Astrological Reading

Dearest Family and Friends:

I want to share this incredible experience with you, but please read on with an open-heart and mind. I had a very powerful reading with a renown astrologer, Prateek, here in Rishikesh, India and have chosen to relay some of the details here.

Prateek opened by telling me that my weakest areas are my lower back, knees and stomach and my stomach will give me problems once a year if I'm not careful. He suggested eating good food especially lots of fruits and radishes! He added that because he saw diabetes runs in our family, especially with my Dad, he suggested that I cut out sugary, salty foods.

He continued to inquire about a fire injury I received when I was young (burnt back of right hand on Grandad's wood stove) and a head injury that involved stitches in my childhood (my forehead was hit with golf club @ a mini-putt birthday when I was 7).

Prateek further described that fire is a negative element in our family. He said there was an unnatural death with one of our ancestors that involved murder by fire/petrol! He continued to tell me that men in my family are carrying bad karma due to my Great-Grandfather's life patterns. They will continue to suffer and be ridden with disease if precautions aren't taken. In order to combat this bad karma he suggested feeding the poor, specifically males, and its best to do this during the phase of the new moon.

Then he switched gears and laughed saying that he sees that my Mum and I were sisters in a past life! This life she will be very generous and kind with money because as my sister she took lots of my $ and is now repaying the debt. ha!

Also, for me dancing is more important than yoga. He said that I loved dancing as a child but stopped in my teens. He suggested using dance and meditation as ways to re-balance my energy.

He also looked at my navel and asked if I had lose bowel movements stopping about two days ago (yes...) and he also knew when I had my last period. Then he took a look at my knees and said, 'aha, you have the frog-shaped knees. This is best for travelers!"

He suggested that a yellow sapphire ring will be best for me and urged me never to get a tattoo.

For my career he sees me as a therapist of sorts, focusing on natural therapy and helping people. It's possible that I will combine therapies with social work and maybe work with handicap children. He said I'm in the midst of a big learning phase (very true) that will continue to grow into 2011 with the climaxing in February. When I need healing I should look towards massage, reiki (recently learned here in India!) and other natural remedy therapies.

As far as my love life is concerned, he said not to seek a Canadian partner! ;) He believes my future mate will speak French or Spanish and I will find him on an island. Older men and/or married men are great for me! Taurus and Cancer guys are great for me, Aquarius is best and Scorpio is the worst possible match.

Several other things were revealed but they are more private for me or those concerned. Just wanted to share a little piece of mystical India with you...

Rishikesh

Rishikesh, India: welcome to the yoga capital of the world!

I spent over 2 weeks here taking an intense yoga course, wandering around the markets and watching the abundance of activities that happen on the holy Ganges river.

Again, its a hard experience to explain so I'll let the photos speak for themselves:

Taking a peak at Ramana's organic garden/orphanage/school.

BANGLES!

Prem Baba @ Parmarth Ashram during evening pujas/prayers. Filmed for Guru Tv- yes it does exist...


Taking a holy dip in the frigid Ganga!



Making pujas to float down the river.


Ricky shows off his Chakrasana (aka Wheel Pose) @ Trika Agamayoga.

The Dali Lama shows up with his spiritual posse! And amidst all the chaos of the ceremony, loud music, formalities and crowds he remains calm and peaceful.

His warm, compassionate smile warmed my heart and taught me that when there is much activity the soul can remain still, present and at peace. A beautiful last evening in Rishkesh...

Lotus Temple

I didn't do many touristy things in Delhi because its just too chaotic for me. All I wanted to do is hang out with my couchsurfing friends and sleep. I think I came across a wee bit of travel burnout. But now I'm charged and ready for the next adventure.
Check out this beautiful temple, built by the Baha'i Faith- which believes in 'the oneness of mankind, oneness of God and oneness of religion' through peace and harmony.

LEFT: ceiling inside

A gorgeous structure and it kind of reminded me of the Opera House in Sydney, but with a holy, Indian-flower style twist!

RIGHT: approx. 10 000 people visit the Lotus Temple a day and its hard to keep people in a queue!

