Srimati Shanti Devi is an ordained minister and Associate Minister of Divine Life Church. She was consecrated as Mataji by her Guru, Swami Shankarananda. She has been a devotee of Swamiji since his days in Washington, D.C., and began giving services in Baltimore around 1986. She is Church secretary and personal assistant to Swami Shankarananda.
Her career in the world was largely at the National Geographic Society as researcher-writer, editor, and managing editor. She has put the editing experience to good use in editing numerous publications for the Church and for Swamiji. Her own writings include articles for the Church publication as well as a book of poetry.*
She raised two daughters, now grown, and taught Sunday School for many years.
She is a Reiki Master and teaches all levels of Reiki to those who wish to participate in this healing art.
Her ideal is unconditional love, and she is indeed blessed to have such an example of this wonderful consciousness in her Guru.
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* READINESS
The chamber is carpeted with cherry blossom petals
of love;
The room is perfumed with the sweet incense
of devotion;
The walls are trellised with the tracery
of word-roses.
When the chamber has been made ready,
why do You not come?
O my Beloved, how can You take up Your abode
if I cannot keep the room in readiness?
One careless thought flings the room
in disarray;
A moment of impatience scatters the pink petals
like leaves before the wind;
When I open the door of forgetfulness,
dry winds carry off the sweet scent;
The world-drone drowns the still expectancy
and wilts the little roses.
Behold the laws of nature:
The flower cannot follow if the bud
is scorched by bitter frost.
Water cannot flow uphill,
but only as a declination draws it down.
Even the mother she-wolf makes a nest
ready to receive her young.
What gracious host would ask the guest
To help prepare the room?
I only dare ask You to ready Your abode
Because there is none other help:
You are both the host and the long-awaited guest.
