Dear Scottish Collective!

Sharon and I have returned from the tour to visit Native American reservations just a few days ago. I am writing to you all, the tour is still on its way further up north into Canada, with Anna and yogis from Italy and the UK (Jenny & Katie) who have joined on the way.

It was an incredible experience! The tour took us from LA through Colorado, Arizona, New Mexico, Utah, Montana, South Dakota, Iowa and back to Washington State. Now I am staying at the Ashram in Vancouver, Canada.

Not only did we see some of the most magnificent sights Mother Nature has to offer; like the Grand Canyon, Arizona and Utah's red rock formations, highland deserts; such beauty, such variation, we also met some very special people.

Shri Mataji has told us that the Native Americans were on such a high level of spirituality that they were on the verge of achieving collective self realization when the white people arrived in America. Many of their leaders were actually realized souls already.

The tribes we made contact with and where we were invited to hold meetings and give realization, are the Hopis (Shri Mataji has mentioned the Hopis as being some of the spiritually most highly evolved people), Zunis, Navahos, Lakota Sioux, Utes, Brules and some other smaller tribes.

All of them were very eager to receive their Kundalini awakening and most had very strong experiences - as did we. They have huge problems with poverty, alcohol, drugs and violence on the reservations. Still, the vibrations were so strong, their Sahasraras wide open and their attention was incredibly focused. A very humbling experience.

The problems these people face from the US government are still massive. Some issues concern the return of parts of the sacred Black Hills to the Lakotas. The government is holding on to this land because they have found a very substantial amount of gold.... (same old story!) Now they are trying to "persuade" the Natives into taking money for the land. Unfortunately the Natives are not unified over this issue.

We went into the Black Hills for an evening meditation with two Lakotas, Janice and Ron. It did indeed feel like sacred land to us, very strong vibrations, very deep silence.

Generally, wherever we went, we felt strong vibrations and deep silence from the land. At places with disturbed vibrations we just said some mantras and asked all the elements to awaken and use their powers for cleansing and nourishing the area. The results we saw were almost instant and astonishing. You could see vibrations sweeping over the land all the way to the horizon, the sky lit up and the quality of the light changed and we always saw vibrations appearing in the clouds.

See you all soon!

lots of love, Karuna

Realization Tour 2006 in Native Indian Reservations

Dear Sahaja Yogis, we had an opportunity to participate in the Native American Tour that started August 14, 2006, the day after Shri Krishna Puja. We left Los Angeles, traveled through Arizona, New Mexico, Utah, Colorado, North and South Dakota, and Montana. The tour ended on August 30, 2006, in Brocket, Canada.

It was extraordinary! It was exciting! We urge each and every Yogi to look on the maps of the areas you live. We are sure that you will find a reservation near you. The Natives in America and Canada are great seekers. They were able to achieve Self-Realization very easily and all felt the Cool Breeze effortlessly!

We learned that even with all the problems that still exist on the reservations in both countries, the Natives are able to feel vibrations quite easily. They accept the Self-Realization without question because they understand what is true spirituality.

The Native Americans and the First Nations of Canada still worship the Mother Earth and understand its importance. A rebirth is now taking place among the Native People and there is Hope! Let us open our hearts to these communities, offer them the opportunity to achieve Self-Realisation and sustain their cultural rebirth. Their simplicity and innocence are extraordinary! During our travels we also visited extraordinary places. We even discovered a huge statute of Shri Ganesha on top of one of the very high Rocky Mountains in Glacier Park, located in Montana. We visited many other areas full of vibrations. Shri Krishna's land truly is great and beautiful.

The following reports are the Yogis' individual accounts. The Sahaja Yogis who traveled on this tour were Fabrizio and Cosetta from Italy, Karuna from Scotland, (originally from Austria), Jennie Widdman and Katie from England, Sharon Montalva from Washington State and Anna Mancini from New York.

From Karuna and Sharon

It was an incredible experience! The tour took us from LA through Colorado, Arizona, New Mexico, Utah, Montana, South Dakota, Iowa and back to Washington State. Not only did we see some of the most magnificent sights Mother Nature has to offer, such as the Grand Canyon, Arizona and Utah's red rock formations, highland deserts (such beauty! Incredible variation!), we also met some very special people.

Shri Mataji has told us that the Native Americans were on such a high level of spirituality that they were on the verge of achieving collective self realization when the white people arrived in America. Many of their leaders were actually realised souls already.

