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.

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