India is a land revered for its God's & Goddesses, yet to a western mind, the surface of everyday life shows very little signs of a culture steeped in divinity. Often outwardly, holy shrines & the holy men that seem to hover around them, 'sit' in streets heaped with unsightly rubbish, or the smell of 'sacred cow' monkey or human excrement.

Add to this seeming chaos, the everyday throng of millions of Indians jammed into city streets or dirt paved Indian villages & you have begun to experience the full on assault to your own senses that India provides. This entry point into Indian life begins to wear down the wall of even the most hardy pre-conceptions. The impact of life in India over-runs the mind's usual 'fix' on reality, as new scenes & relationships force it to give way.

Our journey did not initially begin in India, but our trip to India was part of an unfolding exploration into some of the countries, sites & teachings of the various "Mystery School Traditions.' Each Age, whether the Celts, Greeks, Egyptians or Indian cultures have each contributed their 'gold' & uniquely obtained Wisdom, to the wider 'inner & outer' evolutionary journey of mankind.

India's great illumination was in the realm of the Super-Conscious .... that which lies 'beyond mind.' Through concentrated meditative & disciplined effort, determined sages withdrew their consciousness from outer restless, distracted & incessant brain or lower mind activity & penetrated new thresholds of the Super Conscious or 'Higher Mind.'

Even though this sphere may be unrecognised by many, it may be best to say, that it is simply 'unexplored territory.' In this age western man's outer journeying has taken humanity to the moon & beyond. Our exploration of our outer universe, can be likened in some ways to delving deeply into 'inner worlds' & 'inner realms'. The previously unknown becomes more known & less mysterious.

Just as mankind looks outwardly towards the heavens for signs of life, or things that may explain more of our existence & even our creation, the inward journey loosened from the fetters of our everyday perceptions also seeks & provides new meaning & understanding about our origin & more Divine roots.

In India, inner exploration, freed from the world of the five senses, revealed an Eternal Presence enshrined in the chamber of our heart. Every meditative intention then & since, has added to a 'bridge' or link, that has drawn this inner realm & reality, closer to us.

This statue of Shiva sits in the gounds of Parmarth Ashram in Rishikesh. Shiva 'sits' meditating with the 'tamed' Lion representing his mastery over the his lower 5 senses. The tiger is the vehicle of Shakti, Goddess of Power & Force. Shiva has mastery over all forces.

 

Connecting 'inwardly' in India seems easier, especially with the Western mind loosened & with nothing to grip. Indians are much more in touch with the soul's procession of lives & are therefore more accepting of their place in this unfolding journey towards Nirvana. The unique "I" ..the Higher Self, the Essential Divinity of man remains more in tact through outer changing life circumstances & more 'human' states in India.

In the West the appearance 'outwardly' is that we are more together, we see it in our outer order & physical manifestations. It's undeniable. In the East & in particular in India, it's the inner realm that has been mined for its riches.

When you travel in India, in the midst of oftentimes outer squalor, your mind now more mallable, slips 'beyond mind.' Freed from interest in mere forms, inner reflection steadily gives way to more Divinely inspired images & impulses. Its not so much that the outer world changes but you do! The veil between inner & outer life is thinner in India through the millenia of attention that this inner reality has been accorded.

That which 'lies behind' outer apperances in India, flickers through images, impulses & new senses from a more Divinely inspired realm. Flashes of insight irradiate & illumine the mind producing new vision & an emerging new depth of inner peace & inner harmony. A juxtapostion with the outer environment.. That which lies beyond our mind, our judgements & our calculations begins to make 'its' presence felt.

The invisible begins to make its Presence felt in the visible .... but somehow It's touch comes like the breath of fresh air you've been longing for. Its silence, like a song that sings of a distant yet never forgotten Homeland.

 

Images Of India

Bathing in India's Rich Spirtual Stream & Religious Traditions .......

Sunset on The Ganges ... On the steps of Parmath Ashram, Rishikesh, just before the nightly Puja Fire Ceremony ( see below.). Rishikesh is near the head of the Ganges at the foothills of the Mighty Himalaya's.. The river is wide, clear & fast flowing. It has a pristine & awesome presence.

Arjuna on the Battlefield .. Life size statue .. Rishikesh. The life of Arjuna is very much a description of the 'battle' of the 'world disciple.' The obstacles faced & their resolution are the steps along the well trod path towards, 'enlightenment.' For all of us, its not a question of IF we tread this path but when. Today the concept of 'Planet Earth School' moves us into more conscious awareness of the fact that we are all students. "Students of Life." The curriculum question - "Who Am I? "

" I am the Self, the All Giving & the All Recieving"

 

One of the gifts of the Buddha, seen not only in the life of Arjuna, but in our lives, was to reconcile the range of opposites we continually experience in tis world. You, me, this, that, light, dark, rich, poor, inner, outer. Enlightened Man, no longer identified with opposites, moves from a world of duality into a world of Being!! Here he stands free upon the 'Lighted middle Way.' Free ....... 'to be' more of who you really are!

