Arunachala

Arunachala, arunachala-

Ramana Maharishi’s beloved.
I like how old you are,
old as Earth herself
it grounds my body
made of your body

Home of Arunachala Shiva-
pure potency in the fire of the heart
Arun achala
“the unshakeable fire of the heart”
you are,
you stir the same in me.

I am home at your feet,
in the heart of your caves
where Great Beings of Light
have led so many.

They carry logs up the mountain, singing hymns- the keepers of the fire. Men.
As they have for centuries. Eons of honoring the wisdom repository of this fire mountain. They walk up the steep slopes with heavy loads, burning hearts full of devotion and set the logs on fire. Ceremony. Invocation. Honoring. Bowing.

To the Lord. To Life. To That which fuels Life. So much love. So much love. And then there is a fire on the top of this ancient volcano that burns all night. That you can see for miles, an unbroken tradition since Agastya walked this land, and brought the wisdom of Adiyogi down from the Himalayas.

Such is the depth of my mother land, the soil that birthed me, and the firekeepers who have tended it. Mother Land. Mother India. Earth. Heart. Fire.

The kind of fire that gently, lovingly, unerringly nourishes, soothes, transforms and inspires.
So grateful for these days of clearing the clutter, inside and out. Resting and remembering, coming alive. A whole new kind of alive, in the heart of home soil.
A privilege to smear the dirt on my feet, my legs, my body.
Only gold would do. To paint it is to know it in a whole new way.

A deep bow.
A deep bow.