Lovely lovely evening yesterday- friends up on the roof for tea, music, conversation and lots of laughter. It was Yaels 27th birthday and Tasha was leaving. Had a lovely day with Tasha as you can see from some of the pics in the previous post and then came back to finish up amir's movie to take home with him (received a call from home and was told to come home immediately...no details...he was really upset as you can imagine...it was very difficult saying goodbye to him as he doesn't think he will be back next year), did a Reiki treatment for Yael and then people just started to drift up to the rooftop and we spent several really pleasant hours together. 
I have a short video which I will also attempt to upload...(you may have to wait awhile for it to buffer fully-but be patient)
later in the evening we lined up facing the mountain and just laid back and stared at the almost full moon for about 45 minutes...it was beautiful. The air was so fresh and beautiful, we all commented that with the weather so hot these days, it would pay to sleep all day and stay up all night! I'm feeling a little upset about leaving next week but also at peace knowing I've received many wonderful gifts...and know more are still waiting for me both here and at home. I also know I will be back in October...hopefully for 6 months. I am very different here. I never was a social creature and yet when I am here I seem to attract people to me. All very different but together they make up a lovely social group which is closely knit and in complete harmony. I've never really had this at home and yet each time I come to India this seems to be one of the gifts I find waiting for me. You can see from the pictures the diversity of the people...but we all just seem to fit perfectly together. 
Friday, March 21, 2008
#20- March 21st- The Blessing of Friendship
A PICTURE POST FOR YOU TO ENJOY
Shop in Laxman Jhula
Me and Natasha with Friend
Monkies, Monkies, Monkis
Perfectly Balanced Scale
Quiet Street in Laxman Jhula
Take my Picture...Pay my Mother!!
Jewish Rickshaw??
Me and Amir Just before he Left Suddenly for Nepal
Me and Tasha
Bangle Shop
Local Currency Exchange Before "Beggars' Row"
Beggars' Row
Always Happy to See Me
This Guy Really Had a Rough Time Getting his Goat Across the Bridge
Tuesday, March 18, 2008
#18 – March 16-18 BUSY BUSY BUSY!
Well, I have had not interest in the computer or in writing for the last few days. Actually since I last wrote…but then again I’ve been so busy, even if I HAD felt like writing, I really didn’t have the time.
I will try and catch up with the last few days, but will begin my telling you that I am sitting in me newly decorated room, at my “desk” 
and actually feeling comfortable while writing this. Music playing, the fan pleasantly cooling the air (which has gotten very hot the last few days and forced me to change my daily schedule to be out of the heat during the daytime-about 12-4), and comfortably seated, wondering why I didn’t think to do this weeks ago. 
Just how it happened,
was yesterday, Ben came up in the middle of the day as he had asked if I would be willing to offer my secretarial services and writing skills to assist him in writing up a proposal for his dream of a farm and reforestation program. I made no promises to actually get it done, but was willing to listen and take notes etc. to that end he arrived at my room and I asked him to bring the plastic picnic table from the other side of the roof into the shade near my room so I would be more comfortable, but it was still too hot outside, so he simply brought it INTO the room. It fit so well, and looked so good, 
I said I wished I could keep in here all the time. He asked why I couldn’t and I replied that it would not be nice and he said that no one would notice, and if they did, they wouldn’t care, and if they DID care, would certainly not say anything to me. So, I now have an upgraded room as you can see from the pics. And it has a "cooler" look for the warmer weather as well.