Beyond the hoards of people there are gorgeous gardens and lawns. I brought my own yummy lunch of vegetable sabji and parathas and enjoyed a quiet picnic with some fellow blossoms that made me smile!

Scoot!

I had two different scooters while in Auroville for the past 2 weeks and it was fun pretending they were motorcycles! This is me and The Red Apple-mobile pictured above.

Auroville

"Auroville wants to be a universal town where men and women of all countries are able to live in peace and progressive harmony above all creeds, all politics and all nationalities. The purpose of Auroville is to realise human unity."

I spent two fabulous weeks exploring this international community. It's a UNESCO site and does not belong to India. I took a few courses, joined in some dance groups, learned about organic gardening in India (rough!), met some incredibly creative and innovative people/communities and sampled the best ice cream on earth! MMMMMMmmm, rose petal ice cream!!!
Of course there were some problems with this dream city but once I realised the struggles in Auroville I just tried to enjoy what was here and what was being created. Beauty and inspiration...
And this, pictured here, was the second tree house I lived in during my stay. The birds woke me up and the wind and chirpy insects lulled me to sleep.
Most houses and structures are made from natural resources and there is a big concentration on reusing and reducing. I found a Trashion Show art exhibit at the gallery where they displayed different pieces and clothes that were wore at their community event that recycled old materials into fashionable ones!

FANCY GARBAGE!

And oh the food!!! Almost all the food is locally grow and organic. There is an incredible community kitchen called Solar Kitchen where a huge round solar bowl collects enough solar energy to cook over 1000 meals a day.
For $1 or 2 you can join in the community buffet for a delicious and nutritious lunch or dinner. Beside the Solar Kitchen is the Free Store and Food Dispensary. Local Aurovillians can come to the free store to choose free clothes and they pay a small monthly fee to receive local, organic goods from the dispensary. Dynamized, filtered water is found all around town and a couple yummy bakeries keep the locals happy and all buttered up!

I spoke with a few Auroville farmers and many volunteers about the trials and tribulations of farming in India. The weather is a constant battle, water conservation and the floods can wipe out/drown a crop on bad monsoon years. Then there are the locals...local cows wander in and try to munch up everything green in site, local pollution from cars and deet spraying pesticides can leach into water or float over airborne. And local villagers may try their luck at night, taking anything from fences to cashews or perfectly ripe pineapples to sell the next day. But, still they prevail and there is so much hope, love and dedication to the land that the farmers and volunteers are happy to keep working with the soil. Since Auroville, and the community of Sadhana Forest in particular, have come to grow the water level has risen 6 meters, 25 bird species have come to make Auroville their home- a huge success for the land, locals and Auroville.

Fond memories: full moons, insense dreams, the thrill of being upside down, monkey-play, Frenchie, hammock harmony, watsu wisdom, forest-jumping energy and heart clinging moments of bliss.

I wish Auroville inspiration, clean, beautiful spaces and creative energy! Slowly, slowly their dream becomes a reality.

Hot...

It's getting hot...so I'm heading north.

Upside-down/Backwards Bliss

Drop a beat!
Mmmmmmmmm...
"what to do?"


Melting rose petals,
on my tongue,
freedom tastes so sweet!

Yamaha sings and hums,
crushing vibrations
as I cling to your heart-
beat.

Pizza contests
and ipod chargers.
You stall, she stalls,
we all-

stall.

Blue and not blue,
your infinite lotus pond,
the Indian ocean,
overflowing from the soles
of my feet!

Quiet healing,
feeling-
chakra opening hammocks,
sweetness
bliss
like rosella from your lips.

"Do I know you?"
Do I know me?!
Float, flow, let is go.
Divine light swallows me whole;
the jealousy of rock and roll.

The perfect fit,
leaning through time.
Fly, Margaret, fly-
rhythm your crime.

No crust for curmudgeons!

Buckets of showers,
no longer shy.
Healing is the feeling
keep the flow-
my Conundrum.

