Some Viewing Pleasure

Here are some photos from a little while back .....

Click the link below to begin enjoying!

http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=276610&id=648155994&l=8471c8e458

12 Hours Through The Night

Whatever you decide to do, I will let you in on one thing that you must refrain from doing FOR THIS WHOLE LIFETIME. Ready?

REFRAIN FROM DRIVING FROM RISHIKESH TO DELHI IN THE MIDDLE OF THE NIGHT. I honestly have a difficult time even putting together words to explain this horrific experience that I shared in 2 nights back.

With about 170 Kilos of weight on the bike, we left Rishikesh at around 11pm. Being that the bike had just been repaired and had new parts, we could only max out our speed at 45 KM an hour, about 25 MILES PER HOUR!! And, we had to stop every 40 KM and let the bike cool. WOW! Imagine, every single person in India drives with their HIGH BEAMS on and, there are more bugs and dust in certain areas then a pig farm. So, because of the lights, you have to keep your eyes uncovered because the glare is far too much to handle if you are wearing glasses or a helmet.

Now, much to my surprise, but not really, the roads from Rishikesh to Delhi been destroyed, so, for half of the journey, I was behind the wheels dodging half seen potholes while LORI trucks managed to direct me off the the main road.

After 5 hours of this, I felt we actually were getting somewhere, HALFWAY, of a 225 KM drive in 5 HOURS! That means we were driving, on average, 20 KM an hour or 12 MILES PER HOUR!!!!!!!!!!!!!! INDIA! you gotta love it.

So, on that 5th hour, the bouncing up and down of the numerous potholes had managed to bend and break the rack on the back of the bike. So, We had to pull over, in the most dusty part of the journey, NO LIGHTs, and take all of the baggage off of the bike. Luckily, my partner managed to flag down some passerby's and they, most sweetly, took all of our baggage in their cars and my partner in their car, and left me with the bike and another 6 hour journey, ALONE.

But, I kept on, insisting on arriving to a nice room, with a hot shower to wash off the 4 CM thick dust that had arranged itself all over my body and MORE SO, IN MY EYES!

Also, I went from COLD to HOT, HOT to COLD, and, last thing, let me tell you something about Delhi, when you arrive in DELHI, usually you have about 2 more hours till you reach your destination. I arrived in the Delhi Area at 8:45 AM. I arrived at my hotel at 10:30 AM and I was far from Spiritual. I WAS PISSED OFF!!!

I wonder why I choose to do things when I KNOW the outcome.

I KNOW driving at night is the most dangerous thing to do in India!

I KNOW the road from Rishikesh to Delhi is my LEAST favorite in all of INdia!

I KNOW that the journey will take at least 12 hours due to the bike situation!

But, I still chose to do it. hmmmmmmmmm….I will ponder this a bit more……

4dalove (having a bit of trouble staying there…but….what do do!)

OH, BELOVED RISHIKESH - MOTHER GANGA = INSTANT HEALING

Due to the separation that was created in Israel, there was quite a bit of pent up emotion and energy awaiting my arrival. A lot of questions to be answered, decisions to make and intentions to set...and...I am proud to say that with days and days of rage, resistance and what seems like an exorsism, I now stand solid on the ground standing behind clarity and intention. I must say that the patterns of the Western Mind are presented so clear when you arrive in India. I spent the first days fighting hand and hand for patterns of thought that I had not experienced in years, control, anger, fear, aggression, anxiety, worry, doubt, not being able to make decisions. I bled and bled, sleeping on a floor of water next to palm sized spiders and painfully landing on the receiving end of an influx of constant misquito attacks....yeah, I know, poor me :) Anyways, I traveled through pattern after pattern, breaking through some and hiding behind others until I landed on some gentle loving footing in which I felt solid enough to reach out and host a little community gathering. Running around, spreading light and bringing people together is always a profound way to work through some patterns. So, that is what we did. And, in a days time, 50+ people gathered in the CENTER of LIGHT (A powerful manifestation of a spiritual haven being torn apart by the Indian Government! Please help Shoshana and George if you can!!!) in Rishikesh to Laugh, Sing, Dance and shine their lights on humanity. In a sacred circle we shared our hearts bliss, and spoke from the lightest place in our soul.......GOD I LOVE THIS PLACE!!