Now back to a few days ago, don’t remember exactly when, but the same day I wrote the last post about WRITING. When I returned eventually to my room towards evening, I found Natasha, the English neighbor who was leaving with her friend that evening and Ben, sitting on my terrace and singing! Not very well, but certainly enjoying themselves. I asked what the singing was all about and Natasha joyfully told me she had postponed her flight by a week! It seems the card reading I had done with her in the morning, had a very deep impact on her and she actually LISTENED to the message she was given and followed the guidance to extend her trip.!! I then offered my computer playlist to them to find other songs they would like to sing together with background music to help them along. They asked what kind of music I had and I replied “Music that a 60 year old lady who grew up in America and lives in Israel would like. They were a little skeptical but they began going over my playlists and found lots and lots of lovely songs to sing-along with and I joined them, especially in my specialty of the 60’s which was fun for them as well and we really were having fun. Even I was singing outloud and no one seemed upset about it! It was really really fun. We did this for sometime until Yael, young Israeli girl came up and then we decided to put on some Hebrew songs and sing for them. Yael noticed that I had folkdancing and said she remembers dancing when she was in grade school. Soooooooooooo. I got her up in the middle of the roof, and we began dancing, with me as instructor and her laughing the whole time. It looked like so much fun I guess that Natasha’s friend from England joined us for a few dances. Brought back lovely memories for me of when I taught and all in all it was great fun. The roof is a perfect place for dancing! After that, we ordered light snacks to the roof to wait for Fran to leave by taxi to Delhi and continued chatting, singing etc. She left at 9, and when Natasha came back up she had a bag full of goodies with her. Ben had come back after going home for Thali by Mamaji’s and she said she is celebrating her vacation extension. And then Viki, from the internet café joined us with a bottle of whiskey (which he and Natasha enjoyed), as he was celebrating his 27th birthday. So we went into Natasha’s room with the potato chips, coke, sprite, computer and music, and had a lovely party until almost midnight!! Everyone was enjoying the music on my computer to my surprise, we were telling jokes and stories and it was a lovely evening.
Next day I don’t remember what I did most of the day actually, but I had a “date” with the lady I had met the day before from Tasmania. We met at a mutual friend and healer named Suresh down in the Tapovan Bazaar. I went back with her to her room and found another lovely place to stay if ever necessary. And we agreed to meet at Tulsi for dinner the next day at 6:30. And I went down, we spent 3 hours together, and it was really interesting. No details here as I have so much more to write. Came back late to my room to find Ben waiting for me and we wound up spending time together until after midnight as well. Two late days in a row for this old lady is something! And I am still full of energy, getting up early etc. All since releasing all those toxin fear energies last week. It is a good, light and liberating feeling.
Next day I also had a busy schedule beginning with my getting a Reiki treatment from Yael who had just studied Reiki I with Dudi, the Master here. As I came up to my room which I had decided to clean and was busy sweeping the floor with a typical Indian “broom”, someone came to my door and asked “Are you Jane”. I looked up to see a lovely young India girl there and I said yes I am,…who are you? “My name is Sweta and I am a big fan of your blog…have been following it for years and knew you were here now. “!! She is here for the weekend with her boyfriend from Delhi and had started looking for me the evening before. She said she was pretty sure it was me up here as she had been watching us dancing on the roof and couldn’t imagine there would be a lot of people around in Rishikesh who would be dancing folkdancing on the roof! And then at breakfast she had overheard us talking and I happening to be talking about my Father who passed away about 1 ½ years ago and she KNEW it was me, as she had read my Memorial Blog to my father as well. We spoke for awhile but I really had to get ready for Yael, but I met her the next morning for breakfast with her boyfriend. They are a lovely couple, live in a suburb right outside Delhi and appear to be very well off. They come often to Rishikesh for the weekened to relax. She is “principal correspondent” for a newspaper and he is, get this, a professional golf player!!! In India!!! They were really sweet and a whole new side of Indian life for me, and invited me to come stay with them before I go home for a few days in Delhi so they can show me the OTHER Delhi. I told her the only thing I really know well in Delhi is Pahar Ganj and Khan Market (she couldn’t believe I would actually stay in Pahar Ganj!), and she said she we show me the really beautiful city that Delhi is. I told her I would love to do it but don’t think I would this trip. So she said next time I come back, to simply come directly to her from the airport and stay for as long as I want, AND I WILL!!
Well, back to the day. Yael gave me a really lovely Reiki treatment, very relaxing, and I felt very at peace. Then I helped Ben with his proposal, had a light lunch and discovered, thanks to Yael, something new to eat right here at Swiss cottage on hot days now so as not to have to go out for lunch. Veg Biryani made with brown rice. Quite delicious to my great surprise and seasoned just the slightest bit spicey like I enjoy myself at home.
