[Update] Enchanted Rock And Beyond
Somehow or another I am not finding as much time to write as I would like. Earlier this year I used to reflect almost everyday. I am quite fond of doing the journaling style called “750 words” in which you mind dump 750 words into your journal because, by writing that much, you will likely come across some interesting things to unpack and investigate from your conscience.
Perhaps I will have to try and make it more of a daily thing. At least I have been able to keep up these blog posts the past 4 weeks. A lot of exciting things can happen in that time and I am grateful and happy to report some of them now.
About two weeks ago some close friends and acquaintances of mine got together to go camping at Enchanted Rock State Park in Texas, and it was a very fun and glorious time. For being just 4 large batholith hills, it was surprisingly beautiful in its landscape, flora, and fauna. It was a fairly short trip in which we arrived at our campsite, had lunch, hiked around the base of the main hill (the titular “Enchanted Rock”), had dinner, hiked to the top of Enchanted Rock to see the sunset, slept, rose and hiked to the top for a sunrise Bhagavad Gita class where we read the 11th chapter, returned to our camp and had breakfast, and then packed up and left. Not very long, but it was packed with activities which made our trip pass by very quickly.
Mother nature also has a way of making time pass and pacifying folks who immerse themselves in her loving embrace. Nature is such a special and strange thing. I sometimes ponder how, despite being made up of dirt, rocks, plants, and other things that if we found inside our homes on our floors we would describe them as being “dirty,” nature remains pure and is not dirty in its ‘natural’ state. Perhaps we can say a carcass is dirty or how a hunting animal kills its prey is messy, but there is always order in the way things unfold in the natural world. As a result, being in nature always makes me feel peaceful and worriless by default.
Enchanted Rock State Park is also a very special place because those who are aware of some of the places in the holy city of Vrindavana can be reminded of those places from the scenery and environment of Enchanted Rock. For instance, it resembles Govardhana Hill and Sankari Khor, two places where Krishna had very intimate pastimes with His devotees.
Govardhana and Enchanted Rock
Sankari Khor and part of the Echo Canyon Trail
The sunrise and sunset were also very beautiful to see.
Now I am traveling with Paramesvara and have been for a little over a week. I’m very grateful for the opportunity, and it has been amazing so far. The dedication of this gentleman to serve his gurus is so inspiring, and learning from him has been such a nice experience. I joined up with him right after Enchanted Rock, and so far we’ve been to Denton, Dallas, Austin, San Marcos, College Station, and Huston, Texas, and soon we will begin to head towards Louisiana, Mississippi, and Tennessee next week. Quite the adventure and lots of fun. I feel like this time with him will be very integral for my growth. There was an excellent program at the University of North Texas with Romapada Swami, a very senior monk in the Bhakti tradition, last friday, and then I got to see some close friends in Dallas afterwards before heading to Austin and the rest of the aforementioned cities.
The past couple weeks of my life, ever since I left India, have been just filled to the brim with sweet experiences, and I do not know how I became so fortunate.