OMMMMMMMM!

Early morning is my favorite time of day, and it is no different here in Varanasi. OM is the primordial sound of the universe, and when describing early morning here it is the OM starting at the navel or center of the city and working upwards through the chakras to emerge, and erupt at the Holy Ganges.

Sunrise on the Ganges

 

Boats on the Ganges



Preparation for Evening Services

 

Women Bathing in the Ganges

The sun begins to rise on the far banks of the river, and the linga continues to stretch towards me. I watch the river and all those on its shores slowly awake to begin a new day...a day of life and a day of death; a day of all that life brings to us if we are here in the moment to take it all in. We internalize each sensation, and make them ours. OMmmmm.......

Crematorium on the Ganges



Another Piggy Journey Begins!

Our journey to the Hindu Kumbh Mela Festival has begun! Despite the blizzard in London which grounded over 500 flights, our flight from London Heathrow to Delhi and on to Varanasi made it out with 5 of the 6 little pigs on board.

We were up next to be de-iced!

Varanasi is home to the Holy Ganges. No matter how often I may visit this city of 3 million people, it continues to move and stimulate me. This is life among chaos and faith....hope and despair....joy and sadness. Varanasi has for centuries been one of the most holy spots on the Ganges. Everyone is a seeker here. Each one of us will find something in this auspicious place. It is our own journey to explore............

Colorful Faces of Hindi Images

Sunrise in Varanasi

 

Replica of Buddha with Diciples

Shortcut to Nirvana

In January of 2013, this little piggie will be attending the Kumbh Mela in Allahabad, India. The Kumbh takes place once every 12 years and is a mass Hindu pilgrimage in which Hindus (and many others) gather at the Ganges and River Godavari to bathe for purification from sin. They estimate that as many as 75 million people will visit this area over a two month period of time. The spiritual energy that surrounds this confluence becomes a very moving experience for all that come with open hearts and minds.

Many will tell you that this event is a "short cut to Nirvana" -- let's hope so!

After visiting the Kumbh Mela of 1895, Mark Twin wrote:

"It is wonderful, the power of faith like that, that can make multitudes upon multitudes of the old and weak and the young and frail enter without hesitation or complaint upon such incredible journeys and endure the resultant miseries without repining.

It is done in love, or it is done in fear; I do not know which it is. No matter what the impulse is, the act born of it is beyond imagination, marvelous to our kind of people, the stark whites."

Over the next few months I will be writing about the path I am following that will bring me to the Kumbh Mela. The more I can learn about the Kumbh -- its meaning, purpose and significance -- the more I too can "marvel at the act that is born of it."

A Very Special Mass in Kerala

Today we visit the Back Waters of Kerala. I decided last night to attend the local Catholic Church for mass. It was barely light when Catherine and I headed out the gates of the Marari Beach Hotel. We fell into a procession of people walking down the road headed to church. There was no traffic on the road and the people we saw were walking quietly but with purpose. Men, women and children coming from both directions started turning off the road and moving into the steepled church.

We left our shoes at the door and made our way into the church. Most of the congregation is sitting on the floor but we notice two sets of pews in the back of the church. Men were seated on the left and women on the right. I had on my pristine white linen pants so I quickly made my way to sit in one of the pews. Catherine sat several rows behind me. We are a few minutes early so we have a chance to watch as the church begins to fill. It is 6:40 and mass is scheduled to begin at 6:45.

The church itself is like many churches at home; an alter in front with Jesus on the cross above it, the stations of the cross along the side walls, flowers all across the front and a picture of the Virgin Mary framed in red and yellow flashing lights. (Actually my church at home displays Mother Mary a little differently!) The priest walks in and everyone rises when mass begins.

The music is uniquely Indian, a mixture of the sitar and organ with a distinct beat and melody. Before me are hundreds of brightly covered heads and I notice the church is filled, many standing outside. PANIC: I notice that everyone sitting in the pews is 80+ years old.......but me! All the women are in beautiful saris and covering their heads with colorful scarves. I am in my white linen pants and nothing with which to cover my head. I know God does not care but what about the 80 year old woman sitting next to me? I slowly turn and look at her....she smiles. I smile and let out a sigh of relief.

After Mass

Another Catholic Church in Kerala

The alter boy looks 18 and I smile as I think of my boys who were alter boys until they were 18. They still haven't forgiven me for constantly volunteering them for 6am mass. The gifts presented at the offering - fire, incense and flowers - are much like the offerings we have seen the Hindus make at the temples. The babies crying and the young children looking over their mother's shoulders are no different from those sitting in my church in Atlanta, Georgia.

The only difference between us is that difference we create in our minds. With faith, an open mind and a gentle spirit we are all of one God. Peace be with you, Amen.

M