I tend to start these posts with a mile marker on my time in Auroville, although recently I haven't been basing time off of how long I have been here but rather how long until I leave. Maybe because that's shorter, or I have lost track of how long it's actually been, or because I'm just excited about what's to come.

I have three days until I hop on a series of buses to Tiruvannamalai where I will be checking in for my vipassana course on March 1st. Then I'll begin 10 days in absolute silence, and no external stimulus or communication whatsoever. Woah. Maybe thinking about this is making me feel more scatterbrained lately, I know that if I want to do any research or talk to anyone or write any blog posts it all needs to happen, well, now. 

So here we go!

I am so happy to hear that some of my snail mail has been making it to the states! It's always a gamble with India post....

I have been thinking a lot about connection lately, the ways that I connect with others both in person and from afar. The people who have been closest to me lately are the ones I've spent the most time with here, reciprocating time and energy. This means that I feel pretty disconnected to people back at home, which I suppose is understandable but also makes me question the ways in which we are connecting in global communities... More to say on this in my next blog post!

I have made blatantly aware all the moments which I become disconnected from myself as well...

I have not properly closed my water bottle not once but TWICE and on the second time my notebook fell victim to the water damage. Lessons both in impermanence and mindfulness. The irony is I am currently missing said water bottle, I must have left it somewhere yesterday so now I get to (mindfully) retrace my steps!

Also that money I thought was stolen? I just found it today while I was packing some things, in a small zipper in a small bag I haven't used in a month. I feel like a big ol dummy. Where is my mind?

I could list more examples but the takeaway is to be more connected and aware of what I'm doing! I have only myself to hold responsible, which is the only place to start to change.

Mindful eating too! I have had so much fresh fruit and veggies here, at an amazingly affordable cost and almost completely local. I have also had impulsive eats of fried street food and sweets/chocolate and bites of meat offered from friends at dinner. None of these leave me feeling as good as when I'm eating the fresh, healthy veg meals. I have my indigestion to thank for this obvious lesson. I am looking forward to vipassana for the routine of simple meals and a depth of relationship with the food I'm nourishing my body with.

This was a good one :) 

And this custom thali because they were out of their lunch one, and it was arguably wayyy better!

And some melty, delicious, natural, unforgettable mint chocolate ice cream >>>

On Tuesday was the Mother's birthday, a person and day that holds so much significance in this place. I woke up at 5am to sit in this amphitheater under a starry night sky with the only light being the crescent moon and the candles in the center. For the next half an hour hundreds of people trickled in and sat in silence as they filled up the amphitheater. We all sat there meditating on the Mother and hearing the birdsong come to life and watching the gradual revealing of the most memorable and meaningful sunrise I'd ever witnessed. The colors were amazing and I could feel the light, beautiful spirit of the Mother as the sky was slowly decorated with harmonious colors.

After some time everyone began walking around and dispersing for the day, and I grabbed this shot just as the sun was peeking out over the trees. 

Now usually the Matrimandir is closer to visitors on Tuesdays, but I had the opportunity to spend the entire day here since the school group I volunteer with had arranged to visit for the day! It was special to be able to spend the day in this place where I feel so connected to the spirit of the Mother on her birthday, even if it did mean I was herding cats alongside the teachers.

We got the rascals to sit still every once in a while ;)

The silence part was a little more challenging for them, but the message I got from Mother that day is it's all a song and a dance. And all songs end but to find the music in the moment and the play in the dance. I knew she didn't mind. 

The funniest moment (now, not then) was just after this picture was taken when one of the little boys accidentally stepped into the fountain and broke one of the thin marble slabs! The people working there looked shocked and upset but what could they do? He's only three, and we just got on out of there... Whoooops haha.

From the first day I visited the Matrimandir over two years ago, I felt there was more for me there, the Mother was beckoning me back. And here I was on her birthday running around and playing throughout the entire structure and Park of Unity with little local kiddos and I just couldn't believe it. Again in my life I had a deep sense of connection and feeling like I was right where I was meant to be... It was an incredibly special day.

I rounded off my day of celebrating the Mother with a visit to her room in the Sri Aurobindo Ashram in Pondicherry. Debu helped get us tokens for entry and we waited for hours alongside hundreds of other devotees, some of whom had travelled all day to be there, to pay tribute to the sweet Mother.

Right as we climbed the stairs up to her room the sky was beginning another work of art. Her room sits above the other building tops so the open view to the west where the sun was setting was absolutely beautiful. Again in my life I felt her strong, wise energy washing over me. Seeing the beauty of the sunrise from the Matrimandir and the sunset from her room was especially unforgettable. So much love and connection and gratitude flowed through me all day.

Speaking of sunrises and sunsets, I don't know why but they have been remarkable lately. I've been making an attempt to see each one every morning and evening, which is not difficult at all to achieve and is powerful and transformative and always worth it :)

This was the sky behind my guesthouse the other night...

And Sumit and I caught an incredible sunrise at the beach on Saturday!

His motorcycle ran out of petrol on the way but we had gotten just far enough to coast to a main road where there were shops with more! We refilled and parked just as the sun was about to rise over the horizon... Magic. This was taken on the end of a rock jetty next to the beach. Pretty cool to start the day IN the Bay of Bengal!

And this was the sunset that day, from the rooftop of a beachside resort after my friend Lizzie and I did a meditation class downstairs. 

So good for the soul!

A bit of bonus wisdom — I finished a book I had started just before leaving for India. It's called Tracks by Robyn Davidson and is about her solo journey trekking across Australia with only her dog and camels as company (except for the occasional reporter) and wow was it a powerful read. Here's one of my favorite passages from her adventure to self-discovery...

Amen. I was amazed at how well Robyn could put into words so accurately her internal shifts and insights from her experiences. I feel that's something that has been a hinderance of mine as I write this blog. There is so much going on in my internal being, I can hardly even keep up with it myself let alone transfer it into words on the interwebs. So what to do... I would like to challenge myself by devoting more energy into verbalizing the incredible shifts and emotions and insights I am having here. I need to get to the core of the tricky, meaty, complicated yet undeniably important things to document. So perhaps my next post can be less photos and stories, and more wisdom. 

I thank you for reading and being on this journey with me :)