Journey to Joy

Is anyone else noticing that despite slowing down the days are full and time is moving quite quickly? According to Nick Haines from the Five Institute this is because we are in the year of the ‘Metal Rat’ and it’s a period when time will feel like it is flying by. The advice at this time is to slow down and for a lot of people this has been forced upon them. Nick recommends however that if you are still running around like a headless chicken and don’t think you have time to slow down that you make time to do so and to reduce the physical, mental and emotional turmoil that will follow.

This being a travel blog my original intention was to share with you my experiences and photos of travelling in Asia. I could put this blog on hold for now as physical travel has ground to a halt however we are always travelling on this path of life and sometimes the experiences of emotional, mental and spiritual travel are equally interesting and rewarding. I do have some other travel experiences to share pre lockdown but I’m not feeling inclined just yet to share, I will in time.

Lockdown in the forest has been a time of reflection and diving a bit deeper into some strong emotions and trying to make sense of them. I came to the conclusion that in this cycle of birth and death which is happening in every moment and on every level that there is a sense of grieving. We think of grief as something that arises only on the passing of a loved one or good friend but in reality the cycles of life and death are all around us in some shape or form eg seasons, food, relationships, the breath, each day, the moon, animals, wildlife, trees and plants…..

We live between the act of awakening and the act of surrender. Each morning we awaken to the light and the invitation to a new day in the world of time; each night we surrender to the dark to be taken to play in the world of dreams where time is no more. At birth we were awakened and emerged to become visible in the world. At death we will surrender again to the dark to become invisible. Awakening and surrender: they frame each day and each life; between them the journey where anything can happen, the beauty and the frailty.

John O’Donohue

Right now everyone is experiencing the death of life as they knew it pre lockdown and are finding ways to deal with the sense of loss and opening up to new possibilities. Everything is constantly changing and whilst we resist death in all its forms it is a fact of life that it is necessary for new things to be born, to arise. There is a process of letting go, of surrendering and making way for the new, an awakening. On a simple level we may let go of possessions like clothing or household items to make way for new (although let’s hope we can all get off that materialistic, capitalistic, grasping cycle going forward and learn to buy less and recycle more 😊) and on a more complex level we may accept the passing of a loved one so that we can embrace life moving forward. Acceptance though is not about forgetting, it’s about being able to find a way to live with the loss in a kind and gentle way.

It’s a tricky business this “death” thing and being able to let go and move on. It is said that there are various stages to a grieving process all of which are just part of being human and are necessary as we work our way through the torrent of emotions that can arise. I’ll say here that I’m definitely no expert, especially when it comes to losing a loved one through death, so all I can share with you is what is becoming known to me as I learn to let go of attachment to people, experiences and material things. I’ve come to realise how long we can be in denial of a situation and go out of our way to try to grasp to something or someone in the hope that our wants and needs will be met. In this scenario we might have a sense of “living in hope” that we will get what we want. Hope is an interesting word and I was recently drawn to an Instagram post by Liz Gilbert where she shared her daily journal musings and one of the sentences read:

“Abandoning hope is the ending of denial”

She went on to explain how she entered a very different state of being when she accepted that her partner couldn’t be cured of cancer and was going to die. She said she could be

“…..more present with reality and be available for service and even able to relax in to the truth that Nature, Destiny or God was expressing its will. I stopped segueing with fate and found a quiet peace”.

To keep hoping that things are going to change is to stay in denial of what is actually the reality right now. This is an interesting one to consider in the current COVID situation where I’ve seen the word hope mentioned a few times. I feel there is a place for hope after the grieving process where we can be open to the birthing of new possibilities, but before this many other emotions associated with loss are experienced. In the current situation you may have noticed these other emotions including anger and frustration, perhaps sadness or a sense of loneliness, a bit of bargaining going on all of which are valid and all can come and go at any time.

Eventually we move to a place of surrender, of allowing, an acceptance of the reality of the situation and from this place we begin to make peace with what has happened and are then more open to find the meaning in it all and we may even be compelled to take action of a compassionate and caring nature in the service of others.

