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A principle in life to remember is to travel light.
You are traveling all the time.
Travel light, live light, spread the light, be the light.
– Yogi Bhajan
Caravan to Solstice
…Road trip in Group Consciousness
Memoirs by Nirvair Singh Khalsa
It was written for the Yoga X-Press's book as intro
Dear Brothers and Sisters in Russia,
I believe that we are all one in the Spirit. The great Master Yogi Bhajan showed us a path that serves us well…whether we are in St.
Petersburg Russia or St. Petersburg Florida.
I hope you enjoy this vignette of the early days of 3HO.
"Whether you have a child or not, whether you have a boy or a girl, whether you are rich or poor, you are a professional or non-professional you judge everything and each other in the light of have's and have not's. I understand that you judge each other with the authority of have's and have not's but I am asking one simple thing. What do you have ---a mask? What do you have in reality-just a mask. That is why Guru Nanak very beautifully put in the very mul mantra "akaal moorat". Let you mask be divine. You can't get rid of your mask. But you can clean this mask and make it undying infinite "akaal moorat." Let your prospective of this mask, the intention and retention be divine." Yogi Bhajan 10/31 /83 "Our Goodness"
In the early 70's in the United States, everyone that was living in a 3HO ashram did their best to go to Summer Solstice Sadhana in Colorado, California and eventually, where it resides today, New Mexico. It was the highlight of the year. Yogi Bhajan wrote a letter to everyone that attended in 1979 and said. "Dear Ones: Sat Nam. It was a great beautiful decision on your part that you directed your body to Guru Ram Das Puri at the time of the primal energy by celebrating with us in the Summer Solstice Sadhana. The tests of the time have made it harder and harder to carry our physical bodies to the spot of ecstasy in consciousness. But to do is to experience--- and you have done it!! It is in this act of courage and trust in God that the spirit of the Aquarian age prevails."
It was so true; it was always some kind of test just to make it to Solstice Sadhana. The trip was long no matter how far you traveled and there was always something that would come up that would either provide an excuse or a reason not to go. When you finally made the decision to go, somehow the money would come, the objections would be overcome and your soul would dance with the happiness of your decision.
When my wife and I were living in the Eugene Oregon ashram, before we moved to Alaska in 1975, we took many of the these journeys to the Desert Southwest for Summer Solstice Sadhana by automobile. We went in multiple car caravans. This was in turn great fun, and a terrible test of stamina, grit and patience. These long car trips were a test in themselves!
Our rule was that we would all travel together. Whenever one car stopped, all stopped. Everyone traveled at the same speed in sight of each other. The coordination with children, cars in different states of operational repair, and different personalities was challenging. We chanted the whole way, when we would stop, people would switch cars for new company. Sometimes we would stop at other Ashrams to spend the night on the way. Yogi Bhajan wanted us to do it this way. It was safe, and economical. None of us could certainly be called 'haves' in the material sense in those days but we did have each other, our mission and our divine intention to be with our Teacher at Summer Solstice Sadhana.
It was truly an exercise in group- consciousness. One time, I remember that we all stopped at a rest stop along the highway. One Ashram member got out of the car to stretch. He proceeded to do some heavy praniayam, bent over in a standing front stretch, and then straightened out a stretched up a back with his arms over his head. Naturally he passed out…lost consciousness, hit the pavement like a ton of bricks and split the skin on his chin and lip. So what did we all do? We all went to the hospital with him to get fixed up with stitches. Other times, cars would break down, or someone would get an unusual craving for ice cream. And through it all, we stuck together.
We went through these difficulties because we knew that Yogi Bhajan was with us. "Even when I am not present my molecular body is present everywhere. I have told you. You don't believe this. You just see my physical body because you see yourself on the physical plane. You think you are seeing a mirror. I am not a mirror. I am your reflection, the tenth body, the radiant body and when I show you, you become blinded." Yogi Bhajan. November 8 1983 "Falsehood and Non Negotiating Reality"
It is true now as well. Yogi Bhajan is with us this very day when we face our difficulties and lift ourselves from individual to group consciousness unto universal consciousness. We are all on this journey, in this caravan together.
Sat Nam
Nirvair Singh Khalsa
November 2005
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