Taking Time Off To Fulfill Our Dreams, our dream sabbatical

Santo Daime, Part 3

2010-07-31T16:26:00.003-04:00

Sorry for not reporting anything on my third vision quest.

I tried many times to sit in front of the computer and share my thoughts with you, but some force prevents me.
It was too sacred and too deep and words won't come together.

I know this much, Sasha got very curious and wants to travel to the birthplace of ayahuasca in Mapia. Deep in the jungles of the Amazon.
If anyone is curious about the first ayahuasca community established, pick up a book written by Alex Polari, Forest of Visions.

This trip will be organized in November or December during high festivity time.
There is a very special medicine woman living in the community, she works with the local plants, apparently she teaches her students to communicate with the spirit of the plants, not just knowing their medicinal properties. I look forward to seeing her.

This is will be a very exciting journey!

Ayahuasca and Santo Daime, Part 2

2010-05-01T14:24:00.006-04:00

With an open heart and gratitude, I look forward to drinking the tea that opens you up to a different reality.
However, little did I plan to witness in that altered reality the truth according to my soul's journey.
The following information only reflects the journey of my soul, you should not assume that this response applies to all.

That being said, on with my journey.

There were many more westerners this time around, the godfather did not have enough chairs for all of us, but we managed. I think he was a little surprised at the outcome.
The people in uniforms created the two inner circles and the guests on the outer.
We are always treated with respect and certainly felt welcomed.

I can feel in my heart that I am conflicted about certain things that the organization represents, reminding myself that duality is normal as long as we are in human form. I manage to set those doubts aside, and engage my adventure with the ayahuasca.

Once I took my first shot, my body handled it much better, I managed not to purge. And the visions appeared. Before I describe the visions, I must express what the body is going through... there is deep contraction at first because of resistance, you can feel every muscle tight, the jaw locks, the insides are churning, there is cold sweat dripping on the back of the neck, then the chills, unexplainable chills, then you are reminded to breath deep and surrender to the experience, not to fight it.

You see, the contraction is our fear to loose control, I watched many in the room struggle with this, they try to control what the body and consciousness is feeling, organically afraid to feel it's implications because it is unknown and whatever is unknown by extension is feared.

In the relaxed state, the journey is revealed.
I am traveling back to history, back to when there was only one faith, one god, no organized religions, no icons to worship, no temples representing the house of god. Just one people, one faith, one path to evolution...LOVE. No division, no separation.
I feel the presence of something very strong, the voice of the universe, it penetrated every cell in my body. I will refer to this energy as god, to simplify my expression.
God is witnessing us in this gathering and he is very upset, because man continues to seek god through worshiping something, in this case the ayahuasca.
He is laughing, saying when will you understand that this isn't inviting me to dwell in your heart. This is another organized religion, with strict rules, created by man, controlling your relationship with the divine.
Drop these rules and be as you are. Be present for life, be open to life, engage in life, see the magic in your daily existence, fall in love with creation.
At this point, I am attacked by laughter, I laugh uncontrollably, I laugh so hard, I can barely contain myself, I laugh to tears. Until a uniformed lady taps me on the shoulder asking me if I was OK. I said yes, I felt like she was going to draw a ruler from her pocket, the members don't encourage expression. There is a strict discipline to be followed. I am not too clear about the strictness, but I may not understand the importance of all the rules yet.
Once the session was complete, I asked my landlady, why did the woman tap me on the shoulder with great disappointment, I was told that they are trying to prevent bad entities from entering our circles.

Immediately I pulled into the present reality, controlled and abiding, not allowing myself to enter that state again because it scared the congregation.
I wanted with all my heart to continue the journey, but felt afraid that my reaction would not be in accordance with the rules of the Daime Church.
I took another shot, and this one was purely psychedelic, trippy and too many hallucinations for my body to process. This part was highly unpleasant.

As far as the revelation, well, it was supreme. My understanding of the journey has been simplified, and I thank the Santo Daime Chuch for blessing me with this vision.

There will be one more ceremony to attend before I travel home, I will report my discovery on the 16th.

Discovering a new religion in Brasil... AYAHUASCERA

2010-04-22T17:51:00.010-04:00

I am at the Casa De Dom Inacio in Brasil, staying in a small private compound open and ready to start my spiritual work. My relationship with the the medium and the casa has changed, I am witnessing too many things I am unable to reconcile.
God works in mysterious ways, as one door closes another opens.

I have tea with my landlady, Gizella one starry evening, and we spend the entire night talking about her faith and spiritual practices,
"I am an ayahuasquero" she says, "I belong to the Santo Daime Church", I am curious and so I naturally inquire. This is a religion I ask? "Yes, It has helped expand my consciousness and helps me see the world through different eyes" she explains.

I have a terrible flashback of Ecuador and the terrible ayahuasca experience in a spa like setting (most of you have read that blog entry). I don't feel I want to engage this conversation any longer, I have crossed out the possibility of this "sacred visionary medicine" being my path to evolution. Despite my hesitation, she continues to describe the transformation she experiences as a soul.
She talked about feeling more love, more compassion toward humanity and the resolution of the fear of death. She also thoroughly discussed one common practice in Brasil, a vaccine, frog poison injected into your arm and for the next 15 minutes you will experience the death of the body. "You will panic a great deal if you don't surrender to the experience," she says, "you must surrender to feeling death,it is so liberating." She continues to describe the details of feeling the body disintegrate. And the purpose to this practice is to resolve the fear of death, because ultimately at the core of all worldly fears is the fear of death, I get this clearly, frog poison- this will take time to digest.
Frog business aside, she invites me to a ceremony at the Santo Daime Church, "It's a special ceremony, 6 hours long and we are celebrating our freedom, the day we were liberated from Portugal."
Six hours of ayahuasca, I just sat 7 hours in meditation at the casa, am I crazy? Guess what? Apparently I am.
I tell her I will sleep on it, I feel conflicted, maybe I will receive an answer in my dream, I ask for direction but none comes until the day of the ceremony, I feel the green light.

'Ayahuasca' itself is the name of a jungle vine. The vine is considered to be the "spirit" of ayahuasca, the gatekeeper and guide to the otherworldly realms.
It is any of various psychoactive infusions or decoctions prepared from the Banisteriopsis spp. vine, usually mixed with the leaves of dimethyltryptamine-containing species of shrubs from the Psychotria genus.
For the chemists:
The three most studied compounds found in the vine are harmine, harmaline and tetrahydroharmine. Harmine and harmaline are selective and reversible inhibitors of MAO-A, while tetrahydroharmine is a serotonin uptake inhibitor.
Its purgative properties are highly important.
Shamans believe that the inevitable vomiting "purging" caused by the ayahuasca mixture is a physical manifestation of negative energy being dispelled from the body.

Gizella tells me a little bit about the godfather (the leader of this Daime church), he was ill and came to Abadiania to see Joao and the Entities for healing. The medium channeled King Solomon the day of his healing, and gave him clear instruction where to built this church and all the specifics regarding the spiritual practice.

To all my Jewish friends, pay attention to the correlation of the rules of this church to a typical synagogue.

We arrive at the site, it's about 3 miles from the Casa, a woman greets us, takes us to an office where we need to sign a waiver and make our donation. I quickly glance at the waiver, a very short one, I had to laugh because it was so simple and clear. "You are taking a plant that my induce hallucinations and we are not responsible if a black puma swallows you." Not exactly like that but you get the drift.

At the entrance to the temple stands a huge sculpture of the
Star of David, there are no walls, the entire hall is round shaped. There is a wooden table in the center of the hall and yes it is a Star of David, with three women and three men sitting around the table. Like in a Dan Brown chapter, all of the details seemed like a meeting of a secret society.
I notice a large, beautiful glass bottle in the middle of the table filled with what I assume to be the ayahuasca. Outside this table are three circles of chairs, inner, middle and outer circle. The spaces between each circle and each chair is carefully measured to fulfill the sacred structure. All across the entire ceiling with lighting running through is a huge Star of David , same for the floor.
Women and men sit separately, the women must ware skirts and have their shoulders covered. There are members of the society and visitors.
Members must ware uniforms, the colors are blue and white.
The men in blue trousers, white shirts and ties. The women in blue skirts, white shirts and bow ties. All the members wear a large gold Star of David pin.
Two men from Poland, an Australian and myself were the only foreigners amongst the congregation of 50. They welcome us, we are not briefed at all, Michael, the Australian is a bit cerebral and wants to know what to expect, will there be orientation and can someone please translate? Marian, Claudio and myself are less interested in the explanation we just want to start journeying.
The thought of sitting through this for 6 hours is overwhelming. I get a bit antsy. "surrender" just "surrender" is the voice I keep hearing.
The entire night is dedicated to chanting and singing to King Solomon and King David, to the ayahuasca, Mother Mary and Jesus. Beautiful music, with plenty instruments participating, the society members were so passionate in their singing, and in between the chanting and praying we would be instructed every hour to go to the coolers and help ourselves to the ayahuasca, you must drink it in one shot, no sipping. It doesn't taste so great, tastes like kvas minus the sugar (the Russians would know). There were four trips made to the coolers, people of all ages were drinking including several girls who were about 10 years old.
I made it to only two trips, and I vomited the first shot.
After my first trip, I couldn't contain the nausea, I was the first to take a visit to the bathroom and vomited the entire first shot. It took 30 minutes to clear it all out, I felt like I was vomiting from the depth of my gut.
A note on ayahuasca vomit, it's not just undigested food coming forth, it's extremely painful, there is an energetic element to the purification, you feel like you are moving some dark black stuff out, there is a need to shout and yell in the process. The bathroom is situated close to the gathering hall, every one hears what goes on in the bathroom, how embarrassing.
Throwing up was a big relief. I come out feeling frustrated that I won't experience the ayahuasca or the altered state.
I go for a walk, immediately to find out that I am only protected if I stay next to my chair, I cannot wander outside the protected circle because my aura is vulnerable and I can easily be a candidate for a psychic attack. We definitely don't want that.

Time for my second shot, I glance over to my friends across the room, Marian looks pale as a ghost, he is leaning against the wall and bobbing his head all over the place with a huge grin on his face, occasionally opening his mouth wide, his eyes are rolling side to side, I wonder if he is having a good experience, he looks strange but I know he is seeing stuff. Michael, my Aussy friend looked perplexed, he isn't feeling much. And Claudio is a strong man, not really surrendering yet. The little girl I mentioned earlier, an hour into the ceremony collapsed on the floor, her mother did not seemed worried at all, she covered her with a blanket and went on her way to consume another shot. The little girl wrapped herself entirely in the blanket and begins to have a horrifying experience,at least according to me. Maybe to her it's a liberating one.
Her body is rolling all over the floor, she is banging her head and feet against the floor, whispering to herself in a very devilish voice, she is crying and at times fighting with someone. No one is paying attention, this is totally normal, the godfather occasionally glances over at her and then to me making sure I don't get freaked out. The little girl plants herself behind my chair, for hours she is struggling with some obsessor and no one is assisting. Of course, my heart breaks and I start to pray for her, when Gizella notices what I am doing, she is a seer, she instructs me to not interfere, this is not my business, I need to let her experience the healing.
The second shot settles in me, I manage not to throw this one up. I look across the room, there are several women having intense chills, body shakes, they sweat, they cry and they are freezing. I pray to the ayahuasca, "please show me my illusions, my conditioned personalities, my fears, so I may be free from it."
Then I get the chills, wow! Talk about freezing, I did not feel this cold next to Mt. Everest.
Gizella wrapped me up in blankets, told me it was ok to lay down on the floor. I am afraid to lie down, well no one else is on the floor except for the convulsing girl, I am not joining in.
I manage to sit still and have my experience, I begin to hear a voice speaking to me, It is very loud, it's bouncing all over the place, having an opinion about everything and super loud. I feel like a monkey jumping all over the place. This continues for a while, it feels exhausting, I get my lesson.
Then another voice enters, now I am not sure is it higher consciousness or my monkey brain?
The voice says I allow you six questions, ask and I will answer.
I find myself not being able to focus on the questions too much, because there isn't a full surrender. I am still observing the crowd, being fascinated by their gestures.
I look over and Michael is being escorted out, he has assistance, he isn't walking too well- I guess he had too much.
Then the voice shouts, ask your questions, why are you naughty?
So I ask the first, why do people have difficulties in relationships and love? of course I instruct the voice, don't tell me karma!, please don't tell me karma.
The answer: for your learning, for growth!
My second Q: Why do we have natural disasters? Again I tell it please not karma.
Answer: The law of Cause and Effect.
The third Q: Why do we suffer with illness? Please not karma.
Answer: The law of Cause and Effect.
I kept wandering away, fascinated with the physical sensations and vibrations running throughout my body, and ignoring the voice that kept yelling out you have three more questions.
It's 2am and I feel wide awake, frightful emotions coexisting with blissful and happy ones, not concerned with any worldly things, my body feels etheric, and I continue to feel like this the entire day after, expanded consciousness, alert and clear and at the same time free and liberated from all attachments, what a wonderful feeling indeed, if it can only last.

We will travel again on the 30th. of this month to the Daime chruch, stay tuned.

LOW-COST COMMUNITY ACUPUNCTURE CLINIC IN MAKAWAO. A short article on acupuncture and herbs

2010-02-28T00:37:00.004-05:00

Community Acupuncture Clinic in Makawao was set up with the goal of providing quality Traditional Medicine to the people of Maui. Many modern illnesses can be effectively addressed through lifestyle changes and exercise, Western and Chinese herbs, and traditional therapies like acupuncture, massage, cupping, and others. Until community acupuncture movement began taking off in the United States, some of these therapies were unaffordable to the general population, and that is despite the fact that Traditional Medicine often requires extensive commitment from both the doctor and the patient.

If we attempt to treat long-standing asthma, osteoporosis, cancer, diabetes, thyroid dysfunction and other serious illnesses with acupuncture and herbs we have to make the time, and have the financial resources available, to see an acupuncturist often enough - sometimes daily, sometimes every other day. That is how acupuncture is still practiced in China which has socialized medicine. The difference between them and us is that we do not have social medicine and who can afford 10 daily treatments at $75 each? Practitioners involved in the community acupuncture and herbal movement set out to correct the imbalance by establishing high-volume, low-cost clinics that can treat people at an affordable price.

Our clinic in Makawao is a multi-bed clinic and as such it differs from some other community clinics. Many of them offer acupuncture treatments on reclining chairs; people do not disrobe and are treated in the points located below elbows and knees. We felt that it was necessary to set up a multi-bed clinic where people can get full-on acupuncture treatments with moxibustion and electrical acupuncture, when necessary. Most of our patients will also see an herbalist who prescribes a regimen of Western herbs taken concurrently with the acupuncture treatments. Sometimes an acupuncturist will prescribe a Chinese herbal protocol. We opened the clinic because we wanted to bring all these wonderful treatments to the public at a price that is affordable. We hope to see you here!

2009-01-11T00:51:00.021-05:00

ANNOUNCING THE OPENING OF A LOW-COST COMMUNITY ACUPUNCTURE CLINIC IN MAKAWO

1170 Makawao Avenue( near Casanova restaurant)

Sliding Scale Acupuncture: $20-30

Clinic Hours: Monday through Thursday 8am to 1pm and 4pm to 7pm

No appointment necessary

808-276-6037

anjelikakremer@yahoo.com

"Sasha is an outstanding servant to humanity, his willingness to serve others is inspirational, I thank him for transforming the lives of many.
His efforts are kind, generous, and pure with only one objective -to help the sick and those in need."
It is a great honor to serve with Sasha, my friend and husband.

Why Low Cost? Historically acupuncture was always a low-cost therapy. For centuries, together with herbal medicine, it has been used to maintain and improve the health of millions.

The inspiration for this clinic came to us after a few years of running a regular acupuncture practice in New York City. We were frustrated with the disconnect between what we knew acupuncture could achieve and what people could afford. Because we studied with classically trained Chinese, we saw that we weren’t reaching acupuncture’s full potential. We then went and volunteered in rural West Bengal, one of the poorest places in the world. We worked in a free clinic run by monks and saw, once again, the benefits of consistent, frequent acupuncture treatments. That experience solidified our commitment to a low-cost clinic that can be affordable to all. We eliminate the consideration of high cost. It is now up to you to make the time and effort to receive the help you need. Thus, we give the art of acupuncture its due respect and contribute to a community in which we live.

Will I Get the Same Type of Care in a Low-Cost Clinic? Energetically, you will get the same thing, maybe even more, since we excel in a high-volume, high-paced environment. No matter how busy it gets, we won’t skip on diagnosis and treatment. What you will not get is the individual attention that comes with a private session.

Cost & How To Make an Appointment. Our treatments are sliding scale of $20-30 per treatment. You decide what you can afford. The cost of herbs, should you decide to take them, is extra but we will do our best to make them as affordable as possible. No appointments are necessary, just come to the clinic during the opening hours.

About the Practitioners: Sasha Kremer began studying Chinese Medicine in 1997. Early in his studies he was fortunate to have spent a few years with Dr. Zhi Sheng Ling, a master acupuncturist from an old acupuncture family. From 2001 to 2006 Sasha was in a successful private practice in New York City. From 2006 to 2008, together with Anjelika, he traveled in Asia and South America, studying the various healing systems of those countries. In 2007 Sasha spent 6 months in West Bengal helping Ananda Marga monks run a free Acupuncture Clinic of Ananda Nagar.

Anjelika Kremer began her studies of spirituality and psychology in 2000. She ran a healing center in New York City for 5 years. She recently spent a year in Brazil, volunteering in the spiritual hospital of Joao de Deus. In 2009 Anjelika began her study of Western herbology with the Southwest School of Botanical Medicine. Since that time Western herbs and their medicinal applications has been the main focus of her work.

List of our services:

Acupuncture treatments, pulse & tongue diagnosis: sliding scale $20-30.

Cupping Therapy: $15.

Gua Sha: $10.

Chinese and Western Herbal Prescriptions.

The Rollercoaster experience in Abadiania

2008-12-07T00:11:00.006-05:00

Dear friends,

I returned to New York leaving Abadiania in April, Sasha joined me in May. Our intentions were to work, attend my brother's wedding and start planning our next phase.
I knew I wasn't quite prepared to close the chapter on Abadiania so the decision was not hard to make. Particularly when the the intense energy of New York City encompasses you entirely. After two months of managing our practices in New York, we found ourselves exhausted and naturally pushed into the next phase.
Relocating to Brasil.

That is all I can think of, daily I feel emotionally and energetically drawn there. I have visions at night where Medium Joao reveals new direction, guiding me to clearly understand that my work in Abadiania is not complete. These visions are appearing often, I conclude that my lessons are continuing even at such a great distance.
Sasha agrees to give Brasil a chance, we pack three oversize suitcases with all the essentials and take our chances.
During the first month in Brasil, we allocate a lot of time investigating permanent visa requirements, speaking to lawyers, agents, and people who have emigrated to Abadiania. We find out that if a family gives birth to a child in Brasil, they automatically receive citizenship. That was an option we were considering, or at least I was considering.

My work with the Medium and the Entities did not resume until all the stagnation around me was resolved. There were some battles with the westerners- and this story is too ugly to tell.
It is so unfortunate that such a pure mission can attract people with no intention to serve others.
Medium Joao is a saint for witnessing all the distrust, the jealousy, the ambitions, the competition and deciding to pardon and be merciful so he may continue to serve others. I pray to embody that mercifulness.

I suppose this element is to be expected in any spiritual community. This is my second experience working and living in a spiritual community and the variables are very similar.
Abadiana becomes too small for Sasha, he can't develop his practice here, he doesn't respond to the Casa or the work of Medium Joao and we feel challenged.

With a lot of love and guidance from Medium Joao and the Entities we decide it is best for me to leave for the States and spread the message there.
The Entity warned me that the United States will be exposed to a huge spiritual crisis in the next 6-7 years and I will need to serve, he gave me instructions and his blessing.

With certainty and readiness we leave Brasil on November the 10th. to explore Hawaii. It feels like it is time to make a home and set some roots.

Maybe our wandering days are over.
Hawaii is so special, a very pure and vibrant energy.

Thank you for your donations

2008-12-07T00:03:00.002-05:00

First, sorry for not writing sooner.

I would like to thank the many kind and generous souls who made donations towards my Abadiania project.

There are four very fortunate families who received your laptops and there is no kinder or sweeter present than to witness a child, a mother receive a gift that would never of been possible.
I want to share their joy with you, know that you have touched many families, and each time they use their gift they are sending you blessings.
And gratitude is a powerful healer.

Thank you Abadiania for expanding my heart further so I can continue to experience the joy of charity.

On Praying

2008-12-06T03:25:00.005-05:00

I don't really pray that much.

You'd think I would, given how involved Anjelika is with all things spiritual. But I really don't. My ego gets in the way of appealing to something bigger than myself.

But today was a day that was special and I couldn't resist writing about it. The dadas in India wouldn't be happy as they always told me not to share my mystical experiences. But today I can't resist.

We've been in Hawaii for the past 3 weeks and things just haven't been going smoothly.
The Big Island was beautiful but the VOG (the gas from volcanic eruptions) is getting bad and we felt we couldn't stay.
The last week on Maui has also been difficult. I got sick with a mysterious illness of running a fever and sore throat at night ONLY. I wake up every morning and feel like I drank a bottle of something very strong the night before. I spit out yellow gook and try to clear my nose that's closed from eating bread to which my body has developed an allergic dislike.
The realtors don't call us back and those that do, quote prices that would make a New York agent blush with shame.
Anjelika feels "flat" on some days and ecstatic on others. Sometimes she feels both things on the same day.
A gallon of milk costs $5 and a gallon of gasoline is not far behind. Fish, a staple of island diet, is approaching Whole Foods prices. A few days ago we scored a piece of salmon in Costco that was cheap. We ate it today and now I feel like I just drank from a pipe that leads to a nuclear waste dump.

Our new friend Reggie took us shopping to Costco. Reggie really likes Costco because Reggie is unemployed and sleeps in his van. He also likes it because you can get really good deals on electronics and Reggie is a photographer. He used to be an electrician but now feels that he'd rather "take pictures". He says: "If I could get this zipline job, then I would just take pictures". He calculated how much he can make and there's a nice ranch with horses for him somewhere in that calculation. Reggie is a cowboy despite being a black man from San Francisco. To me he looks like Winnie the Pooh. Always happy, easy to make friends and ready to help people out just because it feels good.

His zipline job is owned by the Baldwin family who came to Hawaii in the mid 1800's as missionaries. Somewhere in between they bought up lots of land in Hawaii and now every major town has Baldwin avenue. Baldwin the patriarch has recently bought zipline business for his sons who now put people on it and Reggie wants to make a living taking pictures of tourists strung up high above the Hawaiian forests.

But I digress. NO ONE CALLS US BACK WITH GOOD DEALS. I think it is much easier for people to accept that their house is worth more than when their house is worth less. They'd rather have them sitting empty for 2-3 months than accept a smaller rent.

So, yesterday I had a crisis. I cried a little (it was for a good thing) and today I prayed. I prayed to Baba and the Brazilian entities as we were driving to yet another town that looked unfamiliar. I said that the vision I have for Maui is very good and I believe I can help people and if Baba and the entities are watching me, now would be a good time to talk.

About fifteen minutes later we come across a Waldorf School. I've never seen one before but I've heard from Anjelika that it costs about 20 grand a year to send a child to one of these in New York. In Abadiania I also met June who ran a biodynamic farm that supplied Waldorf schools with veggies. Both biodynamics and Waldorf schools are based on the the work of Rudolph Steiner and Waldorf schools prefer biodynamic foods because, according to June, biodynamic vegetables are much, much better than organics. And June should know because June played classical music to her chickens.

So, as we're passing the school, I decide to stop by. Why, asks Anjelka, we don't have children yet. But I stop by anyway and that is where we meet Rich...

It started off innocently enough. We asked Rich where a farmers' market is. We just can't seem to find one. People always point us in one direction or another but we are not finding it. I don't know why, things are growing very well here and I expected a farmers' market on every corner before I came here but we aren't finding it.

So anyway, Rich was giving us directions and then we started talking and before long we were invited to lunch with three of his kids who were just finishing school.

Rich came to the island ten years ago on "a wing and a prayer" as he put it, with his wife and three small children because he felt like he needs to be here. His wife gave him a year to make it work before she would pack up and go back to Japan where she is from and where Rich had spent the last 12 years of his life. A year went by and they were still barely scraping by. Things were getting tight for Rich and it was then that he met a woman who was selling her business of swimming with the dolphins. The idea was good but Rich couldn't afford it. They were having a conversation at a diner and a man overheard them. He said that he could help Rich by going in as a silent partner and having Rich run the business. It was a lucky break and Rich took it. Three months later the man called Rich and said "I've made so much money this year, how about I just gift this to you". And just like that, Rich became an owner of a dolphin-swimming business that last year grossed 2 million dollars.

Rich feels that people who come to live in Hawaii get tested for a while before they either make it or leave to go back home or elsewhere.

After lunch Rich took us to his home because he wanted to show us a DVD of what happened to him.

About 13 years ago while Rich was still in Japan he had an accident that damaged his neck. He tried everything to fix it but the problem was getting worse. First the right side of his body became numb and painful, then the left. Chiropractic, massage, painkillers, past-life regression (he thought that maybe he's done something wrong in his past lives) - nothing was working. He couldn't play with his kids and dreaded going to sleep because that's when discomfort would become most intense. A few months later he was in so much pain that he seriously thought of killing himself. He had to go to a hospital again and again and on one of those visits the doctors told him that they have to operate. First, they'd put him on a traction for three weeks with an IV and then cut his neck open. The operation had a 50 percent chance of success and if it was unsuccessful he'd become paralyzed. And that's when Rich decided to go to Brazil.

We have to go back in time here. A few days before Rich hurt his neck he woke up in the middle of the night. He said it felt like someone pulled him by his big toes. It was exactly 12 o'clock. He couldn't fall back asleep so he went to watch a video that a friend gave him. The video was about a medium in Brazil who channels doctor Fritz.

Those of you who read Anjelka's posts know about the tradition of mediumship and spiritism in Brazil from her writings about John of God. There are a lot of mediums and spiritist centers in Brazil. People from all walks of life go to the centers to get healed or learn how to channel spirits, heal with hands or do automatic writing.

Rich watched the DVD and forgot about it. Later his problem started, he had another sign when he met a woman reading the book about the medium chanelling Dr. Fritz and when the doctors gave him a 50 percent chance of making it he knew he had to go.

