Sumangali Morhall's Blog, page 4
August 18, 2015
Carpe Diem: Tales of Carpentry
Strange how one must choose at age thirteen the subjects that will determine an adult future. Fortunately, I now know they don’t determine anything much at all, but that was how it seemed.
Amongst the careers a child is encouraged to imagine, I’d settled on horticulture at the time. I remember neither why, nor what I thought it would mean. Maybe I expected a sort of early retirement, pottering in loamy soil, reading the weather in cloud formations, growing prize tomatoes. The reality would p...
August 2, 2015
Ashprihanal & Surasa Break 3100-Mile Records
On July 24th 2015, Ashprihanal Aalto completed the Self-Transcendence 3100-Mile Race in 40 days, 9 hours and 6 minutes. That’s an average of around 76 miles a day for 40 days straight, on a concrete pavement in Queens, New York.
Ashprihanal, 44, from Finland, completed the race for the 13th time. Though he’s won the race several times, he has never held the course record. He finished 23 hours and 10 minutes ahead of the record held by Madhupran Wolfgang Schwerk from Germany. He gives all cre...
July 25, 2015
Ashprihanal Breaks 3100-Mile Record
On July 24th 2015, Ashprihanal Aalto completed the Self-Transcendence 3100-Mile Race in 40 days, 9 hours and 6 minutes. That’s an average of around 76 miles a day for 40 days straight, on a concrete pavement in Queens, New York.
Asprihanal, 44, from Finland, completed the race for the 13th time. Though he’s won the race several times, he has never held the course record. He finished 23 hours and 10 minutes ahead of the record held by Madhupran Wolfgang Schwerk from Germany. He gives all cred...
July 10, 2015
Manhattan Book Review
Sumangali Morhall’s Auspicious Good Fortune details one woman’s spiritual awakening in beautiful, lyrical prose that sometimes reads like poetry. The rhythm and cadence of her voice is easy to fall into, easy to find peace in. This piece of writing is not merely a memoir or a spiritual journey or even an ode to a lost Guru and way of life that so few of us are able to find. Sumangali’s writing offers a unique window into the pacing and thinking of a person who has found a balance between her...
July 5, 2015
Sri Chinmoy answers
All 38 parts of Sri Chinmoy answers have recently been published in two hard-cover volumes. They are beautifully compiled and typeset.
Holding the weight of a volume in the hand is satisfying. When reading any question answered by Sri Chinmoy, I’m reminded of hearing the Master speak in person. I was always amazed how he would talk effortlessly on any subject. Perhaps it should not come as a surprise where a God-realised soul is concerned – his answers came from the universal consciousness it...
June 13, 2015
Philosophy, Religion & Spirituality
I found the following video refreshing. It raises many valid points, and asks interesting questions, though actually I would answer them differently to the way intended.
It was animated by Jonathan Hodgson to the words of philosopher Alain de Botton. The notes read, “The debate between believers and atheists usually goes nowhere. The real issue is: what should fill the gaps created by the end of widespread belief? What should fill the God-shaped hole?”
Without wanting to spoil it all with a...
June 7, 2015
Portishead Try-a-Tri
Had you said the name Portishead to me 20 years ago I’d have instantly thought of the band. Now I think of stopwatches and swim caps. I think of breakfasting on bread and tea in a squally coastal wind at dawn, and all the many things that happen before second breakfast–a hearty fry-up at the Lido. In short, I think of the annual Self-Transcendence Somerset Try-a-Tri.
No disrespect to the band – the fragile voice of Beth Gibbons got me through many a dark hour back then – but the fact is I’m i...
June 4, 2015
Flaubert’s Saint Julian
It was Oscar Wilde who said, “The only difference between the saint and the sinner is that every saint has a past, and every sinner has a future.” I don’t necessarily agree with the first part – not that I’m qualified to say –but there’s some hope for us mere mortals in the second.
Having had a bit of a grumble lately about saints not showing their human side, I was reminded of Saint Julian the Hospitaller – as described by Flaubert – and had to change my tune. Plenty of humanness there.
Stra...
June 1, 2015
Auspicious Good Fortune: Audio Book
The audio book of Auspicious Good Fortune is in production. Listen to the introduction…
May 31, 2015
The Best Spiritual Memoirs
(…in my subjective opinion). This is a work in progress – I hope to collect more spiritual memoirs and autobiographies here as I read them, and write more on the ones I enjoyed. Do leave me your own recommendations in the comments, as I’m always looking out for more. Although my reading is somewhat skewed towards the Indian tradition – because that’s the basis of my own spiritual path – I enjoy sincere spiritual writing from any background.
Acedia & Me, by Kathleen Norr...
