In about a week, I will fly again to India. Why do I do this? Why do I do nearly the same tour like in previous years? Why do I do so, although my spiritual teacher, Master KPK (Sri Parvathi Kumar), has departed from the physical plane and thus, there are no more occasions for listening to his live teachings and being in his physical presence? – The photos here are from a group living in Visakhapatnam 20 years ago, January 2003, the first year of travelling with a digicam.

I heard from a number of friends, why they don’t go this year, why they don’t go anymore and why they don’t like to go anymore to India, to the group livings there.

I listened to them and asked myself deeper, “Why do I go to India, to the group livings of the World Teacher Trust over there, also this year? Is it by habit? By something extraordinary which I would find there?” Seen from an outer side, I had decided to go and accompany Mark, a good friend of mine from Seattle. And to do the journey in the traces of the previous year. And I cancelled my other ideas.

When thinking of the deeper reason for the present journey, my thoughts go back to my first journey to the WTT in India in Dec.-Jan 2000/01. There were some decisive statements of Master KPK which impregnated me. He said, “There are many reasons not to come to these group livings (he enumerated some such reasons) but they are all not valid for the soul.”

He explained the spiritual importance of coming to India in the month of Capricorn where the Sun starts his northern journey, from out of dense matter towards the light, the spirit. These statements deeply impressed me and made me say inwardly, ‘I will try to come to India every year to be there for the wisdom teachings of the Master’. And, with the exception of Corona time, it was always possible, in spite of many difficulties by profession, health and money.

These Aquarian wisdom teachings did not finish with the passing of the Master. They go on, also with the help of videos and with the members coming together for aligning to the wisdom in the group living at the place, where the Master was teaching. We are carrying on the work.

The place has been highly magnetised by Master KPK’s presence and the presence of Master EK, who lived there as well. It is very important to keep the rhythm alive, and the place is well suited to continue with the teachings. Although this year, the group coming from the West will be smaller than in other years, the ones who are coming are profound friends and fiery seekers. Therefore, I am very much looking forward to go again to the next group living.

I give you here a translation / extracts from the notes of the seminar January 2001 on ‘White Magic’, explaining why our coming to wisdom teaching group lives in India is so important:

“The land of India has been energized because the Great Beings have often passed over it with their light. That is why Master Djwhal Khul says: ‘India stands out as an outstanding spiritual energy…’
When we come to a place like this (in Radhamadhavam, the place where Sri Kumar lived), we don’t need to make much effort to calm the mind because the preparation here has taken some years, but we can all feel the difference here. This kind of atmosphere needs to be prepared so that you can get in touch with the spiritual energy through the mind.

This is one reason why India is a proper school of aspiration and endeavour. There, the knowledge of occultism goes back thousands of years and time has left its mark on the psyche of the people and has provided them with bodies that do not have the resistance that western bodies often have.

The environment has been permeated for a long time by the strong vibrations of the Great Ones who dwell within the borders of this land and who continually magnetize the surrounding ether as they travel and through their proximity. The ether is filled with the energy of the Great Ones because they frequently move within the boundaries of the land and the land has the advantage of having been prepared for occult practices for 10,000 of years. That is why about a dozen Sons of God are born in India every century.

Without our knowing it, people from all over the world visit India today to search for the spirit. The places where they look for it, they don’t find the spiritual because they are mostly looking for material things. That is why I often say to many of my brothers and sisters: Coming to India will help you in spiritual practice. Not because I am an Indian, but because the ether in India is so well prepared. Not because of the huge population of Indians. They only try to destroy and confuse this ether, but because the great beings enjoy moving in the ether within the boundaries of this country.

So we have the duty to prepare such places in the West as well and this is a work that takes 1000s of years and we already have this advantage in this country. Please pay attention, he (Master DK) does not mention any other nation in the Asian region. Basically, the prejudice of the West does not recognize this fact. But recognition would be helpful. If someone carries more light than others, then we should have the ability to recognize that. We should have the inclination to accept that. The refusal to accept it comes from pride. If we accept another person’s enlightenment, then we are included in the enlightenment. The beauty of India is that people who understand less of the truth are also accepted. Therein lies the occult power.

