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Cyclone in Auroville

2012-01-16T08:27:00.000Z

The first rains

Thursday 29^th December 2011: therewas talk of a cyclone all over Auroville and it was in the air. At Pour Tous co-operative food store aFrench Aurovillian joked with his friend, in the produce queue;

Tu te provisionnes avant le cyclone?

Actually, there was no sense of panicbuying amongst the shoppers. I doubled my apple and curd rationsnonetheless.

Later that morning, Icycled to La Piscine as usual for mydaily swim. I was disappointed to find the gates closed and locked and rattledthem pointlessly, in annoyance.

The sky above was grey as it had been inrecent days and true, there was a discernable breeze, but everything seemed asnormal. So I continued on, to use Aurelec’s, wi-fi hotspot. I took an outside table. Afierce swirl of wind loosened dry leaves from an overhanging jackfruit tree,they clattered and skittered across the ground. I thought it prudent to leaveto protect my techonology.

As I cycled back to my guesthouse, the skydarkened and fat plops of warm rain began to fall. Inconvenient butunremarkable, the north east monsoon which started at the end of October hadpersisted through December with several days of downpours.

As dusk fell, I donned my waterproofs tofetch a tiffin dinner from the SolarKitchen. Rajaveni, my hostess kindly suggested we go together on her scooter. Therewas a light rain, nothing remarkable.

Back at Douceur,we feasted on salad, soup, pancakes and tomato sauce, we could not have knownthen that this would be our last hot meal for a few days.

The electricity was cut later that evening,an official decision, with health and safety in mind. So after some reading bytorchlight, I closed my eyes to sleep early, around eight pm.

The cyclone winds arrived that night and persistedthrough much of Friday. I was quite safe in my room, all I could do was lay Ibed and listen to the extraordinary sounds of the storm. The unrelenting rain, gushing from the skies,the fierce wind ripping through trees and structures, I could only guess at thedamage being caused.

As dawn arrived, the rain and winds continuedwell into the afternoon. I sat with others in the guest house, watching theextreme movement of trees as trunks and branches thrashed and fell. We were fortunate enough to be housed in avery secure building with brick walls, a tiled roof and double screenedwindows.

At around four pm, the worst of the weatherhad abated. I waited a while to be sure and then put on my waterproofs andwalking sandals, I needed to survey the scene and take in what had happened asthe experience thus far had a very unreal quality.

Trees and branches everywhere

I stepped out of the guesthouse and gaped;the landscape was completely unrecognisable. So many of the large trees that createdprivacy had fallen, exposing neighbouring houses.

The paths and roads haddisappeared entirely, as the ground was now covered in a carpet of greenery;leaves and branches everywhere.

As I tentatively picked my way along, I hadto keep checking where I was, everything was unrecognisable.

I crawled througha tunnel of fallen bamboo to reach the main road, which was criss-crossed bytree trunks, huge root balls caked in red earth exposed to the air. The roads were completely impassable and Inoted other damage; collapsed roofs, fallen power cables.

It was eery and still, no traffic, and justa few people such as myself tip-toeing around, exploring. Softly, the rain began again, it wouldcontinue into the next day. Back at the guesthouse I described my findings andwe began to speculate on what was happening in the rest of Auroville.

I felt a particular concern for low impactcommunities such as Sadhana Forest, that I had visited the previous week. Surelytheir keet (coconut frond) and bamboodwellings would have been completely destroyed, I wondered whether or not theyhad got away in time. Equally the beach community of Repos, metres from the shoreline would have suffered the fullimpact of the cyclone.

That evening we shared a quiet supper bycandlelight, not much was said, there was so much to be absorbed. During thecoming days, the scale of what had happened would reveal itself and we wouldall have our personal interpretations and conclusions. For now, I knew enoughto be thoroughly grateful that I was safe, well and had suffered no physicalinjury to myself or my possessions.

Jennifer

Further information and updates from the official Auroville website
www.auroville.org/cyclone/

Arrival in Auroville

2011-12-11T13:55:00.001Z

I’mriding the bus back from town, Pondicherry. The driver deftly navigates theheavy traffic on the East Coast Road, a major highway.

A merry dance of allkinds of transport happens noisily outside: pedestrians, handcarts, cyclerickshaws, autos, mopeds, motorcycles, taxis, private cars, trucks, buses andcoaches. Cows, dogs and chickens take their chances too.

Inside,I feel snug and happy and safe. I turn to the open window and catch the breezeon my face, the air flows fast and cool. Closing my eyes I take in the familiarsmells of India: vehicle fumes, jasmine flowers, street snacks frying in hotoil, cow dung, incense.

It’snot a regular bus. AUROVILLE proclaims the permanent lettering on the windscreen.Aurovillians and guests, such asmyself can be conveniently shuttled into Pondy and back, a daily service withdrop off points across the township. I boarded at the Solar Kitchen, whichlooked to be the most popular stop.

Itook the bus today out of curiosity, to spend a couple of hours in Pondicherrywould be useful, sure, but mostly for the feeling of being on the Aurovillebus. Last Saturday I was enjoying an early coconut at the busy crossroads bythe State Bank of India ATM. The bus whooshedpast with a loud parp! I caught a glimpse of the travellers, cool andrelaxed in colourful cotton separates, shopping baskets on knees, smiling andchattering. It looked enticing; I wanted to be on that bus!

The Matrimandir- iconic symbol of Auroville

It’sa typical Auroville experience: decades and now generations of ex-pat Europeansand Indians working together to provide a living experience that is clean,safe, comfortable and communal.

Here in Auroville you can buy chic clothingfrom fair trade boutiques. Select your favourite blend of organic coffee beansand have them ground to order. Choose golden, buttery croissants as well as chappatis.

Mostdays I get asked Are you working? Auroville is a serious place, peopled byserious individuals with a serious collective agenda:

Thepurpose of Auroville is to realise human unity. Auroville wants to be auniversal township where men and women of all countries are able to live inpeace and progressive harmony.

Towhich end innumerable communities, projects, collaborations and businesses havebeen conceived and realised, spanning all realms of human endeavour: food andfarming, transport, architecture, education, health, the arts, spiritual development.The scale and breadth of the vision is impressive and I like what I see. Thesense of a structured, dynamic, international enterprise that takes itsrelationship with the local communities very seriously too.

It’smy second visit to Auroville, I spent a month here in 2007. A hot and humidMarch, a two hour daily session of ashtangavinyasa yoga, supervised by Monica Marinoni and Chad Herst (who has sinceleft to establish the Mission Ashtanga studio in San Francisco). We practiced outside on a rooftop at Quiet,Auroville’s beach side natural therapy centre. Afterwards I would snooze in ahammock until lunchtime, enjoying the sound and movement of ocean air throughcoconut palms.

Guest capsules - Aspiration Community

Then I had little time or energy foranything outside the practice, Auroville was the final stage of my South Indian ashtanga yoga odyssey that had carriedme from Mysore to Kerala to Goa.

I couldn’t handle the climbing temperaturesand spent most afternoons sprawled in a star shape under the whirling fan in myroom at Gaia’s Garden guest house (extremely comfortable with a great communalkitchen).

Ihad barely touched the surface of Auroville and knew that there was so muchmore to explore and hoped I would one day return. Through grace, this has beenpossible.

Twomonths into my current trip, I had settled in Gokarna but was feelingdissatisfied. One morning as I practised yoga on my verandah, overlooking asmall farming plot I understood what was missing. I watched the villagersbreaking the soil with heavy hand made tools, sweating under the sun. It wasback breaking work, but they were engaged in something purposeful, which waswhat I needed. And I wanted to be in an environment where people had come togetherexpressly to live and work together, a shared intention – a community.

Beingearly December, this was the start of the guestseason at Auroville. It was likely that most guest houses would be fullybooked. Nonetheless I logged onto my email with the intention of fielding someenquiries. I gasped, there blinking on the screen was a message from AspirationCommunity, whom I had tentatively contacted back in September before leavingthe UK.

Capsule interior

Incredibly,they were holding a place for me for and wanted to know if I was coming. WasI coming? Such a powerful synchroncity could not be ignored, I wascoming! I made my way via the overnight train from Mangalore.

Since then I am exploring with delight some of themany activities on offer. I have membership of La Piscine and am enjoying daily dips. I have joined the Om Choir which I am finding profound andtransformative.

I have sung Earth songs by firelight under the full moon,discussed the metaphysical philosophies of Sri Aurobindo in French, cycled tothe Solar Kitchen during a monsoon downpour and begun to read the works of the Mother, the spiritual creatrix whobirthed Auroville as a model of social evolution.

My excitement and enthusiasm for Auroville sitsalongside a growing sense of homesickness which is difficult to ignore, I ammissing Glastonbury, my friends, my cat, my home and my community.

So as the days and weeks unfold I look forward to anactive participation, journeying deeper into the Auroville experience, whilstholding loved ones in the UK in my heart, knowing that I will be with themagain soon.

Blessings of light from the City ofthe Dawn

Jennifer

www.auroville.org

Gokarna highlights

2011-12-06T05:49:00.001Z

Flower sellers outside the Mahaganapati temple

Leading bhajans at a friend's housewarming gathering, with an all Indian school girl percussion section.

A new sari: choosing in Metro Fashions, being measured for the blouse by a lady tailor with a treadle Singer sewing machine, being dressed by three Indian women, wearing it and feeling amazing; demure, exotic and very feminine.

One of two enormous wooden chariots

Being lulled to sleep nightly by the luscious, rythmic mantra of ocean waves rolling onto the shore, yards from my room.

Witnessing brahmin priests, Indian tourists, school children and amassed others taking a morning bath in the sea as the sun rises red on Gokarna main beach. Cows, dogs and crows joining in.

Mud hut for rent on Kudle beach

Yoga self-practice on my concrete verandah, overlooking fields. Cool, shady and undisturbed and exactly the right amount of space for my mat.

Spending time with Kate, a hardy New Zealander, travelling India for the first time. Straight talking and practical; also tender and compassionate.

Bathing tank at Shree Ramana temple

Cycling - everywhere! Especially enjoying the dusty, bumpy village back roads as local children wave from their homes or run behind calling School pen!

Taking the long walk from town to Kudle beach and onwards to Om beach and back again as the sun sets, bathing the landscape in mellow light.

Light fades on the path from Kudle to Gokarna

Walking past the homes of priests and hearing the vedas read aloud. Glimpsing inside temples to see young scholars prostrating before statues of hindu deities whilst agni hotra sacred fire ceremonies are performed.

Taking a daily young green coconut, costing only fifteen rupees from stall all over town. First the delicious, nourishing water through a straw, then the husk is hacked open with a machete, scooping the tender white flesh into my mouth.

Bicycles are widely available

Playing with a family of young, sandy coloured puppies at the side of the road. Feeding them biscuits as they, wriggle, chew my toes and try to climb inside my trousers.

Collecting mineral rich, high vibrational spring water which gushes in abundance from the Shree Ramana temple.

Lord Hanuman depicted at Namaste Yoga Farm

Blessings

Jennifer

Custard and kindness

2011-12-02T04:02:00.001Z

Typical music stall Gokarna town

My much loved travel guitar had a broken tuningpeg, the damage likely happened on the journey from Kerala to Goa. It wasunplayable and needed attention.

I took it to one of the music stalls in Gokarnatown, where you can buy drums, assorted percussion and Indian made guitars ofquestionable quality at very high prices.

The stallholder examined it at length. Turning it over in his hands,squinting at the damaged peg through one eye, strumming the strings. He then rummagedin a plastic bag of assorted fixings, produced a dodgy looking substitute and assuredme that his brother could fix it, for a fee of sixteen hundred rupees.

I got the impression that he had never undertakensuch a repair before but was bold enough to attempt it and wanted to score ahigh fee. So despite the guy’s noisy blustering and indignation I walked away.

It didn’t take long to locate analternative, a skilled guitar technician at Furtado’s Music Store in Margao,Goa’s second city. A two hour train ride from Gokarna - neat. I packed anovernight bag and took the early morning Konkan Express.

Furtado's music store

The staff at Furtado’s were polite,knowledgeable and reassuring. I sighed as I told the assistant that it had mostprobably got damaged during travel and that I had been thinking I needed a hardcase. He smiled warmly at me, there waskindness in his eyes,

This just happens you know, things get broken.

Wow, in a flash of insight I realised thatI had coloured the situation with negativity and self-judgement. So insidious Icouldn’t see it.

I was blaming myself for the damage, telling myself that itwas preventable and I should have taken steps to prevent it. This gentle man’sgenerosity had enabled me to see it and I preferred his perspective: things break, it happens, it’s ok.

The compassion of others has become somethingof a theme on this trip. The acceptance of others opens the space for me toaccept myself and their kindness a reminder to be tender and gentle withmyself.

I sat in an air conditionned sound booth,surrounded by beautiful guitars from the finest international brands, Taylor, Martin, Gibson, Fender. From the showroom on the upper floor came the calming sound of pianomusic, a schoolgirl practising Chopin for her grade exam.

In this refined,exquisite environment I felt safe and relaxed and marvelled at my good fortunethat this place existed, it was exactly what was needed.

The technician wanted to change all sixtuning pegs.

All of them? Only one is broken

I felt wobbly and tearful. Howmuch was this going to cost??

It’s a better set, higher quality. Cost will be ninehundred and seventy five rupees to supply and one hundred for the work.

I gaped. My guitar would be getting anupgrade for around fifteen pounds. An absolute bargain and a totally positiveoutcome. It would be ready the followingday so I checked into a hotel, conveniently inside the shopping complex. Cleanwhite sheets, plump pillows, room service and cable television: I was going toenjoy myself. A copy of Indian OK! magazine sat invitingly on the nightstand,my set of guilty pleasures was complete!

The next morning I attempted to order mypreferred healthy breakfast: fruit salad. The telephone in the room didn’t workso I shuffled to reception in my bath robe.

No madam, fruit salad not possible morning time. Youtake toast and butter or Indian breakfast.

I love south Indian breakfasts, but theydon’t agree with me. At Anandashram in Kerala I had eaten so many I began toresemble an idli : white, spongy andround. I needed my fruit!

I dressed, slipped out of the hotel andtook a seat in a very good restaurant just around the corner. Fruit salad onthe menu, as a dessert Yes! I hoped thatthey could prepare it as a breakfast dish for me.

Fruit salad, Indian style

Fruit salad possible now?

Yes, now is possible. With ice cream?

No ice cream. Fruit salad only. And one masala teawithout sugar.

The waiter wrote my order on a pad and sentit to the kitchen. I was quite hungry and imagining how great my breakfast wasgoing to taste, sweet chunks of pineapple, juicy papaya, creamy banana andmaybe some grainy chickoo too...

Ten minutes later a small bowl was set infront of me. Cubes of fruit swimming in a pool of rich, creamy goo. I went inwith my spoon. A very sweet, milky custard. Quellehorreur!

I gestured to the waiter.

I asked for fruit salad only, what is this?

Fruit salad, madam.

There is some custard also?

Yes, this is how it is coming.

I can’t eat this, it has sugar inside.

This is how it is coming.

He left to attend to other customers. I wasfuming with indignation and self-righteousness - I was so clearly in the right and the waiter was at fault for misintepreting my order. I contemplated dropping a twenty rupee note for my tea and walkingout. But at the same time, I knew there was another angle, a higher perspective. There was no rightor wrong, it was a genuine, mutual misunderstanding, a culture clash.

To my western mind, fruit salad means fruitand nothing else. But Indians love the sweet taste and use sugar liberally. Thefruit salad was listed as a dessert. Iremembered that I was paying an extra five rupees to have my tea without sugar.

Still hungry, and feeling more peaceful, Iwaved the waiter over again.

I cannot eat this, what to do?

He swiped the bowl away, clearly annoyed,but with a professional demeanour.

Next time you ask for plain.

Thank you. How very gracious of him, I thought.

He resubmitted my order to the kitchen, Icould hear him discussing the matter with the other waiters, they were staringat me through the serving hatch. I felt vulnerable and a little embarrassed.

Everything is ok I toldmyself If the waiter is annoyed that is his business and he has a right tofeel as he feels, I can be present with his annoyance and still feel safe inmyself.

My second, tiny portion appeared, I ate itgratefully and left a generous tip.

Back at Furtado’s my guitar now lookedmagnificent! Furnished with a full set of gleaming gold tuning pegs. I feltpleased and satisfied that it was now partly Indian! I enthused my gratitude tothe staff, who told me I must come back and visit them again. I would indeed, Ihad my eye on an electronic shruti boxand a pair of reasonably priced ankle bells.

This morning, back in Gokarna, I breakfastedas usual at the MahaLaxmi cafe at the main beach. A large bowl arrived, containingboulders of fruit, some grated coconut and a sprinkling of raisins. Even moredelicious than usual! I felt an enhancedsense of appreciation that I can have this every day, just the way I like it.

Blessings

Jennifer

www.furtadosonline.com

Scenes from the Indian railway

2011-11-24T09:13:00.000Z

Ever friendly and welcoming: Indian Railways

As I prepared to pack my belongings again, I felt the nowfamiliar rise of excitement as I contemplated the train journey ahead, my fifth sincearriving eight weeks ago. I had to ask myself;

Was I an Indian railway junkie?

The entire experience fascinates, from start to finish, including pre-travel preparations. Will buying a ticket be a drama or simple andstraightforward?

Happily on this occasion, the latter. Bus from ashram to town, a shortwalk to the railway station and no queueing at the ticket counter. The femaleclerk organised my connections and upgraded me to aircondtionned carriages. Very smooth.

The day of travel, Iarrived at the station in plenty of time. I received a helping hand from Sagar, a local in his late thirties. In a chivalrous act he conveyed my Samsonite hard shell up a set of stairs, across a bridge and down to the next platform, heavy suitcase balanced on his left shoulder causing him to perspire and puff.

Rickshaw drivers outside Mangalore Central

Sagar was super polite,enquiring into my schedule to ensure I was on the correct platform and stopping short of asking personalquestions: the perfect balance! Sagar was attempting a last minute trip to Mumbai and hoping that his waitlisted ticket would be upgraded for travel.

The first leg of thejourney was an hour’s ride to Mangalore Central, a significant commercial centre and transport hub.

Mid-morning, the air conditionned carriage wasvirtually empty and so I extended my legs onto the seat opposite, enjoying the space and privacy. I bought vada and chutney from the chai wallah, the vada were stale and chewy so I threw them out ofthe door and looked forward to lunch instead.

At Mangalore, I had a couple of hours to wait before my connection. I decided against a trip into town: it was midday ie very hot, the road to town was busy and I didn't want to exhaust myself. Besides, I could amuse myself very easily without leaving the station. I would hang out, enjoy the buzz, observe the people, the trains and poke around.

First ritual -depositing luggage. Most stations have baggage facilities, often signed cloakroom. Here, the attendant sat at a large wooden desk and recorded my items in a ledger, pinning hand written chits to each. I rather pointlessly tried to persuade him to accept my guitar,

No madam, here we are not taking musical instruments and electricals. Not possible. Ah well.

