5 hours later and i'm still excited by it all. i have the voice of one of the priest stuck in my head, reciting particular mantras. it makes me feel good : )
also the night before i had a dream of the homa. there were butterflies, red paste, ammas name was mentioned, and a girl was singing on the radio, "i want you to live, i want you to live."
i woke up feeling very peaceful
was kind of nervous at first but someone told me there is a fine line between being nervous and being excited.
everyone was seated- amma was approaching but there was a delay. i was parked in her spot! not that it was marked- but it was at the front and it was the easiest way to get in. someone ran in and asked, "amma is here but we need the owner of a gold nissan to move their car." heh eh kinda embarrassing but it felt good because i was one of the few to witness her first.
i learned a lot about tradition and way of worship. made the mistake of sticking out my left hand to receive the rice. the lady handing it out grabbed my right hand and the person next to me explained, "you receive with the right. always with the right" he got a good laugh
the rice was used to burn karma
received some kind of blessed honey, saw a butterfly and snake
at the end of homa i received raksha from amma herself- she smiled and spoke in sincerity, "i love you son." this made me feel so good.
raksha is a protective force which grants peace and well being- it's a paste made from the sacred ashes and is placed on the forehead.
also we gave prayer to the pain of the world. to mother earth and shared a humble walk in and for peace
learned some new mudras, like the lotus mudra
and some new mantras like the ganesh homa mantra:
om gam ganapataye swaahaa
om ekadantaaya vidmahe vakratundaaya dheemahi tanno daniti prachodayaat
(for the removal of obstacles)
i have a list
todays events left me inspired to share
leaving you with the universal prayer for peace and happiness:
om shaantih shaantih shaantihi
lokaah samastaah sukhino bhavantu
: )