The result of your visit to India will enable you to establish a better rhythm within you and will open up a large field for ceremonial and ritual practice. Mantric and ceremonial undertaking. It will firstly provide a rhythm for man to gain, and secondly it will soothe him that his mind will become a tribune to receive the activity of mantras and rituals. Such preparation takes place in a subtle way.

These conditions are not found in the West. There, we find constant change in every branch of life, and the rapid and frequent change of life there causes such disturbances as they are opposed to any magical work. Further obstacles can be found in the strong development of the concrete mind. Now we are too weak to meet the concrete mind.

Slowly we will understand the obstacles mentioned here and also in Patanjali (The Yoga Sutras of Patanjali). And we will see what we can do then, as poor souls, to meet our strong personalities. It looks like the rat (the mind) wants to fight with the lion (the strong personality), but slowly when the rat meets the Ganesha (the wisdom) and belongs to the Ganesha, then the lion is no more. So we have to be connected to the divine.”

Before humans coming, nature is there. Before and independent of our experiencing, the creative power of nature expresses itself and shapes the forms. Last Sunday, my wife and I were at a valley near the Eiger North Face. There is a small road going uphill from Meiringen through the Reichenbach (Rychenbach) valley in the Bernese Alps towards Grindelwald.

The valley was illumined by soft, golden autumn light shining through the trees. We had a look at some places and then stopped at the parking near the Rosenlaui glacier canyon.

Over eons of time, water from the Rosenlaui Glacier had dug a deep gorge into the stones, pressing through the rocks with great intensity. Humans had cut an uphill pathway into the sidewall of the canyon and through tunnels at medium height between the riverbed and the upper end of the gorge.

We experienced awe-inspiring moments when we approached the canyon and then stood inside, surrounded by rock faces. When we went through the gorge, the Sun just lit up the chasm and illuminated the drops of water falling from above. Rapids, roaring waterfalls, darkness, then spashing sunlight – intense impressions.

As the path became tight, I had to keep my hand at the handrail when looking downward or upward. It is an experience like going through a time of crisis, where you have to look for each next step only and go forward slowly. Along a path others have prepared before but which you have to walk yourself.

On this pathway through the rocks, you can only climb uphill, the path being too small for two directions. It comes again out of the abyss at the upper end. In a crisis, you will also come out again at the upper end when you have walked through into a new phase of life.

Outside, there was a small rock garden with many little towers of pebbles, “stone people”. Seen from the here, the chasm looks quite small.

We went down again and then through the valley to the Schwarzwaldalp (“Black Forest Alp”) on the pass road from the Haslital over the Grosse Scheidegg pass to Grindelwald; the small hamlet now consists just of a hotel, a simple tourist hostel with a restaurant, and an old sawmill.

The sawmill in its present size dates from 1896. It was constructed for building a spa house which burned down in 1943. An old man together with his grandson was operating the saw slowly cutting the trunk to wooden planks.

During lunch on the terrace of the hostel, we were surrounded by hikers, bikers and tourists which the post buses had brought uphill. Later, we we went a bit further along the road towards Grindelwald, which is blocked for non-public motor vehicles, and down to the Reichenbach river. When driving back from the mountains, we were still under the spell of the intense beauty and wildness of the Alpine mountain nature.

Like in the last years, I spent a few days with friends in the Lake Constance area at the end of June / beginning of July. Sabine and Manfred are living in a beautiful house on a hillside in Heiligenberg with a wide view over the area of Lake Constance. With much dedication, Manfred has transformed the small garden into a paradise garden with many flowers and fruits.

They provided me with a lounger in the garden under an apple tree – when I arrived I was a bit exhausted from the very intense preceding weeks and I enjoyed it very much to slowly come down here with the activities. I had also prescribed myself a few days of computer diet without internet… The sound of the little fountain and the birds made me relax very quickly.

Sabine had planned some excursions in the surrounding area. There are beautiful spots along the lake. We made a small excursion on the first day and first visited the Cistercian monastery of Birnau. The beautiful baroque church offers a great view over the lake.

As we walked to the church gate, some padres came running with swinging strides – I had to smile thinking of my youth experiences as an altar boy in a monastery very close to my parents’ home.

