The decision was spontaneous and serendipitous,
Guided by some unseen force, our plans fell into place.
The bus was booked, and the home stays were narrowed to four,
Speaking to Mamata, Deepa got the best 'vibe' from her.
We packed light and headed to the bus stop early Saturday morn.
Trying to find each other in that vast and confusing bus stand,
I spotted our faithful friend, the Moon.
New and shiny, that crescent of silver just above Deepa's head
As she walked towards me, was all the reassurance we needed.
Off we were, a smooth bus ride,
Arrived and chauffeured just in time for lunch.
The scent of coffee blossoms filled the air,
The sight of them, like snowflakes, thick on the branches.
Mamata's welcoming smile on the porch
Of a bungalow nestled in the hills.
A garden and a lawn overlooking a hill,
Stately silver oak trees, like sentries all around us,
And that heady coffee blossom perfume in the air.
We couldn't believe our eyes,
This beautiful room, this scrumptious spread,
This kind and attentive hostess,
And a vase that says, "Love makes our House a Home".
After filling our bellies and taking a nap,
Tea and snacks were served,
Then off we went for a walk in the woods before sunset.
We couldn't believe this blessing of beauty all around us!
We returned as daylight faded, to that anxious, smiling face.
The offer of a bonfire made our hearts start to race,
The Fire Ceremony we'd hoped for but not really planned,
Seemed about to fall into place.
Soup and snacks and a little fig wine by the fire,
Chatting with Mamata and watching the antics of the stray cat,
Feverishly writing out on little strips of paper,
The top five things or events from our past holding us back,
The need to let them go, and begin again.
Mamata and the help leave us alone and there is silence all around.
By the crackling flames and under that starry sky,
With the cat as our witness we begin to read,
Choking back tears, we help each other get through this,
Events and people, memories and pain, are read and cast into the flames.
They go up in smoke, rising up towards the stars,
Back to the Universe from whence they came.
Exhausted but relieved, we finish the ceremony,
And our feline friend, like some divine messenger,
Makes a quiet retreat.
We draw comfort from the stars and the trees.
The psithurism, the glowing embers, the gentle breeze,
Breathes life into us and tells us we are not alone.
Immediately we feel intense but opposite reactions
To this purging ritual -
Deepa feels light, her stomach empty, and she is hungry.
I feel my stomach start to spasm and lose my appetite.
I hydrate and feel a little better, so we sit down to dinner.
The cat makes an appearance, calling to us from outside,
So we feed her some leftovers which she gobbles down hungrily,
Then joins us for a walk under the starry sky.
What a sight to behold - The tall silver oaks and the house,
Silhouetted against black velvet and sparkling diamonds!
We name her "Angel", and when I tell her to look up at the stars,
She promptly rolls over on her back, as if she understood!
Wishing we could lie on the lawn and look up at the stars all night,
We finally go to bed and Deepa sleeps, but I am kept awake by the mosquitoes.
We are up at 4.30 am and the driver picks us up at 5
For the drive up to Mullayanagiri for sunrise.
The journey loses its appeal as my stomach starts to spasm again.
Just as we begin the ascent, I ask to stop and am violently sick.
I wretch and wretch though my stomach is empty, save for two sips of water.
Feeling better and lighter, we drive steadily up the hill,
As dawn breaks, I realize in amusement
My symptoms almost exactly matched
The sacred ayahuasca ritual!
Breathtaking views now, as we rise higher than the clouds,
We climb the last 300 steps on foot, to the summit
And suddenly, as we take that last step, we are greeted by the Sun.
He was rising on the other side, hidden from our view.
A burst of orange fills our eyes and we are breathless, both from the climb & the breathtaking view.
What an auspicious event, to be greeting a new day from the highest peak in Karnataka!
Looking down over the rest of the world,
A symbolic new beginning, as two phoenixes rise from the ashes -
Amazing Anna and Daring Deepa are here to stay.
References:
Fire Ceremony - http://www.thesacredscience.com/a-lesson-in-letting-go/