Veg rice meal

It was time for lunch. The restaurants were segregated as pure veg and non-veg. I made my way into the bustling pure veg canteen. One selects from the menu and pre-pays.

I found myself sharing a table with a young married couple with an affluent air; she in a fancy sari with good gold jewellery, he with a well pressed shirt, grey slacks and polished black lace-ups.

People don’t linger over lunch. You sit, are served, eat and leave. My companions worked their waythrough their meals in under ten minutes, pouring a selection of individual sauces onto mound of rice,working it into balls with fingers and swallowing rapidly, repeat until the tray isempty. Or do as I do, bring a spoon. Delicious food, freshly prepared, light and plentiful. One of the best railway meals Ihave had; and costing just thirty five rupees.

After lunch I walked the length of the platform a few times, partly to exercise, partly to revel in the detail of the activity taking place around me. Families feasting on picnics from stainless steel tiffins, coolies moving unfeasible volumes of cargo and luggage, businessmen surveying newspapers and making phonecalls. The rush and roar of trains arriving and departing.

Does she have a ticket?

I sat for a while in the ladies waiting room, always asafe refuge. Too excited to snooze, I struck up a conversation with Priya, a pretty young student of economics who was travelling with eleven of her extended family (aunts, cousins, nieces, nephews) to Murudeshwar where the infants would receive a special blessing at the temple and be given rice to eat for the first time.

Soon enough it was time for me to reclaim my luggage and take my seat on the Matsyagandha Express. Just before boarding, I noticed Sagar from Kanhangad waving vigorously at me. His broad smile told me that his ticket had been upgraded. I waved and nodded back, acknowledging his good fortune. He stepped into sleeper class, I was in 3AC.

The afternoon sun blazed into the carriage and I gazed out across acres of coconut groves, fertile pastureland and the glorious shimmering backwaters of Kerala. I relaxed as the train carried me into the neighbouring state of Karnataka and shortly after dusk fell I had reached my latest destination: the temple town of Gokarna, somewhere I had longed to visit for years.

Healthy snacks and drinks

In a splendid coup de grace a local bus was waiting in the station forecourt and would take me into town for twenty five rupees thwarting the rickshaw drivers who were demanding an exhorbitant one hundred and fifty rupees. Somehow my luggage was squeezed in and I found myself on the back seat, chatting to a local.

Welcome to Gokarna! First time coming? How long you stay? One month? Two month? Three month?

I ....don't know

Was my honest response. I had seriously deviated from my intended itinerary for this trip (two months Rishikesh, two months Auroville). Planning and imagining anything seemed pointless, I would play it day by day and just see how I felt. Gokarna town with it's brahmin culture and five beaches has a reputation as a traveller's nirvana and I was open to anything it had to offer...

Blessings

Jennifer

Notes from Anandashram

2011-11-15T09:16:00.001Z

Omsri ram jai ram jai jai ram, sri ram jai ram jai jai ram

Approaching the shrine of Papaji

Thismorning I was roused from sleep by a devotional male chorus, chanting the mantrathat is the core spiritual practice here at Anandashram.

The ashram's belovedfounder, Swami Ramdas, (affectionately referred to as Papaji - dear father) is reputed to have achieved enlightenmentthrough this method and accordingly devotees uphold the practice.

The ramnam is sung continuously from dawn 'til dusk alternately by male and femalebhaktas. The practice is rotateddaily between the three mahasamadhi shrines of Papaji, Mataji andSwami Satchidanda.* Such a beautiful way to meet the day; I lie in bed,eyes still closed and smiling inside.

I might equallybe stirred awake by the lowing of the ashram cows - also lovely. Withnames such as Bhavani (consort of Shiva), Bhagavati ( enlightened teacher),Vidya (knowledge), Mala (garland)these ladies are well cared for.

I visited the goshala (cowshed) duringmy first days here, observing tidy bales of straw, rubber boots organised neatlyin pairs and a mother tending to her newborn calf.

Goshala

I am housed in a concrete block, six rooms in a rowsharing two bathrooms. Rooms are clean, light and basic: narrow wooden beds, adesk, a chair.

As the only foreigner I get to bear close witnessto the daily habits and rituals of the Indians. In the absence of western comfortsand conveniences it can be helpful to watch and learn how to get things done.

For example,there is no laundry service, very much a personal challenge! The commonpractice is to soak one's clothing in a bucket filled to the brim with waterand to leave this overnight in the hallway. Items are rinsed through thefollowing morning and hung on the indoor clothes line in the common area.Larger items such as saris and bed linen are spread flat on the gravel outsidein the strong, bright sunlight.

Naturally enoughthe toilets are Indian squat style and the bathing facilities are equallystraightforward: cold tap, bucket and jug. This suits me well although I amcareful to time my sessions, scurrying along the corridor wrapped in a sheet(no bathrobe!) to avoid encountering and embarrassing any of the men. In the warm humidity of Kerala morning andevening baths feel necessary; it gets quite dusty on the roads and paths.

Peeping into the bhajan hall

Itsurprises me that the accommodation is mixed as so many of the ashramactivities are segregated by sex. Separate queues and seating in the canteen,and also in the main bhajan hall.

I am thrilled to find myself belongingto a community of women. Eating together, singing together and sitting outtogether in the warm evenings after dusk.

It doesn’tmatter that I don't understand their conversations. It is enough to be withthem. Absorbing with delight the details of their dress, their handwrittenprayer books, the way they conduct themselves.

We sit close together, crosslegged on the floor, elbows and knees touching, I don’t mind the lack ofpersonal space: spending intimate time with Indian women is a rareblessing.

I have learnedsome gentle feminine etiquettes, such as dressing my hair with fresh jasmineflowers. It looks delightful and acts asa natural air freshener, gently perfuming one’s environment with every turn ofthe head. I have also acquired the habitof carrying a cotton handkerchief, folded and tucked into my churidar(wide cotton trousers).

These aremainly ladies of a certain age, in their fifties, sixties and seventies. Atthis stage of life freedom from raising children and/or work permits them toundertake yatra (spiritualpilgrimage) and visit ashrams.

There isplenty of smiling and nodding as we acknowledge each other. Any conversation isdependent on their level of English. As, alas, I have no Hindi. Typically thequestions come Which country? or Coming from?Followed closely by Your good name? Married? First visit to India?

Prema and Nirmala introduce themselves

Most ofladies I spoke with had been visiting Anandashram regularly, many for decadesas disciples of the original guru.

In the tranquility of mataji’s peace garden, sisters Prema and Nirmala ignored the signsrequesting silence and told me of their annual eight day visit from Coimbatore.

Every yearwe are coming, it is most important to visit ashram, stay at least one week.This very calm place, life so busy, no?

Jyoti, aplump and chatty retired school teacher from Hyderabad likes to sit next to meduring the evening meal. She scours the dining hall looking for me and settles happilyby my side, usually bringing extras that she has mysteriously acquired, carriedin a stainless steel tiffin. Chapattis,bananas and sweet treats such as ladooand pak .

Mealtimes areannounced by the clanging of a large bell outside the canteen. Guests andresidents dutifully form lines: men to the left, women to the right and filein. As we are in South India, rice is the basis of every meal prepared in theendless creative variations: idlis, dosa,upma for breakfast and huge avalanches of plain rice served with vegetablesauces at lunch and dinner, supplemented by milk and curd from the dairy.

Communal canteen

Theschedule at Anandashram is full with chanting and singing of all kinds. Thereis no obligation to attend but I pretty much love it all! I have joined in thechanting of ram nam, slowly pacingthe shrine rooms of the departed gurusand clapping a steady rhythm.

Yesterdaymorning I sat in on Om namaha shivayah,a favourite chant of mine, sung unaccompanied by a petite lady in herseventies, her solo voice was raw, wavering and deeply soulful. Definitely themost powerful and memorable rendition I have heard so far.

Possiblymy personal highlight has been listening to the Hanuman chalisa, sung by the women, accompanied by harmonium. I amkeen to learn this epic poem for myself and twice I took a copy of the wordsalong but found the singing so blissful and enjoyable that I chose to simply relaxand absorb the vibrations.

I’ve drawna few tentative conclusions about my time here:

Simplicityin practice. Bhajan and mantra sound very good sung solo,unaccompanied – or minimally accompanied: musicality comes second.

Letting goof learning I didn’t have a chant sheet or song book and the bhajans were complex, I had to forget about trying to learn them. This focused me inthe present moment and enabled me to receive, receive, receive.

Singingwith women This is quite personal to me, I feel so safe andnourished in an all female setting. I am keen to explore this further.

Blessingsand pranams

Jennifer

*Further information on the spiritual lineage at Anandashram

www.anandashram.org/divinemasters

An audience with Swami Muktananda, Anandashram

2011-11-14T08:38:00.001Z

Rangoli outside mauna mandir

Madam, after breakfast tomorrow you go to Swamiji

Instructed the receptionist, handing me a key to my room anda copy of the daily schedule. I had just arrived at Anandashram, a shortrickshaw ride from Kanhangad railway station in Kerala and the conclusion offive days and four nights of travel.

Thus, the following morning I approached Swamiji’s privatequarters, wearing my cleanest, most modest outfit, hair tied back and feeling alittle nervous.

Swami Muktananda, the current spiritual head of Anandashram inKerala, south India, is a modern man; fluent in English and a qualifiedallopathic doctor. I was gestured into his office, joining two other newcomers,a middle aged housewife from Kalicut and a Dutch guy from Utrecht.

We sat on the floor facing Swamiji at his desk. He smiled warmly and started to speak, afluent, unrehearsed welcome speech, explaining the spiritual position of theashram and offering guidance to us. It was a relaxed affair, much like being inthe presence of a friendly headmaster.

At times Swamiji would pause to answer the telephone HariOm? And to personally greet a number of day visitors bringing donations,children to be blessed, health complaints and spiritual queries before him. Anelderly male ashram resident sat beside him on a plain wooden chair, slowlyturning the pages of the Times of India, murmuringand nodding without looking up.

Looking down towards reception

The problem is we have contracted into ourselves. We have some fixednotions that we should be able to get over.

We are attached to our rights andwrongs, our likes and dislikes, our priorities, our differences, our cravings,our infatuations, our fixed opinions.

Spirituality steps in there to keep usexpanding. Spirituality means love.

The spiritual discipline in this ashram is chanting of God’s name. Ifwe keep chanting with total faith and devotion, a process of purification takesplace. Things will get opened up. Interconnectedness, interdependence, absenceof otherness.

It does not matter which nameyou chant. What is important is the name stands for Love.

As we keep chanting God’s name, the hold of me and mine will getloosened, lessened.

And when sufficiently we have progressed, first he will give us someglimpses. Then he has promised that the stage will come when we get stabilized.

Then we get to see Him in the form of Love in everybody, the air webreathe, the earth we stand on, the water we drink, the space in which we moveabout, the sun.

One of three mahasamadhi shrines

Plants and trees, birds and animals, even objects. All!

The dress you are wearing, the specs he iswearing, the chair, the building, the fan, the light, the switch.

Whenwe are buying a new shoe we should do it with gratitude, anything andeverything is an object of Love, and an object of God and is serving us.

We can become aware of this. Let us try to practice that. Everything isserving me. Love, love, love, love.

How do I pay back? I can bringin a quality of care and concern for others into my life. Love becomes loveonly when it is applied. Every thought, word and deed should bear the stamp ofthe Divine.

To love all is the true bhakti of God, to serve all is the true worshipof God. It’s a tall order. Let us keep it as an idea and strive towards it, asmuch as possible.

Whenever we fail, whenever we forget, whenever we are off the track,this nama pulls us up.

We should express our gratitude for having been made aware of a higherform of living inside.

Great teachers of Anandashra are honoured

The succinct simplicity of Swamiji’s words impressed me. Iwas struck by how relevant they are to me at this time and how appropriate amessage for humanity.

In particular, I havedeepened, expanded my perspective on gratitude. Yes! I can be grateful for thischair I am sitting upon and the craftsmen who made it.

I thought how useful it would be to invoke this deepgratitude in moments of doubt, stress, insecurity. One can simply open one’seyes and appreciate every material item in one’s purview, no matter howfamiliar or banal. Divine essence pervades all formswas my personal, private revelation.

And I like also Swamiji’s explanation of the contracted andexpanded self. I reflected upon the irony of expanding consumer capitalist society thatfosters contraction of the self and a small, selfish world view. Whereindividual priorities and preferences become so important that we struggle andfight to maintain them.

And the truly expanded self requires less and less, is more able to be open to others: to share, collaborate, create and love/

Such ideas have been kept alive in India. Honoured,discussed and nurtured in ashrams andtemples, the light of truth and practicehas remained lit across centuries and millennia. Gurus such as Swamiji contain and transmit this knowledge, through prayer, teachings, writings and individual assistance.

The Mother's peace garden

Meanwhile, in the west, we arerediscovering this wisdom and building our New Age.

The higher truths are filtering into western consciousness en masse via our owngurus, such as Eckhart Tolle and Louise Hay, who are able to present thematerial in a way we can relate to culturally.

One no longer has to travel to India to find enlightenment, but there is something very special about being here and witnessing the continuum of teachings.

Once again I find myself in deep awe and respect, humbled by themagnificent spiritual civilization that is India.

I am grateful to be received here again and again withsuch goodness and generosity and to find the guidance that I need.

Jennifer

www.anandashram.org

Taking the express train to Kerala

2011-11-10T04:23:00.001Z

Final moments in Delhi, waiting to board

I stood in the doorway of the moving express, window open asthe train shuddered, slowed and squealed to a halt. Catering trolleys hadalready moved into place on the platform, I was hopeful andhungry, craning my neck to see what was available.

It was a nutritional nightmare. Garishly packaged crisps,biscuits and soft drinks festooned the trolleys along with the latest Indian hybridstreet snack, bread pakora (whitesliced, buttered, battered and fried).

It was an overnight journey from Delhi to Rishikesh, there was no pantrycar and I was empty handed. I arrivedravenous and grumpy, putting it down to experience.

So I wised up for my current trip, a thirty three hourjaunt from Delhi to Kerala onboard the Rajdhani Express, two full daysand one night. Meals, snacks and drinking waterincluded. I had researched and planned my intinerary toperfection.

The shortest, fastest route was aflight to Trivandrum, but that didn’t feel right; as though I was cheating myselfout of some magic. I was growing to love the Indian Railway experience and in particular the excitement and romance of the sleeper.

Two thalis a day, plus snacks

Two thirty in the afternoon, day one. I had left my compartment as my travelling companions had, post-lunch, tucked themselves into bed, drawn the curtains, extinguished the lights and were taking an extended nap, snoring in unison.

I located an empty berth, and sat watching the Indian countryside gliding past my eyes. Greenery, electricity pylons, an auto-rickshaw pootling along a dusty road, glimpses of corrugated roofed dwellings, nothing remarkable.

Then a beautiful flat glassy ribbon of water appeared, moving in parallel for a few minutes before widening out and becoming a lake.

As the carriage swayed, jiggled and bounced along, I closed my eyes and focussed my attention on the sounds of the train, it became a meditation. The rushing of air as we entered a tunnel becoming a roar as we emerged. The rattling of wheels on rails, metal moving over metal was regular, rythmic and comforting.

Finding personal space became a priority, I was sharing a berth with three designated companions and the guy from the adjacent compartment liked to hang out with us too. I always choose the upper berth (seats are strictly reserved in advance). It's a safe retreat and you can sit on the lower bunks during the day if you are feeling sociable.

Upper berth, 2AC class

In the upper berth opposite was Christian, a pleasant natured and attractive Italian, who true to his roots was dressed in smart denim, tan suede loafers and a white shirt that mysteriously remained pristine throughout.

Chrisian was headed to Gokarna, a temple town in Karnataka with four heavenly beaches, for the fifteenth successive year.

In his youth he travelled sleeper class, cramped yet economical. You arrive with black face, dirt everywhere, destroyed! These days he appreciates clean linen and air conditioning.

Sunil and Prabha occupied the lower berths, now resident in Chicago, they were on a five month tour of their Motherland and were excited about seeing Kerala for the first time. They were a charming couple in late middle age and very interested in my life story, sadhana and connection to India. They spent most of the ride in a kind of sleep stasis, waking for meals, chatting for an hour or two before resuming their slumbers.

The train made several stops, an opportunity to exercise by walking the length of the platform, always with an eye on the station clock. As the hours passed and the journey progressed, I grew increasingly tired and lacking in energy. Which probably had a lot to do with the carb laden starchy meals we were served. Sometimes I would pop out for a five rupee chai, slump onto a bench and enjoy the colourful cavalcade of passengers, coolies, vendors and mendiants congregating and swarming around me.

Madgaon station, Goa

By the time we reached Goa, lunchtime day two, I was semi-comatose through swinging blood sugar levels and lack of sleep. I stumbled out of the carriage mechanically into the brilliant midday sunshine and something unexpected and completely wonderful occurred.

In an instant, my inner being recognised the warmth, humidity, jungle greenery, bright bougainvillea and intangible mystical essence of Goa.

It felt like a home coming and I was reminded how much I loved the lush verdant south of India, benevolent and welcoming, like a mother.

A few hours later I alighted at Kannur in Kerala. I was somewhere new, unplanned and ready for the unexpected, nerves and excitement mingling. I checked into a simple looking hotel just off the main road. As I rummaged through my day pack for my passport, the red tambourine that I bought in Delhi tumbled out and clattered to the floor.

The receptionist smiled broadly, Madam, you are musician? He enquired.

Bhakti yoga, bhajans I responded and showed him the tiny pair of hand cymbals I also carry around.

Radhe! Radhe! Radhe! He exclaimed, clapping his hands together in delight. Madam is going to ashram in Kanhangad?

Yes!

Very nice place, very nice place, Madam will like!

Conversations such as these no matter how brief, go a long way when I am tired, nervous and stepping into the unknown. Small blessings that carry me forward, feeling strengthened, encouraged and very grateful.

Blessings on all our journeys!

Jennifer

Plan your virtual travel around India www.indiarailinfo.com

Tickets need to be booked as far ahead as possible. Ideally request the foreign quota which is only available in person at railway stations at the discretion of the manager. You will need photo id ie passport.

Otherwise, use a travel agent. Indian trains are often sold out well in advance, however last minute travel is possible, there is an emergency tatkal quota bookable two days ahead for an additional fee.

Staying present, facing difficult feelings

2011-11-03T15:23:00.000Z

Sharing, vision, community - Auroville

The plan was not going to plan. It was time to leave Dharamkot/Dharmashala and I was all set to travel to Auroville. I felt excited and uplifted as I contemplated the change.

Researching trains and buses and so on and reminiscing about my first stay back in 2005. I knew that it was monsoon season in Tamil Nadu and to begin with this didn't bother me.

My intention in revisiting Auroville was to take in as much community living as I could and explore in ways that weren't possible the first time, when I was fully absorbed with daily ashtanga vinyasa yoga sessions.