I’ve also found it helpful in these times to remember the many wonderful experiences, moments and gifts that have arisen from what was lost. In addition there are many examples that people have shared with me in the last few weeks relating to the current situation. These have included the appreciation of having more time to rest, to cook healthy meals, finding new ways of shopping and being more thoughtful as to where they shop and more mindful of supporting their local community, spending precious time with immediate family and with friends through technology and of really noticing the wonder and beauty of nature. What has really stood out for me is the amount of creativity and resourcefulness that people are showing and also just how well we adapt to change.

Life might not be working out as we would like it to but it goes on and I’ve found I’ve had to really watch the negative bias of the mind and to keep finding ways of tuning into the joys of life that are around me in abundance. It also helps hugely to surrender and go with the flow trusting all will be well and that life is working out as intended.

I’d love to hear what you’ve found hard to let go of and what new wonders you’ve woken up to.

Sending much love and all good wishes for your continued safety and wellbeing 💜

For nothing is fixed,
forever, forever, forever,
it is not fixed;
the earth is always shifting,
the light is always changing,
the sea does not cease to grind down rock.
Generations do not cease to be born,
and we are responsible to them
because we are the only witnesses they have.
The sea rises, the light fails,
lovers cling to each other,
and children cling to us.
The moment we cease to hold each other,
the moment we break faith with one another,
the sea engulfs us and the light goes out.

James Baldwin

I’ve now lost count of the number of weeks I’ve been here in my lovely little cottage in this beautiful forest retreat but I arrived 22nd February so that’s three months ago!!! Where has that time gone? Despite my intentions to have seen a bit more of India by now I have so enjoyed staying in one place and seeing the land change as the seasons have moved from the end of winter through spring to the onset of summer. When I arrived it was pretty cold and often rainy and the days have gradually got longer, warmer and drier and now it is like a lovely English summer with temperatures nudging towards a balmy mid twenties on some days. The nights however are thankfully still cool which I prefer as I really don’t like very hot temperatures especially for sleeping. Temperatures will reach mid thirties before the monsoons start so that will be testing.

I’ve tried to keep a daily journal but sometimes my days are so full that I either forget or just don’t seem to have time to sit down and write for an hour. Elizabeth Gilbert, who is one of many people that have been inspiring me during the last few months, recommends being diligent in allocating an hour a day to writing no matter how you feel and I have really been trying to do that.

So what have I been up to this last month since I wrote my last blog….

Well I’ve continued to spend time with the children either helping them out with work from school or being creative making mandalas, painting, cooking, dancing and we even made a film which was great fun.

I’ve done a little work in the garden but not enough and the weeds are getting a bit rampant. Some things are growing really well and we have started to harvest the radishes. Spinach is thriving and the tomato and cucumber plants are getting more established plus we have some lettuce, onions and an odd marrow or two making an appearance. No sign of the carrots, aubergine, green pepper or cauliflower that we planted back in early April.

Anu is keen to grow more local produce here such as ginger and lentils and a large area of land has been dug over and spread with some beautiful earthy manure from the forest. A watering system has been set up as there is now very little rain and won’t be much until the monsoon season starts early July. I had planned to head back to the UK during the rainy season here, apparently it can be a test of nerves as it rains relentlessly for seven weeks or so. I suspect though I will still be here and if so then like everything in life I will just have to embrace it and go with the flow. It will be another experience to share with you at some point.

There are masses of peonies here that Anu’s stepfather planted years ago and which he would cut and sell into hotels as far as Delhi (a six hour drive from here). I am enjoying picking the ones that are so heavy that they are lying on the ground and bringing them into the cottage together with some of the roses that Anu’s mother planted and loved. Anu and I are also drying some of them to infuse in sesame oil and they are currently adorning my windowsill. They look so pretty and smell divine. When you first pick them the leaves are so silky soft and the smell is very much like roses.