 

Every 12 years Millions of Pilgrims flock to Hardiwar for a 'lifetime' opportunity to bathe in 'holy waters of the Ganges. Here Shiva is said to have first entered. It is believed that if you bathe here, all your sins shall be washed away. The experience is truly exhilarating!

Thousands of small 'prayer boats' with flowers, incense & special offerings are 'floated' off down the Ganges each day & evening, in reverent & prayerful offerings to the Gods... We sent ours prayers out to family, friends & fellow co-journeyers with blessings from one of the Spiritual Heartlands of India, Rishikesh.

 

Krishna & Radha had been for us, powerful inner archetypes representing the Divine Masculine & Feminine 'dance' long before our visit to India. In a land of chants & prayers to a full range of deities this Divine couple holds a special place in Indian hearts, as they did ours.

While staying in & bathed in the exquisite energy of Parmath Ashram, Rishikesh, we updated our understanding as well as archetypal relationship to encompass the energetic note & interplay between Vishnu & Lakshmi. Vishnu is seen as a androgynous Supreme GodHead. Lakshmi accompanies His representation & embodies & expresses all that is abundant, rich, opulent & exceptionally lucky.. Attunement with these Divine Aspects 'reveals' inner wisdom & alignment of energy that is 'experienced' as singularly pervasively & empowering as well as a continuous stream of beauty & grace.

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Travels - A Taste of India

Nilgiri Hills .... Tamil Nadu State ...

Where the Journey to India began ... & Why?

Our journey began in the Nilgiri Hills in India. Synchronistically we had been 'drawn' to visit this region, which was said to have been the Home to Master Jupiter, known also as the Ancient Regent of India. Our trip also coincided with investigating, in the same region, the sponsorship of an Educational Tertiary Fund for local Tribal children there. We arrived in Kotagiri and were hosted by members of the NAWA Foundation, a humanitarian organisation, dedicated to assisting the local tribal people who lived in the region. The school was founded by a Bristish woman Victoria Armstrong,who came to the region from England & never left!

Visiting the Kindergarten & School at Kotagiri was delightful experience made all th emore meaningful knowing that funding for scholarships, which was the reason for visiting, would provide tertiary & other educational assistance to inspiring young folk there!

Students come to the school via transport that collects them from the edge of the forest & returns them back there each night.

The school, the staff & the children were bright & spending time with them was rich & heart warming. Funding for the "Jupiter Foundation Educational Fund' came by way of Bruce's family business. Some of the children who were being helped at NAWA were sponsored children through CCF ( Christian Childrens Fund). Funding ceases at age 18 & there are limited if any, alternatives. The idea of businesses sponsoring not just individuals, but wider village projects, including educational, as well as health & social initiatives - is a great idea & a very rewarding one all round

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The Master Jupiter connection ....

& Tribal Roots in The Nilgiri Hills

The following letter was written when we were in the Nilgiri Region & gives more information on the 'synchronicities' that led us to Nilgiri area & the Master Jupiter connection....

Greetings from the blue hills of India, abode of the Master Jupiter Some thoughts on Jupiter and synthesis ....

* Regent of India - first ray soul and fourth ray personality - bringing together the dualities via a higher point * Synthesis of first and second rays - Master J is above Morya on the first Ray line in the Hierarchy of Masters Chart and below the Manu * Synthesis on first second and seventh ray lines. The planet Jupiter is definitely associated with all these rays - Zeus, the lightning wielder, the great heart , the rhythmic magician. As such the Master Jupiter is likely to have a definite relationship with the synthesis ashram.

Historical indications. Little is given about the Master Jupiter in esoteric writings except that He, as the Regent of India is also known as the Rishi of the Nilgiri Hills, adept in astrology and has initiates and other Masters as pupils. A string of synchronicities.... Having always had a strong inner resonance with the Master Jupiter and a sense of visiting the Nilgiri's some time in the future I was waiting on some outer sign to balance the inner inclination. Earlier in the year my business received an inquiry about assisting with the funding of an education project in southern india after a project we were working with in Africa fell over through political instability. Turns out the specific area in India was the Nilgiri Hills and so I decided that was the outer sign! Having just spent three days with the project coordinators ( NAtional Adivasi Welfare Association ) the following unfolded. NAWA was founded by an Indian doctor who reached out to the marginalised hill tribes ( who had retreated into the jungles and the mountain peaks ) in the early twentieth century. He began to provide medical care and get to know these proud people.

