Ganapati and Me - A Love Story

When I began my travels in India, I noticed that almost every car, rickshaw, bike, bus, home, shop ect. had a statue, sticker, cloth or some form of material that was printed with elaborate images of a shiny elephant. When I came to find out more about this image, I learned that many people in the Hindu tradition look to this particular god for protection, success and any form of safety in travel or new journeys, hence seeing many of them on the front of motorcycles and car dashboards. So when I began my motorcycle journey in India, I followed suit and got myself a sticker that I placed on the front of my bike.

For the next year, I was placed in situations on and off the road that most people from back home in the USA would feel life threatening. Swerving people crossing the road at top speed, coming centimeters away from being swept off the road by cars, buses and lori's (the indian 18 wheeler). I was stranded in secluded areas where my bike would break down, I even had a few accidents while traveling. But here I am, in one piece and the most that ever happened was a small cut or a bruise. For some reason, I always felt guided and protected on the journey and felt more safe then most of the roads back in the USA. Now this could be for many reasons, due to the fact that I always feel guided and protected, but, when I first passed a real live elephant crossing the road and captured the wisdom and depth in the beings eyes, the strength and grace in its movements, I felt there had to be some connection, physically and spiritually, and that is what a lot of the Hindu tradition is about.

Then I arrived in Mumbai, a few days before this Ganesh Chaturthi festival that I mentioned above. Something was pulsing when I arrived and when it started, people came in hoards and sang GANAPATI BAPA MORIYA on the streets, played loud music, drummed the night aways and sang songs to idols of many sizes all with the elephant god shape. Each one was unique with different dress, expression and style, almost tailored to the family, usually a family of 70 + members, that was hosting it. I could not help but get involved.

A dear friend invited me to his home for the celebrations and even let me carry the idol home (which is a great honor in the tradition) which immediately got me in the spirit of the whole festival. The next I tailored some hindi words and made my own mantra for the season and began sharing it will people from all walks of life and it was a huge hit!!

So now, almost 4 years later we are here in Mumbai celebrating the festival again. Later today I will go to the beaches where the immersions began and sing the night away with all the devotees, smiling and relishing in the gratitude that I feel for my connection to this Hindu God and India itself. To me, all of this is part of the joy of life, finding something you believe in, devoting time, words of prayer and love to it. So whether it is a hindu god, a book, a song, a relationship or a garden, our devotion keeps us alive, feeling high inside and I thank India, Hinduism and Mumbai for keeping that wonderful spirit alive!

Ganapati Bapa …. Moriya!!!!

Enjoy the song and journey and thank you always for your support and love.

You can thank Julie Isaacs for this incredible dipiction of the journey through her real life artistic style.

Here are a few more links about Ganesh and the holiday if you are interested ….

Ganesh

Ganesh Chaturthi

How Being Quoted Helps Release Ego - Driven Patterns

Are you being quoted?  Maybe it is time to start.

What do quotes do for us?  Most of the time, they inspire, intrigue or move us into action.  One quote resonating deep in the human heart can change the entire course of a life.  So, why aren't we all quoting ourselves.  I am sure each and everyday we say at least something worth sharing as a quote.  hmmmmmmm ……

So, Lately my wonderfully persistent partner has insisted on posting quotes of me on Facebook as she very logically puts it "The things you say inspire me and many others, so why not put them out?"  Now being the Mr. Cool guy I can sometimes be, attempting to be egotistically humble in many instances, I was completely resistant to the notion.  What will people think, "Who does he think he is?" "Guru Pohnke!"  I just say things that come to my heart and occasionally they come out inspiring and moving.  Everyone does this, so why do I need to be quoted? Then I started to dive deep into it and saw the potential to grow through this very process.  

My first step would be to let go of caring at all what other people think!  For every person out there that judges the fact that there are quotes of me lingering on Facebook, there are possibly 10 or more that got inspired or even an AH HA moment from the quote, much like what quotes have been doing for me in my life.  

The next step is to KNOW and HONOR that some incredible sayings COME THROUGH ME!!!  I have moved many people through the things that I say, so why not take it a step further and move some more.

The next step is that Words Create Reality.  We just released a song and a webpage about this very topic which you can check it out here.

The Final and MOST crucial step is to step back, away from the ME that we all believe is saying anything.  Away from the label of Daniel Tyler Pohnke into that empty, receptive place in which inspiring words have a chance to come through.  In this place, the I that is Daniel Tyler Pohnke becomes that which is manifested in every single being on Earth and beyond and what needs to be expressed in the particular moment comes through with effortless grace and ease.  Sometimes that is a brilliant quote, sometimes it is poetry and other times it might be just mere words, but words have the power to move worlds, so collecting the best of the best and putting it out into the world might be just what the world needs as well as giving us the chance to KNOW each and everyone of us has that seed of consciousness sprouting inside at all moments.  What seems to have happened is that many of us just have it covered up by layers of conditioned responses to situations, which cause us to use words that disempower ourselves.  

