Auroville, the futuristic dream

Auroville, the golden city gives certain continuity to the Vipassanā course. I hoped to see #Mātrimandir for a long time, and now thankfully to meditation everything became obvious. The golden thread occured as reality manifested itself in form of people, places and their sequence. Some of the participants of Vipassanā live here, so it was no question to meet again, an other girl was invited also. Seemed like a lucky coincidence that a Belgian lady offered to meet her #ashtanga teacher, Christine, and later I understood why we had to meet.

Auroville is also entirely organic as Perumbakkam meditation center, but even more: the citizens not only aim to live in unity with nature, but they successfully revived an entire woodland ecosystem, as it was a deserted land. The tropical forest which did not exist fifty years ago, is inhabited by people from all directions of the planet by today. To read the whole history of Auroville, I would recommend to read their own website, and contact people who visited or live(d) there.

Most important to know that it is an experimental township for world peace, that Mirra Alfassa and Sri Aurobindo has established close to the French colony of Pondicherry in Tamil-Nádu with the purpose of uniting nations.

Auroville wants to be a universal town where men and women of all countries are able to live in peace and progressive harmony, above all creeds, all politics and all nationalities. The purpose of Auroville is to realize human unity —  Mirra Alfassa

My host, Christine Pouchard wholeheartedly teaches - with everthing in her life, she knows exactly what is tapas and karmayoga. Reading her website I became really curious for she has crossed the Himālayas a couple of times, (her book written about this experience is being translated by someone to English right now).

We arrived with her driver from Pondy to the nearby village, and there he suggested to grasp some food in the French bakery before we proceed to Bird Forest. I was picking this and that, and I saw a familiar face - both of us smiled - Eva! Christine!! - so that was our first meeting, it was so French in the most positive Francophone movie sense.

I was amazed how energetic she is - no signs of age. Onwards the cars were navigated following her on a 1200cc bike, the ride she took over the muddy puddles - rather let's say pools - in the monsoon rain was impressive. From time to time we had to stop the car and she gave instructions how to cross, and what to avoid - and indeed it was easy, and finally we arrived luckily.

Her Homestay is really cute, and function based, I was surprised how simply one can live in nature.

Almost just a basics of food stored in the kitchen, no fridge, all power supplied by sun collectors (no sunlight - no mobiles or pc). Thats why I say its really like Perumb. Vipassana center. And yes, this should be our direction in the future. Go Green, Self-Suppling, and #Zerowaste. There was not a piece of rubbish anywhere around. That afternoon I learned to ride a scooter - what seemed a bit hopeless at the beginning, but I think in around 2 hours I managed to gain control all limbic movements (of the body) and functions (of the bike). Later I just had to remember to ignite (the pics on the handle were quite worn, and the movement wasn't in my hands)

Practice

The first early morning bike-journey was immediate connection with the forest in the early morning dim: strong cold wind, heavily falling rain, all across red shapes of mud and stones - just thrilling. Christine asked me to go at my pace. Back in France she was a racer, so obviously I didn't had to follow her. I felt so much awaken in this challenge! Couldn't wait to have sunshine and even more vivid colors of the sky and sun, and greens again... While my attention deepened in the crunch of colors, have not realized that actually I did follow Christine, so I was right behind her. She sometimes looked back, then when we had arrived, she got off the bike with a big smile. We entered her studio, and greeted all the other people who came to practice. That time I was full of #granthis, practice was very talkative to her. She really mastered the class in two languages.

The next day she pensively told me:

"You certainly have hidden powers, I have never seen anyone riding like that after two days, work on this." I thought its a childhood memory, so later in a Skype conversation I told my mother I remembered how to drive as my father took me regularly. She said - "Baby, that "regularly" was only one or two occasions". Oho... o.O memories got carved into the correct place, strange how deceptive is human memory.

Next day visited the local school of Auroville, we could set up a date to meet with Príti, who was also my roommate during the Vipassaná course (and we could not speak :D ) The school is really special, Mátá had an entirelly different view of education. They raise children in absolute creative freedom, but in a way that they can still adjust to any higher education. It is mainly focusing on eco farming, research and sustainable education (unlike the isle of boredom info-dose, what we know already).

