This week when I did a Google search for image elements I wanted to use for a new painting I also searched for pictures of embryos and the growth in the womb. And then I came across all kinds of pictures of inner organs and the like.

Though these weren’t new for me at all, I suddenly became very vividly conscious how under the surface of our skin there is a totally different world than what we normally have in our awareness: When I meet other people I don’t see them in terms of muscles, heart, lungs, intestines and the like. I perceive a personality and, if clear enough, the soul working through the body. I see a being expressing through the body. We speak, exchange, express love, sympathy or any other emotions. We communicate, build up concepts, and live in the worlds of our family, profession or society. And some millimetres below our skin there is this world of pulsating organs, like another planet. A wonder how we blank out these dimension and live in our own worlds, created by our perception. Of course it is illusionary and transient, but that is the dimension where we are mostly living in. And in the underground there are forces and laws at work which shape our destinies… And just like we are not aware of what is just below the skin, we are normally not aware what is just below our conscious awareness.

A picture I selected for the painting was a drawing of an the embryo in the uterus by the Scottish anatomist William Hunter (1718–1783).  I transformed it into blue and integrated it into the picture I did for Cancer. The embryo is head downwards, like our normal perception. Even if we are living with our heads up, we are mostly oriented “downwards” to matter. Let’s turn around and look upwards. It is just a little change in perspective.

William Hunter, drawing of an embryo, from Wikimedia

Today I got an e-mail from an Indian friend with a link to a scientific study on the effect of fire rituals: “Environmental Impacts of Homam – a Case Study (at Sridevi Veda Vidyalayamu, Srisailam)”, presented by Narayana Rao. M et al. at the “2012 International Conference on Environmental Science and Technology IPCBEE” (vol.30, 2012, © 2012 IACSIT Press, Singapore). Dr. M.NARAYANA RAO (Emeritus Professor,JNT University. Hyderabad A P, Camp Bangalore, India) gave me the kind permission to quote and link it here.

I was particularly interested, since my spiritual teacher, Dr. K. Parvathi Kumar, regularly conducts fire rituals and also has published a book on it – Agni. The Symbolism and the Ritual of Fire. I had previously read about effects of the ritual called Agnihotra or Homa in India, and since 13 years I do a short version once in a week. And in January 2007 I had the good chance of visiting the very sacred place of Srisailam, where the study had been done. Here is an extract of the study:

Experimental studies show that the incidence of physical ailments, sickness and disease are reduced in the houses, where the Yajna (Agnihotra) is regularly performed because it creates a pure, nutritional and medicinal atmosphere. It renews the brain cells, revitalizes the skin, purifies blood and prevents growth of pathogenic organisms. Agnihotra is basically a healing process. ‘Heal the atmosphere and the healed atmosphere will heal you’- is the Modus Operandi. Purification of environment through the constituent electrons of the substances fumigated in the Yajna is an obvious effect of this process. The observation of some distinguished scientists is note worthy in this regard. Sugars present in Havishya have great power to purify the atmosphere. It kills the germs of T.B., measles, smallpox and cow-pox, remarks….

Based on the research of the authors, and the scientific evidences found during experimental field studies conducted at Sri Devi Veda Vidyalamu, Srisailam, during Chandi Homam, the following conclusions can be drawn
• Homa was found to be one of the most economical means of purifying environmental pollution.
• Global effects such as patching up of ozone hole, removal of harmful radiation and radioactivity are proved by scientists round the world.
• The experimental studies conducted at Sridevi Veda Vidyalayamu clearly showed that the emissions during homam are not only non toxic but are beneficial to the environment.
• The ash collected from the bottom showed manorial value and therefore agnihotra farms were developed in some countries.
• The ash has also exhibited medicinal values.
• Zinc Oxide present in the particulate emissions in our experiments has a curative effect on skin diseases. Zinc oxide offers excellent protection against Ultra Violet Radiations (A and B).
• While Lead (Pb) is found to be within permissible limits, Manganese (Mn) is found to be slightly in excess of permissible limits prescribed by Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB). This is good because of the health benefits of Mn.
• Manganese ensures healthy bone structure, bone metabolism, helping in building essential enzymes for building bones. It acts as a coenzyme to assist metabolic progression in the human body. Apart from these, there are other health benefits of manganese actively involved in forming connective tissues, absorption of calcium, proper functioning of thyroid, sex hormones, regulating blood sugar level, and metabolism of fats and carbohydrates. Manganese is very important for normal functioning of the brain and nerve areas of our body.