After finishing up with Ben, I had to get ready, as Dudi, the Master, was coming to ME for a card reading and Reiki treatment. I must say I was a little intimidated, but he has been asking me since he first did the past-life regression for me, saying I had very special energies and he would like to really have me treat him. Once I began however, all my lack of confidence left and I felt totally guided by higher powers. The reading was lovely and quite incisive for him and after the Reiki treatment, he commented that he was simply “flying” and that I have the most comfortable and gentle energies he has felt in a very long time, and actually asked for another treatment. Which I of course agreed to.
As he was leaving I mentioned that I had done something to one of my neck vertebrae which hasn’t bothered me in years, and if I could come tomorrow for him to do some healing on it. He insisted on doing “first aid”, which already relieved some of the acute pain (I am sitting here typing and I feel fine), and when he moved further down my back, said I MUST come for a massage the next day (he is also a massage therapist). When I asked what type of massage he does, as I am wary of massages, he said “as gentle as your energies”…so I agreed. Something else to look forward to. By then it was quite late and wanted to go out for dinner, so went down with Natasha to Tulsi. We had a deeper personal discussion.. She is a very sweet girl and really enjoy her company, and happy to have her for a few more days a my neighbor up here. We decided at dinner that we would go up the next day to the next village, Kunchapuri, as her friend Fran had done it the day before with Amir and said the taxi was only 100 rupee! Well, for that price, why not. A lovely village with nice temple and view of the Himalayas!
OK…let’s see. This morning up again early and went down to the internet (haven’t been there in 2 whole days and didn’t even realize it until this morning), as I had a very powerful need to write to a friend in Israel. When I got down there, I found a letter from HER telling me she had been dreaming about me and Rishikesh for the past two nites!! Quite amazing. While I was down there I thought to order a taxi for later today to go up to the village. I asked how much and the guy said, “It is usually 1000 rupees but you can get special price of only 800!! “ I was flabbergasted, as Fran had paid 100. I told him this and he said it is not possible unless she took a bus. So I went to ask Amir about this and he began stammering and looking embarrassed. He said not to tell anyone here (so I am only telling you on the blog!), but he hired the taxi and TOLD Fran it was 100 rupees!!! And that’s then end of that trip up the mountain for 100 rupees for me and Natasha. But Ben was sitting there, and I just mentioned the part about the taxi costing 800 rupees and I couldn’t afford that much, so he suggested we go together tomorrow. His suggestion being that we hitchhike up!! At first I said no, but he said it would be fun, he does it all the time, and “be a sport”. So, tomorrow, I am hopefully going to make it up to the village by hitchhiking…this is the most surprisingly exciting and unexpected trip I’ve ever had to India.
And that brings us almost up to date. Following breakfast I went to Dudi for my massage, which was a combination of lovely massage and energy work together, and lasted for 1 ½ hours and I left feeling light as a feather. But I told him he must let me pay him in some way, as he will not take money from me. He says he gets as much from treating me as I get from him, energy wise. So I can do more Reiki treatments, but I thought perhaps a meal…however, he hardly eats anything (he really looks like a Baba…thin as a rail), and suggested going down to the Ganga and then lunch/dinner, and he agreed. So I have to “pick him up” in ½ hour. We will also be doing another massage on Friday night when he said his energies are much more powerful! I’m really getting well taken care of here.
And so, going to get dressed and head down with Dudi to Moksha where I hope he will enjoy eating as much as I do. If I haven’t posted this before then, I will continue when I get back, but perhaps I will post it sooner, as truth be told, it is a long enough post anyway.
So, another week and ½ to go and I am having more and more fun as each day goes by! I am truly, truly blessed.
Namaste
Jane
Sunday, March 16, 2008
JUST SOME NEW PICTURES
These are just some pictures I thought you might like...
Beautiful View of Shiva Statue Outside Hardiwar (not from my camera!)
Rickshaw Ride into the Market!