Príti is constantly in the state of #upekkhā, I really adore her. She showed me around: the houses of the school are cute and simple.

As she had time, we went for lunch to the Visitor's center, and coincidentally met the Spanish meditator girl who came from Vipassaná :) Good people meet again and again everywhere. She was about to leave, as she could not do much for just a couple of days here - no sightseeing possible when the roads are filled with mud in the rain. The permanent residents can work, but those of us who came with tourist VISA, breaking the rules drew serious consequences (contact me if volunteering is in your mind, and I connect you with Christine for more info).

Anyhow I managed to register the visit to Mātrmandir at the main office. You have to do it in advance. Hopefully rain will let me to visit on Sunday - the buses can't run because of it, its all soil-road. Could not see it seven years ago, I hope the weather will be gracious this time _/\_

Conscious life in Auroville

Christine opened a small yoga studio with longtime practitioner teachers in Kuilapalayam recently, and after both of us woke up around 4am, had an hour meditative session and had bath and necessities we drove together to ashtānga class (around 6.20). We discussed that she will go ahead to prepare the placed, and later we would meet at the studio. Obviously she got use to this road after living here 15 years or so.

Although I have not lived long in Auroville yet, but it was striking that everyone practices minimum one hour of meditation per day, or sometimes samyama happens automatically in the premordial natural state of mind just what UG Krishnamúrti had. Hours passing by in bliss without recognizing. Drinking alcohol is forbidden here - what actually nobody misses.

Belief systems

Let it be the path of bhakti surrendered to Mātā and Aurobindo, karmayoga, vinyasayoga, jñānayoga - or a combination of these, yet everyone meditates. For us it is usually difficult to separate these paths, once we have the inner curiosity for everything, and weren't raised in traditional Indian lifestyle, where the subgroups of Hinduism have their own sampradāya. #Auroville is the same as the major peace concept of the EU, we like to focus on ekatā, so we are sisters rather in the equal buddhist sense (but now it sounds a bit communist...) Nobody really wants to name one God nowadays, as consciousness gets more importance, but we all have a small secret affection to one devatā, connected to birth (nakshatra) or coming by our guruparamparā, or via arts (like Jagannáth to odissi dancers). Perhaps it gives some hints for Indian people also, how to imagine spirituality in other countries - its the same connection for yogis everywhere. At the end of the day nobody can claim that #reincarnation happens only in just one country confined by the same borders again and again...

Mātrmandir

Yes! The day has come, the rain stopped, we could charge, and all the beautiful colors of nature are back :) After a fresh morning practice and bath I prepared some extra clothes to enter the Globe as a homo sapiens, and headed towards the visitor's center.

First we saw a video about the history of Auroville, than all the phones and valuables had been collected and we were supposed to gather by a small gate in silence. I wonder why people can not stop for 10 minute. Then a local guide arrived, who himself is a resident, and he told the whole story of the construction, donations, possibilities, most realities he could mention.

Getting closer to the orb, the petals reminded me to the Yantar Mantar in Ujjain, but from inside it is real 2000+ sci-fi, only the original #CloudAtlas. You. Must. Go. There.

Yes, it is covered by 24 karat gold, inside white marble and now 2 real chrystals. Plus reading Aurobindo's book its clear that he and Mātā were eons ahead of their age. Better listen to French yoga, seems they never lost connection with nature (La Belle verte, highly recommended.)

Inside of the meditation hall you need to follow certain instructions, and can get 15 minutes for meditation only. You may return on an other day referring to your previous visit, now for a longer session. I would not like to share more of this experience, its very personal for each of us.

Scorpions everywhere

After getting indulged between the various essential oils, scents, and fine materials I armed with some incense in Auroville organic shop and joined Prīti again. she told surprising stories about living in the jungle. I got to know that there are four types of scorpions living here, plus snakes (thats how her previous dog died.) "Scorpions are harmless" she sais "but better to look under your feet especially on rainy days or dark periods, as dawn or evening dusk, as these creatures come out, and they quickly react to the movement - out of fear, just like us." She is very protective of animals, and what is funny, that she never gave any sign of fear - of spiders, snakes, scorpions, rather talked about them ironically

When we moved in, snakes were common visitors. I had no problem with them, but sometimes they were so many in number, that they pushed me out of my kitchen, so we had to do something.

