A Zen Oasis In The Canals

Yesterday I was waxing philosophical about life and nature, and so grateful I got out of Dodge for an adventure into some natural beauty. Today I'm on my beach walk in the morning, and so in my head I made it all the way to the jetty at the end of the Marina before I realized there was a giant, stunningly beautiful Pacific Ocean right there. Your thoughts create your life.

I felt kind of bad about that, and took a moment to stop and acknowledge it, and breathe it all in. Then I began the walk home, and got right back inside my head. Some people were walking all slow and taking up the whole sidewalk on Venice Boulevard (drives me nuts, lately it's like walking behind people wandering at the airport), so I ducked into the Canals, both for the beauty and the open sidewalks.

Just as I was grumbling to myself about annoying people and gentrification and flaky L.A. people that don't return messages or do what they say and Ow, I got a hangnail and how can I personally stop climate change and ... a gap opened up in between some houses on the Canal, and I had to stop. It was a Zen oasis. Another reminder to CHILL.

I'm not super up on Buddhism, but I do know a big part of it is to be present. To Be Here Now. Organized religion has screwed up so much of the World, so I'm not a big fan. I did study pretty much all of it in College though, and I know that the overarching tenet they all have in common is to believe in Good. Just add an O to God, because everyone calls that something different. I think it all started as one thing, then like language and the game of Telephone, it spread out and people made up what they wanted to, but it all comes down to The Golden Rule. Do unto others as you would have done unto you. It's so dang simple to believe. But apparently so hard to implement. Faith is believing that we can.

I walked out of the Canals, refreshed, renewed, and reminded once again to be present. To be grateful. To be GOOD. And to try and have it last more than one day. Ommmmmmmmm.

The 50th Annual Festival Of The Chariots!

Yesterday was a beautiful day for a Hare Krishna parade, that's for sure. The 50th Annual Festival Of The Chariots brightened up Venice in their yearly celebration that brings music and color to all of Venice, regardless of religious affiliation.

You'll most likely never see most Venetians with shaved heads and saffron robes chanting "Hare, Hare, Krishna!", but that doesn't stop anyone from dancing and parading along with the monks of the order. I've been out of town for the last few festivals, so it was a delight to attend again yesterday for their milestone jubilee anniversary celebration.

My favorite part every time is when the unsuspecting tourists see this spectacle come upon them. Everything stops as the enormous, marigold-bedecked floats pass by, pulled along by Hare Krishna devotees. Everyone chants and sings and bangs drums and blow horns and the whole thing is just a visual and aural kaleidoscope of positive energy. You can see the wonder and surprise on all of the visitors' faces as the parade envelops them in a massive group hug. It's special, even if you've seen it all 50 times.

I saw a bunch of old friends, kids waving from atop their Dad's shoulders, tourists on tip-toe aiming for the best angle to capture this - to them - once in a lifetime deal. As the procession went along, it picked up more and more revelers, as passersby and the general Boardwalk crowd would join in and walk and clap alongside their fellow fun havers.

The only drag in the whole day - as it is every year - is the group of protesters that hold up their hellfire signs and yell through bullhorns about how we'll all burn in hell. Um. Yeah. Here's a whole group of happy people dancing and singing together in the sunshine, holding workshops about enlightenment, offering a free vegan feast to all who wish to partake, with everyone calling each other "Brother" and "Sister" - and they're the ones going to Hell.

 I highly doubt it, and also highly doubt that Jesus would condone the foul behavior of the (mainly middle-aged white angry biker looking men) Bible thumping agitators. But you know what, Free Speech. And the cops are there to separate the two factions, should it get out of hand, but mostly all the Hare Krishna party just laughs at them and their signs with the black metal fonts insisting on gloom and doom. Dumb.

The hatred was easily forgotten, however, in light of the explosion of color and joy that was going on all around.

Giant crowds lined up to get plates of vegan dishes (I see they've added Hawaiian shaved ice and cheese pizza to the mix now days so parents can get their kids to partake, I assume), watch the dancers, listen to the music, get faces and hands henna painted, , look at all the gorgeous saris and costumes, shop for similar stuff from India in the pop-up Govinda's store, and/or partake in the many workshops and speaker tents filling you in on what exactly this group of people believe. It's always felt a little cult-y to me, but I can't really be mad at any religion that is spreading the love like this, and in such a fun way.

There was much to do and see, but then, there always is in Venice. I had an important bloody mary meeting at The Townhouse I had to keep, and another, even more pressing engagement on the sand and in the sea (my Sunday worship) that was crucial that I get to in a timely fashion (and then a stint at Hinano's to make it a perfect Sunday in Venice!), so I had to leave the Hare Krishnas to it, and thank them for another excellent celebration in the heart of Venice.


Here's to 50 more!

A California Diwali!

When it starts getting cooler in Venice, and our weekends are no longer solely focused on the beach, we begin what we call "Field Trip Season." Checking out places and things we haven't done before, and yes, actually crossing Lincoln Boulevard.

Yesterday we kicked off the season in a wonderful fashion by trekking to Chino Hills to see the Diwali festivities at the enormous Hindu temple there. Diwali is the Hindu new year, and all the revelers and the temple itself were done up in the brightest finery. I had no idea until yesterday that this place even existed, and it's very impressive. HUGE. Driving past on the freeway, you'd think it was a Disney castle or something, but it's actual a sacred place of worship, with each piece (thousands!) of it hand carved and shipped over from India.

The people were so kind and welcoming, as it was very easy to tell we were visitors. I was one of two blonde people there, and people kept looking at us and treating us kind of special since they could tell we had no idea what was going on.

They would give us explanations, compliment our totally out of place clothes, and ask us if we were having a good time, at every turn. I was jealous of all the women, as one was more beautifully adorned than the next, in bright, sparkling saris and dresses. The men all had glitzy tunics on, and everyone seemed to be having a glorious time.

There was a "food court," a big tent serving up vegetarian Indian specialties. We didn't know what anything was, so wound up just asking for one of everything, and sharing it all together on the grass. One in our party declared it "The best Indian food I've ever had (*In America)." High praise, and I didn't concur, but it was pretty good for festival food.

Diwali is known as the "Festival of Lights", so as the sun set we headed over to the grounds in front of the temple to take in the cultural program. (We didn't get to go inside the temple because we were busy eating and they closed it down for the program. Dang.) I couldn't understand one word of the show, but there were guys in orange robes fighting other guys with spears, and people dancing up and down the grand staircase leading up to the temple.

The crowd held little lights like bike lights and waved them around the whole time, in lieu of candles, I guess. It was getting very chilly by this point, and we huddled together on a blanket drinking Indian chai tea and watching the fire lanterns rise from the top of the temple. It was all extremely beautiful, especially that it was all to celebrate a new year of love and harmony.

What a wonderful field trip! Learning, knowing something new, seeing new people and places, feeling like you're nowhere near this country even, expanding our cultural awareness ... those are the goals, and we're off to a great start. Many thanks to those who opened their customs and hearts to us, making us feel more than welcome. Happy Diwali to all who celebrate this lovely occasion!


*Thanks to Vavine for organizing such a cool field trip!