Sweet Strawberry Shortcakes

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Ingredients 1 cup unbleached all-purpose flour 1 cup whole wheat pastry flour 2½ tsp. baking powder ¼ tsp. salt 4 Tbsp. chilled butter ¾ cup milk Fresh strawberries Fresh whipping cream Agave nectar (optional) Instructions Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Sift dry ingredients together. Rub in butter to resemble course meal. Gradually add milk and mix to form a soft dough. Gently knead on countertop for about 30 seconds. Roll out dough to ½ inch thickness. Cut into about 8 biscuits and place on an ungreased cooking sheet. Bake for 12 to 15 minutes or until golden brown on the bottom. Cut in half and top with whipped cream and fresh strawberries. Drizzle agave nectar on strawberries if desired.

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Sunday Spiritual Gathering

Learn and practice meditation with others in a comfortable, welcoming environment. Immerse yourself in an uplifting Kauai Kirtan evening of heartfelt and powerful call and response chanting, enlivening music interwoven with guided yoga breathing and spiritual insights from sacred yoga texts. FREE delicious vegetarian “Love Feast” to follow. WHEN: 6pm every Sunday WHERE: Our home in Anahola CLICK HERE to find out more about this great meditation evening!

Looking for Love?

What is life without love? Google “love” and you’ll get over a billion hits. Countless books, movies, and songs about love have been written and performed. The internet abounds with dating, matchmaking and social networking sites. It’s safe to say that we are all looking for love. How is it that the human spirit can survive incredible physical and mental hardships while sustained by love- yet we quickly wither and die of a broken heart? Why are we looking for love? It is because of the nature of spiritual energy. Yoga teaches that we are not our physical bodies or mind, that each of us is spirit in essence. The living being is a spark of the Supreme Spirit, and as such, a spark of love. The essence of spirit is love. A living being is not just “life” but a spark of pure love. Just as the very essence and nature of water is wetness, the very essence and nature of the living entity is to love and be loved in return. Being sparks of love, the living being wants and needs love. In fact, the living being craves and survives on love. The trouble for the soul begins when we look for love in all the wrong places. We are all looking for that perfect person to love, to take protection from and to cure us of our inner loneliness. We may go from one person to the next looking for that perfect person, but they always fall short and we end up disappointed time after time, experiencing “something is missing." Why is that?

We are a spark of the Supreme Ocean of Love and long for a degree of love that can only be found in the Supreme perfect person, no other individual can satisfy our complete need to love and be loved. We should not expect that anyone else can truly and fully satisfy us. The Supreme Person is the perfection of love. The Supreme Spirit is the Supreme Love, Beloved and Lover Whose very essence is Love. The very sound of His Names are the sound manifestation of Love. The Supreme Person is the reservoir of love and therefore the reservoir of pleasure for the living being. Our natural condition is to again experience the perfection of love by being united in a harmonious relationship with that supreme perfect loving and lovable friend. When we speak about the relationship between the soul and the Supreme Soul, we are speaking of love with all the characteristics that come with love; it is a love full of action and reciprocation. It is the world of Spiritual Love. If you would like to inquire further regarding the spiritual teaching of yoga and how you can personally develop such spiritual love in your own life we warmly invite you to attend our Sunday Spiritual Gathering. In future issues we continue this theme of looking for love and explore how we can spiritualize our relationships with others.

Pure love for God ॐ is eternally established in the hearts of the living entities. It is not something to be gained from another source. When the heart is purified by hearing & chanting, this love naturally awakens. ~ Lord Chaitanya to Sanatana Gosvami * * * * * * Making Mantra a Part of Your Life Japa Mala Meditation is a wonderful way to start your day. Want a New Years resolution that will make a difference in your life? Whether you are a student, a CEO, a realtor, or a busy parent, meditation will help you to deal with life's challenges in a positive way. Meditation can lower your levels of stress and therefore have a positive effect on your body and mind. The benefits of meditation however, go much deeper than relieving stress. Through the practice of meditation a person can overcome anxiety and depression and experience an actual inner spiritual fulfillment or happiness. The secret to gaining the benefits is to practice it regularly. By starting your day with 15 minutes of meditation, you will find that your whole day flows more smoothly. The timeless art of mantra meditation has been practiced by saints and sages since ancient times to bring about the joyful state of self-realization. In this consciousness a person is free from temporary worries, anxieties and concerns and is immersed in a higher spiritual happiness and inner peacefulness. New Weekly Meditation Group We invite you to join us at our home on Thursday nights for an intimate evening of Kirtan meditation (call & response chanting). We will come together through "mantra" and focus on the higher purposes of life, gain spiritual knowledge and understanding through Yogic ancient texts and develop friendships while we water our inner seed of devotion and cultivate our personal spiritual gardens. This small group gathering enables us to dive deeper into the ancient practice of meditation, and re-connect with the Supreme Soul. Group Kirtan Mantra Meditation As this is an in-house spiritual gathering held at our home in Anahola Kauai Hawaii please contact us for directions and to RSVP

