Madhu Bazaz Wangu

Happy New Year to All from Our and Our Daughters' Homes!

Here is the auspicious platter to welcome 2024. It includes bowls of milk and yogurt, sugar and salt, fresh and dry fruit, flowers, book/notebook, pen/pencil, gold/money and a mirror. The items are placed over uncooked rice. Other items may include hot chili, pods of tamarind or similar items. At the end of the day each ingredient is transferred back to their containers.

Rice symbolizes sustenance and gold/money, abundance. The transformative process of milk turning into yogurt signifies the skill, method, duration and patience it requires for a task to bud, blossom and fructify. Fresh fruit and flowers celebrate the fullness of life; dry fruit, the passing of time. Sugar, salt, sour and spice signify inevitable emotions that are experienced through the year. The mirror reminds us to look frequently at ourselves during the year to assess ourselves, contemplate our thoughts and cultivate kindness to experience physical and emotional health, joy and contentment.

With Heartfelt Gratitude and love,
Madhu Bazaz Wangu

The journey to explore mindfulness and unblock your creative flow begins tomorrow!
Join us at Online Mindful Writers Group (OMWG) at: https://tinyurl.com/ycktmxwn

Last day to buy Unblock Your Creative Flow eBook 50% off at Smashwords: https://tinyurl.com/2p8aj9td

New Year Eve

ONLY FOUR DAYS LEFT FOR OUR MINDFUL EXPLORATION TO BEGIN!
Here is the link: OMWG: https://tinyurl.com/ycktmxwn

Mindful journey to Unblock Your Creative Flow begins in Five days! Act now!

Plan ahead. Buy ebook, Unblock Your Creative Flow on sale (50% off) at Smashwords: [https://tinyurl.com/2p8aj9td]

Also, two short stories, The Last Flame and The Blackened Mirror are FREE at: [https://tinyurl.com/2yedu7m2]

SALE ENDS ON DECEMBER 31!!!

Happiest and the Most Joyous Holidays to Our family and Facebook Friends!

Interested in going deeper within yourself in 2024? Plan ahead. Buy ebook, Unblock Your Creative Flow on sale (50% off) at Smashwords: [https://tinyurl.com/2p8aj9td]

Also the novel, The Other Shore and two short stories are FREE at: [https://tinyurl.com/2yedu7m2](https://tinyurl.com/2yedu7m2)

Join Online Mindful Writers Group at: https://tinyurl.com/ycktmxwn

Looking forward to journeying with you in 2024!
Love,
Madhu Bazaz Wangu

Cherry Blossom apartment at Ashby Ponds is slowly getting into the shape we like.

Dear Mindful Writers and Readers,
Sunset, Carol Singing and Lighting the Christmas tree at Ashby Ponds. We had hot chocolate with marshmallows and cream. Wish you all were there!

Love,
Madhu Bazaz Wangu

In Cusco, Peru, prior to going to Machu Picchu, we stayed at Belmont Hotel Monasterio, a protected national monument and former monastery, dating 1595. We entered the hotel from the San Antonio De Abad Chapel. Our jaws dropped upon seeing its grand stone arches and gilt framed artwork. After wiping our faces and hands with warm wet towels, we sat on pews in silence.

Refreshed and excited we exited the chapel to enter the truly amazing hotel and fell in love with its central courtyard, gilded corridors, the walls studded with 18th century colonial paintings and artifacts.

The courtyard was intertwined with walkways and flowerbeds. At its center is the 300-year-old Andean Cedar tree. We were transported to a heavenly garden as some of us sipped a cup of Coca tea and some others a goblet of punchy Pisco Sour.

The hotel’s restaurant, El Tupay with its stunning Baroque architecture, served Peruvian cuisine: ceviche, Andean corn, trout from Pumahuanca valley and Ayaviri lamb. Opera singers and musicians entertained while we enjoyed an elaborate meals.

As we returned to our room from the restaurant, in the darkness the corridors were accentuated by lights. The illuminated arches framed the distant towns and the starry sky.

the world

Now, let the drums roll . . . here's Machu Picchu! Discovered in 1911 and named after the Old Mountain that followed us continually as we drove through a gorgeous forest up the mountain before ascending on foot.

