to him and he didn't want to be with strangers, and i had booked us for two dinners and a surprise birthday party that night.

so what ended up happening? we went to the first dinner, with my good friend uffe and his mother who are both visiting india for the holidays; they are from denmark so this was the European version of Christmas dinner. His christmas gift to us was an exquisite dinner at the Imperial Hotel. There were oysters, ham, sushi, lamb, cow, shrimp, fois gras, cheeeeeeze, olives, chocolate, chocolate, chocolate and everything else you can think of. Nisarga, in honor of his Polish traditions, had fish (salmon and tuna, not carp) as part of his meal. (This made up for not being with Polish folk for this very important meal, a concern his mother had.) We finished there at around 11:30 and all we could do at that point was unbutton our pants before the button popped out, and take a taxi home. We put up the Christmas tree and decorations and passed out, never making it to the second dinner or the birthday party.

The next day we found that santa had come and left a little something for each of us. We went to my friend Kuku's house for Christmas lunch, and then to Anjali's house for Christmas dinner. This was the American version of Christmas. In fact Nisarga was shocked that when I called my mother and brother that morning, which was still Christmas Eve (24th dec) for them, they were not doing anything special. For Americans Christmas Eve is a day to spend with friends or simply prepare for the big day... Christmas.

Anyway, apparently I overdid it during those previous 48 hours because on the 26th my stomach said £&%! you. Yup!!! I had the runs big time. Perhaps this was the Greek version of Christmas... ala hard core partying Dionysos's style. Basically while I was asleep my stomach and intestines had an emergency meeting and having come to the realization that I was on a path to self implosion by food they decided to send me a message loud and clear: we are on strike until you stop treating us like a garbage disposal. And the whole system shut down. No one else from the dinner or lunch was sick, just me. I got the message. I ate nothing all day. In the afternoon I had a banana, and then some boiled potatoes with butter. As my dear friend Harris reminded, this was the time to be grateful I was not in some hotel room in the middle of who knows where, but comfortable with everything I needed around me, a western (sit-down instead of squat) toilet, and lots of toilet paper. Yes, I was dam grateful.

And so... we spent our first Christmas together. We listened to Christmas songs on our IPods all day for the whole week I think. And although there wasn't snow, there was plenty of chill, lots of good food, spiked spiced cocoa, way too much food, and so many good friends with loving hugs and smiles to greet us with.

Last Christmas I gave you my heart but the very next day, you gave it away. This Christmas...

Kisses to all and to all a good night!

merry Xmass and LOVE

WISH YOU

joyfull, blissfull, aware, sun/moonfull, meditative,abundant,prosperous, wealthy, healthy,naturefull, lovefull,beautifull, tastefull....

XMASS

much love
nisarga / eryk

12 days of christmas indian style

an oldie but goodie!!!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=owK5tHjL0aE

last minute christmas gift idea in case you are still searching...

Appetite for seduction: BK’s new fragrance

Burger King’s new Flame body spray offers an eau de meat for men

By Sarika Dani

TODAY staff

updated 6:27 p.m. ET Dec. 17, 2008

The way to a man's heart may be through his stomach, but the way to a woman's heart — according to Burger King — may be through a new meat-scented body spray.

While fast-food chains aren't exactly best known for selling signature fragrances, on Sunday The Home of the Whopper rolled out a men's body spray called Flame by BK. The 5-ml bottles are available for sale in Ricky's stores in New York City and on a dedicated Web site, firemeetsdesire.com.

If you're salivating for a chance to marinate yourself in flame-broiled flavor, relax: The experience can be yours for just $3.99 — a small price to pay for some seriously mouthwatering mojo.

"My assumption when I heard about it was that it would smell like french fries and burgers," said Luis Bejaran, 24, who manages a Ricky's store on Eighth Street in Manhattan. But, he said, that wasn't the case. "It's a combination of Axe body spray, TAG and this YSL cologne I have. It's one of those scents that's not sweet, and light at the same time."