Later in the afternoon we attended a presentation at the Raffin barrel organ builder in Überlingen. While they used to build barrel organs themselves, today it is mainly a hobby. They restore old instruments and produce music rolls. Of course, we were also given the opportunity to try out how to operate this small organ.

On Sunday we went for a walk along the lake. Besides excursion steamers, a zeppelin from Friedrichshafen also flew along the lake shore.

In the evening we picked up an elderly group member and drove to Betenbrunn, a small village with a pilgrimage church of St. Maria, a rococo shrine. In the church in the evening there was an organ and clarinet concert with classical and more modern music.

Sunday afternoon there was a small group meeting for Cancer Full Moon with a fire ritual.

Meditations, profound exchanges, relaxing and gathering raspberries in the garden… It was a very nice stay.

Monday after breakfast, I had to leave already because Franz had invited me to inaugurate his new house half an hour’s drive away. He is living in the small village for a while already, but there is still a lot of work to do. For the house-warming ceremony, we put candles in all the rooms, went through the house with incense sticks, chanting the mantra OM Namo Narayanaya, and meditated in his meditation room.

Then after lunch, it was for me back to the motorway, back towards Bern.

This year was the 14th CVV Sharing group living in Northern Germany from Saturday, 18 March – Tuesday 21 March. The energy of synthesis brought us together in this time-space of the Spring Equinox in the spirit of the One Master Energy.

We were 18 persons meeting for 4 days at the Seminarhof Drawehn. We followed a rhythm of prayers / meditation times each 3 hours, exchanges and group activities for tuning in to the energies of the present moment – equinox time, Pluto entering Aquarius – and for a wakeful observing the energies at work and sharing our impressions.

A cold but beautiful weather gave us a morning welcome during the fire ritual after meditation.

Later, everyone brought something from themselves, and the things, texts and symbols were arranged on a table as the group altar.

We had an inspiring and profound exchange about encounters with Sri Kumar and how he had impregnated our lives. There were meditative group works, visualisations and contemplations, like an exchange in small groups on the Master CVV Sharing prayer given by Sri Kumar.

And there was also time for free exchanges and for walks in nature. Frank from Berlin gave us a guitar concert on musical topics of springtime.

And Basia, an artist from Berlin, had prepared many origami peace doves. She also conducted some morning warm-up exercises with the group.

The evenings concluded with the “Mystic Mantrams” of Master CVV – on Monday evening around 10:24 pm we tuned in to the entrance of the Sun into Aries, spring equinox.

All felt that such meetings need to be continued but it also was expressed that these gatherings are not automatic events but are prepared and carried through with the help of helpers. Next year, we will meet again at the same place from Monday 18th to Thursday 21st March 2024.

Part 5/5 On 14 January, the day before leaving, you could see Pongal fires in the streets of Visakhapatnam. Pongal is the South Indian harvest festival of the lunar winter solstice celebrated on 14th or 15 January. Old material is burnt as a symbol of leaving behind what is no longer needed in life.

The journey to India was also a process of detaching and disconnecting from what usually occupies me in everyday life, of leaving behind the usual surroundings for a while. This year, I was much less digitally active, partly intentionally, partly due to the internet connection difficulties with my laptop. This detachment is not possible when you stay continuously in digital contact with the “other world” back home.

My journeys to India always helped me to gain a distance and to get a new perspective, to reframe my way of viewing things and to see more clearly what to adjust in life. Sri Kumar once explained how the ambiance in India is spiritually charged by the very ancient presence of the Great Ones and, in spite of the surficial chaos, supports opening to the subtler dimensions much better than anywhere else.

The exchanges with other members during the journey showed me the very variant ways of understanding and interpreting situations, and at the same time to focus the underlying unity. You could see this in the attitudes towards situations on journeys or when speaking about the purpose of being together. I tried to mainly observe, listen, and where necessary inform and point out without intervening. Being aware of the purpose of a group living and acting accordingly is unifying the group. Some were very supportive in this, having the same attitude and feeling.