We beheld "the most amazing creation of the Inca Empire at its height," as described by UNESCO. Here are the giant walls, stone terraces, stone steps, ramps and astronomically aligned structures for you to view.

the world

From Lima we took a plane to Cusco (Elevation 11,200'), high in the Peruvian Andes then a train ride and bus drove us through the Sacred Valley of the Incas. We viewed the stunning landscape of verdant farmlands, villages and ancient ruins amid cloud forest and terraced hills against the towering mountain ranges.

the world

I'm looking forward to hosting OMWG for the next two weeks. You're welcome to join at: https://tinyurl.com/ycktmxwn

Here’s my bio for those members who don't know me:

The founder of Mindful Writers Groups and Retreats, Dr. Madhu Bazaz Wangu is an award-winning author. Her two novels The Immigrant Wife and The Last Suttee, and two short story collections, Chance Meetings and The Other Shore have won awards from Writer’s Digest, Feather Quill, Readers Favorite, Book Excellence, National Indie Excellence, Indie Book and TAZ Awards. Her magnum opus, Unblock Your Creative Flow:12 Months of Mindfulness for Writers and Artists was release in April 2023. Currently she is writing her third novel and eleventh book tentatively titled, Meaning of My Life.

Madhu shares time honored practices such as meditation, journaling, deep reading and traveling using personal anecdotes to teach Writing Meditation Practice (WMP). The practice motivates, inspires and has power to make us better versions of ourselves. In previous years, she has posted about her struggle, trials and tribulations as well as joyful and pleasurable experiences that have come her way and taught her what it means to live mindfully, feel awe and afterglow of creative flow. She inspires novice as well as advanced creative people to become better writers and creators, and authentic human beings.

Dr. Wangu is a regular workshop presenter at writing conferences. She was the Featured Author at Beaver County Book Fest in 2017, and Inaugural guest-speaker at International Indo-American Literary Festival in 2020. The same year she won Pennwriters Meritorious Award, and in 2023 was the Lunch Keynote Speaker at their Annual Conference.

Madhu Bazaz Wangu's guided meditation CDs inspire writers to delve deeper into their creative self. The daily practice of meditation sharpens attention, deepens imagination, hones self-awareness and increases productivity. Available at: https://bit.ly/3kDRt4U

These include, “Meditations for Mindful Writers: Body, Heart, Mind,” (2011); “Meditations for Mindful Writers II: Sensations, Feelings, Thoughts,” (2017); and “Meditations for Mindful Writers III: Gratitude, Generosity, Self-Compassion, Trust” (2019)

Visit her at:
WEBSITE: https://www.madhubazazwangu.com
ONLINE MINDFUL WRITERS GROUP: https://tinyurl.com/MindfulWriters
AMAZON: https://tinyurl.com/MadhuBWangu-AuthorPage
INSTAGRAM: https://www.instagram.com/madhu.wangu/
LINKEDIN: https://www.linkedin.com/feed/
TWITTER: https://twitter.com/Madhu_Wangu

Historical Center of colonial Lima. Lunch at Casa Garcia Alvarado--a restored Art Deco mansion in Miraflores district. It was Sunday. Luckily we happened to be there when a procession, dedicated to Mother Mary, passed by.

Dear Friends and Family,
Allow me to take you on a much awaited photo journey to our travels in Aug/Sept to Peru and Ecuador. It was a long and exacting trip but exhilarating and action packed, as international trips always are.

I had not read much about Lima, the capital city of Peru. When we laded at Jorge Chavez Airport I regretted it. Yet the discovery of the city was a walking adventure. We arrived at the Hotel late at night, slept well and in the morning felt no jetlag. We were on our own. The Tauck tour was to begin the following day.

As The hotel concierge suggested we walk the length of Miraflores Board Walk overlooking the Pacific Ocean. A bustling metropolis at its periphery but at the center of Lima lies the well preserved colonial buildings. (Next I'll take you there) What a walk that was!

Dear Friends,
It has been almost two weeks since we and our boxes arrived to our new apartment. Our dining room is set as is the master bath and kitchen. We have explored our environs, they are gorgeous. See for yourself.
Sunrises and sunsets are wondrous from anywhere, especially sunsets from our dining/sunroom space.

