A Capella Jam

Airports... and Mountains.

This is so funny.  I feel almost as if I m doing a 24 hour solo again, only this time I am in the complete opposite setting from last time.
Beautiful mountainous terrain is replaced by international airport hustle. Instead of fresh open air, I am contained in air-conditioned terminal air. Rather than birds and distant dog howls, I hear the chatter of a hundred different languages all around me. Rather than the complexity and mystery of the beautiful trees and foliage, I am now surrounded by countless replicas of designer brand stores, duty free liquor gleaming with prices, and staple coffee and food shops.
Instead of my thoughts echoing into nature, my thoughts swirl out into an abyss of jet-lagged, streamlined travelers.
And yet I feel a similar energy within myself...
The same as last time, if I want this experience to be anything other than WHAT IT IS, I will be miserable. SO I can whine to myself about being here for so long, or I can get lost in the comforting friendliness of my own mind, allowing it to be free. Putting restrictions on what we wish reality could be like in this moment, or how we wish we were in this moment, only puts strains on the self which create inner conflict. Whether in an undesirable airport terminal, completely plugged in (as it were) to "reality", or on a distant mountaintop away from other humanity, the inner reality may be a constant stream of peace with how things are naturally playing out; peace with what is.
So, I am trying my best to NOT try... to tap into this peace. And though I am getting strange looks for stretching in my bright-hippie clothes in the corner on the floor, I think I am at least more at peace here than many of these people running around, looking at the next thing they could buy... we have it all backwards.

I Hate The System.

I Hate The System So MUCH. I just tried to get on an earlier flight home- I even started crying and begging, and saying that my sister was having a baby! The universal response? "I'm sorry, we can't do that for you ma'am." ...Just one little seat? GOD! Now I am here for the next 12 hours, plus a 12 hour flight after that This is SO unnecessary! No one book through Student Travel Association. Even though they claim to give you the best deals, they screw you over! I NEVER asked for a 24 hour layover, and I know that there were other options when  I booked my tickets MONTHS ago! Wow, come to think of it, I had a dream a long time ago, about being in Hong Kong, and being afraid that I wouldn't get home. Well, I know I'll be getting home, but I just have a LOOOOT of time to kill before that time comes.
..Any suggestions?? The consumeristic stores here are already making me sick and crazy. There is only so much you can do in an airport. And I just don't feel like going through customs to take a bus into the city with my huge backpack, when I have no inclination to really experience it. They should have workout rooms at airports!! Dude, that is what people need to do!! Maybe I should just bust out dancing. They'd probably send security on me. They do have a massage and shower spa... $50... I think I may pamper myself. Other than that, I guess I just have to accept this hellish ride, and accept that sometimes, we just waste time. That is just the way it is. And even though this SUCKS, it COULD be WORSE.

I LOVE YOU! Ready or not, HOME I COME

HELLO!
Everyone, I am ALIVE!
...But just barely. Naw, it's not that bad; but travelling was pretty uproarious at times!
That is where I have been, by the way: my group went traveling for ten days through southern India, into a city called Mysore (the second cleanest city in India), and to a place called Honey Valley, which is a beautiful resort in the mountains.
It was a great experience- I have some stories for you, but I think I'd rather wait to tell you in person. They are not really blog-fodder, and plus, I have just a few days left now in Auroville, and my intent is to be HERE and fully and presently as I can in the few remaining days.
I am felling very sad to leave, but I am also excited for home. I just hope that I will be able to maintain my center and grounding in the midst of the hecticness of traveling, as well as the intensity of western culture! It will be a good challenge for me, as well as a chance to really reflect on the lessons I have been having here!
I am so excited to give you all hugs! SO much love!
Your girl,

~Heather

More On Money - Take It Or Leave It? Systems Analysis

Here are some pictures of life recently, and a quote to go along with my previous entry (about money and the economic system): "The nature of the gift, unlike goods that can be bought and sold, is that it must be kept in motion. The logic of gifts, like a river, is one of flow, whereas market in a market system, wealth is disengaged from the flow and becomes concentrated in pools. Scarcity appears when wealth cannot flow, Like a river, if the gift flow is dammed up, it will stagnate, and and the dam (one who hoards) will metaphorically burst." (Taken from my professor, Karen Litfin's article called The Sacred and the Profane in the Ecological Politics of Sacrifice) 

So what do you think? ...Auroville here is trying to run on a different economic model- one that is sustainable internally. They are not quite there yet, but they still hold this vision in mind. Sadhana Forest, similarly, is running on a "gift economy", where they do the work that needs to be done no matter what, without worrying about the money. Then, based on community friendship, activism and trust, money flows back to them.