Oh, how the ragamuffins glow!

skin wakes first
rising with the sun.

Drop an Afro-
beat!

~Vanya

Colours of the Day

In case it has reached international news I just wanted to tell everyone that I am safe and sound. There was a bomb blast in a cafe near the ashram that I am staying at here in Pune. People are quite shaken up here and we don't really know the real story. BBC has a few details (below) but there are a lot of speculations and they are trying to connect it to the India/Pakistan talks coming up in Mumbai.

http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/pune/Blast-rips-Punes-German-Bakery-9-dead-45-wounded/articleshow/5570692.cms


I'm okay, my friends are okay and I am leaving for Chennai on Tuesday.

***

Big love to everyone on Valentines Day!

The Apple Star

A juicy ruby,
sweet and red,
Don't slice down,
Carve through instead.

Right inside it you will see,
a star as precious as can be!
~ Vanya


***

“Once you start rejoicing whatever you are, life takes such psychedelic colors, your each moment becomes so juicy, your whole life becomes a celebration.” ~ Osho

***

"The final mystery is oneself." ~ Oscar Wilde

Vanya

Sannyas is a ceremony where you choose a symbolic name to guide you on the path as a truth-seeker.
Osho describes a person who has taken sannayas as a sannayasin and continues, "Sannyas is basically a rebellion about all structures, hence the difficulty
to define. Sannyas is a way of living life unstructured. Sannyas is to
have a character which is characterless. By 'characterless' I mean you don't
depend anymore on the past. Character means the past, the way you have lived
in the past, the way you have become habituated to living -- all your habits
and conditionings and beliefs and your experiences -- that's what your
character is. A sannyasin is one who no longer lives in the past or through
the past; who lives in the moment, hence, is unpredictable."

Last Friday, January 29th, there was a beautiful ceremony here at the ashram and I was surrounded by a loving community, great music and a celebration so full of life I thought I would burst!

With this initiation you commit yourself to the path of meditation and the name change is a reminder that we are not fixed to a certain personality or definition of self. I have not changed my name in the government document sense. Instead, I have chosen a name that resonates with something deeper, as a reminder to my self of who I am and what I am longing for. This name is a symbolic gesture and I am not asking you to call me by this symbol.

Within this community and along the spiritual path I have chosen and am connected to the name Prem Vanya Tarangita.

yeah, yeah, it's a mouthful but Vanya (pronounced vawn-ya) is the focal point, the other two are a combination of reminders I need to carry with me. Many women chose the word Prem, meaning "love", in front of their sannyasin identity because whole-hearted love is very much the feminine connection to self.

Vanya means a wild forest and it has many layers of importance and beauty to me, hard to put into words. Tarangita means inspired/zestful/river- a metaphor and an inspiration I love having in my life.

This may seem really confusing and I had doubts about posting this as a blog. You can read more about Sannyas at: http://www.neosannyas.org

I will finish with a few quotes by Osho to further explain the unexplainable:

“Sannyas simply means they have accepted a way of meditation and a life of joy and rejoicing. It is accepting to create your life into a blissfulness."

“The ancient meaning of the word was, one who leaves the world in search of truth. My own meaning is, one who lives in the world and yet goes on searching for truth. Because where can you go? Everywhere is the world."

" ‘…but why should I change my name?’ Why not? The changing of the name simply means you are dropping the whole old personality that was indicated by the old name, that you are beginning afresh with a new name. It is symbolic. You were not born with a name. The name was given by your father, by your mother, by your people. Now you have dropped all conditionings, why not drop the name those conditionings gave to you?"

"An open heart, a loving heart, a deep trust in oneself and nothing else is needed. You don't have to surrender to some master, you don't have to worship some God, and you don't have to do some prayer to some hypothetical deity. You don't have to go to man-made temples and churches to find that which is hidden within you."

Just open.

8 Days

Every day is a whole year of emotions, lessons and encounters...


I spent 8 days in an intensive course here at the Osho ashram and while I cannot put the experience into words, I can share with you some feelings and lessons that I took away from this incredible experience.