A little anecdote about different perspectives:
In my talk during the “Fusion of East and West” meeting at the Guru Pooja, where most contributions were in Telugu, I spoke about the importance of English as the Aquarian language allowing overcoming language barriers and that therefore, the Hierarchy had chosen English as the means of wisdom dissemination and that Master Kumar had given learning English as a spiritual discipline for all members. When after returning I mentioned this in an exchange with a German head of group, she answered that the Indian brotherhood, by speaking Telugu at the Guru Poojas, allows inclusion of all the local members of lesser education who will not be able to understand English well. I understood.

The meetings this year were different from previous group livings insofar as Master Kumar was no more physically there to set and hold the frame. You could strongly feel his presence but other members had to act. Sri Joshi, the head of Bangalore group, beautifully explained that Master Kumar was like a father taking care of many things; and like in a family, when the father or the mother pass over, the children have to take over responsibility. You know what might happen when a the family is no more held together. Now, in WTT, there is a greater need for us to take care, look around to see what can be done, and to co-operate more with the purpose of the group, of the Plan.

Some in WTT are looking out for having another Master in this role of coordinating and holding together, for replacing the vacancy the passing of Master Kumar from the physical has created. A member wrote me, “Who is now the Master? There must be a Master in the center.” I tried to explain that the group is the Master and group units might take over greater responsibilities. I experienced this myself how the questions I had were solved through exchanges, and that myself am more in situations of explaining.

I observed that some were looking out for other interesting gurus and organisations. The “spiritual tourists” in the groups always easily start “flirting” with how well other teachers and organisations are – but not committing themselves here nor there. These are aspirants not yet having fixed themself on the path. But with those fixed on the path, there is also a greater need for coming together and to exchange.

In a talk, Guru Prasad, the son of Master Kumar, pointed out that normally seekers have very few close co-members with whom they can speak about what they experience and what occupies them internally. This is only possible with the ones who have a similar spiritual orientation. It takes time for seekers to open up more deeply. It also takes time to be able to dive deep into the wisdom teachings. And for this, longer group lives are very helpful. Therefore, the group lives in Visakhapatnam will continue in the future.

A personal experience: For different reasons, it was difficult to pack my luggage in Switzerland well ahead though I started early. I had to finalise it in the morning I departed. I was a bit in a hurry and had not carefully done the final luggage weighing and eliminating non-essential things. At the airport, I had about 6 kg overweight which would make 600 Swiss francs. The lady at the counter said I could put heavy things into the hand-baggage. With many people in the row behind me, I opened the suitcase, distributed some things to my co-travellers and took heavy things into the hand-baggage. There finally was no overweight fee but a bad feeling.

I had a number of gifts in the suitcase, but during the journey I received much more gifts – shawls, shirts, books and other items where I didn’t know what to do with them. I understand the importance for the givers to give. I didn’t want to be impolite and refuse, but under no circumstances I wanted to increase the baggage load. So each time a gift came I immediately passed it on to someone else wherever it was possible. Passing on also spreads joy.

In the end, I had again overweight. I radically eliminated things, gave or threw away and always thought, why do presents still need to be physical and not, as per the general trend in the Aquarian age, be more subtle. It was an intense piece of learning for me.

Go to part 1 part 2 part 3 part 4 part 5 of the series.

Part 4/5 This year was the 62nd Guru Pooja celebration. The tradition of celebrating a global Yoga Festival each year on 11th – 13th (or now, starting in the evening of 10th) was initiated by Master EK in 1962. Thereafter, it unfolded into a grand ritual with varied uplifting activities and participants from various parts of the globe and many parts of India. From 1984 on, when Master EK left his physical body, Master KPK continued to lead the celebrations.

I was much interested to see how the celebrations would be, now after the passing of Master KPK last November. This year was my 21st physical participation and twice, during corona times, digitally. It was always an incredible event – participants were served food and accommodations free of cost, all activities were offered with love and free of price tags.

On the altar, you can see pictures of many of the great Masters of Wisdom – a very synthetic event, where you can virtually perceive the subtle presence of the Great Ones. And since its activities, with the exception of “Fusion of East and West”, are normally in Telugu only, also the busy mind of us Westerners gets a better chance for calming down, not understanding the content by words but by observing and by tuning in.