The tribes we made contact with and where we were invited to hold meetings / give realisation are the Hopis ( Shri Mataji has mentioned the Hopis as being some of the spiritually most highly evolved people), Zunis, Navajos, Lakota Sioux, Utes, Brules and some other smaller tribes. All of them were very eager to receive their Kundalini awakening and most had very strong experiences.

They have huge problems with poverty, alcohol, drugs and violence on the reservations. Still, the vibrations were so strong, their Sahasraras wide open and their attention was incredibly focused. A very humbling experience. We felt that two Lakotas recognised Shri Mataji in their hearts. One of them, we think, is an Elder Chief. Hopefully more will follow. Many new doors have been opened and there will be follow up meetings, starting in October.

Please give some collective bandhans, the problems these people face from the US government are still massive. Some issues concern the return of parts of the sacred Black Hills to the Lakotas. The government is holding on to this land because they have found a very substantial amount of gold (again). Only this time the gold was found through computer and other technological methods. Now they are trying to "persuade" the Natives into taking money for the land.

Unfortunately the Natives are not unified over this issue. We went into the Black Hills for an evening meditation with two Lakotas, Janice and Ron, who were at Shri Krishna Puja last year. It did indeed feel like sacred land to us, very strong vibrations, very deep silence.

Generally, wherever we went, we felt strong vibrations and deep silence from the land. At places with disturbed vibrations we just said some mantras and asked all the elements to awaken and use their powers for cleansing and nourishing the area. The results we saw were almost instant and astonishing. You could see vibrations sweeping over the land all the way to the horizon, the sky lit up and the quality of the light changed and we always saw vibrations appearing in the clouds.

lots of love, Karuna and Sharon

There are things in life that are so beautiful that we cannot place them on the "list of things to do" because they are desires that seemingly are too high to reach. Therefore my desires to meet with the Native Americans on their lands seemed too distant to achieve. So one year ago, when I heard that some Yogis had visited a Native American reservation, I could not believe what I was reading. It made me so happy and the two roads had finally crossed each other and I could finally be on both paths. Yet it remained still only a dream and did not believe that it could become a reality. But what I believed to be a passion was in reality more than that.

The day I was certain that I was going on the Native American tour I felt very strong emotions and that was the day that I first realized on a very deep level how much the Divine loved me!

This trip confirmed what I had always felt. That the Native Americans are a very deep spiritual people; that they are very humble and wise. They are evolved. They have an exclusive connection to Spirituality. I have met many spiritual people in my life. Yet, with the Native Americans it was different. I don't think they are people who have a lot of devotion to what they do. It is different than that. I feel them to be One with the Divine. They perceive the Divine in everything, in every creature, and in all Nature. We Sahaja Yogis have learned to venerate and use the elements as we clear our subtle body but the Natives have always done this.

The Indians, both in America and in Canada accepted us with open hearts. We were with them when we prayed on Bear Butte in the Sacred Black Hills! They told us stories of violence and also stories about courage. Their past is heavy on their shoulders for all that they have gone through and still today they are prisoners. Oppressed on the reservations, they still live an undignified life because the governments refuse to offer them the necessary tools to create an economy that is dignified; the governments still refuse to give back their lands, and only give them lands that are small and hard to cultivate. It is very sad to watch men and women who once rode on the open prairies and are now suffering from alcoholism and diabetes and many other illnesses.

Yet these people still have hearts that are very open and pure. I have never seen anyone accept their,Self-Realization in such a simple and immediate way. They open their hands and remain stupefied with the power of the vibrations they feel. The true Native Americans express an incredible Vishuddhi, a sacred language that does not contain vulgar words and does not even contain the word "money.' It is so beautiful to remember their smiles, their embraces, the beautiful Lakota Prayers, the pure souls and even their sincere tears.

I think that the white people continue to create obstacles for the Native people because unconsciously they are afraid. They know that the Natives have the true Power of Spirituality.

America is a land of incredible beauty where there should be no boundaries!

Cosetta

It is difficult to summarize our tour in a few lines or by writing a simple report. It was a very strong experience, intense, and like all other experiences in Sahaja Yoga, they will forever remain within us. Cosetta and I have always felt very close to the Native Americans. This probably is because we must have lived as Indians in one of our past lives. This was confirmed at the end of the Native American tour.

We have always wanted to help the Native Americans who, in our opinion, are very spiritual people and always connected to the Mother Earth, the elements, and always pray to the Divine Great Spirit Wakan Tanka. Before we left for this tour we realized that is was going to be a very important event in Sahaja Yoga. Each day we felt more and more responsible and we also realized that twice negativity tried to stop us but the Divine Power protected us until everything was perfect.