DAY 1:
I learned how to cry, with every ounce of my being, in front of others.

DAY 2:
I learned how to really scream! So cathartic.

DAY 3:
I released what I needed to say from the bottom of my heart and I was exhausted from sobbing.
I learned that I have let other people's judgments control how I live my life and its a waste of energy and precious time.

DAY 4:
I learned how to ROAR! (then I lost my voice...)

DAY 5:
I realized this was the hardest, yet most enlivening process of my life! I have never had such bad skin, so much garbage in my body is surfacing and being released.

DAY 6:
Home is inside.
I held hands with a part of me that I hadn't seen in a long time.
I learned that when you feel you have no energy you still have great amounts left!

DAY 7:
I created a beautiful tree and other people where welcome to live there.
CREATE!
I learned how to buzz, how to glow from inside, from a life force so great.

DAY 8:
Things are not what they seem. There are so many layers and this is just the beginning.

Randomness Con't

Wisdom and Rocks

I recently had a huge argument, possibly one of the most frustrating ones I've ever experienced, with a dear friend (we'll call her CM) after a beautiful dinner. There was three of us enjoying a delicious meal and my friend CM and I had proposed a beautiful idea when the plan suddenly backfired.
Humans seem to ride a wave of emotions and being here I've really learned about being present, speaking the truth and being true to ones feelings. CM and I got caught up in our own emotions and needs and together we destroyed a wonderful opportunity. 3 hours of arguing just made us feel more frustrated and I feared our friendship was slipping away. We felt stuck and all three of us parted ways.

I was walking back to my rented room feeling so helpless, angry and lonely. I replayed the nights events in my mind and all I could feel was a deep sadness. Subconsciously I started repeating, "I don't want to be alone, I don't want to be alone." Head down, completely overwhelmed, I continued to march towards the hotel. Suddenly, I heard someone call my name! My stomach dropped, thinking it was one of my two dinner friends back for more interrogation.

Instead it was my friend D (whom I had just finished an intensive group course with at the ashram), who came running up to me to ask me if I was okay. Something switched inside and I acted like all was well, I asked him how his day had been and what he was doing in the street at this late hour. He told me he had befriended a local shop keeper and each night he was coming to the shop at 10 pm to help him close up and then later to have a chat and sometimes dinner with his family! Okay...odd, I thought, but intriguing. I wished him a good evening and continued trudging towards the hotel.

After a few minutes I froze, "what am I doing?!", I screamed in my head. I had just repeated that I didn't want to be alone and a friend appeared out of nowhere to ask me how I was doing and I turned away from the opportunity to be helped, consoled? WTF? So I turned around, ran back and said, "David, I'm not alright, can you sit with me for awhile when you're done closing up the shop?"
He said he would be happy to keep me company. Then, the shop keeper Jahan approached me, asked me to sit down and immediately took my hand, looked into my eyes and said, "I fear there is a storm going on inside you!" He then took me to his back room where all of his crystals and gems were kept and told me to sit down. I was in shock but felt I could trust Jahan because I trusted my friend D with my life and they seemed like dear friends.

Jahan grabbed a pink stone in the shape of a heart and rubbed it with both hands while breathing deeply. Then he told me to hold the stone and breathe deeply while he put his hands on my head. OMG I felt instantly relaxed, like a wave of relief had come over me! He told me to keep the rose quartz heart and then we talked for awhile and he told me, that "life is like a river, sometimes bad water rushes in but it is always washed away clean, always changing, and we must flow with the river, allowing, watching and not letting the dirty water soil us!"

For the next 15 minutes he told me some very great words of wisdom...that I really needed to hear. And when D was finished cleaning up he came and sat with us and Jahan gave me a beautiful hug that literally lifted me up, he told me to keep the heart shaped stone to remind myself that I need self love. He also invited me to dinner with his family for the following evening!
The beginning of the night had been a triangle of disaster and frustration, but I had been blessed with this new amazing triangle of supportive kindness and inner peace.