While Bejaran said he would be certainly be willing to set his body a-Flame, his female co-workers were not so sure about its meaty merits. "It's not the best choice for a man," offered one.

Still, as of Wednesday afternoon Bejaran says the store had sold at least 10 bottles, and plenty more people had stopped in or called to inquire about it. Many were drawn in by the store's window display, which currently features "the Burger King guy, half-naked," said Bejaran. Only four Ricky's stores were lucky enough to get the "King" special window treatment, however.

It's true that the reclining, vaguely nauseating Burger "King" does not make for the sexiest spokesperson, but his appeal, like the fragrance itself, may lie in its ridiculousness.

On firemeetsdesire.com, Burger King takes pains make satire of the "sexy is serious" stylings of other fragrance campaigns, offering this description of the scent against a chic black background: "The WHOPPER sandwich is America's favorite burger. FLAME by BK captures the essence of that love and gives it to you. Behold the scent of seduction, with a hint of flame-broiled meat."

As with any decent marketing stunt, the whole Flame campaign has stoked the embers of opinion among fans and critics alike.

"I would not wear it out of principle," said 23-year-old Mike G., after seeing the slim silver package sporting art of a flaming heart. "It's from Burger King. I would never wear a cologne from a fast-food restaurant. It actually angers me slightly. I mean, the packaging says heartburn — what are they trying to say?"

Perhaps that beauty — as they say — is in the, er, nose of the beholder.

© 2008 MSNBC Interactive. Reprints

URL: http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/28284679/?GT1=43001

infinite nature

below are texts written in Annapurna Base Camp in Himalayas 4,200m.I was inspired by mountains, during 8 days trekking, which i did with Deepa, as a closure of 2008.

CREATION
who am i, whos inside me,i am my creation , day by day, only i create myself.
i am trying to remember that my thoughs are my life! i am god inside me, thank you
god for helping me to remember my i`s, ignite my fire and uncertainty.i am richness , so all treasures belongs to me, all universe, now, always and forever. the ring of the life has no closure,all will be changed, all is changing,the infinite circulation,the breath of death and life, for millions of years, and one second.there is so many experiences waiting for me and behind me.and yes i was here many times but i forgot to remember, i lost my memory, but i can be there in dreams and in my awareness, my recognising that i am only this , do i ask for so much?

PROSPERITY
i want to be now,explore myself, know myself,reach the inner core,be inside me. i want to love wholeheartedly, with no shade of ego, i want to be in union with all, and anyone who i am meeting in my life.deep compassion and understanding to our paths to our search and to final understanding of truth. i want to discover my skills, things i do best, to serve for humanity and be lost in it.i am total in my laughter, dance, tears, study,and my life. i am prosperity.i trust and have gratitude for every second and every day.the god is the body and the presence is infinity.this is my life in this second and one second before is not existing in my mind, dissapears like the moon during day, there is nothing left behind, only memories.now even this are dissapearing , there is nothing and everyyhing , now i can understand what was my fears.

DEATH
105 years , i could say its long , in fact its only 15 circles, every is so amazing, planned so much in advance by some unbeliveable forces.105 yers to experience all life to be ready and get friendly with this last day, last breath , last taste of life. what a miracle it is.more grey hair is covering head, i became more mature, more aware, more experienced, more beautifull, more peacefull, more gracefull and more confused.day by day, second by second, getting closer to myself.i am looking back into the life and i feel peace, all fears of death are gone now, only moment of my joy stays forever, and i trust to keep this memory in the last breath of my mind in the aware second , the last second.i spent so much energy on those worries, and none was materialised.death is my destiny , i am jumping in her gorgeous arms, death become alive in my life, i can fall asleep in total harmony.

Nadabrahma Meditation for Dec 12 Full Moon

found these instructions in another source so i copied them and sharing them here. they are more comprehensive then what i wrote before. hope you will join us...

