Oracle of Consciousness
Journeys of the Soul
Rishikesh
Rishikesh is located in the district of Dehradun Pradesh, North, in the state of Uttarakhand, India.
Nestled in the foothills of the Himalayas with the mighty Ganges River flowing through, there are numerous ashrams in Rishikesh, each with their own unique focus and teachings.
The Beatles with Maharishi - Photo courtesy of Paul Saltzman
While the Beatles era was in full swing well before Angelique was born, she would often play their music tracks on her iPad or phone.
Her Dad always teased her that she must have been a hippie in a past life, because of her love for the Beatles and everything associated with the 60s.
“One day Dad, I am going to go to Rishikesh where the Beatles went in 1968 and I am going to retrace their footsteps, who knows I may have been one of their love-children,” she taunted him.
“No my darling,” he said convincingly, “You were conceived, born and bred into this family in France, but by all means, go and see the place for yourself.”
And so it was that Angelique and Jake ventured down from the high Himalayas, to the Rishikesh foothills and were delighted, if not surprised, by what they found.
I guess you could say that the Beatles popularised Rishikesh, as prior to then, it was a place of pilgrimage and dedicated followers of the many great gurus, who had been drawn to this sacred place.
This writer included.
“What is your opinion about gurus Angelique?” Jake asked, as they crossed the famous suspension bridge leading to the ashram.
“Well there is no doubt there are some authentic, highly evolved beings that can truly help us along our chosen Path,” she replied. “At the same time, there are a lot of phoney charlatans out there who may know a lot of stuff intellectually, but have never had any direct experience.”
“If it is guru that you seek, then you have to be very discerning as to who you follow and surrender to.” She wisely added.
“But I thought that is the only way to go, to find a guru, sit at their feet and immerse yourself in their teachings?” Jake questioned.
“True that has worked for some Jake,” Angelique espoused, “But think about it for a minute, if you are an infinite, powerful being, which we all are, what effect would the guru have upon you if you sat at their feet, idolising them, absorbing every word, as if it is the one and only truth and never exploring the depth of your own being?”
Jake thought about this and came back “Well I guess it would be in a way, disempowering, giving up your own reality, opinions, experiences and replacing them with the guru’s.”
“You’re a clever boy Jake," mused Angelique, “So how about you connect with and take counsel from your own guru within?”
“That sounds like a great idea, so do we still need to go to the Beatles ashram?” Jake asked.
“Of course!” cried Angelique, “I’ve waited my whole life for this moment and besides, I have to send some photos to my dad and tease him that I have found my real Dad!”
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