Lessons Learned on Top of Arunachala

While I was staying with Olae on Quiet beach, I was trying to find some direction for the rest of my trip.  I was still undecided on where to go next and he recommended Thiruvannamalai because of the temple there.  Am I ever glad that I listened to him, because it was in Thiru that I had one of my most memorable moments to date.  The reason I start this post talking about Olae is because it is a perfect example of how I like to travel.  Synchronicity, serendipity, fate; there are many words to describe following your instincts but there were three "coincidences" that led to my experience in Thiru.  Olae randomly stopping to chat after seeing me on my bike on the side of the road, an unplanned cremation occurring at my beach hut thus forcing me to move on, and his recommendation to visit Thiru.  I plan very little ahead of time because if your mind is still and you are open to suggestions from the Universe, then things like this happen.  At this time, I have to thank Olae for his direction because I enjoyed 4 beautiful days there, merci beaucoup mon ami!

Immediately upon entering Thiru you could feel it was a very spiritual place and the vibration was high.  There was this huge mountain, Arunachala, over looking the town.  The second largest temple in India is also located in Thiru, Annamalaiyar.  Finally, Bhagavan Sri Ramana Maharshi also spent a lot of time here, and now the Ramanasramam still exists today in his name.  In short, this is one of the most powerful spots in India and every year there is an annual festival, Karthigai Deepam, where they light a huge cauldron of fire atop the hill and keep the flame burning for 10 days!  

While I was in Thiru, I stayed with G, a very grounded person and my French Couchsurfing host.  He regaled how the mountain, Arunachala, was Shiva himself personified.  He also spoke of Arunachala being the top of the spiritual axis of the world.  Sri Ramana guessed that there must be another holy mountain corresponding to Arunachala exactly at the opposite side of the earth.  Later, it was discovered that opposite this place is none other than Machu Pichu in Peru.  There are several striking parallels between Machu Pichu and the Shakti culture (divine feminine power).  I did some research: "The Inca’s worshipped Machu Pichu as the manifestation of the Divine Mother Goddess of the Universe, and most of those buried there were women.  Many agree that upon visiting Machu Pichu that the city is a place where the feminine aspect of the Universe is especially palpable." There can be no Shiva without Shakti, and vice versa.  Arunachala is the spiritual cornucopia that embraces all spiritual seekers.

There is so much more to this incredible spot, and I have much more to learn, but for now just know that this is one of the holiest places on earth and millions of people will travel there to walk around the mountain and pray to Shiva during Karthigai Deepam.

I shared the purpose of my journey with G one evening and I told him about the 7 spots where my father asked to have his ashes spread. His reaction to the explanation of my trip was unlike any other response I'd had, he right away told me to climb Arunachala.  He said to bring some ashes, and just see what happens.  He said of any place on this Earth, Arunachala would be a powerful spot to spread his ashes. I was hesitant at first, because my trip has been about the specific 7 locations I talked about with my father, but I stayed with that idea and opened my heart to that thought. I love hiking and after some soul searching, I decided to leave the next day, unsure of what to expect...merci a vous G!

So the next day I got up early to start my hike, I reached the base of the mountain at sunrise. Sri Ramana Maharshi’s home, which is now a temple, was still closed so I decided to stop on the way down.  As I was walking past, I met Johti.  Johti is a devotee of Shiva, and he lives on top of the mountain.  He hikes up every single day, it is his meditation.  He asked if I’d like to follow him up and take part in this meditation, but he stressed that we must be silent and no eating until we reach the top, only drinking water.  I agreed to follow him because he was very kind, he bowed a lot, he put his hands in prayer position, and he touched his heart while speaking to me.  He was full of peace and light, and it shined through.  I was told that it takes 2 hours to reach the top, 1.5 hours if you’re in good shape.  We made it in under 1 hour, and I was pouring sweat the whole time, he set a blistering pace and somehow he wasn’t even perspiring in the slightest…impressive.

Once we reached his home, just below the summit, he asked me to remove my shoes.  He then took me to the top of the mountain and showed me a specific spot.  He said: “here, you meditate, be still, breathe…then come for chai”.  This was a surreal experience for me, the rock was completely black, there was soot everywhere, debris covered the summit from last year’s festival.  It was still early so there was a moist cloud cover on top of the mountain, the breeze was pushing these clouds past me as I sat and meditated.  It was quite surreal, even cold at times, it felt like another world.  I focused on the vibration of the mountain, and the passing of my father.  I’m not sure how long I was up there, eventually it occurred to me that I should go back down and meet Johti for chai.

He welcomed me into his simple home, bamboo roof and a mud/brick structure.  Very bare, yet simple and warm.  He had a small fire going with a pot of tea.  He asked me to sit and he told me his story.  Johti lost both his parents when he was young, he only remembers a little of them.  He came to Arunachala shortly after and he studied under Sri Ayya who was living at the top of the mountain at that time.  Johti’s home is next to a shrine where Sri Ayya stayed for 17 years.  Johti devoted his life to caring for the summit of this mountain. He said “Shiva is my love, Shiva is my home now, Shiva is my family”.  I couldn’t believe what I was hearing, it was such a touching story, and to see him fly up this mountain as a form of meditation left me a little awestruck.  By Western standards he had next to nothing.  A thatch roof over his head, one pot, some tea, and incense.  My eyes saw something different though, his spirit was full, he was always smiling, and he loved the mountain.  He was happy and at peace with his life, and so we drank chai in that wonderful space.

