Meri goes Zen. Or I tried.
Yesterday I received the nicest compliment I have ever received: "You are a smile catalyst". I think making people smile can achieve a lot. Concretely, making people smile and think can change the world. This is the new philosophy of Lola’s world. Don’t even try to understand this. Since my India adventure started I am trying to get more into the Eastern way of living faith. I have taken the following concrete steps:
- Fortuneteller services in Chennai
- Visit to Osho International in Pune
Step 1. Fortune telling is part of daily life it seems. Parents go to fortunetellers to ask whether a girl or a boy would be a good match for their kid. Lovers would run to a fortuneteller to see if their love would materialize into marriage. Parents would get this service to find out if a future baby is healthy…and so on. I was by the beach in Chennai with the biggest poet in town, looking at the moon timidly hiding away behind the clouds when a guy with a cage approached me. The cage contained two very different microbeasts: a green parrot and a brown rat. For the modicum price of $1 the fortuneteller would disclose all my stars. How fabulous. He asked me: parrot or rat? The parrot was green and since I think green is the color of hope and the rat was too dirty (looked as if it had had a bath in Chennai’s beach) I went for the parrot.
The fortuneteller opened the cage, freed the parrot and told him to pick one card. The parrot obeyed and after doubting which card to take he picked one with the portrays of the Virgin Mary and Jesus. I felt very special. Holy. Dancing in the sky. An expat brought me down to earth hours after this encounter with Jesus telling me that all fortunetellers, indeed most Indians, identify whities like myself with Christianity…so…there you go…even the parrot saw that I was white and picked the Holy card to make me feel happy. Things that the fortuneteller got (very) right and random advice:
- I was supposed to be born male and I did not
- I am a strong woman, sometimes with male behavior (oh well, used to play basketball, had my knees wounded all the time, climbed trees…)
- All the health problems that I will have during my life happened in 2007 (it was 2006 indeed…but what is a year. I give the fortuneteller credit for this)
- I am going to be successful in whatever I do
- I have to say ‘appam’ or ‘ammman’ or something like that 7 times per day for 48 days to get married (but I am still doubtful about the whole marriage think, but I will find out because I am a strong women who was supposed to be born a male, said the fortuneteller. Ha.)
The fortuneteller was closer in his projection with a friend. The parrot picked a dark card: evil. Last weeks have been quite tough for that person. Luckily the fortuneteller had a remedy for that, a small golden foil paper mini memento that my friend should keep for 3 days and then throw away. Boy, how easily and cheaply one can get rid of evil in India...
Step 2. Osho International. I took advantage of my short visit to Pune to check the gardens of this meditation empire. I almost saw nothing apart from many foreigners dressed in red overalls. It seemed to me like a place for good-looking people that telecommute and live in houses with design tablecloths and candles in the bathroom. I had time to buy books and CDs in the shop. I am quite embarrassed to share the content of the books with you. You better check who Osho was and his philosophy (viva la nudity!! Oops)
All this in the name of Eastern faith…
- Fortuneteller services in Chennai
- Visit to Osho International in Pune
Step 1. Fortune telling is part of daily life it seems. Parents go to fortunetellers to ask whether a girl or a boy would be a good match for their kid. Lovers would run to a fortuneteller to see if their love would materialize into marriage. Parents would get this service to find out if a future baby is healthy…and so on. I was by the beach in Chennai with the biggest poet in town, looking at the moon timidly hiding away behind the clouds when a guy with a cage approached me. The cage contained two very different microbeasts: a green parrot and a brown rat. For the modicum price of $1 the fortuneteller would disclose all my stars. How fabulous. He asked me: parrot or rat? The parrot was green and since I think green is the color of hope and the rat was too dirty (looked as if it had had a bath in Chennai’s beach) I went for the parrot.
The fortuneteller opened the cage, freed the parrot and told him to pick one card. The parrot obeyed and after doubting which card to take he picked one with the portrays of the Virgin Mary and Jesus. I felt very special. Holy. Dancing in the sky. An expat brought me down to earth hours after this encounter with Jesus telling me that all fortunetellers, indeed most Indians, identify whities like myself with Christianity…so…there you go…even the parrot saw that I was white and picked the Holy card to make me feel happy. Things that the fortuneteller got (very) right and random advice:
- I was supposed to be born male and I did not
- I am a strong woman, sometimes with male behavior (oh well, used to play basketball, had my knees wounded all the time, climbed trees…)
- All the health problems that I will have during my life happened in 2007 (it was 2006 indeed…but what is a year. I give the fortuneteller credit for this)
- I am going to be successful in whatever I do
- I have to say ‘appam’ or ‘ammman’ or something like that 7 times per day for 48 days to get married (but I am still doubtful about the whole marriage think, but I will find out because I am a strong women who was supposed to be born a male, said the fortuneteller. Ha.)
The fortuneteller was closer in his projection with a friend. The parrot picked a dark card: evil. Last weeks have been quite tough for that person. Luckily the fortuneteller had a remedy for that, a small golden foil paper mini memento that my friend should keep for 3 days and then throw away. Boy, how easily and cheaply one can get rid of evil in India...
Step 2. Osho International. I took advantage of my short visit to Pune to check the gardens of this meditation empire. I almost saw nothing apart from many foreigners dressed in red overalls. It seemed to me like a place for good-looking people that telecommute and live in houses with design tablecloths and candles in the bathroom. I had time to buy books and CDs in the shop. I am quite embarrassed to share the content of the books with you. You better check who Osho was and his philosophy (viva la nudity!! Oops)
All this in the name of Eastern faith…
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