I still try to get out into the forest on a daily basis and have seen more wildlife recently the highlight being four large barking deer that came trotting towards me on the ridge on top of one of the hills. I don’t know who was most surprised as they suddenly appeared directly in front of me trotting quite quickly in my direction. At first I thought they were cows as they were a similar size and quite bulky in stature and then realised they weren’t and they were very agile as they split into two groups disappearing off down into the forest either side of me. So wonderful to see them even for just a few moments. On another expedition I saw a large hare tearing towards me closely followed by what I think was a pine marten in hot pursuit. The poor hare had to change direction and I do hope it managed to outrun it’s predator. There are of course lots of birds and many of them stunning in colour. They are also extremely vocal and the dawn chorus which starts at around 5am is very tuneful and a delight to wake up to.

Each morning the first thing I do is to throw back the bedroom windows and deeply breathe in the fresh mountain air, it really is so delicious and refreshing and the view of the forest is magnificent. I then usually have to eject a few rather large spiders and even a glow worm that seem to like living with me!

I’ve loved seeing the forest vegetation changing and thickening, bursting with soft fresh greens and now more colourful flowers emerging. I try to use the time in the forest as a walking meditation staying tuned into the many different sights and sounds and often walking at a gentle slow pace and occasionally stopping and just sitting feeling into its life force. Sometimes I come across other people and just last week as I sat down on a rock to meditate I heard the voices of some local ladies and when I later walked past them saw that they had a goat that I presume they were taking out for a walk to graze. It was such a lovely sight, these three young ladies lying in the forest just chatting and one on a phone and the goat on a rope nibbling the vegetation. I mused at how different to meeting up with friends in Skipton where we might spend time at a local café having a cuppa and cake or lunch.

Talking of food, I have been having some cooking lessons from Sushma and now know how to make Indian Chai tea, jelebis pakoras and parathas, which I really love although I haven’t actually made any of these things myself yet. I don’t really get chance as Anu, Sushma and Berfi are always very kindly bringing food round for me – I really do get spoiled here and I’m so grateful for their kindness.

It was Rakesh’s birthday last week and I had heard that you could make cake without an oven and this was a good opportunity to give it a go. I googled a recipe and sure enough you can make a sponge cake on top of a gas stove and so Sushma, me and the children baked Rakesh a chocolate cake on top of the gas stove in a sort of metal casserole dish. It was pretty good and cooked really well although it was just a bit dry so next time I might try the chalet cake recipe I used to make in France which uses yoghurt and oil. Arohi suggested we decorate the cake plate with peony petals.

We had the cake and chai in the evening to celebrate Rakesh’s birthday and then continued with some snacks accompanied by some beer and village wine. This is the first alcohol I have had since being in Delhi early February so I took it easy!! We had a really fun evening with some dancing, chatting and then a late dinner before I headed back up the hill to my cottage. Everyone has made me feel so welcome here and I love getting to know them better and to learn more about how they live and work.

I’ve made time for reading, listening to talks, doing online events that are of a spiritual nature and have felt a deeper understanding of much of what I have been learning and practicing over the last eight years or so. Some of the people that have influenced this recently include Mooji and Louise Kay whom I spent some time with in Rishikesh, Emma Slade who has been running a regular Sunday afternoon sessions and a 5 week course on fearless compassion, Russell Brand who does regular videos and some great podcasts and Liz Gilbert who never fails to inspire me with creative ideas. I’ve signed up to do some art workshops and painted my first watercolour with a youtube video as guidance and as I mentioned earlier, I am trying to write each day.

I listen to Eckhart Tolle, Tara Brach and I have an interest in Shamanism and am reading a few books on this. I find it hard to describe the impact that all of this activity and learning is having but ultimately it feels uplifting, inspiring and all supporting the embodiment of living life more joyfully, consciously and with greater kindness. My wish is that this inner work will ultimately be of benefit to others and will enable me to share my own personal development and journey with others who also wish to find ways to navigate this life with greater joy, presence and kindness.