I envisaged myself cycling on the red dirt roads, visiting magically named communities such as Spirulina Farm, Buddha Garden, Creativite, Sadhana Forest. I was keen to volunteer at the Pour Tous food co-operative, to swim in la Piscine, to sing bhajans in the warm evenings under broad leaved banana trees. I was in love with my vision!

However the more research I did, the more I had to acknowledge and accept that if I did travel to Auroville during November, I was likely to be rained on - a lot. I had to be very honest with myself and admit that while a day or two of rainy weather is an enjoyable contrast, the prospect of heavy rain most days, damp clothes and bedding and waiting inside for most of the day was just not going to work for me. There could be thunderstorms, strong winds and last year a cyclone. I just didn't want to chance it.

Monsoon in Pondicherry

So I let go of the plan. What was I going to do? Where was I going to go?

Rishikesh hadn't worked out, it was turning cold in the north, it was too early to head to the beach, I wanted to do something more purposeful and engaged. I was deeply, deeply stuck.

I found myself walking around McLeod, browsing the shops and wandering aimlessly. That afternoon I hiked around the surrounding hills until my legs ached. Finally, for dinner I ordered a huge thali with extras, far more than my body needed.

I had enough self-awareness to know that I was trying to avoid or escape myself. Distracting myself with activity and sedating myself with food in an attempt to hold feelings down. It was an old coping mechanism that had served me well throughout most of my life, but it doesnt really work anymore.

Back in my room at the guesthouse, finally alone with myself there was no escape. A powerful surge of emotion erupted from within, much like a volcano. Hot repressed content, buried deep now discharging itself with dramatic force.

It's all too much. This trip, it's too hard. I can't keep going. I can't manage on my own. All these decisions - it's too tiring. I've had enough, I want to go home...

Intense suffering

I sobbed and sobbed for well over an hour. Out of tissues, I covered my teary face with a washcloth.

I was frightened by the intensity of the experience, waves and waves of strong feeling were being released. As though I had accessed some primal terror, every cell of my being was expressing fear.

I wondered whether I needed to call a doctor or get some kind of help, I felt so out of control. Distressed, lonely and anxious, I eventually surrendered to sleep.

The following morning, I awoke with a fuzzy head and gingerly opened my eyes. I was still alive. The dawn had arrived in rosy splendour and the birds were singing in the new day. Emotionally I felt sore and vulnerable, as though I was recovering from a surgery. I knew I would have to be super sensitive and kind to myself.

The intense, scary, fearful feelings were no longer present, in their place a kind of tender self-love. It was a great relief. I acknowledged myself for what I had undergone: an emotional catharsis. I was proud of myself and thankful that no matter how disturbing and frightening, I had stayed present with myself and allowed strong feelings to come up and be released. It was some kind of breakthrough, a victory of sorts.

Gently I took myself into McLeod for my regular breakfast in Gyaki, a Tibetan cafe. I was pleased to be greeted by Olga, lively and attractive young french-portugese who had just completed Vipassana meditation retreat. We chatted most mornings over large bowlfuls of fruit and curd and chunks of cakey tibetan bread.

I risked being real and told her about my upset and anxiety and lack of direction. Olga listened attentively with warmth and understanding. I felt validated by her compassionate presence and it was a reminder that it is safe to express myself and receive emotional support, even though I was very vulnerable. She gave me great advice, which I followed:

It takes time and now you have been very upset so it will take a few days to become calm and clear. Let this settle, wait with it. There is no rush to go anywhere, it will all happen in good time.

After a day or two of giving space to myself and treating myself with as much love, nurture and kindness as possible, the new direction revealed itself. A small bhakti ashram in north Kerala. Yes! It felt right. I spent that day in a state of conscious gratitude, Thank you Thank you Thank you my continuous prayer to the Universe.

Feeling our feelings, why should it be such a drama? Early on my spiritual journey I dedicated a year to an intensive psycho-dynamic psychotherapy. My skilled and patient therapist helped me to explore my early childhood and upbringing and we identified early on that my parents disapproved of strong emotion and that to survive, I shut down the feeling part of myself. Feelings were bad as they led to parental withdrawal, which to an infant is a survival issue.

As an adult, reclaiming this hidden part of myself feels like a gift, I want to live as a whole person, experiencing challenging, darker feelings as well as the joyful and ecstatic. I am living on the edge of myself and stretching into more of myself. It requires courage but the rewards are beyond measure: reunion with the true self and emotional freedom.

Blessings of wholeness

Jennifer

www.auroville.org

A simple Diwali in Dharamkot

2011-10-28T03:03:00.001+01:00

A selection of the goodies on sale

Three days ago a large supply of fireworks and crackers wasdelivered to the village. Cardboard boxes of various sizes in brightpackaging promising excitement and fun.

It was a bit of a happening: boys of all ages crowded round as they wereunloaded from a small pick-up van and displayed on a folding table outsidethe general store.

Whenever I passed by I would see clusters of childrenchattering excitedly, maybe spending a few rupees pocket money on sparklers orcrackers, whilst dreaming of the larger rockets and bangers.

This was the only Diwali related commercial activity I noticed inDharamakot, save advertisements in the newspapers entreating housewives to upgradetheir kitchen appliances. Preparations were simple, householders stringinggarlands of plastic flowers across doorways and paper lanterns in porches.

Late morning I was invited into the Sanctuary, a holistic spa andworkshop space by the co-owners Anand and Gora. I had met them a couple of days ago and we had chatted for ages aboutIndia and holistic therapies.

In a fusion representative of their respective ancestries(Gora is French, Anand is from Pune) we shared genuine espresso and traditionalIndian sweets made with ghee and jaggery, absurdly unhealthy but an enjoyable treat. I also enjoyed the company of Kala, Anand’s preciouspet Chihuahua who had been ordered on the internet and shipped to Delhi bybreeders in Thailand.

The shopkeepers and café owners of Dharamkot were in buoyant mood. At thefruit and veg stand I submitted my usual request for two bananas and held out aten rupee note which is the regular price. The grocer’s eyes twinkled as he pickedout three bananas. Happy Diwali! He laughed as he wrappedthem in newspaper.

I checked in with Mohan who single handedly runs Cool Talk Corner where I eat mostevenings, to see whether or not he would be opening. Today early closing. I have tomake fire and puja. Can make money every day but Diwali one day only!

Instead I visited the Trekand Dine, I hadn’t eaten here before as there is a large Bob Marley posteron the wall, which is traveller code for Youcan smoke marijuana here. I noticeda few other refugees from Mohan’s place, but chose a quiet table tomyself. In the street below randomcrackers were being launched, setting off car alarms at regular intervals.

Back at Paul's Guest House I had a dilemma. My room really needed cleaning, I had been looking out for Jatinda who does the housekeeping all day.

Dusk was falling and festivities were about to start and I finally saw him in the common lounge as he was locking up and preparing to leave.

Happy Diwali! I began. Jatinda smiled broadly and returned the greeting.

I'm so sorry to ask you now, but is it possible to get my room cleaned now? I ventured, embarrassed to be asking.

Yes! I do it now! In a moment Jatinda was on his feet.

I fetched some clean linen and followed him to my room on the first floor. I was baffled, taken aback by Jatinda's continued good mood. I felt sure that the timing of my request was unreasonable and inappropriate, but he clearly did not feel the same and I was deeply touched by his natural joy, happiness and generosity.

We gazed out from my balcony together as the sun set and lights began to twinkle on the hillside. Tonight all of India is celebrating! Jatinda declared with pride and satisfaction. I thanked him effusively for his service and he left to join his family.

NASA photograph of India at Diwala from space

What should I do? I had three options. Icould head into neighbouring Bhagsu village where there were two Hindu temples and get fully stuckin to the merriment. Or I pop back into Dharamakot; everyone would be out on the streets I felt sure of it. Or I could squirrell myself away andobserve the celebrations from the guest house.

It was an easy choice, the view from my balcony was so lovely. I was able to watch locals visiting a tiny shrine, lighting the tiny clay lamps that give Diwali it's literal meaning (Sanskrit for row of lights).

As the night sky darkened the village lights appeared bright and cosy and then the celebrations really began.

Fireworks and crackers were fired off from all directions with unrelenting intensity. This in turn caused dogs to bark, baby goats to bleat and sulphurous smoke to seep in to my room even though I had closed the windows and shutters. It was really, really noisy. The fireworks continued into the night, past midnight I am told although amazingly I fell asleep at around ten pm.

I remember my first Diwali in India, in 2004. I was living in Mysore, studying astanga vinyasa yoga. I had arrived in early October and as such was present to a string of Hindu festivals, Navaratri, Dusshera and then Diwala. In addition to the fireworks and so on, vast speakers the size of small dwellings were transported around the city on trucks decorated with flashing bright lights, pumping amplified devotional music and hindi hit songs throughout the night.

It was all too much, the noise was driving me insane! I used my emergency credit card to book into an expensive ayurvedic spa retreat twenty kilometers away from the city, to be soothed by clean, cool cotton sheets and tranquility.

This year I have been holding my friends and the community of Glastonbury in my mind and heart. As Diwali is celebrated on the new moon in October, so is lunar samhain. It is a powerful time to be present in town as the veil thins and darkness is animated in ritual, song and ceremony.

It is a night of mayhem and revelry and generally I stay home for that one too. I am happy to be here where the light is celebrated.

Jyotir namaha!
May the inner light shine always

Jennifer

Heaven and hedonism in Incredible India

2011-10-25T17:30:00.000+01:00

Colourful blessings for a safe passage

I take a daily walk into the forest that is starting earlier andearlier. I used to set out around four pm, returning as the sun begins to set.Then it was after lunch, then mid-morning.

Tomorrow I plan to get goingimmediately after breakfast. It’s that good. Walking in nature restores me on all levels. I always return feeling calmer,centred and uplifted.

There is a specialness to this landscape that seems to be healing and nourishing me and I relish every moment.

This walk takes about an hour. I timed myself using theclock in the Himalaya Tea Shop in Dharamkot where theauto-rickshaw drivers drink chai while waiting for business. This is the start of the walk. Take the level pathto the left of the water reservoir and keep going.

The path begins broad and smooth and from time to time Ihave to step aside to allow tourist vehicles to pass, mostly mini-busescontaining Indian families, who seem to prefer to be bussed about rather thanwalk.

Today I passed a pair of maroonrobed monks who had stopped to enjoy the view and were sharing tea from a flask.A little further along an ageless brown skinned Gaddi shepherd in hand knittedsweater and woollen cap was skillfully herding his goats.

Furry forest guides

I received the blessing of a tortoiseshell butterflydancing ahead of me in the warm, bright sunshine. Above, a stunning bluefeathered bird with exquisite long tail feathers sang to his mate who respondedfrom across the valley.

You can’t get far on four wheels, paved concrete yields tolumpy stones and the path narrows and bends. As you penetrate the forest you will notice basic dwellings where Buddhist monks retreat intosilence solitude to meditate for days, weeks and months at a time. Neatlyprinted signs request ‘Quiet Please’.

An abundance of coloured prayer flags decorate the passes, impossibly strungbetween sturdy pines. I was told that they carry blessings and good wishes fortravellers, which is a beautiful thought. Below on the forest floor, meticulously arranged stones and rocks form rudimentarystupa that have a peaceful quality.

As I headed deeper into the forest, I passed a stone-cutterworking with hand tools, Namaste was our mutual greeting. Atthe weekend, this patch is busy with noisy laughing school boys undetaking asupervised litterpick.

A little further along I was joined by a friendly pair ofdoggy guides who bounded ahead joyfully, disappearing finally up a steep bankto pursue an irresistible scent.

My special place in the mountains

Finally the view I had come for revealed itself: snowy peaksacross a plunging valley and a scattering of rocks to sit on and absorb thepanorama.

I bring myself here to meet the mountains, their presence so powerfulspeaks to me and fills me with something... beyond words.

I sit here a goodwhile, tilting my face into the sunshine and sighing deeply as relaxation andbliss flow through me.

This is Dev Bhoomi, land of the Gods. Himachal Pradesh is Shiva andParvati’s lovers’s spot, they meet here, they marry each other, they have sons,all in this area, explained Raju. Quick minded, energetic and charismatic, Raju manages the day to day running of Paul’s Guest House where I have taken aroom.

I was showing him photographs taken on my walk and speaking of myrapture: I feel so peaceful and happy, I just have to take that walk every day to sit with the mountains.

Raju nodded and gave a broad smile, Youfeel something spiritual when you come, and your feelings come like WOW! I amhappy now!

Raju tells it as it is

He continued enthusiastically: People recognize special place. Some people stay for two months, threemonths, a lot of people come longterm, because they want peace, they want tothink about himself, they want to be happy, they want to ponder his way.

Despite his obvious passion for Dharamkot, Raju waspreparing to relocate in the coming days. He had been summoned south to spend the winter (November – March) tendingbar in Goa. Party season was about to begin.

How do you like Goa? I asked.

Raju’s answer was blunt; In Goa you can’t hear your soul. The peoples who come Goa they want to enjoy,they don’t know what is real peace. They dance, they smoke, they drink beer,listen to noisiest music, girls in bikinis, girls in no bikinis. Goa is atotally crazy place.

Maybe such people should think about visiting Dharmashala, Isuggest.

Raju laughed loudly, shaking his head firmly in disagreement: People from Goa cannot come here! Just you call them, ‘Come here, it’sa nice place, No drinking, no smoking, no music, nothing! Just sitting on achair, watching the hills, come come!’ Just imagine!

I appreciated Raju’s honesty and sense of humour and that hewas speaking without judgement. I know Goa well and admired his versatility atbeing able to move so easily between two such different worlds and told him so.

He was stoical about his circumstances: This is not my personal choice, I have to earn, I want to spend most ofmy time here, I love here, this is my place!

I could easily picture Raju serving drinks to pleasure seekers in sunny Goa as trance music thumped from dawn to dusk. Once again I was amazed by the diversity of experiences on offer in this magical country. Open and generous enough to accept and embrace the hippies and the Tibetan refugees and to allow these communities room to grow and flourish and integrate with traditional Indian culture.

Raju's final word, borrowing the official slogan of the Indian Ministry of Tourism: This is called Incredible India, we have everything here.

Blessings

Jennifer

A Modern Tibetan Tale - Dhagyal's Story

2011-10-23T12:41:00.000+01:00

Moody view from the Peace Cafe

Maybe because of the surrounding mountains, the weather here in Himachal Pradesh seems so very close, powerful and dramatic. Autumn hasarrived violently, with rolling thunder that vibrates through my being andlightning that cracks so sharply it would split the sky.

Today, it rained steadily all morning. I awoke early and watchedthe changing panorama from my bed. Dawn was multi-coloured, the sun rose red,fading to pink. Then a delicate wash of lilac coloured the sky followed by adeepening, darkening opaque grey, foretelling the weather to come.

I meandered into town for breakfast as usual; optimisticallyor recklessly wearing light summer clothing, defying the mood of the sky.

I sat for some time in the Peace Café in McLLo (McLeod Ganj)one of my fave hang outs. I come for the very good coffee and friendly serviceand stay for the decent collection of reading material and free wi-fi.

It’s cosy inside with small tables, the smell ofespresso and warm pastries. Most days it’s busy with Tibetan Buddhist monkswith laptops and smart mobiles; today his Holiness the Dalai Lama is beginninga set of teachings in the Temple and I had the place to myself.

His Holiness is loved all over town

I decided to sit out back, under a tarped bamboo roof, opento majestic mountain views. It was chilly but dry. After some time I was joinedby a smiling young Tibetan. We smiled and laughed a little, two crazies whoprefer to be outside!

I love the rain! I declared.Yes! So fresh, so cleansing! Repliedmy companion, who introduced himself as Dhagyal and offered to tell me hisstory.

Born in occupied Tibet, Dhagyal journeyed to India via MountKailash and Nepal at the age of twenty, leaving his village and family. He setoff in 2002 with a guide and seven young men of similar age.

In the Tibetan calendar this was the year of thehorse, regarded as highly auspicious for all types of pilgrimage and travel.

A year later the group arrived in Dharmashala. Dhagyal spokevery warmly and enthusiastically of his reception, After coming here I get an opportunity to goto Tibetan Trust School for four and a half years. It is very special, forTibetan newcomers to get a chance to go to school, that there wasn’t in theChinese High Schools.

I was curious to know more about Dhagyal’s lifestyle. Manyof the older Tibetans in Dharmashala dress in traditional costume and maintaintheir cultural heritage producing handicrafts and cooking regional food.

Dhagyal, 28 Painter and barrista

Dhagyal dresses in modern sporty leisure wear and works in acoffee shop. In his free time he reads and paints. With his funky haircut,slogan teeshirt, skinny jeans, Converse canvas trainers and a hoody he wouldn’tlook out of place in London, New York or Paris. And this look can be seen allover Dharmashala on Tibetan youth of both sexes.

What do you like aboutDharmshala? I enquired.

Dhagyal beamed his answer:

For me it is very necessary to behere. First to improve my English, second to awaken my mind. I meet lots offoreign people for conversation and English in the coffee shop. It is veryinteresting and good for my future direction.

What is your futuredirection?

I can’t say, sorry!

Me neither! We laughed together, then Ipaid my bill and left.

It was a fun, easy conversation. Dhagyal was easy going,relaxed and positive and care free in the best possible way; enjoying themoment without stressing about the future. He had a strong sense of himself andwas committed to self-improvement. I wish him every future success andhappiness.

Out in the street, the rain showed no sign of easing and inunder a minute my sandalled feet were squelching wet and my cotton harem pantswere soaked through. I needed to head uphill to my room in Dharamkot, two kilometersaway.

I thought about buying an umbrella to keep me dry, but Ididn’t feel like spending 250 rupees and then having to carry an umbrellaaround India. I took a rickshaw for 60 rupees which trundled and bumped slowlyalong, passing locals and tourists who wereappropriately dressed in waterproofs, walking boots and so on.

Winter clothes for sale: but not for me!

In the early afternoon I took a walk in the rain: leavingthe UK in late September with a return date of early Feb necessitated a warmoutfit for travelling. By some minor miracle of foresight I had included alight cagoule and waterproof trousers.

It was something of a mixed blessing. As I congratulatedmyself on my skilful organization, I had to acknowledge that the weather was changing and while it was fun towatch the rain from a café, indulge in a rickshaw ride and splash throughpuddles in my waterproofs, I couldn’t envisage staying here as the weatherturned wetter and colder.

Moreover, I have been hearing the inner voice very clearly,communicating a sense that it was time to think about moving on. So no pointtrying to hang on here, despite my deep fondness. A week from now it will beNovember and the weather will definitely turn. Ironically, the place I amthinking of visiting next could well be mid-Monsoon at this time of year, soperhaps there will be no evading the rain.

Tomorrow I will be checking out train ticketing for what is sureto be an epic journey to the southern state of Tamil Nadu, I want to go back toAuroville.

And so it is….

Soggy blessings!

Jennifer

Deep Peace in Dharamkot

2011-10-18T06:21:00.001+01:00

Local school children heading home

The path from Dharamkot to McLeod Ganj is steep and stony, descendingsharply with tight curves requiring one’s full attention, an exercise inmindfulness.