Over many years, the Guru Pujas were conducted in Simhachalam near Visakhapatnam. Last summer already, Master KPK informed us that in 2023 this would no more be possible due to the hygienic situation there. They found a smaller but very beautiful site in Visakhapatnam, very close to Radhamadhavam- the WTT-temple – and the Retreat Center. And they had to find solutions for the many visitors coming from places outside Visakhapatnam. Sri Kumar said that the team is very experienced in organising the event but they have to adapt it to the new locality.

When we came to the compound in the afternoon of January 10th, I was thrilled to see how well this work was going on. It was less than an hour until the official start and many things needed to be finished. There was no haste but focused attention of the Indian helpers, and at 5 pm, with the start of the celebration, everything was ready.

The prayers were all conducted by Navaneetam ( Sri B.R.K. Raju), who has been the secretary of Sri Kumar for many years; he also coordinated the activities and gave a lecture. Many different members were integrated in the activities. The structure was familiar to all who regularly participate: Each day, there was a major ritual – on the first day a water ritual (Shiva Pooja), on the second day a fire ritual (Narayana homam) and on the third day the Sri Lalitha Sumuhika Pooja, the worship of the divine Mother aspect.

There were book presentations, lectures and musical presentations. There were small rituals for first feeding of children and introduction into writing, initiation into Gayatri mantram (Upanayanam). And of course, morning and evening prayer followed by lectures.

The whole area belongs to a huge event center, where there were also accommodations. At the same time, the site was fairly well protected from the outside traffic. There was a big dining hall for the Indian brothers and the group of Westerners had a spacious separate hall where non-spicy food was served. There were also several book stalls for wisdom books and tables for other offers like homoeo medicine. And the hall was beautifully decorated with huge posters, flower arrangements and little altars.

It was very nice to be together with other deeply spiritual people for 3 days and nights – and also have time for spontaneous sharing with other members. It was really a New Age festival, where joyfully the Yoga of Synthesis was lived. Thus, the Guru Poojas are a modern form of the ancient ritual of Satra Yaga. This spirit of group living has been kept vibrantly alive with this festival.

After the Guru Poojas, the members from the West started departing. A time for last exchanges and then to say good-bye. Hopefully at some future group living.

Go to part 1 part 2 part 3 part 5 of the series.

Part 3/5 Murthy, the caretaker of the WTT retreat center, was already waiting for us at the airport when we arrived 30 December evening. He had organised a small bus, and soon we were driving through the night.

Looking out of the window and seeing the traffic and the colourful lights along the roads, I tried to discover any changes: It was 3 years since my last visit, after a continuous annual series of regular visits since 2000 and then interrupted by corona. I was curious to discover what the visit would be like this time.

Due to the transition of Master Kumar on 1st of November, this was not a group life in Visakhapatnam but a gathering of members who wanted to stay together at the retreat center before the beginning of the Guru Pooja celebration from 10 January onward. Other members went on tours through South or North India or decided to come to the Guru Poojas only.

For those members from the West who wanted to stay in Visakhapatnam, the Indian brotherhood of Visakhapatnam had warmly invited us to come. They had prepared a 9-days program and we would join ongoing regular prayers and rituals at the WTT temple “Radhamadhavam”. I was very grateful for their offer and commitment, since this meant also quite some organisational effort from their side. It was a very profound time with many interactions and exchanges besides the regular daily rhythm.

1 January early morning there was the usual prayer meeting at “Master EK Sundaravanam”, a site with a statue of the Master maintained by members of the WTT at the beach road. It is impressive to see such a statue at such a prominent place, and to have there such an open-air prayer gathering with about 175 members – this would cause big eyes in the West, but not in India. It was the 28th Anniversary celebration of this site. Brother Sri Ch. Satyadev conducted the prayer and the Sri Lakshmi Narayana Pooja with Rudra Namakam mantrams, and after the prayer breakfast was served to the members who participated. Welcome greetings were exchanged, and then we strolled back to the retreat center.

In the evening, there was a small celebration after prayer for the inauguration of the Telugu calendar, together with the presentation of the star registration in the name of “Master KPK” on 7 November 2022.