If you meditate

to be a better person

you’ll always be busy

trying to be a better person.

If you meditate

because you are in love

with resting in your own

luminous infinite being

you’ll always be in LOVE

Caverly Morgan

So that’s an hour of writing so I’ll sign off now and upload this little update to my blog tomorrow with some photos – which can be a bit challenging due to a weak network signal.

Stay safe everyone and wishing you a gentle easing out of lockdown whatever that might look like for you in your part of the world.

In my limited experience so far of travelling in India I can only describe it politely as “interesting”. In the seven weeks I’ve been here I’ve travelled by bus, train, taxi and tuk tuk, oh and by camel too! I’ve previously taken internal flights and I’ve yet to experience motor biking and cycling.

What to make of it all, its definitely different to travelling in Europe. The factors that contribute to the experience include Indian time which is not as precise as Western time; lack of clear signage, if any, indicating bus stops; difficulty booking tickets online if you are not Indian; excessive noise not just from the cronky, old vehicles and the constant horn blowing but from the drivers and passengers too; the ability of Indians to cram themselves together in small spaces and to think nothing of it; the taking and sharing of food with other passengers; the pollution and dirt from the overcrowded and often unmade roads; the total lack of health and safety awareness in terms of roadworthy vehicles and driving ability; very lax driving test requirements and if there are road rules nobody knows them or totally ignores them and the lack of cleanliness despite best efforts.

Does that give you a bit of an idea as to the challenges a Westerner faces when travelling around this vast country? If you are thinking that you’ve experienced similar in Europe then imagine it being at least ten times worse.

So travelling here is definitely not for the fainthearted, a sense of adventure and a whole lot of trust that it’s not your time to leave this earth is needed! I keep reminding myself the age a clairvoyant said I would be when I shuffled off the mortal coil, however I should have also asked what state my body would be in 🤣🤣.

My second trip on a bus was the community bus from the ashram to Jodhpur. The driver drove like a man possessed until half way through the journey we stopped for a break and after some chai and food his driving was less suicidal! I sat at the front of the bus alongside two ladies one of which asked me a number of questions which included “Do you have anything from abroad you could give me?” and “Could I have your mobile number?” A firm “No” was my response to both questions. One thing I am learning fast here is to set boundaries very quickly and to be very assertive when behaviour is not acceptable. I’m sure being in my more mature years is also helping me in this respect but it’s not something I’ve been able to do easily up until now.

It was a fairly uncomfortable journey not just because of the numerous occasions I thought we were all going to die at the hands of this dangerous driver (especially when he was also talking or texting on his mobile) or because of the impertinent questions from the young Indian lady, or because of the continuous stares of other passengers and them trying to surreptitiously take my photo but also because of the hard seat and doing some luggage juggling. But hey I’m here to tell the tale and it was preparation for what was yet to come….

Travelling by tuk tuk is quite hilarious once you’ve been in one a few times, think whacky races on steroids. It’s like a dance the way all the different modes of transport and people on foot weave their way along the roads. Everyone honks their horns constantly as a way of letting other vehicles or pedestrians know they are there but no one takes a blind bit of notice. Everyone seems to try to go as fast as they can darting and weaving about but there’s so much traffic in the cities and towns that you don’t get very far and it’s a constant stopping and starting. The near misses are happening in every moment but someone always gives way right at the last millisecond. We had a few fun moments when with friends it became a bit of a tuk tuk race.

Train journeys are interesting too, particularly the cockroaches which gave us all a surprise on Sunday as we travelled from Pushkar to Delhi. We were on the train for around 7.5 hours which felt long enough to me but apparently the train kept going for three days!!!!! Can you imagine being on a train for three days, some journeys are even longer? Taking overnight trains and buses are quite common amongst the travelling community but I personally don’t feel drawn to it just yet. I doubt I would get a wink of sleep, worrying about my stuff getting taken or worse still a cockroach up your nose or in your ears 😳😳!!!

