Hurricane Sandy

[Webimpulse]

I'm pretty far inland when it comes to Hurricane Sandy, so hopefully it won't do too much damage to Rochester, NY...but still, everything I'm hearing about it isn't doing my anxiety any favors.

I don't know when this will be visible on the forums, but when it does get visible, I could probably still use your thoughts, prayers, and well-wishes. Trying not to fall apart in light of imminent disaster is kind of difficult. I'm hoping...praying for the best. I just hope I don't have to experience the worst.

[Jodhaa]

My thoughts are with you. I have family and friends In NY, NH and MA. They have been keeping me updated. So far, just power loss and a few fallen trees.

Stay safe!

[charitra]

Mother nature hasunleashed its fury yet again, this time the northeasterners have bornethe brunt of it. Thankfully the human loss is only 29, to the families andfriends a loss that can never becompensated for by anything. As a hindu I console myself quickly in thesesettings, an escape or defense mechanismif you will, that their atmas will acquire new bodies soon after completion of theirtime in astral plane and walk among us again soon. That works for me as I conditionedmyself over the years.

I hope Jainarayan from NewJersy is safe and will come backand tell us a few things about Sandy when he can. Namaste.

[Webimpulse]

Well, it's a day later and (most of) Rochester, NY is still intact. The hardest hit areas in Rochester were near Lake Ontario, which part of Rochester borders. Thankfully I wasn't anywhere near such areas, although I do feel for the people in them that got hit hard.

I actually have a dear friend who lives in NYC - that's one reason why I was so anxious. However, she lives in Brooklyn, and last I heard from her (which was last night, so my info might be outdated) Brooklyn was still intact and she was fine.

Admittedly, I didn't get much sleep last night, but that was more because of my anxiety than the actual weather...and that reminds me - someone on my blog actually recommended that listening to bhajans can do wonders for one's anxiety. But that's a topic for another thread. Right now, though, I'm thankful I made it through.

[ShivaFan]

Namaste All

I am in California, so I am having no effect of Sandy, other than seeing the news coverage on TV which is very worrisome. But I have been through it all, including flooding (and even a hurricane in Texas once when on a business trip), but here in California we have earthquakes. It was funny, just after one earthquake, I went to India on a vacation, and you cannot even imagine how many people asked me about the earthquake in India when they found out we were from California! "So you want to get away from the earthquakes, yes?" would be a typical question when they wanted to start a conversation with us.

Mother in Her aspect of Nature seems to always be a Mother when it is sunny and beautiful, but I sort of notice sometimes when Nature is really Rough and Tuff we think of Indra or the Vedic Devas and such - at least sometime I do! But Nature is always female to me, and no matter what I love Her! We just have to realize that we may "get in Her way" sometimes!

My parents live in the mountains, and there are for real Mountain Lions there and one even attacked from behind and partially ate a neighbor! I would generally tend to avoid a Mountain Lion, but all of the same I also love them. There are bears there, too.

Here is a secret. Just watch the birds. They will tell you a lot. If you study their ways, you will know when something like an earthquake or storm et all is coming. And certain birds will link up with you, and become very close with you and even form a symbiotic relationship of their own with you.

Nature is an amazing thing! It is Divine!

Today I think of the Raven, which is in fact the smartest of birds, more intelligent than the parrot.

Om Namah Sivaya

[Arjuni]

Namast�,

Webimpulse, I see from your blog that you are doing well; that's a relief, and I hope our other HDF members in threatened areas are either unaffected or coping well with the storm.

But I have been through it all, including flooding (and even a hurricane in Texas once when on a business trip)--
I don't know what's worse, experiencing a hurricane or being in Texas. But seriously - I'm from Louisiana and, along with an obligation to make jokes about our bordering states, Gulf Coast folk have over-much experience with the phenomenal force of the hurricane. I was asked, much like you were in India, "Oh, you must have come to Canada to get away from those storms, huh?"

Mother in Her aspect of Nature seems to always be a Mother when it is sunny and beautiful, but I sort of notice sometimes when Nature is really Rough and Tuff we think of Indra or the Vedic Devas and such -
That's an interesting observation. I have noticed that Indra is little-remembered until there is either droughr or heavy rain with flooding.
(Your thought ties in somewhat to your other thread on the burning of Madurai, too. In Cilappatikāram's 'sequel' Maṇimekhalai, the town Kāveripattinam is flooded and destroyed after the Chola king neglects the Indra Vizha festival that year. It seems this association with nature's "rough and tuff" as destructive and masculine, and/or named as Indra particularly, is quite old.)

But Nature is always female to me, and no matter what I love Her! We just have to realize that we may "get in Her way" sometimes!
Years ago, I was studying environmental science in university and heard a lecture from a geology professor, explaining how human efforts to circumvent disasters often made disaster effects worse. His example was that river flooding is cyclic, but has become worse in recent years in built-up areas, in part because non-porous concrete can't hold water like porous soil can. We indeed "get in the way" sometimes - often when trying to impose our ideas of how things shouldbe, over how they actually are.

Nature is an amazing thing! It is Divine!
It is indeed a glorious manifestation of the beautiful/terrifying/all-encompassing Divine. A piece of divine truth is offered to us in the observation of Nature's processes and patterns.

[McKitty]

Vanakkam,

I am glad you're safe ! But I am worried about JaiNarayanji....If you have news please share with us

I don't have much access to news for now, but I heard everything was going better there...

Stay safe !


Aum Namah Shivaya

[Jainarayan]

Namaste.

Vanakkam,

I am glad you're safe ! But I am worried about JaiNarayanji....If you have news please share with us

I don't have much access to news for now, but I heard everything was going better there...

Stay safe !


Aum Namah Shivaya

Thanks for thinking of me. I am here, safe and sound. We had some damage in this part of the NJ coast but nothing like other parts of the state, south and north of us. We have trees down, some having fallen onto houses. We were without power for about 50 hours, but there are parts of the region that may not have power until the middle of next week. We have a gasoline shortage because gas stations are not getting their deliveries due to the pumping stations and refineries having lost power. We are on an odd/even day rationing because there have been runs on the gas stations by people panicking and topping off their tanks.

[McKitty]

Vanakkam,

I am relieved ! Last time I saw the news there was only devastation, recently I heard that it went better but was still worried not to see you.

Be safe and strong


Aum Namah Shivaya

[Jainarayan]

Thanks again. There are parts that are pretty hard hit. Our prayers and hopes go out to people in those areas.