aging and death: a path to light

Last weekend, Molinos de Maestrazgo, a small village craddled between river cliffs, in the heart of Teruel, Spain, was welcoming spiritual masters around the world to elaborate on aging and death. 8 intense conferences and a closure debate were on the menu. But besides the organised program, other elements came into play…something that Ammaji sensed from the very moment she got there. And so the magic circle started…

The Himalayan Nun captured everyone’s attention and hearts at once as she began her speech with a beautiful sanskrit prayer for the dead souls: “The Ganga Goddess has been embracing millions of Indian souls for thousands of years. The prayer whispers to them the way back to the light, leading them back to the source, back to the Oneness.”

Dialoguing through prayer with those souls, allows them to recognise their path, it removes their confusion and helps them follow the trail to higher dimensions. Ammaji continued: “We are of the nature of Light, to the Light we shall return, for it is the eternal in us…death is the transition to Light. If you know your true nature, what is there to fear? Relax, and enjoy!”

Many people deLighted with the truth in Vedanta approached her later on…On Monday, an intimate Satsang on the different phases and experiences of life took place in the main square of the small town. What began as a tiny group gained momentum and ended up gathering a crowd craving for Ammaji's wisdom. “When you are old, you learn to let go. Be generous and helpful, as much as you can, so that you cultivate Peace in your Heart.“ For it is Inner Peace which develops Inner Strength so that we gracefully carry our wise wrinkles through old age. Inner Peace leads to a peaceful death. 

Be aware and conscious, be generous and kind, be responsible towards Dharma. And fear not, for death is deLight. Care for the living, care for the dead. Care for all the dimensions of existence.

So much for the magic? Not quite, for something was still in the air. Both Roy Littlesun (a Hopi chaman, or rather showman, as he likes to mention) and Ammaji knew. Now the circle was opened: Roy led a ritual in a cave; we all took part. “Many souls are trapped in this village. Many of them suffered a violent death, so they are restless. Let’s help them out.” He said. The aftermath of a devastating civil war could still be perceived, and the area needed healing. Precisely on July the 18th, exactly 80 years ago, had the war broken off. That very day, a warm, sunny sunday, the cave was turned sacred in a daylight ritual. Water, stones and chants. The circle went on: Ammaji offered a ritual at dusk. Carrying Ganga’s waters, chanting the Ganga mantra, sacred waters were poured into Molino’s river, to foster purification and reunion. Little fires of lit candles, comforting chanting voices… the magic arose and the energy shifted. 

Grateful, nature spoke: through Roy’s hand, Molino’s river gave a heart-shaped stone to Ammaji: an earthly heart back to India, back to Ganga. The circle closed. And the sun set. 

In Oneness.

your children

Your children 
are not your children.

They are the sons and daughters 

of Life's longing for itself.

They come through you 

but not from you,

And though they are with you 

yet they belong not to you.

You may give them your love 

but not your thoughts, 

For they have their own thoughts.

You may house their bodies 

but not their souls,

For their souls dwell in the house of tomorrow, 

which you cannot visit, 

not even in your dreams.

You may strive to be like them, 

but seek not to make them like you.

For life goes not backward nor tarries with yesterday.

You are the bows from which 

your children

as living arrows 

are sent forth.

The archer sees the mark 

upon the path of the infinite, 

and He bends you with His might 

that His arrows may go swift and far.

Let your bending in the archer's hand 

be for gladness;

For even as He loves the arrow that flies, 

so He loves also the bow that is stable.

Khalil Gibran The Prophet

'heart on earth' savasana time

listening to yoga stories

beautiful session

with the people of tomorrow
honored by their awareness
and full attention
may we learn from them
now and ever

thanks to helen doron's team 
for concocting the magic potion
that made it happen

<3

grateful 

for being at the heart 

of human transformation 

and evolution. 

as martin viniecki puts it:

'evolution does not advance gradually, but in leaps- 

once a pattern of organization is no longer functional, 

living systems undergo a period of turbulence 

until they suddenly leap into a more complex pattern of organization. 

this is the process we are undergoing as a species right now, 

the process we are participating in and co-creating. 

the clearer our vision, 

the more we can help birth the future we want. 

we cannot leave this up to some president, institution or guru; 

nobody else will do it for us. 

now is the moment 

to start building 

a new humane culture 

and it begins by seeing its actual possibility.'

a new humane culture,

not simply human.

let's start now,

let's care for and foster childhood.

for everybody's sake,

because

as saint-éxupery once said:

 'all grown-ups were once children-- although few of them remember it.'