I today got the following story in Spanish, which I translated with the help automatic translation and “polishing”:

There was once in ancient China an extraordinary painter whose fame crossed all borders. On the eve of the Year of the Rooster, a rich merchant thought that he would like to have in his rooms a painting that represents a rooster, painted by this famous artist.

So he moved to the village where the painter lived and offered him a very generous sum for the task. The old painter consented immediately, but put as the only condition that the man should return one year later to look for his painting. The merchant became a little disappointed. He had dreamt to have the picture as soon as possible and to enjoy it during the year governed by this animal. But as the painter’s fame was so big, he decided to accept and he returned to his house without complaining.

The months passed by slowly and the merchant awaited the coming of the desired moment to look for his painting. When finally the day arrived, he got up early in the morning and immediately went to the painter’s village. He knocked at the door and the artist received him. At first he didn’t remember who the visitor was.

“I came to look for the painting of the rooster” the merchant told him.

“Ah, of course!” the old painter answered.

And then he spread a canvas on the table, and before the merchant’s eyes with a fine paintbrush he drew a rooster with a single line. It was the simple image of a rooster and, somehow magic, it also contained the essence of all the roosters that exist or that ever existed. The merchant was open-mouthed about the result, but he could not avoid to ask him:

“Master, please, answer me a single question. Your talent is unquestionable, but was it necessary to make me wait for a whole year?”

Then the artist invited him to come to the back-room, where there was his shop. And there the anxious merchant could see the walls and the floor covered, there were enormous piles up to the roof with hundreds and hundreds of sketches, drawings and paintings of roosters – the intense work of an entire year of search.

Perfection is only seemingly light like a feather.

Some days ago my wife told me she just learned what downloads are. I looked a bit strange, and she said: “Oh no, not computer downloads – karma downloads.”

Two acquaintances had been in our apartment. One of them was an organizer of esoteric seminars – channeling sessions, cosmo-visions, spiritual discovery journeys, esoteric healing and the like. She said that karma downloads are the dernier cri: An “esoteric specialist” offers to take away (download) the karma of persons  for money and that there are people who even take on dept to get rid of their karma.

My wife and I had to laugh heartily about such a blind ignorance. It reminded us of the selling of indulgences of the Catholic Church some centuries ago. Karma downloads? – Money downloads…

My wife told me that she came to know from the seminar organizer that there are trends with ups and downs in what we call “the esoteric courses supermarket”: At the moment Tai Chi is out, channeling beings like “Kryon” in. The two women were having a channeling session in our living room while my wife was cooking for them and I was in the office…

It seemed to me like an annual where butterflies are attracted, and as soon as the flower is sucked dry, the butterflies go to another flower.

My wife said to me that in the last weeks she had a crash course in spiritual diplomacy: We had a number of encounters with people of different esoteric backgrounds. Even if their belief system is for you a bit weird, you nevertheless can meet from heart to heart as humans – you just have to leave away touching the points of difference. This isn’t dishonesty, but focusing on what is common and uniting and leaving away what is separating. This way you can leave your discrimination intact and nevertheless have a friendly contact.

My wife said: “However, I don’t wish to become bosom friends with such people…”

Fountain in Paris, photo of a friend

Wednesday 20 January the group left the Retreat Centre around 3 am to the train station. Around 5.30 pm we arrived at Chennai, where the Indian brotherhood arranged transportation from the Central station to Egmore station, from where the night train was to depart at half past 10 pm. We were served a dinner at the station and then continued our ride to Kumbakonam, where we arrived next morning at about 8 am.

Busses then transported the group from the different hotels to gather near the Yoga School Friends’ Society building, which Master CVV had started in the beginning of the last century. Since our group arrived early, we went into Master CVVs house and had a short meditation in the room of Master CVV. A vibrant energy could be felt.

In front of the house of Master CVV

Inside the room where Master CVV meditated and received the Aquarian energy.