2 January morning after prayer, we had an interaction with Sri Guru Prasad. Sabine M. and me had prepared a number of questions which we submitted to him, esp. about how we can contribute to maintain and develop the East-West relation, how we can keep the door open for the next generation and what we can do, how can we strengthen cohesion, globalize service activities and what could be next steps. I appreciated the way he answered the questions. (I have no record of his answers.)

In the afternoon we went with a small group to the Planetary Healing Center. The center had been created in 1996 on the basis of plans given by Master KPK. In the last years there had not been an interest from the side of the owner in maintaining contact with the WTT and during my last visits the site seemed to have suffered somewhat and did not make a very well-kept impression. This time, however, it was in a better shape and there were people active to maintain the garden. Nature had recovered very well. We enjoyed very much being there, sitting in the center and singing OM for a while. Then we sat around the Maitreya statue and chanted the song of Lord Maitreya.

In the evening, we had an interaction with Sri Navaneetam. He told us about the developments in the Indian brotherhood.

Next morning and on other days, we saw the videos of last year’s seminar of Master KPK on “Simple Steps to Synthesis”. In the afternoon we visited Ramadri, the beautiful temple site “Hamsavanam” with a huge Hanuman statue, a number of little temples, a training center for enhancing professional skills of women and a “Goshala”, a cow care project with 37 cows. The site and its activities are maintained by a team of volunteers, organised by the Circle of Good Will, India.

On 4 January we made a longer excursion to Borra Caves and Anantagiri resort in a mountainous area.

6 January, we visited the Balabhanu Vidyalayam School and the new Master EK Samskruthi Sadan service center. Some speeches were given, and then certificates for vocational trained women were distributed by WTT heads on this occasion. Also some flowers were planted and lunch was served to us as “prasad” (food gift after a ritual).

7 January we visited the Sripada Srivallabha temple in Pithapuram, about 150 km from Visakhapatnam. We could not start in time in the morning but arrived only 10 minutes before the temple closed at noon. I nevertheless enjoyed being again at this important and energetic place, where I had been already 5 times before. Read more aboutthe mystery of Sripada and the avatars of Lord Dattatreya here. Afterwards, we went to the Kukkuteswara temple and later to the temple of Annavaram – I had reported about this temple several times before.

9 January the group made a visit to the Simhachalam temple which we visited each time before the Guru Pujas conducted over many years in Simhachalam. Since it was no more possible to organise the Guru Pujas there, this year’s celebration was directly in Visakhapatnam, very close to Radhamadhavam and the retreat center.

The group meeting ended in the evening of the 9th with the prayer, a little celebration and dinner at Radhamadhavam. The ambiance over these days was good, the group experience intense, although the group cohesion was somewhat more challenging than in other years since it was not a normal group life, and therefore there were more fluctuations. But I enjoyed very much having more time for deeper exchanges. The program was very well organised by the Indian brotherhood and with much care. And being together again with other members from the West was like a big “family meeting”.

Guru Prasad had been very involved in making the group meeting run well and in supporting members with problems. I also had several conversations with him about issues concerning the development of the WTT.

During the celebration, Guru Prasad pointed out that such longer meetings are very precious. It needs time for profound exchanges which you cannot do with people not sharing the same focus and inner orientation. Especially the time of Capricorn and the energies of the Sun at the start of the ascending arc of the year are very supportive for deeper spiritual alignment.

Therefore, the January seminars and the Guru Pujas will be continued in the coming years, together with the May Call and December Call meetings in Bangalore, solstice and equinox meetings at Master Mountain and, from 2023 on, meditation meetings around Aquarius full moon at the Yoga Friends Society place in Kumbhakonam.

Go to part 1 part 2 part 4 part 5 of the series.

Part 2/5 Master CVV introduced two days of group meditation and initiation, one in the month of Gemini and one in the month of Capricorn, 29th May and 29th December. Since 2003, it became a tradition for December Call to be carried out in Bangalore, and it was now the 113th December Call celebration, starting in the evening of 28th December 2022.

It is always a very inspiring get-together. The structure was very much the same like it had been in the previous years, and the energy was present like before, even without the physical presence of Master KPK.