The dinner was out of this world! Jahan and his family are Kashmiri, they live in a simple home and he has three kids ages 1-12, who all have the same birthday! I had so much fun playing with the little one.
We ate on the ground, with our hands and Jahan said, "why did men invent the fork, look very closely. The fork has 4 prongs, we have 4 fingers, we didn't need to create forks, God gave us natural forks and a thumb to push the food into our mouths!"
We had a lovely evening with the best food I've had since my arrival and great conversation with his wife, D and the rest of the family.
Before I left he asked me to lie on the ground and he did more energy work on my head and belly, this time with D's purple stone (that looks like an eyeball). Again, a wondrous, peaceful wave came over me and I melted into the floor.

I've been visiting with Jahan on my way home every day and he can always read right through me. He's helped me pinpoint some bad patterns I've acquired. His words of wisdom are always exactly what I need to hear and I feel very grateful for our random meeting.

whoa...only in India!

Oh India, how I love you...

Let me count the ways:

1. FAITH AND SPIRITUALITY
Tell someone you don't believe in God. Go on. You'll find yourself arguing so hard to make your case that you could well be accused of having a severe case of faith in no God! In anything they want to believe, which is why practically every faith known is practiced right here in India.

2. FLEXIBILITY
You may set off in the morning expecting to follow a strict schedule of assignments and appointments, but always be flexible and happy to chuck all plans at a moment's notice. Go with the flow!

3. STORIES
The history goes back 5,000 years and so do their epics that contain every emotion, possibility and philosophy that humans have ever managed to come up with.

4. CHAI
Delicious black tea, blended with an array of spices, served with lots of milk and sugar. Drink at least 3 cups a day!

5. BOLLYWOOD
Hips swirl in one direction while the torso twists in another and the shoulders go somewhere else entirely even as the head moves so violently. Excellent weather vanes, only no one would know where the wind was actually coming from!

6. AUTOS
Germany had its cute little Volkswagen Beetle, India has cute little autos (aka three-wheelers) packed with hi-tech music systems and disco lights that would put nightclubs to shame, which trundle up and down roads as their drivers overcharge everyone in sight.

7. HOSPITALITY
When I step into any one's house I am fed, watered and pampered so much, I'd never believe there was a single nasty person in this country.

8. THE NUMBER OF HOLIDAYS
There's a New Year's Day practically every month, not to mention some festival happening on any given day somewhere in the country. More reasons to party!

9. AMAZING DIVERSITY OF FOOD/TASTES
Words cannot explain the blends of spices, herbs and ingredients that go into making each dish a work of art!

10. INDIAN ENGLISH
They have de-Englished the English language and now only speak Indian, and its grand!

11. YOGA
Forget weights and ab crunches- here they may stand on one hand, with one leg wrapped around their heads, experiencing an inner, spiritual glow, because aha! Yoga isn't just a workout for the body, it's also a workout for the mind and soul.

12. MAHATMA GANDHI
One small, frail, old lawyer took on an entire imperial empire! And he did it in such an inspired manner with non-violence and noncooperation- brilliant! Every town seems to have a main street called MG in honour of him.

13. MANGOES
One a day at least! In mango lassi (yogurt drink) form is best, yummmmmmm

14. INDIAN STRETCHABLE TIME
Indian Stretchable Time is in a zone of its own and no one can understand it but Indians.

15. DOMESTIC HELP
Servants: one to cook the food, one to wash the dishes, one to sweep the floor, one to dust, one to wash the clothes, one to clean the toilet, one to make chapattis, one to watch each baby, one to man the gate and run the errands, one driver per car, one to wash the cars, one to cut vegetables, one to massage the baby, one to water the plants!

16. INDIAN RAILWAYS
All I can say is that you will experience all of India on the train! And you can literally go anywhere by train.

17. SCENERY
Here you will find ice deserts in Ladakh and actual deserts in Rajasthan. The Himalaya mountains tower to the north, the Ghats on either side of the peninsula, islands, stunning beaches, the sea, lakes, jungles, incredible wildlife, rivers, waterfalls... glorious!

