Do we find our destiny, or does our destiny find us? Is it one in the same? Is it malleable and flowing? The word itself suggests there's a destination, or an ending point but is that true?
Maybe destiny is simply walking one's life path, following our unique purpose. Destiny is the beginning of awakening to one's purpose. We meet our destiny every day by being where we are at, because the present moment is perfection, however it feels.
My destiny seems to have met me along the way, on my path. There is great purpose in my destiny that extends well beyond my individual existence. This is not an ego-driven statement, rather objective and retrospective reflecting on my unexpected adventure the past bit of time. Most of us are born with certain talents and gifts and these shape our destiny. I was given many gifts: creativity, the ability to design and make jewelry a focus. Never in my wildest dreams, however, did I think that making jewelry as a sick, 10 year old child in the hospital, to heal myself and others, would one day lead me to design and create a line of jewelry that actually does have the power to heal others.
Wear, PRAY, Empower: The PRAY Jewelry Story
INDIA
Mysore, India. February, 2012.
The PRAY Jewelry Story began as any story does, simple, humble, and without much thought. At this moment in time I was beyond grateful to be back in India, to practice Ashtanga with my teacher, and to be living there with my sister for short time.
The previous time I was in India I had my Vedic Astrology chart read. Two near-death experiences over 2 years since my last India trip were enough to suggest it was worth a silly little trip to see Mr. V, my Vedic Astrologer. I’m not sure what I got out of it the last time, but I thought it may be useful to know if there were changes in the roadmap of my life, what he saw in my past, what was laid out in my future. It is important that I mention I am American, a skeptic, a person who must see to believe. I do not blindly buy into mysticism. I share my experiences as possibilities that others may find wisdom and alternatives to the structured and narrow realities bound by hard science and rule-bound society. The more I explore the unknown, undiscovered, untouched, hidden, mystical, ancient sciences, the more I have found healing within myself and others. And so the adventure to find Mr. V commenced.
Mr. V lived in Lakshmipuram, a small suburb in Mysore, India, in a small house teaching Pooja, reading palms, and birth charts for people. He speaks very little English and uses a translator when doing a Vedic reading. The process: a) find Mr. V, via directions from a friend in Gokulam: "He lives near the old Shala, take a right down the alley and you find it, no problem Madam"; b) show him your palm for an on-the-spot palm reading, or give him your birth details for more in-depth analysis; c) come back a few days later for a fully birth chart astrological reading based on ancient Vedic astrological science. 3.5 years ago I had a friend drive me on the back of her motorbike to Mr. V. Back then his reading was accurate for that time in my life. I still carry that reading with me, but I was going through my Saturn Return and have since crossed many rivers, bound mountaintops, scaled walls, fell on a few, and found my way back to visit Mr. V for an update.
On a hot, sunny day in Mysore, as soon as my sister and I could coordinate our busy yoga practice/ meditation/ orphanage volunteering/ cooking/ music lesson/ market-going schedules, we went to see him. The very last attempt to see Mr. V was April 2009 in the middle of a monsoon, to receive my secret mantra, which he would only give to me in person, via his translator; not via email, not even over the phone. That trip was unsuccessful and I flew out of India without my mantra. I was not sure I would remember the way to his house but it was as if the information was downloaded in my brain as if encoded from another lifetime. I hopped on the back of my sister’s motorbike and directed us through the busy Indian streets straight to his house.
Except, as every big or little India adventure goes, this seemingly simple journey turned into an epic 3 week hunt: Mr. V no longer lived at that house. From the start I was fixed, determined, optimistic, unwavering, and strong in my belief that I had to find Mr. V but really no valid “Why?” at the time. A force grander than me, a presence with me my whole life, urged me on.
Search efforts began. His neighbors could not tell us where he moved but informed us he was still a professor at the local University. We took down their phone numbers and were instructed to call the following days, once they had contacted Mr. V. In the meantime, A and I asked around our little suburb as well as across the world of Facebook if anyone knew how we could get in contact with Mr. V. No one could help us. After a couple of weeks, my sister's yoga teacher from Boston mentioned she had a friend studying with Mr. V and would relay the message that we needed to connect with him. Thinking this would be no big deal and I would hear from someone momentarily, I checked my phone, email and Facebook regularly. Nothing materialized. About 1-2 weeks later I was speaking with a gentleman after yoga practice about my endless search to track down Mr. V and he says he is studying Poojas with Mr. V. "Oh, no way! I need his number! I've been trying to track him down for weeks!” I respond. "I don't know if Mr. V would want me to give out his number, so I will take yours," this person replies, knowing full well that Mr. V reads Astrology for a living. Needless to say this unnamed person did not provide Mr. V's phone number, so A and I continued to dig.