The fabric shop that drove me crazy...but finally made my choices
Local Milk Delivery
"My" Rooftop
Natasha Out on "My" Rooftop
Friday, March 14, 2008
# 17 March 13-14 – Lazy, Lazy, Lazy….and Rain
Started last nite…was very hot yesterday and was really tired after my walking so just hung around the rest of the afternoon and evening. Had some grilled cheese up in my room for a snack at nite. I was up the roof playing “bubbles” and listening to my lovely flute music when Ben came up and asked what I was doing. I said “Some real deep spiritual work”. He came to see what it was and burst out laughing when he saw what I was playing. I explained it really was a form of inner work for me as it was one of the few ways I could find myself completely “mindless”!. And then like a little boy he asked if he could please please please try to play too, but I warned him that it could be dangerous to begin this game.
“You can’t just ‘try’ this game and he replied: “I’m fine…I don’t get addicted to this kind of stuff”.
Well, I could not get him to relinquish the mouse for 1 ½ hours until I finally asked to be allowed to go to sleep. He said OK but please please please could he come up again to play in the morning.
I thought he was joking, but bright and early he was up here and spent another 1 ½ hours in this completely mindless but actually relaxing pursuit. I, in the meantime, realized I didn’t feel like doing anything today. Perhaps the weather-it is actually overcast, windy and chilly…so I sat in my room while he played and cursed, and I did some work I needed to for myself. Finally kicked him out and now am alone and still with no desire to do anything. I am listening to music, will play some games as well, hang around with people at lunch…all here “at home”.
This evening I am hopefully going to do a past-life regression with a guy named Dudi to see if we can find the source of my irrational fears and finish the cleansing process once and for all.
So it will be a quiet, reflective, lovely day doing “nothing” and feeling wonderful about it.
8 PM
It is now almost 8 in the evening. Had the need to sleep this afternoon, (only in retrospect did I realize the entire lack of energy the whole day was due to my anxiety of what I might find out during the healing session….) and when I woke up I did the healing and past-life regression with Dudi and it was wonderful Received more answers and insights into the fear thing and am completely energized as well. And when I came out, it was raining and no electricity! (That would explain the slight twinge in my hip yesterday and this morning). So, got a couple of candles from downstairs and am now up in room, by candlelight, incense burning, eating crackers and cheese and listening to folkdancing and for the first time this trip even have the urge to dance!. Am feeling really good and if the electricity comes back on, I have a “date” to watch the movie Himalaya with Ben this evening and if not, will dance in the dark alone!!. (Or so I imagined!!). And then the strangest thing happened. I have about 600 songs in my folkdancing playlist, and I put them on to play at random, and the first song that came up was a further answer to what went on during the healing session with Dudi. A song with words which said exactly what I still needed to hear was playing, as if the angels , or my guides were singing the answer to me disguised as the voice of Daklon (Israeli singer) singing “Al Nevakesh”. All the verses are insightful, but just as an example, here is a translation of theverse:
“There are unknown secret things which we cannot understand or know
Things may happen which seem without reason
Not all things need to be investigated and questioned
Sometimes it is alright not to know everything”
I imagine the air will also be less heavy tomorrow and I will feel like walking again (And that was exactly what happened, as I woke up the next morning to the clearest bluest sky I have seen since arriving and a lovely feeling of clean and fresh in the air).
And then Ben arrived….no lites…caught me dancing…but just asked to sit down and play again, which he did until the battery ran out on the computer. Then we just sat and talked until my sweet neighbors came up. Finding their room dark and uninviting, I asked them to come in and join us. By then it was raining hard and quite dreary…they came into my candle-lit room, and said “Why does it feel so warm and comfortable in here? Our room is the same but it is nothing like your room” It’s like when people come into my living room at home and say the same thing…good energies…My room is very inviting. We sat and enjoyed each others company, all the time with my folkdancing music still playing and everyone commenting that it was quite pleasant to listen to. Close to 10 the lites finally came on so the girls left and Ben and I still had our movie date! We even sat and held hands like in the real movies. Only thing missing was popcorn. In all, it was a lovely day!
And now it is morning. Brilliant blue sky…lovely sunshine, nice breeze and clean fresh air…like after a chamsin at home when the rains finally come. Beautiful, beautiful day.
