Posted by Nell Rose Phillips on Wednesday, February 20, 2013,
In :
Kumbh Mela
February 8, 2013 Kumbh Mela Allahabad, India I haven't written for several days now, primarily because of the sheer level of participation in many auspicious events. There have been too many for me to share fully, but I will touch on just a few to give you a flavor of what it's like to be me at this time and in this place. I'd like to begin by saying that I have been treated here in India with the upmost respect, and that I have not only been granted the recognition of being a spiritual leader i... Continue reading ...
Posted by Nell Rose Phillips on Monday, January 28, 2013,
In :
Kumbh Mela
My blog today will be based on the talk that Sadhvi Sarawati gave to the Divine Shakti Festival group, who are sharing wonderful yoga classes here at Kumbha Mela. I am grateful for her amazing ability to take spiritual concepts that I have heard for maybe thirty years, and present them in a way that touches me deeply. She is Swami Sarawati’s assistant, but he turns to her to speak on his behalf- his respect for her is evident. When we speak of the divine feminine, we are speaking of the wom... Continue reading ...
Posted by Nell Rose Phillips on Sunday, January 27, 2013,
In :
Kumbh Mela
January 26th 2013 Kumbh Mela Allahabad, India Today started again early with heavy fog and a deep penetrating cold. I didn't have the energy to go down to the river this morning so I performed a small peace ritual in my cabin. Last night, I had the honor of being the distinguished speaker here at the Kumbh Mela opposite the world renowned environmentalist and author, Venanda Shiva.  This was a huge event packed with officials and press and I was the opening speaker. I addressed the audience on t... Continue reading ...
Posted by Nell Rose Phillips on Sunday, January 27, 2013,
In :
Kumbh Mela
January 25th 2013 Kumbh Mela Allahabad, India Yesterday, we invited a group of young untouchable fisherman's daughters to our camp to be honored as Goddesses in front of press and TV networks, in order to begin a shift in India's traditional view of women. The girls were showered with rose petals and beautiful chants and songs were sung to them by young men attending the ceremony. Many mothers were present, and the sense of the magnitude of such an acknowledgment was tangible and easily seen in... Continue reading ...
Posted by Nell Rose Phillips on Wednesday, January 23, 2013,
In :
Kumbh Mela
January 23rd 2013 Kumbh Mela Allahabad, India I write this morning from my bed as I struggle to rejoin the event. The last two days have been a fog of agony with only snippets of consciousness here and there. I went through tossing fevers and chills so intense that my teeth still hurt a day later from clashing together. I don't know what it was, but I was so weak that a simple task like checking the time on my cell phone took two or three hours to recuperate from. I have managed to sit up for ... Continue reading ...
Posted by Nell Rose Phillips on Wednesday, January 23, 2013,
In :
Kumbh Mela
January 20th 2013 Kumbh Mela Allahabad, India Today began at 4:00 AM as I was called by the power of the river. It's hard to describe my overall experience here at Kumbh Mela to anyone. I am involved in many events daily which in themselves are often once in a lifetime moments. Moments which are connected to direct action on my part to promote and set into place principles that I live by. Exemplifying compassion, demonstrating new pathways to peace, teaching about the sacredness of nature and... Continue reading ...
Posted by Nell Rose Phillips on Wednesday, January 23, 2013,
In :
Kumbh Mela
Patrick is sick today with the cough that has found a home in the frigid night air here on the banks of the river, so I will write about our day with 5000 school children yesterday. They came marching in to gather on the steps of Sangam Ghat in straight lines of uniformed students, carrying signs with slogans for the campaign to clean up the Ganges River, chanting in rhythm to their marching bands. For Patrick and those of us who love nature so passionately, it was a deeply moving day. Envir... Continue reading ...
Posted by Nell Rose Phillips on Sunday, January 20, 2013,
In :
Kumbh Mela
Hi All. Today I led a march of 5,000 school children along the banks of the Ganges to both clean up the sacred river, but also to call for world peace and the preservation of our environment generally. All of these things have been quite spontaneous, and our single act of mucking trash in front of all of the pilgrims has gone viral across the world. There were TV stations from many countries and newspaper reporters everywhere. The Governor and Minister and many other officials have joined wit... Continue reading ...