18. NOTHING IS BEYOND REPAIR
Nothing is ever so broken that it'll never work again and anyone would love to be paid to fix it!

19. SARIS
What's sexy, modest, graceful, classic, cool, hot, well-ventilated,colorful and gorgeous all at the same time? Incredible!

20. RANDOMNESS
So many random things happen to me daily. There will be a blog follow up to explain one such situation that blew my mind! To be con't....

The Osho Experience

"Drop the fear. Fear was taken up by you in your childhood, unconsciously. Now consciously drop it and be mature. Then the life can be a light which goes on deepening as you go on growing.
Know the whole world is nothing when it is compared to knowing your own inner mystery of life.
Don't move the way fear makes you move. Move the way love makes you move. Move the way joy makes you move." -Osho

***

I am currently at the Osho Meditation Center in Pune, India and have decided to stay here for a few weeks. There is an incredible community here and a lot of space, tools and guidance to learn more about myself. Check out the website if you are interested in learning more.

Words will not do this place or experience justice. I have thought long and hard about this blog and have decided I cannot really write about it. I'm going into an 8 day intensive course and will not have internet access. Possibly, if you are interested I can explain more in person, if you are open-minded.

Money has been a struggle for me here as the center is run by and operates on European standards. I feel grateful that I was born in a family and a society where funds are flexible. Right now I ponder how I will stay financially afloat over the next 3 months, but funds always work out one way or another for me.

I've had an incredible Couchsurfing host here in Pune. Ananda has let me stay at his place for the last week and he's been a great guide and friend to me as I explore the Osho experience. He's a practitioner here and on weekends he leads meditation sessions, plays music, practices reflexology and is training in water shiatsu. I'm so grateful for his kindness. I took the picture below in his beautiful garden.

***

"Once you have started seeing the beauty of life, ugliness starts disappearing. If you start looking at life with joy, sadness starts disappearing. You cannot have heaven and hell together, you can have only one. It is your choice." - Osho

Mumbai-Consciousness

Arriving in Mumbai @ 3am, after 22 hours in planes and airports, I felt overwhelmed, happy to have finally arrived. I made my way from the airport to my couchsurfing hosts apartment 20 minutes away. The cab driver didn't know the area well so he stopped several times to ask for directions. Once I settled down for the night I wrote this stream of consciousness piece to document my first half hour in this metropolitan, chaotic city...

heart beats, my whole body is awake and conscious...

ewww, I'm sweating, where's that cab? #3845. wow, there's more backpackers than I imagined! "bye Sarah (from Salt Lake City), I'll tell you all about Osho over email", there seems to be no driving rules! garbage everywhere, don't hit that dog! close. I'm safe, follow the breath. they can't see my face, I'm invisible, people sleeping on the side of the road in perfect rows, this is not an "experience"- this is their reality.
breath, he's asking for directions again? are we lost? don't stop the cab, ok calm, night-a man's world. sleeping in your tuk tuk (three wheeler vehicle): a job and a bed! I'm very awake, it's 3:30 am here and 2pm back home. there's a sign for Inorbit, finally, we are on the right track Sherlock.
i need a phone soon, don't be so thrifty, safety first. i will not get out of this cab until i know i've arrived at my host's home, here's 10 rupees, thank you, how do you say it? shukrian? maybe? where do I go now? there's no #73, ok 7th floor seems to make sense, i'll walk up, eww I'm so sweaty, I have to ditch all these cotton clothes soon and find some light stuff! up and down and up again, i can take off my scarf now, this elevator is cool! heart racing...pushes door bell, this has to be it? hello? Shamiyana?
oh, thank you! how do you pronounce your name? you are so kind, thanks for hosting me at such a strange hour. I feel so stupid, I don't follow politics, am I stereotyping too? she's so sweet, aww she's taking the couch, I feel bad. where is the toilet? does the shower room double as the urinal? when in Rome/Mumbai! breathe. i feel so grateful! stretch out. rest at last. it's only been half an hour. hello India, please be kind!

heart beats, my whole body is relaxed and tired, zzzzzz...