There are times in life when everything seems to stop. The past and the future catch up with themselves, and we’re left standing naked to the world. Such a time arrived for me yesterday when I received the news of the passing of Tanda Tashjian, my dear therapist, meditation teacher, touchstone, and friend.
Tanda brought a unique angle to her therapy by including what she described as Tibetan-style Taoist meditation. I was a regular of her Tuesday evening meditation group and a therapy patient of hers for well over a decade, and I still reached out when I needed her help. Over time, these twenty-some people attending the Tuesday evening group became deep companions in our shared quest to cultivate the subtleties of our lives. My heart is comforted by the knowledge that Tanda faced her transition with the same unwavering presence she carried through her life.
Tanda was also a skilled astrologer, providing a medium to facilitate her crystal clear intuition. Although we knew she was being treated for cancer, she was private about her illness. Tanda’s passing adds deeper meaning to the closing words from her newsletter last week.
So speak of love. Speak of life. Speak of joy. Choose peace in your body, in your mind, and in your spirit. Align yourself with your heart. Time is all we really have. Spend it with those you love and those things you love to do.
Be good. Spread good. And goodwill will return to you.
Thank you.