A DHUNI EXPERIENCE

 
At Pilgrim Pines you can see millions of stars in the clear mountain night sky, even with a full moon, and the Big Dipper was right overhead.

I was late as usual, missing the O Parvardigar movie and the silent trek down to the Dhuni circle I enjoy so much, due to last-minute bookstore sales, but Marta Velasquez, a fellow Love Street Bookstore volunteer, had saved me a seat, and somehow she spotted me in the darkness. The weather was chillier than usual this year, and having lent out my warm shawl, I realized I was going to be cold.

After a while, the thought went through my mind "I am getting so cold I will have to leave," at which moment Marta spontaneously wrapped me from head to toe in a handmade quilt and whispered in my ear, "This quilt is yours. I made it for you." I was rather stunned. I thanked her.

Soon I was warm enough to switch from "Boy am I cold" to my normal Dhuni thought pattern: "I hope someone sings the Australian Arti, I hope someone sings the Australian Arti, I hope someone sings the Australian Arti," etc. The Australian Arti always touches me to the point of tears, and some Dhunis I get to hear it, some I don't.

I waited until the lines grew short, got up and stood in line. For a long time no one was behind me, and the line moved slowly along as people sang and played and recited wonderful words of love, but not that particular tune.

Well, guess which song was in the air when I was finally throwing my in my twig. The Divine Maggees started it right after I took my shoes off. I was walking on a cloud all the way back to my cabin, and slept well under the beautiful quilt, wondering how on earth I could ever thank Marta properly, or Baba for His incredible grace, or the Divine Maggees for their love-filled voices.

In the morning, I realized my Leatherman tool was no longer in its pouch on my belt. Thinking I must have left it at the Dhuni last night I walked back down to the Dhuni circle to look for it. I was surprised to find there were still flames in the Dhuni pit, and my thought this time was, "Here I am alone with a Dhuni fire, I must have thrown in the wrong thing, and compassionate Baba is giving me a chance to do it over."

So I knelt, and prayed "Baba, take from me whatever I am supposed to give you," and tossed my stick into the fire. It bounced right OUT of the flames! Seemed like a clear message to me!

I made eye contact with a big bunny in the nearby wildflower meadow as I walked up the hill to breakfast, and thought: never doubt that what you put in the Dhuni is the very thing you are meant to put in!

Oh, and my tool was in the bookstore!