Shantivanam

I arrived at Shantivanam. near Trichy in Southern India on Feb. 4 at 3:30 AM on the train. It was a bit frightening to be getting off a train in a small village at this hour of the morning, but I was delighted to be met by someone holding a placard with my name and to be taken to the ashram where the guestmaster, a woman from California had got up to meet me and help me settle in. What a change from the Hindu ashrams I have visited!. Here there is so much love and respect and individual attention. It is a small ashram with a limit of 50 guests and there are people coming and going every day from all parts of the world, but it doesn't seem to detract from the peace and serenity of the place. I am amazed at the people I am meeting here--the spiritual maturity is about as high as I have seen anywhere. I am making so many friends that I know I will keep in touch with.
It is difficult to describe this place. It is absolutely unique on the planet, and was just what I was looking for. It is opening up a whole new world to me--the world of Wisdom Christianity which seems to be a movement to change Christianity from within to a higher level of awareness of the mystical life of Christ. It all makes so much sense to me and it absolutely identical with my mystical experience in Eastern traditions, only much more loving. I find Brother Martin's daily question and answer sessions so exciting as he is Indian, but has spent his life as a Christian and seems to understand both on a very deep level. I am currently living in the nun's ashram across the road which is much quieter and more peaceful as there is not so much activity there.
The ashram is located beside the Kaveri river--a river that is just as sacred as the Ganges and when I left to come into town today there was a cremation going on.
My little hut looks right out at the river and I am surrounded by coconut palms, frangipani, banana trees and many exotic birds including a couple of peacocks, lots of butterflies. At night there are fireflies and the stars are so bright I can almost touch them.
I am doing lots of reading, writing and discussion with other ashramites and even wrote a poem the other day.
I look forward to sharing more with you when I return.
My journey is coming to an end with just 2 weeks to go before I must go to Chennai to catch my flight home.
My autorickshaw is waiting so must go now.
Love to you all,
Mary Lou

hello from Hampi Bazaar

I first heard about Hampi from Richard Padmos, owner of Cathedral Lakes Lodge, and he raved about it. I finally made it here and can see why! It is an amazing place.
After a 7 hour train ride from Goa shared with many European tourists we all got into autorickshaws and raced to Hampi. My driver went the fastest and I got here first.

My first impression was one of awe, and I sensed similar energy that I feel in Sedona, Arizona, which also has amazing rock formations. Hampi was the site of an idyllic Hindu kingdom until it was destroyed by Moslem invaders in 1565. There are still enough ruins to imagine what it must have been like. The site is naturally picturesque with stone heaps everywhere for miles around, and the buildings were built and carved in stone as well.

It is very difficult to describe and almost impossible to capture with a camera , so all I can say is come and see it for yourself if you possibly can.

I leave Monday for Bangalore and hope to spend a night there and leave on Feb. 4 for Trichy where I will go to Shantivanam Ashram where Father Bede Griffith lived until his death in 1993. I have been very inspired by his book, The Golden Thread and his journey from Philosophy to religion and how he combined the best of Christianity with the best of Hinduism.

Cara is back in Kelowna, Joseph is in Ooty and Manoj is still in Coimbatore but plans to join Joseph and travel together towards Delhi where they will leave for Canada on March 1 so they will be home before me. My Australian friends, Kate and Trent are headed to Bangalore so may see them there before they return home. I miss all my 22 year old friends and it seems strange to be on my own.

Bye til next time!

more from Goa

I am very happy here and have decided to stay for a month or so. Kate and Trent arrived yesterday and have moved into the same lodge that I am in. This is the third time we have stayed in the same place. (Bangalore and Ooty as well). Strange how our paths keep crossing!

They live in a suburb near Tathra in Melbourne. Last night we checked out the nightlife on the beach. It is quite idyllic to sit on the beach at night and watch a movie or listen to a band. There is a Film Festival on the beach here every year. So I am staying put here and anyone who wants can come and visit!

Introspection

I am in Goa alone after spending most of my time in India with other people. At first I felt quite lonely, but then started to see it as a chance for a retreat and some introspection. I bought a notebook and started writing. I was finding that once I started listening to a guru I started to lose my inner direction. I am now getting clear on where I am in my life and what is the next step for me. It is time for me to start finding my own unique wisdom and not keep drawing on the wisdom of others. This is starting to happen in my daily writing sessions.
I am seeing myself as being in a hermitage and loving it. It is a very beautiful hermitage--a penthouse surrounded by coconut palms, mango and papaya trees, with a beautiful beach nearby. I even have a television but am learning to use it appropriately and not as a tool to distract myself from loneliness.
This being said, I have some Australian friends arriving tomorrow--so will have some company after all!

in Goa

This is me with Joseph, Cara and Manoj on a hike at Kodaikanal. The views were spectacular and included several water falls. Cara and Joseph have gone to Kerala and I am in Goa doing a course called "Inner Engineering" which will give me the credentials I need to stay at the Isha Yoga Ashram for a longer period of time. I am the only foreigner and the only woman in my class, and it feels strange to be a student after so many years of being a teacher of many of the same concepts. I am learning lots though and enjoying the experience. I have to walk about 20 minutes in the dark to my class at 6 AM every morning past all the wild dogs on the street, up a steep hill, then do yoga postures which my body does not want to do!
My class finishes at 9 AM so I have the rest of the day to spend at the beach. When it finishes on Tuesday I plan to move to Benaulim, a small beach village and just veg out for a week before returning to Coimbatore on the 20th. Cara and Joseph also plan to return then and we will celebrate Joseph's birthday, hopefully at the Families for Children orphanage from which Manoj was adopted. Cara flies to Mumbai and home on the 25th and I plan to go back to Isha Yoga ashram for about a month.

Isha Yoga Ashram

I have just come from a 2 hour treatment at the rejuvenation centre here at Isha Yoga Ashram and feel wonderful--something I haven't felt for a while since getting a gastric bug on New Year's Eve. I was told about this place by a French woman that I met in Ooty who raved about it and I can see why. It is an oasis of peace and beauty with wonderful healthy food and the most beautiful temple with fantastic acoustics. You can check it out at www.ishafoundation.org
I am still with my 3 young travel mates, Manoj, Cara and Joseph and they have been a joy to travel with. Cara and I have been sharing accomodation and I feel so connected I am sure we will be lifelong friends. She has been travelling in Nepal and India for 9 months and is returning to Kelowna in a couple of weeks. We discovered that we know many of the same people and have many common interests. She is only 22 but is such an old soul.
I am not sure what comes next--we leave here tomorrow, and Cara and Joseph plan to travel in Kerala. Have a few more things to do in Coimbatore and I will be back on the road.
I hope you all had a wonderful New Years and wish you the best for 2009. It feels like the beginning of some big changes in most people's lives.
Talk to you again soon.
Love,
Mary Lou

photos from Xmas Day