We then assembled en face in an assembly hall, where Master Kumar gave a short introduction:
“A heartening welcome to all of you to Master CVV Yoga Centre, from where the yoga has spread all over the globe. It was conceived that the fusion of East and West meets in the Master Centre, which is the heart centre in us. And it was chosen by the Higher Ones as the centre of the energies of synthesis. You may not be conscious of what is happening here. In the prayer hall the Master did prayer for 11 years and 11 months and he received the energy in the house on the other side of the road. Those who are his friends never know what he does, some have done the prayer, some not. You are all friends, that is how it started, and the speed has taken on by the effect of the Master all over.
… During the prayer we are at the centre where the yoga emerged. Do not have an expectant mind, do not think about emotional attitudes, it blocks the mind. Close your eyes, the Master works. “It is a direct line, mine is a direct line.” When the mind is clean and vibrant, it will happen. There are many people who do not pray morning and evening, for them also the grace is granted, this is for sure, don’t block it. We are the only obstruction, the personality obstructs the soul. Do not stand in the way. ”

When we arrived there was still a scaffold in front of the Yoga hall, fixing the decoration.

We then went into the Yoga School and had 72 minutes prayer. We were a group of 195 members, many Indian members had come from different parts of the country to join this celebration of 100 years of Master CVV Yoga.

Friday 22 Jan. 10: In the morning after prayer and breakfast the group assembled in the lecture hall, where the Master introduced to us the most senior member of Master CVV Yoga, Sri Shanmugam. He had taken initiation into the yoga of Master CVV on 28th May 1944. He has been with the yoga the whole time and has been the guardian of the Yoga School. Master Kumar honoured him and the work he does. Then he introduced to us the great-grandson of Master CVV.

The city is called Kumbakonam (meaning the “Aquarian Angle”) because one great cycle of 26′000 years ago, at the beginning of the previous Aquarian age, the energies of Aquarius had chosen this place for a descent, and Master CVV also decided to descend in Kumbakonam for the present cycle. There is a temple called Kumbha Ishvara, the primary Master of Aquarius. The descent happened there and then went into the tank (a little lake), where it was anchored. It is most sacred in this region and Master Kumar proposed that we take a chance of bathing in that tank either in the morning or evening hours. “The outer structure of the temple changed, but the place is protected. Therefore it is suggested to visit the temple in the morning with singing OM Namah Sivaya.”

The group went to the Adi Kumbeshvari Temple in which a Shiva lingam is worshipped. At the entrance of the temple there was a temple elephant blessing those who seek its blessings. In the temple priests were performing a little Pooja, while the group was singing OM Namah Sivaya.

Later the group assembled in the hall of the Yoga School Friends’ Society for the noon prayer and also in the evening.
At night I took a bath in the tank, with a beautiful moonlight shining over the scenery.

Saturday, 23 January we visited the temple of Thanjavur (English: Tanjore), about 40 km from Kumbakonam. The temple is about 1000 years old and it has a large Shiva lingam inside. In front of the main temple there is a huge statue of Nandi, the vehicle of Lord Shiva.

The Master gave some explanations about the temple and said:

“Moving around the temple should always be done in the right direction. Moving to the right is turning to the spirit. Three times going around the temple is the physical, vital and mental planes. It is not recommended moving to the left, anti-clockwise. Moving to the left stands for materialisation, the right side is spiritualisation. … Every temple has its own number, symbol etc. Here it is the 5, the 5-pointed star, OM Namah Sivaya. All temples are built by Masonic measures. … There are so many bulls on the walks of the temple all around, hundreds, they carry a watchful eye. There are more than 1000 bulls there. Normally to see the details of the temple takes one day. You also have Shiva lingams all around.”

We visited the temple and experienced the presence of the Siva Lingam. Later we went back to Kumbhakonam.

On Sunday we had two more prayers in the Master CVV Yoga School Friends’ Society, and afterwards  the group members set on their ways home or to other places in India. We joined the group to Bangalore, where our train arrived in the early morning hours of January 25th.

We received a very warm welcome and stayed in the beautiful site of Sadguru Tapovan, a colony of houses of WTT group members.  There were cordial exchanges and in the evening a question-answer session.

In front of the lecture hall the group was about to finalize the erection of a beautiful stupa (pillar) of grey marble, 100 inches high with a big rock crystal on the top to be inaugurated the next day, in commemoration of 100 years of Master CVV Yoga.