Fire ritual by Dr. K. Parvathi Kumar at the WTT-Centre Rajahmundry, 24 January 2013

I got the link to a song of Khwaja Mere Khwaja, a Dervishs’ Dance from the beautiful Indian movie Jodhaa Akbar, a scene of mystical rapture. I saw this great film at a seminar with Sri Kumar in India 2009 and later also at home. The film is an Indian epic historical drama film released in 2008. It centers around the romance between the Muslim Mughal Emperor Akbar the Great and the Hindu Rajput Princess Jodhabai who becomes his wife. The video of the song shows the scene where a group of Dervishs is performing a song to the Emperor, who at the end joins their dance and is carried away into a state of ecstasy.

Pictures from the video Jodhaa Akbar (c)

There is a beautiful video by Rassouli, the Iranian-American visionary artist living in California. It is a visual presentation of his series on The Eternal Feminine (exposition). He has also done a series on Goddesses and says, “Beyond the outer beauty, I paint feminine inner beauty to open the spiritual vision of the viewers to experience the inspiration that moved me to create the paintings.”

Rassouli is deeply influenced by sufism. Read his inspiring statements about his inspirational meditation work through painting, for example: “Creation is the product of synchronizing our energy with the universe. Once we experience the whole and recognize it, we become aware that we are nothing but the Divine Creative Force.”

He calls his art “Fusionart” and has taught many artist this spiritual approach. Here are links to websites about his huge world-wide influence.

Some time ago Rassouli gave me the permission to use his paintings for the e-card of the Good-Will website, there you find a small selection.

Freidoun Rassouli, from the video “The Eternal Feminine”

The last day of our journey started with a fire ritual in the early morning – after another bath in the Godavari river.

Around 9 we set out to the last part of our trip. After about 2 hs we left the highway at a little village and went up a hill to the Satya Narayana temple of Annavaram. It is a unique temple in so far as there Lord Vishnu and his consort Lakshmi are worshipped together with Lord Shiva – an expression of synthesis.

Entering the temple portal

A beautiful pipal tree- the flowers smell deliciously

At a little Krishna statue with cows we were blessed with “cow water” – sprinkling cow urin

Offering fire

A statue of Lord Ganesha

Walking through the temple area

After the visit of the temple we went down to the village and were received in a house, where first there was a ritual in honour of Sri Kumar and later we were presented a delicious lunch.

The delicious lunch prepared on “environmentally friendly” banana leaves

A keen observer

Later we continued the journey to arrive at Visakhapatnam around nightfall.

Friday we had our final lecture in the retreat centre, ending a very profound seminar about topics of Cosmogenesis. In the evening a little ceremony closed the group living: Words of thanks were spoken and clothes distributed to all the members who have helped to realise this beautiful group living. Afterwards we all sat together enjoying a festive dinner.

Julio from Argentina speaking about his experiences at the group living

Monday at noon time we left Visakhapatnam for a 3 days’ excursion to Rajahmundry and Bhadrachalam, where we wanted to visit a vibrant Rama-temple at the Godavari river. As a preparation Sri Kumar showed us a movie about the origin of this temple – how an elderly lady had a vision of Rama, Sita and Lakshmana and was guided to search in the jungle for them and found a statue of them. In deep devotion she worshipped them and later a young man, the hero of the movie, Sri Ramadasu, was lead to build there a temple. The film shows the tremendous hardships, obstacles and even torturing he underwent in his mystic search of the vision of Sri Rama.