Seated comfortably and with eyes remaining closed for the duration of the meditation:

First Stage: 30 minutes

Sit in a relaxed position. With lips together, start humming loud enough so that if you are doing with others you can be heard by them slightly. This is meant to create a vibration in your body. So what is more important is the vibration, not how loud you are humming. If it helps, you can visualize a hollow tube or vessel filled only with the vibrations of the humming. A point may come when the humming continues by itself and you become the listener. There is no special breathing, and you can alter the pitch according to what is working for you at that moment, and move your body softly and slowly if you feel the urge to (remain seated with eyes closed though).

Second stage: 15 minutes

This stage is divided into two segments of 7.5 minutes each. For the first part, move the hands, palms facing up, in an outward, circular motion. Starting at the navel or heart, both hands move forward and then divide to make two large circles mirroring each other. This movement should be so slow that at times there will appear to be no movement at all to someone looking from the outside. The intention is to give energy outwards to the universe.

After 7.5 minutes finish the circle you are making, and turn the palms facing down, slowly and gently, and start moving them in the opposite direction. Now the hands will come together towards the navel or heart and divide outwards towards the side of the body. Feel that you are receiving energy, whatever you need the universe is sending your way and you are open and eager to receive it.

Again, if your body feels like moving allow soft and slow movements to express themselves.

Third stage: 15 minutes

Sit absolutely quite and still, observing yourself inside.

“Relax and witness the body is separate from you, the mind is separate from you. Your only identity is the witness. The Sanskrit word for witnessing is Buddha!” - Osho

full moon meditation

Hello,

We would like invite you to joining us for meditation on 12th December 2008.

Antigoni and myself will meditate while fool moon night in Kathmandu @8pm. We will be doing one hour Nadhabrama meditation to connect our energies with mother Earth. This is the way to express gratitude for all that is provided to us every day, and to open ourselves up to receiving more fully.

The meditation consists of sitting comfortably with back straight and eyes closed and... :
30 minutes of humming,
7.5 minutes of giving (palms up and extend hands outward from the heart or hara making a circle outwards, bringing the hands back to where they started and repeat for the duration),
7.5 minutes of receiving (palms down, and extend hands outward to the side first and then forward and then back to where they started and repeat for duration - basically the reverse of the previous), and
15 minutes of silence.

Please join us any time between below mentioned time for as much or as little time as you can, and send your gratitude, love, compassion or simply think about Earth as a beautifull source which allows us for happy living. You do not have to do all or any of the above meditation, that is simply what we will be doing. We will be in Kathmandu, on a trek.

Date : December 12 , 2008, Friday.

Kathmandu Time 8pm-9pm
London Time 2:15pm-3:15pm
Warsaw Time 3:15pm-4:15pm
US/Eastern Time 9:15am-10:15am

If this time is inconvenient for you, you could connect with us for just a few minutes during this period, and then have a fuller meditation at some other time during that day. Full moon days, especially around sun set, are particularly strong for meditations and energy work.

wishing you peace, love and beauty!

with gratitude,
nisarga and antigoni dhyan deepa
--

"life is to relax, to trust, to rest, to love, nowhere to go, nothing to achieve, then the whole energy is available to dance, sing, celebrate and live".
Osho

"If your cup is small, a little bit of salt will make the water salty. If your heart is small, then a little bit of pain can make you suffer. Your heart must be large"
Thay Nhat Hanh

On Living...

The first two days at Pelling we walked around and visited different monasteries and wondered around. This was followed by two days of not doing much, the first coming straight after Nisarga’s bathroom session which was understandable. But by the second morning of not doing anything I started to feel edgy. And I wondered why. It took me a few hours to figure it out but once I did it all made sense (doesn’t it always?). All I’ve known all my life is living/ having a base somewhere and travelling for work or tourism. Either way those days are numbered and I’m usually seeing or doing something. So when it became obvious that we were going to use 2 out of our 4 days at Pelling not going anywhere (walks, monasteries, jeep tour rides, etc…), I felt like we were wasting time. Either we SHOULD take advantage and see more of what is around here, because we probably will never make it back to Sikkim, or we could have gone somewhere else, another town, and seen or done something different.