In the 1950's an english woman Victoria Armstrong - an inspector of Schools in the UK became involved in helping educate the children and eventually threw her whole life into the endeavour. She died in 1998 and we arrived to visit the schools she set up on the anniversary of her birthday when a memorial service was being held. After seeing the amazing work done by this project we agreed to set up a fund called the Jupiter Education Fund which would allow young people from the tribal community to attend tertiary educational programmes after completing the primary and some secondary schooling with the project. These tribal people are exceptionally bright and to get the full picture you have to imagine a child living in little more than a hut deep in the forest travelling 20km to school everyday and then eventually graduating from a mainstream university all the time maintaining their links with family!

So having paid homage to generosity and love of education of the Master Jupiter in his own territory we then proceeded to focus on trying to find out a little more about this Rishi using inner and outer sleuthing! Our first outer stop was the Nilgiri library - a fascinating 40,000 old manuscripts and books. A brief history.. The Nilgiri Hills is home to the oldest tribes in India - left undiscovered or integrated into the wider population until the 'discovery' and development of the region by englishman John Sullivan in the early nineteenth century. From then on it was developed as a British 'hill station' for the governing class at Madras to visit in the hot summers. After browsing for some time I asked the librarian for any information on spiritual teachers of the region. We drew a blank and so I decided instead to research the 'tribes'. An old manuscript appeared and imagine my surprise on looking at the author's name . Helena Blavatsky!

HPB visited the hills around 1883 and was very taken with the location and the tribes. Her view was that the Toda tribe ( one of the five hill tribes ) was the oldest tribe in India - the ancestors of the Brahmins anmd were metioned in the Ramayana. She called them 'rishis' of a forgotten era and the unconscious inheritors of the powers of the white magicians - living in a balanced relationship with another tribe - the Mulu Kourumbas - proponents of the black arts. These were the very tribes we had just been setting up an educational fund for ! The spiritual beliefs and histories of these tribes are fascinating but I will spare you the details in this missive. The point however is this: If the 'Rishi of the Nilgiri Hills' was born in the Nilgiri Hills - he is likely to have been a member of one of the original tribes - almost definitely 'Toda'( because no outside contact was made until the 1820's or so ). But how could the "Regent of India" be from a primitive uneducated mountain community? HPB was careful to lay out the high spiritual lineage of the tribe and even indicates that the blue mountains were home to the 'giants' from the Ramayana and Secret Doctrine. She indicates that the Toda tribe are heirs to powers that have long since atrophied in other races and were preserved in annonymity in the hidden mountain regions unconnected with the rest of humanity for vast ages. Presumably a 'Master' could live among them and yet we would have to stretch our idea of 'learning' if we were to imagine this. Perhaps the 'brightness' of the children who are able to so easily acquire the 'knowledge of the world' is built upon a deeper kernel of developed soul wisdom that resides beyond the mind..... When asked what happens when a Toda dies an elder ( tall wise man in flowing white beards ! ) replied - his body of course turns into grass on these mountains to nourish our tribes and the buffaloes. His love for his children and his tribe however goes to the sun. The fire of the sun is made up of many flames - the fire of love!"

And so our journey has looped on itself. We came to visit and help the primitive tribes before embarking on trying to find someone at the other end of the spectrum - a man so civilised that he was regent of a vast subcontinent! And yet the strong possibility presents itself that the end was in the beginning! The heights of modern wisdom and the depths of ancient wisdom have their roots outside mind in the 'fire of love' - a fire that can be easily fanned into intelligence - more easily in fact than intelligence can be frictioned into love!

Varkala ..... Kerala State ( Southern India)

Varkala is the kind of place where people go there, never to to return again from whence they came! A beach resort, very similar to Fiji in its beauty but a zillionth of the price. You can stay here in beach chalets for as little as $10- $15 a night! The balmy temperature, clear ocean waves & water & the generally 'relaxed' tempo of life makes you feel not just like ist a place you want to stay & live in ... but a place you can feel free in!

Local fishing villages are really just that .... villagers live nearly solely from the days fishing catch. Nets are set every night & all participate in hauling in the large nets, by hand. Above right is a 'fishing boat' we went out on. Our guide was called "Sun of the Ocean" & was a local, extremely experienced man who you could see had fished just about every day of his 45 years. The 'boat' was three planks of wood that we had to help carry down to the waters edge & tie together with rope, before venturing into the water! The ride out through the surf left us fully awash in seawater, but it was surfing in with the Varkala waves that proved the most adventurous on the return journey. All that to say, no fish were actually caught but it was one 'hell of an experience' trying!.