The morning and evening prayers were conducted by Sri R.P. Joshi, the head of Sadguru Tapovana, and he also gave two talks. Group members from Bangalore conducted the rituals and the poojas – Ganapathi (Ganesha) poojas in the beginning of the celebration and in the early morning, a fire ritual and a Dattatreya ritual. These rituals always create an ambiance enriched with strong spiritual vibrations which are uplifting all the space around. This is partly not so much understood it the West but it is an intense means of manifesting spiritual magnetism.

There were also small rituals for giving first food to babies and introduction of children into writing. Sri Joshi as well as Guru Prasad and Navaneetam from Visakhapatnam gave talks, new books of Master KPK were presented (Master CVV – Yoga and Aphorisms to Disciples, and Dwelling and the Indweller, about living in the body and in a house) and at the end gifts were distributed to the participants.

The entire celebration was an uplifting event and very well organised – dining halls with a special service for Westerners, a book stall and help desks – the Tapovana group took much care for the well-being of all who participated. Together with some other members from Germany and Spain, we were accommodated in the nearby house of a family who made their own rooms available to us – an overwhelming hospitality and experience of brotherhood.

The gatherings are also always a good occasion for a number of talks with members about organisational issues, strengthening the collaboration. However, the time flew by quickly, and on 30th December afternoon we were sitting already in the airplane to the next stage of the journey, Visakhapatnam.

Go to part 1 part 3 part 4 part 5 of the series.

Part 1/5 Before the experiences of the trip to India from end of December 22 to mid-January 23 slowly fade into the background, I would like to share with you some impressions of the journey.

It was an extraordinary journey with a variety of deep experiences. It was also an intense tour where many obstacles had to be overcome. We needed determination and inner direction. We experienced a lot of support, and friendships were deepened. The most important, however, was being together with like-minded fellow members, in prayers and in daily interactions.

Already the preparations for the trip were not easy, but even here the common direction welded the core group together. Other people joined us at different stages of the journey. Especially the transition of Master Kumar and the uncertainties in the immediate period following were very present, but the will to be together, as a group and with inner alignment, was very strong. It was a profound group experience.

There were four of us travelling together from Zurich – Manfred and Sabine, old friends of mine from the German Lake Constance region with whom I had already travelled to India in 2016/17, as well as Clarissa from the German Allgäu region in Bavaria, whom we did not know yet, just via Zoom. She was travelling to India for the first time and she fit in very well. We met for the first time at the airport on Winter Solstice, Dec. 21.

In Bangalore we were very warmly welcomed by the WTT Tapovana group, and we joined the group rhythm for one day. A larger part of the group had travelled to the Master Mountain resort of the WTT in the Nilagiris for the winter solstice celebration. They were returning from the celebration while we were driving towards the Mount.

The resort center is located high up in the Nilagiris, the Blue Mountains of South India, beautifully situated at about 2000 meters above sea level, overlooking the Master Mountain. From an occult viewpoint, there is the ashram of Rishi Agastya, the oldest and most exalted of the Masters of the spiritual Hierarchy, in the subtle planes.

From the outside, you see tea plantations and small forests, a small settlement of tea plantation workers and the Kodanadu viewpoint of the mountain. It has become a local tourist attraction in the last few years and it was heavily visited over Christmas. When went there on Christmas eve afternoon, the place was crowded with visitors, and every 30 minutes, a bus was transporting new ones.

Luckily, all the busy traffic did not touch the silence around the Master Mountain resort, the “Retreat into the Presence”. We were deeply impressed how well this place is maintained by the Bangalore group of WTT, and AVR Ramakrishna, the caretaker who had moved there to dedicate his life to keep the place intact and vibrant. And who also took great care of us. A place of purity, meditation and rituals.

At Master Mountain, in the loving ambiance of the group, we all felt very well. Sabine brought a presentation she had recently given in WTT Germany about the lost years of Jesus Christ with many beautiful illustrations and information about modern findings. I spoke about Rishi Agastya, the spiritual importance of the Mount and of the encounter between Albert Sassi and Master EK in the mid-60s of last century. In theosophical circles, the presence of Rishi Agastya in this area of the Nilagiris was known and Sassi settled there for some time to be in this presence.