He bought a ticket and on the day he was going to the airport a friend told him about a little technicality called "visa". Rich did not have it. How he made it all the way to Japan without learning about visas is beyond me. In any event, Rich's plane is leaving in a few hours and he has no Brazilian visa. He takes a taxi to the Brazilian consulate and a woman tells him that the consulate would be happy to issue him a visa in two weeks time. Rich tells her that he doesn't have two weeks as his plane is leaving today and he is in so much pain that in two weeks he may kill himself. He needs a visa now. The woman tells him that even if the prime minister of Japan walked into this office, he wouldn't get a visa NOW. Rich tells her that he needs to go to Brazil to see doctor Fritz. As he is telling her this, the consul general walks past to get a cup of coffee. He hears the conversation, pulls the woman aside and a few minutes later Rich has a stamp in his passport instantly becoming a hero for the consular staff who've never seen this happen. Rich tells us later that he thought that the consul was either healed himself or had a family member healed by the medium channeling Dr. Fritz whose name is Rubens.

As he is about to board the plane Rich throws away his painkillers believing that this is now in the hands of God and Rubens will heal him. That wasn't a very good idea. It's 12 hours from Tokyo to New York and another 12 hours from New York to Rio with a 6 hour layover. Rich told us that by the time he was on a plane to Rio he was in so much pain he couldn't sit and couldn't be quiet. He had to scream from the pain and shuffle his feet non-stop. The stewardesses layed him down in the aisle at the tail of the plane and prayed over him because they saw how much pain he was in.

The plane lands in Rio at three o'clock in the morning. Rich walks out on the street. He said: "You have to understand, by that time I am completely delusional. I see just one taxi parked in front and a guy is standing in front of it and he's dressed in white. He looked like an angel to me and he looked like he was waiting just for me".

Rich says to him "Dr. Fritz!" The guy puts him in a taxi and they drive for a while until they get to a favela. A word about favelas here. Brazil has some of the worst poverty rates in the world. Many of the poor live in the favelas, cardboard shantytowns that ring all of Brazil's major cities. These places are not for the faint of heart, most of the guidebooks to Brazil carry an explicit warnings: never, under any circumstances go into the favelas, you will be robbed. Most Brazilians will tell you the same thing. I once knew a guy who speaks fluent Spanish, was born in South America and looks like a local. He took a city bus in Rio that goes through a favela and he wanted to get off there and wander around for a while. The bus driver was so concerned about him that he offered to stop a city bus (!) and wait for him for 5-10 minutes. Interestingly enough, nothing happened to my friend.

So, as Rich is being driven into the worst ghetto he has ever seen, yelling from pain on every bump they hit, he starts thinking that maybe coming here wasn't such a good idea. They get to a place that looks like an abandoned warehouse. There are close to a thousand people waiting there already. Rich said that the smell of death was palpable in that giant hall. Before they got there he was sure that he was going to be seen first because he had such a big problem. But, as the assistants help the people around him, he realizes that maybe he won't be the first after all. There are people with IV's, coming directly from the hospitals, people with cancers, paralyzed, maimed in accidents. There was even a guy who just got shot and was brought in to remove a bullet that lodged in his head.

No one speaks English but Rich manages to explain the problem and he's ushered into a smaller room where they sit him at the front row. There was just one seat open there even though there are hundreds of people waiting behind. He hears others complain about the preferential treatment he gets. There is a woman passing around selling batches of incense. No one is buying from her except Rich who makes a promise to himself that he will lite one incense every day after he's healed. When he buys the incense from a woman, she's delighted, she made her 50 cents for that day. That simple act of kindness opens another door, the woman talks to one of the assistants who knows her and Rich is taken to even a smaller room. A few minutes later Rubens comes in. He's incorporated and Rubens is no longer there. It's doctor Fritz now.

At that point Rich stopped telling his story and popped the DVD in for us to watch. I was about to see one of the craziest footages I've seen in my life.

The reason Rich had this DVD is that on the day he went to see the medium, Brazilian television was there filming a documentary. Because of that the mayor of Rio showed up to get on TV and present Rubens with an honorary bone cutting tool.

The medium talks to Rich for a few moments, surprisingly he speaks pretty good English. He lays Rich face down on a simple bed. There is no anesthesia, mediums in Brazil never use it. He picks up a scalpel and just starts cutting into his spine. There is blood but not a lot as the medium cuts deeper and deeper into it. He then picks up a pair of forceps and starts banging it into Rich's spine with a small hammer. And then, and this is something I will never forget, the mayor who's next to the medium, happy to be on camera, hands him this bone-cutting tool. It had a large handle with an electronic motor and a circular blade at the end. I've seen people who ice-fish use something similar to cut holes into a thick ice. Rubens picks it up, it's clearly the first time he's using the tool as he needs people to show him how to turn it on, and then he puts the tool to Rich's spine moving it up and down.

Rich is not anesthesized so he remembers everything. He said he felt the pressure and heat and smelled the bone that was being cut but he felt no pain at all.

A few minutes later Rubens stops and puts a few stitches in. He sits Rich up, pats him on a shoulder, says "no more pain", and walks away. Rich sits there with a big smile, he moves his head around, tells everyone there's no pain now, and then bows, saying he was healed by God today.

It is now 13 years later. Rich is completely healed and thanks God everyday for bringing him to Rubens. For a few years after his healing he would bring people to Brazil as their guide to see the medium. On one of such trips he met the woman who sold him the dolphin business .

As we are leaving Rich and his wonderful kids, two large pitbulls wander into his front yard. They are very friendly and I pet them. They have huge heads that feel very powerful.

On our drive to Makawao, a town nearby that turns out to be a gem, I thank Baba and the entities for answering my prayers.

An Apology

2008-12-06T03:22:00.004-05:00

To those who've been checking recently to see if we have new posts, we are sorry for not writing. The past seven months or so we were in a whirlwind and I, for myself, can say that I just couldn't write. There are things to say, I barely wrote about India and it's been almost nine months since I left.

But today something has opened and maybe it won't close for a while. I hope you enjoy my next post even though it's about today and out of sequence. I promise to write more about India and places that came before today if the inspiration stays with me.

Sasha

Donate your used LAPTOPS to the Children of Abadiania

2008-09-16T11:50:00.005-04:00

Dear Friends,

As many of you know, we are living in a rural part of Brazil.

We are staying in a small pousada, a local bed and breakfast, which has a staff of about 14 people. One of the people working here is a young man, Junior, a wonderful 19 year-old guy who goes to a local school. Junior needs a laptop computer for his studies but can not afford one as the salaries here are very low.

I am writing this email to ask you if we can find a way to get a laptop for Junior. It should be an IBM computer as most people outside the United States do not use Macintosh. Some of you work in offices that regularly replace their laptop parks and some of you are thinking of replacing your older models with something newer. We are so blessed in the United States with an abundance of technology that we often do not realize how our older computers can benefit people living in the Third World countries, like Brazil.

By the way, Junior, has no idea I am writing this, I saw that he needs a computer and decided to send an email.

If you think you can find a way to get a used laptop for Junior, you’ll make a great contribution to his studies. Please let me know if you can, and I will find a way to get it here to Abadiania.

If we are fortunate enough to collect more than one laptop, they will be distributed to other kids in Abadiania.

I would also like to say that in the past two and a half years of travel I often appealed to people to support various causes and many of you have opened up your hearts to help. I’d like to thank you for your generosity and say that I am deeply grateful.

Thank you once again for reading this message and I hope we’ll be able to surprise Junior very soon with a wonderful gift.

anjelika.

When you leave comments for us

2008-07-12T16:43:00.003-04:00

Dear Friends,

When you leave comments for us here and want us to get back to you, please leave your email address, unless you're absolutely sure we have it. Otherwise, there's no way for us to write back since the blog blocks your address.

Thank you!

Help fulfill other people's DREAMS!

2008-04-02T21:19:00.006-04:00

An announcement from Anjelika Kremer, Daughter of the CASA.

… A vision that may manifest very soon.

With your participation and contribution to this unified vision, we can help transform humanity.

I am a changed person, a more conscious person.
I desire to bring this Divine Healing Intelligence that Medium John of God channels to people who are in need of healing but are financially limited.

Please join me in this venture, help me spread the work of the Earth Angels, let us share our abundance with those in need.

My vision... a unified vision
To create a non profit foundation with the purpose of connecting sponsors with countless people who are in financial need.

I have resided in a healing center in rural Brasil for the past 6 months. I meet many people in search for physical, emotional, and spiritual healing.
What genuinely breaks my heart is meeting many families who are desperate for a healing but are unable to finance their stay or cover other costs associated with the treatments at the Casa (John of God's healing Center).

Two families have already benefited from this initiative, at this moment the funding is raised through private donors/sponsors.

I thank my generous friends in Greece who have made healing possible for a Serbian Boy and my friends in California who helped buy Casa healing crystals for a family from Latvia.

In Search for Sponsors for Nick Ivanov

I met Nick in Abadiania, a spiritual healing center in Brasil which produces profound healing experiences for people across the globe.

Nick has muscular dystrophy.

Nick is unable to finance the cost of the required treatments, this beautiful man may have to resort to a life existence through the eyes of a handicapped man.

Perhaps, we, the more fortunate ones can prevent this from happening.

Most of us have been exposed to situations where we felt hopeless and desperate, where the sense of giving up felt so attractive. Meeting Nick and feeling his enthusiasm to live and live fully inspired me to great heights. He is very limited as far as having full use of his body, but the enthusiasm he exudes is breathtaking.

I plead with your hearts to consider sponsoring the treatments that Nick requires in order to survive. He is facing the possibility of becoming an invalid. Unless he receives the proper medical attention Nick can be permanently dependent on a wheelchair and the consequences are severe. Not to mention the deterioration of his body will completely traumatize his spirit.

Nick is a wonderful soul, and he has the capacity to nurture and inspire many wounded souls.

At the present time Nick’s medical expenditures are calculated at $1000 USD per month. He is delaying his treatments until the resources arrive.

My intention is to connect Nick with either one or several people who are willing to sponsor his treatments at $1000 per month for a time frame that is to be determined.

Our generosity is what creates the space for our spirits to be nourished, it is food for the soul. First and foremost we are doing this for ourselves.

Giving is healing.

I encourage you to contact Nick and discover for yourself the kind of light and kindness he generates.

Your help, your support and consideration is very much appreciated.

I thank you in advance for your generous efforts.

-anjelika kremer

depositing funds for nick:
please go to paypal
www.paypal.com
and select send money to:
abadianiaearthangels@yahoo.com

Nick’s e:mail address:

nckivanov@yahoo.com

Abadiania through my eyes

2008-03-24T08:27:00.015-04:00

In the above photo, you are seeing King Solomon, one of the entities that incorporates Medium Joao. When King Solomon incorporates, most of the volunteers witness the Medium's body expand to hold the King's energy. The color of his eyes change and the size of his body changes.

Well my dear friends, my six month journey expires in one week and I prepare myself once again to part with what appears to be a small piece of heaven on earth.

The Abadiania experience will be cherished in my heart, I can already feel the longing to return and I haven’t left yet.

My relationship with the entities and Medium Joao has fulfilled every possible desire to know more about energy medicine and its applications. This is a lifelong commitment to an apprenticeship that will continue to develop.

My family and friends are very curious about what I have learned and if I can begin to apply my teachings in New York. In the practice of Spiritism, developing mediumship abilities requires a great deal of training. Cultivating an art as sophisticated as energy medicine is a very subtle, gentle, and lengthy process.

One very noticeable shift in my consciousness is
my energetic magnetism has expanded and enhanced. This magnetism is usually transferred through the hands and body. There is a vibration emanating from the vital channels in the body that is always activated. People tend to be drawn to this frequency –mainly expressing that in this presence they feel a warm sensation throughout their body, they feel a deep love.

In the above photo you are seeing the cleansing current, everyone passes through this room before seeing the Medium.

My intuition has magnified, the cultivation of a healing energy defined as LOVE in Abadiania begins an unfolding process that enables me to tap into a divine intelligence. Accessing this database of wisdom allows me to structure a more effective healing program in my psycho-spiritual healing work.

I have been given great pearls of wisdom but they are marinating and waiting to be harnessed further.

So what is the function of a medium at the Casa?

Most of the mediums are utilized by advanced, intelligent beings to hold the space. To raise the vibrations so that the healer can be more effective in treating people.

There are cleansing mediums, they utilize specific techniques to help cleanse people of lower vibrations, of disease or any other harmful energy.

There are mediums who incorporate spirit, they surrender their consciousness so that more evolved spirits can come through to perform healings. Spirits are in need of physical bodies to do their work.

Medium Joao is very much dependent on the energy of his mediums.

There are mediums that de-obsess people. In the Spiritism philosophy, it is believed that one reason why people behave irrational emotionally particularly people with clear indications of schizophrenia is because there are bad spirits attached or obsessed with these beings. A strong medium helps the obsessor release his victim and rise to the light.

There are many other kind of mediums, but the Casa mostly benefits by the warrior kind. The kind who is willing to surrender their body, their consciousness to engage in hard work, sometimes it feels like a battle.

And why would one choose to stay in Abadiania?
Certainly many foreigners have created an abode for themselves here.
So what draws the foreigners to park long term in Abadiania?
There are three types of identifiable groups guided to live here. The first is the obvious, those who are in need of physical/emotional healing. The entities of the Casa advise people in need of treatments to stay in this bubble of magnetic energy for a specific length of time depending on your condition.

The second group are those who are called to be of service. To assist the healer and become a part of a universal desire- to be of greater service to humanity.
Usually, the volunteers have been miraculously cured by the entities. As a gesture of appreciation they choose to guide others on their journey to healing.

The third group are the somewhat modern day hippies- they just love being immersed in this delicious energy. They are usually easy to identify, they all look naturally at ease and happy.

What about the guests, the visitors?

Who is likely to be guided here?
People who arrive to Abadiania come here as a final resort. Many are very ill and disappointed with modern medicine due to their inability to address or cure their illness. These are generally the quality of people that are helped most. Their desperation creates a special vulnerability. They are more open to God, and they have surrendered all doubt and tend to trust more. This is an extremely significant component that is required in order for us to receive the healing.

Trust.
A simple, but magical virtue.

This is why the medium prefers to work with the simple minded people, their hearts are more expanded. The results are profound. When you believe, miracles happen. It’s like every cell in our body invites the energy of God and this transforms our body, mind and spirit.

Trust and faith generates an invisible universal magnetic healing energy that is capable of making the impossible possible.

What else is required to enhance our experience in Abadiania?
A radical evaluation of our lives;

Our values, interests, intentions, thoughts, and emotions.

A complete transformation of the mind. This is crucial. The Medium is very clear at communicating that if we paid attention to our spiritual lives our physical bodies would be healthy and we wouldn't require medical interventions.

Medium Joao asserts that healing in Abadiania happens at the core, our spiritual bodies are cleansed, and we are delivered messages by the invisible beings or an advanced energy in the Casa through meditation to re-evaluate our lives. This is why nearly everyone experiences emotional catharsis, healing crisis on an emotional level - strong release of blocked and repressed emotions surface as a result of this cleansing.

We are forced to look at our inner demons straight away. If we’re fortunate we won’t run from this revelation - we will do our inner work. This is a loving, nurturing environment - this is the perfect place to resolve the trauma, the turmoil.

The above photo demonstrates how the healing is administered at the Casa. On the bench you are witnessing 5 mediums who are responsible for raising the healing vibration. The patient lies on the bed, as the Medium is fully incorporated by the entities, you are seeing one entity guide the Medium's hand in surgery and several above assisting in this procedure.

Other than the seriously ill folks who appear in Abadiania, you have a diverse selection of healers who come here. Hypnotherapists, astrologers, reiki masters, shamans, priests, interfaith ministers, psychics, and a handful of others I am failing to list.
What’s interesting is the entities forbid all kinds of alternative healing administered while people are being treated at the Casa. So as not to interfere with the Casa treatments. You meet really interesting people, except they are not here to share their wisdom but to learn and grow - they are here to heal and some of them are mediums of the Casa, and they usually are being utilized as vessels to raise the vibrations in the meditation rooms for cleansing and healing to manifest.

We need to be carefully prepared; if you decide to come to Abadiania please remind yourself you are coming to a hospital, leave all the fantasies about coming to a perfect spiritual community of love and kindness where miracle cures are offered on a silver tray. It will be a huge disappointment if you come to see Medium Joao expecting to receive your miracle cure.

I have witnessed miracle cures but they are granted according to your karmic disposition. If you saved many orphans in your past life, chances are you will be cured of fourth stage inoperable brain tumor on your second visit, as happened with my friend Robert from Chicago. Robert devoted two weeks on both visits.

It’s not the healer’s fault if we accumulated a heavy load of debts from previous lives and therefore are facing the consequences - our healing journey is a process.

One thing I have witnessed, your karma expedites here, as the cleansing of the karmic body begins to unfold, you are given the opportunity to pay your debts faster.

But be sure to look out for this, and not make the mistake to assume that the universe is attacking you. It is through contact with delivered messengers that you begin the payback.

So this is the difference between miracle cures and a much longer response to healing.

We receive according to what is earned, at least according to Kardec, the French philosopher who introduced the concept of Spiritism all across Brasil.

I thank the entities of the Casa for granting me the opportunity to be a part of a profound teaching. I pray that they continue to educate me where ever I may be and I hope to be able to apply their wisdom every day in my life.

I pray for everyone across the globe to experience the profound healing that the Casa De Dom Inacio has to offer.

Blessings to all who are willing to explore the generosity, the love that this healing 'abode' has to offer.

Ananda Nagar- Part Two (Sasha's entry)

2008-02-23T09:37:00.007-05:00

Coming to Calcutta early in the morning feels like traveling back in time. The normally chaotic and busy Howrah train station is half-asleep. Fast-food shops are closed and thick pollution fog is hanging over the station's tracks. The only beings awake at this time are a few porters getting ready for the day's work and a bunch of homeless dogs looking for food. You almost expect a British Raj soldier to come out from around the corner.

Dada Vishvabodhananda and I came to this busy city to attend the annual gathering of Ananda Marga's devotees. It happens in October of every year around the date of their guru's death. Dada told me in advance that there will be a lot of people and even more kirtan or devotional singing. Kirtans are designed to awaken in a devotee a sense of the divine through the use of chanting. In Ananda Marga's tradition Baba Nam Kevalam is the central and only mantra. I've heard different explanations of Baba Nam Kevalam. The literal translation is "Baba's name is everywhere". The version I liked the most is "Love is all there is". It is used in sickness and in health, since, as Dada once explained to me, everything they do is for Baba. You have a good day, Baba it's for you. You have a bad day, Baba it is also for you. Baba is everything to them: father, friend, and, above all, manifestation of the Divine on Earth.

Ananda Marga's Baba was a social and spiritual reformer who left an incredibly rich scientific, medical, and artistic legacy. He also instituted a lot of changes in the way Tantra is practiced, at least within this group. He is the spiritual motivation behind all of Ananda Marga's social projects, i.e. schools, orphanages, and medical clinics all over the world.

Now, as a side note, I should mention that in India, the land of God-intoxicated people, there are many babas. Here they have naked babas, brown-sugar babas and I even heard of Pilot Baba. Naked babas are a respected sect that are...well, naked. Their bodies are covered with ash, their hair is matted and they look like Rastafarians who smoked too much hash. They are usually given the honor to be the first group to take a dip in the holy Ganges at the end of Kumbh Mela. This is a once-in-12-years gathering of spiritual seekers that last time attracted close to 70 million people. Naked babas even ride Indian trains naked while holding swords. The usual explanation is that they are emulating goddess Kali but it maybe to fend off train conductors since naked babas never pay for train tickets.

One person recently wrote to me that he wants to come to India and ride its trains to see the naked babas. Dada Vishvabodhananda said that if the guy wants to see a naked sadhu Dada will be happy to take off his dress.

Brown sugar babas snort heroine because they say it helps them in meditation and Pilot Baba got his name because of the years he spent in the Air Force. He is now a guru with many devotees but he stills wears a pilot cap.

So, I've been to kirtans before in the United States. They were orderly gatherings of well-behaved spiritual seekers listening to nice music and sipping bottled spring water. The Indian kirtan is as different from that as Calcutta’s dirty, fume-spitting, crowded bus is different from a high-speed German train. For three days close to four thousand people will be packed into a small space that is Ananda Marga's central ashram in India. The kirtan goes non-stop for the time that the celebrations continue. The groups of chanters change every hour, continuously singing Baba Nam Kevalam, Baba Nam Kevalam...for 72 hours straight. The rest of the large hall is full of people dancing and chanting. For the next 3 days the people will live on the ashram's premises. They will sleep on the ground and eat in a communal space. Anyone can drop by at any time they feel like chanting even if it is 3 o'clock in the morning. In fact, some devotees have told me that night kirtans are the best.

I was, of course, unprepared for all of this. Dada told me "come, it will be nice". We get to the ashram at 6 in the morning on Friday, the official first day of the celebrations. Most of the rooms are already full, in fact most of the outside grounds are packed with people. The luckiest ones got the prime spots on the grass and the rest just spread their thin blankets on bare ground. Dada ran around trying to find a space for me with other Westerners. Ananda Marga has many foreign devotees and, when they are in India, they are treated with much care to protect their gentle souls. We sleep in rooms and are fed in a separate kitchen with senior dadas. I don't think we could handle standing in line for 3 hours waiting for a free lunch, baking in Calcutta’s sun and pushing other seekers. The lines start well before the food is ready and people are broken up by gender, possibly to prevent groping. When a call for food comes, the lines begin to push threatening the shaky foundations of the temporary communal kitchen. Two hulky dadas with large sticks stand on either side of the entrance and keep a watch over the diners.

It is not an easy task to arrange food for a few thousand people all at once. At later nights I'd wonder ashram grounds and watch cooks prepare mounds of rice as high as my waist. There is no electricity where they work and the cooking fires are the only light they work with. They stir enormous vessels full of curry with giant spoons that can be used in rowing competitions. Their half-naked bodies are shiny with sweat and the light of large fires reflects on their faces. They could be used as guardians of the gates of hell in some religious movie.

While Dada was busy arranging my stay, I sat in the room full of monks who were doing their morning routine. They just finished brushing teeth and were meditating and doing asanas or yogic postures. Ananda Marga is a Tantric sect which means that the main focus of their spiritual practice is meditation. Asanas are done to maintain the body's vital functions and to assist in the meditation practice. The dadas were surprisingly flexible, even the older ones. Afterwards we had a nice conversation about America's foreign policies and George Bush and I wasn't the one who started it. More than a couple of young monks asked me how much an acupuncturist makes in the United States. They are an interesting group, these young dadas. Because of long hours spent in meditation their eyes emanate intense spiritual energy that, I felt, they were proud of. The older dadas don't pay much attention to these tricks as if knowing that even this will pass.

Dada V. came back a short time later to tell me that I am in luck, a space has been arranged for me on the floor of one of the rooms. For the next 3 days I will share that floor with three other Westerners.

I go in to meet my new neighbors. We have a Croatian who is already a monk, an American studying to be a monk, and a New Zealander who is just a nice guy with a guitar. The group is supervised by a very pleasant German dada who spent many years in the States and is in charge of Ananda Marga's activities in Illinois. He has some intestinal problems and can only eat bland food. Because of the long track here from abroad (and probably because of too many boiled vegetables) he has developed a cold and we can not turn the fan on in our room since he spends much of his time in our company. The other margis, keeping in line with the group's tradition, will only do the asanas in the room. Baba advised that asanas should not be done in an open space since the sweat itself is beneficial and should not be wasted. Also, the wind may enter the pores and cause disease. Whatever the reason, the net effect of inside yoga and no fan is that by the end of the first day our room smells like a horse stable. Compared to the clean rooms of older Western margis, ours looks and smells like a frat house. I begin to think that I am either extremely unlucky or Baba is testing me.

The next three days I spend in the ashram will go down in memory as one of the most uncomfortable times in my life. I sleep on the floor of a smelly room and refuse to go to kirtan because it seems like a crazy idea to spend even a minute in a hall packed to the gills with the sweating and wildly dancing chanters. I wonder the grounds of the ashram being miserable, concerned with what will happen to my slippers if I go in to chant and leave them outside. I've been told that there are slipper thieves who come in under the pretext of joining the kirtan just to steal nice shoes. I later came to realize that the reason for my misery was in me but at that time I was too busy being pissed off at Baba, Dada, and myself for agreeing to attend. I spend hours mentally arguing with Baba but he is immovable and silent like a mountain. He looks at me from giant posters and he does not care to enter into an argument.

The outside of our building is full of people day and night. Early in the morning attendants walk around with buckets of chlorine. They dump it on the ground to prevent disease from spreading. By 8 in the morning Calcutta’s hot sun comes out and bakes the mixture of chlorine and sweat and before long the ashram begins to smell like the pool I swam in during my youth. We had an alcoholic caretaker whose method of pool control was to heat up the water and dump enough chlorine on Monday to sustain the water for the rest of the week. His job done, he'd disappear till next Monday to hang out with his friends. It would usually work but that also meant that the first few days of the week we'd swim in a hot, chlorinated soup.

Despite all the precautions, disease begins to set in by the second day. The Westerners fall down first or maybe I just notice them more because they are the ones who come to complain to me. The news of my acupuncture training spreads and, since I don't have much else to do, I begin to treat the victims. One woman collapses in the morning and we treat her with burning herbs. As soon as she is able, she goes back to the chanting hall. No amount of discomfort can stop the truly faithful from attending kirtans. I admire their strength and resolve but because of my thick-headed judgment can't share the enthusiasm.

All the spiritual energy generated at the ashram must have an effect on me because whenever I leave ashram grounds to go elsewhere, a deep calm descends into my heart. It is a pleasant feeling that can only be described as seeing good in everything. I ride the buses and watch the city's life on its busy streets. It is polluted and noisy but it seems familiar and dear like visiting home. Calcutta has a lot of people and much of their activity happens on the streets. People eat and drink chai from side stalls and talk to friends at the curbside. Many use public fire hydrants to take showers. It is common to see men busily soaping themselves at a filthy intersection that gets more traffic than Times Square. My bus rides by a woman who is washing her two naked children with the water that is a mixture of hydrant stream and a run-off from the street stalls outside.

Whenever I come back to the ashram I long to leave again and when I am out, after a few hours, I begin to miss its spiritual charge. I finally find an Internet cafe close enough to the ashram. I spend some time there checking up on the news. A Swedish margi named Joytish keeps me company. Joytish has spent the last four years in Myanmar and he set up two schools for the local kids there. Because of the recent political events in the country Joytish is sought out by the news outlets as a Myanmar authority. That keeps him busy for hours.

By the end of the second day I start to bug Dada about returning to Ananda Nagar. He is wonderfully patient with me and tells me that if I tried kirtan, I might enjoy it. But I am too concerned about my Brasilian slippers to leave them outside unattended. Finally, by the end of the third day, kirtan marathon is finished and we head to the train station. Dada did not book the tickets in the days before, despite my urgings to do so. It happens to him sometimes, he spaces out and forgets to do things. When we arrive at the station we are still on a stand-by because all trains are full. We sit near the ticket counter and wait for the latest news. I notice Dada looking sadly at his shoes and I ask him what is the matter? He tells me that on the first day someone has mistakenly taken his shoes and left him with a pair that looks just like his but is a few sizes smaller. He shows me a large boil as evidence of his suffering.