Tuesday 26 January around 11.30 am the group assembled in front of the hall for the inauguration of the stupa. At first Master Kumar and his wife Kumari Garu intonated different mantrams, followed by some talks and honoring of the members who had contributed to the realisation of the stupa within less than 4 weeks. Master Kumar then said:

“As much as we open ourselves, so much The Master descends into us. We feel that not we exist, but the Master exists. The lower self is absorbed into the higher, then we don’t have a mind. … All becomes possible when the mind cooperates. The mind is exceedingly oriented to the matter, it cannot receive the influx from the Master. … The crystal (on the top of the obelisk) can bring down energy tremendously. Wisdom science can enter into you, and the sciences can enter when you let the energy flow into you, it is like a fish taking to water. It is a daily dedication of the mind. … More and more you are absorbed into him and he expresses through you. … It is a multiplication of abilities, and things happen with greater ease. … Master CVV received the energy and transmitted it. It gets into you, penetrates and transforms everything into light, and therefore it is a happy story and you enjoy it. ”

Afterwards the Master and Krishna Kumari unveiled the stupa and decorated it with flowers. Then the different groups came to the front for a group photo. Afterwards a delicious lunch was offered to all members present. It was a beautiful end of our time in India. More information can be made available on request.

Since 10 days we are at the international group living of the World Teacher Trust (WTT) going on in Visakhapatnam, India. We had a very intense week, with the 3 days of the Guru Pooja festival followed by for days of a seminar with discourses of Sri Parvathi Kumar.

Last Sunday a marriage ritual for a young Spanish couple was done at the house of Sri Kumar, where about 20 media people came to report for different national TV and radio stations and some mayor Indian newspapers, where the event was published yesterday. Such a big publicity was strange, since the work of the WTT is normally done more in silence and with a minimum of publicity.

Sunday evening we had been invited to a very impressive Indian ballet presentation, “Tripadi Ganga”, on the story of the descent of Ganga, the cosmic energies of space coming doown to earth in the form of the sacred river Ganges.

Yesterday we were at the Planetary Healing Centre near Visakhapatnam, whereMaster Kumar gave a detailed explanation of the spiritual meaning of this story. Here are some short extracts from his discourse:

“The river Ganga is the Aquarian energies. When Jupiter is in Aquarius according to lunar calendar, the Kumbha Mela happens once in 12 years. Jupiter in Pisces according to solar calendar corresponds to Jupiter in Aquarius according to lunar calendar… From this month on there is a gathering of millions and millions in Hardwar, that is located at the very heart centre of Ganga. Even the Hierarchy comes and takes a dip. Many disciples experience Lord Maitreya and his team of adepts at Kumbha Mela, it is a great grand festival, and it is in this year…

The entire planet needed someone to receive the energy for the first descent. And no one is able to receive the powerful energy of Ganga. It is the energy of pure consciousness, which carries the energy of will, love and activity. The solar king prayed and the mother Ganga appeared and said, I am pleased with you, I will come down, but please find someone who can receive me. If I directly descend on earth, the earth will break, it will be destruction. So you have to find someone who is able to receive a thunderbolt on the head…

The solar king asked, who can do it, and the mother Ganga said, only Shiva can receive it, others cannot. He has the fire of will, he has the stability, he can receive me, and for that you have to pray for the Lord Shiva….

So the solar king worshipped Lord Shiva. He is very special, he could please the Mother Ganga and also get the clue from her how to get the energy down. And he could also win the favour of Lord Shiva…

The story of Ganga is the story of involution and evolution. Till date, if you follow the course of Ganga you get very inspired. There are so many ashrams and such a strong flow of water at all times, regardless all seasons. It carries the best flow of waters in India. Those who have done bath in Ganga even from our group they feel they cannot come out of the river, it is such an experience. When time permits, you may have a dip into Ganga, it is very useful.”

Master Kumar in the garden of the Planetary Healing Centre

After the discourse at noon we had a beautiful group meditation in the Planetary Healing Centre and then continued to Ramadri, a temple compound developed by the WTT. A that place the sound of Ram, representing the energies of Cosmic Fire is being continuously intonated and millions of written  versions of the mantram have been installed in the earth so as to anchor the energies.