A smoother, broader tarmac’d road runs roughly parallel and is the thoroughfare of auto-rickshaws andtaxi cabs.

Which means that my daily journey into town and back is extremelypeaceful and often solitary, save passing families of macaque monkeys foraging inthe undergrowth and congregations of large black crows calling out from thetree tops.

Tall pines forest the valley below and create ample coolshade for my walk, so even at midday it is easy and comfortable. It’s a 2kmtrek downhill into McLeod Ganj from an altitude of 2200km at Dharamkot andfairly strenuous on the way back up.

It's a great way to stay fit and work off the momodumplings which are cooked and served street side all over town andare just too delicious!

How did I get here? I had a number of tips and recommendationsfor places to stay in Dharmashala. I was looking for somewhere quiet, innature, out of town. A friend from home loves Bhagsu, but I had heard thatthere had been a lot of tourist development in recent years. A laid back tablaplayer I met in Rishikesh eulogized about Dharamkot and I followed hissuggestion.

Auspicious beginnings. I took a rickshaw from the bus standand booked into the first guest house I saw. My neighbour turned out to beHugo, a kind and sensitive Swede who I had hung out with for most of lastwinter in Goa. He had arrived moments before me.

No words, just mutualastonishment at the synchronicity and a HUGE hug. Hugo had travelled from Manali and would beheading to Goa at the start of November. It was great to see him and catch up.We shared a simple supper as the sun set.

Room with a view Paul's Guest House

The following morning I took a walk through the village. Dharamkot hosts a small number of guest houses, café-restaurants and shops. Many households offer rooms for rent,laundry services and display toilet rolls and bottled water for sale.

Yet Dharamkot strongly retains a sense of itself as a pastoral mountain villagewhere goats and cattle graze, children play freely and there is an allpervasive feeling of timelessness.

I quickly realized I could upgrade my accommodation andso I did. Prices here are very affordable, I was quoted between 80 – 250 rupees for rooms and that was without tryingtoo hard.

I now have a wonderful room with attached bathroom andbalcony and simply stunning views out across the valley to the mountains. As Iwrite I am sitting on my bed with the windows wide open, taking in the freshair and the deep peace.

Sounds of nature abound, cicadas rustle, birds peep andcheep. Dogs bark in the distance and the mooing of cattle echoes across the valley.Vehicle traffic is so infrequent that every motorbike, auto or taxi is heard.

Sleepy village life

There is space on my balcony for a yoga mat and I start my asana practice at 7:15am, so as the sun risesfrom behind the mountains opposite at 7.30 I receive its’ full blessing; agreat way to feel energized, vivified and connected.

I like sit out on mybalcony during the day, wrapped up warmly, feeling happy and contented.Counting my blessings as butterflies dance and flutter in the sunlight.

There are gorgeous walks out into the mountains, alongdefined and less well defined paths as well as established trekking routes tothe neighbouring village of Naddi, Triund, the church of St John in theWilderness, the waterfall at Bhagsu.

Dusk falls around 6.30pm by which time I have dined andreturned to my room as the setting sun colours the mountains a rich russet. Birdsongaccompanies the close of the day, it is truly beautiful.

I am relieved to have found a place that is just right forme now: a pause after the heady chaos of Rishikesh. I am feeling restored bynight after night of unbroken sleep, proximity to nature and a complete lack ofdemands on my time. I am living in atranquil haven and I am grateful for my good fortune.

Approaching McLeod Ganj

Emotionally I am steadier and calmer and have had startedto feel moments of joy. I am happy here and can understand how travellers mightsettle in longterm.

Living is easy, affordable and comfortable, if like me, youprefer life’s simple pleasures.

How long will I remain? I am gifting myself the freedom and spaciousnessof not planning; right now I have every reason to stay and none to leave.

Isuspect that the determining factor will be the climate; the sun is warm andbright in the day and the skies are cloudlessly blue.

At night, temperatures fall and as winter approaches it isonly going to get cooler. Rooms are not heated;I am doing well wearing jumpers, socks and fleecy pants in bed. Last night Ineeded a second thick blanket.

I don’t really want to invest in heavy clothing, although I have my eye on a funky white furry hat I spotted in a bargain basket. I certainly don’t wish to suffer the cold, I probably have a couple ofweeks left.

And I’m loving and appreciating every moment.

Peaceful blessings

Jennifer

Leaving Rishikesh: Heading deeper into the mystery

2011-10-15T11:52:00.000+01:00

Boy selling flowers for Ganga puja

After two weeks I am more than ready to leave Rishikesh. Inever really settled here, the opposite of what I had intended, expected andplanned. I thought I would stay here until November and maybe beyond.

I was drawn here on a heart level, romanced by thoughts of GangaDevi and the powerful Shiv-shakti resonating in the landscape.

On a pragmaticnote Rishikesh, town of seers has been the container of thousands of years ofunbroken spiritual practice, undisputedly the world capital of yoga.

Aseriously devoted yogin and Indiaphile, it makes no sense that I would not finda reason to stay. Surely everything I needed was here?

And indeed I had found a great place to stay, good teachers,spiritual friendship and I was feeling very blessed indeed by the presence ofMother Ganga. I could see the beauty and depth of this amazing town in its’ceaseless celebration of God. I have been travelling, working, studying andliving abroad since the age of seventeen and know the rewards that come fromcommitting to a place for a month or more.

And yet, Rishikesh just didn’tfeel right. I never felt really happy, relaxed or peaceful. In truth, I wasconfused, overwhelmed and just surviving. I gave myself two weeks time andspace to adjust and observed my feelings with as much detachment as possible.

I checked in with my friend and confidante Ruth-Anne, whowas loving Rishikesh and envisioning a stay of several weeks. Tellme how you feel about this place I asked her A feeling of belonging, that Icould always live here, that I have always lived here, she respondedwith enthusiasm and clarity. How wonderful for Ruth-Anne, and a great contrastto my experience.

Russian Krishna devotees at Saint Seva ashram

I did everything I could to make it work. Then I realized, I didn’t want to make it work, I wanted things to flowsmoothly and joyfully, surely the greatest teaching of the great river goddessherself.

Iwas distressing myself and creating struggle by not accepting my feelings and wantingto know why. This question Why? drains my emotional energy pretty fast. Thetrick is to unhook one's mind from the situation, to simply letgo.

I chose to surrender the situation to myhigher self. I would trust my feelings that Rishikesh wasn't right for me and prepare to leave. A new direction would reveal itself. I would receive guidance from within, a hunch, an urge, a feeling, a synchronicity, an intuition. Until then, I would have restin uncertainty, not knowing and give space to the situation.

Contemporary spiritual teacher Andrew Cohen supports andclarifies this point of view, The directly felt and seen dimension isalways going to be moving faster than your understanding of it* Thisidea is a great comfort, that the higher self is one step ahead and thephysical mind travels at slower speeds.

Spiritual shopping galore!

My time in Rishikesh has been of benefit and I can say thatI have enjoyed it and was glad I came. Rishikesh was somewhere I had to come and experience for myself.

I wondered how it would have been to visittwenty or thirty years ago, stripping away layers of modernization: the noisyjeeps, the innumerable gift shops, the sheer number of visitors that made theplace so intense and overwhelming.

At some point, Rishikesh would have been a calm spiritualhaven: ashrams, riverbank, mountains and sky. The ideal environment forspiritual seekers.

But the moment is always now, I can’t turn back time. Orwish for things to be other than they are. All I can do is accept what is and moveforward with gratitude for what I have known here and move ahead with anattitude of optimism.

So what to do next and where to go?

I could head south, but I had a feeling that there wassomewhere else in North India for me. I considered moving further up the Ganga,towards the source. Uttarkashi and Gangotri were the obvious choices. Onceagain, my intuition said No. I needed a complete change, acontrast from the exuberant chaos of Indian pilgrim towns. I was looking fornature, tranquility, a peaceful haven and spiritual community.

Pilgrims gather at Swarg ashram

In a flash, the answer came: Dharmashala , the seat of hisholiness the Dalai Lama, spiritual leader of exiled Tibetan Buddhists.

Amazingly,there was a direct train connection from Rishikesh, it would be a day’sjourney, relatively short for India. I felt the inner uplift of excitement andarranged my ticket this morning.

I’ve already had a bit of decision backlash, doubts andfears surfacing, beginning to persecute me:

What if I am making a mistake? Dharmashalawill be crowded, noisy and dirty. I am a yogi, not a Buddhist! It will be awaste of time, money and energy.

With practice, I am able to allow suchfearful thoughts to come and go, arise and dissipate. I choose to believe that I am going to have apositive experience and wrote the following affirmations in my journal:

I am going with the flow of life

I am being brave

I am stretching and growing

I am prepared to be surprised and delighted

Only good lies before me (Louise Hay)

I am ready for this new experience

I am following inner guidance

I can’t get it wrong!

Adventure awaits!

Namaste

Jennifer

*Ken Wilber and Andrew Cohen, Guru and the Pandit, Live in Denver

Singing my yoga: taking music lessons in Rishkesh

2011-10-11T15:43:00.000+01:00

This alluring sign caught my attention

I stared at the enormous electric air cooler that dominatedthe blue cube of a room where I have been coming daily for singinglessons. A powerfulroar was emanating. How was I going to hear myself overthat?

Chandra my teacher, pretty, petite and quick of mind hadimported it for my comfort. I didn’t wish to appear ungrateful and refuse her kindness;I suspect she was paying money to rent it.

In any event, it would just addanother layer to the sound sandwich that is India.

Chandra teaches singing, tabla and sitar from her home closeto the main Laxman Temple in Rishikesh. Access is via a set of steep, narrowconcrete steps lined with saffron robed sadhus.They spend their days sitting outside with their alms bowls. From the teaching room I could hear a veryregular chink of coins being receivedand the ubiquitous salution Hari Om!

We sit cross legged on a red patterned wool rug and Chandraoperates a harmonium to accompany me. I ampracticing vocal exercises: variationson scales and arpeggios Sa Re Ga Ma Pa DaNi Sa. This takes up the entire hour. My brain is quite tired by the end from the concentration.

I enjoy it very much, as a teacher, it feels great to relaxand receive instruction. And although Rishikesh is all about yoga and there arecountless options for classes, I am well established with my daily asana and sohave the time and resources to spend on other things.

I am going deeper and deeperinto bhakti yoga and kirtan and sacred singing of all types. So this a greatway to improve and grow in confidence as a singer. Private tuition is extremely affordable (200 -300rs per class) and I record the sessions ontomy mp3 player so I can practice in my room or when walking about town.

Bansi's teaching room

I have a second teacher, a brahmin, named Bansi. I would guess him to be inhis seventies. He is extraordinarily youthful and energetic of spirit and has akindly presence.

I was standing in the main square pausing in the shade a fewdays ago when I noticed a sign outside a men’s hair salon.

It turns out thatthe barber, Rakesh, is a longtermstudent of classical flute who is happy to guide new pupils to his master.

Hence daily I take myself to a second noisy room (buildingwork below, monkey fights above) to sit on another rug (old, beige, dusty) andpractice a different set of vocal exercises: mantra or prayer.

Bansi is very laid back. On my first day heasked me what I wanted to learn. Topractice the yogic chants I had been given five years ago and to move onto longer mantra I replied.

From a large wooden cabinet with glass doors, Bansi selected aslim book, Sivananda Ashram Daily Prayers produced by the DivineLife society. This is published locally; the ashram is located just across theriver at Ram Jhula. Another very solidharmonium was taken down and the familiar, comforting warm drone once againaccompanied me.

We started at the very beginning of the book, with awonderful guru stotrum which isspoken at morning prayers. Then wepractice the classic mantra that will be familiar to most yogins and bhaktas: Poornamadah, Sahana vavatu, Sarveshamswastir vavatu, Tryambakam yajamahe and more.

Guruji!

I love the latter, after ten repetitions or so I begin tofeel fire in my belly! This is also a favourite of Bansi who tells me with smiling eyes This mantra to Shiva is meant to save yourlife- from Devils! Useful!

These sessions are so very helpful, in terms of correctinganglicisms that have crept in my pronounciation. And in reminding me of correct intonationpatterns. I love the sing song liltingmelodies, Bansi sings with a great lightness and obvious, easy joy and he is very adept at tabla too.

So my days are pretty full with lessons andself-practice. I have started attractingmore singing opportunities: the law of attraction in action.

A young Israeliguy spotted my guitar bag and invited me to a night time jam session at the Bombay Guesthouse.I poked my head in during the day to check it out and was met by a wall ofganja smoke and giggles, so I probably won’t go, but I was happy to be asked.

I bumped into someone I met in Arambol in Goa, like me ahealth freak. She is staying at the Pyramid Guest House on account of theirsprouts and spirulina. She thought it would be cool to start a singing satsang on the beach by Ram Jhula. Iagreed, it was a good idea.

Tiny temple courtyard where womens bhajans are hosted

Finally, I was walking past a tiny blue temple heading outof town last night as dusk was falling. I was mesmerized by the enchantingsounds of a women’s bhajan group.

Iscrambled down some stairs following the sounds of bliss. In a small coveredcourtyard in front of a shrine were women of all ages, from two to eighty two,chanting kirtan together as the malepriest performed puja.

I was beckoned in and handed a large pair of manjira hand cymbals. How amazing! I couldn’t followthe chants but it was enough to be present and so there I sat, on a cool stonefloor, in the nurturing presence of such beautiful women; sisters, cousins,aunties, daughters and granddaughters, chiming and clapping with love in ourhearts as the sun went down.

I am looking forward to many more musical adventures as my time in India unfolds.

Om shanti, shanti, shanti

Jennifer

When travelling, new friends can be angels

2011-10-09T06:09:00.000+01:00

Gratitude for friendship

My friends in the UK are spiritual allies and confidantes, especially in Glastonbury where the town functions as a loose sangha or community of seekers.

I am grateful for the ongoing support, acknowledgement and inspiration of the many wonderful Avalonions I have met and especially those few for whom the days and weeks have deepened into months and years of knowing and relationship.

Like precious jewels, these friendships have been polished with understanding, tolerance, deep listening and mutual respect. I cherish my friendships.

Out on the road, so to speak in India,support from home comes largely through cyberspace and also the power of intention, I can remain connected to my friends through holding them in my mind and heart, sending a vibration of loving-kindness, of sincere wishing for their highest wellbeing and happiness, whatever the situations and circumstances.

I know that they are doing the same for me and it is a great feeling to rest into the awareness with profound gratitude.

Part of leaving home for extended periods is about trusting that it is safe to leave, that I am sufficiently internally well-resourced to take care of myself and that I am Divinely protected: the higher, loving forces of the cosmos are assisting me at all times.

And usually when travelling I will meet special people, special in the sense that they seem to be the right person, in the right place, at the right time with exactly the right form of help or guidance that is required.

I had been ill for a couple of days. No fuss or drama, a digestive disorder that came and departed swiftly. On one level I might attribute it to the unrefridgerated, unpasteurised Yak cheese I sampled in a local bakery (pungent, creamy and delicious!)

From another perspective my immunity was weakened due to travel, change of climate and diet, lack of sleep and so on and my wonderful intelligent body was imposing a full stop and bed rest. What else to do but surrender?

I was semi-delirious and slept well, drifting in and out of consciousness as the nine day Navratri festival reached a climax. Yards from my room in the Sant Seva Ashram, an enormous effigy of Durga was lowered into the Ganga with an insane amount of fireworks, bells, clapping, chanting and devotional ecstacy. I could Emotionally as well as physically I was feeling exhausted, scared, lonely and fearful and tearful.

Grace and beauty: Ruth- Anne

The following morning, Ruth - Anne, a beautiful and graceful american who I had befriended on my first day in Laxman Jhula, knocked on my door to find out how I was doing.

Her eyes were clear, bright and friendly and she held me in a genuine loving presence, bathing me in her open, soft awareness. This was my medicine: a simple, yet profound act of caring and kindness.

I was deeply touched that this new acquaintance would pause her day, take time to show up for me, an act of true generosity. It was a tender moment, I felt my heart swell and receive the warmth and nurture being offered.

Ruth-Anne was my angel, I honour and thank her for her timely action. Maybe we are all angels for each other?

May we always continue to experience the gifts of friendship wherever we are !

Jennifer

First few days in Rishikesh

2011-10-04T09:21:00.000+01:00

View from my room Saint Seva ash

These first few days in Rishikesh have been a gentle exploration of possibilities, walking the town, its ghats and bridges on foot. Peeping into ashrams, noticing things, an open curiosity.

Coming here meant leaving my comfort zone of south India, where I can relax with easy familiarity into several places: Auroville, Mysore, Goa and Kerala.

It's not so much that I wanted to challenge myself by travelling somewhere new. I was responding to the call of Ganga Devi, the river goddess who defines this town.

And I wanted too to deepen my sadhana, my path of yoga. I wanted to chant and sing the holy names through mantra and bhajan, according to Vedic scripts, this is the dharma that corrects 'an ocean of faults' in this age of kali-yuga.

I’ve had a bit of a scattered experience and things are stillpretty open. I stayed a couple of nights in Pamarth Niketan ashram and now I am further along the river, close to Laxman Jhula bridge in the Saint Seva ashram.

Peacock feather seller, Laxman Jhula

It’s warmer than I thought. I came fully loaded with thickwoollen socks, jumpers, hats and so on.It’s hot: I’m walking around in thin cotton garments and taking rest from themidday heat. I keep the fan going in my room for most of the day. So that’s thefirst surprise.

Winter begins here in November, apparantly. I'm looking forward to the cooler weather, this morning gave a taste of that when the sun didn't break through until midday and I was able to take a good long walk down to Swarg ashram, crossing Ram Jhula bridge to check out the huge Sivananda ashram that dominates that side of the river.

The scenery here is breathtaking: emerald green, densely woodedhills surround Rishikesh. Goddess Ganga flows through, sheis smooth and broad and fearless: sometimes calm and peaceful,othertimes powerful in movement.

Ganga ma spoke to me as I stood gazing intoher beauty at the side of Laxman Jhula bridge. Time stood still. You came my child, I called you and you cameWas this real? I was almost in tears with the emotion of the moment.

I have met two wonderful women at Saint Seva ashram, where Iam currently staying, both of American origin. Ruth is delicate, beautiful andsensitive. She is planning to travel south for the beaches. She will be moving to Saint Seva in a few days and has chosen the room next to me, so we might become neighbours.

Anita has beenliving in India for decades and is thoughtful and compassionate as well as a treasure trove of insider info. Indian mentreat her with respect, referring to her as memsahib,a throwback to days of British rule That’sso funny as my husband is a lieutenant colonel she chuckled when I toldher. Anita is based in Rishikesh and travels widely with her dog, Mister who isapparantly small and well behaved enough to be smuggled onto trains.

Mother and child

There are monkeys everywhere. On my first day here a large, grey senior male urinated outside mydoor as he held my gaze. I didn’t feel threatened; I don’t know whether he wasmarking his territory or just taking a pee because he felt like it.