A few days later we received a phone call from Mr. V's old neighbors; they had received word from him, and he was very happy to give us readings, by donation. Immediately I was in contact with his translator to set up the initial meeting. During our conversation she gave me directions to his new house, along with a visual that I drew into a map to guide the journey. My sister intended to join and our dear friend E jumped on as well. The afternoon of our appointment A (my sister) was doing NGO work with her NGO at a local Orphanage and organization, Odanadi. Knowing her kindhearted, generous, gorgeous sharing and teaching spirit especially when it comes to cooking and sharing about food (precisely what The Cookbook Project, her NGO does), I should have counted A out for this mission. E and I waited at our local meeting spot, The Coconut Stand for a good 30 minutes until we left A behind in a cloud of dust, pollution, perfume, incense and flowers.
Our destiny a mere 10 minute motorbike ride away, or so we thought, we underestimated the time-space capsule that is India where everything works out as it is meant to, but nothing works out as one plans. We drove around in circles for 1.5 hours to find Mr. V's new house. The town where he lives is a cross section of 20x15 streets. Yet still, with popcorn stands, cows, coconut stands, many people guiding us all in contradicting directions we managed to irritate ourselves and Mr. V's student who was interrupted with calls asking for directions. Defeated by the noisy, chaotic, unrelenting Indian streets, E and I pulled over at a fancy, air-conditioned, Cannon Camera shop to have quiet and get a proper map and find our Astrologer. This cool oasis gave us space to clear our emotions and mind, so we could be guided to our Destiny. It was well worth finding Mr. V.
This visit with him opened a doorway for me in many ways. It confirmed that there is something beyond me at work; he knew things about my life that no one could possibly know. He looked at my palm to read it and said, "You, you're a daredevil. You do without thinking". Really, did he have to be so dead-on? Just about everything said during the reading of my birth chart was true for me. He said something very specific that happened in the past year for me that no one would have known. The experience of a kind, gentle, all-knowing stranger reading your life is powerful. There is science and magic that many of us Westerners have not been exposed to. Even with the knowledge, study, brushes with it, we remain in our skeptical, scientific mind-set. I recommended my sister write down questions to ask Mr. V, but being as skeptical an American as me, she quickly dismissed the idea. She said she wouldn't have any questions and wasn't even sure she believed in Vedic Astrology. The day of her reading I was sitting outside on the sidewalk, pretending to be more interested in feeding the friendly cow than overhearing her reading. At times, however, I could overhear bits of her conversation with Mr. V. She doesn't know it, but I heard her crying. I know this meeting with Mr. V moved her, if not changed and shaped her in some way.
As part of the reading, Mr. V gave us our auspicious gemstone; mine is Emerald, Jade and Peridot, my sister's is Coral and Carnelian. The moment A bounded out of Mr. V's house she jumped on me and begged me to take her into downtown Mysore to buy her auspicious gemstone and make her a mala necklace from the stones. She knew I had been having secret, back-alley meetings with the man at the government shop to buy stones. This was a defining moment, which shifted my world from simply making mala necklaces with gemstones to making my jewelry with intention, with the purpose of healing, with protection, to enhance positive qualities, guide quests of spirituality. I began with Auspicious Gemstone Malas from that day and now inspired and designed PRAY Kris Jewelry, an even more potent energy source that used for protection, healing, spiritual aid, enhancing qualities and more. This vision had not yet crystalized in India, a process that has taken months of journeying, listening to my inner voice, and allowing life to unfold.
Mr. V is one of the remaining present-day connections to ancient magic, power, and mysticism. He is a channel for wisdom thousands of years old. He is a treasure that is hidden and hard to find. I ventured across the world, to the Far East, down many roads, pursued when there was absolutely no sign that I would find what I was seeking.
My intention with PRAY Jewelry is to create a modern-day means of accessing ancient, mystical, potent, useful powers on a daily basis, in daily life, for every-day people in the form of wearable art. Originally the fusion of Kris metals was for the now ancient, mystical, spiritual Kris Sword. All details about the magic and power emanating from this modern-day tool may be found at:
www.purerockangelyogi.com.
*Part of the PRAY Jewelry story and adventure will be shared every couple of days. What led me to manifest PRAY Jewelry, and all of the gorgeous divine beings who have been of support along the way. Stay awake, open, attuned.
