There is a spiritual thread underlying all of my pilgrimages. None more so than the connection between my Nepal and South India tours. This connection is not something of this world but rather divine. It is the intense presence of Shiva felt throughout India and Nepal. In Nepal, the famous Pashupatinath Temple on the Bagmati River is venerated as one of the holiest abodes of Shiva in the ancient text of the Skanda Purana. Pashupatinath is considered the most important temple complex in all of Nepal. People from all over Nepal come to be cremated on the banks of the Bagmati River in the presence of the Pashupatinath Temple and the famous Shiva lingam that resides within the temple. But Nepal is not just known as a sacred land for Shiva, but also Vajrayana Buddhism. Actually, there is a syncretic thread that flows through the spiritual traditions of the Himalayas and you find this in the esoteric connection between Shaivism and Vajrayana Buddhism. Similar deities, such as through different forms of Bhairava, and philosophical and metaphysical understandings and knowledge. Once you understand this connection, then a deeper realization blooms within you and an appreciation develops in your mind that is truly divine. This realization does not end there, but extends all over the subcontinent. Nowhere more so than South India.

No matter if you are in Nepal or in Kanyakumari at the bottom of India, Shiva’s presence is intense and always ready for a heart that is attuned to the divine. The state of Tamil Nadu in the south embodies the divine energy of Shiva like nowhere else. No matter whether it is the magical Kapaleeshwarar Temple in Chennai or the ancient sites of Mahabalipuram, Shiva is there. But the purest essence of Shiva is found in the small little town of Tiruvannamalai, where the Tejo lingam of Shiva manifested as the holy mountain of Arunachala. Just to see the mountain brings tears to one’s eyes and humbles the hardest of hearts. When you are in the presence of Arunachala, you understand why the great 20th century sage Sri Ramana Maharshi headed for Arunachala after his realization. Personally, I’ve had the privilege of being in the presence of Arunachala many times, where surrender to Shiva feels so natural. All projections of the future and clinging to the past vanish in the energy of the eternal now that Arunachala facilitates. It is said in Tiruvannamalai that walking around Arunachala at least once in your life must be done and is the greatest blessing Shiva can give you. I’ve had that privilege many times and those moments are the reason I started my pilgrimages in the first place. Having the opportunity to guide people on these journeys to experience the sacred splendor that I have had the good fortune to do many times is the real blessing of my life. The people you meet and the lifelong friends that eventuate after my pilgrimages is something that is a rare commodity in this world and immeasurable in value. The locations we visit on my pilgrimages are all connected and have a specific divine quality that can only be experienced to be known. That divine connection from Nepal to South India is something I’ve taken with me and embodied, and it is my pleasure to open that space within a pilgrim’s heart to feel the same.

If you are interested in my upcoming pilgrimages, then please send me a message below. See you all there. Shanti! Shanti Shanti!