India Journal 2006-May 8th continued....Local Energies

OM MANE PADME HUNG....gone?

6 PM...
You remember in the last post I wrote about the time with Akhilesh and our discussion of the shift in energies here...well, after coming back to McLeod, the day continued as follows:
First of all, I tried the ATM for the first time to make sure I could get money from my home bank account when I run out of money I have with me...an that will happen soon!
It was SOOOOOOOO easy! Just like doing it at home except rupees come out of the money slot instead of shekel!

Then, one of the local Kashmiri merchants outside the ATM place said "Hi" and asked me sit...and for some reason I did...I usually just excuse myself and move on, but it was just meant for me to sit down and talk to him I guess.

And what did he want to talk about? The bad energies and uncomfortable feeling here...He called them "dead energies". He says the increase in violence is DUE to the bad energies here (not visa versa as many others are saying) and that everything has turned out to be like in the West and people just want more matierialistic things. No more "spirit" left here. He hopes (thinks, prays) that it will change as he is very unhappy. Says it used to be he could sit a whole day and sell nothing (he's been here 12 years) and still feel happy and at peace, and now, even if he sells lots of sutff, he is not happy. He is not worried about the business side of things or future of the town, but he says the spirit of the town is dying and it is becoming like any other city in the world, except that it is still dirty etc., as it always has been.

It was quite an interesting conversation, and just as I was leaving, I realized something else. And it took me quite by surprise that I haven't noticed it until now. The tibetan mantra chant Om Mane Padme Hung was always heard playing everywhere here in town. In shops, restaurants and out of all the CD stalls along the streets...even from windows of homes. And I just realized that I haven't heard it ONCE since I arrived almost 4 weeks ago!! Didn't realize until just now how powerful this silence is, how absent this feeling is here. In rishikesh you could not walk the streets without hearing chanting coming from one place or another....and this is part of the energies of a place, and the absence of it here perhaps says something very powerful about the feeling of the people here themselves!!

Just my thoughts for the day
OM MANE PADME HUNG
Jane