An hour later we are issued "reservation against cancellation". In my mind it means that we are assured beds for the 9-hour overnight journey. When we board the train, I realize that in India RAC means that if two of you are listed on a ticket, you'll be given one bed if only one bed is available. And that is where I loose it with Dada. After three days of hard floor sleep I loathe to spend another uncomfortable night, cuddling on a small train bed with Dada Vishvabodhananda who is a nice guy but not nice enough for me to hug him. I "scold" him, to use his language, about his lack of organizing it properly. He is so clearly upset and so apologetic that being mad at him just does not make any sense. Dada offers that he will sleep on the floor or go and find other dadas to sleep with. I refuse his offer and Dada runs around the train to find if there are any empty beds. Alas, the train is completely full. As we depart, a bed across the aisle remains empty. Dada tells me to go and occupy it as we see other unfortunates trying to stake their claim to it. When the train conductor comes, a few people, including Dada, surround him and start quickly saying something while pointing to the bed on which I seat, unsure of my status. The conductor thinks for a minute and then allows me to stay.

In the evening Dada and I talk about our experiences in Calcutta and he shares with me that before the train left, he prayed to Baba and said to him something like: "Baba you know everything. I am Indian and can sleep anywhere but my guest is a foreigner and he needs a bed". "You see, Sasha" Dada says "for you it may be just a lucky coincidence but I know that Baba helped me. The train is completely full and yet a bed became miraculously available just next to us for you to use. I know it was Baba who arranged it for us." I go to sleep thinking that if I am to spend the next 6 month with the margis and actually enjoy it, I should try harder to understand the depth of their devotion.

Spirit Manifestations in Abadiania

2007-12-28T17:47:00.002-05:00

There isn't a finger on the lense, this is spirit manifesting as light on the path to the sacred, healing waterfall.

For quite some time I have been hearing people getting very excited about taking photos of spirit orbs here in our village.
I couldn't embrace the possibility that spirits are manifesting as balls of light, and that they can be photographed.
You can't really see them with the naked eye, but with a camera they are delighted to pose for you, and they are not shy at all.
How fascinating!

So what are orbs?

Orbs are believed (by many) to be spirits manifesting in the form of balls of light. They are life forms that travel in groups and are believed to be the human soul or life force of those that once inhabited a physical body here on earth.

Spirit orbs are the most photographed anomalies caught on film by spirit hunters and are quite photogenic (when they want to be). They can be completely transparent or display themselves in a bright solid form. It is not hard to capture them on film in their circular form. It is theorized that spirits prefer the form of an Orb (ball of light) because it takes less energy thus being the mode of choice among the spirits.

Where are they likely to gather?
It has been reported that spirit orbs are likely to dwell in environments where pure vibrations concentrate. They appear around powerful healers, spiritual centers, large meditation groups, or holy/sacred sites.
I have taken many photographs while traveling to holy places around the globe, the orbs have appeared to me only in Abadiania.

How Curious?
Abadiania is populated with spirit orbs. I would advise you enlarge these photos, you may see some delicate features.

Enjoy!

Anjelika's work with the Medium John of God

2007-12-13T17:04:00.003-05:00

What you are viewing above is the entity's current room, this part of the room is designated for people with special needs, mediums in training, and resident mediums.
There are 4 treatment rooms in the Casa.
The first one is the mediums room, this room was created for the mediums of the Casa and people who would like to participate in the meditation and healing who do not have permission to sit in the entity's room.
I have been observing that most mediums of the Casa prefer to sit in the entity's room, closer of course to the entity.
The intention of the first room is to cleanse people as they enter. There are usually two people guiding the meditation in this room, helping the participants to focus their energy on cleansing. The second room is a very long room, with chairs positioned facing the entity. This is the entity's room, you would sit here only if you were instructed by the entity.
The third room is divided into two sections, one for the resident mediums and the other for operations.
The last room is the operating room and cleansing room. You would be directed into the last cleansing room once you have seen the entity. Every room is organized very well, there are many volunteers who are also strong mediums clearing and directing the energy for healing to take place.
In the above photo, you are viewing not the medium but the entity that has incorporated the consciousness of the medium.
Medium Joao is a full trance medium, that means he surrenders his consciousness completely to the invisible helpers or the entities. He does not recall what happens during incorporation at all.
The entities that frequently visit the casa are:
Dom Inácio de Loyola 1491-1556 - St. Ignatius of Loyola is the principle Entity after whom the Casa is named.
“For those who believe, no proof is necessary. For those who disbelieve, no amount of proof is sufficient.” - St. Ignatius of Loyola
Dr Augusto de Almeida is one of the most frequent Entities at the Casa de Dom Inácio. He is reported to have been in the military, a rubber tapper and a doctor in previous incarnations.
“My phalange comprises not of ten, nor a hundred but thousands of Helping Spirits. I am the one who reaches to the very depths of the abyss to save a soul.” - Dr. Augusto de Almeida.
Dr Oswaldo Cruz 1872 - 1917. Medical doctor, founder of Medicina Experimental Brasileira, is credited for eradicating the yellow fever epidemic in Brazil.
Dr. José Valdivino - He possesses energy that is especially powerful for curing paraplegics. With a touch of his hand and a command for them to walk, or move the afflicted limb, many miraculous healings have been recorded.

Immediately prior to incorporating the medium opens the work with a prayer, he passes through the isle where the resident mediums sit, he will use the energy of one of the mediums to incorporate.
It is a sophisticated process- to incorporate, the medium requires the energy and pure vibrations of his mediums to facilitate this transition.
Once incorporated he may choose to take either a medium or someone else in the audience to assist him with certain procedures, to assist with either physical or invisible surgeries.
Above the entity chooses a medium, guiding her into the operating room to assist him with invisible/spiritual surgeries. I have been assisting with surgeries numerous times and it is miraculous to witness the physical surgeries performed with limited bleeding, without anesthesia and the receiver being completely calm.
I once watched the entity with his hands transfer the tumors this woman had throughout her body into one section of her arm. Then with one incision to her arm, he expands the skin, inserts his hand (not sterile), and removed tumors that fill a large bowel. What a sight.

Before the work begins, we are usually meditating 30-45 minutes to raise the vibration in the current, a certain level of healing frequency is required in order for the treatments to be administered by the entity. Once the vibration is acceptable to the medium he will enter the room and incorporate.

Once the entity begins his work, we are in current meditating anywhere between 2 and 4 hours depending on the amount of visitors. The entity usually receives on average 200-500 people per day.

In the picture above the entity and I are in the operating room. He uses my energy and teaches me to channel the healing fluid to people in the operating room. He would ask me to focus and concentrate on the energy, and I could feel how the current, like electricity being processed through my body is transferred to the people, I can barely keep my body on my feet. Parts of my body, particularly my hands begin to shake uncontrollably. Our hands are the most sensitive instruments.

He then walked me over to a woman, placed my hand on her head and his hand over mine to transmit the healing vibration. The entity stood behind me, with one hand on my solar plexus center and the other on my hand.
This was profound- to be able to feel the entity's transmission and to sense the nutrients he is transferring to heal this woman through me. I am sure he did this so that I may feel the silent transmission and learn. This is how I learn, the information passes through him to me the moment he is in the same room as I am.
All that is required of me is to sit still and meditate. The instruction comes and it is clear.

The entity above is walking me out of the operating room, at that moment I recall feeling so lightheaded and needed to be guided. The entity walked me over to his chair, gave me a message and sat me down in a different chair-one that was closer to him.
There are numerous chairs positioned around him, he will usually allocate them to people with either special healing needs or mediums who are in need of special attention.

The above shows what the entity's room looks like, people meditating receiving their healing, and others waiting on line to see the entity with their questions and requests.

The medium above is on stage, this was a Wednesday morning. Wednesday mornings I have been assigned by the entity to address the western audience with a talk. Some guidelines were given regarding the content of the talk. So I get up on the stage speaking about what is dear to my heart to my brothers and sisters.
The medium will occasionally come out to the hall and incorporate in front of hundreds of onlookers.
He will also perform physical surgeries in the main hall. When he came out one Wednesday morning, saw me talking on stage gave me a smile and asked me to continue, I was a bit nervous and decided I best step aside.
I get off the stage, he approaches me and helps me rise up back on to the stage and instructs that I hold the tray with his operating instruments.
Prior to incorporating he talks to his people about his challenges and his mission. A speech I only wish to understand with the intellect, spoken in Portuguese- so I know that I retain it all on a heart level.
The woman standing with her head in the triangle with her eyes closed is about to receive an operation. Her eyes need to be closed, easier for her not to identify with the procedure, this way she cannot interfere.
Once he incorporates, he will raise her shirt, make an incision under her breast, stick his finger in it with massage like movements and then stitch her up, free of anesthesia- the woman is completely hypnotized and does not feel a thing.

The entity above prepares the needle and thread to stitch the lady's chest.

I am holding the tray above and the entity is preparing his golden procedure, the forceps inserted into the nose entirely. This procedure apparently cleanses most of the organs and is very helpful for psychological, and emotional dis-ease.

The medium is incorporated, now the entity looked straight into my eyes, gazed for several seconds- as if he is extracting some information or programming me with new data.
I am praying not to drop the tray or loose balance, it is very important to be able to receive energy with total focus and alertness.
His eyes are truly mesmerizing. I managed to gaze right back at him.

The entity is passing energy to me, he adjusted my third eye, my heart, my shoulders, my solar plexus. Still alert but barely present.
The entity sweeps away any residual unhealthy energy.

In the above photo you are viewing the entity's quarters.
He has now completed his session, and will be leaving the room. The two volunteers beside him will be guiding the participants for a closing ceremony.
The entity has asked me to come over immediately prior the close of the session, to further deepen my intake of the energy, he sits me in his chair.
This is a great honor, to sit in the chair where the entity receives hundreds of people. The currents in his chair are profound, I feel like I am cradled into a state of total bliss.

The entity sits another patient into one of his special chairs, just before he leaves the room.
Session is complete.

Ananda Nagar- Part One (Sasha's entry)

2007-12-12T09:10:00.000-05:00

Hello, everyone!

Before I left for India, I've decided that I will keep regular "notes from the field" here because putting all of it on paper helps me and because many of you have asked me to keep in touch and many of you contributed financially or otherwise to this project and I owe you a huge debt of gratitude and want to keep you informed on how your money is being spent. Feel free to share these notes with your friends if they're interested.

I flew into Delhi early October on Aerosvit, a Ukrainian airline, that tried hard to shake off its Soviet past but it would still come out when the stewardesses got tired and snappy. By the time we landed in Kiev, customer service disappeared and I felt back home again where things happen and no one knows why they happen the way they do.

With all the delays in flights, and the Indian luggage retrieval system that can drive up the wall even a Ukrainian, I didn't get out of the Delhi airport until 2:30 in the morning, three hours after the scheduled time. I was worried about the driver meeting me, the hotel I was sleeping in that night wouldn't book a room unless I took their driver (which ended up costing more than the room itself). They are listed in the Lonely Planet guide books and people open hotels with similar names and pay off cabs to bring tourists. I was worried about the guy who had to wait for me for extra 3 hours in the middle of the night so that he could make a $16 fare. But he was there, cheerful and polite and without a hint of irritation. Indians' ability to wait and go along with the circumstances is truly remarkable.

The bed in the hotel was small and I had to sleep at an angle. My train was leaving Delhi the next evening so I walked in the morning to pick up my ticket, ate south Indian dosas and slept more. India was beginning to work its magic on me. I love the smells of the street stalls here, the thickness of the air filled with something that is beyond pollution, the little cups of milk tea served everywhere. I must have looked very tired because no beggar approached me on that day and this must be a world record. The train was scheduled to leave at 9 pm but in India I never had a train that left or arrived on time. Occasionally you hear about punctual Indian trains from other travellers but to me they are as mystical as cheap, rent-controlled apartments in New York that somebody's cousin has but you never will.

The train left at 11 and got to its destination five hours late which is a common experience for me. During the ride I met a middle-aged Indian man who was traveling with his wife. The man was a dairy manager for an Indian company and he was very interested in what a white man is doing on this train. All other Westerners got off at Bodgaya, the place where Buddha got enlightened, the holiest pilgrimage site in Buddhism with temples from every Buddhist nation and large ashrams with thousands of devotees. But I kept going to Bokaro Steel City, an industrial town built by the Soviets in the seventies from where I had to catch another train to Ananda Nagar. I told the man that I will be living with Ananda Marga monks for six months working in their acupuncture clinic.

So - the man began cautiously - you are Ananda Marga devotee, right? I told him I was not, partially because I wanted to hear what would come next. Do you know - he began eagerly - they are all terrorists, they were caught by the government in 1995 smuggling arms. And what else, they are Tantrists, dancing in the cemetery, under the moonlight, naked, with skulls in their hands! The man's wife rolled her eyes in horror.

So, how much are they paying you for your work - the man asked. Hey, babu, he's not getting paid, he's volunteering like in an NGO - interjected a young woman, a university student whose mobile I borrowed before. She then said something to her friend and they both giggled. You don't speak Hindi, do you - she asked me somewhat late, blushing. I told her I did not speak a word of Hindi. And so it continued like this for a while until my stop came and saved me from more socializing.

I don't sleep or feel well on the trains and 20 hours later, by the time I got off at Ananda Nagar I was delirious. Dada Vishvubodhananda, the acupuncture clinic supervisor, met me on the platform. "Dada" means "brother" and the rest of his name means something like "someone who has realised the nature of the Universe and is therefore blissful". Despite such noble origins, the name is so long that all the volunteers just call him "acupuncture dada" or "our dada". Anjelika calls him "the happy dada" because of his infectious child-like laugh.

Dada V. grabbed my bags and took my hand into his hand, interlacing his fingers with mine, a common practice here among male friends but still a strange custom for me. We walked hand-in-hand over the railway tracks and to the car. It is a long walk and I tried very hard to walk naturally. I imagined that I'm holding Anjelika's hand. Since then Dada has taken my hand numerous times, whenever we walk somewhere together and he feels cheerful and upbeat. I now see it as a strange ritual that is also endearing and touching.

The clinic is housed in a long narrow building with a low ceiling and even lower door frames that I always hit on my way in. Bengalis, for the most part, are shorter than Westerners, and all of us, especially the well-fed Americans like myself, tower over the locals who have suffered from generations of malnutrition. "The cricket men" they call them here. Thin, emaciated people subsisting on rice and a bit of lentils for weeks until an unexpected fortune brings a few wilted vegetables that are shared among the whole family.

The clinic is just one long room with seven beds on one side for men, a curtain, and seven beds on the other side for women. The patients wait on the outside veranda to be seen by Joydeb, the most senior acupuncturist here, a quiet, gentle man of seemingly endless energy. He was trained about 15 years ago by the German acupuncturist who established this clinic and since then he worked in it, day in and day out, six days a week, seeing sometimes up to 60 people a day, without vacations or major holidays apart from a few days off for religious festivals. In the meantime he got married and his wife gave birth to two beautiful kids. Every morning at 9 o'clock Joydeb rolls in his bicycle and stays glued to the chair until all the patients are seen. At about 2pm the diagnosis is finished, Joydeb gets up from the chair goes into the acupuncture room and helps the other two acupuncturists with the last few patients. He then takes his bicycle and goes home to his wife and kids. The next day the cycle starts over again. Joydeb's salary is about $125 per month. He is now about 37 years old and he was already a child laborer by the time he was six, cleaning the floors in a hotel in Calcutta, emptying ashtrays after the guests.
Ananda Marga monk saw Joydeb working one day and took him away, put him into an orphanage run by Ananda Marga. The organization gave Joydeb education, shelter, and acupuncture training.

The other two acupuncturists working here are Bagyo and Oneal. Bagyo comes from a local village. One day he stood outside his house and watched a brawl going on. Somebody pulled out a gun and shot into the air and the bullet went into Bagyo's head. They couldn't operate because it lodged very close to the vital centers. So now Bagyo just walks around with a bullet in his head. I don't know much else about him because he doesn't speak English. From just observing I see that he has a very kind heart because of the effort he puts into treating patients. They improve dramatically after his care. His desire to learn is so great that he attends all the classes I give here, taking notes that I write on the board. I found that if I just speak the information, no one is writing or retaining it. Because of the language problem I've taken to writing everything I say. It takes a lot of time (partially because everything has to be translated to Bagyo) and we go through the material very slowly but at least we can be sure that everyone understands.
The guys are devoted students, the first class they were all getting up to answer when I'd ask them a question. I think in my school we stopped doing that somewhere in the third grade.

There are apparently a lot of illegal guns here. We are in a tribal land on the border of West Bengal and Jharkand states and this is considered a territory over which the Indian government does not have full control. There are still some forests covering large parts of the land and the guns are made there in illegal laboratories together with homemade alcohol that is produced from a forest flower. This alcohol has created a problem for the elephants who have gotten to like its taste. Many of them have become addicted and are now venturing into the neighboring villages looking for supplies. They usually roam in groups and if they smell alcohol in one of the village huts, they will destroy it, trying to get to the booze.
Just today we treated a woman who is thirty five years old and had one menstrual cycle in her whole life. She gets treatments about once a week and has had a number of them. Most of her other hormone-related complaints have gone away but the menstruation has not started. Today she asked if we can help her because she wants to have a child. I've said that after 20 years of no menstruation we have to treat every day for at least two weeks and then take a break and treat more. The woman answered that she'd be happy to come every day but she's from a very rural area and coming here and back takes her a whole day. Because the patients from her village have to return home late at night, they travel in groups and no one else needs to come to the clinic that often. She could, she said, take a risk and come by herself but the village is close to the forest from which the elephants come out at night. And now that they've started drinking it is even more of a problem.

The first week was just adjusting to the rhythm of the clinic. A steady flow of people, hundreds of them with aches, pains, sleep and digestive problems, chest pains, shortness of breath, and high blood pressure. Some are with the conditions that we don't see in the States. We treated a young man whose left leg has wilted after a hepatitis injection given by a village quack. It is a big problem here, people do not have access to qualified allopathic health care so they go to these village guys who say they have medical training. I don't know what they inject them with but by now I have seen at least three cases where they hit the nerves and people loose the use of their limbs.
It was a shame, a young man with a crutch, his leg is paralysed and dried out.

We saw an 18-year old who had typhoid fever about 6 months ago. I don't know whether they treated it by allopathic meds or not but it did not clear and went inside his body. He lost his speech and now is a mute, his body is shaking constantly. His eyes are blood-shot, the tongue is trembling and he could not even stick it out for me to diagnose. I vaguely remembered some information about heat going into the blood level. We learn it in acupuncture school but never use it in private practice. This is the place where all of it comes handy and forces us to go back to the books and relearn the basics. He did not come back since that time so I don't know how much effect the treatment had.

That first week we also treated a man with Bell's palsey, one-sided pain and paralysis of the facial muscles brought on by cold weather invasion. He had about an 80 percent improvement after three daily treatments. We also had a guy with swollen and painful testicles, a woman whose feet are "wrapped in mud" for the past 10 years and she can hardly walk without losing her balance. There were a few kids with developmental abnormalities brought on by generations of malnutrition. They don't hold their heads, don't walk or talk, some of them can't hold the food down and vomit after each meal, one cries through the night, and some have the most serene looks on their faces as if asking us what all the fuss is about.
One kid we saw that week, Joydeb told me, could not walk or speak last year but now does both after a year of regular treatments. He told me that matter-of-factly, not paying much attention to his success and Dada later said that Joydeb has had a lot of cases like that and there are many kids now walking because of him.

Most of these people come in without an allopathic diagnosis, we don't know if the kid can't breathe because of cardiac insufficiency or congenital lung problem. We don't have Western medical training and have to rely fully on our acupuncture skills and diagnostic procedures of Chinese medicine. We take the pulse and look at the tongue, we ask questions the way generations of Chinese doctors asked them. This is the beauty of Ananda Nagar acupuncture clinic. This is how Chinese medicine developed over 2500 years, before the modern drugs and cat-scans came into play and made it, in some ways, easier. We are here, now, in the 21st century but our conditions are as they were in China centuries ago.

In the evenings Dada and I make chapatis and fried dishes for ourselves. I met another Dada, a German man who was trained as a medical doctor long time ago but has been an Ananda Marga monk for the past 20 years. He's a strange character, eats only boiled vegetables, has a paper-thin body, and stays in his room all day long. He does research, he says, on the use of alternative treatments in emergency conditions. His research tool is Internet and that's where he spends all of his time. Dada V. whispers to me that he doesn't know what this guy is doing all day long and that in his opinion the German is a bit depressed. Dada also tells me that next week we are going to Calcutta to attend the biggest Ananda Marga celebration of the year with thousands of Margis around the world converging in one ashram to celebrate their spiritual life with non-stop kirtan or devotional singing, and other activities. We will stay there for a few days and sing with the others. I am excited, we are going to Calcutta!

Brasil and India

2007-12-05T14:41:00.001-05:00

Many friends and family are inquiring about our present adventure and why we haven’t been blogging.

I know you are very supportive of our adventure and you will be happy to know we are evolving luminously.

Both Sasha and I are immersed entirely into our assignments. Sasha is on an astounding, generous journey, one that I am sure will expand his heart to massive heights. He is investing his pure heart in the most humanitarian way, with the simple intention of healing people.

Oh my dear Sasha, the gods of India are enjoying your presence and are rewarding you in more ways than you are able to imagine.

Sasha is spending a total of 6 months in west Bengal helping develop a free acupuncture clinic. He brought with him teaching materials, when he is not treating people in the clinic he is devoting time to educate the students. I understand that he is very busy and now their dada (monk) who is responsible for managing the clinic will be organizing camp sites at different villages. Bringing acupuncture to small villages, where people are in desperate need of medical attention.

I am so proud of my darling.

I hope he blogs his experience, I know for certain it will inspire many.

I on the other hand am residing for the next 6 months or so in a small village in Brasilia with the great medium John of God.

How fortunate I feel to be in the presence of a great healer. Medium Joao has adopted me as his student and daughter. He is devoting a lot of personal/private attention in helping me cultivate my healing gifts.

I am in an intense training directly with the medium and the entities that he channels. I am assisting the medium with spiritual and physical surgeries, helping him in his mission. I feel a very strong connection to his mission, to his purpose, and he is helping me understand why. It has something to do with our history in the past 4 incarnations.

The entities have prepared me to speak in public, I give weekly talks to hundreds in English to prepare people for their spiritual/physical/emotional healing.

I guide people to embrace their experience here, to understand the emotional constitution of their illness and mentor them in this transitory phase.

I am strongly committed to working with some of my New York clients, and at the moment this is conducted via telephone. They are all feeling the transmission of the energy as we are discovering that this healing energy has the capacity to travel, distance is irrelevant.

I am also guiding some of my clients from New York on an intimate journey with medium Joao and the casa.

When I am not working with people or volunteering at the casa, I am studying Portuguese. The medium has been very stern with me and insists that I master it quickly.

My days are abundantly full.

I am not sure if I will blog often, at this point my work here with the medium and the casa is intensifying. He is preparing me to assist him, the ceremonies and direct transmissions with the medium and the entities is a blessing I shall cherish in my heart.

They have gifted me so much love, thank you dearest for your belief in me and for molding me and preparing me in becoming a better healer and a better being.

The "Mad Russian" A Crazy Healer in Boston

2007-08-31T16:44:00.002-04:00

The exploration continues, meeting healers who are gifted in transmitting an energy that can heal.

Here in Boston?

I've been very curious about a healer who operates a clinic in Boston, referred to as the “Mad Russian.”

His real name- Efim Shubentsov, I'll provide his contact info at the end of this story.

How did he earn his title? "Mad Russian."

Long ago there was an older woman who attended one of Efim’s addiction sessions.

She was a loyal and dedicated smoker, so much so that she lost one of her lungs for the love of a puff.

She was warned by her physician that she needs to urgently seize smoking.

She came to see Efim, dragging along her oxygen tank and mask, with difficulty breathing she went on to discuss her displeasure with this quitting business, she told Efim she didn’t desire to quit smoking - he told her if she continued to resist him, he may have to bring flowers to her grave within several months.

She apparently burst out, screaming...

"You are mad."

"You're a mad Russian."

"You're crazy."

He saved her life.

We had a private audience with him, where I wished to interview him.

I asked many questions about the origin of his gift, how he utilizes this energy.
Can anyone else learn to manipulate bio-energy?
He wasn’t entirely comfortable in sharing his approach, although he asserts it is very simple to learn, you can obtain the particulars from his book.

He is a sharp man, a great psychologist, and he will absolutely grip your attention the entire two hours, he does utilize some hypnotic methods.

I was genuinely interested in parking myself by his side so I may observe him, he politely declined, said he wasn’t interested in adopting new students.
I got the impression that he was a very tired man, often misunderstood and a bit tired of working with people.
His true passion is painting; all the paintings in his clinic are his personal creations.

In private, he is not mad, I think he has an image to maintain and therefore when he is lecturing in a group session- he puts on somewhat of a play.
It's a bit comical, as I observe members in the group responding to Efim's discourse on the immense fraud in the legal environment, he begins to shout,

"Shoot them all, and the parents for raising such miserable bastards."
The crowd's eyes are wide open, not sure how to interpret him.

But he gains their trust when, sitting at his desk, he directs his hands across the room, waiving at parts of the body that experience pain.

He manages to sedate the pain for a short time.

That morning, my knees were particularly stiff, he waved his hand over it numerous times and the pain disappeared for several days.

Very entertaining.

He was a former pilot and a sergeant in the former Soviet Union, you can imagine his discipline in a class is not short of being firm.
His secretary has a personal opinion about his gift, she assumes, and so do many of the scientists who observed him, that he acquired his gift as a result of a near fatal helicopter crash.
A helicopter that he flew with his partner more then 30 years ago that left his friend paralyzed.

On to the waiting room...

We are sitting in a room full of smokers who are about to experience the eraser.

Their addiction will be erased.
Efim will manipulate their bio-energy and within several seconds delete all craving for nicotine.They are a nervous group.

Rita, Efim's secretary, recalls a time, when he was working with a woman with an eating disorder, erasing her bad eating habits, her husband brought her to Boston, he was a smoker.The wife began to complain about his smoking addiction, Efim waved his hand at his chest saying smoking is bad! bad smell! don't smoke anymore. Months later, he is still not smoking, without his conscious desire he will no longer smoke.
The wife is happy, I have my doubts about the husband.

What does Efim do?
He manipulates the bio-energy field of the psyche.

