Home visits with Palliative Care Team - Day 1 - Part 2

Home visits with Palliative Care Team - Day 1 - Part 1

Burning Ghats- Varanasi

Rickshawing Varanasi

Varanasi Pepsi Diet

Snake Charmer

Photo Highlights From Varanasi

Varanasi-ed

We did it-- dipped our feet into the Ganges

People Sleeeping...

Ganges Bathers

Ganges


Ganges Boat Ride

Bodhi Tree

Buddhas first teaching

Ganges Bathers

ManiKarnita Ghat

Festival of Light - Done every night

Snake Charmer

The Golden Temple- Om Namaha Shiva

The center or “heart” of the city of death. Funny to think that death has a heart…I can attest that it does, and it is pulsing. Listen because you can hear it-- is within us all. Since the moment of conception. The spinning whirling pulsing energy of destruction and creation, pulled Mauro and myself into its vortex this morning at the Vishwanath Temple. We were guided to the front of the line with milk, flour treats, lotus flower and garland for Lord Shiva. I watched as this family in front of us seemed to be sucked into the Shiva lingam- I thought this must be what death and rebirth is like. The pull into the reincarnation, into the sacred pool of milk. I stepped up and let the tornado take hold of me- but I felt an overwhelming feeling of calm and space within the chaos. My personal time was standing still as the world was continuing, and I felt Lord Shiva. I felt the destruction and creation mixed into one substance presented before me as I poured the milk onto the Shiva Lingam watching the milky substance of thousands of worshippers spin around the divine vessel of Shakti. I wanted to jump in-but instead I leaned my entire torso past the guardrail, for the protector, receiver of the Vishwanath to give me darshan with the ashes of the city. Now when I close my eyes I see the spinning of the milk, and the energy of the pull into it. Om Namaha Shiva.

VARANASI- THE HOLY CITY

There is a constant flow of energy here in Varanasi. That takes form in all living and dying beings. It is the city where Hindus come to die believing they will receive liberation if their ashes are placed in the Ganges. Mauro and I had to come to the city to see what it holds, what energy is coursing through it to allow those who die to be liberated from rebirth. I don’t really have any answers only impressions. Impressions of the people and the city. All of the living beings are SO alive, everyone stares at you, looks you right in the eye, the city is pulsating with life. Yet, death is sitting on everyones shoulder in plain view. Everywhere you look death is occurring, a funeral procession where the corpse covered in shrouds is on the top of a car heading to a ghat to be cremated, or walking down the road and seeing dying animals in the streets, floating in the river, or seeing the bodies of Hindus being burned in the sacred fires at Manikarnita Ghat. And Shiva is everywhere with its copra and trident, not letting you forget the God of destruction and creation. It is not a pretty town, there is fecal matter, beggars, sahdus, tourists, pollution, pilgrims, stray cows, buffalo and dogs. Yet it is alive and people are in touch with the fact they are going to die, and they are waiting for it, and believe the river will pardon them of their humanness. Maybe this is where the joy comes from within, the belief that whatever they do in this life will be pardoned by simply being thrown into the mother river. What about the belief of karma? Is this erased if one is able to make it to Varanasi to die? Seems like a good deal to me. As I head out to visit the center of the city, the Golden temple,Vishwanath.

Quote of the week/day

Our expectations may actually blind us. - Rachel Naomi Remen

WELCOME TO INDIA!

Mauro and I arrived into India yesterday evening. Still in the mists of travel. Yet the hot, humid air warmed our bodies. As it took us 28 hours of travel time to arrive. We are heading to Varanasi today...pictures and videos will be uploaded when we arrive.

Happy to be here

Namaste!

Cami & Mauro