The Great Pine Tree
 

His and our beloved Nina Gitana
departed August 20, 2002 at 5:03 PM

The body was not sick. It had become very
fragile from the work given to her, and
the work was completed








In the Taoist understanding
we die into this world and are born
back into the oneness.



N i n a   i t a n a


Death: August 16, 1926
Birth: August 20, 2002




A Hopi Prayer

Do not stand at my grave and weep.
I am not there
I do not sleep.

I am the soft stars that shine at night
I am the thousand winds that blow
I am the diamond glints on snow.
I am the sunlight on the ripened grain.
I am the gentle autumn rain.

When you awaken in the morning hush
I am the swift uplifting rush
of quiet birds in a circled flight.

I am the soft stars that shine at night.

Do not stand at my grave and cry:
I am not there.
I did not die.
Nina Gitana with Master Kirpal and Mr Khanna - 1963 Tour

In the 1950s Nina was living in New York City. One day when she was visiting an art gallery a tall, very beautiful man walked up to her and asked, "Are you a gypsy?" She replied, " I call myself one." (Gitana in Spanish translates as "gypsy") Said he, "A gypsy is one who lives for love, who considers the whole world her home, and who has no fear of the unknown."

In 1963 when Master Kirpal came to Wawasiki a group took a walk to a large rock outcropping in the great meadow. As they were walking someone asked Nina what does 'Gitana' mean. Before Nina could speak even a word, Master Kirpal replied «Hymn of Life». And then years later In India, when Nina entered the room where Master and Taiji were, Taiji greeted her in a strong voice, «Gitanjali !»


Nina's whole life as we know it was Simran and Bhajan, and this she conveyed to all of us through her action and her words.

To many of us, Love, Beauty, and Stillness are the quintessense of who Nina is.

The first of the following quotes was said by her. The other two she copied in her handwriting and had saved them among others.

To quote Nina : "Love is the expression of the harmony of Naam. It is our attunement to Naam that opens us to Love. And it is Simran that opens us to attunement."

"When Beauty shows itself, all the essences of life converge in it as a center, and it therefore has as a tributary the entire universe." -- Source unknown.

"The stillness in stillness is not real stillness. Only when there is stillness in movement can the spiritual rhythm appear which pervades heaven and earth." -- Taoist text.

Those of us serving here, at Wawasiki, also remember her in this way:

A Taoist came and said she was a Taoist.

A Sufi came and said she was a Sufi.

An Ogalala Sioux came and said she was an Ogalala Sioux.

She lived the mystic heart of every school, in the still center, around which each revolves.

Nina with Sant Ji at Wawasiki

These were some of Nina's favorite quotes:

From the Diamond Sutra:

Nina and Sant Ji

Thus shall ye think of this fleeting world:
A star at dawn,
a bubble in a stream,
a flash of lightening in a summer cloud,
a flickering lamp, a phantom, and a dream...

"This is a universe of light-at-rest from which two opposed lights-of-motion appear to manifest the Idea which is eternally sealed in light-at-rest." (Unknown source)

"The fictitious movement of energy in consciousness is known as mind, and the expressions of mind, like the hissing of snakes, are called thoughts and ideas." (Unknown source)

Andre Michaux: "There is no one self. There are no 10 selves. There is no Self. There are only positions of equilibrium, one among thousands, continually possible, and always ready.

"We recognize only one Law, the Law of Harmony, of Perfect Equilibrium. (K.H.)

















Alice in Wonderland: "I see nobody on the road," said Alice. "I wish I had such sight, " said the king fretfully. "To be able to see Nobody, and at such a distance."

Walking with the Master in Wawasiki



This is an excerpt from a letter written by Nina to a Satsangi :

The Art of true living in which the mind and the body reflect the soul more and more deeply is a high and elegant art. The words of Leonardo da Vinci to an aspiring young artist hold true equally for the art of living and the art and science of spirituality.

« If thou wouldst be an artist, leave off all sadness and care save for thy art. Let thy soul be as a mirror, reflecting all objects, all colors and movements, itself remaining unmoved and clear. »

Leonardo's advice is the essence of interior solitude and seclusion, and also of meditation and true living (meditation in action). It points to a synthesis, bringing stillness and action together in an appropriate way.

We are leaving the Age of Separation and entering the Age of Synthesis.




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Last updated : September 2, 2002.