After this long train ride and a week of being on the road with a group of friends from Europe (blog on that adventure coming soonish) I was getting pretty desperate for some peace and quiet and to get into nature. However India decided she’d just give me another blast of craziness before I could do that. Bus journey number four and I thought I’d got it all sussed and it would be a breeze, what could possibly go wrong. Lesson learned, do not expect any travelling to go as planned, know that no two journeys in India will have any similarities.

Where to start and how not to bore you with what felt like an epic journey. Shortened version is couldn’t find the bus and with a ton of luggage to carry and departure time imminent a bit of flustered panic set in. Bus found but wasn’t impressed with it’s appearance, even less impressed when I managed to get on it as it had lots of sleeper cabins and felt a bit claustrophobic. Left about an hour later than planned and seemed to take forever to get out of Delhi. Consequently ETA moved forward by an hour to 7pm and then later in the journey to 8pm – this is totally normal apparently Constant horn honking by the driver at times, not conducive to sleep but other passengers clearly used to it. Noticed that the door between the passengers and driver could only be opened by someone in the driver area, not a good feeling for claustrophobic tendencies 😳.

On a positive note the guy in front didn’t recline his seat (suspect it was broken) and a had a petite young Indian lady sit next to me. Also I managed to fall asleep for about an hour which helped time go more quickly and also shifted a niggling headache. Loo stop quite acceptable and although the sleeper cabins started to turn into sardine tins (my worse nightmare) thankfully there were only a few people standing in the aisle.

Confusion reigned when we got to Haridwar, 14km from where we were supposed to be getting dropped off and still 21km from my guesthouse, when we were told to get off the bus. In hindsight I should have got on another bus that was going to the location I’d booked but lots of helpful and I’m sure well intentioned Indians decided I should get a tuk tuk to my final destination. Now 7 or 8kms in a tuk tuk in the city is quite long enough but 21kms in the freezing cold and on the bumpiest roads ever (due to roadworks) is total madness. And that’s exactly what it was – we changed tuk tuk part way, picked up and dropped off other passengers along the way (interesting prompt from the Universe on the Bhagavad Gita – more on that another time), driver no idea where we were going and then the roads on google maps (I became the navigator) turned into dirt roads and to cap it all the tuk tuk broke down. Yes I kid you not just 2km from the farm house we stopped the engine so that I could speak to the farmhouse manager and then next news the driver started lifting up a seat and with a cheerful smile on his face pointed to a broken frayed cable which sparked when he put it near metal. Deep joy 🙄. It’s at this point that I remembered the wise words of Eckhart Tolle whom I’d been listening to on the journey. When faced with a challenging situation you have three choices:

1) Step away, remove yourself from the situation or;

2) Surrender or;

3) Suffer.

Clearly I couldn’t remove myself from the situation, here I was in the middle of nowhere, 9.15pm and still 2km from my final destination. Now suffer, yes there were definitely waves of frustration and utter incredulity but when I realised the negativity arising I remembered the other option – surrender. So I chose to laugh at the ridiculouslness of the situation rather than get angry and so I smiled back at my tuk tuk driver and held the phone torch over the engine whilst he fixed it.

The final part of this epic journey to some peace and quiet was off roading in the tuk tuk as we followed the farmhouse host on his motorbike to our final destination. Bless him the driver was now incredulous and complained he was really cold so I lent him my pink shawl to wrap around his head. Then he was happy again and the smile returned. After bargaining the price down at the start of the tuk tuk ride I felt compelled to give more as a way of thanking the driver for his persistency in getting me to my final destination and in one piece!

Earlier that day whilst having a little wander around Delhi an older man came up to me and after a few minutes of conversation mentioned that he had a fleet of cars and did I want a taxi to Rishikesh – just 3,500 rupees so around £38 (without bargaining) for 225km. Boy was I kicking myself now for not pursuing that option but I’m sure it wouldn’t have been as much fun or would it…… 🤣🤣

Ps sorry no photos just yet as having trouble uploading them 🙏

I’m writing this blog whilst sat on a train from Ajmer to Delhi. There was a moment when the cockroaches appeared that a plan started to be hatched to get off at the next station and get a bus but things have settled down and I’ll be on cockroach alert for another seven hours 😂.