Meanwhile riding became my greatest joy in the forest - as I had my yoga classes in Kuilapalayam, had to gather food or eat outside, and I was trying to see as much as I could. It was a fight at some parts, because stingy bushes lined up along the path covered by huge water, and sometimes they made it impossible to avoid the puddles - I have to go through them in the middle. Did not stop the scooter's engine by the inlet water - wouldn't I have a problem (left leg again..)

One morning a small ant got trapped by chance under the strap of my flipflop, the tiny thing felt threatened - suddenly became aware he is a scorpion ant - simply stung my instep, so it became swollen painfully for the following two weeks (some more tapas..)

Watch out and see the stars

Next day I joined a CS meeting. As the closeby Youth Center has been closed for two days because of the rain, I was browsing for some other type of activity. Decided to check who is available for a hangout on Couchsurfing. There was a guy from Norway who suggested to hang out in Pondy, two other people replied also from Pondy and from France (it's like a group chat, and Couchssurfing is absolutely safe, we can check the recommendations and history of a traveller.)

Quickly we set up meeting point with the Indian guy in an Ice-cream place, and then collected the others. First we visited a night-sky observation spot in the Kuilapalayam forest, and switching off the engines we listened some music. Than we rode over to Pondy in a beautiful forest side way, that was really unbelievable...

Pondy traffic was crowded, insane, whatever you wish, and our cute viking friend did not make it any easier - he drew curlicues on the road w his bike, I almost hit him twice :D Anyway it was really much fun, Neo ahead on his bull (the guy from Pondy) and 3 of us from Europe on a mosquito-like scooter constantly beeping to each other :) :) 3 idiots

We went to a rooftop bar. So this was the view to the street. We ordered some refreshers, and Daniel, the Norwegian guy started to make pictures exactly from this spot. He used a tripod but unfortunately the wall was uneven, and I guess the camera just slowly slipped down. Fell like 5 floors.. So he also disappeared to search for his brand new but broken camera (later the insurance company covered a new one). We talked to Jérémie about his Unesco program.

More people joined us - there were friends from Pondy, and a young girl from Spain. She did several holistic programs: energy healer and a yoga teacher training in Thailand. Two days later I saw her asleep on the veranda of Aurobindo ashram in Pondicherry, possibly she was tired, so I decided not to wake her up just to talk. It was a really nice company, although I was a bit disappointed to see the city being modernized - returning after 7 years. The morning practice is a marvellous excuse not to party long, so soon we decided to leave back to Kuilapalayam and from there to Bird Forest.

Before leaving we memorized the direction muttering "go straight on Bussy street, when you pass the clock tower, turn to the left, and straight until you see the highway" only we needed more petrol.. so after riding here and there finally we found a petrol station,

where we had selfie time with the whole local staff. I was glad to have my two European friends there.

So finally we got to the highway, said farewell to Daniel, and the cute connection road came. Now that it was dark, and only the Moon guided (ok, besides our lamps) it was complete goosebump-nature feeling, for me is always safer than being in a city.. Nature is pure, and you can feel things without any magnetic or electric radiation.

The palm trees along the road lined up like a row of giant night guards, but if you looked aside or high up, could see the stars clearly between the canopy, these huge plants make you feel humble... really we are just a clump of clay or a handful piece of dust...

Similarly when we reached the edge of Bird Forest, before turning away home we stopped by the crossroad for 5 minutes to see the stars and listen to the night sounds of the tropical forest. As I heard his bike slowly getting distant, I felt as an intruder in this new forest, but it also gave that very ancient instinct when all your senses become sharp - lomaharsha in Sanskrit.

Next day was heavy rain again, and I was to go to Pondy together with one of Christine's student, Valerie, who is a KYM diplome holder, but never started to teach yoga for various reasons. Although I think she is really amazing.