I wake up at the foot of the mountains deep in the jungle. We traveled all day and came in after dark to arrive in Khajuraho. The silence is profound here. After sharing space with millions, now we are one hundred souls in the silence except for the hyenas howl. I miss the drum and the hum and all those other souls. It’s amazing how attached I got to our little camp within a week! Letting go is just part of practice.
We begin to find our way all over again in very different territory. The sky is incredible. The main temple here is made from marble and granite and laid out according to Vedic architecture. The Shakti energy is palpable. I sleep very little, eat very little but have strong energy.
I’ve become the “camp nurse”. It’s just my calling, one of my gifts. Many are ill with some sort of virus. I treat blisters, bug bites, runny noses. Sun burns and sore throats. Good thing we have no broken hearts here. I can honestly say I never learned the remedy for that. But mostly I try to just give Metta or loving kindness and reassuring words to all.
They just want to hear that everything is ok. Maybe we all do. Thank you Steve for initiating me into the “everything is ok” practice. To me it means I accept all of life as it is, pain as well as pleasure, sorrows as well as happiness, shadow the same as light.
I push nothing away and release all my resistance. It’s easy to see your Self in the beauty of the morning sunrise. But sometimes not so easy to turn that same eye of reflection on the piles of cow dung. Let they both burn hot, give light, and warm our hearts.
I’m so high up on the roof top of the temple this morning I feel as if I could lean over and kiss the face of God. But then that would be impossible because you can’t kiss the one face. We need another for that. Maybe that’s why we have the many in the one and the one in the many.
Love and light from the journey within. FYI everything is ok here.
You are so right. We cannot kiss our own face. What we are looking for is what is doing the looking. We cannot escape IT. Thou art That. Everything is okay. Thank you for your words. Namaste.
hi Jude, yes everything is ok here as well. These are great words to hear from you. You and Steve will have to share the “everything is ok” practice with me. Sounds good. And I am glad I can carry those words from you with me as my day progresses for I think of you a lot hoping everything is ok. No matter what “obstacles” come before me, I usually try keep “everything ok”. I have had quite a few of those in my life but as I think about your question of how to handle, I realize that I have not really labeled them as such. I see “challenges” rather than “obstacles” when things get in the way of my personal journey – when progress stops or slows. And seeing those things as challenges present themselves in a much more positive light than obstacles. I have no self doubts that I cannot overcome. There is so much I have overcome already. Experiencing success after failure gives you confidence. I know where I have been and what I have done and I believe. Conquering becomes the challenge. I find trust within and concentrate on where I need to go despite the road blocks. There is always a way, even if for a while we must accept the reality of what is and wait until it becomes what we would rather it be – wait until the road blocks open and we reach our destination, reach our goal. It may not be exactly what we wanted. We may wind up on a different path than originally expected. But obstacle, challenge, or not, accepting what is will guide you to overcoming. If it is meant to be. Obstacles, challenges, when faced, when lived with, when accepted, will eventually bring change. Change is the one thing that is certain in life – the only thing we can be sure of. It is being able to accept that change and then to let go of what no longer belongs that is so important. “Letting go is part of the practice”. I appreciate these words. In my own life right now there is so much I must let go of to move forward. That comes with this “down sizing” mode of life. Making it part of the practice is a good way of working with it. Thank you for those words. I have noticed that I too “begin to find my way in different territory”. Change and letting go have me looking through different doors leading down different paths. I am amazed how the thoughts you share on this journey of yours can sometimes so well match what I experience on my own journey through transition – right here at home. I appreciate the words. They add insight to my inner travels. And that is indeed one of your gifts. You give Metta and kindness and insight even from afar. I am not at all surprised you are the “camp nurse” as I can tell you are not either. For with your presence you help make everything ok. You provide comfort. And yes that comfort is so necessary for all of us. It dissipates fear and promotes growth and well being. It provides freedom to explore and arrive. When we internalize that everything is ok, when we feel it deep inside, we really believe that indeed everything is ok. They are so much more than just words. Peace and happiness, Liliana
Say a prayer for me in the Devi Jagatambe temple if you can!
Jai Ganesha, Jai Jagatambe Ma Durga.
Namaste, Sara
We need the garbage of life so that it may be transformed into compost in making the right conditions for our garden to grow. Which seeds are you watering in your life, for we have many seeds….seeds of happiness, sadness, joy, fear, anger?
…more of Thich Nhat Hanh’s wisdom
thank you for allowing this blog and travel of yours to stimulate and bring out the beauty and wisdom of not only you but the many who are sharing their comments….I have equally enjoyed reading the others wisdom….we are all interconnected and need each other on this journey we call life, inseparate we are.