Very mystical, very otherwordly, very beautiful

feetinthedirt (feetinthedirt) wrote,@ 2007-03-11 19:24:00 The next day I returned to Auroville and met my folks at the guesthouse. I was only planning to stay for two days but it ended up being six (I just left today). It was super cushy living, and I was hanging out with an American/Irish/English crew and mostly forgot I was in India. It's easy to get sucked in when so and so offers to teach yoga and the morning and someone else volunteers to teach qi gong in the evening. Vedic astrology readings and energy meridian type massages were also floating around. I had a reading by this amazing lady, and she told me a few things that really hit home...especially what she said about feeling alone in a group, having this split between crazy independence and really needing to be around people, which I've really felt a lot on this trip already.

I think I really just don't thrive in casual relationships, I prefer closeness and intensity and loyalty, which is not always possible, particularly when you're traveling. In any case, I'm excited to be traveling on my own now, which is way preferable to being with others and feeling alone. But this word 'alone' really comes up for me a lot, so I'll continue to figure that one out. I got a bit sick on day four, with a temperature of 102.5! So I stayed in bed for the entire day, which felt really needed.

Staying this week also gave me the chance to go see the Matrimandir in Auroville. You can also Google this. It is this big dome in the center of Auroville. It looks like a giant golden golf ball, also comparable to the dome at Epcot Center in Disneyworld (What does it say when, instead of a themepark reminding you of life, life reminds you of a themepark?). Anyways, it is supposed to be 'the soul of Auroville', and it's a very sacred, important site for people there. It's a whole hassle to get an appointment, they make you wear special socks, and you have to be silent inside. I was a bit skeptical, even as I entered inside. Then I got to the inner chamber--really not easy to translate to words, but I'll try). As soon as I got to the doorway, I felt a whoosh of energy (and also air conditioning--nice). The room was low-lit, completely white, circular, with maybe eight pillars. There were pillows to sit on. And in the center was a HUGE crystal ball with a ray of light passing through it from above. It was otherworldly, really.

Everyone I talked to had a different comparison--I thought of the end scene in The Dark Crystal, when the Mystics and Skexies join and they become theose crazy lookin spiritual beings, someone else thought JRR Tolkien and Gandalf, someone else thought of blueprints transmitted from aliens. Very mystical, very otherwordly, very beautiful. The other thing about this place is that they only let you into the inner chamber for 10 minutes, then you have to leave. Some people didn't like this, but I really did. When the ten minutes was up, I had a good solid flash of how important it is to be in the moment. For example, I had ten minutes in this exquisite place, and I will probably never go there again. It helped me see how really important it is to be present.