Walk with me to and through our new apartment at CherryBlossom Square.
homes

Wexford, PA home all packed, loaded and in transit to Ashburn, VA.

community

You are invited to join a group of esteemed Mindful Writers on a yearlong journey to practice mindfulness and joy. The daily practice begins on the first day of 2024. Following my recently published guidebook, Unblock Your Creative Flow: 12 Months of Mindfulness for Writers and Artists, we will begin each morning by reading an inspiration, writing in a journal and following a guided meditation. Reading, journaling prompt and meditation link will be provided.

The 365-day voyage is bound to sharpen your creativity, stretch your imagination and hone your writing voice. With the regular practice of reading, journaling and meditation, you’ll dive deep into yourself to discover the gems and jewels that lay hidden within you about which you do not know yet.

If you are familiar with Online Mindful Writers Group, (if not become a member at:
https://tinyurl.com/ycktmxwn volunteer to guest-host and feel rewarded by discovering your own strengths and receiving insights into your creative work and personal life. Feel more confident as a writer and stronger as a person as you develop camaraderie with other Mindful Writers who encourage, empower and will share their own aspirations and goals with you.

Don’t wait, grab a month that interests you before it’s too late! March, May, June, August and November are still available. After choosing a month let me know by commenting here or messaging me.

OMWG GUEST-HOSTS: 2024

SOWING
Jennifer D. Diamond January Mindfulness and Journaling
Deborah Catanese February Attention, and Awareness
March Mindfulness and Meditation

SPROUTING
Donna Snyder-Lucas April Reading for Pleasure
May Deep Reading
June Mindfulness and Writing Poetry

BUDDING
Lorraine Bonzelet July Nonverbal Activities
August Mindfulness and Travel
Kim Gray September Stillness, Silence, Solitude

BLOSSOMING
Carol Silvis October Writing with Others
November Awe, Wonder, and Delight
Madhu Bazaz Wangu December Writer’s Journey to Self

Photos: Invitation designed by the courtesy of two-year-old Livi (Deborah Catanese granddaughter), our future Mindful Reader.
And seven-year-old, Ayaan (my lovable grandson), our future Mindful Illustrator.
Thank you both!

Dear Friends and Readers,
The early morning of September 22 (6:00 am), Manoj and I will be on the flight to Lima, the first stop of our journey through Peru and Equador. The access to WiFi would be limited until October 9, the day we come back. I will not be able to share my adventures during these travels but after my return home I’ll certainly post the photos and short pieces for you to enjoy.

IN PERU:
Cusco high in the Peruvian Andes
The Sacred Valley of the Incas
Machu Picchu
The Andean Baroque Route

IN EQUADOR:
Galapagos Island
Darwin Bay
Santiago Island
Fernandina and Isabela Islands
Puerto Ayora and Isla Santa Fe
Bahia Gardner and Punta Suarez
Cerro Brujo, San Cristobal

I’m familiar with only two names in the list above, Machu Picchu and Galapagos Islands. The rest of the places are new to me, some I can’t even pronounce correctly. But by the time I’m ready to share the adventures with you I’d be more knowledgeable about their history and significance.

With love,
Madhu

CHANCE MEETINGS: Selected Review Excerpts:

Chance Meetings . . . encourages deep thought and arouse the spirit to examine the beauty and harshness of the human condition. Wangu's gift for sensory detail and her lyrical prose take the reader on a cross-cultural journey. . . (Rosemary Hanrahan MD, MPH, Author and Life Coach)

In Chance Meetings, an eloquent collection of stories, Dr. Wangu weaves a rich tapestry of the human condition with the strong, clear language of myths. Whether it's a tale of an impoverished orphan in India with no family or friends to turn to in a desperate moment, or an elderly American woman imprisoned within the walls of illiteracy, each story hangs like a bead on a japa mala - for the reader to touch and be touched by the transformative power of storytelling. (Milczar)

I think my favorite short story (from the collection Chance Meetings) was “The Blackened Mirror.” A story about wanting, believing and needing, things I think we all are searching for. Chance Meeting has turned into my favorite bedside table book. (Deda D.L.)