I’ve been on an organised tour with eight other ladies for the last week, hence it’s been a bit too hectic to keep up with blogging. So my time at the ashram seems a long time ago now as I’ve visited four cities since I left there nearly two weeks ago. Note to self to keep on top of blogging – shorter ones more often perhaps?

I’m often asked what an ashram is and what do you do there? Having only ever stayed at two ashrams I’m not really experienced enough to answer this question with any authority. So I can only tell you about my time at Shri Jasnath Asan, based in the small village of Panchla Siddha, in Rajasthan.

I didn’t actually choose to come to stay at an ashram rather I chose to attend the festival Utsava Maa, which just happened to be hosted here. However plan A after the festival finished was to stay on for a few weeks until the tour with my friends began early February, unless I got itchy feet. I have already written about the festival and if you’d like to find out more you can read about it here. Utsava Maa

For brevity I’m going to share my experience in pictures accompanied by a few words to give you a feel for ashram life Shri Jasnath style.

So let’s start with some images of the ashram itself. It’s situated in a fort like structure, with a palace, temple, gardens and a library all held by high white walls. I loved to climb up onto the tops of the walls to meditate and practice some yoga asana in the warm afternoon sun.

Outside of the inner fort walls is a large parking area and other buildings that include two temples, a large yoga hall, an ayurvedic wellness centre and some offices. There’s also a large area set up for tennis or badminton.

Walking through some internal gates to the outside of the fort area takes you to a newly completed guest house, a large Bhojanshala (dining hall) and huge washroom facilities for the occasions when hundreds of thousands of pilgrims visit.

There is also a wonderful vegetable and fruit garden which is a source of food for the delicious meals we had each day. The food really was exceptional and my digestive system was very happy whilst I was there 😊. A wonderful man called Ramuji tended to the gardens and it was a peaceful place to practice walking meditation. Loving the pink turban 💜

My favourite Indian breakfast is Poha which you can see in the photo above with the pomegranate seeds. Poha is made with flattened rice, peanuts, tumeric, coriander and onion and has a lovely light consistency. Sometimes vegetables like peas are added to it.

The area around the ashram is very flat and there is a lot of scrub land and sand since Rajasthan is a large desert. I have to admit to missing the green hills of Yorkshire to get some exercise but nevertheless I enjoyed the walks that I did in the surrounding countryside. There are plenty of birds and the ashram has produced a leaflet with details of some of them and I spent a few happy hours playing bird bingo. One of my favourite birds is the owl and there were some living in an old tree in the ashram grounds that seemed quite happy to sit and be admired.

Most of the land around is farmed with vegetables and mustard seed being the most grown crops. Water irrigation systems are essential as there is very little rain here.

I was often accompanied on the road by cows, goats and one morning I saw a deer with young ones which apparently is quite rare. In the morning the route was busy with children going to school and I was often stared at by the locals who were really not used to seeing Westerners. They would also wave with huge smiles or stop and ask me the usual questions of “Where you from? Name? How old?”

During my stay I was asked if I could take a daily yoga class for guests and for some Indian ayurvedic patients staying at the ashram. The weather was warming up and we were able to practice on the yoga hall rooftop and in the Palace gardens. One thing I’ve noticed about Indian people is the abundance of burping whatever they are doing and yoga is no exception. Excessive burping together with language challenges, oh and yes one Indian lady was pregnant too, made the classes rather interesting and was a great example of why a class plan is really a waste of time 😂. So I learnt a bit of yoga hindu which was basically inhale, exhale and breathe.