A young German friend asked me for the title of the movie Sri Ramadasu and then sent me the link to it:

The bus ride took about 4 hs and we arrived at the WTT centre Rajahmundry in the evening. It is located in a temple disctrict near the Godavari River. Tuesday morning before 5am we went to the river to have a morning bath – a beautiful experience. Later, after morning meditation and prayer we again took the bus for the next stage of our trip, Bhadrachalam.

The WTT centre of Rajahmundry. They welcomed us with great cordiality.

At the centre with Reyes from Spain 🙂

Dawn at the Godavari River. Washermen beating clothes on the stones

A statue of Rishi Gautama meditating at the river – and a crow feeling inspired there 🙂

A stray puppy at the river

Sunrise on the roof of the centre

It was quite a long ride to Bhadrachalam – 6 hs on bumpy roads – but the countryside was thrilling. For about 3 hs we drove through jungle areas. Roaring in the first gear the bus moved very slowly up the narrow hairpin-bends over a pass. In one of the bends there was a broken lorry – very slowly we crossed that point and all applauded our bus-driver when we had passed by.

A little river in the jungle, we hardly met any humans.

Finally we arrived at our hotel in Bhadrachalam. You could hardly see any English writing in the town – only Telugu. I would be lost there… In front of the hotel there were the statues of Rama and Lakshmana with the devotee of Rama who discovered the statues in the wilderness in a termites hill, due to a vision she had (see the video above).

Around sunset we went to the temple which was located on a little hill. We were told not to take our cameras with us – but I could not resist (though in the very inner of the temple I didn’t take photos, respecting the religious feelings).

Evening prayer on the terrace in front of the temple

Meditating inside the temple – a thrilling experience

Sri Kumar and Kumari after the meditation


The entrance of the temple, with the moon in its 11th ascending phase

For the monthly paintings I take the inspirations mainly from the book “Spiritual Astrology” by Master EK (E. Krishnamacharya). I’m regularly reading in this book for over 12 years, but still there is quite a lot which I don’t understand. It is a very dense text, but when reading it a lot of images arise before my inner eye. And so I try to capture them with the paintings.

We just entered the sign of Aquarius. When reading the chapter on Aquarius I was fascinated by the description of the downpour of the energies from cosmic planes down to our planet. The description of the Ashwins, the Vedic twin Gods as winged horses made me think of Pegasus. I searched for an adequate representation and found a picture of a little statue of a winged horse which I took as a starting point. Below you see the figures of the two sages Vasishta on the right and Agastya on the left. They have a cosmic and a terrestrial dimension, guiding spiritual Hierarchies on our earth.

In the centre of the upper triangle you see the pot of Aquarius from where the waters of life are pouring out incessantly, though there is an opening on the other side where nothing flows in – the mystery of the Aquarian energies. In the centre of the lower triangle there is a picture of Uranus who receives the energies for our system. And below you see a triangle of mountains surrounding a huge lotus into which the energies are received. The vessel is on the planet but also in our heart. You see the Blue Mountains of the Nilagiris in the front, Mount Kailash in the right back – and from the “Swiss Himalayas” the Matterhorn at the left…

And if you have a close look, you see in the centre of the downpour a Deva figure…

Here are some thoughts arranged from “Spiritual Astrology” and “The Aquarian Master”, describing the spiritual dimension expressed in the painting:

“The One manifests as two and the two interact with each other, making various systems. The one centre from where these two energies descend is called “Aswins” or the twin Gods. The sign Aquarius represents this state, in which the two potencies are concealed, which form the expressions of time and space, of the divine breath. They are called Mitra and Varuna or the “Not untrue Beings”, because they are beyond the real and the unreal. They descend from the supra-cosmic plane as the twin horses with wings. They both conceive the great dweller of the supra-cosmic plane as Vasishta and in the cosmic plane as Agastya. These two seers preside over the spiritual dwellers of their respective planes. At the planetary level, Vasishta functions through the Himalayan Hierarchy and Agastya through the Blue Mountains. The two Hierarchies represent the two triangles. Vasishta governs the higher triangle and Agastya the tower triangle.” (From: “Spiritual Astrology” and “The Aquarian Master“)

25 September 2012, A 5, pencils, crayons and photo work on paper

Since last Monday we are following the seminar with Sri Kumar. We – that is a group of 37 persons from the West, and we are here at the Retreat Centre of the WTT in Visakhapatnam.
The week passed by extremely fast. Monday evening we were received at the house of Sri Kumar for a sumptuous dinner in a leisurely atmosphere. The other days we had morning and afternoon lectures and good time for exchanges.

