I reached Amritapuri Ashram sunday afternoon and I was really exitet to see what it had in store for me.
I got off the nighttrain from Goa at 3:55 pm. in Kayankulam, and took a rickshaw, (Same as a Tuc-tuc in Goa) for the last 12 kilometers to the ashram. already a few kilometers before we reached the ashram a very high music was played outside, it came from huge speakers, there were put on the trees, it was mantra and chants. This music made me filled with energy , and it showed, that it was comming from the ashram.
The picture on left handside shows the entrance of the asram.
At the international information counter, I got a key to, what was my room for the stay. It was in a really high building with 13 floors, and then I got some clean linnen and a lot of rules to follow. Some of those rules actually made me very unhappy, because it´s said too many bad things about the indian residents outside the ashram.
Anyway I went to the building, where I was supposed to find my room, I tried to take the elevator to the 13th floor, but that wasn´t possible, because it only went up to the 11th floor, what??? Help was certainly needed now, because I had then to walk up by an outside metal staircase!!! Sorry, but my brain froze, I couldn´t walk those stairs cause to my fright of heights, I really liked to, but couldn´t do it.. So I had to go back to the office to get another room. I now got one room at the third floor, that was much better, but then I opened the door to the room, I saw four bunk beds in a ok size room, there was however incredible hot, so I quickly turned the fan on and tried to open a window.. But I couldn´t, a mosquito net did, that it was impossible to open 😞. The room was very dirty, but there was an ok toilet and af zink and I did get that clean linnen, sooo I thought I could manage some nights in this very hot room.
I then put my things down to the floor and went out to see the ashram. I was tired and hungry after this long ride by the train, so I went to get some som food in the Indian café, and here I met an american woman, who told me, that she had been living at the ashram for 13 years, 13 years wauuw, She told me that I needed to go and get an Darshan by Amma Bhagavan, cause that Amma would go for touring the next day, and then be away for 14 days. I ate my dinner, and then I went to get this “Darshan” .
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dar%C5%9Bana
And there I was sitting in this huge hall , where there really were many people to see what was going on at the stage. At the stage Amma was sitting, and she had been sitting there since noontime, now it was 8pm. I sat besides a lot of other europeans and waited for it to be our turn to get the Darshans, it was an beautiful experience, cause there was a band there was singing mantras and the people around me was all like dancing on their chairs. Everybody who want Dashans, is excitet to see Amma in person and to be giving this Darshan. The Darshan it self was an honor to recieve from such a holi person as Amma, we had to neele down, while she was blessing us one by one. The energy in the air was high and we were all high after these blessings, but the time was 1am before it ended and I was now very tired, so I went to sleep.
However here was so hot, but i made my bed and slept like a stone for hole 3 hours.. Then I woke up, due to a singing Ohm outside my window. Arrrhhh.. but I was so tired, so decided not to go for the meditation, turned around and tried to sleep. But I couldn´t fall asleep again, so turned again and stood out of my bed. at 6am I got out of bed and did some yoga in my hot sweaty room.
After my yoga I went out to find some breakfast, and I found a western café, but I had to wait to 8am before I could get any coffee and breakfast. When it was time and I was sitting eating a man man came by and asked for sevas, sevas is dutyes, free of paying, due to a cheep room. I thought okay, I would like to help, so I went to wash milkcartons so they were clean for recykling.. nice, now I knew that the indians was doing something very good for the enviroment. But it was so boring 2 hours, turning the cartons inside out.. However I felt good, cause my time, It was for a good ting to happen.
After that I was free to do whatever I liked and I went together with an austraulian girl to see if there was anything going on at the ashram we could attend too.. But there was nothing to do, no workshops, nor yoga, nor anything.. All stopped due to that Amma was out of the ashram, everything closed down.. We then went to the small town, and there was nothing there we were interested in, so we could only walk around the ashram and do nothing.. The temperature was high, no wind only humidity… Then we decided it to be an early night in and went for bed. I couldn´t sleep at all, it was to hot and there was only one thing I then was capable of,: it was to write.
Tuesday morning I was so tired, couldn´t think, went for coffee and breakfast 8 am, but there was closed, every one café st the ashram was closed, cause it was tuesday and then all the residents was meditating and in silence.. So no coffee and no breakfast.. Whatt?? I found out then, that there was comming a little serving shop from outside, from where we could get coffee and danish pastery, but no real breakfast.. I was so devastatet, and then I could be looking foreward to a long day, doing nothing, cause nothing was going on… big sigh !!!
I then made a quick decision about that I had to leave this ashram to stay alive, so I packed all my stuff, cleaned the room the best I could, and went to the office and got signed out of the ashram.
And this was here my first, single and last trip into an ashram ended. A life with so many rules and a room with to much heat is definitely not me, sorry to Amma Bhagavan, but now I have tried it. I will however say ,that this is not a common thing in all the ashrams in India.
After this I took a taxi to the busstation, found a bus and was driven to Kochin within a drive on 3 hours, then another bus for half an hour, then my phone ran out of battery, so I went up and down a street to find a place to get it charged, it took a while, but I found one place, and first, when I had power on my phone, I could see the address at the hotel I had booked while driving the bus. Then I could find a richshaw (was not hard to find, cause they are everywhere) for the last five kilometers to Fortkochin.
And YES when I got out at the rickshaw I felt a light energy and the hotel I had choosed, showed to be a wonderful place, and I got a room with aircondition.. wooow that was good.. I love this room, and I quickly went into a nice shower and cleansed myself free of the ashram smell and dirt.
I am really grateful to my angels and my inner God, to have shown me the way to Fortkochin
I am so happy and grateful, for having the experience of this ashram life, and how grateful I am for all the indians oppposite lifestyles.
Do you want to follow me into my next steps of life, please read the next chapter of “SOAP” 😉
In light and love, namasté 🙏 ❤ Lilly Acacia