I wanted to share my story with Johti, but I was unsure how to.  I started by telling him I was cycling around the world with my father.  He seemed confused, so I explained my father had left his body and I was carrying his ashes with me.  I told him about spreading his ashes in the 7 different locations and that I was on this journey for my father.  I then told Johti I brought some ashes with me, unsure of how he would react.  Then, he said: “drink tea first, then we go, bring ashes.”

Up until this point the path up the mountain was well marked and there was a trail.  All the way to the top it was clear where to go, and the brush had been cleared.  We exited his home and took a sharp right, we started to walk through waist high grasses, then shoulder high bushes.  I would never have found this spot, it was clearly “off the beaten path” and to be honest I was more focused on his warning to watch out for snakes.  We were basically bushwhacking our way around to the North side of the peak.  All of sudden the grass relented and the path opened up to a cave. There was a picture of Sri Ramana in this cave and it had been cared for and swept.  “Here meditation when mountain too busy, here you meditate with your father.”  What happened next was what I would describe as a Puja, but I’ve never seen one before.  He lit incense and he started to sing in a language I think was Sanskrit, he led me through some rituals, we bowed, we held our hands in prayer position and we finished with an Om. “Now you speak to your father, you meditate here with him, he leave his body but he no gone.” Then he left me there alone, and I cried.  I took out some of my father’s ashes, I honoured him and I told him how grateful I was to have this last journey together.  I walked outside into the grey mists and I threw his ashes into the passing clouds…

I was very emotional, it was just so touching for him to share that spot with me.  I went back to say thank you to Johti, we hugged, and once more in that gentle tone he said: “Now you go down, now you go with your father”.

The descent felt like coming down off a high like nothing I’d experienced.  I realized I hadn’t eaten anything and I was starving, so I found some shade and ate.  I was feeling elated, but also unsettled, I wasn’t sure if it was the heat, dehydration, or just the vibration of the mountain.  By the time I reached Sri Ramana’s temple, I was in a lucid state that I can only describe as floating.  I was light headed, almost dizzy, it was similar to what I felt in the Alps but I knew that elevation wasn’t a factor here.  In essence, I didn’t know what was going on, only that I was very overwhelmed.  I stopped and took time to kneel before Sri Ramana and pray at his shrine, being in his home was truly powerful.  The vibration was high in that small house, just knowing that he had lived there and meditated there made the stone walls pulse.  I was getting even more spacey and I had such a feeling of euphoria, I was starting to question what was going on.  I felt as though my body was at odds with itself, I was sweating profusely and it was cold in that house because it was built into the mountain.  I can’t describe it other then to say I had not felt this way in quite some time.

I made my way down the mountain and got into town, energy bursts coming from deep inside me, I was walking but I felt like I needed to run.  I started to jog back to G’s house, which made no sense because I was exhausted and it was now the hottest part of the day, probably high 30s with humidity.  I barely made it back to G’s house before I realized I needed to be on a toilet fast, like RIGHT NOW!  I hit the porcelain queen and spewed hard for a good 5 minutes, full body convulsions, spraying technicolor yawns of banana, raisins and cashews everywhere.  I tried to gather myself, put my life back together, but I couldn’t make sense of what was going on around me.  Visions of the hike up, the summit, the clouds, the meditating, everything was melting together.  I made it to my bed and passed out immediately.  I had wild dreams with vivid images racing through my mind of my dad, Arunachala, and Sri Ramana.  This is rare for me to remember my dreams, I usually wake up with no memories.  That was not the case on this day, and I have followed up on a few items that came to me during those 5 hours.  When I woke up I was promptly cleansed again, this time from the other end.  Delirious doesn’t even begin to explain how I felt.  What was going on?  Am I okay?  Is this really happening?  What the hell was in that tea?

The chai tea was so delicious, and it came from a loving hand with good intentions, I had three big servings from a coconut shell.  It was sweet, oddly enough it didn’t have any milk and there certainly wasn’t any sugar in it.  In fact it didn’t taste like any chai tea I’d ever had before, and I likely won’t taste anything like it again.  Johti offered me medicine that day, and I accepted, it may not have been what I expected…but it was what I needed.  He shared with me his story of loss at a young age, and I reciprocated.  We shared our pain and we processed our grief together, two children that lost their parent(s) too early.  Nonetheless we met at the heart and we left each other with smiling faces.  He taught me that we never really lose our loved ones because our spirits live on long after our bodies die.  Every day he climbs that mountain to honour his parents and pray to Shiva, that’s so inspiring.  I have so much respect for him and his commitment to his practice, it’s a lesson for all of us: never take a single day for granted, don't become lazy and complacent with this life because it's truly a gift, be active and follow your passions...always.  Devotion can heal all wounds, big or small, find your mountain and climb it every day.

I look back on my experiences on top of Arunachala and my heart swells with love, because I know Johti’s parents are still with him and my father is still with me.