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Om Amriteshwaryai Namah!

This devotional page is offered at the Lotus Feet of my Satguru Sri Sri Mata Amritanandamayi Devi, known as "Amma, the hugging saint."

I'm Stacy. My whole life is devoted to spirituality. It is a passion of mine. I live and breathe it. I am so in love with Amma! I follow the path of bhakti yoga (path of devotion). The bhakti path is more powerful than the path of meditation (raja yoga) because just five minutes of crying to God equals to one hour of meditation. Every tear we shed for our Guru, Beloved or God is a step closer to Her/Him. Amma always comes to you when you cry, long and call out to Her.

Devi is ever merciful and grants Her devotee's deepest desires.

When the student is ready, the teacher appears.

Prior to meeting Amma for the first time in June 2005, I really knew nothing about Her except that She was called "the hugging saint." I first heard of Amma on a travel show called The Lonely Planet a few years ago. The hostess Justine had visited Kerala and had Amma's darshan (holy audience) in Amritapuri. She came out of the temple, so touched with tears on her face. I thought to myself If I were ever in India, I'd want to have Amma's darshan. Little did I know that I was destined to not only meet Amma, but to actually be intensely devoted to Her with all of my heart, mind, body and soul. I had never read anything about Amma.

One day in June 2005, my friend had told me that she found some information on the internet that Amma was going to be in California next week and wanted to go see Her. When she told me this, I was surprised that Amma was going to be in California! I had no idea that She came to the USA. As soon as I saw Amma's face on Her USA website, I knew I had to go! It was not a question at all. It was like my mind reacted real fast. So I went with my friend the following week to have Amma's darshan at Her San Ramon, CA ashram. I ended up being the very first person in line to receive Amma's darshan. I was sitting in front of Her while She was meditating. I had my eyes open not meditating and looking at Her thinking Who is she? I was just so curious and intrigued by this really small woman who was the most beautiful human being that I had ever laid my eyes on. There was such a graceful way of walking and looking at all of us that Amma had.

When I had my first hug with Amma, She hugged me twice and motioned for me to sit next to Her. Just watching Her give Pure Love to all that came to Her, I felt that Love overflow to me too. It filled my heart to the brim bringing me to tears. Something so silent, beyond words and yet so powerful was happening here. I knew I was in the presence of a truly Holy Person. I felt like I had come "home", I recognized the feeling, like I belonged there with Her. I went through life not knowing what it was that I was missing until I experienced it. It felt so natural and right to me. That was the day I knew I had met my Master without a doubt in my mind.

A couple of days later, I went back to Amma's program on Devi Bhava (a celebration of the Divine Mother)night. When I had my second darshan with Amma, I also waited for my turn to get my mantra from Her. You have to first ask Amma for a mantra, and if She says yes, then you can line up to receive it on Her right side of the seat. When it was my turn, I was just so happy to be next to Her again. As I got the piece of paper with my personal mantra, I did not know how to pronounce it. As if She could read my thoughts, Amma turned to face me and started mouthing the mantra to me. I repeated after Her. Amma knew I was deaf without my ever telling Her that. I was smiling so big to get this precious gift which meant the world to me! I ended up giving Her a big hug back! I had become initiated by Amma that night which is a huge blessing. When you become initiated by a Satguru, they become responsible for you, taking you under their wing watching your every move and thought, guiding you on your way home to God. They carry us over the Ocean of Transmigration.

Alright, a little bit about myself here for those who are curious. I'm usually a quiet and very observant person. Social scenes are not my thing and enjoy my own company, usually content with very few close friends in my life. I'm a minimalist. I don't need a lot to be happy as I have learnt to find happiness and peace from within. My spirituality has given me that strength to face anything that life throws at me. It is an accomplishment to be at this point in life and not without hard work and inner searching. That is where the real wealth is, within ourselves as it can never be taken away.

I embrace everyone's personal beliefs and paths they chose to follow. All religions are different rivers leading to the same ocean. Ramakrishna has said that a house has many doors; one isn't better than another. There are different ways to reach God, not one way is wrong. We don't tell people what kind of food they must eat nor do we tell others which mode of transportation is the best and only way. There's no reason why we should do the same thing towards others when it comes to their spiritual/religious beliefs. love Him!

I love reading books about Hinduism, and the wisdom of saints and sages. They are an amazing source of inspiration and love! I get blissful when I am surrounded by images of Hindu dieties and saints. It's like I just can't get enough of God's Love! I have learnt that to truly make an impact in this world is to first change myself because when we change for the better, it naturally changes people around us effortlessly. Plus if we do small things with love, they can create positive waves that are long lasting. I want to live my life bringing more love and light to others in anyway that I can, leaving the world a better place than when I came in. Then I have succeed in making use of why I am put here.

I share my life with my financée Maheswari. She fills my life with so much love and beauty. We certainly are two peas in a pod. I've been deaf all my life and speak/lip-read. I do know sign; however, that is not my main mode of communication. I welcome like-minded, open and spiritual people of all walks of life. Those whom are only interested in spamming junk will be blocked and deleted, so don't bother with that here! May Amma shower Her blessings on all of you as She has done for me! Jai Maa!

I have 800+ Amma photos on my Flickr album. Find your favorite photos of Her there.

Amma-related links to check out:

Amritapuri.org - Amma's India Website
Amma's North America Website
YouTube Channel-Amrita Diary
YouTube Channel-Amrita TV (Look for the show "Ammayodoppam")
YouTube Channel-Amma Footage

Me by a statue of Brother André at St. Joseph's Oratory in Montréal. He was an amazing saint that healed thousands of people through his devotion to St. Joseph. The Oratory is one of my most favorite places to go, and I go often.

At the beautiful Hare Krishna temple in Berkeley, CA. Their murtis are gorgeous!