Shivaratri and beyond...

Writing from Varanasi, India just blocks from the Ganges river .

The last few weeks have been very interesting and important. I shall recap...

From here back I arrived last night via plane and then car and then finally bicyle rickshaw to the Mishras Music acadamy. From the airport the driver pointed out Ravi Shankars old house...historical in the history of India Music.

The Mishras have 6-7 students staying at the moment..US, Italy and Brazil represented. Lessons, practice and comfortable living while doing all that are provided here..a sanctuary from the rather harsh Varanasi outside world (and hot too!). I ended the evening with an incredible jam with beautiful Max from Italy on the Tablas. Wow, nice to put all the India learning time into playing with others.

Varanasi is old and different from any place i have ever been. The streets are narrow and brick/dirt and much of transport in the inner city is by bicyle/animal or scooter. The specialty is the bicycle rickshaw...a 2-3 person carriage and driver who pedals hard on the rough roads.

Walked to the Ganges this morning to check out the profound nature of this place and greet the sun rising...it's suppose to be the holiest river in the world, and the special place for Hindus to come to die, be creamated and deposit their ashes. Early morning at the burning Ghats was quiet for me...only bathing and other human activities for the poor that don't have bathrooms or running water going on and some pilgrams getting the bathing blessings of the divine river. Biologists have studied the unique compostion of the water and have found a strange lack of hearty micro-organisms despite the in-pour of the substances mentioned above. The waters have a mysterious property of not supporting life to grow for any length of time (almost antibacterial qualities) and is therefore deemed more "pure and clean" than other rivers. Well, whether it be Divine intervention or just a unique biological pheonomema i am going to opt out of dipping into this section of the river and will wait to dangle my feet until the next stage of my trip to the foothills of the Himalayas and souce of the Ganges. It runs crystal clear there.

Yet another Shiva festival was being commenced and there were some beautiful & tranquil sanskrit chants and songs wafting in the air as i sat and had some chai on the steps of the sacred river.

Speaking of Shiva festivals...Shivaratri just happened three nights ago in Mysore. One of the highlight events of my life. Putting it into words is like a wedding without photographs, but i will try. The Ganapathi Ashram in Mysore had 3, 500 people attending the functions. It is a Tapas or cleansing festival and many fast or just have fruit in order to stay up all night and get closer to Shiva, the God of destruction and Yoga. There were all sorts of rituals and ceremonies including the pouring of sacred substances , Milk, ghee etc. over a giant "Shiva lingam" the form of the God that represents the Male/Female divine connection and is suppose to be Shivas form he took when his wife was caught in a family controversy and was sacrificed as a result (she wanted to marry wild Shiva, who hung in graveyards and danced with ashes and had matted hair, while father thought otherwise. She went around his wishes, married him and as a result he threw her in the fire and cut her to pieces when she tried to show up at a family function. Shiva was outraged and shook the world with his anger, threatening total destruction but finally calming down and becoming the "lingam" interlocked with his wifes Yoni part fell to the ground.

Hundreds of people made their way round the Shiva Lingam while the Swamiji sat covered in Vibunti Ash blessing the whole thing. Numerous priests were there chanting the Vedic Verses and Sanskrit prayers to Shiva constantly.

Meanwhile concerts were going on within view of all that, and at 1am the Swamiji himself got onstage w/ keyboard with 20 musicians for Bhajans...I was one of them and had to pinch myself at the oppurtunity to be sitting there for that night.

Anyway, songs would stop frequently while we all followed him diligently. He would stop to give discourses in Telegu language and others while an English head set was available for foriegners. He was in full Bhakti, Joyful spirit and told many fun jokes and stories as well as "wake up don't sleep, live every moment in love and BE AWAKE!"

Kids walked through the crowds and squirted those that nodded off. by 5am many were dancing all were swaying with an inner and outer happiness as just before sunrise the Swamiji and his next in line Bala~Swamy commenced the final Pooja blessing, showering another giant Golden Shiva head statue with acres of gorgeous flowers and other auspicious things.

Home to sunrise and final packing in Mysore. Finish off with 108 Gayatri Mantras (chant for light and Divine Intelligence) at my friend James's house & final goodbye lunch with Manju and Nagaraj before jumping into a taxi to Bangalore with David.

As i left behind Beloved Mysore and all of the experiences there, i had a new spark and glow as well as the exciting in-my-skin pull to the the upcoming travels and HOME.

I have the "travel bug", and have all my life. I think it comes from my Grandfather who also had the affinity to travel. Me, i am happy as a clam in this spot...bags packed, moving along in a car, train, plane to the next spot...setting up in a room, someone's house or in a tent somewhere in the world i have never been, and setting out to explore the place in my own unique way. In fact at times i prefer to travel alone and meet people & friends/family along the way...so i can be in my own rhythms of coming and going.

Next stop...Hardiwar and Rishikesh via overnight train. The foothills of the Giant Himalayas.

Meet you then,

j~bird