Picture: Mt. Vernon Dharmashala
A dharmashala is a shelter dedicated to right action or holiness. When Carla and I were able to purchase the Mt. Vernon house we definitely wanted to dedicate it as a place of right action, and to make it a place where through deepened meditation and activities for the spiritual Group it became a place of holiness as well.
When we first drove by and saw the For Sale sign and I stepped out of the car I loved the feeling of the land and very much liked the Cape Cod style of the house. “Wouldn’t it be wonderful to be able to buy this home,” was the wistful thought we both had. At that moment there was no associated thought that would be something we would ever be able to do.
Somehow through some fairly miraculous and timely circumstances, that unfolded a step at a time, we were allowed to eventually buy that very house we so circumstantially happened to drive by. However, buying the house was only the beginning of the adventure. The house had been built in 1950, and while it had been greatly loved by the Fishers, who had lived in the house for 50 years, it held much promise for many improvements.
From the beginning George and Christine gave so lovingly of their time, energy, expertise and financial support to make improvements on the house. I hesitate to mention the many helpers for fear of leaving anyone out, but Greg, Larry, Herlwyn, Bruce, Janice, Peter, Brad (and Sparky), Dianne, Andrew, Cate and Charmie all come to mind for giving of their time, labor and in many instances money as well for bringing the Mt. Vernon Dharmashala into a much higher expression of beauty and grace for all to enjoy.
Besides those who came for painting parties and working on the landscaping, there are those who came to meditate and pray. The number of Silent Saturdays with deepened meditation, the Services, Christmases and Easters, the baby and wedding showers, the guests who came to do their spiritual work all combined to create a spiritually charged environment. The house hummed and shinned with intense spiritual vibration that grew with each passing year.
Now, 10 years have amazingly passed by since we first stepped out onto the land and felt the wonderful vibration of the many cedar trees and the ground itself. I pray that each person who contributed to making this home a true dharmashala receive much in return for all that has been given. No words can express our feeling of gratitude and the deep mystery of what can happen when many willing, loving hands come together to create something beautiful for God.
It is time to pass this beautiful creation on to a family who will both benefit from, and add to the feeling and beauty this home has been created with. In thinking of putting this home up for sale my thought has been, “May the right family be drawn to this house and fill it with new happiness, holiness and find fulfillment here; be this for the highest good of all!”
After writing the above we received word that we had two offers in the works, and the first offer was upped to a full price offer after seven days on the market. I cannot help but think that the feeling/vibration of the house from all the spiritual work done there added to the appeal of the home.
Note: I went in for blood tests here at the Moab Family Clinic on Friday and will find out the results on Monday. I always offer a complicated medical picture as the internal experiences have “physical features”, so knowing what is physical and what is spiritual can be difficult to differentiate. I do feel this shortness of breath and at least some of the fatigue is a result of something physical which has prompted the further testing. We will keep you informed.