They sure are cheeky, upsetting bins, rummaging forfood, running noisily across rooftops. I was in the habit of carrying a coupleof apples in the mesh side pockets of my daypack, until yesterday, walkingacross Laxmand Jhula bridge I was pursed by a fierce looking brown macaque monkey.

He grabbed my leg with his small yet strong hand. I stuffed the fruit into themain part of my bag and legged it over the other side. I felt a bit silly to berunning away from a monkey!

I spoke on the phone with a close friend just before leaving the UK. She too was spending the winter abroad. We shared our hopes and expectations. What this helped me to realise that while I was excited and nervous about the new experiences that I could have, my priority was to take care of the inner being, to stay present with myself and gentle with myself.

Indians love to be photographed with foreigners

Currently this means checking in with myself several times during the day; how am I feeling? Allowing feelings to come through and be witnessed without necessarily naming or judging them.

Defending myself against critical thoughts or, noticing critical thoughts if they do arise and detaching from them, not making a story about what is happening.

Right now, I am feeling quite nervous and vulnerable and wondering what this time in Rishikesh will be. There are no clear answers, I feel that there are a number of options and I don't want to prematurely force an outcome for the sake of security. Slowly, slowly, resting in the uncertainty, staying centred, keeping my ambition in check and allowing the adventure to unfold.

Gradually I am building my bank of local knowledge, good places to eat, where to get my laundry done, where to use the internet. Later today I will go back to the Sivananda ashram for Ladies maitri satsang -reading in Hindi and English in the Samadhi Hall, which I liked the sound of.

Thank you for reading and keeping me company

Blessings of divine love

Jennifer

Falling in Love with Delhi

2011-10-01T12:03:00.000+01:00

Cycle rickshaw and driverf, Delhi

Day one and India serves up a hugesurprise, a coup de foudre. As thisis my seventh visit, I should know by now to expect the unexpected. I wascompletely unprepared to fall in love with Delhi, and yet this is whathappened.

I had crafted my itinerary so asto spend minimal time in India’s capital city. Touching down at Indira GandhiInternational Airport at 8am I would transit to New Delhi Railway station, buy aticket for the 3pm express train to Haridwar in the Himalaya.

My schedule was all liningup nicely. I congratulated myself on the smooth flow and thanked the Universefor supporting me.

Did I mention that this is myseventh stay in India? I should have known better, India had other plans.

Delhi has a new metro system. Itis a perfect example of how India observes and appropriates what othercountries are doing in its quest for modernization and economic expansion. Themetro was quiet, clean, cheap and efficient.

I boarded at the airport, it was four stops toNew Delhi station. I was feeling excited and buzzing just because of being inIndia. I was grinning so widely I straightened my face, not wanting to frightenmy fellow passengers.

Layers of transport history

The carriages were peopled by thenew generation of modern Indians, young, educated, wearing western styleclothing and carrying the technological accoutrements of our age: laptops, mp3players, mobile phones.

The metro systemitself reminded me of the Parisian RER network. The stations were spacious withwide walkways.

At New Delhi train station, thefun began. I was carrying 26kg of luggage and a travel guitar. In my efforts tosecure a ticket I must have traversed the station seven or eight times. Heavingmy baggage up and down stairs, across platforms, through the security scans… Iwas getting tired and going nowhere.

In a fairly typical scenario I wassent from ticket booth to ticket booth, across town and back in a rickshaw andthen queued for an hour in the foreigners office, finally to be told that the3pm train was full. I crumbled somewhat: I wanted to keep moving. Having tospend the night in Delhi would slow me down and I had heard that hotels wereexpensive. What to do?

I had already missed two nightssleep, the night before my flight anxiety kept me awake and I flew through thenight via Doha in Qatar. Nonetheless, the only viable option presented to mewas a sleeper train, leaving Delhi at 10pm for a 6am arrival in Haridwar. Itook it. It was years since I had taken a sleeper train and I was open to theadventure.

I paid my ticket and stashed mostof my luggage in the cloak room (platform 16, 10rs per item per 24 hours). It was already 3pm and I wanted to take ashower and rest for a few hours so I began roaming the adjacent neighbourhoodof Parharganj, packed with budgethotels.

Roach ridden room at Hotel Volga

I checked out a few possibilities,the smarter places costing between 1500 – 2000rs were out of my price range. Iheaded deeper into the back streets and randomly selected Hotel Volga.

The roomwas pretty crummy, I didn’t care. I paid 500rs with the agreement of receiving100rs rebate for a pre 9pm checkout.

I showered and crashed onto thebed. There was a knock at the door. A young boy came in, ostensibly to checkthe air conditioner, he then asked me if I would like a body massage. Eh? A body massage.

I twigged and feignedindignation and chased him out of the room. I thought I should report thisincident at reception to preserve my moral integrity.

Downstairs in the foyer I wastaken aback to see a row of individuals seated in a line upon a sofa. In aninstant I took in garish makeup, and a hard quality to their faces, they wereall hookers, of both sexes.

This was my first encounter with Indianprostitutes, let alone transvestites and I really wanted to stare and take inthe grotesqueness of it all. Namaste, intoneda large, butch she-male in a pink and red sari. I kept walking, out onto thestreet as though that was my original intention.

Hence I found myself in theteeming, dusty, ever moving mass that is urban India. Every inch of the citywas vibrating with life. In my street a horse was tethered next to an open airurinal, then an artisan beating copper wire, then children and grandmotherlounging on a day bed, then a gents barbers (hair saloon), then a cook fryingsamosas in a large iron pan on an open flame, then a tiny temple dedicated tothe Goddess Durga and so on.

Street life, Parharganj

It occurred to me that this wasvillage life, being lived outside, communally and that all of history washappening at once.

Stumbling over a cockerel I rejoined the main road andmarvelled at the rush hour traffic. Lanes and lanes of every kind of transportfrom bicycle rickshaws to privately owned air conditioned four wheel drives.Honking and parping and pumping fumes and travelling very slowly with no senseof rule or regulation.

I checked in with myself: cities tendto drain me, how was I feeling? I should have been exhausted and depleted fromthe travel and lack of sleep. Yet I felt, alive and invigorated and really,really happy!

It was true, I feltamazing! I was coming up on the insane chaos of this ugly, beautiful city.India, ever the temptress, had scored again and stolen my heart. I stood stillin the turbulence and absorbed the scene. The prana, the life force of India.How utterly absurd! As nourishing and blissful as standing under a waterfall.

I ambled around as thesunset, meandering the back streets and eating far too many snacks; samosasfresh from the fryer, roasted channa (chickpeas) served in a twist ofnewspaper, sliced pineapple and tiny cups of sugary chai. It was most unhealthyand I was loving it!

All aboard!

Later, I checked out ofHotel Volga, collected my luggage and took the metro to Chandra Chowk for OldDelhi Station.

I was helped onto the train by a vibrant, newly divorced Delhite,Anjuna, who was visiting her son in Mussourie. I let her take charge of me, itwas nice to be taken care of, another blessing!

Finding my carriage I scrambledup to the top bunk, arranged my bedding and lay smiling to myself as I replayedthe day in my mind. I fell asleep with thoughts of gratitude and anticipationof what was to come, whatever that should be….

At the time of writing 75rs = £1

India awaits... And remembering my first ever visit

2011-09-26T06:51:00.000+01:00

Bharat mata ki jai!

I'm flying to Delhi on Wednesday and travelling onwards to the Himalaya. I have had the good fortune to visit India on several occasions. It has only been a few short months since I returned from spending the winter in Goa; the resonance of India is still alive within me.

This will be my first trip to the north. While I'm excited and nervous about venturing somewhere new; I know that it will be amazing.

I can't resist pausing to enjoy a moment of nostalgia and recall my first ever visit to India, back in 2002. On the surface it was quite unremarkable, yet it was during this trip that the seeds of my spiritual awakening were sown.

When I returned to the UK, my life began to change rapidly and dramatically. And my love affair with India had clearly only just begun.

I had booked a two week holiday in Goa, flight only. It was Easter, the end of the tourist season. At that time I had no knowledge of yoga, hinduism or spirituality in any form. I was the archetypal material girl, with an adventurous spirit.

I had no specific expectations, just an open curiosity and wanting to have a pleasant time on the beaches. In my early thirties I was carefree, enjoying the adventure and tried out a selection of beaches: Anjuna, Vagator, Colva, Benaulim.

I remember that I paid far too much for a sarong, tasted a highly memorable prawn biryani and almost succumbed to a holiday romance with a guy from Milton Keynes who belonged to a wedding party. I travelled as a stone skimming the ocean, kissing the surface of each place before moving on.

Happy days at Palolem Beach Resort

Then I reached Palolem, a beach village in the far south and everything changed. My taxi discharged me where the dirt road ended, in front of Palolem Beach Resort.

I loved playing the hippy, although I had ample funds and money was not a consideration in my choices. So I made a large canvas tent my a temporary domicile and stayed for six or seven days.

I was so very happy: the compound felt like home with a fairly decent restaurant and a super quaint beauty salon, really a hut. I remember getting my hair washed and dried, it took forever as there wasn't really enough power for the blow dryer, which kept stopping, then we would wait a few minutes and try again.

I was charmed and delighted. Palolem beach is utterly gorgeous with stunning natural scenery. Although I haven't returned, I gather that it is currently popular with honeymooners and couples (ahh!) and that prices have increased and inevitably, development has taken place. I'm pretty sure too that it would still be magical.

I lucked out with two fantastic neighbours: Josh from Leeds and Aaron from Israel. I developed an instant crush on Josh: a northern accent always makes me go weak at the knees.

Josh was handsome with floppy dark hair that played around his eyes. He was tall. Most of all he was relaxed, confident and came to Palolem for THREE WHOLE WEEKS EVERY YEAR.

Palolem beach at sunset

This was mindblowing to me and extremely seductive: imagining hanging out in Paradise for THREE WHOLE WEEKS with nothing to do except relax!

I was living a very tightly contained existence of career, mortage and zero flexibility. My time was most definitely not my own. Josh was living the dream!

Aaron was thoughtful, sensitive and deeply passionate about ecology and conservation. He definitely had a tight budget; I remember him counting rupees in his palm and making tough decisions about what and where he could eat.

We hung out together as a three. Josh smoked dope, so he was going nowhere fast. Because of my sentiments towards him (unexpressed!) I was happy to hang out too, in plastic bucket chairs in front of my tent, making my way through Vanity Fair (the novel).

Then one day, a key event. The resort was being extended and labourers were constructing huge concrete slabs upon which the tents were erected. I watched, mesmerised as a slender, dark skinned local wearing only a lunghi transported sand to be mixed into cement. He was carrying the sand in a small woven basket on his head. This made no sense to me!

I called over to Josh, Hey look at that guy! He should get a wheelbarrow, it would be so much quicker. It was Aaron who answered me, You've missed the point totally. So he gets a wheelbarrow and works ten times faster. Then what? I couldn't follow his line of reasoning and so, somewhat baffled returned my attention to the frivolous escapades of Becky Sharpe.

I taxied out of Palolem with great sadness, so much so that a powerful surge of emotion erupted from within. I had never felt anything quite like it and was terrified. I was out of control! Crying and sobbing violently, my tears and grief could not be suppressed.

I believe that this first visit to Goa catalyzed the great shift that was to follow: an emotional breakdown, the irrevocable dissolution of my seemingly perfect existence. Part of me had awakened and my life would never be the same again.

Thank you for reading. I have enjoyed revisiting my past. I am looking forward to blogging the next chapter in my Indian odyssey as time and technologies permit. I hope that you will keep me company as I travel.

Peaceful blessings

Jennifer

Stress, Spirituality and the Shift

2011-09-24T20:40:00.000+01:00

How are you doing? Enquired my housemate, genuinely concerned. I am preparing for a long trip overseas and there is much to be done on a practical level.

I'm ok, really ok My words came as a complete surprise to me! As my thoughts aired through speech I hardly recognised myself: I felt calm, peaceful and relaxed.

How could this be? I had so much to do! I had not managed to keep up with my to do list, I had experienced a couple of setbacks earlier in the day.

I had every reason to feel stressed, emotional, anxious and overwhelmed. And yet.... I felt good! This was new and unfamiliar.

I'm no stranger to stress: stress has permeated and coloured most of my life. I witnessed my parents overworking and projecting their frustrations onto myself and my siblings, which we duly internalised. I then created lots and lots of stress for myself as a young adult. Firstly through setting and achieving seemingly unfeasible academic goals. And then spending years collecting promotions and taking on increasing levels of responsibility in inner London education. I eventually burnt out, retraining in holistic arts: yoga and bodywork.

Yet the stress followed me into my new life; unseen and silent, I let stress continue to devour me and drain my energy on all levels.

Stress is the plague of the modern world, who doesn't suffer from stress? Sadly, stress is the norm and accompanies much of our daily experience.

I have come to know stress pretty intimately. My definition would be a set of physiological and emotional responses to challenging conditions.

Typically, there is a feeling of overwhelm, of circumstances being out of control, of lacking the time or resources to meet the situation. Being unable to cope. Caught in a stress reaction, we fixate and magnify the situation out of all proportion and risk spiralling into a vortex of negativity.

In my work I have become skilled at relaxing the physical body, it is useful but not enough. On my journey of healing I have come to see that holistic therapies and bodywork can only take me so far; right now the work is taking place on the inner level.

Stress is a choice, a reactive pattern, we have repeated time and time again that we assume it is a fixed response. We don't realise we are choosing it: we feel as though it is choosing us. Because it is a choice, we have it in our power to change our response and transform our relationship to the situation.

My practise is is to avoid tipping over into the stress reaction and inhabiting the stress zone which wreaks havoc on the body, emotions and causes a detachment from spirit, a separation from the inner being, a shut down. This is quite simply too high a price to pay. And I no longer consider stress to be inevitable, I challenge its hold over me and my life force.

I am suggesting that the antidote to stress is TRUST. An inner knowing that circumstances will regulate themselves, that we can cope and all will be well, even though we don't in the present moment know how. The universe, divinity or one's own higher self will ensure a positive outcome.

Todays example: I had ordered a pair of walking shoes online, they were a real bargain and alas when arrived they didn't fit. I started to tell a negative story, They don't fit, this is terrible! I can't afford an expensive pair, I don't have left enough time to get a replacement sent out, it's my fault and so on. I started to embroider in everything else I had to do, there simply wasn't enough time! I could feel myself on the verge of panick and anxiety.

I caught myself, detached from the reaction and told myself a different story: It was going to be so easy to organise a refund, I was dealing with a retailer who always gave superlative customer service. I would find another pair of walking shoes, I didn't yet know how, but I knew that the Universe would bring me a solution.

Peace dawned on me: I knew that everything was going to be ok. Letting go of stress is a huge deal. When I am able to do this, I feel lighter, freer, calm and relaxed. The real me!

I am learning to let go of the paradigm of the supremacy of the rational mind, whereby we expect to solve all our problems by thinking and planning, skills which only work some of the time and leave us mentally and emotionally exhausted and ultimately unsatisfied.

I choose to let go of struggle

In expanded consciousness, we live an integrated spirituality, broadening one's understanding to include a benevolent cosmic force that is always on our side and operating to produce the highest good for all.

Which means that the poor, long overburdened thinking mind no longer has to bear the full weight of responsibility for our decisions and choices in life. Everybody wins!

This is the shift in awareness that humanity is currently being asked to make: Do we choose a fear based reality (stress) or love based reality (trust)? The loneliness of the illusion of separateness or the joy of co-creation?

Which do you prefer?

Blessings of calmness and clarity

Jennifer

Autumn Equinox and the End of Summer

2011-09-22T08:31:00.000+01:00

Succulent hedgerow blackberries

Summer officially ended yesterday. The reality of autumn is all around. I'm just back from a walk along Wick Hollow, down to Paddington Farm, past Gog and Magog and back via Paradise Lane, a favourite route.

I notice firstly the calmness, the earth's quiet mood. Then the hedgerow harvest: blackberries now super ripe in unrelenting abundance, random apples decaying and fermenting on the ground. Shiny brown horse chestnuts bounce along the lanes, newly ejected from their spiky jackets.

The trees are tipped red, yellow and bronze and as the wind picks up, a graceful cascade of dry leaves tumbles into my path.

I am in wistful mood, basking in a bittersweet melancholy that I can almost taste. Memories of spring and summer are still fresh and vivid. I am still wearing my summer clothes, with some additional layering. No need for gloves and scarves; yet that is where we are headed. The seductive imaginings of a country winter: rosy cheeks and mittened hands, booted feet crunching the frosted earth. Of bare silhouettes of trees and stark skies. Woodsmoke. The pale and elusive winter sun.

Balance point of dark and light

This is the time of the autumn equinox, a brief interlude in the wheel of the year, a balance point with days and nights in equilibrium after which we turn away from the light and progress steadily and certainly towards the dark.

As a yoga practioner, I find a parallel with the breath. In certain pranayam techniques one cultivates an equal length of inhalation and exhalation, rechaka and puraka. Kumbhaka, retention, is the cessation of breath and body activity, the supreme moment.

The cycle of the breath is repeated many times within a minute, the cycle of the earth's revolution of the sun occupies a full calendar year, yet the principle is the same; expansion, pause, contraction.

I use equinox as a moment out of time, an opportunity to look back at what has been and ahead, towards what is to come.

It has been a curious summer, of witnessing with confusion the falling away of many structures and circumstances that supported me. The releasing of a longterm relationship. Of markedly less activity in work and in my social life. Of making do with less, materially and financially.

The flipside of which has been the deepening into what remains. Primarily my relationship with myself, discovering the jewel in the lotus, the sacred centre within.

Understanding the gift and the prerogative of presence. Redefining abundance. Strengthening key friendships, gaining greater fulfilment from quieter times. Hearing the voices of the natural world speaking louder and singing in my heart.

As far as looking ahead, well this is a wonderful time to be in Glastonbury. A time of sharing and nurture, coming together and slowing down after the scattered exuberance of summer. To spend the autumn and winter here is truly to know the heart of Avalon. My plans however are leading me elsewhere... In this moment I am here and I celebrate!

Recommended Autumn Equinox events in Glastonbury:

Thursday 22nd September 8pm -
Community Celebration, Assembly Rooms, High St
www.assemblyrooms.org.uk

Friday 23rd September 12pm -
Chalice Well Wheel of the Year Festival and Meditation
www.chalicewell.org.uk

Pagan Gathering Under the Stars
Cinnamon Lane 7pm
Contact Morgan: 01458 835518

Enjoy this time of balance and pause

Equinox blessings

Jennifer

Taking Time Out for Myself

2011-09-18T16:46:00.000+01:00

Enjoying quiet time at home

I'm getting good at listening to myself, understanding and honouring the messages from within. For the last couple of weeks I have felt the need to rest at home quietly and spend time with myself.

This is quite beautiful, as it resonates with the rythmic cycle of the seasons and the slow yet obvious sloping away of energy as we turn to face the autumn equinox and beyond that the darkening into winter in the northern hemisphere as we rotate away from the sun.