He says bio-energy field exists and it is scientifically proven. He utilizes his hands and some hypnotic techniques to address certain addictions, like nicotine, drugs, alcohol and food disorders.
He claims he erases the addiction from the memory.He has a great success rate, those who cannot be helped he will not charge for his service.
He says everyone can do this; he has a book that demonstrates the exercises, explains how you can magnetize your hands and learn to transmit this energy.
He can also heal many illnesses and pain but is prohibited to do so unless he secures an MD license.

US law states that only a medical doctor has the right to heal.
Isn't our medical system ridiculous?

There are many talented and gifted healers, but they challenge the survival of traditional medicine and therefore are monitored carefully.

A great deal of politics prevents him from laying his hands on people, freeing people of disease that traditional medicine cannot address.

He did actively practice healing disease in the Soviet Union, where bioenergetics is studied and embraced.

He is certainly worth a visit, he is a beautiful, kind person with a great mission.

His book:
Cure your Cravings

His location:
1680A Beacon St
Brookline, MA 02445
(617) 232-3930

We love you Dearest Svetlana, you are missed daily.

2007-08-21T14:29:00.000-04:00

I have been having an overwhelming urge to send a signal out to all who knew Sveta and personally on some level I wanted Sveta to hear my thoughts.

I think the decision you made is a revolution of the heart, I honor you for that.
It required a lot of courage and I felt your strength, deep in my heart I understand you.
You are no longer battling with your soul.
You are free.
You have found your freedom, you found your peace.
Spread your wings and help others liberate.

You are really missed daily.

I think of you often, wondering if I could of done more, been more understanding, often wishing I could love you more.
Because really in essence that is all you wanted, that is all you craved for.
To be loved for who you are.
To be loved entirely.
To be loved.

Sveta, I loved your innocence, your purity- you had a lot of faith in people and the world.
You were a mystical person, drawn to the invisible world and often wandering
and trusting in the esoteric ways of your existence.
You responded a lot like an innocent child would.
Free of judgement, free of criticism.
I often felt your warmth, and your sensitivity, I wondered how a sensitive being
like yourself co-existed in this often bewildered life.

I thank you for visiting me during the night.
I look forward to seeing you in my dreams.
I know for sure you are growing and developing now, and I know for certain you are freed of your illness.
You told me you were healed and I believe that.

It really soothes my heart to express my feelings and mostly to share this with her.
I did not get a chance to know her, but being perceptive, I did discover her pure heart.

At times I wanted to share my world with her, she was one of the few who understood my journey, my path, and she shared enthusiasm in my quest.
I felt her inner desire to take on a similar journey, one that would allow her to tap into the depth of her soul.
She is doing it now, Sveta- you are writing your own story now.

I love you Sveta, thank you for sharing your heart with me.

I await your visits.

In continuation...
Recently we have been visited by a very special white dove, the kind that has feathers covering her feet entirely. I have never seen such a beautiful dove.
She has a consciousness.
She visits only when we're out on the deck, we observe her, interact with her, and amusingly she is not frightened by us.
She just sits there spending time with us.
We feed her rice, she seems to enjoy it.
We named her Sveta.
We like her presence, and perhaps it is the soul of Sveta gifting us with her beauty.
How charming.

Shamanic services in a spa setting?

2007-05-27T12:17:00.000-04:00

What is the purpose of our spiritual pursuits?

I am sure that many have contemplated this question, I sure have.
I engaged in many diverse spiritual circles, some worshipping the ascended masters, or archangels and saints, some emphasizing visualization and manifestation techniques.
I practiced many forms of meditation, adopted new beliefs, new patterns of behavior that my mind convinced me are better for my evolution.
Every group I became affiliated with claims that their approach is superior.

I owned a spiritual bookshop in lower Manhattan for 5 years, I have practiced numerous approaches.
The purpose? To attain enlightenment.
Lately, though, I realize the approach is much simpler. It isn’t sophisticated at all, it does not require 15 years of Buddhist meditation.
I know many people who haven’t adopted a spiritual practice, and they emanate more compassion, understanding, and love then most spiritual people I have met on my path.

We can awake to our true nature right now.
Let us stop hiding from the truth, let us stop searching for new ways to treat our human minds.
Let’s stop chasing the next best self-improvement book.
Let’s stop creating new personalities.

What is it about?

What about just plain simple human qualities, like being kind and generous to each other?
Adoring each other, forgiving each other, simply using our hearts to communicate feeling and emotion.
Being considerate to someone’s sufferings and pains.
Being grateful for the gifts we are showered with daily.
These are simple qualities, do they need to be cultivated? Maybe?
I just thought that our inherent natural tendencies is to be loving and supportive.

I am disillusioned by what I have witnessed in the last 15 days of our journey.
It took us one week to travel via long distance buses to arrive to this healing center, a center developed by an American and a native. I won’t disclose any names for purposes of saving face.
The center is located in rural Ecuador in San Jose.
The location is a paradise on earth.
You are surrounded by a rich, luscious forest, rolling hills, and splendid ocean.
They both have been studying shamanism with Ecuadorian shamans. One has even been on a Buddhist path for at least 30 years.
Both claim that they have been pursuing the path of knowledge, the path of enlightenment all their lives.

Why are we here?

I have been very intrigued with exploring the sacred plant- Ayahuasca, the shamans utilize it to journey between worlds and to communicate with the divine.
The shamans believe that all herbal/medicinal healing remedies were taught to them by the Ayahuasca. They are guided in an altered state of consciousness. They can treat many emotional and physical diseases in this state.
The shamans refer to the Ayahuasca as the Great Teacher.
I have long been curious of experiencing the Ayahuasca, so here we were.

Once we arrived, we were very surprised to find a menu of services posted on their walls containing a list of shamanic services provided by the center.

Shamanic journey in a spa setting?
Can this be possible?
I felt very confused, I thought we were going to meet genuine, authentic shamans who can administer the most sacred of ceremonies with the Ayahuasca.

We met some visitors to their center who are also disillusioned by what shamanism has become in the present day. A commercial venture, a profitable one too.
Some journeys can cost up to $2000 for a 5 day retreat in the rain forest with a shaman.
The shamans are happily embracing this transition, dictated by the demands of their children.
Their children want cell phones, TV sets, and all the advanced gadgets of the western world.
They are leaving their forest and adjusting to city life.
My heart still wants to believe there are pure shamans still doing powerful work in the Amazon, I wonder if they are threatened of becoming extinct.

Sasha and I tried the Ayahuasca, tried Ecuadorian tobacco in a liquid form, and did a cleansing ceremony with one of the owners at this center, who identifies himself as a shaman.
All these tools, if channeled by a pure, knowledgeable shaman should have produced a journey into a higher state of consciousness.
It didn’t, our shaman had too many personal conflicts to resolve before he can administer such a sacred ceremony.

We failed to do our due diligence.
This naiveté, as Pamela Wilson once described me, continues to embrace events without investigation.
Trust just runs ahead of my intellectual reasoning. I trust that everyone who embarks on a path to channel the healing energy, they give an oath to the universe, to be authentic in their pursuits, and to work in the best interest of people.

Hence, we found ourselves in a situation that revealed what was deeply repressed for these two people.
Our presence seemed to release a lot of deep emotional unrest.
Spiritual by-passing is a term commonly used to describe people who have adopted a philosophy which allows them to repress how they truthfully feel.
I am sure you are familiar with the voice that says…
I’m spiritual, I cannot feel angry.
Or I’m spiritual I shouldn’t feel sadness, let me try to meditate it away.
What do you think happens to all our emotions?
This behavior is highly dangerous. We will accumulate layers of unresolved emotions that will eventually manifest as physical disease.

A message to all who embrace the life of a healer…
Please evaluate your interests very carefully, you owe it to yourself and to your patients/clients to be an honest, authentic conductor of the healing energy.

To all who practice with purity, I prostrate at your feet. Thank you.

My last week at the CASA

2007-04-08T09:22:00.003-04:00

Saturday, April 7, 2007

This is our last week in Abadiania. We arrived two months ago and it is becoming very difficult to leave, you are drawn in- wonderful people, great opportunity to do inner work, it is a special place. I can understand why people who are not physically challenged choose to stay here months at a time.
There is a great craving to stay and carry on the work, there is also excitement to continue with our journey. We are headed to Rio, then Argentina, Chile, Ecuador, and maybe the Amazon.

I was concerned that by leaving now I may disturb the process of the training. I approached the entity with this question. He was very pleased with my progress, he acknowledged that I am developing well as a medium and leaving now will not hinder me.
He offered me two crystals, they are charged and used mainly by health practitioners. They will assist me in my work. One will help me channel the healing energy and the other will protect me by transforming any harmful energy.
I have received training by another medium how to utilize them in regards to healing work.
My treatments with my clients will take on another form because the entities will continue to work through me even though I am not physically at the casa.
The entity asked that I go back home and work, through the active meditation in the current and guidance from the entities I was given a new program, a new treatment protocol to utilize with my clients.
I am very enthusiastic to channel this energy, and without a doubt I do miss my work.

We will be making a visit to NY in July or August.
I will be making arrangements to see clients, I am also guided to do a retreat with medium Joao in Abadiania. The entities gave me their blessing.
The details of this retreat will be posted on the blog soon. If anyone is interested please email me at anjelikakremer@yahoo.com
I realize that my energy therapy techniques combined with the brilliant, healing energy of the entities at the casa will produce a highly transformative spiritual experience.

During our final session, people who are leaving the casa are allowed to approach the entity to say goodbye.
Sasha and I approached the entity, I thanked him for his unconditional service to humanity, thanked him for helping me become a better person and asked a blessing so that I can continue to generate this healing energy during treatments with clients.
The entity glanced and scanned my body, he was content.
“When are you coming back?” I told him I would come back in five months.
“ How many people live in your household?” When I said two, he asked to meet Sasha, he took an oath from Sasha that he will create an environment that can support my growth as a medium. Sasha promised he will do his part.
“ When are you coming back?” I wondered if I should tailor my initial response, but I didn’t.
He looked at my left hand, and instructed me to wear an emerald stone on my finger, this will improve the transmission of energy during treatments.
He showed me his ring, it had a beautiful emerald stone, my translator - Arturo showed his ring as well, emerald.
He said medium Joao had a present for me, that I should come see him after the session is complete.

Thank you to all the forces of love that graced me with such expansion and growth during my stay here.
An incredible honor, to be in the presence of such a modest healer.
Thank you, thank you, thank you.

Encounters with the miracle healer, on route to Abadiania

2007-02-17T11:30:00.002-05:00

HOW ABOUT THAT RAINBOW?

2/7/07

It was surely a very challenging trip, to enter Brasil from Peru without a yellow fever vaccination pre-dated for 11 days is impossible.

No one makes you aware of these regulations- the airline sold us the tickets without notifying us of the details.

We were fortunate to meet a man from Canada at our hotel who gave us this warning.
We get our vaccines, we count the days, buy our air tickets scheduled to arrive in Brasil on the 11th. day since the vaccine was given.

We check in our luggage, 15 minutes before the departure of our flight, the airline agent decides to scrutinize our vaccine reports and informs us we cannot enter Brasil. We can only enter on the 12th. day. What craziness!
We pick up our luggage and go to the city (Lima) again. Very unfortunate? Or just grace in action.

Lima is absolutely beautiful, maybe I’ll be inspired to do a journal entry on Peru later-especially the beauty and mysticism of Machu Pichu-absolutely breathtaking.

Our destination was Abadiania, the Casa, this is where John of God - the miracle healer and his medium helpers do their healing. Abadiania just happens to be built on a bed of crystals.
We took two planes from two different airports and three buses to get to Abadiania, the spiritual hospital.
Almost 12 hours later on a very rainy night, the bus dropped us off in the middle of no where, we are completely unprepared not knowing if we find housing.

I hear Sasha mumbling, “ I must love you a lot to have to endure this.” “Where have you brought me?”
Walking in the direction, we suppose is the right one.
How wonderful! I hear a familiar language, it’s English- yes! Pot lock!
Five or six people, all dressed in white, sitting, chatting outside a hotel. A group of westerners, all clairvoyants visiting with the great Medium. They speak highly of the pousada (guesthouse) and the warm hospitality, that was simple- we have ourselves a guesthouse.

Our landlady is Australian, she opened a boutique guesthouse, to fulfill her mission. Ida is a very generous, mystical woman. She is also a medium and a guide for the Casa. She’s either coaching or nursing someone to recovery. A very special guesthouse indeed.

This evening, as I am trying to settle in, Sasha introduced himself to the group. He told them why we are here. One of the group leaders Shoshana who is from Brooklyn, New York, says... “she’s a mystic, a medium isn’t she?”
“I think, I’m not sure” replied Sasha.

We all gather for tea, I’m in the presence of so many clairvoyants and healers with mediumship abilities. Feels like home. Shoshana looks over to me and says, “how’s that book coming along?” I glance at Sasha confused, thinking what is this woman forecasting, recalling that many friends and family are encouraging me to write a book detailing our adventures overseas. Then she continues, “You should record all the details, maybe invest in a recorder, you have got a book coming.”

I must confess, I have no intention at the present time of writing any book, but I am inspired to keep a daily log of my encounters with the great Medium.
I am exposing myself completely, and sharing with you all the intimate details of my encounters with the Medium.

I hope you’re inspired.

Mother INDIA, my love/hate adventure

2007-01-18T17:00:00.001-05:00

My love affair with Mother India
I was introduced to Eastern philosophy many years ago. The years dedicated to eastern studies created this great fantasy, a love affair with Mother India.
The country that gave birth to spirituality. I hoped to one day bury my feet in her rich soil and I too wanted the elixir of enlightenment.

I became almost obsessed with her.
Owning a spiritual bookshop gave me access to many teachings.
Hypnotized by the eyes of Sai Baba and Muktananda, the lion heart of Papaji, the great tenderness of Ramana Maharishi, the shakti energy of Amachi, the brilliance of Krishnamurti, the madness of Osho, this list can really extend to infinity.
How about the many books written by western explorers, who all speak of this transformative presence and life changing experience?

My time has finally come, with great enthusiasm and conviction I declare that I am ready for my initiation, I am ready to explore enlightenment.
Here I am your beloved devoted student.

To no surprise India really re-shaped me. I will never look at life with the same eyes.

She deconstructed me patiently without my enrollment in any teaching or needing to surrender to any teacher.
I had anticipated to meet inspirational gurus who would volunteer to adopt me and teach me the ways of the elders, the wise. I had imagined developing a relationship with a guru, an enlightened master. I wondered what the consenquences of such a relationship may yield. I suppose, to my benefit, one did not develop.

But there was not one teacher, or any particular teaching. India is the great, huge master- she has enlightened me, she has adopted me and is responsible for transforming my soul.

I bow to your holy presence, you have nurtured my heart.

First stop, Calcutta...
Madness, chaos, noise, too many people -these are the characteristics which are common to India -especially to her big cities.
She has the capacity to inspire and drive you mad in the same moment.
You can be witnessing this great internal shift, an awakened awareness, a loving compassionate presence, and at the same time you can't help but be exposed to the rest of it- the noise, the pollution, the cow dung, the horny men, the beggars- many with missing limbs.
How overwhelming.
Funny, you do manage to co-exist with this energy. The presence of spirit is very strong and so is the presence of chaos.

As a newcomer to India, at first you experience what many western doctors would label bi-polar dis-ease.
You are in constant highs and lows, I had a first hand experience of being dragged by your emotional body in many different directions. How exhausting.
You are an emotional rollercoaster.

I recall my first train ride in Calcutta, I could not comprehend why as the train is in motion people are running toward the entrance doors, shoving everyone in sight out of the way, does the train not stop?
Why are they rushing like mad people?
The train yields, and before any of the passengers are allowed to exit people are pushing and shoving through the crowd to make their way in, throwing the smaller and weaker people like myself out of their way.
There are not that many seats in second class and tickets are oversold, so that is the reason for the ambush.

I watch and observe this madness and say, "there is no way I will survive this," I was terrified, and found myself longing so much to leave this place. I begged Sasha to get us out of here, his response was obvious, "you chose to be here, you wanted to experience spirituality, well darling here it is- look at it through the eyes of India."

It was our time to deboard the train and Sasha took our luggage and used it as a weapon, he pushed through the crowd using our luggage as an armor, and I followed behind, not untouched though. I was quite furious at first when men tried to brush against my body or grab parts of it- which happened often, especially in crowded trains. I was naive enough to think these incidents were only accidents. But they are not, they are intentional.
Men in India are repressed and deprived and this is a means of chaneling that overflowing sexual energy. Well, I wasn't going to be of service to them, I decided I would gently stick out my elbows when I was approached by a suspicious man. It works, the brush off is the perfect remedy, Sasha who walked behind me used his elbows as well and they were not nearly as gentle as mine.
Double wammie.

We were greeted in Calcutta by Dadas (they are the monks serving the mission of Ananda Nagar).
We intended to stay at their ashram in Calcutta for several days before departing for the country in West Bengal where we would volunteer at an acupuncture clinic.
Ananda Nagar has an exceptional mission and the Dadas are brilliantly fulfilling their service to humanity. They are sincerely interested in the well-being of their less fortunate brothers and sisters. We were taken to tour their facilities and they are a huge organization. They have established shelters, provide free education, free or low cost clinics are available to all, they grow their own herbs and produce their own naturopathic remedies. They have their own farm where a lot of the produce is grown for the local community.

We volunteered at an acupuncture clinic, seeing sometimes 40-60 of the poorest and sickest people in India. We witnessed diseases that our eyes were unfamiliar with.
This was my first experience administering hands-on therapy to people with severe illnesses. People were unable to communicate their discomfort because of the language barrier, you had to trust your intuition to guide you. This experience has transformed me.
Sasha will have more to report on this, he has benefited immensely.

We left Ananda Nagar with the feeling that we would return in the future, and help them develop their free clinic. Forecast or not, that environment was the most beneficial for us, for the evolution of our souls. We were most happy in that setting.

Varanasi, holy waters?
Visiting the holiest city in India was an overload to our sensitive archetypes.
We stayed at a hotel overlooking the ghats, not too far from the main burning ghat.
We were initially delivered to the wrong hotel, intentionally. We are familiar with such scams, the Lonely Planet guide informs you to be careful of the drivers- they are known to deliver you to a hotel where they receive a commission.
Knowing this, we continue into the wrong hotel although it has the same name, I look at my guide book and ask them to verify their phone number and address and it matches the one in my book so I assume it is correct.
I had just been scammed.

The driver convinces Sasha that he is a spiritual person, points to the Gods in talisman form hanging from his rear view mirror and says he cannot lie because he believes in karma and the Gods. What nonsense!
The driver leaves and we discover much later we at a wrong hotel.
Holy city?

We tour Varanasi, very crowded, many cows, goats and people all sharing the same sidewalk.
You have to clear the alley very quickly when a cow approaches, they are bigger and you just might get pooped on. They may also use their horns to shove you out of the way. Sasha took a beating once.
Dodging cows, and their dung on a narrow alley was a bit challenging.

As we walk the boardwalk with the ghats to our right, the night appears and the ghat is filled with worshipers, worshiping their holy river, making beautiful offerings of flowers to her, chanting all night long to her. For a mile long, there are gurus who set up their tents by the ghat surrounded by their devotees to listen to discourses followed by chanting. Hundreds of worshipers gathering every night. You can only image how intoxicating the air is, all calling forth the presence of God. You can feel the presence of something very pure. This is Varanasi.

Off to our visit of the burning ghats. Bodies are prepared for cremation, the body is completely wrapped in white cloths, usually carried by one of the sons. It is mandatory that his head is shaved and that he also wears white. An aromatic and calming herb, sandalwood is covering the body, and within moments the body begins to burn.
Pregnant women, sages and small children are not cremated. Their bodies are dumped into the river which is considered holy. Everyone wants to die in Varanasi, it is believed if you die in Varanasi then you will not reincarnate.
We were observing the burning ceremony from the top floor of a nearby abandoned old building.
There were many old people lying around on the bare concrete waiting for the river to absorb their bodies and souls. They were waiting to die. As this is going on, people are bathing in the same river, brushing their teeth in this river, washing their clothes in this river. This activity is considered holy.
No one believes the water to be polluted.
As one sadhu once told a western seeker: the river is not dirty, your mind is dirty.
Both Sasha and I found Varanasi to be a very sacred space.

Agra, the Taj - a monument of love
The Taj was an exceptional sight, it is a real beauty. The construction is facing many problems due to pollution, I sure do hope it is restored- it inspires the heart.

Delhi, markets and more markets
I adore markets of any kind. Whether it displays food, clothing or rugs -I love bazaars. They contain an exciting energy, and the art of negotiation is much welcomed.
I had always adored the hand-made wall hangings, with sequence and patches of beautiful craftsmanship.
I bargained hard, and walked away with 13 wall hangings.

Goa, trance parties, beaches...
We mindfully chose a beach that was quiet, absolutely nothing was going on there, although Goa is very popular among the trance and rave party goers.
A large international community, many settlers from Israel find Goa to be a hot spot.
During our travels I witnessed many young Israelis backpacking a similar route to ours. Some choosing to make India their home. I spoke with a young Israeli girl, she just completed her mandatory service with the Israeli army, I questioned why she thought Israelis are grounding themselves in India.
She explained, the army enrolls you when you are very young, a time when you crave to explore your identity, your freedom.
You are deprived of this exploration. As a result it creates very angry, unfulfilled, repressed people. When they complete their term they want to experience freedom, freedom through their perception means to party, to love freely, to explore drugs.
India is the gateway for them.
They also respond to the philosophy and some decide to make India their permanent residence.

Sivananda Ashram, Kerala
We enrolled in a one month yoga program, with the intention to master yoga as medicine. We lived at the ashram, and followed ashram rules, well.. not all the rules.
Wake up at at 5.20am for meditation, followed by tea break then a two hour yoga class, then brunch served out of buckets -you ate on the floor with your hands.
After brunch, you had to participate in a discourse, followed by karma yoga- this is where you volunteer to work in the ashram.
In the afternoon, a two hour yoga class, followed by another discourse, dinner, meditation and chanting. The program ends around 10pm. You were in bed exhausted by 11pm.
You had to adhere to this schedule daily.
We discovered we could not keep to it daily, and skipped some of the discourses, the chanting and the meditation.
Attendance was taken daily at every gathering. Sasha and I were getting very comfortable at the ashram, enjoying our karma yoga and most certainly enjoying thy physical stimulation of the practice of yoga. We were learning a lot. We intended to stay at least a month.
At one of the gatherings one of the devotees delivered a message to us,

“the director wants to see you both in private.”
I got a bit curious, knew he would reprimand us, just did not think he would say: stick to the program or get out.
The director was displeased with our conduct, he gave us a warning. If we were unable to attend every gathering then we should consider leaving. And we did just that.
We had to leave.
We loved the yoga practice, but we lacked the discipline or the interest for the rest of it. There was not much flexibility here.
Through direct experience, I am familiar with organized religions, including spiritual ones. Unfortunately, a very important element is missing- FLEXIBILITY.

Tiruvanamalai, the Sacred Arunachala
We make friends with a couple from Brooklyn. Sasha is a photographer, he and his wife are working on a project, completely financed by fullbright. Their project is called “the searchers”, he and his wife are traveling throughout India, documenting experiences of sacred places like ashrams, photographing people and places. An extraordinary journey. Fullbright provides him with $1000 per month and his companion receives an additional two or three hundred- this is plenty for India.

They had plans to leave Sivananda Ashram about the same time we were kicked out. We hopped on the same train and a day later arrived in Tiruvanamalai, where our sacred journey began.
It was not until our experience in Arunachala that I encountered an emotional shift within.
One that re-defined all our goals and interests.
A revolution has started.
The truths that we discovered dictates that we will never see things in the same light again.
And that was the truth, when we arrived to NY for a short visit with our family, we realized we could not commit to the life we once lived. Taking a break from our adventure served a great purpose, it confirmed to us that we are wired very differently.

Advaita teachings were introduced to me in 2003, a very hard time set in, things started falling apart for me. Two very important people in my life moved on, my business was not doing very well, I had to surrender my home- I was in crisis. This crisis presented an opening, a new door has been opened for me. New opportunities flooded in, I could barely keep up. I was transformed, I met many teachers, they were very generous with their time and their commitment to my growth was astounding.
A new phase has began.
These western teachers were produced by Papaji, a student of Ramana Maharishi – one of the greatest spiritual fathers of India.
His picture and a stone carving of Arunachala have been on my altar since. I knew deep within that I would be graced with a live presence of Arunachala herself.

Many western seekers have made Tiru their permanent home, including the late Arthur Osborne- who was a devotee of Ramana Maharishi, wrote many books and helped spread the word.
People of all faces, Russian, Israeli, American, German, Iranian... are residing at the foot of the sacred hill Arunachala.
I was delighted to be here. Babas in orange robes flock the streets, most of whom I feel are genuine seekers of God, some are clearly deceitful.
All are provided for.

Most ashrams will offer free meals and free housing. These are considered holy men, India is the only country where wandering sages are highly revered.
Imagine for a moment we exported the babas to the Unites States.
Would a life devoted to service be supported in our country?

Before Ramana passed away, one of his devotees asked, what will be when you are gone? He replied, but where will I go? To understand this, you have to visit his ashram, you feel his presence.
There is a large stone carving of the sage toward the end of the temple, many people believe circling around the sage can help resolve your inquiries and cleanse your spirit.
You arrive to the ashram with questions and they truly are replied to. Soon after, you feel there is absolutely nothing important that needs to be addressed. It is all good.

The ashram has an intense vibration, we meditated daily.
All thoughts stopped in Tiru.
Time stopped.
There was just you and the present moment. How passionate!
You were so engaged in whatever you were doing in the moment. No future, no past, just full engagement in the NOW.
Many ashrams have been built around the sacred hill. Many teachers give darshan. Darshan is silent transmission of energy, usually given by enlightened beings.
The teacher does not talk, he or she just gazes into your eyes. Some of the teachers give discourses. I quickly inquired if there are any teachers who are genuine who are willing to share their wisdom.
We were guided to visit with Ganesha, he teaches in the lineage of Ramana, we did not respond to him. We saw a woman, very sweet face, I think her name was AMA. She administered darshan, we felt her transmission, it was very pure. A pure darshan is when the transmission can direct you to your inner God. When it is powerful, all your inquiries are resolved internally by your higher self. You are the teacher. You are awakening the teacher within.

The purification energy:
when you are in a holy space, bathing in the pure energy, without doubt you will be cleansed. Some of the symptoms we experienced- exreme tiredness, we slept most of the time. Intoxication, we were completely sedated, the nervous system did not feel threatened by any thought, or feeling. Uncontrollable diarrhea. Overall, a very blissful state.