I went down to the market with a few friends and actually found fabric I liked and which is now at the tailor to make a couple of more things for me from things I already have and like from home.
Sunday, March 09, 2008
#15 March 8, 2008 – FREEDOM FROM FEAR
Where to begin. There actually is nothing much new happening as far as “travel” goes, and you may all be finding my posts getting boring, but I am in a very personal place right now and what is happening in my life right now is exciting to ME.
So, first of all,
the video promised will have to wait until I get home as it is taking too long to upload it from here…it is a lovely one but I will get it up on the blog as soon as I get home.
The Ganga is rising from day to day. It is quite amazing. In the pictures I sent from just 2 days ago, there is a large square kind of rock sticking out of the water which I held on to so as not to slip. Yesterday it was no longer on the shore and half submerged, and today it was well out into the river and almost completely covered over. There is also a current now and eddies and small rapids forming where there were just calm waters 2 days ago. The snows are melting fast I guess and the water seems to be getting even colder, but I do my dip each day and love it.
I continued working on fears, and picked other lovely cards for the next two days as instructed (!) and I won’t go into details here but I was given further insights, reinforcement and encouragement to continue.
Yesterday I picked the angel Shanti “I am the angel of peace. I bring you new tranquility and a smoother road ahead”.
And the Goddess Hathor reminding me to “allow yourself to receive. This will increase your intuition, energy and ability to give to others”.
And today, the angel Adriana telling me “I am leading you toward the answer to your prayers, Please listen to and follow the steps I am communicating through your intuition, thoughts and dreams”
and The Goddess Ixchel…reminding me that “You are a channel for Divine healing power” and to continue my healing practice and to honour my healing knowledge and abilities and to continue to teach others….
I’ve been out 3 days in a row now for hours in the full sun, with no ill-effects, dipping in ice cold waters with no hip or knee problems, and going out at night, in the dark, alone, and completely enjoying my new found freedom…freedom to do what I want and always thought I couldn’t, and freedom from fear.
I find myself spending more and more time alone, being out of my room from 10 in the morning until 5 or 6 in the evening and then going out afterwards to eat if I feel like it, so even if people look for me, I am not around. I also have less and less need for the computer, and am only writing now to get this down “on paper”, more for me than anything else. It is a very powerful period in my life’s journey right now, bringing many things together in a process which began months ago and all things seem to be now falling into place. I feel very blessed and at peace with the process and confident that many more of my issues with fears will dissolve over the next period of time.
And the best surprise of the day was, I literally bumped into my friend Nikolai on the street! 
I know him from McLeod and only see him there, and he mentioned he was coming to Rishikesh for the first time for a short vacation in one of his e-mails. I was getting ready to write to him today to ask when he was coming, when I literally turned around in a shop and bumped into him! He has been here for a week already and is leaving in just 3 days. He is also staying at Swiss cottage but we have never seen each other. Very funny. Hopefully he will come up this evening as he wants to see pictures of the latest family members and see how the others have grown since last year when I saw him. You might remember he is my Russian born Buddhist friend, around 30 now I think, who lives about 8 months a year in India, sometimes even longer and mostly at Tashi Jong where is lama (teacher) is and where Tenzin Palmo’s nunnery is located.
I’m including his pic from a few years ago…he now sports a really smart mustache and goatee…
Ah…yesterday I finished most of the little shopping I had to do (which you all know I hate) and hope to get a package out sometime this week and know I am finished with that.
And I will end here for today
Namaste
Thursday, March 06, 2008
# 14, March 6, 2008- Massages and Messages or.. Could a Day be More Lovely?
Continuing the Story which began yesterday with my talk with Amir, I received a very clear message last night while asleep…not a dream like message, a spoken message: “Don’t go swimming at the Spa pool, BATHE IN THE GANGA and ask her to remove and wash away your fears!”.
So I awoke this morning
knowing that I would definitely go to bathe in the Ganga today, despite my fears of “where to go”, “what to wear”, “how cold will it be”, etc. But before going down for my massage, decided to just pick a card or two, and wound up pulling one from each of the two decks I have here with me…figuring I might get further reinforcement from the cards which might help me overcome the real fear I was feeling about what I knew I had to do today.
