Mystical Music

Rumi says it is rare to hear the call to explore, let alone to act on that call and leave all that you know behind you. So, I suppose I've heard the call and acted on it. Now, I'm in Kathmandu - going on week two with a brief escape to the outlying valley, and it's really time to move along. You see, it's hard for me to delve into my spiritual side or even my yoga too deeply here - it's just too chaotic. So, just as I'm feeling this, I go to a cafe for mushroom soup on a rainy day and there it is: "The HiddenHarmony & The Singing Mysticism" flyer advertising an eight-day retreat to Osho Mystery School in a jungle 5 kms outside of Kathmandu. The flyer speaks to me: "Osho says the person who hears the inner music becomes capable of hearing the celestial music of the speres. He has learned the first lesson, now he can hear it all around in the stars. That music has to be heard. hearing it, one's life becomes sheer beauty, bliss and benedicition." This is an 8-day program on Buddhism, yoga and tantra and "initiation into bliss of existence," i.e. the sound of silence, by a living master/mystic. Well, well, well...THAT sounds interesting. Beginning July 1. We will see.
Yesterday, my dutch companion Gus and I went to a shiva temple called Pashiputinath on the banks of the Bagmati River. This is the head of the river that goes to Varnasi and merges with the Ganges. It is considered a sacred river. There are creamation ghats along the temple/river edge and we watched bodies being cremated as our guide told us about hindi birth and rebirth. If a body is cremated, there is another life. If buried, not another life. The exception is a baby less than six days old - who is buried, but given another life b/c (s)he was too young to know about rebirth. There is a sacred plan to who lights the fire - always the son - a daughter can't do it - or the father if the son pre-deceases him. If there is no male figure, a "son" can be hired at the temple to light the flame. It was surreal, yet real, to stand amid billowing smoke of the pyres and contemplate whether these souls were indeed going to be reborn. Does the sweeping of one's ashes into sacred water really bless the soul for the next journey? I was allowed to enter a cave where the saddhus (spiritual holy men) sleep and meditate on my own for 10 minutes. It was beautiful - I felt vibrations rippling around me as I meditated and chanted to Shiva (lord of creation from destruction, among other incredible things) - and the flowing river outside was absolutely lovely, fresh and invigorating.
On our way to the temple, I saw my first accident - behind me - literally - a motorcycle crashed into our taxi. We were all fine. That was a first.
There is an int'l music festival this weekend that I will stay inKathmandu for, but then I am leaving. I believe Gus and I will river raft on our way down to the tiger/elephant/rhino reserve, then maybe do some trekking near the famous lake Pokhara. Perhaps I'll do the Osho thing on July 1-8, then head out to India. I bought a book on Osho's theories and will see if it resonates.
I have a feeling that when I leave Kathmandu, peace will fall back into place. I hope so.
Time is up on my hour, here. Kathmandu is the only place where I can seeburning bodies, be blessed by a saddhu to help my anger issues and give me love and peace, then attend an egyptian rock concert and watch the euro cup within 24 hours. Interesting life. Interesting place.