Rishikesh is beyond words, really. The moment you land and catch a mere glimpse of the Ganga, her power and strength pulls you into the silence within. To sit and watch her gracefully power through the valleys brings us to the deepest and most profound meditation. during Monsoon it is a real treat, her waters have stretched to almost double the girth that is attained during the season. Once again, I will say it, Monsoon is the best season in India!!! Although, something strange is going on this year, the rainfall is about 50% the norm!! Hmmmm, could it be an internal struggle arising in India. Mother Nature knows how to wake up people the best.....we will see. I am praying for rain everyday!!

We met so many brilliant souls in the short week that we were there, just amazing!! Cannot wait to see them all again all over the world!! We love you all the LIght Warriors, shed your loving soul upon them all!!

What a blessing!!!! Rishikesh, community of ONE......I LOVE YOU!!!

Arriving Back in The Motherland - Mumbai to Rishikesh

A sleepless Plane Ride arriving at 4AM landed me in the sweet and savory scented India with a bit of a tired eye and tinge of intolerance, luckily, I have a year and a half of cell restructuring to help code the re-entry into the land of gentle chaotic presence. The transition was quite gentle and loving, much like my first arrival in India, only this time, I knew where I was going, how to get there and what was the safest and cheapest way to go. As I was getting off the plane though, I could not help but think of the old days in American Airports when you could walk right off the plane and your loved ones would be standing right outside the gate waiting for you....Awe the good old days, when fear was limited...oh, speaking of.....WOW!!! Check this out!!! Swine Flu Craziness Experienced First Hand, I cannot believe that the world is actually subscribing to this nonsense!!

Anyways, after an nice nap I ran around Mumbai and visited some dear friends, "walked on water, cured a disease, why are miracles so hard to believe.." he, actually I observed the resistance to the crowded scene in Mumbai and smiled my way through it. Actually, for the first time, the Dirt and Pollution had a profound effect on my mind and I was practically driven to get back on the plane and go back to the beloved community in Israel, but, something told me to stay through it...so, I did!!!

At 11:30 PM I boarded a 41 hour train to Rishikesh in which I sat in silence practically the whole way. I felt quite a bit of separation from the culture at this time and had rooted down in some old patterns, but, the Great Mother always has a way to shake you up, so, she did!! Blessing me with an hour and a half walk carrying 60 kilos of Luggage uphill to the Guesthouse in which I was pleasantly greeted by The Loving Warmth of Mai, nestled gently into the forest of Rishikesh at the Pyramid Cafe. Get this, Outdoor Pyramid Bungalow to stay in with 24 hour WIFI...THE FUTURE IS HERE!!!!

A Near Death Experience - June 2nd, 2008

Who cares when I woke up this morning? The morning time, whether I get up, meditate, jerk-off or just sit around in bliss, it is my time for transitioning into the day. If the birds wake me up with their singing response and cheerful glee for the sunshine that sustains their life, then that is a complete blessing. Even if the devil mind plays intricate tricks inside my conceptual life leading me to ponder my existence, well that is bliss as well, because it is all a story. What is a story? A story is an impermanent evaluation of the experiental world in which there are contrived conclusion. In actualality, there are no conclusions and no absolutes, so, the mental chatter serves which purpose? NONE!! So, thus in turn, is all bliss and smiles. I scurried upstairs to Jai’s place and was met with an exuberant smile that was power packed with excitement and anticipation. Today, Jai would take me on the longer swim in the ganga. This swim, a more challenging swim that would keep us in the water for about 4 times the length of the other swims, was about an 35 minute hike up the road. On the way we stopped for a juice and then carried on our way. On this particular morning, I felt silence to be a major part of my experience. So, as Jai continued to pry conversation from me with great vigor, my responses went from short sentences to nods as we closed in on our destination.

When we arrived at the river, I quickly noticed that our entry point was at the foot of a rather swift moving rapid. Fearlessly I fixed my gaze on the flowing water analyzing my entry mathematically. After quickly preparing our bodies for the chilling Ganga water, Jai set off on his way. Right before he jumped into the river, he recommended that I come within 5 seconds of his departure. Not having any realization why, I chose to wait around 20 seconds as I mentally prepared for the initial swim out into the center of the rapid. Seeing that my 66 year old friend did this with such grace and ease gave me full confidence, but, nothing could prepare me for what happenened next.