I have a practice of self-honouring and self-care, by which I mean I commit to looking after myself, as a sacred contract, which I renew daily in the form of prayer, meditation or affirming intention.

This subverts years, decades of patterning and behaviour during which the opposite was true; I gave up listening to myself, I was woefully unaware of my true needs and would override any inner messages that managed to get through.

I made everything more important than myself; work especially, also other peoples needs. I had a definition of my own needs which tended to decrease rather than support health: the mixed blessings of the modern age which mercifully we are now waking up and reconsidering: status, shopping, rich food and all kinds of indulgences.

My physical and emotional self suffered and eventually collapsed under the strain, leading to recurrent episodes of chronic fatigue, burn out and depression. My spiritual self was ever present I guess but buried within and lost to me; I was lost to myself.

Early signs of autumn: time to turn inward

I have loved myself back to health and happiness and reconnected with my inner being. Staying true to my whole self is a full time job and even now, I can feel guilty about prioritising my clear and obvious need for rest and quiet time, when I feel that I should be engaged more actively with the world.

This success mentality, the attitude of doing, imposing goals, timetables and outcomes leads to imbalance not only in the individual experience but collectively too. Its a big one to shift and I need to acknowledge myself when I intervene and act preventatively. Which I am beginning to do more easily.

So when I received two potent dreams on consecutive nights, both indicating fatigue I knew I had to stop. Firstly, a refridgerator fully iced in; my laptop embedded within, frozen. Either I was going to seize up or I needed a break from writing and the internet.

Secondly, wading uphill in Glastonbury town, through knee deep water feeling too tired to continue: meaning I was getting burnt out in town; time to pull back.

This time, the guilt was minimal and I allowed myself to enjoy this special time; a retreat at home.

Living in a small and interconnected dynamic community of Glastonbury, complete seclusion was unrealistic. Two days into my exile, even the meter reader from the power company felt the need to tell me, unprompted, all about her healing experience at Chalice Well!

I am getting comfortable with setting personal boundaries. I have let go of worrying that friends will feel excluded or rejected. I say; I'm taking a some time out at home, I'll give you a call in a few days and we can do something lovely together.

I get positive feedback on this, such as Wow you are really looking after yourself, or I should really do that! Take good rest

Nurturing the Inner Self

So I keep my home clean and uncluttered and bring in fresh flowers, burn incense and candles, throughout the day. The computer is resting too, unplugged. I meditate upon deities; Shiva and Ganesha, the Goddess of the Ganga. I practice yoga asana, I chant and pray.

I rest deeply in my own presence, giving myself the quality time and attention I deserve.

I sit in the garden, face upturned to catch the still warm delicious golden rays of the Spetember sun. I forage in a nearby abandoned orchard, collecting armfuls of tiny apples, blushed pink.

I recall how I sang bhajans under a particular tree with friends in early spring as the blossoms were forming and we looked forward to the summer ahead.

Eschewing electric light, I take myself to bed as the sun sets, free of the restraints of clock time and rise before dawn, opening the doors to receive the day.

Early morning walking the circumference of Glastonbury Tor and receiving the energising morning prana as the sun's appearance burns away the mists of Avalon while still sleepy sheep huddle against the slopes of this holy hill.

My dreams became more vivid and my ablity to feel deeply and receive intuition becomes heightened, I begin to feel restored.

Then the call back to a fuller engagement: the feeling of wanting to connect and share with others. The urge to write and a wonderful dream: of newly de-cluttered kitchen cupboards, I open them all to find order and spaciousness and there is an accompanying feeling of contentment and wellbeing: Meaning I have created some much needed internal space.

I am now ready to resume and rejoin the flow of life, relaxed and feeling peaceful once more. I wonder what's next....?

Intentions and affirmations

I listen with love to my body's messages (Louise Hay)

My intuition is always on my side

My dreams are a valuable source of wisdom and guidance to me

I give myself permission to slow down and stop

I take really good care of myself at all times

Tine with myself is precious and wonderful

My friends are understanding and supportive of my needs

It is safe to let go

I am nourished by quiet time with myself

Why not give yourself permission to slow down and stop?

Peaceful blessings,

Jennifer

Shepton Mallet and Street: A tale of two lidos

2011-09-07T06:59:00.000+01:00

Lovely clean 1930's architecture

A scarlet sycamore leaf, curled at the edges and brittle dry floated in the clear blue water. Though the day was warm and sunny, there was an underlying chill and the sense of autumn coming in.

It's the final week of opening for Greenbank outdoor pool in Street, where I have been happily swimming since the start of the season at the end of April.

Membership renewal letters arrive in the first half of April which is massively exciting as one can look to the summer ahead. Today's floating leaf is a sure sign of summer being over and it is indeed bittersweet.

I took a moment to pause, acknowledge and appreciate how much I have loved coming here. The feeling of entering the water at the start of my swim, every day like the first time, receiving the water's warm and supportive embrace and my body expressing joy at the freedom of movement. Ploughing lengths steadily up and down has become a mindfulness practice for me, freeing the mind as I stay present to a new set of sensations in body and breath. The regular sounds of moving water complete the meditation.

Well tended lawns

My exercise is witnessed by the ever changing British summer skies, and I am an all weather swimmer. I enjoy the hedonistic exuberance of hot high summer when families gather on the lawns, packs of teenagers too and the pool itself becomes a colourful vibrating squawking mass of shrieks, laughter and splashing.

I favour cooler, wet days. My favourite swims this season have been when I have donned my waterproofs, mounted my bicycle and cycled over in the rain, enjoying all the sensations and blessings of water. On such occasions one finds oneself surrounded in steam as warm water from the pool rises and condenses. Heavy downpours and moody black and grey clouds create a dramatic scenery.

When I have completed my swim I like to take a cold shower at the side of the pool, a sturdy hand cranked mechanism. Then scurry into the changing area, also open to the air, for more water therapy from the hot and powerful showers.

Swimming at Greenbank is a community affair. You will see regular faces (and bodies!) in the pool, many (such as myself) show up for a swim most days. Sporty guys thrashing like sharks, its best to get out of their way! Young girls dart and dive like water nymphs, quick and graceful, young boys bombing and diving until reproached by the lifeguards. Older women swimming two abreast and chatting, reminding me of ducks. Most have a season ticket which makes it very affordable, additional discounts are available for Street residents.

Ladies outdoor showers

Some may not like the idea of swimming in chlorinated water, but as an outdoor pool, fumes evaporate off and honestly it doesn't feel overly chemicalised. And yes I love to swim in lakes, in the ocean, in rivers and under waterfalls too.

Living in town this is a practical and real solution that fits in well with daily life in Glastonbury: Greenbank pool is located three miles away in the commercial town of Street.

Is it heated? I get asked this a lot, usually by people who like the sound of an outdoor swim, but are hesitant because of the cold. I'm quite into the cold water experience and think it supports health and invigorates the body. And the pool is heated to a consistent temperature that is warm enough for most.

As all lidos, Greenbank represents a living history with roots in our once thriving industrial past. It has been granted Grade II listed building status. Taken from the pool's website, here is a brief summary:

Greenbank Pool was a gift to the people of Street from Alice Clark in 1937. The town's prosperity came from the Clark family firm of shoemakers, and the present-day headquarters of Clarks is still based in Street, close to the Pool and the Clark's factory shopping village.

Much of the housing adjacent to the Pool was originally built for factory workers and before the Pool was built the local men and boys used to swim naked in the nearby River Brue. Alice Clark was a strong supporter of womens rights and left money in her will indicating that she wished a pool to be built so that the women and girls would have somewhere to swim.

The Pool is a registered charity held in trust and administered by a management committee.

I take delight in the idea of swimming naked in the river Brue, a spot still favoured by some. How charming of Alice Clark to propose a more genteel solution for the town's womenfolk!

Further information and links www.greenbankpool.co.uk

Lido entrance

I took a couple of dips in another pool, again quite local to Glastonbury, at Shepton Mallet Lido. Another ongoing episode of social history. It's quite a contrast to Greenbank pool and I would not want to compare the two as they are so different in character.

Shepton Mallet has, to be honest, a somewhat down trodden air, a market town formerly sustained by farming (Shepton = Sheep Town) and now dominated by a new edge of town Tesco and retail park, it speaks the story of many small towns across the UK. The fact that the lido has survived and was redeveloped in recent years speaks of resilience and survival.

The water is ingeniously heated from the industrial process at the immediately adjacent cider factory. Heat produced when the factory chills its drinks is passed through a system of pipes to the pool. This means that the temperature is not constant. I was greeted by an handwritten notice, taped to the window, informing me that the pump had broken and it may not be warm enough to swim in. My heart beat a little faster in my chest: a challenge!

Pool with cider factory next door

I paid my fee to the slightly bored attendant who now due to my presence would have to sit outside and watch the pool under the heavy showers.

It was raining hard, mercurial silver raindrops pelted the pool like bullets. Vast cylindrical metal tanks to one side and rolling Somerset pastureland on the other, somewhat dilapidated social housing ahead it was a curious landscape.

I was the sole swimmer, and the water was cold, yet refreshingly so. I managed about fifteen minutes, a dozen lengths before I started to lose communication to my limbs.

The showers and changing facilities are enclosed and basic. I didn't linger. I didnt feel a sense of care and did expect a higher level of hygiene and tidiness. If it were my regular pool I might find this challenging.

Shepton Mallet lido is managed by Avalon Leisure who direct local municipal leisure resources. This means that if you are a member of any local leisure centre, entrance is free or included. I hope that this pool continues to receive support, and also a little love and caring.

Opening times, location and more information from Avalon Leisure

www.avalonleisure.co.uk/shepton-mallet-lido

Archived article from Mendip Council www.mendip.gov.uk/NewsArticle

Monday is Moon Day

2011-09-05T20:42:00.001+01:00

During the summer I was introduced to the idea of days of the week being named after the planets.

This had never occurred to me although obviously the Gregorian calendar is based on planetary cycles: months approximately one lunar cycle and a year representing the time taken for the Earth to journey around the Sun.

I would like to share the following unabridged commentary on the esoteric meaning of Monday, which I recorded at New Holistic Camp 2011.

Elucidated by Tchenka, an alchemical astrologist, who held the morning meetings. On first hearing I was struck by Tchenka's natural eloquence and grace, she was completely unscripted, speaking from the heart, and her words form a beautiful prayer or meditation.

The moon reflects the light of the sun, reflected polarised light, that's what special about moonlight, no light of its own, pure reflection.

And it rules the waters the tides, the tide of life, the growth and reproduction of nature, the rise and fall of the sap, it is the Mother: Artemis, Phoebe, Diana

The spirit moved upon the waters of the Earth and brought forth life, the water within us captures the light and grows in response to the light.

Vivacious Tchenka

We have the earth, our bodies; we have air, the breath which connects us; fire which is our warmth and vitality and the life spark that quickens us and the water, we are 98% water, let's be aware of our wateryness.

Water is the soul, the part of us that captured spirit and held it within our bodies, so Monday is a soulful day.

We feel as emotions, those feelings inside how they ebb and flow and change from one thing to another! Somethimes like a rushing sparkling stream, sometimes like a great still lake.

It is water that connects us on the level of compassion and feeling to all the rest of life. Even the smallest blade of grass is full of life: water really links us.

Tchenka is associated with the UK Wheel of Astrologers

www.wheelofastrologers.co.uk

Santosa Summer Camp: Living in the Land of Yoga

2011-09-02T15:46:00.000+01:00

Morning meetings were well attended

Simplicity, purity, sharing and devotion: Santosa Yoga Camp unfolded as a sattvic finale to the festival year. Living in the land of yoga in the beautiful vale of Avalon as summer concluded.

I had selected low key events this season; basing my choices on gate protocols.

No more wristbands, walkie-talkies or security guards. I needed to be greeted with a hug, by gentle people who knew my name. Hedgerows not fences: I needed to feel LOVE.

I had been offered a teaching ticket and decided to share an Inner Yoga; an introspective journey using mantra, mudra, pranayama and restorative poses enabling practitioners to experience and work with the subtle energy body.

Juice o'clock!

As the event approached, the weather was mixed, but I would be safe and dry in my caravan or a short sprint from home if things got heavy.

I had just landed back in town from New Holistic Camp and was keen to stay in the flow of camp life, living outside, simply, creating community in nature.

Most days I awoke at first light and was vivified by sunrise and birdsong. An obligingly unused yurt was an ideal space for asana self-practice.

Then I would bathe under a cool, clear spring in the adjacent field and join fellow devotees to sing bhajans - all before breakfast.

Being late August there was plenty of foraging to be done in the local lanes. I located elderberry, blackberry and some stunning wild mint.

I made a couple of visits to the nearby lido at Shepton Mallet, courtesy of a bicycle loan from a generous crew member (Fluorescent green pedals! Thanks George!). The simple sauna, constructed in a bender with a woodburning stove inside was a daily requirement. I really felt that I was purifying and cleansing on all levels of being.

Tanya and John were sorted for sprout

The law of attraction meant that I was serendipidously sited next to a trusted festival friend Annette. I made some great new connnections too.

The raw of attraction was in operation: my other neighbours were Ian and Aradhana of Positive Living Bath, we share mutual friends and a passion for living foods and juicing. They are both yoga practioners and really easy to be around.

Aradhana was holding raw treat workshops and was carrying some impressive technology, including a Swiss hand blender. I persuaded them by demonstration to upgrade their Easy Health manual juicer to the mighty Z Star which I use in my caravan.

Across the field, were another raw couple who were living foods enthusiasts, so much so that their caravan annex was a de facto growing room with stacking shelves and a mini shop.

Tanya started chatting when she noticed my trays of sprouts (barley grass, baby sunflower greens and snow pea shoots). She explained that her partner John had converted to the living foods lifestyle in response to a serious health condition and had visited the Hippocrates Institute in Florida to educate himself and ultimately others.

They were friendly, passionate and committed and it was great to discuss the finer details of juicing and sprouting and we will stay in touch. John is growing some enticing sounding fruit at their home in Gloucestershire, such as goji berries and honey berries. With three acres of land they are living the dream!

Detail from the Bhakti space

I was thrilled to meet Lucy Crisfield and Alex Honeymann, both musicians, a divine couple whom I knew of by reputation. They travel widely and present their very different material together, it really works.

Alexander is a singer songwriter who presented personalised versions of classic bhajans as well as his own material, which really speaks of the healing and ascension of humanity at this time.

Lucy offers the classic form; she has studied Vedic chanting in India and texts from other spiritual traditions. She gave a truly commanding rendition of Sri Rudraprasana, invoking Lord Shiva by reciting his many names.

Bhajelo ji hanumann!

Bharati and Dinesh are another divine couple, experienced, mature and compassionate musicians who for me epitomise the spirit bhakti, the yoga of devotion.

They were tireless! Evening kirtan followed on from afternoon devotional chanting and they showed up for morning bhajans too.

I would gladly attend any future event they are part of as I truly respect their work and am inspired by their attitude and pure presence.

In an auspicious moment, Bharati and Dinesh initiated me in chanting the Hanuman Chalisa: a beautiful prayer to the monkey faced deity. Accompanied by the vibrating tones of the harmonium, we read from tiny books from Indian written in Sanskrit and transliterated into English.

Joined by yoga empress and all round goddess Uma Dinsmore-Tully who birthed the Santosa Camps, I knew myself to be profoundly blessed and was grateful to be receiving in this way.

Boys will be boys

Other magic moments included sharing lentil soup in the pouring rain around a camp fire, courtesy of the beautiful, vibrant Sultan.

Witnessing a spear chucking contest, a small tribe of boys armed, rewilded and empowered thanks to Ben, who was putting an end to his children being teased for attending yoga camp This year they're going home with weapons, he declared firmly.

Join us in 2012! www.sitaram.org/sitaram/santosa-yoga-camp

Aradhana, Ian and friends www.positivelivingbath.co.uk

Bhakti bliss assured www.bharatidinesh.co.uk

Great inspiration www.lucycrisfield.com

Fasting from technology

2011-08-31T19:55:00.000+01:00

Beloved netbook

I admit freely that I love technology, especially digital communications. I own three mobile phones, an mp3 player and a netbook, I even organised myself a wifi modem whilst living on the beach in India.

This may not be much technology, it may be a normal amount, it might sound like a lot. In other areas of life I find myself drifting back to low tech solutions: a manual juicer over an electric model, bicycle over car. I do find a computer to be essential: I'm a blogger after all.

So when my netbook got damaged at the weekend and was collected for repair on Monday, I became quite anxious, it was an unplanned loss. Just back from yoga camp I had a camera full of photos to upload, a blog post in mind and several new connections to follow up by email. I wanted to hang out on facebook too!

I was without my computer for just over forty eight hours and it was quite a teaching. Day one: I used my free time to practice some new songs and revisit Patanjali's yoga sutras. Positive.

Day two was tough, I had enjoyed the break, but felt it was time to get plugged in again. I used the library computers for a thirty minute internet fix, which was long enough to check emails and not much more. I began to feel agitated.

There was uncertainty about the length of repair, as a replacement part was on order. I feel embarassed to admit how anxious I did feel. I was used to the presence of the flickering screen, instant access to my vast library of music, audio books and film. I had to be honest with myself and acknowledge that I was experiencing withdrawal!

Loving the radio again

I retrieved an old school analogue radio from a storage trunk and tuned in to BBC Radio Three. I was instantly soothed by the calming music.

I used to listen to Radio Three in every waking moment, before I got heavily into devotional music myself. I was reminded how awesome classical music is, high vibrational, healing and written by extremely creative individuals, often inspired by deep emotion and divinity.

My netbook and me were reunited a short while ago. The screen has been replaced, it is glossy, new and bright. My software has been tweaked a little too and upgraded, its a good result.

Other outcomes: A reminder about mindfulness and self-responsibility. An opportunity to check in with myself regarding a pattern of behaviour and make adjustments.I'm reinstating a weekly technology free day, most likely Sunday. I know that I used to do this, somehow I disconnected from the practice. The netbook will remain unplugged, no mp3 player either.

Benefits:

Reduced stimulation of the mind and senses, desirable from a yogic point of view and physiologically would promote lower stress levels.

Leading to increased creativity or just space 'to be'.

Lowered electricity consumption benefits all.

And I will appreciate and respect my technology more.

The radio stays; I'm re-enamoured with Radio Three, right now I'm listening to a bio of avant garde twentieth century American composer Samuel Barber.

www.bbc.co.uk/radio3

If you are in the Glastonbury area and need IT support I highly recommend Ashley Brook for prompt, courteous and efficient service for a very reasonable fee

www.thecomputerhelper.bravehost.com

New Holistic Camp: Seeding a New Reality

2011-08-22T13:58:00.000+01:00

The Flaxley site is large and spacious

We arrived late Saturday afternoon. Crossing the river Severn added excitement, leaving one realm for another, a good metaphor for camp. Everyday life is suspended in lieu of entering a world of magic and adventure. A temporary Utopia with participants actualizing a shared dream.