I say let's change the paradigm!  From now on, when something incredibly brilliant comes through you that you know just moved you or someone around you, write it down.  This will double the power of what you said subconsciously and consciously.  Then, have a nonjudgmental loved one (trusting you have one) post it on their Facebook wall, or make a picture quote like we all love these days.  Then watch as the world of delusion (usually our own minds first) attempts to rip away that brilliance by making fun of you and tearing you down, and in that moment, you will have an opportunity to evolve and what will probably happen is you will have more people actually responding positively to what has been quoted because that is the type of energy that you have put out.  And then will be the test, Can you stand behind the words that pull you and others up, you will you succumb to the low energy forces that attempt to pull you down?  

It will be and interesting journey, but indeed one that will bear incredible fruit, and one day, possibly one day, we will have a whole wall full of incredibly uplifting and inspiring quotes from new names that you have yet to know, but want to, then we can look at the whole Messiah mentality society makes up by putting a select few on a pedestal and KNOW deep in our hearts that WE are that great, WE ARE THE ONES WE HAVE BEEN WAITING FOR!  That is for a whole different post.  

Happy Quoting!

"I LOVE YOU" - Daniel Tyler Pohnke

LETTING GO WITH A CONFESSION - ADDICTED TO FEAR MONGERING AND DEATH THROUGH VARIOUS MEDIUMS

This was written on May 24th, 2012 and I have been in the light now for long enough to post it :)

Sometimes I go through some incredible waves of semi-depressive states in which I will commence to sink myself even deeper by indulging in media that furthers ingrains fear and negative thoughts.  Today I am taking a strong hold to eradicate those things from my life, but, as with many things, I had to enjoy one last final ride.  Just like the night before I quit drinking, I got completely obliterated, and when I have my crazy "I am quitting sugar" phases I will eat a whole box of sweets.  I guess it is just the way I deal with things and today I am accepting that and moving on from the spiral of negativity that was recently activated by two sources, the Showtime TV show "Dexter" and the novel "A Fine Balance" by Rohinton Mistry First let me talk about Dexter.

"Dexter" is the biggest mind F@*@ of a show that I have seen in a long time. A quick description goes like this; the show is about a man whom from childhood needed to express his dark passenger through killing, so his father taught him to kill people that he must kill people that are killing other people for no reason.  Dexter has a code of conduct and morality and is charming and intelligent.   The show is completely addictive, adventurous, entertaining, smart, surprising, sexy, seductive and extremely dangerous to the sub conscious.  It is not a show that you come out feeling good. It is a show that, well I can imagine, is making people think in the ways of a serial killer.  MMMMM, such a novel topic at this time in humanity.  I can share from my own experience that this show lingers into my mind quite often when I was watching it.  I also remember having dreams of killing and actually enjoying it.  But I had to keep going with it, honestly, it was just soo good, but I needed the drug of Dexter out of my life, so I marothoned through it as quickly as possible and have now completely gotten it out of my life with no chance of return.  I pray that the damage is short lived as I continue to reverse the effects by streaming inspiring and uplifting content in on a daily basis.  I wanted to actually let go of the program around season 2, but, like many out there in the world, I was just hooked.  Let that be the last!!

"A Fine Balance" by Rohinton Mistry focuses on every single negative aspect of the Indian culture that you could possibly gather into the extremely long 600 pages.   His writing method has the ability to hook you into a brighter day, having hope for the evil, compassion for the lonely and love for all, but all this only too slam you down into his "so-called" realities of everything ends bad.  I wonder sometimes if art like this is actually doing anything for the world.  Maybe it sparks someone to make a change, do something better or live a better life, but how many people does it spark the preconceived and long time conditioned notion that everything is the world is F@#$$% UP!  Well, like I have said, I put it down, left it behind along with that deep seated part of my life that is constantly yearning to sink into depression. 

I just had a conversation with a friends son whom told me that every girl he comes into contact with becomes depressed!  WOW, what is happening out there in the world.  Come on, lets wake up into the light.  I have been on the ACTIVE side of the spiritual path for more then 5 years now, an may I say active because I have always had the knowledge but never taken wholesome action, and I am still yearning after the darkness.  Is it so deeply engrained!  

I NOW COMMIT TO THE UNIVERSE, TO THE MULTI-VERSE, TO HUMANITY, TO YOU AND MOST IMPORTANTLY TO ME THAT I WILL SPEND THE REST OF MY DAYS STEERING INTO THE LIGHT.  I AM USING DISCIPLINE IN MY ACTIONS THAT WILL SOON ERADICATE THE URGES TO GO INTO THE DARKNESS.  I AM LIGHT AND I SHINE BRIGHT.