India Spiritual Journey -A Spiritual Blessing
India Spiritual Journey The trip to Mumbai, India was long and tedious. As I waited on line to present my passport and visa, I opened my passport and discovered something very strange. The passport picture was not of me. It was a picture of my mother. It seemed that both passports were in my passport holder. I thought immediately that it was my mother’s way of saying, “You are not alone. I am here with you.” It was very comforting to know that her spirit was by my side. When I went to claim my suitcase, I discovered that my suitcase had not arrived. It had remained in Dubai. Instead of becoming upset, I remained serene. I was told that someone from the personnel department would contact me upon the arrival of my suitcase. I smiled and walked away. The primary purpose of my trip to India was to visit Shirdi. Having my suitcase or not having my suitcase was inconsequential. Nothing was going to prevent me from accomplishing my goal. All I desired was to go to my hotel room, sleep, wake up and prepare for my spiritual pilgrimage to Shirdi. At approximately 5 o'clock in the morning, the phone rang. It was an airport employee informing me that my suitcase had arrived and was ready for pickup. I got up quickly, dressed and asked the man at the front desk to get me a cab. The fear of being alone in a foreign country, in the early hours of the morning, and with a stranger never entered my mind. I felt well protected. When I arrived from the airport, I went directly to my room and proceeded to get ready for my departure to Shirdi. I was getting closer to reaching my destination. I had arranged for a driver to take me to Shirdi. Although it was just the two of us, there was minimal communication. Since I was still mourning the loss of my mother, I was not in the mood to engage in any form of conversation. Instead, I welcomed the solitude, and opportunity to enjoy the picturesque view of the countryside. The trip by car took approximately eight hours. As we entered the village of Shirdi, I noticed that there were no traffic jams, skyscrapers, Wal-Marts, McDonalds, etc. Except for a few luxury hotels built to accommodate the vast amount of devotees who visit daily, Shirdi appeared to be a village untouched by the outside world. Indeed, it was a spiritual oasis. When l arrived at the Shraddha Inn, a warm and friendly staff greeted me. The place was attractive and immaculate. One of the many amenities offered was a meditation room for their guests' spiritual needs, which I used often. When I got to my room, I quickly showered, dressed and headed to Sai Baba's Samadhi Mandir (Sai Baba's resting place) which was approximately a five-minute walk from the hotel. Upon arriving at Samadhi Mandir, I was flabbergasted by the enormous amount of people in attendance. Many of them kept staring at me. I decided to ignore the stares and focus on the energy around me. One friendly man walked up to me, introduced himself and asked me, “Do people believe in Sai Baba where you come from?” I smiled and said, “I believe Sai Baba is everywhere.” The next day, I was awakened, at approximately 5 o'clock, by morning prayers. I got up and headed to Sai Baba's Samadhi Mandir. When I got there, it was swamped with devotees. I immediately got on line to see the shrine and idol of Sai Baba. The line was very long but worth the wait. You could sense the spiritual energy in the air. It was intoxicating and healing. After saluting Sai Baba, I went to the meditation hall, in the same building, and meditated for a while. After an hour or so, I noticed people gathering around the hall. A few minutes later, a security guard began speaking and directing the crowd. Although I did not verbally understand what he was saying, his gestures indicated that he wanted them to form a line. I got up and joined the group. Despite the fact that I did not know what I was about to do, I was a willing participant. As the line proceeded to move, I quickly found myself standing in front of a desk where a man was collecting money and handing out tickets. I paid him the required fee, which was very small, and received two tickets. I presented the tickets to another man, who gave me a tray, which contained flower petals, rice, red and yellow powder, and a coconut. From there, I went to the area where the ceremony was going to take place, and sat on the floor. Sitting on the floor with the tray in front of me, I waited eagerly for the activities to commence. By now, a large crowd had gathered around the room. A few minutes later, two priests appeared with a large statue of Sai Baba. In front of the Sai Baba statue was a very small statue of Ganesh-the elephant-headed son of Shiva and Parvati, known by devotees as the Supreme God of wisdom, good fortune, prosperity and remover of obstacles.(To view a beautiful picture of Ganesh click on supernatural phenomena). The priest began to saturate the statue of Ganesh with a milky substance. When that was done, he cleansed the statue of Sai Baba, and covered it with a piece of fabric.
During the ceremony, the second priest was engrossed in prayer. He continued to sing, creating an electrifying atmosphere. On certain occasions, the audience would join in and repeat the words said by the priest. I did the same. Even though I did not know what I was saying, I joyously participated. Later, we placed some of the red powder around the third eye (in the middle of the forehead between the two eyebrows believed to be an energy and spiritual focal point), spread the rice and petals on top of the coconut, and continue to pray. The person next to me, noticing that I was a bit on the confused side, began explaining the process to me. As we continued to pray, one of the priests began to sprinkle water over us. It was as if he was blessing us in the name of Sai Baba. When the praying stopped, we got up and went to the main altar- where Sai Baba's idol was situated. There, we threw some of the flower petals. Before throwing the flower petals, I closed my eyes and thanked Sai Baba for a glorious day. By the end of the ceremony, I felt like a new person.
Besides being an entrancing experience, my spiritual journey was extremely spiritual, healing and insightful. I felt as if my emotional pain had melted away, and the emptiness deep inside me had been replenished. Even though I continued to miss my mother, I felt comfort knowing that her spirit was by my side. "Everyone dies, but no one is dead".......Tibetan saying "Dead we are when in the material body, and alive when we cast it off" (from Divaldo Franco's book Obsession). The days that I remained in Shirdi were quite healing for me. I participated in numerous ceremonies, visited various sacred places, received vibhuti (sacred ash believed to cure many illnesses), meditated, and received many beautiful visions. By the end of my visit, I was walking barefooted, enjoying the delights and charms of Shirdi's customs and people, and establishing a strong connection to Sai Baba. On the day of my departure, I felt I was leaving a longtime friend. I was sad and, at the same time, grateful for the spiritual gift that I had received. The trip to Shirdi had transformed me into a different person. Sai Baba's spirit had dispersed my pain and replaced it with the thought that my mother was closer to me now than before. The rest of the trip, I traveled around India enjoying its warmth and beauty (go to Ajanta Ellora Caves for more on India). Upon my returned from my spiritual pilgrimage, the memories of Shirdi and Sai Baba remained very vivid. Although I had purchased several pictures of Sai Baba, I had a strong urge to paint a picture of him -visit Art Gallery and see my Sai Baba painting. Even though I presumed that my spiritual healing was completed, Sai Baba was letting me know that it was just the beginning. When I commenced painting, I felt his energy around me. With each brush stroke, I continued to release the emotional waste that remained deep inside. The more I painted, the more I was letting go. The paint that I placed on the canvas represented the emotional pain that was locked away in the depth of my soul. Sai Baba was bringing it out and taking it away. By the end, I had gone through a complete emotional detoxification. Additionally, I had created a painting that appeared to be alive with Sai Baba's energy. His energy guided me throughout the entire process. Even though the painting is similar to the well-known picture of Sai Baba, the facial expression is much different. Every time, I see the painting, I feel protected, as though, he is watching over me. My India spiritual journey was indeed miraculous. This was not the end of my spiritual journey; it was just the beginning. India Spiritual Journey -Go to Sai Baba -A Spiritual Healer
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