At any given moment, your heart can awaken. It can ask you for change. It can challenge you to love without labels and even force you to renounce something you most cherish. This nudge, this sacrifice, turns your awareness within. It is the light that navigates your way down the trail.
While in the Himalayas, my heart awakened. In that opening I was revealed hidden secrets into my past, given the gift of vision for the future, and was provided a safe place for such deep healing to begin.
Guha, or 'gufa' in the image, means 'cave' in Sanskrit. It is a sacred place for one to dive into the depth of silence. Complete sensory silence. Only a small light from an oil lamp on the altar. Caves are imbued with the energy of deep peace. They signify the womb, going within, and reclaiming the connection to the soulful heart-center. They calm the mind, giving insight into the wonder of life. Caves are a place of Silence and Stillness and they guide you to the place of Unconditional Love.
During my north India adventure, I was able to visit Swami Vishnudevananda's cave pictured above. You enter into the housing area, where he stayed for much of his last days on Earth. It is a small, simple space. Bed, altar, and kitchenette. No electricity. No running water. The view from the front of the building is of the Holy Ganga river just a few steps from the front door. Next to the bed is a small wooden door that leads into the cave. Once you enter, you know you have stepped into a sacred space. You can sense the healing vibrations immediately. For decades people have meditated in that cave, and for one day I was amongst them.
What an honor to have such a beautiful heart opening... thank you Father Himalaya.