On the first day, a beautiful sunrise greeted us at the mountain during morning meditation. We enjoyed the sublime atmosphere and walked a bit in the surrounding area.

On Christmas morning we had a little fire ritual on a balcony. Wind and clouds were already beginning to gather. Soon everything was shrouded in mist and it began to drizzle. The dense clouds veiled all the surroundings, hiding the Master Mountain, the sacred place of the ashram of Rishi Agastya from our view. While doing a walk in the mist, we enjoyed the subtle smell of herbs the wind carried along. And we met a groups of youngster who did Bollywood dances on the street surrounded by fog and music from their cars.

Later, a storm set in, raging for the rest of our stay. Clouds and rain hit against the vibrating windows who were like a thin coating keeping us on the safe side while water partly pressed in. But Ramakrishna quickly cleaned up everything.

On the afternoon of the second day, the veil of clouds was lifted for about an hour and there opened a gorgeous view over the mountain and the surrounding hills and valleys. The lake behind the Mount had grown a lot due to the strong showers, and the air had an intense clarity. The fast moving clouds and the sunrays painted quickly changing colour patterns on the ground while the shades of the blue sky were radiating in profound brilliance. The Mount resented great details of its sublime structure, while in the valley below us two bisons were grazing in the tea plantations.

The resort built there in the presence of the Mount is a silent but awe-inspiring place manifested through the impulse and with the guidance of Master Kumar and with the great dedication and commitment of the brotherhood.

On 27 December, the return journey started. The storm had weakened a bit but the clouds were still dense. Our taxi driver heading the group of 3 cars was driving at high speed, he overtook in blind curves and dangerous situations. Luckily, we had good guardian angels.

A short shopping stop in Ooty, then a serpentine road downhill full of intense traffic, through beautiful eucalyptus forests and a tiger reserve – no tigers to be seen but elephants and deer in the bushes of the waysides – and then the countryside was flying along the highway via Mysore. It was night when we arrived back in Bangalore’s dense traffic, being filled with rich impressions.

When we were later in Visakhapatnam and several group members did a spontaneous quick trip to the Mount via airplane and taxi from Coimbatore for several days, I asked myself why we had done such a long and fatiguing journey with intense planning preparations. I mentioned it to the fellow-travellers of our group. We all felt that this travelling together was an important part of the pilgrimage which had deepened our relations. Above all, we were thankful for all the support received from the Bangalore brotherhood.

The Master Mountain resort is not an open place but only for WTT members who would like to come for a retreat. In case, please contact the group of Sadguru Tapovana, Bangalore.

Go to part 2 part 3 part 4 part 5 of the series.

The suitcase is packed, the travel preparations largely finished. Tomorrow morning, I will set out for another trip to India. It is a very special journey this time. It was planned before the passing of Master KPK, Sri Kumar. For quite some time, it was not sure if the journey could take place. But finally the doors are about to open. The first stop is Sadguru Tapovana, the centre of WTT in Bengaluru. Here are some impressions from the trip 2019/20. On Friday, we will go for some days to Kotagiri, the retreat center of WTT “Master Mountain” – a very sublime place related to Rishi Agastya, also called Master Jupiter, who has one of his ashrams in the subtle planes of this point.

Long before I came there the first time in January 2013, I felt already the call. There is a long story behind, about Master EK and Albert Sassi meeting in the Nilagiris in the mid-60s of the last century. I did some research about this meeting and Albert Sassi. And for the present journey, I went again through the traces of this story.

Another story came in form of a book. When preparing the present journey, a friend from the US of Indian origin, who will join the travel group sent some information about a book said to be of Helena P. Blavatsky and recently discovered: “The Land of the Gods. The Long Hidden Story of Visiting the Masters in Shambala”.

I was surprised that such book did not come to our notice up to now – but having read the publisher’s note which my friend sent, I suppose that it might be a gem revealed only now. Other friends who read the book were enthusiastic. See the book on Amazon. And here an extract from the Publisher’s note of the book (c: Radiant Books).

I haven’t yet read much myself but the first 2 chapters and kept it as a travel reading. I just saw that there were some interesting hints at the end of the book. But maybe later more about it….