I met an Iranian fellow, he’s been living in Tiru for 15 years. He volunteered to introduce us to his teacher- Tuli Baba, a man who speaks not a word of English. He has no possessions except for the thong he wears, and that is all he wears.
A beautiful man with long dreadlocks, he sits in the center of the room as people approach him, they prostrate in front of him and place flowers or sweets at his feet. At the end of the session he distributes the sweets to the crowd. Blessed sweets.
I was surprised to witness many westerners sitting at this feet, they don’t speak any Tamil and they consider themselves his students. I prayed that my spirit extracts the necessary wisdom. It has the ability to record this lecture, translate it within. I sat still with wonder.
Tuli Baba caused a great turmoil for both of us, he’s the man who caused an uncontrollable diarrhea for the next 24 hours.

I can understand why westerners are drawn to Arunachala- it is pure, it’s magical.

Pondicherry and Auroville
Our next stop, Pondicherry- French India. Beautiful architecture, influenced by the French. Fancy homes and hotels right on the shore. There’s a slight resemblance to Nice, the south of France. French restaurants, French curriculum in local schools. Most locals are fluent in French.
A very different India.

The spiritual territory of Pondicherry is very affluent. It was developed by Sri Aurobindo and the Mother. Their ideals inspired many westerners to build a community where the land belongs to no one and the government cannot impose their laws.

The purpose of Auroville is to realize human unity. Today Auroville is recognized as one of the first and only internationally endorsed ongoing experiments in human unity and transformation of consciousness. Auroville is concerned with sustainable living and the future cultural, environmental, social and spiritual needs of mankind.

Auroville, a very successful community with 3000 dwellers of which 2000 are westerners. The community sustains itself and draws a generous profit.
It has many organic farms, collected produce is sold to local restaurants.
They have a very popular line of homemade natural products like peanut butter, an assortment of jams and syrups- this they distribute throughout India.
They make candles, incense, soaps, pottery, and a beautiful line of clothing – all sold throughout India.

Everyone works within the commune. Income is also generated from the rental of guesthouses because Auroville attracts many visitors.
The collective income is deposited into a central account.
As far as your expenses, you present the disbursement office with a log and receipts of your expenditures and they reimburse you.

They have developed ideal learning centers, concentration is on helping children raise awareness through art, music, dance, yoga, tai chi, and qigong. They emphasise the importance of integrating natural laws with spiritual principles. They are creating conscious children.
The commune has cultural centers, a movie theater, artistic exhibits are regularly displayed.
Auroville will change you, will make you understand the importance of serving the planet and not just yourself and your immediate family.

To become an Aurovillian, one has to be carefully screened, the process takes two years. It gives you an opportunity to evaluate Auroville and them a chance to examine your spiritual ideals and what you can contribute to humanity.
I feel this sort of living is the way of the future.
People all over the world will be inspired to establish similar communes.
I am not sure if I will be fortunate enough to witness such a transition in my life.
It will happen some day.

Mumbai
We’re headed to Mumbai, a very sophisticated city, one we could not fully appreciate. Coming out of Auroville everything appeared to be overwhelming.
Still, Mumbai is a city alive with much glamour.

NEPAL

2006-10-23T07:18:00.000-04:00

Nepal, the people are warm and friendly, the villages craftsy, the guesthouses with full amenities, the restaurants have mastered their international culinary abilities, and shopping guarantees to fulfill all your senses.

The streets are filled with handmade crafts, beautiful gem jewelry, hand woven clothes, rice paper journals, and all sorts of creative arts- the prices are so affordable- we had to purchase a huge bag to contain our goods.

The Kathmnadu guesthouse won our heart, they are environmentally friendly, much of their land is allocated for the development of natural growths. We reserved a room in their garden and had only one intention to rest after the long trek from Tibet to Nepal. The food in China and Tibet was not very exciting and not very friendly to vegetarians.
I had our landlady in Shanghai translate in my journal into Chinese that “ I am a vegetarian, I do not eat meat.” But with out failure almost all the restaurants we ate at brought my food mixed in with some variation of meat.
Vegetarianism is just not part of their culture. If I order noodles with vegetables, they feel that this dish is tastier when the noodles are boiled in a lamb broth.

We endulged all our senses in Kathmandu.
Sasha and I used this rest time to deepen our understanding of certain spiritual teachings of the Eastern traditions. We engaged in books, Sasha focused on strengthening his knowledge of the benefits of meditation, and introduced himself to spiritual materialism.

And I embarked on a new journey - personal and spiritual transformation through the synthesis of traditional Western psychotherapy and Eastern spiritual traditions.

For the past 7 years, my training was emphasized in liberating the soul from suffering through the application of various Eastern spiritual traditions. I would like to thank the great Dharma teachers who have imparted to me their wisdom, understanding, and blessings along my path.
I am still a student, I am enthusiastic in starting to investige the integration of psychological and spiritual transformative work.
Up till now, in my practice, my clients have shown significant transformations and the success stories are God’s grace. My approach even though it has been successful was entirely based on a spiritual context.
I am realizing that humanity raised in the West have absorbed many complex conditioned behavioral patterns that can be resolved with the guidance of Western psychotherapy. My goal now is to integrate both approaches.

I intend to seek out the training of a brilliant psychotherapist who has been also a student of Tibetan Buddhism and other Eastern spiritual traditions for more than 30 years. I hope to apprentice with him when I return to the States.

I am spending many hours in the garden at the guesthouse, studying my new materials. I made many friends at the guesthouse, many of the employees have approached me and inquired about my work. I gladly invited them to sample my work, and they did. I had my hands full, I worked with at least one person a day through the remaining of my stay.

I had one very intimidating case, I had very little faith and was not sure I will be able to help him in such a short period of time.
He was a man completely overwhelmed with grief, and sorrow.
His eyes were empty; he had no desire to engage in the world and has attempted suicide numerous times.
He has spent numerous months in a mental institution, heavily medicated for over four years, without the proper guidance of a psychologist. He has abused alcohol and drugs. He feels hopeless in every aspect of his life.

After our first session, I was able to diagnose the severity of his problems because he was freely opening up, he knew he wanted to be free from emotions that were limiting him from living a content life, and he trusted me wholeheartedly. I had my doubts about helping him, I came home that evening and prayed to be guided, I prayed that the healing energy will be transferred to this man and convert his suffering to faith in life and faith in a happy life.

The medication he was prescribed for his depression had side effects that made me sad; I was so frustrated with the system that prescribes without carefully monitoring the side effects and compatibility with the patient’s system.
He is unable to talk for more than five minutes without feeling exhausted, he cannot walk too much without feeling tired.
He often feels dizzy, his suffers from sleep deprivation and the list goes on and on.
The sad thing is he has not really felt a shift in his state of mind.

He touched my heart in a special way, his desperation created so much empathy. We connected in a very meaningful way.

He saw me daily; we looked forward to our sessions. This was a learning experience for me as well; I have never worked with someone with such symptoms.

On the seventh or eighth meeting his eyes were glowing, there was a spark in his eyes, he revealed that he was witnessing a great change with in, he feels more enthusiastic, more energy, more alive. He saw a homeopathic doctor who substituted his pharmaceutical drugs for homeopathic remedies; she also volunteered to monitor his reactions and his response.

He reported that he has not felt this way for at least a decade. He claimed that there was a powerful energetic force emanating at the time of our sessions, he would feel this force shifting his destructive patterns and hope and faith was gradually being restored to his psyche.

I was very surprised, as often I am unable to witness this energy which many attest to feeling.

I do believe some people are able to channel the healing energy and I am fortunate to witness the fruits of it.

He started sharing his visions, his goals, ambitions- he worked at a private high school/college and he spoke of me and my work to the principal.
The principal requested to meet with me, and what followed was certainly unexpected and mutually very rewarding.
He asked that I address his students, he discussed their main emotional concerns and he thought they would benefit from my presence.
He labeled my talk the power of positive living; I was not prepared for a discussion at that capacity, to a group of 50 students?

This was the most memorable experience in Nepal, the principal was very happy with the response, students requested private sessions with me, and the principal invited me to return which I did gladly.
The principal understood how essential it is for the children to have an outlet, to channel their most intimate problems, he understood the benefits of this therapy and offered that I stay and offer my services to the children.
He offered complimentary accommodations at his guesthouse.
My spontaneous nature was very tempted to accept.
I did not expect to feel so fulfilled in that setting. This was such an exciting opportunity; I realized I enjoyed working in that capacity.

The children are so innocent, and so willing to explore their inner life.
They have not yet fallen pray to the conditioned behavior of life as imposed by their family, their religious group, their mentors … they are willing to investigate who is this person that I have become so identified with?
They are more playful with their inner turbulence, less attached to interpreting it, analyzing their imperfections to no end.

Of course adulthood will change all that.

The students e-mail me, we have discussions via cyber space and we both value the exchange.

To all my readers:
If you know of any inspirational speakers, or emotional counselors who are willing to volunteer their time and travel to Nepal to work with high school/college students please contact me for the details. Write to anjelikakremer@yahoo.com

Being of service is food for the soul.

To Lhasa via 48 hour railway

2006-10-23T07:15:00.000-04:00

Leaving Beijing was certainly a celebration, via the newly constructed railway much popularized by the Chinese media.

The journey without failure delivered beautiful scenic snow covered peaks, towering mountains, rivers, endangered animals and altitude sickness.

All passengers aboard the sick train developed an involuntary attachment to oxygen masks, we all looked quite intoxicated.

Traveling at an altitude of 5000 meters is no piece of cake, only the strong survived and fortunate to see the beautiful scenes – the rest of us were chained to our masks praying to have enough strength so we can look outside the window. Even the over enthusiastic camera happy Chinese tourists were tranquilized.

The enchanting, magical, postcard perfect plateau was worth every discomfort.

Tibet, the mystical land, the land where time stands still.
There are five million Tibetans living within the boarders of greater Tibet, sharing their sacred environment with five million Chinese and Muslim immigrants. Here the motivation is not to modernize Tibet but to preserve their cultural heritage which appears to be a challenge. The Chinese are flooding Tibet, determined to dilute it, to destroy Tibetan culture. You can feel much hope emanating from the faces of these mystical, beautiful people.

Lhasa – contains much magic, all the local Tibetans are devoted Buddhists, the streets are populated with local worshippers chanting, praying, and spinning the prayer wheels-living in constant prayer.

Time just stands still in Lhasa, worshippers have perfected the art of devotion. Even the vendors selling local Tibetan artifacts merge with the energy of prayer and devotion. Lhasa manages to emanate a constant energy that is very pure, and luminous.

My sense perception didn’t abandon me after all, it just entered a snooze phase in China. I found myself blending in with the locals at the Jokhang Temple, one of the holiest temples in Tibet. I felt just like the rest of the pilgrims, I felt at home, as if I have done this before. The experience provoked feelings of such familiarity. I recall standing at the fire making offerings, and my body would experience signs of purification. It would vibrate at an uncontrollable speed, similar to the Qi felt when practicing qigong but magnified. And massive amounts of tears would come, cleansing my soul; you almost felt the lightness –as if you were being elevated by this purity.

Gratitude fills every cell in my body, grateful to be able to experience the energy world in this capacity. My crown and third eye chakras experienced deep expansion. The crown center, the top of the head felt an opening, felt exposed- touching it created sensitivity. The third eye, our intuitive center was vibrating and expanding- visions of colors and geometric symbols would appear. It felt swollen, the third eye, as if a bump was growing between my eyebrows. Interesting enough, the next two days a visible bump appeared. The entire body felt so sensitive, there were moments where you were no longer feeling a body but just currents of energy.

Sasha commented that when I connected with the energy of the temple my body would emanate a pleasant aroma.

The Tibetans really connected with me as well, the locals would approach me and caress me. One Tibetan grabbed me to give me a hug and a kiss, I thought that to be strange, or maybe we just vibrate similarly.

One afternoon Sasha was having lunch at a café and I decided to spend my time at the temple. A very old monk actively working his prayer beads approached me. He stood directly opposite me, at a distance of maybe a foot, he did not say anything, he had the most holy face and his piercing eyes did not leave mine. We gazed into each others eyes; I am not sure how much time went by, it appeared to me that we were transported into a different zone. The moment my mind tried to hold on to the experience, he simply vanished, just disappeared. He left me with the warmest, purest, joyous emotions. I wonder if people like him have a sole purpose of enlightening people, of infusing spirit into people. I also wonder if anyone else noticed us there or was he only visible to me. It is such a mystical planet, so much manifests in an invisible plane that we are not capable of grasping with the perceived worldly vision. I suppose certain mysteries are not meant to be solved.

Lhasa will permeate my heart with beauty and love- she taught me the power of sacredness and power of prayer.

The drive to Tibet’s sacred mountains, the Himalayan Range via Tibet’s “hidden lands”
My mouth watered, my eyes wide open the entire time, despite the ruggedness and off-road experience of the drive -the most breathtaking views of the Himalayan plateau and, oh my god, the beauty of the Himalayan wilderness.

There is such a sacred energy emanating from the Himalayas, this 5 day rough drive will forever inspire me.

We rented a Land Cruiser with a driver to deliver us to the sacred Himalayan Mountains via Tibet’s enchanting, undeveloped, remote roads with views that will make you cry. We parted with Lhasa, this was difficult, and the devotional experience was very fulfilling.

Off on a five day rustic, off-road expedition to Everest base camp.
We experienced two flat tires, trapped in mud, sleeping in hostels without plumbing- absolutely no water is available. Being accustomed to western toilets, I am surprised to embrace a hole in the ground with many insects happily keeping me company. I truly miss western toilets and of course toilet paper is a rare treat.

The temperature is quite freezing at Everest base camp. Sasha and I don’t have trekking gear or warm clothing, so we put on everything we own and pray to god Everest shows her sweet face. The facilities are as I would imagine a war zone to be. People look frozen, starved, and desperate to see Everest. Now, Everest does not grace its viewers completely. She is rarely visible entirely; parts are always covered with clouds. The locals feel you are quite lucky if she shows her full face.

Here I was, after almost a decade fantasizing being in the presence of Everest, I was trekking at sunrise with a light white jumpsuit, moccasins and a light woven sweater- walking a path I only saw in dreams. Praying the entire time, for Everest to appear in full beauty. Can’t feel my feet or my fingers because they are absolutely frozen, can’t really be bothered by the discomfort, too overwhelmed with watching Everest as the clouds slowly parted and she revealed her face entirely.

I am a the foot of Everest, the highest mountain in the world- here she stands at 26.500 ft. facing me directly in full view with no interruptions. I could not contain myself risked being fined $200 walked right up to the mountain. It was as if she was communicating to you, you felt so humble, pure and innocent in her presence. She was emanating her wisdom, this made me cry uncontrollably.

My heart raced, my breath escaped me- a passion, a dream fulfilled.

I thank my special friend who planted the seed, which manifests now as a rich, mystical experience. Thanks Sash.

The fifth day is the day we are scheduled to drive to the boarder of Nepal, driving in the rural on our way to Kathmandu was unlike the experience of Tibet’s plateau. There was a moment where the land just transformed into a lush green forest with towering hills and cascading water falls. It was a jungle. Apparently parts of Jurassic park were filmed at the location we drove through. We drove through water falls, our car drove under flowing waterfalls, there were thousands – you were completely surrounded by them.

Mother Nature truly graced us. She was absolutely amazing.

Crossing the boarder on foot was challenging, so many checkpoints and people hassling, wholesalers distributing goods, vendors negotiating, truckers waiting on long lines to cross their supplies over. We have entered the zone of the merchants, a very stimulating experience.

From Datong to Hell on China Train

2006-08-31T03:23:00.000-04:00

We came to Datong in Shanxi province to see the ancient Buddhist caves. More than 1,500 years old, they are listed as one of UNESCO's World Heritage sights. They deserve it, I think, as I look at amazing buddhas and bodhisattvas, some over 17 meters tall. The craftmanship and attention to detail are impressive. It took 40,000 artisans 64 years to finish the biggest cave and there are about fifty. Some of them are missing monuments which were stolen during the chaos of the 1930's. Datong caves were one of the most breathtaking architectural monuments I saw in China.

It was the first and only organized tour we took in People's Republic. It was well worth paying extra even if the minibus that took us around was a piece of crap. It was worth it because, first, we got tired of doing everything ourselves, haggling for prices everywhere we went, and, second, because the minibus crowd turned out to be very interesting. There was one lonely Chinese couple, I don't know why they decided to take an English-speaking tour. I hope their English skills weren't that good as the rest of the young people on the bus spent a lot of time talking about the weirdness that defines China today. I've thought about it a lot since we left that country. We, tourists, are curious creatures, even if most people on that minibus wouldn't consider themselves tourists and they've had enough travel experience to back it up. Explorers, adventurers, backpackers at the very least, but not tourists! Well, whatever, we call ourselves it seems we crave exotic but in moderate amounts. At the end of the day we still want a decent meal and a toilet that does not smell like it can kill an insect in mid-flight. We don't like to be unpleasantly surprised by Chinese language computers; dirty, persistent, begging children can annoy us, and we'd surely like people to understand us when we speak to them in English. But China, you see, China just does not play by the rules. It's too vast and too set in its ways, and it moves as it wants, too big to care when it offends our sensibilities. A spitting, yelling, shoving crowd that makes an average person very, very tired. I saw seasoned, experienced travelers loose their composure after a few days. One must truly be in love with the culture or the language to last here and enjoy it.

Shanxi, apart from a few historical sights, is primarily a coal-mining province, one of the most polluted places on Earth. What I thought was a morning haze turned out to be coal dust that never goes away, coating everything from houses to people's faces. As our minibus made its way through Datong's dirty neighborhoods, people shared their travel stories. It was a very international crowd, many traveled for a large part of their lives and had a lot to tell. A German guy who studies for an MBA while supporting his travels with photographic exhibitions of the places he visits. An Israeli man, a kid, really, in his early twenties tells me about his brother who lives in South Africa. His brother is a medical clown! Inspired by "Patch Adams" movie, he enrolled into a course taught by Patch Adams himself. After six months he graduated at the top of his class and now spends his days making people laugh! What an interesting life path.

Another man on our bus was born in France but he said he was a Berber from Algeria. Not an Arab but a Berber, a crucial difference I've learned. Berbers are the original inhabitants of North Africa who lived there long before the Arabs came. They are now persecuted for wanting to speak their language and practice their customs, ignored by the rest of the world addicted to oil. The man married an American woman in 2004. A few days after the wedding he took her to Sri Lanka for a honeymoon. The country is beautiful, he said, and they rented a bungalow on the beach. Two days later tsunami hit. He was in the hut when it came. His wife was outside, about 10 meters closer to the water. He tried to get to her but the water pushed him deeper inside, banging him against the walls and floating furniture and breaking his body in three places. He found his wife's corpse the next day. Her face was peaceful and she didn't look like she suffered. After burying her he left his teaching job and founded a small organization that helps children. What started 2 years ago as a group of 30 volunteers is now down to three die-hards. He keeps going, though, without fund raising, marketing, or other luxuries of a big NGO. He goes to a hospital, shows them what they've done so far and asks for donations, anything they're willing to spare. He then takes it to the poor areas of the world: Peru, India, Indonesia. They've done three or four sights so far. In six months his French government assistance runs out. He does not know how he'll do it after it ends.

After seeing the caves and a monastery - an amazing architectural feat, built into a cliff and literally hanging from it - we had to get back to Beijing for a trip to Lhasa. Datong train station had no hard or soft sleepers just hard seats. I could, of course, go back to CITS, China's official tourist agency, and see if they could get me 2 sleepers for a $10 surcharge but I didn't. It was a decision that I would very much regret later. We had to spend a few hours in Datong before boarding the train in the evening. It was my birthday and Anjelika took us to the fanciest restaurant in the city to celebrate. It was the best place in Datong and some say even in the whole province, or so the guidebook said. We didn't eat for a whole day and ordered a lot of seafood but our eyes were hungrier than our stomachs or at least more courageous. After mostly vegetarian foods in Shanghai and Beijing we couldn't handle all those shrimps and fishes. We ended up giving to a beggar a plate of shrimps that were bigger than my fist.

And so we boarded the overnight train to Beijing. That night will stay with me for a long time. I've been to dirty places and took uncomfortable trips before but that hard seat trip exceeded all of them. I was afraid for Anjelika as she is much more sensitive than me but she proved to be a tough traveler. I, however, by the end of the night was beginning to truly worry about my sanity.

Hard seats are the only tickets many locals can afford. We were the only foreigners in our train car and, I suspect, in most cars around us. The locals couldn't understand what we were doing there. It was mostly migrant workers, peasants from the surrounding villages going to the capital to work in Beijing's pre-Olympic building frenzy. They didn't have many possessions, just a mattress rolled into a sack since they usually sleep at the construction sites. Just that, cigarettes, a pack of cards and a bottle of cheap liquor for some lucky ones. These guys have hard lives you can see it in their faces, ku li they call them in China, means bitter strength. Because of all that life dished out for them they have little regard for other people's comforts. They chain-smoked everywhere, threw trash on the floor and yelled across the train car. For some unknown reason lights don't go out at night in hard seat cars, possibly to allow the migrants to play cards, drink, and socialize. Women with little children, or lonely foreigners like ourselves, who also ride in the 3rd class are just forgotten.

It was a strange sight, indeed. It's late at night, the train is full of smoke, spit, and half-naked Chinese men. As I'm leaning on a little table trying to rest, my frightful sleep is interrupted by the enthusiastic train car attendant who comes in periodically and yells something in Chinese for a few minutes. The crowd falls silent listening to him and then erupts into cheers and clapping. He high-fives some of the men and kicks a few women who he deems are sleeping in an incorrect way. He then says a very polite hello to us (for the tenth time) and disappears only to come back in half an hour or so and repeat the whole thing again. Anjelika wakes up to find herself enveloped by thick cigarette smoke. She gets up and walks up to the peasants. Without speaking a word of Chinese she points to the non-smoking signs and tells them to put out their cigarettes. They pay absolutely no attention to her. I am awake too and by now seriously considering kicking some of their asses. I'm not very afraid since I'm really mad by now and, frankly, I'm just so much bigger than most of them.

And so it goes like this for the eight hours of our ride to Beijing. We arrive at six in the morning. As thousands of people file past the cops out of the station, an old female beggar latches on to me trying to take our tickets. Why she needs them I have no idea but I need them as receipts. I push her away but she jumps up and hangs on my arm trying to wrestle them away from me. I jerk my arm and, because she's so light, my elbow swings wildly and hits her on a chin. She moves away hitting my shoulder and cursing but I'm too tired to care.

CHINA

2006-08-25T11:51:00.000-04:00

I spent much time conflicted, should I document my experiences in China?

Nothing spiritual, or clairvoyant to report.
All sense perception halted.
My connection with people has become dull in the last two months.
It feels like my mind is on sabbatical. The only great pleasure derived in China was sleep. My body-mind turned off or maybe on snooze, all I wanted to do was sleep, I happily indulged in this craving.

Due to my disengagement, I became a good target for a thief. Marked on a street leaving the market, my bag was snatched with all our essentials.
I got very ill; my body in every respect waged a war on me.
The depth of me understood that when we experience extreme discontent, disapproval or any other disharmonious emotion our body contracts and reacts by eliminating toxins in the form of illness.
China forced me to embrace and accept it; I had to if I wanted to heal.

Naturally I wondered about China’s ambitions. Towering skyscrapers, destruction of ancient historical cities, desires to convert local cuisine to KFC and McDees, the government devising a plan to increase consumption. All impressive ancient sites are crowded with vendors desperate to sell you anything. This is the dark age of materialism for China.
The consequences of modernity- the survival of old cultures & civilizations is threatened.

When will humanity consider pursuing other values?

I embraced the illness, the theft, the long detention in China and most importantly embraced my emotional state- being absent from China was not too bad. As per Eckhart Tolle, “every truth you realize will create a revolution.” This is certain.
I indulged in the freedom of no mind. No mind to plan, to critisize, to judge, to think, just deep presence. At first there is great resistance, embracing the state of no mind is frightening, then you enter a state of pleasure and ease. Ramana Maharishi says, “You know you are spiritually evolving when less and less thoughts arise.” This is a great comfort. A Buddhist monk was asked, “How does one overcome suffering?” the monk replied, “no mind, no problem.” Thank God I am not going mad.
I am experiencing less and less mind activity.

Witnessing the simplicity of the spirit- this is very gratifying.
You are satisfied with simple pleasures, like gazing at a tree or a brick, drinking tea. You are no longer fascinated with the sophistication of the journey.
The unique nature of the country, the people and their culture, the divine sites, these elements are all impressive but they don't enhance you as a being.
You feel genuinely content with the simple pleasures.

The road is such a great Teacher.
I have extracted many profound lessons from this journey; the experiences that generate much happiness and pleasure are rather simple. Writing a postcard to a beloved has taken a new meaning.

I thank the great road for teaching me to release the obsession with searching for mystical, spiritual, unusual, exotic experiences. I am no longer a victim of exoticism.

I recognize that in order for us to feel inspired, in order for us to feel engaged with life, in order for us to feel fulfilled and happy, we need to embrace every moment with great passion. We need to embrace the ordinary, day to day activities with great passion.

I do feel transformed. I began this entry with saying that nothing spiritual has happened in China, I would like to revise this- great truths were revealed to me in China. She too has helped in the unfolding of my truth.

Long Live the King, The Road to Tibet, and Other Asian Stories

2006-07-14T07:48:00.000-04:00

We flew into Shanghai on a very hot and humid day, that weather would continue for the next two weeks as a very wet, "rainy" season was slowly changing into a hot one. By nine in the morning you feel like you're swimming in a bowl of noodles. After chaotic and polluted Bangkok Shanghai is impressive with its world-class skyscrapers and clean streets. Socialist planning is everywhere: in parks, street signs, and neon lights that illuminate whole neighborhoods and turn off in unison at 11 at night. Shanghai is no longer a communist city, if it ever was. Flat-screen advertising TV’s are in our building which, from the outside, looks like a standard socialist construct - gray and slightly dirty with balconies full of drying laundry and produce that couldn't fit elsewhere. The best part of our apartment is its roof, we're on the 17th floor and the roof is all ours.

Chinese stewardess was very surprised to know that Anjelika is from New York. They struggle here in Asia to figure out her nationality and most just say that she is a beautiful girl. "Beautiful giiiiiiirl, lucky boooooy" was all I've heard throughout Bali. In our three months in Asia I am yet to receive one unsolicited compliment. There was one but it was from a Balinese fortune teller and I think he was just trying to get more money. Must be my hair, as every time we walk into a Chinese herbal pharmacy they run up to me to offer their newest hair treatment. One of these days I'll take them up on it and then I, too, will be a "beautiful boy".

