The Body of Shiva

Hello! So before my experiential awareness moves on, I want to tell you a little about the place I went this past weekend- Thiruvannamalai.
First of all, I want to go back!
It is an incredibly sacred town located around a mountain, which is known to be the God Shiva's body is ancient Hindu mythology.
It is also the place where one of the most celebrated recent Indian gurus was lead. His name is Sri... Ramanamaharshi. (Whew!) There is a huge ashram where he is buried, an even HUGER temple for Shiva, and caves in the mountain where Sri M. meditated for many years.
On Saturday, I got to climb Shiva. :)
At this point, some of you are probably wondering why I am calling myself "Shivaya Ajna", and this would be a fitting time to tell!
This year at Burning, I received my "Playa Name". This is a special name that you are supposed to receive at Burning Man; you are not supposed to choose it yourself, but rather receive it. This year I went to a naming booth (cheating? Maybe!), and had a wonderful experience receiving my playa name.
They called me Shiva. For me, this name represents my passion for dancing, as well as my continual striving to come from a heart-centered place of love, and recognize that sometimes, coming from a place of love means using the force of destruction, and sometimes it means fostering growth.
In Hindu tradition, Shiva is the God of transformation. He has two sides: the one which is involved with people and contributing to communities, and the side where he is withdrawn and in himself. He is depicted in many different incarnations and forms.
A main form that I really resonate with is the Dancing Shiva. You may have seen a statue of this somewhere! The Dancing Shiva is depicted dancing in a ring of fire. He is stepping on his ego with one foot, and raising the other foot away from it. He has four arms- two form a gesture, which means "do not be afraid, you are free". The other two arms hold the fire of life and passion, and a drum, for the rhythm of life.

In Hindu tradition, there are over 300 million gods worshipped. In India, Shiva is the God with the most temples. There are temples to worship Shiva in association with each element: earth, air, water, fire, and space. In Thiruvannamalai, the temple is the Fire Shiva temple. It is an impressive structure- I will post pictures soon!
So this Saturday, I - along with 8 brave groupmates and a local guide - woke up at 3:30 AM to hit the mountain! We climbed the steep, rugged slope until just before dawn. Then we reached the top.
I was dripping sweat when we got there, but I instantly became cold, because we were engulfed in a fast-moving, wet cloud! It was a dark grey color, and the top of the mountain was sticky and black from the ritual fires that are burned each full month there. (It is said that Shiva's power waxes and wanes with the cycle of the moon, and he is most powerful on the full moon. Thus, millions of people come to Thiru every month to walk around the mountain.)
Our guide pointed me toward the edge of the mountaintop, where there were two white footprints painted inside of a white circle. "These are Shiva's feet," he told me.
Instantly, I remained fixed there. I felt, "this is my spot." So I stood there with my arms up, letting the cloud sweep past me, turning my sweat to cold moisture droplets, and filling me with a sense of adventure and flight. Looking into the dark mist, I felt I was at the edge of some world.
I chanted Shiva's name and om'd as the clouds became slightly pink through the layers. Then the mist would dissipate for a minute or so, giving us a plunging view into the city and mountains far below.
We practiced some yoga with our guide to keep warm, then turned around in time to see the sun - a round orange orb - reaching through the gray clouds. Slowly, the orange, pink and yellow hues of the sunrise began to paint the mountaintop, and the clouds continued to thin. Eventually, we could see the scene below - the sprawling city in the valley, lakes glistening with the sun's light, and the Shiva temple bombarding the expanse of land with its prowess.

It was so beautiful! This weekend definitely helped me to connect more with this name I have received! Climbing a mountain before sunrise was definitely an experience; one which my thighs painfully remember, and one which I hope to explore in more sacred mountains of the world. Every mountain is sacred and lends a powerful opportunity to connect with spirit!

I love you all so much! Thank you for reading and stayin' with me!