At the lecture

Sunrise seen from my balcony

Thursday early morning we were again at the house of Sri Kumar for meditation and fire ritual in his garden.

Afterwards the bus brought us to the Planetary Healing Centre, my favourite place here, a little paradise garden at the beach road north of Visakhapatnam. We sat under some cashew trees in front of an old Maitreya statue, which the group had beautifully garlanded and listened to the words of Sri Kumar. They were accompanied by the cra-cra of the ravens which were jumping about in the trees.

When we sung the mantra OM Namo Narayanaya and the Maitreya song together, I felt uplifted and thrilled by the magnetic ambiance.
At about 1 pm we assembled in the Healing Centre for a silent meditation of 15 minutes, listening to the continuous sound of OM being played in the hall. Sri Kumar had explained about the centre before:

„The centre is built with the inspiration of the Greek healer Asclepius in 1991. Asclepius was a great healer and he cured many incurable cases. He had a centre in the nature where he was healing and teaching. There were people coming to get cured in the healing centre. Three days and three nights the people were put to healing and were also given food that he distributed.
I was so inspired in Greece that when I came back to India a person wanted to have a good service activity I thought that we could do a similar work here and it was found in contemplation that this place was earlier used by a great saint who left healing energy in the place. It is also believed that in this state there is a snake with a gem in the hood. The place is dedicated to the Sun God. The temple is seven times 7 feet in diameters and 7 times 7 high and again a 7 feet cupola. Inside the temple there are 7 circles where you can sit and meditate. In the centre the pillar is of 7 inches. In the place there is a sphere from Iguazu falls. We got it here at 1st January 1995 and the temple was inaugurated. People come and meditate here. The only sound used in the temple is the sacred sound OM. Every year we do a class here, we pray and have our food to relate to the place.

And so it was also this year. After lunch and siesta we sat under the trees talking, and some of us went to the nearby ocean to have a swim or walk along the sandy beach.

Later in the afternoon the bus brought us to Ramadri, the place of Rama. Over the years the World Teacher Trust has developed the site lying at the foot of a hill slope overlooking the Bay of Bengal. A powerful atmosphere has been created there through some mantric and ritualistic work.

A huge statue of Hanuman, blessing the onlookers – with the moon in its 7th ascending phase above the head.

There is now a little school maintained by the group where village children are given free schooling and food. A growing number of cows is maintained there as a cow worship and to give milk for the children and the villagers.

And there are many little shrines and statues all over the place with beautiful flowers, especially Tulsi, the holy basil, Banyan and Ficus Religiosa trees.

The Sun God riding on a chariot with 7 horses, the 7 rays of light

Sri Kumar and his wife planting some new Tulsi plants

We had some tea and sweets and afterwards at nightfall our evening meditation before we returned back home to Visakhapatnam.

At the evening meditation

Friday morning around 3.15 I got up to get ready for the Guru Pooja celebrations – and to be in time in the bathroom… In the bus all were still quite tired, when we rode through the city still asleep. At the Guru Pooja premises, however, the morning rituals were already going on in the huge hall, which had been prepared with colourful cloth. The morning prayer was followed by the lecture of Sri Kumar – about the path of discipleship and the 5th work of Hercules – Gathering the Golden Apples of the Hesperides.

After breakfast a number of parents with the small children gathered before the stage for the small ceremony of introduction into reading, where Sri Kumar made the child write the sacred letter OM and intonated the mantram OM Namah Sivaya. Then the ladies sat in long rows for the Lalitha Pooja, a worship of the divine Mother. It is always a very sacred atmosphere, where the rhythmic hymns resound in the air.

The day passed fast, with the afternoon pause in the palm forest, the evening prayer followed by the lecture of the Master. It was again late when returned to the Retreat Centre and dropped into our beds.