Well, the first card I picked was Archangel Raphael (one of the Archangels I ask to accompany me each day in my morning prayers and meditation), and the card says:
"I am helping you heal physical challenges in yourself and others. You are a healer, like me”.
Quite amazing…a big grin appeared on my face, knowing that I was certainly not alone in this venture and couldn’t have asked for better company.,
And then just for good measure, decided to pick from the other deck, and the card that came up was:
Sekhmet…which reads: “Be Strong”…” You are stronger than you think you are, and your strength assures a happy outcome”.
Even more amazing…
Then I happily headed down for my massage with Bablu and told him about my plan to go immerse myself in the Ganga after the massage and he said “How did you know to do it today?” Didn’t really understand the question but told him I received a message during the night that I must do it today. He said the message was directly from God because today is the best day in the whole year to bathe in the Ganga in Rishikesh as it is the once a year festival of Shiva (Shiva Aarti) today!
Well, nothing is my chance and a couple of other people I know who I met along the way, Indians, were all very excited for me that I was doing this the first time on this “most auspicious day”.
So, with all this lovely reinforcement and loving company, I set off for the Ganga at about 12 in the afternoon…gathering my faith and courage for the adventure.
(Just a quick aside: this was the fourth massage I’ve done with Bablu and we’ve got a kind of rapport going, and today he asked me if I know that my bones (I am paraphrasing, his English is very poor and this took some time to understand) are weak, lacking calcium and dry…and I must go to a doctor to find out what to do. I asked how he knew this (which is true, I have advancing oesteoporsis) and he said he can feel it when he massages me. I told him I do expensive bone density scans with fancy machines back home and they say the same thing!! He gave me good nutritional advice, which I already know, but was surprised that he knew this much about counseling his clients, and he was very happy to hear that I do panchakarma, eat the right foods etc. )
So, I had a nice fruit salad for breakfast and headed off with my longee and a towel, and went to the area where several people had told me I’d find a quiet beach, and they were right. You can see from the pictures…those are my clothes drying on the rock, .JPG)
.JPG)
and you can see the place where I immersed myself, several times. It was quiet, private and intensely powerful. 
.JPG)
.JPG)
.JPG)
The waters were icey cold. Fed by the mountain snows which have begun to melt. At first I gasped and thought I could not do it, but ever so slowly I dipped in up to and over my waist, and then threw waters over the rest of my body, including my head…And quickly got out, but after resting in the sun for a few minutes, I felt the need to do it again and did. Despite the numbing cold, I felt warmth spreading through my entire body as the first of my fears began to desolve, being washed away in the waters of this holy river. Quite a remarkable experience. Sat on the beach for awhile and plan to try and go each morning now…before breakfast.
Had a pleasant lunch…enjoyed Shiva Aarti Day which I was told by many is THE most auspicious day to immerse in the Ganga in Rishikesh. There will also be special celebrations this evening at the puja, but my stomach is a little “dodgy” so may remain close to my room. Will decide later this evening. After my relaxing meal I head home, com[pletely energized and this is also the first time the sun has not bothered me, and I have headache. I’ve taken to wearing my dupatta (scarf) on my head like the Indian ladies (kaffiyah style_ and that seems to do the trick. So 2 fears have gone. I can be out all day in the sun, immerse myself in ice-water, with no ill effects, even find a quiet beach all by myself and the last fear, being out along after dark will be confronted and conquered either today or tomorrow.
Then, when I get home, I will begin traveling to “unknown” places alone by car!!!
The next post will be a lovely video I made of the area around laxman Jhula, with the sounds and sights of the place. You can even see the lovely scene of a lady feeding the holy cow and blessing her (or perhaps asking for a blessing for herself) by touching the cow’s head.
Many things are falling to into place, and I think the timing for my return home is just perfect.
I am truly loved and blessed…always watched over and taken care of…truly no reason for any sort of fear to limit me.
