The Shifting Sands

The first of the ladies in question For sometime I had been keen on getting an Apsara to add to our Buddha.  Apsaras are beautiful, supernatural beings and are skilled dancers and musicians and are often depicted dancing or taking flight to act as messengers to the gods. There are two   types of Apsaras; Laukika (worldly), of whom thirty-four are specified, and Daivika (divine), of which there are ten. Apsaras are also common in Khmer, Indonesian and Malay culture where they are the wives of the devout in the afterlife. They are similar to the muses of Greek mythology. The lucky lady! The process of obtaining  my Apsara was kind of like an Indian arranged marriage.  I was sent photos of large number of suitable ladies complete with information on where they were from and their background and some insight onto their substance, well the type of rock from which they were carved. I then organised to meet two of them in person with their &quo

I took these photos of this women as she pulled weeds from a patch of dirt next to our tent high above Gupta Kashi in the norther state of UK in India, in the higher hills below the mountains of the Himalaya.   Her name Pavahari, a name from the Bhagavad Gita, she proudly told me...I later found it in chapter 9 verse 30.  I wanted to take her picture and at first she angrily refused, only it seems, long enough to use her scythe to cut some 'weeds' and a small leafy branch from a nearby tree to quickly fashion a wreath of flowers...to then stand proudly so I could take her picture.  Of course I must note that I was 'In Silence' throughout this period.

It seems friday is excursion day for us on our month long, 300 hour, yoga teacher Training.  Today was no different, except that we left a little later.  7 am into the jeeps and an hour long nail biting journey from one side of the valley to the other.  Sounds easy right? Just the other side of the valley right?  Its just that our vehicles have to navigate one destroyed road after another.  Waterfalls using the road as a pathway and the usual passing of large vehicles on one way roads next to several hundred metre ravines!  Of course we were protected and arrived at the stunning village of Ukhimath, the Site of the most ancient temple in the whole of India.  Carbon dated to 5000 years ago and home to the supremely sacred Kedernath statues during the worst of the seasonal Himalayan weather.  A seriously important pilgrimage place for devotees. The temple facade under renovation, following the devastating rains of 2013. Temple detail. Making Sandalwood spots for city folk

The trip to Gupta Kashi ( meaning hidden Varanasi, or ancient Varanasi) was typical for this part of the world but exciting and invigorating for us westerners, no matter how long I live in India....Taking a hair pin bend on the outside where the road has fallen away into the deep ravine that meets with Ganga does not constitute an easy drive up the mountains.   On leaving Riushikesh at 5.30am, I took my seat behind the driver so I could telepathically connect with him at every crucial turn and ensure he kept us safe.  He didn't really need me but it was best to be sure.  The six hour drive became eight thanks to landslides, flat tyres, rebuilding of temples ruined by the terrible floods of last year and travelling the 180km with many other pilgrims and locals wanting to arrive in a timely manner!   We arrived to our new paradise overlooking parts of the himlayas in time for a late lunch. En route, a refreshing lemonade. A confluence of the Yamuna and Ganga.  So pretty

Part of the Yoga Teacher Training program I undertook involved five days of silence high above Gupt Kashi in the Himalayan foothills overlooking the peaks of Choucumba and Kedarnath.  The view to Choucumba.  We meditated on her four pillars and imagined applying the simple strategy of bringing our lives into this simple fourfold focus. The things you see when your mind is stilled. In silence I was fascinated by nature.  there were so few other distractions. What the soul gains the active mind loses. Chatter is reduced, concentration is enhanced and recall is smooth and direct. The mind really is the focus, at least for me, as I take leave from the everyday distractions and notice my thoughts one by one.  Over days I seem to be able to group them...judgements of self and others, martyrdom, questioning, amazement, awe, gratitude.  All mixed in like a thick, hearty vegetable soup. The obvious occurs, one notices the birds, the changing clouds in the sky, the c