By the way, that Balinese fortune teller is the same guy that Elizabeth Gilbert writes about in her book "Eat, Pray, Love". We found him by accident biking through a Balinese village on our way to another healer, Jakorta Rai. We slowed down to ask for directions and, just by accident, or no accident, if you believe there are no accidents, I saw a sign "Ketut Liyer, Painter". Underneath, it said, in much smaller letters, "medicine man". I found that professional hierarchy to be quite different from ours. I think in our society "medicine man" would be at least as big as "painter". But in Ubud, Bali every third person is an artisan of some sort. It certainly shows as Ubud, artistically, is one of the most exciting places I've visited. Especially when westerners employ Balinese craftsmen to design shops and restaurants as local skills seem to go very well with western ideas.

Anyway, "Jakorta" means "Prince" in Indonesian and he certainly was a royalty. Mr. Rai was sleeping when we came to visit him as with traditional healers one does not make an appointment but simply shows up. Which is what we did, showed up unannounced to find him sleeping since he was preparing to go fishing later in the day. Jakorta Rai is 76 years old, tall and very skinny. He has nine children, the youngest of which is 9 years old. He carried himself with calmness and confidence and, yet, he was very approachable and humble. You truly felt you were in a presence of a prince but without the funny costumes, bowing servants and self-congratulating speeches. For that we needed to go to Thailand, but more about it later.

Mr. Rai gave Anjelika a treatment that on the surface looked like a simple acupressure session (apart from a little leaf that he took off a tree and asked her to swallow with a visualization) but she felt that there was much more to it and it certainly proved to be, as it resolved a problem she had on and off for most of her adult life, a problem that I couldn't help with 9 acupuncture treatments and that we spent a lot of time trying to address with other practitioners. It took him about 20 minutes. He didn't mention payment until we said we wanted to leave a donation. He asked us to put it on a table and left it up to us to decide how much we want to pay. We were in a presence of a genuine healer, unconcerned with the material aspects, devoted to the art of healing. His face is still with me. Anjelika was so impressed by him, she kept asking him to take us as students for the time we're in Bali. He turned us down as he already had students (according to him Greeks and Persians are the best because of their old culture). He also said that he has to check one's aura before he accepts that person as a student.
"What sort of healer are you?” Anjelika asked. "There are two kinds of problems", he said. "In some the heart is broken and in others it is a broken heart. I treat the second kind."

About four years ago we went to see a documentary "Ayurveda: The Art of Being". In that movie a camera pans across a long line of people that leads into a small hut in an Indian village. In that hut there is an old man in a dusty white t-shirt and black pants. At his feet there are large buckets with the bark of different trees. He prescribes it to people while his assistants write cooking instructions on small pieces of paper. Near an exit there is a box in which patients drop donations, whatever they can afford. A patient comes with a C-scan of a brain. He says that his brother's tumor has shrunk a lot and that he came for more medicine.

"Why do you not charge for your treatments?” they ask the medicine man.

"I don't need to", he says. "I have everything I need, a house, some land where I grow food, and there is a forest where I collect medicines."

"Do you have any wishes or concerns?” a filmmaker asks that man who seems genuinely happy.

"My only concern is those hooligans (I think he actually used that word "hooligans") who destroy the environment because it makes my trees die".

In the presence of Jakorta Rai I felt like I was in that movie. Everything I imagined about traditional healers came to play out in that Balinese village.

On our way from Bali to Bangkok we stood on a bus that was about to take us to the plane. Next to me was a man with a yellow, Lance Armstrong type bracelet. "Long Live the King" said the bracelet. I kept twisting my head around looking for "The King is Dead" as I thought that should be the beginning of the phrase. Little did I know that the man was serious and that I wouldn't find the beginning I was looking for but, rather, was about to land in a country with the biggest personality cult outside of North Korea. Forget Mao Zedong, his face is now mostly found on Chinese money, the Yuan, the Renminbi, the Quai, whatever you call it, it is one thing that a lot of Chinese and the People's republic itself are obsessively making these days. As I am writing about this, a Chinese man's cell phone goes off. The Chinese, it seems, have not discovered the joys of putting your cell phone on a vibrating mode. Because of that you're never too far away from a phone conversation in China. "Wei" they scream into the phones at the top of their lungs. The rest of the conversation often goes at the highest pitch possible. It's everywhere: on a subway, at a restaurant, in a toilet, and in a mall and, quite honestly, it can drive you nuts. So his phone goes and I perk up hearing the first familiar sound in many months. I struggle to place it and realize that I am hearing "Shalom Aleichem".

"It is good that you're half-Jewish", said my acupuncture teacher's father during my short-lived apprenticeship with him. (I was kicked out for bad behavior). The old man was a good acupuncturist himself and he thought Jews and Chinese have a lot in common. Well, he wasn't kidding.

"You are Jewish? Oh, you must be very clever!” said a young Chinese woman to Anjelika when she, like everyone else before her, didn't believe my wife was from New York and kept pressing for her identity.

"Jews are number one".

"Chinese are smart too", I said, remembering the old man and his belief that both Jews and Chinese are "smart and like money".

"Well, maybe Jews are number one and Chinese are number two", said the girl's friend making a face that clearly showed that he didn't think so.

They stopped us in a tunnel, speaking the best English I've heard in China and showering us with compliments (even I got one, the second compliment in Asia). They said they were art students, took us to their art studio, next to the headquarters of Shanghai Communist Party, and gave the most aggressive sales pitch I've been to. About halfway through it I realized that these two do not even remotely resemble art students I saw before - shy and dreamy-eyed. Anjelika calls me cynical and maybe I am, but as we were exiting their "studio" I've heard them curse us out. Maybe my compliments weren't genuine, after all.

That tunnel, by the way, leads to Pudong, the "new" part of Shanghai, the part that China wants to show the world. It has the latest architecture and the third tallest building in the world where I couldn't get in because I wore open-toe shoes. Jin Mao Tower won't be the tallest building in Shanghai for much longer, right next to it a new tower is being built, it looks like a giant bottle opener. With it China hopes to crack the world open and it has a name to support their ambitions: Shanghai World Trade Center. As the mayor of New York, the architect of the Liberty Tower, and the land owner of the Twin Towers can not agree on how to build New York World Trade Center, the Chinese are watching these three Jews argue with each other and are probably thinking "well, we just might be the number one."

Back to Thailand, the Land of the King. His portrait was everywhere as we came during his 60th year of the reign. For the next week Bangkok was all about the celebration with free food stalls and concerts. Thai people wore yellow t-shirts to show their support. The shirts were ridiculously expensive as street vendors were busy capitalizing on the celebrations. Monarchy and love for the king are carefully cultivated through posters, movies and daily TV updates. Each morning the national anthem wakes tourists up as it is played through Bangkok's loudspeakers. I don't speak Thai but I suspect it has something about the king in it. When I went to an acupuncture clinic in Bangkok's Chinatown I was treated very well by the nurses who allowed me to observe acupuncture treatments. In the afternoon we watched live TV broadcast of the celebrations. There were thousands of people in the square with foreign dignitaries wearing elaborate suits and sweating under Bangkok's sun. The king looked tired and his left eye was drooping as if he recently suffered a stroke. A few days ago Anjelika told me that he was just admitted to a hospital and that he's seriously ill. As he was presiding over the celebrations I saw that it comes to him at a great cost.

Anjelika does not like China. It's not an easy country to travel if you don't speak the language, it's hard to get a vegetarian meal (we already met two vegetarians who defected after spending some time here), and there are just too many people. Some of their non-vegetarian meals are the best Chinese cuisine has to offer but my wife can't enjoy it and I respect her desire for a clean food. I've indulged a few times and liked it, the only problem was that my tooth started hurting afterwards. Speaking of dentistry, I say to all fellow dental sufferers everywhere: if you have the time and a desire to see a very different country, you can combine it with some of the best and cheapest dental care in the world. We stumbled upon a clinic in Shanghai that is run by South Koreans and employs excellent Chinese dentists. Dr. Liu looked at the tooth that has been giving me problems for the past year or so. Two dentists in the US, including one who's got to be the most expensive in the Northeastern United States (as I regretfully realized after he gave me a bill), both of them said that I'd have to say good-bye to it. Dr. Liu, however, undertook to literally take it apart and put it back together. The problem was in my jawbone, underneath the tooth, there formed an abscess that grew each year. She took the crown off, took out 2 stents, cleaned out three improperly done root canals and put medicine in the root canals and the cavity underneath the tooth. She saved my tooth and charged me about $65 for the whole thing. It was a great experience and how often does one feel this way about going to a dentist? If anyone is interested, I have her coordinates. She is a great doctor and an excellent professional.

China is full of people, when we hear 1.3 billion we don't realize how many it actually is. It is a lot. People are everywhere, most Chinese who traveled to other countries always comment how nice it is that there aren't that many people. We're staying in a Beijing hutong, which is a classical old Beijing neighborhood with narrow, often dirty streets, public toilets, and public phones on every corner since most people don't have indoor plumbing or phone service. Old people sit outside their very little rooms watching the time go by, children are playing in the streets, and tourists get overcharged for everything. Men here like to walk out in the evening without a t-shirt and wearing boxers. In Shanghai it made for a strange site - an ultra-modern neighborhood with latest skyscrapers and manicured streets and right through it moves a great mass of people, enjoying an evening stroll and some of them are wearing nothing but their underwear. And right next to it we see an impromptu dance class, a teacher brings an old tape recorder and starts practicing tango moves, within a few minutes she has a devoted following copying her every step. Men join in too. Anjelika always comments how uninhibited Chinese men are in that sense. We saw a guy dancing with a traditional Chinese fan and he looked like the biggest queen in Chelsea. That's a great part of Chinese culture, Chinese are very social and physically active. At five in the morning every little public space has taichi practitioners, in the evening there are people flying kites, jogging, playing tennis and badminton and many other traditional Chinese sports that we don't even know about. Here it's mostly older people, especially in the morning. The younger ones are busy making money.

Today Anjelika had a breakthrough. She hasn't been enjoying China for the past five weeks. I've locked her up in Shanghai for a month even though a week there would be enough. She got her wallet stolen on a street, the guy must have been following her from the market because he did it very fast and no one did anything to stop him. People just kept moving around. With the wallet all of our cards were stolen. We have to go to the bank every other day to ask for an emergency encashment, the cards that should be shipped are not shipped in time. FedEx shipment with herbal tonics is held up because Chinese customs are looking for a doctor to confirm that we are not shipping drugs. In short, everything that could go wrong went wrong, or so it seemed to us. But today Anjelika had a breakthrough. She stopped resisting China and accepted a possibility that maybe the Universe is just asking her for some acceptance of China. She no longer dislikes spitting, pushing, and yelling. She is okay with it and says that the cards will come when they are supposed to come and we'll go to Tibet when we're supposed to go to Tibet. I felt it as soon as she woke up this morning, there was a great ease about her and she was happy to just hang out.

Beijing, it turns out, has its own Russian district. It is full of wholesale shops with some excellent products, the signs are in Russian, Chinese speak pretty good Russian language and there are restaurants selling very tasty Russian food. We had some of it and realized how much we've been missing our roots. It was good to visit that place. The Russians could not figure us out, as Anjelika sometimes would switch to English as it is easier for her. An Australian guy told us about the Russian district, he's been living in China for the past 6 months, speaks good Mandarin and says that he plans to stay here for a few years to satisfy his desire to learn the language and Chinese culture. He seems genuinely happy pursuing what he feels like doing even if it is not practical. Anjelika talks of Jonathan Livingston Seagull, of how he flew to the sun because he wanted to see what it is like, against the advice of older and wiser seagulls that warned him of all the dangers. I think he got burned and died happy pursuing what he believed in.

Well, today, hallelujah, we finally got our tickets to Tibet. I think enlightenment comes sooner. It is often hard to get correct information in China especially when one does not speak Chinese. Even our travel agent consults a Lonely Planet guide. But today, after a week of searching on how to get to Tibet via the new railway we struck gold.

Every foreigner needs a permit to visit the "autonomous" region of Tibet. Without it you can't buy a ticket into Tibet. A permit officially costs six to seven US dollars but no one will sell it to you at that price. In fact, the price varies depending on what else you buy from a travel agent. It is strange, as the permit is an official document and the price for it should be fixed by the Tibet Office of Tourism but that office itself sells it for higher than anyone else you ask. It is a bit like coming to an embassy and finding out that a visa costs a hundred dollars but they'll sell it to you for fifty if you buy some shish kebab from a guy around the corner.

After much searching we found an agent who sold it to us for 60 dollars per person. The agent made copies of our passports and sent 2 faxes. The permit itself looks like something a guy in a back room writes between his cups of coffee. I would have done it myself if not for the fear of landing in a Beijing jail where my dream of learning Chinese would surely realize.

Another great mystery is getting tickets for the railroad itself. According to eternally optimistic English-language channel of China's news agencies, the demand for the new railway service far exceeds its supply. Especially after the tour agencies started buying the tickets up in bulk and than scalping them at gravity defying prices. To be fair, Chinese government acted quickly and banned group sales, but soft-sleeper tickets, the most desirable ones when traveling for 48 hours, are nowhere to be found. Where they are, no one knows. They are either still sold under the table or Communist party bosses get them as Christmas bonuses.

Tickets are sold up to 10 days in advance but if you come to the station you will find that everything is sold out and only hard seats are available. So, the trick is to come very early in the morning - we were there at 4 am - in hopes of buying a hard-sleeper for the 10th day that just opened up. And today we were victorious!!! We have 2 tickets for a date 10 days from now. Our names are recorded in a travel book and we can't scalp them even though that thought crossed my mind. As I hear, the train stops at a few sights along the way to let people enjoy the beauty of the Tibetan plateau. Anjelika is beside herself, she can't wait to get out of China. To celebrate we went to see Beijing Imperial garden, one of UNESCO World Heritage sights. It was quite stunning. Anjelika said she felt fear in a sacrificial temple. It did smell a bit like a slaughterhouse even after all those years.

Tomorrow we are leaving for Pingyao, also part of UNESCO World Heritage sights. It is fully preserved Ming dynasty city with an intact city wall and flag-draped streets. But that will be a subject of another one of my blog entries.

Bangkok, Thailand

2006-06-14T04:21:00.000-04:00

Bangkok is one of Asia's most cosmopolitan cities. Bangkok exceeds 1500 square kilometers in area and is home to one-tenth of the country's population.

Bangkok means the City of Angels, just like Los Angeles. Same Same but different.
It is the land of smiles, people are indeed very friendly, Thai people are warm and generous hosts.

I am most enchanted with the glittering Buddhist temples, they glitter as if they are made of diamonds. Some temples contain the most exquisite, priceless Buddha statues. Pure emerald, and genuine white sapphire Buddhas resting on 22 caret thrones. A Gigantic gold plated Buddha, 46 meters long and 15 meters high with inlaid mother of pearl soles.

The palaces are breathtaking, it's good to be the King!
Palaces made of porcelain encrusted with crystals which sparkle in the sun. The Grand Palace is the most visited site in Bangkok, it consists of several structures with highly decorated architectural designs. The emerald Buddha, the most revered Buddha image in Thailand resides here- an extraordinary site.

Sasha and I are in love with Thai cuisine. Thai food prepared in NY does not compare, it does not contain the pure, ethnic spices nor the quality. There are vendors cooking on the streets all day long, we are sampling a lot of ethnic food, and surprising enough our stomachs are quite harmonious, no upsets. Highly enjoyable.

We have tried many types of massages in the past, but we truly have not experienced something as exceptional as the traditional Thai massage. This very therapeutic form of massage evolved from rishis(forest-dwelling Brahmin hermits) who relieved the physical stress of extended periods of meditation by adopting certain postures.

We arrived during a very festive time, yellow-clad Thais in their millions began jubilant celebrations to mark revered King Bhumibol Aduljadej's 60 years on the throne.
The world's longest reigning king is deeply loved and respected by Thai old and young. The streets of Bangkok are elaborate, there are professional performances hosted on the streets. It is beautiful to witness Thais demonstrating their loyalty to their King. When he made his appearance, many people cried, some lost consciousness, even I became emotional, looked like a scene from the days of the Beatles.
Thais are not missing out on the opportunity to party.
Famous singers, musicians are hosting free concerts in the park, a spectacular fireworks display witnessed by tens of thousands people wearing yellow shirts lighting yellow candles. Yellow- is the King's color. Free food served in the parks in honor of the King.
They even managed to manipulate the sky, I thought I was seeing many shooting stars lighting up the sky but in reality the twinkling in the sky was generated by tiny plains. How unique.

The festivities include a gala dinner attended by royalty from 25 nations, a spectacular royal barge procession manned by up to 2,500 navy officers and the release of 25,000 prisoners serving jail time for petty crimes. That was a very compassionate gesture.

Thai culture is most fascinating, the one very memorable experience that introduced us to Thai culture, religion, history, and art was exploring the Ancient City. An excellent reflection of Thailand's multi-faceted ancient culture. Here you can sample villages from all regions of the country. Beautiful reproductions of temples, palace halls, stupas, stone sanctuaries, and traditional houses. The statue of the Chinese Goddess of compassion, Quan-Yin won my heart.

We settled in the back-packers district, much fun and extremely entertaining- we experienced an energy that was so stimulating. I felt so fortunate to witness so many young people from all parts of the world following their heart, exploring the world. Thoroughly enjoying themselves. My perception is that more and more of the younger generation are not settling for the traditional way of life. They are searching for more meaning, they are engaging life passionately. This is very pleasing to witness. They are much happier people, they are wiser- their wisdom is acquired from LIVING EACH MOMENT TO THE FULLEST . I hope this consciousness infects the earth. May all people have the courage to follow the passions of their hearts!!!

Khao San Road, the backpacker district, is a reproduction to some extent of Times Square. Filled with bars, restaurants, neon signs, live DJ mixing music, merchants displaying their goods, dreadlock braid stalls. Food court wagons on the street selling everything from chicken heart kebabs to dried edible insects, people are actually consuming grasshoppers and roaches. Terrifying.
Very common for men to display their feminine nature, when the sun sets the men are transformed, they dress up as women.

You will particularly enjoy Khao San Road if you are an Israeli, or looking to connect with Israelis.
For most Israelis it is very important to be with the "HEVRA" (other Israelis.) They all gather in similar places. They have created a community here. Hotels, hostels, guest houses, restaurants, travel & internet services - many operated by Israelis. Israeli people are very loyal, they give their business to businesses operated by Israelis. Green House travel agency and hotel is the best we found in Bangkok. It's run by Israelis and they are very fair. They have free internet too! Quite a luxury in a country where they charge $1.5 for an hour of internet. If you are in Bangkok, pay them a visit, it's worth it. But be aware of travel agencies around the train station. They are notorious for ripping off tourists.

Bali offered an essential container of deep rest for us, Bangkok has been all about playing. Very nourishing to our spirit.

During my meditation practice I am feeling a stronger connection with John of God, I feel his presence and sometimes sense his instructions. He clearly communicated with me today, saying, what are you waiting for? you are ready! Go and work with people. I did not know how to interpret this message, am I supposed to seek out these opportunities? I spent most of the day developing a strategy, planning how to offer my services. Silly me. I had several healing sessions today and they both approached me on the street. Sasha and I were having a conversation with Dave, a gem shop owner from Nepal when J.J. from New Zealand approached me. He stands directly opposite me, holding both of his hands in prayer position directed at me. He spoke, "I asked god to guide me to a person who can direct me, and it is you." "I kept feeling the wind directing me to you," I felt a bit surprised, he continued.."You have a great heart, and your energy...I know you will guide me." I continued to feel startled, and thought of the earlier message from JOG, the words- what are you waiting for? were ringing in my ears. I asked that we step aside to talk, he shared his story with me. It is a story about a broken heart, I am quite familiar with this story.
A lot of people who are drawn to me have one common despair, how to manage love? How to transform the discomfort? How to control love? How to heal from a broken heart? How to find more love?
A message was flowing out of me for J.J, I almost felt the voice being a separate entity from me.. it told him exactly what he needed to know at the present moment. I watched his body freeze, he shed some tears, he experienced a release of emotions, he bowed to me and we parted.
Is it possible that I have the capacity to transmit the energy that can transform a being so profoundly? I do understand that I am just exploring this subject, I do feel a force guiding me. I am transmitting more messages to people, people are responding to me in an unusual way. It is common for me to be randomly stopped by strangers on the streets, but it is ocurring more frequent now, people are drawn more to the energy- they are conversing with me more freely, taking pictures with me, sharing intimate life stories with me. I suppose it is time for my gifts to emerge, every time someone experiences a profound healing, I must confess, I always cry in amazement.

My second experience surfaced immediately after J.J. with Dave, a gem shop owner from Nepal. Dave felt guided by the Grace of God to talk about a very intimate matter, his eyes expanded, his face turning pink as he shared his story with such intensity. Dave feels he has been plagued, cursed by a ghost in Nepal. He was a teenager, only 16 of age when his life was transformed by an encounter with a ghost. He explains this ghost had no limbs just a scarf covering its' face, he was terribly frightened as this ghost grabbed him by his shoulder leaving his imprints for months after. He is 25 today and speaks of this story with great sadness, he hasn't been able to sleep more than 3-4 hours a night. He feels tired, exhausted, his eyes crave terribly to rest but he is unable to. He knows that something is wrong with him, he feels his life is altered. We talked for a very long time, I shared my vision with him. I felt his experience with the spirit was a gift, his life has improved substantially as a result- he concurred. I asked that he stops battling with the story of a ghost and embrace the spirit. It was a gift, the mind had interpreted it as evil, developed a story around this and invested 9 years in telling there is something wrong with me. I asked that he channels this gift, that he stop being afraid of it. That same night Dave slept for 7.5 hours, he has been unable to feel such rest for 9 years. Dave and I met several times within a two week period and he reports to have slept on average between 6 and 8 hours a night. He is very grateful, and very hospitable- invited us to his home in Nepal when we travel towards India.
Dave attributes his healing to me. He concluded that my presence healed him. I don't think it was my presence, I sense that the universe utilizes me as a channel to deliver the messages. Because my intentions are pure, this message is delivered with great conviction, as a result reversing Dave's mental conditioning about the story of the bad spirit. Theoretically, Dave healed himself. Dave trusted the messenger unconditionally- this is absolutely essential in order for a healing to be effective. He felt my genuine, pure intentions, he trusts me and by extension trusts the message without question. It is this certainty that transforms his subconscious behavior. He is responsible for his healing. I see Dave's face often before I drift off to the sleeping realm, I say my prayer and visualize he is well and guided to channel his gifts.

We experienced true paradise on an island so pure, so harmonious- Phi Phi island in the south of Thailand. This is an island that had to restore itself due to the effects of the Tsunami, Phi Phi lost 10,000 lives to the Tsunami. I have talked to several survivors, hearing their stories and their challenges. It is surprising that they have collected themselves, their outlook is very positive- it has not dampened its' spirit.
This island, despite the hardships is absolutely stunning and the most beautiful unspoiled, undeveloped paradise I have witnessed. The movie "the Beach" was filmed here.

My relationship with EXISTENCE..................
"Every Step You Take is Grace In Action."
I once glanced through my Sufi books and found this saying. This statement has penetrated my heart- I have adopted it as a philosophy, applying it to all situations in my life. Realizing I certainly can't explain the many experiences showered upon me but I trust that all my life experiences and every single person that enters my life is GOD or Grace in action.
This is a very simple philosophy to adopt- beware of sophisticated philosophies.
you will probably want to debate this theory, asking how can child abuse, molestation, rape, murder, terrorism, tsunami be an act of grace. It's very hard for the analytical mind to embrace this concept, this can only be understood with the heart. Let us examine the acts of nature, mother nature- we perceive her to be perfect, every form in her creation functions in harmony. If she is perfect and harmonious then why does she not eliminate or fix what we humans perceive to be evil, why doesn't she absolve us of pain, of incurrable illnesses, of death, of irreversible natural disasters, or even worse - global conflicts and war. Maybe she does not perceive the world through our prism. Maybe this is perfect to her. Maybe this is what creates harmony. Maybe it is our relationship with good and evil that needs to be re-evaluated. Maybe the duality exists solely with in us. We are not capable of seeing the big picture there for unable to form judgments and opinions of what is wrong and what is right. Maybe the world is in perfect harmony, when this really settles in our hearts, our relationship with life and its experiences will not longer yield such devastation. I felt the peace truly settle in my heart when I transcended the reasonable/analytical to a mystical/spiritual existence. I speak of this subject with great conviction because I live according to this law of nature. It has transformed and healed my life. It has produced peace and harmony and most importantly a love for life. I am happy to dwell in this energy. I am also blessed and thankful to be able to spread this energy. I am grateful to have witnessed hundreds of lives transformed by this energy.

I am inviting you to take inventory of your life, what is it that makes you happy? Have you fulfilled your dreams? Your passions? What are you waiting for?
We should ask ourselves if what we engage in daily improves and enriches our life. Are we sincerely happy?
Do we spend our days pursuing someone else's goal?

I thank all the beautiful Thai people for making our trip very enjoyable.

BALI, Indonesia

2006-06-04T08:46:00.000-04:00

Brief History of Bali
The island of Bali lies east of Java. Bali is 2253sq. miles in area. The majority of Balinese are Hindu. Balinese Hinduism has elements of Buddhism. Rituals and ceremonies are performed to deities all day long, especially to lord SIVA.
Bali is full of dominating terrace rice fields creating amazing views of luscious green landscapes. Bali's only active volcano Gunung Agung is believed to be the center of the universe by the Balinese people. It is believed to be the home of the GODS.

Balinese people are remarkably artistic, living amid breathtaking panoramas.
They are also very friendly if you can look beyond their great desperate need to sell you something. This became apparent to us toward the end of our stay. Sasha and I were trying to find a private area on a beach at Lovina to do our meditation and qigong and people were continuously approaching us trying to sell us something. It was becoming a bit overwhelming until we were approached by Ketut Medra, an artist selling his paintings on the beach- he asked us to respect the locals- this is their sacred space and this is how they communicate with nature. Just like we come to admire the ocean, we should honor their culture. We were really touched by this man, he helped us get to know the Balinese on a deeper level. Ketut spoke about their daily challenges and that the education of his child depended upon his ability to raise 2000 rp. per day. That is 20 cents per day. The education of many children in Bali are sponsored by tourists. It is a very good feeling to be able to give hope to someone and to make a difference in someone's life. If you are interested in sponsoring the education of a child in Bali please contact us via email and we will be happy to forward you the information. My email: anjelikakremer@hotmail.com

I really respect the Australians, VIVA to all the citizens of Australia who are dedicated to sponsoring the education of many Balinese children. They are very attentive to the Balinese and are very generous in helping them.

Bali is a very attractive island to many westerners seeking to dwell here permanently. Bali has been exposed greatly by international tourists and they are doing their best to preserve their culture despite overwhelming foreign influences. I could feel the youth are terribly drawn to a more western life. Many Balinese women choose to marry foreigners because of desires to adopt the western culture. And some western women choose to marry Balinese men because they are enchanted with their dedication and devotion to the spirit world.

