Wednesday 18 February 2015

And The Wind Blew Her In ....

Says Kim Raikes:

"'A gust of wind in my soul' is the best way I can describe it. I felt it first in Lakshmi's little temple in Kolkata, where I arrived in the middle of puja and was welcomed as if to a long-ago home.





Photo Credit: Kim Raikes. Do not share without permission.

 "I remember the eager hands reaching for the lamp as the priest held it out to the devotees pressing close to the altar, and I wondered what was happening. As I cupped my own hands over the flame I felt the jolt of Lakshmi's power, just as I had from her eyes and appearance when I first beheld her. I had never felt dazzled and overwhelmed like that before, transported really to another dimension in my soul. I remember those same hands reaching for the lamp at Jaggadhatri's little shrine also in Kol; by then I was beginning to understand what was happening as divine energy was captured and transmitted. And I remember reaching out the car window in Puri as we stopped by a little temple having evening puja. The priest brought the lamp right to us as we held out our hands. Pure warm energy rushed into me and shook me awake to that place where I wish my spirit could be all the time!"


It was indeed the wind that blew in Kim Raikes in a most unexpected manner in 2008, as she found herself drawn by an unseen power to set foot in India. The sort of wind that tugs at the soul and flings open the gates to quest.

Her overpowering experience of the temple arati proved life changing not only for her but for those connected with her. Her visit to Kolkata first opened me to Lakshmi as a scintillating power - a shakti in her own right. 

Seven years thereon, the same wind is blowing again.
Each ghat in Varanasi is a portal awaiting her. To embrace her as she and her companions blow in on the wind. I imagine she will leave behind as much if not more than she carries away. 

I wonder if the Ganga Arati will mesmerize her, whether she will partake of payasam from Annapurna's hand.

I wonder how Vishvanath will present himself to her. Maybe she will hold out a bowl of rice to him as she has done to so many needing nourishment.


         Photo Credit: Nipun Srivastava - Research Associate, Team Chakra.
Do not share without permission


Light up the ghat steps. Light the way for Team Chakra! 

And join us in wishing Chakratirtha Travels a Happy Birthday! We are three years old today!