With a strong sense of Gusto, I rapidly pushed out into the murky water, swimming adjacent to the oncoming current. I think it was after the 10th stroke when I realized that this may have been a bad decision on my part. For reasons I will never know, the brisk water somehow took over my senses, causing instant fatigue and sudden panic. My graceful and penetrating strokes were reduced to a poodle paddle and a worried mind. I was dumbfounded but aware that I have been all but excersised over the last few months, so my stamina was at an all time low. In my mind, panic began to consume me at the speed of the flowing water. Like an silent predator the heavy current pushed and pulled at my ankles, dunking me into the bumpy waters. The river was testing me, testing my strength, testing my stability and testing my fear of the inevietable, DEATH. My mind quicklyl resisted all the above and went into a state of relaxed panic where I knew something was completely wrong with the situation, but knew there was no way out. I looked to the river banks actually actualizing the probability of reaching them, even though I was traveling at more then 20KM per hour down river. My limbs lost more and more strength and the river accumulated an degree of heaviness that I can only desribe along the lines of…THE WORLD. Everything from associating myself as a statistic of Rishikesh to the thought of joining my mother in the great holy river and in the afterlife to the realization of the truth of those 4 people that lost their lives weeks ago, crossed my mind. It showed me my absolute truth and I cannot deny it. At this moment, I feared death, I paniced in my fury of raging waters and mentally, I completely lost my composure. But their was something deeper that the mind could not touch. This something deeper was a conditioned stillness and reserve on energy that helped me to maintain the composure not to scream from help and not to physically resist with such adversity that I would completely deplete all of my resources. This is when I realized that the practices have done their work on my system. There was a complete surrendering that happened on this journey, unlike anything I have ever experienced. For a brief second, long enough to give me an extra boost of energy to move me into the calmer waters, I surrendered to the universe, allowing for the greatest good in this situation. All inhabitions were dissolved, all EGO was dissolved, all material possessions and life long goals were dissolved. All that mattered in this moment was the moment. God willing, I will survive, but their was a great possibility that I could not and I was not in a state or posistion to be adverse to either possibly outcome. This happened to directly coinside with the distant screaming of my great friend Jai, insisting on me swimming away from the quickly approaching rocks and rapid. Somehow, in this surrendering, the river naturally carried me away from the danger, into the center and spit me out into the openness of much calmer waters. When Jai got within 15 feet of me I surrendered again into his help, crying for his assistance. He gracefully came toward me and allowed me another short boost of energy in the form of climbing on his shoulder, only for a split second. I would find out later that he was only seconds from grasping me into a rescue hold and carrying me to shore, but his intuition told him to let me work it out. With the grace of GOD, I managed to gain my composure in those non-forgiving waters. Jai quickly taught me a resting pose that would completely liberate me from the situation and as I laid on my back looking up at the sky, feeling the energy cells restore into my body like attaining a power pack in Dune, I chanted the words THANK YOU GOD over and over with complete devotion. I had survived an experience that would bring me closer to GOD then I have ever imagined. Death has a way of bringing us all to LIFE.

In my experience on this planet, there has never been a situation that has brought me more humility. In this moment, I was a slave to the universe, completely impermanent and unimportant to the whole. My life became smaller then it has ever been. My compassion for those unfortunate/fortunate souls that had their lives mysteriously taken by the river grew exponentially. There was no mystery in the power of nature. I have never in my life experienced something so fierce, so penetrating and so unforgiving. When we take it upon ourselves to test the lawas of nature, we must walk respectfully with a sense of ease and surrender. I mentally convinced myself that I would relax and surrender to the flow of the waters if it were to attempt to take me under, but it is only in the face of this situation that we can truthfully come to some sort of cuncllusion or not for that matter. The truth is that I reacted naturally, as any human being would in the face of this great loss of control. There is no right nor wrong in the situation, only the situation.

Envisioning of Rishikesh

About 30 KM before I actually arrived in this golden mecca of spiritual wisdom, I started to think the town was laid out in open space. My vision for the setting of this place went something like this. A huge and powerful gushing river twisting out of large mountains with the Himalayas as a back drop to the whole scenery. For the most part, my vision was right on. My first glimpse of the Ganga (The Holiest River in India) came just before Haridrar. Just the glimpse and feeling of the energetic power drew me in. The river had a different color then any of the rivers that I had seen up to this point. It was a crystal green and was actually flowing with vigor through the valley I was traveling thorugh. The mountains began to form in the backdrop of Haridrar thus preparing my senses for the realization of my vision for my new magical home.