Diwali, the Hindu festival of lights extends over five days and celebrates the victory of good over evil, light over darkness, and knowledge over ignorance, although the actual legends that go with the festival are different in different parts of India.

Tomorrow November 1. will be the third day of the festival. On this day people worship Lakshmi, the goddess of wealth, and express their gratitude for previous favors.
[LINK]

Off course these days are auspicious dates for meditation.

We’re back from Italy, four days in Morano near Assisi where we spend some days with Guruji, his wife and other Kriyabans.

On Friday we were back in Rome where we had a bit more then a day left: Rain, Rain, Rain in Rome. And this morning we woke up in our Hotel with a shiny blue sky and the sun peeping through the window panes. Our flight was waiting and just before we reached Holland we dug under the clouds…

Today grey clouds over Holland probably for the next seven months or so. .
I need a holiday

Since three years I’m learning meditation. I do Kriya yoga and learn this from my teacher Prakash Vyas. [LINK]
Three subseding years I have been able to see Guruji at least once a year in India. But it did get tiresome to go to Varanasi each year. Last year in August and September it was very very hot as we waited for the monsoon rains that did not come. Still it was good to be there, to practice and study yoga with old friends. Being with Guruji is every time such a learnfull experience. This year I will not travel to India and we already happily spend our holidays in Turkey and Syria as we knew that we would be seeing Guruji in Italy. Guruji and his wife are now in Assisi. So we’re off to Italy for a little yoga retreat until the tenth of October.

And you know actually I feel that I’m starting to miss India. Varanasi is a special city to me, a spritual sanctuary where I can run to. in my memory I can visualize it’s sights, sounds and smells (good or bad) very easily and that’s what I often do before I start my daily practice. Next year we plan to go again but now I find myself only dreaming of Varanasi walking along the Ghats and my thoughts wandering away along the Deep River...