Namaste
Jane
#13- March 5, 2008- Counseling Session with Unique Practitioner
Something very interesting happened today. I had already decided that the next few weeks I have left will be devoted entirely to me, which you can read about on the link to the Mindfulness Journal on my last post. I had a massage first thing in the morning, right after meditation and pranayama and yoga, before breakfast, it was the best massage I have ever experienced. There was something different about it. I don’t know if I mentioned the massage therapist Bablu, who studied Ayurveda massage ad the Parmath Niketan Ashram here in Rishikesh, but every massage he does , he does from a spiritual place. He says prayers over the herbs and oils before he begins, asks for Divine help and then chants OM before actually begin. He also does the massages with so much loving energies, that I see brilliant bright green surrounded by pink through the entire massage. And the massage itself is superb…among the best I’ve ever had. And having it this morning, as a continuation of my morning rituals, made it even more wonderful . Bablu explained that this was the best time to do a massage, with ,
the morning sun shining in the window, before any other earthly pursuits, and that it would serve to open all the chakras in the best and most powerful way possible. And to my surprise, it was the first time I did a massage like this and didn’t feel like sleeping afterwards. I was completely invigorated, was not hungry, even though it ended after 10 in the morning and by the time I showered, (and had unexpected company as well when I came back), I didn’t eat my first meal of the day, Kitcheri, until almost 1:30 and I felt wonderful. So I’ve ordered another one for tomorrow morning and am really looking forward to it.
I went to breakfast/lunch with a nice girl I met here, we walked down to Welcome Center, while waiting for our food, I opened some cards for her and as always, the reading was direct and to the point, I came back up, went to the internet for ½ hour and then came to my room to rest for awhile. I was awakened by a knock on the door, and thinking it was Ben, opened the door to find a young Indian friend of Einat’s called Sushil at the door. I quickly went back in and changed my clothes to something more appropriate (I was wearing just a tank top and pants), spent a short time with him but found I had no patience for chit-chat and excused myself after about 15 minutes.
I then went into the room to continue my work with the Archetype Cards I had bought a couple of days ago. It is a demanding process and I am taking it very seriously, when all of a sudden, Amir, the young guy in charge here came up to visit me. I didn’t like that Sushil had come to visit and came to see if he had left!!!
And this is where the story really begins. It is really something more suitable to the Mindfulness Journal, but I am posting it here as it is something which happened to be because I am on this journey in India, and it makes sense for it to be on the India Blog anyway. If you don’t agree, let me know.
First he asked if I had found a “friend”. (He is a sweet young, 25 year old Nepalese guy, but is not very discreet). He is always concerned that a “nice” lady like me doesn’t have a boyfriend, or at least a fling while on vacation and I always tell him I am not looking for that but for the “real thing”. He was of course referring to Ben who has been spending a lot of time around my room, and he assumed something was going on, but explained that there was nothing happening except sharing of healing sessions and pleasant discussions. He was sooooo disappointed and said “Oh, I was so happy for you because I thought you had a “friend” this time!”
And then he noticed I was working on the cards and we began talking about them and their uses, and I brought out two other decks to show him and he was amazingly interested in them. He looked at the cards with reverence, read a lot of them, and when he came to the Angel of “True Love” he commented “This is the card you need to pick”.
He is very intelligent and a highly spiritual being and we began a really serious discussion of some of the cards, and at some point the problem I have with my fear of traveling, or going to new places etc., came up. And THIS is the point of this whole post.
He looked at me and began asking me ,many questions, particularly about why and what I am afraid of etc. When I mentioned that it is all irrational and I’ve tried many ways of healing the problem, I also mentioned I feel it must be some trauma from a past life which has never been resolved…which lead to a discussion of past lives, and finally, he said he thinks he has a simple solution for me. It is WAS simply put, in very simple English, but quite profound. He gave me one concrete suggestion, and then two examples.
The suggestion, to overcome my fear of going alone to new places, which is even worse at night, was to wait until midnight, get dressed, WALK, ALONE to the nearby Spa, Narayana, get undressed and go swimming in the pool. And then walk back home alone. He said I would never be afraid again after that, not of the dark, not of being alone, not of going to a new place and not even of what might happen if someone sees me and what will happen etc. The idea is clear…confront your fear and overcome it!! But even thinking of the idea is terrifying to me, even though there is nothing really dangerous about it, and of course I won’t do it!!