The UK summer is just right for this: between May and September our countryside is pervaded by a mystical magical quality that Shakespeare understood and was muse to his tale of love and play: A Midsummer Night's Dream.

There is an aliveness of hedgerow and forest, an almost tangible presence of spirit beings, tree folk and fairies. Long, light evenings are an invitation to play outside and share space and ceremony. Our beloved islands are cold, wet, chilly and dark for much of the year and we know instinctively to make the most of our time with the sun.

Woodcraft tuition

There is a wide choice of camps and gatherings in the UK, reflecting the strength and diversity of the sub-cultures within the green and alternative movements.

It means we can hone in and attune to our individual vision.Last weekend for we might equally have attended Croissant Neuf, Healing Field Gathering, Rainbow 2000, Rainbow Circle, Dartmoor Music Camp and more besides.

I would usually be at Healing Field Gathering, local to Glastonbury and full of familiar faces and good friends. This year I was travelling further afield. A fresh landscape, the beautiful and mystical Forest of Dean.

Workshop space loaned by Tipi Jean

New Holistic camp is in now its third year, re-energising a site with a great pedigree: the former summer home of the UK Rainbow Circle.

I respect and admire all those who take on the role of camp organiser. In this case Starcus Baal, a kind and generous friend with years of practical experience and festival know how.

The countless hours of hands on work and months of pre-planning will never be compensated in financial terms. Truly an offering from the heart.

The whole camp is a powerful seminar in living beyond money. As per Rainbow tradition; commercial activity is limited or bypassed, so that a free circulation of energy exchange can take place.

The experience for me was virtually money-free. A friend gifted me the ride and caravan tow from Glastonbury as a part thanks for some bodywork. I was a crew member by virtue of giving workshops, with an entitlement to free entry and meals prepared in the central kitchen and announced with the sounding of a conch shell. I eat high raw in the summer and travel self-sufficiently with sprouts and a manual juicer, nonetheless I was tempted into the convivial atmosphere of the cafe for some robust and tasty vegetarian meals.

Forest School in session

Workshops were free, and there was plenty to do: woodcraft, tarot, amulet making, poetry, singing and crafts. Individual sessions with healers and astrologers were also offered at no charge.

I found this particularly powerful and loving and it raised the vibration of the experience. We were living a new reality of abundance, sharing and receiving, close to nature in an open community, established on an ethos of caring and trust.

The principles of Rainbow are not new; and yet how fresh, radical and relevant they are today as we witness powerful world economies struggling to survive. The choice is on offer: what kind society do we prefer? What are our values and can we dare to live them into reality?

At home in an ancient Oak grove

One of the unexpected gifts of camp was night after night of deep, prolonged sleep and dreaming. A blessing in itself.

My companion, knowledgeable in druidic traditions and earth lore suggested we set up by an ancient Oak grove. The roots below and branches above forming a cosmic cradle holding us in safety.

We witnessed misty sunrises, scarlet sunsets and the fat golden August Harvest full moon. During the chilly evenings we warmed ourselves around the central fire and took turns getting blasted with wonderful wet heat of a steam bath constructed ingeniously in a bender and manned by a youthful, energetic crew.

The compost loos were well maintained; workshops took place in loaned teepees, yurts or outside in the bright steady sunshine, which kept us company most days.

Voluntary simplicity is good for the soul; we left after five days feeling revitalised and relaxed.

See more photographs of camp on my facebook page:

If you would like to get involved for 2012 visit the website: www.new-holistic.co.uk

Directory of smaller camps and gatherings in the UK www.campscene-directory.co.uk

Holiday listening list

2011-08-12T14:37:00.004+01:00

Elemental beauty of the Forest of Dean

I'm heading to New Holistic Camp tomorrow, held in the lush wooded environs of the Forest of Dean. I am really ready to take a breather from the cosmic vortex of Glastonbury.

Recent world events have left me feeling a little bruised, some rest and healing in deep nature with gentle company is definitely prescribed.

I do plan to have plenty of time to myself. I am not really much of a reader these days. It's not my idea of relaxation to stretch out on a sheepskin and drink endless cups of chai.

I like to be active and am planning some walks and wild swimming and who knows what else, as long as I am in the open air and moving I am ok.

So in lieu of books I will loading up my much loved mp3 player with inspiring material that I can get stuck into. Some of which will be first listenings, others are old friends.

Much as with books, I will often buy audio and have it hanging around on my hard drive for weeks or even months, well years too, I can confess to that.

The beauty of audio files is that they don't take up room in your home, tent or suitcase and are highly portable. Best of all you usually get to hear the author reading their own material which animates the content and somehow makes the experience a lot more personal.

Tip: Be vigilent in backing up your files externally!

Nostalgia for forty somethings

As a child I was very bookish and a precocious reader. My parents led very busy work lives and rained audio cassettes upon myself and my siblings.

The fondness of huddling up listening to Felicity Kendall narrate My Naughty Little Sister or dancing and singing along with the iconic Play School crew, led by Brian Cant and Florence Benjamin is rendered bittersweet by an adult acknowledgement of how little time my parents spent with us and that our library of tapes was no substitute for parental attention. Ah well and so it is...

Perhaps this was where my love of audio was born and certainly today there are thousands of hours of great content out there and miraculous technologies to support listening.

These are my choices:

Looking forward to this little gem!

The Biology of Belief Bruce Lipton

Love and the Goddess Joseph Campbell

The Four Agreements Don Miguel Ruiz

A New Earth Eckhart Tolle

Journey to the Ancestral Self Tamarack Song

The Force of Kindness Sharon Salzberg

I haven't added links as they are all widely available on Amazon or wherever you prefer to go for your downloads.

If you have any suggestions for great holiday listening I would love for you to share: what are you listening to right now?

Blessings of joy and sunshine

Jennifer

Response to London riots

2011-08-10T12:45:00.001+01:00

Community spirit emerges in Clapham

This morning I awoke early and began trawling the mainstream media. I wouldn't normally begin my day this way,but like many others I am following the extraordinary events currently unfolding in London and other cities across the UK.

My mood was buoyant and optimistic. Yesterday evening I was cheered by press images of doughty Brits bearing brooms aloft reclaiming the streets of Clapham. Clean up groups were mushrooming online, powered by community spirit. I joined a facebook group: Stay Home and Drink Tea. A feeling that the worst had passed.

Alas another troubled night of violence, with more and more urban centres affected. I live snuggled away in Glastonbury, a peaceful new age nexus. No high street chains to loot here; when Woolworths closed in 2009 the premises re-opened as a wholefoods store and organic cafe. It is unthinkable that violence and rage would penetrate this far.

And yet, cycling past the Co-Operative store in the early evening I counted five police vehicles and one very sorry looking miscreant being detained.

The high drama continues then. It is real and it is happening now and I am feeling affected.

Looting

Firstly, I feel a sadness, a soreness, that London is suffering. London is my birth town and where I spent my early childhood. I returned as a newly hatched teacher in the early nineties and grafted hard in inner city schools in 'troubled' areas for ten intense years. I do have a genuine sense of personal upset and loss.

I am also feeling the deep poignancy of the inevitability of it all. The death throes of a paining, dysfunctional society, writhing in anguish as its structures collapse. Volatile finacial markets, plummeting shares are the economic backdrop to this; money systems across the globe are destabilising, on the verge of collapse. Society is burning out*

I feel deep compassion for our troubled urban youth; a generation of lost boys and girls raised on poor diets, in ugly environments, conditioned to worship celebrities and to desire and expect a lifestyle they could never afford or attain: luxury branded goods, expensive personal media and technologies, fast cars and beautiful bodies. The crisis of a life lived without depth or meaning: lacking any intrinsic sense of belonging, self-esteem, dignity, value or worth.

Celebrating with community at Paddington Farm

I read the violence as the expression of the repressed contents of collective consciousness, a volcanic eruption, as described by progressive mystical psychologist Carl Gustav Jung a century ago.

From his perspective, modern western civilisation is largely soulless and thus profoundly unreal and imbalanced. The psyche is a self-balancing mechanism and as we have gone too far in a certain direction this reaction is an unavoidable consequence.

Contemporary teacher Eckhart Tolle commenting on the cataclysmic events that rocked our world in September 2002, uses the expression collective insanity:

The collective insanity that is in the human mind has a grip on the world and has enormous momentum

It becomes obvious when we see such a violent manifestation of it, violence inflicted by humans upon each other, it is a manifestation of the human condition

There is something arising now on this planet that is different, that is new, that is not part of that insanity

There is an acceleration of the new energy coming in and an intensification of the old which is playing itself out, that is the core of the madness

The sickness or insanity can only be dissolved in the individual, because the collective is only the sum total of the unconsciousness in the individual, the collective follows

A personal teaching: any outer circumstance affords me a window into my own soul, I ask myself:

What am I learning about myself?
How am I moved by this?
What are my responses and my reactions?

Drinking tea for peace on facebook

I am grateful that what is missing in the lives of my brothers and sisters in the cities is present in my life. Glastonbury is a spiritual, creative community. Here you can experience belonging.

Far from perfect, yet we endeavour personally and collectively to practice what we preach; growing our own food, sharing resources, joining together to pray and celebrate. Love and caring circulates here. I recognise it, I value it and I wish it for others.

On the inner level; I am becoming more and more established in knowing my inviolable value and worth. Shifting from an identity based on the external self, what I wear, what I have, how much money I have or even the work that I do or don't do. We were created by a loving source, we are here, we are good enough.

I have been singing songs of peace and chanting mantras, primarily to calm myself. We can all be agents of peace. Creating tranquility and harmony in our individual lives is a meaningful contribution to the collective energy field at any time and particularly now.

This beautiful prayer, is buzzing around my head comes from a song by Adrian Freedman who performed it recently at a concert in town:

Dear God our Divine Mother, our Divine Father

Please help us to hold the light in our hearts

Please help us to transform our pain

So we may live our lives in peace and dignity

Aho to that.

Resources:

*Charles Eisenstein investigates current state of society and presents a future forward vision with authority, eloquence and compassion in his books: The Ascent of Humanity and Sacred Economics.

Peace invoking, healing, sacred song from Adrian Freedman. Buy, listen and sing to yourself and everyone you know.

Audio interview with Eckhart Tolle Even the Sun will Die recorded September 11 2002

Read Carl Jung's theory of the collective unconscious in his collected works, Volume 9 The Archetypes and the Collective Unconscious

Facebook group Anti-riot Drink a cup of tea

Welcoming wet weather

2011-08-08T11:16:00.008+01:00

Kitty is unimpressed by wet weather

Let the rain kiss you. Let the rain beat upon your head with silver liquid drops. Let the rain sing you a lullaby.

Langston Hughes

UK weather always makes for great discussion. Summer 2011 has been hot, balmy, raining, windy, and chilly; changing erratically and frequently, often from hour to hour. Definitely wild and wonderful.

Yesterday it rained a lot. Car-free with an active outdoor lifestyle, I have little choice but to engage with the weather, on the weather's terms.

Much as a barometer, conditions outside permit me to gauge my prevailing mood. As I awaken and open my curtains to reveal the new day, am I irritated by the overcast dawn sky or acquiescent?

In truth, I do enjoy the cooler climate of a British summer. I can be active without overheating and I quite enjoy the variety and unpredictability of weather. I have fond memories of living low impact and watching our ducks as it rained. Traversing the field with joy and enthusiasm, lustily quacking their contentment as they investigated small pools and crevices where water collected; gargling and bobbing with delight.

Christopher Robin explores a large puddle

Young children also show the way. Look, there's a big one! Exclaimed my six year old neighbour as he and his gang stormed a series of puddles which were forming on the pavement. The rain was a good thing! An opportunity for even more fun, adventure and laughter!

As we move through life such playful attitudes tend to harden into annoyance and cynicism. Cycling through Street, I witnessed small clumps of pedestrians protecting themselves under shop awnings; their faces speaking of dismay and discontent.

The inner voice appeared: To be afraid of the weather is to be afraid of life. Fundamentally all weather is good, it is given to us with love from Mother Earth. There is a bigger picture, we can see it if we choose to widen our view; the weather isn't happening to us; we are part of an integrated living biosphere and our localised experience is part of a powerful, dynamic self-regulating system, deep and wise and intelligent.

Rain gives us an opportunity to rise above thoughts of duality and negativity: sunny weather = good; wet weather = bad. Such thinking is never helpful and keeps us in a state of disconnect from our true, loving spirit.

Keep smiling and carry on

Summer is as much as anything a state of mind; I bought a beautiful bouquet of sunny golden and orange flowers, to evoke the warmth and light of the sun; instant upliftment.

I took an awesome swim in a near empty outdoor pool. The warm steam rising, the rhythms of breath and moving water under moody grey skies made for a very lovely experience.

Lifeguards sat stoically under large umbrellas in bulky cagoules and us few swimmers smiled at each other, acknowledging our happiness and good fortune.

I have a pair of waterproof trousers that fold small that I carry around. When I wear them I feel fearless and intrepid, quite childlike. I can greet the rain with glee and positivity, I can keep going, it's just different, that's all. The gentle summer rain is a blessing; a thousand sweet kisses falling on my face.

Later in the afternoon I joined friends at a poetry gathering in a mongolian yurt on the lower slopes of Glastonbury Tor. The theme: Earthmatters. The rain was powerful, striking the canvas forcibly, thunder and lightning echoing outside the thin skin. This added a dramatic dimension to our chants, stories and songs, a natural percussion.

A reminder that we are supposed to be living much much closer to nature and all the elements. Changing weather is a dance that we are invited to participate it and not hide away from behind heavy walls and technology. Everything can be fully felt and celebrated. An invitation to presence and aliveness.

Wet is a physical sensation, just as dry is. A contrast. Modern lives protect us from such extremes and I wonder whether in our search for maximising comfort something primal and vital been lost.

It's only rain and I love it.

Your thoughts?

Jennifer

Self-love as spiritual practice

2011-08-05T14:21:00.010+01:00

What does self-love mean to you?

I posted this image on my personal facebook and received a torrent of positive feedback from friends. I decided to sit with the question What does self-love mean?

Self-love is a complete statement that requires no qualification or definition. As an idea or concept it is fully satisfying in and of itself. I find it pleasing, comforting to roll the phrase around my consciousness. Invite the vibration in now for yourself. Self-love, I love myself How does that feel? Pretty good yes?

In a recent, powerful dream I stood alone in the centre of a room, surrounded by menacinginvaders, growing closer and closer. Myheart was a glowing pink crystal pulsating in my chest and I was affirming I love myself, my heart is open. In the dream I grew tired, but maintained mydefences.

Meaning? Positive loving thoughts and an open heart create a steadycentre from which to keep negativity at bay. Maybe my psyche is reflecting back to me the results of my endeavours, hours and hours of positive affirmations, listening to teachings and soul work. My heart chakra is working! Its an upgrade from dreams of being chased, terrorised and hunted down by evil assasins. I'm also using the dream as a teaching, a reminder of how to behave towards myself when feeling stressed or challenged by life.

Nourish yourself with the vibration of love

I have experienced self-love as a state of being, a feeling spontaneously arising within. Words can't always justice tosuch powerful sensations but maybeself-love is something like warm honey flowing from the chest and emanating throughout my whole being. I feel happy, secure and cared from and I am grateful that my inner being and myself are consciously connected and communicating.

Equally, self-love can be an attitude, aperspective, something to be cultivated. Achoice to be made, moment to moment. Something I can choose to defer to, to invoke, to meditate upon, tosummon from within. In other words a spiritual practice in its own right.

I am getting better at watching my thoughts, and in particular thoughts about myself that are critical, harmful and judgemental. Negative stories I am creating and reinforcing. On one hand, yes witness them, give them space and detach from them, I can also choose to love myself as well. Love can always be invited it as a higher presence.

Example, five minutes ago as I am blogging this, a neighbour knocked on my door, asking to use my printer. Right now? I asked, I'm in the middle of writing something and I want to keep in the flow.

Green Tara

Apparantly it was urgent. We had recently reconciled following several weeks of low level energy draining tension. I wanted to preserve this newly hatched and fragile harmony and capitulated.

Suddenly this guy was in the bosom of my private space and I felt mad! Angry with him and myself for having weak boundaries. Why did I let him in? I should have been firmer. I was really, really upset.

I recalled the dream and summoned the vision of the pink crystal heart I love myself, My heart is open In the moment I couldn't extend to loving and accepting him, it was enough to work on myself. This is always enough.

Alongside more vigorous sounding virtues such as courage, confidence and passion, self-love could seem softer and passive, yet it is profoundly powerful. Self-love is a core skill, much overlooked but now featured on the curriculum of humanity's great re-learning, it certainly shows up regularly for me as a soul teaching.

What are the attributes of self-love? Sharon Saltzberg, esteemed Buddhist teacher speaks of kindness in her book The Force of Kindness, I feel that she could be speaking of self-love when she says,

I really do believe that it is one of the most powerful forces in the world and liberates us and helps to free others...

It's a quality of attention and care, a steady presence in our lives of unconditional caring.

We are all quite capable of it, it's a capacity inside for wisdom, kindness and connection, that is never ever destroyed. It maybe covered over, maybe hard to find, maybe hard to trust, but it's there.

We are returning to that capacity, we are learning to abide there and to nurture it, to really bring it forth into our lives.

Suggested practices for self-love:

Lotus mudra

Open yourself to the idea of self-love, allow yourself to know that you can get there, results will follow and that the practice is worthy in its own right, regardless of outcome.

Discipline and commitment are required.

Self-love and I love myself are affirmations to be used as a mantra: Focus your mind upon the phrase, concentrate and repeat, internally or aloud.

I sometimes practice without words, invoking the feeling of self-love directly as a sensation.

Use mudra, sacred hand gestures, to direct the flow of subtle energies around the body. All mudras are good, Lotus mudra, is great (pictured) Keep hands level with the heart centre, fingers lightly touching. Variation: spread both hands wide and place flat across the heart area, left below right. Inhale and exhale through the heart to strengthen and purify.

Beautiful music assists in opening the inner portals. As I write, I am listening to Celestial Yoga from Johnathan Goldman's album Inner Light.

Kwan Yin

For full cosmic power, work with a deity, Green Tara, the Buddhist mother goddess of compassion was my first thought. Kwan Yin is another female boddhisattva represented across Eastern traditions and is said to dwell in the heart centre.

Energize your practice by lighting a candle, burning incense.

Repeat your mantra inside your head last thing at night as you fall asleep and in the morning upon awakening, before you open your eyes. At these times the subconscious mind is most receptive.

Rose quartz crystal is associated with love and heart healing, I have one beside my bed.

Thank you for reading. I hope that this is helpful, there is so much to explore around the idea of self-love and I would like to keep this conversation flowing. I warmly invite you to comment and add your personal experience, below or via email.

