Does spiritual development require celibacy? Eileen Delehanty Pearkes looks at the nuances of brahmacarya in the 5th of a 10-part series exploring the yamas & niyamas.
From ascent magazine, issue 35, autumn 2007:
Afew merlin hawks live in a small stretch of mature woodland not far from my house. I hear them taking control of the skies each year as the mating season begins. They fill the air with a high-pitched avian laughter somewhere between a hoot and a cackle. They swoop and slice the dome overhead with their sharp wings. Sometimes, they construct their roost in a tall fir tree that stands like a sentinel just down the hill. I like to look up from my tasks in the garden to watch them go about their celestial lives…