Saturday morning the Western brotherhood meditated with the Master on the dais, a very uplifting experience to sit in the centre of the energies in front of the pictures of the Great Ones

Later after the lecture the Rudra Abhishekam started, the water ritual in honour of the first cosmic ray of Divine Will. Sri Kumar and Smt. Kumari intonated the hymns, while Ravi Shankar conducted the ritual on the stage. The water symbolises the waters of space, the cosmic ethers from which all creation comes out and into which it is dissolved again. The water is poured over an oval stone, a Lingam, symbol of the creative force of the divine will, Shiva. There is a statue of a 7-hooded serpent behind the lingam, symbolising the 7 aspects of the divine energies, the 7 rays. The water flows down over the Lingam into a receptacle. It later distributed to the participants. A sublime and serene atmosphere spread throughout the air with the rhythmic mantric invocations, spreading bliss and upliftment.

Around 11 am there was the part of the Fusion of East and West. Representatives from the different countries of the west present at the Guru Poojas – Belgium, Germany, Switzerland, Spain and Argentina – came to the podium to speak about their experiences with the wisdom teachings and the related transformations in their lives.

First Sri Kumar spoke about the meaning of fusion of east and west. Here are some extracts from my notes.
“The fusion of East and West is conducted under the auspicious guidance of the Great Teachers of Hierarchy. The west is looking for the inner wisdom. Wisdom is compartmentalised and then considered as eastern and western wisdom, Greek wisdom Egyptian wisdom, Mayan wisdom… It is only one wisdom expressing in many ways. It is proposed by every true teacher that the student should dive into himself and find the truth within himself. The universal wisdom he realises; initially he was matter-bound or bound in the head. He travelled to the east in him. The travel is from the west in him to the east in him, from the base centre to the ajna. For each one of us the two have to meet in the heart centre. The east and west meet in the heart, that is where love, synthesis, truth prevail. From material to spirit. The soul is equidistant to spirit and matter. It is the point where spirit and matter agree. One is not denying the material world or the spiritual world.
That is the state of the yogi. That state should happen within oneself before one travels from east to west or from west to east. He starts thinking from the heart, working from the heart and he becomes hearty. That attitude is to be reached. It is transcending of mind to buddhi, mortality to immortality. That is the immediate work of Hierarchy, that we transcend the illusion of death… The related wisdom is taught in the morning and evening classes. Man is taught to turn within himself, conquer the obstacles and find the implements within himself.
The vertical energy which exists in him can lead him to the higher worlds or to the grosser worlds. That is the work of fusion of east and west. That is the work first envisioned by Madam Blavatsky – the importance of the ancient teachings that existed in the east and in the west and in between. These earliest schools of wisdom existed, but with the advent of Kali (the dark age) the wisdom disappeared and only the religions were there with exclusive attitudes. Through Madam Blavatsky the Hierarchy informed at large the entire globe that the wisdom had always been there and it had not been an exclusive concept. Seek first the wisdom within oneself and then see it in the east and west. And then the teachings of Madam Bailey coming from the hierarchy and about 3000 groups were formed around the globe. Wisdom came through Master CVV and his yoga synthesisis. It came from Europe, North America and South America.
From Europe it comes to North and South America, this was also said by Master EK and can be seen in the books. And the teachings through colour, sound and symbol, number and also form can only be realised through a specific way of life called the Path. Unless one consecrates oneself to the path one cannot discover the wisdom. The transformation happens when one undergoes certain exercises of discipleship. The universal group beyond caste, creed, religion. Satyam Nasti Paro Dharma – there is no religion higher than truth, Mme Blavatsky said. Today the world is divided by religion, this is Sikhs, Jains, Parsis, Hindus, Christians, Hebrews, etc. This had a dominance the last 2000 years. To break these divisions is a major work of Hierarchy, to bring back the truth. The humanity at large is exposed to truth, when the universe is seen as macrocosmos and humanity as microcosmos. That wisdom is available in the western countries… In tune with the energies that came to the planet the religious idea must die. Religion is a sectarian approach to truth.
In this context people who were touched by the teachings of Mme Blavatsky, Mme Bailey, Nicholas and Helena Roerich came into contact with the World Teacher Trust. If we do the fire ritual, the significance is explained, if we do the water ritual, the significance is explained. If we do it without awareness it becomes a routine, if you do it with awareness it becomes a ritual.
Christ can be seen in everyone, in the heart of the beings. It becomes the heart. It is the Lord and if you exclude the Lord who is worshipped in another form it is a limitation. God exists in every name, form, every member. To see God in every form forms the basis of truth seeking. Those gathered in the World Teacher Trust are looking for this comprehensive truth. It is not that we are establishing a hierarchy of Master CVV, MN, EK. It is not propagating certain Masters, but the Masters. The World Teacher has an army of teacher, and all who have committed to the Hierarchy are in this work. In the occult meditations coming form Master CVV you find Egyptian, Hebrew, Christian, Eastern wisdom. In that we proceed. It is the case here and also outside India. We teach the child to transform, to transform the family system, all the sacraments, marriage, to develop a good way of life.”…

