My Teachers

Being with a Guru means studying and learning from a living example of our own spiritual potential - our divine nature reflected back to us. The word guru means “dispeller of darkness” in Sanskrit.

At the age of 19 I learned about the North Indian saint, Sri Neem Karoli Baba, known as Maharajji, by reading Be Here Now by Ram Dass. Reading about Maharajji’s miraculously saw into Ram Dass’s heart and mind awakened my heart, and I immediately felt - this is human potential, this is why I’m here.

I searched the brand new internet (this was 1999) and found that Maharajji had left His body in 1973. I looked into Ram Dass, and in 2001, went to an Omega retreat in New York with Ram Dass, Krishna Das, and Sharon Salzberg, who were joined by Bhagavan Das and Shyam Das. I requested to become a student of Ram Dass, but he didn’t take disciples, and already had caregivers at the time. I began chanting kirtan, reading Miracle of Love and being pulled deeper into the mystery of this being, Maharajji.

I wished go to India right away, but it didn’t feel possible. In 2004 I moved to Santa Fe, New Mexico to further awaken my creative spirit and be near the Sri Neem Karoli Baba ashram & Hanuman Temple in Taos. I enrolled in a masters in Eastern Classical Literature at St. John’s College. I studied the Sanskrit language and Eastern spiritual and philosophical texts, like The Mahabharata, Bhagavad Gita, Upanishads, Gita Govinda, the Tao Te Ching, Buddhist sutras, and works by Kalidasa, Chuang Tzu, Nagarjuna and Dogen. By the time the intensive year was complete, I had the foundation and the courage I needed to travel to India, alone!

I wanted to go to the places Maharajji had been. I got a letter from a devotee in Taos, and recommendations on how to get to the Kainchi temple. My first journey to India was full of gifts, challenges, and the most extraordinary surprise. Upon arriving in Kainchi after an eventful journey, I was told the ashram had not yet opened for spring… I couldn't stay, but I could have darshan. Darshan is seeing and being seen by the divine and usually refers to meeting with a saint, or visiting a temple. Having already seen the temple, I was confused. Then I was told I would meet Sri Siddhi Ma. Little did I know that Maharajji’s divine legacy was embodied by Sri Siddhi Ma (also known as Mataji or Sri Ma).

Over the next six months of travel in India visiting Maharajji’s temples, I came back to Mataji. She became my embodied guru and the focal point of my spiritual path, along with Maharajji. Mataji opened up for me the blessings of India, Hinduism, The Ramayana (Ramcharitmanas), bhakti practice, and a life of spiritual virtue.

After my first trip to India, I always wanted to be around Sri Siddhi Ma, to experience the direct teaching of being in Her presence and observing Her life. Maharajji was honored by Sri Ma in every way and Maharajji taught through Her. While I didn’t live by Mataji’s side as I wished, I did spend as much time as I could with Her on yearly trips to India from 2006-2012, and again in 2016.

In India, I was immersed in intense devotional sadhana (spiritual practice). In between trips, home in New Mexico, I did practice, went to therapy to integrate my experiences and made plans for my next pilgrimage to Her feet. I became wonderfully saturated in Ma, and in 2016 saw Her for the last time, thanking Her before She left Her physical form and took Mahasamadhi on December 28, 2017.

Much can be said about these beings and why people flock to them. In India, gurus are considered family members, grandparents, respected teachers, and representatives of the divine. While the Western mind may be wary of worshiping “a person,” being with a Guru means studying and learning from a living example of our own spiritual potential - our divine nature reflected back to us. The word guru means “dispeller of darkness.”And yet Maharajji said, “It is not necessary to meet your guru on the physical plane. The Guru is not external.”

There are many wonderful books about Sri Neem Karoli Baba and Sri Siddhi Ma:

• Divine Reality by Ravi Prakash Pande (Rajida) - get a digital copy HERE

• Miracle of Love by Ram Dass

• By His Grace and The Near and Dear by Dada Mukerjee

• Be Love Now by Ram Dass

• Love Everyone by Parvati Markus

• Whispers in the Heart by Parvati Markus

• Chants of a Lifetime by Krishna Das

• I And My Father Are One by Rabboo Joshi

• Deva Bhumi by KK Sah

• Sri Siddhi Ma: The Story of Neem Karoli Baba's Spiritual Legacy by Jaya Prasada

In spiritual coaching sessions I share:

• Stories about Maharajji and Sri Siddhi Ma, as well as other saints and spiritual teachers.

• Teachings handed down through Maharajji’s quotes and Sri Siddhi Ma’s direct instructions to me and others.

• How I was taught to practice based on my many weeks in Maharajji’s Kainchi, Vrindavan, and Rishikesh temples and ashrams.

More than anything, I am here to convey Their divine reality - awakening the excitement, longing, and drive for your own.

Realized beings are conduits of grace. Maharajji said, “Anyone who comes before my photograph is seen by me.” In spiritual coaching, they are here through me, to help you.

*This site includes images gathered from various sources, many of which circulate widely without clear attribution. If you are the creator or rights holder of an image and wish for it to be credited or removed, please reach out — I’m happy to honor your request.