Here’s your chance to read THE BLACKENED MIRROR!
Available at:
Smashwords: https://tinyurl.com/2yedu7m2
Barnes & Noble: https://tinyurl.com/4ejxsh9c
Rakuten Kobo: https://tinyurl.com/3352msy6
Amazon: https://tinyurl.com/28448c7d

Follow me at:
https://www.facebook.com/madhubazazwangu/

and artists

THE LAST SUTTEE: Selected Review Excerpts

Riveting Story! Very well researched! Found myself cheering 'Kumud' at every step of the journey, as she takes on the impossible, doing all she can to prevent a terrible outcome. Passion, grit and determination shine through the story! Feel good book, reinforcing the fact that nothing can change a woman's life as education and access to opportunity can. (Amazon Customer)

Madhu Bazaz Wangu’s writing is full of rich descriptions that engage the senses and make you feel part of each setting. Each scene is finely drawn, and the characters are multi-faceted, allowing you to become completely immersed in the characters and their situations. It’s a terrific read and a wonderful story. (Martha Swiss)

Read this book to sharpen your awareness and to understand the tools for positive change. Because, as a wise character in this book points out “When…fear remains unexamined, it turns to hatred." (Gale Oare)

Now Read the Prequel: THE FIRST FLAME
Available at:
Smashwords: https://tinyurl.com/2yedu7m2
Barnes & Noble: https://tinyurl.com/4ejxsh9c
Rakuten Kobo: https://tinyurl.com/3352msy6
Amazon: https://tinyurl.com/28448c7d

Follow me at:
https://www.facebook.com/madhubazazwangu/

and artists

Dear Friends and Readers,
I'm thrilled to announce the publication of the prequel to my novel THE LAST SUTTEE (Writers Digest, Readers Favorite and TAZ Awards winner) and the revised version of the story The Blackened Mirror from my story collection CHANCE MEETINGS (Readers Favorite Five Star Winner).

Both available at:
Smashwords: https://tinyurl.com/2yedu7m2
Barnes & Noble: https://tinyurl.com/4ejxsh9c
Rakuten Kobo: https://tinyurl.com/3352msy6
Amazon: https://tinyurl.com/28448c7d

Mindfulness, and Meditating and Walking with My Grandson III (Cont.)

One day we all went for an outing to the New England Botanic Garden. Ayaan, his sixteen-month-old sister, their parents, Manoj and me.

By now Ayaan had started to pay attention to the sensations that surrounded him. At the Garden, he was letting me know about them. I said, “Isn’t it interesting that wherever we go our sensations go with us!”
He thought for a moment and nodded.
In the Garden café together we appreciated different tastes. French fries, hot dog, salad.
We heard people talk and a baby cry.
We attentively viewed what was around us and the hills in the distant.
We paced and gave attention to the colors and smells of the flowers and vegetables.
We observed lotus and lilies growing in water where a frog leapt and fish swam.
We dipped our hands in water and in the center of a lotus saw its seedpod.
“You miss out on 50 percent of your life—including the most important moments if you do not pay attention and are not aware,” writes Dr. Amishi Jha in Peak Mind. “Your distractible mind is not abnormal. This is how human brain is built. But the good news is you can train your brain to pay attention effectively, in short be mindful.”
As we walked through the Garden a small structure came into view. It looked like a little resting space constructed out of cedar wood. Its pleasant aroma invited us to sit inside. Seated on the bench Ayaan said, “Let’s meditate Nani. I can sense smell.” And my day was made! I told him that we were meditating as paying attention to our sensations was a kind of meditation.
By this time our meditation session had increased to ten minutes and our walking distance to almost one mile. Perhaps I had not been too ambitious after all. My mission seemed to have succeeded.
The next morning I waited for him until 7:15. He did not come to our room. So I went looking for him. He was in his playroom constructing some gadget.
“Aren’t we going to meditate today.” I asked.
“No Nani, I’m too tired. I want to play with my Legos.”
“Sounds good!” I said somewhat disappointed. I gave him a kiss and a hug.
But my thinking raced. You were too ambitious, weren’t you? Why did you have to extend his meditation to 12 minutes? And a milelong walk before breakfast? Come on!
I walked back to my room and meditated. I realized we have had a tiring day at the Botanic Garden, no wonder he was tired. But hoped I had succeeded in planting in his mind a seed of meditation. That is bound to sprout someday and bear a fruit that energizes and beings you to him.

and artists community

Mindfulness, and Meditating and Walking with My Grandson II (Cont.)

"Our thoughts and feelings hide behind our sensations." I said.
"What are sensations?" my seven-year-old grandson asked.

I asked him to take a full breath, inhaling and exhaling deeply. And then showed him how to experience the sensations of sight, hearing, touch, smell and taste.