Then he gave me the following two examples of how fear, or lack of it, can determine the outcome of events.
A guy has to get someplace and there are two paths. One is short but through the forest with wild animals and dangerous. The other is the long way around but safe. Which path is better to take. I of course said I always take the longer, but safe path. He said the guy decided he was in a hurry and to take the short dangerous one, but was not afraid at all as he knew he would be protected. And arrived at his goal quickly and safely, even though taken the dangerous path.
The second example. People travel very often from India to Nepal carrying large sums of money with them to bring home, in cash.. He does it too but never worries. He is calm and relaxed, attracts no attention, and has never had a problem. But other people are nervous, worried, frightened that they will be robbed, look anxious, attract attention, and in the end, THEY are the ones who DO get robbed.
No explanation is needed for either of the above, as they simply reinforce the idea that what is utmost in our thoughts is what happens. “Thoughts become things…choose the good ones”, etc. The fact that Amir, the young Nepalese working as reception manager at a guest house in Rishikesh to save money for his family at home would be profound enough to speak to me like this however, is the amazing part of this story. And he has made me begin thinking further about dealing with this fear. I don’t know yet how I will do it, but it has been on my mind more and more frequently over the past year, and SOMETHING will have to be done about it.
And that’s the story for today. Many different angels are sent to me with messages and today it was Amir.
PS: I am sitting out on my terrace, at 8:30 in the evening, listening to music and writing this. Although fairly warm for me during the few afternoon hours, the weather is otherwise beautiful.
THIS WAS NOT THE END…THIS WILL BE CONTINUED IN THE NEXT POST…GETS MORE INTERESTING AND MORE EXCITING!!
Sunday, March 02, 2008
#10-March 2, 2008- I’ve been Cured
Sending some more pictures today…and just writing to say that if I ever continued to entertain the idea of bringing groups to India, the last two days have cured me of that for sure. I spent two days with 2 women from Russia, one of them who contacted me a couple of years ago via my blog and we have been trying to meet up in India since then, and her friend. Rich women who were here for a retreat and then came to spend 2 days in Rishikesh. Spending the two days with them, seeing what it means to show people around who want nothing more to do than shop, needing the patience to allow them to enjoy themselves while still moving them along to the various places to see and get a feel of Rishikesh…it was exhausting. And that was only 1 ½ days actually.
But I was out with them, took some nice pictures which I am posting here, and actually enjoyed much of the quiet time we spent together at meals etc. But the whole idea of doing this is really not for me. If any of you out there however ever decides to come to Rishikesh, and needs places to shop for good jewelry etc., I at least now have the information. These women spent over $3000 dollars on jewelry but I was introduced to places I would never have found on my own. For information purposes, it was a profitable day for me as well.
Hope you enjoy the pictures…I have had very little time on my own the past week since I met Ben….and then these women, as well as a lady I haven’t written about yet (she will be in the second “people” post as I am leaving her for the end…it will be difficult to really write about her)…but I did some computer fixing for her as well this week…and tomorrow the 2 ladies are leaving and Ben and I will be sharing healing sessions again and perhaps go to the puja in the evening. We’ve been spending lots of time together…he just keeps coming up looking for me until he finds me…and once he does, the time just goes by and it is dinner time and the day is once again over. He will begin his teachings shortly, so I guess I will have more time to myself by then, but for now I am enjoying his company, as he obviously is enjoying mine…lots of interesting discussions, lots of laughing…quite pleasant.
I still get my own walking in each day but it is beginning to get warmer and will probably have to change my schedule and go out for breakfast, instead of lunch and then spend the warm hours relaxing and then going out again in the evening…
OK…enough babbling….enjoy the pics. I'm trying to get more pics of people this trip and other interesting everyday scenes of life in Rishikesh. These were taken over a 3 hour period and the ones on the Ganga are evening time just before the puja...that is why the bridge is also so crowded...you can see evening baths in the Ganga, snacks to eat along the way and from earlier in the day, babas, kids coming home from school, etc.
Namaste
Jane