Even if we had problems with our cell phones and could not reach the other Yogis, we were still able to find each other! We realised the great similarities between the Native Americans and our practice of Sahaja Yoga. We have been meditating for a few years but the Natives have been doing the same for thousands of years. The only thing missing was the connection to the Kundalini. But for the rest it is all normal. They use the elements every day, they thank the Divine every day with love, spontaneity, and innocence - all innate qualities within them.

One morning we participated in a purification ceremony with a family from the Piikani Nation in Canada. It consisted of burning sacred herbs over charcoal and then allowing the smoke from the herbs to penetrate on the body. The vibrations were very cool, similar to doing a small havan. We also meditated with Janice and Ron on the Bear Butte Mountain in the Sacred Black Hills in South Dakota. They are Lakota Indians and during the meditations Janice and Ron first prayed in the Lakota language and then the Yogis recited the Sanskrit mantras. We all prayed that the Black Hills will soon be returned to the Lakota people. Being on this sacred mountain we felt our hearts opened so much. This meditation opened our hearts so profoundly that it brought us to the point of tears.

In spite of the alcoholism, the poverty, the frustrations and desperation of these people, we also saw the beauty of their inner spirits. We felt their profound depth, especially in the presence of Ron's mother. Mrs. Randall, who is 89 years old, told us many stories about the past, explained to us the Lakota customs and their way of dressing. She spoke in a very humble manner and was a very dignified and deep woman and we stood near her, listening to her and learning from her as if we were her young students. She spoke to us of tales of the past and mentioned famous names such as Spotted Tail. Red Cloud, Crazy Horse, and people who were involved in the battle at Wounded Knee. She has known and still knows descendents of people killed at Wounded Knee and some of the stories she told us were very sad. The battle of Wounded Knee, which occurred in 1890, was the last attempt at the Indians to maintain their culture and Indian way of living. It has become the symbol of the oppression and discrimination still felt among our Native Brothers and Sisters. That is the reason for the heavy left side and very heavy vibrations still felt by the people of this reservation. The vibrations on this reservation are the heaviest among all the reservations we visited. As the struggle for the Black Hills continues, the situation continues to intensify.

One evening we decided to go to the Wounded Knee battlesite. Our desire was very strong and we were determined and prayed that the Divine could finally bring peace to this area of so much suffering. When we were going to leave the place, we raised our Kundalini and while we prepared to leave, we found ourselves in front of an elderly Indian woman looking at us. We were somewhat surprised because we had not noticed her before and she was only about 5 meters away from us. We said hello and got closer to her. I don't remember well what we said in the beginning. She told us that she was the sister of Leonard Peltier, a Native American who has been in Federal prison for many years and has been unjustly accused of murder.

What struck us even more dramatic was that she stated that she had been waiting for us and thanked us for coming to her. She told us that she had been waiting for "men and women of God" to pray with her because at night she still hears the cries of the children and others who had been killed at Wounded Knee. We were very surprised. We showed her to our car to take her home and as she entered and saw the photo of Shri Mataji, she gently placed her hand right on the photo of Shri Mataji and then softly kissed her hand!

In her house we gave her Self-Realization. Her Kundalini was very strong and the vibrations were very strong at that moment. We spoke to her about Shri Mataji and Sahaja Yoga and then she told us that when we arrived she saw blue lights at her window and that we were these blue lights. She proceeded to tell us that ordinary human beings don't recognize who we truly are. She told us a few interesting things. One was that Anna had a strong white light around her and that Cosetta had delicate gentle colours and then she gave Cosetta some pearls of the same colours and then told her that she had powers that she must use every day. She told me that I am like steel, strong, and that I am a leader, especially of men. We left after giving her a photo of Shri Mataji and the information on Sahaja Yoga.

During this trip I was able to visit very important places, crucial areas of historic importance, where battles and very important historical personalities, both good and bad, laid the foundation for the formation of the United States. We were able to throw vibrated water at the Battle of the Big Horn. We prayed to bring peace to the Indians and the entire American population. We held Sahaja Yoga programs on the reservations.

This is only a short summary of our experiences with the Native Americans. We hope that it will allow you to understand better the importance of our Native brothers and sisters. But what is even more important is that now we all continue with the Sahaja Yoga programs on the reservations.

Fabrizio

To be continued