We heard leaves swish as a gentle breeze blew through them, a bird chirped and flew away. In the distance, a lawn mower was cutting the grass. We sensed the cool air on the bare skin of our face, neck, lower arms and legs, and feet. The alarm rang. And just like that the five minutes were over.
Our gazes met. “How was it?” I asked.
“I feel energy.”
“Me too!”
We have had similar sensations of sight, hearing and touch. So I asked, “What did you smell?”
“Fresh air.”
“What did you taste.”
“Nothing Nani, only my saliva,” he laughed making me laugh.

"What we saw, heard, felt on our skin, tasted and smelled are what we call sensations."
"Do you understand what sensations are now?"
"Yes."
"We must pay attention to them. When we pay attention to our sensations you know about feelings that you did not know before. You may have a bad feeling and remember a boy in school who bullied you. You can talk about that with your mom.”
“Why?”
“She takes care of you when you hurt your knee playing soccer, same way if something is hurting your heart she can take care of that too.”
“Oh.”
“Then magic happens. You have more energy to play and you feel happier. "
He nodded.

I was impressed that he was able to sit, for him, a long time.
We got up, stretched and walked around the house five times. It could not have been more than quarter of a mile. As we were about to enter the front door. He said,
“Let’s do it again tomorrow.” His excitement made me very happy.

For a few days, meditation followed by a walk became our routine. Except I kept increasing the time of meditation and walk but with mutual consent. I wanted to extend the meditation to twelve minutes before I left. The reason for this was the book, Peak Mind in which the acclaimed neuroscientist, Amishi Jha writes that 12 minutes of daily meditation sharpens focus and helps us function at our best.
I wanted my grandson to experience that length of time. With our walking distance increased I hoped that I was not being too ambitious.

To be continued

and artists community

Mindfulness and Meditating with My Grandson (I)

The seventh month of Unblock Your Creative Flow: 12 Months of Mindfulness for Writers and Artists is about “Mindfulness and Writing in the Company of Others.” Last month, I did something similar with my grandson, our younger daughter’s son. I introduced him to mindfulness by meditating with him.

I had been reading fairy tales to him every Sunday on FaceTime since he started enjoying listening to them. He would eat his dinner and I would read a story of his choice from the book “Five Minute Stories: Tales and Fables.” When he turned seven, he lost interest. And I missed our weekly time together.

Recently my husband and I spent ten days with him in Boston. He would come to our room at 7:00 am. Teeth brushed. Face washed. In his day clothes. He wanted to go for a walk around the house as we usually did when we went to visit his family.
Morning was an opportunity for me to spend special time with him when his one year old sister was still asleep but it is also the time when I meditate. So I said,
“What if we meditate for five minutes and then go for a walk?”
“Why?”
“It will feel good.”
“Why do you meditate, Nani!”
“To learn things about myself.”
“Like what?”
“Like what I think, how I feel.”
“But don’t you know that?”
“Some thoughts and feelings are hidden behind the ones I know.”
This made him think. Then he said, “Where do they hide?”
“Inside our sensations.”
“What are sensations?”
“I can't tell you what they are but I can show you if you meditate with me.”
“Okay.” His big beautiful eyes widened with curiosity.
“Let’s sit at the back of the house and meditate.”

We sat comfortably on the lawn chairs facing each other under the tall oak trees. I showed him how to sit with feet firm on the ground, hands one over the other, thumbs touching.

“This is what we’ll do for the next five minutes,” I said. “First we’ll take a good look at what is all around us,” I touched my eyes. “Then we will close our eyes and turn our attention to the sounds we hear.” I touched my ear. He was listening with apt interest. “Then we will attend to the sensations on our skin—the air, raindrops or whatever we sense.”
“Oh that’s what sensation is!” he said.
“That is the sensation of touch." He understood.
“Finally we will pay attention to what we smell and what we taste. Those would be the sensations of smell and taste. Okay?”
He nodded.
“Ready?” I asked.
“Yes!”
“One more thing," I said, "If the alarm doesn’t go off and you are done with paying attention to your sensations don’t start talking pay attention to your breath. Breathe in,” I said and showed him how to inhale, “Then breathe out,” and I exhaled. “Now show me how you will do that.”
He took a full breath inhaling and exhaling fully.
We were set to go.

(To be continued)

Unblockyourcreativeflow and artists community