“I think maybe that’s the dark energy I’ve been “battling” my whole life – the dark energy of wellness. A self obsession with perfection.”
Olivia Jeffers Journal, 10/17 in Rishikesh
Journal Entry, 10/17: Beatles Ashram at Rishikesh
10/17 stayed in Rishikesh. Visited the Beatles ashram then shopping, massage and an artika ceremony by the Ganga which turned political. The Beatles ashram was very interesting – Radha Sheran hated it (our guide) and felt the energy was bad and the good energy had expired. It was ruin, no one is here – “if it had good energy people would be there”. It was the birthplace of transcendental meditation, which I’ve always had a bad feeling about.
We went into the house, and both Alison and I saw a basement entrance that we both felt had very very dark energy, and avoided. I felt a bit drawn, but also very scared. It felt black, like the watery hole in the cave, a calling – but in a lethal way. Calling you to your death. I felt like I might pick up a spirit if I opened my mind too much there. Was glad to be with a group moving quickly. I think maybe that’s the dark energy I’ve been “battling” my whole life – the dark energy of wellness. A self obsession with perfection. The stupas, the dome things, were actually built in the 1970s after the Beatles visited – and were made of Ganga river stones to collect cosmic energy. Each stupa was like a one bedroom apartment with a bathroom and shower.
I was trying to understand the collective consciousness at the time the Beatles visited. They were a big force in popularizing eastern spirituality. Alison and I talked about how the Beatles would have been born during or after World War II – where London and Hiroshima were bombed, where their parents probably had ptsd – as teenagers there would have been constant anxiety over nuclear war – and then as adults, they would have been drafted into the Vietnam war… it would have seemed crazy. All this war. Insanity. I can see how “love is the answer” would have been a desperate plea – a younger generation to the older to PLEASE stop fighting, stop the wars. Please.
“I think maybe that’s the dark energy I’ve been “battling” my whole life – the dark energy of wellness. A self obsession with perfection.”– Olivia Jeffers, Journal Entry 10/17/2022
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And of course… that energy in such a young generation inevitably leads to lots of sex and drugs. Grandiose pursuit of power. Getting lost in the darker side of eastern spirituality with no guides. I can feel now for a generation I had felt frustrated by. From my perspective, the pitfalls they stumbled into seemed so obvious and preventable – from their perspective, what they did was risky and revolutionary with no guidance.
Journal Entry, 10/17-18: Artika and Rally at Rishikesh, to Vrindavan
After we went shopping, I got 2 pairs of yoga pants with full range of motion – and then one korta outfit for 3000 rupees. After we got massage, I wore the korta to the artika and it was fun to blend in.
The whole day was a day of extremes all at once. The Beatles ashram was a dead ruin, we went for lovely massages while a cow bandaged with sores waited to die outside, we saw a beautiful sunset as a cow shat-splattered diarrhea on the steps to the Ganga. We enjoyed a beautiful spiritual ceremony while a spiritual woman shamelessly promoted her book and a political rally was given.
10/18 on the road from Rishikesh to Vrindavan. Feeling much better. I officially have the “business class” seat on top of the luggage in the bag, where I get to be reclined or sitting and have windows on all three sides – but I have to arrange myself and the luggage to get comfy. It works perfectly for me because I like that and I don’t get motion sick this way.
Map: Beatles Ashram in Rishikesh
Scroll to Zoom out to see where these places are in reference to your home and other landmarks.
Glossary
Puja: to worship with garlands, icons or money
Darshan: to see and be seen by the gods
Kirtan: devotional song, often in call and response, “wake up the sleeping soul”
Polymorphic Monotheism: various deities represent multiple faces of universal God
- Each deity is an energy
- Creator, Preserver, Destroyer
- God is the divine being, goddess is divine power (energy)
- Krishna is god at play, Vishnu is god at work
Trip Information
The trip was run and organized by Gopi Kinnicutt, owner of Bhakti Yoga DC. The trip was managed by Prema Nanda and Radha Sheran. Skillful driving through the mountains was by Nassim. Himalayan trek guides (Jaman Singh, WhatsApp +91-89790-49706) and many porters carried our camp 9km to set up tents and kitchen for hot food. Many people were involved in arranging our transportation and lodging. Photos used were taken by everybody in the group, especially Prema, Alex, Lauren, Ande, Shannon and Johanna. Thank you!
Related Trip Journals
Glossary
Puja: to worship with garlands, icons or money
Darshan: to see and be seen by the gods
Kirtan: devotional song, often in call and response, “wake up the sleeping soul”
Polymorphic Monotheism: various deities represent multiple faces of universal God
- Each deity is an energy
- Creator, Preserver, Destroyer
- God is the divine being, goddess is divine power (energy)
- Krishna is god at play, Vishnu is god at work
Trip Information
The trip was run and organized by Gopi Kinnicutt, owner of Bhakti Yoga DC. The trip was managed by Prema Nanda and Radha Sheran. Skillful driving through the mountains was by Nassim. Himalayan trek guides (Jaman Singh, WhatsApp +91-89790-49706) and many porters carried our camp 9km to set up tents and kitchen for hot food. Many people were involved in arranging our transportation and lodging. Photos used were taken by everybody in the group, especially Prema, Alex, Lauren, Ande, Shannon and Johanna. Thank you!
Questing for Coherence 