There were pupils of different Mithila schools run for free by the Circle of Good Will, India, for poor children at different places in Andhra Pradesh who had come to this site. In these schools children are educated, who normally don’t have access to regular classes due financial needs. Besides the normal education they are instructed in the ancient Indian values and principles of living.

Tthe teachers of the schools were presented to us and the heads of the schools were honoured by Master Kumar.

Then the children recited verses or songs. It was very impressive and touching to see the devotion with which the children presented their songs.

Today was the close of the seminar part, and tonight the whole group will go by train to Kumbhakonam in the South Indian state of Tamil Nadu. The meaning of the word is “Aquarian angle”, and in that town 100 years ago Master CVV received the energies of synthesis. It says that the name of the town indicates that when the last Aquarian age starte, one platonic year or 26000 years ago, it was in this place that the energies manifested.

In November – December 09 I went through some deep experiences, which found an expression in a series of 12 paintings. The pictures speak for themselves. I called them “Images of Synthesis”. You find them for download and as powerpoints here. The content of the images relates to the wisdom teachings as given by the WTT – Dr. K. Parvathi Kumar. (Due to a technical mistake this blogpost published on Jan 14th stayed as an unpublished draft in the admin until Jan. 18th.)

Spring Awakening – Silent Joy – Jubilating

Since one week we are now in India, at a seminar of the World Teacher Trust. Yesterday ended the 3 day celebration of the Guru Pooja in honour of the great masters of wisdom. It was a very inspiring event. In the centre of the celebrations were 3 rituals: On the first day a water ritual, related to the energies of the first ray of will, on the second day the Lalitha-ritual, for the divine mother, to be conducted by women only, and on the third day, yesterday, a fire ritual, for the second Logos, Vishnu, the inter-penetrating and vivifying energy of creation. It was a deep and touching experience to be in this intense aura of vibrating energies. Here are a few pictures from these rituals.

During the water ritual: Water is being poured over a Siva lingam, as an expression of the energies of space surrounding manifestation.

The ritual causes a strong vibration of joy in the entire surrounding atmosphere

Camphor flame in front of the altar, at the end of the ritual

During the celebration in honour of the divine mother

The fire ritual: Powerful energies emanating from the flames

After a very smooth flight we yesterday arrived again in India, where we will follow for the next three weeks the yearly meeting of members of the WTT. We only had very short stops in Dubai and Chennai before landing in Visakhapatnam.

Starting in Zurich and leaving back the winter for a short interval

We arrived at noon time and there was a very warm welcome in the Retreat Centre. Sri Kumar just was there and asked my wife and me to come into his office, where he very cordially greeted us and we had a little conversation.

The afternoon was filled with unpacking and greeting the friends from Europe and South America who already had arrived. The evening and morning meditation thrilled my heart to be again in this beautiful ambience. This morning after breakfast I went with two friends to the Planetary Healing Centre to be in the silent presence for a deep exchange.

At noon we had a beautiful meditation in the healing centre before returning back to the retreat centre.

Inside the healing centre

Last Wednesday we went to visit a friend in another part of Switzerland. She had invited us to the full moon meditation meeting of a well-known astrologer, at the lake of Zurich. On our way we had to cross the lake with a ferry-boat, through the night. The glittering lights on the surface reminded me of the far-away stars hidden behind clouds.

The meeting was in a meditation centre at the board of the lake.The astrologer, as the cashier for the entrance fee, welcomed the people. I saw her for the first time, she cordially welcomed me, for we are exchanging our newsletters since several years.

By and by almost 80 people assembled in the hall, around the circle of candles in the centre.

The astrologer gave a vivid introduction into the qualities of the current time and then conducted the Capricorn full moon meditation, enriched with elements from the Arcane-school full moon meditation. At the end she went around with a big singing bowl, bringing a constant, vibrating sound to all people present. The atmosphere was filled with this OM-like vibration.

After meditation an “apero” was served, a little buffet with snacks and sparkling wine, as a New Year’s Eve celebration. My wife and me felt the atmosphere strongly turning. We talked with some friends who also had come and then went outside, joking that it seems we had been in the wrong film. Later in the night we exchanged a bit about the experience. Social convenience and outer shine can easily cover the magic of the inner light. Is it star-like glitter or glittering of the inner star?