And then I realized… I no longer have a base! This is our first trip since I officially moved out of my apartment and I have been feeling the anxiety manifesting through my body but haven’t been able to understand it fully or articulate it or even pin point it because it’s so absolutely new to me. For example, since the recent workshop we did at Osho-Nisarga, the one right after I moved out, I’ve had a cold and I had diarrhoea for a few days. But most dramatic has been the fact that I have been picking my fingers endlessly. This wasn’t the case during Vipassana or Gurdjieff workshops. It was a huge contrast. And I just couldn’t stop. Poor Nisarga would grab my hands and hold them and say “please stop”. I just couldn’t. Why was I back in that self-mutilation mode, why was I being violent against myself, what aggression/ stress/ anger/ pain needed to get out?

So no longer having a base means I am not on holiday from a base, I am not going back to any particular place, I am constantly travelling or… I’m just here… now. And that now is right now, and maybe up to some days, and that’s not much stability, and that’s ok. I have to learn to incorporate “living” time “on the road”. As in just hanging out and reading, internet, watching movies, writing, etc. Normal stuff. And when I realized this I felt so much calmer. I am right now hanging out and Pelling happens to be the backdrop where I’m doing that. Great! And it’s ok that there is no home to go back to, that there is not a travelling from or to, this just is. Our next home (as in hotel) is unknown, as is the road, and that is ok. I don’t have to count the days of my trip or holiday, I don’t have to rush, I don’t have to take advantage, I don’t have to do anything just because I’m somewhere new.

So what did we do during our two days of just living? We watched “March of the Penguins”, which made us feel warmer in our surroundings! We also watched “The Secret”, my first time and Nisarga’s 7th or so. And we watched “What the Bleep Do We Know”, which we have both seen a few times and highly recommend both of these last movies to everyone! We listened to Deepak Chopra’s entire audiobook “The 7 Spiritual Laws of Success”, also highly recommended, and to Osho discourses. We went on line at the town’s only internet point, with 3 computers, and checked for workshops we want to do over the summer and other things of interest. And we called my mother on skype and wished her a happy 65th birthday! Nisarga, being the incredible romantic and loving pure soul that he is, ordered my mother a red rose to be delivered to her job on her Birthday! He did some yoga, and I read the transcripts from 7 of Obama’s campaign speeches from his book “Change We Can Believe In” which Nisarga picked up at the hotel’s library where we are staying. And we laughed and cuddled and enjoyed our days of just living. And on this day, I stopped picking my fingers again.

Thank you for your grace universe!

Buddhist Monasteries

Tibetan-style monasteries (gompas) are scattered throughout the state and were a highlight of our visit. Unlike the monasteries we have seen around Mcleodganj or the ones I have seen in Leh, these are approached through long roads of tall, colourful, prayer flags set on long bamboo poles, adding a royal feeling to the ambiance.

Just outside of Gangtok we visited Rumtek Gompa, the surrogate home of Buddhism’s Kagyu (Black Hat) sect. We sat for a one-hour vipassana meditation in the monastery building which was very soothing for us both. The monastery building was constructed between 1961 and 1966 to replace the Tsurphu Monastery in Tibet, which was destroyed during China’s Cultural Revolution. The giant throne within awaits the crowning of Kagyu’s current spiritual leader, the 17th Karmapa (of the level of the 14th Dalai Lama), whose picture rests there for the time being. This young lama fled from Tibet in 2000 but is based in Dharamsala because Indian authorities have prevented him from officially taking up his Rumtek seat out of fear of upsetting the Chinese government. Perhaps that is why there was so much military presence at the complex. In fact, I think we saw more camouflage and arms and boots then we did maroon robes and shaven heads. The sect is called Kagyu because of the priceless ruby-topped headgear used to crown the Karmapa (spiritual leader) during key ceremonies. Being woven from the hair of angels, as it is said, the hat must be kept locked in a box to prevent it from flying back to the heavens. Nobody has seen it since 1993, when the 16th Karmapa died. Only when the 17th Karmapa is finally crowned will the box be unlocked again. We really hope that is soon, because the military’s presence is absolutely distracting and disturbing to the whole peaceful and spiritual environment at the otherwise very village-like Rumtek Gompa Complex.

