Here I am a western Aussie girl smack-bang in the middle of a culture steeped deep within the soil of spiritualty… where every few metres (it seems) the land pays homage with statues and offerings of food, flowers and drinks. Where the people of this land, bring hands to prayer and bow their head in Namaste (I bow to the goodness in you). Where religion is not a religion of dogma but a way of being, maybe even a philosophical stance…??

I am a yogini. I am a student of spirit. I am a conveyer of all that pays homage to humanity and a spiritual way of life. It was not so much that I had to but rather, I was drawn to visit the temples… or they drew me.

Buddhist temples or Wats are well-known symbols of Thailand. Not just because the majority of Thais are Buddhist, but because of their beauty and because they are inherently vital to their way of life. In Phuket alone, there are 29 Buddhist temples.

And I made a pilgrimage to one – Wat Chalong. I, along with throngs of locals who come to pray and Westerners who come to learn something about Buddhism.

Incenses by the tub burns – wafts of fragrant smoke spiral into the air. Fire-crackers boom and crackle away in beehive-shaped ovens near the Wat’s  sermon hall. A ritual of hanging strings of crackers and then igniting them as a way of expressing gratitude for prayers answered.  And is a common occurrence in Wat Chalong Thailand.

Shoes – dozens upon dozens of shoes line the paths. Barrels of flowers wait for their corresponding homager… offerings for prayer and blessings.

It is easy to honour the etiquette and respect the prayerful offerings. Following suit we, remove our shoes, cover bare shoulders and in silence make our way into one of the temple’s. I am immediately moved; a sensation of emotion, unquantifiable, washes over me… it soothes and like all things spiritual, I immerse myself into the experience.

A gilt-covered statue of Luang Poh Cham beckons. After careful-respectful-observance, we emulate the process. With deft application, we select our piece of gold and pray-fully place a piece on Luang Poh Cham.

We spend much valued time within the temple grounds. Yes, indeed, the Wat Chalong temple … is my Sacre Coeur Phuket. And just like the Sacre Coeur (France) I am moved…. the richness of spirituality permeates. It is like a warm blanket that comforts on a cold night. I am familiar with the Buddha images, incense, removal of shoes and chiming bells – I practice yoga. But nothing prepared me for this. The depth, the all-encompassing permeation of spirit where every cell pays homage not to an icon but to a philosophy… a way of being in life.

Here I am a western Aussie girl smack-bang in the middle of a culture steeped deep within the soil of spiritualty…

5 minutes in my day

Bikers, walkers, joggers, pushers of prams, strollers, skaters, surfers, greetings, smiles, ocean, music, conversations on phones, roller-blades, amblers, gawkers (me thinks that is me): waves, gulls, traffic, sun, inorganic, organic, city skyline afar, rippled horizon, boat, plane, helicopter, butterfly, bathers, shoppers, rocks, salt bush, salt spray:

The Sun is out, the Moon is up…like an actor waiting in the wings ready to take their cue:

Amazing gifts…

Solo man on a rock, solo boat on the ocean, solo surfer on a wave, solo woman on the sand, solo para-glider against the blue, solo plane in the sky, solo bird in the air: Breeze on my back, sun on my face, thonged feet, jogger feet, sandal feet, bare feet, hats, helmets, sunnies, budgie smugglers, boardies, bikinis: Messages in the sand, Light on the water – a trillion sparkles, sound of the ocean – hum-roar-crash an aria:

Heart beats, veins rush, spirit soars, thoughts hush:

Life is rich

Life is abundant

Life is good

Melodies of Hope

My body blends with the earth:

Undulations of creation tell their story through the aged crevices of the land.

Rivers of belief …

Torrents of heresy flow like lava through the watery inlets

- Time to make a stand

My soul swims with the oceans:

Raging rivers of fear and despised creatures lament their tale of torture and neglect.

Mountains of virtue …

Reach to the sky like explosions of ecstasy caught in the ripple of time

- Man cannot reject

My spirit weeps with the heavens:

Entreaties of redemption ricochet, abandoned by deaf ears and sightless minds.

Melodies of hope …

Floating particles send messages to relinquish debt upon the soul

- signals a re-awakening of mankind

Holistic thought creates life:

New beginnings entice the threadlike existence of man and beast – earth and sky.

Reflections of unity …

Freedom from the vacuous mind, the tempest entourage that brings decay

- Harmony is nigh

DKB 2012

There are some moments that are

more amazing/inspiring/blessed

than others.

And those moments are because I,

in that moment,

open up to be ….

amazed/amazing, inspired/inspiring, blessed…

Your entire life is a work of art.

And as is true of all masterpieces,

everything has meaning and is important.