Apperley..... Kerala State ( Southern India)

Crusing along the Backwaters...

If you want a taste of luxury then hiring your own boat & crew on a bamboo & thatched rice barge is a wonderful, not to be missed experience. The trip tp Appelley from Cochin had already lead us down a maze of inland waterways, one branch of which led us right past the door of the "Hugging Mother's Ashram" ... a place of pilgrimage in this state for many local & international seekers.

The aim of the trip is to completely relax & enjoy a range of scenes as you float along, from rice padis to palms, to local houses & everyday villagers living alongside the waterway as masses of water-lillies float at times, alongside the boat. Our trip was special as it was 'some-one' specials birthday that day. The special note Bruce had decided on for his next Solar Year was to explore the "Reclinning Budha" asana & as you can see he is off to a good start.

One of the more idyliic house settings along the journey.

Sunset at the end of a days peaceful cruising along the palm tree-linned waterways.

Rishikesh, Parmarth Ashram & The Great Ganges River

(Uttaranchal State, North East India)

Rishikesh is known as the 'City of the Divine.'

Its a Spiritual center to which dages, rishis, saints & pilgrims alike, have flocked to for a millennia.

Each evening at Sunset a Fire Puja Ceremony is performed on the banks of the Ganges, on the steps of the Parmarth Niketan Ashram in Rishikesh.. Animated devotional singing & chanting begins with their Guru, Pujya Swamiji, everyone joins in. As part of the ceremony, fire is passed in beautiful vessels around those gathered. Being part of the 'energy' of the ceremony as well as partaking in the "blessing & purification with Fire" is something very special to experience. It's completely heartening to know that EVERY night this ceremony is taking place, along with other devotional rituals along the banks of the Mighty Ganges River.

These blessings then flow out around the world!

Thousands of prayer boats, if not at times, millions, are sent down the Ganges by pilgrims each day. A candle, flowers, incense & other small ritual items are decorated in a palm leaf & sent with prayers & blessings. The sight of one or several of these beautiful 'small lights' on the river feels very reverent.

Vishnu Statue, Parmarth AShram, Rishikesh Vishnu symbolises the realisation of Self. In Indian mythology Vishnu is the Supreme Godhead. Lakshmi his consort, is the Goddess of wealth and prosperity. Wealth includes nobler values of life, which constitute 'spiritual wealth.' Attunement with the energy of Lakshmi assists one to realise the Abundance of the Divine Source of which we ARE a part.

Shiva Statue, Parmarth, Rishikesh. Shiva's third eye, the 'eye of fire' is the eye of higher perception.

Guru, Pujya Swamiji in devotional prayers - Sunset Puja Fire Ceremony.

The smoke emanating from the fire is charged with vibrations and the vibrations travel for miles creating peace & harmony in the world.

The aim of a Fire Puja - or any Puja is to 'link with God' in devotional prayers & offerings. Lighted special butter or ghee lamps are passed around after they have been specially blessed by the Guru & charged with the energy of the ceremony itself.

Krishna playing his flute. Parmarth Ashram, Rishikesh.

www.parmarth.com

One of the most well known chants is the chant to Krishna. Each night at Parmarth & across the world, devotees raise their voices in devotional praise to Krishna. The chant is believed to destroy samsaara, the great illusion & the perpetuator of the endless cycle of death & rebirth.

The sanctity of the Hare Krishna mantra goes back to one of the Upanishads, known as kali-santarana-Upanishad.

Hare krishna hare krishna krishna krishna hare hare .... Hare rama hare rama rama rama hare hare

The Crowning Glory ... Journey's End

The Taj Mahal at Agra

Our Journey to India ended with a overnight visit to the Taj Mahal.

One is indeed prepared for the 'classical' sight of the Taj but not for its exquisite & 'other worldly' energy. We walked reverently in the face of the Taj Mahal's awesome presence. Visiting the Taj was like partaking in a glimpse or sip of heaven.

Armavilas Temple-like Hotel grounds

After many weeks 'on the road' in India, we spent our last night at a beautiful hotel in Agra. We felt the blessings of Lakshmi upon us as we soaked in this temple-like atmosphere & gazed at the awesome sight Taj Mahal from our balcony! Rose petals & scented oils graced every room, assisting to create an 'ether' fit for the Divine!

At the Taj Mahal one tastes God's Perfection.

The Taj is a tangible reflection of God's Plan,

as well as God's Love, for all humanity.

The 'Face of Love' is a Face of Awesome power & Exquisite beauty.

On our last day in India the veil between the 'outer' & the 'inner more divine world' was 'rent.'

We left India soaked in blessings & a richness Beyond Imagination !