How Mock Meat Came to be!

Long ago in China there was an emperor who was unnecessarily harsh, even to his own people. Some of his advisers were Buddhist monks who understood the connection between a person’s diet and their mental and physical health. They wanted the emperor to become vegetarian to help him become a more peaceful person, but they didn’t dare suggest that to him. Instead they designed a cuisine where they were able to recreate any meat dish using vegetarian ingredients. From roast duck to seafood, all the dishes were realistic in taste, appearance and texture. The emperor went on eating all his favorite dishes, never guessing that they were vegetable based. The story goes that over time his temper cooled and he became a much more peaceful person, benefiting himself and his subjects!

For great vegetarian recipes see my website

Kauai Kirtan Mantra Meditation gatherings....

"An uplifting evening of heartfelt chanting, music and dance interwoven with guided meditation- followed by a free delicious vegetarian dinner" www.kauaikirtanjam.com

What is a Mantra?

The term is a Sanskrit word originally coming from the word "mantram" that combines the root "manas" (mind) with "tram" (Protection) Researching the Vedic texts we find that the word mantra is further explained as: to draw away the mind from the material world.


The Chanting of Mantras or rather "Spiritual sound vibrations" is the most effective way to draw the mind away from the material and re-awaken our inner dormant Spiritual energy, bringing further clarity and awareness of our true Spiritual form and real identity.
In the strictest sense, a mantra is a pure sound vibration that delivers the mind from its material inclinations and illusion. Chanting is the process of repeating a mantra. This act of chanting mantras is Mantra Meditation.

The best times to meditate and practice Mantra Meditation alone is the early morning before you start your day. However the congregational chanting and singing of mantras as group Kirtan is the most powerful form of Mantra Meditation, and highly recommended path of Meditation for this day and age.
-If you are currently living in Kauai or moving to Hawaii we invite you to come and share in this uplifting Mantra Meditation experience, we welcome you to share in our Mantra Meditation evening located on the North Shore of Kauai at the Hanalei Community Center, for more details please contact us http://www.kauaikirtanjam.com/

Why Meditate?

A regular meditation practice can have many beneficial results on different levels such as health, well-being, mind, brain and spirit.


Meditation is one of the most important techniques for spiritual development. However, it offers even more than that.

Why Should I Meditate ?

Here are the five most important reasons why you should consider practicing meditation.

• Meditation is healthy.

• Meditation is pleasant.

• Meditation can be a beneficial therapy.

• Meditation makes the brain function more efficiently.

• Meditation can lead to spiritual fulfillment.

• Meditation is Good for Your Health

After decades of serious meditation research by scientists such as Benson and Kabat-Zinn, the following health benefits of meditation have become generally accepted by the scientific community: Meditation helps the body to rest and regenerate by decreasing the metabolic rate and lowering the heart rate. It also reduces stress and helps with high blood pressure.

What is Kirtan?

Beautiful, heartfelt singing of sacred mantras accompanied by musical instruments like harmonium, guitar and drums. Kirtan is usually practiced as a call and response with one person leading the singing and everyone else joining in afterwords.
Participation in Kirtan focuses the mind very easily and naturally on the beautiful spiritual sound vibrations, which have the effect reawakening one’s spiritual consciousness. Kirtan lifts the spirit and brings joy to the heart.


The eternal wisdom contained in the yoga texts explain that mantras are spiritual sounds that purify one’s consciousness and bring about spiritual insights and inner happiness. Kirtan is the group singing of these sacred mantras.

Come experience Kirtan with us this Sunday 6pm @ Kauai Hanalei Community Center

"Rest your ears and soul and be transported to a place of inner peace and tranquility with this live chanting beautiful Sacred Kirtan."


for more information go to http://www.kauaikirtanjam.com/