Help wanted, guru needed, please apply within

If you have never experienced the embrace of Amma (Sri Mata Amritanandamayi Devi) who has more lovingly come to be known as the “hugging saint,” you may think I (and thousands upon thousands of other people) are completely nuts when I tell you that I waited 11 hours for a hug. 11 hours! I know, insane, right?! I also have to preface this by saying, this isn’t my first time at this rodeo, so you have to trust me when I say it’s not only worth the wait – but patience is a virtue. And as a side note - patience usually isn’t my speed, just sayin’.Years ago my close friend Lysa had first invited me to go see Amma. She would consider herself a devotee, while I on the other hand would say I was a newbie on the spiritual path to seeking. My shingle was hung “help wanted, guru needed, please apply within!” My first visit to Amma was intriguing and beautiful to say the least...enough so that I have continued to go back for seconds.That said, even I was questioning my own sanity the other day – do I really want to get in the car, drive 2 hours each way, pay for expensive NYC parking, leave the beauty of the birds chirping in my quiet mountain town on a sunny summer day to head to the concrete jungle…to wait in line ALL day? The answer was simply - but of course!Truth be told, I could have been swayed, but Lysa stood her ground and off we went. The standing-in-line business might sound like a nightmare, but that isn’t quite how it goes down, in fact once you receive your token with a number on it – you are free to meander around until it is showtime for your group.From the moment you enter the space, you are enveloped by the energetic embrace of Amma – it’s everywhere, it permeates everything. Lines begin to form hours before she arrives. Many are dressed in white or richly colored saris and adornments. There is an undeniable vibration in the air. People smile. When Amma finally enters the hall and takes the stage you are witness to the beautiful unfolding of ceremony. Soon, thousands convene in a guided meditation and the energy feels as if it is swirling about you. Aaaah, the power of prayer.I don’t know what else to say – the hours melted away as we witnessed Amma begin her hugging, consumed aromatic Indian food, made new friends, shopped, perused books, beautiful beads, saris, Amma’s signature rose infused oils and incense, listened to chants, meditated and anticipated our turn.We were witness to something divine. We had been swept up in the vortex of divine grace. The actual hugging part of it all happens quite quickly. There are many people handlers organizing and standing about Amma. When your turn arrives you are placed on your knees before her and as she reaches out to you and pulls you into her chest – you are comforted like a child. The embrace is firm, she holds your head lovingly and speaks within your ear. I have no idea what she said, but I know those seconds within her arms stopped time.Amma embraces the world both literally and figuratively – but the larger take-away lies within the activation of the God within our selves – what we do with that gift, how we put it to use in our relationship to ourselves and others, what we do with our “hug.”Wherever you can convene with that part of yourself – whether you find it within a temple, church, building of organized religion, a yoga mat or a walk in the woods, or on an 11 hour line to embrace a hugging saint – this is a point of activation. When we activate love and compassion within ourselves, we have something beautiful to give away. I can find my guru in all of the above; my practice is activating my best self. Shingle down – my work is within.Only divine grace can clear the clouds of negativity. ~ Amma