Blessings from the heart

Jennifer

www.sharonsalzberg.com Lots of free resources and links to purchase Sharon Salzberg's materials

www.healingsounds.com Musician and sound healer Johnathan Goldman's site

Visit to Glastonbury Healing Gardens

2011-08-03T00:43:00.019+01:00

Contented chickens

Another food story! On August 1st we celebrated the celtic festival of Lughnasad, the first harvest. Also known as Lammas in Christian and Anglo-Saxon tradition. Now we can look forward a season of ripening fruits and bountiful produce as the power of the sun gently fades.

A good time to drop into the Healing Gardens, a community food growing project blossoming into a co-operative.

Conceived and directed by Juliet Yelverton, the land lays behind Wearyall Hill, a gently sloping field with stunning views of the levels and Glastonbury Tor.

The vision: to create an environment where the community can enjoy the benefits of eating fresh organic produce grown with love, environmental and spiritual awareness.

I love this part of town, such a clear, light energy, wonderful open vistas and a marvellous feeling of spaciousness. The growing beds are configured in an expanding mandala, and one finds oneself meandering along curved paths with treats everywhere.

Meandering pathways

I particularly love that so many flowers have been planted: I counted several varieties of nasturtium, sweet star shaped borage, vibrant poppies and abounding sweetpeas.

I picked a small amount of green leaves for a lunchtime salad: red veined chard, fresh tender spinach, romaine and a good handful of mint to make a fresh tea infusion.

I could see bushy bright green carrot tops, cherry tomatoes almost ready and courgettes swelling steadily.

Enormous artichokes towered into the sky and pale young cabbages sheltered under cloches. Everywhere abundance.

I will be writing a blog for the co-operative's new website, in exchange for produce, grown organically by the members, many of whom are already friends. How lovely is that?

Superfresh salad leaves

I am looking forward to the fabulous food, of course. And it feels good to think of meeting new people, strengthening community and moving into a system based on sharing, collaboration and exchange.

Circumventing conventional economics. Sidestepping the supermarkets and the innumerable ethical dilemmas they pose.
Reducing, indeed eliminating packaging. Zero food miles. From field to plate within minutes. Eating organically every day.

Being the change, part of the solution, living sustainably in a way that honours nature's rhythms and the sensitivity of our living landscape.

Sounds tempting? Juliet is actively recruiting new members and is hosting an open day this weekend.

Here are the details:

Healing Gardens Co-operative Open Day
Saturday 6th August 12pm - 5pm
Gardens behind 73A Tor View Avenue, Glastonbury
Website www.glastonburyhealinggardens.com

You will receive a warm welcome and I hope that you will feel inspired to support the project.

Jennifer

Love your summer skin with coconut oil

2011-08-01T07:26:00.001+01:00

Here in the UK we are enjoying a much appreciated steady spell of warm, sunny weather. One of the great joys of summer is baring my skin to the air. I love to feel the heat of the sun penetrate me almost to the bone, stimulating vitamin D production and giving a golden glow.

I believe that our skin functions best in a warm climate where it is exposed to air, breeze and the unseen subtle energies of the natural environment. We also get to sweat which is a normal and healthy function and one way in which the skin and the whole body detoxifies and self-cleanses.

During high summer, the skin needs a minimal routine. Now is not the time to overload the body with heavy oils, creams and unguents. However it is important to pay attention to preventing sunburn and to be mindful that prolonged sun exposure can lead to aging, which is essentially accelerated cellular damage.

Jar of creamy goodness

My summer skincare solution is close at hand, in the kitchen cupboard. I reach for coconut oil. Often a misnomer in a northern European climate where it is usually waxy, opaque and solid at room temperature and sometimes labelled coconut butter, the higher summer temperatures cause the butter to slightly melt into a soft gloopy mass: not quite a liquid, but soft enough to give a delicious sensual experience as I dip my fingers into the jar.

It gets smeared onto face, arms and backs of hands, anywhere that is exposed and receptive. You can even run your fingers through your hair and give yourself a scalp massage. Warmed by the heat of the hands, coconut butter/oil spreads quickly and is absorbed easily, doesn’t leave a greasy film and begins at once imparting its goodness. I love the simplicity and playfulness of looking after myself this way, this is not an elaborate beauty ritual!

Nature provides and the health benefits are well documented: coconut oil contains a superior level of anti-oxidants which counter cell degradation caused by free radicals in our diet and environment. Coconut oil contains good fats, complex and stable tri-glycerides which are digested or assimilated through the skin. It is rich in polyphenols and vitamin E and has anti-fungal, anti-bacterial and anti-viral properties.

In ayurveda, coconut oil is promoted for its cooling properties, hence its particular suitability for summer use and for the face and scalp (the head should generally not be heated).

Coconut grove, south India

The scent of coconut oil is instant summer. As I move through the day, I receive delicious wafts of fragrance which carry me away to the tropical beaches of Kerala in south India, where every part of the coconut seed and plant are used for food, drink, construction and devotional worship and more.

My preferred brand of coconut oil which I recommend to you comes from UK based food co-operative Essential Trading. Ethically produced, reasonably priced and widely available at health stores it comes in a large, wide mouthed jar so you can get your hand in and be generous! Buy online here .

Love the summer! Love your skin!

Jennifer

Meeting the wild plants of Glastonbury Abbey

2011-07-29T12:37:00.002+01:00

Glastonbury Abbey, a peaceful summer haven

Last Saturday I attended the modestly titled Herb Walk led by local herbalist Jenny Gaze. Jenny is wise and accomplished, possessing a clear and thorough knowledge of wild and cultivated herbs.

Jenny gives useful information for collecting, preparing and storing plant materials. All good stuff. And yet beyond the practical something deeper was illuminated: the hallmark of a truly talented teacher.

In recent weeks I have been exploring teachings around sacred plants, plant medicine and plant consciousness. Meandering with Jenny through the stunning wildlife haven of Glastonbury Abbey during high summer was a perfect means of animating this research. The session highlighted themes and insights that are showing up all around in my life right now, may be this will resonate for you too:

Jenny identifies mullein

The gift of change: Loss as a call to empowerment and re-skilling
The recently enacted EU directive prohibiting the sale of many plant based health supplements upset and angered many friends and therapists within the community.

I haven't felt moved to protest; it doesnt work for me to resist change; I prefer to flow like water and look instead for the opportunity to create something new, real and sustainable.

Surely it is an improved, evolved scenario to know someone personally, within one's community who can advise, teach and provide. And ultimately this is a call to learn for ourselves how to make one's own teas, tinctures, decoctions and ointments.

Humanity's current insanity is a blip in the grand scheme of things
Jenny really helped me shift perspective here as she related how up until the 1940s i.e. within living memory doctors in general practice in this country would rely on herbal medicine as a main treatment modality.

The pharma-scientific-technological-capitalism, the unchecked exponential expansion of allopathic pharmacology was a short, intense phase of aggressive acceleration that is burning itself out (MRSA anyone?) Peace and sanity is being restored TODAY; the old and new systems operating in parallel; one falling away as the other rises.

Return to community living, honouring of ancestral wisdom and tribal ways
Our indigenous ancestors held and embodied the timeless teachings of nature and we will again and it this time it will not be lost. We are interested in Grandmother's remedies. We turn to the wise elders within our community. We have the answers amongst us. We share resources and skills. We care for each other, we are important in each other's lives. Embodying knowledge, we become living teachers of a practical wisdom that is enhanced and shared through the day-to-day reality of our lives.

Receiving the teachings in the presence of the plant

Real and direct modes of learning
I acknowledge and embrace all of the amazing digital technologies that allow me to be present with a master teacher in Hawaii or Skype with a friend in New Zealand.

I love the vast and growing libraries of interviews and recordings that humanity is sharing so freely and easily at this time when relearning is vital. Yet right now, for me, nothing beats showing up in a small, curious group and being shown how.

Shifting to an expanded consciousness:
As we become alive and sensitive to ourselves we begin to experience the natural world as sacred, alive, intelligent, aware and caring. Higher states known by enlightened masters and advanced spiritual seekers are available to us all. Feeling deep presence, divine healing energies and moments of sacred bliss are our birthright, our soulright.

Moving into heart-based sacred relationship The Earth is our mother who loves us and wants to care for us. Plants can support us in our cleansing, nourishing, healing and beautifying. As we synergise and align with their subtle signatures we receive nurture and increase vitality. It is for us to choose to recognise and accept the great love and abundance being offered. And we can choose to reciprocate with sensitivity, empathy and intuition; gratitude, respect and honouring.

Affirmations and intentions:

I reclaim my relationship with the natural world

I treat myself kindly and holistically with natural remedies

I open myself to receive the wisdom, love and nurture of Mother Earth

I acknowledge the sacredness and beauty of all living beings

Links/resources:

Additional photos from the Glastonbury Abbey Herb Walk on facebook

Further opportunities to learn from Jenny in Glastonbury early autumn 2011 www.jennygaze.com

International teacher Eliot Cowan is a personal plant hero, I recommend his book Plant Spirit Medicine

I am inspired by the programs on offer at the Gaian Institute, New Mexico www.gaianstudies.org

Joanna Harcourt-Smith interviews leading luminaries from the fields of indigenous wisdom, ancestral pathways, Gaia consciousness and related topics www.futureprimitive.org

Bountiful blessings of high vibrational plant love and healing

Jennifer

Visit to Merrick's Organic Farm Shop

2011-07-27T07:36:00.002+01:00

A friendly welcome awaits

"I can't wait to taste that!' Exclaimed Amanda, plucking a jar of home-made spiced pumpkin and apricot jelly from the shelf. We were both amazed and delighted by the varied bounty of fresh, organic produce on sale at Merrick Farm's shop.

It was my suggestion to make the trip from Glastonbury. A former housemate of mine used to visit weekly and return with unfeasible amounts of lovely looking fruit, veg and flowers.

Blessed with sunny blue skies, we chatted and laughed as we bounced along Somerset's rural roads in Amanda's beloved campervan.

Simon who owns and manages Merrick Farm popped into the barn-cum-shop and introduced himself. He was friendly and relaxed as was the general vibe of the place. His wife Jane also dropped by, presumably the genius talent behind the awesome array of pickles, jellies, jams and chutneys on sale. She must be one terrific cook, I thought.

Shopping is relaxed and fun

The abundant farm produce is pre-bagged and attractively arranged on shelves. One simply helps oneself, tallies up the bill and leaves cash payment in a pot. It is very reasonably priced.

'This is the way,' affirmed Amanda, selecting ripe tomatoes, strawberries, early season Discovery eating apples and mixed salad leaves, 'You get loads in a bag!'

I was entertaining myself with carrots that looked like people, generally enraptured by the whole experience. It was a green juicer's heaven and I was totally blissed to find inky dark Cavello Nero (90p), stubby cucumbers (35p), pungent, glossy parsley (80p) Fave find: fresh fennel bulbs complete with herby fronds (3 for 1.65).

Got carrots!

I treated my friend to a bunch of gorgeous smelling sweet pea blooms (2.50) as a thanks for driving.

And made a mental note to return for the Swiss chard, bright yellow baby patty pan squash and calabrese broccoli which I had neither fridge nor stomach space for.

Highly recommended.

Merricks Organic Farm shop is open Tuesday - Saturday with stock delivered Tues, Fri and Sat
www.merricksorganicfarm.co.uk

Merrick farm produce is also available from Cobbs Health Foods of Somerton
Tel: 01458 274066

The Kitty Commandments: Teachings from the furry, purry one

2011-07-25T08:20:00.003+01:00

Cute and feisty at seven weeks

My delightful cat companion Kitty turns two today. Born in a barn on a local farm, I have looked after her since she was a tiny kitten, so small she could fit in a pocket!

I have come to recognize her as a noble teacher who has much to show me.

Here are the top ten Kitty commandments:

1 Trust your instincts and stay sharp. Avoid cars, busy streets, loud noises and angry people.

2 Be discriminating in what you eat and insist on freshly prepared food. Do not compromise!

3 Spend as much time as possible outside, preferably in wild, natural environments. Sleep outside in summer.

4 Always maintain a high level of personal grooming.

Keep exploring, whatever the weather

5 Sleep is a priority: choose a warm, comfortable and quiet spot.

6 Be playful! Climb trees, roll in the grass, commune with butterflies and bees.

7 Green grass is medicine.

8 Stretch the body and especially the spine.

9 You are a sensual being. Receive physical affection and show your pleasure.

10 Be open and loving whilst maintaining a strong sense of self. Be vocal in expressing yourself!

Praise and blessings to all cats of the world!

Jennifer

Local food find: free range eggs

2011-07-22T09:33:00.004+01:00

This poster caught my eye

Once a week I take a short walk to my egg lady, who lives along the road, handy! Susan is one of a growing number of householders in Glastonbury, and nationally I suspect, who keep a few chickens in the back garden. I had noticed an alluring sign taped to the caravan in her driveway: Ex-bat Free range Chicken eggs for sale.

Until then, I considered that I was doing well buying free range eggs in a local store from a Somerset producer. Now I could take shopping locally to the next level and buy directly from within my community which is even better. Not a single food mile involved!

Susan is a busy mother and cat lover who looks after seven female birds, formerly resident in a battery farm, where birds are intensively farmed in an indoor environment. They were re-homed to her by the British Hen Welfare Trust, a UK charity. Susan explained that when the hens arrived, they had been plucked and needed rehabilitation. They had regained their feisty, spirit of adventure and would happily use the cat flap to get into the main house and party hard when they were able to slip in unnoticed!

No cockerel? The early morning crowing would have been unacceptable in our suburban environment, Susan felt. Fair point.

Super fresh, large and tasty!

I took a dozen eggs, paying one pound sixty, a total bargain! The eggs were still warm, brown, evenly sized and pretty clean too. Golden yolked, super fresh, they taste as good as you could imagine.

If you would like to get involved with chickens, check out Healing Waters Community Garden, a Glastonbury based food growing co-operative, currently recruiting new members. www.glastonburyhealinggardens.com

Will Peddle, 'the egg man' delivers eggs to homes and businesses in Glastonbury from his charming and immaculately maintained Morris Minor, find him at 4 Old Wells Road, Glastonbury.

Further information on re-homing farm hens from the British Hen Welfare Trust www.bhwt.org.uk

Singing for the Inner Child: New Workshop

2011-07-20T09:49:00.001+01:00

Free child in nature

The inner child to me represents the most alive and feeling part of myself. A deep joy to be present with.

My inner child communicates with me through dreams, creativity and play and through strong emotion. Feeling scared, threatened and vulnerable are all signs that I am connected to this soft and sacred part of myself and I honour and cherish all my precious feelings.

If overwhelmed, threatened or rejected my inner child might withdraw, shut down, hide away. This produces an immediate deadening or numbing of my consciousness and can be accompanied by reactive, negative, self-destructive behaviours.

Through years of healing and self-discovery across many modalities I am really, really pleased to me mostly living from a state of self-connection with the occasional disconnect; I recognise that for most of my life the opposite was true. What a gift to be living and co-creating with a divine, magical child!

My inner child responds positively to nurture of all kinds: a clean and comfortable home, the sanctuary of bed and bedroom is especially important. Opportunities to play in nature, to touch and feel the textures and sensations of leaves, twigs, stones and water.

Most of all my inner child requires for me to create a loving environment within myself. I need to emanate a vibration of kindness, acceptance and compassion and flood every cell of my body with unconditional love. Negative emotions directed from myself to myself are especially toxic to the inner child who is vulnerable to shame, blame, criticism and judgement.

I surround myself with loving friends, in effect a soul family, who reflect and amplify loving feelings back to me and encourage my inner child to stay present in the world. My inner child is learning that the world is a safe, enjoyable place to be. It is ok to self-express, my contributions are valuable, I am loved and appreciated: I am good enough and I matter!

African Lullaby workshop June 2010

A huge, huge part of my healing journey has been through patient and persistent repetition of positive affirmation; reprogramming core beliefs.

And singing, the inner child loves to sing. I have gathered a wealth of devotional and medicine songs from many traditions, ancient and modern from all over our beautiful planet.

Songs mostly learnt in singing circles, passed orally. Often in nature, blessed by sacred elements: the ocean, sunset, around a fire.

I have selected a number of songs to pass on, with the focussed theme of Singing for the Inner Child. This workshop is not offered as a healing or as medicine, although I wish for all who attend to experience benefit. My intention is to gather a small group of people within a safe, held space. To create the conditions for the inner child to show up and receive nurture and positive affirmation.

Singing strengthens immunity, gladdens the heart and these simple songs take one out of the mind and into the heart. It is beautiful to be open, trusting and to share with others.

Musical talent or prior experience is definitely not a pre-requisite! We come as we are and all are welcome! I invite you to listen, receive, relax, participate as you feel appropriate.

This workshop is offered with love, in service to love and for the highest unfoldment of good for all.

I hope you can join me at New Holistic Camp 2011 where I will be holding this circle during the gathering.

This workshop is likely to be repeated in Glastonbury in late summer. Keep an eye on my schedule for updates.

If you would like me to bring this workshop to your event, gathering or camp I welcome invitations! Contact me or leave a comment below.

New Holistic Camp website www.new-holistic.co.uk

Further resources for Inner Child work:

Louise Hay Forgiveness and Loving the Inner Child audio download
Inner Child Tarot
Music of Shania Noll
Books by Charles Whitfield
R E Jenemy's YouTube channel

Glastonbury high summer highlights

2011-07-18T07:03:00.002+01:00

Glastonbury is a cosmic vortex, attracting a powerful inflow of healers, artists, poets, musicians, shamans and spiritual teachers from across the globe. High summer here is always an exuberant, colourful and passionate time of fun and festival, celebration and connection.

The next couple of weeks are packed with great events which I am looking forward to very much and recommend wholeheartedly:

Tuesday 19th July

Muriel Sings! New album launch

Hundred Monkeys Cafe
High St, Glastonbury 7pm - 9pm

www.murielsings.com

Wednesday 20th July

The Overtone Project with Paul Terrell and Ravi

Shekinashram, Dod Lane 7pm - 9pm
www.shekinashram.org

Friday 22nd July- Saturday 23rd July

BioBlitz Wildlife count and camp out

Glastonbury Abbey 2pm start for 24 hours

www.glastonburyabbey.com

Saturday 23rd July
Herb Walk with Jenny Gaze

Glastonbury Abbey 10.30am - 1pm
www.jennygaze.com

Monday 25th July

Love and Thanks to Water Ceremony

Chalice Well, Chilkwell Street 12pm - 1pm
www.chalicewell.org.uk

Thursday 28th July

Singing Awake the Seven Goddesses

Workshop with Anique Radiant Heart

Glastonbury Goddess Conference

Glastonbury Town Hall 2.30pm - 5.30pm
ww.goddessconference.com

Sunday 31st August

Sacred Sound Journeys

Adrian Freedman, Ravi and Tabla Tom

Shekinashram, Dod Lane, Glastonbury

6.30pm - 9.30pm
www.adrianfreedman.com

Tuesday 2nd August

Kirtan with David Newman

Shekinashram, Dod Lane, Glastonbury

7.15pm - 9.30pm
www.davidnewmanmusic.com

I hope that you can be here as the magic unfolds...
Blessings of abundant joy and sunshine

Jennifer