So do you think we (the U.S., or even globally) could shift from the system we have now? Or do you think it is working just fine as is? 

...Yes, these are big questions- similar to the ones I have been having to ask for the past 7 weeks- to be honest, it is TOO MUCH sometimes to try to be thinking in these grandiose terms all the time, but HEY; it is also essentially beneficial. Okay, enjoy the pictures! 

Money, Material and Full Moon Howling

I had a very successful shopping experience today!
Now, shopping is something that I've tried to avoid as a valuable cultural experience here, since it is ALL.ABOUT. CONSUMING. However, I realized today that interacting with the shopkeepers is actually a really accessible way to interact with Indian culture.
Many of the shopkeepers here are from Northern India, specifically Kashmir. Since talking to many of them, I want to come back and go to Kashmir!
First of all, the name- doesn't it just sound beautiful? ;)
It is in the mountains, with many lakes and rivers, and it is known for its outdoor adventuring.
Yep, sign me up.
And what is more, the shopkeepers I have intermittently been interacting with over the past weeks are really open and friendly. They remember me, and greet me whenever I ride by. (The main shopping village is on the way to the beach.) Some of them really invest time in building relationship, which is a refreshing breath of an experience in contrast to the stifling pressure of many Indian sopping experiences. ("You buy NOW!")
At the apex of this realization here is this one man, who I bought something from the other week. His shop is called "The Same But Different". When I was in there, I didn't have enough money to purchase the item. He said, "Oh no, you don't worry about it; you give me the money when you have it. Just enjoy this garment, enjoy the afternoon, and give many blessings." Well this just about startled me to death! Can you imagine going to Nordstrom's during Christmastime, having a long chat with the salesperson (who offers you a chai), picking out a beautiful garment with their undivided attention's help, and then them saying, "oh yes, take it, and come back to pay some other time."
Wow. This was a different experience.
We are SO based on MONEY, MONEY, MONEY, it is like it has its own entity, own energy and force, that sweeps us up and carries us along with it, guiding us around by the throats.
We are slaves to money.
Generally speaking.
Of course, this isn't how it has to be, and there are many different mentalities to help alleviate this devastating economic view, but- it is sadly true that the basis of our entire economy is run on money, and direct exchange. This does not leave any room for work exchange, or any other type of arrangement. It is solely for the individual gain!
Now how isolating is that? It just develops this energy of separate smallness, and creates a dominant paradigm of selfish work ethic.
Anyway, that is just a little rant- and the experience of sifting through the waves of colorful fabrics here is actually quite a nice sensual experience. All the garments smell of incense and the stories of the hand-made places they are from around the country of India.
~*~*~*~
Also, last night was the full moon. Henry, Richie and I went to the top of a 200 foot watertower to watch the moon rise, and picnic with some people from Sadhana forest. Then we rode our bikes down to the beach, despite many peoples' various warnings, and dove into the moonlit water!! It was SO cleansing, celebratory, rejuvenating, relinquishing, childlike, and adventurous. (Neil, you would have loved it!!)
So that was great- It is always nice to HOWL AT THE FULL MOON!
~*~*~*~

Early Space of Morning Breath

Here is a poem I wrote this morning:

~*~*~*~

As soon as I Rise

The fresh air fills my lungs.

As soon as I rise,

I am in nature.

As soon as I rise, 

I am enlivened by

The early-morning energy Zen;

The peaceful awakening.

As soon as I rise, 

The birds are chirping sweetly and

abundantly, in greeting.

The ingenuous drops of dew sit innocently

 on the newly growing tomato plants.

As soon as I rise,

I feel comfortable in my skin.

A softness, gentle spaciousness, permeates my being.

As soon as I rise,

I feel peaceful.

I breathe in deeply,

Filling up my inner energy-body 

with the

Sweet, supple nectar of the morning.

~*~*~*~