Balinese temples and village life
The Balinese take great pride in their temples. There are plenty temples all carved with brilliant illustrations and many scenes- their craftsmanship is extraordinary. They are so dedicated at decorating their shrines which can be found in public areas, on the roads. This island is alive with spirit. There are 3 million people living in Bali, there are 200,000 temples in Bali- that means there is at least one temple per compound. The Balinese village is essentially a religious community organized around a core of temples. Private life is ruled by village law. All members of family are obliged to live on this compound. If the Babekov family lived in Bali their compound would accommodate about 75 people. How amazing would that be?

Balinese and their ceremonies to the spirit world
Spiritual offerings made of flowers are offered many times during the day to the Gods. Walking through the streets in Bali witnessing these ceremonies creates a very pure, elevated vibration with in. You have to pay special attention not to step on their offerings.
The women are dressed very festive during the making of the offerings, they dress very colorful, their beauty is inspiring. The women spend most of their day preparing offerings, performing the ceremonies and cleaning up after. They are very feminine, which explains this beautiful energy in Bali- it is the feminine energy.

On UBUD
Ubud is by far our favorite place in Bali, we rented a beautiful hotel with a huge terrace with views of the volcano and a balcony. Majestic views in the center of Ubud for under $12 per day including a nice breakfast prepared by Made. Made is the Zen master of pancakes- his banana pancakes will be forever a pleaser.
Everything in Bali is very affordable- some of our meals are under $5, that's for two appetizers and two main entrees. I can truly understand why many tourists end up becoming permanent residents.

Our land lady is Australian, lives in Bali for 7 years. Charlotte just happened to be a very important guide and a remarkable host. She introduced us to her spiritual Teacher who is also a great healer, we participated in a full moon ceremony held at his ashram. He gave Sasha and I a very helpful consultation regarding our development as healers. His message was very simple, "focus on your spirit, develop your connection to spirit, don't distract yourself with techniques. You chanel the healing energy from the spirit, concentrate on spiritual development." This was a confirmation for me that no teacher can enhance your technique, a true teacher will point you to your inner truth. To help you discover your inner treasure, because the spirit has the answers.

Earlier in the blog, I believe it was the first entry, I mentioned a medicine man that Elizabeth mentions in her book Eat, Pray, Love. She meets a medicine man who invites her to Bali so he can share his wisdom. Well, we met him today. She does not reveal the real names of any of the characters in the book. As soon as we arrived in Bali, I asked to be guided to find this medicine man and the universe always responds, we found him. We were not really looking for him, we rented bicycles for the day to explore Ubud looking for a shamanic healer Jakorta Rai. How very bizarre. We were escorted straight to Ketut's house.

Ketut Liyer, the medicine man is also a great artist. The only way I was able to identify him as the medicine man that Liz met is he resembled the man she described and he remembered Liz. I am stunned, surprised, and very emotional. He is a very pleasant, humorous man. He invited us to join him in a ceremony. Dual holiday today, Kuningan and Waisak. Kuningan is Balinese Hindu and is a farewell ceremony to the Gods as they leave the earth after visiting. They visit twice yearly. This is a very decked out and decorated holiday. A very festive celebration. Waisak is the annual Buddhist celebration which will find many Chinese temples in Bali full of worshippers.
We join in on this celebration, he guides us through a meditation, prayer, chanting and gives both Sasha and I readings. His readings were very helpful. He helped me understand my energetic system and advised that I be gentle to my fragile, emotional system. He also revealed certain traits of Sasha that I was unable to resolve for myself. He shed some light and cleared up a lot of the fog. To our dear parents, who pray so hard for us to produce little angels, well according to this medicine man there will be three. So please be patient. God is preparing them in his laboratory.

An hour after meeting Ketut we met with Jakorta Rai, a traditional energy medicine healer, he performed a healing session on me which was a profound experience. The session was very intense and very painful. He was re-balancing my energy system using techniques of the traditional Balinese and Mexican healers.
He was a healer with great presence. He gave me a potion which should protect my body because he too concluded that I have a very emotional, sensitive and fragile system. Jakorta Rai performed magical passes over my body and was praying over it. He picked a leaf from a tree in his backyard and put it in my mouth and asked me to chew it. He asked that I visualize its juices flowing through each chakra and store this juice in the sacral center. The day after this treatment, I had a desire to come back to him and beg him to let me stay to watch him work with other people, to witness his healing. I suppressed that desire, not very wise. By the way, Jakorta Rai is 76 years old, in great shape and has 9 children, the youngest of which is 10 years old. This old man must be chewing some great leaves, himself!

I also had a vision that revealed what the healing entailed. He erased a genetic skin illness I adopted from my father's side. I saw him revising the memory contained in my DNA cells. This vision is very hard to explain, because I don't know the medical terminology for what I witnessed. It was mystical.

My visions and readings for other people continue to grow stronger and more accurate. I shared a vision with Charlotte, told her she will have a fourth child, it will be a girl and she will be very gifted. Charlotte confirmed that three other people gave her a similar reading not too long ago. I am feeling more comfortable with the ability to share my visions with people and feeling less concerned if they are accurate. This is a good practice for me. To speak them as I see them. I am picking up more and more imprints from people and reading their emotions. Using sense perception more.

On driving in Bali
Balinese are fierce drivers.
There are limited driving regulations and almost no parking regulations. Traffic signs, and signals are rare. You are the master on the road, create your own rules. Not too many cars on the road, mostly motorcycles where a family of four crams in on a small motorbike. Children as young as 10 operate a motor bike, infants are transported on motor bike. Very entertaining. We rented a car, the first two days were very challenging, needed plenty of RESCUE remedy. Highly advisable to travel by motor bike but I haven't transformed the trauma endured to my collar bone 7 years ago due to a motor bike accident. Still healing.

Sightseeing
The first week in Bali was all about exploration and the other three weeks were focused on connecting with nature and deeply resting. We rested thoroughly.

Gunung Batur is the most active volcano in Bali. It has erupted more than 20 times in the last 200 years. What surprised me most is that people built communities around the volcano, at the foot of the volcano where lava was deposited by old eruptions. Lake Batur was a beautiful site, this is the main source of irrigation for much of the agriculture of central and east Bali. On the slopes of another volcano, the Gunung Agung where the Balinese believe the spirits of their ancestors live is the Besakih Temple complex, a grand complex of 22 temples spread over one mile. There is active worship here, the shrines are decorated, offerings of flowers everywhere.

We are really enjoying the more private, less touristy beaches in the south east and west of Bali.
The tourists mostly flock to Kuta, Seminyak, Legian, Jimbaran, and Sanur- there are many sophisticated resorts here which tailor to mostly high-end tourists. Jimbaran has the most tasty fresh seafood which they grill on the premises, delicious. Drum circles and all sorts of dance performances by the beach in Legian are very entertaining. Of course, for those who love to people watch, Kuta takes the gold.

Having a car is very convenient, Sasha without a doubt adopts quickly and navigates like a pro, handling a map in one hand and the wheel in the other. We have a base in Ubud, Charlotte and Nyoman are very kind to safekeep our luggage while we explore Bali and the neighboring islands. Nyoman and Charlotte have a beautiful resort, Narasoma, in the center of Ubud with views of the great volcano.
The Balinese have been very helpful in directing us- in fact for all Balinese there are three very important questions they ask every foreigner. First question is where are you from? Then, where are you going? And finally, are you married? If you are not you should bend the truth a little, because they find it very disconcerting. They are able to place you in their universe, and respect you when you travel with confidence.

While exploring the south, we located an oasis, truly a sanctuary. A blue lagoon, which requires that you hike quite a distance. The hike is quite the adventure, the path is very narrow, rough and unpaved trail, with tall grass and bushy trees. Then you reach the oasis, the scene reminds me of the movie "The Beach" with Leonardo De Caprio on a deserted island minus the cultish experience. This small oasis is very undeveloped, quiet and peaceful. God's masterpiece. We rented a very private bungalow facing beautiful lotus ponds and lush gardens. Heaven indeed.

On restaurants and shops in Bali
At large, the westerners are responsible for developing most of Bali's exotic shops and restaurants, especially in Ubud. The design and architecture of the stores, boutiques, and restaurants exceeds anything I have seen thus far. I thought SOHO was exotic, every shopping and dining experience in Ubud is like walking through MOMA, a gallery exhibiting art of the highest quality. Dining in Ubud is a special experience, lotus ponds at your feet, with views of the rice fields, it is breathtaking. The presentations are very sophisticated. Absolutely decadent. I am concerned about gaining weight, but who cares, too pleasurable to avoid. I'll loose it in India.

On Balinese women
They are my HEROES.
I have been observing attentively to the life of a Balinese woman and am impressed that they are able to manage so much and still maintain their exotic beauty.
As a young Balinese woman you are expected to serve the compound, you are responsible for all the chores of the compound. It is very important to master the art of dancing, traditional Balinese ceremonies/celebrations include performances by young Balinese women, only virgins perform their sacred dances.
They marry young and move into a husband's compound, much like the ancient bukharian traditions. She needs to take care of everyone living in her husband's compound.
A lot of time is allocated to the preparations of ceremonies and making of the offerings. The appropriate dress code, colorful sarongs, a corset and a lace blouse. They look so graceful. Imagine wearing a corset in the 100 degree weather. They also transport their own groceries by motor bike in their silk sarongs and corsets. Many carry their groceries perfectly balanced at the top of the head, on top of their fragile little heads.
They also work, in either a local boutique or a restaurant. This is the average life of a Balinese woman, surprising to me- they always seem to smile. This must be the grace of God.

A bit on Balinese men, not my favorite subject here, and of course this does not apply to all Balinese men. They hang out on the streets playing chess, cards, drinking and smoking. A bit unbalanced, right? Maybe also God's grace.
It is good to be a man in Bali, unless of course you marry a western woman, then the rules are a bit to your disadvantage. Most western women have a cook, a maid, a nanny, a tutor for the children, etc. everything is taken care of. One challenge though, the western women are not completely embraced by the in-laws. The in-laws will try to do black magic to have you cast out of their circle of trust. This is according to a story of one very brave western woman, who is extracting her lessons patiently.
Magic is very fascinating to the Balinese, both black and white. We were very curious to investigate and maybe interview the practitioners of magic but were strongly advised not to.

I would like to talk about cultivating trust in the universe, my first lesson was 7 years ago. I was employed at a reputable financial institution with a very lucrative position when I first met my Teacher. Her self-less service to humanity forced me to evaluate my direction in life. My interests shifted rapidly, no longer feeling rewarded or motivated by my work. I knew one thing for sure, I could not continue living this life style anymore. I trusted that I was in the presence of someone who was very divinely connected and I chose to surrender my will to her and her mission.

My journey to trusting the divine through a guru... I resigned 5 months after meeting her, sold my apartment, liquidated all my assets, this was the price I chose to pay for a chance to pursue a spiritual life, a life with greater meaning . My material ambitions dissolved. It was so easy to act on this change when you are guided by a Teacher who represents God to you, who with certainty assures you that your purpose on this earth is to be of service to people. She was a thief, she stole all my fears, all my doubts. Trusting the universe through the coaching of my guru was an excellent stepping stone to the real lesson.
The real lesson today is to trust in my personal, direct experiences. To trust in my dreams, in my passions, my desires without a coach. Whether they yield positive experiences is insignificant now. All experiences are positive. I am learning to extract inspiration directly from the source, directly from the universe, trusting my own voice. No one is shielding me anymore, I am experiencing life raw, feeling the doubts and the fears and all the emotions that help mold me as a whole person. I experience the obstacles and the challenges, and that is a perfect life to me. The only person to turn to is myself. You begin to develop an intimate relationship with yourself and your truth starts to reveal its face. This is how intuition grows.

We took a small fishing motor boat from Padang Bai to Nusa Lemongan, a very wet experience and you are very intimate with the vast ocean. I gazed at this vastness and heard the message of the water. She spoke,
"Be like me.
Be still.
Be quiet.
I am taken care of and so will you be.
I am directed and so will you be.
Stop.
Be still."

My interpretation, we need to stop seeking the answers to all of life's questions, we need to stop planning the outcome of everything in our lives. We should embrace the mystical, uncertain vibration called life. To be more fluid, trust that like the ocean we will be taken care of.

I gave a treatment to Wayan, a massage therapist on a small island south east of Bali, Nusa Lembongan. By the way, there are only four names given to newborns in Bali: Ketut, Wayan, Made, and Nyoman. Not too many options, if there is a fifth child they start over.

Wayan provides her services to tourists, her fee- $6/hour. Sasha and I both received massages from her. While she was working on me, I couldn't help but feel her hands transmitting a lot of pain. I kept sensing worry, anxiety, fear. I tried my best to enjoy the massage, she had very good hands but these impressions were disturbing my treatment. I was getting a clear reading as soon as she touched me. I asked if I could give her a treatment later that evening. She was very concerned that she could not afford to pay me, I asked that she accepts the treatmet as a gift. As I treated her I was clearly able to feel which organs are deficient and the emotions that are overwhelming her, then something bizarre happened I started to feel the pain of all Balinese women. I could not contain my tears, as they were pouring out of me. My body felt their collective sadness. Scenes were flashing before me of the suffering, the struggles the women endure. I started to pray, I was visualizing that they were showered with love and joy, that their struggles are turned over to the ether for resolution. Through this experience, I was able to feel the collective pain of every woman. When Wayan collected herself, I saw her face transformed, it was gleaming. She was hardly containing her tears, we did not have to say much, we connected woman to woman, heart to heart.
She later continued to share her worries, she has two children, her husband is a seaweed farmer, she considers him unemployed. All of her wages are spent on ceremonial accessories, they are required to prepare very lavish ceremonies and offerings and most are unable to afford it. They borrow money. With great sadness she confessed that ceremonies are unaffordable, she has to get loans to be able to make the daily offerings. I wonder if the Gods are happy to be witnessing most families worshipping them at such a great cost. I wonder if the Balinese are over absorbed with pleasing the Gods, and overlooking passionately engaging life in the present.
The average Balinese earns on average $9/day. A special piece of garment used for the ceremonies costs $30. Why should devotion cost so much?
I am enchanted with their devotion, however, I do think passionate living should not be dismissed.

Thank you to all the wonderful, generous people who crossed our path in Bali and made it highly enjoyable.

FAVORITE PLACES TO STAY, EAT AND PLAY IN BALI
These suggestions are based on budget travel, spending on average $25/day for two people-includes meals, accomodations, entertainment and transportation.

UBUD

To stay: Narasoma: (beji lane, jl. Monkey forest) tel: 0361-973-404

To eat: lotus cafe, 3 monkeys restaurant, for traditional Balinese village food for under $1 an entree and absolutely delicious- Dewa Warung (jl. Gautama)

To play: monkey forest, the volcanoes, tour of rice fiels, the temples

To heal: UBUD bodyworks centre. Ketut Arsana is the healer. (25 Hanoman st)
tel: 0361-975720
Jakorta Rai- Negiri Village, well known shamanic healer.
Mr. Ketut Liyer, medicine man in pengosekan mas tel: 0361-974092

Airline tickets: Wayan is a very helpful and honest man. Sadika Semara tours
Tel: 62-361-975576

Car rental: Wayan's friend Ketut, a simple Jimmy will cost you $8/day.

NUSA LEMONGAN

To stay: Daniel's bungalows and Linda

To eat: suka nusa

To play: dream beach

LEGIAN

To eat: Zanzibar

To play: People watching, great performances on the beach, drum circles

LOVINA

To stay: agumi beach (kaliasem) tel: 0362-41125

To eat: le nasi goring, bu warung

Suggestions to avoid jet lag and all the unfavorable symptoms that can arise in a foreign country
These remedies really work for us, for seven days prior to leaving for travel to a foreign country we took echinacea and goldenseal (compound liquid formula made by herb pharm)twice a day.
We regularly take rescue remedy by Bach Flower Essence. We continue to take it during our travels.
There is a homeopathic formula called jet lag, just follow their recommendations.
We flew for over 20 hours to Bali from San Francisco and upon arrival we adjusted immediately to their time zone, did not feel tired or sick.

Our natural mosquito remedy: pure coconot oil and pure citronella oil. Mix 30ml. of citronella oil with one litre of coconut oil. Works great and smells good too.

Sebastopol, California

2006-05-08T14:53:00.000-04:00

Our drive from San Diego to Sebastopol via highway 1 was very memorable, and breathtakig. Route One was very animated, we experienced the California coast the way it is meant to be experienced.

With views of rugged canyons and steep sea cliffs, granite shorelines and windswept cypress trees, majestic redwood forests and pristine coastline, you feel the urge to do nothing but sit back and relax.

The City of Sebastopol is a small semi-urban community located in California, on the western edge of the Santa Rosa plain. It is 50 miles north of San Francisco, 8 miles west of Santa Rosa, 10 miles from Bodega Bay, and about 15 miles from the Russian River. The City, incorporated in 1902, currently has a population of about 7,800.

We arrived at Sonoma County, the wine country, where stretches of vineyards, valleys, mountains, lakes and rivers embrace this cozy community. We were hosted by Nancy's family, a very unique experience. They are very loving and generous with their time and the hospitality is a 10+. This is the house of love, many have expressed this to me. There are many wondering souls living at Gail's community, here everyone is welcome.

Gail and Nancy adopted us for the week. I had administered very strong healing sessions to most of Nancy's family, I realize how very fortunate I am to be able to chanell the healing energy. AURORA has been a great container of that energy, and now she is with me in spirit.

I really connected with Gail, Nancy's mother who has a history similar to Allison DuBois- the medium who inspired the show Medium.
Gail was happy to share her paranormal experiences with us, we were certainly very enthusiastic to hear all the tales. She participated in many scientific studies on remote viewing, helped solve crimes and she does this while managing a large household and she is fully engaged in a family life. This was very impressive to me. She is traveling to Mongolia soon to meet with her Teacher, a very powerful Shaman. She invited us to join her in July. This might be probable.

We went on a scenic air tour with Nancy's father. It was a 4 seater propeller plane. Sasha was the co-pilot, Arthur gave brief instructions to Sasha and Sasha took off- as if he's done this for years. He did exceptionally well, we all had a fascinating experience.

Hi, this is Sasha, adding my little piece. I wanted to talk a bit about flying. It was an amazing experience! Because we flew in a small Cesna you really feel like you're flying! Like a bird, almost. We flew over the coastline of Northern California, circled an incredible Buddhist monastery - nothing like I've seen before in the US, Anjelika we'll be posting pictures, and went to San Francisco to fly over Golden Gate Bridge, Alcatraz, and some of the priciest real estate in California. One of my favorite pictures that Anjelika took that day was of two sailboats, alone in a big wide ocean.

I saw how small we are compared to the awesome greatness of Nature. Arthur pointed out a neighborhood where a few houses were washed away during recent flooding and I saw these really little boxes facing an enormous ocean stretching out as far as the eye can see and I truly felt how it is so easy for a wave to erase so much of what humans build.

San Diego, California

2006-05-06T21:58:00.000-04:00

San Diego, the second largest city in California where blue skies keep watch on 70 miles of beaches and a gentle Mediterranean climate. This is certainly the place to settle and perhaps raise a family. Bordered by Mexico, the Pacific Ocean, the Anza-Borrego Desert and the Laguna Mountains, San Diego county's 4,200 square miles offer immense options.

The weather is impeccable, just perfect. Grab the kids and explore 70 miles of beaches, SeaWorld Adventure Park, The World-Famous San Diego Zoo, LEGOLAND California and the San Diego Zoo's Wild Animal Park. Whatever your pleasure, San Diego is the ultimate playground for the family.

We absolutely adored San Diego, we stayed with cousins who are models for the perfect hospitable family. Even though I interacted maybe twice in my entire life with cousin Irene, her family embraced us with such warmth.
They had two beautiful daughters, Sophia and Arielle won our hearts. They were extremely entertaining and brilliant, after meeting them Sasha I had the desire to create some of our own beauties.

Gary gave us a guided tour of Tijuana, where we stayed at their beach house overnight. The only challenge was crossing the border back to San Diego. The Mexicans and some Americans were perfectly content waiting 4-5 hours on line to be evaluated by officials- this was required if you wanted to cross the border.

If you are planning to visit Tijuana make sure to take a bike with you, this is the only sure way to cross the border without waiting on line.

To My Beautiful Bukharian Tribe

2006-05-05T23:41:00.000-04:00

I would like to address the many questions raised by my community regarding the purpose of our spiritual journey.

I can so understand why they are worried and confused, many have assumed that the unconventional life I lead is inappropriate and a disgrace to the Bukharian tradition.

I respect their beliefs, honor the customs and most importantly I have to honor that my life path is very different. My only obligation is to respect my truth and the desires of my heart.

I am not living the life they have embraced. I am not settling, nor buying a home, or having any children yet. I know this is unacceptable for many but I plead with you to not judge me so harshly. I am at the roots a part of you, the only difference is I am entertaining a life with different goals, different ambitions.

I would not be fulfilled starting a family now or settling down in a community that provides us all the material comfort. I had the financial independence, and many abundances but I was deeply unfulfilled and sad. I prayed to God for guidance, and asked so many questions. I asked what is the purpose of this life, there has to be more than just our commitment to work, family and friends. Please show me the purpose of this life. I so wanted to live a life with more meaning, I prayed every night and the Universe responded.

This is a very emotional topic for me, I have spent many nights crying because I love my family so much and want to avoid causing them any pain.

This is my path today, the Universe responded to my calling. It has given me a greater meaning. My heart is overwhelmed with immense joy and content. Emotions I thought I would never be able to experience. I have been given a great, huge gift - and that is to fulfill my purpose in this life. How fortunate I feel to have a companion for life who shares the same dreams as I do. Thank you my dearest Sasha, you are a great support.

My purpose is to evolve as an extraordinary healer, to become a pure channel- a person who can enrich people's lives, guide people to feel more peaceful, more harmonious, free of emotional and physical traumas.

In order for me to evolve as a healer, I am drawn to visit the many traditional medicine people. This is why Sasha and I are on a spiritual, healing quest. So that we can learn how to be of better service to people. This is why we chose to visit spiritual countries like Indonesia, China, India and Brazil.

Our purpose- to be of service to people.

Please remember that I am very happy and I desire to live a different life, please embrace my choices.

I love you.

Las Vegas, Nevada

2006-05-01T02:06:00.000-04:00

"The sinful playground, an oasis of indulgence."

Everything feels attainable here in make believe land.
An international smorgas board. Where glitter, fine dining, upscale boutiques, fancy women, dancing fountains, the Statue of Liberty, the Eiffel tower, the Sphinx, was much more than my eyes can absorb.
I forgot to mention the colossal casinos. Many, many entertaining casinos.

Destiny or the Universe conveniently planned a little joke on us. So far we have spent the longest time in Las Vegas, God knows why.
I think this was the big survival test. On average, in the past month we have spent up to three nights in all the energetic, spiritual environments. Except for Vegas- we spent a whole 4 nights.

This was certainly not how I would prefer to spend my time, but fate decided otherwise. We decided at the last minute to see "O" a spectacular show performed by Circue De Soleil-worth waiting for and worth every inch of discomfort my body experienced. I actually had physical reactions to this sinful city. I will not discuss the details of my reactions, but it felt like my body was attacked by a horrible virus. Taking days to repair.

The Grand Canyon (west) invites us on a private tour

2006-04-24T20:51:00.000-04:00

This magical Wild West experience was raw and un-interrupted. We stopped in a small town called Peach Springs for lunch. Very surprising to learn that we were on a Hualapai Indian Reservation. They own and occupy the Grand Canyon West.

We were guided by the locals to drive about 25 miles down to the floor of the Grand Canyon. The drive was very rough; the only rode to the bottom is dirty and unpaved. Not a car or person in sight, just the two of us. What an intimate and splendid experience. Reminded me of the road to Hanna in Hawaii.
The landscapes are so overwhelming we needed to stop every so often to process the beauty. As we we are driving, I asked the Great Canyon the golden question, what is your message? She did not respond at first.

I was co-existing, experiencing a blend of emotions- the beauty, the joy, and much discomfort all at the same time. At the start of the drive I felt extreme discomfort. All these painful memories were unfolding. I was viewing scattered scenes of sad impressions since childhood. There was no specific order to this movie. It was scattered and sad. I asked, what is the purpose of seeing and feeling all this? The feelings/memories continued to deepen. I asked again, what do I do with all this? The canyon responded, "FORGIVENESS" Then the message continued to flow.

The Canyon's message is about the importance of forgiveness and the significant danger we cause our existence because of our inability to forgive. This is her message.

The Earth absorbs every traumatic experience humans endure.
She then releases this sick, toxic frequency into the ether where it continues to pollute our environment.
Every negative, hurtful, painful memory leaves an unhealthy imprint in the air we breathe.
We breathe these toxic emotions.
If we release all old sorrows, then we can contribute to the healing of the planet.
Release all old, hurtful memories.
Forgiveness is essential, so that people and the planet can elevate and respond to a higher vibration.

Please help us all cultivate the art of forgiveness.

Immediately after hearing this Sasha and I felt very sleepy and tired. Sasha felt wave like sensations flowing through his body. All I wanted to do was soak and seep in this unspoiled energy.

When you're in the presence of a strong energetic force, and this force can reside in a person or thing- their natural purity emanates as a cleansing vibration and can't help but force anything disturbing or unhealthy with in to arise. Anything interfering with our ability to live in harmony with ourselves and others will manifest so that we can resolve it.

The Canyon was a vehicle that channeled a powerful cleansing energy for me, it helped address many un-expressed emotions. Particularly the un-expressed sorrow and guilt associated with the way my Teacher and I parted. Since I can't express this to her directly, I know she will feel my deepest, sincerest gratitude and my deepest apologies if I've caused her any pain. I know she feels my peace offering.
All the emotions cleared and resolved once I allowed them, experienced them, and most importantly once I forgave myself.

I thank all the invisible forces who participated in organizing this highly enjoyable day.

If you are interested in receiving our albums via e-mail, please be sure let me know at anjelikakremer@yahoo.com

Sedona, Arizona

2006-04-24T16:04:00.000-04:00

Sedona, a spectacular natural beauty surrounding red-rock landscape here is awe-striking.

It is the new age destination, up to eight energy vortexes were discovered in the 1980's. More than 4 million visitors flock annually to its upscale resorts, restaurants, art galleries, and many to soak up some of the electromagnetic energy emanating from Sedona's rocks, cliffs, and rivers.

