New Year’s Eve we went to Varanasi. It was another day of flight delays due to the fog but the vibrancy of the crowded streets energized me. The bicycle rickshaw ride down to the ghat through the narrow, congested streets was wild . Rickshaws, people, motorcycles, cars, all weaving to avoid a collision, looked like some kind of dance. At the ghat we boarded a boat and floated down the Ganges to the funeral pyres. I was deeply moved by this solemn scene and thankful to be viewing of at right so as not to invade the privacy of the families burying their loved ones. As we returned upstream, I stuck my hand in the water and was surprised at how gentle, safe, and warm it was just as we think of the Mother figure. Before watching the Arti celebration we released our wishes on the Ganges in the form of a small floating candle. Seeing the thousands of wishes floating on the Ganges was such a peaceful scene. I can’t think of a better way to have ended 2009 and begin a new decade than in such a holy place.
Tags: Bob Wright, Judith Wright, pilgrimage, Sacred Travel, spirituality, sufism, the wright leadership institute
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