~Our Journey Through the Lands of Nepal~
~Part One~
It began with a dream....far and wide as the eyes could see. Through the eyes of a film I was once
touched by "Baraka." I saw hope, truth, pain between the black and white lines of the unspoken truths we were denied as children, and corrupted by as adults.
The light spoke to my soul....awakened an old soul within me.....and there my journey began to worlds forgotten, unseen, and untouched.
Months of planning and preparations for this journey for what we were about to embark on. Many obstacles arose and signs came before me. Dreams became more vivid, stronger, speaking through images, sounds and the senses. My health began to weaken, my energy weakened, I felt a force attempting to cease me from following forward with this journey. It was the last 2 weeks I began to feel defeated, maybe these were signs, warning to stop me in my tracks....
Then a glimpse, a glimmer of confirmation, a moment in time I saw clarity.....
You must face the darkness that stands before you, without fear, doubt and ego. For every dark cave, there is a light at the end....it is never easy to take the long, rocky path, with constant obstacles thrown at you. It will take your last breath of strength to carry forward, and with trust, light will come.
So with bags on our backs, and a 32 hour series of flights ahead of us, we sailed over the seas.
Exhausted and on empty we arrived to Kathmandu, Nepal. Instantly, the moment we saw a familiar face, Bishal, that we were greeted by at the airport, relief settled in. I was introduced to this beautiful soul, my brother Bishal, by another dear friend of ours, Skye and Justin...days before our trip began.
The circumstances, and how fate decides to play out its cards always takes me by surprise...
the little moments that can change your path forever. Always reminds me to be open, present, and trusting.
With the help of Bishal and his girlfriend Rayja, we got settled in to a hostel that he worked at....that by chance months before we made reservations for, and when we met this dear soul, he "happen" to be working at the very place we had reservations for our arrival. Coincidence...I feel not.
The whole trip was laid out this way...a series of events, connected to people far and wide, yet connected in some form or another.
So we decided on this trip to do a bit of research prior to arriving, but going into it with full intention of being open to any possibilities. Making no plans, until the last minutes....breathing in each breath one moment at a time, fully and completely....and we managed to do just this.
The next morning we decided to wake up and travel on foot to a sacred holy center place of Kathmandu, Swayambhunath Stupa~ We were told the night before a secret rural path to take, a bit longer, less tourist populated, and through the real streets of the Nepali people. We awoke around 4:30am...to give us enough time to get ready, grab our backpack, and travel on foot. The morning had a bit of a chill to the air, the fog was thick, and sun had not yet risen. The streets were quite with a few passing's of stray dogs, or a fellow Nepali walking on their morning walk. With a humble greeting, "Namaste" as we passed each. We walked over a bridge on the way, that was talked about before hand, but we were told we would "see." This was a river that has been passing through for many decades....through the lands of time. My friend Bishal told me, "I use to swim and play in that river as a child, it once was the cleanest water surrounding us." When we walked over, slowly, my heart sank. I gasped at the sight before me....what use to be a clean river of mother earths offerings, was now a river infested with trash, and pollution, due to lack of help from the government, they are left with improper waste management. Saddness overwhelmed me....how can this be happening, and how can we help.
You see we have all been introduced by documentaries, the common news, local radios, events and gatherings that educate us on a protected level of awareness of "what is happening around us." What we do not see is the repercussions of this insane lack of WORLD injustice. The simple invention of plastic has ruined countries on a level, we could never imagine, unless seen with the naked eye....which is what we have seen in India, and now Nepal. One example of the several situations that will later be revealed in time. Water, clean water has been diminished, and my hope is it is not too late.
We continued on the journey, with scared visions forever in our hearts.
To walk through the streets and witness the life awaken before your eyes is uplifting, fulfilling, and quite humbling. The simplest ways of living, the simplest ways of just being. How truly easy it really is....eyes don't lie, a soul is revealed...happiness, pure utter happiness, with some only having the cloths on their backs, hope is still within them.
We arrived the footsteps of the hike up the mountain to Swayambhunath Stupa.
We arrived the footsteps of the hike up the mountain to Swayambhunath Stupa.
Surrounded by flowers, offerings, a variety of humankind, and animal-kind. I had a huge overwhelming feeling of gratitude, I could feel the tears of happiness building up within the corners of my eyes.....was I really here, is this a dream, how am I so blessed to be in this moment, surrounded by so much light, with a man who means more than the world to me.
Then we took the first step to the top, 365 steps that lead up the hill...and we went.
Each step was a reminder, a push to keep going, to have faith, to believe that you can do it, with each gasp of breath, and monkeys jumping along side you the entire way up.
To reach the final step, I felt like falling to my knees with relief.....I felt cleansed in a sense, blessed by the gods. The energy I could never put into words, it would not do it justice...but I can try.
The air smelled of fresh blossoms, the energy of each passing soul that grazed us, was heart pounding, and sacred on a level that only the senses can express. You could feel it running in your veins of blood, the saddness, the rejoice, the celebration, the uniting of all energies being connected as one. All religions, all humankind, gathered to rejoice and give thanks to the all mightiest of gods, in whatever form you may hold true to your heart.
Then the sun began to rise before our very eyes, with a clearness, a sense of clarity. A feeling of renewal, rebirth, a door of light opening before us with open hands.
Chants filled the breeze, carrying songs to all that may be listening in the winds of the trees.
We are all one, we are all united, we are all beautiful within all our imperfections.
Namaste~
~Rebeca Marshik~
~Flor de la Luna~
Music to listen to while walking through my moments captured, thank you, to each and everyone of you~
