N i n a   G i t a n a

A Hopi Prayer

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.

These were some of Nina's favorite quotes:

From the Diamond Sutra:

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)

"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."

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.