Posted by Nell Rose Phillips on Saturday, January 19, 2013,
In :
Kumbh Mela
Since we have come to India to participate in the largest spiritual gathering on earth ( over 70 million estimated), I am questioning here what it means to choose spirituality as a focus for one’s life. I have the rare opportunity to learn and compare two traditions: the Wiccan and the Vedic. The Wiccan tradition goes back 14,000 years, its origins lost in the hazy mists of ancient history. Related to the Isis tradition of Egypt, it is based in the worship of the Goddess, the Mother ... Continue reading ...
Posted by Nell Rose Phillips on Saturday, January 19, 2013,
In :
Kumbh Mela
January 16th & 17th 2013 Kumbh Mela Allahabad, India The last two days so much has happened here at the Kumbh Mela. Day and night have become indistinguishable, and the combination of rituals, meeting people, and incredible experiences, are becoming a huge swirling fog of experience. I am making great contacts from all over the world, and weaving together a partnership of people with many different talents, to join with me on a quest for world peace and saving the resources and beauty of our p... Continue reading ...
Posted by Nell Rose Phillips on Friday, January 18, 2013,
In :
Kumbh Mela
January 14, 2013 First Auspicious Bathing Day The Sangam Kumbh Mela Today after a simple breakfast of Masala Tea and a hot porridge, I joined in a Sacred Fire Ceremony with Swamijii in preparation to bathe in the Sangam for Makar Sankriti. Following that, a group of us made up of a few spiritual leaders and some of the ashram's guests, began the journey through the huge crowds of people and down to the river flanked by an escort of yellow robed novices. There were about thirty or forty such dev... Continue reading ...
Posted by Nell Rose Phillips on Sunday, January 13, 2013,
In :
Kumbh Mela
I made my way out of the camp and down the path to the stairway that led to the sangam. I walked with long haired saints dressed in robes of white and saffron as the music of harmoniums joined with the songs and chants of the people. Cameras flashed and press recorded, catching the moment for those who could not be present. A remote miniature helicopter with TV cameras and four sets of spinning blades hovered above us, moving here and there with incredible precision trying to record the un... Continue reading ...
Posted by Nell Rose Phillips on Sunday, January 13, 2013,
In :
Kumbh Mela
January 13, 2013 I am now in Varanasi and preparing to travel to Allahabad and the Kumbh. Yesterday I was picked up at the airport by Anindo Bhattacharjee from SMS and transported to the Gateway Ganges Hotel. Varanasi is the oldest continuing city in the world and traveling it's streets is like experiencing all of humanity and its cultures and possibilities in one huge overwhelming rush. The cars, motorcycles, cows, people, rickshaws, monkeys, and other forms of life are everywhere and ... Continue reading ...
Posted by Nell Rose Phillips on Sunday, January 13, 2013,
In :
Kumbh Mela
January 11, 2013 Today began my journey to India and the Kumbh Mela. I started in San Francisco at 3:00AM and have been flying for 14 hours so far. First to New York, an then to Amsterdam. I am now sitting in the airport in Amsterdam, waiting for my flight to Delhi. I have a five hour layover and am tired, but also anxious and excited to reach India. I am accompanied by my assistant, Dr. Harriet Nettles of Washington, DC, who will journey with me for the first three weeks. Harriet will care for... Continue reading ...
Posted by Nell Rose Phillips on Saturday, June 11, 2011,
In :
Nepal
In writing this entry I am reminded that each step of my journey has
literally served as a primer for the next. First the marvel of Kathmandu
with it's mix of ancient and modern where temples to primitive monkey gods
serve as foundations for giant banyon trees whose branches support a cacophony
of bare and twisted buzzing sparking electrical wires that serve as a
dangerously pulsing undependable source of energy as lights go on and off
unexpectedly throughout the night. And its crazy li... Continue reading ...
Posted by Nell Rose Phillips on Wednesday, March 2, 2011,
In :
Thailand
Return from Khou Yi: I returned from Khou Yi back to the Dammakaya temple. One of our hosts arranged a wonderful dinner cruise down the river, through the city of Bangkok. After several hours of unbelievable traffic (some people in Bangkok actually build small rooms inside their vehicles to rest or change in). We arrived in the city. The boat was very elegant and the view of the city from the water was spectacular. There are temples all along the shore, and huge beautiful modern buildings tow... Continue reading ...
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