It’s possible to stay at at the ashram on a karma yoga or seva basis where accommodation and food are provided in return for a few hours a day of work. There is always lots to do to run the programmes that are offered here and to keep the ashram running on a daily basis. The ashram are keen for anyone willing to offer their skills whether marketing, teaching, accounting, art, cooking, music, gardening or just happy to roll up their sleeves and muck in to come and stay. You can find out more here.

Numerous programmes are run throughout the year to locals and visitors in line with the purpose and mission of the ashram. These are sponsored by Guruji (Surajnath Siddh), the spiritual head of the ashram and Shreejan Sita who came to stay at the ashram six years ago and now spends much of her time running and supporting programmes such as Ayurvedic and yoga training, yoga retreats, de-addiction, empowering young women, kids yoga camp and eco-friendly farming.

You can see Shreejan in the photo with the puppy which fell ill whilst I was at the ashram and which after some treatment and a lot of loving care by Shreejan returned to good health. This puppy, named Yoda, was exceptionally lucky, there are a lot of stray dogs and other animals and it’s not uncommon to see them injured or dying which can be quite heart wrenching.

The young man with the dog is the son of one of the few paid staff here and he was such a wonderful young man. Always smiling, polite and respectful and was quick to help out without being asked.

Over the three weeks of my extended stay the number of people that had been attending or helping at the festival slowly decreased. Austin, an ayurvedic chef and coach remained throughout the time I was there and planned to be there for at least another 12 months or more. He is receiving training in ayurvedic healing and yogic practices whilst in return offering his skills for the running of various programmes and promotion of the ashram. He is devising some online ayurvedic programmes and you can find out more about these and Austin’s work on Facebook and Instagram (@austinvantastic).

Towards the end of my stay I had a consultation with Shree (these and ayurvedic treatments are also available at the ashram) and one of the topics that came up was the three stages of change and how these cycle through our lives. The first stage is when change or transformation arises which might be through choice or can unwittingly be thrust upon us. In ayurvedic terms this is a Vata stage and quite often we can put off a much needed change. The second stage, which is often skipped, is incubation, a Kapha time, when some space, stillness and quiet is needed for reflection and to let the third stage arise. In this third, Pitta, stage we are able to move forward with clarity and purpose. After some big changes in my life recently it feels like incubation time, a time of liminal space that needs to be honoured. We also talked about using this time to focus on more spiritual practices. More on all of this next time.

Before I leave you , a little update on my journey so far….no rats seen on the train, you get used to cockroaches, Indians seem to carry so much luggage when they travel (not that I have much room to talk), the carriages can get quite busy, everyone is very friendly and sociable, some Indian men snore, belch and talk loudly, 7.5 hours on a train is a long time, people ignore the signs that say ‘do not open doors whilst the train is moving’, people walk around on the rail tracks whilst trains pass by, some trains look like cattle carriages and are crammed full of people (heaven forbid that ever happens to me), toddlers are fun to be around 😊

So thank you for accompanying me on my train journey today, we’re getting closer to Delhi now so time to sign off. Tomorrow my friends fly back home and I take a bus to Rishikesh. The call of the mountains and nature has been too strong to ignore. I’m headed for some quiet, stillness and space to support this liminal time. It’s been over six weeks now since I arrived in India and something is stirring around the spiritual path that I need to sit with. Once I’ve settled in the farm stay at the foot of the Himalayas and out in the countryside, I’ll share my reflections with you later this week…..

Hope

Seen and read,
Contagious like a disease,
Defiant to dread,
Given to be seized,
Hope.

Inspiring like a god,
Given from a smile,
Made to do good,
Gathered like a horders pile,
Together as strong as a missile,
Hope.

Capable to take an armed force
Small as an ant,
Strong as an iron horse,
Sprouting continuously like a plant,
Hope.

Able to make you do anything,
Impossible becomes possible,
Maybe you want the best bling,
Anything can be purchasable.

But maybe moneys not your thing,
Any dream can come true,
Anything,
Hope.

So next
Time you need help,
Look for the hope inside of you,
Theres no need to whelp,
When you have hope.

Poem by Felix Milnor (my nephew aged 12)