We located a center for the new age- the home of Sedona's finest psychics and healers. Due to the energy vortexes, Sedona draws many psychics, healers, metaphysical new age shop owners. I have never seen so many new age shops in a two mile radius. Crystals are abundant here, there's a crystal shop on every block, let me correct myself, there are at least two crystal shops on every block. If the shop owners detect your sensitivity to crystals they invite you to feel the energy of these medicinal potions. They are essences containing certain crystal energy. There was one shop lady who asked me to feel a channeled potion of 12 essential crystals, channeled by Dwal Kool. You were only invited to hold the bottle in your hands.
She reported that after experimenting with this essence for one week people started to notice rays of light emanating from her body.

A vortex is a swirling center of subtle energy rising from the surface of the earth. They are power centers. Sedona is alive with harmony, love, passion, and fun. I feel that Sedona as a whole is a Spiritual Power Center. According to history it is believed that Sedona has four main energy vortexes- I feel different, I feel Sedona is one large energy vortex. If you are a sensitive being it is simple to feel this energy.
Juniper trees respond to the vortex energy in a physical way that reveals where this energy is the strongest. The stronger the energy, the more of a twist in their branches.

The four vortexes as per the new age center:
The Airport Vortex
This energy strengthens the masculine side, manifests self-confidence, internal strength, takings risks.
Red Crossing/Cathedral Rock Vortex
The energy of this vortex helps strengthen the feminine side, manifests goodness, kindness, compassion, patience.
Boynton Canyon Vortex
This energy vortex strengthens the masculine/feminine or yin/yang balance.
Bell Rock Vortex
This vortex strengthens all three parts, the masculine, the feminine, and the balance.

Since I am experiencing the energy as a whole and not in pieces, I strongly sense all these virtues in all of Sedona. This beautiful Red City represents the energy of the first chakra according to Hindu tradition of energy medicine. The fist chakra symbolizes passion, romance, strength, powerful roots, stability and birth. The color of the fist chakra is red. It is believed that the brilliant serpent sleeps at the base of the spine or the rook chakra. This is how I experience Sedona.

In search for the energy vortexes. The new age center provided us with a map and directions to the energy centers. These were very vague instructions. As we hike the trails, and this seems to be quite a challenging exploration. None of the trails are marked. I think the new agers purposely decided to omit the precise directions- forcing us to tap into our inner source of information, our intuition. The search was complicated; we located some of the centers but weren't really feeling anything emanating from the points. Maybe it's a marketing strategy. I also observed other people who were hiking; they all had the same confused look on their face. The kind that says, hm.... should I be feeling anything?

I really fell in love with the design, taste, and architecture of the homes in Sedona. Spanish culture highly influences the architecture here. The homes are constructed in complete harmony with nature. Sedona, a red city, all the homes are built with a red brick called adobe- they blend in with the earth. This is why you feel a general sense of great harmony and inner peace, because everything is designed in harmony with nature. What else contributes to this great harmony? The forests, the canyons, the rivers- all 3.5 million acres of it.

Sedona, you have earned a five star.

Grand Canyon Village

2006-04-24T14:44:00.000-04:00

I would like to comment on Sasha's great navigational abilities. He is quite exceptional, and his memory is brilliant. He is able to locate all the scenic routes, which are absolutely breathtaking. We haven't really been on highway roads since leaving Atlanta.

I am experiencing great appreciation for the great US of A. God Bless her. She is filled with culture, art, forests, rivers, and enchanting landscapes. She is gracious, hospitable, and she certainly has an attitude. She is perfect. She is embracing us with so much joy and pleasure. Thank you for your beauty. I have been feeling a bit patriotic recently. Thank you, thank you, and thank you.

The Grand Canyon Village is USA's most famous attraction. Perhaps no landscape on earth is as surprising as the face of the Grand Canyon. Over several million years the Colorado River has carved these rocks, cliffs, and crevices. The canyon is 277 miles long and about one mile deep. We explored the South Rim- many more scenic view points and the most popular.

We were a bit overwhelmed because the village is highly developed- too many curious tourists. My sense was that its spectacular vibrations were kind of blocked, its beauty and intensity is altered due to over development. They even publish a monthly newspaper. In this village you'll find hotels, camping, restaurants, stores, buses, trains, a clinic, a bank, a post office and of course lots of people.
There are many hiking trails but you have to be prepared. We are dressed too fashionable to hike for more than two miles. Many of the scenic view points may only be accessed via the shuttle buses- and they were all over crowded with long lines. The congestion felt very familiar, reminded me of NYC. I suppose after our experience at Canyon De Chelle, our sacred relationship with the canyons remained a precious memory. We just could not develop an intimate relationship with the village, we spent at the most two hours, and although our minds were convincing us to stay and complete the tours our hearts wanted to run. And we did. We felt energetically depleted, very tired and could not wait to go to our room to nap.

This natural wonder, more that one hundred years ago was pure and undeveloped, sharing its vibrant energy with the universe. In 1919 the U.S. Congress realized the Canyons needed protecting; they decided to develop it, to market it, to profit from it. This great treasure required no protecting fro the force of nature. The great Mother Nature is its protector. I feel very sad that it isn't treated with the respect she deserves.

I honor you, and my wishes are that one day you will be released back into the loving hands of your Mother.

It has become apparent for me that I am most happy in pure, undeveloped, unspoiled settings. I am not really responding to popular tourist attractions. No need in trying to fit in or belong when I simply drum to a different beat. If the Navajos will have us we might choose to settle on an Indian Reservation. What is nourishing our souls is the preserved purity, and the information of the wise Shamans contained on this reservation.

As far as lodging is concerned, our accommodations are very simple, very humble- sometimes so simple I wonder how we manage to function in the morning. For the first few hours we are not very sober. Every so often we are given a surprising luxurious suite; I think the universe pities us wondering pilgrims and decides to reward us with complimentary suites. When we are rewarded with a suite I end up worshipping the shower for hours. Reminding me not to take for granted the pretty things. I do enjoy the pretty things.

Sasha's thoughts on the Southwest and other things

2006-04-24T13:40:00.000-04:00

I wanted to write about my experiences after meeting John of God and while observing Anjelika's reactions. I must say, the trances after her conversation with JOG were quite enjoyable for me, as well! She would disappear into one while I was driving and within a few minutes a wave of silence would come over and fill the car. At times it would be hard to stay awake, it was so powerful.

He certainly provoked a change of direction in me. I remember a few days after: we were taking a yoga class at a friend's house in North Carolina. While doing the asanas, I, rather than focusing on my divine nature, was having a conversation with myself:

I: I think we should open a practice in one of these nice areas, I think we will do well.

Somebody Else In Me, Quite Sarcastic: So, what you gonna do, buy a house and shop in Whole Foods?

I: What's wrong with that?

Somebody Else: You are boring!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I: And what do you want me to do, devote myself to service?

Somebody Else: And what's wrong with THAT?

And so it went and went. The funny thing, I actually quite like Whole Foods and don't think there's anything wrong with having a nice house but that voice kept growing stronger and stronger with every day, demanding to be heard until I finally relented and me and my wife had a conversation over a wonderful breakfast at Cafe Pasqual in Santa Fe. By the way, if you're ever in Santa Fe, go there, it is one of the best breakfasts I've ever had outside of Anjelika's or my Mom's houses.

Anyway, we had a conversation in which I conceded defeat and said that there's no use arguing with that voice anymore. I'll just do whatever it wants me to do. And Anjelika was happy to hear I no longer fight with my heart.

Since then, I have been enjoying the scenery. I must say we live in a beautiful country, as long as we don't put up strip malls all over it. Even when we try to preserve the land, I think sometimes we try too hard. Grand Canyon park is a good example. It has beautiful paved highways and information centers and cafes and nice hotels and, yet, something is lost. I felt the loss and kicked myself for not enjoying the beauty of it but still couldn't wait go get out of there and out of the way of thousands of tourists. I didn't realize how much I missed an intimate experience with the Canyon until yesterday, when, by accident, we ended up at another Indian reservation, having terrible grilled cheese sandwiches with fries. But there, at that lodge, we saw a map on how to get to the bottom of the Canyon, by driving on a dirt-road to the Western rim of the Grand Canyon that belongs to the Hualapai nation and are, therefore, undeveloped and virtually unvisited. Let me digress here to say, and that, of course, is only my opinion, that if you ever visit the Grand Canyon and want to experience the supreme power of its cliffs and the awesome energy that infuses every rock there, skip the busy South rim with its nice hotels and comfortable highways. Instead, go to the little town of Peach Springs which is on Highway 66 - "The Mother of All Highways", on the Native American reservation of Hualapai nation. From there go to the Hualapai Lodge (stay away from the grilled cheese sandwiches) and ask for a map to the bottom of the Canyon. It is a 21-mile ride on the dirt-road to (and through) one of the most amazing natural wonders that I've ever experienced.

As we drove through it I realized that I was privileged to enter a sacred land, invited to talk to a great power, a healing presence beyond any of my understanding. The Canyon was alive, vibrant, and full of energy. It talked to me and that conversation forever left a mark in my heart. It was one of the most powerful experiences of my life. As I write it, I realize that I generally do not express myself in such terms but there is no other way to describe it. The Western Rim of the Grand Canyon and Canyon de Chelly (more on that later) are forever with me and I hope that no human development ever touches them.

As we drove on that dirt road an Indian ranger stopped us so that we could get a permit. He drove off and a few minutes later we saw him again when he stopped to show us a rattle snake crossing the road. I got quite close to her to see all of the little details. She looked strong. The plants around the road are very interesting, Anjelika was taking pictures, they should be on Snapfish, let us know if you need an address. When we got to the bottom of the Canyon the plants changed because of a great Colorado River that is very strong there at the bottom. I wanted to swim but it was too cold, I wondered whether I could withstand the current which is very fast and you don't have much time before the river hits the rocks. I did qigong at the bottom there. Speaking of qigong, remember that old Native American lady at Canyon de Chelly that Anjelika was writing about? I'm pretty sure we were standing on her land when she came out to do a semicircle around us while mumbling something to herself, and, unlike Anjelika, I was just hoping she isn't putting some ancient Navajo curse on us, since we did trespass despite all the signs to the contrary and I could just see her thinking to herself: "stupid people, can't they see - no photographs, no trespassing". She looked as ancient as the Canyon itself.

That Canyon is another extremely powerful place. Bob Stark, Nicole Gallant's friend, told us about it just before we left Santa Fe. I'm very happy he did and I'm very happy we took a hike to the bottom. Actually, I don't think I had a choice for as we were standing at one of the observation points, a voice came about that said: "you are hiking down there". And it wasn't really a suggestion it was more like an order. By the way, as I keep talking about the "voice" I hope no one thinks I am loosing it but there is no other way to describe it when it talks to me. So we did hike to the bottom and saw the ruins of the dwellings of what Navajo call "the ancients" and the strange etchings on the walls and in the process felt an incredible presence. It was very gentle and strong at the same time. When I was doing qigong at that lady's backyard (for the lack of better word) I literally went into a trance while standing. It never happened to me like this even though I've been doing this particular form for a number of years. It was quite amazing. Afterwards we were driving through a beautiful and very big Navajo reservation and the feeling that Canyon de Chelly imparted into me continued and amplified. The sun was setting, Anjelika was quiet, writing something in her journal and I felt like I was entering another dimension. That feeling in itself isn't new, anyone who does a lot of qigong or, probably, other energetic techniques, can attest to that. But the intensity of it and the fact that not only I, but the car itself seemed to enter, that was new. The car was not driving anymore, it was gliding and it felt like it was gliding a few inches above the road. It continued for more than an hour, it was quite strong and I thank Canyon De Chelly for everything it taught me.

I wanted to say here that we covered a lot of grond in the US so far including a few Native American reservations and I think we have a lot to learn from the Native people including their ability to live in harmony with and in deep respect to their land. And I hope we start learning soon before our civilization turns what we have into a land of wallmarts and burger kings full of grotesquely shaped people.

Santa Fe, Taos, and Sedona were very interesting and worth a write-up but I am running out of steam, so, until next time when I feel more up to it and worthy of your time.

Canyon De Chelly, Arizona

2006-04-20T14:12:00.000-04:00

We spent the entire day in a Navajo Indian Reservation at Canyon De Chelly. The energy and purity on this Reservation is breathtaking. Canyon De Chelly, pronounced Canyon De 'Chay' is surrounded by a cathedral of towering red cliffs. For nearly 5000 years people have lived in the Canyons. About 700 years ago most moved away but a few remained. It has taken 2 million years and volumes of water to etch these stone paths. Today the Canyons has preserved the energy of the Pueblos, the Hopis, and the Navajos. The Navajos are the current settlers.

The Canyons belong to the Navajos, 84000 sacred acres of it.

We embarked on a 2.5 mile hike, the White House Trail. We descended 500 feet to the Canyon floor, cross the Chinle wash to view the cliff dwellings. It was quite a strenuous hike for me, of course I am not dressed appropriately but I manage. As I was descending I was speaking to the great Canyon asking, what is your message for me? I heard the answer, it said "be patient" and I did not hesitate to add "be patient you fool." We witnessed several traditional Navajo houses, they are very small domes and there are no windows except for a little opening at the ceiling of the dome. The Navajos truly respect their land, there is a deep feeling of sacredness, purity and strength here.

We found a private section surrounded with trees to do qigong and meditate. It just happened to be we settled on private land not too far from a Navajo dwelling. I saw an old lady come out of her house and she started to approach us, I assumed she would throw us out. She approached us, I glanced into her old wise eyes- as she proceeded she turned away and walked down a different path. I felt her confirmation, she approved of our stay.

Sasha started to do qigong, and I engaged in a meditation. Of course, I asked again, what is your message for me? And she replied, this was the message from the Canyon.

I love you
I am a powerful healer
I retained 5000 years of medicinal energy
I help raise the vibration of the planet
We are 7
There are 7 sacred energetic points
You will visit them all

This message of course startled me, because it was not a personal voice, it was the voice of the Canyon. I bow to the Canyon and feel very peaceful and once again intoxicated. It's beauty is endless.

Mother Nature is brilliant. The answers to all our questions are contained in Her. What did the majestic Canyon teach me today?

She is pure and strong, she is vulnerable and exposed.
She withstood many natural traumas-
She was once entirely covered by water,
And all the harsh winds and twisters.
And all that beautified her.
She was molded, etched, carved with creative definition.
She was perfected.
All she is, is perfect.

She is still strong, 2 million years later- she continues to be pure.

This was the great lesson-
despite all the challenging, traumatic situations I experienced in the course of my life- they beautified me. I am beautiful, strong and pure as a result of the difficult experiences. I feel grateful this moment as I regress to evaluate all the painful, heartbreaking experiences, I recognize they have molded me. I stand pure and strong, and continue to trust this brilliant Universe.

One other beautiful feeling to share, there is no knowing of time on this journey. I have completely lost track of date and time. This is a wonderful feeling, no where to be and most importantly not being any thing.

As we sat down for dinner this evening, at a wonderful Navajo restaurant. Sasha was craving steak, Sasha is a non-repressive vegetarian. He is mostly a vegetarian with the exception of those occasional cravings. He decided to say a prayer over the steak, I thought it was funny to include this with all the sacredness felt the entire day. In essence, it is all the same. It is all ok.

Sasha's prayer:
I apologize that you had to be killed in order for me to eat you today.
One day my body will also turn to ashes to feed the earth and the trees.
I thank you for your sacrifice and hope you had a good life.

Taos, New Mexico

2006-04-16T16:53:00.000-04:00

Taos is the country version of Santa Fe but in much smaller proportions. It is elevated slightly higher than Santa Fe. Her beauty lays in the majestic snow covered mountains.
We were very fortunate to stay with a friend of Sasha's client. Anna Mae has a beautiful log cabin in the country, she was house sitting so we got to spend some private, quite time in this isolated cabin. Very rural and beautiful. Her backyard faces a creek, this was very delightful, having breakfast on the back porch listening to the running water. You have absolutely no traffic here, you here nothing except the splendid sounds of nature.

Our time here was spent mostly in the cabin, reading a lot, cooking our own meals, doing yoga by the creek and working the fireplace in the evening. A good time spent doing nothing.

The most exciting adventure in Taos was driving to see the Earthships. Earthships are designed to completely sustain themselves, build with natural and recycled materials like tires, bottels, and cans. Solar and wind electricity, and water from the sky. And They will build anywhere in the world, and this will cost you approx. $175 per square foot. There were some amazing designs. You can visit their site at www.earthship.org
What a beautiful way to contribute to healing the planet.
The pictures attached are sample earthships.

Santa Fe, New Mexico

2006-04-13T20:46:00.000-04:00

"The Land of Enchantment" is very accurate for Santa Fe. It has on average 300 days of sunshine each year. It is quite a historic city, 7000 feet above sea level- the view anywhere you look are majestic mountains.

Santa Fe is a home to thousands of artists, one out of every six residents here is associated with the art business.
Every bit of it is creative with Spanish and Native American influences on art, architecture, fashion, and furniture.
Great galleries and museums, exquisite contemporary and traditional art, and of course sophisticated shopping.

The Plaza, is the center downtown- a historic site. It is the heart of Santa Fe. Strips of Native American textiles, jewelry, pottery all presented on the floor for at least a mile. You truly felt like you were in Mexico.
One of the locals expressed to us that downtown is transitioning and it is taking a turn not too many people are happy with. Lot's of wealthy retirees are settling here and building golf courses. She was not sure if the creative, artistic community will be preserved.
As a result real estate prices are rising.
We looked at a beautiful loft house today, very contemporary- quite breathtaking. All their homes are built with a mud brick-it looks brilliant.

Santa Fe is a shopping heaven, exotic and wonderful goods from all over the world. Shopping here is fun, window shopping for me this time around. I am limited to a small suitcase that cannot exceed 45" in total- airline requirements if you don't want to check your luggage. Since we are traveling overseas the best and safe thing to do is carry on.

Many hot springs and therapeutic spas, we decided to pass on this experience since we are traveling to Thailand, the mother of therapeutic spas.

Many holistic practitioners reside here as well, we did not meet any. There might me a possibility of meeting a Native American healer tomorrow.

My Emotional State Since Meeting John of God

2006-04-13T20:08:00.000-04:00

It has been 11 days since my magical experience with JOG. What JOG activated for me and Sasha is the desire to devote ourselves to service. That is to apply our healing gifts to help others overcome their spiritual/physical traumas. Preferably in establishments that cannot pay for these services. Providing a service that is valuable and extending it to people who are less fortunate.

We both feel this passion arising very strongly, we are both very nourished when we are of service to others, we have experienced this in the past with our first Teacher.

We had a very interesting conversation yesterday in Santa Fe, NM at a delightful place -Pasqual's. I highly recommend dining there. Just absolutely delicious. We both decided that we wouldn't feel completely satisfied settled in a pretty town, shopping at whole foods, and managing our private practices. A very important element for both of us would be unfulfilled. The element of service.

Something about the nature of our spirits guides us to do more, to move beyond structure and familiarity. Not too many people will embrace this, but I suppose I have only one life to live and why not live it according to my passions, according to my heart's desires. It has never misguided me.

JOG sees privately at the Casa in Brazil approximately 800 people a day, he transforms thousands of spirits. That is magical, and that is what heals the earth. If we can contribute to the healing of the earth, this is our duty.

JOG has helped me realize a deeper truth, and it is revealing it's face daily. I remember my Teacher's words, "every truth you realize will create a revolution." It sure is.
As far as my state of mind, for the last 10 days, I have been drawn into a deep state of trance several times a day for a period of 1-2 hours. That's spending half of my days in trance. Sasha got concerned because I would transition into trance and miss out on all the scenery.

Immediately prior to entering a state of trance my eyes would start to burn, very fiery- forcing you to close your eyes. I am not sure what is happening during trance, but I recall one of JOG's assistant mentioned that the teaching has begun. As far as how I felt the rest of the day, well- I felt quite intoxicated. Feeling very empty, very still, no desires, no thoughts, occasional nausea. This is the state Adyashanti refers to as being awake. Very lovely.

We were entertaining the possibility of revising our itinerary and flying direct to Brazil if this state of trance continued. But it stopped yesterday, and today is the first day I am not in trance and feel back in my body experiencing normal human emotions. Engaged once again in daily simple living.

Very exciting, I will report more soon.

Arkansas and Albuquerque

2006-04-12T12:19:00.000-04:00

Did you know that if you get a parking ticket in Boone, you can have it validated by a local business and will not have to pay it?! The day I learned it my eyes popped out, I remembered parking agents in Manhattan circling around like vultures. Not in Boone, the waitress just said: "or, don't worry, if you get it we'll validate it for you". I liked Boone but it's a bit cold.

In Arkansas we ended up in Little Rock where we went to a festival of Jewish music and culture (including latkes and hummus). We couldn't have planned it if we tried. Apparently there are a lot of Jews in Little Rock or so it seemed on the day we were there. They had a very good band with a wonderful woman on a violin; they played Havanagila and, for some unexplainable reason, a tune that I grew up with - "Moscow evenings". The whole thing seemed a bit surreal, here we are in Arkansas eating latkes and dancing to Russian music.

Well, how do I put it about Albuquerque? It may be just my opinion, but I think there is nothing to do here. The place seems a little bit like parts of Philly I remember from the 90's: unsafe and ready to explode any minute. The highlight of Albuquerque for me is "Take the Lead", a movie with Antonio Banderras, very inspiring.

North Carolina

2006-04-12T11:43:00.000-04:00

We stayed with some friends we met at the Sivananda Ashram in the Bahamas, Tom and Joanna. They have a beautiful house set on two acres in Durham. I thank them for their warmth and hospitality.

We enjoyed Carrboro, and Chapel Hill. Sasha says that Carrboro reminds him of Seattle. The people are very courteous and friendly here. Plenty of land, and people open to holistic services. We made arrangements to see property, a realtor showed us 5 houses all set on at least two acres of land, some faced a creek and others were abundantly showered with trees, flowers and the blessings of mother nature. It was a beautiful experience, but it did not captivate us.
We decided we would not plant roots anywhere unless we are crazy about it.

Next stop was Boone, we truly enjoyed Boone. Very organic, plenty of markets and restaurants catered to the mindful holistic customer. Lots of new age shops. Lovely but not crazy about it.

Driving to Asheville via Blue Ridge Mountain Highway was absolutely enchanting. The mountains contain a very sacred energy and you certainly feel their powerful presence.

We spent three days in Asheville, this is the perfect new age hippie village. Very small though. Door to door yoga studios, organic markets, holistic spas and services. All available at SOHO prices. That was a slight turnoff. Beautiful Victorian homes and amazing restaurants, all very tasty. Friday night we participated in a large drum circle, that was very enjoyable.

We are fortunate to be able to practice yoga and qigong every day at either a beautiful lake or a park.

Our meeting with John Of God in Atlanta

2006-04-05T22:02:00.000-04:00

I was mindfully observing two thousand people all dressed in white waiting to see the miracle healer from Brazil. John of God is a healer who channels 33 entities, he is quite a remarkable spirit and his abilities are beyond comprehension of the mind. I am enchanted with him.

Two thousand people, not too many absorbed in their worries or problems, the energy feels very light, luminous, pure. Thunderstorms outdoors, raining a lot, perhaps this is nature's way of purifying. There certainly is a higher vibration emanating when people are dressed in all white. It is very angelic. White elevated the mood. It feels like we are about to enter the gates of heaven, that is how the space is organized- two very long lines were formed outside a golden door, waiting for our opportunity to meet JOG.

I witnessed two healing miracles, there were two people in my presence who were miraculously healed. Both were crippled, one was in a wheel chair and the other with a cane. They both were able to walk without their aids.

I remember reading a passage in the book eat pray love by Elizabeth Gilbert and wished so much to experience something similar. Elizabeth was a journalist who was given an assignment to write a story about yoga studios in Bali. Her yoga teacher introduced her to a sixth generation medicine man who gave her a reading. He said she would come back to Bali and live with him for a year so he can share his wisdom, and teach her the secrets of his approach to healing.

Reading this I recall craving so much to meet my Teacher who can guide me to advance as a healer.
So the doors open, the lines are moving rather quickly, JOG is seated in a chair with several people surrounding him and a main interpreter by his side. Everyone passes by and holds his hand. He only holds one hand and reveals messages to people only when surgeries or special prayers are required.

When I approached him, he stopped me and took hold of both hands, I suppose that startled me because I assumed to pass by just like everyone else. When he detained me, I immediately fell into a trance. Gazing into his eyes was like looking into the eyes of GOD. He held both hands and said "Great Spirit, I am going to see you in Brazil." "You need to come to Brazil." That is all I managed to hear, I did not catch the rest -I was too absorbed in his energy. An interpreter explained that he is aware that I am a healer and he sees mediumship abilities-she pointed to the third eye and said he wants to initiate you. I am not sure how I managed to walk into the next room for a special prayer as per his instruction. Sasha was behind me and was a great support.

I was weeping uncontrollably, my entire body was vibrating. I was overwhelmed with emotions. Not really processing everything he said. I had to speak to several of his guides to verify if his message was really accurate. I mean, this is what my heart was calling for and it is manifesting.
Several days have passed and I continue to feel his presence very strong, I was working with a friend this evening and noticed a different force operating through me. A very powerful force of energy, very psychic.

There is one more stop to add to our itinerary and that is Brazil.

My heart wants to genuinely thank my first Teacher, who is responsible for reviving my spirit and introducing me to this great healing path. I thank you for having faith in me.

The projected itinerary

2006-03-26T16:03:00.000-05:00

This is my first log, and I am certainly unsure if there will be a commitment to maintaining our travel notes. There is a desire to share with my loved ones and so here it goes…… just to give you an idea of the projected itinerary. Keep in mind this is subject to change because of our natural fluid nature.

The adventure begins on the first of April. We are driving cross country for 6 weeks, mainly to explore and evaluate several hot energetic spots with the possibility of settling somewhere other than NYS.

Initially we intended to start our journey in Brazil. It has been an overwhelming desire of mine to meet John of God, the miracle healer and personally experience his brilliance. We were fortunate to learn that he will be visiting Atlanta in April, so of course we are going to be there. Will keep you posted how that experience unfolds.

At the end of our 6 week expedition, we are flying to Bali, Indonesia and then off to Asia and India. This trip has been a desire and passion for both Sasha and me. Sasha has a great devotion to Chinese medicine, Chinese philosophy, Chinese culture and the wisdom of China has greatly contributed to his development as a healer and a person.

My first devotional experience took place at the Ganesha Temple in Flushing Queens –it was a New Year celebration on Jan. first 2005. Every part of my body was singing with joy, a feeling of familiarity and an intense sensation of I have done this many times. I felt home. I was bowing to these deities covered with so many beautiful flowers and offerings and chanting in Sanskrit with great ease. I have all the features of a Hindu temple dancer as I was told by many natives; I feel that India is my kindred spirit.

Much to explore, I look forward to sharing the manifestation of our dreams.
I encourage all friends and family to share in this journey with us.