Angels in the garden of our friend, where we passed the night.

I sometimes get e-mails from different people with texts about the state of the world or about some atrocities, often containing some appeals for action. I feel them written out of an indignation about the way things are going on, wanting to denounce abuses or deplorable situations, to stir the conscience, to stimulate to action or at least to create an awareness.

They speak out of a dismay and concernment. Often I feel like there is a wound in the writers or, with some, a missionary zeal. It reminds me of mine which I had for years.

For a long time I got myself infected from these calls of indignation. I either did some mini-steps into these direction or at least got a guilty conscience, out of solidarity or co-indignation.

I feel that this has faded away in me, it hardly lingers on. It’s true that I feel some of the waves, but there is nearly no more echo in me. For a while I asked myself if I have become indifferent. I know that’s not the case. I perceive what good and less good things are going on in the surrounding, in the world, through observation and the media. But some kind of a discrimination has developed which makes me focus my forces on where I can contribute something in a constructive direction, for strengthening, at least wanting to be something like a rock in turbulent waters, for a more human life.

Where I feel that indignation gets me nowhere, I don’t invest anymore energy except a loving thought like: “May pain bring due reward of light and love…”

I have become more calm, also more composed and focused. I welcome these mails, mostly not because of the content, but as a sign of a communication flow, an expression from heart to heart. This can be felt between or under the lines. About this I’m happy.

Blind-folded Fortune on the turning wheel, relief at a house in the centre of Brussels

This morning I read an interesting section on the symbolism of the phoenix in the book “The Divine Plan“, by Geoffrey A. Baborka, a commentary on The Secret Doctrine. Googling this information, I found that the book is also now published in German. I bought it 4 years ago after a seminar of my spiritual teacher, Sri K. Parvathi Kumar, on the Secret Doctrine by H. P. Blavatsky. The book is part of my Saturday morning reading, and I just read 2-3 pages, so the progress is quite slow, but sure

Baborka writes that according to ancient Greek and Roman writers the phoenix represents the reincarnating Ego: Gathering twigs from spice-trees the bird fashions a nest. The next bursts into flames consuming the body of the bird. From the ashes a young phoenix springs into life, and when strong enough, flies to Heliopolis, the city of the Sun, dropping the remains of the nest upon the altar of the sun: From the ashes of the old personality springs the new personality. The fiery nest is of the same essence as the sun. The city of the sun is the citadel to which the divine spark of man returns when the old personality is consumed. When reincarnating like the new phoenix, the Skandas, the seeds of the personality, spring into life again. So the old personality isn’t lost, but remains a pearl on the Thread of Life, the sutratma (the thread-soul), which carries the imperishable records of the reincarnating ego.

A most sublime image. It made me think of the death and rebirth of the phoenix in the volumes of Harry Potter. In the last chapters of the 7th volume there is a great scene of near-death experience, when Harry is going through the sacrifice of his life on his way to the final overcoming of his bond with the evil Voldemort, a very occult scene.

The reborn phoenix Fawkes with Albus Dumbledore, from the Harry Potter Wiki (copyright note)

The present month of Scorpio is precisely related to the mystery of death and rebirth, of the fight of the eagle (the spirit) with the serpent. I found a picture on the web with a Scorpio and a phoenix, for copyright reasons I can’t show it here. But here are some other photos related to this myth, and a third one, a  nice one of Blavatsky, which I found this morning.

Painting of a phoenix by Barthélémy de Glanville  (”Le livre des propriétés des choses”, Manuscrit (Burgundy, XVth c. Bibliothèque municipale d’Amiens, France)

End of a fire ritual – like the nest of a phoenix

Blavatsky (photo: London 1889) calls the phoenix “the bird of resurrection in Eternity”. “The death and revival of the Phoenix exhibit the successive destruction and reproduction of the world, which many believed to be effected by the agency of a fiery deluge.” Through the work of H.P. Blavatsky the eternal wisdom teachings reappeared to the world like a phoenix from out of the ashes.