Afterwards the boys who participated in the Upanayanam ceremony (initiations into Gayatri came into the hall and received the blessings of the Master.

In the little palm forest – I love so much the idyllic atmosphere.

Sitting at the computer in the hall

Sunday morning after breakfast there was the grand fire ritual in honour of the 2nd Logos, the Vishnu Homam. Vedic hymns were intonated and the flames of he fire rose high while the different devas were invoked. Afterwards there was a presentation of the new publications of Dhanishta Editions, mostly in Telugu.

Early morning ceremony of Ganesha-worship – for a good beginning of the day

The butter lights in front of the altar

Fire ritual

Book presentation – new editions of Master EK’s works

Thursday morning started with a fire ritual conducted by Sri Kumar and Smt Kumari-Garu in the retreat centre.

The morning fire ritual

Afterwards we were served “umma”, a delicious dish like couscous, and bananas. Around 10 am a very old bus arrived to bring us to Simhachalam to visit the temple. It had a beautiful old diesel roar, awakening like a dragon. Slowly we were rolling through Visakhapatnam, then the road was changing between small bumpy parts and broad lanes with many streetlamps – in the wilderness. Finally we arrived at Simhachalam downhill and the bus immediately started climbing the hill to the uphill station. We were told not to take any phones, cameras and the like to the temple, since now they were strictly forbidden and we would be controlled at the entrance. So we left the luggage in a taxi.

Starting the bus ride

Group members in the bus

Sri Kumar and Kumar Garu joined us at the entrance of the temple. It seemed that the rule with the cameras was valid only for us – inside the temple compound Indians were waiting for us and taking shots in front of the temple entrance – and inside.
In the inner chamber of the temple we participated in a worship ritual, singing the mantram OM Namo Narayanaya. It was a thrilling atmosphere – especially when the priest waved the camphor light and gave us some sacred tulsi herbs together with some water with cardamom. There was a new brass statue of Lord Narasimha at the inner sanctum – and already at the outside there were many new colourful statues of him in different positions. Also different parts of the temple compound were freshly painted and the huge temple entrance door shone in fresh gold colour.

The temple tower is shining through the trees

The huge banyon tree in front of the temple compound

After the visit we descended the long stairway down into the valley to the Guru Pooja compound at Simhachalam downhill, where we were served lunch. Then we went to a small palm forest for a “siesta”. A friend from Barcelona did a special deep relaxation exercise which made me dive deep inside – it opened a profound silence in me.

Around 5.15 pm the Guru Pooja celebration began with a little ritual of Sri Kumar at the Ganesha statue at the backside of the hall, followed by lighting the candles at the main altar and the recitation of mantric songs. After the evening prayer Master Kumar started his lecture in Telugu. It was translated into English and then to German and Spanish. I took my notes in English. Later, after dinner, we drove back to the retreat centre, while most of the Indian members stayed on the Guru Pooja compound at Simhachalam. Answering some e-mails and then I fell asleep – for a short night rest.