Posted on April 19, 2011 by Lydia
Travel account of Laura’s trip
to India, February-March 2011
(written by Lydia, Laura’s Mum)
For this travel account, we showed our pictures to Laura. What Laura said during the trip or afterwards as comment to the photos is marked in blue.
2nd March 2011, 7.24 am
I was still sleeping because I had given my instructions earlier not to wake me
Morning ritual of the 48-day ‘puja’ (worship) for the ShivaLingam which has been placed above Swami’s body. The temple is still adorned with the Samadhi ceremony decorations. It’s traditionally like for a … wedding. The Saint’s soul merges into God.
7.49am
In all simplicity and strength, the essential parts of the ritual: tying of the gold ‘tali’ to the neck of the beloved, the couple exchanges flower garlands, they kneel and receive the blessing from the spiritual Master (through Swami Kamalananda, out of jail for a few days) and from the happy parents.
7.58am
In the meantime preparations are made for the 24 hour non-stop chanting of ‘Om Namah Shivaya’ which starts at 8 am. On a shrine in the back of the newly built temple over 40 Lingams are displayed, the first one of every year which was born out of Swami’s mouth during the holy night of Mahashivarathri, meaning litterally: the great night of Shiva (around the new moon in spring)
8.38am
Laura and her kind sitter for the occasion. Sweet dreams is the word.
8.52am
Bride and groom: they have been coming to
this beautiful Ashram for many years for
spirituality and service.
They received Swami’s blessing and good
advice for a good marriage together and
this is the road they are now travelling.
4.19pm
Young spiritual people from around the world meet. These are small blessed moments of great value, both for them and for the world.
10.48pm
23u57
but quite often the result was that mum made me stand up to leave the people behind in their own restlessness and then that’s what I do
Laura has the art of consciously
sitting so close to people that they are
forced to take her into account. She
rarely chooses the easiest people,
neither does she choose the easiest road
in her life.
On this photo, Laura has been banished
to the side.
9.38pm
When things go too far, Laura goes for
a walk with Mum. At the end of the road
there’s the building with the pure water
taps. It’s quite desolate and we can
sing there and make music in the
wonderful cool of the night.
bijschrift foto
3rd March 2011 4.57 pm
In the presence of a few people an enormous pinkish ‘Lingam’ appeared in the middle of some flowers.
7.02pm
Everyone gathers to look, to sing and to receive the blessing. Several people witnessed a lot of light around the Lingam, and this light remained around the blessed people for a while.
7.05pm
Friday 4th March 2011, morning
I didn’t want to throw that earth but I didn’t have to
Every day something different is going
on around the Samadhi. Usually everyone
is being involved in all ceremonies, and
today the last backbreakingly heavy slab
of stone is to be placed on the opening.
It takes hours before all the children
of the orphanage and all the people
staying here permanently or temporarily
have come by with some sand.
12.40am
Laura arrived when everyone has gone.
She likes to sit in the temple, plunged
in humming and play.
In the meanwhile I’m also just sitting
there a bit, and I hear Marie talking to
Poobalan, a strapping lad who sat on my
lap when he was still just a skinny
little boy in an indianly overcrowded
taxi. He recounts that small children
sitting on their mother’s arm see Swami
walking and wave at him but the
grown-ups around them can’t see.
He suggests to have Laura walk around in
the Samadhi. We’re allowed to accompany
her (sister Marie and myself – quite
extraordinary for me thanks to Laura,
but I didn’t experience anything
special)
14.41 am
I was allowed to walk around on the samadhi and I could sit for as long as I wanted on top of it and then I talked to swami about the ashram and about europe and the people and our conclusion was that everything will be fine and that it’s beautiful how life goes and how god carries everything in his hands
1.29pm
This Ashram is so special, small-scale and at the same time so divine, full of children and flowers (but an umbrella is no luxury for Laura’s sensitive head)
our cat looks almost just the same
(I was just thinking that this cat looks really exactly like one of ours, but for Laura apparantly there is a difference)
5th March 2011, 10 am
© Lydia Crevits, down-and-feathers.net
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