It’s 9:30 pm and most of our folks are sleeping or in bed.  I am writing by the light of the computer so as not to (hopefully) keep my roommate up.  It’s weird to be typing…my fingers are not used to the keys and they are swollen as I attempt to get acclimated here, body and mind. I spent most of the hot part of the day unconscious or catching up on some sleep, so now I am wide awake!  The day ended with a sweet Satsang Swami held for the community as well as the group of us.  The theme was “How fortunate you are to live in Ganeshpuri…. How fortunate we are to be able to visit Ganeshpuri,” and imbibe in Bhagawan Nityananda’s Grace.

Imbibing his grace started this morning at 4:20 with the official wake up ceremony in the temple with the blowing of the conch shell, the drum sounds vibrating through the floor and the ringing of the bells.  Our group was the majority of the people in the temple this morning, with two others who Swami has known in the past.  One is a woman who was at Baba’s ashram with her and has been staying in Ganeshpuri for a while.  The other is a Swami whose name we love to butcher!  It’s Swami Niroopamanada but she goes by Niroopamaya (I think).  She comes here from the USA as often as possible and stays 3 months at a time.  I see her as I go visiting the temple or participate in another arati in one of the other temples in town.

This morning just as it was getting close to Arati time (6am) we heard the beautiful voices of a group of women singing outside at the Shiva temple, singing a chant to Shiva.  Swami went out to see them and she said it was lovely, especially since it is rare for women to be singing, as it is usually men doing the chanting and singing around the temples.  It was a sweet treat hearing it from inside the temple as well.

The days are so full, it feels like I am writing about last week instead of today.  We are all easing into the retreat and being helped by reminders that we are probably having jet lag as well as vata imbalance, which the travel can bring on as well as climate shock from cold winter temperatures to the 90 degree high each day.  To help us we are drinking lots and lots of water and today a bowl of ghee appeared on the dining tables to be consumed liberally!  No problem there!

I shared a sweet seva with another yogi this afternoon.  We put a handle on the peacock feathers she uses when giving darshan.  It took more than two of us, because we also had to find someone who could actually thread the needle to sew on the fabric.  Thanks to two of the men, Bob and one of the men who is helping manage the retreat, who were able to do it.  I tried for about five minutes and gave up.  So now Swami’s peacock feathers have a soft orange handle!

There was much more happening today, and for a large part of it I spent much of it “unconscious in consciousness.”  There is no better place to be in that state.  As Swami says, we are lucky to be in Ganeshpuri, very lucky!