Baby Kailash

This message, though anonymous, won’t be able to hide our identity from our guru or from some of our brothers and sisters!!
Joy guru.
Thirty-two years ago, when I went to India for the first time, I was in a Khadi shop, at the register, I saw a poster of Mount Kailash; I stood there as if hypnotized. The man at the register told me, “That’s Kailash, the abode of Shiva.”
Seeing how fascinated I was by this “mountain,” he rummaged under his counter and gave me the same little poster, which I’ve kept ever since. This year, after returning from India and doing a big spring cleaning in our house, the poster turned up—as if it had been forgotten in a box for far too long. We immediately put it on the shrine.
Finally!!

Last year, a friend gave us a small crystal. A pure gift from Mother Earth.
It looked a bit like a “baby Kailash,” but that was just a thought we had to give it some meaning.
We placed it in our shrine, without really understanding why, but it felt like it belonged there. It was obvious.
And when we hung up the poster of Mount Kailash, that crystal really was a “baby baby Kailash.”
.
In a word, rituals aren’t really our thing, even though, in the end, we felt during every Shivaratri that the abhishek was trying to tell us something, trying to reveal its power and humble beauty to us.
When Radhanath sent the itinerary for the yatra, oh my god, we were catched!!
But the guru’s challenges are many and constant.
Since we didn’t have a Shiva lingam, we thought that perhaps the crystal could serve its purpose.
I sent a photo to Radhanath, and, unsurprisingly, it was accepted.
So we began our abhishkams—clumsily due to our limited Sanskrit, but with all our hearts.
It was the peak season for white rockroses with yellow centers, perfectly suited to our needs since there’s no aparojita around here.
We gathered them in our Bengal basket. Then we start and little by little the crystal disappeared beneath a shower of petals as light as snow. It was a sight of great beauty—only the tip peeked out from beyond the petals.
Then a ray of morning sunlight illuminated it—it was just magical.
We both experienced this shared sense of inner cleansing; we felt clear and pure, light yet grounded. It was a very special feeling that only devotion can bring.
We found ourselves drawn into the practice of Sanskrit chanting.
At first, we were glad that no one could hear us struggling with the Sanskrit words.
But the energy that comes from it is so divine.
Now, every night before bed, it’s our ritual, and we love it.
They’ve become ingrained in us, and very often they resurface at random times throughout the day, like a gift from Shiva.
It arises naturally, without seeking anything in particular. They vibrate joyfully.
One chant in particular has seeped into us; as if by magic, it vibrates and vibrates without ceasing.
A divine presence that manifests spontaneously.
Karacarana kritamva....
Sri Mahadeva Sambho