The Lingdum Gompa we visited near Rumtek greeted us with young lamas chanting at the end of their afternoon lessons and prayers. This soundtrack to the sun setting across the valley was enchanting. We found this Gompa vibrant and peaceful, beautifully decorated, and somewhat regal as it rises out of the forest and hill top.

In Pelling, we first went to Sangachoeling Gompa, the second oldest gompa in Sikkim dating back to the 1600s. Its magnificent ridgetop setting is reached by a steep walk up between a walled passage. Once there, there were several white washed stupas enclosed in long prayer flags to greet us. We sat for one-hour in vipassana meditation here as well, and the drum beating, chanting, and other instruments played by an old monk on the top floor was a wonderful companion. Nisarga made an insightful point while we were walking up to the monastery, that while in Europe at ridgetops and at the highest hills you will find castles, because that is the best setting for defence against war, here you find monasteries, perhaps because it is thought to be the best setting to be closer to God.

We also went to Pemayangtse Gompa, which dates back to 1705 and is one of Sikkim’s oldest and most significant Nyingmapa gompas. Pemayangtse translates as “perfect sublime lotus”. Just before entering the compound there is a sign that reads: “These iron poles with prayer flags are dedicated to all sanctient beings of six different realms for eternal liberation and particularly for the under mentioned persons and victims by negative forces…” The numbered list includes “Twin Towers 9/11”; “Coalition Forces in Iraq”; “Sergio-De-Melo (U.N. Envoy) and Anna Lindh”; “Madrid Train Blast”; “Iran Earthquake 2003”; “And to the victims of genocide, mass murder, ethnic cleansing round the world, Yugoslavia, Serbia, Haitia, Rwanda, Nigeria, Zimbabwe, Liberia (Monrovia), etc”. WOWOWOWOWOWOWOWOWOWOWOW!

This compound is ringed by gardens and traditional monks’ cottages. We sat for a one-hour vipassana meditation here as well, but I must admit I could not remain centered the full hour with the sounds of the young lamas outside and the small but lively birds flying in and out. Upstairs, fierce looking statues depict all 8 of Padmasambhava’s incarnations. And on the top floor is an astounding seven-tiered model of Padmasambhava’s heavenly abode which as hand-made over the course of five years by a single dedicated lama! WOWOWOWOWOWOWOW.

Who is this Padmasambhava guy you ask? According to our travel bible, The Lonely Planet: “Known as Guru Rinpoche in Tibetan, Sibaji in Nepali/ Hindi, and Padmasambhava in Sanskrit, this 8th-Centrury ‘second Buddha’ is credited with introducing Tantric Buddhism to Tibet. Padmasambhava statues and murals are common throughout Sikkim. In his most classic form, he’s usually shown sitting cross-legged with wild, staring eyes and a trisul rod tucked into the folds of his left sleeve. This leads to the form with a trio of heads in progressive stages of decomposition representing the three kayas (aspects of enlightenment). Padmasambhava has 7 other alternative manifestations. The most striking of these, Dorje Bhurpa Vajrakila, shows him with three frightful heads and a lusty wench gyrating on his groin.” Thank you Lonely Planet.

Now a bit about Buddhist Tantra from our tantra teacher Ma Ananda Sarita: “The word Tantra is Sanskrit and has several interpretations, including ‘the way’ but also ‘methods’ and, in an expanded sense, ‘methods of going beyond’. It can mean ‘transformation’ and, in an expanded sense, ‘transformation of poison into nectar… In Tibet, the marriage of Buddhism with the native ancient Shamanistic Bonn religion gave Tantra a very different background. It is more death-oriented, with adepts meditating in graveyards or imagining their consort as a skeleton. Through this type of meditation you can transcend sex and thereby birth. It focuses on leaving behind the wheel of birth and death and the transcendence of the physical dimension.”